Hello guys… I am back with a new chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it.
AN: some guy reviewed me that I am making Naruto stronger than Izayoi… let me tell you something, Izayoi is an Esper who holds the power of third cosmic velocity. The power of this physical law is monumental and that's why Izayoi is this strong but the power I gave to this Naruto is Omni-Physics manipulation. That means even Izayoi's law comes under his power so it's understandable that he is more powerful than Izayoi. Another power of Izayoi is he can destroy other gifts, that is one heck of a power I know but this Naruto not only is powerful but also have way many things under his sleeves, so neutralizing his Aurora Pillar is an easy fit for him.
Secondly I am the writer of this fic so I can make any changes to this fic I like. If you don't like it then don't read.
Let me give you guys a little spoiler, this Naruto was born as an ultimate counter to Azi Dahaka and other Demon Lords.
Now onto the chapter.
Both Kuro Usagi and Leticia were watching two mad men laughing as if they succeeded some evil plot. Leticia on her part was fairly sure of the strength Naruto possess. The nearly destroyed forest at the north most part of Little Garden is the proof of that. As to how that happened? It's a story of another time.
She wanted to test the strength level of the last member that yet to fight. She only knew from Shiroyasha that he was able defeat a water god on his own. So she proposed a duel between her and Izayoi.
"Since you worry about whether [No Name] possesses or lacks the ability to go up against Demon Lords, then I just have to show you" was Izayoi's reply. Naruto hasn't expected any less from him.
Izayoi stood up abruptly. Understanding Izayoi's intention, Leticia was momentarily stumped for words, but she soon broke out into laughter. Leticia who gave that exaggerated laugh also stood up, having laughed to the point where tears had formed at the edges of her eyes.
"Hehe…I see, that's something that I didn't think of. It's definitely a simple and effective way. If I had known, I would have done this straight from the start and not played some kind of inferior plotting behind the shadows." Leticia said.
"Please…Please wait a moment, both of you?" Kuro Usagi stuttered.
"What do we do about the Game rules?" Izayoi asked.
"Since it's a test of strength anyway, let's not make it too complicated. Both will just have to strike each other and see the reaction of your opponents" Naruto proposed.
"The last man standing wins? Is that so? Okay, that's what we call 'simple is the best' right?" Izayoi said.
"That's right now both of you be prepared"
The both of them smiled at each other before jumping to the courtyard by exiting through the window at the same time.
The windows that were left open from earlier didn't pose an obstacle for the both of them as they successfully passed through the frame. And as they faced each other in the courtyard that measured around 10 jo, their positions were separated like Heaven and Earth.
"Oh? So Little Garden Vampires have wings?"
"Hm. Although it isn't flight with the use of wings…does it make you dissatisfied to see me having the skies at my disposal?"
"No, we didn't rule that out in the rules."
Izayoi shrugged his shoulders indifferently. Although this meant that Izayoi was in a less favorable position, Izayoi did not discuss it further but merely got himself into a defensive stance. And Leticia started to evaluate him from this response.
In Gift Games, assuming that the opponent was an unknown factor is a basic rule. Take for example if a monkey had brought up a complaint that the bird was being unfair for having the ability to fly freely in the skies, in a Gift game, it would be seen as the fault of the monkey for being unable to fly and the monkey's complaint wouldn't have been a valid argument. To see the opponent whose abilities remain a mystery take the first step in displaying a skill and come up with a counter with one's own Gifts on hand, that was the true essence of Gift Games and the greatest joy.
'I see. He does have the right attitude towards the game, let's see if he has the strength to back that up…!' Leticia thought.
With her back facing the full moon, Leticia smiled as she unfurled her Black Wings while taking out her own Gift card. Seeing the Gift card that was adorned with the contrasting colors of Black, Red and Gold being drawn out, Kuro Usagi had turned pale and shouted loudly: "Leti…Leticia-sama! That Gift card is…"
"Stand down, Kuro Usagi; although this is a test of strength, it is equivalent to a duel."
The Gift card gave off a bright light as it materialized the Gift's true form that was sealed within the card. As the light particles condensed to form the outer shell of the item, it suddenly shattered outwards to reveal a weapon fashioned like a lance.
"We will just toss a lance at each other and if the opponent is unable to block it, it would be counted as an immediate loss. Excuse me but I will be starting first." Leticia said.
"Fine by me."
Leticia raised the lance, which was to be thrown, high into the air.
"Hu—-!"
Leticia took a deep breath to adjust her breathing while spreading her wings even more. Rotating her whole body to add to the momentum of the toss, the impact of the throw caused the air to ripple and the lance pierced through the air with such force that ripples of air could be seen spreading to the sides of the lance's tip as it flew towards its intended target.
*Ha!*
The lance that was thrown with a fierce shout had already started to heat up due to the resistance of the air and was rapidly closing in on Izayoi in a straight line. Facing the lance tip that was flying towards his face while vibrating the air around it like a meteor, Izayoi parted his lips in a smile.
"Hmph!—What's there to be cocky about?!" he said in a disdainful tone and swung his fist to smash into the lance.
"—Shwat…?"
Leticia and Kuro Usagi had both given out a shout that was seriously out of tune. But it's because the following description is not metaphorically speaking and there's no other way to describe it fully. The tip of the lance that was sharpened to the point where it could be thrown at a speed that would allow it to pierce through all air resistance…its shape, from the sharp lance tip to the intricately designed handle with its beautifully crafted patterns, was twisted into a lump of iron in just one strike and had shattered to form countless shrapnel that seemed like pellets of a shotgun as they flew back towards Leticia.
'This …This is bad…..!'
Such a crazy destructive power! Leticia did not have the ability to defend against such a strike and that only left her the option of dodging. But her body did not catch up to the speed of her thoughts. No, it wouldn't have mattered even if it were able to catch up.
If it were a normal bullet, Leticia, who was a Pure Blood Vampire should have the ability to use her hand to swipe it away. But currently in the face of these wicked sharp shrapnel that were travelling at a speed similar to the Third Cosmic Velocity and rapidly approaching with a speed that was faster than humanely possible, it was impossible for her to do the same.
'To…To actually be that strong to this extent…!'
And as Leticia was about to be made into a dartboard, she gave a wry smile. Having witnessed Izayoi's extraordinary strength, Leticia felt a little ashamed for having naively requested a visual assessment and at the same time, she felt relieved.
Since this guy holds such a strong talent, maybe…when Leticia had just mentally prepared herself to fall to the ground torn up to shreds and covered in blood—
"Leticia-sama!" Kuro Usagi screamed
But at that time everything froze as if someone pressed a 'pause' button. Izayoi's cocky expression, Kuro Usagi's horrified face, Leticia's Resigned body language, the moving clouds… everything froze. The only one that didn't was Naruto himself.
"hew! Made it in time" Naruto muttered. Using telekinesis he moved each and every metal shrapnel which were frozen on the sky and gathered them in one place. The gathered metal pieces gathered in a hip infront of him. With a click of his fingers, everything started moving normally.
Leticia waited with baited breath closing her eyes, waited for the pain that would follow but no matter what she didn't felt a thing. She opened her eyes and saw nothing had happened to her. Her first thought was 'Thank god' then she became confused to exactly what happened. Kuro Usagi also looked relived when she found that those metal shrads mysteriously vanished from mid air.
Only Izayoi was remotely aware of what happened so he saw towards Naruto in a sideway glance with a gleaming eyes. Kuro Usagi jumped near Leticia and snatched her gift card to her arms.
"Kuro…Kuro Usagi! What are you doing?!"
All of a sudden, Leticia shouted loudly. However, it wasn't to protest Kuro Usagi's intervention in the battle. But it was due to Kuro Usagi's act of snatching the Gift card from her hand and holding onto it tightly. Ignoring Leticia's protests, she stared at the Gift card in her hand and following that, she turned back to face Leticia while saying in a trembling voice:
"Gift name [Pure Blood Kyūketsuki Hime]…as I thought! The Gift name has changed! Although retaining its demon species, it now lacks the Divinity!"
"Uu…!"
Leticia immediately looked away, being unable to meet Kuro Usagi's gaze. Izayoi who had stridden over to them, seemed a little disappointed but he shrugged his shoulders with a disapproving expression on his face.
"What's this? Could it be that you do not have the former Demon Lord-sama Gift anymore and have only been left with a Vampire Gift?"
"…Yes, Most of the weapons are still retained but the Gift that used to be held in her body…"
Izayoi did not bother to hide his frustration as he clicked his tongue harshly. It's most probably due to him feeling displeased by the thought that Leticia in her current weak state had challenged him as his opponent.
"Hmph! No wonder there wasn't even a bit of fight put up from your end! So this means that after becoming the possession of another person, the Gifts will also be taken?"
"No…The Demon Lord only took away talented individuals from the Community and wasn't after the Gifts. Different from the Gifts that can materialize as weapons, what we call [Grace] is the miracle that has been given to various Gods, deities, Buddhas and Spirits. In other words, it is a part of the soul and is unable to be forcefully removed from the holder of the Gift without their consent."
It meant that Leticia had consented to give up her Gift. Seeing how the both of them were focusing on her with their gazes, Leticia seemed to turn away her eyes with a pained expression. Kuro Usagi wore a grim expression on her face as she asked:
"Leticia-sama, your former power that was equivalent to that of a [Demon Lord] was due to the dual possession of both the pure blooded Demon type and Divinity, hence earning you the title of one. But with your current abilities, it seems like it's not even a tenth of your original strength. Why did it become like this…"
"…This is…"
Leticia started her words hesitantly before stopping and she continued that way for a few more times. But in the end, she was still unable to be honest with them and had relapsed into her silence while looking down at the ground.
Naruto scratched his head as he gave a suggestion:
"If you have something to say, let's just head back to the room first."
"…I guess you are right…" Leticia said.
The both of them nodded their heads gloomily.
Scene Change
[Thousand Eyes], Outer Gate Number 2105380, a branch of the Community's shops.
After confirming that the shop front had been closed, Shiroyasha walled along the gallery towards the west side of the shop to arrive at a spot that was far deeper than the position of her room to visit a room that was located at a different courtyard. Although that was a room that was used to entertain VIP guests; currently, the person inside wasn't a guest.
The person inside was someone who was just like Shiroyasha, one of the cadres of [Thousand Eyes]. He was a lean guy who had flaxen hair while wearing a snakeskin jacket. This man who wore a snakeskin jacket must have requested for two women to serve him while waiting. For one could see that he had deliberately held out his cup to the woman in a courtesan style kimono to refill his cup with wine while smiling to say to Shiroyasha:
"To let me wait for so long. Dumping your Community's comrade aside to receive a customer, I bet it must have been some important guest right?"
Shiroyasha scratched her head of white hair as she replied in disdain:
"Hmph, what comrade are you talking about, what utter rubbish. How dare a mere upstart like you request for my girls to serve you, you have quite some spunk there, boy! Okay, that's it from you guys! Stop right now, it's enough! Return to your stations of accounting the transactions."
"Yes…Yes madam."
The girls started to straighten out their rumpled clothes as they hurried out of the room.
"What a pity. It's because they told me that they would accept all kinds of request that I allowed myself to indulge a little. After all, [Perseus] doesn't have that sort of docile girls with that kind of standard. Could you count on our connections as cadres to sell them to me?"
"…Regarding matters of insult, I will reply with a duel you know? Laius-san." Shiroyasha's white hair began to quiver and her anger was obvious as it leaked into her tone in a threatening manner. For Shiroyasha who placed her comrades as her top priority, the request of 'Trading comrades with the use of money' could only be taken as an insult. The guy called Laius only gave a shrug of his shoulders while replying insincerely:
"Pardon me. If I've ruffled your feathers the wrong way I will offer my apologies then."
"Hmph. Then, what brings the young master who has inherited [Perseus] over today?"
"I think you should know the answer, right?" The both of them stared at each other. Needless to say, the reason for Laius's visit would be regarding Leticia. Even if it wasn't about that matter, there had already been a rift between their relations from the start.
Although Shiroyasha and Laius are from the same Community, the difference between the main branch and the side branch could be said to be miles apart, just like Heaven and Earth. The original [Perseus] wasn't a part of [Thousand Eyes], but was a Community that originated from a knight in the Greek mythologies. Back in the long past, the Knight Perseus was assumed to have ascended to the Heavens as a constellation after having enjoyed his later years. But in reality, he had been invited over to this place, which was the world of Little Garden. The name of the Community [Perseus] was to represent the members who were the direct descendants of Perseus himself.
In Little Garden, where it amassed many Gods and demigods from all over, people who were similar to them with such a special and specific legend behind them weren't in the minorities. After many years past, due to the division or destruction of the original organization, they had also often taken action to seek protection from the other Communities. Shiroyasha gave a harumph as she snapped open her favorite folding fan.
"If it's about Leticia, I did not intend to hide it from you either. It was you guys who had made the first move to bring shame upon the Twin Goddess Flag. To actually withdraw a Gift Game that you had been announced to Host? If it were to be dealt with in the normal procedure, this would easily cause you to be demoted in level as a punishment."
"Hm about that, I'm also aware of it. That's why in the face of such insidious, despicable and petty, who knows where or what caused such a troublesome, behavior, I can only swallow my tears and quietly respond like this, you know?"
'I oppose any use of authority to harass me!) Laius raised his hands in mock surrender as he laughed, clearly in an insult. Although Shiroyasha was angry to the point where her veins were throbbing at her temples, she wasn't foolish enough to rise to his mediocre taunt.
Laius gave a laugh as he continued:
"And I did withdraw the Game only after consulting and receiving the consent of the Participants who had registered with us earlier on. I reckon that I've done the minimum courtesy."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Shiroyasha was also too lazy to ask what kind of method that Laius had used to achieve that end.
For she was sure that even if she clarified and obtained the answer, it would only spoil her mood even more.
"Anyways, the Leticia in question is no longer here. Hng Hng, you are almost two steps behind on the matter."
"Of course I know of this trivial stuff. Anyways, I also have an inkling on where she ran to, I do have a perfect grasp on the past of all my possessions, you know?"
Facing the Laius who wasn't the least bit in panic, Shiroyasha's expression had distorted in surprise.
"…Then why did you come to this place? Shouldn't you have gone immediately to bring her back with you? That would have been easier right?"
"I've already dispatched my men to go over there, so I don't think it will take long to find it."
Picking a piece of the refreshments to place into his mouth, Laius exuded an odd sense of calm. This strange behavior only served to give Shiroyasha an uneasy premonition. As Shiroyasha got to her feet silently, Laius threw the plate that was originally used to hold the refreshments at the doors, clearly a sign to stop her from leaving.
*Crunch* Shiroyasha stomped on the plate fragments to grind them to dust as she asked with open hostility:
"Boy, what do you mean by that?"
"I'm just thinking that I should at least prevent such a thing from happening again, for I consider that to be the best arrangement. The success of that staged dramatic escape is due to the dedication to its former Community. If this dedication were to be severed, maybe it might just bring trouble to the trading partners right?"
Shiroyasha realized that the anxiety in her chest wasn't unfounded.
"You bastard…Could it be that you've sent your men to attack the [No Name]?!"
"What attack are you talking about? That sure is a rude way of putting it. I'm just going to mete out punishment to the [No Name] who have stolen our possession! Hm, that sounds good, I think I will use that. After all even if a nameless Community were to be destroyed, nobody will miss them right?"
Laius gave a shrug as he didn't take Shiroyasha's angry roar seriously. Though Shiroyasha really wanted to strangle that twerp, but it wasn't the time for that sort of thing. She reached out to the doors with the intention to leave but found that the door wouldn't budge.
"Ah, I forgot to say this but the doorway has been tampered with by me already."
"You insolent kid…! I think you really want to die, right?"
"Ara? You want to kill a comrade? Killing a comrade is quite a serious offense you know?"
"Hmph! If I kill a low-life bastard, there won't be anyone who will miss him! You fool!"
"Woah Aiyo! Indeed, if it's you who's known as the [Demon Lord of White Night], Shiroyashasama makes a move, I guess even I will die right?…But before getting killed, I will at least try to make this shop of yours disappear from this world you know? Let's see. It will be quite heart breaking to see your kawaii subordinates being beaten to pulp right?"
Laius made a show of pulling out the golden necklace that hung around his neck to display it clearly. This necklace that had a skull-like decoration was a power that was sufficient to match up with Demon Lords. The Greatest Gift that [Perseus] possessed.
"Uu…" Shiroyasha clamped her teeth as she stared at Laius and Laius squarely faced that stare with his own. Both sides maintained this position of a stalemate for a while before the first person to step down turned out to be Shiroyasha.
"That's right. That's right. If you're less stubborn, we do not need to bear any losses. After all, we are all Communities that worship the Twin goddess Flag."
"…"
"Don't worry, I won't kill her. I will just moderate the discipline she gets to make sure that she won't dare to put up such resistance in the future."
Wearing his snakeskin jacket once more, he revealed a grin on his clean cut face. But to his surprise instead of an angry face which he expected from Shiroyasha, what he got is a hearty laughter.
Shiroyasha laughed hard for approximately one minute before showing any intent of stopping.
"Hmm! It seems that you heard some joke. Care to share it" Laius said.
"Hmmm! Kid it's nothing… I just thought how your face would become when you hear something disappointing" she said mysteriously.
"Disappointing? What is it I wonder?" Lius said ambiguously.
"Just Wait"
Scene Change
After their short bout and a mysterious conclusion now the members of [No Names] and Leticia began making their way inside.
"Wait! We got visitors" Naruto shouted.
Within 0.01 seconds Izayoi was also on guard. A sudden disturbance could be felt in the air. At the same time that they lifted their heads to look for the source, a ray of brownish light shone over from a distance away and Leticia immediately gave a loud cry:
"That beam of light…is that the Ray of Medusa?! Not good! I've been found!"
Following her panicked cries, Leticia stood before them to shield them with her body, thinking to protect them from the harm of the brown murky ray. Understanding the nature of that ray, Kuro Usagi gave a scream in grief while staring at the distance.
"A Flag that depicts the head of Medusa…? No…It's not going to work! Please move aside and dodge it! Leticia-sama!"
But Kuro Usagi's shout didn't seem to have much of an effect for Leticia who had been bathed in the brown ray had already been petrified into a stone statue that fell to the side to lie upon the ground. From the direction where the ray had been emitted from, there appeared to be a large group of guys who were dressed up as knights while wearing flying sandals that had wings sprouting from its sides. And they were rushing towards Leticia in their formation.
"Target found! The vampire has already been petrified. Secure her immediately!"
"There's also some [No Name] guys around, what are your orders?"
"If they try to impede our mission, you are free to silence them!"
Hearing the words of the Aerial Knights, Izayoi gave a displeased and fierce smile as he said: "What a headache. This is the first time in my life that I've been taken so lightly, just like an accessory. Should I clap my hands to celebrate this occasion? Or should I just follow my rage and teach them a lesson that they will never forget? Kuro Usagi, which do you think is a better choice?"
"Any…Anyways, let's just go back to the protection of the Headquarters!"
Although the petrified Leticia was worrying, there seemed to be a greater problem at hand currently.
After all, Leticia was still a possession of [Perseus]. For her to run around without the consent of her master, it was natural that there wasn't ground for any valid complaints. Moreover, [Perseus] was also a part of the branch Communities in [Thousand Eyes] and in the case of a dispute, it would be difficult to imagine any improvements to the situation.
But before those flying knights could come close enough they felt a monumental pressure upon them. It was as if they are bearing the whole sky on their soldiers. Those flying knights immediately fell down from the sky as if they are fruits that are falling from a tree and fell to ground making loud fissures. The weight was very unbearable as they struggle to even stand up, without much force they immediately fell limp on the ground.
Crack!
A sound that a human's body should never make was sounded as their bones were crushed to paste from the pressure. Their body gave a murky brown outline as they struggle to fight against the pressure with their inner power but it's up to no avail. If someone had to really concentrate on those guys then they would see a transparent out line on those guys.
Crack! Boom! Boom!
The fissures on the ground enlarged as all those knights immersed themselves in the even dipper making human shaped trenches. The ground itself pushed inside making a ten meter deep whole. Three of them were already crushed to paste at the unbearable pressure. Just when the rest of them were about to die, they felt as if the pressure vanished all of a sudden. The leader of this group looked up with his eyes wide unable to even make a coherent thought.
Tap! Tap!
The leader heard the sound of someone walking and with very difficulty he moved his head at the direction of sound. He watched with his eyes wide as a figure wearing weird cloths with some kind of walking stick was coming towards him. He tried look at his face but the eyes of this boy frightened him.
"Wha-What a-ar-aare You?" he asked with hoarse voice as his voice box was nearly crushed to paste.
"You! You used that weird petrifying light right? Then make her normal" Naruto asked to the near death leader.
"…" the leader didn't reply and instead looked at the young man incredulously.
"What are you looking at, huh? I said to make her normal, cant you hear me?" he asked again.
"I-I can't" the leader stuttered.
"huh? You can't? Then say me who can do that"
"It's our master" the leader first thought of feigning ignorance but the look of Naruto's eyes frightened him to core.
"So you cant do anything? Then there is no use of you here" with this sentence Naruto waved his arms and all those fallen knights were enveloped in a blue light and vanished from that place. All that remained was a petrified Leticia, a surprised rabbit, a solemn Izayoi and an angry as fuck Naruto Uzumaki.
It seems the days of [Pursues] was numbered.
END
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