The SCP Foundation is not my property, Metal Gear Solid is property of Konami and Hideo Kojima, Splinter Cell is property of Ubisoft and Tom Clancy, High School DxD is property of Ichiei Ishibumi.
This fanfic belongs to me.
[A/N]
Before you read.
The world SxS is not an idea of mine, it belongs to the user ShiroUntold. I have permission to use his world.
Please, go and rad his fanfic: High School DxD Silver.
SCP: Birth Of The Legends
Chapter 35: Guardians of Tomorrow (J)
Multiverse DxD.
SxS (Eighth Dimension of the third complex)
Jonathan crossed his arms and looked at his surroundings, if that world was identical to his, then his plan could go smoothly.
The Foundation had sensible information and knew top secrets from every mythological faction.
Dangerous weapons, treasures, projects, magic sources.
While the information of the Foundation didn't provide the exact location (maybe for the intervention of the Council O5), the Hound of Tindalos that he sent to investigate could provide the location.
Oh, right. That wasn't his universe, he had made a little travel thanks to the Tower of Babel.
The ability possessed by the Tower to travel through that multiverse was amazingly accurate and effective. The energy consumed was considerably minor than the quantity that was initially estimated which was incredibly good.
A wandsman told him the reason behind the small consumption of energy.
The universe where he was now, was adjacent to his. It was better for him, the objective of the mission could get done faster.
He needed to increase his army, make it more powerful.
The time was running out.
The three biblical factions were on his heels, The Foundation was looking for him with everything they got, and even the GOC was beginning to mobilize operatives against him.
Frankly, what was worrying him the most was the awakening of Adam's demonic blood.
It made no sense, he made the test when his children were born. Could it be that the experiments and stress awakened his demon side?
Knowing him, he would push himself to the limits of his body.
Jonathan scanned his surroundings for a potential threat. Even with all of the elemental powers activated, he couldn't lower his guard. Relying on the elements would become a habit and that would be unacceptable.
His eyes didn't see anything but the artificial moon in the sky and the supernatural flora and fauna of the Underworld.
The energy of the earth was normal and undisturbed.
The wind told him about the "demonic" creatures around him. Not enough power to represent a problem.
The water warned him about the wandsman that was approaching.
Jonathan spun his katana between his fingers and passed it to his left hand, his free hand grasped the hilt firmly. If that wandsman tried something, he was going to cut him down; he couldn't waste time with a nuisance.
The wandsman flapped its winds to reduce the speed and landed a few meters away from the man.
As every wandsman, it had the form of an avian creature. Just like the one with Adrien, this one resembled a vulture.
It was tall enough to reach Jonathan's waist and long enough to be confused with a small dragon if seen in the darkness.
The scholar of the multiverse turned around and opened its three-parts beak to yawn and then to speak with acute voice making clear its gender.
"Got to be honest. I wasn't expecting such an offer from someone who captured us," she said. "You could have just ask, you know?"
Jonathan scanned his surroundings again before relaxing his posture.
"I already explained the situation, wandswoman. I offer apologies for my approach but, sadly, it was necessary."
"I understand, I understand," she replied while stretching her wings. "You and your men treated us nicely."
It was true, nor she nor her husband were mistreated beyond the kidnapping.
Jonathan nodded and focused on the mission.
"Have you found something useful?"
"Uh-huh. There is a lot of interesting things but you gave me specific parameters," she reached the scroll tied to her talon, "and I did my best."
She dropped the scroll, it magically unfolded to show its contents. Jonathan knelt and looked at it.
The scroll was the main tool of a wandsman, they were maps of the multiverse. It allowed them to document the different universes and their realms along with small notes.
The scroll before Jonathan had a map of the realms on that Earth.
At that moment it had Underworld, Heaven, one of the main bases of Grigori and the Dimensional Gap. With a gesture from the wandswoman, it expanded the Underworld section.
"As you asked, I looked for the darkest and strongest source of power. My search took me to the territory of the Beelzebub clan."
"Anything else?"
With another gesture, it showed Earth and its center.
"There is something powerful in the center of the planet. I don't think you can get there as fast as you got here. What are we going to do now?"
"I'll tell you when Fenrir arrives."
As if it was summoned, the Hound of Tindalos passed through the bushes.
Its form resembling that of a huge dog. Its bluish-gray skin worked perfectly to hide him in the shadows but was betrayed by his glowing blue ectoplasm that was visible through the fissures on its skin.
The wandswoman couldn't avoid comparing its skin with a puzzle.
Jonatha noticed that the Hound of Tindalos had increased its size, he passed from four meters to six.
Its eyeless head turned towards the wandswoman.
"H-Hey. Glad to see you here, fella."
"Salutations, wandswoman."
Jonathan uncrossed his arms, he had formulated three simple plans, depending on the information that Fenrir had, he would choose one of them.
"Anything to report, Fenrir?"
"I have found the Malebranche. They are 12 statues, sentient and intelligent."
"Did you have complications?"
"No, they couldn't do anything. With your power, you should be able to tame one of them."
Jonathan meditated on his plan and what was more important.
"I'm running out of time, I will die soon. Our top priority is to empower the army to fight against them."
"Where are we heading to?"
He meditated for a brief moment before turning his gaze to the wandswoman.
"We are going to investigate the Beelzeebub clan. Get ready you two."
.
.
.
[...]
Training fields of the Dark Knights.
Adam rolled over his shoulder and slid, with a hop he reached one of the pillars just in time to avoid getting burnt by Ophis' fire.
"Wait, wait!"
The dragonic deity stopped just to say "no". She kept spitting enormous flames inconsistent with her small size.
Serafall focused her raw dark energy and shot it. Ophis was giving her the back so she shouldn't be able to dodge it.
It wasn't necessary.
A black-scaled, robust, serpent-like tail came out from her lower back and blocked the shoot without problems. It vanished the next moment.
Ophis stopped focusing on Adam and focused on Serafall instead.
The pure-blooded devil felt her body freeze in fear before reacting to move aside just in time to not receive a punch to the gut.
Serafall had no choice but to move around at high speed while being chased by the Dragon of the Infinite. If Ophis landed just one hit, she would be out of combat for days.
In a demonstration of agility, Serafall performed a front flip. Once she was elevated enough, she stopped the maneuver and extended her hands. Ophis was just under her.
"Fire shoot!"
That spell was very basic, any novice could do it. However, Serafall's power was huge which increased the potency of the spell to impressive levels.
The attack would have been more than enough to reduce a mountain to nothing but a pile of debris.
Ophis received it at almost point-blank range. The explosion caused a strong shock wave that provoked Adam to lose his balance and get dragged by it.
Serafall maneuvered mid-air and managed to land with her feet against a pillar. Adam wasn't so lucky, he collided against a wall with devastating force.
He felt how his spine and ribs broke like twigs but they healed before he touched the ground.
His healing capability had increased. What was the limit of his body?
"What was that?" he questioned himself internally. "Two days and I still can't get used to such power."
"Focus, the elements haven't abandoned you, they are the most powerful allies on the battlefield, use their help."
Rayane's scold helped him to return his mind to the battlefield. She had been instructing him in the use of the elements; it wasn't easy with Ophis attacking him without caring for dealing irreversible damage.
The Demon of Darkness had informed her about Adam's incredible ability to heal any kind of wound so she had no reasons to hold back.
"Focus, child. You know that you can't beat her, this training is about developing your abilities focus on that."
Adam nodded as he got back to his feet. There was no time to waste whining about bones being turned into jelly, his top priority was getting more powerful.
He had to visualize his energy running across his body and then imagine it concentrating in one point, that was to use his own energy. He had to imagine himself as a mountain to use the power of the Earth.
"Adam, be alert. She disappeared!" Serafall yelled.
His demonic energy concentrated in his hands, they acquired a purple glitter. He was ready to shoot, he could feel that Ophis was nearby.
Forget about Earth, she could destroy his defense with a punch.
That graceful aura, the hypnotizing smell, the cold glare full of curiosity.
Adam's wings flapped with force, he performed a quick pirouette and landed on his feet. Ophis landed without delicacy, creating a crater.
He extended his fists violently shooting two small pillars of demonic energy, they hit their target with destructive power but the effort was useless.
Ophis was unscathed, the only damage dealt was to her dress. Her stone-cold expression changed into a slight scowl; in the blink of an eye, she was gone.
The hours of training with his father had taught him to dodge when the enemy disappeared from sight. However, even when his reflexes were polished to the peak of a human and now enhanced by his demonic blood, he was unable to move.
His body barely registered the pain, his brain needed a second to notice Ophis' fist. It had gone all the way from his abdomen to his back destroying his inner organs and breaking his spine.
Adam's anomalous body began to heal instantly and defying biology itself, he stood on his feet.
He cursed under his breath, he may heal but it was incredibly painful.
Out of training and fighting spirit, he punched her in the face. This naturally was useless but enough to annoy her.
The Dragon of Infinity violently moved her arm aside sending Adam flying like a missile against a pillar.
"Goddamn it. This is the second time I'm throwing around like a ball."
Serafall rushed to her servant with the intention to heal him. It was a reflex, she had seen Adam's impressive regeneration first hand.
While the Maou knelt to help him to stand up, Ophis smell the blood on her forearm.
"This smell."
Instead of a human tongue, a serpent-like tongue came out from her mouth and licked the blood. She took a moment to savor it as if it was wine.
"The blood of the Queen of Pleasure runs through your veins, you are her offspring."
The statement broke Adam's focus. What did she mean by that?
Adam's mind started to think about possible answers. Without more information, it would be a mistake to jump to conclusions.
Serafall couldn't keep herself from showing a puzzled expression. She had heard stories about Lilith but her existence seemed to be a myth.
"I wasn't wrong after all. I wonder how she managed to sneak out from her circle."
The diabolic voice of the Demon of Darkness came out from every direction. His words didn't help in the slightest to clarify the situation.
"My mother is human, I look just like my brother, there's no way father had cheated on mom. What the hell is going on?"
Adam shook his head, he was going to get his answer later. His top priority was getting stronger and he couldn't allow himself to get distracted by irrelevant thoughts.
"Mistress, are you alright?"
Serafall nodded and finally get him back to his feet. "Are you alright?"
Adam caressed his abdomen, Rayane had rebuilt his clothes. That was useful.
He didn't need to see, he felt that his body has healed already. It wasn't like feeling no pain, it was more the certainty that his cells were perfectly fine, almost as if they communicated it.
"I am fine. Can you keep fighting?" he asked, "It's been two days in a row."
Serafall smirked, a memory from the Devil Civil War appeared in her mind. She and Asmodeus fought for ten days without rest and she had to use a lot of power when Grayfia joined the skirmish.
She still had the stamina to spare, she wasn't going to leave him to fight alone like that.
"I can keep going. What about you?"
"Don't worry, Mistress, I can't get tired."
Ophis smirked after sensing their fighting spirit rise.
Decades had passed since she fought, she had to admit the fact that being so powerful was boring.
Dragons were conflicting creatures by nature, it was normal for them to have a skirmish or two with other dragons. Pretty often, they just did so to test their own strength or entertain themselves.
Ophis was the ultimate dragon, with limitless power and physical attributes. The number of beings able to give her a good fight was limited, besides the Great Nine or the Sacred Seven nothing was stronger than her.
She didn't count Red as another being because he was just another aspect of infinity. They were used to fight though.
All she could do in that world besides fulfilling her mission were fighting and observe.
She knew that the devil and the half-blooded acknowledged her powers.
Huh?
It seemed that the devil was concentrating energy. She was going to attack; if Ophis was any other being, she would have taken cover or fly away but she was more than confident in her physical body.
Whatever that attack was, it wasn't going to hurt her in the slightest.
The molecules of the surrounding air slowed down, the floor was slowly covered by a layer of thin ice.
Serafall was enveloped by her blue aura, instead of heat, her aura emitted coldness. Adam found hypnotic the flame-like movement of her energy.
"Celcius Cross Trigger."
The entire "coliseum" was swallowed by snow and the extremely cold temperature froze everything, including Ophis.
The dragon was impressed, that attack was worthy of a mid-class demon. A little more and she could be high-class and rule over other demons.
Adam had formed a little dome around himself with his wings, they had ended completely frozen but at least he was safe. He tried to move his new limbs but there was no use.
He was in combat, there was no time to worry for his wonderful wings.
"Just create fire."
"Too slow."
The half-blooded proceeded to punch his own wings crumbling them. Since they were completely frozen, he felt no pain but sadness for destroying such beauties.
"Adam!"
The mentioned jumped by the sudden scream of his mistress. "What?"
"You don't just destroy your wings!"
"They will grow again."
"It doesn't matter, they are part of your body. Don't do that again, understood?"
"As you wish."
Just like he said, his demonic wings grew again. It was gruesome and almost revolting to see but fascinating from a scientific point of view.
In a couple of seconds, Adam's wings stretched. Their purple patagia were glowing with energy to keep themselves warm.
"They are really beautiful," complimented Serafall.
"Thank you," Adam said with a grin. She was admiring his beautiful wings, he was so happy.
Okay, he sounded a little tiny bit narcissistic.
"As happy I am for you having proper self-esteem for a second. You should pay attention to Ophis."
Adam followed Rayane's suggestion. His demonic eyes saw the energy around Ophis, it was ominous and threatening.
Ophis' frozen body was surrounded by her black aura. It sparkled as if it had microscopic stars.
Adam compared it to the sky on a cloudless night.
"Impressive attack but not enough to harm me at all."
They were about to continue the battle when the diabolic voice of the Demon of Darkness kept them from doing so.
"Stop."
Ophis instantly adopted a more rigid posture while Serafall united her hands and placed them on her thighs. Adam simply crossed his arms mildly annoyed.
"What is it?"
"Show some respect, I am the one helping you to train."
"Okay," he replied with a tone that showed his disinterest. What he wanted to do was fighting Ophis.
"Urgh."
Serafall smirked before the interaction.
"However, I know a way to train you way harder than this."
Adam looked at Serafall seeking permission. It was something done by reflex since he was used to having someone of higher rank evaluating him (his father).
Serafall nodded, she was already in that situation. Who knows, she might get stronger than Sirzechs.
"I am interested."
"Excellent," he said with a malignant tone. "You might have not noticed it but this place doesn't possess the same gravity or air of Earth."
Genuinely curious, Adam and Serafall tried to perceive the change. They couldn't feel anything.
Ophis decided to explain it for her Lord.
"Demons are made to conquer, their bodies are adaptable. You probably felt a stinging sensation in the chest and an annoying sound in your ears."
Adam and Serafall nodded. They felt it when they arrived but the disorientation was simply too much for them to focus on the mentioned sensations.
"Thanks, Infinite," Ophis smiled briefly. "As she said, demons can adapt to the environment so I was thinking about making the environment more extreme."
Suddenly, Adam's and Serafall's bodies felt heavier than normal.
Their muscles, articulations, bones, blood vessels. Everything felt the consequences of the change of gravity.
"Now, the gravity is the same of that planet you call Jupiter."
Just to how many G-force were they being subjected?
Adam automatically started to look for an answer.
He said Jupiter, then it was 2.5 G-force or how he remembered more accurately, 24.79 m/s2. It was more than twice the gravity on Earth.
Inside their bodies, their cells were doing their best to keep working as usual.
The heart muscles were having problems which resulted in a small quantity of blood transporting to deliver the nutrients, the blood slowed down while coming up back to the heart.
What was hard to see, was the aura of Adam and Serafall surrounding the tired cells and empowering them and even adopting their normal functions.
"Now, keep fighting."
He had to be kidding, they could barely move like that.
"Focus."
"I'm not used to move under this gravity."
"You better get used, unless you want to be slapped around by Ophis."
Taking the hint, Ophis threw herself into Adam with the intention to pierce his body with her fist.
"Aaaah!"
With that manly scream, he jumped aside clumsily. Ophis' fist generated a small yet powerful current of compressed air, her strength was supernatural!
Serafall tried to move around using her supernatural speed but all she managed to do was running like a normal human. Seemingly, she had to put more force in her legs. Her bodily control wasn't calibrated.
Feeling merciful, Ophis slapped Serafall in the back. The devil flew a few meters and landed with her face.
"Lightning!"
Ophis felt the electricity ran through her body; more than painful, it was kind of pleasant.
Adam looked at his hand wondering if he really had shot electricity because Ophis didn't react to it.
"My turn," she stated.
"It would be wise to run, child."
Adam infused his body with the power of Wind and stood up with a jump. His level with that element was so basic, he barely had a slight current of air around his body.
"That's why you are training. Remember the principle of the Wind, let it run through your body, and use imagination."
"Got it!"
Adam threw himself to the ground just in time to dodge a black lightning. It hit one of the pillars reducing it to debris.
"That's quite the potency."
Ophis smirked before preparing more lightning bolts. "Make yourself worthy of the attention of my lord."
"What if I just want yours?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Just shoot already, please."
.
.
.
[...]
SxS
Beelzebub territory.
Jonathan surrounded a knight's neck with his arm and quickly trapped him in a rear-naked choke. The normal route of the blood to the brain stopped and, in a matter of seconds, the knight lost consciousness.
"I can sense the dark power, it is near."
Jonathan took cover behind a wall, the sound of metallic footsteps echoed in the empty halls of the manor.
"Master, I have found it. She is in a bedroom, I am observing her right now. Her body is not physical at all."
The blond shook his head to ease the pain, communicating through telepathy with an extradimensional predator took a toll on his brain. The power of Water made communication possible.
"Anything else?"
"She is attractive, be careful. She might try to seduce you."
"I'll be ready."
Jonathan moved through the manor with surprising stealth, he had infused his body with the power of the main four elements but he wasn't using them to move around. He was using years of training in ninjutsu and in the military.
The manor was considerably empty, it was normal considering that the Beelzebub clan was almost extinct; at least that was the case in his world.
"I feel disturbances in the fabric of this dimension."
That wasn't good. Someone either was creating a barrier or teleporting.
Dozens, no, hundreds of devil were outside the manor, a few dozens were teleporting directly inside it.
"I'll go there right away. We have to speed things up."
Jonathan turned himself into light and moved through the building. He reached his objective in a few minutes.
He materialized again. He needed time.
"I can eat them."
"Negative, I'll use my familiar. If the situation begins to be dangerous, you are allowed to defend us."
As if it was summoned, a human-sized ebony orb came out from Jonathan. It wasn't solid at all, it had a slimy composition and it exuded raw magical energy.
"Hello, Alice. I need your help."
The orb bounced excitedly while emitting an eerie sound.
"That's right. Just this zone."
Alice levitated, it expanded and engulfed the hall and rooms. Jonathan felt the flow change and he was pleased to confirm that he was inside Alice now. It looked just like that zone of the manor.
"Show yourself, there is no use in hiding."
"I wasn't hiding, I was observing."
Before Jonathan, a woman appeared out of nowhere.
Her light brown hair went down to her hips, her green eyes were examining Jonathan with interest. Her shapely figure was covered by a victorian dress, even when it was "conservative" the big size of her breasts could be appreciated.
It was hard to notice but if one saw her carefully, one would notice that her body was almost translucid.
Her voice was very cold yet confident.
"My apologies for interrupting your...activities. My name is Leonidas, I came here seeking help."
Jonathan had to be careful, he didn't know anything about the entity in front of him. More importantly, he wasn't sure if she was the kind of needing something or the kind of giving something.
"That is a curious name," she said while moving around Jonathan. She was studying him, looking for any sign of nervousness or something that could tell her if he was lying.
He wasn't making it easy, his body made no move almost as if he was a statue. A pretty statue though.
Spiky slicked-back light blond hair, dark blue eyes, a diamond-shaped face decorated by a complete beard, his facial features were manly yet delicate. His wide shoulders, narrow waist, and wide hips were kind of attractive, really hard to find in males.
He wore with elegance. A slim fit red suit vest, black dressing shirt, slim-fit black pants, and ankle boots with a belt; his hands were covered by fingerless gloves.
"I'm creating an army," he answered.
His voice was monotonous yet respectful. Not even she could say if he was lying.
"You wouldn't create an army if you don't plan to use it, right?"
"You are right, Miss."
She stopped in front of him. She had a smile on her face, he was respectful and wasn't scared.
That was a little alarming, her aura was enough to induce sins or scare people to the point of madness if she desired to. That man was dangerous.
"May I know what are you going to do with your army?" she questioned placing her hands on her hips.
"Fight extinction."
"Huh?"
Jonathan put his hands on his hips. "I would gladly share more but I would like to know the name of the person I am talking to."
She grinned mischievously, her pupils became slit. Those were the eyes of a dragon.
"My name is Mara and that is all you need to know."
Jonathan nodded, it was clear that she wasn't willing to share more personal information.
"Unfortunately, my time here is limited, Miss Mara. As rude as it may be, I'm afraid that I must go straight to the point."
Mara crossed her arms. Someone talking to her in such a respectful manner was odd, maybe she should listen to what he had to say.
"Alright, go ahead."
Jonathan thought about lying but he had no time for a conflict, her aura was dangerous and powerful. He wasn't sure of her power but he wasn't going to test it.
"I need soldiers, power to fight against the beings that menace the entire creation."
Mara tilted her head. Was he talking about Earth or the universe?
Either way, that planet was hers and she wasn't going to let it be destroyed. If he was lying, she was going to punish him for such insolence.
"What is this menace you are talking about?"
Jonathan, for the first time in the conversation, broke his poker face. His lips trembled along with his eyebrows; if she had to say, he was terrified of something. However, this state was quickly replaced by his poker face.
"The menace I am talking about is something far from our understanding. I'll show you what my army and I must fight."
He materialized a book with an explosion of burning ashes.
Mara saw with curiosity the chant in a tongue she didn't know about. And the gestures were strange.
She felt dread before the incoming fissure in the time-space fabric.
A portal opened, showing a beast of incomprehensible origin.
It was at least 15 meters tall, trying to explain in detail what it was would have been impossible for the ones looking at it. However, that wouldn't stop the mind to try to process its appearance.
Its shape somewhat resembled a medusa and an insect at the same time, it possessed a tremendous barrel-shaped trunk and six appendages ending in claws-like pincers.
Its near-spherical head was covered by hair-like filaments, had a probosci, and three small beady eyes.
Its mere presence was enough to fill with dread the mind of the observer.
Mara felt the fear increasing and it triggered her survival instinct. She was about to attack it, even if that wasn't her actual body, the sensation of danger was real.
For her to be so scared. What was that thing?
Jonathan raised his hand. "That wouldn't be necessary. It can't see us."
Mara relaxed her "body" a little.
The blond got closer to the portal and stared at it, the creature on the other side seemed to look at him as well.
"This is not even the strongest of them."
"It would be wise to close the portal, now. He of the Ivory Throne is beginning to feel your presence."
Mara saw with curiosity how the man extended his hand and a small explosion of energy materialized a sheathed katana.
The sheath was black, ornamented with red depictions of roses and vines. The hilt and the cord wrap enveloping it was red, the tsuba was golden.
Since he was holding it with his left hand, Mara deduced that he was right-handed.
Jonathan unsheathed his sword and descended the blade upon the portal. It closed as if it had never existed.
With it, the sensation of dread disappeared.
If Mara would have had an actual body, her heart would've been pounding against her chest.
"And it is not the only one. There are dozens and dozens of them, the more I investigate them the more I convinced,"
Jonathan turned to face her, he was giving her a cold glare almost deprived of emotions.
"I must destroy them, ensure the survival of Earth population including supernatural beings...like dragons."
Mara felt admiration for his intentions, no, not for the intentions themselves; too many men wanted to save the world. The determination behind each word, it belonged to a strong man willing to do whatever he could to fulfill his duty.
"I'll give you the power you're looking for. In exchange, you must never return to this world and keep those creatures away."
"As you wish. If you fulfill your word I'll fulfill mine. Power is not everything I need."
"Don't push my kindness."
"All I need is Kronos Scythe. In case you consider it, my death will trigger the activation of the book you saw earlier. I assume that you have no desire to know what dwells beyond this universe."
"Sly child."
"I do my best, Miss."
.
.
.
Jonathan walked calmly through the forest of familiars, beside him, Fenrir and the Wandswoman were observing small dragons playing.
He gives himself a moment to look at them. The way in which they were hypnotized by the small dragons reminded him of his children.
How Adam and Adrien used to play and draw butterflies, how they used to play with Melanie and Elin, how Samantha smiled happily even after knowing what he has done to his own sons.
He cast away the sadness and focused on the mission instead.
He materialized his katana and with a quick draw, he slashed the fabric of reality. With that fissure, he could communicate telepathically with the Tower of Babel.
He got into the lotus position and closed his eyes.
"Commander Hyoudou."
Jonathan patiently waited for his most trusted soldier to answer. After a minute, he had a response.
"Sir, I am here. What do you require?"
The excitement that contained the voice of the young man brought memories of the past. When he trained his sons, no matter how hard was the training, they always had a smile on their faces.
"I need you to send a message to our allies in the purgatory and Remnant. Tell them that we are going to execute phase two."
"Yes, sir. Anything else?"
He meditated a moment, Adam wasn't as strong as he needed him to be. At least, that was what he expected but that wouldn't be the first time his son surpassed his expectations.
"Contact with the rest of the guardians. Tell Apophis that our first target is Kyoto."
"Right away, sir. Anything else? "
"Make sure that the Red Dragon and the White dragon aren't fighting each other. We need them alive."
"Alright."
"Tell your brothers-in-arms to fortify the tower and keep it hidden. Do not turn the concealment system off until I say so."
"Understood."
Jonathan got out from his meditation and "slashed" the portal to close it.
"Fenrir, wandswoman. We are moving."
The Hound of Tindalos and the scholar looked at him. She was the one with the doubt.
"Where are we going, mate?"
"For the Malebranche."
.
.
.
[...]
Kyoto
Kuriho crossed her arms, all of her knowledge ended there. That dome of darkness was really harmful to her.
"I'm glad that you asked for my help. It's been a while since I helped a kitsune."
Yasaka crossed her arms. She hoped that a kumiho had more information since they were specialized in forbidden magic and dark arts.
Kumiho, it had been centuries since she saw one in person. The war had ruined everything for her race.
Yasaka was just a little girl when the civil war happened.
In ancient times, kitsune and kumiho were one race known as Huli Jing.
They were superior in magic to any other race including nekomata. They grew so powerful that even gods sought their help.
That age of glory ended when one of the Queens got too ambitious.
Yasaka the first, was a loving and caring mother but a greedy Queen.
Haneul, the queen that put her people before anything else.
The disagreement began when Yasaka expressed her desire to conquer the totality of Japan, Korea, and China. Naturally, Haneul disliked it and asked Yasaka to forget about her dream of conquering.
Yasaka naturally didn't give a verbal answer, she reunited the people loyal to her and readied them for the in-coming war.
Haneul did the same.
The war was terrifying and merciless. It continued until both parts were forced to make peace due to the massive loss of soldiers.
The current Yasaka remembered how what was supposed to be a glorious city was abandoned and forgotten by everyone but her. The same day that the mighty Huli jing separated into kumiho and kitsunes, was the same day the city was condemned to oblivion.
"My knowledge about the dark arts ends here. This is not from this world or it is a recent phenomenon."
Kuriho's voice got her out from her travel to the past.
So, her options were from another world or not a recent phenomenon. None of them were good, it was something Kyoto was not ready for.
"Cheer up, Kyubi. The Foundation is here, they can contain everything."
"You're probably right. It's just that this is way too dangerous to have around, I pushed Haruki to his limits and I don't know what he will do."
"Oh, you suspect that your future ex-husband uses this big dome to destroy the city."
Yasaka nodded.
"Don't worry, it won't happen."
Kuriho played with her hands before asking aloud what was been bugging her since she arrived at Kyoto.
"Are you Princess Yasaka? The little sun Yasaka?"
The Empress blinked twice completely confused. No one called her like that since she was a little girl and that was thousands of years ago.
"I used to be. How do you..."
Then, everything made "click" inside her head. The appearance of the kumiho, her carefree attitude, that childish nickname. Of course, how was she so blind?!
"You are...eh...The Queen's daughter, Haneul's daughter!"
"That's me!"
"Apologies, it's been an eternity."
"2 thousand years if I'm not wrong. I've been hibernating so I don't have a precise idea."
"It's okay. I can't believe that I would find you here of all places," Yasaka smirked. "What were the odds?"
"Not too many."
Both nine-tailed foxes remembered the past. Yasaka and Kuriho used to play together and study together before the separation of the Huli Jing.
"Did you change your name?" the golden fox questioned. "I remember that I used to call you different."
Kuriho shrugged, it had been a long time and her name brought nothing but misery. There was no need to remember it.
"Yes, my name was different but call me Kuriho now. That's my name now."
"I'll respect that, Kuriho. I have things I would like to discuss with you but not right now."
"Absolutely, I would like that talk to be intimate, personal."
Kuriho pointed at the several Foundation personnel around and Yasaka's servants. Definitely, that wasn't the place to talk about personal matters.
"Little sun, I think that we should talk about the duel and the betrothal. Would you do it the old way?"
"The old way?"
"You know. Becoming one with my boyfriend."
"What?!"
"Come on, I can see your fantasies with my future husband and the bold petition in your bedroom."
Yasaka blushed like a teenager. She remembered why Kuriho was so annoying!
"Don't read my mind."
"Just like old times. By the way, what are the sacred laws of the sun?"
"Eh?"
"Don't you tell me. You made them up to marry Adam!"
"Shh!"
Kuriho clapped repeatedly with a grin on her face. She couldn't blame her for falling in love with someone completely honest and knight-like, Adam was the perfect man compared to Haruki. It wasn't like he wasn't perfect already, it was just...urgh!
"Don't worry about it, I'd make sure that he falls for you."
"Why?"
"The more people giving him love, the happier he is, the happier he is the happier I am."
"Thank you."
"I'll do anything for a friend."