Chapter 13: Freedom of a Star and the Prelude to a Battle
Seventh day, [Thousand Eyes]
"Just three days left huh," Shiroyasha said as she sipped her tea.
Seven days have passed since Izanagi challenged Makoto to a [Duel]. Shiroyasha had wanted to accompany Makoto on his training but the young man refused saying that it would be unnecessary. He also requested that she stay behind in case Izanagi tried some funny business.
He also reasoned that some of the members of his Community would take on the [Game] for them to advance to the 6 digits.
"If the rules were a lot more simple, I'd have him advance to 5 digits after his bout with Izanagi."
"Quite confident with the child aren't you?" The young lady next to her said.
Shiroyasha almost forgot that she had a guest. The young lady was breathtakingly beautiful. Her hair was as dark as midnight yet it shone like the finest minerals. Her dark eyes were mesmerizing to the point that you can get lost in them. She had a nice figure that her extravagant kimono complimented very nicely.
Yet an aura of power was around the young lady. She was a [Demon Lord] like Shiroyasha herself. Not quite as powerful but she was stronger than most.
"What exactly is it that you want, Kaguya?" Shiroyasha questioned her guest, Kaguya-hime.
"Well now don't be so rude, Shiroyasha-sama," Kaguya-hime giggled. "I just felt like coming here. I also believe that those five will also return today."
"Ah yes," Shiroyasha nodded her head. "They have been gone for quite a while now. Though that's to be expected. The items that they were supposed to retrieve were in far lands."
"Mhmm," Kaguya hummed. "Though I wouldn't mind it if that blonde brat didn't make it. She's really scary and she has no sense of tact. I think the world will be a better place without her."
Blonde brat...Alice. Shiroyasha wasn't quite sure of what to think of the child. She was like a high ranking [Demon Lord] but she can be quite sweet when she wants to. She may have been teasing Jin Russel but it was more friendly than malicious.
"That's a pretty rude thing to say about Alice, especially when her back is turned now, wouldn't you agree?"
Shiroyasha and Kaguya nearly choked on their tea in surprise. They both turned around to see the five members of [XXI: Universe] holding each and every item on Kaguya's list.
"You're all back," Shiroyasha said. The group nodded as they placed their item in front of Kaguya. The moon princess unwrapped each and examined them carefully to see if they were not counterfeits. After a long time, the princess nodded.
"You all managed to retrieve the items that I requested," Kaguya smiled. "Quite different from my suitors. I wish they would be a lot like you all."
"Alice isn't interested in girls, thank you very much," Alice said.
"Well it's not like any of you did the tasks to court me," Kaguya sighed. "I actually thought you all would take a month to retrieve each and every one of the items but here you are clearing it in just a week."
"I think it was all because we were motivated," Lavenza said. "Since Makoto-sama is doing his best, we were also motivated to do our best."
"I see, I see."
"Considering that he has a lot on his shoulders right now, this is the best we can do for him," Shirayuki said.
"Ah yes," Kaguya frowned. "Izanagi-sama."
"I'm pretty sure Makoto can defeat him," Elizabeth said confidently.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Kaguya frowned. "Izanagi-sama is part of the Divine Army and he's also a 3-digit god."
"Are they really that powerful?" Alcor raised an eyebrow.
"Very much so," Kaguya said as she sipped her tea once again. "They are rather powerful beings. A single one could annihilate the lower floors without so much effort and could only be taken down with [Another Cosmology]."
"[Another Cosmology]?" Alice tilted her head.
"It's the secret of the pantheons," Shiroyasha explained. "It is the Cosmology in which the Pantheon is built upon. Kind of like Zoroastraism's dualism of Good and Evil, Buddhism's Three Thousand World's, etc."
"Hoh?"
"[Another Cosmology] is one of the only ways to defeat a 3 digit being. It can even give those in the 2 digits a major headache," Shiroyasha continued.
"Of course, all 3 digit gods have their own [Another Cosmology], Izanagi-sama is no exception," Kaguya said. "Unless Yuuki Makoto has some trick under his sleeve that can defeat a 3 digit god, then he has no hope of winning against Izanagi-sama."
The members of [XXI: Universe] were silent as they took in this information. Kaguya couldn't blame them. The 3 digits were monsters on another level compared to almost everything. Though she did not know Yuuki Makoto and only heard of him from Shiroyasha, Kaguya was sure that Izanagi was going to emerge victorious from this fight.
To be destroyed before they can reach their fullest potential, truly such a sad fate for a promising Community.
"Are they really that invincible?" Alcor placed a finger on his chin. Kaguya wasn't going to lie, he was pretty cute. "I, for one, do not believe that there is an enemy that cannot be defeated. Even the most invincible force can fall to a hero."
Kaguya and Shiroyasha looked at each other. Shiroyasha faced him before closing her eyes.
"Technically there is an opponent that even the Divine Army could not defeat. The best that could be done was sealing that opponent."
"Are we really going to talk about that?" Kaguya questioned. "I get shivers whenever that guy is mentioned."
"He's a [Demon Lord] that's far above most [Demon Lord's]," Shiroyasha continued. "A Final Trial of Humanity, a [Last Embryo]."
"[Last Embryo]..." Alcor repeated.
"Yes," Shiroyasha nodded. "Among those is [Absolute Evil], Azi Dahaka."
"Zahak?" Elizabeth question. "Angra Mainu's child?"
"Yes," Shiroyasha said. "The Evil Dragon of Zoroastrianism is one of the most powerful [Demon Lord] in Little Garden. He's capable of facing entire Pantheons on his own and can even wipe them out. He's a certified God Slayer."
"A flap of his wings can devastate a large city with minimum effort and his roar can shake the earth itself." Kaguya continued. "Though the most horrifying thing about him is that the more gods that face him, the more powerful he gets."
"Wouldn't facing him alone be better then?" Elizabeth asked.
"If only it was that simple," Shiroyasha said.
"Why don't you all worry about him on a later date," Kaguya said. "Izanagi is your current enemy."
"The creator deity of the land of Japan," Elizabeth said.
"He's a high deity on par with Zeus," Shiroyasha nodded her head. "Despite Amaterasu being the most important god according to the Kojiki, Izanagi is still the land's creator and father of countless other Kamis."
"There's also the fact that he wields a terrifying weapon," Kaguya added.
"Makoto-sama will beat him," Elizabeth puffed out her chest proudly. "He has defeated much worse and that was when he was weaker than he is today."
"Sister..." Lavenza shushed the older sibling but Alice opened her mouth as well.
"Onii-chan is the most powerful of them all," Alice smiled smugly and proudly. "Alice knows that he will win because he's Onii-chan."
It was a biased opinion but they were saying it as if it was a fact. Kaguya wondered about who Yuuki Makoto is if they are so confident that he could beat a 3 digit god of Little Garden.
Well, reality is often harsh. They'll have to personally see that a human cannot defeat a god. Such a shame, Elizabeth seemed to be quite a fun person.
Kaguya didn't feel anything about Alice's image being crushed though. A little lesson could be good for her and maybe she'll humble down a bit.
"Well it would be interesting to see his full power," Shiroyasha said and drank her tea. "I've been curious for a long time and now there's a chance to see it in action."
"How flattering. I have to make sure not to disappoint you then, Shiroyasha-sama," as if on cue, Makoto entered the room. He looked rather battered. His clothes were torn and his face had some bruises on it. He also had some bandages around his neck.
Shiroyasha couldn't focus on that however. Neither can Kaguya.
They were focused on the young girl beside Yuuki Makoto.
A curly black hair that looked like snakes, tattered clothing with bindings that looked like a prisoner's clothing, and some dirt on her face and limbs. Her red eyes were like rubies. As one of the occupants would hate to admit, she was beautiful beyond words.
She had some patches on her face but overall she was still cute despite looking like a prisoner that recently broke out of prison.
And in her case it was the truth.
Shiroyasha pointed a shaky finger towards the young girl. "Y-you..."
The young girl grinned evilly and waved. Shiroyasha's left eye twitched as the girl struck an idol pose at her.
One train of thought flashed through Shiroyasha's mind as the girl opened her mouth.
DONT. YOU. DARE.
"It's been a long time, Shiroyasha! Did you miss me, Algol the super beauty!?"
And Shiroyasha fainted from shock.
[Garden's Universe]
"Let me get this straight," Shiroyasha said as she massaged her temples. The headache she was suffering was massive. Algol was grinning at her mischievously and Shiroyasha was doing everything in her willpower not to smack the other girl. "You freed Algol from her seal so you could have someone powerful to train with while you were in the Underworld?"
"Yeah," Makoto said simply and took a sip of his tea. "Is there a problem?"
"Is there a problem?" Shiroyasha repeated her eyes twitching. She then stands and belows. "Of course there's a problem! Do you even realize that you've just unleashed an extremely powerful monster!? Not only that, the Greek Pantheon is going to flip because of this!"
Most of the room's occupants were rather shocked at Shiroyasha's outburst. They didn't expect the perverted white haired loli to have a side like this.
"Now now, calm down a bit."
"How can I calm down!? Those Greek gods are a massive pain in the ass to deal with! We'll be lucky if they don't find out soon but this is still a major problem!"
"Calm down, you cutting board," Algol said. She had changed into a fine dress that Shiroyasha had, though it was tough convincing the white haired Demon Lord to relinquish it. Shiroyasha truly hated Algol's guts enough to deny a cute girl a dress and Shiroyasha was not one to deny a cute girl a cute dress.
"You're a cutting board too!" Shiroyasha turned towards the other Demon Lord.
"Algol is a super beauty so it doesn't matter!" Algol smugly smiled.
"Shiroyasha," Makoto said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "She may have been released but she's still nowhere near her original strength. I know since I subdued her with mild difficulty when I released her."
"Hey, hey," Algol glared at him. "Are you saying that I, Algol the absolutely gorgeous Demon Lord, is weak?"
"At your current state, yes you are weak. Very much so in fact," Makoto said without bathing an eye. "I was kinda disappointed to be honest. The most you could do is your petrification powers and it was rather disappointing. Now I have to apologise to Ereshkigal and Nergal since you turned most of their Territory into stone."
"You got quite the tongue for a mortal," Algol said.
"It is an honest tongue."
"Hmph."
"Still," Shiroyasha said as she sat down and opened her fan. "This may cause an incident with the Greeks since technically you just freed one of their slaves."
"Why is this actually a big problem with the Greeks?" Elizabeth asked.
"It's an old story," Kaguya said. "But a summary would be that Algol-sama got into a fight with Athena-sama, lost, stripped of most of her powers, turned into a slave and the end."
"They cheated!" Algol denied the loss. "Doesn't count!"
"Whatever you say," Shiroyasha waved a dismissive hand. "The Greek Pantheon is rather possessive so I hope you're ready for another god knocking on your door. I hope by the stars that they would be a bit reasonable this time."
"I'm already facing a possessive god," Makoto said.
Shiroyasha chuckled. "True."
"Onii-chan what kind of strategy will you use against him?" Alice asked.
"It's a secret," Makoto said as he smiled mischievously and placed a finger on his lips. "Trump cards are special moves used to turn the tides around after all. Can't have anyone learning about it."
"I see," Alcor smiled. "I will wait in anticipation for your brilliance to shine."
"I don't understand what Alcor said but I will wish you good luck as well, Makoto-sama," Lavenza bowed her head.
"Thanks," Makoto said as he rubbed Lavenza's head. The young girl smiles a bit and blushes at the gesture. "I'll be sure not to let any of you down."
"Well lastly, since your community managed to pass the Game," Shiroyasha smiled. "You're now at 6 digits lad. Congratulations."
"Thank you, Shiroyasha-sama," Makoto bowed his head towards the Floor Master. He turned towards the members of his community. "Good work everyone. I knew you could do it."
"Of course!" Alice proudly smiles. "There is nothing in the world that can slow down Alice! Alice is the strongest!"
"Yes, yes," Makoto wryly smiled and patted his self proclaimed younger sister on the head. "Let's go home. I want to rest up a bit."
"Wait," Algol said as she stood up. She placed both her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest. "I'll be coming with you! You freed me from my prison so now you are responsible for me! Take responsibility, Yuuki Makoto!"
"Hey, hey," Shiroyasha glared at Algol. "You can't just-"
"Alright," Makoto agreed. "It was my fault for my shortsightedness. I shouldn't have acted upon a whim and released her. I have to take responsibility."
"I'm glad you understand," Algol said with a smug face.
"Yes, yes whatever," Makoto yawned. "I need some rest. I've got a long day in three days and I want to relax until then."
The young lad waved goodbye at Shiroyasha as he started to walk out of the room. "Bye Shiroyasha-sama. I hope you drop by to visit a bit."
With those words, Makoto and his Community left the room leaving only Kaguya and Shiroyasha alone. Kaguya sips her tea again while Shiroyasha is still silent. The Moon Princess turned to her companion. "That young man…he had a rather abnormally high Spiritual Essence. I was quite surprised."
After one more minute of silence, Shiroyasha spoke. "He's very unique...especially from what I learned from Queen Halloween."
Kaguya was honestly surprised about that. Shiroyasha hates Queen Halloween's guts as much as Algol's. In fact the Three Great Problem Children of Little Garden hated each other's guts with a passion. Sensing Kaguya's surprise, Shiroyasha also nodded. "I was rather surprised too when she readily agreed to answer my questions though she didn't disclose everything as expected. She just answered in vague ways."
"Yuuki Makoto had experienced a miracle during his birth and a compensation of the world in his lifetime," Shiroyasha closed her eyes while Kaguya's eyes widened. One miracle was already nigh impossible but two was just absurd. "One at the time of his birth and one at the time of his life. She also called him a miracle, not really something I would describe anyone but she seems that she firmly believes that he is. It's probably important since she danced around the topic so much when I tried getting some more answers."
"As expected of Queen Halloween," Kaguya sighed. Her interest was piqued after learning about how Makoto's abnormally high Spiritual Essence was achieved.
"A miracle at birth and a mysterious compensation during his life," Shiroyasha contemplated as she sat down in thought. "What sort of life did Yuuki Makoto have?"
[Garden's Universe]
"I'm home…" Makoto said as he and the others entered the front door of the newly fixed Velvet mansion. He was honestly impressed with how good Mizar's work with fixing the place was. Doubly so since she and Alcor were alien invaders that nearly caused the destruction of another world.
"Welcome back," he was greeted by Izanami. She was wearing a different Kimono this time. It was a black kimono with red spider lily designs, the one he made for her when he rescued her from Yomi. "You're back rather early."
Izanami looked at his side towards Algol. Algol stuck out her tongue towards her. "And you brought some stranger."
"Ah yes, Namie, this is Algol, a former Star Class Demon Lord. Algol, this is Namie, short for Izanami, goddess of Yomi. Now if you'll excuse me, I want a good rest. I'll probably be out of commision for the rest of the day," Makoto said with a yawn. "I feel like I'm forgetting something though."
"Kudou-san was your student from what I've heard from Mizar, Makoto," Alcor reminded him. "Faceless-san took over for you while you were away."
"Ah yes…" Makoto grimaced. As if on timing, a loud explosion was heard from the arena. The blue-haired young man sighed tiredly. "I guess resting would have to wait. I'll go check up on them to see if Fei didn't break half of Asuka-san's bones."
"She wouldn't do that," Alice smiled. "She would probably break all of Asuka-chan's bones."
"That's not any better, Alice," Makoto sighed. "In fact, that's much worse. Alcor could you show Algol around? She'll need to be familiar with the place if she wants to stay here."
"Will do," Alcor said with a bow. Makoto thanked the white haired alien as he walked towards where Asuka and Faceless were.
[Garden's Universe]
When Makoto arrived at the scene, Kudou Asuka was on her back, knocked out cold, with Faceless facing Kasukabe Yo. Clearly, Faceless took things a bit too far with her training. Makoto sighed. The circumstances leading to Faceless teaching Asuka were out of his hands but he still felt a bit guilty for her current predicament.
"That's enough," Makoto said, causing the two to turn towards him. Makoto approached Asuka and healed her wounds. "You shouldn't take things too far, Faceless. Asuka might get crippled if you go too far and I would be very much upset with you. Angry as well."
"I am merely-" Faceless began.
"Save it," Makoto glared at her lightly. "I don't really care about what excuses you're going to make. You're pushing Asuka-san too hard and that's bad. I'll have to talk to Queen Halloween to take you back earlier than you need to if you're going to keep this up."
"..."
"I'm very sorry about this, Kasukabe-san," Makoto bowed his head apologetically. "The circumstances were out of my control but I do still feel responsible for this."
"Don't worry about it," Kasukabe assured him. "It's all Faceless fault so there's nothing for you to be sorry about."
"Thank you," Makoto smiled. "I'll have Mizar arrange a room for Asuka-san to rest in and if you want, you can have your lunch here."
Makoto clapped his hands once and a Mizar balloon immediately appeared beside him. The balloon wrapped its tentacles around Asuka and placed her on top of it. Yo followed the balloon inside the mansion leaving Faceless and Makoto.
"Do you hate Asuka-san?" Makoto asked his companion. The masked young woman didn't answer his question. "I find it weird that you are rather rough with her especially since she hasn't even been in this world for a year. I don't know if you two knew each other before Little Garden but I advise you to stop this passive aggressive antagonism."
"..."
"You can tell me anything if you want but you'll have to wait for a bit," Makoto let out a yawn. "I'll be resting for the whole day so try not to bother anyone."
"No need," Faceless said. "Queen Halloween wants me back today as well so this will be our last conversation for now."
"Is that so? It's a shame that you can't stay for lunch."
"I've been here long enough," Faceless fished something out of her pocket and offered it to Makoto. It was a night blue card. "The Queen also wanted you to have this. It's a Gift Card."
"Uh...thanks?" Makoto grabbed the card and was rather surprised when the words, [Universe], [Wild Card], and [Child of the World] appeared on the card. "Whoa I didn't expect that."
"It's a storage of Gifts," Faceless explained. "You can put the Gifts that you have won inside those cards."
"I see," Makoto nodded his head. "This is rather convenient. Thank you."
The masked girl nodded her head before a portal appeared beside. "That's my way home. Thank you for having me here."
"Anytime," Makoto said as the girl disappeared into the portal. Makoto looked at the card that was given to him. He was very much aware that he had the [Universe] and the [Wild Card] but he was rather surprised to see a third [Gift].
What did [Child of the World] mean? And what did it do?
[Garden's Universe]
"Ho?" Algol looked around the mansion. The others, sans Alice, had decided to go help with some of the household leaving Algol and Alcor alone. "Not too shabby but not too great either. Perhaps if it was on a mountain with a spiked cliff to throw off any enemies and make an example out of them like Vladamir Tepes."
"First of all, that's very horrifying," Alcor replied flatly. "Secondly, this place is simple in design because he prefers it that way."
"A simplistic lifestyle for someone that is not very simplistic," Algol scoffed. "For someone rather powerful, he sure does not lavish it."
"We all have our own ways to live, all not correct but all not wrong either," Alcor replied. "One's decision is what makes life bloom and flourish and I say with confidence that Yuuki Makoto's life has blossomed rather beautifully."
"We can't really be sure about that."
"What do you mean?"
"I sense great tragedy from him. Not only that, he has a rather unique soul," Algol closed her eyes. "Although, I wouldn't want to disclose it since he seems to be unaware of his true nature. He needs to figure it out himself."
"I believe that Makoto can overcome any tragedy," Alcor said firmly. His belief in the savior of the world was unwavering. He saw him as the beacon of hope, the one who can lead humanity to its greatest heights. Tragedies are nothing more than a road bump for Yuuki Makoto.
"Don't place your faith too much on him," Algol shook her head. "You never know if you're wrong."
[Garden's Universe]
"Yahoo! Seems like you guys are back," Mizar greeted Lavenza as she stopped watering the plants. Makoto's absence meant that the garden would be unattended so Mizar decided to be the one to tend it during his time away.
Not like there was any choice. In fact, other than cooking, she was doing every household chore that there is, from cleaning to taking care of the plants. Laius didn't look like he knew anything about taking care of flowers and was practically living in the workshop after he finished helping with the repairs, Arsene was apparently busy with something, and Mizar didn't want to bother Izanami.
Mizar knew her ability was very much handy in these things but somehow she felt cheated.
"Hello, Mizar," the younger velvet sister smiled in greeting. She looked at the rest of the Mizars that were taking care of the other parts of the garden. "You're rather occupied."
"Tell us about it," Mizar groaned as she wiped out her sweat. "Everyone just dropped their workload on us! This is so unfair!"
"Yeah!" The rest of the Mizars agreed with her.
"But your ability is very useful," Lavenza commented. "In fact, with your ability, you're theoretically the most powerful out of all of us."
"Thanks for the compliment but that's not really the truth," Mizar yawned. "Alcor is a lot more powerful than us and then there's also big boy Benny. We're a small fry compared to them. And it's pretty easy to defeat us. Just have enough firepower and wipe all of us in one go and we're dead."
Lavenza noted that with Mizar's ability to duplicate herself at a fast pace as well as the implications of her title, "The Infinite Star", that would amount to a power capable of destroying a planet. She did not say that out loud and allowed Mizar to believe what she believed.
The younger Velvet took a look around the garden, looking for the roses. She found the flowers were being taken care of by three Mizars. Her shoulders dropped ever so slightly that it would be hard to notice.
Mizar, however, noticed it.
"Oya?" The purple haired girl gave Lavenza a cheeky grin. A grin befitting that of a mischievous trickster. "Are you perhaps dissatisfied with our work on the roses? That makes us a bit sad, we worked really hard on taking care of those. We might cry."
"Ah, no," Lavenza said. "I uhh...kind of wanted to take care of the roses myself."
"We didn't take you for a plant person, Lavenza. That's a real surprise for us."
"Oh not really…" Lavenza looked away as she blushed. "I don't really care much for plants, just roses in general…they remind me of...fun times."
"Ho?" Mizar gave her another cheeky grin. "Mind telling us what those times were?"
Mizar was expecting her to get embarrassed and maybe blush a bit but the younger Velvet Room attendant instead gave her a hopeful look. "I haven't told anyone, even my sisters, about this. Will you listen?"
[Garden's Universe]
Laius Perseus kept hammering at the workshop, trying to create a sword with little to no success. He normally didn't suck at forging and creating things but the materials in the workshop were unique and things that he never saw before. All of them seemed enchanted and despite looking pretty abundant, he did not recognize any of them.
Of course that piqued his interest and there was no way he could just pass off on it.
The sword he was making exploded as he was forging it. It wasn't a full on blast that would've destroyed the whole place but an explosion nonetheless. Laius was quick enough to put up a guard on his face to avoid getting singed.
Laius sighed. Another failure.
This was the tenth time he had failed to create a sword from the ores in the workshop. He didn't feel like he was doing anything wrong but it keeps exploding on his face for some reason.
"Ho? I came here because I heard a faint sound of something exploding…" Despite being in a forge with hot flames roaring, Laius broke into cold sweat as he heard the voice of a girl behind him. He felt power, irritation, and smugness on each syllable uttered. The former leader of [Perseus] couldn't bring himself to turn around. "I didn't think that I would find you here, Laius…"
Laius gulped. If his hunch was right, the voice would belong to someone who was very cross with him.
The older man finally gathered up the courage to turn around. He found himself staring at the red eyes of a little girl.
Yes. His hunch was right.
"Algol…" Laius muttered.
"I think you forgot to add '-sama', you little shit?" Algol raised her chin up ever so slightly as if to look down on him. "Seems like power got a little over your head. Want me to smack it off for you. I swear it's not gonna hurt."
"Algol please don't," Alcor placed a hand on her shoulder. He looked at Laius and nodded his head in greeting. "I see that you are doing well, Laius. I hope that Algol did not interrupt whatever you were doing."
"A-ah," Laius was silently grateful to Alcor. He at least managed to take his attention off of the former Star Class Demon Lord. Not by much since Laius' eyes would still dart towards her from time to time since she could crush him any time she wants. "I was just trying to forge a sword. They keep blowing up for some reason…"
"May I take a look at the ores you're using?" Laius did what was told and handed Alcor one of the red gems that he was using. A chuckle escaped the white haired man's throat as he looked at the stone in his hand. "I see why you've been failing. You're Agi gems."
"Eh?"
"These gems are mostly used like grenades," Alcor explained as he threw the gem outside of the window. The gem ignited and a small blast of fire exploded. "These gems are also rather sensitive too and would explode at the slightest drop so I'm rather impressed that you managed to make a sword out of them even though they exploded in the end."
Laius was processing everything in his head. The gems he had been using to create swords were actually grenades. Materials were consumed and time was wasted. Laius hung his head and let out a big sigh. Algol was snickering at him while Alcor was rather sympathetic.
"Don't feel too bad, Laius," Alcor tried to comfort the man. "The fault lies on us for not telling you immediately."
Algol attempted to say something but Alcor proceeded to usher her out of the workshop leaving Laius alone. Laius sighed before looking around the workshop. Now that he knows not to touch the red gems, he should be able to create something that wouldn't blow up on his face. There were gems of different colors but all of them looked pretty similar to the Agi stones, so they would probably explode as well.
Laius stood up and looked further inside the workshop to look for materials. There were some materials that caught his eyes but he had a bad feeling about them so he passed off of them. The former leader kept looking until he spotted two rather peculiar metals.
The first one was bright orange like a fire. It also gave out the feeling of slight heat as Laius got near it. The other was deep blue and staring at it felt like Laius was staring at the abyss.
Laius' eyes immediately widened as he realized what the metals were. They were two of the most mystical metals in existence and were rather rare even in Little Garden.
"Hihiirokane…" Laius swallowed. "And Orichalcum!?"
[Garden's Universe]
Makoto plopped hard on his bed. The time he spent in the Underworld was rather taxing and he needed to find a way to apologize to Ereshkigal after a stray beam from Algol turned a portion of Kur into stone. Nergal was rather laid back about it but Ereshkigal wanted his head on a pike. Makoto could understand where she was coming from.
It was bad enough that he disturbed their time together, he even destroyed a part of their home.
"I'm beat," Makoto sighed. Three days left until his battle with Izanagi.
"Are you worried?" Kana asked him.
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't," Makoto replied.
When he told Alice that his strategy was a secret, it was because he had no strategy for defeating the god.
Despite his confident front, he didn't really feel like he could truly win against the god. He was still just a young man who hadn't even lived two decades yet. He may have fought the Shadows and Nyx Avatar but the former was nothing on a true god and he never truly won against Nyx.
Perhaps he can use the techniques that were drilled into him when he was younger. His grandfather did say that the Kuzunoha took care of Demons and occasionally rouge gods.
But how can rogue gods compare to one of the most important gods in Shinto.
"Guh…" Makoto grumbled. "I was trying to clear my mind by sleeping, Cana. Now all my worries are back in my head!"
Cana giggled. "Maybe so but you have to remember that the stakes in this battle are rather high on a personal level. I would hate to see Namie go or the Community dissolved."
"I know…"
"Don't worry. I believe in you."
"That's nice but that's not nearly enough to ease my worries," Makoto smiled.
"I'm trying my best here, you know?" Cana said with a mock offended tone.
"Yes, yes. Thank you very much, Cana-san. What will I ever do without you by my side."
"You would definitely be a mess without me. Now appreciate me even more."
Makoto laughed a bit. Talking with Canaria was calming for him. In times where his mind drifted off into some dark thoughts, Cana would pull him back out. She's more or less the person he can best rely on.
He didn't want to think of what would happen if Canaria wasn't with him.
"Thanks…" Makoto smiled.
"No problem." Cana laughed. The next moments were rather quiet and peaceful. It wouldn't last forever due to the Demon Lords and countless gods in Little Garden so he enjoyed it for himself as long as he could.
"Say…" Makoto said after a while of silence. "It's inevitable since we're from different Communities now but…"
"I won't hesitate if we are ever to compete with the [No Name] community," Cana answered the unspoken question. "I do miss them but that's not enough to hold back if and when we have to defeat them in a [Gift Game]. Besides, if I hold back on them, I'd be spitting on their faces."
"Let's worry about them another time," Cana continued. "You'll be facing an extremely powerful opponent. Do you have any strategies or plans for the fight?"
"The only hope I have is using the [Universe Arcana]," Makoto frowned. "This is going to be the first time in a long time that I'll be using it in full. I wonder if I can take it? Last time I used it to defeat an undefeatable foe, I died."
"Let's hope for the best that that doesn't pass during this battle," Cana sighed.
Makoto would need a miracle for him to defeat Izanagi.
Thankfully, he has created a miracle once.
Perhaps he can do it again.
[Garden's Universe]
Eight Day
"Only two days left…" Namie thought to herself as she sat in her room looking at the window. The goddess barely left the premises of the mansion after the events that unfolded. She was thankful that Mizar had a rather convenient ability that allows her to be at multiple places at the same time. Namie didn't have to go around getting groceries and winning [Gift Games] for their Community while Makoto was out.
Speaking of Makoto, he was still inside his own room. Most likely resting. Namie sighed. She was to be blamed for that. This whole situation was her fault. Had she not used her powers against Makiling, she would still be hidden from the eyes of that man.
The dark purple haired goddess stood up and stretched.
What should she do for today? Spend some time with the rest of the Community since it might be the last they'll be together? Namie shook the thought out of her head. She needed to have absolute faith in Makoto. He would win. He won against the Star Eater itself. Izanagi is no pushover but he doesn't stand a chance against a being like Nyx.
She opened the door as she shook negative thoughts away.
"Oh hey," Alice was at the door waiting for her. "Alice was just about to get you!"
"Alice?" Namie was confused. Alice wasn't the type of person or demon or fiend to come around to get people with maybe Makoto as the exception. "What are you doing here?"
"Wanna walk around town?" the blonde Fiend asked the goddess.
Now Namie was really weirded out. Alice wasn't the type to personally seek out a person and she definitely wasn't one to ask someone to walk around. Is there an ulterior motive that she was hiding? No one can tell it with these Fiends and Alice was not just any Fiend. She was a Fiend associated with the Death Arcana. The worst possible combination. The only other one with the same combination was Pale Rider and it's just as terrible if not more so than Alice.
Sure she was also a part of the Death Arcana but she was a Megami, a goddess.
"What do you really want?" Namie narrowed her eyes at the little Fiend.
"That's very rude, Namie-chan," Alice pouted. "Alice just wants to spend time. Alice and Namie never got to spend some time together again after we got here. How about some stroll around town like the good old times."
Namie was still a bit wary but she stepped out of the room anyway.
*Click*
"Eh?" Namie looked at her wrist and saw that her right hand was cuffed to Alice's left hand. The goddess glared at the fiend who returned it with a cheeky grin.
"It's so that you don't suddenly run! Not that there would be a reason for you to do so but one can never be too sure lol!"
Namie wanted to smack Alice's head right off her shoulders. Decapitation by extreme blunt force wouldn't kill Alice but it should probably knock some senses into her. It was tempting but Namie just sighed.
"Where are we going?"
"Just around the city! Maybe we could visit some cafes and other stuff!"
Namie thought about it for a while. She did end up being like a NEET in the past few days so maybe some sunlight would help her out. She grabbed the handcuffs on her wrist and shattered it quite easily.
Alice frowned in disappointment.
"Cafe…:" Namie replied. "I want a cake…"
"Fuhaha," Alice giggled. "That's so much like you, Namie-chan!"
[Garden's Universe]
"This place didn't change much," Namie commented. It was the same old City with the same old bustling businesses. "Despite being here for months, no new things have been added to this place."
"Well you can't really expect big changes in a few months. You can't expect changes in things even in years," Alice commented. "Most of the time, people are just content with how things are and only try to change when things get rough."
"That's rather wise coming from you," Namie said. "I'm surprised."
"Hey! Alice is always wise!"
"Mmhmm," Namie hummed, clearly not believing her.
"How mean!" Alice huffed and crossed her arms. "But anyways, let's go find some cafe and have some cake!"
The pair managed to take at least three steps when they saw a familiar blue clad woman walking towards them. It was the [Thousand Eyes] shopkeeper.
"Iza...Namie-sama," the woman bowed her head in greeting and Namie did the same. "I was just about to go to your home on Shiroyasha-sama's orders."
"?" Namie tilted her head. What could Shiroyasha want from her during this time? Regardless, Namie did not want to go to [Thousand Eyes]. She had a bad feeling about this.
"No," Alice got in between the two ladies while forming an X with her dainty arms. Her eyebrows were a bit furrowed and her lips pouted. "Alice and Namie-chan are currently spending some time together. It's been a while since we did after we got here in Little Garden. We were just about to go to some cafe and have cake."
Namie felt a bit grateful to Alice.
"I'll prepare cake and tea for you there," the shopkeeper said.
"Really? Free food! Let's go then!" Alice cheerfully agreed.
Namie felt an urge to punch Alice.
[Garden's Universe]
Shiroyasha was frowning. Such an occasion is rare for the jovial and happy go lucky [Floor Master]. If one who knew Shiroyasha well saw this annoyed frown, they would be worried at the slight change in her behaviour.
The reason for her mood was the three figures in front of her, each garbed in extravagant Kimono, showing off their status and beauty. Two were very handsome ikemen and one was a very beautiful black haired female.
One of the men had a rough look on him, like a troublemaker waiting to cause mischief. He wore his kimono lousily but that added to his bad boy charm. His hair was tied into a small, rough looking ponytail.
Though it seemed that he was a bit nervous, fidgeting with his pipe as the seconds went by, constantly sipping on his tea, even forgetting to blow the hot water from time to time.
The other man had a more elegant and beautiful face, one you could see in paintings and even put some of them to shame. The beauty however was ruined by the rather rude faces he was giving the woman. Like a child trying to tease another child, only this time it was rather malicious and closer to bullying instead.
The woman was the epitome of Japanese beauty. Her long beautiful black hair reached her calf. Her beautiful face was one that Shiroyasha had a hard time taking her eyes from. Her bright eyes, her cute nose, her pink lips. Despite the fact that she was making the same rude faces as the other man, Shiroyasha was mesmerized. The only thing stopping her from outright hugging the beauty was the fact that Shiroyasha knew her very well.
"Considering these two would rather have childish banter…" the rough looking man said as he set down his now empty cup of tea. He looked at Shiroyasha with dead serious eyes. "When is mother going to arrive?"
Yes. These three were three of the most prominent gods in Shinto. Children of Izanagi and Izanami.
Susanoo the war god.
Tsukiyomi the god of the Moon.
And finally, Amaterasu, the High Goddess and Deity of the Sun.
"I just sent the shopkeeper out to get her, Susanoo," Shiroyasha sighed. This was the fifth time that Susanoo had asked her the same question and it was starting to get annoying. Though she understood why Susanoo was rather agitated. He once wished to see his mother and got banished by Izanagi for it.
Izanagi was quite an ass back in the day. Though he seems to have mellowed out, even if only a bit.
"It's not my fault that Tsukiyomi has a rather ugly face," Amaterasu huffed. "His presence always dampens people's moods."
"Oh please, your face may be cute but your personality is as ugly as Yomi," Tsukiyomi fired back. "And at the very least, I do my job as a god. You on the other hand prefer to sit around like a NEET. What a disappointing performance for our High Goddess."
The pair went back and forth with their childish banter. Shiroyasha looked at Susanoo and Susanoo understood the question that was in her mind.
"Honestly, I didn't plan on bringing them here," the war god admitted. "I wanted to go alone and meet mother on my own, but these two caught me and pestered me. I ended up bringing them along the ride"
"Don't be selfish Susanoo," Amaterasu turned towards her brother. "You're not the only one who wishes to see mother."
"For once, I agree with Amaterasu," Tsukiyomi nodded his head. "She is also our mother, Susanoo. We also deserve to see mother."
"Then why didn't you two just make your own plans to visit mother? I made sure my schedule was free and that I've done everything I had to do before coming here."
"That would bother mother too much," Tsukiyomi said. "It would be better if the three of us just meet up with her together at the same time."
"That might be the case but could you two at least behave for a minute," Susanoo scratched the back of his head. He's usually the rowdiest of the three of them yet he's currently the one telling them to behave. The irony was not lost in him.
The door opened and the shopkeeper went inside. "I've brought Namie-sama."
The trio tensed. Namie was the name that their mother currently went with. Nervousness was not something that the three of them felt on a regular basis but now they were really anxious.
They were going to meet their mother. Were they presentable? Susanoo had fixed his kimono and hair and sat properly to look like a decent person. Amaterasu combed her hair and looked at her face in the mirror to see if there was something to be fixed. Tsukiyomi gave a small but bright smile to greet her when she entered the room.
Shiroyasha let a small wry smile crawl to her face.
Footsteps echoed and the trio's nervousness grew bit by bit.
Namie entered the room and saw her children. For a moment, her eyes widened but it immediately returned to its cold stare. She walked towards Shiroyasha and sat at her side, facing the three siblings.
Namie looked outside of the room. "Aren't you going to enter, Alice?"
"I...umm...Alice thinks it would be better if she just sat this one out," Alice said as she scratched her head. Even the Fiend knew that this was personal between her and the trio. "I think I'll go with Shopkeeper-chan…enjoy…your talk?"
And with that, Alice left with the shopkeeper. Shiroyasha also wanted to follow them but didn't since she didn't want to leave occupants alone so she retreated into the corner.
The mother and children looked at each other. Silence dawned in the room. No one can find words to say, even Tsukiyomi and Amaterasu couldn't find it in themselves to make fun of each other though perhaps it was because they didn't want to make a fool of themselves in front of their mother.
"Mother…" surprisingly, it was Susanoo who broke the silence. Namie turned her gaze towards him, making the man nervous. He wanted to say more but words kept getting caught in his throat.
"What is it, Susanoo?" Namie said in a cold but neutral voice.
"I...we didn't know that you were free from Yomi," Susanoo scratched his head and darted his eyes towards his siblings for some support. His siblings avoided eye contact, so as to avoid backing him up.
Damn you two…, Susanoo cursed the two in his mind. "Why didn't you announce your return?"
"Was there a reason to?"
The delivery wasn't that malicious but it was indifferent and iit hurt the three of them more than any harsh insult that she could have thrown.
A parent's indifference to their child was a lot more painful than outright hatred.
"Well, uh, we wanted to see you, mother," Susanoo answered. Swallowing the lump on his throat he continued. "In fact, this might be our first time seeing you in a long time."
"Yes," Namie nodded her head, a small smile gracing her lips. "Though I was in Yomi, I can observe the surface world in some ways. And though it did cause you to be banished for a time, your wish to see me did make me happy, Susanoo."
"Mother…" Susanoo's eyes started to get a little teary.
"Though I am disappointed at how you acted before, flaying an animal and throwing the carcass at your sister," Namie's tone was stern and disappointed.
Just like that, tears receded back.
"Hmph, yes," Ametarasu huffed and pointed a displeased look towards her brother. "It was a rather meanspirtted prank from you, brother. You should be ashamed."
"Hey," Susanoo glared at his sister.
"Perhaps so," Namie nodded her head. "But you also shouldn't have ran away, Amaterasu. If it wasn't for Uzume, the sun would've never risen up and the world would've withered away."
"And you, Tsukiyomi," The mother turned to the other brother. "You shouldn't have killed Uke Mochi on an impulse."
"The ways she made those foods were disgusting!" Tsukiyomi tried to retort.
"I don't want to hear your excuses," Namie closed her eyes. "She was crying when she arrived in Yomi, you know? The poor goddess was genuinely hurt."
Tsukiyomi turned away in shame. However, the mother's lecture didn't hurt him that much nor did it hurt his siblings.
Being scolded by their mother, their mother lecturing them. It made them feel somewhat happy. After all, for the first time in ages, they were right before their mother and their mother acted as a mother would.
But of course that wasn't the only thing that they were here for.
"Mother," Susanoo turned serious. "Izanagi said that he will be battling the leader of the current Community that you are in."
"Referring to father as 'Izanagi'...don't you think you're being disrespectful?" Amaterasu said.
"I couldn't care less about what he thinks."
Namie closed her eyes and went silent for a moment. "He did challenge Makoto to a duel."
"Then…" Susanoo breathed in. "You'll…"
"I won't come back."
"Eh?" the three gods uttered in confusion.
"I won't go back with him," Namie repeated.
"Why not!?" Tsukiyomi cried out. "Don't you want to go back home, mother!?"
"Yes that's right!" Amaterasu completely forgot about her feud with Tsukiyomi and agreed with him. "All of us together, like a true family!"
"I may have belonged there once, but that is all in the past. I found a place to call home and people to return to," Namie looked apologetically at the three, a melancholic smile adorning her face. "I'm sorry, Susanoo, Amaterasu, and Tsukiyomi."
Namie's expression told the trio that there was no convincing her.
"Well…" Susanoo stood up as he gritted his teeth. His siblings were worried that he might start to have one of his temper tantrums. His wish that cast him out of Takamagahara was saying that she did not want to return to it. "It doesn't matter…"
He did not want to do it, but for the sake of his wish he will put his faith in the person that cast him out.
"Izanagi will win this duel anyway."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Namie replied resolutely. The three siblings saw that her face was filled with unwavering fate and determination. "Makoto won't lose."
[Garden's Universe]
Alice sat with the shopkeeper in one of the shop's rooms. Alice was eating her cake at a slow pace to savor it. The shopkeeper observed her intently. She was one of the more dangerous members of [XXI=Universe] according to everyone that saw her in action.
"I'm quite surprised," the shopkeeper broke the silence between them as Alice finished her cake. "You can actually feel empathy at some degree."
"Alice will have you know that Alice is a very empathic person," the young Fiend scoffed. "Namie-chan is also one of Alice's longest companions with Onii-chan so you can say that we know each other very well."
Alice stretched out and yawned. "Alice really wanted to enjoy cake with Namie-chan but it ended up being Alice eating cake alone."
The two were left in silence once again. The shopkeeper didn't raise any more topics nor did Alice try to strike up a conversation. The two just sat awkwardly in silence.
"Hmmm, Namie-chan should be done with her talk right about now…" Alice said. "Alice wants to go and check but Alice might end up intruding…"
"It's fine, Alice," Namie said as she entered the room. The shopkeeper bowed down her head at Namie's arrival and Namie returned the gesture. "Susanoo and the others have also left."
"Oh how was the talk?" Alice inquired.
"It went better than expected. I didn't have to pull the slipper."
Alice giggled a bit. "It seems that Namie-chan does have a little bit of a sense of humor."
Alice stood up and smiled at Namie. "Well? Are we still going to go around town or are you drained for the day?"
"I'll take the latter option," Namie said as she played with her hair a bit. "I never really did want to go out in the first place."
"You'll turn into a hikikomori again if you keep that up," Namie smacked Alice on the head. "Ouch! What was that for!?"
"Shut up, you're being annoying."
The pair walked out of the shop with Alice still mouting off while Namie looked like she was about to hit Alice again.
[Garden's Universe]
"You're still here?" Arsene commented as he met up with Akechi Goro again. The former detective was really pushing his luck here. He's basically stayed in town for a whole week. They were in a cafe once again, this time one where it was a cafe without cat girls.
Arsene was a bit disappointed.
"Of course," Goro sipped his coffee. His flippant attitude and lack of care was quite annoying. "It's not like anyone saw me during the [Salamandra] incident. I only showed myself to you and Laius Perseus."
Arsene clicked his tongue. That made a bit of sense. Akechi may have shown his blade towards him and Laius, but he never once revealed it to the world. The best everyone in [Salamandra] and [No Name] has is that they know his name.
"If you're wondering why I'm still here, I'm waiting for the main event to happen," Goro said as he smirked at Arsene.
"The battle against Izanagi..." Arsene glared at him.
"Yes," Goro sarcastically clapped. "I know that Yuuki Makoto is very powerful, more powerful than Pest or any of the ones in [Hamelin]. But I want to see if he's truly a match against 3 digit god."
"Second hand opinions and speculations can only go so far in determining someone's power," Goro closed his eyes. "A detective relies on his own conclusions after all."
[Garden's Universe]
9th day
Tommorow...
Makoto sat before a lake. He had asked Shiroyasha of a place where he can clear his head and the Floor Master suggested him this place.
Cana was quiet. She understood that he was anxious and nervous about the upcoming battle with Izanagi. He was good at putting up a confident front but there are times that it will crumble.
Chidori and Ryoji had known this side of him.
Rustling bushes alerted him of a presensce. He turned around slightly and saw Namie. She walked towards him and sat by his side.
The two sat there alone with only each other's company. Not one of them thinking of breaking the silence.
"Tommorow's the day," Namie said.
"Yeah," Makoto replied.
"You are nervous."
"Of course."
"You're scared."
"Perhaps."
Namie said nothing. She scooted over and put her arm around Makoto. The blue haired raised an eyebrow at the gesture, asking for answers. Namie just placed her head on Makoto's shoulder.
The two stayed like that for some time.
"I know you'll win..." Namie said. "And..."
"I… want you to win...for me," Namie smiled at him. Makoto lets her wish sink in. Namie wasn't one to make wishes like this. She did not want to leave them. She had grown to love them. She had found family in them
And she's putting her absolute faith on him.
Faced with such a fervent wish, Makoto could only do one thing.
"Of course. I won't lose...for you."
Losing was not an option. It never was. He can't afford it. He wouldn't lose again. He deluded himself into thinking that he beat Nyx, when in reality he couldn't even do as much as annoy her.
He didn't want to lose anymore. Especially not at this moment.
[Garden's Universe]
Takamagahara
Izanagi looked at the omamori at his hand silently. It was a gift that he had revived from his wife. He reminisced about the time he and Izanami were still together. The moments they shared, the laughs, the smiles. He wanted them all back.
He wouldn't lose. He didn't want to lose.
He had made a grave mistake. He had regretted it to this very day. If Izanagi could go back in time, he would do so and punch his old self really hard.
When he met her, he wanted to apologize badly. His words betrayed him, he couldn't say "sorry, forgive me".
Izanagi took a deep breath. His chance was about to be given to him tommorow. He will win. He can't afford to lose her. Not again.
"Izanagi-sama," his servant had arrived. The servant carried a weapon wrapped in cloth in its hands. '"I have brought it."
"Thank you," Izanagi took the weapon from itd hands. He unwrapped the weapon and the spear glowed in the moonlight. With this spear as his weapon, he is unstoppable. It might be overkill on a young boy even if he had an abnormal Spiritual Essence but he didn't care.
He would win no matter what.
[Author's Note]
I'm still alive…
Barely managed to get back some motivation for writing the story but I managed after Avalon Le Fae and Bleach's Howl from the Jaws of Hell arc. It got me a bit back into writing so here I am.
Regarding Amaterasu, Tsukiyomi, and Susanoo… Some texts say that they were born before Izanami's death but there are also some texts that say that they were born after Izanagi purified himself after his trip to Yomi. Some text also says that Susanoo was banished because he wanted to see his mother, so I decided to go for the former route.
I won't abandon this story as well, if you're concerned. I have an ending planned out but that's after three more arcs after this before the Azi Dahaka/Ouroboros arc.
Then I'll move on to part 2 lol.
[Extra Chapter: Birth]
The head of the Kuzunoha Clan, Raidou Kuzunoha the XIXth, made his way towards a certain room in the manor.
Yuuki Sakuya, his daughter, had given birth to his first grandson. It wasn't just any child as well, it was the child that would lead them. The child is the future heir of the Kuzunoha and next in line for the title of Raidou Kuzunoha.
Raidou opened the door and saw his child holding the baby. Beside her was her husband, Yuuki Tsukasa. When their eyes met, the two men glared at each other.
Raidou was never fond of Tsukasa. The only reason that he agreed on their marriage is because Tsukasa's ancestry.
Raidou didn't want an opportunity slip by for the future of the Kuzunoha clan after all.
"Ah," Sakuya smiled weakly. Childbirth was no easy task and the fact that Sakuya was still conscious instead of resting told a lot about his daughter's strenght. "Father. You're here..."
"Hello dear," Raidou tried to sound as fatherly as possible to Sakuya but it kinda felt flat. They never were close to begin with. Raidou turned his attention towards the baby in her arms.
One look was all it took for Raidou to recognize that this child is special.
"May I hold him?" The elderly man asked his daughter. Tsukasa glared at him and was about to protest but Sakuya placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Of course father."
The clan head took the baby from his daughters arms and examined him. Healthy, strong, a bit cute as well.
Raidou however sensed great power within the baby. The elderly man smiled at the baby.
The baby in his arms started to cry.
"Hey you're scaring Makoto, old man!" Tsukasa growled at his father-in-law. "Wipe that creepy ass smile on your face will you!?"
"Dear…" Sakuya sighed. Raidou handed Makoto back to Sakuya. "There there, Makoto. Don't cry, Mama's here."
Little by little, Makoto calmed down as his mother held him in her arms.
"Well then I shall be taking my leave," the head of the Kuzunoha clan said as he turned around and left. Tsukasa said something about not even bothering to ask whether his daughter was okay but all of those were just noise in his ears.
The old man smiled. They had done it. The perfect child born from blood of all divine, heroes, villains, etc.
A Child of the World.
He carried high Spiritual Essence as he's essentially where all the World's Myths converged into.
The chances of it happening was almost impossible.
If one were to put it simply, it was a miracle.