Chapter 142 - Nico's Awakening
Darkness…
That was all he knew, for how long he didn't know. The concept of time had long since left him at this point, but he didn't care.
To him, darkness was cold…
Darkness was dark…
But most of all, it was comforting.
The Darkness took away everything that chained him down, everything that caused himself any form of negative emotion: fear, confusion, doubt, worry, anxiety and any other negative feeling he had been exposed to over the course of his lifetime. He felt sure that this darkness had an effect unlike any other time that he had been exposed to such, for not only did it not freak him out, but it made him feel…
Whole.
To be perfectly frank, a large part of him wanted to stay within this blissful oblivion, to remain unaware of everything around him and cling to this sense of peace. This peace that he had no idea how much he needed. It made him feel calm, it made him feel safe, secure and sure of himself, for the first time ever in his long existence. He didn't know what his expression right now was, but he was willing to bet that it was one of peaceful, tranquil comfort. Of happiness in the knowledge that he had no clue on what was happening, that he didn't need to know.
…
…
…
…
…
…
But then, everything changed.
What he had forgotten to consider returned to the forefront of his mind. Every memory he had, both the good and the bad, each of them returned to the depths of his consciousness. Everything played itself through his mind like a recording, filling his mind, body and soul with it's sight. He recalled everything that made him who he was, the hardships, the darkness that he kept inside, the evils that he had seen, the evils he had done in his lifetime… not to mention the good things as well. The people he had managed to save through those evil deeds, the people he had met and had managed to protect from harm. The amount of satisfaction he had felt whenever killing those who caused harm to others, of being the monster that killed other monsters. He recalled how he had met a group of wonderful girls whom he had sworn to cherish for the rest of his existence, how he even rescued one of them from a nasty place whilst vowing that he would keep those allies whom he'd ran into alive. He remembered the resolve, the determination to face his demons and use them to keep those he considered comrades safe, free from any danger that would come to them whilst ensuring that only he may bare those burdens. He was a monster after all, and monsters didn't deserve happiness.
It was these thoughts that caused him to regain what he was and who he was as a person…
And just like that he didn't want to be in this darkness anymore.
He wanted out.
No, he NEEDED to get out.
There was too much at stake here for him to be just lounging about like a lazy bum (he knew someone who did that enough already), there were too many things for him to do, too many people he had to see. In the end, there was simply no time for him to be just lounging around here, not when he had to get back into the world and show it just what happens when you mess with someone like him.
When one messes with the bull, they get the horn, as the saying went.
In that moment of clarity, he saw a bright light start shining before him. It looked so small at first, but as he looked towards it he realized that was just cause it seemed to be so far away. Nothing that he couldn't handle, most definitely. He'd handled way worse a trouble than something as minor as distance. He would make it to that light, and as such, for the first time since waking up in this darkness, he let loose a battle howl similar to an animal. All the while his legs bent like springs coiling themselves, his upper body leaning forth… until he burst into a mad sprint. He didn't care to note anything else, just focused on his sole objective: get to that light. The light which would lead him up to that outside world he craved so much.
That didn't mean his journey would go unhindered however, as many beings made from the shadow and the dark tried to claw at him, to stop him from running to the light. They wanted him to remain in the safe confines of the dark, to remain in blissful ignorance. Well, that wasn't going to fly, not one bit. A hot, fiery flame of rage began to course through him, manifesting around him to protect him from the darkness spawns. Those things DARED to think they could restrain him? HIM?! Preposterous! No way would he let that happen, not when he was still needed!
The Monster was still needed!
It was only a couple seconds, but he managed to reach that light despite the hands futilely trying to grab him, and the moment he reached out to touch it the light shone brighter. It almost acted like it was responding to his presence, and the moment it did, everything he saw turned white.
The time had come…
He was back.
Opening his eyes faster than any person ever could, Nico let out a sharp, almost cutting-edge gasp. One that ripped through the silence of the space he was in with brutal deadliness. The male quickly shot into an upright position, frantically looking about like one of those paranoid animals when they found themselves in an unknown environment. Heavy, laboured breathing filled his maw and left it, sweat pouring down his forehead whilst he gripped the sheets tightly.
Huh…?
Wait, sheets…?
'What the…?' the male wondered once the fogginess inside his head cleared up, which took a couple moments to do so. However, only confusion took its place as he looked down, noticing that he was indeed in a bed. That explained the softness in his hands, he was holding the sheets that served as blankets in his hands. Looking down also showed him that he was indeed bare on his torso, exposing the trained body that he sported. This only filled him with more questions, questions that according to his senses nobody was around to answer. Therefore, he decided to find those answers himself by gauging his surroundings.
Alright, so far, he knew he was in a bed, but a bed in where? Looking around after lifting up his head, Nico's pursed lips fell open slightly when he saw where the hell he was. This room he found himself in seemed to be a single person room, with a TV opposite to the bed with multiple different consoles, controllers and games for them stacked up neatly around it. To the bed's left, there was a large wardrobe, filled to the brim with unused clothes, and to his right there was a large window with a set of crimson curtains. The walls themselves each had black paint over them, with crimson red flower patterns linked together by spiky thorns. In addition, he recognized the flower type as red spider lilies also known as the equinox flower, it definitely fit his nature in a sick, twisted way. The reason for this was that it, according to those experienced in flower language, referred to it as "the flower of death".
Not a room that screamed 'welcome visitors, have a seat and lets chat!' exactly, but that wasn't something that he found himself concerned with.
He knew this room off by heart at this point, so the moment that he found out his surroundings Nico realized where he was EXACTLY.
'I'm… at the Sanctuary?' The male thought, surprise and shock evident on is face due to the look of extreme bafflement on it. Now that he had answered the question of his location, Nico now had to wonder how the hell he got here, which literally resembled a whole new can of worms to open. 'How did I get here? The last thing I recall is falling unconscious to that strange item in Yvoire's office…' he thought, looking down at his lap. His eyes became pointed whilst he gripped the sheets in confusion. No matter how much he tried however, Nico just couldn't figure out how he had gotten here.
Therefore, he decided to think about something else for now: the vial.
With that in mind, Nico mentally calculated and analysed the situation revolving that thing, what it did to him and how it affected him before he had lost consciousness. It didn't take him long to realize it's nature however, and when he did Nico's rage took a drastic increase. "Poison." He spat angrily, his eyes gaining a distinctly crimson glow as he felt his Demonic Power responding to his anger. The teen didn't bother suppressing it at the moment, however thanks to being alone.
Nico was no stranger to poison, hell he figured that there wasn't anyone within the Spec Ops Community who WAS a stranger to them. Many assassins whom tried to target him during his lifetime, ones whom had been briefed on his true nature (or rather part of it, as in they learned of his high poison resistance) had tried to take him out with a multitude of different poisons. These poisons ranged from paralysis to downright life-threatening ones, depending on how the assassins operated, but their bottom goal would be the same. To take him down and keep themselves safe. Though it never worked thanks to his OTHER side allowing him to adapt to those poisons, thus foiling their attempts and allowing him to track down and kill them in brutal manners in return. As a plus though it allowed his senses to identify all kinds of toxins before they got a chance to enter his system, something that Nico found wholly useful back then. These poisons also were used during his training with Biko to speed up his training and growth, something that produced spectacular results now that he thought about it.
Therefore, this time he had been easily able to deduce that toxin's nature… but that nature also confused the hell out of him.
For one, that poison looked and felt WAY unlike any poison he had ever experienced. Not only did it harm his body, but if he looked at his soul through his mind's eye (a trick he had learned from his DPU Training), Nico discovered that it had sections of it that showed previous damage that had been healed. It was like a big puzzle box that once had cracks in it, something having mended those cracks. In addition to that, the poison itself didn't register on his repertoire of poisons inside his head, and he had learned of quite the few in his lifetime (the hard way mostly), but this one didn't seem to be anywhere in his memory. Therefore, this one seemed to be a whole new poison, not something that he liked to think about. He recalled how DPUs had an ability that lets them make poisons within them and use them as they saw fit. The redhead male had never seen the use of such an ability for a long time, but now that he had been successfully poisoned for the first time in a long while, the male began to wonder about that.
Then, there was what happened to Yvoire, as in what had happened to him? Did the poison affect him too? Did it kill him? He hoped not, the teen still had an appointment with the man for a future date, he couldn't afford to have him dead just yet. Not to mention that there was an even greater matter to ponder, which was how the hell Yvoire had acquired a poison such as that one, a poison not on Nico's repertoire. The male knew the man had a lot of resources and connections, way more than what Nico had to be sure, so maybe he had dug into those and fished this poison out? For ow, Nico would put those questions to rest, since it wasn't likely that he'd get any answers for a long while.
Then, there was to consider what he had missed. Thanks to getting out of his bed and looking upwards, he saw that it was an afternoon judging by what the sun's position was and judging by that position he guessed it was between 5 to 6 PM. 'Well, that's the time done…' the male thought, before looking down at his arms where his Bracers lay. 'How the hell did I not notice these before?' the male wondered, mentally scolding himself for not realizing that he still had his most treasured piece of equipment. Not to mention that he also noticed his Armour Module still on his person.
Lifting his right Bracer, Nico ran his hand along the metal that it was made from, getting used to its feel once more before he activated the holographic screen. When he did, the male looked up the date that he had woken up in, and he almost blanched at what he had found:
2 weeks.
2 FUCKING WEEKS he had been out for.
'What. The. FUCK?!' Nico screamed in his mind, quickly de-activating his Bracer and falling onto his bed, ignoring the sounds of creaking bed strings when he did so. His eyes once again got all wide and filled with confusion, his mind whirling with this new information. He had been out for two whole weeks, from a single dosage of poison… that's just… He couldn't believe it, and yet it was something he had to accept, the evidence placed before him wasn't lying. 'If…. If I've been out for that long… Shit, this is too much!'
He needed more information, he just HAD to know what he had missed during those two weeks. Therefore, Nico dove right back into his Bracers (figuratively not literally), in order to learn of the events that had transpired the last two weeks whilst he was out. What he learned… didn't raise his mood up in the slightest. 'I've missed… a freaking DEMON ARMY ATTACKING THE BASILICOM?! WHAT THE FUCK?! SHIT! DAMNIT, WHAT THE HELL, I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!' So much rage coursed through him the more that he had read about the incident…
Even more so when he read about the aftermath of it, and how the Nobles acted. Honestly, he shouldn't be surprised by their disgusting manners, since they only cared about themselves. He expected them to behave like children and to think that the whole world revolves around them. Why, if he had his way, all of them would be-
(Flashback)
"Can YOU take the responsibility of knowing that you are saving thousands now and condemning BILLIONS in the near future?"
(Flashback END)
However, the moment that Nico began descending into hatred for the Nobility, the words that Yvoire spoke to him echoed in his mind, reminding him of the talk he had with he man. It caused those thoughts of hatred and desire to kill the Nobility to grind to a halt. His lips twisted into a sneer, one of confusion and frustration as the teen grew a flower of conflict within his chest. His fists clenched themselves tightly, to the point where the skin around his entire hands began to turn white from the lack of blood flow. Not only that, but his teeth gnashed together to the point where his canines became visible, his eyes flaring even brighter than before.
'Goddamnit… that guy said all that stuff… and now look at me…'
For a moment Nico felt like he would go on a rampage, destroy everything around him just so he could vent this frustration building inside his torso, to give it an outlet. It certainly seemed like a viable option to him at this time, not to mention that he could easily do so himself. However, the male instead chose NOT to go down that path just yet, and instead focused on calming down by performing some breathing exercises. It helped him in more ways than one actually, as not only did it settle his nerves, instincts and pretty much everything else affiliated with negativity that he felt inside, but also allowed him to think with a better state of mind.
The first thing he should do now, would be to contact Biko. Nico had, before his temporary fall, gave him specific instructions just in case something like this happened and he needed to inform people of what had been happening. Originally, he would have liked to inform his Party about his dealings himself, but in case that wouldn't be a possibility, Biko would have to do it. He'd made it VERY clear how he felt about it, and honestly Nico would have preferred it if he didn't either. However, things would be dire in that scenario, therefore they wouldn't have many options available to them. It was with these thoughts in mind, that Nico opened a connection to his Demon Persona, before beginning the mental conversation once the connection got established. 'Hey, Biko? Can you hear me?' he thought, hoping that this poison hadn't damaged the link between them too much that they couldn't communicate.
'…Indeed. It has been a while since we were last able to talk like this.'
In the exact SECOND he heard the voice of the Demon Persona, right from the first word a HUGE surge of relief flowed through Nico, tot hee point where he visibly showed it via a sigh of relief. One had zero clue how much hearing this guy's voice calmed him, if there had been any chance of his previous hatred resurfacing, it had been largely doused now. 'Well, I'd definitely agree with you on that one there, Biko. Anyways, could you give me a rundown of what happened? All I know from my end is…' and so, the male gave Biko the rundown of what he had learned from looking at the recent news on his Bracers.
'I see. So that's what's been going on. I thought I detected copious amounts of Demonic Power, but to think someone would willingly allow such Demons to invade… whoever came up with the idea are some nasty souls worthy of Soul Edge's pallet.'
Deep within his soul, Nico could feel the rumbling of a certain sword, as well as a distorted cackling that could ONLY come from that infernal blade. He just KNEW it wasn't his other side at that moment, something Nico found himself thankful for. 'Agreed, I'll make sure to deliver some of our 'displeasure' down this enemy's throat. Now then, could you let me know what happened on your end? Looks like things must have been hectic for you.'
'You have no idea. Once that poison entered your system I had to do all I could to make sure it didn't kill you, and even then, I only managed to suppress it whilst your body naturally fought against it. Whilst fighting it, I noticed that the Poison not only affected your body, but also your soul, Nico. As in, if it were to have take full effect then it WOULD have killed you with no way for you to return.'
'WHAT?! How the hell is that a thing?!'
'I am uncertain as of this time. However, this poison had the taint of Chaos handling on it, and according to my knowledge we would find more answers should we encounter the followers of either Nurgle or Tzeentch, as their God's influence was detected on the poison. Nonetheless, I believe you're forgetting something, the very thing that helped save you through it's own evolution by burning away the poisoned cells for you to regenerate yourself.'
Upon Biko's words, Nico suddenly noticed it. He noticed that there was something off about his being, something was different about it but he couldn't quite get a grasp of what it was. He hadn't noticed it until now, but now that Biko had brought it to his attention, he could see what he was talking about. 'Huh? What the…?' He thought, slowly holding his hand out as he tried to focus on this 'abnormality' that he now noticed within himself. The moment that he did so, Nico suddenly saw the space within his hand…
Erupt into a vortex of dark violet lightning.
'Whoa! Holy shit, what the fucking hell?!' Nico screamed within his mind, almost recoiling at the sight of freaking LIGHTNING erupting from his hand like this. But what got his attention even more, was how the Lightning seemed to take on it's own distinct shape, as it moulded and morphed itself into something new. Nico could only watch this in stunned shock, feeling the weight and power that this Lightning emitted. No doubt that it had a demonic nature o it, of that Nico found himself being certain of. After all, nearly everything he had was Demonic in nature, though this thing… this thing had WAY more power than anything his other Devil Arms ever possessed. Even Soul Edge, and the only reason why that one had so much power was because it had devoured countless souls ever since the Hellverse incident, growing and growing in strength.
After what felt like an eternity, the lightning had fully shaped itself within the palm of his hand, having formed a distinctly weapon-like shape before it began to condense into a proper physical form. The amount of raw energy that he could sense whilst doing this felt HUGE, massive even, to the point where even he didn't know the exact level of. Finally, the weapon finished after a couple of seconds, and when it did, Nico could only gape at what he saw.
'Holy… shit…'
Yeah, those thoughts summed up his opinion on this matter pretty well.
In his right hand, Nico held what looked to be a large Broadsword, one much bigger than Alastor was. From tip to handle, he figured that the weapon was approximately five to six feet long, with a single-edged large blade approximately one foot wide. Looking closer to the blade, Nico saw that the blade had a lighter colour on the bladed edge, while the rest of the blade remained a deep, dark gray, and the handguard appeared to be bolted or riveted into place. From the Guard, about 4 demonic looking wings sprouted, easily being the length of a human hand each, on both sides of the guard making 8 wings in total. At the guard' centre, was a sing crimson jewel, sporting a slitted iris that looked like it was LOOKING directly at the one who wielded it. In addition, the blade itself was covered in this thick, dark violet mist, many small trails of said mist rising into the atmosphere whilst the blade itself constantly sparked and crackled with matching coloured lightning.
CRACKLE, CRACKLE, CRACKLE, CRACKLE, CRACKLE, CRACKLE, CRACKLE, CRACKLE, CRACKLE!
Those were the sounds that those sparks and other bits of Lightning made, and they filled his ears like they were trying to hold monopoly over any other sound that may reach them. Not to mention that, as he held this blade, he could feel some… changes, being made to his body. Changes that he wasn't sure on the identity of, but he damned well wanted to as soon as physically possible. 'Biko… what the hell is this? This sword, it feels like….' Nico began, before realizing something as he stared at the weapon. 'Alastor…! Is this… what it was doing earlier?'
'Indeed, I do believe it is so. To be frank, this blade no longer goes under the name of Alastor, but you would know this.'
'Huh? What do you mean?'
'Give it a moment.'
At this, Nico blinked in confusion, before gasping as he held the side of his head, memories coursing through his brain that he had not yet recalled. 'Ugh, what…?! Wait… Ah, that's it! I remember! This is…!'
(Flashback)
A sharp gasp tore through his lips, eyes shooting wide open as he stood up to his feet.
What the hell?!
What happened?!
Where was he?!
Nico had no idea, and as such he quickly checked his surroundings. Even so, that only left him all the more confused, as he soon found himself on top a platform that looked to be made from pure purple lightning, whilst everything he saw around him was also purple lightning. He saw no hills, no land (even though he felt like he was standing on land right now) no nothing that could be considered terrain. It was like he was in a whole new world consisting only of pure purple Lightning, a world where sparks and constant lightning strikes boomed all over the place, filling his ears as well as every other sense that Nico had.
Not to mention this FIERCE pain coursing through him, intensifying with every heartbeat that passed. He had just now noticed it, as in he had a delayed reaction, but the teen gritted his teeth whilst clutching his right gloved hand over his chest to try and stem this god awful pain assaulting every cell in his body. It wasn't anything Nico couldn't handle, but the fact of the matter was that he was in pain, and he had NO idea why! That thought process only fuelled his confusion even more, not to mention how a pit of fear and panic began to swell within.
'Biko! Biko! Can you hear me?! What the heck is happening?!' Nico shrieked in his mind, only for nothing to come back to him. Shock and confusion raced through his chest at that, along with how he felt a shimmer of dread bring itself to life within the depths of his gut. He tried several times to call out to Biko, but he got no answer, not to mention that his mind was eerily quiet… that, or he couldn't hear them because of all the sparking and crackling sounds he could hear all around him.
The more he tried to call out to his Demon Persona, the more panicked he became when he got no answer. This had never happened before, ever since meeting with Biko he had been a constant companion to him and they had fought, talked and debated with each other countless number of times over the things they have experienced together. It had gotten to the point where he had gotten so used to having Biko around, that the times when he DIDN'T just seemed like distant memories to him, and Nico also really liked talking to him. It felt like he was one of the few people that Nico could truly be himself around, almost like a blood brother. Even though Biko was usually cold and logical, those rare moments where he wasn't showed him that he felt much the same way. It probably seemed weird since Biko was a part of Nico himself, but hey, talking to oneself was not truly a sign of insanity, its only when one gets answers back… okay, maybe he WAS a little insane.
Just a little though.
As he made to go over the edge and have a full on panic attack though…
"FINALLY, you HAVE… COME!"
All of a sudden, a loud, dominant and masculine voice boomed through the area, and just like that everything lost it's volume. All the sparks lost their edge, and the power of silence began to take back what was once its own. In essence, everything became quieter and Nico didn't feel like his ears were about to explode anymore. However, that did NOT mean Nico would let his guard down, especially with the abundance of Demonic Energy that he could sense coming from both this place AND the voice that just broke through here.
Mentally calculating, Nico quickly turned to face the source, and his calculations soon proved him correct. For a being was manifesting itself there from the Lightning. Nico could tell because from the Lightning in this place, dozens of small trails were gathering together in a spiralling manner, forming a cocoon of sorts which soon became the height of the average person.
Then, from that cocoon, someone came out, striding across the Lightning that was meant to be the floor with the confidence and experience of a trained warrior. Nico's eyes narrowed when he saw that it was a man, one who looked to be in his 20's, with light skin and slightly below average height, not to mention a lean, toned build. He had spiky blond hair with one particularly long spike, and blue eyes that almost seemed to glow just like the Lightning of this realm. He wore indigo pants with a sleeveless shirt, and a belt around his waist. He wore brown boots on his feet, gauntlets with a pauldron over his left shoulder and a black band on his left wrist.
Quickly, Nico got on guard, bending his legs whilst putting his left leg backwards. He held his left hand across the front of his face whilst his right was poised downwards parallel to his hip. Something 'pulsed' in him in that moment, and the next thing he knew the male noticed that Soul Edge manifested in its default form within his right hand. 'Whew, so at least Soul Edge is here…' the teen thought, already feeling marginally more relaxed with the familiar weight of the demonic blade.
"You're on guard. Good." The man spoke, nodding with a blank expression on his face as he held his left hand out to his side. Lightning sparks erupted from his hand, before they took the shape of a large broadsword, one that he then pointed towards Nico with. His eyes flashed darkly, and a killing intent began to grow inside of him. "Then we can get this over with."
Nico arched a brow at this, before he too readied Soul Edge. The Demonic Blade instantly activated PREDATOR, not to mention that it also tried to use SCORCHING AURA and BLOOD RAGE on this man only for nothing to happen to it. This caused Nico to furrow his brows in contemplation, quickly shifting his mind into a battle-ready state so he didn't suffer a panic attack. 'So, this guy has some strong willpower, to be able to resist Soul Edge like that…' he thought. "Let me guess, you won't answer any of my questions, until I defeat you in combat?" he asked the man.
Don't get him wrong, there were THOUSANDS of questions in his mind right now, running about like children in a school playground. Questions that he REALLY wanted answers to, but just by looking at this man's eyes, told him that he would get none of those unless he did something in exchange. Judging by his stance, Nico assumed it would be something like a fight, and judging by the look in his eyes, Nico guessed right. "Yes, now raise your sword! We fight till one of us can't fight anymore!" The man yelled, before the two charged...
(Flashback END)
'…That's right, I fought that guy under those conditions, and if it weren't for my skill in enduring pain, I likely would have lost that fight. That guy moved quicker than anything I've ever fought before, not to mention he kept decreasing my attack strength by taking away the kinetic energy in them. That wasn't even beginning to take in all the Lightning attacks he threw at me…' Nico thought to himself, wincing when he remembered the combat that followed. If he were to have timed it for how long he had been fighting that man for, he'd say that it took him at least a week to do so, and even then he could only speculate. Not to mention how, when Nico finally felt like he had won, the pain all of a sudden stopped, and then the man simply vanished…
'That wasn't all, Nico, there was more. He did something to you before everything turned to darkness…'
Biko's urging made the main aspect frown in confusion, wondering what the hell he had been missing. However, a moment of thinking soon showed him what that was, as his eyes widened once more whilst he gazed down at the weapon in his lap. '…Yes, that's right! He said that when I'd wake up in the real world, I'd know everything! I do!' he realized, as the sight of this weapon, in addition to its aura, made him realize just WHAT this thing really was. 'This is… Alastor… no, this isn't Alastor, not anymore, it's…'
'Ouranos: The primordial Demon of Lighting. The very embodiment of Lightning itself, the first Demon to ever learn how to use it. The moment you won Nico, I received information from this weapon's sentience, and it took a while for me to process it all. Believe me, even I had a hard time processing this one.'
'So… what did you find?'
'Ouranos is… something of an evolved form of Devil Arm. According to the Fragmented Memories, this is what is called an 'Archdevil Arm'. These are the evolved forms regular Devil Arms take. They are vastly superior to their original forms, and command powers that make them go toe to toe with the most powerful of DPUs. Once a Devil Arm evolves into this state, they gain unimaginable power. Power that makes the powers of their predecessors look like bugs in comparison. Their destructive power gets skyrocketed, to the point were continents up to entire planets can be effected if used carelessly. Wiping out an entire town or city no matter how large it is would be significantly easy for them, and if they hit the right areas then an entire Planet can combust and explode seconds later, destroying it. This would normally kill the wielder; however, the Archdevil Arms also grant them the ability to breathe in any atmosphere, which allows them to survive even if in space.'
Nico's eyes widened at this information, but Biko wasn't done.'Another difference between the Archdevil Arms and their lesser evolved forms is that they can consume souls regardless of their type. Originally, Devil Arms couldn't do this because they only had fragments of their original conscience. However, an Archdevil Arm has stronger versions of these, allowing them to devour and absorb souls. Your Soul Edge is an exception to this as it is a part of your Soul, and not containing just fragments. They do this in order to regain their completed souls, and even then they will continue to grow stronger the more Souls are devoured. Once they regain their entire souls, their powers... I cannot even begin to tell you how OP they will become in terms of power scaling. In addition, Archdevil Arms can freely manipulate their respective elements, as well as sub elements connected to them. With these abilities, it comes to reason that their reserves swell as well, making an Archdevil Arm VASTLY superior to their counterparts. When they attain these forms, these Archdevil arms also grant specific 'boons' of a demonic nature that activate the moment that they are drawn. For example, if a Devil Arm that specializes in sword skills is drawn, it could grant a boon that enhances the potency of sword techniques, and as Archdevil Arms consume more souls, they gain additional boons to install upon their wielder. These powers make them insanely powerful, dangerous and desirable. Lastly, with this transformation, they gain new appearances and names as well, appearances befitting of their new status. There is more, but this is what we should focus on for now.'
'I-I see… this is kinda hard to take in…' The redhead thought in shock, hands trembling whilst he laid the sword, the Archdevil Arm Ouranos, on his lap. 'And I thought I'd seen it all…' whilst he gazed down at the weapon, Nico tried to get a feel for its power once more, only this time he barely got a vague estimate before he had to pull his senses back. These Archdevil Arms seemed much wilder than their counterparts in comparison, so much so that he couldn't make heads or tails of this thing anymore. 'Is there anything you can tell me about Ouranos? Like its abilities and stuff?'
'Yes, Ouranos gave me the full story of its origins and powers, but for now I'll summarize the powers for you. In essence, the powers are Lightning manipulation in its freest form, although you can use your base techniques when Ouranos was still Alastor, but they will be much stronger. By comparison to your DPU powers, I would say that right now they would be just barely below it and Soul Edge in power. In addition, you will be able to manipulate magnetism within a 200-meter radius, resulting in those who try to fight it with weapons made of metal to be ineffective due to it being able to deflect their attacks away from its wielder. Thirdly, you will be able to manipulate Kinetic Energy, as in the energy of one's motion. It can either partially drain it from any source within a 200-meter radius or drain it completely whilst using that energy to bolster its own or it's wielder's attack speeds. Amplifying it's own kinetic energy and generating it within itself is also within this sword's power, and with it Ouranos is capable of creating motions that go beyond supersonic speeds. That's the basic summary, but suffice it to say, that these Archdevil Arms will have limitless potential.'
… Huh, well wasn't that convenient?
Once he heard the simplified version of that explanation (he'd likely look over what they got from Ouranos himself to iron out any kinks Biko had missed in his own time), his mind quickly began analyzing the effectiveness and potential this weapon had. Its pros and cons if one would. This Archdevil Arm certainly had increased power on its side, as well as increased versatility. That meant that the greater the imagination, the more useful these things will be. Plus, if Alastor could become one, why not the rest of his Devil Arms? Something which he honestly wanted to try out and see if it were possible. If it was, then he'd have a shit load of powerful weapons on his side that he could use to take out his enemies in the future.
However, on the downside, it also meant that he had to be extra careful, not just during the whole process but also afterwards, as any mishandling of these Archdevil Arms could have drastic consequences. For example, if he misfired he could end up vaporizing an entire continent if what Biko told him was accurate. Not to mention these Boons could indeed be a weakness all on their own, as if they were to be implanted onto him the moment he summoned an Archdevil Arm, what about when he dismissed them? Would they vanish? If so, then what would he do when someone faster than him comes along, someone who could take him down before he had a chance to summon on? He'd have to figure that out soon, analyse these weapons in great detail to iron out their weaknesses and plan around them.
Still though, he had one HELL (pun intended) of a new weapon to add to his arsenal.
10 minutes later, Nico had allowed himself to take care of the room he stayed in whenever he found himself visiting the Sanctuary. He would have liked it better if he could have visited here under better circumstances, but there wouldn't be much time to complain. Not when he had this much to do before reuniting with the rest of his Party. Nico felt sure that they would likely be worried for him, and he didn't want to extend that time period any longer than necessary.
Therefore, Nico took a shower (as he felt like he had sweated quite a bit in that bed, so he wanted to take a shower to freshen up), before brushing his teeth and fixing his hair in it's usual long style. Not to mention that he took his clothed and slid them on like he did so many times before. He put on his underwear, socks, slid his black shirt over his upper body, pulled up his pants whilst fixing each belt (something that would be rather tedious, but Nico took care of it fast enough), put on his boots, then his leather gloves before standing tall and grasping his Trench Coat from the bottom of the bed. He threw it around his back, sliding an arm into it's sleeve before repeating the process, finally fully dressed and ready to go.
'Damn, does it feel good to be in uniform again...' the male thought, smirking to himself as he adjusted his coat by straightening its front then the cuffs. He did the same for his gloves, until the teen felt he was ready to step out of this place.
Not to mention that whilst he had gotten dressed, IT had remade the bed, swapping out the old bedding for the new whilst putting the dirty laundry in a basket nearby.
Sometimes, it felt good to be him.
'Now... where the heck are those girls? Biko, can you sense them anywhere?' Nico thought to his Demon Persona whilst walking back to Ouranos (which he had leaning against a wall) before he picked it up by the handle, flung it over his head and onto his back. Quickly, he felt it stick to his Demonic Energy whilst outwardly appearing to stick onto his back without any harness. Something that made Nico sigh in comfort. It felt GOOD to have something on his back that wasn't a mattress. He even pulled Ebony and Ivory out of his Void Storage and stuck them to his waist ready for a quick draw when necessary.
'Hmmmm... strange, it appears that they are not anywhere near their immediate vicinity... oh my.'
'Huh? What is it?'
'It looks like they're in trouble.'
'WHAT?!' Nico shrieked, suddenly tensing as he froze on the spot just as he made to walk to the door. His breath caught itself in his throat whilst shudders went down his spine. Fear began to claw its way back into his mind, fear not just for himself but also for the girls. Were they alright? What was happening, who was trying to hurt them? So help him, if any of them had been harmed, if a hair on their heads had so much been ruffled wrongly...!
'I am uncertain, however I detect that their energies are clashing heavily against something powerful in the distance. If II were to guess the location from your memories, I would say Halo Mountain. That's like a 500 mile distance from here, north west if I'm not mistaken.'
Oh, he knew that place alright. Halo Mountain was one of the places where Nico used to visit quite a bit whenever he had some time to himself during missions or between them (which were as rare as seeing IF without a phone in her hands). If not then, then he'd visit there to take out any rogue bandits or Abnormals that made their homes there. Halo Mountain was also once a great tourist attraction, as it had been name as such since it had once been home to a powerful company who'd made a series about a green super-soldier kicking alien asses. Shame that company had to move when Abnormals overran the place, there was practically no sign of their previous facilities there anymore. Called it the 'reach' incident, and now that he thought about it, they might have made a game about that...
Wait, that's not important right now!
'Right, i'm on my way!' Nico responded, shutting off the link as he quickly ran for the window and threw it open. There wasn't time for the conventional way, this way would be quicker!
He had to get to the girls, he just had to! Nico had NO idea what they were fighting, but he would be damned if he didn't get there in time to help them! He'd refuse to do anything less!
With those thoughts in mind, Nico gritted his teeth as he... jumped over 60 feet into the air. How that window didn't get destroyed from the force of his jump Nico had no clue but he didn't think on that right now. Instead, he clicked his fingers and summoned his personal Skimmer: Ember. The infernal Motorcycle/plane Hybrid quickly emerged from a portal of flame below him, shooting up after him as the teen angled himself, sliding onto the driver's seat. Grasping the handles, the male growled as he activated Ember's plane mode. "Alright girl, time's a wastin', so let's PUNCH IT!"
Once Ember roared after finishing it's Mode change, Nico swiftly pressed the pedal and the thrusters behind the Bike quickly blazed to life. Instantly, Nico was on the move, shooting through the air at insane speeds whilst heading towards the direction of Halo Mountain. His eyes burned with an intense and urgent gaze, mentally wishing he could go faster.
'Don't worry girls, I'm on my way! Please, let me make it in time!'
So, yeah, that would sum up what happened before he arrived in a nutshell.
After yelling out that order in an almost volcanic burst of rage and explosive wrath, Nico had aimed Ember at the space between that mysterious man and the girls. His impact with the ground literally turned the crater into a pan filled with fire, as in Hellfire, which he had directed so that the girls weren't harmed by the flames. Good thing his Hellfire was in its weaker form, too, otherwise it would have been a lot harder. As for that man, he simply swung his sword and dispersed the flames through simply using the wind blast. Well, the flames that were closest to him and the person behind him at least, someone Nico honestly didn't care much to note as of right now.
Instead, he quickly dismounted Ember, said Skimmer driving around him in a full circle multiple times. Those circles ended up fanning the Hellfire around them whilst the teen looked over the girls to analyze their states. First off, it looked like most of them were okay in the marginal sense, but Nico's senses didn't miss how their reserves were heavily exhausted. For Neptune (though she remained in HDD so he'd address her as Purple Heart for now), she seemed to be the best out of them in terms of energy remaining, and that likely stemmed from Soul Calibur that remained in her hands. He could sense it's demonic nature amplifying her power, using her negative emotions to keep her reserves going. Not to mention that she looked to have been covered in minor-looking wounds, but other than that nothing serious.
He then glanced towards the other CPUs (the male mentally arching a brow in surprise when he noticed Noire being here, before he recalled the Gala and how it was said that she would be invited). None of them looked very good, as Noire's energy levels looked to have hit an all-time low. From the fierce bonfire that her energy usually was, it now looked more like a dying ember about to go out, snuffed out by darkness. Not to mention how she seemed to be holding one POWERFUL looking sword right now, heck Biko analyzed it and informed him that the sword had great powers of the divine nature, but that wasn't all that it could do. In addition, it seemed that Noire wasn't able to harness everything about the sword as of yet, and what she had used was merely a fragment of it's power. In fact, there were three parts to that sword: Divine, Demonic and... Abnormal? How the hell was that a thing?
Whelp, putting that aside, Nico looked towards Vert, frowning when he noted how she looked like an old woman on her deathbed. Not physically, but more in terms of her energy usage. By that, he meant that she barely had any energy left, and her body looked to be so wracked with fatigue ad exhaustion that she looked like she would pass out at any second. Not to mention how her Gungnir looked massively exhausted, since it didn't have nearly as intense an aura as it usually did (and he should know, he'd seen it in action a few times over the last 3 months). Even then though, it looked like she didn't have that many wounds either, mostly just scratches and bruises which would heal in time.
Then, he looked up to see Compa floating up above them, looking downwards with a look of disbelief on her face... and the moment he noticed her, Nico noticed the different attire she wore. Plus the floating pillars, which quickly clued him in on what had happened to her, thus the male had to resist the urge to sigh in sadness. 'Well... if what I read was any indication, then it would only have been a matter of time before something were to force Compa to use those powers...' he thought to himself. He had already made his opinion on Compa's potential abilities clear during a previous chapter, but even so he still couldn't help but feel a little let down that it still happened. True it would have happened whether he wanted it to or not, but Nico had still held on to that small chance, that small hope that she would till remain an ordinary girl by the time this journey of theirs ended. At least if that happened, Compa would be able to live a long, normal life. Now, people would likely judge her and condemn her for what she had become, especially if his own experiences were anything to consider.
Still, part of him couldn't help but be thrilled too. Why was that he wondered...
In any case, his gaze shifted over to IF, and the moment he did the male had the urge to just do a spit take when he laid eyes on her. 'Holy hell, she's hit a growth spurt when I was under, hasn't she?!' he exclaimed in his mind, observing her more developed body whilst mentally analyzing the way her body operated. He could sense the power flowing through her thanks to it having remnants of his own demonic energy, and thanks to that he could tell that her evolutionary paths were going along much more swimmingly than he had initially expected. He could only imagine what she had to do to advance so far and so well, but there was one thing that was for certain in his mind. That, he felt the flower of pride blossoming within his chest along with the urge to congratulate her for her strength growth. Not only that, but Nico could sense that she STILL had more potential to realize, more ways for her power to grow and excel.
His eyes then traveled over to Guts, the sole other male member of the group, and it looked like he fared the best out of the entire group. It looked like his Armour had been the main cause of that though, as it left so very few openings to strike at his flesh. Not to mention that it was no ordinary Armour. Nico knew this for a fact, as he had once seen what it had done when he and Guts went on a mission together a couple months ago. Dragonslayer seemed to be in good condition as well, according to his analysis, though he hadn't expected anything less of that weapon especially since it was meant to kill large Abnormals like Dragons. If he were to need any assistance, it would be most likely to come from Guts in this case, but he'd rather not rule out the girls just yet. He wasn't sure if they still had some tricks up their sleeves.
Just then, the teen blinked when something registered in his senses... something dark, demonic in nature. He was certain of that, and when he looked to the source, Nico witnessed a green ring shrouded by a matching flame appear in front of Purple Heart (said girl jumping in surprise at the sight of it). 'Whoa, what the hell? Is that a...?'
'Indeed, it is a Satanic Treasure! Now that I look at them, EACH of the girls have one, save for IF and Compa. I have NO idea how that has happened, but be vigilant... that Ring seems to have chosen you as its master. here it comes!'
Not needing to be told twice, Nico braced himself as the green ring shot into his chest, and began integrating itself into his body. Because he had felt the pain that followed before, the teen only showed it through a constant wincing as well as the gritting of his teeth. He clutched his left hand over his chest, feeling the Satanic Treasure merging with him from that part. It didn't take as long as before either, though Nico figured that the time it took didn't change between them but instead the pain tolerance he had increased from the first ring's entry. Making it so that he could endure this Ring as well, whilst it merged with him. Not to mention though, Nico also felt something engraving itself into his body where his heart was, something similar to ink but not at the same time. Whatever that was, Nico had no clue, but he didn't focus on it for long as he instead buried all thought relating to it for his enduring the pain of merging with another Satanic Treasure. In the end, the male released a breath he had been holding when he felt that the process had completed itself.
'Biko... make sure to look into that Ring and what it does. I want to know as soon as you have anything, there's too many things about my body that have changed.'
'Indeed I shall, and I agree.'
"Well..." he began once he recovered, breaking the silence that had dominated everything in sight save for the burning Hellfire. He merely clicked his fingers, and the flames dispersed themselves like they were never even there in the first place. In addition, Ember vanished too with a fiery howl, returning to his Void Storage. "Looks like I arrived just in time." He then nervously smiled, forming a light bead of sweat as he waved at them."Hey girls, long time no see..." he spoke.
Just before any of them could respond, and by the Goddesses (ironic huh?) they had SO many things to say to him, a loud sigh escaped from behind him. This caused Nico's brow to twitch as he turned his head to look behind them, glaring at the source of the sigh. "You know, you COULD just save the reunion till AFTER all this." Okada mused, having been the source mentioned whilst holding his sword over his shoulder. "I mean, i'm all for that stuff, but the lady here's not the patient type you see."
Slowly, Nico fully turned and looked behind him, and the moment he did his eyes widened with recognition. The next second, Nico was glaring at the woman hatefully. eyes almost burning like the Hellfire he commanded whilst gritting his teeth with as much force as he could muster. There were even veins popping over his forehead whilst if looks could kill, the witch-like woman would have been dead already. "You...!" he spat, resisting the urge to summon one of his weapons, draw out one of his Pistols or even both and pump her full of holes, or other horrific actions he could think of at that moment. "I should have known YOU were involved in all this shit..."
"Ha, i'm flattered you remember me, boy." The woman, whom Nico recognized as Arfoire, responded with an equally large sneer as her eyes narrowed like a hawk locating its prey towards him. The woman held her Glaive at the ready, pointing it at him whilst she spoke. "I have been meaning to pay you back for what happened to me the last time we met." she spat, whilst Nico glared back.
Now he could see why the girls were having problems. This woman must either be very resourceful, which would make sense since she had this guy serving her apparently not to mention the access to Banshees she had, or she had a great amount of power she had yet to use. Quickly pulling out a dozen or so SP Chargers that he had bought before the Gala, Nico handed them to the girls as quick as he could whilst keeping an eye on the two enemies before him. It wouldn't do if they were to attack him whilst his back was turned, and while he felt confident in his ability to defend himself, Nico would rather the girls be fit to move out of the way if need be. "Take these, recover your strength. I'll take care of this one." he whispered to them under his breath.
"Ugh, I know he's here to help and all, but..."
"Relying on Nico like this... yeah, I feel you Noire. Its a bit of a blow to our pride..."
"Now-now Noire, Iffy, we should be able to recover our power, and then we can go assist my hubby when we're done."
"Who are you calling your hubby, Neptune?!"
The teen couldn't help but roll his eyes at the sounds of the usual scuffles that the girls got into. If they could do that in the middle of battle, then they'd be alright. But just in case, mentally he had Ember and Urthemiel ready themselves to exit the Void Storage to assist them should they get attacked underhandedly. He got several affirmatives from his Skimmer and Archdemon, something which he felt SO glad that his Desecration ability forged a mental link to his Skimmer as well as he stepped towards the enemy with determined eyes.
'Nico... I sense many things wrong with this woman.'
'Oh? What is it?' Nico thought when his Demon Persona broke through his thoughts. He had to resist the urge to snarkily comment that there were WAY more things wrong with Arfoire, such as her bad fashion sense, gross overuse of makeup, her horrendous laugh, better than you attitude, and several general things about her. So yeah, he didn't like her very much, if at all.
'I detect several energies within her, several of which are suppressing another. I believe these energies are both belonging to this Arfoire woman, whilst she also as an energy which does not belong to her. This whole time she's been trying to suppress it, but the energy has been trying to get out, to return to it's true master. Or mistress, in this case if you know what I mean.'
Nico DEFINITELY knew what Biko meant by that statement. Odds were, Arfoire was the one who had taken Vert's power somehow, it definitely felt like something she would do since initially, Nico felt like she had been targeting Neptune the last time they met.
Wait... did he say moving? Then wouldn't that mean...
'Indeed, it could be possible, but you may have to deal with her lackey first. It appears that , in terms of energy, he is quite weak. As in, he has no energy to speak of whatsoever. I wouldn't put much faith in him being a strong opponent, however be cautious all the same.'
'I see... Well, I have JUST the way to get around that issue, and if I've looked into her personality enough, I bet this'll work AND get Vert her power back. Two birds with one stone.'
With a mental nod (as well as more excitement than he knew what to do with) Nico cut the link to his Demon Persona for the time being. The teen then focused back onto the conversation between the three of them, him, that swordsman and Arfoire. "Last time? I'm afraid I don't recall..." the male responded, pretending to look clueless whilst mimicking a thinking pose. This lasted only for a moment though, before a light bulb went off in his mind as he pretended to 'remember' that incident. "Oh yeah, was it that time when I whooped your ass so hard that you started bursting into tears and acted like a big crybaby?"
... Okay, he was DEFINITELY messing with her, and judging by the look she had on her face, Nico felt his jab had been effective, which had been all the more proven when that swordsman lackey of hers started stifling his laughter.
Several other sounds of muffled laughter echoed behind him too.
With a face that was caught between shock and anger, Arfoire glared at him whilst shouting out a vehement retort. "I was NOT crying like a freaking crybaby, you brat! Take that back right this instant!"
At that, Nico 'sighed'. "Fine."
Arfoire grinned, thinking that she had got him, only to miss the downright evil smile that spread across his lips. "You were bouncing about on your backside like a cute bunny rabbit when I set your ass on fire, though you really just looked like an idiot."
"Wha?!"
Now Arfoire looked like a gaping fish, utterly flabbergasted at what the teen had just told her whilst maintaining a straight face. Though, that couldn't be said for the rest of them, as the swordsman began laughing his ass off at the mental image whilst the girls (even the serious Noire and IF) began doing the same. Heck, small twitches on Guts' lips would be the sole sign that he too found that mental image rather amusing. Nico certainly felt like laughing his ass off at that, even as he kept his emotions in check and felt the cackling of his Devil Arms.
All according to plan.
It didn't take long for the woman's fuse to blow off like a kettle boiling over, and when it did Arfoire let out a loud shriek, louder than even the Banshee's. "You goddamn, should have killed you myself long ago!" She screamed, pointing towards the swordsman with her Glaive. "You, servant! Go over there and bring me his head! Kill him and leave nothing else left of him!" Arfoire yelled.
Once he had gotten his laughter under control (honestly, this kid sounded like his kind of guy if he were to make jokes like that), the man nodded his head when the woman gave him his orders. "Yes, ma'am." he replied, giving her a mock salute with a loop-sided grin, before turning his head and beginning his stride towards the redhead Spec Ops Agent. "Whelp, good joke there kid, but the lady's gone mad now. She wants me to end you, but meh, it was fun whilst it lasted." he remarked, grinning cockily.
'Okay... this guy seems like he'll be a tough fight...' Nico thought to himself, eyeing this man whilst he drew Ouranos (which drew some gazes to the weapon formerly on his back). 'He seems to have a lot of strength and experience under his belt, and its not like I have complete control over this Archdevil Arm either. Hell, I don't even know how to control its power one bit, so i'd say i'm at a disadvantage... huh?' Whilst he thought this, Nico noticed something, something that glinted behind the man's eyes. Something that vanished before Nico could identify what it was. No matter what it had been, Nico had been able to notice it thanks to his experience in looking through other peoples' masks. 'What was that? Whelp, no matter, I'll just stick to the plan for now.'
With those thoughts, Nico held Ouranos in front of him, holding it in two hands whilst his opponent held his sword in one. Something that the redhead noticed. Just before he could wonder why, Purple Heart answered his unasked questions. "Be careful, Nicky! That guy's super strong! He's called Okada Izou, and he's been able to beat us down with only swordplay!" she called out to him. "Make sure to stay out the reach of his blade!" She had many questions, of that Nico could tell by her voice, but right now this wasn't the time for questions, not from any of them.
As the two faced off...
"Oh yeah, before we begin, could I ask you a question?"
"Hm?" Okada hummed in curiosity when Nico suddenly spoke after a short, tense silence. The man arched a brow at what the kid might be up to, it definitely didn't feel like he was trying to stall him from killing him, no there was too much emotion in his voice for that. "What might that be, kid?" he replied, and if he were honest with himself he wanted to see what this kid was capable of. Just by looking at him, Okada could feel like this kid might actually force him to take this fight more seriously than he did with the girls, and that was saying something.
Nico however, instead of responding, focused his mind on the Archdevil Arm in his hands that looked like it could go toe to toe with Dragonslayer in terms of its size. The male had little clue on how to use this blade, but he wanted to use it's kinetic energy based powers to try and get a head start on him.
'Alright... just focus...' The male thought whilst he concentrated... though externally it looked like he was just staring heavily at his opponent. 'It shouldn't be much different from tapping into a Devil Arm's powers. Ouranos will help you, as you DID prove yourself able to withstand the process of his Archdevilification. They're essentially just a stronger version of a Devil Arm, according to Biko. So focus dude... focus...'
The moment he did focus on the blade however, Nico INSTANTLY felt a rush of energy go through his body, dark violent Lightning coursing around his form. The Lightning quickly broke the ground under him whilst generating a huge gust of wind that roared all around him. It honestly didn't look too different from the angry roar of an enraged beast that got disturbed during its slumber. Immediately Okada got on guard, eyeing the blade warily whilst wondering what the hell was happening. His instincts told him that whatever that weapon was, it was FAR from normal as normal could get even for its massive size. He didn't think it was as heavy as that other large sword (Dragonslayer), but Okada would follow his warrior instincts. He may be cocky and arrogant, but a fool he wasn't, that blade did NOT seem natural to this world.
All the while, each of the girls wondered about the blade themselves. None of them had any idea as to its exact identity, but they COULD feel that it was demonic in nature. None of them were surprised by this, either from past experience and/or knowledge, it had been clear to them for a while that Demonic weaponry was Nico's go-to in hard fights. Just look at Rebellion, he used that sword more often than even the claws of his Armour, something that Nico had yet to unveil as of right this second.
Even so...
FWOOOOOOOOM!
The moment that he dashed forwards, everything around him became a blur. Even Nico himself got stunned as he dashed so fast that he barely looked visible to the naked eye, like a dark violet meteor he went shooting right past the surprised Okada whilst finishing his question. "Don't you think it would be better, if we could fight without interference from the 'boss lady' over there?"
After he said his piece, Nico swiftly jammed his feet into the ground, sliding to a halt and stopping right behind Arfoire with Ouranos poised to strike with it's Pommel. A trail of dust had been left in his wake, and that had served to distract the woman, something he'd exploit in the next couple seconds. With a mighty war cry, Nico jammed the pommel right into Arfoire's back, focusing on Ouranos' power unleashing a huge burst of Lightning into Arfoire's body. His opponent's response: to gasp and let out a high pitched scream as Lightning coursed through her body at a voltage that would have killed her a thousand times over. Not to mention that it had another effect...
One consisting of pushing something right out of her mouth.
'Okay, one: Ewwww, that's gross. Two, YES! It worked!' Nico thought, Warping his way to the something which floated into the air about 70 feet. He did this whilst Arfoire recovered from the 'shock to her system' (bad pun, seriously), and Okada was still reeling from the surprise of his movement. Once he Warped there, Nico saw that it took the shape of a brilliant, glowing pure white light. Almost like a miniature sun, yet Nico could stare at it forever and feel no effects on his visual prowess. Not to mention that it also excluded a powerful warmth and compassion when he got near it, something that should be the exact OPPOSITE since he was of the opposing energy in terms of nature.
Grasping the light (of which he noticed no ill effects or any bad smell from where it came from, it was just that pure), Nico Warped once again, appearing before Vert and kneeling at her feet like a Knight before his queen. A small smirk found its way to his lips as he presented the light towards her. "I may not believe in any Goddess, but may I present to you your Goddess powers, my lady." he spoke, imitating a posh, Leanbox accent as if to try and play the part of a stuck-up Noble.
At this, Vert merely giggled whilst taking the light into her right gloved hand. "My, how gentlemanly of you." she remarked in a pleased manner. Who would have thought, it wasn't several girls who had promised to help that got the job done, but her hubby instead. She figured that he must have known though, there were just too many signs of that that she'd noticed when being around him. Even so, the woman smirked as she leaned forwards and whispered into his ear, a heavy note of seduction in her voice. "This Goddess should give you a reward later..."
POOF!
Nico flushed crimson, eyes widening as he lost his composure for a moment. He quickly shot up and jumped back in surprise, all the while his expression looked cute to the Leanbox CPU as she laughed at his face. "Ufufufufu, now I see why Helen likes to tease you, Nicky my dear. You look so precious when your embarrassed." she remarked in a teasing manner, much to his inner frustration towards his adoptive mother.
'Goddamnit, Mom!'
Ignoring his look of embarrassment when she had her fill (and the looks she got from the girls around her) Vert quickly swallowed the Light, an audible 'GULP' escaping from her throat. The moment she did, her eyes shot open wide when a familiar energy began to bubble inside of her, a bright light soon beginning to take over her body. "Yes! Finally, i'm back!" she exclaimed, quickly transforming back into Green Heart.
"Yaaaay, Lady Vert! You got your powers back!"
"So, this is the radiance of my Lady's HDD form without any life support... how beautiful..."
"Ugh, I know IF's a follower of Vert, but for some reason I feel really agitated..."
"You are not the only one, Noire..."
Each of the girls in this order: Compa, IF, Noire and Purple Heart each expressed their own opinions on the returning of Leanbox's CPU. One could understand the dismayed reactions of the two CPUs (since they were still salty over what Vert tried to do to Nico just now). Compa descended down from the airspace above them as she raced to congratulate Green Heart for her recovery, whilst IF nearly lost herself to her inner fangirl.
Though, one female in this scene did NOT share any of their happiness.
"Grrr!"
Arfoire growled to herself when she saw how Green Heart had her powers back. She could only blame herself too, which only added to her frustration. 'D-Damnit! I at least managed to make a copy of her powers at the last second, but the fact that a CPU has regained her power is annoying! Not to mention that it happened through that pesky DPU catching me by surprise with that strange weapon! Judging by its power level, I'd say it's one of those 'Archdevil things' HE told me about a while back, I remember him saying that if I were to fight one, I would lose faster than I could blink. Damnit!'
Not only that, but Nico quickly got over his little embarrassment episode when he looked to Okada, who looked more than a little lost on what was going on. The teen couldn't help but feel a slight amount of sheepishness come to him when seeing the 'what the fuck is going on here?' look on his face. "Uh,sorry about that. We just had to get something back that didn't belong to your mistress over there." he stated, pointing Ouranos towards the foaming Arfoire.
"Ah." Okada responded, blinking before he waved a dismissive hand. "No biggie, I only care about fighting anyways. Although..." he began, before a dark smirk began to form over his lips whilst his eyes began to dimly glow. His sword, the sword that he held primarily in his right hand, began to give of this faint crimson glow as well, a glow that originated from it's edge. The blade seemed to radiate an ENORMOUS amount of Bloodlust, as if it had just exploded from being suppressed for too long. "I won't say I'm a fan of being duped like that."
Blinking in surprise at the bloodlust (although since it was aimed at him, Nico realized that the girls couldn't feel it), the redhead remained silent... before a sinister smile formed on his lips. His eyes gained a dull red shine to them as Demonic Power swelled around him like a flame, his Armour Deploying when he pressed his hand on his chest whilst gripping Ouranos tightly. In response to it's wielder's will, the Archdevil Arm cackled and trembled within his grasp, eager for a good honest to god fight. "Yeah, I'd honestly feel the same way. How about we duke it out for real and settle this once and for all? No bullshit, just speaking with our swords."
"Heh, watch those lips, kid. Those are fighting words!"
And with that, Nico and Okada charged at each other.
Chapter End!
Whooo boy, it feels SO FUCKING GOOD to FINALLY bring my boi Nico back into the main cast. He's been gone for a while, but now he's back, he's pissed and ready to kick some serious ass! For once I'll not say much other than shit's about to hit the fan once more!
Oh, and if anyone asks, yes Nico's new sword is indeed in fact the buster sword of cloud strife from final fantasy. As if Nico wasn't badass enough.
Adios amigos!
