Chapter 161 - Spec Ops Prep
Now THAT had been one HELL of a first date.
The moment that he had returned to the Hotel, Nico had thought that whilst he flopped onto his bed, revelling in the sweet sound of the creaking mattress as his head fell onto the pillow. A soft moan escaped his lips as he sent a mental command, his outfit changing into his PJs. Seconds later did his Kagune come out, his Rinkaku more specifically, and tuck him inside, making sure any and all entrances were locked up, before receding back into him. Nico hadn't even paid this much attention, since it happened fairly often now that he had accepted his Ghoul side, plus it brought the benefit of him being able to fall asleep sooner.
Still, if one were to comment on him taking this date well…
'uuuuugggghhhhh! Darn it Compa, what have you done to me?!'
… They'd be proven wrong.
In his bed, Nico groaned to himself whilst rolling from side to side, his face flushed crimson red in such a state that, if he were with others righ now, he'd have hidden his face in both embarrassment and humiliation. His eyes gaze down at the mattress beneath him, shimmering with varying emotions like a schoolboy having been caught off guard when a girl he was into kissed his cheek. The fact that he had been on a date, a date with someone he had known for some time, hit him full force in this moment. It also served to bring out memories he had thought he'd gotten over a short while back, memories of seeing alternate versions of himself living a peaceful life with Compa… living together… dating… marrying, forming a family… Nico remembered all those scenes vividly, almost like he was looking at them again and with the same intense experience as the first time.
'Come on, dude, get it together! This was just a freaking DATE, why the fuck are you so flustered for?! Its only just a date with someone you consider yourself close to, someone who you've learned to trust, is amazing, beautiful, gives a damn about you… uuugggghhhh!'
Honestly, this was the first time Nico had ever felt this way, before whenever he hung out with his companions the redhead never lost his composure like this. Not even with Lucy did he feel anything as intense as this, though in recent times it had gotten a bit more intense than normal. Was it because it had been COMPA who asked him? Could it be because it was her that it caught him so off guard that his compsure slipped up at the end? It did seem plausible, as Compa hadn't really done much of her own volition and instead followed th other girls' cues. This marked the first EVER time she did something on her own, and… yeah, this would be the result for him. Nico felt like a damn idiot, a child again for reacting this way, but despite his attempts the redhead couldn't help himself.
Unfortunately, the things at the end of the date could have turned out MUCH better than what they had, due to him having been called in to the Guild out of nowhere for an Urgent Quest. Not something he appreciated, since he just wanted to head back into bed, but Compa had been the understanding type. She'd known how one had to commit to their job as a Spec Ops Agent, something which Nico nearly squeezed the life out of her for when he hugged her. Part of him screamed at him to kiss her, but he had refrained… well, mostly. Apparently, his instincts wanted to do something for her no matter what, so he'd pecked her on the cheek before hightailing it over to the Guild Building, unaware of Compa's pink face when she went inside.
The quest itself wasn't anything too special, simply put he had to investigate some severe changes in Demon activity. The Northmen were building more of those Hellgates, faster than the military and Spec Ops Agents could take them out, something which alarmed the major powers since that could only mean something had been in the works. He'd been a part of a small task force, assigned to scout out some of these sites whilst remaining hidden in the wilderness, then return to a designated meeting point to be picked up and brought back for a debriefing. Unfortunately, they didn't get much info due to the sheer amount of forces, both human and Demon… sure, Nico could have torn them all apart himself, but he wasn't exactly ALONE, he didn't exactly want to have any unwanted attention brought to himself.
As for the date … Well, it had been amazing, as during it he felt like he had gained a few answers to his questions regarding the recent matters, most of them involving the girls. He'd gained a whole new level of respect for Compa as a person AND a comrade. The way she chose to stride forwards despite the trials ahead of her, trials she wouldn't have had to face if she were human, as well as pretty much everything she had done today, pretty much left him in awe of her resolve. She well and truly looked like she was growing up.
Therefore, Nico didn't feel as confused on why she had… well, asked him out in the first place. She DEFINITELY had the courage to do so…although he didn't think her choice of date was necessarily the correct one. He didn't know, some part of him still felt like there could have been someone way better than him, but even so Nico felt…happy, nonetheless. Her actions took guts, thus how the FUCK could he have rejected that?
Plus, there was a small part of him, one which he had been fighting against for a long time, which… had really WANTED to go on that date with her. A piece of him that, despite its size, held great control over his psyche.
Still though, this day did open up some questions for him, regarding the other girls, as he remembered signs that they showed which were… well, similar to what Compa had displayed now that he thought about it. Did that mean that they too, were looking at him in that sort of way? Could they be in a similar boat to Compa? Nico wasn't exactly sure on WHAT Compa and them looked at him with, only that they didn't see him as just a comrade. That alone however, had been more than enough to set off a few alarm bells inside his mind. First, Neptune, she was someone whom he fund it easier to recognize the signs, as despite her Mask hiding how she felt Nico could see right through it, plus there were some obvious signs as well which were expressed to him no matter which form she took. The same could be said for IF and Lucy too, but he wasn't so sure about Vert, Noire, Raven, Tekken and MAGES. though. For one, MAGES. and Tekken he knew the least out of the others, plus Raven wasn't exactly the emotional type. He'd readily admit she was one of the few people he found difficult to read. Noire and Vert were CPUs, Leaders of Nations like Neptune but unlike her they focused heavily on their Nations' problems as of late. He'd rather not do anything which might endanger that at the moment, especially for Noire since he was well aware of her desire to always strive to be the best since she 'failed' her Nation before.
'Whelp, I'll ponder on it some more tomorrow. The Spec Ops Exam should be my main focus, it would be better for me to help IF with her studies. That exam will likely be QUITE gruelling, but she'll benefit greatly from an actual Agent's assistance.' Nico thought to himself, closing his eyes and let the grip of slumber claim him, feeling his consciousness drift out of reach…
When the next day's morning arrived, Nico began his day in earnest the moment his eyes first opened. The moment he got dressed in his default outfit (preferring it over the formal one he wore to Compa's date yesterday) after doing his morning routine, Nicohad pretty much dashed out of the Hotel to head to the Guild Building. He didn't stop to see if anyone else was awake, as by this point every one of them had become immersed in their own training methods.
His intentions for the Guild Building weren't anything quest related though, as he instead intended to gather research materials from the Spec Ops Archives on what the activities of the chaotic forces throughout Leanbox were like. He could have just observed them from above the clouds in his DPU Form, but Nico felt like some more concrete information, limited as it may potentially be, could be found there. After all, there were those within the Spec Ops Community who specialized in information gathering and hacking, to the point where an entire company's financial infrastructure could come collapsing down from just ONE of their hackers.
Shame Leanbox didn't have that many major companies here unlike Lastation or Planeptune, though.
But if those hackers went to those Nations though…
Whilst the redhead strolled leisurely through the streets, Nico began to wonder about something. 'Before I arrived at the Halo Mountain and participated in the events there, I distinctly recall sensing another Demonic presence beneath me, but I'd been so focused on getting to Halo Mountain that I didn't bother paying much heed to it. If I re-imagine the presence in my mind, I feel like it held a level of power in which that, if I'm not mistaken, rivals that of Sky Class Demons. A power like that, could only come from something well and truly demonic in origins, but… I dunno, if that were the case wouldn't I have been attacked by it? Demons are all into that strength is right stuff, after all.' The redhead wondered, thinking back to that incident. There were also things like this presence's alignment, personality, threat levels etc that he should ave thought about before, but honestly Nico didn't care all that much.
Part of him wanted to go investigate the surrounding areas, see if he could find traces of that presence somewhere, but he doubted that would do anything concrete. It had been weeks since then, and thus any kind of residue presence must have long since faded by now. It kind of left a disappointing feeling in his gut, but then again what was life without its own disappointments?
'Okay, no need to go down that road just yet…' Nico though, shaking his head whilst he looked upwards at the Leanbox moring sun. The sight of it reminded him of just how much the seasons reminded him that, even in this hellhole of a world, there were still flickers of beauty left in it. For someone like him, who had seen the worst of the worst in so many places, things of beauty felt WAY more appreciative to him than normal. The sight caused him to slow his stroll to an ordinary civilian's pace, something which helped calm himself deep inside. 'Say, Byakko, any updates?'
'HUH? OH, YEAH, THE CHANGES ARE COMPLETE, THEY FINISHED WHILST YOU WERE RESTING LAST NIGHT, SO OUIR GHOUL BODY SHOULD BE GOOD TO GO.'
'I see… interesting, then do you know what we can do then?' Nico questioned, concealing his surprise that this had worked. Now that his Ghoul side, under the influence of those Gourmet Cells he'd discovered in those trials, had evolved into a new form, Nico wondered what kind of new powers that it possessed. Considering he had been feasting on the Gourmet Cells of some powerful beasts, beasts which could rival continent class DPUs in power and ability… yeah, the benefits didn't seem that all that small. He'll admit, he honestly felt quite excited about what they coul find.
'I DUNNO, BEST WAY TO FIND OUT WOULD BE TO JUST USE THE GHOUL INSIDE AT SOME KIND OF BATTLE OR SOMETHING, AND EVEN IF I KNEW I'D REFRAIN FROM TELLING YOU, IDIOT KING! WHAT'S THE POINT OF ME TELLING YOU ALL THIS SHIT, YOU'D NEVER GET ANYTHING DONE LIKE THAT!'
At Byakko's rebuttal, Nico mentally flinched before rolling his eyes. He couldn't really refute what his Ghoul Persona had said, since it kind of had some merit to it. Finding out for himself what his Ghoul side could do held its own kind of rewards, plus it didn't feel like it was in character for Byakko to justtell him everything like Biko did. Instinct and logic, they both represented these aspects of himself, thus it would make sense if their behaviour reflected this.
Whilst Nico reflected on this as he approached a T shaped junction…
"Whoa, look out mister!"
"?!"
Eyes snapped open wide when Nico sensed someone heading towards him in a collision course. His mind instantly whirled to life, figuring out the few seconds he had to react to this new situation. 'Someone's coming my way!' his mind shouted at him, dismissing his connection to his Ghoul Persona for the time being. Nico's instincts activated right after, and with reflexes only one trained in the art of combat could achieve the redhead twirled around the approaching person, wrapping an arm around their necks and stopping all their motion in one go.
WHOOSH!
A small gust of wind churned beneath them, Nico's cat flapping in its direction for a moment, before setting back down. By the time the redhead stopped all their motion, Nico mentally heaved a sigh of relief. 'Phew, that was a close one, I remember seeing a few anime where the MC clashed with someone while walking down the road to wherever, then getting himself into some sort of lewd situation. Good thing that didn't happen to me, otherwise I'd rip off my own arms…' he thought in relief.
'Hold that thought, Nico, and look down…'
Relief which turned into curiosity and confusion at Biko's words. He didn't get why, but the exact SECOND he had heard them, a sense of dread filled his being like a glass being rapidly filled with water. He didn't know why that was, but the moment that he shifted his gaze downwards, he SOON found out… his eyes shrinking as his face gradually drained itself of color when he noticed that his arm had wound up DANGEROUSLY close to a pair of breasts. '… HOLY FUCKING SHIT!'
In seconds, Nico's reflexes kicked in as he hastily removed his arms from the person before him, pretty much confirmed to be female as he took a few steps backwards. His face literally lit itself on fire whilst his eyes remained as white circles, trembling violently whilst his mouth opened and closed without any sounds escaping. "Whoa there, fucking hell! Shit, fuck! I am SO sorry, it wasn't my intent!" Nico exclaimed, bowing his head repeatedly to try and showcase his regret for what could have happened. If his arm had did the stupid thing and sunk even lower… shudders filled his mind as well as memories of all those stereotypical harem animes.
"I-Its okay, really, I wasn't looking where I was-Oh, Nico, is that you?!"
Just then, the redhead heard the person speak with a tone which he found exceedingly familiar. His brows arched when he felt memories flash through his minds, blurry at first though. Why the hell did he feel like he had heard this voice before? It certainly seemed like this person knew him, but then when Nico looked towards the person' sstunned face his own eyes became the shape of saucers. He almost did a spit-take, as well as take a step back as shock filled his system. Standing before him, looking a mix of shocked and flustered, was none other than a certain black haired CQC fighter. "Huh?! Wait, is that you, Tekken?!"
Standing before him, looking just like how he had last seen her, was none other than Tekken herself. 'Holy hell, it really IS her! Man, she looks like she's been doing well since I last saw her!' Nico thought to himself, awe and amazement soon mixing with the shock that flooded his being. "W-Wow…. Tekken, how you doing, girl?" he questioned, soon shifting into a small smirk which showcased his excitement... something which his eyes showed in much greater quantities. "You look like your doing well." He commented further.
"Hehehe, you've been doing well for yourself, too!" Tekken chirped happily, looking equally as glad to see him again as he did her. They hadn't been able to meet again since the last time they'd partied up, something which she immensely regretted. Remembering that time, Tekken shifted her gaze to the ground, not looking back at him whilst she tried to get something out of her. "Its… good that I found you, it lets me do something I've been wanting to do for a long time now…" she said, and before he could inquire as to what she meant, Tekken lowered her head in a graceful bow. "Thank you for helping me so much back then! If it weren't for your assistance, I'd have been unable to continue on like I want to!"
This sudden behaviour change quickly caught the redhead off guard, especially with the dramatic presentation of it. Quickly reacting before attention could be drawn to them (like anyone, people in Leanbox love their gossip, which could turn ugly depending on future events), Nico waved his hands in front of him in a rushed manner. "H-Hey, its alright. You don't have to be like that around me, I'm just glad that you're able to be helped before it was too late…" he remarked, before his eyes darkened at the end. "Believe me, I'd been worried sick since, if I hadn't acted when I did, you'd have suffered some peranent damage…"
Just thinking about what had happened between him, Tekken and Maghda back in the Hellverse Dungeon sent waves of fury through his system. It was one of the few things about that incident which he truly regretted, after all he had vowed to make sure her and MAGES. Got out of that situation ALIVE, so Maghda doing what she did back then REALLY pissed him off to no end. Even so, the outcome back then could not have been any better other than her escaping without any injury whatsoever. Good thing MAGES. Had helped sooth his worries a bit with the news of her situation, but still the guilt from it persisted.
Seeing this expression and figuring out his thoughts, Tekken beamed at him before lightly notching him on the left shoulder with her left knuckle set. "Hey, no need to worry about me, Nico. Your mother spared no expense with healing me." She commented. It looked like to her, Nico hadn't changed all that much since she had last seen him, still the concerned worrywart she'd come to know in the Hellverse. It honestly cheered her up more than she had expected, knowing this. Though, she wouldn't say she felt happy knowing that he'd been tormenting himself thanks to it.
At hearing those words, did his facial expression change. Nico exhaled, a small smile forming on his lips afterwards as the image of Tekken being tended to by his mother filled his mind. "Yeah, that's true..." he remarked, chuckling at the end. This girl had NO idea just how lucky she had been. If it had been any other hospital, then they would have written the young maiden off as a lost cause, knowing that there had been no salvaging her situation with their feeble-minded natures... though that could only be considered BY COMPARISON to Spec Ops technology. Then, there was his mother who would stop at nothing to help someone if he asked her to. She doted on him that much, even though such opportunities came rarely for her.
Speaking of his mother though...
'Hey, Biko, do you see what I'm seeing...?' the redhead thought to his Demon Persona as he examined Tekken's body with his senses. The reason why he did this could be considered simple: before, Tekken had a strong demonic presence bound within her, a presence they had rightly assumed was some sort of Devil Arm. This Devil Arm he was sensing, it felt like it was on a similar level to his Ebony and Ivory before he had went with Vert to those ruins that time after he'd learned of the Lastation-Planeptune truce. Right now, this demonic presence seemed to have grown immensely in power, ferocity and activity. He could sense it taking on its own roles within her, not to mention that her own body seemed to be completely that of a Demon now... what was up with that?
In any case, it looked like much had changed since Nico had last saw her.
'I sense that she has indeed awakened her Devil Arm. For now, it is in its standby mode within her Soul, but she seems to have learned how to harness its power the way it was meant to. I believe that Helen could be the one to have helped her down this path, although I'm not as sure about her other abnormalities. You would have to ask her yourself on that one, Nico, but I CAN say that this reminds me a little of Logan's Demonic Power for some reason.'
A nod came from the redhead. 'Yeah, I get that feeling to. Though, now that I think about it...' Nico thought, before an idea sprung like a spring into his mind. One which made his smile turn a TAD more competitive, something Tekken noticed. "Well then, since your all better, and I am WAY overdue at this point, perhaps we can go somewhere isolated for a bit of sparring? I distinctly recall promising you something like that before." Nico suggested, eyes twinkling with eagerness. He could look up the whole Demon stuff later on, cause right now THIS held his current focus. He could also identify the changes that had taken place within Tekken, not to mention that IF wasn't someone who needed much guidance anyways. He could hold off on looking for her for the time, being, though he would DEFINITELY look for her before the day was done. He did wanted to talk to her still.
At this, Tekken soon matched his grin as she smacked her fists together, almost making like she would be cracking her knuckles soon. When she did this, Nico noticed a faint flicker of crimson lightning cover her forearms and gloves, before vanishing just as fast as it had appeared. 'Probably something to do with her powers...' He thought in observation. "Hehehehe, now THAT sounds like a fun time! Lets a go, then Nico! I wanna see just how strong you really are!" She bellowed, already breaking into a mad sprint towards the Capital's exit, with Nico in hot pursuit.
POW!
CLANG!
SMASH!
BASH!
CRUSH!
Sounds of conflict raged on through a large plain, one which housed two combatants going at it with eager violence shining from their eyes. Their bodies radiated killing intent, yet neither of hem went for killing blows, which simply meant it was a mere by-product for this fight. Explosions rung around hem just from the shockwaves generated by their collisions, fissures and craters soon forming when these shockwaves passed by.
Breaking away from his opponent, Nico grinned under his Mask, having donned it as well as pulled up his Hood to allow his activated Kakugan to shine brightly within the generated shadows. Within his right hand, lay his trusty Rebellion, the blade crackling with Demonic Power as well as HF Electricity, its aura of bloodlust polluting the air around him like a dense fog. 'Looks like Rebellion shares my eagerness to fight Tekken...' Nico mentally noted, feeling the sheer exctscy, pleasure and THRILL Rebellion felt through their link.
'Of course it would, Rebellion is a lot like Byakko in many ways.'
'HAAAAH?! WHAT THE FUCK HAVE YOUBEEN SMOKING OLD MAN?! HOW THE FLYING HELL AM I LIKE THAT OVERGROWN LETTER OPENER?!
'For one, both of you enjoy the thrill of conflict. You both enjoy the feeling of blood being shed, you are wild, primal, savage and bestial. Need I say more?'
'... TOUCHE.'
Nico mentally shook his head at his aspects quarrelling again. Even as they were now in a better relationship with one another, some things never changed. Looking towards his opponent whilst he slowed his body to a stop, Nico eyed Tekken's form which got into its standard battle stance, prompting Nico to adopt the Two-Handed Killer Stance. Tekken's body currently radiated a thin aura of Demonic Power, the absolute lowest of outputs with faint flickering sparks of the previous crimson Lightning. She had this excited grin on her face though, and that look in her eyes... oh, how it sent CHILLS down his spine right now. It reminded hm oddly of those looks Lucy, Neptune or IF would sometimes give him, looks which automatically drew his notice.
To any husbands or boyfriends out there, you know that look. The look she gives you when she wants to rock your world...
Only in Tekken's case, it was all about fighting.
… Something Nico could get behind. Oh, how he could DEFINITELY get behind it.
Holding Rebellion in the Two-Handed Killer Stance, Nico charged forth, looking like he was going for a frontal assault. Tekken rushed to meet him... only, Nico used te SGBS technique to dash to the side, avoiding her spinning reverse helicopter kick. A startled squeak of surprise escaped her lips when her foot smashed through nothing but the air the Afterimage took place over then vanished into nothingness, before she sensed him appear right behind her instead. Sensing the blade which rapidly descended down towards her right neck at the base of her shoulder, Tekken swiftly reacted before she could get decapitated.
She did so by raising her right arm and backhanding, deflecting the blade away from her before aiming a snap kick to his stomach. Nico responded quickly though, as he adjusted the grip on his sword and brought it back to defend him, catching the limb with the blade's flat side before he swung upwards, hoisting Tekken's leg right up into the air above her head. With that out of the way, Nico cut downwards in an attempt to cut through her exposed left thigh, Rebellion eagerly awaiting the chance to feel the sweet life nectar running down its blade.
Unfortunately for it, it didn't get a chance to do this as Tekken used her position to her advantage, hopping backwards into a similar flip, landing a couple meters away from him before she raised her left fist, crimson lightning coursing around it before she slammed it into the ground with a yell. The second she did, a medium sized shockwave ripped through the ground, surging towards Nico who flipped forwards and over it slow motion style... all the while clearing the distance between them in a front flip, multiple 360 degree twirls then a somersault down towards his opponent with Rebellion poised to cut her in half vertically.
Just a second before he could strike her down though...
CLANG!
Instantly, Tekken put her left forearm in the sword's path, her lips curving upwards into a sly smirk as a fierce light flashed through her eyes. In that moment, as if time itself had slowed down to record it in the annuls of history, Nico sensed something change within her body. He attributed it to something like a burst of water gushing out of her very being, pouring out into her arms and legs whilst shifting the very foundations of those limbs to accommodate it. Only, a second later, did her 4 limbs suddenly flash, and just before Rebellion could clash it instead collided with strong, hard metal.
The resulting collision sent Nico flying backwards, even as he recovered and landed on the ground, he soon figured out that he'd been knocked back at LEAST 25 meters away from his opponent. 'Sheesh, whatever happened just now, it cannot be underestimated...' Nico muttered in his mind, getting sounds of agreement from Biko and Byakko (although the latter huffed and did so begrudgingly). After overcoming his initial shock at what had happened just now, Nico slowly got to his feet from his previous kneeling position, getting into his One-Handed Killer Stance out of reflex in case of a follow-up attack made by his new comrade. This allowed him to get a look at her, and boy did he find himself surprised by what he saw.
'Th-That's...!'
There, standing in her signature battle stance, Tekken grinned at him with excitement... all the while her arms and legs sported some new apparel. They looked to be a set of black gauntlets and greaves, each one sporting an animalistic design to them, reminiscent of a wolf or a similar breed of canine. The gauntlets vaguely resembled the shape of a wolf's head, with equally metallic fangs and a matching mane to go with them. The greaves looked like clawed legs, covering half her legs like the gauntlets covered half her arms. They also sported these glowing veins through their forms, veins that had an ominously glowing white light flowing through them.
'Indeed, it appears to be so... this set we see on young Tekken appears to be her Devil Arm, awakened at last. It feels like a particularly powerful one as well, at least able to fight on par with bottom tier DPUs if they were to go all out. Not to mention, I can sense that this Devil Arm focuses on close combat, as well as looks to have some light manipulation abilities. Although compared to that guy, it seems inferior, but that's to be expected for the level this thing is at. In this state, it appears to be like your Devil Arms before the Hellverse incident, it hasn't unleashed all its power just yet.'
At this knowledge, Nico thought back to when he first began using his Devil Arms. Aside from Rebellion, the rest of them each had their own powers to use, but until Hellverse Nico didn't really know of them, or at least to their true extent. At the time, he and Biko had speculated that it was just them being stubborn and wanting to have a proper opponent, so if that was the case for Tekken as well, then it might not take as long as it did for him. She DID tell him and the others she liked going around fighting strong opponents, no shortage of opportunities there. Still, one thing about this bothered him, so he inquired to Biko about it. 'You think it has a chance of Archdevilification?'
'Not in the near future, remember this process only begins when the Devil Arm has been exuding enormous amounts of energy in a constant manner, something you would have no problem with. Someone like Tekken, I'm not so sure on, but if she DOES end up starting it, it won't be for a long time yet. Archdevilification is a complex procedure, and a dangerous one at that where even the slightest show of weakness could spell doom for the wielder. AT this level, she doesn't have to worry about it, that is until her Devil Arm finally decided to lend her its full powers. Although...'
Hearing that for the time being, Tekken didn't have to worry about such a danger occurring filled Nico with relief, though that relief soon became short lived when he sensed confusion and befuddlement in his Demon Persona. 'What? You sense anything else?'
'Yes... something about Tekken feels off, here. I don't get it myself, but I feel as though I've sensed this before somewhere... keep sparring with her maybe I'll be able to glean more information.'
"Your swordplay seems to have gotten much better, Nico!"
Tekken calling out to him cased Nico to sever the link between them for now, his eyes focusing on the black haired martial artist. The redhead couldn't help but smile despite the topics they'd discussed, a strong surge of pride and happiness flowing through him as he eyed Tekken's Devil Arm. "Heh, thanks, been raining like hell, part of me even wondered if i'd get blisters." he quipped, eyes shining with mirth which prompted a small chuckle out of Tekken. Although happy, Nico also noted mentally how that same feeling he'd gotten a few times before with Rebellion kept nagging at the back of his mind. It felt like there was an opportunity for something, something which his mind nagged at him to do, but for the life of him Nico honestly had no idea what it was. Perhaps he could look into it some time, but he'd been so busy in recent times that he had never gotten round to it.
Mentally pushing these thoughts aside for now, Nico focused back on his opponent, feeling the trembling of his Devil Arm in his grasp. "Maybe after this, we could possibly catch up?" Nico suggested before he could stop himself. Momentarily, he wondered what had come over him for him to ask something like that when he had things to do, but for some reason Nico REALLY wanted to learn what the martial artist had been up to. Part of him felt a bit guilty since he had intended to spend some time with IF today, but this was indeed a rare chance to learn more about a potential comrade... plus, thanks to the girls he now felt more open to the idea of getting to know those around him, so why not start now? "I REALLY wanna know how you got your Devil Arm, you see..."
When she heard his words, Tekken grinned back at him, her eyes shining with excitement. "Hehehehe, sure, I don't mind." she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "There's a few things I wanna ask you as well, actually, so this works out for me. Lets talk more after we've finished sparring, cause its been WAY too overdue!" she proclaimed, her legs bending as she took off into a forward sprint. Nico easily noted how her clawed legs now broke the ground beneath her feet, an obvious sign of increased strength and speed provided by her Devil Arm. Not to mention the brilliance of the glowing light increasing as if aware of what was going to happen next.
"Hah, your on!"
They duelled for the majority of the entire day, only stopping at around the mid to late stages of the afternoon. Though, if the multiple Personas in Nico's mind hadn't been keeping track of the time, they felt like the redhead would have continued sparring with the martial artist for days on end. Something which the latter wouldn't have minded one bit. Fighting strong opponents was the biggest part of martial arts, after all! As such, they had decided to step in once they had deemed it necessary for them to do so, informing the redhead of the time which prompted Nico to end the fight there... though, when he saw the visibly deflated look on Tekken's features, for some reason he felt like he HAD to assure her that they could spar again sometime in the future.
Byakko once commented that he was 'whipped' within his Inner World, though Biko had a few choice words (and a few Molotov's) to say about that...
Despite this however, Nico felt like this spar had been QUITE helpful to him, in more ways than one. Although he hadn't used his Ghoul side during this battle (Byakko advised that it would be best to test it on more 'monstrous' opponents), he did gain a few insights of his own, like how to better combat a person bare handed whilst wielding a weapon himself. The Manslayer Style revolved around taking other styles and making them better, according to his mentor's teachings, and as a result Nico felt like his Manslayer Style swordplay got a substantial boost vs unarmed combatants thanks to learning from Tekken's movements. Nico hadn't used much else other than Rebellion and his swordplay, preferring to sharpen the skills of the blade that he had been developing recently to a more satisfactory level.
As for her Devil Arm, Nico had evaluated it mentally whilst they fought, reaching a conclusion by the end of it. Like he a well as Biko had suspected, this weapon set specialized in CQC, using the powers of light to amplify each punch and kick upon contact through a white explosion of light. If it doesn't hit however, the light remains within the Devil Arm itself, not to mention how in terms of ranged attacks, this Devil Arm fell short due to only having the ability to shoot balls of light down a linier path. So basically, its pretty much MADE for Tekken's fighting methods, with the power of light added in, and boy did he have awareness of the irony here: a Demonic weapon using light elements: what a contradiction. Though, this light definitely rivalled that of Compa's Spirit Powers, according to his calculations, and to compensate for its lack of range, Tekken had already developed some AOE attacks to hit multiple foes.
All in all however, Tekken probably realized it by now, but she had one HELL of an addition to her arsenal... and he felt UNAPOLOGETIC about that pun he had made.
After they'd concluded their match and returned to the city though...
"Eh? You're serious?"!"
"Yup, its true! Here, let-oh wait, that's probably not a good idea."
Nico and Tekken found themselves at a small café, having picked a table for two near a window (one of Nico's favourite areas in his opinion), to sit down at and have a long overdue talk. The café wasn't exactly the most crowded right now, which could be attributed to the time of day it was currently. Inside, there lay this calm, tranquil atmosphere filled with the remnants of different scents, each belonging to many drinks served throughout the day, with a jukebox in the corner playing a soft-sounding melody. Outside, one could see the fading rays of the setting sun in the distance, whilst the streets looked to be slowly turning into their deserted forms which happened whenever night fell upon Leanbox. As such, there weren't many people who could disturb these two as they went about their business.
Pretty much catching up with what had gone down since they'd seen each other last was what they'd done, so far. Nico regaled Tekken with tales of what he and the others had been up to, albeit twisting a few topics such as Zelretch's dimension though that one was more for her own safety than anything else. Judging by her power level, Nico didn't think she'd be able to survive one DAY in that hellhole, especially with a supreme candidate for one of the biggest trolls ever. The whole incident at Halo Mountain, apparently MAGES. had somehow viewed it on a crystal ball (which had included his Ghoul side's reveal, though Tekken and MAGES. had reacted the same as his comrades, so nothing bad there) and told her, so he didn't need to say much on THAT subject... though, she did look more than a little squeamish when he talked about what Mundus had done. The same could be said for the Gala as well, including the invasion during it, and lastly the state that the Nation was in as a whole.
The redhead thought that nothing the Martial Artist had would top this stuff, and for a while, that seemed to be the case. Her awakening of her Devil Arm Beowulf definitely had him intrigued, as apparently his mother had, after discharging her from medical treatment, took her to one of the various training facilities she had and pretty much forced her to train in order to get it to manifest. When Tekken had gotten a chance to ask her why after being put through hell (to which Nico couldn't help but sympathise), his mom had reasoned that an unawakened Devil Arm was, in her eyes, 'wasted power' which would do NOTHING productive in the long run. Not to mention that Devil Arms themselves carried a danger to them that the users normally aren't aware of, something Nico realized was the possibility of them completely taking over their users bodies and wiping out their Souls, so if she helped these people prepare and train them in how to these weapons, then tragedies could be avoided. Not entirely fullproof, but its a step in the right direction according to Biko. It was essentially utilizing the knowledge she'd gathered from Nico's own situation with these demonic weapons to help someone in dire need for it.
There were two other things she'd spoke of that surprised him, but out of the two only ONE registered in his mind properly...
And that was the fact that Tekken had... Apparently become a Spec Ops Candidate.
"Yeah, that would likely be for the best..." Nico commented, nodding his head in agreement as he glanced about with a cautious gaze and arms crossed under his chest. Even though they were in a fairly empty café, there were still a few customers around and there were still staff who could have easily overheard this conversation. Nico recalled how, despite the ongoing situation unfolding around them, there were still those which clung to their zealous discrimination against the Spec Ops Program, finding it offensive and insulting to their Goddesses. Even whilst there was some dissatisfaction towards them for their actions in the Console Wars, there would always be those zealous fanatics which kept the religion going. Religion was pathetic in that aspect.
Hence, why Nico had stopped Tekken from showing him proof that she had become a Spec Ops Candidate, at most any who heard her with those beliefs would think she was just joking around and wouldn't take her seriously. Good thing she seemed to understand this, which kind of surprised him in a way, since Nico got the impression that Tekken preferred the company of animals rather than people. What, with how often she trained in the wilderness instead with others, heck the fact that she'd been admitted as a Candidate at all could be considered shocking enough. "So, supposedly how could this have come to be? Just curious..." Nico questioned quietly.
At that moment, a few new customers came rolling in, it looked like they were soldiers from the military based off their damaged weapons and Armour. Likely they were here from a large quest given how damaged their armour looked, and came to seek refreshment instead of just splitting up to go back to their homes. Each of them sat at a table, ordering a tab from the barkeeper who nodded at them before getting to work. All the while, each of them began to talk, soon convincing the two to listen in.
"Man, that quest was a killer on my feet. You guys think the boss wasn't in his right mind with what he said?"
"I hear you. Apparently according to some folks in the area, a powerful Abnormal wreathed in fire appeared out of nowhere and trashed their village, reducing it and several hundred miles of land in all directions to pure ash. Apparently they'd gotten away with some set of emergency eject buttons supplied to them previously. Probably an idea made by those stupid Spec Ops boys to limit civilian casualties..."
"Pft, those asses have their uses after all aside from just being barbaric idiots."
"Though, they say that some pint sized little blonde girl was the one who beat it somehow, not even offering any proof, and when we questioned her she didn't even LOOK like the type who could bring such a creature down."
"True, I heard they got themselves set up in another village further north, closer to our Capital, though its more like a refugee camp there. I say we shoulda just gutted them for spreading such lies, especially with all this 'Demon' bullcrap they're spouting."
"Boss told us not to, you hear? You know what happened to Thomas when he tried talking back to the boss."
"Got beaten within an inch of his life. Boss sure has changed when his daughter got rescued by these two cute chicks, one purple and the other cream coloured if that makes any sense."
"Like my boys at home say: anime logic."
NOW Nico felt like they should be a bit more cautious, but more for Tekken's sake than anything. These guys reminded him WAY too much of those Abyssal Swords he killed, not to mention twat they were talking about sounded suspiciously like Demon work. Demonic threats were WAY more serious than Abnormals after all. Should they get any ideas... well, the edge of Rebellion would always be willing to accept some more bloodshed.
Maybe even a few extra souls for Soul Edge would help too.
Still, Tekken spoke with a smile on her face, though with a lower volume as despite her smile, her eyes shined with a knowing glimmer. "Well, I'd just finished rescuing these Spec Ops girls from a horde of Demons who'd ambushed them after they killed this Abnormal, they called it a Rathalos or something, but anyways, I after I beat em they offered to escort me back here as thanks, so I accepted. I was running low on provisions anyways, but didn't feel like living off the wild that day, so when I came back to the Guild Building, I saw a booth for registering Candidates for the upcoming exam, and..." At that point, Tekken shuffled nervously on her seat, poking her fingers together with a mildly flustered look on her face. Nico honestly got reminded of Compa when she did that, but remained silent as she continued. "Well, I thought of you, and how strong you were back in the Hellverse Dungeon, taking out so many meanies. I got inspired, so..."
'OOOOOOOOH, SMOOTH KING, SMOOTH INDEED! TRYING TO INCREASE YOUR GROUP OF CONCUBINE BITCHES, ARE WE? BETTER NOT LET THEM HOLD YA BACK, YA HEAR?! YA KNOW WHAT I'LL DO IF YA DO THAT!'
'... Biko?'
'Got it.'
Once again, mentally requesting his Demon Persona to 'discipline' his Ghoul one, Nico felt a headache come along whilst explosions rung throughout the other end of the breaking down link. That guy just didn't learn, did he? Then again, he WAS Nico, and Nico's instincts ALWAYS remained in top form, even in these situations.
Still, returning to the topic at hand, Nico leaned backwards whilst placing a hand on the back of his head, looking mildly embarrassed when Tekken had practically told him HE was her inspiration for joining the Spec Ops Program. Wow... he didn't know how to take this, part of him felt honestly quite flattered, learning that the reason why Tekken was aiming to become a Spec Ops Agent was to be more like him. Though on the other hand with everything Nico had accepted about himself he didn't know if that was a good thing anymore. '...I feel very complex about that...' he thought to himself.
"Wow, well... thanks, I guess. Though I'll just ask this out of curiosity, but is there anyone else i'd know whose becoming one?" Nico questioned, filing away those complex feelings. After all, Tekken was someone who liked fighting strong opponents, so if she became a Spec Ops Agent she'd have no problem finding such adversaries. He or the girls may be able to slay Abnormals and Demons in their sleep, but that wouldn't apply to everyone. One could call them special in that respect. Still, part of him DID wonder if there were other potential rookie Spec Ops Agents he should know about, since if there were then he should devote some time till the exam to help them out as best he could. More so if it were someone he knew.
As Nico thought this, Tekken gave him an answer. "Well, there is one..." she began, a sweat drop falling down the side of her head as she scratched the side of her jaw, chuckling nervously. "MAGES. is also applying. She didn't tell me why though..." she said, to which Nico stared at her blankly.
'MAGES., huh? Why the heck would someone like her...? Oh wait, maybe THAT could be it...' the redhead thought after a moment of contemplating. A sigh escaped his lips whilst leaning forwards, his eyes shining in acknowledgement. Now that he thought about it, it wasn't that unreasonable for MAGES. to pull something like this off. "Well, if she knows that Spec Ops Agents have access to all sorts of information, including about various items that aren't publicly acknowledged, then THAT would probably attract her attention. That, and probably the money since her experiments must need SOME sort of funding..." he mused, to which Tekken weakly chuckled again.
"Yeah, that DOES sound like her... Iffy said something similar as well when I told her."
"Oh?" When he heard THAT titbit of info, Nico looked towards the Martial artist, his curiosity piqued. Tekken had met with IF? If not today, then at some point in the past? Well, THAT definitely piqued his interest, as unlike before he didn't know how she was a Spec Ops Candidate just like IF. Now that he did though, it felt much more interesting that these two had met. "You've seen IF today?" he questioned, trying and somewhat failing to hide the sudden surge of excitement exploding within his voice. "How's she doing? She doing okay? I've been meaning to look for her, but we crossed paths, and..."
Trailing off when he realized how lame he might sound just now, Nico looked downwards whilst hiding his face, especially when the laughter he heard from Tekken crept out. "She's doing great, Nico. Really well in fact, out of the three of us, whenever we got together for study sessions, something MAGES. pretty much strong armed us into doing..." Nico and Tekken shuddered at the thought, both of them could imagine someone like MAGES. who likely didn't want to miss out on an opportunity to gain increased funding for her experiments, forcing them to help her increase her chances of passing the academic side of the exam. "... we'd often spend entire days studying it. Not going to lie, its quite fun, especially with friends." Tekken commented, before becoming bashful when memories played out in her mind. "Though, I kinda get stuck on the material we study together. She always picks the hardest subjects..."
'Hmmm, a study group... that might actually help their chances, indeed. I see the method young MAGES. is coming from. For a student of that old man, acquiring knowledge in such a... manner, isn't out of the unexpected territory,'
'I know Biko, but still I think I can help them out a little. That fire demon thing will have to wait, since this is more important. Offering some advice as a Spec Ops Agent myself will also further their studying...'
'True...'
"Well, if you want I may be able to shed some light on some stuff. I AM an experienced Agent, plus I do lots of field work and test things out, so I'm even more qualified if you wanna ask some questions." Nico offered, all the while putting that issue with this supposed 'fire demon' behind him for the time being. After getting one HELL of a hug from the martial artist for his offer (not like he minded since hugs were the best in his eyes), Nico began helping Tekken with the problems she found difficult. Perhaps in a roundabout way, this would help each of these girls not just IF, and considering he knew them on a deeper level, it was just some additional brownie points. He could think on their romantic intentions if they had any, later. Helping them succeed was WAY more important.
Until the café shop closed, that was pretty much all they did besides small talk and joke exchanging...
Well, that was what they had intended, but much to their surprise, a little surprise event happened next.
All of a sudden, the lights in the café began to darken, something which immediately grabbed their attention in the form of Nico and Tekken looking around in confusion. "Huh? Why's the lights going out so early? Its not closing time already, is it?" Tekken questioned, scratching the top of her head in befuddlement. She then took out an iPhone from her Inventory, gazing down at its screen to see what the time was in case they had overstayed their welcome here... but even more confusing, it read that the time was that in which the shop should have stayed open. "Well, the time's not wrong, so that means we aren't overstaying..."
"I think THAT might have something to do with it..." Nico replied, pointing over to the centre of the Café floor, which had somehow whilst they been talking.. been turned into this large space, with the few people in this Café having assembled in this place having gathered there. Not to mention that on a wall nearest to the back, Nico managed to make out a poster attached to it by hammered Nails, a poster detailing that at this time, there would be a small disco coming on. 'Why did I not notice this when we entered here...?' the redhead wondered, confused just like Tekken though for a different reason. Not only that though, but to be frank Nico felt surprised that discos were even a thing in a martial arts dominated Nation like Leanbox, he would have expected this over inn Planeptune or Lastation but DEFINITELY not here.
'Hold on, Nico. I distinctly recall skimming over a piece of information during one of our investigations during our time here. Apparently, as a precursor to the truce between the nations, they will be sharing some of their weapons, food, and activities between one another in a form of good will. This looks to be something that came from one of the other nations. Otherwise, a Nation like Leanbox which, like you mentioned before, wouldn't tolerate such an activity.'
'So... they're spreading bits of culture into other nations to help people get access to better entertainment, in order to ease their minds from the whole situation? I dunno if the Nobles were forced to agree with that, since its not like them to do something so blatantly against their traditions, but it seems like things might start getting better. Then again, I'm not getting any hopes up, this IS politics we're talking about. Totally not my thing.'
'HECK NO IT AIN'T! WISH WE COULD JUST RIP OUT THEIR GUTS AND SHOVE EM DOWN OUR THROATS ALREADY, THAT'D SOLVE THOSE PESKY PROBLEMS IN A JIFFY!'
'No it wouldn't, Byakko.'
Seriously sometimes he just couldn't believe that this was how his instincts worked. Byakko indeed acted this way due to him manifesting Nico's own instinctual thoughts and desires, but would it kill him to be a bit.. ell, more? Wait, Nico already knew the answer to that, such a possibility wouldn't happen no matter what thanks to him. Before his Ghoul side could comment back (likely through a profanity-filled anger fest rant), Nico's senses picked up the sounds of a musical radio beginning to play The moment that he heard the song in its beginning, his eyes widened in stunned disbelief, his jaw slackening as his form lost all its tensity. 'Is this song... what I think it is?!'
"Hm-hm-hm-hm hm hm-hm...Hm-hm-hm-hm hm hm-hm..."
Sounds of humming came from his side, and when he turned to the source Nico found Tekken to be shifting from side to side, swaying like a drunkard whilst having her eyes closed. She gently hummed to the intro tune of the song, a song that she seemed to recognize due to how she hummed the song's tune like she'd rehearsed it over and over. "Hey, uhhhh, Tekken... you doing alright?" The redhead asked her after a moment of listening to her hum the tune. Part of him couldn't help but be impressed she knew it so well, while the other wondered what kind of history she had with it in order to even WANT to learn it. From what he knew of her, Tekken was someone who practiced primarily martial arts. He hadn't seen her interested in much else, though then again he didn't exactly know her for very long. Perhaps she had other hobbies than Martial Arts and that... masochistic side to her.
"Hm? Oh!" When she heard a question from a masculine voice, Tekken opened her eyes with a faint sound of surprise coming from her lips. She looked like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment, before her eyes shifted over to Nico and her features turned into sheepish ones. A matching chuckle came out of her as she rubbed the back of her head nervously. "heh-heh-heh, yeah i'm fine, Nico." she replied while resisting the urge to continue swaying from side to side.
However, the redhead would not be fooled, not when he plainly saw right through her weak attempt to suppress these symptoms. She should have known he'd see through it, but he figured getting to the bottom of this was more important. Although, Nico already had an inkling as to what it could be when he spoke with the bluntest tone he could muster. "I can see you wanting to dance to this song's beat, you know." he stated plainly, looking at her with the deadpan face, the same one he would use whenever he caught Neptune trying to pull one of her shenanigans.
"Ah!" Tekken gasped, realization striking her as she soon realized that her ploy hadn't worked. This only resulted her to feel even more embarrassed, with a tad bit of shame mixed in since she should have known this would have happened. "Eh heh, sorry Nico. Its... not exactly something I tell everyone about me... but I do like music. In fact, I even have some songs from famous idols on my Phone." she explained, a mighty red flush on her features. "Especially when i'm training, listening to some good music while training or exercising really pumps me up!" at first, she looked to be struggling to continue on with her sentences, even poked her fingers together in a shy manner. But, as she continued and got more into it, these emotions vanished to let the TRUE feelings she had rush to the surface. "This song, undisclosed desires, it always gets me dancing... so I just went with the flow without realizing it."
'She just went with it, she says...' Nico thought, slightly surprised and intrigued. Tekken looked like she really enjoyed this song in his eyes, so it must have been MUCH more than that. However, he didn't need to ask her on this, since he could see the happiness shining from her eyes like search lights. Heck, the previous fatigue from the long day seemed to have been replaced with this newfound energy, making him realize the truth to her words. 'Undisclosed desires, huh...?' Nico thought as he began to listen to the first verse:
I know you suffered
But I don't want you to hide
It's cold and loveless
I won't let you be denied
'...Whoa... what is this...?' The moment he began listening to this song, Nico didn't understand how but... his heart, it just got swept up in the song. He didn't understand it one bit, nor did he wonder how or when it'd happened, but the moment the first verse began, his heart, mind and soul seemed to be sucked into the song. It entrapped him within its embrace, almost like it was singing to him directly. Inside, he could feel Biko and Byako's usual activities cease as they too began listening to the song... heck, it felt like his whole usually chaotic being seemed to just sooth itself over, thanks to the melody invading his brain through his ears. Undisclosed desires, was that the song's name? He got the feeling that he'd learn something from this, especially if he paid more attention to the lyrics. He didn't even notice how Tekken had already begun her rocking again, whilst he himself began lightly swaying to the song itself.
Soothe me
I'll make you feel pure
Trust me
You can be sure
I want to reconcile the violence in your heart
I want to recognize your beauty is not just a mask
I want to exorcise the demons from your past
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart
This song was... amazing! Nico couldn't find any other words to describe it, he just got way too mesmerized, practically borderline hypnotized by this sweet melody which pierced him right down to his soul. The more he listened to the song, the more attracted to it he became. Nico honestly didn't know why this was happening, but the more he listened to the lyrics the more he began to think about his own situation and feelings towards Neptune and the others... including the female beside him. He remembered the faces of everyone whom had accepted him, he recalled everything that had happened between them the moment Neptune had crashed into their lives, and placed a hand where his heart would be. The moment that he had thought of the revelations the date with Compa, along with the moment the girls accepted his Ghoul side, there no longer seemed to be any kind of chaotic confusion... just plain, simple and yet oh so PURE understanding.
It was like this song had been the final hurdle he would have needed to FINALLY get a grasp of what he wanted to do with this information.
Those girls... for the first time in a long while, Nico felt like he had severely underestimated them, and NOT just in a battle sense. They had well and truly thrown his conceptions of reality and ideals upside down, they had pretty much caused his entire perception of how the world worked to shatter without restraint. They had unknowingly mercilessly cut through the barriers in his being, barriers he had put there himself out of distrust and paranoia... and now? Now Nico found himself changing his stance a bit. It wasn't like a whole reversal compared to what he had seen before, but it was the beginning of something more, he could feel it. Thanks to this song, Nico found his answer to the dilemma of the girls and how he felt towards them... or at least, a part of it. If Compa and the girls did INDEED like him in that way... well, whether they liked him or not, there were things that he wanted to tell them in person. It was about time for him to be goddamn honest with them for once, for so long he had kept these feelings inside of himself, never letting anyone get too close to hear them.
But now... now he felt like he wanted something else. Nico WANTED to get closer to them, he WANTED to let them in and trust them with every fiber of his being. He WANTED them to know just how grateful, just how THANKFUL and LOYAL he felt inside thanks to their acceptance. They'd given him the ultimate gift in this world, and no for any of you horny teens out there it wasn't their maidenhood (get your minds out of the gutter!). No, what they gave him had been something he had desperately wanted, something he'd asked for back when he and Team RAIL had been Camping with Isaac and Guts: Trustworthy comrades. Hell, he felt like they'd given him something else alongside it as well:
A family.
Just then, an idea swept through Nico's mind whilst he listened to the melody coursing through the Café. A melody which had caused pretty much every one still inside to go to the centre of the room and stat dancing together, throwing away their worries for the night. Much better than sexual intercourse in his opinion, but anyways. As he glanced over to Tekken who had been the inspiration for the idea, Nico noticed how she looked like she wanted to getup there and join them, but as to why she didn't... well, he guessed it might have something to do with him. Honesty he couldn't believe he was even asking this considering his lone wolf methods, but seeing the way Tekken looked right now made him unable to help himself. "Say Tekken?" he began, doing his best to hide his nervousness.
"Yeah?"
Soon coming out of her trace when she heard his voice, Tekken turned back to him and responded with a smile, tilting her head in curiosity as to why he had spoken to her.
"Looks like you really want to join them on the dance floor, so... why aren't you?" he questioned first, wanting to get to the bottom of that first before anything else. It was clear to him she wanted to, especially with how she acts, so the reason why she remained here eluded him. Was it himself? Honestly, Nico wasn't certain if that was the case, and the only other possibility he could think of would be...
Before he could finish his thought process, a look similar to one a child would make when admitting a huge secret to his parents crossed onto Tekken's features as she shifted about on her feet. "Um, well... Its true, I'd REALLY want to join in on the fun, but... Hoonetly? I'm, not that comfortable around crowds. Much more so if they're guys." she admitted, shaking her head in a shameful manner with a matching expression. Much of the life and vitality she gained from listening to the song left her at this moment, surprising Nico as she began to elaborate. "When I was little, about 14 or so I had an... encounter, with a group of men, gangsters. Luckily, I only got fondled a bit before police forces came, and afterwards I became wary of guys in general. But when I came to THIS Dimension with MAGES., I had another encounter... this time these men were certified Guild Agents, I think they were called the Abyssal Black Swords or something at the time. Back then, I wasn't nearly as strong as I am now, so..." trailing off, Nico saw Tekken's eyes darken as shivers travelled down her body. His senses quickly picked up the signs of terror, sadness and despair which overtook her thanks to these memories. "You can guess what they did to me."
Yes, yes he could, and it pissed him off all the more. Especially with how she looked like some of the many victims of such a crime he had been too late to save back then. Plus, he DID recall a time when the Abyssal Black Swords were a Guild Agent group who became Spec Ops, only back then it had been more on the unofficial side of things than anything, really. Hearing that Tekken had been one of their victims however, nearly sent him over the edge again. Only served to make him even more glad that he had chosen to slaughter them all when he had. If he had known this sooner... on another note, Tekken hadn't shown signs of it, though he rationalized that he hadn't spent that much time with her in comparison to the others. "I see..." he muttered simply, whilst thinking that his idea may not have much of a chance to work after all. However, that only lasted a couple seconds or so as he quickly activated his right Bracer, shifting through the various applications on it till he found the one he wanted.
'YA REALLY GONNA DO THAT, KING?! SHE'S NOT EXACTLY-'
'Yes I am, Byakko. I'm doing this, no ifs or buts about it.'
'THAT LACK OF HESITATION... HAHAHAHAHAHA! I LIKE IT! YES, THAT IS WHAT YOU SHOULD BE, KING! AHAHAHAHAAHAHA!;
Ignoring the laughter which filled the darkest corners of his mind, Nico searched for the song Undisclosed desires, paid for it, and downloaded the song onto his Bracer's music track list. Nico wouldn't lie, part of him actually felt excited right now with what he was going to do next, especially since he wasn't really a social person either. Nor did he like crowds as big as these guys too much. "Well, if you had a chance to dance to it, would you?"
"Eh? What do you...?"
"Tekken. Do you trust me?"
There, now THAT would be the billion dollar question, he thought as he awaited Tekken's answer, though he didn't deny the nervousness he felt inside. This would be the first time he had ever been this... well, direct, with complex situations like this, and he wasn't sure if he could keep it up, though he'd do his best to try. When an ordinary person asked that, it didn't mean very much. It was merely a question, no complexities around it to speak of whatsoever. However, in Tekken's eyes, Nico wasn't an ordinary person, not with what she had known about him. Forget his Ghoul side which she had learned (not from him, sadly though he didn't seem to mind thankfully), Nico himself valued trust in a greater sense than most people. But, what he valued even more were people who he could trust, who he could rely on. However, if one were to ask him if he wanted to have people trust him, then he'd counter with 'if I wanted someone to trust me, I would do all I could to earn it.'
On Tekken's side, her answer didn't come to her straight away. After all, to someone like her who had a... history with the male gender, being asked if she would trust someone from that gender would make her hesitate to answer. If someone were to ask her, Tekken would say that she wouldn't normally trust men with her insecurities, she would much rather prefer women than guys due to how easy to get along with them it was. Combine this with her bad encounters with them... well, one got the picture. It had led her to have more female friends back in her home dimension, and even more animal friends whom she trained and sparred with, something which only got fortified in this Dimension. Heck, her being a martial artist which had begun as pure as a dream could be, had then turned into a way for her to not have to go through that experience ever again.
However, when she thought of Nico... she didn't feel the same way she normally would, and when she pondered why, the reasons became clear to her. When she had first met him, it was in a public place, plus she didn't talk to him as much in favour of the girls. He had instead just... hung back, for lack of a better word, staying in the shadows whilst she got to know the rest of the party. Still, Tekken and Nico had interacted somewhat, especially when they promised to spar in the future. That battle with the Ghoul, she may not have been there to see it completely, but even she could tell from what she had heard in the aftermath that Nico had been the one who ultimately ensured the others survival. Afterwards, she had went into her training, kind of forgetting about the promised spar between her and him...
Until that time they met in the Hellverse Dungeon.
Thinking back to that time, Tekken had long since realized that it had been a major turning point in her life. If the events at MS Mountain had introduced her to the true world of the Abnormals, then the Hellverse Dungeon had introduced her to the true world of Demons. All the horrors, all the war-like battles, the emergence of the undead, everything that happened there... even the moment she had nearly died from that Hellfire attack... all of it. It all served to teach her a valuable lesson. That if she didn't possess power, then she would be nothing but an ant, a bug which would be fated to be wiped clean from the earth, to any Demon which came her way. Sure, MAGES. had been there to help her, and she would always be grateful to her friend for helping her make it to the Hospital she'd gotten treated at, but... if she were honest, then... It had been Nico's intervention which had been the biggest contribution. From the strategies he came up with, the talk he gave her when she freaked out about the undead, to the point where he'd saved her from that Hellfire blast. The contributions to her he had given to her far outstripped what MAGES. had given to her.
She had heard so much about what had happened to him from there. From the Gala, to the events at Halo Mountain, she'd heard everything through MAGES., thus she had been aware of just how messed up the male's world had become... or rather, how it had always been for him. Even when they reunited today, she could tell that things have been eating away at him, his eyes having lost a lot of the 'light' that they once had. Now, it looked like he had completely lost faith in the world, yet that loss of faith also seemed to have empowered him, she didn't get it just yet but it felt somewhat like that. Yet, even so, he had still treated her with the respect and honour which she had thought long since passed.
All those things, had served to make her realize just how different he was to normal men. To the men she had been accustomed to, the ones who would give her those dirty looks whenever she paid trips to civilisation, those times when she freaked out when crowds of them surrounded her and tried to have their way with her. This had been in her previous dimension, but in THIS one, a lot of the guys she had met had been WAY worse. She thought she had seen monsters before, but seeing how horrible people were in this dimension pretty much shattered that believe with zero mercy. If it weren't for meeting Nico, then she doubted she would have ever trusted another guy in this dimension ever. So many of them just seemed like total psychopaths with twisted, evil natures. Not only that, but one's own strength was the sole truest thing which guaranteed their safety. If one was strong, then they'd be able to fend off any dangers which came their way. A LOT less forgiving than her original dimension.
So, when she heard him ask her if she trusted him, she FELT the weight behind it more than comprehended it. Still, that didn't mean her answer would be any different. Thus, with a firm nod, she took his offered hand when he had asked her this question, noting just how firm and large it was compared to her own. "I do trust you, Nico." She just HAD to add in a bit of humour at the end though, a joking tone slipping into her following words. "Pretty sure that I've shown you that already, though in a less direct way I guess."
At that, Nico smirked and chucked in amusement, nodding his head in agreement whilst feeling like a HUGE weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He considered himself more... in tune, with his emotions than a lot of people, mostly due to how much he valued his comrades, so hearing that she trusted him for this meant he could feel much better with what he wanted to do. 'Heh, this one will DEFINITELY surprise the lads if they find out.' Nico thought to himself, as he clutched her hand in his. "Alright then, close your eyes. We're going somewhere I think you'll enjoy?"
Nico gave her no chance to respond, quickly activating his DPU Powers to Warp them out of the café.
Later...
When it felt like she could open her eyes again, Tekken requested for Nico's permission, to which the Spec Ops Agent chuckled and accepted. When he gave her his permission, Tekken slowly opened her eyes.
"Okay, here I go... Huh? This is... ah?!"
By the time that she could open her eyes, Tekken went wide eyed when she found herself and Nico inside... what looked to be some sort of Basement. She didn't think it would be THAT kind of scene though, not even close when she saw the rack filled with musical instruments on one of the walls. There were even a series of loud speakers and a massive space at the centre of the floor which had been set up, almost like a private disco. Tekken could only stare in amazement at what she was seeing, especially after she recovered from transitioning from hearing sweet music to hearing nothing in a matter of nanoseconds.
"Surprised?" Nico questioned whilst he proceeded to the laptop which was connected to the Speakers. His hands remained in his pockets until he reached it, in which he began to boot it up the light of the screen illuminating his features. "This here is me and my lads little sanctuary, you could say. By lads, I mean the boys from Team RAIL, if you've heard of me, you'll have heard of them too. It was developed when we last got together for some guy time, when Raven and Lucy were doing their own things." Good thing that he didn't pick up any signs of life upstairs, which meant they would be able to do their thing in peace. Nico had Warped them here with the help of Ouranos (which he had dismissed before Tekken could open her eyes to see it), with one intent in mind. "Don't worry, its just us here, nobody's around to interrupt."
As he explained this, Tekken saw various lights switch on, illuminating the basement like it, again, was their own private disco. Her eyes saw a whole mix of colours, blue, purple, violet, green, yellow, all sorts. Good thing she wasn't colour blind, or blind at all especially from the help Helen and her Devil Arm had given her. She honestly had no words to describe this, this stuff before her just blew her mind away leaving no room for any response, her eyes wide whilst her mouth remained open for flies to come in. By the time she managed to regain er faculties and shut her jaw, Tekken noticed the familiar sound of a song's instrumental beginning to play through the speakers, the lights moving throughout the Dance floor. Immediately, her mind connected the dots from what Nico had done, to his words and their previous conversation. "Nico, you...!"
"If you don't want to dance in front of a crowd..." Nico began although a part of him hesitated. He didn't know if this would be a better idea of his (after all, his ideas so far have been suffering a streak called bad luck. Huh, he wondered if there was a black cat around). Still, this was for Tekken's sake, and since she had proven herself trustworthy this would be the least he could do for her. So, with that in mind, Nico continued with firm resolve. "Then, how about when its just the two of us? Mind you, I kinda suck at dancing, but at least you'll be able to 'disclose your desires'... ugh, forgive me, that pun was bad," Nico groaned at the end, resisting theurge to facepalm. Tekken didn't respond, and for a moment Nico wondered if he had done something wrong. Looking towards her, he made to say something...
Only, Tekken stopped him from saying anything by barrelling into him and yelling words of gratitude over and over, squealing happily. If it weren't for his endurance and that he'd tanked blows from things much greater than her, then Nico would have fallen over. Soon the instrumental began to make way for the first verse, so Nico hurried the fuck up. "So... would you like to, or...?"
"Yes, yes, of course yes! Also don't worry, I'll tech you how to dance, its the least I can do for you!" Tekken exclaimed, just as the first verse started playing:
I know you suffered
But I don't want you to hide
It's cold and loveless
I won't let you be denied
Soothe me
I'll make you feel pure
Trust me
You can be sure
I want to reconcile the violence in your heart
I want to recognize your beauty is not just a mask
I want to exorcise the demons from your past
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart
You take your lovers that you're wicked and divine
You may be a sinner
But your innocence is mine
Please me
Show me how it's done
Tease me
You are the one
I want to reconcile the violence in your heart
I want to recognize your beauty is not just a mask
I want to exorcise the demons from your past
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart
Please me
Show me how it's done
Trust me
You are the one
I want to reconcile the violence in your heart
I want to recognize your beauty is not just a mask
I want to exorcise the demons from your past
I want to satisfy the undisclosed desires in your heart
Dancing till it turned into the late evening away, wasn't something Nico had thought he'd be doing today when he had planned his schedule this morning, but he'd be damned if he said he minded.
Tekken must have REALLY liked this song, because no matter how many times the song played, she would get into it 110%. She would dance, sing and drag him along for the ride, as though she had entered her own little world and her surroundings were props for her to dance with. Heck, the dance moves she pulled off... the MOVES!. If Nico didn't know any better, he'd say that Tekken may as well be a damn temptress with how slow, soft, nigh sexual her movements became when she lost herself in the song (having asked him to put it on loop). The way she moved, the way her mouth opened and expressed sounds of content and delight in a way which would NOT be unfit in a strip club, nearly sent Nico's heart racing into overdrive. Tekken may not see it herself, but when she danced to this song, she turned from a seasoned martial artists into one HELL of a manipulator, pulling the eyes of the redhead into her grasp and holding him there with no hope of escape.
Lucy, Neptune and IF could learn a thing or two...
Then Nico had to suppress those memories immediately lest the feelings of lust which empowered the monsters inside his soul get any stronger...
Yet, when Tekken then pulled him into the song to dance with her, it felt as though it didn't even matter. Undisclosed desires pretty much forced all his barriers to open, allowing him to express what he truly felt through dance moves. Moves which Tekken had deigned it necessary to teach him so they could both enjoy this to the fullest. At first, Nico didn't know shit about how to do the dance moves right, especially for someone who was used to suppressing his own emotions. To suddenly start expressing them through music, with a song SPECIFICALLY for that very same purpose... it went completely against his own nature. But with time he got the hang of it... which resulted in him dancing the afternoon away with her.
Right now, Nico walked through the streets late in the night, a light wind making his Trench coat flap behind him, with his arms lightly swaying to the side. He'd just dropped Tekken back off at her and MAGES. apartment after the Mad Magician had called asking where she was, which had put an end to their dancing session. Though, before he had left after escorting her home (it had been his responsibility since he DID bring her there after all, and who knows who would try anything with Tekken in the middle of the night. She may be strong enough to handle them, but it was the principle of the matter! That... and his own pride and worry kicking in). She did hug him afterwards, Tekken did, not like he minded though, if anything it was the exact opposite.
Glancing upwards, Nico eyed the moon shining in the skies. 'Haaaah, now THIS is an ideal night. The full moon shining bright, the air being as clear as it can be. No wonder Erebus is feeling so happy right now...' the redhead thought, mentally smirking when he felt the emotions of his Archdevil Arm through their link. Thankfully, with the acceptance of his true nature before, he had gained stronger connections to both his Ghoul AND Demon God powers, which improved the links he had to his other weapons. He still hadn't figured out how this impacted them fully yet, but some training would help fix that though.
The moment he thought about training however, did Nico's eyes narrow into slits. 'Training, huh...?'
Yeah, training was something he would HAVE to do, and a lot of it, if he wanted to be able to get back at Mundus for what he did to Nico's comrades back at Halo Mountain. The guy hadn't even been at full power, despite being one of the original four DPUs of the DPU Era. Thus, it would be likely that he would be getting stronger until they met again. Training was also something everyone else had been doing, aside from IF, MAGES and Tekken who had also begun studying for their Spec Ops Exam. Something which all of the Party would likely gather together again to spectate. Nico may not e able to participate in it as a proctor or an examiner for it due to the bias against him, but he could still watch from the sidelines… but until then, he needed a fine place to train. Now, where he could find one such place without getting disturbed was another matter entirely.
The Inner World suddenly didn't feel as OP as it had in the past, not with beings like Mundus and the implication of there being more like him. If Mundus could return, then the other two original DPUs could as well. Plus, there could be more DPUs too, since from what he had learned from the Lexicanum the DPUs weren't completely eliminated, instead they had survived with few numbers, but then again a long time had passed so they could have restored and grown in number for all he knew. Still, Nico COULD use it for research purposes, since it slowed time to like 1 second out in the real world being one hour in the Inner World, which would help him learn more from the information extracted from the Lexicanum by Biko.
Speaking of his Demon Persona...
'Nico. Since you're wondering about where to train, allow me to help. I've discovered something which could be a potential benefit to us... though, it'll only help us for the time being due to our level.'
'Oh? What is it?'
'It would be better if you saw it first... so transform, and then head to the Hellverse Dungeon where you rescued IF. I'll explain how to get there on the way, but what you CAN expect is a DRASTIC increase in power... perhaps, although his could be a stretch, it could serve the purpose of solving a multitude of our problems.'
Nico furrowed his brows, pausing his stride through the quiet streets of Microsoft to ponder this information... or lack of it. He didn't like the thought of going somewhere he didn't have a clue about, as his past experiences told him just how often that could turn into a bad idea, however since this had been suggested by Biko of all people, Nico decided to trust his judgement on the matter. Though, first he needed to do something important, since this sounded like he wouldn't be returning to Leanbox till the exam, thus he would have to inform the girls.
He made a text to them all with his Bracer, telling them he would be going on a training trip and would be back the day of the exam, even informing his mother too. Once that was done, Nico deactivated his Bracer, before closing his eyes. He reached down deep within himself, searching through the void that was his unconsciousness, till he found the power of the DPU which slumbered within. Connecting with it and bringing it to the surface, Nico allowed it to envelop him in black and red flames, transforming him into Crimson Soul. Once the process finished, the armoured male spread his burning crimson wings, before he took to the skies in a hard ascend, and then shot off like a bullet into the night, nearly creating a sonic boom.
Desolation. That would be the best word to describe it.
This foggy place, that is.
Everything here had a dull, boring grey colour, as if the light of life had long since left it, allowing the touch of death to take its place. Silence dominated the atmosphere, with no bird cries, no wind, it didn't even look like there was any air to breathe in, even though there was. There were little to no grasslands, everything looked to be like the inner mantle layer of a planet, and varying shaped rocks looked to be everywhere. Some formed intricate shapes whilst varying in size, whilst others formed the entrances to dark pits which lead into underground sections. Not to mention, that the skies themselves looked even worse. Not a single spec of light broke through the dark clouds which coveted the skies in near complete blackness.
Yet, as that old movie about dinosaurs being brought into the modern world said: Nature always finds a way. Thus, it seemed life really DID flourish here, the proof being how monster with a body fully covered with black scales was skulking around in this area, looking for unlucky prey to sate its ever growing hunger. If one were to see it through the fog, then they'd describe it as a beast which came from children's' nightmares. This monster loomed over its surroundings at over 3 meters tall, its whole body fuming like a volcano about to erupt with frightening thick, black mist. It only had one single glowing crimson eye with sparks of electricity dancing around it's circumference, which seemed to be positioned vertically right in the middle top of it's face. It also only had one nostril and one huge mouth below the eye. The eye, nose and the mouth, they were all lined up in a straight line, resulting in it sporting this fearsome and savage appearance. Across its body would be a coat made from sharp spines, similar to a hedgehog's back, with a long tail protruding outwards, whilst its arms had sick, long claws protruding out of them.
The monster was roaming around, its eyeball was rolling around in full alert, as if it was searching for something.
Yet suddenly, without any warning...
BANG!
A loud banging sound could be heard from the skies above, being as loud as a fierce thunder strike which sent the entire atmosphere into a shuddering mess. A couple seconds later, a hole in the skies above appeared, sporting all kinds of dark colours whilst sparks of energy and gale force winds blew out from inside, implying a truly chaotic interior. From that hole, a figure shout out from it like a bullet, wreathed in black and red flames. Down below, the monster became shocked by the sound, as well as curious as to its nature. Therefore, it raised its head to look towards the direction the sound came from, spotting the source of it. This only left it a nanosecond to react, so by then it became too late... in an instant, an unknown object fell onto its head.
PLOP!
The arrival of this unknown object was so sudden, this monster didn't even have time to react. Also, the object carried a COLLOSSAL amount of force when fell onto his head, this monster cried out horribly and started rolling on the floor like an infant being injured for the first time.
ROAR!
A loud roar got released from the now FURIOUS monster's fanged maw, as it immediately stood up from its former position on the ground to look at the unknown object. Though, to its surprise, it looked like a sword, a large, metallic and DANGEROUS sword in which its instincts all but SCREAMED at it to not touch, lest it suffer a fate worse than death itself. Even now, as it gazed at the sword with a mix of amazement and fear, it could sense power rolling off it in waves, energy it had felt in the past spreading out into the atmosphere around it.
BANG!
Then, another loud bang sounded out from above. Once again, another unknown object fell onto its head. When the unknown object hit its head, the monster could hear it scolding out loudly. "Damn it, now THAT was one hell of an entry way!"
Groans escaped Nico's lips amidst pained curses after he had shouted that last sentence out, as his body regenerated at a rapid pace from his little 'trip' which Biko had encouraged him to do. He had been told it'd be a painful experience, but even that hadn't prepared him for how much BS he would have to endure for this to work. Heck, in order to make it to this point, he had to toss his Sword Soul Edge through the chaotic tunnel, which Biko had explained had actually been a chaotic link between the place he was travelling to and the Hellverse Dungeon's remains (one big crater about 400 meters wide and 800 meters deep), made from Demonic Power. He had figured that it'd be a bit volatile just from this description alone, but actually experiencing it pretty much kicked those low expectations out the water. Even as he crashed into something, likely incinerating that space till not even charred remains existed thanks to covering himself in his Hellfire, he hadn't expected the result to be THIS bad.
'Still, this could have gone MUCH worse, Nico. Should you have not acted when you did, there would have been a 95% chance for you to remain trapped in that gap forever, and even if you perished with your DPU side's reformation ability, you would still reform within it. Thus, you would have suffered for an eternity without any way to escape. Nevertheless, it appears that this trip definitely took its toll if you being forced back into your human form was any indication.'
'Huh?' Nico thought, only now realizing as he looked down at himself, that he had indeed switched back after being ejected from the chaotic gateway. Though even then, his clothes looked like they had suffered about... lets say, 70% damage. His coat had been reduced to tatters, his pants and belts had been largely blasted to bits, his shirt had varying sized holes through its material, whilst his hair looked like it had gone through an electrocution. That didn't take into account the rapidly healing burn marks over his exposed flesh either. Even if he healed over in seconds, something like this definitely counted as an extreme reaction. "Shit... damn, that place really put a number on me..." the redhead mused as his hair regrew to its original style, all the while his clothes automatically began repairing themselves as he pulled his (thankfully intact) hood out to cover his head.
Looking around his surroundings, the first thing he tried to do was locate his sword, Soul Edge. The blade must have turned into its default sealed form back when he had reverted, and true to his theory, he had found the massive blade impaled on the ground right beside him at a diagonal angle. Even now, he could sense the agitation within the blade, its energy coursing wildly through it like a vicious beast trying to rip apart its elusive prey. Stepping towards it without much fear, Nico reached out and grasped the blade, pulling it out of the ground before finally registering his bleak surroundings with a surprised gaze. "... Okay, now THIS is one desolated looking place if I've ever seen one..." he muttered, reaching out with his senses to try and feel anything out of the ordinary (a bit redundant given his situation, but meh), before he sensed faint traces of... resentment? All around him, too?
'That's due to you crashing atop one of the MANY residents of this place. Odds are though that our entry here has caused a disturbance which has been picked up by surrounding lifeforms. Better retreat and find somewhere to lay low, Nico. I'll explain everything then.'
It didn't take the redhead Spec Ops Agent to locate a cave he could use for hiding in, and it had been over 700 meters away from his previous location, so that was something he could use. Since he had found it, and it was a rather deep cave at that, Nico had taken shelter there whilst setting up some traps by the entrance, in case he got any uninvited guests whilst he recovered his lost energy. His Demonic Power had been drastically lowered thanks to coming here, no thanks going to that damned gateway, but once he found himself secure in this cave, Nico sat down by one of the darkest corners before he closed his eyes and allowed his body to relax. With his eyes closed, Nico finally sent a mental message to his Demon Persona, whom had remained silent this whole time, same with his Ghoul one now that he thought about it. 'Alright, Biko. I'm in a secure location, and there's not a hint of negative emotion around me. Now, can you PLEASE tell me where the fuck I've ended up? This place feels WAY unlike anything I've ever felt in Gamindustri before, as much as a cliché that line is.'
'... #SIGH#, yes, it is finally time to explain. You're not the only one who has been impatient, much like Ghoulie over here. In any case, Nico... I welcome you, to the Inferno Hell. Now, to explain what this place is, I'll have to go on a brief history lesson, alright? So bare with me.'
Of course there would, if he were honest then Nico would admit to expecting something like this. More often than not this happened whenever he wished to know something, but it worked with Biko since it gave context to the topics discussed. Thus, with a sigh of resignation, the redhead nodded in the real physical world. 'Well, history lessons with you tend to be about the DPU Era, and I'm always willing to know more about it. Feels like we've got much to learn yet about it, so hit me with it.'
'Very well. This all starts in the DPU Era, with Sparda. Back in those days, as you know Sparda had quite the following, even if he didn't care for those things. Back then, he was revered by many as the strongest DPU, which you and I both know is very subjective and naïve considering. In any case, due to having so many followers, Sparda had soon come to the realization that he needed a better training ground for them, so he could better refine their skills for their future death duels, as he called them. As a result, he poured his power out and combined it with what I have learned is called 'Dimensional Energy' which is something similar to space and time, but more on the space side of things. In any case, this ended up creating a specialized sub-realm mostly adhering to the Edict of Destruction. Everything around us being desolate like a huge war drained every spec of life is proof of this.'
Sensing a pause, Nico didn't mention anything as he looked up to the cave's ceiling and let the information sink in. So far, he got what Biko was saying, pretty much he had said that Sparda wanted an ideal spot to refine future opponents, and as such made this realm with his powers like he had the capacity to this whole time. To be frank, he wasn't that surprised he could do this, since DPUs tended to bend the rules and physics of reality to their whims like it was a hot day to them. Still, the fact that he created his own personal realm to train his future opponents made sense according to what Nico knew of him. His Predecessor WAS a battle-maniac to his core after all. 'I guess him using his Inner World wasn't as good an idea back then, either huh?'
'Heh, that would be a gross understatement. Sparda actually grew 'bored' with it, and started using this Inferno Hell realm instead. Not only was it more powerful than an Inner World, but it provided 'better quality goods' in a sense. It truly did as, now this was something I recently discovered, but back then the thing called 'time dilation'? Yeah, it was pretty much a common practice, one of these things called 'Daos' but I'll get into THAT can of worms another time. What's this got to do with the Inferno Hell, you ask? Simple, like the Inner World it has a Time Dilation effect, to compare the two would be like comparing a pebble to a mountain. If one second in the outside world equals an hour in here, then one hour actually rivals a DAY in the Inferno Hell.'
'Okay, WHAT... the FUCKING. HELL?!' Now THIS caught Nico's attention, almost making him fall over from his seated position. He still looked like he had digested his own vomit even when he pulled himself back together, which would be quite impressive considering the amount of BS he heard in that statement. 'You're serious, right?! You're not pulling my leg, right?!' How the hell could THAT be a thing?! To just shit on the laws of time like they did, did the DPUs have respect for ANYTHING besides strength? Just hearing it from Biko's mouth was what Nico eventually decide to place his trust in since he never lied to him, but still that truth remained a bitter pill to swallow. 'Now that's some high quality bullshit right there!'
'You, myself and Byakko here, who right now is being tor-I mean, played with, by Erebus agree on this, its pretty Bullshit, but nonetheless it is the case. You know for a fact how much of a battle nut Sparda was, so this would be something he would dream about in his sleep... if he even slept properly, guy probably even trained and fought like a wild madman in his sleep. Wouldn't be surprised if that's the case, but back to the Inferno Hell. Back then, it had only been a small realm, which served as Sparda's primary training ground for his 'followers', filled to the brim with Sky and World Class Demons. He even went and added powerful Abnormals into the mix, to truly make it as dangerous a realm as possible. For him, more danger means a better chance to unlock latent potential. There's a reason why Sparda and his followers were so good on the battlefield, a small task force of 100... capable of beating nearly 900,000 enemies... and that's just one of their daily routines back then. He even decided to call them for the heck of it: the 'Sons of Sparda'.'
"Now THAT's egotism right there..." Nico mumbled under his breath, face palming whilst lowering his head at his Predecessor's mannerisms. Though, the more he thought about it, the more he began to see legitimacy in Biko's words. Feeling out the surroundings with his senses made him become aware of the ancient, borderline primordial, energies flowing through this place like it was its lifeblood. It almost made her think this place had its own heart, making it like a living organism. It actually felt like he had been SURROUNDED by the very ESSENCE of destruction itself, no Demonic Power, just pure and chaotic destruction. Then, Sparda's love for training and battle... yeah, no more needed to be said there. 'So… is this what the Edict of Destruction feels like...? Its probably diluted at this point due to how many years have passed, bit if just this causes my hairs to stand on end... I NEVER want to fight a DPU of Destruction, ever.'
'This Realm is so powerful, that even when the seal was erected, the entrance to this nigh-primordial place remained, and the realm remained fully intact like it was never even touched by the seal. As a result, any who ventured here, if they were weak were either destroyed by the chaotic gateway to this place, and if they were strong, then they had to be REALLY strong if they didn't want to get mauled to death by the creatures inhabiting here. According to what I can sense and have learned from the Lexicanum, instead of just staying stagnant all these years, this Inferno Hell has actually grown to be its own little dimension, and by little I mean compared to the Devildimension itself which was created at the dawn of creation itself. Though, in reality, there isn't much difference between them in terms of size. If you search around, you will also find barbarian cities and civilisations, born and bred in a dimension where strength is even more prevalent than in Gamindustri. Hell (mind the pun), calling them civilisations is a stretch, considering how lawlessness seems to be the norm here. Thievery, murder, rape, any crime is permitted in this place, as long as one had strength to back them up.'
… Yeah, Nico could see something like that happening. The redhead groaned as he looked back towards where the entrance would be, part of him contemplating whether coming here or not was a good idea. It sounded like this place would be RIPE with people he would despise and want to kill, rape and pillage to their hearts content. People who had the strength to back up their crimes though, and THAT was something he focused on. Normally, the criminals Nico punished would be at his mercy once he caught them, thanks to his Ghoul side, however hearing Biko's words caused him to... well, feel like he had LOST that edge, LOST his status as an apex predator, the top of the food chain. It wasn't a nice feeling, it reminded him WAY too much of Zelretch and his trials. Still, what he ALSO took from this, would be that he would be able to fight people who could actually fight back, which also meant he could refine his skills here with double the amount of time. This place felt like a freaking HAVEN for those who wished to practice their martial skills, something which honestly excited the redhead. The thought of being able to train so freely, and since this place was actually in the real world he could fulfil the 'experiencing' part of this no problem, unlike his Inner world.
Of course, Nico knew for a FACT that there had to be an opposite side to this 'coin' of 'luck' which had come this way. There was always a con to the pro, something which he had learned since a long time ago. The two-faced nature of people and the world... it was well known to him. Still, judging from what had been explained so far, Nico felt like he could draw a few theories inside his mind. Nothing conclusive, of course, since he could only speculate, but he shouldn't assume any of them to be fact until any confirming evidence presents itself. His own biases towards people may have to change if they interfere with his reasoning and judgement, especially since right now he had already seen proof of this in the form of the girls and his guy friends, now that he thought about it. 'Are there any downsides to using this, Biko? This place sounds way too convenient for me to be truly a positive improvement to the Inner World.' The redhead male questioned his Demon Persona.
'Of course there are downsides, everything has a flaw to it, its all just either perspective or finding out about it. In this realm's case, there is only ONE access point, a 'Node' if you will, across all of Gamindustri, and that is the one in the Hellverse. Originally there had been 28 of these Nodes, however they have all been closed off save for this one from this side. Nobody knows how to open them, only the creator Sparda would have, and he is long gone as you are well aware. Therefore, you will only be able to access this place here in Leanbox, which leads me to the second point. Although the nodes in GAMINDISUSTRI are gone, the ones from 'other' places seem to still remain, which means as you have already assumed, beings from other worlds who pride themselves on their strength have always been gathering here. I'm talking about beings who could crush cities with their pinkies, ravage continents till there's nothing left, and then there's the possibility of meeting other strong DPUs. While none of them SHOULD be at the Chaos Class, many of them would likely be at the very peak of multi continent class, with high amounts of knowledge on different techniques and greater energy control the likes of which we have NEVER experienced. This kind of expertise means that if one wishes to survive in the Inferno Hell, then they will HAVE to have an insane level of power and potential for growth, otherwise they'll just be taken advantage of.'
There it was, some of the cons to this place. A lack of accessibility, its INSANTELY strict requirements for growing stronger in it, and it wasn't limited to just one person, was what Biko had been trying to tell him. Therefore, if he himself were to leave Leanbox, then Nico would have to rely on his Inner World for growth. Not only that, but if he could use it, any villain on Leanbox could do the same, though that just took into account he enemies on Gamindustri, who know how many from other worlds Nico would eventually encounter. Suddenly, it dawned on him just how freaking NUTS this place had truly been... exactly why Biko had brought him over to this place. It was so NUTS that it would be PERFECT for him to train in, to learn more and develop his powers in a rapid succession. Not only that, but if he wanted to experience things, then he would DEFINITELY be able to do so since this was a LARGE Dimension. He bet that there were countless things he could find in here, things which could baffle even the greatest minds of his world.
Slowly, as it dawned on him just WHAT kind of opportunity had presented itself before him, his lips slowly curved upwards, an excited grin forming whilst the competitive blood began to boil inside. 'This place... sounds PERFECT for me! I'll train here till the Spec Ops Exam, and when I return if the situation with Lowee hasn't changed any I'll bring the others back here so I can elevate them to a similar level! Our power boosts will be ginormous!' he realized, already imagining the badassery his comraded would exhibit once they had trained here. Still, he had no illusions that he would have to play it smart, as eventually he would be forced to fight this place's residents, and if Biko's words were to be believed, then he would have to go all out from the beginning unless he wanted to die. Not very good since that meant exhausting all his trump cards at once, but he would have no choice at his current level. Thus, Nico needed to train in seclusion for a while, refine his already existing skillset and human body so it can take at least a LITTLE more punishment. His battles showed him to be the weakest in endurance, especially when going up against real big foes, which had been why his speed had been his greatest ally aside from his versatility.
With this plan in motion, Nico closed his eyes and began planning what to train in first.
Be prepared Gamindustri, cause you're about to see a whole new Nico!
Chapter end!
Whew, that was a doozy, this one! Lots of stuff's been going on, especially at the end! Now, fun story, I had to rewrite that last part several times, those times I actually wrote Nico dropping Tekken off and heading to the Hellverse under Biko's instruction, till this time when I chose not to include it. It wasn't really needed anyways., unlike the Inferno Hell realm. Now before anyone lynches me about it, I'll let you know this was from a wuxia I read called 'Dragon Marked War God', which is actually where I'm getting a lot of ideas for Nico and a certain other Goddess's powerups.
I've altered it a bit though, so as to give it a more dangerous yet rewarding vibe, a bit of a high risk and reward situation as it were. While its a pretty BS level place, more so than the Inner World, its not like just anyone can go there. They have to survive the journey, and even then if people weren't strong enough then they'd be either taken advantage of by others, or they'd get lynched by the monstrous residents. If you wanna know how strong these monsters can be, well... think this: even a DEMON PRINCE would be wary of them, whilst a Chaos God would fight one of his or her brothers in one v one combat just to get a CHANCE to have these guys on their side.
Plus, if you've read it, you'll notice some foreshadowing of future events in there which will become quite significant. I also chose these weaknesses to the realm just so that its not some OP tool which can be used any time, that would ruin the flow of the story. I even added it as a cultural thing to mess with the flow of time, cause come on, these guys were warrior gods who liked destruction, of course it would involve meta physical concepts such as time. Also, whilst the heroes get these amazing powerups, its not like Mundus and Arfoire aren't growing more powerful either. They'll have tricks of their own to play against our heroes. Believe me, by the time these two forces clash, the scale difference between then and Halo Mountain... it'll be pretty much impossible to compare.
In any case, wish me luck cause now I'm going to prep for the Spec Ops Exam mini arc... Oh yeah, if I haven't said it before, I'll say it here: Read the side story since it focuses on Noire's dealings throughout everything up till the Spec Ops Exam and if anyone wants to do any fanart for these characters feel free to do so.
See ya laters!
Peace Out!
