I've been looking forward to this chapter for a very long time. Wanna know how much I really wanted to get to this chapter? I got it written in 12 hours. I can't tell you all just how excited I was to write this chapter because we're almost at the part that I want to write the MOST! We're so close to the fun part of the story! Just a few more chapters, perhaps at least 5 and we'll arrive at the point of the story that many of the old readers are looking forward to. Of course, like I said before, it might not be the same but it might not be different, either.
So, without further ado, enjoy.
Chapter 19: Ancient Struggle
Earthquakes were a regular phenomenon of the planet. It happened so many times within the history of the planet that it wasn't surprising to anyone whenever they happened. Yet, this one was completely irregular. It was unnatural. Those were the thoughts of everyone who felt the earthquake in Kunlun.
Gathering outside the Mountain of Earth among the Five Element Mountains, the Vali Peerage and several others arrived to investigate the source. To no surprise, they found familiar faces.
"To be honest, I was hoping we wouldn't meet each other today."
Lefay paused when she looked at who said that. It was Scathach. This time, she wore a black dress that reached her thighs. Armored pauldrons and plated boots adorned her limbs as a golden belt with a black cloth was draped around her waist. In her hands was a black spear that was as tall as she was, being bladed on both ends with a ghostly haze around it.
"You all just can't keep your hands to yourselves." Bikou sighed irritably.
Standing with her, was Anastasia, Heracles, Ashoka, and Nora. Adding to their ranks, was one other person. He had dark-blue hair and wore a navy uniform. Draped around his waist was a noble's cloth with an ornamental belt. In his hands, was a long spear that was completely white with golden lines coiling around it from the blade. Etched into where the blade met with the pole was a golden cross. All along the pole were letters that Vali recognized to be of heavenly origin.
"Keep your guard up and don't engage him at any cost." Vali warned the others.
Despite all that, the young man wasn't even paying any attention to the others. He was too busy stoically looking at the Mountain in front of them, which was visibly trembling.
"Hm…so we were too late." He said to himself.
"What?" Kuroka inquired.
The blue-haired Hero turned around.
"Apologies. I was just preoccupied with that anomaly behind us. My name is Cao Cao, it's a pleasure to meet you all. I've heard many things about you. You stopped the assault on the Peace Conference and have fended off my comrades subsequently after that. It's been a 60% success rate, I recall. Anyways, I'm afraid I must disappoint you tonight. Things just aren't going as planned." Cao Cao pointed at the Mountain.
Purple mist curled around it, as if a giant hand was trying to grip it.
"I'm sorry, Cao Cao, but I can't do it. It's a failure. We can't take it." A bespectacled teen groaned in frustration and exhaustion as he closed his book.
Cao Cao put a hand on his shoulder.
"No matter, I knew we'd fail, regardless. For now, we need to leave before this blows up in our faces."
"What's going on?" Bikou asked, his voice completely serious.
"You see, we obtained some information from lost text that we stole a while ago. Deep within this mountain range, rests an ancient evil. I was hoping we'd get to it before it woke up, but sadly, that's not going to happen. Still, I know better than to just keep beating a dead horse. So, before things get rocky, we're going to take our leave. I'd like to chat with you, but it's really not a smart idea to do that right now. In the case that you do survive, I promise to have a nice conversation with you. After all, I still haven't met with Bahamut's host in person." Cao Cao smirked as he and his followers left through a magic circle.
"Cowards." Kuroka scoffed.
"Focus. We need to figure out what- " Vali was cut off mid-sentence.
She gasped as her breath was suddenly cut-off. She nearly doubled-over as she clutched at her heart. Something felt as if it had just rippled through her. A primordial instinct was the best she could describe it as.
"Albion, the hell was that?" She asked.
"Something ancient…something I never thought I'd ever see or even sense again…" Albin said.
His tone was noticeably different. It was distant, disturbed, cautious, and angered all at the same time. It was such a rare thing for the calm dragon.
"Tell us about it." Vali inquired.
"I barely know anything relevant, but I do know that this thing that's within the Mountain, is ancient. Its existed since before Bahamut was sealed and is a creature of unknown origin. There are 7 of these beasts, all of them capable of controlling an element. Most of all, their power is incredible. If I had to use a measuring stick, they're equal to the Dragon Kings, at the absolute least. I honestly can't say much since I've only seen them once during the Calamity days." Albion said.
"Think we've got a chance?" Vali asked.
"No. Not right now. Still, you've got no choice but to fight it. The one thing about these beasts, is that they run on the basic urge to destroy. If that thing breaks free of the mountain, Kunlun will either be destroyed or suffer enough damage to be considered as such. Before the old Galaxy was destroyed by Bahamut, this thing along with the other 6 Beasts, destroyed entire civilizations alone."
"And how were they defeated?" Bikou asked.
"That, I don't know. It all happened so quickly and it was all such a blur. I don't know what caused their defeat. All I know is that these things can't be left to run wild." Albion declared.
It was too late for that. The Earth Mountain immediately began cracking as its sides broke apart. Smashing out of the mountainside was a fist that sent most of the mountain into a landslide.
"DAMN IT! KILL IT NOW!" Albion roared.
Everyone jumped. The sheer panic and desperation in Albion's voice had truly driven it home. Not once, had he ever sounded so desperate and alarmed. He never lost his calm and he'd never yelled at them before.
"Balance Break!" Vali said.
Arthur drew Caliburn while Bikou created dozens of clones of himself as Lefay, Kuroka, and Elaine amassed magic circles behind themselves.
"Just as Albion said, we need to kill it before it can get out of there." Vali said.
If only it were that easy. The entire Earth Mountain erupted. Boulders and stone flew miles into the sky before they came falling down like meteorites. Emerging from the earth below, was an ominous creature. It had a humanoid grey body with glowing orange lines along its body like cracks. It had a mouth with fangs exposed in the front. Along its body, were spikes of metal and rock while its clawed feet had three toes. The Beast stood on the mountain's base, standing at 15 feet tall and yet, its presence was overwhelming.
(Fairy Tail: Unreleased OST – Unavoidable Danger. Play Music)
"The hell is that thing?" Bikou stepped back in disbelief.
"That thing is an Avitur, a beast of the elements." Albion explained.
The rush of slight panic and stomach-churning feeling of dread were starting to encroach them as they looked at it. Vali had fought a lot of strong people but this was the first time she felt the chills that signified some semblance of worry. Yet, that didn't bother her the most, no. What bothered her the most was that this power felt familiar.
"Hit it with all you've got, don't let it have a chance." Vali ordered.
"[Half Dimension]"
She tried to shrink the Avitur down in size, but it wasn't working. It was as if it were shielded by some kind of aura or protection. For her, it felt like trying to squeeze a block of metal in her hands but it wouldn't crack or budge.
Everyone assailed the creature with magic but it still wasn't enough. Explosions went up everywhere
"Boy, call Wukong this instant and tell him to abandon his mission. Tell him that an Avitur is here!" Albion called out to Bikou.
"Y-Yes, Sir." He nodded.
Vali spread her wings and dispersed particles of magic everywhere, blanketing the entire area in a dense cloud of blue air.
"[Ivory Pillar]"
Immediately, the blue particles gathered below the Avitur, forming a massive pillar of white energy that shot out like a laser. When it struck, the force of the attack blew away its immediate surroundings. The clouds, rubble, and other mountains were struck by the shockwave, ripping away layers upon the earth.
"Holy shit." Bikou gasped.
In all his years fighting alongside Vali, he'd never seen her use such a devastating attack. Judging from the power of it, it was worthy of being a secret. The light of the attack was enough to light up the night sky for several moments like a lightning bolt would.
When the pillar disappeared, the Avitur was left charred and still, seemingly defeated. Part of its body was obliterated, its left limbs gone along with much of its left body.
"Alright, you did it." Lefay sighed in relief.
"No, no it's not done at all." Albion countered.
The Avitur immediately began twitching as its body began regenerating. Its left side grew back as its limbs were returned to normal. Upon the completion of its healing, the Beast roared, sending out a shockwave that obliterated the trees around it into splinters. It turned towards the Peerage, leering at it with obvious ire. Breaking into a stance, it charged, sprinting right towards them.
"Hit it with everything you've got! Don't let up!"
Vali began charging up again. Arthur held up Caliburn before slashing down a wave at the massive creature. The holy sword's attack threw it back but only for a short while. With both hands, it grasped the beam wave. With visible effort, it began crushing the attack before dispersing it completely.
"What?!" Elaine exclaimed in shock.
"It…broke an attack from Caliburn?" Lefay gasped.
"Don't space out, keep attacking." Vali said.
Bikou's army of clones swarmed the Avitur, holding him down. Rushing up toward him, he bashed away at the monster with his staff, extending and enlarging it. With loud booms like thunder, each strike echoed into the night. Yet, despite all of that weight and effort, the monster had not a single scratch on it.
It grabbed hold of Bikou's weapon and drew him close. With one mighty swing, it punched him flying away into the sky.
"Gah!" Bikou choked out as blood trickled from his mouth.
"Burn!" Elaine demanded.
Wreathing dozens of magic circles around the Avitur, Elaine blazed the creature in a dome of inferno like a crematorium.
"Lefay!" Kuroka signaled.
"Got it!"
Both of them combined magic circles to create a burst of white and purple fire to go with Elaine's orange flames.
"Compress it." Elaine directed.
The three flames circled into a twister of three flames whilst the Avitur lay trapped. Before long, they noticed that the monster wasn't going down. Its rage could be seen building up more and more before it erupted. Thrashing out of its fiery cage, it roared as a massive earthquake surged throughout the area. The ground shattered as gigantic waves of stone bashed into everyone. The earth shifted as the terrain morphed from the creature's power.
Turning to the closest person to it, it went after Arthur. Blocking its strike with his sword, Arthur was surprised when he saw that the Avitur's brute strength was more than anything he'd ever expected. He pushed back against it but it was futile. With its brute strength, it punched Arthur in the gut with its other arm, sending him flying through the forest, tearing up the area as he went.
"How dare you!" Lefay growled.
Drawing sigils in the air, she unleashed another brand of magic that she kept hidden up her sleeve: summoning magic.
"Gogmagog!"
Punching its way out of the magic circle, a massive golem made of bronze armor with glowing blue runes and eyes stepped forward. Standing at 20 ft tall, Gogmagog's body had no covered joints, with wires and armor being held together through magic and exposed machinery. Upon recognizing Lefay and her allies, it looked at the direction she pointed in. It began marching towards the Avitur once she had given it its orders.
"Take it down!" Lefay ordered.
The two brutes charged at each other, ready to battle. Their fists met, creating a shockwave that cratered the ground below. Morphing and reshaping its armor, Gogmagog turned its left hand into a drill, scraping into the monster's hand. With its other hand free, it turned it into a cannon, firing at the Avitur's face.
The Beast only growled before crushing Gogmagog's cannon with ease.
"Get back!" Lefy ordered.
Kuroka and Elaine fired beams of mana at the creature as Lefay summoned bolts of thunder magic to strike it. The Avitur shrugged the attack off, charging at the two. Bikou and Arthur dove in, blocking one strike as Gogmagog came from behind, punching it at the back of its skull while Vali swept its legs from underneath.
"[Divide]"
Vali threw a series of punches into its face, trying to knock it out. With a roar, another shockwave came as it tackled Kuroka and Elaine, charging through the woods, using them to break through the thicket.
"Uwaaaaah!"
"Kyaaaaah!"
The two screamed in pain as it began crushing them in its palms as they were used to bulldoze trees.
"Hold on!" Arthur rushed forward.
Summoning both Caliburn and Excalibur, he did a cross-attack, slashing two massive waves at the creature. Blasted miles into the air, Arthur and Vali waited for it to get back in range.
"All those damn attacks and it doesn't even look fazed." Bikou panted.
"From what I remember, this Avitur's key strength was its massive endurance and stamina. You need to find a decisive way to win soon or you're going to be outlasted." Albion warned.
He was cut off when Arthur and Vali combined their attacks.
"[Star Shredder]"
A cross-shaped wave of mana that looked like a shooting star struck the Avitur. It struggled to stop the attack but touching it caused it great pain. Seconds later, the blue particles around it erupted, covering the creature in explosions.
Following up, Bikou's clones threw their staffs like boomerangs, throttling the Avitur even farther away.
(Fairy Tail: Unreleased OST – Unavoidable Danger. End Music)
Despite that, they could hear the massive thud in the distance, followed by a constant series of shaking. It was charging right at them again immediately.
"Where's that backup?" Bikou asked, frustrated.
"They're here."
Looking up, Sun Quan and Lianshi jumped down from the sky, dressed in armor. Drawing her broadsword, Lianshi pulled Bikou back before the Avitur could hit him. Whirling around, she slashed at it with her sword, shattering some rock off its skin.
"What's that?" Bikou looked at the sword in her hand.
"A gift from the Emperor. A jade sword that can't break." Lianshi explained.
"He gave you stuff?!" Bikou asked incredulously.
"We've got reinforcements mobilizing soon. The city's under emergency measures and Sun Wukong has been notified. Now, what's the situation?" Sun Quan asked, bringing things back into focus.
"Ancient monster with no apparent consciousness with incredible strength and endurance is trying to kill us all." Bikou explained in one sentence.
"Any weaknesses?"
"None that we know of." Bikou sighed.
Just as he said that, the constant tremors stopped. They all looked up and saw the Avitur flying down from the sky, stomping right on the ground in front of them. Scrambling to get out the way, they were left separated for the easy-picking.
When the Avitur attacked, Lianshi jumped onto its shoulder, jabbing her weapon in. It grabbed hold of her weapon but she let go. With a palm-strike, she blew it back with her chi-infused strikes. Radiating from her palms was green chi, which grew more intense when she held her sword.
Sun Quan followed up, wielding a halberd. Swinging a wave of fire at it with his weapon, the Avitur swept it to the side. Intercepting the creature, Lefay, Kuroka, and Elaine blasted it back with magic as Gogmagog hailed it with machine-gunfire.
"It's still not going down. Damn it, Albion, what do we do?" Kuroka asked.
"You need one giant attack that can reduce it to nothing. No chances to recover and nothing left behind. I was never there for its defeat, so I can't say for certain just how to do it. Still, hold on." Albion pleaded.
"Any news on Wukong?" Vali asked.
"Still not here yet." Lianshi said.
"Here it comes again." Arthur warned.
Slashing a wave at the Avitur, who caught it with its hands, he zoomed in for a flurry of swings. They lacerated and cut into its body with it growling in pain. As suspected, ancient weapons imbued with great supernatural power were effective against it.
"[Stardust]"
At once, thousands of particles exploded, covering the Beast completely in blue light. Attacking at the same time, Lefay, Kuroka, Elaine, and Sun Quan blasted it with fire and lightning magic. Yet again, it proved to only slow down the creature.
Bikou plucked hairs from his head and created an squad of clones, all of them dogpiling on top of the Avitur with their staffs. Without relent, they swung away, completely focused on just beating down the Beast.
Bikou came rushing, sweeping at its legs, knocking it off its feet before him and his copies pinned it down with their magic staffs.
"Now, Vali."
Again, Vali used [Ivory Pillar] to erupt a beam of light-blue mana from underneath the Avitur. It trembled violently in pain as it coursed through its body. Vali groaned as she tried to put everything she had into the attack.
When the smoke cleared, the Avitur, to no surprise was still standing. Slowly, its wounds began disappearing, its body restoring itself.
"This thing just won't go down, damn it." Bikou panted.
"Something's coming." Kuroka stepped back.
Her instincts were kicking in. The situation was about to get even worse. It looked at the group and for a moment, it seemed as if it was smirking.
Breaking into a thunderous run, the Beast smashed its forearm into Bikou's torso, causing him to gag out blood as he was thrown over the treetops. Almost instantly, it jumped into the air next to him and grabbed his right arm. Slamming him into the ground repeatedly, the Avitur did it 12 times before stomping his face in for good measure.
"Bikou!" Kuroka screamed.
Assaulting it with a multitude of spells, she pinned it down from afar. From elemental magic, to lasers, and senjutsu, she used a gravity spell to pin it down. It lashed out, shattering her magic circles as it b-lined for her. Punching the ground, a wave of stone spikes surged at her. Flying into the air, Kuroka turned around, only to be punched in the chest.
Arthur and Sun Quan dived in to try and stop it but it grabbed both of them by the necks. Holding them up, it smashed their heads together repeatedly till they bled.
"Let them go!" Vali demanded.
Lianshi stabbed the ground before flicking a ring on the blade of her sword. Immediately, a burst of green energy waves rippled through the air with an accompanying ringing sound. It was like a high-pitched bell had gone off. The waves countered the sea of sharp stone, blasting them backwards.
The Avitur dashed at her, appearing from behind the stone fragments. Before it could punch her, she dodged to the side, casually dodging the attack. She swung her sword down on the creature, slicing through its tough skin much more easily than Arthur and Sun Quan did.
"What's her gimmick?" Kuroka asked.
She ran over to Lefay and Bikou, picking the former up from the rubble.
"Lianshi's ability, [Whispering Wind]. She can manipulate sound waves by using it as a blast, to augment her speed, and many other things involved with sound." Bikou groaned.
Lefay ran over to drip some Phoenix Tears on his arm. It had nearly been ripped clean off.
"I don't think we can keep this up for much longer." Kuroka panted.
She doubled over, holding her bloody side.
"Hey, if we live through this, I've gotta tell you something."
"We'll make it, so don't fret." Vali flew down as she took a few moments to rest.
"Besides, saying that is a death flag." Bikou chuckled.
Vali looked at her armor, which had been shattered all across her body. Just one more hit and she'd be knocked out of Balance Breaker.
"Think you can take it on?" Kuroka asked.
"I don't know. I've never fought anything this enduring before." Vali said.
"Where the hell is Issei?" Bikou groaned.
"No idea either. Hopefully, he's bringing the cavalry." Vali hoped.
"That's if no one's intercepted him." Kuroka said.
"I'm going to use Juggernaut Drive. Cover me." Vali said.
"Right." Everyone nodded.
Everyone charged forward with Vali at the rear. Gathering her power, she focused herself.
Kuroka surrounded the Avitur with a circle of mystic flame as Bikou pinned it down with the magnified weight magic of his staff. Arthur plunged Caliburn into its back, using its dimension powers to hold it in place. Sun Quan added to Kuroka's flames to enhance it while Lianshi used her sound abilities to weaken the physical structure of its body, keeping it from tearing Caliburn out its back. All the while, Lefay and Elaine used magic spells to create chains to hold it together.
"I, who shall awaken, am…" Vali began.
Yet, she stopped.
"AAAH!" A blood-chilling scream was heard.
Right before everyone's eyes, Kuroka had been impaled from behind with a spike of stone, tearing through her stomach. Looking back, the spike had emerged from the ground out of nowhere. Most likely, the Avitur had willed it to emerge.
"KUROKA!" Vali, Bikou, and Lefay screamed.
The sheer damage done to her was enough to be fatal. With their strategy broken, the Beast broke free. It grabbed Arthur and flailed him head-first into the ground. It backhanded Lefay into the distance while smashing its foot into Bikou's leg as it elbowed him away. Thrashing around, it latched onto Sun Quan and Elaine's legs and flung them into a distant mountain. Finally, it hammered its fist into Vali, shattering her armor before plunging her into the ground for good measure. The Avitur roared furiously as it let out a shockwave that blasted everyone miles away from it. Like a lotus of rock spikes, everyone was stabbed as painful pulses of energy smashed into them.
The Avitur, clear of any more obstacles, made a stampeding rush for Kunlun.
Bikou punched out of the rock over him and began searching for the others. The first person he found was Kuroka, underneath a tree.
"Kuroka!" He pushed the wood off her before rolling her onto her back to see the damage.
He gasped. There was a gigantic gaping hole in her stomach. He felt his blood run cold as panic set in. She'd already lost so much blood. Was it too late? He grabbed his emergency bottle of Phoenix Tears and dripped it over wounds. This would only heal her physical wounds, sadly. There wasn't a way to replenish the blood she'd lost.
"Guess I did a real blunder there, not even noticing that spike." Kuroka weakly choked out, blood dripping from her mouth.
"Hey now, you sound like you're quitting." Bikou weakly tried to joke it off.
"Since it's come to this, I'll say what I was saving up." Kuroka looked at him.
He paused. It was the most serious expression he'd ever seen on her. Instead of just looking him in the eye, it was as if she were peering right into his soul, trying to connect deeply with him.
"I-It's fine. We'll get through this, like Vali said. Just rest for now."
"Bikou…no, Mei Hou…we both know I'm not getting through this. Like others said, I'm walking bad luck. So, for just this while, I want to talk about something that's always been good luck to me."
Bikou gulped solemnly.
"I love you. I love you so much, Bikou. I've loved you for a long time now."
(Fairy Tail OST – Past Story. Play Music.)
Bikou froze, not believing what had reached his ears. Her words rattled his soul as he processed what she just said.
"You love…me? When? How?"
"It was a long while after I'd just joined up. You and Vali were the first people to give me actual kindness in years. You two gave me a home and made it feel like a home. Vali became like another sister to me and you became someone that I just couldn't stop thinking about. Sure, we fought a lot, but deep down, I loved you. I was so scared that my bad fortune would cause something. I got resentful at myself and sometimes, I vented on you. I was just being dumb. For the past few years, I've loved you but I couldn't bring myself to say a thing. That's why…I wanted…to…to say something…" Kuroka trailed off before finally…she fell completely silent.
Bikou gasped, wide-eyed with overwhelming panic and emotion. What was up with this? So much was going on that he didn't know how to process it all. His wise-cracks, jokes, and fake-smiles weren't going to work this time around. He didn't know what to do or how to cope. Was Kuroka dead or alive?
"Kuroka?...Hey, Kuroka…" Bikou quietly said, gently shaking her.
That was when the floodgates broke.
"Kuroka, please wake up! You can't just say this to me and then go!" He screamed at her, cradling her in his arms.
He desperately looked around, hoping for some kind of salvation, some kind of hope, anything. He was so disoriented and confused that he didn't know what to do.
(Fairy Tail OST – Past Story. End Music.)
While everyone had been fighting for their lives, Issei had been rushing towards the Peerage's location. The closer he got to them, the more his emotions flared. He felt dread for his friends' safety but most of all, he felt overwhelming rage. The entire time he ran, he felt so furious that he wanted to rush into the air and go charging at the cause. He knew this had to be a reaction from Bahamut. The emotions felt to sudden and unexplained. That wasn't all. His limbs, or rather, his entire body was teeming with a desire, the desire to fight and destroy. It was so strong that it scared him. Was the dragon so mad with rage that it could influence him even in its sleep?
His entire body shook as he felt the urge to summon his Sacred Gear. Issei was just so confused by so many things happening at once that he wanted to vomit. His brain kept beating against his skull as it his vision kept blurring and spinning.
However, that was only the start. As he ran, he saw navy mist cloud his vision. He felt himself grow cold as a tingling sensation scratched his back. He stopped dead in his tracks as he felt himself get pulled into his own mind.
In those dark depths, he was met with something: a navy humanoid.
"Who are you? What am I doing here?" Issei asked impatiently.
(God of War 4 OST – Echoes of an Old Life. Play Song.)
"Peace, friend. I am no enemy of yours. You could even consider me a guide, if you want."
"And how do I know that? Make your piece, quickly." Issei demanded.
"I am Rexis, a previous host to Bahamut, your predecessor, rather, one of them."
"And what do you want from me?"
"I'm actually here to help you. In the past, I was unable to communicate with you, but now that you have the 2 Gauntlets, the Core, and the Greaves, my connection to you has become strong enough to allow conversation. You are only two pieces short of completing the set." The Navy Figure said.
"I couldn't care less. Now, are you going to let me go back, or are you going to actually help me?" Issei asked.
"Very well. Your friends are in fatal straits right now. The creature they are fighting, isn't of this world's making, nor is it something they can kill. That power lies with you. I'm here to give you a push."
"What creature?" Issei asked.
"It is an Avitur, our ancient enemy. If you survive, I shall tell you more. For now, I am here to ensure that you do not waste your life. As you are right now, you're not going to survive even one attack from the enemy."
"And what's your solution?"
"I can give you a temporary power boost. Actually, the proper explanation, is that I can function as support to you. So, in a way, I'll be like a supporting AI. Not only that, but you would have access to the power that you used to kill Kokabiel." Rexis explained.
"Possession like that time? Like I'd agree to something like that."
"Well, would you prefer to just get there, die in one hit while your friends get slaughtered? They're strong, yes, but nowhere near strong enough, nor are they equipped to deal with that behemoth." Rexis countered.
"And once you start taking control, how do I know I'll get my body back?" Issei said.
"Like I said, it's not genuine possession. It'd be like strapping myself to you and moving alongside you as instincts or as a supporting AI." Rexis sighed.
"And why're you helping me?"
"Because, the fate of this world depends on it greatly."
Rexis' form began fluctuating, like a candle-flame about to go out.
"Are you going to take my offer or not?" Rexis asked, sounding more desperate.
Issei sighed.
"Alright, fine. What do I need to do?"
"Prepare yourself. The strain on your body will be far more than anything you've ever experienced. This time, you will be conscious through the entire ordeal. Regardless, are you prepared to endure it? It could mean death." Rexis warned.
Issei had no time to hesitate.
"It's meaningless if I'm the only one left behind because I was too weak. I have to help them, no matter the cost."
"Very well."
Rexis flew at Issei, infusing his spirit into Issei's mind and melding their control over his body.
(God of War 4 OST – Echoes of an Old Life. End Song.)
Vali stood up from where she'd landed. Wiping the blood and dirt off her, she saw that the Avitur was heading right for her.
"Vali, you all need to retreat." Albion warned.
"I've gotta stop it, Albion." Vali panted.
"It's too strong for you and you're not equipped for fighting it." Albion said.
"You mean, if I could use your venom, I'd be able to?" Vali scoffed at herself.
She looked up and saw that the Avitur was now standing before her.
"Vali, you're going to be killed!" Albion shouted.
He knew her. He knew she wasn't going to stop attacking it no matter what
"It makes no difference. I have to find a way to stop it. At least with the others away, I can fight more freely." Vali reasoned.
"You can't use Juggernaut Drive. Your mind's too muddled with negative thoughts and emotions to control it properly!" Albion warned.
He had a point. Vali was worried out of her mind over Kuroka's fate. When she saw that spike spear her intestines, Vali knew that the damage was massive. When negative thoughts and emotions mixed with the Juggernaut Drive, it made her vulnerable to losing control. Nobody needed that to happen on top of this.
"Then, I'll use some other method."
(Moribito, Guardian of the Spirit OST – Balsa Hashiru. Play Song.)
Vali equipped her Balance Breaker and coated it with an aura of mana. Charging right at the creature, she landed the first blow. With each punch she landed on it, a shockwave boomed from contact. She struck away at its face before jumping over its fist. Smashing her heel down on its head, she sent it into the ground. Grabbing its leg, she swung it back into the ground. This time, it showed definite pain in reaction to her hits.
The Avitur growled, slamming its hand into the earth. Vali, sensing impending attacks, flew into the air. Like a volley of missiles, sharp stones flew at her. Dodging back and forth, she used [Stardust] to destroy them before zooming back down, smashing her foot into the Avitur's chest. The Avitur caught her foot and gripped her neck, slamming her into the ground, cratering the earth.
Repeatedly bashing away at her armor with its rocky and clawed fists, it rampaged as Vali used magic to form a barrier.
"[Divide, Divide, Divide, Divide]" Albion announced.
With one shove, she blasted the Avitur backwards into the air. It visibly reeled in pain from the attack but within a few short minutes, it came rushing back down like a mortar. Raising its fist, it gathered the stone and earth under itself, creating a gigantic meteor.
"[Ivory Pillar]" Albion echoed.
Creating a gigantic magic circle, Vali fired a massive beam of light-blue mana at the meteor. She was relieved when it was obliterated but what came next surprised her even more. The Avitur was cleaving through her beam with a blade made from the stone on its arms.
"[Half Dimension]"
The Avitur cut off her attempt. Clapping its hands together, it willed the earth around her to swallow her, crushing her with boulders and metals. Vali struggled to push out, but despite her great strength, she was unable to. Her armor was also cracking, with her gems already shattering from the force of it all. Left with no choice, she dispelled her armor, creating a burst of energy that released her from the crushing rubble. It didn't matter, she had enough stamina to re-equip her armor.
Vali caught a fist from the Avitur as it landed next to her. She struggled to hold it back before kicking it in the knee. Stumbled by her, the Avitur retaliated with a punch. Dodging out of the way, she whirled around with a fist to its neck. Back and forth, they exchanged blows, with Vali blocking most of them.
"Vali, you're running low on steam. You need to retreat." Albion growled warningly.
"I can't, Albion." Vali brushed him off.
"[Divide]"
Vali swiped her hand through the air, cutting at the Avitur with [Division Slicer]. The Avitur howled in pain as the wave began slicing into his flesh, drawing blood for the first time since the long battle started. A long gash was left on its chest, glowing orange blood trickling from its chest. The Avitur glared at her before more spikes of bone and metal grew from its body. It charged at her right again.
"[Transcendence]"
Teleporting behind the Avitur, Vali poised to strike. Suddenly, spikes of metal elongated from its back, stabbing at the unarmored parts of her body.
"Geh!" Vali recoiled as the metal tore at her flesh.
Jumping into the air, it smashed her into the ground with itself on top of her. Jumping off again, it whirled around and began punching away at her rapidly. Vali was just too tired to focus properly. This long and painful battle was finally taking its toll on her at last.
(Moribito, Guardian of the Spirit OST – Balsa Hashiru. End Song.)
Suddenly, Vali felt something in the air. Something was zipping right over to them and it was unlike anything she'd ever sensed before.
(Attack on Titan OST – Attack on Titan/Armored Titan Theme Instrumental. Play Song.)
Boom! Colliding right into the Avitur's face was a navy gauntlet. The force of the attack resonated so strongly that it blew away their immediate surroundings before launching the Avitur miles away. Issei used all his strength as he pushed it as far away as possible.
"Issei?!" Vali exclaimed.
Vali looked at him and noticed his new pair of armored boots. Most of all, she noticed the dragon-shaped aura around him. It was the same as the one he had while fighting Kokabiel, albeit, it felt less overwhelming and it was smaller. Vali could only look on as she failed to muster any of her strength before passing out. The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was the shrinking sight of Issei throttling the Avitur away.
"Remember, you can't use this ability for too long. The more time passes, the more you'll be at risk of entering a fatal state. The most you've got is 15 minutes. After that, we'll need to disengage. The Abyssal Shadow, Bahamut's aura, will amplify all of your abilities while generating a constant state of healing and regeneration, Bahamut's key ability, the [Battle-born] ability.."
"And what of the Avitur?" Issei asked.
"The one you're about to fight is the Avitur of Earth. Its power doesn't lie in its size, but instead in its ability to manipulate earth and metal to fortify its strength and endurance. Of all the Aviturs, it boasts the highest durability and stamina. However, understand that this Avitur has only just awoken from its slumber and is too far from full power. Most likely, it's only at 43% of its true strength. That's why, you need to kill it as soon as possible. Let up and it will begin healing itself as well."
"And just how do I kill it?" Issei asked again.
"Bahamut's aura has the unique ability to damage a soul. The soul is an Avitur's main weak point. Much like you would wear down an opponent's body, you must wear down its soul. You're far from being able to destroy a soul, so that's the most you can do. Now, as for support, I can't do it completely nor can I do it constantly. I can only give you occasional bursts of recovery and power while I sustain Bahamut's aura and keep the damage done to your body in check."
"Anything else before I potentially die?" Issei asked.
"Yes. Fight with everything you've got or you're going to die indefinitely." Rexis warned.
With nothing left to share, Issei went in for the fight of his life. Punching the Avitur as hard as he could, the Beast went flying into the air. However, it immediately whirled around, punching him in the face. Crashing into the ground, Issei raised his hand, firing a navy beam of mana at the creature. Defending itself with a wall of stone and metal from its body, the Avitur landed on the ground before throwing a gigantic boulder of stone from the ground.
Punching it, Issei jumped over, kicking it away into the distance. Creating a gigantic sword, he tried to swing it down on the Avitur. Catching the blade, the Beast kicked him away into the sky. Leaping up to him, the Avitur grabbed hold of him and began punching at his chest. Issei tried to brace himself, but the pain was greater than he'd ever expected. He felt like each punch was a gigantic jet ramming into him. He stabbed a sword into the Avitur's arm before lodging a spear into its right side. Kicking it away, the two fell through the air.
Issei noticed that unlike with the others, the Avitur just seemed completely hellbent on pummeling him rather than the slightly more passive attitude it held towards the others.
"Gugh!" Issei was cut off from thought as the Avitur began punching him in the get while clutching his face.
With a burst of his aura, he broke free of its grasp. Without any care or any pause, they pummeled each other. Shrugging off punches, kicks, and swipes, they kept attacking and attacking. True to Rexis' words, Issei felt his wounds close up as the fight progressed.
Issei revved himself up before punching the Avitur as hard as he could again, sending it flying through the air and into the clouds. Since it was the Avitur of Earth, he couldn't let it touch the ground. Punching it away again, Issei tried to keep it up. Thanks to the Abyssal Aura, he had the ability to fly.
As he got ready to hit it a third time, the Avitur punched him with all its strength. Issei gagged as the blow connected with his chest. He could feel bones breaking and his body hemorraghing already. The pain was so great that he almost failed to keep the scream in. Then, he felt even more pain as a spike of metal and rock stabbed into his back as the Avitur elbowed him. It grabbed him by the face again, but he managed to get free. Creating blades on his knuckles, he violently lashed out. With each punch, Issei could see it recoil in pain, its flesh and stone tearing off from his face with each hit.
With both arms, the Avitur slammed down on his torso, rocketing him into the earth, creating a massive shockwave that literally shattered two of the mountains nearby. Issei flew right back up, imbuing more of his mana into his fist. Hitting the Avitur in its gut, he unleashed a wave of abyssal energy, blasting it away.
While it was stunned, Issei charged, kneeing the creature in the chin before gripping its head and ramming his fist into its face.
The Avitur roared in outrage as it stabbed him in the leg with its bladed arm. Yanking him around, he flailed Issei around like a rag doll before stomping on him repeatedly.
"Ugh!" Issei coughed out blood.
Firing a wave, he managed to get free just as he caught its fist before stopping the other. Issei struggled to push the creature back as it tried to crush and bend his hands. Yet, as he tried to think of something, the Avitur began glowing. The orange lines and spikes on its body began glowing as an overwhelming and feral aura enveloped it.
Issei tried to let go before he got hit but it was too late. The Avitur smashed its fist into his torso, sending him flying hundreds of miles in the opposite direction, right into Kunlun's mountain. The force of his crash was so strong that a giant chunk of the mountain shattered into dust. Issei managed to pry himself free but when he looked up, a wave of stone and metal spike came surging at him. Punching the ground, he sent back a shockwave of navy energy, canceling it out. That was all the Avitur needed, however. It clutched his throat and banged his head into the mountain repeatedly before strangling him.
Issei put both his hands on its wrists before firing navy mana, releasing him as the Avitur let go in pain. Punching it across the jaw, he knocked it back as he kept it up. With an uppercut, Issei infused more of his mana reserves into it, causing it to actually show pain this time. Creating a chain-blade from his gauntlets, he wrapped it around the monster before flying up into the sky.
Breaking out of its bondage, the Avitur grabbed hold of Issei by the torso and powerbombed him, smashing him head-first into the ground. Down, the Avitur began pummeling him, only to be blasted back with a beam from Bahamut's aura. Jumping up, he stabbed the Avitur in the neck, spewing orange blood everywhere before kneeing it in the right eye before throwing it into the air.
Gathering all his power, Issei fired a navy beam from both hands, blasting it farther and farther into the sky. He wasn't done yet, however. Creating a large sword from the meta of his armor, Issei went charging forward.
The Avitur regained its posture in the air and gripped its hands together before batting him away.
(Attack on Titan OST – Attack on Titan/Armored Titan Theme Instrumental. End Song.)
Crashing into a mountain, shattering the top of the formation, Issei skidded along the jagged ground, panting. True to Rexis' words, his wounds were regenerating. Sadly, he could feel the pain that went along with it. He could feel each bone piecing itself back together, every strand of muscle meshing, and his veins relinking. It was kind of disgusting but at the same time, the pain rapidly disappeared.
That was the least of it, however, he could already feel Bahamut's aura taking a toll on him. It was as if each cell in his body was slowly burning up and icing over at the same time.
'So, how do I kill it again?' Issei asked.
No matter what, this thing was just too durable to take down with brute force or conventional weapons and magic.
'With luck, you can amass enough abyssal energy to take it out. If not, then I'm afraid some sort of sealing method must be used. Unfortunately, you're far from being capable of sealing magic.' Rexis noted.
'So, we're pretty much screwed.' Issei panted.
"Not so. You just try and survive while I amass that abyssal energy. I need 10 more minutes." Rexis answered.
Issei scoffed at that time limit. He didn't even know if he could last 2 more minutes. Rolling out of the way, he dodged the Earth Avitur's ground-pound, hopping above the shockwave.
'The Earth Avitur lacks intelligent strategy, so it can only attack with the most basic methods, via brute force and body fortification. Keep it in the air as much as possible and try to stay at a range.'
Issei didn't see much success in the latter option. He wasn't as adept with ranged magic as the others. Gathering his mana, he burst forward and smashed his fist into the Avitur's face, sending it reeling back before it countered with an uppercut boosted by its own energy. Sent howling through the air, Issei was flung to the place that he didn't want to be: Kunlun City.
Flung through dozens of buildings, Issei came to a crashing halt as he dragged his hand through the ground to stop himself. Breaking into a run, he hit back the Earth Avitur in midair before it stomped on his face into the ground. Crashing into an oil tank, which exploded, the Earth Avitur dragged Issei's face along the ground before wailing on him with its fists.
Issei retaliated with a point-blank mana blast from his hands. He caught one of the Avitur's fists before kneeing its left elbow with all his strength. Bones crunched loudly as the Avitur howled in pain. It responded by grabbing a piece of stone it summoned from the ground and spearing him in the left side.
"Guhah!" Issei coughed.
Latching onto its right arm, Issei began burning it with Abyssal fire. The Avitur let go of him in a frenzy. For the first time, the Avitur displayed some sort of alarm. It leered at him as it raised both arms. Gathering its power, it smashed both fists onto the ground, sending out a shockwave that literally split the city in two.
Issei had no time to be stunned. He flew at the Avitur's moment of vulnerability and stabbed it in the chest with a spear from his Gauntlets. Using a beam of Abyssal energy, he blasted it backwards.
Before he could pursue the creature and keep it away from the city, Issei was forced to stop.
"Help! Somebody!" Someone screamed, a child.
(Attack on Titan OST – Rittai Kidou. Play Song.)
He turned around and rushed over to see that a little boy had been pinned beneath rubble. With a weak pulse of mana, he freed the child. Yet, his endeavor was interrupted when he sensed violent motions behind him. Catching a boulder, a fist broke through it, dragging him forward. The Avitur, unrelenting in its desire to kill him, began strangling him. As it squeezed his windpipe, it slammed him into the ground repeatedly like he was a hammer.
Lightheaded and tired, Issei had to get out of this. Summoning more of his power, Issei focused it into a katana and slashed the Avitur across the chest. Blood spewed everywhere as it stepped back. Issei pummeled it back with his fists. He looked back and saw that the child's mother had run to get him.
He gasped when he saw the Earth Avitur prepare another earthquake slam. As it raised its arms, Issei threw a giant axe into its body with all his waning strength. It pierced its torso, causing it to stall. With that chance, Issei grabbed hold of a passing vehicle and batted it away, causing it to bulldoze into the city, away from him.
Issei turned around and pushed away the rest of the rubble on top of the child.
"Are you ok?" He gently asked.
"I'm ok." The scared child nodded quickly.
"Stay with your mom and get far away from here, okay? It's going to be alright." Issei softly said.
"Mister, is that monster going to go away?" He asked.
"It will, I swear on it."
The boy held up his hand. He looked at Issei hopefully and nervously. He was clearly scared out of his mind but he still had some hope in the light of his eyes.
"Pinky promise?"
Issei smiled at the child's innocence. Seeing this child and the future that still awaited him, it raised his determination to destroy the Avitur. He could NOT let that creature hurt anyone else or endanger other peoples' futures.
"Pinky promise." Issei smiled kindly, shaking his pinky with the boys.
Sensing more movement from behind, Issei pivoted and held out a hand, catching part of a building that was falling toward them. He could feel his muscles tearing themselves apart as his joints cracked. Still, his regeneration was doing its job.
"Alright, get going now. If you see anyone, tell them to get as far away from here as they can and hide." Issei told the mother.
"Thank you and make sure to stay alive, boy." The mother nodded.
That was when Issei noticed something. Why was it so quiet now? Where'd all the people go?
Issei turned around and was horrified to see that in the distance, the Avitur had already paved a road of death behind itself. Guards and warriors of Kunlun had already tried to intercept it but all of them failed. The sheer number of dead bodies was already appalling, nearing the hundreds.
Anger and rage swelled within him when he saw this senseless desire for carnage and death. Was this all an Avitur wanted? Was this the only primal instinct it had? Summoning all his strength, Issei charged forward, tackling it as he forced it off Kunlun. The two fell of the mountain, punching and kicking away at each other. Bones cracked, blood spewed, and flesh was torn as the two kept bashing away at each other. Issei grabbed hold of the Avitur and dragged its face along the mountainside as he stabbed at it repeatedly with his Sacred Gear swords.
The Avitur, pent up with even more rage, grabbed his left arm and twisted it off before stabbing him in the right shoulder before headbutting him. It raked its claws across his chest before using its mana to puncture his stomach.
"Guhagh!" Issei vomited out blood as the overwhelming pain spread through his torso.
When he kicked it away, Issei used his boots' ability to create a shockwave that sent the Avitur miles into the surrounding forest. That was a bad idea, however, since it made him too tired to break his fall.
(Attack on Titan OST – Rittai Kidou. End Song.)
He landed harshly on the ground, his head bobbing onto the stone ground with a loud thud, causing some blood to spill.
For the past 12 minutes, he'd been bashing away nonstop against a civilization-ending monster that refused to go down and barely registered pain. Every cell in his body was in pain and on top of that, his stamina, mana reserves, and blood was running low. He had to end this now if he was going to survive this. Fortunately, his efforts weren't in vain. He had cause wounds that were failing to heal on the Avitur, probably due to it being from Abyssal energy. Thanks to Sun Wukong's training, he'd been focusing all his efforts on imbuing Bahamut's power into his attacks.
"Issei!"
Vali landed next to him. When she saw what had happened to him, she tearfully gasped. He was in worse shape than Kuroka had been.
"Oh, my goodness." She stifled a yelp.
She immediately poured Phoenix Tears on his wounds. Issei felt the numbing sensation of the Tears repair his body, joining with his own regeneration, which Rexis called the [Battle-born] ability. Issei took the few precious minutes to rest.
'Rexis, status report.'
'Just 3 more minute, Issei, hold on.'
'I need it to happen now.'
Just then, the rest of the Lucifer Peerage landed next to him. Thanks to Phoenix Tears and combined healing spells and potions, everyone managed to survive fatal wounds. Unfortunately, everyone was far from fully-recovered.
"You did a real number on that thing." Arthur said.
"Any ideas?" Kuroka weakly said, leaning on Lefay for support.
"Survive. I need 3 more minutes and I might be able to do something." Issei panted, pulling metal out of his knees and arms.
"Got it." Bikou weakly said.
Phoenix Tears were great for healing wounds, but it did nothing for stamina and energy. Vali took a deep breath before re-equipping her Balance Breaker.
"[Half Dimension!]"
Far away, she compressed the area around the Avitur. Sensing the magic around itself, the Avitur forced back Vali's attack, using its own ancient power and brute force. Bikou and his clones volleyed their staffs like javelins, striking it back as Lefay, Elaine, Kuroka, and Vali used their magic to keep it back with elemental and mana blasts.
"Mei Hou!" Lianshi said to Bikou.
His clones rushed forward, pinning their staffs into the ground and enlarging them around the Avitur. They kicked the poles, creating a loud ringing. Using [Whispering Wind], Lianshi used her power to amplify the sound, barraging the Avitur's armored skin with soundwaves to try and weaken it.
Sun Quan threw his halberd into the gap from above, giving another object to reverberate sound from as he ignited the creature with fire. Lastly, Arthur used Caliburn to force it into place with his dimensional abilities.
Suddenly, Issei sensed something. The Avitur was about to do something yet again. Beyond anyone's expectations, it still had the power to keep going. Building up its aura, the Avitur obliterated everything around itself with an eruption of small mountains and curtains of metal along with its orange mana. Everyone was blasted backwards from the sheer force, stunning them in the process.
Arthur and Sun Quan stood up, starting the charge to hold the monster off. It gripped both of their weapons before tossing them away. It grabbed them both by the heads before smashing them into the ground and stomping on their backs, causing loud cracks and snaps to echo.
It leered straight at Kuroka, Lefay, and Elaine next. Clapping its hands together, two walls of rock rose from the ground, squashing them together. Painfully, they were being folded like clothes under an iron before Bikou and Lianshi broke them free before it was too late.
The two made a charge, with Lianshi clanging her sword with Bikou's staff and creating a sonic boom that blasted the Avitur back. Before they could attack, the Avitur stepped to the side. Grabbing Bikou by the leg, it swatted Lianshi away before raising Bikou into the air and cracking his back on its knee, stabbing him in the process with its spiked joint.
"Bikou!" Lianshi screamed as she ran to free him.
The Aviture spiked its arm, swatting her away again. Crashing through several rocks and trees, Lianshi failed to get back up again, still reeling in pain. At long last, it turned to Vali and Issei.
"Damn it." Issei growled.
He was growing more and more enraged. He hated watching his friends getting beaten this badly. He knew their wounds were close to the point of no-return. They might've already used the last of their Phoenix Tears as well. Who knew if they were going to pull through this time? The fact that the Avitur made short work of them for the 2nd round already said a lot.
Vali stepped forward, steadfast and courageous against this unstoppable foe. That was when Issei felt a massive shift in the atmosphere. The air seemed to thicken as blue and white particles became visible around Vali. Her power was growing and it was reaching such a level that the Avitur seemed to pause for one small moment.
"I, who shall awaken,
Am the Heavenly Dragon who has taken the principles of supremacy
I envy the Infinite and I pursue the Dream-" She began.
Yet, before Vali could complete whatever she was doing, the Earth Avitur roared, blasting her back with the sheer shockwave of its erupting aura. It charged at her, causing her to stop midway before she could finish chanting again.
(Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald OST – Wands Into the Earth. Play Song.)
In that split second, Issei, fearing for her life as well, decided to push things along. He watched as the Avitur rushed at her and saw it creating blades from its body. He looked at the others and reflected on their grievous conditions. He truly didn't know how close to death everyone was. He thought back to the countless corpses he saw back on Kunlun. He thought about what would happen if this thing roamed free. It terrified him. The others could be dying and if this monster lived, so could others suffer the same fate. He had to end it now before his own strength gave out.
'Rexis, I don't care what you need to do, take control and kill that thing.' Issei solemnly said.
Rexis paused.
'I've yet to fully amass the power needed. I'll need to take a small portion of your lifespan to do it.'
'Doesn't matter. I need to protect the others. Take a limb, take a few years, I don't care. That thing needs to go down before it kills anyone else.' Issei responded.
'Then, be prepared. This pain will be unlike anything you've ever felt until now. Even the effects following this will be unknown.' Rexis warned.
Instantly, Issei dropped to his knees as a navy aura erupted from him. He gagged as he felt unimaginable pain course through every fiber of his being. It was like being electrocuted, burned, and frozen all at once.
"Issei?!" Vali screamed in shock as she heard him groaning and gasping in agony.
Issei felt the power alongside this pain, focusing it into his right arm. Looking at it, a dragon's head was forming out of the aura spewing from him. It flared and sparked and with it, came the same intense power that happened the same night he killed Kokabiel. Focusing and shaping the Abyssal energy from his soul and Bahamut's, Issei aimed right at the Avitur of Earth. Gathering all his willpower whilst fighting the dark and destructive impulses welling up inside him, Issei steeled himself.
It had stopped completely in its tracks, even stepping back in hesitation and fear. The clouds darkened with thunder and the ground quaked constantly as Issei grew ready to attack. Unleashing all his fury, he let it loose on the Avitur.
Roaring to life from his aura, the massive shape of Bahamut formed. It flew at the Avitur, swallowing it into its maw as it vaporized the creature, blasting away its body. Continuing the attack, Issei maintained the stream of navy mana, focusing his efforts on destroying every single atom of its body. At the same time, he tried to force himself to stay conscious. He had to hurry. The force of the attack was so great that the shockwave shattered the remaining mountains of Kunlun, toppling the Mountains of Fire, Water, and Metal.
The Avitur thrashed around, trying to escape but it was useless. Issei had the ghostly image of Bahamut circle around and devour the Avitur once again. This time, it was flung into the air, far away from its source of power. Weakened and faced with the power of Bahamut, the Avitur's body corroded and fragmented as its body became atoms before dissolving into nothing.
(Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald OST – Wands Into the Earth. End Song.)
When the attack dispersed into nothing, Issei immediately keeled over, his head smashing into the ground as all his strength left him. Even when it was over, his body was still in constant pain as it realized just what it had been put through. He wanted to scream in pain but he didn't even have the strength for that. He could only just pass out.
"Issei!" Vali ran over.
"His life-force is weakening rapidly. That fight was too much for his human body to handle. Any longer and he might not survive." Albion stated.
She tried to feel his pulse but it was growing fainter by the minute. He was dying. She immediately began to panic. What was she to do? She'd used all of her Phoenix Tears and the rest of her medical supplies had been destroyed as collateral damage in the fight. She didn't have time to get him to Kunlun for medical help either since Issei only had mere minutes. She began to tremble as the thought of losing another precious person shook her to the core.
"Issei, please, you can't die. I don't want to lose any more friends." She said.
That was when an idea sparked in her head. Evil Pieces were originally meant to literally reincarnate people into Devil servants. Yes, Ajuka had removed the function of turning recipients into Devils but he had left the resurrective ability intact. There was no other way. She had to use this method if she was to keep him from death. Vali took out her remaining Evil Pieces in a frenzy. Kuroka was her Queen, Lefay and Elaine were her Bishops, Bikou was one Rook, and Arthur was one Knight. That only left her with 1 Knight, 1 Rook, and 8 Pawn Pieces.
She held up her pieces and waited for a reaction. Luckily, her 8 Pawn Pieces resonated with Issei's soul. Despite the hefty cost, she didn't care. She needed to save Issei. Shockingly, all of them began sparking, erupting into navy fiery spheres. Vali began to panic even more when she thought that this had failed and her only means of healing him were gone. Much to her great surprise, the Evil Pieces had changed from red to sapphire-blue as they floated towards Issei.
"I, Vali Lucifer, King of this Peerage, name you, Issei Hyoudou as my sole Pawn. You shall be returned to this life as my servant and shall live beside me until our destinies part." Vali chanted the spell for the Evil Piece ritual.
The 8 sapphire Pawn Pieces entered Issei's body, phasing through his torso. For what seemed like hours instead of mere seconds, Vali nervously watched Issei as she tried to sense his life energy. She pleaded to whatever higher power that would listen, to save her cherished friend. Before long, Vali sensed his pulse strengthen to a normal state. She breathed a sigh of relief when that happened. The battle was over and the Avitur had been wiped out without a trace.
Too add to that, Issei was alive. He had saved everyone and killed the Avitur of Earth as well as awakened new powers. He had earned his rest for now.
Wow, that took forever. I honestly didn't expect to write such a long chapter but I got carried away. It just felt right to pack all this action into the chapter. For once in a long while, I just let my fingers do the typing and ended up here. Gotta admit, it felt refreshing to forgo logic for once in a while and just get carried off again.
Sure, it was just a crap-ton of action but that was the real intention of the chapter in the first-place since I wanted things to be a bit different this time. Less talking, a lot more punching.
Also, yes, the Earth Avitur isn't a giant lion-themed creature this time. This time, I wanted to change things up more and go off in a slightly different direction. Mostly, it was because I'd drawn out what I wanted the Earth Avitur to look like and how I imagined it in this new version. It looked nothing like a lion, so I changed its design. I didn't want to go for animal-themed designs with this one, anyways.
Also, before some of you get upset, it's a logical move to put Issei in Vali's Peerage. People had complained about it before about how I did the 'stereotypical' thing or 'I did what was overdone' and put Issei in a Peerage. Well, I did it because it made sense. He gets to spend more time with the other characters and he can involve the others more into the plot, later on. He would be involved with the others indefinitely even more strongly and it sets the stage up for later events.
To address another issue. The original story had people telling me about how the Evil Pieces reincarnate people. Well, this isn't Canon. I changed that. I also explained how it worked a long time ago too. So, I want to dispel any confusion as to why Issei's not a Devil and why it doesn't make sense with how it works. It's simply because I changed its function in the story. Unfortunately, a lot of people glossed over the explanation in the original story so I thought I'd restate it here in case that happened again.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and I'll see you at the next update.
