Whoops, didn't realize that my previous chapter was the same chapter as chapter 6. My mistake, go check it out. I fixed it. Enjoy.
"Damn that felt good." He went through 2 buildings from Gii's propulsion. "She's got strong pets. I'll kill them myself if I ever encounter them again." He cracks his knuckles and his neck. "I pissed off the Grim Reaper real good. He's gonna go after me now." he finds an open location and sits there. "I'll wait for you...right over here."
Ragna was following the debris that was left from the damage where Azrael was sent flying. "Where did that bastard go?"
Jubei talks through his communicator. It alarmed Ragna. "Kid, we heard explosions. Sorry, we're late. Your old man has gotten slow. On our way to your room, we heard Rachel's familiars yelling for us to help her out."
"Nago and Gii did a great job saving her. Fix her up please..." He felt guilty, he was still powerless and he is very angry about it.
"You won't be able to take on him alone. He'll kill ya! Wait for us." His master suggesting him that numbers would do the trick.
"It's alright, master. You don't have to worry about me." He turns off his comms.
"Ragna? Ragna! Damn. What's he tryna do?! He's gonna get himself killed! I'm going." Jubei grabbed his Musashi. "Nine, you can stay if you want to. I'm not gonna let him off on his own."
The cat felt a tap on his shoulders, Tager tells him to calm down. "Change of plans. We'll go help him out. We will proceed to leave right after supporting Ragna. "Rachel you can teleport right?" Tager taking the command.
"Yes, I can. But I cannot teleport anyone else other than myself and my servants. I will completely exhaust my magic reserves once I use it. Keep in mind that I'm no longer an observer." She wants to help him but unfortunately, she'll just be in the way. She knows that Ragna has attained new heights of power.
"Madame Rachel, you're hurt! Let me heal your wounds..." Celica proceeded to heal Rachel. "Thank you, Celica..."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Makoto raised her fists along.
"Right! Let's do this! Tsubaki let's go!" Tsubaki was still hesitant, but he is the brother of Jin so she had to.
"Besides, If he gets hurt I'll fix him up! Right Minerva?" They all followed to where Ragna went.
BOOM!
"Bastard! I found you!" Ragna breaks through the walls. He found himself in a construction site. "I'll make sure to beat the shit outta you. Now, I'm gonna show you some discipline you stray bitch."
"That's right! Your eyes are brimming with fire! Bring it!" He hits his hands together.
"I'll shut that mouth of yours. That'll keep you from barking." He cracks his neck and shoulders.
The Tyrant plays. (Azrael Theme)
The Wheel of Fate is Turning...
Rebel 1
Action!
Ragna starts off with a backspin kick hitting Azrael, it caught him off guard due to the monstrous speed and power it carried. He swipes his sword right after and Azrael blocks it with his arm and pushes him away.
"You got a hard skin but that ain't working on me." Ragna was smiling.
"What?" He looks at his arm. It was bleeding. A grin came from The Mad Dog, "That's right! Keep going!"
Azrael rushes at a high speed, "BUSTER!" Ragna saw this coming and dodges it. Grabs his arm and uses the momentum to slam him down into the ground.
"What's the problem?" Ragna throws him after picking him up. Azrael Recovers.
Azrael dashed and raised his leg. He was going for an ax kick. Ragna applied a technique his master taught him. It was a form of parrying and using the momentum of the force redirected at the opponent. He slid down and parries his ax kick and pulled him down using the force he used on the kick. It smashed him on the ground again. He takes out his sword and proceeds to thrust and a red mass started to form around it, its appearance of miniature black beasts going towards Azrael.
He rolled off the ground in time before he got stabbed in the blink of an eye.
Ragna takes a step and the ground under him crumbles. "I can do that too."
He appeared behind Azrael. "Over here." He aimed for his feet and he jumps. He drags his sword upward like a dagger. Azrael took the bait. The impact was so strong, even after blocking. It had sent him flying by the force exerted from his sword. He jumps following the height Azrael was in, "Nightmare Edge!" He cuts down vertically with the red mass engulfing Azrael. As soon as he was smashed into the ground. He hits him. The force is created made him grind on the ground, leaving a trail on the ground.
He got up from the crater he made. Azrael was in dismay when he realized Ragna was beating him up as if he was nothing. He got frustrated.
His fists started clashing with his sword, his fists started to feel numb. "What the hell?" He looks at his hands. He felt pain. His hands were wounded. Ragna then pulls out his sword and does a feint. He was after his legs, his guard was focused on the top.
"On your feet!" He stabs downward with a dark red mass engulfing the sword. It brought Azrael down to the ground.
"It's not over yet!" He grabs him by his hair and punches him. Sending him straight to the wall. "Is that all you've got?" Ragna was beckoning Azrael.
"Black Hawk..." He was preparing a stance. "STINGER!" He had hit him. But just like Hakumen's, he stopped it. "How did you?!" Ragna was looking him dead in the eyes, livid.
"I WILL DEVOUR YOU!" a claw formed grabbing him. Tendrils surround him and inflict damage creating a lot of wounds. He throws him again towards the wall.
"Shit...he overwhelmed me without using his Azure Grimoire. That's bad news..." Azrael was covered in blood. Ragna had beaten the crap out of him. But he had other plans. "That's right...keep fighting. This will be the best meal of my life!"
The group had arrived and were very shocked to see Ragna standing, and Azrael covered in his own blood. Jubei tells everyone to stay back. He senses something more dangerous coming. Nine sighed, she wanted to take part in the fighting.
"Enchant Dragunov...Level 4...RELEASE!" A red aura surrounds and engulfs the entire space around him. "SHOW ME THAT AZURE GRIMOIRE OF YOURS GRIM REAPER! THIS IS THE BEST MEAL I'VE EVER CAUGHT IN MY LIFE!" His wounds began to heal on their own and his raw power begins to multiply.
"Kokonoe...are you seeing this...?" Tager knew he would be no match against him.
"Rachel aren't you worried?" Celica questioned Rachel.
"Do not fret. I am confident that Ragna will be victorious. He has achieved greater power than a mere mortal would never reach. Not to mention, he has never broken a promise with me." She was confident in her words. She knew that Ragna had already won when he landed the first strike.
"Are you saying that he's immortal?!" Tsubaki was surprised.
"No, he is not. His power has gotten an immense boost. Observe and see that my statement is true." Nago shapeshifted into a chair for her to sit on.
"Use it. Use the Azure Grimoire! Or else I'll have a little fun with your girl when this is over..." Azrael's presence was enough to crack and destroy the ground he was standing on.
Ragna lost his temper for a moment. He appeared in front of him before Azrael could blink. "HUOOOOGH!" A trail of purple smoke was left behind Ragna. He had punched him straight at the gut. Azrael coughed out blood. "SHUT YOUR DAMN MOUTH YOU FUCKING DOG!" Just as he was about to leave Ragna's fist from the impact, he grabbed his neck and slammed him down. It cracked the ground below them.
"Nine did you see that?! That inhuman speed!" Jubei was shocked. Nine on the other hand started to get intrigued.
For the first time, fear had entered Azrael. But this made him more excited. "That's right...*cough*" Blood was coming out of his mouth. Ragna was thirsty for blood. "You truly have the title of Grim Reaper, I feel like I'm about to piss my pants!"
"I'll fucking kill you..." Ragna tightens his grip and raises him up. His fists brightened with purple smoke coming out of it. Azrael began coughing for air.
"This ain't good." Jubei had gotten worried. Ragna had lost his temper.
"Mister Jubei? What should we do?!" Noel asks the cat.
"Damn, I'm gonna have to stop him before this gets out of hand!" Jubei was about to jump down. "Even if it's gonna cost me!" Nine and Rachel stopped him. "I'm sorry Darling, but the princess' got this."
"Thank you Nine, I'll handle this." Rachel went down.
Ragna could hear something coming at him, it was screaming.
"MR. RAGNAAAAAAA!" It hit him. She used Gii as a projectile to get his attention. He immediately turned his head in the direction. He sees Rachel.
"Ragna! Breathe. You are not the Black Beast. You are Ragna the Bloodedge. Control your anger and calm down. Recall the memory of your friends!" Her face was shown to be full of care and concern for the criminal. "Listen to your Bunny-leech." This calmed down Ragna.
The purple mass enveloping Ragna's fist began to fade, "I'm- I'm sorry...I couldn't really bring myself to let him say those and have him get away with it. I got carried away..." He drops Azrael and steps on his chest. Not allowing him to leave. "Honestly, out of everything you could have said, you called yourself a bunny-leech. Not to mention, you even called me a dumbass." Ragna smiles and a soft giggle leaves Rachel. "Well, you are indeed an imbecile. But do not forget that you are my imbecile."
"I didn't expect the love conquers all bullshit. I wanted to die in fear. Welp, there goes my erection." Azrael was turned on when Ragna kept beating him up to a pulp.
"Fucking Masochist" Ragna kicks him and he hits the wall.
"Hey rabbit, stay back for a while. I got this and thanks."
"Do win for me please."
"You bet I will."
"Damn." He gets up and dusts himself off, "Did you even use your Grimoire? That felt great! Too bad I have to kill you right here myself! With or without the Azure Grimoire, Grim Reaper!"
"Keep trying. You'll just be dead meat."
Rebel 2...
ACTION!
He appears In front of Ragna in the blink of an eye. "Tiger Magnum!" An upward strike hits Ragna. He still kept his guard up. "Cobra Spike!" This pressures Ragna to keep blocking. "Valiant Crush!" A charged kick sent Ragna flying through multiple buildings. Azrael follows him leaving a red afterimage trail behind him. "I've seen your tricks! But you haven't seen mine yet!"
"Ragna!" Celica and Noel were worried. All of them followed the direction that he was pushed back.
Ragna crashes into a wall. He sees Azrael rushing towards him at an inhuman speed. The mad dog throws his jacket to blind Ragna. He punches through it.
"Haha! I guess it's over. You disappointed me Reaper." He felt like the punch in the gut was successful. He could feel something wet, it must be blood. He couldn't tell because Azrael's jacket was over it. His jacket fell and sees the criminal with a smug on his face. He had stopped the blow with his hands. The blood was not Ragna's but his. Even stopping it would damage Azrael to an extent.
"No way..." He uses his drive. The Terror. It reveals weak points when he hits his opponent. "Shit...this sucks but the pain I have is AMAZING!"
"There!" He sees 4 weak spots. His body began making afterimages, signifying he was going at an insane speed. He was planning to kill Ragna.
He starts to do the two-finger strikes on his 4 weak points. His neck, torso, arms, and legs.
"It's over!" He began to strike, "SCUD PUNISHMENT!"
He was attacking so fast that dust formed around him. But Azrael could still see his weak points and proceeded to attack with no sign of stopping. It looked like a massacre.
BANG! BANG! BANG! Each strike sounded fatal. It even sounded like a gunshot.
The dust clears. Revealing an unscathed Ragna. Azrael sees that he didn't even use his swords. He then began to sweat when he noticed the wall behind him had holes. He parried all of his attacks with just his hands.
"Wow, you were listening to me after all, Ragna boy" It was one of the techniques Jubei had taught him. It was his Guard Point.
"How the hell...Fight back! What's wrong?! I said to fight back! Why aren't you pulling a punch on me?! Are you just gonna play defense all day?! C'mon! Use that Grimoire of yours if you want to fight back!" He kept following up blows and strikes while he was being pushed back, he was blocking and parrying all of his attacks. "How is he negating all of it?! Not one even landed a good hit?!" He punched him one more time pushing him all the way back.
He proceeded to dropkick on Ragna's legs. He steadied his guard to block it. "PANZER STRIKE!" Ragna sees Azrael about to kick himself off the ground, knee first towards his face.
Ragna quickly grabbed his sword and countered it with an upward swing of his sword. "Inferno Divider!" It left Azrael open, "Down you go!" an ax kick bringing him down to the ground faster than a speeding bullet.
"How?! But I'm no longer using limiters..." He gets up and charges up rushes towards Ragna. The ground shakes with every step he takes. "FULL SPARTAN!" His hands were stopped by his. He tried to escape but Ragna's grip on his wrists was too solid. "There's no way in fucking hell...It must be a fluke!"
Ragna shows a smirk. "Darkness..." He raises his hand and it glows dark violet. Azrael instantly zoned away from his distance. Ragna dashes towards Azrael. Azrael raised up multiple layers of slabs from the ground to stop Ragna and prepares a counterattack. Unfortunately, it was all for naught, he destroys everything on his path and grabs Azraels neck, his hand turning into a claw. "FANG!" He crushes him and an explosion occurred. He grabs Azrael and throws him into the air.
"I'm not done yet." He gets a running start and jumps with his sword swiping up. "Inferno..." His sword hits the Mad Dog's abdomen. "S-shit!" Azrael flexed his muscles incredibly hard so the blade wouldn't cut him in half.
"You fell for it." Another smirk was formed. He knew that Azrael would try his best to not let the blade cut him. Even with that, it wounded him and Ragna was just toying with his food from the start. "The tables have turned Azrael."
"What?!" He sees a red mass forming on his sword.
"ERADICATOR!" They were sent to higher heights as Ragna propels himself with the red mass forming around his sword. He felt like he was in slow motion. He steadies his sword towards Azrael as they were about to fall. "BELIAL EDGE!" A diagonal downwards strike left a dark smoke trail behind him. Tendrils surround the Mad Dog as they crash-landed on the ground. The dust clears and reveals Ragna standing.
"I'll kill you someday. But not now." The dark tendrils form and trap him in place leaving him incapacitated. His mouth was wide open and was not moving a muscle. He was fatally wounded but not enough to kill him. He was knocked out cold.
"Nice. Shows how strong I had gotten huh? I'm pretty surprised about how I didn't even break a sweat." He was incredibly overjoyed when he realized that he barely powered up and defeated him. Not only that, he managed to let off some steam on Azrael when he lost his temper. "Jeez, I nearly killed the guy...if I were to kill him, some events would branch off." He was relieved.
"No way...he didn't even use his Azure Grimoire." Tager was astonished
"Professor?" Silence answered back.
"I-I need some fresh air. Ragna had beaten a full-powered Azrael and only enabled a bit of the Idea Engine without even knowing he did? He even controlled the output while attacking amplifying the damage. I need to take a breather." A delayed response from her. She lost it.
"As expected, I had confidence that he would be victorious in the end." Rachel was glad that he was alright and she was right about him.
"I gotta say, he's way stronger than all of us here. Reaching out to him was a good call Rachel. If he were to go feral there would be no going back." Jubei admits that he's now below Ragna. He didn't care about his status, he was concerned for his sake. "Nine, don't try to fight him. You'll definitely lose." He grabs her hand.
"Tch. Fine." Nine pouted a bit. She also wanted to have a good fight too. Jubei would be upset if she gets herself hurt and she didn't want that.
Makoto's eyes glitter from amazement. "Wowwwww He's so cool! I wonder if I can ask him for some tips or something. He's just so cool!" She suddenly felt a sharp lethal glare. Rachel was looking at her.
"You may ask him for assistance in developing your strength. I have but one warning. Flirt with him, and I can guarantee that I will bury you in a coffin. Alive."
"O-okay!" She was in complete fear.
"I didn't expect Madam Rachel to be so grumpy about it..." Noel was relieved that she was in the green. Rachel knew that she is his sister in a way as well. Noel in the other hand didn't.
"Has he always been this strong Lady Rachel?" Tsubaki questioned the vampire.
"He will explain in due time." She gave her a cryptic reply.
"I see...Jin, I'm sorry to say this but you wouldn't stand a chance against him." She was getting concerned for Jin's sake.
Ragna sees the group and walked towards each other.
"Wait, you all saw it? I thought Rachel was the only one here."
"You should have seen it. Kokonoe backed out in astonishment from your performance Ragna." Tager was also surprised.
Rachel walked to him giving him a proud smile. "Well done Ragna. As expected, you were victorious."
"I just wanted to beat the crap out of him for hurting you. Thanks again, I would have completely lost it if it weren't for you." He takes a look at her face and crouches to reach her height. Her wounds were healed. "Your wounds, Celica patched you up?"
"Mhm. Thanks to her, I have fully recovered."
"That's good to hear." He was smiling and so was she.
"Ahem...okay let's have the discussion about you two later. What is Azrael's condition right now?" Kokonoe scared him when she suddenly talked to him in his communicator.
"Knocked him out cold, unconscious. Wanted to kill him but I figured that he might play a role on something." He didn't want to mess up their timeline so he spared him.
"A role? What could that be?" Kokonoe asked him.
"I dunno. With his raw strength, it can be useful while I'm occupied by something. He can't escape the bindings unless it's someone more powerful than me."
"Alright, Noted. I'll remember that. Better make sure he doesn't escape or else you're in for a treat. You guys should get going. The travel might take a day or less depending on the outcome. I checked out the sensors and there might be some janky stuff when you get there. The path will either be extended or shortened. Good luck to you all." She turned off her comms.
Meanwhile in Hakumen's position...
"Why are you here, Jin Kisaragi. You were supposed to be going as a group, not as an individual." Hakumen sitting on a log, arms folded.
"I have no need for assistance. I can deal with things on my own." Jin still being the stubborn man he is.
"You should have stayed behind and gone together with Tsubaki. What would you do if she was in danger? With you, nowhere to be found."
"..." He was left with silence. "Why do you ask me such questions Hakumen? You do know that it is my problem to deal with. Other than yours. You may be me from a different time, but my actions alone are my decisions. Not yours."
"If so, I have a favor for you."
"What is it?"
"Protect Tsubaki. Protect her and make sure that both of you live in the end. It was my fault that she was killed due to the similar mistake that you have done." He sits down, "Thank your brother for keeping her safe. Without him, Azrael would have taken her life."
"How do you know that Azrael is around. What makes you think that he is affiliated with Tsubaki? Speak of her death again, and you will eternally sleep in a frozen prison." He unsheathed his sword and pointed with it at Hakumen.
"I was informed by Kokonoe. The Dark One has defeated the Mad Dog. Everyone in his presence was unharmed." Hakumen sighs, he now knows what it felt like talking to himself with that kind of attitude. "I am only sharing my wisdom Jin Kisaragi. Do not make the same mistake again. Or else you will suffer the consequences of your actions like I did in the past." If Jin were to fail. That would not only break his promise but fall into despair.
"Kokonoe informed you? Why was I not told?"
"She may have forgotten about you. You journeyed along all by yourself Kisaragi."
"Tch. Fine. I understand. I'll take your word on it." The reason why he didn't want Tsubaki to come along was to keep her safe. He would normally be a target because of his strength. Tsubaki is strong, but she has limits and isn't as far as Jin. He realizes this and gets frustrated.
"Don't you dare disappoint me"
Later in Ragna's group.
"The sun's going down. I don't know about you guys, but should we continue? Hakumen's signal isn't that far." Ragna asked the group.
"No, we have to rest. We'll be there in a while after the sun shines." Jubei suggests a break time for the rest.
"Yeah sure, I guess that'll do. I'll go get some firewood and we'll call it a day." Ragna agreed and so did everyone else.
"I'll go help Ragna!" Celica exclaims.
Everyone sets up a campfire in their separate areas. Jubei was out to catch some food. Ragna was going to help him but the cat told him that he'll take care of it himself, but Nine said otherwise. Time passes and the married couple came back with a ton of food.
"Hey kid, me and Nine will take care of the cooking, cut yourself some slack." The cat tells Ragna to rest.
"Aight. Suit yourself, master." As he was about to lay on the grass he felt a poke behind him.
"I brought us mats for us to sleep on." Ragna forgot she had spatial magic. She was able to store stuff inside her own pocket dimension.
"I don't need one. I'll be the one to keep watch during the night. The same goes with Minerva." Tager suggests that he will take watch. Minerva nodded as in agreement.
"Thanks, Tager, you too Minerva." everyone simultaneously thanks to the two.
Jubei and Nine had cooked the food they caught on the way. They caught fish and some rabbits. Some stray chickens were caught too.
While everyone was eating, the couple were sitting on a log near a lake.
"Honestly, I never thought that we would experience such things." Rachel, nibbling on her fish on a stick.
"Yeah, me too. But so far, I've been enjoying it. You too right? I know that I'll be leaving as soon as we're done with this, so don't forget to give me a good slap got it?" His time there would be temporary for Rachel. It would suck for her but he promised that it'll be all worth it.
"I don't think I can look at the other you the same way anymore." She was worried. It would feel different. They may be the same, but there's always that one feeling that doesn't fit in.
"Lemme..." She doubted him so he was gonna prove it. He took her fish on a stick and placed it beside him. He leaned in and gave her a kiss. He shared a memory in which, he was saving her from being tortured by Hazama.
"I can't move...agh...it hurts..." She was in the scene where she was trying to escape. Ragna and Naoto arrived in time to save her. And then, she returns back to where they were sitting.
"W-what was that?" She was confused. "It felt like I was...there..." she holds her arms. She could feel the presence of being crushed again if she thinks about it.
"Yeah, the memories that'll come back will also make you remember things as if you were there. So that way you don't have to worry about anything else. You'll even have that feeling that the other me is me. So trust me in this will ya?" Ragna ensured that his other self would also experience what he did. Allowing himself to overwrite and be the same person for Rachel to experience.
He remembered the last time he tried to explain. "I should've done that in the first place." His explanation was not exactly very clear. And the experience she had of the memory of their embrace was a little brief. She didn't get the right experience to fully understand.
He gives her back her meal, "Ah, I see..." she felt better knowing that there was no longer anything to worry about. Her anxiety was manifesting into bigger clumps and now, they're all gone. "Thank you, Ragna." She leans on him as they both gaze upon the clear lake. It was reflecting the clear sky above it.
"A majestic sight. I had never seen a lake like this before..." She had seen numerous things but this one was new to her.
"The skies cleared up pretty fast didn't they?" He gives her a little tap, "One more thing to tell you, so everything we had experienced so far, it will be relived as if you were there once you make contact. And I mean both of you." He formed a little smug, "Especially that night."
He gave her a little punch on the shoulder, "Silence mongrel! I can pierce this stick right through your grimoire corroded arm! Ah, forget it. I would be lying if I were to deny it."
"You got a set of lungs, I can give ya that." He snickers. She was blushing and at the same time annoyed.
"Hey, both of ya lovebirds! We are gonna sleep in a bit. Don't stay up too late. I don't wanna see any sloppy people tomorrow." The cat realized that something was missing. He left his scanner to locate Hakumen.
Celica taps his head, "Don't worry, everyone else has their own, you can just follow along!"
"Well, that's our queue. Let's go." He stood up along with Rachel.
Everyone had their own sleeping mats thanks to Rachel, but she had a bigger one just for the two of them.
She places it on the grass and lays it down first. Ragna was helping the rest prepare their own. As he finished, he sees Rachel tapping on the vacant spot of the mat.
"Ahh, that's better." He removes his jacket and folds it. He places it beside him while Rachel pulled the sleeping mat's blanket, covering them both. She cuddles Ragna and greets him goodnight. He does the same.
"Good night Ragna."
"Good night rabbit." She pinched his thigh after he called her a rabbit.
Tager was sitting on a stump watching over the rest. Jubei was snoring while meowing in his sleep? Everyone but Nine was sleeping through it. It wasn't noisy but rather it was cute. As for Nine, it was just plain noise. She loves cats and all but a snore is a snore for her. The mage proceeds to make a noise-canceling orb on Jubei's face and slept. The couple was embracing each other tightly and the 4 girls were sleeping quietly and hugging their pillows.
"Ragna the Bloodedge, you are lucky to have someone that cares for you. Even after what you have done. I'm glad that you are able to find some peace. You deserved one after all" Tager is aware of the actions of Ragna. And the reasoning behind his rude demeanor before he had developed better. He was a wanted global terrorist. Hated by everyone, a big target. After what happened, he was basically on autopilot. He would not let anyone near him at all, but he had never harmed innocent people. Even if he did, it was never intentional. He would even treat someone food if they asked him nicely. He had to do what he had to do. Only a few people were there for him and didn't even try to kill him at first sight.
He needed a break.