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Yharnam.
Hell on earth…
This is the Land beyond the Mist… Where even Gods disappear when entering.
I nearly stumble, but manage to recover my strength and shake my head as Hunter gives me a look filled with guilt.
"I…" She starts, wetting her lips, having taken me away from graveyard, where the child's father is currently desecrating any corpses around. "Another Hunter suggested that I use the bell to summon a companion for assistance during rough fights, but I didn't think…" She sighs, and I shake my head and put a smile on my face.
This is a blunder, and a disaster, but I cannot blame her.
She needed help, and used the one thing that would give her some, and I feel like this is a chance given to me by God to assist those within the Land beyond the Mist.
"That is alright, you didn't know what would happen." I reassure Hunter with a gentle smile, then give the small girl by her side a glance. "I presume you need assistance in dealing with the man inside the graveyard?" I ask softly, and her expression falls into a rather grim look.
She opens her mouth, then pauses and turn to the small child beside her. "Gloria, come here for a moment honey." She beckons the child onto her lap, then raises her hand to cover her ears before taking a deep breath.
"The man inside the graveyard is a veteran Hunter called Gascoigne… And he's Gloria's father." I take in a sharp inhale of air at that. If he has gone mad then…
"Her mother… She's one of the corpses in the graveyard now." I clench my fists at that, but concentrate and swallow down my anger and disgust to listen to Hunter. "I've fought him three times already, but he is far more skilled and far stronger than I am, and he has killed me each time with ease-"
"W-Wait, killed?!" I nearly shout as I process Hunter's words, and her eyes widen quite a bit before her face pales.
Her hands shake slightly, and her lower lip quivers. "Yeah, I've… died dozens of times already by now. But I somehow keep coming back." A shudder goes down my spine at her words. "I've been eaten alive by a beast, stabbed to death, shot, torn apart by dogs, beaten by large hulking beasts and impaled by weird humanoids beings, and on the list goes…"
A shudder goes through her whole body, and her eyes burn with unshed tears as she takes in a slow and shaky breath. "It's like I'm cursed…"
I can't stop myself from scooting forward and hugging her tightly, making her gasp softly in surprise.
I said nothing. I just held her tightly, letting her calm down her shaky breathing and chaotic emotions.
I pull back only after a minute, giving Hunter a soft smile when I notice that she looks so much better than before.
"Thank you, I needed that." I merely nod as she takes a deep breath, then looks down at the quiet yet adorably confused Gloria on her lap. "I kind of messed up by bringing Gloria with me, but maybe she can help her dad snap out of it…"
I hum, but decide to say nothing before standing up and turning to look towards the distant graveyard.
Gascoigne…
Is he stronger than Henryk?
'Till now, I still haven't surpassed that damned man.
He held back and let himself be killed for some reason, and I'll never accept that.
From the feel of it, Hunter is a lot stronger than Xenovia, maybe close to my level, but I'm not sure yet.
She seems… New to this.
I can't explain the feeling. It's more like the fact that I can tell that she is new and doesn't have much experience.
I shake away those thoughts and offer her my hand, receiving a small smile in return as she takes it and stands.
I hold hopes that Gascoigne isn't as strong as Henryk, mostly because Hunter was able to fight him for a bit.
Madmen go all out from the beginning, so if Gascoigne is just like that, and as strong as Henryk… Well, we won't really stand much of a chance.
"Will you help daddy?" The small girl asks in a gentle, quivering voice, making my heart ache as Hunter's face falls in pain.
I sigh, and kneel beside her and give her a small smile. "We'll try honey. We'll try." Her lower lip quivers, and I give her chubby cheek a gentle pinch before straightening myself and nodding at Hunter.
She wets her lips and breathes in, then pats Gloria. "Honey, if things go bad… I need you to move away and hide, okay?" The child's eyes redden at that, and I think that deep down she understands what will very likely happen.
Glora nods softly, and I sigh deeply.
Why must children suffer like so?
Hunter shakes her head and leads the way to the graveyard, her saw cleaver clenched tightly in her right hand as the other digs into her pouch, then brings out a smoking piece of paper from within.
She proceeds to rub it against her weapon, then gives it a gentle swing, causing the weapon to light up with scorching flames.
That's cool…
But wait, that's not magic… How peculiar.
I pull my gaze away from her burning weapon and look at the arc before me before breathing in. "Adonai Melek." I call forth, letting the comforting presence of my suit of armor envelope me, strengthening my body to greater levels.
I'll have to upgrade it soon since I feel like it's starting to lag behind with the other Artifacts.
Though the Sinful Form is incredibly powerful, which I might need for this fight.
The brilliant form of my Neo-Longinus soon appears in my right hand, and I give it a gentle twirl as I inspect it.
It too is starting to lag behind a bit. I've been using Sandalphon more and more due to that.
I grip the shaft tightly, then turn to the wide-eyed Hunter. "You ready?" She blinks, gulps, then nods.
So we both step forward and into the graveyard.
The crunch of our boots on the ground below instantly alerts Gascoigne of our presence, evident by how he freezes up mid-swing before bringing the ax down one last time.
"Beasts all over the shop…" He growls out in a deep, yet somewhat gentle voice. "You'll be one of 'em, sooner or later…" He turns towards us, regarding us with blindfolded eyes as he breathes out heavily, as if intoxicated.
The sight nearly makes me growl and snap, reminding me too much of Henryk and all those other damned Madmen I've slaughtered so far.
"Daddy!" Gloria cries out from between us, causing the man dressed in priest garbs to freeze. "Please stop, daddy! Come back!" I grit my teeth at the pain in the child's voice, and watch as the man drops his gun to hold his head.
I twinkle of hope rises in my chest at the sight-
But is instantly squashed when the man howls like a man possessed and stomps on the ground before charging at us.
"Gloria, hide!" I scream as I launch myself forward with a snarl on my face, then meet Gascoigne downward slash with a swing of my spea-
My knees buckle and my eyes widen as the force behind the blow nearly forces me on my knees.
What the he-
My vision blurs as the priest turned Madmen boots me in the stomach, robbing my lungs of air and hurling me across the graveyard and against a hard wall.
Pain flares from my back and stomach, and I gasp and catch my breath as I cast Soothing Aura around me.
And I couldn't help the fear that rose inside of me as I lifted my head to stare at the howling man.
He's stronger than Henryk…
"Ataraxia!" Hunter screams, and I grit my teeth and stand back up, the pain swiftly fading away as I do so.
"I'm alright!" I shout back, then twirl Neo-Longinus before casting all Elemental Enchantments on it and hurling it at Gascoigne with as much strength I can muster.
Hunter launches herself forward at that moment, and Gascoigne deflects my hurled spear with his ax before raising his other hand towards Hunter.
Only to realize that he had dropped his gun a few seconds ago.
I recall Neo-Longinus to my hand as Hunter grabs that opening to swing her saw cleaver, leaving behind a large, burning and bleeding gash across Gascoigne's chest.
Neo-Longinus turns into Sandalphon, and a thunderclap echoes across the graveyard as I launch myself forward, meeting his second downward swing of his ax and deflecting it successfully, stopping it from very likely decapitating Hunter.
"Don't make large swings and leave yourself open!" I shout at her, receiving a quick thanks and nod from her even as her face paled at the realization of what could have happened.
I stretch my senses and relax when I find Gloria hiding at the edge of the large graveyard and behind a grave, all huddled up on herself.
I wanted nothing more than to rush over and hug the poor girl, but alas… I had to kill her father first.
I truly hate this world sometimes.
I jump back to stand beside Hunter and breathe in. "I'll deflect his blows as much as I can, try and get in some blows in between." I suggest, and she nods.
"Be careful, he's horrifyingly strong." She warns me, but I already experienced his clearly inhuman and monstrous strength in our first exchange.
Gascoigne howls again and charges at us once more, his ax coming down to dig into the ground as if it was butter before he swung it upward, launching dust, earth and stone at us.
I call on my Law of Earth and disperse the debris he launched at us before meeting his charge, this time while pumping Mana Burst through my whole body at it's highest output.
Sword and ax meet in a deafening metallic collision that echoes across the whole graveyard, and Hunter launches herself forward at that very moment.
Her saw cleaver swipes through the air, having been turned to a longer form that allowed her to swing for Gascoigne's face.
The man, even while fully insane and driven only by lust for blood, managed to move his head away from the swing.
But the flames brushed against his face, making him flinch slightly, giving my an opening to raise my foot and return the favor by slamming it into his stomach.
He gags and keels over, and Hunter swiftly swings back down, leaving a blood gash over his right shoulder.
He howls, the pain giving him a burst of strength strong enough to push me back, the wild swing of his ax nearly cleaving my stomach open.
He straightens himself, but a gunshot hits him right in his heavily injured shoulder, causing him to stagger back in pain.
I wave my hand and hurl several large fireballs at him, letting them explode in a fiery storm of fire and smoke.
"Having someone to fight with really is the best…" Hunter whispers softly, and I have to agree to her words.
Fighting with Xenovia and Irina was hard, as they didn't really match my tempo and growth, while fighting with Aponia was the best.
She could watch my back, could match my tempo, and being with her was an all around wonderful time.
And Hunter here… She perfectly matched my tempo, grasped the openings, gave ones, all of that while fighting from right beside me.
It's a really nice feeling.
I breathe in and stomp on the ground just as the smoking and howling form of Gascoigne charges out of the flames and smoke left behind by my fireballs.
A surge of spears, swords and barbed spikes rose out of the ground to meet his charge, yet he just went through them as if they weren't there.
I breathe out, then shift the ground below him through my Law of Earth, causing him to stumble and giving me an opening to swing Sandalphon, aiming straight for his neck.
Yet he uses the fact that he was already stumbling to squat down, his hat being taken off of his head by my wide swing, and his free hand clenches into a fist as I rises back up.
And then proceeds to smash it right into my side.
My eyes widen as pain shoots through my whole body, and the disgusting taste of blood fills my mouth.
But I swallow it back down, narrow my eyes and grit my teeth in anger, then grab his wrist with my free hand and let go of Sandalphon before punching him in the face with enough force to smash him into the ground hard enough that he ricochets back up on impact.
I could have slashed him with Sandalphon, but dropping it confused him, giving me the opening to punch him in the face and actually do some damage.
The deranged priest swiftly rolls across the ground before jumping back to his feet with a snarl on his face, then jumps to the side to dodge a bullet that Hunter shot.
I go to move to press on the charge, but freeze when gentle music started ringing out across the graveyard, right from where Gloria is hiding.
Is that a music box?
Why is she…
My eyes widen when Gascoigne drops his ax to grab his head with both hands, moans and whimpers of pain and hurt flowing out of his lips as he staggers left and right.
I share a confused look with Hunter before shrugging. Might as well use this opening to put the man out of his misery.
I lung forward, Sandalphon rumbling with thunder and sparks as I clear the distance in a split second, then slash the sharp edge of my blade at his neck-
Gascoigne howls, and the hair on the back of my neck stand on end as my instincts start screaming at me to-
I gasp and snap back to my senses even as pain floods my whole body.
My ears are ringing, and my body is fully numb and refuses to move.
I blink and force my gaze to focus as I grunt from the pain, then gasp softly at the sight before me.
Gascoigne turned into a hulking, howling beast… Just like Henryk did…
No, Henryk was still somewhat sane enough that he could talk.
Gascoigne is just… gone. Fully insane.
Just another disgusting Madmen turned Beast.
"Atara-" Hunter screams in worry towards me, but the transformed Gascoigne moves at that very moment, turning into a blur and swinging his enormous arms at Hunter.
Her weapon is knocked out of the way, and four bloody gashes are left on her stomach, nearly tearing her apart had she not instinctively dodged back.
But Gascoigne didn't let her go with just that, and proceeds to spin around and deliver a crushing swing to her side, sending the red haired girl hurling across the graveyard.
Sandalphon instantly snaps into my grip, and a thunderclaps roars out as I launch myself forward, grabbing the flying form of Hunter before rolling across the ground, shielding her with my body as I cast my Healing spells on her one after the other.
She gasps, whimpers and chokes on blood, eyes wide, red and full of tears as her hands move around in a panic. "I got you, I got you!" I tell her, forcing her hands to be still lest she injures herself further and worsens her injuries.
I throw a glance towards the slowly approaching Gascoigne, his beastified visage spread in a sadistic, drooling grin as he approaches, claws dripping with Hunter's blood.
I need to do something, lest we die…
"Hunter, listen to me." I whisper and grasp her hands tightly. "I'm going to do something to you, and it will hurt, but it will make you stronger. A lot stronger." I squeeze her wrists as she gulps down her own blood, face scrunched up in pain as tears pour down from her eyes.
"Just trust me on this." She whimpers, then nods hurriedly, so I sigh and call upon Halvanhelev, but leave the enormous sword beside Hunter as I straighten myself.
I never did this before, as I am not worthy of having it rest upon my head, but…
Call upon my might, child.
Call my name.
I breathe in, then breathe out, before calling upon the name of the greatest Artifact in existence.
"Keter."
The gong of a titanic church bell echoes across the graveyard, and through the rest of the accursed and filthy city as a gentle and soothing weight rests upon my head.
Silver veils fall over my face as a kaleidoscope of millions of colors explodes forth, lighting up the dome of the sky with rainbow-like luminescence.
I breathe in, feeling the Mana of the whole world bow to my command, and I grow very aware of how insanely dense the Mana in Yharnam is.
It's like it has never been used before.
I breathe it in, then focus on several things at once.
I focus on improving my Mana Core once more.
I focus on creating more Mana Stars.
I focus on healing and turning Hunter's whole body into a powerful artifact, just like I did with mine.
I focus on improving my own body even more.
Faster, stronger, tougher.
And then I focus on creating my next armament. Sandalphon is done, as there isn't more that I can add to it.
So it's time for a new and different weapon.
One meant for pure, physical power.
Gascoigne roars, forced back by the heated aurora of lights around me as I lift my hand.
Adonai Melek comes into existence around my body once more, minus the helmet, and I swiftly repair all of the damage done to it as the dense Mana in the air swarms towards me, bowing and obeying my command.
A weapon quickly takes shape, super-heating the surrounding air and stones in the process.
"Uriel." I give the one-handed ax the name of the Flame of God as it's first form, then slowly shift it and create it's far more terrifying and heavy second form. "Camael."
A heavy two handed war-ax with a blade as big as my whole upper body smashes into the ground before my feet, then heats it to the point of causing the rubble to melt and glow with a brilliant orange-white color.
It's nearly as tall as me, and it's blood-red in color, with the large blade being constantly wrapped in dark blue scorching flames.
I breathe in, then lift my gaze to glare at the growling and snarling Gascoigne as I grab the staff of the war-ax.
I instantly feel my body fill with enormous amounts of power as I lift the still heavy weapon in the air, then let go of my negative emotions, allowing them to morph Adonai Melek to it's darker and far more powerful form.
"Grit your teeth, you bastard." I growl out towards Gascoigne, then launch myself forward, cratering the molten ground in the process.
The beast howls and meets my charge with his, his skin smoking and burning under the heated brilliance of Keter.
I grab the large ax with both hands, then swing as if it was a baseball bat as I dodge the deadly swipe of Gascoigne's claw.
The sharp edge of my ax slams into his stomach and releases an immense explosive burst, turning Gascoigne's body into a missile that breaches the Sound Barrier and hurling him across the graveyard.
He flies past the large statue in the middle of the graveyard and proceeds to smash into the wall right by the stairs leading above.
Then he steps out of the rubble, looking barely injured even from getting hit right in the stomach.
And the cut left behind on it is healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Damnable filth…
I flare my nostrils in anger and launch myself forward once more, with the beastified priest doing the same.
I can't win against him alone, but I can damage him enough that it'll make things easier once Hunter will rejoin the fray.
But she needs an opening, and I'll give her one.
The burning blade meets Gascoigne's insanely strong claws in a clash that craters the ground, but I smirk as the beast suddenly stumbles as the ground below his feet suddenly softens.
I spin around, then swing Camael upward, smashing it's back into Gascoigne's chin and releasing a deafening boom as his body is hurled dozens of meters in the air.
I breathe in, and the Mana swarms towards me and into my armor, swiftly transforming into a pair of large blackish-purple wings.
I jump as the flap, sending me soaring through the air, allowing me to swiftly reach the spinning form of the damnable man that preferred blood over his own damn family and child.
That thought makes me clench my hands around Camael's staff with even greater strength, so to release that hate and anger I smash the ax down on his chest, sending him hurling back down.
He smashes into the ground, sending debris flying everywhere as his heavy form craters the area on impact, and I flare my nostrils before spinning around and hurling Camael down towards him with a scream full of fury.
The weapon descends down like a flaming meteor, smashing straight into Gascoigne's body before releasing a massive explosion that shakes the whole graveyard.
I'm not done yet.
I rear my hand back as I call upon my Law of Fire, commanding the Mana in the air to gather into a large flaming spear in my hand before I hurl it down just like I did with Camael.
But the spear doesn't explode. It turns into a massive flaming pillar on impact.
And yet, my eyes widen when the charred form of Gascoigne jumps out of the dissipating flaming pillar, rushing across the graveyard and sliding to a stop around his discarded ax.
He growls, arms bulging with muscles and veins as he lifts the one-handed weapon up, grabs the bottom of the staff, then pulls it, transforming it into a two handed ax with a long staff.
Great.
I flare my nostrils and fall down on Camael burning staff, sending the heavy weapon back in the air, allowing my to grab it, stomp forward, then spin around and meet Gascoigne's howling downward slash with a full power swing of my own.
The clash is deafening, and we are both forced back quite a few steps.
But I grit my teeth, and he growls, so we stomp forward and smash our weapons together in a far stronger clash this time.
And then another, and another, and another.
On other circumstances, I'd have moved and tried something else, but right now I kept going because Gascoigne's ax was breaking.
The blade is covered in cracks now, but each of his blows is stronger than mine, and I'm swiftly growing tired due to Camael's taxing Mana cost.
I can swiftly refill my reserves due to the dense Mana in the air, but I can't refill my Stamina, and using so much Mana over and over is taxing on my body.
I'd have turned it to it's darker and Sinful Form, but it's new now, and I've worked on it in a hurry, so it's not incredibly stable, I'm merely keeping control of it thanks to Keter right now.
But the Sinful Form? Nahemah is so much more powerful than Sandalphon, so if Uriel's twisted form is also so much stronger than it's good counterpart, then I'll surely lose control over it.
I grunt as Camael's heavy form is sent flying out of my numb and shaky grasp from the latest clash, but instead of worrying I simply smirk.
Then jump out of the way as a figure jumps in the air right behind Gascoigne, the roaring form of Halvanhelev right in their hands.
Gascoigne barely has time to turn around, regard the new threat and lift his ax in defense before Hunter brings down Halvanhelev's huge form with a scream full of anger.
Gascoigne's ax crumbles beneath the full power blow, and his body is hit from the immense blast of condensed air released by the giant sword.
A massive crescent moon arc tears through the graveyard, tearing into the wall and balcony and building by the stairs before stopping a few seconds later.
Hunter pants as I move to stand beside her newly armored form, a copy of Adonai Melek I made just for her, just crimson in color, to match her hair.
"He's not dead yet." She growls out, and I nod as Gascoigne's heavily injured form stumbles out of the cloud of dust left behind by the slash from Halvanhelev.
I could see his bones and guts from the gash across his chest, which nearly split his face in half, but ended up taking out one of his eyes.
"Can you keep going?" I ask Hunter, and she grunts as she straightens herself and raises her fists.
"I can do this all day." I smirk, then launch myself forward as Gascoigne howls.
I block his wide swipe, letting Hunter punch him in the guts, worsening his injury and forcing him back.
He screams in fury, making my ears ring before Hunter moves forward.
She blocks his next attack, so I rush forward and dropkick him in the chest hard enough to make his ribs snap and break beneath the blow.
I jump back up as he howls, and me and Hunter once more work in tandem.
We fall into a perfect rhythm of deflect, counter-attack, switch.
Deflect, counter, switch.
Deflect, counter, switch.
Deflect, counter, switch.
My fist sink into Gascoigne blood covered stomach, forcing him back yet again, and this time his back hits the destroyed wall he was smashed into by Hunter using Halvanhelev.
Now he can't escape.
"Hunter!" I call out as Sandalphon's sparking form flies into my hand before I toss it to her, then grab Uriel's one-handed ax form before rushing forward.
My ax sinks into Gascoigne's shoulder before I wring it back roughly, tearing off a good chunk of his flesh and muscles and causing the limb to fall limply to his side as blood sprays everywhere and splashes all over me.
Hunter instead sinks Sandalphon in his guts, then tears the sword upward, cleaving his belly open and causing his guts and blood to spill everywhere.
Yet the priest turned beast still howls. He still lives.
So me and my partner let go of our weapons, bring our fists back, then punch them through his chest.
"Go fuck yourself, you piece of shit." Hunter growls out before we wrench our fists out in a violent, brutal and Visceral Attack.
Blood spurts all over us from Gascoigne's torn open chest, showing his destroyed rib-cage and internal organs before he falls down on the ground.
Dead.
"We did it…" Hunter whispers, panting heavily and crumbling on her back as the armor fades away while I catch my own breath and calm my beating heart.
The status, I gotta check my Status…
Ataraxia
Level – 110
Fighting Class – Low Class
Sacred Gear – "The Mind Of God" Ars
Powers:
Artifact Creation – Rank B
Law Mastery (Initial):
Law of Fire – Rank A
Law of Water – Rank B
Law of Earth – Rank A
Law of Wind – Rank B
Personal Abilities:
Mana Core – Rank B
Weapon Mastery – Rank B
[Mana Burst] (357/?)
[Mana Stars] (286/?)
I did it… I reached the Middle Class Level… I finally got past that bottleneck!
Yes!
And Mana Burst leveled up so much! And now I have so many Mana Stars!
Even my Artifact Creation improved! And my Mana Core!
I'm so full of adrenaline that I can barely notice the changes in my body as I recall my weapons and turn them back to their storing forms, with Uriel being fused into the Neo-Longinus ring, same as Sandalphon.
It's then that I notice my form becoming illusory and turning into Mist.
"Looks like I'm leaving…" I muse, having already upgraded Neo-Longinus and Adonai Melek as much as possible, same as my body, through the fight.
It's a shame that I can't stay here for longer though. I could help Hunter even more, and improve my Mana Core using the dense Mana in the surroundings even more.
Keter's form disappears, and I mentally send it a thanks for helping me achieve victory, but don't receive an answer from the ancient Artifact.
I hope I did not disappoint it.
Hunter straightens herself, her eyes full of unwillingness as she stares at my fading body. "I…"
I smile and bring her into a tight hug, which she swiftly reciprocates. "Never give up, please." I whisper as I tighten my hug.
"Keep fighting, keep on going, and don't let this place get into your head. No matter what you go through, you must keep going forward and kill everything in your way."
I bite my lower lip and wrench my eyes shut. "I'll try and come back here, one way or another." I pull back and stare into her teary eyes as I grab her hands. "I'll come bring you and Gloria out of this hellhole, so wait for me." She bites her lower lip, then nods her head several times.
I smile softly, then reach over her and call upon her weapon, letting it fly in my grasp before I give it to her. "I made this while we were fighting together. I called it Samael."
She blinks, then stares down at her newly improved Saw Cleaver dripping with deadly and acidic poison, which the both of us are immune to.
"I've improved your body, given you a set of armor, and a new powerful weapon." I smile and give her a wink. "So now you can kick some ass with ease." She chuckles softly and grabs Samael, then steps forward and hugs me again.
But I don't manage to hug her back as my body fully fades away, and Mist swallows my vision.
"-!" I perk up, then blink as I find myself before a wide eyed Rosaria and a worried Amelia. "What the fuck…?" The Fallen Angel woman whispers as she stares at me, and I blink before looking down.
Oh dear, I'm drenched in blood…
I scrunch up my nose and let Adonai Melek fade away before I stumble as a bout of weakness hits me full force.
Thankfully, Amelia and Rosaria swiftly help me not face plant. That would've been embarrassing.
I grunt and shake my head. "How long was I gone for?" I ask even though I'm sure it must've been one or two hours since Hunter summoned me to Yharnam.
Rosaria and Amelia share a look before the beautiful older woman gives me a look. "Honey… You didn't disappear at all."
What?
"Mist just swallowed you for a second, and then you reappeared covered in blood and completely pale…"
What the hell…?
XxxX
"I see…" Aponia sighs softly as I kick my legs in the water before me, sitting at the edge of the heated steaming baths with a towel to cover my naked body.
I recounted everything that happened to Rosaria and Amelia, and Rosaria is utterly shocked at the fact that I was taken to the Land beyond the Mist, survived, and came back within the same second while around two hours went by for me.
And I came back over five times stronger than I was before.
It's terrifying.
My Mana reserves are now at least ten times greater than they were before, and entering the Middle Class has given me a greater increase in strength, especially since my body has been improved a great deal.
I'll have to train a lot more to get used to this new, insanely improved strength now.
Thankfully I have Rosaria to help with that.
Even with this insane improvement, she is still so far out of my league, which makes it better for my training.
"Just be more careful honey, please…" I smile, kicking my legs happily at Aponia's worry for me. "Heh, I can hear your happiness even through the phone! So adorable~!" My cheeks instantly flush as she catches on, but I merely huff slightly and don't deny her.
"Ah~! I can't wait to get there and just-! Ugh! Showing you Heaven!" I suppress the pleasant shiver going down my spine and cross my legs. Being desired so much really feels good…
"But first, I must give you, my sweet Ataraxia, a… weird mission." I blink, then straighten myself at my beloved's words. A weird mission? "I talked about this with Rosaria, and we decided that it's needed, even though I dislike it quite a bit since I want you all for myself."
I raise a confused brow at her wording. "What is it?" I press, then hear her sigh softly.
"I want you to charm and conquer Amelia's heart." What?
"What?" No, seriously… what?
I can instantly feel Aponia – the Aponia – become flustered through the phone. "I have a reason for this request, but I can't tell you! Only thing you need to know is that… It's very, very important that you do so, honey." Her voice goes from a flustered mess to a serious, but gentle and worried whisper at the end.
And it makes me worry too.
"It's for both you and Amelia. Mostly for you though." I don't understand.
"But… I have you." I whisper softly, smiling when I can hear her swoon and squeal quietly to herself.
"Once I get there… Oh dear…" I shiver again at her tone of voice. "But I know honey. I'm not that against it myself, hence why I want you to go through with it."
"You need to let more people inside your heart honey. Just like you did with me. It doesn't matter if it's just Amelia, or two or three more girls. What matters is that you have people that love you surrounding you, and keeping your mind occupied."
I still don't understand why she wants me to go through with this, but I'll listen to her. I trust her.
And, deep down, I do want more people to trust and be close to.
"Alright, I'll try…" I sigh, and a giggle escapes Aponia, which makes me grumble a bit.
"I'll warn you though. Amelia is a Dhampyr, and she has Vampire abilities that allow her to charm and conquer people easily, so…" Aren't I supposed to be the one to conquer her?
Why do I now feel like there's something she hasn't told me?
I suppress that feeling and narrow my eyes. "I'll keep that in mind." I hum, and Aponia giggles again.
"I love you sweety. So much. I can't wait to come back there."
"I'll make sure to prepare your favorite dishes when you do."
The call ended soon after that, and I sent my phone back into my storage Artifact with a low hum before leaning back and sighing.
Charming and conquering someone's heart…
How do I even go about doing that?!
I've never done that!- Ah no, I did it with Aponia- No, that doesn't count! I didn't do anything! I was just myself!
So then should I be myself with Amelia too?
I already hate this weird mission…
And speaking of the Dhampyr in question…
I perk up as the sound of steps approaching rings out, echoing around the large and empty baths.
This has to be a coincidence… Why would she take another bath when we took one together this morning?
I had to clean off the blood and relax, so I have the excuse…
And now she's making a beeline straight for me.
I send a glance behind me, then blush when I notice that she is fully naked, and I can't pull my gaze away.
She's so beautiful and curvaceous in all the right places.
Long, toned legs with large thighs, a large behind that rippled with each step, a fit belly with a pierced navel and large, bouncing and jiggling breasts.
And full, delicious looking lips.
Is this the so called Vampiric Charm Aponia warned me about?
But then why did it not have effect on me this morning when we bathed together?
I take notice of the strong flush across her cheeks as she stands on my left for a few seconds before sitting down very close to me.
And now this is a bit awkward…
…
Have we both been tasked to charm each other?
No, that'd be stupid… right?
…
Should I ask her- No! If it's just me, then I'd reveal my mission, and it'd be so embarrassing!
I breathe in to keep my beating heart calm, then hum softly in thought.
And then I remember something we discussed about this morning, which I can use to build some trust between us and grow closer.
"Say…" I speak up, making her twist slightly, her cheeks flushing up even more as I scratch my chin. "Do you want to try and drink my blood?" I suggest nervously, making her perk up, her eyes all but lighting up in hope.
She gulps, then glances down at my mostly naked body. "A-Are you sure?"
I shrug and smile. "It can't hurt to try." I say before tilting my head. "But… how does that work? Do I have to cut myself or…?"
She swiftly shakes her head and gulps, rather loudly at that, and licks her lips. "I-I… I just need to bite you." She says before opening her mouth and licking her very sharp looking canines.
I blink, then shrug before pulling my hair away and turning my back to her, then tilting my head to the side. "The neck should be fine, yes?"
I don't receive an answer, but I feel her draw closer and place her hands on my hips, her naked breasts pressing against my back before I feel her lips rest on my neck, sending shivers down my spine.
She licks my neck a few times, then bites down on it and sinks her sharp teeth inside me.
I didn't feel any pain, but I do feel my body growing hotter and hotter as Amelia sucks and gulps heavily.
Her hands move from my hips to my belly, then up to my naked chest.
I gasp and flush as I feel her grope me, her hot breath tickling against my neck even as pleasant shudders go down my back, and my nerves sang as her hands squeezed my large breasts.
I couldn't help the soft moan that escaped my lips from the grope, but the sound made Amelia snap out of her seemingly drunken haze.
She swiftly proceeded to pull back, and I turn around to look at her burning face with my own flushed one.
That felt very nice though…
"I-I'm sorry!" She nearly screams, covering her face with her hands. "Y-Your blood is so rich with Mana and tasted so good that I lost control!" Ah, that must be due to my body being an Artifact and all my Mana Stars.
"It's alright." I wave her worries off with a smile as I feel the wound where she bit me heal.
She drank quite a bit of blood, but I heal very fast now, so it's not really a problem.
"It felt very nice." I reveal, then blush and look away in embarrassment.
This is going to be hard…
Our eyes meet, then we both look away at the same time.
Is this the beginning of those 'teenage romance drama' Aponia had me watch while we were traveling?
This is going to be really, really hard…
XxXxX
Sirzechs gulps and steel his nerves for what was to come.
The Heir of the Astaroth Clan had been found brutally and viciously murdered in a magic train not too long ago, and the news spread like fire.
Especially the news of remnants particles of Holy Light in the air having been detected during the ensuing investigation.
Ajuka didn't really care about Diodora's fate, having never had any close relationship with that part of his family, and Sirzechs himself didn't even know he existed to be honest.
But now that the Devils had been riled up by this murder, he had no choice but to step forward and take the reins of the investigation.
Especially since the Great King Faction was clearly behind the spread of the information.
So now here he and Ajuka were, waiting for him.
And just at that moment, a sharp and intense light erupted within the room, forcing both Satans to circulate their Devil Energy to suppress the Holy Light from burning their skins.
A large eye soon appeared within the sphere of light, a rotating Triskelion within the large pupil glowing with intense might.
Even though this eye was but a mere avatar of the Heavenly Being known as Michael, it's intense Holy Light was still strong enough to make the two Satans pale.
They might be known as Super Devils and be the strongest of their generation… But when they were compared to the Old Satans…
They were nothing but insects compared to the terrifying power those four monsters had.
Especially the King of Hell, Lucifer himself.
Sirzechs now bore the man's name, but he wasn't worth it.
He wasn't even as strong as one of the Old Satans, much less Lucifer, the man who could fight against the God of the Bible and live.
It was still unknown how the suicide charge led by Lucifer and the Old Satans managed to slay God, but that didn't matter one bit.
At least it put a stop to the pretty much one-sided war against Heaven.
"I hope you have a good reason to request a meeting on such short notice, Sirzechs Gremory." Michael spoke, his voice containing a heavenly echo to it that made the two Satans dizzy. "Me and my siblings are quite busy, so make it quick."
Sirzechs frowns slightly at that. Why would they be busy?
Is something going on on their side?
He shares a look with Ajuka before speaking. "A young Devil has recently been found brutally murdered on a Magic Train not too long ago, and investigations revealed remnants of Holy Light in the surrounding air." Michael merely hums softly at that, so Sirzechs keeps going.
"We'd like your assistance in finding the would-be mu-"
"What's the name of the Devil?" Michael cuts off Sirzechs, and the Satan instantly had a horrid feeling rise in his gut.
"Diodora Astaroth." He answers, wishing to clench his fists by his side, but he'd rather not show any weaknesses before the Heavenly Being.
Michael pauses for a second, then chuckles softly. "You have quite the gall to have me waste my time to help you find whoever rid this world of that filth." He knows.
Ajuka's and Sirzechs stomachs drop at the same time.
They had hoped that having a meeting on such short notice and without information would give them an edge, but the Heavenly Being somehow already knew everything.
And he knew of Diodora's disgusting actions.
"A dozen Holy Maidens, wrongfully excommunicated due to him, then raped and broken… I'd say that brutal death was deserved, no?"
"We may not care much about what the church does, but they are still people belonging to our faction, and those that love us and our Father are cherished."
"And you want me to waste my time to find the person who did us a favor? You brats really have quite the nerve." The Holy Light flowing from the avatar of the Heavenly Being grew tenfold, forcing a grunt out of the two Satans before it as the eye within shone with righteous fury.
"Remember the Grace I granted your race when I showed you all mercy back then. Had it not been for Lord Rhongomyniad's advice, I'd have led my brothers and sisters to finish Father's work."
Both Satans pale at the mention of Rhongomyniad, the divine construct and weapon wielded by Adonai himself.
It's Heavenly chants, cries and songs during the war left tens of thousands of traumatized Devils behind, with a great deal of them still alive to this day.
Sirzechs still remembers the stories of his parents of when God fell, and when Rhongomyniad pierced through the dome of the sky and vanished among the stars, leaving behind a broken and shattered battlefield.
It, alongside the fabled Crown of Heaven, are the two greatest Artifacts and Divine Constructs in existence, with Rhongomyniad having been God's first Creation after being accepted by the Crown of Heaven.
And yet, even without those two powerful Artifacts, Heaven still stands as the strongest faction in the world, with several of the Archangel himself standing among the ranks of the top three strongest beings in the world.
"So you aren't going to assist us?" He questions, holding back his anger, having no other choice but to be complaint lest he invites a calamity upon his own race.
"Of course not. Deal with it yourself. I have far more important issues to take care off, so-" The Heavenly Being suddenly stopped speaking, earning confused looks from the two Satans.
"I must go." Michael states before his avatar vanishes into tin air, as if it was never there to begin with, leaving behind two confused Satans.
"Something's happening on their side." Ajuka muses with narrowed eyes, and Sirzechs nods with a heavy frown.
"They've never been interested in mortal affairs… so what the hell could be happening?"
XxXxX
The Heavenly Being known as Michael shivered and prostrated his enormous wings before the existence before it.
The dull Throne of Heaven lay far behind him, and before him lay the revolving and singing form of Rhongomyniad.
Heavenly chanting and singing filled the Heavens, entrancing all the other Angels and Seraphims while Michael only managed to resist the allure.
Blazing light brighter than the sun itself stopped the Heavenly Being to lay his eyes upon Rhongomyniad's might and form, and that very light filled the Heavens and blazed with happiness.
The chanting and singing were in a language that not even the Heavenly Being could understand, or had ever heard of, and trying to comprehend it would simply lead one to insanity.
As for evil and dark beings, just hearing the chanting and singing would be more than enough to evoke their greatest fears, sending them scurrying away like fearful and screaming ants.
"I sensed her… She's awake!" The Divine Construct joyfully sang and laughed, tendrils of light scattering across the Heavens as it did so. "But she's too young now. She must suffer and grow a little more."
Her? Michael slowly raised his eye to stare at the divine brilliance before him, the slowly spoke. "Lord Rhongomyniad… Is Father…?"
"He's dead. Ataraxia isn't his Reincarnation, so cast away those hopes." The Divine Construct coldly smashed and crushed the Heavenly Beings hopes without care and with extreme dismissal.
Michael shook and lowered his wings once more. "Then this Ataraxia… Who is she?" He questions softly, and the Divine Construct freezes in the air.
"'Who is she', you ask?" The weapon repeats before laughing, causing the air and the Heavens themselves to quiver and shake.
It took a few seconds for the Divine Construct to calm down and answer. "'She' is an empty canvas, oh Michael." The Heavenly Being stirs in confusion, but the Divine Construct continues.
"Ophis came into existence as the Concept of Infinity having taken physical form."
"The Great Red, or the Dreaming Entity, came into existence thanks to the collective thoughts of humankind doing so, granting the Concept of Dreams a physical form."
"And then she came into existence. Ataraxia. Born from the Void itself. From Nothingness."
"But then you'd think that would mean that she is the embodiment of the Concept of 'Nothingness', right? Well, you're wrong!" Rhongomyniad roars with laughter, and Michael shivers in fear.
"No, no, no… Nothingness is nothing, but it can also be something, or everything!"
"So Ataraxia came into existence…"
"As the embodiment of the Concept of 'Axioms'."
A.N. Dun Dun Duuuuuuuuuuuun!
Hope y'all enjoyed this chappy, and if ya did, leave a review cuz they halp motivate meh!
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