Raging Storm Part Two

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"Midgard, Mugen Hibi!!"

Both Hugin and Munin quickly brought up their blades to guard themselves from Devon's spinning Nine Realms technique.

"Oh, he has been practicing,"

"Obviously...that explains alot,"

Devon came to a stop and leapt back, both blades raised, "Svartalfheim, Yami Nami!" he cried, letting loose two large, dark energy blades.

The twins raised their own swords, "Alfheim, Hikari Nami!" they shouted, unleashing two blades of white energy to counter the dark ones.

The four energy-filled blades made contact and created a small explosion that sent a large mushroom cloud of smoke into the air.

Munin cursed and looked at his blade, "He's got more rage inside him than before, brother...look!"

Hugin glanced down at his own blade to see that the sharp edge was ridged instead of straight. The twins' blades, though they had unleashed opposing energy attacks against Devon's attack, still suffered some damage from the dark energy.

"Brother?"

"It seems, dear Munin, that this has changed," Hugin reached for the Fragment in his sword, "If the powers given to us by the Fragments are not effective against him, we must rely on our skill. Brother, remove your Fragment and let's teach him true power of the Nine Realms!"

Munin stared at his brother, but nodded and together, they plucked the Fragments of Muspelheim from their swords, tossing the shards to the ground. Frigga saw this action and glared at them.

"What the hell are you doing?!" she screeched, "You can't do that!"

"Lady Frigga, with all due respect," Hugin and Munin looked at her, "This is our fight, shut the hell up!"

Frigga was stunned, How dare they! When this is over, they'll suffer for this insolence! Can't be too much longer, this so-called Champion must be on his last legs...

An angry roar was heard from the other side of the cloud and both twins braced themselves. Devon suddenly burst through the cloud of smoke and flew at them, the raging look still plastered on his face as his swords began to glow.

"Jotunheimr, Tsuin Yama Enko!" Devon came to a stop, just inches from the masters and brought his blades upward. Once again, the twins were forced to block the attack, though as Devon's swords made contact with them, the two of them were forced back due to the sheer power behind the attack.

Frigga stared in disbelief, What the hell-?! He was losing just a second ago, and now, he's keeping my men on their toes! In fact, he's pushing them back...where is he drawing this newfound strength from?!

She, and the pirate nakama of the Champion, as well as the inhabitants of the Sky Island watched as Devon unleashed technique after technique on his former masters. Niri, Dusty, and Azu had never seen such rage in their nakama before, but when they saw what he was capable of, they were glad he was with them instead of against them.

While the others were amazed at Devon's strength and rage, the twin swordsmen didn't seem too surprised at all at how their battle was going. In fact, they looked very calm as they exchanged blows and blocks with the young swordsman.

"Nioavellir, Sindri's Kanadzuchi!"

They leapt out of the way of the large cracks in the ground Devon had created.

"Niflheimer, Koori Kiri!"

Munin frowned as he narrowly dodged the chilled blades, "Shit...!"

"Muspelheim, Kooen Kiri!"

Hugin's arm escaped the heated sword, but only after it suffered some damage, the flesh smoking, cooked by the blade.

That's seven out of the Nine...but when he left the dojo, he was only able to do a few of these! Could it be that he...?

"Vanaheimr, Tusen Jewels!" (1) Devon leapt into into the air and began swinging his swords like crazy. The two swordsmen below watched as hundreds and hundreds of glowing, gem-shaped blades rained down onto them. Cursing, both of them deflected what they could before dodging the rest of the blades that easily into the stone underneath them.

Devon landed on the ground, panting for breath, "One more...one more to go!"

It can't be! Hugin and Munin thought at the same time, We were much older than him when we were finally able to use it!

The blonde warrior held out his blades, "Asgard...," he stopped and doubled over, blood pouring out of his mouth, "Sh...shit...,"

On the sidelines, Dusty tugged at her hair, "This isn't good! Devon's not gonna last much longer!" she grabbed her scythes and started running towards him, but was quickly pulled back by Azu as he yanked on her tail. She fell on her butt and glared up at him.

"I told you already, kit," Azu glared down at her, "This is his fight. If you want to join in, you're more than welcome to,"

"Not if you keep stopping me!"

"Well, then, I guess you have to beat me up to get past me and help him, but I know that neither of us are in the condition to fight, so shut your damn trap and watch,"

Devon fell to his knees, blood dripping between clenched teeth, Not now...I can't fall now, I'm so close, I can feel it!

'Then get up and kick their asses!' Thrymr urged, 'You gotta do this, kid, I'd help out if I could, but I can't!'

You never told me why, though...

'I can't and you shouldn't worry about that right now! Look at your brother and that girl you love!'

Devon craned his neck to the side to see Austin and Kirsty laying on the ground, just behind the border, bloodsoaked bandages on their bodies.

'Those are your nakama, Devon!' Thrymr scolded, 'They risked their lives to save each other, and to help you out, so if you want to thank them, suck it in, climb to your feet, and show those sonsofbitches just what you're made of!!!'

"Hehehe...looks like the so called Champion's finally had it. That lasted longer than I expected, but at least it was entertaining,"

Devon looked up and glared at Frigga from behind loose bangs of golden hair. She had a very large smile on her face and a smug look in her eyes. The Goddess shrugged idly, "I told you it was pointless to go against us, Devon, but no! You had to go and do something stupid like fight us anyway...and wounded no less! What kind of idiot are you? What kind of warrior goes into battle looking like he's been through a cutter?"

"What...what kind...of warrior...am I?" Devon chuckled, staggering to his feet, his hair askew from the battle. He looked at the three of them and a wicked grin crossed his face, "I'm the chosen warrior of Odin! I am the Demon King of the Blue Sea! I am a pirate! I am a proud, Shandian warrior!" he held out Geri and Freki again, "I'm the kind of warrior...that never backs down from a fight!"

Hugin and Munin raised their swords, bracing themselves.

"I, Devon, Champion of the great Odin, call upon the ancient warriors of Valhalla!Asgard," Devon gripped his swords tightly, "Juuni Jouin!" (2)

That's when things got even weirder. Devon's body began to waver, as if it was some kind of hazy image in a desert. His body rippled, as did his swords, but that wasn't the weird thing. The thing that threw them all off was the fact that Devon seemed to multiply and spread outward, each copy of him standing by each other, blade to blade. When it was done, there were twelve copies of himself, each one holding two swords, each of them identical to the original Devon's weapons.

He's actually done it...! the twins stared at him, stunned, He's mastered all the techniques of the Nine Realms!

Screaming battle cries, the dozen copies of the demonic warrior flew at the two enemies in front of them. To Dusty and Azu, everything happened too fast for them to see! One moment, there were twelve Devons on one side, then the next moment, there was only one Devon...but instead of standing, he was on one knee, behind Hugin and Munin.

"What the hell just happened?!" Dusty whispered, eyes wide as saucers.

"I don't know...was that real, what the hell is wrong with me?!" Azu rubbed his eyes, then looked at his clay jug, "Oh, that's right...the booze,"

Again, Devon coughed violently, blood spewing out of his mouth. He weakly turned his head just in time to see his old masters fall to their knees, blood gushing out of numerous wounds that suddenly appeared on their bodies. As they bled, both of their swords cracked and shattered into pieces.

Former Masters... he closed his eyes, I'm sorry it had to come to this, but thank you...thank you for everything!

Unknown to him, both Hugin and Munin, though mortally wounded, shared proud looks and smiles on their faces.

You've come along way, lad...

-Flashback-

"They're both sound asleep,"

"Austin's young and Devon's pushing himself with his training,"

Hugin and Munin walked down the quiet, dimly lit halls of the dojo they were in charge of, listening to the chirping of crickets in the cool night outside.

"Brother, what you do think of him?" Hugin asked calmly, looking ahead.

Munin was quiet for a bit, "He's unusually strong, but he's also hot-tempered and very stubborn,"

"So were we when we were younger, brother, remember?"

"Hm...," Munin came to a stop and turned to his brother, "Be that as it may, he sees great promise in the boy, but fears his nature will be the death of him,"

"I know...I worry for him as well. What does he suggest we do?"

Munin reached into his pocket and pulled out a black gem.

Hugin looked at it and scowled deeply, "He is too young to carry a Fragment, baka! He'll die much sooner than we will if he uses it!"

"This is a different Fragment, brother! As you know, each one has a different ability,"

"Of course, but-,"

Munin held up the black gem, "Remember Thrymr?"

"Yes, his death was infamous among us all but-," Hugin stopped and stared at the gem, "You can't be serious!"

"It wasn't my idea, and we know who ordered Thrymr's execution! He thinks that this...Soul Fragment, I guess he calls it that, will help Devon throughout his life. We know he's a hothead, but when he leaves, he will be without a guide, and besides us, Thrymr was the only master of the sword style that Odin created all those years ago! Brother, you know that Odin's wisdom is something that shouldn't be questioned, so we must trust in him, and in this...this Fragment," he closed his hand around it, "This is a Fragment that's one of a kind, and if Odin wishes to be bestowed on this child, then we must obey him,"

Hugin was quiet for a long time. He sighed and turned around, "Will he know that he carries it within him?"

"No," Munin shook his head, "If anything, Devon will think that Thrymr is a wandering soul of a bloodthirsty creature that's chosen him as his vessel,"

"What happens if Thrymr uses this as a chance to live again?!"

"Odin has predicted this and has guaranteed that that won't happen,"

"How long must he carry the soul of Thrymr?"

"Until the time is right...until he proves that he can truly handle himself,"

"Fine. When shall we do it?"

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"Shinigami-giri!"

Both twins watched as Devon sped past and cut down every single wooden dummy in the dojo room, the dolls falling to the floor in pieces as the young man rose to his feet.

Hugin and Munin clapped.

"Congratulations, Devon," Hugin praised as he held up a small clock, "New record time,"

"It seems that we were right about you, Devon," Munin added with a nod, "You are truly worthy of being our student,"

Devon sheathed his weapons and bowed, "Thank you, masters!"

"Go, clean yourself and have a meal, take the rest of the day off, you've earned it,"

Again, Devon bowed and left the room, sliding the door shut behind him.

Hugin sighed and turned to his brother, "Well, he doesn't seem affected by the Fragment, yet,"

"No...I think Thrymr's biding his time,"

"What makes you say that?"

"We would've known if he made an appearance to the boy yet,"

Hugin hummed and took a deep breath, then exhaled loudly, "I just hope we haven't sentenced this promising pupil of ours to an early grave,"

-End Flashback-

Well, Devon, it looks like we were right about you...despite the fact you always had a little help along the way, you've grown into the warrior we knew you'd become... the twins exchanged smiles before falling over, blood pouring out on the ground as they moved no more.

"YATTA!" Dusty clapped her hands, "HE WON! HE WON, HE WON, HE WON!"

Azu grinned, "Nice going, kid...,"

Laki smiled warmly at Devon, "Has he convinced you yet, Wiper?" she asked, turning to her friend. The proud Shandian warrior sat on the ground, head lowered, his expression hidden from view.

Gan Fall groaned and held his bleeding side as Pierre climbed to his feet.

"Sefu, Celeste, you must both be so proud of your son,"

With a clatter, Devon's swords fell out of his hands and the weary warrior fell to his side, passed out from the strain on his body and bloodloss.

Frigga, stunned and angered by her men's defeat, gripped the Water Moon so tightly, it shook. As she tried to keep herself under control, she stomped over to Devon's motionless form and raised the blade, the point aimed right for his heart.

"You've caused me so much trouble...and even though I've lost my soldiers, I'm still capable of ruling this land as I originally planned," she looked at the Fragment in her wrist, "With this huge forest covering practically every inch of this Sky Island, I have a neverending army at my disposal! Once things settle down, I'll send for more loyal soldiers from back home," she glared at Devon, "But you...you idiot. You gave up your life just to fight two of my warriors! You haven't stopped me, you haven't stopped me at all! Now, die!"

"GET AWAY FROM HIM, UGLY!"

Frigga's eye twitched, "This is getting annoying...," she turned to see Aisa standing behind her, an inactive Burn Blade in her hands. Aisa, though wanting to help Devon, was terrified of the woman that stood nearby. Her weapon was trembling, as was her entire body.

"What is with this island and it's people being so stupid?" Frigga sighed before walking towards Aisa.

The young Shandian panicked and held up her weapon higher, "S-Stay back! I'm warning, you, I'm a Shandian warrior!"

"A warrior? You?" Frigga reared her head back and laughed, "You're not a warrior, girl! You're a pathetic little child whose as foolish the rest of your people!"

KA-BOOM!

Frigga spun around and swung Water Moon through the oncoming cannon ball. The ball split apart into two pieces and flew past her, exploding shortly after. Frigga lowered the katana and looked straight at Wiper, Laki, Genbou, Kamakiri and Braham.

"Where'd the rest of you come from?" she demanded.

Genbou hefted his Bazooka onto his shoulder, "We aren't easy to kill, witch,"

"Aisa, come here!" Laki ordered her cousin.

Without a second thought, Aisa nodded and ran towards the others. However, she never made it. With incredible speed, Frigga intercepted the young child and held her close, the edge of Water Moon pressed against her neck.

"Aisa!" Laki glared at Frigga, "Let her go!"

Frigga smirked and pressed the blade harder, drawing blood from the young girl. Aisa whimpered as she felt her own blood dribble down her neck.

"Laki...,"

"I'm very tired of repeating myself," Frigga said coolly, "I'm also sick at you fool's stubbornness! So, to make it easy on both parties," she grabbed Aisa by the hair and pulled her head back, "Surrender and kneel to me, or the girl dies!"

Wiper lifted his own Bazooka and aimed it at her, "Release her,"

"Or what?" Frigga asked mockingly, "You'll shoot? In case you didn't see it before, I was able to cut through that last one, and if you try again, not only will I survive, but the girl will be the first to feel the attack!"

Wiper gripped the handle of his Bazooka and took aim, "Aisa...,"

"Wiper!" Aisa stared at him, "ARE YOU INSANE?!"

"Aisa, you traveled with that Shade person, and you made it back home in one piece. Did you learn nothing from him?" Wiper asked calmly, loading a Breath Dial into his Bazooka.

Aisa became quiet.

"Shade...?" Frigga scowled, looking confused. She growled and raised her hand, "Enough! Stop wasting my time!"

A loud groaning made the Shandians turn to see the trees behind them move towards them. Cursing, they all split up as the roots came crashing down where they were previously standing.

"I've come this far...I will have this place for my own! No matter what anyone says, I am the Goddess of Sky Island, and I won't let anyone take that away from me!"

From his vantage point, Nido grinned under his hood.

"You never could learn your place, Frigga...and here, you will pay for it," he glanced at Devon, who was still unconscious on the ground, his blood pooling all around him, "Devon, Thrymr, I know you both very well. You still have enough energy in you for one last fight, so rise up!"

Despite the command, though, Devon lay still on the ground, caked with his blood.

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Kilnorc: WOOT! Chapter's done! There you go, folks! All of the 9 Realms techniques are revealed! Had some help with it, but I got 'em all! We also see the truth behind Thrymr and how he's in Devon's body...but what will become of them now? Stay tuned!

Laki: Dammit...she's fast! She's just as bad as Eneru was!

Wiper: Yeah, but she can't revive herself!

Gan Fall: That boy fought so hard for this place and it's people, despite how he was treated. Let us return the favor to Sefu's son! Let us ensure that his sacrifice was not in vain!

Niri: I'm getting so sick of this bitch...!

Son of Shandora

Devon: Let's finish this, Frigga, once and for all!

(1) Vanaheimr, Tusen Jewels - (Vanaheimr, Thousand Jewels) The eight Nine Realms of Existence technique, named for the home of Vanir, one of the two god clans of Norse Mythology. Tusen is Norwegian for Thousand.

(2) Asgard, Juuni Jouin - (Asgard, Twelve Lords) The final and supposedly the strongest technique of the Nine Realms set. Named for the realm of Asgard, where Odin resides in Norse Mythology. The great warrior paradise, Valhalla, is here. To some people, this place is surrounded by twelve cities, each of which are ruled by twelve lords, hence the name.