Remnants of a Thousand-Year Flame
—Chapter 2: Ashes of the Past—
DISCLAIMER: I do not take credit for Danmachi and Bleach and from its characters.
[ Year XXXX ]
Ren was nothing but a normal kid in his childhood.
In short, he is mediocre. But that was okay. There was nothing wrong with being branded as normal. If anything was outstanding about him, then he would confidently say that it was his looks and appearance that he inherited from his father and mother.
Speaking of family, his parents couldn't be anything but defined as a normal couple with eye-catching looks. Other than that, they weren't anything special. They weren't warriors or mages that have the capabilities of fending off monsters that plague the world. They don't possess any superpower comparable to that of the warriors of this era. In conclusion, they were just normal people.
However, that wasn't the case for his twin brother.
Ren's brother was an outstanding genius. He can learn and understand almost anything by just watching it unfold for several seconds.
In his hometown, his brother was believed to be the rising hope in fighting off monsters if they ever try to invade and ravage the place. Ren's brother was given privileges all around the place, kids of the same age would follow him as if he was their leader, many girls already are fond of him given his looks and abilities, and many adults would treat him with respect and awe with eyes filled with expectations as for what he would turn out in the future.
Ren saw this all unfold within his eyes. He would admit that he was jealous of it. But he didn't let himself be consumed by such ugly emotion. Instead, he just observed, wondering how everything would turn out given a few more years.
And to be honest, Ren couldn't even be jealous anymore of his brother. Those who see him only branded him with the title genius without even trying to know him personally. Some even had plastic smiles as they tried to worm through his group and even into his personal life, which disgusted Ren to his core.
But he could only watch. It was pathetic really. There's not much that he could do but only give his moral support as a sibling who understands what his brother was going through. And Ren's brother said that he was thankful for having someone like him at his side.
Ren only gave a weak smile back then, telling sorry for this is the only thing that he could do. And as expected, his brother told him that it was enough, that it was good to know that he would at least stand and support him in situations like this.
Even with his brother almost being pampered by the whole town, he never let himself be an arrogant person, thinking that the world revolves only for himself, as some noble brats would probably think.
Ren's brother never let go of the humility and goodness in his heart amidst the numerous roads that he could take that would lead him to greatness at expense of doing some unpleasant things.
That's why Ren didn't get jealous—instead, he admired and pitied his twin brother instead. He realized that such a person would be born only once in a hundred years. A person that had the qualities of that of a hero.
However, being one has its drawbacks. Having the title of a hero is easy to say, but hard to do. For example, being one means sacrificing away what almost all people have, which is personal happiness. Of course, this is just speculation, but this could be proved if somebody manages to read the long course of the history of mortals.
That's why he also pitied his brother. The burdens he would have to face while donning such a title...in this hometown of theirs. Ren was curious if his brother would one day give up, but that was most unlikely. In the end, Ren just snorted in amusement at that thought.
...
Ren also remembered the time when his mother and father apologized to him for not giving him the same talents as his brother. His brother also apologized for that and even speculated that he took all the talents that they both should've shared within their mother's womb.
As Ren heard what they said, he could only laugh loudly as he showed them an understanding expression right after.
Apologize?
There was nothing to apologize for. It was ridiculous to apologize for something that they didn't cause, nor have control over in the first place. Still, he could understand where they are coming from. From their point of view, Ren would've probably viewed them as unfair. But that wasn't the case.
He could understand... He was okay with being normal. There was no fault for being average.
"Being mediocre isn't a sin. Everything is okay! Don't worry!"
Ren could remember those words that he told his brother as he looked at him with a complicated expression.
If only Ren knew how foolish those words of his are...
...because a few days later, a tragedy struck his hometown.
X-x-X-x-X
Death
It was the natural order of things that everything will one day cease to be.
No matter how much people would like to forget their mortality it did not change the fact that any day could be your last.
It was something Ren had to learn early on in his life.
When both Ren and his brother were only reaching their first decade in their life, they lost their parents in a horrific attack by a sudden horde of monsters in their hometown. Ren may have been young but he could still recall the screams of his parents telling them to run as the beasts broke into their home. He remembered the chaos in the streets as people trampled over each other. People knocking others down just so it could buy them more time for a chance to escape the hungry jaws of those monsters. Ren would never know how he and his brother had made it out of that whole nightmare escaping with just their lives.
Even if his brother was some kind of genius, what could a mere boy who just reached 10 do against a horde of monsters?
Logically, if there was, it won't be enough, no matter how much of a genius Ren's brother was, in the end, he was still a child. In short, he still lacks the strength and the body itself to combat these hordes. If it was one, then his brother might be able to do something, but a horde? Impossible. And monsters don't differentiate between their prey. Be it young or old, male or female, in the end, they will always try to kill them in instinct.
Ren did not know how long he and his brother had to fend for themselves out in the wilds.
But she could remember how pathetic he felt.
He was weak.
Ren loathed it. Back then, he never expected that there would be a day where he would think that being average was alright.
How naive. How foolish. How pathetic.
Getting by on what they could scrounge up in the woods and having to sleep in the freezing cold at night while being exposed to the outside dangers depending on their luck itself if they would make it out and see the next day.
And so...time passed.
After a few days of running away, it happened so suddenly. Ren's brother continued coughing up blood...and was bleeding on several parts of his body. It's as if several wounds were opened at the same time. It was painful to watch, seeing his brother so helpless.
All this damned time, his brother was always keeping up to guard in night. He repelled every single beast that nearly caught up with them while Ren was sleeping.
It was Ren's fault, his uselessness... which his brother vehemently denied. But it was no use, no matter how much his brother says, he didn't listen.
As he watched his brother suffer, a horrifying conclusion popped up in Ren's head. As much as he wanted to deny it, everything that is happening to his brother would only lead to one thing.
...
His brother was dying.
There was this fatal wound that his brother hid from him as they escaped the town. A fatal wound that would've normally slowed down a normal person due to the pain it causes was embedded in his brother. Added the small wounds that suddenly reopened, his brother's situation couldn't be described as anything else but helpless.
Ren's brother only managed to hold out this far due to his magic that no one else but himself knew. A magic that speeds up the recovery of his wounds by a small margin in expense of mana.
Truly a genius, to discover and acquire something like magic that was said to be the rarest among the rarest out of talented people out there...was now dying as he suffered from his wounds.
His brother's mana — his mind — was exhausted. It has been nothing but a miracle that his brother survived up until now, or so his brother said.
There was no time to search for any medicine or apply any first aid on his wounds as they were busy running for their lives for who knows where or when the monsters would target then next if they stopped moving their feet.
It's over.
He can't do anything at all. He was useless. Again. Once more, Ren cursed his mediocrity. If he knows that everything would end up like this, he would've at least studied medicinal arts!
But he couldn't have known.
Ren lamented over and over. Streaks of tears flowing down from his face.
"Be strong and live your life to the fullest in my stead, could you? Ren?"
Those were the dying words of his brother. Coincidentally, it also rained that day, as if the heavens also lamented at the loss of his brother. The raindrops were cold. In the end, he was all alone.
"I promise... Don't worry. I'll someday be strong and I'll live this... damned life of mine to the fullest in your stead."
He declared to the heavens as Ren glanced above. The skies are still dark. The rain still continues. It seems that the rain would last longer than what he had expected.
"I won't let you down."
X-x-X
Ren hated thinking back to those days It always made him feel so...weak.
At such a tender age, Ren swore to himself to follow and keep his brother's final words deep in both his heart and mind.
Failure was not an option.
For all of Ren's faults of being mediocre, he was someone that always keeps his promises.
But it all changed when he let himself get caught by a tribe — a bandit tribe to be specific. Ren gambled his own life just to see if what he was thinking was right on spot. This was a good—or rather, dangerous opportunity, that showed itself after all this time.
It was a foolish attempt. If he was unfortunate, he would pay with his life.
The definition of a Bandit Tribe could be branched in various ways that one might not have expected. There's your typical rogue bandit tribe that just commits robbery, raiding, murder, etc. It's the most common one. Next is the type of tribe made out of fallen warriors, mercenaries, etc. They aren't that much different from the first example, only that they are stronger than them by large margins that are. They still do those criminal acts most of the time. Lastly, we have this Bandit Tribe that has this kind of family setting where they treat their Tribe as some kind of group where some proper governance or rule is implemented. Of course, they aren't still that much different from the other examples for they still do criminal acts, it wasn't something that you can remove from a Bandit Tribe after all. It was like their main element.
And by his damned luck, he landed at the third one.
As he got caught, his journey within that cage spanned for days as more and more kids nearly the same age as he was caught. After that, the tribe offered to recruit them if they could prove their worth in a challenge and with how desperate they were with getting by on their own, and for Ren, this is the first chance that he could not just turn down.
The challenge was that Ren along with the other potential recruits was rounded up and then thrown into a pit being told to fight it out. It was only because of the pure instinct for survival that had gotten Ren through that whole ordeal and by the end of it, he managed to survive up until there is only a handful of them left.
To be exact, there were only 5 of them left. The Tribe decided it halt it right there. Then they announced...they had passed.
Bloodied, filled with injuries, and a battered body, Ren looked over his surroundings.
He won.
This pathetic self of his won big at least once...
But, he never felt happy about it. Not at all... not in a single second at all...
It's as if he made a hollow hole within his very being. And for some odd reason, he feels that it won't be the first time he will feel like this...
...
After that, they were accepted into the tribe and it was from there on Ren learned how to do things no normal young boy would ever know how to do.
Such as how to pickpocket.
How to do dirty business, such as trickery and scamming.
How to set up traps.
How to prepare ambushes.
How to use violence as your main weapon.
How to fight.
How to kill.
And most importantly how to survive.
That was what his new family that had taught Ren and it had made him somewhat strong. He definitely improved from his past self by a large margin.
But to be completely honest? He loathed every single moment of it. What's the price did he pay to get this stronger? Well, it was by doing dishonorable or below moral driven acts that would literally make his twin brother get up from his grave and put some sense on to his mind.
But shouldn't he happy that he attained power? Even if it's not much, shouldn't he at least express a little bit of joy for his success in getting stronger? Shouldn't he be happy with this new family of his that helped him learn many things that he probably wouldn't have compared to the one he has back then?
Still, even though he hated every single moment if spending time here, he couldn't deny that he at least thought of them as a temporarily family. He was grateful to them for picking him up, and making him learn things—unpleasant as some may be, and making him stronger than the person he was before.
No longer was he the young scared little boy who cried about missing his family, no longer was he just the kid who was barely getting by out in the woods starving and cold.
The tribe, his new family had saved him and molded him into something better, they had made him into a survivor.
Ren owed everything to them up until he reached the age of 15. Because just as always, every single thing comes to an end.
On a night when the full moon is up, a raid was commenced led by a group of mercenaries paid to exterminate the Tribe by a vengeful merchant which the group once robbed in the past. It was one of the biggest mistakes of the Tribe to let the guy live and escape from their clutches.
At that time, Ren fought, believing that he should at least repay the Tribe for everything they'd done to him up until now.
But...
"Help!"
"A-ah! Don't kill me!"
"Nooo!"
Screams filled with fear echoed within the camp. Like burning flies, the members of the Tribe died easily against the might of the mercenaries. One by one, even those who Ren knew that possessed the strongest fighting capabilities in the tribe helplessly lost against their enemies.
It was a one sided battle.
In just a single night, once again, Ren lost his family. Even if he hated and loathed their moral values and the ways they manage the tribe by doing criminal acts, Ren at least thought of them as his family...
But he could not afford to get emotional and needed to stay focus on what matters...
Which was surviving.
So he ran. Taking up anything useful nearby, he set off and escaped.
A short sword, a pouch filled with coins, a scarf, and a bag. That's all he had right now in his escape. It was all for him to survive. All for him to keep his promise to his late brother.
In the end, he wasn't strong enough. His promise still wasn't finished. Not by a longshot.
And If there was one thing Ren had learned about survival it was one simple rule.
The strong live and the weak die.
Ren had seen it his whole life people who were too weak. An example of that was those who were thinking themselves to be safe within the confines of their houses thinking of not improving, strengthening, or not being able to handle the dark reality of the world.
He probably sounds like a third-rate villain saying this. After all, ironically, he was in the same category of those he mocked just a few years ago.
It's ridiculous.
And even more so, it's ironical.
That's why it always made him sick to see how some nobles for example lived in the kingdoms without so much care about the outside world where monsters roam free. How they were almost oblivious to how things were out there in the real world. Those people were far too soft, take away the high walls that they had made for themselves and they would be nothing but lambs to the slaughter when the monsters invade.
Ren had brought himself too low now. For him thinking of such dark, foolish, and hateful thoughts would make his family look at him with complicated expressions. If they were still alive that is.
"The last one is nearby! Search for him!"
At that time, he heard a shout. It seems that he was the last one left huh? In the end, he was always left alone.
And so, he grits his teeth.
He needs to survive.
And so, he ran.
No matter where he ends up to. If it will give him the chance to survive and see the new tomorrow—!
'Then it will be my victory—!'
Such thoughts swirled within his mind.
It was what had led him here tonight in the middle of nowhere within the wilds. Word had already started to spread that the last remaining member for the tribe — in short, him, was here. His pursuers are closing in, and in the next few minutes or so, it that seemed to be that he would be next in line to be caught and disposed off.
What he was not expecting though was what came next.
This forest had always been a good hunting ground for potential food. Wild boars, rabbits, birds, and other animals alike were available here. But he didn't delved this deep without using a map from the tribe as a guide.
To be more precise, this forest is called Everlost for a reason. As the name states, many could presume that it's a forest with literally many people are going missing most of the time. And that wasn't an exaggeration at all. This forest expands up to several dozens of kilometers wide and was even presumed to be an outer extension of the forest proper that connects to the main forest where the elves dwell.
He was looking for a possible hiding place...or not. He just continued to roam in hopes of his pursuers to stop following him. Up until they realize that it was bad to go deeper than it was... but that is just wishful thinking.
His pursuers accelerated.
And so did he.
Ren didn't stop trying to run. Even if his legs were strained from the extended use of it. Even if his body was feeling tired and begs for rest already. Even if his mind is so weary that he fears that he won't be able to think straight unless he lies down and surrender himself to sleep.
"...Is this the end? Huh...?"
As if time stopped, he felt a sudden chill within himself. He blinked in confusion. Something else was here, and what is that?
To be honest, he doesn't have the time to dilly dally here and attempts to satisfy his curiosities... but he still did. As if his body was being guided by some outer force, he ran to go to one particular destination.
And after a few moments, his eyes saw it.
A massive pillar made of some kind of magical stone. It was radiating in energy. It's as if it was trying to make itself known... to attract somebody. As if possessed, his body simply walked straight right to it.
Why?
'What is happening here, really?' was the unsaid words that kept stuck in Ren's mouth. His body was moving on its own. It's not pleasant, to begin with. But again, he was too weak to even gain control over his own body.
Again...why?
He couldn't even understand what was happening here!
WHY?!
Did anything change?! No, he did change. He knew that he improved, that he became stronger! But...
"..."
...it wasn't enough. Not at all.
He then stretched his hand...not caring anymore, he didn't resist...
And as soon as he made contact with it...
[ SYSTEM NOTICE! ]
[ Potential Host detected! ]
"W-what—?!"
Ren tried to jump back in fear and surprise, but his body remained still on the spot. The voice devoid with any emotion whatsoever that echoed in his head rattled his composure. He swiftly moved his head and looked around if there was anybody here beside him.
There was none. At least, not right now.
[ SYSTEM NOTICE ! ]
[ Do you want to be the next Host of the SYSTEM? ]
"Who is there!? Show yourself—!" Ren shouted in panic at no one in particular. However, that mistake on his part brought nothing but dread.
"He is here! He's close!"
Ren heard the voice of one of the mercenaries now on his way in his direction, he tried to move away, but he still couldn't. Realizing the fact that he still hasn't regained control of his body, his mouth gaped in horror.
One crucial mistake. That sole mistake would now make his life end in just a matter of seconds...
[ Does the potential host want to eliminate the hostilities that are chasing him? ]
And for the third time, the emotionless voice asked. In a usual case, Ren would've doubted and pondered on how suspicious this voice was. In the first place, where was this coming from? Well, the pillar obviously, but could pillars normally talk? Of course not. That's unless it was a monster in disguise, or holds life within, or was some kind of magical item, or lastly if it was just a silly dream in the first place.
But Ren at this very moment doesn't have the liberty to ponder or think deeply about it. He was running out of time. He needs to do this fast or else—!
"You could do that...?" he asked, as he raised his brows in instinctive doubt. His expression however was that of a person with a sliver of hope burning in his eyes.
[ Yes. ]
It then answered. He decided to see whether this is true or not... Well, not that he has any choice other than that anyways.
"T-then by all means!"
[ However, the SYSTEM needs you to read the rules and guidelines. There is a contract... ]
He immediately cut off what the voice was trying to convey. Is there any time to listen? Not really. Time is slowly running out.
"I don't care! I accept the contract!"
[ Are you sure? ]
"There he is! Catch him!"
In less than 10 seconds, this would probably be his end. That's why he a leap of fate. Trusting the unknown with his own life, he once again, told that he would accept it.
"Yes... I accept."
[ Well done. Formal introductions are in order then... ]
That's where it all started.
A bright light then engulfed the forest. Ren instinctively closed his eyes. The light came from none other than the pillar itself. As if it was day, the light illuminated a huge chunk of the forest.
"AHHHH—!"
"W-what is this?!"
"This light is—!?"
Screams followed right after. Ren clearly heard the screams of his pursuers. Yes. Their screams filled with pain, agony, fear, and a mix various complicated emotions. What was happening? He can't see, if he opens his eyes, he would probably blind himself because of the excessive light just right before him.
And a few seconds later, the noises—the screams ceased to be.
[ Host, you can open your eyes now. ]
"...ah..."
What greeted him at the very moment he opened his eyes was none other than a translucent screen with the color of violet.
Furthermore, that wasn't the most shocking part at all...
"..."
The pillar was gone... shambled to pieces. And most of all, he was standing in the middle of nowhere.
No, that was incorrect. He didn't move an inch from where he was. At a closer look, he could at least recognize this place.
This was the forest...or what was left of it.
Everything spanning up to several kilometers was bleached out of existence by that light. It was terrifying. Most of all, he was the cause of it. But he couldn't afford to mull much over it. After all...
[ Once more, the SYSTEM introduces itself to the new Host. Let's take care of each other for years to come, shall we? ]
The once emotionless voice that continued to be heard in his mind back then now showed a sliver hint of amusement veiled in its words.
His journey...
His tale...
His blessing...
And his curse...
It all started with a boy taking a contract with a unknown being that calls itself as the SYSTEM.
X-x-X-x-X
[ Year XXXX ]
Ren eyes then shot open as he felt a jolt course through his body. Why was a part of his past now playing on his dream. Wait, could the dead even dream in the first place?
Realizing the abnormalities that he was feeling, Ren quickly got up on his feet. He scanned his body, it seemed that no injuries were inflicted on him much to his surprise. Perhaps, is he still alive? He couldn't believe it. The last thing he saw was that Dragon roaring its black flames that coincidentally disintegrates anything that it comes in contact. It was kind of similar to that of the abilities of his sword.
"What in the hell is happening here..." He grumbled as he looked over his surroundings.
Rubbing his eyes, he then saw where he was. To say that he was shocked was no exaggeration. Then, his expression turned to a wary and uncomfortable one.
Here he stands on top of a scorching hill, looking above in the smokey sky, Ren then let out a weak laugh.
"It seems that I am in hell, huh..." He said as he felt something clenched in one of his hands. It was his sword... well, it seems that this blade also came to him in this place.
As his eyes roamed further, Ren couldn't help but get more and more perturbed by the sight he was seeing.
Corpses.
Towers of corpses were spread around. They were all burning. Some were even losing limbs or parts of their bodies. It's as if somebody has cut them off.
Ren then looked below. The hill he was standing on — was none other than a hill made of corpses as well. Sudden dread engulfed his being at that very moment and resulted in him stumbling down as he fell from the hill.
"What is going on here...? Wait, is anybody else here?!" Ren exclaimed in an attempt trying to know if there was anybody alive here besides him.
And no answer came.
Where was he?
Ren then ran. Every single time, he ran. Be it under normal circumstances or not, he always preferred to run. It's as if it was engraved within his very being. Running was something that he honed ever since that tragedy occurred in his life. That was his turning point. Ever since then, being able to run has always been considered a necessity to Ren, no matter how funny it may sound to be for others.
He passed through settlements ranging from big to small. If there was something similar to them, it was about the theme...and the ruined states of each settlement.
Some were turned into rubble.
Some were burning.
Some looked like it was cut by something.
And most of all...
"..."
Corpses everywhere.
It's as if a war had taken place here. He could distinguish that two factions fought together. One wearing black uniforms resembling those of the clothes of people in the Far East...and one wearing white coats with a theme somewhat similar to what some nobles wear in the Empire.
Ren could see their dead bodies lying all over the place. Most had their bodies cut. Some were even crushed. Some were bisected. Some were impaled by spears or swords. Some were struck by arrows all around their bodies. Some have holes in their bodies. Some looked like they were frozen to death. Some looked like they were charred by flames. Most of them achieved cruel ends as far as he could see.
It was sickening.
This wasn't a normal massacre at all. Ren in his life being a mercenary after he reached the age of 17 up to the present, saw death as a normal part of that profession.
Ren then let out a snort. Now that he thought about it again, mercenaries have been a big part of his life, whether it was the good ones or the bad ones. After all, he achieved the highest rank that the mercenary position has in his life career...and also, just in his dreams, they have also chased and hunted him down when he was still part of the Tribe...which ended up with his pursuers being erased off on the map as a guarantee to prove that he could trust the SYSTEM.
Anyways, back to being a mercenary. It was a weary profession to handle for some people due to its nature.
Those you might've been friends with for a long time might be gone on the next day. Those that you might've just met would be just reported as dead or missing after failing a mission. Betrayal was commonplace. Comradeship and loyalty were tied to money only. And so forth.
There might be good reasons for being a mercenary, but the demerits mostly outmatch the merits...
But this? He has been involved in full blown war more than twice already due to the quest that the SYSTEM had given, but the battlefields' aftermaths that he had witnessed before paled in comparison to what was before him right now.
There's too much blood. There are too many corpses. There's too much destruction. It was a slaughter to a degree that he has never witnessed before.
He winced, the scent of death was too strong for his liking. Too strong to the point where it would be even somewhat nauseating for war veterans out there.
"...I guess this tower will do for now." Ren uttered in a hard tone. He then jumped on top of a tower like structure nearby. The elevation of this tower should be enough to let him observe and analyze the layout of the place he was in.
Ren then concluded that he was in a city — or a enormous ruined city to be exact. The city has some resemblance on what he had heard from the Far East documents that he once read before. This ruined city was devoid of life as well. He could only see corpses all over the place. It was getting tiring. Heaving out a weary breath, he continued to observe a little while longer.
And it was then he saw it.
A lone old man wearing ragged like robes filled with cuts and burns standing with considerable distance from where he was.
His eyes weren't mistaken. There was someone alive! But...
"That face..."
A fair-skinned elderly man with a bald head, visible wrinkles, hooked nose, and pronounced cheekbones. He has red eyes, long eyebrows, long mustache, and a hip-length white beard secured by a purple band crossing down it. He has many scars on his body, with the two most prominent being a pair of long scars crossing above his right eye. He was donning black uniform similar to most of those uniforms wore by those dead bodies. However, the distinguishing part for the old man compared to most that Ren saw is that he long-sleeved haori draped over his back instead of actually wearing it, with its size being greatly exaggerated.
Strong.
That was the first impression that Ren perceived as soon as he laid his eyes on the old man. Despite his old and frail demeanor, while standing in a hunch, Ren could discern that this old man in fact has a very muscular and well-defined built. And what's more is the old man's aura...
"..."
Ren gulped instinctively. Blinking, he then composed himself as a part of him urges him that this old man was familiar. He needs to get a closer look...probably.
It was then, the old man turned his face to where he was. Ren stood still. At that very moment, he could swear that he and the old man locked gazes.
The old man then started walking away when Ren blinked his eyes. His footsteps were light, so light that almost no sound was produced as he stepped on the ground.
On the other hand, Ren was frozen. The reason why this old man was familiar is now solved in his mind. Double checking from his memory, his appearance fits that of that person. There's no way that he could forget that face of his. After all...
"Wait!"
He shouted as he jumped out from the tower at high speeds. His body soon landed a few meters ahead of the old man. Ren's breathing was rough. He then unconsciously touched the handle of his sword. His eyes then widened as he took a clearer look at the old man before him.
"P-pardon my sudden rudeness, but you..." Ren then held out his sword, still locked in its sheath. Trembling, he then asked. "Old man, are you...are you perhaps the true owner of this sword?"
The million gold question was let out.
As soon as he recognized who this old man once was. This question has been plaguing him ever since. He needs an answer...to fulfill one of the questions that were left to be answered by the only true wielder of the katana that has been with him on his journeys.
And that will be answered now. Ren has been left with many things to ponder, to be honest like why is he here? Where is he? Is he dead or is he alive? And so on, and so forth.
The old man simply looked at him with a cold gaze. The old man then took a glance at Ren's sword. Ren then saw the old man's expressionless face twitch for once. Carefully glancing at the handle of his wooden staff on his hand, the old man sighed as his expression began to change.
That change then brought nothing but a faintly amused scowl from the old man as he let out a short laugh.
"A fake." The old man stated dryly. "This blade is none other than a mere replica of my blade... Ryūjin Jakka. A mere, degraded imitation." The old man then looked at him next, his red eyes showing a glint of that of a predator eyeing its prey.
Ren then took a step back. His senses screamed that he should run. The danger was coming.
"It interests me as to how you got your hands on this. Or the fact that something could even make an imitation of Ryūjin Jakka besides those that I know of..." The old man said, his voice devoid of any emotion whatsoever.
"—!"
CLANG!
At the next second, Ren instinctively raised his sword as he tried to block the thrust — a thrust coming from the wooden staff the old man was holding.
"Guh—!?"
The ground below cracked from the immense force applied in that trust that made his body almost crumbling down if he ever loses the focus on the pressure that the old man was emitting. Furthermore, the aura this old man was leaking was enough to make his surroundings unstable.
The temperature of the surroundings soon heightened to a degree in the next second.
"...if you at least managed to block a strike of mine once, I guess that would make you at least be able to handle it to some extent..." The old man said as he disappeared from Ren's line of vision next. In less than a single blink of an eye, the old man then reappeared right on his blind spot. "...but that won't be near enough on believing me that you are worthy on wielding it at all!"
"What—!?"
Ren's instinct immediately kicked in making him immediately turn around and block once more the incoming attack.
But that was a mistake.
"Reduce all Creation to Ash..." the old man whispered his chant.
As those words were uttered, the wooden staff then removed its disguise by peeling off the wood, revealing its true form of a standard katana, with a dark purple handle, a circular hand guard, and a red sheath.
At a speed faster than what a human could see, the old man drew out the katana from its sheath and announced its name loud enough for Ren to hear.
"Ryūjin Jakka."
In the next second, a torrent of flames then came out from the old man which was subsequently followed by a pillar of fire erupting as the old man swung his katana engulfing both him and Ren in the process.
Authors Note: Man, thank you for the reviews and I can see some of you are confused.
Not gonna lie, I intended to write the first chapter with the element of confusion for some people out there. You see, the first arc of this story would tackle some self-made stuff by yours truly before jumping to the main story.
Q1: Is the MC a reincarnated Yamamoto from Bleach?
- No, as you can see, they are separate entities all along finishing reading this chapter.
Q2: Am I underestimating the Bleach Verse?
Not really. To be exact, as you have read in this chapter, what our MC has here was nothing but a mere degraded imitation of the original Ryūjin Jakka. Besides, I ain't gonna make my MC too OP. A very OP MC would only lead to a dull story in my opinion for they could like resolve anything with their raw powers alone...unless the story is handled so we'll to the point like that of One Punch Man which keeps the readers entertained while the story is still holding high quality even though their MC—Saitama, is so broken in the first place.
So uh, in short, it's not like I am severely underestimating the Bleach element here in the story, it's just that I kind of 'nerfed' the powers that the MC got from the Bleach Verse.
I know the Zanka no Tachi is ridiculously OP. I mean, I've been rereading the Manga while checking the wiki occasionally since my interest on writing this fic resurfaced, and it all led to one thing which is that Zanka no Tachi is on a level on its own that I would say that it's a cheat code with a 'invincible armor (EX)', 'ARISE', and 'one hit delete' in a bundle.
Anyways, yeah. I understand how powerful the Bleach Verse is and I am in no way underestimating them, it's just I need to adjust and tone down the elements that the MC will receive so that I could at least make a balance out of the power scaling of the two verses...
Hope it doesn't bother you guys really...if it does, then sorry for the inconvenience. Imma just make it clear that I am not underestimating the Bleach verse at all.
Q3: Am I overestimating the Dragon in Danmachi here?
Okay, I know each universe has their own power level scaling. And crossovers tend to do one sided opinions for example when two different characters from a crossover fights. Well, the Dragon, or One-Eyed Black Dragon in Danmachi to be more specific isn't weak by any means at all. I've searched and studied the wiki to have a rough estimate on how strong this Dragon is. I mean, it's the Last Boss for a reason? Right? No genuine last boss in a story could be easily defeated by only using a Shikai in my opinion...
But to the point of overestimating the Dragon. To be honest, I could be doing that. I mean, there is so limited information in the Danmachi wiki as for how strong this Dragon is. So when I leave it to my imagination, I decided to think of it as some kind of overpowered entity that could literally ruin anything at its wake. I mean, this is the beast that took down the 'strongest' heroes to ever exist in the whole Danmachi verse...so yeah...
Again, if this bothers you guys. Sorry for that.
Q4: Why is this story confusing?
- Well, I won't blame you from thinking that this fanfic is confusing at a first glance. I intended the first arc to be filled with some sort of puzzle regarding the past of the MC. So yeah, if you don't like confusing stories in a first glance, I'll think this fanfic ain't will be your cup of tea.
Q5: What just happened in this chapter?
- This question should be more like why did Yamamoto attacked Ren. Well, you will find it out in the next chapter.
Also, this chap is more like a brief introduction for who the MC — Ren Ashbell is.
With all that done, thanks for reading this! See ya guys on the next chapter.