Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening. I've returned for another chapter of TDoI.
Similar to the last I do need to apologize to my readers... Schoolwork has gotten in the way and the massive delay was mainly because I've been busy handling our thesis. Thankfully we managed to finalize our topic and start on our draft. Right now the only thing left to handle are the finals I'll be taking for the rest of the week. Once that's done I should be able to update earlier. Wish me luck~
I thank the gods that tomorrow is a holiday. That's probably the only reason I was even able to finish this chapter. I wanted to atleast get an update out before the month ended so I can say I was doing monthly updates...
Anyway, this chapter was written in bits and pieces every time I had the spare time to do so. It went under a few rewrites mainly because I didn't get to write in one sitting so if you feel like some of the parts give off a different vibe then that would be the explanation.
Answers to the reviews:
Unseen Lurker:
Haha, sorry for disappearing once again~ my current subjects took far more work and had eaten up my time. Also, Wasabi would be classified as a fire/dragon type. Hmm... it makes me wonder if I should suggest bgms because of that...
Well I was going for something like that. Wanted to keep what was happening a mystery. Hopefully this chapter delivers with regards to that
WarriorMan199456:
Thanks you~ I'm trying my best with regards to character development. thankfully I managed to pull off the whole training scene so I can have a bit more confidence when I write another one in the future
FateBurn:
Someday I'll make you say more than just this~ I'll make that my goal of sorts :3
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan:
Basically yes~ Ophis is a pokemon fanatic and one of those types that would willingly to EV train all her pokemon. All of it.
Also Hoenn remakes?! I haven't been keeping myself updated with... pretty much everything lately. Holy hell, that is awesome!
Karlos1234ify:
Hmmm... one of my goals in this fic is to properly develop all of Ise's relationships, not just the ones in his Harem. So you'll see more interactions not only with Vali but also other characters.
Paimon:
Thank you for reviewing and apologies for the late update. Once my finals are done I should be able to update faster
As usual thank you for all the people who read this fic of mine. I hope you keep enjoying my work
Disclaimer: No, I don't own HsDxD or any of its characters. Too tired to make any witty and or attempt to do a funny disclaimer
Let's get this started~
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
He looked over devil named Shalba Beelzebub, analysing him. His facial expression, his posture, and his way of speaking, he took in every detail he could find.
'Hmmm…. His actions, mannerisms, and personality have certainly changed. His eyes are... wary and cautious. He's preparing himself for anything that might happen. Had the Shalba Beelzebub of the past always been this like this?'
"So Shalba-chan… what's this I hear about a dragon god?" He delivered the question, sounding genuinely curious.
"That is none of your concern Rizevim Lucifer" Shalba answered. Not a hint of anger or irritation could be found in his voice despite the fact that it was apparent that Rizevim had been spying on him.
'Hoooh? Not even going to ask why I was here or point out that I was spying on you? I'm quite sure that the former Shalba-chan would atleast get angry. Hmmm…. shall we see the extent of the changes?'
Truth be told he had been observing Shalba for quite some time. The sudden changes had drawn his curiosity a bit and what he saw as he observed had only increased it. He had no intention of actually interfering but finding out about the involvement of the dragon god was what spurred him into action.
"Eeehhh~ I'm not one to pry on other people's business you know but I couldn't help but be concerned about you. It is a dragon god after all~, not even I would dare challenge one in a battle. You want to destroy that boy don't you? Of course a real maou such as yourself would have a plan correct?" His grin grew larger as if to mock Shalba.
"So far none. I agree that despite my power and status, a dragon god would be beyond my league. I've yet to come up with a proper plan. Rest assured that I will create one however" Shalba spoke, completely dismissing Rizevim's attempt at mocking him.
'Surprising indeed… he's quite intelligent but had never taken shots at his pride as a real maou quite well… yet now he gives such a humble answer'
Rizevim paused, thinking about his next words.
'Hmmm…. Shalba-chan's changes are certainly interesting… and then there is that dragon god...'
"Uhyahyahyahyahya! Well then Shalba-chan let me give you some help." He laughed heartily and replaced his grin with a gentle and disarming smile.
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
[***.**.*****]
It was the same sound again. Unlike the ones she had it had become stronger. The sounds were more like continuous crackling of electricity instead of just static.
'It's… gotten stronger'
She pressed her fingers to her temple, trying to soothe the headache it was causing her. The sensations she felt had started causing some pain after some time. Furthermore, as the sensations grew more frequent the pain that accompanied it grew stronger as well.
'Pain… It is not something that I'm not accustomed to. The others must have dealt with this all the time. Not having power that grants near invincibility is certainly difficult and tedious…'
Her level of power was to a point where she could tank any kind of attack without even flinching, something Cao Cao and his True Longinus could attest to. When she became weakened, she was never given the chance to engage in battle since her identity was being hidden so she had never been injured before.
She closed her eyes and expanded her senses. For the nth time since she had woken up, she checked both the condition of the vessel she was using and the surroundings.
'No strange presences as usual… this must really be caused by some problem in my vessel yet even there I could not find any fault…'
"Nnnn…. Ophis-chan?" Ise spoke out in a sleepy voice, breaking her out of her musings. She took a look at Ise who was sleeping on her lap and wiped some of the drool that was on his face with her hands.
They were currently in the living room resting on several futons with sheets and pillows surrounding them. There was a variety of food on the sofa, ranging from chips to a whole cake. Ophis was using her adult form, she held a controller while Ise was resting his head on her lap.
The display on the television showed a boy with a blue cap, blue overalls and a red scarf. The boy seemed to be inside a barn surrounded by cute chickens. Eggs were scattered all around the place.
"Return to sleep Ise" She said with a soft and gentle voice while stroking his hair. She moved Ise so that instead of laying his head on her lap he would be sitting on her lap while laying his head on her chest. Ise seemed to have fallen asleep immediately as he came in contact with the bare skin of her chest.
"Nnnn…" Despite her words she felt rather drowsy as well but a slight shake of the head dispelled the feeling.
She grabbed the controlled with both of her hands and began controlling the boy in blue to collect the eggs scattered around the barn. She took care of the golden eggs first before taking care of the white ones.
'I need to find the cause for the strange sensation or it may cause major problems. The sensations grow stronger with time and it may cause me to fail at a critical moment…'
Despite being deep in thought, her fingers kept moving with speed and precision as she controlled the boy in blue to water the crops in the field. It was similar to a computer following a set algorithm.
'Hmmm… This vessel was created using a fragment of my original body… hence there should be no compatibility issues. The only other cause would be…. The connection'
This time the boy went inside some kind of mine. When the boy hit the ground using a hoe he would sometimes hold up some rocks, a mineral or reveal a set of stairs. She went as deep as she could where nearly every time the boy hits the ground, he holds up a blue coloured mineral.
'Consciousness have an inherent connection with the body and soul hence it is anchored to it. This vessel I use was created with a fragment of my body and soul… This is what makes the long distance transfer possible in the first place '
The transfer method that she and Great Red used was actually quite simple and was based on such a theory.
One's consciousness could be said to be bound to their respective bodies. Even when one's consciousness is separated from the body it is bound to, it would have the tendency to return to it. This particular characteristic was what they had taken advantage of to perform a transfer.
Ophis, created a vessel using a fragment of her body and soul. When Ophis goes to sleep, Great Red would help her in ferrying her consciousness from her 'main' body to the vessel by connecting their dreams. Great Red then proceeds to 'block out' the connection of the 'main' body.
The same process is used when returning from the vessel to the 'main' body. In this case Great Red removes the 'block' of the connection to the main body and syncs it with the vessel via dream connection. The 'pull' of the main body is stronger and so the consciousness goes back to the 'main' body.
'Taking such things into consideration, the only logical causes of the disturbance would be that Great red has stopped blocking the connection to my main body causing my consciousness to try and return using the inherent connection my vessel has with it…'
[*** ** *****]
"Nnnngghhh…" She massaged her temples in order to ease the pain. The pain was already at a level that she couldn't just ignore.
'It can't be helped… Ise is still sleeping so I should take this chance to transfer my consciousness back. If my guess is correct then it should be possible to do since the connection is already open'
"…Ophis-chan…" Ise's sleepy voice entered her ears just as she was about to close her eyes and go to sleep.
"Toilet…" Ise got up before she could react leaving the room quickly.
[*** ** *****]
"A-Ah…." She dropped the controller she was holding used both her hands to hold her head. She felt like her mind was being pulled apart. She took a few deep breathes to calm herself. It took several minutes before the pain completely subsided.
"My respect for those who must deal with pain has certainly grown…." She commented as she wiped the sweat on her forehead.
"I would need to properly discuss with Great Red about this after Ise returns. Last night we—" She stopped as she came to a realization. She closed her eyes and though things through.
'Did Great Red and I speak to one another the night before? I… cannot recall'
She furrowed her brows in confusion. They used the magic circle and transported back into Ise's room. They went to sleep but she couldn't recall talking to great red.
'It would mean that I had simply slept instead of returning to my body…. However I had felt the feeling of my consciousness settling in the vessel like every other time I had transferred….did Great Red initiate the transfer itself?'
The discrepancy had worried her. The transfer only occurred if she initiates. There were times when she simply felt like sleeping inside the vessel while cuddled up with Ise on the bed. Great Red had never performed a transfer without her giving a signal.
'I would have surely felt something if that was the case… considering the amount of time it should have taken…'
Time. It was something that had bothered her as well. Her vessel was designed in a way that it also required sleep unlike her true body. In the time she had made use of her vessel she had never felt drowsy as long as she slept within a specified amount of time.
"I had awakened at sunrise… we had come back before midnight, hence the appropriate amount of time for sleep had been met… yet I feel the need to sleep still…"
It was another discrepancy. Feeling the need to sleep meant that she didn't meet the needed amount of time to sleep; however this directly contradicts other details.
"Why would—"
*Rain*
She could suddenly hear the sound of a strong rain outside. She could even hear the wind blowing strongly and a few small objects hitting the window. It wasn't supposed to hold any meaning whatsoever but for some reason she realized something.
Ise had yet to return. He had not come back despite the fact that going to the bathroom shouldn't even take a minute. It was an unnecessary worry , there were countless explanations that could be made for his delay but her instincts told her that there was more to it.
"…Ise"
There is no one to blame but yourself
The perpetrator removed his hand and held Ise by the head raising it up as he looked at down her with a sickeningly sweet smile.
As the perpetrator stared at her, the smile turned into a large manic grin as he slowly tightened his grip on Ise's head, showing that he fully intended to crush it with his hands alone.
You are not absolute
A shiver down her spine as she recalled the grim images that she saw in her nightmares, the strange set of events occurring paralleled those that she saw in them.
"Ise!" She stood up quickly and started looking for Ise all the while checking the state of her body.
'I am currently holding about a fourth of my total power… such a level should be enough to handle most however… the pain induced by that sensation may be detrimental…'
She had already taken half the power from her main body and turned them into snakes. She had hidden them inside their home and had used half of those for the purpose of training Ise. She stopped for a second to gather all the remaining snakes for good measure.
'….?'
Despite her call however, the snake did not respond. She couldn't even feel any of them near, it was as if she was in a different place entirely.
'Why—'
*Steps*
Before she could even comprehend why her snakes weren't converging with her, she saw Ise running full speed to the door. The sight further reminded her of the nightmare that plagued her sleep countless times.
"Ise!" She called out his name and chased after him out the door. Her instincts were telling her that if she doesn't succeed, her nightmare will become reality.
[*** * * ****]
"Aggh…." The pain caused her to falter but she was able to shake it off and continue her chase. The second she got out of the door she spread her wings and flew at full speed.
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
"Shalba-chan do you know the best way fight a reaaallly powerful enemy?" He started. He gave a large grin as he posed his question towards his fellow devil. His tone of voice was laced with playfulness and mischief, his face gentle with a disarming smile. Anyone who would meet him would see him as an energetic old man.
He leaned on the door he looked straight at the maou descendant waiting for an answer.
The question was far too broad and had no definitive answer. Killing a strong enemy could range from using pure brute force to a clever use of strategy and tactics. Hence, unless other variables are revealed, then a certain method could not be chosen.
He however expected Shalba to brag about the powers and abilities he had inherited and taking down the opponent by using his superior intelligence. The descendant had always greatly taken pride in his lineage and had no qualms in expressing it.
"No… Enlighten me" Shalba's voice was even, not giving away his thoughts or emotions.
'Hoooh? Not even a word about the magnanimity of your powers? Change isn't something so easily brought upon without something drastic occurring you know?'
"It's simple Shalba-chan… you simply have to take away their power!" Rizevim proclaimed it as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The way he had pumped both of his fist as he said those words only made it seem he was mocking Shalba.
Shalba simply narrowed his eyes, clearly unsatisfied at the answer but still did not express any sign of irritation.
"Uhyahyahyahya! …Now now Shalba-chan~, no need to give me such a look. Let me explain first." He wagged his indexed finger, akin to a teacher playfully scolding their student for their quick and hasty judgement.
"You know, being born with power, talent or anything special is awesome! It lets you do anything you want, lets you dominate over others, and lets you live your life far easier compared to those born without such things…" He paused. He walked around the room as he explained, gesturing with his hands as he talked.
"Uhyahyahya! The more power the better! Things like talent allow people to get ahead without as much effort! That damn God even created Sacred Gears and the majority of human who had been able to capitalize on them had obtained success!" Rizevim then stopped abruptly and looked towards him with a sly grin.
"…but! BUT! There's always a catch! Let's take our dragon god-chan as an example… She's strong. Super strong! Strong to a point that it would be pointless to even try fighting her in battle!" Rizevim paused dramatically. Theatrics were part of his nature.
"However, like every other being that is absurdly powerful… like every other being that possesses some kind of cheat-like ability granted by something like a Sacred Gear… they all have the same weakness!" Rizevim gave another dramatic pause, this time to build some tension.
"…and that is the fact that the moment, the second, the instant that you place them in a situation where their power is completely useless… they break" The tone of his voice dropped and his voice grew cold.
"They break Shalba-chan, they break!" his declaration was made in absolutes seriousness but the manic laughter that followed broke some of the tension.
'He seems to be obediently and attentively listening… Well not exactly behaviour that would be out of place considering the current situation'
"That power, those cheat-like abilities they have are extremely convenient. Convenient to a point where the one answer they have to any and every situation and problem they have faced is to use said power!"
He then made eye contact with Shalba. He noted how the maou descendant was carefully making sure not to show any obvious reactions to his monologue.
"Uhyahyahyahya! You can't blame them; after all why think of some kind of clever strategy or tactic when you can just use sheer brute force? Why be resourceful when you can just use your cheat level ability to do everything?" He paused for a moment and closed his eyes momentarily.
"…and THAT is why the instant they find that their oh so precious powers and abilities can't do anything against whatever situation they find themselves in, they can do nothing but flounder around like a useless orange fish on the ground! They start to doubt themselves, question they're very being, slowly lose their confidence. Then they sloooowwlyyy fall apart… you can see how the bits and pieces of their countenance break and IT. IS. GLORIOUS!"
He chuckled using his hand to rub the tears forming in his eye. He cleared his throat looked towards Shalba again.
"You know Shalba-chan, I reeeeaaally love my ability. It had let me see those kinds of situations. Those cute little Sacred Gear wielders, the ones stupid enough to even try to kill me aaalwaaays end up like that… The look on their faces when they realize that the power they're so proud off couldn't even make a scratch on me, the look of fear and despair that follows! Uhyahyahyahya, I only wish you could see them Shalba-chan!"
Shalba simply stood and listened and didn't interfere. After waiting a few more seconds to see if Rizevim had anything else to say, he finally spoke.
"I see… however, despite your words, we are dealing with something that possesses far more power than most other beings in this world. The question now is what situation can we put the dragon god in that would effectively cripple its power without risking being erased from the face of this world?" He questioned, still sceptical that they would even have the chance.
'A logical question highlighting the main problem with the approach I presented, indirectly admitting inferiority against another being. Not a single attempt to glorify himself or assert his superiority in any area, his current demeanour is a far cry from his former self'
There were a lot of choices to take, a lot of options to be considered, however the main problem they faced was that every option or choice had the risk of being turned to dust.
'Now the question is… what had caused this change?'
"Uhyahyahyahyahya! How rare Shalba-chan! Since when have you become so humble and cautious? Well no matter, listen well then. I'll tell you how to cripple that cute little dragon god. That way you can have your way with that boy" Rizevim emphasized some of his words and the implications were not lost to Shalba.
"I see… Then let's start the discussion" He ignored it however and simply decided to move on with the discussion.
"Hooohh? Such a boring reaction… Well I'll let that slip for now~"
This time he took a seat on the spare chair on the corner of the room, where a conveniently placed whiteboard was located.
"You shouldn't worry Shalba-chan… just leave it to me~"
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
It wasn't just a rain, it was a storm. The strong wind whipping against her body slowed her flight and the heavy rain weighed her down greatly. Her sight was being obscured and she was barely able to follow Ise who didn't seem to even be affected by the rain.
'No… No… This is not the same… this will not end the same way... I won't allow it.'
Images from the nightmare she had always had flashed in her mind but she shook it off. She hardened her resolve and put all her effort in chasing Ise, despite that however, she couldn't help but be shaken.
[**** *** ******** **]
"Aghhh?!"
The pain that went through her head was far stronger than the last. It felt like her consciousness was being split into two. She barely held herself together and had to stop her movement to regain her bearings.
'I… cannot… afford… to lose sight of Ise'
"I-Ise…" The pain persisted but she endured and continued her chase after Ise who had entered some sort of tunnel.
She readily dove inside and within a few seconds came out the other side. The storm had suddenly stopped and the surroundings became clear.
"Ise!" She shouted his name and frantically looked around. The town they had lived in was within sight. What was jarring was the fact that they seemed to still be within the vicinity of the Hyoudou residence despite the long flight she had taken.
"Hmph… greetings, dragon god" A voice came from behind her prompting her to turn back quickly. On top of the Hyoudou building was an image she could easily recognize.
"Shalba…. Beelzebub" She said with disdain. She had a strong urge to attack but there was one thing stopping her.
"Dragon God Ophis, I feel honoured that you know of my name"
Shalba Beelzebub replied while holding an unconscious Hyoudou Ise by the neck.
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
"Well Shalba-chan, the first thing we need to answer is what situation would render our dear dragon god-chan unable to use her power?" Rizevim picked up a marker and drew a crude stick figure on the whiteboard. It vaguely resembled the Ouroboros dragon's current form.
"A hostage" He answered simply. Rizevim had a chair with a table brought in for Shalba to use but he refused to sit in it.
"Correct! A gold star to Shalba-chan!" He attempted to pat Shalba's head but maou descendant took a step back to avoid his hands.
"The problem still stands. My aim is the boy himself and not the dragon god. That thing would simply erase anything before it even gets near the boy. Even if we're able to actually take the boy hostage there would be no way of telling if she has an ability that would allow her attack without hurting him"
Meanwhile Rizevim drew another stick figure that vaguely resembled the boy Shalba was targeting.
"Uhyahyahya! Shalba-chan, you're being narrow-minded!" The only reaction the maou had towards the insult was a slight raise of the brow. As usual there wasn't any sign of irritation.
"The solution to the latter is actually idiotically simple… you simply have to make it completely apparent that any threat or danger would lead instantly to the boy's death. There are far far too many methods to accomplish such a thing. "
Rizevim proceeded to draw another stick figure, this one vaguely resembling Shalba who was drawn with a sword held against the stick figure of Ise.
"Such a tactic carries far too much risk to even be considered" Shalba looked at Rizevim's work on the whiteboard with a slight hint of annoyance.
"Really now Shalba-chan… I assure you this. That dragon god will not, and I repeat, WILL NOT risk the safety of the boy. Even if there's a 1 in a million chance that the boy may die then that child will not risk it"
This time Rizevim drew tears on the stick figure of Ophis.
"…You seem to be assured of your claims"
"You've already shown me Ophis-chan and we've observed them have we not? That sweet and gentle smile she has, those tender embraces… Shalba-chan, do you not see that our dear dragon god is in love!?"
At this point he drew a heart in between Ise and Ophis.
"It is definitely love Shalba-chan! There can be no doubt about it! Such a wonderful thing it is. It is as wonderful as it is convenient for us."
"Then how do you plan on even kidnapping the boy without risk? That thing looms over the boy like a ghost possessing a pathetic human being."
"Simple Shalba-chan... We trick Ophis-chan"
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
She did everything in her power to keep herself calm. The sight of the maou descendant holding an unconscious Ise by the neck was enough to make her want to unleash every bit of power she had to erase the devil in front of her.
"Ise…" She gritted her teeth. If a stare could kill then Shalba would have already been swimming in the river of Styx.
"Were you searching for this boy?" Shabla asked curtly shaking Ise's body side to side.
'How? How had he been able to escape my senses? No… this is far too strange. Nothing that has happened since I had woken up had made sense… could it be that-' She thought herself but Shalba had done something to distract her form her thoughts.
[**** ** ** * ****]
The sensation could be felt once again but she ignored the pain entirely.
"Not even returning my greeting dragon god? How rude of you" He stood up and slightly tightened his grip on Ise's neck. Ise was clearly in pain from the action.
That was more than enough to set her off and the surroundings intensified.
"Let. Ise. Go"
The sheer intensity of the power Ophis emitted would have been enough to crush anything near her. Her face became blank, no shred of emotion present save for her eyes. Her eyes showed her full intent to kill without mercy. He voice remained even but anyone could feel he thinly veiled threat behind her words.
Shalba did not even flinch.
"How bold… you are aware I can simply end this pathetic boy's life anytime I plea—" Shalba's words were cut off by a flash of black light. He made sure not to let go of Ise as he jumped off to the side.
He was able to dodge the concentrated beam of death however as he landed on top of the adjacent building he was met with Ophis preparing to impale him with a black lance made if pure energy.
He acted quickly and instead of dodging he threw Ise's body hard to his left. The act caught Ophis off guard as she threw the lance towards Shalba, changed direction and attempted to catch Ise in mid-air. Shalba evaded the lance and taking advantage of the situation, launched a burst energy aimed at Ise. Ophis countered with one of her own nullifying Shaba's attack as she flew towards Ise.
[*** ******* ****]
The sensation made her falter slightly but she kept her path straight towards Ise. However before she was able to reach Ise something fast grabbed his body and flew away. Right before she was able to give chase countless bees forming magic circles surrounded her and bombarded her with enormous bursts of energy stopping her in her tracks.
Despite that, she couldn't even feel a trace of pain from the attack.
"Well you certainly are sturdy aren't you dragon god? You'd best not move or the hand of my subordinate over there might slip" Shalba said casually as he created more bees around him.
Ophis stood without any noticeable signs of damage on her body. Her attention was solely on Ise's body and she ignored everything else.
"Oh? Ignoring me dragon god? Well… I do have something that would certainly catch your attention"
Shalba raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
"Trick a dragon god?" Shalba questioned Rizevim's remark.
"Uhyahyahayha… Shalba-chan, have you not been listening to me?" Rizevim erased everything on the whiteboard and drew another stick figure of Ophis. He put several details on it to make it look like she had a status page under her.
"Ophis-chan can be said to be one of the most powerful existences in our world! She is being so powerful that even if some god were to use all their power to attack her, she wouldn't even bother to defend herself."
He wrote beside STR, AGI, INT and other figures 'over 9000!'
"No… to better phrase it, she wouldn't even feel the need to defend herself since it wouldn't even leave a scratch on her. It's for that reason that she will fall for the trick even if only for a short time"
He then wrote under 'Innate ability' the words 'invincible'.
"The thing is powerful beings on that level have horribly massive blind spots. Be it physically or mentally, existences like Ophis-chan cannot help but disregard things like defending, guarding or other stuff simply because of the fact that they have no need for it."
Shalba simply stared at the drawing on the board as Rizevim wrote the words 'naïve' and 'careless' in Ophis' status page.
"And if that thing finds out? Even if we are able to make that thing fall for whatever trick you have in mind, it will only be a matter of time before it sees through it"
"Then this time we put in another distraction!"
This time Rizevim drew Shalba and Ise on the board again. He put a box under the figures and listed what looked to be attacks and skill names.
"You see Shalba-chan, when something important is in danger logic flies out the window! So what if it could possibly be a fake?! That's the beauty of it, it doesn't matter!"
He began writing 'threaten the one they love' and 'make the enemy angry' inside the box he drew. Afterwards he wrote 'Shalba-chan used threaten the one they love' and 'super effective' in between the stick figures.
"When you threaten what they love fear sets in and do you know what fear does Shalba-chan? It interferes with the ability to make decisions. After that comes anger, an emotion that further clouds one's sense of judgement. Put them together and reason and logic stops mattering"
He then wrote 'Ophis-chan is inflicted with fear and rage'.
"…because in Ophis-chan's view, the boy named Hyoudou Issei could possibly die. She may doubt the authenticity of the current situation, she may even suspect that there is something amiss, she might even be able to see through everything… but none of that will matter because even if it's extremely unlikely, there is always the possibility that boy could die"
'Shalba-chan uses threaten the one they love' and 'Ophis-chan is inflicted with confusion!' was now written on the board.
"That possibility, even if there is a one in a million chance of it occurring, as long as it has a chance of occurring is more than enough to make our dragon god hesitate!"
He then proceeded to write 'Ophis-chan is unable to take action!'
"I see… then given that the dragon god would fall for such a trick how are we to prolong it enough so that I have enough time to take care of the boy? At some point that thing will simply attack with reckless abandon"
"Quite simple really… you simply have to increase the number of distractions~"
Rizevim then began to draw more stick figures around Shalba and drew bees around them.
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
They were dangling in front of her. Many of them were familiar faces, all of them in being held aloft by countless bees that could burst into flames at any given moment.
There was the old lady that gave her sweets, the kind policeman that had once given her directions when she was lost, children she and Ise had played with every now and then, and of course her current family Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou.
"How about this dragon god? Are you still going to ignore my words?" Shalba's calm voice shook her from her state of shock. She found herself unable to take action, unsure of what she should do.
[**** *** ****]
"…" She didn't speak nor did she utter a sound. She kept her face blank despite the pain. She made sure not to show any signs of being in pain in front of Shalba Beelzebub.
'What… should I do? I should be able to attack every opponent simultaneously…. However there I no assurance that the enemy wouldn't kill anyone the second I attack… will I be able to destroy them before they take action?'
Her mind was going through every possible way to resolve the current situation. She could easily take down every enemy but there was no assurance that she wouldn't involve the hostages in the attack nor was there any assurance that the insects holding them captive won't attempt to kill them either.
[** ** ******]
"Nnnnn…?!" She gritted her teeth trying to pass of her reaction as a sign of anger. She started gathering energy in preparation for an attack.
'It cannot… be helped'
"Are you sure about that dragon god? I certainly would like to see if you can eliminate every single one of my bees surrounding these people without harming them as well… there is also the boy you care so much for" Shalba's words made her hesitate and she looked to Ise's direction.
The devil holding him captive had kept quiet. He simply stayed at a good distance away from her, ready to kill Ise at any given moment. The look of pain on Ise's face made her dissipate the energy she was gathering.
'….'
"Heh… now that's an obedient dragon god"
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
"In order to do so then take more hostages! Take the boys' family as hostage! Take countless innocent people as hostage! Take everything Ophis-chan cares about and point a knife in its neck and dangle their bodies within her field of view…"
Rizevim wrote 'Shalba used a special skill: threaten everything she loves!' and 'Ophis-chan is unable to perform any actions!'
"It won't matter if she realizes what's happening, it won't matter if she abandons everything else and destroy everything to rescue the boy… by the time she reaches that point, it would already be far too late~"
Rizevim snickered before dropping the marker and looking at Shalba.
"After all, the goal isn't to beat Ophis-chan… our only objective is to distract her"
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
"H-huh?!"
He found himself in a strange dark room. A few seconds ago he and Ophis were using the magic circle to transport themselves home. There was a delay in the transport and when he was transported he found himself in mid-air and fell to the ground.
"Eh? This… isn't my room…" He looked around. The destination set on the magic circle they used was from his room to the forest. He rubbed his shoulders to ease the pain from the fall and stood up.
"Despite being mere human beings I have to give those magicians some praise. Their little trick had certainly helped"
He froze as heard the voice. It was a voice he could easily recognize. Slowly he turned his head to one of the corners of the room. Straining his eyes a bit he could make out a figure.
'Shalba Beelzebub'
The name appeared in his mind despite not having met the man before. The name made him feel a burst of emotion inside him. Anger was the most prominent.
"Hey boy, do you know how magic circles work?" The figure stood up and slowly approached him. He readied himself for an attack.
"Magic circles are spells that allow quick transportation between two places. They're widely used due to their convenience but the workings behind them are actually rather complicated"
Shalba continued his impromptu lesson while slowly making his way to Ise. Ise manifested his gauntlet but Shalba didn't ignored it entirely and continued speaking.
"Gaaah…?!"
The next second he found himself pinned to the wall, Shalba's right hand grasping by the neck. He couldn't even detect when Shalba had moved and was unable to defend himself.
Shalba then pulled out a dagger and lightly touched the skin of Ise's right arm.
"In order to use a magic circle you need to set up the proper combination of symbols, you put the magic circles in the location you want. Afterwards you create a connection between them."
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
He screamed in pain as the Shalba suddenly stabbed the dagger into his arm and slowly pushed it in. His body still refused to move feeling as if there was something restricting it.
"Each magic circle contains a record of its exact location. When transporting in between circles, the magic circle you use switches its positional values with the magic circle it's connected to"
"S-Stop….Arghh…"
Shalba continued casually discussing the basics of magic circles as he made more cuts on Ise's right arm. He tightened his grip on Ise's neck making it hard for Ise to breathe.
"If that confuses you then think of it this way. First you have magic circle A that is located in position X. Then you have magic circle B than is located in position Y. When you use magic circle A and activate it, it replaces the values that define your location in position X to that of the values in location Y. When this happens the world thinks that you're at magic circle B so you appear there"
As Shalba finished his explanation he drew back the dagger and threw it across the room.
"At least that was how that fake maou Ajuka had explained it. Rather Interesting isn't it?"
Shalba gave Ise a smile as he let go of his neck. Ise fell down to the ground struggling to breathe and while holding his cut up arm.
"Consequently, if you connect more magic circles C and D then you're able to transport to more than one location given that you define which to transport to beforehand"
"Guah…!"
Shalba further elaborated as he delivered a kick to the fallen Ise's gut.
"Really it was quite troublesome finding a way to separate you and that wretched dragon god. It didn't help that that thing had been diligent in detecting for any dangerous presence so we had to choose such a roundabout method… though it had worked out quite well"
"A-Ahh…"
He then stepped on his head slowly putting more wait on it.
"So boy...would you like to know how death feels like?"
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
=={Journey}==
"Exactly how long do you think these two will keep this up?" Vali asked Albion as he leaned on one of the trees.
[It has been more or less an hour, I've no idea what's going on in their minds right now]
Albion replied, also clearly baffled at the sight they were seeing.
In front of them where to figures that looked like identical twins, to the left was Ophis who was eating a chocolate cake Vali had been forced to buy while to the right was Lilith who was eating a strawberry cake that Vali was also forced to buy. Surrounding the two were various wrappers and boxes of the confections they have scarfed down in the past hour.
"They haven't even spoken ever since we have met up with Lilith" Vali sighed, getting slightly impatient with the current situation. Fortunately, Ophis had finally spoken after she and Lilith had finished their last cakes.
"Lilith" was the only word she had uttered. Lilith stared back at her blankly.
"I wish to see Ise once again. I request your aid" Ophis continued but Lilith only stared back and did not respond.
"…. I see, Vali will take care of it" Despite the lack of response from Lilith, Ophis continued the conversation much to Vali's confusion.
"Exactly what am I to take care of?" He spoke unable to follow but he was ignored entirely.
"Then I have your agreement?" This time Lilith replied with a nod but had still not spoken and Ophis also made a small sigh of relief.
"Vali, we must find a fire dragon and the largest marshmallow available" Ophis looked at Vali and said those words with complete seriousness.
"Why would you…" He paused and sighed. He deployed his wings of light and prepared to fly.
"Got it… let's… go find whatever it is the two of you want. Just promise me that afterwards we will continue with getting to Hyoudou" he said in resignation.
"Please do not worry. We will be seeing Great Red after Lilith is satisfied" She and Lilith stood up and both of them spread their wings.
"Fine, let's get this over with"
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
Chapter Notes:
Hello and thank you for reading to this point. Here's well I'll discuss some stuff about this chapter.
First of all is Rizevim and Shalba. Unfortunately both of these characters didn't have too much screen time in the novels and hence i found it difficult to characterize them. Thankfully with the setting of this story, I could waive off the differences in their personalities with their original counterpart due to it being another world. I purposefully decided to change Shalba's personality from his original one and retained some, using Rizevim to highlight the changes through his observation all the while showing Rizevim's character as well. Hopefully that worked out.
I also took a shot at improving dialogue by using italics and bold to emphasize some of the words when speaking. I'll probably keep doing this in the future.
Next is the whole 'how to neutralize Ophis' thing. This was one of the major problems I encountered. How do you neutralize someone so strong they can just erase you on sight? I did some research and interestingly enough I found my answer in two rather different places.
I found the answer itself from researching Superman. I asked how I would try and neutralize the man of steel himself and I got this answer. How I applied the answer however was inspired by To Aru Majutsu no Index.
Please comment on whether the execution was done properly especially with the arrangement I had decided to do.
With regards to what is exactly happening and what Rizevim and Shalba's plan is, that will be revealed in the next chapter
Thank you once again for reading this and thank you for any reviews you may write in the future~
I'll see you all again when I get my finals done...