Hello. This is Nuko with the next and very much overdue chapter of TDoI.
First things first, I once again sincerely apologize for not being able to meet my word with regards to the promised rate of updates I had given. Hence I will now declare that this fic will be updated once a month. At the very least I have managed such a thing (barely though). The update may come anytime of the month though expect it to be near the end.
Also, thank you for those that have faved and followed this story. Thank you for the readers and reviewers that continue to follow this story. I love you people~
If you can please read the chap notes at the top and bottom and tell me what you think
With regards to this chapter however, since I will now be permanently switching to monthly updates, had made this longer than the usual(in terms of the length of the main story without any omakes or extra segments). Originally the content here was worth two chapters with a major cliff-hanger in between but since I haven't really been doing well with releasing chapters, I figured it was fine to simply give it all to you guys now. Now we see how effective it is without a major cliffie in the middle…
Hence for this chapter, prepare for a glimpse of Ise's fighting skill, Great Red's awesomeness, Ddraig's appearance, Shalba's sadism, a very angry Ophis-chan and Rizevim. Just Rizevim.
Read through all of it and please tell me what you think. Seriously, this (and the concluding chapter) would mark the end of the first arc and I am in serious need of more feedback. I want to improve my writing and I would truly be grateful if you would take the chance to tell me what you think of this chapter. Was it done well? Where can improvements be made? Was the sequence and rendering of the scenes adequate? Has my writing improved or deteriorated from the earlier chaps? Not about chapter releases though if you could help it…. That has too many real life factors to change by myself…
Note: As usual, more info on the chapter and my thoughts about it at the bottom. Read that if you have time.
Answers to the reviews:
WarriorMan199456:
Know that I had been able to type your name without looking at a reference!
I am very grateful to your input and I honestly need more of such things… Improvements can't be made if I can't know what people think of the finer details of my work~
Once again, thank you. It was relieving to know that I had done the execution well
Guest:
Ah well you know how Index goes. Concepts are usually broken down and analysed in detail. Accel has auto redirection barrier? Switch directions just as it registers your attack. Kanzaki about to beat the crap out of ya? She doesn't kill so place yourself in a position that would make her attack fatal and take advantage of the opening it causes. You know that kind of stuff. That's how I approached the whole "how do you neutralize Ophis thing"
The largest marshmallow? Because the bigger the better~
SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan:
The answer to that is in this chapter! Further info about it on the chapter notes at the bottom~
FateBurn:
You spoke in a longer sentence… Huzzah! Hope this chap delivers~
Karlos1234ify:
It gets worse and better at the same time in this chap~
Disclaimer: I swear on angry lolis that I do not profit from this in any way. Really, angry lolis are scary. Do not ever anger your lolis. That's a friggin death flag right there.
Okay, it's been a while so let's kick this off. All together now… START!
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
"When something is unnecessary would you continue to use it?" Rizevim asked as he took a sip of his drink. It was fine wine that made by human beings, expensive and luxurious. Though one may think that devils would indulge in creations made by their own kind it was actually the opposite. The majority of good in the underworld were brought in from the human world and services rendered were imitated from there as well.
Though devils do indeed produce their own goods, to the higher class human made products were unequalled. Fine wine was a prime example.
"If something isn't necessary then there would be no point in using it" Shalba replied taking a pass at drinking. His posture was straight as he sat on the extravagant red velvet chair, resting his face on his right hand as he propped his arms on the armrest.
"Correct. It doesn't matter what it is. Whether it's an ability, an artefact, or even a body part, when something becomes unnecessary then you stop using it all together. Such things are eventually discarded in order for you to focus on things that are necessary." Rizevim continued, his demeanour more relaxed than usual. The theatrics were absent and the flair is his voice was minimal. If Shalba knew this was how he was around alcohol he would have ordered tons of it from the start.
"There was this theory that humans had called 'evolution'. Though the premise of that theory is incorrect considering the fact that god does exist but is dead, the concept it presents is interesting." Rizevim started to pour more wine into his glass.
Rizevim remained quiet, simply waiting. They had met quite frequently since Rizevim had approached him in order to plan for dealing with the Ouroboros dragon. He had learned to not speak unless he was required to provide input, it had been far less irritating for him that way.
"Though I've said it many times before, it is significant to dragon god-chan. Defending is unnecessary since she wouldn't get damage in the first place. Learning of the workings and the details behind complex magical theories is unnecessary since she can use her power to do whatever she wants—"
"Yes, you've discussed this several times. This is your basis for why she'll without a doubt fall for the trap we're planning. Connecting the magic circle to two different locations and separating the two has already been established. What we need is an illusion effective enough to distract her for some time. Since you've brought this up I assume you've found a way?"
Shalba interrupted, getting rather impatient with Rizevim's roundabout way of talking. There was no need to establish the context once again as they had been planning for almost a month now.
"Uhyahyahyahyahya~! Shalba-chan, you're too impatient! Well I can't blame you so I'll introduce you to our dear friend over here~" The flair returned to Rizevim's voice as well as the mischief in his eyes.
"Alright, come in and introduce yourself" On cue someone entered the room.
"This one over here… will be the key to our little ole plan~!"
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
The first step was to connect the magic circle that the dragon god and the boy used to two different locations and rig it so only one could be transported at a time. A small delay would occur after the first activation and the location would switch before another transport was performed. It was a matter of sending the right one to the correct location.
What they needed to do was send Ophis to the illusionary world while Ise was sent to Shalba in an isolated place.
Through observation they noticed that Ophis had always stepped in to the circle first, probably as a precaution. Knowing this they were able to determine which location was to be inputted first. They had put in a failsafe in case the boy had decided to enter the magic circle first but they didn't have a need for it in the end.
When he saw the boy appear in mid-air as he waited in the room, he couldn't help but laugh. The plan was executed perfectly. Ophis was properly distracted and the boy was sent directly to him. By now any traces that could lead the dragon god to their location should've been erased completely. It was essentially impossible to trace their location since they weren't even in the human world anymore.
To sum it up, he had all the time in the damn world to do whatever the hell he wanted to the boy.
"So boy… do you want to know what death feels like?" Shalba asked with barely restrained excitement as he put more weight on his foot. He truly enjoyed every second.
The boy that had killed him far too many times in his dreams was now in the palm of his hands. He wasn't going to kill him, at least not right away. He would make it as slow and as painful as he could. He would torture him until he begged and cried for it to stop and even then he wouldn't. He wouldn't stop until the life in the boy's eyes would fade and only utter hopelessness could be seen.
'Heh… I'm going to enjoy this. I have more than enough time… that dragon god shouldn't be able to find this place even if it's able to break out of the illusion'
He decided to raise his foot much to Ise's relief. Ise was able to raise his head and his body slightly before Shalba sent a hard kick to his face, sending Ise a few feet away.
He approached slowly, making sure to keep his sights on the Ise, when ise had looked at him, the defiance in his eyes made Shalba grin.
'That's right. It would be far too boring if you gave up to soon. There won't be any fun for me if you break too fast. That's good, defy me, hold on to your pitiful hope that you might actually be able to flee so it would make me breaking you far more satisfying!'
"That thing's not coming for you if that's what you're hoping for" He spoke with a cold voice. The anger on the boy's face only prompted him to go further.
"Oh? Are you angry that I would refer to that 'thing' as 'it'? Let me tell you something boy, that so called dragon god is no female. It is genderless. How you're able to continue coexisting with such a thing is beyond me" He decided to pour more oil to the fire.
"Ophis-chan isn't a thing!" Ise exclaimed in fury. Shalba silenced him with kick another kick to his face.
"Heh… so you actually have fallen for that thing? I had thought you were just using that thing to as some kind of guard but you actually feel companionship with it?" Shalba continued, making sure to put emphasis on the words 'thing' and 'it'. He once again approached Ise and began to repeatedly stomp on his body.
"Op…his… chan…. Is….not….A THING!" Ise shouted out as he grabbed Shabla's foot as it came down on him for the sixth time and tried to put him off balance. Shalba simply shrugged off Ise's hands with a slight movement of his legs but it was enough time for Ise to launch an attack.
'Hmph… how foolish thinking he'd be able to do anything against me as he is'
Ise threw a punch towards his gut with his left hand. He simply grabbed Ise's arm with his left and with the intention of throwing him.
To his surprise however, as he was about to throw Ise, the boy suddenly manifested his red gauntlet on his arm and dissipated it immediately. The action made Shalba lose his grip mid throw allowing Ise to get away from him and immediately flee from the nearby door.
'I see… clever. The boy had probably feigned rage and came up with a plan to retreat. He knew he had no chance of actually opposing me directly. Well this is far more enjoyable anyway'
He left most of the doors in the building unlocked. Seeing someone break in despair was far more satisfying when you give them the hope of being able to escape.
"Let the hunt begin"
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
"Ise… when against an extremely powerful opponent, what will you do?" Ophis questioned him during training one day. It was right before his first exotic training.
"Fight them! It doesn't matter how strong they are, heroes always win!" Ise answered with fervour, recalling the many heroes of the tokusatsu shows he watched on TV. He was still pretty naïve at this point and his future self would always laugh back on this particular memory.
In some other place, a certain chestnut haired girl felt a sudden burst of passion as she was sparring with her blue haired friend. The blue haired girl was taken aback by the sudden burst of strength and speed that her chestnut haired friend showed. That match was epic but it ended in a draw.
Ise's excitement however was dampened as he was hit with a large paper fan that Ophis had pulled out of nowhere. The glint in Ophis' eyes after his answer meant she was expecting that reply.
'I wonder which anime she watched this time…'
His thoughts were interrupted as Ophis began to speak.
"Ise, the boosted gear requires time. The stronger your opponent, the more boosts it would require you to face him in a direct confrontation." Ophis started as she folded the paper fan and rested it on her shoulder.
"…however you may have to fight an enemy whose level of power is too high, power that dwarfs yours even at you boost limit …. In such a case what you should focus on is retreating" She continued, her voice stern and unyielding, making sure that Ise knew that there was no arguing against her words.
Ise understood despite what he believed. Ophis only ever sounded like that when she was truly serious.
"If you have no escape then do everything in you power to survive… and then…" She paused closing her eyes.
"…and then?" Ise couldn't help but ask.
"…and then wait. Wait for me to come. Wait for me to come to your aid and eliminate whatever enemy is trying to bring harm upon you" Ophis opened her eyes and nothing butburning will and determination could be seen in them.
"Ise, if such a time comes please promise me. Do not fight the enemy, simpley focus on surviving. Survive until I find you. Please" The tone of her voice shifted and Ise could feel that she wasn't telling him but pleading him to do so.
"I promise"
=={TDoI}==
'Survive… I need to survive until Ophis-chan comes.'
He re-manifested his sacred gear immediately after being able to escape Shalba, he started the ten second countdown in order to give himself more of a chance to survive. He ran through the dark halls of what seemed to be a castle based from its size. He had a faint worry that there may be other enemies in the castle but when he strained his senses he couldn't find any.
The only ones in there were probably only him and Shalba.
'Most of doors are unlocked. He probably wants this to be like some kind of hunt'
He thought calmly, trying to analyse the situation and form a proper plan. In his mind he thanked Ophis for the countless exotic training she had made him undergo. If it weren't for those he would probably be panicking by now and would most likely have died already.
'Focus. Right now focus on surviving. Small steps. Small steps.'
Though it was often good to have a goal he first needed to worry of surviving. He had no idea where he was or how much time had passed since he got here so escaping so for now the first thing he needed to do was live.
He faintly recalled some of his exotic training. He had had to face enemies far stronger than him. Battles with enemies like those had usually ended up in a chase since he needed to buy some time to grow stronger with his sacred gear.
The difference with the current situation and his training however was that the enemies in his training were only there to rough him up a bit, his enemy right now though wanted to torture and kill him.
[Boost!]
'The only advantage I have right now is the fact that he's underestimating me. It's not much but that at least gives me something!'
He thought to himself as the boosting sound could be heard. He threw away any thought of hiding since he knew well that such a plan wouldn't work.
In the next moment, he felt killing intent, killing intent far more menacing than what Ophis had allowed him to experience during training. Ophis would stop at the last second, Shalba would definitely not.
[Explosion!]
Despite only having one boost he had activated the effect and doubled his current power. It was definitely not much of an improvement but because of it he could more easily move his wounded and exhausted body. He restarted the countdown once again.
'No point in trying to stack boosts. Probably won't have enough time for multiples. Better to invoke single boosts instead' He told himself recalling lessons he learned during training. Un-invoked boosts were unstable and would dissipate when something interfered hence multiple single boosts could be utilized to keep the stability and allow a small but gradual increase in his abilities to increase his chance of survival against a stronger enemy.
As he turned the corner of the hall he was met with a figure of a smiling Shalba surrounded by bees. His reaction was to immediately jump back and dodge to the side with everything he had. A large explosion of flames and wind erupted behind him as he scrambled to the stairs he had just seen as he was running away.
He jumped down in time to dodge another explosion behind him. This time made of lightning. He would have probably been charred if he had been caught up in it.
'He's not aiming at me directly…'
He thought knowing the feeling well as it was the same whenever Ophis had been his opponent. It was also completely apparent to him that the only reason that he wasn't dead or at least captured yet was because Shalba was enjoying the thrill of the chase.
He was fine with it. Some may have been insulted but he would take any advantage he could possibly have. Pride could come later when he wasn't busy trying to live.
[Boost!]
[Explosion!]
His next boost came and he invoked it immediately as he turned towards one of the many hallways, shields, swords and many ornaments littered the walls he passed by. Unfortunately however, his slightly improved eyesight from the boost allowed him to see that it his current path lead to a dead end. The hallway was long and it took a few seconds to even get to the middle.
"What the heck is wrong with this place?!" He could help but shout but deep down he knew that the place was probably made for the pure sake of torturing him. The dead end was still a distance away but turning back now would be suicide hence he simply continued hoping what he had in mind would work out.
'Gift… it was called gift. That's what he does when he doesn't use the boost for himself. I should be able to do it. Please, please let me be able to do it! Sacred gear, don't fail me now!'
Sacred gears responded to the users will. He knew as much from Ophis' teachings and the dreams he had of his older self. Gift was a special ability that his older self would use to boost to transfer the doubling effect to another person, power or object.
Right now he wanted nothing more than for his sacred gear to be able to do the same thing.
[Boost!]
As he was pleading to his sacred gear the ceiling above him gave in and Shalba came down with the intent to drive him down to the ground. He jumped and rolled forward and continued his approach to the dead end where a shield could be found hanging.
"Boy it seems have you already given up in running? How boring..." Shalba uttered as he ran after Ise instantly covering the distance between them. Shalba intended to pierce Ise's body with his hand but the Ise jumped up and grabbed the shield hanging on the wall to block the high speed attack.
'Please… work!'
[Transfer!]
To his relief the sacred gear responded. He doubled the integrity of the shield with his boost to make sure it didn't immediately break to pieces and angled it so it didn't directly meet the attack head on. The additional resistance from the shield had caught Shalba slightly off guard as he thought he would pierce through it easily, giving Ise enough get through and sprint towards a different path.
'…There!'
Shalba followed up his attack with a burst of concentrated energy. Ise who already knew an attack was coming, instantly face towards the burst of energy, jumped backwards and met the attack at an angle, making sure it only hit the boosted shield.
The shield, which was already greatly damaged from Shalba's first attack, completely broke upon impact with the burst of energy. The impact from the hit however had propelled Ise to the wall. It went as well as he had thought. He was injured from the impact and getting rammed to the wall but he was able to temporarily get away from Shalba.
'Need to keep going'
It was close but he was at the very least surviving. Any thought of celebrating the fact that he could use the 'gift' ability could come later, preferably when he was back home while sitting on an adult Ophis' lap. He wanted that more than anything else right now.
He kept running around until he reached another set of stairs leading to a floor below.
"What are you even running for brat?" He could hear a voice from behind him. Shalba was nowhere in sight but the voice felt like it was next to him.
"Do you really think she'll come to help you?" Shalba continued and Ise noticed more bees around him.
"She'll come. You'll see" Ise answered almost in a whisper, not wanting to waste any more energy.
[Boost!]
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! STOP HOPING YOU BRAT. THAT THING WON'T COME TO YOUR AID!" The maniacal laugh almost prevented him from hearing the boosting sound. It irked him how insistent Shalba was that Ophis won't come to help him.
The bees around him seemed to double and he readied himself for another attack.
[Explosion!]
"She will" He answered without a hint of doubt as he invoked another boost. It was his third but it wasn't going to be any match for Shalba. He looked around to see where he could go next. There were many rooms around and many hallways to go into but no exit in sight.
"You don't know Ophis-chan. I don't know what you did to her but there's no way you can beat her. Even I know she's stronger than you! That's why she'll come here and she'll beat you!" Ise faced the direction where he felt the voice was coming from and he was met with a salvo of elemental attacks. He dove into one of the rooms, ramming the door with his body to break the wooden doors and took cover behind the stone walls.
A combination of water, ice, flames, lightning and plain energy ravaged the halls he was in a second ago. The walls he hid behind collapsed and the debris had caused him some cuts and bruises but he was still able to move.
"Stubborn brat. Fine, let's see if that thing will come after you shout its name repeatedly when I drive a hand in that feeble body of your and rip out your bones after I skin you alive and peel away your muscles" An image of Shalba appeared as the bees around burst into black flames. The insanity in his eyes was apparent.
"You'll have to catch me first!" Ise shouted he drove a hand into the image formed by the black flames causing it to dissipate.
=={TDoI}==
[Boost!]
[Explosion!]
The fourth boost invocation came as he went down another flight of stairs as he dodged countless magical attacks. Shalba had seemed to stop actually talking and seemed to have opted to not appear before him. The fact that none have truly hit its mark may have been a positive thing but it only worried him more.
'Why? He wants to hurt me so why isn't he trying to outright get me?'
He'd been suspicious since the start. Though the attacks would certainly hit if he didn't try to evade, the act of the matter was that Shalba was more than capable of making killing him if he wanted to. It was as if he was being given a chance to actually evade.
'…No... The attacks feel like they come in every time I enter certain places… like he was leading me somewhere…'
He didn't like it but he had no real choice. He had no chance of surviving an actual attack from Shalba so if being led to whatever place would buy him more time then he would take it.
'Ophis-chan… please come soon…'
He could only pray as he kept running. He was absolutely confident that Ophis would eventually come for him but the question was when.
The only thing he could hope was that it was sometime soon since he couldn't' keep running and dodging forever. Any other would have already been panting and gasping for breath after running and dodging countless magical attacks but improving his stamina was what he trained in the most.
As he ran he approached a three way split. He didn't spare himself the moment to hesitate and went left. He was however stopped by large balls of black flame that came out from that path and was forced to enter the middle.
[Boost!]
[Explosion!]
The fifth invocation was done as he went deeper into the darker hallway. It went straight and for some odd reason, no further attacks were made to him. He knew however that if he ever stopped running for even second he would most certainly die.
[Boost!]
[Explosion!]
The hallway was long enough for him to reach a sixth invocation. Warning bells were beginning to ring in his head and he had a sinking feeling. What waited at the end of this path was definitely not going to be good for him but he had no other choice but to face it.
He kept running until he went into a large room with nothing but stone pillars. The room had most likely reached two floors in terms of height with a chandelier at the middle. Small flames illuminated the room making it actually possible to see.
Right now though he honestly wished what he was seeing was just an illusion. A fabrication of his imagination or just another nightmare he Ophis would wake him up from.
Despite the need to be on a constant move he couldn't help but be frozen in place. The momentum he had gathered and the bit confidence he had was completely shattered by the sight before him. His mind seemed to have also come to a halt as he couldn't even understand how this was happening.
Up on the wall where two large metallic crosses. Each was roughly the width of an adult human male. On the middle of the two crosses where a large lamp than was probably designed to draw the attention of anyone who would enter the room.
On those two metallic crosses where people he knew all too well.
"…Ise?" the voice had shaken him out of his frozen state and had convinced him that what he was looking at was in fact real despite his most sincere wishes.
After all, up there on that wall, Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou were tied to those metallic crosses.
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
[**** **** *******]
"Ugh…" At this point it wasn't just her brain that would split in two; the pain felt like her very being was being torn into apart. It felt like her body, the vessel she had created, a fragment of her true body, was forcefully ejecting her own consciousness out of it. She was barely holding on as it is.
She looked around carefully. The skied was filled with many people held aloft by bees. She wouldn't doubt that every single person in their town was being held hostage by Shalba Beelzebub. What was most important to her however was Ise who was being held by another enemy on of one of the buildings in town.
'How? How had they even accomplished such a thing without my notice? There is also the fact that this is a territory of the devils… yet for some reason it seems we are the only existences in here…'
The last thought made her pause.
'… I had given chase yet we had looped back to the house, presences I could not detect, attacks that do no damage despite my current condition…. And Shalba Beelzebub has yet to make a move…'
A torrent of flames, water and lightnight came down on her but she paid no attention to it. The pain caused by the sensation she felt did more damage to her.
[**** **** *******]
"Nnnh…" She bit her lip in pain but did not allow herself to be distracted by the attacks or by the sensation.
'… it may be an illusion. If so then… I can simply…'
She hesitated. She wasn't completely sure. The live of the people living in the town was one thing but the possibly of Ise being real was another. If she took action and it turned out that Ise was indeed authentic then the enemy would most likely end his life immediately and she could not afford that.
'The possibility that this is an illusion… is high. However there is still a chance that Ise may be real… the chance is extremely low but… what if…'
She was paralyzed. Her mind was certain that what she was facing was an illusion but fact that there was a infinitesimally small possibility that it wasn't made her unable to decide on a course of action.
"…Shalba Beelzebub! Wh—"
[**** *** ***** ** **** **** *******]
"?!"
The pain that surged within her head had been so great that she couldn't even find the ability to scream in pain. She was brought down to her knees as she clutched her head with her hands, her body trembling from the pain.
She felt like something was forcefully pushing away her consciousness from her body.
The Shalba Beelzebub she could see was oddly silent but he had raised his hand to send another stream of magical bombardment to her. Though that didn't worry her, the feeling that another stronger sensation was about to start made her brace herself.
Just before another came however she could feel the surroundings shake. Despite the pain she was able to manage to look upwards to the sky to witness it visibly tremble in fixed intervals. It was as if something massive was hitting it from the outside.
Cracks in the sky started to form. With every hitting sound the sky would and the surroundings would shake and more cracks would be made. She looked around to see that Shalba Beelzebub had for some odd reason seemed to not notice what was happening around them.
The only one that seemed to take notice was the one that held Ise captive.
*SHATTER*
Before she could process that however a sound of glass shattering could be heard. And a large gap in the sky was left.
[Oi Ouroboros. What the hell have you been doing?]
The familiar voice had surprised her. She raised her head and strained her eyes to look at the figure slowly descending from the crack in the sky.
[What? Do you think you're the only one capable of creating a vessel?]
"… Great… Red…" She uttered the name of the existence in front of her. Great Red, who was most likely using a vessel like her, was condescendingly staring down on her as it descended. What was most surprising however was the appearance the vessel Great Red has taken.
[Ouroboros. What the hell? How could you be brought down like this so easily?]
Great Red said with a bit of disappointment in its voice. She felt she was being scolded more than anything.
"Great… Red… the connection…" She was still having difficulty speaking from the amount of pain she experienced and the residual pain she was experiencing now. Great Red raised an eye on her current condition.
[I reopened the connection between the original and your vessel but you didn't respond no matter how long I waited. Tch… you were the one who said we were going to discuss things…. And what the hell happened to you?]
There was a mix of annoyance and worry in Great Red's voice but she didn't have time to comment. Before she could continue her question however Great Red interjected.
[Really now, to be trapped in such a low level illusion… I have half the mind to smack you for falling for this. Though I do have to commend that person over there, for a mere human being to accomplish something of this level with a sacred gear… well I can do better though. Way better]
"Sacred… gear… Illusion…? Ise…. Then Ise is…"
[Un. That one over there is fake.] Great Red stated with a hint of boredom.
"Ise… where is Ise?" She put aside the problem with the vessel and her connection realizing that if Ise wasn't here then something must have happened. She was able to stand up and ignore the pain she was feeling.
[Hurry the hell up and get to a place where you can hide that vessel of yours and switch to your real one, everything's already ready. The boy probably needs your help. I already gave a means for your real body to locate him. I'll take care of this.]
Great Red made a 'shooing' gesture towards her, urging her to leave already. Ophis wanted to express her gratitude but decided to leave it for later to hurry and find a place to leave her vessel. She deployed her wings and hurried out the crack in the sky, which was actually nearer than how it appeared to be.
[Heh… well like I said. Pretty good for a human being… I don't know what was happening with Ophis but if she was normal then she would have seen through it earlier...]
Great Red closed 'its' eyes as if contemplating what to do next.
[Oi, human over there. That sacred gear was named… "Dreamlik Curse" wasn't it? This is probably the things balance breaker "Palaselene Utopia"… hey tell me your name]
The opponent didn't respond immediately but the confusion in his face clued Great Red in. A fierce grin came to Great Red's face.
[Oh? You have no intention to introduce yourself? You don't even know who I am? Well… let's get acquainted then…]
The intensity of the surroundings suddenly increased. The whole world seemed to tremble. Cracks seemed to propagate not only in the sky but to every building and every character inside the world of illusions. It wouldn't be surprising if everything would shatter at any moment.
[The Dragon Of The Apocalypse, The Dragon Of The End, The True Red Dragon Emperor, The Ruler Of The Dimensionless Gap, The Strongest Being In Existence… those are the titles given to me by beings like you… however I'm known by a far simple name…]
The intensity increased further and the man found it difficult to even breathe.
[I…. am… THE GREAT RED]
*SHATTER* *SHATTER*
With the declaration of that name came what seemed to be the destruction of the world they were in.
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
[**** *** ***** ** **** **** *******]
It had only taken a minute for her to reach the Hyoudou household but it felt like an eternity for her. The connection of her consciousness to her vessel seemed to diminish every second and she slowly lost control of it. Her body seemed to grow heavy with every second that passed.
[**** *** ***** ** **** **** *******]
She somehow managed to climb up on her and Ise's bed and closed her eyes. The feeling of the snakes that contained her power inside the house had confirmed that she was truly back in their home though she couldn't detect the Hyoudou couple who should have been home. She wanted to recollect the power but if her connection with her vessel was completely cut off then returning to her true body would make it far more difficult.
'There... is… no time'
[**** *** ***** ** **** **** *******]
There was also the fact that Ise may be in extreme danger and she couldn't spare any more time to do or worry about other things.
[**** *** ***** ** **** **** *******]
Every second was agony as the sensation seemed to attack her without pause. She could feel her consciousness being rejected by her own body
[**** *** ***** ** **** **** *******]
Not wasting any more time she concentrated and found the connection with her true body.
"Nnnn… Just… a… bit… more…" The pain grew stronger. Her head was splitting.
"Ise… I… am… coming…" In the next second the vessel dropped like a lifeless doll on the bed. The face that had once been writher with pain seemed to have become completely peaceful.
What Ophis didn't notice however was the existence of another person that had followed her as she got out of the world of illusions. The pain and worry she felt had dulled her senses. If she had been aware of said existence then she wouldn't have ever allowed her vessel to be left unguarded.
"How truly interesting…" Rizevim stepped in the room to take a look at the vessel left by Ophis on the bed. He strode in casually and touched the vessel. He had been observing Ophis ever since the plan had been initiated carefully masking his presence to make sure he was left undetected.
Given how everything went, masking his presence had become unnecessary. The dragon god had, for reasons unknown to him, had been experiencing pain ever since the plan had started.
He continued to inspect the vessel with wonder.
"Even I couldn't tell the difference. So this one is nothing more than a vessel that carries the consciousness of the original? Though honestly I wasn't expecting Great Red of all things to interfere… "
Rizevim brought hoisted the vessel up and carried it in his arms.
"Uhyahyahya~…. Things went far better for me than I had hoped… For Shalba-chan though… well since Great Red seems to be helping them then it wouldn't matter where he and the boy are hiding, Ophis-chan will probably find them instantly"
Rizevim walked casually down the stairs and placed the vessel on the couch. He took some ingredients in the fridge and made himself a sandwich.
"Hopefully Shalba-chan had already killed the boy… it would be nice for him if he at least succeeds in his goal. He's going to die regardless after all…"
Once he finished making his sandwich he brewed himself some tea. He sat down on the couch beside the vessel and switched the television on to a rerun of a famous comedy show in the country.
"Uhyahyahyahyahyahya! Human entertainment certainly delivers~"
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
His vision blurred and for moment he felt nothing.
He wondered why his parents were so horrified as they looked at him. He stared down to and realized the reason.
Shalba Beelzebub's hand had ripped part of his left abdomen. There was a lot blood that sprayed on the ground. He vaguely remembered only seeing that much blood in the horror films that they all watched together as a family.
I took a another moment for the pain to register in his mind.
"Uuuuaa—" Before he could even scream in pain, Shalba had backhanded him, sending him crashing to the wall. He lost consciousness for a few seconds. His sacred gear dissipating from his arm.
"Y-You monster…!"
"ISSSEEEE!"
Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou shouted but whatever else they had to say was stopped as magic circles enveloped their faces, effectively silencing them.
"Ahahahaha….AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Stand there and watch silently you pieces of trash. Don't worry… I'll make sure to take care of your beloved son"
Shalba stated out loud with a manic grin. He had not bothered to conceal the ecstasy on his face. He approached Ise as he pondered.
"Hmmm… now that I think about it wouldn't it be best if I opted to kill your parents instead? That would certainly be more painful for you…"
With a snap of fingers the bindings on the Hyoudou couple incinerated and countless bees brought them down to Shalba. He held both of them by the neck.
"Oi… boy. Do you care about these two?" Shalba asked.
'Yes… yes... so please… please don't do anything to them…' Ise could only shout from his mind unable to find the strength to even speak.
"Ah? Not speaking? Then I guess these two don't matter to you then…" Shalba began tightening his grip on the Hyoudou couples necks. Both were visibly struggling to breathe.
'Stop… STOP'
He was still unable to speak but he somehow managed to stand and support himself with the wall behind him. His legs were shaking and he was barely able to even stand. The amount of blood he lost wasn't any joke. He found the strength to manifest his sacred gear but the effects of the boosts he had accumulated had already been erased as he temporarily lost consciousness.
"Oh ho… that's more like it. Now come here. Hurry or I'll end their lives right here." Shalba urged him taking a few steps backwards. He took a sadistic joy in seeing Ise struggle in pain as he tried to approach them.
His vision was fading in and out. He could barely take a step much less walk across the room but he still persisted.
'If… If he was here… he would be able to beat him…' He couldn't help but be reminded of the dreams he had of his older self, the one who had fought and defeated the enemies no matter how bad the situation became, the one never went down no matter what.
'If I… were as strong as him then… tou-san and kaa-san wouldn't be in danger like this…' He could still vividly remember the red armour he donned and the battles he fought. He had been able to defeat Shalba.
He was a failure in comparison.
'Power… If I had that much power I would be able to…protect… to save…'
[Hmph… the power to protect and save others huh? No matter which world it is you really do never change. Even that perverted side of you had shown through every now and then…]
A voice inside his head spoke. Time had seemed to slow down altogether and in the next moment he found himself facing a large red western dragon.
[I've been observing you for a while now. Honestly I was sceptical. You were different from him yet similar in some respects. Though I understood that you couldn't possibly be the same I still doubted whether you could live on with partner's legacy, doubted whether you would be able to resist getting drowned and drunk in power like my past possessors]
'You're… Ddraig… the red dragon emperor…'
He had never seen him directly in his dreams only ever hearing his voice. He could feel the familiarity in it, the nostalgia that his older self could feel and the comfort his presence had provided. The dragons name rolled off his tongue smoothly and felt like he had uttered the name hundreds of times before.
[… But I guess in the end it was something more of me not being able to simply take the fact that I have to replace 'him' for another partner no matter how similar... Heh… to think I would become so attached to a human…]
'I… please… Ddraig… I need to…' He interrupted Ddraig's monologue. Though he wanted to ask the dragon many things the safety of his parents needed to be addressed first. He didn't complete his request since the dragon in front of him had already understood.
[I know. I'll ask you this question as a formality though I already know your answer. Are you willing to make a sacrifice to obtain power you seek?]
'Yes' He answered without hesitation. His body could collapse at any moment but the determination in his eyes had had only grown stronger.
[Very well… Partner]
For the first time in years, Ddraig had finally called someone other than 'him' as his partner.
=={TDoI}==
He felt like he had just one the war against the new devils. The boy that plagued his dreams was in front of him in a bloody mess, missing a chunk of his abdomen. The boy could barely keep straight as he tried and failed to walk towards him.
He entertained the thought of simply killing the parents at that instant but the boy wasn't fully cognizant and he wanted to see the despair on his face when it does happen so he gave the boy time to recover his bearings.
They had planned all of this thoroughly. He had even gone as far as taking the boy's parents in order to further torture the boy.
The world and universe however would tell him that that was probably where he made a slight miscalculation.
It was one moment. One moment the boy had been barely able to stand, struggling to even move his gravely wounded and blood deprived body yet the next thing Shalba knew, a red armoured fist collided with his face.
[BOOST BOOST BOOST BOOST BOOST BOOST BOOST BOOST BOOST BOOST BOOST!]
His hand occupied and his mind unprepared, he was unable to put any kind of defences up against Ise's fist. The damage to dealt to him was significant and enough to damage even a maou like him. The power in the punch was enough to launch him across the room and almost bury him into the wall he crashed in.
"What the hell?!" He cursed as he struggled to remove himself from the wall. As he stood up and took a look at the supposedly half dead boy, he was met with another punch that launched him through the wall, effectively collapsing it, and into the next room.
=={TDoI}==
"Haaah…. Haaah….. Haaaaahh…"
He breathed heavily as he tried to keep himself conscious from the surge of power in his body. It felt like the power inside him was about to burst out and explode. The red armour covering his body felt rather familiar but he had no time to revel in the feeling.
[15 seconds partner, that's the most I'll give you. You had asked me to remove the Boosted Gear's limiter so that the power won't render you unconscious but any more than that and your body will be crushed]
The boosted gear had come with a sort of limiter with it. Anytime he exceeded a certain number of boosts, the power accumulated would disappear and he would lose consciousness. It was a function to make sure that any wielder wouldn't literally explode due to an excess in power.
He had asked Ddraig to remove it in order to be able to exceed his current limits. As he was given the chance to enter an incomplete balance breaker, he started boosting far beyond his current limits.
In all honesty he didn't feel like he could even last that long. He felt like the power he had right now would crush his internal organs.
"I-Ise?" "Son?" The voices of his parents got his attention.
[Partner. The time's running]
"Tou-san, Kaa-san, please don't worry…. Everything will be okay… I'm… a dragon hero you know?" He wanted to say more but Ddraig's reminder told him that he had no more time to spare. He burst off in a blast of energy to the next room to end things with Shalba.
He had less than 10 seconds left and he could probably manage only a few more attacks with his current condition.
"YOU BRAT!" Shalba greeted him with numerous blasts of magical attacks of which he was able to power through and delivered another punch to Shalba's gut. He followed up with a head but rammed the devil through several walls.
'5 seconds to go… just…a bit more'
He took a small step back and readied his last attack. He put everything he had into his hands and charged with all his might, intending to finish of the devil that has tortured him so much.
Right then and there, he felt like one of the heroes in the shows he could watch and could only wish the Ophis and his old friend Irina was there to see it.
=={TDoI}==
"Heroes would always triumph."
"The villains would never succeed."
"No matter how difficult the situation, the hero would always find a way to push through"
That was what most expected. That was what most would hope for. That was what happened in many stories one would be able to watch and read.
People would always root for the good guys who are often the underdogs in battle. It was expected that when the hero was in a pinch a new power would be discovered and the hero would turn the tables on the villain and achieve a happy end.
It was unfortunate however that what was happening wasn't the same kind of story. No matter what happened facts will be facts and nothing could change them.
The fact is Shalba Beelzebub was a devil with countless years of experience with talent and power to back it up. He was at the level of maou, one of the most powerful devils there are and has fought enough battles and had come victorious in many of them.
The fact is Hyoudou Issei was just a young boy who, despite extensive training, had only achieved an incomplete power-up from a last minute sacrifice. He had no experience fighting opponents like Shalba prior to this. It was admirable that he had even last this long.
That was why even when Ise gave up a sacrifice to achieve a temporary balance breaker, even when he had put everything he had left in him to launch a decisive attack on Shalba… it still wasn't enough.
'How foolish….'
Shalba who had regained his composure after the sudden change had, at the last minute, dodged the attack. The attack was simplistic; a straight left punch, and though highly empowered can easily be dodged and countered.
It had only taken Shalba minimal movement, a half step to the side, to evade the attack. The attack itself was blindingly fast but nothing the devil had yet to experience. Shalba gathered and concentrated energy on his right hand and launched an attack.
"DON'T YOU DARE UNDERESTIMATE ME, BOY!"
In the next second, Ise's left arm was completely separated from his body. The red amour he had been wearing disintegrated leaving him completely defenceless. Shalba took advantage and mercilessly launched a torrent of magical attacks. The bombardment left Ise's body in tatters and only a slight movement of the chest had indicated that he was even alive.
Shalba approached the Ise who was barely even able to breathe and had raised his hand to perform the finishing blow.
"Enough, you will die here and your parents will follow. I've wasted enough time."
He grabbed Ise by the neck and prepared to crush his neck.
*RIP* *TEAR*
Before he could finish the job a tearing sound could be heard and a large glowing black spear flew in a blinding fast speed. Shalba who had been holding Ise reacted fast enough to the surprise attack and caught the spear by the hand, using every bit of magical power he had to deflect it and change its course. The spear was deflected upwards, easily ripping through the many floor of the castle revealing the purple sky of the underworld.
He succeeded but he was then met with a punch to the gut strong enough to send him flying upwards, hitting the ceiling hard and landing on the floor. The hit sounded like an explosion and blood came out of Shalba's mouth. When he struggled to get up he saw what would most likely be what his death would look like.
Her white skin was reflected under the artificial sunlight of the netherworld. Her jet black hair flowed elegantly in the air. She wore a black frilly dress with a revealing front laced with many purple ribbons in different shades.
Her dull grey eyes, usually unreadable, were now expressing her intentions as clear as day. It spoke of his death.
"Shalba Beelzebub. Pray"
Ophis went from cute menacing child to harbinger ofslow and painful death within moments. The intensity of her aura was enough to kill and the look she had given Shalba completely enveloped him, a devil on the level of the maou, in absolute fear.
=={The Dream of the Infinite}==
A/N: Wondering where the journey segment is? Well that's going to be in the next chapter. Hopefully I can get away with that small cliff-hanger there but we all know what's gonna happen to Shalba after that. Like I said, never anger them lolis.
More on this chapter:
The Sacred Gear [Dreamlike Curse] and its BB [Palaselene Utopia] were featured in this chapter can be found in the side story "Rias in wonderland" that can be read at baka-tsuki. I took a few liberties with it though since the power is never really fully explained but it was very convenient for me~
Why did I go such a roundabout route to neutralize Ophis? Simple, I wanted to provide an answer that did not involve using Samael's blood. I felt like as overpowered Ophis may be, there would still be countless ways to neutralize her without it. Please tell me whether it was believable at the very least and if it was executed properly.
There was also the fact that I had no way to explain how Samael's blood would even be involved so early in the game. I've got other plans for Samael~
Hmmm… at a certain point of time I'll probably have to take out this segment since it's essentially an exposition corner… though that would be when I've become better as a writer~
Since it'll be a monthly release here's a new segment~~
In next chapter of TDoI:
The cause behind Ophis-chan's strange and painful sensation will now be revealed. Rizevim is overjoyed!
Ise's fate, Ophis and Great Red's choice, Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou's worries. I'm perfectly sure you won't see the next developments coming. Unless you do, in which case I am left in despair…
Finally the continuation and conclusion of the journey segment. It should explain many of the things you may still want to ask… I can't wait~