Baraqiel paced around the room, waiting for Azazel's signal. Yet, the signal never came. Part of him was relieved. Maybe, by some miracle, Loki had decided against the attack. After all, one of the Great Evils was participating in this meeting. If the God was as great as he claimed to be, then his sense of self-preservation must have been great enough to make it so that he backed off. However, even with that thought in mind, Baraqiel couldn't help but shake this uncomfortable feeling from his gut.
"If you pace like that, you're going to make me anxious."
Baraqiel turned around upon hearing the voice.
His elder sister's daughter.
Asmodeus sat in her office chair, grading papers. She spared him no glance, her yellow eyes not once leaving the paper's contents.
"Azazel hasn't called-"
"I'm aware. He's the one making me babysit you." Asmodeus put down her papers and shot him an annoyed look. "Look, have a seat before I make you."
Baraqiel nodded dumbly and sat down in one of the chairs.
"I… Maybe I should head to Asgard. I have the emergency Bifrost terminal that will land me by Gladsheimr if I need to-"
"I know you're worried about your daughter but let's take a deep breath and calm down. From what I hear, she wasn't exactly the happiest to see you either of the times you two were forced to interact," she said.
"You… don't really need to twist that proverbial dagger any longer, Asmodeus. I'm aware of her hatred for me. But… she's right, it was all my fault. If only I had been there sooner, then maybe-"
"I didn't ask you to tell me your life's story. I get enough of that already. I asked you to just wait for his signal."
"You're as callous as your mother."
"I'll take that as a compliment." Asmodeus read through a paper, sighing in frustration as she corrected several wrong questions on the test.
After a few more minutes of sitting there, listening to the scritching of Asmodeus's red pen, Baraqiel finally caved into his anxiety. He summoned a magic circle, eliciting a sigh of annoyance from the other occupant of the room.
However, Asmodeus made no move to stop him. Instead, she placed her head on her hand and watched him.
Baraqiel tapped his foot incessantly as the circle whirred and pulsated, attempting to reach Azazel. After a few minutes of hanging up and retrying, Baraqiel had finally broken through.
"Hello! Azazel-"
[Baraqiel? What the… fuck are… Where are you!?]
Asmodeus raised an eyebrow. Even if it was Asgard, they should be able to get a clear-cut signal. The only interference they should be experiencing was if there was an incredible amount of ambient energy in the vicinity. She narrowed her eyes. "Azazel?"
Baraqiel heard her speak and expanded the circle.
[No. What? Ashe? No, it's me, Raphael. Why is Baraqiel still in your office? We sent a signal 10 minutes ago!]
"What? 10 minutes? I didn't get anything!" Baraqiel exclaimed.
[It must be Perun. Damn it. His Boundary is screwing with every-... It's- … devouring Asgard- Hurry!]
Baraqiel's heart sank when the circle shattered. He immediately shot to his feet, pulling out a small crystal leaf from his pocket. It was an emergency transportation device that Odin had given to him. Sae Adashino had been chosen to take his spot due to the need of a neutral arbiter and as such, Baraqiel was the reserve.
The device in question was a leaf from the Norse World Tree, Yggdrasil. A vast spatio-temporal construct that took the form of a tree and a leftover relic from the Ancient God, Ymir.
"Asmodeus, I'm heading out," he said.
"Good luck," she replied.
He nodded and crushed the leaf. In an instant, Baraqiel felt his entire body being pulled as if he were being squeezed through a pneumatic tube. And in that moment, he was engulfed in a brilliant array of rainbow-colored lights.
Another beast yelped as it dissolved into golden mist. Issei panted, looking up at the ruins of one of the Asgardian homes. Perun sat there, hammer resting on the ground. The God had used Loki's authority to construct an army of monsters, imbuing them with Divine Authorities to drastically empower them.
"There's too many of them," Issei panted. "How are you holding up, Mii?"
"Me? Just peachy. My sword's on the verge of breaking and I'm surrounded on all sides by every manner of monstrosity from Slavic Mythology. How are you?" Mitsuki replied snarkily.
Issei let out a brief chuckle. Even in this situation, Mitsuki still had the ability to be grating if she wanted to. He raised his gauntlets.
Around them, everyone fought with all their strength. Despite her best efforts, Asia could not keep up with the stream of beasts falling upon them. She couldn't keep healing everyone. With each beast that they cut down, several more rose to take their place.
Rias clapped her hands together, summoning a massive magic circle. Black energy gathered into the palm of her hand. Her eyes glowed brightly and her hair began to emit a bright red light.
"Haaah!"
Rias opened her hands and threw them forward. The magic circle let loose a flood of black and red energy. The all-consuming tide of pure annihilating energy swallowed and eradicated the oncoming swarm of beasts.
A large blast occurred, causing everyone to fly back and shield their eyes from the blinding red light.
Rias let out heavy breaths. Blood poured down her arm and her clothes were torn in several places. "How… was… that!?" she asked.
The sound of mocking clapping echoed through the empty street. Perun clapped at their efforts, dangling his legs over the edge. "You're not as powerful as that brat who masquerades as Lucifer but your efforts are commendable. If you had been so willing, I would have taken pity on you and taken you as one of my dolls."
Rias's eye twitched. She was about to say something when Issei rushed in front of her. His blood boiled. First, Riser, now this asshole?
"Hey! You keep Prez out of your stupid mouth, asshole! She's not an object for you to own!" Issei yelled.
Rias blushed at his declaration, a feeling of elation welling up inside her.
Perun said nothing in response. He merely gave Issei a look of contempt. He landed on the ground, causing it to tremble slightly.
Everyone tensed up as he began walking toward them.
The very notion of their fear made Perun smile. "I hope that served as a good warm-up. Loki's Authority is very useful indeed. However, nothing beats doing things yourself. Now then…"
He vanished from their very eyes, kicking up a small amount of dust in the process.
Everyone scrambled, raising their defenses to the max. Issei gulped. Beads of sweat trickled down his forehead. His anxiety was causing his heart to race and his fingers to twitch at every minute noise he heard.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. And for a split second, he felt himself lose control of his body. His hands reached out to grab Mitsuki and Rias, who were the closest to him in proximity and jump back.
Everyone had taken notice of his action a split second too late.
A tremendous force akin to a bomb exploded in the middle of the ruined street. A hyperbaric force erupted outward, crushing everything within its vicinity and throwing everyone into whatever remained.
Perun stood in the middle, his hammer embedded into the ground. A considerably large crater had formed in its wake.
Issei gulped.
The most terrifying thing about this was that was not Perun's full strength. Instinctively, he knew that the God was holding back a majority of his actual power. That dust burst was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.
"How are we even supposed to win?" Issei muttered.
As he said this, Vali burst from the rubble, moving at high speeds. A trail of light was left in his wake as he moved in a confusing, agonizingly dizzying pattern.
Perun turned, seemingly unaffected by Vali's erratic movements.
His charge was followed by Xenovia and Yuuto, who moved at such speeds that they became blurs to the naked eye.
Rossweisse was behind them, casting support magic to further increase their already immense speed.
However, the Chief God stood there.
As soon as Vali reached him, Perun yawned.
Vali threw a punch, which was easily dodged by Perun. The God countered by swinging his arm, sending Vali crashing into a nearby ruined structure.
The follow-up attacks of Yuuto and Xenovia proved to be ineffective.
Perun dropped his hammer in favor of taking the blades head-on.
The clang of metal echoed. Perun had caught both of their swords with minimal effort.
"Oh? I heard Durandal was capable of cutting anything. It looks like… I wasn't disappointed," Perun commented, seeing a small nick in his hand. However, as soon as he said that, the wound vanished.
Perun's grin widened as he tightened his hold on the blades. He swung them around, like a grown man thrashing a doll.
The two flew away, thrown at incredible speeds.
A loud crash, followed by the sound of rubble falling on top of their bodies was heard.
"Yuuto! Xenovia!" Rias cried out in worry. She turned her worried gaze and glared angrily at the God. "You… How dare you!?"
An aura of destruction leaked out of her body. She willed it to form into a large sphere. Her anger boiled over as she began to pour more power into it, letting it grow larger with each passing second.
"If that hits, then…" Issei clenched his fist.
"Aniki. After Rias throws that attack, follow me."
Issei looked down and saw Mitsuki, struggling to get to her feet. Her Balance Breaker armor was in tatters with one of its light wings completely broken.
He nodded.
Rias threw the sphere with all her might.
An orb of pure annihilation ripped through the air, devouring it and leaving a vacuum trail that devastated its surroundings as it traveled.
Everyone behind Perun jumped, taking to the air to avoid Rias's attack.
Perun, however, merely grabbed his hammer. With a single swing, he shattered the orb of destruction, causing it to shatter to numerous pieces. A rain of destructive energy pelted the surrounding area, destroying much of what was left.
"Now."
Mitsuki vanished from her spot, followed by Issei, who used his upgraded speed to rapidly cross the gap between him and Perun.
"Oh? Back for Round 2? You may have Lucifer's Boundary but you are nothing like her!" Perun's grin turned psychotic as he swung his hammer directly at Issei's head.
However, a split-second glitch blew through the world.
Perun's eyes widened as his hammer missed. Issei, on the other hand, landed a devastating right hook on the side of Perun's face. He followed up by ramming the blunt end of Veles's spear into his torso.
The God, who hadn't expected to be hit, stumbled back.
Taking advantage of his shock, Mitsuki zoomed past him, swinging her katana at his throat.
"Now! While he's distracted!" Mitsuki yelled.
Akeno snapped out of her shocked daze. She gathered an immense amount of demonic power into her hands, summoning multiple forms of elemental magic.
Rossweisse did the same, casting a complex array of sigils above and below Perun.
Ingvild clapped her hands together, causing the moisture in the air to condense. A massive serpentine dragon rose into the air, roaring at the God.
Irina gripped Malkuth tightly, causing it to erupt in a deadly coating of red flames.
They all simultaneously unleashed their attacks at once, all striking the God at the same time.
Perun, who was still dazed by the now throbbing pain in his cheek, was unable to defend himself from the attack that followed.
The area erupted in a dazzling array of rainbow lights as multiple forms of magic mixed together. For a brief moment, Asgard was bathed in darkness, leaving the explosion of light as its only source.
"Did we…?" Akeno asked, looking at the plume of smoke that now rose into the sky.
Her answer came in the form of a massive white hammer flying in her direction. Golden lightning crackled around the head, making a sound akin to a thousand birds chirping.
"Akeno!" Rias yelled.
"Shit! Akeno-senpai!" Issei took off from his spot, flying towards her at breakneck speeds.
Time slowed down as the hammer neared Akeno.
I'm not gonna make it! Issei thought as he reached his arm out toward her, hoping that somehow, he could grab her in time.
Akeno's life began to flash before her eyes as the image of Perun's rapidly spinning hammer filled her vision.
She closed her eyes, awaiting for the blow to completely erase her only for nothing to happen. Akeno opened her eyes and saw the last person she expected to be there striking the hammer with a lightning-infused fist.
"Y- You…?" Akeno said.
Baraqiel glanced over his shoulder before turning back. With a loud roar, he slammed another lightning-coated fist into it, sending it flying off-course.
The hammer flew sharply into the air before crashing into the ground with a heavy thud.
"What? More-"
A wave of light slammed into him, sending him crashing into a ruined building.
"Hey, kids. Sorry, we're late. We kinda got preoccupied and all, handling everything else."
Issei's eyes lit up at the sound of that voice. He turned around and saw Azazel hovering in the air with his arms crossed.
"Sensei…"
"Baraqiel. That was some nice timing. How are your hands?" Azazel asked.
"A little sore but that's to be expected. So this is the God that pined after our older sister, huh?" Baraqiel said, staring at the hunched form of Perun.
"You… what are you?" Akeno said, shocked at her father's appearance.
"I can't lose you as well. I'd rather you be alive and hate me than to be dead," Baraqiel said.
"Oi! Old Man Baraqiel. That God is still up," Issei said, snapping the two out of their own world.
"I can see that, Breast Dragon," he said. Holy lightning crackled around his body.
[Why? Why did you have to make such an out-of-pocket comment in the heat of battle!? Is this how my legacy is going to be from now on!?]Ddraig cried.
Issei cringed inwardly. He had been making Ddraig cry lately these days.
"Ara, Ddraig. Don't cry. I'm sure people think of you more as just an Oppai Dragon," Mastema consoled.
[Coming from you of all people. That's not very helpful.]
Issei sweatdropped.
He turned his attention back to the battlefield when he heard Perun's footsteps. The God had walked out of the rubble, body covered in multiple wounds. All of which were slowly healing via a golden mist.
"If he died from that, he'd be pretty pathetic for an Ascendant. We've got a fight on our hands here, everyone," Azazel said, forming several ornate-looking light spears.
Azazel pulled out a small ornate jeweled spear. "Fafnir. I'm gonna need some help here, buddy."
He twisted the handle slightly.
[Down Fall Dragon Armor]
Azazel was bathed in a golden light. Golden armor resembling the Scale Mail covered his entire body. On his pauldrons and chest were large, shimmering violet gems. Azazel held his hand out, summoning a golden bident made purely out of light.
"For added bonus and insurance, since we are fighting an Ascendant." Azazel held his hand out, summoning a golden key into his hand. The Key was surrounded by an unearthly golden light.
Irina stared at the Key for a few seconds, feeling a warmth stemming from Malkuth.
"Irina? What's wrong?" Ingvild asked.
"Divine Key. That's a Divine Key!" Irina said.
Azazel grinned underneath his visor. "Alright, then! Time to continue our counter-offensive!" Azazel raised the Key, turning it as if he were unlocking something.
At that moment, a series of digital golden projections rained down from the sky, peppering Perun repeatedly.
The God roared, swinging his hammer and shattering the oncoming waves.
"Now, Perun. Let's begin Round 3."
She sat at the edge of the Walls of Asgard, swinging her legs over and watching the battle with some excitement in her eyes. Her yellow eyes caught sight of the series of golden projections slamming into Perun and she let out a slight giggle.
"Oh, dear. Perun, are you really having a hard time taking them out?" she wondered to herself.
[Leviathan.]
"Mmmm? Are you there yet? Have you reached it?" she asked.
[I've run into a slight issue.]
Her smile disappeared, replaced with a frown. "What is it?"
[Valkyries led by the current Brynhildr. It shouldn't take long but… I'm afraid if they're here, then it'll be a matter of time before my presence is discovered here.]
Leviathan nodded with a sigh. She got up from her spot, turning her gaze to the ensuing battle in front of her. "Keep going. It doesn't seem like anyone has noticed right now. Just remember to let me know when you're done. I did come along as the getaway driver after all~!"
The man on the other end sighed at her nonchalant, cheery tone. [Understood, Sister. I am a little out of practice. These Valkyries will be good warm-up before I get into the meat of things.]
Leviathan chuckled at his comment. "It looks like… I might need to get involved soon too~. If this keeps up…"
"Now, kids!"
At the sound of Azazel's voice, they launched their counteroffensive against Perun.
An onslaught of magical attacks bombarded the deity.
Holy lightning followed by a series of light spears caused a series of luminescent explosions that were as numerous as the stars in the night sky.
This, in turn, was followed by a series of light distortions. Cuts that severed light and the air.
The announcements of the Boosted Gear and the Divine Dividing were heard echoing through the battlefield as streaks of blue and red light repeatedly slammed into Perun.
The God raised his arms, blocking their individual attacks.
A stinging sensation ran down his back, followed by intense burning pain.
The surprise of such an attack caused Perun to stumble forward.
Mitsuki and Irina swung their swords simultaneously.
"Mii! Xen! Make that cut bigger for me!" Irina yelled.
Xenovia and Mitsuki wordlessly agreed to her request, pouring all of their strength into the single cut.
Their combined attack caused the cut to grow slightly bigger. Irina took this opportunity to stab the tip of Malkuth into the wound.
"Take this!" she yelled.
The God was then instantly engulfed in blood-red flames. The flame surged and spiralled into the sky, creating a glowing cyclone that bathed the entire area in blood-red light.
"You fucking insect!"
Irina instinctively raised her arms to block. However, the weight of the hammer caused her arms to nearly shatter from the blow. She flew at breakneck speeds, crashing through several buildings before landing violently on the ground.
"IRINA!" Issei screamed.
Perun winced as the wound on his back slowly healed. The sensation he felt when that angel inflicted that wound on him. Albeit, it was a small wound but the feeling was distinct and he would never mistake it for anything else.
Tch, to think that they could actually inflict that much damage with a Divine Key… so the rumors were true. They are fragments of the Ein Sof, Perun thought.
Perun moved his head back slightly, narrowly avoiding Azazel's bident. He jumped back several times.
A barrage of lightning bolts from Akeno and Baraqiel struck him. However, the bolts bounced off harmlessly.
"Using lightning against a God of Thunder? I've never seen anything more stupid than this!" Perun cackled.
He gathered golden electricity and scarlet flames into the palm of his hand and lobbed it at the two.
Before it could hit, Issei appeared in front of the father-daughter duo, swinging Veles's spear with immense force.
The orb was sliced in half, along with everything in front of it.
Perun managed to avoid the reality rending wave by a millimeter. He narrowed his eyes and turned to Issei.
"What's wrong, boy? Is Veles's spear taking too much of a toll on you?" Perun asked, hovering in the air.
Issei heaved, falling to one knee. The Divine Spear was eating through him. He cursed his incompatibility with divine weaponry.
"Hyoudou, you can't be tiring out now!" Vali said, landing next to him.
"You try fighting him then. That idiot just doesn't die," Issei said, gasping for air.
Vali bit the inside of his cheek.
"Still." Mitsuki walked forward and stood next to the two. "That doesn't mean we can stop here." She gripped her nearly worn-down katana tightly. All she had left were a few swings before the blade shattered. Wanting to conserve it, Mitsuki sheathed her weapon and gathered electricity into the palm of her hand.
"Hmph, considering you brats are still alive, I do have to commend you. I haven't put this much effort into killing someone since I decided to clean house. But no matter, it just means whatever you have will be worth adding so allow me to show you true despair." Perun raised his arms.
"What is he…?" Mitsuki raised an eyebrow.
"From here on out, I shall fight with the full power of an Ascendant," Perun said.
Issei felt a tingle snake its way down his spine. This sensation he was feeling right now. It was similar to when…
"He's about to unleash his Pleroma!" Issei yelled.
Azazel's head snapped up toward Perun. Pleroma… if he uses it now, we're screwed! Veles… damn it! Just send Odin down to that place instead of going yourself! There's no way we can hold off this bastard god long enough if he uses it!
Perun let go of his hammer, allowing it to levitate in the air next to him. His eyes were nothing more than pits of pure golden light. A golden halo, resembling a laurel wreath combined with the wings of an eagle, appeared around his head. Soon after, his body began to emit an intense golden light. His once-red hair turned into a bright shade of luminescent gold.
[From the depths of rays bathed in blessed gold…]
Azazel stopped halfway, feeling the intensity of the power radiating from Perun. "Tch! I can't get close. Kid, use Veles's Spear now!"
[Drawn by this incarnation's breath, enamored by the fear man's bosom rendeth, from the Golden Heaven's thy descend…]
"Got it!" Issei cocked his arm back.
[Boost! Boost! Boost! Boost!]
Issei threw the spear after boosting several more times. The spear shattered the sound barrier, traveling at incomprehensible speeds toward the glowing god.
[Infinite legion by my will I shall proclaim…]
However, the spear never reached its mark.
Instead, it bounced off upon reaching the light, as if it had struck something solid.
[All those who opposed the Golden Throne shall be cut down by our will. The blood of thy enemies, the flesh with which they fight, feast upon them to thy hearts' content…]
"Fwahahaha! Not even Veles's Spear can reach me! With this, none of you can stand against me," Perun cackled. He held his hand out, manifesting a ball of light. His hand closed rapidly around the light, unleashing a massive wave of power that encompassed all of Asgard.
The waves reverberated throughout the World Tree, spanning its influence into the other realms of the Nords before rapidly contracting upon Perun.
[Pour forth from the golden chaos!]
[Pleroma - Vyrai]
The effects were so instantaneous that not even Azazel had the ability to process it. A spectacle so overwhelmingly alien that none of them were able to comprehend it, lest their minds be reduced to shreds. And so, none of them could describe what they were witnessing. All they could do was witness its after-effects.
The blue skies of Asgard withered away and were instantly replaced by a golden one, complete with golden clouds. The landscape had been overwritten as if someone had hijacked reality.
However, this was what it was. A cancerous realm metastasizing upon the entire world with Perun's own overwhelming will. An invasion and total subjugation of reality itself.
Then, Issei remembered something Mastema had explained to him after his training with Veles.
"A Pleroma is like a painting that uses all of Creation as its canvas. An Ascendant unleashes their true selves and paints upon the entire world with their own color. Once it begins, there is very little that one can do to stop it and upon completion, there is virtually nothing one can do to undo it. Unless, of course, another Ascendant unleashes their own and paints over it, or the casting Ascendant condenses their Boundaries once more."
"Aniki! Watch out!" Mitsuki grabbed Issei and teleported into the air as a hand erupted from the ground.
Everyone followed after the two, watching as a series of figures erupted from the ground.
At the center, a golden castle radiated an intense golden light akin to that of the Sun. Waves of light traveled across the skies and the ground, raising more and more figures from the earth below.
"What the hell is this?" Mitsuki said.
"It's his Pleroma. He unleashed the full scope of his Boundary. In other words, we're basically screwed," Issei said.
Veles stopped in his tracks when he sensed it. He turned around, looking back towards the entrance to Gladsheimr. He clenched his fist.
"What is it?" Odin asked, sensing that he had stopped.
"I need to go back," Veles said, turning around.
Raphael eyed his retreating back and nodded. "He's unleashed his Pleroma, hasn't he?" she asked.
"Yes, if I don't do something, Azazel and all those kids will be killed," Veles said.
"Go on. We'll handle things from here. Make sure Perun doesn't destroy all of Asgard with that thing. We'll be confronting whoever it is is making a ruckus down here," Odin said.
Veles nodded and vanished in a flash of green light.
"These things… they won't die!" Vali yelled, firing a silvery beam of energy from his chest. The beam slammed into the ground, devouring a considerable portion of the army.
However, the golden shadows reformed in an instant, rising once more.
"Mastema!" Issei yelled.
"No need to yell. I'm right here," she replied.
What the hell are these things? This is Perun's Pleroma? he asked.
"Essentially, yes. What you saw him using earlier was known as the Recording of Fallen Gods. His ability to assimilate the special abilities of whatever he slays into himself. In short, he's recording them. What you're looking at right now is the full product of those recordings. Within his Pleroma, he can summon those recordings as manifested beings. An undead, self-reviving army of everything he's ever killed," Mastema said.
That means that… Loki and the Gods he killed are…
"Here too? Yeah."
Issei let out a laugh as he dodged an attack from one of the shadows. He followed up by impaling it with Veles's spear, causing it to disperse in golden smoke. "And here I thought things couldn't get worse."
"Luckily for you, you have Veles's Spear. Since these things are just extensions of Perperuna, striking a Boundary with a Boundary can…"
It didn't take long for Issei to connect the dots. "I can kill them."
[But Partner, you don't have much time left. Mastema is barely holding you together as it is. If you keep using it, Veles's Spear will completely overwhelm and devour you.] Ddraig warned.
"Then, I just gotta… pray that doesn't happen." Issei gripped the spear tightly.
"Be careful. As long as we are in Vyrai, we are within Perun. If he wanted to, he could expel us as if he were expelling waste. A Pleroma after all is the totality of an Ascendant's Boundary, meaning it is the totality of an Ascendant itself," Mastema warned.
"Don't need to tell me…" Issei swung the spear upward, slicing another projection in half. "TWICE! ORA!"
He charged forward, plowing through a number of undead shades. The shades all vanished in a burst of golden dust, never to reform. Yet, even with his forward push, he was nowhere near the Golden Castle in the distance, where he assumed Perun was hiding.
"You all struggle uselessly like insects yet the fact that you lasted this long is nothing short of commendable. The moment you all fall, you will join these shadows as part of my immortal legion. Funny, I've never had a Longinus user join my ranks, much less three. I wonder… if I can also assimilate Ascendants," Perun said. His voice was booming and omnipresent.
"Don't you ever shut up!" Mitsuki asked, slicing another Projection in half.
"Oi! Adashino!" Vali grabbed her and pulled her back, helping her narrowly evade an oncoming attack.
"T- Thanks!" she said.
"Mii! You okay?" Issei asked.
"Yeah… it's just… huh?" her eyes widened considerably when she saw who was standing before her.
He may have lacked the arrogant look that he once bore in life. However, Mitsuki had recognized those robes and that ostentatious hairstyle.
"L- Loki?" she said.
"What? Loki? H- How?" Vali asked.
"It's just a projection!" Issei yelled, slamming the Spear into him.
Loki raised his arm, blocking the spear easily. He threw Issei back slightly.
But even if it's just a shade, it feels as strong as the real thing, Issei thought. He glanced down at the spear and at the black gauntlet on his right arm. "Let's see if I can mix two Boundaries together." He focused and the tip of the spear was engulfed in violet-black flames.
"Megiddo and Veles's Spear. Come on then, you asshole God!" Issei taunted.
As Issei was about to charge, the fabric of the world buckled, rippling violently like a stormy sea. Everything within his line of sight shattered.
"Wh- What?" A massive image of Perun appeared in the sky, recoiling in pain. Green veins began crisscrossing their way across his body, eventually reaching his head and spreading across the sky.
"R- Raagggh! This… annoying tune… V- Veles!" Perun roared.
"Sorry, I'm late, kiddo."
Issei turned around with a look of surprise on his face. "V- Veles..!"
"Veles…" Mastema's translucent form hovered in the air. Her stare was fixated on his glowing form.
"It's time for it to begin. Our real counter-offensive."
Veles's eyes glowed as an emerald aura surrounded him.
[O' fair Star, allow me to offer you this contradictory tune…]
[Chaos whispers, harmony withers…]
[Concord sings, and discord shatters…]
[A dance of contrasts, a cosmic decree. From this cacophony, a new tune is born…]
[Discord and Harmony, now intertwined and worn…]
[To you, the Dawn, I offer this prayer once more… for thou art fair beyond measure]
[Pleroma - Nyavka.]
And the golden fields of chaos were bathed in a serene emerald light.
Blacklight File: #?
File Name: Pleroma
Classification: Unknown
The full-unleashed powers of an Ascendant. From data gathered by Operative Moon Halo at the Battle of Asgard, we have further deduced the connection between an Ascendant and their Boundary is not as clear cut as we made it out to be. However, due to lack of further data, we cannot be sure of its contents either. Scans gathered from the AS have been analyzed and significant findings have shown that a Pleroma is as real as the universe itself, containing numerous spatio-temporal dimensions but composed of its own Law. That of the Ascendant. Thus, for now, Ascendants can be classified as a short of contained cosmos as most claim they are.
Silver Archivist: Character limit aside. I wonder... if the forms we see for Ascendants are just lower projections considering a Pleroma would have to exist in a higher space for it to be contained within our world.
Master Smith: I don't think so. If the Pleroma is contained within them, then the Ascendant's form without it just a condensed number of dimensional spaces that we can't see because it's been folded up. Lilith said that [Character Limit Reached].
Red Dragon: I did not understand a word of what was just said here.
Alright! We've almost reached the end of the Ragnarok Arc! I tried to capture how nutty the full power of Ascendants in words. Really, I tried my best. Anyway, after that, I'll take a short break and maybe put up a few chapters of Azure while I do since we've completely deviated from canon at this point. For those of you wondering, yes, this will be an Ascendant vs Ascendant fight... mostly, Issei and the others will be assisting Veles. Anyway, leave a review. :D