…
…
[Hikari POV]
There really hasn't been any time for rest in the Far East these past few days.
Hikari grumbled as she shot through the sky like a shooting star, eviscerating several random Yomi executives who tried to hold her off to no avail. Usually, Youko was the one to receive her, as anyone else on the Yomi side was too weak to handle Hikari in any way.
Yet Youko was nowhere to be found, so Hikari could now easily burn through several notable Yomi executives who have been haunting the Royal Court for several decades without much trouble on her part.
Yet, despite Hikari's extremely noteworthy progress, she was still very worried and paranoid about the situation. Youko would never allow her precious manpower to dwindle so easily, which meant that whatever she was doing at the moment was worth the heavy loss of manpower.
That was bad.
While Hikari was busy dealing with the countless infamous Yomi executives, some of whom were thought to be dead by now yet somehow still alive and kicking as they tried to hold Hikari off, Youko was currently Amaterasu knows where, possibly doing irreversible damage or achieving some devastating objective that could potentially hurt the Royal Court.
Just like last time, they had struck at night. Thus, Hikari was incapable of using her Goddess's blessing to search for Youki's whereabouts while she fought. If her Goddess had not been so stubborn about not using the light reflected from Lady Tsukuyomi's moon, Hikari could've been using that light as a medium to use her Goddess's blessing and search for the enemy.
Yet no, her Goddess stubbornly blocked her from accessing her blessing, leaving Hikari to panic and worry endlessly.
Blasting through the chest of yet another infamous legend of Yomi, Hikari's eyes clouded as she filed through the possible targets Youko could be going after. She completely disregarded the dozens of Yomi enemies crowding around her, already knowing they were not anything worth her notice despite most of them being level 3-4 and under.
They were not anything worth her time. Only she was.
… And him.
But he was a new find. Someone capable of combating Hikari despite being two levels her junior…
… She needs to refocus. She's getting off track with her thoughts.
Hikari pushed down her thoughts before they strayed too far and got her into trouble. She flew into the air and released a supernova of light that burst forward and disintegrated tens upon tens of Yomi enemies all around her. Once she was sure there were still no enemies around, she finally relaxed and started catching her breath.
What could Youko be targeting? It can't be Michael again, or she'd have seen his destructive powers at work again. His power set was not exactly the most subtle from what she's seen.
Sir Kakusu? Not very likely. Youko angrily dismissed him from her notice since he backed down from their usual clash and allowed Hikari to take his place. She vividly remembered the woman's surprise as she clashed against her with equal strength before beginning to push her back.
She's never placed any other Executive in her sights before, either. There was one time when she laughed as Arashi tried to fight her, immediately getting his tendons cut as she almost cut his head off, if not for Hikari. He was too slow to keep up with her, even if he could easily contend with her in strength.
There was also that one time she expressed a little interest in Miyu before Hikari angrily pummeled her into the ground-
…
"Miyu…"
Hikari's eyes widened.
"MIYU!"
Hikari shot through the sky like a shooting star again, speeding across the ruined Kamakura towards the Royal Court's holding cells as she desperately wished her worries were unfounded. She felt her heartbeat rise as the light emanating from her infiltrated the prison's holes and cracks and found two heat signatures inside rather than just the one she was expecting.
"Miyu!" She roared and smashed through the building's walls, not caring about the damage she was causing as she found herself in the holding cells alongside two familiar girls.
"Miss Hikari!" Miyu exclaimed in relief when she heard Hikari, making the older woman move forward and engulf the younger girl in a hug. Hikari's heart rate gradually slowed down as she recognized who the other woman in the room was. She smiled gratefully when she saw Reimei standing to the side with a patient smile.
"Lady Hikari. I'm glad you're here now. I was worried about Miyu and made my way here as fast as possible once the fighting started. It seems my worries weren't unfounded as Youko Jigoku had appeared and tried to capture Miyu, only to be intercepted, according to Miyu." Reimei quickly explained the situation to Hikari with a professional smile as Miyu froze at her words and paled dangerously.
Intercepted?
"Who could intercept Youko?-" Hikari's mouth froze as she uttered those words, the figure of a certain man appearing in her mind a moment later as she paled and quickly let go of Miyu from her hug. "Inumaki Michael was here!?"
"U-Um… He's been visiting and taking care of me for a while now, so he was apparently nearby to intercept her when she arrived…" Miyu explained while still paling dangerously, stuttering as she looked between Reimei and Hikari worriedly.
Hikari's lips twitched upwards. That man… He was such a Tsundere.
Miyu must be worried that Hikari and Reimei would report him for breaking the isolation imposed on her by Lady Amaterasu. Hikari had no plans on divulging that little tidbit of information.
"Don't worry, Miyu. Your secret is safe with Reimei and me, isn't it?" Hikari sent Reimei an amused glance, which the fox girl returned, hers looking even more amused, weirdly enough.
"Fufu~ Of course! I believe you should go assist Mikey, though, Hikari. I'd feel better if he had you as backup against an enemy like Youko Jigoku." Reimei urged Hikari with urgency as Hikari narrowed her eyes at her use of Michael's nickname, one that only she had his permission to use.
He hadn't given her permission per se… but she knew he was fine with it.
"Very well. Please protect Miyu on my behalf, Reimei. I will return to the battlefield." Hikari pushed her annoyance at Reimei away for now, refocusing on Michael's whereabouts as the blonde fox girl nodded happily with a smirk. "Where are they fighting?"
Miyu's eyes widened in slight fear, and she turned to Reimei nervously as the fox girl stepped forward and pointed to the opposite cell, which Hikari now realized was completely destroyed, with its back wall crumbling.
"Last I saw them, Youko had punched Mikey through that wall and flew away in that direction to take him away. She drew blood." Hikari's eyes sharpened dangerously while widening in shock, her legs beginning to sprint in the direction Reimei pointed her towards as she took flight again.
She drew blood? Damn it, Hikari had to rush!
As she flew faster and faster towards Michael, leaving Miyu and Reimei behind, she never thought to ask how Reimei had somehow seen Michael get punched by Youko…
…
…
[Izanami POV]
She held her hands out while waiting for Typhonia to take them, smiling confidently as Inumaki Michael narrowed his eyes at her.
Ah, a great one Typhonia found. If that woman, Amaterasu, is personally going after him, he must be something very exceptional. That woman would never personally move to recall any adventurer, let alone one that doesn't actually belong to her. That is unless they were something truly extraordinary.
Unfortunately for her, her Typhonia found him first. Typhonia was her spirit, and that made Inumaki Michael her champion. She could already feel her energy intertwining with Typhonia's, attempting to form a connection like she has with every other spirit of hers.
… It took a considerable amount of time, but slow and steady progress is alright if that was what Typhonia desired.
Izanami almost giggled giddily again as she took in the forms of the frozen Typhonia and Michael, ecstatic at finding these two after hundreds of years of fighting against Amaterasu. With Typhonia's limitless potential and Michael's mysterious abilities, Izanami would conquer the Far East effortlessly.
No… Why stop at the Far East? Orario naturally belonged to her as well. It was built atop her Typhonia, after all. With their power under her command, she would conquer the entire world!
Izanami frowned a moment later, narrowing her eyes at Inumaki Michael as she watched him stare at her Typhonia with concern barely visible in his eyes. She would've found it adorable any other time, but she was too busy attempting to understand what he was.
Karmic Value (Typhonia): -100
Typhonia was naturally at the lowest point on the karmic scale, having massacred millions, if not billions, of mortals since her birth (Izanami would know; she used to handle the influx of souls that came from Typhonia's massacres).
As she moved her head to stare at Inumaki Michael, she furrowed her brows and felt a little stunned while staring at him.
Such arrogance… She's seen his pride and ruthlessness firsthand, yet why…
Karmic Value (Inumaki Michael): 83
… Why was he practically a saint?
She could sense that his karmic value has dropped significantly in the last few months, possibly as ridiculous as 90 or more. Yet she knew that someone with his arrogance and ruthlessness could never have such a disturbingly high karmic value.
Babies, the purest mortals can be without becoming heroes or saints, began at 50. Inumaki Michael must have never committed a sin in his life to reach this Karmic Value.
… Up until a few months ago, at least. Didn't he arrive at Orario around the same time that Izanami sensed his Karmic Value dropping? Figures that that damned city would be the reason a Saint like him began to taint.
Oh well. She'd rather have him lose more of his good karma anyway. It was almost disgusting to look at his Karma as it was right now.
The highest she'd ever seen was a few heroes several thousand years ago at 76, and that was only because they had saved possibly thousands of lives in their lifetimes and were practically saints themselves. It was ridiculous that she'd ever see someone with a higher Karmic Value in this Heroless Era.
Not to mention… His arrogance felt wrong. She did not know what she was feeling when she stared at him, yet his arrogance was somehow not accounted for in his Karmic Value. It was almost as if… it was not his true nature, or at least not fully, but rather… an imposed condition upon himself.
No, that felt wrong as well. Izanami is the Judge of Mankind. She knew mortals like the back of her hand. It was, frankly, terrifying how she couldn't decipher Inumaki Michael's nature yet.
… Self-hypnosis, perhaps? But why would he force himself to act so terribly? She rather liked it, but she did not understand.
Mysteries… Mmm.~ She could admit that, despite her many differences from most other gods, she enjoyed solving a good puzzle every once in a while herself. She would enjoy picking Michael apart later once her Typhonia returned to her.
Not literally. He was too precious of an asset to waste for such an inane reason.
Before Izanami could trail off with her thoughts for even longer, Typhonia finally moved out of her frozen state and raised her head to look at Izanami solemnly.
"... You…" She started with an indescribable tone before she stopped and let go of Inumaki's arm, slowly moving forward to stare into Izanami's eyes with barely an inch between their faces. "... Why do you… want me…?"
Ah.
Izanami understood. Her Typhonia was worried that she was like the other Gods who wished to use her as entertainment. Her words will require a little delicacy, or her Typhonia may get the wrong idea.
"Why else, my Typhonia?" Izanami noticed Typhonia twitching at her use of 'my', noting that down in her head for later as she realized Typhonia may hate being viewed as an object. "I wish to reconnect with you after so many years of isolation."
While not strictly untrue, what Izanami said was actually a little white lie. Izanami did want to reconnect with Typhonia, but not purely for the sake of doing so. Izanami didn't think Typhonia needed to know that, though. It was a little lie that hurt nobody…
Why was Typhonia staring at her sharply? And why was Inumaki Michael facepalming while shaking his head in amusement behind Typhonia?
"... Why have you… never tried to… connect with me… before…?" Typhonia asked next without any care for Izanami's confusion, narrowing her eyes further as Izanami knew she had to be careful how she answered next.
"I had no way of knowing if you would recognize me or not, Typhonia. As far as I was aware, I would have immediately died by a horde of Enhanced Monsters as soon as I stepped foot into the Dungeon." Izanami answered sheepishly with an apologetic smile, wishing to show her 'regret' through her expression as Edias narrowed her eyes further.
It was another lie. Izanami did not think contacting Typhonia would be worth her time, as it would have taken her away from the Far East for too long, allowing Amaterasu time to recuperate and plan against Yomi. There was no guarantee that Typhonia would believe her, so she did not care until now.
Typhonia didn't need to know that either, of course.
"... Last question… What are your… intentions for Michael…?" Typhonia's tone remained indescribable as she asked her final question, staring intently at Izanami as the Goddess inwardly giggled at her protectiveness.
"You needn't worry, my Typhonia. I have no interest in hurting my Champion in any way, as that would be quite counterproductive. Naturally, due to your Servant-Patron relationship, he would also act to serve me." Izanami carefully worded her sentence to ensure she didn't misspeak as a brilliant smile entered her face. "I will need nothing more than his service as I take over the world-"
Izanami was suddenly pulled back by her servant Youko as an ominous aura exploded out of her Typhonia. The energy emitted from her body shocked Izanami, and she saw Typhonia's Karmic Value fluctuate from its release.
Karmic Value (Typhonia): -99.999999999998
What was happening? And how was Edias's Karmic Value fluctuating simply by releasing this energy?
Izanami's eyes flickered over to Michael, widening a little more as she saw his body absorb the energy from the air, and his Karmic Value fluctuating as a result.
Karmic Value (Inumaki Michael): 76… 69… 84… 72… 85… 65… 86…
What was happening? What in Yomi was happening?
Izanami looked warily at Typhonia and her champion, turning to glance at the coldly sweating Youko holding her. Izanami could sense Youko's horror and… well, fascination (her child was weird like that) as Typhonia glared at Izanami and her from inside the malicious energy.
*SSSSSSSSZRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTT!*
"... Will you allow this, Edias?" Michael's words rang out in Izanami's ears, accompanied by a sharp yet oddly calm shrill and overbearing aura that threatened to overwhelm her will. She clasped down on her Arcanum, barely holding it from activating instinctually as her eyes widened further. "... Will you accept this Goddess casually claiming you, dismissing the fact that you belong to me? Will you accept her casual way of demanding my servitude? Tell me…"
Izanami's mouth gaped slightly as she watched Inumaki Michael move behind Edias, wrapping an arm around Edias's neck and placing his other hand under her chin. Edias's eyes glowed with intensity at his every word, becoming increasingly enraged as the boy whispered into her ears. Typhonia glared at Izanami with a look that would've made a lesser God weak in the knee from the sheer hatred of gods it held, keeping her gaze on Izanami despite Inumaki's pet-like treatment of her.
"... Will you not defend my honor, my Edias?"
Suddenly, Izanami had a thought she never once considered for even a minute until this very moment.
What would happen if someone were to gain Typhonia's complete loyalty before her?
What would happen if they managed to gain control of her spirit before she could?
… Why did she ever assume that someone like Inumaki Michael could ever be subservient to Typhonia?
*ZZZZSSSWEEEEEEEEEEEEERRTTTT!*
She gritted her teeth with shock as a second aura of overpowering energy exploded out, Izanami desperately keeping her Arcanum from activating. The sound accompanying this aura was different, sounding like a low whistle that somehow held so much hatred and rage. It was not dissimilar to the horns some of her fellow Death Gods prepared to play when it was time for the End of the World.
"... Congratulations, Edias. You've unlocked your Conqueror's." Izanami heard Inumaki whisper, her face twisting in both confusion and horror as she briefly considered the possibility of this ability being something achievable by any mortal.
… Since when were mortals capable of pushing their Will onto the world? Onto the Gods?
Izanami's eyes sharpened as she took a deep breath, spiritual energy bubbling all around her as Odokuro, her spirit, unleashed its energy to attempt to match Typhonia and Inumaki's aura. The ethereal skeleton surrounded her body again, glowing in ominous energy as she prepared for the spontaneous battle.
"... What do you… want me to… do, Michael…?" Typhonia spoke softly, keeping her gaze firmly on Izanami as her aura intensified. Michael wrapped his arms around her head with a small smile, staring Izanami in the eye as he patted Typhonia's head with a dangerous glint in his eyes.
"Edias…"
His eyes twitched a little, and turned to Youko as she noticed her child clicking her tongue and turning away with sweat running down the side of her head. Typhonia's aura intensified as her eyes moved from Izanami to Youko with rage, noticing her child's attempt at stabbing Inumaki Michael from the inside with his shadow.
"... Kill."
…
…
"Jūryoku no Hakai." I intoned calmly and began floating, letting go of Edias as she dashed forward to punch the ribcage of Izanami's spirit. Her already pitch-black hands were enveloped in another layer of black energy as she called upon my Armament Haki. They were then enveloped by a second layer of purple energy as she channeled her limitless Cursed Energy into her hands and punched.
*BOOOOOM*
Her punch caused a loud boom to echo through the clearing, the nearby wind compressing and causing a sonic boom as it moved with intensity in waves all around. Despite the power behind the hit, Edias quickly moved back with narrowed eyes as she noticed the utter lack of any damage on the ribcage.
As I thought. The power of a spirit was nothing to scoff at.
I raised my hands and sent a wave of repelling gravity at the Susanoo wannabe, pushing it away before it could slash at Edias as I noticed its arm moving toward her. I sighed in relief as I noticed my gravity working just fine, only to quickly jump back after my Haki blared warningly at me as Youko appeared at my side and slashed at my neck.
I pulled my spear into my hands and quickly clashed weapons with her as she moved forward for another swing, gritting my teeth as I struggled against her. I controlled the gravity of my weapon to move against hers, adding more force to my strike as her eyes widened at the sudden increase in strength.
She was punched away before she could retaliate, Edias appearing at her side and punching her with fury. I idly noticed the spirit slowly moving towards us, not as fast as I would've expected from something with its strength.
It wasn't ridiculously slow or anything, but it was barely level 4 speed. That was nowhere near enough in the type of fights I've been having in the Far East. My eyes narrowed as I realized that it must sacrifice speed for durability.
No, that wasn't everything. It had Izanami inside of it, so it was definitely unable to move at its top speed at the moment. It was too busy ensuring her protection.
I turned my head to the crater that Youko landed in, finding no one there as my Observation alerted me of her presence within the ribcage. I saw her slowly rising out of the shadows behind Izanami, rubbing her neck with irritation as she glared at Edias.
Ah. They're quite the powerful duo. Youko is capable of delivering high-speed attacks while using Izanami and her spirit as a shield whenever she needs cover. They were likely going to try and keep the battle centered around the spirit's body, capitalizing on its durability to not be hurt.
I extended my hand towards them, closing it into a fist as I controlled the gravity around them. My eyes narrowed as I felt my magic fail to penetrate through the skeleton, unable to control the gravity of the Goddess and her child. My attempts at crushing the Skeleton itself resulted in nothing as it showed no reaction whatsoever to the extreme gravity crushing it.
Troublesome.
Troublesome, but manageable.
"An immovable object, Edias. That's what this spirit is." I informed Edias while placing my spear on my side, allowing it to hover next to me while I raised my hands again and closed my eyes. Edias moved in front of me protectively while I controlled the surrounding gravity.
"... Chibaku Tensei." I envisioned the attack I was recreating and muttered its name, summoning a sphere of gravity that pulled on all of the surrounding land as the ground broke apart and the nearby trees were all uprooted.
The Skeleton was forcefully pulled into the middle of the sphere, the surrounding debris crushing it and pulling it deeper as a satellite was formed in the air. I slowly reopened my eyes and stared at my satellite intently, clicking my tongue and turning to look at the ground below me as Izanami and Youko slowly moved out of the shadows unharmed.
"Edias, Go," I commanded with widened eyes as I noticed the absence of the spirit's skeleton. Edias did not wait for another second and dashed forward, followed closely by me as I grabbed the spear hovering next to me and dived down towards the duo while imbuing it with Haki and Cursed Energy.
Youko immediately moved forward to intercept Edias, slashing her blades at her torso as they harmlessly sailed through Edias's stomach without doing any damage. Edias retaliated with a punch to Youko's face, her fist sailing harmlessly through Youko's head as it turned into shadows.
I ignored the comical scene and flew past the duo, aiming for the defenseless Goddess as I raised my spear and-
My Haki screamed at me and my eyes widened as I quickly flew to the side, a wave of black fire intercepting my previous path to Izanami and burning everything in its path.
"... Yama." I heard Izanami mutter under her breath as my expression slowly turned paler.
She has a second spirit.
… She made Edias. She also said she started making spirits after making Edias to pass the time.
How many spirits has she made? And how powerful must they be if one of her first creations was Edias?
… Gonna need a healthy serving of Plot Armor for this one.
"Edias!" I commanded with a yell as Edias glanced towards me before Cursed Energy began pouring into me like a tsunami, a purple aura of energy enveloping my entire body and shooting out to encompass my surroundings as well. My eyes never left Izanami's form as I watched a light sheen of dark energy envelop her body in the form of armor while a beautiful spear that sent my senses into a frenzy at the mere sight of it appeared within her hands.
"... To think you'd force me to use two of my spirits while only level 3… I was a fool for dismissing you as nothing but my Typhonia's Chosen, Inumaki Michael." Izanami spoke softly while staring at me with an indescribable look in her eyes, slowly moving into a stance that made my skin crawl.
… I had no chance of defeating her using martial skills. I did not need my Haki to tell me that I was hopelessly outmatched in terms of Spearmanship, it was something I could tell with a simple glance as I stared at her flawless stance and found no blindspots to exploit.
It made sense that this Goddess, who has lived for thousands of years, easily outmatched me, especially as my Spearman Development Skill was only at rank G.
"You were a fool the second you believed yourself capable of gaining my servitude," I informed her with a cold tone as I hovered to the ground where she was standing, barely a few meters away from her. "Be it Monster, Adventurer, Spirit, or God… None could ever hope to break my will. For, while I am not yet the mightiest, fastest, or most magically inclined…"
I raised my spear towards her, my Conqueror's exploding out of my body and focusing its presence completely on her as she visibly struggled to keep her Arcanum from releasing.
"... In Will, I am the strongest."
The already massive aura I gained from Edias's Cursed Energy flowing into me began fluctuating wildly, growing exponentially as Grand Hubris activated. Izanami's eyes narrowed a little, and her face seemed to gain a look of realization after a few seconds of looking at me.
"... You're like her." She commented in awe. "... Yet you're not one of mine?" She muttered in confusion, puzzling me about what she was talking about.
"... What's with the cryptic nonsense? If you have something to say, then spit it out." I growled in annoyance as I felt my Haki leave my arms and spear, moving to envelop Edias's hands instead as she finally managed to land a hit on Youko.
Edias never trained her own Haki since she never saw a point in it, so she has to rely on mine to hit Youko despite her Logia nonsense. The drain on my mental energy, if I had to supply both of us with Willpower for both Armament and Observation Haki, would be too much, so I'm only giving us both Observation for safety. At the same time, we share Armament in times of need.
She probably needs it more than I do as she's fighting an invulnerable enemy without it, but the loss of strength against a Goddess carrying the power of two spirits and martial prowess honed for thousands of years is not exactly very reassuring.
[... Shut up… I'll train Haki from… now on…]
{Focus on your fight, idiot.} My lips twitched upwards as Edias's exasperation allowed me to ease up and analyze the situation a lot more calmly.
I still sensed something in my Satellite up there, so one of her spirits was out of commission for the moment. The energy drain of keeping the technique active is not anything too heavy for now, so I should be able to keep it up while fighting Izanami.
I heard quiet rumbles from inside the Satellite though, so the spirit was not being quiet and sitting inside there. I had to fight Izanami fast before it could somehow escape.
"You're a spirit, aren't you?" Izanami suddenly asked in response to my question, making me pause as I looked at her incredulously. "No… Perhaps a demi-spirit or half-spirit would be more accurate. You're definitely human, even if not fully."
"... You have no idea what you're talking about. I'm a Jujutsu Sorcerer, which is simply a type of Sorcery mortals use." My words caused her to shake her head exasperatedly as she slowly walked forward towards me.
"Perhaps. Maybe not all 'Jujutsu Sorcerers' are like you, but you are undoubtedly a Spirit. You are closer to being like Typhonia than you are to a normal human." Her form flickered as she spoke, taking me by surprise as she appeared in front of me with a hand on my chin. "... Surely you've noticed the energy you've been absorbing?"
… That was fast. I didn't expect her to have such speed after the first spirit's lack of speed. Spirits really are bullshit.
What the hell was she talking about though? My absorption of Cursed Energy was thanks to the skill I got when I first gained the Falna, it had nothing to do with being a 'spirit'.
"Don't presume yourself capable of sensing something I haven't. I'm obviously aware of my circumstances, and they're all thanks to the Falna." I replied coldly while slowly trying to move my spear, struggling a moment later as I spotted an ethereal hand bigger than my head holding the tip of my spear in place.
"Is that so…? Did you truly never feel any of the malicious energy entering your body before you gained your Falna for the first time?" Her words make me pause for a moment, recalling my first day in Orario and how brief of a time I had before I gained the Falna.
… Was I absorbing Cursed Energy even before I got the Falna in the few hours I had since my sudden appearance in Orario and Hestia giving me her Falna? It felt like an eternity ago since that time…
… Why did I feel like her words held some truth?
But Jujutsu Sorcerers don't absorb ambient negative energy. That's closer to a Cursed… Spirit…
Oh.
Ah.
Wait, no?
Wait…
Fuck.
"It seems you've finally connected the dots yourself. I'm surprised you did it so quickly." Izanami commented with a small smile on her face, gently caressing my cheek as if I hadn't just been hit with an existential crisis. "Despite how vain and useless those other Gods were, they were not idiots. At the time, there was a problem in the creation of the world that made it so monsters could spawn anywhere if enough negativity gathered."
"... Curses," I muttered in realization as Izanami blinked before tilting her head and shrugging.
"That's an apt way of referring to those creatures, I suppose." She mused while slowly moving her hand away from my cheek. "The Gods took advantage of this and turned Typhonia's vessel into something capable of acting as a drain to this energy, gathering it all in one place so that they could use it to summon their monsters whenever they wished."
She paused and turned her head to look at Edias before turning back to me with a small smile.
"You, Inumaki Michael, are a miniature version of the dungeon's vessel, capable of absorbing the negativity of the world to use as an energy source for your powers." I noticed my weapon beginning to crack under the ethereal hand's grip. It lacked the Armor coating I usually imbue into it to boost its durability.
"... What's your point? Why do you care so much about what I am?" I clicked my tongue and decided to abandon my polearm, suddenly letting go of the weapon and pulling myself back a few meters to make some space. Izanami tried to intercept but was repelled by a barrier of gravity I placed between us. "It won't help you in the end now, will it?"
"Do you not see, Michael? I know you and Typhonia more than anyone else in the world." She spoke with a soft yet frustrated tone, two gigantic ethereal hands appearing behind her while a crown of black flames formed atop her head. "There is no reason for us to fight. No one in this world could ever value you as much as I can, for they simply do not understand your worth."
"I do not need to be valued." I retorted with an eye roll. "I refuse to ever allow myself to serve another, God or otherwise. I am a Conqueror! I do not serve!"
My exclamation made Izanami shake her head exasperatedly and raise her arm toward me, alerting me of an incoming attack. I quickly pulled out another weapon from inside the Edias inside me.
It was a lot harder than simply asking Edias to bring it out as she was too busy focusing on her fight with Youko, but I had enough practice to deftly do it after only a few seconds of concentration.
"You will not need to serve me, Michael. In the last several thousand years, my biggest regret is dismissing you so quickly before I understood what you were. Before I realized your potential." She spoke softly as her body began emitting a dark light, her eyes glowing with a purple aura. "I will capture you, and I will keep you by my side until I convince you to stand by my side as I conquer this world."
[... ARE YOU KIDDING ME? ANOTHER ONE, MICHAEL!?]
{Focus on your fight and let me deal with the mentally unstable Goddess!} I snapped back to Edias as she was slammed into the earth some distance away, distracted by what she heard from my senses.
"You will try, and you will fail," I replied coldly as the purple aura encompassing my surroundings slowly split off and enveloped my weapon. I halved the boost I had on my body and placed it into my weapon to enhance its strength and durability.
I had a feeling my spear would not last if I did not do this. Her spear looked… very, very intimidating.
"... Then surprise me, my Michael." I almost groaned at her words before my eyes widened. I turned to look at my Satellite in the air as a chunk of the sphere was suddenly blasted out.
The Skeleton Spirit of Izanami roared and jumped from the side of the satellite, destroying more of the floating sphere of debris from the shockwave of its launch as it lunged toward me. I raised a hand to send a wave of repelling gravity at the spirit, glancing to the side to see Edias too far away to assist me.
My Haki screamed at me as I felt danger coming from my side. My eyes widened in horror, and I realized I had forgotten about Izanami's other spirit. I barely had time to move my head to stare at the gigantic spirit's incoming fist, gritting my teeth and preparing to take a heavy amount of damage.
*BOOOOOM*
I slowly reopened my eyes in confusion, feeling the intense shockwave from the spirit's attack yet not feeling the pain and damage I was expecting. I raised my head to find a hulking figure standing in front of me, stopping
"... I'm sorry, I cannot allow you to do that." The hulking man, who was probably 7 feet tall, spoke quietly as he blocked both of the spirit's fists with his Greatsword. I blinked and looked incredulously at the man, recognizing who it was with a single glance.
"... Ottar?" I muttered in confusion before sensing a familiar signature and quickly turning to the side with astonishment.
"Please excuse me for interrupting your little fight.~ I simply couldn't help but intervene when I heard what was being said and saw who MYMikey was fighting!" The soothing voice of Freya spoke as she slowly approached me and Ottar, a pleasant smile on her face that concealed the rage I sensed from her quite well.
"... Freya? Well, this is quite the surprise." Izanami noted with a hint of annoyance in her tone, her gaze sharpening significantly at Freya's use of 'my' when referring to me. "You're quite far from home, are you not?"
"Oh, don't worry about that! My home is where my Michael is, after all.~" Freya giggled and placed a hand on my cheek while staring into Izanami's eyes, leaning in to-
"No." I pushed her face away with half-lidded eyes before she could kiss me, blankly staring at her as she gasped and pouted with tears filling her eyes.
"Mikey! I was about to mark my property to ward away this hussy, you know?" She complained while pouting even harder as I ignored her and turned to Ottar, sending him a raised eyebrow as his face didn't show any change at his Goddess's behavior.
"Since when was I your property again?" I rolled my eyes and turned from Ottar once I saw him ignore me in favor of staring at Izanami and her spirit. I turned my head to see Edias glaring at Freya, completely ignoring Youko, who was trying to stab her repeatedly through the chest and failing.
Why did this suddenly become a comedy?
I hate everything.
Ottar's eyes widened, and he suddenly kneeled down while coughing blood out, a few shadow spikes barely exiting from his torso. I turned my head to see Youko smirking, sweat running down the side of her head, clearly exhausted after her surprise attack.
… I'd rather not have this idiot's Familia Captain die after he saved me from a grievous attack. It'd also look worse when I eventually beat the shit out of her Familia without him there.
"My debt is repaid with this, King," I declared, placing a hand on his shoulder. I called forth my Reverse Cursed Technique to begin healing him, and I saw him turn to me with surprise. After a few seconds, he slowly stood up again, wiping the blood on his lips away and narrowing his eyes at Youko.
"... You have my thanks."
With that, he shot forward like a bullet towards Youko. Her eyes widened at the speed of the hulking goliath of a man, clearly surprised with how fast he was as she tried to jump back.
He easily caught up with her, punching his fist through her head as it elementalized into shadows without damaging her in any way. Her body slowly melted into the ground as it turned into a shadow, appearing at Izanami's side. I saw Youko sweating even harder with widened eyes.
"She's invulnerable to normal attacks, Ottar! Her body is capable of turning into shadows to avoid physical damage. Your attacks won't mean anything unless she runs out of magic or you use magic," I exclaimed at Ottar, who turned to me with surprise before nodding and immediately dashing out at the Goddess and her child again.
Before he could reach them, the earlier Skeleton spirit materialized around the duo and faced Ottar head-on. Ottar punched the Skeleton's rib cage with enough force to cause several trees behind the Spirit to uproot and fly off, the surrounding land breaking from the mere shockwaves of his attack.
… His attack had no effect whatsoever, and the Skeleton's ribcage showed no sign of injury or indentation. Ottar's eyes widened the tiniest bit as he noticed the Spirit's lack of damage before he quickly jumped back, noticing the incoming attack from the Skeleton.
"... My lady. It's unsafe here, we should retreat." Ottar commented quietly while staring at the giant skeleton intently, his hands twitching as he glanced back at Freya.
Why is Freya even here? Ignoring how unsafe it is for her to be on the battlefield, she has no reason to be in the Far East-
Ah.
Me.
Fucking yandere.
"Well, that's no good.~ I need to show this promiscuous broad her place! She dares try to steal my Michael away!?" Freya crossed her arms below her chest with a frown. Ottar stayed silent, slowly changing his stance back to aggressive as he prepared to follow Freya's will.
"Promiscuous broad? Pot calling the kettle black, maybe?" I commented with another eye roll as Freya turned to me with a huff and placed her hands on her hips. I noticed Izanami smirking at my comment in the corner of my eyes.
"You can't hold my past actions against me! And I stopped my activities a long time ago after I met you." Freya tried to place her arms around my neck, only to be stopped as a sudden black mass enveloped my body and pushed her away. "Oh? And who is this?~"
"Michael's one… and only…" Edias commented ominously as her body slowly formed back into her beautiful humanoid form. Her words caused Freya's eyebrows to twitch before she gaped as Edias turned and captured my lips. "Mine…"
"Oh!?~ And what is this?~" Freya's tone sounded very pleasant, but I didn't need my emotion sensing to tell that she was murderous. "You've never told me about this, my Michael.~"
The temperature suddenly dropped several degrees as Edias squared up with Freya. The first glared, her hair floating behind her like gorgon snakes, while Freya smiled pleasantly, her eyes closed in fury.
"... Edias, it's not the time for this." I placed a hand on Edias's head and her hair immediately fell back down to her legs as a happy smile entered her face. "This is Edias, my… Guardian Spirit, Freya. I never told you about her because… well, it'd be quite stupid to give away one of my biggest trump cards so easily."
"Oh?~ Hold on… A spirit? In this day and age? That shouldn't be right…" Freya's eyes widened slightly and she looked at Edias differently after that, inspecting her from top to bottom intently. "Which God does she belong to? We stopped making champions after the descent of the gods a thousand years ago, so this should not have been authorized…"
Edias's eyes narrowed to Izanami for a second, something Freya noticed but seemingly dismissed as she turned to me questioningly. Izanami herself twitched a little and gazed at me intently.
"When we met, she didn't have any God or Goddess that she served. She was purely independent at the time until I made a contract with her." I smoothly sailed past her lie-detection abilities by using half-truths and technicalities, watching in the corner of my vision as Izanami's eyes widened significantly and a beautiful smile graced her lips.
… Why is she so pleased that I'm capable of lying to a God? Feel threatened, idiot.
"An independent spirit? How curious.~" Freya placed a finger to her lip in thought while humming, eventually shrugging with a bright smile. "I suppose that's as good of an explanation as I'll get. Nice to meet you, my Michael's spirit.~"
Edias glared at Freya as she claimed me again, Freya returning the glare with a few soothing giggles. It was quite weird watching how fast Freya changed her tune once she learned that Edias was a spirit.
It seems more threatening to know that a Spirit is after the person you like, no? Edias is technically as immortal as a god, so it's not like Freya can just outlive her to have me or whatever she might be thinking.
"... This is a waste of my time. Izanami, prepare yourself." I sighed in annoyance and sidestepped Freya's attempt to grab my arm into her chest. I began to slowly walk towards the Skeleton Spirit, Edias right behind me, as the Spirit's eyes glowed with light blue flames.
"Ah, already?~ It was quite amusing watching your squabbling while my Youko had some time to rest." Izanami sounded strangely disappointed as she walked forward to meet me, her second spirit ('Yama', I believe it was) following her while the Skeleton Spirit suddenly disappeared alongside Youko.
I heard the sound of clashing weapons behind me and felt Ottar and Youko's signatures close to each other. The Skeleton's spirit signature seemed to slowly but surely make its way to Youko's side, manifesting to aid her against Ottar as he fought them off while protecting Freya.
"I'm glad it was so amusing for you. It was my pleasure giving you one last laugh before your death." I sighed and closed my eyes, mentally exhausted from everything already. Izanami dashed forward to take advantage of me while my eyes were closed, her spear intercepted by mine as I opened a single eye to look at her. "By the way, I do not need sight to fight."
"So it seems." She commented amusedly as her spear pushed against me with more power, the sheer force being generated from it almost making my knees buckle if not for a quick chant under my breath to boost myself with gravity.
Edias moved forward to punch at Izanami, only to be intercepted by 'Yama' as the two spirits punched at each other. I saw Edias's eyes narrow and her fists sail into what seemed to be thin air to the naked eye, but I sensed it to be the spirit's actual body rather than just its fists.
I quickly refocused my efforts on Izanami again, warding off her pierces and stabs while attempting to respond with my own. I was left completely on the defensive as she slashed and jabbed masterfully at me with her spear, her technique beyond anything I had ever imagined—just as I expected.
"Don't move," I commanded as both my and Izanami's eyes widened, each for different reasons. The target of my command was not Izanami. It was her spear, which was now frozen in space as Izanami attempted to move it to no avail.
My surprise came from the fact that I just lost a third of my Cursed Energy reserves. For the spear.
I didn't allow myself to be surprised for too long, knowing that I didn't have much time. I quickly stabbed at Izanami's head, watching her barely dodge out of the way by tilting her head before she spun around her spear through the air and kicked my spear to the side.
My Haki screamed of danger again from everywhere in front of me, and I quickly jumped back. I watched as black fire enveloped the entire field around Izanami and burned through the patch of land I was just standing on.
"... You are almost as bullshit as I am," I commented in both annoyance and slight amusement, watching Izanami blink before a twinkle of amusement entered her eyes.
"It's a first for me to not be the most 'bullshit', as you put it." She commented amusedly and twirled her now free spear in her hands, slowly walking out of the black fire around her towards me. "Is our mutual 'bullshit' enough to convince you to come with me, by any chance?"
"Burn in hell." I paused. "Freya! Place a tight lid on your Arcanum!"
*SSSSSSSSZRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTT!*
It seems my warning barely saved Freya as I watched her face pale dangerously and her body glow in a pink color. The energy she emitted almost captivated me for a moment before I snarled and turned away, looking back at Izanami with my Conqueror's Haki shooting out.
She seemed to struggle to keep ahold of her Arcanum while also focusing on our battle, but her expression seemed weirdly pleased. I noticed her eyes straying between Freya and me while glowing with a calm purple aura, a pleased smirk on her face.
"... I'd like to ask you a question." I suddenly spoke while making space between the two of us, watching as Izanami tilted her head in surprise before smiling eagerly at the chance to speak instead of fight. My Conqueror's was still weighing down on her, but my lack of aggression seemed to reassure her that I wasn't planning an attack at the moment.
"And what would that question be? Could you be curious about my motivations or plans, perhaps?" She asked, placing her spear into the ground and momentarily relaxing despite the oppressive aura weighing down on her.
"Oh, definitely not. I could care less." She blinked at my quick response, furrowing her brows. "I'm simply curious if you've forgotten about the Satellite I formed earlier, or not?"
She recoiled a little at my question before her face paled, and she froze, her head slowly turning up and spotting the gigantic planetoid flying down towards her with frightening speed.
"Tengai Shinsei." I calmly chanted with amusement, dropping the meteor down while increasing its gravity to the maximum I could as Izanami raised her spear out of the ground and looked at Youko.
"Odokuro! Youko!" She commanded hastily as Youko turned from Ottar to her Goddess before paling as she spotted the falling meteor, quickly placing a hand on the Skeleton spirit from the inside as both of them slowly melted into the shadows and moved to Izanami's side in an instant.
I glanced at Edias and saw the remnants of a Black Flash surrounding her hands as the spirit 'Yama' lay motionless beneath her, my eyes widening a little in surprise at how easily she dispatched the spirit before my lips twisted into a proud smirk.
That's my spirit.
I quickly flew away and into Edias, as her body melted into me as soon as we made contact, finally reentering me after so much time of fighting outside of my body. I spotted Ottar picking Freya up on one shoulder and jumping as far away from the meteor as he could. The Goddess did not look the tiniest bit concerned as she stared at the Meteor with sparkling eyes.
… Why does this remind me of Illya and Berserker? Why does this really remind me of Illya and Berserker?
Berserk-Car.
[... Focus…]
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
I braced myself with a barrier of repelling gravity, closing my eyes and using my senses to see as the Meteor slammed into the ground with an ear-piercing boom. Shockwaves and debris flew out in waves from the crater that was forming from the impact, smashing against my gravity barrier despite how high I was in the air. The explosion that followed a mere second later rattled my body with merely its sound as the night sky became alight for a few minutes as if it were day, wind flying out alongside countless debris, melted rock, and gases.
It was only after everything settled down and the debris all fell to the ground that I began quickly making my way to the middle of the crater, groaning as I inspected the damage that befell the Goddess and her child.
None.
They were inside the Skeleton.
"What's it gonna take to finally put you in the fucking ground?" I asked rhetorically while flying down to the Goddess, hovering several meters above her and her spirits as I placed my hands in my pocket and relaxed my posture wearily.
"You've made me panic for the first time in the last few centuries, if that helps," Izanami commented with an apologetic smile as she allowed the armor of black flames surrounding her to dissipate. A few seconds later, the ominous spear followed suit, leaving her without any equipment again. "I did not expect such a destructive move from you, I'll admit."
"Art is an explosion," I commented thoughtlessly while looking around at the destroyed surroundings, wincing a little despite my usual disregard for the battlefield.
I vowed to plant some trees in my free time later. That'll probably make up for all of this destruction.
[... Bruh…]
"MICHAEL!"
I turned my head to see Hikari flying through the air like a beacon, covering hundreds of meters in seconds as she moved closer and closer-
Oh fuck-
"Hikari, no!" I raised my hand to try and stop her, but I was too late. She slammed into me with the power of a thousand suns, sending us tumbling through the air. I felt her hands wrap around my head and hold me still, her body maneuvering in the air and stopping our tumble as she glared at where Youko was standing.
"It's alright, Michael. I'm here to back you up now. You must be injured, so retreat for now while I take this from here." She turned away from the crater to look at me with a reassuring smile, reminding me of a hero saving the damsel in distress as I did everything in my power to not burst out laughing.
"Ah, actually… I'm completely unharmed." I pointed out wryly as Hikari froze and moved away a little to inspect my body for any injuries, finding none as the few I had gotten had already been healed with RCT. "I was just about to go drop another nuke on Youko and Izanami-"
"Izanami is here!? We must capture her! We have not managed to catch a glimpse of her in centuries now!" Hikari's eyes widened before I could finish my words, and she quickly turned to look at the Skeleton Spirit, furrowing her brows as she inspected it. "What is this? Could this be an unseen skill of Jigoku Youko that we have yet to see until now? Nice job forcing her to reveal this trump card, Mikey-"
Hikari was interrupted as the staff of my spear landed on her head, bonking her as she gasped in pain and turned to me with confusion. I sighed and caressed my temples, the mental exhaustion that I'd been accumulating reminding me of its existence once again as I suffered silently.
"No. First of all, that's not the hag's ability." My eyes twitched painfully, and I turned to Youko to see her pointing a middle finger at me after attempting to stab my innards with the shadows inside me. "Second, that Skeleton around Izanami and Youko makes them completely invulnerable to any attacks coming from the outside. Unless you can bypass that, we aren't capturing anyone today."
I slowly moved back down towards Izanami, catching her eyes as she seemed slightly annoyed at how close I was to Hikari. My lips twitched in amusement, something she must've noticed as she rolled her eyes.
"Oh?~ What's this? It seems you've also charmed the Amaterasu Familia Captain in your short stay here, my Mikey." Freya suddenly made her appearance known as she giggled from atop Ottar's shoulder, completely ignoring the almost haunted look on Ottar's face after he probably had to fend off a ton of debris with his body only to be asked to return to the crater by Freya.
"G-Goddess Freya?" Hikari's eyes widened at the sight of Freya and Ottar before they narrowed dangerously, and a bright light began emitting from her body. "State your purpose in the Far East! I would've known if you had reported your presence here beforehand, but I am certain that you have not."
"Calm down." I placed a hand on Hikari's shoulder as her body relaxed against her will. Her eyes widening incredulously at the command, she turned to me with a questioning look. "She's… with me. Sort of. She saved me from being grievously injured a bit ago, so give her the benefit of the doubt for me if you could."
I was pleading on Freya's behalf because I didn't want Freya to throw a hissy fit once Hikari made things political. She was a wildcard I did not expect in my plans, and I was not about to let her run wild.
"... Ahem. In that case, I suppose I have no choice." Hikari turned her face away from me and looked at Freya and Ottar again. "Thank you for aiding Mikey, Goddess Freya. Please stand by for a minute while I deal with these pests-"
"Ah, you will not need to trouble yourself, my dear." Izanami cut Hikari off with an amused smirk as she grabbed onto the extremely exhausted Youko and dismissed the Skeleton Spirit around her. "It appears we're quite outnumbered at the moment. We'll take our leaves now."
Her eyes moved over to me as I quickly tried to move to stop them.
"I will be returning to take what is mine later. Please wait for me, my Michael."
"Stop!" I tried to command as I saw them sinking into the shadows, but I was too late to stop Youko's almost instantaneous shadow travel. I gritted my teeth and glared at the crater, my Conqueror's bursting out again in a fury as the ground cracked beneath me from the force of the Haki.
"Every. Fucking. Time." I gritted out furiously.
"... If it helps, we've been trying to catch her for over a thousand years without any hint of success. You've probably been the closest anyone ever was to capturing Izanami." Hikari tried to cheer me up by placing a hand on my shoulder, but I turned my eyes to her angrily before clamping them shut and forcefully calming myself down.
"... Capture her? I'm going to kill her." I coldly promised while ignoring the horrified look on Hikari's face as I hovered to the ground towards Freya and threw away my cracked spear, watching it shatter into a thousand fragments as soon as it landed on the ground.
"Had enough excitement for one day, Mikey?" Freya asked in amusement, but with a slight softness in her tone as she disembarked Ottar's shoulder and moved to cup my cheek.
"Not in the mood." I held her hand before it could reach my cheek, sighing as Freya pouted and pulled her hand back to place it on her hips. "What are you doing here?"
"Ah… So cruel.~ Not even a greeting after I traveled so far across the world to see you?" Freya lamented with anguish and pushed herself into my arms, wiping away a stray tear. "I couldn't bear to stay so far away from my beloved, so I had to come here personally to 'get my fill'..."
I slowly moved my head from the Goddess in my arms to look at Ottar, watching him stare at me without any change in his expression.
… You gonna do something?
I'm tempted to command Freya to cum in front of you to see if you'd at least react in any way. Stop looking so intently without any change in your expression, you emotionless freak.
"And the real reason?" I asked with boredom as Freya stopped her sobbing act to pout cutely at me while pushing herself deeper into my chest.
"Ah, I had an excuse, I think.~ Something something, the person I had prepared to follow you and ensure you didn't get hurt couldn't find you anywhere, and your Familia said you already left, so I came to check on you personally." Freya noted thoughtlessly while pushing her face deeper into my chest. "That's all an excuse though, I truly did just get a bit antsy and came here to see you. I haven't gotten my fill of you in so long, after all.~"
I slowly moved my head back up to Ottar, hoping he'd have any reaction this time. It seemed I was asking for too much, though, as he was still as expressionless as ever. He did sigh exasperatedly, at least.
What kind of fucking- no, that's a stupid question. Freya is definitely that kind of Goddess.
"You do know I'm currently engaged in a war of sorts while simultaneously fighting for my freedom at the moment, right?" I pointed out with genuine anguish as Freya giggled pleasantly and moved her face up to smile dazzlingly at me.
Suddenly, I remembered that this was my second time meeting Freya rather than Syr, with the first being the time I made her cum herself into unconsciousness in a dirty alley. I could definitely understand how she charmed all of the male gods in Orario or whatever even if I'm not affected myself.
"I promise not to get in your way, Mikey.~ I'm only going to be here for a teeny bit of time to recharge before going back… Plus, I come bearing important news." My eyes narrowed seriously, and I pushed my fatigue to the side, focusing completely on Freya.
"What's the news?" If this is about my Familia, I swear I will murder every God-
"The Apollo Familia will be battling the Hestia Familia in a wargame next week, with you and Bell as the prize in case of their victory.~ In case of their defeat, Apollo will be exiled from Orario with his Familia disbanded and all of his properties and belongings becoming Hestia's." Freya revealed casually, moving her face into the crook of my neck with a bright smile as if she didn't deliver devastating news-
Meh.
Yeah, okay.
[... A nice vacation from the Far East…]
{Yeah, should be nice to have an excuse to go back for a bit to quickly deal with those idiots before coming back to finish things up here. I have a nation to repel, a Goddess to kill, and a few things to steal.} I agreed with Edias, humming uncaringly as Freya giggled at my nonchalance.
"Not very worried?" Freya asked rhetorically while attempting to place kisses on my neck, only to be stopped as Edias's body moved to intercept them while Freya's eyebrows twitched.
"I have no reason to. Their highest levels are like level 3 and a lot of level 2s. I'm frankly more worried about what my mood will be on that day because there's a chance that I'll just drop a meteor down on their heads and call it a day." I commented casually and ignored the choking noises coming from Hikari (who had been frozen for the past minute after watching how intimate Freya was with me).
"Oh, don't do that.~ I'd like to see how far you've progressed myself… even if today has definitely done that plenty." Freya whined and pouted, her hands slowly being pushed away from my body as Edias sneakily expelled her with her body. "Tell you what, I'll give you a few days to train with my Ottar, and you'll have to give me a show in the wargame in exchange."
Training with Ottar?
Fuck am I gonna get from that? My ass beat?
… Interesting.
"Fine. I'd like to see how strong he is for when I eventually crush you and your Familia anyway." Hikari made a few more choking noises after hearing that, but Freya didn't react with anything more than a few giggles while Ottar continued to stay silent. "In exchange, I'll teach him about Haki. It was quite pathetic watching him fail to attack Youko despite their strength difference. I can't allow the strongest adventurer in Orario to be so weak when he's meant to act as my stepping stone in the future."
Freya blinked at my offer in bewilderment before a brilliant smile entered her face, and she nodded her head enthusiastically.
Some may call me an idiot, but they simply could not comprehend the future gain of this. Plus, I'm on Grand Hubris right now.
"I have no idea what Haki is, but I'm sure it's lovely! I'm sure my Ottar would love to learn whatever skill it is you're offering to teach him.~" Freya turned her head to Ottar, who slowly blinked before grunting and shrugging his shoulders back.
"... What is this Haki?" He asked gruffly while not sounding very interested, making me roll my eyes as I huffed and stepped back from Freya.
"It's a second energy source on top of Mind that allows you to hit harder, take more hits, and keep your weapons from breaking, which I believe is a problem you have quite often?" I listed out nonchalantly as Ottar's expression changed for the first time, his eyes widening in shock with Freya's also looking quite surprised. "But it seems you're not very interested, so-"
"He is extremely interested, is that not right?" Freya grounded out with a sharp glare at Ottar, making the bigger man bob his head like a chicken as the woman cowed him. "It would be very lovely if you could teach him this 'Haki' that stops him from breaking his several hundred million Valis weapons."
"Quite," I noted with the slightest bit of amusement as Ottar stared at me intently with slight sweat on his brow. It was amusing watching him get cowed so easily by the much smaller Freya. "I've heard words of your prodigious nature, I expect you to not waste my time when I'm teaching you."
"Wait, hold on! You can simply teach a skill like that so easily? Can I learn too?" Hikari broke out of her stupor and quickly moved to the side, staring at me with sparkling eyes as I slowly turned from Freya to her.
… What do I get from teaching her again?
Let's see… Amaterasu is indebted to me, which is always nice. Hikari would most likely pass on the knowledge of Haki to her other Executives, making them stronger and indebting them further to me. This is simply the same as teaching the Loki Familia, but on a lesser scale of possible danger, as Amaterasu and I have… a close relationship.
Or rather, she's very interested in me.
Is it worth it, though? I'm still kinda really fucking annoyed with her. Stealing Miyu away from her isn't enough to mitigate that, so I'm not sure…
"Yeah, sure, why the hell not. After we're done with all of the nonsense here, though, I'd rather not waste the limited time I have before the wargame doing that for now." Hikari didn't seem to mind my reluctance to immediately begin teaching her, smiling victoriously as I saw Freya sending me an amused glance.
I was just not gonna teach her yet when there was a possibility of us fighting again quite soon.
Only when I am certain that I have turned her and the Royal Court into an ally (or into dust) will I consider it.
"How will you reach Orario in time for the wargame though, Mikey?~ If you stay here for too long, it'd take several days for you to get back to Orario," Freya noted in concern as I rubbed the back of my neck without worry.
I'll simply ask Miyu for a favor probably-
…
Miyu.
What happened to Miyu!?
…
…
Back at it again. I'm back! It's Ramadan, so I took a bit of time to post. Hope its worth it, though? Dunno.
If I have finishing notes to put, I couldn't care enough to right now. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Oh yeah, Michael's finally back to Orario on Pat reon btw.
Wink wink, nudge nudge. Join my Pat reon please- I need a new Gaming PC- I have to run Palworld on like 960 resolution or some shit- GIMME MONEY
In all seriousness, hope you enjoy the chapter, losers.
...
I have a Pat reon now, by the way! If you want to see the next chapter early or want to support me, check it out! p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m / AnxietyOverlord (I've started polling what stories to update next on there, so be sure to drop by if you're interested in that.)
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See you all later!
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