A story which will (eventually) come to be placed in my future collection of the Reading the Naruto-verse. Idk if I will write anything additional to this, but in case I do, keep an eye out for it.
The world had been shattered. Not physically mind you, but now everything it once held secret was out, nothing was hidden away. Magic, Sacred Gears, Devil's, Angel's, Fallen Angel's, Heroic Spirits, God's and their various Pantheon's were all lain bare to the world. At the forefront of all this madness, was a being so powerful, it held no equal. The Four Satan's were children before its strength. God's of various Pantheon's were a joke to it and couldn't even make it take a fight seriously. There was no hope in destroying it for it was indestructible, and any damage it incurred would heal in an instant.
Magic was practically useless against the monster known as Beast I, or more infamously known as Goetia, the Demon God King. He is the aggregate form of Solomon's seventy-two Demons. To begin with, the 72 demons were "a system to efficiently promote proper reason" invented by the founder of (human) magecraft, Solomon who is the son of King David as ordained by the Almighty himself. It was originally created as a magical ritual to look after and safeguard mankind after Solomon's death, the Human Order Correction Ritual. Said system grieved and raged against the relationship between King Solomon and humans, becoming a curse that took action to conquer "the imperfectness of humans" that King Solomon continued to ignore.
And with the revelation of all things Supernatural, war had broken out, and the world was all but lost. Goetia had done what it had set out to do, to bring the world of man to its knees. However, there was one factor it had not taken into account. His Master and Creator was Solomon the King of Mages. He (Goetia) had enlisted the help of the Hero Faction which held the descendants and reincarnations of past heroes and those whom held their memory in the current era. Even the power of their combined force, while admirable, was nothing compared to Goetia himself as he was a Multi-versal level threat... but... if there was an exception... there was one a single one to think on...
Solomon himself...
The Ring's which Solomon had been gifted when he was alive three thousand years ago were worn on all his fingers, each of them made of the most pure gold in all of Creation... except one singular ring which sat on his left middle finger. Goetia himself had no clue as to the current location of the missing tenth Ring, but even still, the mere fact that him controlling the full force of just nine of the mythical rings was enough to force all life to unite under one banner to try and stop him. The current bearer of the title of the Red Dragon Emperor and his counterpart the White Dragon Emperor, the Maou's, The Old and New Satan Faction's, Heaven, Grigori, The United Heroes Faction, Various Pantheon's, even the coveted Yokai faction, many who had called themselves enemies now stood before him as a army which would have no equal...
However, even the combined might of all the greatest warrior's were nothing to the Omnipotent King of the Demon God's...
All would challenge him, all would fail...
When it was all said and done, the grand army lay upon the withered earth in defeat. While it is testament to say none perished, Goetia only allowed them to live simply because he was still gathering the proper energy to complete his true goal, of which none alive knew what it was, however, as he stood before the last man standing who could still fight, anew presence suddenly appeared, and it would be here that everything changed.
"Hold on. Issei, try not to push your body any further." a voice called as a young man walked up from the surrounding bodies of the unconscious men and women, "Suicide's not a good look for you." he said as he drew closer with each step. Naruto wore a white coat with a red shirt underneath, black pants and dark boots. His blond hair was tired in a ponytail, and surprising enough, he wore a pair of leather gloves on his hands, "Why not take a second, save some of your strength." he encouraged the Red Dragon Emperor with a kind smile on his face..
Issei blinked in surprise, and he spun around to see a familiar person he actually knew quite well, "N-Naruto, what... how are you here, this is the Underworld, no human can get here unless they have a Magic Circle, you can't-" he stopped as he watched the blond waled past him a few steps... surprisingly towards Goetia himself.
Goetia is a demonic being of incredible height. Standing at roughly 7ft 5in, he is easily one of the tallest entities. He has a pair of stag-like antler's with winding vine-like protrusions across the horns. He has red eyes, a white paint face with no mouth, which is covered by golden flesh. His chest has a massive demonic eye implanted in it where it can view all things in Creation. His arms are golden on the outside with the white paint-like skin tone near the interior. His forearm's and hands are black, and his knuckles hold gem-like protrusions in them. His stomach has a series of black diamond-like etchings across it.
Goetia blinked, "Are you perhaps, Naruto Namikaze?" Goetia questioned him. Rather than answer the Demon God, Naruto simply raised his hands, and started to remove his left glove, a powerful magic energy suddenly growing as he pulled it off his hand to reveal a golden ring sitting on his finger, "Wait, that Magic Energy, this presence..." Goetia stated, its eyes widening.
Naruto sighed deeply, "I hope you won't hold it against me for stealing your thunder." Naruto said as he gazed at his middle finger where the ring sat.
Issei felt his lower jaw drop in shock... what the hell was going on right now?
"The Tenth Ring..." Goetia said calmly as Naruto smiled softly and nodded in acknowledgement to the inquiry before the Beast gasped, "No... it's...you can't be!" he stated in disbelief.
"Yea..." Naruto confirmed, "It happened roughly eighteen years ago." Naruto explained. The memories were clear as day for him, "A child was born into the world, not knowing what was to come, but was destined to make sure it fulfilled this preordained command. At the same time, his parents had been wed upon his birth. The boy's father, one Minato Namikaze, had went out to a small jewelry store to purchase a couple of wedding bands to consummate the ceremony." he told Goetia, "And he was in awe of the simplicity of his purchase for wedding bands, one of which was this ring." he told them.
"Solomon had sent it into the distant future at the time of his death. He had cast a spell upon it, that upon arrival, would recall what had been lost, to ensure that the wrong doings of the Supernatural would be corrected." he stated, "When Minato first wore it, the ring placed the spell upon the newborn babe which had been birthed only hours before as he held his son in his arms for the first time." he explained as he gazed at the ring, "All things considered, it was pretty harmless to both parent and child." he pointed out.
"Impossible!" Goetia denied, "That is absurd!" he declared heatedly, "You can't be him, I won't hear of it!" he commanded, "There was nothing that man could have wanted that he couldn't have possessed with his own power! He was inhuman! He was cold, cruel and emotionless! Such a man so unfeeling could never have desired such a thing!" he snarled.
Naruto snorted, "You're really laying into me, it kinda hurts my feelings. I'm bearing the brunt of an awful lot of hatred." he joked, "Anyways, Solomon had sealed his very essence into the ring, one which would seal the memories, magical power, and all his knowledge into the child. However, there was an unforeseen complication with the spell casting on the child." he explained, "You see, Solomon possessed Clairvoyance to the point of Omniscience. When the spell bound itself to the child, the first vision was revealed, implanting itself into the newborns mind for all his days." he explained softly to the two.
"All of Solomon's powers, his strengths and abilities, his wisdom and charisma were all implanted into the brain of the infant, turning him from a newly born child into a fully capable adult in a matter of moments... but he hid this from his parents. The vision haunted his every waking moment, and no matter what he tried, he couldn't rid himself of it. Upon taking possession of his father's ring, everything clicked into place, and he comprehended what he must do." he sighed out, "And so, he began readying himself for his journey. He ran away at fifteen, having gathered and collected all he could and found himself at the one place anybody would think to look for him; the Holy Land of Israel, birthplace of King Solomon himself."
"That wasn't an issue on its own, but, with him arriving at the place where the Ring was brought down to earth, the young man found himself burdened by the full might of Solomon's Clairvoyance once again, but he couldn't make sense of the vision as he saw it. The end of mankind." Naruto stated, "Who would it be? How would they do it? For what purpose? And, what could be done to prevent it?" Naruto questioned, "His ability to find those answers were never granted by the spell which had been placed upon him at birth." he explained, "Even so, there was no way he could ignore what he knew, and that's what marked the start of my journey." Naruto said happily.
"I traveled to the Vatican, asking to meet all the Archangel's at the same time, and revealing the first vision to them, how it would all click into place with future events before I left a couple months after, heading to Norway to meet with the Norse, compelling them to hear me out, my knowledge of the future guiding me on how to get them to join my cause for this day before I went to India and met up with the Hindu pantheon and consorted with Lord Indra on what could be done where I then left for Greece and then to Kyoto where I met with Yasaka and the Shinto Pantheon, revealing the future of what would come for them and persuading them to join with all the other factions I had encountered before drawing in anyone they could."
"I would then head out to speak with Azazel, though he knew immediately seeing as Michael contacted him the day I departed, but I needed access to the Underworld, I had not been able to find anyone willing to transport me there so I could speak with the Four Satan's and explain the vision that haunted me day after day. But, as Luck would have it, I was nearby a local Devil's Den from which I could try to get a meeting with the Four Satan's I so desperately needed." he smiled, "I never imagined I would fall in love with my friend Sona and her own friend Tsubaki, never thought I would meet a girl who reminded me of my mother and her friend that made me blush with the silkiness of her voice. I certainly never thought I would fight in a death match against an entire High Class Devil's Peerage and win, but... I did. And it was also what allowed me to complete my journey in gathering everyone that I could together underneath one banner." he told the two.
"Nevertheless, I didn't know my enemy." he scowled softly, "The only thing I could do was prepare for when the time came to confront them." he smiled, "And I'm glad I did. There were a couple cases where I had moments of luck along the way, and one of them, was meeting you, Issei." Naruto stated, now confusing the Red Dragon Emperor, "And I don't just mean on the day we met." he told him, "Throughout this whole time, there was not a single moment where I couldn't rely on you and your kindness." he smiled.
Issei shook his head, the exhaustion was too much and he had been concussed several times the least few hours, "What are you...You're making it sound like-" he gasped as a aura of blue energy enveloped his friend, before a flash of light swiftly changed everything about his look. He now wore a white cloak with red swirling patterns, underneath he had a suit of white and black ornate armor mixed with pure gold with a crimson rope securing the waist. On the shoulders were a pair of armored pauldrons, and his eyes, once a stunning blue glowed a gold amber as he unveiled his true presence. His hair remained gold, but was now long enough to be braided across his left shoulder while the remainder had grown to reach his ankles.
"I am Naruto Namikaze, bearer of the spirit of Solomon the King of Mages." Naruto declared in a dual-layered voice, "Goetia, it is I who shall read you your last rights." he stated seriously.
Goetia began to chuckle before he gave a outright dark laugh, "I shouldn't be surprised that mankind's greatest fool would arrive, only to be late for the end of all things." he boasted.
Naruto wasn't phased by the demon's words, "All life must come to an end. Life is a pilgrimage, and along the way we collect suffering. However, that by no means makes it a tale of death and separation." he explained to his creation, "Goetia, shame of my years and curse of my life, a Beast brought forth via my corpse, and now the time has come. I will make you face your evils." he declared to the beast of disaster.
Goetia snorted, "HA!" he grunted as he bent forward, and snarled, "Don't make me laugh!" he called out as he vanished from where he stood over the tall cliff and appeared in front of Naruto and Issei, his arm drawn back with a clenched fist ready to strike both his enemies down with one blow. With a straight thrust, he flung the strike out, but in a shocking move, a barrier of pure energy intercepted the blow and blocked it with no effort, "You can't do anything! Die! Die!" Goetia growled as he smashed blow upon blow to the magic barrier, "I will send you to your death, with your own magic power!" he declared as he punched the barrier again and again.
However, if Naruto felt threatened, he did little to show it, in fact it was quite the opposite, "Yes, that is exactly the plan. I'll die, and my own spell will be the cause of it." he declared, stopping Goetia as the Beast stepped back in utter confusion.
"What!?" the Demon Pillar declared.
"Solomon knew in the future, the spirit of magic itself would turn evil and endanger mankind." Naruto declared, "So he prepared something for it, a safety device with the means to destroy it, it was known as the True First Noble Phantasm." he explained seriously
"What are you talking about!?" Goetia demanded as he drew his fist back once again. Solomon never created such a thing, he would know, he held Solomon's memories from the very moment of his birth all the way to the day he had perished.
Naruto ignored him as he looked back down at his hands, fingers which had all once been bare with the exception of one, now bore all the rings that Goetia had once commanded, taken before the creature could ever comprehend when it had first tried to punch its fist through his chest, "Now with all of these rings, I'll be able to use it." he said unwavering in his determination, Goetia shaking its head as it gazed at its now bare hands, "Goetia, you were a spell woven with the purpose to watch over and safeguard mankind, and instead you chose to destroy its future." he said with a dark undertone.
~XxX-Play: [Fate/Grand Order: Solomon OST] 27 A Story of Love and Hope-XxX~
Naruto looked up from his gathered rings at the beast before him with a scowl, "Let me teach you the Final Magecraft." he intoned seriously.
Goetia gasped as memories from long passed flew through his mind, things he didn't comprehend then that finally made sense now, "You don't mean..." Goetia asked in horror, eyes widening in fear. And that's when it happened. That's when the Beast became human. From the point on, it was no longer a demon the world was fighting, simply a man who had lived a very, very, long time. That was the moment Goetia understood that it was no omnipotent being, that it was not a deity or monster, because that was when it was finally given the missing and most important ingredient.
The key ingredient to being human... vulnerability.
For the first time in its extremely long life, Goetia was afraid of his master and creator. For him to be telling him such a thing meant that he was not lying, and that he was going to show him just how powerful his magic could be, "No! That's impossible!" it cried out in horror as Naruto raised his hands over his head, and began slamming punch after punch into the barrier Naruto had summoned. "Stop!" he demanded, pleaded in desperation, "Stop! Stop! Stop!" he commanded his creator's new life, beating on the barrier with everything he had, "These rings! The Omnipotent seals, are no longer yours alone!" Goetia declared in desperation as he slammed punch upon punch into the barrier, trying to break through to kill the teen.
Each punch created a flash of light from the force behind each attempt, but each were as futile as the other for none could harm the nigh impenetrable barrier of magic energy summoned forth by the Reincarnation of the King of Mage's, the ground shook, the air shuddered, but it didn't give way for its attacker, standing strong in the face of destruction. Naruto ignored the monster as he began to cast his final, and most powerful, spell, "The Time of Birth Hath Come, I Am the Remedy of Eternity." he spoke calmly, the concussive strikes from Goetia not phasing him whatsoever, the strikes now having formed a series of cracks along the barrier which would soon give way to the blows from the monster, "The Time of Coronation Hath Come, I Am the Beginning of Eternity." he intoned, "And now ―" he declared, reaching the final incantations-
"STOP~!~!"
Issei cried out as he leapt at Naruto, reaching out for him, to try and push him out of the way, but it was too late... The barrier shattered, blood filled the air, Goetia's hand filled Naruto's chest and pierced through his back, and yet, he felt no fear for what was to come, "The Time of Parting Hath Come... I Am...He Who Surrenders the World." he spoke softly before he spoke two words that would change the final stages of the war, "Ars Nova" A golden light filled the air as the rings which bestowed great power upon Naruto were filled with heavenly light which he then gently grasped within his hands, "Dear Heavenly Father, I return to you your blessings, with gratitude." he said with a sad smile, "Your power is too much for us to handle." he said kindly.
He gazed at his hands as he opened them and spread his arms widely as the rings continued to float with heavenly power coursing through them, "From now on, my work shall be done within the limitations of man." he said as he watched the rings revolve in a circle through the air, and then they shot forth at incredible speeds before striking Goetia.
"WAH-AH~UGH!" the beast crying out in both shock and immense pain as it slammed into the throne it once occupied and was pinned in place where it was unable to move an inch. Goetia growled in anger, "Why!? Why!?" he demanded, "After all this time, you want to save mankind, at the last minute?" he questioned in anger, "You, who despite witnessing boundless suffering and did nothing for your people!?" Goetia exclaimed in rage.
"Yea, I do." Naruto said to the demon, "Is it strange that I find this funny?" he asked, "We saw the same things. Sat on the same Throne, and spent the same time living life together. But you and I reached completely antithetical conclusions." he told Goetia, "I'll tell you the difference between us... It's this... To put it simply, you had the freedom to get angry and I did not." he told the demon god.
Goetia grunted in stunned confusion, "What..."
Naruto spoke up as he continued, "And now I'm done. I've completely cast aside my position as a Hero. As such, I... no, Solomon's spirit will disappear from cycle of reincarnation from here on. With the complete annihilation of the spirit of Solomon, The King Of Magecraft...The Age Of God's will truly come to an end." Naruto explained without a hint of fear, blood was staining his outfit, visibly running across the ground now.
Issei looked torn by what Naruto was saying, "That's it, you'll just be gone?" he asked sadly.
Naruto sighed softly, "It's scary and sad, but it had to be me in the end." he told Issei, unable to move, his body shutting down as blood trickled down his clothes and stained his white robes red with his life force, "No matter the pain, I have to see it through." Naruto told Issei, "This is right. I have to say thanks. You and everyone else taught me the right thing to do." he explained to the Red Dragon Emperor as he walked around to look at him in the face.
Issei felt tears building up as he listened to his friend explain his reasons, "Why? That's so selfish! And you didn't tell us about it the whole time! Unfair! Naruto, that's so unfair!" he exclaimed as he walked up to him.
Naruto chuckled in embarrassment, rubbing the back of his head, "No, I suppose it isn't fair. Sorry, I was inconsiderate right to the end. But my current self can give a clear answer." he told Issei before turning his gaze to the trapped demon, "Goetia, you hate life because you see it as meaningless." he declared, "Of course, nothing in creation is eternal, pain awaits us all in the end, but that hardly makes life a story of despair." he told him, the various people he had come across, met and known. Those he had shared time with and enjoyed the modern way of life with up until this very moment, their faces passed through his mind like a picturesque painting.
"It's a duel against death and separation in the precious time one has alive. It's a cycle of meetings and partings all while knowing the end awaits. Human stories burn bright and end too soon, precious as starlight. Beautiful… Their journeys are led by love and hope." he told Goetia honestly, revealing to him what he had meant all those years ago. With his explanation finished he turned to the distraught Issei, "Can I trust you to take it from here with the rest, Issei-kun? You, my first and greatest friend in Kuoh where we spent time together?" he asked, his body starting to glow a golden hue as he began to perish once and for all...
Issei sniffled, but he resolved himself to carry out his friends last wishes, "Sure!" he declared wholeheartedly.
Naruto smiled as he placed a hand on his friends shoulder as a tear escaped from his friends eye, "That's what I like to hear." he told his friend with a happy smile, his body slowly dissipating and turning into golden particles of light, "I gotta hand it to ya, you grew into an outstanding person." he said as he vanished once and for all...never to be seen again...