Chapter 38
Flames of Revenge
As the Waxing Moon Vessel floated in the sky, Revali asked, "How did you do that?", in complete disbelief. "Oh, so now you want to know, huh? I mean, it's not like you knew how I was able to prime into Odin so skilfully but I guess I can tell you. I did so by using the Second Magic: Kaleidoscope, something taught to me by Old Man Zelretch. You see, when I was in training, Zelretch taught me how to use the power of the Second Magic to allow me to easily travel the Multiverse and topple YHVH's reign. And I will not stop until I get my revenge!", I snarled before I formed a scythe in my right hand. "That makes sense, though.", Shiden said. "How so?", Kasane asked. "I heard rumours of a man who was capable of easy dimensional travel through using magic alone. No need for relics capable of manipulating spacetime or powerful equipment capable of surviving multidimensional travel at all.", Shiden said. "Not to mention how he defeated a vampiric moon in one world as well.", Lanz said. "Still, that's of no concern to us. Second Magic or no, you're still going down easily.", Matthew said. "Try me.", I growled.
After a brief yet awkward silence, I then watched as the people gathered before me rushed at me. Feeling an uncontrollable surge of anger well up inside me, I rushed forward in kind, easily bobbing and weaving through the wall of physical and magical attacks and responding with hateful and furious slashes of my own. Seeing Shiden unleash a giant wall of purple lightning, I responded with a powerful onslaught of black and dark red beams launched from my scythe, mixed in with powerful slashes and furious claw swipes, catching many of them off guard. As a dark red aura covered me, I felt my attacks greatly speed up and the power of my blows exponentially increase, enough to easily pulverise Tager's literally rock solid defences. "No, there's no way!", Eunie shrieked. "Oh, yes there is.", I snarled as I unleashed a powerful darkness-infused slash that vaporised the literal wall of fire, wind, lightning, earth, light, water and ice that had formed in front of me; to this, Yumi unleashed a powerful volley of icicles that my slashes easily and quickly shattered only for Eunie to whip up a powerful tornado that the dark power within me easily erased. "There's no way! Literally no way!", Shulk said in utter disbelief as I lunged forward with a brutal and hateful slash that only a lucky burst of energy from Byleth easily parried.
Panting, I then felt the surge of anger over me grow in strength and intensity. "You know how in Origin you said that YHVH enslaved you and went out of his way to torment, torture and traumatise you?", Taion asked. "Yeah. What about it?", I asked. "Well, I don't know how to best put this, but we might have had a role in it.", Eunie said. "Wait, what?", I asked. "You see, in a bid to force you to give in to the darkness and embrace your true nature, we sided with YHVH and helped him out with tormenting, torturing and traumatising you. We had to do something though and we thought that forcing you would be the better option to the alternative.", Mio said. "Wait, you not only knew what YHVH was doing and went out your way to help it, but also contributed to my suffering?!", I asked, my anger growing. "Exactly. To force you into becoming the Sovereign, we actively and willingly contributed to your suffering. Suffice to say, it seems like it didn't work as intended.", Shulk said. "And if not for those meddling therapists, we would have succeeded.", Lyn said. "Lyn, I don't think you needed to tell him about Charles and Maruki trying to stop us.", Eirika said. "What?", I asked. "It's true. To make sure you were ready and desperate enough to become the Sovereign, we needed to make sure you were suffering and thus willing to become Aionios's eternal ruler.", Shadow said. "And when you become Aionios's eternal ruler, only then shall you be able to help us to fulfil the Ascension Project, Son, creating a world with no freewill.", Ragna said. "He's right, Son. And if you falter, Mommy will be here to guide you back on the right path.", Velvet said.
Taking a moment to absorb what I had been told, I then felt an even greater surge of anger come over me. "I'll never forgive you.", I said. "What was that?", Byleth asked. "I'll never forgive you!", I bellowed, summoning and fusing with my Avatar, causing several dark red spikes to form over my robes. Covered by a violent dark red electrical aura, I then gripped my scythe even tighter and rushed at the people gathered in front of me, unleashing a violent onslaught of scythe slashes, punches, claw swipes and blasts of dark magic energy. "Come on, entering your Lemure form already?", Rex asked. "You know you weren't able to control it when you fought us so you won't be able to control it now.", Dante said. "DIEEEE!", I roared, my onslaught growing faster and stronger with each attack. "That's not possible.", Tager said. "What's not possible?", Gemma asked. "It's not possible for a Dominant like him to unleash such strength without even going out of control. My predecessor Hugo did so when he fought the previous Dominant of Ifrit and I can vouch for this given what he told me.", Tager said. "Nice conversation you're having but that is getting in my way!", I roared, unleashing a giant wave of darkness from my scythe followed by an equally giant slash of dark fire that burned the fire that Byleth summoned.
Unleashing a giant aura of darkness, I then reached out to the Waxing Moon Vessel, prompting it to fly to my hand. "What is your wish?", a voice asked. "Waxing Moon Vessel, I command you: grant me the power to enact my revenge and destroy the Ascension Project!", I roared. As it opened, unleashing a corruptive ocean of black and dark red goop, I then saw the Waxing Moon Vessel become covered in dark red electricity, causing both it and the goop to then go inside me, dismissing my scythe and covering me in a black and dark red sphere that promptly burst to reveal me as the Waxing Moon Monster- a giant undead and zombified monstrosity albeit with both eyes visible (both of them glowing a burning red), much more muscle than before and a full mane of red hair and a red moustache and a red beard. This was followed by a black and dark red tornado of dark energy promptly being unleashed from my right arm. "No, that can't be!", Roy said. Roaring, I unleashed a giant onslaught of burning fire that burned through the golden and bright white orbs that Flynn unleashed with Bahamut's power. Kicking forward, I then unleashed a storm of razor sharp wind followed by a giant tidal wave that Rita's quick thinking barely managed to overcome. As she turned the water into a giant stream of lava, she then parted the stream, causing Spear Pillar to catch fire. Enraged, I then unleashed the Waxing Moon Vessel's corruption, causing the fire to grow even worse. Not to be outdone, I then called down no less than 13 meteors infused with dark energy from the heavens, causing Spear Pillar to explode, taking Mount Coronet with it.
As I prepared the killing blow, I then felt a sudden jolt of energy as the dark energy from my right arm covered my entire body and started burning out of control. "No, it's not possible! I knew it would happen but I didn't think that Jack would be foolish or reckless enough to actually try it!", Dohalim said. "What do you mean?", Soma asked. "Jack's right arm is an Azure Grimoire similar to what his biological father Ragna wields. However, in Jack's case, the Azure Grimoire is a natural part of his body and is very susceptible to the Waxing Moon Vessel's corruption. And I'd not go into what happens when an Azure Grimoire goes berserk.", Dohalim said. Unleashing a giant storm of dark energy, I then called down even more meteors that caused the inferno around me and the others to grow even more chaotic. Roaring, I was then covered by a dark red inferno as my body started melting. "Oh no, it's starting to happen.", Knuckles said. "What's starting to happen?", Vector asked. "When an Azure Grimoire goes berserk, the user turns into a monster called the Black Beast. But I thought it needed to merge with a Murakumo Unit first.", Jin said. "Or maybe…Jack's Azure Grimoire doesn't need a Murakumo Unit for him to turn into the Black Beast.", Rinwell said. "If that's the case, then who…or what are we facing?", Mario asked as my body then became consumed by a black and dark red inferno that formed into a colossal black and dark red eight-headed serpent- the Black Beast.
Looking at my body with abject horror, Yuito said, "No way.". "Still, we need to kill him. He's an obstacle that's in the way of us completing the Ascension Project now. It would be better if we now removed him.", Noah said, gripping the Sword of the End tight. "There has to be another way.", Nia said. "Another way? Another way to let Aionios be destroyed?", Es asked. Suddenly, my body burst into black and dark red fire, causing me to unleash a giant storm of elemental power that Haseo just managed to funnel away with a giant dark blue ball of pure data. Roaring, I then unleashed a giant array of dark lasers fired from my mouth, scorching the very ground behind me and causing dark explosions to appear. As the darkness within me burst, I then unleashed a storm of black and dark red swords that Eunie just managed to knock off course with a giant gust of wind. Incensed at this, I then watched as a dark red portal formed, bringing through Chrom, Sumia, Robin, Frederick, Akira, Morgana, Ryuji, Ann, Yusuke, Mackenzie, Futaba, Haru, Kratos, Artoria, EMIYA, Cu, Medusa, Medea, Kojiro, Heracles, Lancelot, Tristan, Gawain, BB, Medb, Arjuna, Jeanne, Dantes, Lobo, Salieri, Kukulkan, Oberon, Kiara, Tamamo, Kiyohime, Ushiwakamaru, Musashi, Tomoe, Himari, Madoka, Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, Mitsuba, Shinoa, Maka, Rin, Yukio, Tony, Steve, Natasha, Bruce, Clint, Thor, Strange, Reed, Namor, Clive, Cloud, Tifa and Barret. I then unleashed a giant blast of dark energy that promptly created a giant crater and reddened the skies, causing a giant black and dark red inferno to whip up. "What's he doing now?", Clive asked. "Going berserk, obviously.", Oberon said. Roaring, I then unleashed a giant beam of darkness that forced Byleth to prime into Phoenix, Eunie to prime into Garuda, Shiden to prime into Ramuh, Tager to prime into Titan, Flynn to prime into Bahamut and Yumi to prime into Shiva. Feeling a strong sense of rage, I was then covered by a giant black and dark red inferno that caused me to prime into Odin. "Wait, how is that even possible?", Futaba asked. "Anything is possible when the world is nearly ending.", Morgana said.
As I looked at the other 6 Eikons, I then summoned a giant version of Gram to my right hand. "Oh, now this is getting interesting.", Clive said through Ifrit. "Just don't get too carried away.", Noah said. "Oh, Lord Consul, I intend to get carried away.", Clive said through Ifrit. "Just remember though, our objective is completing the Ascension Project.", Byleth said through Phoenix. "Oh, I don't think we'll forget.", Tager said through Titan. As Ifrit looked at the other Eikons, Clive then said, "OK, you know our objective. We are to stop the Warden of Darkness from winning through any means necessary and we are to complete the Ascension Project. Is that clear?". "Yes!", the others said. In response, I roared, unleashing a giant storm of darkness as I prepared to charge.
The story continues in the next chapter.