Chapter 4

3 years later

It has been 3 years since Kyosuke was put in the personal program and he had to sigh at how much progress can be made if one undergoes an inhuman training regimen without regard for things like mental health and human rights.

After that he has to sigh at how overpowered [Gamer's Body] is. He had underestimated its initial potential. It is only now that he truly realizes that it doesn't really have any limit on the rate of improvement. He can improve however much he squeezes from it.

The more pressure applied, the more growth there is.

No, seriously. It is absurd how much he has improved in these years. He had been really ignorant in his early years. Now that he looks back, what he considered a good training regimen then is nothing but a warm up now.

Case in point, at just 11 years of age he has managed to unlock Touki.

Touki, also known as Fighting Spirit, Ki, Chi or Aura, is the manipulation of one's life force. Practitioners of touki can manifest their life force externally. It has many uses and the most common and widespread use is to cover oneself in an aura of touki.

This increases the user's physical capabilities in all aspects. Strength, speed, durability, reflexes and all the senses can be improved drastically. Apart from these basic uses, touki can also be used to defend against all sorts of attacks.

It is essentially using up one's life to neutralize an attack, so it can defend against anything short of magic that directly affects the soul.

For offense, touki can harm others at the slightest touch. Again, directly affecting the life force of a being results in direct loss of health. Touki can also be used to cover a weapon and increase its attacking power and durability.

Most of the time touki is a bright white color, but this may change depending on the individual. Kyosuke's is a light orange, like a rising sun.

But although it is a very powerful ability, it has severe drawbacks too. Overuse of touki can reduce the wielder's lifespan. In extreme cases they might just become a shriveled up husk and drop dead - and all this within a few minutes at that.

But still, many people still do their best to unlock it. This is mainly in China. The Second Campione, Luo Hao, is a martial artist and had unlocked her touki before she became a Campione. So China has a culture of martial artists dedicating their life to the pursuit of touki.

There are two ways to unlock it - by learning sage arts or by extreme physical conditioning.

Kyosuke doesn't know anything regarding sage arts. It is a very restricted power due to its potential and associated dangers. The few times he tried to inquire he was rebuffed strongly. There was no chance of any progress, so he gave up on trying it for now.

So the method by which Kyosuke unlocked his touki is through the second one. The reason he could do so is because of barrier magic. Specifically, he created a small barrier which covers an individual and amplifies the gravity acting on them.

He completely squeezed [Gamer's Body] for this and kept the barrier up all the time. His initial goal involved increasing his physical Stats. After all learning and practicing magic increases Intelligence and Magic mainly and somewhat increases Wisdom.

He needed a method to increase his other Stats as well. No way was he going to have a specialized build. Since being an all rounder is completely feasible for him, he will be just that.

He had decided to put Luck aside for the moment since there was nothing that could be done about it. This left the physical Stats. The personal gravity field barrier proved to be a very effective, albeit brutal, method that increased these Stats continuously.

Somewhere along the way he suddenly unlocked touki. Though for him it will always be a last line of defense. Since he has his Status, he found that touki primarily uses Stamina Points with some Health Points mixed in when the SP reaches dangerously low.

Overuse of touki can make even lifting a finger as difficult as moving a mountain and seeing his HP go down like that sent a chill down his spine when he knows that it that number reaches 0, he will die.

Needless to say, that put a dampner on any ideas about developing in this ability. So he kept the fact he unlocked touki a secret since he had become capable enough to do so and did not tell anyone.

It would attract more scrutiny than even he, the monster of the Institute, is comfortable with.

xxx

Waking up in the morning, Kyosuke went through the same motion like always and quickly got ready. He was a bit excited since today is finally the day he gets to step out of the Institute.

Granted it is only for a mission and he will be under careful watch by an instructor, but still. It has been 5 years since he has joined the Institute and staying cooped up here was getting to even him.

There is only so much he can do to distract himself by focusing on the increasing numbers on his Status and peruse the Shop. The latter comes with a pain of its own since he can only see but not buy anything.

He has a small amount of Credits saved up from the time before he arrived. But if he spends them he will become a pauper. What if there is an emergency and he needs some magic item from the Shop?

Or what if he is stuck at a critical point in magic theory? He can spend a few Credits and buy the necessary information to cross that hurdle. He made good use of this regarding barriers and healing and to hide his touki.

He is no longer as much of a miser regarding Credits as he used to be, but that doesn't mean he is okay with spending them without a valid reason.

So even if he is only going out for a mission, he is still looking forward to it.

Exiting his room, he made his way to the section of the Institute dedicated to handling outside jobs. Members have to register their names before leaving and after they return. A strict record is maintained about how long each person spent outside and what they did.

Reaching the small hall which was as large as a school auditorium, Kyosuke saw the place was like everywhere else - very white and very silent. Despite there being about a hundred or so people in there, the background noise was very low.

No one made small talk or spoke longer than necessary. Heck, people did not even have any of the normal expressions you would expect from them. They were all as expressionless as always.

At one end were stairs which led to the first floor. There were small meeting rooms present there and any group about to move out met there first. Kyosuke glanced at a spot on the wall to his right while climbing up.

There was nothing there but his senses were way sharper than what anyone at the Institute knew. He could feel the eyes looking at him from that point. Likely a hidden observation room like the one in the evaluation hall.

Obviously the Director would want a close eye here. It wouldn't do for someone or something slipping in or out without permission. Children regularly suffer mental breakdowns from the training and it is not surprising when a few of them make a straight line to here during that.

Despite having a reputation by now, no one gave Kyosuke more than a few glances. He had to marvel just how broken most people were in here.

'Well, it's none of my business though.'

He is not a saint or even a good guy. If someone is in trouble before his eyes and he can help them without making things worse for himself, then he will help. So trying to do something regarding this place has never crossed his mind as more than a passing whim.

Although…

'But when I decide to leave this place, I will have to do something about all these people.'

He used [Observe] on each person and logged their current data. He estimates that by the time he is 14 or 15 years old, he will be strong enough to leave without the Institute sending people to bring him back.

Though he will have to kill a lot of the management who would be opposed to his decision and most of their lackeys. The rest will leave him alone.

It was with thoughts like these that he stepped inside the room he was told to come. Usually he would not think much about such things. After all there are still a few years left.

But since he is going out, it is inevitable such thoughts will come to the forefront.

"Good. You are before time. That means we can leave early."

Already present in the room was the instructor who would be taking Kyosuke out. A middle aged man who looked like he belonged to a company which forces its employees into regular overtime, Kuzuki Soichirou did not look all that threatening at first glance.

He had that messy black hair which was combed just enough to seem passable, a small beard, bags under his eyes and a dull look in his grey eyes. He was dressed in a normal light red shirt and black pants which only completed that overworked salaryman look.

Not that Kyosuke was dressed any better. He was also dressed in a shirt and pants combo, only his shirt was a light blue. But the pants were the same black as Kuzuki's.

"You are too early, Kuzuki-sensei." Kyosuke closed the door and went to take a seat.

The room was not too large or small. There were no decorations on the walls and the aesthetic was same as everywhere else. There was a large table in the middle which had about a dozen chairs spread around.

Kyosuke sat opposite him. Kuzuki was the one responsible for his physical training so the two were familiar with each other. He was also tasked to see if the personal gravity field barrier could be used to train other members, though that did not pan out well.

Expert healers are required to supervise training involving that barrier, so the plan was shelved quickly. The return would not match the investment at all.

Kuzuki is one of the many instructors hired by the Institute from outside. It is not known to any students and Kyosuke only knows because of [Observe, but Kuzuki used to be an assassin.

The group he belonged to used to train children from a young age, kind of like the current Institute. When the assassin group was destroyed because of some mage association finding out their base of operations, Kuzuki did not bother to defend them and left.

He was tracked down by the Institute and agreed to join as an instructor. He is among the few who can use touki, so he is valued highly by the higher ups. Combined with his field experience, this makes him one of the best field agents available.

"I hope you went through the dossier properly." He asked in a monotone.

Kyosuke nodded. "The mission is to kill a stray devil which has entered Japan. The last traces indicate it is around Mount Hotaka in Chubu region. There is a small town there under Committee control. A shrine is located some distance away from it and inhabited by some small time spirits. It was these spirits' abnormal behaviour which alerted the Committee about the disturbance."

"And what is the current situation around the area?"

"It's December. The lower areas will be 0 degree celsius and the higher we go, the lower the temperature will be." He paused and then amended his words. "No, we will have to climb high up the mountain. The devil ran away when it saw the mages coming to investigate, so it will not be waiting anywhere near the town."

"Correct." Kuzuki stood up since Kyosuke knew the important information regarding the mission. "As you are an expert at ice magic, traversing the mountain will not be a problem for you. We will set off after I explain all the tools we will be carrying."

He moved towards the back of the room where two small bags were lying. Being strong mages who wouldn't die even if they are stranded in a snowstorm while climbing a mountain, they would be packing lightly.

Some emergency rations to sustain themselves in case they get lost, some medical supplies to make first aid easier. Though since Kyosuke is a master healer the latter will not be necessary, but Kuzuki still packed them to be cautious.

Then there were small catalysts to create quick and sturdy barriers if needed, some for creation of tracking shikigami and some to detect demonic power. Lastly, they will also carry special identity cards which can be used to get out of a sticky situation involving mundane authorities.

After Kuzuki described the various trinkets, they both donned thin jackets over their clothes. Made from wool of magic beasts which dwell in arctic regions, these can protect the wearer from extreme cold and the accompanying wind without being bulky. A perfect balance between protection and mobility.

The two walked to one of the many counters to get the paperwork sorted. Kyosuke did not need to do anything and Kuzuki handled all that. After the details were recorded and it was confirmed they had the permission to leave, the duo moved to one of the teleportation rooms set up.

Teleportation is actually harder than what was shown in DxD canon. Not just any random mage or devil can do it. Usually only Great Knights and above can teleport, and that is using a magic circle.

Mid battle teleportation is impossible unless you have an ability for that. Or an Authority.

But factions which have enough people proficient in it can set up teleportation points. A large magic circle is inscribed at two places as the designated points. It needs to be done very carefully since a small mistake and those unlucky enough might be teared apart during the process.

This also uses up precious materials to set up, so they can't be made into a common mode of transportation. This is why the teleportation rooms in the Institute are guarded heavily.

When Kyosuke first arrived, those standing inside the room were not the ones who had activated the spell. Instead they were actually there to ensure the safety of the magic circle.

The same was true for now. When Kyosuke and Kuzuki stood inside the circle inscribed on the ground, four teenagers stood at the corners of the room. They were guarding the inside and the ones responsible for doing the teleporting were actually in a room beside this one.

With a flash of light they disappeared and arrived at their destination - a hot spring town under the control of the Committee.

It's not like the place is under their name or something. But since more than half of the houses and other buildings were under the name of one clan or another, what else could it mean? Such towns are spread across Japan, located close to places where magic beasts might appear.

In ancient times, these acted as a frontier against the stronger beasts which roamed the lands. Various clans would station their troops to keep such threats away from the main settlements.

They also doubled as a place to get mages introduced to real combat under a watchful eye. But those times are long past. Anything that could have threatened a city or town has long been killed or driven into the Netherworld. The clans also no longer station a large military there.

These days such places are considered a retirement home for those who dislike the hustle and bustle of the major cities. Or those who want to experience nature in its most primitive form, untouched by pollution.

The clans rake in major money from the hot springs, cherry blossoms, bamboo glades and such. They prepare them specially using magic and from the pictures that Kyosuke saw from the mission brief, during the appropriate season they really look gorgeous.

Hikagemura is one such place. Due to a large scale ritual once conducted a few centuries ago, the hot springs in here are great all year round. So as Kyosuke followed Kuzuki outside, he saw a lot of people chatting about them.

While Kuzuki was looking over the local map provided by the Committee mages, Kyosuke took the scenery in.

He realized with a start that before this moment, he had never stopped to just appreciate the world around. The town looked like it belonged in an anime. The morning mist gave it an ethereal feel, something Kyosuke had never felt in either of his lives before.

It was a good blend of modern amenities with nature. One could enjoy the natural beauty around with the hot springs, snow covered mountain at a good distance and the various plants spread everywhere.

"The place the devil clashed with the spirits is an hour of running away." Kuzuki was done quickly and gestured for him to follow, snapping him out of his daze. The two made their way out of the town and he started explaining the finer details.

"There is a plateau nearby with an old shrine on top. Since the devil was driven off from there, it is likely to be further up the mountain. Here." He passed Kyosuke a photo.

It showed what looked to be a bear at a cursory look. But careful inspection showed that it was larger and with longer hind legs. Its face was also more dog like, with the jaws being somewhat comically long.

Kyosuke felt a vague sense of recognition. "A werewolf-devil hybrid?"

"Correct."

Like DxD canon, the devil faction in this world also has Evil Pieces, artifacts that can turn those of other races into devils. These devils are called reincarnated devils and are basically slaves of the devil who turns them. Though the new Satans try to deny it, those with a lick of common sense know the truth.

Every high class devil receives these Evil Pieces which are modelled after chess for some unknown reason. There are a total of 15 pieces in one set, or peerage as they are called. The king is the devil owner.

Reincarnated devils are basically third class citizens in the devil part of the Underworld. At best they are servants of the nobility but most of the time they are just objects that exist for the whims of their owners. They can even be traded at will, another point which reinforces the fact that only those with brain problems believe that today's devils are any better than the old ones.

Many times after a reincarnated devil gets fed up with the treatment they decide to leave. Such devils are called stray devils. Because of what most mage associations theorize to be a failsafe in the Evil Pieces, such devils mutate into real abominations. So every faction puts them down, with some even using them as experiment materials to research more effective spells and magic items against devils.

Unlike DxD canon, however, devils do not strut around arrogantly. Well, not as arrogantly. The reason is the existence of Campione, obviously. In the current world situation, devils and angels have a very limited area they can move in freely.

The First Campione swept through Europe and even annihilated the vampires thoroughly, so the Balkans are a taboo region for any race aside from humans. The same goes for China, with the Second Campione not tolerating any slight due to her god complex.

Many devils have died because of them. Then recently news has been coming that in North America, an organization which is fighting against the Sixth Campione and the American government's magic division is headed by a divine ancestor who might be one of the original devils mentioned in the Bible.

In fact, Kyosuke is rather surprised that no Campione had tried to wipe out the devils. It is not that hard to enter the Underworld after all. Any major faction can do it.

Then again, trying to understand the thought process of Campione is futile. Most of them are abnormal and see the world differently. A human's common sense would not apply to them.

"This time, you will have to lead the way." Kuzuki started on the mission goals. "You have to track the devil and find it before evening. It will be stronger at night, so it will be doing its best to run out the time till then. It should know that someone will be hunting it, but how it reacts cannot be predicted."

Kyosuke listened seriously. He had no prior experience, so he wasn't arrogant enough to assume he knew more than a professional assassin in tracking and killing a target. Kuzuki must have at least 20 to 30 years of experience in this.

Seeing he was paying attention, Kuzuki continued after a pause. "Depending on its mutation, it might treat anyone coming for it as just more food and disregard us as a threat. Though that is not likely, otherwise it would have fought the local mages and we wouldn't be here. So very likely it still retains a sense of intelligence."

Kyosuke gestured to his bag and Kuzuki nodded. When he saw how Kyosuke was preparing a shikigami, he was satisfied. Spells to track malevolence, demonic power, bloodthirst, werewolves and more were expertly weaved by him into a small tooth.

No further words were exchanged between them. The winds slowly increased in speed as they climbed higher and the world transitioned into a pure white. The temperature also dropped below 0 degree and this prompted Kyosuke to ward off the cold for them.

When they reached the plateau, they stopped and waited for Kyosuke to finish. When Kyosuke threw the tooth on the ground lightly, it started gathering snow around it. In a few seconds the shikigami was ready.

It was a lion like creature which was the average height of a human when it stood on four legs, so quite big. It was completely white and covered in thick white fur. What was eye catching were its eyes.

It had a third eye on its forehead and that, along with the other two, lacked any iris and pupil. Instead they were just luminiscent pools of golden. Apart from this, it also had two horns extending from its head like an ox.

This was Guardian Lion, a personal creation of Kyosuke's. He had based it on the Chinese beast Bai Ze which could ward off evil spirits and the Japanese Komainu, guardians made of stone which protect shrines and other places of worship.

Kuzuki watched in interest as the lion's fur swayed lightly from the wind. Many clumps started forming as individual strands wrapped around each other to form multiple tendrils. Then in the middle of these tendrils, the same eyes as its face started appearing.

The lion moved around in a circle, its eyes turning around in each direction haphazardly and without a pattern. After only 10 seconds or so, it abruptly stopped and all eyes turned to a single direction.

Kyosuke looked at Kuzuki who silently gestured to do as he wants. "In that case, follow me."

With a mental command the lion took off, Kyosuke and Kuzuki following behind. None of them left any traces in the snow and expertly travelled at high speeds without issues.

The lion tracks 'evil'. Now the definition of evil here is simple enough - anything that would harm Kyosuke if given the chance. This harm can range from wanting him dead to wanting to use him to further others' goals at his expense.

Because of the latter, he has been able to level it up a lot in the Institute. Discreetly of course. And no one found about this due to the shikigami being of a very high quality.

Combined with the fact that most stray devils would kill a human for sure if given the chance, it made tracking the current objective easy for Kyosuke.

Honestly, even without such a shikigami, he would have been able to do the same using a few spells. As long as the level of a spell is increased to a certain point, its effects transform into something unimaginable.

And for him who has been kind of restricted to what he can learn, he has levelled many utility spells to such a degree.

Kuzuki was also impressed as they made their way through the snow without stopping. He had been casting some spells and sent a few bird shikigami of his own. They confirmed that the current route was correct. So he did not say anything and just stayed silent.

Eventually they found themselves before an entrance to a cave. It was very cliche, a wolf-devil staying in a dark cave. Kyosuke dismissed the lion and turned it back into a tooth. He kept it away and knelt before the cave, putting his hands on the ground.

"Is it fine if I take it out without entering?"

Kuzuki did not anticipate that question. But he did not have to think long for an answer.

"Of course. As long as you take out the target and complete the mission objectives, it doesn't matter how you do it. Just keep in mind that too much disturbance may result in an avalanche."

"Of course. You don't have to worry about that. I also don't want to start a natural disaster." He said with a chuckle and decided to finish the mission quickly. Since Kuzuki was fine with it, Kyosuke is also not interested in fighting a stray devil up close.

Why make things difficult when they can be done easily? He already pushes himself too much in training as it is. And he doubts that fighting a devil like the one inside the cave will be anything beneficial.

If it were a real threat, then the Committee would have already dealt with it. It wouldn't be the Institute's turn to use it as a practice dummy.

With a bit of concentration Kyosuke could sense the devil's position. The ice, the wind and even the cold around were all on his side, so it was child's play actually. The devil was currently fast asleep. Its demonic power was in turmoil and was spiking and dipping erratically.

Kyosuke could sense its lifeforce was changing in a detrimental direction. He felt instinctive disgust at what it was becoming, which only fed his dislike for the devils as a whole.

He sent a pulse of magic power into the cave's structure. Since ice was all around and he knew earth magic as well, it was simple enough to mould the inside of the cave into a fluid state.

The devil woke up as it sensed the danger, but by then the ground below it had already turned into a makeshift quicksand and was dragging it down.

It let out a roar and slammed down. Kyosuke looked to the cave entrance and threw up a barrier to prevent the sound from travelling out. He then turned the walls of the cave into spikes sharpened to an unnatural degree and started the attack.

The devil managed to partially escape the quicksand by slamming its limbs repeatedly in a short interval. It blew away the softened ground while destroying many of the initial spikes.

"Oh?" Kyosuke's brows furrowed. The devil was stronger than expected. He had thought the initial attack would have solved it in one hit, but that wasn't the case.

How surprising.

Kuzuki's expression became flatter and he stood up straighter. He focused and found the devil's lifeforce was stronger than initial estimations. In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if it could be classified as a high class devil just because of its thick skin.

He gave a subtle look to Kyosuke who was still focused on solving the problem remotely. He did not look worried or winded, so Kuzuki decided to stay silent and watch.

Although Kyosuke was surprised by the strength of the retaliation, he did not let it stop his actions. Amidst another roar, more spikes started bombarding the devil. They were more ice than rock this time.

The devil entered a frenzy and smashed and roared its way to the entrance. Kyosuke reinforced the cave and the barrier to contain all the destruction inside. When the devil had crossed the halfway mark and only slowed by about half its initial speed, he increased the output of his magic power.

Meanwhile, inside the cave, the devil's situation was worse than Kyosuke thought. It wasn't having an easy time making its way to the entrance. If Kuzuki could see it, he would say that this thing should have been hunted down the moment it was spotted. Letting it go was an oversight on the Committee's part.

The devils's fur glinted like metal and a sound like metal tearing rang out when the spikes hit it and cut deep. Those which it evaded at an angle let out small sounds like they were colliding with something distinctly not organic.

But then its speed suddenly slowed abruptly and it actually stumbled. That moment dozens of spikes rained on it from each direction and skewered it to the ground.

It looked past the pain to find one of its hind legs had actually frozen. For the first time, something other than anger showed in those eyes clouded by madness. It watched in fear as ice was not creeping up its body but actually going deep into it.

Its movements slowed down and more and more injuries littered its body. Before they could bleed, cold rushed in and started locking it in place. The freezing effect was finally showing its full glory after the prolonged bombardment.

Kyosuke hadn't ever tested how many [Freeze] effects could stack, so even he did not foresee this. When enough of them stack up, the effect is not so simple it can be explained via numbers. The effect of magic on real flesh and blood is not so simple.

Finally a large spike teared through the devil's heart and it ceased all movement after its final roar was cut short.

Outside, both Kyosuke and Kuzuki sensed it immediately.

"There is no more resistance now." Kyosuke commented and created a few fox shikigami from the ice around. He sent them inside to drag the devil out.

"What?" He asked Kuzuki when the latter kept staring at him like a puzzle.

"Nothing."

Kyosuke's inexperience showed here. He could not tell what Kuzuki was thinking from his body language and all [Observe] showed was that he was surprised. As for why he was surprised, that was unknown.

He shrugged and put it away. Anyway, if it is important he will know later. If it is not, then better not waste time.

The foxes had dragged the dead devil outside. None of the mages bat an eye at the state it was in. Dragging the corpse of any person would be extremely disrespectful. But since this was a devil, they did not care.

One was an assassin and wouldn't flinch if the devil were to be replaced by a human. While the other, unknown to even himself, had grown colder towards life over these years.

Kuzuki stepped forward to check up on the devil while Kyosuke watched from the side. The interior of the cave had already been fixed by him while the shikigami were bring the devil out, so he was idle with nothing to do.

"So? The mission was a success, right?"

"Yes." Kuzuki first cut off one arm from the corpse and only then step away from it to look at Kyosuke. "You did admirably for your first mission. Now wait for me to handle the corpse and we can leave."

He put away the arm, which Kyosuke assumed was for some project or other. Its not like he knew everything that went on in the Institute, so he did not think anything was wrong.

So he focused on how Kuzuki handled the corpse. Leaving aside the fact that any regular human coming across it would be undesirable, if some wild animals eat it and mutate then it will also be trouble.

So in most cases the dead target is turned to ash using some specific spells created for this, which Kuzuki was using. Later, he went inside the cave for a last check and only came out after he was sure that Kyosuke had not missed anything.

"Good job. Lets return now."

Line

The trip back was faster when compared to heading out. When they reached the Committee headquarters in the town, Kuzuki talked to someone and gave a few samples from the devil as proof.

Then the duo teleported back to the Institute, filed the entry for their return and went their separate ways. Kyosuke went to his room for more training since he wasn't winded at all by the day's work.

While Kuzuki went to drop off the devil arm to one of the scientists and the started on his report. Since Kyosuke is an object of high interest, Kuzuki had to present the report and the diagnosis of the sample to some higher ups.

"Very interesting." The Director looked at the report and did not show any of the turmoil he was feeling. "His ice magic is really more potent than anyone had initially expected."

He looked up from the report and turned to Kuzuki. "And you say Sachi-san didn't show any abnormal behaviour?"

"He did not show any surprise or joy on completing the task. Just a mild interest of someone ignorant to the real situation."

Ayanokouji scrutinized him for a long moment and then nodded sharply. "I see. Thank you for today, Soichirou-kun. Your work is very much appreciated."

Kuzuki took the dismissal for what it was and gave a short bow. "Excuse me."

After he left, the Director resumed reading the report again. When he picked up the diagnosis of the devil arm, he had to marvel at Kyosuke's potential.

The stray devil was definitely a high class in strength. The Institute had been dabbling in combining magic with biology a lot in recent years, so the scientist responsible for this report knew what he was doing.

This means that Kyosuke's actual strength is not recorded in the Institute accurately. Indeed, now that Ayanokouji thinks about it, Kyosuke has never been pushed to the brink in any spars recorded. And considering all of his spars have been recorded, it is saying something.

This means that any estimations about him should also be wrong. So of course Ayanokouji was displeased. He hates uncertainty, and since this involves someone who could surpass the Institute's power in a few years, it is even worse.

He picked up the landline on his desk and dialed a number, knowing the other person should be in his office at this time.

"Yes Director?"

"Tsukihiro, you can go ahead with the Artificial Sacred Gear project. Increase the budget by 50 percent for now. Depending on the circumstances, it will be increased further, so start setting aside some funds from now."

He rattled off the instructions quickly in a steady voice. The only indication of his mood were his fists, which were clenched over the phone tighter than necessary.

But Tsukihiro is the Director's second in command. He picked up on his boss' mood. Still, he did not say anything unnecessary since he is unaware of what could be the reason behind such abrupt change in instruction.

They had decided that the Artificial Sacred Gear project was a black hole in terms of resources. This is not just limited to money either.

"Yes sir. It will be done."

"That is all for now." He put the receiver down without waiting for a response, and that, more than anything, showed how disturbed his current mood was.

While the Director was realizing that Kyosuke might be out of the control of the Institute soon, the boy in question had an epihany of his own.

'I did not receive any Exp Points for killing that devil.'

He was lying in bed and frowning. Well, till now he hadn't killed any monsters at the Institute. That is he did not realize it earlier in the day.

And come to think of it, ever since he had joined the Institute, he hadn't ever received any Quests either. He had initially thought nothing of it, but in hindsight there should have been something.

Quests like becoming the best in his age group or becoming the strongest mage to ever come out of the Institute or even overthrowing the Institute are definitely Quest worthy tasks.

And now that he didn't receive any Exp Points and Credits from the devil he killed, it can only mean one thing - these only apply inside the Dungeons. He can only get Quests involving a Dungeon and he can only earn Exp Points and Credits from killing monsters in the Dungeons.

"...Actually, it kind of makes sense." He muttered lowly.

Indeed. In a sense his powers only affect him and not the world. Take Reputation for example. Over time he has found that it can fluctuate wildly. One moment someone might like him. Then they have a bad day and if Kyosuke irks them, his Reputation will drop, just like it would for normal people.

And this lost Reputation will not recover automatically.

Real people are not simple NPCs that their opinions about him can change just because he repeats some actions. They hold grudge and what they think of him depends on more than just Kyosuke.

'Well, obviously.' He chuckled lightly. 'This is not some novel where I am the main protagonist. The world does not revolves around me after all.'

He already knows one person who was a protagonist in his own anime - Kiyotaka Ayanokouji. Then due to the background of Campione and DxD, their respective protagonists should also exist.

Kyosuke is not a narcissist, so he will never think like that. So all what these new conclusions tell him is simple. He must leave the Institute in a few years to realize his full potential. He will improve best when killing monsters in the Dungeon, earning Credits and Exp Points and using them.

Line

After the successful completion of his first mission, Kyosuke started receiving more of them. Or rather, he was allowed to go on more of them.

It was clear he was more than powerful enough to be an efficient problem solver. But the higher ups did not want him to attract attention from the Committee and join them. Since he was an expert at healing magic, barrier magic and shikigami creation, he was not a purely combat focused mage.

Any faction would be glad to have someone so versatile, and Kyosuke would get many offers if he just a bit more well known.

After knowing him for so long, the Institute had created a very accurate mental profile on him. For some reason he did not like the Biblical Factions, even though he had never come in contact with them in his life apart from hunting down some stray devils.

It baffled those responsible for this as he had killed many stray yokai as well but he does not dislike them as a whole faction. Since there was no logical answer, they chalked it up as his personal preference.

He was still young after all. It is understandable his actions would be influenced by his mood.

Japan has the only existing Yokai Faction in the world. They are based in Kyoto and are led by Yasaka, a nine tailed fox. The same from DxD. The higher ups in the Institute estimate that if the yokai come to Kyosuke with a good offer, he would accept it.

The only other main faction in Japan is the Japanese Mage Association - the History Compilation Committee. And despite the Guardian Clans being people Kyosuke will never work with, other clans will be able to get him to accept many jobs if they are lucretive enough.

So the Institute was a bit troubled in regards to him. When Kyosuke moved out in the field, he could hunt down even the most well hidden of the threats. After an year it became so ridiculous that even those who could evade the Committee and the Institute could not succeed when it came to him.

It was all done deliberately by Kyosuke of course. Just moving in Japan did not give him much free time, so he decided to be a bit more high profile. The higher ups were reluctant to stop him from receiving missions because recently the Institute had a huge demand for money and resources.

Kyosuke could earn them a lot and the fast efficiency of completing missions gave a good impression to the various clans. This in turn meant they were more willing to come to the Institute with more requests.

So when Kyosuke asked to be allowed trips into the Netherworld, he was granted permission after only a small window of deliberation. He just had to bring a certain amount of resources for the Institute and not stay out for long periods.

He didn't know just what they were doing that required as many resources as possible. But it must be very vital despite being a black hole since they were even asking for the corpses of any devil or yokai killed by him.

Kyosuke didn't care much for it beyond the fact he was able to use it to his advantage. Since he obtained the right to roam the Netherworld and had started clearing the Dungeons after so long, he was in a great mood and did not bother prying into their business.

He was too busy in the Dungeons. When he was 12, a major event had occurred which shook the whole world. The First Campione had grown bored with the lack of any good fights in many years and so had sent word for Hime Miko to be gathered from all over the world to rectify that.

His goal? Summon a Heretic God to fight.

He had succeeded in summoning the Norse God Siegfried, but most of the Hime Miko participating in the ritual had died. Not only that, when Siegfried had descended, someone else had also decided to crash the ritual going on.

The Sixth Campione jumped in looking for a fight and the result had shaked the Balkans with an unprecedented storm which was talked about all over the world.

For Kyosuke personally, this event demonstrated how much influence Campione have. Japan had also sent a few Hime Miko and among them was the best wielder of Spirit Vision. What's more, she isn't just the best in this ability in Japan but the whole world.

Someone who was argueably a strategic resource was sent to her death by a single world from a Campione. This influence is what is most important for Kyosuke. And so he turned his focus on the Dungeons, throwing any other curiousities regarding the higher ups actions out of his mind.

Another change apart from this was that Kiyotaka Ayanokouji would sometimes accompany Kyosuke into the Netherworld.

For a 14 year old, he looked very lifeless. He had short brown hair and brown eyes. The similarity between him and the Director was obvious enough in their looks. Though his eyes were dull and seemed to indicate he was just going through life without any desires of his own.

On the other side was Kyosuke who expressed various expressions easily. While tracking any targets, he would be serious. The same went for all fights. Though he would sometimes have a bored expression if the one he was facing was weak and only full of hot air

But while returning from every mission, he would buy various foods from the local shops without fail. He would also buy some small souvenirs discreetly and keep them away in his Inventory. When he gets a place of his own later, he will then keep them out. But for now just looking at them in stored away securely was enough.

He also, without fail, always bought some food from the local shops. He never hid his reactions regarding them, especially when he found something particularly delicious.

Today was one such day. The two boys were in an open plain in the Netherworld, resting after fighting some magic beasts. The area they were in was quite lush and so various dangers thrived there in large numbers.

But the corpses of a dozen of such dangers, namely a pack of wolves which were as large as small elephants, deterred any would be attackers adequately. The wolves were a pale grey and even dead evoked a strong sense of crisis in any who saw them.

If any normal mage could witness this, their eyes would bug out. They might even wonder if they were not imagining things, because this pack was clearly not to be trifled with lightly. They had some scales across their backs, which looked really out of place.

A clear sign of them being descended from some divine beast. Not that any regular mage would ever know about this. This plain, although it did not look much different from any random plain on Earth, was quite deep in the Netherworld.

Unless one was a Paladin, coming here was suicide. And the ones responsible for this, who were sitting on a few mounds of dirt, were among such Paladins.

Or Grand Mage as Kyosuke prefers.

And they weren't exactly resting. More like taking a break and appreciating the scenery. If you exclude the faint howls of beasts in the distance and the scent of blood which drifts with a strong gust of wind, this place was quite picturesque.

Case in point, Kyosuke was taking a few pictures with the camera he bought during one of his early missions. After taking the pictures of the grassy fields and the deep blue sky, he put it away and sat down.

Kiyotaka was processing the wolves for materials. Since he hadn't done anything during the fight, handling the dismantling work was left to him.

He would have been content to work in silence, but Kyosuke decided to make small talk. It was boring to just sit in silence since he didn't have anything to do.

"Say, you have any idea just what the secret project going on is?"

"Which one?" Came the swift reply.

Kyosuke pointed a thumb to the wolf he was skinning. "You know, the one which requires anything and everything the Director and his people can get their hands on?"

Kiyotaka stopped for a moment at that. When he resumed his work, he put just a bit more force than necessary.

"I have no idea."

"I am not saying you do." Kyosuke waved away the displeasure Kiyotaka had whenever his father came up in a conversation. "Half the management don't know. I have seen quite a few of them sending weird glances at the Director. It's like they cannot understand what could be so important that the Institute is dabbling in human experimentation with such gusto."

Kiyotaka looked up sharply at the words 'human experimentation'. Kyosuke gave lazy grin in response. "I see you also noticed."

The two kept looking at each other, a subtle tension building up. Kiyotaka suddenly realized that he was deep in the Netherworld with no one knowing the way to find him. And Kyosuke is way more powerful than him, so if there is a conflict only one of them will die.

He knew what Kyosuke was getting at, so he replied truthfully. "Although I don't know the exact details, from what I can find no mages have been experimented on. Whatever that man is working on, he has only been gathering regular humans. And since they were all criminals whom no one will miss, everyone else is turning a blind eye."

"I see." And just like that the tension in the air vanished. Kyosuke grew contemplative after Kiyotaka's answer. "That is what I found too. They are picking up criminals in large numbers from across the country. Whatever the project is, it must be very fatal since they are going through them like water running from a tap."

Kiyotaka nodded and got back to harvesting the materials. "Yes. Well, if nothing else, at least the crime rates across Japan are falling with the sudden disappearances of those lowlives."

"That is true indeed." Kyosuke said with a laugh. "It can be said to be community service, taking out trash no one else bothers with."

Whenever Kyosuke comes across any criminals, he would directly dispose of them discreetly. This world is more dangerous and beautiful than his previous one, so he tries to better it if he can.

This is why he faintly approves of whatever the higher ups are cooking up. As Kiyotaka had said, crime rates had dropped as repeat offenders and those who are expert at evading laws are going missing mysteriously.

The Institute is behind suppressing major media attention regarding this, with Kyosuke chimming in from time to time. Unknown to the Director, Kyosuke has helped him a lot by bringing this to the attention of others in the Committee with sympathetic views.

He also went the extra mile and even left some crumbs for those not aware of the supernatural to follow. They would just assume the government was doing this because of some shady reason, but since there was a reason Kyosuke chose these people, they quietly did what they could without implicating themselves.

Otherwise the Committee would have long sent people tp check what was going on. After all, human experimentation is a big deal.

'It is amazing how much can be done if just enough people at the grassroots band together. Even unknowingly.'

Kyosuke grinned inwardly. He had to admit, doing things from the shadows was a nice feeling. Seeing others act according to his will without realizing it makes him feel powerful.

Although it is also a lot of work, all that travelling and applying compulsions in a way no one can trace anything back to him.

It is also a good lesson to not underestimate the power of the common people. Having your head in the clouds can be dangerous if just enough strength is gathered against you.

Things might play out and you wouldn't know anything until they are all over. If this happens to someone you don't like then it will become a joke to recall and laugh.

Schadenfreud is such a wonderful source of amusement when it involved those you dislike.

But there is nothing funny in getting the rug pulled out from under your feet suddenly and without warning. No one wants to be the butt of a joke themselves after all.

While Kyosuke was thinking about these random things, Kiyotaka was done with his task.

"All done. We can-"

He stopped abruptly. Alarm bells were ringing in his head, so he jumped to stand beside Kyosuke, tense and ready to fight.

Unlike him, Kyosuke was very calm. [Danger Sense] had warned him with plenty of time to spare and even pinpointed the direction it originated from.

"Above."

So he looked up curiously since the threat was not dangerous for the current him.

Kiyotaka followed where he was looking but could not spot anything. Though the feeling of somethingnearing them became more prominent. They didn't have to wait long before a small hurricane slammed into them.

Kiyotaka did not fight it. He used wind magic to go along with it. Fighting a divine beast head on is not a decision he would ever take.

Again, Kyosuke did not follow his example. Instead he did the opposite and stepped forward.

A hundred meters around him flash froze and he ran forward, low to the ground. The large talon about to eviscerate him, which was larger than his height, faltered and missed him.

It was an eagle. It was controlling the wind and that is why it had reached them so quickly in the blink of an eye. Kyosuke's eyes narrowed in concentration and a sturdy ice wall appeared in the eagle's path.

The collision resulted with the wall obliterated. To the eagle's surprise, the broken pieces were not scattered everywhere like it usually happens when it smashes any objects in its way.

They actually came in the reverse direction and struck the eagle. They stuck to it, the extra weight unbalancing it momentarily. It was all the time Kyosuke needed to scale its back.

He landed on top of it and his right hand erupted in lightning. It condenced and elongated into a blade in the blink of an eye, which he then drove into the bird's neck.

[Lightning Blade]

The divine beast screeched loudly as the attack almost looped off its head in a single strike. It flapped the ground hard to take off, but another white flash and its wings were frozen solid.

Kyosuke finished it off in another two hits. Being a divine beast, it collapsed into motes of light which then rapidly vanished. Only a small feather was left.

"Well, that was an unexpected windfall."

He picked up the divine material and said jokingly. Kiyotaka gave him a blank look and looked around warier than before. Rather than the rarest type of material which Kyosuke was looking over, he was more interested in keeping an eye out for further surprises.

"Are we leaving now?"

"Let's." Kyosuke said. He kept the feather away. Although divine materials are extremely rare, he has seem many of them over the past year.

One only needs to kill a being made purely of divine power and there would be a chance for some remnants of it to condence like this. And he has killed a lot of divine beasts in the Netherworld, so he wasn't interested in a material of this quality for long.

"I think today's harvest is good, so we can go back."

Without further word the two started making their way back to Earth. The sudden ambush had not shaken them since they were kind of used to it by now. So no more words were needed whether they be for concern or reassurances or something else entirely.

The Netherworld is actually a sort of sub dimension to the real world. Then this sub-dimension is divided into a further innumerable sub-dimensions. How one travels through them is using teleportation to go from one layer to another and travel through that layer with conventional spells.

Because of this, it is crucial to mark the way you take to enter. Otherwise you don't know where you will end up.

But Kyosuke is a master at tracking and teleporting, so this is nothing for him. They made their way back and avoided any dangerous areas easily. It was when they were about to step foot on Earth that Kyosuke suddenly stopped.

Kiyotaka's brows furrowed in confusion but after a few minutes of silence his eyes widened in shock. He turned to see Kyosuke was also surprised.

"I am sensing a large amount of divine power. It's source is the Institute."

"Yes." Kyosuke agreed. It was a rather large source and that is why he had stopped.

The two exchanged looks and without voicing it agreed to take a detour. Jumping out in the middle of a fight is really foolish and not even Kyosuke will do so without a good reason.

It took them 5 minutes to go around until they were sure they wouldn't be attacked the moment they exit. They appeared around a dozen kilometers away from the Institute and the feel of divine power was unmistakeable.

To none of their shock, the source was a divine beast. The fact it looked like a giant skeleton was surprising, but not unbelievable.

Yes, a giant human skeleton. It was a pale greyish and lacked everything aside from bones. No organs and no muscles.

What was shocking was that the Institute was in the process of being destroyed by it. Even as the two slowly walked closer, one swing of the gashadokuro's arm demolished a training hall of the Institute.

The defenses at the point it struck glowed and flickered rapidly before they gave way. They were like wet paper before its might.

Kyosuke whistled, impressed that something that strong had appeared. You don't see this strength just everyday. "That is an impressive gashadokuro. Who summoned something like that?"

A gashadokuro is a supernatural creature in the form of a giant animated skeleton. It is usually formed from the bones of those who fall in battle or starve to death. So they usually appear when a war is going on or a famine is occurring.

But last time Kyosuke checked the news, none of that was happening in Japan. So that means either this gashadokuro was lured or summoned here. Or it was created by the Institute.

Yes, these creatures can be created artificially as well. Just kill enough humans and gather their grudges. If the bones of some magic beasts are used as the core, then the result will be far stronger than one created naturally.

Its strength depends on the sacrifices used in the creation. So it can be as strong as a Great Knight or a Paladin.

"So this is what the higher ups were working on." Kyosuke said weirdly.

Kiyotaka's expression also became strange. Indeed, the humans used in the experiment were enough to create one. The fact it went out of control is not that surprising. Mishaps occur all the time, no matter how careful one is.

No, what is surprising is how this thing became a divine beast. Because of its uniqueness, if some divine materials are thrown in the mix during creation, then it will become a divine beast.

But the question is who would be stupid enough to do so? Wasting high quality materials on something like this? Only a fool will do that.

The two passed the screaming members who were running away. Kiyotaka clearly wanted to join them, but he stuck to Kyosuke for now. Kyosuke had his own reasons for not staying away, so the two made for the small group which was gathered at the front.

They were looking at the ongoing destruction anxiously, and many were on their phones, screaming for reinforcements to be sent immediately. The highest ranked among them was Tadanori Hayama, and he was Maya's butler.

When Hayama saw Kyosuke and Kiyotaka, he quickly went up to them. Those who saw his stepping back saw them as well and the group started moving towards them collectively.

"What's the situation?" Kyosuke asked.

But before someone could ask, various magic circles lit up around them. The sight of one of the Guardian Clan heads leading a contingent of Committee mages to the Institute would have sent these people's mood plummeting.

But in this situation they were actually elated to see their arrival. The one leading them was a beautiful girl in her late teens. She had long black hair and red eyes. Kyosuke was taken aback by her explosive figure, especially those breasts which were very large and very eye catching.

He was the only one who thought so. The moment they had arrived, the reinforcements took one look at the situation and spread out.

Suzaku Himejima, the head of the Himejima Clan and the current inheritor of the Guardian Beast the Vermillion Bird, started giving out orders rapidly.

"Everyone spread out! The barrier team keep it suppressed and the purification team start preparing your spells. We must not let it escape at a critical juncture."

She had reached the group of the Institute higher ups by then. "What's the situation?"

Hayama took a deep breath to compose himself and summarized the situation. Well, it was only as much as he knew, which was only a rough picture.

The day was normal and nothing out of the ordinary was scheduled. At least from what Hayama and even Maya knew. Clearly they were wrong and something was going on.

The gashadokuro had suddenly burst out from insidethe Institute. Because of this many of the really effective defensive measure could not be employed against it. Its sudden appearance had caught everyone off guard and to make matters worse, it was already a divine beast by then.

For some reason the Director was missing and none of his trusted subordinates were available either. Those like Maya had no idea how it had appeared and sadly could not stop it from reaching the vault.

The rest was easy to guess. It had absorbed a lot of divine materials from there and the Institute was reduced to this current situation. More than half the members were dead and Maya, along with some of the other higher ups, were all unconscious.

So Hayama had them sent away with the weaker members.

Those hearing this for the first time had ugly expressions. One of the men behind Suzaku scowled fiercely.

"What else is there to be said? Isn't the proof right there? You were clearly practicing taboo magics!"

Suzaku frowned at the rude behaviour but did not rebuke him. The atmosphere became colder and the newcomers were watching the Institute members with a chilly look.

'Things are not looking good.' Kyosuke looked around with a careful look.

The reinforcements looked like they were ready to first apprehend them before tackling the rampaging divine beast. Their faces were dark and the Institute members were looking a bit pale.

Really, even the surroundings felt a bit dimmer because of that, like someone was turning down the light to create tension…

Kyosuke was among the first to look at the gashadokuro with realization. Suzaku was the other and instantly her expression went grave.

"Silence. We will talk about this later. For now we must focus on the gashadokuro. It is stronger than expected."

As if knowing they were talking about it, the divine beast stopped stomping on the ground and turned its head at them. Everyone except Suzaku and Kyosuke took a few steps back when its divine power came at them.

The area was really dimming and it wasn't just anyone's imagination because of the probability of conflict with fellow mages.

Like Suzaku had just said - the gashadokuro was stronger than they had thought. It was subtly influencing the world around with its presence. It was so small that no one had noticed it initially, not even Kyosuke.

Everyone who had stepped back paled when they realized the same. Influencing the world just by existing - this divine beast had reached a level it might even annoy a Heretic God or Campione, which meant trouble for those currently facing it.

Regular Paladins could not hope to win against it solo. Suzaku was unfortunately counted among those. She and the rest of her fellow clan heads had taken up their position very recently.

Except for Nakiri. But he was away in the Netherworld, so reaching him in time for this was impossible. And without someone of equal power to occupy it, the gashadokuro will be able to kill many of the mages present.

Everyone present was an experienced person, so they all quickly connected the dots and paled.

Luckily there was another person on the scene who could help Suzaku.

She glanced at Kyosuke in surprise and analytically. She had taken note of how he wasn't affected by the aura emenating from the gashadokuro. Unlike her, he did not even have a divine beast of his own to help him.

She wanted to question him further but the divine beast was turning on them now.

"Deploy the barriers now!"

Several dozen magic circles lit up around the gashadokuro. They started glowing and behind each was the full might of three Great Knights. Then threads of magic power manifested from them and started travelling towards each other.

Suzaku clasped her hands together and an enormous magic circle lit up in the air. It was a fiery red and those present started sweating as the temperature kept rising. Then a bird made of fire shot out without a sound and smashed into the gashadokuro.

It collapsed around the divine beast and enveloped it in a cocoon of fire, buying time for the other mages to connect their barriers and layer it on top of the immobilized divine beasts.

While this was happening, Kyosuke's mind was working a mile a second. He glanced at Kiyotaka and the latter was the same.

Great minds think alike and so both of them had the same idea - how to use this situation to their advantage. Although the gashadokuro was strong, it cannot destroy the Committee. In fact, it cannot even shake the foundation of the Committee.

Already the Himejima members were calling for more backup and by now the headquarters in Tokyo would be gathering enough strong people to send here. In terms of authority, Suzaku is among the top 9 people in Japan - the clan heads of the Committee clans.

So this divine beast can rampage around for a while but it will be put down before a few hours pass. That brings up the question of what Kyosuke should do?

The Institute higher ups have bungled up big time. The Committee will be coming down hard on everyone when this is over. And frankly, Kyosuke has no patience to become entangled in politics with elitist bigots who have a superiority complex because of their clan names.

And he willbe entangled in politics. There is no doubt about that. The information logged in the Institute is enough to ensure that. Its not like he can go and erase them either.

While Kiyotaka blended in the background and thought the same, Kyosuke quickly made up his mind. He had already thought how he would leave the Institute and make them leave him alone.

This situation can allow him to apply the same on the Committee. Namely showing enough power that people leave him alone to keep the status quo going.

Fortunately Kyosuke spotted something which would work very well against the current enemy.

He pointed a finger at the destroyed buildings of the Institute and something flew out from the rubble. Those around quickly saw what was happening and one of them questioned him harshly.

"What are little kids still doing here? Someone get them away!"

"Quit barking like a mad dog and shut up."

Kyosuke's comment silenced anyone who might have responded, if only because of his audacity. The person he just rebuked was about to blow up at the disrespect when Kyosuke flared his magic power and made everyoneshiver.

They felt cold even though a Suzaku's magic power should have kept them sweating like harsh summer heat.

The object flying at Kyosuke was revealed to be a weapon. It was a large stone axe. The length of the shaft was as long as a human while the axe head, although looking jagged, was clearly blunt.

Kyosuke picked it up with one hand and it looked comical. Then he gave it a few swings and the wind kicked up made those around take a few steps back from him.

He moved to stand in the front at the line as Suzaku and put the axe head on the ground.

"If you cannot finish the gashadokuro alone, how about letting me have a chance?"

He said lightly. People looked at him incredulously and in anger. The Institute members were wondering how was wrong with him while the Himejima members were getting angry by the disrespect.

Suzaku frowned at him and gave him a dubious look. "Don't be too confident. I can see you are some clearly powerful, but this is not a divine beast that can be taken lightly."

As if to punctuate that statement, the subject talked about attacked the barrier trying to suppress it. The barrier shook visibly and a tremendous shockwave rushed to the gathered group.

Suzaku was about to neutalize it when Kyosuke swung the axe in its direction. The action kicked up a shockwave of its own and the two collided. The strong wind wipped everyone's clothes like they were in a storm.

"I think I can handle this much."

Light orange wisps were curling at the point he was holding the axe.

"Touki?!"

Someone exclaimed in shock and confusion. Suzaku noted that even the Institute members were surprised, which meant no one knew this fact regarding the boy before her. It was as shocking as a boy knowing touki.

Her eyes narrowed in confusion and shock when she focused on him. The amount of touki he was releasing was more than what the current head of the Shinra Clan had.

Her eyes then travelled to the weapon he was holding. Kyosuke answered the unasked question casually.

"This is Giant Slayer. It converts any magic power channelled into it into physical impact. But the efficiency is very bad, so it mostly lies in the vault as a niche tool." Then he fed the weapon some touki and it absorbed it like a sponge does water. "But it is a powerful tool if you use touki."

It was clearly draining as well. Those around could feel the amount of touki the weapon was absorbing. It was insane and made many of them pale.

"So?" Kyosuke's eyes flicked to the barrier which suffered another strong hit. He dispelled the shockwave coming at them again and looked back at Suzaku. "Why don't you have your people regroup? That way, if I fail you can at least have enough time to prepare a stronger spell than that."

Suzaku did not waste time. The one standing before her was not any ordinary mage, that much was clear. The people she had brought were also not the strongest that she could have brought, so they might suffer casualities if they fight the gashadokuro head on.

"Very well. Everyone, fall back and regroup." She ordered and the barrier team did so with relief.

Still, many of the others were sending unfriendly looks Kyosuke's way. He didn't bother with them and turned to face the gashadokuro.

He could feel Kiyotaka's gaze trying to bore a hole in his head in an attempt to read his mind. They both want to be independent and not be restrained by any organization, whether it be the Institute or the Committee.

It's just that their way of going about it is direct opposite of each other. One wants to hide his talent and do the minimum to get by in the hopes that others will lose interest in him.

The other wants to show just enough power that people become wary of pulling him in their power plays. After all, if there is one thing factions that have existed for long understand, it is that making enemies needlessly is a thorny path.

Even if they will have many people who will be offended that someone of low status dares to refuse them, there will also be those who understand that making an enemy of someone who is not weak and has a bright future is not worth their ego.

Kyosuke chuckled when the barrier before them broke completely.

"I have wanted to try this for a while now."

Magic power came off him in waves. Wind kicked up dust and dirt and the mana condensed around him, actually forming a blue aura and becoming visible. Everyone else was struck speechless by that. If nothing else, just this show of his magic reserves is enough to classify him as a Grand Mage.

"Domain Expansion: World of Frost."

A large barrier came into existence. It was spherical in shape and encompassed all the mages present, Kyosuke and the gashadokuro inside it. It showed Kyosuke's high mastery over barrier magic.

Those with enough knowledge could tell it would be almost impossible to break it from the outside. A few of them frowned at that. From the look they got when it formed, the inside of the barrier was toosturdy.

It sacrificed the outside to strengthen the inside and so when the gashadokuro tried to smash it before it could finish, the attack did not affect the barrier in the slightest.

Then the temperature suddenly plummeted drastically. The barrier changed from an almost transparent look to a complete white. The ground transformed into ice, slick and shiny to a degree it could double as a mirror.

Cold wind started blowing and battering the gashadokuro. Then snow started falling and sticking to it. Frost started creeping up its legs.

It stomped on the ground harshly to get rid of it, but the moment some of it fell off, more would creep up. And the rate of ice forming was steadily increasing, overcoming the speed at which the divine beast was treating itself of being frozen.

"What is this?"

The mages started muttering in confusion and awe. Those from the Committee looked at the Institute members while the latter themselves looked to Kyosuke in confusion.

"What? You guys never thought about getting the environmental advantage?"

He said lightly. He lightly tapped the ground with his right leg and the snow beside the gashadokuro shook and rose up. It formed two gigantic hands and clapped, keeping the divine beast in the middle.

It let out a wordless scream, its jaw moving rapidly. The space around it reverberated with the attack, but it proved ineffective. No matter what it did, more and more snow joined the hands and continued subduing it.

The group of mages were all silent by now. Several were looking at Kyosuke with grim expressions, Suzaku among them. They were caught off guard by the fact someone so strong flew under the Committee's notice.

It was absolutely unforgivable. First the Institute dabbles in human sacrifice and create a gashadokuro which is a major threat and then there is a mage in the Institute that can overcome the same divine beast singlehandedly?

Just this modified barrier technique, which Kyosuke called Domain Expansion, was enough to kill a Paladin when caught off guard.

Kyosuke relished in the various reactions for a few moments and then hefted the axe up. It was time to finish the fight and become independent.

He exploded forward at high speed. Only Suzaku and a few others could track his figure as he made his way to the divine beast which was getting angrier and angrier.

The mages noticed that Kyosuke was like a ghost as he moved. Despite being so fast, there were none of the common signs one might expect to indicate his position.

Since everyone was experienced there, they deduced that the barrier boosted him as the owner. But what was the full extent of that?

Their eyes almost bugged out when Kyosuke appeared above the gashadokuro, standing on a platform of ice. Despite being so close, the divine beast could not sense him. It was still busy with the snow hands. Fruitlessly at that.

Kyosuke looked down and had a grin on his face. [Observe] had already told him all he needed to know.

The core of this gashadokuro was made from the grudges of all those who recently died in the experiments. But then the grudges of the many members who had broken down over the years had joined in.

This happened because a few divine materials were used from the beginning and despite any of the precautions that must have been taken, the result still went out of control.

"I am in a good mood today. The Institute is finished now and no one will be able to interfere in my life from here. As thanks I will send you off swiftly and not drag this out."

Holding up Giant Slayer, he pumped it with as much touki as it could take. The weapon absorbed it like no tomorrow and Kyosuke was a bit surprised by the amount it could handle.

'It's a crime a weapon like this was collecting dust.' He decided.

Initially he thought it would be good if the axe does not breaks on the first attack. It was left to collect dust in the vault ever since it was brought back from some ruins in the Netherworld, so he didn't think it was anything special.

But clearly he was mistaken.

It's not that the weapon is not special. The truth is that no one from the Institute could make full use of it and the higher ups would not sell it to the Committee without a good enough price.

This weapon can handle almost all of his power. It will not break so easily.

While filling it up with touki, Kyosuke also gathered magic power around him in equal quantity in preparation for [Reinforcement]. Magic power and touki swirled together and it finally could not be concealed any longer.

The gashadokuro looked up and Kyosuke jumped down.

The mages watching were almost numb at this point. Kyosuke was actually using touki and magic power together. He was also suppressing the gashadokuro using the barrier so it could not defend.

They wondered if he had more than one brain or something. Otherwise how else could he multitask like this?

[Parallel Processing] was such a broken Skill indeed. Kyosuke really liked it, along with all of his other mind magics.

He smashed the axe on top of the gashadokuro's skull and used another technique inspired by the same franchise as Domain Expansion.

In Jujutsu Kaisen, when the cursed energy of a sorcerer impacts the target after the physical impact in a certain interval of time, the power of the blow is increaed by 2.5 times.

Kyosuke could replicate the same in a way. [Parallel Processing] ensured the touki from Giant Slayer and magic power from [Reinforcement] impacted in the same way, amplifying his attack power by a whooping 5 times.

It was really impressive when you take in the fact his original attack wouldn't have been weak on its own.

When the axe struck its mark, the gashadokuro could not put up any resistance. Its skull gave way easily and a shockwave erupted from the impact. It threw up snow all around and it seemed like an avalanche had occurred.

Seeing the rushing wave, Suzaku hurriedly brought out the Vermillion Bird in its full glory and raised a barrier of her own. Since it was just the aftereffect of an attack, it was handled by the Vermillion Bird without surprise. Though the fires on it did dim a lot from the feat.

Kyosuke dropped down on the ground and the domain dispelled instantly. The mages were a bit shaken by the abrupt change in their surroundings. One moment they were in what anyone would have sweared was Antarctica and the next they were back in the ruins of the Institute, not a speck of snow anywhere.

Seeing Kyosuke walk up to them, their gazes were incomparable to earlier.

When he held the axe out to Hayama, the old butler wordlessly took it. He couldn't come up with anything to say, so he settled on just nodding.

"So, what next?" Kyosuke asked casually, not looking winded by expending the monstrous amount of magic power and touki he had just used.

It was then that further reinforcements arrived. As the magic circles lit up and a literal army appeared, the scene fell into silence.

The gashadokuro was still crumbling into nothing, so they had missed the fight by a few seconds.

As the newcomers started approaching those already present, Kyosuke stood quietly with a casual grin.

'Mission successful.' He looked at the expressions they were sending him and was very pleased. 'Yes, things turned out well for me.'