To Reach the Lights Beyond the Heavens (High School DxD - Essence CYOA SI - FGO Reincarnation Chapter 5)
"Engage the Movement Spell Matrix now!"
"You know, it's weird how in your past life, you also used to call a group of spells that worked together a 'matrix', but it makes far more thematic sense to call them that now--"
"Not the time, Nobu!"
The young magician started dashing and dodging away, as the mythical rooster jumped toward him trying to peck him with it's beak, or spin to slash him with the glowing blade.
The Movement Spell Matrix, just like the name implied, were a group of spells Michael made to work in tandem. The first was a general speed spell to increase Michael's overall movement, taking him up to the low-end of superhuman speed and reactions. The second spell would massively increase Michael's speed and durability to handle sudden acceleration, but only for few moment. The third, and in a way, most important spell, was a teleportation spell to which ever location Michael was in three seconds ago. Something Michael learned about ambient magical energy was that all living being continuously release as long as they live, that becomes part of the environment.
In a way, it can be seen as an imprint of someone's life and history in the world. What Michael focused on was that magical trail that he naturally made, and attuned a teleportation spell to it. The idea was to make a combat teleportation spell. However the limitations were obvious, what with the time limit of only being able to teleport to some place you where in, and a place you were in such a short time ago.
"BAK-WHAT?" The Rooster shouted at the sudden disappearance of it's prey.
Michael teleported away, to where he was standing when he first encountered the beast.
The biggest weakness of the Movement Matrix was that the second and third spell couldn't be used continuously. They worked by gathering the excess magical energy of the speed spell, and then stay on standby till needed. Michael lamented that he had yet to add the emergency function to have them activate when he was incapacitated.
Michael dodged once more as the monster was upon him. He thought that teleportation bought him some breathing room, but apparently this god damn rooster was experienced in combat. The second it sensed him again, it pounced.
The monster bird thrust it's head to bite him. Michael moved his away, only to need to jump back at the lightsaber was about to bisect him at the waist, followed by bending backward to avoid a follow up spin slash to his chest, and then complete the bridged pose by flipping back.
"Holy shit, I'm so glad I do gymnastics." Michael said mostly to himself.
"Not bad, I give it an 8.7 on the Neo Dodge scale." Nobunaga commented.
"YOUR GYMNASTICS WILL NOT SAVE YOU, SON OF MAN! I AM FJALAR! I AM THE CRY OF BATTLE!" The Rooster Beast shouted, jumping in the air to bring the laser blade to a downward slash.
"Fuck! Hell!" Michael swore, not because of the jump slash, but peck bite afterwards. Michael jumped back.
"I AM THE HARBINGER OF KILLINGS!" The bite twisted into another lightsaber spin slash.
"Holy!" Michael crouched under the blade's path.
"MY SHOUT BEGINS THE DEATH OF GODS!" Fjalar balanced on it's one leg with impeccable control, to spin like a ballerina, and continue the sword spin into an overhead slash.
"Shit!" Michael easily jumped to the side, activating the Extra Speed-Up spell, yet his heart jump at feeling the blade's heat as it passed him. That was too close! He avoided that unexpected manuvre but he wouldn't be able to use that second spell of his matrix for a few moments. Moments in battle could mean death if one's careless.
"I AM THE SIGNAL OF RAGNAROK!" Fjalar spun raising it's leg for another overhead slash. Michael prepared to jump to either side. Faster than Michael expected, the rooster dropped the handle in it's mouth at the arc of it's leg movement, slammed that free leg into the ground, and used it to boost its lunging to mule kick Michael with it's other leg.
The young magician cried as he flew from the force of the kick, before slamming and rolling on the ground. While the use of magic naturally boosted one's body, improving than a normal person, Michael hadn't had any of his defensive spells up. He laid there holding his stomach, feeling his insides jumble a bit. He's chest felt constricted, and breathing was painful.
I should have been better prepared. Michael thought to himself. He should have had his Attack Spell Matrix up, he should have had Nobu alerted to be ready to switch to the Defensive Spell Matrix. So many things he should have been more ready for. But the monster, as Michael experienced, was too fast, too relentless. He didn't react fast enough to it's onslaught.
Michael felt the Norse Creature approaching.
"I WILL NO LONGER BE DENIED! YOUR BLOOD WILL CHRISTEN THE GROUND OF MY BATTLEFIELD! I WILL HAVE MY WAAAAAAAR!" The rooster raised the blade with it's leg.
Its last shout infused with magic, causing the frenzy effect to happen. That moment where Michael mentally had to push aside the Fjalar's magic cry, was when it brought the ligthsaber down.
Only to hit the empty ground.
"Huh?" Michael opened his eyes, that he covered when he was about to be struck.
"You know, for an overgrown chicken, this thing has a hell of an ego." Nobunaga's calm voice came out of the speaker in his backpack, rather than Michael's ear piece.
"Nobu?" Michael was confused. He didn't activate the teleport spell. Nobu did. He realized. Actually, shouldn't a hit from magical being this verse in combat be fatal?
As Michael looked down his torso, he saw the light of his defensive spells turn off, and another glow take their place. The pain was gone.
"WHO SAID THAT! I AM A ROOSTER! I AM FJALAR! MY CRY SIGNALS RAGNAROK! KAH-KAAAW!" The Norse Rooster shouted, it's head turning in left and right.
Michael stood up clinching his fists. He felt that deep well within him begin to respond. That core, in the very depth of his soul, his Essence begin to glow brighter.
It's was always there, at the very back of his mind, behind even conscious thought. Michael felt it there, even before the feelings of his past life appeared. It's what let him excel when he needed. What let him strive to such a grand ambition as wanting uplift humanity, despite the impossibility and improbability of such an undertaking. Especially with how the world truly was like. What let him believe he can do it.
He never pulled on it, never fully drew upon it, but now...
The healing spells stopped. There was nothing more to heal.
"Oh really?" Nobunaga's voice was chilling. Michael could easily imagine the threatening grin on her face. Fjalar's head spanned to where Michael was, finally figuring out where the voice was coming from. "If you're of the divine, then I will slay you like all the others I've slain before."
The Norse Rooster faltered, it's animalistic instincts screaming that something about the situation has changed.
"Nobuu!" "No-bu!" "Noooobbuuuu!" "Nobuu!"
The sound of Mini-Nobu's echoed from the speaker.
"Very intimidating, Nobunaga." Found himself saying, a smile on his face, but a glare focused on the rooster.
"Dammit, guys, I was having a cool moment there." The Servant A.I. whined.
"Nob-Nob!"
"Yeah, you're right. Michael, the Mini-Nobus say 'hi' and that they got all the matrices covered. So, wanna roast this rooster?"
Ah, that's how she could use use the Spell Matrices so quickly and switch between them. Michael was impressed at how effective the Mini-Nobus were. They were smarter than they looked.
"Yeah," Michael's posture changed to a fighting one. "Light them up. Let's cook this bird."
"I AM NO MERE BIRD! BAAAAWKH! I AM FJALAR!" The Norse Creature shouted, no longer held back by caution in the face of disrespect.
"Let's." Nobu wrote up the formulas Michael designed, and added her own in reserve that would create her rifles. Four magic circles appeared around the boy magician, ready for fire spells interchangeably.
The two opponents, Norse Rooster and Young Magician and his magical A.I., were sizing themselves up, waiting for the other to flinch.
The moment came, like two warrior knowing when the battle began. Both Fjalar and Michael moved.
"KFC INQUISITION! SURRENDER YOU CHICKEN!!"
Out of nowhere a blonde girl in a baseball cap with a baseball bat fell from the sky and smacked the Norse Rooster on the head.
"BAW-KHAQ!" The rooster fell to the ground before quickly rolling to it's feet. It managed to stand up, but that seemed to the limit to its success.
As it began to bat and switch the lightsaber, it was very obvious Fjalar wasn't as smooth in it's movements as it was before.
"Prepare for a deep frying! And give back Ecchan's knock-off sword, you thief!" The blonde dimensional traveler shouted.
"I am, bak, I AM FJALAR! SHOUTING IS MAKING MY HEAD HURT WORSE!" The Norse Rooster attempted to fight back, but his opponent this time was ready, and wasn't giving it a chance to escape like before.
"...What?" Michael was confused at the sudden surreal turn of events.
"Hey, it's X!" The Servant A.I. shouted with enthusiasm.
"Nobu, is that you?" MHX called out without turning around. "Look, we'll talk later. Odul, get your winged ass here already!"
Michael expended his magical senses, using spell Nobu already wrote the formulas for. He look up to where he sense another being, and found an honest to god Valkyrie. At least if the Norse armor is anything to go by.
The valkyrie look startled at seeing Michael for some reason. Not fear but wariness. It was odd for the veteran valkyrie to experience such due to a young human boy. Magician or otherwise. She shook it off after a moment, but felt confused on why she felt wariness to begin with.
"Odul! Come help me, or I'll turn this chicken into a happy meal soon!" MHX's shout brough Odul back to her mission. She saw the young warrior she met a while ago, holding the leg with the laser blade handle, while stepping on the other to stop Fjalar's movement.
MHX was however, struggling with the Norse Rooster's constant pecking assault, moving her head her quickly from the attacking beak. Odul worried the girl would make herself dizzy with such head movement soon.
"FJALAR! ISN'T! FOOD!" The rooster dropped the active lightsaber causing MHX to let go of the beast, and catch the blade handle while jumping back. In that free moment, Fjalar dashed to attack the most vulnerable persons it saw around. Michael.
Odul was seized with a feeling of panic, and moved. It had been a long time since she panicked like that on a battlefield. It was not because an innocent might be harmed, she had long learned to set her emotions aside till after the fight was over.
Rather, the panic was due to a...maternal? instinct. Nurturing instinct? She wasn't sure what to name it. All Odul knew was this feeling that this boy must be protected. That if he died now...it would be a saddening loss.
Faster than Michael could even think, just as the rooster was nearly upon him, before he could dodge and counterattack, the valkyrie appeared between him and Fjalar, and kicked the rooster between its legs.
"BAH-KEEEEEK!"