I don't own anything. All characters and all rights belong to Ichiei Ishibumi*
M for mature topics. No children allowed. *
The Broken Boosted Gear
By Try Another Time
*Shin Godzilla Ost-Defeat is no option*
The fights continued in the sky above Shangri La as the rain continued. Injuries arise on both sides as the intensity of the conflicts increases with each second.
Athena's eyes glared at the last god of fortune before her. His muscular body covered in shining green armor with golden details couldn't hide the many scars his body held. The stench of blood surrounding him was horrendous as if his armor had never been cleaned. His ashen hair was no better than where his gray eyes were devoid of life.
It seemed as if he had avoided any sleep for years.
"Thou are walking towards thy demise. What reason could thy people have to come into our territory?" Athena asks as she keeps her distance from the god.
Bishamonten's expression remains unchanged as his eyes transmit an unbearable pain. The god rushes forward and attacks her with his spear.
Athena blocks the attack, although she finds some difficulty in standing her ground as Bishamonten is no pushover. "Thy strength is impressive. Legends about thy achievements must be true in certain ways, yet thou lack the determination to achieve victory." Athena pushes back with her shield and uses the opening to deliver a kick across Bishamonten's face.
The attack landed and sent the god flying back several meters away, but he quickly recovered as he got back up. The god spits some blood before the sword that rested around his waist unsheathes on its own before it starts to spin around him.
The spinning speed increases before the sword multiplies into thousands of copies, each as real as the original.
"This is my fight. I will atone for it by dying as a warrior. Kill me, or I shall kill you and all of those you care about." Bishamonten raises his spear before the spinning swords go after Athena.
The goddess's eyes widened as she saw the incoming projectiles, yet someone interfered before any sword could reach her. Several shining projectiles impacted the swords, thus deviating most from their intended trajectory.
"Michael." The goddess tells herself as she evades the remaining swords with precise movements. A small magic circle appears next to her ear. She didn't need to look for him as she knew he was always keeping an eye on her.
"Athena, I will offer support. The situation might get worse the longer the fight continues. Uriel and the others will do their best to neutralize the ships and their weapons before they attack Shangri-La." Michael informs.
"Understood," Athena says as she rushes forward and clashes against Bishamonten.
Their spears clash against each other, sending sparks in all directions as neither god is willing to give up that easily. Their mastery over their fighting styles is a full display as each attack is precise in their attempt to eliminate their target.
Athena continues to lead, and her raw strength overwhelms Bishamonten at first. However, things start to take a turn as Athena's attacks miss far more regularly than they should.
The goddess raises an eyebrow as she can't understand why her attacks are missing without a possible explanation.
"On your left!" Michael informs her after he misses a sword, which quickly goes after Athena's neck.
The goddess twists her body to evade the attack. The blade of the sword barely misses her neck, leaving a small cut, but Bishamonten doesn't miss this opportunity as he goes after her chest.
With a clear path to attack, Bishamonten tries to stab Athena's torso, but his attack is blocked as a purple aura emanates from Athena's armor, which repels the spear's head.
Athena dashes away, deciding to create distance between herself and Bishamonten for a quick analysis of the weird occurrences that just took place. "Something has affected the trajectory of mine attacks."
"So it is not only you. My shots missed when they shouldn't have. Can it be Bishamonten's power? Is he affecting luck itself?" Michael asks as he questions the weird missed shots that have occurred.
"Luck is Bishamonten's domain. This complicates things." Athena observes her opponent with closer attention. As she examines the god's body, she notices a transparent object floating behind him: "The halo. The bastard uses his divinity to alter the accuracy of any attacks directed at his person. This will only get more troublesome."
"I have you back. Just focus on defeating him." Michael assures the goddess.
"You're not taking me seriously, Goddess of Olympus. This is not what legends claim about you—a ruthless champion who batted herself in the blood of thousands. I expect more from my adversary." The armor which covers Bishamonten's torso bursts open as his torso filled with scars is shown. The blood vessels along his body become far more visible as his muscles are pushed to their limits. The invisible halo appears as its platinum color shines. "Without the determination to kill, you won't take my life."
The god rushes forward to engage the goddess once more. His strength is far higher now as Athena struggles to block his spear.
"Are thou obsessed with dying? Is that the reason behind thy pantheon's attack? To lead so many souls to their certain deaths?" Athena questions the god as she starts to increase her strength.
"The voices won't stop."
Athena raises an eyebrow.
"Their cries of pain. Their pleas for mercy. So much pain. So many of my comrades fell…. I should have fallen on that battlefield…. Soon, I will follow all of you to the void." Bishamonten says with a voice that is unable to hide his guilt.
"Madness. Thy pantheon has gone mad with guilt." Athena couldn't shake her horror as she understood their reasoning. "Thou-"
"Kill me, or I'll kill you. There's no other way to stop the voices." Bishamonten goes on a rampage as he tries to slay Athena with a ferocity worthy of a mad beast.
Athena grinds her teeth as she sees no other path than going all out. "This won't end well. Suicidal opponents are the worst."
She could only hope for a way to stop this senseless conflict, and she wasn't the only one as the others faced similar difficulties with their own fights.
Meanwhile, Ddraig and Shiva. Shinto Realm.
The Welsh Dragon and Shiva arrived at the main entrance of the Shinto Realm with no problems. A landscape worthy of an art piece lay before them as cherry blossom petals continuously rained on the realm as if spring was the only season.
Wooden houses with lanterns adorned the streets, while the main row led to an impressive Japanese palace on a mountain worthy of their deities.
Yet, this beauty was overshadowed, as the darkness of the night wasn't illuminated by a moon. The atmosphere of the realm was somber; the rain continued to pour down on the streets while not a single voice could be heard across the realm.
It felt weird, as if they had lost something precious. Something that they couldn't replace.
"We have no time to waste," Shiva says as he takes the lead. "Follow me; the path leads this way."
Ddraig followed him in silence. As they flew across the realm, he noticed Youkai and other citizens dressed in white kneeling in the streets and silently praying. They seemed to ignore their presence as no one tried to stop them.
"Don't try to figure it out by looking at them. The answers will become clear once we reach that place—the place of my visions," Shiva says as he leads Ddraig toward a mountain isolated from the rest of the realm.
Tombstones and monuments increased in number as they approached the mountain. The atmosphere took a deeper dive as they approached what seemed to be their cemetery.
Once the pair was close enough, they noticed a small group at the steps of the mountain. As they got closer, Ddraig noticed that the figure leading the group seemed to illuminate the darkness with her presence.
Her light was the only thing that seemed capable of piercing the darkness, which seemed to take over the realm.
As Ddraig and Shiva descended, the mysterious figure turned around to face them. Her eyes brightened for a moment as she saw him.
"Wait, if you're here, that means that-" Shiva interrupted her as he raised his hand.
"Your people are still fighting our allies. I brought him here because he might be the only one who can stop this madness. Amaterasu, move away and entrust Ddraig with the fate of your people." Shiva says.
His words raise concern among Amaterasu's followers, who can't see a way to stop the madness that has taken hold of their warriors and many of their remaining deities.
After hearing Shiva's words, the goddess steps forward. Her face seemed to regain a semblance of hope. Once she's close enough to the dragon, she drops to her knees and grasps his hand. "I have no right to ask you for aid, but you might be our only hope. I ask you to defeat Susanoo; he might only regain his reason after facing you in combat. I can't defeat him, but you might be the only one capable of reaching him. If he is defeated, the others might stop."
"Might?" Ddraig questions her.
"... I can't assure you that the fighting will stop, but Susanoo might be the only one who can order them to stop," Amaterasu admits.
Ddraig shakes his head as her words don't inspire confidence in him. "Why even start all this? Why did he challenge? Why are your people attacking us?"
Amaterasu's attendants and followers rush forward before dropping to their knees before Ddraig.
"Guilt has taken hold of all of them, Welsh Dragon."
"They seek to atone by dying as warriors."
"None of those who returned besides Amaterasu-sama have been able to move on."
"Their minds are still trapped on the battlefield from the previous war."
"Susanoo-sama has worsened their conditions by claiming that only by dying as warriors can they achieve peace."
Ddraig connected the dots of many of his questions, but one remained unanswered. "But why me? Yuki confirmed to me that I wasn't the one who slayed Tsukuyomi. Why does he hold a grudge against me?"
Amaterasu raises her face. "... He can't accept that our brother died because of our foolishness. Susanoo believes that if you hadn't injured Tsukuyomi back then, he would have survived. He's running away from facing his sins. I tried to reason with him, to plead with him that we should accept the past and what we did. To make them realize that we are to be blamed for all the deaths of our pantheon."
The goddess tears up as she remembers her own foolishness in following Susanoo and ignoring her brother's concerns.
"Tsukuyomi pleaded to us to avoid joining the war and ignore our pride and confidence. He told us that we were leading our people to their deaths, and yet we ignored his words."
Her followers can only cry in shame as they bear the scars of their mistakes and follow her to the battlefield. Ddraig notices that many are missing limbs.
None returned unscratched, as they lost limbs, friends, and even family members in the war. Nothing was gained, and only misery remained.
Ddraig can't ignore their pleas as he feels guilty over the deaths that he also caused. He felt the chains of his sins as he led Albion to a war they had no business in. His mind thinks about how many of their people he slew with his claws as he sought to eliminate anything in his path. "... I'll do it."
Amaterasu's eyes grow brighter as he summons his armor and lets go of her hand. Amaterasu's followers get out of his way.
"I'll face him and force him to stop the fighting." He claims as he steps closer to the Torii gate leading to the stairs. His steps lack the strength they once held, yet his determination remains the same as he seeks to stop unnecessary bloodshed.
"Old man!" A voice screams.
Ddraig stops his advance a mere inch from fully crossing the Torii gate. As his eyes turn around, he can see Tosca, Vali, Tiamat, and Ophis appearing from within the gate created by Ophis.
"Stop right there, Ddraig." Albion screams. "You can't fight in that state. Any more, and you might die again."
Vali nods as she understands how weak Ddraig currently is. "You can't even wield your sword in that state."
Amaterasu questions the comment as she can't see any problem with Ddraig at first.
"This is not your fight either. You don't owe these people anything," Tiamat says.
"But I do. I owe them at least this. I can't remember how many, but I likely eliminated many of their friends and family. If I don't do anything, those currently fighting might cause even more damage. I can't just watch as our allies and friends put themselve in harm's way for no reason. I have to stop it before it gets worse." Ddraig says.
"We'll face the consequences. Please, don't do this. I can take your place if necessary, but I won't be able to recover if I let you die. I regret not having stopped you all those years ago. You would have stayed alive if I had been more direct and forced you to stay with me. I can't lose you again nor allow you to risk Issei while he's still asleep. Don't risk his soul by putting yourself at risk." Tiamat pleads as she steps closer.
Shiva remains silent, knowing what's about to happen. Ophis notices his actions, as he doesn't seem to interfere.
Ddraig doubts as he can see the concern in their expressions.
"Old man." Tosca steps forward. "Let's go back. We'll find another way."
"Tosca, I can't," Ddraig replies.
"I don't care. If we lose you, nothing else matters. Let's go back to where we belong. Let us protect you." Tosca reaches out for his hand, but before she can grab it, a mysterious chanting is heard by those present.
Everyone looks around. They notice several Youkai appearing from behind the trees that surround the area. As if they had waited for this very moment, the Youkai make their presence known to Ddraig and the rest.
"Susanoo's attendants?" Amaterasu seems confused as she recognizes their faces. "What are-"
"All for his sake." The attendants say in unison as they pull small sacrificial daggers from their tunics before stabbing their chests with them. "Dead to the dragon."
"What are you doing?" Amaterasu screams as she sees their bodies dropping one after the other.
Symbols around the entire mountain start to shine as their sacrifices activate a malicious ritual.
A mysterious force pushes Ddraig inside the mountain while pushing Tosca away from the torii gate. A red barrier around the mountain blocks anyone from entering or exiting, as the ritual gets completed within a few seconds.
"Ddraig!" Tiamat uses her claws to pierce the barrier, but her effort is futile as the barrier remains undamaged. "No, no, no!"
Ddraig stands up and looks around in confusion. "What-" His instincts go off as he detects imminent danger.
Several explosions occur inside the barrier, followed by the release of black gas. The gas spreads in all directions inside the barrier, engulfing the mountain in an ominous aura.
Ddraig tried to cover his face, but it was already too late. He felt Ascalon running wild inside his right arm as it tried to fight what was invading his owner's body.
The bodies of all those present started to tremble as they felt a fear unique to the gas. It was as if everyone knew how deadly it was, especially those with the blood of dragons, as their bodies screamed at them to stay away.
Ddraig starts coughing blood as his body starts to be affected by the gas. Breathing becomes more difficult. He feels that many of his internal organs started to be severely damaged. An eye appears on his hand as Ascalon stretches its tendrils across the inside of Ddraig to fight the increasing infection.
Ddraig felt like whatever was in the gas was eating him from within—something malevolent and focused only on killing.
As his eyes look at the plants within the barrier, he sees how deadly the gas is as they rot away in mere moments. He then feels a sharp sensation on his neck as he tries to remain on foot.
Ddraig reaches out and finds an empty syringe stuck in his neck. "What is this?" The syringe falls to the floor as Ddraig's hand trembles uncontrollably.
"Ddraig, you need to go up." Shiva steps forward. "That gas will kill you and anyone who comes into contact with it. Defeat Susanoo before it is too late. She'll have your back, so focus on fighting. This is your path; don't run away."
Ddraig looks at the expressions of concern on his allies and family for one last time before he forces his body to move. "I promise to return." There was no turning back as he began to run for the steps with his weakened body.
Tiamat is left speechless as she sees him start to make his way to the top.
Tosca punches Shiva with all of her strength. "What is that thing? Why am I shaking in fear? What are you sending my father off to?"
The god takes the blow without any anger in his eyes. "That gas is a weapon, one that could even kill me. Samael's blood was used to create it. Of all the futures I have seen, only he survives this. Tiamat would have died if she had gone instead of him. None of us was destined to die if he didn't go in."
"This can't be!" Albion screams. "You sent him to his demise!"
"Lord Shiva, what have you done? This is complete insanity." Vali can't believe what she's hearing.
"Samael's blood? You sent him to a trap filled with a thing that was made to kill us?" Tiamat turns to face him. Anger burned in her eyes as she saw the calm expression on his face.
"Only he can achieve victory in this dire situation. This is his path, but I can assure you that he's not alone. Somebody else is with him as we speak. She'll keep him alive." The god points at the syringe on the floor. "That will help him endure the effects of the weapon."
Tiamat sees the syringe and tries to figure out who is inside the trap with Ddraig. "Who is with him?" Tiamat raises her claws once more, intent on making her way inside, but Shiva stops her.
"Don't try to break the barrier; the gas will be released and spread to the rest of the realm. You, too, Ophis, don't even try to get inside that thing or try to bring him outside. You will be injured beyond any healing if you come into contact with that gas or Ddraig. Only he can take care of this." Shiva explains to try to ensure the safety of everyone present. He knew what he did was cruel, but he had to follow what he saw and remain on the path leading to the best outcome.
Regardless of how much hate he would gain by leading the Welsh Dragon to even more dangerous events.
"Wait, my brother is also inside. Susanoo will die if he comes into contact with the gas." Amaterasu stands up and approaches the god. "There's no way he would support any of this."
Shiva shakes his head. "Regardless of whether he knows about it, only Ddraig can save him now. Everything is in his hands."
Tiamat is still in shock, but the question still remains in her mind. She turns around and faces Shiva once more. "Who went inside? Who is with Ddraig as we speak?"
"The only goddess willing to risk herself to ensure his survival. Ereshkigal has been with him since the beginning," Shiva says. "We're all playing our parts regardless of my interference."
Everyone's eyes grow wide as they hear who is by his side.
"But how?" Tosca questions the god.
Shiva points to the shadow beneath his feet. "She has more abilities than many gods."
Ddraig's POV.
*Sins of the Father- Donna Burke*
The dragon continued to make his way to the top with incredible difficulty. Each step felt agonizing as his body tried to fight the effects of the gas. It didn't matter if he covered his face; the gas was affecting him by being just in contact with it.
He had to admit it; this had to be the worst kind of torture, as he couldn't put into words how much pain he was enduring.
Suddenly, his body lost balance, almost tumbling several steps back, but a mysterious set of hands pushed him back.
"Get back on track. We have no time to lose." A voice said in his ear, followed by some severe coughing.
"Ereshkigal? Where? How?" Ddraig questions the goddess as he looks around.
"I'm hiding in your shadow—Bennia Orcus and me. I connected your shadow to my personal realm while you were asleep. I feared that you were going to do something crazy like this. Bennia is injecting several experimental antidotes into me to try to counter the effects of the gas. This damn thing is far more deadly than I expected, but not as fast as the pure blood. We would likely be dead in seconds if it were pure blood. Whoever is making this thing knows how to turn it into a weapon that is far easier to use." Ereshkigal said as one of her hands arose from Ddraig's shadow to use another syringe on him.
"Why are you doing this?" Ddraig questions the goddess as he can't make sense of it. She was the last of the Alliance who he expected to do something of the sort. "You're putting yourself at risk by even being here."
"You don't get to die on me, Welsh Dragon. Yukime told me about what she detected in this place, and I took steps to ensure your survival. Seems like my fears were right as you put yourself in harm's way again." Ereshkigal explains. "Keep moving. The longer we take, the worse it will get."
Ddraig hears her advice and continues to move forward. "... I'm sorry. You're putting doing too much for my sake. I should be the only one enduring this dire situation."
Ereshkigal chuckles. "You seem to forget what you promised me. You're an idiot with a fascination for risking his safety to protect others. Cowardice doesn't seem like a part of your vocabulary as you face any challenges without a drop of fear. How many times do I need to remind you that you don't get to die on me now or ever? Your soul and your life belong to me and the other members of the Alliance. You can't die… Nabu will need his father, and we will need the Enforcer to remain our guiding light as we face the unknown future that awaits us."
Her words made Ddraig a bit happy, as she held no noticeable hostility toward him. "Nabu?" Ddraig raised an eyebrow, as the name seemed curious to him for some reason.
"... Focus on the task at hand. I fear what might be waiting for you ahead. I can only support you this way; fighting is impossible for me, Bennia, or Enkidu under these conditions. I don't know if souls can be affected by the gas." Ereshkigal says.
Ddraig shakes his head as he understands the difficulty of the situation. "Your support is more than enough." His words are followed by more coughing. As Ddraig sees the blood on his hand, he can't help but fear what this might do to Issei and him as the gas continues to infiltrate his body.
"Here goes another one." Ereshkigal delivers another syringe of the experimental drug. "How is your body?"
"Bad." The dragon pushes on with visible pain as every step takes a lot of him. "Is eating me from within, but the syringes are helping a bit. Ascalon is also helping, but this thing doesn't stop. It craves my very flesh."
"We're increasing the doses and adding some stimulants to aid your reaction time. You're far from optimal in terms of facing someone like Susanoo. Just what were you thinking about coming here and putting yourself in danger? You seemed to lack any survival instincts." Ereshkigal expresses as she injects even more things into Ddraig.
The dragon feels a new surge of energy as his heart rate increases.
"Better?"
"Be-" Ddraig doesn't get to finish his reply as a series of arrows flies towards him. Ddraig does his best to evade most of the arrows, but some reach him and even pierce his armor. His eyes grow wide as his bloodstream receives a concentrated supply of Anti-dragon poison. "No, it can't be."
"Took us long enough to find our way to you, Welsh Dragon." A voice says.
Seven figures appeared from within the dark gas. Each one was wearing a suit specially made to isolate them from the gas. Their faces remained hidden, but looking at their bodies' shape, one could tell that they all came from different races. The small trinkets made from bones that hung from their shoulders told Ddraig who they were.
"Dragon hunters. What are all of you doing here?" Ddraig asks as he summons Ascalon. The sword appears, but several tendrils remain attached to Ddraig's arm as the sword aids him in fighting Samael's gas.
"You're asking as if you don't know what we want." The group leader rushes forward, wielding a battle ax. His lower body resembles that of a centaur.
Ddraig does his best as he lifts Ascalon and blocks the attack, but he is already falling for the trap as other team members use the chance to stab him with their spears coated in anti-dragon poison. The Welsh Dragon grasps for air as the hunters easily pierce his chest. It seemed as if not even his armor was in the best shape.
"Look at yourself. You buried our ancestors under a mountain, expecting to eliminate our clan from the map. Too bad for you, as we remained. For years, we searched and gathered resources to finish the job they couldn't. Many curious coincidences let us here. We just had to play our cards well. Convincing those Youkai to trap you here was pretty amazing, but getting our hands on this gas was the best thing. Our provider called it Samael's Breath, and I have to say that it is far more amazing than anything we have ever made." The leader of the hunters says as he tries to bury his ax on Ddraig's head.
The Welsh Dragon grinds his teeth as he tries to fight back. His eyes see how the other hunters point their arrows and projectiles at him.
The situation was dire, and he had no way out except to fight under such conditions.
"Today will be the day your legend ends, Welsh Dragon. You won't get away again. You will pay for your sins like all the other dragons—dead to all the dragons," the leader says as he grins under his protective suit.
He didn't have to see their eyes to know that no amount of words could ever convince such people. Like their ancestors before them, they saw only one path that involved eliminating all dragons regardless of where they came from.
Meanwhile, on the mountain's top.
With eyes that had lost their way, Susanoo remained seated on top of the lake, continuing to drink and ignore the poison that started to infiltrate his body. By his side remained a mysterious sword that emanated a monstrous aura.
One could notice that a green liquid emanated from the sword and dissipated into the lake, poisoning its waters and killing any fish that once called it home.
"Come to me. Let us fight until one remains, Welsh Dragon. Kill me or kill you; there's no other way. I shall fight with all I have even if it costs me a hefty price."
Was there a chance to light the darkness in his eyes?
Author's notes:
Samael's Breath: A highly deadly weapon made in secret and considered imperfect, as Samael's blood loses some of its effectiveness after being combined with chemicals and turned into a gas. Its destructive potential can't be overlooked, as those affected can be considered secondary spreaders. If infected, death is 99% certain as there's no 'cure,' but with the right equipment and treatment, one might survive with lasting effects such as complete organs needing to get replaced.