If there was one thing that Sasuke could claim to know better than anyone, it was the feeling of hatred. In fact, at this point, such a feeling was part of his being after spending almost a decade of his life using it as fuel to motivate him and feed his power.
After all, a Uchiha's power came from his feelings, and sometimes hate could be sweeter than love.
Even on this day, after meeting girls who accepted him regardless of the darkness in his heart and cared about him, hate was still a much better and natural response because it didn't hurt him the way love did.
Sasuke learned this lesson the hard way more than once because of Itachi and all the stupid decisions he made arbitrarily.
Without love, he would never have felt that pain and suffered in a way that seemed to get worse and worse with each passing day.
Only hatred and the desire for revenge kept Sasuke from the abyss known as despair, motivating him to keep going.
However, even when consumed by hatred, it wasn't a weapon he aimed at the world... at least, not most of the time.
There was always a focus, such as a person or motive.
Itachi and Danzou were examples of this, as was Konoha with its system corrupted by the darkness ignored in the shinobi world.
Sasuke always hated based on something personal or something that came to bother him deeply over the years, such as Sakura's obsession and Naruto's endless pursuit of him.
Fortunately, things changed, if only a little, after he talked to the old Kages, learned about the origin of the villages and...came to understand why Itachi had gone as far as he had.
From that point on, Sasuke was willing to become an absolute monster and turn the entire planet against him in an almost desperate attempt to maintain peace for eternity without having to resort to something as extreme as the Infinite Dream.
A plan that proved flawed based on the history of another world.
Remnant had a great enemy in common and yet there were conflicts on a global scale taking place.
With this disheartening revelation, Sasuke even considered that this was all the result of having two distinct species unable to coexist. But even if the faunus didn't exist, the humans would find another reason to fight.
The Elemental Nations were just like that, after all.
Conflict was ingrained in the nature of sentient beings and there was nothing that could change that.
Or so Sasuke believed until he met some girls who were contradicting history itself and all the darkness he had come to take as fact.
Weiss and Blake were complete opposites, almost like light and dark, each belonging to one of the two races inhabiting Remnant and having every reason in the world to hate each other, especially when you took into account the connections they had with the Schnee family and the White Fang.
Instead, their feelings for him were strong enough to create a kind of bond that could result in peace.
Mutual cooperation between enemies through feelings of love.
On any other day, Sasuke would have seen this as some kind of fanciful ideological nonsense that only Naruto with his endless naivety would have believed - and probably does believe - to be possible.
Unexpectedly, that wasn't the case and this demonstration of peace was real.
In fact, they weren't the only ones, as Ruby and Yang exerted similar feelings of love and hate towards him.
Winter and Neo too, although these two were a case apart and Sasuke still needed to get to know them better to understand them.
Even so, with this little bit of information, he could consider that maybe... just maybe, it was possible to unite the world through more than just hatred.
Something to consider later.
Before that, Sasuke had to deal with the new target of his animosity; something he had come to hate in record time: the sentient Grimm who had attacked the weakest of those blessed, or cursed considering what had happened, with a fragment of his Chakra.
Doctor Argento didn't deserve to end up like that.
As far as Sasuke knew, Semblances were a manifestation of the Soul, a response to a need, and most of the time they represented an aspect of the person themselves. The doctor's, for example, was a type of healing based on the ability to give his own Aura to the injured person, and could not be used on himself. This meant that Argento awoke this power to help someone else and continued to do just that for most of his life.
In short, this Doctor was a good man and all Sasuke did was complicate his life by dragging him into his problems, such as saving Roman and Cinder, as well as having to deal with Neo and helping Winter when he clearly wasn't in the best condition.
Now, that same man was paying for all his benevolence with his own life...
While Sasuke didn't consider himself a hero in the way that people in this world saw him, the same went for being a monster.
After almost being consumed by the Six Path Mark fueled by the corrupted essence of the Grimm slaughtered around Vale and meeting a manifestation of his mother, he decided that he would no longer be a walking mass of hate and would use his powers to help rather than destroy.
Starting with this world, just as his mother wanted...or as Sasuke wanted, if what he met in that dream was just a by-product of his guilty conscience and deep desire to do good but didn't know how after all the mistakes he'd made.
Regardless, after having made such a decision and even managing to restrain himself by sparing Neo when killing her was his first impulse, Sasuke found himself hating again by having to deal with this cowardly Grimm.
Not just for attacking the old doctor and being a threat to Winter and Neo, but for putting innocent people in danger by confronting him inside a hospital.
This time, unlike with the multicolored girl and all that misunderstanding that made her seek revenge, there was no reason for him to show mercy.
After the initial shock of seeing a mass of darkness spreading and devouring everything it touched, Sasuke took the initiative to stop this Grimm from destroying the hospital by using one of the six paths of the Rinnegan and creating a gravitational shockwave capable of forcing open a path to his target.
Again, using one of the many abilities of his left eye, he teleported and a sword of lightning moved for the second time, only much faster, to the point of surpassing the speed of light and making the thing's head roll through the air.
Bael didn't even had time to react after having his attack dispersed by a superior power, being very different from how it had been before, but it wasn't over yet; for both of them.
To make sure that this Grimm wouldn't be able to regenerate, Sasuke was about to cut everything before his eyes into a thousand pieces and destroy the remains with black flames that would leave no trace behind before he was forced to stop attacking.
Even though he was decapitated, Bael was smiling and his body was moving on its own.
He wasn't like these other inferior creatures or his lesser brothers.
Each of his eyes and mouths was capable of operating independently and only total destruction could result in death.
Not that Bael would give the false god a chance to even try!
So, like the coward that this copy of the Black Zetsu was, one of his hands was pointed in a specific direction and Sasuke moved to protect exposed patients from being consumed by the darkness.
Having to go out of his way to help other people bothered him a lot more than he'd like to admit.
If there was one thing Sasuke missed about the time he was overwhelmed by the madness of the Mangekyou, it was the fact that he was able to fight without worrying about anything but himself.
Was that a bad thing? Yes, he knew that very well and regretted what he did to Karin, Juugo, and Suigetsu by treating them as mere disposable tools.
However, bad or not, it was still extremely convenient.
After all, a closed heart couldn't feel pain.
Unfortunately, or fortunately, from a general point of view, this was no longer the case and Sasuke was beginning to open up to the possibility of loving and being loved again...making him more vulnerable as a result.
A weakness that this enemy didn't mind exploiting to find loopholes and keep fighting when otherwise death was the only outcome.
Just one more reason for Sasuke to hate this thing.
I shouldn't have held back earlier. His mind was on the first attack he made when he sent that Grimm flying out of the building until it crashed into another structure in the distance. No, I should have given chase and finished it far from the city.
Too late to regret it and this thing wasn't going to abandon its current advantage if those countless smiling mouths were any indication, almost as if it was looking for a new target while its body put itself back together.
Sasuke needed to fight and keep in mind the civilians and patients with serious health problems who were easy targets.
Evacuating everyone was the best response he could have to this situation.
The execution of this plan, however, was something he hated.
Really, being good is a pain! Sasuke leaped away from the danger with the Doctor in his arms and the others he had rescued still trapped between snakes to find even more people begging for help. Six Paths Sage Art! He had no time to hesitate and acted quickly. White Serpent Clone!
From his body, countless snakes emerged to form a perfect copy of himself.
If he was going to have to use clones, Sasuke would rather use one of Orochimaru's Jutsu than resort to Naruto's signature technique.
It might have been a childish response on his part, but it didn't matter.
Sasuke refused to use a Shadow Clone, especially when he learned that this Jutsu was a symbol of his only friend's greatest weakness and something that plagued them both;
Loneliness.
What's more, a White Serpent Clone fueled by the power of the Six Paths could transform into a thousand serpents with ease and greatly aid evacuation.
Yes, the wheels of an excellent plan were already working in his mind. With this, I can use Reverse Summoning, and get everyone out of here!
It was perfect.
The only problem was the time it would take.
Even a few minutes in a fight of this level would be enough to cause destruction and kill countless people.
In that case, I have no choice. Sasuke handed over everyone he was carrying to the clone and focused on the problem at hand. I have to hold this thing off while I try to kill it without letting anyone else get caught in the crossfire.
The damage caused by the wave of darkness earlier was significant, resulting in an empty hole big enough for him to be sure that some people had already died.
It was impossible to save everyone and as much as it bothered him deeply, especially the feeling of guilt for being responsible for attracting this thing in the first place, Sasuke would have to accept this failure born of his incompetence and do his best to prevent something like this from happening again.
That and make this thing regret having crossed his path.
It wasn't long before the Grimm had fully recovered and had his distorted voice sounding again, full of disdain.
"To think that a being with a power even more sinister than my own would go to such lengths to save these trashes." Bael had one of those smaller humans he'd devoured earlier appear in his hand, a noisy little thing that wouldn't even make for a snack but had its uses. "Ironic, don't you think?"
Sasuke's blood ran cold for a second, unable to understand when this thing had taken a child without him seeing it, and that made the Six Path Mark on his neck stir as it began to burn over his skin.
"M-mama..." the little girl dressed as a patient, with IVs still attached to her tiny body and blood dripping from open wounds, cried out in pain as she was suspended in the air by her head. "I-it hurts..."
In the next second, before Bael could crush the head of this annoying little thing and revel even more in the negative emotions of this powerful enemy, the little one in his hand had disappeared, and in its place were black flames of even greater intensity than that one of his brothers could create!
In the blink of an eye, such power managed to cover his entire body!
"Arrrgh!" the cry of pain echoed and his form struggled as he hit the surrounding structure, trying and failing to shake off the heat worthy of a star! Th-this magic... it even looks like something my father could create!
Perhaps this intruder's divinity was greater than Bael initially believed... and nothing could make him happier to be wrong!
If... I devour this! Even under the excruciating pain of having his form consumed by this corrupted flame, each of his mouths were grinning jagged smiles full of madness. I'll grow even stronger!
Forget surpassing Luciel, with this power, Bael could even reach the divine realm of his father!
In response to his greatest wish, his own darkness appeared to prevent the god with unique eyes from attacking him again with a sword of lightning.
Slowly but steadily, Bael was devouring these divine flames of demonic nature and growing stronger!
For the first time since his creation, he was finally getting a taste of magic on a divine level!
Best of all, this was only the beginning!
Watching in silence, Sasuke used this opportunity to hand over the crying child he had just saved to the clone at his side.
"I'll deal with that thing," he stated, his eyes changing pattern along with the intensity and darkness of his Chakra. "You know what to do."
The clone only nodded once in confirmation before moving off, having plenty to do.
The fewer people around, the easier it would be to kill this thing.
Unfortunately, the structure of this floor was beginning to collapse under the intensity of the damage caused by this Grimm's power and the black flames of the Amaterasu that ended up spreading, threatening to bring down the entire building.
Winter and Neo were still around, even helping other people from what he could sense, so he couldn't let anything of this scale happen.
"Earth style!" Sasuke made a series of seals before placing his hands on the structure and spreading his Chakra all over that floor. "Rock Hardening!"
It was a risky move, especially since it had the chance to fuel this thing's power even further, but it didn't matter.
This Grimm could become ten times stronger for all Sasuke cared and he would still be destroyed at the end of it.
Powerful or not, this thing was still an inferior creature that was no match for the weakest Bijuu even now.
Certainly, this thing was more than capable of destroying the entire Kingdom of Vale, especially with the Chakra it was absorbing along with the black flames of Amaterasu. However, Sasuke could do the same, recover his stolen power, and even take everything this Grimm had.
The Rinnegan was convenient like that.
Besides, I'll make it spit out the old doctor's soul. Sasuke would be sure of that and much more. Yes, if this thing also has a soul of its own, something I very much doubt to be possible, I'll rip that out too.
Not just for revenge, but to get information about what exactly he was dealing with here and whether there were more of these things out there.
The last thing Sasuke wanted was more surprises like this.
"Hah, hahahahah!" a broken laugh rang out and Bael emerged again, his demonic form even more defined than before and his dark magic having reached another level! "So this is the power of a god?!" he could feel his own essence churning endlessly as he craved even more of this power that was so reminiscent of his father's! "I feel like I could do anything now!"
Extending his hand forward, a mass of darkness appeared to travel all the way until it exploded outside the building in less than a second, devouring everything without leaving a trace behind...
...Except for the foreign god who had his hand outstretched unaffected along the floor beneath his feet in a perfect circle, but it didn't matter.
Not only had Bael's darkness-consuming ability and speed increased, but he could feel even more power returning to him!
I can see it! For some reason, the divine power of this foreign god was permeating the surrounding structure and he could imagine why. To save the inferior creatures that inhabit this world.
It was laughable how much this idiot cared about such risible things!
Perhaps because he shared the same physical characteristics? The resemblance this intruder shared with his father's flawed creation was undeniable and raised countless questions about his origin, but that was irrelevant in the face of this display of weakness. A true god shouldn't be like that!
Not even his father and uncle cared about such things! In fact, they even completely exterminated them once for their transgression!
An entity of such power should strive for so much more!
"You don't deserve the power you have!" Bael made his darkness burn brighter, hatred and spite fueling his endless desire. "Then I'll do you a favor and take everything you have for myself!"
In the next second, before he could bring this entire building down, the world started spinning a second time as his head flew through the air!
Somehow, it happened even faster than before!
Even after he had become so much more powerful, this little god was still much faster than him!
How?! Bael couldn't understand what had changed, but only until he was caught by this god and saw the cold face in front of him. His eyes!
They were different now!
Not just the eyes, there was a black mark burning across the entire left half of this god's exposed skin and Bael would recognize the power there anywhere!
The Essence of the World that gave life to him and each of his brothers!
This damned god was stealing from his father's planet!
"You talk too much." Sasuke was no longer playing around, holding the thing's head in his hand as its main body fell into a thousand pieces. "Even more so for something that's already dead."
All that was needed now was to use the Preta Path and...
He stopped, sensing danger as he was stared back at by a pair of red eyes full of madness that he knew all too well, very reminiscent of what he had seen in Deidara's last moments.
Just as it was with that suicidal maniac, the head in his hand exploded like a bomb of darkness!
Sasuke's first instinct was to get away from the imminent danger and he could do that easily, but what about the hospital?
Even this head had enough power to turn Vale into a crater and that couldn't happen!
In the mere second that Sasuke had to act, he made use of his power to try and contain the explosion!
Unfortunately, he didn't have enough time to bring up enough power to deal with everything. Fortunately, what he managed to conjure up with the Deva Path was able to prevent a catastrophe.
The resulting impact, however, sent Sasuke flying through walls until he came to a stop a few floors up, cracks spreading dangerously throughout the building's already compromised structure.
If he hadn't used his Chakra to reinforce that floor, the hospital would probably have collapsed.
"Tsk!" Sasuke felt pain to gain his attention, his eyes focusing on the palms of his hands where chunks of his flesh were missing and blood was oozing out. "It could have been worse."
The Grimm was weak, but only because it was clear that this thing didn't know how to use its power in an efficient and controlled way.
That was what differentiated humans from Bijuus and why those walking catastrophes had been subdued.
However, exploding power like that doesn't exactly require control and Sasuke could count himself lucky that this thing was inferior to a real Bijuu.
That aside, he walked back to the hole he came from, but not without creating snakes to go to the people on the upper floor. Did this thing really kill itself?
Sasuke didn't know if that was a good thing or not.
On the one hand, the people would be safe. On the other, he had lost a great source of information.
No... Sasuke narrowed his eyes and focused mainly on the way the Six Path Mark was pulsing on his neck. This isn't over yet.
The head might have self-destructed, but what about the rest?
Although Sasuke had torn the body apart, he didn't know how strong this thing's regeneration was.
In fact, he didn't know if this Grimm could be killed by conventional means. Considering the ability shown by being able to merge with the world around it just like Kaguya and the similarities to a Bijuu, this thing could very well be immortal.
That would be a problem.
Something tells me I'm about to find out. His eyes changed the type of vision and thanks to the changes in his Chakra, as well as the new Six Path Mark that was no different from a Sage Mode, he could see the residue of corrupted Natural Energy moving through the air. Looks like I was right.
This fight wasn't over yet.
Sorry for the delay. I was spending the last week of the year with my family and couldn't focus on writing the chapter, so I decided to postpone it.
That's all for now, so don't forget to leave a review, and if you want to support me and read ahead, take a look at my P t r & on (slash) Bertoti
The next one will be out by the end of the month.
Until then.