As soon as the red in my vision died down, I glanced around in confusion. From the purple sky and sun, we were still in the Underworld, but there were no buildings near us. All I saw, were desolate, barren plains, dark-green clouds in the sky and monsters/ beasts of different species walking around. There were centaurs, lamia, undines of all shapes and sizes, canines and felines of all sorts.
If the monster belonged to a mythology, they were here.
"Where the hell are we?" I muttered as MacGregor and Okita chuckled as Joker and Bardou looked around, both of them staring curiously as the beasts just glanced cautiously at us.
All of the monsters felt like they had the same level of strength as a Low Ultimate-Class being, with some of them feeling like Mid Ultimate-Class and a rare few having the same strength as a High Ultimate-Class being. Thankfully, The two boys were both also Peak Ultimate-Class after the training they endured from Surtr when I was training with Okita, with Bardou being just a bit stronger than Joker and almost breaching through the threshold to becoming Satan-Class.
Then you have me. With Surtr's intensive strength, durability and endurance training, Okita's monstrous speed, reflexes and reaction speed training and MacGregor's magic and demonic energy training, I finally entered the threshold and become a Low Satan-Class being. I was starting to get a bit surprised at how fast my growth was going, because where it took most Devils years or even decades to reach this level, I was able to achieve it in just three years.
Yeah, something was definitely up with my body.
"Welcome to the Devil's Bermuga, the most dangerous place in the Underworld. This is where you're going to be living for the next year." My head snapped up in shock to stare at him and he just grinned down.
"What? I told you only death battles and all-out battles will help you grow stronger. This is the best place to do so." I just turned to MacGregor, who nodded as I sighed.
"Of course, you leave me in a place that could kill me. Why am I not surprised?" I muttered as I pinched the bridge of my nose right before I winced as Okita whacked me on the head.
"Well, Okita and I will be leaving now. We will be keeping an eye on you from far away and will only interfere if you're either too injured or facing someone way too powerful for you. If we don't, it means we believe you have a way to kill that monster and we want you to use that brain of yours to fight it, understood?" I nodded and he smiled before a teleportation crest appeared under the two of them.
"Also, you two, since you wanted to come along, you'll have to get stronger or the gaki will have to protect your asses everytime, alright?" The affirmative nods from Joker and Bardou made Okita nod before he gave me a final nod and they disappeared in a crimson flash. It was just as they disappeared that the hellhound-like monsters turned to face us, some growling loudly. The other monsters seem to have a wait-and-see approach as they all walked back to see who was going to win. With a grin, I activated both Storm Wolf's Aura and Touki, Joker's and Bardou's snarls sounding like amped-up Harley Engines as they transformed into their true forms.
Flames spewed out the sides of their mouths as they grew to the point where they were towering slightly over me, Their fur burned off completely as their skin turned obsidian black, orange cracks running around their bodies like cracks in volcanic earth. Viscous orange droplets slowly dripped from the cracks and as the droplets touched the ground, they burned right into it as black smoke slowly emanated from the holes.
"Let's get 'em, boys." I growled with a grin as I created two dirks with Blade Blacksmith, 'Quadruple Power, Durability and Sharpness Boost' runes written in Enochian along the sides of the blades as Joker and Bardou howled before we blitzed towards the hellhounds. The hellhounds just howled back as the entire pack of 20 hounds rushed at us. Either I underestimated myself or overestimated the hellhounds, because I was tearing through them left and right. The dirks in my hands stabbed and cleaved through all of them like a hot knife through butter and since they were Holy Blades, the purifying aura of the dirks were very effective against the unholy hounds.
"Gah!" I grunted as I tilted my body backwards, Joker jumping over me and ripping out the throat of one of the flying monsters that tried to get a sneak attack in while they thought I was too focused on the hounds. The two throwing knives in my hand that had a multitude of runes on them told him otherwise. He just huffed as Bardou and I chuckled, right before I pivoted on my right foot, spun around the sneak attacks of the final two hellhounds and threw both knives at them, embedding a blade in each of their skulls.
Jumping quickly as high as I could, a whistle made Joker and Bardou jump as well right before I activated the runic patterns on the knives. The holy aura of the blades increased even further, to the point where I believed they were equal to an Excalibur fragment, right before they exploded. A bright silver and blue wave of energy rippled out of the knives and across a 300 meter radius, Joker, Bardou and I just a bit out of its reach and yet the Holy Energy still felt painful.
"Note: 'Amplification x4, Expansion Boost x2, Accelerate Energy Flow and Holy Power Boost x4' in Enochian with Holy Blades is not the best idea if allies are near." I muttered as I wrote my findings in a notebook Rias bought me to help me keep track of all my runic combinations, Joker and Bardou just giving me deadpan looks as I gave a sheepish chuckle. The wave of energy kept pulsing for probably five seconds before it disappeared, but I didn't go down until I felt all of the residual Holy Energy be devoured by the chaotic Demonic Energy in the Underworld's atmosphere before we finally lowered ourself.
The explosion didn't affect the environment as much as I thought it would. There was a massive scorch mark all around us, with us in the middle, but other than that, I could see nothing else that would tell anyone that there was a battle here. The monsters, however, were completely disintegrated. Those that were already dead, like the hellhounds, and those that were just watching on the ground were completely gone, not a trace of them left. Not even ashes were spared. The flying monsters that were flying just as high as us were the only ones still alive, the other flying beasts completely vaporized to smithereens.
"Note: The runic combination, however, is very effective against unholy/ demonic beasts/ beings." I muttered as I kept taking notes, Joker and Bardou just shaking their hands as they deactivated their transformation and sat down.
It's all in the same of runic advancement!
*AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*
I heard a deep howl behind us and turned before I paled slightly. Running towards us was a monstrous pack of hellhounds, tinting the entire area behind them in black and orange as they all transformed.
"Well, boys. Looks like I'm about to show you one of my most devastating techniques." I muttered and Joker and Bardou looked surprised as they transformed, watching me grin as I stared at the hoard before I released my full magic.
Thanks to MacGregor's training, my magic has increased to rival that of most Low Ultimate-Class Devils. That's an achievement in itself considering the fact that reaching that level takes most Devil years to achieve and I did it in about a few months.
I do wonder if the torture is worth it, though.
Instantly, thunderclaps was heard everywhere as small lightning bolts scorched the ground around me. The wind picked up, going from a slight breeze to small tornado-level winds, dust and ash swirling around Joker and Bardou as I glared with a smirk at the raging hellhounds. I've been training this move for the past months even more than I did with my Sacred Gears or Storm Wolf's Aura. It had an effective usage rate of 100%, always getting the best results for me no matter what.
Joker and Bardou looked excited as they waited for me to unveil my new attack…right before I quickly twisted around, released my two wings and rocketed off in the opposite direction of the hellhound pack as fast as I could
"Nigerundayo!" I shouted and both hounds just looked horrified at my decision, both of them blitzing off after me as the pack slowly followed.
Ain't no way they expected me to go up against a giant horde of Low Ultimate-Class to what felt like probably Peak-Ultimate Class hounds that size! I was 100% that were at least over 100 hounds in there, if not more!
Nope! I know what battles to fight and what battles to run away from.
With Okita & MacGregor:
3rd Person POV:
Undisclosed Location:
"Hahahahahaha!" Okita roared with laughter, watching Isaiah and his two hounds blitzed away from the hellhound pack as fast as they could. They were nothing but two orange and one bright blue blur as they kept going faster and faster until the hounds finally lost sight of them and stopped their chase, going back to their lair with their heads down.
"Hahaha…ah, the kid never fails to entertain" Okita muttered with a smile, watching as the two hounds and boy finally sat down and rested as they saw that they weren't being chased anymore before he noticed MacGregor's concerned stare.
"Did we have to throw him headfirst into Agrukk's territory without any preparation?" MacGregor asked and Okita nodded with a smile as they floated in the sky,
"Yeah, the territory under the New Satan Faction's control were filled with Ultimate-Class beasts, which the gaki could beat in a heartbeat. The territories of the other familiars had too many beasts that were at Low to Peak Satan-Class beasts, so this is the best one to pick."
"But we both know that Agrukk is the second strongest and the most proud of the First Satan's familiars, especially when he finds out that some of his progeny was killed by two of his sons and a 'weak reincarcated devil brat'." MacGregor said with air quotes and Okita chuckled as he saw Isaiah stand up, two falchions in his hand as he, Joker and Bardou were now working together to fight a herd of High Ultimate-Class centaurs that tried to ambush them.
"I trust in the gaki. When the time comes, he knows when to fight and when to cut his losses." Okita said with a smile and MacGregor just shook his head with a chuckle.
"Who knew that the bloodthirsty 'Blood Wind' Okita would become such a softy after having a student?" He muttered out loud and Okita just crossed his arms childishly as he huffed.
"Hey! People can change." MacGregor just grumbled at that as Okita grumbled.
Stupid, observant magicians.
A Month Later( Month 1, Year 1):
Isaiah's POV:
"Woof!" Joker barked at me and I rolled my eyes.
"Another one? Didn't we kill a pack just a few hours ago?" The pile of hounds behind me seemed to support my statement, but he just gave a shrug as best as he could. I just sighed as I stood up from the boulder I was sitting on and stared in the direction he pointed at. This was weird, because they don't normally attacked two times in a day. In fact, the only time I can remember a double daily attack was the first day we arrived here and we had to run away.
I glanced back before sighing with a smile as I saw Bardou already staring in the same direction, already in his transformed state. His eyes were now a bright crimson as bright red flames slowly spewed out the sides of his mouth. The orange cracks that were usually found on his body were now completely replaced by crimson markings, all of the markings slowly pulsing with energy as the ground under him began to steam Unlike Joker, who still has that bit of his playful personality left, he had turned into a heartless and deadly machine, destroying anything and everything that tried to come close to harm me.
The fact that I saw him kill 5 Mid Ultimate-Class hellhounds on his own with devastating crimson flames made me realise how serious he was taking his training. He still is the same Bardou outside of battle that would rather sleep in the shade and relax than work any further than he needed to.
"Wait, something's wrong." I muttered as I stared at the pack of hounds walking towards us. They were much smaller than the last pack that was sent after us, numbering at 20 instead of the usual 50 to 60 Low-Ultimate Class hounds. The most visible change was the fact that one of them was a bit larger than the rest, with dark purple flames slowly radiating off of its body. The monstrous aura it radiated hit us like a sledgehammer and I let out a shaky breath as I sighed, smiling slightly as Bardou just glared and Joker shook his head slightly to reorient himself.
"Okay, about 20 Mid Ultimate-Class Hellhounds and what seems to be a Mid Satan-Class Hellhound Alpha. Not good odds…but I guess that I should have expected it, considering the dozens of hounds that we've killed. Thankfully, you two are at Peak Ultimate-Class, so the pack shouldn't be much of a problem. The biggest problem is going to be the Alpha. I'll need both of you to be able to take him on." I muttered as I created a Holy Blade in the form of a falchion in my right hand and a Demonic Blade in the form of a short sword in my left hand. 'Quadruple Sharpness and Durability Boost' runes were written on the flat sides of the Holy Blade in Enochian and 'Flame Absorption & Redirection and Triple Capacity Boost' were written on the flat sides of the Demonic Blade in Lilithian.
With a deep breath, I activated Air Current Sense and Electroreception before I got into a stance ready for battle. These were two of my new blades.
The Holy Current, the falchion created by Blade Blacksmith, allows me to absorb all of the air around the blade and store the air inside of it, letting me release it for just one minute to temporarily increase the falchion's sharpness to the point where it was able to give Surtr a paper cut.
That was an achievement in itself considering I've seen the man take a Power of Destruction blast from Sirzechs and only walk away with slight scratches.
The other short sword was what I called 'Phoenix Song', which allows it to absorb flames into the blade and redirect those same flames back at the user. The capacity for the blade isn't infinite however, so if the blade is full, I can't absorb any more flames at all. Thankfully, the runic pattern on it can boost and accelerate the blade's effect and capacity to even higher levels.
All in all, the perfect tools to have to fight Hellhounds.
"Woof!" Bardou barked and I looked down at him as he stared up at me. We just stared at each other before I sighed.
"You want to take on the Alpha, don't you?" I muttered and he nodded, making me give a wry chuckle as I stared out at the pack. Looking over the entire pack, I sighed before giving a reluctant nod.
"Fine…but I'm going to come and help as soon as the others are gone, whether you like it or not." He just grumbled before nodding and I smiled as I nodded, Joker transforming into a perfect replica of Bardou with orange flames and lines instead of red.
*AAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*
It seems the Alpha was not going to waste any more as its howl echoed throughout the desolate wasteland, the other hounds running towards us as he trotted slowly behind them.
*AAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO*
Surprisingly, Bardou gave a howl that sounded just as loud before he sprinted towards them, making Joker and I look at each other in exasperation before we rocketed after him. The things I do for my boys. As soon as Bardou saw that the Alpha was hidden behind the pack of hounds, he decreased his speed and Joker and I blitzed past him, with Joker tearing out throat after throat as I carved a path of blood and gore for Bardou towards the Alpha. Dark orange flames were fired at me only for me to smirk as every swing of Phoenix Song absorbed their flames while Holy Current cut through their bodies, leaving only disemboweled bodies in my wake before I grinned as I caught sight of the Alpha slowly prowling towards me.
"Bardy! Leap Frog!" I shouted and Bardou just charged towards him. I grinned as I cut through a dark violet fire ball before I quickly knelt on one knee, just as Bardou jumped onto my back before leaping into the air. The Alpha looked surprised at seeing Bardou flying at him with a howl, but he just quickly reoriented himself as he howled back before leaping into the air.
The next part almost made me laugh as they grappled in the air for a few seconds right before Bardou got his jaw around the Alpha's throat, spinning as they descended right before he smacked the Alpha as hard as he could into the ground.
'Hahaha! Surtr Grappling 101: Smack the idiot fighting you as hard as you can into the ground!' Joker was just as amused to see what happened, but he didn't have time to look as three hounds rushed at him. He just snarled as I saw his flames flickering slightly from dark orange to a light crimson before he opened his maw, a bright orange light burning in the back of his throat before a monstrous sea of reddish-orange flames burst out of his throat and washed over the three hounds as well as five others behind it. I heard the agonizing howls and screeches of the hounds as I watched them burn, fascinated by the fact that flames were able to burn something that was supposed to be immune to flames.
'Looks like I was worried about him for nothing.' I thought that Joker wasn't taking his training seriously unlike Bardou, but I guess he just wasn't a show off like Bardou and I.
All of a sudden, I heard a loud pained yelp that sounded very familiar and instinctively, I disappeared. The few hellhounds that were around me were completely gutted as I blitzed past them, heading in the direction I heard the yelp from.
'No, no, no, no, no, no, no!' I kept shouting in my head, sprinting as fast as I could across the battlefield and a bit more until I finally caught sight of them.
Bardou was lying on the ground, one leg pulled closed as he whined. There were a multitude of scratches and cuts on him that were bleeding, with his leg wound bleeding profusely and I could see his breathing was laboured. The Alpha was not in perfect condition either. In fact, I'd say Bardou did more damage to it than it did to Bardou, considering the fact that his right eye was completely gone, leaving only an empty eye-socket. Cuts and bruises were all his body and it was glaring balefully at Bardou as it opened its maw, dark purple flames slowly seeping out.
"You're fucking dead!" My roar made him pause as he glanced at me and his eyes widened as I was already in front of him, howling loudly as Holy Current cleaved through his front right leg. I just snarled as I landed, spun around and quickly got Bardou out of the way.
"Rest, boy. Drink this." I muttered as I placed Bardou down, pulling out a Phoenix Tear before pouring into his mouth slowly. Unlike Devils, Hellhounds' bodies need more than one Phoenix Tear to fully, but the one should be sufficient enough to heal most of his major wounds, mainly his injured legs. I would have given him one more if not for the fact that I 'saw' the Alpha snarling as it cauterized its wound before running towards us. I just slowly stood up and turned to face him, the Alpha stumbling slightly as it saw the murderous rage in my eyes before I took a deep breath and a sadistic smirk appeared on my face.
"You're the first one to see this move, so be grateful of that honour." I muttered before my magic roared, my bloodlust combining with it as it pulsed off me in waves. I could hear all of the monsters around us stampeding away as soon as they felt my aura, the Alpha freezing entirely as I grinned at him. My lightning and wind roared to life as dense lightning bolts slowly began to condense in front of me, with the wind gathering at my back.
The lightning finally formed a ball almost my size before it slowly moved towards my body. My hands and legs were the first to be covered by the lightning, spiked boots with greaves and clawed gauntlets covering my legs and hands respectively. My upper body was the next to be covered by the lightning as it formed into a cuirass, a bright crimson runic crest appearing on my chest in the form of House Gremory's family crest. My head was the final one to be covered as the lighting condensed above my head before forming a spiked crown, the same crimson runic crest at the front of it, but this time, it was in the shape of House Azathoth's family crest. The wind behind me wrapped around my shoulders and turned into a bright blue cloak, with the ends of it touching my ankles.
Storm King's Aura.
It took months of understanding, mastering and perfecting both Storm Knight and Storm Wolf, but I finally was able to fully achieve its true form
Okita's POV:
With Okita and MacGregor:
"He's finally stepped into the threshold of it, hasn't he?" I heard MacGregor and the wide grin on my face answered his question as I stared proudly at the gaki. The monsters around them that were watching the battle and waiting to attack had all run away as fast and as far away as they possibly can, with only a few daring ones still staring as they watched in awe and wonder.
You've finally dipped your toe in the realm of the truly strong, Isaiah.
Welcome to the Realm of the Highest.
Welcome to the Realm of the Gods.
Isaiah's POV:
Isaiah vs Alpha:
I just stared at the Alpha, who was now hesitant to attack as it felt my murderous intent wash over him
"You're afraid. I understand. The growth from Peak Satan-Class to Minor God Class is an exponential growth. You can run if you want." I said with a smile and he looked surprised at my offer. Sensing no ill will, it turned and slowly began to walk away before it stopped dead in its track, the raging blood thirst from me washing over its body.
"You can run, but just remember. I will chase you to the ends of the Underworld and I will not rest until I have your head in my grasp!" I roared as I dismissed Phoenix Song and Holy Nail, my right arm held out to the side as Holy and Demonic energies slowly condensed in my hand. Blade Blacksmith and Sword Birth worked in unison as I created the perfect weapon to finish him off.
"Bankai: Kōkō Gonryō Rikyū." I muttered as the blade finally finished forming. A silver rapier with a black hilt was grasped in my right hand, a blue runic pattern in the form of House Azathoth's crest on the hilt and numerous runic patterns all around the blade as I swung it around a bit before I faced the terrified hellhound. The blade was aimed at it as I crouched slightly before I smirked.
With just one lunge, I was past the Alpha, the rapier thrust out in front of me as Storm King's Aura slowly disappeared. I dissipated Gonryō and turned around, smirking as I saw the Alpha just stare at where I was before a crimson line sliced through the middle of his body and he split in half. A happy bark made me chuckle as I saw Joker happily trotting towards me, Bardou walking slowly to not aggravate his wounds as I smiled and knelt down in front of him. Pulling another Phoenix Tear out, I just gave him a few drops before putting the three-quarters full vial away, watching as his wounds now disappeared.
"Good job on keeping him busy, Bardy, but next time, let Joky help you fight, okay? Akeno would kill me if she found out I let her favourite die." The glare Joker gave me made me chuckle as I just rubbed his head.
"We both know who her favourite actually is, buddy. Don't worry though. Truth be told, you're my favourite." I whispered to him, making him nod as Bardou just huffed.
"Now then, I read that hellhounds can get stronger if they eat a hellhound that is stronger than they are. Care to put that to the rest?" I asked and they both barked as they transformed back into their fluffy Tibetan Mastiff forms before each waddled towards a half of the Alpha, digging into it rapidly as I chuckled and sat down on the ground. Another day, another battle.
A/N: Okay, before people ask, yes, I did mean to write Bankai and not Balance Break.
The reason for that being that he doesn't have one Balance Breaker. He has multiple. With his runes and his Holy-Demonic Blades, he can create a multitude of effects, so therefore, I'm giving him multiple Balance Breakers. However, they won't be as powerful as the originals.
Come on, let's be serious. There are a few of the Bankais that…just yeah. They defy all logic.(Looking at you Zanka no Tachi, Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame, Katen Kyokotsu: Karamatsu Shinju, Daiguren Hyorinmaru, Shirafude Ichimonji.)
Basically, the blades will be powerful, but not as powerful as their originals. There are a few ways that I've made up to get them as close to their originals as reasonably possible.
Anyway, sorry for the week-long break, but the tests were really tough and important, so now I'm just waiting for the results.
Until the next chapter, leave your reviews as always. Ba-Bye~!