Draconis: Haa..let's get started.
Kenshin: Are you sure?
Draconis: You know how I am with chapters. It's the fifth of February in 25 when I started. I'll be alright.
Kenshin: OK, if you're sure. Keeping the profile pic the way it is?
Draconis: It's a nice shot what?
Dragon of the Elements
Chapter 142
Greed and Wrath
Draconis: Begin!
(start)
Alferious was slugged backward by Kenshin's right fist, who had even taken to putting away his swords for this fight. "Disarming yourself and fighting underpowered. Che, if you want to give me a leg up so badly I'll take it."
"A leg up?!" Kenshin balked with a laugh. "Nonononononono! See Alfie. I wanna SAVOR this asswhoopin I'm about to put on you!"
"If you're gonna say my name boy get it right! It's Alferious! The Nefarious Alferious!" Alferious shouted, appearing in front of Kenshin and barraging him with countless punches.
"AND YOU'RE STILL USING THAT DUMBASS NICKNAME!" Kenshin shouted backhanding Alferious away. He threw several black charms behind him. "Die!" He said holding up a single handsign. "Violent Shadow Beasts!"
"Shit!" Alferious turned and held both hands out at his sides, erecting a barrier to hold the beasts off. "These things don't even have clear forms. I thought you weren't using that power!"
"I'll admit they are creatures made on the fly, but make no mistake. You're not worth me losing yet another aspect of my very Being." Kenshin said, looking down at Alferious in disdain. "If I'm being honest. You weren't worth the first payment. I just fucking hated you that much that night."
"Come on, you crashin' out over little ol' me Zetta?!" Alferious mocked, flattening the shadow beasts with his aura. "!" His eyes widened as Kenshin appeared in front of him.
"Hrm!" Kenshin grunted with a smirk, decking Alferious across the left cheek, to his credit Alferious was not floored by the punch.
However it worked to his detriment as Kenshin took his right arm which had punched him, elbowed Alferious in the right temple, before bringing his right hand to the back of his head and yanking him off balance by the hair as Kenshin cocked his left fist back with a sadistic smile and punched downward, sending Alferious crashing to the ground in a small crater.
Alferious was dazed as he remembered, the exact same combo being used on him, by Kenshin in a previous fight. "The first time he did that shit...he didn't have any emotion that time, well other than rage."
"Hmph. Still as fucking soft as last time. You hate to see it. A soft ass Mammon, Mm, mm, mm." Kenshin shook his head as he let Alferious get to his feet.
"Boy you talking a lot of shit for someone who channels god powers regularly." Alferious said.
"Haven't used either one in over a year, but sure." Kenshin said. "This coming from the guy who had to sneak me with a holy sword to take me out of commission to do what you did that night, and still needed to send what I guess was his peerage to confirm the kill."
"Oh not you complaining about someone sneakin' him!" Alferious balked. "You, the Rikudou Assassin, what was that old name they had for you. The Surgeon of the Battlefield?"
"Shit who's complaining? You caught me slipping, but that's all you did." Kenshin said.
"Gonna catch you more than slipping before the night's over." Alferious said.
"Yeah Yeah..." Kenshin said slashing his hand out in front of him.
"?!" Alferious looked down as a deep cut went across his chest with an accompanying wind burst. It healed instantly and he dove for Kenshin, sending him through the forest.
"!" Kenshin looked up seeing Alferious baring down on him, driving and dragging him into the ground.
"Is that the best you got Kensh-urk?!" Alferious was cut off as Kenshin kicked him away.
"Come at me with more than that if you want to actually do damage!" Kenshin shouted.
Kenshin backpedaled and dodged every attack Alferious sent at him "Big talk coming from the guy that's dodging! You KNOW you don't want this pain!" Alferious shouted.
"It ain't my problem if you're too sorry of a fighter to actually hit me!" Kenshin shouted. "So tell me, what's that Greedlord aura of yours locked in on this time? Cause simply wanting to stay alive wasn't enough to stop me from killing your ass the first time!"
"Grrraahhh!" Alferious roared hammering both fists down at Kenshin. "!" However, no contact was made as he noticed Kenshin just out of reach.
"Pathetic! I gave you the opportunity to get a hit in and you STILL missed!" Kenshin lunged in and backhanded Alferious to the side.
"Man shut your damn mouth and fight!" Alferious shouted punching at Kenshin only to meet Kenshin's fist.
"I know you are not complaining about someone talking trash. That's like the only thing in a fight you're good at!" Kenshin mocked as he blocked all of Alferious' punches. "Man I have to be getting spoiled fighting all these top tiers lately. I am holding back, HEAVILY and you're still so fucking WEAK!" He knocked Alferious into the sky and vanished from sight.
"Where the hell did he go?" Alferious looked around.
"I'm still here dumbass!" Kenshin said as he grabbed Alferious by the face and threw him toward a crowd.
"?!" Zeoticus, Venerana, Yama and Lucifina all split apart as Alferious crashed into a crater between them.
"Alferious, are you really out here getting dragged by their daughter?!" Yama balked.
"Not their daughter." Everyone looked up to see Kenshin flying in with a smirk. "Come on Alfie, get on your feet." He scoffed. "Motherfucker just greedy for no fuckin reason."
"Kenshin, is Rias?" Zeoticus said.
"Rias is fine Zeoticus. Seems this idiot was just entertaining himself waiting to pull up on me." Kenshin said. "Not that it matters. If Rias figured out what his Greed was locked in on, she'd have done and dusted his ass."
"Oh hell no! You really out here saying that spoiled princess could kill me?!" Alferious leaped up from the ground and shot toward Kenshin.
"Ha! That got your bitch ass movin!" Kenshin laughed.
"Grrhhh!" Alferious growled and took out a holy sword, alerting Zeoticus and Venerana as the Mammon stabbed it at Kenshin's heart.
(snap!)
However it broke against Kenshin's chest, who had used Earth Guard to defend. "Yeah, nice try bitch!" Kenshin said. "Come on Alferious, if your Greedlord aura is locked in on wanting to kill me, then I should be LIGHT WORK right now! Whatever you want you get right?!"
"Enough of this!" Alferious said. "Yo Shinigami, we allies or not?!"
"Oh Yama, I didn't know you liked partnering with the diddlers!" Kenshin said.
"Psh, kid I didn't even mean to bring this guy back, but if I got him, might as well make use of him right?" Yama said.
"Oh what's this? You taking orders from another person? HA!" Kenshin mocked Alferious.
"Wait, what's this..." Alferious gazed at Kenshin. "Oh? I know you're not talking Zetta. You've went and become a devil yourself! Meaning you're by proxy someone's bitch!"
"And you're fooling yourself into thinking the guy ever ordered me to do shit I didn't want to do." Kenshin said. "Oh?" Kenshin leaped back as Lucifina stabbed at him. "That was Flash Kill." He thought.
"Hrm!" Alferious punched Kenshin in the stomach.
"Gruh!" Kenshin staggered back a bit and looked up. "Heavenly Demon Revival." He thought seeing Lucifina baring down at him. He took out Angel Halo and met Lucifina's blade.
Alferious took Kenshin's back and punched at Kenshin's back, only to get decked in the face by Zeoticus, sending him flying backward.
"Thanks Pops." Kenshin said.
"Heh, like the sound of that." Zeoticus chuckled.
Lucifina leaped off of Kenshin's sword and shot toward him after landing on the ground. Kenshin lunged toward Lucifina and slashed at her. "Ninefold Rakshasa!" Kenshin said perfectly offsetting Lucifina's blade.
"..." Lucifina was pulled back by Yama's clone, but Kenshin eyed a very faint smile on the puppet's face. "That's...weird...isn't she dead?" He focused on her.
"Kenshin, about that woman, she's-" Venerana was cut off as Kenshin spoke.
"You're still alive?!" Kenshin exclaimed.
"Hrm!" Yama appear to Kenshin's right and slashed his scythe at Kenshin's waist.
(clang!)
Kenshin held Shiroi Tengoku pointing downward in front of him to block it. "...Grh..." Kenshin grunted.
"I don't know why you're sandbagging yourself Kenshin, but don't forget I'm here." Yama said with a smirk.
Kenshin jumped into a backflip as Lucifina attacked him. "Forgive me for playing around with the appetizer over there." Kenshin said with a demure smile.
"Appetizer?!" Alferious shouted, lunging in for a strike when Kenshin's aura flared to life.
Kenshin's smile turned into a smirk as his right eye glew in gold. "I'll go ahead and quit now."
"Heheheheh!" Yama cackled a bit. "Yes kid, show me more, show me the power to faced the beast with."
"So you were watching?" Kenshin said before making a shrugging motion with his left arm. "Tell me, did you enjoy watching your boss beat me into a paste?"
"Boss?" Yama asked with narrowed eyes.
"I mean that's only what those who submit to the Curse of Corruption can call him, right...or would you prefer Emperor? He is the Imperial Beast after all." Kenshin said with a smile.
"Whoa hoho." Yama smirked. "If you're calling me a servant to Trihexa for coming under the Corruption's control, could you not then insinuate the same about the Primordial of Being?"
"No. Because Yahweh holds that curse at bay every single day with his stasis." Kenshin shrugged. "Sometimes we only have the one card, and we have to play the damn thing and damn the outcome. You didn't choose to do that."
"Well maybe I chose the road untraveled and opted to try and understand the corruption." Yama said.
"Agree to disagree." Kenshin said. "All it did was turn you into evil incarnate...your words, not mine."
"Zetta, you realize how crazy it is as a Devil for you to be praising God right?" Alferious mocked.
"I didn't realize it was praise to state facts, but he also hasn't given me a reason to be hateful...unlike you." Kenshin said walking toward Alferious. "I told you that night, if I didn't find Marina and Reina living...you'd meet the monster the world wanted me to be Alferious. Did you, enjoy the fruits of your labors."
"If nothing else. I got Rikudou's ace, the golden boy of the Six Paths to crack." Alferious said.
"The Golden Boy of the Six Paths...I always fucking hated that title." Kenshin said.
Suddenly however. Yama began to chuckle darkly, Alferious and Kenshin both looked over at him. Yama pointed his scythe at Kenshin. "Kenshin...you wreckless fool!"
"?" Kenshin glanced over at Yama.
"You know. I've been wondering how you came out of the fight against Trihexa uncorrupted, but looking at you closely now...the evidence is clear as day." Yama said. "The Corruption works by focusing and amplifying the worst parts about a person, about their BEING. It finds it harder to do so when there's less BEING to corrupt."
"Your point?" Kenshin asked.
"Kenshin, Kenshin, Kenshin. You idiot. Don't you know where that Being goes when you cast it out?" Yama asked.
"Into the Nothing...you think I don't know that?" Kenshin asked.
"So, how much being do you have left, and how many times have you met and paid this price to Ophis?" Yama said.
"Twice...once to set up the deal and another to pay the piper. However one thing to note, it was NOT Ophis I made the deal with." Kenshin said. "The fucker even sweetened the pot by giving me a way to save Yukari's and Miyuki's lives free of charge after I called."
"I remember that, awful shit Ialda was up to." Yama said clicking his tongue. "But only twice? You're missing a quarter of your very BEING. You mean to tell me you only negotiated for a total of a maximum of 4 payments? And you've already paid once?"
"Hrmph. I'm surprised you care. If you want to know the reason why...look no further than this piece of filth over here." Kenshin said pointing Angel Halo at Alferious.
"..." Yama stared at Kenshin for a moment. The sixes on his face flickering. "...did they really mean so much to you?"
"...?" Kenshin did not fail to notice the look on the Shinigami's face. "He's...acting very strangely right now." Kenshin thought.
"Hrm!" Alferious leaped forward, slashing another holy sword at Kenshin, who leaped back, but not without losing an arm.
"Kenshin!" Venerana shouted.
"Head into the house and reinforce its walls." Kenshin ordered. "Both of you. I can only imagine how Millicas is handling all this right now...and where's Grayfia?"
"She was taking care of things at Lucifer's Castle." Zeoticus said. "Kenshin, you can't honestly expect us to-"
"I promised Sirzechs I'd look after his family. What you don't know about Yama is that he can straight up take in your magic and equip it, much like the spell my bishops Evangeline and Mom use, as well as my summoner Negi. And if I'm gonna do this. I need to know you three are safe." Kenshin said.
"But still Kenshin, it's three against potentially two." Venerana said.
"One. I won't let Rias get involved with this." Kenshin corrected. "And don't worry...I'm not gonna hold back to get enjoyment out of this."
"The Multicolored Yonseirei, the Dragon of the Elements, help me evolve and evolve yourselves."
The effect was instantaneous as the temperature fluctuated, ping ponging between hot and cold as a multicolored aura surrounded Kenshin, followed closely by a jet black one.
"The Jet Black God of Infinity and Nothingness."
"Krrrhh!" The three sixes flared back to life in full force on Yama's face. "RAGNAROK! ! !"
"..." Ragnarok appeared next to Yama and wordlessly watched Kenshin.
"Watch over the Forbidden existence we shall become as we shall become the being that trancends the boundaries!"
"Dragon God of the Elements!"
"..." Zeoticus and Venerana were shocked still by the the overflowing power from Kenshin.
"HehehehehehehHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ragnarok howled with battle hunger laced laughter. "Kenshin, you actually went and did it! You've truly transcended the bounds of mortals!"
"I don't get it, what are you talking about? All he did was put on armor and his aura vanished." Alferious snorted.
"..." Kenshin turned his head to Alferious. "Hmn..." Kenshin smiled condescendingly at him "You're welcome to come try me if you want."
"Fine then!" Alferious lunged at Kenshin stabbing at his chest.
However Kenshin vanished from sight as soon as Alferious was in reaching distance. "?!" Yama, Ragnarok and Alferious all looked around.
"Guah?!" They each rounded to see Kenshin cutting down Yama's clone that had Lucifina strung up. Kenshin turned and caught Lucifina and vanished again, reappearing in front of Zeoticus and Venerana. "Wake up you two." Kenshin said getting their attention. "Take her with you." He said handing off the barely alive angel to Zeoticus.
"..." Venerana looked over at Kenshin. "Just be careful OK?"
"Yeah, thanks Mother." Kenshin said. He walked in front of them as they circled around Alferious, Yama and Ragnarok, daring them to try something. Zeoticus and Venerana got to the entryway and ran for the front door.
"..." Ragnarok pointed Kuroi Jigoku at Kenshin.
"Hrmph. Less I have to focus on I guess." Yama snorted.
"Che." Alferious scoffed and smirked. "You ain't impressing anyone Zetta."
Kenshin's arm regenerated and he smirked. "Well if that's true..." His aura flowed outward. "Let's get started then shall we?"
(break)
At the same time.
Outside of the barrier.
Issei felt a familiar feeling rush through him. "Everyone, we might want to hurry with this."
"What is it Issei?" Irina asked.
"Kenshin just activated his Dragon God state." Issei informed.
"?!" Everyone except Forbesii, Marina and Reina all looked at him in shock. "Wait, Dragon God state?" The former of the three asked.
"Wait, why? He was able to hang with Ragnarok without it, I wouldn't venture to guess that Yama's substantially more powerful than him, in fact with only half a soul I'd even say Yama's weaker." Yukari said.
"Even at his strongest Alferious wasn't anything that would give Kenshin that kind of pause...unless." Hikari looked up. "Unless he's looking to just humiliate them."
"Sorry, but Ragnarok doesn't have any shame when it comes to battle." Alipheese said. "If someone's got him licked he'll admit it."
"Loathe as I am to admit it, I know Yama well enough to know would just lower the barrier and take off if things got out of hand." Ilias said.
"When I say them, I mean Alferious." Hikari said before sighing. "Having his memories unbound, getting tunnel vision when he saw the bastard."
"...This sounds serious, could you explain?" Marina asked.
"Basically Kenshin's met elemental spirits, a spirit of destruction and the Dragon of Dreams, as well as Ophis, the Dragon God of Infinity." Issei said. "He perished along with me awhile back and we both had our bodies reconstructed by the latter two."
"That's what we skipped over?! Reina and I both thought someone saved him!" Marina exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Well someone did." Yukari said.
"So wait? People do watch the living in the Pure World?" Miyuki said.
"It's kind of why Rei Rei and I aren't weirded out by most of you." Marina said before looking at Alipheese and four of the Six Ancestors.
"Hm? What is it?" Alipheese asked.
"N-Nothing." Marina said looking away, sweating nervously.
"Mother, she has a young daughter and you all are dressed quite immodestly except for Hiruko." Tamamo said. "When I saw the child and told Alma to change."
"Hence why I'm wearing this." Alma said wearing a mid cut short sleeve shirt and jeans.
"Ooh, cute. Meh, I guess we can dress for a bit.." Minagi said snapping her fingers, dressing similar to Alma.
"Understand Erubetie and I can't help it." Kanade said.
"This...actually isn't that bad." Kanon said dressed in a summerdress matching her skin tone.
"I've got nothing." Saja said crossing her wings in front of her.
"Well this sweater is actually cozy." Alipheese said.
"..." Negi took out her artifact and slid Nodoka's artifact card into it, calling for that artifact.
Ilias walked up next to her and put her hand on the mind reading book. "Let me." She said throwing the artifact into the air and a screen appeared in front of everyone.
It showed Kenshin standing across from Ragnarok, Yama and Alferious. "Yama actually has Ragnarok working with that guy?" Yukari said. "Horrible team composition."
"Hm? I'm a little lost." Alipheese said. "Why is it? Right now Yama has dominion over Ragnarok."
"Yeah, but Ken Ken and Ragnarok are of the same mind that Alferious is walking refuse." Marina said. "He won't protect Alferious unless Yama explicitly orders it."
"And considering Yama didn't even intend to bring him back...it's unlikely that he will." Hikari said.
Suddenly, to everyone's shock, and to Reina's horror. Alferious and Ragnarok took Kenshin's sides and stabbed Kenshin though the sides.
"P-Papa!" Reina cried out.
"Oh my go-" Marina was cut off as Kenshin started laughing.
Kenshin looked up to the sky with a smirk. "Ragnarok, I know you're only doing this because Yama's ordering it, but you already know that only fatal blows are the ones that matter here."
"Heh." Ragnarok smirked at him. "Well what can I say. I enjoy a long dance, even if this particular one has an unwanted third and fourth wheel."
"Awh, come on brother, don't hog him!" Yama said leaping above Kenshin and slashing his scythe at Kenshin's neck.
"That's more like it!" Kenshin said as a stream of Katentou forced Yama to divert. Kenshin turned and lunged for Ragnarok, holding Angel Halo in an iai position. "Flash Kill!"
"Heh!" Ragnarok blocked his attack with Kuroi Jigoku and let the momentum fling him back.
Kenshin then turned to Alferious who rushed Kenshin. "Come on then, come get your ass kicked for the third time!" Kenshin said calling him forward with both hands, smirking widely.
"So you admit I have a win on you, cause this is round four brat!" Alferious shouted.
Kenshin swatted Alferious' hands away and step forward, jabbing him in the chin. "Just so you know I can release my full power for bursts, I'm trying to get a little fun out of you before I send you back to the Impure World!" He said as he cocked his fist back and hit Alferious flush in the right cheek.
"Fuck all that, you're not gonna sit here and disrespect me!" Alferious said. "Come at me with everything!"
"You disrespect the Devil race every time you take a fuckin breath." Kenshin said blocking Alferious by kicking his stabs with his holy sword away before heel kicking him away. "Come on! You gotta be quicker than that Alfie!" He said jumping upward and launching a Katensho at Alferious.
"My god you were not kidding he HATES that man." Yama said with a snicker. "But still..." Yama rushed Kenshin from behind, slashing him across the back.
"Grh!" Kenshin grunted, but turned to Yama with a laugh. "There we go! At least two of the people here understand the assignment. Sixty Six with a repeater six percent is still passing!" He cocked his fist back, the elements surrounding it. "Elemental Spica!"
"Not quite!" Ragnarok said intercepting Kenshin's elemental punch with his own.
(Boooommm!)
"Damn!" Yama said shielding his eyes with a smirk. "Ragnarok, I didn't tell you to step in, but it's appreciated nonetheless!"
"I'm only in this for the fight brother, if you get yourself killed that's not my problem!" Ragnarok said before pulling Kuroi Jigoku back. "Water Thrust!"
"Ulrk!" Blood filled Kenshin's mouth as the sword stabbed him right in the stomach. "Heh!" Kenshin grabbed his ancestor's swordhand and rammed the sword further in before casting away Angel Halo, punching Ragnarok in the face while pushing him back.
Ragnarok grabbed Kenshin by the face and let out a roar, throwing Kenshin back, forcing the younger Kuroshi to relinquish his hold on his sword hand.
Alferious quickly took Kenshin's back and repeatedly stabbed Kenshin in the back with his holy sword, however Kenshin seemed amused by it. "Come on Alfie at least try to get a hit on me without sneakin' me, or are you too bitch made for that? !" Kenshin turned and slugged Alferious to the ground. Kenshin let himself plummet to the ground and crossed his arms, stroking his chin in interest as he landed.
"You seem sure of yourself Kenshin." Yama said.
"I'm just wondering if you realize it yet." Kenshin said.
"What? The fact that these two won't work together? Eh, I realized that the moment this three vs one started." Yama shrugged. "I just wanted to show you three things."
"Oh really?" Kenshin asked.
"One, that I could reach out and crush the ones you care about...any time I wish." Yama said.
"And Lucifina?" Kenshin asked.
"A negligible loss." Yama shrugged. "What good is a near dead corpse to you who has not mastered the powers of the Primordial of Life?"
"True...but you know as well as I do that I can be very inventive." Kenshin said. "Zeoticus and Venerana were holding their own while I was fighting Ragnarok."
"True, but I wasn't really taking them seriously either." Yama said. "Two, I can strike the Underworld any time I wish...after all, if I was able to bring back that devil back there without meaning to...who else could I revive?"
"So, the deceased among the fallen angels and Devils are on the board. No matter." Kenshin said.
"Not just them...but I'll let that be a surprise." Yama said.
"Before you continue, I got your message from Yukari about it being my turn to suffer...what do you mean by that?"
"Every battle you and I have until the last one will test you...aside from this one." Yama said with a smirk. "Which brings me to Three. This battle isn't about beating you. Merely...gaining insight into your power...which you so graciously put on display for us. Laplace is having her own version of a field day with all the data."
"..." Kenshin narrowed his eyes.
"Also..." Yama held out a familiar limb. "Thanks for this. It will do nicely later."
"So your going to study my flesh from when I was in the Demigod State." Kenshin said.
"Of course." Yama said. "But...as to not let myself get, completely punked here..." A massive dark aura and what looked to be numerous bodies covered in black sludge erupted around him. "Dark Death Birth!" He pointed his scythe at Kenshin. "Get him."
"..." Kenshin closed his eyes as the bodies surrounded him and smiled. "Yama...you mean to overwhelm me with numbers...well I ask you...why would I bother fighting those numbers."
"!" Yama's eyes widened as all the dead he had summoned were flattened to the earth before burned away by Katentou.
"When I can just crush them to nothing through power alone?" Kenshin asked.
"Hrm!" Ragnarok leaped forward and stabbed down at Kenshin from above who leaped out of the way to avoid. "The air...it's getting hotter." He thought. "Kenshin...are you...?"
Yama lunged at him next and kicked Kenshin in the neck, sending him a short distance. Alferious then took his back and stabbed at Kenshin's skull only for the blade to snap on contact. "!"
"You know Alferious, you're so fucking horribly outclassed here it's amusing! You can't even move at the old man's speed, much less Ragnarok's or mine! Remember what I told you earlier...I'm only trying to get a little fun out of you!" Kenshin said looking back at him with a smirk before turning and driving his knee into Alferious' stomach.
"Guollaahh!" Alferious spewed out blood as he was sent flying.
"I'll deal with you later! Wind Possession!" Kenshin said throwing Alferious away from the battlefield.
"..." Yama glowered at Kenshin who laughed in response.
"What good will all that data do you if I kill you right now Yama?" Kenshin asked. "Now it's only Two against one."
"Many people before you have tried Kenshin, so let's see it!" Yama said with a smirk, but noticed something. "My throat...it's getting dry."
Kenshin appeared at Ragnarok's side, making the Kuroshi founder defend against a sword thrust. "That was...!" Ragnarok thought. "Heh! So he HAS been studying!"
Yama took Kenshin side and slashed his scythe wildly at Kenshin. "Bloodstorm Revolution!" He shouted.
However, each slice that might have fatally wounded Kenshin, was offset by Kenshin using Ninefold Rakshasa to counter. Kenshin reached forward with his free hand, gripping Yama's wrist and punching the Shinigami in the jaw, not relinquishing his hold and throwing him into Ragnarok.
"!" Ragnarok caught Yama but looked up as the orbs of Kenshin's armor lined up on Kenshin's free arm as the younger Kuroshi rushed them both.
"Perfected Crimson Dragon's Fist!"
(boom!)
"Kulah..." Yama gasped out, bleeding from the mouth.
"Grh..." Ragnarok grunted. He looked over seeing Kenshin standing across from them.
"Purgatory Flame...Gale of Devastation." Kenshin said. "Converge and Conflagrate." He said as a green and red aura wrapped around Kenshin's body.
"Hrmmm..." Yama grunted.
"Heheheheheh." Kenshin chuckled darkly and pointed up, firing both the aura's into the sky.
The two both noticed something immediately. The air's temperature had cooled. "Grhhh! RAGNAROK!" Yama roared.
"!" Ragnarok looked up, seeing a swirling red ball, almost akin to a crimson sun overhead with searing winds launching off of it. He flew upward and attempted to destroy it.
"Not so fast there old man!" Kenshin said punching Ragnarok away with an earth infused punch, while his free hand extended toward the blazing ball. "Wild Lands, kissed by the flame and the gale..."
A brown ball of mana was shot into the blaze as Kenshin levitated in front of it. "Now...join with the endless tide within me...and rage in everlasting harmony." He raised his hands above his head before shooting them out to his sides. "This is the end. Inferno. PULSE!"
"!" Ragnarok's eyes widened as the burning blaze was absorbed into Kenshin's body before rushing right back out of him as a scorching attack aimed right at him and Yama!
(BOOOMMMMM!)
Trees and lands were burned down, if any buildings were in the way of the attack they would have been destroyed. "..." Kenshin lurched forward as his armor shattered, his right eye returning to blue. He panted softly as he levitated back down to the ground. He noticed something else. The barrier containing them had been destroyed. "Huh? I didn't do that...or was the Inferno Pulse really that strong..."
"No, while Inferno Pulse is that strong of a move. It would need to be directed at the barrier to destroy it. Someone else did that...I think your Gremory girl is to thank there."
"I see...good." Kenshin said. "With this, Yama will be forced into retreat." He said before turning to his left. "I know you two are still alive over there, quit playing."
"Grhhh..." Ragnarok and Yama appeared. The former's armor was half broken. The latter's right side was heavily burned.
"Hahahaha...told you kid...many people like you have tried...and this one here had already used that technique on me in the past." Yama said with a weary smirk. "Though I will give it to you...it is a fearsome recreation."
"I was able to hold all the elements burning in my body during the whole technique...yet it seems you found a work around." Ragnarok said.
"I used the Daystar technique employed by Heinrich Hein after he told me how it worked." Kenshin explained.
"And he only got that from studying Lucifina's techniques." Ragnarok said with a smirk. "Interesting...very interesting."
"Indeed...but your barrier is gone now...and while I'd like to, my current level of power can't do much to you two." Kenshin said. "Everyone's on their way now and I can sense Micaela and the Ancestors. Screw it..I guess I can hold you here for a bit." Kenshin said as his mana flared with a weary smirk.
"...but then what about Alferious? He's still over there." Yama said.
"..." Kenshin narrowed his eyes.
"One of my allies is going to pick him up. A woman named Lily Magistea." Yama said. "But with your speed, you could beat her if you get moving. I don't really care what happens to him."
"..." Kenshin scowled, looking behind him for a moment.
However Alferious came in from above and planted Kenshin into the dirt. "If someone's coming to get me, you two get going, this little bastard is mine!"
"Ah, never mind, he's right there." Yama said. "Very well Alferious, see you at base...if you get away that is." Yama said with a snide chuckle as he and Ragnarok warped away.
Alferious looked down at Kenshin with a vicious smirk. "That attack took a lot out of you eh? Well it's a good feeling for me."
"Grrhhh!" Kenshin growled, pushing himself up, despite Alferious holding him down.
"Grh!" Alferious jumped back as Kenshin stood up. "Hehehehahahahaha. Without your power you can't keep up with The Nefarious Alferious kid."
"Heh...that nickname is still garbage." Kenshin said. "And are you basically ADMITTING you're weak with that statement? I gotta be all the way powered down for your ass to step to me? Man all my opponents in life stood on more power than you ever did." He reached up and caught Alferious' punch at his face. "Oh did I touch a nerve?" He mocked with a smirk.
"Grrhhhh! Ha!" Alferious' fist slammed into Kenshin's chest sending him rolling across the ground. He rushed Kenshin, his yellow aura flaring brightly. "Just so you know, my body still remembers your power from earlier...and you asked what my Greed was locked in on...it was just that. The level of power you had! I wanted it and now I've got it!"
"..." Kenshin dodged his first punch, chopping him in the back of the neck, making him crash to the ground.
Alferious got up with an angry look. "Come on Zetta! You been talking shit all night now stand on it!"
"Always wanting what other people have, so vain." Kenshin said in disinterest. "Who's the crashout now?"
"Kid, I am the Last Son of the Mammon Greedlords! It's in the name, we are the holders of Avarice in it's purest form!" Alferious said, lunging right at Kenshin who interlocked hands with him.
"Get the fuck out of my face you predatory bitch." Kenshin said.
Alferious started launching a flurry of punches and kicks, even throwing rubble at Kenshin, but missed as Kenshin dodged. "Enough of all this fuckin dancing!"
"Your sorry ass is just pissed you can't move like me!" Kenshin said taking out a couple of charms "You gotta be quicker than this Alfie!" He said with a smirk as he even went as far as to strike a pose, one arm stretched out toward him, while the other was just under his chest, activating the charms in his hands, blasting Alferious with a burst of wind, holding him in place. "Alright then Alfie! I'm standing right here so hit me!" Kenshin said as Alferious tried to rush him to no avail. "I said HIT ME!" Kenshin shouted. Alferious still couldn't break out of the wind burst. "COME ON! HIT ME!" He roared.
"Guah?!" Alferious collapsed as the wind burst died down.
"Heh..." Kenshin smirked down at him. "Satisfied with your decision to desire my level of power?"
"W-What...the hell...?!" Alferious said.
Kenshin threw out a black charm and stood Alferious up before casting the charm off. "See...you can have my Dragon God of the Elements level of power all you want...but you, like most devils clearly have never trained. So obviously your body struggled mightily to contain it, I could hear the pain in your voice anytime you spoke...now you can contain it no longer." Kenshin said. "Now..." He smirked. "Time to die."
"Grrrhhh." Alferious growled as Kenshin pulled his hand back, fingers stretched out and flexed, claws ready to tear through his chest.
(clench)
"?!" Kenshin's eyes widened as he felt his wrist being grabbed. He looked over to see Rias staring at him before shaking her head.
"Kenshin...I won't pretend to know how you're feeling right now." Rias said. "But...not like this Kenshin.."
"..." Kenshin growled under his breath, trying to force his hand forward, but even he noticed that his heart wasn't in it, Rias was getting through to him. Still he protested. "Rias, let go...I can't let this bastard live...while they stay dead." He gritted his teeth.
"I know you can't, but would they really want you killing in their name?" Rias asked. "If you kill for pleasure like this...it'll change you, like you told me before."
"...Grh...that doesn't apply to me Rias, I've already committed that transgression." Kenshin said.
"But then you changed back, most people spit on that possibility." Rias said. "Kenshin, please...another day...do it with a clear head on another day."
"..." Kenshin closed his eyes, but they snapped open as Rias gasped, he noticed Alferious had been knocked away. "What the?! I-I didn't-"
"I did." Kenshin and Rias turned to see Forbesii standing a short distance away. "Don't succumb to bloodlust Kenshin, it's beneath you."
"Forbesii?" Kenshin said.
"Hey!" Rias said seeing a figure appear next to Alferious, who was groaning and sitting up.
"Che...guess this is where I take my leave." Alferious said. "But make no mistake Kenshin, we will meet again..."
"Hmph." Kenshin smirked a bit. "I suppose, but before you go, answer a question for me...what's your connection to Sirzechs Lucifer?"
"?!" Rias looked over at Kenshin.
"Hrmph. If you must know, he was the one who banished me." Alferious said with a snarl. "So in a way, you could say he was responsible for us meeting."
"...Ghh..." Kenshin grabbed his head and rubbed his temple. "I see...weird...but in any case before you go, a little more salt in the wound." Kenshin smirked a bit. "You are right about one thing...I have been reincarnated as a Devil...now for the part you know nothing about." Kenshin said. "That being that I'm days away from being promoted to the Rank of Satan."
"!" Alferious' eyes widened in shock. "A reincarnate ascending to the position of Satan?! Stop talking bullshit Zetta!"
"It's true." Rias said with a smile, grabbing Kenshin's hand. "Leviathan-Sama was even training him until recently."
"Grhhh...Lily let's get the hell outta here." Alferious said.
"Fine." Lily said as the two of them vanished.
"..." Kenshin turned to Forbesii. "Well, I see your breakout was successful."
"Yes." Forbesii said with his eyes closed. "What now Satan Incumbent?"
"Good question..." Kenshin said. "The Taiyoukai council will flip if they learn of your release, but at the same time...Alice is coming to visit soon."
"Really?" Rias asked.
"Yeah, she said she wants the spend the last few weeks of her pregnancy with me." Kenshin said. "...!" Kenshin's head snapped toward Forbesii. "Wait...wait.." Kenshin started to feel on edge, his breathing beginning to become shaky and anxious. "When you were released...was there a blonde haired woman with you...with nearly pupiless red eyes, a silver circle marking them off...?"
"..." Forbesii smiled calmly. "Instead of answering...I'll let her speak for herself."
"Wha-?" Rias said.
"Ken Ken..."
"!" Kenshin's eyes widened in disbelief. "..." His body quivering, he slowly turned to find the very woman he was talking about. "...Th...This...this can't be real..." He said as tears threatened to spill from his eyes.
"I know...it feels...unreal...doesn't it? But...this is real Ken Ken...you remember who I am now, right?" She asked.
"M...Marina?" Kenshin said with a shaking voice.
"..." Tears rolled down Marina's cheeks as she smiled. "Yeah..."
"..." Kenshin looked over at Rias. "R-Rias...I...I-I..."
"Mmh..." Rias shook her head and smiled. "Go. You need this..."
"...Thank you..." Kenshin said before walking up to Marina, the tears in his eyes finally rolling down his face.
"..." Marina looked up into his eyes. "Ken Ken...no...Kenshin." She sobbed quietly. "I...I'm so sorry...for what I-!"
Kenshin brought her into a tight embrace. "We can..talk about that later...right now I'm just happy to see you again."
"Mmn..." Marina wrapped her arms around him. "I am too..."
"Mama...Papa...?"
"!" A sharp gasp escaped Kenshin's lips. Rias looked over to see Hikari letting down a small girl. She recognized her as the little girl from Kenshin's pictures.
"This might be one of the few good things Yama's done..." Rias said with wide eyes.
Kenshin and Marina split apart and Kenshin walked up to Hikari and Reina. He knelt down in front of the girl. "...Rei Rei...?"
A wide smile spread across Reina's face as she hugged Kenshin. "Papa! You remember! You remember!"
Kenshin hugged her back and stood up, spinning around, laughing. "How'd you get so big girl?!" He said with a wide grin. "You know I gotta get you make up presents now!"
"Hahahahahaha!" Reina laughed.
Rias approached Marina, who turned to her. "It's nice to meet you in person." They both said only to blink.
"..." Rias closed her eyes with a smile. "I know Alferious probably painted a horrid picture of us Devils for you, but we're not all like that."
"I've never been one to judge an entire garden because of one rotten plant." Marina said. "So, you and Kenshin are engaged huh?"
"Yes." Rias nodded. "Honestly...he's the best thing that ever happened to me." She remarked, her smile widening.
"I always figured it'd be that Negi girl...or he'd seclude himself somewhere with Yukari." Marina said.
"Oh Negi's engaged to him too." Rias said.
"...Hah?" Marina said.
"You didn't know? The Devil Race, due to their low birth rates and being on the brink of extinction are polygamous." Forbesii remarked. "Hell that girl's father has a sizeable harem of his own."
"Yeah..." Rias said with a sigh.
Kenshin walked up to them, Reina in his arms and Hikari behind him. "Rei Rei. I want you to meet someone."
"Oh this is the pretty lady that saved you and that brown haired guy." Reina said with a smile.
"Yes, though I'm surprised you know that." Rias said.
"Oh, Taimu showed Reina and I just about everything about what Ken Ken had been up to since disappearing from Mahora." Marina said. "We stopped after he beat Ialda Baoth though."
"Oh that right?" Kenshin said. "Well I'll tell you all about it later."
Rias giggled at Kenshin. "He looks so carefree right now..." She thought.
"Kenshin." They all turned to see Zeoticus and Venerana approaching.
Kenshin winced and grimaced. "Err...s-sorry about the property damage."
"Eh, it's no big deal. It's easy to fix." Zeoticus said. "So, are they gone?"
"Yeah, I can't sense them." Kenshin said.
"They aren't here. I've been checking." Forbesii said.
"Oh...uhm...thanks Forbe- unholy crap I never thought I'd say those words." Kenshin said.
"Hmhmhmhm." Forbesii chuckled.
"So, what do we do with her?" Zeoticus asked as he carried Lucifina on his back.
"Hm..." Kenshin stroked his chin in thought, but was cut off by a crowd approaching. "Oh...hey everyone. Crazy night right?"
"A little more than crazy, when were you gonna mention that you figured out the Water Thrust and Inferno Pulse?" Yukari asked.
"Well...actually." Kenshin sweatdropped with a smile, his eyes turning to black circles. "Would you believe me if my using them tonight was the test run, for the latter anyway?"
"Yes." Yukari snorted. "You're the only person I know who'd confidently test out new stuff in live combat."
"So it's true...these two really did know Kenshin-kun?" Akeno asked.
"Yes." Kenshin said. "Everyone, meet Marina and Reina Shisui. I met them on my very last job in Rikudou." Kenshin said. "My heads a bit of a scrambled mess right now so I can't tell you much more, but Rei Rei here is my daughter."
"Aw, isn't she just the cutest." Venerana said with a smile.
"Hehe." Reina giggled.
"Kuu...aah..I guess I can't say much. It was before most of us met Honey." Xenovia said.
Negi approached Kenshin and pet her hand across Reina's head. "Seeing you two together just..looks right." She said with a smile. "Everything was tense, but it's nice to meet you Reina-San."
"Un." Reina nodded with a smile.
"Kenshin." Yukari said as he let Reina down.
"What's up." Kenshin asked as she walked up to him with Miyuki.
"What's this about a seal you put on us...and us nearly dying?" Yukari asked.
"And why wipe our memories of it?" Miyuki asked.
"Ah..." Kenshin went to say something but paused. "Oh...that..." Kenshin put on a complicated expression. "I'll tell you...and it might even be time for the seal to come off...but let me get my thoughts in order." Kenshin said.
"..." Yukari and Miyuki saw the look on his face and nodded slowly. "...OK." Yukari said.
"I mean...according to Marina there..we..almost died." Miyuki asked.
"Yes." Kenshin nodded.
Ilias approached Zeoticus with Micaela and Promestein. "Could you hand her over to us?" She asked.
"Oh, yes of course. Please." Zeoticus said letting Micaela take Lucifina off his back.
"..." Ilias looked down at Lucifina, her eyes filled with regret. "Lucifina...I know...you're long gone by now...but..." She closed her eyes. "Words cannot express how much I wish I could take back my decision that day. You lost your life...and I lost one of my first children..."
"..." Kenshin walked up to them. "She's still in there."
"?!" Ilias, Promestein and Micaela all turn to him in shock.
"Draco...could you come here?" Kenshin asked. "Also, Saja, Kanon, Hiruko, Kanade, Minagi, Tamamo you six as well."
"What is it?" Draco asked as he and the Six Ancestors came up to him.
"What I'm going to suggest is a longshot...but bare with me on this." Kenshin said turning to Tamamo. "Could you and your sisters flood me with Dark Mana?"
"I mean...sure...but...what for?" Tamamo asked.
"Like I said bare with me on this." Kenshin said. "Draco at the same time. Could you use your time magic on Lucifina to rewind her body's clock?"
"...that is a long shot, but I could make it happen." Draco nodded.
"Alright. You go first...and Ancestors be ready on my mark." Kenshin said.
"..." Draco crossed his arms, index and pinky fingers pointed upward while his middle and ring fingers curled inward touching his curled thumbs. He uncrossed his arms and grabbed his right wrist with his right hand turning counter clockwise as a pale green aura wrapped around him.
(crack!) (pop!)
Multiple snapping, cracking and popping noises were heard as Lucifina's body twitched. "Alright Kenshin, whatever you're gonna do, do it. I'll leave a point of access in my mana field for you to work." Draco said.
"Right." Kenshin said. "Alright you six, now!"
Kanade, Hiruko, Saja, Minagi, Kanon and Tamamo all extended vast pools of their mana to Kenshin, making it swirl around him.
Kenshin extended his hand to Lucifina as he directed the dark mana to a point in front of his hand. "Grrh..." Kenshin growled. "Reverse!"
(Dooon!)
"?!" Everyone's eyes widened in shock as the mana in front of Kenshin changed in color from near pitch black, to near blinding white and funneled toward Lucifina.
"That's the...Devil's Reverse magic." Rias said with wide eyes. "But to reverse ones own innate mana nature...that's unheard of..."
"...Ghhh..." Kenshin groaned. "It's...also...costly."
"..." Ilias' eyes were locked on Lucifina, a lump in her throat.
"...Come on...come on..." Promestein said.
"..." Micaela watched silently.
"..." Kenshin lowered his hand and nodded to Draco. Draco nodded back and lowered his hand as well.
"...nn..."
"!" Ilias watched as Lucifina's face scrunched up, the color returning to her skin.
"Uhnnn..." Her eyes opened and she sat up. A halo appearing above her head.
"Whew...that...was a shot in the dark." Kenshin said with a relieved smile. "At least this exhaustion was worth it. Yama can blow me."
"Lucifina?" Ilias asked.
"Mother...?" Lucifina looked over at Ilias. "What happened to you?"
Tears rolled down Ilias' face as she shook her head smiling. "It's a long story..." Ilias said bringing Lucifina into her arms.
"Unbelievable..you actually pulled it off...you brought someone back to life." Promestein said looking over at Kenshin.
"Eh...she was still just barely alive in there...all Draco and I did was restore her body." Kenshin said.
"Well regardless...thank you Kenshin." Micaela said with a smile. "We're in your debt."
"I will keep that in mind." Kenshin said. "But for now...unnnhh..." Kenshin fell back only to land in a giant pink flower.
"I've got him." Kanon said. "He's just exhausted."
"Right..." Tamamo said brushing Kenshin's face with one of her tails.
Ilias turned to Draco as Lucifina stood up. "So...Taimu's gone back, hasn't she?"
"According to her. If she's not there. Yama will run roughshod over the Divine Realms." Draco said. "She returned to protect your angels that are still there."
"I see." Ilias said. "Well as long as she's sure about it. Though unfortunately it means we'll have to fight her sooner or later."
"Yeah..." Draco said with a sigh.
Reina walked up to Kanon and the giant flower she had Kenshin laying in. "Is Papa OK?"
"Yes, he's just tired is all." Kanon said with a small laugh.
"O-OK...yaaaann..." Reina let out a yawn. "E-Eh?" She looked down seeing a vine wrap around her. She was carried onto the flower and placed next to Kenshin.
"You seem tired yourself child." Kanon smiled. "Go ahead and sleep next to Papa."
"OK...Thank you pretty green lady." Reina said nodding off next to Kenshin.
"Ufufu~" Kanon giggled.
"Well, I guess everyone...come inside so we can get him into a bed." Rias said.
"Right. Come inside everyone." Zeoticus said.
(break)
The next evening.
Kenshin was sitting in the room the Gremorys usually marked off for him when he visited. He heard the door open and saw Reina was a familiar face. "Oh? Reina I see you met Millicas."
"Uh huh." Reina said with a wide smile.
"So this girl is your adopted daughter Kenshin-niisama?" Millicas asked.
"Yeah, have you two been getting along alright Millicas?" Kenshin asked.
"Yes!" Millicas said with a smile. "She's really nice."
"That's good." Kenshin smiled. "You two be careful now. OK?"
"Oh, um Niisama. Gabriel of Heaven is here to see you." Millicas said.
"That's fine. I called her here." Kenshin said. The two children left and Gabriel walked in. "Hello Gabriel."
"Kenshin." Gabriel said with a smile. "What is it you wanted to talk about that you needed me to come personally?"
"Well...I figure this wouldn't be able to be handled over a call or some texts." Kenshin said. "But...would you happen to know anything about the Debts of Nothingness?"
Gabriel's expression turned serious. "...Why are you asking?"
"I'll explain after you answer." Kenshin said. "I asked Ophis earlier, but she said she couldn't remember."
"..." Gabriel closed her eyes and sighed. "The Debts of Nothingness, also known as the Void Sacrifices are sacrificial payments made to the Nothingness in exchange for power or knowledge. One meeting sets up the deal and an indeterminate amount of meetings forthwith to make the payments agreed upon in the first meeting." Gabriel said.
"I see." Kenshin said.
"Now why are you asking?" Gabriel asked.
"..." Kenshin closed his eyes. "Because I've already contacted twice."
"!" Gabriel let out a gasp. "No...Kenshin tell me you're lying."
"I wouldn't lie about something like this." Kenshin said. "...It's also why I want you to stay and view memories of mine with everyone. The why and how will be explained." Kenshin said.
"I...I see." Gabriel said. "How many?"
"I didn't think I'd ever contact again after they sweetened to deal by adding in knowledge of a seal to stabilize my sisters who were close to death from Ialda Baoth's actions against them when they were ten and nine respectively." Kenshin said. "So I only split my being into four parts."
"I see..." Gabriel said. "And then you called again?"
"Out of pure fury at Alferious after his direct actions led to Marina's and Reina's deaths." Kenshin said. "Give me one of your mana swords."
"..." Gabriel nodded and created a sword out of her mana and handed it to him.
Kenshin then proceeded to stab himself in the hand with it. He did not flinch or even react to having done so, as if he couldn't feel it at all.
Gabriel cast the sword away and Kenshin healed his hand. She walked up to him and looked into his eyes. "Kenshin...you really are a rash fool."
"I know." Kenshin nodded. "So what became of my being and is it any different from my soul."
"Being is what give the soul it's identity." Gabriel said. "They are...and at the same time are not the same thing and only one other person in recorded history has agreed to the deal you've agreed to."
"Who?" Kenshin asked.
Gabriel said nothing, but her gaze traveled to where Kenshin had the Tsurugi No Kami's weapon box sitting on a bedside table. "..."
"I see.." Kenshin said looking at it as well. "So God's the only other one...makes sense...he's also the only person capable of fighting off the corruption from Trihexa, so what Yama was telling me makes sense."
"Yes..." Gabriel said. "I can venture to guess what your being was turned into..." She glided her hand over his skin. "The Being of Pain...which you've already lost." She placed her hand over his stomach. "The Being of Fear, the feeling of dread that we feel deep in our core." She brought her left hand to his head. "The Being of Thought, without this, the body and soul cannot think, so it's integral that this is kept above all else...but also..." Her right hand pressed over Kenshin's chest. "The Being of Heart. The body and soul's ability to love and emotionally feel."
"I see." Kenshin said.
"Doing this is dangerous Kenshin...please...do not make another payment." Gabriel said.
"..." Kenshin nodded. "If nothing else...I'll never use it unless I absolutely cannot avoid it."
"Thank you." Gabriel nodded.
"But answer one thing for me. I made the sacrifice of my Being of Pain before Mahora...yet I felt the pain from heart attacks due to Cardiac Arrythmia. Also, how do I still feel pleasure."
"Both have to do with the other two. The Being of Thought, as it's located in your mind. Your brain still regulates all those chemical reactions, including the release of dopamine and serotonin, it's just whatever invokes pain is wholly ignored." Gabriel said." As such, you still feel pleasure. As for the pain from Heart attacks...well it's there in the name. Heart. Also, if it puts your life in peril your body will still feel it. How can payments be extracted if one has perished? It at least wants you alive."
"I see." Kenshin said. "So would that also explain emotional trauma?"
"Yes, through all three. Anxieties, regret, loss, grief, sadness, heartbreak, all of them are connected to the other three Beings you still have." Gabriel said.
"Would there be a place to study about this?" Kenshin asked.
"Yes, but I would need time to grant you clearance." Gabriel said. "Knowledge of this was considered high Seraphim Class, only Michael, Uriel, Raphael and I have the clearance and I would need time to key you in. It's locked away in Sixth Heaven in Zebel."
"I see...if you could do that for me Gabriel I would greatly appreciate it." Kenshin said.
"Of course." Gabriel nodded.
"So...uhm..." Kenshin scratched behind his head. "It's been a bit since we...well y'know."
Gabriel blushed but smiled. "Yes."
"I-I'm not asking or trying to pressure you into another round, but how have things been?" Kenshin asked.
"Oh it's been going OK I suppose, I've been making sure to walk around and stretch my muscles more often like you advised." Gabriel said. She giggled. "You're so sweet Kenshin..also..that girl keeps referring to you as Papa."
"Ah yes. It will be revealed in due time, but I adopted her awhile back." Kenshin said. "Ain't she the cutest?"
"Hmhmhmhm." Gabriel giggled again. "She certainly is, now come on, everyone's waiting."
"Right." Kenshin said as they left the room. He felt Gabriel grab his hand and gripped it back in return.
"Hmn..." Gabriel smiled contently.
The two walked into the audience chamber of the Gremory Estate. "Miss Kanon, I must thank you for helping to restore our land from the effects of the battle." Zeoticus said.
"Oh it was nothing." Kanon said waving him off. "I've seen the damage from Inferno Pulse before so I developed a way to make the land fertile again as my own thing and at Ragnarok's request."
Kenshin looked around. "A lot more people here now...hmn..." He stroked his chin in thought.
"Kenshin, we all felt you using the Dragon God of the Elements form yesterday." Seekvaira said. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah Seekvaira, Yama just caught me slipping." Kenshin said. "Nothing to worry about, just something I need to address in a few days."
"Eh?" Seekvaira said. "What happens in a few days?" Issei leaned over and whispered in Seekvaira's ear as she took a drink. She immediately spit it out. "You're becoming a Satan?!"
"Haha! Nice!" Sairaorg said pumping his fist up.
"You're...not mad?" Kenshin asked.
"Hell nah." Sairaorg grinned. "One of us had to do it first!" He said as the two fived each other and fist bumped.
"Heh." Kenshin grinned. "Alright, well uhm...I feel like I owe a lot of you an explanation for a lot of the things that have been happening lately."
"We have noticed you've been acting strangely." Akeno said. "Then last night happened."
"Who was that Devil you were fighting? I mean he's definitely worth the ire from what he himself claimed, but still..." Kiba cleared his throat. "You clearly hated his guts."
"Oh trust me I do." Kenshin said. "Next time I see that bastard he's dust."
"Ahem." Hikari cleared her throat. "Kenshin, after this could I have a word alone?"
"Oh, sure." Kenshin said. "First off...this young lady here is Marina Shisui." Kenshin said gesturing to Marina who was wearing a red blouse and a black skirt.
"H-Hello everyone." Marina waved nervously.
"Nice to meet you Miss Shisui." Sona said. "My peerage is handling other things save for my queen and my pawn."
"I'm Tsubaki Shinra." Tsubaki introduced adjusting her glasses. "That's...a peculiar eye color you have."
"I'm not at all sure what caused it." Marina said.
"Do you have a kid? I saw a girl running around earlier who kinda looks like you." Saji said.
"Oh yes, that's my daughter Reina." Marina said with a laugh.
"Rude to ask, but..."
"Sairaorg-Sama let me. How old are you?" Kuisha asked.
"Nineteen." Marina said.
"..." Everyone who wasn't already in the know stared at her. "Umm...that child has to be like seven." Sairaorg said with wide eyes.
"...Well, Taimu aged her up a couple of years to make up for the amount of time she's been apart from Ken Ken...but she was originally five." Marina said with a sigh. "I know how it looks...and it will be explained shortly, but I wouldn't trade her for anything."
"Just look at it this way...when I was calling Alferious a predator...I meant it in the fucking worst way." Kenshin said.
"..." Seekvaira cleared her throat. "So the Last son of the Mammon clan really was a cretin...I had heard the rumors...but never found much else."
"Oh my god..." Setsuna said with wide eyes.
"Ken-kun you adopted the child?" Konoka asked.
"Yes." Kenshin said.
"You were...fifteen at the time though." Asuna said.
"What can I say? I'm just different." Kenshin shrugged. "Some of us are ready for adult responsibilities younger than most."
"He has a point." Kaede nodded. "Kouga Ninja are trained to do all manner of things, this includes child care."
"Well, we won't be letting that jerk get to you two ever again-aru!" Ku Fei said.
"Thank you, everyone." Marina said.
"Alright. Negi...when you're ready." Kenshin said walking to the center of the crowd and sitting down. Everyone else followed suit, either sitting on the floor or on the furniture.
Negi cast the memory viewing spell and everyone appeared in a white space. "I finally worked out the kink in the spell that made us appear in the buff." Negi said.
"Alright." Kenshin said as he reached into his head with Seishin Boido and pulled out a rather large memory orb. "Here." Kenshin said handing Negi the orb before walking away.
"Where are you going?" Yukari asked.
"I need to go speak with someone, I'll be back later, I made sure to order that specifically so start without me." Kenshin said as a door appeared in front of him which he opened and passed through.
"..." Hikari watched him leave. "I know who he's going to speak with."
"Likewise." Gabriel said.
Kenshin walked down a dark path, being joined by Ophis. "Are you sure about this?" Ophis asked.
"Is that worry I detect in your voice?" Kenshin asked teasingly.
"..." Ophis didn't respond.
"Either I front them off now or they visit me in a time of weakness." Kenshin said. They stopped in front of a pitch black door. "Here goes." Kenshin said pushing the door open.
"Well well well...long time no see...though it was more a choice on my part and a decision forced on you."
"..." Kenshin looked ahead, seeing a jet black haired, dull gray eyed version of himself staring back at him. They had a dull, impassive look on their face. They wore black leisure robes. "Hello..."
Kenshin's gaze hardened at his next word. "Void Infinity."
(break)
Back with the others.
"It seems the memories of this orb are sequential." Negi said. "A clear start, middle and end point. We just need to play it." Negi said.
"Well, let's get started." Marina said. "I'll provide narration if it's needed."
"Or I will." Hikari said. "But that won't come for awhile."
Negi nodded and lifted the orb up and watched it disappear. They found themselves in the Welsh Magic Academy. "It starts here?" She asked.
"Oh man..." Hikari laughed a bit. "I know where this begins."
Everyone watched as Kenshin and Negi had a conversation in the memory. Yukari turned her head to the present Negi with a chiding smile. "Oh, I didn't realize we were getting in the way back then."
"My my...just us being around made you feel up tight?" Miyuki teased.
"I see Kenshin put my teachings to good use." Tamamo said with a laugh.
"How good do his tail massages feel?" Ravel asked.
"...Oh my god you have no idea..." Negi said letting out a sigh before catching herself. "B-But Yukari, Miyuki, it's not like that!"
"We know, we're just teasing you." Yukari laughed.
"You know, he really does have that relaxing presence about him." Sona remarked. "When he's not pressing buttons."
"He is quite the charmer too." Akeno giggled.
"Whoa whoa whoa, hold on here!" Asuna said seeing the two about to kiss in the memory.
"O-Oh my god this is so embarrassing." Negi said covering her face. "This was supposed to be private."
Suddenly they heard Kenshin's Rikudou communicator go off and almost everyone groaned. "Oh come on!" Issei said. "The phone call cockblock are you serious?! I know it probably wouldn't have led there, but damn!"
"That is so annoying." Saji said with a glower.
"Not gonna lie that even annoys me." Sairaorg grunted.
"Oh trust me! If I knew they did this at the time I would have went OFF!" Yukari said. "They all KNEW I was trying to set Kenshin and Negi up back then."
"...this reminds me of one of the times Sage and I were deep in a conversation only for Euclid to interrupt us when he woke up...I remember being very irritated." Forbesii said crossing his arms an impassive look.
Kenshin then left the academy building. "A-Aah?!" Negi squeaked with a blush when she heard the conversation about Kenshin being able to propose even back then and Sin and Daniel's general nonsense.
"Haa...Sin and Daniel were always freakin like that." Yukari said shaking her head..
"It does at a layer of comradrie to their relationship." Rossweisse said.
"Yes. After all only friends pick on other friends." Koneko said.
"It's kinda refreshing to see Kenshin be the one getting picked on." Issei snickered.
"So Kenshin-Senpai was even teased about things back then." Gasper said.
"I mean we all have those moments, even the most hardlined among us Gasper." Evangeline said.
"Oh, so he tried to opt me into the job, but it was specified that you only wanted a younger man." Yukari said.
"I...at the time of requesting didn't think they'd send Ken Ken himself." Marina said. "And as you hearing now, it wasn't a question of your character...I had just gotten away from them maybe a month prior and was still gunshy about trusting a lot of people...and at the time women in Yorigami Plague treated me like common garbage."
"OK..." Yukari said. "Wait...after last week...so he was a week removed from...whatever happened to Miyuki and I when he got yanked off his sabbatical that I didn't even know about..."
"He...even looks disturbed about it." Negi said.
"So Dad knew?" Miyuki asked Hikari.
"Yes. He told me after I had noticed Kenshin up and vanished again. I at the time just rolled my eyes and wondered how my son turned into such a workaholic and wondered how long he'd be asleep when he got back." Hikari said.
"How long?" Sona asked with a curious look. "Surely you don't mean he was sleeping a lot more often than anyone realized."
"As you're hearing now...Kenshin after working alone sometimes...was just utterly spent...that he'd just crawl into bed and sleep for a day or two straight...which suggested two things." Yukari said. "One that he wasn't sleeping when he was working, which sometimes would be for weeks at a time."
"Yikes." Issei said.
"Or the work was really taking its toll on him anyway...which is why he ASKED for the sabbatical in the first place." Yukari said. "It got better when we got to Mahora, but if someone doesn't check him. Kenshin will go until his body just can't anymore. Rias, this was one of the reasons early on I was grateful to you on. You were constantly checking him."
"Which is a big reason why I called him a crashout when he stayed with me." Marina said. "I literally had to call him out on it and force him to lay down. It was...easier than you'd think."
"He just doesn't like being scolded." Hikari said. "Lord knows Ryuushin and I were trying, but he would either be training, helping someone or working when he was awake."
The conversation showed Ryuushin asking about what happened to Yukari and Miyuki the week prior...and everyone could now tell that what it was, it was clearly bothering him back then. "What happened to us to bend Kenshin that far out of shape." Miyuki said rhetorically.
"I'm sure he wants to go over everything so it will likely come up later." Marina said as the scenery changed.
"Not gonna lie, just going by Zetta does sound a lot better than his full codename." Mana mused.
They all watched him get ran up on, but plant the attacker in the dirt. "Yeah, what else was gonna happen." Sairaorg said with narrowed eyes.
"Yeah, Kenshin is a difficult person to sneak up on...and that guy wasn't even trying." Rias said.
Kenshin let the man up and the man, now named as Kazuhiko Midoriya called a young girl to them. Everyone recognized as Reina.
Kenshin and Kazuhiko went back and forth, ending when Kazuhiko informed Kenshin that Reina's father. That most of the crowd knew was Alferious was going to sell her off. "For clarity. In Mundus Magicus he passed himself as a human named Alpha Midas." Marina said.
They watched Kenshin kneel down in front of Reina and draped his jacket over her shoulders. She asked him he would be cold without it only for Kenshin to pat her on the head and tell her he'd be alright. They introduced each other, or Reina did the best she could. But then Reina asked the question.
"Why don't my Papa want me?"
"..." A somber mood washed over everyone. "Oh my god..." Issei said rubbing his head.
"Th-That's terrible." Asia said.
"Mmmuuu...Heaven's punishment is coming for that man!" Irina said.
"Yes...I agree..." Gabriel said.
"Oh God..."
"That is so much to unpack."
"Holy shit...I'm a piece of fuckin work, but fuck."
"That poor girl!"
"Wait, that was Kenshin's, Mirai's, Ryuujin's and Arika's..." Miyuki said.
Kenshin then pulled Reina into his arms. "I don't have an answer for you right now...all I can offer you is this."
"...Mm..." Reina nodded, wrapping her arms around Kenshin's neck. "You are so warm Mr Ken Ken."
"Hahaha...I know. I told you I'll be alright in the cold. It doesn't bother me." Kenshin said before taking out a small bag of candy. "I don't have anything right off hand that a kid would want and we need to get moving."
"Mm! Sweet!" Reina said popping a piece of candy into her mouth. Kenshin reached over and pat her head as he stood up and looked over at Kazuhiko. "Alright Kazuhiko, lead the way, I'll keep my eye on little Rei Rei here, when we stop for the night I'll take some actual food out."
"Heheh. Her mother calls her that too. She tried to get her away from Alpha first, but they were attacked and separated, coincidentally that's who we're going to meet." Kazuhiko said.
"Copy Copy." Kenshin said.
"Also...Zetta...thank you." Kazuhiko said.
"Yeah." Kenshin said with a smile. "Come on Rei Rei."
"OK."
The scenery began changing away back to the white void. "That was...actually pretty sweet." Seekvaira said with a smile. "Who woulda thought under all that courage and bravado that he was actually a total softie, and I mean that in the most respectful way."
"Yeah." Yukari said with a smile.
"Still what was with the eyepatch." Sairaorg said.
"Back then that left eye of his needed youki to see." Forbesii said. "Though I don't understand it myself the cost was negligible...it wasn't until he defeated the Yondai False Shinigami that it didn't anymore."
"He was just being overly cautious. I had asked about that in the past." Tamamo said.
"Hmhmhm...that child was cute." Hiruko mused.
"Seems we'll be able to hear Kenshin's thoughts, as well as Mirai or Yondai-San's, Ryuujin's and Mother's commentary." Negi said.
With that Negi played the next memory.
(chapter end)
Draconis: I know, dick move to leave it on that kind of a cliffhanger, but I was typing out the memory where Kenshin first meets Marina and it got almost ten pages long. At least this way I have a headstart on the next chapter. Anyway. This will begin a flashback arc if you couldn't tell, where I'll finally go into who exactly Marina and Reina are to Kenshin...as well as why Kenshin hates Alferious so much more in depth.
Kenshin: Well, see you all next time.
Draconis:I don't want this to run too much longer so, what he said.
Draconis678 out.