Chapter 268: Magic of the Gods

With several collective groans Rias, Kuroka, Grayfia, Yue, and Hajime all fell to the ground before passing out, while Anne and Alex both staggered while their noses were bleeding excessively. While Kaori ran to Hajime's side, Shizuku appeared at Alex and Anne's while Shia and Tio went to make sure everyone else was ok.

"I'm fine, I'm fine..." Alex groaned through his bloody nose before Shizuku could ask anything, while also glancing at Anne to see her nod as if to say she was fine as well. He then turned towards Shia and said,

"They should be fine as well, it's just the effect of learning Conception magic. Move them into another room to properly rest." Shia sighed deeply in relief before energetically saying,

"I'm on it!" With Shia and Tio moving the girls into another room, and Kaori taking care of Hajime, Alex and Anne made their way to the living room to find a place to sit as they were both still feeling a little nauseous and light headed. It was at this time that Suzu and Ryutarou appeared with water and paper towels for the two, which they gratefully accepted and downed immediately before cleaning their faces. After finishing their own emergency jobs, everyone still conscious gathered into the living room as well and watched as Alex and Anne down glass after glass of water, before finally seeming to relax. As the two looked as if they were going to be ok, Shizuku hesitantly asked,

"You said this was a result of the conception magic, what did you mean by that?" Alex took a few breaths to calm himself before answering,

"It was mostly because of the conception magic yes, but it was also a result of the true use of each magic being burned into our minds at the same time. In short our brains were overheating, causing everyone else to shut down. Anne and I are unique, so we somehow managed to stay awake through it." At his side Anne was slowly nodding as she too was trying to sort through all of the information going through her mind, and was listening to Jenny's explanation of what happened. Though he already knew to a certain extent what the true concept of each magic was, it was another thing altogether to have the information crammed into his head. Alex then launched into an explanation of the true use of each of the age of gods magics they had acquired.

First was the Creation magic they acquired in Orcus, originally it was considered to be a magic that effected minerals and created artifacts, but in actuality it allowed for complete control over inorganic matter. This expanded past minerals to even include things like water, and it allowed them to enhance and power inorganic matter beyond that.

Second was Gravity magic, something that was typically used to alter the weight of something or the relative gravity within a certain area. The real use however was utilizing the power of a star, and even being able to generate earthquakes or trigger volcanic eruptions. Though Alex could already destroy a planet if he truly wanted to, with the knowledge he had just gained he could instead trigger planet wide 10.0 earthquakes or eruptions that could effectively wipe out all life on it while leaving the planet intact, that didn't include the fact that he could also technically use Gravity magic to pull down a meteor or even a planet's moon to use for an attack.

Third was Spatial magic, something that originally was used to create portals, storage rings, and enhance barriers. It's real value however laid in the fact that it allowed manipulation of any conceivable boundary, even going so far as to eliminate race gaps or even creating a separate dimension like a spirit world. With the new knowledge going through his brain, Alex even theorized that the concept of "physical limits" a person's strength could reach would now be a thing of that past, as one could simply eliminate such upper limits and increase their strength indefinitely.

Then was Regeneration magic as the forth, something he had already spread was really a form of time manipulation and not an advanced healing spell. Using it one could even replay past events or revert their body to a previous state, or perhaps even use such a thing on their enemies to revert them to a weaker state.

The fifth was of course Spirit magic. Instead of simply manipulating a soul, it allowed one to access the various forms energy within a body such as magic power, body heat, electric currents, and even going as far as manipulating a person's thoughts, consciousness, and memory. If he mastered it then Alex would also be able to theoretically be able to even create artificial souls.

With Evolution magic as the sixth, it of course originally allowed them to evolve their abilities by one level. Alex however had already touched upon the true potential of it when he used its real power of manipulating the information of things that exist to force Rias and the others to undergo evolution.

The seventh and newest was of course Alteration magic, something that originally allowed one to create or tame monsters. The true purpose however made it the exact same/opposite as creation magic though, as it granted one the ability to interfere with any organic material, wether living or a dead byproduct. Using this Alex theorized that it might actually be possible to rewrite a regular persons genetic code to that of say a devils or Angels?

Finally was the eighth and final magic, Conception magic. It was a combination of all seven other age of gods magics that was able to manifest the users wish into a magical form, yet depending on the way the magic is used it may only have a single use. Depending on the way a person handled the concept and how powerful their wish was however, it was possible that it could be used repeatedly. As Alex finished explaining what he learned to everyone, there was a piercing silence before Shizuku muttered,

"These truly deserve to be called "age of gods magic", most of those powers sound like something only a divine being should be able to use." Hearing her remark Alex couldn't help but laugh somewhat mockingly before replying,

"I think Ehito and most ancient myths prove that not even gods can be responsible with these kinds of powers, but you'll be able to tell for yourself when you and Shia achieve Conception magic as well." Though she wasn't listening to closely to the first part of Alex's sentence, both Shizuku and Shia were suddenly alert while Shia asked,

"What do you mean we will be learning it?!" Alex smirked and said,

"Well you know about my ambitions right? To ensure that we're unmatched against the others I want each of my peerage members at least to possess every kind of age of gods magic, including Conception magic. Of course the reason I didn't let you acquire Creation magic before was because I don't want my cute servants to half-ass it and cheat through a dungeon by jumping to the end, so before we leave I'll expect you to clear the entirety of Orcus along with Shizuku, though she'll also have to challenge Raisen as well." After he finished speaking Alex continued smirking as he enjoyed the stunned silence, though there was also the glaring issue that the peerage members he recruits later wouldn't be able to acquire age of gods magic, that was a problem Alex would think on later. Before either girl could try to back out of challenging the remaining labyrinths, a small voice suddenly said,

"...hm, we are still here?..." Everyone turned and saw Yue standing there, before she was quickly joined by Rias, Grayfia, and Kuroka, incidentally Hajime was busy receiving Kaori's affection after recovering in a different room. Before anyone could say anything, Kuroka quickly rushed into Alex's lap and cried,

"Nya...~ that was horrible... Comfort me Alex~Nya!" Alex could only shake his head and started scratching his spoiled kitten behind the ears while the others watched in amazement.

"That little, even though all we felt was an intense headache before passing out..." Grayfia muttered incredulously while Rias's eye started twitching. After a moment however Alex turned his attention towards Yue again and asked seriously,

"Since the labyrinth is out of the way, do you want to talk about your past now Yue?" Though she was initially shocked by Alex's proposition, a firm look gleamed in the vampire princess's eyes as she replied,

"...yes, I want to know the truth!..." Alex nodded and glanced around at everyone else, wordlessly asking if she wanted to go to another room for privacy. Yue understood his unasked question and used magic to forcefully lift Kuroka from lap before depositing the disgruntled nekomata into an empty chair. After sitting in his lap and making herself comfortable Yue said,

"...I have nothing to hide, everyone can listen..." Alex nodded but didn't start talking right away like she expected, and instead removed a large crystal from his personal storage before finally saying,

"I went back to the room you were sealed in after you fell asleep the day we found you, and found this tucked away secretly." Yue's breath froze as expectations of what Alex was holding started running through her mind, before he started it and the image of her uncle Denreed appeared. Though Yue noticeably tensed at first, she relaxed after he started speaking.

"...Aleytia. Long time no see, I wonder if saying that is wrong?-"

After his somewhat awkward opening, Yue's uncle Denreed continued into an apology for doing the things he had to her and his thanks to the person who freed her, before moving on to his explanation for sealing her. He stated that Yue was born as a "god child" that was claimed by Ehito to be a future host for his new body. When he realized this Denreed pretended to enact a coup that killed her, while secretly having her sealed underground instead. He then stated that while he desperately wanted to tell her the truth, he could not risk it for fear of Ehito discovering his treachery, and that if it would be good if her hatred of him gave her a reason live through such an ordeal. He then started closing his explanation by saying he wouldn't dare ask for something like forgiveness for his actions, but only for Yue to know that he loved her from the bottom of his heart, and even considered her as his own daughter. Alex felt several warm drops suddenly hit his arm, and tightened his embrace on the small girl as she muttered her own words of affection for her uncle. Then Denreed's gaze wandered and he asked for the assumed presence of the one who freed her to ensure Yue's happiness, to which of course Alex affirmed he would make her happy. After that with a satisfied smiled Denreed then said his final words,

"...goodbye Aleytia, and I hope the world around you is filled with happiness." His final words, spoken Denreed's image started quickly while Yue cried out,

"...father!.." Before turning and burying her face into his chest. Even as she cried her eyes out, no one pointed it out as they all tried to dry their own eyes and somewhere someone even blew their nose. Alex himself just gently held the woman in his arms, and provided as much comfort as she needed, before after several minutes she started to calm down. It was at this point she asked no one in particular,

"... What happened to them?..." Alex grimaced before replying,

"From what I understand, Ehito wiped out the entire vampire race after you vanished in a rage, and your uncles body was used by the minor God Aruvhite as a host." Yue looked up at Alex sharply when she heard his words, and demanded,

"...he is still defiling my uncle?!..." Alex quickly shook his head and explained,

"Aruvhite was killed by Vali and his group when they journeyed to the demon race's territory, I'm sorry your uncle had such an end, but I hope it was preferable to end him quickly than to let him be used like that even a moment longer." Yue showed a complicated expression at what Alex told her, as one part of her wanted to resolve her family's matters herself, while a bigger part of her was also grateful that her uncle was already at peace. She then felt Alex's hand wrap around her own before he said,

"There's still Ehito to worry about, and I've already confirmed that because of you becoming a devil he's unable to inhabit your body." Purpose and bloodlust rose in Yue's eyes, as she started mentally preparing herself to face the enemy of her entire nation and family. As they were listening everyone else was also giving off a slight killing intent while Rias was surprisingly the first to speak up,

"Don't worry midget, where we come from beating up gods is like any other Tuesday!" While everyone else showed various levels of shock, Grayfia and Kuroka were silently nodding in the background while Alex muttered,

"At least I can fight this one to death without worrying about being known as a god slayer." Though many gods had a an antagonistic relationship with each other, there was still a sense of unity between them as divine beings. If Alex had killed the evil gods he faced back in the dxd world, he would have painted the biggest target in the world on his own back and on those around him. With no such concerns this time, Alex was getting fairly excited for this next match. Seeing him enter such a state even though he had just had an intense battle with his own double, several people started shaking their heads while Hajime, who had just reappeared along with Kaori from whatever they were doing, stated for everyone to hear,

"See, battle junkies the lot of them." Everyone present started nodding their heads in agreement while Alex was already running through various scenarios of how he would face Ehito. With the mood quickly becoming one of facing the God, Grayfia then spoke up,

"We should return to Asora to start preparing, first we need to figure out how to invade his divine realm and how many people to bring as well as who to bring." With her words snapping Alex out of his own planning, he turned to everyone present and stood to say after gently moving Yue to the side,

"Alright, the rest of you return to make the preparations, before we move out we're still going to spend a few days training just to be sure before attacking. Grayfia notify all the import people in Asora that we're going to have a meeting as I want to talk to them regarding what's going on as well as a few other important items, this includes Vali's group as well. Hajime I want you to start working on something that will help us get into Ehito's divine realm, and Rias I want you to tell Valerie that I need her for that thing that we discussed. The rest of you get some more rest before we start our mega training montage, I have one last errand to run before we start moving." With their orders everyone snapped to attention as they quickly followed Grayfia into the mist she summoned. Being left alone, Alex opened a portal to a certain place while struggling for a moment due to this places natural resistance against magic. The moment he stepped through he was immediately greeting in a peculiar fashion.

"Hahahahaha, you dare to trespass in this sacred place, guarded by the one, the only, MILEDI~TAAAAN!!!?" Alex was initially surprised at the sudden greeting as he had just arrived, but then he saw she wasn't talking to him and was facing the other direction while posed with a hand on her hip and two fingers in the shape of a V in front of one her eyes, a peculiar enough pose for a massive golem. When he heard the response however, a smile spread on Alex's face as he sat down and decided to enjoy the show.

"Kukuku, how foolish, completely and utterly foolish. Were do you think we are I wonder? I'll tell you. We are in the heart of the abyss, the very core of my power! Now prepare yourself to face the indomitable might of ABYSSGATE LORD, THE LORD OF THE ABYSS!!!"