Kapitel 284: Chapter 284
Chapter 284:
–Kyoto, Earth DxD–
The earthquakes were growing more intense by the minute. Yasaka could sense the panic spreading throughout the Yokai in her palace as the realization sank in that they were under attack. She had to temporarily seal away those senses, the collective turmoil was overwhelming and she needed to focus on her own thoughts.
"What are you waiting for, Yasaka? Go and get Layla!" Amaterasu demanded, her voice sharp with urgency. "The Behemoth is going to reach the outskirts of Kyoto any moment now!"
"I can't," Yasaka replied bitterly, clenching her fists. "The device that lets me travel across the gap needs to recharge. It takes a couple of hours, and we still have at least one more to go before I can head to Earth Marvel and bring Layla back."
Amaterasu, who had been staring off toward the horizon, waiting for the monster to appear, spun around to face Yasaka in disbelief. "You only have one of these devices!? What if an emergency like this happens?" She made a fair point.
Yasaka bit her lip, glancing away in embarrassment. "We... we didn't think about that," she admitted.
Amaterasu threw her hands up in frustration, her kimono almost slipped from her shoulder since she'd left so fast that she hadn't fully fastened it. She scowled as she clutched the fabric and tied her kimono back into place with slightly red cheeks. "Well, isn't that just great?" she muttered sarcastically. "What are we supposed to do in the meantime? The Behemoth is going to flatten half of Japan before we manage to stop it! Are you seriously telling me that a genius like Azazel didn't invent some kind of multiversal cellphone? Isn't there any other way to get Layla's attention?"
"We could try praying to her," Alter suggested, her voice steady despite clutching the trembling young Kunou in her arms. The youngest fox girl was terrified, but Alter herself was determined. She had already lost one home, she wouldn't lose this one too. She had to be strong for her new family. "Layla is a goddess, and I'm her priestess. She'll hear me across the Gap. I know she will."
Amaterasu stared at Alter for a moment, then let out an exasperated sigh. "…Fuck it. Better than nothing. Get down on your knees and start praying, fox girl! We'll handle the Behemoth in the meantime." She turned back to Yasaka. "We've got to lure it away from the city or the casualties will be even worse than they already are. The earthquakes alone have already killed tens of thousands, and that's not counting what happened to Kuoh Town."
The weight of the losses pressed heavy on Amaterasu's heart. She might be a NEET who preferred to stay out locked in her room playing games and watching anime all day, but she was still the head goddess of Japan! The death toll weighed heavily on her as the devastation of her people washed over her senses.
Yasaka didn't waste any more time. Channeling the full power of the Leylines, she transformed into her true Yokai form as soon as she stepped clear of the palace grounds. A colossal, golden nine-tailed fox—fifty feet tall—manifested above Kyoto. Blue flames of foxfire manifested around her feet, keeping her floating above the city's rooftops. Amaterasu leaped onto Yasaka's head as the massive fox dashed toward the source of the chaos, her tails sweeping through the sky like banners of war.
The citizens of Kyoto, mundane and supernatural, trembled beneath them as they charged into battle–the supernatural world had been thoroughly exposed on this day, but Yasaka wasn't about to let the Behemoth tear her city apart without a fight!
…
–Layla–
"...I'd like to point out that what you're doing should be impossible," Hela remarked, raising an eyebrow in my direction. "Anyone else would have exploded holding two of those things bare-handed."
"I'm just built different." I smirked, making her pout.
In each hand, I held an Infinity Stone. The Mind Stone rested calmly in my left, while the Power Stone pulsed firmly in my right. It used to be that holding the Power Stone alone would nearly break me, even with my gamer abilities. Now, all I felt was a steady, comfortable energy flowing through me, strengthening my already vast reserves. I had reached a point where wielding both stones indefinitely was no longer a struggle.
"What do you plan to do with them?" Hela asked curiously. "Do you feel the urge to suddenly erase half the life in the universe to win the heart of a fair maiden?" She grinned, referencing Thanos and his obsession with Lady Death.
"Nah, I'm good on that front," I replied cheekily. I had already won Lady Death's heart!
Hela teased me right back. "I think I remember you once saying something about borrowed power being worthless? If you still feel that way, maybe I should take those stones off your hands then." She reached out playfully, her hand hovering near the stones.
"No!!! My precious!" I pulled both hands back to hide the stones, ignoring the smirk spreading across her face. "I admit…" I said, slipping the stones back into my inventory. I considered finding someone like Azazel or an Asgardian jeweler to create a necklace or bracelet to hold the stones. "...my opinions have changed a bit. I just didn't want to become too reliant on power that isn't permanently my own." If the jewelry didn't work out, then I needed a method to make it so that the stones couldnt be taken from me since I definitely wanted to utilize them.
I would have liked to try fusing the stones to myself, but I was afraid my Orb of Infinity would try eating them first. I can't trust the damn thing around anything small and shiny!
"Hungry…"
'No! You eat enough good stuff as it is!' I scolded my Sacred Gear in my head. Could it actually understand me? No idea…
"Sadness…"
Hela nodded at me in agreement. Lately, a surge of Norse worshippers had sprung up across Earth in the Marvel Universe. "I understand where you're coming from. I've been receiving more Faith Energy every single day now than I had in the last thousand years. But I haven't been using it the same as most other Gods or Goddesses. I've slowly been converting it into my own permanent power. The ritual to do so isn't fast, or very efficient, but it works well enough."
All of my lovers had gotten more powerful in my absence, but Hela had reached a new milestone herself. Her level was once again higher than my own. That didn't mean she was more powerful than I was–my stats and titles were all broken at this point, but she was still incredibly powerful.
{The Asgardian Queen - Hela: Level 120}
I asked her if she was as strong as she was in her prime, and she told me that she was actually pretty close. I didn't know there even was a ritual to convert Faith Energy into permanent power for other beings besides Gamers like myself.
"Now then, enough about all that! We're here to take care of some unfinished business." Hela grasped my hand and smiled with a dangerous cheerfulness. "Let us go and get some good old fashioned revenge!"
I sighed, focusing on my Orb of Infinity to open a portal right in front of us. The swirling vortex appeared, but I didn't step through. Instead, I found myself hesitating slightly–more than slightly. My feet didn't budge. I didn't want to go back there...
Hela frowned, concern flashing in her eyes as she gently tugged at my arm, urging me forward towards the portal. "Come on, love. It's not a big deal, it is not as if you have PTSD…" Her words trailed off, and I was momentarily surprised that she even knew what PTSD was. Then again, maybe I shouldn't have been—she'd lived with it for months after escaping her prison.
"You don't know that…" I muttered, my voice coming out in a whine. Had I actually died in that black hole, that might've been the end for me. Lady Death herself had said she couldn't see me once I was kicked inside. I'd never been afraid of death—until a week ago. I'd almost been taken out by my own arrogance, by underestimating a teenager I hadn't even considered a threat. And yet, that kid nearly gave me a Game Over, almost taking me away from my family forever!
Hela clicked her tongue in mild exasperation. "Alright, fine. Maybe you have it a little bit. But that's exactly why we're doing this now. We'll confront the trauma head-on, slay the foolish boy who tried to kill you, and then we'll come home and have some ice cream with our daughters to celebrate!" she listed off while tugging me closer to the portal.
[I can't believe she just combined murder and ice cream like that in the same sentence…]
I could. That was definitely a Hela thing to do…
With a sigh, I relented and let her drag me through the portal. We passed through without any issues, landing in yet another version of New York. Once again, I found myself in... I wasn't exactly sure what to call this Universe.
Earth-Spider? Earth-Spiderverse? Spiderverse Prime?
Meh, I'd come up with something later. For now, we had some unfinished business to attend to.
[Are you really going to kill a kid who's only… however old Miles is?]
'I think he was around thirteen or fourteen the last time I saw him. At most, he's what—sixteen now?'
[Wow! Only 13 years old and already pulling off double homicide attempts.]
'It might not have been just an attempt when it came to Shathra,' I muttered internally. 'She was completely drained of magical and divine energy when she was tossed into the black hole.' It's anyone's guess what happened to her.
[Does that make Miles a Campione then?]
"It better fucking not…" I grumbled to myself, too quietly for Hela to overhear.
[I was just kidding!]
Hela snapped me out of my thoughts with her question. "Where does Miles Morales live? I would like our vengeance to be carried out swiftly. Something about this world feels strange…I do not like it," she said while staring up into the blue skies. "It feels…empty?" she said, looking confused.
I shrugged at her. "You might be feeling the lack of any other Gods or supernatural beings of any kind." I explained to her. That had thrown me for a loop the last time I was in this Universe as well. As for where he lives, I have no idea." I said. That would have been kind of weird if I did. "I only know where he went to school two years ago. It was some weird preppy boarding school for elite kids whose parents want them to succeed in life but don't love them enough to raise their own kids themselves. Or at least that's the vibe I got from the place…" I finished with a second shrug.
Hela stared at me blankly before massaging her own forehead. "Midgardians are so very strange sometimes," she remarked and then let me lead the way.
I flew on my wings while Hela conjured a flying sword beneath her, gliding beside me. At my request, she cast some illusion magic to keep us hidden from prying eyes as we soared over the city. After all, we weren't exactly back here with good intentions.
[So, are you really going to do it? Do you even have it in you to kill a kid? Because Hela's pretty gung-ho about it.]
'I don't know…' I admitted to myself. This whole thing had been Hela's idea, not mine. She was fueled by vengeance after losing me for two years, and from her perspective, her anger was justified. In fact, if given the chance, she'd probably wipe out Miles's entire family without a second thought.
But me? I was conflicted. I wouldn't know what I'd do until I saw the kid. Until I look him in the eyes and figure out why he tried to kill me.
[Because you didn't revive his villain uncle, duh. Seems obvious.]
'Well yes, but… Shut up, System…'
We could have crossed the city in a matter of seconds, but I flew more casually, talking in the sights now that I was back here. It looked like "Team Spider" managed to put a stop to the Super Collider before it went out of control and wiped out this Universe, that was good. I never did end up getting a quest complete message from the System though. Whatever was causing Spider-Universes to disappear, it apparently wasn't the Collider. Or not completely at least…
CRASH!
We were close to the school when I heard a loud bang underneath us on the streets. Hela and I took in a weird sight below. A black and red Spiderman was battling against a completely white man covered in what looked to be black holes...
Hela reached out and comfortingly grasped my hand again. I shook my head and took a breath. I was a High Goddess now, far more powerful than I had been before. I needed to get over this hesitation. I doubted a black hole would even be able to harm me anymore after I had evolved to 16 wings—something that had never even been achieved by my own father.
"There's our target!" Hela said in delight. Her eyes were brimming with promises of pain she was about to inflict on the unsuspecting "hero" fighting below us.
Before she could pull out any more swords and start stabbing, I let go of her hand and spoke up. "Let me handle this myself, Hela." I told her. I hated the disappointed look she gave me but I needed to do this myself, no matter what.
"...You are not going to kill him?" she asked me in near disbelief. "After what he did to our family!?"
"I don't know..." I admitted. The conflict was growing even more inside me, my emotions were at war with each other.
Hela stared at me for a few seconds in silence. She bit her lip before turning her head and letting out a sigh. "…Fine," Hela said. "Why did I ever fall for such a kind-hearted woman? Go ahead and handle him, my love, but don't give him a light punishment after what he did! If you do, then I will handle things my way." Hela said. She volunteered to keep watch from the sky as I floated down towards the two super-powered beings fighting in the streets.
They were causing massive amounts of property damage as Miles kept trying to hit the man, who was able to comically keep evading every attempt. At one point, Miles picked up an entire car in frustration and simply chucked it at the villain, hoping that would put him down.
It did not.
The villain opened up a large black portal in front of himself that swallowed the entire car. A second later, the car appeared from another portal over 20 meters above the crowded streets.
You could always count on stupid people to stand around and gawk when dangerous super-powered beings were throwing down with each other. I flapped my wings and instantly appeared directly underneath the car. I caught it before it could pancake a pair of dumb teenagers who were too busy filming the fight with their cell phones to watch their surroundings.
"Whoa! That was wicked, lady! Who are you supposed to be?" one of the teens asked, pointing his phone camera at me.
"Those wings look really cool. Are they natural or are they grafted onto you like Doc Oc and her weird robot tentacles?" another teen asked bluntly.
"They're natural..." I said, calmly setting the car down on the street. I was sure the owner—and their insurance—would thank me for that. The two teens, wide-eyed, looked like they were about to barrage me with more questions, but a noise interrupted all of our thoughts.
"WAH!" A baby cried out... from inside the car.
I glanced through the window into the backseat. There, strapped into a booster seat, was a baby wailing, blood trickling from a small cut on her forehead. She must have hit her head during the violent toss. It was a miracle she wasn't more seriously hurt, especially given how roughly the car had been thrown before I caught it.
"Holy shit! There's a kid in there!" one of the teens exclaimed, disbelief clear in his voice. I could relate.
"Wasn't that the car the new Spiderman picked up and threw!? Did he know there was a baby inside?" the other added incredulously.
My anger surged. First off, fuck the parents for leaving their baby alone in a car! Second, fuck Miles even more! What was he thinking, using someone else's car as a weapon without even checking if it was empty? The teens had called him the "new Spiderman." Did that mean this universe's Peter Parker had retired or something in the past two years?
I broke the glass and unlocked the car door from the inside. I pulled the baby out and quickly healed her injuries. I then handed her to the two dumbfounded teenagers. Get out of here and take her to the nearest police station." I ordered the two of them, leaving no room for argument. They immediately did as I asked and skedaddled.
"Hahaha! You'll have to try harder than that, my rival! You won't be able to beat me if you're too busy hitting yourself," the villain cackled as Miles's fist passed through one of the black spots on his body and came out another, landing squarely on his own face. Miles's head snapped backward violently from the force of the punch. The villain's power was strange, but I didn't think he had super strength or durability. That punch could have easily killed a non-enhanced person. Miles either wasn't playing around anymore, or he was too pissed off to care.
"Stop making me look bad and just go down already! I have important shit to do today, you second-rate nobody!" Miles stumbled but quickly recovered, charging at the villain again.
"That's cold, man. I thought we had something special?" the villain replied. The weird thing was he genuinely sounded upset with Miles's comment.
Before their fight continued, I made my presence known by flying down and landing directly between them. They were both so engrossed in their battle that neither of them noticed me earlier when I caught the car.
"Hello, Miles. It's been a while," I said more calmly than I actually felt.
The eyes on his mask widened, though I still didn't understand how that was possible. "Oh, fuck!" he exclaimed, quickly jumping back a few meters to put some distance between us. "L-Layla? What are you doing back here?" he asked nervously.
"You weren't expecting to see me again after you tried to murder me and Shathra, were you?" I asked, my voice now dripping with coldness.
"What? He tried to murder you, Lady? I didn't hear about that! I thought this kid was supposed to be a hero? That doesn't sound very heroic. Also, it's nice to meet you. You can call me… The Spot!" The villain behind me introduced himself dramatically.
"...Nice to meet you as well?" He was very polite for a villain, if nothing else. I spared him a quick glance before focusing my attention back on my query. "How have you been, Miles? Has Peter been training you to properly use your powers?"
This time, his mask's eyes narrowed at me. I'd clearly hit upon a touchy subject. "He refused to train me after he saw what I did to you and that other scary wasp lady! Whatever…it's not my fault he was too dumb to realize I was saving the world by getting rid of its two biggest threats. Everything worked out. And I realized that I didn't need Peter's help anyway, i've been doing fine as a hero on my own!" Miles declared.
"...That's debatable," I said blandly. I glanced around our surroundings. At least two city blocks had been wrecked, totalling millions of dollars in damages. A couple people also looked like they got caught in the crossfire and were sporting injuries. Some of them were actually glaring at Miles specifically, meaning he had probably caused those injuries.
The Spot took a couple of steps toward me and cut in. "Sorry to butt in, lady, especially since it sounds like you have a justifiable vendetta against my rival, but he is MY rival. Not yours. You've said your piece, so could you let us get back to our epic fight now?" he asked me.
"It wasn't an epic fight. I was just messing around," Miles retorted indignantly. "Now, I'm about to show you what the real Spider-Man can really do!" he yelled at The Spot, already forgetting about my presence.
It was clear that Miles took a lot of pride in being the new Spider-Man. It seemed to be the most important thing in his life. Miles and The Spot started arguing again, and I could tell they were about to go right back to fighting, regardless of the fact that I was still right between them, and growing more annoyed by the second.
"...I want to try something," I mumbled to myself. A new possibility formed in my mind. The System, reading my thoughts, immediately picked up on my idea.
[That's an Interesting idea. It could work. Especially given your absurd Luck Stat now. It's worth a try at the very least…]
"...Alright then, you freak. Let's finish this!" Miles declared and charged forwards again—at least he attempted to. He collapsed to the ground with a broken leg, courtesy of the swift kick I'd given him. Faster than his enhanced eyes could see. Just because I was planning on not killing the foolish kid did not mean I wasn't going to rough him up a bit. "Ah! My leg! What the hell did you do to me! I can see the bone!" he cried out in panic.
"Eww, that looks painful," The Spot commented…humorously.
[No. Stop it!]
Miles flinched when I reached my right hand toward him. A small purple portal manifested directly above his heart, and I plunged my hand inside. This was the same technique I used when removing Evil Pieces from reincarnated Devils. If it could strip away that power, who was to say it couldn't affect others. That was my thought at least.
I wasn't exactly sure what I was grasping for, so I reached my hand out for the most powerful thing I could sense. I knew I'd found it when it tried to scurry away from my grasp. But it couldn't escape. Miles's soul wasn't very big—there was nowhere for it to hide.
As I pulled my hand out of the portal over his heart, Miles gasped in shock at what I had done to him. His physical features immediately began to change. His Spider-Man costume sagged as his muscles visibly shrank. "What the fuck did you just do to me!?" he demanded.
I opened my hand and showed him. Sitting on my palm was a tiny blue and red spider—the source of his Spider-Man powers! It tried to crawl away, but I closed my hand around it and didn't let it escape. I noticed how it strangely didn't try to bite me either…
"You're no longer Spider-Man, Miles. In fact, you're no one special at all. Just an ordinary, powerless kid again," I said, tucking the spider into my inventory. Maybe I'd keep it as part of my strange collection, or maybe I'd gift the spider powers to someone else in the future. I hadn't decided yet. All that mattered was that I'd gotten my revenge. I pulled the mask off his face. His expression was one of pure devastation.
I know as a "good person," I shouldn't have reveled in that expression of despair…but I did. There was nothing worse for a super powered being than losing their powers and becoming mundane again. Most of them would rather choose death than revert back to mediocrity.
[That's hardcore.]
"Holy shit! The scary winged lady can strip people of their powers? I need to get the fuck out of here!" The Spot declared. I didn't particularly feel like stopping him as he hopped into one of his holes and disappeared.
Hela landed beside me and spared Miles a glance. He was clutching his broken leg, sobbing uncontrollably, mourning his lost powers. Hela smirked at him before turning back to me. "That is a passable punishment, I suppose. Are you ready to go home?" she asked.
"Yep, I'm done here. Fuck the Spiderverse!" I declared and created a portal back to my penthouse tower. Hela and I stepped through, returning home. "Now then, how about we grab the girls and take them out for some ice cream like you promised—"
Suddenly, I was cut off by a voice crying out in my mind!
"Goddess Layla, please help us! Kyoto is under attack by the Devils! My mother, Yasaka, and Lady Amaterasu are currently fighting the Behemoth. Hundreds of thousands of people have already died! Please hurry!"
I recognized the voice—it was Kunou Alter, Yasaka's adopted daughter!
"What's wrong, Layla?" Hela asked, concerned. "You just stopped talking, and now you look panicked!"
"The Devils are attacking Yasaka in Earth DxD!" I warned her. "I have to go on ahead! Gather everyone and follow me as soon as you can." Without hesitation, I created another portal, this one leading directly to Yasaka's palace.
Hela nodded seriously before I stepped through. "Be swift, my love. Know that the armies of Asgard will be right behind you! We might have just finished one war, but we are never afraid to start another!"
XXX
A/N: Vengeance, soon to be followed by violence! Everyone's two favorite V-words!
Miles: "I used to be a Spider-Man like you, but then I took an arrow to the–Er–I mean I pissed on a Goddess broke my leg and then she ripped my powers away from me."
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Kapitel 285: chapter 285
Chapter 285:
–Red Dragon Empress–
{Boost!} {Boost!} {Boost!}
"This is so annoying!" Isane had been having the best dream—a steamy one full of glorious oppai—when the mother of all earthquakes ended it abruptly. Soon after being jerked awake, she found herself in her Balance Breaker, fighting a monster straight out of a biblical nightmare. Yasaka, who was an actual fox at the moment and unfortunately not a sexy milf, and Amaterasu, the NEET goddess whose kimono kept slipping off for some reason, were right there beside her, duking it out with a giant Behemoth from the dawn of creation!
"Take the shot, pervert!" Amaterasu threw a massive orb of fire into the Behemoth's face to temporarily blind and distract her/it.
Isane had seen pictures and videos of Serafall Leviathan's sexy blonde queen, who occasionally starred in the Maou's weird Magical Girl show. She had trouble relating that woman to the 150 meter tall monster they were currently facing.
"What do you think I was doing all those Boosts for!?" Isane retorted as she gathered all of her stored power into her left arm!
{Dragon Shot!}
A searing beam of red light blasted from her fist, smashing into the Behemoth's massive left arm. The flesh bubbled and smoked under the heat, but...
"That's not going to be enough!" Ddraig's voice echoed in her mind, and Isane felt her stomach drop. That blast could've vaporized any Ultimate Class being, but the Behemoth? It was too freaking big! She'd left a crater the size of a bus in its arm, but it was barely more than a bee sting to this giant monster!
"Rooooaaaarrr!"
"Look out, Isane!" Yasaka screamed in warning.
"Shit…" Isane barely got the word out before a tail the size of a skyscraper whipped around and slammed into her. The air shattered with multiple sonic booms as she was violently flung away. The G-Forces were so extreme that she ended up temporarily losing consciousness.
Before she could drift off to another pleasant dream, the next thing she knew, she was gasping awake as she found her body embedded halfway into solid rock.
"Ugh, ow…" she groaned, blinking as her blurry vision cleared. "Holy crap, I just got launched to Mt. Fuji?!" Half her body was stuck in the side of the mountain. And, when she tried to move, pain shot up her arm. "Yep. That's broken," she grumbled. The armor on her right side was completely wrecked. The Behemoth shattered her Balance Breaker in a single hit.
"What the fuck, Ddraig? That thing's OP as hell! You could have warned me!" Isane complained as she pulled herself out of the bedrock with her good arm.
Ddraig sighed in her mind, and Isane groaned louder. His sighs always meant bad news. "The Behemoth was made by God himself. Probably when he was drunk, to be honest. He tried to kill her later when he realized what a mistake he'd made. But he failed. Her size, power, and insane regeneration make her nearly impossible to beat. That gaping wound in her arm has probably already healed over. As for Albion and I... well, we always tried to avoid her back when we still had bodies," he said with a hint of embarrassment.
Isane's jaw dropped. This was a monster even Ddraig couldn't beat in his prime? What chance did she have then? "Wait, wait, wait. How did Serafall get this monster into her peerage then?!" Isane asked as she started boosting again, gathering more power to rebuild her balance breaker armor. It was a 350 km flight back to Kyoto. That was going to take her a couple minutes unfortunately. "Did she just flash her tits at this monster and it decided to join her peerage?"
"Maybe?" Ddraig replied…
–Yasaka–
"Shit! We just lost the Red Dragon Empress!" Lady Amaterasu shouted, stating the obvious for some reason!
Yasaka's heart raced as she scanned the devastated landscape just outside Kyoto. She couldn't sense where Isane had been flung, which meant it was far. She just hoped her perverted apprentice wasn't dead, or if she was, hopefully her body was in a large enough piece so that Layla would be able to revive her.
Blue licked at her feet as Yasaka sprinted forwards, running on the literal air itself. She pushed her legs hard, leaping as high as she could. "Foxfire!" she roared, opening her jaws wide. A massive stream of blue flames erupted from her throat, crashing into the Behemoth's face. The flames weren't quite as hot as Lady Amaterasu's, but they were tainted with her corrosive Youki.
The behemoth let out an ear-piercing roar that shattered every single window in 100 kilometers. It swung one of its massive arms at Yasaka in retaliation, trying to smash her out of the sky. She barely managed to dive out of the way before being swatted like a fly.
She still ended up getting sent flying though. The sheer force of the wind caused by its movement was insane. This was a beast that could cause tornados using nothing but physical strength!
She managed to steady herself, landing on an actual cloud and digging in her claws–something that was only possible because magic was bullshit sometimes. Yasaka was starting to feel very frustrated. Her golden eyes narrowed as she watched the horrific burns she'd inflicted on the behemoth already beginning to heal. Its face was almost completely recovered already. The Behemoth was regenerating faster than she could injure it…
Yasaka was old, hundreds of years by human standards, but not nearly as ancient as some of the other faction leaders in the world. She hadn't fought in the Great War, so she had no idea just how powerful this monster was. Now, staring at it, she realized she had gravely underestimated the Devils' trump card. The Behemoth wasn't just a threat—it was a disaster waiting to happen.
She'd hoped that, by teaming up with Lady Amaterasu and going all out, they could defeat the beast. Sure, it would probably level a huge chunk of Japan, but it was better than letting the beast roam free. Now, though, she wasn't even sure that would be enough. The way the Behemoth moved, almost lazily, like it was toying with them—it chilled her to the bone.
Or worse, maybe it was just buying time, like Amaterasu suspected. Keeping the Yokai and Shinto pantheon occupied while the Devils laid waste to the rest of the world.
"We're not winning this fight," Yasaka said, grimacing and clenching her razor sharp teeth.
"No shit," Amaterasu sulked as she landed on the cloud next to Yasaka. "And we're not getting any back up either. Tsukuyomi and Susanoo were both in China on a diplomatic mission when this attack started. They're currently helping them fight off another attack on foreign soil."
"How lucky for China…" Yasaka grumbled. That stupid monkey Wukong always seemed to have the best possible luck! They could have really used those two Gods on their own side right about now.
"Do you sense the Red Dragon Empress anywhere nearby?" Amaterasu asked as they both took a moment to regain their barings.
"No, she was sent flying towards Tokyo, I have no idea where she ended up or if she'll even make it back anytime soon." Yasaka said while keeping her eyes on the large beast about a kilometer away from them. Its injuries were now completely healed, even the bone deep gash Isane had put in her everything to inflict.
The cloud they were resting on immediately evaporated as golden flames swirled around the Goddess of the Sun. The Sun in the sky shined down brighter than ever as Amatersu called upon more power than she had used up to this point. The consequences could already be seen on the landscape below them. Half of the forest around Kyoto began to burn…
"I really hope your eldest daughter can get Layla's attention soon," Amaterasu said somberly. "Before this battle destroys our beloved home…"
"I hope so as well…" Yasaka took a moment to send one of her own prayers towards Layla.
–Layla–
As soon as I stepped out of the portal, I was nearly knocked off my feet by two fuzzy missiles. Kunou and Alter clung to me, tears streaking down their cheeks. I wrapped my arms around them both, holding them close as they sobbed into my chest.
"Layla! You heard my prayers! I'm so glad!" Alter's voice shook, her brave facade crumbling now that I was here. "Japan is under attack. It's bad—Mother and Lady Amaterasu are fighting a behemoth right now."
I ran my fingers through their hair, scratching gently behind their ears. Even though they were terrified, I could feel both their tails start to sway back and forth from the scratches…
I smiled. "Don't worry, girls. Everything's going to be okay now." I knew they were safe for the moment, but I wasn't going to take any chances with this sudden war. We had all underestimated the desperation and brutality of the Devil's once already. "Go back through the portal and wait at the penthouse. You'll be safe there," I told them.
Kunou and Alter hesitated for a moment, but then nodded, running back through the portal I came from. I closed it behind them, letting out a breath of relief. With the heiresses safe, Yasaka and I could focus on what needed to be done without worrying so much.
I didn't waste any more time and sprinted outside into Yasaka's backyard. As soon as I cleared the trees, I spread my sixteen wings and took off, soaring high into the air above Kyoto. What I witnessed shocked me.
It was a disaster.
From the air, I could see the chaos below—buildings toppled over, some still burning, others reduced to rubble. Tens of thousands of bodies were trapped under the debris, while both humans and yokai rushed around, either trying to escape or digging through the ruins to pull people out. I spotted a few looters taking advantage of the chaos, and the sight made my blood boil. But this wasn't the time to deal with them.
Right now, I had to find Yasaka. Which wasn't exactly hard.
"Rooooaaarrr!"
And there it was—the Behemoth, stomping through the city like a real-life Godzilla. Yasaka, in her golden nine-tailed fox form, was darting around it in the air, looking almost small in comparison to the 150-meter-tall monster. Blue flames swirled around her, lashing at the Behemoth from every angle as it swatted wildly, trying to knock her out of the sky.
Not far off, I could feel a massive concentration of Divine Energy. Amaterasu hovered above the chaos, both arms raised high as she gathered power into a blazing sphere of fire above her head. The thing was like a miniature sun, growing bigger with every second. I could tell she wasn't holding back—if that thing hit, it'd be like detonating a nuke right next to Kyoto.
"I won't let you win, monster! Die!" Amaterasu shouted, her voice full of rage as she hurled the fireball with everything she had. Yasaka scrambled out of the way just in time.
But the explosion never came.
A purple portal suddenly materialized in the fireball's path, swallowing it whole before snapping shut. The fireball was gone, snuffed out somewhere deep in space, far from where it could do any damage.
"Who dares?!" Amaterasu's voice dripped with frustration as she whirled around, searching for the culprit. She was so flustered, she didn't even sense me appear behind her.
I raised my hand and thumped her on the back of the head, hard enough to make her feel it.
"Ow!" She spun around, clutching her head, her eyes wide. "What was that for, Layla?! And when did you even get here?!"
"That," I said with a sigh, "was for almost blowing up Kyoto. And, for the record, I just got here."
"You should've gotten here sooner!" she huffed, crossing her arms like a scolded child.
"Sorry, I was a bit busy taking care of some other things." I stretched my wings wide, releasing just a sliver of my magical aura. The air around us vibrated, drawing the attention of both Yasaka and the Behemoth. They broke off their fight, Yasaka's golden form gliding toward us.
The massive fox let out a series of happy yips as she came closer, nuzzling her enormous snout into my shoulder. "I'm glad you're finally here, anata," she said warmly, even in the midst of chaos we'd found ourselves in.
The Behemoth paused her assault, her massive eyes locked onto me. "You… What are you…?" a deep, guttural voice growled. It didn't sound like any human or devil I'd ever heard. Her voice was so loud, I had to shield my eardrums with magic just to avoid them being shattered.
"I am Layla of the Fallen. This ends here, Behemoth. You've already caused enough death and despair—for what?" I asked, activating my Rinnegan. Something about her felt wrong. She radiated demonic power, far more than what should have been normal. With my enhanced sight, I saw the truth. The Behemoth had turned into a Stray Devil. Her outer form was mostly unchanged, but on a deeper level, she barely resembled the proud creature Father once created.
"The Devil race will reign supreme! I follow Lady Serafall's will! I will destroy the children of the great betrayer!" she roared.
I nodded solemnly. "So be it…" I remembered the stories of this creature from my time in Heaven. Her creation had been celebrated by the oldest angels—Father had given them a new sister. But shortly after her birth, he had tried to destroy her, and no one ever knew why. We would never know now, not with him gone and her half-feral, drunk on the souls writhing in her belly.
The Behemoth hadn't just destroyed Kuoh Town—she had devoured it. I could see the souls of hundreds of thousands trapped inside her, clawing desperately for escape. Just for that, I couldn't let her live any longer.
Thankfully, the souls hadn't been digested yet. If I could defeat her quickly, they could still be freed, moving on to the afterlife they deserved.
This was the end for her…
{Emergency Quest: Slay the Behemoth!}
{Rewards: 5 Levels and the Behemoths blueprint!}
Yasaka shifted back into her humanoid form, staying close to me. She was panting hard, clearly exhausted from overdrawing on the power of the leylines. "I'll handle this from here, Yasaka," I said, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Susanoo!"
I poured 100,000 MP along with a small amount of Cosmic Energy into my construct. It expanded, towering up to the same height as the Behemoth. Like me, my Susanoo now had 16 wings spreading out from its back. Yasaka and I were safely shielded inside.
"Hey! What about me?" Amaterasu complained, floating next to my construct's forehead where we were protected. "Let me in?"
"Sorry, it's a little cramped in here already," I teased, making the goddess pout. "Just kidding. I need you to protect the city while I handle this, okay?"
Amaterasu sighed. "Barriers aren't really my thing, but fine!" She flew away and started chanting in Japanese. The sun above us flared brighter as a massive golden forcefield began forming around the remains of Kyoto. I could see her divine energy dropping quickly—she wouldn't be able to keep this shield up for long.
I promised I'd finish this fast. "I'm sorry it had to end like this, sister…"
"I am NOT your sister! He was not my father!" the Behemoth roared. The ground shook beneath us as she charged, obliterating the burning forest around her.
Since the Behemoth was still technically a Devil, I decided to go with the classics. I channeled another 100,000 MP into my Susanoo's right hand, and a Colossal Light Spear materialized. "Let's go then!" I shouted as 16 massive wings flapped powerfully, generating a hurricane behind me to boost my speed as I charged head-on to meet the Behemoth's assault.
Her massive fists were glowing with demonic energy, ready to unleash devastating blows. At the last moment, she leaped into the air, aiming to smash me from above. I thrust the massive spear upward, meeting her fists in a clash of raw power. The collision created an enormous explosion, obliterating the remaining trees in the vicinity. The shockwaves slammed into the barrier Amaterasu had erected, protecting the people inside from the catastrophic fallout of only a single exchange.
Damn, she's ridiculously strong. The Colossal Light Spear cracked from the force of those hits. This was a battle at the peak of this world.
{The failed creation, Behemoth: Level 180}
Did Serafall even have a clue about the true power of the monster she had recruited into her peerage? Behemoth could have easily claimed the title of Queen of the Devils if she had wanted to and none of them would have been able to stop her.
[Focus, Host. She's attacking again!]
Heeding the System's warning, I raised my Susanoo's left arm to block the Behemoth's tail from smashing into us. We managed to stay upright, but the impact created two massive trenches in the ground as we skidded over a kilometer, bleeding off the momentum.
"I can't believe the beast was just toying with me and Amaterasu…" Yasaka lamented, staring at the devastation from the past two blows. I kept silent about the fact that the Behemoth was still holding back. She wasn't using her full power because doing so would cause her to sink half of Japan underwater.
I was holding back as well, testing the creature I might have called sister in another life.
"Can you please hurry the fuck up, Layla! I can't hold on much longer!" Amaterasu whined from inside the barrier. I could sense she was on her last legs.
"You will all die here!" the Behemoth roared as her jaws opened wide. I felt a massive concentration of demonic energy building in her throat, a dark red light gathering in her maw.
"She can do a breath attack? What is she, a dragon?" Yasaka clung to me tighter. The amount of power the Behemoth was channeling was enough to level Japan. It seemed like she didn't care if she ended this battle underwater.
"Guess you want to end this with one final blow, sister…" I muttered. I channeled the rest of my MP into the Colossal Light Spear, which now shone so brightly it outshone Amaterasu's sun. I pulled my massive arm back and hurled the spear with all my might.
At the same time, the Behemoth released her full-powered breath attack.
Purple Light clashed with Demonic Red as our attacks met. For a brief moment, I worried if I should have used one of the Stones or called on my reserves of faith energy. Those worries quickly vanished.
The Colossal Light Spear pierced through the demonic breath attack, continuing its trajectory until it struck the Behemoth's head. Her near-unparalleled regeneration might have been impressive, but it was hard to regenerate without the upper half of your body, especially when my Light Energy was eating away at what was left. At least I granted her a swift death. The ground trembled one last time as her massive legs and the remains of her torso collapsed onto the devastated earth beneath us.
"Thank fuck that's over!" Amaterasu's voice echoed loudly across the surroundings as the barrier protecting the city fell.
Yasaka giggled at the crassness of her Goddess and snuggled closer into my bosom as I dismissed my Susanoo as well. "What do we do now?" she asked me.
"Today, we assess the damage and help rescue all the injured and trapped people. Tomorrow, we help our allies drive the Devil's back into the Underworld and finish this war," I said before turning my head to the side. "Where the hell have you been all this time?"
Isane Hyoudou was floating next to us in her Balance Breaker, with heavily cracked armor. She was also clutching one of her arms that was clearly broken. "Mt Fuji…" she lamented.
XXX
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