Chapter 180: Wait A Damn Minute…
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"So this leaves one person and two gears, huh," It's been half an hour, and we were done granting six of the girls six gears. I rubbed my chin as I looked at the remaining person, a shy fallen angel adorned in red.
She sat with her hands between her thighs and waited for me to make a decision. I pondered with a thoughtful look and then, before deciding, I took a look at everyone who just received their gear.
Ruby received Dimension Lost. The previous wielder was a mage too, so it'd suit her well. And I think she'll be able to do stuff like Obito from Naruto if I guide her.
I gave Variant Detonation to Tsubasa. It suited her since she fought with her fist, this would make it so that each of her punches turned into an explosion.
Next was Mem-Cho. Since she could create time bubbles, Phantom Projection went to her. The abilities were really similar, so receiving the gear should have immediately enhanced her powers more than ten times, I'm sure.
Irina received Blade Blacksmith. This ability was Unlimited Blade Works from the Fate Franchise with a different name, it suited her since she could make unlimited holy swords with it.
I recall Xenovia received all the Excalibur fragments back in the canon timeline, so the Excalibur ruler went to her this time around too.
That left Kalawarna and two gears. True Longinus and Caliburn; Sacred Gear wise, these two were both Top Grade. One was the strongest spear, and the other was the strongest sword. I don't want to give Caliburn away, I liked how it sliced through Surya. So that left True Longinus.
It's not a bad weapon for her. She's a fallen angel, someone who betrayed God, so to wield the spear that killed Jesus was history's way of repeating itself. Her current weapon was a spear too, so she wouldn't need to train on it separately.
But… I hummed. To give her such a powerful weapon when she has yet to do enough for me, would not be fair to others.
I allowed her to survive because I had plans to make my own angels, and as a fallen angel, she was the perfect guinea pig for that. That's what she was, a guinea pig. I did send her on some protection missions, to keep Ruby's group safe when they traveled to places, but other than that her contribution to the sect was not worth mentioning.
So did she deserve it?
I had no other person in mind who could use a spear, but I could teach them how to wield one. Rubbing my temple, I looked at her.
"Kalawarna, show me all your wings," I ordered and two black wings furled out of her back, scattering a few feathers across the room. I scowled, "Just two?"
Hearing my disappointed tone, she trembled in her spot. That made me grumble. She was the weakest member in the Sect right now; even Aunty Miyako knew some spells – I taught her – that would allow her to beat this weakling. Disappointing.
"I- I am sorry… I…" she lowered her head, trembling. Naturally, she was scared of me, which was good. But she needed to use that fear to strengthen herself, not cower away. Stupid bitch. "It's really… hard to grow as a fallen angel since God is dead and we abandoned the pure angels who hold the last legacy of God."
"Hard, but not impossible," I sighed. There was no point in being angry with her. "I will give you two months, you need to grow four extra pairs of wings by then. You'll need to have at least ten wings for you to be worthy."
Her eyes widened, "But it's not possible! I- I have been alive for centuries, yet unable to advance, how can I gain eight wings in two months?! In the month and a half that I've spent here training with those two," she looked at Irina and Xenovia, "I have almost reached a breakthrough to grow another pair of wings, but even that might take a whole year to fully complete!"
"Well, you'll receive this," I raised the True Longinus to the air, "if you succeed. Oh and, if you don't, I'll perform magic-engineering experiments on you, which has a 73% chance of ending up in death. I guess death should be a good motivator."
She slumped on the ground, looking at me desperately, "B- but, come on, I'd agree if it was possible, it's not-!"
I shrugged, "I managed to rise from barely defeating a nobody devil to slapping around a Chief God in a matter of five months, what are you on about?" I said, and sent me a teary glare, that said she was not me, and that I was a monster.
"Aqua, don't be so rude… She's not you," someone else completed her sentence for her, and it turned out to be my mother dearest. I ignored her and looked at Kala.
With a light scoff, I put the spear down. "Ask anyone here for help with training and mana circulating techniques; mana is the main thing that increases your wing numbers if I'm not wrong. Moreover, as a Fallen Angel, you have other means to expand your powers. Lastly," I looked at Galaxara, "You have a Goddess on the same divine scale as your creator right here, if not above. If you ever want to switch back to a pure state, ask her for help."
"...." she resigned back with a sigh, and a moment later she looked at Galaxara and the others around the room in search of someone who could help her.
"Two months is a long time, Kalawarna, don't disappoint me." I put True Longinus in my void storage, "Till then, I'll keep the spear. Do your best, Fallen." I may be the best with a sword, but my Spear Proficiency was incredible too. Of course it was; cold weapons that I didn't have at least universal-class mastery over were nonexistent.
Kalawarna nodded slowly, her mind busy as she thought of ways to survive.
The others looked at her, some in pity and some in jealousy before they soon moved on to play with their new Gears. I led them to the gym to have them try out their new abilities.
****
Ai needed no training; she was used to controlling her Heat Vision from her Supergirl powerset, so this came off easy too. However, she did test out her abilities on plants by turning them into stone, and then returning them to normal with another eye beam. She looked happy with the power.
Ruby, on the other hand, was trash with Dimension Lost. What the fuck?
"Girl," I facepalmed. "Where did the gene diverse? How can you be so weak and talentless?"
"Bro, shut up!" She shouted and shot Nine-Colored-Qi at my face, which I waved off with a slap of my hand. I couldn't do it with ease though, I had to coat my hand in Dark-Sun Qi.
"You should have teleported when I slapped off your attack," I advised her, kicking backward. "Then attack me from the back."
"Well it's easy for you to say, you don't know how hard it's to teleport-"
I appeared behind her with a flick of Whirlwind Blink, kicking her on her waist; with a loud bone crack, she was sent flying and slammed against a wall. Ai closed her eyes with a scowl, looking the other way. But worrying about her daughter was no use, as she leaped back with a hand on her waist, a healing spell circling behind her hand.
"Cosmic Magic-" she shouted, and I scoffed.
"Dissolve," I ordered, and her magic circle shattered into pieces. She growled and the intensity in her red eyes increased; she had been using her Kage Mimic from the start but now it shone brighter.
"I will-" she blinked from her spot, appearing on my side with a burst of purple mist. "Break your neck!" A kick came flying on my neck, and I tilted my head to dodge it. I didn't put much focus into it, which was why I underestimated her speed; she missed the kick, sure, but her thighs came crashing against my face, sandwiching me.
Her thighs tightened around my neck, my face pressed against her belly button, while her hands blasted Nine-Colored-Qi against my skull. It actually hurt. I grabbed her by the waist, trying to pull her off. Instead of resisting, she grabbed my arms, while her legs still choked me. She pulled at my arms so hard that it would have almost broken if I weren't a Sage. Her other arm grabbed my hair and blasted Nine-Colored-Qi into my head.
I'd have suffocated if I wasn't a Sage; my Eternally Youthful body required barely any oxygen to survive.
"Die, die, die, die!" The maddened Ruby kept increasing the amount of Qi she was using, ruining my lovely hair, which made me growl against her thighs.
I leaped upwards and then slammed my head toward the ground. She couldn't dodge since she was stuck with my head, the impact reverberated through her spine as she let out a silent gasp, her attacks slowing down.
Her thighs and hands loosened, and I retracted my arm myself, rubbing my neck as I used [Pure Storm Baptism] to heal the little injury in my arm and head. I flexed it and looked at her on the ground, as she winced in pain.
"Good job," I said, "you managed to pull it off in the end."
The spectators looked at us in silence for a bit, before Tsubasa clapped a little; with that, the others also clapped a little for Ruby. She needed a lot to catch up on.
With that, I moved to the next training partner.
…..
"Haap-!"
A slash went right by my ear, but it didn't slice a hair on my head. I saw the annoyance in Xenovia's eyes as I parried her next sword attacks with my bare hands, my forearms coated with my willpower as it deflected her blows.
Excalibur Ruler that Xenovia swung at me had the power to manipulate any living thing or organic material, allowing the user to control the will of their opponents and fully subjugate them. Sadly, she was against a Sage; manipulating me was impossible.
We sparred for tens of minutes, with Xenovia growing more and more frustrated, until she grabbed the other sword on her waist, and swung at me. I was surprised at the change in intensity, and I had to dodge this attack because of how sudden it was. Looking at the sword, I remembered something.
So far, Xenovia fought using the Excalibur Ruler against me, while her personal sword, Durandal, has rested on her waist. Naturally, she had more experience using it. Dodging one of her sword slashes with ease, I pondered. She's not a twin sword user, such a waste.
Ah, wait. I blinked. Fucking Azazel. Where are my three Excalibur Fragments?
During that meeting I had with him, he handed me over to Kokabiel and Kawalarna. I forgot that the Fallen Faction, especially Kokabiel, held three Excalibur Swords too. In the canon timeline, it went to Freed Sellzen, and later, all seven fragments went to Xenovia, who merged those seven with her Durandal, making it a top-grade sword.
There were seven Excalibur sword fragments, created after the original's destruction. Excalibur Destruction, Excalibur Mimic, Excalibur Rapidly, Excalibur Ruler, and the last three, Excalibur Nightmare, Excalibur Transparency, and Excalibur Blessing.
With Ruler, my Sect had four at hand. I was keeping Rapidly for a while now, I got it from Freed's ashes. Xenovia and Irina had Destruction and Mimic, which they were given by the church before I kidnapped them.
"Let's end this," I stopped Xenovia's attack with a palm, and with the other, I sent a palm attack to her stomach, sending her flying backward and hitting the wall with a thud.
I dusted off my hands and scowled. Xenovia shuddered as she got up; she took my scowl as a disapproval of her abilities, but she was not bad. She's quite good since I taught her some techniques in the months she's been here. I looked at Kalawarna instead, who shuddered seeing me glare at her again.
"You," I tossed her my phone, "Call Azazel and tell him to return me my three other Excalibur fragments. Nightmare, Transparency, and Blessing."
"Um, y-your?"
"Did I stutter?" I looked at her and she quickly shook her head, before typing on the keypad and ringing a call.
I approached her while the call was picked up.
"Hello?" Azazel's voice came from the other side, "Who's this unknown number? I swear if this is a prank call again, I-"
"Azazel." I growled into the mic, "You scamming bastard, where are my fucking Excalibur fragments."
"...."
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Chapter 181: Sacred Gear Isn't Enough, We Need More Treasures- Oh…
—
Azazel lounged lazily on a beach, under the shadow of an umbrella. Around him, the gentle breeze of the ocean danced, while he watched clouds stride from behind his dark shades. While the world was busy and shocked, this Fallen Angel was having the time of his life.
Of course, why should he care? He wasn't a devil, he didn't personally ally himself with that Aqua; if the world was watching anyone, it was that boy and the groups surrounding him. Azazel didn't want to have anything to do with that kid, nor did he want to.
Peace was finally here, and he also reached a breakthrough in his research. So he took some time off for vacation. Cool breeze in the morning, ladies and wine at night; life was good.
"Seems like Aqua's stirring the pot more fiercely than a witch at her cauldron," he mused, a grin playing on his lips. The ruckus with Vedas was a distant storm from him, although he was indeed curious about this 'foreign goddess', he let his curiosity die since it was related to Aqua.
Azazel didn't want to meet the same fate Surya had. On his beach far from both India and Japan, Azazel felt calm, disconnected from the storms that Aqua whipped up amongst gods and devils alike.
He stretched, considering the possibility of a quiet century or two, perhaps finally delving into those weird ancient texts he'd been ignoring; he wished he had a vampire subordinate, the text was hard to read for him as an Angel, fallen or otherwise. Since it seemed to come from some kind of vampiric origin, that would have been nice.
Whatever, I have time. I should wait for that Gasper kid to grow up. Azazel thought. It was alright to take time with this; everything was alright, he could relax. Just as he settled deeper into his musings, his phone buzzed—an irritating, discordant sound that shattered his lovely peace.
With a resigned sigh, he fished the device from his pocket, his brow arching in curiosity at the unknown number flashing on the screen. "Now who could this be?" he wondered aloud, thumb hovering over the accept button.
He answered the call, his voice laced with a mock sternness reserved for cold callers and unwelcome interruptions. "Hello?" He had just been made a fool out of by some kid earlier, he wished it wasn't that again. "If this is another one of those prank calls, I swear—"
But the voice that growled back was unmistakable, drenched in fury and impatience. "Azazel." It was Aqua, he immediately recognized. "You scamming bastard, where are my fucking Excalibur fragments."
Azazel's face dropped, his peace shattered, and cold sweat formed on his forehead. It seemed the storm was fated to pull him into it after all.
….
After a brief talk, he thanked the late Lord that although easily angered, Aqua wasn't uncooperative. Sadly, this matter was already out of his hands. Azazel felt bad for his old buddy, Michael, for what might come in the near future.
****
[First Person Point of View]
"Here, Aqua," Tsubasa handed me a wet towel, which I thanked her for and cleaned my face. I chewed on a piece of gum as I tucked away my phone and pondered what I talked with Azazel about.
"What did the call say? It looks like you got a lot on your mind," Tsubasa said softly, taking the towel from me and gently cleaning my forehead with it. I looked her in the eye and she blinked, blushing a little at my clear gaze. "W-what?"
Tsubasa, huh? Why did… she take this identity? Or was it not a manual choice? And why are her memories sealed? I had a lot of questions.
"Nyx," I looked at her.
"Huh?" Tsubasa tilted her head, and I found no deceit in it. It was a genuine reaction. She then frowned playfully. "Are you mistaking me for another one of your girls?
I smiled, "No, I was saying that I'd love to have an herbal mix of tea, I need my head to be clear. Would you make me one?"
She let the scowl drop and smiled, "Sure thing, whatever my lord says." And walked out of the gym, heading to the kitchen.
With her gone, I leaned against the wall and faced the rest of the gym. Everyone was busy on their own; the two exorcist girls were taking a break, drinking mana-enhanced energy drinks, while Kalawarna was in a corner, talking with Blue about something; seemingly a serious topic from the look on her face.
Asia and my Goddess were together, making small talk while observing others. Our eyes met, and the two of them waved at me. They kind of gave off a similar vibe…
Yuzuru and Ruby were sparring, and Shoko and Ai were talking about magic spells. Kana was there with Ai, although she just listened to the conversation. When our eyes met, she looked away immediately. To my surprise, she looked back a second later and waved slowly. I nodded at her and looked at Shoko and Yuzuru.
Those two sisters didn't receive any Sacred Gear, since the older one had one already, and the younger one wasn't really a choice in my head. Variant Detonation might have suited her better than Tsubasa, I guess. It'd have gone well with her Black Flames. But while I cared about synergy… I wanted my Nyx to be strong.
Tsubasa returned with a whole tray of tea not long after, and cleared her throat, "I got tea for everyone, grab a cup," she said, putting it on a table. She grabbed one of the cups from the tray, the best one I noticed, and walked over to me. "Here, for you."
I accepted it with a smile, "Where is yours?"
"I didn't quite measure the water right and ended up being short of one cup. It's not a bad thing, you and I are yet to spar, I'd rather be hit on an empty stomach than a full one," she joked and I chuckled.
I took a sip of the tea, which tasted divine, as expected of her, and handed it to her. She looked at my extended hand, smiled, and accepted it. She twirled the cup to face the side I drank from, and took a sip. I chuckled at that while she burst out giggling.
"So what was the conversation in the call? I'm curious," she asked, handing the cup back to me.
I accepted it and took a sip, "It was the Governor of Fallen Angels," I handed the cup to her, but she adamantly rejected it this time. I shook my head and sipped, "Since he was sorry for what Kokabiel did, I think I told you about his case, he handed over the said Kokabiel and Kalawarna. But if he was truly sorry, he should have handed over the three, no, two Excalibur swords he had with him."
"Fair enough," Tsubasa agreed. "What did he say then?"
"He apologized. Turns out of the three remaining Excalibur pieces, he only had two. The other one was with the church; more accurately, the pure Angels." I said. "There was this Three Faction meeting recently, where the Angels, Fallens, and Devils came to a peace treaty, and Azazel returned the two Excalibur to the pure Angels' leader, Michael. So now, all of the remaining three pieces of Excalibur are with the Angels."
"Ahh, no wonder you looked annoyed," she said understandingly. "What would you do now? Give them up or contact the Angels?"
"If I contact the Angels, it'll be troublesome," I laughed, taking a sip. "I'm holding two of their exorcists hostage; not really hostage anymore, they've become loyal from all the sword techniques I taught them, and they know staying with me is the better choice after all the incidents I caused recently, but still. The Angel Faction will see me as a criminal, who not only kidnapped two of their exorcists but is also holding four of their Excalibur pieces."
"That does seem troublesome…"
"It is," I closed my eyes and sighed.
Seeing me gloomy, she chewed on her lips and blinked in surprise. "Oh yes, I forgot to tell you, but there was an envoy from Olympus a few hours ago. You were locked in your room, deciding who to give the sacred gears to, so we didn't bother you. They left three boxes of gifts. I didn't get the chance to tell you since we all got busy with this Sacred Gear situation."
I looked up at her and heard her, the others also turned to me. Ai chimed in, "Ah right, they're in the living room, behind the couches. I'll go fetch them."
"It's okay," Ruby said, and when I turned to look at her, only purple mist remained on her spot. I blinked, and she was back, with three boxes around her. "I got them."
Good, she was learning to use her power better. I looked at the three boxes; they were sealed well, and they didn't leak magical energy unless I focused on them. No wonder I didn't notice it earlier.
I approached them and crouched down. "Let's see," I began to open them one by one, with curiosity flowing through my veins.
****
I was quite disappointed by the gifts. Although I'll admit I was biased since I did just give away a bunch of legendary class Sacred Gears right before, so my standards were a little high at the moment. If we put that aside, the gifts weren't bad.
They were healing potions, stamina potions; a bunch of them. Each could heal the lethal injuries of a mortal, give a 90-year-old the vigor of a teen, and so on. That's not all, of course, Olympus would be insulting themselves if that's all they sent.
There were some common protection amulets, as well as luck-boosting rings, as well as some other minor stuff. But the main course in the gifts were legendary artifacts.
The artifacts came with an attached note that explained their power. The three notes also came with greetings and such, but I ignored them.
===
Gift of Zeus, Life Artifact: Headband of Immortality
Description: A simple yet elegant headband made of celestial silver, adorned with small, luminous gemstones that twinkle like stars. The headband feels cool to the touch and hums with a gentle, otherworldly energy.
It's recorded in legends as a gift from God King Zeus, bestowed upon a mortal hero who performed great deeds in service of the heavens. It was lost after the hero's tragic downfall and has since become a symbol of hope and eternal life, sought after by many but possessed by few. The powers it grants are listed below.
Immortality: Halts the aging process, granting the wearer eternal youth as long as it is worn. Regeneration: Provides accelerated healing, allowing the wearer to recover from injuries at an incredible rate. Vitality Boost: Enhances the wearer's overall physical health, increasing stamina, strength, and resistance to diseases.
===
Gift of Hades, Soul Artifact: Amulet of Elysium
Description: A dark, ornate amulet with a central gemstone that shifts colors between deep green and ghostly white. It is surrounded by intricate engravings of vines, skulls, and ancient runes.
It's forged by a powerful necromancer seeking to bridge the realms of the living and the dead, the Amulet of Elysium was hidden away to prevent its misuse. It is said that those who possess it can unlock the secrets of life and death. Hades enhanced it and made it even more powerful, as listed below.
Soul Binding: The amulet can capture and bind souls, allowing the wielder to communicate with the dead or ask for their powers. Earth's Embrace: Control over the soil and the ability to raise dead plants from it, including causing rapid growth or decay and manipulating the ground. Necromantic Aura: Grants the ability to raise the dead as loyal servants and can siphon life energy from foes to heal the wielder.
===
Gift of Poseidon, Battle Artifact: Deep Sea Volcano Dragon's Gauntlet
Description: A fearsome gauntlet forged from the scales of an ancient underwater dragon that dwelled in volcanic vents. The gauntlet is a dark, iridescent red with veins of molten gold running through it, emitting a constant, subtle heat.
Created by a legendary blacksmith who, with the Sea God's help, tamed the furious dead body of an underwater volcano dragon and forged a gauntlet out of its scales. This gauntlet is said to have the power to reshape the landscape of the ocean floor and command the fiery elements hidden beneath the waves.
Lava Manipulation: The gauntlet allows the wearer to control and create lava, summoning it from the depths of the earth to melt mountains. Draconic Strength: Enhances the wearer's physical strength and resilience, imbuing them with the power of a dragon. Thermal Healing: Heals wounds by applying controlled heat, cauterizing, and mending injuries with fiery precision.
===
They might seem strong from the description, but the first two weren't really that big of a deal. Eternal Youth? I could reverse age with a simple pill like I did with Shoko's grandma. Necromancy? Get the fuck out of here, I revived a billion bodies during my life as the Eternal Sorceror, to train my proficiency to revive my mother.
…Well fine, I guess they're not bad for my girls. I changed my pessimistic mind after taking a better look at the artifacts. I wasn't going to use them anyway, judging them by my million-year-old standards wasn't wise.
The Headband could give a Deadpool-like regen from what my senses told me, that wasn't bad. The Amulet could raise anybody below Ultimate-Class, which was a pity but I could get around that if I mess with it a bit. The juiciest was the Gauntlet, it was really powerful. I owe Poseidon a thanks; thankfully the little notes had contact info, so I could send back some powerful Talisman as a thanks.
A plus point was, since these weren't Sacred Gears, I could give them to anybody, no matter if they already had a Gear or not. I immediately knew who to give these to.
"Yuzuru kid," I grabbed the two gauntlets and tossed them over. Her face brightened as she caught them, immediately crashing onto her back due to how heavy they were. I let out a chuckle, knowing it would happen.
"You knew! You should have warned!" The little girl yelled, while her sister helped her up with a laugh. I ignored her and grabbed the Amulet.
"Shoko," I walked over as she helped Yuzuru get up. Yuzuru raised an eye while her older sister looked at me with a surprised blink.
"Erm, Aqua, I don't need it..." She protested, but I put the headband around her head. It shimmered and registered her mana, beginning to circulate through her body.
"Of course you do. Your body isn't sturdy, so you need other means to survive; super regeneration is a good solution." I said, ruffling her hair as she nodded meekly.
I walked back to the boxes and grabbed the Soul Amulet. I raised it high and watched the chandelier's light reflect against its pearl. "This one deals with souls and death," I looked at the girls around me, "I don't think any of you are confident dealing with it. So I'll be a little brazen and," I walked over to my Goddess and raised it toward her. "I apologize for offering such a weak artifact, my Goddess, but Death Divinity will help you now that Ozriel is no more."
My Goddess was the sole Deity of Pangeal, so while she may be a Voidborne she still ruled over the Sun, the Moon, Life, and Death, among other stuff. But she had divided those divinities among her Archangels; the Angel of Death, Ozriel being one of them.
She has… passed away in her fight against the Outer Gods, protecting my Goddess, which meant my Goddess had lost her Death Divinity. This artifact barely contained any, but it would be a start to regain her former authority over Death.
"I shall accept it with grace," she accepted and gently touched it against her heart. We all watched, as she focused with her eyes closed, and a purple deathly aura leaked out of the amulet. It illuminated the entire room as if a purple sun had risen, and the wind flapped against my hair. The light, the aura, all of it rushed toward my Goddess' heart a moment later, submerging into her flesh.
She opened her eyes a long moment later, her purple eyes now a bit more vibrant.
I smiled, content with that. It's not been a week, yet we made a lot of progress. I have a lot to do still, and deciding on Excalibur was just one of them.
My days grew too busy to count before I knew it.
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