บท 64: Chapter 64: Experiment
[Anthony's POV]
"Is Japan free?"
Yuichiro asked and made a face.
"Well, the Sixth Trumpet summoned the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but I've already dealt with it. I sealed Seraphim inside the host."
I explained it to him.
"And the vampires will help humans... right?"
My gaze fell on Krul who was hugging Asuramaru whom I had created a body.
He looked bewildered as he didn't understand what to do now that he had a body. After all, he remained a demon... partly.
"Yes... if humans don't break the rules, then I'm fine with it."
Krul was glad to have her brother back.
"I can't believe it's over so quickly and easily."
Shihō spoke up along with the rest of the squad present here.
"You know who to thank."
Guren said with closed eyes, enjoying Mahiru hugging him from behind.
"Yeah, my Tony-kun."
Shinoa hugged me from behind as well, and she looked at them with a smirk.
"If it weren't for him, who knows how things would have turned out? I doubt it would have been so peaceful."
"Definitely..."
Mikaela muttered quietly, glancing at his friend with excitement.
The situation was good now, and they could be together... uh, as friends, but it could have been different because of their different sides.
"So... the Moon Demons are no longer needed?"
Mitsuba asked.
"There are always those who won't follow orders, and vampires from other countries will definitely oppose what's happening."
Crowley replied.
"And I wouldn't mind having a drink..."
Crowley glanced at me.
"Yes, yes, if people are willing to give you blood, I'm fine with it and creating artificial blood is no problem."
I said.
"Guren, did you do what I asked?"
I looked at Guren.
"Yes, all my people and those who really want to help humanity have been evacuated from the main building, where Tenri Hiragi is now."
Guren confirmed.
"Are you going there?"
Shinoa asked.
"Yes, I think it's time to end this."
I nodded to Shinoa, and she kissed me on the cheek, causing her squad to awkwardly turn away.
"More later,"
Shinoa licked her lips.
"You two are strangely alike... It's kind of scary."
Guren remarked, referring to how Shinoa and her sister behaved similarly.
...
[3rd POV]
Shinoa watched him vanish from the spot, probably teleporting to Shikama Dōji.
She couldn't help but worry about him, but she also understood that he was more than strong enough.
Meanwhile, the chat continued as she resumed the broadcast when they began fighting the vampires.
Rias Gremory: Everything is so serious in your world... Shinoa is there fighting for the future of the world, and here I am, lying in bed after a hard workout and eating cakes. It's so unfair.
Hermione Granger: It's a constant horror show in her world! It's like barbarians fighting each other.
Rias Gremory: Don't act like you don't enjoy it. I saw how excited you were shooting those Grimm with your repulsors.
Hermione Granger: That's different!
Rias Gremory: Sends a photo
Hermione Granger: Disgusting!
Rias Gremory: Your amusing reaction to photographs makes me agree with Shinoa, and it is impossible to resist teasing you.
Shinoa Hiragi: Hehe, that's true.
Hermione Granger: You're both evil!
Shinoa Hiragi: You're just reacting funny to this. You're not ten years old. You're a grown woman capable of making love with a man, so what are you embarrassed about?
Hermione Granger: Your freedom and pervertedness!
Rias Gremory: Winter, are you here?
Winter Schnee: Yes.
Rias Gremory: How's the process of repairing the destroyed districts of Vale going?
Winter Schnee: As far as I know, almost everything there has been done, and even Ozpin showed up in a new body.
Shinoa Hiragi: Hmm, interesting. Does he take over the main personality of the previous body's owner or slowly devour it like a parasite?
Winter Schnee: I hadn't thought about that... Now it's bothering me.
Shinoa Hiragi: You're welcome anytime!
"And... what now?"
Shinoa heard Yuichiro's question out of the corner of her ear.
"What should I do now? My goal was to exterminate the vampires... and now it turns out that Mika is alive, and not all vampires deserve death..."
"Oh, a tough life choice."
Ferid smirked.
"Stop... You're the bastard who nearly killed me in childhood!"
Yuichiro exclaimed, pointing his weapon at Ferid...
"Interesting. When will he realize that he no longer possesses the cursed weapon since the demon now has a body?"
Shinoa pondered.
...
[Anthony's POV]
I flew above the Imperial Demon Army's main building. I looked down to see where General Tenri Hiiragi was now located.
He was the next pawn of the First, and I moved to his office without much thought.
"Ah, so it's you..."
I didn't bother listening to him because what I saw in my aura was enough.
Without hesitation, I plunged my sword into his heart with his eyes, filled with haze, blinked, and saw gratitude.
"Thank you..."
He managed to say it before closing his eyes forever. He was already a puppet, so he could regain his sanity only before death.
"He's not here..."
I noticed that the First wasn't here, but there was another way to understand where he was.
I could clearly feel where the last Sinful Key was by using all six of them.
It was a hundred kilometers away from where I was, which was closer to Tokyo. After getting closer, I immediately understood where to go.
This place had a big building that used to be a museum. In the middle was an open grave with what looked like an angel's body inside sleeping.
This angel suspiciously strongly resembled Mikaela.
"He's beautiful, isn't he?"
A very gentle male voice sounded.
The body was not too close to Shikama Doji who was sitting there with the Key of Sin in his hands.
"He could become the best creature ever to see the light and the purest of us all."
Shikama spoke, and there were distinct notes of melancholy in his voice.
"He's an angel... very similar to those I saw in the subconscious of the Seraphs of the End."
I said as I landed.
"Oh, he is indeed an angel, not a sorry replica like myself, a failed artificial experiment. He's my son, my Mikaela..."
Shikama looked at the body with tenderness.
"So, you're the one who's meddling in established history, aren't you?"
Shikama asked me while examining me with his golden eyes.
"Shinoa, I was there when she started experiencing strange emotions. If you understand what I mean, the poor girl has kept her heart inside built walls since birth."
Shikama smiled slightly.
"However, what's surprising is that I couldn't understand what was happening with her memories; they became unavailable to me in some places... as if something prevented me from seeing them, and soon I lost the ability to influence Shinoa in any way. You know it reminds me of HIS plans."
"You mean God?"
I asked.
"Yes, that perverted old man is exactly who I mean."
Shikama chuckled and stood up, making the wings behind his back more visible.
"Perverted?"
I raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, he's much more... ambiguous than I ever was. I sense that divine spark in you too."
Shikama spoke while staring at me with his eyes.
"Maybe he sent you here to ruin everything for me as well? I wouldn't be surprised... but I hoped he died in agony."
Shikama Doji sighed as he approached the coffin.
"So you were familiar with God?"
"It's more than familiar that it doesn't bring me into the mood... Oh, by the way, do you know of others as well? It's clear you're not from here because you smell... different. I think this word suits you. Father."
Shikama said it with obvious disgust and yet some kind of affection.
"He abandoned us all, experimented, and left without saying a word. Do you know what it's like when the center of your existence just throws you away like an unwanted toy?"
"There are fates much worse than this."
I remarked without taking my eyes off the First.
"I have to agree, but here's the thing... if God himself abandons his creations and tosses them aside like a discarded toy he's done. Do we do the same? He's a god, and he sets an example to follow. So, is it normal to use everyone and everything? Is it normal?"
Shikama asked, genuinely pondering the questions.
"And here I am, the first of the damned, a broken toy without purpose. However, there he is... my Mikaela... HE played with him longer than I did, and look what came out of it. I know his soul is still here somewhere, reincarnated..."
"So you started experimenting with vampires because of this? You created a whole race to bring back your son?"
"Hmm, in a sense."
Shikama nodded.
"His soul is too strong, and only small traces of Mikaela manifest, but not his essence... but if we use the ritual."
Shikama Doji's gaze fell directly on me.
"Use the lives of all the vampires, then we can summon him. You know, what I've realized over all the millennia? There will be a question about the value of life if there is no death."
"Then you'd end your own life and be done with it instead of becoming a planetary-scale puppet."
"You wouldn't understand that until you've walked my path. Alright, you came here for this, right?"
Shikama lifted the Sinful Key.
"I won't give it up while I'm alive... I still haven't found a way to die after all this time, so I'll be glad if you help me with that."
Shikama spread his wings and, with extreme pressure, descended to the ground, much more powerful than the Seraphim.
"I knew you would come to me and return to your true body... of course, after the battle, if I survive, I'll spend another millennium recovering, but why not?"
"Maybe you should just surrender?"
I asked him.
Then Shikama smirked ironically and raised his hand.
At that moment, a surge of energy burst forth while rushing towards me like a swift stream.
It was some twisted holy energy, something similar to what I felt in the Seraphs of the End.
I could see how this attack destroyed the whole wall as I teleported away. It continued its path and destroyed the entire district.
That showed me that the games were over.
I tightened my grip on my sword and charged at Shikama. He flapped his wings, making dust clouds, and I instinctively used my sword to defend myself.
I heard the clang of the impact against my sword, and I was simply overwhelmed by the force behind that blow.
"Sorry, but it's better to postpone the fight further away, you understand."
Shikama said while flying towards me as I hadn't even landed yet. But instead of words, I spun on my axis and kicked him.
Judging by his surprised look, he didn't expect such physical strength from me either, so he fell heavily downward, creating a crater.
"It's okay, I understand."
I said, and with the help of earth magic, I began to bombard him. Spikes of earth appeared from below, and huge chunks of buildings flew into him from above.
But it only took five seconds before I felt a strong change in energy. The debris field burst with a bright light, and a white beam of fire flew toward me.
My Aura and Ki were already in full motion, especially Senjutsu, which boosted all my physical abilities. I also used the Exploding Heart Release Fist.
The energy beam struck my outstretched hand, and I felt a somewhat painful burning sensation, but as soon as the beams weakened, I immediately lunged toward him.
My first blow destroyed a hundred meters of building, and the second only worsened the destruction.
The buildings nearby began to collapse from the shockwaves.
I immediately pulled out the combined Sinful Key containing all six keys and pointed it at Shikama Doji.
Shikama himself appeared hurt but quite alive... he didn't even bother dodging my next Key strike to the heart.
"This... must be painful."
Shikama muttered.
"But with this, you've given me access to all the Keys."
Shikama smiled faintly and said.
"Awaken."
At that moment, the sky split open, six bright glows appeared, and golden pipes emerged.
"mih Laes."
I tried to seal him, but even with the Sin Keys, I couldn't do it.
It was possible to seal his current body, but his soul flew to the pipes. A bright light flashed... In the sky appeared the silhouette of Shikama Doji, but now he had red eyes and a slightly different body with six wings behind his back.
He raised his hands, and a golden glow formed in the sky while accumulating resembling a sword.
"Divine Weapon."
Shikama said.
At that moment, I was already forming a huge golem with magic and had increased the size of my sword with magic and Will.
Fortunately, there was enough Eighth Metal there that obeyed me.
I started using the souls accumulated in the medallion to strengthen myself.
The collision of the two forces in the sky caused a huge explosion, simply obliterating a third of Tokyo.
As a result, Shikama Doji's energy dispersed, and my golem was literally blown to pieces, but the sword returned to its former state and was drawn to me.
"That was intense...
I looked at the aftermath of the collision of such powerful forces and a huge amount of energy.
There were burn marks, deep scratches, and gaping wounds on my body.
I had been under barriers, and my aura and Ki had protected me quite well, but not well enough.
I began to restore my body to its previous state using alchemy.
"You're still alive..."
Shikama said it weakly while lying at the center of the explosion. His skin began to crack, and his eyes lost their former color.
"Amazing, I've never exerted myself so much before. I finally felt something other than boredom."
Shikama smirked and lifted himself slightly on his arms.
"Finish this, if you can... Anthony Luthor—that's what Shinoa called you, right? I'll remember even after death. You know, I think we're similar in some ways. We're both abandoned by the gods, aren't we? I feel it, as I said. But we chose different paths... Let's see where yours leads..."
Shikama closed his eyes while allowing me to pierce him with my sword.
"It was quite a tough fight. I had to give it my all, and aside from that, god, you're my strongest opponent."
I said this while feeling the replenishment of souls in the medallion.
"Phew, we really gave it our all."
I looked out over the city while running my hand through my hair.
I really went all out in the last attack, so it's not surprising that a big city like Tokyo ended up more than a third destroyed.
After sealing the Shikama's body, I got the last Sinful Key, so now I combined them all and gained the ability to enter that space bound to them, and I did.
I found myself... in the heavens.
At least, this place was indeed the heavens, and most likely, this was where the god conducted experiments.
Honestly, I'm already feeling some mental exhaustion after what happened, but still exploring the home of a god is very interesting.
...
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