dxd
Thanks for reading!
-
dxd
–Kuoh Shrine, Morning–
The sacred air of the shrine that was once calm and pure was now roared with chaos.
Shuri Himejima stood tall amid the cracked tiles and scattered talismans, her violet flames flaring around her like a shroud of divine wrath.
Her robes fluttered as she weaved Shinto spells and talismans into the battlefield with swift, elegant gestures as each one held a prayer-turned weapon.
"Begone!" she shouted, casting a ring of purifying fire outward.
The flames surged into the incoming Himejima clansmen, those who once called her kin who now cast her aside, and scorched their seals mid-air, unraveling wards and shikigami in bursts of light.
---The fire didn't burn flesh, it incinerated corruption, the kind born of arrogance and zealotry.
"Blasphemer!" one of them roared, slamming a talisman down. "You shame of the Himejima Clan!"
Shuri spun mid-air, forming a sigil in her palm before launching it forward. A wheel of flames spiraled out, crashing into the barrier and blasting the clansman off his feet as it roasted him alive.
But there were still too many.
Behind her, Akeno stood behind a fractured beam, as though her eyes were wide with fear, she still attempted to gather Magic to fight against the several Fallen coming after her.
-boom!-
Meagre amounts of [Holy Lightning] blasted from her hands, scorching her assailants as I eventually stood beside her and the black-winged figures closing in from the trees.
"Tsk. Trying to jump a little girl while her mom's busy?" I muttered, stepping forward. "You fuckers really are scum of the earth."
One Fallen Angel lunged. I met him halfway with my fist, glowing with [Holy Lightning] that slammed into his gut.
-crack!-
His body bent around the blow, crashing into the torii gate with a burst of black feathers and pained screeches.
Another raised his light spear, but he didn't even see my foot coming. I kicked upward, launching him airborne before hurling a bolt of [Light Power] that detonated in midair.
More descended as shadows danced, but I had no intention of stopping.
I might not be a badass supernatural killer, but I do understand that nobody here had any thoughts of sparring me even if I were to plead, so morality was officially off the table.
I blocked another strike, this time feeling the crunch of dark steel against my enchanted skin.
Shuri noticed, mid-duel, how close they were getting.
She gritted her teeth, a moment of anguish surfacing in her face that seemed to say 'I can't protect them both…'
---That flicker of despair didn't escape me.
"Don't worry," I said, smirking as I dusted off my sleeve. "After the food you fed me last night? This is the least I can do."
I stepped forward--- Toward the frontline of zealots and Fallen.
"I won't say that you won't get hurt. But you'll survive. That I promise."
"So I'll help you."
Then I whispered:
[Time-Stop].
---The world halted as time stopped.
Flames paused mid-flicker. Dust hung in the air like frozen stars. Fallen Angels hovered mid-strike, their blades halted inches from flesh.
Only I moved.
And in that eternity of stolen time--- five things happened.
[5]
I placed a hand on the nearest Himejima clansman.
[Sensitivity Manipulation ×3000]
Their skin screamed silently. Every wisp of wind, every mote of magic would now feel like razors giving him pain without a single touch.
[4]
I stepped through the frozen field of enemies, boots echoing in the silence of halted time, and stopped before the leader.
Arrogant. Grim. Powerful. Those eyes of his were frozen mid-glare, the classic look of a group of people who think they are better than everyone else they've ever met in their lives.
[Body Manipulation]
I plunged my hand into his chest, warping his insides with surgical precision. His body bloated, twisted, bulging into a grotesque, cancerous mass of magic-absorbing flesh.
[3]
I etched a glowing spell of absorption into his sternum, pulsing with stolen knowledge.
[Mana Absorption/Explosion Spell]
It sparked. And drank. Drank Magic as if it had never seen Magic in its life. His body sucked in every shred of magic from his allies.
To put it lightly, it was an uncontrollable siphon that was destined to end in tragedy.
[2]
Light gathered in my hands, pure and heavy. It spun like a drill, then condensed into a radiant spear.
[Light Power Model: Drill Spear]
I drove it straight through his distorted heart, watching coldly as it strummed with detached judgment.
[1]
I then returned next to Akeno, shielding her from the eventual splatter of magical gore.
[0]
---And time has resumed.
"Guugghhh!!?" The leading clansman's body convulsed as he gasped, eyes wide in raw, primal panic. "Whaa--?!"
"What's going on!?"
"Captain, are you okay?!"
"What happened?!"
Concerned voices sprouted up in the leader's ears, but he paid it no mind as the pain he felt was overwhelming, his brain crashing against his skull as his organs bulged and tore with Magic seeping through it all.
"You don't get it, do you?" I frowned. "Then let me give it to you straight."
"You, and everyone else, are already dead."
"Huh?! What the hell is this brat---?!"
"I-It huuuurrrrttttssss---!!!!!" The leader crouched down as his eyes bulged out of its sockets.
---Then...
-boom!-
His bloated form exploded in a spiritual flame bomb as the detonation erased all of his comrades in one flash of holy purification. Ash and screams rained across the courtyard as the clansmen slowly turned to dust and charcoal, roasted by the spiritual flames.
Shuri froze, looking throughout the courtyard as Akeno clutched my side, staring at me.
And in response, I simply nodded. "See, I told you that I'd help out."
"However..." I trailed off, watching the crew of Fallen that spied on us. "Now, we gotta deal with these guys..."
-flutter, flutter-
The four-winged Fallen Angel descended from the skies alongside his crew of two winged Fallen, wings unfurled, his aura crashing over the shrine like a collapsing star.
-vooom!-
He grinned.
"At last… I get to act."
"You've made this... fun. For that, I should thank you," He said, voice smooth and venomous. "Kokabiel-sama will be very interested. Once I kill you, and burn this place to the ground... We'll finally be closer to that beloved Holy War of his..."
---I felt it this time. This guy was different. Smarter. Stronger. Older.
"A war between the factions," he declared proudly. "Angels, Devils, even Humans--- all of them dragged into chaos."
He then raised his hand.
"You may not know of my purpose. However, this is beyond the likes of you all. After all, the agenda must be preserved. No matter what."
His power pressed down like a divine guillotine.
I grimaced.
I never thought I'd think this, me originally being a city-slicker back on my home Earth... But this guy...
I had to kill him immediately.
-wham!-
Before I could even try and move or use [Time-Stop], I had to dodge a flurry of flaming Light Spears as I pulled Akeno alongside me.
"That unnatural burst of speed, and untold abilities of yours... I can't let you live."
The air split with thunder and madness as the four-winged Fallen Angel hovered above us, his expression carved from divine arrogance. His wings stretched wide, light and corruption tangled together in an unnatural storm of tainted grace.
"I am Laniel," he proclaimed, eyes locked onto me. "Executor of Kokabiel's will. Herald of the next war."
---And then he attacked.
Quickly at that.
The shockwave came first--- raw pressure that crashed into us, as my knees nearly bent instinctively as the ground cratered beneath me.
And while Shuri raised her arms, throwing up a flame ward, it shattered as Laniel threw a flurry of Light Spears alongside his two-winged minions as it blotted out the sky in a streak of blinding unholy radiance.
-boom!-
As I shielded Akeno, my ribs ached from the force of the blow that hurled me back like a ragdoll.
"Damn it!" I shouted, scrambling up and grabbing Akeno. I led her behind a collapsed pillar, tucking her in the safest corner I could find.
"I'll be back," I told her.
Her tiny fingers held mine for a moment too long.
Then I turned to the sky.
[Light Power: Wings]
Radiant and razor-edged, they burst from my back with a screech of tearing air, glowing like twin swords. I launched upward.
As I ascended, I snapped my fingers---
[Sensitivity Manipulation: Maximum Output]
Every two-winged Fallen Angel froze in mid-air, their nerves turning traitorous. Their flight faltered. Their light spears dimmed.
They were mine.
I slammed both fists down into the first one.
-splat!-
He didn't scream. No, he couldn't.
His body flattened against the earth, a red blossom splat of gore and pulp where a person used to be.
I twisted midair, ducked under a bolt, grabbed the next by the leg, and hurled him into his partner as I launched multiple explosive magical spells at the two of them.
Feathers flew, limbs cracked, and explosives rang. The sky then turned red and grey with screams, gore, and ash.
Shuri, below, was fire incarnate.
Her [Spiritual Flames] rose like a storm, golden-violet, burning brighter with each incantation. Two more Fallen Angels caught in her blaze shrieked as they disintegrated into holy ash. Her hands spun seals like spinning wheels of flame---
---Then Laniel hit her.
A streak of black light, and a spear of radiance.
She screamed and crashed through a support beam, blood splattering the torii.
"Himejima-san!/ Okaa-san!"
I dove down like a missile, quickly getting accustomed to using these wings of mine.
My flight had yet to be imbued with finesse, but that was an issue to be addressed at a later time.
At this moment, speed was what I wanted.
And while I could use [Time-Stop] again, I wanted to save the stamina just in case anything else would happen.
But the closer I got towards her, the more the sky darkened.
Above me, the remaining Fallen Angels had formed a formation--- light spears glowing above their heads like a divine volley of missiles.
I grabbed Shuri midair and shot toward Akeno.
[Spirit Organ: Circulate!]
My magic roared through my veins like a tempest.
[Sensitivity Manipulation ×1000]
[Light Power: Wings (Shield Model)]
My light wings unfolded and wrapped around them, absorbing and dispersing the impact as dozens of light spears rained down like judgment. Each one shattered against the wings with crackling fury, until the world went white---
But we lived.
"Stay close," I told Akeno as I set Shuri down gently while healing her with [Body Manipulation].
Then I looked up.
[Holy Lightning] and [Light Power].
---I spun them together in my [Spirit Organ].
Even added a rotation spell just for measure.
As the energy surged through my wings, I twisted them into spiraling drills of crackling radiance and turned them into lances before flinging them upwards.
[Divine Lightning Drills]
-zoom!-
They tore through the clouds like divine vengeance, screaming through the air as they struck one Fallen after another, ripping through flesh as blood sprayed and sizzled.
Every last two-winged Fallen Angel fell, eviscerated in the sky like butchered birds.
---All except Laniel.
He danced through it with grace as his form flickered through each storm, untouched and effortless.
He was smiling when he reached me.
"Shit." My reflexes went into overdrive as I weaved and dodged through hundreds of spear stabs, thrusts, and slashes before...
"Argggh—!"
Pain.
A burst of force collided into my side like a freight train. I was flung through a stone wall, coughing blood, before skidding across the ground in a heap.
"Not bad, but not good either." Laniel spat.
Shuri got up slowly, hurling a flame seal at him, but he slapped it aside.
She tried again to no avail, when he knocked her to the ground with a backhand, a glowing spear crackling in his grip.
"Just give up, your deaths will pave the way foward for a world filled with nothing but beauty."
He approached.
"Yeah? But what's the point if I don't get to see it?" My legs may have been trembling, but with my modified body, I slowly grew stronger as my regeneration effect slowly healed my wounds.
And then---
Akeno.
She threw herself over me, attempting to shield me with her tiny frame as her body constantly trembled.
I saw her eyes. Scared, sure. But also determined.
I whispered into her ear.
"...We'll fight him together, okay?"
She nodded, albeit fearfully.
As Laniel walked over to us, I began to formulate a plan that would defeat him while also getting Akeno and Shuri to safety, which would give me enough time to carry away Laniel's body so that I could experiment on him afterward.
"Die."
He raised his spear of light---
And brought it down toward our hearts.
And as he did so, everything slowed.
Not because time had stopped. Not yet.
But because I was slowly healing.
Blood trickled down my chin as I coughed, the taste of copper biting deeper into my tongue than any injury Laniel had thrown. It hurt, alright.
But it was the good pain, the pain you get when you do an all-body workout at the gym, and wake up feeling sore the next morning.
---It meant that I was getting stronger.
But that wasn't what I focused on.
I was close. So close to unraveling it.
[Worthless].
The concept churned inside my [Spirit Organ], on the cusp of full realization. I needed time. Just a little more time.
My vision flickered.
"Akeno..." I rasped, my voice dry.
She was sobbing as she moved beside her unconscious mother, her small hands clutching Shuri's burned robes like they could anchor her to a reality that wasn't collapsing.
It was nice, but I didn't have time for sentiment. Not now.
"Hey," I called out, louder this time. "Akeno. Look at me."
She did, her face a mess of tears and dirt. I reached out, hand trembling, and laid two fingers on her forehead.
"Regulate your magical power. Focus. We're gonna get through this together."
Then I maxed out [Sensitivity Manipulation] on her. Not in an erotic sense, but towards the magic deep within her. I did it just enough to let her feel everything--- her breath, her pulse, her emotions, and most importantly, her magic.
It hummed like a live wire inside her as she gasped, eyes wide, and I gave her a nod.
"Let's send this jerkhole to meet God himself." I said, whispering to her to unleash the magic of [Holy Lightning] that she'd inherited from the 'Lightning of God' himself.
"Pitiful last resorts, from pitiful, desperate creatures." Laniel scoffed, walking towards us without caution or guard.
"Let 'em' have it!" I yelled.
"Stop hurting Daichi-kun and Okaa-san, and go awayyyyy---!!!" she screamed at Laniel.
---And lightning obeyed.
A holy electrical tempest erupted from her body, crashing into Laniel like a divine tsunami.
-boom!-
He flew back, crashing through several trees, as in terms of distance, he cleared the entire shrine.
'Woah...' I marveled at the combined efforts of Akeno and I. 'What is this [Sensitivity Manipulation], really? Some kind of alternate Boost?!'
"D-did we do it?" Akeno asked, in shock at what she had done.
"No." I replied with a narrowing of my eyes. "Not yet, unfortunately."
-step, step-
Coming up the shattered stairs of Kuoh Shrine, was none other than Laniel.
Only this time, the mask of cold composure shattered as he roared uncontrollably, "You pathetic creatures---!!! I'll tear you limb from limb, and paint this shrine in your blood---!!!!"
He launched himself at me, and I caught him right where I wanted him.
"Daichi---!"
His spear pierced me straight through the stomach, and hot, holy light carved its way through my guts as I struggled to stand.
'Shit. That one actually hurts the most!.'
I turned, gritting my teeth. "You need to run. Take your mom. Go."
"But, Daichi---!"
"You're stronger than you think. And I---" I forced a grin despite the blood. "---had fun playing with you. You're just a brat now, but when you get older... We should definitely date."
She started crying harder, shaking her head. "You're going to die---"
"I'm really not, honest." I said. "And I'm sorry 'bout this."
"H-huh?"
[Hypnosis]
"Run, Akeno."
"Take your mother with you."
"And don't stop until you're somewhere safe."
She stilled.
Then, like a puppet on strings, she lifted her mother and sprinted away, her aura flaring in resistance before finally submitting to the command.
I watched them go for a moment longer than I should have for the eventual misunderstanding of my fated death, but I'd reunite with her before the year's end, so it's no biggie.
-ding!-
-A magical mental message.
Not only do Cleria Bellial and Masaomi want to meet up, but Sebas is also finished with his tasks.
"It's time to wrap this up."
Laniel descended in front of me, his four wings glowing brighter than before. "When I'm done with you," he sneered, "I'll gut the priestess and mount her daughter's head over her corpse."
His hand twitched, and my body moved as fast as it could.
Light spears flew equally between us, crackling, tearing through branches and sky alike.
One grazed my cheek, letting blood leak, but soon closed and healed.
Another tore a crater where I had just stood.
I soon retaliated with a dozen of my own with [Holy Lightning] laced into the tips, creating shockwaves of divine static--- but Laniel sliced through them mid-flight.
He then charged me, faster than before, in an attempt to make true on his promise to tear me apart, but unfortunately for him, this would soon be the end for him.
Because I activated [Time-Stop] once more, for only a single second.
---Silence.
---Once more, the world froze.
Laniel halted in mid-air, face twisted in anger, spear inches from my chest.
[1]
I moved behind him, using [Body Manipulation] to twist and crush the nerves and muscular linkages to his wings. I watched with grim satisfaction as the once-majestic appendages crumpled and shrank, useless.
[0]
---Time has resumed.
Laniel dropped like a stone, barely catching himself with a last-minute blast of magic. He looked up, wild-eyed.
"My wings--- you bastard!"
He smashed into me, and I hit the shrine wall hard enough to collapse half the roof, as my vision flickered and danced.
This was great.
"You move in short bursts!" he spat. "Your speed always leaves a weakness behind!"
Simply amazing.
Then came the spears. A dozen of them all piercing my vital organs in rapid succession. I felt my body scream, but in that moment, something clicked in the ever-so-calm abyss of my mind.
Fuckin' fantastic.
"I understand it all now." I muttered.
[Light Power]. It wasn't just illumination. It was judgment. It was manifestation. It was the holy light granted by Big G, shaped into physicality. Its attacks burned those of evil lineage and structure, twisting itself to punish sin. That was why it hurt so much.
Laniel added [Holy Fire] now to his Light Spears--- a blend of divine light and spiritual flame, a magic meant to purge in purity and ash. It surged at me like a firestorm---
---But my [Spirit Organ] pulsed.
[Worthless]
In the moment of near-death, I had fully subsumed the Bellial DNA containing the genetic and spiritual code for [Worthless]
And as the firestorm approached me... I held out a hand towards it...
Then Laniel's fire touched me... and vanished.
---No, not jusytvanished. It was invalidated. Made utterly meaningless.
His light cracked.
His magic fizzled.
He was done.
"W-what... what have you done to me?!" His voice had lost its earlier gravitas, now being replaced with that of shock and despair.
I looked up, bloodied, breathing hard.
"Your first mistake was not killing me immediately," I told him coldly as I looked down on him. "Instead of killing me, you made me go through a protagonist's power up..."
"N-no! I-It can't be---!?"
"In the end... You were too strong, Laniel." I said, spouting a familiar line from a fighting manga where corporations made fighters fight for them for business opportunities. "That's why you lost."
"N-no—NO! Kokabiel-sama himself has chosen me—!"
He fell to his knees. Despair consumed him.
"I gotta say, you were awesome, Laniel."
And I rose, light wings erupting behind me, now tinged in shadow, cloaked in the emptiness of [Worthless]. I launched forward, spinning as the wings covered me, turning me into a speedy drill of Holy Light and rejection.
I barreled through the air, landing on his chest, blasting him several meters into the ground, where he no longer moved.
[Light Power: Wings] X [Worthless]
[Holy Drill of Light and Denial]
'Hmmn... Maybe I should work on that name... Make it more... fancier....'
The battle was over.
And now, I had to find Shuri and Akeno.
But while I do that...
I looked around me...
'This is gonna be a long day...' I thought.
dxd
Next Chapter: Ecchi Boy Heals Priestess Okaa-san And Meets Naberius Devils In The Underworld!
dxd
Trivia Time! (Againx11!!)
Did You Know?(ofc you know)
Diehauser's name literally translates into "The House" as die means "the" and hauser means "house"; both German words.
So his full name can be translated as "The House of Worthlessness," referring to the fact that he is from the Belial clan.
dxd