Is it wrong to Speak in a Dungeon? Chapter 17 (Patreon)

I do not own Danmachi/Jujutsu Kaisen or any other referenced franchise, only my own OCs.

{Thoughts}

“Speech”

Character Sheet / System Text

“Tvs, Radios, Texts, and newspapers…”

(Disclaimers)

*Onomatopoeia*

“Cursed Speech”

…

…

“... That’s quite the claim to make. How are you so sure that you are not one of my own, but have simply never known?” Amaterasu responds after a few seconds with an unbothered expression, still staring at me with those same piercing crimson eyes.

“My lineage is one of the things I am most certain of in this life. I would be aware of such, as my family is a clan much like your eight noble families. There is no possible way for them to have missed a connection to your land.” I don’t even attempt to suppress my eye roll once I reply. I could almost feel the surprised stares of the others next to me, all three looking baffled at the news that I wasn’t just some dude.

Amaterasu already knows all of this though. It’s very annoying how she’s playing the fool, though.

“H-hold on a minute, kid, you’re a noble?” Kakusu questions with befuddlement as I sigh and turn to him, lowering my collar as I do so and showing my Snake and Fangs seal.

“This is the Inumaki clan seal ‘Snake and Fangs’. Only those with our bloodline can manifest it as it’s a sign of being associated with the Inumaki clan. I believe that my family would certainly be known if it was associated with the Far East, is that not right?” I notice that his eyes stray towards Susanoo’s face for a moment to probably confirm my words before he turns back to me with a still surprised but a lot more composed face.

“I see.” He replies solemnly and sighs in exasperation. I notice Reimei and Arashi exchanging glances with each other before turning to me as the former looks like she wants to speak.

“Then tell me, Inumaki Michael, where is your clan?” Before she could though, Amaterasu’s voice suddenly rings out across the room again as everyone pauses and turns to look back at me inquisitively.

Ah, so that’s her game.

“I am the last of my line still present in this world.” I do not sound quiet, hesitant, or the slightest bit sad like I usually do when admitting this. Instead, I stare directly into Amaterasu’s eyes while narrowing my own.

Let’s play that game, I dare you.

The others suddenly go eerily quiet as one would expect when someone admits that they’re the last person alive from their entire family’s clan. Amaterasu still does not look the slightest bit surprised and even gains the smallest hint of a smile on her face.

“Is that so? My condolences, Inumaki Michael.” I suppress my eye roll this time as she speaks in the most unapologetic tone possible and steps up to her podium fully.

“I believe this should mean that we’re done here.” I already know we’re not, but I simply try to end this quickly so I can go home to my family. I notice Kakusu and Reimei exchanging glances, with the latter looking at the older man hesitantly with a look of ‘What do we do?’. The man shrugs and turns to look at Amaterasu, waiting for her verdict before deciding anything.

“While it is true that you may not have belonged to the Far East, that does not place you out of my jurisdiction.” Here it is, just as I expected... “Believe it or not, being from the Far East is not what makes a mortal one of my own. No, the truth is quite different. Every mortal that lives under my sun belongs to me.”

My eyes widen at the sheer arrogance of that statement, a small incredulous smirk reaching my face as I notice the sheer disinterest and confidence in her words. Her words came out as if she spoke a fact, not an extremely imperious comment that would no doubt anger hundreds of gods out there.

She doesn’t even look smug about it. This is… almost hilarious.

[... Oh, dungeon… She’s as arrogant… as you…]

{Yeah, sure. I’m nowhere near arrogant enough to call everything under the sun mine.} I mentally roll my eyes at Edias’s comment as she returns the gesture and then goes back to watching silently.

Looking around, no one here is even batting an eye at her comment. It’s like they all actually believe those words. I know that at least Kakusu should be aware of the strength of Orario, so it’s quite a surprise that even he doesn’t seem incredulous or doubtful.

“You’ve admitted that you are now the last of your clan and people,-” Ah, I never said anything about people, Amaterasu. “-do you not wish to restore your clan to its former state?” Her question causes me to cross my arms as my smirk returns to a frown and my eyes harden.

“That would be correct, but it would also be none of your business. Claim the entire world as yours for all I care, but you will never have what is mine for yourself.” I immediately cut off her recruitment pitch or whatever as I feel the others around me all tense, clearly disapproving of my dismissive tone and words.

She does not seem surprised or offended though, as if this was all in her expectations. Her crimson eyes slowly close as she takes a deep breath, slowly reopening them and gaining a colder gleam.

“You will watch your words, boy. You stand in my court as a guest, do not dare overstep within my domain.” My face twists with amusement and I raise an eyebrow while staring directly into her eyes, telling her how little I cared about ‘overstepping’ as I spotted a glow appearing around Hikari from the corner of my eyes.

“Please, show me where and when I was invited here as a ‘guest’. Not only was I ‘recalled’ and referred to as a ‘Far Eastern Asset’-” My words are suddenly interrupted as a glowing Hikari steps forward with furrowed brows and a barely restrained glare.

“Your invitation letter was a mistake caused by Yomi spies, it was never the fault of Lady Amaterasu. We weren’t aware of your apparent dissociation with the Far East-” It’s my turn to interrupt her this time as I laugh mirthfully and shake my head, confusing the woman immensely with my sudden amusement.

“You were not aware of my lack of relation to the Far East. Your Goddess, on the other hand, has known for weeks now. Is that not right, Amaterasu?” I directly call out the goddess in question as everyone turns to look at her in surprise, watching her close her eyes slowly and nod her head unworriedly.

“That is correct. I was made aware during your talk with Takemikazuchi a few weeks ago.” Her words make Kakusu’s head snap to me before he looks away and curses under his breath, saying something about how he ‘knew it’ while clenching his fists.

“Yet I was still invited here under the pretense of being one of your own.” The others tense again as I take a step forward and extend my arms out. “You hold no dominion over me no matter how much you wish you did, so how about we stop this nonsensical game of ‘They did, we did, you did’ and get to the important part?”

Not one word sooner do I find an enraged Hikari right in front of me, her fist extended and a mere inch away from my face as I smirk.

*BOOM*

I laugh again as we’re both launched out of the gigantic palace’s glass window. Her punch launched me into the air but gave me enough distance to activate my magic, allowing me to regain my footing and balance as she launched after me again in the air.

Oh! She’s flying? How interesting.

Her eyes widen slightly as a polearm suddenly ejects out of my body and blocks her punch, the weapon struggling for only a moment before black energy envelops and reinforces it. A moment later, another purple aura envelops the weapon and further strengthens it against her fist.

Her surprise only increases as she stares at my hovering form, not at all affected by gravity just as she is not. One cursory glance at her new features revealed a few interesting things to me, specifically the two red horns on her head that barely protruded from her hair. The usual glow in her eyes was now blood red, and she glowed in the sun as if she was a being made of light.

“You’ve freed yourself from the Earth’s gravity by utilizing the Sun’s. You’re able to fly by utilizing the sun’s gravity how you wish and using it to maneuver around.” Her face grows greatly disturbed as I explain how her flight works in detail, something she has probably never seen before. I was able to understand how it worked by sensing the flow of gravity.

“You… You’re capable of flight as well? No, you’re manipulating gravity. You recognized my flight immediately and I saw no magical item on your person.” She mutters thoughtfully as her face grows in realization, an emotion that puzzles me for a few moments. “No matter. You will pay for the disrespect you have shown Lady Amaterasu. Whether it’s while you’re flying or on land, you will pay for your insolence!”

Her glow brightens and she shoots forward at incredible speed, clashing with my Guandao as a sonic boom echoes from our clash. The city beneath us quickly noticed the two clashing figures in the sky and a commotion started brewing as some of them recognized Hikari’s glow.

“Gather,” I command with concentration as Hikari’s brows furrow before she raises her hands into the air and begins chanting a relatively short chant in Far Eastern.

I totally could’ve stopped her, but I was interested to see what her spell was. If nothing else, this battle may just be the best I’ve ever had.

“-and you shall see, the Demon of the Sun!” She finishes her chant as a gigantic sphere of fire and light gathers above her raised hand, slowly compressing until it was no bigger than a football. She traced the miniature sun’s surface with her fingers for a few moments as the energy sphere morphed into the shape of a curved blade, one that shined like the sun as she gripped its hilt and swung it at me.

My eyes widened as an arc of sun-like energy shot out from her blade, cutting through the air at incredible speeds and flying past me. It impacts a now-barren street, exploding upon impact and causing a loud *BOOM* to echo across the city.

“... Ah. You’re compressing your magic into a temporary magic weapon, one that you can use as both a weapon and as a spell. You do not have unlimited charges for it though, do you?” I comment with amusement as she huffs with matching amusement and twirls the blade in her hand.

“The few ‘charges’ I have should be plenty against a level three such as yourself.”

“Oh, please. My Cursed Speech is capable of controlling people against their will so long as they’re within my range and are not vastly stronger than me.” She raises her eyebrows at me as I suddenly reveal how my power works for some reason, but widens her eyes as a purple aura explodes out of my body while a grin finds its way to my face.

Binding Vow, Revealing One’s Hand. In exchange for raising the stakes of the battle and revealing my technique’s intricate details, my Cursed Energy output increases significantly.

“Plummet,” I command and watch as her body immediately obeys, plummeting to the ground at high speeds and struggling against the high gravity.

Surprisingly,  I felt my reserves plummet to the ground alongside her after that command. She must’ve truly been powerful if a single command took that much.

{Sorry, Edias, I need to borrow some Cursed Energy.}

My reserves filled with what felt like an infinite amount of CE as a smirk made its way to my face. I flexed my arms and levitated down toward Hikari, noticing that she had managed to overcome the command’s effect already and was looking up at me with astonishment.

“Incredible… but it will not be enough.” She whispers under her breath and slowly hovers back into the air, her energy blade still present despite her earlier plummet. We both dash forward and clash, her energy blade doing a much better job than her earlier attacks with her fists.

As we go back and forth with our attacks, I notice that my Observation Haki does not seem to be working as well as it should.

No, not even that. It was almost like my prediction of her movement was being predicted, and I then predicted that prediction, which led to my second prediction also being predicted.

We were both intuiting each other’s moves. She must have realized it too since her eyebrows were furrowed even further and she was staring at me incredulously.

“Is it the sun?” I suddenly ask her as we clash with our weapons again, staring directly into her eyes with a curious smirk as her eyes widened slightly. “You’re capable of predicting my movements by using your goddess’s sight temporarily.”

She doesn’t directly answer me, but the sudden intensity of her attacks gave me all the answers I needed. The rubble from her earlier attack and crash floated into the air and sky as she fended off some earth projectiles while we were clashing.

I deftly dodge another energy slash from her sun blade as it crashes against the ground and explodes with a loud boom again. I idly hear some civilians yelling and panicking in the background and roll my eyes.

“Don’t Move.” Her eyes widen at my command as her body freezes and I fly towards her at maximum speed, grabbing her by the face and flying away from the city. It’s only after we reach the outskirts of the city’s surroundings does she regain control of her body, punching me away and taking a few moments to compose herself while staring at her surroundings.

“... I see. Thank you for not involving the civilians in our battle.” She bows her head slightly to me while still keeping her eyes on me. “They would’ve been fine, they are already quite used to this type of scene. Nonetheless, I thank you for your thoughtfulness.”

“If you think I’m doing this because I care for the civilians, you’re going to be sorely disappointed. I just didn’t want anything getting in the way of my battle.” Her lips twist into a smirk at my words as she rolls her eyes and tilts her head at me smugly.

“I did not take you for a Tsundere, Inumaki Michael.”

Because I’m not. You’ll see.

No more words were exchanged as we resumed our battle, clashing against each other with our weapons and launching different projectiles of fire and earth at each other.

“You’re also capable of predicting my movements before I do them. It’s… disturbing, yet intriguing. She was right when she said that we were alike.” Hikari comments as she slashes through several trees I launched at her before diving towards me with her blade and clashing against my second polearm of the day after the first broke.

She? Amaterasu? Her goddess said that we were alike? Hah, as if.

“You require your goddess’s aid for your abilities, I need nothing but my own willpower. We are not the same.” She blinks in surprise at my words before jumping back to dodge a swing from my polearm and tilting her head at me.

“Your willpower? Are you not using magic to perform your predictions?” Her curious questions make me chuckle as I shake my head and smirk.

“My ‘predictions’ rely solely on my own state of mind and willpower. I do not need to use any magic to perform the feat that you need your goddess’s aid to replicate.” My CE output spikes slightly as my Binding Vow activates again, to a lesser degree as it was not my Cursed Technique that I was revealing.

Instead of being insulted at my words, her face almost brightened up in wonder as a light glimmered in her eyes. It was almost like looking at Bell’s face while I’m telling him stories about heroes from my world and their adventures, except it was on the face of a beautiful woman that was in her 30s.

… How does someone double my age look so bright and innocent? Well, the bright part makes sense I guess, but still.

“... This sounds like a power that one of the heroes of old would have. I feel honored that I was able to fight someone like you, Inumaki Michael.” She suddenly starts rising into the air as her sun blade glows blindingly. She holds her blade towards the sky and begins chanting again, the heat emanating from her body pushing me away as I feel alarms blaring inside my head.

In the split second I waste on contemplating whether or not I should stop her chant, she lowers her blade and finishes her chant as the blade glows radiantly and unleashes a deafening beam of energy that envelops my vision completely.

*ZZZRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT*

My world is engulfed in pain and light as the beam hits me directly, burning and pain spreading through every inch of my body.

[!!! DANGER !!!]

Edias tries to exit my body to block the attack, but I block her from leaving as I’m not sure what effects such an attack would have on her body. Instead, I bring my left arm up and try to push against the beam with all of my strength and gravity while crying out in determination.

“DISAPPEAR!” I roar out as my Cursed Energy releases from my body wildly and the beam of energy that engulfed my entire body disappeared in less than a second, the blinding light evaporating into absolutely nothing.

Hikari stared at me with both shock and horror as I took a deep breath, reaching for my waist with my left arm-

Oh… I don’t have a left arm. Wait, where’s my depth perception? Is my-

I reach for the left side of my head as I realize that this attack may have injured me a lot more than I expected. My right eye blinked erratically as I slowly registered the fact that my left eye was basically gone.

“O-oh my Goddess! I am so sorry! I got so excited and you seemed so strong so I thought you could take it and-” I barely hear Hikari begin panicking as I realize that my left ear must’ve also gotten blasted away.

I laughed.

Hikari froze as I began laughing without any sign of concern, my tone almost sounding joyous. I continued laughing loudly for an entire minute before my laughs became just quiet chuckling.

“It seems it’s an Inumaki’s fate to always lose their left arm… Damn, it would’ve been so awkward if I died here.” I shook my head mirthfully and closed my only remaining eye, placing my right hand against the side of my charred chest.

I felt Edias’s panic as she pushed a nigh-infinite amount of Cursed Energy into my body, allowing me enough energy to finally achieve what I’d been working on for weeks now. My Cursed Energy’s negativity was suddenly reversed as my wounds suddenly began aching again.

I hear a gasp from Hikari as my arm quickly regrows from the stump that was remaining, her surprise only growing as I reopened my healed left eye and stretched my neck and arm while still smirking without any worry or concern on my face.

Reverse Cursed Energy. I achieved it once I finally leveled up. It was… definitely an experience once I realized what I was missing the entire time. I almost smashed my head against my desk once I realized that I was overthinking the entire thing instead of just going with my instincts.

“You can even heal yourself…? Are you a mix of Miyu and I or something?” She muttered in wonder while inspecting my now flawless body after all of the burns and injuries healed, her eyes slowly moving down before freezing. A small blush entered her cheeks and her eyebrows twitched, the sudden change in her actions making me look down as I realized my clothes got burned away.

{Edias.} I request with only a word as her body slowly envelops mine for a few moments before retreating inside of me and leaving a new set of clothes where it just was. Hikari’s eyes almost bulged out of her skull once she saw Edias’s black matter exit out of my body for a few moments before leaving behind a fresh set of clothes somehow.

Amusing.

“My curiosity has allowed you the privilege of chanting and casting your spells enough times, you will not get the same leniency any longer. Now, shall we continue?” She seems even more baffled once I casually ask if we’re continuing, an incredulous and disbelieving expression staring at me like I was a maniac.

“You still wish to fight after all of that? You almost died!” She purses her lips at me as I shrug noncommittally and raise a hand to my mouth to hide my smirk since my new clothes did not have my usual collar.

“I’m fine now, aren’t I? Shouldn’t you be eager to fight me anyways? I insulted your goddess, remember?” She frowned at my words and sighed, the glow around her body intensifying again after it had dimmed down from our break. I noticed that the two crimson horns that were barely protruding from her hair were now much larger, probably large enough to fit in my hand if I held them.

An Oni? I have never heard of that type of race, but I haven’t exactly researched many races since I didn’t really care. Renards here are an actual flesh and blood race, not spirits like Kitsune youkai in my world’s myths. She may be from a rare race so Amaterasu hid the fact that she wasn’t human for that reason.

“I’m starting to think you goaded me into throwing the first punch. I fear what Lady Amaterasu is going to do to me for being the offender against a guest…” She sulks for a moment before sighing and turning back to me. I noticed that her weapon was nowhere in sight, so that beam of energy must’ve exhausted everything out of it.

“Sucks to suck.” Her eyebrows twitch at that and she charges through the air to punch me again, finally resuming our battle after the small intermission we had.

A few minutes into the battle, I noticed that Hikari’s movements and predictions were getting a bit sloppier. She was no longer pre-moving in our battle in advance like we both have been doing, opting to continue her attack with more speed and strength instead as she gritted her teeth in annoyance at something.

Ah. I feel the rain impacting my body from above and realize that the sun was slowly being blocked by a group of thunderclouds. Thunder roared in the sky as rain drizzled down intensely, the surrounding land overflowing from the water and forcing me to make a small gravity barrier to stop rain from getting into my eyes.

Any rain that came close to Hikari simply evaporated immediately, so she didn’t seem bothered by that specific problem.

“I’m sorry, Inumaki Michael. I would’ve loved to fight you for longer, but a certain idiot could not help himself and I must finish this now before he appears.” Hikari suddenly announces with a helpless sigh as I quirk an eyebrow, a smirk reaching my face as I open my mouth to speak.

My Observation Haki suddenly screams out again as Hikari moves faster than she ever has before, her form blitzing towards me and reaching for my head. I watched helplessly with widened eyes as her fist came closer and closer to my face, my Observation Haki easily allowing me to track her movements but my body not being able to respond to her speed.

What?

No. That’s not possible. She’s only a level 5. No level 5 should be able to outspeed me to this degree now that I’m a level 3. It’s impossible.

Who… Who the hell does she think she is? No, who does she think I am?

Defeating me? How dare she even contemplate that?

Does she fucking know who I am?

*SSSSSSSSZZZZZRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRTTTT!*

My Cursed Energy output suddenly skyrockets and a dominating purple aura explodes out of my body as I move out of the way of her fist and punch her into the ground, the combined aura of my Cursed Energy and Haki emanating from my body as I glared hatefully at her flying form.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Name: Michael Inumaki

Race: Human (Jujutsu Sorcerer)

Level: 3

Ability Scores:

STR: S- 998 —> EX- 1525 (MAX) —> I- 41

END: SSS- 1289 —> EX- 1525 (MAX) —> I- 90

DEX: SS- 1145 —> EX- 1525 (MAX) —> I- 48

AGI: SS- 1174 —> EX- 1525 (MAX) —> I- 54

MAG: EX- 1503 —> EX- 1525 (MAX) —> H- 103

Development Abilities:

Mage: H

Spearman: G

Sorcery: D

Spirit Healing: I

Magic:

• Cursed Speech

This magic allows the user to infuse their words with cursed energy to improve the spirit of their commands, forcing all that hear it to obey.

• Jūryoku no Hakai

No Chant Magic. Gravity is a mere illusion to be manipulated and to manipulate with. Attraction and Repulsion, Telekinesis and Microgravity, all are within your grasp, and all shall be within your grasp.

“... Never again, never will it escape my grasp.”

“For the peak shall grow; extending to the tallest point of existence, yet be brought down to its knees all the same when the time comes.”

“... Attack it may, Reality held no authority over the one unbound by the world.”

[]

[]

Skills:

• Cursed Energy Manipulation:

The ability to gather, channel, and release Cursed Energy. The greater the Negative energy present, the more energy can be channeled and gathered.

• Privative Gathering:

Increased Excelia gained from the gathering of Cursed Energy.

• Indomitable Will:

Your willpower is your greatest strength. You tread on through life unobstructed by what goes around you, incapable of stopping your march.

• BV: Grand Hubris

This Binding Vow grants increased Cursed Energy output and strength the more prideful and arrogant the holder feels and acts. Only when the user truly acknowledges their supremacy will they unleash their true might to the world.

…

[... Careful, Michael… You’re getting too arrogant…]

{Not now Edias… I’m getting to the good PART!}

…

[Akenomyōsei POV]

Hikari was, once again, shocked for what felt like the hundredth time today. She was very excited today after hearing that the newest recruit Amaterasu spoke of was here, one that had caught the Goddess’s attention personally (and for good reason).

Holding the world record for the fastest level-up in history and beating the previous record ruthlessly almost 17 times faster, he was almost guaranteed to be one of the highest-ranked members in the Royal Court and perhaps even her successor.

Yet she came to learn that not only was he not from the Far East, but had also leveled up again recently and did not seem very enthused to retur- join the Royal Court. Even worse, his first impression of their country was tainted thanks to a group of undiscovered spies she barely managed to capture in time. The day was already at an all-time low thanks to her discovery of the corrupt and undercover high-ranking officials in their ranks.

The terrifying visage of the boy she was fighting only made her day worse.

She has never known fear before in her life, and she wouldn’t say today was the day she’d finally learn what it meant, but this was as close as one would ever get to terrifying her with their mere presence.

The dominating aura that covered what felt like kilometers of range around him was only the tip of the iceberg. The putrid energy emanating from him that almost forced her into a berserk state simply because of how similar it was to her berserker form’s emotions only made the experience worse.

His face was unnaturally angry despite how expressionless it seemed, his eyes completely blank and dull as they slowly turned to face her. The only indication she could see of his current emotions was the small frown on his face. She slowly floated out of the crater she was launched into while cursing Arashi for summoning that thunderstorm, staring into Inumaki Michael’s eyes as he slowly floated down towards her with the same domineering aura and presence.

Before he could approach her though, a lightning bolt struck right next to him with a flash as Arashi finally appeared and held his blade against Inumaki Michael’s throat. Hikari blinked and suddenly found Kakusu standing behind the boy with a knife pressed against his back as well, his usual expressionless face replaced with the serious one she did not get to see very often.

“Ah… Three on one. I guess it was a little bit unfair when it was just you and me, Hyuuga Hikari. It seems you’ve leveled the playing field a little bit.” His tone sounded utterly dismissive and unconcerned as his dull eyes turned away from her and to Arashi, whose face held a mix of incredulity and affront.

“What?? You’re only a level 2… wait, 3! Yes, Kakusu and I are level 4-” Kakusu smacked Arashi on the head at speeds that even she couldn’t track as the older man suddenly stiffened and turned to him while bowing his head. “I apologize sir.”

Focus on the dangerous enemy in front of you, you dunce!

The older man sighed. “... Whatever. This is a mess…” Hikari could not help but agree as she stared at the ruined foliage all around her, most of it being her fault since she may have gotten a little bit carried away while fighting.

She couldn’t help it! This was the one her Lady stated to be the most similar mortal to her that she has ever seen! He was even capable of putting up a fight with her despite their level difference. How could she not get a little excited while fighting?

“I find your squabbling amusing, but are we fighting or not? I’m getting a little tired of today and I’d like to get this over and done with soon.” Inumaki Michael spoke again while rolling his eyes as Hikari smiled weakly, finding herself drawing parallels between him and her goddess.

“You’re way out of your league, boy. Just give up, we promise not to hurt you or anything of the sort. It’s honestly already a disaster how we’ve treated you considering how you apparently aren’t from the Far East, we couldn’t hurt a guest any more than we already have or we’d lose any remaining honor we still held.” Kakusu seemed reluctant to attack the boy, a sentiment she now shared after she thought about his situation a bit more.

He was not officially one of them yet, but he’s been forced away from his Familia to be ‘recalled’ and had to deal with people who were speaking as if he was already one of them. She made sure that he would not see anything… unpleasant yet, but everything was likely unpleasant from his perspective if you look at the circumstances of his arrival. She did not blame him for being wary and confrontational in his situation.

… Apparently, he’s the last of his family as well. His bond with his goddess may be similar to hers with her Lady. It’s no wonder that he’s lashing out so violently at the moment, he’s only a boy that has been forced into a tough situation.

“You’re sorely mistaken if you believe that my capabilities are merely that of a level 3. Look at your leader and then back at me, then repeat your threat again if you dare.” Hikari winced slightly. She was not gravely injured in any way, barely even aching. But she was doing much worse than he was. His clothes looked almost flawless, and there was not a scratch anywhere on him despite how many times she had attacked him.

From their perspective, she was losing. If he was unable to regrow his clothes (was that what he did?) and heal himself, it would obviously be a different story. Unfortunately, he could easily fix any injury or tear she places on him or his clothes.

Even if she was winning, he’d probably still look like the one winning during the battle.

“I do not wish to truly hurt you, Inumaki Michael. You would not survive if all three of us were to truly attempt to defeat you, so please stand back for now.” She tried to plead as she watched him raise his hand towards the still-bowing Arashi, watching him stop and turn to look at her with a smirk instead of a frown on his face.

“You truly believe that you hold the upper hand here?” His question causes alarms to blare in the back of her head as she begins looking around warily, searching for anything that he could possibly use to get the upper hand.

“All three of you, stop now. He’s already won.”

She suddenly freezes as she hears her Lady’s voice speak out from behind her. Turning around, she’s faced with a worried Miyu and an anxious Reimei standing behind Lady Amaterasu and Lord Susanoo who have just exited a slowly disappearing teleportation circle.

“Already won!? We have him surrounded 3 to 1! We even have Rei Rei and little Miyu now! There’s no way he could win-” Arashi’s eyebrows twitched and he stared at Amaterasu with a gaping mouth before bowing his head again once Kakusu smacked him. Hikari noticed her goddess having a staring match with Inumaki, the latter looking quite smug while the former still seemed unconcerned.

“Arashi. Remove your thunderstorm.” Her goddess ordered without answering the man as he rubbed the back of his head and did so without hesitation. The small sparks emanating from his body disappeared alongside the raging clouds, revealing a sight that made Hikari’s face grow horrified.

Above Kamakura levitated a rock that was no smaller than The Imperial Palace, hovering above the city and casting down a shadow that blocked the sun from a sizable part of the capital.

She slowly turned her head to the boy as he calmly stepped away from the frozen Kakusu and Arashi, making his way toward her goddess and walking past her without sparing her a single glance.

“I believe it’s time that I get an ounce of the respect I deserve. It has been due for quite a while now. You’ve nearly declared war against me and my Familia, and you should be plenty aware of what happened the last time someone foolishly declared war against me.” Hikari recalls the report she had received about him in his recent wargame where he wiped out an entire familia single handedly and felt an overbearing feeling of dread enter the pit of her stomach. “I believe we should resolve this before I draw the circle in the sand, no?”

Ah, he had defeated that familia while not leaving the small circle in the sand that he had drawn. Surely he doesn’t think he can replicate such a feat against a level 5 and several level 4s?

“Perhaps. Though I’d urge you to clear your mind of your wrath first before we begin, Inumaki Michael.” Her goddess still seemed unphased as she spoke, her words confusing Hikari for a moment as she closed her eyes and called upon her goddess’s vision.

She stared down at Inumaki Michael, finally seeing his true form again after Arashi blocked the sun and forced her to stop using her goddess’s grace. She saw his body glow with the same indescribable color it held, a mix of purple and platinum that she simply could not comprehend or focus on without getting a headache. His head… was emitting an unnatural black color that was not present while she was fighting him earlier.

She saw him narrow his eyes at Amaterasu for a few tense moments before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. The black energy emitted from his head slowly disappeared as his eyes finally cleared, no longer the dull and blank pair they were.

She had no idea what was going on, but she’ll act like she does!

“H-hold on a minute! How are you controlling that thing all the way from here? No, when did you even gather such a thing? And how did we not notice!?” Arashi suddenly asks while staring at the gigantic sphere of earth floating above the capital menacingly.

“I’m not. Not consciously, at least. I controlled the earth to fly into the sky while I was fighting Akenomyōsei, using a special command to gather as much of it into one pile and manipulating it to gather into a single large sphere up in the clouds. I do not have direct control over it as it’s out of my range, but its levitation would stop as soon as I stop channeling my magic.” Everyone slowly understood the situation a little more as Kakusu sighed and stepped away from Inumaki, knowing that nothing he could do here would work.

“You have no interest in actually felling that piece of land, do you?” Amaterasu pointed out as Inumaki walked right in front of her face and narrowed his eyes with a smirk.

“I’ll do what I must to return to my Familia. Whether or not I drop that meteor or not will solely depend on how this conversation ends.” His loyalty to his Familia was that deep? He did not seem like the type to harm the innocent needlessly, but Hikari did not doubt him when he said that he’d do what he must.

She would too. Lady Amaterasu already told her that they were alike.

“... Oi, Arashi, if Miyu boosted you, could you destroy that meteor?” Kakusu did not even attempt to lower his tone as he spoke. Inumaki seemed amused as Arashi turned to Kakusu with confusion before grinning wolfishly.

“Hell yeah! Though I’m not sure if I could destroy it enough that there wouldn’t be any falling debris.” Hikari turned to Inumaki to see what his reaction would be, watching him carelessly place his hands into his cloak and smirk.

“That’s quite impressive. Though if you wouldn’t mind me asking… What will you do about the second one?”

…

“... The second one?” Reimei muttered with horror before the group’s eyes slowly widened.

*RUMBLE*

The ground beneath them rumbled strongly as some trees suddenly displaced, a second gigantic meteor of earth and rock rising out of the ground. Hikari sighed exasperatedly as she spotted Miyu’s jaw-dropping in the corner of her vision.

It truly would be a hassle if he dropped those two. Even if the second one was much smaller than the first and further away from the capital, this one was in the direct control of Inumaki Michael and thus just as dangerous.

“... P-please don’t drop that meteor on the capital, Mr. Michael!” Miyu suddenly walked in front of Inumaki and grabbed his hands while bowing her head, a terrified yet determined expression on her face as the boy’s eyes widened.

He grimaced slightly and turned away, a barely audible sigh escaping his mouth as he freed one of his hands from her grasp and patted her on the head.

“I have no interest in taking away your homes and families as long as I am not taken away from my own.” Miyu’s eyes widened slightly and she looked up at him with hope before turning away. She turned to Lady Amaterasu with a pleading look before flinching and immediately looking away, turning to Hikari instead with her pleading eyes.

Ah, Miyu’s situation with Amaterasu… No, now’s not the time.

It’s quite surprising how easily Miyu was able to sway him though. She does tend to have that effect on people, but Inumaki does not seem to be the type to be easily affected. Perhaps she reminds him of someone?

“... We do not have an interest in taking you away from your home and Familia, Inumaki Michael. We originally believed-” She paused for a moment as she remembered that Amaterasu was aware of Michael’s noninvolvement with the Far East, noticing her lady’s small smirk in the corner of her vision. “Well, most of us believed that you were already one of us. Now that this has been cleared up…”

Hikari did not know what to say. She was aware of her Lady’s desire to recruit Inumaki, but she did not wish to force his hand either. His meteor threat was also quite troublesome, but it was not the biggest plight of Hikari right now.

“Perhaps a small period for all of us to gather our thoughts would work best? Inumaki Michael’s original entrance ceremony was meant to be in three days, we could possibly allow him respite in our land until the scheduled date and then decide what to do next?” Reimei steps up to try and resolve the situation diplomatically as Inumaki turns to her with a raised eyebrow.

“You expect me to keep these two meteors up for three days? Best I could do is 1 before I’m out of juice and that thing is falling down.” Hikari can’t help but chuckle slightly as everyone stares at him incredulously, not believing that he could keep something of that size up for that long.

“... Well, it would be nice if you just removed them completely. I think you’ve made your point already and none of us are shameless enough to take advantage of you once you back off.” Kakusu mumbles towards Inumaki as the latter turns to look at him with disbelief, the pointed stare making Kakusu sigh and turn away. “Except me…”

“I hereby declare that Inumaki Michael shall not be harmed purposefully within the next three days by any of those who serve I, Lady Amaterasu. As long as he does not attack one of my own first, of course.” Lady Amaterasu’s words certainly give this idea a lot more credibility, something that Inumaki himself seems to agree with as he silently clasps his hands together.

The newly erected sphere slowly flies down from where it floated, landing squarely inside the hole it had levitated from. Hikari smiled wryly as even the trees that had been knocked away floated into the air, slowly being placed into the ground again.

“Know that this mercy only comes thanks to the same Familia you wish to take me away from. I promised them to only destroy this country if it was my last resort.” Hikari almost flinched at those words as Inumaki stared directly into her goddess’s eyes, not at all intimidated by the sun blazing inside of her crimson pupils.

His familia made him promise not to do such a thing? She did not know how to feel about that.

That boy… he felt like more of a monster than she was.

“... You’ve got to be the most arrogant level 3 I’ve ever met in my life…” Kakusu muttered tiredly as Inumaki turned to him with a smirk before looking at Hikari.

“Give me a week or two. Our next fight will only end when the other has been completely and utterly defeated, and I can promise you that it won’t be me. I won’t be the one losing an arm next time, Hikari Hyuuga.” Hikari blinked in surprise at the challenge before a small smirk reached her face and she felt her eyes glow mystically once again.

“I’ll look forward to our next battle, then. Perhaps you’ll have grown strong enough to handle a glimpse of my true power.” She revels in his immediate disgruntlement and annoyance at her words as he rolls his eyes and begins walking away.

“By that time, you won’t be strong enough to deserve a glimpse of my true power.” She blinks incredulously at him before gaping as she realizes that he was leaving on his own towards Kamakura.

She still had questions! She’s been so excited to meet him but had to keep an image up earlier when they had first met, she can’t pass up the chance to speak with him now!

“Allow me to guide you around, I’m sure that dismantling that gigantic rock alone might be a hassle.” She quickly makes her way to his side as he eyes her from the side of his eyes before grunting and turning away.

Awesome.

…

…

[... Pfft…]

I sigh with exhaustion again as Edias continues ‘stifling’ her laughter through our link, knowing full well that she could easily not transmit the sound and was simply doing it for her amusement.

“I still don’t understand, how are you able to order my attack to disappear? You said that your power was commanding people. Even if you were commanding me to make it disappear, it wouldn’t have worked anymore as I had already fired the attack.” She questions once again with a curious tone while directing me to somewhere where I could place the gigantic dismantled meteor in my control.

She’s been asking me questions incessantly ever since she decided to ‘guide me around’ so that I don’t get lost or whatever. She’s like a kid on Christmas Eve, figuratively jumping around with a grin on her face.

She also sends me weird glances sometimes that have a mix of surprise, incredulity, and occasionally happiness. It’s pretty weird, but she hasn’t done anything that’s worthy of my annoyance or irritation.

“Once I command the world, what choice does it have but to obey?” My response to her question is met with another one of those weird expressions. She shakes her head with a smile and giggles slightly before finally responding.

“You’re extremely odd, Inumaki. I’ve never seen someone so casually arrogant in my life, it’s quite amusing.” She notes with a small smirk as I eye her from the corner of my eyes and huff with irritation.

“Pride and Arrogance differ. Those needlessly humble could never reign supreme over the rest of the world, only warm that seat of power for someone truly worthy.” Her amusement is then replaced with surprise at my words as she furrowed her eyebrows and turns to look at me as we fly through the air.

“Are you implying that your words are not arrogance, but only pride? Surely you realize that looking down on everyone else around you is… extremely arrogant, no matter how much you try to claim otherwise.” Her words only amuse me as I shake my head and finally set down the meteor outside of the capital.

“Do not misunderstand, Hyuuga. I may see everyone else as lesser than me, but I have never claimed that no one else in the world has any worth. My familia is filled with individuals who are worthy of standing next to me once I am at the top.” She turned to me with surprise and made a thoughtful expression with a frown.

“If I recall what I read correctly, you should only have two level 1s as your Familia as of now. How could two weak adventurers like those two ever be worth standing next to someone like you?” My eyes narrow slightly and Hyuuga steps back as a spear appears right in front of her face, suddenly exiting from my body.

“Watch your words. Do not assume that my compliance so far will stop me from reigniting our earlier battle sooner than I promised.” She doesn’t seem very concerned about the spear but still smiles apologetically as I return the spear back inside Edias. “You’re also wrong, by the way. My Vice-Captain, Bell Cranel, has leveled up recently. He now holds the second fasted recorded level up in the world at a mere month, beating third place by more than ten times.”

Her face turns absolutely shocked at the revelation as she freezes in the air.

“Your… Your familia holds the top two record of fastest level up?” She asks almost breathlessly as I smirk and don’t verbally reply, leaving her to stare at me silently with surprise. “... I see what you mean now. What about the other girl in your familia?”

“Lily’s a relatively new addition… That unfortunately means that I haven’t been able to guide her growth for long enough, but I’d give her a month at most before she also levels up. She’s been an adventurer for quite a while already, her foundation is decent and she has a good head on her shoulders.” My light tone must have surprised her since she was currently gaping at me.

“I see. You seem quite fond of your Familia.” I roll my eyes at her as she notes what is already quite obvious.

“Do you think I’d go through the trouble of practically going to war against an entire country for a Familia I don’t even care about?” She lets out a sound of acknowledgment at my argument and turns around to move closer now that I am no longer upset.

“I suppose that’s true.” She concedes. “How’d you get to Orario in the first place, if you don’t mind me asking? Actually, would you be comfortable with sharing your life story with me? I know it might not be very appropriate to ask since I’m aware your family was… but I can’t help but ask.”

“... Why would I share something so intimate with my greatest enemy in this foreign land?” She noticeably shrinks away at my words and sighs, her eyes turning slightly downcast.

“... I wish you could understand that I truly do not wish for us to be enemies. It’s really the opposite…” Her words were barely audible as she turned away, making me furrow my brows and look at her skepticism and confusion.

I don’t understand, what’s her deal? She’s literally the head of not just the Amaterasu Familia, but the entirety of the Far East. Why is she so… fixated on me?

“If you’re going to ask about my life, how about you share yours first?” I decide to ask after a few moments, at least so I could gauge her reaction, and I’m surprised when she immediately brightens and pipes back up slightly with a small smile.

“I wouldn’t say that I have a very eventful life, but I don’t mind sharing. I don’t remember my parents since I was orphaned at a young age because of the civil war, but my earliest memories were of Lady Amaterasu picking me out of the slums and giving me a home while taking care of me.” Her smile becomes melancholy as she sighs in remembrance. “I had the privilege of living in the Imperial Palace while learning under Kakusu, who was my caretaker until I was old enough to care for myself.”

Oh my god… She had to deal with that guy as her guardian while growing up? I pity her. I wouldn’t blame her if she was secretly sick in the head or something.

Okay, that might’ve been too far. He doesn’t seem too bad if you ignore the ‘assassin with thousands of kills’ part. Something I can easily do since I have a murderer with millions if not billions of kills residing literally inside of me.

[... Hi…]

{Hello Edias, yes that’s you.}

“You’re not even a noble? I’m surprised you were able to reach the top of the Royal Court without them causing an uproar.” Her smile becomes slightly strained as she turns to me with a wince and nods her head.

“When Lady Amaterasu named me her Captain and Second-in-command, the Royal Court was especially outraged. The Sanjouno and Rokujou were the two main families who were outraged, the former because their heir, Sanjouno Reimei, was supposed to be the original Captain while the latter was because of the Rokujou’s obsession with traditions.” She seems slightly sour when she speaks about Reimei, almost regretful with her tone. It still felt firm though, oddly enough.

Wait, Reimei?

“You mean Hiraishin’s girlfriend or whatever? She was supposed to be the Captain? Her?” My incredulous face must’ve amused her since she began giggling quietly while nodding her head.

“It’s the reason both of us don’t usually see eye to eye. She was groomed to be Lady Amaterasu’s right hand as per tradition by her family from a young age, so she and her family were devastated when Lady Amaterasu declared me Captain. She was only a level 2 at the time, while I was a level 4. She had no chance to fight me for the title.” Her elaboration made me hum in thought as I listened intently. “She may be the weakest of the level 4s in our Familia, but she’s not a joke in any way. It’s Arashi’s fault for being such a monster. Mr. Kakusu is obviously quite strong himself seeing as how he’s one of the oldest fighters in our ranks. I’d say he’s even faster than me despite only being a level 4.”

“So you are a level 5. I already knew you were, but you’ve finally admitted it yourself.” She freezes again for a moment before sighing and turning to me with a wry smile.

“Yes, we never registered it into the guild as Lady Amaterasu did not wish to reveal all our cards to Lord Ouranous. Everyone should be recorded as a level lower than they actually are, or at least the higher echelon in our Royal Court.” I hum in interest, realizing that Kakusu, Reimei, and Asashi should be level 4s then. “How about you? It’s only fair that you tell me your level.”

“Oh, you can rest assured that I’m a level 3. Your goddess could see if I was not, couldn’t she?” She pouts slightly and rolls her eyes, clearly displeased with my answer.

“Yes, but you were actually giving me a decent enough fight that there’s no way you aren’t a level 4 at the least! You’re probably stronger than the average level 5, yet you’re somehow a level 3.” ‘Decent enough fight’? She’s asking to be punched.

If I wanted to, I could’ve ended her entire career right then and there.

“Such hubris... Are you implying that you are above the average level 5 in terms of power? Or are you admitting that I am more powerful than you are?” Her eyes widen and she turns away with light pink dusting her cheeks, a sheepish expression on her face.

“I didn’t mean it that way. I don’t wish to sound arrogant, it’s just that I uh… I was blessed with power beyond the average mortal from birth. Comparing me to other level 5s is unfair.” She seems very abashed, clearly not wishing to sound presumptuous.

“Are you implying that you’d have the power of a level 6 if you went all out?” Her sheepish expression vanishes as she blinks and turns to me with a smirk.

“Maybe. Would you be scared if that was the case?” I raised my eyebrows at her and deadpan, showing just how ‘scared’ I was.

“Not in a million years. Perhaps our battle will actually be somewhat interesting if that’s the case.” She chuckles while covering her mouth with her slightly ruined sleeve. “Though I’m quite curious about what race you belong to. I noticed that you had some oni horns protruding from your head while we were fighting, though I don’t remember learning of any oni people who are not ancient spirits.”

Her face blanks and she freezes completely, her body suddenly becoming quite tense. I notice that she clenches her fists for a long moment before slowly unclenching them and breathing out.

“It’s merely a visual effect of my magic, I am just a normal human just like you.” Edias pinged inside of me to signify a lie as a smirk entered my face. She shuffled with unease as she noticed my amusement, her gaze turning to stare firmly at the Imperial Palace.

[... Lie, twice…]

Well isn’t that quite interesting?

“Are you sure? I’m quite sure that you aren’t a normal human. I’m not either, so I wouldn’t really care.” If my Falna thinks that being a Jujutsu Sorcerer is special enough to be put into my race, there’s no way I’d be a ‘normal human’.

“You’re… not a normal human?” Her bewilderment and slightly expectant tone take me by surprise, a small smirk reaching my face at her surprise.

“Do you really think a normal human could do the things I do? I’ll admit that I am still a human, but I am not exactly a normal one.” She nods her head along with a bright smile.

“Me as well. I’m not perfectly sure how I am what I am, but I’m an ‘Oni’ in all but body according to my goddess. My body is that of a human, but my spirit is somehow like the Oni spirits of legend. Thanks to that, my horns only appear when I use my magic and skills.” I let out a hum of interest as she blushed slightly. “Would you mind sharing what you are with me as well? I’ve never actually shared my ‘Oni’ status with anyone before.”

Oh really? Ah, I wouldn’t be surprised if Amaterasu told someone like Kakusu, but I wouldn’t be surprised if she didn’t tell Arashi thanks to his loudmouth and Reimei because of her issues with Hikari.

“Depends. Should we move away from the sun’s gaze first?” Hikari blinks before her eyes widen.

“Ah, is my- Wait, you’re aware? Oh, of course you are, what am I even saying.” She shakes her head in slight exasperation and amusement. “How did you become aware of my goddess’s vision?”

“No need to tiptoe around it, no one else is around. Your goddess can see everything under the sun using her authority as the goddess of the sun.” She looked around warily for a few moments before sighing and nodding her head. “I was able to piece a few things together from our interactions and some previous warnings from a few acquaintances.”

“Takemikazuchi?” I quickly shake my head as she hums. “I doubted that it was him, he wouldn’t risk endangering the little shrine that holds the children he cares for by revealing such a secret.” She puts a hand to her chin thoughtfully as we slowly float through the air above the city.

“Who knows.”

“Do you have any relation to Ouranos? No, that doesn’t make sense. You do not seem like the type to associate with Freya or Hermes either.” Edias began laughing uncontrollably inside of me as I took a deep breath and schooled my expression as best as I could. “Wait, you never answered the question!”

“We never moved away from your goddess’s vision.” She pouts and places her hands on her hips while staring at me adamantly, clearly not pleased.

“My goddess probably already knows! Just tell me already, it’s not fair that you learned what I was and won’t return the gesture.” I highly doubt that Amaterasu knows what I am, but she probably won’t believe me.

She keeps staring at me firmly for a few silent moments as I continue staring forward to try and keep my face composed. I eventually just give up and sigh with a small smile.

“Fine. I doubt it’ll matter anyway since I’m the only one of my kind still in this world.” She leans in with curiosity written all over her face as I pause for a few tense moments. “I…”

…

“... am Batman.”

…

“What?”

“Nothing. I’m a Jujutsu Sorcerer.” Her face twists into confusion as Edias starts laughing even louder inside of me and making it an arduous task to keep my face schooled.

“What?? What’s Batman? And what’s a Jujutsu Sorcerer?” Her puzzlement only continues to grow as I quickly place a hand to my face to hide my amused smirk while begging Edias to stop laughing.

“I’m a Jujutsu Sorcerer. We utilize Negativity gained from the masses to use as fuel for Jujutsu, which are basically techniques akin to magic. My Cursed Speech, the power I used to command you, is a Jujutsu Technique.” My explanation makes her interest and curiosity spike again immediately as she stops in the air.

“Oh? That sounds quite odd. Does that mean that you revel in the suffering of others?” She furrows her brows again thoughtfully and looks at me in the corner of her eyes as I deadpan and slowly shake my head.

“You can look at it that way, but I wouldn’t put it like that. Jujutsu Sorcerers sap the negativity away from mortals and into themself, effectively making people happier by removing the sadness, anger, despair, and any other negative emotions they would’ve otherwise held if not for us.” Her face brightens up a little and she smiles while nodding enthusiastically.

“Yes! That certainly sounds a lot better than what I had imagined at first. You seem a lot more heroic when you speak of your origin like that.” She stares at me brightly for a few moments before suddenly blinking. “Hold on, does that mean your abilities are hereditary?”

“Just about everything I can do is hereditary, with the exception of my magic.” Her eyes almost bulge out of their sockets as she stares at me speechlessly for a few moments.

“How have the Orario gods not captured you yet??” She asked astonishedly as I rolled my eyes.

“Some have tried.” Freya.

[... Man, fuck that bitch…]

That’s what I’m saying!

[... Not literally…]

{Yes ma’am.} I quickly answer when I feel Edias emitting some ominous emotions.

“Does your ridiculous growth also pass on to your descendants?” She asks curiously but with a more serious tone this time as I hum in thought.

“It should. Probably. I don’t exactly have any children I can use to check.”

“I could fix that.”

…

“What?”

“What?”

I freeze and slowly turn to her incredulously as she flushes slightly and turns away.

“I didn’t mean me, but I’m sure I could find a few women from our ranks who wouldn’t mind…” She trails off with increasing embarrassment in her voice as I stand there speechlessly.

[… No…]

“I think I’m fine… Did you forget the part where I threatened to destroy this entire place with a meteor like an hour ago?” She sighed wryly and rolled her eyes.

“You wouldn’t be the first this month. Well, maybe not with a meteor, but you still wouldn’t be the only person that tried to destroy the capital in the last month. There’s a civil war, remember?” She points towards an area in the city that should have been untouched since we were not fighting near it but actually looks quite damaged already.

“How have you not just destroyed the other party already?” I can’t help but ask since I can’t imagine anything capable of standing in the path of Hikari, Arashi, Kakusu, and Reimei. Anything less than a powerful level 5 or me, of course.

“You think they’re that weak? Yomi is as old as the Royal Court, and their battles date back to even before the descent of the gods. Albeit, it was done at a much smaller scale as both groups were busy with monsters. Their battle only intensified when Lady Amaterasu descended and took over the royal court while Lady Tsukuyomi did the same with Yomi.” Wait, what?

“Tsukuyomi is the one leading Yomi? Shouldn’t it be Izanami?” She turns to look at me with shock before looking at the ground with a lost look and twitching eyebrows.

“What in Amaterasu’s name gets leaked to Orario these days? Goddess Izanami’s leadership over Yomi is one of the biggest kept secrets of that faction, only known to us because of Tsukuyomi’s defection from that faction once she saw what became of it.” I smirk at her shock and open my mouth to say something snarky, only freezing once I comprehend what she just said.

“.... Tsukuyomi’s a woman?” Is this canon?? No one has been genderbent before, so this can’t be an AU world. Hell, why would anyone choose to genderbend-

Wait, Omori already genderbended Loki. But actually, Loki’s known to take many forms including both genders, so it’s reasonable that she can be a woman here even if she does not look like it.

[... HAHAHAHAHA…]

Oh yeah, I forgot Edias had a grudge against Loki too. I usually overlook it because of the sheer distaste she has for Freya.

“... Yeah? Why would you think otherwise? Wait, you’re telling me that you knew that Izanami was the leader of Yomi but didn’t know that Tsukuyomi was a woman?” She looked at me with such disbelief that I couldn’t help but start laughing quietly.

“I can’t be handsome, talented, intelligent, powerful, and omniscient. There’s only so much I can be before the world begins fearing my potential.” She rolls her eyes with a small smile.

“Of course, that’s why the world stopped at the talented part.” I raise my eyebrows at her with a small smirk.

You wish to play with fire now, do you?

“Oh? You think I’m handsome?” Her eyes widen slightly and a flush enters her cheeks before she sighs tiredly and palms her face.

“You are probably the most troublesome person I’ve had to deal with in my entire life, and I was raised by Gojouno Kakusu.” I roll my eyes at her exaggeration as she sends me an amused smile, both of us stopping right above the Imperial Palace as I get a better view of the gigantic building.

“You mean I’m the only person you’ve interacted with that didn’t immediately bow their head to you in awe of your power and authority.” She rolls her eyes right back before a small, bright smile forms on her face.

“Perhaps. Thank you for accompanying me, Inumaki. It’s my first time flying with someone else, I’m glad I was able to experience this with you.” She pauses for a moment before turning away in embarrassment. “I hope we can become better friends in the future despite our… unfortunate first impression.”

I continue silently staring down at the Imperial Palace as she shifts with embarrassment and waits for my response. I can’t help but sigh as my eyes slowly harden and I silently turn to the anxious Hikari.

“... I wish to make something very clear, Hikari. I have no qualms against befriending you or even allying with the Royal Court. I’m fine with playing tea time with you as friends, but… The second me or my Familia are threatened, the second your Royal Court threatens to take me away from my family…”

“I won’t hesitate to eliminate every single member of the Royal Court.”

…

…

“Here is where you’re going to be staying. Sorry if it’s not very tidy, I was not expecting that you’d refuse a stay at the Imperial Palace… in favor of somewhere more ‘remote’, as you said.” Miyu bows her head to me with a slightly red face as she presents an almost flawless room like it was the most untidy thing she’s ever seen.

What are these Asian mom standards? Did you notice a bit of dust under the bed or something?

“Please raise your head. It was my decision to stay somewhere remote, this is already much better than what I had anticipated. Thank you, Miyu.” She flushes a little more before nodding her head happily and stepping outside of the room.

“Please call me if you need anything, it’s my duty to aid you however you wish as a guest of the Royal Court.” I silently nod my head as she quickly scurries off after bowing deeply again.

Closing the sliding door, I finally let out a sigh of relief. The one window in the room is swiftly blocked by a piece of wood Edias pushes out of me, the moonlight no longer lighting up the room as darkness overtakes my vision.

That darkness turns out to be Edias as she exits my body and pulls my head into her embrace, patting my head consolingly as I feel my eyebrows twitching.

I probably made children cry today by gathering that meteor, why am I being consoled?

“Thank you Edias, you can let go now.” She huffs and lets go as the light from the lanterns in the room illuminates my vision again.

I don’t doubt that Tsukuyomi can potentially do what Amaterasu does and he- she can use the moon to look at everything. With that logic, Miyu could possibly have that ability too if my theory is correct.

After all, Miyu’s teleportation was apparently dependent on the moon. Except… she was able to teleport Amaterasu, Susanoo, and Reimei to us during that fight, and it was still day out at the time.

Interesting.

Anyways, Miyu has a movement ability dependent on the moon, and Hikari also has a movement ability dependent on the sun. If Miyu can tap into Tsukuyomi’s potential moon vision like Hikari can tap into Amaterasu’s, I’d rather not give her free sight of everything I do in here.

“... Are you okay?”

Especially Edias. It’d really suck if they saw Edias.

“I’m fine, Hikari Hyuuga’s attack wouldn’t have killed me even if I didn’t make it disappear. Worst case scenario I would’ve fallen unconscious and you would’ve murdered everybody around in a rampage while filling me with enough cursed energy that I’d build myself a second body out of reversed cursed energy.” That’s an exaggeration, by the way. I’m gone the second my brain is gone.

Edias blushes a little before puffing her chest out proudly as if my mention of her ‘rampage’ was something to be proud of. We take a seat on the mat they gave me as I idly tap on the floor while thinking.

This Royal Court and Yomi stuff really came out of left field. I was expecting a completely different scenario during my preparations, I never thought that the Royal Court’s aggression was caused thanks to Yomi spies or whatever. My fight with Hikari was also too close for comfort, even if I would’ve been fine no matter what.

I withheld too many of my trump cards while allowing her to show as many of hers as she wanted. Combined with her level advantage and urgency, I almost had to pull out my newest technique against her and the others who soon joined her.

“How much energy do you still have?” I question Edias while still thinking, checking on her reserves as Edias stares at me wryly and circulates a ridiculous amount through my body before pulling it back into herself. “Unlimited, got it.” She smirks triumphantly.

Edias technically has a ‘limited’ amount of Cursed Energy that she can’t recharge since she’s so far away from the dungeon, but she has so much that I doubt she’d notice a dip in her reserves for at least months. Unless I decide to fight Hikari every day for some reason.

Hm, I highly doubt that anything of the sort would happen. Surely there aren’t enough individuals in the Far East on par with Hikari and would require that I call upon Edias’s power to fight them off.

I feel a smirk slowly form on my face as the figure outside my room slowly opens the sliding door and enters the room without making a single sound.

“Inumaki Michael, I, unfortunately, politely ask that you die-” The raven-haired woman freezes in place as she spots Edias sitting next to me with an annoyed look. Her purple eyes widened in horror at the mere sight of Edias, almost like she somehow recognized what Edias was and was terrified.

“I, unfortunately, politely decline.”

*CRASHHH*

Aw… How tragic.

…

…

Helo. Have this chapter I cooked up in my free time after taking a little rest. The 30k chapter for AOTA really hit me pretty hard lmao

Another cliffhanger? In the words of Inumaki Michael, How tragic... Prepare for a lot more of that as we explore this region that was almost completely made up by yours truly. I wonder how blueballed you all feel, having to wait for that long only to be cliffhanged again... Amusing.

That's all, please do let me know if anything seems off since I've had a pretty terrible sickness in the last week and might've added the wrong things at the wrong time. At least my gut says so. Anyway, enjoy the chapter homies! I wonder, will the Royal Court be friend... or foe?