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As one would expect from a First Class Adventurer, Ais was able to find a way to counter Kisuke's invisible strikes by covering the whole battlefield with her own wind, giving everyone an early warning sign if such an attack was used.
However, that was the extent of it.
Even though they all have improved massively thanks to them using Ki that they could even go toe to toe with a normal Level 7 easily, Kisuke's delicate suppression made them unable to bring out their full capacity. Finn and Riveria wouldn't be as surprised if Kisuke just overpowered them, but the scene in front of them proved that this mysterious man has the qualifications to call them 'amateurs'.
'Who is he really? Now that I've managed to sort my thoughts, the discomfort that I'm experiencing isn't coming from him directly but from the overall situation. It's certain that Loki and Filvis are hiding something from us, so is that the real cause of this unsettling feeling?', Finn's suspicion grew larger and it didn't just involve those who knew Kisuke, but the overall situation within the city itself. Loki wasn't wrong to call Finn's intuition better than most Gods out there.
"As Level 6s, you guys could easily take on Level 7s or maybe even 8s that haven't learned Ki or Magic control. It sounds impressive but..." Kisuke then suddenly stopped and pondered on his words more, "Well, considering that you guys learned without a proper master, I think this is still good."
"T-this is unreal... I couldn't even dish out a good punch...", Tiona muttered in frustration while trying to sit up.
Tione, meanwhile, just gave up and laid on her back while looking at her kukri knives that are both cleaved in half, "Not just that... I can't believe we're using the same weapon."
On the other hand, thanks to her speed and flexibility, Ais was able to avoid and mitigate most of the damage and was able to easily sit straight up. Unlike the two, however, she only has one simple question, "How?"
Although she still has the same stoic face as before, Kisuke noticed that Ais was much calmer than before and the black haze that covered her entire body has already largely dissipated, 'The only reason I can think of is that Dragon... Still, just her presence shouldn't have warranted this kind of subtle but drastic change because her hate actually stems from the Black Dragon. Or maybe because of Lysa's existence, it became a lot easier for Aria-san to fend off the Black Dragon's influence?'
Since there's still a bit of time, Kisuke didn't mind helping them out for a bit and explained, "It's because you guys focused more on firepower than control."
Ais tilted her head in confusion. When learning how to use Ki, they didn't encounter anything that divided Ki for 'firepower' and 'control'. However, Kisuke was the only one who could be blamed for that because he's the one who wrote the book they are learning from. By focusing on the technicalities, Kisuke avoided anything that might form a bias or limit their creativity, 'Although that clearly backfired since not one of them even delved deeper on the basics of how to control Ki. If they did, they would be able to discover another subset of the topic by themselves.'
"Before that," Kisuke looked at Finn and Riveria's direction, "Please come over too. I'll be saying something important."
Finn and Riveria looked at each other before nodding. Finn walked over while Riveria called the others who were watching to come over. After passing some potions to the three girls, Finn approached Kisuke, more specifically, the unconscious one under him, "Do you mind..." But mid-sentence, he recalled how Bete was the only one Kisuke overpowered and face buried after the former showed so much hostility to the latter. Shaking his head and smiling wryly, Finn kept the potion in his hand and shook his head, "It's nothing. Please go on."
Once everyone has gathered, Kisuke continued, "I can understand that you guys focused much more on gathering Ki more than controlling it because it raises firepower much faster and against monsters that could have incredible defences, that's what you need. However, that's a beginner's mistake... Or more accurately, a mistake for those who don't have a proper teacher."
Everyone was quiet. Thanks to the sparring, everyone knew that this man's ability was real. Even though they stand on the 'top', they are not arrogant enough to dismiss the words of someone who was clearly that much more capable than them.
Lifting his right arm, Kisuke rolled his sleeve back for everyone to see, "I will do a demonstration, but I'll be using Magic to emulate Ki because it's much easier for everyone to see it that way."
Everyone saw Kisuke arm become covered by semi-translucent white flame and some of them let out a voice of awe while some only stared in confusion. For the executives, however, it's a very familiar sight, "This is how it looks when you use Ki, am I right?"
Ais nodded vigorously.
The flame then started to burn strongly and Kisuke asked again, "And this is how it looks when you gather it to prepare for an attack, yes?"
"That's right.", Tiona answered.
While rubbing his chin, Finn added his conjecture, "I finally understand. Since you can visualize it like this, it also means that you can clearly see when someone gathers their Ki. With that knowledge in hand, you were able to predict their movement with great accuracy, disrupting their movements, and making sure that they could never unleash what they've gathered."
"That's correct, but I couldn't actually see them. I had to hone my senses to detect these types of things and all of you should be capable of that too since it's very similar to detecting Magic Power."
"Moving on, this came to be because you only practiced basic controls to the point that it's usable." The roaring flame on Kisuke's arm then stopped and formed a thin film on the surface of his skin, without any fluctuation. A stark contrast to its noisy state from before.
"This is the extent of what you can do if you have enough mastery of control and right now, I'm varying the intensity, but it's already hard to see any differences it makes. I know you might say that I'm of the extreme minority that could detect this and that may be true to some extent, but raising your control over Ki doesn't just hide what you want to do next.", Kisuke picked up the kukri knife with his aura covered hand and the white film slowly crawled towards it, enveloping it completely after a few seconds.
"It's a lot harder to reign in Ki, so beginners would rather just focus on gathering since they can get the same amount of firepower for a lot less effort. However, with control, you can extend the influence of your Ki towards your weapons and this will make them sharper and sturdier. In fact, the invisible slashes that I did earlier are just an extension of this." Swinging his arm, some of the white film left the knife and traveled for a few meters before disappearing.
Various voices of surprise and admiration sprung out from the crowd which soon evolved into various discussions.
After arranging his own thoughts, Finn asked, "That's really surprising. We didn't know there's more to Ki than what's in the book. Since you've gone to the trouble of demonstrating this to us, I suppose you planned to teach us this control method? But outright giving it to us wouldn't make any sense so please name your price. If it's reasonable, we're determined to purchase this information."
When Kisuke shook his head, Finn thought that he needed anything other than material or monetary gain and was about to discuss it with him. But before he could say anything, Kisuke cleared his misunderstanding, "There's nothing to purchase, Deimne-san. There's no special way to manipulate Ki. What you have is all you need to know."
While the others became confused for a moment, Ais spoke up, "So those basics are all we need and have to do it over and over again?"
Kisuke nodded, "That's it and nothing else. It's just a matter of how much or how little you can manipulate your Ki without concentrating too much. Besides, everyone's body is different even if they are twins. After mastering the basics, that's where you have to find a unique way to manipulate the flow of Ki more smoothly. If there are any special methods, that's for those who can't use Ki normally."
"I see. I'm sorry for jumping to a conclusion and thank you very much for enlightening.", Finn was truly thankful, however, Kisuke was still a suspicious figure in his eyes so he couldn't help but wonder, "But why are telling this to us? I'm sorry if this may sound rude, but what's your goal?"
Kisuke then finally stood up and shook his head once again, "I can explain, but I don't really have to since you'll understand it later. Loki-sama could vouch for that."
Finn turned to Loki and saw her nod to him silently.
"Now then, before resuming my spar with Challia-san, allow me to show another thing that might motivate you to practice more." Kisuke dropped the kukri knife and raised his right arm once again. Within a few seconds, everyone could see frost started forming around his arm and hand before a blade of ice suddenly emerged from his hand.
"Geez... What is this Magic? It's too silent and fast!" Tiona commented.
"Don't be a fool, Tiona." Riveria interrupted, "He said he'd show something to motivate everyone to practice. If that's true, then that's still a demonstration on how to use Ki."
"Wait, what!? Really!?"
Even Ais couldn't help but come closer to take a look, "You can do this with Ki?"
"Once you've reached a certain level with Ki manipulation, there's a small chance that you can awaken to a special attribute. However, it is so rare that even I don't have it and I can only show it with some cheap imitation and a 'simple' special attribute."
Incredibly interested, Riveria asked, "What's this special attribute?"
Kisuke took back his 'Magic' before answering, "It could be anything. When I said that what I showed was something simple, what I meant was there could be anything with wild effects and not just simple ice. I could say this because I personally knew someone who can manifest white flames with her Ki. But instead of burning with it, her flames could absorb all sorts of energies and convert them to something she could use. And to some extent, those same flames could even affect the soul itself. In a battlefield, consumption isn't a problem for her and she could technically dish out multiple attacks that could deal the same damage as wide-area annihilation Magic each. Only if she can handle the mental and physical strain... Which I guess she can do now easily."
"Oh~ Are you talking about Koneko-chan? Has she already grown that strong? If I remember correctly, she should just be a Level 3 not long ago. So she already has enough power to wipe the floor with Finn and the rest, huh?", Loki suddenly dropped a bomb.
Editors:
28th00: Ah yes, Koneko is adorable, but Loki is gonna freak the hell out when she realises that she rivals Kuroka, except with an inverted colour scheme and shorter hair… She's actually really likeable though, so who knows?
Kisuke ignored the surprised expression that's painted on everyone's face and answered Loki, "Well, yeah, technically. However, she still falls short in experience. Including Sona and Aika, although everyone else is regularly sparring with them, they still need some real experiences."
Hearing that, Loki gave her a doubtful expression, "Really? I just think that your standards are impossibly high. Even if they are very capable and talented, there should still be some limits."
All Loki knew were those stories that came from her children. But even with that tidbit of information, she could guess how Kisuke usually does things if she added his capabilities into the equation. She has no right to interfere with how Kisuke raised his talents, but she can't say she's a fan of it either, so she couldn't help but give a little bit of warning without seemingly overstepping her boundaries. Loki, after all, doesn't know what they are fighting for nor who their enemies are.
Kisuke became silent for a few moments before nodding at her, "I'm aware of my own shortcomings. But even if it's too late, I still have to make amends."
"That's great, nevertheless, I wasn't just talking about the girls around you, but you yourself.", Loki's slitted eyes opened and gazed straight into Kisuke's eyes, "I don't know what's chasing you, but your overt selfishness was just covering your inner selflessness."
Kisuke was surprised at Loki's words but even after thinking about it, he couldn't fully understand what she meant, "...What are you talking about?"
Loki wanted to continue but immediately shut her mouth before shaking her head, 'He has to realize it himself.'
Loki thought that explaining it directly to him would defeat the purpose of her warning, so instead, she redirected the topic, "If you're going to make amends, I think it's a great idea if that would start from you. Knowing those girls, they would just follow your example. You should know how devoted they are to you."
Since Loki didn't want to elaborate further, Kisuke didn't pursue it, "That's true. Thank you for your kind words." Even so, Kisuke made sure to remember those words that came from a Deity that seemed to be thinking more carefully compared to most Deities out there, 'But I wonder what she meant by that?'
Because of the sudden serious conversation, everyone in the Loki Familia already lost their chance to ask about this mysterious lady that is capable of launching multiple annihilation Magic with ease despite being just a Level 3.
Still, Riveria asked for everyone seeing that it's a good time, "Uhmm... Loki... About what you said earlier. Do mind if you can further elaborate?"
"Hmmm? Ah, that? There's really nothing to explain further. These guys are really just too good at what they do that the concept of Levels of a God's blessing was essentially pointless to them."
Even then, they still couldn't wrap their head around what Loki just said.
Curious, Ais turned to Kisuke and asked, "...What's your level?"
While rubbing his chin and pretending to think about it, Kisuke answered, "Mine? If I recall correctly, I never really had my Status updated after reaching Level 2. So by your standards, I'm a Third Class Adventurer, technically."
All eyes except for Loki's could only stare at Kisuke dumbfounded.
"How strange... Loki isn't calling out his lie.", Tiona muttered. Immediately after, someone stepped on her left toe with a bit of force and she couldn't help but cry out, "Owww! Tione! What are you doing!?"
The culprit, however, just said, "It's really strange... I'm also not dreaming."
"Damn you!", the sisters then began wrestling each other.
Meanwhile, Kisuke addressed everyone else, "What are you guys surprised for? You should have known that Ki is a lot easier to control and gather even without any blessing compared to Magic. Of course, there are bound to be people that would get stronger even without joining a Familia."
"No... I didn't think that someone could take it to the extreme.", replied Riveria while sighing and covering her forehead.
"It only means that you still have a lot of room to grow."
Soon after, Kisuke was bombarded by various questions from all the people present. At first, he answered their questions calmly, but as time went on, they started asking questions that they should be thinking for themselves so he lost his patience and shooed them away, "Enough of this! Challia-san, I suppose you have recovered sufficiently so let's continue."
Filvis was waiting for this and immediately stepped up as soon as she heard his call, "I'm ready. Are we going to spar again?"
After the crowd had been cleared, including Bete who was dragged back by Raul, Kisuke nodded, "We will, but not until after you drink this."
From his sleeve, Kisuke pulled out a test tube capped by a cork and containing blood. He made sure that he got the right thing and tossed it in Filvis's direction, "We'll be trying out your main ability now."
Filvis examined the test tube before removing the cork and taking a bit of sniff on the blood, 'It's sweet!? Much sweeter than Lefiya's!?'
She hesitated for a moment. Since it came from Kisuke and wanted to use it to test her ability, she knew that this isn't normal blood and she's worried about what might happen to her after taking this blood, 'But what's the worst that could happen?' Gritting her teeth, Filvis took the blood in one gulp.
As soon as it went through her throat, Filvis felt its scalding effect right away on her back. Beyond her control, Filvis' gray bat-like wings emerged and all eyes saw them change into pure white wings from its base.
As for Filvis herself, she couldn't really pay any attention to it as the heat from her back went on to spread uncomfortably, "Guhhh..."
The next thing that happened, however, surprised Loki the most with a golden halo suddenly appearing on top of Filvis's head while emitting warm and 'righteous' light, "Wait! That's...!"
The change didn't stop there with her blood-red eyes turning golden next. With her transformation finished, the warm and holy aura she's giving off now was a stark contrast to the gloom and cold she has as a Vampire.
'As expected... She can replicate it even if it's an attribute harmful to her.', thought Kisuke after giving her Irina's blood that he produced using her original DNA and power he was able to isolate from the Brave Saint system.
Editors:
28th00: Ah, she's got Hyper-Adaptation! That's an absolutely NASTY trait!
Goyya: It's really a nasty trait when given another level. While writing this, it reminded me of the hard-to-kill reptile SCP.
The beat of the wind that originated from Filvis as she floated up hit everyone and almost pushed them back. Kisuke, on the other hand, just silently observed the entirety of her transformation and thought, 'Since her own Magic Power isn't enough to support this transformation, she's subconsciously absorbing the ambient Magic Power. But at the rate she's going, she'll destroy her body within an hour. Oh well, I'll observe for now. Canceling this transformation should be easy enough since she doesn't have control over it.'
Loki, meanwhile, noiselessly clenched her fist, 'This is... But it's impossible... No God could descend with their original body.'
Filvis finished her transformation but she's not yet aware of what she looks like now. Instead, her mind was occupied by strange knowledge that intruded her head, 'Light Arts?'
Lifting her right hand, Filvis conjured a short spear made out of light, 'This... What is this power?'
Seeing her obvious confusion, Kisuke was about to answer her question but Loki beat him to it, "...Holy Power..."
The executives beside her and Filvis turned to her, "Holy Power?"
Loki hesitated before answering, "...Holy Power, the most basic source of power for Gods that are known as 'righteous' and a derivative of Divine Power." She then looked to Kisuke who had an amused and interested expression, "It's very weak, but there's definitely Holy Power within that light."
"That's true.", Kisuke nodded, "What you're using right now is just a basic Light Magic, however, different from normal Light Magic, it's a Magic derived from Holy Power, making it a lot stronger."
"Though what really makes it special isn't stronger Magic, but it being lethal to those who are 'evil'.", Loki added while glaring at Kisuke, "I'm very surprised that Filvis was able to manifest this kind of power, but I'm more curious about the cause of this all, which is the blood you've given to her. Whose blood was that and how were you able to acquire it? As far as I'm concerned, no God has ever descended with their original body which is the only possible source that I could think of right now."
By letting out her Divine Aura, she intimidated everyone else present except for Kisuke into silence.
Of course, Kisuke knew of her concerns but he can't really explain them in detail either. So to satisfy her curiosity, he answered, "The blood was not from a God but a servant of one. Thanks to her devotion, she was able to inherit a part of her God's power and I can assure you that she's doing fine. In fact, we're on good terms so your concerns are really unnecessary."
Loki became silent and Kisuke didn't further elaborate, immediately returning his attention to the dumbfounded Filvis who's still holding the spear of light, "Now, Challia-san, let's start round two."
"Eh? Ah! Right."
The second round didn't last ten minutes. Although Filvis' overall physical attributes became stronger and she can now use Light Magic with versatility, her skill didn't change. One could say that she became objectively weaker as she had a hard time adjusting her balance and fumbled with Magic.
Finally, Kisuke finished the spar by setting up a Magic Circle that would block Magic Power and siphoned it from Filvis, making her transformation cancel on its own due to its support collapsing.
The moment power left Filvis, she collapsed on the ground twitching, unable to move even a single muscle due to strain.
She tried to stand up but she struggled to even shift her arm, "Don't do it. This is the result of you going all out without your knowledge. Though something like this is easily avoidable if you're able to control your Magic to a certain degree.", advised Kisuke before asking Lefiya to pick her friend up again.
Due to Loki and Kisuke's strange conversation earlier, no one approached the latter this time thanks to the awkward atmosphere between them. The executives could tell that there's still something bothering Loki.
Kisuke would have followed up to this but the expected guest has already arrived at the gates of the Twilight Manor and at the same time, one of the Loki Familia members that are watching the perimeter came running in and wheezing, "C-Captain!!!"
Finn frowned and asked, "Calm down. What's wrong?"
"T-the Freya Familia! All of its top members are approaching the main gates and they are all armed to the teeth!"
Not just Finn, but the rest became alarmed. However, this isn't the end of it as another member came running in to report, "Captain! Our scouts have spotted the members of the Freya Familia all around us! From their estimation, there's a good chance that the entire Freya Familia was mobilized and is currently trapping us in!"
Finn clicked his tongue and hurriedly gave out instructions, "Everyone, suit up! Ask the scouts to contact Gareth and the others and inform them of the situation! After that, ask them to contact the Guild and our allies! Riveria, go wake up Bete and set up a barrier around the perimeter! As much as you can!"
But just as Finn was about to declare that they have to prepare for war, Loki interrupted him, "There's no need for all of that."
Finn and the rest of the executives were surprised and startled. They had thought that Loki has already given up, "Loki, even if the chance of us winning is slim, we won't be backing down."
"I'm not saying we're surrendering. What I meant was they are not here for us," Loki then pointed at Kisuke, "But for that guy."
"Huh?"
Loki ignored them for a moment and asked Kisuke, "We don't have to get involved, right?"
"But of course. If she's really here for me, then it's not your problem. Though a part of your property may be damaged because of potential confrontation and I apologize for that."
Waving her hand in dismissal, Loki replied while walking towards the mansion, "It's fine as long as you pay for the damages and inconvenience fees." She decided to not pursue the origin of the Holy Power for now and watch this interesting sight. In any case, she doubts she'd get more answers from him and the best way to get more information out of him is to escalate the situation that he'll be forced to show more of his cards.
Editors:
28th00: Ah, yes. Loki expected this is what he was doing anyways, so as long as they don't lose anything vital or any of their people, she's fine with some damages. She's honestly a bit terrified at Freya targeting damn near everyone though, cause this is insane, even by Deity standards!
Through the windows, Loki and her executives watched as Ottar, along with his fellow Freya Familia members approached Kisuke who's waiting for them on the main gates of the Twilight Manor.
Fifteen meters before they reached the gates, the Freya Familia stopped their advance while Ottar took a few steps forward, "I see that you've already anticipated us."
"You've been making such a big ruckus, of course I'll notice it.", Kisuke just shrugged his shoulders and also took a few steps forward. While doing so, Kisuke also did a quick scan of his surroundings and found Freya in the building not far from the Manor, overlooking the scene, 'A cloak imbued with Anti-Recognition Magic, huh... From the looks of it, Loki-sama, Hermes, Hephaestus-sama, and Ouranos-sama really didn't let out even a single useful piece of information to her about us. If she knew what I can really do, or suspected even a bit of it, she wouldn't take this drastic measure.'
Ottar became silent for a few moments before continuing while letting out a bit of his bloodlust, "That's good. Now come with us. Freya-sama would like to meet you."
"And what? Be subjected to the same brainwashing as everyone within this city? Did you think I'm that stupid?", Kisuke smirked at him and took a token from his sleeve before tossing it up. As soon as the token reached its zenith, a large and complicated Magic Circle expanded and covered the entire Twilight Manor and nearby buildings.
However, before its effects could be felt, Freya's silver eyes from afar lit in violet light and the Magic Circle was instantly crushed into many pieces, 'He tried to activate a large scale illusion Magic? Good thing I personally came.'
Kisuke's eyes widened as he watched the motes of light disappear into nothingness, "I didn't think that you'd have a Magician capable of nullifying my Magic instantly. It looks like I've underestimated you all." He then looked back to Ottar who already prepared his weapon, "I can definitely tell that you won't be taking 'no' for an answer."
Ottar didn't say anything more and swung down his sword at Kisuke. Ottar's mastery of his Ki is way above those of Loki Familia. So much so that no one from the Loki Familia who are watching from the Manor could see the trajectory of the greatsword. It's as if Ottar's weapon instantly teleported from his back to the floor.
Kisuke meanwhile, dodged the attack by jumping backward but the force that destroyed the pavement and gate sent clouds of dirt everywhere, covering his sights.
Even then, without looking, Kisuke raised his left hand and grabbed the spear that emerged from the screen of dust aiming for his neck. But as he pulled on it, he couldn't feel any resistance anymore. Allen Fromel, with a split-second decision, decided to abandon his weapon out of fear of an incoming counterattack.
Before Kisuke even arrived in Orario, the top members of the Freya Familia already decided on the basic strategy against him. Thanks to Ki, they were a lot stronger and sturdier than before. However, they are still sure that nobody, aside from Ottar, could take on Kisuke's simple kick that took out the former before.
As such, if there would be a time where they'll go against him, the only viable option is a hit-and-run tactic composed of everyone in the Familia.
Immediately after, eight throwing axes came flying in from all directions. Using the spear that he was left with, Kisuke deflected four of them back. As for the remaining four, Kisuke caught two of them with his free arm and threw them back while the other two were kicked away. In the process, Kisuke was able to leave the smokescreen.
No more attacks came after him so he waited for the dust to settle.
As soon as the view was cleared, The Loki Familia saw that their gates were already obliterated and the walls had already collapsed. While Kisuke didn't sustain any sort of damage, they saw that two of the Gulliver brothers were being treated by high-class potions as one of them had a large cut on his flank while the other almost had his arm severed.
"Just what happened within that cloud of dust? Within the span of two seconds, two were already severely injured.", asked Tiona.
"Considering the placement of the weapons, I could safely assume that they all tried to sneak an attack at him but they were all countered or blocked by Kisuke Urahara with ease. We've still clearly underestimated him.", answered Finn.
Riveria, on the contrary, was more curious with their motives, "But why are they after him?"
"Because he's an extreme threat to Freya's ideals.", Loki answered, but she didn't elucidate any further.
On the battlefield, Kisuke put the spear on his shoulder and fixed his hat with his free hand, "You're really putting me on the spot here. Can't you just bring your Goddess here and have a talk with me?" The smile on his face already disappeared.
Ottar and the rest didn't say anything. They could indeed do as he said, however, to create an advantageous position for their Goddess, they wanted to exhaust his options first. They could also have Freya use the full force of her charm against him but it was their Goddess' wish not to use it on him as much as possible. They don't know why he needs different treatment from the others, but they didn't have the time to think about that now as they were putting their lives on the line just in an attempt to capture him.
Kisuke already expected their reactions but still couldn't help but sigh heavily, "Haaahh... Really... You're giving me no choice here. Aren't you afraid that I'll just escape here and assault your Goddess? You do know that I have the ability to easily do that."
Everyone from the Freya Familia became tense. If Kisuke was really able to get hold of Freya, there would be no way for them to get her back and they could only leave it to Freya to charm him. However, their pride won't allow such a thing to happen much less the potential danger she'd be put in his hands.
"We're aware of what you can do. Of course, we've prepared appropriately for it too." Ottar then gave his signal to Hogni Ragnar and Hedin Selland who are staying with the other Familia members surrounding the Manor.
A few seconds later, a gigantic Magic Circle manifested in the sky and formed a strong barrier that covered the entirety of the area where the Twilight Manor is located.
"T-this is!? Such an overwhelming amount of Magic Power!", Riveria exclaimed, "But how!?"
Kisuke gave it a glance and commented, "Hooh? A barrier that's shaving off their own lifespan, huh? I'm surprised they were able to devise such a thing, but this is also essentially sacrificing their lives for my capture. I honestly feel honored."
"With this, there's nowhere for you to run away anymore since even if all of us tried bashing through this barrier, it would still take us a few hours to breach it." Ottar and those behind him got ready once again.
But before they could initiate their attack, they were all frozen on their spot as a wave of bloodlust they'd never experienced before washed over them and spread through their entire ranks. Kisuke's casual demeanor instantly disappeared and it was replaced by eyes that seemed to be looking at dead people.
"It seems that you guys are misunderstanding something. I'm not trapped here with you, but you're trapped here in me. And did you think that such a flimsy barrier was really enough to stop me?"
Ottar's instincts and experiences were shouting at him to run away, 'We've still severely underestimated him!?' He looked around and saw his members were also experiencing something similar and couldn't move from their spot, 'We have to gain an initiative!', Ottar thought as he tried to lead an attack.
Freya was also extremely shocked at what she's seeing as they seemingly triggered something within him, 'This is bad!'
Nevertheless, before Ottar could move or Freya could give her orders to retreat, Kisuke pointed his finger towards the top of the Babel while saying, "Really... This has become extremely annoying. If you don't want to talk without suppressing me, then we don't need that talk in the first place."
A small ball of green energy gathered on his fingertip but despite the underwhelming sight, it gave an incomparable dread to everyone, including the Goddesses present, "To start, I'll take her out of the equation. Cero."
The ball of energy instantly transformed into a beam, going through the barrier as if it was a thin piece of paper, and reached the top of Babel, entirely annihilating its top floor where Freya and Bell are supposed to be staying.
Editors:
28th00: They don't know that he knows Freya is right here, they just think he doesn't give a fuck and casually killed a goddess and erased part of the Sealing tower. Dominance has been Asserted.
"W...What...?" Ottar staggered.
Much like everyone on the scene, he couldn't process anything that happened in front of him. He tried to think but nothing came out of it. All that is certain is that he used Magic that was beyond Annihilation Class in an instant. A Magic that should only be if one of the Deities broke the rules of the Lower World.
The man in question, Kisuke, ignored their reaction and displayed an apparent puzzlement, "Oh my? There's no beam of light? She looked like Freya-sama but it looks like it's just someone disguised as her."
Only then that those from the Freya Familia recall who was staying on the top of Babel, "Oh no...", Grer Gulliver muttered in a horrified voice.
Just before they started this operation, Freya ordered the still unstable Bell to be moved to the top of the tower because that's the safest place they could stay without needing a guard. Along with him was Horn, the one who acts as Freya whenever the Goddess goes out as Syr and the only person who can share Freya's feelings and thoughts.
"But that was really heavy-handed of me...", Kisuke continued while scratching his head and expressing slight regret, "To annoy her on her way up, I used an attack that would directly damage her soul. But for normal people, getting hit by that obliterates their souls to oblivion, making their chances of reincarnating go down to zero. From what it felt just now, two souls have just perished."
Kisuke then looked at Ottar's group with a smile that seemed to mock them, "For that, my bad~!"
They couldn't fully understand what they just heard but they all knew that he just said something terrifying.
Of course, there were two people in the scene that fully understood what just transpired and the first one reacted aggressively, "Kisuke! You bastard!"
Loki was about to jump out the window with her crimson eyes in full display and her entire body was already being covered and roaring with Divine Power. This time, she was truly surprised and angry. Surprised because she didn't expect Kisuke to use his own soul to attack. What's more, it's already a technique that reached its perfection because it didn't consume him, which is something the Deities already deemed as impossible.
Even when watching the 'spar' between Serafall and Kisuke, Loki couldn't really tell anything from it aside from the strength they displayed because it was just a visual presentation without any fluctuation of energies they'd used. If she could have, she might not have closed the distance between them and might even have cut ties with him if she knew Serafall was using Demonic Power.
But more than that, she was angry at him. After interacting with him, she knew that Kisuke won't do anything rash. She knew that Kisuke should already know that Freya was not staying on the top of the tower and there are only normal people in it. However, he treated their lives and souls as lightly as he could. Loki couldn't accept that he would just destroy the most precious thing for the mortals and the Gods alike, be it her children or not. It is, after all, one of the biggest taboos one could commit within the Lower World.
However, the real reason she started releasing her own Divine Power was to stop the other Goddess from going ballistic. As much as she wanted to give Kisuke a smack on the head with all her might, she didn't want any full-blown fight to happen because that will only cause more misery for not just everyone present but for the entire Lower World. Not because of the catastrophe that a God could cause, but the reaction of the Dungeon after the fact.
But without even turning to her, Kisuke pointed his finger and said, "Stay out of this, Loki-sama."
Within that instant, Divine Power was absorbed back and Loki momentarily lost her ability to move and talk, '!? What's this!? I'm being locked within my own avatar!?'
Everyone from the Loki Familia saw that she's struggling to move and speak but before they knew it, the entire mansion they are in was already sealed with a barrier, "W-when did he...?" muttered Riveria as she touched the seal and figured that they wouldn't be able to break it.
After making sure that Loki won't be able to say anything unnecessary, Kisuke turned his attention back to Ottar's group, more specifically, the hooded person who's making her way towards them.
Faking a surprised expression, Kisuke greeted her, "Ah, so that's where you are, Freya-sama~. We haven't seen each other for quite some time but you're now wearing a very interesting expression."
Kisuke's words woke Ottar's group from stupor and just fully realized that Kisuke's attack just now resulted in Freya's favorite child perishing.
"Freya-sama! Please don't approach him! It's too dangerous!" Allen immediately got in front of her while Ottar kept his stance towards Kisuke.
However, Freya just looked at him straight into his eyes and said, "Stand down."
With the effect of Charm Magic, Allen instantly lost his consciousness and moved to the side as if he was a puppet. The other who was also looking into her eyes met the same fate while those who only heard her voice lost control of their bodies and also moved to the side.
"F...F-Freya...sama..." Only Ottar could manage to sneak in a word.
But the Goddess of Beauty disregarded him and the soft wind blew the hood covering her head, revealing a never before seen expression. Grinding her teeth and looking at Kisuke with eyes full of hate, "I'm going to trap your soul for the whole of eternity while 'craving' for me."
Using the full force of her Charm Magic, Freya's silver eyes shone in an unprecedented light.
In response, Kisuke's expression became lax and his own eyes lightly shone the same light as Freya's, "Come over."
Kisuke slowly walked forward and approached Freya as the latter took out a knife from her cloak intending to plunge it to his throat and extract his soul upon exit of his body.
Kisuke came into the range where Freya's knife could reach him, but before she could even lift the blade, she felt her whole body shake as she was pushed back, "Huh?"
It was then she noticed Ottar in front of him, with a worried but nevertheless, satisfied expression. This beautiful sight, however, only lasted for an instant as blood started overflowing from his mouth and nose before his upper right shoulder until his lower left flank slid sidewards, leaving behind the rest of his body.
With Ottar's upper body out of the way, Freya saw the supposedly controlled Kisuke with a blade in his hand covered in blood.
Editors:
28th00: YES! CHAOS! Retribution to be more exact, but still! The name of the game here is "Consequences".
Freya fell on her butt with her eyes wide open and could only stay silent at the sight of her precious child, drowning in his own pool of blood.