Chapter 285:
–Red Dragon Empress–
{Boost!} {Boost!} {Boost!}
"This is so annoying!" Isane had been having the best dream—a steamy one full of glorious oppai—when the mother of all earthquakes ended it abruptly. Soon after being jerked awake, she found herself in her Balance Breaker, fighting a monster straight out of a biblical nightmare. Yasaka, who was an actual fox at the moment and unfortunately not a sexy milf, and Amaterasu, the NEET goddess whose kimono kept slipping off for some reason, were right there beside her, duking it out with a giant Behemoth from the dawn of creation!
"Take the shot, pervert!" Amaterasu threw a massive orb of fire into the Behemoth's face to temporarily blind and distract her/it.
Isane had seen pictures and videos of Serafall Leviathan's sexy blonde queen, who occasionally starred in the Maou's weird Magical Girl show. She had trouble relating that woman to the 150 meter tall monster they were currently facing.
"What do you think I was doing all those Boosts for!?" Isane retorted as she gathered all of her stored power into her left arm!
{Dragon Shot!}
A searing beam of red light blasted from her fist, smashing into the Behemoth's massive left arm. The flesh bubbled and smoked under the heat, but...
"That's not going to be enough!" Ddraig's voice echoed in her mind, and Isane felt her stomach drop. That blast could've vaporized any Ultimate Class being, but the Behemoth? It was too freaking big! She'd left a crater the size of a bus in its arm, but it was barely more than a bee sting to this giant monster!
"Rooooaaaarrr!"
"Look out, Isane!" Yasaka screamed in warning.
"Shit…" Isane barely got the word out before a tail the size of a skyscraper whipped around and slammed into her. The air shattered with multiple sonic booms as she was violently flung away. The G-Forces were so extreme that she ended up temporarily losing consciousness.
Before she could drift off to another pleasant dream, the next thing she knew, she was gasping awake as she found her body embedded halfway into solid rock.
"Ugh, ow…" she groaned, blinking as her blurry vision cleared. "Holy crap, I just got launched to Mt. Fuji?!" Half her body was stuck in the side of the mountain. And, when she tried to move, pain shot up her arm. "Yep. That's broken," she grumbled. The armor on her right side was completely wrecked. The Behemoth shattered her Balance Breaker in a single hit.
"What the fuck, Ddraig? That thing's OP as hell! You could have warned me!" Isane complained as she pulled herself out of the bedrock with her good arm.
Ddraig sighed in her mind, and Isane groaned louder. His sighs always meant bad news. "The Behemoth was made by God himself. Probably when he was drunk, to be honest. He tried to kill her later when he realized what a mistake he'd made. But he failed. Her size, power, and insane regeneration make her nearly impossible to beat. That gaping wound in her arm has probably already healed over. As for Albion and I... well, we always tried to avoid her back when we still had bodies," he said with a hint of embarrassment.
Isane's jaw dropped. This was a monster even Ddraig couldn't beat in his prime? What chance did she have then? "Wait, wait, wait. How did Serafall get this monster into her peerage then?!" Isane asked as she started boosting again, gathering more power to rebuild her balance breaker armor. It was a 350 km flight back to Kyoto. That was going to take her a couple minutes unfortunately. "Did she just flash her tits at this monster and it decided to join her peerage?"
"Maybe?" Ddraig replied…
–Yasaka–
"Shit! We just lost the Red Dragon Empress!" Lady Amaterasu shouted, stating the obvious for some reason!
Yasaka's heart raced as she scanned the devastated landscape just outside Kyoto. She couldn't sense where Isane had been flung, which meant it was far. She just hoped her perverted apprentice wasn't dead, or if she was, hopefully her body was in a large enough piece so that Layla would be able to revive her.
Blue licked at her feet as Yasaka sprinted forwards, running on the literal air itself. She pushed her legs hard, leaping as high as she could. "Foxfire!" she roared, opening her jaws wide. A massive stream of blue flames erupted from her throat, crashing into the Behemoth's face. The flames weren't quite as hot as Lady Amaterasu's, but they were tainted with her corrosive Youki.
The behemoth let out an ear-piercing roar that shattered every single window in 100 kilometers. It swung one of its massive arms at Yasaka in retaliation, trying to smash her out of the sky. She barely managed to dive out of the way before being swatted like a fly.
She still ended up getting sent flying though. The sheer force of the wind caused by its movement was insane. This was a beast that could cause tornados using nothing but physical strength!
She managed to steady herself, landing on an actual cloud and digging in her claws–something that was only possible because magic was bullshit sometimes. Yasaka was starting to feel very frustrated. Her golden eyes narrowed as she watched the horrific burns she'd inflicted on the behemoth already beginning to heal. Its face was almost completely recovered already. The Behemoth was regenerating faster than she could injure it…
Yasaka was old, hundreds of years by human standards, but not nearly as ancient as some of the other faction leaders in the world. She hadn't fought in the Great War, so she had no idea just how powerful this monster was. Now, staring at it, she realized she had gravely underestimated the Devils' trump card. The Behemoth wasn't just a threat—it was a disaster waiting to happen.
She'd hoped that, by teaming up with Lady Amaterasu and going all out, they could defeat the beast. Sure, it would probably level a huge chunk of Japan, but it was better than letting the beast roam free. Now, though, she wasn't even sure that would be enough. The way the Behemoth moved, almost lazily, like it was toying with them—it chilled her to the bone.
Or worse, maybe it was just buying time, like Amaterasu suspected. Keeping the Yokai and Shinto pantheon occupied while the Devils laid waste to the rest of the world.
"We're not winning this fight," Yasaka said, grimacing and clenching her razor sharp teeth.
"No shit," Amaterasu sulked as she landed on the cloud next to Yasaka. "And we're not getting any back up either. Tsukuyomi and Susanoo were both in China on a diplomatic mission when this attack started. They're currently helping them fight off another attack on foreign soil."
"How lucky for China…" Yasaka grumbled. That stupid monkey Wukong always seemed to have the best possible luck! They could have really used those two Gods on their own side right about now.
"Do you sense the Red Dragon Empress anywhere nearby?" Amaterasu asked as they both took a moment to regain their barings.
"No, she was sent flying towards Tokyo, I have no idea where she ended up or if she'll even make it back anytime soon." Yasaka said while keeping her eyes on the large beast about a kilometer away from them. Its injuries were now completely healed, even the bone deep gash Isane had put in her everything to inflict.
The cloud they were resting on immediately evaporated as golden flames swirled around the Goddess of the Sun. The Sun in the sky shined down brighter than ever as Amatersu called upon more power than she had used up to this point. The consequences could already be seen on the landscape below them. Half of the forest around Kyoto began to burn…
"I really hope your eldest daughter can get Layla's attention soon," Amaterasu said somberly. "Before this battle destroys our beloved home…"
"I hope so as well…" Yasaka took a moment to send one of her own prayers towards Layla.
–Layla–
As soon as I stepped out of the portal, I was nearly knocked off my feet by two fuzzy missiles. Kunou and Alter clung to me, tears streaking down their cheeks. I wrapped my arms around them both, holding them close as they sobbed into my chest.
"Layla! You heard my prayers! I'm so glad!" Alter's voice shook, her brave facade crumbling now that I was here. "Japan is under attack. It's bad—Mother and Lady Amaterasu are fighting a behemoth right now."
I ran my fingers through their hair, scratching gently behind their ears. Even though they were terrified, I could feel both their tails start to sway back and forth from the scratches…
I smiled. "Don't worry, girls. Everything's going to be okay now." I knew they were safe for the moment, but I wasn't going to take any chances with this sudden war. We had all underestimated the desperation and brutality of the Devil's once already. "Go back through the portal and wait at the penthouse. You'll be safe there," I told them.
Kunou and Alter hesitated for a moment, but then nodded, running back through the portal I came from. I closed it behind them, letting out a breath of relief. With the heiresses safe, Yasaka and I could focus on what needed to be done without worrying so much.
I didn't waste any more time and sprinted outside into Yasaka's backyard. As soon as I cleared the trees, I spread my sixteen wings and took off, soaring high into the air above Kyoto. What I witnessed shocked me.
It was a disaster.
From the air, I could see the chaos below—buildings toppled over, some still burning, others reduced to rubble. Tens of thousands of bodies were trapped under the debris, while both humans and yokai rushed around, either trying to escape or digging through the ruins to pull people out. I spotted a few looters taking advantage of the chaos, and the sight made my blood boil. But this wasn't the time to deal with them.
Right now, I had to find Yasaka. Which wasn't exactly hard.
"Rooooaaarrr!"
And there it was—the Behemoth, stomping through the city like a real-life Godzilla. Yasaka, in her golden nine-tailed fox form, was darting around it in the air, looking almost small in comparison to the 150-meter-tall monster. Blue flames swirled around her, lashing at the Behemoth from every angle as it swatted wildly, trying to knock her out of the sky.
Not far off, I could feel a massive concentration of Divine Energy. Amaterasu hovered above the chaos, both arms raised high as she gathered power into a blazing sphere of fire above her head. The thing was like a miniature sun, growing bigger with every second. I could tell she wasn't holding back—if that thing hit, it'd be like detonating a nuke right next to Kyoto.
"I won't let you win, monster! Die!" Amaterasu shouted, her voice full of rage as she hurled the fireball with everything she had. Yasaka scrambled out of the way just in time.
But the explosion never came.
A purple portal suddenly materialized in the fireball's path, swallowing it whole before snapping shut. The fireball was gone, snuffed out somewhere deep in space, far from where it could do any damage.
"Who dares?!" Amaterasu's voice dripped with frustration as she whirled around, searching for the culprit. She was so flustered, she didn't even sense me appear behind her.
I raised my hand and thumped her on the back of the head, hard enough to make her feel it.
"Ow!" She spun around, clutching her head, her eyes wide. "What was that for, Layla?! And when did you even get here?!"
"That," I said with a sigh, "was for almost blowing up Kyoto. And, for the record, I just got here."
"You should've gotten here sooner!" she huffed, crossing her arms like a scolded child.
"Sorry, I was a bit busy taking care of some other things." I stretched my wings wide, releasing just a sliver of my magical aura. The air around us vibrated, drawing the attention of both Yasaka and the Behemoth. They broke off their fight, Yasaka's golden form gliding toward us.
The massive fox let out a series of happy yips as she came closer, nuzzling her enormous snout into my shoulder. "I'm glad you're finally here, anata," she said warmly, even in the midst of chaos we'd found ourselves in.
The Behemoth paused her assault, her massive eyes locked onto me. "You… What are you…?" a deep, guttural voice growled. It didn't sound like any human or devil I'd ever heard. Her voice was so loud, I had to shield my eardrums with magic just to avoid them being shattered.
"I am Layla of the Fallen. This ends here, Behemoth. You've already caused enough death and despair—for what?" I asked, activating my Rinnegan. Something about her felt wrong. She radiated demonic power, far more than what should have been normal. With my enhanced sight, I saw the truth. The Behemoth had turned into a Stray Devil. Her outer form was mostly unchanged, but on a deeper level, she barely resembled the proud creature Father once created.
"The Devil race will reign supreme! I follow Lady Serafall's will! I will destroy the children of the great betrayer!" she roared.
I nodded solemnly. "So be it…" I remembered the stories of this creature from my time in Heaven. Her creation had been celebrated by the oldest angels—Father had given them a new sister. But shortly after her birth, he had tried to destroy her, and no one ever knew why. We would never know now, not with him gone and her half-feral, drunk on the souls writhing in her belly.
The Behemoth hadn't just destroyed Kuoh Town—she had devoured it. I could see the souls of hundreds of thousands trapped inside her, clawing desperately for escape. Just for that, I couldn't let her live any longer.
Thankfully, the souls hadn't been digested yet. If I could defeat her quickly, they could still be freed, moving on to the afterlife they deserved.
This was the end for her…
{Emergency Quest: Slay the Behemoth!}
{Rewards: 5 Levels and the Behemoths blueprint!}
Yasaka shifted back into her humanoid form, staying close to me. She was panting hard, clearly exhausted from overdrawing on the power of the leylines. "I'll handle this from here, Yasaka," I said, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Susanoo!"
I poured 100,000 MP along with a small amount of Cosmic Energy into my construct. It expanded, towering up to the same height as the Behemoth. Like me, my Susanoo now had 16 wings spreading out from its back. Yasaka and I were safely shielded inside.
"Hey! What about me?" Amaterasu complained, floating next to my construct's forehead where we were protected. "Let me in?"
"Sorry, it's a little cramped in here already," I teased, making the goddess pout. "Just kidding. I need you to protect the city while I handle this, okay?"
Amaterasu sighed. "Barriers aren't really my thing, but fine!" She flew away and started chanting in Japanese. The sun above us flared brighter as a massive golden forcefield began forming around the remains of Kyoto. I could see her divine energy dropping quickly—she wouldn't be able to keep this shield up for long.
I promised I'd finish this fast. "I'm sorry it had to end like this, sister…"
"I am NOT your sister! He was not my father!" the Behemoth roared. The ground shook beneath us as she charged, obliterating the burning forest around her.
Since the Behemoth was still technically a Devil, I decided to go with the classics. I channeled another 100,000 MP into my Susanoo's right hand, and a Colossal Light Spear materialized. "Let's go then!" I shouted as 16 massive wings flapped powerfully, generating a hurricane behind me to boost my speed as I charged head-on to meet the Behemoth's assault.
Her massive fists were glowing with demonic energy, ready to unleash devastating blows. At the last moment, she leaped into the air, aiming to smash me from above. I thrust the massive spear upward, meeting her fists in a clash of raw power. The collision created an enormous explosion, obliterating the remaining trees in the vicinity. The shockwaves slammed into the barrier Amaterasu had erected, protecting the people inside from the catastrophic fallout of only a single exchange.
Damn, she's ridiculously strong. The Colossal Light Spear cracked from the force of those hits. This was a battle at the peak of this world.
{The failed creation, Behemoth: Level 180}
Did Serafall even have a clue about the true power of the monster she had recruited into her peerage? Behemoth could have easily claimed the title of Queen of the Devils if she had wanted to and none of them would have been able to stop her.
[Focus, Host. She's attacking again!]
Heeding the System's warning, I raised my Susanoo's left arm to block the Behemoth's tail from smashing into us. We managed to stay upright, but the impact created two massive trenches in the ground as we skidded over a kilometer, bleeding off the momentum.
"I can't believe the beast was just toying with me and Amaterasu…" Yasaka lamented, staring at the devastation from the past two blows. I kept silent about the fact that the Behemoth was still holding back. She wasn't using her full power because doing so would cause her to sink half of Japan underwater.
I was holding back as well, testing the creature I might have called sister in another life.
"Can you please hurry the fuck up, Layla! I can't hold on much longer!" Amaterasu whined from inside the barrier. I could sense she was on her last legs.
"You will all die here!" the Behemoth roared as her jaws opened wide. I felt a massive concentration of demonic energy building in her throat, a dark red light gathering in her maw.
"She can do a breath attack? What is she, a dragon?" Yasaka clung to me tighter. The amount of power the Behemoth was channeling was enough to level Japan. It seemed like she didn't care if she ended this battle underwater.
"Guess you want to end this with one final blow, sister…" I muttered. I channeled the rest of my MP into the Colossal Light Spear, which now shone so brightly it outshone Amaterasu's sun. I pulled my massive arm back and hurled the spear with all my might.
At the same time, the Behemoth released her full-powered breath attack.
Purple Light clashed with Demonic Red as our attacks met. For a brief moment, I worried if I should have used one of the Stones or called on my reserves of faith energy. Those worries quickly vanished.
The Colossal Light Spear pierced through the demonic breath attack, continuing its trajectory until it struck the Behemoth's head. Her near-unparalleled regeneration might have been impressive, but it was hard to regenerate without the upper half of your body, especially when my Light Energy was eating away at what was left. At least I granted her a swift death. The ground trembled one last time as her massive legs and the remains of her torso collapsed onto the devastated earth beneath us.
"Thank fuck that's over!" Amaterasu's voice echoed loudly across the surroundings as the barrier protecting the city fell.
Yasaka giggled at the crassness of her Goddess and snuggled closer into my bosom as I dismissed my Susanoo as well. "What do we do now?" she asked me.
"Today, we assess the damage and help rescue all the injured and trapped people. Tomorrow, we help our allies drive the Devil's back into the Underworld and finish this war," I said before turning my head to the side. "Where the hell have you been all this time?"
Isane Hyoudou was floating next to us in her Balance Breaker, with heavily cracked armor. She was also clutching one of her arms that was clearly broken. "Mt Fuji…" she lamented.
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