C102: Unknown Beast, Secret to Immortality
Overall Word count = 1836 on 6/22/2024.
"ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGHHHHHHH"
Axel watches in shock as in 3 regions of the snake's body, tons of sludge are shot out as a single giant black wing breaks out through its back. Said wing is roughly 100 ft wide as it stretches its full length, like a muscle that hasn't been used in a long time. The next spot allows an arm to shoot out from its right side. Said arm has a set of 4 long claws that are 50 feet in length and sharper than even the sharpest sword as they sink through the ground around it. The arm itself is longer than any natural road in Orario The ground shakes under its weight and its changes are not done yet.
As for the third region. It is the snake's head. Multiple spots around it break apart and snap off as various parts of it stretch further until it takes on a draconic head. The original gray snake skin around it's head is torn apart while a 1/3rd mile long neck that still holds the previous flat snake head, Said neck has long 8 ft tall spines reaching up into the sky. Though a slit has opened on the snake head which shows a full set of 5 foot long (each) sharp pure crystalline teeth. The neck itself is still connected to the central snake-like body and covered in viscous liquids of unknown origin.
Axel can see that the 'snake' is transforming into a dragon or something of the like but he has never seen a dragon like this before. Most of all, he can tell that it has not fully changed as only part of its head has changed, along with its neck, single arm and wing. While large in proportions, he will be more worried when the beast can properly move with more than a single active limb.
(Dragons in danmachi are just drakes or wyverns like in skyrim. So real dragons are quite rare and even OEBD had a few fanart with it being a wyvern)
(pic here)
While observing the beast, Axel begins to sweat harder due to the budding pressure seeping off of it as well as seeing multiple other spots on its body seemingly bulging as well. A strong indicator of other limbs that have not 'sprouted' yet.
While he has to fight against this creature, he must also be wary of the jelly, in case he is once again put under an illusion that makes him lose control of his body. He begins to experiment with his powers and after a minute, he finds that he can cover his body in the rejection power of Accelerator. This is a top most coating which would prevent gluttony from affecting the dragon until he can somehow deal with the sludge or at least knock it away so he can drain the beast of its strength. He at the very least knows how it fights due to inhabiting its memories for a long time.
With a plan in mind, he covers his body and gluttony layers with his vector control. He nods his head as he summons the pair of soul hammers born from his dr. Stein's soul meister abilities, the hammers originated from the Asura fragment. Why he chose to summon this, well he has no clue how tough the beast's scales are, so he might as well deal dual natured attacks via spirit and body through the hammers.
With both hammers slung over his shoulders, he begins to move towards the beast, He gradually picks up speed as he wants the first strike to be impactful. Step by step he accelerates, His vector control ensuring that the air does not slow him down via friction. Combined with his divine energy, his speed reaches a high level before he activates soul resonance but not to the max, he doesnt want to run out of juice on the first strike. He settles for a level of resonance known as Kishin Hunter. The dual hammers merge into one big one.
A rainbow of colors spreads across the sharp looking spiked hammer. The front most is yellow which transitions to green around the flat edge. The center gives a quick bit of blue before moving on a murderous purple and red in the center before turning pure again. After the second half of purple and then baby blue that then finally transitions into a pure dark violet near the back end of the hammer. This aura coats the hammer as the destructive force gathers and condenses.
The beast can sense the powerful attack and roars out, it's sharp teeth visible and threatening but not more so threatening than the single arm it possesses moving in to swipe at Axel. The claw moves extremely fast, much faster than Axel actually expected but during his fight against Huwawa, he learned a neat trick to provide short term acceleration.
As such, he boosts himself under his feet which sends his flying roughly 30 ft into the air to dodge the giant draconic arm and claws that rend the air where he just was. Then he propelled himself forward full force with the momentum of Kishin Hunter. Axel swings with exceptional might upon the newly emerged neck of the draconic beast.
BOOOOM. ROOOOOOAAAARRRR
A deep trench is created as the ground under the mutating snake shatters from the collision. A wall of dust rises up due to all the rubble as a result of the collision, preventing anything from being seen, but not sensed as Axel has to jump high into the air to dodge another claw attack at himself and then propel himself even higher to evade a sweep of the creatures wing.
While Axel is high up in the air, the earlier wing flap dispersed all the dust around it and Axel saw that more than half its body was equal to the ground it was previously on (semi buried). Axel would have rejoiced if there was any actual damage done to the beast. Yet it's neck, where Axel hit, remains the same.
What is especially concerning for him is that his hands are shaking from the impact as the scales on its neck are hard enough to nullify or reflect the power of the physical side of the Kishin hunter attack. The force went back to Axel even with the passive layer of vector control he has on himself that is meant to block or disperse any attack against him.
On the other hand, the spiritual aspect seems to also have not done anything. Though that is understandable as he believes the creature to be quite long lived. Which means its spirit has grown stronger over the long period of time and who knows that the transformation has done to it mentally as well.
Axel has to be careful how he fights as he is not regaining his strength like how he normally does with gluttony. Which means for once, Axel is fighting like any other person, except he is him.
With a determined face, he channels the full extent of his divine energy into his fist. He doesnt bother with creating more arms, using any other power, just his fist, divinity and good ol gluttony. What he does do is use his nen to bestow 'godspeed' onto himself.
Lightning is emitted from his entire body as all of his hairs stand on end while his speed is accelerated multiple times over. The sandman makes his appearance, unlike before when it showed up when Axel was being 'overwhelmed', this time, it is appearing to utilize Neterpitous absorbed nen ability. The power of Terpsichora. Turning himself into a puppet to boost his power by roughly twice-fold by pushing his body beyond his standard limits.
The Eclipse seal around Axel's neck and arms lights up as Axel is breaching the limits of the seal while still level 8, peak level 8 but still level 8. As such, it tries to force him down but the Sandman cares not, as it is energy, life force and the seal can not weaken Axel's life force since that is linked to both his endurance stat and magic stat. The magic seal works like normal but endurance was Never sealed. The Eclipse seal can do nothing to halt Axel from overreaching his power as even more force is concentrated towards his fist.
As a final preparation, Axel overlaps his various shades onto himself, Gluttony and shockwaves, multiple arms (hammers were dispelled), red haired mane around his neck with thick medieval armor coats Axels body, His skin turns ashen and armor itself contains a mixture of various symbols from different cultures (clash of greeks/Norse vs radahns).
With all these enhancements, Axel has turned into a sun. No, that is an understatement. He was a sun from just using his divine energy. With Godspeed, each lightning bolt he emitted was akin to a sun spot lashing out against the hostile air. With all the other enhancements and magic, the sun grew larger and far more widespread.
Back in Shalzard, Gilgamesh, Enkidu and the various Hassan's turn to the south west as their senses are exposed to a force that they have not experienced in a few hundred years, not since the gods first descended. A time period where many current day immortals have been in tumultuous battles against the seemingly endless hordes of monsters that sought to extinguish all life on this world.
Immortals gain their undying power due to a combination of the accumulated faith, a method to channel said faith into power and then the introduction of divine energy which was dispersed into every current day Saint. The divine energy released by a god descending onto the earth is special, it is a crystallization of said gods divine essence. Which means that most first generation immortals/saints received the blessing of Ouranos while later generations were more random as more and more gods descended upon the world.
Shalzard is not the only place that felt the force that Axel was releasing. Far to the West of Orario, The Mage Tower stands and its leaders lay witness to the otherworldly scene as they can create magic mirrors that allow a clear sight of the entire situation. They watch in awe of this moment as the situation is not what a typical immortal would undergo, granted there are some close calls with certain battle maniac Saints.
This is completely different as Immortals can't have Falnas', but Axel, a world proclaimed demi-god. Does have one and he has reached infinitely close to level 9 and ever so close to the ethereal level 10. A single step is all it takes, and based on what all immortals sense or see. Axel does not shy away from it. The dragon also does not as it's claws rise up to meet the cruel sun coming down upon it.
Dooooooom, CRACK, SHIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG,-------------------------