The amount of Life Energy within the wooden sword was beginning to be too much. The sword was trying to grow into a large tree from the amount of energy running through it, and I have to guide the wood to stay in the same shape.
But everything eventually has its limits.
I had at least one good technique in this bokken, before I fight seriously.
One attack, and after that Martial Arts. Time to really test what I can do in a fight.
I looked toward the old witch to see her on her knees sweating from having to keep her Balance Breaker active for so long.
"You know, your Avatar Flame Warrior could last longer and even do more damage, if you weren't letting it waste its heat into the surroundings." I advised.
"Preposterous," Augusta said. "Such a thing is not possible. The heat is from the fires making up the Warrior being that hot."
I shook my head at the lack of imagination.
"You should never give up before you try." I said, as I took a blade drawing stance. I manipulated mana within the blade, the wooden sword heating up from the energy prepared within it. "Time to start this battle for real." I grinned.
"What?" Augusta said, looking stunned.
Haneze recognized that I was going to be serious after this attack and called out to Augusta.
"Lady Witch!" He called out. "Let your Warrior possess me." He cried out.
"Wait, are you suggesting...?" Augusta asked, looking interested at the idea.
"It should hold to the same principle, right?"
Augusta was quiet for a moment, before she thrust her hand pit like she was pushing something onto Hanezu.
Hanezu seizured as the Flame Warrior broke to pieces and dispersed into fire.
Fire that filled up Hanezu's being.
"Thank you for the idea, dear Hanezu Himejima. I'll be sure to dedicate this new avenue of research in your name." Augusta said with pride.
"I... am... honored." Hanezu growled out, before bright purple flames exploded from him, making the outline of a lion's mane around him head and back. "Let's do this." He screamed. "ADAM!"
The ground and air exploded from the shockwave of Hanezu dashing forward.
"Nuclear Breathing." I said, taking in a breath, letting the sunlight within me move into my blood. I made my blood move in swirls, in a spiral as it moved forward in my veins. I had to make my blood move faster to compensate for the slight loss in normal speed from the spinning. All that energy exploded within me in greater and greater amounts. Golden sparks erupted around me. "First Form."
"FALL WITH THE HIMEJIMA!" Hanezu screamed as he reached me.
I drew my wooden sword for a single horizontal swing.
And let all that energy be released in a single line of aura.
"Atomic Slash."
Hanezu stopped mid-air.
Augusta was frozen in a look of shock.
All the heat in the bunker was suddenly gone.
From outside the headquarters of the Utsusemi Agency, one could see the large structure isolated away from any civilization or left in a frozen wasteland.
The squad sent by the Five Principal Clans looked upon the facility protected by dozens and dozens of shields.
They had already attacked with their familiars, and as soon as they breeched the first lines of defense, once they reached the walls, they will attack themselves.
Their leader, Taru Himejima, brother of Tanaka Himejima had read the report of the Spirit Inheritor Adam having stopped their First Discipline Enforcer Squared from carrying out their mission. He had learned from that and took the report and his Clan Head recommendation to heart.
Adam is to be treated as an enemy combatant, and to fight as the most dangerous threat. Taru nodded to himself in reminder of those words.
He would not hold back against this Adam, he will learn what it means to face--
A large flash of light emanated out of the Utsusemi Agency's walls. A very familiar energy signature, that Taru and his squad were warned about and shown from memory spells, rang out.
Then a single line of white fire flew out of the building, through several mountain tops.
A second passed.
The facility building exploded outward, and as if some invisible shockwave followed, in sequence the top of the nearby mountain chain began to explode to pieces and fall down.
Clan Head. Taru thought, while gulping and clearing his throat. I don't think Enforcer Squads alone will be enough to deal with Adam.Lavinia was overwhelmed by the scene before her. She could only just stare at the almost picturesque view of the destroyed headquarters around her.
Looking at the outside from the bunker they were in, was like looking at an artist that drew two different images on the same page, to show the contrast between extreme indoors and outdoors.
In front of her, Toby, and little Sae, was the bunker as normal. At least diagonally, from lower left to upper right, it was the bunker.
Augusta was caught in the middle of that swing, and only her lower torso remained, still standing, as if not realizing the top half of her body was gone. Walburga was lucky to be on the right side, and standing back, thus untouched by the blast.
On the left side was outside the bunker. It was a winter land yet in a beautiful way. Like the view after rain. The sky was calm, no blizzard or snow fall. The Sun was open in the clear, cloudless sky, but the sunlight was gentle. Although maybe that's normal given this place's cold location, offsets the sun's hot rays.
The mountains were beautiful in their symmetry, lined up in a row--
No. Wait. Lavinia's eyes widened. The top-half--No, wait. Quarter-top of the mountains were all flat land, with pieces of the broken mountain parts on top here and there. Lavinia connected it was likely Adam's attack that reshaped the land.
Looking back at Adam, he was staring the wooden blade from the Forbidden Fruit--
No, wait, he said it wasn't.
--A Sacred Apple. It was completely gray, as if stripped of all color. A piece fell on the floor, and mostly broke down into ashes. Then the rest of the bokken crumbled away into ash, vanishing into the wind.
"Yeah, it did good holding up till the end." Adam commented to himself.
"What... was that?" Lavinia asked.
"Hmm," Adam glanced back at them. "Nuclear Breathing, was testing it out for the first time." He looked back at his destruction with a satisfied smile.
"N-Nuclear!? You breathed nuclear energy? Wouldn't that kill you!" Toby cried out.
"That's silly, Toby. Mages don't die of radiation." Lavinia happily explained.
"Wait, what?" Toby blinked in that confused, cute puppy way that Lavinia found endearing.
"Yeah, Magical Energy moving throughout the body stops alpha and beta particles along with gamma rays, from damaging it. Or at least, you'd have to be really weak to not manage that. So I guess weak mages can die of radiation." She said, realizing that mid-explanation.
"...You know what 'gamma rays' are?" Toby asked in surprise.
"Of course, I do." Lavinia pouted. She had to study so many headache textbooks to remember all that stuff. After all Absolute Zero isn't something you can just stumble onto using. "Did you think Witches don't use modern physics?"
"Ah, it's just... you know... with how being a witch, I thought, you'd be more, ah, traditional--" Toby tried to explain, the silly worldview that witches or mages don't use science.
Sure, those of the Wizards of Oz, Grauzauberer, or other older organizations don't use pure equations like modern mages, but rather build their spells along folk tales, stories and myth, but they still using scientific equations to adjust or refine their spells to act more optimally.
"Tobio!" Sae-chan grabbed Toby by his ears. "You can't be rude like that to the pretty Onee-san." She said as she pulled on his ear harder.
"I wasn't! I swear, I wasn't." Toby cried out.
Lavinia chuckled at their antics. If they can act like that, then they probably aren't stressed out by everything that happened.
And... Lavinia looked toward Adam with gratitude. Even if he didn't intend it, it was very kind of him to save Toby from having to end up with blood on his hands. Her eyes gained a melancholic look to them. Even if he'll eventually ending up having to. Battle always comes to those born with God's Destructive Tools.
"You don't need to worry." Adam spoke, getting attention back on him. "There won't be radiation fallout. The energy I used was contained to a single energy slice. The rest of the destruction was just from kinetic energy." He explained. "Also I added a second slash onto the first made of Positive Energy just in case to clean up any particles that could cause radiation."
"...But you only slashed once." Toby said, blinking a few times in confusion. Lavinia and Sae tilted their head at this information, as they also only saw Adam's arm move once.
"I'm very fast." He said plainly, and... It's not like they could refute him. Adam looked at something in the distance, then hummed. "Alright, I guess it's time to leave. The Five Principal Clan are here so they can take care of cleaning this place up."
Lavinia then felt Kokabiel arrive to the room, before turning to meet him. If the Fallen was here, then the General Governor likely sent him to save all the people uninvolved with the Supernatural caught up in all of this.
"What about my parents?" Sae quickly said. "There were other people too."
"Yeah, we need to save them." Toby said in agreement.
"They have all been transported out." Kokabiel spoke, startling the two teens.
"Huh? Who are you?" Toby said warily, putting himself between Kokabiel and Sae.
"Mr. Kokabiel, did the Governor send you?" She asked the question, most for Toby's sake.
"The Governor'? That's..." Toby's eyes widened in relief and understanding that the Fallen was on their side.
"He did, but when I arrived, all the humans captured by this organization had already disappeared." Kokabiel gave a pointed look toward Adam. "I believe this is your work? ...Adam, is it?"
"Yeah, I got everyone out before I came to face the people here. They're all back at my place being healed." Adam paused in thought. Toby and Sae sighed in relief. "After that comes having to deal with the fall out of all of this. I'll offer the chance for people to have their memories wiped of this awful experience. Although I hope they don't take it."
"What?" Toby blinked at that. "Why would you hope for that? These people thought they lost their children, were captured and then used in experiments. Why would you want them to keep those memories?" He couldn't fathom Adam's reasoning.
Adam shook his head. "Erasing their memories of these events, doesn't change that they happened. Doesn't change that the world is as dangerous as it was before. And while I understanding needing the illusion of safety and security when you're weak, I don't think it's a way people should live. Rather they should just act to empower themselves, and get stronger so they are able to be free."
Lavinia felt Adam's words were... too idealistic. Not everyone was strong willed like that. But for someone who constantly opens himself to the darkness of the world, and purifies it with their will, she could understand the beauty of that sentiment.
Toby's eyebrows furrowed at that. People should just live a normal life if they want that, they don't have to get involved with the supernatural if they want to.
"Relax." Adam's amused huff startled Toby. "I said I'll give them the option to go back to their normal lives. I won't force them to do anything."
Toby sighed in relief at that.
"Thank you," Sae spoke up, surprising Toby. "Thank you for saving me, saving my parent and everyone else." She bowed, speaking with sincerity.
Adam smiled back.
But before he could reply laughter filled the area. A long bellowing laugh that came from the Fallen Angel.
"Honestly, you even sound like him." Kokabiel said with shaking shoulders. "The only thing left is for you talking about how you're doing this for your children, or how you wish them the best." He shook his head. "However, it should be impossible for the Adam to have someone inherit their Spiritual Energy, or be their Reincarnation. Even now they should be resting in Paradise." He narrowed his eyes. "So who are you?"
"Sir Kokabiel?" Lavinia said, in a tone trying to calm down this sudden tension, although she herself was surprised by this information.
Adam however looked completely uncaring.
"I didn't want to use my real name, so I picked 'Adam'." He said, to the shock of all present. "It just seemed appropriate. Everyone else drew their own conclusions on things. Whether I really am Adam's Spirit Inheritor or not doesn't matter to me, I still would have acted how I did till now just the same."
While that last line was a bit inspiring, it still was shaking Toby's and Lavinia's thoughts on the matter.
Surely he's Adam's Spirit Inheritor, right? He can't just... be some guy, can he? Tobio thought at this complete absurdity.
Lavinia was thinking if she could ask this 'Adam' to train with her in magic. If he isn't Adam, there's a lot less pressure to ask him for something, if he isn't some-- No, The Biblical figure.
"Can you train with me sometimes in magic?" Said Lavinia.
"Lavinia!" Toby looked at her in surprise at her blunt question.
"Sure."
"That easy!?" Toby cried out.
Kokabiel raised an eyebrow at this exchange.
"Here," Adam pointed at her, and Magic Energy swirled in front of Lavinia before turning into Earth Mana and transforming into a business card. "That should have my assistant's number. We can talk later." He told her.
"He has an assistant? Why does the mood suddenly change to like meeting a big businessman or a celebrity?" Toby asked cutely.
"Anyways, I'm gonna go. You guys go home too," Adam then pointed at Toby and Sae. "You two have life affirming sex or whatever, I'll have your parents back home by tomorrow."
"Buufwa!?" Toby let out a funny cry.
"Eh, eh, eh!?" Sae's face was so red, steam was coming off of it.
"Your homes should be free till then." Adam nodded.
"N-No, wait, we're not like that!" Toby cried out.
"Y-Yeah, that's right!" Sae cried out in embarrassment.
"Later." Adam gave them a two finger salute and left in a flash of a teleportation magic circle.
In modern times the Underworld is known as the realm of the Devils. However, that's not actually true. Simply put, they are the ones most infamously associated with it.
While the Devil Race have their countries and cities, the size of human continents, other mythological pantheons each have their version of the underworld, basically a piece of land, a realm for their Underworld God, or their God of Death.
While each Underworld Realm usually have similar looks, Yomi tended to usually have the most haunted and nightly look to it.
During the 'day', the sky had nothing black clouds, the world's color looked muted. As if all colors vanished except for gray, with the occasional black and white.
Spoiler: Yomi during the day
It's only at dusk that the color truly returns shines in the Japanese Underworld. The world still looked haunted, a place that the living by instinct would feel is dangerous for them. That they can not venture to, be it Human, Yokai or otherwise.
Spoiler: Yomi at dusk
Then an instant later, night arrives. The only time the world feels normal. Day was lifeless and silent. Dusk color and life shine too strongly to feel real. Like how hope feels before reality sets in.
Only when night comes, does the realm of Yomi feels like how to should be.
Spoiler: Yomi at night
It was a dreary realm, but held beauty in it's own way, as the moon illuminated this pale realm with it's ephemeral light.
Then the entirety of Yomi shined as the day during midnight because Amaterasu arrived.
Standing in her garden in her home, stood a beautiful elegant pale-skinned woman. Her beauty was deathly and eternal as was her nature.
Spoiler: Izanami-no-Mikoto
She held a pipe that she was smoking before her daughter's arrival, and an umbrella to shield herself from her daughter's strong rays.
"Ōhirume no Muchi no Kami greets her Mother." The Japanese Sun Goddess spoke with force and formality to the Goddess of the Japanese Underworld. She was floating gently from the sky to the ground before the Death Goddess.
Spoiler: Amaterasu Omikami
"Hello Mother. I, Amaterasu Omikami, have come to visit and wish to converse with you." Amaterasu spoke, power and authority in her soft-spoken words.
In terms of stature, Amaterasu was shorter then Izanami, but as she was floating, they were the same height.
For a moment, the world of Yomi tensed at this meeting.
Then Izanami closed her umbrella.
And bonked her daughter on the head.
"Ow." Amaterasu stopped floating, to stand on the ground, rubbing her head.
"Dim down your morning blast, you brat. Are you trying to blind everyone in Yomi?" Izanami scolded her daughter with a bored tone. The Sun Goddess immediately did dim her light.
"Yes, mother. Sorry." Amaterasu said with a small pout on her stoic face, while looking down.
"Also why didn't you just send a message? I could have prepared something for you? Are you eating well, or still living on junk food?" Izanami said, as she turned and began walk into her manor.
Amaterasu dutifully followed after her mother like a duckling.
"I'm eating fine." Amaterasu's pouting was more pronounce, as she followed her taller mother. "I transform all my food to be nutritious without preservatives or chemicals, but keep the flavor. So I'm eating fine." She repeated herself.
"Uh huh, yes. That's what eating healthy is these days." Izanami said drily.
"Ah, mother!" Amaterasu said urgently. "About why I came so quickly, I would request your help in forging a gift?"
Izanami stopped in her tracks, and slowly turned her head to her daughter.
"A gift to...?"
"Ah, he's a child of my land. His name is Hajime Kenji."
Izanami took her daughter to the living room, where Amaterasu created a magic sphere to show past events she had witnessed.
"So he's an idiot." Izanami concluded.
"H-He's not!" Amaterasu protested her favored child.
"He's literally drowning himself in the World's Evil and calls it training." Izanami nodded her head. "Then again that was always your type."
"No, it's not!" Amaterasu vehemently denied such accusations.
"Uzume." Izanami gave a calm reply.
And Amaterasu flinched looking to the side, like that reply was a solid blow. Her blush was not helping her argument.
"T-That was different."
"Uh huh." Izanami then paused, and narrowed her eyes at her daughter. "What is this 'gift' you wish to give him?"
Amaterasu brought out full fledged copy of the Yasakani no Magatama, identical to the original first one.
"Can you make this connect to all the negativity of Japan?" The Sun Goddess demurely asked her mother.
"..." The Death Goddess re-summoned her umbrella and bonked her daughter on the head.
"Ow."
Then later on she fulfilled her daughter's request.
Amaterasu left on a happy note, sending the Enchanted Magatama to the Five Principal Clans with instructions to deliver her gift to Kenji, or rather 'Adam', through contacting his second in command, Alisa Monk.
The Sun Goddess was glad that her Onmyoji Clan subordinates were so enthusiastic about completing this task.