Chapter 48
"Yeah, the Harry Potter books and movies," Rachel replied. Gray, pondering for a moment, burst into laughter and said, "Harry Potter universe—that explains why he's always at the center of trouble." While chuckling, he noticed Rachel's serious expression. "Why so serious?" he asked, his words giving Rachel the creeps as she replied, "Don't say that sentence. Anyway, you seem okay for someone who's just been told their entire existence is fiction." Gray shrugged and replied, "Well, who knows—your world might be fiction in another universe. Heck, we might right now be fiction, or fanfiction. Why stress over it?" He chuckled before continuing, "If I were a story, what would the title be? Oh, I know—The God of Potions." Rachel rolled her eyes as she replied.
"No, more like the sleep-deprived, money-hungry goblin and his insatiable hunger for potions," which caused Gray pain as he held his heart. "Oh, is that how you see me, you brooding bundle of darkness?" he replied before going back to using Jadis' blood to create something powerful. Rachel looked at Gray for a while longer as she thought, "He is really okay, huh? But then again, he spends weeks working on a single thing, and despite the failures, he continues to pursue what he wants, even if someone is trying to kill him." She floated beside him. "Why are you obsessed with getting strong, Gray? What is compelling you to do this?" she wondered, though she didn't voice her question, preferring to watch from the background. For some reason, watching this kid create something from raw materials started to put a smile on her face.
"It reminds me of the first time I met that annoying idiot," she chuckled to herself as Gray looked back at her. "Is there something funny?" he asked, but she didn't answer and returned to her cane form. Gray continued his work until he stopped, thinking, "No, this won't work," as he crumpled up another paper and threw it aside. "I need a more powerful ice-attributed ability," he mused, then got up. "Hm, why don't I go to the tallest and coldest mountain in the world?" The idea excited him, and he smiled. "Alright, Rachel, we are going on an adventure," he said, grabbing her before leaving the suitcase. "But first, I need another match," he said aloud as he turned the suitcase into a ring and headed to where the match was held.
Gray left his location, an abandoned or partially constructed building, and made his way to a secluded alleyway. From there, he climbed down into a sewer drain. The place was dark and damp, with a musty, unpleasant smell permeating the air, causing Rachel to voice her displeasure. "I still don't get why you insist on coming to this place. You could have paid for a gym to be taught properly instead of learning it illegally."
Gray replied, "Well, a coach will teach, and it's safe, yes, but the best way to learn is by experiencing it yourself. Not to mention, these veterans don't hold back." Rachel sighed. "I still don't know why I can't just transfer fighting experience from an actual fighter straight into your head. It would have been faster."
"And I told you, you won't be able to access my mind," Gray shot back. Rachel then said, "Why don't you pull some bullshit memory potion out of your head like you usually do?" Gray sighed. "I don't have any memory-related materials," which suddenly made him remember something. "Fuck," he groaned.
"What?" Rachel asked as Gray replied while walking deeper into the sewer drains. Although it was dark, he could still see. "There's something called a Pensieve that stores memories," he said, and Rachel remembered. "Right, the one Dumbledore used to show Harry that—" She stopped herself as she sensed Gray's frown.
"If you frown any further, you'll look like the Grinch's twin," she teased, making Gray relax. "Look, here's the deal," he said, "you don't ever tell me what happens in my universe. Ever. Even if it puts my life in danger, okay? I want to overcome challenges on my own abilities. I don't want to rely on information that could change, especially given the rifts. Who knows if someone came much earlier in my world and changed the story?" Rachel hesitated for a minute before sighing. "Alright," she agreed, then quieted down.
Their silence didn't last long, as Rachel suddenly spoke, "Gray." Gray smiled. "I know; I was hoping this would happen," he thought as he pulled out a potion to enhance his strength. He turned around, just in time to see the same demon he had fought before Gray cocked his hands as he smiled, "This is going to be fun," he said as the demon ran at him. The fight began in a flurry of violence, with Gray meeting the creature's charge head-on. Empowered by the strength-enhancing potion, his punches carried the force of a wrecking ball. The demon's claws slashed through the air, aiming for his torso, but Gray sidestepped and drove his fist into the creature's side, sending it sprawling. The Desolate One retaliated with a whip of its acidic, extendable tongue, narrowly missing Gray's face but searing the wall behind him. They clashed again, exchanging blows that left both bleeding; Gray's fists battered the demon's hide, while the creature's claws left jagged lines across his arms.
Blood splattered the ground as they continued to trade blows. Gray grabbed the demon by its arm and flung it into a nearby pillar, the impact shaking the room. The demon quickly regenerated, its wounds knitting together in seconds, and it lunged back at him. Gray ducked under its swinging claws and drove his knee into its abdomen, causing it to cough up a glob of black, steaming blood. The demon snarled and swung its tail, catching Gray in the side and sending him sliding across the floor. Gritting his teeth, Gray wiped blood from his mouth and charged forward, delivering a punch so powerful it crushed part of the creature's ribcage, which began regenerating almost instantly.
Midway through the fight, Gray remembered something. "Rachel, you said this thing was a demon, right?" he asked, glancing at the cane strapped to his waist. "Yeah, why?" Rachel replied before realizing his intention. Gray grinned. "Let's see how you regenerate after getting hit with this," he said, releasing a pulse of energy that nullified all magic within a 50-meter radius. "Ugh," Rachel groaned, the magic-nullifying field affecting her briefly since she was 90% magical. However, Rachel wasn't an ordinary demon, and she quickly overcame the pulse's effects. The demon, on the other hand, was visibly shaken. It fell to its knees and let out a whine before staggering back to its feet and lunging at Gray, who dodged with ease.
Without its regenerative abilities, the demon became vulnerable. Gray countered every attack, landing punishing blows that tore through its flesh. The creature's acidic blood splattered across the floor as Gray relentlessly pummeled it. Finally, he delivered a crushing blow to its skull, caving it in and leaving the demon lifeless. "Nice," Gray thought, watching its body collapse. He crouched down to collect some samples, though he felt a twinge of disappointment. "Well, its regenerative properties are gone, but it might still be useful," he mused. Rachel shifted into her human form, dark energy glowing in her hands. Shadows extended around her, a manifestation of her abilities.
"You can sense the other 8, right?" Rachel asked, her voice calm but firm. Gray smiled. "Yeah, let's hope they were within the 50-meter radius when I released the pulse," he said with a chuckle. Drawing his bewitched sword, he prepared for the sounds of more of those hounds coming, which they quikly arrived, and there was eight of them.
Gray and Rachel stood back-to-back as eight demons surrounded them, their grotesque forms snarling and dripping with malice. Gray gripped his fiery sword tightly, the blade glowing with an ominous orange hue, while Rachel's shadowy form radiated dark energy, her hands pulsating with tendrils of shadow. The first demon lunged at Gray, but he countered with a sweeping slash of his sword, conjuring a fiery arc that consumed the creature in cursed flames. Its shrieks filled the air as the Fiendfyre devoured its form, leaving nothing but ash. "Guess they were caught in the blast radius," Gray chuckled. Meanwhile, Rachel extended a shadowy tendril, wrapping it around another demon and crushing it with a bone-snapping squeeze before hurling its remains into the crowd.