Return of the Fallen Volume 12 Chapter 57
(I don’t think we should go to the children, at least not for now.)
Arc shot down Kazuki’s idea immediately.
(Arc, they may be safe for now with Kori and Marty by their side but I will not feel comfortable until Mei and Kosaru are back in a Lower Realm hidden away from all the danger.)
(You’re right, they would most certainly be safer in a Lower Realm and even if an enemy wished to find them it would practically be impossible without you yourself giving away their location. However, the situation is already rapidly changing and unfolding in ways that will only cause more harm than good if you choose to seek out the kids.)
Kazuki went quiet after hearing Arc’s words. Kazuki sensed some doubt.
(Speak, why would my presence endanger them?)
(Brat that shadow remains and it is a true threat. Its presence can go almost completely undetectable by me. If the bastard is not within a few miles or isn’t using its power, he’s incredibly difficult for me to properly locate. Add the fact that he can still take over other Gods and use their bodies like puppets leaving him invulnerable to most of our methods. Not only that but he can sense your power to a high degree and after fighting he knows you use Chaotic energy. Think about how this shadow operated until now, what do you believe he will most likely do to find you, to kill you.)
Kazuki swallowed hard. He did not fear a fight with this shadow, even though he could not touch the shadow during his last encounter that did not mean he could not defeat the shadow. No, what made him nervous was the shadow’s methods.
(What you’re saying is if the shadow can track my energy and follows me or finds my whereabouts, he may find me around Mei and Kosaru. He would easily find out about our relationship and use them against me.)
(Exactly that. The shadow has shown that he can think several steps ahead with the Gods coming through the Stargate. He purposely let those weaker Gods escape to seek help. He knew an army would come to Satruss but he let them go anyway. He was confident in winning because he knew he simply needed to take over the one in charge. So long as the one he’s trying to take over is weaker than he in terms of the soul, he can take over any individual. A being that can potentially track Chaotic energy and can come close enough to where even I can barely notice his presence. He may be weak physically but in every other aspect, he makes up for it severalfold. You or I could pass him on the street bump shoulders and have no clue it’s him. An enemy that can get that close, is a danger too large to ignore. Every move you make needs to be that much more cautious. So when it comes to the children, seeking them out right now is not the best nor the smartest option.)
Kazuki took a deep breath and sighed heavily. He knew Arc was right. The shadow may not be able to kill Kazuki by itself but Mei, Kosaru, Kori, and Marty. None would be able to endure if they came across the path of the shadow.
(Fine, your right. The kids…I’ll have to stay away for now. At least until the shadow is dead and gone. In order to beat this being that cannot be physically touched, it must be destroyed with magic. It uses mind-soul energy and is better and more suited than all of us alone. Even when we fought it using all of our own mind-soul energy it was barely enough to sever the energy and push him out of my Soul world. In order to crush it fully we need to not only work together but you three must also have an advantage.)
(Kazuki our powers can only improve one way and one way only. If we are to fight evenly… if we are to overwhelm the shadow and crush him into oblivion, then we three must have Origin energy. Sword and I of course will be second and third priority after Arc but we will still require Oriing energy none the same.)
Kazuki understood this. If just one Artifact had Origin energy it may push the fight over the edge but it would not be an absolute victory. The last thing Kauzki wished to do was to come back to fight the shadow without proper preparation. Especially after fighting his opponent already.
(Just as I have seen through many things concerning the shadow it too should have discovered many things about me. After battling it out, we both know more or less how the other fights. Some advantages and weaknesses we both discovered about one another will make the next fight that much harder. It knows I have at least two Artifacts on me. Arc and Gauntlet. It’s still unaware of your and Swords’ existence, this is favorable for us. We’ll go and find enough Origin energy for the three of you. Later we’ll find the shadow and destroy him in totality.)
Arc and Codex agreed while Sword danced around showing its approval.
With a plan outlined, it was time to act. Activating the Gauntlet, Kazuki flew far away into the wilds. He was still naked after self-destructing his body and then reforming it but this time he did not lose all of his possessions as he did previously so many times before. Kazuki had realized that things on his person would not always last. Therefore he stored most of his things inside of Gauntlet’s inner space.
Inside of Gauntlet, inside of any Artifact for that matter had space hundreds of thousands of times more compared to storage rings. It was only natural to keep things there instead of a storage ring, at least for Kazuki it was.
Kazuki took out a plain black outfit and donned it. He did this after finding a remote place in the center of a long mountain range. After that, he gripped at the empty air with his hand and tore open Chaotic space. With a deep inhale he made sure his power was topped off at all times. At the same time, while he absorbed the Chaotic energy from within the tear, he would take it and then convert it into Divine crystals as he did before.
Not just he but Arc, Sword, and Codex all did the same. In this way, they quickly piled up a huge fortune. Money was something he no longer needed but its convenience helped grease the wheel of life. Things that may take him time to acquire with his own two hands, could easily be obtained by throwing around a shit ton of cash. Basically with cash one could buy time or rather shorten the time it took to get things or get things done.
While he did this, he also divided his focus into his Soul world and focused on learning more about Chaotic energy. The countless threads of energy occupying Chaotic space was a treasure trove of power and knowledge. The more he had, the more he learned, only deepened his base and allowed his magical capabilities to grow further and further.
Time began to slip by in his soul world at a rapid rate while moving normally in the real world. Kazuki truly tried to concentrate and delve into the depths of Chaotic energy but something kept distracting him, causing him to lose focus.
He sighed before opening his eyes in the real world.
(Kazuki…you have been losing focus for a while now. Something is obviously bothering you. If there is something wrong you need to tell all of us before this becomes detrimental to us all.)
Kazuki felt that Codex was reading too heavily into this but at the same time, there really was something taking Kazuki’s focus away.
(It’s not necessarily a problem but…maybe it would be best to say it so it doesn’t become one later down the road.)
Kazuki waved his hand and a stone seat rose from the ground. Taking a seat, he thought for a moment before explaining the details.
(The moment the shadow invaded my soul world, even before that. The first time by the lake with the Mind stone. When that mind-soul energy took route in my mind and soul, I saw something. At first, it was blurred beyond belief and I could not tell what the image was but the image was seared in both my mind and soul nonetheless. It was of two figures.)
(Two figures, I saw that as well brat. The first time was also when the mind-soul energy invaded me through our connection. These two figures felt familiar for some reason but I can’t identify them. Is this what’s bothering you?)
Kazuki gave a nod before continuing.
(Yes. The first time the images were completely blurred and I also felt a familiarity from them. The second time I saw this image the shadow had invaded my soul world. The second time the image cleared ever so slightly and I can tell these two people are female. The familiarity I felt from them both was…)
(Was what Kazuki?)
Codex now became interested.
(It was familial.)
Comment (0)