CLANG
SWING
CLANG
Metal echoed and whistled through the air, rapidly clanging and sparking. Thunderclaps and heavy shockwaves occasionally expand outward from the source.
SWING
CLANG
CLANG
Two swords clashed in an empty valley. One individual swinging with vigor and ferocity, while another, casually deflecting and countering at ease.
CLANG
CLANG
SWING
"Haaah Haaah Haaah… Hap!" The fierce one, now exhausted, charged forth for one last attempt to make the opponent in front of them take at least one step back. Just one would do; one step would prove progress was achievable, change was possible.
CLANG
"Ugh!" But the fierce one's hopes were dashed as the blade met the opponent's, harmlessly gliding across the steel surface, away from the target, and out of the hand of the fierce fighter.
TWIRL
THUMP
As the sword fell to the ground, so did the fierce opponent. They lay there, exhausted and a little disheartened. But the frustration in their heart was short-lived as they gazed at one of the boots of the other duelist. The fierce one saw it.
One trampled blade of grass, previously beneath the boot of the casual fighter, was now visible to the fierce one's drained eyes.
'The boot had moved!'
The fierce one couldn't help but look up and grin at the cold face of the opponent. He spoke with newfound confidence.
"Heh. So a mountain can be moved; it just takes a bit of extra time!" He said, hope once again blooming in his frustrated heart.
The cold face of the opponent showed no reaction. They shook their head and replied.
"Did you think I was useless without my abilities? Do you think seeing that blade of grass means you're closing the distance between us? It would be folly to think so."
The fierce one scoffed. "What do you know? You were born a monster, so your perspective is narrow." The fierce one stood up, glaring at the casual fighter.
He spoke to the casual one in defiance, determined and resolute. "One day, you will not stand at the top. One day, it will be me that sits on that throne. Not you… Vainglory."
6th Vainglory, now sheathing his sword, gazed at the opponent in front of him. The sparkling, blonde-haired, golden-eyed man gazing right back, challenging and confident.
Vainglory said nothing; after a while, he turned and began to walk back to the camp a fair distance away.
As he walked, he voiced out one final thing. "We will see if you have what it takes… Caesar… And I hope that next time, you will not use my [Guiding Hand]."
He glanced back at the now angered companion. "It is a tool for learning, not a crutch for battle."
Caesar gripped his fists tighter as Vainglory left the grassy battlefield. "I know that." He whispered angrily, as the back of his foe grew smaller in the distance.
As Vainglory entered the camp, a few eyes locked onto his presence. They gazed at him with a mix of emotions. Some with stony indifference, some with ill-disguised fear, and some with obvious hatred.
But one met him with a joyful smile as she walked over. Her long blue hair swayed gently as her big blue eyes formed crescents with a knowing smile hanging on her lips.
"How did the spar go?" she asked, already knowing the answer.
Vainglory snorted at that. It was as if she wanted the lower beings to hear of their inadequacy against him. She was doing him no favors asking such a question out loud, but the girl in front of him always wished to praise his deeds.
Such actions would not garner him the respect she wished for him, only more jealousy and hatred. Angels were too simple-minded with public relations.
"It went as expected." He said simply. Though he kept the answer brief, his unique eyes could see the clenching fists and gritting teeth behind him. An unsurprising response.
"I knew you could do it! Like I said, being supreme is nothing to scoff at; even a young devil is quite mighty!" She giggled and ran up to him. Grabbing his arm and locking it with her own.
A big halo, containing six smaller ones rotating over her head and bumping his shoulder every now and then.
Vainglory sighed, his eyes sensing even more gritted teeth behind him. He did not know any other angels besides this one very well, but the affection she showed was a bit too much for the young devil; Hellnia had no such customs between friends. Not that he knew of.
He shook her off. "You're too close; your laws are too heavy. Piety." The perfect excuse for an escape. But he was internally startled when even more people with gritted teeth appeared in his all-seeing vision.
Piety puffed up her cheeks. "Hey, are you calling me fat?" She slapped his shoulder lightly. "I'll have you know that my proportions are perfectly symmetrical! A golden ratio!" She said proudly.
The young devil was now getting exasperated. "That is not what I-"
"Hahaha, look at you! I was kidding, only kidding! Sheesh, devils need to learn a thing or two about jokes!" She poked his rib and laughed happily.
Vainglory had enough of her foolishness, so he decided to go back to his tent and think of more optimal ways to eliminate the void creatures in the upcoming battle. The tide was only a few days out now.
But a bell-like voice called out to his retreating form. "Hahaha ah! Hey, wait! I stopped you for a reason! Look!"
As he turned back, ready to give this clingy angel a piece of his mind, he saw her standing there, holding up a golden necklace in both her hands.
With a reddened face, she spoke. "I-I thought of the perfect name for you. Like you said, each Vainglory is special. S-so if that's the case, shouldn't a Vainglory have a unique name?"
Vainglory looked down at the little angel in front of him, then at the necklace in her hand.
It was a fine piece of jewelry; on it hung a circular golden pendant. He reached out and plucked it from her hands. His unique eyes looked it over. His eyes saw only the meticulous craftsmanship and engravings.
No mana nor chi emanated from it. It was just a well made accessory.
"Read the back!" The little angel spoke energetically.
Vainglory flipped it over and read it. His eyes scanned the text engraved on its center.
'To my favorite gutsy devil, Samael 6th Vainglory.'
…
…
Vainglory opened his eyes once more, the golden glow flaring every now and then before settling back to the dull gray shade.
"Thinking of her again, huh? Hehe!"
"Just the past in general."
"Hehe mhmm sure sure, Samael."
Vainglory scowled. "You're being quite opinionated today…"
The voice laughed. "Hahaha, hey, calm down; I was only messing with you. You know how to take a joke now, don't you? You learned it from your 'friend,' right?"
The young devil, for some reason, found the voice more of a nuisance lately. He looked down at the pendant on his neck. His face showed no prominent emotion, but deep down he felt a bit of comfort from it.
There had to be allies out there still searching for him. For just this once, he would trust them to give him an opportunity.
'Just this one chance.'
His thoughts then shifted to a new unknown player that contacted him by mysterious means weeks ago, or months ago? At least it seemed like months at this point, time shifted unpredictably in this place, at least when the pocket was closed.
The [Unwavering Believer]. He had no idea who the person was, but the essence given to him by that person had helped him greatly.
'Status'
PIP
His status screen came up in front of him.
'Racial Implicits'
PIP
A second screen popped up in front of the first.
'Evolution progress'
PIP
Finally, a small progress bar appeared in Vainglory's vision.
[
Awakened Young Devil -> True Devil
Progress: 32%
]
He had jumped in percentage with the essence given to him. Whoever they were, he was grateful. He would remember this debt.
'You have my gratitude… whoever you are.'
DING
[
New Request From [Unwavering Believer]!
]
Vainglory's legendary heart almost leaped out of his chest from the notification. His believer had requested from him again? The timing was almost unnerving.
"Kekeke, still unwavering I see… logs." It seems the power given hadn't diluted this person's mind. Quite a refreshing feeling to see a contractee so down to mother earth.
[
Exclusive contract requested: An [Unwavering Believer] has sacrificed [Dream beast core x 5000] for cooperation.
Contractee: [Name blocked by Order law]
Conditions: The position of [Head Priestess] of your name: [6th Vainglory].
Payment: 5000 essence of Glory
Message: [20k words blocked by Order law]
Accept?: y/n
Reply: [Reply blocked by Order Law]
]
Vainglory's eyes went wide at the sight. 5000 essence of glory?! From the cores of dream beasts as well? None of this made sense. If someone out there had the power to wipe out dream beasts to that extent, why would they become his believer in the first place? They were far from a weakling seeking guidance or protection.
"Priestess, huh… a woman. Piety seems to have met her match. Hahaha!"
"...Why do you keep saying stuff like that?"
"Oh, this must be the person they tell you not to worry about! Hahaha!"
"Bold of you to speak in such a manner."
"Hey, I'm just telling it like it is. So, will you take the deal? Though it does seem rather suspicious…"
"...I need to think. There is missing information here. Most likely easily gleaned from the blocked message below, given the amount of words, it's probably a rundown of the happenings of the outside world. Perhaps someone weak landed a deal with another? Or perhaps a strong person truly willing to spread the Vainglory name?"
"Haha, doubtful. Looking for another reason to trust them? Is it the essence part or the woman part? Hahaha."
*Sigh* "Pause [Parallel Opinion]."
"H-hey! I was just kidding! Don't trust the-"
DING
[
[Parallel Opinion] has been paused.
]
Ever since learning to joke, this ability seems more and more useless. But in a place like this, beggars couldn't be choosers. This ability was one of the few he could use for the time being.
Ironically, by talking to himself through [Parallel Opinion], Vainglory managed to retain his sanity for over 600 years in pure darkness and constant torture.
To maintain a clear state of mind by listening to ones own voice... truly a vain solution.
Vainglory was at an impasse. Electing a priestess was potentially a double-edged sword. The right representative would gain him lots of essence, but the wrong one could very well make him even weaker.
'But 5000 dream cores was the collateral, it seems…' Then a thought struck him, causing Vainglory to smile.
'Was this your message this time?' A message with actions rather than words?
The believer wished for his trust. It made sense, since this person probably considered they could not speak to one another given his empty reply last time; this would be the only way to communicate in some meaningful way if her message did not get through this time as well.
The message was now clear. Have the guts to trust her, and she would bring him glory.
At the end of the day, it did not matter if she was strong or not. The result spoke for itself. She had obtained 5000 dream cores.
The young devil's eyes rotated slowly at the woman's ingenuity.
"Kekeke, just this once then…" The young devil laughed.
His eyes glowed a bright gold as he stared at the contract before him.
DING
[Offering Accepted]
~~~
Hannya got up from her kneeling position and let out a heavy sigh. This new array was the same as the last.
She knew she had to play it cool. Send a message here and there, just a simple check-in, whilst sneakily sliding in a little hint for commitment. She was sure she had game, but she couldn't help but feel a little aggrieved at getting no reply.
She knew she couldn't blame Vainglory for it, given he was being tortured in an abyss.
But come on. Not even a 'K'?
'Maybe the reception is bad?' There was no way Vain was ignoring her, so it must be some interference with where he currently was.
She felt annoyed; if she could just go over there for a bit, just at the edges, and get some readings on the chaotic level and mana diffusion of the area, she was sure she could make her array far better for communication.
But that hope was crushed with what Baku had told her earlier in the day, she couldn't step one foot outside the mountain village until he said so. She turned around and glared at the old man.
This bastard was actually rack jacking her! She's never gonna score at this rate!
Baku, standing to the side, was confused at what her problem was this time. On top of that, he was vigorously pinching his leg to hold back from laughing at the small pink devil.
Her small stature stood next to a complex array she drew, with dream cores piled high in the center. The glowing blue hue of the cores long gone, showing the magical energy had all been consumed by the enigmatic collection of sigils. An impressive display of spell knowledge.
The display would have been breathtaking, had it not been for what the little one was wearing. She wore a pink oversized robe with gaudy designs and flashy colors on it. She wore a headband tied around her head with lit candles strapped all around it. She held a decorated fan in each hand and toted a sashimono pole on her back.
Baku glanced at the banner.
[ <3 Vain Numba 1! <3 ]
He couldn't read what she had written on it, but he knew it was something stupid. His instincts were assuring him that was the case.
"Pffft-" It was hard to hold back; she was his disciple now. He had to show at least a little respect.
She glared harder at the noise.
And the dance she was doing before was ridiculous. She hopped left and right, waving the fans in the air as she circled the array, every now and then kneeling and praying. He found it funny; when did devils start praying to gods? And why in such a manner?
It was clear he was far too old to understand her antics.
"Kahu-k-KAHUHUHUH!" He couldn't take it anymore; what in Hellnia was this kid doing?
Hannya gritted her teeth; she knew it! This guy was fucking with her!
She pointed an accusatory finger at the old man. "HERETIC!"
"Kahu- I'm sorry, just- Kahuhuhu!"
*Cough* "Um, young miss..."
As Hannya was preparing to spam her tenet, a tactful cough sounded, getting her attention.
"Lady Hannya." Hans, standing on the side as well, began to speak. "Now that the ritual is finished, we will be taking our leave back to Sweet Oasis." He said, giving a formal bow.
Hannya regained her cool and nodded to the reliable butler; he sure was a great help this past week. She hoped he could whip the three behind him into shape as well; they may not become strong like him, but becoming reliable subordinates was still possible.
She nodded. "Very well, Hans. Thanks for all the help." She gave him a thumbs up. "You really are reliable!" Saying the phrase she knew he took most pride in. His job was only to guide her here, yet he had stayed until all conflict was resolved, giving her a bit more backing for her negotiations with Baku; for that, she was truly grateful. He deserves such praise.
Though the old butler simply gave a humble nod. The spectacles on his face were shining with unrestrained pride.
Hannya turned to the three charming maids, bowing slightly in the back. She really didn't know what to say to them, so she threw out a default farewell.
She was still a little angry at them, but they were all homies now, despite them being rather soy for her taste. So she decided to let bygones be bygones and let the awkward air fizzle out over time.
"Work hard, you three; I'll be counting on you in the future to do your roles to perfection." But how difficult could feeding her food and washing her clothes be?
The charm demons, still bowed, trembled at the words. They all clenched their fists.
'Perfection! Yes, the perfect harbingers of their young miss's arrival!'
Rose stepped forward, replying in a voice a bit cracked and louder than Hannya expected.
"Rest assured, young miss, we will work hard to carry this burden with unwavering steps!"
The two behind her nodded vigorously, determined and eager.
Hannya ignored the Freudian slip that left Rose's mouth. Hey, they were the ones that signed the contracts. Exclusive ones at that! She would work them to the bone.
'Yeah, yeah, just put the fries in the bag and hand them to me. A deal is a deal. This 'burden' won't feel sorry for you!'
Hannya nodded with a benevolent smile.
Hans then spoke up once again. "Ah, young miss, and the mark? The greeders aren't above entering this mountain to seek you out. They follow their progenitor rather fervently."
Baku snorted. "They can try all they want; this mountain belongs to the dream knights. A few penny pinchers will be no problem getting rid of."
Baku had been informed by the butler of Hannya's curse mark. Sadly, he wasn't an archdevil, so he could not remove it. But as long as Hannya was on the mountain, she would be safe.
Hannya just smiled. She waved her hand, and from her spatial ring, a large stone mirror appeared. It was massive, standing at around 7 feet. Embedded in its marble-like frame was a gold-tinted mirror.
THUNK
Its heavy body landed on the ground with a large thunk, digging slightly into the dirt.
Hans looked at the mirror curiously, then turned to Baku. She did not possess this on their travels, so this meant this was the treasure she chose from the old fortress lord.
But surprisingly, Baku shrugged. "This thing was in our treasury well before I was in charge of the place; I have no clue what it does."
After their training, he took Hannya to the treasury to retrieve her one item to go with the cores she asked for. He was surprised when the little devil sprinted through his magnificent treasury, passed all the artifacts and weapons, not even glancing at them, and came to a stop at the very back in front of a dusty tarp covering this mirror.
Honestly, he had forgotten such a thing existed there.
Hannya laughed. "Kikiki, it's an artifact. An old one. Its name is Narcissus' Envious Mirror. I'll show you what it does." She stepped forward, her small frame coming to a stop in front of the towering mirror.
She gazed at it and spoke. "Mirror, mirror. Look up to me."
RUMBLE
The sky darkened as the mirror began to vibrate. Baku and Hans watched with their sharp eyes as the mirror began to rapidly suck up the chaos energy from the atmosphere. As it did, the golden tint of the mirror began to turn black. Turning the frozen reflection of Hannya within into an inverted color of the original.
DING
[
Curse [Greed's Mark] removed! It now sits in the mirror world's reflection.
]
Hannya smugly watched her logs as the mirror did its work. An overpowered artifact now rested in her hands. Originally, it was meant for the dark knight Grant. The mercenary turned vampire protagonist. After his best friend's betrayal and the slaughter of his mercenary band, he escaped the ritual of his former friend's vampire ascension with the only other survivor through an unstable reality tear.
Hannya originally thought it was pure luck, but with the information she had now. It was clear the tear connected to the pond up the mountain during that time, allowing Grant to find the ruins of Bakus fortress, overrun by dream beasts and twisted in haze.
He finds this mirror, returning his companions mind every time she gazed at it. After sneaking and fighting his way out of Hellnia, he returned to Neel's southern continent, out for revenge.
But now it was in Hannya's possession, and with the knowledge of Narcissus lore, it was put to much better use!
'Kikiki, I won't leave you hanging though, Grant. You have your use as well! But this mirror is mine now-'
CRACK
DING
[
Curse [???] cannot be removed! The mirror world lacks authority.
]
As she was patting herself on the back, she heard a loud crack and watched as a second notification popped up.
Hannya's face became ugly at the sight. She then looked up at the mirror. It now had a large crack in one of the corners.
'Shit! My mirror!'
She hastily turned around, deactivating the mirror's effects.
"Kid, what happened?" Baku's voice called out. He had seen the activation of the mirror, but he couldn't tell the purpose. He only saw the little devil quickly turn around from the frozen reflection.
Hannya wanted to curse, but she held back; the Greed Devil's mark was now housed in her reflection; that was at least a win.
She answered. "It's nothing; the mirror removed the mark. That's all that matters, I guess."
Baku was startled. Just like that? That mirror could remove ailments just by talking to it?
Then he squinted his eyes at Hannya. If that was the case…
*Snort* "Don't look at me like that, old man; even if it could have healed your lulling virus, which it couldn't have, your old bones wouldn't know how to use it."
His eyes stayed squinted. "...It couldn't?" Hannya rolled her eyes at his suspicion. Why does he think she's evil?
"No. That's the reason it was housed in your treasury in the first place and not with the devil that created it. One of the weaknesses of this tool is other certain dimensional authorities, like haze. Just like how wishes become distorted when cast near and around haze, the mirror effects would do the same."
Baku finally let down his guard upon hearing that. He wouldn't let a schemer out-scheme him again. He nodded with a benign smile.
Hannya curled her lips up in disdain. If this guy wasn't a battle god, she'd surely abandon him.
She waved her hand and retrieved her mirror. She would investigate more on the limits later. She then turned to Hans and smiled.
"Now I'm good to go!"
Hans nodded in acknowledgment. What was he thinking? He thought he had long since learned to stop doubting his young miss. "Well then." He turned and hopped onto the carriage that sat next to the group; as the charm demons followed, he grabbed onto the reins and gave his final goodbyes. "We will report back in a year's time, young lady. Work hard, both in combat training with the fortress lord and ladyship training with the Painted Devil."
With that, he cracked the reins and headed off, the charm demons waving vigorously as they trotted down the mountain path.
Baku, with his arms crossed, nodded to the leaving group.
But Hannya… looked a little confused.
"Ladyship? And… the Painted who?"