Chapter 18: The Keys to Heaven's Gate

Covered in mist, Iskatl couldn't see the Emerald Tyrant, and Amani couldn't see him. A dangerous situation caused his blood to run cold. Trying to see where she was, Iskatl met only with failure. The mana in the air was too dense, and he couldn't make out her movements whatsoever in the dense mana.

Claws drag against his chest and open up his skin, as ice freezes the wound before flames can even try to close it. Another slash to his chest, and even a third, before he felt his consciousness begin to fade. His grip on his blade tightened, and he exhaled softly, letting his robes absorb his mana as he focused on his mana. He'd imagine a wildfire and imagine words spoken by not his, but Yuichiro, his past self's father.

"Yuichiro. Always, and I mean always, protect your sister. If someone bothers her, kick their ass. If someone hurts her, stop at nothing to get revenge. You understand me, Yuichiro? You're nothing if you let something bad happen to her. Why should you exist, if not to protect Rin?"

A memory he had repressed for so long was reborn in his new life: his father was always so abusive and cruel, Yuichiro would never have become a detective if his police officer father hadn't essentially pushed him into that role. Was this a coincidence? No, it wasn't. Not at all. Nothing. That's what he was, and what he's always been since Rin died, and the one who killed her got a Gods-damned second chance! He needed to be slain, slaughtered, and butchered. Clearly, he thinks he got away. But there he goes again, thinking about what he was: nothing. Even when he suppressed his mana detection, it wasn't gone, just dampened, but nothing? Maybe that's what he could make his mana become to face this foe. A deep exhale as he closed his eyes and imagined that wildfire being battled by firefighters and snuffed out. Suddenly, there was silence. All of the auditory information that the mana gave was gone. The taste, the smell, the feel—all he felt was what a normal human would feel in a mist born from ice and fire.

He listened intently and heard her feet approaching him from the left, to which he slashed in that direction, catching her off guard, as a yelp of pain escaped her lips. Slashing her claws into him in reply, blood began to flow, and he snarled in pain before backing away. His hearing and his sense of smell were all he could rely on. Thankfully, he was a member of Alkutha's pack and blessed by her, so his senses were well beyond a normal person's.

He had to go on the defensive, but stay light on his feet. Unfortunately, Iskatl was a one-trick pony, so to speak. He never felt the need for detection magic due to how intense his mana sensing capabilities were so he decided to skip those lessons. Those types of spells would be helpful now!

Hearing her feet shift as she went to attack again, Yuichiro dodged, and his blade clanged against her scales before he shifted it upwards, twisting his blade in the same motion as he cleaved upwards with all his might, and his blade struck true, or at least he hoped!

Basing all of his actions off feeling and hearing made this fight all the more difficult, especially when he heard the distinct sound of her forming ice out of her magic; then, he proceeded to lose his footing and fall to the ground, flat on his back. The mist was thick, but Amani could barely make out things toward the bottom of the mist, so she acted!

"Scylla's Spear, Fifth Configuration: Darksun Bolt!"

A series of techniques she usually held close to her chest, on par with her ultimate attack, yet even more taxing. A wide beam of blackened pink light shot directly into the dragon's side and cleared the mist in one fell swoop! Yuichiro heard what sounded like fireworks, then a crash.

Amani fell to a knee immediately after the bolt shot out, as she went to catch her breath.

"Don't... worry... the moon is almost here."

Panting heavily as she waved Iskatl off, he focused on the dragon that had been tossed through the barrier she had created earlier. Taking a low stance with his blade, Iskatl prepared for her next assault. He successfully figured out just how to snuff his mana out completely, so he was feeling himself, to be frank.

He dashed forward with an explosion of flames as he went to attack the dragon, and he felt his breath escape his lips all at once, as he looked down, losing strength in his legs. as he gripped at an ice spike the dragon had set as a trap.

That's right, this was an old lady who had survived this long through cunning and villainy. She was basically a serial killer, like the Origami Killer—they always relied on tricks and cunning to get away with their actions. He should have been more careful and calculating, but he just felt so excited and confident. Pride before the fall, and all that.

Approaching slowly, the scaled woman cracked her neck as she wiped some blood off her face. Not only did the spike of ice impale his stomach, but it was electrifying his insides, making movement all the more difficult. His blood would boil, and the scales on his body would contract as he tried to get up and did his best to do whatever he could to recover. She went and grabbed his face in her large palm before slamming him into the ground. Her fist quickly replaced the large spike of ice as her claws dug into his body. She went to grip at his insides before he stared her in the eyes. He didn't know what came over him, but he felt oddly calm as his eyes narrowed into slits, and he spoke one word, which made his blood run cold.

"Stop."

At that, she did, and she got off him, then backed away as if in a daze. The scales shifted on his body and twisted before he felt his most grievous wound begin to close. His mother truly was a mystery, but judging by his scales acting strange, he could only guess this was something she had given him, or moreso something he had inherited from her genes.

He rose to his feet slowly and shakily, feeling a sensation similar to when he had died in his previous life. He heard her voice in his head, the Goddess' voice to be exact: "Meet me atop Heaven's Palace, Yuichiro."

At that, he felt a surge of mana unlike any other, as if his body were reacting to his will. He didn't want to die here, but he was going to. His mana exploded, breaking through his mana suppression completely as he felt the blade in his hand become lighter yet significantly more dense than ever before. Not only that, but he heard a voice in his head, a male voice which rumbled and sounded like the red dragon from before, yet he knew it wasn't.

"You've awakened me? This is quite strange, as I haven't fully acknowledged you yet, boy. Oh, it doesn't matter. If your power can forcefully awaken me, then who am I to deny that? Speak this incantation: Seed of Hell, planted by the tyrant from the abyss. Dragons, Humans, Demons, Elves, and even the Fey all lie equal under my decisive judgment. Awaken and hear my call! Shamash, the Wicked Executioner!"

As the blade fed him the incantation, he spoke it, and the blade grew significantly larger, yet its weight didn't increase at all. It now seemed more like a wickedly curved heap of raw metal rather than a traditional sword. A pair of obsidian gauntlets, vambraces, pauldrons, and the full works formed over his arms, making him feel mightier than ever before. This type of strength put him on par with the Emerald Tyrant. He could feel it.

"This is my power in its truest form, boy. Normally I would have had you go through many a trial and tribulation to unlock it, but something you just did awakened power even your father never achieved, power I didn't know I had. So, all of me is yours. This is taxing on not only me, but you as well, so I'll show you its weaker form later on."

He nodded as he looked to the Emerald Tyrant expectantly, as she stood up, ready for more.

"Interesting. I can tell that whatever you did was a power from Heaven, yet your blade is from Hell. A knight, hailing from Heaven yet wielding Hell within his grasp. Truly wondrous."