The Divine Challenger
I still remember all of it… The day when the two of you met at that field of Moonlight Lillies. The strong and heartless you who was given a heart by my naïve older sister will later come to me in the Room of Eternity, embracing her for one last time before you poured your wrath upon this world who rebuked the two of you and what you have taught them.
Do not abate your anger, my dear friend… Perhaps, this is the fate of these fools who thought that they can stand with their own two feet without your rule or her care. For once the time has come for the Divine Challenge to be initiated, I will be there to await your vessel and bestow upon him the choices that you once told me to ponder about.
"Challenger, will you let them live in their folly? Or will you end their sins that cannot be forgiven?"
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
I opened the door as a strong gust of wind raged inside of the hall. With our bare eyes, we can't see anything save for the one who was powering this cyclone.
"Is that…"
"A Gardener candidate. It must be someone who was sent here after they detected our Subspace… Damn it!"
Renjiro cursed as he looked into the tornado and saw someone whose face was unfamiliar to us but his Astra energy emission told us enough about his latent power.
"Mana-chan!"
"K-Kaede…sensei…"
"W-What? The kids are there?!"
From the tornado, Kaede was able to see her student which she immediately fished out from the current using a chain made of fire. As soon as I realized that, I panicked and began to scan the area.
"Kai! Kai!!!"
"Urgh…"
Due to the tornado that is keeping us in place and causing the visibility to be limited to our arms reach, I found it hard to find my… son and only learned that he is nearby due to his groans.
"Kai! Follow my voice! Get here immediately!"
"Y-Yes… just… give me a moment…mom."
Kai slowly crawled towards me as I kept on calling his name. Meanwhile, Kaede was tending to the ailing Mana who was injured from head to toe.
"Mana-chan. Don't move, alright?"
"Y-Yes, sensei… I think I hurt my leg."
"Not just your leg. Your entire body is busted. Just hold on for me, alright?"
Kaede opened her fan and from it, materialized something out of her fire.
"Tend to my friend, Kibi dango."
"A… millet dumpling?"
"Eat it. It won't fill your tummy, but it will heal your wounds and give you some stamina."
Kaede placed the reddish looking dumpling into her student's mouth and after chewing it slowly, her bruises and open wounds healed back and the tired-looking expression on her face was slightly relieved.
"Mom…"
"Kai! What on earth happened to-"
"I overexerted my body… My augmenter core is…"
"Shut up and save your strength! I'll release your limiter, so don't lose focus on your control, alright?"
"Understood…"
I fiddled with the metal instrument over his chest that looks like and works like a pacemaker for him. I released its limiter which allowed him to recover his Astra energy faster and regain his strength. But it also made him grit his teeth tightly as he tried not to lose control and go on a rampage.
"Now, what's our plan, Renjiro?"
"I don't know. This guy's nature is too troublesome. If we make a mistake, we might be wiped out here in an instant."
Of all the controllable elements, Air is one of the most difficult ones to fight. Since it is all around you and it is one of the few elements that are not constrained by distance, your enemy can just drain the air near your head and suffocate you to death in moments.
I have fought several of them in career, and all of them are formidable foes that I had to use my full strength to defeat.
"Wait… where is Chronia?"
"Huh? Now that you mention it… where is that brat?!"
After Mana mentioned him, I remembered that there was still one person here who is yet to gather with us.
"I saw him… I last saw him and heard his voice when I was taken by the wind, I think he is still up there."
"…The density of Astra energy is too much. I can't see anything clearly!"
"Is he really there? He would've probably died already if he fell from there."
"Please kid… Please tell me that you are not dead!"
As if hearing my wish, the tornado slowly slowed down and our visions cleared up to see our enemy who is on the other side of the room.
However, the person who was beside him was someone that was the last person that we expected would free us from this place.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
I was supposed to be here just to check Gardener Aokigahara's statis chambers. But after sensing a Subspace around the area, I decided to blow off some steam and end the lives of the trespassers in this place.
I just casted a strong skill to immediately kill the two annoying pests that didn't make my job easier or became obedient entertainers for me. But as I sat there, waiting for their mutilated bodies to appear, I sensed a massive surge of Astra energy from below the place where I was levitating at.
"This power…"
I went down for the core of the tornado and faced the individual that suddenly appeared.
"Come forth, Divine Armory."
"-!"
"Bestow upon me the weapon that is wrought from the blood of the ones I judged."
"Who is this guy-"
"Heed my call, Primordial Blood Oath."
A spear suddenly appeared from in front of him which he caught and held tightly. From how I see it, this strange man dressed with a white robe was someone that I didn't see from earlier. However, as he raised his face, I saw that it was the pest who insulted me earlier.
"Wait… You-!"
"…"
"Who… no, what happened to you?!"
"…"
"How can you move in that state…? You should be dead already!"
"…"
He kept my mouth shut and looked at me with an emotionless expression. In my annoyance, I clicked his tongue and decided to take out the answers for my questions straight from his mouth.
"You sure are a tough little bastard, aren't you? I was just here because of that bossy bastard's laziness, but you sure want to drag this on with your cheap little tricks, don't you?!"
"
"-!"
He still kept on ignoring me and to my surprise, I heard something familiar that I only heard once when I made a challenge to become a Gardener and failed in it.
"
"Impossible! How can someone from the enemy-!"
"
In an instant, the same thing that happened back at that fight that almost killed me happened. The impossible thing of making a Subspace inside of Subspace happened and he brought the two of us inside of a room that he owns.
"You-! Who are you?! How can someone like you be among our enemies?!"
"Humble yourself and accept your fate."
"-!"
"You have done too many misdeeds to even beg for your life."
"H-haah?! Who the hell do you think you're talking to, haah?! I will be a Miyazono Gardener soon! Do you think you can even lay a single finger on-"
*Hyuk-!*
I didn't even have a single split second to react as he threw his spear which landed only a hairbreadth away from between my legs.
"Kiii-!!!"
"I said that you should accept your fate already… Why don't you look around? This place is something that I never show to just anyone…"
I looked around just as he said those words and I immediately learned about how wrong of a move I did to further incur his wrath.
"This place… where is this?"
"This Subspace is my domain. My territory in this reality whose each and every aspect is dependent to my desires. In this place, whose dark dome shows the infinite expanse of the universe, whose golden floor reflects the nature of one's soul and whose walls are made of pure marble that signifies my position as humanity's arbiter, I decide who is worthy of praise or punishment."
"H-Huh?"
"You are in the latter. Look at your reflection in the floor."
"UWAAAHHH!!!"
I jumped in shock as the dark puddle by my feet jumped out and almost gnawed on me but was held back by the spear that he threw earlier. I looked at that black figure that looked like it was made of tar and I knew in that moment that this was the sign of my many misdeeds and crimes.
"N-NO, NO, NOO!!! This can't be happening! This can't be true! I will not die here!!!"
Sensing assured death, I pushed my body to the limits, releasing as much Astra energy as possible to be able to cast my strongest skills.
"I will kill you and get away from here! I will not die here!"
"…You have chosen your death. I shall judge you henceforth."
"RAAAAAAHHHH!!!"
I lifted myself into the air using strong wind currents on my feet which made me zoom wildly across the large dome-like room to look for his weak and blind spots.
"Die! Die! Die!
I threw balls of air that expanded rapidly and imploded violently. Normally, it would've killed anyone instantly, but he simply stood there motionlessly as I kept on battering him with attacks that never reached nor hurt him.
"Are you done with your childish whims?"
"Why you-?! I am just getting started!"
I concentrated a large amount of wind blades near my hands and shot them rapidly to his direction. But as those wind blades approached him, they swerved away and landed a distance away from his positions.
"What the hell is happening?!
I kept on making attacks and he did nothing but stand there as if he wasn't troubled at all or didn't even want to fight back.
"Let us finish this, you fool."
"HAAH?! I am just getting started! I am yet to show you my strongest attack!"
"…"
I concentrated all of my Astra energy into my hands and waved them around to conduct an orchestra of wind currents.
At this point, I have released all of my Astra energy limiters and even overused my gene seed core, so my brain was high to the point that I said something that later cost me my life.
"HYAHAHAHA!!! Have a taste of the attack that I used to destroy that pitiful looking school in Old Tokyo!"
"-!"
A concentrated storm of winds gathered in front of me as I laughed maniacally. However, as I said something that I did before I went here, he stopped from standing his ground and teleported behind my back.
"What-?!"
"You…"
"Urk!"
He grabbed my neck with an inhuman grip strength that almost crushed my throat.
"What school did you destroy?"
"Ack! Kak!"
"Answer me."
He loosened his grip lightly to let me speak, but instead of answering me, I spat out insults to feel a bit even to him. It was a big mistake.
"I'm not telling, you asshole! Since you showed interest, I will use it to-"
*Ka-crack!*
"AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"
He grabbed my right hand and held my index finger that he crushed by grip alone and snapped broken off my hand.
"You have as much chances to answer me as you wish. Use it wisely because I will not leave here without an answer."
"I already told you… I'm not telling!"
*Crick!*
"ITAAAAAAAAAA!!!"
"Once I'm done with your fingers, I will crush your ribs one by one, then, I will pull out your teeth, and if you will still insist to not answer me, I will pull out your organs until the only ones you have are those that you need to answer me."
"IIIIEEEEE!!!"
"So, tell me, which school did you destroy?"
Even if it hurts, I don't want to lose anymore that now to him. Since he's showing interest in that thing, I'll be keeping it to myself until he runs out of methods to take the answer from my mouth.
"Aurgh! AAAAHHHH!!!"
"That's the third rib. Let's continue your fun little game."
I endured having my fingers crushed, so he did as he said and broke my ribs using powerful punches.
"No! NO!!! Abauf-!"
"This is the last lower molar teeth. We still have the upper ones to go. Let's do this properly, shall we?"
I slipped slightly after he began to pull out my teeth by saying that it was in western Old Tokyo. But after I sensed that he is easing up, I started to annoy him again.
"Stop! Stop already! I told you the place's name, didn't I?!"
"I'm not doing this because I want you to answer. I already said what I said. I will mutilate you and reconstruct your body back and do it again."
"STOP! I'M SORRY! I WILL NOT DO THIS AGAIN! SO PLEASE LET ME LIVE ALREADY!!!"
"…No."
At some point, the state of being high because of my Astra energy ceased to be a sufficient pain killer and I began to feel all of the injuries that I allowed myself to get just for being petty and prideful.
"Subspace Order. Treat all of the wounds of the individuals in the domain."
"W-What? T-T-This is…"
"We will start from the very top."
"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
After ordering his Subjugated Subspace to heal my injuries, he grabbed my hand again and started snapping my fingers one by one, breaking my ribs one by one, pulling out my teeth one by one, and taking out my organs one by one.
By the time he recovered my body for the second time, I felt exhausted… not physically but mentally. For the first time in my life, I learned about what it feels to have someone's desire to live be taken from them… A feeling that I sorely regretted to willingly receive just because of my wounded pride.
As I looked up to the dark dome over our heads, I remembered the words that he used back then to describe this place… The dark dome that shows the infinite expanse of the universe… something that is both nothing and everything… As I peered into that dark Abyss while I am slowly losing my feeling on my body, I came to ask myself for one last time…
"Is this really how that being treats us in the end? Are we really… just her playthings?"
These words were my last before my opponent stopped his attacks and closed my eyes for me.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"This is the end for everyone who followed that fool… You are free to do as you wish, but that being is also free to not save you if that being didn't want to."
"…"
"This is your end. And for me and my vessel… This is just the beginning. You can share my senses now… Chronia."
I closed my eyes and gave the sight of my right eye and partial control on my mouth to my vessel, Ephraim Chronia.
"Seems like you finally became aware of our current circumstance, my vessel."
"W-Wait… Law… what have you done while I was in there?!"
"…I have been in control of your body since you woke up earlier. I have been suppressing your senses inside of us and gave it back just now… Now that I removed that- BLAARGH-!!!"
As I was speaking, I suddenly felt nauseous and eventually vomited there along with him as we shared the same body.
"What… what on earth have I done… no… What was I doing this entire time…?!"
All of it seemed to have come back to him. Since the time he saved that girl from that stalker that I eventually killed, to the present where I repeatedly mutilated our enemy until his very spirit died.
"All of these murders… this carnage… what have I become?!?!?!"
["You have become what you should become if you want to live in this world that constantly desires your death, Ephraim."]
Law separated himself and appeared in front of me with his white robes while I was still clutching my mouth tightly to avoid further vomiting due to the sheer shock of all of my actions coming back and attacking my mind.
"They are people… they are all living people regardless of who they have sided with! Who am I to kill them?!"
["And who are they to kill us, Ephraim? Tell me."]
"-!"
Law spoke those words with an emotionless tone as I raised my head to face his visage that was similar to mine.
["Who are they to desire our death, Ephraim? Who are they to deprive you of what you should have? Who are they to kill those who are dear to you? Who are they to treat you like a clown who must die for their entertainment? Tell me."]
"…"
I was shellshocked at that moment. One second, I was contemplating all of the deaths that I perpetrated and a moment later, I was being given all of the reasons that gives me the right to not feel remorse for those deaths.
["You will die, or you will kill them before they kill you. That is your reality now, Ephraim. Now that this world has become your enemy, you must push them back as much as you can or both of us will cease to exist and the last thread of order in this world becomes non-existent."]
"B-But… I am-"
["I know that. You are just a human. You still feel remorse and disgust about what you must do… but you have no choice. As you have noticed from before, your enemies treat all of this as a game. The lives of the normal humans that they kill are nothing but worthless toys and the lives of their men that they throw away as soon as it is no longer useable are nothing but collateral damage."]
"…"
["But you have what they don't have. You have conscience that goes along with your power. Just like now, the moment you heard him mention a school in Old Tokyo, your reaction was enough to force me to stop the immediate execution that I should give and make him talk about it… Do you understand now, Ephraim?"]
I recomposed myself as I started to process his words and accepted my current situation.
["You are me and I am you. I will give you the power that you need to destroy these enemies that are aiming to ruin your life and separate you from your loved ones. So, I desire only one thing in return…]
"And that is?"
["I want you to become the Divine Challenger."]
Divine Challenger… I heard about that word before… but I can't remember where.
"What is that?"
["The Divine Challenger is a being who is chosen to challenge the rule of someone who declared their selves as a deity. Before that event at that abandoned house where you and I first met, you must've heard someone else speak to you in your sleep."]
I recollected my memories and remembered a weird dream that I had a day before my awakening.
"I had a dream about a woman dressed in a white robe and cradling a golden potted tree."
["So, she has already began to grow the tree of Deification? She has progressed too much to be easily stoppable."]
"Who is she?"
["The Spirit of Freedom."]
Freedom. Normally, it would be a joyous thing to have. But for me who was made to suffer because of that being's existence, I didn't have much joy to show.
"Why should we stop her?"
["Because if we don't, she will plunge this world into anarchy and cause all that you hold dear to disappear."]
"But why me specifically? Why do you make it sound like I am a special mention?"
["Because you are someone who didn't heed the vices that you were given. Even though she has tempted you again and again to lose your purpose in life and just live carefreely with no attachments, you kept on caring for those that you love and that… is something that she needs gone in the new world where she will be a god."]
"What? For simply wishing to give what I almost didn't receive, I am being punished? For having children that I care for and love with all of my heart?!"
["…"]
After being told about the reason why things became like this… I steeled my resolve and decided there and then that I have nothing to hold me back in this war.
["Many more battles await you, Ephraim. But now that I told you why you must fight, I believe that you won't need my direct control and limitation anymore."]
"You got that right! I won't hold back now. I will not let them treat me like this anymore! I will protect those who are important to me even if I must do those horrible things again and again!"
I am not a stranger to it anymore. Even though my emotions were suppressed before, I have no need to feel disgust anymore.
"I will fight! I will not let them get away for all the torment that they gave me!"
Thus started my war against this world. A curse that I shall bear until one of us waves the flag of surrender.
"I will be the Divine Challenger! I will bring down that false god who has taken and will take everything from me!"
That day, the words that escaped my mouth tilted the gears of fate that has long been away from my fortune.
["Ephraim Seliah Chronia… Under my behest, The Spirit of Law, you have become the Divine Challenger."]
"…"
["Many challenges await to test you. Many atrocities you will bear witness. Many difficult choices you will make. But take heart and never step back. For even in the very ends of this world, you alone will decide its fate."]
"Law…"
["Now, let us start this war."]
In her own domain where she selfishly casts her gaze and moved her pawns to secure her power, a sense of fear and dread reached the self-appointed god that has now become my enemy.
["Damn you, you obstinate bastard of a Spirit!"]
In her very heart, a sense of terror and fear that has slowly dissipated after thousands of years returned again to haunt her.
"No… I can still fix this… I can still make his vessel to break his oath. If he does, Law will have to kill him for breaking his promise! Two birds with one stone!"
But all of this, is a story for later… As now that the Divine Challenge has been set and the Divine Challenger has accepted his role, trouble is brewing in the world of Psychics.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
We were riding the same van home after our mission in Chiba was concluded.
"…"
"…Everyone seems to be strangely quiet…"
"You can't really blame us, Ephraim… What we saw back there was something that all of us didn't expect."
What Furuta-sensei is talking about is how the battle against that strong Miyazono Psychic turned out earlier.
After talking with Law and accepting this "Divine Challenger" role, he made me break the Subspace where I found myself beside the corpse of our enemy that was turned into mush by having his blood explode from the inside.
I took the credit and acted as if nothing was wrong, but as I sat there with the tired and still injured allied Psychics, their silence may not have been directed to me, but I have enough sense to read the atmosphere here.
"Buddy… that thing from earlier is-"
"Let's not mince our words, Kai. I'll ask it if you can't…"
"G-go ahead then, Fujikawa-san…"
"Chronia… how did you win against that guy?"
Mana faced me as she asked that and knowing that this is a matter of trust, I gave her a satisfactory answer.
"I used all of my strength. Hence, my exhausted state right now. I didn't even have enough stamina to walk back, right?"
"Well… You did ask Furuta-sensei to help you back. But still, I didn't expect you to be able to do something like that."
"I was just as surprised as you do. I was brought to the top of that storm, and I thought it was the end, but I fought quite well that I got to finish him."
"Then I guess that good for all of us."
"Indeed."
Even though Mana has settled her issues, it was Kirin-sensei who was next to ask her questions.
"Kid, I know that the fight may have been hard since you are a newbie and that guy is someone that even I doubt I can fight properly. But still, I have my questions."
"I understand that, Sensei. You can trust that I will answer them properly."
"Then… In your fight earlier, do you think it was your skills or just blind luck that made you win?"
"…I think it was both, Sensei."
"In what way?"
"I was lucky that my enemy was too confident of himself and careless in defending as he thinks that I am too weak to endanger him. And I also heeded your instructions about being more flexible in fighting my opponents. I have you to thank for that victory."
"Haha… I appreciate that, kid. I am really happy that you got to use my teachings."
Now that the atmosphere was a bit less stressful, I was able to have a bit more of a breathing room.
"You three… You can have the next three days of the week off. Rest up and prepare for more patrols next week."
"""Yes, Sensei!"""
"About those prototype Augmenters… It seems like it is no good for you three."
Kai, Mana and I quite agreed with Furuta-sensei's words. These tools ended up being useless for us.
"Kirin, Kaede. Should we make a request?"
"I agree. These kids deserve it."
"Naturally! They are in need of it."
As we heard that slight mention, we felt a bit excited as Kaede-sensei gave us the news.
"You three will be getting your own genuine Augmenter weapons!"