Chapter 81

How does someone fly through the air, with a sunburn so bad that even just a stray breeze is enough to cause bouts of incredible pain?

Dulio can answer that.

Very carefully.

Additionally, wrapping himself up within a layer of chilling winds helped massively.

It took several minutes of painstakingly careful flight, balancing speed with caution to not agitate his condition while still making good time back to the barrier, back to the spear.

Accompanying him along the way is a far more normal looking, and unconscious, Noriaki, wrapped up and carried alongside him within the winds.

As Dulio and his former opponent finally made it back to the barrier, he let Noriaki down gently onto the ground, while he continued floating, hovering just above the ground.

…He had to remain in the air, after all, whatever that last attack was had somehow pierced through his clothing and hit his entire body with sunburn.

That includes his feet, so putting pressure on them right now?

Bad idea.

Dulio let out a sigh, before looking out and finding the wrapped-up spear stuck in the ground where he had left it, smack in the middle of the bridge.

He let out a small smile of relief, he didn't expect it to somehow go missing, but sometimes just one thing going right after a day like today is enough.

With that thought in mind, Dulio looked toward the still unconscious form of Noriaki, and his smile became far more sad.

Oddly enough, the young man himself also had a smile, but his was far less somber.

Odd, and Dulio can't say why he'd even have one in the first place.

Regardless, it goes to confirm that something was…not necessarily wrong with Noriaki when they fought, but different.

Very different.

Dulio figures he somehow managed to snap out of whatever that was and promptly threw in the towel once he did.

Something Dulio was very glad for, because if they had continued…

Dulio looked down at his hands, how his skin was practically glowing an angry reddish-pink, how the edges of his uniform were charred and ashen.

The rest of him probably doesn't look much better.

That last attack had caught him completely by surprise, and he couldn't say for certain he'd have been able to take another one, most definitely not two of them.

If that battle had continued, he might have been forced to go lethal, if only to preserve his life.

He shook his head abruptly, banishing those thoughts.

There's no point in worrying about what-ifs any longer, especially when what's done is done, and he's still got a job to finish.

Almost as if on cue, as soon as that thought runs through his head he feels four presences slip through his barrier and right inside.

He turns to look toward the direction of their entrance and finds the four all giving essentially the same curious looks all around as they appear, one by one.

…Until Lint, who seems far more alert, far more suspecting of something.

Ah, he did try to keep their battle contained to the ocean. It doesn't look like the other three caught wind of anything, but Lint with her Longinus might have caught something, hmm?

How sloppy of him then.

Discarding that for now though, Dulio promptly braced himself as the group's gazes fell upon himself.

He tried, truly, he is, to give a reassuring smile and wave.

But moving his arm caused his forearm to brush up against the inside of his sleeve, and the pained wince that twitched across his face as a result made his attempt fall apart.

That moment then, of him and the girls just staring at each other, felt like it lasted for several painful seconds.

He practically saw all their reactions in slow motion. Lint's eyes widened in alarm, Asia moving to cover her mouth in abject horror, and both Irina and Xenovia became stuck still in shock.

Then Asia screamed, "B-Brother Dulio!" and was the first to start running to him.

She was so fast, that she reacted before the other three even knew what she was doing, and although Lint tried to grab and stop her, she missed.

Resulting in the other three racing to catch up.

When he saw the said three reach for and begin drawing weapons, however, he gave them a very pointed glare and a shake of his head.

He was sure their vision was tunneled on him right now, so they hadn't registered Noriaki lying nearby, but they would soon, and he didn't want to deal with them trying anything right now.

…Even though they still probably couldn't hurt him, even though he was unconscious.

Still, they paused, clearly shocked by his non-verbal order, but they obeyed regardless.

Asia was still on the move though, entirely focused upon his injuries it seems, the two silver rings studded with a blue-green gem each that is her Sacred Gear appearing as she got near him.

This suited him just fine, however, though he'd have to dissipate the cloak of cold he's got wrapped around himself so she doesn't get frozen…

He quickly decided he could endure the pain for a little bit, at least.

So once Asia reached him properly, he made the cold winds around him vanish.

It took only a second until he severely regretted doing so.

Dulio did not know sunburn could hurt so much.

His body practically locked up stiff with brutal, stinging pains, shooting across his entire body, making his skin feel like it was humming or cracking.

It was terrible, quite possibly the worst pain he's ever experienced.

Yet, with Asia right in front of him now, he refused to let it show on his face, maintaining a smile, if a little pained, to keep her as calm as she could be in this situation.

Thankfully, Asia didn't hesitate, she didn't ask any questions, she simply came up and held her hands up to his chest, mere inches away as a soft radiant green light began emanating from her hands.

Almost as soon as he started, he let out a shudder of relief as the pain immediately began to ebb away, and his smile became much more genuine.

He looked down at her, and nodded in appreciation, "Thank you, Asia." He spoke sincerely.

Oddly enough, she didn't respond, her eyes narrowed and focus seemingly spent entirely on healing at the moment.

Jeez…was the damage that bad?

In short order, the rest of the girls come up, walking now, but still at the ready.

Lint is the first to speak up, asking the obvious pointedly, "What…happened?"

Dulio looked at her, and merely gave her an exhausted sigh, before slowly adding, "It's…something that'd best be explained on the way home."

Lint narrowed her eyes at him, clearly not satisfied with his answer.

But it's all they're getting for now, they can live with it.

Dulio then looked at the other two girls, Irina and Xenovia, the only two wearing the big white cloaks that covered their entire bodies.

He doesn't see it with Asia or Lint, so…

"Do one of you two have what I wanted you to bring?" He outright asked them.

The two girls exchanged worried glances, before Xenovia's morphed into an amused smile aimed at her partner, and Irina began appearing irritated at her look.

"Yeah…I do." Irina announced, weakly yet resigned.

Dulio was about to ask what that reaction was for…then Irina pulled back her cloak, revealing that she was carrying quite possibly everything the girls had brought, luggage-wise.

Even the painting of 'Jesus'.

Xenovia chuckled at her partner's torment, or more aptly her punishment, as she opened one of the bags with a grunt and pulled out a box.

It was a pretty small box, all things considered, it fit easily enough in a hand but wasn't comfortable while doing so.

He could feel the Holy Spirit Power contained within the box, after today, how could he not miss the feeling after all, before nodding, pleased.

He reached down, gently taking Asia's hands and pushing them away slowly.

The blonde girl immediately let out a huff of indignation as her green light flickered out, and she began pouting at him in outrage, but he felt much better now, good enough to at least do this one thing.

"You can continue in a moment, alright?" He began, "There's just one more thing I need to do, then we'll be leaving…"

Asia, of course, didn't like anything he just said, but didn't try to convince him otherwise.

Finally, Dulio landed on the ground, wincing slightly as the pain wasn't completely gone, but far more easily managed now.

He walked over and took the box from Irina's hand, before walking over to the prone Noriaki, kneeling to him…and gently placing it right down in front of him.

"I'm sorry things had to turn out this way." He uttered to the unconscious young man, praying he'd hear or know his words somehow.

The girls slowly came up from behind him, and although he couldn't see them right this second, he could assume their general thoughts…especially by the way Lint spoke up once more.

"...Are you sure this is a good idea?" She asked, uncertainty clear in her tone.

Dulio took a moment before responding with a simple, "…It was originally theirs."

No one appeared to have a counterpoint to that, and so, Dulio stood back up, turning to face his group.

"Now then," past the group, his eyes land on the wrapped spear, and he claps his hands together, wincing at the small amount of pain that shoots through him…and the glare Asia sends at him for the action.

"...Let's head home." He finishes, far more tired, and far less grandiose than he originally imagined this moment would be when setting out.

~ A New Sun ~

My eyes slowly crack open as I groan awake.

The first thing I noticed?

I'm not in the ocean, or even on the ground, no, I'm in a bed.

My bed in Kyoto.

I sit up, and blearily look around from side to side, but don't see anything either in bed with me or in the room in general.

Well, I was knocked unconscious, tons of ice pressing into you tends to that, and then I'm assuming after I was left somewhere one of my girls picked me up and took me back here.

I could probably check by just sensing the house, but…

Not a need. Dulio and the Church Girls don't know I live here, so it has to be one of my girls.

I don't have anything to worry about.

I don't have anything to worry about, anymore.

Well, regarding them anyway, at least for a while bare minimum.

Slowly, I slide back deeper into my bed, pulling the blankets over me, and let out a pleased hum as my eyes slowly close back up.

It's over, it's finally over! All that stupid stress and anxiety, I can banish it all away for good!

And get some sweet sleep, sweet sweet sleep~...

…Even though I don't need it.

Still! I want to!

Or! Perhaps maybe a sex marathon?

I could go grab Suzaku, Kunou, Yasaka, and Kuroka right now probably, and try my damndest to breed half of them!

That doesn't sound so bad, hell, maybe Shirone's free, she can join too!

Might even include Uzume for shits and giggl- wait, no, that's too far, heel me!

…My eyes crack open slightly.

"...I need to chill the fuck out." I audibly tell myself.

Sure, that whole mess is over with now, and maybe I can get my sex marathon later, but right at this moment?

I have some stuff to go over, specifically dealing with what's in my mind.

Or rather, what's missing in there.

I sigh, incredibly annoyed, as I fling my blanket off and hop off sweet relaxation, landing upright on the floor, while rubbing my eyes clear with my fingers.

My march to the bathroom is swift, yet purposeful. There's something I need to confirm, need to see for myself.

I walk up to the bathroom mirror, grip either side of the sink and lean forward, eyeing my reflection intently.

Then, I activate my eyes.

I try not to blink as my eyes visibly swirl and shift with their activation, but unlike normal, they change into something a bit more than normal.

The tree tomoe of my eyes spin rapidly around the center pupil, before expanding like a sunburst, bursting out and taking the shape of a new image, reminiscent of flowing rays of sunlight.

It…kind of reminds me of ancient depictions of the sun. The general shape. Just instead of a face in the center, mine is hollowed out save for a lone dot that is my pupil.

I blink at myself in the mirror, several times, as the weight of what exactly I'm seeing begins to settle.

I had noticed when I 'woke up' at the end of my fight earlier, my eyes felt…different. The ich that Ama had put in the back of them was gone.

Well, now I know why!

Worst part?

I don't even remember how they evolved!

I clicked my tongue and crossed my arms, glaring at myself in the mirror.

"Dick." I state, purely to myself in this case.

Thankfully, I have a feel for how the new powers they grant work, and even what their names are, so I'm not shit out of luck there…but still!

How annoying. Very annoying.

Then again, it isn't like I should be completely blindsided by this development.

It only takes a quick parsing through my memory to find it, the conversation I had way back with Inari and Uzume months ago, where Inari explained that she thought that particular power of mine was.

Ara-Mitama. My wild, rough, or violent side.

I suppose at the apex of its power, it essentially becomes an entirely new persona, practically a different person.

…I think. It'd be far easier to figure this out if I could remember anything during that short time!

I let out a groan, before slowly walking out of the bathroom, a finger going up to my chin.

There's only one way to figure out anything related to that power, and that's to dive into training it specifically.

But! I've still got a bunch of other stuff to work on, like Sage Mode, the Seven Breathes, and now my eyes…

Hnn. I could through my clones on the breathing technique and eyes, I need Kuroka for Sage Training, and I get the feeling diving into this is going to require my personal touch. Clones won't do.

Decisions, decisions…

The door abruptly opens, prompting me to stop.

"Oh…N-Nori, you're awake!" Her voice nearly squeaks with how surprised, and slightly nervous she is.

Of course, I recognize her via her voice alone, but even just her tone tells me it's Rose without a shadow of a doubt.

I turn to face her, a small amused smile crossing my face as I do, finding the silver-haired former Valkyrie halfway through the door, leaning slightly inside with a hand on the doorknob, having stopped mid-step in surprise it seems.

She's also still wearing that tracksuit…wonder if she'll ever wear anything else Kuroka and she went out and bought?

Well, in any event.

My smile brightens considerably upon seeing her very teasible face, and she makes it even more teasible by noticing said smile and shying away a bit from my gaze with a flush.

I held back a chuckle, and finally replied, "That I am. If you've come to check on me, does that mean you're the one that brought me back here in the first place?"

Rose quickly nodded, before explaining, "Yes, I sensed a fairly strong barrier still set up out there, and well, you had yet to come back, and Kuroka was still asleep…so," she fidgets with her hands, "I went out and checked, just to be sure."

I gave her a grateful nod back, "Thank Rose, waking up on a bed always beats hard concrete."

"O-Oh…" She looks away, her face entirely flushed as she smiles, slightly, "It wasn't a big deal."

Ah…? Do Kunou and Rose share a praise kink, or is she just unused to receiving legitimate praise?

It could also just be both.

Eh, I guess I'll find out eventually.

"Big deal? Oh, Rose, it's the little things that matter most, you know?" I wave off her humble words.

Rose perks up a bit, as if reminded of something, causing all her shyness and embarrassment to vanish, replaced by a professional veil in a snap.

"That reminds me, when I found you they seemed to have left something with you as well. It's this little box…" Rose starts, and seeing how with each word I just looked more and more confused, she eventually trails off and waves for me to simply follow.

She takes a step away from the door and starts heading off toward the artifacts room, judging by her direction.

I swiftly came to a few steps behind her, prompting her to add, "I gave it a few checkovers with my magic, and it didn't seem harmless…so I brought it in, but I haven't determined what it is, don't think I can without opening it, but I…" she glances back at me, unsure.

I simply sent her an easygoing smile, "Don't worry about it so much, alright?" I tell her, "I have faith in your judgment and abilities, if you already determined it wasn't dangerous, it should be fine."

Her face lightened and flushed a bit in equal measure before her gaze abruptly shifted forward once more, and she uttered a tiny, "R-Right!"

She's really damn cute.

Also, it might be both after all.

It's a couple of minutes jog down in silence to the artifacts room after that, wherein right in the center of the room sitting by its lonesome on a table, said box sits.

It truly doesn't look like anything remarkable. It's just a plain smooth black box, almost like one of those that'd be used to hold a ring for proposing to someone.

Except this one is a good bit larger than those, so, probably not.

I hope not anyway.

Rose moves out of the way to let me enter and approach, while she stands back just in case.

As I do, I start feeling something emanate from the box.

A divine aura…Holy Spirit Power? It even feels similar to something, something I've felt before, a while ago, back when I first visited my grandfather, I think? Somewhere around there.

Weird, really weird, what the hell is this…?

I tentatively approach, and open the box, lifting off the top lid with relative ease.

Inside is a bunch of…chips? Broken black chips, surrounding a scaley marble white recreation of what looks like the end of a snake?

An eight-tailed snake, to be precise? Except it's got a ton of fractures going across the thing.

You know, it kind of looks like Durandal's core, the same marble white, just without the...cracks.

Wait.

I brush a finger across the odd and fractured eight tails carving.

Holy Spirit Power. The swirl of the winds as the heavenly clouds gather. A holy sword drawn from one of the most vile creatures in Shinto Mythology.

All those images flash through my mind, before I jerk my hand back abruptly, stopping the flood of images.

I know what this is…!

As I look back down at the core of what I now know is a sword, I find it glowing with a weak golden glow, the energy like a cloudy vapor emanating out from it.

"Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi." I utter the sword's name, as the glow fades away.

They…left this for me? They just gave it back!?

I'm assuming it's a gift for my 'help' then? Then this is what I vaguely heard Duilo tell the girls to grab!

I'm not going to lie, I got as close as possible as it is for me to forget about the sword.

I know, my original target and all, but more important stuff and all that!

I was going to go get it originally once this all blew over completely, though. Guess this saves me the trip.

Now, question for myself, should I feel bad about getting the sword this way?

…No. It was originally my faction anyway, and I was fully intent on stealing it regardless.

Still…

I let out a low hissing sigh as I closed the box back up.

No wonder they never managed to fix the sword, the core is damaged, and the blade is straight up in pieces.

I could fix it, with my magical bullshit hammer, anything is technically possible, it'd just take a lot of time.

Time I suddenly find myself not wanting to spend personally.

…I'm just going to make a clone do it then, or at least get started, no way they'll be able to finish it.

Besides, right now, I just want to do something relaxing.

After the past couple of days, I think I can afford that, no?

Training is nice and all, but, no, there's got to be something else I can do…

I turn, finding myself looking at Rose, almost instinctively.

I should do something for her…

Ah?

Rose tilts her head at me as I look toward her, "...Is something wrong?"

I don't consider my next words carefully at all.

"No, nothing at all…say, wanna go out sometime?"

Rose blinked at me.

I simply stared at her.

"...E-Eh?" Rose eventually squeaked out, "Wait, d-d-did you just…" She stumbles over herself, several times, before trailing off and mumbling incoherently.

I merely nodded, and stated, "Yes."

It took her a moment, but after her face turned completely red, she responded with a shy and barely audible, "...I…I-I see."

Then she fell over, her breath leaving her as she passed out.

Well, there was no other way to word it that wouldn't end in this result I don't think, best to just do it, and get it out there, yeah?

Yeah!

Now, where to take her, where to take her…

After I pick her up off the floor!