(1st POV)
Yoru…the war devil from Chainsaw Man, and…Makima's sister. She is here..and wants Reze back?
Things keep getting complicated. Too complicated with these reincarnators involved. If Yoru exists in this world, then…what about others?
Famine or even…Death devil?
How many of them were here? And why was I unlucky to get tangled with their business?
I should have been paranoid, a little scared maybe. But I was not, instead…
A smile crept on my face, my power coupled with Sukuna's battle maniac tendency was influencing me.
The idea of taking on all four horsemen of the apocalypse at once? It gave me an unnatural thrill.
My grin widened.
Sebastian noticed my smile and narrowed his eyes, "What is it that you find funny?" He spoke with disdain.
I met his gaze and spoke with a voice that didn't feel entirely mine,
"Name's Aleks…strongest being in the world."
"Be honored you will die by my hands." Where the hell was this arrogance coming from? Me and calling myself the strongest? Maybe that's a stretch…maybe I am the strongest…for an hour. But that's all I needed.
"The strongest huh?"
" I will treasure your words. A human who was so utterly delusional…. died because reality reminded him where he belonged" He then extended his hand as if performing a ritual.
I didn't give him a chance and an invisible slashing force cleaved through the clearing.
"Dismantle"
Just one word and the most of the treeline in the forest exploded. Hundreds of trees, cut in half. I could pick up the faint smell of sap and burning wood. An entire section of forest was deforested.
And yet…
Sebastian was unscathed.
This shouldn't have been possible. Sukuna's dismantle cuts through all targets, whether it be inanimate objects or living creatures. The slashes also adjusts themselves according to the target's toughness.
How was he unscathed?
"Moonlight Decay." He muttered to himself, but I picked up on his words.
He finished casting his spell and for a second nothing happened.
And then..
A massive dark crimson magic circle materialized into reality, hovering above us, pulsing like a bleeding star.
And then it vanished like it was never there.
Thats when I felt it.
My skin started burning…subtle at first, but I could feel it slowly increasing in severity.
I turned to Reze, and she met my eyes, her voice low.
"It must be an AOE spell…I am burning too. Its bearable…for now."
"Spelndid," Sebastian said almost cheerfully.
"Your little show of power was magnificent…but I am afraid you will need more than that. I am sad to say you don't have much time left. Two minutes maybe. Then its all over."
The smirk on his face made me want to burn his wings with divine arrow.
"…What did you do?" I asked, more out of formality than curiosity. Not like he'd tell me anything.
"Surely you don't expect me to divulge my secrets? I am not so foolish, dear human." Yeah, figured he wouldn't tell.
Enemies disclosing their secrets in midst of a battle only ever happened in fiction, reality was much crueler.
Earlier he said Moonlight Decay when casting the spell. Now if I had to use my brain cells…
The magic circle that appeared wasn't just for show, it was a death clock.
A sort of domain that slowly burns any living being exposed to moonlight within its radius.
The night sky was clear, and the moon was clearly visible in all its glory. He must have taken advantage of this condition.
And from what he said—
Two Minutes
It appeared progressive. I could feel it, the burning sensation worsening every passing second. We had be burnt to death if two minutes were to pass.
"Ha, cheap tricks you've got there. Nothing I can't handle," I mocked, reinforcing my already monstrous body with cursed energy.
Sebastian only smiled.
"If you're so certain you can kill me… then by all means, I'll give you an opening," he said calmly, spreading his arms wide as if doing me a favor.
My eyes narrowed. Something's off.
Why the sudden confidence?
Earlier, even Sukuna's Dismantle phased right through him.
Wait…phased.
That word clicked in my mind.
Tch… So that's it.
"He's made himself intangible," Reze said coldly from behind me, her eyes locked on him. "One of his most annoying tricks to get past."
"Hahaha… Reze-chan, I must commend your stark deduction," Sebastian chuckled, voice laced with theatrical praise. "You see, I am a peaceful demon. I prefer nonviolent methods, if victory is already guranteed.."
I couldn't tell if this guy was stupidly arrogant or arrogantly stupid.
But if normal Cleave and Dismantle don't work, and physical attacks phase through him…
Then maybe it's time to test that.
My grin sharpened. "I should be grateful," I said, eyes locked on him. "It's not every day I'm lucky enough to fight a so-called peacefuldemon… who's dumb enough to let me go all out." My grin widened
"Savor this in your memories well, Sebastian Michaels."
I extended my hand and began chanting.
"Scale of the Dragon."
"Recoil."
"Twin Meteors."
The moment the last word left my lips, the world split.
A violent slashing force erupted from my hands.
The forest behind Sebastian was destroyed. Everything wrecked and cut in half. And, the demon who made me use him as a test subject…
Sebastian Michaels was bisected.
His corpse fell in two perfect halves, eyes still widened along with his smug expression frozen.
Everything behind him, trees, rocks, etc. was cut in half along with him.
This wasn't just a slashing attack.
This was Sukuna's World-Cutting Slash.
The very technique sukuna used to turn Gojo into Go/Jo.
I let out a sigh. "Too easy."
Reze stared at the aftermath, visibly stunned. Her lips parted like she wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
"What…what was that, Aleks-kun? How did you get past his intangibility?" She finally spoke up, curiosity in her tone.
I turned to her with a faint grin.
"Intangibility doesn't matter here. As long as he exists in this space, in this world… his very existence was split in half."
"In other words… I was too strong for him." I said as I run a hand through my hair.
At my words, she just gave me a long, unimpressed stare.
"What? You didn't like that? I thought it was cool," I asked, grinning wider.
"Hmm… showoff."
She scoffed, rolling her eyes, but that smile crept onto her face anyway.
I deactivated Sukuna's template, and then I looked around.
The forest… or what was left of it.
"I should've held back…" I muttered.
What was once a beautiful scene, was now reduced to nothing but scorched earth and shattered trunks. All because of me.
I wasn't some extreme environmentalist or anything. But even I hated needless destruction, especially when it came to nature.
Reze looked around and couldn't help but speak up. "Yeah… you kind of went overboard. Maybe try holding back next time?"
I scratched the back of my head,"Yeah. You're right."
"Before we go… we're fixing this."
She raised an eyebrow. "You can do that? On such a scale?"
"It's a piece of cake for me." I replied with a smile.
I needed a template with time-based ability. I pondered for a minute and then it hit me-
Julius Novachrono, Wizard King of the Clover Kingdom from Black Clover.
Without hesitation, I activated his template. Partial memories, instincts, and his magic arsenal…I had it now.
I stepped forward, raising my hand. "Chrono Anastasis."
A massive ethereal clock face formed in the sky above, its hands slowly turning backwards.
It didn't affect Reze, or me. Not even Sebastian's corpse.
But only the forest.
FWOOSH
Time rewound, trees un-snapped, bark reformed. The air felt cleaner, the scent of smoke was long gone.
The forest stood as if it was never harmed.
I exhaled and I was finally able to calm myself.
"This is much better."
"You know… I'm going to stop questioning your every move from now on," Reze said, her voice light but with a weight behind it. "At this point, I wouldn't even be surprised if you could defeat Makima… but chose not to."
She…she saw through me.
I didn't respond. Not directly.
Instead, I reached for her, pulling her close into me.
"Enough about me, Reze," I said quietly. "Now come with me."
***
Elsewhere. In Makima's penthouse.
She sat alone on her sofa, her dogs sleeping near her as usual.
This time, the book in her hands was different.
How to Be a Good Spouse.
Her golden eyes scanned the pages with great focus.
She stopped at a line:
"A good spouse helps their partner grow into who they truly are… not imposing your expectations onto them"
She closed the book and let the silence drag for a beat.
Then, she quietly said to herself:
"…Helping someone become who they're meant to be… is very different from imposing expectations, huh?"
She smiled softly.
It was apparant she unconsciously twisted the entire meaning to suit her.
Knock. Knock.
Makima glanced toward the door. She already knew who it was.
"You may enter," she said, her voice smooth.
The door opened.
Lavinia Reni stepped into the room. She wore her usual magician outfit .She walked towards Makima and knelt before her.
"I apologize for the interruption at this hour, Miss Makima. I bring information you may want to know."
Makima didn't blink. "Speak."
Lavinia didn't hesitate. "Through my connections, I've learned that Heaven will be holding a Public Faith Initiative in Kyoto. There's a high chance a Seraph will be present. May I take action?"
Makima's golden eyes pierced her.
"No."
Her voice was calm.
"You will do nothing." She paused.
"I will handle it."
Lavinia lowered her head. "As you wish… my lady."
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Author's Note:
I had so much fun writing this chapter. Didn't realize how stupidly op Sukuna really is. Can you all guess what's going to happen?
Also, if you liked this chapter then please consider leaving a review and vote!