Journey Into Cocytus VII

Year: Unknown, 13th of October

Location: Western Border Outskirts

In the midst of the quiet, desolate plains of the Western territories, the harsh snows and brutal blizzards assaulted the area with great force due to the lack of mountains in any given direction. The open space could probably be considered one of the least ideal areas for any kind of assault if anyone had the audacity to invade Cocytus. Yet, it was the silence of the region that inadvertently made it appealing. As the terrifying cold laid waste to the open, icy area, a brilliant flash of bluish-white light came bursting through the veil surrounding the realm. The person responsible for this abrupt entrance was one individual.

"Nghh…dammit…I'm still having a hard time healing after fighting that asshole," spoke the voice of a pained individual as he clutched the side of his ribs whilst blood dripped down his brow.

"Most of the critical damage has been minimized…but it has cost me quite a lot of my stamina. Tch…I'd rather focus on getting my strength back up to par, but it shouldn't be too hard to erase that fool."

The male's murderous intent emanated from his body rather uncontrollably. It rotated through the air disrupting the wind pattern of the blizzard and causing the snow to spiral around him as he marched along. He was determined to accomplish his mission no matter the cost. Whoever was to get in his way would be eliminated, no questions asked. However, finding his target would not be as easy as he anticipated.

"So the welcoming committee has elected to come? So be it," the man declared while taking a breath to erase the pain from his mind.

In the short distance, there was a gigantic wall of ice and snow about 1,000 feet high. Along the top of the ramparts were numerous lines of archers, the echoes of the soldiers knocking their arrows rang aloud as they prepared to rain them down upon the wounded invader. In addition, a singular metal gate opened allowing a small platoon of soldiers to run out with spears, axes, and clubs. Finally, a crimson portal opened up as a masked, four-armed individual holding four distinctive weapons spawned.

"I must applaud you for being so bold, Intruder-dono. You dared to mount an assault against the Oni led by the Tiger of the West, Yaten-douji! Truly you must either possess strong mettle or immense foolery. Have you determined your style of death?" boasted the muscular individual.

"You're quite the fool-hearty one, aren't you?" responded the mysterious entity.

With a single waving motion of his arm, he dispersed the blistering winds over the immediate area which had previously veiled his identity. In that instant, the entire crowd was able to see his face. He had crimson eyes and an all too familiar pattern of black and white hair.

"Y-You're…but how can that be?" Yaten-douji uttered in shock.

"So you know my face, excellent. Then I suppose you would be willing to tell me where I can find him…the lost soul of the Son of Mercer…" the sinister individual replied.

"But…you ARE Raizo Mercer…"

"DO NOT CALL ME BY THAT NAME!" the 'other' Raizo responded in a furious shout.

Resonating with his voice, the aura of the male began to surge once more as the brilliant blue radiance sparked from his body uncontrollably.

"Such power…surely this cannot be the same Rai-dono…I must call the others…"

"General! Shall we open fire?" one of the men under the Oni's command asked whilst holding a torch to signal the archers atop the wall.

"No, I shall move to do it myself. This power is beyond all of you and I would prefer not to send my soldiers into a one-sided slaughter," the general gritted his teeth whilst breaking away from his state of confusion.

"Oi, you're not going at this alone y'know," a familiar voice rang aloud before another portal opened up revealing a familiar female silhouette.

"Shugo-chan, why am I not surprised?" the man chuckled.

"Yeah well, I smelled this guy's aura all the way on the other side of the realm. My sisters were eager to come with, but I said they should just keep an eye out from afar using one of those fancy observation tools that Rudy-chan gave us," the Ryu-jin smirked.

"Anyways…who the hell is causin'…w-what the…hang on, my eyes aren't seein' this correctly, right?" the draconian general muttered in disbelief.

"I am afraid so," another voice echoed as a third portal opening up.

"Zion-dono, you've come too?" the Oni addressed as the armored giant emerged.

"Indeed, I was in the midst of my meditation when I felt the energy surge. There was a faint trace of similarity in the aura of the child that Her Majesty dotes on. It is rather difficult to spot, but it is there," the Turtle of the North calmly evaluated.

"So…Rai-kun got his powers back and turned evil? What the hell? Oi…kiddo looks hurt though…damn…we gotta get Her Majesty on this; perhaps this is some sort o' trick or whatever…" Ashura surmised.

"The number of my adversaries keeps growing and growing. Regardless, your numbers mean nothing to me. One way or another, I will accomplish what I set forth to do," the insidious doppelganger declared as his aura continued to radiate from his body.

"Fuck it, the details ain't important. If this kid thinks he's got the balls to fight all o' us then he's got another thing comin' to him," Shugo declared whilst hunching over preparing for a fight.

"As much as I dislike the mystery of this, I have to agree with you," Yaten-douji nodded whilst drawing his four weapons forward to prepare for a fight.

"Alas, we must do what we must," Zion remarked.

As the intent to fight was shared amongst the trio, their sudden impulses to move were halted in that instant. What appeared like giant, phantom-like hands seemingly sprouted out of the ground and grabbed hold of the generals.

"What the hell?" the Oni cursed in shock.

"Oi, watch where ya put them hands buddy!" Shugo remarked in irritation.

"Such a strange phenomenon indeed," Zion stoically added.

"Honored Generals!" the soldiers standing behind the trio called out. As they moved to help, similar limbs stretched out to hold all of their movements as well.

Seeing his opponents bound, the dark Stormbringer smirked.

"Guess someone wants you all to die… what a bad hand you lot pulled."

"Not so fast…" a voice boomed through Cocytus as yet another powerful presence joined the fray.

MINUTES EARLIER…

The echoes of wood pounding against wood rang aloud inside the training room within Morana's castle. The Sovereign was going through another set of exercises meant to improve on the different forms of combat that she had demonstrated to her pupil. In the beginning, even with restraint, it only took at most 5 moves until she would end up smacking the youth onto the ground. Now, however, the pacing was just about even.

"That makes 100 consecutive strikes. You have truly come quite a long way over the past year, Rai-san," the swordswoman complimented as their exercise came to a halt.

"Ara, ara, truly marvelous how you have managed to incorporate everything we taught you, Raizo-kun. Oh my, you are sweating quite profusely. Silly boy, allow me to help you yes?" Garuda remarked whilst grabbing a hand towel to wipe the youth's brow.

Soaked in his pure white karate gi, the male merely flexed his shoulders a bit to alleviate the small snag of tension whilst the Yakshini wiped away his sweat.

"Now, now Rudy-chan… no need to get carried away," he remarked quite casually.

"You have grown quite confident…not to mention the lovely development of your physical appearance, yes~"

During the year Raizo spent in this realm, his hair notably grew a little longer. It now draped down over his shoulders towards the midpoint of his sternum. In the back, his hair extended towards the end of the trapezius muscle group. Moreover, the boy had seemingly accumulated a more defined muscular frame thanks to his intensive training regimen and proper diet.

"This ethereal body stuff is quite something…can't believe I'm able to change my appearance even without a proper body present."

"It is only a simple application of mage craft. Worry not," Morana dismissed with a slight wave of the hand.

"Now you should be able to hold your own if something ever…hmm…" the woman stopped mid-sentence whilst feeling an imposing sensation.

"You felt it too, Onee-chan? Something has dared to invade our home, yes?" Garuda explained with a serious tone in her voice.

"It would seem that the others are converging upon it. But this energy signature, surely it cannot. No…I feel my Authority activating, we must hurry to the western border."

"Understood, I shall open a gate for us now," the sorceress nodded as she tapped her staff on the ground.

"H-Hey, what's going on?" Raizo asked, but the two women were already passing through the gate.

The male paused, unsure whether or not he should follow given the last time such a disturbance occurred. However, he was different now than when he first arrived here. As a result, he took off after the women before the portal sealed.

PRESENT TIME

"Oho…looks like I've run into the big boss of the area. Must be my lucky day," the intruder declared as Morana emerged from the gate with Garuda at her side.

"Your Highness, this boy looks exactly like…" the Yakshini was about to say when the Sovereign nodded.

"Yes…but make no mistake, this man is completely different from him," she responded.

"Ah so you are able to make the clear distinction, I applaud you Miss. Seems like your little friends can't get the hint. Guess they'll have to learn the hard way," he chuckled.

"Your Majesty, what is going on here?" Yaten-douji asked in confusion.

"Yeah uh…care to get us outta this mess?" Ashura Gozen chimed in.

"Indeed," Zion said plainly.

"My apologies, it would seem my Authority has taken effect," the queen explained whilst snapping her fingers. That caused the shadowy limbs to recede.

"Hear me all of you! None of you must attack this man unless you all wish to be restrained like that once more."

"But…Your Majesty…he's an intruder right? Rai-kun…or whoever this guy is an enemy right?" Shugo asked perplexedly.

"He is, but my Authority will prevent any of the Cardinal Four or anyone in Cocytus from taking action against him. Why do you think Cthulhu's mind manipulation is not affecting him?" Morana explained.

"That does provide an interesting point, but that would mean…" Garuda thought before coming to conclusion.

"He's me…or another version of me rather; a version I thought was erased by the Counter Force a while back when I made the decision to not change the timeline. It's been quite some time, hasn't it, Raizen? Or should I call you by your real name… Prince Raizo Arashi of the Ulrick Empire?" the voice of the former Stormbringer rang out for all to hear as he stepped through the crimson portal shortly before it closed.

"Raizen…Raizo Arashi…heh…Prince of the Ulrick Empire? Those are nothing but aliases I threw away once I was liberated for a higher cause by Arayashiki. You may call me, Conquest," the dark doppelganger of the Son of Mercer expressed.

"Arayashiki…so she is still out there huh?" Raizo spoke in a reminiscing tone.

"Yes…the demons of Shatterpoint have come back to haunt you once more. It's a pity they won't be able to sink their claws into you; at least I have the privilege of erasing you. I will then take your place as the Stormbringer of this World Line!" the horseman mocked scornfully.

"Unbelievable, to think you all of people would come here," Morana clenched her fists in irritation.

"Morana, it's okay…I can do this," Raizo reaffirmed his resolve.

"Morana eh? To think my dear scythe actually has a human form...amazing. Perhaps you want to take your place at your Master's side then…." Conquest suggested with a smirk.

"I shall never serve you. Just because my Authority happened to give you a free pass due to the complex technicalities of your existence does not mean I shall willfully obey you…" the Sovereign declared boldly.

"Yes that is true, but you cannot fight me, can you?"

"Tch…"

"I see…I figured as much."

"Wait what? Morana, why can't you fight this version of me? He's a dick so like…erase his ass. His edginess is giving me a headache," the ethereal youth sighed.

"As much as I would like to, I unfortunately cannot do anything. My Royal Authority dictates that no one in Purgatory can harm you so long as you are here…this extends to this version of you as well. To make matters worse, the Soul Oath between us prevents me from taking any action," the long-haired beauty explained.

"Then sever it…undo your commandment and sever our contract," Raizo proposed.

"I cannot…the Royal Authority cannot be rescinded once it is declared. I would have to overwrite it. If I do that then you would suffer the same fate you endured when you first got here. As far as breaking the Soul Oath goes…if I were to do that, there is a chance both of us would die."

"Damn so this asshole gets to have free reign in our house?" Shugo gritted her fangs in annoyance.

"Most troublesome, indeed," Zion sighed beneath his helmet.

"Yes, this is truly vexing," Yaten-douji nodded in agreement.

"Ara, ara, and I have no magic that can create a loophole in this," Garuda rubbed her temples with stress.

"Looks like I have no choice but to face myself…" Raizo declared.

"Master, surely you jest. You have none of your powers to assist you in this endeavor. It is unknown what kind of abilities he possesses if he acquired power from Arayashiki. I recall how much power that woman had when she stood over you that one time in the mountains. Combined with the Bleeding Effect of her other variants…"

"Yeah I know, Morana. Her pool of abilities is vast. In fact, she's probably like the second or third person most comparable to Onee-sama in that regard. Even so, I have no choice. There's no other way. In spite of these odds, there's one thing I have that Raizen…or Conquest…or whatever the hell he wants to call himself doesn't have: experience. The Second Primordial War, the conflicts across the fragments of the Arcana Crystal, the Dystopian War, and the final showdown against Goetia…all of these battles caused me to evolve way beyond my wildest expectations. Even though I may not have Indra's Judgment in my body…I have to believe in everything that was woven into my soul and the training that you, the Cardinal Four, and my family back home have given me," the youth boldly declared.

"But…Raizo-kun, if you fight…you will be fighting using only your soul. Taking too much damage to your ethereal body is a risk…if you fall, then it's all over," Garuda attempted to stress to the child.

"It doesn't matter, I have no choice. This is the only way. I may have taken the name Mercer, but I never truly killed the Arashi within me. This battle will be the ultimate testament of that."

"I…I…see…yes," the Yakshini shook with tears welling up in her eyes.

"Master, if this is truly what you wish to do then I shall provide some form of assistance by giving you this," Morana said as she stepped forward with a glowing indigo aura spawning in her hand.

In that instant, a long sword appeared whose design was extremely familiar to the youth.

"Heh, the Morana scythe in the eclipse blade form eh? Too bad Nirvana isn't here to complete the pair," the boy chuckled.

"Indeed, but I infused some of my power into that blade. It should feel like old times to you. Now go forth and put everything we taught you to the test. This is your greatest trial, my Master."

"Yeah…no doubt."

"Are you lot done with your theatrics?" Conquest antagonized.

"Let's do this then, Raizo Arashi…"

"With pleasure, Raizo Mercer!"

In the wake of this conflict, memories of his training under Morana and the Cardinal Four came to mind. Raizo practiced hard with Morana every day doing a variety of martial arts and meditation exercises whilst also free-running across the barren tundra throughout the realm from time to time. Every single day was harder than the one before; however, with the boy's dedication it grew easier. The Queen of Cocytus was dead set on preparing the youth for whatever was to come. However, she was not the only one who took a crack at the boy for his development.

During his stay in Purgatory, the male grew closer and closer with the Cardinal Four. There were times when he was often carted off to the respective regions of the four generals for weeks on end to learn something from them. Each one had their own unique teaching styles.

From the Tiger of the West, Raizo learned how to embrace raw power and use it effectively. One can easily develop into a power-user who relies on brute force to win battles, however, it was also easy to waste that power and lose massive amounts of stamina in drawn out fights. In addition, it was also easy to fall into the same pattern of fighting which would make one very easy to read in situations. Of course, the Oni did not explicitly explain all of this to the youth. Instead, he showed it to him first hand by force.

The Oni General had Raizo face him repeatedly in mock one-on-one battles. He needed the youth to feel what it meant to embrace one's power without using any special moves or enhancements at all. This led to many brutal beatings. Fortunately, the mighty giant kept a stock of elixirs handy to instantaneously heal all wounds. Unfortunately, Garuda was often called in to restock due to the number of times the exercise was executed. Eventually, the male picked up on it.

Every sentient being possesses a hidden reserve of strength that usually comes out during great duress. The brain placed limiters on the innate potential that can be accessed at any one given moment because too much of said power could destroy the average body. With Yaten-douji, the approach to accessing that power was rooted by taking charge of one's mental state to truly dig deep into one's self. To awaken every muscle fiber in the body to work as a single, cohesive unit in order to equally distribute this power spontaneously as needed without pulling too much to cause overexertion. Then it was about developing this process repeatedly to grow accustomed to the feeling so that the action could be reciprocated without issue.

By achieving mastery over this, one could access the right amount of reserve strength added on top of innate strength to double one's power without ever relying on special abilities. In addition, upon doing this, one could turn that reserve strength into natural strength while still possessing an even greater surplus of strength that could be released if truly necessary. To summarize, Yaten-douji was essentially training Raizo to think of his body like a dam. Some water would be allowed to flow through the dam at a steady pace to keep a consistent yet manageable flow of pressure; but the majority was held back. At times, a dam opens to release rising levels of water to alleviate an overwhelming amount of pressure yet not too much lest it become uncontrollable. The idea was to allow the dam to open its flood gates to release maximum pressure in short bursts before sealing it back up instantaneously. Each time, the flow of water would rush out like a tidal wave yet still be manageable and not overwhelm the structure.

The next person Raizo trained with was Ashura Gozen. With her routine, the Dragon of the East's goal was to teach the youth how to manage his instincts and learn how to tap into them. However, it was not just wild, guideless instinct that the woman was pressing for Raizo to understand; it was the truest form of instinct. It was the kind that allowed one to move without consciously thinking thus allowing one's body to allot for combat experience to guide the muscles in how to act and react. Ironically enough, the boy unwittingly experienced the potential a fighter with that state of mind could do back when he fought Zamasu ages ago.

In order for him to get a taste of what she was getting at, the Ryu-jin brought him deep into the forests located near the mountains where the dragons flew around. All of their training sessions took place in the dead of night and she ensured that the male would have no source of light to rely on in order to survive. The goal: run from one side of the forest to the other without getting wounded. Tears in clothing were to be expected, but even the slightest scratch that broke the skin was considered a failure. If that was the case, he would be instantly teleported back to the beginning of the forest, his wounds would be healed and he'd have to run it again.

To assist in elevation of the challenge, Shugo called upon some of her fastest Ryu-jin sisters as well as the most cunning of the Manticore hunters to serve as his opponents alongside her. Some of the imps were permitted to join in as well in order to lay traps upon traps to really get the youth stirred up and panicked. When the training began, Raizo never realized how much he missed his speed until that point in time.

For the first few attempts, the youth's biggest hurdle was making it at least 20 paces in. Someone usually tagged him right off of the bat or he would run face first into the trunk of a tree. This carried on many times on the first few nights often leading Ashura Gozen to just kick back and relax in one of the trees laughing at every time he failed miserably. Of course, teasing her younger sibling was only part of the perks of being a big sister. She also had to do some mentoring.

Raizo's biggest issue was overthinking. He let his past failures dictate how he should approach situations often trying to come up with a solution for every immediate threat he perceived. However, the fear of failure often led him down a train of 'what-ifs' which hampered his progress. As a result, he often found his mind overwhelmed which caused him to fall for every attack waiting for him within the forest. However, the male picked up the advice that the draconian warrior was giving him. Then he began to take deep breaths and quiet his mind.

He would spend a few trials just walking carefully through the forest with his eyes closed blocking out his thoughts whilst trusting in his other senses to guide his way. He still had a few failed attempts, but the failures became less and less until he eventually got to a point where he was able to maneuver to Ashura Gozen's portion of the forest. The number of failures grew at that point until he was able to discern a pattern in the woman's movements. Then inevitably, he passed her trial.

The next general on the list of teachers was Zion in the North. The Kappa's training was less about physicality and more about the mental state. In a way, he built on top of the aspects of control and instinct that Yaten-douji and Ashura Gozen were advocating for, but from a strict mental image standpoint. The giant in black armor wanted to teach Raizo how to use his mind to alter the mental image of himself. Since the brain was the key element of control dictating all actions and thoughts within the body, then one had to learn how to control the brain's ability to perceive itself by tricking what it knows as fact and what it thinks it knows as fiction.

For example: an object was hurled at a person from a given direction and that person perceives it as a threat that can cause bodily harm, the mind will instinctively command the body to move out of the way. This was especially true when a given action caused a consequence that resulted in bodily harm. The brain would want to avoid painful stimuli as much as possible. However, what if one were to completely change how the brain perceives the world and how it perceives the limitation of the body?

Zion's training regimen mostly involved meditation. He wanted the youth to try and get his mind to reevaluate his physical state. Whether it was making the mind perceive the body as an immovable mountain impervious to harm or objects in motion, or free-flowing like water in order to dance around and evade obstacles at impossible angles or degrees of motion, or even thinking the body is weightless and is capable of flight or gliding through the air. However, given the boy's powerless position, he unknowingly thought of his state as weak and frail. Therefore, he had to regain his mental fortitude.

To aid the boy's image training, Zion prepared several obstacles. The first was having the male sit at the base of a hill with boulders rolling towards him. The male was to think his body was as hard as steel and as immovable as the mountain. He was to remain perfectly still and let the boulders come at him without moving; otherwise the exercise would be deemed a failure. Nervous, the boy botched the first few exercises. He rolled out of the way unintentional on some trials while on others he was rolled over by the large spherical objects. Once again, Garuda had to provide some elixirs to heal his wounds.

Raizo eventually took into account what he learned from the first two generals. He tricked his brain into allowing his muscles to go past their limits except by keeping the power contained in his body. Then he used his instincts to perceive the exact moment when the boulder would approach his body so he knew the precise point when his mind should think of itself as immovable steel. Once he achieved this state, the boulders that came his way shattered into a thousand pieces.

That was one exercise down, and then there were more. To be as swift as the coursing river, the boy was forced to run through courses where hundreds of flaming arrows were shot in his direction along with swinging guillotines and random logs dropping on his head. This heavily played on what he learned with his instinct training, except he tricked his mind into thinking that his bones had no limits of maneuvering which caused the boy to become like a contortionist.

For the gliding exercise, the male had to catch to touch Zion's body one time while the armored individual was causing a hurricane to occur from just his breath. The male was given a time limit of 10 minutes. He had debris flying at him from every direction going at speeds that surpassed his current perception level. To win with this exercise, the male had to learn how to turn glide against the current by thinking of his body as a breeze that could cut through wind itself. He would fight against the wind by becoming an unstoppable object. Once he achieved this, he passed the trial which permitted him to train with the last general.

Garuda was the last stop for his training regimen with the Cardinal Four. It was the session that he was most curious yet most anxious about. Admittedly, Raizo did not perceive the Yakshini as the fighting type. Sure she possessed extremely deep knowledge about magic and other Arcane arts; yet he did not explicitly think of her as the battle type. He thought of her as more along the lines of the type who uses force only when absolutely necessary. A part of him wondered if he would be able to learn anything from her, but he was proven wrong.

The Bird of the South wanted Raizo to think of all the things he learned from her colleagues. The ability to use one's own natural power without forcing the limits of the body, the ability to go beyond visual perception and let go of one's thought limitations, and the ability to rewire the brain into thinking the body can go beyond any natural limit without the inherent reliability on supernatural abilities. Control, Instinct, and Vision, those were the principles that he picked up from the previous mentors. Though their lessons were separate, they built upon one another. As a result, Garuda would have Raizo bring it all together into one final principle: Balance.

To understand this, the youth would need to understand the core working elements in nature: Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and Aether—or better known as Space. The first four elements mix together to create other known elements such as ice, light, darkness, wood, and so on. Aether was the element that bound all of these elements together and filled in the gaps in the greater Omniverse that cannot be broken down in the main four. Garuda wanted to teach Raizo how these fundamental elements worked together in harmony, never attaining more power over the other, in order to preserve the equilibrium of life and nature.

Fire was the force of light that could destroy anything if allowed to burn out of control, but also the force that could instill the will of life. Earth was the force of sturdiness, having the ability to hold up and become the foundation of everything laid upon it or it could collapse and swallow everything within it. Air was the element that yielded the breath of life. It had the ability to be as gentle as the breeze or as violent as the storm. Water was the free-flowing element that was in constant motion even when contained. It could pass as gently as the streams or rush around wildly as a tsunami obliterating everything in its path. Aether was the unknown. It could not be seen, but it was always there. It could not be felt, but it was always in constant contact with everything else. It was the blanket of the heavens that surrounded everything within it and penetrates all caught in its grasp. One could mistake it for gravity because it was the energy that brought everything together. Yet it was independent because it was the definition of existence in itself. As space expands, more of life is permitted to grow; but if space collapses then all is destroyed.

The commonality of these elements was the balance between life and death, creation and destruction, and otherwise good and evil in a nutshell. To understand these elements was to grasp what it truly meant to possess balance. As such, Raizo had to learn what it meant to be each of those elements, what they felt like to him, and how they interacted together to preserve the very concept of existence. There was no way to actually pass this particular trial because balance changed on a regular basis. In reality, it wasn't a new ability or perks that Garuda offered him. It was something much more valuable—Wisdom.

By having the wisdom and knowledge of preserving balance from the broad concept of understanding the elements, the woman wanted Raizo to understand how he could apply balance to himself and how he could interact with the world around him. The Yakshini was perceptive enough to realize that the youth struggled heavily with his emotions. Often times, those emotions led to rash decision making. She hoped that this lesson would help him realize what he can do to ultimately control himself in the end.

Raizo meditated day and night with the different elements. The youth mediated in a pit of fire, a wind tunnel, a waterfall, within the shell of the earth, and inside the vacuum of space. Of course, all of these situations were reality warping spells created by the sorceress that she observed in order to make sure the male did not get hurt. As he grew with the understanding of what it meant to be those elements, he began to see the avenue that the woman wished for him to travel. Once his time was over with the woman, he would take what he learned back to the palace in order to train with Morana.

Everything he learned would be tested now as he clashed against his other self. The Son of Mercer did not know how long his vessel would last in a straight up fight, so he had to make every ounce of power lent to him by the Sovereign of this domain count. He was all but powerless having to rely on just the experience etched into the very core of his being in order to survive. Conversely, the fallen prince was pushing through the fatigue of facing the Crimson Envoy. The bravado that he displayed earlier was mostly for show as he was unsure just how much steam he had left within him. Arayashiki never bothered restoring his stamina so he had trust in whatever he had left to finish his target off.

"Edict, come forth—Kusanagi!" the Horseman of Conquest called out.

A black and white, serrated-edge katana formed in the male's hand at that point in time. As his hand clenched the blue and gold hilt, the male rushed forward with his opening attack swinging the weapon from the right side. Matching this, the former Stormbringer met the attack with a single-handed strike from the opposite direction. The two blades collided as the clanging of swords instantly shattered the sound barrier a hundred times over causing a massive shockwave. The resulting clash created a brief dust storm of snow and ice leading most spectators to shield their eyes, the only exceptions being the Cardinal Four and Morana. The first move ended with a deadlock as the two red-eyed males gazed at each other eye-to-eye signifying the battle to begin.

Pushing away from one another, the two males slid across the snow before charging at each other once again. Conquest was fighting in a one-handed sword style whilst Raizo elected to favor using two hands. The identical warriors began to exchange a series of blows that pitted steel against steel. The fallen prince went on the offensive right away by taking advantage with his aggressive sword swings.

His swordplay was wild yet well-executed at the same time. The male kept light on his feet even with the snow underneath him. He performed a series of flips and sudden turns with each swing of his katana attempting to disrupt the focus of his opponent. By overwhelming the enemy with his acrobatics, he had hoped to cause his foe to drop his guard momentarily in order to strike at a blind spot. In addition, there was a subtle switch of hands at work between turns to keep the movement unpredictable so that his opponent would not pick up on the next step.

Raizo was put on the defensive end of this barrage. He found his feet moving backwards through the snow as the youth moved his body around like a snake in order to evade and block the onslaught of attacks. Once upon a time, the male more than likely would have gotten annoyed by this display and retaliate out of anger by forceful disruption via bolts of lightning or relying on his incredible speed to avoid the situation, however, neither of those were current options. Ironically enough, the male was not flustered by this display of movement. In fact, he remained calm and casually observed the enemy's footsteps.

"Remember your training, Raizo. This guy is nothing but your old self. Heh, it's a perfect opportunity to see all my past weaknesses first hand," the Son of Mercer thought to himself.

Blocking out all unnecessary noise, he focused solely on his breathing. He cleared his mind of excess thoughts whilst causing his muscles to unwind and dig deep into that hidden potential. He felt his energy flow through him like water, his body becoming as light as the air, whilst the power inside him was just as unshakeable as the earth, his will burning passionately like fire, and his soul was limitless like the void of space. In that moment, he found his mindset digging into the vision of his perfect self that utilized the wealth of experience engraved into the concept of his being. From there, he felt his instincts beginning to take over. The principles of control, instinct, vision and balance instilled in him by the Cardinal Four and molded into fruition by Morana stacked with everything else he had learned from his family. Perfect unity was finally within his grasp.

"In order to truly face myself, I have to take everything that I've become and face everything that I was…"

"Prepare to face your true demise, Raizo Mercer!" Conquest shouted out, "First form – Susanoo!"

In that instant, the aura around Conquest's blade changed properties as a mix of water and electrical energy began to mix around the surface of the blade. Following this phenomenon, the fallen prince swung his blade down upon his foe; thus unleashing the might of his weapon. Combined with gusts of gale force winds, the hurricane-like effect rushed across the field threatening to consume the intended target.

"Ah yes…I recall seeing this power before. Did you really think it would work against me? Just because I don't have Indra's Judgment anymore…" the former Stormbringer sighed heavily.

Rather than attempt to dodge it, the red-eyed soul planted his feet firmly in the snow and inhaled a deep breath. Securing an upright position, he held the crescent moon decorated short sword with both hands and raised it above his head. The vortex rushed at him with full force in the meantime.

"Control every muscle fiber in your body to draw out your latent potential," Yaten-douji uttered.

"Let go of all unnecessary thoughts and trust in your instincts," Ashura Gozen followed suit.

"Maintain the perfect vision of yourself in order to face every obstacle before you," Zion continued.

"And achieve the perfect balance of the five great elements inside you, yes…" Garuda added.

"Now let your chains be broken and set yourself free," Morana encouraged as she and her companions watched the fight unfold.

Within that moment, a pale bluish silver aura gathered around Raizo's body. As he clenched his hands firmly around the lunar eclipse blade, an indigo aura responded in kind ultimately crafting a unique resonance between the two. The memories of all instances where he truly felt himself go beyond his limits barraged his mind. In response, his crimson eyes began to take on a shimmer of bluish grey for a brief period in time. The fierce typhoon came into view and attempted to devour him but the intense aura surrounding his body combined into the edge of his sword as he swung down in one swift action. Instantly, the storm was severed in two dissipating into nothingness. Observing this, Conquest was stunned.

"H-How?! No…I won't accept this. Not from someone who doesn't even deserve to exist! Second form – Amaterasu!" Conquest shouted out in desperation.

The spiraling of vermillion flames and brilliant red light conflagrated around his blade, the male concentrated his corrupted divine energy inside the honed edge to intensify the effect. He mustered enough power to melt away a fifth dimensional multiverse in an instant as he swung his blade horizontally. The cascading aura multiplied by 3 as the waves threatened to reduce the youth's soul to ash.

"These flames are nothing compared to Adena's…or have you forgotten her as well? Nevertheless, if you wish to send me sources of energy so haphazardly then I'll gladly use it for myself!" Raizo responded.

The eclipse blade that represented Morana glowed intensely as a sinister miasma began to emanate from it.

"Siphoning Fate!"

Without the blade even transforming into a scythe, Raizo activated the sword's secret ability. He utilized it to absorb all of the power within the flames whilst leaking an intimidating aura of fear onto the battlefield. As the energy he relinquished was eaten by his enemy, Conquest saw the difference in demeanor reflected in his opponent's eyes. Those piercing bluish-silver hues glanced over at him before fading back to a dark crimson shade.

"You…you can't be this powerful. How?! I should superior to you in every possible way! I am the one who was given this strength by Arayashiki. So how can a mere soul…"

Suddenly Raizo disappeared from sight and reappeared right in front of the horseman, seemingly in a flash. In the next wild blur of motion, the former Stormbringer brought his blade from above aiming to swing down and slash open the false copy's chest. Sluggishly and clumsily, the former crown prince brought his blade up in order to narrowly guard against the attack. The impact hit with enough force to drop Conquest down on one knee in front of his adversary. Raizo kept his alternate self pinned before delivering a swift kick that sent the fallen prince flying back.

Immediately giving chase, the former Stormbringer rushed after him with no time to spare. Whilst dashing through the air in mid-flight, the Red-Eyed Soul gripped the crescent moon blade of winter firmly in his hand before swinging it down at his target. Conquest reached forward with his left arm covered by a plate of armor that managed to embrace the impact. However, the trajectory of his flight changed as he was slapped into the snow. Without giving the fallen prince a chance to catch his breath, the instinct-driven child continued his pursuit.

The tables were turned in Raizo's favor as Conquest was forced on the defensive end of the skirmish. The ethereal bodied male was quick and precise with his attacks as each strike was executed with deathly precision. Unlike his former self, Raizo's movements were in sync with each muscle movement in his body. The male learned how to conserve stamina by not wasting unnecessary energy performing attacks that would potentially miss its mark. Even if one of his attacks were parried or blocked, it was better than wasting the energy exerted by missing an attack outright.

His feet were positioned in a way that allowed him to evenly distribute his body weight whilst following through with each movement to execute an appropriate action. For example, in one of his attacks, he gripped his blade with two hands and leaned forward on his left leg to push the strike through in a downward slashing motion. As steel scraped loudly against steel, Raizo swept his opposite leg going forward in a crescent clockwise motion whilst twisting his upper torso in the same direction to force his opponent off balance. At the slightest hint of a stumble, the male quickly capitalized on the opportunity by switching up his angles and attacking from the opposite side.

"Tch…" the fallen prince gritted his teeth.

He was having a hard time keeping up with the momentum that the soul of his counterpart was displaying. He felt several of the strikes land and scrape against his damaged armor; thus intensifying the rate at which the pieces were beginning to fall off. The male managed to bat away some of the oncoming strikes, but his fatigue was getting the better of him and his vision was beginning to blur.

"I won't lose to you…I refuse…" he thought in his head. Sparking up his will to resist, the horseman of Arayashiki attempted to mount his counterassault.

The barrage of swordplay between the two warriors became visible slashes of crimson, indigo, and gold energy. The two duplicates of one another were dashing all over the battlefield creating an artificial spectacle of fireworks for those present. The battle was fierce as the two identical yet totally different individuals fought with everything they had in protest to one another's existence.

The one who lost it all and came from nothing only to gain the joy of family and love against the one who was given everything only to spread fear and tyranny, they were two sides of the same coin:

Raizo Mercer, the one who chose to rise from the shadows and become the keeper of light. Raizo Arashi, the one who was placed on a pedestal and chose to let darkness fall. Both were wolves forged by the same pack, yet destiny led them down separate paths. The fangs of the two hounds now clashed with each other in a final bout for supremacy. They fought not only for the sake of their ideals, but to prove which one reserved the right to exist.

The intense display of combat escalated as their exchanging strikes created a dome of snow flurries flying around them causing a crater to form underneath. Conquest's strikes were being wasted as Raizo masterfully drew him in to attack whilst instantly reversing the flow by delivering a swift counterattack. In this raw display of physical prowess, Raizo's wealth of training from the various members of Team AKARA, the Cardinal Four, and Morana coupled with the experience from the major conflicts he experienced placed him several leagues above his other self. The Horseman was forced to acknowledge this fact. In the midst of another deadlock, the pair was able to assess the damage done to one another.

Raizo's visage had a few hairline fractures upon his face as small leaks of golden light escaped from him. The ethereal body was starting to crack under the pressure of this battle. However, that was nothing compared to the blood flowing down the cheeks of his counterpart and from the cracks in the man's armor. This fight could potentially drag on, yet eventually the fallen prince would be the one defeated.

"You have to finish this, Rai-san…" Morana's voice popped inside the youth's head in that moment. He merely nodded in response.

"Face it Arashi…there's no way you can win against me. I may not have my powers or my body, but I've grown for the better…evolved to a point where you could never hope to reach because you abandoned the possibility of becoming something more than what you are," he spoke frankly.

"Is that so, young Mercer? You underestimate me…and overestimate yourself. I bet you're only saying this nonsense because you are approaching your own limits. I imagine you just might have a little more power than what you had when you were alive. Perhaps I was mistaken in betting on your weakness. Nevertheless, I still have one last trick up my sleeve that will surpass what you can muster many times over!" the dark prince declared.

"Allow me to demonstrate the power I've gained thanks to my benefactor, Arayashiki; the very strength that managed to get Akaro's attention. Behold the heights you shall never reach!" he shouted before kicking away from the former Stormbringer.

"Awaken once more Amonkira, reinvigorate yourself over my body and unleash! CONQUEROR OF THE STORM!"

In that moment, a giant flash of dark purple energy layered with white luster washed over his opponent as he transformed. The youth took on the same appearance that he had whilst fighting Akaro. Moreover, his armor vestments changed into white and black plating with a white hooded vest over it and his eyes shifting to a demonic yellow. In addition, the 10 Edicts floated around the male before he extended his hand out to the side. In that moment, the fallen prince summoned the 11th Edict. A weapon he considered to be the most powerful armament he possessed.

"I summon thee, Ame-no-Habakiri!" he declared before a long sword with an electric blue blade and black handle spawned in his hands. Gripping onto the blade, the male's ultimate state was revealed.

"This is the gift bestowed upon me by Arayashiki. She blessed me with more than enough power to cleanse the likes of you from this world. And once I finish you off… I'll force Morana to bend to my will and erase every single person in this realm. Purgatory seems like the perfect place to establish my new empire, don't you think?"

Raizo gritted his teeth as a bead of sweat dripped down his brow. At this point in time, he would have gone Omen of Eternity with his Janus Armor fully active and summoned Nirvana and Morana to his hands in order to prepare his ultimate techniques. Consequentially, he was just a shadow of that potential at this point. Regardless, he was not trying to give in.

"You may possess all of this power, but that doesn't make you stronger than me. You're the one who gave into your worst impulses and let yourself become a monster. As for me, I had the opportunity to change and grow into something more," Raizo responded.

"Spare me with that self-righteous bravado! You clearly forgot the Shatterpoint World Line if you dare preach at me with that sentiment. I made the most of who I am with the cards I was dealt. I stayed true to the life I once had because there was no other way. You would never understand because you threw the Blood Wolves away!"

"Is that what you think? Then you really are a fool…losing the Blood Wolves and all that I've ever known was something that weighed on me for quite some time. But as I was given the opportunities to come out of that darkness, I grew to accept it. In fact, if I had the choice to let the cards play out with the fate of the clan all over again or change it…I'd choose the same outcome. Granted, I would miss some of the faces I truly trusted…but the world was better off without us and I was better off without them. I like who I am now…better than even considering an ounce of who I could have been."

"…..You…your existence is even more insulting than I thought. I was going to pull out all the stops and erase you quickly, but after hearing that…you deserve to suffer…"

"Heh…let's see what you got-…"

"Fool…"

Conquest blitzed Raizo's location before he could even raise his defenses. In that moment, he swung the Ame-no-Habakiri directly across his counterpart's chest instantly causing the surface of his body to break exposing a clear rift of golden light. The horseman was careful enough to restrain the true potency of his blade so that he would not end the youth's existence outright. In the next moment, the fallen prince backhanded Raizo across the ground before sending his other 10 Edicts after him. Each blade had an opportunity to take a swung at the youth as the weapons flew past him like a hailstorm of arrows engulfed by lightning.

Flakes of Raizo's ethereal body began to chip away as his soul began to incur heavier damage. Conquest merely strolled after the soul of the former Stormbringer as each blade assaulted Raizo again and again. The denizen of Arayashiki could easily use Cosmic Absolution to end this fight if he so desired. The 11-dimensional multiversal attack would erase the soul of this man a hundred times over, but he needed the catharsis of inflicting as much pain and suffering as possible and he still needed to conserve his strength for the possible battles to come.

"No…no…please, there must be a way to stop this!" Garuda cried out in pain.

"Rai-kun, come on…you have to keep fighting…you have to kiddo!" Shugo declared.

"Dig deep, Raizo-dono, you can win this!" Yaten-douji added in as well.

"This is too disheartening to watch," Zion commented.

"M-Master…" Morana muttered whilst clenching her fists.

"If I overwrite my Authority…I can deal with Conquest, but Master would be consumed again and I would have to wait at least a full day or so to pardon him again. Perhaps I must break my Soul Oath…even if it costs me everything. I cannot let him fall. I have already failed in my mission once, I shall not again!"

Morana went to move, but she felt something reach out to her and hold her back.

"Just wait…"

A mysterious voice filled her mind, but gave her warmth and provided her comfort. Even though her heart was in disarray, she felt a momentary sense of peace.

"Could it…really be?" she thought whilst suspecting the familiar entity.

In the meantime, the battered and beaten Son of Mercer was forced onto his knees. He held up the blade in his hand and attempted to activate that special power.

"Siphoning…F-…"

"I won't let you!" Conquest shouted before slapping the weapon away from the soul's hand. As it slid across the snow, the steel blade dissipated returning back to the Sovereign.

"Your comrades shall watch you fall…look at them and say your farewells," the horseman spoke as he held his imposing blade high in the air about to shatter the fractured shell of the youth.

Raizo decided to humor him. He looked over to the Cardinal Four and the troops, he could see their saddened expressions. Confusion, helplessness, despair, and so on had spread across their faces. Looking at Morana, he could see the tears falling down her face.

"Don't cry, silly scythe."

"But…Rai-san…"

"It's not over yet. Just overwrite your commandment and you'll nail him."

"You'll end up suffering too…"

"Wrong. I won't break again, not easily anyway. I'll use everything you guys taught me to fortify my mind—I'll be fine."

Raizo looked Conquest eye-to-eye as the horseman brought his blade down to cut his foe down once and for all. Nevertheless, fate would not be kind to the horseman.

A crimson portal opened up before a singular hand reached through it to catch the blade. In that moment, a deafening pressure shook the foundation of Purgatory. As the mysterious presence walks through the rift, one could see a female in a black suit with a sleek militaristic design. Long black hair flowed behind the girl as her crimson gaze pierced through Conquest. Upon the reveal of her full visage, the Horseman gasped in disbelief.

"You're…the Devil Queen?!" Conquest shouted in disbelief as she continued to hold back his blade with her bare hands.

The woman's gaze shifted to a devilish shade of crimson as her m ystic eyes activated upon making direct eye contact with the former Crown Prince. Words did not fall from her lips as she was consumed by a certain memory. That fateful night when she saw the body of her mother covered in bloody sheets, the silhouette of the Crimson Harbinger of Death looming over her corpse. As the pain radiated within her mind once more, Hikari snapped out of it. She tightened her grip on the sword in her hand causing it to shatter to pieces.

"W-What?!" the horseman screamed in astonishment. But that was not all, because the Devil Queen decided to seal his fate.

"G-uh…"

Hikari drew her own sword instantaneously and impaled the male through his gut mercilessly. She pushed the weapon deeper and deeper as the blade protruded out of his back more and more. Conquest's pain in that moment was intensified as blood seeped out of his mouth whilst his consciousness faded away. Hikari watched as the light faded away, his form breaking apart with the weapons he summoned dissolving in the short distance. The woman waited for a feeling of relief, or joy, or some sense of satisfaction—yet there was only hollowness.

A golden trail of light leaked from the Horseman of Conquest's mouth and went straight to the Son of Mercer. In that instant, the soul of the youth was rejuvenated as the broken pieces of his form faded away. Golden sparks of electrical energy spiraled around him for a brief period of time then disappeared.

As for his counterpart, the male's fate was far less fortunate. Hikari's blade emanated an ominous glow causing the vessel of the man to turn into a substance similar to transparent glass. Then, as if he was thrown to the floor, the body shattered into thousands of pieces almost akin to pixie dust. The countless shards were then absorbed into the blade that the Devil Queen wielded. As the display came to an end, the girl turned on her heel as her gaze met with Raizo's.

Seeing her eyes filled with such insidious intent combined with the overwhelming and intimidating pressure radiating from her, the youth could not help but to tremble. In that moment, she aimed her blade at his neck prodding the tip of the sharp edge under his chin.

The onlookers who felt her presence were completely thrown into disarray as they were unsure what to think. Nervously, each one of them was on guard over what was to come. However, only Morana tensed up as her blood began to boil. The pressure within Cocytus only increased which caused the realm itself to respond by calling forth its other protectors.

"It seems you were observing the situation from afar. Thanks for putting out the call, Lu-san," Morana thought to herself as she saw the legendary Tengu hovering in the distance.

As her power began to gather inside her like a raging storm, Morana's right hand stretched out calling forth the Kanemitsu blade whilst her outfit instantaneously shifted to her battle armor. Cocytus felt like it was trembling as the Sovereign's power began to exponentially increase in response to her emotions.

"Tengu, get all of the warriors of the Western tribes out of here," she commanded as the winged protectors swooped down to get the garrison away from the area and taking them to their respective places.

"Whatever comes next, we are with you," Yaten-douji stated as the other members of the Cardinal Four prepared for battle.

"There is a strong likelihood that Cocytus will be destroyed in this fight…we have to be careful," Morana decreed in a serious tone.

"It doesn't matter, you are our Queen. We shall stand with you always, yes," Garuda reassured.

"I see…then just watch and wait for a chance to move in. This one is rather personal. She may bear the face of someone precious, but she is the greatest threat to my Master's life…and I shall not tolerate her existence in my domain," Morana declared.

Meanwhile, words were being exchanged between the two red-eyed individuals.

"No one is allowed to kill you unless it's me, Raizo…" Hikari remarked in a distant tone.

As the Devil Queen stared into his eyes, every artifice of Raizo's soul was screaming in unending terror. He recalled seeing her in his nightmarish hell when he first arrived here and that feeling only reciprocated over a thousand fold in this moment. In spite of all of that, the youth took a deep breath and pushed past that fear. He could sense something was different about Hikari. After all, he would have been erased by now if that wasn't the case. Electing to take a chance, he began to speak his piece.

"You know…I get it. We're so much alike that it pains me. We're both meaningless children who escaped death and searched for answers to all the wrongs in our worlds; vengeance being the guide to our blades. From the ashes of a crimson rebellion, we found new meaning in the burdens we carried. Our efforts and the families we brought together guided our ways to redemption and liberation. Though we may be destined to battle each other, in the end we're just reflections of one another.

Just like how I wound up killing Aquilo, I understand that I wronged you and I must pay for it. If killing me will make you feel better…then…please go ahead. However, I'm sure you realize by now that revenge won't make things better for either of us. What truly makes the difference is the family we built along the way and how they changed us."

The words of the fallen Stormbringer broke the mold inside the heart of the female as it really resonated inside her. Surprisingly, this caused her to reflect on them for a moment before she sheathed her blade.

"I've killed Raizo Arashi. You, however, are not that monster anymore. One day we'll settle our differences, but right now there are bigger problems to deal with," she surmised.

The next instant, she reached down to the boy with an open hand. Though surprised by her understanding nature, Raizo grabbed onto her helping hand.

"Seems like we've come to a ceasefire then…but I need to calm down a certain protective Sovereign and her elites before this moment boils down to something I don't think I want to witness," the boy sighed.

"Yes…I sense that she is indeed powerful. Truly praiseworthy," Hikari nodded.

The two walked side by side across the field of snow towards the group. Unsure of what to make of this, Morana elected to meet them halfway whilst the Cardinal Four watched anxiously. Eventually, the two queens came face to face with Raizo nervously caught in the middle.

"So um…Morana, we've seemed to have reached an understanding…care to bring it down a notch?" Raizo asked calmly. The Queen of Cocytus merely locked her yellow eyes onto the female as they stared at each other intensely.

"She didn't hurt you then?" she asked without breaking eye contact.

"No…technically yes if you count the other version of me…dude got wrecked. Heh…I mean, I'm fine," Raizo jested.

"I see…and you believe this is not an elaborate scheme then?"

"Well…she did save me from myself, that's gotta count for something right? Plus if she wanted to kill me…I'd be dead, again, by now."

"Just because she saved your life doesn't excuse the fact that she is the manifestation of everything you fear in this world. I know the feelings you had when she came around…even during that training session…"

"Referring to that day with Onee-sama…yeah…well…we've come to an understanding and…I trust that she means well. She's not the same person she was before."

"I see…"

The two females continued staring at each other for another instant.

"Another Queen who likes the cold, how poetic," Hikari commented casually.

"The harsh climate makes for a natural defense from intruders in itself, plus it forces you to adapt and embrace the harshness of how cruel reality can be," Morana responded.

"Ah I see, so you are a woman of particular understanding as well. Admittedly, I feel as though I do know you…your face is strikingly familiar. Have we met before?"

"I have been trapped here for billions of years. So unless you somehow have met my Astral Projection before I became infused into a scythe…"

"No, nothing as fancy as that, but you do have a certain familiarity that is rather vexing to me since I can't remember at the moment."

"Um…I appreciate the casual conversation, but…we're good, right?" Raizo inquired curiously.

Morana sheathed her blade before waving the back of her hand to tell her generals to stand down.

"If you are willing to trust her, Rai-san, then so shall I. There is a greater conflict at play here and we do need to prepare for what comes next."

"So even down here in Purgatory, you know what is happening?"

"To an extent, yes, Devil Queen…"

"Hikari will do just fine."

"Fair enough, Hikari. Yes, I know of the situation beyond this realm. I wish to join the fray as I have been far removed from the frontlines for eons, but Cocytus is a one way in sort of environment."

Just then, the dark clouds overhead were pierced by a cerulean bolt of light in the shape of an arrow. The sky was left cracked open as a midnight blue spiral loomed in the atmosphere. The cosmic light consumed the ground nearly blinding everyone present, but two particular silhouettes were clearly distinguishable amidst the chaotic display.

"It would seem that Cocytus has become rather popular for visitors today," Morana observed, "But this energy…I know it as well…"

The two silhouettes came stepping forward, one belonged to a man and the other a woman. As they came further into view, their appearances were made known. The female wore a white military uniform with long sleeves, a blue scarf around her neck and high-heeled boots whilst the male was bare-chested wearing black pants and combat boots. Both of them had black hair and red eyes. Furthermore, the male sported a dragon sigil along his arm. As their auras combined in the air, there was a particular kind of tension in the atmosphere stirring once again.

"No way…it can't be right…you're joking…" Raizo stammered over his words in disbelief recognizing the duo.

"Wait…" the voice of the male spoke catching a glimpse of the youth.

"Aniki?!"

"Raizo?!"

The two men rushed straight for one another before embracing in a brotherly hug that communicated just how much the two missed one another. It was a heartwarming reunion between brothers who thought they'd never see each other again. Tears began to fall between the two of them as their hearts swelled with joy.

"I never thought I'd get a chance to see you again, Aniki…"

"Yeah, me neither lil' bro…me neither."

The heartfelt moment dispelled the apprehension for a moment as everyone watched the pair embrace. When they separated, the two chuckled for a moment before acknowledging the company they kept.

"So uh…what's up with all of these people around here…I see two giant muscle dudes who make Genesis blush in terms of height, oh three hotties…nice, and…okay what the hell is Hikari doing here?" Akaro tilted his head in confusion.

"Well what the hell is Esdese doing here?" Raizo countered.

"That's Esdeath, not that weak version you know of," the dark-haired Ice Queen countered.

"Oi…since when did she have the signature look of the fam? I know I've been dead but I can't believe I got replaced by the homicidal edgelady!"

"Ah well…ya see lil' bro…that's the thing. Apparently Arayashiki brought her back as the Horseman of Death, but I got her to come to our side so…"

"You fucked her, didn't you?"

"Hey man, just straight for the jugular on that one. Damn…"

"I've had one-on-one training sessions with Aka-sensei and Onee-sama, you know some shit was gonna rub off somehow."

"Okay…I'll give you that one. But for the record, no…we didn't do anything. I just made a sensible argument that it would be better for her to join up than be erased."

"Yeah…that must be a fun story. So she's one of the Horsemen too eh? Heh…believe it or not, I was just fighting the Horseman of Conquest…also known as myself from Shatterpoint…weird man."

"Yeah? Powerless and all? Well I did kinda beat his ass before he came here so…I would have ended him, but Arayashiki got in the way."

"I almost had him, but Hikari was the one who saved me in the end."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah…"

"So…she killed you but she didn't kill you?"

"It's complicated; we've come to an understanding at least."

"Yes Hero-kun, we're at a steady place where I don't feel like killing him outright. Talk about a miracle," Hikari yawned slightly.

"Oh boy…this is turning into an interesting trip already," Akaro commented.

"Nice military uniform," Esdeath casually complimented.

"Thanks, nice knowing there's a version of Esdeath that isn't a complete waste of breath in the world," Hikari remarked.

"I might have to kill this other version of myself if she is shaming the mantle this bad."

"Well…she is a pathetic cunt so…" the Devil Queen shrugged. Meanwhile, Sovereign elected to join the conversation.

"Akaro Hajime, the Red-Eyed Hero and Envoy of the Crimson Luster, it is an honor to finally meet you face-to-face…well, it would not be the first time rather, but details," Morana addressed him as she walked over to the group.

"Um…hey…so uh…who are you?" the Envoy raised an eyebrow.

"I am the ruler of this domain, the Queen of Cocytus, but you may simply refer to me as Morana."

"Wait…Morana? As in…" Akaro's eyes shot open as he turned to Raizo.

"Yep…this is her true self."

"Boi…what?"

"It turns out the scythe was holding an astral ghost right? And that was only like 10% of her power. I mean come on…you sense her energy right?"

"...Well damn…."

"Yeah…she's got quite a story to tell apparently. She's also known as the Celestial Goddess of Death…"

"Death…and a Winter environment? Oh…how interesting," Esdeath commented in regards to the dark-skinned female, "So does that make us sisters with the same pedigree?"

"No, it makes you a faker who has been clearly capitalizing on my style for however many years you have been alive. And judging by your demeanor, I can surmise that you have been failing my mantle…Akame-san does a much better job," Morana ruthlessly expressed.

"DAMN, she's savage as hell!" Akaro called out.

"Yet I'm the one who came down here to get the likes of you, shows how much you have in power," the general expressed.

"Apologies but from what I have gathered, you are nothing but a short-sighted warmonger who craves death and destruction for the sake of amusement. Meanwhile, I am a woman who has fought in many different wars of epic proportions across time, freed many different tribes of persecuted people, conquered the most brutal realm spoken of in horrified whispers, ruled it and made it a home for all races rejected by mankind, all while observing the happenings of the Omniverse because I still hold faith that I shall one day aid in the great war ahead. All the while sending just a fraction of myself to observe and protect the child of promise gaining all the wisdom and knowledge I need for the time to come. I could easily go on and on explaining the differences between you and me, but I prefer not to be an arrogant, feckless, cunt with no sense of morality and an overabundance of selfish pride. Thank you; you can see yourself out of my domain now."

"HOLY SHIT!!!!" Akaro busted out laughing.

"Esdeath, I do believe that nevermore has your argument been so invalid. That was truly brutality expressed in the most elegant of words," Hikari nodded in approval.

"I…I got nothing," Raizo shrugged.

"...Tch…whatever," Esdeath said before turning her face to the side in embarrassment.

In the meantime, the generals in the distance were chatting amongst each other about the unfolding events.

"He looks a lot like Rai-dono. So that is the boy's older brother? I am curious of the kind of power he boasts…perhaps I could invite him for a drink. Wait a second…why do I sense faint traces of my little sister on him?" Yaten-douji inquired.

"I have never seen so many people come into Cocytus from the outside before, perhaps we should reevaluate our security," Zion pondered.

"Ara, ara…so that is the fabled Red Knight who saved the world time and time again…he truly is a lot like Raizo in looks, but the difference is clear. Shugo-chan…"

"Damn…" the Ryu-jin uttered as she simply locked her sights on the male in the distance. She felt her entire body get hot as she squirmed in place. Sweat beads began to form on her neck before trickling down the valley of her breasts. In that next instant, her hand reached down involuntarily to her private space as she began to rub her spot.

"That's him…aha…that's him, the legendary figure of my people given flesh…mmm he smells so good. I…I want to mount that right now and have his children. I gotta have a taste before my sisters get a hold of him…fuck… Hey Rudy-chan, is this how you felt about Rai-kun? Because I can't even begin to express how wet I am right now," Ashura Gozen moaned in desire.

"Oh my, do try to control yourself. We may be introduced soon," the Yakshini advised.

"How long has it been since I've seen a Ryu-jin express her desire to breed? Goodness, this is rather unexpected indeed," Yaten-douji analyzed.

"There was a particular festival that occurred at a social gathering a few hundred years ago…." Zion reminded.

"Oh…when some of the sisters got too drunk and decided to have a fingerbang orgy…yes, I had to control my men from wanting to crossbreed that night. Wait, wasn't it because of some drug that you concocted, Rudy-chan?" the Oni general asked.

"Well…it was a bit of a love story. Most of everyone at that party got laid that night, yes?"

"Fuck…I'll tell you what…I don't need an elixir to want to get laid right now," the Dragon of the East interrupted the dialogue flow, "Damn and he's shirtless…I wanna scratch that body up right now….I need all of what he has in me…I'm gonna go crazy!"

In the brief distance, Akaro suddenly began sniffing the air.

"Hey uh…where's that sweet smell coming from? It's like a…perfume or something? Really hits the spot…" he rambled.

"Um…the hell are you on about, Aniki?" Raizo asked in confusion.

"Ah, I forgot to introduce everyone…how rude of me. Come, let me introduce you to my four closest companions," Morana suggested as the two groups moved towards each other.

They all exchanged names and formal introductions were made between the parties present. In the midst of this, Ashura Gozen instantly focused all of her attention on Akaro.

"So…you're the Raizo's brother eh…mmm I never thought I'd see a fine specimen like you come down here. Tell me, you like what you see right?" the woman wasted no time in power flirting as she walked around the male seductively engraving his scent into her mind.

"Where have you been all my life?" she chuckled before placing her hands upon the chiseled body of the male whilst pressing her body against his.

"I've been around the cosmos, mostly saving the world. I do like what I see…but I like what I feel even more…" the man chuckled as he wasted no time reaching for her ass allowing his palms to get to know the shape whilst examining her curves.

"Good…you should meet my sisters…every single one of us would love to get to know you…intimately…so much so I'm sure our wombs would be starving for your attention~" Shugo winked suggesting some fun.

"I have a lot to share so that wouldn't be a problem."

"What the hell is happening right now?" Raizo asked whilst witnessing this from a short distance.

"Draconian genes…there are not many males among the Ryu-jin as you have come to find out. Therefore, they have a strong attachment to the legend of the Crimson Dragon. The male chosen to inherit that spirit will give life to the Ryu-jin species for generations to come. That and dragons are attracted to power…and are perhaps the most carnal amongst all predators. Your brother will be very popular in the East," Yaten-douji explained.

"…Perhaps I need to hang around you all more, there is never a dull moment it seems," Hikari smirked.

"Really Akaro…I'm right here and you do this…" Esdeath sighed heavily.

"It figures you would be a victim of cuckolding, you seem like the type," Morana casually noted.

"Ouch…" Raizo winced, "Well somebody better put a stop to this…we need to decide our next move."

"It's simple really…we're going to leave Purgatory," the Devil Queen began, "That entrance that Akaro made is the perfect entry and exit point."

"Garuda, could you use your magic to turn that opening into a gateway for passage between realms?" the Sovereign requested.

"Of course, and I can create a key just for you to use. It should only take a night to make if anything," the Yakshini responded.

"Good…then we leave together. By doing so, Rai-san will be able to get back to his body. He shall be rehabilitated and then we shall deal with what is to come…" Morana nodded approvingly.

"Yes…but if he goes back to his body, the protections will no longer have an effect and the lingering damage placed upon his psyche will take over."

"What do you mean, Rudy?" Raizo asked.

"The elixir I gave you only staves off the effects of the mental torture while you are here in Cocytus. Once you return back to your body, that protection is worn off and the damage done to your soul will persist until you find closure."

"I see…well guess there's no other choice but to take the risk," the soul nodded.

"Oi Aniki, stop dry humping Ashura Gozen over there and let's go...it's time for us to deal with what comes next," Raizo called out.

"Damn…I'll definitely have to come back…" Akaro murmured to the woman.

"I know…I almost had it out so you could ram it in me…but if you are able to come back…you're gonna knock me up right?" the draconian warrior asked in a hungry tone of voice.

"Yeah…and your sisters as well…"

"Good…we're a tribe of bad girls that just wanna be bred with a nice, strong, exotic specimen like you…don't worry; these fields will be wet with anticipation."

"Both of you get over here before I start chopping off your valuable bits," Morana criticized in an annoyed tone.

"Mood killed!" both of the dragons responded in unison.

"Your Highness, are you sure you're able to leave?" Yaten-douji asked curiously.

"Yes…the chains that bound me to this place are no more. Now I can freely exit this place and come back as I please once Rudy creates the gate. As you know, my Cardinals, you each have a stake of ruling when it comes to this place. If you come to a disagreement, Cthulhu shall be the tiebreaker.

"Yes, Your Majesty," the quartet responded.

"Well then, guess it's time to get out of here," Akaro surmised as he looked up towards the sky. A glowing azure circle appeared under his feet.

"All aboard!"

Esdeath, Hikari, Morana, and the soul of Raizo Mercer gathered around on the space with Akaro.

"Wait…Raizo-kun!" Garuda called out before running over to the circle.

In that moment, she planted her lips over his and hugged him close for an instant before letting him go.

"I'm hoping you remember what you said about what you'd do when you got your body back."

"Y-Yeah…of course."

"Good, I'll be seeing you soon then," she said whilst backing off of the circle.

"Damn…even as a soul you're getting lucky…you make your big brother so proud," Akaro teased.

"Oi…shut up, Aniki."

"Once we leave here, your soul is going to travel to wherever your body is located. Hopefully you were not cremated," Morana uttered.

"He was put in a cryo lab headed up by a trusted companion of ours. This particular nurse may be quite happy to see him," the Envoy uttered.

"I see…then let us be off."

In that moment, the glowing blue energy of the circle launched upwards towards the rift. The Cardinal Four waved as they departed. Once they reached the entryway, Raizo's soul disappeared from sight.

In the midst of a lab located in the city of Mifune, Raizo's body was kept in a high-tech location. His body was motionless and lifeless for an entire month, yet they were ordered to care for his body. In that moment, the clock struck midnight and by the third bell, the eyes of the youth shot open.