DXD 16

As the suffocating presence of death enveloped the beauty, I needed no clarification on her identity. The moment I sensed her I knew who she was. Izanami, the goddess of both death and creation, stood before me in all her glory. With a quick mental command, I shifted my [Training Addict] title to [Blessed by Death], hoping that the title's ability to attract favorable affection from death-related entities would still function.

And as soon as I did, I saw a flicker of surprise in her expression, her eyebrow raised, and a brilliant smile appeared on her face before she asked, "Are you the little godling who dared to steal souls from me?" she said with a hint of irritation in her voice, her elegant and sympathetic demeanor momentarily clouded by her vindictive and spiteful side.

Despite her voice, I could see a sense of curiosity in her eyes as she studied me intently. From my knowledge of Japanese folklore, I knew that her personality was complex, embodying the image of a perfect mother with elegance, sympathy, calmness, and casualness, dedicated to her husband and kids, yet capable of unleashing her vengeful side when provoked. I had to tread carefully, as the entity before me was two whole tiers above me.

"I apologize, Izanami-sama, but it was necessary," I said respectfully, yet unwilling to bow.

"Necessary, he says," she chuckled, her hand rising to hide her mouth, yet her eyes displayed a hint of fury. "You not only stole from me, but your little stunt ripped holes into my realm. Tell me, little godling, what should I do with you?" Her voice carried a stern tone, and I could feel the weight of her power bearing down on me.

Despite the tense situation, I stood my ground as Izanami floated closer and closer, her hand just about to touch my chin, but she froze mid-motion. The air was momentarily set ablaze, as a brilliant explosion of soil erupted to my right, showering the surroundings with displaced earth. A smile spread on my face as in the next instant, a figure enveloped in a radiant, rainbow-colored aura materialized right behind the goddess.

"Touch him, and you're going to lose your head." As my girlfriend's words cut through the air, sharp and uncompromising, her sword positioned right by the neck of the goddess, radiating the energies of her [True Cut] skill, threatening to shred apart the soul of the goddess before her. Yet the goddess merely flashed me a wide smile, and in that instant, her aura surged with overwhelming power, and I knew I had to react quickly.

Summoning all my skills and abilities, I pushed them to their maximum limits as the world cracked around me. My perception sped up, and time around me froze, coming to a complete halt. But despite my efforts, the goddess's unleashed energies continued to surge forward, heedless of the constraints of time. It was as if time held no influence over her, rendering my time manipulation ability useless against her overwhelming power. Her smile widened as she maintained unwavering eye contact with me. With a desperate surge of energy, I forcefully teleported Olivia away from her, sparing her from harm. But despite my efforts, there was one thing I couldn't salvage.

Olivia's cherished sword, a birthday gift that had been her faithful companion for over four months, simply disintegrated into thin air, leaving her stunned and empty-handed. Primal rage engulfed my mind as Cataclysm appeared in my hand, instantly infused with over a million points of mana, and while trying to draw out every ounce of strength I could, [Bestial Physique] activated, doubling my physical stats and I swung my blade. My muscles were ripped apart then they reformed immediately after, as I let loose a point-blank [Spatial Slash] at the goddess before me. The power of the attack was devastating, creating a shockwave that displaced the air in a kilometer-wide area, toppling trees and buildings alike. The energies surrounding the goddess were cut apart, yet the attack lost its power almost immediately.

But my sword continued its trajectory, ignoring the corrosive energies the goddess emitted, yet as if my attack was going at a snail's pace, she lifted her arm, and extended a single finger, and to my utter shock, her finger completely halted my blade in its advance. But it wasn't only me who was surprised, to her utter amazement, my sword drew blood, only damaging the surface skin on her finger, yet it was enough to make her come to a complete halt.

I stood resolute before her, prepared to continue to confront her, pouring millions of points into a magical circle invisibly forming just under my feet, though I knew it wouldn't be an easy battle. However, to my relief, after inspecting her finger, the goddess chuckled and withdrew, flashing me another broad smile.

"Well, you certainly have piqued my interest, little godling," she said, her voice tinged with curiosity. "I will be keeping an eye on you." And with that, before our eyes, she disappeared as unnatural darkness swallowed her, leaving me shocked to the core.

As she vanished into her divine realm, she left me with a final, subtle display of her immense power - a flex that only I, of those present, could truly understand. It was not mere magic or spatial manipulation, but something far more profound. She effortlessly materialized a portion of her divine realm around her, forcibly bending the laws of reality in the mortal world, and whisked herself away. It was her way of showing me that she held ultimate control, capable of ending us both without even lifting a finger.

As I placed my sword back into my inventory, I let out a sigh of relief and dismissed my skills. Though Olivia's stunned expression irritated me, I refrained from scolding her for her foolishness. It reminded me of my own past mistakes, and I took a deep breath to calm myself and control my rising irritation. Another sigh of relief escaped me as no-kill notifications appeared before me. I couldn't tell if it was luck or if the goddess had something to do with it, but either way, I was grateful for not wasting my earlier efforts.

"I've changed my mind, Yasaka," I declared firmly, addressing the kitsune who was still recovering from the shock of witnessing a miracle and encountering one of the most powerful entities in this realm. Covered in dirt and lying on the ground, she slowly started to get up as the guards who had been displaced by my earlier attack slowly trickled back. "You will be the one to pay for all of this. If there is no shrine for her in town, you will build one and prepare abundant offerings in her honor." I gave Yasaka a stern glare, and after she slapped herself out of her dazzled state, she nodded in understanding. She heard our conversation and knew the gravity of the situation and the importance of appeasing Izanami, and didn't complain.

Yasaka inclined her head in a respectful bow, but fear was evident on her face, my earlier display firmly etched into her mind, as she spoke with unwavering determination. "I'll do anything within my power, Andrew. I and my people are forever indebted to you. Just tell me your wish, and I will spare no effort to make it a reality."

Exhaling a sigh, I gave her a nod, prompting the old fox to shakily turn around and begin issuing instructions. Turning back to Olivia, I gently patted her head, offering solace amidst the turmoil. "You do understand how reckless that was, right?" I stated, and Olivia nodded, her gaze still fixed on her now empty hands. "It's just a sword. I can make you an even better one," I offered, attempting to lift her spirits. However, she shook her head, sadness etched on her face as she looked up at me.

"That was the very first gift you ever made for me," she said, holding onto me tightly, fighting the urge to shed tears.

Her sentimental outburst elicited a chuckle from me, "And you'll receive many more," I reassured her, continuing to pat her back gently. "Let's go home," I said, before warping space around us and teleporting us to our fully restored house.

With the events of the day disrupting my thought processes, I didn't have any intention of resuming the research I had been doing earlier, at least not for today. Instead, I made a decision to spend the rest of the day leisurely with Olivia. We snuggled up in the living room, allowing the TV and its mindless shows to occupy our time and let our brains unwind.

As we indulged in the mindless task, I could feel Olivia's stress levels quickly diminishing. Our spiritual bond was doing its job, helping to ease her worries. I knew she was disappointed in herself for losing her prized sword, but I also sensed a hint of pride in her. She was proud of herself for standing up to someone as powerful as Izanami, despite understanding the foolishness of the endeavor.

While the commercials droned on the TV, I turned towards Olivia and spoke up, "I've been brainstorming new sword designs for you. Actually, would you like me to create one for you, or would you prefer to try out the Blade Blacksmith Sacred Gear? It lets you summon swords to your liking, with enough practice you could probably summon swords in similar strength to Severance, or maybe even stronger ones."

She furrowed her brows, lost in thought for a moment before responding, "I don't want to be caught without a weapon during a fight. Is there a way I can have both?" Her pleading gaze tugged at my heart, and I couldn't help but chuckle as I pulled her into a tight hug.

"Sure," I reassured her, "I'll look through the Sacred Gears I've collected tomorrow and start working on your new sword after that." She gave me a peck on the lips, gratitude shining in her eyes.

"Thank you," she murmured. "But instead of a sword, could you make me two daggers instead?"

I arched an eyebrow at her unexpected request but ultimately nodded with a smile. "Of course," I replied. "I want you to feel confident and well-equipped in battle." Olivia's relieved smile mirrored my own, knowing she would soon have new weapons to play with. We spent the rest of the evening cuddled up on the couch, enjoying mindless TV shows and each other's company.

The next day, setting aside my research on time, I delved into my collection of Sacred Gears and Longinuses, carefully examining each one. These artifacts were said to be created by Yahweh, the biblical god. Yet, to my surprise, I couldn't help but draw a comparison to Horcruxes, the dark magic of soul splitting from the Harry Potter universe.

I already knew they held souls but as I studied the Sacred Gears before me, I realized that each one held only a small piece of a soul within them, while the Longinuses contained much larger fragments and even had their own egos. I examined the artifacts further, and it became even more apparent to me that they were flawed.

As I delved deeper into the intricacies of the Sacred Gears, I found myself growing more curious about how these artifacts were intertwined with human souls, granting them special abilities. It was fascinating to see how some individuals were able to unlock and control the powers of these Sacred Gears, while for others they remained dormant or underwent mutations when their hosts were forcibly changed into a different race.

The longer I studied the Sacred Gears, the more my understanding of souls rose. My skills [Intuitive Aptitude] and [Archive] drew hard comparisons between the Sacred Gears and the skill orbs within my soul realm. It seemed to me that these Sacred Gears were a rudimentary attempt to replicate the system skills, lacking the refinement and sophistication of the latter.

The enchantments that covered the soul fragments of the Sacred Gears were complex and infused with divine energies. Despite my Rune Master title allowing me to carve runes on living beings, without more information on their creation or examining a larger sample size, I would not be able to recreate them.

To gain further understanding of this topic, I considered visiting the fallen angel faction, led by Azazel, who had created his own version of Sacred Gears. Alternatively, I could also follow the evident connection these artifacts had with the system to heaven and force my way to its location in search of interesting notes left behind. And that's what I was going to do, I was already on their radar, and I was pretty sure the devils and angels will be coming to visit me anytime soon, so I didn't really care about it anymore. However, first I was going to craft Olivia's new weapons.

I requested Mai's assistance in converting my room into a blacksmithing forge, as I wanted to take a traditional approach to my work. I set aside the replicator and began replicating the magical materials that I intended to use. Unfortunately, I lacked access to many necessary components, as this world had limited magical resources. However, I had some unique materials that I had yet to use.

After the replicator finished its job, I gathered the various items I needed, including two Basilisk fangs, a few tier ten magical cores, Mithril and Void ingots, mana-infused sand from the dungeons twilight floor, world tree branches, and numerous other binding reagents and components. Equipping my [Master Blacksmith] title alongside my [Rune Master: DanMachi] title, I got to work.

Using telekinesis, I lifted the Basilisk fangs and one tier ten magical stone, then crushed them into a fine powder using gravity manipulation, courtesy of my [Space-Time Manipulation] skill.

"Mai, I need a large bowl that can withstand a highly corrosive substance," I called out to my cute assistant, and she quickly followed my command, replicating one just before me. I dropped the powdered mixture into the bowl and added the mana-infused sand to the mix.

"I don't have a good binding reagent for this mix, but I have a crazy idea," I said. "Mai, maintain a [Cleanse] runic array on me and don't freak out if I start dying. I'll be alright."

"...Understood, Master," Mai responded. I thought I detected a hint of hesitation in her voice, just before an enchantment appeared below me, but I chalked it up to my imagination.

Next, I activated [Healing Toxicity], creating the most toxic, corrosive, and life-threatening substance I could. I mixed it with some soul corrosion effects, and the concoction dripped from my fingers and into the mixture, producing a sizzling sound and fumes that began to erode the enchantments over it.

I held my breath, trying not to inhale anything, while my regeneration skills and resistance skills fought off the substance that had already corroded my fingers down to nothing but bone. The pain was not so bad; it felt like a weaker toothache, but it was a lot better than all the soul damage I've been experiencing lately. Even if the poison tried to corrode my soul, I kept feeding mana into [Immortality] and [Soul Cohesion] to fight it off.

To my surprise, I found that I had become quite resistant to pain thanks to the experiences of the last few weeks. And I wasn't sure if it was a good thing.

The poison had finally filled the bowl halfway, and after I took a deep breath, with a swift motion, I cut off my arm and let it fall into the mixture, where it disintegrated within milliseconds. It was a strange experience missing a limb. I knew it was gone, yet my mind still sent out signals to it as I tried to form a grip.

I stopped playing with my stump and forced my regeneration skills to restore it. Within a blink of an eye, a new arm in its full glory stood in place of my old one. I clenched my fist to test my grip and, after confirming that everything worked as it should, refocused my attention on the mixture before me.

"Mai, clean up the blood and give me something I can mix this with," I asked my assistant, and she delivered without a complaint.

While telekinesis was stirring the highly toxic ingredients, until it was evenly combined, I shifted my focus to the metals. [Infernal Mastery] roared to life, melting the Mithril and the Void ingots in barely a second. Then, with the help of gravity manipulation, I compressed the molten metal into a tight orb, rearranging its molecular structure in a millisecond.

Leaving the orb to cool down on its own, I turned my attention to crafting the handle of the blades. The elves from DanMachi would have been outraged to learn what I was planning on using a branch from their sacred tree on, but I couldn't care less about those racist sons of bitches. I started carving the branch, shaping it, and slowly forming it into a patterned handle, for a better grip.

As I continued to work, I let out a frustrated sigh and cursed myself for ever creating the spell as my crafting session was interrupted by the ringing of [Link].

"Andrew," Olivia's troubled voice came through the link. "There are about fifty people here from multiple factions, demanding answers from Yasaka."