Chapter 1276 Madness

Kisuke could feel the earth shaking and he furrowed his brows as he could feel something, for lack of better words, malicious.

At the same time, all the remaining insects on Ichibei's side abruptly ceased moving as if they were frozen in time. This sight not only shocked Kisuke but also became concerned since they didn't just stop moving but also stopped retaliating from attacks.

But when he saw their bodies turning entirely black, Kisuke immediately commanded the insects on his side to retreat. Unfortunately, this came too late for some of them as those in contact with the other side also started turning black.

The blackened insects then started liquifying and soon congealed into a giant mausoleum with a fence in front on top of shattered gravestones out of the blackness that covered the entire sky.

Before it could gain a clear image Kisuke shouted, "Benihime, stop absorbing and help me channel everything to 'Hestia'!"

Benihime didn't say anything and just faithfully followed Kisuke's command. Disconnecting the [Shadow] from Ichibei, Benihime reconnected its end towards 'Hestia' and reversed the flow of Reiryoku to have everything from the Sea of Life transfer to the warm Deity.

Meanwhile, Kisuke didn't just stop helping Benihime facilitate the transfer but also used the remaining of his focus and energy on tearing up the space in front of him, revealing the Dimensional Gap.

Beckoning 'Hestia' to his side, Kisuke pushed her into the tear he created while encapsulating her into a strong barrier.

Kisuke then sighed and stared at 'Hestia' before saying, "I'm leaving it to you until they can move away from here."

The supposedly emotionless being suddenly softly smiled and nodded which surprised Tiamat. Her own children had emotions, but they are an exception since she created them from scratch. Kisuke's children, on the other hand, were just a copy of their original and were only created for their abilities, 'This is... surprising to say the least.' Tiamat thought to herself.

Also in response to Kisuke's will, the other 10 children started turning into ashes as they passed on their remaining power to 'Hestia'.

Kisuke touched the barrier surrounding her and imparted a shockwave that sent her shooting through the Dimensional Gap, immediately disappearing from everyone's sight.

The tear in the space soon healed itself and Kisuke returned his attention to the disaster forming on top of him, "Benihime, are you ready?"

[Just tell me what I need to do. Have you figured it out?]

Kisuke first sized the black mausoleum which is at least 3 miles wide and 4 miles tall. He thought that this was a lot smaller considering all the volume it took to form itself. Nonetheless, Kisuke finally figured out which plan he would initiate, and with a large grin, he replied, "Hide yourself within the [Shadow] and go along with it."

[...What!?]

"I won't repeat myself. Please do just that."

Within the inner world, Benihime opened her mouth to further question his intentions. However, it was also at this moment that she realized his plan and why he was so confident regarding the potential 'berserk', [...I'll be sure to bring back everything I can... So, please... Don't make me wait.]

Kisuke knew that this was not Benihime's usual tone but he didn't make fun of her for it, "I'm not sure about it, but I promise you. I'll take you back, no matter what."

Benihime finally went silent and focused on her task.

Meanwhile, the Sea of Life that has started to turn still from the tsunami that 'Sona' caused, started rumbling once again as a jet-black giant arm holding a white sake cup.

This arm went as high as 3 miles, just stopping below the mausoleum with Ichibei's distorted voice filling up the whole space, "Oh Twilight, and everlasting darkness, come to me, come and have a drink, and once you do, your life will fade.

"The flowers will bloom along the road to hell. Where there are fish, let me paint them black, cut them into eight, and cook them well atop a flame of black, and then enjoy the meal.

"All that's left are bones of white, make them a gravestone, and pay respect. May they never be reborn again, so that you won't be sacrificed as food."

From the Sea of Life that was holding Kisuke's power, blots of black emerged from it, slowly. But as time goes on, these blots start to gather more and more as they fly towards the sake cup. The black mud, now a dark gray mud, started to lose its color.

And it wasn't just the Sea of Life, everything that was remotely black was being absorbed, including Kisuke's flesh and blood that light couldn't reach, hence, the darkness.

Kisuke, however, only watched this all happen as he felt his innards being twisted and being moved outside of his body. His only concern was the [Shadow] and ink behind him being dragged to the cup along with Benihime's presence, "Tiamat, do you know why I'm confident that I'll be able to handle it once I transform further?"

[I honestly don't have any idea but it seems Benihime knew exactly what you're about to pull.]

"Well, I'll most probably lose my mind and devolve into something that's only seeking destruction."

[...Then how?]

The pain of being mangled inside out as various lacerations appeared on his very durable body was almost unbearable even to someone like Kisuke who has an unreasonably high pain tolerance. Even then, Kisuke didn't move and just gritted his teeth, "The moment your instincts to use your power were transferred to me, I also figured out what would happen the moment the Sea of Life is destroyed and I just asked you for confirmation regarding it. But you see, the keywords here are 'only seeking destruction'."

[Meaning?]

"Meaning, I would have a goal to a certain extent regardless of my state of mind."

Tiamat immediately understood what Kisuke wanted to happen, [So you want to change that.]

"Yes. Instead of keeping my mind intact which will probably fail at some point, it's easier to just keep one simple thought."

At this point, the Sea of Life had turned completely white, and all the children Kisuke summoned, including the insects, had turned into dust.

But at the same time, the absorption of 'black' from his body stopped and rage-inducing thoughts started appearing in Kisuke's mind uncontrollably.

As his body started to expand and warp itself and his horns grew more prominent, Kisuke pleaded with Tiamat, "Help me out here. Please make sure that I don't deviate from my goal."

[Which is?] Tiamat asked calmly, respecting his resolve.

Kisuke consciously gritted his teeth for one last time and declared, not only to the world but to himself with great conviction, "Taking Benihime back... no matter what." It was at that moment, that his mind snapped and he lost all reason.

While watching Kisuke's monstrous transformation, Tiamat has a small smile on her face, [Oh child who inherited thy fangs. Bear it, use it, drench it with your enemies' blood. Cleave your obstacles with thy claws. Let the world know the weight of despair with thy horns. Fulfill your deepest wish. Only then, you shall see the dawn of reason after this long, lingering twilight of madness.]