Chapter 38

I run through the Palace, cackling like a coked-up monkey high on LSD.

As I imagine several other clones are also doing this right now because holy shit the look on his face!

Ah, I can't wait to punch my uncle in the face.

But first! I can't be doing that alone!

I'm stronger now. A lot stronger, in fact, but I doubt I can suddenly box one of the most destructive gods the Shinto have to offer after only two months of training.

Sure, it was a consistent and constant two months, but I'm still not going to risk it.

Just in case.

Would rather not get stabbed again.

So! I need Tobio. I know, even weakened, that with his Balance Breaker, we could push his shit in.

If I can find him, I can speed-blitz him before he can react, grab his noggin, and bring him back to the light with some generous application of said light to his gray matter.

Really give it a good scrub and all that.

The problem is finding him.

Luckily, my clones and I are already working on it!

Abruptly, I slide to a halt as the Palace begins to shake.

Huh?

Looking outside, via the hallway windows, I see gray and black, swirling and whipping up above the Palace.

The sky cracks open with violent violet and cobalt light, revealing a…

Hold on. Is that a fucking dragon!?

No, wait, a Kirin! That's straight-up a Kirin!

Uncle's just as much of a weeb as my mother huh?

Well, granted, what else are you supposed to do down here?

Besides plotting stupid shit I mean.

I blink, as the stolen lightning attack climbs into the sky…

Darkness seeps from the floors, the walls, the ceilings.

In the next moment, I'm completely blinded, not by anything covering my eyes but by the windows suddenly being covered.

No. Everything is covered by this darkness, there is no color, no faux light anymore.

The only thing that reassured me of where I am, was the split second later violent shaking that hammers the Palace, throwing me to my feet by the sheer magnitude of the vibrations.

My eyes widened as right alongside it, memories from a couple of clones outside the Palace popped, returning a live recording of what happened outside straight to my head.

The lightning dragon fell on the Palace.

Susanoo just tried to blow up the entire fucking Palace with one attack.

It was stopped, luckily, by this darkness shielding the structure like a starship hull, Izanami's work I assume.

The splash of the lightning dragon hitting the dark-clad Palace created a shockwave that blew apart my clones on the outside.

Not a pretty thought that the mere aftershock of an attack can paste me, even now, but we roll with it.

If Susan is trying to blow up the Palace, then my bet is Tobio is still here, somewhere.

Or that attack was meant for me and my clones. Or both.

Only one way to find out.

I'm going to have this Palace combed in record time.

Rising to my feet, I activate my eyes and pulse my Holy Spirit Power out.

It rolls across the ground, outlining the hallway around me with a thin golden film.

I smile and continue my running, a full sprint.

Now, with the rough jelly-like darkness beneath my feet, my footsteps are completely muffled.

I've got a clone b-lining straight to where I last saw Tobio, while the others spread out, checking everywhere else, and I head to Izanami's room.

I'm not going to use her as a shield! But a teleport directly to Dog Boy would be greatly appreciated.

Now then, let me see, it was this way, right?

Down the hall. Take a right at the T intersection, left at the end…

Yeah! Right…here!

I slam face-first into a wall of shadows.

…Fuck.

"Come on…" I mutter under my breath, as I start patting around where I'm certain the door to Izanami's room was.

Even my voice sounds muffled and smothered in the darkness.

"Looking for something?" A quiet, yet rumbling, voice spoke at my side.

That also wasn't muffled.

Every single hair on the back of my neck stood on end, as I pushed off the wall with everything I had, launching me back to the opposite wall.

In total darkness, a glimmer of glowing holy steel splits the air where I just was, impacting the wall with enough force to send shutters throughout this wing of the Palace.

Fiery eyes slowly look in my direction.

"You seem confused, Nephew." I can't see him, his face, his figure, all I can see is the lightning silently crackling around his outline, and imagine the sneer across his face as he speaks, "It's rather simple, truly. Mother might be able to stop me from ending this all with one blow, but that doesn't mean I can't pick up the slack…elsewhere."

"You tricky little shit…" I huff out, annoyed.

He's manipulating the Palace, isn't he? Messing with the rooms and hall locations…

He cackles, his tone like rolling thunder, "It's one of my lesser-known attributes." His sword, and form, suddenly light up with coiling electricity, the air filling entirely with ozone.

"Now. Take a fucking nap, Nephew." The lightning explodes off him, bellowing out from him like the inside of a storm cloud.

I draw upon my powers, all of them, preemptively, to shield the discharge.

Only to stare, dumbfounded, as the lightning redirects and grounds itself into the darkness, only a few feet away from him.

I imagine he, too, looks positively stupefied at this.

"What's the matter," I snort out, "performance problems?"

He growls like a savage beast, "You annoying little shit…! Fall on my blade!"

"I thought being a little shit was one of your attributes?" I question with a raise of my eyebrow.

"RAAGGHH!" He roars.

Don't think I'm going to get a response from him.

So, as he charges at me, I blow him a raspberry, turn tail, and book it.

"YOU!? Get back here you coward! Fight me!" His Holy Spirit Power bellows off him as he roars his challenge to me.

It barely makes it a few feet, before it too is promptly smothered into the darkness's embrace.

My powers, on the other hand?

I clad myself with them, and pulse out my aura, the hallway lighting up with a thin film to show me the way.

I hear him give a pain, stuttered gasp of disbelief behold me, "How…Mother?"

"Hah!" I hoot aloud, forcing my voice to carry, "First your Dad, now your Mom. Man, nobody likes you at all huh?"

"Y-You…! You take that back you brat!" He howled, his steps thundering now with speed despite the dark coating across the ground.

"Haha! Nope~!" I refuse smugly, "Admit it! Your mommy and daddy like me more than you now!"

"Never!" The hallway shakes at the force of his scream, I turn down into another hallway, just in time to avoid being bisected down the spine by a wild swing from my very pissed-off uncle.

It may seem counterintuitive to piss off a god further than they already are but in this case? It serves a purpose.

My dear Uncle is entirely ruled by his emotions. Even the gods, especially the gods, tend to not think straight when provoked.

They act because they're big mad.

So Susan, being huge mad? That means he can't put that big stupid brain to work cornering me.

Instead…

Susanoo swipes his hand, I can feel it, as it moves through the air, and the hallway suddenly gains a draft.

A very violent, howling, draft.

Hurricane-force winds bellow into me from the front, as if I ran straight into a tornado.

"I GOT YOU!" His cry of victory overcomes the sounds of whipping winds, somehow, as he lashes out for me with his blade once more.

Instead of fighting the wind tunnel, I stop myself and leap, letting the winds blast me back.

And right over his head.

My side explodes with an intense itch as I soar over him, which quickly lulls as whatever damage the grazing blow does mends itself.

In the meantime, I clasp my hands together.

"Oh Lord Susanoo, I pray that Susan finally gets his shit together," I beseech, entirely and completely sincerely, "and realizes that nobody likes him because he's a hardass. Amen."

Said deity, whirls toward my direction, "Did you just…pray to me, for me…!? And not even use the right…! Oh! You..! You! When I'm done with you! There will be nothing! For you to regenerate from!"

The hallway trembles and lights up as a massive bolt of lightning gathers in his hand, like a spear or javelin.

"Try and stop this one, Mother!" He bellows, as he steps in my direction, and throws it.

The air thunders as it travels…the scarce few feet it travels before the lightning seems to unravel from it, and into the darkened walls, floor, and ceiling.

A beat of silence passes. Even the wind seems caught off guard by this turn of events.

"Also, that he finally gets help for his performance problems," I solemnly add, not the slightest bit shocked, "seriously, no wonder he lives here alone with his mother in the dimensional version of a basement."

"I'll FUCKING KILL YOU, YOU BASTARD PIECE OF SHIT!"

Oh yeah.

"Amen." I quickly finish once more, cackling, as he…well.

"AGGHHHH!"

Let out his best King Neptune screaming impression whilst once again giving chase.

I'd give it an eight out of ten.

The airflow stops for a split second, before picking back up again in the form of highly pressurized blasts.

I hit the ground with a running start, barely dodging the first one that came for me, my eyes letting me visually see the death spiral of air trying to tear me apart before it reached me.

In slight slow motion.

It clips my robe, tearing off chunks of the cloth while scraping the skin off a little.

Nothing I can't heal.

"Hmmm!" I call out, "Maybe I should add that you need aim training as well?"

"STOP PRAYING TO ME!"

"Ah, yeah, you're right, you're right!" I nod along, dodging another wild air blast that nearly takes off my ear, "Maybe I ought to pray to your Mommy and Daddy? They'd listen at least!"

"I'LL SKIN YOU BACKWARDS AND PRESENT YOU TO YOUR MOTHER!"

Damn. The fuck? How do you skin someone backward?

I'm not even going to ask.

In any case, the operation, Xbox Live Voice Chat, is going swimmingly.

I can do this all day, I'd say.

Though as funny as it is, I'd rather not.

I just need a clone to find Tobio, that's it, just one.

"YOU CAN'T RUN FOREVER BRAT!"

"I beg to differ, you maidenless old man!"

"HAAAAAAHHHH!"

Another air blast nearly takes off my whole leg, instead, it only blows off a chunk of my thigh.

I wince, taking to the air, blasting down the hall with my halos at my back, now in a full-force flight.

Just…one.

~ A New Sun ~

Despite the seriousness of the situation…

It's taking everything in Izanami's power not to burst out laughing every five seconds.

She shouldn't. She really shouldn't laugh at some of the things her grandson is saying about Susa.

But at the same time…he does deserve it.

If not for everything he's done so far, especially for trying to blow up and destroy the Palace.

Again.

Granted, the first time was an accident, but still.

There are more people than just herself here now, and that's probably exactly why he tried it.

He really shouldn't have done that. She was already disapproving, but now?

She's disappointed.

Not as though it matters much now.

The 'fight' between her son and grandson has truly devolved into…something alright.

Truly, it was never a fight to begin with, simply a means to an end.

Susanoo is trying to stop Noriaki from getting to her and the boy, while Noriaki is trying to buy enough time for those interesting constructs scampering around the Palace to find them.

Distracting Susanoo by constantly egging him on, keeping him far out of his right mind to fight properly, or even doing the smart thing and disengaging to call the room with them in it near him…

Well. Not like he'd be able to do that much right now, what with her completely blocking off this room from his senses or control.

She may not control Yomi anymore, long ago relinquishing the 'crown' to her dear son, but the darkness of this place still calls to her.

Susanoo was never the most skilled at things he couldn't hit someone else with directly.

Oh, her boy does have his moments, don't get her wrong.

But he has his preferences, and those generally steer toward the 'overwhelming power' category.

It's a shame, though.

Her blocking off this room as she has is also going to ultimately prevent Noriaki from finding it.

That isn't good. The boy won't be able to keep this up forever and ever.

As much as she, in part, wishes he could.

Some of these insults are simply inspired after all.

Though, she wonders what it means to be 'maidenless', and the like?

Shaking her head of that all, and stopping another near reflexive fit of giggles, she focuses on the spirit of the old woman lying in the bed before her.

And the eerily pale young man almost desperately clinging to her.

Something, someone, somewhere, is going to break first.

The question is, who?

The young man slowly, shakily, raises the top half of his body, looking at her.

He mumbles something incoherently.

Izanami raises an eyebrow, "What was that?" She inquires softly, "I couldn't hear you?"

"I…" He breathes out, shakily, slowly, "Need to…go."

Oh?

"Really now…" She wondered aloud, "What makes you think that?"

As if perfectly on cue, the Palace shakes once more, although nowhere near as violent as the first, this from Susanoo punching a wall, she notes.

Still, the motions cause the young man to latch onto the old woman as if trying to shield her with his body.

The action, no matter how many times she's seen it so far, hasn't once not elicited a sad frown from her.

Cautiously, he pulls back from the woman, and looks to her, desperately, pleadingly.

It's the only emotion etched onto his face, in those half-dead eyes.

"...please."

Well…guess that answers who's breaking first.

She sighs, deeply, before looking straight back into his eyes, "...Are you sure?"

He doesn't answer. Not right away.

Instead, he looks down at the old woman, his eyes lingering on her face, before moving back to their original position.

He nods, with something akin to resolution in this tainted state of his.

Resigning herself, she nods slowly back to him.

Taking that as the confirmation it was, he leans back down to the old woman, brushing a single rustled strand of hair out of her face, before planting a chaste kiss on her forehead.

He mumbles something to her, although she can guess what he says purely by his lip movements alone.

'See you soon.'

Standing up, the young man strides toward the door with a new purpose, a goal he didn't previously have set until now.

He turns slightly back to her right before reaching the door.

"Will you…?" He trails off, the question need not be finished, after all, the ask is obvious.

"I will." Izanami confirms easily, albeit solemnly, "I'll keep watch over her until everything blows over. Make sure nothing disturbs her rest."

He gives an appreciative nod, before turning back to the door, the slightest of content smiles across his face.

With a wave of her hand, the doors flung open, briefly reconnected to the Palace at large.

As soon as he strode out, the doors swung open, and the room, for all intents and purposes, vanished.

This is…less than idle, in a sense, surely.

But at the same time, there's a reason she didn't force him to stay.

Beyond the fact that he likely could have found a way to escape using his Sacred Gear anyway…she can use this.

Use this to help.

After all, Susanoo certainly didn't get his trickster, chaotic, trouble-making side from his Father.

With a little bit of finesse, a little bit of guiding, a trick here or there, this could work out.

She may not be able to control the Palace directly, but she can lead them this way and that with a clever application or two of darkness manipulation.

Especially since Noriaki is more or less leading Susanoo around, with her son not truly throwing the Palace halls every which way.

Yes, yes…she can use this!

They just need a little guidance!

Noriaki and Susanoo so they end up in a place with enough suitable space, and Tobio so he makes it 'right on time'.

From then on, it'll be up to him.

But she has faith.

Looking down at the old woman, Izanami cups her cheek gently, "Don't worry, your boy will come out of this. I know he will."

Although honestly, she doesn't know whose ass is going to get a harsher beating once all is said and done.

Tobio's, or her Susanoo's?

Now at that thought, she allows the smallest of giggles.

~ A New Sun ~

Just…one!

Come on!

I fly down another hall, taking a sudden, and very sharp right, as the intersection seems to close up one side entirely.

At the same time, the turn narrowly avoids Susanoo's latest method of trying to hit me.

A wind net.

A very, very sharp, wind casting net.

Needless to say, by this point, most of my robe has been shredded off, sans bits around my waist and thighs, thankfully.

If this is going to be a thing every time I get into a big battle, my clothes being shredded off to near nakedness, maybe I ought to look into a magical clothes tailor.

Or just straight-up armor.

Or both.

"OH NEPPHHEEWWW!"

Oh yeah.

"NEPHHHEEWWWW!"

Kind of busy right now!

"GET BACK HERE NEPHEW!"

Think. Of that. After! All! This!

"YOU CAN'T ESCAPE ME! I'LL HUNT YOU TO THE END OF YOOOMMIII!"

Ahh…I made him really, really fucking mad, huh?

Sometimes, my genius frightens me.

No, not the hulking out storm, sea, and Underworld deity that wants to skin me backward and pulp me into spaghetti sauce.

That's perfectly normal.

In any case, I'm running out of sass that isn't just 'your mom!' jokes at this point, and I've been hit by so many wind blades my body may as well have been put through a cheese grater at this point.

Besides, since right at the start, no more of my clones have popped, which means they haven't found anything.

This also means that Plan A probably isn't surviving contact with the enemy.

Or it got lost somewhere most likely.

So! Plan B it is!

Fight.

I halt so suddenly the air breaks at the sheer force it generates.

In one motion, I draw my sword from its scabbard, the broken blade reconstituting itself with a golden glow, as I turn.

In this near-total magical black blackout, I can't truly see.

Susanoo, fortunately, lets me at least see him.

His figure, cackling and lit up with lightning, is just barely enough to let me catch it.

As I turn, I see his form barreling down on me.

With my eyes, I can see his muscles twitch and tense as they move.

As he swings.

I tilt slightly and swing up.

Flesh tears and the hall shudders as a heavy blade strikes the ground.

Susanoo and I stare each other in the eye.

My left shoulder hisses as it reforms from being cut nearly down to the bone.

Susanoo, meanwhile, chuckles mirthlessly…as blood trickles down my blade of aura.

It looks so much like normal blood, I'm almost surprised.

"You little…fucking brat…" he grumbles, teeth grinding as he glares down upon me, "...I haven't gotten injured since the last war…you…dare."

I look at his wound, a cut going up from his right breast to his right shoulder.

Then I look back at him.

"I didn't dare. I did." I sneered back, "Maybe, it wouldn't have happened if you weren't such a whiny baby bitch?"

His left side muscles twitched.

I breathe.

It's sad how my dear Uncle is the first one that gets to see this, but needs must I guess.

Sun Breathing.

The star in my chest pounded, as Susanoo moved.

Fake Rainbow.

His hand closed around nothing but air as I twisted past him and flashed all around him.

On every single side, one the floor, on the ceiling, on each side of the wall, an afterimage appeared.

Several dozens, and if I had more space, I could conjure hundreds.

But that'll do for now.

Susanoo snarls storm winds building around himself before he swings out wide, slashes of air spiral out all around him.

My blade ignites into pure crimson flames in response, as I stab forward.

Sunflower Thrust.

Flames spiral and burst from my blade, propelled by the sheer force of my impale, they form a sideways cyclone that rushes out straight for him, only spiraling out quicker and hotter as they are caught in his winds.

Susanoo raises his blade high, both hands on the hilt, before swinging down, cutting the incoming flaming cyclone in two, and forcing it to disperse.

Through the fire and flames, I fly over him, my halos flaring out as I swing down upon his head.

Clear Blue Sky.

A blade of roaring fire arcs down, to meet a blade of cackling lightning.

Sparks fly as our blades clashing echoes throughout the hall, sending shockwaves of heart and force all around.

I smile down at the pissed-off god, as he just gets more frustrated.

"Two months." I simply state, "And look where I am now."

"What are you yapping about now, brat…" He barks back at me.

"Let's just say…your Dad knows some neat tricks," I watch with massive amounts of mirth, as his eyes widen, and his teeth bare at me, "and is a very excellent teacher. Two months. Now look where I am now."

"You…are not…stronger than me, BRAT!"

He screams as lightning erupts from his form, lashing out like the world's most dangerous plasma globe lamp.

Which I just so happened to be right next to, even for just a second.

My smoking form lands, skidding across the ground on my feet a ways away from him, my muscles twitching slightly as lightning courses through them.

I click my tongue, and stretch my neck as the twitching turns to trembling, then slowly settles after.

"I know." I state, half seriously, half mockingly, "You're rusty, impaired by your mother, all that blah blah blah…all I'm saying is, you won't be stronger than me for long."

I can feel the sheer disdain from him generated by that statement.

Ah. Right in the pride. Where it hurts the most.

"I'll kill you." He suddenly says, plainly, simply.

Hmm?

"She'll get over it. Just like the last time I killed her favorite pet." His grip on his blade tightened so much that his hand began to shake, "They'll do a song and dance when she hides away. She'll come back. She'll be fine. But you? You. Won't."

His open hand lashed out, and the airflow returned, slamming into me like a wall, carrying me down and to the end of the hall with enough force to temporarily make me see stars.

"So. Do your tired uncle a favor."

I blink the stars out of my vision as the deity seemingly appears right in front of me.

"And stay still."

Pitch-black taint drips from his blade now, like the venom coursing from a snake's fang, as he swings it down.

Every single sense, every single instinct, every single part of me screams to not let that blade even knick me now.

So I twist, kicking off the wall with all my available might for extra force to propel myself out of the way.

A cold shiver travels up my back as I step, one now barefoot on the ground.

Why? Because his blade nicked it.

Then my shoe melted off, nearly instantly.

A realization occurs.

Tobio's blade killed Kagustuchi. It has fire powers.

So, logically speaking, since Susanoo's blade killed the snake to end all snakes…

It inherited its venom.

Fuck.

Plan A 2.0 it is.

"Don't run." He intones as I start doing just that.

The winds return, this time pulling me back towards him like the first time he started calling upon the winds on me.

I, of course, immediately fill this newly created airway with as much crimson-hot fire as I can pack into a hallway.

Which turns out to be a lot.

I hear him roar in indignation as the flames sweep over him, backed by his winds fueling them.

In turn, he immediately cuts that line of attack and proceeds to barrel through the remaining wall of flames with enough speed and force to part them.

Flames pour out my feet and hands as if jet engines.

The Palace will be fine, but I won't be if I let that sword touch me!

The resulting explosion of utter force from the amount of fire released shakes the hall and sends me shooting off like a living rocket.

Even then, through the fire and flames, he rushes through it all, keeping on my tail with barely a grunt as he gets slowly boiled in the fire.

Not like he seems to care.

Also, he's gaining on me.

So that's kind of an issue.

Another intersection, another path blocked with only one way to take.

Down I go.

With my sheer speed, I nearly slam face-first into the far wall, but don't.

Thankfully.

I nearly do that several times, but don't, as I try and think of something to deal with that sword.

I don't get very far beyond destroying it, but how the hell am I supposed to do that!?

"Got you."

Over the roar of rampaging flames, I heard his voice.

It gave me barely enough time to move my foot out of the way before that sword came cutting through the blaze straight for me.

I lost another shoe, as even then, it nicked it.

The more pressing problem at the moment was that I lost my balance, and as a result, rather than continue straight ahead, I dipped down.

Smacking into the ground like a fish fresh out of the sea, with no time to correct with him so close, I turned onto my side, took every ounce of breath I gathered up to this point, and exhaled it all out.

As the mother of fireballs, of course.

The push from this sent me skidding across the ground hard, but it at least gave me distance.

Until I left the hall into a much more open space, barreled through the whole thing in a second, and with no way to turn, slammed into a wall at long last.

Out of breath, dazed, and head spinning, I manage to wobbly rise to my feet with a groan, grasping on the wall as I do.

I'm in…the throne room again? Where else could be so open?

A pulse of Holy Spirit Power outlines it for me, confirming it.

We went in one big circle, huh? Fuck…

Thunderous steps resound throughout the hall, into the throne room.

Double fuck.

As Susanoo enters, I can see the smoke wafting off his sparking form.

"Heh." I chuckle, "Paybacks a bitch, ain't it?"

He snorts, "Acting like this is significant damage…be quiet, and accept your fate."

"Haha! No…no, I don't think I will…" I straighten my stance, letting my breathing and powers flow, "to either of those things, of course. Gotta give you the verbal ribbing with the physical, ya know?"

He snarls in a manner only fit for a beast, before pointing his sword at me.

Guess I'm destroying that sword now.

As for how to do it? Well, how does one deal with all things?

My blade shines as I pour more and more Holy Spirit Power into it, its form seemingly solidifying rapidly the more I push into it.

Hit it really, really fucking hard.

Sun Halo–

Several times, if need be.

Dragon Head Dan–

"STOP!"

Huh?

Both me and Susanoo suddenly go stock still, absolutely befuddled.

That voice…

Tobio?

Where in the fuck is he!?

What sounds like the desperate thumping of footsteps approaches, but they're so soft due to the dark cladding the floor that I can't tell where it's coming from.

Susanoo, across from me, tenses, his eyes shifting across the room.

"...I'm…I'm here…Enough, both of you." He calls out weakly.

Okay. But like, where are you, exactly?

"I…accept. Lord Susanoo. Please…just–"

And I'm done with this!

If this lets him see where he is fine.

If this lets him use his lightning, that's also fine.

I need to at least try this!

I raise my blade, which I've been pumping full of Holy Spirit Power.

With a flex of the star pounding in my chest, all of that power becomes light.

The throne room lights up in an instant.

There you are.

Almost directly between the two of us, just a step or two to the side, Tobio is standing there.

As soon as the light fills the room, he actually flinches and tries to stagger away.

I'm not shocked, the man looks a step away from falling over dead with how pale he is now.

Still. None of that.

I don't need to touch him. I simply need to get the light to him.

So, I swing my sword, and the light focusing across my 'blade' shimmering before exploding out, heading right towards him.

But it wasn't as though Susanoo was idly himself.

No, my pure white light was joined by violet and blue of a much more violent sort, coming directly from his hands like some sort of knock-off Emperor Palpatine.

It was barely a moment, but I caught it.

My light made Tobio cast a shadow.

A shadow that suddenly moved.

Our lights didn't clash. They didn't hit Tobio at the same time.

Susanoo's lightning was faster.

The only reason Tobio is still standing is because of the large fluffy dog held in his arms, twitching and sparking and whimpering.

Tobio looked down, my light sparkling all across his body, color slowly returning to skin, and clarity returning to his eyes.

He uttered one horrified and confused word, "...Jin?"