CH24: Akasha

Getting punched by someone dozens of times stronger than me hurt. My arm snapped like a twig, and the wall behind me didn't hold up very long. She followed up with a kick to my chest that nearly snapped all of my ribs. Fortunately, my bones were strong and didn't shatter into powder. However, it completely screwed up my breathing. Akasha Bloodriver's crimson red eyes glared at me with absolute fury as a suit of bone armor gathered around her. She felt like darkness itself, and I wasn't doing so hot.

From my inventory, I activated the skill disk Seventh Divine Cruz.

Skill Learned

Seventh Divine Cruz: Beginner 0%

I slowly stood up to my feet, ready to take full advantage of her weakness of holy or light element attacks. But instead, my aura cloak layered itself around my body, thickening in several places to boost my defenses to their maximum. I pushed my qi enhancement, my muscles bulged, and my speed dropped like a stone.

My hands shot up to protect myself from a skull-shattering kick. Both my arms snapped, and the woman moved to hit my legs with a devastating leg sweep. Afterimages of the woman appeared as she attacked from multiple angles; it was everything I could do to protect my vitals. All the while, I pushed my muscles to bulge, expanding my body artificially with qi. Finally, I managed to leap over her leg sweep and floated upwards with my will alone.

Blood spewed from my mouth as another blow crawled between my guard. I slammed hard into the ground and barely rolled away from an earth-shattering kick. Her movements and techniques were like Moka's except refined to a razor's edge. It was fun.

My wounds were already healed thanks to the hogyoku; she was really the best girl. I felt utter happiness flow through me from the hogyoku and a little worry. A worry entered my mind I hadn't really thought about before. I hadn't given her a name, and I could die here from a random Gotcha grab.

"So what? You'll keep your qi and form a new body with it using your Shinigami form as a mold. I really don't see the problem." My zanpakuto said.

The hogyoku calmed down a little at that statement. But, really, she was so excitable. My attachment to my human body wouldn't allow me to give it up so easily. I knew I could push it further with a little more time.

I blasted Akasha with an aura sphere before she could land a kick. The great thing about bulking up, besides increasing my defense, was that I could pack in more qi. More qi let me charge my aura spheres faster than ever. All for the low cost of over half my speed, something I already lost in. my attack had only slowed Akasha's attack a little. The blow slammed down on my shoulder, but my body was overflowing with power at that point.

Her eyes narrowed, and I knew her next attack would be significantly stronger. She might not have even been trying to kill me. Instead, the woman fought me with both her hands tied behind her back and was winning effortlessly.

Akasha Bloodriver's PL had increased from the moment she opened her eyes. It was even stronger than that dark presence when it slept. Even as we stared down, I prepared my body for ascension and the Seventh Divine Cruz. To win this, I needed both skills active, and there wasn't a guarantee I would survive using them.

Ascension wasn't something I would ever use lightly. It condensed all the qi in my body and transformed it into a form of pseudo cultivation. It's like cultivating cultivation or cultivation squared, and it scared me. It doesn't sound so bad to an outside observer until it's used on a human body. Burnout already affected my body from aura; ascension was so much worse. But I needed it to compete in the same weight class as Akasha. So, I prepared not only to use ascension but use it in conjunction with possibly the strongest light skill I've ever heard about.

I began engaging the skill preparing my body for one hell of an increase. "Mother," Inner Moka shouted from the Rosary. While outer, Moka stared in shock at her mother.

My hands clapped together as I prepared to activate ascension. "Stop fighting; he's my mate, mother; you can't keep hazing him." Inner Moka said.

Akasha giggled before relaxing and letting her aura die down. I shut down ascension before it could launch, turned my head to the side, and puked a gut full of blood. The Hogyoku was working quickly, but I had already started condensing my qi to unleash it.

Ascension: Beginner 0.01%

"Why didn't you draw me during the fight?" My zanpakuto asked.

"Sorry, after the first kick, I assumed only ascension and the new skill would do the job. Unfortunately, Shikai is only a 5 to 6 times multiplier, and she was already dozens of times stronger than me. I would have lost even if I somehow learned your name in that battle. When we get back to the academy, I'll start practicing meditation so we can finally meet." I said mentally to my zanpakuto.

"I don't understand; how am I here? I thought it was another nightmare from Alucard." Akasha said.

Inner Moka sighed in the Rosary. "My mate has an ability that lets him randomly take things from around the world. You were apparently something he could liberate."

Akasha's eyes widened. "Then there is nothing holding Alucard back from waking."

"I doubt Alucard is any stronger than you," I said and puked again. Blood kept pouring out of me, but the hogyoku worked quickly to keep me together. Even starting the process to use ascension had done a number on me."

"You're human; I'm so sorry I didn't know. When I woke up, you were staring at places you shouldn't and reaching lower." Akasha said.

"You were the last to be summoned, so you fell on top of everything else, including a syringe of something hazardous." I raised my hand and willed the shadow clone Jutsu skill disk out of Yukari's hands. The other stuff followed shortly, fitting nicely in my inventory.

"Dangerous to my mother or," Inner Moka asked.

"If it got on her, we wouldn't have to worry about Alucard or anything else. Your mother would have transformed into the goddess of all monsters. I'm not joking; it contained the primal essence of all monsters." I said.

"So it would turn me into something like Alucard," Akasha said.

"Who is Alucard?" Inner Moka asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear, you've been contained for so long. Let me release you." Akasha said and removed the Rosary. The woman held the device, and it seemed to disappear inside her. "There now, you'll be free to live your life with the one you love."

"What about outer Moka?" I asked.

"She lives on in my daughter; they aren't as separate as they appear, and thank you for caring for my daughter. Moka, why don't you share some of your blood with him."

A raised a hand to stop her. "I'm ok; just give me a second to catch my breath. You forced me to start up a dangerous ability. If I had unleashed it, we might both be dead."

"You can barely stay on your feet. I could give you some of my blood. From the memories contained in the Rosary, I wouldn't mind trying it. But, I'm so thirsty."

I saw that look before on outer Moka. Well, the gluttony had to come from somewhere. Kurumu rushed to my aid and stood between the obviously hungry vampire and me.

"You aren't feeding on Arakan, there are thousands of humans in this city, and we have a play to watch."

"I love plays; what's it called."

"Vampire Knight, mother, it's great to see you again. But, please don't eat my mate; you've hazed him enough already." Moka said.

"I'll wait until he recovers," Akasha said and smiled. "I'm out and free, and through the Rosary, I can feel my other self still inside Alucard. This world really isn't like my world. There are devils, angels, and gods everywhere, and they ensured our kingdom fell. But there are many Tepes unlike in my world. Too bad Akua is a girl; she would rule the clan by now if she were male."

"Arakan, how long will it take you to become stronger than me."

The pink-haired vampire dropped her armor, flashing me with her boobs soft pink in the moonlight. My mind stalled for a second before I got it under control.

"After I recover, I'll be stronger than you in 6 months at my current progress. My Burnout isn't bad this time. I'll be fully recovered by morning." I said.

I held a nostril and blew, blasting a glob of mixed mucus blood on the ground. "Wow, that's amazing. I didn't know humans had so much potential without an infusion of monster blood. You smell completely human, too, with no changes."

"Mother, you aren't wrecking my marriage before it begins."

"Moka sharing is caring," Akasha said with a very outer Moka grin on her face.

Moka crossed her fangs and looked ready to throw a fit. However, she looked adorable in her red dress. Now that the fighting was over, I could relax a little.

…

Yukari held up a summoning scroll while the others were distracted. Arakan was weakened by Moka's mother, and it was time to attack. She removed Ruby's bindings for added support. The senior witch looked over the summoning scroll with her before Yukari rolled it up. All for one has so many powers and abilities it was insane; she had never heard of such a powerful, pure human before. He was what Arakan called superhuman and utterly vulnerable to witchcraft.

She cut Ruby's bindings with a spell and returned the senior witch her wand. If Arakan wasn't suffering from Burnout by his own admission, she wouldn't have tried it. Yukari took off her long ear and stored the device away. This was an opportunity too good to pass up, but there were some concerns. Yukari read her tarot cards repeatedly. Each time she flipped them, Yukari received a different answer. It was like destiny fate itself didn't know what to do with him. Any time she added him to her divinations, they became completely random. She couldn't even use them to impress Moka either. Arakan was the problem, and there could be only one solution. Unfortunately, without divination, she couldn't hedge on the odds.

"Can your mistress do it?" Yukari asked.

This conspiracy wouldn't last a second if Arakan knew she was against him. He killed Kuyo, raped his second in command, and tore down the PSC building. The little witch didn't care how Moka tried to put it; that's what happened and what everyone knows happened. After a month, Keito was already showing but wouldn't say anything.

She didn't know how Moka could love someone like that. At first, Yukari thought her beloved had been charmed and attempted every finite or cleansing potion she knew. But, nothing worked; whatever Arakan did was undetectable and powerful in the same way he could blow away her wards. So, she decided to be sneaky.

Yukari was a genius who had an eye for spells and their meaning. The number of familiars Ruby's master had mastered the branches of magic known as Contract, Vampirism, and Binding. She wouldn't trust a being like Arakan, bound and contracted to Ruby's mistress. Fortunately, that wasn't a problem. Once bound and contracted, Ruby's mistress could absorb All for One and gain all of his powers.

Ruby waved her wand and flung Yukari across the room. Her back hit. "Thank you, I'll get this back to my mistress quickly. Keep Arakan distracted; this will take some time with the field destroyed. There isn't as much mana in the air anymore."

Yukari felt conflicted only for a moment before hardening her resolve. Arakan had to be beaten, or he would become a major power like the last dark lord. He would make waves and destroy the fragile peace they had. If Yukari didn't bring him down, eventually, no one could; except gods, angels, and devils. But, more importantly, he stood between her and Moka.

She cast a spell to throw up a dust cloud and warded Ruby, noticing me not charms for every species she could think of. It was the only way to have a chance at beating him. She would have to find a way to get him to go alone. Maybe she could use the excuse that Moka should spend time with her mother. Even if Kurumu went, it wouldn't matter. All for one was too powerful for Kurumu to make a difference. Add a witch's body and skills to that, and neither Arakan nor Kurumu would survive. Then Yukari would have her Moka all to herself.

…

We returned to the apartment to see a gaping hole beside the one Akasha had made with my body. Ruby was missing, probably on her way back to her master. Maybe Yukari really is too young to handle important work like guarding prisoners. She's 11, so my expectations weren't that high, but Ruby was tied up, and her wand was on the other side of the room. The girl was a mess of tears, comforted by Akasha. Moka only glared down at the girl in utter contempt. While outer Moka was still in there somewhere, the new complete Moka wasn't dealing with Yukari.

"We should have bound her to the bed," Moka said.

"It would have only turned her on. You already have one witch pining after you do you want another." Kurumu said.

Moka huffed and glared at me. "Well, aren't you going to chase her down and end the threat before it can begin?"

I checked the time. "That is an option, but they are a coven of two without an army. So why should I bother getting rid of them? Isn't this a job for the magical police? They normally frown upon such overt actions from what I learned in world survival class." I turned on the faucet and splashed some water on my face to get some of the blood off.

My whole face looked like a giant bruise, but it was healing fast. Akasha really did a number on me. I reached into my mouth and plucked out the remains of a broken tooth by the root. A new one grew slowly in its place. I tossed it in the sink and watched it plummet down the drain.

"We can still make it to the theatre if we leave soon. Your mother can come too. I bet she would love to see a play." I grabbed Moka's hand and pulled her closer. "Let's not let a little thing like an escaped witch ruin our night. We can have our date, and you can bond with your mother at the same time. You won't get to do that until next break after we get back." I said.

Yukari spoke up. "You should wait until after play and go after her. Witches are great at holding grudges and maximizing preparation. Give even a coven of two too much time, and they will find something or a make a deal with something strong enough to fight you."

I thought about it. Going to see the play should give me plenty of time to heal in case the witches have something dangerous planned. Really, I should make some preparations of my own. I thought about the chakra fruit and its warning. Even if I gain the attention of outsiders, they wouldn't be a problem. A chakra fruit was what I needed to boost my body to the next level. Gaining access to the shadow clone Jutsu was also something I planned to use and exploit. My decision was practically made already. I took out the chakra fruit and took a big bite of it.

Suddenly, a mighty heat spread through my body. I could feel myself changing pathways were forming throughout my body, controlled by the hogyoku. A roaring inferno of energy exploded in my gut after I took the bite. It was wild and untrained, but I felt it strengthen my body dozens of times in a moment. I quickly consumed the rest of the fruit, adding to the growing inferno. I didn't know a thing about chakra, but having it from the chakra fruit multiplied my frail human body about 50 times over. Better yet, the chakra in my system protected my body from my qi, acting as a buffer like cartilage between bones.

Once I knew how to use chakra, my base physique would only grow stronger, increasing the amount of qi my body could handle. By eating some fruit, I had created a chasm between Burnout and me. Even if I only used chakra for shadow clones, the cap for my training had drastically increased. My qi enhancement could go even further beyond. Ascension would probably still give me instant Burnout, but I could try it out.

Moka pinched the bridge of her nose. "What did you just eat?"

"A fruit containing the life of a planet," I said without missing a beat.

Moka opened her mouth and closed it. "You're ridiculous; let's go to the play; I'm sitting in your lap and drinking your blood. I need it to cope."