Against The Gods Part 2

"Nothing really. These are personal things and desires. Has nothing to really do with any of you." Shizuru said. "Or are you saying we know everything about you?"

"No.. We don't. I am sorry." Reo said.

"Who did you kill?" Yoko asked.

"Enemy soldiers." She shrugged. "I was going to be a Docotor anyway. A soldier was a good way for me to understand the value of life more. Anyway this helped a lot. It was something to get over. My grandpa noticed instantly something changed about me."

"How can you live with yourself?" Freya mumbled.

"Very easily actually. I protected a lot of people. More than anything, I want to get back and continue my life as a soldier and protect Japan in the future as a dotor later. For little brats like you can continue to do whatever they want."

"That is not.."

"Shut up." Shizuru said strongly.

"As in seriously shut up. The trap has sprung." Yumeko chimed in to make her point.

"What trap?" Reo asked. The others already at the ready weapons poised for combat. " Who is there?"

"Heheehe, little virgins how nice." A man said coming down from the air. A few others following behind him landing. All were dressed in red robes. "You will sell, sell really well."

"Pft as if." Freya said stepping forward. "Leave now why you still can." The Elder was a 1st rank Throne. The others all Spirit Realm. 'Not really too important are they. Most likely up to know good in this area.'

"I am an Elder of the Phoenix Empire. Do you honestly think you can oppose me?" The Elder tried to throw his authority around. Despite not being in his own Empire. The Phoenix Empire did have a lot of pull to some people.

"Pft, we are students of the Shinrai Ryu. Your sect is nothing to us." Flexing her witch blade she shot into the air. Axe coming down in a crescent in the other.

"You brat!" The Elder said lightly. With a huff, pressure shot out his nostrils. It smacked effortlessly against the jumping girl surprising him. "Nice trick." He raised his hand and felt sweat come down his backside. "Ahhh!" Scared he struck out.

*Bang!* A noise of steel against steel rang out. The Elder stepped back spitting a little blood. Righting himself he was caught as the axe swung out. *Bang!* His highly cultivated arm broke and dangle pitifully.

"Ahhh!" Screaming in pain, the Elder activated his Phoenix Flames and attacked in fury. "Die!"

*Crring!* The flame fist was blocked by the witch blade covered in a clear flame. Her training with Titan paid off well.

"Burning Claw!" Shizuru shouted. She matched blows and struck out. "Die bastard!" Circulating her energy, the flames inserted as the Witchblade lit up.

"You will make an enemy of the Phoenix Empire child."

"We already are. You people are rotten. Only some deserve to live."

"Hah!" Yumeko took that time to make her move. She stabbed at one of the boys ending his life instantly. Dragging the corpse, she dropped it in front of Freya. "You plan on just watching?!"

"I.. Just.." Freya and the others just looked away.

"Pathetic. You know the Mind-Reading Technique. Lettie made it a must! Read this bastard's mind before his soul completely departs." She turned looking at her friend finish up. "I am disappointed in all of you. A chance to change a World and you are squandering it. Titan will be told of this. There is no point in bringing you to places like this again."

*Fwoosh!* She jumped into the air after the others. Letting none escape was the rule he gave them for certain sects.

"Shit.." Yoko cursed.

"What am I doing.." Freya mumbled to herself. "..this is what I wanted right? To be strong? To change things!"

"Freya!" Hibiki said to her absentminded friend. Tears fresh down her cheeks. "This guy.. He has.. Ugh, I am going to have nightmares."

"I will look as well." Moving over she activated the technique Lettie taught them to read a soul. "Ugh!" Freya threw up as she dived too deeply in her current state.

Shown to her was this boy killing "peasants" as he called them.

Just because he could. He didn't do it in the Phoenix empire.. But everywhere else he threw his weight around. He was a wimp as well as the others. They sold themselves to the Elder as lackeys. Doing the most apprehensive things. The Elder had dealing with the Divine Palace. A sycophant sect full of demented people.

"Shit Shit Shit!" Ami was shaking in rage. She pulled out her more powerful metal fans and threw them. "DIE YOU BASTARDS!" The fans chased down a fleeing member of the phoenix sect.

"Woah!" Titan said as he flew over. He felt a dangerously strong pull in his psyche from the mark he left on them. "Mental Cleansing!" He targeted each of them restoring them back to normal.

Shizuru attacked brutally and unrestrained. The Witchblade wielder cutting the Elder in two and burning his body. The Witchblade activated absorbing the soul instantly inside. Supplementing her power.

"Titan!" Yoko cried out. In an instant he landed by her. "This place is awful!"

"It is different I told you all that." Titan looked at her trying to calm her a little before looking towards the others. "Protect!" The spell went off. Giving them all an increase in defense.

"Haaaaa! Different is an understatement." Yumeko said. She came over a little tired. "I went full throttle a little bit.

"Stay still!" Titan said a little in worry he placed both hands around her head as he healed her slowly and carefully. Pulling energy from the sides with his Pather power, he made sure nothing went wrong. "I am not waiting anymore." Pushing a Medium and a Low pull into her to change her status. The energy broke apart healing her eyes and giving her the benefits of a Companion.

"Mmmm that's nice." She giggled before fainting. She ran out of energy. "Taste like sunshine." The others looking around at the bloodshed.

"Haa, she will be oK." Titan lifted her up and looked around. A quick wash of energy and the bodies were removed. "Time to go for now." A platform spread out underneath and they floated away back to Blue Wind Kingdom's Palace. Up till a sensation caused Titan to change course. A few minutes later they arrived at a cave entrance.

*Bwoom!* A barrier was in the way. Titan ignored it by pushing against and threatening to Destroy if it didn't move away.

*Woom!* An opening allowed them to pass the entrance. Deep inside they traveled till they came across a giant eyeball.

"What is that!?" Freya asked first.

"A phoenix spirit." Titan said. "So Big red bird, not to be rude but I am in a rush. I need to get these girls back to a safe place. So give me some Phoenix blood droplets and I restore your body for you. What's it going to be?"

"Hmm, a User. It has been some time since I have come across one. None have done what you claimed. They have just said they will." The voice boomed out sending energy towards them. Titan raised his hand blocking it to the side. Couldn't let his students get hit by that afterall. "It matters not if you are lying here is a drop."

"Ehh a drop. Whatever then." Titan created a body and sent it towards the spirit. Turning to leave he felt like he wasted his time. 'Ah well.'

"Wait!" The spirit yelled. "This body is completely compatible with me! This... Do you have a better one?" The Pride of a Phoenix was gone. Whether desperation or something more would require some digging.

"Not for no stupid one drop I don't. Besides you can put some of yourself inside and then cultivate it up to what you need." Titan's good mood was already leaving him. The biotic strands from those that died in the cave tasted like crap.

"I can give more! Several more wait!" The spirit pleading seeing Titan keept going. Never had it felt so insulted by a User! It did not want to pass up the chance. "I can teach you a special technique!"

"You know I can acquire one on my own." Titan retorted.

"I think we should help it." Yoko said. She pulled his sleeve to get his full attention. "Besides, it is a Phoenix and it would be great to have another ally in this World."

"Haaa, fine." Turning the platform back around he pulled back up. "Alright go ahead."

"Here is the manual." The spirit sent it's consciousness out and felt surprised from the contact. "You have a version of it already! This will help supplement it. And your body is compatible more than it should be!"

"Ugh, next time try being gentle jeez." Titan grimaced as he wiped the blood from his nose. Taking in the blood droplets to help circulate the manual as it said to do. THe blood he wiped gave off an spirtual odor of its own.

"You have your own Phoenix blood!"

"What are you talking about? No I don't.." Titan shook his head denying it till he saw the message.

System: Phoenix Bloodline awakened.

"Arrrhhhg!" Titan jumped away from the girls toward the Phoenix. "Put up a flame barrier protecting them now!" Obeying the Phoenix did so. Just in time as Titan detonated in power. The entire area turned white from the intensity of the flames.

The Winged Dragon of Ra appeared behind. As well as Obelisk the Tormentor. But Obelisk remained for a moment before disappearing into a Rift. The Millenium Eye shining brightly as it relinquished it go somewhere.

'So powerful. I will need this man for the future. A better chance at life this time.' The Phoenix thought as she pulled the girls closer and dropped a feather onto each of them. 'There now. Hopefully, that will gain me some points with him.'

"Will he be OK?" Freya asked towards the Phoenix. Looking at the large creature was awe inspiring.

"He will be fine. It is just the awakening of his bloodline." Shizuru said. "At worse, he drops a realm. Maybe even two. But his energy will have more of a richness to it."

"I wonder if I can get him to teach his more intense flame moves now?" Yumeko said. She laid on the platform propped up by Reo.

"You two are something else."Freya said from behind. "You trust him completely already don't you?" they nodded to her. "Why?"

"Besides his tone and few personal beliefs, he has not mistreated us. There was so much he could have done to us but didn't. That in itself makes him someone worth following."

"I can find no one better." Yumeko said. "All the good men are taken in our World. I spent points and checked how many times I became a Follower of someone. It has happen a total of 6/ 7651290 times. I am no Pillar like you Freya. Just a nobody who gets used by a few Users in trades or worse as monster bait."

"I didn't know. It is not my fault that happens to you!" Freya felt a sickening sensation run up her spine.

"Sure about that?" Shizuru said bluntly.

"What?"

"You said you would come back for us. You never did each time that I saw. I saw you once. Once! And I was dying of old age at the time. You didn't even recognize it was me." Yumeko said crying. "Some friend you are. You pursued your own dreams and forgot about us!"

"That was not me though! You cannot blame me for that!"

"Yet you are doing exactly as the other you did right now. Pushing us away saying it is safer for us! Not your decision." Shizuru said.

The area became quiet. The occasional fluctuation of energy from Titan the only real noise. In another six hours it was over. He emerged with a slightly reddish complexion added to his skin. The red in his hair turned lighter. His eyebrows were sharper and darker.

"He looks more like the people here." Reo said. "Oh he is changing back!"

"Ah, that was just weird." Titan said. He kicked his toes on the ground before jumping towards the others. "Whew sorry about t.. that.. Why does everyone look and feel so sad. Did I miss something again?" The Biotic strands were pretty charged from them.

"Just a few problems is all." Ami said smiling.

"I have not been a very good friend apparently." Freya said.

"Just future you sucks ass. And you are currently going the same way." Shizuru said.

"Explain everything, now!" Titan said looking at them. His brow furrowed as he felt things were getting bad. It took only twenty minutes for him to get the full gist of things. "Haaa, that is just childish. But understandable. I can relate to that. Ok, so this is what's gonna happen. Freya get over that you can not control them. Unless you plan to best them in a fight right now."

"I.. No that is not what I want." Freya didn't look away as she wanted to understand her friends.

"Good. You two I am disappointed in you. You should not have told her this. You alienated her and the rest due to your anger."

"Sorry Teacher." They both cupped their fists and bowed. Looking at each other, they both had the same idea. "It is teachers fault for not spending enough time with us. Not guiding us properly. The student learns from the teacher after all."

"Perhaps." Titan thought. His hand drumming against his shoulder. "I have not spent a lot of time with you all due to my own personal issues with Lluvia. Sorry about that. Really hate seeing certain things right now."

"You can make it up to us easily." Shizuru said with a smirk.

"Very well, how?" Titan asked without thinking. His guard was down ad he was a little preoccupied with his body changes. 'I feel actually lightheaded.'

"Take us both all the way. No matter what happens in the future!"

"I promised that already. No biggie."

"That means as partners as well." Yumeko's grin broadens even further.

"Wait what? Why would you want that?"

"Because Lluvia has poisoned the water hole currently. You look distressed about that. As well as staying to guarded verbally. It is suffocating." Shizuru's words caught him off guard. "A little help from Lettie clued me in on something. I have good intuition to." She said knowingly.

"Sorry about that. I will work that bit of foolish out at once. Guess it is time I make amends. Despite not wanting to." Titan looked at the Phoenix next. "Here, a stronger body for you. You can keep the other as well."

"Thank you. However, I have something else in mind." The Phoenix said. A small ball floated into the body Titan just made. It came to life instantly. "I wish to Follow you and learn everything it means to be human. The rest of me will stay here. With the you that remains here in our World. Going to teach your students what it knows."

System: Grand Pillar Primordial Phoenix wishes to become a Follower. Do you accept?

"Accept." Titan nodded and looked at the girls. You have another teacher to help you. We should go now." With a wave of his hand, the new Phoenix body left with them. All that remained were the bodies and a piece of their soul of everyone that stood back.