Chapter 15: A Biblical Lesson and a Godly Moron

Disclaimer: I do not own Highschool DxD but…yeah no, I got nothing. I just wanted to write that. I own the OCs but…I like writing the word but.

The Great War.

The battle between God, the Four Satans, and the Grigori. Between Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels.

In a time long before, God created the Angels in his image to be his enforcers, his protectors, his children. But like all beings that have free will, there will always be the ones that do not conform to their creators will. Angels like Azazel and Shemhazai opposed God's teachings and he cast them out of his kingdom into the Underworld. Then came Lucifer, Asmodeus, Beelzebub, and Leviathan. No one really knew why, maybe he felt regretful, maybe he couldn't bring himself to do it personally, maybe he wanted to give them a fighting chance. Regardless, God gave the Satan's and the Grigori time to build their forces. In all of the Satan's infinite arrogance, they knew if God wanted to raid the Underworld with his army of Angels then the infant Devil race wouldn't have stood a chance. So centuries passed and their armies grew, The 72 Pillars were created, the Grigori's forces expanded, and God created more Angels fit for war. Small battles still occurred when the Three Factions met but the rule ofwas to wait for that spark. That one small trigger that will blow the fire keg and really signify the beginning.

That spark was the death of Jesus.

God created the very first Longinus from the spear that pierced Jesus' side, The True Longinus, and commanded his Angels to charge. The war was on. The massive armies amassed by all three sides clashed and bloodshed reigned. The Seraphs against the Satans, the Ultimate-Class' versus the Burning Angels, Azazel and his Cadres also joined the fight. It was mayhem. It wasn't just the Biblical Factions that were fighting either, many Yokai, European monsters, Spirits, Fairies, and even some Dragons got involved. 1,400 years passed and God finally descended to the battlefield. The Great War ended that day.

The Four Satan's died, God "retreated" back into Heaven and Azazel took his remaining Fallen Angels back to the Underworld. There was no winner or peace, just uneasy silence. With the death of the Satans, the Bael Clan took control of the Devil Race and chose not to go to war again. A century of rest passed and so came the year 1500. That year signified the beginning of a new age. Why? Because of the union between a certain red haired Gremory Clan head and a brown haired Ruin Princess. Sirzechs Gremory was born. A paragon at birth, with his inherent talent for the Power of Destruction so strong, only his mother could hold him. At 12 he was stronger than most battle hardened High Class Devils. At 20, he reached the Ultimate-Class and was unmatched. At 30, he gained power that could've matched the Original Satans. His childhood friend and rival, Ajuka Astaroth, was not too far behind. Matching his strength tit for tat, Ajuka also created an invention that can reincarnate other races and make them Devils. He called them Evil Pieces. Ajuka gave the first ones to his father and Sirzech's father, Zeoticus Gremory, to try out. They were a success. They were not the only geniuses. Serafall Sitri, Falbium Glasya-Labolas, Grayfia Lucifuge, etc. Devils with great talent started popping up everywhere and the Underworld was in a buzz, decades passed.

Then the original descendants came.

They wanted to reignite the war and complete the goal the Four Satan's wanted, to be Kings of the World. Sirzechs and his generation didn't want that. They had no experience with war and had no desire to know, all they wanted was the preservation of the Devil race. The Bael Clan were of the same mind and the original descendants didn't like that. The Underworld was now in a different kind of buzz.

"…"

"…"

"…Well?" Damian seemed confused by that.

"Well what?"

"W-what do you mean well what!?" I looked at him like he was crazy. "T-That's it?"

"There has been talk of the original descendants making connections and factions forming." Damian looked at me in wonder. "Are you okay?"

"…Yeah, yeah I'm fine." I leaned back in my chair and felt Sophia's aura change. "You should go in the room, she's awake." Damian lifted a brow before going inside Sophia's room. My mind was in shambles.

'…Holy mother of God…' Did God have a mother? A question for another day, right now this takes priority. 'The current year was 1596…God and the Four Satan's died in the 1400s… Sirzechs and them were born on 1500…The Devil Civil War hasn't happened yet…' I triple checked all the information I was given and came to a realization.

'…Goddamn I am far from canon.' Okay, re-realization. I mean you can't really blame me; the only experiences I had with Devils were Naizer and Sophia (both times involved me kicking their asses funnily enough). Somewhere along the line I forgot all about canon and what year it was. I rubbed my forehead and headed for my room. 'Not like it really matters though.' Even if the Devil Civil War was about to happen, it currently had nothing to do with me. I had my hands full with Shiruku and I had no time to worry about the Underworld. I stopped as a very faint memory entered my mind.

'Wait a minute; didn't Sairaorg have a member of the Buné Clan in his peerage? The Extinct Buné Clan.' The only reason I remembered this was because my little sister was really getting into anime at the time and wanted to watch Highschool DxD Hero. I liked the man that can completely transform into a Dragon. 'What does that mean? Maven said they were one of the 72 Pillars and Damian said his "house" like it was still around. Did they side with the Old Satan Faction and were destroyed in the Civil War?'

I looked back to Sophia's room and shook my head. 'Not my problem.' I went to bed.

1 Day Later, Town Center

I walked pass the carts littering the main road and stopped to buy things here and there. Adrian was right, Shiruku didn't send anyone after us and the night was relatively peaceful. Sophia's beacon also said that Simon was still on Mt Fuji. I played with the blood rune as I tossed it up and down, doing coins tricks with it. The rune hasn't pulsed either so she didn't send Yua (they told me her name).

'Shame, I really wanted to punch her in the face once or twice.' I sighed at the missed chance. I didn't know what it was that made me so disgusted by the spider maiden. Maybe it was the fact she tried to mind rape me into submission. Or maybe it was because her smile just screamed crazy. Regardless, I waited for the next meeting with her and I wouldn't miss again. I had Chi Vision active just to be safe and roamed the small town.

'Oh?' I saw the young Priest I met a couple of days ago, Yukan. Vargas was still wounded in bed and we needed to wait till he was all healed. That left me with nothing to do. I might as well bother somebody since I'm free, right?

"Hey Yukan!" The young Priest turned around.

"Oh, Pierce-san it's nice to see you!" He lightly bowed and I followed suit.

"It's just Pierce man…Do you need help with that?" I saw that he was struggling with a bucket of ink and a pile of papers.

"I got this! Miss Yukina finally let me get the new shipment. I won't let her down!"

'…He'd be much more convincing if his legs weren't shaking.' The poor kid's legs looked ready to buckle. "Give me that."

"Ah!" I picked up the heavy jug of ink without effort. "U-umm, there's no need I-"

"Lead the way." Yukan looked at me before sighing and continued walking. We passed the town center and walked down an old path. There were no houses in the direction we were going and before long we walked along the shore of Lake Ashi. I saw a large Troii and when we went through it, I was lead into a majestic Shinto Shrine.

"Welcome to Hakone Gongen, Pierce-san."

"Wow…it's real nice." The Shrine had the typical aura a place meant for worship had (not an actual aura I can see with Chi but just on how it looks). After washing our hands and rinsing our mouths with water from a fountain, Yukan lead me to the main building. Even though I was a member of Adrian's party, I could still go into places of worship without it being a problem. I just couldn't break anything sacred or attack a priest/priestess. We walked by 2 Komainu statues that were on either side of the door frame. I stopped and stared at them.

'Aindrea said that Shinto Shrine's typically have protection in the form of either foxes or mythical lion-dogs called Komainu.' I tried probing with Chi Vision but I felt nothing. I moved to touch them but I heard Yukan call for me. I narrowed my eyes at the statues before shrugging and followed along. I never noticed the subtle tilt of the head the statue gave me before returning to its original position.

10 Minutes Later, Main Hall

Yukan and I eventually made it to a main hall that had a dividing frame and a podium in the middle. Yukan put down the pieces of paper he had on the podium and I put down the jug of ink next to them. Yukan bowed low to me.

"Thank you Pierce-san, I would have taken much longer to reach the Shrine if it wasn't for you." I waved my hand.

"Don't mention it. It wasn't hard but I got to know what are-"

"Yukan? Is that you?" A very serene voice rang out on the other side of the frame. Yukan's face became beet red at the voice.

"Y-yes Yukina-san, I-it's me…" I gave a weird look towards the young Priest's timid form.

'…Where the hell did the preppy and confidant act go?' I looked over at the frame curiously, wondering who could reduce Yukan to such a state. My curiosity was quickly sated as the frame opened up and pretty girl came through. Yukina had shoulder length black hair, black eyes, and was wearing a miko outfit that fit quite well with her lithe frame. She had a very beautiful smile. 'Oh…Yep, that'd do it.'

"Welcome back Yukan-kun!" Yukina's eyes practically shined when she saw Yukan and he blushed even harder at her happy tone. She looked over at me. "And who's this?"

"Oh this is-"

"I'm Pierce, I was walking by the entrance when Yukan saw me and invited me in to take a look around." Yukan was really confused by that but Yukina just seemed proud.

"But of course! Anyone that curious about the Shrine is welcome inside. I'm glad Yukan-kun was so hospitable."

"No, that's no-" I poured Chi into my arm and with superhuman speed, smacked Yukan in the back of the head. He looked back at me in confusion but Yukina didn't notice. She looked down at the jug and papers.

"Did you already get the materials?" Yukina looked up in Yukan in worry. "You should have waited for me. These must have been very heavy to carry, are you okay?"

"Actually, Pierce-" My arm became a blur as I smacked him again. I gave the most innocent face I could make as Yukan narrowed his eyes at me. "I-it's alright Yukina-san. I-I knew you were busy with your morning rituals, so I went ahead and did it." Yukan was quickly brought into a hug by Yukina.

"Oh Yukan-kun, you didn't need to do that but…thank you."

'…Yukan-kun looks ready to go subatomic if she squeezes any harder...' I watched as the young Priest went stiff and his face started glowing crimson. '…I get it now…why the majority of romance animes have their protagonist practically allergic to the opposite sex…this is fucking great to watch!' Yukina let go of Yukan and said that she will put away the materials. She'll come back to give me a tour of the shrine. I watched in amusement as Yukan dropped the floor after Yukina left, he looked like he came from a war and won from the tired/blissful look on his face.

'Ah, young love.' I bumped him with my shoulder once he got up. "Let me guess. Childhood? Reason for becoming a Priest? Are you secretly an alien but found love with a human and is trying all you can do to be with her?" He blinked.

"…What?"

"The reason for liking her." I rolled my eyes. "I can get why you find her attractive but you don't seem the shallow type." I'm not even point out the love sick puppy act (seriously, there's being obvious and then there's whatever he did).

"I-I can't explain it, it's just…well…" Yukan started motioning with his hands when words failed him and a regular person would have been stumped.

"Ahhh, I see..." I understood him completely and I placed a hand on his shoulder. "Well don't worry; I think you got a pretty good chance." He slumped in sadness.

"No, I don't. She only see's me as a little brother, a sibling. She's nice to everyone."

'…He's kidding right?' I tilted my head at the dejected boy. "Dude, I know nice people and she was polite but the look she had when seeing you said it all."

"I'm telling you that's-" Yukina came back and looked at us.

"Ready to start?" I nodded my head and Yukan started to walk away.

"I-I better get back to Priest-" Yukina stopped him.

"You're coming with us."

"B-But I need to help-" Yukina waved her hand

"They'll survive without you for an hour or 2, let's go!" Yukina dragged Yukan with her and went to the front of the shrine….completely forgetting that I was the one that needed a tour.

"…Don't have a chance my ass." I quickly followed after the two.

1 Hour Later, Offering Hall

After giving me a tour of all the different structures they had here like the Ema, Omikuji, and Shimenawa, I was finally brought to the offering hall. I stood and stared at the building as Yukina walked forward.

"This is an offering basket." She pointed to the square red basket. "Many people give donations and pray to the Gods for safety and health."

"Oh, uhhhh…" I reached into my pocket but that was only to hide me rubbing my space ring and a coin appeared in my hand. I took it out and was about to toss it in the basket but I stopped myself. I looked at Yukina. "What God do you worship here?" Not every Shrine worshipped the same Shinto Gods. Some solely focused on one and I was curious on who I was praying too.

"Amaterasu." I quirked a brow.

"Cool." I tossed the coin in and then rang the bell. I bowed twice and then clapped my hands together 2 times. I closed my eyes.

'So…what am I supposed to say?' I should probably ask for safety and health like Yukina said… but where's the fun in that? 'Amaterasu? Hello? You there? I mean, I know you exist and all that but I don't really know how this praying thing works. Athena didn't really go into detail about it but I guess I'll just say…what's up? How was your day?' I didn't get a response. 'My day has been alright. Yesterday was pretty bad all things considered but hey you win some you lose some, that's life right?' Did they leave? I couldn't feel Yukina's or Yukan's aura anymore. 'But yeah, we got time until Zeth really starts making moves so there's no point rushing it. By the way, is it true what they said about Izanami and how she's trapped in th-"

"You know, many would call you blasphemous for that prayer." A woman's voice rang out and it didn't belong to Yukina. I opened my eyes.

I saw a large fountain with chairs and tables all around it. A Japanese woman sat on one of the chairs and was drinking tea. The woman looked very regal. Straight black hair, high cheeks bone, red lips and a beauty mark right below them. She was wearing a royal purple kimono and her pupils were glowing in a golden yellow.

"…No." The woman raised a brow

"No?"

"No! No that was way too easy! I mean come on; it's one thing to meet the Greek Gods since I'm in Adrian's party but I prayed to you once and that's all it took!? Nope, I refuse! I demand a recount! Show me the rule book!" I pointed at the woman in anger and she looked at me like I was crazy. Then she started laughing.

"Athena was right, you really are unconventional!" The woman took out another cup. "Do you want some?"

"…Sure." I sighed and accepted the current situation. I sat down and looked around as Amaterasu (I'm assuming at this point) poured me some tea.

I was in a very beautiful garden, flowers that didn't belong littered the grounds, and a small lake shined on the side. Koi fish, eels, and salmon swam in the water. There was even a white dog resting on the sid-

'Wait a minute. Is that…' The dog that I thought had white fur was actually clouds covering its body. Lightning shot out periodically. '…I want to pet it.' Any desire to get up and play with the lightning dog was put on hold as Amaterasu gave me the full cup. I took a sip. "Wow, this is pretty good."

"Why thank you." Amaterasu smiled at my compliment. "Ebisu brought it back after his trip from China."

"Oh? How is it over there? I plan to explore the world in the future so I'm curious."

"It's a very beautiful country. The Ming's still rule it but I've heard their power is slowly waning. Lots of ancient structures and buildings remain in the country and I would highly recommend it." Amaterasu soon started telling me specific spots that I could go visit in China and even some places outside of it. I raised a brow at the Goddess' passionate suggestions.

"Have you been to these places?"

"No, sadly I haven't." She sighed and leaned back on her chair. "Ebisu and Inari travel a lot though and always tell me of the places they've been too. I really wish I could go."

"What's stopping you?"

"I'm the Chief Goddess, it's my duty to make sure Heaven is in strict order or else everything will go to Hell." I raised a brow in amusement.

"Was that a pun?"

"…Was it good?" I shrugged

"I thought it was funny." Amaterasu smiled proudly.

"Then yes, it was a pun."

I gave the Sun Goddess a weird look before drinking my tea and we sat in comfortable silence.

"So…" I started. "You want to explain why I'm here because I'm pretty sure my friends are freaking out on how I mysteriously disappeared."

"You never left Pierce. This is just an astral projection; your real body is still in front of the offering hall."

'Huh, that explains the outfit.' My clothes changed to a traditional kimono long ago and I did feel like I was inside my mind, like when I go into Zen Mode. I blinked when I realized the problem.

"Wait, if all this is an astral projection then how come I can drink this?" I looked down at my cup of tea.

"You can still taste and feel things in an astral projection." Amaterasu took another sip. "As for the reason, I need to ask a favor from you."

"A favor?" I wasn't expecting that. "What kind of favor?"

"I need you to stop Shiruku." I deadpanned.

"Umm, that's kind of what I've been trying to do." She shook her head.

"That's not what I meant. I want you to stop her before she fulfils her goal."

"What goal?"

"There's a reason she choose Mt Fuji as her base and that's because it's close to Lake Ashi." I frowned.

"What's in Lake Ashi that she wants so badly?" Amaterasu looked me in the eyes.

"The body of the Yamato no Orochi."

"…"

"…"

"…Come again?" I defiantly didn't hear that right.

"I said the body of the Evil Dragon, Yamato n-"

"Alright, you did say that." I rubbed my forehead. "Can you explain why you guys left the body of one of the poisonous dragons ever to exist there?"

"You can blame my brother for that." Amaterasu sighed. "After killing the Evil Dragon and retrieving the Kusanagi no Tsurugi from its body, he was angry to find that its soul escaped. He sealed the Evil Dragon's body at the bottom of Lake Ashi and had Priest Mangan look after the body so it can never revive."

"Hold on." I was confused. "Evil Dragons can reform their bodies after a certain amount of time if their souls are intact, right?"

"That's correct."

"Then, if the Yamato no Orochi's soul escaped then isn't it a matter of time until it reforms itself?"

"Evil Dragon's can reform their bodies after dying, that is true. But there are 2 conditions they need to meet. A portion of their souls needs to remain intact and their body must be completely dispersed."

"Dispersed?"

"Dragons are beings made up of large masses of energy. That's why they are so prominent and immortal, they are power given form." I nodded along to Amaterasu's description. "When a Dragon dies, their soul flies out and their body disperse back into the formless energy they were once created from." My eyes widened.

"Oh…that makes a lot of sense actually." It would explain why I never heard of weapons made of Dragon parts or the fact there doesn't seem to be Dragon graves anywhere. "So Susanoo sealed its body to stop it from dispersing?"

"Yes and Mangan's current descendant, Sangan, guards the body but the odds of him keeping it safe are slim."

"So why don't you send some strong reinforcements or better yet, just go down there yourself and put it somewhere really safe." Amaterasu sighed again.

"That would be because Hakone is Susanoo's territory and he's too prideful to admit his decision was stupid. He'll leave the protection of the body to Sangan to save face."

"…Who gives a shit about that!? Just go down there and get the damn thing!"

"If I do that then he'll blame Zeth and go pick a fight with the Monster God, pitting the Shinto against him! If I don't then the Yamato no Orochi will be taken by Zeth and Susanoo will go get it! Do you see what I'm getting at here!?"

"Then send in some damn reinforcements!" I got up and practically screamed that.

"I can't! Susanoo won't let anyone help or it will make his decision seem stupid!" Amaterasu also got up.

"It was stupid!"

"I know!"

"You Gods are so damn complicated!"

"I know!"

We were both out of breathe and took a second to recover them. Amaterasu started chuckling which turned into outright laughter. I watched the Sun Goddess laugh her ass off.

"W-why the hell are you laughing?"

"Because that was actually kind of fun." She wiped a tear from her eye. "It's been quite a long time since I've gotten into a screaming match with someone. It was a novel experience." I deadpanned.

'Issei draws powerful allies and enemies while I draw in weird people…actually I think I'm fine with that.' I rubbed my face and fell into thought. I can't really blame Amaterasu for her chose of actions. It's just like how Odin didn't lock up Loki until he tried to start Ragnarok or why Azazel didn't imprison Kokabiel until he actually attacked Kuoh. She doesn't want to lock up Susanoo for something he "might" do (even though the evidence clearly shows he will). It doesn't help that the legends were true and the storm God really is a problem child.

"Well, I'll tell the team and we'll try to stop Shiruku from getting its body."

"Thank you."

I nodded and motioned to get up but Amaterasu stopped me by grabbing my arm.

"What? Is there something else?" I watched as she waved her hand and chess board appeared on the table. I stared at the board game. "D-do you want to play?" She nodded her head.

"…Didn't you say you had to run Shinto Heaven?" Amaterasu started sweating and avoided looking me in the eyes.

"I-I don't remember saying that…" I narrowed my eyes at the Sun Goddess

"Yeah you did."

"W-well, they can survive one hour without me. H-how about a quick game of chess?"

"…Yeah, I think I'll just-" I tried to stand up.

"No wait please don't go!" But Amaterasu latched onto my leg. "Please, just one game! I don't want to go back to work! This is my first real break in years! Do you have any idea what it's like having an incredibly high maintenance assistant and dealing with all the problems the Shinto Gods cause!? It's a nightmare! Please, I don't want to back! Just play one ga-"

"Alright, alright! I'll play, I'll play! Get off my leg already!" Having a very gorgeous (and full if I was feeling right) Goddess on my leg was every straight man's fantasy but if I was being honest? Seeing her like this was kind of pathetic. She quickly got back in her seat and smiled at me as I sat back down.

"Umm." I had one problem to make clear. "I never really learned to play ches-"

"That's okay! I have other games, which do you want to do Karuta or Backgammon?" I stared as Amaterasu held up the mentioned games and sighed.

"…Just one game." I grabbed the cards of Karuta.

1 Hour Later, Offering Hall

"…He's still like that?" Yukina came back from taking a shower and was shocked that Yukan's friend was still there.

"Yeah, he hasn't moved all this time…should we call someone?" Yukan was concerned over Pierce's lack of response.

"Maybe…hey about we-"

"That's complete utter bullshit!" Yukan and Yukina jumped as I came to and screamed at the top of my lungs. "No I refuse! That's not possible, she even gave me a handicap and I still-"

"Pierce-san?" I snapped my neck to Yukan who looked nervous. "A-are you okay?" I blinked than sighed.

"Yeah it's just…I really hate card games." Boy did that confuse the young priest. "Don't worry about it, what I missed?"

"Umm, nothing really. I need to go meet with Priest Sangan for my daily lessons."

"Oh then don't let me keep you, I know the way back." Yukan nodded at my words and turned to Yukina.

"I-I'll see you later Yukina-san."

"Can you really not come with me? You can miss one lesson and we can even go to that waterfall you found!"

"I-I really wish I could but sensei Sangan doesn't like it when I miss a lesson. Maybe next time okay?" Yukina became dejected at Yukan's answer.

"Oh….okay then, next time…" We watched as Yukina walked away, her back looked pretty lonely. Yukan sighed and turned to walk away…right where my disappointed face was.

"Whoa!" He jumped back away. "W-what!?"

"You mind explaining that?" I pointed where Yukina left. Yukan gained a hard face.

"It's none of your business."

"You're goddamn right it isn't!" Yukan looked confused at my irrational outburst. I just felt like yelling today. "But I am curious, if you like the girl so much why did you say no to a date?"

"I-its complicated."

"Story of my life but let's uncomplicate it shall we?" Yukan stared at me before sighing.

"…It's her father."

"Aaahhh I see." I nodded my head sagely. "It's the old boy like's girl, girl likes boy, fathers a self righteous dick that thinks boy isn't good enough for girl. Yes my child, I have seen this before."

"R-really?"

"Yes and I know the way to get past it!" I placed both hands on Yukan's shoulders. "First you go to that waterfall and mediate next it!"

"Mediate?"

"Yes! And then you come to the realization that you need to fight for love!"

"F-fight? I don't know ab-"

"It's the only way! Do you want to be together with her!?"

"Y-yes?"

"Is that a question?!"

"Yes!"

"Good! Women like a man with confidence! And so you'll train and after months of blood, sweat, and tears you will face Yukina's father in trial by combat and win her hand!"

"Yes!" Yukan looked fired up.

"Yes what?!"

"Yes Sensei!"

"Go! Go and make me proud!" Yukan turned and ran away, a fire burning bright in his eyes. I wiped a tear seeing my pupil's drive and soon he was gone.

"…"

"…"

"…Wait a minute." I frowned once I saw he wasn't coming back. 'H-he didn't take me seriously did he?' I activated Chi Vision. 'No way, he was just playing along. There's no one that gullib- holy shit he's really hauling ass!' Yukan was already deep in the forest and didn't look to be stopping. Any other time I would count my blessings finding someone so gullible but when there's a crazy spider Yokai out there eating people? I quickly channeled Chi into my legs and ran to get the young priest. It took about 20 minutes to explain that was I joking.

Hideout in Hakone

"The Yamato no Orochi is in Lake Ashi?" Adrian was shocked at the new information. I nodded.

"That's what Shiruku is here for. She's planning on attacking the Shrine since it holds the key to the body."

"There were rumors that Susanoo sealed the body somewhere in Japan after the fight, but no one knew where though." Maven said.

"Well we can't let Shiruku get it." Melissa spoke up from the coach. "Who knows what she plans to do with it? Zeth may find a way to revive it or experiment with it."

"Maybe Shiruku will feed the Dragon's corpse to her children and make an army of super spiders that can spit deadly poison and are dozens of feet tall, ooh with scale like skin so they are really hard to kill." Samantha said this with a serious face and we all stared at her. She innocently tilted her head. "What? I thought we were giving ideas."

"Regardless, we're not going to let her get it. We'll try to talk to Priest Sangan and protect him when Shiruku comes." Adrian looked at me. "But I got to ask, how did you figure this out?"

"Oh, I prayed at a Shinto Shrine in town and Amaterasu took me to her astral plane. She told me about Shiruku's plan and then we played some Karuta. I won."

"…"

"…"

"…Alright then. Pierce, Maven, and I will meet with Priest Sangan tomorrow. We will try to-"

"Now hold on!" Sophia got up and pointed at me. "Y-you're just going to believe that without question!? There's no way he can meet the Chief Goddess that easily…

"That's what I said!"

"…And yet you thought about it for a second before believing him!?" Adrian sighed and rubbed his face at Sophia's quite reasonable outburst.

"Of course I have questions about the validity of Pierce's statement. But all things considered…Pierce is way too weird to be a liar. He'd much rather mess with you by telling the truth than anything else."

"Oh Adrian…you know me so well!" This is true friendship right here ladies and gentlemen. Adrian deadpanned.

"See what I mean?"

"…You should still look into this before deciding…" Sophia sat back down and sighed.

"You are right." Adrian nodded and looked to me. "Did Lady Amaterasu give you something to show Priest Sangan?" My smile must have been something by the cautious look he gave me. "Pierce…what did you do?"

"Oh nothing." I waved his worries away. "Amaterasu sent a message to Sangan, I just need to show him the password."

"Show him?"

"You'll see tomorrow but first." I walked up to Maven. "Do you happen to know any coloring spells?"

"…Huh?"

1 Day Later, Hakone Gongen

We got up early the next day and walked to the Shinto Shrine.

"Oh?" I saw Yukan walking by inside. "Hey Yukan!"

"Pierce-san? It's…nice to see you again."

"…You hesitated there."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Yukan didn't look me in the eye. "So what brings you here? Do you want to show your friends the shrine?"

"Actually we have an appointment with Priest Sangan." Adrian spoke.

"Really?"

"Yep!" I nodded and placed a hand on the young priest's shoulder. "So lead the way!"

Yukan stared at us before shrugging and leading us through the grounds. He told us Priest Sangan was currently in his house wood carving. I tried asking about Yukina and how that was going but he was tight lipped. We passed through the main hall and got to a modest house that had an open patio. A tall Japanese man in loose robes was carving a Qilin out of oak wood on a chair. He had black hair, soft features and was sporting a calm smile. He looked up when we closer to him.

"Hello Yukan-san, who are your guests?" Sangan nodded towards his disciple and gave us curious looks.

"They said they had an appointment with you Sensei." Sangan narrowed his eyes at us once Yukan finished. He's gaze stopped on me and he slowly got up.

"Thank you for bringing them Yukan-san. How about you go practice? Your Fulu strokes can still use some work."

"Yes Sensei." Yukan bowed once more and walked away to his chambers. Sangan placed down the wooden Qilin and stared at me. No one said anything.

"Umm…" Adrian started but Sangan interrupted him

"Don't you have something to give me?"

I smiled and took a step forward. "Tell me Mr. Sangan…" I rubbed my space ring and two beans appeared in my hands. One was red, the other blue. "…Do you believe in dreams?"

Yes, I just went there. Sangan smiled.

"I'd rather face reality."

"Even if that reality isn't what you think it is?" The red bean flew from my hand and into Sangan's.

"Rough freedom is better than a beautiful prison." He ate the bean. "Please come in." Sangan turned around and walked inside. I smiled like a madman as I followed.

"…What?" Maven turned to Adrian who looked equally confused.

"I…really don't care anymore." Adrian's shoulder slumped before walking inside.

"…What?" Poor Maven was still lost.

Inside Sangan's House

Amaterasu explained to Sangan in the astral plane the current situation and we got a plan going. Shiruku won't attack the shrine herself because she's not the confrontational type, she'll most likely sent in one of her slaves. Sangan gave us Taoist Talismans that will allow us to know when the barrier that protects the key is being attacked.

"What is the key exactly?"

"It's the brooch of Kush-nada-hime."

"Who?" I didn't recognize the name.

"The daughter in the old tale." Maven clarified but I was still confused. "You know, the old couples last daughter? Susanoo's wife?" I tilted my head. "Pierce how the hell do you know so much about mythology but not know some basic information!?"

"Hey, I only know what's important to the situation at hand. Anything else in not my problem." I huffed and Maven sighed. "Look if it'll make you feel better after this is over I'll hit the books with you, alright?"

"…Really?" Maven narrowed her eyes and I nodded. She put up her pinky. "Promise?"

I stared down at the finger before scoffing. "Promise." I pinky swore. Maven's face practically lit up.

"Anyway…" Adrian coughed and got back on track. "We'll be around and will back you up the moment things go south."

"Thank you and I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Susanoo-sama can be…"

"A massive pain in the godly ass?"

"…I wouldn't say that." Sangan gave me an odd look.

"An overage man child with a patent for creating messes?"

"…Seriously, let's just move o-"

"An unrealistic douche who will gladly let things go to shit if it means saving his holier than thou atti-" I didn't get to finish as Sangan slapped a Taoist Talisman over my mouth. I tried to take it off but it didn't budge. I tried channeling Chi. I still couldn't remove it. I looked at the Priest.

"…Are you done?" I shook my head. "Then let's keep that on. You can remove when you leave the shrine." Adrian stared at the talisman in wonder then turned to Sangan.

"Can I buy one of those?"

"Hey!" I tried to yell but it only came out as a muffled grunt.

Jokes aside, we were given enough Talismans for everyone to have one. After that, we headed back to the hideout (I actually couldn't take the Mute Talisman off until I stepped through the Torii) and we updated everyone. Now we wait. Again.

3 Days Later

"That one looks like a squirrel." Melissa pointed to a cloud that looked nothing like a squirrel.

"Sure…" Not that I was going to tell her that. "That one looks a bit like a chicken leg." We titled our heads and we could kind of see it.

"I guess, it kind of looks like a snake to me." I stared at Melissa.

"…Melissa I get your bored but stop butchering my cloud game." She groaned in annoyance and laid back on my chest.

"I'm just so over this!" Melissa and I were on a high hill overlooking Hakone. 3 days passed with nothing from Shiruku; I get she has patience but at this point it is no longer a virtue. Melissa flipped over and faced me, her voluptuous body pressing against mine.

"You want to make out?" Classy.

"Hell yeah!" Though I really didn't care.

Melissa's soft lips pressed against mine and I naturally responded. I've been mainly spending time with her the last couple of days, going on dates or just talking about her hometown. Most times ended up right where we are and lately she's been anxious for some reason.

'I should probably stop and ask her about that…in a minute.' My hands roamed my Yokai girlfriend's body and the small hitches in breath showed she enjoyed the way I rubbed her thighs and back. I found out from Melissa that the Chi Massage I self learned was actually a technique from Bouchujutsu. I used a Chi Art meant for the bedroom on my parents and a portion of my village. Boy was that a weird revelation. Melissa's hands went into my shirt and stared caressing my torso. Do you know what it feels like when a very beautiful leopard woman touches your body and purrs in delight? Yeah, your confidence shoots through the roof. Though I quickly noticed that she wasn't stopping and was working on taking off my belt, I frowned.

"Melissa." She started pulling down. "Melissa." She stopped when I put my hand on her shoulder and looked up at me.

"What? What's the problem?"

"The problem would that you want to strip me in the middle of the forest." I pulled up my pants. "The striping I have no problem with, it's more the fact that we might at any minute fight a crazy spider lady and her brainwashed yes men." Melissa got quiet once I finished.

"…I'm sorry." I frowned and touched her cheek.

"Hey, there's no reason to be sorry. It's nothing you did; I just don't want to tempt the universal anime law where the good guy get's cock blocked."

"…"

'Huh, I thought for sure that would get a "what" out of her.' I looked at Melissa in worry. "Melissa, is something wrong?" Melissa didn't respond until much later.

"I-I just don't want to die with regrets."

"Is that what this is about? It's normal to be afraid, hell it's healthy even and it makes you appreciate life a lot more!" I know I appreciate life a lot more after every brush with death. "But you shouldn't rush what we have just so you don't regret it later. I'm not going anywhere so you don't have to jump into anything, alright?" If I die then my mom will personally go to the Underworld and kick my ass.

"…You promise?" Melissa looked at me with hopeful eyes

"I promise." I smiled before sighing dramatically. "But…

"But?" She tilted her head in confusion.

…If you really can't wait then…I guess I'll just have to take one for the team and give myself up. For the good of the team of course!" Melissa gave me a weird look before snorting and giving me a deep kiss.

"You're an idiot." She smirked before fiddling with my belt.

"Melissa…" I moved to stop her but she slapped my hand away.

"Oh relax, your right I'm not ready to go all the way but…" My pants were fully off now. "…I do know another way to pass the time."

"Oh real-" Then her soft hand firmly grasped.

"Really." Then she lowered her head.

1 Hour Later, Hide out in Hakone

We walked into the hideout to see our leader and resident mage in the living room. Adrian was taking a nap on the couch and Maven was writing down something in a scroll.

"Hey, how was your dat-" The mage stopped and stared at us. "…Do I want to ask?" Both of our faces were flushed and we coughed under Maven's gaze.

"Umm, I'll just…yeah." Melissa retreated into her room and closed the door. Maven looked to me.

"…I plead the Fifth." Then I walked into my room, ignoring Maven's faint "What?"

'It's been a long time since I've come in here.' I looked around at the black space; nothing could be seen beside the massive glowing ball in the center. I walked up to my source of Chi and ran my hand over the surface; it rippled like water but none of it rushed into me like all those years ago. Melissa told me a long time ago that this was my Bridge, a place where you can see you're life-force and channel it to do many natural yet unnatural things. Everyone's Bridge was different; Melissa's was actually the room she learned to channel her Chi. When I asked Athena what her Bridge was, she said it was the mountain top where Sun Wukong trained her. The reason it was called a Bridge was because everyone had life-force within them but you needed to "build the bridge" to access it. No matter how much energy you have if you don't spiritually connect to your life force (either by hardcore physical training or meditation) then it will just sit there. Though all things considered, both Melissa and Athena had no idea why my Bridge was an empty black void. Athena tried looking into the God's archives but there was nothing about my Bridge there.

'Oh well, I'll probably figure it out one day.' I looked at my Chi source, it was twice as big now and it actually wasn't shining as bright. It looked tamer and I could move the house sized orb of life-force (granted in the void, there wasn't anywhere to go but it was still cool). 'I wonder how my life would have turned out if I didn't unintentionally mediate and built my bridge.' I probably would have stayed in my small town, doing farm work like my dad or be a seamstress like my mom. I wouldn't have met the party and I would have lived an ordinary life.

'Then again being a 22 year old reincarnate blew any chance I had a being normal so, yeah.' I snorted and came back to reality. Just in time for Adrian to walk in. His face was serious. I looked down at my Talisman but it wasn't sending an alarm. "What happened?"

"Come outside." Adrian walked out and I followed along. We passed the living room and we went through the open front door. Everyone was outside and looking at the sky. It was a purplish red and it covered the entire town.

"...That's a big Battle Barrier." Everyone nodded and we saw Maven fly back from somewhere.

"I teleported everyone in town somewhere safe. They won't get caught in the fight."

"Good work." Adrian nodded and soon the rumbling began. A literal army of spiders started coming into town and in the sky I could see 2 figures flying. One had black wings, the other had draconic wings.

"Well that's poetic." I sighed as Sophia got out her wings and flew up. Adrian nodded to Maven who followed along with Damian.

"Not the confrontational type huh?" Vargas had his bastard sword out and smirked in my direction. I sighed.

"I really should stop making sense of supernatural people." The spiders were slowly making their way to the shrine. We couldn't let that happen.

"Pierce and Aindrea, you guys stop the infantry. Samantha, Melissa, and Vargas you 2 go to the shrine and make sure no one gets through. Contact us if it gets too much. I'll-" A large boom was heard as we looked over, Sophia was lying in a large crater before getting up and flying back. We looked up to see Simon had transformed into a large red dragon and was fighting Maven and Damian. Yeqon on the other hand…

"Move!" I activated Touki and jumped back with everyone. Dozens of man sized light spears landed where we just were. We looked up and saw the Fallen Angel was getting ready for the next volley.

"I'll deal with him." Adrian shined in sunlight and he slowly started to float. I looked at him in shock.

"You can fly!?" Adrian seemed confused by my outburst.

"Yeah I can, what's the problem?"

"Why haven't you done so before!?"

"When have I ever needed to?" I blinked remembering all of our past fights.

"…Fair enough."

More light spears started coming down but Samantha created a barrier to stop them. Adrian nodded to us. "Good luck." We nodded back as he flew up. Aindrea and I ran to town center while Adrian clashed with Yeqon. When I activated Chi Vision, it was like seeing a bright sun and a tainted light clashing. It kind of hurt to look at them. We took less than a minute to get to the battlefield.

"Holy shit…" Actually, battlefield may be the wrong word for it. Every building was destroyed and the forest just kept spawning more giant spiders.

"Scared?" Aindrea had his spear resting on his shoulder and smirked.

"I…I don't think scared is the word. Maybe disgusted? Confused?" I was being honest. I was scared fighting the Tyrant, I was enraged fighting Naizer, and the Basilisk was just plain stupid. I knew if it came down to it I had the stamina and the strength to rip all these spiders to mash but…I looked at the shrine. "Why is Shiruku doing this? Why not go for the stealth approach like she always does?" Aindrea shrugged.

"Maybe she got over it. Maybe she's trying to take us out along with getting the key. Or maybe she's just bored." Aindrea pierced a spider that got close and tossed it back. "Regardless, we got a job to do and that job involves kicking giant spider ass. Now are you going to join me or am I going to have do your job?" I stared at the Demigod before getting my sword out.

"…Aindrea, this may be the start of a beautiful friendship!" He snorted.

"Bite me."

"Actually, I think that's their job." I pointed to the charging spiders. We looked at each other before feral smiles appeared on our faces.

Then we charged.