1st Pov Kyouka Uzen:
Ren Yamashiro's declaration echoed within the ears of everyone present. Her natural charismatic aura seemed to brighten the atmosphere.
Mira's lips twisted into a challenging grin. "If you have that much confidence, then I may as well have some myself. There's no way in hell I'm backing out of a fight with someone you're interested in if you want to fight him personally"
Ren's smile grew slightly as she glanced at Mira. "I am currently the only one strong enough to challenge him; he met the requirement for it", she said lightly.
"Lady Ren is so cool~!" Konomi mumbled with sparkling eyes.
My master sighed at her student before chopping her on the head, "Be professional, Konomi"
"Yes, master!" she straightened in her seat.
Something has been bothering me more and more. My eyes returned to the holographic image of Xicor, his crimson eyes seemingly exuding a passive, malicious aura.
The extra set of eyes beneath his original ones peeked out and seemed to have a mind of their own when I last viewed them in that cavern.
Even now, the way he presented himself in that cavern is carved into my mind. The way he moved went beyond a Chief level, and his abilities have grown in number.
But one thing I'm hoping hasn't come to reality: did Xicor truly become a God of Thunder?
Too many questions left unanswered.
Was he always a God of Thunder before I met him?
Did they corrupt him?
I'll get my answers when we capture him, though I doubt that will be easy, since most everyone here, even those I was about to propose capturing him with, are dead set on killing him.
I would need to find a way to either get in contact with him without alerting anyone else or talk to him mid-battle.
"I refuse", both Tenka and Fubuki said simultaneously.
The room went silent. Bell was shivering very violently, a bad sign to see when Ren was here. She was almost like an alarm system built for Ren's mood.
"Pardon?" Ren questioned, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"This 'God of Thunder' is my business; he has not only cost my mother her position as the Commander, but has kidnapped my daughter and has disrespected the Azuma family", Fubuki said, cold fury washing over her features.
"This matter is personal for us Azumas and especially me as a mother of the child he kidnapped"
"I feel a similar way; he has kidnapped my vice-chief and killed a member of my unit that I hold dearly", Tenka said, resting her clenched hands on the table.
"We will kill him, even if we have to get past you, Ren Yamashiro", both said as a mysterious golden aura coated their bodies.
My body tensed under the overwhelming pressure they exuded. I could see Ren's eyes widen slightly before quickly hiding them under the confidence she usually has.
Even the others had widened eyes and shocked expressions, though they did not attempt to hide them, and I was no exception.
Fubuki, I could understand, but Tenka?
Where did this absurd amount of power come from?
Was she hiding it? If that were the case, then she would have dodged the attack Aoba blasted at her and defeated her much more easily.
The only explanation would have to be that she trained in Shangri-La.
But this power felt familiar to one deep within me whenever I meditated. If that power could push Tenka far above a Chief level and possibly on the level of the Commander, then it would be beneficial for me to achieve this.
"You two seem to have grown in strength since I last saw you", she remarked before resting her elbow on the arm of her chair and supporting her cheek with her knuckle.
"How did you achieve this? Was it Shangri-La?" she questioned.
"No", both of them replied, making everyone intrigued as to how they achieved it.
"When I read the report of what happened to my daughters, I was filled with anger and a desire to have the power to destroy the person who did this, and it seemed that my call was answered", Fubuki said, looking down at her hand as the golden aura surrounding her hand seemed to brighten at her whim.
"It was a similar case for me. After what happened to my members, I blamed myself for what happened and vowed that I wouldn't let it happen to anyone else and deeply desired more power to fulfil such a wish," Tenka explained as she raised her own hand. Her golden aura brightened around her hand.
Both of them turned to look at all of us. "This is a blessing", they declared.
Ren remained silent, contemplating whether to disregard her pride as the strongest or find a way to achieve the power they gained.
Judging by the look she was giving, I imagine she had a strategy rolling through her mind as a smile crept onto her lips slowly.
"Very well, I will agree to this, in honour of your comrades and daughter, but if you do lose against him even once, then I'll take your place in defeating him, is that understood"
"Yes, Ma'am", both Chiefs responded.
The room fell silent once again, as everyone compiled their thoughts on this new phenomenon that Tenka and Fubuki had accessed.
It all led to a deep desire for more power and loss, almost like praying to some god bestowing gifts upon his creations desperate for a chance to fight back.
Is that the case in this situation?
Probably not; there's no such thing as gods, and these 'Gods of Thunder' are just people who have power that could dominate anything in Mato with a swipe of their hands.
3rd Pov:
Deep beneath the surface of Mato, where the dimensions' moonlight has no reach and is shrouded in endless darkness.
The underground tunnels stretched endlessly in every direction, their jagged walls carved by countless centuries of natural erosion and violent battles. Moisture dripped rhythmically from the ceiling, each droplet echoing through oppressive silence.
Amidst such gloom, one figure stood in complete contrast.
A tall man clad in pristine steel-white armour advanced through the darkness with measured steps. Every plate of his armour gleamed despite the lack of light, his aura produced a natural warmth that felt warm and pure.
Where his boots touched the ground, the oppressive feeling lingering within the caves weakened ever so slightly, as though the darkness recoiled from his presence, even some Shuuki wandering around shuffled away from him, but still kept an eye on him.
Orian, one of the Eight Hollow Stars.
His fingers slowly traced the deep gouges, scorch marks embedded into the floor and craters left within the cavern walls of an open room, each one telling a scene an experienced hunter would digest.
Above him, an owl composed entirely of brilliant white energy glided effortlessly through the area. Its luminous feathers scattered tiny motes of light with every flap of its wings, illuminating the cave in a gentle glow. Every so often, it let out a soft, Inquisitive hoot, its sapphire eyes carefully observing every corner of the cavern.
Orian looked up at the bird, "Brother always makes such mystical creations" he said before focusing back on his task.
"Hmm..." A thoughtful hum escaped Orian's mouth, his voice reverberating out from his helmet.
His fingertips paused against a smear of cursed energy residue embedded on the floor. Orian's fingers inched slightly closer until he was touching.
In an instant, the cursed energy reacted to Orian's light, it clashed as it surrounded his hand before it was quickly subdued.
"So this is the 'Cursed Energy' my lady spoke of..." Orian murmured, his voice calm, curious and disdainful.
He slowly rose back up and lifted his foot before smashing it down in the residue, the moment his armoured boot touched the writhing residue, radiant light surged outward.
The cursed energy dispersed within seconds as Orian inspected his work before moving to other locations that contained this residue.
"...Such a foul creation" his gaze fixed on the large scorched patch that contained Mato's own residue though it seemed cursed energy was mixed in with it.
"I've never seen such dark and negative energy before, and it seems to be spreading across this dimension like a virus" Orian said.
The owl glided down and landed on his armoured shoulder, giving out a quiet hoot to Orian.
Orian nodded silently before straightening and allowing his gaze to follow the lingering trail.
Although the physical battle had ended hours ago, remnants of curved energy still stained the cavern. To ordinary eyes, there was nothing to see.
But for people such as Orian, the trail was clear as tracking a wounded animal.
Without another word, his legs carried him forward with Shuuki lingering behind as they slowly followed him, their hungry and malicious gaze locked onto each of his movements.
The trail wandered deeper into Mato's endless underground network, twisting through narrow passages and wide open areas, almost like fighting arenas.
It wasn't until the trail led him to an arena that was destroyed by a wild beast with the power to annihilate a large town.
A large gaping hole that continued through the darkness where the end was unseeable, scorched marks followed through the trail of destruction with craters and split boulders lying mixed around him.
"What compelled such an abomination to decend this deeply?" his question echoed softly through the cavern as his owl flapped up and landed perfectly on the boulder that was right next to the fighting.
The owl let out several hoots while flapping its wings to get his master's attention. Orian glanced over before walking to the boulder and placing a hand on it.
"Someone else was here" Orian said, before raising his hand and feeling the faint residue of energy left behind by the person sitting on this boulder.
"Female, energy close to mine but darker, it must be one of the Gods of Thunder" Orian concluded before bringing his hand back.
"They must be supporting and housing this abomination"
Growling could be heard behind Orian as the Shuuki, who have been growing in numbers, finally showed themselves with different appearances.
Orian gazed at each one before clicking his tongue in disgust, "They carry that abomination's cursed energy, and it seems to be affecting their physical bodies and possibly their mental state if they waited for more to show up"
His voice was steady before he drew his sword from its scabbard, the blade flashed with holy and divine power. Orian faced the stalking horde as his white feathered wings flapped once to show their beautiful form.
"I am Orian, sworn tamer of my lady" He declared as his wing pushed him forward, and he turned into a white blur with his owl close behind.
Orian appeared behind one and sliced it in two as its body began to sizzle away with white particles, almost like they were being purified.
A Shuuki with four arms leapt at Orian, his clawed hands reaching toward the warrior before the owl swooped down like a bullet and sliced off the arms.
Orian quickly drove his leg into the side of the Shuuki's head as it was launched through a wall, never to rise again.
A small group of Shuuki came charging through one of the tunnels, trying to push past each other for the feast this champion may give.
Orian embedded his sword into the ground before putting his hands together in the sign of a bull, "Taurus"
As Orian said the name, white vines rippled from his hands as they quickly formed the shape of a large, muscular bull.
The bull charged forward, ramming through the lines of Shuuki while impaling a few with its long, curved horns.
Orian dispelled the bull as clicking was heard above him, quickly looking up, he found a Shuuki that seemed to have a close resemblance to a spider, the white mask the Shuuki was known for completely gone.
As soon as Orian made eye contact with it, it leapt down at him with a sonic screech resonating down towards the champion, aiming to deafen him.
Orian quickly put his hands together in another hand sign, "Cancer!"
Within moments, a large, white crab was created above him, the large crustacean took the attack head-on as the spider landed on it.
The crab pinched the Shuuki with its pincers before repeatedly smashing it against the walls and floor.
Orian's ability is called 'Celestial Beast Summoning', the ability is close to the Ten Shadows technique but instead of summoning Ten, Orian can summon twelve of the creatures that represent each zodiac sign.
Aquarius summons a beautiful woman holding a vase of water that could be controlled at will, providing support to allies.
Pisces summons large twin koi carps, these fish are weak alone, but together with their synchronised movement, they can hold stronger opponents at bay.
Aries summons a Ram that provides a buff to those seen as allies as well as its master, the buffs are strengthened determination, preventing allies from succumbing to fear, increased strength, and increased durability.
Taurus summons a muscular white bull that is almost similar to the Ten Shadows piercing Ox as the longer it runs, the stronger its strength becomes, but its horns are coated in a thick layer of holy energy, meaning that anything coming in contact with them will feel immense pain.
Gemini summons a twin pair of soldiers in silver armour close to Orian's, this summon can clone itself unlimitedly, though their strength is among the weakest of the zodiac's but they make up for it in their overwhelming numbers.
Cancer summons a large white crab, this summons roll is to tank attacks for his master, pretty much being a living shield, even going as far as absorbing projectiles thrown at it before firing them back at the opponent.
Leo summons a white lion with incredible speed that could blitz almost everything, providing quick attacks within enemy lines before they even realise it was here.
Virgo summons an ethereal woman whose voice could heal those around her, her voice also soothes the heart and mind, completely easing their nerves and removing any, poisons, viruses, and other harms inside the body.
Libra is one of the strongest of the summons as it summons a large-scale being behind Orian that warps reality in his favour, if someone is stronger than Orian, then the scale will make them the same strength.
Even going as far as to give Orian abilities close to his opponents to even the odds.
Scorpio summons a large silvery emperor scorpion that almost appears to be made of metal. This summons roll is a surprise attack, as it burrows underground to catch its opponent off guard or throw them off balance by shaking the ground.
It can also paralyse its opponents with its stinger, but the venom is slow-acting and may require multiple stings for the venom to act.
Sagittarius summons a centaur archer, this summon focuses on long-range combat. Its arrows, once fully charged, could level an entire city. Although it has a muscular frame, it does not fare well in close-quarters combat.
And finally, Capricorn summons a sea-goat. This is a combination of a goat and a koi carp. Its abilities are both water manipulation and earth manipulation, its physical capabilities are nothing to scoff at either as it was made to stand beside its master as a partner in a duo.
Orian looked at the carnage around him, loose rocks fell, and Shuuki's blood painted the walls like some grotesque painting, with bodies slowly fading into white particles.
Orian remained in the centre of it all, his armour, cape and wings remained spotless with the exception of his sword, which was drenched in the blood of his foes that lay dead around him.
"I'd better report my finds to my lady and the others..." he murmured, as he reached out and swiped down with two fingers, and the space before him cracked open, revealing the endless vacuum of space.
He walked through, leaving behind the dark and depressive world of Mato that appears to be evolving in a way that no one saw coming.