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Ichiban Kasuga Saves The Multiverse.(A Multi-World fiction-jumping Time Loop)
- Thread starter Zackman2k12
- Start date
Enjoying the twists and also how Ichiban is reacting to Artoria. It's not the smart thing, but it definitely felt right.
(Canon Omake) Chapter ???: "The storm calls for you! Your journey is at an end!" -- a certain cosmic horror.
I sat at my desk, scribbling away in my journal, the worn leather cover warm beneath my fingertips. It was a habit I'd picked up centuries ago, a way to make sense of the chaos, to record my triumphs and failures, to remind myself that I wasn't completely lost in this endless sea of realities.
A knock at the door startled me from my thoughts.
"Come on in, Altria," I said, my voice a low rumble.
The door slammed open, and an irate Artoria stormed in, her eyes flashing with a golden light that could rival the sun.
"I do wish you would stop calling me that!" she exclaimed, her voice a mix of exasperation and amusement. She even stomped her foot, a little petulant gesture that seemed oddly out of place coming from a being of her immense power. It was kinda cute, actually.
I chuckled, leaning back in my chair. "What am I going to call you then, Mrs. Impossible Result? Altria makes sense for someone who kicked fate in the balls so hard that your canonical future just decided to cry in the corner and fucking run away."
A tense silence filled the room, broken only by the soft hum of the World Circuit's energy core. I watched her, my brow furrowed, trying to gauge her reaction. She was tough to read, this goddess. One minute she was all fire and fury, the next she was calm and collected, like a still pond hiding unimaginable depths.
Finally, Artoria sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "I absolutely regret you getting access to a world in 2036," she said, her voice laced with a weariness that spoke of eons spent battling cosmic horrors and bureaucratic nightmares. "I should have known a bored immortal like you would turn to anime and novels."
I frowned, the weight of that revelation settling upon me like a leaden cloak. "I'm still goddamn disturbed that everything is fiction somewhere," I muttered, shaking my head. "The fact that infinity is recorded as fiction is just… fuckin' wild, man."
"So, why did you need me, Mrs. Goddess of So Much Power That I Cannot Comprehend?" I asked, my voice laced with a dry sarcasm that had become my default mode when dealing with divine beings.
Artoria took a deep breath, her eyes hardening with a resolve that spoke of countless battles fought and won.
"An entity-related multiverse is about to break containment," she said, her voice grave. "And I need you to derail it."
I raised an eyebrow. "Derail it? What, like a train?"
"I'll be sending you in at the earliest possible point," she continued, ignoring my question. "You'll be given a rundown of the logic of that reality when you get there. The significant event will involve an Endbringer called 'Leviathan' attacking a city called Brockton Bay. Your job is to derail the events that would cause the 'Entity' to go berserk in about a year and a half after the current event. You won't be able to leave until you do, and the world will loop back to May 5th, 2011, again. If you don't do this… that multiverse, and multiple nearby multiversal clusters, including this one… will be turned to cosmic ash."
I inhaled sharply, the weight of her words pressing down on me. Cosmic ash? Multiple multiverses? This was getting outta hand.
"You don't ask for small things, do you?" I said, my voice a dry rasp.
Artoria's lips twitched into a wry smile. "No," she said, her voice soft but firm. "I don't."
"Alright, when do I start? I'm ready whe—"
One moment I was standing in the World Circuit hallway, facing off against a goddess who could probably sneeze entire galaxies out of existence. The next, I was standing in the middle of a street that looked like it had been hit by a hurricane… and then mugged by a pack of rabid raccoons.
"Whenever…" I finished, my voice trailing off as I took in my surroundings. The abrupt change didn't faze me. Not anymore. After centuries of jumping between worlds, dying, getting resurrected, and dealing with cosmic shenanigans, a little teleportation was nothing.
This city, though… this place was messed up. Buildings were crumbling, streets were littered with trash, and the air was thick with a grime that seemed to cling to everything. It was like someone had taken a dystopian comic book, decided the Joker wasn't evil enough, and then cranked the dial up to eleven and broke it trying to set it to sixteen.
My mind was flooded with memories, a lifetime's worth of experiences crammed into my skull. I saw this world through the eyes of a guy named… me, I guess. Same name, same face, but different. This Ichiban had grown up in this shithole, a city called Brockton Bay, a place where gangs ruled the streets, where "capes" – people with superpowers – fought for control, and where giant, city-destroying monsters called Endbringers showed up every few months to wreck everything.
And the worst part? The absolute craziest thing about this whole messed-up situation?
There were legitimately accepted Nazi demographics as minorities.
Like… what the actual fuck?
Just as I was trying to wrap my head around that little tidbit of insanity, a deafening siren blared through the air, a high-pitched wail that sent shivers down my spine.
The Endbringer sirens.
Showtime.
I didn't waste any time. This 'Endbringer' thing sounded like bad news, and my instincts were screaming at me to get to the action. I moved, my body a blur, my enhanced speed leaving a trail of distorted air in my wake.
'Mover: 'That's crazy,' and Breaker: 'That's pretty interesting, bro,' huh?' I thought, recalling the power classifications from this world's memories. 'The way they calculated those numbers wasn't very clear, and Brockton Ichiban hadn't been a cape until I replaced him, even if he existed beforehand, which I wasn't actually sure of. So, he didn't research how powers were calculated. But the ability to make shockwaves disappear when they should occur at this speed was definitely a Breaker ability. Or was it a Shaker ability? Clearly some overlap. Whatever.'
I arrived at the staging area, a wide-open plaza near the waterfront. Capes, hundreds of them, were gathered, their costumes a riot of colors and styles. The air crackled with tension, a palpable fear that hung heavy in the air.
I spotted Vicky – or Glory Girl, as she was known in this world – standing near the front of the crowd, her golden costume gleaming in the sunlight. Her boyfriend, Dean – or Gallant, as he was known here – stood beside her, his silver armor polished to a mirror shine.
I moved towards them, my footsteps silent, my presence masked by Zetsu.
"Ichi," Vicky said, her voice strained. "When did you…?" She trailed off, her gaze flickering to my face, then away, as if she were afraid to look at me directly.
"I don't wanna talk about it," I said, my voice flat. "Maybe if Arcadia survives this shitshow… actually, no. That's never being talked about."
Vicky winced, her expression a mix of guilt and sympathy. "Sorry. That was insensitive."
Dean stepped forward, his hand reaching out to touch my shoulder, his face etched with concern. "What—" He shook his head, his voice choked with emotion. "Your… that sorrow is… I'm sorry."
I stared at him, my expression blank. I wasn't feeling the death of my supposed parents – Victor and Hookwolf, two notorious villains who'd apparently torn them apart in a fight – but my borrowed memories came with a built-in Thinker/stranger power, a kind of mental cloak that projected the emotions and reactions that others expected to see.
I supposed, given the circumstances, that Dean's reaction was… appropriate.
I gave him a dead-eyed stare, then turned and walked away, weaving through the crowd until I found an empty spot near the back. Amy, Panacea, the world-renowned healer, was sitting on a concrete block, a cigarette dangling from her lips, her brow furrowed in concentration as she paced back and forth, muttering to herself.
"Hey, Panpan," I said, my voice a low rumble. "Can I have one of those?"
"You got the nickname right, but do I need to call Mast—" Amy stopped mid-sentence, her gaze meeting mine. She saw the emptiness in my eyes, the carefully constructed mask of grief that supposedly hid a storm of emotions I couldn't even begin to process.
She sighed, pulling a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and offering me one.
I took it, my fingers trembling slightly. I focused on my Ripple, a spark of golden energy igniting the tip of the cigarette. I inhaled deeply, the smoke burning my lungs, and coughed, a harsh, hacking sound that echoed in the tense silence.
"Gallant can be such an insensitive prick," Amy said, her voice a low murmur.
I nodded, taking another drag.
The Legend, this world's strongest hero, a towering figure in silver and blue spandex with a rainbow of justice, stepped forward, his booming voice silencing the crowd. He began his usual pre-Endbringer speech, a rousing call to action, a reminder of the stakes, a plea for unity in the face of unimaginable terror.
I barely listened. My gaze was fixed on Amy as she moved towards the designated healer's area, her steps purposeful, her expression a mask of calm determination that hid a flicker of fear in her eyes.
This was gonna be a long night.
"So, uh, what can you do, Ichiban?" The woman with the clipboard and the skeptical expression asked. She was one of the Protectorate capes, the government-sanctioned heroes who were supposed to keep this city from imploding. She wore a sleek black and red costume and a helmet that covered her entire face, making it impossible to read her expression.
"My powers are… well, they're kinda complicated," I said, trying to figure out how to explain Nen and Ripple without sounding like a complete lunatic. "It's basically an energy-based ability that enhances my physical strength, speed, and, uh, body functions. I also get a secondary power boost as long as I'm holding my… projection."
I patted the baseball-bat-mace thing strapped to my back. I'd managed to manifest it in this world, pulling it from… well, from wherever the hell I stored it when I wasn't using it. Soul-based hammer-space? Interdimensional pocket dimension? I wasn't sure, and frankly, I didn't care. It worked, and that was all that mattered.
I'd decided to keep the whole "Nen" and "Ripple" thing under wraps for now. This world, Earth Bet, they seemed to think that powers were… scientific. Explicable. Measurable. So, I'd stick to the basics, at least until I figured out what the hell was going on.
"I've also got a Shaker ability," I continued. "It creates an area… a kind of… domain…"
I was about to explain the specifics of my Domain Expansion, a technique I'd developed after years of training and experimentation, when a voice, sharp and urgent, cut through the air.
"He's here! Initial wave incoming!" Dragon spoke.
I turned towards the waterfront, my eyes widening as I saw it.
Leviathan.
The city killer.
It was… massive. A towering behemoth of muscle and scales, its serpentine body rising from the depths of the bay, its eyes glowing with a cold, malevolent intelligence.
I instinctively activated my scan materia.
Leviathan, the City Killer, Conflict Engine II
Power: ??
The health bars… they were glitching. Filling up, then emptying, then filling up again, the numbers scrolling across the display at a dizzying speed. Finally, it settled, a single, massive health bar with a chilling addition:
x99?
What the hell did that even mean?!
As the massive wave slammed into the building and everyone scattered as it was leveled behind them and Dragon listed off some dead people, I could only stare at the thing.
"This is gonna be fun," I muttered sarcastically, a grim smile spreading across my face.
Time to show this world what a real hero could do.
Then boss music started playing out of goddamn nowhere.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F3EC3P1bTU
A knock at the door startled me from my thoughts.
"Come on in, Altria," I said, my voice a low rumble.
The door slammed open, and an irate Artoria stormed in, her eyes flashing with a golden light that could rival the sun.
"I do wish you would stop calling me that!" she exclaimed, her voice a mix of exasperation and amusement. She even stomped her foot, a little petulant gesture that seemed oddly out of place coming from a being of her immense power. It was kinda cute, actually.
I chuckled, leaning back in my chair. "What am I going to call you then, Mrs. Impossible Result? Altria makes sense for someone who kicked fate in the balls so hard that your canonical future just decided to cry in the corner and fucking run away."
A tense silence filled the room, broken only by the soft hum of the World Circuit's energy core. I watched her, my brow furrowed, trying to gauge her reaction. She was tough to read, this goddess. One minute she was all fire and fury, the next she was calm and collected, like a still pond hiding unimaginable depths.
Finally, Artoria sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly. "I absolutely regret you getting access to a world in 2036," she said, her voice laced with a weariness that spoke of eons spent battling cosmic horrors and bureaucratic nightmares. "I should have known a bored immortal like you would turn to anime and novels."
I frowned, the weight of that revelation settling upon me like a leaden cloak. "I'm still goddamn disturbed that everything is fiction somewhere," I muttered, shaking my head. "The fact that infinity is recorded as fiction is just… fuckin' wild, man."
"So, why did you need me, Mrs. Goddess of So Much Power That I Cannot Comprehend?" I asked, my voice laced with a dry sarcasm that had become my default mode when dealing with divine beings.
Artoria took a deep breath, her eyes hardening with a resolve that spoke of countless battles fought and won.
"An entity-related multiverse is about to break containment," she said, her voice grave. "And I need you to derail it."
I raised an eyebrow. "Derail it? What, like a train?"
"I'll be sending you in at the earliest possible point," she continued, ignoring my question. "You'll be given a rundown of the logic of that reality when you get there. The significant event will involve an Endbringer called 'Leviathan' attacking a city called Brockton Bay. Your job is to derail the events that would cause the 'Entity' to go berserk in about a year and a half after the current event. You won't be able to leave until you do, and the world will loop back to May 5th, 2011, again. If you don't do this… that multiverse, and multiple nearby multiversal clusters, including this one… will be turned to cosmic ash."
I inhaled sharply, the weight of her words pressing down on me. Cosmic ash? Multiple multiverses? This was getting outta hand.
"You don't ask for small things, do you?" I said, my voice a dry rasp.
Artoria's lips twitched into a wry smile. "No," she said, her voice soft but firm. "I don't."
"Alright, when do I start? I'm ready whe—"
One moment I was standing in the World Circuit hallway, facing off against a goddess who could probably sneeze entire galaxies out of existence. The next, I was standing in the middle of a street that looked like it had been hit by a hurricane… and then mugged by a pack of rabid raccoons.
"Whenever…" I finished, my voice trailing off as I took in my surroundings. The abrupt change didn't faze me. Not anymore. After centuries of jumping between worlds, dying, getting resurrected, and dealing with cosmic shenanigans, a little teleportation was nothing.
This city, though… this place was messed up. Buildings were crumbling, streets were littered with trash, and the air was thick with a grime that seemed to cling to everything. It was like someone had taken a dystopian comic book, decided the Joker wasn't evil enough, and then cranked the dial up to eleven and broke it trying to set it to sixteen.
My mind was flooded with memories, a lifetime's worth of experiences crammed into my skull. I saw this world through the eyes of a guy named… me, I guess. Same name, same face, but different. This Ichiban had grown up in this shithole, a city called Brockton Bay, a place where gangs ruled the streets, where "capes" – people with superpowers – fought for control, and where giant, city-destroying monsters called Endbringers showed up every few months to wreck everything.
And the worst part? The absolute craziest thing about this whole messed-up situation?
There were legitimately accepted Nazi demographics as minorities.
Like… what the actual fuck?
Just as I was trying to wrap my head around that little tidbit of insanity, a deafening siren blared through the air, a high-pitched wail that sent shivers down my spine.
The Endbringer sirens.
Showtime.
I didn't waste any time. This 'Endbringer' thing sounded like bad news, and my instincts were screaming at me to get to the action. I moved, my body a blur, my enhanced speed leaving a trail of distorted air in my wake.
'Mover: 'That's crazy,' and Breaker: 'That's pretty interesting, bro,' huh?' I thought, recalling the power classifications from this world's memories. 'The way they calculated those numbers wasn't very clear, and Brockton Ichiban hadn't been a cape until I replaced him, even if he existed beforehand, which I wasn't actually sure of. So, he didn't research how powers were calculated. But the ability to make shockwaves disappear when they should occur at this speed was definitely a Breaker ability. Or was it a Shaker ability? Clearly some overlap. Whatever.'
I arrived at the staging area, a wide-open plaza near the waterfront. Capes, hundreds of them, were gathered, their costumes a riot of colors and styles. The air crackled with tension, a palpable fear that hung heavy in the air.
I spotted Vicky – or Glory Girl, as she was known in this world – standing near the front of the crowd, her golden costume gleaming in the sunlight. Her boyfriend, Dean – or Gallant, as he was known here – stood beside her, his silver armor polished to a mirror shine.
I moved towards them, my footsteps silent, my presence masked by Zetsu.
"Ichi," Vicky said, her voice strained. "When did you…?" She trailed off, her gaze flickering to my face, then away, as if she were afraid to look at me directly.
"I don't wanna talk about it," I said, my voice flat. "Maybe if Arcadia survives this shitshow… actually, no. That's never being talked about."
Vicky winced, her expression a mix of guilt and sympathy. "Sorry. That was insensitive."
Dean stepped forward, his hand reaching out to touch my shoulder, his face etched with concern. "What—" He shook his head, his voice choked with emotion. "Your… that sorrow is… I'm sorry."
I stared at him, my expression blank. I wasn't feeling the death of my supposed parents – Victor and Hookwolf, two notorious villains who'd apparently torn them apart in a fight – but my borrowed memories came with a built-in Thinker/stranger power, a kind of mental cloak that projected the emotions and reactions that others expected to see.
I supposed, given the circumstances, that Dean's reaction was… appropriate.
I gave him a dead-eyed stare, then turned and walked away, weaving through the crowd until I found an empty spot near the back. Amy, Panacea, the world-renowned healer, was sitting on a concrete block, a cigarette dangling from her lips, her brow furrowed in concentration as she paced back and forth, muttering to herself.
"Hey, Panpan," I said, my voice a low rumble. "Can I have one of those?"
"You got the nickname right, but do I need to call Mast—" Amy stopped mid-sentence, her gaze meeting mine. She saw the emptiness in my eyes, the carefully constructed mask of grief that supposedly hid a storm of emotions I couldn't even begin to process.
She sighed, pulling a pack of cigarettes from her pocket and offering me one.
I took it, my fingers trembling slightly. I focused on my Ripple, a spark of golden energy igniting the tip of the cigarette. I inhaled deeply, the smoke burning my lungs, and coughed, a harsh, hacking sound that echoed in the tense silence.
"Gallant can be such an insensitive prick," Amy said, her voice a low murmur.
I nodded, taking another drag.
The Legend, this world's strongest hero, a towering figure in silver and blue spandex with a rainbow of justice, stepped forward, his booming voice silencing the crowd. He began his usual pre-Endbringer speech, a rousing call to action, a reminder of the stakes, a plea for unity in the face of unimaginable terror.
I barely listened. My gaze was fixed on Amy as she moved towards the designated healer's area, her steps purposeful, her expression a mask of calm determination that hid a flicker of fear in her eyes.
This was gonna be a long night.
A few minutes later.
"So, uh, what can you do, Ichiban?" The woman with the clipboard and the skeptical expression asked. She was one of the Protectorate capes, the government-sanctioned heroes who were supposed to keep this city from imploding. She wore a sleek black and red costume and a helmet that covered her entire face, making it impossible to read her expression.
"My powers are… well, they're kinda complicated," I said, trying to figure out how to explain Nen and Ripple without sounding like a complete lunatic. "It's basically an energy-based ability that enhances my physical strength, speed, and, uh, body functions. I also get a secondary power boost as long as I'm holding my… projection."
I patted the baseball-bat-mace thing strapped to my back. I'd managed to manifest it in this world, pulling it from… well, from wherever the hell I stored it when I wasn't using it. Soul-based hammer-space? Interdimensional pocket dimension? I wasn't sure, and frankly, I didn't care. It worked, and that was all that mattered.
I'd decided to keep the whole "Nen" and "Ripple" thing under wraps for now. This world, Earth Bet, they seemed to think that powers were… scientific. Explicable. Measurable. So, I'd stick to the basics, at least until I figured out what the hell was going on.
"I've also got a Shaker ability," I continued. "It creates an area… a kind of… domain…"
I was about to explain the specifics of my Domain Expansion, a technique I'd developed after years of training and experimentation, when a voice, sharp and urgent, cut through the air.
"He's here! Initial wave incoming!" Dragon spoke.
I turned towards the waterfront, my eyes widening as I saw it.
Leviathan.
The city killer.
It was… massive. A towering behemoth of muscle and scales, its serpentine body rising from the depths of the bay, its eyes glowing with a cold, malevolent intelligence.
I instinctively activated my scan materia.
Leviathan, the City Killer, Conflict Engine II
Power: ??
The health bars… they were glitching. Filling up, then emptying, then filling up again, the numbers scrolling across the display at a dizzying speed. Finally, it settled, a single, massive health bar with a chilling addition:
x99?
What the hell did that even mean?!
As the massive wave slammed into the building and everyone scattered as it was leveled behind them and Dragon listed off some dead people, I could only stare at the thing.
"This is gonna be fun," I muttered sarcastically, a grim smile spreading across my face.
Time to show this world what a real hero could do.
Then boss music started playing out of goddamn nowhere.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6F3EC3P1bTU
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- Location
- England
Breaker is the unwanted stepchild of the power classifications. Quick - name a Worm cape whose most significant power rating is Breaker without cheating by wiki/Google. I'll wait.
Did you say Fog?
Part way through that sentence it totally reads like your parents were Victor and Hookwolf and I was wondering what the heck kind of wack background story your insert had.
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lol. the power of power-trans raaaiaiaiianbow nazis?
No.
Nazis are nazis and none of that would work. Victor and hookwolf killed his 'parents.'
- Location
- England
It's the TARN universe. Trans Accepting Radical Nazis. They are still terrible, murderous bigots but now they are also extra annoying because their existence tarnishes and confuses the LGBTQ+ movement.
Ah, similar to people who 'accept' trans people by spouting unfounded garbage, not knowing anything about the condition, never having known anyone who dealt with that personally and spouting absolute offensive vomit out of nowhere...
Ah, a certain author is the missing puzzlepiece of this hypothetical earth-bet that even the worst crackfic would look at and just say 'nuh uh.'....
Okay, that's the last one, no derails and I'd rather not bring the thing that should have remained a type of grass replacement here.
Chapter 19: "Eight stars fell on Tamriel, one for each iniquity that Lorkhan made clear to the world." -- Mehra Nabisi speaking on a dragon break.
The inn loomed before me, a squat, sprawling behemoth of stone and timber. It wasn't just big; it was ridiculously oversized, dwarfing the surrounding buildings like a giant turtle squatting amidst a colony of ants. I'd seen some impressive structures in my time – skyscrapers in Kamurocho, ancient temples in the Phantom Blood world – but this place had a certain… presence. It felt ancient, solid, like it had been carved out of the very bedrock of this world.
I pushed open the heavy oak doors, the hinges groaning like a tired old man complaining about his aching joints. The noise from inside hit me like a wall of sound. It wasn't just the usual tavern din of drunken laughter and boisterous conversation; it was a cacophony of clanging tankards, scraping chairs, and a hundred different conversations happening at once. It was like someone had crammed a whole city's worth of noise into this one building.
I navigated through the crowded common room, my senses on high alert. The air was thick with the scent of ale, roasted meat, and something else… a faint, electric feeling that I couldn't quite place. It wasn't unpleasant, just unusual.
Beyond the tavern, a long hallway stretched out before me, lined with tables and overflowing with people. Scribes hunched over scrolls, their quills scratching furiously against the parchment. Clerks shuffled stacks of documents, their faces etched with a weary boredom that spoke of endless paperwork and bureaucratic nightmares. It was like stepping into some kind of medieval DMV, only with more swords and less fluorescent lighting.
As I made my way down the hallway, my enhanced hearing picked up a conversation happening near the back of the room. Two women, their voices raised in what sounded like a heated argument.
"I know, Sera," one of them said, her voice strained, "But the Kordic Council isn't going to approve of moving against a Titan-class Grimm! Can you—"
My footsteps echoed on the stone floor, a rhythmic click that cut through the surrounding din. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but with my enhanced senses, it was hard not to. And the mention of a "Titan-class Grimm" piqued my curiosity.
I quickened my pace, eager to reach the end of the hallway and put an end to my unintentional eavesdropping.
The two women, startled by my sudden appearance, turned to face me. One of them was decked out in full plate armor, polished to a mirror shine. It wasn't the bulky, clunky kind I'd seen in history books. This armor was sleek, form-fitting, almost like a dress made of metal. It reached down to her ankles, segmented plates overlapping to allow for movement, and over that was a massive chestplate, intricately engraved with what looked like some kind of heraldic symbol. Her arms were encased in segmented gauntlets, reinforced at the knuckles, and a helmet, shaped like a snarling wolf's head, rested on a nearby table.
The other woman, presumably the receptionist, wore simpler armor. It was functional, sturdy, but lacked the intricate details and craftsmanship of the other woman's gear.
"I just wanna sign up," I said, raising my hands in a gesture of peace. "You can finish your whatever this is, I can wait."
The armored woman, Sera, stepped forward, a smirk playing on her lips. "You look strong," she said, her voice a low, husky purr. "How about this, if you go on an Alpha Hunt with me, I'll pay for your entrance fee."
I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Sure, why not?"
She seemed about as strong as Dio had been after graduating college, back in the Phantom Blood world. Her Ten shroud was solid, evidence of years of training and discipline. But something felt… off. Her aura lacked the "flavor" of a Nen category, the unique signature that distinguished each user's abilities. She didn't even have the feeling that specialists had either.
Shouldn't she have at least tried to figure out her affinity if she was this respected?
I pushed the thought aside, chalking it up to my own ignorance. After all, this wasn't the first time I'd encountered something I didn't understand. This whole "Dragon-Broken" world was a mystery, and I was just starting to scratch the surface.
The receptionist, her face brightening, opened her mouth seemingly about to way too excitedly introduce Sera, but the armored woman cut her off with a sharp tone.
"I'm Sera."
She nodded to herself.
"Just Sera."
I followed Sera out of the guild, the receptionist's protests fading behind us like a distant echo. The midday sun beat down on the cobblestone streets, casting long shadows that stretched towards the towering forest that encircled the town.
"Look," Sera said, her voice surprisingly gentle despite her imposing armor, "I wouldn't normally drag a newbie straight into an Alpha Beowolf hunt, but…" She paused, her gaze fixed on me with an intensity that made me shift uncomfortably. "You've got that same feeling about you. Like… like that Infinity Badass guy."
I frowned, my brow furrowing. "Infinity Badass guy?"
Who the hell was she talking about? And why did I have a feeling I was being roped into something way over my head?
Sera, oblivious to my confusion, launched into a breathless explanation, her words tumbling out in a torrent of excited babble.
"Everyone knows how badass the Infinity Badass is! He really hates when I call him that, more even so than everyone calling him by his actual title. It's actually funny how everyone calls him that and he just wants his actual name, Ozzand, to be called. But reputation is important, and we're here!"
During her incredibly hyper talk-up of this "Ozzand" guy – clearly a fangirl who worked with him – I pieced together that he was the "Infinity Man," and that the real name of the "Infinite Man" mentioned in the optional goal "Ozzand". I figured I'd find out why No one called him "Ozma," despite the entire section of the world calling him that before I entered it later. Right now, I had more pressing concerns.
Like the pack of Alpha Beowolves that had suddenly surrounded us, their glowing red eyes fixed on me with a predatory hunger.
I didn't hesitate. I channeled my Nen, summoning my Ren and infusing it with the pulsating energy of the Ripple. It felt like a supernova erupting within me, a wave of power that surged outwards, engulfing the clearing in a blinding flash of light and crackling energy.
The Beowolves didn't stand a chance. They were vaporized, their bodies disintegrating into dust before they even hit the ground.
I was disappointed by the lack of a fight. I'd been hoping for a challenge, a chance to test my skills against something truly formidable. But Sera's reaction was even more baffling.
"HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!" she shrieked, her voice a mixture of awe and disbelief. "There was lightning, and your aura was like some kind of massive spiky blast that went everywhere! Teach me! Teach me!"
I stared at her, my brow furrowing. I got that the Ripple would be unique here, but… did people in this world have no concept of Ren? Did they not understand the basics of aura manipulation?
It seemed I had a lot more to learn about this Dragon-Broken world than I'd initially thought.
I pushed open the heavy oak doors, the hinges groaning like a tired old man complaining about his aching joints. The noise from inside hit me like a wall of sound. It wasn't just the usual tavern din of drunken laughter and boisterous conversation; it was a cacophony of clanging tankards, scraping chairs, and a hundred different conversations happening at once. It was like someone had crammed a whole city's worth of noise into this one building.
I navigated through the crowded common room, my senses on high alert. The air was thick with the scent of ale, roasted meat, and something else… a faint, electric feeling that I couldn't quite place. It wasn't unpleasant, just unusual.
Beyond the tavern, a long hallway stretched out before me, lined with tables and overflowing with people. Scribes hunched over scrolls, their quills scratching furiously against the parchment. Clerks shuffled stacks of documents, their faces etched with a weary boredom that spoke of endless paperwork and bureaucratic nightmares. It was like stepping into some kind of medieval DMV, only with more swords and less fluorescent lighting.
As I made my way down the hallway, my enhanced hearing picked up a conversation happening near the back of the room. Two women, their voices raised in what sounded like a heated argument.
"I know, Sera," one of them said, her voice strained, "But the Kordic Council isn't going to approve of moving against a Titan-class Grimm! Can you—"
My footsteps echoed on the stone floor, a rhythmic click that cut through the surrounding din. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but with my enhanced senses, it was hard not to. And the mention of a "Titan-class Grimm" piqued my curiosity.
I quickened my pace, eager to reach the end of the hallway and put an end to my unintentional eavesdropping.
The two women, startled by my sudden appearance, turned to face me. One of them was decked out in full plate armor, polished to a mirror shine. It wasn't the bulky, clunky kind I'd seen in history books. This armor was sleek, form-fitting, almost like a dress made of metal. It reached down to her ankles, segmented plates overlapping to allow for movement, and over that was a massive chestplate, intricately engraved with what looked like some kind of heraldic symbol. Her arms were encased in segmented gauntlets, reinforced at the knuckles, and a helmet, shaped like a snarling wolf's head, rested on a nearby table.
The other woman, presumably the receptionist, wore simpler armor. It was functional, sturdy, but lacked the intricate details and craftsmanship of the other woman's gear.
"I just wanna sign up," I said, raising my hands in a gesture of peace. "You can finish your whatever this is, I can wait."
The armored woman, Sera, stepped forward, a smirk playing on her lips. "You look strong," she said, her voice a low, husky purr. "How about this, if you go on an Alpha Hunt with me, I'll pay for your entrance fee."
I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Sure, why not?"
She seemed about as strong as Dio had been after graduating college, back in the Phantom Blood world. Her Ten shroud was solid, evidence of years of training and discipline. But something felt… off. Her aura lacked the "flavor" of a Nen category, the unique signature that distinguished each user's abilities. She didn't even have the feeling that specialists had either.
Shouldn't she have at least tried to figure out her affinity if she was this respected?
I pushed the thought aside, chalking it up to my own ignorance. After all, this wasn't the first time I'd encountered something I didn't understand. This whole "Dragon-Broken" world was a mystery, and I was just starting to scratch the surface.
The receptionist, her face brightening, opened her mouth seemingly about to way too excitedly introduce Sera, but the armored woman cut her off with a sharp tone.
"I'm Sera."
She nodded to herself.
"Just Sera."
I followed Sera out of the guild, the receptionist's protests fading behind us like a distant echo. The midday sun beat down on the cobblestone streets, casting long shadows that stretched towards the towering forest that encircled the town.
"Look," Sera said, her voice surprisingly gentle despite her imposing armor, "I wouldn't normally drag a newbie straight into an Alpha Beowolf hunt, but…" She paused, her gaze fixed on me with an intensity that made me shift uncomfortably. "You've got that same feeling about you. Like… like that Infinity Badass guy."
I frowned, my brow furrowing. "Infinity Badass guy?"
Who the hell was she talking about? And why did I have a feeling I was being roped into something way over my head?
Sera, oblivious to my confusion, launched into a breathless explanation, her words tumbling out in a torrent of excited babble.
"Everyone knows how badass the Infinity Badass is! He really hates when I call him that, more even so than everyone calling him by his actual title. It's actually funny how everyone calls him that and he just wants his actual name, Ozzand, to be called. But reputation is important, and we're here!"
During her incredibly hyper talk-up of this "Ozzand" guy – clearly a fangirl who worked with him – I pieced together that he was the "Infinity Man," and that the real name of the "Infinite Man" mentioned in the optional goal "Ozzand". I figured I'd find out why No one called him "Ozma," despite the entire section of the world calling him that before I entered it later. Right now, I had more pressing concerns.
Like the pack of Alpha Beowolves that had suddenly surrounded us, their glowing red eyes fixed on me with a predatory hunger.
I didn't hesitate. I channeled my Nen, summoning my Ren and infusing it with the pulsating energy of the Ripple. It felt like a supernova erupting within me, a wave of power that surged outwards, engulfing the clearing in a blinding flash of light and crackling energy.
The Beowolves didn't stand a chance. They were vaporized, their bodies disintegrating into dust before they even hit the ground.
I was disappointed by the lack of a fight. I'd been hoping for a challenge, a chance to test my skills against something truly formidable. But Sera's reaction was even more baffling.
"HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!" she shrieked, her voice a mixture of awe and disbelief. "There was lightning, and your aura was like some kind of massive spiky blast that went everywhere! Teach me! Teach me!"
I stared at her, my brow furrowing. I got that the Ripple would be unique here, but… did people in this world have no concept of Ren? Did they not understand the basics of aura manipulation?
It seemed I had a lot more to learn about this Dragon-Broken world than I'd initially thought.
Ah yeah, let's hit em with the "we are both using the same term for different things"
And then we'll give them, the "They're similar, so merging them makes sense!"
How the dragon-break formed in remnant.
So, im gonna try to explain how this dragonbreak happened.
1.The Black Mana Dude of Maximum Evil(BMDME)(lol) went omnoms on everyobodies narrative weight, causing fate enforcement to decrease.
2. Protagonists continually lose earlier and earlier which causes narrative weight and fate enforcement to spiral out of control in an already doomed world.
3. Salem wins sooner and sooner after every iteration of the world.
4. a critical mass appears after the first possible real champions aren't even born before salem wins.
5. events accelerate to the point that Salem wins at the start of the new calandar, forcing BGW(before great war) to be meaningless.
6A Reality and fate enforcement aren't just negative, but they REVERSE ENTIRELY. Reality starts contradicting itself as Salem keeps winning earlier and earlier in ways that make no sense.
6B. reality itself realizes something is wrong and tries to pause everything only being able to create a backup-timeline that is the entrypoint that is events that ichiban interacts with. These remaining events that will be pasted onto the main timeline before the dragonbreak to stop the dragonbreak from existing.
7A Salem wins in history in ways that continue to make less and less sense. Eventually the dragon-break forms upon the main timeline displaying that Salem wins before she could have even been born, destroying the world, the gods, her husband, eradicating humanity, becoming an evil empress with no goal.
Things in the main timeline go out of control to the point of a Dragonbreak.
7B Ichiban explores the backup timeline, hoping that he can make it the actual timeline even if he doesn't know its a backup timeline.
1.The Black Mana Dude of Maximum Evil(BMDME)(lol) went omnoms on everyobodies narrative weight, causing fate enforcement to decrease.
2. Protagonists continually lose earlier and earlier which causes narrative weight and fate enforcement to spiral out of control in an already doomed world.
3. Salem wins sooner and sooner after every iteration of the world.
4. a critical mass appears after the first possible real champions aren't even born before salem wins.
5. events accelerate to the point that Salem wins at the start of the new calandar, forcing BGW(before great war) to be meaningless.
6A Reality and fate enforcement aren't just negative, but they REVERSE ENTIRELY. Reality starts contradicting itself as Salem keeps winning earlier and earlier in ways that make no sense.
6B. reality itself realizes something is wrong and tries to pause everything only being able to create a backup-timeline that is the entrypoint that is events that ichiban interacts with. These remaining events that will be pasted onto the main timeline before the dragonbreak to stop the dragonbreak from existing.
7A Salem wins in history in ways that continue to make less and less sense. Eventually the dragon-break forms upon the main timeline displaying that Salem wins before she could have even been born, destroying the world, the gods, her husband, eradicating humanity, becoming an evil empress with no goal.
Things in the main timeline go out of control to the point of a Dragonbreak.
7B Ichiban explores the backup timeline, hoping that he can make it the actual timeline even if he doesn't know its a backup timeline.
ThaTrueRealmWalk
A blob of Galaxy, watching you through the Screen.
- Location
- Inside this TV
Oh another fic from you? This time with an incredibly slower jump to power?!
Sign me up!
This looks fun so far, and while going to RWBY seems neat- especially with the union of Aura and Nen being possible, this seems very nice!
Of course the desire to see Ichiban go back to their adopted boys Jonathan and Dio and fix what the evil fake lady was trying to do is heavily wanted. The man deserves to set things right dang it!
And oh his Hatsu is really cool! A walking build up of power that not only rely's on Nen but also the Ripple is hella cool! A really novel and simple power for the man!
While I'm here- While I know that Aura and Nen or similar- and from your vote similar enough that the two techniques basically fuse then their known enough, Aura still has something diffrent- which is basically that unlike Nen, Aura (I think) just gives out it's Hatsu, or in this world, Semblance, without needing to make it yourself.
Which... well for Ichiban this means he's going to get a new power (Maybe) he can use in the future- Honestly it might be something that ties into his original Story/Game. I think that would feel most appropriate here instead of giving him something that just clicks in cleanly with his current powerset. Makes it so he has to experiment a bit with this new power to learn exactly how to add it to his growing style!
For Hunter x Hunter and RWBY though, because I'm very much assuming your going to go back to Hunter X Hunter, the mix of Nen and Aura is just- Really shocking to both worlds! I mean for RWBY it's really early in the timeline (I think) so the impact would be much more echoing in it's reach for the main plot in the present time. Basically people would be much more capable with Auraed Nen, and those advanced enough will have two unique powers for their own system + Whatever the Ripple will add to it.
For Hunter X Hunter though it would be much more sudden and surprising. A new advanced form of Nen that grants a Hatsu that's based on their character rather then through self discovery would have everyone freaking out! Of course not without the build up of Ichiban an slowly showing his cards and revealing it to the world!
And again- Ripple! A entirely different form of power that relies on breathing!
And that gets into how if Ichiban goes into Demon Slayer to learn those breathing techniques? Well isn't there a- ah yes there is!
Hinokami Kagura
This seems like it would link right into the Ripple, potentially allowing for the Demon Slayers and Ichiban to take a step up with this powerset!
Not only that but with what we see of Joseph and Ceaser in part two, it might allow for the Ripple and the Breathing techniques, when put together, to form different elements- since unlike that the anime shows, the Breathing Techniques in Demon Slayer don't actually do all that cool magic art stuff- it's pure visual... which might actually become real when mixed with the Ripple!
Gosh I am rambling- This has be very interested if you can't tell and I might be wrong with some of this stuff so please double check but really! This is very fun to think about!
And oh gosh- when thinking about it, it kinda feels in character for Ichiban to not go straight back to Jojo, even after helping in RWBY. The man- he preaches justice. He taught two boys well to the point he saved them both from a destiny of their blood fighting, uniting the Joestar bloodline into one united stream. His betrayal, even if it was caused by strings wrapped around his hands, probably stings deeply. Honestly Demon Slayer might be what he needs to feel ready to face down the people he betrayed.
Maybe get a confidant in Zeppilin and be around to see Jospeh and Ceaser face off against the Pillar Men. A friend who he can rely on that isn't a god he cannot trust. Probably fudge some details of course but the basic premise of:
"Someone reversed the Karma of many worlds to the point that someone is needed to undo what they did. Ichiban was chosen but it was due to a false pretender who wanted to use him, which he almost feel under the control of. Given a second chance to set things right in this world by the power that's asking for his help setting the Karma of the effected worlds straight, to step back in time to where he only started to be controlled by the pretender, and his guilt at failing those who came to rely on him."
Cause I think Zeppil would be able to help Ichiban stand tall, give him a push to continue the task given to him to fix the Karma of broken worlds. A friend he can rely on to shoulder the suffering.
Oh gosh I almost wrote 900 words for this. I gotta stop here! Thank you for the wonderful story and no matter where you take this, even if it isn't how I described above, I look forward to what you'll do next!
Edit: Why is it spoilering like this? SV what did I say to be censored like this?!
Edit 2: Note to self, BB Code can be werid- Null Color means it gets spoilered? Weird!
Edit 3: Thinking about it- A Stand could just be considered an evolved form of a Sebalance honestly. Which would cut down on Ichiban getting to many powers- more upgrades to his skillset then anything... Realm has been thinking about this a lot they are sorry
Sign me up!
This looks fun so far, and while going to RWBY seems neat- especially with the union of Aura and Nen being possible, this seems very nice!
Of course the desire to see Ichiban go back to their adopted boys Jonathan and Dio and fix what the evil fake lady was trying to do is heavily wanted. The man deserves to set things right dang it!
And oh his Hatsu is really cool! A walking build up of power that not only rely's on Nen but also the Ripple is hella cool! A really novel and simple power for the man!
While I'm here- While I know that Aura and Nen or similar- and from your vote similar enough that the two techniques basically fuse then their known enough, Aura still has something diffrent- which is basically that unlike Nen, Aura (I think) just gives out it's Hatsu, or in this world, Semblance, without needing to make it yourself.
Which... well for Ichiban this means he's going to get a new power (Maybe) he can use in the future- Honestly it might be something that ties into his original Story/Game. I think that would feel most appropriate here instead of giving him something that just clicks in cleanly with his current powerset. Makes it so he has to experiment a bit with this new power to learn exactly how to add it to his growing style!
For Hunter x Hunter and RWBY though, because I'm very much assuming your going to go back to Hunter X Hunter, the mix of Nen and Aura is just- Really shocking to both worlds! I mean for RWBY it's really early in the timeline (I think) so the impact would be much more echoing in it's reach for the main plot in the present time. Basically people would be much more capable with Auraed Nen, and those advanced enough will have two unique powers for their own system + Whatever the Ripple will add to it.
For Hunter X Hunter though it would be much more sudden and surprising. A new advanced form of Nen that grants a Hatsu that's based on their character rather then through self discovery would have everyone freaking out! Of course not without the build up of Ichiban an slowly showing his cards and revealing it to the world!
And again- Ripple! A entirely different form of power that relies on breathing!
And that gets into how if Ichiban goes into Demon Slayer to learn those breathing techniques? Well isn't there a- ah yes there is!
Hinokami Kagura
This seems like it would link right into the Ripple, potentially allowing for the Demon Slayers and Ichiban to take a step up with this powerset!
Not only that but with what we see of Joseph and Ceaser in part two, it might allow for the Ripple and the Breathing techniques, when put together, to form different elements- since unlike that the anime shows, the Breathing Techniques in Demon Slayer don't actually do all that cool magic art stuff- it's pure visual... which might actually become real when mixed with the Ripple!
Gosh I am rambling- This has be very interested if you can't tell and I might be wrong with some of this stuff so please double check but really! This is very fun to think about!
And oh gosh- when thinking about it, it kinda feels in character for Ichiban to not go straight back to Jojo, even after helping in RWBY. The man- he preaches justice. He taught two boys well to the point he saved them both from a destiny of their blood fighting, uniting the Joestar bloodline into one united stream. His betrayal, even if it was caused by strings wrapped around his hands, probably stings deeply. Honestly Demon Slayer might be what he needs to feel ready to face down the people he betrayed.
Maybe get a confidant in Zeppilin and be around to see Jospeh and Ceaser face off against the Pillar Men. A friend who he can rely on that isn't a god he cannot trust. Probably fudge some details of course but the basic premise of:
"Someone reversed the Karma of many worlds to the point that someone is needed to undo what they did. Ichiban was chosen but it was due to a false pretender who wanted to use him, which he almost feel under the control of. Given a second chance to set things right in this world by the power that's asking for his help setting the Karma of the effected worlds straight, to step back in time to where he only started to be controlled by the pretender, and his guilt at failing those who came to rely on him."
Cause I think Zeppil would be able to help Ichiban stand tall, give him a push to continue the task given to him to fix the Karma of broken worlds. A friend he can rely on to shoulder the suffering.
Oh gosh I almost wrote 900 words for this. I gotta stop here! Thank you for the wonderful story and no matter where you take this, even if it isn't how I described above, I look forward to what you'll do next!
Edit: Why is it spoilering like this? SV what did I say to be censored like this?!
Edit 2: Note to self, BB Code can be werid- Null Color means it gets spoilered? Weird!
Edit 3: Thinking about it- A Stand could just be considered an evolved form of a Sebalance honestly. Which would cut down on Ichiban getting to many powers- more upgrades to his skillset then anything... Realm has been thinking about this a lot they are sorry
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I already wrong some stuff with zeppeli being confused at Ichiban's wisdom and aged-feeling and contronting him
I can change the result so its more "Weclome back bro, let me help you" instead of "I'm not sure your ichiban."
I think your idea is better.
But yeah, I have alot of ideas about merging power systems and power-systems that would clash if something else wasnt added that makes it even stronger.
Everything involving breathing is a specific pattern so ripple and HKagura from demonslayer would clash...
But what if we get a multi-chant ability- or a book eating hand-mouth from a very dangerous fantasy world with 10th circle gods that are just world-shattering mages(that's a really bad idea. Just an example, Ichiban is NOT going there. Book eating magician is 10x as dangerous as your average xianxia.)?
ThaTrueRealmWalk
A blob of Galaxy, watching you through the Screen.
- Location
- Inside this TV
I'm glad you think so! Zeppeli is very much a bro~
And thinking about it- yeah. Breathing Techniques very much would clash against each other. To the slayers in Demon Slayer, the Ripple itself would be considered like... the best thing ever.
Their breathing techniques aren't really magical in nature, only pushing them to their human limits. The Ripple is literally harnessing the power of the sun as a magical ability. Something that, once known about, would even make Muzan tremble in fear- and unlike stands people can see the Ripple. Like- Tanjiro would see Ichican come into the Demon Slayer Exam and physically be able to see him harnessing the power of the sun and melt a demon like nothing- it would change the entire- it would literally be an perfect canon redirection the moment Ichiban shows his hands
And honestly? Thinking about it, I think them both Clashing actually works a lot better. Ichiban would of course probably try to get the two powers to mix before seeing the Ripple as just being objectively better (Because it literally is) but that doesn't mean he won't get anything out of it. Many martial arts styles use techniques that don't click with other ones right? At least a lot in anime- But! That doesn't mean you can't learn from those other styles and make a variation on your own.
The breathing Techniques of Demon Slayer may not be able to unite with the Ripple, but they can ask a question to Ichiban: "Are you using the Ripple to it's fullest potential? Just with normal, non sun powered breathing, these guys and gals can bring forth the strength to challenge the monsters of the night. If they can do this without the Ripple... what can you do with the Ripple?"
As for the multi-chant... eh? It seems like trying to avoid the power clash here. It might be neat down the line- like very down the line but even then... I think Ichiban excepting that he can't use everything he learns and instead using those Power Clashes to improve his current abilities he can learn feels a lot more smooth and fun.
Looking at a Wiki for the Ripple, there is a lot of potential to the Ripple if someone were to get a fresh perspective on it. The Ripple can already, from what we seen in the show and manga, magnetize leaves together, manipulate scarfs, be used in bubbles.
Add that same ability list to lets say... Ichiban seeing the Mist Breathing style. Who's to say that can't inspire Ichiban to use the Ripple to control Mist, both blocking view and essentially slowly burning any Demons/Vampires he's fighting against. Sure he can't really click the breathing Technique into his true arsenal, but he can used that incompatibility to gain a new ability he can use!
That's my mini essay about how through letting power systems Clash you can still find a way to improve Ichiban's current abilities (While also allowing you to completely throw Demon Slayer canon into the stratosphere... because honestly? While the Breathing Techniques and The Ripple don't work together... Demon Slayers using their Sword Techniques with the Ripple? Why not and how fast do you think Zenitsu can get when using Lighting Breathing Sword Techniques mixed with the Ripple?)
And thinking about it- yeah. Breathing Techniques very much would clash against each other. To the slayers in Demon Slayer, the Ripple itself would be considered like... the best thing ever.
Their breathing techniques aren't really magical in nature, only pushing them to their human limits. The Ripple is literally harnessing the power of the sun as a magical ability. Something that, once known about, would even make Muzan tremble in fear- and unlike stands people can see the Ripple. Like- Tanjiro would see Ichican come into the Demon Slayer Exam and physically be able to see him harnessing the power of the sun and melt a demon like nothing- it would change the entire- it would literally be an perfect canon redirection the moment Ichiban shows his hands
And honestly? Thinking about it, I think them both Clashing actually works a lot better. Ichiban would of course probably try to get the two powers to mix before seeing the Ripple as just being objectively better (Because it literally is) but that doesn't mean he won't get anything out of it. Many martial arts styles use techniques that don't click with other ones right? At least a lot in anime- But! That doesn't mean you can't learn from those other styles and make a variation on your own.
The breathing Techniques of Demon Slayer may not be able to unite with the Ripple, but they can ask a question to Ichiban: "Are you using the Ripple to it's fullest potential? Just with normal, non sun powered breathing, these guys and gals can bring forth the strength to challenge the monsters of the night. If they can do this without the Ripple... what can you do with the Ripple?"
As for the multi-chant... eh? It seems like trying to avoid the power clash here. It might be neat down the line- like very down the line but even then... I think Ichiban excepting that he can't use everything he learns and instead using those Power Clashes to improve his current abilities he can learn feels a lot more smooth and fun.
Looking at a Wiki for the Ripple, there is a lot of potential to the Ripple if someone were to get a fresh perspective on it. The Ripple can already, from what we seen in the show and manga, magnetize leaves together, manipulate scarfs, be used in bubbles.
Add that same ability list to lets say... Ichiban seeing the Mist Breathing style. Who's to say that can't inspire Ichiban to use the Ripple to control Mist, both blocking view and essentially slowly burning any Demons/Vampires he's fighting against. Sure he can't really click the breathing Technique into his true arsenal, but he can used that incompatibility to gain a new ability he can use!
That's my mini essay about how through letting power systems Clash you can still find a way to improve Ichiban's current abilities (While also allowing you to completely throw Demon Slayer canon into the stratosphere... because honestly? While the Breathing Techniques and The Ripple don't work together... Demon Slayers using their Sword Techniques with the Ripple? Why not and how fast do you think Zenitsu can get when using Lighting Breathing Sword Techniques mixed with the Ripple?)
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So, Uhhh... posted wrong story here.
have a free home-made angry waifu?
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmFH89uxpGE
have a free home-made angry waifu?
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmFH89uxpGE
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ThaTrueRealmWalk
A blob of Galaxy, watching you through the Screen.
- Location
- Inside this TV
Ah um- letting you know this is the wrong thread for this- This is Ichiban's tale not Kirito and Asuna's!
Ah shit. thanks! Gonna go fix that!
Chapter 20: "We know that when two rotating fundimental forces at sufficient speed...," -- Sphere, threatening to blow up the moon
The clearing was a mess. Scorched earth, splintered trees, and the faint, acrid smell of ozone hung heavy in the air. The Beowolves, or what was left of them, were scattered around like discarded toys, their bodies reduced to piles of ash and bone. It was a scene of utter devastation, a testament to the raw power I'd unleashed.
And yet I felt nothing. No satisfaction, no thrill of victory, not even a twinge of guilt. Just a hollow emptiness that echoed the desolate landscape around me.
I was still stuck in that irritated, depressed daze, my mind replaying the events of the past few years, the weight of my actions pressing down on me like a physical burden.
Then, Sera's voice, a high-pitched squeal of excitement, cut through the fog of my thoughts.
"...Teach me! Teach me!"
I blinked, forcing myself to focus. For the first time since I'd arrived in this world, I actually looked at her. Really looked at her.
She was striking. Her ginger hair was pulled back in a single-backward tight braid that stopped at her mid-back, a few stray strands framing a face that was both delicate and fierce. Her eyes, a vibrant shade of purple, sparkled with an intensity that reminded me of a cat stalking its prey. A smirk played on her lips, revealing a slightly elongated canine on the left side, giving her a subtly predatory look.
And then I noticed the ears.
Cat ears. Perky, pointed cat ears, perched atop her head like a pair of furry exclamation points. A tail, covered in segmented armor with serrated spikes, swished back and forth behind her, a blur of motion that betrayed her excitement.
It was unexpected. And kinda adorable, in a weirdly badass kind of way.
I nodded, pushing aside my surprise. "Yeah, sure, I can teach you Ren and Ripple. It's easy, although Ripple is either painful to start or even more painful with a breathing method over a longer time. You seem to know Ten really well, so it'll be easy."
Sera tilted her head, one of her cat ears twitching in what I assumed was confusion. "Ten? I'm just using my aura. What are you talking about?"
My brow furrowed. "Aura? You mean… your Ten shroud?"
She shook her head, her purple eyes widening. "No, I mean my aura. It's what everyone uses to fight Grimm. You know, the basic stuff."
My stomach dropped.
Basic stuff?
Did that mean they didn't have Nen in this world? That this whole "aura" thing was something completely different?
I'd been so focused on my own problems, on the manipulation, on the shattered timeline, that I hadn't even considered the possibility that this world's power system might be completely different from anything I'd encountered before.
I took a deep breath, consciously ignoring the twitching cat ears and the spiked tail that swished back and forth like a metronome keeping time with Sera's excited energy. I had to focus. This was important.
"Nen," I began, my voice calm and measured, "is a technique for controlling your life energy. It's not magic. It's not some mystical force. It's a natural energy that exists within all living beings."
I held up my hand, focusing my aura, letting it flow outwards, forming a faint, shimmering glow around my fingers.
"There are nodes all over your body," I continued, tracing a path along my arm with my other hand. "These nodes act like valves, controlling the flow of your life energy. By opening these nodes, you can access your Nen and learn to control it."
I explained the process of opening the nodes, either through meditation and self-discovery or through the forceful intervention of a skilled teacher. I described the sensation of Nen flowing through the body, the feeling of power and vitality that came with it.
"Once you've opened your nodes," I said, "you need to learn to control your Nen. The first step is Ten, which involves wrapping your aura around your body, forming a protective shroud."
I demonstrated Ten, letting my aura flare outwards, forming a dense, shimmering barrier around me.
"With enough practice," I said, "Ten becomes instinctive. It's like a second skin, always there, always protecting you."
Sera's jaw dropped, her purple eyes wide with astonishment. "So your teacher taught you Aura wrong," she exclaimed, "and he somehow found a way to use life-force instead of the soul. Then he found an entirely different way to access aura?!"
I inhaled sharply, suppressing a surge of irritation. She'd interrupted me, and I had a feeling she was going to keep doing it. I simply nodded, deciding to let it slide for now. "Uhh, yes."
Sera, oblivious to my annoyance, launched into an explanation of Aura as she understood it.
"Aura is your soul, made manifest," she said, her voice filled with a reverence that surprised me. "It's the life force of your spirit, the energy that protects you from harm and allows you to fight Grimm. To awaken someone's Aura, a teacher has to open their soul up by flowing their own soul into theirs and use a set of words that are uniquely them, words that resonate with their spirit, to awaken the other person's Aura."
She paused, her tail swishing back and forth excitedly. "It's easy to start, but it's hard to master. Most people awaken their Aura through intense emotional experiences, like facing a Grimm for the first time. Jumping headfirst into danger is a good way for newbies to get their Aura flowing, but…" She hesitated, her gaze fixed on me with a thoughtful expression. "With your life-force-aura-thingy, Nen power, you might find that method impossible."
"So, what if we merge the two systems of power?" I mused, tapping a finger against my chin. "One uses raw life force, the other uses the soul. Would they enforce each other, or cause a problem?"
Sera's eyes lit up, and she pumped her fist in the air. "I volunteer!" she declared with a grin.
A faint, girlish giggle echoed through the clearing, carried on the wind. I glanced around, but Sera didn't seem to notice it. I shrugged it off, figuring it was just my imagination.
"I don't wanna hurt you, so I'll do it myself, yeah?" I said, my gaze fixed on the faint, shimmering glow of Sera's Aura.
I could see it clearly now. Not just the external manifestation, the protective shroud that surrounded her like a second skin, but the source itself. A tiny, flickering light nestled deep within her chest, radiating a warmth that felt both familiar and alien.
My own Nen, in comparison, was a raging inferno. A chaotic storm of life energy that pulsed and throbbed with raw power. I could feel the destructive potential within it, the sheer force that could shatter mountains and level cities.
And I knew, with a chilling certainty, that if I tried to force Nen into Sera's Aura, it would be like trying to extinguish a candle with a flamethrower. The delicate balance of her soul-based energy would be overwhelmed, shattered, irrevocably damaged.
Ripple… maybe Ripple could help. Its gentle, healing energy might be able to bridge the gap between the two systems, to guide my Nen into Sera's Aura without causing harm. But even that felt risky. I'd seen what uncontrolled Ripple could do, the way it could burn through flesh and bone, leaving behind nothing but charred remains.
I wasn't willing to take that chance.
"We should go back to town," I said, my voice firm.
I noticed that the bones of the Alpha Beowolves had completely dissolved, leaving behind nothing but scorched earth and a faint, lingering scent of ozone. It was unsettling. The way Grimm disappeared, turning into black mist and vanishing without a trace… it was too damn unrealistic, even for a world where cat-eared warriors wielded soul-powered energy.
Sera pouted, her purple eyes wide with disappointment. It was a surprisingly effective tactic, considering her fierce demeanor and those sharp, predatory canines. But I held firm.
"Maybe later," I said, offering her a reassuring smile. "We need to figure out the basics first. And besides," I added, gesturing towards the rapidly fading trail of destruction we'd left behind, "I think we've done enough damage for one day."
We made our way back to town, passing the mangled remains of the Ursa Sera had effortlessly bisected with her spiked tail. It was a gruesome sight, but I couldn't help but feel a grudging respect for her skill. She might not have Nen, but she was clearly a force to be reckoned with.
We reached the town gates, the young guard staring at us with wide eyes as we approached. He seemed particularly fascinated by Sera's tail, his gaze following its every twitch and flick.
Until I noticed Sera's eyes starting to narrow as her aura that was somehow not Nen roiled with disgusted rage.
"Uh… welcome back," he stammered, his cheeks flushing a bright red. As his face jolted in the other direction.
I saw mortified shame in those eyes as we passed.
There was a story there but I wasn't interested.
We ignored him, continuing on to the guild hall, the noise of the tavern washing over us as we stepped inside.
And yet I felt nothing. No satisfaction, no thrill of victory, not even a twinge of guilt. Just a hollow emptiness that echoed the desolate landscape around me.
I was still stuck in that irritated, depressed daze, my mind replaying the events of the past few years, the weight of my actions pressing down on me like a physical burden.
Then, Sera's voice, a high-pitched squeal of excitement, cut through the fog of my thoughts.
"...Teach me! Teach me!"
I blinked, forcing myself to focus. For the first time since I'd arrived in this world, I actually looked at her. Really looked at her.
She was striking. Her ginger hair was pulled back in a single-backward tight braid that stopped at her mid-back, a few stray strands framing a face that was both delicate and fierce. Her eyes, a vibrant shade of purple, sparkled with an intensity that reminded me of a cat stalking its prey. A smirk played on her lips, revealing a slightly elongated canine on the left side, giving her a subtly predatory look.
And then I noticed the ears.
Cat ears. Perky, pointed cat ears, perched atop her head like a pair of furry exclamation points. A tail, covered in segmented armor with serrated spikes, swished back and forth behind her, a blur of motion that betrayed her excitement.
It was unexpected. And kinda adorable, in a weirdly badass kind of way.
I nodded, pushing aside my surprise. "Yeah, sure, I can teach you Ren and Ripple. It's easy, although Ripple is either painful to start or even more painful with a breathing method over a longer time. You seem to know Ten really well, so it'll be easy."
Sera tilted her head, one of her cat ears twitching in what I assumed was confusion. "Ten? I'm just using my aura. What are you talking about?"
My brow furrowed. "Aura? You mean… your Ten shroud?"
She shook her head, her purple eyes widening. "No, I mean my aura. It's what everyone uses to fight Grimm. You know, the basic stuff."
My stomach dropped.
Basic stuff?
Did that mean they didn't have Nen in this world? That this whole "aura" thing was something completely different?
I'd been so focused on my own problems, on the manipulation, on the shattered timeline, that I hadn't even considered the possibility that this world's power system might be completely different from anything I'd encountered before.
I took a deep breath, consciously ignoring the twitching cat ears and the spiked tail that swished back and forth like a metronome keeping time with Sera's excited energy. I had to focus. This was important.
"Nen," I began, my voice calm and measured, "is a technique for controlling your life energy. It's not magic. It's not some mystical force. It's a natural energy that exists within all living beings."
I held up my hand, focusing my aura, letting it flow outwards, forming a faint, shimmering glow around my fingers.
"There are nodes all over your body," I continued, tracing a path along my arm with my other hand. "These nodes act like valves, controlling the flow of your life energy. By opening these nodes, you can access your Nen and learn to control it."
I explained the process of opening the nodes, either through meditation and self-discovery or through the forceful intervention of a skilled teacher. I described the sensation of Nen flowing through the body, the feeling of power and vitality that came with it.
"Once you've opened your nodes," I said, "you need to learn to control your Nen. The first step is Ten, which involves wrapping your aura around your body, forming a protective shroud."
I demonstrated Ten, letting my aura flare outwards, forming a dense, shimmering barrier around me.
"With enough practice," I said, "Ten becomes instinctive. It's like a second skin, always there, always protecting you."
Sera's jaw dropped, her purple eyes wide with astonishment. "So your teacher taught you Aura wrong," she exclaimed, "and he somehow found a way to use life-force instead of the soul. Then he found an entirely different way to access aura?!"
I inhaled sharply, suppressing a surge of irritation. She'd interrupted me, and I had a feeling she was going to keep doing it. I simply nodded, deciding to let it slide for now. "Uhh, yes."
Sera, oblivious to my annoyance, launched into an explanation of Aura as she understood it.
"Aura is your soul, made manifest," she said, her voice filled with a reverence that surprised me. "It's the life force of your spirit, the energy that protects you from harm and allows you to fight Grimm. To awaken someone's Aura, a teacher has to open their soul up by flowing their own soul into theirs and use a set of words that are uniquely them, words that resonate with their spirit, to awaken the other person's Aura."
She paused, her tail swishing back and forth excitedly. "It's easy to start, but it's hard to master. Most people awaken their Aura through intense emotional experiences, like facing a Grimm for the first time. Jumping headfirst into danger is a good way for newbies to get their Aura flowing, but…" She hesitated, her gaze fixed on me with a thoughtful expression. "With your life-force-aura-thingy, Nen power, you might find that method impossible."
"So, what if we merge the two systems of power?" I mused, tapping a finger against my chin. "One uses raw life force, the other uses the soul. Would they enforce each other, or cause a problem?"
Sera's eyes lit up, and she pumped her fist in the air. "I volunteer!" she declared with a grin.
A faint, girlish giggle echoed through the clearing, carried on the wind. I glanced around, but Sera didn't seem to notice it. I shrugged it off, figuring it was just my imagination.
"I don't wanna hurt you, so I'll do it myself, yeah?" I said, my gaze fixed on the faint, shimmering glow of Sera's Aura.
I could see it clearly now. Not just the external manifestation, the protective shroud that surrounded her like a second skin, but the source itself. A tiny, flickering light nestled deep within her chest, radiating a warmth that felt both familiar and alien.
My own Nen, in comparison, was a raging inferno. A chaotic storm of life energy that pulsed and throbbed with raw power. I could feel the destructive potential within it, the sheer force that could shatter mountains and level cities.
And I knew, with a chilling certainty, that if I tried to force Nen into Sera's Aura, it would be like trying to extinguish a candle with a flamethrower. The delicate balance of her soul-based energy would be overwhelmed, shattered, irrevocably damaged.
Ripple… maybe Ripple could help. Its gentle, healing energy might be able to bridge the gap between the two systems, to guide my Nen into Sera's Aura without causing harm. But even that felt risky. I'd seen what uncontrolled Ripple could do, the way it could burn through flesh and bone, leaving behind nothing but charred remains.
I wasn't willing to take that chance.
"We should go back to town," I said, my voice firm.
I noticed that the bones of the Alpha Beowolves had completely dissolved, leaving behind nothing but scorched earth and a faint, lingering scent of ozone. It was unsettling. The way Grimm disappeared, turning into black mist and vanishing without a trace… it was too damn unrealistic, even for a world where cat-eared warriors wielded soul-powered energy.
Sera pouted, her purple eyes wide with disappointment. It was a surprisingly effective tactic, considering her fierce demeanor and those sharp, predatory canines. But I held firm.
"Maybe later," I said, offering her a reassuring smile. "We need to figure out the basics first. And besides," I added, gesturing towards the rapidly fading trail of destruction we'd left behind, "I think we've done enough damage for one day."
We made our way back to town, passing the mangled remains of the Ursa Sera had effortlessly bisected with her spiked tail. It was a gruesome sight, but I couldn't help but feel a grudging respect for her skill. She might not have Nen, but she was clearly a force to be reckoned with.
We reached the town gates, the young guard staring at us with wide eyes as we approached. He seemed particularly fascinated by Sera's tail, his gaze following its every twitch and flick.
Until I noticed Sera's eyes starting to narrow as her aura that was somehow not Nen roiled with disgusted rage.
"Uh… welcome back," he stammered, his cheeks flushing a bright red. As his face jolted in the other direction.
I saw mortified shame in those eyes as we passed.
There was a story there but I wasn't interested.
We ignored him, continuing on to the guild hall, the noise of the tavern washing over us as we stepped inside.
Hurricane's gonna go brrr.
So, Hurricanes dislike Miami on principle and since that's where I am and it's coming straight for my general direction, just wanna let you guys know via this temporary(Hopefully) post (Fuckin' category five you never know) that Powers gonna be out when its out and expect me not to be here for at least a couple days from wednesday onwards through friday(And maybe longer depending on infrastructure going smash.)
Chapter 21: "In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this." --Terry Pratchett
I trailed behind Sera, watching as she practically skipped back to the desk, her armor-spiked tail swishing with an almost childlike enthusiasm. The receptionist, still buried under a mountain of paperwork, barely glanced up as we approached. Her pink twin drills, impossibly perfect and defying any logical explanation of hair styling, bobbed slightly as she continued scribbling on a paper scroll.
I'd seen some strange things in my time – talking dogs, soul-sucking masks, a world where everyone looked like a character from a comic book while chasing a hunter license, that one time I froze to death in a doomed world – but this woman's hair was something else. It was like a physical manifestation of the absurdity of this world. Back in Kamurocho, a hairstyle like that would've gotten you laughed out of the cabaret club. Here, it seemed perfectly normal.
I shook my head, trying to clear the image of those gravity-defying pink drills from my mind. I had more important things to focus on. Like figuring out what the hell I was doing in this world, and what this whole "Ozma and the Circle" business was all about.
"He's stronger than me," Sera announced, her voice ringing with an almost childish pride. "Give him Emerald-Class."
The receptionist finally looked up, her brow furrowing as she fixed me with a skeptical gaze. "Sera, you know that even with being the 'Heraldic Warcat Queen' of the Circle's enforcement division – only Ozzand can give ranks above Mythril. Are you telling me that he is somehow already part of the Circle and has gained the approval of Ozzand, the one and only Infinite Man? If you say yes, I don't care how strong you are, I will wring your neck!"
My mind reeled, trying to process the barrage of information. Heraldic Warcat Queen? Circle's enforcement division? It was like listening to a conversation in a foreign language, a language I desperately needed to learn.
I knew that I was in a world called Remnant, a world shattered by something called a Dragon-Break. I knew that magic, as I understood it, didn't exist here, replaced by something called Dust. I knew that the people here used a power called Aura, which seemed similar to Nen but was fueled by the soul instead of life force. And I knew that there was a group called the Circle, led by a man named Ozzand, who was also known as the Infinite Man.
But beyond those basic facts, I was completely lost.
I needed answers. I needed to understand this world, its people, its history, its power dynamics. I needed to figure out how I fit into this chaotic mess and what I was supposed to do.
And most importantly, I needed to fix this insane situation and decide if I wanted to continue working for a divine being after being screwed by the other one.
I decided to step in before the situation escalated any further. These two clearly had a special dynamic.
"Just give me a membership level you are comfortable with, Ms.—"
"Mary Starr," the pink-haired woman answered, her voice surprisingly calm despite the tension in the air. "A pleasure, and an apology for the hyperactive cat who wears a helmet that looks like a Beowolf skull, skullified with metal because she is convinced it looks cool. It really doesn't."
"I'm right here!" Sera interjected, her tail flicking in annoyance.
I ignored her, focusing on Mary. "Right, Mary, give me whatever membership to the Adventurer's Guild you are okay with. And then we meet Infinite Buddy, who has the cool name that rhymes with kickstand and has 'Oz' in the front, cool?"
Mary's lips twitched into a smile. "Sounds good. I'll give you Platinum since Sera recommends you. Also, Ozzyboy is going to love his new, extremely cool nickname. He seems to get one every time someone meets him and thinks 'Infinite Man' is stupid. 'Infinite Buddy' will be a hoot!"
I nodded, a grin spreading across my face. "Well, I can't beat Ozzyboy."
This world was weird. But after the soul-crushing despair of the last few years, the absurdity of it all was almost refreshing.
"Flatterer," Mary chuckled, her smile widening. "My nickname can't possibly be the absolute best and most infuriating to him. Absolutely not." She winked at Sera, her mocking smile betraying the truth of her words. "Yours is truly better, right, Ms. 'Oz the Cool'? I swear, that has to be the best nickname out of all of them and shows just the right amount of sass and no hero worship at all! No sir-ee."
Sera's face flushed a bright red, her cat ears flattening against her head. "MARY! WE AGREED TONOT TALKABOUT THAT! IKNOW WHEREYOUSLEEP! LET'SGO RIGHT NOW, OZISWAITING INFINITELY!" she shrieked, her words blurring together in a torrent of panicked syllables.
Before I could even process what was happening, Sera grabbed my arm and bolted towards the door, dragging me along in her wake. I didn't resist. She was pretty amusing, after all, and I was curious to meet this "Ozzyboy" guy.
For three hours, I trailed behind Sera as she navigated the rugged terrain with an almost supernatural grace. Her armor, despite its bulk and intricate design, remained eerily silent. No clanging metal, no scraping plates, just the soft thud of her boots against the packed earth. My own dress shoes, completely unsuited for this kind of trek, held up surprisingly well, thanks to a thin layer of Nen I instinctively wrapped around them.
We passed through dense forests, climbed rocky hills, and forded rushing streams, Sera never slowing her pace, her energy seemingly inexhaustible. It was like she was powered by some internal dynamo, her enthusiasm a constant hum that vibrated through the air around her.
Finally, as the sun began to dip towards the horizon, we arrived at a massive campsite. Tents of various sizes and shapes were scattered across a wide clearing, a bustling hive of activity. Blacksmiths hammered away at anvils, cooks stirred bubbling cauldrons over open fires, and groups of adventurers, their armor and weapons gleaming in the fading light, gathered around tables, swapping stories and sharing meals.
I activated Gyo, my gaze sweeping over the camp, my senses on high alert. It was then that I noticed something… strange. The tents, the fires, they were all surrounded by a faint, shimmering aura. The only thing here that was real was the people. But it wasn't Nen. It wasn't Aura. It was something else entirely, an energy I'd never encountered before.
Another question to add to my ever-growing list.
Sera, without breaking stride, dragged me towards the only stone building in the camp. It was a simple structure, square and solid, with a single wooden door and a pair of narrow windows.
She barged in without knocking, her enthusiasm apparently overriding any sense of decorum.
Inside, a young man with snow-white hair sat behind a desk, a steaming mug in his hand. He wore a green cloak over a suit of plate armor that covered every inch of him except his head and face. He looked up as we entered, his expression a mixture of surprise and annoyance.
"Hi, Ozzyboy," I said, beating Sera to the punch.
The man, Ozzand, flinched, his mug halfway to his lips. He stared at me for a full minute, his blue eyes narrowed, his expression unreadable. Then, he sighed, setting his mug down with a weary clink.
"Please leave the building for a few minutes," he said, his voice calm but firm, "so I don't turn you into a target dummy for that same amount of time. I will speak with you after."
I'd seen some strange things in my time – talking dogs, soul-sucking masks, a world where everyone looked like a character from a comic book while chasing a hunter license, that one time I froze to death in a doomed world – but this woman's hair was something else. It was like a physical manifestation of the absurdity of this world. Back in Kamurocho, a hairstyle like that would've gotten you laughed out of the cabaret club. Here, it seemed perfectly normal.
I shook my head, trying to clear the image of those gravity-defying pink drills from my mind. I had more important things to focus on. Like figuring out what the hell I was doing in this world, and what this whole "Ozma and the Circle" business was all about.
"He's stronger than me," Sera announced, her voice ringing with an almost childish pride. "Give him Emerald-Class."
The receptionist finally looked up, her brow furrowing as she fixed me with a skeptical gaze. "Sera, you know that even with being the 'Heraldic Warcat Queen' of the Circle's enforcement division – only Ozzand can give ranks above Mythril. Are you telling me that he is somehow already part of the Circle and has gained the approval of Ozzand, the one and only Infinite Man? If you say yes, I don't care how strong you are, I will wring your neck!"
My mind reeled, trying to process the barrage of information. Heraldic Warcat Queen? Circle's enforcement division? It was like listening to a conversation in a foreign language, a language I desperately needed to learn.
I knew that I was in a world called Remnant, a world shattered by something called a Dragon-Break. I knew that magic, as I understood it, didn't exist here, replaced by something called Dust. I knew that the people here used a power called Aura, which seemed similar to Nen but was fueled by the soul instead of life force. And I knew that there was a group called the Circle, led by a man named Ozzand, who was also known as the Infinite Man.
But beyond those basic facts, I was completely lost.
I needed answers. I needed to understand this world, its people, its history, its power dynamics. I needed to figure out how I fit into this chaotic mess and what I was supposed to do.
And most importantly, I needed to fix this insane situation and decide if I wanted to continue working for a divine being after being screwed by the other one.
I decided to step in before the situation escalated any further. These two clearly had a special dynamic.
"Just give me a membership level you are comfortable with, Ms.—"
"Mary Starr," the pink-haired woman answered, her voice surprisingly calm despite the tension in the air. "A pleasure, and an apology for the hyperactive cat who wears a helmet that looks like a Beowolf skull, skullified with metal because she is convinced it looks cool. It really doesn't."
"I'm right here!" Sera interjected, her tail flicking in annoyance.
I ignored her, focusing on Mary. "Right, Mary, give me whatever membership to the Adventurer's Guild you are okay with. And then we meet Infinite Buddy, who has the cool name that rhymes with kickstand and has 'Oz' in the front, cool?"
Mary's lips twitched into a smile. "Sounds good. I'll give you Platinum since Sera recommends you. Also, Ozzyboy is going to love his new, extremely cool nickname. He seems to get one every time someone meets him and thinks 'Infinite Man' is stupid. 'Infinite Buddy' will be a hoot!"
I nodded, a grin spreading across my face. "Well, I can't beat Ozzyboy."
This world was weird. But after the soul-crushing despair of the last few years, the absurdity of it all was almost refreshing.
"Flatterer," Mary chuckled, her smile widening. "My nickname can't possibly be the absolute best and most infuriating to him. Absolutely not." She winked at Sera, her mocking smile betraying the truth of her words. "Yours is truly better, right, Ms. 'Oz the Cool'? I swear, that has to be the best nickname out of all of them and shows just the right amount of sass and no hero worship at all! No sir-ee."
Sera's face flushed a bright red, her cat ears flattening against her head. "MARY! WE AGREED TONOT TALKABOUT THAT! IKNOW WHEREYOUSLEEP! LET'SGO RIGHT NOW, OZISWAITING INFINITELY!" she shrieked, her words blurring together in a torrent of panicked syllables.
Before I could even process what was happening, Sera grabbed my arm and bolted towards the door, dragging me along in her wake. I didn't resist. She was pretty amusing, after all, and I was curious to meet this "Ozzyboy" guy.
For three hours, I trailed behind Sera as she navigated the rugged terrain with an almost supernatural grace. Her armor, despite its bulk and intricate design, remained eerily silent. No clanging metal, no scraping plates, just the soft thud of her boots against the packed earth. My own dress shoes, completely unsuited for this kind of trek, held up surprisingly well, thanks to a thin layer of Nen I instinctively wrapped around them.
We passed through dense forests, climbed rocky hills, and forded rushing streams, Sera never slowing her pace, her energy seemingly inexhaustible. It was like she was powered by some internal dynamo, her enthusiasm a constant hum that vibrated through the air around her.
Finally, as the sun began to dip towards the horizon, we arrived at a massive campsite. Tents of various sizes and shapes were scattered across a wide clearing, a bustling hive of activity. Blacksmiths hammered away at anvils, cooks stirred bubbling cauldrons over open fires, and groups of adventurers, their armor and weapons gleaming in the fading light, gathered around tables, swapping stories and sharing meals.
I activated Gyo, my gaze sweeping over the camp, my senses on high alert. It was then that I noticed something… strange. The tents, the fires, they were all surrounded by a faint, shimmering aura. The only thing here that was real was the people. But it wasn't Nen. It wasn't Aura. It was something else entirely, an energy I'd never encountered before.
Another question to add to my ever-growing list.
Sera, without breaking stride, dragged me towards the only stone building in the camp. It was a simple structure, square and solid, with a single wooden door and a pair of narrow windows.
She barged in without knocking, her enthusiasm apparently overriding any sense of decorum.
Inside, a young man with snow-white hair sat behind a desk, a steaming mug in his hand. He wore a green cloak over a suit of plate armor that covered every inch of him except his head and face. He looked up as we entered, his expression a mixture of surprise and annoyance.
"Hi, Ozzyboy," I said, beating Sera to the punch.
The man, Ozzand, flinched, his mug halfway to his lips. He stared at me for a full minute, his blue eyes narrowed, his expression unreadable. Then, he sighed, setting his mug down with a weary clink.
"Please leave the building for a few minutes," he said, his voice calm but firm, "so I don't turn you into a target dummy for that same amount of time. I will speak with you after."
Last edited:
- Location
- England
Is it called Remnant? Or was that name given to it later after the Brothers left. Also, has he seen the moon yet? I want to know if it's gone boom yet or not. I think it should still be intact at this point.
Should that be "then"?
He hasn't seen the moon and the brothers left 700 years ago, came back 300 years ago with Ozzyboi, told ozman to fix it and fucked off again.
also thanks!
- Location
- England
He never did in the original timeline, then. What a slacker.
Announcement+ is this Yui's source code?!
Okay so bad things have been happening and things have just calmed down enough for me to hopefully start writing again. KTBTS and TMSI will start up again soon(Probably KTBTS on Saturday on royal road and I'll start posting the 3rd edition rewrites here too when I can get a few moments to do so!)
So look forward to KTBTS and TMSI coming soon!
Also, I think I found Yui's source code... Did kayaba steal Evil-Neuro from Vedal and just decide to go ham?
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYClXSIpMR0
So look forward to KTBTS and TMSI coming soon!
Also, I think I found Yui's source code... Did kayaba steal Evil-Neuro from Vedal and just decide to go ham?
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYClXSIpMR0