Danmachi: the Great Devourer

C156: Every Immortal Ever

Alt Title Teaser: Next Trick

Overall Word count = 1685 on 11/4/2024. 

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To say that Axel is surprised is an understatement. Seeing that familiar shield and signature magic power that belongs to his friend Mash, his anger rises as from the [Great Devouring] Layers upon his body, he was able to understand that it actually was Mash's own mana that was used. 

"THIEF" Axel calls upon his [shapeshifting] ability but in a less nuanced way. Closer to the way of Alex Mercer from game Prototype. His arms and hands turn into giant claws while tendrils shoot out from his body, encircling Alaya as she extends her hand for another trinket to be created in her hand. 

Tendril after tendril phase through Alaya as she looks unhurried, "One, two" She says as another intense aura begins to gather around her. Yet to Axel's shock, a second copy of her voice is heard moments later as her aura spikes up further, "Invidia manus Meae Proditione Caesus, Surge Rashoumon.) (Great Grudge of my hand, felled by betrayal, Rise Rashoumon.). 

"Three Four" Alaya keeps counting while extending her free hand towards Axel and he notices that it is now bloody red with the aura that belongs to a certain heavily marked up oni he is 'acquainted' with. "Burn, oh my hand" A giant ghastly apparition of a floating red hand appears between the two. The hand had actually started out small but rapidly grew until it was the size of a three-storey building. 

The hand is blasted out towards him with great speed that could demolish an entire army but there is only Axel. he has to retract his tendrils as he activates [Dragon Gods Scales] from Alaba while also activating a few of his abilities other defensive abilities such as: [Blessed Armor], [Titan Strength] and [Dungeon Creation].

"Five Six", A large-scale tunnel is formed just before Axel's feet leading straight down, but with his earth affinity and dungeon control, he pulls the would-be dungeon in the open air, forming a two-fold magically enhanced wall before him[1]. 

"Seven Eight", The hand crashes through the walls with ease before crashing into Axel himself. He is sent flying from the attack as the red hand drags him around but he remains relatively unharmed with the exception of a few bruises and scorch marks on his scales. 

Yet Alaya is not done yet, The item in her hand grows to be a full sized golden sword. The sword is primarily a curved sword with a bulky back side bumps that even splits a bit creating a second grip for it if the user wanted to two hand it. It has a purple striped handle with what seems like pieces of short hair hanging off it, but a red string is wrapped around the secondary handle. 

(pic here with its original owner)

"Nine Ten" "o magna flamma Sogen-bi, omnes discute montes!" (oh great flame of Sogen-bi, shatter all mountains)

A great Bright red flame that looks like blood begins to coat the sword as Alaya tosses the saber into the air where the flames condense around the blade part itself. From the tip of the blade, the fire is channeled into a form of orbital bombardment on just Axel as the pillar of fire comes crashing down upon him. He reapplies his defensive skills but has no plans to face this technique head on since he can feel a proper threat from it. He channels his [Operation of Parallel Memories]. 

"Screeeeeech". he disappears off a distance away in a crouched position with his hand on the ground, he then rushes forward, dodging the subsequent pillars of fire as he channels his [Spirit Energy] once again to strike at Alaya but she simply brings back the floating sword and intercepts his fist with the blade. The collision of which causes the ground between them to shatter as the scales on Axel's body screech against the golden sword. 

During the standstill between Axel's fist and her knockoff sword, she tilts her wrist to slide her blade off of Axel's arm to slash at his waist with said sword. Calculating the angle of the blade, Axel creates a thin portal where the sword would cut him and instead would cut her own neck. Of course Axel doesnt let up and with no obstacle, he continues his fist forward at her face with a handful of [Spirit Energy].

Yet not too unsurprisingly, Alaya retreats from Axel. Taking a solitary stance with her sword down as her focus turns to her other hand and whatever is forming there. 

Axel charges at Alaya who is stationary, her left hand that wields Ibaraki's sword, Higekirimaru, to deflect Axel's attacks until the next trinket in her hand is solidified, Axel is confused as it's just a sake cup, yet he can likely understand who it belongs to unless there is more than one alcoholic immortal from the far east. 

Moments Prior….

Far away at the camp, a pair of Onis are walking around the Southern camp that was re-established in the west. The civilians and former adventurers that were at the south but didn't have any family in the other regions or had any reason to leave remained as part of the south side group. 

The two onis are casually walking around as they survey their charges and making sure that everyone is fine and doesnt need anything. Their duties quickly end as the Ganesha people as well as the leftover Freya members that were here take over this duty to help the people. As such, the two oni find a nice solitary spot to sit on top of a rock. Their backs against each other as they relax from the recent stress. 

"Ne ne (hey hey), Nee-san, what do you think our 'big' hubby will be doing once the people here are sorted out?" Ibaraki asks her sister, insinuating something briefly as a flash of horny comes over her from the memories of their previous sessions.

"What do you mean?" Shuten calmly sips her sake from her seemingly endless gourd.

"Wellllll" She enunciates the word, "The dungeon is supposedly dead and gone, that means old man Ouranos is useless now except to keep order thanks to the guild. We who are amongst the many prisoners of 'that bitch', are technically free now, or at least I think so."

"Do you think we will be traveling with him, seeing the endless sights with each other as company, or would we return to stale ol' Orario with him taking charge as a magic creator full time?" Ibaraki gives more context to their situation as well as what she believes are in the stars of their possible future. 

"I can't say for certain but both are good. With him likely ascending past the falna or whatever he did, since i don't feel any divinity on him, we could very well settle down, maybe have a few critters roaming around he he." Shuten says with her own bit of lust seeping out when she is suddenly hit on the back of head by Ibaraki and nearly spills her sake. 

"Hey!" she retorts and turns around to find that Ibaraki has fallen over on all 4s as her magic power is rilled up and disappearing somewhere. For some reason, even her sword appears beside her. 

"IBARAKi, what is going on?" Shuten yells out as she moves to support her sister but soon has to stop just beside the fallen sister. The reason for this is very quickly, her own mana is being drained out of her as well and it is only through her own strong will that she remains standing. The sake cup in her hand also begins to glow alongside her as she is the first to recognize what is happening to them. 

"That bitch…. is stealing…. our power…. to fight…but who?" She can barely grunt out her words as Ibaraki passes out from the usage of both her noble phantasms. 

Back at the fight….

The sword disappears as Alaya briefly chants, or perhaps mocks, "It would please me if you just melted away, Shinpen Kidoku." Alaya bends her back for aesthetic purposes as wine overspills from the sake cup onto the ground. From that point as the origin, the liquid releases a multi-colored pulse with the outer edge initially being purple-red but then quickly changes to a deep bright green from it's caustic nature. Axel doesnt feel a threat from this until it comes in contact with his feet and he finds himself actually melting from this. 

He finds that the melted parts of him are flowing towards the acidic sake cup, becoming it's new alcohol. With his feet melted off, he struggles to properly escape from the acid as it's very nature melts him in his entirety just from a small bit of contact. He is helpless to being turned into the sake cups alcohol.

Alaya stands alone with the cup in hand, a vibrant blue liquid rests within the cup that by all intents and purposes, She should drink. Yet she has no desire for this, and resummons the Higekirimaru (ibarakis sword) and is about to slash the cup and burn the liquid within, forever destroying any trace of Axel in the world. 

SWISH, "GLUUCK" Alaya suddenly finds herself throwing up blood, looking down, she spots a katana embedded in her chest, piercing her lungs to throw up blood. Yet when she senses around her, she doesnt find who could have stabbed her.

"Gotcha bitch" Alaya is quickly shocked and frightened by the voice of Axel coming from the cup. She soon spots the liquid in the cup has condensed into a blue ball that soon expands into his human form as his fist finally connects with Alayas face.

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Alt Title: Thief ,"What's the next trick on your agenda?", Sneaky sneaky

[1] For all the fate fans, the dungeon creation works as a variant of [territory creation] skill that a few select servant have. You can use that as a comparison if you wish.