Scarlet 33

Scarlet 33

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Commissioned by Sivantic

Wordcount: 2500

…

There was a flash, pressure, my body slamming against something, and finally pain.

Everything across my entire body ached. Breathing was difficult and sent sharp pains across my chest. But it was only pain.

I could think.

I could breathe.

And, most importantly, I could still move.

I wrenched myself out of the wall I found myself embedded in, while my vision and hearing cleared.

An inferno smoldered in front of me. A raging fire ate up all the fuel that I brought into the tunnel and raged on the walls, floor, and ceiling of the tunnel. If I didn’t have so much resistance against flame, I would’ve been burnt to a crisp. No. If I didn’t have the resilience that Ddraig gave me, I would’ve died even before then.

If I was just a normal human, I would be dead, but that wasn’t the case.

However, that was something I needed to think about later.

Over there, Taylor.

Ddraig’s voice was louder and clearer than it had ever been before. A part of me knew that if he tried as much as he could, then I’d struggle to keep my body. Instead, his presence was soothing and cooperative, and I felt his power flow through my body. What was broken within me was replaced by his power as my Sacred Gear reached its pinnacle in my current state, and the aches and pains began to fade.

Without his cooperation, I would’ve died, so I thanked him.

Got it. Thanks.

Thank me after you win. This is still a dangerous fight.

I nodded at his words and moved forward… aware of changes to my Scale Mail as I moved. The armor was more streamlined now. The plates smaller and slender across my human form, almost contorting to me, instead of being plate armor. The wings that I could call upon, which helped me fly by expending energy, felt more natural and came at my command like extra limbs. A long tail composed of segmented armor pieces extended from my spine. I knew that if I let things progress further, I’d have new limbs to worry about.

But, like Ddraig said, it wasn’t time to worry about such things.

I moved into the inferno towards the sound of hacking coughs and pain-filled grunts.

I crouched low and kept myself wary of any attacks, but my efforts were ineffective, because my target spoke a moment later.

“A fool, then. I’ve been bested by a fool.” The speaker growl and I felt a change in the air. I dodged and where I was before was suddenly filled with a beam of light that burrowed through the wall behind me with ease. Instincts not my own brought the armored wings I had on my back forward and the magic that the wings used poured forth and solidified in front of me. A draconic shield of power formed… and altered it. I gave it slants, improved its thickness and effectiveness by applying some basic geometry, so that it could divert attacks instead of contending against it head on. It was successful and the second attack that came after me pushed me back, but didn’t penetrate, and was deflected to the side. “Ha! By a child barely capable of mastering their Sacred Gear, as well! What a farce!”

The creature laughed as I approached it.

It sent more attacks, making me grunt as I approached and deflected the blows, until I stood before it.

The creature had suffered the same fate as me. The explosion had smashed it backward into the walls of the sewers. However, unlike me, it was unable to resist the flames that surged forth. Pieces of its many wings were nothing but bone and burnt tissue. Not only that, but the explosion seemed to have hit it hard too. It was already regenerating, and it was capable of attacking, so I deduced what it was doing: buying time.

Time I wasn’t going to give it.

The wings, Taylor.

I reached past it, over its shoulder, and at the buried and burnt remains of its wings… and began to pull.

The creature screamed obscenities and curses at me.

“I’ll kill you! Murder your entire bloodline! Any who shares your blood will suffer for eternity!” It screamed, it tried to bash its skull against my form to kill me, and nearly succeeded. Crippled, with barely any space, the Fallen of high ranking could call enough power to kill me without Ddraig’s help. If I was a normal human being, his bashing head alone would’ve turned my torso into puddles of blood and bone. But I wasn’t. “Stop and I will be merciful and kill only you—graaagghghh!?”

I pulled with all my strength. It was like prying an entire trunk of a tree out of semi-solid cement. The weight of the wing was immense and the muscle, tendon, and skin holding it were all incredibly resilient. But, I was maxed out, my Sacred Gear was operating at full power, and I had Ddraig’s help keeping my mind free of bestial instinct. Ddraig called this theoretical state a prelude to something called “Juggernaut Drive,” which would burn up my lifeforce and drive me into a killing frenzy, while he could do nothing but watch. Thanks to our relationship and understanding of one another, we made use of the power that would be born from me submitting entirely to his power.

I was giving up my humanity in exchange, but in this world with all its dangers… it was a bonus more than anything else.

If I was human, I most certainly wouldn’t be able to wrench the wings off of a high-ranking Fallen Angel.

With a grunt, I managed to pull out the wing by the roots. It left me breathing hard and pain filling my chest from the battering sent my way. Still, though, I took off one of the creatures’ appendages.

Those wings are more than just markings of station. They help control the power of Light. Ripping them weakens the enemy. Take them out until you can kill it.

I verified Ddraig’s words with a glance. Some of the creature’s wounds were starting to open and bleed. Its regeneration slowed a little, with burnt flesh taking longer to flake off and be replaced by new.

It had more wings.

If I had to make a guess, then I I’d need to take half off them off before I could beat it to death.

As I reached for the creature’s next wing, I felt something strange in the air that made my heart race and muscles tightened like coils filled with energy.

Ddraig answered before I asked.

That’s fear, Taylor. The fear of Angels. Its afraid.

The words gave me pause for a moment, until I gripped the creature’s next wing with my armored fist.

Good.

It was nice to know that I could build a reputation that’ll protect me and mine even against the likes of the Fallen.

If I can terrify them, that meant I could protect myself better.

Maybe… I should make this one an example instead of killing it?

The thought crossed my mind, before I realized that the Unwritten Rules didn’t exist here, this creature tried to kill me, and Stray Devils were put down instead of spared. In this world, killing the enemy was what you’re supposed to do… and Irina’s state after she was ambushed by these creatures came to mind.

Yeah.

I’ll make an example out of my next enemy.

This one.

This one dies for touching someone I cared about.

Or, so I had hoped, until my instincts called out to me to take flight and MOVE.

Innumerable spears of light rushed through where I used to be in an instant. My body moved and contorted as I leapt through the air. My whole form twisted and I reached out to grab at something to hold, and like a lizard I clasped onto the roof… and felt building energy within my body.

Unleash it, Taylor!

For a moment, I wondered where the power would come from, until I realized that Ddraig was looking out for me and didn’t want my transformation to progress any further.

With that in mind, I let the power burst forth and let instinct guide my body. The armor segments of my body opened and revealed more of the green gems that were at the center of my Sacred Gear. As I pushed the power outward, towards the source of the spears of light, they glittered like stars in the night and simple, pure power surged out of them towards my foes. Lances of draconic fire, concentrated in thin beams, cut into the darkness and into the bodies of my foes… and illuminated several Fallen that surged towards their own.

Before I could turn my fire upon them, the creature whose wing I tore off roared at me and fired once again, forcing me to use my wings as a shield and deflect his attack. His subordinates then fired upward and burrowed through the tunnel system, and lifted their leader up, while the other injured… tried to attack me again.

I wanted to give chase, but I knew that I couldn’t pursue with the force that remained. They were still faster than me, and they spent their whole lives flying, while I just gained the ability. Engaging them in the tunnels was a means to remove their advantage in the air, so pursuit would only play into their strengths.

I had to fight against my new desire to pursue my prey and destroy them, and maybe if I was just a normal, teenage boy, I wouldn’t have been able to do it.

But my past life, all I had to endure and understand just to be shot in the head after killing Scion, allowed me to pull back against those instincts and focus.

I am not invincible, and more importantly, I’m not a beast driven solely by emotion.

I’m me.

And, I would do everything it takes to survive, win, and protect the life I had now.

Even fight against myself.

With that steeling me against my instincts, I turned away from the creature whose wing I tore and turned to his subordinates.

They’ll do.

For now.

…

Consciousness returned to me.

Or, so I thought, until I looked to my right and left.

To my right was Rias, undressed and sleeping with my arm tucked into her chest.

To my left was Akeno, also lacking in clothing, and staring right at me with a smile as she held my arm too.

I believed that I was dreaming, and I was about to act on my dreams, when Ddraig chimed in and killed the mood.

You’re awake. They recovered you after the fight, since you passed out. They enacted a ritual that healed you a little and reversed some of the changes to your body. Mostly the ones on the surface. Congrats, most of your insides are better than anything else’s on the planet. You’re welcome.

I parsed that statement for a while before allowing myself to groan and lament.

“I went through a tantric ritual and slept through the entire thing!?” It took everything I had not to scream. Rias and Akeno were both involved in a tantric ritual with my body and I was asleep the entire time!? Why? Why couldn’t I have been awake!? Why the hell was I so weak, after giving up most of my humanity!? “Dammit!”

Akeno giggled at my words, while Rias shifted.

Both actions tore aside my groaning and moaning, as I found it better to better to focus on what their actions did to evolution’s gift to reality.

Boobs.

Well, at least, you’re not whining about not being strong anymore.

I was doing what?

Exactly.

Ddraig refused to answer, and I had more important things to look at, so I did until Akeno pressed a finger against my cheek and drew my attention. When she realized that she was drawing too much of my attention, she pulled up the blanket to cover her chest.

It was taut because of her size and the fact that three people were sharing the blanket.

So…

I’m leaving.

OOOOHHHHH.

BOOBS COVERED ONLY BY A BLANKET.

WOOOOOOOO.

Akeno laughed and that diverted my attention ever-so-slightly from where I wanted to look forever.

Only a little.

The laugh made things jiggle.

“And, here everyone was worried that your Sacred Gear took over your mind, since you launched an assault on your own. Yet, it seems that you’re just as lewd and gratifying to be around as ever.” Akeno lounged at my side and rested her head on her arm. Her chest moved with her and squished a little against the bedsheet and each other. Was this my bed? Is this happening in my room? I looked with my enhanced, draconic vision and found that it wasn’t. Dammit. “Hm, it seems like you’re more overtly perverse than usual… should I be worried for my chastity, Ise-kun?”

At that question, I retook control over my emotions.

“I was checking how my body affected my thoughts by not restraining myself. It looks like things are pretty much the same, if I don’t control myself.” My body this time around was that of a young man with a libido and drive that equaled a dragon’s desire. If I didn’t control myself, then I was strange. “Ddraig told me that you and Rias healed me. Thanks.”

At that, Akeno smiled a little, sadistic smile that sent a little tingle up my spine.

“Healed you? Oh, that was the work of lovely Asia-chan. Nothing we could’ve done would’ve done anything… except turn you into a Devil. Knowing that, though, we abstained. All we did is drive away the surface of your new power.” Akeno reached out and ran her hand across my chest. A glimmer of excitement filled her eyes. “You were so hurt, so broken, and yet we found you surrounded by dead Grigori. They took you on, seeking to kill you, but you tore them apart and found them wanting. I wonder… what will happen when I try and tame you?”

In the back of my mind, some part of me told me that I already had relationships Sona and Rias. Not only that, but Asia was interested in me, too.

I could do without giving the go-signal to a sadist like Akeno, especially since she got hot and bothered by the fact that I killed a bunch of her former species.

Saying no to her would be the safest option in my current love-life—

“When would you like to find out?”

Of course, I didn’t have enough self-control at all to refuse.”

And, you said Draconic mating practices didn’t work outside of Dragons, but here you are killing things and getting mates.

Shut up, Ddraig.

Say what you want, but I’m right!