One year and nine months had passed.
Glenda's recovery had been an agonizingly slow process.
Compared to Jay, Lavinia, and Kuroka, all of whom had mastered Senjutsu and the manipulation of Nature Ki, the healing of a damaged spirit naturally takes time. But after months of being confined to her bed or a chair, Glenda had taken her first trembling steps across the stone floor of the chamber.
Jay had used all of his time to completely master Ars Theurgia and all of its possible elemental combinations, allowing him to cycle through the Sigils of the Six Elementals with ease now.
Furthermore, his duration of using Absolute Nonexistence had also increased. He could now maintain its use for a full two minutes before the strain began to catch up to his spirit and body.
And not only that, he had also unsealed Ars Almadel, and the process of attaining it was surprisingly simple for him.
According to the Grail, it required the seal of an Archangel and his own to gain control over the Altar, which referred to their energy signature. It would normally be a problem if it were anyone else trying to use it, but with the recorded runes in his Avesta, Jay was able to mimic the energy signature of Gabriel that he had witnessed in Romania, effectively cheating the system despite not possessing any form of holy energy within him.
Despite this, Jay had yet to actually activate the Altar. According to Solomon, invoking Ars Almadel would effectively summon the Angels of Heaven, drawing upon the near-infinite holy energy that formed the celestial realm of the Seven Heavens, depending on how many angels answered the call. And currently, those angels were not necessarily on his side for him to simply test it out. Maybe he could call upon Michael and Gabriel later, but it's not necessary for now.
He also left Ars Paulina and Ars Notoria untouched for the time being.
Lavinia had spent most of her time by Glenda's side, helping her recover or simply talking with her, while also simultaneously perfecting her Spirit Form with the higher-tier Ice Spirit Jay had given her using Theurgia's power.
Kuroka, by contrast, spent much of her time dozing around the temple gardens, claiming that her Senjutsu and Spirit Magic had hit a bottleneck.
And through it all, there had been no movement from Rizevim Livan Lucifer, nor had any major events occurred in the supernatural world.
Today was their last day in the Temple of Solomon.
The temple gardens were silent, save for the whistling of the wind, until a flash of dark purple aura tore through the air.
Kuroka launched herself toward Jay in the blink of an eye, with the predatory grace of a feline.
Jay, now seventeen years and six months old, stood waiting.
He had matured significantly, his frame leaner and more muscular, his features settling into a sharp, cold look beneath his usual indifferent expression. His black clothes fluttered as he watched the Nekoshou close the distance.
Kuroka flickered out of existence, reappearing instantly behind him to launch a clawed strike at his spine.
But Jay didn't even look back.
He just shifted his weight to the side, allowing the strike to whistle past his ear, before spinning 180 degrees in a single, fluid motion.
SWOOOSH
He swung his palm toward Kuroka's head, but as his hand connected, it passed through her as if she were made of smoke.
'Not bad,' Jay thought.
Kuroka had spent the last three months attempting to learn Jay's signature defensive technique, an application of high-tier spatial magic, it was none other than Phantasmagoria.
It was a magic even Lavinia struggled with due to the near-impossible level of control required to use it effectively. It was not enough to simply have a high mana affinity as one had to possess surgical precision over the exact coordinates of every point in their body just to prevent the technique from backfiring.
A smug smirk appeared on Kuroka's face as she felt her claws nearing Jay's chest.
Having successfully transitioned into a intagible state to dodge his attack, she felt victory within her grasp.
'Nya, I got you!'
But inches before her claws could make contact, Jay's body flickered in grey. His movement was so fast it appeared almost instantaneous, and-
BOOM
Jay delivered a devastating side kick that connected with Kuroka's ribs, blasting her across the courtyard.
The movement was so sudden that she hadn't even had the chance to re-activate Phantasmagoria for defense.
Jay just stood there again as the grey Ki around his feet slowly dissipating.
He had reached a level of mastery where he no longer needed to shroud his entire body in Touki, as he could instead channel it into specific points of his body for microseconds of explosive power.
"Nya! How are you so fast! I haven't even got a chance to activate it again!" Kuroka complained, pulling herself out of a pile of stone debris and dusting off her black kimono.
"Your control over the technique itself is not bad," Jay said, his voice calm .
"But you can't just be waiting for an attack you can see. The key of using Phantasmagoria is to activate it even before the attack is coming. You have to anticipate the intent, not just the movement."
"Nyah! What do you mean by that!? Isn't this technique just pure suicide!?" Kuroka yelled, throwing her hands up in frustration.
"I thought you were a genius for creating this magic, but I take back my words. This is just pure insanity, especially in a battle-Nya!"
"I forced Susanoo into his True Divine Form just by using this technique to its absolute potential, even with my body far inferior to your current one," Jay said, casually brushing dust from his trousers.
"So that excuse is entirely on you."
"Nya~, you are really insane, Boss," Kuroka muttered in a defeated tone. She couldn't argue with the results.
Jay turned his head toward the Altar as he sensed familiar signatures approaching.
Lavinia was slowly walking down the grand stairs, her arm linked with Glenda's to provide support.
It had only been a few days since Glenda had regained the strength to walk again, and every step was still an effort.
While behind them, Solomon and Bilqis followed at a respectful distance.
Lavinia smiled at Jay as they slowly walked down the stairs.
She had become even more beautiful and mature now that she was in her early twenties, both in her face and in her body.
"How are you feeling, knowing you will see the outside world again after years in bed, Glenda?" Jay asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs.
"You still have a foul mouth, don't you, brat?" Glenda replied. Her voice was still raspy, but the familiar commanding edge of her voice was returning.
"No wonder they are searching for your head now. I wonder how many people you have caused a headache for over the years."
Jay felt a small spark of satisfaction after hearing her response. It was the Glenda he remembered.
"So, all of you will really be going today, huh~?" Bilqis said, her voice tinged with genuine sadness.
"This place will feel so empty now, right, Husband?"
Solomon nodded, though his smile remained warm.
"So, you guys are going to Greece next?"
"We've discussed it," Lavinia answered, taking the lead.
"But we'll probably return to Valeyra first. And then, after settling in for a while, Illya-kun and I will accompany Kuroka-chan to meet her sister and also visit Gasper-kun in Japan. And after that…"
Lavinia turned her eyes toward Jay, her expression hardening.
Jay gave a casual nod.
"We will be going to the Realm of the Dead to hunt down Rizevim Livan Lucifer and kill him for good," Lavinia said in a serious tone, one rarely seen on the warm blonde girl's face.
Even her eyes were filled with determination to stop that man, especially after hearing the questionable things he had done to Glenda.
"I see. My wife and I can only pray for all of your safety then," Solomon said, looking around the vast, empty halls of his temple.
"Remember that this place will remain here until my creed, the task given to me by the Heavenly Father, is fulfilled. So feel free to visit anytime."
The four of them nodded with his words.
"Both of you should visit Valeyra too," Jay offered.
Solomon shook his head slowly. "Trust me, we really want to, but that is not possible."
Lavinia tilted her head in confusion. "Not possible?"
Bilqis nodded sadly. "Our existence here as a spirit, is just a remnant of the past and is tied to this Temple that the Heavenly Father constructed... We will not be able to exist outside of this mountain."
Jay's mind immediately drifted back to the countless intricate runes he had seen etched into the very sand and rocks of the mountain.
'Ah, so that's what those are for,' Jay thought.
He then looked at the pair and nodded in understanding.
"If that's the case, then we'll make sure to visit you both whenever we have the time."
Solomon and Bilqis appeared satisfied with that promise.
"Then, before we leave, I want to personally thank both of you for helping us over these past two years," Jay said, his voice lowering into a tone of genuine gratitude.
"The time we've spent here… words can't describe how much you've helped us. So, thank you again, Solomon, Bilqis."
Lavinia also bowed deeply, her blonde hair falling over her shoulders.
Glenda stepped forward as well.
"I personally feel like I've been given a second chance I didn't deserve by two of my disciples… But without your help, I probably wouldn't have had the chance to apologize for my past mistakes to them. And because of that, King Solomon and Queen Bilqis, thank you very much."
"Zayyn, Lady Lavinia, Lady Glenda... you don't need to bow," Solomon said, stepping forward to raise his hand. "My wife and I were simply doing our tasks... And we truly enjoyed the company of all of you."
Bilqis nodded excitedly of her husband words.
After a few more minutes of final goodbyes, Jay decided it was time.
"Alright then. Let's meet again later, Solomon, Bilqis."
Lavinia began to channel her magic as a whitish-blue teleportation circle began to form beneath their feet. The light grew, slowly enveloping the four of them in a warm glow.
But just before the world dissolved into the spatial shift-
"Oh, another thing, Zayyn..." Solomon called out.
"Hm?" Jay raised an eyebrow, looking back at the King.
"Remember that you have people around you now," Solomon said with a look of profound understanding in his eyes.
"You are not alone."
Jay fell into a brief silence as Lavinia watched him from the corner of her eye, expecting his usual indifferent shrug.
But instead, a smile appeared on Jay's face.
A warm, genuine smile on his face.
As he simply said.
"I know,"
The light erupted, and in a flash of whitish-blue energy, the four of them vanished from the Temple of Solomon.
The grand hall returned to its eternal, quiet stillness, leaving Solomon and Bilqis standing alone there.
"It's only the two of us again, huh?" Bilqis muttered, her voice echoing in the vast space.
Solomon nodded.
"Yes."
"Husband," Bilqis said, looking up at him, "...do you believe that Zayyn-sama will be able to complete the Ten Sephiroth and break the boundary to become the Ein Sof, just like the Heavenly Father said?"
Solomon was silent for a moment, his thoughts drifting back to the first time he had seen the black-haired young man.
"When I first met him, truthfully, there was indeed doubt in my mind. But now…"
A confident smile appeared on Solomon's face.
"I do think it's just a matter of time until we are finally able to gather with everyone in the afterlife."
***
Meanwhile in the forest of Valeyra.
A pillar of light erupted among the trees, and four figures materialized in the clearing from the teleportation circle.
"Nya! I will definitely be missing Bilqis' cooking," Kuroka said, stretching her arms above her head as she stepped out of the circle.
Meanwhile, Glenda took a slow, deep breath of the foreign Romanian air.
She looked around at the village of Valeyra, nestled in the valley with its cascading waterfalls and wooden-built houses.
"So this is Valeyra... It's as beautiful as the two of you said. You've done a great job, Lavinia, Jay."
When no answer came from her disciple, Glenda turned her head.
"Hm? Lavinia, what happened?"
Kuroka also noticed the sudden tension.
"Nya?"
Lavinia was standing perfectly still, her brow furrowed as she scanned the area within the teleportation circle.
Her eyes were wide with a sudden realization.
"Illya-kun... He is not here."
A heavy silence fell over the clearing.
Glenda and Kuroka stared at the empty space where Jay should have been standing.
"Huh!?"
***
Jay did not find himself in the lush forests of Romania.
Instead, he stood in a desolate desert under a sky that felt uncomfortably close. The land stretched endlessly in every direction, a vast sea of sun-scorched sand and jagged stone spires. The wind moved in heavy gusts while carrying grains of sand that stung against his skin and blurred the horizon into a shimmering, shifting mirage.
"Where... am I?" Jay muttered in absolute confusion.
Avesta ignited in his left eye, its golden light scanning the atmosphere.
Above him, the sky was filled with millions of glowing divine runes. The complexity of the array was staggering, exceeding even the number of runes the God of the Bible had used to construct the Temple of Solomon.
As he struggled to comprehend how Lavinia's teleportation circle could be intercepted and redirected to this unknown place, and why he was the only one here, a ball of light suddenly flickered into existence ten feet in front of him.
The light then slowly faded, revealing a small creature.
"Hm? A cat?" Jay raised an eyebrow.
It was a small ball of complete black fur, sitting on the sand with a bored, almost judgmental expression in its yellow feline eyes.
Hanging from its neck was a giant gold sun pendant that seemed far too large for its small head.
The cat opened its mouth, and a deep, strangely cute voice emerged.
"Hi. My name is MiuMiu, and I will be your Game Administrator-Miu."
Jay's eyebrows shot up. Before he could even begin to process the absurdity of a talking cat in this strange desert, the creature continued.
"Welcome to the Game of Gods, Zayyn Illya Kovalenko."
***
"Kuhahaha! Is this all the God of Death of the Ancient Egyptian Faction has to offer? I am truly disappointed."
High in the air above the desert dunes, a tall, handsome man floated with effortless arrogance.
He had long hair, a mix of black and blond strands. He had heterochromatic eyes as his right eye gold and his left eye black, with a pair of pointed ears.
Behind him, massive draconic wings unfurled, covered in black scales and surrounded by a golden aura, revealing an identity that was clearly not human.
The man looked down at the figure kneeling on the sand below him.
"Crom Cruach... why have you come here?" the man on the ground wheezed.
He had deep brown skin and long black hair, his black ornate Egyptian finery now torn and bloodied.
"This is a personal matter for us, the Ancient Egyptian Deities. You are an outsider! You should not involve yourself in this game!"
"Huh? I was never interested in your pathetic squabbles for the Golden Throne," Crom Cruach replied with a sneer of mockery.
"I'm only here because Aten invited me to have some fun... Blame your defeat on your own weakness, Anubis."
Anubis gritted his teeth, his eyes full of hatred. But before he could respond, a glowing hologram flickered into existence in the air between them.
"Hm?" Crom Cruach raised a brow as his interest piqued.
Anubis scanned the contents of the hologram with a furrowed brow, while contrasted to him Crom Cruach began to grin wildly. The humanoid dragon aura flared with violent excitement.
"The Underworld's Most Wanted!" Crom Cruach muttered, his voice trembling with anticipation as he screamed excitingly.
"He is here too!"
___________________________________________________________________________________
NOTIFICATION!
The 10th day of the Game of Gods.
February 24th, 2008. 16:03 Egypt Local Time.
A new player notification - [ 67,000 Kill Points ]
1 Person - 0 Army
Zayyn Illya Kovalenko has joined the game.
___________________________________________________________________________________
End of arc IV
_________________________________________________________________________________
GLOSSARY
Current Timeline = Circe February 2008 ( 2 Months Before Canon )
Magic = Mana
Spirit = Spirit Energy = Senjutsu = Senjutsu Ki
__________________________________________________________________________________
Zayyn Biography Update
Name : Zayyn Illya Kovalenko
Age : 17 Years 6 Months
Height : 6.1 Feet
Nickname :
Draconic Deus Slayer ( DxD Slayer )
The Strongest Human in History
The Black Flame
The Harbinger of Doom
Godslayer
Jay
Terrorists
The Hooded Man
SSS-Rank Criminals
Illya-kun ( Lavinia Reni )
Zayyn Brat ( Azazel )
Zayyn Boy ( Susanoo )
The Scorched Magician ( Five Principal Clans )
Illya-san ( Dulio Gesualdo )
Silence-kun ( Rizevim )
Race : Human
Gender : Male
Appearance : Jay is a tall young man with well-defined Eastern European features. He has black hair and dark hazel hunter eyes, his right eye is purely dark hazel, while his left bears a glowing golden X-shaped symbol within the iris. He is pretty handsome. Tattoo-like sets of runes spiral from his upper arm to his shoulder.
Affiliations :
- The Witch of the South - The Wizard of Oz (Former)
- Valeyra
Equipment :
----- Ame-no-Habakiri ( The Heaven-Severing Sword / The Godslaying Blackfyre )
Ame-no-Habakiri, The Snake Slayer or the Heaven-Severing Sword is one of Shintoism four divine swords. The main properties of Ame-no-Habakiri is, its strikes ignore distance and conventional space, manifesting their cut instantly at the intended target. Its Dimensional Slash does not travel but instead imposes a severance upon reality itself, cleaving through matter, energy, barriers, and even divine constructs simultaneously.
Abilities and Manifestation:
Cleave : An instantaneous, space-cutting slash that ignores distance and guarantees impact upon the designated target.
Blackfyre : A technique that fuses True Cross Black Flame with Ame-no-Habakiri. The slash retains Cleave's dimensional severance while inheriting the black flame's absolute incineration.
Turn to dust, World Slasher : A wide-range variation of Cleave. Possesses devastating area coverage and destructive power, but at an extremely heavy cost.
Enchanted Energy Reserves : Mana reserves tripled by 3 times
Enchanted Physical Capabilites : Physical strength, speed, perception, and durability are enhanced beyond mortal limits, allowing the body to withstand the strain of dimensional and divine-level combat.
----- Ame-no-Murakumo ( The Cloud-Gathering Sword / Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi )
Skyfall : Chanelling the Divine Lightning from the silver blade, Jay is able to summon the gigantic lightning Qilin and coiling storm Dragon from the storm clouds on the sky.
----- Alichino ( Asmodeus' Sword of Desire / One of the 12 Malebranche )
Alichino the Harlequin is one of the 12 Evil Claws or Malebranche.
Desire : An ability to inflict one specified Desire upon one specified object, during one specified time. The Desire inflicted are based on the power difference between the wielder and the target, in theory if the power difference is large enough, the wielder can go so far as to inflict an Instant Death Desire.
Embodiment of Evil - Phantom Opera : A balance breaker like state for the Evil Claws.
----- Calcabrina ( Leviathan's Chains of Envy / One of the 12 Malebranche )
Calcabrina the Grace Stomper is one of the 12 Evil Claws or Malbebranche.
Grace Stomper : Summoning chains that can absorbs energy and make it the users own.
----- Draghignazzo( Lucifer's Armor of Dragon / One of the 12 Malebranche )
Draghignazzo the Nasty Sneering Dragon is one of the 12 Evil Claws or Malbebranche.
Crimson Flame of Hell : In weapon form, can grant the user to summon a crimson inferno
Embodiment of Evil - Crimson Dragon : A balance breaker like state for the Evil Claws.
----- Graffiacane ( Leviathan's Scythe of Serpent / One of the 12 Malebranche )
Graffiacane the Dog Scratcher is one of the 12 Evil Claws or Malbebranche.
Sea of the Damned : In weapon form, can grant the user to summon a cursed water. Even in it's sea serpent form, Graffiacane can summon a very big tsunami of deadly cursed demonic water.
Embodiment of Evil - Sea Serpent of the End : A balance breaker like state for the Evil Claws.
----- Cagnazzo( Beelzebub's Claws of Chaos / One of the 12 Malebranche )
Cagnazzo the Nasty Dog is one of the 12 Evil Claws or Malbebranche.
Chaos Energy : Be able to enveloped its body or in weapon form it's whole claws in green chaos energy that can disrupt any magical construct or magic circle.
Embodiment of Evil - The Dog of Hell : A balance breaker like state for the Evil Claws.
----- Libicocco ( Leviathan's Veil of Jealousy / One of the 12 Malebranche )
Libicocco the Windy is one of the 12 Evil Claws or Malbebranche.
----- Barbariccia ( Asmodeus' Bow of Lust / One of the 12 Malebranche )
Barbariccia the Curly Beard is one of the 12 Evil Claws or Malbebranche.
----- Ciriatto ( Beelzebub's Shield of Gluttony / One of the 12 Malebranche ) / DAMAGED
Ciriatto the Wild Hog is one of the 12 Evil Claws or Malbebranche.
Unending Starving : The wielder can summon a shield that can absorbs anything and use it to increase it's own strength and power.
Abilities :
----- Absolute Nonexistence
A power of Ayin that Jay can manifest as a void black aura. That it is the negation of existence itself, it completely denies ontology. As such, it is not erasure or destruction for these two acts postulates that something has exist or will exist. It is an anti-reality power that decreates anything and everything, manifesting as a sudden point of absence in reality that forces a correction.
----- True Cross of Golgotha
The True Cross of Golgotha (真のゴルゴタの十字架, Shin no Gorugota no Jūjika), also known as The Saviour's Lament, Burn Everlasting Sins (救世主の嘆き,永遠の罪を焼き尽くす, Kyūseishu no Nageki, Eien no Tsumi o Yakitsukusu), is initially thought as the Subspecies Balance Breaker of the Longinus Incinerate Anthem but turns out to be Incinerate Anthem with the concept of Absolute Nonexistence.
----- Incinerate Anthem
Incinerate Anthem (紫炎祭主による磔台インシネレート・アンセム, Inshinerēto Ansemu), also known as the Chief Mourner's Crucified Stand of Purple Flame (紫炎祭主による磔台, Shien Saishu ni Yoru Takudai) is a Sacred Gears, one of the thirteen longinus.
----- The Holy Grail of Last Supper
The Holy Grail of the Last Supper also called by Jay as The Blazing Black Grail (真の最後の晩餐の聖杯, Shin no Saigo no Bansan no Seihai) is the singular manifestation born from the assimilation of one of the three Valerie's Sephiroth Graal by the True Cross of Golgotha after Jay took it from Marius Tepes.
----- Dragon Eye — Avesta
A transcendent ocular manifestation after the Blazing Black Grail used Aži Dahāka's soul and flesh to reconstruct Jay's body. The left eye manifests a golden X-shaped sigil within the dark hazel iris.
Structural Perception: The Dragon Eye allows its wielder to perceive magic not as energy, light, or force, but as structure. Mana is seen as woven threads and fibers, forming geometric frameworks and complex spell architectures. All magical phenomena are interpreted as constructs, not attacks. And written in the most familiar language of the user.
----- Ars Theurgia
Ars Theurgia: The Time of Preservation Has Come, He Is the One Who Rules All.
The King of Nature Spirits Theurgia, an authority over a power known as the Sigils of the Six Elementals, grants Jay the ability to wield the six elemental forces of nature spirits: Flame (Pyro), Electricity (Electro), Earth (Geo), Wind (Anemo), Plants (Phyto), and Water (Hydro). He can also combine these elements to create new ones.
----- Ars Almadel
Ars Almadel: The Time of Birth Has Come, He Is the One Who Masters All.
Invoking Ars Almadel would effectively summon the Angels of Heaven through the White Sacred Altar of Ars Almadel, drawing upon the near-infinite holy energy that formed the celestial realm of the Seven Heavens and use it as a nuke, the power depending on how many angels answered the call.
----- Master Senjutsu
----- Touki
----- Ars Paulina (Sealed)
----- Ars Notoria (Sealed)
------ Spatial Magic
Spells :
Teleportation: The user sets up a platform in the form of their magic circle on which they stand on and prepare to be warped to their desired locations, the user can either transport themselves or items and other people. Depending on the users own Magic Power, they can warp a whole group while a novice is typically unable to make the jump even with another caster's Magic. Extremely skilled users can transport themselves to locations where permission is required without consent, as they can bypass the barriers that prevent unauthorized Teleportation, such as the Underworld.
Domain of His Own: A sophisticated, 360-degree sensory field that use continuity aspect of a mana. It functions as an autonomous receptor that sends instant, high-fidelity signals to the brain regarding any displacement in space fabrics. This "hawk-eye" effect allows the user to perceive and anticipate enemy movements a fraction of a second before they manifest, as every physical or magical action creates a ripple in the spatial fabric that the Domain captures and sends it directly to the user's mind.
Voidwalker: Combining Domain of His Own and Teleportation, Jay could blink in a short distance inside the Domain in an instant.
Rupture: The offensive application of spatial distortion. By forcing a jagged tear into the localized fabric of space, the wielder creates a fracture that ignores physical durability but also can be used to launch an object through it without losing its momentum.
Phantasmagoria: Is the final form of Domain of His Own, Jay uses the runes on his body as an automated sensory array. They detect the ripples in space caused by incoming matter and mana, and then they instantaneously transfer the corresponding parts of his body into an overlapping, adjacent dimension. Jay still there, but he is not 'occupying the same dimension as the same space as the attacks that coming to him.
----- Enchantment Magic
Spells :
Body Enchantment: Using enchantment magic to strengthen the body of the user.
----- Light Magic
Spells :
Light Needles: Creating thin high-density light beam to penetrate in vital area of the opponent.
Light Beam: Destructive offensive light magic.
----- Other Special Abilites
Purple Embers : With immaculate control over Incinerate Anthem, Jay able to manipulate Incinerate Anthem almost like a magic activation circle printing machine. Making him able to activate his magic circle and using multi activation instantaneously bypassing the human mind limitation on Magic.
Genius Magician : Jay is able to engineer, formulate, solve, or reverse engineer a magical circle with utmost precision and naturally gifted at that.
Genius Combatant
Immense Strength