Ten hours. That was how long he had had to endure the mind melting pain. Every bit of demonic power he regenerated went instantly into his parched bloodline, slowly, painfully healing him back up. It was so bad he couldn't even think in first person.
Only now, after zooting himself out of his mind with pain meds, which worked with less than half the efficiency he had expected from a dose strong enough to kill an entire herd of elephants, did he finally come to and felt his first sliver of actual demonic power. It wasn't much, not even enough to start a lighter sized flame, but it was something, enough to reinforce his arms and legs, his core, the slightest bit to go and eat.
Touki, though he had touched upon it, was far from his to wield yet. A spark that flared him back to life, gave him just enough adrenaline to get himself back to his feet and back to the inn before he collapsed into hours upon hours of unbearable suffering, the kind he hadn't felt in his life- lives. Even when he got injured here, the pain only lasted for a few minutes, ten at most. It hurt, sure, but this time after three months of this kind of suicidal training, she had used senjutsu for the first time and he had felt it first hand- why the Jade Emperor's Court was the third greatest power in the world. Why the Hindu pantheon was tied to the Dragon Gods for first place.
Imagining an army of nigh immortal human warriors wielding that kind of near ultimate class power. Even the church only had a handful of miracle children and cardinals, most famous of which was the Violence Of Heaven himself, Father Swole. Vasco Strada.
And the Hindu and Chinese pantheons had an army of those. A godsdamned army. Small army by human standards, sure, but even a couple thousand of those was terrifying enough.
The Hindu pantheon even had 330 million gods and spirits. Sure, not all of them were High Class or above- most were yaksha and devdoot spirits- but even if 1% of them were, that's 3.3 million High Class and above individuals.
In comparison, the three factions had at most a couple hundred thousand each, all put together- and even that is pushing it. That's around 1 million, total, contingent on the fact that we can all put our differences aside and work together.
Even then the Hindus have three times our number, the Chinese around 1.5 times and while the dragons didn't have the same numbers, each individual had the potential to grow to Satan Class if they put their mind to it. Just look at Crom Cuach.
Not to mention, all natural born gods- not those raised to divinity or lesser spirits- were born at Ultimate Class. There was a reason they had multiple Chief God Class powerhouses. The three factions have two- Sirzechs Lucifer and the Archangel Seraph Michael, and even those two barely make the cut.
That was terrifying. If it wasn't for the losses they would incur and how much they were kept busy by their own enemies, and if all dragons actually united under one banner- something that was impossible even if Great Red and Ophis came together to make them- the world would have been split between those three pantheons- Hindu, Chinese and Dragons.
Not to mention the bigger threat on the horizon. Evie X Etoulde. The world of Mech Gods. The weakest of them had pawned Great Red with one strike. If I can't prevent their invasion or get strong enough to unite all factions against them…we are so fucked. It was why I can't- won't let Rizevim revive Trihexa. If the strongest among us get sealed for a thousand years in some stupid barrier…nope.
My thoughts turned to the Norse pantheon and the secret weapon hidden therein. The last fuck you to the Mech Gods of EXE. I gotta go get her one of these days. My final contingency plan. If I can raise her to Satan Class…maybe even if I die, we might still stand a chance.
It's the same reason I don't plan on messing with Issei until I am 100% sure I can handle it. Even if I fail, this world, the family I had come to love… I want there to be someone left to protect them. So, for now, he gets to live.
Ah, love. The one weakness of all who live.
The thought of it hardened my resolve to get stronger, faster even more.
I sighed. Issei made it from human to Dragon God in less than two years.
And here I was, No demonic power, no touki, nothing. And the hunger, oh boy. The Hunger, as if the pain hadn't been enough.
Fuck!
I groaned as I got up and made my way to the kitchen for some grub. The sun was setting outside and the day was almost over.
"Ah, chicken boya, you're awake." The granny cat looked up from her sippy cup of wine, her whiskers dripping with it, as she asked, "How ya feelin'?"
"Like I got run over by a truck." I answered with a grunt.
"Ya look the part too." She slurred, drunk, "Like roadkill, nyahahaha!"
"Yeah, yeah. Whats for dinner? I'm dying of hunger here." I sat down gently beside her and a catboy ran out to get me some.
"How's your Touki?" She asked, a little more serious now.
"Can barely feel it. If I hadn't experienced it myself, I'd think I had twisted a nerve on my funny bone there."
"That's to be expected. You used the most reckless and suicidal method to rush past the barrier. Take a few days for you to recover." I made to say something but she slapped her paw onto my mouth, "No arguments. You're resting, and that's final. You can't even use your Touki fully and want to jump into Senjutsu already? Idiot."
"When can I learn it then?"
"When you can keep your Touki for at least an hour straight." She answered and dug back into her dinner.
The catboy returned with a large tray full of meat and spirit wine for me. A specialty of the inn, made with youjutsu.
"Where's Sairaorg and Dulio?" I asked, stuffing my face with the food. Oooh boy, that hit the spot.
Delicious.
I practically inhaled the food and slammed my bowl onto the plate.
"More." I barely managed to growl out before reaching for the rest of the dishes. I couldn't stop myself now. I needed to eat. Just eat.
"Nyahahaha." Magari laughed, "Good. I feared you might have lost yer apetite after that. Good. Good." She patted my back, "A growing boy needs to eat."
"Sho…?" I asked again.
"Saiboya is training outside, Dullboya is taking a bath. Slow down, chew your food or you'll choke."
I nodded absentmindedly. Instinct took over as I gorged myself into a rotund little ball, almost comically so.
Only after, did I come back to my senses.
"Ahhh~" I let out a satisfied moan and colour returned to my face.
Truly, a shonen protagonist moment one has to experience at least once in their isekai journey.
My injuries began to recover faster than before- twisted sinew and shriveled muscle plumped up, straightened out and near about glistened with power. My eyes sunken from the ordeal, lost the dark bags and rose again with a twinkle in them them and my cheeks, hollowed out, now became round and soft, positively adorable.
I curled the fingers in my foot and stretched out flat onto the floor.
Maybe resting for a few days isn't such a bad idea.
But there was just one problem…Lavinia Reni was slipping out of my hands by the day. Three months spent here…if she gets adopted by Glenda by the time I find her, the next opportunity to get to her will only come seven years later during the events of Slash/Dog, and by then her Satan Class potential will be in utter ruin. No point in even bothering with her at that point.
No, I need to get to her now. But I can't leave Touki training now, I just started it…
What a dilemma. Maybe it is time for a bit of a risky move.
A plan began forming in my mind, but until I could confirm a certain piece of news, I couldn't move along with it. Maybe it's time to visit home for a few days to catch up on the goings-on of the underworld. I did miss my family too. Not like I was going to train for the next few days.
Dulio came in just then, drying his hair and looked around.
"Sai hasn't come back yet?"
His tone piqued my interest.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"He didn't have lunch either." Dulio said, and I understood, "I'm worried."
I looked at the old cat and she just shrugged.
"Training a little harder won't kill him. He'll come back when he's right hungry."
I sighed and stood up.
"I'll go talk to him."
"Chicken boya, don't baby him. He's here to be a warrior. Let him be one." Magari spoke as I reached the door. I looked back.
"I know. But even a warrior needs to eat. A dead warrior is no different than a dead rat."
----------x----------
"Hyah!" Sairaorg punched a tree, over and over again. Though the tree was thick and wide, he had already carved out a two-foot-deep hollow in it, about the same length as his ma'ai, his reach.
He panted as he let out one last punch and the tree fell to the ground with a thunderous raucous, and he sat down on the ground, gasping for air, drenched in sweat.
"Really killed that tree there. No longer will it take innocent lives! No longer shall it lay beautiful maidens!" I joked, "Truly, you are the hero of this land Sai-sama."
Sairaorg looked up with a tired gaze and hung his head, leaning back against the tree stump.
I sat down beside him and we passed a moment in silence as he caught his breath.
"Will starving yourself let you close the gap between us?" I finally spoke.
He looked away.
"You two are so much faster. What am I doing wrong?" He asked.
"Nothing." I said, "First of all, don't compare yourself to me and especially not to that cheating bastard Dulio. He was born with that ridiculous talent. He got there even faster than me."
"But you got there. You risked your life and-" I cut him off.
"Are you Riser Phenex?"
"…no?" He answered.
"Then why are you trying my methods? What I did is something only I and other Phenex clan members can do. Don't compare yourself to me. Comparison is the thief of joy." I said, punching his shoulder.
"The what can I do?" He asked despondent.
"What can you do? You can do something very special Sairaorg. Just as there are things only I can do, and things only Dulio can do, so are there things only you, Sairaorg Bael can do. Do them. What you are trying here, is something no other devil has tried. Be proud of that. Magari tells me it'll just be another month or two-" I said, but I could see it wasn't working, so I changed my strategy.
"Wanna hear a secret?" That got his interest.
"Everyone's awakening is different. Mine was lighting a campfire with my dying will. My Touki is the flame of dying will. The last passionate struggle against inevitable cold and darkness."
The day I stubbornly stayed out all night and nearly froze to death. They forgot about me. All night. Neglectful bastards. I cried out for help. I begged and pleaded. No one came.
All alone in that huge forest, amid the chirping insects and distant howls. That casual cruelty to a little child…their own child.
It was why I loved my new parents even more. Because they wouldn't even imagine doing such a thing.
"I'm sure Dulio had something different, right Dules?" I raised my voice and Dulio walked out from behind a copse of trees to the side.
He wasn't perturbed I had found him. I knew he was tailing me from the start.
"Mine was lightning on a clear day. The day I took revenge on my family's killers."
"And what about you, Magari-bachan?" I called out.
The old cat looked annoyed as she jumped down from a nearby tree with a lunchbox in her mouth. She spat it onto the ground and gave me a dirty look.
Aww~ You big softie. I knew you wouldn't just give up on him like that.
"Mine was hunting a fish in a coursing river, the day I starved from being hunted down by Onmyouji."
"See it was the representation of their will to live. To fight against death. You are brave Sai, you never give up. What represents your will to live?" I poked his chest, "You just gotta find it. And I know you will, but not if you starve to death first. Remember, Sai, you're not alone anymore. We care and worry about you. We will help you get better at it. It's just a matter of time." I laughed, opening the lunchbox.
"So eat up-"
"I think I know now." Sairaorg's eyes had glazed over, a thousand-yard stare in them.
He had entered a fugue state.
What even? I knew he was talented- maybe not as much as Dulio- but still, this was unexpected.
He closed his eyes finally as his entire posture reflected clarity.
And then we felt it, that spark. Slowly and steadily, like wisps of smoke or steam coming out from him, a white aura emerged. His fists clenched, his teeth ground like unlubricated gears and his head tilted upwards, his expression resolute, as pure rage and determination reflected off of him.
"Don't you dare look down on me." He muttered unconsciously, "On us."
Oh. Its that. The day he was expelled from the Bael clan. The confidence to look back into those mocking eyes fearlessly and dare them to do something about it.
Truly, the sin of pride, this little lion.
He opened his eyes and a wave of that white aura burst out from within him, exceeding even my own. How in the fu-?
He looked down at himself and then at me and pulled me into a hug.
"I did it." His voice quivered, "I Did IT!"
I patted his back, not sure how myself, and smiled.
"You really did, buddy."
....................
Head hurty. Late chappy.
Tell me if you want a Sairaorg POV for his awakening here instead.
Will do tomorrow. Gotta go now.
Donate powerstones.
You know the milestones.
Thanks, bye.