The Seraphic System

The Seraphic System

Chapter: 109

(The Shadow Inheritance)

I walked to a secluded area in my sub-dimension with a sense of satisfaction at my progress.

Heracles had kept his word. More than that, he'd exceeded every expectation I had. I'd honestly anticipated reluctant acceptance at best, someone who would fulfil his duties solely for his family's sake.

The very reason his family now resided within Heaven.

Instead, Heracles had thrown himself into service with startling intensity. Beyond loyal. Almost reverent. I'd underestimated how deeply being used as a pawn by the Gods had affected him.

My Divine Shard had also increased massively from the action. I was already on my way to another Divine skill.

At least I wouldn't have to worry about him. His wife and child were both sweet and had already found themselves being smothered with affection in the silver city.

Now, here I was, hopefully about to perform the ritual that would grant me the Ten Shadows.

I hoped it didn't need cursed energy or it would be a failure. Since it was a ritual of sorts, I was hoping all I would be subjected to was a fight to claim them for myself.

I didn't know how cursed energy would react to my angelic power, in all honesty. Either way, hopefully it would grant me some sort of power-up.

That's why I wanted to get this done before the quest, which was quickly approaching. We will be leaving tomorrow. I planned on meeting with Percy soon after this and telling him that I’d be going with him.

Once more I would be outside of Heaven and probably in an even more dangerous situation. However, with a Super-Angel in my company and my own Godly power, it was also a lot better than before.

Now if only I can get this Mahoraga as well.

I looked around the clearing I had found, deep inside the created woods that had begun forming with the Twin Trees and far away from anyone who could interfere.

First things first. I needed a barrier.

Something powerful enough to contain whatever was about to happen and keep my angels from interfering. While having backup was usually a good idea, I knew they wouldn't allow me to put myself in danger.

And that went against what I needed for a trial that needed me to beat my opponent.

I knew they were already on edge and Gabriel had been extra clingy. She was trying to get me to stay. I couldn’t find myself to even be slightly put off.

I have come to understand my Angels. I could never imagine how I would feel if they all disappeared for so long, presumably dead. Only to come back in a different form after centuries.

So their clingy attitude was to be expected.

I formed the spell that Frieren had taught me, channelling my power outward.

It was a simple spell, but one that I had found incredibly useful in Heaven. A spell that connected to a tree and created a barrier. It wasn’t exactly a great way to defend since most trees would just shatter against an assault.

Except magical trees that is. They were rarer nowadays, with humanity having spread far and wide, but they still existed.

Anyway, I had ‘certain trees’ in mind. It was mostly just for suppressing the battle.

I let my energy loose into the surroundings, and instantly, the light around brightened in intensity and the greenery became somehow even greener.

Out of that energy, thin tendrils started to take shape and started weaving a pattern and connecting with the surrounding trees.

The nexus of the network was the Twin Trees. I felt it. As the connection with the two trees in the distance was successfully established, causing a grin to take over my face.

Frieren had said that she hadn’t been able to do that. When I had done it, she had been, dare I say, slightly jealous.

The barrier began to take shape, a shimmering dome of energy that seemed to form millions of crystals in the air. The trees accepted the barrier, their power flowing into my construct and reinforcing it exponentially.

Silver and gold symbols reinforced the barrier and I watched with fascination.

Spiritual energy rumbled and crackled along its surface. The barrier hummed with power now, strong enough to block out most beings and suppress any noise from escaping its confines.

Perfect.

That should keep my Angels from noticing and allow me to battle in silence.

I wasn't particularly concerned about the danger. Only Mahoraga posed any real threat, and even then I wasn't overly worried. Still, I was prepared to summon any of my angels at a moment's notice if that proved wrong. I definitely wouldn't underestimate it.

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the technique.

The knowledge downloaded from the system flooded through my mind. Shadow manipulation. Summoning rituals. The ten shikigami.

I’d have to go through them one by one.

I raised my hands, weaving the first shadow puppet. My angelic power flowed through the motion, replacing cursed energy with holy light infused with shadows.

I suspected it only worked as a replacement due to the summoning. It felt weird and my divine shard pulsed faintly from its position inside my chest as I used it.

The ground beneath me rippled, darkness spreading like spilt ink. And the area was descended upon. A strange, almost conceptual ritual is taking place.

I waited a moment, before calling out the name of the first challenge.

"Divine Dogs," I called out uncertainly,

Sure enough, the response was immediate.

The ground melted into shadow, the area becoming lit with an energy vaguely akin to the energy my cursed sword produced. Energy sensing showed a blue and black energy rampaging around.

It remained that way for a few seconds, then abruptly two massive wolves materialised from the shadows, one white as fresh snow, the other black as the void.

I dodged easily, the two wolves jumping over me and landing gracefully.

They began to circle me, eyes gleaming with feral intelligence.

I stared curiously.

{Divine Dog (White)}

{Title: Sacred Hound of Light, Shadow of the Ten}

{Race: Shikigami}

{Power level: 4,000}

{Divine Dog (Black)}

{Title: Sacred Hound of Darkness, Shadow of the Ten}

{Race: Shikigami}

{Power level: 4,000}

Surprisingly strong.

A good sign.

The white one lunged first.

I sidestepped easily, allowing a small amount of light to condense in my palm. A simple pulse of holy energy sent it tumbling back through the air with a small bellowing of wind.

The only reason I had not outright erased it was to see if it was considered a dark creature. Which meant my holy light would have burnt and probably killed it.

The black one came from behind, jaws snapping for my throat.

My Rinnegan tracked its movement perfectly. I caught it mid-leap by the scruff, gravity magic increasing its weight tenfold. It was crushed into the ground and died on the spot.

The white one recovered, charging again. This time I met it head-on, my hand glowing with concentrated light. One strike to its forehead, I expected it to collapse immediately, only for it to rapidly swirl, attempting to lash out at my face.

I caught it by its neck with a burst of pure speed and snapped, only for the dog to vanish and appear behind him, revealing it to be an illusion… something I had already known with my connection to the light.

A spear found itself vaporising it mid-charge.

Once more the area descended into silence and I called out the name of the next part of the Ten Trials.

"Nue."

An owl-like creature burst from the puddle of shadows, electricity crackling across its wings.

Stronger, but not awfully so.

It dove from above, talons extended. I raised a gravitational barrier, deflecting the attack.

The creature screeched, circling for another pass.

I exploded up into the sky and delivered a one devastating palm strike infused with holy power to its spine. The owl was killed instantly without any effort.

Not bad.

"Great Serpent."

A massive snake erupted from the ground, jaws wide enough to swallow a house. It moved fast for its size, coiling around me in an instant.

I nearly snorted, wondering how Galadriel would react if she realised I now had another snake to summon… she’d probably eat it.

A lazy wave of my hand had the large serpent impaled by dozens of powerful spears of light.

The battles continued like that in rapid succession. The summons were becoming increasingly stronger and their abilities admittedly interested me. I found myself patting myself on the back for the download.

Having a menagerie of disposal summons was never a bad thing.

"Piercing Ox."

The inky puddle shifted.

A massive, muscular quadrupedal shikigami resembling a bull exploded out. And began charging me with two large sharp horns. Red eyes regarded me without emotion.

{Piercing Ox}

{Title: Charging Beast of Momentum, Fifth Shadow of the Ten}

{Race: Shikigami}

{Power level: 5,100}

Further into the high class.

Not something to be overlooked as this skill would be quite the talent. While I was a bit of a freak, the high class was considered a huge talent amongst normal Factions.

I had been worried about how a different world's summon would translate to dxd, which was for all intents and purposes a death world. For all I could know the Divine General would be mid-class.

Luckily, it didn’t seem to be the case.

The grass ground underneath him cracked open and that blackish blue energy surrounded the Shikigami.

A spear of light formed, bending the space around it slightly and dazzling with a light that would blind most creatures. With a touch of holy power, the presence it created would outright kill any mid-class beings in the area.

A flick had this spear tearing through the Shikigami’s approaching head.

“Round deer,” I called out the name, relying on the instinctual knowledge provided to me.

I didn’t know much about the technique beyond the last summon.

The strange ritual that had surrounded the bounded area in the cursed energy pulsed.

The next two were taken down with the same ease.

Which left the last.

Nine shikigami claimed.

One of them seemed capable of healing which had gotten my interest. But ultimately this skill was downloaded for one purpose.

I stood in the centre of the area, the barrier still shimmering in the closed space steadily and the cursed energy within the air, almost thrumming as if sensing what I was about to do.

One left.

The strongest.

Hopefully, I hadn’t wasted a download.

I had an hour until I planned to go down and meet up with Percy. Along with dealing with a few other tasks before I left Heaven properly for the first time in so long.

I formed the final shadow puppet, my voice calm and relying on the chant provided to me. "With this treasure, I summon Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Divine General Mahoraga."

The words were only known from instinct from gaining the skill.

The energy around me exploded and I felt a surprising amount of my angelic magic suddenly twist into the air, leaving my reserves and mixing with the cursed energy.

A massive wheel of light emerged first, spinning rapidly and gleaming as if it was glowing. That was to be expected, however, what happened next was less so. Light spun around and a Halo of light formed above that, the first detail that told me something was amiss.

The wheel began producing holy power of its own, brushing against my senses.

Then came the body.

Towering. Muscular but not outright bulky like I had expected. Two large arms with markings came out next. The aura around the being spiked and made the air tremble slightly.

That power had an angelic quality and the markings on his body glowed gold. A body less monstrous than I expected had formed, slim and powerful in its appearance. Its clothing only covered its lower torso, a white cloth acting as shorts.

Wasn’t it meant to be black?

A face covered by a white mask with black markings. Horns formed, golden and radiated… holy energy?!

What?

Wings burst out from its back, glowing white and twitching slightly, they all possessed markings of their own. And in its hand, a blade that seemed sharp enough to cut through space itself.

Peak ultimate class.

Possibly beyond.

Confusion spilled through me at the explosive amount of holy power that swirled around us.

I grinned.

Perhaps it was for the best.

My power flared and the Divine General opened its eyes, revealing golden slits.

Mahoraga's wheel stopped spinning.

-{Azrael}-

An ice dome stood in the centre of Azrael's private chamber, its surface frozen white except for the single point where darkness pressed against it from within. She circled it slowly, studying what lay suspended inside.

The interior was pitch black, darker than any void she'd encountered in her millennia of existence. Only a red symbol glowing on the surface of a severed limb provided any variation, frozen before it could regenerate or escape.

The Mark of Cain.

She hadn't been idle during her time away from Heaven. While it was true that the nervousness about meeting Father again had paralysed her, it wasn't the only reason she couldn't return home.

No, there was another reason. One she deemed more important.

She'd been hunting.

Over hundreds of years of desperately searching for a way to return the Lord of All from the grave, Azrael had tracked whispers and rumours through every realm.

She had thought that perhaps the mark which supposedly helped in her Lord's death would aid in a revival method, but she hadn't counted on it. That uncertainty led her to mostly keep an ear out for where it could be found.

The Mark had vanished after Lucifer's fall. Most assumed it had been destroyed along with his sword in the final blow that killed God. That included the devils who had attempted to reclaim it desperately.

Parasites were survivors by nature and this one had been crafted by something far older than any of them understood. The Mark of Cain had first appeared on Cain after he murdered Abel, which led many to assume God had cursed him.

Azrael and the rest of the angels knew no such thing had taken place.

The Mark wasn't God's creation.

Its origin was unknown, a mixture of Corruption and demonic power that granted power at a terrible cost, feeding off its host while making them nearly indestructible. While the obvious finger pointed at Demons, they had been sealed away from Earth and thought to be extinct.

From there after, some even claimed the line of vampires had been created from Abel and the Mark's power before Lucifer found it.

It was an immensely powerful and unknown creation.

Unfortunately, instead of destroying the sinner and this mark, her Father had shown his infamous mercy and simply banished him from his lands. And in a cruel twist of fate, Lucifer had found a way to bind it to his sword, turning an already formidable weapon into something that could kill even God.

After his fall, both Devils and Angels had searched for the blade, but it had vanished completely. Everyone assumed it had been destroyed in that final, terrible battle.

Azrael knew better.

That’s why before coming back she had decided to take the initiative. She'd mobilised every resource at her disposal these past weeks. The collection of souls had been delayed, her primary duty set aside for this hunt. Her network of information, built over millennia, had finally paid off.

The Mark had been found in the Underworld, attached to some mindless demonic beast, hiding in plain sight. Dangerous as ever.

She hadn’t played around, not even letting the beast open its eyes before its limb was torn off and sealed with a massive amount of angelic power.

She'd retrieved it just days before Heaven's attack.

Azrael scowled at the thought.

The red symbol pulsed again, and she felt its hunger even through the never-melting ice.

It wanted a host. It wanted to feed. It wanted to grant its terrible gifts to someone foolish enough to accept them.

At the very least she had gotten rid of what she deemed a major threat, but learning her Lord wasn’t at full power was worrying. Her thoughts trailed to the main problem.

Kai was planning to leave Heaven again, chasing after the intelligence he had received from that Goddess Ishtar.

Apparently, multiple plans had been revealed, most of which had already passed. But some of the information still held merit and the main plan that had been revealed involved a friend.

Azrael had learnt of what had taken place to her lord and the allies he had made. It had made her smirk knowing that even without power, her Father would overcome such challenges.

Many Gods couldn’t boast the same.

But now it was coming to bite her and the rest of her siblings as while he hadn’t said it aloud, he planned to venture down and deal with the problem himself.

Azrael sighed.

Seriously, did he not know he had the entirety of Heaven practically begging to be called?

In either case, she could only hope he could be convinced.

Her dark eyes stared at the symbol of Cain.

All threats should be erased if he was going to step on earth at the very least.

Azrael stroked a strand of midnight pitch black hair behind her cheek, silently watching the mark hover.

Stepping forward, her hand raised only to pause, a shiver went through the surface of her skin. Her cold eyes widened, red eyes shifting into silver and for the fourth time in under a hundred years. She had experienced such a shock once more.

Which only meant one thing.

Her Lord.

Her fourteen wings unfurled with a fury that surpassed urgency.

She found reality tearing away as her power exploded like a supernova. She phased through Heaven, going through layers and slipping past the intricately formed barriers, further entering into the open portal of the sub-dimension and travelling into the dense forest.

It wasn't until then that her body materialised again.

At the edges of the mighty twin trees’ canopy lay a barrier, powerful… incredibly so and tied to the twin trees which meant a massive amount of spiritual energy was being circulated through.

She had quickly come to realise that the twin trees weren’t just special trees, they were semi-conscious and had a tendency to fixate on her Lord whenever he was there.

Azrael found herself staring uncomprehendingly. Her Lord was being attacked? In the middle of his own sub-dimension? Why had he placed a barrier up, one that even she found would make her struggle?

Her mind twisted and worry filled her.

How had someone broken in?

It wasn’t anyone she recognised, some sort of creature.

An explosion tore out and she watched her Lord dodge another cut that would have easily torn his head off.

She was stuck, her hands shook and she found her energy crackling, immediately she began trying to take down the barriers. A genuine fear and confusion pervaded her mind.

Which led her to begin slamming against the barrier, her power gradually rising with each hit even as the two trees fought against her.

Why weren’t they letting her in?

Her Lord was clearly in danger.

Just what was happening?!

-END-

Note: Hope you guys enjoyed the longer chapter! Sorry for being a bit late.

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