— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
It was the third month of the year K430 of the Armoured Dragon Calendar, meaning only a few months had passed since our quick adventure into the labyrinth 'Hell' to retrieve its sacred treasure.
Since then, the three youngest of my kids had grown older, becoming half a year old as they slowly began to gain more control of their bodies, having ventured into the world of crawling and understanding a few words that we spoke to them.
It was cute, seeing all three babies playing and growing up together, although it was a bit irritating how when one of them got upset, it started a chain reaction of crying for all three.
But such was the way of parenthood, and while my sleep had suffered, I wouldn't take it back for anything.
But, unfortunately, despite my love for staying with my family, with the continued looming threat of the Man-God and his complete elusiveness as of late, there was the eventual need for me to continue the quest to find the sacred treasures.
Hence, my current position.
"Let's just hope he isn't hostile, unlike his counterpart," I muttered, lowering my scarf as I glanced at the snow capped mountain range I was currently standing on.
I was on the tallest of these mountains, more commonly known as the Dragon Roar Mountain Peak, an essentially impassable land due to the numerous dragon monsters that called this place home.
But, as evidenced by the mangled corpses laid out behind me, that wasn't much of an issue for me.
And as for what I was here for… or, more specifically, 'who'… well, with the small cave in front of me, and the enormous concentration of touki that was slowly approaching from inside of it… I think I was about to meet them.
A moment passed before a figure stepped outside, his narrowed eyes quickly finding me as his silver hair, tied back in a ponytail, whipped in the blowing wind.
Wow… apart from the hair colour, as well as the modest clothing, this guy was basically a perfect replica of Laplace.
But that made sense.
After all… they were basically the same person.
"You… do you know who I am?" he asked, his voice smooth yet dry, as if this was the first time he had spoken aloud in ages.
"Yes… I have come to talk to you, the Technique God Laplace," I replied, facing him head on.
This guy… he was strong.
Incredibly strong.
As expected of the first ranked power, and the one that had made the ranking system itself…
"I see… so you do not wish to challenge me. Disappointment," he said, shaking his head lightly before he looked at me once more. "But you… you are quite strong. And a human, no less…. Impressive."
Okay… at least he didn't attack me right away. That was a good thing.
"However, I do have a question. Just how did you find me, when I have lived in complete seclusion for millennia? Curious," he then asked, narrowing his eyes.
That's quite the fierce glare… was that something all dragonfolk had?
"I… someone told me where to find you. They had apparently met you long ago…" I replied, not quite lying, but not telling him the full truth either.
According to Orsted, he warned me to never mention his name, as the Technique God absolutely loathed him, and would surely attack right away.
"But as for what I am here for, I believe it concerns the necklace on your neck…" I said, my gaze narrowing on the simple piece of jewellery. "I… was hoping you could give it to me."
Even I had to admit that it was quite brazen to openly ask like this.
But while I didn't expect this to work with him, I had to try, as Orsted had said the Technique God had no love for worldly possessions and only cared about his martial arts and power, so… there was a possibility that it could be handled this easily.
And more importantly, in his past loops, due to how much the Technique God hated him, Orsted had no advice to give me for negotiations as he had never been able to talk to this guy.
"This… I need to keep it safe… yet I don't know why… frustrating," he said, looking down at the necklace before looking back up at me, tilting his head. "But why would you need it? Confusing."
Alright… my planned negotiations were based solely off of this, so let's hope it works.
Orsted, while never having negotiated with the Technique God, did tell me the story of how the Technique God came to be, as well as his… nature, one could say.
Laplace, the former half-dragon half-demon, and the one who had sworn vengeance against the Man-God, had fought against the Fighting God many years ago, and as a result, he was split into two halves.
One half was the Demon God Laplace, who retained the demon half of the original Laplace, alongside his vast magical expertise and mana, with his only memory of his purpose being to destroy 'Man'.
Of course, I had already dealt with him.
And then, the other half, who was currently standing in front of me, the Technique God Laplace.
The one who had retained the dragon half of the original, along with all his martial techniques and touki, and with his only known purpose to destroy 'God'.
Which god, he did not know, but any mention of a god would send him into a fit of rage… which was the reason I couldn't mention Orsted around him, since he was the Dragon God.
But still… considering who I wanted to kill, I could use that to my advantage.
"I… need it to reach a being hidden between the worlds. To find and kill the Man-God," I said, staring into his eyes to convey my sincerity.
His fists clenched as I felt a wave of energy pass by, blowing the snow off the ground as his touki spiked in concentration.
But a moment later, it receded, as the man placed his hand on his chin, his expression still hardened.
"Man-God… Man-God, Man-God, Man-God," he continuously muttered over and over, before he eventually quieted once more.
A few moments passed in silence, a subtle tension growing between us as the Technique God slowly turned his gaze towards me.
And then… I felt it.
A searing pain in my head, one that told me to move, or I would die.
I unsheathed my sword as I stepped back, a burst of touki erupting from my feet just in time for a hand, covered in dense touki, to pass by where my neck had been an instant before.
Fucking… what was with people suddenly attacking me out of nowhere?
Was that a favourite pastime for dragonfolk?
But either way, with my sword drawn, I used my momentum to slice through the air, my blade heading towards his chest near the speed of light as my touki and mana weaved across the edge.
And my attack… struck true.
But rather than cleaving him in half, along with the mountain behind him, which I would have expected to happen… his outstretched palm simply stopped my sword.
Huh?
And his touki… it was normal.
This wasn't just some complicated defensive technique.
Why? How?
Sure, it was skilful, but it wasn't anything better than what I could do, so how could he completely nullify my strike like it was nothing?
He then batted my sword away as if I was a fly, the force causing my wrist to snap backwards.
This guy…
"Hmm… strong… strong, but lacking divinity," he said, tilting his head as he stared at me. "Such strength could not kill a god. Lacking."
What… the fuck was wrong with this guy?
But at least it didn't look like he was going to keep attacking me…
"W-What was that for?" I asked as I healed my wrist, still holding my sword in case he would attack again.
He looked at me impassively for a few moments, completely ignoring me, before he suddenly turned back towards the cave.
"I will teach you… how to kill a god. So follow me," he said as he began walking. "Only then will I give you the treasure you seek. Offer."
Uh… okay…?
Despite that initial attack, which now seemed more like a test, he didn't seem hostile, so… I suppose I could follow him for now.
Especially when he had defended me so easily… while that wasn't the entirety of my strength, it was enough for me to know that it was doubtful that I could win if we actually ended up fighting seriously.
And so, sheathing my sword, I made my way towards him.
"What… did you mean by 'lacking divinity'?" I asked as we walked into the cave.
It was… simple, yet obviously lived in.
There was an old, worn straw mat in the corner, a few old books in another, and a simple table with numerous bloodstains on it, which I could only assume were from the animals he had hunted for food.
"Divinity… is the pinnacle of combat. Something that you are close to reaching," he said, not even turning to answer me as he stopped. "It expands on enhanced touki, which you have already achieved despite your human physiology due to the perfect merging of mana and touki, but it is something past that… something completely outside the realm of mana… but I can teach it to you. Explanation."
Something… past the realm of mana?
What in the world was he talking about?
Orsted never mentioned something like that, and he had learned every possible technique that the world had to offer.
Ah… but then again… he had never encountered the Technique God in anything but a hostile manner…
So perhaps… if it was original to this man… it was something even Orsted did not know of.
"Hmm… from what I remember… there is such a thing as 'healing magic', correct? The ability to recover the body past natural means," he then said, turning towards me once more. "Do you know it? Inquiry."
"I… do," I replied, a bit perplexed.
Just what was this about?
"I see… then, are you good enough to heal organs?" His eyes narrowed.
"Yes… I am," I answered.
"Then this makes things easier… come forward. Demand," he said, nodding his head approvingly.
I did as he asked, although I was still confused.
"What's this about?" I asked as I stood in front of him, tilting my head up as he was a bit taller than me.
"Casting aside an annoyance. This will make things much more efficient," he replied, raising his hand in front of my face.
Huh?
What did he mean by-
I froze as his fingers suddenly struck both of my eyes, destroying them in an instant and causing my vision to disappear as pain flared into my mind.
W-What!? The fuck!?
"Don't heal them," he ordered, taking his fingers out of my sockets, my hands reaching up to wipe the blood and remains of my eyes from my face. "The over-reliance on vision as well as that magic eye will only hinder your growth. Explanation."
I tried to take a step forward, having to catch myself from falling due to the disorienting sudden loss of vision.
No… I had fought without vision many times, whether it be due to dark conditions or other elements forcing me to close my eyes… so it was more accurate to say that the loss of my demon eye had completely messed up my senses.
Had I… truly been so reliant on it? Even though I told myself not to?
And not to mention lecturing my kids about being responsible with their powers…
I was… a bit disappointed in myself, to say the least.
Perhaps that was why, even though such an action would be seen as more than rude to others, I didn't find myself harbouring any hostility towards the Technique God.
And why I decided to follow his demand in not healing them…
"What… will I be doing then?" I asked.
"Learning through example… guidance."
With the ending word of his peculiar speech quirk, I felt the air around me shift, the hair on my skin standing up as a tingle ran down my spine.
I needed to defend.
My touki instinctively wrapped around my arm as I lifted it to defend, the Technique God's strike causing me to slide backwards as my shield of touki instantly shattered from the attack, leaving me with a stinging pain on my forearm as I prepared for another strike.
"Good instincts… and your connection to your touki is more than commendable… but I will not consider it a win until you can land a hit with divinity. Requirement," he stated, his tone calm and uncaring.
So I just needed to land a hit… then I could get the sacred treasure?
Was I hearing that right?
My ears honing in on his position, I then unsheathed my sword, launching forward as I released a perfected Longsword of Light, the air roaring as my blade struck him.
But once again… I felt all my momentum be swallowed up, as if I had hit a cave wall with a normal sword swing without any touki.
He then flicked my sword away, the sudden shift in balance causing me to stumble before I reoriented myself, my mind still swimming from the constant disorientation.
Fucking shit…
"Don't mess with me…" I said, raising my sword again. "I have a family to go back to… I can't just stay here."
Like hell I was going to miss my three precious kids' first words and steps because of some psychopath.
"Your quest to end this Man-God will be useless as you are now… and besides, if you truly believed that you couldn't stay here, then you would have already healed your eyes and fled by now. Observation," he said. "Rest assured. You only need to use it once, and I will give you the treasure you seek. Consider it a payment for entertaining me after so long in solitude. But until then… you will train. Agreement."
And then, for what was now the third time… he suddenly attacked.
Fucking Laplaces… they were both insane.
— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
My sword once again was caught, with the Technique God sending me flying across the ground a moment later, my legs getting under me just in time to leap out of the way of his follow-up attack, my body having reacted without a thought.
At least I was getting used to not having my sight or magic eye, but still… I was struggling.
Divinity… what the fuck did that mean?
I wasn't a god, so how did he expect me to have that?
What even was it?
Feeling a subtle pressure in the air begin to bear down on me, I scrambled to the side once again, my arms scraping against the rocks as I once again shot forward with my sword in hand.
— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
The world spun as I felt the strike land on my chest, a wad of spit flying out of my mouth as I reached down to grab his arm, holding him steady as I raised my other arm, my sword having long since gotten lost in the constant heat of battle.
The feeling of touki flowing through my arm… the pull of my mana weaving into the gaps… linking it with every muscle in my body as it converged into one strike…
My hand crashed into the solid wall that was his hand, and with the feeling of my gathered power slowly reducing, I released my hold of him as I stepped back, expecting a retaliatory strike.
But… it didn't come.
"That feeling of harmony… you should develop that. Closer," he advised.
Closer… but I was just doing what was normal?
Well, maybe I had done everything a bit quicker than before, and it did feel more complete, but… there wasn't anything else that was different.
So… what the hell was this divinity?
But as always, instead of answering my many questions, he attacked once more.
— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
"Haa… haa…"
I panted, the feeling of sweat and blood dripping down my face as I held my sword forward, waiting for the incoming attack as I kept my feet in the ground.
Tired… so tired… I felt more tired than I did the entire time I was in the Dragon World.
We would fight until I got hungry, before I would be let go in order to hunt and allowed to eat, before I would once again be attacked until I got hungry again, as sleep was, according to the Technique God, 'useless, especially for this'.
Fuck… I wanted to go home.
I had told my family that I might be a while in case something happened, so I knew they weren't worried about me, especially with the monument of the seven powers that was in the nearby forest confirming my survival.
But holy shit… just how long had it been?
A week?
Two?
A month?
A… year?
I didn't know.
I could hardly think, simply moving and attacking with no space for anything else in my mind.
I felt the tingle of an oncoming attack, and feeling the sensation focused on my chest, I turned my sword to the side, not even caring about controlling the touki and mana as I parried the blow.
After all, that was as natural as breathing at this point.
And then, before I could even confirm where he was, I lashed forward, my sword whistling through the air towards where his neck was, only to be blocked once more.
No… not blocked.
While before, he would simply negate my attack without any movement, this time… he was forced to parry me to the side, sending me twirling in place as I attempted to use my rotational momentum for a sweeping slash, only for him to completely dodge that one.
"Good. Before, you were thinking too much, but now, you're not thinking enough," he said, his fist slamming into my side a moment later as I was sent tumbling across the land. "Find a balance between the two. Advice."
Oh… a balance… think, but not too much… that feeling of instinct harmonizing with an analytical understanding of combat…
I think I was starting to get it, this divinity bullshit.
Now I just needed to land that strike and make my way back home…
— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
My sword swung down, cutting through the crisp air just as I had done so many times before, heading straight towards the Technique God who stood in front of me.
My strike was the same as always… but at its core, it was completely different.
Because finally… I had understood the 'divinity' that he had talked about.
Just as he had said, it was something that transcended mana, and even transcended words itself.
A mix of instinct and insight… a pure feeling of 'rightness' in an action, where everything seamlessly flowed together, to the point where calling it a technique would be wrong, as it was more like a state of mind.
Again, it was hard to put into words.
But if I could try to explain it, then the only possible connection would be to those animes from Kaito's memories, where the character got into a 'flow state' or 'in the zone'… a mental clarity that allowed every action to be filled with more power with the perfect use of touki and mana.
Perhaps, when I regained my demon eye once more, I would be able to see what exactly that meant… but I doubt it.
It was simply a resonance of every strength at my disposal, like two waves crashing together to form a bigger one, and the result of that…
"Stop," the Technique God said as my blade once again was blocked. "You have passed. Recognition."
Huh?
I… passed?
Yet despite the announcement, I didn't feel anything special.
Maybe a bit of relief, but nothing extreme enough to burst into celebration.
I suppose, at this point, after finally understanding what he wanted to show me… it felt natural, and more importantly, it was only one strike, when the Technique God here seemed to be able to imbue it into every movement… so I had a while to go.
Healing magic flooded my eyes as my vision quickly returned, the dim light of the starry night blinding me as I instinctively winced, but after a few moments, I was able to see what was in front of me.
The Technique God had blocked me with his hand once more, but instead of doing so nonchalantly, my blade had sunk into his palm, causing blood to trail down his arm and drip onto the ground below.
I retracted my blade, and while I would expect the action to cause blood to rush forth, instead, nothing happened, as he had seemingly used his touki to immediately staunch the bleeding.
Quite amazing.
"Do you want me to heal that?" I asked, gesturing to his hand.
He didn't have any mana, so the only healing he would receive was through his natural regeneration, which was sure to take a while.
"No need. This is the first time in many, many years that I have been wounded… so I will keep this as a symbol of recognition. Decline," he stated, shaking his head.
Uhh… that was a bit masochistic, but then again, I had never thought of this guy as sane in the first place.
"As promised, this is now yours," he said, taking off his necklace as he tossed it to me, my hand instinctively grabbing the sacred treasure. "If that is all, then return to your family. Dismissal."
And then, without another word, he turned away, slowly beginning his walk back to his cave, which was quite far away as our spar had taken us across the mountain.
For a moment, I was tempted to ask if he wished to join us against the Man-God, but I quickly remembered that I could not.
After all, ignoring the issue between him and Orsted, as well as the fact the Technique God was unlikely to accept simply sealing the Man-God, Orsted had explained that he was unable to use the sacred treasures to reach the Void World due to his constitution not being one of a 'complete dragonfolk', or someone with a stronger soul, like mine now was.
But seeing as how he didn't even ask… perhaps the Technique God knew the same instinctively, despite his loss of memory.
But still… for teaching me about another way to increase my strength…
"Thank you, for teaching me," I said before he could get out of range.
He briefly stopped.
"It… was always my purpose to pass on techniques, so there is no need," he said, continuing to walk away. "This was always a mutually beneficial agreement. Triviality."
And so… that was that.
To think the Technique God, ranked strongest in the world, would be such an awkward fellow… I had sure learned a lot over my time here.
Now… now I had to find that teleportation circle, change out of these long since destroyed clothes, and find out just how long I had been away.
Hopefully, my wives would be lenient with me.
— Leon Anemoi Greyrat —
Opening the door, I watched as the man looked up at my entrance, recognition flashing in his eyes.
"You're back… I see that it took some time," Orsted said, his tone relieved.
I guess even he would be worried about me meeting the Technique God, as he was one of the few beings that he would need to expend his mana to defeat.
"Yeah… it was fucking hard, but I got it." I threw him the necklace, which he easily caught, only to look down at it with a small smile.
"I see… and it seems you've gotten stronger yet again," he said, nodding approvingly. "And with four out of the five collected… I suppose it's about that time."
"...What time?" I asked.
"Time that I used the magic to search for the final one," he replied, his eyebrows furrowing in annoyance. "Despite my attempts to search for it, I was unable to find any traces, so this is the only way… and unfortunately, that means I will have to use my mana."
So it ended up being an issue in the end… that definitely isn't ideal.
"Damn… is that going to be a problem?" I asked.
"Not entirely… but I will need to use the rest of my mana sparingly if there is a battle to follow," he replied, shaking his head. "But there is no need to worry about that. I don't plan on using it for a while, so use the time to spend with your family. You have certainly earned it."
"Yeah… well, I wish you luck with that," I said, giving him a wave as I turned around. "I've been gone for a month, and was basically used as a training dummy for the entire time, so I need some rest and recovery from my wives now."
Ah… and also a nap.
A long, long nap, preferably with my wives and perhaps a few kids as well so I could recharge all my energy.