Dxd: Master Of Shadows - Volume 1 Chapter 11 11 Rewrite Maximus Finale

In a certain lake somewhere, the birds were peaceful, chirping like every other days, the sound of the blowing winds that could make even the most chaotic sinner to be stunned by it’s sweet tune. Animals were everywhere, coexisting, drinking water from a lake, mothers taking care of their young kin, but all of this changed when the fire nati- I mean when a sudden earthquake came upon the lake and all that was there ran away in panic.

The whole lake moved and went deeper back down and after a few more minutes of the earthquake, a figure could be seen, slowly rising, buck-n.a.k.e.d and young. This was none other than Victor Malum Noctis Lionheart, the king of retreats.

________________________________________________________________________________________

(Was it fun, friend?)

I found myself at the dry lands and the first thing I did was cough the living shit out of me, I felt like my entire being was starting to develop a trauma against water.

“Screw you! I am not doing any sort of swimming related activities again! In my entire remaining lifespan!”

(No swimsuit scenes then?)

“Swimsuit?”

(No, don’t mind me, friend, I’m talking about culture)

I shook my head and continued walking, my first goal was to find clothes. I don’t know how but I was n.a.k.e.d the moment I awoke, I stretched by picking up a stick and doing some practice swings with it, I tried mixing up [EX Mana Burst] and [EX Knight of Owner] again and observed as how purplish particles started converging towards the stick, and after a jet-like burst of mana came about, I swung horizontally, the results?

“Umm, what would happen if I also used my black authority on a weapon along with these 2?”

(You’d create something similar to a quasi-caliburn if you used your all into it)

“Caliburn? Hmm, wait. Ah! A holy sword of selection for kings? The first sword of King Arthur?”

(If it’s in your memories then that’s what it is, friend)

“Yeah…so Caliburn does something like—that?”

I pointed to where I used my stick, and aside from the stick disintegrating, the forest also disintegrated. Like, it’s gone, trees and all and even the lush grass around was gone, it was now a wasteland.

(Quasi-Caliburn. The true Caliburn would’ve potentially wiped out this entire separated dimension with it’s sheer might as a holy sword)

“How can you differentiate the power specifically? Have you seen it already?”

(… I won’t answer that question, friend)

I sighed and continued my walk of n.a.k.e.d glory, I really needed clothes and the only way I know is to get some is by asking…aggressively on some animals.

“Oh? Coward Boy, Why you live?”

Umu. I’ll get clothes later then, new first goal? Beat the living shit out of this mantis-lion, without even replying to his question, I used [EX Mana Burst] and charged at him, orange sparks formed around me and my speed went past his reaction time.

“Wh- Coward, run again!”

“Run again? Heh, nothing personal, kid”

The moment I whispered behind him, the mantis-lion tried to look back, but would I let him? Nope, not at all. I used my [EX Mana Burst] infused kicks and made a hole straight through his head.

“The king of retreats only runs when the enemy is stronger”

I pulled my legs out and and landed back down on the ground, seeing as how the corpse slowly turned into motes of light and go inside me, I laughed, laughed wholeheartedly. I was no longer the weakest being in here again!

“HAHAHA! 9 years? No shortcuts to strength? I’m Victor! and I’m always VICTORious!”

(Friend, that’s a little…lame)

“Shut up! HAHAHAHA! AHAHAHAHA! HAHGK-”

I choked on my saliva.

________________________________________________________________________________________

*Lionheart Castle, Lake Lionheart*

I was absentmindedly cooking food with Nyx beside me as she helped here and there from time to time, this was as my usual routine when lunch was coming up, the others were already in the table and were just waiting for my last dish, before Victor used to take little bites if he felt bored while waiting but since we won’t see him for foreseeable next 9 years, it gets kinda normal…oh crap, did I just jinx something?

“Achoo!”

Nyx looked at me and started and covering her nose while giving me a doubting glare.

“I don’t smell”

“Of course you wouldn’t, I’m just asking why you stink?”

“That makes no sense, no, it makes the same sense!”

She continued backing away from me until she was in the table, the others also looked at me and then covered their noses, these freeloaders!

“Why are you all bullying your king?!”

The situation lasted for a few more minutes until a knight barged in with a panicking face, I took note of this and quickly asked him what’s the problem.

“My Lord! We’ve been contacted by the Pendragons! They wish to have a meeting between the 4 Kingdoms!”

“Who’s coming and what’s the purpose?”

“They didn’t say the purpose, but the Griphonmight, Pendragon and Zerkraken have all sent their seal of approval to the meet. Only us, the Lionheart are still unknown”

I stared at this knight in front of me, he didn’t look like he was lying and he didn’t act any different than how he usually was. I took the paper in his hands and read it, this caused the others at the table to remove their hands from their noses and listen instead…[Lake will remember that]

“Blah blah, Kingdom of Lionheart, blah blah, unification treaty to fight against invaders from the north, blah blah blah, if you don’t agree then you will be seen as an enemy, blah blah, mother f.u.c.k.i.n.g Arthur Pendragon”

“M-My Lord?”

“Let them eat sword!”

I took the paper and crumpled it before throwing it outside, the threat didn’t matter to us simply because we’ve BEEN at war with at the very least 2 of those kingdoms ever since I became king. Camelot was always against me for taking his Lion motif, kinky bastard. The Griphonmight was just trying to get favors from Arthur and then Zerkraken was a kingdom of God, or as they say it ‘Church Country’ thus due to my reputation as ‘Thunder’ Lake, they never bothered to even attack me.

“They’ll threaten us but never do shit! The only way to make me even quake my boots is if they manage to bring 10 more Arthurs to my face, and if that ever did happen then it’s not out of fear but just disgust!”

“B-But Lord! They only said to give them resources, we can give them the ones from the commoner dis-”

I made a pinching gesture in front of the knight in front of me and continued it until both my index and thumb touched each other.

“You’re not even this close to convincing me, come eat with us! There’s plenty of food! HAHA!”

I left him to sigh on his own as I brought the now finished food to the table, it was a fun dinner that night. Probably also the last fun one we would have in a few years.

________________________________________________________________________________________

*Throne of Lions, Victor*

“COWARD BOY! SCARY COWARD BO-!?”

“Why are you running away while dissing me?!”

I punched a hole through another mantis-lion, if you think c.o.c.kroaches were the master of pests then these things were the God of pests. They were 100% everywhere, even more so when they find out I can one shot them.

“Coward boy!”

“Weak strong boy”

“Scaredy strong!”

I took a stick from a nearby tree and used [EX Knight of Owner] on it covering it with a black aura, soon purplish particles started converging to it and then that’s when I knew [EX Mana Burst] was on, the 3 remaining mantis-lions were shivering, shaking, swaying, whatever you want to call their action.

I held the stick with an standard hold and slowly tilted it until the whole sword was behind my shoulders, I crouched and leaned slightly forward, my muscles bulged and I continued using my stalled [EX Mana Burst] until my whole body was covered in the purple jet-like burst.

“Lionheart Sword Arts: Horizon Splitting Claws!”

I sliced horizontally and the wave continued to reach towards the running mantis-lions, for all the coward, coward stuff they say, they run away faster than the king of retreats themselves! After they turned into motes of light, I took a look at the damage I dealt and smiled, for some reason the view of destruction was appealing to me, it’s not something I made but something I was already born with.

“You smile at the sight of your power, boy?”

[EX Instinct] says jump away!

It was super f.u.c.k.i.n.g effective!

I looked at the place I was before, a familiar paw, hand, dino-claws? Was deeply imprinted at the grou- wait where’s the claw itself? [EX Instinct] says oh sh-

“ARGGHK-!”

I found myself already flying by the time [EX Instinct] picked a way to survive, so I guess speed beats instinct if it was fast enough, huh? Sadly for him it also told me to use [EX Mana Burst] or I was meat paste.

“Ho? You used mana burst right at the impact? You truly are a worthy opponent, I gave you a few more years to train but alas, the ones with authority are idiots, boy”

I spat some blood out and looked at the dino-lion in front of me, I was still buck-n.a.k.e.d, don’t ask that.

“You guys have someone stronger than you?!”

The dino-lion raised an eyebrow at me and snorted, he was…imagine a lion-looking smug version of me.

“I am the strongest, authority doesn’t mean you are as strong as Hercules or as fast as Master Lake”

“Phew, that means if I beat you then the rest is easy peasy, right?”

“GAHAHAHA! Boy, you? Beat me? GAHAHAHA! Interesting, here!”

A portal appeared near him and using his gigantic claws he took an orb out from it.

“There, Master Lake already guessed that you might lose your clothes for some time and asked us to give you that”

I looked at the orb, it was as big as my head and it was shining silver. There was mana from it, or no, rather there were mana in it.

“Use your mana and it will turn into a strong armor, I’m a proud lion, boy, we don’t lie nor do we use tri- well, apart from a certain glassed whale, no we usually don’t”

I went closer to the orb and asked the voice inside me if it was something bad or good, hey~ better safe than sorry.

(It’s just a mana armor, I think young Lake knew you would learn mana in this place)

‘Young Lake?’

(… ¯_(ツ)_/¯…)

I took note of that. Anyways, I went towards the orb and took it quickly before jumping a few meters away from the same spot, [EX Instinct] said that it was the best course of paranoid action.

“Boy, how impressive! How did you know I was going to take a jab at you when you were picking up the armor?”

‘PROUD MY ASS!”

“Instinct. I’m more of an animal than the animals in this place”

I used mana on the orb and it changed form, first it turned into a liquid gooey silver and then it attached itself to me, it used my mana as the ‘code’ and after a few seconds, it turned into a Lionheart standard knight armor, minus the tacky helmet. It was black with golden lines on some parts of it, I don’t know how silver = black but it is and you should just agree.

“On the other hand, why do we have a kiddie version of this armor? Is my dad planning to send out kids in war?”

“GAHAHAHA! Now, boy! Let us meet again when you are strong enough. I would be your last opponent, beware though. The others aren’t as chivalrous as I am! Specifically that whale-lion!”

The dino-lion started walking away and only after I used [EX Instinct] 4 times after he left did I sigh and relax myself. I took a look at myself and stared back up at the sky, or whatever that was in the sky.

“Should I stay here for 9 years? Or should I just beat all the big guys and get on with it? Hey, what do you think?”

(Just finish with it, this place has not much to offer than what you would expect)

“Umu.”

(…)

“I’m staying for 10 years”

(Wh-why? You’re already plenty strong! Plus your life is only, what? 16 years more?)

I stood up and kept looking at the sky, this voice might not see it but I do. I see that on top of this sky, there was something, I don’t mean it figuratively, I really mean…

“There’s something on top of this place, I don’t know what it is…but it’s there”

(What more is there to this place? Crude monsters and those motes of light only serves to increase your power by a little, listen to yourself, friend!)

“I’m indeed going to listen to myself, thank you very much but I’m not going to be your friend for very long anyways, might as well just ignore you once now”

(N-nguuu, fine! Do what you want! I’m not talking to you until you get out of here!)

I raised my arms up and grabbed the air, even if I felt nothing physically, my spirit, my whole existence is telling me to get up there.

“OK! I’m going to beat everything up! And get them to tell me what’s on top of this place!”

I smiled, the smile that I used to do before, after all the many stress and troubles this place has brought me, this was the first smile I made that was full of passion. 1 step. 2 step. 3 step. Slowly, I walked forward, I had no specific goal for now since I have clothes but my end conclusion is to reach ‘that’

________________________________________________________________________________________

*Camelot*

A blonde kid, about the age of 7 was swinging a sword, he was sweating and panting but his eyes showed persistence. On the side, there was another blonde man watching, he held a sword that emitted some sort of holy aura, they were both in a place with green lush grass and the wind that made them dance, further more to the right, there was a hill made of jagged rocks. In it was the sword stuck in the stone, Caliburn.

“Dad! I can use a little bit more of my mana than usual now! when can I fight dragons too? Hehe”

The blonde man smiled at his child who ran to him and hugged him, he patted his head and knelt to reach his height.

“Son, if you want to fight dragons, you better grow up quick then. Do you think you’re the strongest at your age right now?”

The kid smiled brightly and lifted the stick sword in his hands in the air, he then dropped it to the ground, sharp bit pointed to the ground as he held the hilt with both his hands on top of each other, a standard…’Arthur Fancypants Look’, to quote a certain ‘Thunder’.

“If I wasn’t then who could be?”

The blonde man’s face slightly cringed, not at his son but the thought that there WAS actually someone, an abnormality like his father.

“The son of ‘Thunder’ Lake”

The blonde boy’s face turned angry, he tilted his head and his blonde hair flowed with the blow of the wind, it made his blue eyes look like sapphire gems and the slight pause made the tension even greater.

“A demigod born from both a pure God and another demigod, Victor Malum Noctis, nicknamed among the 4 kingdoms as the ‘Child of Calamity’, at the young age of 4, he has already killed thousands of our men, can you do that, Arthur?”

“NO! That’s purely evil! Even if I could, why would I kill thousands of men? Did they do something to him?”

The blonde man’s face twitched slightly, not noticeable but a twitch nonetheless.

“They did nothing, he was the one who attacked them first, his evil is inborn. A child of Nyx the Goddess of Night and the ‘Thunder’ Lake, a man known to have massacred thousands, fallen or not for the glory of his God”

The boy’s face had now sadness, he looked confused and his grip on his sword became tighter.

“Keep that to yourself, Arthur. If you want to be strong, then be strong enough to beat an anomaly, an evil like that little monster, even his name has the word for it!”

“Y-yes…father”

After that the blonde kid continued swinging his sword and his father went away, he kept swinging and swinging until a yellowish particle started gathering around him, the sword stick he held started glowing yellow and with his last slash and wave came with it and made the grass disappear in a certain straight line.

“Why must you lie, father? How could ‘he’ kill thousands of men? Why would that kid who saved me once do that? If I didn’t know him, I would have believed you but…alas, fate is with Victor, I hope your actions don’t lead us to ruins…father”

(AN: Should I make a flashback on how he met Arthur or just go straight to beating up lions with weird bodies?)

He looked towards the hill made of jagged rocks and walked towards it, after arriving right in front of Caliburn, he sighed and place his hands on it’s hilt.

“Don’t worry, bud! I’m pulling you when I grow up!”

The sword vibrated a little, as if happy that Arthur touched it, but soon became still again, he let go of the sword and continued swinging his practice sword with a smile on his face. Although he felt slightly angry at how his father lied about Victor, the thought of fighting also made him happy.

“I’m a battle junkie, huh?”