Dxd: Master Of Shadows - Volume 1 Chatper 9 Rewrite Maximus
“Couuuuntry Roooooooads! Taaaake me hooooooome~”
“You’re annoying now, gyao!”
A boy with hair orange hair that was let down, was singing a certain song, while a little girl in a lion costume grabbed unto him. He stopped singing when the lion girl smacked him but he continued walking.
“I learned a cool skill, right?”
“Yes, it’s a very advanced skill, gyao!”
The boy nodded while placing his hand to his chin.
“I’m a genius because I can use it at first try right?”
“Yes, you’re similar to a monster in that regard, gyao!”
He nodded his head again but this time he grabbed the lion girl by the collar and started shaking her.
“So why can’t I use it properly!? Why do I pass out?!”
The little lion girl had a nerve pop out from her temple as she got covered by light and turned into an bib boobib ara ara sister. Then she smacked him, with the b.o.o.b.s, accidentally.
“Guha~ those demonic things! Is this where you store your mana?!”
The boy stared at the big boobibs in front of him and sat down in a meditative position. These 2 were none other than Victor and the lion girl who was named Tigress for…weird reasons.
________________________________________________________________________________________
‘To feel mana is to feel life’
I continued to chant those in my mind, according to Tigress, the lion girl in all ironic names possible, told me. Originally the act of sensing mana and using mana was supposed to take a few years for normal people and a less than a year for geniuses, me on the other hand, took half a minute to skip all those steps and go straight into an advance skill. It sounds cool, mana burst, if only it didn’t make me pass out which I can’t figure out why!
I opened my eyes and felt the mana inside me build up, this was the act of taking in mana, doing this continuously would build it up and increase the natural amount of mana I can hold. It’s like some sort of rubber or plastic, the the amount can change the original size, a balloon that doesn’t deflate in simpler terms.
“Ara~ your mana increased by quite a bit, gyao~”
“I still don’t know why I can’t use mana burst, is it because it’s high level?”
Tigress sighed and just walked away, I don’t know why but she keeps dodging the question.
“Remember, people take years to learn about mana. Years of building their reserves, and you learned a skill about using said reserves to boost externally in 30 minutes of sensing mana, tell me, aren’t you biting off more than what you can chew, gyao?~”
Huh, that makes sense. Darn it, so it’s not some ultra power skip skill?! I need to get stronger fast, but this building mana shit is bad!
“Tigress, tell me. Is there…a shortcut?”
Oh Sh-
“You are a fool. What sort of spoiled child are you? Why do you think there is a shortcut to being strong?”
She grabbed me by the neck and started lifting me, despite my strength, she could keep choking me and I couldn’t do a single thing. She glowed blue and my air was slowly diminishing.
“Tch, remember, don’t look for shortcuts. There is no shortcut to strength”
She dropped me and went back to her little girl version before disappearing. I continued panting and trying to catch my breath, I wasn’t scared but her words served to annoy me more than I expected.
“But there is a shortcut! And it’s called talent!”
I sat back into a meditative position, I sensed the mana and started filling my reserves once more. I kept doing it for 3 hours but suddenly a voice whispered into me, a familiar voice that made me sigh in relief, if this voice was here then there would be a shortcut.
(HELLO! MY, FRIEEEEEEEND!)
‘Where were you?’
My face couldn’t contain the smile I had when I heard the familiar and relaxing voice of my sacred gear, I tried using it but I still couldn’t.
(I was, or no. Your black authority was sealed! I’m not really part of that so, it took me a while but I can now talk to you again! What is your question, my friend! Did you miss me?)
‘I sure as hell did, say, do you know of a shortcut to have mana fast?’
(Mana? Fast? Are you learning magecraft?)
‘Kinda…no, just mana burst’
(Hmm, ah! There is a way!)
‘Really! Nice! I knew it!’
I started laughing out loud and I imagined the face of that stinky Tigress when she finds out I already have so much mana, in a shortcut!
(You can either die or eat a dragon)
Umu.
‘Wh-what?’
(Die or eat a dragon, I mean you either die and gain the mana of a spirit or eat a dragon, both makes you die one way or the other…friend?)
‘I-I think, the slow way is good’
And so, I sat back down again. The whole damn mana thing was an official pain in the ass, why didn’t I learn about it sooner?
(…Do you want a dragon’s heart?)
Oi! Weird voice, don’t go sounding like a serpent offering me bad wishes! You’re doing a good job tempting me!
(Hmm, since this is a sealed dimension…I could make you a dragon heart)
“Seriously, who the hell are you? How can you just make dragon hearts like that?”
(I can’t help it, my friend is making such an ugly face. So do you want it?)
“Is that even a question?”
(If you want it then sacrifice half of your entire life-span for it)
“Yeah, no, I’d rather live longer and build it up, hahaha…”
(Are you sure about it? You can just ask me and I’ll make one for you)
I can last, definitely, it’s just 9 years and they’re only big lions and stuff right? Right…
________________________________________________________________________________________
“…”
A rather weird looking creature was staring at me right now, it had the body of a mantis and it was big, like 10 meters.
“So, like…”
“Boy, why are you weak?”
The weirdest bit is how it has a lion’s head. Like, any boss monsters in this place has a lion’s head and this 10 meter mantis? It freaks me out.
“I…I’m not tasty…?”
The mantis lion raised it’s blades at me and tried to slice me but [EX Instinct] made me dodge it fine. Compared to the dino-lion this was still in the realms of stuff I can face, or so I said but-
“WHY THE HELL IS THERE INVISIBLE WIND BLADES ATTACKING ME?!”
“You are weak, not big mana, no mana vision, not fit to be king”
I took a nearby sharp stone and used [EX Knight of Owner] on it, covering it with a black aura, and then I used my [EX Instinct] to look for the best w—ay-!
More windblades came after me and my instinct prioritized those more than my strike, I get why but I really want to kill that smug insect. I lunged towards the tree right behind me and hid behind it, the windblades cut through it but the point is that I was too small to be hit.
“Sneaky, not a king, a cowardly kid you are”
“Listen here you little shit! I’m currently at the bottom of the line with my mana because I just started yesterday! There is…well the shortcut is not good, so I’ll have to go at it the long way!”
“Excuses, weak person, not worthy”
This thing was effectively pissing me off. I went out of hiding and using the slightly sharp stone, I dashed towards him as fast as I could, I managed to dodge some life threatening windblades thanks to [EX Instinct] but I got hit by a few as well, though minor wounds, those windblades hurt as f.u.c.k.
“A little coward, dashing towards strong me, bad, too bad boy”
I ignored all his words and continued dashing towards him, I was about 4 seconds away, 2 seconds to hit his weak spot the underbelly, 6 seconds of unknown actions from him.
“12 seconds of unknown probability? What the hell?”
My instinct told me that I was either going to fail or win, both ends in me being seriously injured. So, what’s the best course of action? A certain Joestar knows the answer.
“YOU COWARD BOY!”
As I dashed towards him, I made a quick turn towards the forest, the trees hid my figure and so!
“RUNNNNN!”
He send a few windblades towards my direction but, seriously, those things wouldn’t hit me in a million yea- instinct says duck!
“AND DUCK, I DO!”
I ducked and surprisingly another lion-mantis appeared just right beside me, I dodged the initial slash to decapitate me but the windblades behind me was saying something else ‘You’re no Joestar’
“FU-! GUHK”
A windblade managed to hit me in the legs and nearly cut it off, my bones were hard, that much was clear. The skin though? Not so much. I tripped and fell so the 2 lion-mantis finally caught up to me.
“Weak run boy”
“Dodging annoying boy”
I got hit by a few more windblades to secure me but would that stop me? I continued running, ignoring all the pain and just ran, the mantises followed after me but they were surprised when I continued to run in the same pace as before.
“[EX Battle Continuation] is a blessing!”
(Oh? You already know about that, friend?)
“You could say that I met an even bigger lion f.u.c.ker before”
(Oooh, touche, friend. But…how long can you stay like that?)
“You underestimate my will to live and run”
I continued running and orange sparks appeared around me as my speed went faster than the two mantis can keep up with, the ground caved in per step but-
An alarming instinct called for me. It says death or death. The only way to live? Luck, there was no ‘best’ way out.
I took a nearby big stone and used [EX Knight of Owner] on it along with the small amount of mana burst I could use, soon my ‘death’ appeared.
“Pointless”
Those were the words I could say as a gigantic lion pawed me, I could tell who it was since the only lion I know as big as this was-
‘Tigress’
“You disappoint us, boy. Running is not a prideful Lionheart’s way”
And soon, I don’t even know how but I kept on running, I felt that both my legs were nearly out of place but I kept running, my organs were crushed but I kept on running, tunnel vision came upon me and at the end of that vision was a body of water after a high jump.
“Screw your pride, I’m the king of retreats!”
And so I jumped, the leap of faith, would I, Victor Malum Noctis Lionheart live? Or would I perish due to the machinations of this stupid lion girl?
(HAHAHAHA! HOW ENTERTAINING! MY FRIEND DO YOU WISH TO LIVE?)
‘Hit me’
(Then give me half of your life-span!)
‘Why?’
(A long life isn’t entertaining)
‘…’
(Friend?)
‘…Fine’
Even from here, I could feel the voice in my head smile and laugh as he started hitting something, he then laughed for a bit more while I could see the body of water and my bloodied body meeting each other.
(Prepare yourself friend! This will hurt as much as possible! You might even learn some [EX Masochism] Hahahah!)
And then, I passed out. No, not because of blood lost or some shit. I literally felt my life being sapped out of me and my heart along with it and the pain? The pain was like…umm according to my memories, giving birth x100,000, in other words. It f.u.c.k.i.n.g hurts. F.u.c.k.i.n.g for the expression.
