Danmachi: the Great Devourer

C166: Introductions

Alt Title Teaser: "Know my name"

Overall Word count = 1402 on 12/1/2024. 

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While the smoke cloud was spreading out still, Axel was able to sense the mounting aura within the smoke that applied a dense pressure to him but with a compression of his nen through Shu (advanced aura compression of Ten). Yet while he does this, blue slime tendrils sprout out of his back until there are 4 of them. They quickly morph into semi liquid hands that hover around his original ones. 

Axel lets out a deep breath as he charges up his own energies through his body, ready for anything and to counterattack when the area falls. It's as if all sound had simply disappeared and even the dust around him seems to have stilled with not a single bit of wind flowing within the nearby hundreds of feet or meters. Axel frowns as a sense of lethargy passes over him before he suddenly dashes away. 

Yet he was a step too late as his leg was directly chopped off by the giant 'man' before him.

Standing at a solid and imposing 10 ft tall, the one eyed dragon retains most of his human features but now sports a crow-like mask with draconic scales over it. The original business suit has been replaced with a pure white robe type clothing underneath a heavy dense black and white striped armor of draconic origin. 

But what stands out most from the 'his' imposing visage is the pair of bunny ears upon his head. In any other circumstance Axel would have found it funny but he can tell that the remains of the law clouds are flowing towards those ears. In fact many other energies are also flowing towards them creating a 'null zone' around the hollow. 

When it stands still, this zone gradually expands and that is why Axel could not hear any sound or feel any wind, causing the dust to remain so long. And why he could sneak up on Axel so suddenly for his size is both due to its speed as well as the fact that even a little bit of time itself was siphoned.

How it does this, Axel has no clue as his own devouring ability does not have such a capability but he can tell that the hollows ability is different than his. Though from what Axel was told by [Raphael], the hollow must have subconsciously been using such a time ability before which was how it remained faster than light itself. But now it has greater control over it's own power.

After regrowing his leg, he coats himself in time laws that he controls which prevents the temporal stagnation he was afflicted with before. He also forms a sword with spatial and temporal laws affixed to it. Yet the hollow does not move, it's armor shifts as it tosses the slime leg of Axel it ripped off. The leg is brimming with law energy but it was simply tossed aside. 

The hollow turns its head to face Axel as it proclaims this, "I have to thank you, for allowing me to reach this state. I feel much more at peace but I know there is no chance of actual peace between us. So I shall at least share the name I have received when I had been changed against my will."

"My name is Gaius Lepedenoru and I shall devour this world to reach the one who hurt me" His expression is stoic and stone faced, granted Axel wouldn't be able to tell his expressions because of the dragon mask covering half of Gaius' face

"My name is Axel Gram, I am a slime who was born only a year ago, a shattered soul from hundreds of worlds. I know what you are and where one like you originates from but know this. This world is my home, and I shall protect it from you." Axel offers his own introductions to which Gaius lowers his head with his eyes closed, a moment of contemplation but unlike Gaius who remains idle, Axel lowers himself into his stance before teleporting over next to the Arrancar hollow and slashing out with his sword covered in dense gravitational energy.

Unbeknownst to Axel, the Rhongomyniad within his body seemed to have reacted to his words as the integration process with his reality marble was completed, the ease he could use laws was much better but Axel simply assumed that was [Raphael] stabilizing his body or completely integrating the foreign law energy into the two laws he is currently using. 

Unleashing the judgment cut, thick streams of spatial and gravitational energies surround Gaius but they are frozen within bubbles of time, being moved at Axel's will to surround Gaius further until his ears steal a little bit of temporal energy from 1 bubble and unleashing a snowball effect. Hundreds of Judgment cuts frozen in time bubbles are unleashed within a close proximity as each slash cuts into another bubble that then spreads the range even further and unleashes more devastation. 

The sheer power of the attack reaches even the ruins of Orario, causing the rubble there to be shaved down into nothing but dust as Gaius keeps moving in all directions, his ears triggering each bubble he ends up near and causing him to keep retreating as he also shoots out a few 'weaker' Ceros at Axel.

The slime appendages on Axel's back consume each wave of Cero in its entirety as they act as an extension of Axel's [Great Devourer] and replenishing his energy reserves which are still gradually consumed by the rampant laws in his body but the situation is rapidly stabilizing on Axel's side as [Raphael] prepares a burst of energy to consume the final strands of law energy. 

Of course Axel himself had lost out on a ton of energy releasing the 'sword orbs', a compressed sword technique frozen in a time and space bubble for later usage. He only has to swing his sword once to unleash the judgment cut as the time laws would loop the strike over and over again within the compressed space while the actual spatial law would change the attack's direction. The actual energy expenditure is quite small due to only having to use a bit of the regenerating law energy but the real cost is from creating hundreds of such orbs in various directions or having to constantly move them in the hollows path. 

Against a lesser or slower enemy, the sword orbs would be enough to completely eviscerate them but with the slight control over time that Gaius has and his own incremental speed, he only ended up losing one giant arm which was torn to shreds before he regenerated a new one good as new. 

Yet the energy that had seeped within the hollows body continues to ravage him but is regularly healed only to be shattered once again until the ears deprive the rampant energy of it's source. Allowing Gaius to fully recover as a frown paints his face. He was distinctively surprised by the attack 

From the entirety of the battle, Axel has had many chances to properly analyze Gaius and has found that with the exception of his movement technique and Cero, it doesnt have many means to utilize his overabundant energy. It's no more than a pressure upon Axel's body but with his devouring nature, he is just constantly stealing this energy which gradually weakens the hollow and it's only due to the vastness of its energies that it doesnt outright collapse. That and the ears absorbing new energy to refill it's reserves. 

With a plan of action in mind, Axel feels a call within his body as he internally sees the Rhongomyniad within himself, asking to be unleashed and protect the world he treasures. The incantation flows through his mind as he accepts this weapon but will not simply wield a holy spear but wield a blade of utmost holiness, 

"Leader of Gracious Compassion, and utmost horror.

Bend thy truth to that of one reality, me.

Witness a land free of sickness, 

RHONGO-MYNIAD!!!" Axel roars with conviction.

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Alt Title: Time control, "My name is Gaius Lepedenoru and I shall devour this world", World Spear unveiled

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