Highschool DxD: A new opportunity

3rd Person POV

Taking a walk on the sandy beach, the youth moved to a location hard to access on foot close to a rocky area.

"I found you~" Nora playfully caught one of the tails from the figure sitting down and gazing at the setting sun.

His actions caused a shudder to go down the tail to the person who got spooked and jumped slightly in place.

Turning her head back and clearing at the youth with a pout on her face, Saya pulled her tail away a held it out of reach for the the youth.

"Anyone else other than you would be eating sand right now." Saya complained.

"Scary scary." Nora chuckled and sat down beside Saya.

Looking over the woman, Nora saw her wearing a green sweater that perfectly fitted her curves and a thight pencil mini skirt like office workers wore. The black galter belt left a lot to the imagination but it was impossible to pry any further given that she was holding her knees. Nora deeply respected the clothes capable of holding out without tearing apart until know.

"You have definely grown, checking me out like that." Saya looked over the youth with a smirk.

"Please, I have seen you with less clothes, if you want me to act embarrassed, you have to wear something riskier." Nora retorted.

"Do you want me to?" Saya leaned toward the youth.

"...is that really what a mother should be asking her son?" Nora asked.

"I don't know." Saya shook her head. "I do know that the son should not be oggling his mother like you do."

"Oh? Interesting. I happen to know that a mother should not be checking out her son's 'grow'." Nora replied.

"I am a doctor, I only do it because I am worried if you are 'healthy'. This is just from a medical point of view." Saya extended her hand toward the youth's thigh.

"Then I only take long looks at you because of medical reasons, I am a graduated doctor after all." Nora did not stop the woman gentle caress.

"You have grown to be a braggart." Saya smirked.

"That's not the only thing that has grown." Nora snorted.

"I can feel that." Saya smiled meaningfully.

"Shouldn't it be 'see'?" Nora acted obvlious.

"That depends..." Saya mumbled. "On what I am interested in."

Sharing a look, the duo did not need to say anything to make clear what Saya wanted, however, she stopped rubbing a certain place and pulled her hand back.

"It is quite complicated." Saya sighed.

"I might be your son, but I am also a man." Nora muttered. "I guess that telling you about my past life made you unhinged."

"...I wonder if it was only that." Saya smiled bitterly. "I am quite a pervert so I might've acted the same even if I did not see you as an adult before..."

"...woman, I am getting turned on so please keep it family oriented." Nora forced a smile.

"Getting shy now?" Saya chuckled. "We have done a lot of stuff together..."

"You are going to give the readers the wrong idea, I am still a virgin." Nora stated.

"Readers...?" Saya tilted her head. "Other than sex... we have done a lot."

"...I cannot use any excuse because I am really a scumbag." Nora covered his face with both hands.

"Many of those things, Yasaka told me that she was fine with it." Saya said.

"...why are you telling my crush (Yasaka) who is your friend about the things we did?" Nora wanted to dig a hole for him.

"...do you think I do not know about the thing you did with her?" Saya removed the hands from the youth's face.

"You two really get along." Nora sighed. "You seem to be fighting all the time, but please be honest with me. You two are messing with me, you were both planing to raise me and share me among the two of you."

"...no?" Saya pulled away.

"Oi." Nora called out.

"Well, there might be a tiny detail... I have forgotten to tell you." Saya kept looking away.

"A detail...? Like my fiance Rossweisse? Please do not tell me I have another one..." Nora looked at Saya in horror.

"No, I mean, I did forget about that one time but it was only one time thing, I swear... I think?" Saya tilted her head. "No, no, I only got that drunk that one time... or was it that other time? No, there were more than a dozen times I got so drunk..."

"Oi!" Nora's eyebrow was twitching.

"You see...? I might've joked a bit saying to some of my single friends that if... I ever had a child, a male, and they were still single, I would introduce you to them." Saya looked at her son apologetically.

"...Kaa-san." Nora held the bridge of his nose with one hand. "....why?"

"I mean, I was feeling bad because they had terrible dates lately and things did not look bright so I said that even if they got older, I would have a plan for them so they did not need to be stressed about it. There is also the fact that nekomatas always have females as their offspring so I considered it as a white lie at the time..." Saya tried to explain herself as fast as she could.

"...I am a male though." Nora looked at the woman beside him with a bright smile.

"I have failed you!" Saya apologized.

"Urgh! When did you expect to tell me? Idiotic mother! No, the moment I was born you should've considered canceling all that with them!" Nora said.

"...but-" Saya shrunk her shoulders and tried to give an excuse.

"No excuses!" Nora retorted. "Why wouldn't you consider what would happen when I was old enough?"

"...I did consider it." Saya mumbled in a weak tone.

"Huh!? You did!? Then tell me what went through your mind." Nora gestured to the other party to explain herself.

Crossing his arms and raising his chin, the youth looked ready to pass on judgment.

"I just thought that you could always take them all as lovers..." Saya said. "It is not like they will be always clinging to you, you know? Many of them have jobs and responsibilities. Some of them were just trying to avoid the nagging of their families to get a man."

"...what were you planning to do to your child once he grew up?" Nora looked somewhat amazed.

"Ultimately, if you didn't like any of them, I could just tell them to fuck off." Saya gave the youth a thumbs up.

Nora was not sure if he should be in awe about his mother's thought process or if he should simply smack her head because of the very same thought process.

"Aren't they supposed to be your friends? Why are you letting them fall in the hands of a womanizer like myself?" Nora sighed.

"...why do you assume that they are losing out?" Saya smiled wryly.

"I am only one guy and I wil be unable to pay much attention to them." Nora muttered. "They will have to share the same man with who knows how many women."

"Oh, don't worry about it. You got a fearsome package, as long as you keep them pleased, many of them will not even mind if you dress them as maids!" Saya raised both arms with thumbs-ups.

"...stop tempting me." Nora smiled bitterly.

"It is ultimately up to you, my dear. I don't think you have any trouble finding yourself any outlet for your sexual desires that you wish to keep hidden so I don't have to worry about you never having a child." Saya shrugged her shoulders.

"Your thought process is as wild as the underwear you make put on you." Nora shook his head.

"Ara? I don't think I wore something you disliked." Saya smirked.

"That is because you have the body of a goddess. It is hard to keep my mind at peace when you make me do that." Nora complained.

"Thank you for the compliment, it is nice that you are honest about it." Saya smiled pleased with herself.

"I have always considered you one of the most beautiful women I have ever met." Nora shrugged his shoulder. "Why would I be ashamed in admitting any of that?"

"...stop tempting me." Saya licked her lips.

"...I have reserved myself for Yasaka." Nora said.

"I know." Saya nodded.

"Yet you still would want to push me down?" Nora asked.

"Yes." Saya clearly stated.

"Then do it. I will not resist or the like." Nora replied.

"...what?" Saya was dumbfounded.

The person with the greatest self-control had given her the green light all of a sudden.

"...if it is you. I am willing to break that promise." Nora said.

"You think I am kidding?" Saya narrowed her eyes.

"No, I am well aware of how serious you are about it." Nora muttered.

"Even though you know that you still offered it to me." Saya mumbled.

"...there is not much time left after all." Nora sighed.

The hand being extended toward Nora suddenly paused.

"There is no other reason why Kaa-san, no, Saya, who always had her head on her shoulders and was aware that it would be bad to cross that line to begin making advances on me." Nora muttered. "Even if it felt like we always stopped because I was against it, there was no way I could stop someone far stronger than me if you tried to have your way with me."

Chuckling, Nora recalled the past.

"I won't lie to you, there was a large part of me that was extremely disappointed that you did not do it." Nora smiled. "Although I also felt relief."

"That's..." Saya mumbled. "I don't think I had much self-control."

"Isn't it ok? It is not like our common sense was the same so it was obvious that you and I would find ourselves at odds with our decisions." Nora smiled wryly. "You have done well. Regardless of the choices you have made. Even if you had eaten me back then, I would not change my mind regarding this."

Extending his own hand to hold Saya's, Nora interlocked their fingers.

"I am proud of being your son." Nora said.

A genuine smile, free of any deceit. The youth showed Saya a smile that made her happy just by laying her eyes on it.

"You are the best son I could ask for." Saya smiled.

Sharing a moment, the duo found themselves not wanting time to go forward, yet it was not possible. No matter what, seconds would continue to pile up, then they will become minutes and they will later on turn into hours. It was not matter that was in their control.

Smiling wryly, Saya came to terms with reality first and pulled back her hand. The woman wiped some tears running down her face and then she pulled a pair of things from her storage.

"I hope you won't be disappointed in getting this kind of gift." Saya smiled embarrassedly.

First, Saya pulled a cloth and wrapped it around Nora's neck. The muffler looked hand made as there were many details on the knitting. The muffler had a green and black theme with the characters for Shiki at the end of the muffler.

"I am not good at this kind of thing..." Saya smiled awkwardly.

Next, Saya placed a beani on the youth's head. The beani had two pointy spaces that were shaped like cat ears, perhaps made in consideration of the youth's nekomata characteristics. The theme also followed green and black.

"It's... getting colder now, so I thought you could use these." Saya held the youth's cheeks and gently caressed them. "I wanted to give these on your birthday, but I don't think I will last that long..."

Closing his eyes, the youth enjoyed the gentle touch and carefully took in the warm of her hands. Nora kept his emotions in check and avoided to show any action that could give away his internal turmoil over Saya's words.

It was nothing new. He was aware of it since the moment he 'saved' her. It was just a matter of time. The one who attacked him had made it clear that there was no way to avoid it. If he wanted to protect the future, a decision had to be made. Nora had clashed with his future self for that very same reason. No matter what, the youth wanted to protect Saya, but his future self told him the truth at that time. After using that finishing blow, his future self was rather cooperative and shared his memories with him. It was probably his way to get back at his naive and idiotic younger version or perhaps he simply wanted him to make the right choice. Regardless of the reasons, it was obvious that the future was still going to repeat itself.

"...how did things come to this?" Nora smiled bitterly.

"Sometimes, things just turn out this way." Saya spoke in an equally bitter tone. "I feel bad, even after going through all that trouble for me, I will still end up dying."

"It was never a trouble." Nora opened his eyes. "I can only apologize to you, Saya. I... am cursed."

With a bitter expression, Nora held Saya's hands and lowered them.

"Were you planning to leave all of a sudden and die all alone?" Nora sharply asked.

Smiling wryly, Saya did not verbally reply but her silence was an answer already.

"...Can I ask you a question? I want you to be honest with me. I don't want you to give a half answer or avoid giving me a reply." Nora muttered.

"...I guess I owe you that much." Saya smiled bitterly.

"Do you want to live?" Nora asked.

Unsure she heard correctly, Saya took slightly longer to react to what Nora had said. It was such a simple question, one world normally simply nod, however, Saya could not bring herself to do it. It was her body and she was aware that something would happen soon. She will turn into a monster that will harm many people, including her beloved son. Living is something she cannot afford to do if she wants to protect him. It would also make Nora suffer more since he will feel guilty over being unable to save her even when she wants to live.

"I have lived a long time already, I think it is enough." Saya smiled.

"You are stupid." Nora spat out.

Widening her eyes, Saya was left speechless at Nora's words. Since she could remember, the youth had spoken in a respectful manner and his speech always sought to express that all the time. While he would sometimes say vulgar things, it would be during certain occasions. Above all, he had never used that word to describe her before.

"Is it that difficult? Can you stop thinking about me? How about you ignore everyone else you care about? I want you to be freaking selfish." Nora said.

"I can't do that. You know I cannot. I am doctor, a mother. There is no way I can put my own life above yours or the ones I care about." Saya muttered.

"Why!? This is not a fucking game, Saya. You are facing your doom here, why can't you be honest at this moment!?" Nora angrily spoke.

"Because if I say that, you are going to suffer!" Saya raised her voice as well.

"Oh, for the love of- urgh!" Nora growled. "You just need to be honest in front of me! There is no need to concern yourself with anything else."

"Look who is talking about honestly here." Saya got angry.

"I have been quite honest with you." Nora retorted.

"Sure, sure. You certainly did not ignore the fact that you almost had sex with Yasaka a couple of times. Surely that is something you told me about." Saya rebuked.

"Urgh." Nora's shoulders shrank a little.

Snorting at his response, Saya did not feel like stopping.

"You have been acting lovey-dovey with Yasaka while I was not here." Saya grumbled.

"...I was certain you were going to be against it." Nora admitted.

"Oh? You think!?" Saya crossed her arms.

"...I have no words for that." Nora said.

"Do you even know why I am angry about it?" Saya narrowed her eyes.

"Age difference? Because she is your childhood friend and it would be awkward if we fucked? No, I guess it is also possible that you think it feels like NTR since you were raising and grooming a child for another woman to eat..." Nora began raising his fingers one by one. "Meetings in the morning would be rather awkward if we had sex... Oh, you would not be able to sleep in the same room as me because Yasaka would take that place."

"...I know there is logic behind your words." Saya's eyebrow twitched. "But, damn, son, you are messed up."

"...noob." Nora snorted.

"I don't want to give you to the woman who was unable to save you. Why is it that she will get you-" Saya mumbled.

"While I will not?" Nora continued the sentence as he cut Saya while she spoke.

"...yes." Saya nodded powerlessly.

"I see." Nora mumbled.

"It is just slightly jealousy. I... was unable to protect you properly. Yet, I can't help but feel envy of those that stayed with you. I wanted that one to be me. You are mine, that is how is supposed to be." Saya spoke.

Looking down, Saya opened her mouth and confessed.

"I see." Nora did not immediately give an answer.

"It's weird, right?" Saya smiled bitterly.

"The fact that you lusted after me or the envy you feel for being absent?" Nora asked.

Looking at Nora, Saya felt slightly scared to hear what he had to say.

"Everything." Saya said. "I passed it off many times by saying that it is normal for nekomatas to do something like that."

"Indeed, Youkais do not follow the same rules that humans do." Nora nodded.

"However, nekomatas are guaranteed a 99,999999% chance to be born females. In history, there were only 3 known cases of male nekomatas. There is no way I can apply the same logic of being normal to do the things we did together." Saya lowered her head dejectedly.

"Isn't it fine?" Nora held Saya's chin and raised it. "I was never against it or forced into doing those."

Leaning closer, Nora pressed his forehead with Saya's.

"...I never felt like this with my human mom, but with you? I felt this strange desire swelling inside me that I always suppressed. I kept it buried deep inside as I let the common sense I had to tell me I was a terrible person for thinking like that. I was torn between following logic and reason compared to using my feelings to guide me." Nora confessed. "It was extremely hard. Yet, I did it anyway. After hearing you talk about how your relationship with that man you liked went, I became certain that you were slightly wrong in the head. You had a warped sense of affection. If I entrusted my troubles with you, I would just cause your state to worsen."

Nora's hand left Saya's chin as he placed it behind her head and caressed her hair. His actions sent a strange chill down Saya's back and she was unable to suppress a loud gulp.

"I am grateful that you found that person and had me, but I cannot say you were really in love. You became infatuated with him, the two of you had a sexual relationship and he stuck with you out of a sense of responsibility towards me. However, he was not really in love with you. Someone whom you have to chase and catch is not in love with you." Nora explained. "It was obvious to me that you were not normal, however, I passed it off as my common sense lacking in this world. Above all, I am not mentally sound either. The kind of life I led was beyond normal. The loss of my parents and the only two women who ever showed me real love later on caused me to lose my sanity. Something inside of me broke."

Pausing his words, Nora stared into Saya's eyes. The duo caught each other's scent and gently took it in.

"I am not against any of the things we did because I had a similar interest in you. Not just as my mother but as a woman as well." Nora confessed. "Just like you lusted after me, I did so for you."

Before Saya could say anything to that, Nora sealed her lips with his. He did not waste any time and while Saya was surprised by his actions, he used his tongue. It was like electricity ran down the duo's spine. An incredible feeling hard to describe invaded the two and soon, it was not only Nora exploring Saya's mouth, but Saya who was greedily using her tongue to taste Nora.

There were incredible sounds capable of making even a chaste nun turn bright red as the two did not care about being heard. Suction noises are lewd enough to make angels fall from grace. Their hands were unexpectedly calm as they were too busy savoring each other. Several minutes went by as they exchanged fluids until they had to pull away briefly to take oxygen. Even as they did, their tongues were out and a bridge of saliva connected them. Their eyes glued to each other and were obvlious to any else around them. Before the bridge broke, Saya jumped at Nora and he felt with Saya on top, she took the initiative to kiss him this time in an aggressive manner like a predator attacking her prey. A huge blush on her face and an expression that she had shown no one before.

Contrary to her belief that she might be pressing too aggressively, Nora's arms embraced from behind and pulled her even closer as his hand pressed her head even further as his tongue dug deeper into her mouth, taking the lead from her several times.

Strings of saliva began to run down Nora's cheeks and Saya pulled back.

"What a waste..." Saya muttered as she actively licked the youth's cheeks. "These belong to me and me alone."

Giving the youth a sultry smile, she continued to kiss him again. Saya's hips began to actively grind on the youth's as she felt the smoldering heat from his pants and she happily pulled up her pencil skirt to expose her sultry panties with a lot of transparent fabric and part of her garter belt.

Everything was going well until Saya froze and looked down on Nora.

The arousement from before was gone and she turned expressionless. Her eyes turned red as blood and her hands moved from Nora's pants toward his chest then his neck.

Looking at Saya, Nora could only smile bitterly.

"So it is time." Nora mumbled sadly.

The two delicate-looking hands pressed onto Nora's neck and a certain amount of savagery was reflected on Saya's face. She held onto Nora's neck and choked the youth.

Inside her sweater, a green gem began to shine brightly yet a darkish aura envoleped Saya and hovered above the gem. Saya's hands tightened their grip on Nora's neck yet Nora only smiled sadly even as he felt enough strong to snap his neck.

It was then that the gem's green light seemed to explode and Tamamo emerged from the gem. Without saying anything, she raised her hand and slapped Saya.

The magatama continued to shine, but the evil aura did not leave Saya.

"Shame on you! Look clearly who is below you!" Tamamo growled.

Saya's savage glare was directed at Tamamo yet the kitsune slapped hard at the woman again.

"Are you really going to fall prey to the influence of the outer gods just like that!? Shame on you, you are not qualified to call yourself his mother, much less to prattle about loving him!" Tamamo followed with several hand signs. "Exorcise!"

Her words made the magatama burn with a green fire and that seemed to have an effect on the woman as her expression distorted.

Calling upon her mirror, Tamamo held it in front of Saya's face.

"Look at you! Is that the face you should be showing the person who loves you more in this whole world!?" Tamamo yelled.

This caused the figure to react slightly. Tamamo took this chance to take away the mirror and grabbing Saya by her hair, she moved her head to show her how she still held Nora's neck and the youth who looked ready to die as he did not struggle.

"Ah..." Saya's eyes went back to normal and the aura was dispersed by the magatama.

Horror replaced the savage expression on Saya as she immediately removed her hands from Nora.

"N-No, this is... I, no, this is not! Ah, AHHHHHHH!" Saya covered her face as she began to scream in horror.

"Come!" Tamamo called out.

Throwing a paper strip to the ground, it activated a magic circle and Tobio was summoned, without wasting any time, he dashed forward and unsheathed his blade. One slash with the back of his katana was enough to put Saya down.

Nora reacted and prevented her from falling to the sand. The sunset was long gone and only darkness remained around them as the magatama's light went out.

"...the time limit seems to have shortened." Tamamo said.

"That is the case." Nora commented.

Not saying anything, Tobio, wearing a black coat, only sheated his blade and did not offer any words and just looked away.

Sitting up, Nora arranged Saya so she rested her head on his lap, he pulled a blanket and covered her.

"It is all in my calculations." Nora muttered. "I have long finished the special space we will be using. The perfect altar will be complete once the rest of the crew is there."

"Tamamo, can you please take her with you?" Nora asked.

Nodding at that, Tamamo pulled a talisman and soon teleported away with Saya.

Sighing, Nora touched his shoulder sadly.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Tobio asked.

"Are you having second thoughts?" Nora questioned back.

"I..." Tobio could not properly answer.

"I understand your reluctance. I asked you to do something incredibly hard, your sweet girl might not know what you are up to, but she contacted me the other day asking me to check on you." Nora smiled bitterly. "Dear me, she called the very person who is making you do something reckless. I should be hung for telling her not to worry."

"No, it is my fault for not contacting her after I told her I had a mission." Tobio shook his head. "I was afraid of leaking anything if we talked."

"...if I was stronger, I would not have to make you do this." Nora muttered.

Sighing, the youth stood up and got rid of the sand on his body.

"...the next step, are you following through it?" Tobio asked again.

"I will not back down after coming this far." Nora replied.

"She has been at your side all this time." Tobio said.

"...there is still so much she can do in this world. Even without me, she can enjoy the world of the living." Nora spoke.

"However, you are everything to her." Tobio rebuked.

"After this, I will be the thing she will hate the most." Nora shook his head. "I will deserve it fully."

Scratching his head, Tobio was not sure what else to say.

"You can rest assured. I have the full support of Amaterasu." Nora said. "It will work out."

"That's not what I am worried about." Tobio commented.

"...she is a smart girl." Nora mumbled. "She will not go on a rampage after everything is over."

"Are you certain that everything will work out?" Tobio questioned.

"Worry not, I got several trump cards in case most of the plans fail. Even if everything is not enough, I have one last method that will work out." Nora smiled bitterly. "I would rather it did not come to that as I am afraid of what kind of backlash will have and it might not happen until there is enough damage to go around."

"So even you do not trust in our chances?" Tobio asked.

"No. It would be one thing if it was a regular Outer God, but this time. They passed on part of their powers and authority to this one. That is how much they hope to succeed and remove the seal placed on them." Nora explained. "They want to escape their prison."

"...why did things have to get to this point? I never managed to thank you for all the help you have provided to us. I could not have gotten this far in life if I had not met you." Tobio expressed his heartful words.

"You flatter me. However, you are wrong about that. You never needed me. You would've grown into an outstanding person with or without me. I am just an extra in your story. I just found my way into it and messed everything up." Nora smiled bitterly. "I have just been breaking havoc since the moment I was born. That's the kind of existence I have been."

"That's not true! Nora, you are-" Tobio raised his tone.

"Shhh, she is coming." Nora gestured with his hand.

Understanding, Tobio did not say anything else.

A magic circle appeared on the ground near Nora and Tamamo came out of it.

"I have taken her to that place and had her wear what you asked." Tamamo sighed. "I don't think she will be waking up anytime soon but I suggest to check on her often."

"Thank you, do not worry about it." Nora smiled wryly. "I will have that librarian take care of her memories and everyone else's as well."

"It is finally time." Tamamo looked down sadly.

"Hey now, I would not say it is not a shame, but it was a fun run." Nora walked over to Tamamo and hugged her.

Holding her in place, he gently caressed her hair.

Giving a signal to Tobio with his eyes, Nora simply took in Tamamo's scent.

"Hubby, even I would get embarrassed if you start sniffing me." Tamamo wriggled in Nora's arms.

"Why not? I kind of like it." Nora buried his head on her neck.

"Hubby..." Tamamo seemed triggered by it.

Just when Nora pulled back and Tamamo planned to attack him. She froze when she saw the youth's sad and sorry expression. Before she could say anything, she felt a heavy blow on her neck and everything turning dark, everything fit in just a moment and Tamamo wanted to curse Nora as she understood that he was behind it and the implication of his actions yet she could not. There was no way she could say anything to the man she loved when he was crying.

As Tamamo lost consciousness when Tobio struck her, Nora wiped his face immediately.

"Nora-" Tobio wanted to offer a few words but the youth shook his head.

"What goes around, comes around. You get what you deserve." Nora said. "This is nothing compared to how much I hurt her, and how much I will be hurting others."

"...ok." Tobio said nothing else as he knew Nora would not hear him out.

While holding Tamamo in a princess carry, Nora torn a piece of paper with his fingers. Waiting for several minutes, soon a figure made an appearance using teleportation magic.

"...so you still called me out in the end." Amaterasu, wearing casual clothes, appeared in front of the youth.

"You should be aware that I do not plan to drag her with me." Nora muttered.

Sighing, Amaterasu extended her hands to hold Tamamo.

"I am aware, but you could've also decided to do this together." Amaterasu commented.

"...you speak lightly about your daughter's life." Nora rebuked.

"I have never been mother-like to her so I am not sure I have the right to call myself that. On the other hand, I want to support her in any way I can and I am sure she would rather head down to hell if that means staying with you." Amaterasu said.

"...she should not suffer because a bad guy tricked her." Nora shook his head.

Leaving Tamamo in Amaterasu's hands, the youth stepped back.

"I leave the rest to you." Nora said.

"...I can swear on my name that I will handle the aftermath even if I have to give my life." Amaterasu promised.

"You don't need to go that far, I made some arrangements on other places so it would not cost you dearly if the blaming game starts." Nora smiled wryly.

"...Might the sun's blessing always shine upon you." Amaterasu muttered softly.

Her words were followed by Nora's figure shining briefly.

"...how many times do you plan to bless me? Why do goddesses have that kink of blessing me?" Nora complained. "So far, I have no use for those."

"Blessings are not as useless as you think." Amaterasu smiled wryly. "A normal person's fate could change from one god blessing them, they grant special abilities at times, yet you show no such a thing for a reason."

"...I have no talent for using that? I wish I could get something cool, like I don't know, shooting beams out my eyes." Nora joked.

"Sometimes, vessels take longer to be filled." Amaterasu ignored the youth and gave one last advise.

Leaving using a teleportation circle, the goddess seemed to have some other matters to handle in the human world as she did not use the usual way to go to her sacred realm.

"Vessels huh..." Nora mumbled. "So that's how it is. I wish I had known before."

Shaking his head, Nora sighed as he felt how there was no weight on his hands.

"Kafka and her people have finished collecting everything I need. The location is ready. I prepared the best I could." Nora muttered. "It seems that everything is ready."

There was a moment of silence as Nora gazed at the sea, recalling how his father used to bring him to the beach often to talk, Nora felt slightly empty. Yet, he also strengened his resolve.

"In two days, everything will be settled." Nora declared.

"Is that really ok? In two days, you..." Tobio mumbled as he stood beside Nora.

"Isn't it quite fitting? To die on the day of my birthday." Nora had an ironic smile on his face.

Turning around, the youth left to finish the remaining details. His friend remained on the spot, gazing at the sea. Similar to Nora, he recalled being brought to the sea for advise, although in his case, it was Nora who would offer romantic or academical advise whenever he was struggling. The two would chat for hours over ramdon topics until Tobio was ready to talk about what was bothering him.

"...I used to think that it was ok to be just a blade." Tobio commented. "A blade alone is still unable to protect everything. If that is the case, what am I supposed to become?"

Talking to himself, Tobio felt another presence and looked down to see Jin, the black dog looking at him.

"I guess there is no use in doing this at this point, I can only what I can do." Tobio smiled bitterly.

...

...

...

Moving through several teleportation circles, Nora entered an abandoned building in an abandoned island in the middle of the sea. The large island had no other life other than insects yet there was a building well maintained and well furnished inside. The youth walked all the way from the lower floors to the upper floor and opened a large door.

"I have brought everyone like you asked." Lina said.

Beside the white-haired young looking woman, there several others dressed in a special uniform with grey, black and red themes. Some of them slightly revealing, yet it was not the main point.

"Good, I guess you came here prepared." Nora looked around.

"Nora-kun, you don't need to say anything else or even give a speech." Alcor chuckled in an upbeat tone.

Looking at the other familiar face, Nora nodded.

"I will offer one last buff to you all." Nora muttered.

"Should we stand all in line?" Lina walked over and playfully winked at Nora.

Shaking his head, Nora gestured and Alcor acted. Not only him, but several of the members of the group struck others.

Extending his hands, Nora held the unconscious Lina.

"I am sorry." Nora apologized.

"You shouldn't say that, it was none other than us who requested that we leave the younger ones behind." Alcor picked Lina from Nora's hands.

Walking over from the furthest spot, a woman glanced at how everyone took care of the unconscious ones. Her blonde hair was striking with her deep blue eyes and her gaze soon fell on Nora. She did not say anything and just kneeled in front of him.

The youth understood and placed his hand on her shoulder. Just like that, the others soon kneeled around Nora.

"Very well, from here on, your lives are mine." Nora muttered. "LINK."

Casting his unique spell, Nora shared his power with everyone.