Dimensional Gap

(Moments ago)

"NO!" Leiko screamed in horror, but she knew her words held no power over the situation that unveiled.

Great Red clenched his teeth as he watched his brother-in-law helplessly bound to those goddamn golden chains, with Amenominakanushi floating above him, preparing to finish him off.

'C'mon kid, get out of there! Do something!'

He blinked, sensing sudden movement. He turned his head to see Ophis floating hastily away.

"Hey, Cthulhu, where are you going?!"

He was utterly ignored, causing him to grunt lowly. He flew close to his 'sibling', grabbing her by the shoulder and yanked her back to turn to face him.

"Hey, wait! You're not planning to go save the kid are yo-?"

And then he saw her expression. Teary-eyed, yet extremely determined. It was almost frightful to look at her like that. She genuinely seemed like a protective wife.

"You are planning to go there and save the kid."

Ophis said nothing back. Almost petulantly, she shrugged his hand off and turned back around.

"Ophis."

Being called by her true name made her pause.

"We promised to let Issei handle this without us. You promised to have faith in him."

"…"

Great Red didn't hear an answer, but he knew she was listening to him. He pressed further.

"We need to let him do this on his own-"

"Great Red, I, have a question." Ophis said, her voice eerily calm. She turned around and glared at him with an unreadable expression, "Would a human wife let her husband 'handle things on his own' while he is injured, immobile and at 'gunpoint', with no one there to help him? Would a wife who knows she is perfectly capable of assisting her husband in such a dire situation, just idly sit by for the sake of a promise?"

"That's EXACTLY why the kid doesn't want us to interfere! You don't have faith in his capabilities! He feels like you treat him as a possession and not someone who can stand by your side."

Ophis' eyes went wide a little and even more moisture gathered around her sockets. With a saddened gaze, she looked at her hands. But quickly enough, her determined expression returned as she bit her lower lip harshly.

"I-I cannot deny that…" she finally admitted, "I can't deny that I have viewed my Issei as nothing but a possession of mine. That more often than not, I have remained ignorant of how he feels or what he actually desires. But that is not why I want to help him now. It is because he has proven himself as powerful enough, that I want him to return to my side. It's not just because he is my mate, but because he is such a wondrous creature, that I want to stand by his side and face such obstacles together."

Great Red starred at her with an unreadable expression. He turned towards Leiko and Trihexa for help, but the look on their faces sent a clear enough message.

They wanted Issei to come back to them. How he does it, is not important to them. Just that he does.

'So we're just going to disregard our faith for the kid? Just like that…'

Great Red growled deep in his throat, cursing Amenominakanushi for being too damn effective of an enemy against his little brother.

'No, we still have faith in him. We just can't sit flat on our asses and watch as he suffers. Not any longer. Not when we know he wouldn't have to suffer if we just came and helped him.'

For several short moments, the Great Red stood silent and motionless. Then, he sighed heavily and rubbed his temples.

'I'm sorry, kid. But you've already proven yourself more than enough times. In our eyes…you've passed 'the final test'.'

Making up his mind, he set his sights on Ophis.

"Alright, the two of us will go there. 666, you stay here and watch over Leiko." he then quickly added, "And Ophis, for the sake of the kid, let him deal the finishing blow to Amenominakanushi. We can't go further than weakening him greatly. If anyone is killing that douche, it's gotta be Little Bro."

Ophis nodded faintly. The Trihexa and Leiko also shared looks of agreement at the Great Red's plan.

"Okay then."

Silently, the Great Red moved away from the females and transformed into his true form. Ophis then landed on top of his nose. She stood defiantly with a vast purplish-black aura surrounding her being.

"Let us go and reunite with…" she paused rephrasing her words, "with Issei."

Great Red's brows furrowed at her.

"Issei? What happened to 'my Issei' and 'my little mate'?"

Ophis allowed herself a tiny smile.

"He has become much more than just that."

Warzone

(Present)

Issei watched as his wife and his brother-in-law descended down towards him. Yet, there was no excitement or joy in his eyes.

While he did feel a slimmer of bliss at the thought of reuniting with them so quickly, there was also sorrow and bitterness.

Casting a downcast stare at the ground, he said nothing as they landed and moved to greet him.

Ophis hopped elegantly from the Great Red's nose onto the ground. Her 'sibling' quickly went to stand next to her as he reverted to his human form.

Excited and overall joyous to finally be reunited with the person they most cared about, the two most powerful dragons quickly made their way to him.

"Issei!"

"Hey, kid!" Great Red greeted cheerfully with his usual smile, simply glad to be near his 'Little Bro' once again, "Been only a few hours yet it feels like ages! Wait, hold on. Let me get these chains off of ya, first."

Stepping close to his bound form, the Great Red scoffed at the chains and placed his hands on them. With a concentrated grunt, he released a small energy wave of destruction that caused the instant disintegration of the chains.

Issei did not thank the Great Red for releasing him. He didn't even look at him. He never looked up from the ground. Not even when Ophis pounced on him and enveloped him in a suffocating hug.

Ophis wasn't short on sobbing on his shoulder and planting many kisses on his face. In fact, that's what she did for the next two minutes. And without once stopping, she whispered the name of her mate with intense love and worry for his being.

The Great Red tried to fake a cringe, but even he couldn't help relishing in the sweetness of the moment. He himself felt the delight boiling his guts. He could only dream to imagine what his 'sister' was feeling at that moment.

'I'm surprised that they didn't immediately start making out hotly.' the dragon thought with amusement, but then he frowned, realizing something. 'Yeah...why haven't they started making out?'

Something definitely was off with his brother. He just now noticed his dark downcast stare, which obscured his eyes. He was also completely silent and motionless.

After a while of lovingly cuddling her mate, even Ophis realized that something wasn't quite right. She moved away to look at his face.

"My mate…"

"Kid?"

"Is something wrong?" Ophis asked, her true feelings thick in her voice. Uncertainty, conflict, intense love and concern. These gut-wrenching emotions were heard loud and crystal clear by the Solar God.

Unable to hold his mask any longer, Issei finally broke. Clenching his teeth and fists, he glared at them with small tears glistening in his eyes.

"Why...why did you come?!"

Ophis felt her heart throb in pain, hearing this. Though for some reason, she had expected him to say it.

"I wanted you guys to stay out of this! You..." he paused to sob slightly, slamming his fist into the ground, "You didn't need to get involved just for my sake!"

"Kid, of course we'll get involved for your sake! The hell do you think we are? Emotionless and apathetic? Well, Cthulhu may have been once, but not anymore. Not when it comes to you!" the Great Red exclaimed, a tad frustrated with his 'Little Bro'.

Issei shot him a fierce glare, though there was no hostility in his gaze. Biting his lip, he lashed out.

"I should've been the one protecting you. I am the one all these entities keep targeting! You shouldn't have to go through anything for something that is my concern! You should...you should have just stayed safe! You should have just waited for me-!"

Before he could finish his emotional rant, Ophis locked her lips onto his.

"?!"

Issei's eyes widened, as he felt his wife's cold lips affectionately pressed against his. He briefly struggled, but that only caused Ophis to kiss him deeper.

Succumbing to the pleasant feeling of Ophis' cold lips brushing passionately against his warm ones, Issei closed his head and slumped into his wife's embrace. And then, he let the tears float free down his flushed cheeks.

Meanwhile, the Great Red was rubbing his head in an awkward manner as he watched the display of immense affection that was shared between his two 'siblings'.

Finally breaking the kiss, Ophis moved away to let the two of them take a breath. Then, she pressed a hand on Issei's cheek and gently forced him to look directly at her dark grey eyes.

"No more waiting. I will stand by your side, and you will stand by mine."

Issei stared at her pretty glimmering eyes, her words choking on him. The Great Red appeared next to them, smiling at him with his arms folded.

"Yeah, we're the Infinite Trinity, remember? If you are going down, then we'll go down with you."

"...Baka-Red."

"U-um..."

Noticing their expressions, the Great Red blinked in confusion.

"What?"

Ophis palmed her face.

{That was perhaps the worst motivational speech I've ever heard. And trust me, I've heard plenty bad ones over the years.}

"You wanna come out of that sword and say that again, Welsh Dragon?!"

{You wanna transport yourself into this sword so you can hear clearly?}

[Sssstupid Apocalpysssse Dragon]

"Oh you too, Orochi?! You two wanna go-?!"

"Enough, the three of you." Ophis scolded them with a cold glare. Her gaze immediately softened as she looked back at her mate. "Issei..."

"Ophis." said god began awkwardly, "I just wanted to prove that I was worthy...to be with you. To be a part of this 'Trinity'. I don't want to just be the third aspect of Infinity without a solid reason for it. And most of all, I don't want to just be your 'little mate'. I want to…I want to be an actual proper husband."

Ophis's eyes widened as she heard those words. Her heart began to pound hard against her chest. She quickly adopted a loving smile.

Once, her mate professing about having to prove his worth would've annoyed and baffled the Ouroboros. But when said like this...these words...they spoke volumes of how much she and 'Baka-Red' actually meant for the wonderful entity known as her mate - Issei Hyoudou, the Solar God.

"W-Whoa, hey Ophis!" Issei exclaimed as he was 'crushed' by a very intense hug from his wife.

"There is nothing more for you to prove, Issei. You are strong and you are more than capable of handling problems on your own, but most of all...you are a wonderful husband."

Issei stood there agape as he had been shot by a literal bullet of enlightenment and realization. He blinked and his eyes were now somewhat lighter, as if though he had awakened from a long weighting nightmare.

His thoughts now in complete disarray once again, he slowly and awkwardly hugged his wife back. Nevertheless, he allowed himself a small soft smile.

"T-Thank you, Ophis. You're a great wife."

This was the least he could give her for her efforts to comfort him. And for Ophis, these words were more than enough.

"Ehem!"

The loud cough and abrupt cough that the Great Red let out caused them both to flinch. This earned him a glare and a murderous aura from his 'sister'.

"Don't look at me like that. Sorry to spoil your fun, lovebirds, but me and Cthulhu have a bastard's ass to kick."

Issei's eyes widened a little at this.

'They're planning on fighting Amenominakanushi?'

"Baka-Red, we came to help Issei. Not to exhibit justified revenge on the Shinto Progenitor."

"Who said we weren't? We can keep that bastard busy for as long as we like and by doing so, Little Bro and the others can handle all those False Deities without any trouble. And besides," he then smirked and pressed a fist against his palm, "I haven't had a good fight since the Trihexa from a few months back."

"Hold on, Red, you know Amenominakanushi has Samael's attributes right?!" Issei questioned with fear in his voice, since he was aware of the lethal effects that power had against dragons.

"So?"

"You're not immune to that power! It could hurt you!"

The Apocalypse Dragon merely smirked at him. Next to him, Ophis adopted a warm sympathetic yet reassuring look.

"Yeah, we know. That's what makes it so fun for me."

"Worry not, my mate. We will be cautious around the Shinto Progenitor."

"Even though we don't need to. With our powers, we could effortlessly take him on."

Ophis, despite not denying his logic, turned to glare at him like an elder sister scolds her younger brother. Her attention snapped back to Issei as he wrapped his hand around hers.

"Just promise me...you won't put yourself in trouble for me. I don't want you to get hurt, purely because of me. Both of you."

At his kind words, the dragons' gazes softened and they sent him a pair of warm smiles. Great Red placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We know, kid. But have a little more faith in your brother and your wife, capisce?" then he sent his sights towards the False Amaterasu from afar, "And besides, you have your own battle down here that you need to focus on first."

The Great Red huffed lowly as he straightened his shoulders.

"But, before we go, here's a little gift for all of ya."

The dragon adopted a concentrated expression as he closed his eyes. Moments later, a vast crimson aura surrounded Issei and his allies. Their eyes widened as they felt their wounds disappear, as well as their strength returning.

"This should be just enough to help you with your own fights."

Issei blinked, but hastily sent his brother a look of appreciation.

Sending one last glance at his 'Little Bro', the Great Red sighed softly and then flew away, summoning a strange object midair.

For the next few moments, Ophis and Issei stood silent, gazing at one another. Gently, Ophis pecked her mate's lips.

"Take care, my mate." she murmured softly as the short kiss broke. After a brief pause, she flew away to catch up to Great Red.

And while the heart-warming reunion was happening down below, the situation with the Kotoamatsukami was a bit more frantic.

"...Holy shit." was all Takami-musubi could utter as she gazed at the descending figures of the Great Red and the Ouroboros with disbelief and puzzlement.

"Indeed, their appearance was surprising, even if a tad predictable." Kami-musubi commented next to her.

"How so?"

"You are aware of the affection and care the strongest dragons hold for the Little Pearl, are you not?"

"Yes, but they didn't confront Ameno from the beginning of this, so it was damn near impossible to determine when they'd show up."

Kami-musubi hummed in begrudging agreement, as she set her sights to the distant figures of the Great Red, the Ouroboros and the Solar God. Her head tilted a little.

"So. The self-proclaimed 'Infinite Trinity' has reunited once again. They truly are an unstoppable force when together. I wonder, how will our dear Amenominakanushi respond to this?"

"Oh right, Ameno, I was also wondering what you are going to do no-"

"I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die...!*"

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEH?!"

"...Oh." even Kami-musubi was surprised by her fellow Kami's reaction.

Takami gazed at Amenominakanushi's comical state of depression with an equally comical look of concern.

"Hold on, Ameno, w-what the hell are you mumbling about?!" her cheeks flushed a little at the concerned tone in her voice, "I-I MEAN, not that I care if you die or anything, b-but-"

Kami-musubi let out a tired sigh.

"For the love of us, drop the act, High Creator. It's obvious you are concerned about our dear old 'Ameno'."

"HEY, only I get to call him that! ME!"

"Possessive, aren't we?" Kami-musubi questioned with a slight cold chuckle.

"No, I-!" she stammered awkwardly for a little while, before realization hit her and she composed herself, "Hold on a minute, why the hell am I even talking to you?"

"You're only proving my point." The Divine Creator commented idly.

Takami-musubi turned back to look at Amenominakanushi, who still had his head hung low. With some trepidation, she moved closer to him.

"Ameno..." she paused, thinking over her words, "A-Are you troubled, because of the current situation?"

Unable to keep his composure anymore, Amenominakanushi lashed out violently as he grasped the ex-goddess' shoulders.

"OH, AM I?! GOOD FOR YOU TO ASK, TAKAMI! IT'S NOT LIKE I JUST GOT SCREWED OVER IN ANY POSSIBLE WAY OR ANYTHING!"

"O-Ouch! Calm the fuck down, you moron! I was only being conce-...I was only asking!"

Amenominakanushi would've let out another growl, but his anger vanished temporarily when he noticed the look of pain on Takami's face.

Gasping in mild horror at his own actions, the Shinto Kami let go of Takami and moved away.

"I-I am sorry, I just..." falling back into his seat, he grabbed his head with his hands, "It's just so unfair! Damn it!"

He shook his head like a furious child.

"And to think I had all those plans, ALL THOSE DIFFERENT TACTICS, all that preparation, TO ALMOST SUCCEED and then, and then to get run over by a biker dragon and a gothic snake! Why is fate so adamant on making my life miserable?!"

Kami-musubi stared at her fellow Kami with a slight smirk, amused by his antics. Contrary to her, Takami had a look of genuine sympathy.

Her heart was pounding hard, feeling as if though those last words went deeper than a momentary exclamation. Like it was something both she and Amenominakanushi have been asking themselves for eons.

"Come on, you still haven't lost completely. You're still in a perfectly good shape. And the False Deities have been winning against the Little Light and his allies so far-"

"It doesn't matter anymore. This battle is already over. The Great Red and the Ouroboros individually possess an immeasurable might, while I...I am still just a withering old deity with some flashy powers to add. I could boast all day about how powerful I've become, and I really have, but in the face of the Infinite and the Dream, I am nothing special."

"Well, at least you have enough sense to admit the truth." Kami-musubi stated mockingly, though she was completely ignored.

Takami stared at Amenominakanushi with a saddened expression. This was the entity that acted upon his arrogance and pride on constant basis. The only male to ever tease and mock her. And the only one she...actually looked up to.

Takami then cringed, feeling dull pain in her head.

Something about her fellow Kami's depressed posture, as well as his utmost lack of confidence. It awoke something within her...a memory.

A young Takami-musubi stood in frozen horror as she gazed the image of a seemingly endless mass of darkness that spread over her lands.

She shuddered as the dark chaotic mass induced madness and insanity into her mind. And all around her, death and destruction spread as the terrific mass of darkness advanced further into the realm of Takamagahara, as well as the whole of Creation.

The goddess fell on her knees, tears straining her eyes. She gasped in horror, as the Darkness shot vines at her, aiming to put numerous holes in her body.

"P-Please, someone! HEEEEEEEELP-!"

A figure suddenly appeared in front of her, destroying all the vines in an instant. Nervously, Takami looked up to see her savior and her eyes widened in immediate recognition.

"Ameno!"

He send her a fierce look, though there was softness and concern his golden eyes. Despite his body appearing all bloody and bruised, he was standing tall, strong and ever-so attractive.

"Get out of here, Takami! Go to Third Heaven, where it's safer!"

"B-But what about you?!"

At her frantic concern, Amenominakanushi clicked his tongue, though the sound was accompanied by a slight smile.

"Have a little more faith in your fellow deity, would you?"

"Ameno, this th-thing...it destroyed Umashi and Fuji and-and-!"

Amenominakanushi's face turned somber.

"I know. I had to watch all of their deaths. They deserved better than to be consumed by this horrid abomination. I'll make sure to avenge them by purging it from this reality."

Takami suddenly lunged at him, trying to pull him with her.

"Are you insane?! You can't defeat it on your own! It's far more powerful than you! Just run away with me NOW!"

"Run away? You insult me, Takami." he then set his eyes on the Darkness, his golden eyes glowing with resolve, "For a deity who has so many things to protect, 'running away' is the last option on my mind. So long as I draw breath, I will never stop fighting back!"

Takami-musubi starred at him from behind, her thoughts in complete disarray. And thus...her heart went a flutter.

Takami gasped as she was brought back to the present. Panting hard, she clutched her chest as her heart raced.

Ameno said something. Something about 'blushing'. She didn't hear him clearly, her mind dazed and almost blank.

'What was that?'

That vision or memory or something...it showed her a scene that was far too bizarre for her to comprehend quickly.

Her lands in ruin, with that Primordial Darkness slowly consuming the whole of Creation.

Amenominakanushi standing fearless in the face of the omnipresent threat. His stern yet reassuring posture, like a literal white knight.

And her heart, beating so soundly and bubbling with all those feelings...it beat for him.

'No, no...' she tried to deny, clutching her dress harder, 'NO!'

But no matter how much she tried, that image of him would not leave her mind.

Amenominakanushi being bruised, all bloody, tired, at his limit...yet, so determined to come out victorious. So radiant. So...handsome.

Her eyes went wide in a cute manner as she tried not to scream.

'D-DID I JUST CALL HIM...HANDSOME?!'

"Oh? High Creator, you are hyperventilating." Kami-musubi commented calmly on the mess of stutters and blushes that Takami had turned into.

'NoIdidnotjustcallhimhandsome! He'snotatallhandsome, he'snotcool! Idon'tthinkhe'shot! Idon'tthinkhe'scool! IHATEHIM, IHATEHIM, IHATEHIM…!'

The million incoherent thoughts that raced through Takami's mind were all cut short as Amenominakanushi shifted away from her.

Blinking, she send a glance towards her fellow Kami.

"Ameno?"

"Hm?"

Takami cursed at the pleasant tingles within her body that his pretty glowing golden eyes caused.

"Where are you going?"

His brow furrowed for a brief moment, but his expression quickly sobered.

"I told you. There is no point in continuing this struggle." he went silent for a second as his eyes trailed towards the arena, "With the Ouroboros and the Apocalypse Dragons assisting Issei Hyoudou and his allies, all my chances for victory have been instantly eradicated."

Takami's earlier timidness became overshadowed by a different emotion.

"So you're just going to run away?"

She heard him laugh lifelessly and with slight melancholy.

"I would be a fool not to. You understand this don't you, Takami-musubi? Running away, it's the only logical decision I could make in a situation such as this. That, or pleading for mercy. Then again, I do want to remain with some of my dignity intact, so I suppose this was it for me."

For some god-forsaken reason, Takami could not believe what she was hearing. Even if completely logical, these words made her feel sick.

"You...you're just going to surrender? Just like this? After everything that...that-"

"That is exactly why it pains me to do this. I tried everything, but in the end, it doesn't even matter."

Amenominakanushi sighed once again as he turned back around. Raising the Amenonuhoko high, he prepared for apportation. He would conceal his presence into the farthest corners of the Universe if he had to.

'I know Issei Hyoudou would not be villainous enough to endlessly seek me. I just hope his loathsome wife and 'brother' won't try to pursue m-'

"For a deity who has so many things to protect, running away is the last option on my mind. So long as I draw breath, I will never cease fighting back."

At the odd statement, Amenominakanushi and even Kami-musubi set their sights on their fellow ex-goddess.

"Y-You told me that." she raised her head, gleaming purple eyes glaring at him,"Remember?!"

'What is she talking about?' the first Kami asked himself.

Takami choked a sob when she saw his expression.

'He doesn't remember...'

Clenching her fists, she tried to remain strong. Strong like the 'Ameno' she saw in her memory.

"Y-You're totally right about running away being the only logical option here, but..."

Then, Takami suddenly lunged at him, pushing him down onto the seats.

"The Ameno I know wouldn't just choose the logical option!"

"T-Takam-?!" he gasped, but his exclamation was cut off by a slap.

"He wouldn't just run away like a coward, with his tail between his legs! He wouldn't stare at the ground as if though he is the biggest loser in the world! He wouldn't simply say it's pointless! NO!" smacking him again, she continued, "He would try to say something valiant and assuring! He would try to look cool and strong even when he is on the verge of collapsing! He'd face the danger with a calm look, even if he is nervous on the inside! He'd go over every possible length to overcome impossible odds! And even when ceding ground, he would never just give up!"

Startled and flabbergasted by the burst of emotions, as well as the barrage of soft hits, Amenominakanushi tried to utter something, but he was cut short as a very emotional Takami grabbed the hem of his clothing and pulled him close to her face.

"ARE YOU THAT AMENOMINAKANUSHI OR JUST A CRYBABY WHO HAS REPLACED HIM?!"

"Enough, damn you! How do you expect me to fight, if even I don't believe in myself?!"

"B-BECAUSE I BELIEVE IN YOU, IDIOT!"

"...What?"

Amenominakanushi's face went completely blank. He stared up at her, unable to comprehend what his fellow goddess had just admitted to him.

'W-What...Why...How...When?!'

His frenzied questions were silenced as the sound of Takami sobbing echoed throughout. Endearment spread over his face as he saw tears swelling up in her eyes.

In a fit of frustrated embarrassment, Takami buried her face in his chest, trying to hide her teary eyes.

"I-I don't know since when I don't know how...I don't know why, B-But for some reason, it feels like I've always admired you from afar. I-I've always looked up to you, as the embodiment of perfection in male imperfection. You were almost always the one to do the right thing amongst the three of us. And despite all your failures, I never once remember you admitting defeat! You do everything you can, even if it's just do defend your stupid pride!"

Amenominakanushi felt her pause, as a pair of tears rolled down his kimono.

"That's why I just can't stand to look at the current you. So depressed and lacking in confidence. So quick to give up...I hate this version of you."

"Little Princess..."

"S-So stop trying to be so damn logical and go kick these dragons' asses!" she exclaimed, slamming her fist into his chest.

"I can't! It's pointless to even tr-"

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY THAT! I'll rip out your tongue and put it somewhere you're not gonna like, if you finish that sentence!"

Even an entity like Amenominakanushi could only shudder in fright when face to face with this beast of a woman. His breath inadvertently trembled in fear as she brought her face even closer to his.

"It doesn't matter if it's a meaningless fight! Just give it your all! Die like you've lived: A moronic yet an awesome and determined god!"

"O-Okay. Just please stop being so loud. I'm starting to go deaf."

"YOU FUCKING MORON!" Takami barked as she began to violently shake him.

Kami-musubi stared at the scene with an unreadable expression, tilting her head in her usual creepy fashion.

After a while, she laughed with the most emotion she's ever exhibited in her existence. This earned her a pair of murderous glares from her fellow deities.

"WHAT ARE YOU LAUGHING ABOUT?!" they both exclaimed in sync, causing Musubi's chuckles to increase in volume.

Finally regaining her polite composure after a while, she sent them both a playful smile.

"You do realize what you both look like at the moment, don't you?"

Amenominakanushi and Takami glared at her with confusion. Then, they looked at one another. Back at Musubi's smirking face. Then, at each other.

Finally realizing what Musubi had hinted at, the two deities gasped in horror at their closure.

Blushing madly, both of them jumped away from the other. And even when they were fifteen feet from one another, Takami and 'Ameno' could not stop fidgeting in place. Now, both of them were a flushed stuttering mess.

Kami-musubi hummed in amusement, deciding to further tease them.

"If you don't know, then I'll spell it out for you: L-O-V-E-R-"

"SHUT UP!" the two shouted in sync again, causing Musubi to giggle.

Takami and Amenominakanushi curled their knees to their faces, trying to obscure their embarrassment.

VROOM! VROOM! VROOM!

The Kotoamatsukami looked up from the sudden noise of an engine, and looked down to the Great Red on a motor of sorts. It appeared to be heavily armored, and was dark crimson in color. The metal that adorned the motorcycle was exceptionally glistening, with great power flowing around the vehicle. Large spikes stuck out from the side of the front tire, giving it a demonic appearance.

The Apocalypse Dragon stared up at the trio with annoyance in his golden eyes, and with a huff he revved up the vehicle under him.

"...Is that a motorcycle?" Cao Cao asked in disbelief far away, looking forward to the human-shaped dragon, "When did you have tim-"

"There's always time for motorcycles!"

"But you-"

"Motorcycles. For. DAYS!" Great Red shouted to the human, who rolled his eyes from the obnoxious retort.

"Would you have honestly expected him to say something other than that?" Vali questioned dryly, earning a glare from Cao Cao.

The dragon then turned his attention back to the trio of Kami, but then fixed his glare specifically to Amenominakanushi and Takami-musubi.

"The hell is wrong with you two?!" He said with incredulity clear in his voice, "I've already been subjected to witnessing Cthulhu making kissy faces with Little Bro countless times. I didn't come here to this battlefield just to see another romantic couple!"

"Now hold on he-" Amenominakanushi went to retort, before he was cut off.

"No, you hold on!" Great Red continued irritably, "There's no point in either of you denying it! The lot of you are over millions of years old, and yet here you are, blushing like you're adolescent mortals in school or something! Act your age, for crying out loud!"

The two Shinto deities stared at him, both faces red from the Apocalypse Dragon's comment.

"What the hell did I just say?!" The crimson dragon shouted, "Quit blushing already!"

This earned another bout of laughter from Kami-musubi, to which she earned glares from her fellow Kami.

"Great Red." Ophis uttered, shaking her head at her fellow Dragon's behavior, "Just let it go, and let loose on that shoddy contraption you call a motorcycle."

"Shoddy contraption?! Listen here, Ophi-!"

"GUYS!" Georg finally screamed, his nervousness apparent on his face as everyone's attention was on him, "We can talk about this after everything else is over with! No one cares about anyone else's romance, or the goddamn motorcycle! Let's just continue from where we left off!"

"When did you grow a backbone?" Vali asked him, cocking a brow.

"When I realized that trying to be the sane one, wasn't helping anyone."

There was an inaudible snort from Leonardo, who was quickly subjected to an offended glare from Georg. Cao Cao sighed as he rubbed his forehead, and looked over to Issei, who was looking up at Amenominakanushi.

The Shinto Kami locked eyes with the being who he had come to detest as an arch-enemy. But now...he was one that deserved to be acknowledged and respected.

Golden orbs met brown spheres of light, their expressions serious yet tinged with a hint of somberness at the matter at hand. Amenominakanushi looked down at the Amenonuhoko clasped in his hand, and then back to Takami-musubi.

There was genuine hope on her face, her purple eyes shining with encouragement. The first Kami felt something stir within him, and with that, the desire to rise up bloomed. It was strange. The feeling of someone supporting him.

Long ago, it was a concept that he had never entertained in, nor thought anything of it. But it felt...great. It was heartwarming to know that someone had genuine faith in him.

Amenominakanushi looked back to Issei, whose hair seemed to be changing. While the notion would've brought him caution, the Kami noticed that the godling made no movement.

'Perhaps this is why Issei Hyoudou has been so triumphant. He has had allies who would do anything for him. He has their faith, their support, their adoration. And on my side...'

His thoughts trailed back to the white-haired ex-goddess behind him, and his hold on the Amenonuhoko tightened. But in a few moments, his grip on the spear relaxed, and he took a deep breath.

'The thought of someone having faith in my capabilities. In me. It's...wondrous.'

With a look of steeled resolve, Amenominakanushi rose and slowly lowered himself to grounds of the Warzone, staring directly at Issei.

The son of Amaterasu only blinked at him, but by now, his hair had finally began to change shape once more.

With a burst of golden energy, Issei let out a slight grunt as he felt power swelling within him, his hair changing to a bright gold-white color, and his eyes lightening to an emerald-green.

Vali looked over to his rival, and a faint smirk appeared on his face.

"Haven't seen that form in a while, Hyoudou. Feeling nostalgic?"

Issei looked down at his hands, bio-electricity sparking around him and his entire body surrounded by a golden aura. With a frown, he silently locked eyes with the first Kami once more, and flared out his aura.

While the form paled in comparison to his Morning Star transformation, its original power had been augmented greatly as a result of becoming a rejuvenated star.

Amenominakanushi felt a small smirk pull at his lips at the sight.

"Hmph. Golden hair. Similar to his mother in the midst of her prime."

With a faint chuckle, he quickly composed himself and turned his attention to Ophis and Great Red.

The Ouroboros Dragon and the Apocalypse Dragon glared back at him, one with blackish grey destructive energy coiling around her body, and the other with crimson sparks of draconic energy forming around his physique and motorcycle.

"To be face to face in battle...with the two strongest Dragons in existence." The first Kami mused to himself, a bit of incredulity creeping into his voice, "I can say for certain that it will be a glorious clash."

"There will be no glory in your death as my snakes devour your intestines, Progenitor of Shinto." Ophis replied with an unusually dark glare.

Next to her, her 'brother' stared at her with an unreadable expression.

"Oi, Cthulhu, chill will ya? We came to beat the shit out of him, not go all 'psychotic'."

Ignoring their antics, Amenominakanushi sent his gaze towards the Amenonuhoko, again. Lightly polishing its surface, he exhaled.

"Considering the tremendous difference in power here, I think I'll opt to finally unleash the Amenonuhoko's ultimate power. That might actually give me a chance of sorts. A bit unfortunate, to use that form this soon. I was actually saving it for Issei Hyoudou. But if I don't want to face complete and utter annihilation, then..."

Great Red's brows furrowed as he saw the Shinto Kami raising his spear high up above.

'Wait, what is he doin-'

"I have no choice!"

With a low grunt, Amenominakanushi pierced his own heart. The sudden action caused everyone to stare at him with shocked expressions.

"U-Ugh…!"

His grip tightened as the pain in his chest burned. Despite the unpleasant feeling of it, he held strong. With a hoarse grunt, he flared out an aura of pure white. His own energy coiled around the spear, merging with it.

The ground beneath him began to rumble, as it gave weight to his immense power. Strong whirlwinds of divine essence spun around the first Kami, as he began his transformation.

'Stabbing my heart with the Amenonuhoko is the first requirement for the transformation and the second...'

A chant. Quite ironic. Amenominakanushi idly wondered if the Biblical God had stolen the idea of 'chants' from him, as his heavenly spear was eons older than any Longinus. Would be amusing if that was the case.

Setting his focus back on the process at hand, Amenominakanushi inhaled deeply a few times. If he was even a slight bit distracted during the chant, there was a possibility all that energy might implode upon him.

I, who stands Supreme at the center of the Universe

serve as the spear that forms the whole of Creation.

I seek the horror of Darkness and bathe in the brilliance of Light,

and let those who have been touched by the hand of malice be purged by me,

for I, AM JUSTICE INCARNATE!

He suddenly gasped, as pure white light erupted from his mouth and eyes. It then spread over his body, causing euphoric spasms.

Even the Great Red and Ophis had to cover their eyes at the blinding intensity of the light that engulfed the Shinto Kami whole.

The immense light began to show cracks, until finally...it shattered in a chorus of sounds. Everyone's eyes widened as an imposing figure revealed itself.

An angelic entity of pure golden light stood in Amenominakanushi's place. His non-corporeal body was protected by an armor of ample gold. Several orange jewels adorned his armor plates.

His face was obscured by a golden helmet, but his eyes...those golden eyes burned straight through the shadows of it.

A pair of fiery phoenix-like wings jutted out of his back, making his visage even more intimidating. The last notable feature was the metallic halo floating above his head.

As the angelic entity gazed at them all, he unleashed a blazing double-layered aura of gold and white.

Imperial x Illimitable Drive!

'This is Amenominakanushi's ultimate form?' Vali asked, unable to believe the power which the new incarnation of the Shinto Kami now exuded.

(This power! I can't believe I am saying this, but...he might even be able to stand up to them on his own!)

'Can he defeat them?' Vali asked a tad unnerved and envious.

(No, it's unlikely. The Great Red and the Ouroboros together are an unstoppable force. Still, to think he would be able to reach a level of power that is somewhat close to that of the Great Red's and the Ouroboros' individual strengths...it's a shocking revelation, to say the least.)

Cao Cao and the rest of his teammates looked on in awe, with even Leonardo letting out a near audible gasp from the sight.

Georg shook from the sheer magnitude of Amenominakanushi's power, feeling that if he stepped too close, he would be destroyed on the spot. On Cao Cao's side however…

"This was it?" He said to himself, a look of uncertainty present on his face, "This was what he was planning to combat Issei Hyoudou with?"

The Strongest Human felt chills run down his spine as he sensed the Shinto Kami's power. If he had been glad he wasn't an enemy of Issei Hyoudou, then now he was just thankful to every benevolent deity that he wasn't Amenominakanushi's main target.

'Issei Hyoudou...wouldn't have stood a chance. And to think all of the false deities were giving us so much trouble, while Amenominakanushi still had such a vast power hidden. If Ophis and Great Red hadn't arrived...'

Cao Cao didn't even want to finish his thoughts, the possibility scaring even someone as laid-back and sarcastic as he.

Despite the stern look on his face, not even Issei could hide his fear. Immediately, the thoughts of wanting to prove himself to Ophis and Great Red, became null and void, as he realized the drastic error that could've occurred if they hadn't showed up.

'I'm such an idiot…'

Though it could've been another wave of self-deprecation hit him, Issei knew that the words in his head were undeniably true. If he had kept to this senseless belief of wanting to prove himself, he would've ended up destroyed. And not just destroyed…

Possibly erased, with no chance of ever coming back.

Issei's body shuddered, and it was only the fact that Amenominakanushi's attention was focused on Ophis and Great Red, that he was able to keep himself calm. With them fighting, he'd be able to recharge portions of his energy.

"..."

His eyes traveled over to the False Amaterasu, who stared lifelessly at him. A few moments ago, he would've felt hesitance at attacking something who shared the likeness of his mother, but as of now, that hesitance dissipated, and determination tore through it.

Yes, he had his own fight down here.

From above Amenominakanushi, Kami-musubi and Takami-musubi had different reactions regarding the former's transformation.

"Impressive. Astounding, even." Kami-musubi murmured to herself, her words matching the look on her face this time, "He's even exceeded his younger self."

"Wow." Takami-musubi uttered, unable to form a coherent thought at Ameno's immense power. "Ameno..."

She was smiling without even realizing it. It was obvious who had the upper hand here. And that was what made his proud posture so...enticing.

Yes, this was the 'Ameno' Takami admired. Her Silent Protector~~.

Meanwhile, the Great Red and Ophis stared at the Shinto Kami with tranquil looks on their faces. Even so, they were certainly interested in this strange development.

Great Red grinned widely as he popped his knuckles. The thrill he felt was small, yet even that was a commendable achievement.

"Hmph, it's been a long time since I've met a being who I can go all out against without one-shotting them."

"Your excitement amazes me, Baka-Red."

"Come on Cthulhu! Don't tell me you're not excited about finally having the chance to kick some ass!"

Ophis remained silent, a subtle indication that there was no actual denial on her part. Sending her eyes upon her current opponent, the Ouroboros summoned a countless number of snakes.

Amenominakanushi steadied his fiery wings, preparing for their attack.

The Great Red, still keeping his cocky smirk, rubbed his hands eagerly.

"Let's Rock 'n Roll!"

He abruptly rolled the throttles, causing the motorcycle to roar to life.

'This spee-!'

But before he could even finish his thought, Great Red reared the vehicle back, allowing it's front wheel to slam into his helmet.

Quickly following his attack, the Great Red split the motorcycle into two saw-like weapons and let them peel off small fragments of Amenominakanushi's armor.

"How'd you like that!"

After two impactful strikes, he reverted the saw weapons back to their motorcycle form and finished his attack off by driving straight into the Shinto Kami, his vast aura encasing his vehicle whole.

Immediately upon the first Kami's fall to the ground, Ophis sent a third of her snakes at his rising form. The snakes hissed as they fired blasts of purple energy at Amenominakanushi.

The Shinto Kami stood eerily calm as the blasts came his way.

Tick-Tick-Tick-Zuuuuuuom!

Before anyone realized it, Amenominakanushi was already standing behind the two dragons.

"What the hell?!" Great Red exclaimed. "When did he move?!"

"I-I do not know..." Ophis said, a tad unnerved herself. Even though her vision could follow objects moving far faster than light, she was completely unable to follow the Kami's movements.

'It's as though he instantly teleported there.'

"Bastard!"

Accelerating his vehicle, Great Red summoned knife-like orbs of energy to follow him. Amenominakanushi appeared unnaturally calm.

"Wait, Great Red!"

Tick-Tick-Tick-Zuuuuuuom!

"AGH!"

Before she could even blink, Ophis found the Great Red struggling to keep his balance as he was instantly hit by an invisible force. Unable to keep the motorcycle steady, he ended up crashing into a wall of debris nearby.

Ophis stared wide-eyed as her mind tried to register what just happened, but failing to.

'I did not see the Shinto Progenitor move, so then how was Baka-Red hit?'

Sending her sights back on the Shinto Kami, Ophis tried to inspect him from distance. She tried to look for clues concerning anything, but nothing came up.

Hm!

Amenominakanushi flew towards her, his fist reared back. Ophis waved her hand, ordering all of her snakes to attack Amenominakanushi.

Her eyes then narrowed slightly as she noticed the central jewel on his armor glowing brightly right before the familiar sound effect came.

Tick-Tick-Tick-Zuuuuuuom!

Ophis felt a vague pain course through her gut. Surprise spread over her facade as she saw that all of her snakes had been destroyed in an instant.

Amenominakanushi was now standing a few feet away from her, his fist raised. He had struck her before she knew it.

'What is happening?' Ophis asked herself, as she took a step back from the Shinto Kami. This was the first time she had ceded ground to another entity that wasn't Great Red. And though there was no nervousness in her posture, there was much uncertainty.

'How is the Shinto Progenitor capable of moving so quickly?' the memory of the glowing jewel and the sound effect coming from it resurfaced into her mind, 'Could it be that he-'

Her train of thought was halted by a certain crimson dragon rocketing at Amenominakanushi with his aura out. Ophis once again took notice of the glow in the Kami's central jewel.

Tick-Tick-Tick-Zuuuuuuom!

In an instant, the Great Red found himself crashing into the ground. He mumbled curses as he went to get up.

'Damnit! What the hell is going on? And why is Cthulhu just standing around?!'

From a bit afar, Ophis kept a cool analytical glare at the situation.

'So, this is his ability.'

It was a far-fetched hypothesis, but upon careful observation it all made sense. Now knowing what she must do, Ophis sent Amenominakanushi a determined glare.

"Shinto Progenitor, I have learned the secret to your ability and how to overcome it."

She quickly brought her hands forward, gathering massive amounts of destructive energy. Amenominakanushi's posture stiffened and the jewel on his chest glowed once again.

Tick-Tick-Tick-Zuuu-!

AGH!

Amenominakanushi cried out as he was suddenly hit by Ophis' powerful blast, causing him to fly away a few yards away before crashing down.

Ophis released a sigh of satisfaction as she witnessed fragments of Amenominakanushi's Central Jewel fall across the arena floor.

'I did it...'

"W-Whoa..." the Great Red stared in slight awe at his 'sibling', "I didn't even see her firing that blast."

Ophis flew to where Amenominakanushi had crashed. Landing a feet away from him, the two entities exchanged cold calculative glances.

Tilting her head, Ophis pointed at him.

"I, could not comprehend it at first, but your ability...it is the power to completely halt the progress time, is it not?"

Amenominakanushi snorted.

The Central Jewel of the IxI Drive allowed me to create a secondary layer of Space in which time does not function for anyone but me, if you want to be more specific. What I want to know is how you managed to land a hit on me before I could even catch a glimpse of your attack?!

"It, is quite simple. The creation of that timeless layer of Space requires a bit of time. I used that brief pause of your ability to fire a blast that could reach infinite speeds. I forced you to become vulnerable, even if just for a fraction of a second..."

Very clever, I must admit. I did not expect a creature like you to formulate such an efficient tactic in a short amount of time. But…

His sights went down to her feet. When she followed his gaze, Ophis' eyes widened a little. She had stepped into a puddle of dark green liquid.

'This-!'

Before she could finish her thought, the dark substance shot up, engulfing her whole. Amenominakanushi eyed her frozen form with a feeling of achievement.

It'd seem I was still two steps ahead of you.

"OPHIS!"

Hearing the Great Red's worried cry, the first Kami turned to face him. Strangely enough, the angered expression on the dragon's face did not faze him.

"Damned bastard! When I get to you, I'll be sure to bust your face in!"

Amenominakanushi's silent stare just annoyed the dragon more. His hand was behind his back for some reason.

"What are you standing around with your hand behind your back?!"

You should not be so ignorant of your surroundings, Great Red.

"Eh? The hell are you tal-"

Then he blinked, sensing something moving towards him. From the corner of his eye, he managed to catch a glimpse of an orange jewel slowly flying towards him.

'Wait, isn't that-?!'

Detonate.

BOOM!

The Great Red immediately jumped away, but he was unable to fully evade the powerful explosion.

"Gagh!" he gagged as parts of the flesh on his left side were torn off.

Falling to the ground, he clutched his left hand in pain and then his eyes widened when he noticed a familiar dark liquid soaking from his wounds.

'Samael's Poison?! He must have infused the Poison with that jewel during his Time Stop bullshit or whatever the hell it was!'

Trying to suppress his pain, Great Red huffed to himself as he then noticed something near him. He quickly looked down, and to his utter confusion and disbelief, the same jewel that had self-destructed remained on the ground!

"The hell?!" He shouted, quickly putting some distance between him and the shiftless jewel, "That shit's still there! Didn't it just self-destruct?!"

In all of the time he's existed, the Apocalypse Dragon would've never predicted the concept of a bomb that remained intact even after its self-destruction.

"The hell kind of bomb is this?" He muttered to himself, wincing at the effects of Samael's Poison on his body.

As Amenominakanushi began walking towards the injured True Dragon, he briefly placed his hand on the frozen Ophis, quickly consuming a portion of her powers. His aura expanded immensely as a result.

'To think I would be the one to cause so much damage to the two strongest dragons, all on my own. Even if their suffering brings me no joy, it's still something a god could boast about for eternity.'

Looking back at the Apocalypse Dragon, Amenominakanushi waved his hand, causing the jewel to start moving towards his opponent once again. Great Red's mouth dropped when he saw three more orange jewels erupting from the ground and coming his way.

"Oh, you are shitting me!"

Acting on reflex, he fired a blast of vast crimson energy to blow the jewels away.

You only made it worse, Great Red!

As if to confirm the Kami's statement, the jewels instantly absorbed all the energy as they came into contact with the blast.

"Shit." the Great Red could only mutter before an explosion, many times more destructive than the previous, erupted from the empowered jewels. The shockwave sent drops of Samael's Poison flying everywhere, piercing Great Red's body.

"GAHH!" The Apocalypse Dragon roared out in agony, his body screaming at him to repair itself.

He stumbled backwards and clumsily regained his balance as he remained where he stood. With haggard breaths, he glared fiercely at the four jewels that had still remained intact, as though they hadn't exploded just moments ago.

'Damn these bombs!' He cursed them as he sent his golden eyes towards the armored Kami, 'And damn him! He's moving the bombs on his own!'

The True Dragon clicked his tongue as an idea sprung into his head. He released another breath of effort as he willed his body to heal itself from the damage.

As he saw Amenominakanushi about to move the jewels once again, Great Red quickly reacted, and moved his hand forward, immediately stopping the jewels in their place. Amenominakanushi looked up, and frowned as he struggled to overpower Great Red's hold on his bombs.

What do you think you're doing?

"What does it look like I'm doing, you jackass?!" Great Red retorted heatedly, "I'm making sure none of those bombs get anywhere near me!"

In emphasis to the dragon's claim, the jewel-shaped bombs suddenly descended further into the grounds of the Warzone, causing a medium-sized crater to form beneath them.

"H-Holy hell! It actually worked!" the dragon exclaimed in triumph.

Gasping slightly, Amenominakanushi glared back at Great Red. Raising his hand above, he gathered energies of pure light around the palm of his hand.

Spear of Justice!

A replica of the Amenonuhoko manifested, though it was much simpler-looking and less powerful. Flaring out his fiery wings, he made a move to slash the Great Red as he closed the distance between them.

Just barely, Great Red managed to avoid his attack. Though, upon averting his attention, the jewels slowly rose up and began to move once again.

'OH COME ON!'

He cursed at the panic that overrode his senses. Never before had he been cornered so badly as to run away from his opponent. But with those damned bombs and that Kami bastard on his tail, there was seemingly no other way out of this.

Then, he remembered that Ophis was still there, and his golden eyes lit up as his mind formulated a quick plan. Eyeing the substance she was trapped in, Great Red quickly flared out his dragon wings, and glided over to the Ouroboros Dragon.

Taking a deep breath, he felt his mouth quiver as he blew powerful bursts of fire onto the substance.

Smirking as the Poison dissolved off of his 'sister', Great Red flew over to her and picked up from her spot, increasing his speed so as to avoid the approaching jewels.

Though the substance had originated from Samael's essence, Ophis felt no pain from it. As the Dragon of Infinity, it had barely affected her. Though not even she could ignore the reduction of her powers, and she immediately felt rage at the Shinto Kami for stealing her power.

"He's becoming more troublesome than either of us have given him credit for." She muttered to herself, though her 'brother' had heard her loud and clear.

"Yeah, no shit." He shot back, ignoring Ophis' glare, "And those jewels aren't exactly helping the situation either."

"Jewels?" She repeated, before she lifted her head from Great Red's chest and looked up to see four jewels dead set on their tracks, "Are they the source of the explosions I've been hearing?"

"Yeah, they're bombs. And they're not like the ones on Earth. Those bombs are gone after they explode. These however stay in the same damn state they always have even after they blow up! They're a bitch to fight against."

"So what do you propose?" Ophis questioned him.

Great Red huffed in response.

"I managed to freeze them in place for a while before that asshole attacked me."

Ophis blinked as she registered his words and then adopted a thoughtful look.

"Perhaps, one of us can keep the bombs frozen in place while the other confronts the Shinto Progenitor."

"Exactly. And I'll be doing the confronting." Great Red assured with a glare of determination, before looking back to Ophis, "I know you don't exactly want to hear this, but your level of power isn't as high as it was before."

"...Indeed. It is not." Ophis replied begrudgingly.

"So you stop those damn bombs from getting in contact with me, and then I'll attack him head on."

"And then how will we get rid of them?" Ophis asked him.

Great Red paused to think, then he looked back at her.

"You can open rifts in space and time, right?"

The question caused Ophis to raise a brow.

"Yes, that is within my capabilities I believe. Why do you ask?"

"'Cause I might've just figured a way to properly deal with those freaking bombs."

Amenominakanushi frowned in concentration he controlled the jewels' trajectory. He could see the dragons' lips moving but he couldn't detect what they were uttering. He scoffed to himself, focusing on tracking them down.

His brows furrowed as he noticed Great Red was starting to tire, his speed slowly decreasing. The Shinto Kami felt a wry smirk pull at his lips, as the jewels started to approach the dragons.

The explosions from before must have damaged him greatly. And now, he would require a rest.

He could see the clear panic on the Apocalypse Dragon's face, and even the uncertainty on the Ouroboros Dragon's face. The four jewels began to grow brightly, as they went ready to release the explosive poison.

"NOW!" He heard the Great Red bellow.

Amenominakanushi gasped as Ophis quickly sprung up from Great Red's hold, and summoned a rift in time that enveloped the four jewels completely.

They vanished along with the rift. But then a moment later, Amenominakanushi caught sight of all four of the jewels suddenly appearing within his armor.

W-WHA-?!

Boom! Boom! Boom! BOOOOM!

And then he felt pain. It wasn't the worst pain he had ever experienced, not by a long shot, but damage was damage. Amenominakanushi stumbled and let out a gasp as he tried to withstand the onslaught of four bombs self-destructing point blank at his body.

The Heavenly Jewelled Armor released sparkles of energy as it cracked, but before it was completely destroyed, Amenominakanushi was luckily able to disable the bombs in the nick of time.

'T-They managed to outsmart me!'

He released a grunt as he fell down onto the ground. He flinched as he saw the Apocalypse Dragon and the Ouroboros landing near him. The look on their faces caused the first Kami to gulp slightly.

Grabbing onto his front plate, the Great Red brought the Kami close so that he could feel the intensity of his glare.

"Hey jackass, ever heard of this phrase?"

...Which phrase?

"This one!"

Great Red then threw him in the air and began sending barrages of energy-imbued punches at him. There was no holding back in this onslaught of attacks.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA-ORAAAAA!"

Sending one last powerful punch, the Great Red completely shattered Amenominakanushi's armor. The whole realm shook under the power of Great Red's true strength.

"NUYAAAAAAGH!" the first Kami cried out in pain as his beaten body was sent flying yards away.

He ended up crashing downward into a far away part of the Warzone arena. Amenominakanushi's teeth gritted as he tried to hold in the scream of pain he was close to releasing. He tried to get up, but every movement he made sparked intense bolts of pain throughout his system, prompting him to remain plastered on the ground.

"Gagh...Damn it all..."

"The hell are you doing, Ameno?! GET YOUR ASS UP!" Takami shouted at him from the platform above. Despite her harsh tone, there was genuine worry eminent in her tone.

Amenominakanushi glared up at her.

"My bones are shattered and my whole body is pasta! How do you expect me to get up?!"

"Well if you don't, your body will become something even worse than pasta!"

Amenominakanushi looked up to see the Great Red and Ophis approaching him once again. He made a pathetic attempt to move away, but it resulted with him falling on his knees.

'Damn it!' he cursed as he coughed out blood.

"Oi, Cthulhu? What do you think we should do with him?"

"Hmm. A blast of our full power could effortlessly eradicate him."

Amenominakanushi clenched his fists as his assailants discussed how to deal with him. He fell flat on his stomach as he writhed in pain. He saw Ophis' snakes gathering around him to keep him in check.

'It's all over! This is the end! They will either wait for Issei Hyoudou to come and finish me himself or they will destroy me with their own hands. There is...nothing I can do.'

Amenominakanushi growled in mental agony.

'And after everything...after everything that I went through, this is the death that I am subjected to?! Writhing like a worm on the ground, waiting for someone to put me out of my misery?!'

With a great deal of resolve overcoming him, Amenominakanushi managed to partially lift himself up.

'NO! I-I will not allow it! Not like this! Not when the whole Universe is observing this conflict! Not when she is watching me!'

In spite of the unbearable pain, he still managed to get up and stand on his feet. He waved his hands in the air, attempting to find his balance.

"Oh no, you're staying down until Issei and the others get here." Great Red said as he went to kick him back down, only for Amenominakanushi to quickly turn around sink a poison-induced nail into his neck.

"Agh! Motherfucker!" the dragon cursed as he held his neck and then glared murderously at the Kami, "Okay, that's it! I've had enough of your bullshit!"

Gathering a vast amount of crimson energy into the palm of his hand, the Great Red sent his fist forward, targeting the Shinto Kami's gut.

Too weakened and damaged to dodge, Amenominakanushi allowed himself to be struck. He coughed up blood as the dragon's fist went through his rib-cage.

"BLEAAAUGH!"

With a low grunt, Great Red slammed him back into the ground. Still determined, Amenominakanushi tried to get up, but Ophis' snakes quickly dashed at him.

The first Kami cried out in pain as they bit through his skin. He shuddered in horror as he felt tiny yet lethal pulses of destructive energy emitting from their fangs and coursing through his system.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAA-UGH!"

His scream was muffled by Great Red's foot slamming into the side of his face.

"Where's all that bravado?! You were talking all that good shit not too long ago!"

At the scathing insult to his being, Amenominakanushi growled and encased his being in purifying energy. Great Red grunted as he felt his foot raise up from the barrier, and promptly put more pressure on it. The Shinto Kami felt dread as his shield started to crack, and looked down to see that even the snakes were starting to sink their fangs into it.

Amenominakanushi closed his eyes and grit his teeth, concentrating on the effort of trying to draw out more power from the Amenonuhoko. He could still feel his creation deep within his soul, ebbs of its primordial power coiling around his essence. The Kami felt a swell of hope in his chest, which immediately dissipated as he felt more of his shield start to crack.

'This barrier won't last forever! I need to throw them off somehow, and get myself out of their vicinity!'

But what could he do?!

Amenominakanushi willed himself to think of a quick strategy. He looked down at himself, and with a reluctant grimace, he grunted in frustration.

'I never thought it would come to this,' He mused to himself, 'But I cannot remain in this vessel.'

And to think that he had just gained a body he felt that suited him so well. It was certainly a form that had become his most favored.

But now was not the time to concern himself with aesthetics. He had come too far to be defeated in such an undignified manner. Immediately, he debated on the pros and cons to what he was about to do.

Vacating the vessel was a risky strategy. Though the Amenonuhoko was permanently embedded in his soul, he knew that being in his true form would leave him vulnerable to attacks. Knowing his luck, the Dragon Gods would immediately move to strike the moment he left his body. The notion was damn near laughable. Two of the most powerful Dragons in existence attacking a being of light.

...Wait.

Amenominakanushi's eyes then widened as an idea conjured up in his head.

'...Perhaps I do not need to abandon this vessel at all.'

With a look of smug determination, he looked up at the Great Red, whose foot was close to reaching him from the cracking barrier. The Apocalypse Dragon took note of his expression, and glared at him as he heard the Shinto Kami chuckle. From behind him, Ophis' eyes narrowed at the sight.

"You wanna explain to us why the hell you're laughing?" Great Red asked him irritably.

"Four...words." Amenominakanushi replied coolly and hoarsely, a smirk adorning his features before his body started to brighten in intensity, "Let there be light!"

Before Great Red could retort, Amenominakanushi quickly unveiled his true visage. A blinding, pure celestial white light emanated from the Kami's body, causing Great Red to stumble and move away from the shield.

"GAHH!" Great Red roared as he clutched his face, his eyes burning from the intensity.

Heeding what her fellow Dragon was doing, Ophis quickly shielded her eyes, and winced as she felt several of her snakes disintegrating from the brilliant light.

"The hell is this light?!" The Apocalypse Dragon shouted in fury, rubbing his eyes frantically, "Damn you, you son of a bitch!"

Amenominakanushi smirked as he swiftly deactivated his barrier, and rose up.

'Hmph! Who knew that intense light could disrupt even their senses?'

Hiss…

Hiss…

At the sibilated sound, the Shinto Kami looked down to see Ophis' snakes hissing and trying to move away from him. Adopting a look of disdain, he lifted his hand and went to gather energy to eliminate them.

"...?!"

But then he sensed something within the retreating snakes.

'This power...fragments of the Ouroboros Dragon's essence exist within these creatures. '

Minimal as it was, power is power. And he'd be damned if he was going to refuse the opportunity presented to him.

With quick thinking, Amenominakanushi employed telekinesis to gathered the snakes one by one.

Ophis, sensing what the first Kami was trying to do, quickly vanquished her snakes.

'Tch...Damned Ouroboro-?!'

Before he could finish his thought, he was blasted from behind by an unseen crimson energy blast. He crashed to the ground with an earth-shattering explosion.

The resulting damage done to his body rendered him nearly immobile. Growling to himself, he tried to get up, but his body just flinched and then completely gave out.

A thud was heard as the Amenonuhoko fell from his grip and onto the ground. He heard the Great Red muttering under his breath somewhere nearby.

"Just because I can't see you, doesn't mean I can't sense your presence, you moron!"

With a pitiless glare, the Apocalypse Dragon slowly made his way towards the immobile form of his enemy.

"What? You're just going to sit there? Come on, I'm approaching you! Do another stunt, you cheap asshat!"

"Nnngh-CHAINS OF HEAVEN!"

'Just what I wanted...'

Smugly, Great Red opened his mouth and released a glass-shattering sound wave. It's force reflected the chains' approach backwards.

"?!"

Amenominakanushi gasped in frantic horror as his own chains wrapped around his body, trapping him.

"HAH! Trapped by your own anti-godly chains! How's that for an ironically poetic fate!" the Great Red mocked, still keeping his grin.

Next to him, Ophis raised her hand to place a powerful seal on Amenominakanushi. Her brows furrowed at the Kami's completely still form, when-

Bloated poisoned snakes suddenly erupted from the ground and wrapped around their bodies.

Before Ophis could make all of her snakes disappear, Amenominakanushi had induced the remaining ones with Samael's Poison and then concealed their presence for this exact moment!

'Yes! With them occupied I can leave this vessel at once and-'

"Amenominakanushi..."

The resolve on the Kami's face dropped when he heard the Ouroboros call out his name in a neutral manner. Shock spread over his features when he saw the relaxed emotionless expressions on the dragons' faces.

The poisoned snakes hissed in agony as they were disintegrated by the duo's vast energy.

"Enough, already. This fight, is over."

True, this move was surprising, yet it was utterly inefficient.

Amenominakanushi remained motionless for a few seconds, until he began to violently wiggle against the chains and growl.

Ophis watched his trashing form. Though there was no pity in her eyes, at least not for him in particular, she still seemed skeptical.

"Why do you continue to fight so hard? Why are you so adamant on not admitting defeat?" Ophis paused thinking over her words, "My mate...he fights to protect those he cares about, for him and others to have a bright future. Whenever he is troubled, his biggest motivation is to get the normality in his life back. What is your motivation then?"

Amenominakanushi stared at her in silence for a moment.

"...What do you think?"

"That you are such an arrogant bastard, you are literally willing to die if it is to keep your stupid pride!" Great Red exclaimed.

"Heh...He he he he- HA HA HA HA-AHAHAHAHA...!"

The dragons' starred in utmost confusion at Amenominakanushi who was laughing like he had heard the funniest joke in his life. The sound felt in a way...disturbing for them.

"Damn it, would you stop with the maniacal laughs?!"

Gasping for breath, Amenominakanushi's voice cracked with mixed emotions.

"Of course. How could creatures as linear-minded as you ever understand how I truly feel, when even Yahweh, Shiva and The Buddha could not? 'You are just an arrogant god who seeks power for selfish purposes'. That is what everyone said to me! And even now, I continue to be assaulted by those same words!"

Great Red and Ophis exchanged unreadable glances, not knowing what to think of his words. Amenominakanushi set his eyes on Ophis.

"Ouroboros, you asked what my internal motivation is? What my drive is? It is..." making a dramatic pause, the Kami shifted his gaze upwards, "...to protect Universe and let it's lifeforms flourish and thrive."

"There is more to that, I can tell. A motivation such as this is as strong as my desire to remain with my mate and obtain a world of silence. As such, it is obvious there is a much bigger reason than that."

"Yes. Indeed, there is." the Kami responded hoarsely, "While that is my desire, the reason as to why I am so adamant on living, is because I wish to achieve a goal. What I want, is to reach the thing that cannot be reached! A power that is unmatched, peerless, absolute. The highest form of Omnipotence!"

"So what're you going to do with that power? Rule over and preserve all? That sounds very arrogant and selfish if you ask me." Great Red commented.

"What I want is...to remove any and all threats to this reality of mine. To keep innocent individuals safe and away from harm. To remove any and all conflicts! Any form of malice, even my own, shall be purged and undone and then the Universe and every alternative version of it will be reset and recrafted into a more harmonic reality! A place where the benevolent shall endlessly thrive, while the malevolent stagnate and rot away! THIS, is the world I want to forge and preserve!"

Ophis and Great Red were stunned at the revelation. Up until this moment, they had thought of the Shinto Kami as nothing but a vile fiend who threatened the one they cared about. But now, their opinion changed significantly.

And though they could not fully relate to the first Kami's mentality, they did see that there was much nobility and goodness in his heart, even if obscured by his cynical persona.

An awkward silence ensued between the two sides, before it was broken by Ophis.

"And how, would you achieve that goal? How could you, reach something that cannot be reached?"

"Yeah, I mean, it sounds good on paper, but you know how ridiculous it actually is, right? Highest form of Omnipotence? That seems like something out of an extremely fucking weird sci-fi novel." Great Red added, rubbing his head.

"Hm. Never expected to hear the Dragons of the Dream and the Infinite to comment on 'limits' and 'ridiculousness'." Amenominakanushi shook his head, "Nevertheless, obtaining that goal wasn't on my mind until you asked me about it. I was long forbidden by the other Supreme Gods to discontinue any attempts at seizing that sort of power. They even went as far as to threaten me. There's nothing I could do back then and there's nothing I can do now, but when the time comes where the Universe-no, when the whole of Creation is in grave danger, I will do everything to reach that unreachable power, even if it's the last thing I do."

"So you are not just fighting to retain your dignity, but also to have the chance to achieve that goal of yours in the future?" Ophis asked, her face toneless yet understanding.

"Precisely."

"Hmph. Maybe you aren't such a pettish bastard, after all. Still an asshole though."

Ignoring the Great Red's comment, Ophis and Amenominakanushi locked eyes with one another.

Though the two entities did not care much for one another, it was obvious there was some kind of development in their relationship. Ophis adopted a thoughtful expression as another suspicion rose in her head.

"A desire as big and strong as this, coupled with your mental instability. Only through traumatic experiences could an individual like you develop such a bizarre mindset. A deep-rooted fear. But of what exactly?"

Amenominakanushi's face immediately darkened, a bitter look adorning his facial features.

"And why do you think I'd oblige to tell you?" he asked, though there was little hostility in his voice. Still, he was obviously not trustful.

Ophis rolled her eyes and Great Red huffed irritably.

"You already told us what your motivation was. Why not just tell us this? You're already in no position to resist, anyway."

Amenominakanushi made a pause. He briefly bit his lip, but finally decided to comply to their wish. He sighed and closed his eyes in a melancholic manner. It was obvious he was rehearsing a memory he had wished to forget about.

"...Long ago, while the Shinto Faction was young and growing and I was still it's Ruler, a Primordial Darkness attacked my lands. Umashiashikabihikoji, Fuji, Daikoku, Dozoku-Shin...so many ancient Shinto deities perished. Good, well-meaning entities, the majority of them. And worst of all, it's presence began to spread to the farthest reaches of this reality, too. The whole of Creation could have crumbled, had I not stopped it while it was still so weak."

"I, have never heard of such an event."

"Understandable. I made sure very few entities knew of what transpired then. Though I myself can't recall much, since it happened so long ago...I remember the devastation that thing brought...and everything else it could have devastated in it's wake."

"This thing you speak of...what was it? I have heard of gods representing Darkness, but this entity seems to differ from them."

Another pause followed until Amenominakanushi spoke again.

"That thing...in the Shinto Faction, we call it Amatsu-Mikaboshi."

"'Dread Star of Heaven'? That's what it means, right?"

"Yes. When it attacked Takamagahara, it came raining down from the sky like a falling dark star."

Ophis nodded, understanding the logic behind the entity's given name.

"But really, the entity has nothing to do with stars. It is a sentient mass of dark energy, which can use other forms of darkness to make itself stronger. Just as I and all my fellow creation deities from other factions are the last of what was once the Originating Heart of Light, so are entities such as Amatsu-Mikaboshi the existing shards of the fragmented Primordial Void."

"Wait, wait, wait! Originating Heart of Light? Primordial Void? What the hell are you talking about?!" Great Red questioned, completely lost.

"It is...difficult to explain. I'm sure you will understand very little of anything I will say to you. All you need to know is that Amatsu-Mikaboshi is a sentient destructive force that could pose a severe threat to this whole reality, as well as other alternative ones. As such, it is my one and only true enemy."

"Wait, then what is Little Bro to you?"

"...Issei Hyoudou. He is a worthy opponent and a formidable opposition; one that I have grown to deeply respect, but my real enemy has always been and will be Amatsu-Mikaboshi."

"..."

Amenominakanushi sighed, letting his body relax a little. He leaned his head back, an extremely weary expression spreading over his face. Oh how he wished this whole conflict was already over…

"So. What are you going to do now? Will you destroy me? Or will you leave it to your dear Solar God to finish the job?"

Ophis pouted as she thought about her answer. It was true that she and the Great Red could easily eradicate the Shinto Kami as he currently was, but...that scenario felt unfitting.

'This whole conflict started because of the actions of the Shinto Progenitor and my mate. It, would be fitting if it ends with them. Yes...my mate should be the one to determine the Shinto Progenitor's fate.'

After a while, she finally decided on what her answer would be.

"No, we shall let my mate deal with you as he sees fit."

Amenominakanushi cocked a brow, prompting Ophis to explain further.

"This conflict started because of the two of you. It is fitting that it ends with you two. Whether Issei destroys or spares you...it will be his decision alone to make. We will not have a say in that."

An unreadable expression appeared on Amenominakanushi's face as he heard those words.

"Can I ask one thing of you, Ouroboros and Apocalypse Dragon?" the Kami humbly asked, shifting his gaze between said dragons, who seemed uncertain at best.

"Proceed." Ophis answered.

"Sure, why not?" Great Red shrugged, still rubbing the back of his head.

"Though I too think it will be a fitting conclusion, I still wish to remain with some of my dignity in tact. I am not concerned with who is doing it, but...if I am to be ended, I wish for it not to be like this."

"So what are you saying?"

"Actually waiting for my opponent to declare what my fate shall be is the most disgraceful thing that could happen to me."

"Okay, but what do you want us to do about it?"

"Simple. I wish for you two to give me an honorable death. You shall release me from the chains and then we would confront each other one last time."

At this, the two dragons adopted cold suspicious glares.

"Oi, oi, hold on! How do we know you're not trying to trick us here?"

Amenominakanushi deadpanned and then let out an annoyed sigh.

'Okay, perhaps I deserved this mistrust.'

"Listen, all I want now is to leave this world fighting to the bitter end. I've grown too weary of this conflict to care of how exactly I can achieve that. I'm sure you share my feelings, as well."

"Yeah, but we made a promise to the kid."

Amenominakanushi stared at him with a judging expression.

"Why do you assume Issei Hyoudou would concern himself with matters as trivial as that?"

"Because last time I checked, a promise is a promise." Great Red snapped before he went silent, unable to give a proper answer.

Eventually, he sighed in defeat.

"But I see your damn point."

Briefly exchanging glances, Great Red and Ophis relaxed a little, though they kept their suspicion up. Sending their eyes on the chains, they touched them and instantly disintegrated them.

Amenominakanushi, now free to move and with his wounds slightly healed, got up and clenched his fists.

He send one last saddened look at his fellow goddesses, specifically Takami-musubi.

He then grabbed the Amenonuhoko in his hand once more and pointed it at Great Red and Ophis, who were adopting their own fighting stances.

"Okay, one last time then." Great Red uttered.

"Yes, let us finish this." Amenominakanushi added.

With a low grunt, both sides charged at one another.

Mine.

They stopped dead in their tracks as an unfamiliar voice echoed throughout. Suddenly Great Red and Ophis were thrown back by an invisible force.

"What the hell is going on now?!" Great Red exclaimed, turning to glare at the Kami, who defensively put his hands in the air.

He was more concerned about the voice which he had just heard.

Your Light is all mine.

"T-There it is again!"

Frantically, the first Kami searched for the source of the voice, but to no avail. Seeing the looks of confusion on the dragons' faces, Amenominakanushi felt bile rise up in his throat.

'Can they not hear this voice? It's exactly like what happened back in the Underworld Arena!'

A melodic feminine voice calling out to someone. But, unlike that voice, this one neither carried affection nor any warmth. It was cold, somewhat toneless and threatening.

Mine to snuff out…

"Can't you two hear it as w-WHAT?!"

Amenominakanushi turned to look back at Great Red and Ophis, only to be met with an endless darkness. Everything, even the visage of the realm itself was obscured by horrid shadows.

'What in Heaven's name is going on-?!'

CRACK!

Reality around him began to slowly crack, until it fully erupted.

"Ah-AH-AAAAAH...!"

Amenominakanushi's scream echoed as he descended into the deep nothingness below.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Author's Note:

We're nearing the end, folks.

Once again, this chapter was written by myself and co-writer Antydeth/Great Nut.

Subtle references that appear in this chapter:

-Amenominakanushi saying 'I want to die' and 'in the end, it doesn't even matter' are references to Yu Ishigami from Kaguya-sama and part of Linkin Park's song 'In The End'.

-Great Red's motorcycle draws great inspiration from Cavaliere of Devil May Cry 5.

-The appearance of Amenominakanushi's Imperial x Illimitable Drive shares traits with the character Imperius from Diablo III.

-The 'Tick-Tick-Tick-Zuoooom!' sound effect, as well as Ameno's ability to create a timeless space, was fully based on JoJo's Bizarre Adventure antagonist DIO's The World.

-The jewel-bombs also drove inspiration from Yoshikage Kira's Sheer Heart Attack (no weaknesses by the way).