Disclaimer: I own nothing besides the original concepts and narratives that I have introduced in this story.

This story is a sequel to Enlightened Apotheosis. You might want to read that one first, if you haven't done already, before scrolling down.

Chapter 1: Jubilation

Pale eyes gazed in contemplation at the kneeling forms of three young men while their owner seemed to be momentarily lost in thought as he stood in the middle of an austere room, accompanied by a beautiful young woman dressed in a white hime-kimono holding affectionately to his right arm.

Twenty years had passed for him and his wife since their departure to their honeymoon in one of his personal dimensions, yet, for those remaining in this world, only two years had gone by since.

Not that long of a waiting period for his three most loyal followers courtesy of their gifted immortality, but still long enough for them to be able to complete the task he had entrusted them with.

He had to admit, the results of their diligent work were quite impressive thus far. His religion had flourished brilliantly under their careful supervision, and the entire world was now tailored after his whimsical vision. A peaceful place of worship that could become the most fanatical and zealous domain at the drop of a hat.

A thin smile twitched on his lips.

His idea truly held great potential for amusement. And now that he saw on his personal testing grounds how outstanding of a success his little experiment was, he could actually proceed to the next phase of his plan and implement his religion project in one of the worlds that had caught his eyes a while ago.

His current information on that world might have been only the bare minimum due to its major lack of interesting developments for him to observe, however, even with what he knew so far, it was clear to him that the prospect for entertainment it held was quite immense.

Given its particular circumstances, that world would be the perfect place for him to inaugurate his religion project. After all, what better place to raise a religion could there be other than in a world which essentially possessed a godly affinity for such a thing.

Putting an end to his musings for the time being, Hagoromo lowered his head to glance at the still kneeling young men, causing his long, snowy tresses to gently brush against the white fabric of his priestly garment at the movement.

"You may raise your heads," the silver haired deity spoke pleasantly as he observed with an appreciative smile how they did as told, before they gazed at him in veneration. "You three have done a splendid work in my absence. Everything had been shaped according to my vision."

"I humbly accept your words of praise, Lord Hagoromo," the first one to reply was the young man with short, white hair and six black magatama tattooed around his neck. "I am most glad to see you and Lady Yuno again."

"Thank you, my Lord," the next one to speak was the man with short, grey hair and wine colored eyes as he held his silvery pendant close to his heart.

"This humble follower is overjoyed to be the recipient of your praise, Lord Sovereign," the last one to respond was the most youthful looking of the three, a boy with short, grey hair and pink pupil-less eyes, as well as a stitch-like scar running from his left eye down his cheek.

Hagoromo gazed for a bit longer at his three kneeling followers, before glancing at his beloved wife as he recalled a particular discussion they had a while ago.

A second later, a stone tablet materialized in his left hand, which he promptly handed to her.

The rose haired goddess looked at the piece of stone in bemusement for a few moments, before her eyes suddenly began to glitter like the stars themselves when she remembered the short conversation she had had with her husband at the beginning of their honeymoon.

Immediately glancing at her beloved, she gave him a delighted smile as they shared a brief, meaningful gaze.

A dim light flowed across the surface of the tablet, leaving words inscribed in its wake as the young woman did exactly what she knew her husband expected of her to do.

After the last of the words were etched into the stone, Yuno glanced at the grey haired youth with a scar on his face and handed him the tablet with a smile so sweet that it was slightly unnerving.

"This is my Fidelis Code, Yagura. It builds upon and legitimizes the mortal laws, effectively covering any mortal concern there may be," the boy felt a cold chill run across his back as he listened to the cheerful tone of his Lady. "So make sure that it will be upheld to the last letter, okay~?"

Once she was finished speaking, Yuno shifted her attention back on her beloved, her cerise eyes gaining a dreamy look as she simply admired his standing frame.

Yagura briefly glanced at the piece of stone in his hands, his eyes widening as he read its content, before his gaze quickly returned back on the smiling goddess standing in front of him, who no longer seemed to be paying attention to anything else besides the deity next to her. "Of course, my Lady," the youth replied with a reverent bowing of his head, having yet to fully regather his composure.

The three kneeling apostles immediately focused back on their Lord upon hearing him address them once more.

"Yagura," Hagoromo began, his eyes lingering on the youngest looking of them. "Your duty as the Overseer of this world begins henceforth."

"At once, Lord Sovereign!" the boy uttered with a deep bow.

Hagoromo's gaze shifted to his nephew, and his most zealous of followers. "Toneri and Hidan. The two of you shall accompany me and my wife to the next world I have chosen to be graced by the truth of the Esoteric Faith."

Their eyes widened in surprise at these words, however, they also bowed their heads in deference, before giving their reverent replies.

"Of course, Lord Hagoromo."

"Yes, my Lord!"

Hagoromo offered them a pleasant smile. "Make sure to prepare whatever you might deem of use for this task. I shall be summoning you shortly once I am done with my initial assessment of the world," he informed.

The two apostles once more bowed their heads in reverence to their Lord, before watching as the fabric of space-time parted itself before their kneeling forms.

The silver haired deity and his wife stepped inside the opened rift a moment later, leaving the three kneeling young men as the sole occupants of the room.

"So, Yagura..." Hidan was the first one to break the silence that settled after the departure of Hagoromo and Yuno as he stood up from his kneeling position. "What's written on that holy stone tablet?"

Hearing the grey haired man's request, Yagura presented the stone tablet he held in his hands to his two companions as they all rose back to their feet.

Hidan and Toneri looked with great interest at the carvings in the piece of stone, their eyes growing wide as they read and memorized each and every word engraved on it.

Fidelity begins with the family. Loyalty to thy enduring mother, reverence towards thy shielding father. Kinship of blood with those whom share the womb.

Fidelity within relationships. Devotion towards thine's blessed spouse, of whom under the wholesome stars didst thou promise eternal love. Of the son, and daughter, created from love, abstain hatred, yet gift all else.

Fidelity of stately patriotism. Fealty you have sworn, in heart, and blood. There is no allegiance—till death, for even in death, in dedicated allegiance, there is Just rewards—other than the land of the blessed nurturer.

Fidelity of civil conduct. Obedience incited, law and order blessed thereof.

Veneration towards God and all aspects thereof. Piety towards the Holy One, forthwith the Holy Maiden, are expressed dutifully and respectfully by faithfully acknowledging the servants of God, as true conductors of his Supreme Will.

"Wow... that's some pretty neat stuff..." Hidan commented in awe once he was finished reading, earning a nod from his stoic looking comrade. "Thanks to Lady Yuno, now it will be even harder for any heretics to escape their punishments."

"I must concur with you on this one, Hidan," Toneri voiced in his usually calm tone. "This is a masterful set of rules."

The next moments passed in silence as the three occupants of the room fell into a thoughtful silence, before Hidan once more broke the tranquil atmosphere.

"Maaan, just thinking about all of the amazing sacrifices that I'll soon be able to do is getting me so excited!" the grey haired man spoke boisterously, a wide grin plastered on his face, before glancing at his partner. "What about you, Toneri? Aren't you happy now that you have even more gospel to spread around?"

The young Ōtsutsuki merely shook his head in something akin to exasperation at Hidan's words, though if one were to closely look at his delicate features, they could notice the faint smile tugging at his lips.

"Hidan, we are wasting time," Toneri replied curtly as he sent his grinning partner a flat look. "Have you not heard what Lord Hagoromo had told us? We are to be summoned at a moment's notice. We have to make haste and prepare whatever we might need for the journey. We can talk after that."

"Aye," Hidan gave his response almost instantly, his face as eager as that of a child when presented with a new toy. "But we are going to have a nice talk over a drink like the best buddies we are, okaaay?"

Toneri could only sigh as he once more shook his head at the childish man's one-track mind. "Fine..." he turned around and walked toward the door, briefly stopping to glance over his shoulder as he was about to exit the room. "Now stop standing idle, and hurry up," he added in a sharper tone upon noticing the ear splitting grin that had formed on his partner's face.

"Sure, best buddy!" the grey haired man replied cheerfully, his smile not wavering in the slightest as he walked after his partner, though not before he took a moment to glance at the youthful looking individual standing next to him. "Hey, Yagura, you're coming to have a drink with us too, right?" he spoke, giving the boy a friendly nudge.

"Yes, Hidan," Yagura replied in a collected, almost monotonous voice, before following his two comrades.

"Sweet!" Hidan exclaimed while exiting the room, his loud voice echoing throughout the main corridor of the temple, and more than likely disturbing some people from their peaceful activities.

With Hagoromo & Yuno...

"This place is so pretty!" Yuno voiced in wonderment as she glanced around at the mixture of iridescent colors that made up her surroundings.

That remark earned her a chuckle from the silver haired deity hovering next to her as he also seemed to be inspecting the place they had just arrived to, albeit with more of a critical glint in his eyes.

"And quite dangerous," Hagoromo added in amusement as he continued to study the peculiar world. "Though not for us."

His words were quickly met with a giggle from the young goddess as she kept looking at him with a cute smile.

"But jesting aside, this place seems rather... hostile," Hagoromo revealed as he shifted his attention back on his lovely wife. "So much that any entity below a certain threshold of power would be unable to exist in here."

"Oh... but what exactly is this place?" Yuno asked in curiosity. "Because I'm pretty sure that it's not our final destination in this universe."

At this, Hagoromo adopted a thoughtful expression. "Well, technically, we are not in that world yet," he explained in a matter-of-fact tone. "This place seems to be a void world that exists between our destination universe and a few other dimensions."

"I see..." the rose hair goddess muttered as she carefully took in each word of her husband's explanation. "Then this is why we ended here in the first place after opening a portal with such vague coordinates, right?"

"That's right, my dear," Hagoromo replied with a proud smile, which got his wife to beam with joy at the praise, before resting her head on his right shoulder.

The better part of the next minute passed in silence for the couple as they continued to glance at the never ending expanse of colors surrounding them, until Yuno suddenly voiced her thoughts on a question that had just sprung inside her mind.

"By the way, darling, why are we still here?" she asked in a manner that Hagoromo could only describe as being endearingly cute.

"Because I'm a little curious about the two residents of this place," Hagoromo replied, his eyes never leaving the beautiful face of his wife. "It should be interesting to meet, and perhaps even have a discussion with them."

"Oh... you mean that big red dragon over there?" Yuno spoke a moment later as she pointed to their left.

A chuckle escaped Hagoromo's lips as he languidly followed her pointing finger with his gaze. "Indeed," he remarked once his gaze settled on the massive form of a dragon covered in lustrous red scales. "That's one of them."

The creature was flying through the multicolored void, seemingly heading toward their location.

Yuno giggled in response, continuing to watch how the approaching dragon got closer and closer, before it finally reached their position after a few moments or so.

Abruptly stopping from its flight, the creature used its two large sets of wings to hover in front of the two deities, slightly lowering its horned snout to take a better glance at them.

"You were staring at me..." the massive dragon boomed in an echoing voice as it kept its golden eyes fixated on the two figures hovering in front of it. "I don't like being stared at."

Its attempt at intimidation, however, seemed to have no effect on the couple as the snow haired deity simply gazed unperturbed at the somewhat amusing display, while the rose haired goddess next to him had yet to even raise her head from its comfortable position on his right shoulder.

"Eeeeh... a dragon with an attitude to match?" Hagoromo mused out loud, an amused smirk playing on his lips as he looked at his wife. "I must have really hit the jackpot on this one," he added smoothly, earning himself a giggle from his wife.

"Are you making fun of me, human?" the dragon asked in a low tone, its golden eyes narrowing dangerously. "A tiny ant dares make fun of the Great Red, the True Dragon God?!"

"That is quite the huge ego you have there, mister dragon. You could try going for some humility every now and then for a change," Hagoromo pointed out casually, his mouth widening into a frivolous grin. "And perhaps also work a bit on your sense of humor. It's kind of lacking right now."

"You insolent whelp!" the towering creature snarled menacingly, exposing some of the numerous, sharp fangs from within its maw. "Apologise now and I might consider not turning you into a pile of smoldering ashes!"

Hearing that, a sickeningly sweet giggle escaped Yuno's mouth as she slowly raised her head from her husband's shoulder and glared at the impudent dragon with dulled eyes.

Though before she could have done anything to the creature that had so audaciously insulted her beloved, she was stopped by the hand that gently grasped her own as a calming presence flooded her entire being.

The girl's tensed frame quickly relaxed, and she turned her head to glance at her beloved with drooping eyes, giving him a smile that made it clear to him that she no longer cared about anything else.

Once he was done calming his wife through their bond, Hagoromo shifted his attention back on the massive dragon hovering in front of him, the same unchanging, frivolous smile plastered on his face as he noted the further increased ire of the beast.

"You know, becoming incensed so quickly is not helping you much in the social department, either. I think you should solve those anger issues of yours, before attempting to have a friendly chat with someone," Hagoromo said, waggling a finger condescendingly. "You are clearly not leaving any good impressions here."

The gigantic dragon let out a threatening roar in response, creating a powerful gust of wind that did nothing but whip harmlessly at the clothes of the two deities, who were unfazed by the creature's meagre attempt at intimidation.

"Now that was just rude of you," Hagoromo admonished lightly, his carefree grin still in place as he looked the scaled beast in its eyes. "Do you really have no manners, mister rainbow dragon god?"

The steam trickling out of its snarling maw as it reared its head back and opened its jaws wide was the only warning on the irate dragon's part, before it suddenly released a huge stream of fire that changed the entire color of the surroundings to orange in a matter of seconds.

Hagoromo's expression didn't change as he calmly watched the approaching blaze get nearer and nearer, and simply raised his left hand to meet the raging inferno that threatened to scorch him and his wife.

The ocean of flames was frozen in an instant, the heat unable to even reach the two of them before being extinguished in the most unusual of manners that seemed to defy even the laws of nature.

In the blink of an eye, a huge mass of crystalline ice had bloomed around the divine couple akin to a spiralling flower with the two of them at its center, though it wilted just as fast when Hagoromo snapped his fingers.

"Wow, darling, that was so pretty!" Yuno cheered from next to her beloved as she watched how the sea of frozen flames shattered into innumerable motes of glittering ice. "You are so cool!"

Hagoromo simply patted his wife's head affectionately in response, earning himself a delighted expression from her as she seemed to melt at his touch.

"This is interesting..." Great Red commented in mild curiosity as he observed the power of that white haired human in action. "You are stronger than I thought. You actually survived an attack that had easily vaporised any of the other weaklings who have challenged me so far."

The crystalline haze was falling around the duo as if they were inside an iridescent snow globe, creating a strange atmosphere in contrast with the rest of the multicolored void.

"Oh? That was an attack earlier? I thought you were finally taking my advice and warming up a little to us," Hagoromo spoke wryly, his eyes narrowing as his smirking face gained an ominous edge. "My apologies then, mister dragon, but don't be surprised if we also happen to give you the cold shoulder starting from now on, okay?"

Yuno couldn't help the giggles that escaped her mouth at the puns made by her husband, and she had to bury her face in the fabric of his robe in an attempt to stifle her growing mirth.

Hagoromo merely continued to look at the overgrown lizard, his whimsical smile back in place as he waited for the increasingly irate dragon's reaction.

"Are you mocking me...?" Great Red spoke almost disbelievingly, his anger only growing the more he looked at that insufferable smile present on that human's face. "You, a mere mortal, dare mock me, the Apocalypse Dragon? The Dragon of Dragons?!" he snarled furiously, slowly spreading his two sets of huge, scaled wings in a threatening display.

Hagoromo simply tilted his head a little to the side, completely unfazed at the creature's outburst. "Yup!" He nonchalantly replied a moment later, his mouth widening into his trademark frivolous grin as he raised a finger in emphasis. "Unless you meant it rhetorically, in which case—"

He didn't get to finish though, as the infuriated dragon released a deafening roar, interrupting him mid sentence as powerful gusts of wind generated by the sound whipped at his hair and clothes.

"Come on, now you are just being outright mean!" Hagoromo chided playfully, curious to see how much more it would take for the dragon to finally snap. "That's not very nice, you know?"

This appeared to be the last straw for Great Red as his anger quickly boiled over, causing the enraged dragon to coil his massive tail and lash out at the impudent humans who were openly mocking him.

Hagoromo watched how scaled appendage headed towards his position like a gigantic whip, his relentlessly cheerful demeanor gone in the blink of an eye when he realized that Yuno was going to be the one struck first.

His hand suddenly blurred forward, effortlessly stopping the incoming blow before it could have made contact with its target as the silver haired deity didn't even budge an inch from his spot, despite the powerful shockwave that was created upon the impact.

Hagoromo's visage was a stern mask of eeriness as he fixated the towering creature with a narrow eyed, piercing gaze. "Bad move, little dragon. Bad move..." he said in a low voice, his alabaster fingers promptly clamping down on the surprised beast's appendage with enough force to dent its scales. "Trying to hurt my wife is something that I don't take too kindly."

Great Red instinctively tried to pull back its tail, though no matter how much he seemed to try, he couldn't free his scaled appendage from the hand gripping onto it like a powerful vice.

"Hmph!" the gigantic dragon huffed, though despite his smoldering anger, he seemed oddly pleased with the current turn of events. "I'll admit that you are very strong for a mortal. But don't get too cocky after that much," his sharp, ivory fangs were slowly bared in an insanely satisfied grin. "It's been a long time since I've last let loose in a fight. So don't disappoint me, human! I want to enjoy destroying you at full power!"

Rearing back one of its front paws, Great Red prepared to lash out with an even more powerful attack, his intent on pulverizing the human keeping his tail in an unyielding hold.

"For some reason, you seem to think that I'm a human," Hagoromo remarked while calmly watching the gigantic appendage descend upon him, his sinister expression gaining an even more malicious edge. "How about we thoroughly shatter that delusion of yours, eh?"

Mere inches from making contact with the young couple, the muscular paw abruptly stopped as if the beast itself had willingly decided to cease the attack at the last moment possible.

Hagoromo's eyes were glowing with an eldritch power as he looked at the surprised creature.

"Huh? What is this–?" Great Red voiced in confusion, trying to make sense of what was happening, though unable to voice more than a few words, before getting interrupted by the voice that rang out from below him.

"Kneel."

It was all that Hagoromo said, his tone strikingly different from anything that he had spoken so far, as it held an authority that simply commanded utter obedience.

A single word that carried within a power so overwhelming that it brought the hulking beast down from its flight, forcing it to plummet through the iridescent void.

"What the–?!" was the sole thing that Great Red managed to say as it suddenly found itself falling through the dimensional gap.

The dragon kept dropping through the never-ending abyss, until it eventually crashed into one of the huge masses of stone that floated throughout the multicolored world.

Completely stunned by the unfolding event, Great Red simply kept lying in the large crater that was formed upon his impact.

"Are you feeling okay, mister dragon?" Hagoromo broke the silence after a few moments, his mocking smirk never leaving his face as he looked down at the dazed dragon. "You seem to be a little down."

Yuno giggled once more at her husband's play on words, taking extra pleasure in watching him put that oversized lizard back in its place.

Meanwhile, Great Red was struggling to rise from the crater, growling in frustration at its inability to do anything besides twitching its muscles. The dragon's anger spiked upon hearing that man mock him yet again, and his attempts at breaking out of whatever was controlling him became even fiercer.

Amused at the beast's futile attempts, Hagoromo began descending to the floating landmass.

"You...!" the scaled creature snarled furiously, finally managing to raise its head high enough to glare at the silver haired young man.

Though all that it was able to get was just a brief glimpse, because a moment later it was sent crashing face first against the ground once again, deepening the crater even more.

"Wow... it looks like you are having a really hard time dealing with gravity today," Hagoromo remarked with a grin. "But don't beat yourself too harshly over that. I'm sure that after a bit of practice you'll be able to rise up to the challenge."

"Agh!" Great Red sounded in pain as its snout became reacquainted with the stony floor of the island.

This time it seemed to be impossible for the powerful dragon to move any of its muscles as the force controlling him had become even stronger.

As such, Great Red could do nothing but reflect on the pair of rippled amethysts that he had managed to glimpse glowing with baffling power before being forced into submission for the second time.

Silence.

For most, it was a simple word used to define the state of complete absence of sound.

However, for the one known as Ophis, silence was something precious.

It was something that she could barely remember how it felt to experience ever since her home had been invaded by the one who had robbed her of this treasure.

It was also something that she would do everything in her power to once again achieve.

For this very reason, she had created the Khaos Brigade, an organization whose sole purpose was the removal of the loud dragon who had taken residence inside the dimensional gap and disturbed her silence.

After all, the Infinite Dragon God had no delusions that she alone could ever hope to defeat the Great Red in a battle, since that dragon was the strongest being in existence for a reason.

With a power that dwarfed even hers, the Dragon of Dragons was easily the most powerful entity in the world. There was no one who could match that creature, and even less surpass it in a straight battle.

Or, at least, that was what she had used to think until a few moments ago, when she had seen how a white haired stranger had brought the loud and annoying dragon down with a simple word.

Ophis had no idea who that entity was, however, she wasn't as ignorant as that Stupid Red and would have never made the assumptions that it had so casually made.

But that aside, it was very clear to her that both that white haired individual and the one about whom he had referred to as being his wife were not of her world.

Ophis had sensed the brief disturbance in the boundaries of the dimensional gap, and that when coupled with Great Red's outburst mere minutes later was enough to bring her to the conclusion that those two had come from a different world.

Not that the Infinite Dragon God really cared about something like that, because as long as they didn't interfere with her silence, then she would have no issues with them.

Yet, after seeing the obnoxious dragon antagonize the white haired individual, she quickly came to realize a very favorable possibility. One that only continued to become more probable to her after witnessing how that being had effortlessly subjugated Great Red as if it had been nothing more than a mere joke to him.

If things were to continue escalating the way they have been for the past few minutes, then Ophis was certain that she might end up greatly benefiting from the arrival of these two entities.

And seeing how the prideful Dragon of Apocalypse had already managed to anger the white haired one, if the way their encounter had progressed so far was of any indication, then chances were very high that she might actually get her silence in the most unexpected of manners possible.

Having Great Red removed from her home by two entities that had suddenly appeared out of the blue was something that the Infinite Dragon God would have never thought of as being a possibility toward achieving her goal.

And yet, here she was, watching how the mighty Dragon of Dragons was being forced to submit by someone who seemed to dwarf even its unmeasurable power by such a margin that it made the dragon seem like an ant in comparison.

This was something that baffled Ophis, because despite the feats she had seen the white haired being achieve with her own two eyes, she could sense absolutely nothing from neither him, nor his mate.

However, it was beyond clear to her that they could not be mere humans, because she had managed to catch a glimpse of something that she had immediately understood for what it meant.

Right before the white haired entity had brought Great Red down from its high horse, she had seen it. She had seen the divinity reflected in that young man's violet eyes, and then, after only a moment, she had also heard it in his voice.

An authority and power that only the divine could command... so much grater than anything she or Great Red could have ever hoped to achieve.

As the Dragon of Dragons was lying on the stony ground, unable to make the smallest of movements and with his head buried amidst countless shattered rocks, he could only wonder about what his golden eyes had glimpsed earlier, before he had been forced to submit for a second time.

In the eyes of the one whom he had believed to be nothing more than a slightly stronger, yet still weak human, for that brief moment when their gazes had met, Great Red had seen something that no mortal could ever possess.

Divinity.

And then...

He had felt it.

A power and authority that even a being of his might could barely grasp and comprehend. And it had been even stronger than the first time when he had experienced its effects.

So much stronger that instead of merely making him feel an incredibly strong compulsion to obey, it had actually fel t like an overwhelming power had suddenly imposed itself upon his being and had utterly dominated his own will.

That had been the moment when Great Red had realized how mistaken he had been with his assumptions about that white haired being.

However, that thought had quickly faded in the back of his mind when another revelation had struck the dragon.

That for the first time in his many millennia of existence, the Apocalypse Dragon had actually felt weak. Powerless even.

A thought that had immediately brought an immense anger to Great Red, because it had made it very clear to him how his pride as both a dragon and the strongest being in existence had almost been shattered.

He didn't know what kind of power this white haired being commanded for him to be able to humiliate him to such an extent, however, one thing was more than clear to the True Red Dragon God Emperor.

He would not give up even against such odds, and he would definitely not submit to this entity willingly, no matter what happened to him from this point onward.

Being killed would not matter to him, because when compared to losing even the last of his battered pride... death was insignificant to Great Red.

A tremendous roar suddenly echoed through the iridescent void of the dimensional gap, before a mild shockwave swept through the surroundings.

Hagoromo idly observed how the floating island began to crack under the power that was rapidly building up as the enraged Great Red was slowly rising from the shattered ground.

The fact that the beast managed to shake off his control was of little importance to him. He could easily make the creature fully submit to him if he truly wished to.

"Getting your second wind already?" Hagoromo asked airily, his infuriating grin plastered on his face. "Not bad, mister dragon. Not bad at all. It looks like you are really tough after all."

The floating island began to fall apart as the dragon flapped his massive wings challengingly.

"Don't think that you already won this just because you managed to bring me down twice with that power of yours," Great Red snarled, his golden eyes fixated on the levitating form of the silver haired being. "Now that I've seen your trick for what it is, it won't work on me the third time!" The creature's power suddenly surged to massive proportions. "So prepare yourself, because I am going to show you what happens when you cross a dragon, even if it is the last thing that I get to do!"

Hagoromo looked quite entertained at the display. "That's nice. It looks like your resolve is all set, and that you are ready for an epic battle," he replied in a lighthearted tone, before his violet eyes began glowing faintly. "But that means you won't mind if I also let loose for a bit now, right? After all, it's only fair."

"I've had enough of your inane talk!" Great Red growled in anger, his maw opening wide to reveal all of its razor sharp fangs.

"Alright then," Hagoromo said with a nonchalant smile as white flickers sparked alive on his pale skin and robe. "But first..." His expression suddenly became menacing, eyes narrowing in malice as twisted glee tugged at his lips.

"Let's play a game."

The dragon didn't seem to notice the abrupt shift in the silver haired being's demeanor as he was too lost in his rage to care about anything else than beating the entity standing before him.

Red energy rapidly coalesced in Great Red's widened maw as he prepared to launch his devastating attack. "Take this!" the massive creature roared as a huge beam erupted from his mouth.

The beam engulfed Hagoromo's position and didn't stop in its path of destruction as it illuminated the iridescent world in a bright red until the dragon himself finally decided to put an end to it.

While the intense beam of energy was slowly fading out, Great Red briefly wondered if that had been enough to defeat the white haired entity, though much to his shock, the answer turned out to be very different from what he expected.

"You lose if you yield."

The words rang out eerily, before a dense torrent of white energy suddenly came forth into existence, sweeping away the last remnants of the creature's previous attack as it rose in intensity with every passing second.

Two violet lights shone ominously in the center of the growing maelstrom of energy, causing the surprised dragon to stare at it in disbelief once realization seemed to dawn upon him. Though he didn't get much time to dwell on that, because all of his thoughts were brought to an abrupt end a moment later, when a familiar voice sounded in authority throughout the dimensional gap.

"Kneel."

Hagoromo commanded from within the vortex of energy, and, just like before, Great Red found himself plummeting through the endless abyss once more, this time, however, unable to even hope about breaking out of whatever was controlling him, as the power dominating his being appeared to be absolute.

The dragon kept falling through the iridescent void, crashing through numerous floating islands, until he finally came to a stop after hitting a much more massive landmass that formed in his path of descent from several other islands which were suddenly brought together.

Great Red grunted in pain after making a sizable crater in the gigantic landmass, though any thoughts regarding his momentary discomfort were immediately forgotten once his head was forcibly tilted upwards and his eyes took in the sight above him.

Given her nature as a being born from nothingness, Ophis rarely expressed any sort of emotion besides the occasional irritation that would cross her childlike features at times during her interactions with the annoying Dragon of Apocalypse.

And yet, while her grey eyes were fixated on what was transpiring before her, she couldn't help but develop an expression of disbelief as she gazed at something that her mind was unable to properly grasp.

Mere moments earlier, she had finally been able to sense something from the white haired entity when he had decided to become mor serious in his fight with Great Red. Once he became engulfed in that strange white energy emanating from all over his body, she had finally been able to get a glimpse at his power for the first time.

Though she had not been prepared for the realization that followed after that.

She, a being that was for all intents and purposes infinite, was unable to fully comprehend, let alone gauge the extent of the power casually released by the silver haired being. And as she kept her senses focused on the mind-boggling power of the white haired entity, she felt as though she was starting at a never-ending abyss that threatened to engulf her at any time.

It was an experience that stirred another emotion within the Infinite Dragon God. An emotion that even the mighty Dragon of Dragons had been unable to bring forth with all of his excessive displays of power.

Apprehension.

Ophis felt intimidated when that being's power suddenly surged to almost unbelievable heights, and her distress only became worse once she felt it blanket the entirety of the dimensional gap.

Though what followed next was something that actually managed to shatter her ever stoic demeanor.

The thing that she witnessed the young man transform into made it more than clear to Ophis that the entire time she had been staring at an entity so far beyond her imagination, whose scope she would have never been able to fully grasp even if she spent an eternity trying to do so.

That thought alone was enough to make Ophis experience for the first time in her millennia of existence the emotion known as fear. The primal fear that any sentient being would feel whenever faced with something neither known to them, nor fully within their limit of comprehension.

"I-Impossible..." the battered dragon muttered in a mixture of disbelief, confusion, and fear as it stared at the thing looming over him with a presence that almost overwhelmed his reasoning.

His frightened golden eyes looked upwards, for miles on, and the sole thing that they could see was pitch black.

Lustrous black flesh belonging to a gigantic eldritch monstrosity whose mere presence made Great Red feel tiny and insignificant in comparison.

Ten massive tails swished wildly behind the colossal form of the creature, though the dragon had long forgotten about them by the time his sight had finally settled upon the monstrosity's terrifying visage.

Numerous razor-sharp fangs bared in a wicked, sinister grin met Great Red's eyes as he was unable to tear his gaze away from the two glowing amethysts, whose rippling gaze seemed to pierce through his very being.

A deep, gravelly voice reverberating from above suddenly roused the shocked dragon from his stupor. "So what do you think, mister dragon?" Hagoromo asked in dark amusement, the menacing grin on his face widening into something even more disturbing. "Are we having fun yet?"

Hearing that made the dragon instinctively curl as much as he could within the shallowness of the large crater, in an attempt to make himself smaller and less noticeable.

The eldritch monstrosity towering over him like a menacing giant looked as if it was ripped straight out of the worst of nightmares, and was without a doubt something far beyond his comprehension.

"J-Just what are you...?" Great Red struggled to speak through his fright, his voice slightly cracking at the sinister presence looming over his entire being.

Hagoromo merely chuckled in response, the deep, rumbling sound of his mirth almost making the dragon tremble with dread when also coupled with his wide grin. "Care to take a guess?"

However, his question was not met with any answer, as the terrified dragon seemed to be putting all of his efforts into struggling to maintain whatever was left of his composure.

"You're being awfully silent, you know?" Hagoromo pointed out. "Where is all that big talk from before? Did I accidentally beat it out of you?"

Great Red continued to remain silent, his mind too overwhelmed by the monstrosity's terrifying presence to form any coherent response.

Tremors shook the entirety of the island as Hagoromo placed his huge, bulky arms on the ground, leaning closer to the frightened dragon. "You're being no fun right now, you know that?" An insincere and unbelievable pout appeared on his face. "And here I thought that you would entertain me a little more. Such a shame."

In the face of such a display, Great Red quickly found out that it was impossible for him to shrink back any further.

An almost imperceptible shiver shook the dragon's frame as Hagoromo brought his menacing visage closer to the frightened creature. "Anyway, it looks like it's game over for you." His eerie smile returned with his next words. "But don't worry. You will get an even better chance to practice your social skills where I'm about to send you."

Great Red looked confused upon hearing that, though he at least managed to fight off his dread enough to regain his speech. "What... What do you mean?"

Hagoromo's smile widened in response. "Ever heard of the Chaos Gods?"

The question didn't seem to ring any bells for the apocalypse dragon, so he merely kept silent, waiting for the eldritch monstrosity to continue.

"No?" Hagoromo chuckled, the deeply grating sound of his mirth sending another chill down Great Red's back. "That's even better."

Drawing his face away a little from the shivering dragon as to give him some space to breathe, he looked in amusement at the pitiful creature. "Though before we depart, here is some advice to help you get that nice first impression done properly." He raised one of his hands, curling his thumb over his index as if loading a spring. "When you meet Tzeentch, just tell him that Big G is sending his regards; and that I would like to have you introduced to the others. He will know what to do from there. Oh, and remember to be polite."

Great Red nodded mechanically, idly watching how the clawed hand drew closer and closer to him as the previous words had yet to properly sink in his stupefied mind. Realization eventually dawned on him, though it was too late for him to do anything. Not that he could have done much, anyway.

"Now then, mister dragon," Despite the nonchalant smile present on his face, Hagoromo's expression still looked rather unnerving due to his inherently menacing features. "Have a nice journey! Godspeed!" His parting words were immediately followed by a flick of his fingers, giving the apocalypse dragon no time to react as he casually broke the sound barrier and became a shooting star across the dimensional gap.

A space-time fissure appeared in the iridescent void moments later, promptly swallowing Great Red from his indefinite trajectory, before disappearing without a trace.

The brief silence that settled afterwards was soon interrupted by Hagoromo's chuckle. "Heh... I feel like someone's wish just came true."

Yuno was smiling in satisfaction as she watched through her byakugan how that overgrown lizard got thrown across the multiverse as if it was nothing but an annoying bug. It was just what it deserved for treating her beloved in such a disrespectful manner.

She might have not cared about it anymore, but a part of her wished that she could have dished out some punishment as well. If not for that reason, then simply because the annoying dragon had taken away minutes from her precious time with her husband.

But since Hagoromo had told her that it was okay, then it didn't really matter anymore.

At any rate though, the fact that the lizard was on a crash course toward that persistent mollusk was sort of an icing on the proverbial cake for Yuno. If nothing else, that annoying Tzeentch would at least put its efforts into something that she didn't have any objections to.

Putting those unnecessary thoughts aside, Yuno felt that her current mood was rapidly improving. After all, there were no more annoyances to interrupt her happy time with her beloved.

With a bright smile on her face, she waited for he husband to end his transformation. Once that happened, she vanished from her spot and made her way to the floating island where he was also waiting for her.

"That was funny to watch," Yuno smiled at her husband as she appeared in front of him, before embracing him in an affectionate hug. "Probably even funnier for you to perform."

Hagoromo could only chuckle at his wife's well spirited mood. "It was quite entertaining. Better than what I expected anyway."

Ending their hug with a blissful sigh, Yuno looked at her husband with a curious gaze. "What now, though? Are you going to talk to that little girl, darling?" Her eyes briefly shifted to the side, where a small figure could be seen hovering in the distance. "She's been silently watching us from afar ever since you started teaching that overgrown lizard a lesson."

"That's right," Hagoromo answered with a smile. "She hasn't shown any hostility yet, so I assume that she might at least wish to speak with us about our presence here."

"Okay!" Stepping closer to her husband, Yuno rested her head on his right shoulder and glanced up at his amused expression once she noticed movement in the distance. "Looks like she's approaching us herself. It's good that at least she's not wasting our time."

Hagoromo brought his right arm around his wife's slender waist, hugging her frame closer to himself as he glanced in the same direction.

The couple watched as a young girl with long, dark hair soon landed swiftly in front of them, her black dress adorned with numerous frills slightly fluttering at the motion.

Grey emotionless eyes stared at them in silence for a few moments, before the girl finally opened her mouth and spoke in a soft monotone. "Thank you, for kicking Great Red out of my home."

Hagoromo briefly studied the girl's expressionless face, before a pleasant smile formed on his lips. "You are welcome," he said in reply. "It seems that he was causing you trouble as well. Quite the noisy one, wasn't he?"

Ophis merely nodded in response, allowing silence to return once more among the three occupants of the iridescent world. They seemed to be content just studying each other with their gazes for the time being.

Despite what she garnered from her observations so far, Ophis still didn't know what to make of the white haired individual standing in front of her. Though she was at least able to figure out that he should not become hostile toward her, unless somehow provoked. Or that was what she liked to believe.

Either way, she wasn't going to attempt anything, because unlike that annoying dragon she actually had enough common sense to not poke unknown eldritch entities.

The pink haired female, however, was somewhat less enigmatic to Ophis. She didn't have that much insight on the young woman either, but from what she had seen so far, she only seemed to respond with hostility to those whom she perceived as trying to get between her and her mate.

The seemingly pleasant yet subtly menacing glare that the girl has been giving her for the past minute was enough to reinforce that conclusion in the Infinite Dragon God's mind.

This female entity was very possessive and protective of her mate, and now that she looked at the whole matter in more detail, Ophis could say that the same seemed to be true for the young man himself. Some of his previous actions clearly spoke for themselves in this aspect.

And yet, the pink haired one was still much more unnerving to Ophis, simply because she could see the twisted dissonance between what the young woman was expressing through her intent and what she was actually projecting outwardly.

That was enough to make the Infinite Dragon God wary of the young woman, perhaps more so since she was not able to sense anything from her either. The girl was most likely close in terms of power to the white haired man's level, so Ophis had no express wish to get on her bad side any time soon. She had just obtained her long desired silence after all.

Putting her musings to an end for the time being, Ophis finally broke the silence as she addressed the rose haired girl in the same flat, inexpressive voice as earlier. "I am not a threat to you or your mate, and neither do I intend to become one."

Hagoromo kept his amiable smile playing on his lips. "That's good to know, I suppose." Despite the girl's emotionless visage, he could discern some faint traces of apprehension in her eyes. Not that surprising though, considering the little display he had put on earlier while dealing with that dragon.

Yuno, on the other hand, gained a beatific smile the moment she registered what the dark haired girl told her, and her entire demeanor changed in the next moment, as if she hadn't been glaring in subtle threat at the girl for the past couple minutes.

"Okay!" Yuno's cheerful voice further emphasized her sweet smile as she replied. "Then there shouldn't be any problems between us."

Ophis simply nodded in response, though it came a little stiffer than what she intended. The expression now present on the woman's face looked even more unsettling to her than the previous one.

Hagoromo chuckled in amusement at the interactions between his wife and the little girl, before he seemed to realize something. "Ah, I believe that some introductions are in order," he said. "I am Hagoromo." Motioning with his free hand to the rose haired woman on his right, he added. "And this lovely goddess is my beloved wife, Yuno."

The dark haired girl gave another curt nod. "I am Ophis." She introduced herself in her unchanging monotone, before pointing at a random place of the surrounding multicolored world. "This is my home, the dimensional gap."

Yuno giggled at the little girl's introduction. "Nice to meet you!" She found the contrast between her appearance and behavior to be pretty funny.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, Ophis," Hagoromo said. "We thank you for your hospitality."

Ophis stared blankly at the couple for the better part of the next minute, time during which she idly contemplated on how long it might take her to get used to their eeriness. "You are welcome."

Hagoromo smiled placidly at her reply. "I hope you don't mind our presences here. Our sudden arrival might seem as an intrusion after all."

Ophis thought for a moment, before shaking her head. "You helped me regain the silence of my home. I don't mind you two being here." Though a hint of curiosity entered her otherwise emotionless grey eyes. "But I have one question. For what reason have you come here?"

Hagoromo's lips further widened into a smirk. "To seek amusement." His eyes became sharper, giving his entire demeanor a rather ominous edge. "

Looking at his expression, Ophis quickly realized that it was as unnerving as the one she had seen earlier on the woman's face, perhaps even more so. This white haired man certainly felt like someone whose ire she shouldn't gain.

As for his motive of coming to the dimensional gap, she didn't find any issues with it. Strange as his reason might have seemed to her, she couldn't really say anything about it. After all, she wasn't exactly versed in matters related to entertainment.

Though she could at least tell that his interest must be residing in one of the other worlds, because there wasn't anything else to be done in the dimensional gap besides staring at the ever shifting colors. And he didn't seem like the type to enjoy doing something like that.

In the end, Ophis reached a simple conclusion about his objective. Just as she had been trying to regain the silence of her home, this entity appeared to be seeking entertainment for himself and his wife.

"I see," the petite girl interrupted the brief silence with her curt response.

"Would this be all, Ophis?" Hagoromo asked.

"No..." Ophis remembered the main reason why she had approached the two deities in the first place. "You helped me a lot in the end. I wish to give you something in return."

Hagoromo smiled faintly at the girl's words. He would make good use of her gratitude. "I believe your continued hospitality has been enough of a compensation already. Even more so, if we take into account the circumstances of our arrival." Though he didn't dislike her naivety and innocence. Not just because it made things easier for him, but also because it contrasted rather nicely with her childlike persona.

"I, insist." Despite her blank expression, Ophis didn't seem like she would let this matter drop easily.

Yuno had to stifle a giggle in her husband's robe as she kept watching the little girl's emotionless act. She idly noted that Ophis might actually be good at deadpan humor if she ever tried.

Hagoromo was looking amused as well, though for slightly different reasons. The most prominent of which being the fact that Ophis was playing straight into his palm.

Or how one of his more interesting acquaintances was fond of saying, Just as planned.

Not only was she going to provide them some much needed insight on the world, but she was also going to have a rather important role in his little project. With just a little more grooming, she would make a splendid Overseer for his religion in this particular universe.

Briefly glancing at his wife, Hagoromo want surprised by the knowing smirk playing on her lips. He already expected her to have figured out his intentions, their spiritual bond notwithstanding. She was simply getting that much better at reading him. Which was, once again, to be expected. She was his wife after all.

His own mouth twitched into a matching smirk as he turned his attention back on the dark haired girl.

Ophis looked like she had spent the entire time staring blankly at the two deities, simply waiting patiently to be given an answer.

She wondered at some point what the white haired entity might be thinking about so deeply, though she had no success in figuring out the mystery, before receiving her response from him.

"Very well," Hagoromo said, his voice smooth and elegant. "Then how about you join us for the rest of the day while we take a closer look at your world. Any insight that you could provide us on its history would be nice."

Ophis idly noted that his voice was very pleasant to listen to, though she didn't dwell much on that thought. Moving on to consider his proposal, she nodded in agreement after a few moments. "I, accept." It didn't seem like it would be anything too complicated for her, and she could tell that there was no deceit in his words.

"Wonderful," Hagoromo said, before clasping his hands together. "But before we depart, there is one more thing to be done."

Ophis gave him an inquisitive look, to which he smiled at her. "My two most loyal followers will be joining us as well."

It wasn't a smile that she disliked, though she couldn't help but find it a little out of place. It was supposed to be a pleasant expression, yet it felt as if it was wrong somehow, disturbing even. And despite how much she tried to, she couldn't exactly say as to why it felt so eerie to her. Which was odd, because he seemed like a really nice person to her.

Ophis was suddenly brought out of her musings a moment later by Hagoromo's voice.

"Kuchiyose."

The dark haired girl looked in curiosity at the multitude of strange symbols that appeared on the cracked ground, crawling beneath his feet into an intricate pattern.

A plume of smoke engulfed the area next, moment when Ophis sensed two unknown presences arrive into the dimensional gap.

Focusing her senses on them, she was mildly surprised once she realized that she could discern a strange but powerful energy dwelling within these two. It reminded her of what she had sensed when Hagoromo had blanketed her entire home with his power, right before he had transformed into that terrifying creature.

But in this case, the power she could sense in these two did not even come close to compare with that overwhelming sensation that had washed over her being at that time. Except perhaps for the faint traces of what seemed like Hagoromo's own power mingled with their respective energies.

This great difference was most likely the reason why she could even sense their power in the first place, as opposed to the divine couple standing before her, whom she couldn't even tell whether they were there to begin with, unless she relied solely on what her eyes showed her.

As the smoke slowly dispersed, Ophis was able to discern the frames of the two newly arrived individuals.

One of them was a young man with short, white hair that looked a little feminine by face alone, despite resembling Hagoromo rather closely in appearance. They were most likely related, though she couldn't say to what extent.

The other person was a slightly older looking man, with short, grey hair and wine colored eyes. His attire consisted of a dark robe left open to expose his chest, and perhaps also the silver rosary with an eye-like symbol hanging around his neck.

The two young men immediately knelt before the two deities, bowing their heads in deference.

"Rise." Hagoromo's voice broke the silent atmosphere as he looked at his two most zealous followers. "Toneri, Hidan." He motioned to the dark haired girl standing behind them as she watched them with a curious gaze. "This is Ophis. She will be our guide for the rest of the day."

Both young men bowed their heads in acknowledgment.

"Understood, Lord Hagoromo."

"Yes, my Lord."

Before silence could once again settle among the five occupants of the dimensional gap, Hagoromo glanced at Ophis and asked. "Shall we?"

"Yes." The girl nodded in response.

The next moment, a large portal opened a few feet away from them.

Hagoromo's gaze casually swept over his surroundings as he silently beheld the world meeting his eyes for the first time.

From his spot atop a fairly large building, he could easily see most of the bustling town beneath as it was bathed in the burnished glow of the midday sun.

The scenery itself wasn't something exactly noteworthy. What made the city interesting however, and subsequently this particular world itself, were the multitude of peculiar life signatures that he could already pick up on his senses.

A tinge of excitement tugged at his lips once he extended his perception across the entirety of the world. There was so much variety that he couldn't help but smile frivolously at the prospects. It was even better than what he had initially expected.

Deciding to take a brief glimpse at the world's potential as a whole, Hagoromo loosened his hold a little on one of his more powerful abilities. While normally kept on a tight leash in the form of a simple sixth-sense that would not interfere with his amusement, the current situation could use some of his omniscient precognition.

He wasn't aiming for any spoilers, so there would be no downside to his curiosity. He was only looking for a general image of this world's state of affairs. Just a bit of required insight that would help him better craft his plots of amusement.

Bringing up his left arm, he upturned his hand as if holding something unseen to anyone else, and focused for a moment.

Like admiring innumerable grains of sand carried by a gust of wind to his opened palm, in that very instant he briefly glimpsed upon the countless futures and silently contemplated.

The smile on his lips changed into a disconcerting smirk that spoke of no reassurances for the recipients of his upcoming schemes.

And thus concluded Hagoromo's first impression of the new world. One so ripe with possibilities, the many pieces in await for him to move and realign.

Truly a most suitable playground for a whimsical God. To whom all that remained was to set the stage and pick a proper cast for the performance.

"That smile again." Yuno chimed in next to her husband's side, drawing his attention from his idle musings. "Already devising a nefarious plot, aren't you?"

"Nefarious, eh?" Hagoromo raised an eyebrow in amusement at his wife. "You mean to those who are bound to not exactly appreciate my meddling around here, right?"

Yuno giggled in response, latching herself around the young man's right arm and placing her head on his shoulder. "Yup!" A moment later she smiled happily, looking up at his amused face in curiosity. "So, what's the big plan, darling?"

Hagoromo couldn't help but chuckle as he noticed his wife's spirited gaze. She was being so endearing and cute without even trying. "Nothing too complicated, my dear. We just toy around a bit with the world." His eyes gleamed with amusement as he elaborated. "Think of a board game as an analogy, except on an universal scale." He gestured airily at the surroundings, his narrowed eyes reflecting a twisted glee by the time he reached his conclusion. "A Game of Life, I suppose."

His words were met with another amused giggle from the young girl. A knowing smile formed on Yuno's lips as she gazed at her husband's sharp features, admiring his delightfully ominous smirk. "What about the rules, though?" She asked with slightly curious eyes, though expecting his answer to consist mostly of his trademark levity.

"Rules?" Hagoromo's seemingly innocent tone coupled with his bemused expression might have fooled anyone else. The frivolous smirk that stretched his lips a moment later was a dead giveaway to her. "What rules?"

Yuno felt a wave of laughter bubble in her chest upon hearing his answer. Yup, it was just as she had expected. "This poor world is not ready for your relentlessly cheerful and carefree disposition," she remarked merrily. "They won't even know what hit them."

Hagoromo's smirk widened in response, giving his countenance even more of an edge. "No world will ever be truly ready for me." Saying that, he shared a moment of mirth with his wife, both of them laughing at what they knew would soon befall the world standing before their eyes.

After a minute or so, they turned around and went to get the other three occupants of the rooftop, who seemed to be finishing a discussion of their own.

"Man, look at how tall these buildings are!" Hidan exclaimed with the excitement of a child while staring at the scenery visible from the rooftop where he had arrived after stepping out of the portal. "I'm totally gonna jump from one of them the next chance I get!"

His enthusiastic claim was met with a straight face from his white haired partner standing only a few feet away from him.

"Hidan," Toneri stated in an almost routine manner, his flat tone sounding as if it was recorded. "Stop acting like a child."

"Hey, I'm not a kid!" Hidan immediately shot back in outrage, much like a child who was making a tantrum. "Stop treating me like one!"

Toneri just shook his head at his partner's behavior, before dismissing him completely in favor of glancing at the dark haired girl standing next to him.

Ophis was simply observing their interactions in silence, a blank expression present on her young features.

Looking back and forth between Toneri and Ophis, Hidan was about to make another childish remark about how he was being ignored, though he was left with his mouth half opened when he seemed to be struck by a sudden realization.

"Don't tell me..." Hidan was looking with narrowed eyes at the petite girl standing in front of him. "You actually want me to act like this emotionless doll?"

His comment immediately earned him the full attention of Ophis as she began staring at him with unblinking and apathetic grey eyes.

"Eh?" Hidan sounded in confusion as he met the girl's prolonged stare. "That's seriously creepy." After an entire minute of staring at each other in uncharacteristic silence for him, he shifted his attention back on his partner. "Hey, Toneri, why is this little girl looking at me like she wants to put a curse on me or something?"

An almost inaudible sigh escaped Toneri's mouth at the eccentric man's behavior. "Perhaps because you are being annoying?" he offered, though still making it sound as if pointing out a fact. He immediately braced himself for the outburst that he knew his words would elicit from his partner, not even blinking once it began.

"You're taking her side now?!" Hidan shot back in a mixture of disbelief and outrage, though a particular thought occurring to him made him suddenly pause. "Wait..." A shocked expression quickly formed on his face. "Don't tell me that you're into little girls, man?!"

A muscle involuntary jumped in Toneri's jaw at his companion's reasoning. "How did you even manage to reach that idiotic conclusion?"

Hidan's demeanor took a one-eighty turn the moment he registered that question. Looking with an oddly serious expression at his best friend, the grey haired man spoke in a matching tone. "Well, I've never seen you show interest in any women during these past two years, and you've also rejected every single advance that any girl has made you so far." Hidan gave his partner a look of genuine concern. "You're making me worry, man."

This time Toneri couldn't hold back the rather loud sigh that left his lips upon briefly contemplating the grey haired man's logic. Idiotic as he was, Hidan actually had a surprisingly good way of getting under someone's skin.

"Did it ever occur to you that I might have just not been interested?" Toneri replied, putting emphasis on his words as if talking to a mentally ungifted child. "Not to mention the fact that we have both been occupied nurturing Lord Hagoromo's religion?" A particular thought crossing his mind suddenly brought an amused glint in his eyes. "But don't you find it funny how your words can also be used to describe your own situation?"

Scratching the back of his head, Hidan chuckled sheepishly. "He, he, you're right..." he said in realization. "I'm also picky when it comes to women, and as you said, we've been too busy to have time for this kind of stuff."

Toneri's lips quirked into a faint smirk in response, causing Hidan to point a finger accusingly at the young man once he noticed his expression. "Hey, you're making fun of me again!" he spoke irately.

Toneri's smirk only grew wider at his partner's reaction.

This was one of the few reasons why he had come to tolerate, and even form a somewhat odd friendship with the grey haired man.

Hidan might be boisterous, obnoxious, and most of the time just plainly annoying, but Toneri could vent most any of his pent-up frustrations on the man without having to put too much effort into it.

"You—" Hidan was about to mouth another rude retort, though he was suddenly interrupted by the dark haired girl, who had chosen this moment to end her period of silent observation.

"I, am torn." Ophis stated in her characteristic monotone as she kept her eyes fixated on the grey haired man.

"Eh?" Hidan turned his head and looked in confusion at the girl.

"You remind me of Great Red. But you are annoying in a different manner." The normally emotionless eyes of Ophis were now reflecting a glimpse of internal conflict. "It doesn't make me want to obliterate you. It is a more tame feeling..."

Unfortunately, since this was Hidan she was dealing with, most of the girl's words flew past his ears. "Huh? The fuck is a great red?" He blurted out in mild confusion. "And was that a compliment, or not?"

He didn't get any response, however, as both Toneri and Ophis seemed to have unanimously decided that it would be best to ignore him for the time being.

Looking at the dark haired girl, Toneri shared his own thoughts on the matter with her. "It's probably because he's an idiot. People like him tend to be tolerable when you can't help but pity them in most aspects."

Ophis nodded at the young man's words. "I see," she responded dully, her eyes gaining a thoughtful look that quickly gave way to one of understanding. "That makes sense. Thank you."

If she were to compare Hidan with the recently departed Great Red, then she would say that the former was more like a symbiotic creature, whereas the latter was akin to a parasitic one.

In other words, she would most likely come to tolerate Hidan, if given enough time to get accustomed to his eccentric behavior and attitude.

Thinking that they might finally enjoy some silence once their conversation seemed to have reached its end, Toneri and Ophis were unfortunately reminded that such a thing was not going to happen any time soon.

"That was totally uncool, man!" Hidan pointed out, sounding rather incensed. "I may be stupid, but you don't have to remind me about it so often, you know?"

Toneri simply waved him off nonchalantly as he looked in another direction. "Whatever you say, Hidan."

"Hey!" Hidan shot back in indignation. "Don't brush me off so casually!"

Toneri shook his head in slight exasperation, before completely dismissing the grey haired man as he instead chose to admire the scenery visible from atop the tall building.

With both Toneri and Ophis no longer paying him any attention, Hidan was left to silently fume to himself, before eventually returning to his own devices.

Once a relative silence settled among the trio, Ophis stopped observing the two men, only to quickly realize that she had actually enjoyed a little being part of the entire exchange.

As her eyes gained a thoughtful look to them in response to that, she began wondering whether this particular instance could be classified as an example of the entertainment that Hagoromo had spoken to her about earlier.

The period of silence didn't last for long, as the three of them soon had their attention drawn to the approaching figure of Hagoromo once they heard him speak.

"I must say, Ophis," Hagoromo's mouth slowly upturned into a smile as he glanced at the impassive girl. "Your world is an interesting place. It almost feels like a lively menagerie."

Somewhat expected, his words didn't elicit any visible response from Ophis, her stoic demeanor remaining unperturbed as she merely stared at him with a dull gaze.

"Okay..." Her response came after some moments of silence, in the same monotone that everyone had more or less come to expect from her by now.

Despite her apparently emotionless gaze, though, there seemed to be some faint traces of curiosity that gave some color to her otherwise blank expression.

Yuno had to stifle a giggle upon noticing that. It was quite entertaining to watch how her beloved was slowly bringing out some emotion from this supposedly emotionless deity through simple verbal interactions.

"Eh... what's a menagerie?" Hidan blurted out, not really surprising anyone with his characteristic behavior, though managing to draw all attention on himself for a few moments.

Hagoromo and Yuno smiled in amusement at the grey haired man, whereas Ophis simply stared at him with unblinking eyes.

Toneri, on the other hand, seemed to have taken his comrade's sudden outburst as yet another one of his casual displays of stupidity, and thus decided to act accordingly.

"Be quiet, Hidan." Toneri ordered, briefly veering his attention away from his divine lord to chastise the childish man. "You are interrupting a serious conversation with your immaturity."

"Hey, don't patronize me!" Hidan retorted irately.

"Oh?" Toneri raised a thin, silvery eyebrow in response. "That's a rather big and complicated word for you. If you're not careful, you might accidentally choke on it."

"You're doing it again!" Hidan snapped. "You wanna fight me, or what? Huh, daifuku?!" He raised a fist in a threatening gesture. "I'd be more than happy to show you some of my newest moves with my scythe."

"Now, now, children." Hagoromo smoothly placated the escalating situation. "I'm certain that you can leave this little argument for another time. It would be a shame if we had to give away our surprise at such an early time, wouldn't it?"

Toneri immediately faced his many times great uncle and gave a short bow of his head. "Of course, Lord Hagoromo."

Hidan also seemed to rapidly cool down from his previous anger as he regarded Hagoromo with his entire attention as well. "Yes, my Lord!" he uttered, giving a more passionate bow than his partner.

"I'm glad that you understand." Hagoromo looked at his two most loyal followers with a warm smile. His attention was eventually drawn away from them when he felt a light pull at the fabric of his robe. "Oh? Anything the matter, Ophis?" he asked curiously as he glanced down at the stoic girl.

Ophis quickly let go of the white garment when she noticed the pair of cerise eyes staring at her intently. "I have a question," she asked.

Hagoromo smiled disarmingly at the stoic girl. "Sure, ask away." He hugged his wife closer to his frame as he noticed the subtle glares she was sending in the other deity's direction.

Feeling herself pulled closer into his affectionate embrace, Yuno immediately shifted her full attention back on her husband, smiling lovingly at him.

"What was the power that you used against Great Red?" Ophis inquired with a note of curiosity in her dull tone. "I couldn't properly grasp it, but I could tell that it was much beyond me the moment you blanketed my home with it."

A placid smile formed on Hagoromo's lips. "My power is known as chakra." He glanced at Yuno. "It is shared by my dear wife," His gaze shifted to Toneri. "My nephew," Then it moved on the grey haired man. "And Hidan."

"Chakra?" Ophis looked slightly bemused at the explanation. "I cannot sense anything of the sort within you. You possess no such energy."

Hagoromo's mouth twitched in amusement as his gaze returned on the impassive deity. "I didn't ascertain you to be the ignorant type, Ophis." His playful tone made it very hard for his words to be perceived as insulting. "Anyway." Raising his left arm, he waited a few moments before a white pigeon landed on the back of his gloved hand. "Consider this."

"Yes?" The stoic girl carefully observed the winged creature perched on the older deity's extended hand.

"If I were to name this pigeon after you, would that make the two of you the same just by that association alone?" Hagoromo's simple question was met with silence.

Ophis looked at the white bird for a few moments while contemplating Hagoromo's words, before shaking her head. "No." Was her flat reply.

Smiling at her response, Hagoromo winked at her knowingly. "It's the same for my chakra."

Ophis stared blankly at the white haired deity for the better part of the next minute, her childlike features eventually gaining an expression that could somewhat pass for a slight pout if one were to look closely.

It looked rather out of place on her usually impassive face, despite actually fitting her physical appearance. Though that was also probably due to it being the first time when she made such an expression to begin with.

"Is that a pout I see?" Hagoromo teased with a note of amusement in his voice. "Or perhaps I am being mistaken here?" He lightly shook his hand, sending the pigeon away. "Hmm?"

Ophis didn't give any verbal response, though she quickly reassumed her normally stoic demeanor as she seemed to fall deep in her thoughts.

Noticing that his conversation with the little girl was finally over, Yuno snuggled even closer to her husband's side and simply observed him in silence as a content smile found its way on her delicate features.

Toneri appeared to have carefully listened to the entire conversation between his uncle and Ophis, although Hidan was completely immersed in watching an airplane land on a nearby airport, an expression of awe that certainly didn't match his age showing on his face.

"Toneri, Hidan." Hagoromo drew their attention after a brief period of silence, the two males immediately regarding him with their undivided attention. "Before we get any further, I will give you some necessary knowledge to better understand this unfamiliar world."

The two bowed their heads in acknowledgement and walked up to their Lord, before kneeling in front of him.

"Ophis," Hagoromo said, glancing at the thoughtful girl as he brought her out of her deep musings. "You may begin telling us about the history of your world whenever you feel ready."

Placing his hands on the heads of his two followers, he simply smiled in acknowledgement to the impassive deity's dull response.

"Okay."