The Village Disciples

The multiverse was a sophisticated structure composed of an endless number of universes, which also individually harbored an infinite quantity of timelines, grouped into one distinct bubble. It is reasonable to relate the notion to a house with an infinite number of rooms, with each room being a universe and the house itself symbolizing the bubble that contains them all. Reiwa Takuetsu, the Crimson Messiah, had traveled the multiverse for what seemed like an eternity, aided by the fact that time moved at different rates in each particular reality. Lucifer had become accustomed to the never-ending cycle of limitless worlds.

Upon unleashing a four-phase combination of his Aura Amalgamation at maximum potency, the multiverse that Reiwa previously knew had warped around him in a foreign manner. The realm that he and the two dragon vessels were swept into had no planets, no stars, or any galaxies. Instead, most of the vast space around them was fractured into a plethora of differing dimensions, with no sense of direction being visible. 

"Where… am I?" Reiwa mumbled, shifting his body to survey his surroundings. 

Reiwa lost the familiar feeling of being capable of shattering reality, his strength conceding to the laws of the multi-dimensional cosmos he found himself trapped in. The tyrant felt weightless but bound by distorted physical laws that were unknown to him. Reiwa curiously raised his right hand and swirled a cloud of magic into existence. 

*BRORMMM!*

Oddly enough, the magic of Reiwa's Aura Amalgamation formed multiple tiny spheres, each colored in either red, blue, purple, or yellow. Upon further inspection, the spheres were not typical Genso-Kyu, but miniature bubbles that replicated the development of numerous multiverses—all of it in his right palm. 

"It exists…" Reiwa murmured, staring at the bewildering spheres. "The Ectoverse exists."

When Lucifer was younger, before the extinction of the gods, he had scarcely heard of what was beyond the boundaries of the multiverse. It started as a reason to explain the birth of the gods and what was above even their divinity, but the concept was quick to spiral into purely hypothetical assumptions. The Ectoverse was thought to be a space filled with four-dimensional matter. It was also considered to be a realm that contained the entirety of the multiverse, being imperceptible to lesser beings of three-dimensional qualities. 

However, from what Reiwa could vaguely tell, it was much more than a mere four-dimensional realm. The Ectoverse was capable of molding small realities in small bubbles, indicating that it was the home for not just the multiverse he originated from but of every multiverse that possibly existed throughout the entire Ectoverse. 

"Seijun… Seijun, can you move?" Kaminari Nozomu was far away from Reiwa, nudging his childhood friend urgently. 

Seijun was in a daze, his eyes washing over the realm around him. His feet felt firm against an invisible ground, but there was nothing physical making contact with his boots. He was standing and floating simultaneously. It was similar to being stuck inside a prison cell with walls that would slide back the closer you walked toward them. Whenever Seijun tilted his head to the left, the realm would shift in what appeared to be twelve different directions. 

Streaks and vague shapes were all that was visible, but it was all Seijun needed to vocalize his thoughts.

"Kami… Am I delusional or am I witnessing twelve-dimensional shapes?" 

With blinking eyes, Nozomu steered his gaze to view the Ectoverse and all of its glory. Seijun was not delusional—the space around them was fractured into twelve different overlapping proportions, and they were perceiving it without strain. Was this a result of their magic's immense potency?

Nozomu's gaze hardened as he spoke, "Reiwa is still here. He must have brought us here as a result of using his fourth Aura Sense."

Lucifer glanced at the two dragon vessels, adorning a menacing grin. Nozomu instinctively allowed his lightning to cackle; Seijun slid his feet apart and let fire cling to his skin. The black lines that outlined their bodies pulsed equally. 

"Be proud, Containers. We've made it to the beyond." Reiwa declared, clenching his fists. "This will be your final stop."

*SWOOSH!*

An arm brimming with four different Aura Sense swung down and struck Seijun atop his head, sending the fiery vessel flying downward from where Reiwa hovered, his gaze then flitting to Nozomu. The lightning wielder tensed every muscle in his body before dashing at the tyrant; his movements enhanced with unbelievable speed. Unfortunately for Nozomu, his first punch was captured by the tyrant's left hand. Reiwa capitalized on the white-haired man's vulnerability, summoning a myriad of multi-colored spheres in his right hand. 

*KREWSHHH!*

Nozomu's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he felt Reiwa's spheres collide with his chest, introducing a new world of pain. Overwhelming weight and heat surged throughout the lightning wielder's body, numbing his nerves immediately. 

"I've never hit someone with a multiverse, but you're surprisingly resilient." Lucifer spoke coldly, letting the sphere in his hand dissipate. 

*FWOOSH!*

A multitude of flaming tendrils darted toward Reiwa from below, prompting him to look down and put his index and middle fingers together, slicing the impending attack with a wave of light that was expelled from his fingers in the form of a slash. The fire evaded the slash, and Seijun's body emerged from the fire; his right hand reeled back as it was coated in red magic. Reiwa opted to block Seijun's punch with his left forearm, regretting the decision as the vessel successfully knocked the tyrant backward, causing searing pain to radiate through his limb. 

'Kanden's container has the speed and physical strength, while Moeru's has the overall power to challenge me.' Reiwa mentally analyzed his opponents with a huff. 

Flapping his wings mightily, Reiwa soared in what he thought was upward, forcing Nozomu and Seijun to chase after him. Once Reiwa noticed the two vessels following him, he enabled his Aura Amalgamation to encompass both of his arms—*KABOOM!—and discharged a few potent blasts to separate them. 

Nozomu was the first to reach Reiwa, throwing bolts of lightning to stun the tyrant before attempting to unleash a barrage of punches. Using his Aura Amalgamation-covered arms, Reiwa swatted the lightning away and hurriedly punched Nozomu across the face. Nozomu's jaw elicited a loud cracking noise, becoming dislocated upon contact. Ignoring the pain and injury, the lightning wielder did not hesitate to retaliate with a solid punch to Reiwa's solar plexus. 

Seijun flew in right as Nozomu landed the punch, kicking Reiwa in the side of the head. Growling, the tyrant twisted his upper body to twirl around, smacking Seijun away with the back of his magic-covered hand. Nozomu returned to the fight with a wave of lightning that became entangled around Lucifer's body, holding him still, similar to before Reiwa had employed his fourth Aura Sense. 

Adding to Nozomu's lightning, Seijun pressed his right palm against Reiwa's chest—*FWOOSH!*—and released brilliant flames that spread across every inch of the tyrant's torso. 

Reiwa seethed in pain, scrunching his face as he thrashed around. Suddenly, Reiwa shot multi-colored beams of light from his eyes, which only phased through Seijun as the fiery vessel turned his body into flame to avoid taking the brunt of the Aura Amalgamation's magic. 

"Rah!" Seijun hollered, increasing the intensity of his flames. 

With the intent of escaping, Reiwa gripped the lightning around his body and barreled downward, bringing Nozomu with him. After a moment of struggling, the tyrant snapped the lightning bolts in half and pulled on them to reel Nozomu closer to him, venomously gripping the lightning wielder's hair and head-butting him. 

Burn marks littered Reiwa's torso, showing that the dragon vessels were finally able to leave lasting damage on the Crimson Messiah. 

'I will not… die here! I still have a green-eyed mongrel to… kill…' Reiwa thought to himself, his mind suddenly slowing down.

Green eyes. Reiwa thought back to when he met the brown-haired man on Earth. He had the tyrant completely restrained with an invisible force that Reiwa had no way of breaking through. Ignoring the strange man's abilities, his green eyes flashed through Reiwa's mind like a plague, resurfacing a distant memory. 

XXX

[IN THE PAST]

Reiwa was perched on a stool inside a bar, his head craned upward as he gazed at a poster with spite. He was a soldier for Adonai, equipped with silver armor and a leather sheath strapped to his waist. The gods had recently touched down on Earth and had become increasingly pervasive in the world of humans. 

The poster that he was glowering at had a picture of a god named Zeus, one of the leaders of the gods that helped orchestrate their rule over Adonai. Reiwa loathed the gods, forced to watch as they effortlessly molded what a human truly was. They gifted humanity with magic, which shifted the entire world into an evolved state. To Reiwa, it was cheating and pandering. The gods got entire shrines dedicated to their names. Worshipped tirelessly. 

All warriors in Adonai were mandated to receive an ability called the Aura Sense, enraging Reiwa greatly. He would have to be induced with what would be a curse instead of a blessing. 

"If only somebody would stop them." A strange voice rang through Reiwa's ear, garnering his attention. 

The crimson-haired soldier looked to his right, spotting a man in a brown cloak sitting at the bar with a drink in his hand. Reiwa had no clue where the man came from, nor did he care. The cloaked man seemed to be someone who also hated the arrival of the gods, making it easier for Reiwa to tolerate his presence. 

Reiwa hummed and said, "They arrive for a day and turn peasants into heroes. It's revolting."

The cloaked man chuckled, irritating the crimson-haired soldier slightly. Reiwa did not adopt any sense of humor into his personality, not finding a need to have such a useless trait. 

"Then why not use their power against them? Show them who was here first." The unidentified man suggested, putting his drink up to his lips and tilting his head back. 

The cloaked man turned his head to face Reiwa, revealing a set of emerald green eyes that surprised the crimson-haired soldier. Reiwa could identify a faint grin on the cloaked man's face, finding the sight disturbing. 

"...Become what they hate most. After all, darkness will always exist outside the light."

XXX

[PRESENT]

Only now did Reiwa realize that he had met the same individual from the bar back on Earth. After all this time, after motivating Reiwa to slay the gods, he was still alive and happened to be strong enough to challenge the tyrant's might. Out of every universe Reiwa had visited in his multiverse, his original universe was the home to the most dangerous beings to ever live. 

Once he separated himself from the two dragon vessels, Reiwa exhaled deeply, his torso refusing to heal. He had used up so much magic that he could begin to feel the drawbacks of its excessive use. Reiwa's blood boiled, anger permeating his features. 

"Do either of you know of a man with unruly green eyes and brown hair?" Reiwa interrogated his two opponents from afar, his breath growing labored. 

Nozomu and Seijun halted, looking at each other with confusion. A man with green eyes and brown hair? That could be anybody. The two vessels racked their brains, searching for a mental image of an individual that matched Reiwa's description. Eventually, Seijun's eyes lit up, his mouth agape. 

"Regashi…" Seijun mumbled, his eyes narrowing. 

Reiwa grunted, hearing the fiery vessel. "He claims to have summoned me to your world. Who is he?"

A shiver ran down Seijun's spine, reminding himself of his previous leader. Regashi Ketsueki was the most sinister person to exist back in their home universe. Even Seijun doubted if he could take the brown-haired ruler down. If Regashi was the reason why Reiwa had returned, then who knows what he was capable of? 

"Regashi brought him here?" Nozomu queried rhetorically, shock getting the better of him. "I knew he started the war back on Earth, but to bring back Reiwa…"

"Whoever he is, after I kill you two, he's the next on my list to die." Reiwa spoke with a resolute tone, his blue eyes boring into his opponents. 

Seijun's hand turned into flames, glaring back at the tyrant. They had finally managed to injure Reiwa with prolonged damage—he and Nozomu were so close to defeating the infamous Crimson Messiah. Hope swelled within the fiery vessel, gritting his teeth. 

Putting his hands together, Reiwa let magic flow through his arms—*BRORMMM!*—and formed a Genso-Kyu using his Aura Amalgamation. The tyrant gradually increased its size until it collapsed on itself and imploded, emitting countless beams of light that penetrated through Nozomu and Seijun's bodies. Reiwa proceeded to dash forward and punch a hole through Nozomu's stomach, throwing the man further back. 

"Kami!" Seijun shouted, lunging at the tyrant. 

Reiwa deftly grabbed Seijun's wings and rammed his knee into the vessel's ribs, forcefully ripping the feathery appendages from Seijun's body. Blood spilled from Seijun's back as Reiwa covered his hand in his Aura Amalgamation and began choking his fiery opponent.

"You… will die, Container." Reiwa spoke morbidly, squeezing down on Seijun's neck. 

*SNAP!*

Seijun's neck inevitably snapped under Reiwa's grasp, his body going limp as the tyrant tossed him in the same direction as Nozomu. Since Reiwa overwhelmed the vessel with his Aura Amalgamation, healing or morphing into nothing but an intangible flame became impossible for Seijun to perform.

"You're next, Kanden." Reiwa declared, flying toward the white-haired vessel. 

Nozomu stared at Reiwa with disdain and utter hatred, blood spilling from his mouth. He could not win—not in this state. Reiwa would crush him under his foot, just like he had to every opponent he had ever faced. There were no more plans, and without Seijun, Nozomu was helpless. He would follow his childhood friend into the afterlife if one existed. 

'Brother,' Kanden spoke within Nozomu's mind, startling the man. 'There's one thing we can do. But you only have one attempt.'

The lightning wielder bit his tongue, tasting the blood in his mouth. Of course, Kanden had an idea after Seijun died and Nozomu was knocked down to his knees. The dragon always had unfavorable timing. Then again, if Nozomu had thought to engage with such a power-up, the risk of Reiwa surviving and Nozomu still dying would have been idiotic. 

'Get to talking, then…' Nozomu replied mentally, watching the tyrant grow closer. 

Kanden's beastly voice had a hint of melancholy. 'If we both consent, we can push your soul even further; however, it would ultimately cause both of our lives to permanently end after a handful of moments. Your soul would… be drained.'

So death was inevitable? Nozomu was quick to accept his reality, raising his hand to grip the seal on his neck. The man thought about Tanjo one last time, imagining the teenager's smile. To think that the boy was the main cause behind Nozomu becoming a warrior once again. Tanjo's passion was unparalleled, inspiring Nozomu to pull himself out of his depressive state and finally leave Buraun. 

"Anything to keep Reiwa away from my… son." Nozomu clenched his jaw, glaring at the Crimson Messiah. 

*FWERRRMMMM!*

Reiwa had to close his eyes as he felt an intense heat strike him, shielding himself with his arms. After enduring the heat, the tyrant braced himself and lowered his arms, peering at the source of the power. 

"You just won't die, will you?" The tyrant barked, tilting his body forward. 

Standing before Reiwa was no one other than Seijun Hotaru, who blocked the tyrant from reaching Nozomu. The black lines that traversed Seijun's skin were pure flame, his eyes red like blood, and his red sideburns transitioning into a roaring fire. Seijun stood with renewed vigor, stumping Reiwa with the sudden revitalization. The Tansu Beasts were impressive beings, but at every turn throughout the fight, Seijun and Nozomu proved they were warriors who deserved respect. 

'Brother, he beat us to the punch…' Kanden's voice echoed in Nozomu's mind, his eyes widening. 

"Seijun, what are you doing?" 

The fiery vessel shifted his head, glancing back at his childhood friend with a soft look in his eyes. Seijun adopted a strangely serene expression, as if he were content with the current situation. Although the sensation of serenity was better than uncontrollable rage or sorrow, Nozomu realized why Seijun looked tranquil. 

Seijun parted his lips slowly, processing what to say. "I can't let you be taken away from life. You have a son now, remember?"

Nozomu bit his tongue, letting Seijun's words wash over him. It was true—Tanjo was still presumably back on Earth, fighting in the Detrimental War. Ever since Oritsu and Hana Ketsueki had died and Nozomu decided to raise Tanjo on his own due to a promise he made, the small boy had undoubtedly grown on him. The older Tanjo got, pride would start to mix with the rest of Nozomu's emotions, adding to the feeling of parentage. Eventually, seeing Tanjo as anything other than his son was unlikely. 

"Promise me one thing," Seijun's voice broke Nozomu out of his stupor, "I want you to try and stop Regashi. I'm not sure if he can be killed… but, please, try."

Nodding slowly, Nozomu accepted the assignment without hesitation. It made sense; he would be the only remaining Tansu vessel that had unlocked the maximum of his potency, setting him leagues above any warrior alive. 

Seijun grinned, his eyes glinting with familial love. 

"Goodbye, Brother."

*FWOOSH!*

Once his final message to Nozomu had left his mouth, Seijun launched himself toward Reiwa, his body fueled with an Aura Sense that matched the crimson-haired tyrant. What used to be a two-on-one battle had warped into a fight of pure magical output. It was instantaneous as Seijun and Reiwa engaged in a physical brawl, dueling each other with their unique abilities. 

"Taking me on by yourself!?" Reiwa mocked, bearing his teeth. 

Seijun unleashed a powerful left punch that was promptly intercepted by the tyrant's interlocking arms. The defense was quickly deemed to be insufficient as Seijun's punch passed through Reiwa's arms and solidified on the opposite side, crashing into Lucifer's chest and knocking him back. Before Reiwa was able to respond with an attack—*FWISH!*—fists made of fire appeared around him, delivering powerful blows that drove his stocky frame in various directions.

*SHING!*

Using the green Aura Sense, Reiwa created a translucent blade with no hilt from his right arm to hack through the assembly of fists. The tyrant then extended the green blade and jabbed it into Seijun's torso. To escape being impaled, the fiery vessel altered his body into fire again, accelerating toward Reiwa and flinging his leg forward in the hopes of landing a powerful kick.

As if he were a wild animal, Reiwa opened his mouth and bit down on Seijun's leg, thrashing his head to the right and pulling the vessel downward. In his left hand, Reiwa conjured numerous spheres that were made of dwarfed multiverses, shoving them into Seijun's frame. 

*KWRRSHHH!*

Before the spheres could collide with Seijun, the vessel formed a fiery Genso-Kyu that clashed with them instead. Reiwa could not believe it—Seijun was matching the full output of his four-phase combination, along with the power of a cluster of multiverses adding to the tyrant's strength. 

"Haha! You were holding out on me, Container!?" Reiwa shouted, his muscles strained. 

Seijun used his Genso-Kyu to redirect Reiwa's spheres, wiping both of their attacks away. The pace at which they were fighting was extremely bad. If Reiwa was able to match Seijun in terms of power, then the fiery vessel would die before being able to win. He only had one opportunity to win. 

*FLAP!*

Stretching his beastly wings, which had grown back after being violently ripped from his body, Seijun wrapped his arms around Reiwa securely and started flying in an arbitrary direction, holding the tyrant still. The action was perplexing to Reiwa, who was attempting to decipher the reason behind it. Suddenly, Seijun's body temperature increased further, and his body began to glow. 

'He's going to pour all of his magic into turning himself into a bomb!' Lucifer comprehended Seijun's motives, feeling the vessel's magic skyrocket. 

Reiwa coated his hands with his Aura Amalgamation and released an onslaught of punches, aiming to weaken Seijun before he could erupt into a vicious explosion. Blood trickled down Seijun's body, bruises that he refused to focus on healing grew in size, and searing pain enveloped him whole. If Seijun were to hesitate now, then Nozomu would be forced to amplify himself to death as well. 

There it was—Seijun could feel as his soul was prepared to be extinguished. It was alleviating for the fiery vessel to finally be put out of life for a good cause. The man wondered if this particular sacrificial act would pardon him from all of his wrongdoings. He doubted it greatly, but to hope was to improve. 

Moeru was the last individual to cross his mind. Without Moeru's acquiescence to the increase in power, Seijun would not have been given such an idyllic chance to eliminate Reiwa once and for all. Even though the dragon may have chosen out of contempt for the Crimson Messiah, Seijun was eternally thankful for their mutual pact to battle until their death.

'I forgive you, Moeru.'

*KABOOOOOOOM!*

In the far distance, stranded in the middle of the Ectoverse, Nozomu watched as a brilliant explosion ripped through the void. Seijun and Reiwa's Aura Senses suddenly vanished without a trace, consumed by the blast. That was it. The fight was over. Nozomu's eyes closed, his power draining exponentially. As Nozomu grew weaker, he became unable to perceive the Ectoverse, causing it to ripple away and force the lightning wielder to return to his multiverse.

"Kaminari Nozomu." A familiar voice emerged from the depths of space, waking the vessel.

It was Kronos who located Nozomu the moment that the man had exited the Ectoverse. He did not need to be debriefed on what occurred, simply peering into the future to see the results of the battle that transpired between Reiwa and the two dragon vessels. Kronos was unsure if Reiwa was a person capable of defeat, but Nozomu and Seijun flipped the god of time's expectations entirely. 

Nozomu ignored Kronos, his mind reeling back to the days that he and Seijun were kids. The kid with midnight-black hair, bright brown eyes, and a smile that could heal the world. The happiest kid to ever live was now nothing but ash. 

"...Brother." Nozomu whispered breathlessly, his heart heavy. 

Kronos gave the man a moment to rest before enveloping him in blue rifts, returning him to Earth.

XXX

WOO! That fight was fun to write! I am actually devastated to kill Seijun Hotaru. I poured so much thought into him and weaved his story with topics that I was passionate about. Seijun was a character greatly inspired by Obito Uchiha, who happens to be my all-time favorite character in Naruto. Rest in peace to the man who has been around since the first chapter of this novel. May he sleep in a loving memory. 

Have a Great Day!

Peace - Cr1ticalz_