"KILL HIM!"
The room was filled with screeching pitches and flashing light. Condensed plasma tore through everything that stood in its path towards the airborne Iruna. It was certain death.
[Skill Activated: The Wings of Calamity]
Iruna drew his sword, the movement alone forcing a pressure to exude from his superhuman speed. His body subtly gave off a crimson hue, then he split into many versions of himself. Though they were unseen to anyone but himself, this was the path of probabilities across different times. This was the true butterfly effect.
His arm lifted and circled around in an arch, the sleek blade bursting in a deep-crimson flame. Then he stood near the exit of the room, flicking his arm to remove the blood on his sword and splattering it against the ground.
"Attacking me was the worst thing you could've done"
Iruna proclaimed as each and every one of the high-ranking official's fell to the ground with a thud. Then he turned around, lifting his sword in an angle to absorb the impact from a sudden attack.
Iruna's body flung backward and slammed through the door and into another room located within the underground facility they were in. Luckily, Iruna managed to regain his balance and landed with a slight skid against the ground. His sword held firmly as he came to a stop.
[Alert: The Goddess of Imagination has begun targeting you]
Iruna's eyes widened in shock upon hearing this alert, though he had no time to process this information due to another incoming strike. This forced Iruna to step back to avoid a deadly kick, unfortunately he did not account for his opponent to follow through the momentum and kick him with their other leg, connecting a solid heel kick to Iruna's jaw.
'She's on another level...'
Iruna proclaimed within his mind as he stumbled backward to regain his equilibrium, pressing the back of his hand to his chin with a tensed expression.
4 years ago...
"Iruna. Can you answer question 8?"
A strong yet delicate feminine voice of a teacher spoke out, drowning out the sound of chalk screeching against the chalkboard. Iruna audibly sighed, the metal screech of his chair subtly overtaking the classroom as he stood up.
"The a-"
Iruna began but was abruptly interrupted by the sudden opening of the classroom door. Immediately, the room became silent as a girl who could only be described as an absolute beauty stepped in. Her hair was a lighter shade of black and reached down to her hourglass-like waist. She had eyes that radiated a soft and light shade of amethyst, filled with innocence and wisdom. Her skin was fair & soft with no visible sign of scarring or irregularities, and her figure was that of an hourglass.
She adorned a red long-sleeved sweater and a black skirt that reached just a bit past her thighs, with long stockings and black tennis shoes. Every male student in the classroom instantly blushed at her small smile, watching as she made her way to the front of the classroom.
"Ah yes, I forgot we was having a new transfer student today. Introduce yourself"
The teacher exclaimed with a notion for Iruna to sit down so the new student could introduce herself. For a moment, Iruna and the new female transfer student made eye contact before Iruna sat down and rest his head in between his arms.
"Nice to meet everyone. My name is Aniyah Konoshi. I am the youngest god system user. I am the goddess of Imagination"
Now...
"So that was you. The first time we met during my short stay in the academy. Hello, Aniyah."
Iruna exclaimed in a small sigh, now locking eyes with a girl from his past. For a moment, nothing else was said and they simply just stood and stared at each other as if they were reminiscing.
"You lied...stupid dumbass!"
Aniyah exclaimed out in anger, her thin eyebrows furrowing in stress as she recalled an event some years ago that involved Iruna, who seemed to have forgotten due to the look of confusion on his face. This was enough to piss Aniyah off and in the next few seconds, she was gone.
Iruna eyebrow lifted in curiosity at the sudden disappearance, until he was watching the sharp point of a scythe close in towards his neck in a horizontal fashion. Iruna head swiftly tilted backward, narrowly avoiding the attack that would've left him beheaded where he stood.
"What are you talking about?!"
Iruna shouted in a state of confusion, turning and running down the corridors of the secret facility, they were in. That question did not achieve the result Iruna was hoping, in fact, it did the exact opposite. It enraged her even further.
20 minutes later..
Iruna and Aniyah stood across from each other, both breathing heavily with revealing scars. Iruna face scrunched in exhaustion and anger having to exert himself more than he has ever done since the past five months.
"So... you really don't remember?"
Aniyah asked in a low, exhausted tone of voice. Despite her angered expression, her eyes were still lit with a subtle hope that Iruna would remember.
[Recalling Event: February 14]
[Estimated Time: 4 years ago]
"Iruna. Have you seen the new transfer student? dude! she's smoking hot. I even heard that she was recruited as a ranking goddess."
A male voice proclaimed across from Iruna who sat in his desk, slowly sipping a can of tea. He didn't seem to be interested in his friend's topic but when the mention of 'ranking goddess' was brought up, it seemed to have piqued Iruna's curiosity if but a little.
"A ranking goddess huh. Maybe one day I'll be lucky enough to become a god"
Iruna exclaimed in a tone of lingering hope nearly extinguished by the cruel truth of reality. This resulted in his friend to sigh and chuckle a bit, slightly patting Iruna on the shoulder with a look that read 'One day bud.'
"I'd love to see it happen one day. Right now, I think it's best if we dream about things that could happen in our lifetime. LIKE GETTING TO TALK TO ANIYAH"
Iruna's friend exclaimed out in passionate admiration, resulting in the whole class to turn their heads to the two of them. Iruna could only sigh in embarrassment and tilt his head downward to avoid the judgmental gazes of his classmates.
"Oh? to think the laziest boys in the class would have an interest in me"
Aniyah proclaimed seemingly out of thin air, right behind Iruna and his friend who sat in the back of the classroom near the window. Iruna subtly jumped in shock upon hearing her voice suddenly appear behind them, as for his friend, well let's not worry about him for now.
"Nah, don't compare me to that weirdo over there."
Iruna proclaimed, his head turned to stare out the glass window and towards the ocean blue skies littered with fluffy clouds. Unseen to everyone but Aniyah, Iruna cheeks held a subtle rosy hue to them which made Aniyah smirk.
"You're Iruna right? oh, you are actually quite handsome. Has anyone told you that"
Aniyah proclaimed in a sly, teasing tone. Her hips swaying back in forth in a hypnotic rhythm as she walked over to the front of Iruna's desk. For a moment, Iruna could hear the small reverberating steps made by Aniyah. Then he turned his head, his vision was filled with the fabric of a dark colored skirt which forced him to look up, then he froze.
Aniyah stood in front of Iruna's desk, a hand on her hip and a hand on his desk. Her nails painted a neat crimson red to match her shirt and a flirtatious smirk on her face.
"y-yeah, the older folks say it to me all the time. Thanks"
Iruna stammered out with a subtle hint of embarrassment, his crimson eyes flickering between her and the window. His tone getting lower and lower until he was just staring at her, awaiting a response.
"Wanna eat lunch together?"
Aniyah asked, much to the shock of the other students who were in the classroom during this time. Iruna's eyes slightly widened, then a look of curiosity crossed his face. He was puzzled why a student who was quick to become popular, would find the time to hang around a boy that was rejected by society.
"Uh, sure. That's cool with you dude?"
Iruna proclaimed with a slight head turn towards his only friend, who looked extremely betrayed. Knowing what the answer already was, Iruna slowly removed himself from his seat and stood up. Aniyah who was still waiting, started following Iruna with her eyes, noticing that Iruna was way taller. A towering 5'11 at just a young age of 13.
"Great! let's go somewhere quieter"
Aniyah proclaimed with a sly wink, and in the next few seconds, they were both surrounded by bundles of bushes and flowers. The area was darkened by the shading of the trees that sat tall and a calm breeze settled across the wooded area.
Suddenly, Aniyah and Iruna found themselves amongst the wooded area. A look of shock was clear on Iruna face, it was his first time positively interacting with a god system user.
"I apologize for dragging you away like that, but it's very important. Are you a newly awakened god?"
Now....
"So you knew this whole time..? And thought I knew?!. I didn't find out until five months ago...but i did have a feeling that my body was growing stronger during those years."
Iruna exclaimed in an exhausted sigh, wondering why his life suddenly took a turn. Then like a lightning strike, he came to the realization that Aniyah and likely someone else had been subtly influencing reality.
"Yes. I've been waiting for the time of your awakening because you are a threat to existence itself."
Aniyah proclaimed with a subtle but visible sadistic grin, sending a shiver up Iruna spinal cord. Iruna knew he had no choice but to show Aniyah that he was worthy of his power and conquer his fate.
"I know....but i'll show you that this system doesn't determine who I am, it's merely just a tool that will help me defy this fate. Now, ongaurd"
Iruna exclaimed in a tone of unwaivering confidence. His hands, still gripping the handle of his blade. His stance sturdy, one leg forward and one leg back, slightly bent and his sword held vertically just 3 meters apart.
"Heh...we'll see"
Aniyah proclaimed in a dismissive tone, blitzing forward the moment Iruna got ready to positon himself. In seconds, she stood beside Iruna and before anything could be said, Iruna swung his body around and delivered a vertical arching slash.
[Activating Skill: Vector Rush]
Iruna grew annoyed as Anyiah superhuman agility allowed her evade the vertical slash by a hair's length. Though, this did not deter Iruna from activating his skill the moment she evaded. The wind grew stiff in seconds, a breath not dared to breath in the presence of the two gods.
Like a fracture across glass, space tore and twisted. The ground stood no chance for the speed that reality clocked him at, generating a pressure that ripped through the spot where he stood. Effectively destroying the room they were in.
Meanwhile, Aniyah managed to gain her distance though when she stood up, she was met with a flash of soft peach skin before darkness consumed her vision and her body became weightless.