(Davian's P.O.V)
One thing I hadn't expected when entering the Wizard's lair, was just how beneficial it could be for me.
Meditation while inside the Rock of Eternity came much simpler. It required no judicious effort on my side.
The Rock itself was an amalgamation of different self sustaining environments.
The numerous tunnels and halls winding around the rocky premises, led to verdant green ranges that opened up into humongous mountains capped in white.
There was also a lake full of lava, a pit with a darkness that no light could penetrate and my personal favorite...a garden that wasn't unlike Rama's with one notable exception.
Rama's garden was distinctly Asian, maybe reflecting on the culture that worshipped her. The Rock's garden in comparison was just a place of tranquility and serenity.
It had been two days since my talk with the Wizard. Two days which were spent getting used to the Cardinal Sin's abilities.
Apart from the general abilities that a basic champion of a higher power could access (though calling the Sins higher power was laughable) there were abilities like sin induction I hadn't even tested yet.
I had asked if I could try the abilities on the worst of the inmates contained within the Rock (turns out, it doubled as a prison as well) but the Wizard had refused entirely.
Left with no other choice, I did what I could, loads of meditation, visualization and Image training. And every second spent on the Garden, I could feel myself inch further up the ladder to true power.
I hadn't managed to mix the energies like I'd planned but that was okay. I didn't have to figure everything out.
Right now however, I wasn't working on Tairyoku or the demonic energy of the sins, no, I was working on what I should have during this training month in the first place.
My control over Reiryoku.
And while meditation served an important function, it wasn't that fast in helping me regain the full control I once had.
Battle on the other hand was exactly what I needed. If my soul could adapt to stress like Nick had disclosed, then pushing myself would yield better results than sitting around.
Again, there was an issue with this plan. And it was that there wasn't anyone to spar against.
I would have taken on Deadman, Shiva and hell even Doomsday once more, just to improve a smidgen. That smidgen could mean the difference between life and death.
I wasn't dumb. I knew the monumental task I was about to embark on.
That's when I'd realized I wasn't completely unlucky. There was one more sparring partner I could use. Someone who knew my powers better than even I did.
Chase.
Which is why, while my physical body was in a deep meditative state in the Garden, my Zanpakuto Spirit and I were crashing steel in my inner world.
Chesha Neko swung out at blinding speeds, headed for Chase's neck. He shifted from his humanoid form into his gigantic state, my sword bouncing off his metallic like fur.
The impact sent a ringing through my hands.
I pivoted with the motion, my fingers tracing a path of green light as I pulled on the soul of the Dimension with Fullbring.
The desert we were fighting on rumbled as the sand rose up in a wave, weeding around his legs and pinning him down to the ground.
There was no way he could escape this.
I thrust out a hand, the palm rippling with power.
"Hado 16: Hakai no ōnami. (Great wave of destruction)."
An air vortex appeared before my hands, consisting of billions of cutting winds, smaller than a thin strand of hair. It was an ability inspired by Byakuya Kuchiki's Bankai, senbonzakura kageyoshi.
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My variation didn't have any beautiful roses however, just pure destructive force.
The Hado hit, causing a cloud of sand to rise up to the air.
Following the aftermath, Chase appeared at the eye of the storm. His fur rippled with spirit energy as it had not only managed to protect him, he didn't look injured in any way.
"You're going to have to try better than that."
My Zanpakuto spirit told me with a smile on it's intimidating face.
I matched his energy with a smile of my own.
"I knew you were going to say something like that. Shikai..."
We continued tearing up the desert before I was interrupted by the summons from the Wizard.
I'd been in the middle of punting Chase away when the mental transmission had bombarded my psyche out of nowhere.
(I require you in the main library. It is time.)
******
The hallways kept shifting around during the night.
That was the only thing that made sense because I remember the way to the Library being west from the garden.
Now it was north.
I used my Reikaku to trace The Wizard's soul and then headed towards him. When I arrived at his location, it was a large chamber with tomes, scrolls and parchment.
"For a Library, you're missing an awful lot of books."
I commented.
The Wizard huffed.
"You've said that before. And I believe I told you, this library contains original works and spells from before books were invented."
"Still, actual books would be nice."
I shrugged.
"You're enjoying this. Annoying him, I mean."
Chase pointed out from my Inner World.
The Wizard sighed.
"This is why I avoid human interaction."
I chuckled, walking around the desk table, passing by rows of shelves containing yellowed scrolls and parchment to get to where The Wizard was standing.
"What is this?"
I asked in interest, managing to get a full view of what he loomed before. It was a huge basin of water.
A basin constructed out of rock with numerous inscriptions and symbols carved on it's sides.
There water within the basin was clear. The Wizard's hand hovered over it as he closed his eyes and muttered something too low for me to hear.
The water in the basin suddenly rippled. And then it changed. A scene clearer than any 4k video appeared on it's surface.
It was the view of the Earth from outer space.
"This is called the well of Fagran, a magician who lived in the 16th century. He was a rather...unscrupulous individual who used his magical abilities to create spells and practices that aided him in his perverted antics."
The Wizard answered as the scene zoomed in on a certain location in Africa.
I whistled.
"Dude was out here creating things to spy on aristocratic women."
"I did eventually catch him. I believe you passed by his cell a few halls ago?"
The Wizard said with a smile that reminded me how seriously dangerous he was.
The image zoomed past the clouds. The wide view presented from the sky showed huge Sand dunes and a desert landscape within the region of Sinai Peninsula.
A stretch of sparsely populated land which bordered the Mediterranean and the red sea.
Then finally our eyes landed on a large range of rocks that was a few hundreds of miles from the neighbouring settlement which was the capital city of Kandaqh, Shiruta.
The Rock range wasn't as abandoned as one might have expected from basically the middle of nowhere.
Infact there seemed to be a lot of activity happening down there.
"Is that smoke?"
I questioned, spotting overturned vehicles, some of which were burning, causing a smog to rise up into the air.
More indication that something big had happened was the splotches of red that I could identity as blood on the rocky terrain. That along with craters and trenches that looked like a recent addition to the region.
There was also other pieces of destroyed machinery and equipment lying around and although the view was clear, it wasn't as close to the ground as it should have been.
"Why don't you pull in closer?"
I asked the Wizard. Surely with his power...
"Then they will know someone is watching."
He replied, zooming in on the image and enabling me to spot the two figures walking towards the entrance of the crypt.
"Isn't that..."
Chased begun but I was already letting out a litany of curses.
"How can he be alive!?"
I demanded from no one.
"I take it you know one or both of them?"
The Wizard said.
"Yeah. I know both. Though for different reasons."
I replied.
He furrowed his brows, confused.
I was too. Constantine was on this Earth. It could simply be a version of him but something told me I wasn't that lucky. He was the Constantine I knew.
And the other figure, a grey skinned woman wearing a black cloak and walking with purpose towards the Crypt, sent alarm bells ringing through Nick's memories.
I was looking at Grail, Darkseid's daughter. Was this a trick by fate? After deciding I was going to murder Darkseid, destiny brings me across the path of his daughter.
It was...almost poetic in a way.
And she was powerful.
Seriously, the kind of things Nick's memories told me she could do was simply too OP.
She had Darkseid's omega effect and strength along with being trained by the fucking Amazons.
"They are the ones seeking to Awaken Teth Adam from his sleep. You will have to disapprove them of that notion."
The Wizard spoke up.
"Do this and I shall keep my part, giving you a way into Apokalips of the Fourth World."
The risk had just gone up a level. Constantine while skilled and tricky could be easily handled.
Grail on the other hand...
"Atleast now you'll get the challenge you've been looking for."
Chase commented.
It was true. And my soul vibrated with the thought of crashing against the child of a New God. Not just any New God but The New God.
I looked up, my eyes coming into contact with The Wizard's own expectant gaze.
"Do it. Get me there and I'll handle everything."