Dxd: A demon Among Devils
Chapter 50: [50]:xyz

Chapter 50 - [50]:xyz

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And then the surge of power was there. Surrounding him, engulfing him with its demonic taint. From his mind it poured forth, blasting out from his conscience in an almighty rush.

"Persona."

The ground shook.

PAIN.

A gigantic hand rose from the earth. Its skin was a charred mess of blackened hide and crimson flesh. Streams of molten magma ran down its surface like veins.

AGONY.

The tips of its fingers were claws of obsidian. They smote into the ground, thick digits digging for purchase. The pavement around them warped and buckled as they were assailed by waves of unbearable heat.

MY WRATH COURSES THROUGH THE CAVERNOUS DEEPS.

The head emerged. A bestial, demented thing. Eyes that were smoldering orbs of fire stared out from sunken, cadaverous sockets. Curved, spiral horns reached out from the sides of its cruel visage, each horned obtrusion dangling with bronze rings. The mouth opened, like the stony rim of a volcano, with teeth of jagged stalactites and a tongue of roiling lava.

MY RAGE CRACKS THE CRUST OF THE EARTH.

The rest of the body came next. A mountain of scorched flesh and warped muscle, ragged and discolored. It exploded up from the ground, using the hand embedded into the pavement as an anchor. Long, scar-like fissures across its torso leaked hissing rivulets of molten fire, dribbling to the ground like rain. Where they landed the earth bubbled and sizzled as raw heat ate into their surface and carved porous holes into their bones.

THE WORLD QUAKES AT THE FALL OF MY STEPS.

The other arm wrenched itself loose, surging forth in a fiery arc of falling rock and flaming debris. It smashed into the pavement, alongside the first, and using both, it heaved itself up, dragging its full form free to stand on backward-jointed legs.

ITS WRETCHED DENIZENS COWER IN THE WAKE OF MY TREAD.

It took a step forward. The earth groaned in agony. The very surface split and fractured where the monstrous, clawed foot crushed. From those cracks, plumes of lava erupted, streams of liquid fire spitting from the sundered ground, leaving volcanic ash thick and choking in the air.

AT LONG LAST I HAVE BEEN SET LOOSE UPON THIS PLANE.

Nidhogg had been gargantuan in size. Its reptilian form when materialized had taken up a considerable portion of the clearing. This one towered above even that. Its demonic shape loomed over them all, a massive, titanic thing of brooding anger and unholy hatred.

AND ALL SHALL BURN BEFORE THE FIRE OF MY WINGS.

Pinions of shadow burst from its back, wings of midnight black that seemed to drink in all light. Throbbing, orange veins grew from the darkest places and extended until they covered the span of each like a fiery web.

I AM BELIAL, LORD OF SHADOW AND FLAME.

The Archdemon let loose a deafening roar, a sonic boom of discordant noise that threatened to burst their eardrums from sheer intensity. The air around its open mouth cackled and warped, twisting and distorting in visible patterns. The ball of living flame that was a gathered Maragidyne pulsated in its jaws.

AND I HAVE COME FORTH TO UNRAVEL YOUR PITIFUL, MORTAL, EXISTENCE.

Author's Note: Yes, I know. I'm evil. That being said, please review! Going through your reviews motivates me and gives me the inspiration to continue writing the next Chapter.

I thought I might as well use these author's notes to tackle some things about this story that people have asked me about and some things that haven't been asked and I want to get out of the way. If people find these note sections to be interesting, I'll continue adding them in.

The most important thing that I try to have in not only this fic, but in all my stories, is strong characterization. The people that you read about should feel like real people, and their flaws and strengths should be exhibited if not immediately but gradually as you read on. The conversation should also flow naturally, and should reflect the nature of the situation. Hopefully, I've been successful at that.

Now, a lot of people have complimented me about presenting Minato's character that is relatable and matches with the canon in the lore. I'm really happy about that. The one thing I strive for in this story is to have a Minato that is as close as possible to the Protagonist that everyone remembers from Persona 3. If you're reading this fic, and the impression you're getting of Minato is the same character that you've played from the game, then awesome, I've succeeded in my goal. That applies for the DxD cast as well. I try to keep their character as close to canon as possible and if you're going through the Chapters and think "heh, that's something Kiba/Akeno/Rias/Issei would do", then high-five, I've done my job as an author.

I think the hardest part about merging these two universes together is the glaring contrast in terms of atmosphere. If you played Persona 3, then you know that the game is rather dark, and continues to get dark until you get to the end. Compare that to High School DxD, which is a lot more lighthearted and comedic in value, and you can see some of the problems arising already. Some of that difference is reflected in the way Minato thinks, when he encounters something that wouldn't really happen in his world, but is seemingly normal in the DxD verse and he kind of just goes "what in the world is wrong with you people?" All of that is intentional, and as this story goes on, you'll see less and less of that as he acclimates himself to the world around him.

Another thing I want to bring up is how this story is presented. Minato is an unreliable narrator. Let's just get that out of the way first. For all intent and purposes, he is an incredibly powerful being, but he isn't omnipotent. He's very intelligent (he would have to be to gain Mitsuru's interest) but he still makes mistakes. So when you're reading through the sections, and you come across a part that makes you go "wait, that really doesn't jive with DxD lore/canon", it probably is left there intentionally because Minato either guessed wrong or made an incorrect comparison between something from his world and the new one he was placed in. That being said, please do correct me if you think I've made a mistake in the lore or canon. At worst it turns out to be something that's covered in the next Chapter, and it's a moot point and at best I actually did make a mistake and can fix it to continue preserving the continuity.

The last thing I want to mention is Minato's personality. Some people have commented on Minato being apathetic or emotionless, and quite frankly I think that interpretation of him really cheapens what I think is an extremely complex character. While you can argue that the Protagonist is apathetic and hollow at the beginning of the game, towards the end that interpretation goes out the window when he finally ascends the steps of reality to fight Nyx. It's not apathy that helps him ward off the End of Creation. It's the bonds he created with the people around him, the friendships he forged among the members of SEES, his love for humanity that finally gave him the strength to create the Universe Arcana and seal Nyx away.

Is Minato the silent type? Sure. Does he prefer to remain quiet? Undoubtedly. Can he be a bit curt and to the point when speaking? Of course. But being silent, quiet, and to the point doesn't necessarily make you apathetic. It just makes you silent, quiet, and to the point.

Thanks again for hearing out my thoughts and please review! Hopefully I'll be able to churn out the next Chapter in significantly less time.

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