Within the dim, violet lights of the laboratory, a portal composed of black magic opened in the middle. Artemis crossed and closed the vortex behind himself. He then snapped his fingers to turn on the lights to reveal the white walls covered on boards with gribbles on them as well as numerous holograms and machinery as far as the eye could see.

"Ah, home sweet home." He stretched his arms behind his back, walked further into the space, and glanced at one of the hologram screens, swiping his finger and passing through different information.

'Will you tell us what your plan is now?' Goliath questioned.

"I plan to wait," he scrolled across the holograms with his hands.

'Are you serious?' Kuro growled in annoyance.

'I see you still are lacking in patience,' the lion chuckled cheekily.

'Quiet, you old cat.' The dragon scowled.

"Gentlemen, let's not turn my mind into a battlefield," Artemis interjected, his hands resting on his back. He maintained his calm, pacing around and humming as he observed the holograms.

Kuro grumbled and quieted down, the tension in the air thick and palpable. 'You didn't answer my question. Are we seriously just going to wait for the gods to notice this fool is gone, and they do something about it?'

Artemis chuckled a bit. "Oh, my dear associate. You underestimate the god's desire for control. As soon as they notice that the mortal realm is no longer no man's land, they'll do anything to have it beneath their greed-filled gaze."

'Is that why you let Muramasa go back to the Takamagahara?' Goliath questioned.

"Precisely," Artemis turned around with his hands on his back. "With his intel, they would know I hold your power within myself. It's only a matter of time before they send their regards."

After he finished those words, a golden projection emerged behind him. 'Demon child Artemis,' an ethereal voice resounded among the room's walls.

"Right on cue," He grinned and turned around once more. "That is indeed me, to what I owe this communication?" his tone was formal, yet with a knowing energy to it.

'The Takamagahara has been informed you possess the mortal realm's possessed beast. State your intentions immediately,' the voice responded, each word making the hologram glow momentarily.

"Now, now. I believe this is no way to speak about such an important matter," he said, placing his hand on his chest. "If you'd holiness be so kind to allow, it'd be delighted to explain in person."

The holographic light remained silent for a couple of seconds. '... proposition accepted.' With that, the shimmers expanded until they created a star-bright gate—the entrance to the realm of the gods.

Artemis grinned with a low chuckle as he watched the sparks brightening. "Splendid." He stepped inside, the portal closing as soon as he crossed. Yet even then, the holograms continued to shift and scroll around.

On the other side, Artemis witnessed the light of the heavenly realm. The wraithlike cloudy landscape and otherworldly structures compose a pearly metropolis as nothing imaginable in the demon realm.

The

"Huh, they have a favorite color," he mumbled as he walked ahead.

"Greetings, demon child." An angel bowed before him, or as they are better known in this realm, Hiten. He stood up and turned around, "Follow me; the high court wishes to speak with you."

"I would assume so. That's what I suggested." Artemis followed him; as he advanced, he could see the celestial citizens passing by, both Hiten and female angels, better known as Tennyo. Their eyes followed him as if he were a strange animal that broke out of containment.

'Heh, they are terrified,' Kuro snickered.

'Naturally, they most likely never saw a demon this close before,' Goliath reasoned.

'Not important at the moment,' Artemis responded while he glanced forward, his expression not changing a bit from the alienating realm of the celestial citizens. Eventually, they reached a tower, marble pillars sustaining a pearl structure that went higher than the sky could see.

The Hiten placed his hands together in a praying position, getting on his knees and leaning his forehead on his hands. After muttering a small chant, the doors opened to reveal a spacious chamber, way more than it had appeared on the outside. In there, blackened figures could be seen, astral projections of the higher gods.

Regardless of that, their presence was still as imposing as nothing that the boy had ever experienced. However, more than impressed, Artemis seemed irritated at the absence of the high ranks, "Of course..." he mumbled while following the Hiten inside.

Artemis entered the room with his hands on his back. "Greetings, members of the high court." He bowed his head. After that, he stood back square with his hands behind his back. "Such an honor to make your acquaintances,"

The dark figures looked down at them. It wasn't easy to discern who they were, especially with none of them resembling any of their known depiction, merely looking like barely humanoid shadows.

"Demon child Artemis. You've taken possession of the mortal realm's fundamental beast." One of the figure's eyes glowed as an echoing, booming voice resounded, authority and professionalism marked on it as one. "State your intentions."

"of course," He dusted himself off as he started pacing around the end of the table. "My intentions with the Behemot Lion's power are pretty simple, to be frank. I merely want to establish peace between the Jigoku and the Takamagahara, but you simply would not accept an audience with a demon," He shook his head calmly.

"So, the only logical step was to become the supreme leader of the mortal realm to get your attention." He turned around to face them with a carefree smile. "Does that interest you?"

The shadowy presence remained silent for a few seconds. "Proceed."

Artemis' smile widened mentally. "Perfect." He opened his hand, showing a hologram that projected what appeared to be a contract. "I have had a conference with the leaders of the Jigoku. They are willing to accommodate a peace treaty for a single condition. They want to sign that the Takamagahara is open for cooperation." He turned back to them, "With an artifact of the gods as proof, everything should fall into place."

"RIDICULOUS," another echoing voice announced as the doors slammed open. Artemis turned around to see a tall man with red samurai armor, a steel circle with drums attached to it floating on his back, his eyes golden, his hair long and black, and his skin white.

God of thunder and lightning: Raijin.

"A demon cannot be allowed to speak in the haven's high court!" He pointed at Artemis accusingly, "He looks to deceive us!"

"Oh, goodie." He mumbled between teeth, closing his eyes in irritation before turning around to meet the thunder god. "Raijin! It is an honor," he said with an artificially respectful smile. "There are no deceptions in my words; I can assure you I only look for the best in both our realms."

"Lies!" before Raijin could protest further, a hand laid on his shoulder. It belonged to a man of the same height and skin color as the thunder god. His eyes were emerald green, just like the color of his samurai armor; on his back was a white sack that flowed, filled with wind; his hair was short and blond.

"Let's listen to what he has to say."

God of wind: Fujin.

Artemis snickered, lowering his hands and remaining on his back. "So enthusiastic for defending this realm, how noble," he swung his fingers sideways, causing the hologram to follow him. "I would be delighted to make a compromise of your liking." He snapped his fingers, and the hologram showed one of Raijin's drums. "One of your Taiko for a condition of your choice. How does that sound?"

Raijin's expression turned into a half-scowl of irritation. "What kind of insolent nonsense are you spewing out, demon child? You cannot come here and ask for a divine artifact! Who do you think you are?" He growled between his teeth. His eyes began to shimmer with trickling noises. Outside the building, clouds began to form, bit by bit covering the Takamagahara's sky as a manifestation of the lightning god's anger and indignation. Thundering noises cause small shakes in the celestial sky. His teeth gritted tightly as he looked down at him.

"Raijin. Enough," one of the figures commanded as their eyes glimmered. Their voice echoed around the entire structure and escaped into the outside to disperse the storming clouds with a titanic display of power.

"Brother, you must remain calm," Fujin told him.

Raijin furrowed his expression in anger at their words, and then he took a deep breath in resignation, returning his attention to Artemis and letting his eyes return to normal. "Very well. If you want one ofTaikoaiko, my only condition is for you to beat me in a duel."

The wind god's face slapped at this, "Brother..." he mumbled in exasperation.

Artemis scoffed mentally, 'Why am I not surprised?'

"The Takamagahara cannot allow to make alliances with weak beings," Raijin gripped his hand on a fist. "If you and the Jigoku want to earn an artifact from the gods, you must prove that you're worth it." He turned back to the shadowy figures. "What do you say, high court?"

The mysterious group closed their eyes in pondering. "It is acceptable."

"Wonderful..." Artemis mumbled, suppressing his irritation and turning around while clapping his hands. "I will accept your challenge then!" he covered his annoyance with an enthusiastic mask. "I will let you choose our playgrounds. The nighttime of today would suffice, no?"

Raijin snickered lowly while glaring at him with a challenging, forced grin. "I will be waiting for you, demon child."

"Perfect!" He turned back to the mysterious shapes and bowed his head. "High court." He added before leaving the lustrous chamber. The Hiten followed him quickly after to get him back to the mortal realm.

Later that night.

Within the endless space of the Takamagahara, Raijin stood above the clouds. His lighting spread around the area and shaped the clouds into a different landscape, creating rocks and foliage, the area terraforming until it formed a vast pine forest. The dark clouds added to the atmosphere, creating an ethereal wilderness to use.

"Brother..." Fujin looked at him, floating behind him with his arms crossed. "You do know the consequences this duel could bring you, right?" his voice was laced with concern and trepidation.

"I am well aware, Fujin," he told her as he looked down at the forest. "I will prove to our brethren that this demon brat is only seeking to destroy us." With electricity crackling in his hands, he summoned a pair of oversized drums known as bachi. "Now go. You and our brother Susano'o will see the true power of the skies.

Fujin let out a small exhale, closing his eyes, "Be careful, brother." He then dissolved into a current of air that floated away from the scene.

Seconds after that, a golden portal opened at the other end of the artificial forest. Artemis stepped out of it and glanced around, examining his surroundings and humming a bit. "A forest, huh? How original." He mumbled sarcastically, taking his hands out of his pockets.

The thunder god observed him from above through the forest, his hands gripping his bachi as his hands, lighting running through the dark clouds around him. "Face me, demon child! Let the heavens see your true colors!" he demanded, pointing one of his drums at him.

"Riveting speech!" he responded before lifting his hand. "let's see if you can reveal them." With his next sign, a technological sound could be heard behind Raijin. He turned around to see a sphere mechanical sphere floating behind him. Before he could react, the sphere opened and wrapped around his chest, bringing him down towards the forest, slamming him into the ground, and flying him through the trees.

Raijin grunted in pain as his head smashed into various trees. "What kind of contraption is this!?" he growled, putting one of his hands on it, gripping it with his free fingers, and ripping it off his chest; the machine split into two pieces that fell behind.

The thunder god landed safely on the ground, looking around with his eyes furrowing in disdain. "I should have expected nothing more from a demon! Hiding behind your gadgets like a cowardice snake."

"Oh, on the contrary, my impatient fellow." Artemis' voice resounded in the dark of the forest, his figure appearing from a dark purple shadowy mass. "I was bringing you to me; surely you didn't think about fighting me all safe from the sky," he tilted his head and grinned cheekily. "Did you?"

"You insolent child! He shouted and raised his bachi above his head. "I will show you the power of a god." He slammed one into one of Taikoaiko, and not one second later, blinding lightning emerged from the clouds, rocketing down at Artemis at a speed that rippled sound on its way.

Artemis's eyes darted up at the falling bolt. As it approached his head, he surrounded himself with dark magic energy, fading out of existence for a split second, letting the attack fall on the ground and create a blinding light that could be seen from far away.

After the light dissipated, Raijin gazed around, his hands firmly on his weapons. Smoke emerged from the lightning's landing spot. He hummed a bit and narrowed his eyes.

"Fascinating power," Artemis rubbed his chin, appearing behind him with his other hand on his back. "Track your target better next time."

Raijin's eyes widened as he heard him turning around and swiping with his bachi. "Do not speak high to me, demon child!" he growled as he watched Artemis repel his attack. His red hair had hardened and spiked up to block the weapon. After this, Artemis opened his hand, creating a stinger of demonic energy and sending it to his chest.

The lighting god used his other drum to repel the projectile, sending it flying through various trees. "What kind of tricks are these?" he scowled and slammed his bachi on his drums once more, creating thinner lightning bolts that floated toward the demon child. As he faded away to avoid them, Raijin turned around, intercepting his reappearing place and smacking his stomach with the drum. "Away with you!"

Artemis' eyes went wide as he coughed out the air of his lungs at the force of the hit. But then, a sinister grin appeared on his face. "What tricks you say?" this body started to flash a purple light at an increasing interval, accompanied by rising ringing sounds. Without warning, his body produced an explosion of dark magic, blasting the god across the forest and sending him flying into a rock.

Raijin groaned in pain, holding his side and standing back up with a strained, angered expression. "There is no trick, lightning god." Artemis emerged from another shadow, circuit lights extending through his arms while dark magic shadows formed into clones of his person. A devilish smirk appeared on his face. "This is the perfect conjunction of magic and science."

The duplicates started charging at the thunder god, jumping at him from different angles. He responded by pounding Taikoaiko with his Bachi numerous times, summoning a shower of ear-shattering lightning strikes to rain upon them. The replicas created clusters around themselves with their hair, blocking the thunderous lighting smites before continuing to approach Raijin.

He let out a fierce snarl, spinning his Bachi and coating them on lighting, hitting the clones with thunderous force, each strike causing the pines around the area to tremble. But with every successful hit, the duplicates started to blink the purple light continuously, bursting into explosions of black magic energy that pushed the thunder god around the area, driving him to jump away to avoid being hit point blank by the bursts.

As he landed near a river, Artemis emerged up a shadow on the ground, machines shifting his arm, creating a high-tech piston on his elbow while his fist was covered in dark magic energy, creating a hardened clawed hand. The piston pushed his hand forward, creating extra force, and the black magic hand released a ground-shattering force that expanded wave winds across the stream.

Rajini's eyes shot up as he coughed from the unexpected strength. The hit launched him deeper into the forest and crushing through various trees. He soon caught himself in the air, snarling more and using a tree to catch himself. More replicas surged and chased after him. He jumped from tree to tree to avoid their lunges.

As they chased him, the demon child's laugh resounded around the forest, emerald and azure orbs shimmering in the dark. "what's wrong? Is the lightning god too slow?" he snarled mockingly while half of the clones formed cannons from their arms, charging shimmering pearly blasts while the others surrounded their fingers with demonic, scarlet, and black energy.

"Impudent child! You have no idea the power you're facing!" He slammed one of Taikoaiko and coated himself in electricity, moving around as a bolt of lightning and avoiding the various blasts from the replicas. At the same time, it destroyed them one by one in a blistering display of speed. He rapidly bolted away from the ensuing explosions, landing in a clearing and reforming his human appearance.

Shortly after, the soft sound of hands clapping approached. "Bravo, bravo. It seems you're not as incompetent as your lack of patience would suggest." Artemis snickered as he came from the trees.

"You are going to pay for your insolence," He glowered as he pointed one of his Bachi at him. "It doesn't matter how many tricks you try; you will never match a god's might."

"That so?" he titled his head. "I guess we should inquire on that question." He raises his hand, pointing his fingers up. "Let's see if you might overcome my methods." With that, various circular devices formed around the clearing, projecting translucid pillars that extended until the clouds. As Raijin observed his surroundings cautiously, a band of replicas formed from the shadows.

"That won't work a second time!" He declared and slammed Taikoaiko again, summoning smiting bolts from the clouds. But as they approached the arena, their direction changed to the pillars, being absorbed by the strange contraptions. "What!?" his shocked reaction was cut short by the clones attempting to blast him, making him dodge their attacks and slide away.

"It's calling a lighting rod, cloud brains." Artemis appeared behind him. The lighting god turned around and swung his Bachi at him, only for the demon child to be replaced by three clones, using their hardened manes in conjunctions to block the strike. The clones then stared, blinking purple light once more. As Raijin tried to pull away, a fourth duplicate came from behind, surrounded his leg with dark magic, and kicked him into the shadowy explosion.

As he landed on the side, he let out a pant of pain. He held his side and gritted his teeth. Smoke flowed from his armor from the combined explosions he had endured across the battle.

"Of course, a regular construction would never be able to redirect divine lighting," Artemis walked around the pillars with his hands on his back. He then glanced at Raijin. "Not without a little cooperation," he grinned as he placed his hand on his chest, letting a lion's face symbol flash briefly.

Rajin's eyes went up slightly at the realization. "The Bahamut Lion Goliat..."

"Precisely!" He chuckled a bit while he looked up. He faded out of sight for an instant; the next second, a pack of clones launched at the deity, blasting him from all angles and subsequently exploding simultaneously, making an expansive wave visible through the forest.

Artemis then swiped his fingers down, making an orb of demonic energy slam down into Raijin, bringing him down into the ground and creating a sizable hole that the demon child hopped into and leaned on one knee while he glanced at the god with a smug grin. "Riveting, ain't it?"

He snickered a little more. "You know, it's quite counterintuitive to make a duel as a test for a peace discussion." He lifted his head by his hair. "Then again, I shouldn't expect much vision from an idiotic brute like you."

Raijin growled, staring daggers as blood had started to drip from his nose. "Shut up."

Artemis chuckled mockingly. "No wonder why your brother is so ashamed of you." He added in a stinging tone. "What do you think he'll say? Or the other gods? When they find out the proud god of thunder got reduced to a pitiful loser by ... what were you called me? Demon brat?" He grinned at him, "How long do you think they'd take to disown you?"

He gritted his teeth further, his blood boiling as his hands balled into fists, lighting crackling along his blood before the forest started to shake. "I said... SHUT UP!" he shouted in anger as his eyes surged with thunder, an enormous bolt of electricity descending from the sky and reaching him, making Artemis jump away from the burst. Within the crackling light, Raijin's body twisted and shifted back on his feet, his musculature growing and his skin turning red, tusks growing from his mouth and his eyes becoming brighter golden, his armor breaking down by the size of his muscles and being replaced by silky clothes around his waist and arms—the sheer voltage of his power destroying the pillars.

The god Raijin had returned to his original form.

In the next instant, the monstrous god bolted ahead and pushed Artemis out of the hole, pushing him into the air and then summoning thunder, shoving him into the ground without giving a hand to escape, slamming him against a rock. Rajin then slammed his Bachi on the Taiko various times, causing lightning strikes to fall and blasting the clones that tried to attack from behind, making them explode in the air.

He let out small huffs and pants while he looked down at the landing place of the demon child. Artemis panted a little while he stood up. Part of his shirt had been ripped. But other than that, his body didn't seem to be too injured, smoke trails coming from some spots on his skin. "Interesting..."

Only a second later, Raijin appeared on his face, drawing his Bachi back and hitting the boy on the chin to bring him back into the sky. Quickly after, he drummed Taikoaiko repeatedly, summoning continuous thunders from which Artemis attempted to shield himself with his hair hardening and black magic energy.

This proved unsuccessful as he was pushed around the sky, with each hit piercing through his defenses, the impacts making echoing booms that pierced the sound barrier. He was then slammed on the ground once more by a hit of the Bachi, bouncing against the dirt only to be grabbed by the neck and dragged across the landscape with unrelenting force.

But even as the tables seemed to have turned, a devilish smirk appeared on his face while he let out a dark chuckle, "Oh, you are so gullible," his body started to emanate black magic combined with white breezy power. "Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaka"

Suddenly, a black aura emerged from below. The abrupt power surge expanded like an enormous geyser, making Raijin stumble back in confusion and shock, the Oni god's eyes going wide as he felt the boy's presence changing while metallic assembling could be heard. As he crossed the shadow, he revealed the dark dragon armor, which was different from the last time. One of his shoulder guards had a white lion's head composed of pearly magical metal, the same kind of armor composing his arms, gauntlets, and boots.

Titanic Draconic Lion armor. Version 1.0

'Seriously? I have to merge my essence with this fool?' Kuro grumbled.

'you're not the only one not happy about it, lizard,' Goliath snarled.

'Gentlemen, gentlemen. Now is not the time for arguing.' Artemis floated down, 'we have our questions set.' His eyes shimmered menacingly through his helmet. 'let's create a hypothesis.'

To be continued.