Against The Gods With An Anime System

"Congratulations challenger. Within these countless years, you are the eighth practitioner who has chosen to give up your strength rather than hurt the illusion of your loved one. You have earned the right to inherit the Phoenix's gift." Said the Phoenix to which Itachi reacted to by lifting his head and looking at the Phoenix Spirit and said.

"I knew it."

"Ohh....did you now? Tell me, what made you so sure about that?" said the Phoenix Spirit intrigued by Itachi's answer.

"It was just a simple bit of deduction. The villagers outside told me that you cursed their ancestor and his descendants until this very day because he committed an evil deed with your Phoenix flames. And now you're telling me to commit one of the most evil deeds imaginable in order to obtain your power. So I thought that either, you purposefully lied to me to see whether I would sacrifice my loved ones to obtain power or you were a hypocrite. And it would seem that my first guess was correct." Said Itachi.

"Hahahahaha...you just continue to surprise me. Yes, what you said was right. I did purposefully lie to you to see whether you were someone who would power obtain at any and all cost, even if you had sacrifice your loved ones for it. And I'm glad to see that you are not one of those. Which leads me to my next question. What and where was that place during that illusion? After looking through your memories to create the third trial, I know that place was called New York city in some country called America. But, where is it and why haven't I ever heard of it." Asked the Phoenix Spirit curiously.

"Simple, it's because it's not on this plane of existence. I myself do not originate from this universe. New York City was where I was borne and died, after that I met God who reincarnated me into this universe and now here I am." Said Itachi.

"You mean to tell me that you came from entirely a completely different universe, died in that universe and somehow met one of the Primordial Gods who somehow reincarnated you into this universe. That is impossible! First of all: None of the Primordial Gods have the power to reincarnate someone, much less someone from another plane of existence. And second: the only way to pass through the cycle of reincarnation is by using the Mirror of Samsara, one of the seven Heavenly Profound Treasures, and it itself cannot reincarnate someone from another universe. So either you are lying or there is something that I'm missing here." Said the Phoenix Spirit.

"Correct, you are missing something in this story. When I said God, I did not mean the Primordial Gods of this universe. I meant the God that is the One Above All, the most supreme being in all of existence. And no, I do not mean the Ancestral God. I mean the God that has created every single universe in existence, and there are an infinite amount of universes, and this God is so unbelievably strong that not even the Ancestral God herself cannot possibly hope to matchup against its supreme power." Said Itachi.

"That is impossible. The Ancestral God was the very first being to come into existence, she came into existence even before the 7 Heavenly Profound Treasures came into existence, she is the strongest being to have ever existed in the Primal Chaos Dimension. It is after her that all the other Gods, Devils and all other living beings were born from, either directly or indirectly. There is no way that there is a god that is stronger that the Ancestral God." Said the Phoenix Spirit.

"Yes you're right about that, but only on the scale of this universe and just like I said earlier. There are an infinite amount of universes and they are all created by the God who is the One Above All. And it's the One Above All who gave me a unique ability to bring powers, weapons and treasures from other universes into this one. That's what you saw me use during the trial." said Itachi.

"Ahh, so that explains all those weird powers that I saw you use during the trial. In all my years of observing the people from this Trial Grounds and during my time when I was alive I have seen many different uses of elements, but never like that and that also explains that weird power that made everything go through you like you weren't even there. But I have one last question. Why do I sense two names engraved on your soul? "asked the Phoenix Spirit curiously.

Hearing this, Jasmine became extra curious. First she saw what Itachi's own home world looked like and found out that his original name was Ray Williams and how he looked like originally which made her question the reincarnation. And now the Phoenix Spirit is saying that his soul has two names engraved on it, which should be impossible. When a person is born, their souls and body are born nameless. A name is something that a parent(s) gives to their child not just something to call them with but also as a sign of parental love, the strongest love that there is, to their child. It is because of this strongest love that the name the parent(s) give to their child is engraved upon their very soul. If Itachi has two names engraved on his soul, that must mean something else is going on.

"That is because I am Ray Williams, that you saw during that illusion, and I am Itachi Uchiha who stands before you now. I know it sounds really confusing so let me explain. You saw what I looked like in my original world. So when I was reincarnated into this world, my soul was reincarnated into this body that is from yet another world different from mine and yours. During the reincarnation process I had the chance to converse with him. It was during this time that we came to know each other and I came to know the tragic life that Itachi had led. His life was fraught with many hardsh.i.p.s that are truly heartbreaking, but he knew what he had to do no matter what and saw it through to the very end even when he was faced with many obstacles, he never wavered and never lost sight of his mission. He was a true hero that died a tragic death to protect his loved ones and his people, even when the people he protected hated him and absolutely despised him. When he told me about that I was determined to live this second life for him and make his name a synonym with the greatest of legends. So that is why I abandoned my name and took Itachi's name to make this happen. I don't care anymore if the name Ray Williams is forgotten by time. Right now, all I care about is making the name Itachi Uchiha a legend." Said Itachi.

"Hahahaha. That is quite an admirable goal you have there. If anyone else said that I would have never believed them, but you are a special case. After hearing what you told me, I believe it's truly possible for that to happen and I wish you good luck with that. Well then, let's give you your rewards now and we can talk some more later. Your rewards consist of three parts: The Divine Phoenix Blood, the Divine Phoenix Pellets and the chance to study the ." Said the Phoenix Spirit as its eyes started shining in bright golden light.

"First I shall bestow upon you the Phoenix Veins. Previously, those who had challenged the Phoenix Trial and won would be bestowed with a single drop of Phoenix blood. But looking at you I can see that you house a Heavenly Profound Treasure and truly the most indestructible set of Profound Veins of all even though they look quite normal at first glance. Those Profound Veins are even more indestructible than the Profound Veins of the Primordial Gods themselves, which I guess is a gift to you from that god you call the One Above All. So in light of that I shall bestow you with three drops of Phoenix Blood. This shall grant you the ability to become immune to fire and you shall have the ability to comprehend the fire attribute laws at twice the speed with far greater results. Especially the Phoenix Fire skills, you can wield them at three times the power compared to one who has only one drop of Phoenix Blood." Said the Phoenix Spirit as three drops of blood came down and touched Itachi between the eyes and were absorbed into him.

As the Phoenix blood was absorbed into him, Itachi started to feel burning gasoline was pouring through his veins for but a brief moment before the heat died down and the burning feeling was reduced to feeling like warm shower water was flowing through his Profound Veins. From the outside it looked like Itachi was going through an immense amount of pain the moment those drops of blood were absorbed, only to be replaced by a look of tranquility a few seconds later. The Phoenix Spirit who was looking at Itachi absorb the three drops of bloods was quite surprised. Normally it would take anyone else a few hours to even days to absorb and refine the Phoenix blood within their own Profound Veins, but Itachi took just a few second to do this.

'Must be those special Profound Veins of his. Not only are they indestructible but also capable of refining 3 drops of divine blood instantly and without any negative repercussions. This mortal, he truly has managed to surprise me more times ever since he walked in here than I have been in billions of years.' Thought the Phoenix Spirit to herself as she observed Itachi refine the Phoenix blood. A few minutes later Itachi opened his eyes and looked up to the Phoenix Spirit.

"Good, it seems that you have successfully fused with the three drops of blood, and at record I might add. Those Phoenix blood drops don't just allow you to wield the Phoenix flames, but they also increase your lifespan by at least 300 years. Now it is time for the second part of your reward, the Divine Phoenix Pellet and the ." Said the Phoenix Spirit as a white jade bottle and a piece of broken jade came down and landed in Itachi's hands.

"Inside the jade bottle is the Divine Phoenix Pellet. It can increase your control of fire energy by a substantial amount and at the same time increase your profound strength. At your current level, it can increase it by at least two levels. And the piece of broken jade contains the . And together with the [Vermillion Bird's Consoling Spirit Song], and the [Golden Crow's Record of the Burning World] they were known as the three great world scorching heavenly books. Each possesses great power capable of burning anything. That year, the Phoenix left behind the first six stages of the [World Ode of the Phoenix]. Only…"

As the Phoenix Spirit was talking, Itachi took the broken piece of jade and gave it a good look and what he found in it was just the fifth and sixth stage of the .

"It's missing the first four stages. Am I right?" said Itachi.

"Indeed, this happened a long time ago when….." said the Phoenix Spirit as it started to explain what happened. Long ago the Phoenix made two separate Trial Grounds, one at Itachi's current location and one in the Divine Phoenix Empire. The Phoenix Spirit in the Divine Phoenix Empire eventually got corrupted by the humans that surrounded its trial ground and in its corrupted state attacked the other Phoenix Spirit. In the ensuing fight the was damaged leaving it only with the fifth and sixth stage while the Phoenix Spirit from the Divine Phoenix Empire was left with the first four stages. After that the Phoenix Spirit broke all connections it had with the Phoenix Spirit from the Divine Phoenix Empire and hid itself here in the Ten Thousand Beast Mountain Range. Hearing this story, Itachi reacted by frowning and pretending to be shocked seeing as how he already knew about it.

"Huh…Well, that's quite unfortunate. To say the least. So does this mean I have to go to the Divine Phoenix Empire and take the Phoenix Trial there in order to receive the first four stages?" Asked Itachi.

"No. The first four stages of the are in the hands of the Divine Phoenix Empire. The first four stages of the have since become the treasure of the Divine Phoenix Sect. That rebellious Phoenix Spirit gave it to the Divine Phoenix Sect and helped them in dominating the continent. If you want the first four stages, you will have to go to the Divine Phoenix Empire and you will find a way to get the first four stages there somehow. If you were any normal cultivator, I would tell you to be careful once you leave the trial grounds and keep your Phoenix bloodline a secret as much as you can, because the Divine Phoenix Empire will not tolerate anyone outside of their sect having the Phoenix Bloodline. But I have a feeling that won't be a problem for you, but do be careful alright. You never know what might happen. But anyway take a seat and take that Divine Phoenix Pellet and try to study that part of the . Maybe you can get some use out of it, it's all up to you." Said the Phoenix Spirit.

Itachi took a seat, the rest gesture from the Dark Souls 3, on the ground and took out the Divine Phoenix Pellet out of the jade bottle and popped in his mouth and swallowed in one gulp. A few seconds later flames started to ignite on his body and on his clothes. But instead of the flames burning him or even feeling hot, the flames just felt comfortable. He could feel his strength raising the whole time. 10 minutes later he had already gone up a level to level 10 Earth Profound Realm. 30 minutes after that he had again gone up another level to level 1 Sky Profound Realm. And 90 minutes after that he had again gone up another level to level 2 Sky Profound Realm. After that the flames started to die down until they were completely extinguished and Itachi could feel that the Divine Phoenix Pellet was completely refined.

(A.N.: For those who have played Dark Souls 3, at the end of the game you can choose to link the flame and if you do these small flames will start to burn all across the body of the Ashen One. Same thing is happening with Itachi, but instead of becoming a Lord of Cinder he is just refining the Divine Phoenix Pellet at record speed.)

The whole time the Phoenix Spirit had been watching very carefully to see how long it would take for Itachi to completely refine the Divine Phoenix Pellet. Suffice to say that she was surprised yet again.

'This mortal, again he surprises me. Any other challenger that succeeded my trials would take at least a whole month to refine that Divine Phoenix Pellet, yet this mortal took just over 2 hours to do it. And most surprisingly of all, there was no violent reaction with his energy. Just completely calm and incredibly fast right from the very start. Truly, this mortal will stand at the peak of the Primal Chaos Dimension, without a doubt. This moment truly makes all those years' worth it.' Thought the Phoenix Spirit to itself.

After he had refined the Divine Phoenix Pellet, Itachi took out the broken piece of jade that had the fifth and sixth stage of the inscribed on it. Activating his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan he started the process of comprehending the .

"Heey Itachi or Ray. Are you trying to forcefully comprehend the fifth and sixth stages of this ?" asked Jasmine curiously after she started to feel his profound energy to become chaotic.

"Call me Itachi. I have abandoned the name Ray. And to answer your question. Yes, I am going to forcefully comprehend the fifth and sixth stages of this ." Said Itachi in a nonchalant manner.

"Have you gone mad?! How are you going to comprehend the fifth and sixth stages without the first four stages? Are you trying to go straight for the fruit when you don't even have the roots? If you try to force yourself to go….

"Done." said Itachi.

"" ...What?"" said both Jasmine and the Phoenix Spirit non being able to follow.

"I said I'm done comprehending the fifth and sixth stages. Stage five: Empyrean Dance of the Phoenix Wing. And stage six: Star Scorching Demon Lotus. I'm done comprehending them." Said Itachi nonchalantly.

"What…. But How?!?!" asked a completely shocked Jasmine.

"Sharingan and system." Said Itachi.

"What…. But…. You…. That can't… [very deep sigh]. Why do I even bother? I keep forgetting that you are not a normal being and that your very existence here in this universe is already breaking the rules. Of course you would comprehend that in an instant and not be like any other normal person that would need the first four stages first." Said Jasmine to herself in resignation to the ridiculousness that is Itachi and his instant comprehension and refining abilities.

"Challenger, tell me truth. Have you seriously comprehended the fifth and sixth stages of the ?" asked the Phoenix Spirit curiously.

"Yeah, I sure have. Take a look." Said Itachi as he performed both the Empyrean Dance of the Phoenix Wing and the Star Scorching Demon Lotus in front of the Phoenix Spirit.

"Haha…hahahahahaha….HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA!!! MAGNIFICENT!! TRULY MAGNIFICENT!! YOU ARE THE BEST CHALLENGER I HAVE EVER HAD HERE!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! MAGNIFICENT!! HAHAHAHAH!!" Yelled the Phoenix Spirit in absolute joy.

"So, now that I have your Phoenix Bloodline and have comprehended the fifth and sixth stages of the . Can you open the door so I can go now?" asked Itachi.

"HHAHAHAHA…hahahahaha. I am truly sorry challenger, but that is not possible. Only those who have failed the challenge can leave early. Normally it would take a month for normal people to refine and comprehend the so the door does not open for a whole month. I'm afraid you are going to have to wait for a whole month before you can leave. But I have one request. Meeting someone from a whole other plane of existence is a once in a lifetime opportunity for truly wondrous and new knowledge. So my request is, can you share some of that knowledge with me? Doesn't matter what it is, I would be beyond glad to receive any kind of knowledge. And to make it worth your time, I am willing to trade you for it. I will grant you my Phoenix Origin Energy." Said the Phoenix Spirit.

"Ohh....yeah sure. Even if you didn't have anything to trade for it, I would have still given it to you. Just give me a minute." Said Itachi as he entered the system to buy some books on various subjects from Earth.