Prologue: The Ancient World

A/N: Hello, guys! I just want to say that this is purely made from imagination. I've taken references from Filipino Mythology to create this story. If you guys are wondering, this is a fan fiction crossover between Juan Dela Cruz and Highschool DxD. If you're wondering about Juan Dela Cruz, just Google it, and you'll see what it is.)

---- This chapter is written by Void-King ---

Earth, the birthplace of the Human Race, a highly intelligent sentient beings capable of achieving great feats.

Earth was a world where humans dominated society, but living amongst them were supernatural beings. They existed even before the human race evolved into what they are today.

Devils, angels, dragons, yokai, gods, and many more are real. They hid themselves from the human race because they are aware of the capabilities of humans.

The world of the supernatural is ruled by pantheons and many different mythologies such as Greek, Egyptian, and many more. They extended their reach to different parts of the Earth, ruling the land in secret.

But there is one place where even the gods have no knowledge of.

3,070 km from the Land of the Rising Sun, an archipelago isolated by a huge body of water lays 7,000 islands that belong to a single country known by the nickname "Pearl of the Orient."

A place known for its natural beauty and also a place that is full of mystery.

This place is the Philippines. This country existed long ago, and it is even mentioned in the Bible.

This land was ruled by Philippine pantheons with multiple gods, such as Bathala, the Supreme God of the Philippine Pantheon, Mayari, the Goddess of the Moon, Apolaki, the God of the Sun, just to name a few. They ruled this land for a long time, all to protect a secret that should never be known to the outside world.

If the supernatural world is afraid of the battle between the Red and White Dragon Emperors, the Philippine pantheons were only afraid of two things. The first is the awakening of two mythical beings known as Bakunawa and Minokawa, two cosmic entities feared even by the Infinity and the Apocalypse Dragon.

And the second thing they feared is the battle that will take place if these two mythical beings awaken from their slumber.

It is said that the world was once a beautiful place. The world possessed pure magical energy, seven moons, and only one continent.

But everything changed after those two awakened from their slumber. The Minokawa, a gigantic immortal bird said to live on the sun, its razor-sharp claws can cut anything, even the hardest steel or the most powerful barrier that could be cast. Its wings were said to be big enough to cover the entire world with its feathers.

On the opposite side was the Bakunawa, a serpent-like dragon said to be able to eat the entire moon.

In ancient times, it is said that the Bakunawa alone ate six of the seven moons, but there is more to it than just eating.

Long ago, these two beings clashed against each other. Their battle was so intense that it destroyed six of the seven moons of Earth. Its single continent was split into seven, and the magical energy that was on the Earth's surface depleted to almost nonexistent.

Their battle lasted for a whole month, and what was left of Earth was a scorching place depleted of life.

But as time passed by, this scorching place was able to recover. Although it wasn't the same as before, this new place was able to bring life back to the world.

After millions of years, the very first sentient life of this new world was born. After that, life continued to thrive in this new world, and the supernatural world was also the same.

With this evolution continuing to move forward.

***

August 22, 2028, Philippines

In its capital city of Manila, its city streets were filled with pedestrians and cars of all shapes and sizes.

In such a crowded place, a girl with short black hair tied in a ponytail with two side bangs, wearing a tank top shirt and shorts with black boots, was seen chasing a single man.

"Oi, bumalik ka dito!"

(Translation: Hey, come back here!)

"Buwisit, ang bilis naman tumakbo ng babae na 'to."

(Translation: Damn it, why is this girl so fast at running?)

After a while of running, the girl managed to catch the guy and pinned him down to the ground.

"Huli ka! Sumama ka sa'kin sa presinto."

(Translation: Got you! Come with me to the police station.)

"Shit."

The girl then dragged the man to the nearest police station. Once she arrived, police officers immediately greeted her.

"Reika, I told you catching criminals is the responsibility of us cops, and you know that your parents will blame me if something happened to you."

"I'm sorry, Uncle John, but I happened to run into him on my way home, so I just chased him," Reika said with a carefree attitude.

John only sighed in resignation since he knows that Reika has been like this ever since she was a child. She was a brash kid and rude to those she doesn't know, but she was kind to those people she knows. She also had a strong sense of justice and would always help anyone that needs her help.

John knows that maybe this attitude was inherited from her father with the same attitude.

"I'll be going home now, Uncle. I'll see you later," Reika waved and headed home.

Once she arrived, she was greeted by her grandparents, Juan and Rosario.

"Lola, Lolo, mano po."

(Translation: Grandma, grandpa, bless.)

She took their hands and put the back of their hands on her forehead. This was a tradition in the Philippines and also shows respect for the elderly.

"You're home early!" her grandmother said.

"Well, I have nothing else to do outside, so I decided to go home and rest," Reika replied.

"I see. Then go ahead and rest. Your mother and father will arrive here tomorrow," Juan said.

"I see. Then I'll go ahead and sleep in my room."

Reika went to her room and lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, and thinking about her childhood. She was born into a wealthy family. Her father was Filipino, and her mother was Japanese. Due to their business being here in the Philippines, she was raised in this land.

Until one day, her mother and father decided to move to Japan. They wanted to bring her with them, but due to some circumstances, they couldn't bring her. As a result, she was left in the care of her grandparents, Juan Dela Cruz and Rosario Dela Cruz. These two were her guardians and were there when she was just a child.

She grew up as a good person due to their guidance, and she was also told by the two about many different things. But what interested her the most was the legend that her grandfather always told her.

The legend of the Tagabantay or Guardian. Her grandfather used to tell her a story about the Guardians of the Iron Cross who fought off evil spirits such as Aswang, Duwende, Kapre, and many more. In his story, it is said that the Tagabantay are people chosen to wield the Iron Cross.

This Iron Cross or Bakal na Krus in Tagalog holds the power to manifest different weapons. But her grandfather said that in all of history, there are only six weapons that the Iron Cross has been recorded.

And those weapons are the Sword of Bravery, Bow of Wisdom, Whip of Justice, Spear of Valor, Shield of Aptitude, and its most powerful weapon, the White Light. A magical energy capable of erasing any evil beings that lurk in the unknown.

Her grandfather also said that their ancestors were Guardians from Datu Banaraw, the First Guardian; Riroy, the Guardian during the arrival of Americans; Julian Dela Cruz, also known as "the old tagabantay"; Amelia, the first and only female tagabantay.

Reika remembered those stories, and ever since childhood, she was fascinated by such stories. In her mind, she was hoping to see that said weapon.

She also remembered the time when she asked where the Iron Cross was. Her grandfather would always say that the Iron Cross was nothing but a legend and that it didn't really exist. With those thoughts in mind, Reika Dela Cruz went into slumber.

***

In an isolated place, an Iron Cross was on the wall and was glowing white, signaling the need for the new guardian for this generation.

-To be continued-

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