Chapter 217: Challenging the All-Father
- Arryx (Past) -
Arryx stood before a group of dwarves with one dwarf by his side. The dwarves all looked to be some combination of angry or despondent. The surrounding area was littered with the remnants of past battles. Strewn bones, chipped and rusted armor and weapons, and long-abandoned stone structures made the former battlefield look like a museum for past combats.
"Odin will give up his attempted conquest of your land if he finds it to be more trouble than it's worth," Arryx explained to the group of dwarven soldiers. "One battle with considerable losses is the first step to convincing him. Fight as defensively as you can. Defend yourselves as though the battle will be instantly won if you simply hold out."
"And you'll be sniping?" one dwarf mocked.
"At first," Arryx smiled. "I wouldn't dare ask soldiers to do what I cannot or would not. Take these."
Arryx conjured black shields and clubs. The small battalion of dwarves scoffed at first. As the shields and clubs were passed around, the dwarves tested the strength of the items. The scoffs slowly turned into curiosity and disbelief.
"I've seen hundreds of conjured weapons in my time, not a one compares to these."
Arryx continued his strategizing. "We will maximize the enemy casualties while all of you slowly retreat to my position," He put two fingers in his mouth and made an ear-piercing whistle. "LISTEN!"
The dwarves had been obsessively checking the shields and clubs that Arryx had conjured. The battalion all turned to face Arryx.
"NOT A STEP FORWARD!" Arryx shouted. "Not a single step forward from where this battle starts, am I understood?!"
A meek response from the dwarves caused Arryx to ask again.
"AM I UNDERSTOOD!"
"How about you win the first battle like you promised before asking this of us?" one dwarf pointed at the small force that was coming over the horizon.
"Of course," Arryx sighed. "As I said, I'd never ask soldiers to do what I cannot."
Arryx blasted forward, every step he took greatly increasing his speed. Silver armor formed over his body as he gained distance from the dwarves.
"Impressive as that speed is, he's fuckin' dead," One dwarf mocked. "Maybe against bandits, but not Odin's forces. Still," he held up the black shield Arryx had conjured, "it's such a shame a god capable of conjuring metal this beautiful is goin' to fall in battle," he looked up. "Sir?"
"By the Creation Flame," The dwarf that had been standing next to Arryx mumbled.
Arryx was tearing through the einherjar with ease. He was rapidly switching between conjured weapons as he fought. Every enemy that attempted to use magic was swiftly met with a throwing knife between their eyes. As dominant as Arryx was at mid-range, he thoroughly dismantled any soldiers that attempted melee combat with him.
"RETREAT!" the einherjar captain shouted.
The einherjar retreated, leaving Arryx to rejoin the dwarves. Arryx was holding a sword's pommel to his head and whispering.
["May all lives taken serve a greater purpose. May those unfortunate enough to face the insurmountable survive in the next cycle."]
"YOU PRAYIN' FOR THE FUCKIN' ENEMY?!" one dwarf shouted in rage.
Arryx dematerialized his sword and slowly lifted his head. "I am too powerful to not pray for those who have fallen against me. For those who will fall. I've held to my promise of winning you the first battle, now do me the favor of properly listening to my plan for the next."
"EARS READY, ALL OF YA!" the dwarf next to Arryx shouted loud enough to cause the dwarves to flinch.
"Thank you, Adam," Arryx nodded his head. "Now then, the next wave of enemies will be larger and stronger than the first, but it should also be the last. All of you will take up a defensive formation while I snipe. If at any point it seems as though the enemy will overrun you, hold your ground."
"What if we all die?" a dwarf raised a point.
"Then the rest of the battle falls to me," Arryx answered without hesitation. "Don't take that as an invitation to die, I truly wish for all of you to return to the castle with me."
Arryx went through the specifics of how the dwarves should move during the battle while he set up his sniping spot. The dwarves were bewildered by the distance Arryx would be sniping from but didn't question it after seeing Arryx shoot. The small battalion of dwarves left to meet the enemy, with the captain, Adam, staying with Arryx.
"They must all deeply care for you," Arryx said.
"One of us has to live," Adam said. "King's son and captain win that position by default, unfortunately," he looked at Arryx's conjured bow. "How'd ya think to make somethin' like that?"
"Advancements take sacrifices," Arryx said as he conjured an arrow and pulled it back on the bow's string. "As a smith myself, using a bow that's worthless after one shot still feels wrong."
Arryx loosed the arrow from his bow, and the metal string of the bow went slack as a large crack formed on the bow's limbs. Arryx dematerialized the bow and immediately conjured a new one. In the far distance where the dwarves were fighting the einherjar, one of the einherjar captains was hit in the skull by Arryx's arrow.
"ARCHER!" an einherjar yelled.
"WHERE?!" an einherjar shouted.
Another one of Arryx's arrows pierced an einherjar's head. The dwarves' formation held strong as they continued to bait the einherjar's advance. The dwarves had yet to strike down a single enemy with the only casualties for the einherjar coming from Arryx's arrows.
"WHERE IS THAT BASTARD?!" a dwarf shouted with fake fear in his tone.
"WE ONLY PAID HIM ENOUGH FOR THE FIRST BATTLE!" a dwarf replied.
Arryx's distant attacks started to slow down.
"THE SNIPER'S AMMO IS LOW, RETREAT!" a dwarf shouted.
"DON'T TURN YOUR BACKS!" another dwarf feigned running in to attack. "GO! I'LL HOLD THEM FOR AS LONG AS THE SNIPER HAS ARROWS TO FIRE!"
"Ivar," Arryx said. "For as long as I live, your name will be held in the highest regards."
Arryx's attacks slowed further until eventually, they stopped. Ivar the dwarf, with the help of the club and shield Arryx had provided, managed to take a handful of einherjar with him before falling. As the dwarves did everything they could to stall the enemy's chase, one of the einherjar commanders shouted.
"FINISH THIS! DO NOT LET A SINGLE ONE GET AWAY!"
Arryx took a deep breath and conjured a new bow with a different design from his previous one.
"Ye are him aren't ye?" Adam asked.
"Who?" Arryx replied as he conjured three arrows and rapidly fired into the crowd of einherjar.
"[War]," Adam grinned.
"I'm," Arryx rapid-fired five more arrows into the einherjar forces, "his bastard."
Arryx was firing off a near-constant barrage of arrows into the einherjar forces. The dwarves kept retreating despite the urge to push their enemy's crumbling forces.
"Convincing lie," Adam huffed. "Unfortunately for ye, my family was obsessed with the Rider known as [War]. Yer shorter, yer not wearing black armor or wielding yer famous halberd, but I know enough of yer history to connect the pieces."
"You think you do," Arryx's tone warned. He continued his barrage while talking, "The only two [Riders] left are Death and [Life]."
"'Course," Adam stared in awe at the battle before him. "S'pose it makes sense that anyone related to the [Riders], family or otherwise, would want to keep that relationship a secret."
Before the einherjar commanders could call for a retreat they were shot in the mouth. Only a few dozen einherjar soldiers were left to run away as the dwarves shook the ground with their roar of victory. As the dwarves excitedly ran up to Arryx to celebrate, Arryx conjured a sword and held the pommel to his head as he walked.
["May the fallen find peace in the next cycle. May we never be enemies again. May all the bloodshed feed a better future."]
"I'd pray for 'em too," one dwarf laughed. "That hail of arrows was a site to see!"
"This battle is over," Arryx said solemnly. "We can celebrate once we're off the battlefield."
The dwarves wanted to argue but none could find the courage. All of them had witnessed a miracle by Arryx's hands. Some stayed quiet out of fear, some of out respect, some even joined Arryx's prayer. None were as enamored with Arryx as Adam however, who lowered his head to hide his massive grin.
- Odin (Past) -
A man with long gray hair and an eyepatch grimaced as a war report was read to him. The messenger repeated the words "Lord Odin" throughout the report as their voice grew shakier.
"Multi-conjuration," Odin huffed. "Just another fucking obstacle," he stood up with a grunt of disappointment, "this problem has grown beyond its worth."
"W-we've also received a message from the mysterious soldier in question," The messenger reported. "He wishes to meet with you for a personal duel. [H-h-hunter rule] at that."
Odin's smile went wide as he cut his hair with a blast of lightning. "ACCEPTED!"
- Arryx (Past) -
A mess of sound and spit filled the air as a group of dwarves shouted at Arryx. Arryx had told them about his plan to duel Odin with the [Hunter's rule] in place. The only dwarf not shouting was Adam. Adam scratched his beard and drank casually while the other dwarves continued their outrage.
"We left that fuckin' territory because that insane piece o' shit has lost his fuckin' mind. The only reason we were able to get away was because of [Fury] and [Life's] assault on Valhalla. Yer walkin' into a fuckin' trap."
"I'm aware of your history," Arryx sighed. "But unless your kind have plans to move to a territory that's further away, this problem needs to be handled sooner rather than later."
"Can ya win?" Adam asked.
"Maybe," Arryx shrugged. "The point of the duel isn't to win though, it's to send a message."
"Well fuck 'im up!" one red-faced dwarf shouted.
All the dwarves cheered after the drunken dwarf's comment.
"What weapon do ye want after winnin' against the one-eyed tyrant?" another dwarf asked.
"This," Arryx conjured a polearm with a long curved blade.
"What's the markings on your arms fer?"
Arryx looked at the white spiral pattern snaking around his arm. "The markings on the arms represent burdens we create," he dematerialized the polearm and lifted his shirt, revealing a similar pattern on his back, "while the markings on the back represent the burdens we carry," he lowered his shirt. "The spiral pattern is meant to represent [The Cycle]."
"S'too much s'too much," the drunken dwarf shakily shook his head. "We'll get in...in ta all that later. Fer now, CELEBRATION!"
Adam whispered to Arryx, "What do ye mean 'we'?"
"Later," Arryx raised his mug. "TO THE CREATION FLAME!"
The room shook with the roaring cheers of the dwarves.
- Odin and Arryx (Past) -
Arryx looked out across the open plain before him. A faint blue glow adorned the air as borders of light formed an arena. Odin stood across from Arryx wearing black armor, carrying a large black battleaxe. The handle of the battleaxe adorned a long chain with many runic carvings in each link
"You ever die?" Odin asked Arryx. "Humbling at best, mind-rending at its worst."
Depends how one defines death," Arryx answered solemnly. "
Odin clicked his tongue, "One of those types, huh? Well, best of luck."
Arryx and Odin entered the blue-tinted field. Odin continued past Arryx. Odin lifted his palm to his head.
"Two truths that remain absolute in this field," Odin's hand began to crackle with lightning. "Nothing that dies stays dead."
A powerful bolt of lightning left Odin's palm, blasting a scorching hole in his head. Within seconds, before Odin's body could fully crumple to the ground, time appeared to reverse as Odin returned to his original position, unharmed.
"Secondly," Odin placed his palm toward the border of the field, "no magic created within this space can leave." Another bolt left Odin's palm, disappearing instantly as it hit the border of light. "Simple truths, proven a thousand-thousand times, but every being new to this field is always so doubtful."
"I wasn't, but thank you," Arryx said.
"I find it endlessly curious," Odin lifted his axe over his shoulders, "someone capable of handling a battalion of my einherjar alone kowtowing to dwarven royalty?"
Arryx conjured two swords, "The throne will be abdicated to me after I defeat you in this duel."
Odin laughed, throwing his head back as he did, "I should hope that pitiful reward doesn't require your victory against me?!" he sighed with satisfaction, "If for nothing else, at least I got a good laugh today."
A being outside the field called for the two to start. Odin didn't move initially, willfully taking a strike from one of Arryx's swords. The speed, weight, and precision of Arryx's strike told Odin everything he needed to know. What followed was a back-and-forth of Odin shooting bolts at Arryx before Arryx would inevitably close the distance.
'He's watching my palms,' Odin thought as Arryx dodged his bolts. 'Let's not waste any more time.'
Odin charged at Arryx. Odin brought his axe down with incredible force, shaking the ground as Arryx dodged out of the way. Arryx immediately ran back in, throwing away his swords and conjuring a war hammer. Odin blocked Arryx's swing, being launched back in the process. The fight would eventually end, Arryx standing over a laid-flat Odin, two swords ready to scissor off Odin's head.
"I underestimated you," Odin said casually. "If you'll do me the honor of another match, I'd like to prove that I'm not some rusted blade."
"Fine," Arryx dematerialized his swords. "As many times as this takes."
- Lucifer (Past) -
"NO ANGELS!" One giant man yelled at Lucifer.
"I'm aware of that," Lucifer rolled his eyes, "but this is the only current way to get to Helheim. The waters are currently locked down due to Leviathan conflicts,"
"NO! ANGELS!" the giant being interrupted.
"The All-Father that scared of my kind?" Lucifer mocked.
"Excuse me!" A Valkyrie flew over. "You wanna say that again tiny bird?"
The Valkyrie stood a half-meter taller than Lucifer. She leaned over him, looking down with a mixture of anger and attempted intimidation.
"I'm not a human," Lucifer said. "If I'm not intimidated by him," he pointed his thumb at the giant man, "what makes you think you're going to accomplish anything?" he scoffed, "Though I guess the Valkyries are used to accomplishing nothing."
The Valkyrie lifted Lucifer by his collar so that the two were eye-to-eye. "Do you understand where you are? Do you have any idea of how little your position as a Warden of Hell means here?"
"'bout as little yours, right?" Lucifer insulted.
The Valkyrie dropped Lucifer and chuckled. "All right, I suppose Sister would be willing to make an exception for you. Follow me, Fallen."
Lucifer clenched his jaw and didn't respond. Eventually, the two arrived at what seemed to be a training ground. Multiple Valkyries were intensely training until Lucifer was noticed. Everything seemed to stop at the training ground as the Valkyries burned their stares into Lucifer.
"I'm just trying to get to Helheim," Lucifer said in a monotone voice. "I understand that Lord Odin has a rule against angels, but I thought I might be given an exception."
In moments a large crowd of Valkyries were crowded around Lucifer. Some asked him questions about the world, some insulted him for being an angel, but among all the chatter the most common thing said was a request for a duel.
"Accepted," Lucifer sighed. "If I win every duel, you let me go so I can travel to Helheim, agreed?"
"What's in it for us?" One Valkyrie asked.
"The satisfaction of beating me?" Lucifer shrugged. "I don't know, what do you want other than that?"
Most of the Valkyries were in agreement with Lucifer's suggestion. While the group tried deciding who would go first, Lucifer thought about alternative options for getting to Helheim.
'The Leviathans might have been easier to negotiate with. If Jormungandr wasn't on the opposite end of the fucking world I could've gone through him to reason with the others but no~ he had to be asleep for another decade. Odin surely received the message that I would be travelling to Helheim so maybe I should wait until-'
"I'll be first, little bird," one Valkyrie said.
"Fine," Lucifer groaned. "Weapons or hand-to-hand?"
"Hand-to-hand," the challenging Valkyrie answered. "Until the Eternal Battlefield is available that is."
"You think this is going to take that long?" Lucifer mocked.
Lucifer's constant insults didn't stem from any particular hatred toward the Valkyries, but more from his irritation with his current obstructions. Lucifer entered the stone ring with the Valkyrie and put his hands up.
"The little bird doesn't look like he's ever thrown a punch," One Valkyrie mocked.
As the fight started all the Valkyries wore smug grins of satisfaction as Lucifer took two hits for every one he landed. The grins started to fade as Lucifer stood tenaciously while his opponent began to slump. Lucifer traded another blow with his opponent, knocking her to the ground unconscious.
"Next," Lucifer spat out a tooth.
"He looks worse than Sister," One Valkyrie commented.
One of the Valkyries stepped into the ring and healed the unconscious Valkyrie. The healer then walked over to Lucifer, hesitating for a moment before putting her hand on Lucifer's shoulder.
"It's more than you deserve," The healer commented.
"Feel free to stop," Lucifer bit back.
What followed was Lucifer fighting and beating a growing number of Valkyries. A short intermission had to be called so the fighting ring could be cleaned after Lucifer and his opponent started slipping on blood.
"I already fought you!" Lucifer shouted.
"I want another chance!" the Valkyrie proudly proclaimed.
What Lucifer thought would be a few dozen matches turned into a few hundred. Every Valkyrie asked for at least three rematches with some taking ten or so turns in a row. Normally, Lucifer would have argued that he only needed to beat each opponent once, but by the twentieth match, he had lost himself to his combat instinct.
"You sure your kind can die?" one Valkyrie asked before dumping a bucket of water over her bloodstained body.
Every Valkyrie at the training ground was stained with blood, mostly Lucifer's, panting with exhaustion. They all shared a light chuckle as they watched Lucifer ready himself for another match.
"We're done!" a Valkyrie shouted to Lucifer. "We'll get someone to guide you to the border."
"Thank you!" Lucifer shouted sarcastically. "Sorry to those of you whose eyes I tore open. I know how awful eyes are to have healed."
"Disappointing," Odin said as he walked into the training ground. "One angel? Really?!"
"Archangel," Lucifer said.
Odin growled with anger as he cut his long hair with a bolt of lightning.
- Lucifer and Odin (past) -
"You'll be given your guide to the Helheim border after our match," Odin said.
"Fine," Lucifer responded.
Odin scowled. "Does any one of your kind know how to be respectful?"
"Communication was attempted," Lucifer said. "Echoes, messengers, all the usual proper channels were attempted."
"Surprised you didn't bring your Father," Odin said. "I assumed your kind couldn't do anything without his permission."
"I'm a fallen," Lucifer responded. "I'm sure you have a lot to say about my Father, feel free to do so, but don't expect any anger from me in response."
Odin looked down at Lucifer. "Angels are a disappointing imitation of valkyries, so I can only imagine how pathetic their outcasts must be."
"And the Valkyries I just beat?" Lucifer inquired. "What of them?"
"That's not proper combat," Odin denied. "If there's anything of note about your kind, it's the ability to take a punch."
Odin and Lucifer mostly stayed quiet during the rest of their travel. The two eventually arrived at the Eternal Battlefield. Odin stepped in first and waved Lucifer over. Lucifer knew about the Eternal Battlefield and how it functioned but was still surprised by Odin's lack of explanation.
"No weapon?" Lucifer asked Odin.
"Please," Odin sneered. "I'm not doing this out of respect for your supposed strength. You can call the match when you're ready."
Lucifer conjured his wings and called the start of the match. Odin shot over to Lucifer in a blast of speed, placing his palm in front of Lucifer's chest, aiming for the heart. A blast of lightning burned a hole clean through Lucifer. As Odin's eyes shifted upward, small flames appeared all over Lucifer's right arm. The arm ignited and a blast of fire left Lucifer's palm, engulfing Odin in flames.
Time reversed around Odin's body. Odin shook his head as the dizzy feeling of being revived flooded his senses. Odin opened his eye and was shocked to see Lucifer standing before him with the hole still in his chest.
"Are...we done?" Lucifer asked through heavy breaths.
"I want another match," Odin said with curiosity.
Lucifer screamed in his head.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Gama_Ser
Gama_Ser Chapter Fact #152
There are numerous means to rapidly grow one's hair in the Otherworld.
"There's a lingering mana on the hair after the use of the potions. Not something most, if any, beings would care about, but for demons and the Fae it can make certain territories more...obnoxious."
- Satan
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone