Chapitre 117: Gehenna - Gods and Mortal
This was supposed to be just another ordinary afternoon with reddish skies signaling the beginning of late afternoon, the cooler breeze that signaled the arrival of night and the birds hiding on roofs and trees to sleep.
This was just another ordinary afternoon until the sky, until then red, turned completely white and emanated a blinding light that expelled all darkness from the world for a brief moment.
Nobody knew that, there was no way of knowing it, but that glare was the banishment of the gods being lifted and it hid two gods within it, and those gods had only one aim, to fulfill Asherah's wish and kill Athena.
Not understanding what was happening, the people began to get restless. Those who did not hide and were out in the open, bewildered by the situation, had their visions obstructed by temporary blindness and despaired.
Suddenly, people felt something permeate their bodies like a warm blanket and when the sky returned to normal, the people found themselves in an unfamiliar place.
No one understood what was happening and where was this place they were now, but this disorientation was short-lived.
"Up there!" Someone yelled.
The people looked up at the sky and instantly their faces paled as they discovered where they were.
No one there imagined that they would one day return to the world their ancestors had abandoned and with fear taking their hearts, the people were about to enter a state of despair.
The reason for this fear was the unknown, they knew nothing about the world outside the floating islands. In fact, not to say they didn't know anything about that place, they knew there were demons and monsters all over that place, ready to kill and devour them, plus the hellish miasma that would kill them at best.
Yet again, they didn't know anything about that place. The demons had already been slain or had returned to hell. With the exception of a few imps, there were no other infernal creatures on that continent.
Anyway, as they despaired, they also watched the floating islands slowly crumbling with the thunderous sounds that echoed everywhere.
Then, after about three minutes of watching huge holes being made every second, they shivered in tears as a massive explosion pulverized half of what had once been their home.
***
Moments ago, after being left alone in the living room, Athena sat on the couch with Ytria's words in her mind.
(How much power would it take to open a door between dimensions then?)
The fact that her powers weren't enough to do what she wanted was absurd to Athena since she had the power to confront a god with ease.
(Unless a god isn't such a thing and I'm just being arrogant...) Athena thought, but then she thought of Michael and denied her dubious thoughts.
She didn't have to doubt her powers, she knew she was strong, but she accepted the fact that she wasn't strong enough to do what she wanted and decided to look in the Akashic Records for answers.
Athena closed her eyes and relaxed her body on the couch and was about to sink into her mind when then a shiver ran through her body and along with the shiver, she felt two overwhelming presences suddenly appear.
It was all very sudden, but Athena had already understood that what she hadn't foreseen was happening.
(Why now? I haven't even done anything to them directly yet...) Athena wondered, but there was no time to waste.
As the two presence grew stronger, without a second thought, Athena spread her mana everywhere, covering the entire empire with her conscience and using the {Mass Teleport} magic, she teleported all the citizens of the empire to the safest place she could think of at that moment.
After teleporting people to the world below, Athena teleported to the sky above the capital and faced the two people flying over the city.
"Oh my! Thanks for coming to us." Said the man. "I wouldn't want to have to search, it's been so long since I've been down here... I want to finish this and go exploring."
"Don't be impolite, Nirsa. We are her enemies, but that doesn't mean we should be rude to her." Said the girl
The man, in addition to being tall was muscular, his long hair was tied in a ponytail, his skin had a gray tone, as if painted with soot and with his eyes closed, he had a serene and animated face.
He was wearing only what Athena identified as a long, black skirt with two slits that showed the legs to the height of the belt. Also, on each of his arms were shackles as well as on his legs.
As for the girl, she had short shoulder-length red hair, her skin had a pinkish tinge and her eyes were red and sharp like a cat's.
If Athena had to choose a characterization for the girl, it would be one of those tsundere teenagers from anime. A girl who think she can solve everything with aggression.
Anyway, the girl wore blue veils to dress and although they were transparent, the veils revealed nothing of her body as they undulated over important parts. She didn't have any jewels on her body, instead she had a sword twice her size on her back.
"Why are you here?" Athena asked, buying time to analyze her opponents.
Athena and the two gods had the same amount of mana, which was surprising to Athena. She thought she would be at a huge disadvantage and was tense over it, but seeing that it wouldn't be impossible to win, Athena sighed slightly in relief.
"Fufu~ Is she relieved?" Said the man called Nirsa with very effeminate gestures. "Why are you relieved? Ah, to answer your question, we came to kill you. I don't understand why, but our mother doesn't want you to live. Fufu~"
"Oh! So I somehow stepped on your mother's toes..."
"Yea." The girl replied. "I am Redel, the martial goddess and this is Nirsa, the god of the night. We will be your executioners."
"And you don't expect me to obediently accept dying, right?" Athena plucked from her subspace the spear she had stolen from Michael. "Because I won't."
"Fufu~ Cute child, with your power, didn't even need-!!!" Nirsa was saying when Athena stopped holding back. "What is this? How do you have as much power as we do?"
"Now I understand why mother wants to get rid of you." Redel said as she put her hand on the hilt of her sword to draw it, but Athena didn't wait.
Just as Redel started to draw her sword, Athena hurled the spear imbued with the {Disintegrate} spell, which she cast without uttering, and Nirsa, laughing at the attack, stepped in front of Redel to repel the weapon.
The spear launched by Athena flew with such speed and force that it caused several explosions of air on the way to the gods and when Nirsa was about to repel the attack, the magic activated.
Realizing the magic, Redel kicked her brother away and flew to the other side, feeling several sinister shivers as a wave of energy shredding everything in the empty space around the spear that returned to Athena.
"Hm... This weapon is interesting." Athena commented as she narrowed her eyes. "It resisted the "Disintegrate" and still came back to me... I liked it."
"What are you doing Nirsa?! She is as strong as us and you want to block her attack?" Redel complained.
"Eh~ What's the problem?"
"If you can't see, then feel it and if that doesn't work either, go back!"
"Is there a problem with his eyes?" Athena asked after finishing being impressed with her new weapon.
"Right now..." Nirsa said. "Just for now, it will be night soon."
"Idiot! Why did you tell her?" Redel roared her complaint again.
"Heh~" Athena smiled. "So I just have to kill you before night falls."
After that there were no more words exchanged between them and the battle was swift and decisive.
Athena manifested Excalibur and flew straight to Nirsa, cutting off both his arms and blasting him with {Dark Blast} magic mixed with {Aura of Despair}, {Disintegrate}, {Null Resistances}, {Light Dragon Breath}, {Mana Scatter} and {Soul Prison}.
All these mixed spells created a burst hit not only Nirsa, but everything around there, sweeping Basilian off the map, or rather, destroying the entire plain where Basilian and several other cities used to exist.
However, Nirsa, who tried to block the magic even with no hands, had survived. He was badly injured, his severed arms were just scraps of flesh, his hair was missing and he was missing a leg, but he was a god and would eventually regenerate.
That is, if Athena allowed it, which would not happen. Seeing that Nirsa still lived, Athena stepped forward again and when she tried to put an end to him, Redel stepped forward and swinging the great sword she brandished, she hurled Athena to the pieces that collapsed from the island.
Athena used one of the stones as a fulcrum and leapt back into the air, flying like a nuclear missile with the Excalibur in one hand and the spear in the other, as she also blew pressurized elements into Redel and Nirsa, streaking the sky in various colors and explosions.
Redel swung her sword, deflecting several of Athena's scandalous attacks and protecting Nirsa who was still regenerating as night approached.
Yet, Redel was not only defensive and as she swung her big sword, several powerful waves of red energy flew towards Athena who did everything to dodge.
That's because when she cut the first energy thrown by Redel, Athena's arm barely withstood the pressure caused by the attack and in addition to the various burns, now Athena felt pain in her left arm, which had broken bones.
When finally they were face to face again, their weapons clashed, a shock wave tore them apart again with a sound of metal resounded thunderously.
The struggle between the women was on par for equality in matters of power and Nirsa realized that his mistake of underestimate Athena even though he saw that they exercised the same level of threat.
Now he was so useless that his presence there was nothing more than a nuisance to his younger sister and would remain so until night fell on the world, but Athena did not give him that option.
As Athena momentarily freed herself from Redel, she flew to Nirsa and with Excalibur and her spear, striking the god several hundred times in a matter of seconds, destroying Nirsa's body, who could prove to be a threat if night came before she killed him.
Nirsa didn't have time to do anything to prevent his own death.
That's because after receiving Athena's first attack, Nirsa's mana came under the interference of something and slowed his regeneration. He couldn't even use his powers properly, and he could barely keep himself flying.
This was the effect of the "Mana Scatter" spell which prevented the target from having full control over its own mana and also stripped the target's mana, it also consumes the target's mana to stay active until the caster cancels it.
Anyway, that was the end of Nirsa, the god of the night, faded away without any significant resistance and a shrill scream was heard as Athena grabbed what appeared to be the god's soul and destroyed it using {Soul Extinction}.
This was a magic she had just found as she rummaged through the vast library in her mind while fighting the gods and if not for that magic, Nirsa would have resurfaced as soon as night had fallen.
Anyway, Redel couldn't believe her eyes, no, she didn't want to believe what she saw.
How was it possible for a god to die in such a simple way?
The answer did not come to the goddess who gnashed her teeth like a wounded beast and flew at Athena in anger. Redel brandished her greatsword in a way that made the fight violently more difficult for Athena, who was beginning to feel her defended blows getting heavier and heavier.
This was the result of a god exercising the power of her purpose. Redel was the martial goddess and therefore she was the most powerful when it came to hand-to-hand battles. Every time she swung her sword, the blows got heavier, more accurate, faster and more powerful than the one before.
Athena was starting to find herself in crisis when blood trickled from her nose, which had never happened before.
(???)
Athena widened her eyes that wavered in a kaleidoscopic light and an excruciating headache began to pound through her skull from the inside out just as the rest of her organs seemed ready to explode.
"Are you feeling it, you bitch?" Redel laughed, but her face was so scrunched up in anger that it was hard to tell if she was actually laughing. "Enjoy, because soon you won't be feeling anything!"
Athena quickly raised a barrier around her, but Redel didn't mind it and continued to attack, creating several cracks in the clear white barrier.
In the short time she had, Athena cast several healing spells on herself and shortly thereafter, she casted several other destruction spells on Redel, who was less than a meter away from her.
From the ground, in the world below, people who watched the island crumble could see half of all the floating terrain being swallowed up in a powerful energy sphere that lit up all the darkness that was beginning to paint the world.
***
Moments before that, still in the world below, Serien was meeting with Mifa, Anemus, Lucifer, Fotiá, Ella and Theikós in a circle formed by the imperial knights around them.
"There is no doubt, this mass teleportation was Athena's doing." Anemus said.
The fairy was already with her wings spread, ready to fly back to the island and help her lover in any way possible and she just didn't do it because Mifa stoped her.
If Anemus went, Mifa knew she would die. The fenrir believed that if Athena sent them to a faraway place, it was because Athena didn't have confidence that she could protect them and win at the same time.
"That we know, but how can we help Athena?" Serien asked apprehensively.
"We? Human, know your place." Ella said. "You don't even know what she's up against right now."
"Now is not the time to belittle someone for their race, Miss Dragon." Ytria said politely. "Athena is fighting two gods at the moment and as for you, princess-"
"Queen." Serien corrected, showing her courage even in front of so many powerful people and Ytria smiled.
"Well then... Queen, you must stay here and guide the people of Athena to the east, where they have plenty of clean water and good land." Ytria coughed into her fist, being affected by the thin miasma from where she emerged from the teleport. "Of course, you will need help, so you two, as Athena's lovers, should stay and help the queen as well as the little one."
"Little one?" Fotiá asked, her eyes were still swollen and her expression was still sad. "Are you talking about me?"
"Yes, you have to stay where it's safer, of course, I don't intend to leave you alone and that's why I want Miss Dragon and Demon Lord to stay too."
"Huh?" Lucifer finally manifested. "What the hell have you been talking about anyway?"
"I know a way to help Athena, that's what I'm talking about." Ytria said as she got up with even more difficulty than earlier. "And as the blue dragon here is of the fastest race of dragons, we will be able to help Athena much sooner than expected....."
Ytria explained everything she had to be explained quickly, abbreviating as much as possible so she could leave to do what was necessary to help Athena.
Anemus told the reason why Fotiá should be protected, convincing Lucifer and Ella, who wanted to accompany Ytria, to stay and protect the nymph.
Once everything was ready, each of them assumed their role and began to move.
Theikós became a blue-scaled dragon and with Ytria hiding in her mouth, she flew away creating a blast of air, quickly disappearing beyond the mountains to the north.
Serien coordinated the imperial soldiers and knights, and led the people who began to follow the queen eastward just as Ytria had indicated.
Following Serien, Fotiá, who was followed by Faena and the children of Hercules and Serien's brothers, was closely guarded by Lucifer and Ella who began to show hostility towards almost everyone who approached the nymph.
Lucifer also made a point of looking for two prisoners, Hercules and Michael, and threw them into hell to ensure they didn't escape.
As for Anemus, she flew in all directions, telling people where to go and Mifa circled the crowd, along with the knights, killing every kind of monster that came too near to the people.
After a few seconds the people started to walk eastwards, the sky which should have been receiving night was illuminated by a black and white light from a radiant energy sphere that engulfed half of the floating continent.
The people had no reaction, they seem to not know what to do and couldn't even alleviate their frustrations and fears that came with that sight, leaving an eerie silence in the world, but the silence was short-lived.
In the distance, everyone could hear a sad and desperate voice coming from a lone fairy hovering over the people, followed by a howl rang out filled with grief from somewhere far away.
Serien's heart filled with fear, making her cling to her children who were carried by the servants. This was almost the same fear as when her late husband stole her children, the fear of losing someone.
The queen closed her eyes tightly, praying for Athena's safety and remembered what Anemus had said just seconds ago. Serien looked to where Fotiá was with Lucifer and Ella, and that was when fear turned to despair.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
All_J
All_J This week is going to be pretty busy because even though I don't celebrate christmas, my family does and if I don't attend parties, my mother won't want me in her house.
That's why I may not post chapters this week.
Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it and drink water to those who don't. Water is good, water is life, so live by drinking water. I don't even know what I'm talking about anymore.... :v
Please let me know if you find some error.
Bye!
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone