章 121: Gehenna - The War of Gods
When Ytria and Ella arrived in the north, the night sky was lit by lightning and thunder that ripped across the sky toward the land farther east of where Uran was sealed.
"What's going on here?"
"I'm the one who should ask that!" Ella said with bright eyes and an excited smile. "Must be having an amazing battle here, let's go!"
She shifted into her draconic form again, embraced Ytria's entire body with her rough armored hand, and flew to where the lightning rained down.
In the crater created by Kadra, the god of the earth, Theikós was still impaled by hundreds or thousands of stakes. She didn't know whether or not she was dead and all she saw was pure, quiet darkness.
Theikós was on the verge of death and without strength to resist the tiredness and sleep that came with the cold of death as her blood flowed out of her body.
She didn't want to die, but she didn't have the strength to continue and she let herself be dragged away by eternal sleep.
In her final seconds, Theikós found herself in a completely dark and silent space. There, she had nothing and at the same time she had everything she ever lived and dreamed of living.
Seeing everything she had already conquered, Theikós felt satisfied even though she had one last dream that she wanted to fulfill and couldn't.
With satisfaction bringing her peace, Theikós began to disappear, until suddenly, in the midst of this shuffle of everything and nothing, someone she hadn't seen in a long time appeared in front of her with a smile.
"You..." Theikos smiled.
However, despite the smile, the man looked at her with sad eyes. "Is that what you want?"
"What else can I do?"
"You're not done with everything you have to do, Thei."
"What are you talking about?"
"Thei, you need to go back."
"Huh?! But I just found you!"
Theikos took a step forward, but she did not approach the man. In fact, it looked like she was further away.
"It's not time for us to get together again yet, Thei." The man's eyes flashed and a bolt of lightning from his hand lit the darkness with a flash. "Go back!"
The lightning that came out of the man's hand cut the air irregularly and hit Theikós' chest, which seemed to be energized with thousands of lightning bolts.
This was the moment when Theikós adapted to the divinity she had received from killing Kadra. Theikós' draconic mana, which had an electrical elemental nature, merged with the earth god's part of purpose and divinity and gave rise to a new power that quickly began to act in order to pull Theikós from her death.
From the crater where Theikós was, an immense wave of mana rose to the cloudy skies and silvery rays began to rain on the dragon's body that pulsed with life.
That was the moment Ytria and Ella saw from afar. When lightning came down like rain and lit up the dark northern night.
This, the absorption and adaptation of Theikós to that power, was all only possible because of Athena's mana that had merged with Theikós's mana when she helped Athena absorb Lhia.
Blue dragons had a mana recovery similar to the mana recovery Athena had. Then, while helping Athena, without realizing it Theikós was absorbing the mana that Athena expelled and when Athena's mana came into contact with Theikós's mana, the invading mana acted as a parasite, feeding on the dragon's mana until it became part of it.
Which in a way was strange, since Theikós mana devoured and gained the properties of Athena's mana instead of the other way around.
With that, when Theikós killed Kadra, she accomplished what no individual in that world could do, with the exception of Athena, Anemus, Fotiá and Mifa.
Now she could get stronger by killing and feeding on someone's existence.
Theikós destroyed the stakes that impaled her and cowered inside the crater as if she were a baby in its nest. Her mana grew denser as her body was struck by lightning, causing her appearance to change.
In her draconic form, Theikós had three horns, one in the middle of her forehead and one on each side of her head that curled backwards, her scales were cobalt blue and her eyes were sky blue, but as her mana grew denser, those traits changed.
Theikós now had a fourth horn, its scales showed a royal blue that released rays with every movement and when she finally opened her eyes, it was a blue never seen before, giving a beautiful and frightening impression at the same time.
***
Faith was a powerful thing, especially if it was aimed at something like an idol of worship. People prayed and believed in their idol faithfully, creating what was called a "miracle".
Not that all prayers were answered, quite the opposite. Only once every few years, after having accumulated power from each prayer, each sacrifice, and each faith, the idol would have the power to fulfill someone's request.
However, this did not change the strength of faith mortals had in their "gods." This was because they themselves fulfilled their own desires and gave full credit to the idol they prayed to.
It was a vicious circle where only one person every few years was privileged.
Seeing this, Yahweh, who was desperate for power, did what most gods would not do, he revealed himself to a mortal. But before doing that, he had something important to do, he couldn't share that power with anyone else and Asherah, his wife and accomplice, stood in his way to that power.
The first thing he did as the mortals' faith began to build up inside him was banish Asherah and her eighty-eight children to another dimension, so he would have all power for himself, but it also caused a great wound in his heart.
Yahweh loved Asherah more than anything, but he had caused the death of a being whom he feared more than he loved his wife and had no power to confront, he had no choice.
Because of his fear, despair and pain for doing what he did with his beloved, Yahweh moved away and was absent for many millennia, speaking only to his son Raphael and to some mortals throughout the history of mankind.
Yahweh was so absent, that he did not notice that his child were falling from the heavenly grace which he dictated to his divine plan. Worst of all was Michael, who had raped his own sister and smeared himself with the blood of his brothers and sisters.
However, instead of fixing things, Yahweh just expelled Lucifer and the survivors of the war that took place between his children, then used Lucifer's rebellion to generate more power for himself.
Yahweh had not been a good father, brother, son or husband, he was almost like an evil god and even showed himself to mortals as the evil gods did.
In fact, he was not a good god in all. His ambiguous rules made his worshipers soon forget him and so he drowned them all once, and promised never to do it again, but Yahweh was like a boy with a box of ants and later he repeated it again and again time until the turn of a man named Noah came.
Yahweh was definitely a cruel god who only cared about the power he received from the faith of mortals. Now he had the power he desired and did not need to make any more appearances on the mortal plane, because the faith of mortals only grew stronger with the passage of time. But no matter how much power he had, his heart was broken by what he'd done to Asherah, Lucifer, and their other children.
Now Yahweh just watched time pass in his dimension, waiting for the day he would have to face his greatest fear, Gehenna. Then, the day after realizing that Michael had disappeared, he heard a voice he missed so much.
(Yahweh, you must help me.)
(!!!)
The moment he heard Asherah's beautiful voice, Yahweh's wounded heart leapt and ached in his chest. He wondered if perhaps he was imagining things, as it had been thousands of years since he had kicked out his wife.
Perhaps, the longing he felt for her had reached the limit and now it had gained a voice or finally he had gone mad, but in the end it didn't matter, he was hearing her sweet voice again. And even though that voice was distressed at the moment, Yahweh was happy that he was listening.
(Asherah...)
(Yahweh, please save me!)
(Huh!? Save you? From what?)
Asherah was briefly silent and lied. (Gehenna has been reborn and is trying to kill me!)
She didn't know if Athena was really the rebirth of Gehenna or even what her real goal was, but she thought that if she told the truth, Yahweh would just turn his back on her again. She was sure that if it was to put an end to Gehenna, Yahweh would come to her rescue.
Furthermore, Asherah felt that the god owed it to her for all he had done to her after what she had done for him.
She felt betrayed, hurt, hurt and wanted revenge.
If Yahweh, Athena and Uran fought and the three died, Asherah thought that would be a good way to end it all. And even if only Yahweh and Uran died, she would still win, as she could deal with Athena personally.
(Gehenna is back?!)
Yahweh's voice faltered a little, but it was enough for Asherah to hear the fear embedded in the words.
However, she didn't give up.
(Yes and that's why I need your help!) Asherah insisted and whimpering, she continued. (If everything we lived together meant anything to you, please don't let me die! All my kids have turned their backs on me and I'm all alone...)
Yahweh was silent again and for a moment, Asherah felt anxious and the fear of Yahweh refusing to help her, surfaced on her goosebumps. But then her heart was quieted when Yahweh spoke again.
(Hold on a little longer, I'll help you!)
The god's voice was imposing and full of confidence. That's because Yahweh felt powerful enough to confront a primordial god and he said that Gehenna still hadn't regained all his power, which could lead him to victory.
***
It had been a while since Athena couldn't sleep properly. Anemus, who had been at the woman's side this whole time, had already noticed this.
Ever since she'd returned from that hole where she'd found Faena, Athena had slept, woken up with frightened eyes, looked around and sighed with noticeable relief.
In that moment, Athena slept sitting up, leaning against a rock near where they were camping, with Uran still lying on her legs. This at the insistence of Anemus, who saw the weariness in her face.
However, that sleep, like many others before it, was disturbed by a nightmare that had been occurring since she had taken Faena's powers.
A smoky red scene, with bodies everywhere and she stands alone in tears. In her arms, the bodies of Anemus and Fotiá, and around her, the lifeless bodies of everyone who was important to her.
This was the nightmare that had been tormenting Athena.
This was her greatest fear and she was seeing it right now. Athena struggled with her wrinkled face, contorted in bitterness and sadness. All this while she begged for something Anemus didn't understand and then her startled eyes opened.
"Is it the same nightmare?" Anemus asked. "Why don't you tell me what it is about?"
Looking at Anemus, panting and sweating, her eyes moist, Athena opened her arms towards Anemus, who went to her and hugged her.
Anemus held Athena in her arms and for the first time, Athena, who was always so strong, seemed so fragile to her.
Not knowing what to do or say, feeling Athena tremble in her arms and hearing her sobbing lightly, Anemus just hugged her, stroked her platinum blonde hair and kissed the top of her head.
After a few minutes without saying anything, just holding each other there in the dim light of the fire, Athena fell asleep again. But this time, maybe because her fingers were entwined with her beloved's, Athena was in a peaceful sleep.
Anemus, seated beside her, her head resting on Athena's shoulder, looked at the fire, which crackled at irregular intervals, thoughtfully. She wondered what haunted Athena so much, not knowing that she was one of the causes of her lover's nightmares.
Gradually, while she thought about it, sleep took Anemus, who soon followed Athena to the world of dreams.
Then, without anyone noticing, it all started.
The starry sky was ripped in two by a gigantic dimensional rift, which glowed in shades of purple, yellow, pink, red, and orange as it emanated a suffocating wave of energy that awakened everyone sleeping in the world.
Startled by so much power and pressure, Athena, Anemus, and Uran sprang from their slumbers and stared wide-eyed at the sky, where several glowing winged beings emerged from the crack in the sky.
The world was painted in a unique crimson hue as in Athena's nightmare, causing the woman to frown apprehensively.
From behind the glowing winged beings appeared two beings that emanated an overwhelming power that made Anemus feel crushed.
"Mom..." Uran said.
Athena looked at Uran, who was looking up, and followed her gaze to the woman behind the winged beings.
"Is that your mother?"
Asherah was wearing a tangle of veils that fluttered in the night breeze, billowing gracefully in any direction. She had long, shiny hair that looked more like a veil made from the starry sky, big golden eyes, a long pair of milky white wings, and in her right hand she carried a sword made of light.
Her face was beautiful and stern with a cold gaze full of evil intentions, causing both Uran and Athena to shiver, and terrifying Anemus who fell to her knees.
Next to Asherah, Yahweh was magnanimous, a true king to be revered, refusing even to look down.
The god had long silver hair, a long beard, also silver, and eyes that shone a white light. He wore a weapon made of something shiny that Athena had never seen before, as well as two long swords that appeared to be made of the same material as Michael's spear.
Athena felt overwhelming power coming from him, a power greater than the power she felt coming from Asherah, a power comparable to Uran's power. But this did not frighten Athena, for although he came close to Uran's power, he was not Uran.
Athena had already deduced who he was and knew that if she was right, as long as Uran was by her side, she had nothing to fear. Because while that god's power was overwhelming and stagnant to a certain amount, Uran's was growing by the second.
Furthermore, Athena's sole purpose was to bring Asherah to her knees in front of Uran and make her apologize for what she did to her own daughter, or just kill her. It didn't matter what happened first.
Anyway, Athena's only real enemy was the goddess who looked a little scared in spite of all her majesty. However, Athena still had a problem to solve. She could feel a latent power straining within her and Anemus, but it wouldn't blossom.
The lack of power made Anemus feel overwhelmed to the point where she couldn't get up and it made Athena remembered her nightmare.
Athena needed to make Anemus fight and defend herself while she was busy with Asherah.
"I'm going to need you to buy me some time." Athena told Uran.
Uran looked at Athena and followed her gaze, looking at Anemus. "Mmm, how long?"
"One hour." Athena looked at Uran, worried that the little goddess was not yet at her peak. "You can?"
Uran wasn't sure, she was still under a holdover from the seal, so much so that she was still in a childish form, but she wanted to be of use to Athena, her only friend.
"Yes, I can." Uran replied with a smile and flew away.
"Uran..." Asherah said as she watched her daughter fly up to the altitude she was at.
"Hi Mom, I'm out of 'punishment'." Uran said.
Asherah flushed with rage as she saw Uran's small hands emphasizing the word "punishment" with finger quotes. Asherah wanted to stuff Uran back into the seal and this time put another seal under another seal on top of the first, but she took a deep breath and calmed her anger.
She knew she had no chance of victory against Uran and looked to Yahweh. "This is the last daughter of Elkunirsa."
Yahweh looked at Uran and gave a brave and frivolous smile. "She looks like him." Then, after saying this, Yahweh narrowed his eyes. "Even her essence is similar... Child, what is your purpose?"
Uran moved her eyes toward the god. "I don't have one. I'm everything."
The moment he heard this, Yahweh laughed along with his childs, but Asherah did not, as she knew the truth.
Destruction? End? No, Uran was more than that. She the beginning and the end, creation and destruction, evil and good in a single being.
Uran was a primordial goddess and her power was vast.
Asherah knew and desired that power, but more than anything, she feared it. It was an absolute power that could bring the gods to their knees before her, but with Uran free, Asherah wished that power had never existed.
However, with her power still recovering, what Uran said turned out to be just a joke to the gods present there, but the laughter didn't last long.
With an empty-handed movement, Uran cleared half the space in the sky where millions of her brothers and sisters hovered with their wings spread wide.
Yahweh looked scared to his left, where Raphael, his son and right arms were, and a tearful wail echoed in all directions. "Kill that bastard! Find Gehenna and bring him to me!"
With that shout and command, the war of gods began.
The gods, brothers and sisters that Iran did not know, advanced in a single chorus towards the little goddess. They were what were called "angels", but not those angels that Lhia had created, but the real thing.
However, they were like annoying flies to Uran, who ignored them and advanced straight towards Asherah and Yahweh.
The battle quickly became something entirely outside the purview of the angels, the winged, glowing beings that painted the sky like stars.
All they could do was stay away and do everything they could to not get caught in the crossfire between the three gods.
Explosions, clashes of weapons and spatial distortions happened all the time, while Uran tried to do to her mother the same as she did to her, and Yahweh stood in the way, protecting his beloved at all costs.
On the ground, Athena was trying to get Anemus to react and get rid of the fear, but her voice didn't seem to reach the fairy, so, as a last resort, Athena kissed her.
It was a suffocating, wet and hot kiss that shocked Anemus by surprise, who soon regained the courage her had lost and almost automatically, she hugged Athena and sucked the tongue that invaded her mouth, making Athena smile.
"What... What was that for?" Anemus asked as she freed herself from Athena.
"It was the only way I could think of to bring you back from the fear. I didn't want to use painful methods on you." Athena ran her thumb over Anemus' swollen lips and smiled mischievously. "Well, it worked and there have a thing we need to do."
"??"
Athena sat facing Anemus, took her hands and suddenly, a circle formed around them.
Anemus raised an eyebrow at that circle, but she was used to seeing things happening unexplained around Athena, so she didn't bother to ask and just followed Athena into whatever the woman was planning to do.
"Let's get stronger." Athena squeezed Anemus's hands gently and licked her lips nervously. "{Interpersonal Liaison}"
Athena activated a spell and the circle glowed a pale blue light. That was a spell that temporarily linked her to Anemus and the two felt as if they were inside each other. Everything Athena felt, Anemus felt and vice versa.
In that moment, Anemus understood everything about Athena and Athena about her. Even the mental bond that Athena and Fotiá had with each other, Anemus could understand and felt a slight jealousy to see that Fotiá was closer to Athena than she was.
"Jealousy of Fotiá?" Athena laughed.
Anemus flushed and looked away momentarily. "What is it?"
"Something needed to do what I am about to do." Athena said and with a pained look, she summoned another spell. "{Universal Mana Drain}"
Suddenly, after Athena finished casting the spell, everything went gray in Anemus and Athena's vision. It was as if time had stopped and they was the only one moving. However, that was just because of the mana charge they were receiving at that instant. To anyone looking from the outside, it was like seeing an apocalyptic mana storm.
Asherah looked at it and shivered. "Yah-Yahweh! Gehenna is there!"
Yahweh looked where Asherah was pointing and swallowed hard, but he couldn't do anything. Uran had proved to be a powerful adversary and if he did anything other than deal with her, he feared he would die.
"My children, kill those two down there!"
The angels looked at Yahweh and then at the two women amidst the whirlwind of mana that reached the sky, creating ripples in the space where mana was frantically absorbed and expelled, and distorted the plain like an earthquake, creating chasms and hills in all directions.
As soon as they saw what they would have to face, the angels were afraid, but it was an order and they moved forward.
Within the whirlwind of mana, Athena and Anemus absorbed the mana that invaded their bodies. The mana was pure, with no element or form, just an immense charge of energy, which caused changes in their bodies.
Their hair shone as did their eyes that looked like blue headlights while glistening veins marked their skin, making it look like they were being rooted from the inside out.
Athena made sure that all that mana absorption didn't affect Anemus' health, making herself of a filter for the mana that Anemus absorbed.
Anemus had gained some divinity and divine purpose, but it wasn't enough to cause changes and make her significantly stronger, unlike Athena who had taken everything Nirsa stood for.
Either way, all the mana they absorbed merged with their mana, strengthening their bodies and existences, as well as turning the divinity they acquired into something more powerful than what they had taken from creating gods.
***
Forty minutes had passed when the whirlwind of mana pulsed and changed from light blue to brilliant white.
Anemus' wings involuntarily unfolded and turned completely white, as her hair grew and spread all over the floor inside the circle like roots tangling in Athena's hair which had also grown and spread.
The changes in their bodies weren't just in their hair, but also in their skin, eye colors and other features they didn't have before, like Anemus' ears which now also had white feathers and Athena who had reverted to horns and tail.
They were changing outside and inside.
While everything was happening within the mana storm, the angels tried to reach the women at the center of it all, but all in vain.
Those who got too close and came in contact with the mana, were either disintegrated in the storm or flung to the ground and crushed like flies.
Others who tried to attack from afar, only found their efforts futile while in another part of the sky, Asherah, Yahweh and Uran were fighting an apocalyptic battle that destroyed mountains, made meteors fall like rain and split space like paper, with swords and magics.
The angels had no choice but to continue attacking Anemus and Athena, even if it was useless. Their efforts might be futile, but following their father's order, or at least trying, was a priority for them.
Suddenly, as they struggled to obey Yahweh's command, they were attacked by three powers that came from three different directions.
From the north, a gigantic bolt of lightning struck a part of the angels, knocking them to the ground. From below, a tower of fire rose to the heavens, swallowing and burning the angels who cried out in agony. And from the east, several black and gold balls of energy exploded and shattered thousands of angels.
These were the attacks of the forces accompanying Athena. Two dragons, an archangel, a fenrir and a being of pure fire. But what caught the most attention of the angels was the archangel with logos of black hair, red eyes and limpidly white wings.
"You will all die today."
"Lucy?!" The last archangel of the army of winged beings said when he saw Lucifer.
"Oh!" Lucifer smiled wickedly. "Hello, Gaby."
クリエイターの想い 
All_J
All_J Please let me know if you find some error.
My PC get fire, damn bastard, so it can take longer to release the chapters. Writing on the phone is so weird...
See ya!
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