Capítulo 76: Chapter 76 - It's a Good Day to Fight!
Hello there!
Here's the new chapter for you!
Enjoy it, peasants!
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Without further ado, enjoy the chapter!
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Location: Rome.
Pov. Judas.
It's about time.
I could feel in my bones that this was the best time for me to follow my former master's orders, after witnessing his rebirth and seeing that his legacy will live on in the hearts of men.
I will never again be worthy of such unconditional love coming from someone I didn't know and vice versa. I never knew what he saw in me to accept me as a disciple and I never will.
Despite my shameful betrayal, he still gave me one last mission...
North.
He wanted me to go North, and it seemed to be related to that blood-red-haired man, so I assumed that I started traveling. So here I was, ready to continue on my journey until something written on a mere wall caught my eye.
"... Alexamenos worshiping his God," said Judas, reading what was written on the plaster.
The graffiti that was put on the wall of a house was an image that represented a crucified figure with a human body and the head of an animal.
For me, it was noticeable the mockery that the Romans had with my former master.
I shook my head and moved on, turning away from the mockery made by the Romans in an attempt to mock my former master.
It wasn't the first time I saw such mockery, and I knew it wouldn't be the last, but every time I saw such events I only wanted to do one thing...
Kill the perpetrators.
My former master would never approve of such thoughts... Another sin for my soul I suppose.
That was another thing I felt changed, for some reason I acquired a blood lust, and that lust grew every day. Every time there was a spike of rage this thirst for blood was stronger, making me smell every living being nearby and I could only define this odor in a single word...
Intoxicating.
I knew that I was dangerous to society and that I would be a risk in big cities full of people, so I tried to avoid being around crowds.
Unfortunately, the city of Rome was the only city with transport and roads that would take me to my final destination.
So here I was, covered in a mere tattered cloak and using one hand to cover my mouth and nose. I searched tirelessly for any merchant who came from the north to tell me the best route along the endless roads that seemed to be under constant construction.
Though I came to hate the Romans, I admit that they were ingenious about engineering.
It was then that I saw one old merchant in particular, by his accent I knew he was probably from the region of Gaul, specifically from the province of Narbonesis, a Roman province further north, although not as far north as I wanted...
Worth trying.
"Greetings," I said, approaching the merchant.
The merchant looked at me with a smile, until he took a closer look at my clothes and grimaced.
"... Get out of here and go beg somewhere else, you beggars are always scaring away my potential customers," said the merchant.
I bit back an irritated snarl that sounded more like the growl of a wild animal and asked my question to get out of there quickly.
"I don't want handouts, I want information," I said.
I reached into my pockets and pulled out a small leather bag and dropped it on the merchant's table.
"You come from the North, right? I recognized it by the accent of the province of Narbonesis; there are 40 copper coins in the bag that will be yours if you just answer me. Tell me, what is the best route to go beyond your home?" I asked.
The merchant seemed to be listening to me more attentively now when he saw the bag full of coins...
Typical.
Though I cannot judge him, because I have sinned just as he did...
Greed is one of man's greatest enemies, as my master once said.
The merchant grabbed the bag and took out one of the copper coins and looked at it closely, possibly looking for any irregularities, until he tossed the bag lightly in his hand, dangling the coins inside, possibly confirming the amount.
After what seemed like a few long seconds the merchant finally looked at me.
"There are a few who dare to go to the North, after all, not long ago it was a place full of wild and uncivilized peoples; the city of Lutetia in the province of Lugdunense was the furthest I went with my goods... Where do you want to go?" asked the merchant.
"As far north as possible," I said.
He looked at me like I was crazy and even had a look of pity, he looked around for prying ears and just leaned in and whispered closer to me.
"Between us, don't go there boy, I've lived for a long time, I know when I see a young man like you, a wannabe soldier who wants to get his share of gold or even women plundering them from conquered peoples. You've probably heard some rumors from the island across the sea in the North, believe me, it's not worth it, there's no gold or silver, and you might die in the dead of night by the wildlings" said the old merchant.
An island beyond the north sea...
Is this the place my former master and the red-haired man meant?
"This island... Can you tell me some tidbits about this island? Any legends?" I asked.
The merchant gave me a suspicious look.
"Legends come and go, rumors may or may not be true, but one thing is for sure... Strange things happen in that land, I know someone who dared to venture into that land, I buried him as soon as I received his body two months after he has gone on his foolish adventure," said the merchant.
"Strange things you say… What do you mean by that?" I asked.
"It means that one moment you are looking at a forest, appreciating the landscape that that island provides you, and the next moment you have strange visions of creatures lurking in the dark or flying in the sky as if they were birds! That land is cursed, full of witches and horrible creatures!" said the merchant.
Flying in the sky like birds... I remembered the words of the blood-red-haired man and I suspected it might be him.
"… How long does it take to reach this island?" I asked.
The merchant looked at me with a disappointed look, but then he sighed and tried to answer me.
"If you have enough coins to buy a ship's ticket and if you're on horseback... I'd say you'd get there in about 30 days' travel," said the merchant.
I nodded in response, after all, 30 days was something expected for a normal human... Luckily I wasn't, so maybe I could shorten that time.
"Thanks for the information," I said, already turning and walking away from the merchant.
Before I walked any further I heard him calling my name one last time.
"Boy, one last piece of advice... If you see or hear something strange, get out of the way, the curious live less" said the old merchant.
"... Noted," I said, walking back and walking away from the commercial area.
I would take that advice if I wasn't the monster I've become.
- Location: Future Middle East.
Pov. Third-person.
Days have passed, and it seems that the storm that was created in the sea that washed the coast of the place that was once called Persia did not seem to end.
The reason for such a storm was that it was created at random, due to a clash of titanic proportions between three powerful beings.
The strongest twin gods, Enlil and Enki, fought side by side against a being they had never seen before, as well as possibly responsible for the massacre of the city of Babylon centuries ago...
A being that was surpassing them by the second.
*BOOM*
An explosion rocked the sea as it ripped through the sky after being fired from a man with long golden hair and black tattoos that ran along his arms.
"Enki! Do it now!" said a man.
This man was Enlil, the Sumerian god of the air and ancient Anunnaki leader.
The Anunnaki god of the air was full of injuries; a scar was quite prominent on the left side of his face, a cut that almost made him completely lose sight of his left eye.
Another man leaped out of the ocean and raised a single arm skyward toward a carelessly hovering figure.
The man was Enki and he smiled as the pillar of water hit its target squarely and pushed it hard enough toward an island.
*BOOM*
A cloud of dust rose and covered most of the island, at the same time Enlil and Eni arrived on the island, ready to continue fighting.
When the cloud of dust dissipated the figure of the golden-haired man was revealed.
Completely unharmed.
"Nothing seems to work… It's like no matter how strong we are, we are incapable of hurting this being's existence," Enki said, frowning.
"... We are in Dilmum, prepare to transport us to Nibiru," said Enlil seriously.
Enlil's proposal made Enki's eyes wide in disbelief.
"You want to throw that thing in the center of our home?!" asked Enki.
Enlil remained calm.
"Our home is light years away from this planet, if we transport this thing there our lands here would be safe and it won't be able to return without our authorization if we fail... So at least the planet will have time to be prepared against this thing," said Enlil, creating a sword of wind as he saw the golden-haired man create a sword made of dark scarlet energy.
"… True, but if we fail, the Anunnaki will die; I thought you loved our race, brother… Do you want to possibly condemn it?" asked Enki, creating a sword of ice in his hands as he never took his eyes off the golden-haired man.
"... We are responsible for the creation of this aberration; we must bear the consequences of our actions... Do it," said Enlil, in a solemn tone.
Enki took his eyes off the golden-haired man and glared at Enlil, but it seemed the timing was wrong as the golden-haired man disappeared and reappeared in front of Enki swinging his sword made of energy.
*Clang!*
The man would have succeeded in striking Enki if not for Enlil who had pushed back his brother and raised his sword to block the attack.
"JUST DO IT!" said Enlil, with a commanding tone.
The god Enki took a deep breath and ended up creating several seals that covered the entire island of Dilmum while Enlil held the golden-haired man back, some seals were seals of communication to warn of his and Enlil's arrival along with the creature they were fighting.
It was then that a flash of light blinded everyone and when the light faded, the three beings disappeared.
The battle would continue light years away on a Saturn-sized planet called Nibiru...
With a population of over 10 billion Anunnaki gods and goddesses of high and low rank, were ready to fight.
- Location: Vormir (House of Fate).
Fatum had his legs crossed and eyes closed, in a state of meditation that seemed to be the only thing he did in this desolate world, a few seconds passed and Fatum then sighed in defeat.
"... Still nothing, I can't see the future two thousand years from now... I just hope it's just me dying, but if not... Has this 'box' been destroyed?" questioned Fatum, with a worried tone.
"You seem more worried than ever... Fatum" said a voice.
Fatum didn't even turn around, as he had already felt the being's presence for a long time... After all, he was an old friend.
"You haven't bothered to visit me in millennia… What do you want from me, Ra?" asked Fatum.
The man in front of Fatum was described as the strongest solar deity for millennia and many claimed that the ranking in the list of the top 10 strongest existences was wrong for one simple reason...
The greatest feat Ra had done up to that point was to overthrow the reign of eleven primordial gods.
The strongest sun god even went further, erasing the name of these gods from history, although the existence that there were such gods was preserved in the dialogue between human beings and some deities.
Only Fatum knew that in the future, Benenre, the thirteenth son of Usermaatre Setpenre, would document a list with the names of all rulers up to that time, the list would come to be known in the modern world as the King List of Turin.
Although the papyrus important ended up damaged due to skirmishes in a dispute for the throne after the death of Benenre; Menmire Setpenre and Userkheperure would drown Egypt in a new civil war, damaging the papyrus and taking away from the future the opportunity to know who were the 11 gods that Ra defeated to rise to power.
Ra looked a little amused.
"I hear from Samsara that you have a new favorite… Know that this new favorite of yours is someone I consider the closest thing to an old friend, so I hope you know what you're doing," said Ra, approaching Fatum.
"... Do you consider him a friend? Since when? Also, are you still upset about my decision to erase the city of Cerne from history?" asked Fatum.
The questions Fatum asked allowed Ra to drop the look of amusement and now have a look of anger.
"Cerne was…a mistake," said Ra, narrowing his eyes, making them twinkle like two stars.
Fatum gave an amused smile.
"And yet, you released your true midday form and erased everything, you single-handedly transformed one of the world's greatest forests into the sand desert it is today," said Fatum.
"It was the quickest choice... The humans felt nothing but a comforting light," said Ra.
"Yes, a comforting light that in the next instant reduced everything to ashes, fast enough that their minds couldn't comprehend the pain. Among all your three true forms of the day, the one of noon really should put you in higher rankings than the current one," said Fatum.
"I don't care where I am in the rankings of the strongest... I'm old and tired, centuries for me turn into mere days, I don't feel like continuing to exist anymore" said Ra.
Fatum was silent, though the primordial fate's silence only served to anger Ra.
"I'm here, because... I want you to define my line of destiny... I want to rest, the land I once ruled will still exist when I'm gone, of that I'm sure" said Ra.
"... If you fall, it is almost certain that Horus and Seth will fight again; Egypt will not survive another millennium of confrontation between these two gods... Shall I remind you what the last confrontation caused?" Fatum said.
Ra's power then exploded.
"Those two will never get along; I know that you know that! But I can't stop them forever!" said Ra.
"Like you, I preserve peace... That's why I can't define your destiny so that you can rest eternally in your fourth form... I'm sorry, but it's not your time yet, Ra" said Fatum.
Ra frowned and then turned away, but Fatum spoke one last time.
"By the way, there's a clash between angels and devils near what's left of Cerne... I just wanted to warn you, after all, I know you don't like the war that's going on right now" said Fatum.
Ra didn't even turn around and just disappeared in a flash of light, which caused Fatum to sigh.
"Old and tired... Nobody feels that more than me, after all, I was the third existence to be born" said Fatum.
The primordial god of fate then turned and started walking back home, though he stopped when he felt another presence approaching.
"... I knew you would come, but not so soon," said Fatum.
A dark-skinned woman, wearing typical Hindu clothing, with the most prominent feature in her eyes, which in addition to having a unique emerald color, had a kind of design that extended along the iris of the eyes...
A kind of wheel.
"Samsara" said Fatum.
The woman, identified as Samsara, soon spoke.
"Fatum… Has the future changed?" Samsara asked.
Fatum was silent until he held out his hand.
"Why don't you see for yourself," said Fatum.
Samsara then looked at the hand and approached; as soon as the goddess who represented the cycle of reincarnation touched Fatum a glow briefly blinded her, until when she opened her eyes and took in the surroundings she blinked her eyes in confusion.
Everything was intact.
"I don't see anything wrong with the future," said Samsara.
"…Wait," said Fatum, who pointed his finger at another location.
As soon as Samsara looked where Fatum was pointing she saw something...
Two beings, covered by a kind of white and red armor, were fighting across the sky.
"Who are they?" Samsara asked.
"The future generation of the longest rivalry in history... But that's not important, keep looking at the sky" said Fatum.
Samsara listened to Fatum and waited until something else happened...
A space in the sky was ripped open by a giant portal that looked like some kind of black hole.
As soon as the portal appeared, the two white and red armored beings stopped fighting.
From the portal came a giant being that resembled a robot, with a height of approximately three kilometers and wearing golden armor with an amethyst aura.
"So this is the DxD dimension... One more for my empire" said the giant robot.
The giant then looked at the two beings armored in white and red, extending his arms in an inviting position.
"Come for me, beings of this world... As a last form of hope, I will give you one last chance to strike me!" said the giant, with a voice like a roar that resounded throughout the planet.
The two armored beings looked at each other and waved and then flew towards the giant in search of taking him down.
"I am Melvazoa, and I will crush this hope… Because I am the Absolute Despair!" said the giant, with an amethyst aura already roaring in response.
Melvazoa's amethyst aura engulfed everything around, creating a dark glow and causing the earth to tremble in response.
A glare again blinded Samsara and when she opened her eyes again she saw the result...
This time she was on the moon, looking down at planet Earth...
Or what's left of the planet, plus what's left of the solar system.
"... What?" questioned Samsara in disbelief.
Except for the sun, everything was completely destroyed, planets were gone or turned into rubble. Even the moon they were on at the moment seemed to be missing half of its mass.
Fatum chose to speak at that moment.
"My greatest ambition is to avoid that, but… No matter who I pit against this Melvazoa, no one seems to have the ability or the potential, to defeat him. What you are seeing now is just a fraction of that monster's power" said Fatum.
Samsara then looked at Fatum.
"What do we do then?" asked Samsara, worried.
Fatum was silent until he looked in a specific direction.
"... A bet," said Fatum.
As soon as Samsara looked in the same direction as Fatum she noticed something...
A kind of man, with long white hair and red lightning bolts, periodically popped out of his body. That same man had his back turned, so Samsara could only identify a few physical characteristics, like hair color and something else...
A tattoo of some kind of tree on the man's back, similar in color to lightning, with what must have been the branches of the tree moving as if they were on fire.
But what bothered Samsara was what the man was doing...
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
He was laughing… Laughing even though he was in a completely destroyed place, like… He was having fun.
"... A very dangerous bet," said Fatum.
- Location: Future Mauritania (Richat Structure)
The Richat structure, or as it will be called in the future, the "Eye of Africa", is a circular structure, of geological origin located in the middle of the desert that would come to be known as the Sahara desert.
What few knew, except for the oldest supernatural beings, was that this atypical geological structure was used as the basis for the construction of a mythical city that housed both supernatural beings and humans.
The city was called Cerne.
The first ruler of this city, on the part of the humans who called themselves Imazighen, was called Atlas.
He had been charged with maintaining order in the city, and through his leadership the city's area of influence began to expand until an empire was formed.
But this constant greed and the growing arrogance of humans began to displease the gods, which led them to erase the city.
A flood would be sent to clean up what happened...
At that moment, another event took place.
*BOOM*
Angels and devils fought openly during the day, unconcerned with hiding from humans or anything else, after all the area they were fighting was considered inhospitable.
In the middle of this confrontation were two beings in a battle for supremacy.
Raziel, one of the ten Seraphim.
Lyon Crocell, member of the 72 Pillars.
The confrontation had already stretched on for a few hours and no one had any intention of retreating.
Until the forty-eight legions of devils and twelve legions of angels stopped moonlighting when they noticed something...
A meteor fell from the sky, kicking up a giant dust cloud that looked more like a sandstorm.
When the cloud of dust dissipated a figure could be seen by all.
"... Who knew you all would be arrogant enough to fight openly in my house, being able to hurt my people, without worrying about the consequences," said the figure.
The figure happened to be Ra, who had returned from his journey from Vormir immediately after hearing Fatum's warning.
"The strongest sun god... what we're doing here it's none of your business," said Lyon, already approaching Ra in a gesture of aggression.
Raziel grew concerned and gradually chose to back off, warning all the angels to do the same. However, as soon as Ra heard Lyon Crocell's bravado an uneasy silence descended on the battlefield...
"Hmm?... none of my business, you say... By creation, it seems everyone is too young here..." said Ra.
Everyone fell silent, though Raziel soon notified the legions of heaven to return as quickly as possible, while most of the devils chose to confront Ra, following Lyon Crocell's lead.
Amidst the silence, the strongest solar deity spoke again.
"All so young, they didn't see how this place was one of the most beautiful forests, here lie the ruins of the ancient city of Cerne, and it was so beautiful before I got here... Maybe you are so young that you don't know who I really am, huh~..." said Ra, already with a smile on his face.
It was Ra's smile that made Raziel shout with a commanding tone.
"All angels! BACK OFF!" shouted Raziel, already flying away.
By Raziel's order, all the angels began to flee, and the devils who were taken aback by the angels' actions were about to scoff about their fear and give chase.
Until they heard Ra's voice again.
"Although it's only early morning, let me remind you… of how I got into the top 10 strongest existences," said Ra, his eyes shining with power like two suns.
Then an aura surged from Ra's body, completely engulfing him and blinding everyone.
When the aura expanded... It burned all the devils to ashes, while the angels slowly burned to the bone as they had certain resistance to the light element.
Although, in the end, this resistance was to no avail.
When the light faded, only a white and gold scarab remained where Ra was, roaring in defiance, while the aura that resembled fire burned everything around.
At that moment, whoever was in that place was no longer the human form of Ra... But one of the three true forms of the sun god, which was also his other personality, in addition to being the second strongest form.
Khepri, the morning sun.
- Location: Midgard.
"Well… Truth be told, I didn't expect you to come help me at all, brother" someone said.
That someone was Váli, who at that moment had a grateful smile as he looked at his brother who offered to help.
Thor.
The god of thunder had just arrived from Asagard... After he was scolded by his mother twice, the first time was for leaving a pregnant Sif at home 'alone' with Fenrir.
The second was worse.
After all, Frigg had heard firsthand that Thor had abruptly married another woman.
Frigg hit Thor and nearly cursed him out for thinking he was following Odin's ways as a womanizer.
"Relax, little shit... I came because I wanted to know the possible richest existence in Midgard" said Thor.
Vali looked confused.
"… Why exactly?" asked Vali.
"Well... Let's just say my next project is going to need a lot of gold..." Thor said with a nervous smile.
Call him crazy, but Thor wanted to forge something unique that required a large amount of gold, plus there was something that allowed Thor a more open mind for future inventions and constructions...
Boredom.
When Thor wasn't drinking or, especially, fighting, the Norse god of thunder's mind would go to work on new ways of building to be used in the forge.
The problem was divine ore was expensive and rare.
As such, Thor was more than determined to find a replacement ore. As for why it was gold, it was simple, due to the nature of gold, it was much easier to shape the element with Thor's power, as the lightning could superheat the ore, making it malleable enough.
Thor came to Vali's aid, as the missing dwarf was possibly the biggest source of gold nearby.
"I see you grace us with your presence, my nephew; although you are not needed here," said Loki, approaching with his hands behind his back.
Thor went to respond in a sarcastic tone until he stopped and narrowed his eyes as he looked at Loki. The Norse god of mischief was a little nervous about Thor's gaze, but he just let on a calm demeanor.
"... Something wrong?" asked Vali.
Thor didn't respond and just activated the Viljestyrke - Archer to sense the presence of everyone around.
After just a second, Thor deactivated the Viljestyrke and frowned.
"... Where are you?" asked Thor, looking at Loki.
If the 'Loki' in front of Thor had been flesh and blood... He would have broken out in a cold sweat.
"... I left a little while ago; I got bored with the search. As much as Odin left me the task of locating Andvari due to him being just as trickery as I am, I don't need to be here in person for such a mundane task, so I made an illusion of myself that shares my memories and knowledge," said Loki.
"You lazy bastard!" said Vali angrily.
Loki looked at Vali and snorted in amusement.
"First of all, I am not some glorified private tracker; I am part of Asgardian royalty by a blood pact with your father; besides… I'm not the bastard here, you're the filthy half-blood," said Loki.
Loki's comments only served to make Vali angrier, until Thor raised a hand towards Loki's head and created a magic circle that dispelled the illusion created by the blood god Jotun.
Vali was silent for only a few seconds, before turning to Thor with a frown.
"As much as it pains me to say this... I think we needed him," said Váli, begrudgingly.
This time it was Thor's turn to snort in amusement.
"That self-important slacker was more of a hindrance than a help, and you know it," Thor said, looking around.
When Vali sighed and recognized that Thor was possibly telling the truth, he still frowned in contemplation, after all the mission to find Andvari was still his responsibility.
"So… Any news?" asked Vali.
Thor stopped and thought of an answer... Until he shrugged.
"Sif is pregnant and… I married another woman; no big deal, another day in Midgard" said Thor.
Vali stared at his brother until a look of disbelief appeared on his face.
"... You… What?" asked Vali.
It was then that Thor spent the next few minutes explaining to Vali what had happened, while they searched for any sign of Andvari with the help of another group of trackers who had been accompanying Vali.
At the end of the explanation, Váli could only say one thing...
"You know, I've come to admire you more now, but... Have you told Sif about this Jotun named Járnsaxa as your new wife?" asked Vali.
To Vali's surprise, Thor denied it.
"No, actually I was going to tell her after helping you," said Thor.
"...Are you sure that's the wisest move?" asked Vali uncertainly.
"Why? I just explained to you that this is what Sif more or less wanted, I just think I did... An unintentional surprise choice," said Thor.
Vali looked up with an amused gaze.
"Yes, you also said that Sif is pregnant, how do you think she will react to you finding another WIFE – emphasis on WIFE, not LOVER – just a short time after she gave you that idea," said Váli.
Thor froze and considered the possible scenario.
"…By Ymir…She'll probably get a little pissed off," said Thor.
"A little?" asked Vali in disbelief.
"Yes, just 'a little'…" said Thor, already thinking about how to appease his wife's possible fury.
Although Vali was immediately curious when he saw that Thor had turned a little pale.
"... That 'a little'... How much are we talking about?" asked Vali.
Thor looked listlessly at Vali and gave a nervous smile.
"Well, this is Sif we're talking about, so most likely –"
- Location: Midgard / Thor's house.
"I'm going to grab his balls and pull them like I'm milking a fucking cow!"
It was the scream that was heard throughout Thor's house, which currently had only two occupants, Sif, Thor's wife, and Járnsaxa... Thor's new wife.
"No need to exaggerate, I still want to have children with your husband... Little one" said Járnsaxa, with an amused look.
Járnsaxa was sitting on the sofa, with an infectious smile that seemed to be enjoying the show provided by Sif.
Sif was… being driven by pregnancy hormones.
"I asked him to take a mistress! A MISTRESS! Not a new wife who looks like an ice witch with oversized tits!" said Sif, pacing the room.
Járnsaxa was offended by some comments, but unfortunately it seemed that Sif completely ignored her.
It was then that a knock on the door drew the attention of the people in the house.
Sif, realizing that it couldn't be Thor or Hel due to them having a key to the house, soon went to answer the door. As soon as Thor's wife opened the door, she ran into someone unexpected...
Two very familiar dwarfs.
"Brokk? Eitri?" asked Sif.
"Erm… Greetings, Sif. My brother and I are determined to study all possible weapons and now one is missing... Mjolnir; Is Thor there?" Brokk asked shyly.
When Sif realized who it was... She grimaced in disgust.
"Get out of here Brokk, you donkey-tying stump! My mother told me you laughed at her when she tried to forge custom weapons for the first time! Take that wish of yours, write it down on a piece of paper, and roll it up to put it straight up your ass!" screamed Sif.
Brokk was ready to retaliate with a curse, but Sif had plans to end the conversation. However, when Sif went to close the door, Eitri soon stopped both her and Brokk from further discussion.
"Hang on! Sif, please... We've heard of a lot of activity in Muspelheim, my brother and I want to study Asgard's possibly most powerful weapon to have any chance of creating something manageable for the Asgardian army," said Eitri.
Unlike Brokk, Sif thought Eitri was the closest thing to a family friend; after all, he was one of the few dwarves who didn't look down on her mother for being a half-blood.
"... Increased activity in Muspelheim should be kept secret to avoid panic," said Sif.
Brokk replied.
"Hmpf... It was 'secret', until some einherjar, a hundred men in total, were found completely charred by Prince Baldr this morning," said Brokk.
Sif froze.
"… What were the teams?" asked Sif, with a tone of apprehension.
Sif was nervous and rightly so... After all, her father is part of the active einherjar, and he was one of those who were responsible for the surroundings of Muspelheim.
Brokk and Eitri exchanged glances but chose to speak softly to Sif.
"... We don't know if Rhagnar was among the bodies, but..." said Brokk, but was soon interrupted by Eitri.
"Perhaps you'd better go back to Asgard to be sure… Our request can be postponed," said Eitri.
"Postponed? Brother, more can die if –" said Brokk, before being interrupted.
"LATER Brokk… Later," said Eitri, narrowing his eyes and grabbing his brother to pull him away from the house.
Meanwhile, Sif stood in the doorway, as if entranced by the possible news brought by the dwarves that her father may have died in the line of einherjar duty.
- Location: Tordenhus / Arena Valhalla.
Sitting comfortably in the stands of the great Valhalla arena was Ihbanna, Kingsguard 5, who had returned after healing Igris and Horatius and was now drinking wine while watching what was happening on the holographic projection of the mirror dimension.
The battle for the rank of Kingsguard 1.
If there was one thing Ihbanna could say about what she was seeing, it would be summed up in just a single word.
"... Monsters" murmured Ihbanna.
It was then that someone approached Ihbanna.
"Who are the 'monsters', Ihbanna?" asked the figure.
It was Yamato, Kingsguard 3, and she wasn't alone.
Enkidu, accompanied by a teenage girl with blonde hair and blue eyes also followed Taotie's avatar closely.
Ihbanna ignored the first question when she noticed the teenage girl.
"... Who is it?" asked Ihbanna, raising an eyebrow.
Enkidu then happily replied.
"This is my friend, Angelika! She is the sister of friend Gilgamesh" said Enkidu.
Ihbanna just stared listlessly, but soon turned the rest towards the projection again.
"...I'm delighted... Regarding your question, Yamato, you may see for yourself" said Ihbanna, pointing to the projection.
When Yamato looked at what Ihbanna was watching, she saw the hologram that projected the current situation of the mirror dimension.
"... Oh? Are they still fighting? Any hint of the first loser?" asked Yamato.
Ihbanna shrugged.
"Karna and Achilles were the ones who showed up the most... After they destroyed mountains and obliterated islands, they seem to be evenly matched in power," said Ihbanna.
This made Yamato widen his eyes.
"As much as I don't like his attitude... Achilles matching Karna in power is something I never expected" said Yamato.
Ihbanna smiled.
"Yes, the idiot made Karna uses one of his gifts given by the Hindus... I think that javelin spear Thor gave Achilles put him on equal terms with Karna" said Ihbanna.
"… What about Gilgamesh?" asked Yamato.
Ihbanna growled in response to the mention of the name.
"The sluggard is comfortably seated in a sort of boat awaiting the winner of the duel between Karna and Achilles. According to Gilgamesh, he only fights champions," said Ihbanna.
Yamato frowned.
"That's too much arrogance for a human," said Yamato.
It was then that the teenage girl named Angelika chose to speak out, to defend her brother.
"It's not arrogance to just claim you're the strongest… It's just is," said Angelika.
Yamato soon turned to face Angelika.
"It's been over a millennium and Achilles and Karna have never changed rank among the Kingsguard, then out of nowhere your brother appears and makes arrogant bravado. Please keep your feet on the ground, neither Karna nor Achilles are weak Kingsguards, quite the contrary, they are monsters in their own right" said Yamato.
When Angelika went to speak again, someone chose to interrupt...
"Well, then I guess the monsters found an even bigger monster... After all, he already demonstrated why he is arrogant before others" said Ihbanna.
Everyone then looked at Ihbanna and raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean by that?" asked Yamato.
Ihbanna just sighed and just created a rune near her seat in the Valhalla arena.
"Valhalla arena coordinates established: territory of the Greeks," said Ihbanna.
It was then that the projection image changed and was now displaying the real-time image of Greek territory from the mirror dimension.
But something was wrong.
"Ihanna… I thought you established the image of Greek territory?" questioned Yamato.
There was nothing but the blue Mediterranean Sea.
"... This IS Greek territory..." said Ihbanna.
Yamato's eyes widened with the implications.
"... How did this happen?" asked Yamato.
Ihbanna shrugged.
"When they were transported, Achilles and Karna were the first to meet in the human territory of Rome, the fight was extended for some time, which caused the two to stop in Greece... That's when Gilgamesh found them, in the next few minutes there was no more Greece" said Ihbanna.
"... Monsters," said Yamato.
"That's what I said!" said Ihbanna, throwing her arms up in irritation.
For the daughter of the sun god Utu, she felt that she was left behind in terms of power, although she was the only one with healing power out of all the Kingsguard at the moment, she wanted to be recognized for her offensive power.
"… How about we concentrate on the battle?" asked Enkidu.
Everyone quickly waved and Ihbanna returned the image of Karna and Achilles to the holographic projection with the main image, while the others sat down.
- Location: Mirror Dimension / Territory of Future Russia.
In an icy northern forest, two figures shrouded in green and red color that looked like two comets were constantly colliding, with each impact causing shockwaves that shook the place.
It was then that the green-colored comet was pushed toward the ground, which caused a cloud of dust to rise. The cloud didn't last long, as it was soon dissipated by a wind current caused by someone.
It was Achilles, who was slightly injured, although he displayed an excited smile as he stared at the sun-like red aura figure.
"Don't get too confident my friend! Let's see who is the best!" shouted Achilles.
The Achaean warrior then summoned a particular green-colored aura, which covered his body with a kind of protective layer, making the winds roar as the earth around him to tremble.
Achilles started using Viljestyrke – Knight.
The figure with the red aura that was watching Achilles dispelled the aura and was eventually revealed to be Karna, who also sported multiple injuries on his body.
In response to the power displayed by Achilles, young Karna only smiled in response.
"The hero born to kill... Indeed, you live up to your best-known title" said Karna.
It was then that Karna's eyes flashed, symbolizing the Viljestyrke – Archer, while Karna also used the Viljestyrke – Knight, which made a red aura roar at the same time as it covered Karna's body.
"… Let me repay your resolve with mine!" said Karna.
It was then that Karna began to recite something...
One chant, in particular, was passed down to him by his former mentor, Parashurama, to invoke one of the astras given to him...
Bhargav.
As Karna recited the chant he began to aim an arrow towards the sky; as soon as the chant was finished, Karna shot a single arrow made of what looked like fire.
As soon as the fiery arrow reached a certain height, it exploded in a storm of flames that covered the skies in fire and punished the ground with the resulting heat. From the explosion created, a shower of thousands of similar arrows, but sharper and more incandescent, rained down from the sky towards the ground.
Achilles was unfazed and swung the javelin spear, causing a lightning storm, and shot into the sky like an ascending comet, tearing through the air as he intended to end this combat in that instant.
It was then that the two powerful attacks of both heroes collided.
*BOOM*
The explosion caused part of the future Russia's territory to be completely obliterated by their combined overwhelming power, causing the snow to melt and the forest to burn, while the winds roared and the earth shook.
In the distance, on a floating golden ship, was a figure in golden armor, looking bored as he watched the explosion looming in disinterest.
The figure was Gilgamesh, and he was waiting for the winner of the confrontation.
When the explosion subsided, the first hero who challenged the gods smiled as he noticed a single victorious figure standing.
"It's about time... Finally, someone has emerged victorious," said Gilgamesh, rising from his throne.
The floating ship that Gilgamesh was on ended up heading toward the winner of the clash of heroes...
Which turned out to be Karna.
Although Achilles managed to catch up for a while, Karna was still more powerful than the Achaean. However, Karna could admit that in hand-to-hand combat, he was absolutely certain that Achilles would win due to his superior speed.
When Gilgamesh got close enough he saw the state of Karna.
"Oh? Quite a bit of damage, son of the sun… Would you like some rest?" asked Gilgamesh, with a tone of amusement.
Karna was wounded in several places, the biggest wound being in the stomach area, which had a hole running through the body, probably caused by Achilles' last strike.
The demigod of the sun just sighed and pulled his bowstring, aiming an arrow at Gilgamesh.
"A person who only cares about winning... is not the one who most deserves it," said Karna.
Gilgamesh laughed in amusement.
"Hmm? That's what others call quotes, right? It's a pity that I don't care for such phrases created by weaklings. After all, in the real world, those who rule are those who can and those who obey would be those with sense, so the truth is that only one thing matters..." said Gilgamesh.
Karna narrowed his eyes.
Karna's crimson aura soon covered him, and in response, a golden aura covered Gilgamesh's body.
Before the two started to fight, Gilgamesh only said a single word.
"POWER!" shouted Gilgamesh.
*BOOM*
Karna and Gilgamesh's auras then collided causing a new explosion that covered the skies in fire and caused meteors to fall to earth, decimating anything in their path, while the two remaining heroes fought for supremacy.
- Location: Southern realm of Asgard/Sessrummir (House of Freyja).
"So let me get this straight… Do you have to pay Gymir a large amount of gold if you want to marry Gerd?" asked Freyja, rubbing her temples as she listened to her brother.
Frey, the Vanir prince nodded, but there was concern on Frey's face.
"Almost that sister... There is a small problem" said Frey.
Freyja soon growled in annoyance.
"What else, Frey?" Freyja asked.
"Gymir had said about an 'untold amount of gold', he obviously doesn't want to accept my marriage proposal, but it was the best I could do," said Frey.
Freyja then looked at Frey in disbelief.
"And how exactly can you give that amount to Gymir? We may be Vanir royalty, but our wealth is finite," said Freyja.
"That's where it is! I heard of a Greek god who can help!" Frey said excitedly.
Freyja raised a suspicious eyebrow.
"Who exactly are you thinking of?" Freyja asked.
"Hades!" said Frey, with a tone of certainty.
However, Freyja did not share her brother's 'certainty'.
"Have you lost your mind? Have you forgotten that god is famous for seclusion? Also, how do you think the god of the underworld will help you? He is not even properly worshiped by Greek mortals" asked Freyja in disbelief.
"Maybe, but he's still one of the richest gods out there!" Frey said.
Freyja frowned at what Frey meant.
"Yes... But you forget that he has no reason to help you and there is absolutely nothing you can offer him to bargain, so I suggest asking someone else for help" said Freyja.
Frey soon pouted.
"You've only criticized all my ideas so far, you should help me... I thought you were the goddess of love, not the goddess of criticism" said Frey.
This soon made Freyja angry if the popping vein on her forehead was any sign.
"I AM the goddess of love! But that kind of one-sided love is what leaves me with no means to help you!" said Freyja.
"You mean Gerd doesn't like me?" Frey asked.
"Not even remotely! She loves you as much as a rock!" said Freyja.
"…You mean I have a chance?" Frey asked.
Freyja looked at her brother as if he were both mad and deaf, but she could only sigh in defeat, for she knew better than anyone that when Frey puts his mind to something, he is unlikely to give up.
"*sigh*... Think about what you want... I'm going to Midgard" said Freyja, getting up from the wooden throne and already walking towards the exit.
She was soon followed by an angry Frey.
"Are you going to his house again? Sister, it's been millennia since you started to be interested in him, not even you, much less he, took the first step" said Frey.
Freyja scoffed.
"Do you hear yourself? Also, Thor is probably the only existence that hasn't looked at me as if I were undressed in front of him, I want that in my husband, someone who doesn't see me as a simple 'bed warmer'" said Freyja.
Frey sighed.
"Have you forgotten what Sif once said? When she saw that you were a little depressed after Thor didn't notice you during one of the festivities," said Frey.
When Freyja thought about what occasion this was, she immediately grimaced when she remembered.
"How can I forget Sif's kind words, she said 'love is like a fart, if you push it too hard you end up doing shit'... *sigh*... The subtlety of a dwarf" said Freyja.
"Anyway, maybe you should take her advice... Thor doesn't even have eyes for any woman other than Sif, so maybe you should consider that he will never take a mistress, let alone another wife," Frey said.
Freyja soon looked at Frey with a determined look.
"I will marry Thor, it will take time, but I can feel in my bones that he is my chosen one… I will be the second wife, I'm sure of it!" said Freyja.
Before Frey could respond, a third voice came into the conversation.
"Third wife," said the voice.
Both Frey and Freyja froze and looked at the source of the voice which turned out to be a Valkyrie named Göll who was accompanying Frey and Freyja as Asgard's bodyguards.
Frey was nervous when she realized what the Valkyrie had said, while Freyja seemed not quite sure what she heard.
"Forgive me, Göll... What did you just say?" asked Freyja, with a fake smile.
Göll looked shy when he answered again.
"My sisters were protecting King Odin when Prince Thor came crashing down the throne room doors and grabbed the all-father by the collar as he told Odin that he'd 'fallen into the trap' of a surprise wedding. So it's likely that Prince Thor just got married..." said Göll.
When the hall was silent, Frey and Göll got nervous after all... Freyja didn't respond to Göll's explanation and just stood there, looking like a statue...
Smiling.
A fake smile on the face of the goddess of love was never a good sign.
Until Freyja reacted with something Frey didn't expect.
"... Hehehehehehehe... Looks like I've been left behind again~" Freyja said, turning around and walking away.
Frey, confused by his sister's actions, soon approached.
"Sister… Aren't you angry?" Frey asked uncertainly.
Surprisingly, Freyja kept smiling and soon gave an answer that even Frey wasn't expecting.
"... No..." said Freyja.
Frey swallowed hard and soon realized something... Freyja wasn't heading towards Sessrummir's exit.
"Freyja... We're going the wrong way..." said Frey.
"Hmm... No, I'm not... I'm going to my room" said Freyja happily.
Prince Vanir then realized that his sister would need some time alone after hearing this news. So, against his protective nature, Frey chose that this was the best time for him to leave.
"Well, I'm on my way... I'll see you later sister, call me if you need anything," said Frey, waiting for some answer.
Frey didn't receive any response, as Freyja just kept walking with a smile as if nothing bad had happened.
Meanwhile, the Valkyrie named Göll just silently followed as she reflected on what she had done in silence.
"*sigh* Ugh... I can already see that Brunhild is going to ground me... She always asks me to be careful not to cause turmoil in the minds of others, even if it's unintentional" said Göll, depressed.
Only time would tell what would happen in the future...
_______________________________________________________
Well, that was all, peasants!
It's been a long time, but as I've explained a few times, it issues upon issues that I've had to resolve, in addition to the fact that I've been promoted at work.
Yes, promoted = more work to be done.
So I didn't have much time to write.
However, with the end of 'Book 1: Water' of my other fanfic 'Son of Agni' (which I don't know if I will continue), I only had this fanfic to write.
So I wrote more than the average 2k – 3k words...
OVER 8K WORDS!
Anyway, I'm sorry for the delay, but it really is a bit complicated to balance my obligations with my writing time (which is time reserved for leisure). So unfortunately I must establish one thing:
I will no longer post an updated schedule.
The reason for this is that something happens to prevent me from turning in the chapter on the promised day.
However, you can be sure that I'LL NOT ABANDON this fanfic!
Unfortunately, the updates will be a little long, but I think the length of the chapters will make up for that.
Until next time, peasants!
*Fun Fact: During the Merchant and Judas' conversation, the Merchant stated that it would take approximately 30 days from Rome to the island that would come to be known as Britannia. I used the website below to be as actuary as possible.
Site:https://orbis.stanford.edu/
Anyone who wants to create a fanfic set during the Roman Empire era and has issues with travel time in that historical period, I recommend using this site.
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