章節 73: Chapter 73 – Old acquaintances.
Here's the new chapter!
*Author's note: Any design/image/photo does not belong to me, but to the respective creators and/or artists.
Without further ado, enjoy the chapter, peasants!
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- Location: Midgard / House of Thor.
Pov. Third-person.
At this very moment, lying on the bed and looking at the bedroom ceiling, was Thor, drowning in thought. The god of thunder had returned from his visit to Tordenhus and decided it would be best to rest, although it had been hours since he had lain and he didn't seem to have any signs of sleep.
What was going through Thor's mind was still the conversation he had with Fatum...
Suddenly, Thor frowned and sat on the edge of the bed, but before he could get some clothes to get up, an arm gripped his waist.
"Hey... It's not even dawn yet, go back to bed, big guy" said a female voice.
Thor turned and softened his gaze as he looked at the source of the voice.
It was Sif, wife of the god of thunder, who had been awakened by Thor's abrupt movements in bed.
"I… I'm just going to go out and take breathe a little, I'm not sleepy" said Thor, already grabbing Sif's arm and pulling it from his waist.
Sif just looked at Thor and sighed in response, it was then that she sat on the bed, letting the sheet that protected her from the cold fall freely, revealing that she was naked.
"… Is it because you still wanted to go another round? Look, in my defense, there's literally no woman who can keep up with you in bed. This is all your fault for training endurance to the point where you've probably been fucking non-stop for more than three days," Sif said, with an annoyed look.
The thunder god just sweated in response, after all, it was a constant complaint from Sif, even before their marriage. While Thor was going to answer, Sif said something again that left the god of thunder speechless...
"Due to your aptitude and the high likelihood of my being bedridden from pain and exhaustion… How about taking another wife? I'm not saying this randomly, but the reason is that you, although you don't have a lust comparable to King Odin, your stamina is unprecedented, so I, being alone, can't keep up with you," Sif said, shrugging.
Thor raised an eyebrow.
"… Where did this come from?" asked Thor.
Sif looked embarrassed, this could be seen when she looked away while muttering, although she could be seen having her face a bit flushed.
"It's not unheard, Dažbog has three wives, four in the winter... I think you have the excuse of having a few more, after all, for your situation, it would even be expected" said Sif.
Thor just stared at Sif until he sighed in defeat.
"We'll talk about that later… But that's not what I'm thinking about right now, so don't worry…" Thor said, smiling slightly.
The thunder god then reached over and used a hand to lightly touch Sif's face and make her turn to look at him. Thor then kissed Sif lightly, making the thunder god's wife blush slightly with the action, although the moment didn't last long as soon as Thor walked away still smiling.
"… I'll be back soon, I promise," said Thor.
Sif then smiled and waved, lying back on the bed and covering her naked body with the sheet, while Thor got up and grabbed some clothes.
Thor then approached the bedroom door and opened it and was ready to leave, until he thought about why he couldn't sleep well...
Fatum's phrase.
'I TRIED! I CAN'T SEE the future once he arrives! This could mean two scenarios, in the first scenario I'm trapped or even dead, but in the second scenario...
There is no future for this dimension!'
Those were the words of Fatum.
That phrase had been echoing through Thor's mind for a long time, and as much as the god of thunder didn't want to believe it...
There was still the possibility that Fatum was telling the truth, and that was what kept Thor awake at night.
The god of thunder thought of the family he came to love, even those he considered his children, like Igris, Kamish, and Hephaestus...
Thor then turned to look at Sif and used the Viljestyrke-Archer to identify the presences around him. Initially, he felt his own presence and Sif's presence in the room, but if he looked closely, he would noticed that Sif's presence was slightly different...
This was noticeable, after all, two presences were inhabiting the same body, although the second presence was considerably smaller.
Thor had noticed this a few days ago...
Sif was pregnant.
Just the thought of a future where Thor's children might not be alive stirred the thunder god's mind. After remembering the possible annihilation of the dimension and world he calls home, meaning the certain death of all the family he has come to love and the friends he has come to regard, the god of thunder can only say one thing...
"… Not even over my dead body," Thor said, whispering so as not to draw Sif's attention.
The god of thunder then left the room, closing the door softly, and soon started walking down the hall of the house, but not before noticing that someone was watching him.
It was Fenrir, who was awake and standing next to Thor's door, with a paw parallel to his ear and with a look like a soldier waiting for orders.
Thor only smiled slightly at Fenrir, until he remembered another project he had been working on at the forge.
The design was simple, if Yhwh decided to collect extraordinary artifacts to create 'Sacred Gears' then why couldn't he?
"... Come on boy, I'll need your help and cooperation this time, if what I have in mind comes to fruition, you'll be the nightmare of the gods," said Thor, calling for Fenrir, as he walked.
Fenrir dutifully followed until the two found themselves in Thor's forge, just below the house.
What Thor was going to do would basically leave Fenrir traumatized...
After all, giving a being the ability to transform into a divine weapon at will was not a good experience.
After a few days, the end result was almost what Thor wanted.
Fenrir as a divine gear and the god of thunder even gave it a name...
Ripper Fang.
Except for one small detail, Fenrir had no affinity with Thor and therefore the god of thunder was deprived of the new weapon...
But Thor ended up finding someone who had an affinity with Fenrir's way of combat.
"So… You want me to do what?" someone asked.
It was Vidar, who looked at Thor confused, although he became nervous while being stared at by Fenrir, who for some reason looked at Vidar in hatred, the three beings were at the moment in the place that would come to be called Greenland. The thunder god just smiled in response as he handed Vidar some sort of bracelet.
Vidar looked confused at the bracelet in his hands, and then looked at his brother.
"…Just put it on, I guarantee you'll be amazed, although it might be awkward at first," said Thor.
Vidar looked suspiciously at the bracelet and then at Thor until he sighed in defeat and placed the bracelet on his wrist. As soon as Vidar put on the bracelet, Thor turned to Fenrir.
"Well boy, it's your cue, and remember, just relax. If you do everything right, I'll promise you Schiacciata when we get back home," said Thor.
Fenrir only cried in response as he looked from Vidar to Thor, and he looked unconvinced, which Thor noticed immediately.
"Eh? Not enough? It's getting hard to bargain with you... How about a Schiacciata and... Tiramisù for dessert?" Thor asked.
This made Fenrir perk up, and he soon barked in response. In the next second, the Godslayer leaped towards Vidar, who was startled and raised his hands in defense and gave a startled scream, and closed his eyes, while Fenrir and the bracelet glowed in unison.
Vidar didn't see what had happened, but Thor looked at Vidar with pride...
Well, Thor was proud of what Vidar was wearing.
"... Success... I wonder if Jörmundgander would be willing to cooperate willingly... But then again, for some reason I never saw that snake again," said Thor, with a thoughtful look.
As Thor thought about Jörmundgander's whereabouts and cooperation, Vidar opened his eyes slightly and looked down at his armored arms in confusion and awe, though he also felt some power from the armor.
"By Ymir... What is this?... What the fuck is this?!" Vidar asked.
Vidar heard a distinct snarl from Fenrir, which further startled young Vidar who was looking around in confusion. This seemed to wake Thor from his thoughts, and he soon approached Vidar.
"Hey, don't call Fenrir 'this', it's rude, and he's our cousin, though not by blood. Also, relax, as long as you wear the bracelet, Fenrir can't hurt you… So how do you feel?" asked Thor.
"Fucking scared, confused, and most of all, pissed off!" Vidar said, not missing a beat.
Thor just snorted in response.
"Don't be a scared dog... Say what the armor makes you feel, simple as that" said Thor.
Vidar then stopped and raised his fists again, and looked at the gauntlets as well as the rest of the armor.
"I…I think I feel…stronger?" Vidar said, a little uncertainly.
"Well, that was to be expected… Any side effects?" asked Thor.
Vidar thought for a moment and tried to feel if there was anything strange that bothered him, but he quickly answered Thor's question.
"…No, I don't feel anything wrong," said Vidar.
Thor gave a satisfied nod.
"Well, I guess it's time for the test… He's all yours, little shit," Thor said, looking up.
It was then that someone landed on the ground next to Vidar, who widened his eyes when he realized who it was as soon as the dust settled.
"… Baldr?" Vidar asked.
The 'light of Asgard' was wearing the knuckles and was looking excitedly at Vidar.
"Hello, brother!... Shall we dance a little?" asked Baldr, with a smile.
The Norse god of light then hit the knuckles, which resulted in a magic circle, which enveloped the knuckles for a brief moment, when the brightness diminished, the knuckles had turned into gauntlets that covered even Baldr's forearm, in addition to leaking golden energy constantly.
Baldr then smiled and raised his fist, punching the air right away at the speed of light, but what surprised him with a construct made of golden energy in the form of a giant fist coming towards Vidar.
"… Fuck," said Vidar, cursing before the giant fist landed on him.
*BOOM*
Meanwhile, a little way off, Thor just watched with an amused look. The god of thunder asked Baldr to help Vidar with the new armor for a few days, and since Baldr was invincible while in the presence of the sun, Thor was unconcerned about his younger brother's safety.
It was then that Thor received a call via a communication rune, when Thor allowed the signal to be received, someone greeted him.
"... Greetings, my king," said the voice.
It was Achilles, who oddly enough was not showing his usual mocking smile and just had a serious expression on his face, which made Thor frown in confusion.
"Achilles… Did something happen?" Thor asked.
Achilles soon waved.
"We found a strange energy signal in the south a few days ago, we sent Horatius to investigate, but he hasn't returned so far. It was then that Igris offered to go, but we got the same answer... We don't know what's going on. We, Karna, Yamato, and I, are getting ready to go look for them, but we thought it best to notify you of our absence, after all, there will be only one Kingsguard in Tordenhus" said Aquiles.
Thor was silent for a moment until he made a decision that made Achilles hesitate...
"… What is their last location?" Thor asked.
Achilles was silent, before sending a hologram that showed Thor the place he would come to be known as Denmark.
"Well… Stay there, I'll get those two" said Thor.
Although Achilles wanted to speak, the god of thunder soon cut off the rune's communication, not offering Achilles any response time, and summoned the chariot and soon climbed into it and made Tanngrisnir and Tanngnjóstr start running, flying across the sky at high speed, towards to the south, but not before notifying Baldr and Vidar with a rune.
- Location: Future Denmark.
Meanwhile, in a land ruled by cold and snow, in a simple forest... Four beings faced each other.
First Horatius had encountered a being of strange energy resembling Ihbanna but was soon knocked down when he demanded who he was facing.
The descendant, as well as the reincarnation of Gilgamesh, didn't like the demand one bit, and the thing Gilgamesh did in response to Horatius was simple...
Try to get away from the 'annoying bug'.
This, of course, was not well received by Horatius, causing an argument that quickly escalated into a direct confrontation, where Horatius began to take a beating, trying to dodge the swords, spears, arrows, and even bolts of golden energy summoned from portals created by Gilgamesh...
There was a good reason to detour...
The one who held the soul of Gilgamesh inherited the ancient king's true exclusive power.
The Gates of Babylon.
Although it could be considered a 'Sacred Gear' it was much more than that.
The 'Gates of Babylon' granted the user two passive skills...
The first skill was the ability to replicate the object that was inside the storage space as many times as the user wanted, as long as the original object was inside the space provided by the 'Gates of Babylon'; with the exception of weapons of a divine nature, such as the sword of rupture bestowed upon Gilgamesh's lineage by the twin strongest gods Enlil and Enki.
The second skill was what made Gilgamesh, and by extension reincarnation, considered dangerous...
The ability to grant used weapons the capabilities needed to harm every being; the example being if any common sword was absorbed by the 'Gates of Babylon' and Gilgamesh uses the replica to attack a god, the replicated sword will acquire the ability to harm gods, in the same way, if Gilgamesh uses the replica of any weapon against a devil, the weapon will acquire holy properties.
In short, the second ability boiled down to providing any object in combat with the ability to injure and therefore kill.
When Gilgamesh used the skills provided, Horatius didn't stand a chance, being reduced to dodging the weapons being thrown at him in an attempt to survive while trying to take advantage of any opening to attack.
But after a few hours, Horatius saw that he didn't have any chance, so he decided to ask for help...
Only to have the request denied by a barrier that cut off any form of communication.
The creator of the magical barrier turned out to be Enkidu, who chose to intervene the moment he realized Horatius' action, although he did not directly enter the battle that destroyed the environment.
Seeing that there was no escape, Horatius could only try to survive as long as possible, hoping that someone would suspect his long absence and try to find him. The wait eventually paid off, as two days later Igris appeared, forcing Enkidu to fight, though it still left the barrier still functional, denying Igris and Horatius from asking for more help, and forcing the four beings to fight for days.
The two Kingsguard just hoped that more help would come after a few days, but honestly, the situation was getting complicated...
*BOOM*
An explosion resounded through the forest, as a figure flew and defended himself with a red energy shield of gold-colored weapons that were thrown towards him.
The figure turned out to be Horatius, and at this point, it had been almost a week of non-stop fighting and fatigue was finally getting the better of the former savior of Rome...
It was then that a figure wearing black armor leaped close to Horatius and used a sword to block the attacks of the gold-colored blades.
The figure turned out to be Igris who, along with the sword given to him by Thor, used the Viljestyrke-Archer to defend himself and Horatius, who was catching his breath.
Meanwhile, the one who was attacking Igris and Horatius turned out to be a teenager with blond hair and red eyes, who just stared at the Kingsguards with a bored look.
It was then that a figure approached the young man, who didn't even react to the proximity, as he was an old acquaintance.
Enkidu.
"Gilgamesh... I think it's best to stop, let them explain their hostility," said Enkidu.
Gilgamesh glanced briefly at Enkidu, but still continued to fire golden weapons at Igris and Horatius.
"…Have you checked on Angelika yet?" asked Gilgamesh, but the worried tone was clear.
Enkidu noted Gilgamesh's anguish, though he sighed in defeat.
"Old friend, we won't be able to help your sister that way, she's being cared for by that witch fugitive from the Roman empire, although her state of health didn't look very good..." said Enkidu.
Gilgamesh softened his gaze, though he soon turned to face Igris, who had started to slow down after blocking so many attacks.
"We need to get to the north... He saved you once, you told me that, he is our only chance," said Gilgamesh.
Enkidu frowned.
"Gil, what if they know about where he is? Wouldn't that be faster?" questioned Enkidu, in the face of Gilgamesh's actions.
Gilgamesh showed no hesitation when he answered.
"I was going to leave peacefully, they started attacking, I'm just fighting back. While I'm purposely not retaliating as it could be a long-term problem, I'll just hurt them enough that they won't have enough strength to fight," said Gilgamesh.
Enkidu could only sigh, the person in front of him was not the first reincarnation of Gilgamesh he had encountered. More than a thousand years have passed, and the one who inherited Gilgamesh's soul held distinctive red eyes, unlike the other descendants.
For over a thousand years, Gilgamesh has lived from a king to a beggar, and this has softened the original Gilgamesh's difficult personality somewhat, although some habits were difficult to break.
It was then that a golden sword managed to wound Igris's shoulder, which caused Gilgamesh to stop the attack, while Igris knelt on the ground and covered the wound. Horatius, seeing Igris' situation, tried to get up to protect his compatriot Kingsguard, but it was noticeable that the whole body of the former savior of Rome was trembling because of extreme exhaustion.
Gilgamesh just stared at the state of the Kingsguard and then approached.
"It took seven days... You're lucky I'm not so desperate for time, otherwise, you'd just be bodies in my path" said Gilgamesh.
Every step Gilgamesh took as he approached Igris and Horatius, a golden aura lightly covered him, demonstrating the power he still wielded.
"... At least you know your place now... On your knees, all that remains is to apologize for attacking me" said Gilgamesh.
Although initially, the Kingsguard didn't show any reaction other than fatigue, everything changed when they heard a small piece of Gilgamesh's dialogue...
'On your knees'.
This made Igris instantly stand up and point his sword at Gilgamesh, while he started to snarl in defiance.
This action was soon followed by Horatius, who using the last of his remaining strength, rose to his feet and created a scarlet energy sword construct.
"What my friend means is simple... We will only kneel to one being, and you are not him" said Horatius.
Gilgamesh just stared and smiled in response.
"... I can respect that," said Gilgamesh.
It was then that Gilgamesh flexed some of the golden aura while creating more white portals, from which one more golden color weapons began to emerge...
"So then… Let you fight until your bodies give up standing up like the loyal warriors you are!" said Gilgamesh.
When Igris and Horatius were ready to defend against Gilgamesh's attacks, something happened...
*BOOM*
The impact sound resounded throughout the barrier created by Enkidu, which alerted everyone and they looked towards the source, looking for answers.
Only to find a hole in the barrier's ceiling.
It was then that, because he was connected to nature and had animal senses, Enkidu was the first to react, running quickly and grabbing Gilgamesh's arm and then jumping back, just in time to avoid an explosion that happened between the four warriors, which raised a cloud of dust that covered the place.
Igris and Horatius noticed the presence that was inside the cloud of dust immediately with the help of the Viljestyrke - Archer, and soon after, they acted as soon as the cloud dissipated, performing an action that they were previously unwilling to do...
Kneel.
"... Greetings, king," said Horatius, on his knees in front of the one who is consecrated as the new leader and god.
Thor.
"... You seem to have gone through difficult trials... Return to Tordenhus, and ask Medusa to give you one of the healing chambers," said Thor.
While Horatius wanted to question the orders as he believed he wanted to fight, Igris immediately obeyed without question, summoning the teleportation magic circle with the intention of returning to Tordenhus to recover.
As soon as Thor saw Horatius and Igris gone, he immediately frowned and started to look towards Enkidu and Gilgamesh.
"So, any words before… Enkidu?" said Thor, recognizing an old acquaintance.
At that very moment, Enkidu broke into a sincere smile.
"Friend, Thor! Long time no see... How are you?" asked Enkidu, approaching the god of thunder.
At that moment Thor was confused, as he never expected to see Enkidu outside the Anunnaki lands, which raised a flag in the mind of the god of thunder, who soon turned his gaze to the teenager with golden hair and familiar eyes who faced him. Strange the young boy who was being accompanied by Enkidu, Thor quickly used the Viljestyrke - Archer and realized something...
The teenager in front of him had quite a high power for a mere human, surpassing even Achilles and Karna combined.
"... Who are you?" Thor asked.
Gilgamesh looked uncertain, though the youth's discomfort was noticeable.
Enkidu, noticing Thor's confusion and Gilgamesh's discomfort, soon explained.
"Thor... There is much we need to talk about," said Enkidu.
While for the next few hours Enkidu would explain the situation to Thor, something was happening that would shake the foundation of all pantheons...
- Location: City of Babylon.
The once city of Babylon was one of the most important commercial and cultural centers the world has ever seen, but now...
The city was slowly being reduced to ruins.
The city of Babylon was an important city in the Achaemenid Empire during the short reign of Alexander in the second half of the 4th century BCE, he lived there for a few months and sponsored the restoration of monuments and canals.
After the death of Alexander the Great, the city was severely affected by the Wars of the Diadochis. During the Seleucid Empire, it lost its capital status and became Hellenized. While retaining some regional importance, it slowly declined and, during the Parthian Empire, in the mid-3rd century BCE, it began to depopulate.
Although some large temples were still active and it was still considered a center of trade in the early 1st century BCE.
But there was a small event that marked the city in the year 689 BCE.
The destruction of the city and the most famous temple, built by the gods...
Etemenanki.
Many believed that the destruction was caused by the invasion of the Assyrians, but in reality, it was half true...
Something escaped from the temple and started killing the humans, innocent or not, found in front of it, until there was nothing left to kill and the thing left the city in ruins.
For years the thing had lived in the wastelands, searching for something or even a purpose, but every time it encountered any form of life, only an instinct resonated in its mind as if it were a command...
Kill.
It didn't matter if it was a harmless animal or not, it didn't matter if it was a band of thieves or even a family of innocent humans.
The instinct to kill has always prevailed...
Even now, after centuries of living 'alone', it was possible to find this being wandering aimlessly, although he was accompanied by a kind of 'fairy', the size of an apple, which flew around the figure.
It was then that this being stopped and looked around in confusion.
"Well… It took ages, but I finally found you," said a voice.
The origin of the voice turned out to be Enki, who was on an endless hunt for the cause of the destruction of the temple of Etemenanki.
As it was night, it was only possible to distinguish certain physical characteristics of the figure that was accompanied by the strange 'fairy'.
It was a man with long golden hair, with amber eyes, but the most noticeable was a kind of black fire with red outlines covering much of the man's body, not to mention that the fire took over most of the man's right side, and the right arm was missing.
The man just stared at Enki, until in the next second he disappeared and reappeared in front of the Anunnaki god of water, who widened his eyes briefly as the black fire took the form of a giant claw.
A second later the man swung an arm made of black fire towards Enki. Though unsuccessful, Enki soon dodged and summoned divine power and conjured a jet of high-pressure water that easily sliced the man in two...
But Enki was soon even more surprised, for as soon as he blinked his eyes the man was healed, with the two separated halves being united again by the same black fire.
The man then attacked Enki again, swinging his arm and extending his reach, incinerating and consuming everything he touched. The Anunnaki god then conjured a shield made from the divine power of his water to ward off the attack.
As soon as the man's attack collided with the shield created by Enki, a huge explosion was created. Although Enki stood his ground, he was surprised when he saw that he was being pushed back, and soon grudgingly admitted that the being in front of him will take some work.
Meanwhile, the strange 'fairy' that accompanied the man who was facing Enki just watched from a distance, as if analyzing the battle...
If you looked closely, the 'fairy' resembled a boy made of light, whose distinguishing feature was 10 horns on its head; plus six wings, with each wing being a different supernatural or non-supernatural species.
This was the initial state of the creature that would make other pantheons fear for existence...
A creature that was still determining what its position in the chain of power was, and what was the main purpose for its existence, while consuming any powerful being to add more to the power it was accumulating over time, as the creature felt which was not in complete form.
This creature would come to be known by the name that Yhwh would give in the future, which would symbolize the number of years of darkness and despair that the world would live when this creature reached its complete form, and forever the name would be engraved in the minds of every supernatural being…
Trihexa.
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Well, that's all, peasants!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
The next Update: February 12th!
Reason: I'm taking a test on February 4th!
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