On a normal day in the Divine Realm
A kid named Gabriel was walking down the hallway of a house. He was exhausted after his afternoon training with one of his masters and was returning to their house when he overheard a conversation in another room.
"Things have been pretty hectic in the Lower Realms for a while now. From creating false gods to summoning demons and now a revolt," said a fat, smiling god in a cheerful fashion. He had a curly mustache, long ears, and no hair on his head. His name was Hotei, one of the Seven Fortune Gods.
"Revolt, huh?" replied another person in the room. He untied the book that was tied to his cane and read it for a few minutes before speaking again. "It is nothing but futile... Just how far are you mortals willing to go?" He said in a low voice. The person speaking was an old-looking man who was playing chess with another person. He had a long head and ears, and no hair on his head. He held a cane with a crow on top of it. His name was Fukurokuju, another one of the Seven Fortune Gods.
"The waves are turning in a bad direction... The sounds of agony are nearing," said a beautiful woman in a poetic tone. She was accompanied by her white snake resting alongside her. Her name was Benzaiten, another one of the Seven Fortune Gods. "Checkmate, by the way," she added, as she checkmated Fukurokuju in their chess match.
"That was a good game," Fukurokuju said in a slightly agitated tone. He couldn't believe that a god of wisdom like himself had been defeated in a chess match.
"Looks like you don't really care about it that much, huh?" said Hotei, laughing a bit as if the conversation was amusing to him.
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"It can't be helped. It's not like they can defeat us after all," said a person sharpening his spear from a distance. He had the build and appearance of a warrior. His name was Bishamon, another one of the Seven Fortune Gods.
"Hahaha, is that so? Shall I give you some interesting news then? Information about Gabriel's parents or something," Hotei said with a smile that looked like a smirk.
Thud!
Bishamon dropped his spear. "About... them?" he said with a hint of resentment in his voice.
Hotei was interrupted by a man who suddenly appeared in front of the four gods in the room. "Hermes! What are you doing here?" Startled by the sudden appearance, all of the gods stood up, voicing their surprise.
"Pardon me for bursting in here without permission. I've come to deliver an urgent order," said the man who had appeared. He was wearing short, winged sandals and a traveler's hat. His face showed signs of urgency, evident from the sweat dripping down. He was Hermes, a god associated with Olympus.
"If you're coming with such urgency just to deliver an order, I assume it's from the higher-ups," Fukurokuju said, as if he had already figured it out.
"That is correct. They're ordering all of you to leave the realm and protect Gabriel with your lives on the line," Hermes answered, urgency in his voice.
"Leave?!" exclaimed Bishamon in an agitated tone as he glared at Hermes. "Those higher-ups really know how to piss me off, huh? First, they cast us away, and now they order us around as if nothing happened. They're belittling us, aren't they?" he added, anger evident in his voice.
Hermes could only sigh at Bishamon's attitude, understanding where he was coming from. "That's..." Hermes tried to come up with something to persuade him but then noticed Gabriel. "It's for Gabriel's safety... I'm sure you understand, right?"
Bishamon stared at Gabriel for a few seconds, thinking before saying anything.
"Bishamon, I understand that you hate turning your back on enemies, but this time is different," Fukurokuju added to further convince Bishamon.
"Fine, since you're the God of Wisdom, I'll trust you in this." Bishamon said, and Hermes showed a look of relief. "Hotei, if you may," Bishamon added, asking Hotei for something.
"Aight, here we go then." Hotei summoned his old, ragged sack bag and began performing some hand signs while murmuring in a low voice. "With this treasure, I'm exchanging our locations."
Thud!
Before he could finish his mantra, his head was sliced off and fell to the floor.
"Enough chit-chat," a cold voice said.