Chapter seven: the monk and the gods

Arni wakes up after his conversation with the Crow of Rain, confused by what he saw, feeling a cold, high breeze on his body, with raindrops still gently falling on his face. He looks around, unaware of his location, feeling as if his body has no structure. He sees Zeus and Cobra standing above him, questioning what just happened, waiting for Arni to calm down and fully wake up.

Then, Arni fully wakes up and tries to sit up, relaxed in his spot, as sweat pours from him, while his body is overcome with a biting cold. In his burned clothes and long, frizzy hair, he tries to steady his breath and think clearly. He raises his hand, attempting to sit, but as soon as he sees his hand, it takes his breath away, and he begins to spiral into hysteria in his mind. The smell of burning becomes sharper, and the raindrops falling on his hand burn as if they were drops from a poison tree. He rubs his eyes to make sure of what he’s seeing, yet nothing changes. The scar is still there, covering his entire right arm, darkened with a deep brown color, leaving behind a horrible mark on his skin. Seeing this, Arni is left wondering about the source of the scar; it’s not from Karubo, as he cannot reconcile this with his mind. It was from the fire that had struck him before. But he thinks and mutters to himself again: "The strike was less than ten minutes ago, how could the wound have healed, how could the new burn have disappeared, and how could it have turned into a scar so quickly?" At that moment, Arni begins to understand Karubo’s power and realizes that it should not be underestimated at all, for he has brought what was in the realm of imagination into reality.

All of this thinking in Arni’s mind took only a few moments. Meanwhile, Cobra and Zeus stand before Arni, feeling mixed emotions, a blend of anger and confusion over what happened, unsure who to blame. Is it Arni, or his friend with the crows? Then, Cobra starts speaking, angrily addressing Arni, speaking in a condescending tone.

Cobra: “What’s going on with you? Are you aware of what just happened? All this time you’ve been useless, and suddenly you disappear, and a terrifying man appears, killing that fire creature with a single strike, then humiliating both me and Zeus. Are you going to explain what’s going on?”

Zeus, angered by Arni, speaks with hatred in his voice: “Can you hear me? That strange one just came out and stepped on my head. Don’t pretend to be stupid now. I’ve seen him talking to Hades before. You’ve been hiding something since then, or maybe from the very beginning.”

Arni takes a breath, regaining his composure, speaking calmly: “I, for my part, don’t know. Since I died in the third hell the last time, I’ve been seeing strange dreams in my mind about someone claiming to be the strongest.”

Arni says these words, knowing they are not just dreams. He can feel every moment with Karubo in his world, every breeze that touched him, the sound of Karubo’s voice echoing loudly as he screamed in pain, and the smell of the place, tainted with the stench of his blood flowing.

Cobra loses hope in arguing with this fool, lights his cigarette, picks himself up, and begins walking to see where Karubo had taken them after Zeus had flown with them earlier.

The smell of dirt and rain fills Cobra’s nostrils as raindrops fall on his head while he smokes, and dirt covers his eyes, creating a mixture of scents. As his feet move, he feels the mud and stones beneath them, and all he can see in the distance is the vast, open expanse of mud on the ground. There is no sign of animal or plant life, no trace of any soul stirring in the place. It is a barren desert, transformed into open lands of mud and clay, where the sun is hidden behind thick layers of rainy clouds, and this mud will not dry anytime soon.

Kobra approaches Zeus, asking him: "Can you get us out of here? I don't see any point in us being here."

Zeus replies, looking upset: "I don't think I can do that. I was hit a little while ago, have you forgotten? I don't think I'll be able to fly with focus and stability for a while."

With a tone of pity, Kobra tells Arni to get up: "There’s no time for your strange daydreams. We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

Leaning on his right hand, Arni tries to get up using it to check if it can withstand some pressure. He manages to get up, but the hand causes a slight burning sensation, which he didn’t really pay much attention to, as it’s just a minor pain compared to the damage it sustained.

The three of them stand there, contemplating the empty space. There is no sound except for the strong wind, the raindrops tapping on their heads, and the scent of mud and dust around them, while the dust blurs their vision, not knowing where they are headed.

Arni looks around and then says: "Here it is, we’ll go north."

Kobra is surprised by Arni’s choice of north specifically and asks him why.

Arni simply tells Kobra that this is the right way to get out of this place. Kobra doesn’t question the details and decides to walk, as anything is better than staying here, while Zeus walks with his hand on his head.

As they walk through the oppressive stillness, each of them has something different on their mind. Kobra walks carefully, step by step, while Zeus holds his head in pain and seems still bothered by what happened earlier. Arni thinks about what’s happening in the area and the outside world, and about the identity of the Crow of Rain and what it told him. Then, Arni notices that Zeus is still holding his head, so he timidly approaches him and says: "Hey, Zeus, I’m sorry for what happened earlier. I’ll try to handle this better in the future." Arni says, his face showing signs of sadness as he apologizes to Zeus.

Zeus raises an eyebrow and smiles: "Man, stop that. It’s not your fault, it’s fine, but that arrogant one is really annoying. I’ve never felt such an insult before."

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Zeus tries to reassure him: "Don’t worry too much about it. I’ve talked with this thing before, he’ll try to stop doing these foolish things."

"No, I won’t. Don’t make up lies, you fool. I’ve never said anything like that before." - Karubo says to Arni in his head, showing clear annoyance.

Arni shivers as soon as Karubo starts talking to him and stops speaking. He prefers to remain silent rather than respond. As Arni walks, speaking with Zeus, Kobra notices something is wrong. The ground isn’t solid where they are walking. Yes, it’s mud, but what’s beneath the mud isn’t solid ground.

Kobra quickly shouts: "Hey Arni, stop right there!" Kobra says in a frightened tone.

At that moment, Arni, distracted by Karubo and his words, continues walking normally until his foot sinks deeper into the mud, as if he’s fallen. Both Kobra and Zeus notice this and rush toward him.

Without being careful, Kobra and Zeus both leap toward Arni. The ground beneath them loses its stability, and without warning, the three of them begin to feel as if they are falling due to gravity. The dirt had been covering a large opening, like a cave, and with their movement, the dirt lost its stability, throwing them under the rubble into the cave.

Silence fills the place for a few minutes after their fall. Nothing has changed at all. There is no sign of nearby life, no sound around them. Then Kobra starts to regain consciousness and feel again. His eyes are closed, seeing only the deep blackness, and he feels the sand moving on his body and the hot air. He opens his eyes and finds himself deep inside the cave. The only source of light around him is coming from above. He lifts his head to look, and there is an opening in the cave’s ceiling, but he quickly realizes that getting out of here requires flying. As soon as he thinks about flying, he fully regains his senses and remembers: Zeus, Arni, where are they? It’s not the right time to disappear. Then he sees Arni’s burned hand emerging from under the sand. He quickly moves to pull it out from under the sand. Arni coughs a lot and gasps for breath, trying to speak with his throat full of sand.

"What just happened?" he says, barely able to speak.

"This is no time for this nonsense. Look for Zeus, he’s buried under the sand!" Kobra says, agitated.

Then Kobra begins digging around with his hands, searching for Zeus. Arni quickly realizes what’s happened around him and decides to enter and help with the search.

During this time, in the third hell, Hades and Danger meet, and it seems this is not their first encounter. A terrifying aura fills the place, and the cold air chills the atmosphere. Hades looks at Danger face to face while Danger stands in the middle of a pool of blood after having slaughtered one of Hades' men, named Slayer. Slayer looks at Hades with a gaze full of hatred and malice, while Hades stands arrogantly, annoyed by Danger's arrival.

"It's you, I didn't expect you to come," Hades says to Danger.

Danger appears serious, silent, his stance calm and composed. He is a tall monk, dressed entirely in black with a long scarf draped over his forehead, a red tattoo of two intersecting lines representing the Roman numeral ten, cut by a vertical line. His long white hair and black hat adorned with a silk feather complete his appearance. He places his hand on his waist, pushing the scarf aside to reveal a red fighting dagger, pulling it from its sheath. The dagger then transforms into a battle sword from the Crusader factions, with a golden handle shaped like a Christian cross.

In a steady voice, showing no fear before the King of the Third Hell, Danger begins to pray to Hades.

"Father, forgive the soul of this poor one. Mother, take care of this child. Father, of his companion."

Hades becomes enraged by Danger's arrogance. He rushes forward quickly, scattering the dirt around him, grabbing Danger's head and pulling him along, throwing him against a massive rock, splitting the rock in two. Hades then quickly approaches again and punches Danger in the face, shattering the remaining rock, sending Danger tumbling to the ground, crashing into a tree. In the blink of an eye, Danger finds Hades in front of him, delivering a kick to his midsection, causing Danger to cough up blood. In a moment of Hades' arrogance, surprised by Danger grabbing his foot, Danger quickly throws him to the ground with force. At that moment, he leaps again with his sword, attempting to stab Hades in the torso. Hades tries to evade, but the strike grazes him on the side, leaving a deep wound.

Before Hades can escape fully, Danger releases his sword and grabs Hades by his clothes with one hand, pulling him toward him. He draws his sword again, returning it to its dagger form, and stabs it into Hades' left thigh, leaving the dagger in place. Hades screams in pain and punches Danger in the face, sending him flying several meters while the dagger remains in his side. Hades charges at Danger again, and this time his hand glows blue, filled with destructive energy. Danger quickly avoids the strike, which hits the ground, causing a massive explosion that sends Danger flying again. However, this time, he grabs a distant tree and stands on it, watching as Hades repeats the same action.

In a moment, Danger snaps his fingers, and the dagger transforms into a large, heavy sword while still embedded in Hades' thigh. Hades feels something piercing his foot, sending a shock of pain throughout his body, and the sword cuts off his left foot completely.

Hades screams loudly, his unbalanced energy shaking the entire Third Hell, and the sound echoes even in the Second Hell and Heaven, sending a wave of terror into the souls of all who are present.

Danger does not stop there. He approaches Hades, heading straight toward him, grabbing his other leg in an attempt to drag and throw him. But before he can do anything, he is thrown to the ground quickly, creating a massive hole in the earth. Hades unleashes a blue force of explosive energy, heading directly toward Danger at incredible speed, destroying everything in its path. Danger quickly rushes out of the hole, trying to escape. In the blink of an eye, he finds Hades in front of him again, striking him in the face with a hammer, causing a massive explosion that destroys the surrounding trees and rocks. Danger is sent flying far away. Meanwhile, Hades regenerates his foot with blue energy and slowly walks toward Danger.

Danger charges at him quickly, holding the sword in its cross-shaped form, attempting to stab Hades. Danger gets very close, but before the blade reaches Hades' body, he is struck in the head with the hammer again, sending him crashing to the ground.!

"You are no match for me, don't try to compete. This leg I just lost will not change the outcome of the fight, it only makes it fairer, but not enough to make you win against me," says Hades to Danger in a harsh voice.

Danger raises his hand to the sky and shouts loudly and angrily: "O blacksmith, sharpen me and grant me steadfastness. O warrior, teach me and give me your wisdom. O holy Lord, grant me your strength."

At that moment, Danger's body begins to radiate with a golden aura strong enough to erase everything around him with just his presence.

"Standing against me is standing against all the gods. Standing against the gods is a certain loss," says Danger, anger burning in his red eyes.

Drawing his sword again, bathed in golden light and charged with divine energy, both Danger and Hades rush toward each other, face to face. Holding his sword, Danger strikes Hades with a swift sideways blow. Hades blocks it with his right hand, but the momentum sends him flying rapidly through the air. With incredible speed, Danger moves to be directly above Hades, stepping on him while in mid-air, slamming him into the ground.

Hades opens his eyes to discover that his right hand has just petrified, and it begins to crumble piece by piece. He becomes enraged at the loss of his hand and, in an instant, replaces it with a new one made of destructive blue energy, heading toward Danger again to strike him beneath the jaw, throwing him into the air. He charges toward him while flying, attempting to kick him once more. Danger charges both his hands with divine energy, grabbing the alternate blue energy leg and striking his own right leg, causing him to lose his other right leg as well. Then, he lets go of his legs and clenches his fists, delivering a powerful blow with his left hand, sending Hades flying far away.

Danger attempts to strip Hades of his limbs, making it easier for him to kill him.

On the other side, Hades flies through the air, crashing into the gates of Heaven, entering the Heaven and landing on the ground there without his four limbs. He gasps for breath and sighs as he speaks.

Danger enters Heaven behind Hades to finish him off, entering with all his might and anger in his eyes, searching for Hades. But he is shocked to find that Hades is no longer around him. He realizes that Hades has escaped his grasp, returns his sword to its place, and then raises his hand.

"I thank you, blacksmith, for sharpening me. Thank you, arrior, for giving me your wisdom. Thank you, Lord, for granting me your strength," says Danger in revere

The golden aura around Danger fades, and he stands once more on his feet.

End of the chapter