“Bolt of Thunderbird Spear!” He screamed and twisted his upper body with a practiced throw. The sparking buzzing weapon sped and – unfortunately, missed. The hysterical laughing target, a white-haired young man, stopped picking one of their dog ears. Damn. He thought puppy ears are weak to thunder booms. Well, the ascended ‘fire wolf’ will keep it to the grave how he almost instinctively covered his ears. He’s a canine after all.
But no matter. A centuries-held grudge can only be solved by killing this fellow god, a human-looking black-haired minor lightning deity, by his 'Spear of Firebird's Promise’. Seeing that menace be burnt to ashes will be somewhat unpleasant. They had the same face, after all. He shook himself. 'I'm more handsome, he smiled at his prey. Let’s restart this with a bang. He bent down, pointed his straightened arms at his back, dashed, and then screamed, “There should be only one Sehun and that will be me!”
He didn’t know the reason why that person is passionately sprinting toward him. He did know but he’ll just pretend to himself. Yikes, thousand years of repetitive descriptions of torture methods. Punishments were drawn in detail with annotations of inspiration concerning his grudges. ‘My journey of revenge to thee hath made me lost the heart to love’ lettering with a commissioned image of a person being pierced to the heart (with a god-slaying known lost weapon). Seriously? He almost failed to evade huge ass debris being shot from nowhere. An image of the same “cheesy line’ but with someone being shot with fiery needles in their balls. He knew who that detailed drawn ‘someone’ was, of course.
He didn’t know what the abyssal hell happened at this place. Well, something is headed to his left. A huge ass Eastern-style ship with golden sails. Out of the water. Half-destroyed and ready for impact. Swerving in the air.
Half an hour ago, he almost closed his eyes while riding on that same boat. Ships headed from the Heavens Realm to the mortal world are traditionally in slow procession. Paper lanterns hung on the wooden railings. Servants, mostly lesser spirits, swished wooden staffs with divine paper charms interlocked like chains. In synchronized pattern. “Urk!” A servant was struck at the head. He missed his choreo timing to swish a staff with chimes.
A flow of lotus-shaped water lamps, strewn here and there. Matched the feel of this wide riverway reflecting the night sky. No riverbanks though. Just thick mists, as if the night clouds wanted to dip into the dark waters themselves. Some god said a wondrous view he should appreciate in his first time traveling here. Yeah right, as if they’re not artificial. Fake but needed. Gods need the atmosphere.
After rolling his eyes, he waved back to a pond god on the boat headed in the opposite direction. He could've got a share of the bottle of 'sake' the frog form folk god is delivering upwards. If he delayed the trip, he thought. He gestured a ‘drinking pose’. Before going out of view, the amphibian folk god replied with a thumbs up. Not every god of the Eastern pantheon was as friendly as that one. A long canoe appearing from of the mists canceled his yawn.
A brown-skinned god hurriedly agitated and waved her arms up and down. Clearly a Southern deity. Not because of her skin but the ornate jewelry headdress and clothing with symbols and pictograms of mostly animal and magibeast imagery. (Move out! Something dangerous is happening!) ‘What is she sayin'? Se Hun understood but not even a word made sense to the ferryman beside him. Gods and their innate [Autotranslate] abilities, the amazed celestial servant went back to duty rather than joining the multiplying murmurs.
Canoes of different sizes and Southern-style materials also entered the water. A humble pond-deity in an Eastern-style robe gulped. Alligators of maximum sizes joined the chaotic view that will jolt every fish-form folk deities out of their ponds. At least, for a koi-faced one like Mimi. Distracted, she was then hit by an alligator…animal golden statue ejected from the thinning mist. Maybe her thick black hair lessened the impact as she was able to stand right up. She already got over her drinking problem but she’ll definitely need a drink with her fellow folk god. Well, if she can safely arrive. That frog is an annoying drunk but clearly, today's not a good day. The Heaven's Gatekeeper will have the biggest headache than her, for sure.
When a three-meter tall panther-faced god screams "help!" in Southern dialect. And thrown out of nowhere like a disk. Oh, the Eastern swear words and screaming that started. At least, the pond goddess saw her Southern deity crash dive into the water. "Oh, I don't think he can swim" She dove into the pool. Will a romance start with a koi folk goddess and a major Southern god? That's not the question. The real question is this- "Why did a ten-foot grooved temple pillar come gushing from below the waters?
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Also, how the hell did a flaming warship fall out of the artificial sky? A familiar white-haired wolf-eared minor god jumped down. Hopped on panther-face god, pushing their head into the water, then go on a boat while narrowing his eyes far ahead. Mimi finally pulled drowning god. "Oh no, Se Hun." She gave a final glance at the black-haired man at a distance. Then at the white form heading in that same direction. Faster and faster. She also needs to do something fast. Coating herself with spiritual energy, she formed a circular barrier around her. The bubble-shaped barrier, like a flat stone on a pond, skipped at the water further and further. Away from the crashing ship. She really needs to go ashore, and quick! Glancing at the person she was holding and blushed. She concentrated on keeping their barrier hopping as much as possible away. There's only so much spiritual energy a simple folk goddess can use. Is Se Hun safe and unburned?
Se Hun is not a pile of ash, yet. However, burned splinters from collapsing trees ahead rained. A flickering semi-transparent barrier protected him. Seconds after, electrical orbs flew at high speeds. Damn, all my fire defense armaments went bust. He thought while jumping here and there. "Fucking dog!" He really wishes that he'll lose the chasing dog-man.
A random civilian successfully evaded a flaming spear. Instead, the poor person slammed into a crashing flame warship. Sehun, the white-robed wolf-eared one, concentrated. Crossed his arms as a haze of flame around him. He’ll burn whatever or whoever obstacles just to kill that upstart child of his most hated individual. Without even glancing, a flying random alligator statue bounced away from his fist. He secretly winced and bite his lips for the minor pain. The figure had divine water energy. He’s a god. A fierce warrior he shall be.
Se Hun, the blacked-haired one, thought that if he wore some other divine clothes and armor. Maybe there is a chance he'll be taking this easier. Props to the minor fire god, who had the same face as him but with white wolf beastman characteristics. That person ascended as a celestial being from being a mere firewolf through intense training and cultivation. They had a similar if not the same name. He started this journey to become the 'Se Hun' he had to be. As most Eastern pantheons go by, "Even a Jade Emperor's child, born on Heavens, shall ascend from Earth by himself to claim even an ounce of divine soil." A different belief than some other Pantheons. But he had his heart etched with such a mantra.
After all, his father's a celebrated god. A former human being ascended through his own effort. Although he thinks this is cheesy. His father's epic mortal journey had a pure celestial goddess become his wife. I dunno about pure. He thought about the mother who scared his son with just a single eye glance alone. His father is severely hated by a fire god who by the way still chasing him at this moment. Everyone in Heaven made sure they travel on separate Heaven Corridors. Even the Heaven's Gatekeeper always rechecks the travel schedules each day. Se Hun is also counted in that agreement. Gods are only forbidden to harm one another ONLY in the Divine Realm.
Speaking of which, what’s the Gatekeeper doing? Why are the different corridors collapsing and mashing with each other? Shaking himself that thought as his problem is maniacally laughing. The wolf-eared minor god threw different fire-based long ranged attacks.
Se Hun braced himself as the other one twisted in the air, shooting their body like a fiery arrow, directly at him. One more of his heavenly ornaments broke. Golden accessories gifted by fellow lightning gods scattered. A crossed his arms blocked the pointed feet filled with fire energy. His opponent hopped back to a battle pose. Spiritual attacks are on cooldown. It’s time for melee combat. Both gods exchanged fists creating after-images. Another accessory broke as he blocked a fiery kick. Back and forth of attacks and feints of both as they changed location to location.
However, a flying dragon had no time to be awed. Mind you, a river god who normally enjoys martial arts is very busy escaping from fainted celestial alligators, marble pillars, broken totems, and whatever debris went flying due to a nearby battle. However, a fiery spear attack swerved in his direction. Hiss of steam is heard as he barely evaded. Thankfully, his vomit, er, water attack saved him from being fried.
The minor fire god Sehun, the white-robed one, sweated and bared his fangs, "Not bad for a not yet ascended less-cultivated brat". He could've said more of his lines if he listened to his enemy right now. Who is gesturing for him to turn backward? As if a childish distraction could work -. A speeding big silver bowl-shaped vehicle hit him. Divine Deep Sea Discs. Vessels for the divine pathway of Northern oceanic deities. Then, a school of divine-level mermaids came flying with a melodious chorus of scared screams and slapped the fire god with their tails. Maybe an academy of mermaids? As other batches came. Se Hun secretly thanked them.
Many debris is suspended above him. Larger than what he saw before. Then, all of them crashed down but time slowed. Thankful and confused why the suddenly gravity changed. Scanning the surrounding, he whispered, "Hey, is that?" A Western goddess in the Northern pantheon's toga floated overhead. Asleep and hugging a young girl who stared at him. She pointed at all debris floating around, waved, and beckoned Se Hun. Eyes closed, he leaped towards them and questioned his decision as a vortex swallowed the three.
Meanwhile, a disoriented white-robed fire god was left, at last, alone. A gurgling sound after huge vortexes appeared at his sides. He jolted his drooping wolf ears and- Oh, fucking hell’s shit! He internally cursed as the wave of seawater blasted.