As the crowd stares attentively, still in a rowdy mood despite the fact that in mere seconds, these two gods will be fighting each other to the death, until one gives out, or is forced into reincarnation.
But what of me?
I watch in anticipation, hoping to get something out of this, anything at all that will benefit me in the long run.
The vast clouds that are strewn across the battlefield almost seems like you could walk on it, their atmosphere is too perfect, but what worries me the most is the toll their battle will have on this land.
I know from common sense that a battle between gods is a defining that will either end or begin a new world order, or something along those lines.
Aren't they concerned about what will happen to the land? There are people residing in this world, yet they choose this realm to be their grounds for battle.
I cna't really say anything out of the ordinary, but I can only watch as how this will transpire.
Looking closely at the statistics, Bellona wields the warrior's combination of a sword and shield.
Named as a war goddess, that must mean that despite her looks, she will be the undoing of any wary foe, well, not unless I see what she truly is like.
Hou Yi, on the other hand, wields a longbow attached to a gauntlet to his arm.
Just by looking, there shouldn't be any discussion about the victor, seeing as in all technicality, if Bellona does close in on Hou Yi, then he's done for.
Leaving my internal ramblings for later, Hou Yi is the first to make an action, nocking an arrow to his cheek, aiming from a faraway distance with a serious confidence on his face.
He closes his eyes, looking to be breathing in and out.
Bellona does not wait, running on the clouds, which were supposed to be hollow, but proven not to be as she dashes at break neck speed, her shield covering her left as her sword arm lingers near the sheath on her waist.
Her short, appealing hair flutters as she continues to close the distance between her enemy, who is still aiming with his left arm extended, arrow still nocked, ready to be shot at any given moment.
At that moment, when Bellona reaches a certain distance, still meters away from Hou Yi, the archer lets loose nine arrows in quick succession, all but one is directed straight at Bellona, who stops at her tracks, raising her shield to guard.
His one draw releases nine arrows, and nine arrows are lost from his quiver.
The arrows hit the shield dead center, a seething sound can be heard as each one seemingly hits the same place that the other had struck, forcing the war goddess back as her feet’s grip on the clouds are lost for a few seconds.
She continues her relentless charge, still remaining at ease after taking the brunt of Hou Yi's attack.
The master archer does not reach for his quiver, instead drawing his bow where a faint red light appears, forming into an arrow made of pure energy from the sun.
He takes aim at the goddess, feeling the air as it breezes past his tied back hair and scarf.
He fires, releasing the bowstring only to draw it once again at the same time he had released it, shooting what looks to be fifty arrows, hailing towards Bellona.
Unhindered, the goddess finally makes her move, drawing her sword at just the right time to sweep away all the arrows heading towards her.
She raises her sword to the bright sky, gleaming brightly as to intimidate her opponent.
Hou Yi's expression darkens, drawing his bowstring, releasing a large barrage of arrows towards Bellona, Intent on ending it at this moment.
With a loud cry, empowering her, she rips forth the wave of arrows, slashing and cleaving at it as to make a way for herself, showing the bow wielder how powerless he is against such an adversary that can quickly decimate his only weapon.
But he does not lose heart after all that, halting his barrage, pulling another arrow from his quiver, a sloid looking one, not the one created from energy alone.
He heaves a heavy sigh, looking at the nearly approaching god in front of him, closing his eyes, not because he lost, but because he had a trick up his sleeve that would surely win him this bout.
He bends one knee, drawing the bowstring with the special arrow in place, whereas Bellona raises her shield, ready to take whatever this god has to offer.
In a puff of red cinders, without moving even an inch of muscle, Hou Yi manages to surprise Bellona, who stops at her charge, destroying the power she had built up with it.
She begins looking everywhere for her opponent, walking towards the pace where he stood prior before disappearing.
She senses an immense amount of heat behind her, in which she does, overwhelmed by the sheer amount of power lurking from her blind side.
As soon as she turned around, a phoenix, ten times larger than her, was heading her direction, burning the sky as it flew past the winds, flapping its majestic wings that are of pure velvet in color.
It cries out in a high pitch scream, breathing flames that scorched the very clouds the Bellona stood upon.
Instead of cowering in fear of this massive titan in front of her, she stands her ground, a red aura begins to envelop her as she releases an even louder war cry, driving her legs to run and meet the phoenix head on, she raises her shield, glowing a new gold color, she points her sword from her side, gleaming brightly, like the shiniest metal in existence.
They meet in the center, the phoenix explodes in a dazzling array of sparkling fire, showering the spectating crowd with applauses and howls of surprise.
But amidst all that, the goddess emerges, sweeping the air and cinders with her sword and shield. Although not unscathed, she overcomes the epic of a myth, continuing her dash as she seems to know where her enemy hides.
As the red sky returns to its natural blue color, her speed picks up, improving with every seconds, becoming faster than the wind itself.
Hou Yi barrages her once again from a safe distance on the peak of a mountain, repeating the cycle that he had done earlier, except, some arrows are too much for Bellona to bear, making grit her teeth in agitation, but she keeps at it, bursting forth.
Hou Yi, surprised by this sudden emergence of power from his enemy, in unable to move quickly enough as Bellona instantly closes the gap between them, leaping into the air, cleaving downwards with a rageful roar.
Hou Yi manages to block the war goddesses earth shattering attack that manages to stir the skies and clouds into disarray.
He blocks with his gauntlet arm, forcing his position as he holds up with one leg, the other bended.
He takes an arrow from his quiver, throwing it at Bellona, only to have it land miserably behind her, like a twig from a tree branch.
Bellona swats Hou's gauntlet aside, kicking him down to the ground as she impales her sword at his bow arm, spilling blood that gushes out from his metal clad bicep, forcing him to yell in pain as she mercilessly drives her sword further through Hou Yi's arm, ripping at his flesh, looking to pierce it with all her anger.
The god, however manages to astonish his enemy once more with the same technique, disappearing from the ground where he was being held captive by a sword, leaving a pile of cinders and ashes in place of him.
Not fast to react, Bellona feels her back being pushed, hearing words that are foreign to her and myself, yet the voice is audible enough for everyone, even those watching, to hear.
"Kokonotsu no taiyo no tamashi ga arawaremasu!" he yells out after weakly striking Bellona's back with his palm, marking her with a strange symbol.
She draws her sword that is lodged on the mountain's earth, slashing behind her, Hou Yi retreating in time with his bow arm limping from the side of his body, still bleeding profusely.
Missing entirely, Bellona finds herself being pulled back by an unseen force, dragging her slowly to the air.
Beyond the pristine sky are nine suns forming a circle, each one burning with enough heat for it to be felt inside the temple, yet I am the only one that seems to react to this, tugging on my collar inconspicuously as to let out some air.
Bellona is pulled to the very center of the nine suns, unable to do anything as she helplessly struggles in the air, obviously not used to being afloat as she recklessly moves about, swinging her sword here and there.
Hou Yi, on the other hand points his bleeding arm out towards Bellona, seeing her clearly as day despite the sun that should be obscuring his sights.
At first, Hou gives in, his arm falls to his side due to the immense pain of his muscles cut apart, giving him less control over the weight of his weapon. Yet, he perseveres, yelling loudly once more as he forces his arm to point up.
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He slowly draws on the bowstring, the constant pain reminds him of his dwindling strength, making both arms tremble.
Forcing the pain into submission, Hou draws the string with all his might, creating an arrow made of energy, one stronger than normal.
As he points his bow and arrow at the war goddess, the suns begin to merge into one place, the center, where Bellona is held in place, unable to do anything as she is plunged into the core of the sun, having combined to create one massive star of dust, flaring with intense heat.
Hou Yi releases the arrow that takes the form of a phoenix, one that is identical to the one he summoned earlier, creating a red trail of fire as it flies to the massive sun, piercing right through it.
The sun explodes a strong pressure of air sweeps across the land, clearing the mountains of the clouds, showing an unkempt beauty hidden from the sky.
A powerful explosion that can be heard all across this realm, and to many others.
It could also be heard inside the temple, echoing loudly, enough to destroy my eardrums if it weren't for me covering my ears, cowering on the floor as everyone else admired the sight to behold, applauding and laughing gaily for some.
Hou Yi falls on one knee, breathing profusely as something falls from the sky, creating a dark trail of smoke, landing loudly on the ground, creating a crater that destroys one of the mountains in the area.
"Such power... This is something else."
-It truly is. This is quite different from my own battle with Thor, which lasted for about a few minutes.
"Don't be like that. Just forget about it, we'll beat him for sure."
My heart is thumping fast, I can feel the pressure that these two exerted with their powers, making me a tad nervous about my own state.
Is this what I have to deal with?
Gods who move at the speed of light, possessing powers that could destroy suns... Quite nerve wracking, but nevertheless exciting.
-How can you find this exciting? I can barely hold my fear in.
"I should be the terrified one. Didn't you tell me that you gods reincarnate right after losing or dying in this world?"
-Yes, that's right, what of it?
"Remember that I'm mortal, and that I'll die if I take a beating, enough to take a mortal our, by godly standards of course."
-Oh, yes, I remember now. I hope that we can at least match that kind of strength soon. I feel uneasy about how things are at the moment.
"You're not the only one."
Keeping a fake cool and collected attitude as my heart beats strongly, I look around, staring at random gods and goddesses' faces for no apparent reason, maybe to calm myself, maybe to just find something to distract my mind.
"So, do you have a grasp at how the battle is supposed to go, or the 'gist' of it?"
Hotei, who had been watching closely, asks me, smiling widely at the festivities that continues to rile up the gods and goddesses in attendance.
"Aren't you concerned about that goddess that was defeated!? She was gravely injured, right?"
Needing to get this off my chest, I let out a hushed angry tone at Hotei, who does not see my tone as a threat, instead he smiles at me, putting an arm on my shoulder, pointing at the orb of water still floating in midair.
"We gods are reincarnated here, a world filled with many other gods. But in your case, it looks to be gravely complicated. I pity your situation, but strongly supporting your cause to continue living."
He laughs, his large belly bounces as he takes a mug of wine from the wandering waiters, or attractive looking beings roaming about, holding trays of food and wine.
"But for now, enjoy yourself, you never know when it's going to be your last."
I smile back wryly at his last remark, seeing it as a bad omen coming from a god of luck.
I shake my head, removing all thoughts of death, replacing it with my growing passion to fight for my life, refusing to willingly give it up without a fight.
"Don't worry about it for now. There are more battles that will take place. At the very least one to two duels each day as to not end the feast too quickly."
I nod to Hotei, leaving him to his business as I head off towards a quiet place in the temple, gathering my thoughts for today.
"So, what do you think about all of this so far, Vixalis?"
-Well, it seems that if we want to fight and emerge victorious, then we have our work cut out for us.
I sigh, thinking of a way to have a chance at this feast.
-Do you not think about your life back on earth?
Vixalis interrupts my thoughts, surprising me with his sudden question, clearly not related to our previous subject.
-I know I took you away from it, and I am truly sorry for that, but don't you think of anyone back on earth? Like parents, friends, acquaintances?
"Not much really. I mean, I can, but I don't think I can spend that much leisure time instead of preparing myself for the inevitable future where I fight for my life. Though I am, or was mortal, there must be some things that I need to sacrifice, in my case, it is time."
-I see... Why don't we train then?
"Train? How?"
-I'll teach you as best as I can, while we try to find a way for the deities to acknowledge you. What do you say?
"I won't reject the offer, but won't we be punished for leaving so early while the feast is still ongoing for the day?"
-Well, if we miss our battle, but not if we are not needed. All we need is to tell Hotei of our absence and reason, and surely he will make a way. He is the god of luck, so we will either get good luck or bad luck.
"Might as well. We need all the time that we can get our hands on."
Heading back into the temple, I try to find Hotei, which shouldn't be too hard since he's too big to hide himself even from a large crowd.
I find him, trying to flirt with some of the goddesses, which catches my attention as well.
Despite being a god of luck, he is turned down bluntly, destroying his morale completely as he hobbles his body towards me.
I explain the situation, patting him on the back for good luck, in which he returns with a tearful nod.
"Don't be too hard on yourself. There are more of them out there, and they might be the one for you."
*sniff* "If you say so."
I leave the broken hearted god behind, rushing to the exit where a Pegasus and a chariot awaits me.
I mount it almost too quickly, the thought of that view clouds my mind, wanting to be bombarded by the beauty of the scenery once more.
The Pegasus cries out, whipping its mane from side to side, galloping on the polished floor where its footsteps echo.
After getting the running start, the majestic horse flaps its wings taking to the sky, descending back to the natural earth with my fear of heights removed.
From the shadows lurks a man clad in a black cloak, his face except his mouth is concealed, smiling deviously.
"This is going to be quite an interesting feast. I wonder what more kinds of surprises are in store for these unaware gods."
He laughs maniacly to himself, retreating back into the temple.
Meanwhile, inside the same room illuminated by a lone torch, one man stands leaning on a wooden table, reading over a report that had been given to him.
He applies pressure to his temple, breathing in the dusty air as to calm himself.
Unable to hold his temper, he smashes the table with his fist.
"I can't believe this! How much damage must the land and its people bear for you unholy beings be satisfied?"
He reads over the report once more, specifically the part the reads, 'seven settlements destroyed, two towns destroyed, three in ruins, the capital and its people feel great unease after these past few days.'
"Damn them! Why must my people suffer without reason? I will not stand Idly by for these impudent beings to ransack this land. I must hurry the process. There can be no time to waste... Although it will take me a bit longer, the people of this land must endure for just a bit longer. I will secure our future, as your king, that I promise!"
The man filled with rage takes out a parchment paper and some ink to go with his quill pen, writing out a long statement of some sort, pouring his feelings into it.
"I cannot do anything for now. This is the only chance we have, and I cannot risk it for something that might fail. Soon, I will succeed most definitely, and finally my people will have their peace. As long as those gods will uphold their end of the bargain, there can be no room for error. But for good measure, I might just use them as well."
He finishes, rolling it and wrapping a ribbon around it made of gold silk, dousing the fire that the lone torch wields, exiting the room with his letter in tow.
In the forest, the same place where we came from to arrive at the temple of Aether, we decided to head on to the deeper parts, trying to find the ideal spot to train, a place where little to no damage can be done, no disturbance, and hopefully no wild animals.
"Ah! Finally, a place that we can train at. But are you sure that it's safe to stay here for the night? Svanvhit did offer us a place if we wanted to."
-If we want some progress, then we might as well do it where danger is closest at, and a place where you might be able to handle the danger.
"It's already getting dark; I should start getting the firewood ready then."
-Hold on... I thought you would say that. no firewood.
"Are you crazy? I'll freeze to death out here."
-You'll freeze, but not to death. Don't worry too much, it's part of the training. We'll try strengthening your bond with the cold, and at the same time, the deity of winter.
"Sounds too good to be true, plus, you seem a bit doubtful from what I can feel."
-Well, this is the best way I can think of. Not if you have a better idea in mind.
*Sigh* "No, I don't. Fine, let's just get this over with. Where do I sleep though?"
-On the grass. I think that'll suffice. For now, we will focus on harnessing the energy around you, just like that time when you knocked out a section of the forest with one punch.
"How do I do that?"
-Firstly, try and relax. Feel accustomed to the air, the cold, them tap into its energy, which should be a bit easy since you are a god of seasons.
"How long do you think It'll take?"
-For as long as you need to. I will feel the energy as well, but I will not assist you so that you will grow to naturally be able to sense it. Are you ready?
"As I'll ever be."
I sit down, the sunset disappears over the horizon, this world's moon emerges from the east, signaling the creatures of the dark forest that it's time to come out.
A hooting sound could be heard echoing somewhere in the forest, taking my curiosity, disrupting my concentration.
The cold air breezes through the forest, wrapping me in its embrace.
I begin to shiver, my teeth rattle as I lose concentration all together, breaking down and huddling on the soil for warmth.
"I can't take this! Give me back my warmth!"
-Calm down, you were almost there. Remember, forget about the cold, and it will ignore you. Tame it, mold it into you. That is one way to be acknowledged by winter.
"B-but I'm freezing here. Can't you just ask your friend to help me out?"
-They won't allow that. Their prides are too big for that. You must earn their trust. I believe in you, think about your fate if you don't have a power when you are called to a duel. You'll die miserably, forever lost in this world.
"D-dying doesn't look so bad, is it warm?"
*sigh* -We have our work cut out for us.
Morning arrives, having felt the experience of dying alive, I open my arms to the warm heat given by the sun.
"Ah~ You know what? I should just focus on the deity of summer, it's something that I can bear better than winter, I think."
*yawn* -There's no easy way of getting stronger, Kael. I thought it would be best to focus on winter since Hou Yi's power with his flame arrows are quite something to behold. I want you to be able to match that in the future.
"I don't think that'll happen any time soon. I don't want it to take years to do either."
-You can't rush things. Good things come to those who wait, and persevere. Isn't that a saying that some of you mortals follow?
"True enough."
-Well, let us practice your gathering energy again, but in a different atmosphere... Question, what do you think did that power of yours come from? Summer, spring, fall? Guess.
"I think summer."
-Wrong, it is spring. That power you harnessed it from was spring. Its deity is one who uses overwhelming strength to enforce spring's growth, being one with the wilderness.
"That makes sense, including the strength part. But does that mean that the deity of spring trusts me since I had connected to the energy?"
-Well, yes and no. Yes, because you tapped into the energy around you, spring's energy was rampant at the time. No, because you did that on your own, there was no connection, so it was quite weak from a god's perspective.
"So what should I do today? There should be no feast until after morning, right?"
-There's no feast the day after a duel had happened, but the temple is open for those who'd like to dine. I'd prefer it though if you could search for your own food here, as to be part of the wilderness.
"We have time, so I'll start gathering energy to train my powerful attack. I might even use that punch as a signature move."
-It does not sound like a good idea, but it is your choice.
And so begins my serious training to develop a connection with the deities of the seasons, hoping that I can succeed at attaining a power that can aid me in the case of duel.