[Huh?] Hermes’ voice was lashed with disbelief. He mumbled something to himself in ancient Greek, something along the line of ‘What is that idiot thinking?’. Theodore couldn’t help but laugh, it did hurt to be called ‘stupid’, but he’ll have to let it go for the sake of his explanation.
[It might sound like an illogical idea, but doing it this way would lessen the burden on both the human realm, and me.] Theodore paused, letting his words sink in for a brief moment. [It wouldn’t be best if I spend more time telling all of you how I’m going to do it. So let’s just say that I can because I am a God of Chaos.]
[We simply need to bless all of the humans within this state?] Poseidon spoke up, the curiosity clear within his deep voice. He could picture the elder god stroking his chin in profound thought. [Why not let us descend to the mortal world, then? That should be easier, would it not?]
[Letting all of you empower the humans would put less burden on me,] Theodore shook his head. [I’ll have to handle the stress of a dozen gods descending all at once, you know? I would rather you help in the form of giving small fractions of your strength to the people here.]
[I see,] Athena seemed convinced, if the Goddess of Wisdom was on his side, he wouldn’t need to worry about the other gods now. Who would disagree with the embodiment of intelligence herself? [We shall do as you suggested, snake god.]
‘Yes!’ Theodore celebrated in his own thoughts. He replied to the gods with his usual reserved and calm voice. [Thank you for your assistance.]
[Theodore, the portal is opened.] Thoth’s voice sounded out from somewhere behind him. The other deities didn’t seem to notice though. He turned his focus towards Merlin, and his friend looked to his direction, feeling his gaze on him almost instantly.
'He's becoming sharper.' Theodore noted the archer's surprisingly keen sense, the thought lasting for a brief moment. [I'll be right there, hold on for a little longer.]
"Of course!" His grip around the bow tightened with determination shining in his eyes. Merlin swept his gaze over to Asmodeus, realizing that everything had begun to move, albeit very slowly. There wasn’t much time.
Theodore didn’t waste another moment. He prepared himself to disable his skill, feeling the world around him ripple like the surface of a pound. [Good luck, Merlin.]
.
.
.
As Theodore’s presence disappeared from Merlin’s detection, his attention returned to the pressing matter at hand. He watched as the undead swarmed the earth, rushing at every human they saw in droves. The awakens banded together in an attempt to fend off the threat, but their power had been weakened by the second sun’s rays shining above them.
Each of their movements only drained their energy even further. The monster army could seamlessly wipe them out with ease. They didn’t need to do anything, they didn’t need to win the battle as the war had already been won.
‘No,’ Merlin shook his head and looked at Asmodeus. Time had resumed like normal. “Asmodeus, we need to fight.”
“How?” The demon king returned his gaze, but contrary to his, her eyes were dulled by the weight of the situation. To her, it seemed like they couldn’t retaliate no matter what they did.
Merlin turned his attention towards the sky. Above him shimmering like a midday moon, a lone star stared down at them. He noticed the demon king following his gaze upwards, a frown surfaced onto her expression. What was he looking at? The curious gleam in her eyes asked.
[Oh, we can see now!] Hermes’ voice rang out, the star glimmered ever so brightly as he spoke.
The god’s message seemed to be heard from every corner of the battlefield. Ra’s expression turned from egotistical pleasure to pure confusion and rage. How? His brows tied into a knot in the middle of his head. He glared at the star in the sky and spoke through his gritted teeth. “What trickery did you pull, Olympus? Have you resorted to breaking the divine laws too?”
Ra was simply stalling for time. He racked his brain for answers, possibilities as to how they could’ve gotten past his solar barque’s eclipse. A king god’s powers are far superior, there was simply no possible way a regular god like Hermes could get past it, even if he’s the god of travels.
‘Perhaps I’ve underestimated the Olympian?’ Ra refused to believe that his magic could be breached by another god, especially if that god was from another pantheon.
[HAHAHA!] An older god’s laughter echoed throughout the sky. His distinctive voice wasn’t hard to recognized. Poseidon’s deep and solemn tone had never rested well with Ra, to him, it was a timbre that masked a hidden arrogance underneath a facade of elderly wisdom. [Sun God Ra…Do you truly have no idea how we’ve gotten past your infamous Solar Eclipse?]
Without waiting for an answer, the Olympians’ star suddenly gleamed brightly. An aura of divinity flowed to the mortals below its brilliant shine. Seeing this, Ra’s eyes widened, pure panic creeping up his face. “NO! STOP THIS!”
How? Ra didn’t have time to ponder for an answer. He turned to his army and Anubis, his orders slurred into a near inaudible mess. “KILL THEM ALL, NOW!”
Booming battle cries filled the air as the army's thunderous steps shook the ground. Humanity had no time to react to the wave of death suddenly crashing down on them. However, this time everything would be different.
Olympus' light: the gods' blessings swept overhead, imbuing them all with divine power. Even the two demon kings receive the celestial's grace. Mammon rose from the ground, his head shaking as if trying to get rid of the daze clouding his vision. He looked towards Asmodeus and Merlin, but then shifted his attention to Ra, letting out a low growl while glaring at the god. "F*ck. You caught me off guard."
Mammon didn't have time to worry about Ra. An army of Egyptian soldiers were rushing towards him, their weapons rose high and their cries echoed throughout the battlefield. It would’ve surely been a frightening sight, but in the face of a demon king, this only annoyed him. The dragon let out a cry of his own, a roar filled with thirst for violence and frustration. His wings beat the air once, generating a powerful gale wing that slowed down the army's march. “Foolish slaves! I’ll kill you all!” With another earth-shaking roar, the dragon rained down a heated death onto the soldiers. He swiped his tail while turning, each attack created a mountain of corpses underneath his claws.
Asmodeus took a moment to address the situation. Her colleague had sprung into action immediately after regaining consciousness, it was then she noticed that the gaping wound on her chest had disappeared. The fatigue she felt from the pain and blood loss were nowhere to be found, dissipating with the passing strands of light that continued to stretch far beyond what she could see. With widened eyes, she looked up at the sky, staring in disbelief at the shimmering star right above her head.
[We’re quite compatible, Asmodeus~] A woman’s voice sounded out. Asmodeus could feel a sense of familiarity between them, but at the same time, they were vastly different just as much as night and day. The unknown woman let out a giggle like she’d read her mind. [My name is Aphrodite, I am the Goddess of Love, I shall grant you my blessings.]
If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
Asmodeus wanted to decline the offer, not trusting that a Goddess of Love would give her anything useful for battle. But then again, she’s a Demon King of Lust. She nodded as a response, eyes returning to the battlefield as she called both her weapons into her hands. “Let’s do this then.”
The holy sword dragged across her torso once again, but this time a benevolent aura radiated from the wound, surrounding it as if attempting to stop the bleeding. She felt barely any pain and was worried that her skill wouldn't be activated because of it. That anxiousness wouldn’t last long though. She could feel the strength within her limbs increase with each second, prodding a smile to appear on her lips.
“Sadomasochist” should’ve dulled her senses, her actions only controlled by a demon’s sadistic instincts. But with Aphrodite’s blessings, she retained her reasons but kept all of her skills’ upsides. She adjusted her grip on both of her weapons and dashed into the battle. As she reached Mammon, a group of soldiers spotted her and tried to obstruct her path. They screamed in their native tongue, repeating the same thing over and over again like crazed cultists. Seeing this, Asmodeus swung her whip and got rid of them all, their bodies cleaved in half as if they’d been sliced clean by a gigantic knife.
‘SWISH!’
‘BOOM!’
The demon kings looked up at the sky as streaks of light rained down onto the enemies. A meteor shower? Mammon and Asmodeus stood frozen in place as their gazes traced the unknown power towards the ground. In mere seconds, screams of pain and thunder replaced the soldiers’ deranged cries. Each of the attacks was swift and precise. The small explosions they caused upon contact left no possible way for them to get back up after being hit.
While Asmodeus was distracted by the terrifying yet gorgeous scene, a soldier suddenly lunged at her. The weapon in his hand turned into a blur as it moved towards her neck. She tried to block it with the holy sword, but by the time she’d noticed his presence, it was already too late.
‘SWISH!’
A searing bolt of flames shot at the enemy soldier, striking him right between his eyes. The impact sent him stumbling backwards, his body falling to the ground, lifeless, the soldier never got the chance to react to the sudden attack. She turned around while lowering her arms. Since the arrow had come from behind her, the monstrous accuracy of the shooter should belong to none other than Merlin. In his hands was a bow seemingly made from fire, and an intense heat radiated from his entire being. His golden eyes glimmered with the fierceness of an eagle, the sight reminded her of Theodore and his gaze that radiated pure power.
“Nice shots.” Asmodeus smirked as Mammon let out another roar, with the herd thinning down from Merlin’s arrow shower, he could easily clean up the rest with a few flaming breaths and ruthless claws.
The archer laughed. “It’s nothing much, I have the help of another god, after all.”
[It was all you, Merlin.] Apollo chuckled, the sun god’s power was suitable for Merlin, especially when he switched his weapon to match the elemental affinity. With his current strength, his arrows could easily get past Ra’s fiery aura and kill them all with a single shot to the head.
Asmodeus’ eyes landed on something else behind Merlin. He was almost unrecognizable standing a few feet taller than his usual beast form. Eugene’s dark blue mane seemed to be letting out a soft silvery glow. Streaks of white ran down his side and tinged the tip of his fur. His eyes now glistened red like blood, sending a jolt of unease down the demon king’s spine. Has he always looked like a dangerous predator?
“Well, what now?” Eugene’s gaze turned to the battle ground, prompting everyone to focus on Mammon. They were sure that they’d already won the battle, but why was the dragon still fighting?
Something’s off. Asmodeus’ brows arched downwards. She looked ahead and noticed that Ra was nowhere to be found. “…Where did Ra go?”
‘SHING!’
Their attention instantly shifted towards the sky. Dozens of golden magic circles were appearing one by one and the Egyptian soldiers were slowly coming back to life — Even when their bodies had been blown into pieces by Merlin’s explosive arrows, they simply mend themselves back to perfect shape and resumed the battle against Mammon.
Ra was up high in the sky with his hands spreading outwards by his side. His powerful aura mimicked his solar barque, but they could feel that it was steadily growing stronger by the second. “What fools for you to put your trust in Olympians.”
Merlin frowned. “Apollo? You guys are blessing humans, right?”
[Yes we are, I believe they’re slowly pushing back Anubis’ undeads.]
“Then why does Ra sound so confident?”
The questions in everyone's mind would be answered soon enough. With an echoing snap of his fingers, the corner of Ra's mouth curled up into a twisted smile. Had he truly lost it? It was difficult to tell, but they had no time to question their enemy's sanity as suddenly an unknown coldness ran down their spine.
'BOOOOOOMMMM….'
A low, chilling sound of a horn filled the air. Merlin could feel the hair on his arms stand on end despite the layer of warmth enveloping his body. Anxiety crept up his features as he turned his head towards his left, where the rest of his allies were looking at as well. What was over there? He could feel that something seemed to be moving in closer, but he couldn't be sure of what it was just yet.
[You…Demon King of Lust…]
Asmodeus flinched at the voice, it sounded familiar to her. She'd definitely heard this person speak before, but where and when exactly? It took her a moment to realize the identity of this…monster. Just then it appeared in front of everyone in its spectacular yet terrifying glory.
Only the upper half of its body was visible, the lower half was translucent and had stretched past and into many obstacles and buildings. Its deep blue scales were like the color of the abyss itself, but they couldn't be compared to the menacing gleam in its blood red eyes.
This was Jörmungandr, the World Serpent.
"What…What is it doing here?" Merlin subconsciously took a step back. He recalled the fear that he once felt. Gazing back into those crimson orbs, the phantom emotions of the past returned to the present. His feet felt like they'd been planted into the ground. No matter how hard he tried to move, he couldn't lift his leg at all.
[Where is the Serpent God, demon.] Jörmungandr lowered its head closer to Asmodeus.
But she didn't bulge from her spot and simply gave the serpent a blank stare. "Why do you think I would answer you? Even if I do know, there is no way I would give you his whereabouts."
[Ha.] The giant snake lifted its neck, suddenly bursting out into a fit of laughter. Its thunderous voice echoed throughout the battlefield, even burying Mammon's roar in the distance. [HAHAH! Oh, certainly, Demon King. You will not answer me no matter how much I ask…But no matter, that is not a problem for me. I shall call him out here myself.]
Jörmungandr didn’t wait for anyone to speak up. He turned to Mammon and instantly bolted towards him. Maybe it was because it only had half of its body, but the snake was faster than it was before.
Honed from countless battles with the undead, Mammon detected Jörmungandr and turned to meet with the other reptile. He held out one hand, striking the World Serpent at the head the moment that it was within his range.
However, Jörmungandr lowered itself near the ground and avoided the otherwise deadly claws with ease. "Huh…?"
Mammon was caught off guard. He didn't think that the snake could still maintain that momentum after dodging in such an abrupt manner. Jörmungandr sprung upwards and grabbed the dragon's neck with its jaw, digging its fangs deep into the scales. The impact sent Mammon stumbling onto the floor, instantly at a disadvantageous position.
"F*CK!"
"Mammon!" Asmodeus took a step forward, but something was far faster than her. A dark blur whisked past her face and ended up by the giant monsters' sides in an instant.
As the dragon tried to struggle out of the serpent's persistent grasp, Eugene's body suddenly started glowing a minacious silver. The mysterious power gathered at his claws and extended outwards, mimicking the appearance of five deadly daggers. He slashed several deep marks into the World Serpent's scales, something that the snake itself was surprised to see.
Since its tail was a mere phantom, it couldn't use it as a weapon. Jörmungandr ignored the werewolf and focused on taking down the dragon first. Mammon was the only person it perceived as a threat, and he was its top priority.
'TWACK!'
Jörmungandr's jaw lost its strength for a moment as something smacked against its head: a long scale-covered tail. Mammon used this time to push the snake away and gain distance. He ignored the blood trickling down his neck, panting heavily as he struggled to take his steps. "F*ck…Even Theodore didn't use poison when he fought me…"
The World Serpent was still surprised. There was no way a worn out dragon could still have the strength to fight back against him. So how?
Eugene lunged at Jörmungandr once again but this time it was free to move. Its eyes showed clear unease as it traced the werewolf's movements. Could those silver claws be the cause?
There was no time to ponder about it at the moment, Jörmungandr opened its maw and released a sinister emerald flame. However this didn't slow down the werewolf at all, Eugene slashed the column of fire with his claws, landing on the ground once and dashed forward with the momentum.
By the time the World Serpent had realized its flaming breath failed, Eugene was already in front of it.
'SLASH!'
[ARGGHHH! YOU MUTT!] Jörmungandr lost both of its eyes. It swayed back and forth in agony while a searing bolt of fire found its mark onto the snake's head. Merlin followed up his friend's attack right on time before it could lunge itself at him.
"Jörmungandr, you useless snake!" Ra shouted through his gritted teeth. He turned his back to the unsightly battle below him. Deep down, he knew he'd failed, but he wasn't going to let himself be caught that easily. While everyone was distracted by the World Serpent, Ra quickly used his magic in an attempt to teleport himself elsewhere.
"Where are you going?"
The voice of his dreaded enemy rang out beside him. Suddenly his vision shifted as a painful weight pushed down onto his neck. He barely had the time to register what'd just happened, but he was already falling.
'BOOM!'