While Ryo was reminiscing about the old village at mount Hanakai, The scene was totally different somewhere else.
The Hall of Eternity was a place beyond mortal comprehension, a realm where time itself unraveled and rewound like a spool of golden thread. Its vast expanse stretched infinitely in all directions, its floor a mosaic of shifting constellations and its ceiling a swirling aurora of divine light. The air hummed with the weight of countless eons, and the very fabric of reality seemed to bow in reverence to the beings who now began to arrive.
The first to appear was Zeus, the king of the Greek gods. His entrance was heralded by a deafening crack of thunder that shook the hall to its foundations. Lightning arced across the sky-like ceiling, illuminating his towering form as he descended from the heavens. His beard was a storm cloud, his eyes twin bolts of lightning, and his presence radiated an authority that demanded submission. He landed with a ground-shaking impact, his thunderbolt crackling in his hand as he strode to the table, his crimson cape billowing behind him. The other gods, though equally mighty, could not help but glance his way, their expressions a mix of respect and thinly veiled irritation.
Next came Ra, the Egyptian sun god, his arrival as blinding as the dawn. A chariot of fire, pulled by two massive lions with manes of molten gold, burst through the aurora above, leaving a trail of shimmering heat in its wake. Ra stepped down from the chariot, his falcon-headed form glowing with the intensity of a thousand suns. The lions roared, their voices echoing like the roar of a supernova, before dissipating into golden mist. Ra's eyes, like molten gold, swept the room with an air of regal indifference as he took his seat, his presence casting a warm, oppressive light over the gathering.
From the shadows, a cold, creeping darkness began to spread, and the temperature in the hall dropped sharply. Hades, the Greek god of the underworld, emerged from the void, his form cloaked in a mantle of eternal night. His eyes glowed like embers, and his crown of black iron seemed to drink in the light around him. The ground beneath his feet froze and cracked, and the faint wails of the damned echoed in his wake. He moved silently, his every step leaving a trail of frost, and took his place at the table with a smirk that hinted at both amusement and disdain.
The air suddenly filled with the scent of blooming flowers and the sound of distant battle cries. Freya, the Norse goddess of love and war, arrived in a burst of golden light, her chariot drawn by two massive cats with fur like spun silver. She stepped down gracefully, her armor gleaming with the light of the stars, her sword resting at her side. Her presence was a paradox—both soothing and terrifying—and her piercing blue eyes scanned the room with a mix of curiosity and aloofness. She took her seat, her cats curling at her feet, their purrs resonating like distant thunder.
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A ripple of laughter echoed through the hall, and the air seemed to twist and warp as Loki, the Norse trickster god, materialized in a swirl of green flame. His form shifted constantly, one moment a tall, handsome man with a mischievous grin, the next a serpent coiled around the leg of the table. His eyes sparkled with mischief, and his voice, when he spoke, was a sly whisper that seemed to come from everywhere at once. "Well, well," he said, his grin widening. "What a delightful gathering of egos. Shall we begin?"
The hall was suddenly filled with the scent of incense and the sound of chanting as Amaterasu, the Japanese sun goddess, descended in a beam of pure, radiant light. Her kimono shimmered with the colors of the dawn, and her long black hair flowed like a river of ink. She carried a mirror in one hand, its surface reflecting not the room but the infinite expanse of the cosmos. Her presence was serene yet commanding, and the other gods fell silent as she took her seat, her gaze calm and inscrutable.
The last to arrive was Orion of the Luminon Pantheon, his entrance as dramatic as the gods he had summoned. A portal of pure light opened above the table, and Orion descended slowly, his form a towering figure of radiant energy. His armor was made of starlight, and his eyes burned with the intensity of twin suns. He landed with a soft thud, the light from his form casting long shadows across the room. The other gods turned to him, their expressions a mix of curiosity and impatience.
"Brothers and sisters of the divine," Orion began, his voice resonating with a power that demanded attention. "We are gathered here today to discuss a matter of grave importance. A mortal has emerged, one who wields a power unlike anything we have ever seen. His name is Ryo Tanaka, and he poses a threat not only to the balance of the games but to the very fabric of our existence."
As Orion spoke, the air above the table shimmered, revealing a vision of Ryo Tanaka. The mortal had destroyed a Chaos golem with nothing but his wits and a strange violet power.
The gods watched in silence, though their expressions ranged from mild curiosity to outright disdain. Freya leaned back in her seat, her golden hair cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall of sunlight. "Impressive for a mortal," she admitted, her voice cool and detached. "But hardly a threat to us. Let him play his little games. When he grows tired, he will die like all the others."
"Indeed," chimed in Ra, his voice booming like the roar of a lion. "Mortals are fleeting, their lives but a blink in the eye of eternity. This Ryo Tanaka is no different. He will burn out like a candle in the wind."