God of War X: Academy of Demigods
Hello again ladies and gentlemen! Boys and Girls! Ultimates and Spartans of all ages! wesst1 back again once again!
I know what you're probably all thinking, and no I haven't lost my mind. God of War 3 brought "Hope" into the mix, so I thought making a crossover one-shot with that in mind might be fun.
Don't worry, I'm not going to ignore the events of God of War 2018, but since the Norse Mythology Arc is just getting started, I'm probably going to be vague if I need to mention events that happen after the game.
Now with that out of the way, let's get things started.
"Hope is what makes us strong. It is why we are here; it is what we fight with when all else is lost."
-Pandora
There were many heroes the Muses would sing of, but there was but one of which they did not.
The Ghost of Sparta.
This man had many deeds to his name, mostly terrible, but great. He was known for his pale white skin and his weapons, the Blades of Chaos, a pair of chained blades that were fashioned by the God of War, Ares. Ares had the blades made for a servant who would prove worthy of his service.
The Blades of Chaos were forged at the darkest depths of the Underworld by Ares himself. They were imbued with fire, which allowed them to ignite with every attack that the user performed. The Blades' chains would stretch out for a set distance with each attack, allowing for fluid movement no matter who wielded them. The chains of the blades were permanently seared onto the forearms of the wielder, which served as a reminder of their oath to the God of War and could only be removed either by the God of War himself or when the wielder's time of servitude ended. However, when their creator had died with the servant still owning them, they could be removed or equipped, whenever needed.
The Ghost of Sparta wielded many weapons in his time: A spear and shield, the Gauntlet of Zeus, the Blade of Artemis, the Barbarian Hammer, the Spear of Destiny, the Blade of Olympus, the Claws of Hades, the Nemean Cestus, the Nemesis Whip, the Leviathan Axe, along with various magic. He had even wielded weapons as replacements for the Blades of Chaos: The Blades of Athena and the Blades of Exile, but the Blades of Chaos eventually returned to him.
After the Fall of Olympus, he had found the Blades of Chaos and brought them with him to the Norse realm, where he hid them, wrapped together in a thick red cloth with a simple Grecian pattern on it, under the floorboards of the cabin he now resided in, hoping never to use them again.
The Blades of Chaos were a painful reminder of all he had lost and all he had done. So many would wonder why he kept the Blades of Chaos despite their painful history. He could not be rid of them at all; the blades always found their way back to him under the most contrived circumstances. For example, he tried to dump them in the ocean but the sea itself rejected them and destroyed his boat. He washed up ashore with the blades next to him. After this incident, he gave up and hid them beneath the floorboards as a forced reminder of his tragic history and explosive rage.
There was however one other weapon the Ghost of Sparta wielded that made mortals remember him fondly in the end, the Power of Hope. A power he received upon opening Pandora's Box and a power he freed from himself and gave to humanity.
How the Ghost of Sparta met his end remains a mystery, but his weapons are still out there. The Blades of Chaos will always seek a new master, perhaps one who also understands the Power of Hope.
"…aegi-kun? Naegi-kun!" a serious voice shouted.
"Huh? Oh, sorry Ishimaru-kun, did you need something?" the Ultimate Lucky Student, Naegi Makoto asked as he lifted his head. When had he fallen asleep?
"Sleeping in class is against the rules and disrespectful to Sensei and to us as your classmates!" Ishimaru Kiyotaka reminded Naegi.
"Ah, give him a break, it's a free period anyway," Kuwata Leon said to Ishimaru.
"Naegi-kun may sleep during more boring lessons but he is usually pretty active during free periods. Is something wrong?" the concerned voice of Maizono Sayaka asked.
"Not really, I just had a strange dream. I've had ones like it for as long as I can remember. Anyway, I woke up around 2:00 AM and couldn't get back to sleep," Naegi explained with a yawn.
"Do you need to go to the infirmary?" Asahina Aoi asked, ready to volunteer to take him there.
"I'm okay, that quick nap helped. I need to talk to Pekoyama-senpai after classes are over anyway," Naegi explained as he stretched a bit, still not fully awake.
"Oh my, the mild-mannered Naegi-dono with the cold as ice Pekoyama-senpai? What could this mean?" Yamada Hifumi wondered as inspiration struck him.
"It's not what you're thinking, Yamada-kun. I'm hoping she might be able to help me with something. It's- Come to think of it, I've never shown any of you, have I?" Naegi said as he reached under his desk and pulled out a rather ornate, and old, case.
Naegi's classmates gathered around him to see what he had brought into the classroom. Once he opened the box and moved a cloth that covered the contents, the students saw a pair of…
"Are those swords?" Owada Mondo asked.
"Swords on chains? I've never seen anything like these before," Ogami Sakura said.
"They look so…old," Ikusaba Mukuro added. She wished she could add more, preferably to keep Naegi away from Pekoyama. The older girl wasn't a rival for Naegi's affection, not to Ikusaba's knowledge at least, but the way Ikusaba saw it, any time Naegi spent time with someone else was time Naegi wasn't spending with her. Unfortunately for the Ultimate Soldier, she was more familiar with modern weapons.
"Yeah, an uncle on my mother's side found them. Now that I think about it, it was a little after I was born. Anyway, he said he felt like I should have them, and I've kept them close by ever since. Needless to say, my parents weren't thrilled with the idea of my uncle giving swords to a baby, but I do feel some connection to them. I'm sorry, I guess that sounds ridiculous," Naegi apologized.
"I believe I've seen something like these before. On a vase from Greece, I believe," Togami Byakuya said, having ignored Naegi's story.
"I asked Shinguji-kun about them and that's where it gets odd. He said that the blades are mostly Greek, but it seems they were also influenced by other cultures as well. They're worn down but Shinguji-kun believes these are Nordic glyphs," Naegi explained as he pointed to the flat parts of blades. Neagi then continued, "Shinguji-kun said he'd get back to me on it, but he thinks he sees Egyptian and Japanese touches as well. Whoever owned these in the past certainly got around," Naegi explained, excitement in his voice at being able to talk about his treasure with the friends he treasured.
"If you know all of this, what do you need Pekoyama-senpai for?" Kirigiri Kyoko asked. The question sounded rude to Pekoyama, but Kirigiri did have a point, it didn't sound like Naegi was lacking in knowledge of the blades' history.
"Well, I'm curious if they were ever used or if they were intended to be strictly decorative. I tried to ask Sonosuke-senpai, but Ando-senpai has a thing about people she doesn't know coming near her or her friends," Naegi told them.
"I doubt it's even possible to use them. Or at the very least, difficult to the point no one bothered to learn." Celestia Ludenberg was never one to keep her thoughts to herself. If her knight was going to protect her, she would need to convince him to get something more…refined. She thought it best to discourage him from these blades now.
"I know how to use them," Naegi said, simply.
His classmates looked at him like he had sprouted another head.
"At least, I think I do. Those dreams I told you about, they involve a man using them. I always tried to imitate it with some of Komaru's jump ropes. Either way, I'll know for sure at the dojo after classes. I don't think Pekoyama-senpai will mind if anyone wants to join us," Naegi offered.
A few students agreed and some needed to think about it. Enoshima Junko however, gave a sinister smile when no one was looking. She wasn't sure why, but she felt as though a long search had finally ended. She didn't know it yet, but she would soon learn the true source of that feeling and of her Despair. Time would tell if she would like what she would learn. Until then, she'd enjoy herself. A feeling she couldn't explain was new and interesting for her after all.
A few students had joined Neagi and Pekoyama in the dojo, both from his class and from her own. It surprised no one that it was the girls from Class 78 who came (barring Ogami and Fukawa), mostly because they didn't want Naegi alone with a girl that wasn't them. As for Class 77-B, in an odd turn, it was Kuzuryuu who was accompanying Pekoyama for a change. Joining him was Komaeda, who claimed he had a feeling he should be here, most interpreted that as his "Hope Sense" tingling.
Pekoyama paid them no mind as she examined the blades. "I've never seen swords quite like this before. I can't imagine how, but I would say that they have been used in combat before. That they've lasted this long and their weight attest to that. I can't quite place the material though…"
"Shinguji-kun said that too. About the material I mean. Part of the reason I wanted to talk to Sonosuke-senpai was because of that, I figured if anyone could identify what these blades are made of it would be the Ultimate Blacksmith," Naegi told her.
"I agree. Now if you were hoping that I could teach you to use these…" Pekoyama began.
"I actually have some idea of how to use them. At least I think I do," Naegi told her.
"Please, show me," Pekoyama requested as she and everyone else gave Naegi some space.
Naegi thought back to his dreams and began to wrap the chains around his forearms. Glad the dojo supplies all types of padding, the thought of chains digging into my forearms isn't exactly appealing, Naegi thought as he finished wrapping the chains and grabbed the hilt of a blade in each of his hands.
"If you're ready, strike that dummy I set up," Pekoyama ordered as she pointed at the dummy in question.
Naegi nodded and got ready. The dummy was far across the room, but Neagi never moved from his spot. With his right arm he swung his sword. More than that, he tossed the blade.
Pekoyama was about to reprimand him and kick him out of the dojo for that reckless display, but she stopped. Naegi's sword had cut off the dummy's head. She saw him pull back on the chain and the sword returned to him, hilt first. "How did you do that?" Pekoyama asked.
"As weird as it sounds, that was how he did it in my dreams," Naegi explained.
"Who? Who fights like that?" This time the question came from Ikusaba. Ikusaba believed Naegi, but even with all of her knowledge of the art of warfare, Ikusaba never heard of anyone, past or present who would have ever used such a weapon. She liked to consider herself well-traveled. Being a mercenary meant one got around, but she had never seen any reference, anywhere to someone who could do what Naegi had just done.
"The pale man with the red mark. I never heard his name in my dreams," Naegi explained.
Before Pekoyama or anyone else could ask Naegi for more details the building began to shake. Not just the building though, Hope's Peak and the surrounding city were caught in an earthquake!
"Brace yourselves!" Kirigiri ordered.
Once the quake stopped and the students began to reorient themselves, something outside caught Kuzuryuu's eye.
"What the fuck is that!" Kuzuryuu yelled as he pointed at something out the window.
The students looked to see a new and rather large crack in the ground, but what really caught their attention was that something was coming out of it.
Freedom! The Namazu was finally free! The giant catfish could finally rampage to its heart's content! It could cause all the quakes it wanted and no one, not even Takemikazuchi could stop it now!
Now to find out where it was. It had traveled quite a way from Kashima. Was that a castle? There were so many. What had these humans been doing while it was trapped?
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The Namazu missed this, the shrieks of terrified humans. It hoped there were some humans brave enough to try to fight it, those were always fun.
"Whatever you are, leave our school at once!" Ogami ordered.
"Tenko will crush all degenerate males, whether they are monsters or not!" Chabashira proclaimed.
"I was hungry for catfish, this thing has perfect timing," Owari shouted as she got ready to pounce.
"I can't let girls do all the work. I am a man after all!" Owada added.
"Come at me humans! Entertain me before I begin my search! The foreign magicks I seek can wait!" the Namazu challenged as he whipped his whiskers at the students.
Pekoyama and Ikusaba had charged out of the dojo to join the others against the monstrous catfish, leaving Naegi and the others behind.
"Wh-what is that thing?" Maizono asked.
"It looks like the Namazu from the myths, but that's impossible," Kirigiri answered.
"We have to help!" Asahina told them. She couldn't very well let her best friend, Ogami, face that thing without her.
"And how do you propose we do that?" Celes asked.
"It will all be fine. We just have to have hope," Komaeda said.
Naegi was busy thinking about what he heard the Namazu say. "Foreign magicks?" What magick? I don't think that he means Yumeno-san's magic. Wait… he thought as he looked at his blades. Greek blades and Nordic runes…? It's my fault that thing is here and it's my fault my friends are in danger. With that in mind, Naegi made a decision.
"Hey kid, where are you going!?" Kuzuryuu yelled as Naegi ran out of the dojo.
"I think he plans to fight that thing, it would be a…shame, if anything happened to him," Enoshima said. No one noticed her pause in her words, they were busy trying to catch Naegi and to keep him from getting himself killed.
The Namazu had missed this; these one-sided battles with humans foolish enough to challenge it. Vermin needed to be taught its place after all.
Ogami Sakura was on her last legs. She knew her fists made contact with the creature, but it would just shrug off whatever damage she would inflict.
*Huff, huff* "No matter what it takes, you will be stopped. I will not let you harm my school!" Ogami declared, not that she could do much as bloodied and bruised as she was. The others weren't in much better shape. Owari and Chabashira were unable to get to their feet; Owada had a broken arm and broken leg; and Pekoyama and Ikusaba had been disarmed almost as soon as they had arrived after a few lashes with the beast's whiskers.
"Your spirit is admirable young one, but bravado will not save yoOOOOOOOOWWWWW!" the Namazu wailed. Naegi had managed to sneak up on the creature while Ogami had its attention and drove his blades into the creature's side.
Naegi thought he must be insane to get this close to the Namazu, but he didn't have much choice. He doubted that he could have tossed the blades with enough force to do real damage to the creature if it was shrugging off attacks from Ogami. Now that he was trying to remove the blades, however, he wished he had planned things out a little better.
The Namazu whipped Naegi away with one of its whiskers and sent the boy flying into a nearby tree. "You hold the Blades of Chaos, but you are no Ghost of Sparta, boy! You lack the rage to power those Blades and the drive to use them in battle! One such as you cannot hope to wield weapons of the gods!" the Namazu bellowed as it turned to finish off Naegi. The beast was soon stopped in its tracks as Ogami had grabbed its tail.
"You wish to die before this one, girl? Then I shall grant you your wish!" the monster roared as it used its tail to slam Ogami into the ground.
Naegi was furious. With himself and with the monster. Why did I think I could help? Just because I have weapons doesn't make me strong! If they were in better shape… If I was in better shape… If I were more like him… Naegi thought.
Are you sure that's what you want? You can't exactly turn back once that decision has been made, a voice warned. Naegi had no idea where it was coming from, but it sounded wise and kind.
"Who are you?" Naegi asked.
For now, I will tell you that I am one of those responsible for starting this particular chain of events so long ago. Before you ask, those are not my blades, but I know them well. My brethren and I were the cause of their former master's rage. A kind child like you should not know that Ghost of Sparta's rage, the voice told Naegi.
"Rage is all that I'd be able to feel if I didn't try to save my friends and my school. At least if I were more like the man from my dreams, I could make a difference.
Hope. Such a beautiful power. As long as you have it, rage will never control you! Tell the Blades your terms, and the power you wish for will come, the voice said.
"If you can help me save my friends, you can name your price," Naegi said. Once he finished speaking, the Blades of Chaos started to glow.
Ogami couldn't take anymore and released the Namazu's tail. As she lay on the ground, the earth shook as the beast drew closer to her.
"You were strong, I'll give you that. But you mortals lack the power to kill one such as I!" the beast declared as it attempted to crush Ogami. The monster stopped, or rather was forced to stop as it felt something around its tail. The Namazu saw that its tail was wrapped in chains. Chains from the Blades of Chaos!
"Leave my friend alone! Leave all my friends alone!" Naegi yelled angrily.
The Namazu sensed that something about the boy had changed but paid it no mind. That was a mistake.
"I will do as I please boy! No matter how much you beg, your friends will die here as will you!" the Namazu told Naegi.
"I SAID STOP!" Naegi roared as red lightning came off of his body. When it disappeared, Naegi had changed. His eyes looked like fireballs and an unusual red glow taking up most of the left side of his body.
Let the Rage of the Ghost fuel your Blades! the voice told Naegi.
With strength he should not have had, Naegi pulled the Namazu back before retracting one of the Blades of Chaos. With the one sword, Naegi leapt at the beast and cut its left whisker off.
"GAH! Little bastard! You'll pay for that!" the Namazu screamed as it swung its tail at Naegi.
Naegi had not only become stronger, but faster too and dodged the Namazu's tail and leapt on top of the beast. It was a little slippery, but Naegi managed to get to the monster's other whisker and cut that off too.
"GRAH! Insolent whelp! I will devour you!" the Namazu declared before it jumped into the air in an attempt to get Naegi into its mouth.
Naegi didn't move this time. He turned the Blades of Chaos over and threw them forward before pulling back. The Blades swung upwards into an arc and slashed the Namazu up its middle. Eyes still blazing in fury, Naegi jumped into the Namazu's mouth.
The Namazu thought that it might die soon but believed it could kill Naegi first if it swallowed him. That didn't happen however as the Blades of Chaos pierced through one side of the Namazu's head. Carving upward, the top of the head, the other side, the bottom and back to the beginning, Naegi had beheaded the Namazu from the inside!
Naegi emerged from the new opening, covered in blood, but otherwise the same as when he went in, saw the enemy was defeated and began to calm down. Unfortunately, new enemies decided to make their presence known.
Most of those at Hope's Peak were either too terrified of the appearance of the Namazu or shocked by Naegi's recent display to do more than stare in awe. They knew they should aid the injured, but there was a feeling in the air that the battle wasn't quite over yet.
How right they were. Naegi wasn't the only one hearing a voice, although his was the only benevolent one. Munakata Kyosuke, Sakakura Juzo, Hinata Hajime, Ando Ruruka, Enoshima Junko, Yumeno Himiko, Hanamura Teruteru, and Oma Kokichi were hearing them too. In their case it was a woman's voice saying, "Awaken, and take the Power of Hope for me, your master!"
They struggled to fight it, but eventually whatever had taken hold of them won out as their pupils and irises disappeared and their eyes took on an eerie glow before the other voice's new thrall went to do as their master commanded.
Munakata drew his katana before he lunged forward and made to strike at Naegi's back with Sakakura preparing to follow up with his fists.
Whatever happened to Naegi sharpened his senses as he easily dodged both Munakata and Sakakura. Unfortunately, Naegi's new power couldn't make up for his lack of combat experience. His inattentiveness to his surrounding found him on the receiving end of a kick to his stomach from Hinata.
"You fell for that? No Ultimate should be caught off guard by a Reserve Course student! This proves that Lucky Students could never be like us!" Munakata yelled.
"Students make for good punching bags. You should have just gone to some no name school like the common garbage you are," Sakakura said as he advanced on Naegi.
"I busted my ass for a chance to be an Ultimate and you show up and become one without even trying! I'll show this school that that was a mistake!" Hinata shouted.
Naegi managed to get up and jump away only to be tackled by Hanamura, Yumeno, Ando, and Oma. Unlike the others, these four didn't speak. They didn't even show much emotion, whatever had taken control of them, it seemed to hit these four much harder than Munakata and the rest.
"Get off of me! I don't want to fight any of you, but I will if I must!" Naegi roared as he struggled to get free of the four Ultimates now restraining him.
"No need for that, Naegi-kun," Enoshima whispered as she wrapped her arm around Naegi's neck. It would have looked sweet and intimate if not for the situation Naegi found himself in. "Just let the Despair consume you," Enoshima told him.
Naegi was feeling something, a mix of despair and anger. Some of these were people he knew and trusted, so of course Naegi would be hurt.
Make them hurt! Make them pay! a part of Naegi thought. In that moment it was an appealing idea, but Naegi recalled the time he had spent with these people and realized he couldn't hurt them. Something's wrong. Not all of them are my friends, but even at their worst, I don't think any of them would do this, Naegi thought as he tried to prevent his anger from taking control.
And just like that, Naegi's red lightning was replaced by blue flames. The glowing red mark remained, but now Naegi's eyes burned with the same blue flames that he now held in his hands.
Whatever new power had awakened within Naegi Makoto, it caused a dark cloud of smoke to come spewing forth from the mouths of Ando, Hanamura, Yumeno, and Oma, its release caused those four to pass out, allowing Naegi to escape from their collective grip easily.
With Enoshima still holding onto his neck, Naegi made a dash for Hinata. Reaching behind his back, Naegi pulled Enoshima off of him and with a surprisingly strong grip forced the side of Enoshima's head to smack into Hinata's own head with a loud "Clunk!". More dark smoke came out of Enoshima and Hinata the pain and loss of whatever the smoke was causing them to collapse.
Naegi turned towards Sakakura and Munakata. While Naegi couldn't bring himself to do major harm to his friends, or in the case of Ando, out of respect for Kimura. Naegi felt no such connection with Munakata or Sakakura. Yukizome's friends or not, the two older men only ever seemed to berate and belittle others, particularly the Reserve Course and Naegi's friends. As such, Naegi felt the anger take hold once again as he attacked the two.
Charging forward the two men tried to trap Naegi between them. In response, Naegi tossed the Blade in his right hand. Then his left. He then brought the two Blades of Chaos around behind him and slammed them into the ground between Munakata and Sakakura causing a tiny, but powerful, eruption. The force and the rocks hit the two men hard and while it didn't separate them very much, it was enough to knock them off balance and trip them up. As the two struggled to stay on their feet, Naegi swung a Blade and its chain around the two wrapping them up and pulling them together.
Yanking his arm back, Naegi pulled the two towards him and proceeded to beat the two of them with the hilt of the Blade of Chaos in his right hand.
*Smack*
*Crack*
*Crunch*
Giving up on that, Naegi used his bare fists to continue pummeling the two until finally, dark smoke spewed out of the mouths of their swollen and bloodied faces. The pain and the loss of whatever the smoke was caused Munakata and Sakakura to collapse and once he released the two older men, Naegi calmed down. Once his red marking disappeared, Naegi followed suit and fell forward, mostly unharmed but unconscious.
Hours later, the students who had attacked Naegi woke up in the infirmary.
"Mmm, what happened? Did I fall asleep in class again?" Yumeno asked.
"Oh my! Did someone slip me something? I knew I was irresistible," Hanamura joked.
"I know what everyone is thinking, and the answer is 'No' I had nothing to do with this and that's the truth," Oma added.
"Why does my head hurt?" Hinata asked.
"I'll trade you. It feels like my head was in a vise grip," Enoshima said groggily.
"Will you brats shut up? I had a completely batshit crazy dream and now I have to hear stupid questions and comments," Ando said.
"Motherfucker!" the group heard Sakakura yell.
"Sorry, Sakakura-san, but this will make the swelling go down, then you should be good as new," Kimura told the former boxer.
"It damn well better!" Sakakura responded.
"H-how a-are you feeling, Munakata-san?" Tsumiki asked.
"Annoyed mostly. I have no idea what happened and although my face hurts, I feel…lighter than before," Munakata answered.
The others noticed something when Munakata mentioned feeling lighter, they felt it too. As though their troubles and concerns had been lifted off of their shoulders.
Yumeno felt energetic.
Hanamura, well he still enjoyed innuendos, but he felt he could keep his comments to himself.
Ando was in a room with people she wasn't particularly close to, and although she thought they were annoying, she her usual mistrust of people had yet to rear its ugly head.
Enoshima still had her analytical prowess, but she didn't feel any desire for Despair. She had to admit, it felt good.
Hinata, while he still wanted to be an Ultimate, was wondering why he let being a Reserve Course student bother him so much in the past.
Sakakura, although one wouldn't know it with how agitated he was at the moment, felt himself calming down for the first time in what felt like forever.
Munakata was as proud as he ever was, but he felt very little of the arrogance that had been driving him for the past few years.
The group wondered what had caused this and when none of them could think of an answer, they asked the question that had been on their lips since they had awoken. "What happened?"
"Is this necessary. I mean what do you think is going to happen? That I'm going to attack Hope Boy the second I see him?" Enoshima asked. The reason was all of those that had attacked Naegi were now wearing straight jackets and muzzles and were being wheeled into Matsuda's lab on dollies.
"You did earlier, so yes. Yes we do," was Kirigiri Kyoko's blunt reply.
"Why is Naegi-senpai in Matsuda-senpai's lab?" Yumeno asked.
"Gonta hear it because Naegi-senpai not injured but no waking up," Gokuhara answered as he wheeled Yumeno towards their destination.
"I still can't believe Naegi-kun did this to us. I can even believe we attacked him," Hinata muttered.
"None of you were in your right minds…I think," Nanami said as she pushed Hinata.
"I believe you mentioned that some 'red lightning' came off of Naegi and he killed the monster and then we attacked him. How does Matsuda and his lab help in any way?" Munakata asked.
"Well, once we patched them up, Pekoyama-san and Ikusaba-san heard us talking about Naegi-kun. They said he mentioned dreams about a pale man using those blades. Gekkogahara-san suggested that the answers may lie in Naegi-kun's subconscious. She, Matsuda-kun, and Fujisaki-kun have been working on something called the Neo World Program. It wasn't originally intended to look in on someone's dreams, but everyone is in a hurry for answers. Fujisaki-kun said it wouldn't take long to adjust it and Iruma-san and Souda-kun are hooking it up to larger monitors for us. I know it's an invasion of privacy, but after everything that's happened, everyone is desperate for answers," Yukizome explained.
"What, does she think that runt was a badass in a past life or something?" Sakakura asked. He almost laughed at his own suggestion, Naegi Makoto and "badass" did not go together in his opinion.
"We'll find out soon," Nidai answered as he stopped pushing Sakakura. They had arrived at their destination.
"And I think that just about does it. How does it look Alter Ego?" Fujisaki Chihiro asked.
"It looks good to me, Otou-san. And don't worry, If I even suspect that Naegi-kun is in danger, I'll shut down the program right away!" the helpful AI told his creator.
"We're about done on our end too," Souda announced.
"We would have been done sooner, if you had listened to me from the beginning, you stupid virgin grease monkey!" Iruma shouted.
"Because your ideas are always so great. We're looking inside someone's head, what good does a picture-in-picture function do, you psycho bitch!" Souda shot back.
"Silence! Iruma-san and Souda-san, I expected more professionalism from the two of you. You are in someone else's lab, after all," Sonia reminded them.
"Let'em fight. I want to see if mechanic boy breaks down crying first or if the 'girl genius' orgasms from the abuse he throws back at her," Matsuda said rudely. He actually did want them out, but he figured it was too late to rescind his offer to help find answers.
"We're here!" Akamatsu announced as she wheeled Oma into the lab and the others followed suit.
"And we're ready," Usami said for Gekkogahara.
After everyone took their place in the spacious lab, Fujisaki typed some commands and began the program. The monitor that would show what was in Naegi's mind came on and showed a tall, muscular man with long, white hair and a beard with Naegi in what appeared to be a void.
"I told you, child. Your friends have joined us. Though they are in much the same position as me these days, the Sisters of Fate still possess their gift of foresight," the man said.
"Okay. Does that mean you can answer my questions now?" Dream Naegi asked.
"Of course. To begin, you and some of your friends may recognize me. I am Zeus," the man now identified as Zeus said.
"That's not possible, you're not…" Dream Naegi began.
"'Real?' I'm just as real as that creature called the Namazu that you fought today. And I have been watching you since the beginning of your life. However, this story begins long before you were born. You see, Naegi Makoto, this story begins with my son, Kratos. Come, let me show you the life of the God of War." Zeus said as the void began to take shape.
Born in the Greek city-state of Sparta, Kratos was the demigod son of Zeus and a mortal woman named Callisto, although he would remain unaware of who his father was for most of his life. Outraged at Zeus for fathering yet another bastard child, Hera ordered Kratos' execution on the day he was born, but the King of the Gods took pity on the child and refused, leaving him in Sparta to be raised by Callisto.
Even without interference from Hera, the Olympians would manipulate the events of Kratos's life early on. Zeus heard a prophecy of a "marked warrior" that would one day destroy him and all of Olympus. Filled with fear, he sent his children Ares and Athena to seek out and dispose of this warrior before he could become a threat.
Kratos had a younger brother, Deimos, who was born with an unusual birthmark. Believing Deimos to be the marked warrior, Ares invaded Sparta with an army of centaurs to kidnap the boy and give him to Thanatos, the God of Death.
Kratos, though still a child, did not stand by and let his brother be taken from him and attacked Ares. Ares, however, easily swatted Kratos away, but left Kratos with a scar over his one eye. Ares would have finished the job, but intervention by Athena led to Kratos being spared. None knew it at the time, but Kratos would have his revenge on the God of War one day.
As he grew, Kratos became a respected member of the Spartan army and married a woman named Lysandra. He later fathered a daughter named Calliope.
The Olympians wouldn't give Kratos time to celebrate the birth of his daughter, as a competition had begun amongst the gods. The Olympian Gods had created a wager in which various mortals (who are completely oblivious to the Gods' involvement) were selected to capture Ambrosia, spreading diseases, which could only be cured by Ambrosia, throughout their lands and everything they held dear as incentives; the God who chose the mortal who would capture the Ambrosia first would attain victory. Ares, God of War, had chosen Kratos as his "champion," infecting the infant Calliope with the plague.
Kratos would emerge victorious, killing all of the other champions, save one, the Barbarian king and Champion of Hades, Alrik, who would return to seek revenge later.
Once he became a general, Kratos won battles through brutal, but effective tactics. However, his pride and hunger for power grew greater with every victory. Despite Lysandra's pleas, Kratos vowed to continue his bloody conquests "until the glory of Sparta is known throughout the world", spending time with his family only when he was able to return to Sparta.
Kratos and his army finally met their match when they encountered the merciless Barbarian tribes from the East, led by Kratos's old enemy, Alrik. Outnumbered and overpowered, the Spartans quickly found themselves on the losing end of the battle, with Kratos himself left at the mercy of Alrik the Barbarian King, who sought revenge against Kratos for inadvertently causing the death of his father. In desperation, Kratos called out to Ares, the God of War, pledging his allegiance in exchange for victory. Ares accepted the offer, proceeding to kill all of the Barbarians, including Alrik, and giving Kratos the Blades of Chaos as a sign of his servitude.
For a time, Kratos served Ares loyally, raiding villages, slaughtering innocents, and spreading chaos in his name. Under the God of War's influence, Kratos became utterly ruthless and gradually lost any semblance of the humanity he once had. One day, during a raid on a village of Athena's followers, Ares secretly transported Lysandra and Calliope to a nearby temple. Ignoring the village oracle's warnings, Kratos entered the temple and slaughtered everybody inside in a fit of blind rage, including his wife and child (whom he believed were still in Sparta). Ares justified this as a means of severing Kratos' remaining attachments to the world of mortals, thereby molding him into the perfect warrior. Stricken with horror and grief at what he had done, Kratos left the bodies of his family to be burned within the temple, ultimately renouncing his allegiance to the God of War. The oracle cursed Kratos, forcing him to forever wear the ashes of his dead family on his skin.
From that day forward, Kratos became known as The Ghost of Sparta; his skin now 'pale as the moon' from the ashes that coated him. To other mortals, he was now marked by his ghostly white skin - the knowledge of his past actions often repulsed them to the point where they would rather die than allow him to save their lives. He became known as the personification of cruelty and selfishness.
It was here that the story of Kratos really began.
His attempts to break his oath led to his capture by the Furies, though Kratos would escape and kill them to finally be free of Ares. It was after this that Kratos entered into the service of the other Olympians in his quest to be forgiven for his sins and to be free of the nightmares that plagued him.
One of his most memorable tasks took him into the Underworld to combat the Titan, Atlas, and the goddess Persephone to stop the two from destroying the Pillar of the World and returning existence to chaos. The Pillar was destroyed, but Kratos replaced it with Atlas himself, cursing the Titan to hold up the world forevermore. Persephone was not so lucky. She met her end at Kratos's hands, his divine weaponry more than enough to slay the goddess and end her plans.
Ten years into his service to the gods, Kratos was tasked with defeating his old master, Ares. Ares had attacked Athens, the city of his sister, Athena, and with the gods forbidden from fighting each other by Zeus himself, Kratos was sent to defend Athena's city and to kill the God of War.
Offering whatever assistance they could, the gods and goddesses gave Kratos powerful magic to aid him in his quest, but the power to kill Ares could only be found with the Titan, Cronos. After the Titanomachy had come to an end, and the Titans were imprisoned in Tartarus, only Cronos was spared that punishment, although many would consider his brothers and sisters the lucky ones. Cronos was tasked with wandering a desert forever carrying the Temple of Pandora on his back. It was here that Kratos would find what he needed to face Ares, Pandora's Box. The evils in the box were believed to hold the power to destroy Ares.
After facing many trials, Kratos claimed Pandora's Box, only to be killed by Ares, who had his servants bring Pandora's Box to him. This was not his end however, as Zeus, disguised as an old grave digger, freed Kratos from the Underworld. Back in the land of the living, Kratos went to face Ares. Managing to reclaim the Box from Ares, Kratos opened it and absorbed the power of sealed within. After a long and difficult battle, Kratos succeeded: he had slain Ares, ending his service to the Olympians and getting his revenge.
Kratos was forgiven for his actions, but he was not free of his nightmares. Though Kratos attempted to end his life, the gods weren't finished with him yet. With the throne of the God of War empty, they were in need of a replacement. And so Kratos ascended to his former master's throne and became the new God of War.
All was not well though, as Sparta made war on the rest of Greece, with the permission and occasional aid of the new God of War. These actions alienated Kratos from the other gods, leading to them sending Hera's giant, Argos to stop the Spartan army and their patron god. Kratos fought Argos, but did not kill him, that was done by an unknown assassin. The assassin escaped and blame fell to Kratos, driving a bigger wedge between him and the other gods.
Though Kratos was quickly becoming a pariah on Mt. Olympus, he turned his attention not towards reconciling with the gods, but towards investigating his past. Learning that his mother still lived, Kratos tracked her to the Temple of Poseidon in the city of Atlantis. It was there that he received another shocking revelation, his brother Deimos still lived. To find his brother, Kratos returned to Sparta, but not before freeing the Titan, Thera and causing a flood to sink Poseidon's city. Those that stood in his way: the monster Scylla; the monster that was once his mother, the result of a curse placed upon her; Erinys, daughter of Thanatos; an Ares loyalist and the Piraeus Lion all fell before the might of the Ghost of Sparta.
Finding a clue to his brother's whereabouts, Kratos returned to the now sunken city of Atlantis and found the entrance to Death's Domain, the realm of Thanatos. Kratos did find his brother, but the reunion was not a happy one. Deimos blamed his brother for his years of torment and attacked Kratos. Their battle was interrupted by Thanatos, the Primordial God of Death himself, Taking Deimos to cliffs known as the Suicide Bluffs, Deimos almost fell to his death, only to be saved by Kratos. Now reconciled, the brothers fought Thanatos together, though it was a battle Deimos would not survive. Kratos made Thanatos pay for what he had done to Deimos with his life.
By the time that over 13 years had passed since the fall of Ares, Kratos had still not been accepted by the other gods. Understandably so, as Kratos's favorite pastime was to aid the Spartan army in conquering all of Greece. By the time the Spartans reached Rhodes, Kratos joined their campaign. While he was destroying the city, an eagle, believed by Kratos to be Athena in disguise, robbed him of some of his power and infused it into the Colossus of Rhodes, bringing the statue to life to kill the weakened God of War.
Offered the Blade of Olympus by Zeus, the very blade Zeus used to end the Titanomachy, Kratos poured the last of his power into the Blade, rending him mortal, but enabling him to destroy the Colossus from the inside. Mortally wounded after the destruction of the Colossus, Kratos attempted to retrieve the Blade of Olympus, only to be stopped by the eagle from earlier, now revealed to be Zeus. After a one-sided battle, Zeus drove the Blade of Olympus through Kratos's abdomen. As Kratos was being dragged to an eternity of torment in the Underworld, he was saved by Gaia, the Primordial Earth and mother of the Titans, who offers an alliance. Gaia and her children wished for revenge on the Olympians as much as Kratos.
Gaia sent Kratos on a quest to find the Sisters of Fate in order to change the past and kill Zeus. After a detour and gaining power from the Titan Typhon and the former Titan Prometheus, Kratos finally arrived on the Island of Creation. Kratos was pitted against enemies old and new: Theseus, Alrik, Perseus, Icarus, the Gorgon Queen Euryale, a kraken, and finally the Sisters of Fate themselves.
With the death of the Sisters, Kratos returned to the moment of his betrayal at Zeus's hands and fought the King of Olympus. After a long battle, Kratos feigns a surrender, allowing him to pin Zeus's hands to a nearby rock and began to drive the Blade of Olympus through Zeus's chest.
Athena arrives to defend Zeus, angering Kratos. As Zeus makes his escape, Kratos breaks away from Athena and gives chase, only for Athena to be impaled by the Blade of Olympus in Zeus's stead. A stunned Kratos asked why she would do such a thing and Athena says that a son should never kill his father. Kratos was a son of Zeus! Kratos snarled that he had no father and vows retribution on any who would deny him his vengeance, saying that the time of Olympus is at an end.
Going through time once more, Kratos goes back to a time during the Titanomachy and brings the Titans forward in time. There they climb Mt. Olympus with Kratos announcing the destruction of Olympus.
As the gods moved to intercept the Titans, with Poseidon taking point. After decimating numerous Titans and preparing to go after Gaia, Kratos attacks the God of the Sea. After a brief but brutal battle, Kratos gouged out Poseidon's eyes, snapped his neck, and threw the corpse of his uncle into the sea, causing the sea to rise and flood the world killing all but those on Mt. Olympus.
Once Kratos and Gaia reach Zeus, Zeus blasts them with lightning sending the Primordial and the Spartan plummeting off of Mt. Olympus. Attempting to hang onto Gaia, Kratos is betrayed by the Primordial, who reveals he was only ever a pawn. Kratos falls to the Underworld once again and as he makes his way through the River Styx, Kratos vows to escape the Underworld once more and destroy Zeus.
In the Underworld, Kratos is reunited with Athena, who had reached a new level of existence, or so she claimed. In her astral form, she granted him new weapons and offered her aid. She tells Kratos that he must extinguish the Flame of Olympus to kill Zeus. As Kratos makes his way through the Underworld, he encountered Hephaestus, the Smith God, who tells the Spartan more of the Flame of Olympus and what it protects. Continuing on his journey, Kratos encounters Hades. Kratos managed to disarm Hades and used the God of the Underworld's own weapons to remove Hades' own soul.
Kratos returned to Olympus where he would battle the Titans and the gods. He used his bare hands to behead Helios; amputated Hermes' legs to steal his sandals; beat Heracles to death with his own weapons; broke Hera's neck; had sex with Aphrodite while her handmaidens watched; stabbed the Titan Cronos in the head with the Blade of Olympus; impaled Hephaestus for attempting to kill him; battled monsters; all before arriving at the Flame of Olympus with Pandora, a child created by Hephaestus who told Kratos about the power of Hope, only to be interrupted by Zeus.
Pandora was the key to extinguishing the Flame of Olympus, but the act would cost kill her. Kratos did not know this and was reluctant to extinguish the Flame after learning this. Pandora reminded him so much of his own daughter, that he just couldn't do it. Pandora was the key to what was at the center of the Flame of Olympus, Pandora's Box! Though Kratos refused to sacrifice Pandora, she extinguished the Flame of her own free will. Not willing to let Pandora's sacrifice be in vain, Kratos opened the Box to find it empty. As Zeus mocked Kratos and retreated to recover, Kratos' rage only grew and he pursued his father, only for their battle to be interrupted by Gaia, who had previously been believed to have been killed. As the battle between father and son moved inside of Gaia, Zeus and Kratos drained energy from her heart to recover. The Primordial was finally killed when Kratos impaled Zeus against her heart with the Blade of Olympus.
His body had died, but Zeus was not defeated, and he assumed his own astral form. Though he tried to force Kratos to feel nothing but fear and loss, on the verge of death, Kratos is led on a journey through his mind by Pandora, who helped him to overcome his demons with the power of Hope. Freed from his past guilt, Kratos forced Zeus' spirit back into its body and began to beat Zeus to death with his bare hands.
With Zeus dead, Kratos finally looked at the destruction his desired for vengeance caused. Athena arrived to congratulate Kratos and to demand the return of the power that was held within Pandora's Box. Though Kratos claimed it was empty, Athena reveals the truth of the Box. The Box contained the evils of the Titanomachy and as a safety measure, Athena placed the "most powerful weapon in the world" Hope, inside to counter those evils. It had been believed that when Kratos opened the Box to fight Ares, he had absorbed the evils, but Athena then realized that was wrong. Kratos had absorbed Hope and the evils infected the Gods of Olympus, such as Zeus being infected by Fear. Hope had been buried under Kratos's anger and guilt and upon learning to forgive himself, he had released the power. Once again, Athena demanded the Power of Hope, not realizing that she herself had been infected by Greed, but Kratos instead impaled himself with the Blade of Olympus and freed the Power of Hope, believing it could help the world heal. Athena was furious, claiming that mortals wouldn't know what to do with Hope. She removed the Blade of Olympus from Kratos and told him that she was disappointed, but Kratos shot back that he owed her nothing.
This was not the end of Kratos however, as he was curse now to wander the world forever for his crimes.
He would find a new love and a new life in the realm of Midgard with a woman name Faye. Faye was a warrior herself, wielding a magic axe, the Leviathan Axe. Together, they would have a son, Atreus, named for a Spartan warrior Kratos knew, one who gave hope. Faye insisted that she be the one to raise Atreus and as such the father and son were not close. Kratos had agreed that it was probably for the best, he had yet to completely let go of the anger that had driven him for so long and feared that his influence would cause Atreus to turn out just like him.
Things couldn't stay that way, however. Once Faye had died, Kratos and Atreus were to set out on another adventure, to scatter he ashes from the highest peak in all the realms. The journey was unfortunately, not their biggest problem, for Faye had secrets of her own. Much like her husband, Faye had been the enemy of her native realm's gods. The Aesir. Odin, King of the Aesir, was after information that Faye possessed, but was never able to find her. Faye had the foresight to set up concealments to protect her and her family from the eyes of Asgard, though, perhaps in an effort to bring her husband and son together and to tell them the truth after she was gone, she marked the trees that protected her family to be cut down and used in her funeral pyre.
Now visible to the Aesir, Odin's son Baldur, the God of Light, arrived at the father and son's home. Kratos attempted to get him to leave, not realizing that the man harassing him was a god at first. Once Baldur started to attack, Kratos retaliation, proving himself as powerful as he ever was. Kratos managed to overpower Baldur, but the Aesir proved to be immune to pain and death. With no choice but to flee after his battle with Baldur, Kratos and Atreus set out for the peak of the tallest mountain in Midgard.
Along the way, they met the dwarves, Brok and Sindri, the World's Serpent, Jormungandr, the Witch in the Woods who was revealed to be the Vanir goddess, Freya, and the imprisoned Norse God of Knowledge and Wisdom, Mimir. It was from Mimir that the two learned that their true destination was the realm of the giants, Jötunheim, a journey Mimir would help them make, provided they did him the favor of cutting off his head. Once decapitated and reanimated, Mimir lead the two on a journey to find the tools they would need to enter Jötunheim, but the Aesir would not sit back and allow the group of three to enter a realm that even Odin could not enter. Magni and Modi, the sons of Thor had been sent by their uncle, Baldur to get the information Odin demanded, and after a difficult battle, Kratos was left with no choice but to kill Magni. With the death of his elder brother, Modi retreated in fear, and Mimir warned Kratos that minor Aesir or not, Magni's death would not go over well in Asgard.
Modi, out for revenge, more for his humiliation than for the death of his brother, continued to pursue his targets, leading to Atreus unlocking the abilities he had inherited from his father, his Spartan Rage and godly power. Unfortunately, he was unable to handle it, and once Kratos forced Modi to retreat, Kratos and Mimir went to Freya for help.
The key to curing Atreus was in Helheim, but Kratos needed to retrieve weapons that would work in Hel, his old Blades of Chaos. While he made the journey home, Kratos was taunted by Athena's ghost, who told him that he could never run from what he was, a monster. Kratos accepted the label but reminded her that he was no longer her monster.
In Helheim, Kratos and Mimir made a troubling discovery, Hel was full. Odin had cursed the Valkyries and prevented them from doing their job of sorting the dead. Though they would resolve that problem later, Kratos and Mimir had a more important job to do, kill the Bridge keeper and take his heart. Once that was done, Kratos returned and cured Atreus, but was forced to reveal his past, albeit a rather vague version.
This new knowledge had a negative effect on Atreus, who saw his divine heritage as an excuse to look down on others. Mistreating his new friends and disobeying his father, Atreus was headed down a dark path that culminated in his cold-blooded murder of Modi, who had returned for a rematch, but had been beaten so badly by his own father, Thor, that he was unable to do anything besides hurl insults.
A sudden attack by Baldur sent Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir deep into Helheim, where Kratos was forced to set his son straight. Between his father's words and visions of himself, Atreus returned to his kind self. The two journeyed through the Realm of the Dishonored Dead and came across Baldur once more, yelling at a vision of himself and his mother, the Witch in the Woods, Freya.
Helheim wasn't finished with them yet though, and a vision of Kratos fighting and killing Zeus was witnessed by Kratos, Mimir and Atreus. One of Kratos's dark secrets had been revealed to his son, but luckily for him, Atreus didn't press him for details.
On their way out of Helheim, the group came across relics from the Temple of Tyr, the Norse God of War. Among them, the secret to traveling to Jötunheim. The Temple of Tyr was connected to towers, each tower was a gateway from Midgard to the other Nine Realms: Alfheim; Asgard; Helheim; Muspelheim; Niflheim; Svartalfheim; Vanaheim, and, once upon a time, Jötunheim. To stop Odin and Thor's genocide of the Jötnar, Tyr found a way to send the tower to Jötunheim into the Realm between Realms, a place connected to, yet separate from, the Nine Realms, among the roots of Yggdrasill, the World Tree.
Kratos and his companions eventually succeeded in returning the tower, but still lacked the means to activate the gate. The Bifröst crystal that would allow for travel between realms was missing, a last-ditch effort to keep Odin and Thor out of Jötunheim. However, Mimir had an idea. Like Tyr, Mimir had Bifröst crystals for eyes, or rather one eye. His Bifröst eyes had been a gift from the Jötnar, much like Tyr's. Another thing Tyr and Mimir had in common was that Odin believed that they were both plotting with the Jötnar against him. As punishment for his "treason" Odin removed Mimir's left Bifröst crystal upon imprisoning Mimir in an indestructible tree and hid the crystal eye in a statue built in honor or Thor.
Another lucky break for the father and son was that Mimir knew who built the statue, the Huldra Brothers, Brok and Sindri. Having been loyal customers of their, Kratos and Atreus went to ask the dwarves about the statue. They were informed that Odin requested a secret compartment in the top half of the statue. That information presented another problem though, the top half of the statue had been eaten by Jormungandr upon awakening.
Although their request was not exactly met with enthusiasm, the World Serpent agreed to allow the trio to search his stomach to find the missing eye. The search didn't take long and soon the eye was back in its proper place, but the trip out of the World Serpent was anything but smooth sailing. The Serpent had come under attack while the trio were inside his stomach!
After being thrown from the Serpent's mouth, the trio were confronted by Freya who was looking for her son. She didn't have long to wait as Baldur soon arrived, his hatred for his mother as strong as it ever was. His attempt to attack her was intercepted by Kratos, who did battle with Baldur as Freya tried to in vain to stop them.
During a lull in the fight, Freya had managed to capture them both in vines she had conjured with magic. Baldur was able to free himself and approached Kratos, but Atreus got in the way. Atreus tried to free his father, but an irritated Baldur hit Atreus in the chest, knocking him away. Atreus had blood on him, but it was not his, a mistletoe arrowhead was lodged in Baldur's hand. The invulnerable Aesir of Light was vulnerable!
His curse was broken, but Baldur didn't retreat. In fact, he seemed to relish in the pain he received from Kratos. Try as she might, Freya's attempts to stop the battle only irritated Baldur, particularly her reanimation of a Jotünn corpse. An attack by the World Serpent stopped the giant zombie while Kratos and Atreus tag teamed Baldur.
Kratos dictated certain terms to Baldur, who by this point was a bloody heap on the ground, among which was that he was not to try to kill Freya. Baldur showed no interest in listening to Kratos though as he proceeded to choke Freya. Kratos was forced to step in and snap Baldur's neck.
Freya, furious at the death of her son, swore revenge on Kratos and called him a monster. When Kratos claimed that she did not know him, Freya shot back that she did, but Atreus did not. Kratos told Atreus to listen and told Atreus of his bloody past. Atreus asked if that was what it meant to be a god and Kratos told him they will be the gods they choose to be, that they must be better.
Finally arriving in Jötunheim, Kratos and Atreus made the trek to the top of the mountain to finally scatter Faye's ashes. The sight that awaited them was not a pretty one. Even without Odin and Thor, the Jötnar had died out, their bodies littering the realm. There were more revelations waiting for them, this time in the form of murals on the walls of the caves within the mountain. Kratos and Atreus soon learned why Faye had wanted her ashes scattered in this realm, it was her birthplace. Faye was, in reality, Luafey the Just, the Jötnar's guardian that agreed to be left in Midgard.
These revelations and the journey had brought the father and son closer together, and they returned to Midgard but were greeted with bad news, the death of Baldur had caused the Fimbulwinter to come early. A winter that would last three years before Ragnarok began that was not meant to happen for at least 100 years according to Mimir. Not much could be done about it though and Kratos, Atreus, and Mimir returned to their cabin in the woods.
Atreus would dream of the end of Fimbulwinter though. When the winter was dying down, Thor came to attack the father and son. This would be written off by Kratos as just a dream.
"Uhh, is this real or does Naegi-dono have really elaborate dreams?" Yamada asked. Either way was fine with him really, Naegi was always a good source of material for his work.
"It's entirely possible that both of those are true," Shinguji answered. He hoped it was true, these revelations would turn the world of anthropology and all the related fields on their heads.
"It's certainly been informative, wouldn't you agree, Saihara-kun?" Kirigiri asked.
"You mean the dark smoke that came out of Zeus, right Senpai?" Saihara asked the older detective.
"Yes, we saw the same thing happen here when Naegi-kun was attacked by our peers and staff," Kirigiri reminded everyone as she shot a glare at the offending parties. Most of them looked at down in shame at that.
"How did that runt beat any of us? He's either too gentle or too weak to hurt anybody," Sakakura said.
Naegi's friends and admirers glared at him when he said "too weak" but Sakakura had a point about Naegi being gentle.
Once Zeus had finished telling the story of Kratos, he said, "I told you the whole story, but what I need you to focus on is what Kratos did in Greece. Although he freed Hope from his body, Athena hasn't given up. My daughter was able to resist in life, but the evil, greed, took hold of her after death. Even now, she covets the power of Hope. She manipulated that man, Kamakura Izuru, into founding this school, and infecting people with the evils of the Box believing that she could create a vessel for Hope so that she could one day take the power she believes belongs to her."
"Why do I have this power? Surely there are better candidates? Stronger and better fighters?" Dream Naegi asked.
"Hope chose you for a reason, Makoto. I don't claim to know what it is, but I believe that it made the right choice. I know potential when I see it," Zeus said.
"What about all that anger earlier? Where did that come from?"
"Kratos would always draw upon his rage when he needed strength, perhaps the power of Hope took some of that power too. I don't know for certain, but I think you'll agree that it came in handy."
Dream Naegi couldn't argue with that.
"I'm sorry to force all of this on you Makoto, but Athena has been growing her power for a very long time. It was my fear that started this chain of events and I should be the one to fix it, but it seems that Greed has allowed her to grow her power while the power of the previously infected gods has diminished. I swear by the River Styx that I and the others will aid you where we can though. Even if our powers aren't what they once were, you are a smart child, you will find a way to make use of our magic."
"Is Aphrodite going to send a gorgon for me to fight? I'd prefer to not have one near Hope's Peak Academy."
"Haha, no, my boy. But she can assist you in other ways. Kratos was able to strengthen his weapons and magic with conquest, but they didn't necessarily have to be conquests in battle."
Dream Naegi and his physical counterpart both turned red at the implication, as did many members of their audience. Although, some found this news, not exactly unwelcome.
Once he calmed down, Dream Naegi asked, "Where should I start? If I wait, everyone is in danger for that much longer."
"Eager to keep your friends safe? Good lad. First, find Kratos's old weapons, I'm sure they will aid you. You should probably find the proper tools to fix them, mortal tools won't be enough to repair or improve divine weapons. I would start with the Leviathan Axe and see if you can find the tools of the Huldra Brothers for any work that needs done on it. I believe the tools will still be somewhere on the Scandinavian Peninsula and you already know a rather capable blacksmith," Zeus told him.
"That's a lot of land to cover," Dream Naegi noted.
"I'm sure you'll find a way. You have wonderful friends who will help you when you need it," Zeus reminded Naegi.
"Yeah, I do," Dream Naegi agreed.
"Now, it's time to wake up. Good luck, Champion of Hope!" Zeus said as he began to fade.
Naegi awoke with a start. He looked around and noticed that he was in Matsuda's lab and that all of his friends were present. "How long was I out?" Naegi asked.
"A few hours. You had us worried," Maizono told him.
"We all saw and heard what happened in your dream, so my question is: Do you believe it?" Togami asked.
"I think I have to. None of what happened earlier makes sense any other way," Naegi answered.
"Naegi-kun, know that I and the people of Novoselic will aid you in whatever way we can. Our intelligence network is as great as our military!" Sonia announced.
"Thank you, Sonia-senpai. That will help a lot," Naegi said, his gratitude evident in his voice.
"Might I join you? It would be a great story for the Ultimate Soldier to fight with the new God of War," Ikusaba asked in an almost flirty manner.
"I'd appreciate it, but I'm no god and never could be," Naegi answered with his usual humility.
"You'd better hope that you're a god slayer though. Athena wasn't exactly a pushover in the old myths," Enoshima joked. She might be restrained, but she could still have some fun.
"'God Slayer of War and Hope' is kind of wordy," Hagakure noted.
Naegi couldn't help but laugh. He was worried about whether or not he could succeed, but he would try. He had hope that he could. And thanks to his friends, he had courage too. Ultimate, god, or god slayer, Naegi didn't think he really deserved any of those titles, but he could worry about that later.
This was how it all began. A boy who inherited the power of a god. One that couldn't have been more different from himself.
Most of humanity would never learn the truth, monsters of old would fade into legend once more, but those that did know the truth knew that it was thanks to the efforts of the Ultimate Hope and the power of the God of War!
Thanks for reading! I know this was a little long and more than a little out there, but it has been an idea I've had for a while now, I hope you all enjoyed it.
If you're wondering what I was thinking, well… Have any of you read the manga Toriko? It's about a Gourmet Hunter and his chef partner mostly, but there are a lot of good fights. The important part is towards the end, one character tries to make Toriko feel pure rage, saying that rage is the opposite of despair and he needs the opposite of despair for this opponent. I thought it was weird, because it makes more sense that hope is the opposite of despair, but here I am years later writing a story making use of that one sentence to justify this story, so there is that.
For those curious, here's a list of who was infected with which evil from Pandora's Box:
Kyosuke-Pride
Juzo-Anger
Hajime-Jealousy
Himiko-Sloth
Teruteru-Lust
Ruruka-Fear
Junko-Despair
Kokichi-Deceit
I was tempted to add the Ultimate Imposter with Gluttony, but that seemed to be too much.
How was it? Let me know in your review. Did you enjoy it? Should I never write another one shot like this again?
Whatever your feelings about it, I hope you'll all join me for the next chapter of Everyday Life with Ultimate Girls where we finally deal with Junko Enoshima. Until then, if you need some Danganronpa goodness to hold you over, I recommend heading over to Pixiv and check out the works of Jedash01 and Vergilsama92. Both do excellent works of art, focusing on our favorite Luckster, Makoto Naegi!
See you star side everyone!