Chapter 8:

Yeah. Mineta definitely is fighting. Cope.

Endeavour simply walked past a lot of gods while trying to find the room of the goddess he's supposed to find. Because of his muscular physique and fire, many mistook him for a one-off Japanese deity. He used it to his advantage to ask around and act like a novice.

"Hey, mate, who might you be?" Endeavour stopped at the voice and turned around only to see a rather young god. The young god looked to be in the same age range as Touya. He didn't wear any shoes, considering his feet were eternally on fire. Judging by the red toga and the flaming laurel crown, the fire hero assumed this man was Greek. "And don't think about lying. I've seen a lot of ridiculous outfits worn by gods, but nothing as modern and stupid as yours. Actually, that style looks a lot similar to the guy Uncle Sam fought. Care to elaborate, mate?"

Seeing no reason to lie, Endeavour spoke to him. "The Void suspects tampering of the match's outcomes."

"Ah, Lord Chaos' dear old parent? If you mean outcome, I got a vague idea of who it might be. You'll find her room in the hallway down the left." The young god pointed in the direction, mildly surprising Endeavour.

"You have my thanks, but why are you helping me, boy?" Endeavour asked the young god.

"Much like father, I thought of this entire situation as foolishly stupid. Might as well secretly help The Void win, right, mate? Just to get it over with. Also, you're not one of father's secret love child, right? You remind me of him a bit." The young god took a closer look at Endeavour to see if he could confirm that.

"No, I am not. You yourself remind me of my sons. What is your name?"

"Only if I can have yours."

"It's Endeavour."

"That's a weird name for a human. Mine is Zagreus. Good luck destroying those pages." The young god Zagreus walked away into the gods' cantina while Endeavour faced the hallway.

"Good kid."

Right before he could hit the tree, Mineta threw his hair balls at the trunk and safely bounced off it. He almost died, and the weapon the Void gave him was destroyed. He had nothing. "Why the hell did they even make me fight? I can't do shit against him!"

"Ay, focus, dude." Baldr appeared behind him and went for a roundhouse kick. Mineta ducked out of the way, and a tree was destroyed in his place. All Mineta had left now were the handles of the garrote, which he pocketed. He jumped back to get some distance from Baldr and threw one of his balls at the god's face.

Baldr easily pulled it out without even leaving a scratch on his face. It did not suffocate the god as he thought it would. It was, however, now stuck in Baldr's hand. "So this is what your hair does, huh? Man, Sif is not gonna let you hear the end of it when she finds out about this."

Mineta plopped two of his hairballs down and launched himself upward, landing on a tree branch. "Since I can't beat you, I'm going to run away now."

Mineta jumped off to another tree branch, leaving Baldr confused. He realized what Mineta was planning after a second. "Oh, I get it! Trying to make a plan while on the run! Ha! Cheeky bastard indeed."

"Why did he run away? That coward! He should face that god like a man." A human audience member complained about Mineta.

"Why don't you go down there and fight a god yourself, cocky bastard!" Botany Club Bakugou tried to pick a fight with the man only to be held back by Botany Club Ibara's vines. Awase then welded his shoes to the floor to keep him there. "Let me at em, Ibara!"

"Calm your tits, man." Botany Club Awase said.

"Calm yourself, Katsuki. All that matters is that we have faith in Mineta." Ibara said, making her husband calm down. "Besides, I believe Mineta is thinking of a brilliant plan right now in the midst of running."

"I can't think of shit!" Mineta thought to himself while panic-throwing his hair balls everywhere as Baldr gave chase on the ground. He knew the invincible god was holding back his speed. He eyed the crowd and found Frigg cheering for her son.

Before the start of his fight, Mineta did a little research on Baldr's tale. He's not confident knowing he's up against a god who literally can't be hurt by anything at all. Even the air forces itself to the god's lungs so that Baldr won't suffocate. He tried finding weaknesses, but it seems like Valhalla omits it whenever he looks it up. He eyed Frigg again and secretly cursed her for making things difficult.

"Ay, are you eyeing my mom?" Baldr was instantly behind him again. The god smacked Mineta downward. Before he could turn into a splatter of blood on the ground, Mineta threw more of his balls, bouncing off them. He launched into another ball stuck to a tree. He launched into another and another. "My dad won't be too keen on you doing that."

"Grape-Shot Lariat!" Mineta's attack was stopped at a dead halt by Baldr, who was unaffected by the attack. The god of light caught him by the neck. "Shit! I'm gonna die again!"

"Oh wait, I get it!" Baldr said, realizing something. "You were secretly cursing my mom for something!"

Mineta closes eyes and prepares for the worst. He waited for himself to fade away. He kept waiting until he realized Baldr's hold on him softened. The short hero opened his eyes to see the face of the god. Baldr looked tired.

"I don't blame you, kid."

Eons Ago...

"My quest is complete!" Frigg returned to Asgard, feeling triumphant in finally making her son the invincible god. She made everything in the world promise to do him no harm. She made this a secret from her son just to surprise him when he asks her.

Baldr noticed something different with him. He can no longer be harmed by any weapon or by any magic. He learned to turn that into an advantage, helping his brother Thor in defending Midgard. The god of light enjoyed the glory that came with his invincibility at first. He no longer needs to be worried about anything. When he finally took a bite of delicious food for the first time, it was then he realized that this may be a mistake.

He can no longer taste the food, for it would float above his tongue, knowing the risk of possibly hurting him. He can no longer feel anyone's touch, not even his own wife's. Baldr could feel nothing but emotions. Worst of all, it built expectations. People bring up his feats more than it really are. They expected him to be the best of the best when he knew he wasn't. He was invincible, but he was not the best. Those same expectations weighed down on him, waiting to burst into a heavenly tantrum. He kept it all inside, frustrated by whatever curse he had. He only knew one person who could help him with such a thing.

"Mom! I need help." Baldr went inside his mother's room while she was combing her hair. The woman looked at him through his reflection in the mirror.

"What is it, my son?" The Queen of Asgard was worried, thinking her quest did not work.

"Someone placed a curse on me! They've turned me invincible!" To prove this, Baldr was then hit by a boulder thrown by his twin brother Hodr from the outside. It did not affect him. The boulder shattered on impact. "Thanks for the help, bro!"

"No worries, brother!" The blind god yelled from outside.

Frigg laughed. He didn't expect his mom to laugh at his predicament. "Mom, this isn't funny."

"It's not a curse, son. It's my blessing for you. One that shall protect you from your prophesied death." Frigg explained to Baldr. "Of course, there might be side effects, but it's all to keep you safe."

Baldr broke. He forced himself to smile so his mom wouldn't be upset. He knew she had good intentions, but he would have appreciated it if she came to him first. Baldr sighed sadly and got out of the room, finally breaking down in the hallway. He can't even feel his tears.

Back in the Present...

Endeavour finally managed to find the goddess' room. It was where Zagreus exactly said it would be. He knew someone was inside. He just needs to figure out how to draw them out and inspect her book.

"Yeah, she's still inside. I brought a friend, though." Zagreus appeared behind Endeavour. The hero turned around and saw another person with him. She wore a red toga, almost as if it was dyed in the blood of people, had a sinister smile, and one wing. "Meet Alecto. She doesn't like the person inside that room."

"Hello, Endeavour. As much as I'd like to torture you myself, I got business to take care of." She flew into the ceiling, disappearing from sight.

"Don't let her words get to you. That's her being nice." Zagreus bit a chunk off the chili dog he bought at a human food stall. "Man, these things taste great."

"Don't eat too much of it, boy. They are unhealthy when eaten in large quantities."

"Thanks for the warning, Endeavour." Zagreus then pulled the hero aside in a corner. A fire alarm was raised inside the room and the goddess fled out, very wet and annoyed. "Yeah, she can tell the future, but she can't predict minor inconveniences. It's weird she didn't see you coming though."

"Yes, it's indeed odd. You should hide now, Zagreus. I'll make this quick." Endeavour quickly entered the room, making sure not to disturb anything else. He looked at the study and confirmed that she has indeed left her book. Every match was already written and detailed carefully. Endeavour looked at the current match.

Mineta will not find out the god's weakness and die at the hands of Baldr.

Endeavour scoffed at the written line. He created a flame on his index finger and burnt the page. He left the room soon after. The hero was instantly teleported by The Void back to the waiting room.

"From the look on your face, you found something." The Void guessed.

"Yes, I've managed to destroy the page for this match, but I didn't have enough time for the rest." Endeavour confirmed The Void's suspicions.

"Just as I suspected. Well, no need to worry about that. I'll do something about it. Thank you for your assistance, Endeavour." The Void disappeared, leaving the fighters to themselves. There was a tense silence between all of them. Camie was the first to break it. She was from a universe filled with unseen horrors. There were no quirks, only magic. She was that world's best illusionist and alchemist.

"So, uh, what world did you fams come from?" The illusionist asked the others, only to be met with silence. She kept asking until someone finally answered.

"I heard a lot of versions of myself were heroes." This Ochaco came from a universe where she was the Cyberthief, stealer of hearts. And money. Mostly money. "Kinda embarrassing considering I'm a thief."

*bzztt… I rob… wvlilclockybzztt… banks...bzztt* The Izuku with a stitched mouth said using his cassette player.

"I swear to everything, I will take away your stupid recorder, you worthless piece of shit." Mary Sue Bakugou warned Izuku, only to have a bullet whiz past him. He turned around to see Izuku aiming, just barely missing his head.

*bzztt… you don't want… bzztt to know why… bzztt… they call me Civil War*

"Enough. We're not here to fight each other. Behave yourselves." Endeavour finally spoke again, growing tired of the two's immaturity.

"Speaking of which, did you rewrite the future by burning it, Mr. Endeavour?" Koichi Haimawari asked the flaming hero. Endeavour shook his head.

"No, I merely erased part of it. What happens next is up to Mineta's competence as a fighter. Perhaps soon, he'll find out Baldr's weakness. They are in Demeter's forest, after all." Endeavour looked at the screen carefully, watching Baldr hold Mineta by the neck.

Camie remembered something about Baldr's old myth in her universe. "Oh, ain't his weakness the-"

"Well, it doesn't matter now, dude. Very sorry." Baldr's grip tightened around Mineta's neck and threw the short hero over the forest. Mineta landed unceremoniously on a tree branch.

"Mistletoe." The Void whispered in his ears, surprising the short hero. If the gods will cheat, the Void shall do so as well. It's only up to Mineta to follow up on it.

"Mistletoe? I remember Shiozaki lecturing us about that in the Botany Club- oh right. She claimed it was used to kill Baldr." Mineta looked around the nearby tree branches to find the parasitic plant. He still remembers what most plants looked like thanks to their club activities from when they were alive. "Would it work now? One way to find out."

He jumped to another branch, finding the mistletoe left from Demeter's fight with Inko. He thanked Inko for pushing Demeter this far to leave a weapon for him. There are only a few mistletoes over here, but it can make for a good garrote. He crafted it into a thin string and took any extra for emergency use. "Okay. I got a chance now. Screw it."

Frigg saw what Mineta created, and in a panic, stood up and left her sit. She kept a mistletoe in her room in case this would happen. She just didn't expect a child to figure out her son's weakness. The goddess reached her room and saw the mistletoe framed to the wall. She was about to reach out, only to be stopped by an unknown entity.

"Looking for this?" The entity asked. Frigg instantly recognized the owner of the voice. It was the Primordial Void in some sort of Avatar. She was down on her knees when she realized what was happening.

"Please. Don't." Frigg can only beg for her son's life in the Void's presence. The Void was amused, but still followed through with their threat. In a flick of the wrist, the mistletoe that Frigg kept was destroyed.

"The only mistletoe left in this area is within the arena." The Void told Frigg before disappearing again.

Frigg, having no time to cry, hurried back into the arena to watch her son. She tried to reassure herself of who her son was facing. "The boy is a weakling. Baldr shall deal with him."

Mineta's traps were finished. The only thing left was to draw out the god of light. If he were to- "Ah nevermind, there he is."

Mineta reacted quickly, dodging Baldr's kick by bouncing off his hair ball. The short hero was launched over the god of light and threw five balls at Baldr's back. He maneuvered himself in the air to bounce off another ball stuck to a tree just as Baldr turned around to face him. Punching or kicking him won't do a thing, so Mineta did the second best thing. Using the momentum he built, Mineta pushed Baldr into a mistletoe-tipped branch spike.

The results were bloody. Every god and human in the audience was shocked to see something pierce the side of the invincible god. Baldr was also surprised by this. He pushed Mineta off him out of habit. He looked at the blood on his hands.

"This… feeling?" Baldr wondered what it was. It was a familiar yet distant feeling. He couldn't comprehend what it was. He wondered if it had been so long since he felt something physical. "Yes, I think I remember this feeling."

It stings, but he can feel again. It burns, but he can feel again. It hurts, but he can feel again. Baldr can feel again. Waves of emotion washed over the god of light until his face was unreadable. "This is pain."

"Oh, crap." Mineta backed away slowly from the god, thinking he messed up again. To his surprise, Baldr picked up the dirt and rubbed it all over himself. The god's unreadable face replaced itself with glee.

"I can feel dirt again. The air, I can feel it again! Hahaha hahaha. HAHAHAHAHA hahaha." The god pierced his own palm at the spike. He could feel the pain again. He can feel everything again. "The coldness of the arena! The warmth of the sun! Even…"

Baldr placed dirt in his mouth. "EVEN THE TASTE OF DIRT!"

The god faced Mineta again, ignoring his mother's cries. He gave the short hero a hug. "Thank you, dude. I can feel everything again. I'm free from this… stupid curse."

"Oh. Huh. You're welcome." Mineta was being squeezed by Baldr in a tight embrace. He was not expecting a god to thank him while crying tears of joy. Light began shining from Baldr's eyes. "Oh, no."

"As a reward, I will no longer hold back. Now that we fight on even grounds, may the best man win, friend." Baldr threw Mineta again, this time at the same spike that impaled the god. Mineta reacted quickly and use his hair ball to block the spike and bounced off it. "FLASHBANG!"

The god shone a bright light that blocked Mineta's vision and grabbed the short hero again, slamming him into the ground. Mineta felt one rib of his break. He spat out blood and Baldr's smile disappeared.

"Are you alright?" Baldr asked his new friend. He kept his grip tight, in case it was another one of Mineta's tricks. He saw the short hero reach out for something.

"No, I'm not alright. I'm in so much pain right now." Mineta grabbed Baldr's arm in defiance while reaching for a string stuck to a stick on the ground. He pulled it off. "But I got you just where I want you."

{-To Be Continued...

Baldr is no longer invincible. Will Mineta finally have a chance to win?