Here's the latest chapter, while I'm making this I'm also keeping up to date on the fight between Buddha and Zero, I plan to have a God replace Buddha for the side of the Gods just to even things out. Enjoy the chapter!
I don't own Shuumatsu no Valkyrie.
Chapter 4: Gentle Giant of the Earth vs The Wrathful God of the Sea! A Mountain against A Tsunami?
Geir was currently running across the hall, she tripped and fell but picked herself up. The look on her face showed she was angry, she continued to run until she burst through the door where Brunhild and Null were staying.
"What's the meaning of this, Sister Brunhild!?" Geir asked in anger.
"Geir, calm yourself." Hrist, the second Valkyrie sister told the young Valkyrie.
"You saw it too, right? The knuckle duster was unscathed, wasn't it?" Geir shouted the question. "So why! Why did Sister Leif disappear!?"
"Geir. Volund is not simply a matter of becoming a weapon. It's a technique in mortals and Valkyries becomes one." Hrist explained. "In other words… you entrust everything to one another. You fight as one, you live and die as one." Geir began to tear up at the memory of another lost Valkyrie sister, Hrist hugged her to comfort the young Valkyrie. "There's no need to cry… Leif was well aware of… the kind of battle we're facing."
"But… I didn't get to say goodbye… I couldn't do anything for her…" Geir cried.
"Geir…" Hrist said.
"Sister… Hrist…" Geir weeped back, but soon Hrist tightened her grip. "Ow… you're squishing meeeee! Sister Hrist, too tight!" And when she looked up she panicked because Hirst had a pissed-off look on her face.
"Fucking bastards, I'm coming for you." Hrist sneered.
"I… almost forgot… two powers dwell within sister Hrist's body… two halves of the same whole." Geir thought. "P-Please calm down, Sister Hrist."
Currently Brunhild was having a one-person eating contest, she was devouring salmiak pie like not tomorrow, and they don't taste good but Brunhild stressed out and was binge eating. Null was mediating and intensely because his eyes were still bright red. Both of them were thinking the same thing.
"We have to stop this from happening… no matter what! If humanity loses for a third time." The two being thought, then Brunhild got a message.
She widened her eyes in shock and gulped down her food, then wiped the rest off the table. This confused the other two Valkyries, until they found the third contender was for the Gods would be… Poseidon!
"R-Right after Zeus… is Lord Poseidon!" Geir shouted.
"They seem to be pushing us to the wall.." Hrist stated.
"Even though it's the third round they keep playing their top tier fighters." Geir stated.
Null wasted no time flipping through the pages of the Book of Knowledge to find a suitable fighter that could handle the likes of the God of the Sea. He was sweating and was going through the skills and abilities of each fighter to see who would have the best chance.
"What are we gonna do sister… Poseidon is Zeus's older brother, you know!? Isn't he super strong!? At this rate, aren't we going to completely shut out by the Gods!?" Geir asked Brunhild, panicking.
Making it hard for Null to probably concentrate, Geir was going to continue her panicking rant but Brunhild shushed her.
"Geir, would you mind shutting your mouth for just a second?" Brunhil told her. "If not, I might just end up removing your head instead." She said sweetly.
"O-Of course…" Geir squeaked out. "That a hell of a thing to say with a smile on your face!" She thought.
Null slammed the book shut and let out a frustrated sigh, he went through every fighter and every possible situation if they were to fight but Null couldn't see them winning.
"Which one of them could win!? Which one… who could possibly handle some call the Zeus of the Sea!" Null thought, he didn't want to send out one of the more powerful fighters just yet. "Who could survive a battle someone knows as the Zeus of the Sea?"
But before he or Brunhild could make a judgement call, someone had entered the room and picked for them.
"I shall go." They said firmly.
"You are?" Geir said, shock.
"Gyomei Himejima." Null finished. "The Stone Pillar and blind demon slayer."
"Blind?" Geir said, confused. "Shouldn't combatants take the form of the peak of their golden age?" She asked, confused.
"Indeed." Brunhild agreed. "So why go against the likes of Posiedon?" She asked, getting up but knocking the jug of milk.
Gyomei caught it with ease by using his ax from his weapon and brought it to his hand, he took a gulp and finished, he muttered a few prayers. Even though he was blind, he was able to catch the jug with ease and mastery.
"Lord Null… Miss Valkyrie… It's the job of a Pillar to support and defend the weak. And so we never stop training for my peak, this is my golden year!" Gyomei stated.
"Very well, let us get ready for the third round." Null stated.
In the arena which had changed to having a body of water surrounding a piece of land, Humanity's spirit was low and their hearts deep in despair. If they didn't get a win then all hope for them was a loss. Null knew this and couldn't let this go on like this, he promised Brunhild his help and was going to make good on it.
"FOLLOWING ON FROM HUMANITY'S LOSS, THE THIRD BATTLE OF RAGNAROK BEGINS NOW!" Heimdal shouted. "FIGHTING FOR THE GODS, HE BEAR NO LOVE FOR THE PITIFUL MORTALS… ONE COULD EVEN SAY THAT PERHAPS HE ENJOYS TESTING THEM? BUT THAT IS WHAT DEFINES A GOD! THE HARSHEST TRIALS! AND THAT INDIFFERENCE TO LIFE! IS THE REALM OF THE GODS! HE FOLLOWS THE ALMIGHTY ZEUS… REPRESENTING THE GOD FOR ROUND 3!" Then as the double door opened the water flooded but as soon as it was closed to God fighting this round, it split letting them pass. "IF ZEUS IS THE GOD OF THE COSMO, THEN THIS MAN RULES THE OCEAN WITH AN IRON FIST. THE RULER OF THE SEAS!" Heimdall shouted. "EVEN THE GODS TREMBLE AT THE THOUGHT OF INVOKING HIS WRATH… THE MOST FEARSOME GOD! SECOND OF THE THREE BROTHERS OF OLYMPUS… KNOWN AS THE ZEUS OF THE SEA! HIS NAME IS… POSEIDON!"
"Hmph… nothing but filth before my eyes." Poseidon, The Greek God of the Seas, having blonde hair, white skin, and blue eyes said with disgust.
"Hmm~. Poseidon, huh? He's even less receptive to my jokes than you, old man." Loki stated.
"AND NOW, A LONG TIME AGO… DEMONS PLANGE THE LAND DEVOURING ALL HUMANS INSIGHT! TO COUNTER THEM, THE DEMON SLAYER CORP WAS CREATED! AMONG ALL THE DEMONS SLAYERS THE PILLARS ARE THE STRONGEST! IN ALL OF DEMON SLAYER HISTORY, WHO IS THE STRONGEST SWORDSMAN? IS IT THE BRUTAL WIND PILLAR, SANEMI SHINAZUGAWA? NO! IS IT THE RAIDITE FLAME PILLAR, RENGOKU KYOJURO? NO! IS IT THE ORIGINAL USER OF SUN BREATHING, YORIICHI TSUGIKUNI? NO!" Heimdall shouted, as he did someone was riding a boat to the small island of land. "HAVING THE BUILD AND STRENGTH THAT SURPASSES A BOULDER, THE MAN IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE STRONGEST DEMON SLAYER EVEN IF HE'S BLIND! MASTER OF STONE BREATHING WIELDING A WEAPON OF PURE DESTRUCTION… IS GYOMEI HIMEJAMI!" The Stone Pillar walks out of the boat, wielding his classic ax and spike flail connected by a long chain.
"Namu Amida Butsu." Gyomei muttered.
The crowd was getting restless, even though Gyomei looked strong he was also blind and even though he was a swordsman, his choice of weapon was nowhere the classic art of the average sword. This led people to have doubt in whether Gyomei could fight well let alone win this round for Humanity. With the exception of a few who know of Stone Pillar's true extent of his power and skills.
"Hmph! Such pointless whining, once Gyomei shows off his true power then they understand the power of the Stone Pillar." Iguro Obanai, the Snake Pillar said with a hiss.
"He'll slaughter that stinking God and teach him a lesson." Sanemi Shinazugawa, the Wind Pillar stated.
"Once he set his heart ablaze then nothing can stop him!" Rengoku Kyojuro, the Flame Pillar said with a smile.
"Gyomei is super strong, if anyone can do this he can!" Mitsuri Kanroji, the Love Pillar shouted.
"This child… he is at the peak of strength." Yoriichi Tsugikuni, the origin user of Sun Breathing thought.
Gyomei simply took a deep breath and then exhaled and then clapped his hands together once and that alone was able to calm down the water. This stunned everyone, even the Gods were in shock at the display.
"Huh? What… What with that mortal!?" Ares asked, sweating.
"What a pleasant surprise." Hermes stated.
"Oh? It seems that Humanity… still have a few cards up their sleeve." Loki said, in a creepy and exciting manner.
All the Pillars and even Yoriichi looked at Gyomei in awe, no demon slayer had been able to do such a thing with breaths or physical strength.
"Hey, Iguro… Rengoku… do you think you either of you would be able to do something like that?" Sanemi asked the Snake Pillar.
"Not a chance." Iguro answered.
"No!" Rengoku answered with a smile.
Both representatives faced each other, this was it. It was time for the battle of surviving for round 3, The Stone Pillar; Gyomei Himejima vs Greek God of the Seas; Poseideon.
"LET THE FIGHTING, BEGIN!" Heimdall shouted.
But yet both fighters remained where they were, the atmosphere was intense. In the stands with Null and the two Valkyries they could feel it.
"The… The tension's through the roof." Geir said, sweating a bit.
"The fight has started right? So why has neither of them moved an inch yet?" A man asked, confused.
Unlike the last two bouts, the third round started with stillness like that of water and sturdiness of stone.
"Hmm… they are but a step of each other's range…" Ares stated. "It would appear that each to achieve first blood by countering the other's first strike.."
"Apologies. Lord Poseiden isn't concerned with his strikes. He's merely going to strike down any fly that enters his striking range." Hermes
"Precisely. There's nothing else to it." Hades agreed.
Gyomei was starting to sweat while just standing there, some of the other Gods and even humans had figured out what the demon slayer was doing.
"Lord Null, what's wrong with Gyomei? He looks unwell." Geir pointed out.
"He's fine. It is just because of the fact he's blind that he must rely on his other senses, and currently Gyomei is trying to figure out the best way to attack Poseidon without dying by using his head. So far it is not looking good, if I had to guess he's died 20 times already." Nul stated.
"2-20 times!? He's already being back in a corner!" Geir shouted.
"Indeed, quite troubling." Null agreed.
"Damn… no matter I look at it. Death is the only thing to greet me." Gyomei thought.
"He's opponent is one of the 12 God of Olypmus but still, to be pushed back from the start." Geir said, starting to freak out.
At that moment Brunhild told Geir about there being 13 Gods instead of the 12. There was a third and it was Admas, who planned to overthrow Zeus. He gained support of all the Gods but Poseiden's but the Sea God didn't agree and insulted his older brother which caused him to attack him in a blind rage but for once in Poseidon's life, he looked his elder brother in the eyes… just before killing him. The truly terrifying part of it all was that he was able to change it from 13 to 12 without a single protest.
Even now, Poseidon wasn't taking Gyomei seriously, not bothering to look the blind man in the eyes, dispute not seeing it, the Stone Pillar could tell that he wasn't being taken seriously.
"Hmmmm. It seems I'm being seen as a serious threat." Gyomei said. "If that's the case… how do I change that?" He asked himself, he then clapped his hand together again. "It would be an honor to see the technique of the Gods, so please show me." He stated. But it didn't do anything. "As expected, I have no other choice."
So Gyomei took a step and began the fight! He spun his spike flail at top speed and tightly clenched his ax, he took a deep breath and could feel his body growing stronger. He swung his spike flail but Poseidon dodge it with ease and was about to attack but Gyomei followed up with his ax that move twice the speed, swinging it upward so it would slash into the chin and through the face of the greek God but he dodge so that only his a few strands of his hair got cut. Poseidon tried to skewer Gyomei with his trident but the demon slayer looped his to snap the Gods neck but he stopped the chin from doing that, Gyomei stepped back with his weapon in hand.
"That human is so strong!" Ares shouted "He beat Lord Poseidon's swing!?"
"Oho? Fascinating for Lord Poseidon… to look a human in the eye." Hermes stated.
"For him to do such a thing, this human must be a top tier fighter." Hade stated, interested.
"So we finally met eye-to-eye, hmm? A pleasure." Gyomei stated.
"I… I don't believe it. For Poseidon to actually…" Ares said in shock, sweating.
Poseidon looks at Gyomei with a serious gaze that pierce into one soul. This gave Humanity a bit of hope that they could still win this, Gyomei comrade and fellow Pillars cheered for him.
"Nice this'll work! Sister Hrist… grant victory for Humanity!" Geir thought, determine.
"Yes. this will work, the weight and edge of this weapon is perfect." Gyomei said, showing his Volund. "This one truly is fitting for me." He said, exhaling.
Poseidon took a step forward and he then got into a fighting position and attacked with Amphitrite, Gyomei quickly reacted by having his chain deflect the blow of the trident while dodging, the only thing that was hit was his haori. Gyomei responds by using Stone Breathing and attacks with First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar but the God dodge the attack with his trident, and advance forward and thrust his trident aim right for the Stone Breather's neck but he blocks with his chain. He swung his ax right at the neck of the God but he dodge with ease and attacked with Amphitrite once more but Gyomei blocked and dodge the killer attack, he attack with Third Form: Stone Skin but Posiedon avoided that and thrust his trident right hos his head but he used spike flail to knock the trident off course and swung it so that it was aimed direct for the face but Posiedon dodge but a few more strands of his hair was cut off.
"This human can predict and counter the moves of a God?" Ares said, unable to believe what he saw.
"I believe so." Hermes said, mildly impressed.
"What is wrong… with these mortals that have reached the peak…?" Ares asked.
"They are more monstrous than what we gave them credit for." Hade admitted.
"This excites me so much~!" Loki shouted.
"Lord Null, how is Gyomei able to fight like that if he's blind? And just what is he using?" Geir asked, confused.
"He's using a technique called Breaths, a move that increases the strength of all demon slayers, there's the original breath, Sun breathing. And there are the five main ones, Water, Flame, Wind, Thunder, and Stone. And there are more but slightly different from the main five, Gyomei is using one of the five which is Stone Breathing." Null explained. "And how he's fighting even though he's blind, thanks to Breaths his other senses are heightened and refined so he can predict and fight accordingly as if he wasn't blind."
"Amazing…" Geir said in awe. "He really is the strongest Pillar."
Poseidon let out a humorless chuckle and begun to whistle a tune, Gyomei prepared for the next attack but Poseidon was moving faster then he could react and unleash a barrage of thrust with his trident, he was able just barely deflect the attack, getting his haori more torn up and only got a wound across the face the same way when he fight Upper Moon 1, were not for his chain the damage would be more severe and fatal.
"That was close… had I reacted a second later it would be troubling." Gyomei thought, sweating a bit.
"What's wrong? Poseidon said, speaking for the first time in this battle. "I thought you were capable of predicting and countering my move? Insignificant piece of shit." He said with an arrogant smile.
"So this is the power of a God." Gyomei thought.
He focused his Stone Breathing and gear himself, it time to fight as if he was fighting a demon. If he didn't give it his all in this fight, then what was the point in doing this then. The spector Gods cheered for Poseidon, they called him the God of Gods and soon repeated G.O.G over and over but with one unpleased look from him shut them up.
"Lord Poseidon's aura is something else…" Geir said frightened.
"Truly a terrifying person, talk about edgy." Null said, wiping away a cold sweat.
"Hmph. Bunch of useless bottom feeders." Poseidon said annoyed.
"Why not accept the support of your fellow Gods?" Gyomei asked.
"Support? We have no for the herd… no need for scheming… and no need for support… such are the Gods." Poseidon stated. "Supporters are entirely unnecessary… to those who have already attended perfection."
"I see… so how the Gods operate." Gyomei said, his voice full of pity. "Sounds like a truly… pathetic existence." He stated.
This triggered Poseidon, he gave Gyomei a blank stare that was void of emotion. He lunged into the air and attacked the demon slayer.
"Begone." Poseidon said seriously.
He attacks with Divine Lightning, Gyomei deflects them with his chain and weapon with all his might! He was keeping his breath steady to keep his reflex sharp but it was still proving to be difficult at the blinding speed of the fierce attack.
"What a fierce! Such blinding speed…"! Ares shouted.
"Indeed, this is only a matter of speed that humans could react and counter." Hermes stated.
"This is hardly anything, he has only seen but an inkling of Poseidon's true strength." Hades stated. "The depth of his power is still a mystery, but that will change soon."
Gyomei continued to block but it looked like he was on the ropes, he kept dodging and blocking with all his might but it looked like it would be the end.
"Don't… Don't lose on us, Gyomei!" Geir shouted.
"Worry not young miss Valkyrie." Katakuri said, watching with a calm face. "The Stone Pillar will not fall too easily here."
"Katakuri is right, Geir. There's still a few tricks up his sleeve." Null agreed. "Have you seen it, Katakuri?" He asked, vaguely.
"No." Katakuri answered.
Gyomei was beginning to predict the movement of Poseiden, his attacks were getting closer to home on the ocean God. But unfortunately for Gyomei his opponent was Poseideon, so the greek God was able to get behind him the moment he swung his spikeball flail at him and tried to pierce straight through his back out his chest but the Stone Pillar blocked the blow with his ax. He then tries hit the God with Second Form: Upper Smash but Poseidon dodge with ease and tries to slash him in half across the waste but Gyomei blocks with his chain and counters with Third Form: Stone Skin but Poseidon dodge and thrust his trident to right for the demon slayer's heart but Gyomei deflect the attack with his chain and counter with Fourth Form: Volcanic Rock - Rapid Conquest but the greek God dodge the attacks with another barrage of thrust even faster and from all angles, Gyomei block them with his weapons and chain, but wasn't fast enough and took a blow to his abdomen, he clenched his new wound and cough up a bit of blood but stood firm. The attacks were not just fast but deep but Gyomei wasn't going to crumble under the pressure just yet, it was like a tsunami against a stone column it stood sturdy against the powerful blows of the waves. Gyomei advanced through the storm of spear thrust and attacks with Fifth Form: Arcs of Justice but it Poseidon dodge with a "hmph" and got behind him and swung down his trident and slash through the middle of the chain, this shock Gyomei and everyone else!
"Don't get cocky, small fry." Poseidon said with a scoff.
"SISTER HRIST!" Geir shouted with dread.
"It's over." Ares stated.
It was decided. In a no move predicted, Gyomei had lost his dive weapon, his loss was now assured.
Gyomei look down at his broken weapon and thought about all that happened in his life, to his time taking care of orphans and losing them to a demon and being force to attack it with his bare hand and beat it to a bloody pulp until it was killed by the sun, to his time being saved by Kagaya Ubuyashiki and being a demon slayer, too slaying demons and saving as many people as he could, to mark training and fighting against upper Moon 1 and even Muzan and help slaying the King of Demons. It was a whirlwind of sad and happy memories, if he were to lose here then it would all be over and all his fighting and the sacrificing of his comrades would have been for nothing.
"Excuse me, God of the Sea… do you mind if I ask you something?" Gyomei said, walking up to his broken weapon. "Have you… ever trained to the point your lungs and body were in so much pain you wish they just gave up? Did you cry tears of gratitude and despair for your fallen comrade that helped you survive or gave it their all for the sake of others? Or sadness for your foe for the misfortune of losing themselves to something that was out of their control?" He asked, thinking about every event through his life. "Nevermind. It's impossible for you to ever feel something like that." He stated. "But this here, this weapon is the history of all who took hold of the sword and gave their lives so that those that can't fight live to see another day." He said seriously. "So there's no way I can lose to someone that never considers the hopes and dreams of others!" Gyomei shouted, clenching the chain ends of his weapon and activating his Demon Slayer Mark.
Then there was a shine that was blinding, it was so bright almost nobody could see Gyomei. Then two pillars of light shine through, it was Hrist but now there were two of them one of them looked shivering with fear while the other was seething with rage. It was a Re-Volund, once the light died down, Gyomei was wielding a dual weapon in his right hand was his spikeball flail and in his left hand was his ax and wrapped around his strong arm was his chain.
"In the name of Humanity and my duty as a Pillar, I will slay you." Gyomei said firmly.
"Ah… Sister Hrist… I'm glad, I really thought it was the end." Geir said with tears. "But why… why did she become two weapons when split?" She asked, confused.
"That's the true nature of our fifth sister, Hrist. The power bestowed upon her name… one trembles with fear while the other trembles with anger!" Brunhild explained. "Two forces share one body. She's on a level of her own!"
"Now that's what I call impressive." Null said with a chuckle.
"But Lord Null, what's with Gyomei's arm?" Geir asked, confused.
"He's activated his Demon Slayer Mark, those with the mark get an increase in physical strength and speed, even there uses of Breaths increases." Null explained. "Now Gyomei is in his own version of Serious Mode."
"My God, that's a good roll! What are the chances?" Brunhild shouted. "OMG, that's fucking lucky! Hell yeah!"
"She just said "OMG"!" Geir thought, shocked.
"Gyomei FTW!" Brunhild shouted.
"FTW!" Geir Thought more shock.
"Jeez, that woman is something else." Null thought with a chuckle. "Now go forth, Gyomei Himejima!"
"Shall we continue, dear God?" Gyomei rhetorically asked, spinning both of his weapons.
"Worm…" Poseidon said with disgust.
He then lunged at the Stone Pillar and attacked with a barrage of thrust, Gyomei took a deep breath and quickly deflected all the attacks, he was focusing his senses and waited for an opening. Due to now having a broken chain, he would have to improve his move a bit so his forms didn't lose the power or skill. He deflect the next attack and counter with Third Form: Stone Skin but it didn't reach Poseidon, next he tried using Second Form: Upper Smash - Modified: Twin Column Crash which was just Gyomei throwing hs ax and flail at the same time in a pincer move and slamming them together to smash the head of his enemy, but Poseidon dodge that as well and slightly increase the speed of his thrust but Gyomei used his chain to block and attack with Fifth Form: Arcs of Justice, and much to everyone shock the attack was able to grazed the cheek of Poseidon! Gyomei continued to attack first with First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar and then followed up with Fourth Form: Volcanic Rock - Rapid Conquest and finally Third Form: Stone Skin. the Gods were in shock at what they were seeing, Poseidon was covered in wounds, and soon Humanity hopes returned once more! They cheered on for Gyomei, hoping this would be the one, the battle where they would finally win! Poseidon looked at his wounds, he then began humming and rubbing his finger in his wounds, he gathered a small amount of blood in his hand and put it into his hair and slick it back with a sinister and almost derange grin, it sent shivers down Gyomei's spine.
"So, you claim that you'll slay me? Is that so…" Poseidon said calmly, then his muscles bulk up a bit. "Know your place, human…"
Poseidon then lunge at Gyomei once more at insane speed and before the demon slayer could deflect or block, he was hit in his left leg the wound was shallow enough for Gyomei to still move around but he was great pain, he was barely able to avoid another the got him in his left shoulder, he wheezed in pain and gritted his teeth and focus his breathing to stopped the bleeding while at the same time fighting for his life. Poseidon used 40 Day Flood on him, completely surrounding him and overwhelming him with powerful thrust that could him, the attack completely destroyed his haori, only leaving his demon slayer uniform. His lungs were starting to burn and his muscles were growing exhausted, he saw Poseidon advancing toward him and quickly react by slashing him with his ax but it was only an afterimage, he saw the sea God behind and this time uses spikeball flail but missed again, he saw the God coming from the right and swung his his ax once more but he hit a afterimage and just barely block a thrust from the trident with his spikeball flail.
"This isn't good. So is this it…?" Gyomei thought, dreading the worse.
But then he heard it, the support of his comrades and his fellow Pillars. He could hear them cheering him on, to move forward. Gyomei took a deep breath and focused his sense all the way to the max and deflect a thrust from the trident with his ax and with all his might thrust his spikeball flail and landed a direct hit into the right shoulder of the sea God, there a slight crush sound and all the Gods were speechless because the mighty rule of the sea had just suffered a direct hit from a mortal. Poseidon 's attack stop and he look at the bruise on his shoulder that was bleeding, he was unable to believe it that a mortal was able to do this, he could except it, he face darkened and his eyes were void of any emotion saved for the all rage, he was going to kill the mortal before him with all his might.
"Your scum, you'll suffer for that…" Poseidon said with a tone full of bloodlust.
Poseidon raised his trident in the air and soon a dark blue aura surrounded it, then all the water that was around them began to rise into the air and form a massive ball of water that floated above them. All of Humanity widened their eyes in shock and dread at the sight, this was beyond what they were expecting, and it only grow worse when Poseidon brought down his trident, soon large pillar of water came down at lightning fast speed, Gyomei acted on instinct and begun jumping out the way of the attack if not he would have killed instantly, another pillar of water rained down and another and another, soon multiple pillars of water were rushing down and blasting deep holes into the ground, Poseidon was using Divine Downpour to try and finish off Gyomei. It took Gyomei everything he had to avoid the instant death attack, one hit and all the flesh would be rendered off his bones. A pillar of water nearly hit but he deflected the attack by using First Form: Serpentinite Bipolar, he was lucky but his injured foot was slowing down so one misstep when he tried to dodge would mean death. He tries to get close to Poseidon but the God thrust his trident forward and unleashed a large stream of pressurized water at the Stone Pillar that almost hit him but he dodge to the right. More pillars of water pour down and tear up the arena, Gyomei tries to make another attempt to attack but he fired another stream of water but Gyomei dodges to the left this time and quickly put all the power on his right leg and focused his breathing and lunge forward attacked with his spikeball flail first but it missed but his ax landed a direct hit, slashing the Greek God across the chest. The wound on his chest was deeper than the out once, he looked at the wound and turned to Gyomei, he was going to massacre that mortal scum!
"I did! I can still do this! I can slay him!" Gyomei thought, slightly panting.
"You… fucking filth." Poseidon said with calm rage.
Poseidon raised his trident in the air once more and the pillars of water stopped in mid air, the begin to morph and change into tridents and everyone was aimed at Gyomei, he ready himself for the next attack, then on Poseidon's signal all of them flew through the air and hit were Gyomei was standing, the bombardment lasted for about 5 minutes before ending. Poseidon thought his 40 Days of Raining Hell had done the trick but much to his shock and displeasure, the Stone Pillar was still alive! Out of all of those liquid tridents only three hit him, one in his left leg, one in his right arm, and the last one in his left shoulder they turn back into regular water which left him bleeding out, having blood leaking down of the side of his head from his abdomen, but he used breath to stop the bleeding and tense up his muscle. Gyomei was panting, his lungs burned from the constant moving and uses of breath, his muscles were at the brink of giving out to exhaustion. It was time to pull off all the stops, Poseidon had bulked his muscle up even more and gripped his trident with both hands, he planned to finish him off with God's Cascade bringing down the massive ball of water all at once! There was a huge explosion of water, everyone widened their eyes in shock and thought it was over for Gyomei, even his comrade thought for a moment that even Gyomei was unable to survive. When everyone was able to see the aftermath of the attack, half of the arena was destroyed and anything left was underwater.
Poseidon merely "hmph" and thought it was over, until he heard a splash and looked to the side and Gyomei came from the water, he took in a breath of fresh hair and was panting, his clothes soaked wet. Without a doubt if Gyomei didn't risk it all by jumping into the water to avoid the attack he wouldn't be here. He was close to passing out, it was time to end this. Poseidon has had enough of this human! Vein bulged and throbbed with anger, his eyes full or dark murderous intent, he bulk up his muscle even more and tightened the grip on his trident like a vice and was about to lunge, Gyomei spun his weapon at full speed and slammed them together, Gyomei could smell turn and soon his weapons turn bright red! And not a moment sooner because Poseidon charge right at the Stone Pillar and thrust his trident to go right through his stomach but by using the See-Through World Gyomei was able deflect it and countered with Second Form: Upper Smash - Modified: Twin Column Crash but it Poseidon dodge and tries to slash the demon slayer's head but he block with his spikeball flail and counter with Third Form: Stone Skin which the sea God could dodge in to and got cuts on his chest and stomach, he gritted his teeth in anger at the pain, this was different, it burned like… the sun! Gyomei's Red Nichirin Blade burned God's flesh as if he was a demon!? This pain was unbearable, it was as if the sun had scorched his flesh with it;s might rays!
"You… You fucking piece of shit…! What have you done to me…!" Poseidon with rage and great pain.
"So it worked after all." Gyomei muttered.
"L-Look… Lord Poseidon is in a lot of pain, what's going on?" Geir asked confused.
"That would be ny doing." Null said, raising his hand.
"What did you do to make this happen?" Brunhild asked him.
"I just gave Hrist a little something to help even things a bit." Null said with a smirk. Truthfully he walked up to Hrist and Gyomei before the fight started and without saying a thing, shoved a sparkly and glitter crystal pepper down her throat, naturally she cursed him out for it but Null assured her it would help. "Normal Red Nichirin blades can only hurt demons but thanks to my little boost those red blades now have the power to harm the flesh of Gods!" He shouted. "If the Gods are going to be bending the rules of this battle and so can we!" He thought with a shit-eating grin.
"I must say that's pretty devious of you, Null." Brunhild told him. "I'm impressed." She said, having her own shit-eating grin.
"You flattery too much Brunhild." Null said with a smirk.
"S-So… So does this mean… we have a chance to win?" Geir asked.
"Will see." Null said, seriously. "Gyomei is at his limit, so he needs to finish this fast."
Poseidon lunged forward and attacked with 40 Day Flood at full power, moving faster and attacking deeper than before! Gyomei using the power of the See-Through World watches the movement of the God and blocks and deflects with all his might! He continue to block and doge but he was getting hit with graze which left small cuts, it look like this was it but once more he had received the support of his fellow Pillars and comrade but it wasn't just them every swordsman of Humanity had sent their support, their hopes, and beliefs to the Stone Pillar! This was it, this was were Gyomei set his heart ablaze and go beyond his limits! He pushed his all his senses to the max and deflected the first attack and advanced with every attack the Poseidon thrust at him, the sea God couldn't fathom what he was seeing, there was no way a mortal could be this strong! It wasn't possible! Gyomi dodged the next attack and ever deflected the trident away from him and had made it.
"Finally… made it. Now we can see each other face-to-face, Sir God of the Sea." Gyomei said, spinning his weapons. "Everyone… thank you." He thought, were not for their support none of this would be possible.
This was where the mark of history would be made, for everyone here this was where everything would change forever!
This was where the art of Stone Breathing would advance one step farther, he attacked with Sixth Form: Red Stone - God Slayer! First Gyomei swung ax off Poseidon's right arm, the God gave the Stone Pillar a dead look of rage as the burning pain once again gripped him, he grabs the hand that still has the trident and squeezed it to nothing goes to pierce his trident into Gyomei's skull and brain but the Stone Pillar took out his out hand with another swing from his ax and burning pain shoot through the God's body once more, he grabs a piece of the trident with his mouth and tries one last attempt at the mortal scum before him, but he felt a heavy impact slam into the back of his head and gritted his teeth at the searing pain, he let out a scream of pain and anger, his neck was much sturdier than Upper Moon 1 but it wasn't enough because Gyomei was spinning his ax at twice the speed and slammed it into his spikeball flail and the form was enough blast right through the neck of the God off his and smash his head into pieces of the ground, effectively killing the God.
There was silence for a moment, a single pause for everyone to absorb what had just happened. After that, all of Humanity cheered as some even shed tears of joy for Gyomei's victory.
"It is done." Gyomei told himself.
"UNBELIEVABLE! HUMANITY HAD WON OVER THE GODS!" Heimdall shouted.
And so it happened, a God had fallen to a human in the face of this unshakeable inconceivable reality before them, the Gods could only silently gaze down. For Humanity had finally gained a win against the Gods, revealing just how strong they were and the likelihood of them dying.
Round 3 of Ragnarok:
Gyomei Himejima vs Poseidon: The victor is Gyomei Himejima
Deciding Move: Sixth Form: Red Stone - God Slayer
Soon, Poseidon's body began to crack and disappeared, Gyomei merely looked to the skies and let out a long exhale, finally resting his lungs and muscles.
Null looked out with a small smile, finally at least Humanity had won and now stood a chance. Geir could stop crying tears of joy, Brunhild stood with a smirk as well. She shot Null a grateful smile which he returned. The people cheered for Gyomei over and over for winning the long hard fought battle.
"There's still more to go." Gyomei stated. "But with this win, I was able to advance Humanity by one step."
"Hehehe… well done, Gyomei." Null said with a chuckle.
"Well done indeed, Stone Pillar." Katakuri said, calmly.
"Now Gods… feast your eyes... on this is Humanity's potential!" Brunhild thought.
"N-No way… a God really lost to a…" The ravens were about to say, but Odin crushed the armrest of his throne in anger.
"Aww man...this is a real shit excuse for a joke." Loki said seriously, not pleased at all.
"I'll have to walk back… it's better than rowing… this fight really took its toll on me." Gyomei said, growing weak and backwards.
"Gyomei… keep it together!" Hrist told him. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine… thank you Miss Hrist, I'm sorry for having to rely on you a bit more." Gyomei told her.
"Sister Hrist!" Geir shouted, happy her sister was alive.
"Do you gotta squeal about every fucking thing!" Hrist shouted at her, then smiled. "I told ya before, Geir. That we'd get them back for everything!" She said, giving the group a thumbs up and helping Gyomei walk.
"Yes!" Geir said with a smile. "I'm so glad… she's the same as ever… she's alright." She thought. "With this… Humanity has beaten the Gods, right?"
"No…"Brunhild answered.
"We still have six more to go, Geir." Null said seriously. "Do you think you can win your match, Katakuri?"
"Without a doubt." Katakuri answered, then walked out because he was feeling hungry.
Geir look at the two being in shock, do these two really intend to finish off the other Gods. But what of Null, just what is this Bookkeeper's story with Brunhild, does he have an end goal of his own, and what of the Book of Knowledge, a question to answer another time.
And there you have it, I know some of you were expecting Katakuri for this fight and ask for Escanor but I always planned to have Gyomei fight against Poseidon and win just so the victory for Humanity felt more meaningful, because if either of those monsters fought in round 3 it would be as impactful when they won compare to a flesh and blood human like Gyomei. Ver2 of this fight will be coming out soon, and I take it you can guess who's fighting in round 3.
Peace!