Chapter 9: The God of the Dead
Horatius
"So what, if you don't mind me asking, is keeping us from simply rewinding time to a point when ORT first landed, me and Kischur wait with Irappu and a load of Jeweled Sword meanness before subsequently blasting it to smithereens, resistance to the idea of 'death' or not? Inbetween True Magic and an equal conceptual power of Gaia vs Mercury we could manage that, ideally before its sense of home décor spreads out over a few dozen kilometers."
Aoko reclines in her chair, calmly sipping a beer and lazily chucking a stick into the campfire we have blazing.
"That's a great idea. Except it's terrible and won't work. I can't just snap my fingers, think of a certain place and 'boom', shifted time. It has to be localized around me and that means first tracking down ORT where it's resting in crystal Hell over there, then keeping it occupied so that I have enough of a window to exchange its time. And bear in mind, I've never tried specifically rewinding a certain individuals place in the timeline, only exchanging it or affecting my own spot by a few seconds. Heck, it's an open question whether I can mess with Mercury like that. Could be immune, for all I know."
She downs the rest of her drink and crushes the can, idly remarking, "So, yeah. Not a good idea. Why don't you just summon up Irappu and smash everything inside its territory? Seems like a good idea, nice and easy."
I roll my eyes, wrapping the corn cobs in foil and setting them to cook over the fire alongside pork tenderloin-Altera hungrily watching my movements-before replying, "Have you ever tried to crush an ant crawling on your arm with only your bicep muscles? Irappu and I aren't a precision tool, especially not when you consider the level of power it would take to down an Aristotles. I try to wipe it out, things as they are now and you can kiss the Selva Zoque and about two-thirds of Brazil goodbye. And I don't think the world would be able to handle the sudden coffee crisis that would result."
Aoko merely grunts in annoyance, the two of us turning to Kischur as he idly flips through a collection of journals and tomes, the sum collection of mankind's knowledge on ORT.
"What about you, Second? Can't you just make one big portal to a dead world that we can shove the damn thing through?"
"Not that easy. I don't go around advertising this but the Second Magic has an exponential cost when it comes to the size of the portal you're opening, not the act of viewing parallel universes itself. Trying to make something big enough to fit E.T. over there is beyond my abilities, even assuming it was kind enough to let us do so. That's no good either."
Plenty of disgruntlement to go around today, then. Huffing a disappointed sigh I rotate the meat and recap, "So we can't mess with its time, we can't shove it through a portal and we can't just blow it up. And as much as I would prefer not to admit this we don't really know if Irappu carries enough of a conceptual tinge to it to take down Mercury. I could rip the planet in two and if doesn't recognize enough of Gaia's influence over its own to actually accept being 'dead' then I just committed planetary genocide for no reason."
Aoko kicks up her feet, grumbling as she gazes out over the twisted and hypnotically unsettling crystal spires that comprise ORT's territory.
"So I guess we're down to controlled testing then? See what might stick and what doesn't?"
"Afraid so. At least as 'controlled' as we can be when dealing with a hyper murder alien."
The three of us and Altera had finally decided to bite the bullet and accept the fact that ORT was going to have to be dealt with sooner or later, preferably sooner. The Second Magic, as infinite and varied as it is, meant that we couldn't just rely on there being a happy ending at the end of the rainbow with the Ultimate Ones taking care of themselves. For all we know we could be in the one iteration where the world is wiped out without a trace...not to mention if we could devise a way to safely-or at least feasibly-destroy Ultimate Ones Kischur could spread that knowledge to other variations of the world.
Hence, our small camp just a few kilometers away from the edge of Mercury's doorstep.
"Ah dammit...forgot my reagents back at the house."
Kischur's grumbled tone causes Aoko and I to share a knowing glance.
"Your ability to reach across space and time has made you lazy in remembering shit, Marshall."
Pretending not to hear us the old Vampire just creates a portal, reaches into it-
-and my head snaps around, some distant instinct of Irappu warning me of a shift in Gaia's attentions, of a foreign body abruptly moving with great speed...directly towards us.
"IT'S MOVING, WATCH OUT-"
In the blink of an eye the monster from the stars is in visual sight, speed lowered from near instantaneous in its own territory to merely blistering outside of it, trees and grasses scythed down by flailing limbs and crushing momentum.
ORT is...not a creature that's easy on the eyes. While the ovoid shape reminiscent of a UFO on its back is recognizable, maybe even comical, the rest is anything but.
Crystalline carapace, shifting flesh and a mismatch of limbs and appendages that confuse the brain's attempt to categorize and label it as something vaguely recognizable.
And maybe half a second away from eviscerating us where we stand. Altera is the only one somewhat prepared, Photon Ray blazing and at a ready guard...but she's focused on protecting me, while Aoko is still attempting to rise from her chair and Kischur has his back turned, an awkward position even for the Wizard Marshall to fight from...at least against an opponent on the level of Mercury.
So I do the only thing that I can. Stall.
Every circuit on my body flares white-hot as I dump mana through them, casting a basic use of Gradation Air from memory directly into the path of the Aristotles.
A gargantuan, plain slab of iron equal in height to the forty meter tall monstrosity is torn apart with razor accuracy and contemptuous ease-
-but the tenth of a second it buys is just enough.
"BULLETS, DEPLOY!"
"REFRACT, ANNIHILATE!"
Both Magicians are on their feet, respective Magecrafts flaring to life as Altera mightily swings at ORT's approaching assault, the convergence of force sending me flying as I hastily reinforce my body, skidding to a halt...and fleeing further.
As much as it rankles to admit, I have no place in this battle other than ensuring Altera can fight at peak performance.
Skidding to a halt a fair distance away I drop into a meditative pose, flaring my mana and allowing the King of Combat to draw as much as she needs, following the battle from afar.
Just a few seconds in and I can already tell it's not going well.
Kischur and Aoko took up positions behind Altera, bombarding the alien with blasts from the Jewel Sword and a hail of condensed energy from spiraling formula along the length of the redhead's limbs, her magic circuit's keening wail audible even from this distance.
But the pace of the battle is ferocious and swift, neither of them granted so much as a second to gather power for a more devastating assault...and Altera has her hands full.
The engravings along her tan skin blaze with light, a visible sign that she's having to constantly use the strengthening it provides to simply keep ORT at bay, its limbs and scythes slashing, chopping, whirling and stabbing from countless angles and orifices with enough force to shear metal.
That would be bad enough but the Type also laid down roots, crystalline landscape racing outwards from its form and nearly skewering the trio as raised pillars of jagged material jut from the ground, forcing my comrades to constantly relocate.
And then more spires shoot from the spires, hemming them in and forcing the bombardment to cease for brief periods of time as the Magicians blow escape routes in the constricting net.
Dammit all we weren't supposed to end up fighting this creature, not without proper preparations! It must have reacted to Kischur's usage of True Magic and pounced on that!
Snarling as the battle quickly starts to head in my direction a variety of plans start flitting through my brain-
"Horatius! Once we pass you give this to Attila and then get clear! Survey is cancelled until further notice!"
"What the Hell are you-"
A Kaleidoscope portal deposits a strange wafer of blue, crystalline structure into my palm before snapping shut, my connection with Irappu informing me that there's more to this object than meets the standard eye.
…
Nothing for it, here we go.
The battle continues unabated, Mercury steadily pushing them back until they're no more than a few meters away from my position.
"Altera!"
The Hunnic King reaches out as I flick the wafer into her outstretched hand, the other wielding her sword continuing to knock aside Mercury's blows-
-and through our empathetic link I receive a flood of worry and anxiety from the woman before it's quickly replaced by resolve, a rare grunt of exertion leaving her as a herculean swing of the Photon Ray forces back ORT with a wave of kinetic force, uprooting trees with wild abandon.
"Master, please retreat. I will hold back the beast."
"Forget that, why did you seem so apprehensive about-"
A hand suddenly yanks me backward by my shirt, Kischur yelling, "Run, you fool!"
"What the fuck did you give her, she was-"
An explosion of white light casts everything into sharp shadows, ORT unleashing a scream that sounds of wind echoing through a glass maze as something echoes through the link Altera and I share. Something...Alien.
"Kischur? What did you make me give her?!"
The Apostle's face is grim as he replies, "Something I stole from the Moon Cell."
Awareness floods my brain along with a light rush of wind, a tired sigh leaving my lungs.
Not the most pleasant of memories, even if everything ended up alright in the end, if not the same as it started. Mercury back in its home after receiving a thrashing and retreating, a few more observations available for the records...and an interesting ability that, fates willing, I'll never have to make Altera use again.
And speaking of which…
"You had a dream, Master?"
My eyebrow raises without even cracking an eyelid.
"...Horatius."
Now smiling I ask, "If my head is resting on your lap, that means Lilith isn't there, is she?"
"No, she is not."
"Hmph. About time."
Now bothering to reintroduce sight into the world I blink a few times...and find Altera calmly staring down at me from where she was lightly running fingers through my hair, the mini-Ouroboros clinging to her shoulders in an improvised piggyback.
…
Gods...dammit.
Why does that munchkin get free reign to be coddled by Altera when I'm still trying to maintain a first name basis?!
"You have been having dreams of the past more and more frequently."
Putting aside my petty jealousy I sigh, agreeing with the snow-haired woman.
"I think they're feeding off of the other, each one bringing the next to the forefront of my mind and then resulting in a subsequent vision."
Soft skin that could bend steel lightly massages my scalp, Altera demurely suggesting, "Perhaps it is Irappu telling you something, Horatius? It does have a connection to the world and your memories."
A wince I have no control over causes my face to twitch, the memory of what it had required Altera to do in order to fend off ORT still fresh in my mind.
"If it is warning me of an imminent disaster, then I hope it's wrong or blowing things out of proportion."
Conversation dies as I simply relax on the Heroic Spirit's lap, listening to the low hum of the Vimana steadily making its way across the skies of the Underworld.
Ignoring my Origen's call is much easier if I can't see all the things I'm missing.
"...was only that simple, Witch of Dun Scaith. The art of teaching and imparting knowledge is a hazardous and hallowed task, thus it should only be performed with the most correct and effective means, enabled by those of proper skill and standing. A sub par instructor can cause more damage to a generation than any army could hope to."
"And I maintain that your methods are rigid and untenable. You insist that all conform to a certain pattern when that is simply not how people operate."
Curiosity piqued I turn to where Scáthach and Gilgamesh are locked in yet another heated debate, the Hero Queen seated in her pilot's throne-still locked to her younger body-while the taller woman lazes against the side of said throne, both facing away from the other.
"Your ideal of teaching is unrealistic, Lord of the Dead. While it is a legitimate shame to sacrifice the inspiration and whims of artists or hopefuls the world over, the gains of having a kingdom of those taught in the most perfect, efficient way outweighs the costs of their lost fancy. Or would you have the betterment of the kingdom sacrificed to satiate the desires of the few?"
Scáthach scoffs, retorting, "A teachers duty is to hone their pupil's individual and specific talent. A homogeneous sludge of efficiency quickly stifles creativity and initiative, till you quickly found yourself not so efficient. Experience and breadth of knowledge such as yours and mine is best made use of, rather than singling out a lone way to maximize the people's productivity until they would be no better off as mindless Homunculi. As our Gladiator likes to quote, 'judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree and it will forever think itself stupid'."
Gilgamesh scoffs just as heartily, replying, "Your way of thinking is optimistic and idealistic, requiring massive amounts of effort and time invested into each prospective pupil."
"Ahh...but my methods work, Queen of Heroes. My legend is that of a teacher and instructor of incredible warriors, magicians and adventurers. It is why I was immortalized on the Throne of Heroes. You, on the other hand? A Hero, yes...but one reflected upon as a benevolent Tyrant, with great power and charisma but precious little in the way of scholarly wisdom. That there is answer enough, wouldn't you say?"
The grinding of teeth is audible and I fully expect a fight to break out...except Gilgamesh merely huffs, idly stating, "Very well, I concede the point. Hmm...we have debated the merits of our styles of instruction, let us speak next of our legends, shall we? Of the merit they each held."
I don't need to look to know Scáthach is wincing slightly at the mention of her 'legend', of the time spent in the Land of Shadows and her mindset during those countless years.
...She's a big girl, she can handle it.
"I'd like to speak with you about something, Horatius. And then ask you for a favor."
My head rotates until it stares upwards at Vali Lucifer, the intense young man staring at me unblinkingly with a sharp rigidity to his spine.
"Certainly, what do you need?"
He matches my motion to sit crosslegged, setting hands on his knees and appearing awfully serious.
Not entirely sure if this young man ever really smiles…
"Were you a great fighter in your earlier years? I don't believe those three would follow you otherwise if you were not."
I can't help but smile at that analysis. It's not entirely accurate to say they 'follow' me and even less so to assume it's because I'm a 'great fighter'.
"Not a wrong statement exactly, but what's your angle on this, if you don't mind me asking?"
The silver-haired male briefly contemplates about his next words before finding his center, boldly asking, "Could you fight against me? A real battle."
I don't outwardly react.
"Is this about your grandfather? About what Tobio was saying?"
His eyebrow twitches minutely.
"...You are...correct. My Sacred Gear will be useless against him and my natural reserves of power are inferior to his. It will have to come down to a fistfight and you seem like the obvious professional in that regard."
I give him an idle gaze.
"Have you considered outside help during this battle? Tobio seems eager to help you as an old friend. Many hands make light work."
The young man's air turns cold.
"It's personal."
Silence falls between us...and I eventually nod.
"Ok. Let's go a few rounds."
The young man eagerly grins and springs to his feet, a counterpoint to my more languid pace as Altera once more holds Lilith in her arms, standing off to the side with a neutral expression as she observes, Tobio and Dulio also walking over with curios gazes.
Heck, even Scáthach and Gilgamesh pause in their debate to watch, the landscape still flashing by as the Vimana continues unobstructed.
We both stand apart, Vali raising his fists in a classic boxing stance as I lazily wait with my hands at my side, a light application of Reinforcement enhancing my eyes, muscles and reflexes.
Wind passes by, howls distant and removed by the Vimana's flight-
-and the male leaps at me in a textbook charge, fist cocked next to his head and no doubt planning on ramming it into my nose.
Kid is fast. Even with Reinforcement he's just shy of a speedy blur.
Not that it helps.
Gradation Air manifests a flat plate of metal between us, a push kick impacting dead center on the mass and stopping Vali dead, his forward momentum and headlong pace leaving him unable to avoid it.
The rest is history as I continue my kick, toppling over the young man and trapping him beneath the impromptu barrier.
"First round to me."
His eyes narrow as I remove my foot.
"I thought we were fighting hand-to-hand."
"We are. All I did was use some simple magecraft that manifests mundane metals and objects. But alright, I won't do that anymore, fair?"
"...Fair."
This time as we separate he adopts a karate stance, feet spread and hands making tentative passes at me as he slowly closes the distance-
-and launches a blisteringly fast roundhouse kick that would have knocked me silly if my hand didn't lash out, grabbing his leg and pushing hard on the pressure point above his knee, killer force suddenly lost as he spasms briefly, balance gone...and my heel lightly brushes his groin, Vali's eyes widening as he realizes I could have disabled him right then and there with a sharp kick to the balls.
…
I think I see what his problem is.
This time he rips his leg out of my grasp, frustration obvious in his body language as we part, settling into our respective balances-
-and this time he's lightning in a bottle, launching violent blow after violent blow at me as I dart and dance backwards, barely keeping ahead of his assault. Wait for it...aaaaand there.
I abruptly cease my evasions, taking a punch to the gut that knocks the air out of my lungs-kid packs a wallop-but it also allows my hand to clench into a handspear, dart forward...and stop just shy of Vali's left eye, the Devil blinking as he realizes what I was about to do.
"Supernatural or not, having your eye dangling out of its socket is disabling in a rather detrimental way."
We separate and the young man's jaw works furiously as I patiently wait, certain that at any moment he'll ask-
"How? How did you so cleanly beat me?"
-and there it is.
Taking a seat and motioning for him to do the same I explain, "The obvious answer is experience. For all of your natural talent and proclivity for fighting, and you do have that...it's not really a fair comparison between us. I'm thousands of years old, spent a fair number of those learning and forgetting all manner of martial skills as well as being raised in an environment where killing was my currency, how I would earn the right to live."
My finger draws a line towards his chest.
"My guess is you were taught how to fight, not how to win. Karate, Boxing...impressive and important skills, but neither is a born killing art. They are as much disciplines and expressions of form as they are tools of murder. And even the Krav Maga or whatever variant it was during the third match-as direct and brutal a technique it is-is not a true murderer's tool."
Aforementioned finger then traces a path from groin to eye.
"If you want to topple a titan much stronger than you...you need to know how to play the game. How to cheat and seize the slightest crippling advantage that will bring you the victory. I spent a great many years of that life facing creatures roughly of humanoid shape and size equal to mine that were far stronger, faster and more durable. A popped eye, crushed testicle, aggravated pressure point...I've had a long time to hone my craft. It would be a tall order for you to learn such a mindset in such a short period of time...I'm assuming days, at the most."
A quick glance at Scáthach has her nodding in agreement, taking over the conversation with, "If you want to learn, as you say you do...we would have to have a rather abbreviated and swift set of lessons, none of which would be interesting or exciting."
Vali's brow furrows, his tone frustrated yet curious as he asks, "What do you mean by that?"
"If we were to instruct you in the ways of Horatius' style, we would have little choice but to have you repetitively repeat and study the myriad of ways to swiftly cripple an individual and nothing else, hoping that the lessons stick in time for your final showdown. It is not a particularly glamorous path, given the small time frame."
Rather than be let down the young man seems to come to life at the offer, dismissively replying, "That's of little consequence, if it affords me a chance to kill my dearest grandfather."
A glance is shared between us as I shrug, suggesting, "In that case we might as well start now, no sense in waiting. First we'll-"
A spike of...not quite anxiety but definitely caution and concern emanate from Gilgamesh, the youthful woman narrowing crimson eyes and suspiciously gazing around the skies.
"Something wrong?"
"...Perhaps. It is hard to say for certain, it's more along the lines of a long forgotten...feeling..."
If something has the Queen of Heroes treading cautiously then I'm calling red alert.
But before I do a sound as if kilometers of carpet being torn in two splits the sky, a purple and black void opening up directly in front of the speeding Vimana as, with absolutely no fanfare of ceremony, swarms of oversized skeletal hands streak out of it, headed directly for our ride.
"DIVE, NOW!"
I needn't have bothered yelling, Gilgamesh leaping to the pilot's throne and sending the golden airship into a brutal maneuver that would have snapped my spine in two if it weren't for the enchantments that keep us steady on this thing, the other passengers already launching a variety of elemental spells, runecraft and just plain mana bolts at the grasping hands, blowing them apart in a spray of bony chunks.
If only there weren't about a hundred other portals and hands after that one, blanketing the sky and completely boxing us in.
What the fuck is-
I don't even have time to complete my thought as the ship is violently yanked to the side, coming to a near dead stop as the sheer volume of skeletal appendages overwhelmed the impromptu defense we formed, dragging our group into the void.
…
Never a dull moment with this shit…
Scáthach
I had forgotten that dealing with the Gods of the world can be quite the massive headache. Free reign within their own domains to alter things as they see fit, up to and including spacial warping of reality and alteration of local physics and phenomena.
Hence, why the only member of our previous party still within sight is none other than the Queen of Heroes herself.
"Oh of course I end up transported alongside you. Who else would it have possibly been? Certainly not someone I share the barest of a rapport with."
"Save your petulant complaints, Queen of Heroes. We have more important matters to attend to, such as tracking down the remainder of our comrades."
Quietly grumbling under her breath the reduced Queen of Uruk nonetheless does as I suggest, glancing around the landscape we find ourselves in with a displeased eye.
"A realm of the dead. And here I had hoped to never set foot inside such a dismal and unpleasant locale if at all possible."
A quiet snort of agreement escapes me.
"On that, dear Gilgamesh, we can agree. Do you recognize any of the designs or markings of this land at all? My guess is that it is of Greek origin, judging by the make of those buildings."
The Queen of Uruk follows my pointed finger to a collection of arched and columned houses or homes, constructed of white marble or stone and brazenly inscribed with murals or depictions of various deities...mostly one that appears more skeleton than man or woman.
A click of irritation leaves the Hero Queen as she sourly states, "It seems we have stumbled upon the realm of Hades, unless my knowledge of the world's mythological figures has abruptly become useless. And what is this dismal state of affairs?! It's an affront to the eyes of the Queen, to somewhat understate matters!"
Affront practically leaking from her tone in visible waves of displeasure Gilgamesh broadly gestures to the purple atmosphere, roiling clouds of dead mist and smoke, lifeless and barren ground with only the odd bit of aforementioned architecture to break up the monotony.
True, it does little to endear itself to the eye...but I'm far more displeased to find myself back in a land of the dead and damned than I am at its lack of grandeur and wonder.
I've spent a lifetime too many in locales such as this.
"Save your breath for the oncoming battle...the God's servants approach."
Huffing irritably the Queen of Heroes nonetheless acquiesces to my advice, setting aside her annoyance in favor of staring down the deluge of skeletal figures that swarm our location, cloaks and scythes whirling like a desert storm.
"How droll and insulting in equal measure. Do we not even rate this buffoon's attention?"
"I do not believe we were ever his target...the God of the Dead is after Horatius."
"What would he want with the Gladiator? And more pertinently why are you so certain of that?"
My tone is grim.
"Because I can no longer sense him or Altera, merely receive his energy."
Gilgamesh frowns and no doubt casts outwards with her senses-
-and narrows her crimson orbs in vexation.
"...So it would seem. Come, let us tear our way to them."
The Gate of Babylon flares to life, hundreds of golden portals lighting the sky with a brilliant glow, the Reapers overhead readying their weapons for a fight-
-and my hand briefly squeezes the teenaged Queen's shoulder.
"Restrain yourself somewhat, Queen of Heroes. We know not what strain or circumstances Horatius may be facing, draining him needlessly would be unwise."
For a moment I worry that Gilgamesh will once again disregard such a suggestion and employ her powers to their full ability...and I'm thankfully proven wrong as she growls in more than a fair share of irritation, many of the gates closing down while the remainder replace their Mystic Codes and Noble Phantasms with more mundane weaponry.
"Always the demanding one, aren't you? Were you a subject of mine I would have had you exiled from my kingdom in the blink of an eye, save myself the exacerbation of dealing with your constant reminders and barbs."
Unable to hold back a playful smirk I briefly wrap my arms around her shoulders, teasingly stating, "Such lies, dear Gilgamesh. You would miss my accompaniment just as I would miss yours~!"
"Save your jests, Witch. Now it is my turn to remind you of the gravity of this situation."
Crimson spears manifest in my waiting palms, guarding the Queen of Hero's younger form as my eyes narrow at the circling Reapers.
"Oh I am quite capable of doing two things at once, Gilgamesh."
Tobio
Dammit.
"Of all the stupid and selfish actions Hades could have made...it had to be this. Doesn't he know what's at stake?! And I thought the Crimson Satan along with Azazel-sama made it clear to him the consequences of his actions!"
Dulio-san thoughtfully hums from where he landed alongside me, Vali-kun jogging up to us with Lilith-san hanging onto his back.
"I imagine he knows very well the consequences of his machinations...but simply doesn't care, or believes retribution will pass him by. A foolish belief, but Hades has never been one for...logical deduction and cost-analysis. But the fact remains, we will have to quickly find and come to the aid of Horatius and his fellows."
I can't help but quirk an eyebrow.
"Help them? They strike me as the types that can handle themselves."
Dulio-san shakes his head, replying, "I said Hades was foolish, not stupid. He clearly had the ability to separate us at will, he will have made assurances that there is no immediate threat to his person."
My scowl no doubt matches Vali-kun's.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Those four are my ticket to finally killing my grandfather and, quite frankly, the idea of learning how to properly strangle him to death carries a great deal of appeal."
I roll my eyes at Vali-kun's typical and predictable response, Jin-kun suddenly pawing at my leg with a low whine.
"In that case, gentlemen...it seems we have a bit of a road to plow."
Dulio-kun simply nods as his wings sprout, Vali-kun obviously grinning as Divine Dividing snaps to life along his back, even Lilith-san jumping down before morphing herself into an enormous ebony snake, 'quietly' hissing, "We should hurry...Ophis Onee-sama will be mad if the one like her dies...and we won't get cookies. And Altera Onee-sama will disappear and she is nice..."
Shaking my head at the very simple desires of those two Jin-kun manifests in my hand as a plain midnight longsword, tone resigned as we turn to face the distant horde of what looks to be a few hundred Reapers...maybe as many as a thousand.
"I don't suppose they would surrender if we asked them, would they?"
A cold chuckle from Vali-kun is answer enough to Dulio-san's question, a sigh escaping my lips as with a wave of Jin-kun's alternate form the sky is filled with midnight blades.
"Let's make this quick."
Horatius
…
And here I thought I'd managed to leave interacting with the Gods behind me.
[So pleasant of you to drop in, honored guest. I have been desiring to meet with you for the longest time.]
A tattered and midnight cloak, standing in sharp contrast to armor, robes and head ornaments in a similar fashion and coloration to a Priest delivering the sermon on the mount.
...A bit of an odd match, considering the body beneath such vestments is basically a skeleton with glowing eye sockets. If it wasn't for the absolutely stifling presence it exudes I'd say it was a child's overeager attempt at dressing up a Halloween decoration.
"Hades, I presume? The others mentioned you in passing. And for an honored guest this level of hospitality seems rather excessive."
Altera and I are standing side-by-side before a skeletal and ragged throne beneath a shifting sky, gargantuan columns of Greek architecture towering into the heavens...as dozens of what I'm assuming are Grim Reapers hold scythes to our bodies at point blank.
What the Hell happened to manners?
[For guests such as yourself a greeting as comprehensive as this is only fair.]
Oh wonderful, a comedian...and yes, that's having something of a double standard.
"You know, the last time me and a God had any sort of meaningful interaction it ended poorly. For the both of us. Believe it or not I'd actually be quite happy if this evens out the track record."
And apparently that's the extent of Hades' appreciation for this little charade, scoffing as he waves an arm in a general, unspecific motion.
[Do you think this will end other than poorly? For you? You ruined a plan many years in the making, boy.]
...When was the last time someone referred to me as boy?
Setting that aside I curiously asks, "Plans? If you're referring to our killing of the Jabberwocky then I have no intent of apologizing. Let alone take the blame for its demise. From a simple standpoint of trope knowledge the mostly humanoid beings of many different races fighting against the towering, grotesque monster is almost certainly a done and clear conclusion of who's in the right."
The God's tone wouldn't lose out to acid in its causticness.
[Well aren't you just the clever one with a silver tongue? Would it be so wise and flippant if it was cut out?]
"I think it's clear where this is headed. Altera, kindly destroy him."
Her words quickly revert to their mechanical state of being.
"As you wish, Master."
A brief flash of light signals the activation of the Photon Ray, the Reapers surrounding her flinching away from its brilliance as the Heroic Spirit flips the blade around so that it's beacon hilt is pointing towards Hades, still seated on his throne.
"Teardrop Photon Ray."
The sky blazes with killing light, geometric formations of focusing spells illuminating the area-
[How arrogant of you, to assume that you could use your version of Ares' power to wound me.]
-and with a voltaic crackle the Noble Phantasm sputters out and dies, a wince crossing my expression as Altera's features display the briefest hints of surprise.
That's probably the first time anyone has managed to negate Altera's abilities like that...which is actually pretty bad, considering the current state of affairs.
[This realm is MINE. Ares has no authority here. Athena has no authority here. Even Zeus has no authority here! And I can sense the roiling, primordial force that resides within your soul, boy. Attempt to call on it and I will strike you dead.]
I'm honestly tempted to ask if he'll make me more dead than he was already planning to but reign in my flippant response. There's a time and a place for sass...and right now I need to stall. I can't sense the location of either Scáthach or Gilgamesh, nor of Tobio or the others but I imagine they're looking quite frantically for us.
"You seem to be going through an awful lot of effort just to get me standing here before you. Sure, the meetings were both light and brief but during my talk with the 'Three Factions' and their representatives you came up during the conversation with less than positive connotations. Basically you don't like many people and not many people like you. Seems rather strange that you would single me out."
Lethal intent glimmers in those empty sockets.
[My allies and I were close to victory. And we were powerful. Our plans had begun, starting with the destruction of vast swathes of the Underworld using the creatures born of Annihilation Maker. And you put an end to it with no prior warning whatsoever. Furthermore, your retrieval of the Dhampire that holds the Sephiroth Graal and elimination of the Ouroboros imitation has basically undone everything I had desired for centuries!]
I'd be lying if that doesn't give me a warm and fuzzy feeling in my chest.
[The Abrahamic factions of this world and their allies were meant to fall, to perish. Heaven, Valhalla, the Fields of Yalu and countless more...their souls would have then belonged to me, the rightful ruler of the dead and not those pale imitations. YOU are singularly to blame for these setbacks, boy.]
…
One facet of his spiel in particular grabs my attention, a mildly frozen sensation settling in my gut.
"Not that I haven't been listening or anything like that...but would you mind if I ask you to clarify a few things for me?"
[By all means, no reason not to honor a dead man's last request.]
Altera narrows her eyes at the threat as I neutrally ask, "You wish to take the souls of other realms of the dead for your own, correct?"
[I do.]
My eyes rove around the gathered Reapers, now once again surrounding us.
"And this is the fate of those who fall under your authority, I believe?"
[Indeed. The dead reside within my domain, and within such a domain my law is absolute.]
Ah.
"Likely no chance of protesting the terms of their employment, then...or the duration of their servitude and actions committed along the way."
[Why would they have need of such pointless directives such as free will? I rule the dead, thus the dead are beholden to my desires. It is as simple as that.]
"...So just to recap. You plan to destroy, murder and scatter countless individuals so that you may take the souls of those who have earned their rest for your own, doing with them what you will and effectively denying who knows how many people their presumably deserved paradise."
The God's tone could not be any more smug.
[You say that as if it is not my right to make such decisions.]
"...Right? No, it is well within your rights, just as much as it is the lion's right to take the pride for his own, when the older male becomes too weak to protect them...but 'might makes right' carries with it a risk. The risk of a bigger fish eyeing what's 'yours' and deciding it would like a slice or two."
My teeth bare themselves.
"Allow me to be just as frank, Hades. Everything about this grand ambition of yours...well, suffice to say it upsets me. It stinks of sociopathic desires the Gods of my world were rife with. And, rather unfortunately for you, I still live while they died. Care to guess why that is?"
[...You're threatening me.]
"Don't be so droll. I'm not threatening you. I'm telling you I've done the impossible many times during the course of my life. And today killing a God of the Dead will be added to that list. I'm merely telling you what's about to happen."
The skeletal deity seems massively unimpressed.
[And just how do you plan to kill me? You are mortal, the power within you that actually poses a threat to my being is dormant and unable to aid you before my servants would have you dead where you stand. You label me as-]
I ignore the God's tirade and instead speak to Altera with, "I know it's cruel of me to ask you to do this, Altera...but-"
"It is fine, Master. I can sense how upset you are and would be happy to remove the source of that distress. And I shall be fine...Horatius."
A smile pulls at my lips.
"I love you, Altera."
Her dusky cheeks take on a pink tinge even as I smirk, gazing at the Death God as he continues to ramble-
-and a forceful application of Knip that leaves my body shrieking in pain places me outside the ring of Reapers, a brief moment of shock halting all movement and noise at my sudden disappearance.
All the time in the world.
Throwing myself into a spinning whirl Black Keys manifest and smash into the surrounding crowd, managing to damage them with their conceptual weight since I imagine magical skeletons probably wouldn't care about mundane weaponry.
Yet even that is merely a distraction, a flick of my fingers sending a small, crystalline wafer directly into Altera's waiting grasp as I continue my brief rampage, ignoring the pain and heat flooding my system from the rapid and sudden usage of teleportation.
[KILL HIM!]
Heh, looks like I've finally and sufficiently pissed off the Death God for him to start going full evil villain and screaming 'off with his head'!
Unfortunately the feeling of vindication is somewhat lessened by the sensation of cold metal bypassing my flesh entirely and tearing away at my base soul. Thankfully Irappu carries with it a sufficient backup of soul 'stuff' and metaphysical presence that these Reapers could spend days slashing away at me with no detrimental effect...not that it makes it any less pleasant to experience.
Using one last burst of Knip that has me wheezing out clouds of steam and sweating buckets I nonetheless grin, Hades' entourage squaring off against me and a motionless Altera as I gleefully state, "The soul is sacrosanct, Death God...and I'll uphold that belief no matter what or who stands against me. You're just going to be the next on a long list of people that have disagreed. Oh, and it's not going to be me who kills you."
A blaze of white light surrounds us, an outpouring of mana completely foreign to anything I've ever experienced causing me to smile.
The first time I had been terrified, believing Kischur had killed us all with one of his insane ideas brought up in the heat of the moment...I should have known better.
Altera would never do anything to hurt me, no matter what form she takes.
The glare dies down, my eyes closing in satisfaction as a large, soft hand that smells of ozone and wet stone gently raises me into the air, setting me upon a thin shoulder of the same consistency as my own hand alights upon silken, liquid hair that writhes as if if alive, caressing my arm with tender affection.
I finally open my eyes, gazing down at Hades and his slaves from a sixteen meter vantage point.
"She will. After all, she is rather familiar with the act of deicide."
Blue and white skin adorned with orange markings that seamlessly meshes together like a heartfelt painting, an alien veil constructed of compounds unknown to the worlds of the Sol system, wavering horns that shift their consistency to flexible tendrils at the ends as oversized hands-with prismatic cubes of crystalline structure implanted in the center-gracefully clasp themselves in front of her.
And the eyes...the eyes of blazing red and orange, set between a fiery gemstone of rainbow coloration that shines like a lighthouse on a cloudy night.
But they're still the eyes of Altera, still placid yet focused, expressive yet withdrawn.
…
Having years upon years to experiment and practice with abilities and theories most Magi can only dream of, with a Heroic Spirit unbound by restrictions or rules while a close friend can provide all manner of interesting catalysts and materials means the boundary of what is possible and what shouldn't can be expanded upon quite a bit.
A fragment of the Moon Cell, containing a very specific set of data, given to the woman who was both the being contained within yet her very own person, with ambient mana all around us for the transformation to sustain itself upon?
I offer a mock bow to the silent audience.
"Hades, allow me to introduce you to your executioner, my beloved Sefar."
A twisted smile darkens my features.
"Or, considering your origins and familiarity with the titanomachy...perhaps I should introduce her as the White Titan."
On a scale of 1 to Velber, how 'boned' is Hades?
The answer is two.
I'm just glad I managed to get this out before school starts back up again, that would have slowed down what is already an insanely slow release pace XD