Hello and welcome readers to SYSTEM/Majin: The Warped Worldview of a Former God . If you've not read a fic by me before then. I'm craytherlay. My last project otherwise known as Library of Consumed Gods, or LoCG was my first ever fic. It may not have been as big or popular as Mr?'s A Certain Unknown Level 0. Or Darkbetrayer's A Certain Infinite Possibility. But the reviews I got and the people who stuck around seemed to very much enjoy it.
This story is not related to LoCG or any planned sequels. It's a standalone story which takes the idea, 'what if Othinus did return to being human'. And then asks a few more questions. it'll be a bit experimental. But then again, LoCG was… highly… highly experimental. I'll of course once again be working with my bro (def not wife/husband) Dragonrails. Hopefully this story might make up for how I brutally killed off our favorite norse god waifu in LoCG.
Either way, I hope you enjoy these first three chapters. Author's notes will be at the end of the third chapter.
For now, let us turn our gaze past the veil and into the void. And let this story of an infinity, begin.
SYSTEM/Majin:
The Warped Worldview of a Former God
By:Craytherlay(Aka Gabriel Spoor)
Prologue:
What might have been;
Understanders
A pair of figures trudged through the blizzard swept snowy fields of Denmark, both supporting each other as they stepped across the snow. One was a spiky haired boy who looked in his teens, of asian ethnicity, his body beaten bloody, blue eyes clouded by swollen flesh. He wore a battered torn blackish blue hoodie with white lining and a pair of casual uniformed pants. The other was a blond haired girl who looked around the same age, if a little younger than the boy. One green eye gazed out from her Scandinavian features as not a scrape could be seen on her body. Yet her pale flesh and labored breathing showed she too was weak in some way despite seeming unharmed. Wearing a skimpy leather outfit like an open front swimsuit that covered less than a bikini, a witches hat atop her head, and a cape was placed over her shoulders. Finally a pair of dark heeled boots were placed upon her feet giving her a dominatrix feel to her.
The boy turned to the girl, "have you decided yet Othinus?" he said, asking for the answer to a question he had asked earlier. His name was Kamijou Touma, a seemingly normal highschool boy with the power of Imagine breaker in his right hand. With it he could shatter the power of God's SYSTEM and return the world to it's natural state. He had suffered countless deaths, faced countless worlds as a one eyed god had tried to break him. Needing imagine breaker to strip away the layers of the world and restore the one they had called home. But, during his time in the shifting and fluctuating worlds of the black labyrinth, trying to convince the god to return him home. Touma had instead obtained something more valuable than the world he had been stripped away from.
"Decided what?" the girl responded, trying to avoid the question, her name was Othinus. She was a magic god who had inspired the myths and legends of Odin and once held the power to reshape the world. She had gotten lost in a world of her own creation and in an attempt to return home, had made an enemy of the world to regain the power she had lost to once more reshape the world. She was the very god who had put the boy Touma through all that suffering, in the black labyrinth. However during her time in the shifting and fluctuating worlds attempting to gain the tool that'd allow her to return home. She had gained something more valuable than the world she lost, something she subconsciously desired.
Something she had given the boy as well
"What path you'll head down once this is all over," Kamijou spoke quietly as they leaned into each other for support. "I said it could be a bakery, or a flower shop, or whatever else, remember? So, what do you want to do?"
Othinus chuckled slightly, "I'm not cut out for such cute things."
They had become Understander
It was a bond more than simple friendship, greater than family, and deeper than even marriage. They had accepted every last aspect of the other and seen even the deepest darkest parts of each other. No secrets were held between them and no secrets could be kept from the other as the first would instantly know.
It was a bond no mortal could achieve.
And it was a bond that only they shared.
"I don't know how long you'll have to wait, so it can be anything, it doesn't matter if it suits you or isn't like you. Find whatever you want to do the most, that'll make it all the more worthwhile to root for you." Touma continued as they dragged themselves across the cold snow covered earth.
"What I want to do, hm?…" Othinus fell silent for a while, "can it really be anything?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"Because, I want to ask you, can I really pursue any dream I want?" she stared at the side of his face from close up.
He had lost a lot of blood, and his vision was being narrowed by his swollen eyelid making it harder for him to make out her expression. "Of course you can," was his immediate reply as he tried to smile.
"I see," hearing that, Othinus's mouth opened in a small smile.
Wiping the blood from his face, Touma's vision cleared just enough for a moment to see her face, and in that moment, his eyes widened.
In that moment he saw Othinus's face… it told him, one thing… one very specific thing.
'I want to spend the rest of my life with you'
They say that sometimes it only takes one change, one action not taken, one hello never said, one turn never made, one opportunity passed over, to alter the course of history forever. Had Touma not wiped the blood from his eyes and cleared his vision, he'd never had seen her face. He'd have faced thor not realizing the turmoil boiling under Othinus's skin and be forced to face her down one last time as she tried to sacrifice herself for him. He'd save her yes, but she'd have destroyed her body to the point it would be reduced to fifteen centimeters in height. She'd sit on his shoulder, aiding him in various incidents as a source of moral support, technical, and mystical knowledge. However, they'd never truly be able to be together as she was forced to watch his life play out before her eyes.
But, by wiping the blood from his eyes and seeing her face, Touma had been forced to accept the Truth. Othinus had fallen for him and she would do anything to make sure he was happy, no matter the cost to herself.
And in that single moment…
The future… changed
Not much longer after that, they came to their destination of Mimir's spring outside Egskove castle. Before them lay a great throne made from the defeated bodies of Othinus's former group she had used to regain her power, GREMLIN. Sitting at it's peak was a boy, man, monster who held the title of their strongest fighter, someone even Othinus acknowledged the power of.
"Lightning god Thor!?" Touma said in disbelief, his eyes wide in shock.
"Oh, these are all GREMLIN members, if you asked Othinus, she'll probably give a detailed explanation on each and every one of them. She can be arrogant, but she loves explaining things while looking down on you. They were planning to gang up on you, but I went ahead and crushed them all because that sounded boring. I didn't even get that much experience for all my trouble," the battle loving boy sighed.
"But you aren't about to let us through, are you?" Othinus asked with a narrowed eye.
Thor gave a short sarcastic applause, "Of course not, I'm not your ally, in fact, being your enemy sounds like more fun. Oh, and Kamijou-chan, this is a lot more like it, you had completely rotted away when I saw you back in Academy City. But I think I can enjoy myself plenty now, having a monster like Magic God Othinus as an added bonus just makes it perfect. Honestly, this is one of the greatest servings of experience I've ever seen, I really think my stomach might burst"
Othinus leaned in over Touma's shoulder, "watch out," she whispered into his ear. "We already dealt with Mjolnir, so he isn't being supported by his hammer. That means he's lost his power as the lightning god."
"...? wait, you make it sound like that doesn't weaken him," Touma made a nervous expression.
"If he was acting as the lightning god, even you would stand a chance of defeating him," she spat out. "But that isn't the case if he brings out his power as an almighty god, this massacre was his doing. Simply put, a mere lightning god couldn't do this much damage." Othinus hissed under her breath.
"Hah hah hah, thanks for the explanation, see? told you she likes explaining things," Thor casually declared as he stood from the pile of humans. "So what'll you do? Attack me together? Or will this be one-on-one with Kamijou-chan. I'm fine with either one, but hurry up and decide," he said smirking.
Othinus gave an irritated glare, "why have you decided that I can't use my full power and will not be fighting?"
Thor's tone suddenly became icy, "that's easy, if you were at your full power, you wouldn't be relying on Kamijou-chan in the first place."
Othinus tried to speak up, but Touma held out his hand to stop her, "it'll be one on one," he declared and Thor laughed.
"Ha ha! Now we're talking! I knew you'd say that, Kamijou-chan!" he said grinning as he descended from the GREMLIN throne. Walking down the steps made from human bodies, "in that case, I won't be holding back. That'd just be rude, the stage has been set so perfectly, so I'll show you Almighty Thor."
As Thor spread his arms out and prepared to attack, Touma gave a backwards glance at Othinus, a small smile on his swollen face. "Othinus… you go get your eye while this Kamijou-san deals with him… please, don't let my efforts to save you go to waste."
Then, a moment later, a tremendous noise burst out.
—
Touma brought his arm up to defend his face, but was slammed in the gut by a fist. Trying to turn around, he swiped behind him with Imagine breaker, but was struck in the side by a kick. Stumbling back he turned and was struck alongside the head by a leg and sent tumbling across the snow.
This wasn't even a fight, this was a one sided beat down in Thor's favor, Touma realized as he stood up again. Thor was already there, delivering a perfect uppercut into his jaw which sent Touma sailing into the air. His back crashed against the ground and he tried to roll to his feet, but was met by thor's foot and sent careening the opposite way.
Thor's movements didn't make any sense for simple teleportation, it was as if he was already swinging his fist by the time he appeared before Touma. Like he was being moved in the exact position he needed to be in order to land the blow. Coughing Touma stumbled up again and turned, only for a fist to meet his face and sent him tumbling back again.
"Aw~ no guesses Kamijou-chan? Aren't you gonna try to figure out how my magic works?" Lightning God Thor smirked as he looked down at Touma. "Not gonna give any snarky quips or sassy remarks trying to figure out how I think?" he asked before vanishing.
Touma's hair was grabbed and despite trying to stand he was slammed back into the snow. Thor's heel crashed into his battered chest and gut, again, and again, kicking him along the snow like a battered can. Stumbling once more to his feet Touma glared at Thor coughing up blood as the boy held his hands behind his head.
"It's not teleportation… is it?" Touma asked and suddenly was sent flying by a dropkick to the back.
"Hmmm 5 points for that answer Kamijou-chan, you're on the right track,~" the boy teased as he vanished again.
He appeared a meter or so above Touma with his feet poised to crush Touma's abdomen. A sickening noise came from his insides as Touma was sure a rib had broken. But his eyes remained focused, the adrenaline pumping through him staving off the pain as he was sent rolling again.
'It's not teleportation, but it definitely acts like it, not only can I not touch him, but he constantly returns with an attack at the same time. Some kind of supernatural power that lets him make cross counters with 100% accuracy?' Touma glared up, the gears in his head turning as he weakly reached towards Thor's leg.
Only for a dull pain to slam into his side as he was sent tumbling again, the snow stained red with his blood. For a split moment, the very world itself seemed to distort as Touma's eyes narrowed and his brow creased. He knew it wasn't his consciousness fading, the adrenaline in his body was making sure of that. And it wasn't like he was distracted either, he knew Othinus would be okay so he wasn't worried about her. Any doubts in his mind that'd cause him to glance about frantically were resolved… but if it wasn't his vision then what was it?
"Hm… if it was night, you might have had a better hint," Thor muttered with a frown.
"So… that wasn't an illusion!" Touma gasped out in realization.
Thor smirked, "ding ding! I'm not moving at all!"
Eyes narrowing, Touma grabbed a few stones from beneath the snow and threw them.
"No need to bother heading out just to kill my enemy~" Thor's voice came from multiple places at once as multiple copies of him seemed to appear.
No… that wasn't accurate
Multiple afterimages of the boy calling himself Almighty Thor appeared for a moment as each stone missed.
Touma's eyes widened as a clenched fist jabbed into his spine. He sent an elbow back only for it to sail through empty air as thor was in front of him, slamming his fist into the center of Touma's gut. He was unable to breath as he stumbled back, but he was already formulating a plan in his mind as Thor grabbed his collar and pulled him forward.
Thor wasn't moving
But if he wasn't moving, something else had to be moving.
He had seen this phenomenon before, just on a larger scale.
"If it was night, you might have had a better hint."
The distortion from before, Touma had once heard of a phenomena in physics where space would warp around objects of sufficient mass or moving close to the speed of light. Had it been night, Touma likely would have seen the stars in the sky spiraling out of control.
Yes…
It wasn't Thor who was moving
But the very planet he stood on.
Thor slammed his head into Touma's Sending him into the snow once more as the boy coughed up blood. Shallow breaths exiting his bloodied lips with a nervous expression as even he found this theory ridiculous.
"You… aren't the one moving… it's the world that's moving, like a conveyor belt carrying your target right to you." He took shaky breaths, looking up at the boy who had taken the name of an almighty god.
Thor threw back his head and laughed, "took you long enough, it'd be one thing if you hadn't had any hints. But I already showed it to you in that Academy City container yard and I assume Othinus showed you her precious Bone Boat when you two vanished. Maybe I should've held back a bit and made it look more like some mysterious attack. I could've said something like 'Mwa ha ha. I can stop time'."
As ridiculous as it sounded, Touma had heard of a technique that would make such a thing possible. In fact it was a technique and system that existed in his home of Academy city in the form of Espers.
"The battles in Baggage City were also an experiment to see if holistic espers existed. That ridiculous system would smash together multiple distant galaxies to fire flames from the hand. Are you saying you've reached that?" Touma asked in disbelief as he gave a look of horror.
The mere concept of throwing Galaxies around like beyblades was beyond Touma, yet he had seen it before. Misha Kretzeth the angel had done a similar thing in order to cast her sweep spell by moving all the stars around in the galaxy. Othnus had moved the entire universe around her and Touma to get them here to denmark.
The consequences of something like that had to be astronomical, and while Touma didn't really believe in extraterrestrial life. He certainly felt sorry for any that did exist whenever one of these crazy magicians pulled something like this.
"That's not what this is, do you understand why?" Thor asked, grinning as he placed a hand on his hip. He was clearly waiting for Touma to steady his breathing, wanting the fight to be more stimulating so he could gain more experience.
"Because that would have eliminated the need for GREMLIN to target Fräulein Kreutune," Touma said. "If you guys already had a holistic esper in your ranks you would have used it in your plans."
Thor gave a noncommittal shrug, "I'm similar but different, it might be a lot like the relationship between Ollerus and the #7. I'm the approximation of someone from the science side. I can produce almost the exact same phenomenon, but I'm not actually one of them. I really am a magician, so I'm not an esper in any way."
Touma found himself seeing a slight glimpse into the boy known as thor, and why he had gotten so angry about Toume's indecisiveness on saving Fräulein. She was similar, but different from him, someone in a position he could have been in himself. She wasn't a stranger to him which was why he had made an enemy of each and every side just to save her.
But still…
"What you're doing is on a huge scale, moving the entire world is so far out of the ordinary that 'almighty' might be right on the mark. But the actual life-size phenomenon should be no different from teleportation, you can't accomplish this level of accuracy like that. There's gotta be more to it, this isn't like Othinus's 100% success, but it's definitely got something in common." Touma said, looking to Thor with a nervous expression as he proceeded to stand again.
Thor gave an exasperated eye roll and sheepish smile as he waved off Touma's remarks. "Stop it, I don't like being praised like that, you saw Othinus at full power, didn't you? If the predicted specs I calculated out are accurate, her power would go well beyond mine which is limited to the world we're in now. How many times was the world destroyed on your way here? In fact, how'd you even defeat her when she had her lance? ...No, merely winning in a fistfight wouldn't get you back to this world."
That was a no brainer, no matter what Thor did, there was no way 100% almighty could match against 100% Othinus. The battle would be over before it even began and Thor wouldn't have the time to so much as register it. Thor ruled a single world where as Othinus created and ruled countless, not to mention Thor was the son of Odin.
Which automatically put him below Othinus who inspired such myths.
But that didn't change the current problem, Thor still stood before Touma as a real threat. And Othinus could no longer use her power as a magic god. So, in order to move forward, Touma had to defeat Thor.
The gears in his brain continued to turn, laying out the pieces into a visual puzzle.
The distortion
The way Thor always seemed to hit
The way Touma always missed
It reminded him of something someone else he had fought was able to do
"I do not need destructive force, if I touch my enemy then it's over. so I don't need to put any effort into destroying them."
"I do not need speed, if I swing I hit my enemy, so I don't need to put any effort into hitting them."
Fiamma of the right has a special right hand which allowed him to output the exact amount of power to defeat an opponent. In essence, it was a cheat button in a game with fight, item and flee that just said 'win'.
Touma's face grimaced as he adjusted his back so he faced away from Egskove castle. "Don't tell me… your spell… does it always move you into the point that'll allow you to win?"
Thor had vanished again, "Ding ding ding~ although technically it moves the world, so 9.9 points."
And then another dull shock ran across Touma's chest.
From there… the battle continued its one sided slaughter as Touma was beat around like a rag doll. He couldn't beat Thor as the world would always place him where Thor would win without needing to do anything. But, that didn't mean Thor was invincible, no… if thor got hit he was still a regular human.
It just couldn't be Touma who hit him.
With every strike, Touma would position himself so the next knocked him farther from the castle. He didn't need to concern himself with Othinus as she was safe, he just needed to be sure he was there to congratulate her. So every hit he tanked brought him closer and closer to his destination as he stumbled, bleeding from multiple places and he swore something in his chest shifted that shouldn't.
He couldn't beat Thor…
But what about Someone who wasn't Thor's enemy?
"Are you done already?" Thor sighed, casually approaching Touma as the boy stumbled back across some rails away from him. "This is all I have, from beginning to end, it's nothing but this. With Mjölnir's support, I can add in the fusion blades and make it a little more acrobatic, but this is all I have now. To be blunt, this is your chance, you'll never have a better opportunity." He gave an almost bored look as a clacking sound could be heard in the distance.
Touma coughed and raised an eyebrow, "not sure what you wanted from Othinus if you had all that power then." He wiped some blood from his ips, "really can't see you relying on anything, in fact. Why did you even need to join Gremlin?" he asked with a confused expression as that clacking grew louder.
Just a little more, a little more and this would be over, he just needed to distract Thor a little longer.
"Remember what I said before? no matter how high you go, there's always someone higher. The pursuit of power never ends, I'm not all that different from the rest of Gremlin. I joined them in order to grant my desire, there was nothing more to it than that." Thor smiled slightly, clenching his fist, "We may have officially wanted to destroy the science side's victory during World War III. But that was only one of our many desires, Gremlin was an organization to allow Magic God Othinus to perfect her power and have her grant our desires with that power. That's why everyone's so pissed, Othinus ran off without paying us for our work."
Touma snorted a little as the clacking continued to get louder, "huh… can't imagine why," he said sarcastically.
"They all had similar complaints, so it would've been disgraceful to cause a giant fuss all together, don't you think? That's why I brought them all together. Just to be clear, I'll be killing Othinus, I've got nothing against having a nice refreshing fistfight with you here. But a definite tragedy comes afterwards," Thor casually remarked with a chipper smile.
"I'm sorry… what?" Touma said with an icy glare causing Thor to grin broadly, the clacking was much louder now, practically on top of them.
"Oh? I see the fire hasn't left your eyes, that doesn't make up for what she's done, though." Thor shrugged, hands in the air as he smiled.
Touma scoffed. "Oh please! You were in a position to stop it, you knew Othinus before everyone else in Gremlin did all of that. You could have stopped them from making an enemy of the world at any time but you didn't!" He tossed a hand aside as he continued, "I stopped Othinus, sure I didn't defeat her per say, but I still stopped her. And it wasn't like I swung my fist around and punched her, no! I couldn't even get anywhere near close enough to her for that. I just did what any pathetic human child could do," he glared, "I listened to her, she talked, and I listened. Anyone could have done that and gotten to know her well enough so that she didn't need to destroy the world. But you gave up on her… you all did, every last single person in the world gave up on the girl called Othinus. Labeled her as a threat to be defeated without even thinking to look beyond the title of a terrifying 'magic god'. Anyone could have stopped her, but you all chose just to ride along and commit horrible acts without ever asking Othinus what she wanted. And now you just want to place all the blame on her so you can cast her aside, and congratulate yourselves for a job well done, world's saved everyone's happy!" Touma Snarled, stepping back off the railway as he continued, "well bullshit. There were what? Fifty? A hundred of you? And yet not a single one of you managed to reach that point, so don't pretend you're somehow any better."
Thor looked baffled, as Touma spoke, yet the boy was still not done.
"Magic god Othinus, was without a doubt a 'villain' but she alone doesn't hold the responsibility. You and the rest of Gremlin do too for not doing anything to stop her from going this far. Don't go running from your sins 'Almighty thor' these aren't the impossible trials of Kaguya hime. I! Kamijou Touma, an ordinary high school boy did it. I did something anyone could have done if they had just spoken to Othinus, you got that? You didn't do it, not because it was impossible, not even because it was difficult… you just gave up on Othinus from the start."
Thor was silent a moment as a slight vibration came through the rails and the stones rattled, before finally speaking.
"That's not the issue here Kamijou-chan"
But just as he went to move his fist Touma interrupted.
"Oh! And one more thing Thor," he said as a loud whistle was heard, "You didn't really think this Kamijou-san was letting you hit him around for no reason did you?"
Thor's eyes suddenly widened as he whipped around broadly grinning, "Oh you did no-"
Before he was cut off as several tons of steel in the form of a 12-car freight train plowed straight through.
Stumbling back, the deafening sound of metal scraping filled the air as the train driver slammed the breaks as hard as he could after hitting someone. Orange sparks flew from the rails and metal wheels as Touma sagged down a bit, but didn't quite relax.
It wasn't quite over yet, he still needed to return to Othinus, she'd be worried about him.
Just as he went to get up, a voice came from below the train.
"Hey"
"TH-THOR!" Touma cried out with more energy than he thought he had. He really didn't have it in him for a round two, if Thor could really continue after that.
Touma would be screwed.
The boy was covered in blood, but still in one piece, meaning he had likely changed Almighty's target last minute, allowing him to 'flee' underneath the train.
Thor coughed but grinned, "Oh, don't worry, I'm not asking to continue the fight, that was a decent bit of experience, including the exchange of verbal blows. I haven't felt this great in a while." Thor slowly waved a blood-soaked hand. "What are you two doing here in the first place? I could guess Othinus was hiding something here, but I don't have a clue what."
Touma laughed nervously, "oh that… apparently Othinus gained her special power as a magic god by sacrificing her eye into the spring here. If she retrieves it she can return to being human and abandon her power, so we planned for her surrender after that."
"I see, yeah, that really is like you, Kamijou-chan. But in that case, shouldn't you hurry back there?" Thor asked with an inquisitive expression.
Touma paused for a moment, blinking before he burst out laughing, only to hold his sides in pain. "O-oh!... right that, yeah you wouldn't have noticed, but this Kamijou-san already solved that issue. So,I don't need to worry about her," he smiled with his swollen eye listing at thor, "now all this Kamijou-san has to do is go back and congratulate her."
Thor blinked in confusion before shaking his head, "huh? Wait… what!? You solved it? When? How!?"
"How do you think?" Touma asked as he began to limp off, "I'm her understander."
—
A pair of hands dipped into the icy water of the lake as Othinus muttered something under her breath. Blinding blue light spilled out from the lake, quickly condensing to a single point in her hands as a small crystalline sphere formed. It was the size of a ping pong ball yet, there was no way a human eye preserved in any fashion could look like that.
Othinus gave a short chuckle, she remembered when she had first come here all those years ago, all those worlds ago. Back then she had been curious about the world and eager to push the limits of her power no matter the cost. A young girl from the nearby trading village who was tired of the mundane life of her fellow villagers. The girls who were content with weaving and housework, chatting about one of the boys they found attractive. The men who would go out to hunt or work on their ships with their sons and daughters before setting sail. Othinus had wanted something more… something beyond the simple life her fellow norsemen were content with.
Sure it wasn't too restrictive, and anyone worth their metal was allowed to take any practice. But she was constantly hounded by suitors due to her heritage and skill. She was known throughout the community for having the knack for picking up every skill imaginable. From woodworking to metal smithing and jewelry crafting, even hunting, combat and tactics, if it could be learned, she probably mastered it.
Her father had once tried to set her up with some Mycenaean nobleman she caught the interest of, hoping to strengthen trade relations between their cultures. While she had been fascinated by Mycenaean Greece culture and the mystic practices she found there. The nobleman had always been below her standards, a fat pig profiting off of his heritage with no understanding of the world. He wasted her talents with menial tasks such as cleaning and sewing, rather than allowing her aid in managing his business. Saying she was 'unfit' for the task of managing trade routes and exchange meetings. But she knew it was because he merely wanted her to look pretty… a prized trophy in his possession.
Who would have thought she'd come back here in order to give up that power for some random highschool boy. A boy she had considered to be her natural enemy and did everything in her power to break the will of.
Back in that bygone era this place wasn't even a lake, just a well that was watched over by Mimir. She could still vividly picture the old bastard, smugly sitting beside the well as he told her she would have to sacrifice something in order for the well to grant her its power. The shocked look on his face when she had unhesitantly tore out her own eye and handed it to him remained burned in her mind.
Her hand went to the eyepatch on the left side of her face as she recalled the pain the act had caused. She was naive, foolish, and eager to learn back then, even now her hunger for knowledge remained. It was just so easy to satisfy thanks to advancements in human technology allowing for information to be so easily accessed anywhere in the world.
She remembered the cold feeling of the noose around her neck as she hung herself with a spear through her chest. The spells of preservation around her, keeping her on the verge of death as she hung on the roots of the world. The feeling of triumph when the world had deemed her worthy enough of the knowledge of the runes.
Her runes
She remembered the first world she made as a god, a mirror of her own, the cold wind swept plains. The stormy oceans and towering mountains, a quaint Scandinavian village where she watched her people build their ships. It was a test of her new power, to see if she could actually create a brand new world even if it was merely based on her own.
She remembered the excitement and joy that had filled her in that moment, how she had gone on to create 8 more worlds. Meticulously crafted them to her design, breathed life into the earth to give way for trolls and giants. How she had brought people from her home phase, and scattered them in her new world, how her world had changed them.
How they didn't even recognize who she was.
She remembered the pain of their fear of her, the names she had been given, how she had lashed out. She remembered how she betrayed her best friend out of fear, cast his first son into the ocean sky. Locked his daughter in the underworld of her creation, forced her to take dominion of the dead she didn't like. Chained his youngest to a rock, and tricked him with a game of tug of war, and how it was all her fault.
It had all come to bite her in the back in the end, but instead of being gifted the mercy of dying in the bowels of the wolf. She had been forced to listen through its body as Ragnarock consumed everything she had created. How she had cut her way out of Fenrir's body, and seen the blood stained land that had resulted because of her mistakes.
And how she had run away
She had created countless worlds, countless phases, just to escape from her pain, the failures of her past.
Worlds where she did not exist
Worlds where she was worshiped
Worlds where she was hated
Worlds where she
Worlds where she
Worlds where she…
With each world, she remembered feeling emptier and emptier, the love and care she had put into her first nine cast aside. Each of these worlds had been a quick rush job, a way to bury the pain of losing her creation in such a spectacular fashion.
And how it never worked
She remembered how she had settled in the current world… how she had painfully peeled away every last layer she had created one by one. Hoping to return to the world she had come from, wishing, for a moment just to see the faces of her family again. And how empty it was… how changed it had become by her reckless actions.
She remembered how cold she had felt, how hollow her heart had become as she stood before that empty Village. How the Well had become a lake, yet no one ever knew it had ever been any different.
How lost she felt because of it.
She remembered how she had wandered the world, seen empires rise and fall, but recorded none of it.
Byzantine.
Rome
China
She remembered how empty she felt watching the Vikings pillage and raid, their sacrifices to her doing nothing to ease the pain. How they had slowly melded into other societies, vanishing with naught but a trace with no one the wiser. Acts that would have normally filled her with such pride for her people, leaving her with nothing but a hollow emptiness.
She remembered World War Two, Nazi's busting in her door demanding to know the location of Longinus. How she had killed them all before she even realized it, their blood dripping down her hands as she held their still beating hearts. How numb she had become to the act of killing someone despite how much of a thrill battle used to give her.
The years flashed through her mind like panels on a projector, speeding through her life as if she was about to die. Her meeting with Thor, the events of World War Three, and finally her bout with Kamijou playing in her mind.
But, as the events of just today played through her mind, she found her expression falling as she gazed at her eye.
"Do… do I even deserve to be saved? After all I've done?"
Touma's bloodied back flashed in her mind, his limp form and weakened state as he threw himself in front of the world's malice for her. The consequences of her actions being thrusted upon an innocent boy who had every right to hate her but didn't. How he had become a shield for her and bore the burden of the blame for her as friends and loved ones turned against him.
"Should I even be allowed salvation?"
She had caused so much pain and suffering, ruined countless lives for her selfish desire. And in the end she hadn't done even one thing to begin to make up for her actions. Sure she had conceded the world to Touma and brought his home back for him. Sure she knew she would be killed the moment they returned to his world and she would never see him again.
But that didn't count as making it up to him… did it? After all he sacrificed for her, after all she had made him suffer through. It didn't even begin to count, no matter how much she could have sacrificed to bring him back. The mere fact he became her understander to begin with meant she hadn't lost anything whatsoever… right?
Touma would undoubtedly tell her that yes… everyone, even she deserves to be saved. Probably go on some tangent about how she had changed, and regrets her actions, how she could grow. How she wasn't the same person she was back then and how she had saved him by bringing him back home.
Could she really just rely on the words of a boy who'd forgive even his own killer so readily? Give up all responsibility and cast him into the whirlpool of hate brewing below the skin of the world? Watch as the boy was swallowed up by the consequences of her own actions as she was saved?
"Wouldn't he be better off without me?" Othius thought to herself as an ugly expression formed on her face. The pain in her heart tearing her apart from the inside as her hands quivered, "I'd just cause him more pain? People aren't so easily forgiving, someone will come to take revenge against me. If I am saved… then they'll come for him instead, just to get back at me," she felt tears form in her eyes as ugly thoughts filled her head.
And then the words Touma had Spoken just before he had gone off to fight Thor floated into her mind.
Don't let my efforts to save you go to waste.
She froze, hands held to her chest, the cold crystal eye pressing against her soft, numb flesh as her face relaxed.
"O-oh…" she muttered, giving a wry chuckle as she hiccuped, "damn idiot, of course he knew. He's my understander… all he needed was to see my face… just once back then to know."
And she made up her mind
Lifting her eyepatch, Othinus brought the crystal eye to the empty socket, "I may not deserve to be saved. But that human doesn't deserve the pain my death would bring, I will not run away from this. I'll carry the burden of this pain with him so that it's just a little lighter for him," she took a breath and braced herself. "So, even if I'm called a coward for hiding behind his back, even if I must suffer scrutiny for refusing to sacrifice myself."
Pain erupted across her body as she slid the eye back into her skull, bright green light spilling out from cracks along her skin.
"I will live, not for myself, not for anyone else, not because I deserve to be saved or any other shallow reason."
It slowly was drawn into a single point on her chest before pouring back into the lake as the cracks faded. She fell over onto her knees, clutching her face in agony as she gagged, saliva dripping from her jaws. Her eyes squeezed shut in pain as she let out an unearthly scream that shook the world with the last remnants of her power as it was returned to the lake.
"But… because there is no way, in this world or the next, that I would ever waste that human's efforts. Not over something as pointless or self-serving as 'making it up' to him through a pathetic self sacrifice."
Slowly, the light faded with nought but a ripple as Othinus sat there, a small smile on her face. She used to look at those mortals who would cast aside everything just for their partner with disdain. She had assumed that was because she considered such relationships pointless after she had lost everything. But now she realized she was envious… not of love, or of romance, she had had those things.
No… she wasn't jealous of the short flings and fleeting love that teens felt and shortly fell out of like a rollercoaster.
She was jealous of those old couples, who seemed to know exactly what their significant other wanted or needed. Knew exactly what to say and when to say it so their partner would become the best versions of themselves. She was jealous of that genuine deep connection born through trial and error, of accepting every aspect of someone.
Because it was something she had never had once in her life, not even before she became a god. She had been too focused on learning to even consider making connections like that, so when she was all alone… she never realized what she was missing.
"I guess I was the real idiot," she chuckled before the sound of snow crunching caught her off guard.
"Reminiscing Othi-chan? You had that wistful look on your face again," Touma said as he slowly limped forward. "You're not regretting giving up your power are you? Because that would suck after all the work this Kamijou-san went through."
The boy's teasing caused Othinus to blush violently as she scrambled to her feet. "H-how much did you see!?" she demanded pointing.
Touma made a face, "this Kamijou-san knows trying to lie to you is pointless… so he'll confess. He's kinda been standing here ever since you got your eye out of the lake… just. kinda distracted by how cute you looked. You know, looking down all conflicted at the water, almost to tears before your face grew all stern when you went to put your eye in. This Kamijou-san was… well entranced to say the least," he gave a nervous laugh as he scratched his chin.
"C-cute!? Damn it mortal you don't get to call a god cute how dare you! A-and for your information. No, I was not regretting my decision, and I definitely was not close to tears okay human?. I was just th-thinking about the first time I came here," she cleared her throat, shaking her head indignantly.
"Former God Othi-chan, so this mortal absolutely does get to call you cute" the boy teased as he stood in front of her holding his side. "Besides, why are you upset about this Kamijou-san calling you cute oh, Odin-sama?" he gave a small smirk as Othinus's eyes twitched.
"Th-that is not the point Human! It's about my dignity okay!? My dignity as a former god demands it. You can't just go around calling any divine being cute just because they are you know," the former god declared. "You need permission first, otherwise you'll risk pissing off other gods, do you want to get smited human!?"
Touma raised en eyebrow as he shakily stood there in place, "eh… for this particular former god? This Kamijou-san will take his chances, not like gods have much dignity to begin with, didn't Odin ride his nephew into battle or something? Really Othi-chan, you don't get to talk about dignity," he said, before finding himself in a headlock.
Othinus blushed profusely as she tugged at the boy's cheeks, "shut up about it human I'll have you know things weren't so literal. M-most of the time that is, honestly, why do people constantly bring up your most embarrassing moments at the worst of times? Had I known this was what would happen, I'd have gone through with my original plan and just sacrificed myself."
"And waste all this Kamijou-san's hard work in keeping you alive? Nuh uh Othi-chan, you're stuck with him as your understander. Deal with it okay?" he snarked at her as he weakly struggled, "I told you, I'd save you even if I had to fight the entire world, and that's exactly what I did. So you better be ready to hear this Kamijou-san dig up all of your embarrassing history, the least you've earned for the hells you put him through."
Othinus found herself stammering as her grip loosened on the boy and the two of them fell onto the snow. "D-damn it human, I'll curse you for that, how dare you pull such a cruel and unorthodox attack on a former god. Don't you know what sort of horrors that will bring!?" despite her flustered reaction, she couldn't help but smile. "Honestly…" her tone grew softer as the glitter of tears could be seen in her eyes, "you saved this old foolish god, the moment you made that faithful declaration."
The former war god embraced the boy as he began to relax, the pain finally catching up to him. "Heh…" he smiled as he felt Othinus gently guide his head to her lap, "I know Othi-chan… I know." With no more foes to face, and nothing left to worry about, Touma's eyes began to flutter shut as he began to fall unconscious.
The battle was finally over… he had won, and Othinus had been saved.
—
It was quiet, and a light snow had begun to fall on the pair as Touma lay unconscious in her grasp, carefully healing him with a hand over his chest. She smiled softly, pushing aside his locks to see his face as he lay in her arms. A quiet chuckle exited her lips as she held him, her heart beating softly in her chest.
Then, the sound of footsteps approaching caught her attention and she looked up, eyes narrowing. A figure in a white ghillie suit with a radio in one hand stopped before her, holding the device out as she sat there.
It was time
Othinus sighed and looked back to Touma, "let me finish healing what I can first, I'd rather he not die before he gets to a hospital. It's the least I can do for him after he fought so hard," her expression fell a moment as the figure nodded. After a few more minutes, she gently lowered her hand, placing Touma's right arm in the snow beside him.
She could see a series of armored transports approaching in the distance, flanked either side by Anglican magicians. The figure held out the radio again for Othinus before speaking, "you know what happens next… right?" She couldn't see the US officer's face, but she knew their eyes had narrowed under the mask.
"Yes…" Othinus stated simply before swiping the radio from their hand, taking a deep breath, she sighed.
And then turned the radio on.
"Before we begin, I want to make one thing, very, very clear" Othinus began, "you… did not defeat me. The battle had long since concluded by the time you even chose which toy soldiers to send into the field. None of your saints, your artillery, magicians, ritual spells and curses, had so much of the slightest impact on the outcome. The only reason you are here now listening to me is because of that human… understood? You didn't defeat me… he did." She raised her head, speaking loudly, "let it be known, that the human Kamijou Touma was the one to defeat the one eyed Othinus. Not America, not England, not Russia, not Italy, not even the UN as a whole, but one… single, human boy. I will not allow you to write him out of his own story… and know this," she glared into the radio. "Just because I've given up my power as a magic god, that does not necessarily mean I'm suddenly powerless. I do possess other forms of magic as well as having mastered the art of killing Pathetic mortals such as yourselves long before I became a magic god. Even now if I wanted to, I could kill those saints you seem so proud of in an instant. Any soldiers you send will be sent to their deaths, your artillery will be useless, if you think your flying fortresses or american warheads will increase your odds of victory than you'd be sadly mistaken, this is your first and last warning, if you so much as move wrong, the deal is off immediately and I will truly show you the wrath of a Former magic god," she glanced at the approaching vehicles. "So…." she sneered, if you think you'll feel safe in a simple armored transport, then think again. Just remember I'm surrendering because of him, not you, not because I think it you could harm me in anyway. I may not be a god anymore, but my body is more than capable of withstanding everything you pathetic mortals can throw at it. Next generation weapons, the first ranked level five, your saints, even your most powerful pope class ritual or a thermonuclear warhead. None of them, would so much as discolor the skin of a former god of war who had long since surpassed such barbaric tools."
Only then did she fall silent and allow those on the other end to speak.
"I see…very well magic god Othinus," Elizard's voice began, "no harm will come to you and the boy. As a sign of trust and respect we'll forgo the usual restraints we would usually give someone in a position such as yourself. Just as you mentioned, anything we have wouldn't harm you, it would be pointless. But, as a world leader it would still be wise if you didn't Underestimate the power of humans" she said in a cold voice. Despite the circumstances she was still the queen of England, something Othinus could respect as a former god.
Roberto spoke next with a sigh, "you say that, but do you really grasp the problems that would cause? Don't get me wrong, I get the desire to want your man to get the credit he's earned so his efforts are rewarded. But what happens when someone ends up targeting him? People will use him as a scapegoat, attack him for siding with you, hunt him down just to get back at you. Sure as world leaders we might be able to resolve most of the hate for those not directly affected. But people aren't so quick to forgive, the notoriety of 'defeating' a god is nothing to sniff at, and it will draw attention. Do you really think that boy wants to constantly be looking over his back for assassins, government agents, spies and otherwise?"
Othinus scoffed, rolling her eyes, "I'm not a moron, foolish mortal, I was a god of wisdom after all. I know full well that he should be left out of the official records for his own safety," she took a small breath. "All I am asking is that the anglicans, russians or romans keep it in their akashic records or whatever they call it. I don't expect you small minded mortals with your limited knowledge to truly understand what happened between us even if I explained it moment for moment. Just know this mortals, what my understander did would be sung about in the stories of old. Gilgamesh, Krishna, the Sun Wu Kong, Odysseus, Cú Chulainn, Sidgur, even your St. Martha who tamed the Tarrasque. Feats of legends beyond the comprehension of mortals that would make even those mythical figures seem pathetic by comparison. Achievements that would make even the gods of those religions give praise and respect for what he has done. So, note it down mortals, carve it in stone and erect a monolith in his name so his memory may never fade. Write his story as it is shown and don't leave out a single detail, not one little thing, otherwise I may not be so patient next time. She glowered into the radio, the wind blowing through her hair as she stood there, fist clenched.
Elizard gave a long sigh, "I see… Very well then Othinus of Gremlin…we'll make sure to record his achievement." One of the armored transports stopped just before her and opened, a series of soldiers getting out and surrounding her. "Now then… are you ready to come with us and be taken to trial?" the queen asked calmly.
Silence fell for a long moment as Othinus held the radio before she gave a short chuckle and closed her eyes.
"Yeah… I'm ready," handing the radio over she smiled back at Touma, "see you later… Understander."
—
A groan came from the tub as Touma sat up in his dorm room bathroom, rubbing his head. He had only just been released from the hospital yesterday, so his body still ached. Groggily pulling himself out, he turned on the faucet and began getting ready for the morning. Washing his face and brushing his teeth a small sigh exited his lips as he looked into the mirror. He really wasn't looking forward to returning to school today, but he really couldn't afford losing more attendance than he already had.
A week or so had passed since Denmark, but he had yet to hear any news on the outcome of Othinus's trial. Didn't help that while he had been hospitalized he had to deal with an incident involving a girl from his past named Ayu. His senpai Seria had told him to visit a thermal plant in district 21 called ground Geo where he had found the fluffy haired Ayu. She had been trying to drown someone he couldn't quite remember, but they reminded him of honey for some reason. Apparently Ayu was upset he had failed to save her some time ago, so he let her beat on him a while to get her stress out.
Afterwards she had been taken in by Anti-skill and got reprimanded by an angry Index and his doctor for exerting himself. He had then found out he had a few visitors in the form of an American SS operative and an Anglican. They asked a number of questions about what happened at the sargasso, wanting a first hand account of Othinus's actions. Touma had eagerly obliged, wanting to make sure Othinus's trial was a fair as possible and giving as much detail as he could.
While they were stunned, thanks to Index helping with the explanation, both the anglican and more importantly american SS were able to understand the gist of what happened. Touma of course hadn't said Othinus destroyed the universe, rather explained it in a more mundane way, so they could accept it. When asked if he forgave Othinus, Touma had found himself unsure.
In the end, he had told them while he can't say what she did was forgivable. He didn't believe it was right to lock her up or kill her, as she had already suffered much worse by her own hand. She still needed to answer for her crimes, but in a way that was constructive to show she too had a place in this world. Touma of course believed having her start by cleaning up her own messes was a good place to start. It would allow her to get perspective on her actions and how it effected people.
The two groups had left not long after that, informing him that his information had been of help and could very well lessen the severity of Othinus's punishment. While Touma had been glad to hear such news, he was still worried about Othinus's future. It didn't matter if she was spared in court, people could still target her, the court of public opinion wasn't so easily swayed.
Of course his problems didn't stop there, it wasn't long after his meeting with the Anglicans and US agents that Index had come to him. She had been recalled by the church in order to take part in the trial of Othinus, her explanation of magic would be needed. While worried for Touma, she had assured him she'd make sure Othinus was alright and treated as fairly as she could manage. She had to leave for the duration of the trial but would return by the time he was released from the hospital.
Turning off the faucet, Touma opened the door and headed to the kitchen in order to make breakfast. True to her word, he could see Index sleeping peacefully in the bed as he got the ingredients out. She likely had returned after he had gone to bed and chosen not to wake him up which he could appreciate. He imagined she was too exhausted to even ask for Dinner due to the flight back to academy city.
The sizzling of a pan filled the air and Index groaned a bit sitting up, "morning Touma…" she yawned. "You returning to school today?" she got out of bed and lumbered over to the table as Touma brought over food.
"Yeah, this Kamijou-san's attendance is in the gutter so he can't miss a day of school." He set down the plates and Index began inhaling the food, "how was Othinus's trial?" He tried to keep himself calm while asking, but he couldn't help but feel nervous, fiddling with his utensil as he waited for an answer.
"Boring… I was just asked a few questions and told to give explanations to a group of old men. I hated it, they kept asking stupid questions before asking more questions and I nearly fell asleep. Roberto, Elizard and a few of the other world leaders ended up making a public speech on international television. Something about how a hero saving both the dragon and village, rather than slaying it. I think it was to garner sympathy for Othinus, but I wasn't in the same room and only heard bits and pieces." Index put down her utensils and fell silent for a moment, which was very unusual for her.
Touma gulped before shifting in place, "wh-what about Othinus? She alright? What was the verdict? How long is she gonna be imprisoned for? Will she be doing community work? What about visitation rights?" Even Touma was shocked at how nervous he was, the words came spilling out without him thinking, overwhelming Index.
The nun of the church found herself stammering a moment before she could speak, "I-I don't know Touma! I was sent back home before they gave the verdict, they didn't need me at that point and decided I could go. Stiyl and Kanzaki were oddly insistent on having me leave," she pouted a little before sighing sadly. "Touma… be honest with me, and don't try to avoid the question…" she looked into his eyes hesitantly, "are you okay Touma?"
The boy blinked a moment confused, "what do you mean Index-san?"
"Don't try and play Dumb Touma!" Index's voice grew stern and she glared a moment, "I know about what happened. Maybe not all the details, but I know Othinus destroyed the world and that there was no way you could have gotten back home without suffering. So… please… are you okay?" her eyes grew soft as she leaned forward, gently gripping Touma's palms.
Touma went to speak, but fell silent as he found himself unable to respond for a moment, before sighing.
"I… don't know… I really don't know Index-san, am I okay? At the very least this Kamijou-san knows he's not currently in pain. But… I… I'm worried about Othinus, I just hope she's okay…" he looked away a moment, "she deserves a second chance you know?"
Index huffed and sat down, "after what she did? I don't know… but you clearly believe so." She frowned a bit before looking down at her plate, "why did you do it? I know why you said you did it. But… why did you really do it? Fight the world to protect Othinus Touma? After all she did to you? Did you really forgive her?" her question was weighted, yet held a concern in it Touma couldn't deny.
Touma shrugged, "because why not? Why should Othinus be killed? No one had asked if she was in pain. They labeled her as evil and didn't even attempt to look past the cold cruel facade she was giving them. She may have hurt this Kamijou-san in ways he can't describe, but she was also hurting in ways only this Kamijou-san can grasp. She gave up everything she ever worked for to return this Kamijou-san home knowing it would get her killed. If that's not proof she deserves a chance at forgiveness… nothing is," he flashed Index a confident smile.
There was another long moment of silence before Index gave a short huff, smiled and returned to eating.
"Good! If you hadn't answered like that I would have bitten you and asked what you did with Touma." The silver haired nun continued shoveling the rest of her food into her mouth as Touma blinked in shock. Placing her plate down, Index's eyes met Touma, "I don't forgive Othinus Touma… she hurt you. But, I'll give her a chance, if she makes it up to you I'll forgive her and we can even be friends. But, if she hurts you again, I'll never forgive her, one chance is all she gets, okay Touma?" she jabbed her finger in Touma's face causing him to rear back a bit.
"R-right…" Touma trailed off before noticing the clock, "ah! Crap! I gotta go Index-san, this Kamijou-san is gonna be late for school at this rate!" Scrambling to his feet he quickly began grabbing his things before swiping some toast off his plate and nibbling it.
"Bye Touma, don't run into a rogue magician" Index casually said, turning on the TV as he rushed out the door.
Running out the front door, Touma internally cringed at the fact he was literally running with toast in his mouth. This wasn't some kind of bad cliche anime, and he wasn't a hapless school girl, so why was he running around like this? He felt a tear in his eyes as he ran down the steps, nearly tripping twice before he reached the ground floor.
Making his way through district 7, using alleys and crossroads as shortcuts, Touma's thoughts began to drift. He knew that Othinus had been given a fair trial, but he was still worried either way. Even if 90% of the world forgave her thanks to Roberto and them, that was still 10% who didn't and might attack her. He wouldn't be able to protect her then if they did, and sure she could defend herself, but what if she got in trouble for doing so?
He didn't want to think about it, but he just couldn't help it.
Othinus was his understander, just as he was her's, it was only natural he'd worry about her right? He felt nervous not knowing how she was, where she was, or what she was doing. It was like getting hit by a car and getting up, but not knowing if you suffered internal damage until it was too late.
Just imagining what might happen to Othinus without him made him feel short of breath.
Shaking his head, Touma took a few breaths arriving at the front of his school. There was no use worrying about something he couldn't change from here. He could ask Tsuchimikado about her after school, that ought to put his worries to rest. That self proclaimed 'friend' of his would know what happened with Othinus.
Making his way to the lockers Touma frowned as he got out his textbooks and supplies. Murmurs filled the air, students talking to each other, some sending him a glance every so often. The air felt tense as if everyone was holding their breaths in anticipation.
"Did you hear about a new transfer student? I heard she threatened two of the students while she was at the teachers lounge" whispered a female student. "I also heard she looked European but with an attitude, a teacher even overheard her call them worthless mortals, what's that about?" asked a female student.
"Are you serious?" gasped her friend. "She sounds like trouble already, does she have some sort of god complex?". Touma heard as he passed by, before another set of voices entered his ear around the same time as them.
"Man did you see the legs on her, i didn't even realize her foot was near my face, before i tried tk grab her ass, that was some real martial arts, I'm not saying I'm a sub or anything but I wouldn't mind doing anything she told, plus the threat to break my bones sounded so seductive in her voice. "Said a male voice within a group of guys who seemed to be talking across the hall Touma was walking through.
"Damn you serious bro? A High class beauty and a fighter? She's definitely a keeper, maybe i should try again, she could possibly be a future level 5"
"Fat chance loser, you just want her to step on you and call you a mongrel"
For whatever reason, the more Touma overheard, the worse the feeling of disgust grew in the pit of his stomach. He wasn't sure what they were talking about, he couldn't help but feel like they were insulting him in some way. Which confused him, its not like the transfer student was someone he knew, lots of people had blond hair.
Although, he only knew two who had some form of god complex.
"That beautiful blonde hair along with that deadly glare and those hips, I thought she could definitely be an actress in a movie and play a goddess, maybe like Aphrodite or Ishtar!, her workout routine must be crazy to keep a body like that" said a female voice. "I would ask her for some work out tips, but her cold attitude kinda gives her a hard approach vibe"
"Yeah, I saw her come in with the PE teacher, I heard she even threatened the student council president, he literally shit his pants when she pinned him to the wall and called him a worthless piece of trash as she rammed him against the wall twice, I never thought I'd see that happen" said a female as a few gasps were heard.
"Damn who the hell does that girl think she is!? She just can't show up here, and think she owns the school, just because she's got looks and can handle herself, doesn't mean she's entitled to anything here, she should've stayed home" said a jealous female as Touma could hear the anger and jealousy in the girl's voice
"You're just mad because she has a better ass then you do, the things she could so with thighs like that you know any guy would love to see them in some stockings, plus with her tone of voice you know she's the demanding type"
"Shit she sounds like a natural dominatrix, she's like everything a sadist would want, I can see the whip in her hands already!" One of the other guys spoke up before his friend snapped at him in a hushed tone just beside him.
"Shut up dumbass degenerate, we get it! You want her to control you and tell you to eat dirt as she steps on your head, while she's grinning and laughing at you." His other friend rolled his eyes as he gave a snarky comment back at their pale, clearly putting him down.
Confused, Touma decided to continue to his classroom despite the conversations around him. A small frown, forming on his face, Transfer students? Didn't that only happen at the start of a semester? Not in the middle of one like right now… did the semester get restarted due to all the chaos?
Was his attendance saved!?
Suddenly exceedingly eager to find out, Touma rushed his way to his classroom and slammed open the door.
"Kami-yan! You're late! See the girlfriend on the way in and get all caught up?" Tsuchimikado called from his seat. The blond haired, hawaiian shirt wearing sunglasses spy was giving his usual grin. And speaking in the usual snarky tone, yet Touma couldn't help but notice the sweat rolling down his brow.
"Shut up Tsuchimikado, what do you mean Girlfriend? This Kamijou-san wishes he had a girlfriend. No he just woke up late and had to rush out the door, he was in the hospital for the past week remember?" Touma snapped back in an unusually aggressive manner as he went to sit down when he was confronted by Fukiyosie. A black haired girl with a big forehead, large chest who was a sucker for cheap 'home remedy' products.
"It's that kind of hopeless attitude that is the reason why you're so behind Kamijou! If you showed more initiative, maybe you'd pass the semester, but you blame everything on hospitals and misfortune." The girl huffed, nibbling on one of those shitty 'all in one' breads you see in online ads.
"Besides, you can't just assume every goddess is Kami-yan's girlfriend just because she happens to be an exotic beauty." The blue haired fake kansai accented Aogami beamed through closed eyes, leaning back in his chair as he smirked. "Ahh~ such an honor to be looked down in disgust by such a foreign beauty," he grabbed his cheeks in a disturbing manner causing Touma to feel sick.
"I keep hearing about this foreign beauty or whatever, but I thought we were in the middle of a semester. Don't transfer students only happen at the start of one?" Touma asked with a confused expression. "Why would we be getting transfer students now? Did the semester restart?" he asked with a hopeful look.
As if to answer his questions like an angelic messenger, the door opened as Komoe walked in. "Yes yes students, now then I have a few announcements to make before we begin class today." The short, pinked haired loli teacher stood on the podium as she placed her paperwork down. "As you all know, due to recent events the educational curriculum has been all over the place. Between World War three, GREMLIN and the Denmark manhunt, the overall averages have dropped significantly. So in light of this, the Board of directors have decided to restart the semester and give everyone a clean slate."
Touma's eyes widened and he began to smile, just about ready to cheer in excitement. The semester had been restarted which meant his attendance was cleared. He could actually pass the school year he could-
"Unfortunately, this does not apply to attendances as those are less about grades and more about individual performance. So I'm sorry if this is unfair to some of you," like a cruel demon, Komoe instantly crushed all of Touma's hopes.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Touma cried out as he collapsed to the desk getting stares from all around. "Suuuuch miisssforrrtuuuuune! How is this Kamijou-san meant to pass the year now? He's doomed, doomed he tells you!"
"Quiet you!" Fukiyousie gave him a smack on the head with her palm, "you're interrupting Komoe sensei."
Reluctantly Touma fell silent, grumbling as Komoe continued, "Ahem… as I was saying. The semester was restarted, and you all know what that means!" she gave a cutesy wink. "Transfer students!~ congratulations again boys, sorry kitties~ she's a girl. But don't get your hopes up, she's quite intense," she teasingly said, and now Touma realized Tsuchimikado was really sweating.
What could possibly be scaring that spy this much… who could scare him this much? A level five? Don't tell him he'd have to share a classroom with Mikoto of all people. Or that other one, Mugino, if half of what he had heard from Hamazura was true, that girl was a nightmare. And god forbid if it was Accelerator and he turned out to actually be a girl named Yuirko, he made that up damn it!
"You may come in!" Komoe said, giving a gesture to the door as it slid open.
Instantly, Touma's jaw dropped as his eyes widened in complete shock, disbelief, and confusion. Conflicting emotions overwhelmed his mind all at once as he tried to understand the scene before him. Striding over to the chalkboard, her golden locks fluttering behind her, leather eyepatch over her restored left eye. Wearing the uniform of his school, a single emerald eye giving a sly glance at Touma.
Was none other than the former magic god whom inspired the myths and legends of Odin, head of the norse pantheon.
One eyed Othinus herself.
Writing a name on the chalkboard, she turned to the class giving a bow as her cheek twitched ever so slightly. "I am Wothnaz Borrson, I… hope we can all get along nicely."