Chapter 4

Fighting Tooth and Nail

With Heimdall declaring the start of the first round , the audience members leaned forward in their seats with bated breath , eager to see which fighter would make the first move . However , neither Lenin nor Sobek moved a single muscle , staying in their original position , gazing intently at one another . Seemingly analyzing each other for any possible weaknesses .

Finally after what felt like an eternity , Sobek broke the silence , speaking in his booming voice , " Listen closely mortal , I am feeling merciful today , so I shall give you one chance to forfeit this match and run away from all of this with your tail between your legs . Your kind will lose this showdown in the end anyway , so go and spend the last few days of your life in comfort and peace before your inevitable demise . "

Lenin smirked at the Crocodile God's offer , " Very merciful of you Comrade Sobek , but unfortunately I will have to reject your kind offer , for I have no intention of losing this match , much less forfeit it . " He spoke with an Irish accent , a fact owing to his English tutor being Irish . His voice also held a high amount of charisma , the confidence in it alone eased some of the human audience's worries even just by a little .

Sobek leered at Lenin , " Is that so ? Yet you come here unarmed and in a simple suit , rather than armor . Whilst I have years of battle experiences and fought foes whose power far outstrips your own . You have sealed your fate, little morsel , I will crush your bones into POWDER and have you die by MY hands . "

With that , Sobek's feet pushed back against the arena floor , launching himself forward as he charged toward Lenin with his stave raised , ready to be brought down upon the politician .

In response , Lenin raised his left hand , pressing the strange disk on his chest . Immediately , armor plates shot out from within the disk , shifting and expanding over his body till every part of him except his forehead and face were covered . Lenin now wore a armor set similar to one a medieval knight would wear , except more sleek and streamlined . He sported pauldrons on his shoulders , breastplates and greaves , all in a bright crimson colour with golden highlights . With a spin of his hands , a golden hammer appeared in his right , and a sickle in his left . the symbols of the Soviet flag .

No sooner had the process finished , Sobek was nearly upon Lenin , bringing his weapon down to strike the man's head off his shoulders , Lenin quickly reacted by jumping backwards , moving just out of the stave's range as it impacted the arena floor , leaving a sizable crater in it . Taking the opportunity , Lenin countered by swinging his hammer straight into Sobek's face whilst he was distracted , the tool made contact with the right side of Sobek's face with a mighty " WHAM ! " sending the god reeling backwards from the impact , almost toppling over . However , at the last moment , he caught himself , regaining his balance by planting his stave into the ground to support himself

Sobek grunted as he wiped the trickle of blood dripping down his mouth , gazing upwards at the gods in the audience , gauging their reaction . Before looking back at Lenin with a furious look , pointing his stave at Lenin , " Well well , so that's your Divine Weapon huh ? a suit of armor , as well as some building and farming tools ? No matter , you fall just the SAME ! " And with that he charged towards Lenin once again , unleashing a barrage of strikes and blows with his stave upon the man . Lenin quickly began using his weapons to counter each of Sobek's attacks . Now equipped with his suit , he was equally matched with Sobek in both speed and strength; great metallic clangs could be heard each time their weapons met as they danced around the center of the arena . Both fighters scanned their opponent for any opening or signs of weakness to capitalize on .

" AMAZING ! Lenin is matching Lord Sobek blow for blow ! The Crocodile God hasn't been able to lay a SINGLE finger on him ! Who would have thought that a frail looking Politician would be able to go head to head with the dreaded Beast God of the Duat ?! " Heimdall yelled over the noise . Meanwhile , the humans in the audience began cheering , their doubts about Lenin acting as their vanguard now put to rest , as he matched Sobek blow for blow ,

" YEAH ! LETS GO LENIN ! "

" KICK THAT GOD'S ASS ! "

" There's no way we're losing THIS round ! "

Lenin grinned at Sobek , whose face had now contorted to one of frustration and fury , due to Lenin continuously parrying each of his blows . " What's the matter, Comrade Sobek ? Didnt you say you would crush my bones into powder ? Yet here I still stand . As fine as I was at the START of the match ! "

At this taunt , the Crocodile God's breath became heavier , his eyes were bloodshot and his anger just barely contained . In his rage , the crocodile god grew careless , his blows focused more on damage than it did accuracy . It did not help that every so often , Sobek would distractedly glance upwards at the gods in the audience , trying to see how they were reacting to the fight . Their reaction in question , were still looks of fear and awe , both amazed and scared by the display of power put on by the two combatants

Noticing this , Lenin decided to play this in his favor , as their weapons clashed together once more , he deliberately took a step backwards after the heavy impact had pushed them both slightly away from each other , his weapons and guard lowered . Taking this act as a sign of weakness , Sobek let out a triumphant roar , this time raising his stave over his right shoulder , and with all his might bringing it down upon Lenin in a swinging arc .

" SAVAGE MAW ! "

" WHAT'S THIS ? Lenin seems to be retreating ! And Sobek seems to be making full use of this , he's about to CAVE Lenin's skull in with his weapon ! " Heimdall shouted at the top of his lungs .

However , quick as a flash , Lenin turned the sickle in his left hand upside down , its curved tip facing outwards . Before just as quickly bringing his blade back upwards . right towards Sobek's now exposed underbelly !

" REBELLIOUS CYCLE ! "

The tip of the sickle hit Sobek's underbelly , and with a grunt of effort , Lenin quickly dragged the blade upwards . Hoping to cut the god wide open . This seemed like it was the end ! Was the first round of Ragnarok No. 2 already concluded ?

Not quite ,

As Lenin tried to drag his blade across Sobek's underbelly , he realized with a start his blade had in fact not fully cut into Sobek's flesh ! Rather , the blade had pierced the spot it had first contacted , before harmlessly sliding off the god's skin . How could this be ? He had purposely waited till Sobek had fully exposed his much softer underbelly before going for such a risky move . Why didn't his blade strike true ?

There was no time to think now though , Lenin quickly jerked his body to the side , just as Sobek's stave barely missed his head and struck his shoulder instead , enough to send him flying straight into one of the arena's walls " BAM ! "

" WHAT A TWIST ! Lenin PRETENDED to retreat to lure Sobek into a FALSE sense of security ! Before jumping RIGHT back in with a VICIOUS counterattack ! But in yet ANOTHER turn of events , his attack has seemed to have little to NO effect ! And that seems to have given Lord Sobek the chance to FINALLY land a hit on the Father of Communism ! " With how quickly the events had played out , Heimdall was only just able to give commentary on what had happened .

As the dust cleared , Sobek was seen cupping his wound in the area where Lenin had managed to strike him , trying to stem the bleeding . The cut was not as deep as he had thought , but it still pained him and blood slowly leaked from it , turning his hand red . Meanwhile , Lenin lay on the floor of the arena , dazed . But slowly and surely , he was managing to get up back to his feet .

Humanity gasped seeing their fighter struggling , just a moment ago they thought that they were so close to victory , yet the tables had turned on them once again .Meanwhile , the gods murmured approvingly of Sobek's strength and skill . Which curiously , seemed to snap the god out of his bloodthirsty mood . Huffing and puffing , Sobek glanced up to see some of the gods even applauding at him , which made his reptilian mouth twist, resembling somewhat like a smile .

His attention quickly snapped back towards pained groaning , as Lenin finally stood once again on his two feet , inspecting his left shoulder where he was hit , fortunately he could still feel and move it , though it felt a little bruised . His pauldron had taken most of the damage for him and was now badly dented and cracked .

" Not bad human , you're a pretty good fighter , not to mention a quick thinking strategist . Too bad you're just not on my level yet . Sobek taunted , Lenin coughed , spitting out some blood , " It was your sweat wasn't it Comrade Sobek ? " He asked , ignoring the gods' taunts . " The water that you produce , it protected you from my blade somehow , that's why my blade didn't manage to wound you as badly as I hoped . "

Sobek sneered , " Indeed human , My " SHIELD OF THE NILE " allows me to resist more attacks and blows than any other god in Heaven . The more precise and focused your attack is , the easier it is for my Shield of the Nile to minimize the damage . "

" I see , " replied Lenin , " So by focusing the tip of my sickle at that one precise spot on your underbelly , I inadvertently allowed you to maximise your shield's defensive capabilities to the fullest yes ? " Sobek smugly nodded as his reply .

At this revelation , Göll and Pandora gasped in horror , " This is BAD ! Pandora said , '' So you're telling me that Lenin's ONLY way of damaging Sobek is to make his attacks as BROAD and UNFOCUSED as he can ? How is he supposed to win like that ? ''

Prometheus scratched his chin thoughtfully , " Fear not young Pandora , Lenin's sickle is not his only weapon . He still has his hammer , and that dealt a fair bit of damage to Sobek during the start , probably due to its larger surface area , which means his attacks with it are much broader and won't be as hindered by Sobek's shield as the sickle . And besides, I'm quite sure those two weapons were not his ONLY way of attacking . "

At this remark Göll and Pandora both looked at Prometheus confused , " Not his only way of attacking , what do you mean Lord Prometheus ? " Göll asked

( Flashback )

Hallway of the Einherjar waiting rooms

Göll and Pandora followed Prometheus through the hallway of the waiting rooms , struggling to keep up with his fast pace . Before the Titan finally stopped in front of one of the rooms . Struggling to catch her breath , with her hands on her knees , Göll glanced up at the doors of the room to see what kind of person their first Fighter would be , in front of them was a simple wooden 20th century door , which Prometheus wasted no time knocking on it before entering .

Inside was a quaint and humble study area, a large shelf filled with books on one side , and a work desk filled with papers and documents in front of a cozy fireplace . Seated behind the desk writing in a leather bound book , was Lenin , who immediately stopped his work and looked up at the trio who had just entered his room . Göll and Pandora both raised an eyebrow seeing him , wondering why Prometheus had chosen such a frail looking person to be mankind's vanguard .

" Greetings Comrade Lenin , I have decided that you shall be the first of our combatants to participate in the first round of Ragnarok . You may consult young Pandora here about acquiring your Divine Weapon if you are willing to go . " Prometheus said , placing a firm hand on Pandora's shoulder

Lenin smiled , " Of course I am much obliged to go forth and do battle , Comrade Prometheus . Honored even , that you would pick a man such as myself to lead the rest of our fighters into the showdown against the gods . "

" That is excellent to hear Comrade Lenin . Now , please come over here and put your hand into the jar that Ms Pandora is holding in her hands , it's time to equip you with the necessary tools for the upcoming battle "

Getting up and walking over to the trio , Lenin politely nodded at Pandora and Göll , greeting them politely in turn , before reaching into the pithos and pulling out the crimson disk . Confused , all of them stared at it for a moment or too , before Lenin had the unexpected urge to put it on his chest and press it . After which , he found himself now dressed in red armor , with a sickle and hammer in his hands .

Lenin eyed his new suit in awe and wonder , with the armor on , his joints no longer ached , and his reflexes were better than they had ever been in his whole life , twirling his new weapons with ease , he said " I have not felt so MUCH energy at ALL in my whole life ! And such beautiful weapons . The things your jar can create are of a MOST wondrous quality , Comrade Pandora . " Pandora blushed at Lenin's comment and let out a small , " Thanks . "

Prometheus chuckled at Lenin's enthusiasm , " That's good to hear Comrade Lenin , now please excuse us , we have other things to prepare , and you should make use of the time between now and the first match to practice with your new weapons . " He said while ushering Göll and Pandora out , before he closed the door behind him , he quickly addressed Lenin once more , " Oh Comrade Lenin , one last word of advice , the jar creates Divine Weapons that best suit you as a person . So whilst practicing , I would advise you try and see if your armor has any hidden functions or abilities that may come in handy . But regardless , I wish you the best of luck ! " After which Prometheus shut the door behind him and left with his two companions .

His curiosity piqued , Lenin glanced down at his armor for a moment , inspecting it for any secret buttons or switches , before shrugging and making his way to a training room to practice with his new weapon .

( End of Flashback )

Up in the VIP section , Huitzilopochtli was cheering , " YEAH ! WHOO ! Sobek has got this in the BAG ! That politician proved to be quite an unexpected fighter with those two tools in his hand , but with Sobek's Shield of the Nile , He might as well be carrying a DEAD WEIGHT in his left hand ! "

Amaterasu turned to Ra , " So Lord Ra , it seems that you may put your fears to rest , that Titan and his human stooge doesn't seem to have any more tricks up their sleeves besides that fancy armor set. I say that the first round is well and truly ours for the taking . "

Ra, who had been observing Prometheus's face the whole time , scoffed and leaned back onto his throne , " Indeed , perhaps I have given that fool too much credit than he truly deserves . Sobek will crush that human under his foot . "

Back in the battlefield , Lenin chuckled slightly , " An interesting strategy Comrade Sobek , with your shield limiting your opponents offensive options , you are able to more freely attack them without fear of retaliation . Yet …. " He paused .

" Yet what human ? Spit it out . " Sobek growled .

" No , no , it's nothing important , " Lenin replied , " I just couldn't help but notice that the Beast God of the Duat seemed DISTRACTED during our first bout . But I'm sure that was nothing, yes ? "

Sobek growled defensively , " I was not distracted by ANYTHING human ! I may have underestimated you TWICE before , but this time you will NOT be so lucky ! "

As the two fighters finished their exchange , Lenin and the audience noticed that Sobek's sweat had completely filled up the moat surrounding the arena's perimeter , and had now come up to the combatants feet . It didn't take them long to figure out that if the match dragged on for too long . The high water levels would undoubtedly give Sobek an advantage with him being the God of Rivers , Lenin would have to find a way to end the battle quickly if he wanted any chance to win .

Sobek smiled as he saw the rising water levels , He then dipped his stave's end in the water , and then began to spin it around with his two hands . Soon the stave was now a blurry spinning circle , which Sobek was moving around himself , causing a rainbow to appear from the sunlight passing through the mist generated by the droplets of water flying off his moving weapon .

While still spinning his weapon and churning up the water , Sobek began to approach Lenin , walking at a slow pace , but somehow the churned up water seemed to push him closer and closer to Lenin , as if the current itself was on Sobek's side . On the other side , Lenin began trying to move out of the way to dodge Sobek's incoming attack , but for him , the river current seemed to be working against . For every two steps he made , the choppy water seemed to push him back by one step . Now left with no choice but to face the approaching god , Lenin raised his two weapons defensively above his chest , awaiting to engage in another round with the Crocodile God .

" WHAT'S THIS ? Sobek is making a move towards Lenin once again ! And the presence of the rising water level has only seemed to grant him even MORE of an advantage than before ! The Crocodile God is walking at an INCREDIBLE pace towards Lenin thanks to the moving water currents , whilst the Father of Communism is seemingly held in place by the very SAME currents ! " came Heimdall's commentary , the Watchman of the Apocalypse was now riding in a tiny little fishing boat to avoid getting drenched by the water .

The gods began cheering as they realised what Sobek was about to do . This was the god's signature move which he used in combat that earned him such a feared reputation . A move that when used in the right environment , could not only deal massive amounts of damage to the one on the receiving end , but also hold them in place , to ensure maximum damage was dealt .

Sobek grinned as he heard the cheers of his fellow gods , knowing that his stave had now reached maximum velocity . He let go of it and let it fly straight towards Lenin at dizzying speed . Lenin meanwhile , held his arms out , crossed his weapons over each other and closing his eyes , bracing for impact .

" UNSTOPPABLE CURRENT OF THE NILE ! "

With a mighty " CRASH ! " The full force of the heavy stave slammed straight into Lenin's own two weapons , forcing his arms to separate from their raised position . Even more shocking , was that due to the sheer force of that attack , Lenin's sickle now had a cobweb of cracks and chips across its blade . It barely held itself together for another second or two , before its blade broke apart into countless pieces .

From his boat , Heimdall yelled , " OH MY GOODNESS ! The sheer power from Sobek's attack has DESTROYED one of Lenin's Divine Weapons ! Lenin will now have to face the wrath of Sobek with JUST his hammer ! Things are not looking too good for mankind ! "

Meanwhile , Humanity were at a loss , with just one attack this god was able to shatter their fighter's weapon , were they really going to lose the first round ? Up on the stands , Göll and Pandora were in shock , " What WAS that move ? How was Sobek able to destroy Lenin's Divine Weapon with just one hit ? His power levels must be INSANE ! " Göll yelped .

Prometheus gritted his teeth , " That attack is an interesting one , whilst spinning his stave in the water , Sobek is able to control how the current flows , using it to propel himself foward towards his enemy , as well as limiting their movements , so that his attack , already boosted by the increased kinetic energy of him spinning it , can inflict maximum damage . It is an attack as unstoppable as the flow of the river Nile . Hence its name . "

Seeing how worried the two girls were though , the Titan quickly added , " Though , if Sobek is pulling out this move so soon , it means that Lenin must really be pushing him into a corner . And such a powerful attack will take time before even the strongest gods like Sobek can use it again , So I am confident that we still can win this round my friends . " As he said this , he glanced upwards to glare at Ra , who at the moment was looking downwards at the arena with a smug smile on his face .

Both fighters had now gotten back into their fighting stances , Lenin grimaced at the sight of his broken sickle , but quickly recovered . Instead , he now held his hammer with both of his hands . Raising it behind his shoulder , ready to engage in combat once again . Sobek eyes focused on Lenin's weaker , now more vulnerable left side . Whilst Lenin instinctively placed his right foot forward , so as to guard his injured left . whilst studying Sobek's face intently . He had a theory about the Crocodile God , and whether or not this theory was correct could give him the edge to win in their battle .

" It looks like both of our fighters have gotten back on their feet and are ready for round 2 ! Will the Beast God of the Duat win the match with both his mighty offensive and defensive capabilities ? Or will the Father of Communism snatch victory from the jaws of defeat ? " Heimdall's commentary broke the silence , as Lenin and Sobek narrowed their eyes at one another before charging once again at each other , both knowing that this battle was far from over .

Damn , writing the fighting scenes are a much harder challenge than i thought , really hope that you guys like how it turned out since this is my first attempt at one of these . I will try to keep each round at most 5 chapters long ? Hopefully that will be enough to make the fight actually entertaining without taking up too much time and chapters .