Moscow! A jewel of the East. A true Third Rome, that even the great Constantine would be proud of, the city that was made to rival both Eternal City and the Queen of the Cities. Through the long history of Moscow, it was a site of many events that turned around the course of history. And even now, in the time of relative peace, it still sending silent but powerful signals that it will again, if need be, show its power and defend its lands like how it always been. Though the show off force that is currently underway is truly a mighty host, but it is a grain of sand in the sea of it.
It was a time of the Grand Parade, a show of force and a reminder, as well as a promise to all, that if need be there will be hell to pay and the day of reckoning would commence if they felt threatened. Though to anyone who even have a bit of magic in them, could almost immediately tell that even though the weapon and rows upon rows of equipment, and men was the least of everyone's worries since the true power of the Slavic faction was about to be shown and Issei and his party could barely take even a wimp of breath, as the magic was so terrifying and so powerful that what they've felt was nothing compared to this.
And just as expected, they saw what made that powerful, overwhelming presence. Since after the regular army of Slavic nations marched forward, it was time for the true power to be shown and as the Heroes, war-leaders and demigods made their presence known and the people of Moscow and other Slavic nations cheered, one individual could be seen flanked by a squadron of well-equipped bodyguards, all in gray uniforms as they all lined up behind the individual who had jet black hair, golden eyes and looked no more than 40 years old, he was also wearing a similar uniform like the troops behind him. But while the appearance could fool anyone, those who felt the man's power knew better than to underestimate him, as it would be the last thing they knew and the bodyguards also presented their power that was just below the man in front of them. But still enough for others to know that is better not to mess with them if you value your life. And as Issei learned a bit later, those troops were the legendry "Iron Regiment" of the 1st call, 2nd Morava Division who were all battle veterans of the 1st World War. And were given a new life after they died by God Vido as his palace guard, since he was so impressed by their bravery and intellect that he gave them a second life and had them train in magic so that they could be even more formidable.
As the man and his bodyguard approach, the center part of the Red Square where a huge stand for guests and other high-ranking individuals and the friends of honor were seated. The man stopped and as one with his unit turned on their heels and bowed in front of a bit higher stand, that from Issei could tell, was the place where all the Slavic Gods and a few from other mythologies were seated.
As the bowed man awaited for something, Issei saw an older man, in his 50s, stood up before slowly started clapping his hands which was followed with everyone else doing the same gesture before it turned in a full-blown roar of approval from the crowd that was heard for miles.
It took a few minutes for the cheers to quiet down, and in those minutes, no one, not even the Gods wanted it to be anything but cheers, they added in the cheering as they all shouted the names of the units that were already shown and wanted to present themselves again to the eager crowd. Which the soldiers did with smiles on their faces, as the square began again to be filled with them, Issei and others could see a clear difference between the troops from the West, East and South with great pride in front of the stands with their war flags on full display.
From the stands that housed the guests, an older man stood up, who looked even older than Odin, dark hair with golden eyes and long white beard that was reaching the floor. As soon as he stood up, all the armies of the Slavic nations stood at attention, clearly and eagerly awaiting the response and the approval of the older man that clearly held a lot of power and was a person of huge importance and influence.
"My children, you made me very proud to be able to see this. You made what I thought was impossible, but you managed to do that. Every year, for the past few thousand years I've seen a lot of my children come and go, and every time a parade was organized I thought, "the last time was perfect and I don't know if they could make it even more splendid", but every time you, my children, managed to destroy that boundary and push the boundaries even higher and higher. For that, I thank you from the bottom of my heart and as long as I live and have even an ounce of power in me, I will do everything in my power to keep and protect you." The older man said in a soft and fatherly tone as he watches the troops and even the Gods having hard time keeping up their emotions, as they saw the older man have a few tears going down his face as he surveyed the troops that were beyond loyal to him and his sons and he knew that every one of them would gladly die if it meant that those they love and cherish will survive.
"For that, I am proud beyond belief, and with honor and with pride I can with utmost certainly say that this year parade was executed with utmost perfection and that the mission was a success, my children!" The older man spoke with a voice full of pride and power and as soon as he said those words the soldiers all lifted their banners even higher and from their mouths, one word was kept repeating URAAA!
The cheer was so loud that a few had to wince, but they kept listening to the battle cry as it was repeated a few times before it died down, as the man beside the elder stood up.
"Brothers, proud sons of the Slavic lands, you all had done a huge honor of coming and participating in this year parade. As such I wish to call upon generals of the three. Please come forward sons of the Slavs, and present yourself to the people here that came to see this masterpiece, the troops who all band together to make this art and to us honored Gods and guests that had the privilege to see your creation that was all inspiring." The God that spoke in a calm and welcoming voice was a man in his 30's and had a golden tunic that looked like it was made from a creature of great importance and power as it fur was enough to make anyone cringe in fright, the man also had long white hair and blue as ocean deep eyes he was a huge man towering almost 2m in height.
From the troops, stood up 3 warriors, all of whom looked as old as the man that spoke. The three warriors, from what Issei presume, where the elite of the elite and if what the man said were generals, it could only mean that they were a part of the elite bodyguard units that Elsha spoke off in extremely honored tone, as she was the one that had a privilege to be trained by them and got to know that by heart. Even going as far as calling them like they were her family.
The first one to step forward was a man clad in silver armor that had white wings on his back, and from what Issei heard from Lucy, those wings were from a Wind Dragon and that alone spoke volume of the power that the man who stood in front had. The man also held a sword that looked like it was made from gold and in the shape of Falcata, with a griffon head at the handguard.
"My Lords, I, John III Sobieski, present myself to you. I'm a military leader of the South district of the Wester Slavic land. General and leader of the Elite Wing Hussars 1st Regiment "Dragon Slayers of Sky!". I am extremely honored to receive your praises and gratitude from the people here today. It fills my heart with joy to hear them and you, my lieges, that you're enjoying the festivity." The man named John said as he bowed in front of the Slavic Gods, who nodded their heads before the man took off his helmet and revealed his face that looked no more than in his 40's, with his white hair and silver eyes that looked like it could see in person soul and find anything it wanted.
The next one to step forward was a man clad in Golden wool, that like the man before, told of his power and the large battle-ax that was strapped on his back radiated so much power that it made Issei and his group cringe, as they felt the power from it. The man was as tall as his comrade, a good almost 2m, and his gold hair and black eyes made Issei shiver even more than the battle-ax he had. As the warrior stood beside his comrade, he also bowed down before introducing himself to all present.
"My Lord, Gods and honored guests and the people of the Slavic Nations. I, Aleksandar Nevski, present myself to you all. I'm the military leader of the East Slav Nations, general and leader of the Elite Perun's 1st Guard Regiment "Golden Bears!". I am grateful to have the chance to be here and organize this event with my fellow generals, and it was an even greater honor to be in the presence of these world-class troops and in front of this amazing crowd." Aleksandar said in a respectable voice as he stood up and made his way towards his colleague.
The last one to make his way towards the stands was a man that was taller than both previous generals. He was a man that was easy over 2m in height and was cladded in blood-red armor that made Issei, for a moment, think that it was his balance-breaker armor. But as he looked closer, it was a bit different and a lot deadlier. The man stood beside his fellow generals, bowed a bit towards the 2, who returned the gesture, before he turned towards the Gods and kneeled in front of them before taking his helmet, revealing his long brown hair and blood-red eyes that sent a shiver down Issei's body.
"People of the Slavs, dear troops of the Slavic faction, fellow generals, honored Gods of the mighty Slavic Lands. I, Milos Obilic, the leader of the South Slavic Elite 1st Order of the Red Dragon "Swords of Vido!", am honored to be here in front of you all today. And, I'm grateful that we've managed to exceed your expectations, Old Father of the Slavs. In the name of the Troops from all parts of your Kingdom, from young to old, I wish to say that we are thankful that you bestow the honors of taking part in this magnificent festival and all we can say that we will make the next year's even more exciting and magnificent than this. That is the promise we the Generals of the Three and Warlords of your mighty Armies promise to you!" Milos said in a respected tone as he stood up before he and his brothers in arms turn towards the troops and in shouted towards them.
"Long live, Heroes!"
And the troops all like one answered them.
"LONG LIVE OUR LORD TRIGLAV! LONG LIVE THE FATHERLAND!"
With that shout, the Great Military Parade was over.
XXXX
The day after the parade turned to be like any other to the Gods, even though they were still discussing about the small details from it and how to improve it even more, in the great chamber at the Kremlin castle, the three Gods and their generals were talking about some delicate subjects all under the watchful eyes of their father Triglav, who was sitting on the throne that was for the God of the East, but under the pressure from his sons and their generals, he was "forcefully" put in the seat even after claiming that this was not his place of power which they said that it was an honorary thing to do to let the elder sit in the comfiest seat in the room. When the doors of the room opened, a guard from Nevski's regiment entered the room.
"My lords, Generals, Old Father. I came to inform you that Red Dragon Emperor and his escort are here, and they request an audience with you all." The guard said in a calm and even tone.
"Hmm...I see, well what do you think brothers? Should we stop this now and discuss it a bit later? I did receive word from Odin that the Red Dragon Emperor was coming. And from what Nevski said, he was already at your place brother looking for you. Might as well see what he has to say." Perun said as he looked at everyone in the room who nodded their heads seemingly trying to take a break from whatever they were talking about. Before Perun turned towards his father, who looks at him in the eyes.
"Like I said time and time again. You three are the leaders now. I'm nothing more than a guest here my son, no matter which part of the lands I visit. So, it is your decision since this is your land." The old man said earning a chuckle from the others.
"Very well, Pavlov do tell the Red Dragon Emperor and his escort to enter. They have permission." Perun said to the guard, who bowed before exiting the room, after which he ordered some Vodka, Rakia and a few natural drinks for his guests from the maids that serve them, as he remembered that they well still all teens so it would be unhealthy to give the strong stuff just yet.
As the door of the chamber opened again, all present inside turned to see Pavlov entering the room, closely followed by a brown-haired boy and a few girls that looked beautiful, even to Slavic high standards of beauty. The closer they got towards them, the residents could fell Dragon aura coming from the boy in large waves, though that just made things easier for them to know with who they would talk. The moment they were in front of the Gods, the brown-haired boy's arm glowed bright red, before the booster gear appeared intriguing the Gods and the Generals even more. Though that was only for a moment before their eyes went wide when they heard a voice, they were sure they would never hear again.
"Old Father, Uncles!" Eisha's voice was heard as the Gods and generals and the visiting group stood in shock, as Booster Gear shined even brightly before Elsha stood in front of them with a huge smile on her face as she ran over to them and hugged the shell shocked people, who just stared at her like they saw some miracle.
"E-El-Esha!" Nevski said with shock, as he looked at the woman that now stood in front of them, a huge smile shown and a small tear going down her cheek.
"Yup Uncle Nevski it's me. In the flesh, well partly in the flesh." Elsha said as slowly everyone returned to the reality of the situation before them.
"B-But how? We saw you die in that battle at the Fallen Gates when we fought those wretched Norscans. How are you here?" Milos said in shock as he looked at her, before turning towards the young boy who was looking at Elsha with a confused look on his face before he figured out why his niece was here and why the group came. "Now I get it, Booster Gear saved your soul, that is why you are able to be here isn't it?"
"Yes, though I think it's time to introduce yourself darling Issei." Elsha said cheerfully which made everyone raise their eyebrows at her way of talking,
Seeing as this was the best time to do what he was told, Issei stepped forward before bowing in respect. "My name is Issei Hyoudou, current Red Dragon Emperor, with me here present are Lucy Lucifuge, the sister of Grayfia Lucifuge-Gremory and the heiress of the Lucifuge Clan, Murayama and Katase, the kendo masters, Cassie Lockhart a swordswoman that was excommunicated from the Vatican church because she learned a forbidden knowledge, Chelsea Dalton an assassin that is now my ally, and Arnett McMillan a Valkyrie that came here with us as bodyguard, along with her comrade Asuna, who is now currently with Kirito." Issei said as he introduced his escort while the girls bowed down in respect towards the Gods and Generals. While John chuckled, a bit knowing full well about their relationship and why Asuna wasn't present.
"I see, well why don't you take a seat, I heard from Odin that you came to him first with 2 things, it will be interesting to hear them from your mouth young man. I'm God Perun, the leader of the East. I'm sure you already saw my Bodyguard Aleksandar Nevski in the parade." Perun said as he took the seat beside his throne, which was still occupied by his father.
"Well since we are introducing, I'm God Veles, Ruler of the West, and I heard that you been to my part of the Land, I'm sorry that I couldn't welcome you there, but this will have to do. And I'm sure you already know who this fine fellow behind me is." Veles said in a friendly tone as he pointed towards John, who nodded his head towards them.
Though this was the first time Issei saw Veles, and he could already tell that the man in front of him was unlike his other fellow gods, a bit leaner and looked like he was more of a caster type then a warrior, unlike his fellow brothers. Though he didn't doubt that should need be, the man who was slowly taking his seat, would let all hell loose and leave a bloody mess with ease. Veles was also a man that if you look at him, would pass as a pretty normal person if not for his icily blue eyes that gave him away.
Though the last of the mighty 3 was the most shocking to them all. The last one has age appearance like Issei and his group, around 17 years old and was a bit taller than Issei, though what set him apart was blood red hair and silver eyes that were terrifying to look at, and dear deity help anyone that those eyes look with anger or rage. That was how terrified they look, but other than those 2 features that stood up the most, the God in front of them could easily pass as a student by any means and no one would question it.
"My name is God Vido, the Ruler of the South. It's a pleasure to meet you all, and this man in armor is my Capitan of my guard Milos Obilic." Vido said in a cheerful voice while having a smile on his face that was sending chills down the group's side even more. Though the only one not affected was Elsha, who was laughing at fright indicated Issei and his group.
Though before Issei and his group could feel even more scared, the oldest of the present decided it was only fair that the young know about him and to direct their thoughts out of the gutter. So, with a cough, he introduced himself.
"Well before you younglings get too scared of my youngest son, here it's only fitting to you all that I introduce myself to you. My name is Triglav the Old Father of the Slavs." Triglav said as he looked at Elsha before calling her over and hugging her tightly.
"My daughter, it's been way too long since I saw you last. You are as beautiful as I remember. Though why is it that everywhere we've looked we couldn't find you? Not in the Norse Valhalla nor Veles could find you in Prav. So, my child, could you tell this old man how you are here now?" Triglav asked in a fatherly tone while Elsha looked like a small child that was scolded for doing something that was forbidden.
While the site was amusing to all, except Elsha, she couldn't say anything or looked in Triglav's eyes, looked at her accusingly and with calm waited for her answer. Seeing that Lucy decided to help the Red Dragon Empress before she could embarrass herself even more.
"God Triglav if I may?" Lucy asked which made Triglav look at her before giving her the go-ahead. As his attention turned toward the young heiress which gave Elsha a chance to breathe.
"Issei meet Elsha in his Sacred Gear after his fight with a member of the Phoenix clan. From there we discovered that her Soul was split in two. One part was in the Gear while the other was in the weapon that was tailor-made for her. That is also one of the reasons why we come here." Lucy said in a regal and tone while showing respect towards the God's and the warriors in the room.
After hearing the explanation, Triglav looked at his young son for a second, before nodding his head towards him. And Vido didn't need to be told what his father wanted and with a quick look toward Milos, who just activated his magic and teleported away, before he returned a few moments later with a box that was full of Slavic magic protection.
"Before we see if what you say is true, we would need to see if you are worthy of getting this weapon. Even with Elsha here, we can't just give you this without knowing your worth Red Dragon Emperor." Vido said seriously, all his playful expression and cheerful voice disappearing and turning into a deadly serious one, his eyes showing power and knowledge of a seasoned warrior who waged war for centuries.
"Even though we are in my land and Elsha was my captain of the guard. On this subject, I don't have any power or authority. The weapon was made in Vido's realm and it was his blacksmiths and mages that made it, so it is he who can decide if you are worthy of it." Perun said in advance, as he knew that even if he wanted to help Elsha and others, there were a few things that even his father, Veles, or even him couldn't do and that was to put their noses in things that weren't theirs.
"Though before that. I suggest you tell us all what is the 2nd reason for your visit. Please relax and have a drink and some food, it is only natural that some things would be done while having a feast and a few drinks to let the nerves relax. Don't you agree to brother Vido?" Perun said as he looked at his brother who nodded his head and took a glass of Rakia and down it in one go.
"You are right brother. The task for the weapon would be discussed later. Now we have a celebration of successful parared to have." Vido said in a with a smile as he told Elsha to seat down with him and to take the few drinks.
Done.
A/N: Sorry guys for this long wait. I was having a writer's block and wasn't in a mood to write at all. Though I'm hopefully back.
Now I know that this chapter doesn't show much, but be patient it will all soon turn to chaos and that I mean literally hehe...Expect some surprises soon.