"You ready?" I heard Okita asked as I continued to take deep breaths, giving a thumbs up as I took a final deep breath and opened my eyes.
"Yep, Gram just needed to be calmed down." I spoke with a smirk as I picked up Gram from my lap before clipping it to my side, placing my hand on its hilt to calm its indignation.
"Good, because the gods are getting restless and I'm pretty sure Thor wants to come get you just because he wants to fight you." Okita said with a smirk, to which I just rolled my eyes as I stood up and followed him out.
"Surtr, Beowulf and I are going to be seated in the VIP box with the gods, so the moment something goes wrong, they're going to distract them while I try and save you as quickly as I can."
"Hah! You'd be happy if I left you some scraps." I responded as I rolled my neck, Okita just snorting as he gave me a pat on the back as I watched him walking down the tunnel before taking a deep breath as I kept going down the hallway.
"Hey! You're Isaiah Azathoth, right?!" I blinked at the hyper female voice and turned before raising an eyebrow at the rather human-looking petite Grim Reaper looking back at me with a wide grin while bouncing from foot to foot.
'A human-like Grim Reaper in the Underworld that looked like a gothic version of Koneko. Hmm, wasn't there someone like that in the novels?'
"Yes, that is me. Who are you?"
"Bennia! Bennia Orcus, daughter of the Grim Reaper Orcus."
"Ah, you're the daughter he spoke of?" I said with an amused smile as I tried and failed to get any information from her in the memories of my past life, cursing the fact that I didn't pay as close attention to the minor details of the novels as I did to the bigger problems.
"Wait, Dad already told you about me?" She asked in surprise, to which I chuckled and nodded.
"Yep, he said that you were going to be eccentric and a fan, but I guess he must have underestimated how much of a fan." She just blinked at that before groaning with a blush as I smirked.
"Come on, let's walk and talk since I got an appointment to get to."
"The fight with Pluto, right?" She said and I nodded as I turned and started walking, glancing to see her skipping along with me while cradling a rather big scythe to her side.
"You think you can beat him?" She asked, to which I looked at her with a raised eyebrow before answering.
"Depends. How strong is he compared to you?"
"Oh, so much more stronger. He's a Minor God-Class Grim Reaper and Hades' closest confidant. Not to mention, he is probably the most skilled of all the Grim Reapers with his Soul Slash."
"Hmm, so I actually have to try with this one?" I muttered out loud before chuckling at her surprised look.
"You thought I would be scared by that? I've fought against beings far stronger than he is and Minor God-Class, while tough, is not as tough as the beings that I've struggled with. Besides, I actually get to fight all-out now so why wouldn't I be excited for this?" I said with a shrug, to which she just stared at me before shaking her head.
"Hey, it's your funeral. Oh, here's your stop. Before you go, could you…sign this?" She asked as she held out her scythe along with some kind of marker, to which I blinked before shrugging as I took the marker & quickly signed my signature near the top of her scythe where the blade & staff met.
"Actually, how are you a fan of me? I don't think I've made any TV shows, movies or songs if I'm remembering correctly."
"You kidding me? The tale of Isaiah Azathoth, the reincarnated devil that became one of the strongest men in the Underworld before his 18th birthday, is a tale everyone in the supernatural world knows about. You didn't help it when you unleashed your full aura a few years ago and declared war on every strong being in existence."
"…Excuse me, I did what?"
'Note to self: Releasing my aura at Buddha's palace has left to some tough work for me.' I thought to myself with a sigh as I stood in the middle of a large coliseum floor, Orcus standing to the side of me while Grim Reapers were sat in the seats of the coliseum.
The eerie silence left me a bit unsettled, but it was thankfully broken now and again by Thor either cheering for battle at the top of his lungs or whining that the fight hasn't started yet.
"Despite what happens, do know that I respect you and the image that you've crafted to inspire all of the reincarnated devils, sir Isaiah." Orcus' words cut through my thoughts and I smiled as I shrugged.
"Like I told Bennia, I didn't do anything of the sort. I just lived my life how I wanted to."
"Ah, so you've met her, then?" He asked and I chuckled as I nodded before looking back up as I heard footsteps drawing closer.
"So you've actually shown up? I suppose I should be impressed by your bravery, idiotic as it may be."
"Funny, I was going to say the same to you. It's not every day that Hades sacrifices a Grim Reaper for entertainment." I taunted with a smirk, watching the rage burning behind his eyes before I turned to the amused yet concerned Orcus.
"Now would be a good time for you to get away from here. I have a feeling he's not going to wait long." I said, to which the Grim Reaper just nodded as he teleported away just in time for Pluto to disappear.
With a simple back step, his scythe pierced the ground instead of my skull as I raised an eyebrow before ducking as he spun around his scythe and tried to land a kick to my face.
Raising my hand in front of me, I caught his free leg as he tried to kick me before pushing it away and spinning around while instantly creating a falchion in my left hand to parry his scythe to the side.
'Tsubame Gaeshi: Crane.' I chanted in my mind as my left arm blurred forward, Pluto scoffing as he raised his scythe to block the attack with the staff before his eyes widened as the attack easily sent him rocketing through the air.
Lunging forward before the dust could even settle, Pluto's eyes were wide as the falchion in my hand shattered while I took Gram off of my waist, sheath and all.
'Sandanzuki.' The next moment was a blur from Pluto's standpoint as I slashed at his neck three times before he could even see the first slash, but I frowned as a sickly green bubble surrounded him & absorbed the attack.
In an instant, Gram was fully unsheathed as I leapt away as far as I could, Okita already next to me with both of his blades unsheathed while Beowulf and Surtr stood in front of us.
"Hades…" Zeus trailed off with a growl as he glared at his brother, who scoffed as he dismissed the spell and his staff laid back down next to his throne of bones.
"He was going to kill my most devout general. Is it not my duty as a good ruler to save my people if I can?"
"And what of the times he came close to killing me?" I asked as I sheathed Gram, ignoring its cries for blood as Hades just looked down at me before snorting.
"I guess that's your answer." Okita said with a smirk as he sheathed his katanas, to which I just rolled my eyes with a smirk as Surtr and Beowulf chuckled.
"Now then, I assume you are pleased with the match, my Lords & Ladies?" I asked as I looked up at the other gods, to which Frigg, Odin, Poseidon and Hera nodded with smiles while Thor & Zeus looked disappointed.
"I wanted more battling, but I suppose this is just as good." Thor muttered with a frown, making me chuckle before I surprised him & everyone with my next words.
"If you agree to the alliance, Lord Thor, there might be a chance that I could fully test my capabilities against you…if you would." I said with a slight bow, smirking as I heard Thor's excited bellow of laughter along with Odin's chuckles & Frigg's giggles.
"Nicely done, kid." Beowulf whispered with a pat on my pat, to which I just shrugged before turning to the Greek gods.
One down, another to go.
"So, now that you've finished your little exhibition match with Hades, we shall depart later today for the meeting with your Satans." Zeus said and Okita nodded as the two men sat opposite of each other in the meeting room they first met in, with Surtr, Beowulf and Isaiah speaking with the other gods in the adjacent room.
"That is correct, sir. Lord Lucifer has ordered us to escort you and the other gods to the entrance of the Underworld before using a teleportation pamphlet to take us directly to the meeting room."
"Ah, good to hear. I have to ask, you are the master of that boy, correct?" Zeus asked, making Okita blink before he nodded.
"That is correct, my lord."
"Were you there when he made his declaration to us all?" He asked with a frown, Okita sighing as he hesitated for a moment before nodding.
"Yes, my lord. We tried to stop him, but Lord Buddha was the one who told us to let him do so since it was part of his training."
"…Yeah, of course it's that strong idiot that did it." Zeus muttered while pinching the bridge of his nose as he remembered of the old senile idiot that he had fought in his younger years.
He thought that the god was not going to be a hard battle, but by the divines, it felt as if the man was toying with him at every point of their battle and if his brothers had not shown up, he was almost certain Buddha was going to keep playing with him for the next century or until he got bored.
"Ah, a personal acquaintance?" Okita asked, to which Zeus just snorted as he shook his head.
"The man's powerful and a friend, but he's too much of an annoyance to be dealing with on a daily basis."
"He seems to think that way of every person that stays in his castle." Okita muttered, making Zeus raise an eyebrow before he spoke.
"What does he think of the young Isaiah?" Zeus asked and Okita raised an eyebrow at the question but answered nonetheless.
"Buddha acts like the kid's an annoyance and the kid hates it when Buddha doesn't take their sparring seriously, but anyone with eyes could see that the kid looks up to him and that Buddha sees him as a precious student."
"So, anyone allied with the boy…is allied with Buddha?" Zeus asked with a frown, to which Okita gave a slight frown before slowly nodding.
"Not in those exact words, but one could see it that way. Buddha wouldn't go out of his way to protect the boy, but if Isaiah came to him as a last resort, Buddha would help him to the best of his capabilities."
"Hmm, I see. Well, why don't we go join the others for the post battle celebrations and we'll continue this discussion another time?" Okita nodded at that as he stood up and followed Zeus out of the meeting room with only one thought on his mind.
'Gaki, you have no idea how much influence you have at your fingertips right now.'
"So, we're going with a four point formation. Isaiah, you will be at point. Surtr & Beowulf, you'll be on the back left & back right while I'll be in the middle of the group to make sure no one teleports into the middle of the group for a sneak attack."
"Sounds good to me." I agreed to Okita's plan with a shrug, Beowulf & Surtr nodding in agreement as the man nodded before turning to the waiting gods.
"Does that sound good to you all?" He asked, Zeus and Odin glancing at each other for a second before nodding in agreement.
"It sounds as good as it needs to be. We're not that weak that we need someone to guard us, but if this will help you work better, by all means." Odin said with a nod, to which Okita nodded as he took a deep breath before continuing.
"The moment we leave the Netherworld, we'll be flying at a brisk pace. Not fast enough to tire us, but fast enough to make sure that no threat can catch us. If a battle breaks out, I will stay with the VIPs while the three of you take care of the enemies, understand?"
"Got it."
"No problem."
"We shall feast on their bones!" Beowulf and I just gave Surtr a deadpan stare while Okita just sighed while palming his face.
"Huh, reminds me of Surtr in his younger days." I heard Odin whisper to Frigg, who giggled while lightly slapping her husband's shoulder.
"You do that. Now, is everyone ready?"
"Just a moment." I blinked at Zeus' interruption before rolling my eyes as a golden cloud with three thrones, one bigger than the other two, appeared from an electric blue magic crest, four beautiful golden horses waiting patiently in front of the cloud-like chariot.
"Well, if we're going like that." Here, I just smirked at Okita's groan as Thor created his own lightning blue magic crest before two rather large goats along with a golden chariot walked out of it, the Norse God of Lightning along his father & his stepmother sitting down upon the chariot before all six divine beings looked at us.
"Apologies on their behalf." Both Odin & Poseidon said in unison, Thor & Zeus huffing like children as Okita just shook his head.
"No need, my lords. Now, we shall be off." I nodded as I unfurled my wings before flying at a slow pace into the air, the sounds of booming thunder making me turn before I raised an eyebrow at the sight of twin paths made out of lightning forming the path for Thor's & Zeus' respective chariots to ride upon while Okita flew in the middle of the two paths with Surtr & Beowulf bringing up the rear.
'Man, I underestimated the divines' need to show off.'
"And you're certain they are heading this way?" A voice echoed from a deep purple magic crest that floated in the middle of the room, silence hanging in the darkened throne room before a deep, gravelly voice answered.
"Yes, they're taking the quickest route from the Netherworld to the Underworld, Loki. If you stay in hiding, you will find them coming towards you unprepared." Hades spoke, to which a hum echoed from the magic crest before Loki answered.
"I must say, I never expected a lesser being from another pantheon to work this well together with me. I suppose you can find good subordinates in other places."
"Call me a subordinate again and I'll decay your throat before you can even tell that mutt of yours to attack." Hades growled and a deep, menacing growl echoed from the crest as Loki chuckled.
"Just a joke, my dear partner. Simply a joke. So, take care of the boy, Zeus and Odin, correct?"
"If you can, supposed 'God of Mischief'." Hades said in a mocking tone, smirking as all he heard was a raspy sigh before the connection cut off.
"Is this the best path to follow, my Lord?" Hades looked up at Pluto kneeling in front of his throne before letting out a rattling sigh.
"Yes, Pluto. The boy has his True Form and that damned sword Gram, two things which already put him on par with the top Longinus Gears in the world. The longer he lives, the bigger of a threat he becomes to us. The fakes Lucifer & Beelzebub are already a big enough problem. We do not need another added to it."
"I see. It is quite the shame, though. If the boy had been born as a Grim Reaper, he would have been quite the asset." Pluto said with a shake of his head, Hades snorting as he relaxed back into his throne.
"Indeed. Unfortunately, it appears that Fate has claimed his soul for the void."
A/N: Guess who's back!
I know, it's a short chapter, but truth be told, I've just been re-reading it to refresh my thought process of the entire fic.
Next week, though, I'll try to get at least 3k a chapter.
As always, read, enjoy, review and until next week…
Welcome back to The Unholy Wolf!