Enjoy the beatdown on War for this two-part showdown with the Horseman of the Apocalypse. And those who favorite and follow, make sure to vote on the poll I made before the deadline. Depending on it, I might even consider Hakuno getting another girl from Apocrypha to join her little lover's collection lol.
The gods have seen many things in their life, but the sheer brutality and fury the Hestia Familia (and allies) were inflicting upon the Horseman baffled everyone save Hestia who was cheering on her children. "Go get'em! Show that jerk for doing that to Hakuno!" she shouted at the top of her lungs. Several gods winced at certain attacks while some were wondering how these people have some that are close to Arcanum.
"Enuma Elish!" Gilgamesh declared, the Sword of Rupture unleashing a crimson torrent of power as it struck War head on. The creature's cries echoed when the attack died, revealing its burnt armor. War growled, as its body began to glow, and the severe injuries were beginning to regenerate.
"Rhongomyniad!" Morgan shouted with pure unbridled fury. The Fae Queen had unleashed the scorn of a mother upon the one that dared harm her child as the seven Holy Spears flew straight at them, each akin to Divine Punishment in form as the very valley they were in carved new areas from the combined attacks.
Hyakinthos could only gap at that power as Hakuno could only smile. "She's your mother?" he had asked.
"Un (A/N: Japanese for Yep, she says it in Extella Link a few times and once in Last Encore. Makes it her version of Nero's Umu). My mother and husband are frightening, aren't they?" she asked with a relieved look. It only served to make the entire Apollo Familia (and said God) pale in uttermost terror. Two of the biggest powerhouses that the gods saw as a threat in this War Game were all related to Hakuno. It made a new, silent agreement to not harass the Hestia Familia in any shape or form. For Hakuno's mother and husband could crush them in an instant. They could tell by their presence alone on the battlefield that they were high-level adventurers by a mere glance.
The Hestia Familia was going to be a terror on par with the Loki and Freya Familia.
"Insolent vermin that tarnishes the land. Know the fury of a Fae Knight!" Barghest snarled as she pulled off one of her horns, blood dripping down her face as her magical powers grew alongside her size as she towered over War. "You will not even be a stain upon my sword! BLACK DOG GALATINE!" she roared and brought down her blazing sword as the world exploded.
"Lili thinks they're going overkill on one guy." Lili commented dryly with a wry smile on her face.
"Given of the Captain's importance to them, they'll show no mercy when hurting a loved one." Welf admitted while Haruhime and Bell nodded their heads wisely.
"Lumine Pleiades!" Primo shouted from behind. The torrent of starlight from above using the magecraft she learned from Wodime combining with her own spell caused a massive crater to form in the area as water from a river started to divert and flow into it. "That's what you get for hurting my mom!" Primo blew a raspberry at the crater.
"Awww, Primo…" Hakuno cooed as she scooped her elf daughter up into a hug, much to her daughter's embarrassment while Ryu smiled fondly behind her hood. Motherly goddess and mortals alike can't help but be touched by it as several actual mothers hugged their own children who happy embraced them back. Let it be known that children raised with love and care will return the feelings towards their parents in any shape or form.
From the crater, War's horse faded to ash from the barrage of starlight and the exposed bone and muscle was steaming from the intensity of the attack. Slowly, War stood tall and strong as its regenerative abilities kicked in.
"Looks like it's our turn!" Welf began as he held his magic sword and prayed to it. To let him use it, to let him break it. "KAZUKI!" he cried out as he leapt into the air and swung it. The massive flames engulfed the entire crater as Haruhime held her small hammer and began rotating it, activating her magic circuits as the wind picked up, causing the crater of flames to become a massive, scorching tornado as War's cries of pain echoed through the valley. The blade broke, expended at last and Haruhime swung her hammer down to create an explosion.
"Where'd 'ya learn that?" Welf asked, clearly impressed.
"Self-taught, and pure diligence Welf-sama." Haruhime politely answered with a smile.
"…What kind of monsters does the Hestia Familia have?" Daphne asked, clearly having a thousand-yard stare while Cassandra's visible eye widened. Her vision had granted insight of what this thing was, and of its weakness. And only one person can believe in her visions…!
"The Calamity's energy is limited by the souls it holds to itself. Expend every bit of its reserves Lady Hakuno!" the prophetess cried out. Hakuno responded by using one of her metal prosthetics hands to give her a thumbs up. She knew what was implied, for souls were the source of this thing's energy to regenerate…almost as if it were a number of lives left on it.
"Ais, Bell, Nero, our turn." She told them as she put Primo down with a gentle head pat while summoning her trusty Merlin-Killer MK I as she and her three companions jumped down. Hyakinthos jumped down as well, as his pride as Apollo's Captain demanded he take part.
"So, what' the plan Holy Witch?" Hyakinthos demanded as they slide down the crater where War was healing from the flames.
"We hit it hard with everything we've got. Its healing powers are limited due to the consumption of magical energy it has in reserves. I'm going to use a spell to ensure higher probabilities of survival!" she told them as the other three adventurers nodded their head in agreement.
"Let me tell you a tale of the fairies…" Hakuno began, her own mockery to Merlin's 'tale of the king' line he loves to repeatedly say during training, every damn time.
"The Inner Sea of the Planet grants the desires of its children…" flowers began to bloom, and the air around them smelt clean and pure. "Those without sin may be welcomed with joy and cheers." The four were surrounded by a pure light, engulfing them in an aura of sorts. "May the Promised Land called Paradise embrace you in its warmth…Annwyn Ataraxia: Swing Wide the Gates of Paradise!" she chanted as War swung his blade.
Crimson red energy leaped off the blade and collided with the four adventurers and one Servant…or should have, as it bounced off of them, leaving War completely stunned by that. "Lil Rafaga!" Ais shouted, engulfed with wind as she launched herself at War, her sword aimed at his head as she flew at blinding speeds. She made impact with her blade as dust kicked up while Ais twirled and landed away from the position where War was and narrowed her eyes.
She knew she landed a blow, but that creature had incredible reflexes and blocked the attack in a split second. She charged ahead, catching sight of Bell and his rabbit like speed going for a pincer attack while Hyakinthos was charging up an attack with Hakuno enhancing it.
"Rosa Ichthys!" Nero shouted, becoming a red blur as her blade made a cut in the armor as Bell attacked War from behind with his two knives.
"Enough!" War shouted for the first time as it unleashed a pulse of magical energy as it knocked the three away, just in time for Hyakinthos to unleash his enhanced attack.
"Aro Zephyros!" the Captain of the Apollo Familia shouted at the top of his lungs as his disc of flame flew towards the Horseman and collided with a massive explosion. "How's that for one blessed by Lord Apollo?" he smugly asked.
"It'll take more than that to kill this monster. Don't let your guard down until its truly dead." Hakuno warned her fellow Captain as she stabbed her spear into the ground, creating a giant ghostly copy above the dust cloud where War was as it descended and pierced flesh. A blood red surge of magical energy responded to her attack as War's armor was broken, revealing the true visage underneath to all.
It had the body of a humanoid, but the countless human faces that covered it from head to toe was a grotesque sight that made the weak-willed puke in absolute disgust while Hakuno frowned as she recalled what Freya said that day when she caught sight of it.
This was a collection of human souls stitched together into a monster. Warmongers, killers, madmen, forsaken soldiers and all those that find their sole existence in killing and fighting. The same repulsive scent Lucius Tiberius had on his soul, but much more repulsive than the Sword Emperor could ever produce.
She had caught up on studying the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, and War was seen as a horrific evil. Compared to other cultures that view war as something noble or glorious like Rome, the Celts and Norse to name a few…the Abrahamic God condemned war as a form of punishment against humanity in the day of reckoning.
Now she knew why, as the countless faithless in Pan-Human History have created this monster. It wasn't an Evil of Humanity like Kiara was since the world of Primates was never established and lead to their existence. But it was a Calamity born from the gods and their own crimes of tampering with time. Leave it to the Abrahamic God to create multiple world-ending horrors that put other pantheon factions to shame. Even if He was dead, His wife would finish the job for Him.
This is probably why Elohim was killed via deception. Facing Him head-on was tantamount to suicide with whatever strength He wielded. What a headache she had to deal with. Gods were childish to the point they aren't aware of all the harm they've done to mortal races that have to pay the price.
Part of her wondered if this was the Biblical God's own version of childish payback against the others by unleashing horrors against their creations with His wife as the proxy since he's dead.
"You know Father's truth…" the numerous faces on War's body spoke as one, their lips moving in synch as Hakuno flinched at that. "These pagan gods desecrate all that is holy with deprave minds…"
The gods watching this from their Divine Mirrors frowned at the accusations that this creature was saying about them, wondering what it was implying.
Hakuno took a gambit, hoping the reactions from what she will say shock the world. "Is it because they murdered Elohim and used Asherah as the core that became the Dungeon?" she asked aloud.
Hestia, Demeter and Freya were the ones to bolt from their seats in shock at the names while several others were confused and asking what was going on. In Tenkai, a collective of gods watching this knew whom their target was to eliminate.
"YEESSSS! A TRUTHBEARER!" War cried out, jubilee in its tone as it pointed its sword at her. "You are worthy to be a Disciple of War. One who has dyed the moon red with blood of her foes, one who carved a legend in the lunar sea. Join me and let us purge these false gods in the name of our Lord!" it declared as Hakuno lowered her head.
"I cannot."
War paused from its elation and looked genuinely confused on all visible faces. "I cannot allow you to create a giant war and destroy this world and all life in it to sate your own hunger, collective bloodlust of humanity. The people in it do not deserve such violence for the actions of the handful of the guilty."
"They are abominations, imitations built with stolen ideas from Father!" War snarled as it eyed the Demi-humans, elves, and pallums watching from above.
"Elohim is a god of unconditional, and universal love. Always forgiving, and always humble. Tell me Horseman, are you following the will of your God, or someone else's?" Hakuno countered with a question. War froze at the question, it knew it was born from the souls bound in violence, its template was created by Father and given form just recently by Mother. But whom did it follow?
Father was dead, and Mother had birthed it alone to carry out Father's legacy and destroy the heretical demons posing as gods. This mortal worthy of being its disciple knew of some of Father's nature despite not meeting Him.
"Show me child," War told her, the two slowly circling each other as everyone realized this was now a duel between the two. "Show me Truthbearer of what you know of this world. Prove to me that this world is still worthy of Father's forgiveness."
"I intend to, and we have a score to settle." Hakuno replied as she gripped her spear tightly as War took note of her prosthetics from after their first encounter.
"Indeed, we do, and only one of us shall consume the power of the other and prove who was right and who was wrong." War agreed as it got into a stance. "Come, o' Daughter of Eve. Prove to Asherah that this blasphemous world deserves Elohim's mercy and love!" it challenged her as Hakuno got into a stance as her magic circuits flared to life in every part of her body.