A/N: How's it going everybody!
Time to meet the combatants for Round 4!
Later
Following the confrontation at Zeus' personal chambers at the aftermath of Round 3, Zeus, along with Ares. Hermes on the other hand, had other things to take care of.
"So father," Ares began, "If we're the ones who are going to deal with round 4, who are we going to get? Because maybe, we should've accepted Freyja's proposal…"
"Nonsense, Ares…" Zeus assures "We still have three representatives remaining. All three of them are powerful in their own right."
"Well, considering who we're going to ask, I suppose it's better than the… other alternative…" Ares speaks, with a hint of dread at the final part of his sentence.
"Here we are." Zeus speaks. Before the two were a pair of golden gates, shined and polished to a reflective beauty. At their arrival, the gates open, revealing a wonderful, lush garden abundant with both plant and animal life living in harmony – a direct contrast to how their earthly counterparts behaved.
The Land of Paradise
The Garden of Eden
"Really, here?" Ares questions. "Our next Olympian fighter is here in this garden? The last time I've been here, we banished some human, and her lover killed one of our own in retaliation."
Zeus says nothing in reply, as he heads to a specific spot, Ares following suit.
Within the garden is an abundant lake, filled with the cleanest of waters, as the creatures both bathed and drank the water. Within the water was a god.
The god was a fit, handsome young man, with long, light pink hair. Normally, the god would wear a white and gold toga styled in a way to accent his features, such as a low cut exposing his chest, and a wider opening at the hem to further expose his legs, while decorated with a dark pink belt along with some jewelry. As he was currently bathing within the waters, he was naked.
Greek God of the Sun
Apollo (Greece)
Of course, Apollo was not alone, with him were an entourage of women of different species. While a few of them were the caretakers, tending to the god, the rest were either playing in the water, or even making out with each other.
Apollo moaned, as he was enjoying both the waters, and the women servicing him.
"Egads Apollo!" Ares freaks out, as he quickly covered his eyes. "How could you even think about relaxing at a time like this!"
Apollo took notice, and simply smiled. "Ah, Ares, my dear older brother. I see that you've finally arrived. Care to join me? The water's fantastic."
"Absolutely not!" Ares scolded. "We just lost the third round, and here you are lollygagging in some lake!"
"Oh," Apollo's mood changes slightly. "That's still going on? I assumed that it would've ended by now…"
"It's only been three rounds my son." Zeus begins. "While we won the first two, we lost the third round. That loss we had, was Perseus."
Apollo's mood sullen, as did the women around him. "Oh no, Perseus. I really enjoyed being with him… Well, it's not like I can do anything about it… I am not part of the roster… He must've been beautiful at death…"
"BEAUTIFUL?!" Ares snorts in anger, before he stomps into the lake, and grabbing Apollo, before lifting him up. "Perseus is dead, and yet all you care about is if whether or not he was beautiful in death?! What the hell man!"
"I mean after all; did he not give it his all for the fight?" Apollo asks, to which Ares struggled to respond.
Seeing as he had gotten no reply, Apollo took it to him to continue.
"If that is the case, then surely you would've seen his passion. And that kind of passion is just beautiful, is it not?"
"Good grief…" Zeus sighs, thinking about what the Sun God had just said.
Ares was stunned, before making his way out of the water. "W… Well… Uh…"
"Back to the matters at hand with you two." Zeus begins. "Now Apollo, while you aren't a part of our roster, your sister is. Do you know where she is by any chance?"
"Right here father!" Came the voice of a woman, as she comes charging in on the back of a mighty, white stag, along with a few others women.
The goddess, being the twin sister of Apollo, had the same features as her brother, such as well-maintained physique, and light pink hair that was shorter, only reaching her waist, with a laurel crown decorated with a crescent moon, along with crescent moon earrings. She wore a leaf green, one-shoulder tunic that reached to her mid-upper thigh, secured with a woven, beige belt. A matching hooded capelet with fur trimming hung from her shoulders, having fallen off during her ride. She wore a pair of brown, forearm-length archer gloves. Instead of sandals, she wore a pair of brown, knee-high, boots with open toes.
Greek Goddess of the Hunt, and Apollo's Twin Sister
Artemis (Greece)
Artemis stopped just in front of Ares, accidentally knocking the god of war into the lake, before she got off, petting her stag. "Woops! Sorry dear brother!"
Ares angrily got up from the water, much to the amusement of Apollo. "OY! What the hell was that for! You damn nearly killed me with your reckless riding!"
Artemis simply chuckled, much to Ares chagrin, before she turned her attention to Zeus. "You called?"
"Artemis, my dear daughter…" Zeus began. "We have lost our dear Perseus in the third round. Perhaps you would like to go next, and avenge your dear brother?"
Artemis looked thoughtful for a while, scratching her chin. "You drive a hard bargain father. On one hand, I couldn't care less for Perseus, but the humans winning… I don't like that either…"
After a few more minutes of thinking, much to the annoyance of Ares, Artemis finally decided.
"Very well then Father, I accept!" Artemis declared, as her fellow huntresses cheered, while Apollo shoots up from the water.
"Excellent dear sister! I eagerly await your victory!"
"If you're gonna go and support your sister Apollo, at least have the decency to dress properly…" Ares groaned in annoyance.
Meanwhile
As for the Valkyries, the three Valkyries, namely Hrist and Goll await outside the medical bay. Brunhilde was inside the medical bay herself. Though their injuries were not in any life-threatening situation, Lancelot and Randgriz still needed some form of medical care.
"Sister Randgriz… Lancelot… Please be okay…" Goll spoke.
"It's incredible…" Hrist began. "Even though we won, Perseus still gave quite the beating, despite only being a demigod. We can only assume what the other actual gods will bring to the table."
Finally, the light above the entrance dings, as it opens to let Brunhilde out.
"Big sis!" Goll is quick to notice. "How are Randgriz and Lancelot doing? Will they be fine."
Brunhilde gave a reassuring smile "They'll be fine, though Lancelot will need to stay a bit longer."
Before any of them could speak, a voice interrupts them. "That's all I needed to hear." It was King Arthur Pendragon himself.
"Wait? Arthur himself is here?!" Goll realizes, surprised.
"Apologies my dear Valkyrie." Arthur bowed. "I only want to check on my dear friend. May I enter to check on him?"
Brunhilde clears a path. "You may."
Arthur nods in thanks, before making his way inside.
As soon as Arthur enters, a notification sound is heard from Brunhilde's phone, who is quick to check it. As soon as she does, Brunhilde pales.
"What? What is it?" Goll nervously asks.
Brunhilde shows her phone to the two sisters.
RAGNAROK ROUND 04/13
REPRESENTING THE GODS
'THE GODDESS OF THE HUNT'
ARTEMIS
Goll screamed in pure hysteria. "Wait? Artemis! Already?! What are we gonna do?!"
"Quick, to the records!" Brunhilde starts, before she rushes back, her sisters following suit.
As they rush, the dragging of heavy, metal chains from a well locked-up room catches Goll's attention. By the door, was a nervous looking guardian angel in aged, grey armor.
"Wait. What abou-"
"Absolutely not!" Hrist growls, as she grabs Goll away.
"Why not?"
"Because behind that door is a human most foul. That human must be guarded 24/7 for the sake of everyone's safety." Hrist explains, as she continues dragging Goll away.
As the go further away, Goll could faintly hear the pained scream of a woman from that very room.
Valkyrie Headquarters
As Brunhilde scrolls through her list on the Akashic Records, she gets more and more frustrated.
"Come on, come on!" Brunhilde groans in annoyance. "There has to be someone here who can match Artemis in terms of both versatility and power."
"Maybe if we just go back, an-"
"NO!" Hrist and Brunhilde both scream at Goll.
"I already told you why we can't." Hrist huffed.
"Besides, that human is our joker. We cannot afford to unleash them so early…" Brunhilde speaks, as she continues to scroll.
Finally, the Akashic Records stop at a certain point, revealing a young woman no older than 20 with short hair
"What in the world…" Brunhilde questions.
NAME: Jeanne D'Arc
ORIGIN: France
"Really? Jeanne?" Hrist questions. "But. She's so young!"
"Indeed, I am" A voice confirms. "But don't rule me out just yet!"
The three Valkyries turn to see a young, teenage woman with short, asymmetrical dark brown hair, with sideswept bangs, and dark brown eyes. In battle, she wore white, iron armor. But for now, outside of battle, she wore a red tunic with yellow lining and black stockings with metallic sabaton, and black, forearm gloves.
The Maiden of Orleans
Jeanne D'Arc (France)
"I know we shouldn't rule you out just because you're young," Goll begins. "But, why do you want to go against Artemis?"
"A better question is why shouldn't I?" Jeanne starts. "Humanity was always worth fighting for, and living has always made me value freedom over anything else."
A brief pause
"Plus, like the rest, I too failed to reach my ultimate goal in my short life back on earth." Jeanne hangs her head low for a brief moment.
Hrist rolls her eyes. 'Oh great, another human with unfinished business… Just how many of them are there?'
"But nevertheless!" Jeanne starts to perk up again. "Even after I ascended to the heavens, that didn't stop me from honing my skills as a knight."
Jeanne starts to stand straight in a pose, right hand to her heart, while she raises her left hand in front of her, curled into a fist.
"I am in my peak form, and I shall lead humanity to victory!"
'Oh brother…' Hrist thinks, as she rolls her eyes.
As for Brunhilde, she beams up in excitement, immediately impressed by Jeanne's spirit. And just as quickly, Brunhilde relaxes, and readjusts herself, before she speaks up. "Very well Jeanne. You will be four next fighter for Round 4 against Artemis."
Brunhilde then turns her attention to Hrist.
"Hrist, I hope you are ready to offer yourself."
At this request, Hrist finally beams up. "Finally. I thought you would never ask."
She then walks up to Jeanne. "Well kid, let's see if you truly are what you say you are."
Jeanne flashes a confident smile at the Valkyrie. "Believe me. You ain't seen nothing yet."
Valhalla Arena
The sun shines once again on the arena, as it was returned to its normal design. Heimdall stands once again in the middle, as he prepares for the next round.
"And we're back for Round four or Ragnarok, the final bout between god and man! In the last round, humanity has pulled the impossible, and killed a god for their first win. Can humanity continue, or will the gods bring back control? Let's find out!"
The crowd cheers, as the gates on the gods' side begins to open, as figures slowly makes their way out of the arena.
"From one Greek to another Greek, here is the next one to represent the gods for Round 4!"
An entourage of woman fist come out, carrying bowls of petals, which they scatter about as they enter the arena.
"Many women choose to live a life within the wall of urban life, but not this goddess! She chose to live in the wilds, guarding not just the wildlife within it, but also the young maidens, so poachers and perverts beware her wrath!"
These same women then put down their bowls, before withdrawing their bows, and shoot arrows into the sky. The arrows exploded, releasing bouts of sparks. Within these sparks, a woman on a white stag walked through.
"Because of her sacred lifestyle, she was one of the very few goddesses to never be influenced in any way by Aphrodite!" Heimdall continues.
At this comment, Aphrodite firmed her brows. 'Oh goodie. It's her…'
"Ladies and gentlemen! The goddess of the hunt, and twin sister of the Sun god Apollo,"
Artemis then stepped down from her stag, withdrew her bow, nocking an arrow on her bow in preparation.
"Celebrate now humans, for it's not going to last long." Artemis confidently says.
"ARTEMIS!"
The gods cheered for the goddess.
"Yeah! Let's go Artemis!"
"Beat the human scum!"
"Yeah! Go Artemis!" Nike cheers on. "Avenge Perseus!"
"Good luck dear sister!" Apollo cheers from the VIP section. "Your beauty is as radiant as ever!"
"From one Moon Goddess to another, I give you, my blessing! This victory is yours!" Proclaims a goddess wearing a white and sky blue hanfu, her black hair tied in a bun, decorated with golden chopsticks, and matching hairpins and jewelry.
Chinese Goddess of the Moon
Chang'e (China)
Heimdall speaks again. "And now for the representative for the humans, who is keen on continuing humanity's win streak!"
The gates on humanity's side open, as a figure walks from the halls.
"As the saying goes: age is just a number. And for this woman, she is the embodiment of that saying, proving that even the young folks can accomplish feats comparable to a full-grown adult!"
The first thing that the audience sees out of the gate is a white banner with a gold fleur-de-lys symbol, perched on the tip of a lance.
"Though she died young, not even death itself could stop her from accomplishing more! And it's certainly not going to stop her for Round 4!"
Then Jeanne D'Arc emerged from the gates, now clad in her shining, white armor, a fleur-de-lys engraved on the chest plate.
"Ladies and gentlemen! The Hero of France!"
"JEANNE D'ARC!"
Humanity cheered at Jeanne's presence.
"Yeah! Let's keep it up!"
"This is one more win for us humans!"
"This is a fight that I know you will win my dear!" Exclaims a man with red robes.
Duke of Alencon
John II (France)
"Go my dear sister! Win this for humanity like you did back home!" Shouts a young man with brown hair, and the same armor as Jeanne, only a bit darker.
Jeanne D'Arc's brother
Pierre d'Arc
Though other humans were not as enthusiastic.
"Wait, a child, really?"
"Welp. It was fun while it lasted…"
In the arena, the tow combatants size each other up.
"So, you are one of the younger ones, hm?" Artemis starts. "A pity. You won't last long against the master huntress."
"I admire your confidence." Jeanne bows. "But, don't underestimate me just because of my age."
"Spoken like a true heroine." Artemis readies herself. "I'll at least grant you the honor of dying like one."
"Huntress vs Heroine. Not a match-up that you see everyday folks! It's Artemis vs Jeanne D'Arc. Will humanity continue their winning streak, or will the vengeance of the Greek gods overcome it? Let Round 4 BEGIN!"
The gong sounds once again, signaling the start of the next round.
A/N: And we're clear!
Well, that was quite the chapter. I'll be honest, looking for characters to support Artemis was difficult since for the most part, her story's just her and Apollo, and the wilds. Not even a huntress, so I had to reuse one (Nike) and introduce one much sooner than I expected (Chang'e).
Also thank god for the manga with Apollo, I wouldn't have been able to easily write Artemis' introduction chapter much easier without it. I just changed the fountain to the Garden of Eden to make it look better.
Anyways, Round 4 officially begins, and continues next chapter!
Until then, BYE!
