So back to Asgard we go but what will happen? Lets see.
Some1call4MR-E: Yeah she is a cutie when drunk
Skylynx: I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Geyser: We shall see.
Blue dragon: I never read Percy Jackson so no. By the way you commented twice.
Inquisitor: That might change in this story. Or maybe not…
Thor x Rose: Welcome back, Thor X Rose fan, good to see you following the redux. I will be sure to make a lot of great moments between Thor and Rose to satisfy you and everyone else who loves Rossweisse.
Rebelion: I have plans for Freya but that's all I'm saying.
A frosty memory
"I can confirm all the hostages were rescued and returned safely to Skjult Dal," Rossweisse assured as she concluded her report kneeling before the thrones of Asgard. Luckily her drunkenness had worn off long before giving her report to Asgard's ruler, "Unfortunately, the Orcs attacked immediately upon seeing Thor. They didn't allow us to negotiate with them."
Odin hummed in acknowledgment, impressed that no hostages were killed in the rescue. Skjult Dal was an important village to Asgard. They were the only village on Midgard to have everybody know that Monsters and Gods exist and have connections to the Aesir.
"That is good to hear. The people of Skjult Dal will once more be in our debt. Though this can't keep going on, Rossweisse. This is the seven-hundredth time that the village has had trouble since its construction in the tenth century. While it has been the testing grounds of many young Aesir who wish to join our ranks. Skjult Dal is one of the last, if not the last village on Midgard to fully commit themselves to our religion. Most folks within Europe preach and pray to those Angels in the Biblical Faction."
"A problem that we should have solved ages ago." Drawled the voice of Loki from within the shadows.
"A problem that you should just let go of, Loki. We control the north, not all of Europe. Unless you wish to start a one-man crusade against Heaven." The Allfather jokingly suggested to his blood brother who wrinkled his nose in response.
"I may take that chance." Sneered the gray-haired God.
"And how will you do that without the help of your children? Your daughter is duty-bound to Helheim, the snake is sleeping in the ocean, and the wolf…" A shadow passed over Odin's face, "He will never see the light of day. Not even if Ragnarok happens today."
Rossweisse frowned at Loki rolling his eyes before departing the throne room. "He has some nerve suggesting something like that."
Odin sighed, "Loki has always despised the other Factions ever since he was a boy. He believes peace can never be achieved. That it is but a means for enemies to build power before starting a new war. With so much distrust each Faction feels for the other it would seem that way. The Biblical trio would probably reignite there Great War if one of the leaders is stupid enough to do it."
"But they want peace too."
"Azazel wants peace but what about the leaders of the Underworld and Heaven? He's heard no word from them but even if they want peace, what about the people? Our own people distrust the Devil's and look at what has happened to the Fallen Angels, they have split because of allying with us. Those who broke away from Azazel's group have the same thought as Loki; peace will never be achieved." Odin sighed as he rubbed his face, taking the opportunity to eye his bodyguard's figure. "Nevertheless, I will see that peace is achieved!"
Rossweisse smiled at her king's words.
"Then I can go to the titty bar and make it rain without worrying about my life being threatened!" Laughed Odin.
Rossweisse buried her face into her hand with a sigh. Oh, how she wished he'd - her thoughts were cut short by a boom of thunder so loud it shook the whole room. Rushing to the balcony she looked down and could see light flashing from Thor's room. Not wanting to waste time taking the stairs she leapt over the balcony free-falling for a few seconds before gently hovering on his bedroom balcony with the use of flight magic. Peering inside she found Thor face down on the floor tossing and turning while bolts of lightning shot out of him as he whimpered like a child getting a shot.
Uncaring if she would be harmed by the element controlled by Thor, she rushed toward the bed dodging as many bolts as she could, although a few grazed her armor. Right as she reached the bed she threw her head back in time to let a lightning bolt erupting from Thor's hand sore inches over her face. Coating her hands in magic seals she reached out to turn Thor over and shake him.
"Thor! Thor! Wake up!" She screamed over the booming thunder, "Wake up! Wake up! Wake up, Thor!" When he did not she pulled her hand back and was about to slap him hard before a less violent idea popped into her head. An idea she remembered her father always doing when she would wake up crying from a nightmare. Pulling Thor up into a sitting position she wrapped her arms around the God of Thunder and hugged him tightly whispering, "its ok, Thor. I'm here. I'm here."
Whether it was her touch, her voice, or both, she could feel the redhead's body relax causing the lightning to dissipate.
Later in the throne room.
Vili's hands hovered above Thor's head as a green glow emanated from them. The younger brother of Odin wasn't just the headmaster of Valhalla but also a renowned doctor who saved many lives throughout the Realms.
"Well?" Said Odin seriously.
"Physically there is nothing wrong with him. There isn't any illness or punctured organs. His magic is now under control but I do not know why he had these restless nights. Has this happened before?"
"Yes," The Allfather said, "Nurse Emma saw it happen at the hospital on the night before Thor was discharged." His brother and bodyguard showed surprise and concern at this piece of information.
"You said this is the second time it has occurred? That means this has not happened between the day he was released and today. Restless sleep can be caused by a bad dream or memory." Vili turned back to Thor, "Thor? Did you perhaps suffer a nightmare or did you recall something happening during your time with the Church?"
Thor looked between his father, uncle, and friend, the three stared at him with great concern. Loki said the whole family knew he was planned to be used as a weapon for the Church. Slowly, he inhaled deeply and began to share what he had been dreaming about.
…In the dream…
Thor sat upon a bench with his hands cuffed and mouth covered glaring hatefully at the eight other passengers occupying the truck with him. These eight people, five adults and three teenagers, were his Exorcist guards for today's training. Thor glared at the boys sitting across from him, their faces etched into his memory.
The first had spiky golden hair and a curious look in his green eyes. His companion next to him, who scowled with disdain, had a full head of wavy shoulder-length blue hair shaved on the sides and mismatching eyes, one green the other blue. The last one had wild orange hair and a thick braid hanging down his left shoulder and deep blue eyes. He was the tallest of the three and very muscular, which gave the impression that he could be a professional wrestler. These boys were named Nero Raimondi, Commodus Accardi, and Caligula Drigo, they were an elite Exorcists team called the Holy Emperor Trio.
The silence was broken by the gruff commanding voice of Commodus, "Why are we here?"
"To help us safeguard him." The captain of the Exorcist squad answered, motioning towards Thor who glared at him.
"Why? Who is he? What's so important about him?" Commodus asked again, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What are you hiding from the Vatican?"
Before an answer could be given there was a loud bang followed by the trunk suddenly tipping over sending everyone bouncing around. Thor swore as his head slammed against the opposite wall making his vision go blurry. Whatever was strong enough to knock over an armored car was revealed to be a woman who easily ripped off the back doors. A very voluptuous woman in her late twenties wearing a gray battle suit, with short brown hair, and evil-looking green eyes. These beautiful features were not what left the Exorcist and Thor staring at her but rather the bat wings on her back.
This woman was a Devil!
Neither Thor nor the Exorcist could do anything as the woman took him outside into the snowy forest where more Devils were waiting. The first Thor noticed was another voluptuous woman whose blonde hair fell to the floor and covered one of her green eyes. Her choice of wear was unsuited for this type of weather; a skimpy yellow dress that showed much of her long shapely legs. On either side of the blonde were two petite black-haired, gray-eyed, twin girls three years older than Thor wearing opposite colored jumpsuits; purple and orange. Near the woman was a tall, burly, bald, black man brandishing spiked brass knuckles twice the size of his fists and blue eyes full of bloodlust. On the far left were two more Devils; one was standing on the trunk of a fallen tree scanning the forest with alert black eyes, another bald man but of Asian heritage wearing an orange robe of the Shaolin monks, and the other was a short tan-skinned man with muscles so huge they looked as if they could tear a tree out of the ground and sported a wild blue Mohawk.
Lastly a tall and lanky man with skin so pale he looked more like a vampire. Both his neatly combed hair, which was shaved on the sides, and imperial-style mustache were pink. Mismatched gold and violet eyes stared inquisitively behind small round spectacles sitting on the bridge of his nose. He was dressed in a dark blue tailcoat with white trims, a gold waistcoat, a black top hat complete with a bow tie and cravat. He looked like a ringmaster or a gentleman of the Victorian Era.
I count eight Devils gathered around me. Which means there are still positions needed for a full Peerage.
Whichever one of them was King of the Peerage, he or she could explain how they found him because Father Eriksson said time and time again nobody knew about his existence save for those who put him through those rigorous tests. He learned who the King was when the gentlemanly dressed Devil stepped forward. He stared down at Thor for a good long moment before motioning to the woman holding him to remove his binds. First came the mouth cover then the cuffs which she snapped with ease. Once free, the Devil spoke with a confident smirk.
"Greetings humans. My name is Mammon. Just Mammon. For I have discontinued the use of my given name as an act of honoring my house. I would introduce you to the rest of my servants but that can wait after I bring you back to the Underworld. Victoria pre-"
Before he could finish his sentence gunshots rang out from behind causing the Devils to scatter. A small army of Exorcists came rushing down the road firing at the supernatural beings. Bullets whizzed through the air toward the Devils, however, they either missed or were stopped by magic barriers. Even though no damage was being inflicted the Exorcist persisted in trying to fend off these intruders. When the rifles ran out of ammo they were thrown for a light sword and pistol.
Thor was certain that these men and women were no match for these Devils, they needed the Holy Emperor Trio to defeat the Mammon Peerage. Not that it mattered to him because this skirmish could allowed him to escape! Rising to his feet and rotating his wrists to get the feeling back in his hands he ran into the forest refusing to look back on how the battle was going or who was following him. He had to get out of here as fast as possible and when he did he could go into hiding and find a nice place to settle down in.
On and on he ran, the sound of battles growing fainted by the second. He paused in his escape for freedom and leaned against a large tree for rest. The only sound he could hear now was his heart pounding a thousand miles per hour in his chest as he panted for air. He looked around and realized there was snow blanketing the ground. Had it started to snow before the battle or after another day of vigorous training the Church put him through?
It didn't matter now, he had to escape. He would go into hiding and settle down but would that work? The Church had agents everywhere and he may not get far if an Exorcist, Devil, or some other supernatural being found him. Hopefully, Asgard will find him.
His training had required him to study about the Norse Faction and the more he learned about them, about himself, he wished every day for a Valkyrie to come to take him to the halls of Odin. To feast, and drink, and fight, and seek revenge on those who wronged him.
"Thought you could get away handsome?"
Thor had no time to react as one of Mammon's servants, the voluptuous brunette, grabbed him by the throat and flew into the air.
Thor cursed himself for his carelessness, had he been more aware of his surroundings he wouldn't have ended up back in the grasp of the Devil's again. He struggled to break free but try as he might, the woman's strength was stronger than she looked. Whether she was a Rook or the Queen, whichever it was, her grip on him was powerful.
"Good work, Vivian!" The Asian Devil soon joined them with smoke trailing from his left arm, a sign that he was wounded by a holy weapon. "Hurry! Make the teleportation to the Underworld before-"
"Jiehong, behind you!"
The warning came just in time for him to jump out of the way of a flying kick by Commodus. The blue-haired Exorcist skidded to a halt, eyes narrow in annoyance. Following behind were Nero and Caligula. The Devil's and Exorcist stared each other down waiting for who would make the next move.
"I would advise you to back off!" Vivian ordered, applying pressure to Thor's neck and holding him out to shield herself.
"You vile creatures! Taking a human as a hostage! You truly are spawns of evil!" Caligula yelled.
"If it means getting the Holy Emperor Trio to back off, then we will do whatever it takes to survive!"
"That gives us more of a reason to kill you." Commodus spat, ready to rush forward.
"Now, now, Commodus. You wouldn't wish to harm your precious secret test subject would you?"
Mammon and the rest of his Peerage made their presence known, surrounding the three Exorcists. They must have defeated the other Church warriors but not without sustaining minor injuries by the state they were in. Despite that they were still confident they could win. It was eight against three but numbers do not always win a battle.
"Nero Raimondi, Commodus Accardi, and Caligula Drigo. The Holy Emperor Trio. I have heard about you and the teamwork you possess." Mammon turned his gaze to Thor, "And of your little secret from the higher-ups in the Vatican. Project Thunderbolt."
"How do you know that?" Growled Caligula.
In answer to Caligula's question, Mammon after stroking his pink mustache, elegantly waved his hands and from magic seals, a snow owl, a brown bear, a reindeer, a crow, and fox appeared. With a smile, she said in a silky tone, "Well you can thank my adorable pets for gathering the information."
"But if you know of this then you also know that turning this boy into a Devil is impossible." Said Nero.
"With an Evil Piece yes but there are other ways to make one a servant to a Devil without reincarnation." Mammon retorted coolly.
"I think not."
Thor, along with the Devils and Exorcists looked up at the voice from above. High in the treetops was a handsome man with black hair tied back in a ponytail. He wore silk robes that matched his eyes, which were violet, and full of arrogance. From his back were six black angel wings. With him were a dozen others with similar black angel wings with two or one pair.
Commodus grimaced, "Fallen Angels!?" Why are you here!?"
"It's a pleasure to meet a Devil of the Lesser Demon of House Mammon." The Low-Tire Cadre smirked gleefully at the Devil before shifting his gaze to the Exorcist. "And to answer your question. Well, we had a man on the inside before being discovered tell us about this little project of yours. Still stealing from other Factions I see? Whenever will you learn? Oh right, never!" His laughter echoed through the forest for a long time before continuing, "Well I won't allow either of you to have this boy. It will be I who delivers him to Azazel as a gift to use against you fools."
"Only in your dreams, crow!" Caligula yelled back, drawing pistols and taking aim at the Cadre. His action prompted the lower-ranked Fallen to float in front of the Cadre and call forth weapons of light, spears, swords, and axes.
As Thor looked between the three groups he felt Vivian tighten her grip around him and retreat back towards the house. This wasn't good...he was about to get caught up in a three-way battle for him.
"What happens if you fail?" Mammon asked as he teleported his Familiars away from the coming battle.
A sinister smile spread across the Cadre's face. "Then I will kill him."
"Vivian, get him out of here!" The buxom blonde ordered before unleashing magic bullets at the Exorcists His attack was answered by the Cadre raining spears down upon him. The twins countered the spears with layered barriers above the blonde.
Mammon fired spells of his own at Exorcists forcing them to scatter. As Caligula unloaded his holy bullets on the Fallen Angels, Commodus disappeared briefly before reappearing in front of Thor! At the same moment, however, the large bald black Devil blindsided him with a right hook from one of his spiked brass knuckles. Thor watched the Devil and Exorcist exchange blows as Vivian tightened her grip on him and gained distance from the fighters. The speed displayed by the black Devil meant he was a Knight meaning the Exorcist wouldn't stand a chance unless he had Sacred Gear.
As Commodus dodged a strike for his head, the twin Devils fired a water and lightning spell at his unprotected back. It would have hit, if not for Nero jumping in to take the attacks. To their surprise, and Thor's, Nero was unharmed. There was a faint glow emitting from the blonde.
Before either could understand what just happened, the sound of screams filled the air. Thor watched the red-eyed blonde and bald black Devils get cut to pieces by one of the four-winged Cadre, their blood reddening the white snow. The first two casualties of the battle...how unfortunate for Mammon.
Before she could gloat over her victory, she was blindsided by the Devil with the wild blue Mohawk. Grabbing her skull he squeezed and crushed it like it was a soda can. The sickening crunch echoed around the forest.
"A Rook… best be careful around him," Thought Thor, watching a three-way fight between Caligula, the six-winged Fallen, and the Chinese robed Devil. Bullet, spells, and light spears flew everywhere, neither was gaining or losing against the other. It was evenly matched unless someone else from either side joined in.
Another scream caught Thor's attention. This time by three Fallen Angels getting vaporized by Mortis' spells.
"Don't worry, handsome." Vivian said while landing away from the battle and preparing a teleportation circle, "The life of a Devil won't be that bad. You'll be able to live a longer life, obtain incredible powers, and be able to fly and-"
Thor threw his head back, slamming his noggin into Vivian's face. The surprise attack caused the Devil to loosen her grip, allowing the redhead to break free. Not wanting to get recaptured, he turned to face her and delivered an uppercut so powerful it sent her flying into the trees.
His sudden reaction put a pause in the fight, he looked around the battlefield to count how many combatants there were; three Exorcists, eleven Fallen Angels, and six Devils meaning he would be fighting twenty people. He would have to defend himself while making a run for it. He couldn't take them all on by himself, especially the six-winged Cadre and Mammon, their powers were higher than his. The Exorcist, low-tire Devils, and Fallen Angels could be possible to defeat, only if he can fight them one-on-one.
The moment he stepped away, Commodus and the Cadre came at him at speeds faster than a cheetah. Spears rained down upon the blue-haired Exorcists but he weaved his way through the attacks like a mouse in a maze. Thor wasted no time in diving to the left to avoid Commodus' outstretched hand. He quickly rolled back to his feet before Nero's glowing fist impacted the ground forming a tiny crater from the attack. The second punch also missed and hit a tree instead, shattering the trunk like it was nothing and sending one of Mother Nature's greatest creations crashing to the ground while wood and bark flew in all directions.
Ignoring the falling tree and splinters, Thor attacked Nero. Instead of giving him a punch to the face as planned, he was, however, blindsided by Commodus kneeing him in the side and sending him rolling across the dirt.
"My Sacred Gear, Speedy Saint, allows me to run fast. Very fast. As for my Balance breaker, I call it Speedy Saint Supersonic. This grants me speed to keep up with High-Class Devils and Cadre Fallen Angels. When combined with Nero's Sacred Gear, Sturdy Saint, which allows his defense to get stronger with each hit, we are unbeatable!"
"So that explained why he's able to keep up with them." Thor thought as he jumped back to his feet again and spat blood out of his mouth. One attacks the other defends. That truly made them a deadly duo. But what about Augustus? What was so special about him? Did he have a Sacred Gear too or just a Roman Emperor's name? Probably the latter since he was using pistols.
As Thor pulled himself back onto his feet, he saw Vivian and Jiehong come at him. Their path was quickly blocked by the remaining Fallen Angels. Their efforts, however, were futile. It was like watching a boulder crash through a wall. Thor readied himself for the trio but was saved from it by Caligula unloading his pistols onto them.
Vivian suddenly doubled in speed, zipping right past the Exorcist, and would have crushed Caligula's head but instead was greeted by Nero and his glowing fists. The two attacks collided and would have canceled each other out if Nero's wasn't emitting Holy energy. The light power burned the woman's fist but didn't stop her from sending her second fist into Nero's gut to send him flying through a tree.
Speed and strength? Perhaps she is his Queen. Thor pondered as he surveyed the battlefield; the Fallen Angels would be the first to lose since they each were being cut down one by one. It was rare but even Devils and Exorcists would work together to kill a Fallen Angel. Speaking of the Devils, only five remained among Mammon's Peerage. Who would fall next would be anyone's question, one of the Devil's, the Cadre, or perhaps one of the Exorcists? The latter was very unlikely, those three humans had next to no wounds on them due to the powers of their Gears, skills, and teamwork.
Suddenly Commodus appeared in front of him, forcing Thor to go through a series of blocks and dodges. Each strike he blocked hurt, it was like hitting a steel door or thick rock. As he blocked a kick, he was too slow to block the uppercut. He felt blood and bile spit out his mouth as he went flying into the air. If Commodus was aiming to kill he could have easily cracked his jaw, but the Exorcists were trying to recapture him. Still, that was a very nasty punch, twice his attacks left him in excruciating pain and this one sent him into the air.
Into the air and the arms of the Cadre Fallen Angel.
"Gotcha!" The Cadre exclaimed.
Thor tried to breathe and pry himself free but his body ached from the pain suffered from the fighting. He had tried to escape on his own... hoping that he would be able to live out the rest of his life away from the Supernatural world. Away from the Church and its followers but it seemed God from the Bible prevented such a dream now. They - the Three Great Factions - had fought over him like children over candy. And it made him very angry.
"Stop him!" Nero, jumped as high as his muscles would let him to prevent the Fallen from taking Thor. If he succeeded their mission would fail, they needed to get him back!
"Don't worry, boy. I'll make sure you're-" The red-haired boy slammed his forehead hard into the dark-winged angel's face, an eerie cracking sound meant his nose was broken. Before he could teleport away with his prize he was head-butted again and punched in the throat. So great were the punches he was forced to release Thor to clutch his throat and try to breathe.
As gravity let Thor fall he had the pleasure of watching Caligula, Mammon, and the twin Devils unleash bullets of magic and holy guns into the Cadre leaving a smoking corpse to fall face-first into the snow. At last, the Fallen Angels were dead but that did not mean he was out of danger yet.
"You will not escape! The Lord will see that we succeed in our mission to bring you back to your home!" Commodus declared,zooming forward, dodging magic spells by the Mammon Peerage with ease, his mindset on subduing the redhead. He closed the distance in seconds and threw a punch forward hoping to knock him out and take him back to the facility. The confident smirk was wiped away when he saw his fist be caught in Thor's hand.
Thor growled and punched Commodus square in the face, sending the speedster rolling across the earth kicking up snow as he did. Fed up with trying to escape, he decided to just wipe them out and then leave their corpses as a message for the Three Great Factions to not come looking for him. Turning his gaze on the others he charged Vivian, weaving through each magic bullet sent his way until he was close enough to bury his fist into her stomach, slam her face into his knee, then kick her into a fallen tree trunk so hard she was skewered on a large broken tree branch.
One less Devil to worry about.
The sound of gunshots was heard from behind and just as he turned a sharp pain coursed through his shoulders and stomach sending him staggering to the earth. He stared wide-eyed at Caligula whose pistols were aimed. Looking down he saw the priest robes he was always forced to wear now had holes and blood leaking out of them.
"He shot him!" Cried the twin in the orange jumpsuit.
"Caligula, stop!" Nero ordered while fending off punches by the blue Mohawk Devil.
"If we have to hurt him to stop him, so be it!" Caligula shouted, firing more holy bullets at Thor.
"I think not!" Mammon cried, erecting a layered defense barrier to spot the bullets dead in their tracks.
Glad to be saved from having more bullets lodged into him, Thor nevertheless needed to get away. As much as he wanted to kill them, that no longer was an option with the wounds sustained by Caligula who continued to fire holy bullets in the hopes of breaking the barrier. Thor frowned at the gun-wielding human, there was nothing special about Caligula; he had no Sacred Gear like Nero and Commodus, nor a Holy Sword, just two guns that would eventually run out of ammo. Sure enough, he did and as he reloaded Thor took this chance to act.
At least I can try to kill one before escaping to let them kill each other. He thought as his hand brushed against a large rock beneath the snow. Lifting himself and the rock from the ground he jumped as high as he could, which was just mere inches below the barrier, but that was enough to throw the rock as hard as he could at the Exorcist. The rock soared through the air like a bullet striking Caligula on the right side of his face with such force it sent the human spinning before crashing to the snowy floor.
Thor scrambled to his feet and began making a run for it, he didn't know or care if Caligula was alive or dead. All that mattered now was trying to get away as fast as his wounded body would allow him. He did not, however, get far for only having taken nine steps he stumbled. Sparing a glance he saw Mammon and the black-haired twins tending to Vivian who was pulled free from the tree while the Mohawk Devil and Jiehong sent jabs and punches at Nero and Commodus. A small part of him wanted to know who was which piece in Mammon's Peerage but getting out of here was more important. To his dismay he saw Caligula slowly rise to his feet, the rock did not kill him but certainly wounded him; the right side of his face was badly bruised and his right eye was swollen shut making it difficult to aim correctly.
Furious that he had not killed him, Thor shakily got to his feet, ignoring the pain in his body and the instinct to run while he had the chance. He would make sure one of these Exorcists would die! Bending his knees he rushed Caligula, clearing the distance in about three minutes which was more than enough time for Caligula to recover his wits, hastily reload one of his pistols, aim, and fire. Right as the trigger was pulled, Thor smacked the barrel away from his face but not his body making the bullet hit him inches below the heart. Growling like a wounded animal he punched Caligula so hard under the chin, teeth, blood, and bile went flying in all directions.
"Our Father-" Caligula tried to say but had great difficulty with missing teeth, a broken jaw, and another punch to the face by Thor.
Caligula spun again but this time, Thor stopped him with a headlock and yelled out for all to hear, "Pray all you want because your God won't save you!"
With that, he twisted the Exorcist's head roughly and threw the corpse to the floor.
Thor parried Nero's punch and countered with a knee strike and left hook. If Sturdy Saint wasn't activated, those strikes would have broken Nero like a toothpick. However, Sturdy Saint didn't stop Thor from unleashing a flurry of punches and kicks. With each punch, his anger grew.
He hated the Church!
He hated its followers!
He hated their religion!
His next punch was intercepted by Commodus tackling him. Thor shoved him off and tried to elbow him but missed. Instead, he crossed his arms over his face to protect against the axe kick sent by the purple-haired man. The following kick to his gut sent him rolling toward a fallen tree. Thor stumbled to his feet, planting a hand upon the trunk for balance.
"Bastard! I'll make you pay for killing him!" Commodus yelled furiously and charged the thunder user.
Thor responded by grabbing the tree trunk and swinging it with all his might at the speedster. Commodus, however, jumped on the tree and continued his charge forcing Thor to release the tree to sidestep a flying punch and then block a flash kick. His counterpunch connected to Commodus' head, blood was flowing out of the wound and Thor was sure he had heard his skull crack. It was obvious the attack dazed him allowing Thor a chance to finish him.
Suddenly, a wave of exhaustion flowed through Thor. He knew immediately what was happening; he overused his powers and its toll was taking effect. Still, he showed those Exorcists why they shouldn't have come and messed with him. Before he could take a step forward, Thor dropped to his knees, his strength slipping away. As he slumped to the ground his vision started to become hazy. Soon all was black before hitting the snow.
Present-day
"After blacking out I awoke back in my room."
"And the Devils? What happened to Mammon?" Odin asked.
"He retreated when more Exorcists arrived."
Odin shared a look with Vili who hummed in thought as he stroked his beard. The Fallen Angel said they had spies within the Church, however, those Exorcists Thor mentioned knew nothing about this Project Thunderbolt. Azazel had been surprised when learning about Thor's death. Could he have been faking that reaction, had he already known about this? The Governor-General of Grigori was a cunning fellow and unpredictable about many things. Odin's eye narrowed dangerously, if Azazel knew about this all along and kept it secret from them there would be severe consequences.
"Well, brother, what should we do?" Vili asked.
Odin stared at Thor as if he was a puzzle. For the God of Knowledge, he was clueless on this boy's past. However, this three-way struggle had revealed some valuable information regarding his past though. Information he would ask when speaking to the right people. For now, they had to wait for more memories to resurface.
"We return to our chambers and wait for the sun to rise the next day."
"That's it!?" Thor shouted, jumping to his feet knocking the chair over. "We can't ignore this!"
"And we won't." Odin said calmly, hiding his anger until only he and Vili were alone, "Tomorrow Azazel is attending a meeting and there I shall learn the answers you seek. Be patient."
With that the royal family returned to their beds, hoping the Fallen Angel's leader would talk.
Savland Norway
"Welcome home, Rose!"
Rossweisse embraced her grandma in a warm hug. Today Odin was kind enough, with persuasion from Thor, to allow her the day off which allowed her to visit her grandmother who was none other than the legendary Valkyrie Gondul. She missed her greatly but knew her duties came first and foremost. At least she had all day to spend with her.
"How are you, my sweet granddaughter?" The elderly Asgardian asked kindly, "I see you've grown a lot in the last years, magically and physically."
Rossweisse blushed, of course her grandma would mention her physical growth. Nevertheless, she answered with a kind smile, "Life as the Allfather's bodyguard is well. I should apologize for not being able to tell you this sooner but we have obtained a new Asgardian."
One silver eyebrow rose, "Oh and who has joined the Einherjar this time?"
"Well it's actually someone you knew," She paused for dramatic effect then said, "The reincarnation of Thor."
Gondul spat the tea she was sipping all over the tabletop, body shaking and her eyes wide. The reincarnation of the God of Thunder!? That's impossible unless he had a secret child with a mortal or giantess but Thor was never the type to sleep around with women like Odin and Vidar so it couldn't be that.
Otherwise his spirit may have been inherited by a human.
She knew Heros could come back two ways; either a descendant or the spirits of long-dead heroes inheriting humans and becoming the next hero such as Hercules, Oda Nobunaga, Arthur Pendragon, Maui, and more. Those, however, were humans, not Gods. Could a God's spirit do the same? Could a human inherit the spirit of a God and control its power? She had to meet this boy to know if it was true!
"Rose, tell me everything you know about this boy."
The question asked by the master magician had Rossweisse go on a long explanation about Thor. How they found him, what he knew about his past, joining Asgard, learning to use his power, and helping protect the realm. As Gondul listened, her heart swelled with pity for the boy's disgraceful, disgusting, and despicable treatment by the Church. The Biblical Faction were thieves, they took Siegfried, Surtr, Fafnir, and Beowulf. Now they had tried to take their prince and failed.
What piqued her interest was how they found him. He was the only survivor of a destroyed building, which had obviously belonged to the Church. Meaning its destruction could only have been caused by this boy and got amnesia from it collapsing on him. If he regains his memories maybe he can remember how the Church found him and if he had parents before being adopted by the Allfather.
When she heard Rossweisse was helping Thor learn magic, Gondul couldn't hide her smile. Her little Rose had accomplished so much throughout her life. Graduating college at a young age, becoming the Allfather's bodyguard, and now helping the new Thor. The pride for her granddaughter burned hotter than the fires of Muspelheim.
"So," Said the former Valkyrie, "Have you asked him out on a date?"
Rossweisse blushed like a tomato. Oh, why did she ask such a thing!? This was exactly why she didn't want Thor to meet her grandma! She'd jump at the opportunity to pair them up.
Gondul laughed, "By the look on your face I can tell you haven't done so yet. Oh, my silly Rose. I know you believe duty comes first but if you want to get a boyfriend you must do what I suggested. Flirt and tease this boy."
"H-He is the Allfather's son!"
"So?"
"S-so I can't do such a thing like that with a son of the Royal Family!"
"Nonsense." Gondul said haughty, "Sif was going to marry him."
"She's a Goddess. I'm only a half-goddess."
"Excuses. If he is still the same as I knew him back in my youth then he should be a perfect match for you! He's still strong, kind, brave, and I'm sure he is very handsome."
"Noble."
"What?"
"Nothing!"
"Rossweisse." Gondul never called her by her full name unless she wanted to know something important and hearing her granddaughter call Thor brave was important.
Rossweisse anxiously shifted in her seat, she shouldn't have said that and now her grandma would know of the fight she had started. With reddening cheeks, she went into detail about the Einherjar Cadmus insulting her and Thor dueling him. By the time she had finished, Gondul had a look in her eye, a look that doubled Rossweisse's anxiety.
"So…" Gondul said leaning forward, "my granddaughter was responsible for a fight between the God of Thunder and an Einherjar. It looks like my Rose has finally found herself a hero who just so happens to be the Allfather's son. If he has all these traits about him then he is without a doubt boyfriend material."
"Grandma…"
"Perhaps one of these days I will pay a long-awaited visit to Asgard. "
"Grandma!"
At the Bifrost
"Heimdall."
"Hm?"
"What are your thoughts on Devils?"
Asgard's watcher turned to Thor at being asked the question, the son of Odin had come to the Bifrost to socialize with the all-seeing watcher. This did not distract Heimdall from his duties but wished it had been while he was off work. Even he needed a break once in a while.
"They are ambitious, greedy, and desperate for power."
Thor cocked his head to the side at his words, "Does that mean you hate them?"
Thor had heard many people within the great dining hall speaking illy of the Devil's after a recent event occurred in Germany a few days ago. A Stray Devil had taken up residents somewhere in the southern region of Norway and went on a killing spree. The Devil's did not dispatch a hit squad to eliminate it since he crossed the board into the Norse Faction. So Brynhildr was sent to deal with the problem. Of course, this added fuel to the flames of resentment Asgard had towards the Underworld.
"This may be our territory but it's their responsibility."
"I think those new Satan's are doing a terrible job at running the Underworld."
Those were some of the things Thor remembered hearing during the feast.
"I do not hate them." The Guardian of the Bifrost said, "Yes there may be some good-hearted Devils but they are still filled with one of the seven sins. We do not live like hierarchies. We are a kingdom ruled by our wise king. All are equal here, warriors and civilians alike."
Thor nodded, he heard about Devil society in the Church, how the Purebloods look down on the reincarnated. It sickened him that they hadn't changed their ways under the new Satans. With the power they have, they could have enforced change so all were equal, just like Asgard.
"The fact that the Biblical Faction thinks they are the strongest shows how arrogant they are. Gods are the strongest beings, not Devils, Angels, or Fallen Angels."
"Are we?" Heimdall asked wisely, "To the humans of the Biblical Faction, God is the creator and ruler of the universe and source of all moral authority; the Supreme Being. To other religions, like ours, Shinto, and Hinduism, Gods are superhuman beings or spirits worshiped as having power over nature or human fortune but what it means to be a "God" is to have world-destructive power. Susanoo, Aten, Zeus, myself, and many more are called "God's" for our near-infinite powers. Yet even we who have the power to destroy the world can get exhausted and die if fighting an equal or stronger opponent. I say we are not God's, but beings with mystic powers who are born, live, and die, just as humans do."
Heimdall was right, they were just like mortals; they lived, got hurt, and died. The Original Thor, Surtr, and many more Gods died.
"Do you think peace can truly be achieved?" Asked Thor.
"It's hard to say. Some want peace but those who do are small in number. Everyone hates one another. Including our allies."
Thor snorted, "Don't remind me. I have heard some Fallen Angels saying they don't need Asgard's help. That they are the superior race. What a bunch of fools. It thinking like that that has led to their species being on the verge of extinction.
"You're right, Thor, and with so few in numbers those black-winged Angels will cease to exist. When their race will go extinct is unsure. Maybe a year or two if more keep going rogue."
This alliance between Grigori and Asgard was to strengthen relations and work together towards peace but war and violence still flowed through both factions. He may hate the Devils for creating that abomination Surtr Second, but he had no desire to go to war. The Watcher of Asgard had seen war too often in his youth, the first being the Aesir-Jotun War, then the infamous Aesir-Vanir War, the War between the Dwarves and Elves, The War of the Dwarves and Elves, followed shortly after by the War of Light and Dark, commonly called the Elven Civil War, and many more. The mythological wars weren't the only ones Heimdall watched, but the human wars as well. He saw kingdoms rise and fall, Republics and Empires be split in two, revolutions, civil wars, conquests, invasions, the World Wars, Heimdall saw it all.
"Then why work with them? The Fallen Angels have split and are fighting one another just like the Devil's. Unity for the Nine Realms may be possible but not the entire Supernatural World." Thor said.
"Maybe. Maybe not. It may take centuries to complete. Even my foresight can't see all the futures. However, a new age is coming and maybe, just maybe, peace between all Factions can be achieved."
Meanwhile at Hlidskjalf
The meeting was over and Azazel would have left with the other Gods if not for Odin needing a private word with him. He started off with the good news about Thor regaining a memory of his past but it quickly went south when saying Fallen Angels, Azazel's people, were involved in a three-way battle over the God of Thunder. How the Cadre learned about Operation Thunderbolt by a spy in the Church. It didn't take a genius, which Azazel was, to realize why Odin was speaking to him; he wanted to know if he knew about this all along and kept it a secret.
"And you truly believe I knew of this?" Azazel asked, his face having a rare stoic expression.
"Why shouldn't you? You're Cadre who was in my son's memory confirmed a spy you had in the Church somehow learned about it. Do you deny it?"
Azazel sighed, "I did not know of his existence till now. Trust me, I was surprised to hear of your son's sacrifice and the discovery of this new Thor. However, to stave your wrath towards me, I admit the last information I obtained in the Church was The Holy Emperor Trio being ordered to Norway to help with something that was top secret. After that no other word was heard since my spy was discovered. Whatever this top project was I did not know because, as you said, the subordinates I sent to follow them and investigate were wiped out. How they died I assumed was due to the Church discovering them before they could escape." He paused before adding, "And if my subordinates had managed to bring him to me I would have brought him to Asgard so he can be with his people. With his father."
That had caused the king of the Aesir to relax in his chair, so Azazel wasn't lying after fall. A man willing to return a father's lost son instead of keeping him for himself was one he could truly trust. "Thank you for being honest. I'm afraid you would have known about this all along and kept it secret."
Azazel shook his head, "We are allies after all. No secrets between us. What surprises me even more is the fact that those Devils your son face were part of an Extra Demon house thought extinct; Mammon. It was said went extinct shortly after the Devil Civil War."
"Interesting." Odin said stroking his beard, "What I remember about the Extra Demons is that they are Devils who are not affiliated with the current government. That, coupled with the assumption of Mammon being dead, allowed him to stay hidden and gather information on his enemies. Therefore allowing him to discover Project Thunderbolt and try taking Thor for himself."
"And if I know the Vatican from my spies, they swept this three-way battle under the rug so that the Underworld does not know about Mammon's existence nor Project Thunderbolt I am also certain the Holy Emperor Trio and many others were sworn to secrecy by whoever was leading the project." Azazel added, "Humans playing as God to try using a foreign God as their weapon is something I did not expect."
"Nor I but humans are known to try the impossible and either succeed or fail." Sighed Odin. First the Holy Sword Project, then the cloning of Siegfried, and now this. Is the Church so desperate to use other Factions to gain an advantage against their enemies? Why hasn't God of Heaven done something about it and how could such a thing happen if Thor is dead? Acquiring his DNA would be impossible since he's dead and he never spoke to anyone outside of the Norse Faction so cloning is out of the question.
"Well since my spies were discovered we don't have answers but more questions. All we can do is hope Thor will regain more memories." Azazel reassured, "Anyway, I must be off I have stuff to do."
"Of course," Said Odin before a sharp gleam twinkled in his right eye, "But I forbid you not to speak of this to ANYONE, especially Thor. He doesn't need to learn about this yet, not until he has regained more memories and quelled the anger he has towards the Church."
Azazel nodded as he felt relief wash over him, he would not lie to the Allfather unless he wished to feel the wrath he was known for in the Aesir-Vanirwar. He may be a Faction leader but he couldn't defeat the God of Knowledge who had all sorts of skill in tricks and magic. Besides, his interests were in Sacred Gears, not Gods. Speaking of which, he needed to send someone to observe that boy in Japan. Perhaps that Fallen Angel who keeps fantasizing about him can do it, if she's subtle.
And so we come to the end of the redux of an old chapter you all remember. This one had a change that I hope captivated you.
Changing Mortis Sabnock to Mammon is more suitable than doing a relative or sibling to that Sabnock servant in Sairaorg's Peerage. Not only has Mammon not appeared in the novels yet but if I recall he was only mentioned once in Volume 23 when introducing Rudiger Rosenkreutz who was associated with House Mammon. When he was associated could be anyone's guess. It could have been during, after, or even before the Devil Civil War, there are so many ideas people can come up with fill in the blanks and I have chosen to do just that with my interpretation of Mammon.
I hope it has not disappointed anyone at all. What happens next? Well…you'll have to wait and see. Thank you all for following this redux; I hope you are enjoying it. Be sure to give your feedback, and I'll see you next time!