Chapter 25: Battle against an ancient enemy, and the resolution of a fractured mind II.
Noah POV
I never liked killing, the act of taking a life.
I enjoyed fighting, testing my skills against a worthy opponent, and improving in the process.
I enjoyed the feeling of harming those I hated.
But I despised taking lives.
When you kill someone, you don't just harm one person, but many.
Look at Ban; his death by my own hands caused my beloved sisters no small amount of grief.
I didn't want to hurt innocents, yet when you kill someone, whether guilty or not, innocents get hurt.
But the God in front of me was testing that belief.
Oh yes, I knew he was a God.
You can't fake that power, that presence.
But that didn't matter to me.
He hurt my dearly beloved, my darling sisters also.
And if what I felt was correct;
He was going to hurt my precious little girl.
And i would rather die, than let a Creature like that live.
'Oh, you don't actually know if he was after Freya'
I did.
The room was in rubble, yet Freya was laid gently on the floor, as if she was placed there by a pair of caring hands.
Both Neptune and Compa were heavily injured, bleeding.
IF was nowhere to be seen.
And Woden stood above my future-wife and sister's bodies, smiling like it was Christmas.
I hated him, wanted him dead.
Yet my hands were shaking.
Not in anger, but in a myriad of other negative emotions.
Fear, at the thought of spilling the blood of something that looked ever-so human.
Sadness, in knowing that my beloved and sister were going to witness me do it.
But above all else; Disappointment in, and hatred for, myself.
Because I had became a father, someone who had to do better, be better.
Yet here I was, being forced to kill again.
It was fortunate that my hatred for Woden included hatred for forcing my hand.
For making me kill again.
In. Front. Of. My. Family.
"Woden." I spoke his name with venom, his was an existence that I could not stand. "Huh, will you look at tha-" Before he could finish, I drew upon the great power of the God Eater; summoning Terminus, and stabbed him in the chest.
A quick death, or rather, it should have been. For as I heard the cracking of bone and flesh, a pale hand laid itself upon my blade, before pulling the weapon out. Since there was now nothing in his wound, golden blood began pouring out.
Even then, the God just smiled. "You came a little late to the party." He pointed at the collapsed bodies of Neptune and Compa. "You were just late enough that I got tired of them, though I suppose that's good for you, considering I left them alive." His hand was still firmly gripped onto the sharp blade of Terminus.
"I wanted to see the power of the Child of Light when combined with the awesome power of Akos." He shrugged his shoulders. "I also wanted to see the look on your face as I broke thier bodies completely, but like I said, you were a bit too late." In any other situation, I may have wondered what drove him to this, why he was acting like this.
But I just couldn't care.
He may been an annoyance once, someone who, while a pain in the arse, was someone who could be relied upon.
He may have been, at one point, a friend of Ban's.
But that didn't mean shit, after everything he did.
I yanked the blade from his hand, and I while I was successful, I had the annoying feeling that he let me.
"Keep it up. Stab, slice, burn me with the hottest flames, and freeze me with the most fridged ice. It doesn't matter. I want to see the limits of your strength, yes..." a bloodied hand pushed on my shoulder with the weight of a thousand tons.
"But don't go thinking that you could ever beat me."
"I don't care what you want, what you think. You will die here." He had done too much, become too much of a threat. "You can say whatever you want, but you'll never kill me, I am not the God I once was." He lifted his hand, and within a fraction of a second, used the other one to try and bludgeon me with some sort of hammer. In retaliation, I quickly swung my blade at his wrist, and ended up cutting his hand off.
He still had that same damn smile.
"I am better."
To my surprise, there was no scream of pain. Instead, Woden just bent down, picked up his severed hand, and placed it against his bleeding stump. I heard a sizzling sound as his appendage seemingly reattached itself. "Huh, colour me impressed, you actually managed to harm me." He sounded genuinely surprised. "But like I said, you could never beat me. Any limb you severe can just be put back, Any damage you do; reversed."
Ignoring his words, I continued my assault. Left foot, right foot, both shins, both wrists, both arms. In the end he was just a torso with a head. "Careful now, wouldn't want that precious family of yours waking up to see this now, wouldn't we?" To my horror, as if being pulled by an unseen force, Woden's body fixed itself, all of his limbs floating towards his body, and reattaching.
"So how do you want to play this?"
Unfortunately, I could feel the accumulated stress of using Terminus begin to overwhelm me. So I reluctantly sheathed it.
"Hyrgh!"
Being forced to do away with my strongest weapon, I decided to go back to the basics. As my hands wrapped around Woden's throat, I squeezed.
"You're only alive because of some outside force. Once I find out how to get rid of that, you're dead." He was an obstacle, and from his track record, he always would be. Death would be the only solution, as much as I hated it.
This was a being who outright stated taking pleasure in the pain of myself and my loved ones. For that alone, he must be removed. This world was imperfect, harsh, and as a father it was my duty to ensure that it was a far better place for my daughter. He would be the first step, it was just the matter of how.
As my hands lay upon the throat of my enemy, I began thinking of anyway I could bypass his apparent immortality. (His limbs just reattach, but what about his head?) Perhaps his brain needed to be intact for his body to put itself together?
I had to force down the rising disgust, this was no monster, but a humanoid being. Thinking that in-depth on how to kill someone who looked so human wasn't easy in the slightest, despite my hatred of the very same humanoid being.
(Is-Is this me? Am I doing this?) Yes, yes I was. I was Zed Lux Nati, Noah Ordinarius, and I was going to kill Woden. I gripped and pressed and pushed until I heard a sharp snap, hearing Woden's noises suddenly go silent. Only to hear another snap, and Woden's voice return.
"This isn't regeneration, or healing of any kind."
"Ghk!"
Woden had used his hammer to strike my stomach, the force sending my body flying, and causing no small amount of pain. Coughing into my hand, I bore witness to a crimson liquid I recognised as my own blood. (...Shit...) How was I going to beat him? He had already proven resilient enough to outlast my strongest weapon.
"I am no normal God. In fact, you could say that I am above such weak beings." As he spoke I discreetly used Golden Trillion to heal and strengthen my body. "I am one who was blessed by the one above all; the pinnacle of life!" He looked at me as he spoke. I took particular notice of the equal parts of fear and reverence in his eyes.
"You are nothing more than a tool for the Lord of Fate, whereas I am so much more." 'Lord of Fate'? Was he talking about... "You mean to say that you serve the being that sent me, as well as my brother, here?" His revelation had made a slightly curious, besides, I needed to keep him talking.
"Indeed! Lord Alpha sent you Strangers here to fill the void, after all, what is a villain without their hero, or a hero without their villain?"
Instead of replying to the rhetorical question, I summoned a blade and thrust it towards Woden's chest.
"Huh? Didn't you already try tha-"
"NOAH!"
Both of our attentions were brought to the sudden shout. Turning to face the origin of the noise revealed it's speaker to be Histoire. (Shit, talk about bad timing...) I doubted that my sort of-mother-in-law would prove to be any help against Woden. Her powers were great, but not seemingly combat-oriented. Even worse, Woden's gaze was fully on the fairy-like being.
"Focus, do not be lead by anger! Keep a calm mind, and unsheathe the Sword of the End once more!" Her words of support were heard, though unfortunately it was heard by both me and my opponent. "Well? Do it then. It should prove a nice distraction." Woden spoke casually, folding his arms in front of himself.
Now Histoire's advice was appreciated , especially so considering it put her at risk of Woden's casual violence. But that being said...
"How in the fuck am I supposed to not be lead by anger!? This arrogant prick hurt my family!" How was I supposed to not be angry? And why would that matter if Terminus had already proven ineffective against this so-called 'blessing'?
"Think not of your opponent , but of those you love! Think of IF, and Compa, of Noire and Blanc! Think of your wife; Neptune, and your daughter; Freya!"
I did. Thoughts of my sisters, of my friends, of my darling future-wife and daughter filled my head. 'I also wanted to see the look on your face as I broke thier bodies completely, but like I said, you were a bit too late.'' Only they were just as quickly marred by sheer rage at the one who harmed them.
"No, do not act out of hatred for your enemies. Act out of love for those you cherish!" I focused on her words, and tried again. The adorable and mischievous voice of Neptune, the level-headed tones of IF, the kind melodies of Compa, the snarky quips of Blanc, the comforting words of Noire and the innocent chimes of my beloved daughter.
(Ah, I see...)
I started to understand. This was yet another thing Akos failed in. He struck down his foes in hatred of them, and I must not do the same. Instead, I had to use this power for what it was truly meant; to protect. The Gods may have fell, but before then, they must have aided humans. (Just look at Neptune, hell, look at Noire and Blanc.) Vert, however, could still go to hell.
Anyway...
The power of Gods was meant to be used to protect. Even if that power was usurped by a human, it's nature still remained. Maybe that's why the so-called 'God Eater's' power seemed so weak, I wasn't using it the way it was supposed to.
(Indeed! A true king fights not for conquest, nor for glory. A worthy monarch fights for the ones he swore to protect!)
The whitish-silver blade of Terminus was drawn from its ebony and violet sheathe, the sword encompassed by an ethereal emerald glow.
"...No...nonononoNO! Those eyes! That glow! Lord Alpha swore they were forbidden!" To my surprise, Woden appeared absolutely frightened. It appeared I had attained a power great enough for the so called 'blessed' being to feel fear. To my own surprise, I felt no pleasure in his fear, only resolution to do what must be done.
"D-do not use such power, Noah. You don't know what it's capable of! Y-you'll be responsible for countless deaths!"
I ignored his cowardly prattling, for to me, that's what it was. He was nothing more than an arrogant fool feeling scared at prospect of his inevitable demise.
"Thinking back, did you not wish for me to gain this power, the power of the God Eater?" He was the one to take me to the trials, it was his own fault that I held the power I did. "T-this is not the power of Akos, i-it is something most profane!" He no longer spoke casually, instead adopting a more old-fashioned way of speaking.
(He's scared now? Funny, wasn't he acting all arrogant a second ago?)
I wanted to dwell on that thought, relish his sudden shift in attitude, at his loss of arrogance. But I knew that would just delay things.
"S-stay back!"
Woden shouted loudly, but spoke with no amount of desperation. He dashed backwards, throwing both his spear and hammer my way. With a single swing of Terminus, they both clattered harmlessly onto the ground, both weapons in pieces. Woden repeatedly snapped his fingers, only for nothing to happen, and for his already fear-covered face, to darken.
"N-no, it can't end like this! Not by you, not by a mere boy!"
Instinctively, I brought my armored left hand up, and harmlessly waved it in front of me. In doing so, ethereal green chains bound Woden to the floor, wrapping around his arms and legs.
I spared a glance at my exhausted loved ones.
"Neptune, Compa. Thank you for fighting so hard for our precious family. It will be over in a second." I took a deep breath. "Before that however, I must ask you something." I could see that their wounds looked to be healing rapidly, if that was the case, then there was the risk of them waking up. That was not something I wanted to happen right this second, as I did not want them to witness me finish Woden off.
My heart wouldn't be able to take it.
"Close your eyes, and cover your ears. For I am about to do the unthinkable, and commit a cardinal sin."
I took steps towards Woden, until I was close enough to land the final blow.
"Today, I shall slay a God."
The glowing blade of Terminus pierced Woden's heart, the open wound spurting golden Ichor. He screamed, louder than anything I had ever heard before, the moment seemingly lasting an eternity.
Then the world fell almost silent as his incoherent shouts faded away.
His eyes suddenly glowed silver.
"One day, when your journey reaches an end. You too, will lose everything."
Then there was silence, as his body faded into nothingness, leaving only a whispy black and gold orb. As my eyes stared at the mysterious object, I had a sudden revelation.
(That's his soul.)
Suddenly, thousands of voices made themselves known, a cacophony of voices screaming at me.
Take it.
Join us.
Devour it.
Make it whole.
Suffer as we have suffered.
Countless voices, some masculine, others distinctively feminine. All of them chanting. It was not pleasant, in fact, it threatened to overwhelm me, and it almost did.
(Shut up!)
Almost.
They would not control me, I alone decided my actions, my fate!
[Take the soul, boy.]
(That voice!) I recognised it! It was Ban! (W-what? H-how are you-) My thoughts were unceremoniously interrupted. [Doesn't matter how, only why. I don't have much time to explain, all these souls are more rowdy than my wife in bed.] What? [Look boy, if you don't take it, he'll just come back. I hate to agree with the rest of the poor souls in this dammed blade, but you have to take Odin's soul.]
His voice brought back terrible memories. Ones I wished more than anything to forget.
[Don't get all depressed now, boy. I made my choice, as rushed as it was. Just take the damn soul!] Wanting to rid myself of the terrible emotions, I heeded his words, reaching out with my left hand, tightly grasping the glowing remnant.
There was a flash of light, then I could feel a vast amount of energy flow through my being. When the sensation settled down, I felt fuller almost, as if I had just eaten a pleasantly filling lunch.
Ban's voice spoke again, sounding quieter and quieter as he went. [Hah, so ya actually went and did it. Good job boy, no, Noah. Tell my dear daughter and granddaughter that I love them.]
His voice faded quickly, but just before it disappeared completely, he spoke a final few words.
[Should either seek...Greater power, then...Allow them to...Drink your blood.]
Then his voice was gone, and I found myself collapsing onto my knees. (Shit...no, I need...to check...on IF...) Her status was unknown to me. Since Woden had been dealt with, I knew I could, and thus should, find and check up on her.
Every inch of my body ached with insurmountable pain and unbearable tiredness, yet I could not rest until I knew she was safe. (What kind of older brother would...I be then?) We may have not been related by blood, but life had already shown me how little that mattered. "Hey Histoire...Keep an eye...On them for me." Histoire looked at me with concern. "Don't be preposterous, you need to rest." Her small stature betrayed her serious expression. Though I understood her reasoning, I had my own priorities.
"What I need...Is to see my little sister...Safe." It was difficult to string together more than a few words in between breaths, but I had to get my point across. I would go and find IF, regardless of what the blonde fairy thought. "...Very well." Said fairy began. "But do be careful, I would rather not be on the receiving end of my daughters' wrath, should you get hurt." She finished, nodding politely.
"Thanks." I spoke, trying to save my strength. Moving back on my feet, I walked outside of the ruined room, and off to where I hoped to find my brown-haired sibling.
As I walked, I took notice of the ruins that was once the central Basilicom of Lowee. Woden, the arse, had turned the place upside-down. (Wonder what...Blanc thinks of...This.) Like my sister, the Goddess of Lowee was nowhere to be found. (Guess I'll just...Have to find her...Too.) Though my pain was already beginning to lessen, my fatigue was still in full effect. Regardless, I would still keep looking.
I honestly didn't know how long it took, or where she and I were in relation to the others, but I was eventually able to find IF. Like the others, she was lying on the floor. Unlike them, however, she was seemingly in perfect shape. (But...What the hell is...That symbol?) Though she looked basically untouched, IF had a strange glowing mark on her forehead.
Svefnthorn, the rune of sleep and dreams.
This particular one was eternal, the victim bound by fate to never awaken again.
Though I had never seen the symbol before now, I knew it's name. Shaking off the sudden foreign knowledge, I focused on finding a way to get rid of it-
(ARGH!)
I was suddenly brought to my knees beside my beloved sister. Feeling a burning sensation on my left hand, I brought it up to my eyes. Etched upon the back of my hand was another foreign symbol. This time of a snake-like creature biting its own tail in a circular pattern. The symbol was covered in hairline fractures, making it look fragile. Yet again, the knowledge of what it was suddenly appeared in my mind.
Ouroboros, the cyclical dragon of eternity.
The mighty Infinity of an endless cycle.
The power I felt in my left hand felt similar to the power I used against Woden, except this time the strain was far less, and it manifested against my will. Too tired to question it, I gently placed my marked hand on top of IF's head. "Wake up...Dear sister..." As I spoke, both symbols glowed, before the one on IF's head shattered like glass and faded away.
(Play Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 OST: The Brother and Sister by the Window.)
"Hmm...Zed..?..." IF spoke groggily, having just awoken. The brown-haired girl's eyes then widened mere seconds after. "Zed, the others, Woden!" I gently patted IF's head, attempting to comfort and calm the girl. "Everything is fine." Her eyes lost the sudden panic they held, but bore into me with upmost seriousness. "What happened?" My more sensible sister asked.
"Hyk!"
Before I could begin to answer her question, pain began to wrack at my body. Realising what was about to happen, I placed my right hand over my mouth, preventing IF from being sprayed with the crimson liquid I suddenly coughed up.
"ZED!"
I wearily put up my other hand. "I'll be fine...The others are safe." My body was in bad shape to say the least, but It would heal in time. "You just coughed up blood! No way in hell I'm letting you off with a simple 'I'll be fine'!" It appeared my little sister was concerned. "I'll heal...Worry about yourself...First." IF gave me a flat look. "Oh yeah? What about the scolding I'll get from the others? I don't think they'd like to hear that I just up and left you."
(Heh.) "Of all the times...to be rebellious." How troublesome my little sister was. "Can it. I'm taking you back to the others whether you like it or not." As if to accentuate her point, my rebellious little sister stood to her feet and lifted me up and on top of her shoulders. (Didn't she just...wake...up?) My only guess was that Woden must have blindsided her earlier, thus she might not have been physically harmed. (It would...explain the rune...placed on...her head, at least...)
(Damn...it...) I could feel my body failing to respond, maybe IF had a point. Pulling on all the strength I had, I forced a few words out before darkness took me.
"Take...Care."
IF POV
(Hmph, as if I wouldn't.) "Sure thing, rest well, yeah?" Hearing no response, I guessed he had fallen asleep. "What a day, huh?" Things were going so well too. Then suddenly Woden had to rear his ugly mug, and I found myself asleep. (Ergh, how embarrassing...) I was meant to be the veteran adventurer here! (Nep and Compa aren't going to let me live this one down.) Jokes aside, it really was frustrating. I knew I wasn't weak or anything, but it definitely felt like it when I had lost instantly.
(Seriously, who did I piss off in a previous life to deserve this.) Hell, with how things went from the start, I could only guess that every one of us had committed some great sin or something . {Had you done such a thing, I would know. If it calms you, know that you have not.} Geez, thanks. (Didn't ask you, birdy.) Ah, right, Garuda was actually playing nice now. Probably should exploit that as much as possible.
(Know anything about any of this?) I asked curiously, my body working on autopilot. To my surprise, the vengeance-obsessed bird actually responded. {A God has been slain. The Allfather Odin, the one you know as 'Woden', has been laid to rest.} Huh... (Wait, does that mean Zed killed him?) He did say the others were 'safe'. {Yes, the one you know as 'Zed' has slain a God, and consumed their soul.} 'Consumed their soul' huh? (Well, can't say the bastard didn't deserve it.) Sure, knowing that the man I called my big brother could do something like that was a bit surprising, but at this point I couldn't bring myself to actually feel that shocked.
Ever since meeting Neptune, Compa and Zed, common sense ceased to exist. A pudding-obsessed Goddess, a nurse-in-training that wielded a giant syringe, and a man who was head-over-heels for said Goddess. (Come to think of it, I probably should have realised it sooner...) The world we lived in certainly was strange, so why be surprised?
(Huh, is that a fairy riding a book?) Blinking presumed dust out of my eyes, I looked again. Sure enough, there was in fact a blonde-haired fairy riding a book, right in front of me. "IF, thank goodness you are well." I tilted my head. "Er, who are you exactly?" I don't remember telling someone like her my name.
The strange, book-riding fairy, smiled, before bowing her head. "Ah, forgive me. I am Histoire." Huh? (Wait, does that mean she's-) "Yes, I am the one who tasked Neptune and Noah with saving me. Speaking of, I see my son-in-law has tired himself out." Again, HUH!? "Son-in-law!?" Histoire continued to smile politely. "Ah yes, I suppose it is not common knowledge, but I am the mother of the four Goddesses."
.
..
...
"...Sure, fuck it, why not." Histoire looked at me, this time with an unimpressed expression. "Now-now IF, I am aware that you may be surprised, but there was no need to curse." I looked at her blankly. "You're not my mum." In response, Histoire returned my blank look. "But I am a mother, think about what your own would think." Huh, maybe she had a- (Wait, why are we suddenly talking about mothers?)
"Why are you here?" I asked, getting back on topic. Histoire on her part, at least looked a little embarrassed at how our conversation derailed. "Ah, well you see, I was concerned with why Noah was taking so long. I was worried he had passed out before he could find you." I guess that makes sense… "Well, as you can probably tell, Zed is a little sleepy right now. Before he passed out, he'd made sure I was okay."
As I spoke, I couldn't help but smirk. "Heck, he was coughing up blood, but he still told me to worry about myself first. What a weird older brother I have." I couldn't help but laugh when remembering his selflessness, though I was also a bit worried. (Should I tell Neptune that he's that reckless?) I mean, he was a dad now, shouldn't he have valued his life a bit more? (Hmm, yeah, I think I will.) If anyone could curb his recklessness, it would be his 'darling' Neptune.
Oh, maybe I'd tell Compa too!
"Hmm, what a reckless man indeed…But enough about that, we need to get Noah medical attention as soon as possible." Histoire's words confused me. After all, Zed was capable of healing through a stab to the stomach, shouldn't he be fine if he rested? (Or, am I wrong?) The possibility of Zed's life being in danger put me on edge. "What do we do?" I asked. Histoire looked at me with a straight face.
"First we need to get back to the others, they are still asleep right now, but I do not doubt that they will need medical attention also. Follow me." Not wanting to waste time I thought to be limited, I followed the fairy without question.
Location change: Compa, Neptune, and Freya's location.
"What the hell happened here!?" I couldn't help but shout. Could you blame me? The place was messier than Neptune's eating habits! "Woden tried to take Freya, Neptune and Compa tried their hardest to fight back, but sadly lost." I had a feeling I knew the rest. "Did Zed come in and save the day again?" Histoire nodded. "Indeed. Woden had arrogantly summoned him, and goaded him into unleashing the true power of yours and Compa's ancestor."
('ancestor' huh…) "Is that why he's like this then?" Histoire nodded again. "Yes, though the true power of Terminus is immensely powerful, to wield such a profaned power is not without its consequences." I could only nod in acknowledgement. (Tch, suicidal idiot…) "Well, what do we do now? I mean, this place is in ruins, and I doubt we could magically turn it into a sterile hospital ward."
Histoire gave a knowing smile. "I do believe there is a saying for situations such as these." I quirked an eyebrow. "Oh yeah?" Histoire gave a wide smile. "Oh yes, I do believe it goes something like this: Ye of little faith!" The fairy suddenly raised her arms and there was a sudden flash of light. When the light died down, the entire area had changed completely! The rubble was gone, the walls and ceiling were fixed, and everything in the room had magically gone back to how it was before.
"H-how in the hell…" What? How? Why? (B-but the room…All the damage…)
"Ah, my little Blanc has a saying for this. Ahem! 'Magic is bullshit." I raised an eyebrow. "What happened to the whole 'no cursing' thing?" Histoire gave me a smug smirk. "I am a mother, and far more…experienced… than you." (wait, did she say experienced instead of ol-) "I AM NOT OLD!" Woah, what the hell!? "Oh, um, my apologies. I mean to say that I am not old, I am merely...experienced."
…
….
…..
"Would you mind helping me put these four into the beds?"
"Aren't there only two?"
"Lay Neptune and Compa out in one, and then Noah and Freya in the other."
"…Okay…"
Note to self: be wary of the little fairy.
"I AM NOT LITTLE!"
END OF CHAPTER
An: Er, any thoughts on the chapter? Do you think I fucked up at all?