Chapter Eighteen

A God Among Men

HANS

"Your Imperial Majesty!" The sentries outside the command tent saluted.

Hans almost didn't notice them as he strode towards the tent with Venom, Ignition and Double flanking him, but it didn't stop him from ignoring them as he pushed past the tent flap and entered without waiting for the sentries to announce his arrival.

The generals and colonels present in the tent with Field Marshal Kane spun when they noticed him and all ripped off hasty salutes. "Your Imperial Majesty!" they too barked with awe and fear. All but Kane displayed reverence, the field marshal himself remaining behind his staff with arms folded across his broad chest.

"Gentlemen," Hans greeted them with a pleasant smile. "May I have the room?"

"Sir!" The officers saluted once more and hurried out of the command tent to give their emperor and commanding officer the space they needed. They avoided eye contact with the Mage Slayers on the way out.

"I see you've started the attack," Hans said once they were alone, with only the Mage Slayers standing by the tent flap. A loud thump reverberated throughout the air, followed by the barked orders of Exonian lieutenants and sergeants.

"The first wave is already over the walls and the second one is standing by to go on my mark," Kane answered calmly. He still wore the white half-mask that obscured the facial scars on the right side of his face. Scars that he'd obtained fighting the Danish Princess and Prometheus back at the Battle of Arendelle, and worn with spite and vengeance. "I am curious, however. Why do you wish to possess New Hyutreno when their city has nothing to offer? No strategic positioning, no supplies," the field marshal scoffed. "It's a fool's errand."

"Don't forget who you're talking to," Hans stood opposite the portable writing desk, gazing at Kane. "I am not a fool."

"Of course not," Kane said, almost mockingly. "How else would you have deceived everyone and seized the throne for yourself?"

"Let's not dwell on past victories," Hans smiled. "Let's look ahead to glorious new cities and kingdoms to be brought to their knees in service to their emperor. How soon will the Imperial Horde break through the city's defences?"

"At the earliest, tomorrow morning," Kane said.

Hans stared at him hard. "That's too slow."

"New Hyutreno's army is better than we anticipated. Besides, you were the one who rushed this attack without giving my men any rest after the forced march."

"Your men?" Hans echoed. "Don't forget whose empire this is."

"It's hard to, considering you keep reminding everyone who would listen to you." Kane levelled his gaze, something not many could do without flinching. "Tomorrow morning the city will be ours."

"You'd better-"

"What? Obey?" Kane interrupted. "Or you'd strip away any chance of resurrecting my family?" He slammed the desk and it caved a little beneath his frightful strength.

The three Mage Slayers moved to intercept Kane, but Hans raised a placid hand in silence and they stopped.

"Even a fool who spends enough time near you will know that you aren't a man who keeps your promises." Kane narrowed his eyes. "I was blind, desperate, clinging on to the last slivers of hope. It took me long enough to see it. With Eleanor Tal Yin, maybe I had a chance of her keeping her promise. But you? You were never going to bring my family back from the dead."

"So why are you still helping me?"

"I'm not," Kane said acidly, his voice quiet. "If I can't have my family, I'll make damn certain the families living in those cities fall apart. Broken. Crumbled. Destroyed. The same way my family was ripped from me," he jabbed a finger at Hans. "And you, I know you've been wanting to replace me with someone far more agreeable. Perhaps someone like General Hydrech?"

Inwardly, Hans stewed. General Hydrech had failed to hold Fort Steinfall. In fact, he'd been captured, and it was only by the mercy of the Coalition that he and his other officers had been imprisoned in the fortress' cells and left behind during the Siege of Steinfall. Humiliated, but alive.

Kane's lip curled into a sick smile. "But we've been down that road before. Hydrech may have been good, but not good enough when pitted against the brilliant minds of Queen Anna and Field Marshal Frederick. I'm the only one capable of expanding your empire and you know it. You need me to win your war. But I don't need you. Not anymore. There are no more strings on me."

Hans kept his composure, forcing himself to smile to maintain the air of control. "Have it your way, field marshal. Tomorrow morning, then." He turned and walked out of the tent, seething silently.

He disrespects you, Westergaard, the Eternal King boomed inside him. He doesn't see your potential to be more. So much more.

"And I suppose that has something to do with the Volkron orbs?" Hans answered scornfully. "You still haven't told me what they're for."

Find the scroll, and we shall be closer to true greatness.

"Would you mind clueing me in on what exactly is this 'true greatness'?"

There came no reply, as Hans expected. The demon hadn't been very forthcoming with details, which irritated him greatly. All he knew was that the Eternal King was right. With the Warriors still out there and the future in flux, he needed something more drastic to better secure his grip on power. The Eternal King was offering him a way to do so, even if he didn't fully understand. Yet.

He gazed out at the battlefield beyond. A battery of twelve pounders went off, and a deep thump rattled his ears as six missiles flew high into the air, arcing wildly as they crashed down onto scores of New Hyutrenon soldiers. Musket shots went off in erratic order as his Imperial Horde engaged in a fierce firefight with the city's defenders. Cavalry horses' hooves clomped against the ground as the cuirassiers in red led a charge against the New Hyutrenons, only to be checked by the defenders' own cavalry.

The battlefield was awash with the smell of musket smoke, blood and exposed organs. Even from far behind the lines, the acrid stench reached Hans' nose. He watched as officers barked orders at the men and the Exonians rushed in a bayonet charge to meet the New Hyutrenon infantry head on. Artillery shots were fired again, this time answered by New Hyutreno's own cannons from within the city.

It was clear that this was going to be a battle of attrition, which as Field Marshal Kane had made abundantly clear, the Empire could afford. With over a total of three hundred thousand men at his beck and call, the city of New Hyutreno didn't stand a chance. And if all else failed, Hans could always summon the Eternal Horde, the undead, soulless creatures that would always get the job done.

But Hans knew waiting would take too long. No, his jaw tightened and the lines on his face deepened. He would not wait. The scroll would be his before nightfall.

"Come," Hans told the three Mage Slayers accompanying him. "We shall collect my great prize."

"How?" Venom asked as she and the others fell into step behind him.

"You'll see," Hans smirked as he walked past the battalion columns forming up for the third wave. The soldiers of the second wave who were quick enough to notice his presence parted a straight path down the column for him and his companions.

"Your Imperial Majesty!" A blonde-haired major rushed up to him. "Emperor! Please stay back! It's not safe!"

"You will unleash the second wave now, Major," he told the officer.

The man blinked as the artillery battery discharged another round of steel shot. "Sir? The Field Marshal ordered the second wave to go over only after the first wave is almost wiped out!"

Hans stared into his eyes. "Did I stutter, Major?"

"No, sir, but…" The Major panicked as Hans continued moving. "Sir? Please stay behind the lines! Sir!"

Hans made his way to the front rank and calmly undid the button of his suit jacket. Removing it, he draped it across the shoulders of one of the rank and file who had his musket and bayonet pointed forward.

"Sir?" the soldier looked at him with a combined expression of awe and confusion.

"Fight hard and die well, Exonian," Hans rolled his shoulders and stepped out into the battlefield, followed by the three Mage Slayers.

"Second wave, move out!" the Major barked.

His order was echoed by the lieutenants and sergeants commanding the various battalions and companies, and the Exonians issued a war cry, charging forward with bayonets attached. Hans and his assassins walked between two of the advancing columns that streamed past them, the yells and roars of the Exonians echoing like a wall of sounds all around them.

"Emperor!" Ignition shouted above the sounds of weapons clashing and muskets going off. "This is madness!"

"You want us to walk straight into the enemy?" Double yelled.

"No, I expect us to walk right through them." Hans found his first point of resistance and turned aside the bayonet thrust of a New Hyutrenon infantryman. Not that it would've done any lasting damage to him anyway. He gripped the enemy by the throat and lifted him off his feet. A snap of the neck, and he tossed the lifeless man aside.

The battlefield was a cacophony of deafening musket volleys, shrieks of men dying and roars of others clashing in melee and hand-to-hand combat. Overhead, the artillery belched fire on both sides. The neighs and screams of horses perpetuated as squadrons of dragoons and cuirassiers slammed into one another, riders engulfed in thrusts of spears and musketry, with those unfortunate enough to die upon impact being thrown from their saddles to land atop the throng of stabbing, shooting infantrymen.

And yet all the while, Hans strolled through the chaos, placidly meeting his attackers head on and batting aside their weapons or fists. The musket shots or stab wounds that managed to slow him down were of little consequence as he sought out the perpetrators and crushed them with no effort, absorbing their life force in the process and growing stronger with each breath.

In these past two years, he'd learnt so much about his new powers. Before, he'd never known about the ability to absorb another's life essence to strengthen himself. But now, he would do so whenever he had the opportunity, thus growing stronger and more powerful with every life he took. In the past, he'd always limited himself, stopping short of using his deadly speed and strength which were of frightening proportions. But the Eternal King had taught him. Now he was unstoppable.

Around him, the three Mage Slayers worked furiously, leaving carnage in their wake. Venom hurled countless poison-tipped darts, knives and daggers at the soldiers all around, every blade finding its mark in arms, legs, chests or heads of New Hyutrenon soldiers. All the while she moved unceasingly, producing new poison from her fingertips to coat her weapons instantaneously as she threw them.

Double, as his name implied, multiplied himself at an exponential rate, creating a shield of bodies that deflected every New Hyutrenon that tried to come close to Hans. The duplicates were as deadly as the original, moving in tandem as they killed their way across the battlefield.

Muskets and rifles exploded in the hands of New Hyutrenon infantrymen around them as Ignition set the powder within alight, the flames that burst forth consuming the wielders of the weapons, amplifying and adding to the moans and shrieks of those dying. Powder horns erupted in a spray of fire and light, blinding the soldiers in the near vicinity, giving Ignition the precious few seconds she needed to redirect the trajectories of several musket balls into the hearts of the New Hyutrenons that'd fired them.

His body coated in blood and wounds, Hans continued walking across the battlefield of death and chaos, deflecting, countering or simply ignoring the men who stood in his way. They all died one way or another, if not by his hand, then by the Mage Slayers at his side. It took less than a quarter of an hour to traverse the battlefield, surrounded by enemy soldiers.

Arriving at the city's gate, Hans stretched out a palm to block a musket ball, wrapped a fist around the caught projectile and hurled it into the throat of the musketeer who'd fired upon him. The four remaining sentries guarding the gates gave a cry of fury and dismay, raising their weapons.

Ignition allowed them to fire, but turned back their musket balls to impale them before seizing control of their muskets. Levitating the muskets in mid-air, she slapped both hands together, and the blackpowder exploded in a coruscation of light. Yet she refused to relinquish her hold on the weapons, warping the blast and turning it inward at the gate. The sheer impact and firepower blew a hole in the city gate, leaving it wide open for Hans and the Mage Slayers to simply stroll into New Hyutreno.

"Where to now?" Venom asked as they walked down the unguarded streets. The civilians screamed and fled as they saw the blood-soaked emperor and the three cloaked assassins striding through their territory.

New Hyutreno's museum.

"New Hyutreno's museum," Hans said, his eyes flicking left and right to survey the buildings. "We will find what we're looking for there."

The museum wasn't exactly hard to find. New Hyutreno prided itself in its rich history, and its museum was luxuriously built and decorated such that it was impossible to miss for tourists. It worked in Hans' favour. He entered the empty museum, which was dark and abandoned in the face of the Empire's invasion. No resistance met him and the Mage Slayers as he scoured the enormous exhibition.

Rows upon rows of exhibits in glass cabinets displayed different Hyutrenon armour from across the various ages, pelts, furs and skins used in the war for Ancient Hyutreno, and the multitude of weapons available to the warriors of times past. But still no scroll.

"I have it!" Double exclaimed from the other end of the large hall.

Quickly, heart thumping in his chest, Hans crossed the museum floor and pushed Double aside. As the assassin had proclaimed, a scroll weathered by time lay atop a cushioned base, secured by yet another glass cabinet.

"The Scroll of Volkron," he read the label aloud. Yes, the Eternal King stirred within. This is the one.

Needing no further prompting, Hans brought his fist down and through the glass, not caring that glass shards clung to his skin and blood trickled down the back of his hand.

"Mind telling us why you dragged us across the battlefield for this?" Ignition asked.

Hans was about to respond with something condescending but stopped when he turned and found himself alone. The three Mage Slayers had vanished.

He spun to find his assassins but it was as though they'd never been there. "What is this?"

Now that you've done your part, the Eternal King said. It is time for you to know the truth.

"Truth? What truth?" Hans glanced around desperately as his surroundings began to fade to black, the museum dropping off into an endless abyss around him and the ground beneath his feet vanishing.

The truth about what I really am. And what you now are.

A bright light suddenly shone in Hans' eyes and he lifted both arms to shield himself. When he lowered his arms, he found himself in an open field on a dark, gloomy day.

"Hello?" he called out, making a full rotation and finding himself utterly alone. His confusion turned to anger. "What are you trying to show me?"

Seven beams of light rained down like thunder, scorching the earth and encircling him. The coruscation of light blinded Hans again, but this time he weathered it, forcing himself to witness what was transpiring before him lest he find himself transported elsewhere again.

More than seventeen hundred years ago, the people of Ibersia called upon their gods to descend from the skies to live and walk among them, the Eternal King's voice spoke in his head. The seven gods heeded their people's prayers and came down from their highest plains to rule the mortals.

The beams of light faded to reveal what Hans could only describe as deities with features so bright he couldn't even make them out. Seven figures of pure power rose, towering over him.

Gen'Malak, God of Creation. Xarl'Vous, God of Laws. Or'Lun, God of Life. Atros'Vod, God of Death. Mol'Gin, God of Knowledge. Zor'Axn, God of Balance. One of the beings looked down at Hans, opening his mouth. "And myself, Zal'Thon. God of Destruction."

"Zal'Thon?" Hans repeated, a look of disbelief creasing his brow as he took an involuntary step back. "You are a god? The Crimson Order. They thought you were a demon! We all did!"

I never said I was a demon. A triumphant pause. I wasn't always called the Eternal King. I had a name. A history, as I am about to show you.

A blink of an eye, and Hans found himself in an ancient city filled with people in simple clothing and primitive machinations. The people laughed, talked and ate from plenty.

The people of Ibersia lived in harmony with us, their gods, the Eternal King said. And we were happy to give them everything they asked for. Peace. Abundance. Joy. The destruction of their enemies.

"All of this looks snug and cosy," Hans replied. "But what does this have to do with the scroll?"

A flash, and Hans looked around to find the civilisation advanced by hundreds of years. The clothes people wore were more sophisticated, their inventions further developed. But there was one jarring difference. Idols of gold stood in their market square and all around, towering over their houses.

Hundreds of years passed, and the people of Ibersia grew ungrateful. They turned to gods of their own creation and imagination, building statues of gold and shrines to their perceived deities, the Eternal King growled. They spat in our faces, after all we did for them and their ancestors. They turned from us, and so we had to remind them who their real gods were.

Another flash, and Hans heard screams and cries of terrified men, women and children. A city was engulfed in flames, and the dark skies thundered with judgement from above, lightning scorching the trees and the wind overturning belongings and collapsing houses.

We hoped the people would turn back to us and beg for forgiveness, but their defiance knew no bounds.

Hans turned to find himself in a dim longhouse packed with people. Pushing his way to the front of the house where there was a glowing light, he stopped as the shamans gathered there ended their chanting with a loud cry. And there before the people, another deity appeared.

He gasped. He recognised the one they'd summoned.

They called upon the Demigod of the Wind and Sea.

Maui stood from his crouched position, raising his enormous fish hook with a roar, prompting the people to cheer and clap.

But you've already met him, haven't you?

"He was one of the Warriors," Hans answered in shock.

Was, the Eternal King agreed. Until we killed him.

"It was always a part of your plan." Hans whirled to where he thought he sensed the form of the Eternal King. "You wanted me to kill him."

Of course. Hans imagined the Eternal King smiling victoriously, if he had a corporeal form. The demigod was the greatest threat of them all.

At the sound of a war cry, Hans spun and found himself witnessing the clash between Maui and one of the seven Ibersian gods.

The pagan demigod was summoned by the mortals to defend them. To aid them in waging war against us. Us, their benevolent rulers, who gave them everything they wanted! But no, they wanted to rule themselves, and needed a demigod to help them fight their war. We fought back, but the demigod was formidable.

A bright, green light erupted from something Maui held in his hand, converting the Ibersian god's form into translucent matter and sucking it into the strange substance.

The war of the deities spanned hundreds of years. But one by one, the demigod found and imprisoned my brothers using magic from the other side of the world. Volkron orbs. Created to imprison the gods as spirits. We lost our godhood, all because of him, The Eternal King continued, and Hans could feel the rage burning within.

I was the last one the demigod hunted. He turned me into a spirit and tried to trap me within the last Volkron orb, but I destroyed it and escaped in my new form, vowing to return to godhood one day. I fled, knowing I could not stand against the demigod as a spirit.

"And what happened?" Hans watched as he was levitated off the ground, and traversed across land and ocean in a heartbeat.

"I found a man in Ancient Hyutreno with great ambitions and a heart for power. You know that man as my first host."

Hans thought back to the pale, emaciated and near-dead figure he'd seen caged deep within the Crimson Order's catacombs.

He welcomed my power, and I shed the name 'Zal'Thon'. Bonded with a willing host, I became the Eternal King. Ancient Hyutreno fell beneath my power, and for three hundred years, I ruled the kingdom and established my reign. That is, until he arrived.

Hans watched as Maui traversed the ocean with an army greater than any man could possibly number. Mercenaries, tribesmen and wizards, all by Maui's side as they raced across the battlefield to meet the Eternal King's forces. In turn, the Soulless under the Eternal King's control met the attackers' charge.

"The cursed demigod and his Hyutrenon Liberators triumphed in the end. Once he defeated my forces, he 'liberated' Ancient Hyutreno and had the people imprison me far beneath the city in the catacombs.

An enormous network of tunnels and caverns surrounded Hans as he watched the defeated Eternal King thrown into a cell.

I was humiliated, beaten, and forced to languish in that prison for more than four hundred years, the Eternal King said. But then, the Crimson Order found me.

"A very interesting story," Hans said as his surroundings faded back to black and he floated in an endless void again. "I assume you want to enact your revenge in some form or fashion."

Go on.

"And since you've already taken Maui out of the equation, you've eliminated your biggest threat." Hans glanced down at the scroll he once again held in his hands. "You want to restore your brothers back to godhood. And yourself."

The Eternal King's satisfaction was palpable. "For all your flaws, you are intelligent, Westergaard."

"Wait," Hans finished, narrowing his eyes. "If you become a god again, what happens to me? You will cast me aside when you have no more need of me."

"Oh, but you are mistaken," the Eternal King said. "I have seen your potential. Despite all the flaws, I see a man worthy of ascension. A man worthy of becoming a god. You said you wanted to be one. Now I am offering you a chance to become a god among men. To join the seven Ibersian gods as a god in your own right."

Hans gritted his teeth in contemplation. He had every reason to doubt the demon's - no, the god's - words. He ought to know. Over the course of his life, he'd cheated, deceived and connived his way to where he was now.

Surely he would know if the Eternal King was manipulating him. But yet, he sensed truth within. Why shouldn't the god want him to ascend too? He was an equal in intellect and ambition in every way. And after what he'd seen, how could he refuse? Immortality was no longer enough.

"How do I ascend?" Hans finally asked.

"Dispatch your Mage Slayers to distract and destroy the Warriors once and for all while we use the scroll to find and unite the Volkron orbs scattered across the world. Then, we shall begin the ascension to godhood. Together."

"So we shall," Hans said with a satisfied smile.

"Emperor?" Ignition called out to him again. "We want to know what you want the scroll for."

Hans looked over his shoulder at the assassin and the two others. Chuckling, he tightened his grip around the ancient scroll. "You'll see."

Author's Commentary:

To me, the one key element that makes a good epic fantasy series is its rich history and mythology. Zack Snyder understood this when he crafted his original vision for Justice League. He understood that building a world's history of wars, magic and ancient deities was vital to the success of his story.

Throughout this series, if you actually remember, I've littered clues and hints as to what was to come, through discussions about the past and sorcery yet to be explored. That was all by design, as I knew that Book 6 would be the epic conclusion to this series, tying up all the loose threads and breadcrumbs I've laid over the past five books.

Finally, in the culmination of the first five books that have come before, we get a definitive account of what really happened, from one of the ancient gods himself. Now that we know what truly transpired over the past 1700 years, it lays the groundwork and context for the stakes and the epic scale battles we are going to see in the rest of this book. Buckle up. We're just getting started.