469 Chapter 426
Vali Lucifer POV
[What's wrong, Vali? You're not usually this reserved.]
Oh screw off.
[You know it's true] Albion replied.
Just because I love fighting doesn't mean I'm an idiot. There's a difference between rushing into a losing battle and actively trying to get myself killed.
[…..I didn't think I'd see the day. My little Vali having common sense? It must be my birthday.]
Shut up.
[But it's not usually like you to admit defeat so easily.]
Because it's not usually so damn blatant.
Kronos? The Titan of Time? I wasn't oblivious to how strong he was. Shit, if that annoying bastard hadn't pushed me down in time, I wouldn't have been able to dodge completely. I didn't….I didn't even see the attack. I felt the hairs stand up on my neck, but I couldn't even tell where it came from.
I'm sure I could adjust to it in time but….he wasn't someone that would let me just sit there and randomly dodge his attacks if he really wanted to kill me.
[Time is a powerful Domain. It has a lot of nuances that you would be unfamiliar with. It's not surprising that he can suppress you so easily, you've never encountered something like this before.]
….then why can the annoying bastard handle it?
[That….I don't know.]
Really?
[What, do you think I'm all knowing, brat? I only know things based on my own experiences. I've lived a very long time. But Ddraig's host is barely, what, two decades? I have no idea how he's already so familiar with the concept of Time that he can casually stand in front of Kronos. Even at my Peak, I would have to be wary of him to a degree.]
You're saying he's stronger than you?
[I'm saying, his strength deserves respect. Not everything can be broken down into 'stronger or weaker'. If you're not careful, someone who is objectively 'weaker' than you can take your life.] Albion snorted. [Gods are….not something that you can think so linearly about. A God's strength requires certain facets to consider.]
You've never told me this before.
Were you holding out on me?
[Did you think I would give you instructions on how to fight Gods just so you to run off and get yourself killed a moment later?] Albion grumbled. [You're an overconfident little shit. The second you think you could stand a chance; you would challenge anyone.]
Fuck you!
[Fuck you!]
Just tell me, you white bastard.
[Fine!] Albion huffed. [The Degree of Worship is the first. This is more…abstract than the others. If a God's domain was something stupid like twigs, but half the planet worshiped them, then even I would be no match at my strongest.]
Alright, that's pretty simple.
[I'm keeping it simple for you because I know you wouldn't understand otherwise.] Albion retorted.
So Kronos should be a lot weaker now, right? It's not like he's worshiped.
[There's two misconceptions about that. First, he's part of the Greek Pantheon, and by association, he receives some blessings there even if he isn't directly worshiped.]
….alright, that sorta makes sense.
[Don't get me wrong, a God that isn't worshiped is barely given scraps in comparison. But it's enough that it…sustains them from slowly obscuring. Which is a form of Death to a God.]
Whatever. So Kronos was still fine because the Greeks are still around.
[The second misconception. I was saying that as if Kronos was a God. He is not a God, he is a Titan.]
What's the difference? I thought it was just a reference to his size.
[Well, yes. This isn't nearly as small as he actually is.] Ddraig replied. [But why is there the difference between Titans and Gods? Some other places have them too. Surtr is a Divine Being, yet he is a Giant.]
Why the hell am I supposed to care?
[Because if you don't learn, you're going to stay an idiot and not know how to fight opponents in that league when you get there.]
Asshole.
[Ignoring that.] Albion continued. [Titans do not change with worship. Titans are static existences. Their strength only comes from their purpose. That is why there is a difference between Titans and Gods. Similar to Surtr as I said before. He is different from a Titan, but his existence isn't too dissimilar. His power comes from his purpose to bring about destruction.]
So he's basically a God that doesn't need worship to be strong.
[…if that's what you take away from this, then sure, you can consider it like that.]
That means he's still in his prime then?
[Well, he looks heavily weakened at the moment due to other circumstances, but that's mostly correct.]
Okay, and the last thing?
[The last thing is the God's Domain.] Albion replied. [You must be wary of a God's Domain because it can be used in ways you might not expect. Some are strong, some are weak, and some are tricky. Time is extremely strong, and it's very tricky to navigate.]
I listened to Albion even as I watched the bastard and Kronos standing in front of each other while the 'game' unfolded.
[He isn't serious.]
What?
[Kronos.] Albion replied. [Kronos is very meticulous and arrogant. He isn't someone who does things like this on a whim. He's playing around on purpose, you don't need to overly worry.]
Does the Bastard know?
[Probably. Ddraig is many things, among them being stupid. But he isn't 'stupid'. If you get me.]
So he's like you.
[Normally, I'd argue. But after so many years, it's easy to see the similarities between us.] Albion paused. [Now that I think about it, even our wielders are very similar this time around. Both Half-Devils, Sons of Lucifer….]
Yeah, whatever.
It made me roll my eyes.
Like that was at all important.
[I was just pointing it out.] Albion mentally shrugged. [And we both probably have our strongest Wielders ever.]
….so he's Ddraig's strongest?
[Do you think he isn't?] Albion laughed. [He probably doesn't even need Ddraig. To be honest, you're pretty far behind him at the moment. He wasn't lying when he said he wouldn't need the Boosted Gear to beat you.]
...
[Oh, don't get mopey. We still have a lot of time. You both are still kids, keep training and you can catch up.]
Really?
[Well, I'm being optimistic.]
….Thanks for the support.
[Well, you better train hard to catch up. Ddraig isn't going to hold back with this wielder of his. It's been awhile since I've seen him so happy with one.]
What do you mean?
[Ddraig has always been an ass, but his attitude shifts with how much he likes his user. If he doesn't like them all that much, he's usually quieter and more reserved. If he really likes them…well, he acts like he did back in the day. As you obviously saw.]
"Vali, you alright?"
I blinked, looking at Bikou. "Was talking to Albion." I grunted.
"You thinking about taking a shot at him?" Bikou asked, pointing at Kronos as him and the bastard were about to play their little game. "We might be able to do something if we all work together."
"There's no point. Albion said that he's just playing." I grumbled.
"Yeah, figured that out."
"Can still take a shot at him." The Devil, Sairaorg offered. "I wanna see how far away that mountain peak is."
Didn't really interact with many full blooded devils but….I kind of liked him.
I wanna fight him later.
"I got a Talisman from my Gramps, it has a full powered strike from him." Bikou offered.
A full powered strike from the Monkey King?
[Don't even think about it. He hit me with one of those back in the day and I lost plenty of my scales.]
"It'd give him a heads up that you were in trouble too, right?" I asked.
"Yeah." He nodded.
"Hmm." I let out a sigh. "Whatever, don't waste it, this'll probably be over soon anyways."
Besides, I'm sure that almost everyone here had some way to save their lives that was given to them.
Well…mostly everyone. Don't know if most of the Devils here had anything like that.
But most of the people from the other Pantheons? That's a given if they entered into foreign territory like this. It'd look really bad if the kids they brought came to harm while they were busy.
Shit, even that Feathered Bastard gave me a way to protect myself if I was going to die. Don't know how reliable it was, but he told me it might save my life if someone really strong wanted to kill me.
So who knows.
He also said not to take it out of the Divine Dividing because it might cause problems.
[…..really, don't take it out unless it's a last resort.] Albion quickly reminded me. [Seriously, I'm only guessing at what it is, but your dad is crazy for making something like this.]
….alright now I'm curious.
[I refuse to let you have it unless you're about to die.]
Screw you.
[Stop acting like a brat and focus. This is a good opportunity to see what your Rival can do.] Albion knew exactly how to distract me. [And I'm interested too. I want to see what Ddraig is so smug about.]
To be honest, there wasn't anyone here who wasn't aware of who that prick was.
I don't think he even realized though. He waltzed in without a second thought and didn't even talk or look at anyone.
I knew most of the faces around here, Azazel kept me up to date on who's who of around my age. And they were all looking at him, watching silently to see what he was capable of.
[***]
Wilhelm POV
I was a little relaxed.
Despite the situation, I felt like most of the danger had passed.
Did he take me by surprise? Yup, I would admit that. I never experienced a Divine binding like this. I agreed to the game, but I didn't realize that meant I was entering a Divine Geass. And I'm fairly sure he played a trick on that anyways and it wasn't a normal thing that could happen.
Regardless, I wasn't too worried about it. Worst case scenario, I was pretty sure my Authority could sever it easily enough.
So there wasn't a hidden danger with what was happening.
My biggest concern was everyone else here.
And if he was content to just play a game and leave them alone, then sure, I'd play along.
But that did open up other questions.
I found it unlikely he was here just for this haphazard reason.
There was obviously a bigger scheme going on.
"You look deep in thought." Kronos's voice rumbled. "Care to share?"
"I was just considering why you're here." I answered, nonplussed about being honest.
"What do you think?" He asked.
"I considered it and I think there's really only one obvious reason." I replied casually. "Summon Swords." I ordered my reflection.
All of my swords shot out, surrounding him.
This was also a test to see how much it mimicked me. I looked at Dawnbreaker and Ascalon to realize immediately that it was all a charade. It had no actual essence to them, only pulled upon memories of my own on how they were supposed to react.
Some sort of causality was linking us to this small world to facilitate the events.
"Interesting." He grinned, focusing on the game as well. "What's the reason?"
"Distraction is the most probable reason." I answered first.
"You think that I, Kronos, am a mere distraction?" His eyes narrowed.
"Yup." I ignored his intense gaze.
"….." He was silent for a moment before grinning. "You're a smart Mortal." He didn't elaborate more.
Hmm, I figured. He didn't even bother to deny it. When you look at it objectively, he was ready to flee at a moment's notice. The fluctuations from his body, well, I didn't think he was at 100% right now. Honestly, he had a sort of exhaustion about him.
Recently reviving and getting his heart gouged out by Odin? That's probably left him in a not so good state.
And something….else.
It felt like he was continuously using his Authority beyond the obvious means of keeping us contained here.
"Something I realized about chess when I was taught it." He started. "Wither." His words were directed at the game. "Is that certain moves have more than one meaning."
Emanating out from Kronos's figure, everything began withering away into death.
"Use Bakudō #44." I commanded.
My copy had the ethereal Spiritual Barrier spring up in front of him.
The withering effect slammed into it, not allowing it to pass further. Oh, it certainly began to drain away on my Kido, but it held far longer than a normal spell would have.
"Interesting." Kronos rubbed his chin.
"Spiritual Matter can weather several seasons." I said simply. "Counter with Lightning Runes."
The Runic Circles appeared overhead and discharged down at the Titan of Time.
He rolled his eyes. "Swipe it away."
With a swipe of his Scythe, the copy tore through them without much effort.
"You didn't like my greeting?" I asked.
"I like my meals to have more meat." He retorted.
Hmm, commands required verbal confirmation, but how far did that extend.
"Let's go with some prestidigitation." I looked at my projection. "Staff out. Swords to position. Bindings of Gaia into a Niflheim, into Thor's Hammer."
Kronos blinked, perhaps at my naming conventions, but my projection moved immediately.
My swords all shot out.
It seems my short hand was effective.
They all shot at him with the intent to pierce him.
"Small tricks again." Kronos grunted. "Disperse them."
He merely waved the scythe and it deflected my swords despite them coming at all angles. I mentally forced them to fall at certain spots, impaling themselves at specific locations. It seems my intent meant a lot with each word I spoke in command.
Roots then sprung out of the ground, lashing out at him, wrapping him up.
"You dare to use Mother's gift against me?" He laughed. He didn't even need to speak and the aura of time responded to his miniature and the Roots froze, struggling to continue. Rather, they began to wither at a quick speed.
My copy followed up with casting a Freezing Winds of Niflheim.
A layer of Ice appeared on him, only very briefly before it shattered.
"Is that it?" Kronos looked at me, unfazed.
"Just needed you stationary for a second." I replied as a pentagram lit up under his copies' feet.
The Swords acting as the points of the star.
"Five Elements Mutual Generation." I called out.
My copy took out five Talismans, each representing the 5 Eastern elements. They burned away, linking with the pentagram that my swords formed with Kronos at the center.
Thunder rumbled overhead.
Clouds blanketed the sky.
I didn't even need to call it out because I already did.
Kronos looked up, with eyes widening. "Impressive." He breathed out.
The Massive Lightning construct broke through the clouds.
"Magic from those Norse, how Nostalgic." Kronos's gaze turned soft for a moment, but an eerie aura burst out of him. "Ο̸̹̹̝͉͓̽́́̃͋̈́̓̾̈́́̚ ̴̧̢͇̖̝̤͎̞̰̱̬̹͉̽̉̾̒̕͜ͅΚ̷͎̣͙͉͇͚̗͉̼̪̼͕̈́̒̎̋͒̚͜͜͠ρ̶̹̆̉́̏͛́́̒͂̍̀͘͠͝ό̴̨̦̒̈̅̌̈́̕͝ν̶̡̤͖̜͓̍̕ο̶̤͔̭͔̬̪̱̞̍ς̵̡̻͇̭̞͊̎̾̀̑͝͝ ̵̢̯̣̼͉͍̙̩͍̳̾̇̒̐φ̸̞͓͇̭̰̤̈́̓̾̈́̔̊͐έ̷̨͉͕̘̗̯̘̲͈̘̼̲̝͉͊̓̆͋̎͘͝ρ̵͓̻̖̱͙͉̜̫̘̒̈̽̿̒ͅν̸̰͚̙͓̻̗͉̝̪̼͍̫͗̇̈̇έ̵̢͉̲̗͖̄̃̈̔͒̿̉̚ι̶̡̡̟͈͚̰̙͕̹̜̗͇̳̒̓̍̍̇ ̷͙͙̫̝͙͕̗̮͇̝̅͆̃́͗́͐̐̃́̊̊̉̄͝τ̵̬̣͉͈̩͐ͅο̸̬̙̤̆ ̴̧̝̺̮͕̺͎͖̼͖̣̮͌̀͐θ̵̧̙͇͙̭̤͓͇͗͋͑̌̀̚ά̶͍̱͓͚͍̫̝̠͚́̊̀̾̾͋̓̅͑͐́̕ν̸̢̧͉̔̓͗̇̾̍̂͊͆͘α̶̧̠̭͇̹̬͙͐͌̕τ̷̣̪̤̗̱̮͙̭͚͚̘̘̆̽͋̌̂̈̔͗̓̈͛͂͝͝ο̶̢͚̬̖̺͙͚̟̦͎̑̄͂́͂͛̈́" Words left his mouth, but I felt a screeching in my ears, enough that I almost instinctively covered them.
A shadow loomed above the world.
My massive Lightning construct was dwarfed.
It was as if a shadow had fused with the stars in the sky, forming a corporeal body. It held a massive scythe in its hand, like a farmer about to reap a harvest.
A motion of its Scythe sliced through my Thor's Hammer. While my spell was impressive, it paled in comparison to the sheer divinity that this attack held.
Like an aspect of the world given physical form.
The Reaper's scythe cleaved towards me.
I didn't panic, however.
"Activate the Sword of Destruction." I commanded.
The Sword of Destruction flew to my copies' hand. Technically, there was only one use left this century, but this wasn't an actual use.
Size didn't matter.
The Sword gleamed with a baleful hue. A swing of it and destruction awoke. The Concept of Destruction was applied to the massive shadow.
It seared through the shadowy image, from end to end, it burned away into nothingness. The true power of the Sword of Destruction showing itself properly.
The first time I used it against that Daedric Prince, it was enough to do the equivalent of punching his clone in the face. Which…was a feat in itself when you consider what a Daedric Prince is. When I used it again against the Demon, he was destroyed to the point he was nearly removed from existence, only the intervention of Solomon saved him.
This time, there was not a point of contention. It fulfilled its objective completely as even though the Shadow was an ability composed of Divinity, it wasn't connected truly to a God and thus could consume it whole without suffering a blockage.
Kronos stood there, unmoving. "I sense the touch of a God I don't recognize."
"Using another language, smart." I ignored him.
He seemed to snap out of his stupor. "I never said we have to speak in mortal language. Apologies if the language my Mother bestowed to her children is difficult on your mortal ears." He grinned again.
"Flip him off." I ordered, and my Copy did so immediately.
"Διακυμάνσεις" Something much more normal rolled off his lips. But it was still incomprehensible to me. It sounded more like Medea's Divine Words.
The Scythe in Kronos's hands blurred and I felt a cage appear around me.
"Ascalon." I called out.
My copy summoned forth my noble Phantasm, activating it to block every attack.
"Hmm, you did see through it." He muttered.
"You're extending a moment of time across space, like a thread. Multiple times. All you have to do is basically press your weapon against it, and it attacks from the extended moment regardless of where you are." I explained.
His eyes lit up and he flicked his scythe again.
"Block and Ether canon."
Mirage flew into my copy's hand and he complied.
"Divide the Time stream."
My attack was split, soaring around him.
"You're saying it in a language I can understand?"
"You earned this much from me." He replied without much expression. "Thanks to you, I believe come to an answer."
"Shunpo to his back, slash at his neck." I responded. "Answer to what?"
"Block it." He said casually. "To treat you mortals as beasts or not."
"Swallow Returns." I frowned.
My copy activated the technique, two of him attacking the front and back simultaneously.
"What?!" Kronos was confused. "Distill!"
The Two of my copies stopped in place, their swords not able to move an inch.
"Other Swords."
As soon as I said that the other swords flew in, but almost like hitting an immovable barrier, they froze in place as well before they could hit him.
"Interesting trick." He said, looking right at me. "I've never felt something like that before. It's almost like – " The building shook. The 'cage' around us fluctuated as it began to unravel. "It seems like we're out of time."
"….did you just make a pun?" I asked.
He smiled, very proud of himself. "I've been on that mortal thing, the 'web'. I very much like all the jokes."
….I didn't know how to respond to that.
The idea that the Titan Kronos awoke and decided to surf the web was….hilarious and scary at the same time.
"Why don't we leave it here?" Kronos offered. "We're at a bit of a stalemate as it is. Well, you can't really hurt me, at least. You did good though."
I raised an eyebrow. "Power of Destruction."
He furrowed his brow, perhaps it might sound odd what I just said to him, but what happened spoke for itself. While not as excessive compared to when I use the Hogyoku, my 'normal' Power of Destruction had also been furthered after some time. It was enough that it began to lash out in retaliation.
It began to eat away at the static Time Field surrounding Kronos.
The building shook again.
"….Zeus." He whispered, apparently recognizing something. "Between Life and Death, there is only Κενότητα."
The miniature world seemed to lose its light as he spoke.
"Retreat away." I commanded.
My copy did so with a burst of Shunpo.
"Good judgment, but futile. Reap." This strange aura enveloped him and he waved his scythe, a gouge opening up across the earth towards my copy.
It wasn't destruction, or physical force that ate away at everything, it was like…. everything was simply turned to ash through the passage of time. Aged away at such an obscene rate that there was not visible withering, but simply the acknowledgement that it no longer existed.
The time period between it existing and when it would have normally turned to dust naturally was…removed.
His Scythe bent strangely, and it seemed to circle around the world, hanging over my copies' head like an executioner's blade.
"I offered you a way out, but you didn't take it." He looked…sad, for some reason. "Your time is limited. As a Mortal, you are a candle wafting in the wind. I wanted to play again, but I suppose this is the nature of Mortals. Reap."
I felt danger.
Time was extremely dangerous. And he was right, I was not an Immortal. Taking away my lifespan was dangerous. Even if I would live for thousands of years, even tens of thousand or hundreds of thousands, that was a finite amount of time in comparison to a true God.
Still though, I was relaxed.
A warmness filled my chest because I knew I had something to protect me here. I wasn't without options regardless, but this was one thing I felt confident in relying on.
"Avalon."
The Sheath in my copies' chest burst out, enveloping him in the Everdistant Utopia.
Kronos's attempt to strip away my lifespan was halted by an impenetrable barrier.
He wasn't immediately surprised. He expected some resistance, but as soon as he realized his weapon gained no figurative ground his eyes began to widen.
"Why….why can I not penetrate that." He whispered, even if it sounded more like a low rumble. "Why does that thing reject my domain? Everything ends, that is an undeniable law! Even Immortals would suffer to some extent from this, yet that remains unmoving!"
His attacks shattered upon the inviolable utopia.
He stood silently, eyes widened in confusion.
The effects ended, but I didn't sit still.
"Shunpo."
My copy moved.
"Myriad Slash."
"Foolish –"
Mirage slashed horizontally. That thick and dangerous aura still covered him.
Mirage touched it and struggled, it began to grow darker, losing all of its luster. Eventually, it formed cracks and shattered.
Kronos seemed pleased with himself until he realized his folly.
Mirage continued to slash at him.
It followed the same pattern, slowly losing its luster and forming cracks before shattering again.
And once more, my slash continued.
An uncountable number of overlapped strikes.
His 'Time' began to eat away at them, but they continued without fault.
Kronos's expression turned from one of confusion into utter disbelief and he quickly took a step back, a splash of blood falling to the ground.
I looked up at the actual kronos across from me.
A cut appeared on his chest, blood flowing down onto the floor.
It wasn't extremely deep, but my blade severed the flesh of the Titan King.
He even brought his hand up to touch his wound. "A mortal wounded me."
Divine Might filled his eyes. Rage flashed across his face.
"Do you think I'm done?" I raised an eyebrow, ignoring his indignation.
His head quickly looked back down at our little game.
"Prestidigitation." I said softly, mimicking the actions of the copy of myself I fought previously. "Ochd Deug Odin."
My Copy actualized the spell it had prepared over this course of time. The initial words I told it had enough meaning that it knew what I wanted to do.
Like a box, massive Spell Circles containing Primordial Runes shimmered into existence all around Kronos.
And by the look on his face, even he sensed the danger.
"Destroy it!" Kronos roared.
His copy threw his Scythe at one of the Magic Circles, Magical Energy discharged off it like lightning, forming cracks in it. And he threw himself at another, his fist carried with them an oppressive aura as he slammed them into another, shattering parts of it.
But there was enough that some of the spell still went off.
I didn't know how it would affect a Titan like this.
His Fate was measured and attacked.
His Casualty was outlined and attacked.
His spot on the Time-Line was attacked.
His Spatial Coordinates were attacked.
And lastly, his physical existence was attacked.
That was the Great God Garved Seal.
It attacked every aspect of one's existence.
Kronos, not his copy, quickly swung his Scythe, destroying the miniature world. But even so, he hunkered down, spilling a large amount of blood from his mouth and panting heavily. He used his Scythe to hold himself up.
"Your name…" He gritted through his teeth.
He already knew it, but it was also a form of respect.
"Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg."
"I will remember you." His killing intent was palpable at this point. "Next time we meet, it will not be a game. Nor will I be handicapped." His eyes flashed as the room shuddered again and the stasis around us shattered. Seemingly, he began to dissipate and drift away with the falling of his 'cage'.
Well, if he wanted to run, I wasn't sure I was in the mood to even try and stop him.
He wasn't at 100%, that was clear, but he still wasn't someone I was going to go half cocked against in a life or death fight.
I breathed out a sigh of relief once the people outside finally arrived.
There was a thunderous boom as a very notable God slammed into the floor, ready to fight with Lightning crackling from his eyes.
The others appeared rather quickly too, looking concerned and ready to fight.
I simply took Mirage and stabbed it into the ground, leaning on it. "What's the hurry, did something happen?" I looked at them cheekily.
[***]
Loki POV (DxD)
I balanced one of my favorite daggers on my finger while taking a bite into an apple. "You know, when we asked you to cause a distraction, we didn't mean like that."
"I decided to do things my way." The Titan of Time rumbled.
"Clearly." I said dryly. "…you're hurt." I glanced at him. "Run into your dear old son? Played a bit of catch with him? Took him to a ball game?"
"You're speaking things I don't understand and you know it." The Titan's tone was…tired. "Trickster, I have no patience right now."
"Very well." I dismissed my dagger and took a seat. "Apple?" I offered.
He stared at me for a moment. "Sure." He shrugged, catching the piece of fruit I threw at him. He tossed it into his large mouth with a single bite and swallowed it. "You were right. Mortals have become much stronger."
"Did you do all of that just to verify it for yourself?" I found myself sighing. "You remind me of my brother."
"Do you expect me to trust you?" He countered.
"Point." I acknowledged. "But still, it's common knowledge."
"I do not trust other people to form my opinions for me." He glared.
"Well…I take back what I said. It seems there's some wisdom in that noggin of yours after all these years." I could respect that point of view. "And what's your opinion?"
"They are not beasts." He said simply.
"….Well, I think some of our number would disagree."
"And they would be wrong." He growled.
"My, my. Does the great Titan King sympathize with the Mortals?" I chuckled.
"Hardly." He rolled his large eyes. "There is a difference that must be acknowledged."
"And what's that?"
"Beasts do not get the benefit of struggling for their survival. The mortals have earned that blessing." He sat down, shaking the ground with it. "I didn't give you an answer before, but I will now. I will work together with you all. This…Khaos Brigade, of yours. The world went down the wrong path, and it must be corrected. Started over. But I will respect their right to struggle to survive against what is to come."
"…I'm questioning how you were even overthrown by your oaf of a son." I spoke softly. "Why is it that you seem much more wise than the current leader of the Greeks?"
"Don't speak ill of my son." He snapped his head.
"Is that familial love I feel?" I felt myself grinning. "Even after everything?"
"I will make them all suffer the same torment that I have these past millenia." His eyes narrowed. "But I will not deny that I am proud of them for defeating me. I am Kronos, King of the Titans, and they succeeded in overthrowing me. As their Father, I can be nothing but proud."
"What a contradictory existence you are."
"I am a Titan, contradictions are for Mortals. I am what I am and the world must accommodate me, not the other way around." He snorted.
Well, this was a pleasant surprise. I had assumed I would be dealing with another Zeus, but instead, it's almost as if I had another Odin here with me.
Perhaps if Fate didn't dictate his fall, the world would have been a much different place.
"Did you at least do what we asked?"
"I do not repay debts with ingratitude, Trickster. But do not presume to order me around in the future." He flicked his hand, and Pandora's box went skirting across the ground. "Take your box, I have done what you have asked."
"How, wonderful~" I picked it up with gentleness.
"You do not know what you play with, trickster."
"Believe me, I know exactly what I'm playing with here." I chuckled.
"Then I am even more concerned that I have chosen to accompany your group." He sighed. "I have also retrieved this." He held out his hand, showing a large eye.
"Ah, Balor's eye, right from the accompanying Sacred Gear. There was no problem extracting it without leaving evidence?" I asked.
"Do you take me for a child?" He threw it at me and I caught it. "I left a remnant of my own power inside of that mortal creature the…..what was he again?"
"A dhampir. A Half-Vampire, Half-Human." I replied.
"Yes, that thing." He didn't seem to care much. "As you requested, there is a wisp of my power inside of him that will not diminish for many months so as to not cause problems for you and not be discovered."
"Wonderful." I smiled.
This will help us next with the Fomorians.
"You should be thankful, I had thoughts of consuming it for my own Gain. Only my gratitude for freeing myself and my General stopped me. As it stands, the effort required to exist in many places at once will extend the time I need to recover my full power."
"I am very Thankful, oh Lord Kronos!"
"Stop." He groaned. "Your false platitudes are worse than none. Just bring me some things to speed up my recovery."
"And the Wall?" I smiled.
"I said I completed it. You wished me to drain away the power hidden in that strange Cavern of the Devils with the box, I did so and used my Domain to keep it from crumbling." He waved it off. "It left me exhausted, but it will not be discovered that it is all but destroyed for another year or two."
"Wonderful." I clapped my hands happily.
It seemed that our little operation went off without a hitch. Despite him taking his own alterations to the plan and seemingly kidnapping all those kids right under the God's noses. Which, I can't say I'm against, but it was a risk I wouldn't have taken.
But all's well that ends well.
It was annoying to set up simultaneous attacks at every entrance to Hell so as to not draw attention to the Titan draining away the vitality of that Cavern, but it was well worth it.
A seal, or well, more like a small band-aid, was undone.
Every little bit helps.
One of many that the Biblical God created in the world.
And our main purpose to kill a few infuriating gnats went off without a hitch~
Some of those pesky Old-Satan Devils that kept ahold of information that they really shouldn't have. Thankfully, they didn't know what they had, neither did their captors, the New Satans didn't put together what it was yet, so we're good for now.
It was all conveniently destroyed, and all the prisoners mysteriously committed suicide by stabbing themselves in the throat!
How unfortunate.
I'll need to have words with some of those among our illustrious group about not sticking their noses where they don't belong.
"I also brought one last gift." Kronos held up his hand, the Time around it flowed erratically, and a small orb compressed into images. "You said you were interested in a certain Mortal."
I watched the face of the Lucifer's Half-Bastard Son flash across it.
"Well Kronos, I do believe this is the start of a beautiful relationship." I happily took the gift.
Well, he wasn't entirely right. Yes, I was interested in the Mortal for a plethora of reasons, it was Rizevim that suddenly developed a particular interest in our young friend. I could probably get a favor out of this quite handily.
[***]
A/N
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