22 Battle?

The universe revealed itself in all of its boundlessness, with its brilliant nebula clouds, and shining stars that twinkled on and off. In one corner of the endless blackness of space, there were several meteorites and planetoids around a dark inhabitable region.

On one of those meteorites, the space rippled magically before it was torn apart. An old man with a spear stepped out, radiating an immense aura that made the universe seem miniscule and he was followed by a fully armored young man, who was radiating a massive intent for battle.

The All-father reined in his magic and the portal they arrived in closed, as he walked forward and scanned the region for any beings. After a split second of not finding anything of concern, he turned towards Vali and spoke with calm tone,

"Are you ready? It seems that you would be using the weapon I made for you. You even seem to have Loki's gauntlet; a pity that the first time you'd be using both of them, would be against me."

Vali had been taken aback by the location that Odin had taken them to. It was clear that Odin had selected this place for the battle, a place where they could battle without worry. The crude meteorite's surface they stood on, also seemed to be made of some decently durable material.

He soon heard Odin talking and was about to reply, when he saw him put away his Gungnir and pull out an inferior spear. Inferior only when compared to Gungnir though, it seemed like something prepared in his spare time.

Vali after seeing Odin swing his spear around a few times, seemingly not used to it obviously, spoke for the first time since he arrived,

"I'm ready!"

Against beings at Odin's level, idle chatter was unnecessary as only true power mattered in the real world. Vali 'unsheathed' his two silver blades, and took his most serious stance, leaning forward a little.

Odin didn't bother with words either, as he stepped forward slowly with a strange rhythm that caused the surface they stood on, to crack. He suddenly disappeared from his previous spot appearing in front of Vali, and smacking him across his stomach with the base of his spear.

"I haven't even gotten started, and you can't even put up a defense?!?!" Odin roared. The raw might and weight Odin exuded from his body, caused the entire meteorite to tremble akin to seismic quakes.

Vali on the other hand had been smashed into a rock mountain-like region leaving behind a deep pit in its wake. He staggered out with little bodily harm but a lot of pain, just as Odin intended it. Odin had obviously held back in his first strike, or he would have had Vali's head if he went for it.

Vali realizing that he couldn't continue like this, tapped into his divinity turning into his 'Divine form'. His eyes had turned pitch black with his hair turned bloody red, as he stepped forward to contend with the ancient Viking god in front of him.

Vali in his divine form, was several times stronger than when he had fought Amora. Now he also had full control over his body, owing to his superior mind.

As his armor resized itself in split seconds, Vali ran forward accelerating like being of light almost parallel to the floor, leaving behind the sight of a blur with his long flowy-red hair following behind like a raging dragon.

As he was upon Odin, he launched one of his blades at the old man and pounced right behind it executing several slashes, utilising everything he knew from his last life to the present. Holding back now would be stupid move for he might even be killed, if the aura Odin released at the moment was telling the truth.

Odin casually deflected the blade that came flying at him with his spear, used the same spear to tear apart the incoming slashes ferociously.

*Ting*

He went on to use his hand to place the base of his spear on the meteorite's surface, before lifting himself off the ground and following up with a brutal kick that sent the raging Vali back at the same speed, if not superior.

*BAM*

This clash caused the entire meteorite to break apart from the center, with fragments scattering everywhere being tossed into space, not dissimilar to a biscuit being chomped on setting off a number of crumbs.

*BOOM*

Vali who had just sped towards Odin at blistering speeds from one direction, soon returned sent flying back in the very same direction, completely destroying the mountain-like region and a few of his ribs. Blood almost made it up his throat, which he held back after a few seconds of discomfort.

Odin in a battle was a complete mad man, not giving him the chance to properly understand what was going on. None of his maneuver's worked, as Odin just slammed right through them in an overwhelming fashion.

He couldn't learn anything from him, as he was just sent flying even after using his most potent attack. He was prepared to repeat this process forever if needed, to have a glimpse of what was going on.

His will refused to admit defeat or to stay down and the same confrontation followed, with Vali flying in and out within a single exchange.

'Atleast he has the decency to send me flying with different attacks each time. I had almost managed to grasp something after all these attacks.' thought Vali as he cursed inwardly, with a cold expression on his face. He was bleeding all over, with broken bones in regions that wouldn't significantly affect his combat.

He set the bones back in place and let them recover naturally, with his mind processing all the information he had, trying to find a way to atleast scratch his father. His blood dripped off his forehead, sliding down his cracked armor which was barely holding on from crumbling.

What Vali didn't know was that, ever since Odin had regained his determination to resist a few years ago, he was eager to fight. But right in the middle of all this, he faced Yggdrasil which manhandled him like a toy.

So now he was itchy, wanting to let some steam off his body, and move his old bones. So, Vali who unfortunately came at the wrong time looking for a spar became his punching bag. But of course, he held back just enough to not cause any severe injuries, that could have long lasting effects.

This also let Vali recognise the will of a being that had fought countless wars, survived several close encounters with powerful beings, and helped conquer several realms foremost as a warrior, even before he had obtained his Odin-force.

He reached out his arm and his blades returned on their own to his hands, owing to the enchantments. He picked himself up sluggishly, before taking a slower approach without directly engaging in battle. He observed Odin from farther away, activating the full power of his eyes looking for any openings or tells.

Odin who had just felt himself get probed, looked uncomfortable as he felt that his very soul was bare for anyone to ogle at. He knew it was his son's doing, but he decided to teach him a lesson this time, so that he doesn't end up dead after doing it to another being at his level.

"WHAT? Are you finished? Come again, or should I make a move?" taunted Odin in a calm tone as he saw the stationary Vali who was eyeing him with caution, looking for openings with his freak eyes.

He left behind his spear, and walked towards Vali with forceful steps that built a raging momentum of will that threatened to suffocate any being standing against him. He was surprised to find Vali looking right back at him, imposing his own will as an invisible clash went on between them, with neither giving out.

While Odin was happy, but it only meant that Vali would have to go through this suffering a lot longer. He stepped forward towards the Vali, who was eyeing his every movement with caution.

As soon as Odin delivered a punch, Vali attempted to evade but it seemed as if Odin's fist had locked-on to him, completely unbothered by his attempts at dodging. THIS WAS ODIN BORSON, YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST DODGE HIS ATTACKS?

Well, Vali tried his best and the result surprised Odin a bit. Vali had attempted to replicate Odin's movement and rhythm, while he dodged and maybe for a split second he succeeded.

But it mattered not, since Odin's fist still connected heavily with Vali's torso completely destroying his armor. The heavy armor crumbled, with its uru-alloyed metals doing little to stop the Allfather's wrath.

Vali who had just crashed through another meteorite, struggled to keep his consciousness awake. His upper body had more or less collapsed, with him leaning against a rock covered in blood. He knew that his chest would've exploded if Odin hadn't held back.

As he strove to get back up with all his will, his strained body started giving in as he slipped and fell. He took a few seconds, to get back on his feet properly getting ready to continue the battle.

Odin who was watching all this with an impassive expression on his face, hollered in a majestic tone, "It seems you're finished. While your ability to learn in battle is impressive, your opponent isn't going to give you time to learn. You might as well learn on your way to Valhalla, BOY!"

Even though Vali was a cold, and logical person, he had his own kind of pride. He had expected being thrashed around by his father, but not being able to land a single attack on his father, made him question himself.

He soon pushed aside all his doubts, calming his thoughts. This was a learning experience for him and he had absorbed a lot from Odin, that he'd take a while to digest everything. But, he simply wasn't satisfied with just this, so he started to forcefully tap into his divinity, straining his soul.

Soul injuries were difficult to perfectly heal in this world, as they could only be healed naturally over time as techniques that could heal it were extremely rare. Odin himself might not have one especially suited to healing the soul, so Vali had always suppressed the need to push the limits and overwhelm his soul.

But now it seemed that he'd have to exploit just enough to not leave any lasting injuries, hoping for a speedy recovery after this. He normally wouldn't leave such a thing to chance, but the current circumstances demanded that he got a strike, in order to improve and evolve.

As Odin started walking towards him, Vali started to frantically tap into his divinity with all his might. He could feel his soul and his very existence crying out in pain wanting him to stop, as he continued.

He could feel himself becoming a little stronger, as his divine form grew up to 9ft, but this wasn't enough. His growth didn't matter, as his body was collapsing with cracks all over as he bled.

He could finally feel something, as he continued to exert his soul and just when he was about to stop, as any more would leave tears in it, he saw it. He felt something that he could use with his divinity, but it was flickering as if it was about to disappear. He grabbed hold of it, going over the limits as he felt his soul slightly injure itself.

His standing 9ft tall form completely fell on its knees, as he held on to the last vestiges of his consciousness with his face clenched, completely bloodied and unrecognizable. He stared at Odin was getting closer and muttered something using the final embers of his energy, gasping for air as he trembled.

Odin who was almost next to Vali watching all this happen, frowned as he saw his son self-harming himself. He was just about to end this, when he heard Vali mutter something, "Kar...-"

Odin who was puzzled at what he had just heard, stepped closer only to hear Vali complete his muttering, "Karmic RETURN!" as a few of Vali's wounds magically disappeared.

Odin didn't have time to question what he was talking about, before he felt an invisible force acting on his body attempting to break his bones. It was like the universe had willed it, and as the Allfather didn't resist, he bled for the first time since forever.

*SILENCE*

The entire region filled with moving meteorites and planetoids, seemed to have frozen in time without any signs of activity seemingly stunned at this absurdity.

***********************

[A.N]: I enjoyed writing this battle. I tried writing it as detailed as I could, and hopefully y'all experience at least 1% of the goosebumps I did, when I envisioned it. If you didn't, guess I have a lot to improve then.

Hand over the power stones! NOW!

[ P@ treon.com/7rox ] or [ buymeacoffee.com/7rox ]

Won't be posting any advanced chapters there, though you can donate 3$ and buy me a cup of coffee for the time I've spent writing, if you're interested. Peace.