Ragnarok (1)
Under numerous mentors, Lyclean absorbed vast knowledge and wisdom, mastered the use of clubs and bows, and learned the arts of mingling with others and leading them. He grew at a pace that made every day feel different.
"But Zeus must be pretty pissed off right now. He went to all the trouble of bestowing a thick blessing on that kid, slathering him with favors in advance, only to get stuck in the Pantheon where he can't lift a finger anymore. All he can do is suck his thumb and watch."
"Mm. Now all that guy's got left is sending down oracles or blessings through his followers."
It had been a scheme to saddle the child, prophesied to become king of the gods, with a debt that would make him useful to them. But now, that was impossible.
Well, oracles and blessings could be effective tools if used cleverly, but I doubted Zeus had the brains for it.
"The one who asked you to block the Pantheon gods was Indra, right? Did he foresee this happening?"
"Who knows. I can't read that guy's mind or whatever he was scheming. Good is good, isn't it?"
Zeus had never sat right with me anyway, so thanks to him, I'd gotten a pretty entertaining show.
"At this rate, won't the promised ten years pass before the kid even reaches adulthood? Is that okay?"
"Mm, has that much time already gone by?"
"Yes. Ten years flies by."
Watching that child's growth, I hadn't even noticed the time slipping away.
"It was about nineteen years ago when Indra offered his heart, and three years later the kid was born... So next year marks ten years since that war."
Over the past nine years, the chaotic world of the gods had sorted itself out somewhat. The Ennead had declined to the point where most surviving gods couldn't maintain their divinity, except a few. Lokapala, who jumped in abruptly, was all but annihilated. And Olympus, the victors, weren't unscathed either... Eh, let's skip that for now. Not the story for today.
"Now the remaining Baal fragments are the ones with Odin and Zeus. I wonder what'll happen."
"Who knows."
It was about time those bastards started moving. Mm... You can only camp out so long before you wither away. If you hold on till you're bone-dry, you'll just end up destroyed anyway.
Well, there's still a year left. Let's wait and see. If they really do nothing... I'll just have to step in myself.
You've gotta know when to quit the long-game meta. Stick it out to the end, and you'll just get zapped by the final circle.
"For now, let's watch until next year."
Whether Zeus moves or Odin does, something will show.
And the following year, the Aesir made their move.
The god famed for his wisdom, Odin could not easily accept the prophecy of certain doom.
Odin, quicker than anyone to locate the Sage, had shared many conversations with him and realized the gods' downfall was imminent.
It was only natural for him to react fiercely to that reality.
"No, that can't be. It can't. There must be a way to avert the doom."
First: denial.
The one-eyed god, brimming with profound wisdom, rejected the Sage's words. He refused the fixed future, the gods' ruin, with a vehement reaction.
Natural, if you thought about it. No one welcomes an inescapable death.
"For the wise Odin to say such things—unexpected. Doesn't the wisdom in that eye pierce through to the truth?"
"Kh, kugh... Indeed, my eye tells me it's true. But it's too absurd! Why must the majority of gods perish?!"
To Odin's words, I replied softly.
"From the moment the king of gods vanished, hope fled the gods. Surely you, so wise, know this."
"Th-that's..."
Odin faltered.
His eye of wisdom revealed the truth, so he understood my words were all fact.
Thus, all he could do was...
"Y-you! How dare you try to delude me with such nonsense! Your prophecy is just a ploy for attention! Trying to fool me with that— I can't let you live!!"
Second: anger.
Odin didn't just deny the Sage's words; he erupted in rage, like a volcano on the verge of explosion, spewing fiery fury from his mouth.
And in his hand, he gripped a sharp spear— the famed Gungnir.
Forged by master dwarves and blessed by gods, the divine weapon was now aimed at the Sage in Odin's grasp.
But the Sage—I—didn't flinch even as the spear's tip pressed to my nose.
The Sage's body was a golem I'd crafted, after all. No reason to fear.
Well, even if it were my true body, no issue. Could that spear, thrust with all his might, even scratch my skin?
"Retract your absurd words now. Confess they were lies. Or my spear will pierce you through."
Third: bargaining.
Despite the menacing words, his voice hid a faint tremble of fear.
Was the vague prophecy from an unknown entity that burdensome?
The Aesir's chief god, hailed as the wisest, was bargaining—nay, pleading—under the guise of threat with a mere foreteller of futures.
"Even if I retract it, the fated events won't vanish. You, so wise, know this well."
Odin had no reply to the Sage's quiet words.
He merely dropped the Gungnir from his hand.
"How... how can that be? Why must the gods perish? Were we born only to be destroyed?"
Fourth: depression.
Tears began streaming from Odin's single eye.
The sight of the aged, one-eyed geezer weeping was hard to stomach... But what could you do? Even gods crave tears before an unavoidable cruel fate.
If he hated that destiny so much he wanted to weep, he should've done better while Baal was around.
Tsk. Regrets always come after the fact.
"Very well. If that's what this world desires... I must accept it. If fate can't be escaped, only submission remains."
Fifth: acceptance.
Tears still flowed from his eyes, yet Odin spoke as if he'd abandoned all.
He knew well the consequences of resisting inescapable fate.
At this rate... Odin would give up everything.
No—perhaps to spare them painful ruin, he'd try killing the other gods.
Gods who deserved death dying? No issue.
But gods who didn't... that would be a problem.
So, I added one word.
"If this world desires ruin, what of another world?"
"Another world...?"
"Yes. In a completely different world, might you not evade that doom?"
A bald-faced lie.
Even called another world, it'd still connect to this one somehow. Fleeing to a new realm wouldn't save you if ties remained.
Unless it was utterly isolated, severing all links.
"Another world... You mean crafting one like the Pantheon? But how?"
"That much, I can't do for you. But I believe it's possible."
Like the bottomless pouch I made, other gods could craft a small pocket space with effort.
Tricky, but doable.
If Odin somehow pulled it off... I might spare his life.
Though I'd still pluck that eye.
Odin nodded faintly at my words.
"Yes. There must be a way. A way... If I can't find it, doom. But if I do... I'll save all the gods. Become their savior."
Murmuring hope in a tiny voice.
But that single eye was twisted by despair, swallowed by madness.
There lurked only a foolish old man.
Thus warped, Odin spent decades in his domain, producing results unlike my expectations.
"Life Goddess!!! Big trouble!!!"
It began with Ceres.
A dragon-turned-god, now one of the underworld judges, corrupted by death's aura.
"Mm? Rare for you to come all the way from the underworld."
"I'm different from the other two—I wander around a lot on my days off! I visit the Pantheon often too! But this is big trouble!"
Big trouble? What could make a death god and underworld judge panic like this?
"Paradise! Paradise is being invaded by those bastards! It's a disaster!!!"
"What?"
Did I hear that wrong?
Paradise invaded? My afterlife realm under attack? What the hell?
"Who the hell's invading Paradise? And how? The only path to Paradise is through the underworld, right?"
"Come with me first! You'll understand when you see it!"
What the heck happened in Paradise to cause this?
I really had no clue.
The Aesir had been suspiciously quiet when I'd started thinking they'd move soon.
Tch.
And so, I headed to Paradise with Ceres.
