Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

"I thou... I thought I could beat you... earthling... but... I underestimated your... your power... if I couldn't make it... believe me... no one on this planet can..." Hakon confessed with a thread of voice, knowing that his time had come to an end. 

Those words, while banal, were very important to Dag, who did not believe that a devious person like the leader of the Lies Of Loki could be so forthright and sincere, despite his pride.

"The darkness... the darkness will end up devouring you... my wickedness... it's nothing compared to yours... you are no longer human... the darkness... it will completely devour you... not even your father... your real father... could… aargh...!" 

Hakon's weak words were interrupted by a twinge in his chest, while the electricity flowing into his body keeping him alive had been totally dissipated.

"What?! My father?! How do you know about him?! Did you know him?! What did he tell you?! Tell me, for the Gods!" Dag yelled again, bringing his face closer to Hakon's and grabbing him with one hand on his shoulder, shaking his body to make him wake up from his semi-vegetative state.

"… not even him... could know that you..." 

"Don't stop talking! Look at me! Go on! What couldn't he know?! Fuck, answer me!" 

Hakon's eyes opened wide completely and life abandoned his body: one of the broken ribs had penetrated the man's heart, ending his vital functions and excessive blood loss had accelerated the process.

"Hakooon! Wake up, you motherfucker! Keep talking, you piece of shit! You knew, you knew things about my past, but you chose to keep your mouth shut! I hate you, I hate you!" Dag continued, crying desperately and waving out of control.

Before anyone from the crowd behind him could intervene to calm him down, taking the risks of the gesture, with his mighty dark arm he threw Hakon's body towards the center of the square and when it was in the air before he could fall to the ground, Dag made an energetic leap upwards, in that direction.

With the Giantbane wielded with both of his hands, the young Master hit the inanimate target in full, cutting his body into two parts, separating his lower limbs from his torso.

"Aaaargh! Aaaaaah! Graaargh!" Dag continued to scream, as, suspended in the air, he continued to hit every piece of flesh in front of his eyes, reducing Hakon's corpse to shreds.

After an interminable series of attacks, due to the force of gravity, both the young Master and the mash he had created, fell to the ground.

*boom*

Dag's landing caused a large furrow in the floor, as his enhancement skills were still active.

"I hate you, Hakon! And I hate the Xis and their filthy planet! I hate everything!" he yelled again, his voice hoarse because of the prolonged screams, which had strained his vocal cords.

After leaving the Giantbane, he knelt down and with violent punches hit the floor of the square, creating real craters under his knuckles.

When even the last punch was fired and his anger slowly turned into bitterness and resignation, the black fluid that enveloped his whole body, returned inside his back, as if it was a silk cloth that was pulled away, leaving the young Master's real skin uncovered.

Likewise, his muscles also returned to their ordinary size, deflating as the effect of Call of the Berserkr ran out.

"My real father... he seems to be the only person who can give me an answer about the origin of my powers and Magni told me he's still alive somewhere... I don't understand anything anymore, in my head, there is total confusion. But one thing is certain. Dad, you've been avenged..." Dag thought in a low voice, referring to Stein and thinking back to the last happy moments with him. 

Slowly, making strength on his exhausted knees after the fight, he got up and walked towards his opponent's totally dismembered body.

His organs were scattered on the ground, in a pool of blood so thick that it looked black.

His legs, the pieces of his face, his feet cut off: it was all there, in front of him, in a dismal scenario, while the white light of Skjold's moon and the surrounding planets continued to be the only light source above his head.

One of the few pieces of Hakon's body that was still recognizable was his chest.

His black leather armor shone under the light, bathed in blood, and Dag approached it, bending over it.

He slipped his hands into the pockets and found a small sharp knife, a bottle of greenish liquid, probably poison, a scroll that contained the map of Klorr, perhaps useful to Hakon to be able to move within a city he did not know well, but above all, in the inner pocket of his jacket, Dag found what he was looking for.

Under his hand, several objects made a metallic noise slamming into each other.

Some were bigger, others were smaller, but he grabbed them all and pulled them out of that jacket, looking at them carefully.

They were four objects, all soiled with Hakon's blood, which had penetrated deep into the fabric, staining even the innermost areas of his clothes.

Among them, one, in particular, caught Dag's attention, who could not believe he could finally hold it in his hands.

The silver rabbit foot pendant was there, on the palm of his hand, along with the other three emblems.

From Dag's pocket, the Bjelke Sphere was vibrating almost to the maximum power, managing to recognize the inner arcane power of those relics despite being wrapped in the fabric of the pants, so as not to bother its owner during the fight.

"I still can't believe it... here it is... Brann's pendant. It's finally in my hands. As soon as possible I will deliver it to Gridd... I will make her the happiest woman in the world!" he thought, realizing that the main reason that had driven him to seek that emblem, had always been only his sister, who since they were two children with big dreams, had told him about the pendant and Brann, her real father.