Chapter 70: War: Easy to Start, Hard to End!
Here's the new chapter!
Thanks for waiting!
Enjoy it, peasants!
*Any image in this chapter does not belong to me! Belongs to their respective artists/creators!
If you don't like the design pictures, feel free to choose and adopt the design you like!
Without further ado, enjoy the chapter!
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Pov. Third-person.
In a small town, ruled by the powerful Roman Empire, several mortals took advantage of the onset of the night. The cold of the night became something ephemeral as long as there were pleasure houses and bars where men had fun.
It was like this every night.
Nothing out of the ordinary.
But then...
*BOOM*
A rumble resounded through the night, arousing fear in most of the humans present, who looked to the sound origins for answers.
What people saw was something strange.
A man, with twelve golden wings, crossed the starry sky; being pushed back by lightning, which roared to the heavens in fury.
The next thing the humans saw was a woman, with twelve white wings, raising her hand to the heavens and creating a kind of dome, which enveloped the entire city and made people go into a trance.
Gabriel had successfully hypnotized and erased the memory of everyone present so that her brother could act in peace.
As the most beautiful woman in the sky watched Thor leap towards Michael, she soon flew back to the stables, where the baby from before was left by Thor.
When Gabriel approached the manger that had held the baby, skeletons emerged from the ground and stood in front of the seraph. Gabriel then looked at the other being that was also in the stable...
Hel.
The queen of the underworld had bright green eyes and then she held her hand out to Gabriel.
"Don't disturb him... He's sleeping," said Hel, gesturing to the manger.
Gabriel, perceiving Hel's words, looked again at the manger, and realized that Hel was speaking the truth.
The baby was sleeping carefree... with a pacifier still in his mouth.
"... But how? With all that noise, how is he even sleeping?" asked Gabriel, whispering in confusion.
Hel seemed to hear what Gabriel had said because she immediately broke into a smile.
"Ah! It's because of the object in the baby's mouth, my cousin Thor gave something similar to his nephew when he was born, according to my cousin, the baby will go to sleep after a few seconds! It was a present for his brother when he became a father. Thor calls it the 'pacifier', and it soothes any baby," said Hel, nonchalantly with a smile on her face.
Hel soon realized that she was talking to someone who was probably 'hostile' and the companion of that angel in front of her was currently fighting Thor. With that in mind, Hel soon lost the smile on her face and ordered the skeletons to draw their weapons, ready to attack at any sign of hostility from Gabriel.
Gabriel, noticing Hel's movement, soon did something that confused the queen of the Norse underworld...
She raised her hands in surrender.
"…Eh?" said Hel, cocking her head in confusion.
Gabriel cracked a nervous smile.
"... We can talk, I guarantee I can explain the 'why' we are here," said Gabriel, expectantly.
Hel was in a quandary...
On the one hand, they were technically in conflict, as they both accompanied those who entered combat, with Hel accompanying Thor and Gabriel accompanying Michael.
In theory, they too should fight to then support those who are already fighting.
"...I'm listening," said Hel, commanding the skeletons to lower their weapons.
The goddess of the underworld then waved her hand and gestured to two skeletons, which soon 'disassembled' and created two chairs made of bones. Hel soon sat in one of the chairs and made an inviting gesture to Gabriel for the angel to sit in the available chair, which accepted the invitation and showed an expression of relief.
That was a fact of Hel... She saw no point in fighting when her opponent had just surrendered, and the queen of the underworld would never attack an opponent who surrendered...
The same couldn't be said for one drunken god of thunder in particular.
While Hel and Gabriel began to talk, far away, in the desert far from the city…
A kind of 'meteor', it fell from the sky and tore the ground, raising a giant cloud of dust that hid the moon in the night, until it stopped at some point.
Another 'meteor' crashed nearby, revealing itself to be Thor, still wearing red and white clothes.
The god of thunder raised a hand and then, from the giant cloud of dust, Mjolnir soon flew towards his hand, which he grabbed it nonchalantly.
"... Pigeon! *hic* There's something called a toll! And you ran away from that charge centuries ago~ *hic*" Thor said, with a smile.
The cloud of dust was then quickly dissipated by a gust of wind, caused by the flapping of Michael's twelve wings, which flashed in the dark night.
Michael had recovered from the fall, with only his clothes slightly torn.
"... How can I pay the toll if I didn't even know that land had an owner? Please don't lie to the lord's servant" said Michael.
Thor just shrugged.
"*hic*... I don't make the rules," said Thor.
Michael looked at Thor confusedly.
"But… But didn't you say the land was yours? Then wouldn't you be the one to decide such tributes?" Michael asked.
Thor seemed to think for a while… as if he was slowly processing what had been said by him and Michael.
"Oh… Oh! *hic*... True," Thor said, with a goofy smile.
Michael, realizing that the being in front of him wasn't taking him seriously, soon frowned.
The sword of god was sent down to earth when supernatural energy surged in the vicinity of the family chosen to welcome the son of Yhwh. But what he found was a foreign god, who was undoubtedly not in a sober state, and who didn't mind starting a fight in the middle of a city full of mortals.
For Michael, his greatest mission given by the creator himself was in his own name... His name was represented to give courage and divine protection to humans, freeing and cleaning people from all evil.
The mission was to protect humanity.
And right now, in Michael's eyes, there was someone in front of him who didn't care about endangering humans.
Michael, having tasted the initial power of the being in front of him due to being kicked out of the mortal city just by the pushing force of a hammer, knew he should take the fight seriously from the start...
It was then that the god's sword wrapped around the twelve golden wings, which then glowed brightly and caused a glare that temporarily blinded Thor.
When the glow dimmed, Michael's previous form did not exist.
The sword of god had been transformed into the form that was given to him by Yhwh, a form that Michael used very few times in his entire life as an angel, the first being when he expelled Lucifer himself from heaven, in a battle that bathed paradise in Holy fire.
Michael's true form.
Which a long time ago countered Lucifer's true form.
The god of thunder, however...
"Oh? *hic* You can shine as much as you want! *hic* that won't stop you from getting your ass kicked!" said Thor, who smiled and started running towards Michael.
Michael then created a sword made out of pure flames and soon disappeared once he grabbed the sword's hilt...
The god's sword soon appeared in front of Thor, closing the distance in just a few milliseconds, and swung the sword at Thor, who slightly widened his eyes in surprise.
*BOOM*
An explosion of great magnitude, which looked like an earthquake, happened as soon as the blade of the sword collided with Thor.
But then something caught Michael's eye...
"*hic*... You're fast~... Not bad, walking bonfire"
Thor sneered at Michael as he raised his forearm, which was protected by Járngreipr, easily blocking the sword that swung at lightning speed.
The god of thunder then swung Mjolnir at high speed, successfully hitting the 'sword of god', which was sent flying away as soon as it received the overwhelming blow. Michael soon recovered and created swords and spears made of holy light, which began flying towards Thor at high speed.
Thor's eyes then glowed faintly in a ghostly blue, symbolizing the use of the Viljestyrke - Archer, which the most advanced ability allowed the user to see the future for a short time.
While Thor used the Viljestyrke – Archer, he could see about 10 seconds into the future.
The strongest Norse god then began to easily dodge the creations made of holy light, while closing the distance between him and Michael quickly running towards the angel of god.
As soon as Thor got close enough, he raised Mjolnir and then swung at Michael, who quickly raised a sword made of fire and light to block the blow.
*BOOM*
But as soon as Mjolnir hit it, the sword was soon pushed towards Michael's body, which gave way to the weight and hit the ground, causing an earthquake.
Michael had never felt anything like this, as the being in front of him was on a totally different level than him. This undoubtedly made the 'sword of god' rethink the available options, due to the bones of the body itself roaring in pain, while the muscles throbbed as if they had taken a blow.
"*hic*... Hey, get up... You can't give up yet" said the voice that would forever be scarred in Michael's nightmares.
Michael looked up and saw him again.
There, standing in front of him, sporting a mocking smile, his face a little flushed and reeking of alcohol, still wearing the same red and white outfit, completely immaculate... And eyes with black sclera and golden irises, that glowed menacingly.
The source of future 'sword of god' nightmares.
"*hic*…I said get up," said Thor.
The thunder god soon crouched down and grabbed Michael's flaming leg, and hurled him into the sky. The sword of god soon shook its head, preventing thoughts of fear or giving up from appearing again, and soon acquired the necessary control to hover in the sky.
It was then that Michael raised a sword of light to the sky and created a magic circle, which created another circle right after, one on top of the other until there was a row of golden magic circles that went from the troposphere until disappearing in the mesosphere.
Michael then lowered the sword of light and pointed the tip of the sword towards Thor, who raised an eyebrow at the display of power.
When the tip of the sword landed on Thor, the tower of magic circles tilted slightly, with the first circle pointing directly at Thor.
Michael then withdrew his sword a little and took a combat stance ready to stab the air, at the same time the magic circles increased in size and glowed more and more brightly.
"Be pierced by the sword that burns evil... Let the judgment begin!" said Michael.
It was then that another magic circle appeared over the place where Michael and Thor were, from the circle, a golden scale appeared, with both sides leveled. A few seconds later one side of the scale fell to Thor's side...
It was then that Thor felt the weight of gravity rapidly increasing and falling on his shoulders, but the thunder god remained standing as he just watched Michael's next actions in curiosity.
The sword of god then thrust the sword towards Thor, stabbing the air... The tower of magic circles soon glowed in response and formed a pillar of white energy in the shape of a sword.
Thor stayed still the whole time, even when the pillar of energy hit him...
*BOOM*
The explosion caused by the collision shook the earth and caused an earthquake, as well as fire to spread across the land until it was contained by a kind of barrier originating from the scale from before.
Michael, seeing the damage he had done to the earth, heaved a weary sigh as he lowered his sword of light and descended from the sky.
As soon as Michael landed on the ground, the angel was about to step out of his true form, until something scared him...
One voice.
"*hic*... I'm a little disappointed after calmly waiting for such a display... *hic* But though the last blow was even a little flashy".
It was Thor, physically unharmed, only his clothes slightly charred.
The thunder god had a cruel smile on his face.
"*hic*… I think it's my turn," said Thor.
It was then that the god of thunder summoned the divine power of lightning nature creating a kind of aura that enveloped Thor completely, while lightning flashed around the son of Odin.
For Michael, the blue-colored aura overshadowed Thor's figure, turning it into a kind of shadow in the center of the lightning storm, with only the gold-colored eyes becoming noticeable.
The god sword still rushed forward in response, not flinching in front of such a challenge, why Michael believed he couldn't lose there...
But in the face of overwhelming power that seemed endless that the seraph was witnessing, would the determination of the 'sword of god' be enough?
The answer manifested itself when Michael was just a few steps away from Thor, ready to swing again the sword made of light and fire, ready to fight until his last breath in the name of his creator.
Until Michael looked into those golden eyes again, something that stopped the seraph in its tracks...
Michael felt a savage, overwhelming strength behind Thor's gaze.
A look that was the last thing the seraph saw before being knocked unconscious; canceling the 'true form', dematerializing the sword made of light and fire, and then falling to the ground amidst the sand with a face that showed complete exhaustion.
Thor had just used Viljestyrke - King, successfully knocking out the strongest seraph of god.
The thunder god just watched Michael's limp body listlessly and then sighed in defeat.
"*sigh*hic*~... Stupid golden pigeon, he should have known when to give up..." said Thor.
The god of thunder then walked towards Michael and grabbed the angel, putting him on his shoulder and carrying him like a bag. Thor then flew towards the city, where as soon as he arrived at the stable, he was faced with a strange sight...
Hel and Gabriel, sitting comfortably in two chairs made of bones, drinking together.
Gabriel was the first to notice Thor's presence and was immediately startled to see that her brother, Michael, was being carried away.
"Michael!" cried Gabriel, distressed.
Hel, noticing her cousin's arrival shortly thereafter, seemed... considerably calmer.
"Ah?... I'm glad you're back, cousin... I thought you were taking too long" said Hel.
This elicited a response from Thor.
"*hic* The golden pigeon lasted longer than I thought..." said Thor, shrugging.
Thor then let go of Michael's body, not so gently, causing Gabriel to revolt, who looked to Hel for answers.
"You assured me that my brother would not be so harmed!" said Gabriel.
Hel, oddly enough, was more confused by Gabriel's revolt.
"Eh?... But he's alive! If you met my cousin while he was drunk before, you would see that your brother is practically unharmed!" said Hel, gesturing to Thor.
Gabriel sighed then, but still frowned at Thor, who approached the manger.
"...Please don't approach him," said Gabriel.
Thor stopped in his tracks and slowly turned to Gabriel.
"*hic*... Or what?... Are you going to tickle me with those wings of yours?" asked Thor, mocking the seraph.
Gabriel stayed put because she didn't have the confidence to go against someone who had defeated her brother, who was the only seraph able to stay in the Top 10.
It was then that Hel intervened.
"Cousin, please don't antagonize her... I like her" said Hel.
Thor glanced briefly at Hel, who gave him a pleading look, and her hands clasped together; the thunder god just shrugged as he let out a defeated sigh.
But then noises were heard from the manger, drawing the attention of everyone present, with the exception of the man and woman, the baby's probable human parents, who remained in a trance since Thor's arrival at the stable.
Thor looked up briefly and saw that the baby was awake...
And was looking at him.
The god of thunder then approached slowly, which caused Gabriel to hold her breath in nervousness, while Hel didn't seem worried about the baby, but was worried that a new fight would arise.
Thor then grabbed the baby and held him at face level as he brought the baby close to his face.
"*hic*… Good to see you again, little one," said Thor.
The baby didn't respond to Thor and just reached out his little arms, trying to touch Thor's face. The thunder god didn't seem to mind and just smiled at the baby's attempts to touch his face.
"*hic*... You remind me of my nephew when he wasn't a perverted poet... *hic*... Want an axe?" asked Thor, with an expectant look as he produced an ax out of nowhere.
Gabriel soon despaired at the appearance of the real war axe, while Hel just smiled nervously, as if she expected such an action from her cousin.
The baby soon reached for the axe, mesmerized, while Thor just smiled in amusement at the baby's expressions.
Thor, though drunk, just watched the baby's expression and then remembered Hel's words, when they were preparing to leave on Midsummer night to deliver 'blessings' and gifts when was Júl.
"*hic*… You know what, fuck it! I'll come to visit this place during the solstice too *hic*... Congratulations Hel, your wish has been heard and will be granted!" Thor said, with a smile.
Hel, hearing what her cousin said, jumped for joy; while Gabriel, though she didn't know what Thor was referring to, could sense that she, like other angels, would have a headache.
- Timeskip: 9 CE.
- Location: Sea of future Germany / Mid-summer (July).
On a night, with the moon hidden by clouds and covering the land in darkness, the coastline and beaches of future Germany seemed as silent as every night. But tonight was a different night...
Ten ships, which looked like a fusion of a Drakar and a Trireme, were slowly approaching the beach...
As soon as the first ship docked on the sand, some sort of armored man jumped off the ship and landed on the sand.
The clouds soon stopped blocking the full moon at that moment, revealing the man by the brightness provided by the moon in the night...
It was a standard Aeolite soldier.
It was then that other soldiers, wearing similar armor, jumped off the ship and began to tie ropes to the ship and pull it closer to the sand with the help of soldiers who began to descend from the ship every second.
Each ship holds about 200 men.
Totaling a force of two thousand soldiers on a single beach in future Germany.
It was then that a distinguished soldier, wearing armor symbolizing that he was the captain responsible for the incursion, soon stood in front of the group, which grew in numbers due to other ships starting to dock on the beach, and other soldiers getting off the ships.
"... Prepare the camp, tomorrow we will head south," said the man in unique armor.
The other soldiers soon fanned out and began spreading the word of the captain to begin preparing camp for the night. Meanwhile, the captain just watched the forest trees, until something caught his attention.
A pair of green eyes, which glowed in the night, was staring at the captain, showing white fangs, which glowed in the dark just like the eyes.
It was then that a soldier approached the captain.
"Sir… Shall I do it?" asked the soldier.
The captain soon responded.
"No... That one is mine" said the captain.
The captain immediately held out his hand to the soldier, who responded by handing over a spear.
The captain then slowly raised the spear and threw it at high speed, aided by wind nature runes to further propel the spear, which surprised the creature with the displayed throwing speed.
Only a cry of pain in the night was heard in the forest, although all the Aeolite soldiers did not stop the construction of the camp.
"Nice throw, sir," said the soldier, bowing a little in respect.
The captain soon disregarded it and started walking towards where he had thrown the spear, only to find the spear stuck in the tree, trapping a species that looked like a human being, which had fangs and claws, as well as bright green eyes. It was then that Captain Aeolita soon unsheathed his sword and surgically decapitated the 'human', who displayed a look of frozen horror, a result of him seeing the moment the armored captain swung his sword.
"Hmm... According to the descriptions, it must be a Nachzehrer" said the captain, grabbing the once-human monster's skull and closely observing the facial features.
The captain then grabbed the spear, which was still holding the rest of the body, and summoned a fire spell, which immediately burned the rest of the creature's body, and ripped the spear away. After briefly looking at the work done, Captain Aeolita soon returned to the raiding army's camp.
"... Such a specimen will serve as a great base for the throne... For the Emperor" said the captain.
Days passed, and the Aeolite army, having left 500 soldiers in the camp, consisting of 1500 men, was soon marching towards the center of the country that would one day be known as Germany, following a nearby river, for the water supply and food source.
It was then that the captain, who was at the head of the army, ordered the march to stop.
When the army stopped marching, the silence of the forest greeted the Aeolites, until the captain stepped forward, towards the trees, and drew his sword. The Aeolite army stood still, even in the face of the actions of the one who led them in combat.
A rune then appeared on the front of the captain's helmet, and this particular rune was created for the purpose of breaking down language barriers.
"... Show yourselves! We know that you have been following us since two days ago!" said the captain.
It was then that a group of people, fully armed with axes, swords, and shields, came out of the trees.
An Aeolite soldier soon approached the captain.
"My lord, look at the symbol they wear!" said the soldier, pointing to the garments.
The captain nodded in agreement.
"Yes... Yes, I can see it... It's rustic and a little primitive, but still recognizable" said the captain.
What the Aeolites were talking about at that moment was the symbol that was present in the clothes, shield, and even in the tattoos on the faces...
Runes.
With some varying for another particular symbol...
A hammer.
"Do you think they are followers of our emperor?" asked the soldier.
The captain just responded listlessly.
"There's only one way to find out, but if they're not... They're just heretics" said the captain.
Captain Aeolita soon approached the group alone and asked a question.
"…Whom do you praise?" asked the captain.
The group of Germanic warriors was confused at first and didn't notice that the Aeolite army was ready to attack at the slightest signal from the captain, but then a Germanic warrior soon approached and dared to answer the Aeolite captain.
"... Who are you and what you're doing in our land?!" asked the German warrior.
Captain Aeolita still remained calm, although the tighter grip on the sword could be seen.
"We are our emperor's heralds... Now, answer my –" said the captain, until he was interrupted.
"Emperor? Are you Roman dogs who take orders from that bloodthirsty bastard?! Roman scum, I will gouge out your skin and feed your soldiers with it!" shouted the man, already drawing his sword.
As soon as the Germanic warrior made such a statement, the other warriors began to raise their weapons, ready for battle. Meanwhile, the Aeolite soldiers were getting more and more restless, but not from nervousness...
But in anger.
"They call our emperor a bastard?"
"The audacity of heretics knows no bounds"
"We should offer their skulls as a tribute to our Emperor, he will be pleased by our mercy…"
As the soldiers argued over what they should do with the bodies of the Germans, the captain, who still remained calm, chose to speak.
"We are not what you call Romans, we are servants of our one god-emperor, Thor! We came here to spread greatness and defend his ideals... In any way possible" said the captain, with a somber tone.
Just one more word of slander against Thor, and the captain would order the massacre and collect the skulls to adorn the throne.
But the Germanic warrior's next words froze the captain's next order...
"Oh? Thor?... What tribe are you from? I don't know of any meetings before the winter solstice on Thor's day," said the Germanic warrior, in confusion.
This seemed to please the Aeolite captain and soldiers, for it seemed that they found other people who worshiped their emperor. What ensued was a friendly conversation, between the Germanic peoples and the Aeolites, until one Germanic statement, in particular, brought the fury of all the Aeolites present.
"We are very sorry for the hostility, since the Roman attacks, we have been more alert than ever, we are heading south to ambush the Romans who are being guided by one of us, called Hermann... It may be a cowardly method, but it is our best chance to fight back after the Romans proved difficult to kill," said a Germanic warrior.
Another Germanic warrior agreed.
"Yes, Roman dogs, they call barbarian everything that is not Roman, they attack tribes to collect slaves to support the whole empire, besides they charge absurd taxes... They deny our gods and forbid us to praise them, and try to force us to worship what they call the true gods," said the warrior.
The last sentence held the Aeolites' full attention.
"… What do you mean by forbid?" asked Captain Aeolita.
The Germanic warriors just looked at each other and sighed in defeat, for I assumed that the army in front of them hadn't possibly met a Roman army.
"It is what it is... Because of some of our rituals, the Romans forbade any form of worship to any god, be it Odin, Frey, Baldr and even Thor" said the warrior.
The Aeolites fell into an eerie silence, which made most of the nearby Germanic warriors nervous.
"… Tell me… Where will this ambush of the Romans take place?" asked the captain.
The Germanic warrior replied, even though he was getting more and more nervous from the look, with just a single sentence...
"The ambush will take place in the Teutoburg Forest"
In the following days, 1500 Aeolites, accompanied by approximately 500 Germanic warriors, marched towards the meeting point of the Germanic leaders, where they would engineer the ambush that would hurt the pride of the most powerful empire of the time.
And then, on a cloudy and rainy day, in the Teutoburg Forest, three legions with approximately 20 thousand men in total, would be slaughtered by the united Germanic leaders, aided by 1500 Aeolite soldiers who would come to be called Berserkers by the Germans during the battle.
1500 Aeolite soldiers fought in the Teutoburg Forest...
1500 Aeolite soldiers returned to the ships with bags full of heads.
All the soldiers in the Aeolite army thought they did a good job fighting for their emperor's will.
- Timeskip: 30 CE.
- Location: City of Jerusalem / Domain of the Roman Empire.
The city of Jerusalem was a city strategically located on the edge of the Roman Empire.
A city of hundreds of people was part of a territory currently ruled by a man named Pontius Pilate, a representative of the Roman Empire.
Most of the time, criminals convicted of heinous crimes ended up suffering a trial and, in the worst of punishments, ended up receiving a private conviction...
Crucifixion.
After criminals were punished in the barracks of the Roman legions, they would carry a log of wood on their shoulders to the crucifixion site, passing through all the people of the city of Jerusalem and showing the people what happens when you go against Rome...
Today, however, there were more people seeing criminals condemned to crucifixion than expected.
And all the people screamed in rage and hatred for just one person...
A single person, of the three criminals was sentenced to crucifixion on this day.
This same man was wearing bloody clothes, the result of the cuts caused by the scourge that left the wounds open, with his body covered in his own blood and a bruised face, in addition to wearing a crown given by some Roman soldiers who mocked the man...
A crown made of thorns.
The so-called 'King of the Jews' by many...
Jesus.
This man just walked, with his head down, as he carried the wooden log to the crucifixion site, just listening to the screams of the people...
"Crucify him!"
"Yes, crucify him!"
"Aren't you the messiah?! Save yourself then!"
Although amidst the screams of hatred, it was noticeable that some people were drowning in sadness and terror when looking at the physical state of Jesus.
It was then that a stone hit Jesus on the forehead and, due to being weakened from torture, caused him to stumble and fall to the ground.
The Roman soldier, leader of the group that was escorting the prisoners, grimaced in disgust, realizing that Jesus was so weak that he could not bear to carry the wooden log on his shoulders during the entire journey to the chosen place of crucifixion. The leader of the Roman soldiers then looked at the audience and when he was going to point it at any man, he became entranced and pointed the whip at a hooded figure.
"You... Carry it instead of him," said the leader, who shook his head in confusion.
The hooded figure soon approached and grabbed the wooden log and lifted it off the ground, easily placing it on its shoulders, and started walking. Jesus, though weak, rests a hand on the log trying to still help the hooded figure to carry the log.
Jesus then felt a small change in the air and when he felt a familiar presence that the hooded figure was emitting... Soon he spoke with a slight smile on his face.
"I thought I wouldn't see you anymore... It's been a while, Uncle Thor" said Jesus.
The figure just snorted.
"... I already told you to stop calling me that," said Thor.
Jesus knew that Thor had created a barrier that would not show the conversation between the two, so he could talk to someone he considered close...
One last time.
"… Why do you still want to go through with this?" Thor asked.
That earned a defeated sigh from Jesus.
"We've already talked about this... I want to do this" said Jesus.
"You should stop, there's still time... Humans may even start to adore and love you in the future, but I know your teachings will be distorted, humanity always finds a way to screw something up, accidental or not," said Thor, listlessly.
This drew a weak laugh from Jesus.
"I'm not doing this because I want them to love me... I'm doing this because I love them" said Jesus.
Thor raised an eyebrow.
"… Including the assassins who will suffer the same fate as yours? Or those who scream for his death? Or even those who mock you?" Thor asked.
Jesus then looked Thor in the eye as he answered without hesitation...
"... Each one of them... I will pray for those who are not with me in paradise, for not being able to see the truth" said Jesus.
Thor just sighed.
"… You really are blind," said Thor.
Jesus just laughed weakly and gave Thor a soft smile.
"I am not blind... I am happy... Happy to give myself entirely to my brothers and sisters, even if there are those who do not welcome me, I will never abandon them" said Jesus.
Thor softened his gaze and soon realized that the end of the path had arrived...
"... It was nice to meet you..." said Thor, dropping the log on the ground and walking away.
Jesus looked at Thor walking away and felt the barrier blocking their conversation being canceled.
"Do not say goodbye to me old friend, even though I am no longer among the mortal plane… Know that I will still always be with you" said Jesus, with a genuine, but weak, smile.
What followed were screams of pain, originating from Jesus and the other two men as they had their hands and feet nailed to the crosses.
Thor watched everything, and never looked away from what he saw.
Hours passed, and many remained at the scene, just watching the suffering of Jesus and the two other criminals, waiting for their lives to slip away...
After some time, when the Roman soldiers realized that the three crucified men no longer showed any signs of agony, they began to beat the bodies, looking for any sign of life.
Jesus was the first to show no sign of life.
The Roman soldier who was in charge of the place soon beckoned to another legionary, this time an older one, who approached Jesus with a spear.
The older legionnaire then stabbed Jesus with the spear, in the lung area, to make sure Jesus was dead.
But as soon as the legionnaire removed the spear from the lifeless body of Jesus, water and blood gushed from the wound...
Mainly covering the legionnaire's spear and armor, as well as his face.
The legionnaire stared at his hands in shock...
His vision problem, which had been impaired for a long time and which was quite likely to make him blind... It had just been cured.
The legionnaire was Longinus.
And he looked at the body of Jesus in shock and awe.
"Longinus! Let's go, we've been here long enough... Let the crows finish the job" said the leader of the group of Roman legionaries.
Longinus looked at the leader and then again at the body of Jesus until he started to follow the leader of the legionnaires, while whispering only a few words, with a low tone so that the other legionaries could not hear...
"Forgive me... Forgive me... Forgive me" whispered Longinus, trembling as he held the spear.
The population that stayed to see the death of the three condemned soon dispersed, with only a few remaining in the place, and who openly mourned the death...
Thor was one of the few to remain.
Until he looked up at the sky and saw that it was about to rain.
"…I hope you have the luck to never meet me…Yhwh," Thor said, narrowing his eyes.
The sky responded with lightning flashing through the clouds as it rained in torrents.
The god of thunder then looked at a small group that was crying in front of Jesus and just looked away and chose to leave them alone... Leaving the place and disappearing from the hill shortly afterward, with the intention of finding and taking the man who had pierced Jesus' body with a spear.
As soon as Thor left, a kind of eye with wings, the size of a bat, approached the cross. This eye is intended to convey the image of the scenery it was observed in a particular place...
The Underworld.
- Location: Underworld / Home of the Devils.
The underworld on this particular day was having a special announcement from the leader of the devils, who had arranged for all the devils in the underworld to be present...
"Do you see it?" asked Lucifer, gesturing to a kind of hologram that displayed an image...
The image was Jesus on the cross.
"There are no limits! 'He' will keep doing whatever he wants, until he alone is the sole ruler! Justice and injustice will be decided by him and him alone... He has been acting within the territory of other pantheons for a long time, and nothing has been done!" cried Lucifer.
Like a chorus, voices began to emerge...
The devil population was in front of Lucifer and watched Jesus' crucifixion from beginning to end, although they did not notice Thor's presence due to the camouflage runes.
"Why can he do such things? What are we other than his ancient creations? Where is his image and likeness to us? Where is our equality before his eyes? Why do we remain silent as if we are worthless?!" asked Lucifer.
Each question stirred more and more the devils present, awakening hatred and fury for Yhwh once again...
"We are devils! We don't have to keep our heads down while others dictate to us what we should or shouldn't do!" cried Lucifer.
That statement brought shouts of approval from the devils who heard one of the four great Satans and the current ruler of the Devil Underworld.
It was then that Lucifer opened his wings, half being bat wings and the other half being angel wings, taking flight and floating before the devil population. Then, just a few seconds later, a dark aura began to envelop Lucifer...
When the dark aura dissipated, all the devils saw...
Lucifer's true form.
"Let the world see our worth when they are conquered by us! May humans worship us as if we were gods! May our CREATOR see the mistake he made in denying us our true destiny!... We know there's only one way to get what we want, and deserve..." cried Lucifer.
The devil population then spread the standard devil wings, which resembled bats, and took flight as they roared in approval for Lucifer, and awaited Lucifer's next word, which would forever mark the world...
"WAR!!!"
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Well, that's all folks!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter, peasants!
Vol.1 is officially OVER!
Let the great biblical war begin!
Vol. 2 will start on 01/08/2023!
Until then!
Happy New Year! And Happy Holidays!