"Brunhilde? Altria?" Zenkichi muttered as he walked out of the temple alongside Quetzalcoatl, Jaguarman, and Ereshkigal beside him. He raised his eyebrows upon seeing his friends battling against a group of soldiers and various beasts, which he recalled are called Phantasms in this world, and they easily defeated them.
"Master/Zenkichi!?" Altria, Brunhilde and the others exclaimed upon seeing him. Then their expressions changed upon seeing Quetzalcoatl and the others walking alongside him.
"Are they the Goddesses of the Alliance? Are they keeping Zenkichi captive?!" Altria frowned and gripped the reins of her horse, her lance at the ready. Brunhilde also readied Gram at the side.
"Save him." Ana muttered, raising her scythe.
"Mash," Gudako said.
"Yes, master!" Mash went to the front and propped her shield up.
As for Merlin...he smiled knowingly towards Zenkichi and stayed back at the group, watching the inevitable confrontation.
Quetzalcoatl blinked and then smiled widely. "Heroes from afar, welcome to my humble abode. My, from how you all effortlessly my troops, you have all proven yourselves to be worthy fighters! However, if you wish to get your prize, then you must participate in the most ancient and celebrated fighting event in the entire world—Lucha Libre!"
"Huh?"
'Ah, crap.' While Gudako and the others looked on in confusion, Zenkichi realized what was going to happen.
"Quetzalcoatl, don't—!" His lips was pinched shut by a pair of slender fingers.
He turned to her, who mischievously smirked at him, as if to tell to him—"Don't ruin this for me!"
Before he could react, the ground beneath his feet opened to reveal a sizable dark hole and he was dropped into the unknown from everyone's view.
"Zenkichi?!"
"Now, let's fight—!" As Quetzalcoatl excitedly exclaimed, Altria and Brunhilde were already on the offensive, swinging their respective weapons by each of her side—decisively going for the kill.
Altria's lance thrust forward with incredible speed while Brunhilde swung Gram in a wide arc, both aiming to overpower Quetzalcoatl from either side.
However, Quetzalcoatl was already in motion, her body twisting and flipping with an almost playful agility that defied their coordinated attacks. "¡Viva la lucha!" she laughed, dodging between them effortlessly. "But this is not the way of Lucha Libre! No weapons, amigos!"
With a swift motion, Quetzalcoatl caught Altria's lance mid-thrust with her fist, stopping the attack dead in its tracks. At the same time, she sweep her right leg over to block Brunhilde's sword with nothing but sheer strength. The clash of divine power sent shockwaves throughout the jungle.
"What?!" Both Altria and Brunhilde stared in disbelief. The sheer force behind their combined strikes should have overwhelmed anyone, yet Quetzalcoatl deflected their weapons with ease, as if she was merely playing.
Quetzalcoatl smiled brightly. "Come on now! Let's make this a fun match, sí? No more weapons—just our fists, the true spirit of Lucha Libre!" She let go of Altria's lance and kicked Brunhilde's sword away, stepping back gracefully.
Altria gritted her teeth, pulling her lance back defensively. "I won't underestimate you again," she muttered and unsummoned her horse Dun Stallion, her lance dissipated as well.
Although it seemed dangerous and ridiculous, she trusted her judgement and instincts that Quetzalcoatl wouldn't pull any tricks on them when they unequip their weapons. Plus, her honor as a knight made her want to honor Quetzalcoatl's challenge.
Altria took a deep breath, clenching her fists as she prepared to face the Aztec goddess on equal terms. "No tricks, just fists," she muttered under her breath, stepping forward with resolve.
Brunhilde glanced at her sword, then at Quetzalcoatl, who seemed almost giddy with excitement. "A true fight, is it?" She grinned fiercely, accepting the challenge. "Fine. Let's see if you can handle me without Gram." she put her weapons into her storage space, but brought out a pair of skin-tight black metallic gloves.
When she was preparing for Ragnarok in her world, she made a lot of precautions—one of them was by seeking out the dwarf that created Thor's weapons and "asked"(threatened) the guy into making replicas of the Gods' weapons.
Járngreipr(Iron Gauntlets) was one of the few divine weapons she has in her possession and she would only reserved for Gods.
Brunhilde grinned savagely. "Taking my man without my permission, you better grit your teeth."
Quetzalcoatl's face turned demonic as she grinned savagely at them. "You wanna get him back or not?"
Altria and Brunhilde blurred as they charged at Quetzalcoatl with incredible speed, the air around them crackling with divine energy. Altria, moving like lightning, aimed a powerful punch at Quetzalcoatl's midsection while Brunhilde swung her iron-clad fists in a brutal overhead strike, both attacks intending to overpower the Aztec goddess.
"Hahahaha! This is fun!" Quetzalcoatl cackled maniacally.
On another battlefield.
"Nya?!"
"W-Wait! I have nothing to do with this—!?"
On the other hand, Jaguarman and Ereshkigal were under attacked by both Ana and Mash, with both Gudako and Merlin providing them support from the rear.
"Give him back," Ana said in a monotone voice as she swung her scythe toward Ereshkigal, her eyes cold and focused. The goddess of the underworld barely managed to block the attack with her own divine weapon, which looked like a glowing twisted metal spear.
"Tch! Back away!" Ereshkigal exclaimed, a surge of mana pulsing from her spear, creating a shockwave that pushed Ana back momentarily. "I already told you, I didn't take him! You're attacking the wrong person! Besides, I don't wanna fight!"
But Ana's expression didn't waver, her eyes locked on Ereshkigal. "Then explain why he's with you." Her scythe swung again, faster this time, aiming for the goddess's side.
Ereshkigal deflected the blow with a grunt, frustration growing as she felt herself being pushed on the defensive. "He's with us, not captive! He's—oh my gosh, could you please stop for a moment!?"
"....Request denied."
"Nyaa! Don't blame me!" Jaguarman yelped, leaping away from another of Mash's strikes. "I'm just here for the free food! Nyan~!"
Mash pressed forward, Jaguarman blocking it with her silly looking staff/spear?. "Then stand down! We're here for Zenkichi."
Jaguarman's scrunched up, cold sweat dripping down her face. "But if I do that...Kuku's going to be mad at me!" she yelped, her tail frantically swishing as she blocked Mash's shield with her spear. "You don't want me to deal with that wrath, nyan!"
Mash, however, wasn't buying it. "We're not here to hurt anyone! Just step aside so we can talk this out!" Her shield pushed harder, forcing Jaguarman back step by step.
"Easy for you to say," Jaguarman pouted. "But Quetzalcoatl loves her wrestling, and if I let you pass without a fight, she'll definitely challenge me next! Nyaa~!"
And so, the chaotic battle continued.
Meanwhile, in the depths of the temple...
"That battle junkie!" Zenkichi muttered under his breath as he dusted himself off, having just climbed out of the pit Quetzalcoatl dropped him into. His face was a mixture of frustration and amusement. "She really couldn't resist, huh?"
He looked around the underground chamber. The dim lighting cast eerie shadows along the ancient stone walls, but Zenkichi was more focused on the distant echoes of the chaos above. He could hear the clashing of weapons and the occasional excited cackling from Quetzalcoatl. He could only imagine the confusion and misunderstandings spiraling out of control.
"Why do things always have to be this complicated?" he sighed, pulling out the communication device that had been glitching out earlier. "Might as well check if this thing's working down here." He fiddled with it for a moment, but it still refused to connect to Gudako and the others.
"Seriously? I'm so holding this over Da Vinci's head," he muttered, pocketing the device. "Now, how the hell do I get out of here?"
He looked up and narrowed his eyes, thinking, "It couldn't be that easy, right?"
He then picked up a stone on the ground and threw it up with as much strength he gathered.
Boom*!
The rock didn't even take a few feet before it hit something invisible.
"A barrier? Figures. Seriously Quetzalcoatl? What the heck is this place even?" Zenkichi sighed, scratching his head.
"Child, do you require some assistance?"
That voice sent a strange chill down Zenkichi's spine. He blinked, turning to face the source, only to find an old man dressed in a ragged, ancient cloak, holding a wooden staff that looked like it had been through centuries of wear. The man's face was obscured by his hood, but a faint glow seemed to emanate from his eyes.
Zenkichi's brows furrowed, his instincts screaming at him. There was something disturbingly familiar about the figure. Too familiar.
As if he were death incarnate.
He hadn't sensed the man at all.
His muscles tensed as he took a cautious step back, his guard going up. "Who are you?" he asked, his voice steady but wary. "And how did you get down here?"
The old man chuckled softly, the sound echoing eerily in the chamber. "Names matter little in this place, child. But if you must know, I am merely a wanderer. Someone who has seen many things, walked many paths." He tapped his staff lightly on the ground, the faint sound reverberating strangely. "And you... you are on a path of your own. A challenging one, perhaps?"
"A young man on the road towards an unprecedented path of God and Devil, yet, still retaining his true nature of man all the while. How terrifying, how intriguing..."
Zenkichi narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't answer my question."
The man eyed him under the hood. "I have always been here, in one form or another. You could say... I was waiting."
"Waiting? For what?"
"For you, child."
Zenkichi's heart skipped a beat. "Me?"
"Indeed." The old man's tone softened, becoming almost fatherly. "You are at a crossroads, whether you realize it or not. Choices lie ahead that will shape more than just your fate. But..." He paused, his glowing eyes piercing into Zenkichi's. "Are you prepared to face them?"
Zenkichi felt a shiver crawl down his spine. 'This guy... who the hell is he?'
The strange man raised three of his fingers.
"You and your companions will face three storms that will sweep over the land."
"Three storms..." Zenkichi's face hardened, he heard these words before, but where? When?
"Embrace not with the jealous one."
"Extol not with the overbearing ones."
"And submit not to the lustful one."
There was sudden breeze of wind, causing Zenkichi to narrow his eyes.
The hooded man raised his head and stared at Zenkichi, who widened his eyes in recognition.
"You..."
"Remember always—victory always lies in one's heart."
The wind intensified, swirling around the old man and Zenkichi, as if amplifying the gravity of his words. The cloaked figure's form began to blur, before disappearing unexpectedly.
"Who would've thought I'd meet him here..." Zenkichi muttered as he looked up, chuckling amusedly. "Still, how am I going to get out of this place?"
There was the sound of walls shifting and groaning as the ancient mechanisms within the temple began to move. The wall in front of Zenkichi, where the strange man had stood, shifted to reveal a staircase.
"...Thanks old man," Zenkichi muttered before walking up the staircase, ascending back up to the surface.
.....
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