Popping right up through the clouds, creating a hole for the sun to shine through, as he emerged from the depths of the Earth, the sky pushing together to create what resembled the face of the False Thunder God. Turning his head, the Holy King stared as the clouds reorganized themselves, and the group below turned their heads back as the sun had once more been covered by the veil of water that planes usually soared above. White eyes radiating to show the monstrous inhumanity there at the center, pupils darting above to scan for irregularities, he noticed that the manipulation of his voice echoing across the skies was coming from everywhere. Humming to show his interest, he had no choice but to listen,
"The Angels that you name your kinsmen are cruel and repugnant, they damned me to this wretched mortal world where I was fused with a pitiful human. I shall rain Thunder upon their smug faces and show to them the truth of my power, overthrow the Author and take my rightful place as King of the Cosmos as I rule over Paradise. That is the destiny I was fated for," Declared Zeus, the familiarity of his face peering through the marshmallow softness of the clouds as his eyes glowed with that signature snapping hue of electricity. Blinking for just a second in time, the sound of space cleaving open to reveal a gate through the junction point between the Underworld and Earth had revealed itself.
The Superior Emperor then heard the echoing growls of the bastard children that Zeus had aided in birthing beneath him, spinning his head, he glared right down at them with a sinister sadistic grin. Ares sharpening his ax, red eyes staring through his double-sides helmet with the darkness of the armor shrouding his face in the darkness. Mercury appearing from a blur then turning up his helmet so he could reveal the sparking nature of his pupils, Apollo forming together from the rays of the sun itself to materialize onto the cloud. More and more began to arrive with their signature weapons, Athena with a sword and shield, Artemis drawing an arrow with her bow.
"More false gods who dare stay in the presence of The Blessed Emperor of Longing... how truly despicable. I shall annihilate this pantheon, once and for all, then rid this world of the seed of stench you've implanted onto the 'God' title," The way he'd stated that last part had quickly caused some speculation among the Thunder God above them all, manifesting bolts of lighting around the tips of his fingers, Zeus prepared to throw when the time was right. But for now; all he did, for now, was watch and learn.
The Emperor of Longing began to touch his feet against the lean platform-like cloud below his soles, hunching his head for just a second before revealing the unknown emotions that laid behind those bright eyes. The coat he donned flying down with him to shroud over the rear of his anatomy, the Superior Emperor had gradually begun to rise, the menacing nature of his person sending shivers down the spines of these so-called gods. Scoffing at the sight, he stuck out his hand, lips sliding downward to have a more basic expression- the Requiem energy from the Emperor of Time and the added Omni from this new achievement had formed something anew.
SQUISH-CRUNCH-SNAP! As he closed his fist with a thunderous clap that pushed away every single cloud around them, they all bunched together in a singular ball of blood and guts. Intestines fusing, entrails dripping onto other organs, hearts having their fluids squished out, as their skin started to burn to crisp off their fleshy skulls. Pupil expanding to a size larger than the average human's, all of these crunched-up bodies began to combine in a ball of blood and dripping flesh, some bones falling out from the force and then hitting the cloud to descend to the Earth below.
Extending out his clawed fingers just a tiny bit, feeling the bones beneath that layer of flesh and skin shiver and shake- the ball exploded! Drenching the entire area in oozing steaming God nectar, the Superior Emperor took a simple step onward, taking one step forward... continuously moving forward to reach the goal set for him.
If you were any normal bystander, if you were a casual onlooker at the end of this cloud in space, you'd be quaking in fear. He whose name is the Sixth Holy King marched through the Heavens, to where the mortals below laid in fear, clutching onto their kin as their wretched lives laid in the hand of him. He who was chosen by the ones above, who named themselves the Guardian Angels of Desire and Absolute; Incarnations of Obliteration, for their will was to be brought forth unto this planet.
For the crazed monotonous march of man had been interrupted that very day, humanity's fate challenged by the Savior, their brains filled with images of this man. With white eyes and black clothing, the way he walked so casually, the view from afar implanted into the mind of those babbling meat bags trembling in terror, had caused their brains to scramble. Elders gasping, their tightness over the children's head, the younglings sobbed, knowing that the eventuality shall come into fruition soon enough- if you stared any longer at the man Chosen by the Blind Idiot Gods, only one thing was for sure.
You'd go mad because, on the surface, he looked like everything BUT humanity's savior. The way that his eyes shined against the damned and corruptive souls of those mortals below, in the daydreams his godly influence had bestowed upon those wretched creatures. The Heavenly Superior Emperor kept walking, and at the end of his destined path, there laid the False Ruler God of Thunder. Casually sitting on a throne he had no right to be slouching in, the Blessed Emperor mimicked the movements of his other self, locked in the deepness of the heart. Raising his arms, the experience belonging to his joints snapping and cracking burst into the air as he moaned in pleasure, Zeus resting his chin on his knuckles,
"So you slaughtered the bastards, truth be told, I was searching for a way to rid myself of those nuisances. And while I'm thankful for you exterminating those vermin, this is war, between the Olympians and the Incarnations. I just avenge my warriors who were mercilessly destroyed in the battle and bring back honor to my name-"
"Oh, please. Olympus doesn't even exist, it's a fraction of Heaven that Allfather gifted you so you'd stop your fucking whining, and even then, you didn't know how to act. So your ass got kicked off Heaven's payroll, you're nothing more than a low rate version of your Norse self. And even he's on thin ice, I hear," Answered The Superior Emperor to the inferior Thunder God, spotting as he rose from the arms of the throne he was seated upon. Pushing out each of his fingers, snapping his muscular knuckles, and then feeling the joints crack below the skin- the electricity continuously flowing throughout his Omni-imbued veins.
Bolts manifested into this world from the beyond, the scraping sights of the Temple planted on Mount Olympus shining against Apollo's Sun. The electricity swirling in a chaotic storm around his muscular mass, the Superior Emperor smirked, arms sliding to his back, pupils darting from side to side, swiftly moving at a rapid rate. Processing everything around his being, the electricity extended out, bolts growing larger and larger as they inched closer to the Heavenly Superior's blackened frame. CRACK!
All of them would easily have exploded upon reaching just enough to his face to singe off some of his beards, but one had gone undetected. Hitting his spine and disabling his movements so he'd fall to his knees, he didn't even let out a pained moan or anything, still smirking- eyelids shutting over his lightly-shaded pupils. Strands of hairdressing then shadowing his peepers, he widened his eyes, pupil sharpening as the pentagrams hued with that signature demonic coloration. SPARK-BABOOM!!! An immense sonic boom had thrown all of the clouds away for the bright sun or shine against them all, Zeus widening his eyes, preparing to throw another arrow of lighting. Yet, what stopped him was the following;
While still in a crouching position, the Heavenly Superior had distorted the space around his body, watching as they chaotically contorted encircling around his lean mass. Using his knee as a stepping stone to rise him to the top, the blackened coat had seemingly shrouded him in the cover of darkness, and despite his human shape, there was something about the way he gazed onward that sent shivers down his spine. Staring with eyes remotely devoid of any sort of caring feeling, lips upturning to hold a creepy smirk, he barely withheld his grin, snickering as he collided all of the reserve bolts over his hand. Reshaping it to the form of sparking energized blade, and like the way a predator ensnared their prey with their claws, the Superior Emperor gripped onto his sharpened weapon invigorated with the sparking will of the Allfather God... now, he only had one hand free to make physical actions with.
"You... HOW DARE YOU CHALLENGE ME!!! DARE DEFY ME AND YOU DIEAHHHHHHH!!!!" Slapping his hand through the air after Zeus had cried with the fury of a thousand suns, the Thunder God felt his joint begin to leak and slide... the telekinetic slices seeping through his legs and arms.
Dropping onto the cloud before they were sucked into the portal that manifested beneath his bare soles, the Olympian Ruler once more the draining experience that had occurred earlier. Unable to do anything but collapse onto the ground below, the Superior Emperor readied to slice him right open with a simple stroke from the two blades he'd captured, before the rippling of clothing through the cold sparking air above had entered his eardrums.
About to touch the flatness of his palm against the destroyed Lord God writhing and weakly moaning like a coward, something occurred, Blinking for just a moment, vision blurry, everything hazy- the only thing he could make out from the blacked-out area of this person's attire was the shine of his white eyes against the brightness of the lightning to the back of his head. There was no greater power he could summon end it right here and now, all he'd do was close his eyes, this was what he deserved... this was- his fate.
"Incarnated twice by the wronged will of the human, fissuring and snapping, two sword strokes with the blood of the Angels and the demons delve further into Hell to spread open the golden gates of Heaven,"
And with a simple stroke of fate, the primordial lord of chaos had willed this into the physical plane of existence, where the humans had implanted their domination- three years ago, the Emperor of Time declared he and his species that which was known as Apex Predators. With that much time has passed, on the contrary, the new world order had been declared by the will of the Absolute; were once in a few thousand generations or lifetimes, one from a Junction Collision Space between all other dimensions of order and chaos would gain a physical form. And just then; with the string of causality at its most resistant, one of many futures foretold by the Fates had come to fruition.
Gathering a couple out of their home, August used his tendrils of darkness to shield them, attempting not to waste any time- he leaped out the window with shards following the trail he left behind, soles against the concrete. Patting the man and woman on their shoulders, the familiar snarls of a demon crowd had begun to echo through the formerly busy streets of Olympus Lite.
Just about to rid himself of such abominable nuisances, stepping closer after wiping his hand over their auras to create a barrier of reflection around them, he gasped in surprise. Flipping back, using his hand to throw him to his rear, he stuck out his arms into the air, tendrils sneaking from his wrist to ensnare the waists of the couple he'd saved. Yanking the duo of genders into the sky as he levitated backward, August spun his head at a gradual rate, spotting the erection of Hell's icons from the depths of the regions of the Underworld. Holes made in the earth as the horrific creatures crawled out with their claws sinking into the concrete- more were seen soaring out from that vast ocean behind Zeus's false Castle.
It was as if Hell had been cast onto the Earth, his shoes gently hovering downward as the soles implanted themselves at the tip of a temple with one of those circular tips pointed above. Something that resembled a structure you'd spot having been built on Mount Olympus, August watched, crouching and examining everything he could from this area he was perched upon. More innocents being killed by the second slashes cutting them wide open with their entrails leaking onto the street, some of their heads being torn right off so the skin would be gulped down their throat, hands reaching up to touch their faces before collapsing, and a pile of blood splashing out from the impact.
"What a fuckin' mess," Commented Azazel, the bottoms of his shoes meeting against that same area where his rival was perched upon. This time, however, at a lower vantage point.
Hand digging into his pocket so he could find a lighter, he put a blunt to his mouth and lit the butt so he could begin to inhale some of the smoke. Throwing the lighter to his back, August caught it in his palm, scratching at his nape then shaking his head, with a yawn, he then stretched out his arms into the air above,
"Yeah, well… this is what I get for having a Dad that was a bunch of demons' Chosen One. 'The Herald of All-Knowing Death..' huh? Cool name, very menacing, bein' honest with cha," Remarked the Reaper, shaking his head and then sticking out his hand so Karlo would pass it to him. And so, he did, sticking up his index finger- a green flame was sparked into existence above the tip of his extremity.
Lighting it once more, Aug put it to that crack between his lips, just as they watched the chaos ensue, Kristina and Alex weakly attempting to stop it best they could. The Requiem Judge's feet continuously sliding against the ground below as if he were ice skating, the trial of blood and guts he left as the whip snapped those beast's bodies chaotically so they'd explode in balls of gore and electrifying Requiem lightning. Chunks of insides hitting the ground then splattering against the destroyed walls of the buildings cluttered to the side of the chaotic street, Alex's feet skid to a halt.
Strands flying into the air to cover his white peepers, he scoffed, breathing out so some of them would fly up into the air for a brief second, then rolling his eyes around in his eyeballs. Tying up his hair in the man bun he was notorious for, the young man's pupils were locked onto the floor below, but just then- he could make out the shape of what seemed like… a female body carrying a male one?
Pupils shaking in surprise, he started running, at first, at the same boring average speed of regular mortal jogging through the New York City bustling area. But as his feet spent more time off the ground, the more his eyes radiated that same light that they always did, bolts of lightning generating off of his clothing, it was only a matter of seconds before he was halfway across the Kingdom.
Kristina watched as they began to levitate down from the Heavens and crawl out from the depths of Hell, one in particular, with a robe over their chest to shield their ash-like black skin. Her fists trembling in fear as she pointed them out toward the enemy, the demon shed himself of the silky attire he'd donned. Widening her eyes at the sight; the horrific nature of his skin, it was like looking like an eldritch monster from the intricate mind of Lovecraft himself. Three eyes each embedded onto the pitch-black skinned arms, eyelids receding into the flesh of his limbs, he clapped his palms together, lengthy hair loosened floating into the air dangling above,
"Empress Thanatos, give me strength, O Incarnation of Death," As the follower of the deceased Chthonic deity in the form belonging to that of the alternative Madisyn Rivera from the Kingdom timeline summoned the strength of the God trapped within her being. Only vessels may burst out and collapse in on themselves, yet the true being, if possessing a mortal or otherwise form, shall not be destroyed unless their main body is demolished.
And so, the shadow of Death Incarnate, having been summoned by a follower from the depths of the previously guarded Underworld, began to levitate over his head. Kristie's discolored pupils widening at the sight, she shook her head out of the chimeras she was envisioning, declaring with a clear rasp in her voice as the center of her optics lit with a determined flame,
"I'll drive all of you out and get justice for my people… even if it's the last thing I do,"
Just about to throw herself forward, attempting to charge her blazing aflame fist right through their open chest, the Follower had simply smirked. Holding out his palm to reveal the eyelid then peeling back to show the crimson coloration of the pupil carved into their darkened skin, crazed snickers leaked out the rows of teeth that signaled his closed mouth. There was no telling what the attack would've been- in his very hand hadn't been sliced off right then and there. How you may ask? In the corner of her right eye, a particular black-coated blur had spontaneously appeared from a lightning streak wielding a bright blood-like coloration. Hand right on the poked-out grip of the katana he had sheathed on his right hip, the eyes of the Hunter of Justice glistened- shining, then reflecting the rays of the sun radiating from above the grey clouds to the top of his raven locks.
"Peace of Mind. The Rising Shine of a Hundred Thousand Gods!"
As he yelled out the name of his technique, the veins on each side of his tanned skin appeared, that murderous gleam in his eyes never fading; he ripped the Ketsueki out the cover. Directing it into the air, tightly holding onto the butt of the blade, an upward slash from this blood-manipulating weapon had sent rumblings through the streets his boots were dug into. Slicing the Follower's head in twain so there'd be a duo of limp parts of their head, every single one of their eyes on their arms, their legs, their palm, and their forehead- gushed out blood. As if producing the liquid like a fountain, Jason scoffed, arms still risen to the air as he held onto the Ketsueki. Sparks engulfing both of them, Jay went back to covering his blade, implanting it back into its sheath before lifting the ginger to his left- and then speeding off with her in his coated arms. Each new spark generated from the immense speed they were traveling down the chaotic streets of the ever-changing landscape they were entrapped within had been a symbol for the demons rising from the depths, snarling in curiosity and bloodlust, along with the descending Angels from the Heavens, orbs of sight aflame... the spark of determination shone ever bright that day.
There was no point in fighting anymore, not at this point, at least- so, Jason did what he and his baby sister had agreed on. Reaching the outskirts of Olympus Lite, boots now turned to ash, Rivera put her right down onto the grass outside the Kingdom... then bending over to hold onto his knees and pant. Madi inching closer after showing herself stepping out from the unzipped reality of light she controlled, she rubbed her brother on the back after spotting her sibling hunched over. Behind her, following the white-haired Empress, Alex was stepping out of the zipper from the Blanketed dimension, hand sliding over his nape then rubbing the skin so it could ease up, he massaged himself gently. August with Azazel hovering down together, the latter of the two with his half-demonic black wing on the left side of his person, soles touching against the green field below.
Opposite to that, the Requiem Reaper affixed himself onto the branch of a widened tree, leaning his head to the left so it could rest to the bark-covered landmark in nature, August yawned...
"What a day, and it's not even 12 yet,"
Commented the discolored-eyed Requiem tiredly, to which Alex had decided to rest against that very tree trunk, the leaves shading him while Madi went over to the Judge. Kneeling gently, her palm glided across the assortment of bruises and wounds he'd collected fighting off the beastly hoard. Sharing an exchange as Jay went to helping Kristie, winking at her and showing some of his charismatic 'charms', his nephew had to punch him right across the face so he'd back off. Nevertheless, while the Vampiric Hunter of Justice had been writhing dramatically as Aug escorted her back to the tree away from his idiotic uncle, Madi spoke with Alex,
"When I left, Sam told me... to look out for you. What's up there, 'brother?' Tryna take my girl?" Both of them shared a certain glare as if jokingly staring one another down before they broke out into laughter. Taking out the tie keeping his hair up as he finished chuckling, she went back to healing his arms and everything else that was wounded,
"Nah, it's nothin' like that, usually, I'd think of a hot adult woman in a sexual way, when I was a teenager, maybe. But... not her, she's different, she cares about me. Not like Rose or Hazel or Whit, but, in the way that you or her would care for Mei. I think of her the way a son thinks of a mother- uh, is that weird?" That final question had led to Madisyn smiling, for the first time in a while, genuine happiness filled her body, streaming all over her anatomy. She felt a knot in her stomach as her gut was filled with butterflies, there he was, right in front of her, tanned like her baby brother. Eyes watering, the very thought that he'd made her uncomfortable had sent shivers down his spine, before she shook her head, optics bouncing between his own and then darting to the ground below...
"I've always wanted a son. So, when this is over, what do you say? Would you like to become a Rivera?"
It was everything when he'd ever dreamed of, right in front of his face, so close he could reach out and touch it. Grasp it tightly, never let go, but as he reached out his hand, she grabbed at his wrist and yanked him into a tightened loving embrace. Arms sliding across his clothed back as her head hid in the crevice of his tanned neck, and what did he have as a visible response? Everyone was off doing their own thing, Jason bantering with Azazel as they discussed what had happened in the few time they'd been gone, August bothering Kristina with his antics- he was with her, and that was all that mattered. That sole purpose, the reason he decided to keep going forward, to become better, and be worthy of people who loved him- accepting of his fate and being his person.
He had a family, two mothers, two uncles, cousins, and he'd get a sister in due time, but for now, all that mattered was the woman hugging him. Eyelids shutting over the bright coloration of his pupils, there was only one word that could describe this feeling…
He was finally- 'home.'
Unfortunately, though, the chapter wasn't over yet, for in the middle of their intermediate speaking on the outskirts. The merging Kingdom of Olympus Lite had begun to create something anew, new structures arising such as the formerly thought-destroyed Icarus Tower. Tip of the metallic building's peak scraping against the transparent Heavens, some of the hovering angels seen from a distance away chanted an ancient incantation,
"{O Lord Allfather of The Heavens, Demon King of the Underworld, hear us…}"
But that wasn't it, sure, some of the monuments and buildings embedded into the ground, littered around the city- morphed and altered to fit the new fused style of the Merger. Thus far, however, nothing seemed that out of the ordinary seeing as how none of them had any comments to make at the scenery before them. Not even August, especially knowing him and his big mouth, all he did was glare right ahead, without even so much as a blink, as if he knew what was to come beyond the occurring Herald.
BOOM! Emerging from the invisible gateway that had widened and expanded to fit the size of the object- there it was. Floating above the kingdom below, corrupted and twisted thanks to demonic takeover, as he stepped out from the entrance, the quartet of optics he was cursed with gazed upon them all. The sheep wandering around being aimlessly killed, his slithering snake-like tongue slid out from his mouth, Lucifer giggling like a maniac with his loyal subject to his back. Rahab watching from the shadows inside the monument, the very sight she'd spot next was the way he stretched out his arms, the breeze of the newly created whether they'd cast unto this world soaring onto his muscular exposed red body.
And for the crack in the center of the world she expanded to a full outbreak, a fissure had been cast over the skin of the Earth to merge the two dimensions. For it was foretold in the ancient scriptures written by he who only went by Muhammad… about the end of times, a final battle between the forces of the world under demonic leadership face the wrath of the Almighty Absolute and His Incarnated cohorts. There they stood on the ground of the Earth, like ants below the ginormous foot of God as He looked down upon them.
And from the golden cloud they'd been standing upon, a bolt of black lightning had broken out from the clouds above, transporting The Embodiment of Evil to the rear of their eternal rival. Yellow eyes momentarily shifting to the corner of His eyeballs, they swiftly went back to searching and examining the chaos below…
"Tell me something, brother. For I may be absolute and have infinite power over almost everything in the multiverse, but there is something I am uncertain of. The prophet who first wrote down my name in the ancient book that praises the will of 'God', did he foretell this?"
After asking such a difficult and unwary question, Satan had no idea how to answer at first, for even they were truly unaware. This was the plan they'd orchestrated from the dawn of time, when things were so simple and chaotic, everything nowhere and nowhere was everything. A low growl let out from the closed lips of the Devil, plentiful eyes searching for an answer before Almighty shook His head, rubbing His Golden eyes...
"What the hell is next… what do we do now?"
"The adventure we've been destined for, our fate is ending and our time is almost up. And so, we bear witness to the end of our journey- it is not always… a happy thing,"
And as the morning transitioned into the dead of the night, the part of Riveras had ventured off to gather new resources, abandoning the tether of the Reaper; with no other way to backward. Retreat seemed like the best option, and right before they vanished into the trees, August took a hearty glance back, right before he was pulled into the leaves of green, and disappeared before our very eyes.
In the new world after the Merger between Heaven and Hell, demons, monsters, beasts, all of the sorts went rampant throughout the countryside. Searching for any wanderers to rid themselves of the nuisances the party symbolized, the only safe place to ignore these bothers and beasts was in the new haven and capital of the transformed World.
That place would become to know as… Acheron.
The Hawk King of the Mage Kingdom Chapter - Fin.