The magnificent spear flew out of the boy's grasp, his yell of 'No!' falling on deaf ears. I felt the Spear offering a brief resistance, but the moment it touched my Authority it snapped in my awaiting hands voluntarily.
Instantly a new surge of power eclipsed the Stormbreaker, breathing within me a fresh source of Holy Energy.
I took a deep breath in, marveling upon my increased might, holding Stormbreaker in one hand and True Longinus in the other, both Spears feeling equally familiar within my grasp.
It was a shame that the power surge soon balanced out—taking the higher bonuses as my present weapon. For a moment I'd wondered if I could equip both the weapons…
That would've been lit.
"I see." Cao Cao's hollow whisper carried over through the air, grim eyes staring up at the high stalactite ceiling. "So you have chosen him over me."
I turned to the boy, snorting. "Spend your last words for something better than blaming others. You won't get another chance."
The boy dismissed my words, shaking his head almost patronizingly. "You don't understand. You never will. To spend all your life running after a single goal, to devote your entire being in making your vision come true…and then to have it be spat upon by the one you considered your sole support…No, you cannot understand that, Mikael Gabrielson. But perhaps you will. When the Spear leaves you for someone he considers more worthy. When it abandons you at your most needful moment…you may just get a glimpse of my anguish then."
I stared at the angsty little shit for a long moment, before finally finding myself unable to shut up.
I burst out in hilarious laughter.
"You…did you not hear a word of my intro?" I asked, controlling my chuckles. "Damn, and I put so much effort into it as well."
Shaking my head, I stared at the boy in pity—his own eyes unable to stay upon my glowing form. "Don't you see, kid? I am him…or well, I will be soon. No, I will be more than him. As for the Spear; it didn't abandon you for someone more worthy. How can it, when it never belonged to you in the first place? No, you simply carried it for me all this while. And now I have taken back what belongs to me. All that remains is washing your stench away from it."
I extended my new Spear at him, its exquisite design sending anticipatory shivers through me, begging to be used. "Don't think I'm an asshole though, for I, your ever generous god, present you with a last chance to say your final words, Mr. Cao. Make them worth it."
My well-meaning advice was, once again, not taken to heart.
"You will regret this day forever." The boy spat, vengeful eyes flickering between me and Hades. "Both of you will. Do you truly think our plan would hinge on your agreement, Hades? No, this was simply a diversion. A diversion that worked perfectly. While you wasted your time here, the Khaos Brigade was stealing away the Titan Lord's sarcophagus from the depths of Tartarus…under your very nose. I hope you find some 'entertainment' in what's about to come next. Lady Ophis will not be pleased with your choice."
The words sent a jolt of recognition through me, things slowly coming to make sense. A glance at Hades showed the boy wasn't bullshitting, as the god of the dead stared into an empty corner, eyes glazed and growing grimmer by the second.
But I pushed down my worries, eyes focusing ahead as Cao Cao turned away, waving at one of his three remaining companions. "We're done here. George, if you will."
The Mist boy, George, started forming a teleportation array behind him, and the rest began to quickly step inside the circle—along with the bodies of their fallen.
I tsked, shaking my head. "...And you've fluffed your last chance, Cao boy. Congrats. Great parting threat though."
The two spears spun in my hands with divine grace. "Now let me show you why my divinity thinks I could've been a great god of Domination."
And then I finally moved.
Before anyone could react I was already beside the group, my target? Their least guarded member—the two meter hulking figure, carrying the name of Heracles.
They all stood still—only Cao Cao managing to track my movements—yet unable to do anything as two spear points suddenly burst out from within the fake Heracles' chest, rising his entire body to the air.
"You're a disgrace upon his name." I hissed in his ears a millisecond before I tore him apart in two, separating his body in half by tugging the spears in opposite directions.
"Go! Now!" Their leader bellowed, stepping forth, his hand removing a glowing sheath from somewhere while the teleportation array gained power, lighting up with a purple hue…
"Stop." I commanded, and the array flickered for a single millisecond, but that minute instance should've been enough for me to deal with the entire crew with some time to spare...
Unfortunately, I forced myself to a halt as a crackling bolt of pure energy announced its presence in the room.
'The Lightning Bolt.'
Cao Cao held it pointing at me, its tip growing hot, glowing brighter and brighter as a familiar power coalesced together…
But the lightning never struck.
The boy was now just a Tier 6 being. I was more than seven times faster than him; in the time it took for the boy to point the bolt ahead, I was already at his side, letting go of Stormbreaker to clamp upon the cylindrical rod of power, my other hand stabbing the True Longinus straight in his heart.
The Spear struck true—too fast to dodge—its long silver blade piercing deep into the boy's heart until the silver circlet of the Spear met his chest.
A hitched gasp of pain came from the boy, disbelieving eyes glancing up at me in bewilderment, seemingly unaware of the blood trailing down his lips.
I could understand really. Just an instance prior he'd been threatening the God of Dead within his own realm...half a second later he was kneeling on the floor; death much closer than ever.
Just to speed it up, I twisted the spear deeper inside—eliciting a weak cry, the light in his eyes finally dimming—before absently kicking the dying body away, the ping of notification informing of his death.
But my attention had already shifted to more important things; the Lightning Bolt and the True Longinus—definitely mine now!—clutched in my hands.
I didn't even glance as the other two sobbing members picked up their leader's body and escaped, their desire for my death—felt clearly through my domain—simply eliciting an absent strike of a Holy spear.
A shame that it missed; the duo disappearing away quickly.
But I couldn't have cared less right now, overwhelmed as I was by the status windows.
[Bond with the True Longinus?] Yes/No
'Yes' had never come faster within my mind.
[Bonding with Sacred Gear: True Longinus]…
All of a sudden the entire world seemed to halt—as if someone had clicked the pause button—and I felt myself falling out of Hades' throne room, my feet simply slipping down into the ground like smoke. An upward glance revealed I was leaving my body behind, my hands pale and translucent.
Startled, I quickly extended my Authority across the room, trying to deny the hold of whatever being was upon me.
Nothing happened.
…Cause I found my Authority missing. In fact, I couldn't feel the trio of deep wells inside my spirit, or the Stormbreaker's connection, or my inventory, or the Gamer's Mind, or…anything really.
It was as if my entire godly life was just a dream that I was finally waking up from, going back to the mortal I once was.
I felt it then, just when the beginnings of panic were setting in. My soul, naked and exposed, being searched by a power far surpassing Zeus. My goals, my morals, my ambitions…my sins, my lies, my faults…
All of it laid bare before this being. Even my past life was not an exception.
The being examined me like a bug beneath his vision; though I never felt like a bug. I felt like a child before his parents, feeling their judging stare on me after committing a new mischief.
Perhaps it was my imagination, but I heard a clear sigh of exasperation.
And then, as if the skies split open in my ears, the voice of God rumbled down at me, letting me know that this was very much real.
"What do you want, little one?"
Somehow, I knew exactly what the voice was asking.
My mind went to the first time I'd witnessed my system, the goal I'd made when I popped out into this world: to see my level grow. To grow into a powerful being, one who does not need to hide or run from the monsters.
But it changed soon enough, once I achieved my first target, simply morphing into a desire to surpass my mother's level.
Of course, that too changed eventually, finally settling upon an even simpler desire: To reach the very top. To become the strongest existence in the universe, surpassing Gods, Titans, Dragons, and even Ascendants…
"What do you want, little one?"
Then my mind flickered to my lust. To the ambition that grew out of it. To the women I'd screwed; the beautiful wives, daughters, mothers, girlfriends…anyone who caught my fancy was fair game. And I wanted it all; to experience the highest forms of pleasure, to conquer the beautiful goddesses, devils, angels, Titanesses...
Finally, my thoughts went to the one I lusted the most for…the image of her twelve black wings flaring in the air, revealing her sinful body to my needy eyes stark clear in my mind...
I heard another long-suffering sigh, before the voice thundered down again.
"What do you truly want, child?"
And finally…finally my mind searched the deepest of my ambitions. The greatest of my goals, the things I didn't wish to admit to myself—knowing how arrogant they sounded, even in my own mind.
The ambition to conquer the world of divinity. To become the king of Olympus, then Heavens, and then the rest of the world. To unite the splintered religions, the dozens of pantheons, thousands of gods…all under one banner; the banner of Mikael, the Mortal God.
…And out of this grew the need to have a harem of the most powerful and beautiful females to ever exist.
But the most arrogant ambition of all…to create a reality of my own. A universe that ran according to my wish, a single thought birthing life and winking galaxies out of existence.
'What do I truly want?' I wondered to myself, a moment of supreme clarity striking my mind.
'I'm a simple man…I want it all. I want everything this world has to offer. I wish to become the supreme ruler of the universe. I wish to taste the greatest of pleasures this world can offer. I wish to Rule, Fuck, Eat, Conquer, and Create. And not particularly in that order.'
The admission made my soul feel lighter than it ever had, the weight of God's judging gaze lessening to a minor pebble.
"You shall do." God hummed. 'A worthy goal; bringing to heel these unruly children. Pride seeps within their sins, lost in their might as they are. A goal worthy of thy fate."
"I hereby declare you my heir, Reincarnator. Heed my words, lest the mistakes are made once more; follow not upon my path, my vision. Gravely has it failed me not once but thrice. Walk the thorns of your path, your destiny. You may yet go far, for all the disgust your faults bring me."
And then I was thrown back out suddenly, finding myself in my own body once again—the two weapons of mass destruction held in both hands.
[Soul bond established: True Longinus (Sacred Gear)] Lvl 1
"You know there are easier ways to kill us, Kael?" Percy's whiny voice broke me out of my daze, my eyes turning to where he was crouched, his face hidden in his lap. "You can stop being a firefly now."
I acquiesced laughingly, the feeling of awe and wonder still marring my mind as I struggled to process what just happened.
'That, was the God.' My mind reiterated incredulously. 'The Christian God with a capital 'G'.'
Holy fuck.
'Heh…he indeed is a holy fuck…and I'm now the heir to his Holy kingdom.'
I mean sure, I would've still replaced him through the system, with or without his permission…
But this felt much more real now. It was no longer a wild idea that my system popped into my head, but an actual, undeniable fact.
I was going to become the God of the Bible. I was going to lead the Angels, Fallen, and Devils…
One day.
And until then…Olympus would have to suffice.
"So…you really are a god now, Kael." Anna lite whispered.
Strangely however, her voice carried a note of distress.
Another thing I realized was that at Lvl 2, my domain was now capable of passively picking up the desire of people in my immediate surrounding, without me actively using the appropriate skills.
From Anna, I felt a desire for me to deny her words, to declare them false. Or else the chasm between us would be too huge to cross by simply going on some quests together.
There was another desire, an old one that constantly flickered in her mind no matter how much she tried to deny it…
I dragged my focus away, clearing my throat to dismiss the bundle of her deeper-lying desires, forcing my attention upon the crackling bolt of lightning in my hand.
It was a beautiful thing; an awe-inspiring thing…yet, it fell short of what I'd just experienced.
And as the awe and wonder left me, all that remained behind was hollowness. A hollow heart that the Bolt cannot hope to fill.
Which was a shame. At any other time, I would've taken the proper time to appreciate the Lightning Bolt, etching it deep into my memory… but I simply wasn't in that mindset right now.
The sound of slow clapping echoed around the room, and I turned to see an impressed Hades staring at me with raised brows. "Quite a performance, Nephew. Had your face not reminded me of my brother with such clarity, I might've even liked you."
I shrugged, incapable of producing my usual contempt for the god. "Thanks."
Then, raising the Bolt, I addressed the god again. "Well, we have what we came here for. Now that you know it was all a big misunderstanding, how about letting the mortal woman that you kidnapped go?."
Hades' brows crinkled up. "You make some truly high jumps, do you not Godling? I have little intention of letting you leave here. Surely you must understand that I would be the only one of the big three without his symbol of power? I will never join a council like thus. Not even for a threat as Ophis. No...I cannot let you leave with the Bolt."
I closed my eyes, letting off a tired breath. I just wanted to go home and do some brainstorming over my new weapon. Maybe start upon the path of creation, now that I knew exactly what I wanted…
But of course it won't be as easy. Some stupid godly plot just had to ruin my fun time.
My patience at its limit and me a second away from teleporting off, I decided to drop the polite game and do what I'd come here to do.
"Hades…I don't wish to do this but…" With the power of creation, I formed two tiny images of the siblings I'd found in the casino. "Give up the damn woman and let us leave unharmed, or I blow up the brains of your kids all over that casino floor. I suspected something like this may happen, so you better believe I've come prepared. And killing me will automatically start the destruction so be very careful of your next action."
The lord of the Underworld closed his eyes, leaning back. His face was colder than the Arctic ice, an unusual calm upon his face.
But calmness was the last thing he felt currently. A fact that was reiterated as platoons of skeleton warriors quickly burst inside through the front door, with some truly massive Hellhounds materializing through thin shadows. I knew the Aura in the room was heavy, almost to the point of suffocation, but my recent stint with the God made me awfully unaffected and unimpressed.
"I take back my words," Hades uttered, tone cool and calm. "You do not simply look like your father, you are your father. Hurting the people close to me seems to run in your blood."
I frowned, disliking the accusing tone. "You speak as if you sit with a clear conscience. Unless, of course, you literally don't care what you did to my sister. Or perhaps you already forgot who she is?"
"Your father…" Hades hissed, his calm breaking as a flicker of his rage bloomed in the hall. "Killed the love of my life. Sending a couple of monsters after you is nothing compared to that!"
I nodded slowly, "Zeus was a dick. But what did Thalia and I have to do with it? You accuse me of being like him as if you're any different. As if you're better. Never forget Hades, this is your doing. For the past three years, I've been rescuing demigods from every corner I could prowl. Do you think I wouldn't have rescued your kids had I found them? Hell, I might've even convinced Father to build a cabin for your kids. Can you claim the same, Hades? Would you have helped me and Thalia, had Zeus not killed your wife?"
My contemptuous snort should've revealed exactly what I thought about that notion. "No. Your monsters would've come for us still; ready to tear us apart. So don't speak to me as if you hold any moral high ground to stand upon. You do not. You're still a Greek god, for all your laws and limits. And all Greeks are inherently pricks...except a couple."
Silence reigned in the House of Hades, the dark eyes of the Silent one growing cooler; unmoving and mysterious.
"And you, son of Gabriel?" He finally asked, his deceptively smooth voice striking the brittle silence into pieces. "You claim to be better than us? With my children your captives?"
I hesitated, my mind visiting the brief meeting with God. "Perhaps not, no. Not better…but I'm certainly different from all of you."
And I truly did believe that. Yes, I was a mega prick to people that I didn't like. Yes, I was a horny bastard who felt no guilt in fucking other's wives. Yes, I would be considered a grade-A asshole by a vast majority of the human population...
Yet, I was still a thousand times better than all the Olympians combined. Except Hestia—though that's terribly unfair. I doubted any god existed in mythology as pure as her.
Plus she wasn't an Olympian so my point stands.
And I knew, with all my heart, should I achieve the goals my heart said I desired, should I become as strong as I envisioned in front of God...I would still be better than these tantrum-throwing babies. I would still understand mortal life. I may take pride in calling myself 'God' and them 'Mortals', but that didn't change the fact that I've lived the life of both.
And I doubt I'd ever forget.
Hades was staring at me still, silent and judging.
I continued. "Yes, I'm different from you all... because none of you have lived a mortal life. You popped out of your parents all strong and mighty, your divinity whole and gathered. How could you understand struggles outside your decrepit old halls? You cannot. I can. And that in itself makes me different from the rest."
Hades was silent for a long second, eyes staring into my soul before flickering to the two who stood beside me; quiet and stunned.
"Very well Godling, I shall hold you onto that." Hades declared, a wave of his hand summoning Sally out of thin air. "Command your…friends to take the woman and leave. I have a message for your father. And a long-due explanation for you."
It was only two hours later that we would part ways. Two hours that made my thoughts on Hades take a U-turn. Two hours that left me grim and excited for the future to come. When I finally knew exactly what was to come, I realized this war was going to bring me plenty of opportunities.
It was as I turned to leave that Hades finally asked, "Would you have killed them, had I stayed obstinate?"
I stared back at the god with nary an expression on my face.
Before finally acknowledging the truth with a widened smirk. "Nah...I had an escape plan prepared if blackmailing didn't work."
The teleporter materialized in my hands and I disappeared within it, leaving the god of the Dead howling with laughter.
[Perk Unlocked: Blessings of Hades]
And I disappeared into the darkness, ready to confront what was about to come.
-----------------------
AN: Almost a month later, sigh. Lemme me know if you enjoyed.
The ending was slightly rushed ik, but I hope it didn't take away from the rest of the chap.
For anyone curious, here's a more accurate top 20 beings of MGO universe.
1) Chaos (Untitled but way above Ascendants)
2) Great Red (Ascendant)
3) Ophis (Ascendant)
4) Trihexa (Ascendant)
5) Shiva (Ascendant)
6) Ouranos (scattered) (Ascendant)
7) Gaia (Ascendant)
8) Tartarus (Ascendant)
9) Vishnu/Bramha (Ascendant)
10) Pontos/Nyx/Eros (Ascendant)
11) God (Tier 10 and dead)
12) Hemera/Aither (Tier 10)
13) Kronos (Tier 10)
14) Apophis/Typhon (Tier 10)
15) Indra (Tier 10)
16) Zeus (Tier 10)
17) Ra (Tier 10)
18) Odin (Tier 10)
19) Fenrir (Tier 10)
20) Porphyrion (Tier 10)
These are all the Ascendants and Tier 10s in MGO universe. All the other chief/major gods (Thor, Amaterasu, Poseidon, Osiris, etc) will be Elder or True gods. Including the Heavenly dragons and Peak Super devils. I know some might argue for Thor to be more powerful than Odin, or Poseidon and Hades to be equal to Zeus etc, but I've made this with a combination of PJO/DxD/and mythology. Also, MGO is an AU universe so I've made some adjustments of my own, like making Kronos more powerful than Typhon.
So please don't be like the deluded guest reviewer who's still spouting BS about Michael being stronger than Zeus, and actually do some research before calling me out. I know not everyone will accept this tier list, so do remember that this is only for MGO.
My discord: discord .gg/9wpfysDGsz to discuss fics and chill.
My Pat reon: www. Pat reon com/ Robs511 (No spaces and a dot before com) for anyone who wants to read upto the next three chaps of all my fics.
That's all for this chap, see you all in the next one!...whenever it may arrive.