Chapter 231: Back Home, Such a Peaceful World
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The quiet hum of the city outside replaced the silence of the void. The last of the purple mist faded, causing furniture, walls, a TV, and other modern properties to take shape around us. Our large group found ourselves at the center of our house in Japan.
"Ahh," the first to collapse was Quetzalcoatl, burying herself on a couch. Ranefer joined her on another couch, while some others stretched their arms. A few yawned, including Ruby.
I simply took a deep breath in, allowing the familiar air to cool my nerves. Surprisingly, the air felt better; more mana enriched. I was likely mistaking it since it's been a while.
The word 'familiar air' resonated in my head for a moment. This was how life worked, that world which had once become my home, felt less welcoming and more unfamiliar than this place that I was born only 15 years ago—some 50s, if I count Doctor Gorou's age.
"Finally back home!" Yuzuru, the youngest among us, the little human-turned-dragon who fought outer gods beside me, shouted with a bright grin. Her black flames allowed her more vigor than others.
I took a look around the room, taking in the scene as I counted them. I, my Goddess, Ai, Ruby, Tsubasa, Ranefer, Memmy, Xenovia, Irina, Quetzalcoatl, Asia, Shoko, Yuzuru, and Kalawarna. Fourteen of us left this world. Twelve returned. None were lost, the two had no choice but to stay back.
As far as missions went, this was a job well done on paper. No, not just on paper, I quickly changed my mind, even in reality, it was a really great result. I met old friends, alive and dead, I even caught up with Barolt and had a duel when my mother was unconscious. More importantly, I reunited my lovely wives, all… four of them, and although there was a little issue around the end, Elara shouted her feelings out before everything could close on a sad note. That was a good sign, I just had to wait for her to come to terms with things.
As the Eternal Samsara, waiting was something I was far more used to than anyone else.
I let out the breath that I took earlier, feeling a smile widen my lips. My mother watched it from nearby but didn't say anything. Rather, she sighed, shook her head with a soft smile of her own, and stepped forward and clapped her hands.
"Alright guys," Ai addressed everyone and said. "Pangeal's food is delicious, but Ruby said she missed modern food. I think everyone feels the same. So I'll throw a little modern food feast as a celebration of such an outstanding mission well done."
"The first official task that the Nexus of Eternity has completed, for your information," I chimed in, smiling at them. "Order anything you want, how much of it you want. Enjoy yourselves for one more day before we return to our day-to-day life, alright?"
"Yay!" Ruby shouted, and Yuzuru's voice overlapped hers. The others also gave a small cheer, as the house that had been quiet for a month hummed with life.
****
The atmosphere in the Hoshino Household was peaceful now; a post-celebration calmness as the group prepared to return to their respective homes. Ranefer Phoenix stood outside the doorway, exchanging goodbyes with the rest of the group. They all observed her as if like eternal friends, even Ai was smiling at her despite their past skirmish.
"Come here anytime, treat this as your home," Ai said, nodding at her.
"Oh, sure. I will take you on that offer," she smiled and then looked at Aqua. "Aqua boy, enjoy dropping the little girls off. I'll be off too," Ranefer waved at him, who was standing beside Yuzuru and Shoko. Those two were the only ones who needed to be dropped off; the others mostly lived here. Tsubasa was already in her house, located right beside Hoshino Household, and Quetzalcoatl was preparing to leave right after Ranefer.
Aqua nodded, a small smile on his lips as he glanced at the two girls beside him. "I will. I'd have dropped you off myself, but I think these two's family would keep me busy for a while. Safe travels," he said, his tone light.
Ranefer nodded and then looked at the dragon lady who was standing with her arms crossed. Quetzalcoatl and Ranefer exchanged glances, a silent conversation passing between them. After a short second, they both smirked, a final acknowledgment of the camaraderie they'd built during their time together. No words were necessary between them.
Quetzalcoatl closed her eyes and nodded, and Ranefer grinned. With a spark of flames, she vanished from the room, teleporting directly to her abode in the underworld.
"...Hmm?"
She blinked as the sparks of fire materialized in the underworld.
She frowned as she found herself not inside her mansion, but suspended in the sky above it. The sensation of cold air on her skin immediately set her on edge. This wasn't right.
Her teleportation should have been precise, she should have appeared in her bedroom. There was only one reason why this could happen—if her mansion was in danger. The teleportation wouldn't drop her in the middle of danger, the spell wasn't designed that way.
Her heart sank as she looked down.
This side of the underworld was as eerie as ever, the crimson sky casting an ominous glow over the land. She liked the red theme, it went well with her fire. But it wasn't the familiar terrain that made her breath catch in her throat. Below her, where her grand mansion once stood proud amidst the red flowers of the underworld, was now a fortress of ice.
Her castle was frozen, encased in thick, glistening ice that spread across the surrounding terrain like a plague. It was incredible.
Coiled around her frozen castle was a titanic-sized lizard, its white scales gleaming under the dim light. That was the… "Frost Dragon, Glacierion? What the hell?" Ranefer frowned and muttered in confusion.
That was an old enemy, a dragon of immense power. He's said to be equal to the Five Great Dragon Kings.
Ranefer's eyes went bloodshot with rage. "You… Glacierion!" she snarled, her voice trembling with fury. The voice boomed across the sky, breaking the sound barrier.
How dare this dragon, who she had defeated countless times before, attack her home? How long had he been here, waiting for her? Also, where were the Satans?! What were they doing while her home was being destroyed?
Did they not care for her home because she wasn't here?
Ranefer's jaws clenched. The dragon lifted its massive head at the sound of her voice, its blue eyes gleaming with malice. It grinned, a chilling expression that would have sent a shiver down Ranefer's spine if not for her recent experiences. She was tougher now.
"Ranefer!" Glacierion's voice boomed, the sound echoing across the frozen landscape, as he stood up. His titanic size made the ground tremble. "I am here for revenge!"
With a roar, Glacierion unleashed a wave of frost mana, a torrent of cold that surged toward her. It felt like liquid ice, if that made sense, as it froze the air and rushed toward her. Her eyes narrowed, her body lighting up like a supernova in response to her anger.
She had always been stronger than him, and now she had grown further. She wasn't the same as before, not after Pangeal. She wouldn't bother dodging something so trivial.
With a casual flick of her hand, she slapped the frost wave away, sending it careening off to the side. Ranefer stood arrogantly, waiting for the beam to vanish. But as the frost dissipated, something was wrong.
Ranefer blinked, her breath hitching as she stared at her arm.
Her hand was gone.
The frost had numbed the pain so she took a moment to notice, but the reality was clear—her hand had been severed in the process of deflecting the attack.
"What…?" she whispered, her voice trembling as she stared at the stump where her hand had been. The shock of the situation left her momentarily paralyzed.
The world around her seemed to darken at that, a chill creeping into her bones that had nothing to do with the frost. The air hummed with a strange, ominous song that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
Hexagons materialized in the skies above Glacierion.
The [Winter Icon] shimmered above Glacierion's head, a symbol of power that cast a blue light over the frozen terrain. But it wasn't alone. Another Icon flared into existence, swirling around the dragon with raw, pulsating energy—the [Mana Icon].
Ranefer's heart sank as she realized the gravity of the situation. What the fuck-! This dragon who had once been a mere nuisance, had somehow gained two Icons, powers that marked the strongest beings in existence. How could this have happened?
"Shit—!" Ranefer cursed under her breath, her mind racing as she tried to comprehend the nightmare unfolding before her, while Glacierion prepared another attack. This dragon Glacierion was no longer the foe she once knew.
The world she had returned to had changed. It was far more dangerous than she had remembered.
The Frost Dragon Glacierion rushed at her with the intent to kill, while his maw burst out another, more powerful beam of frost that threatened to erase her entire body.
At the very last moment, Ranefer sighed, closed her eyes… and bloomed into a massive bird of hellfire. The [Phoenix Icon] covered the skies.
****
Quetzalcoatl emerged from the portal into her heaven, the 9th Heaven, the most sacred of Aztec realms. A small smile played on her lips as she hummed. She liked this vacation of hers. She's gained many things. Even when Kukulan came out, there were no unfortunate situations. She was a Goddess in another world now, her divinity and faith powers were stronger than ever. She was happy.
The sky around her was a vast expanse of shimmering light, interrupted by the occasional swirl of golden clouds. The air here was usually filled with the harmonious hum of divine energy, one suited for a Chief God. However… "Huh?" Quetzalcoatl frowned.
Today, something was off.
There was supposed to be a whole fleet welcoming her back. Rather eerie silence spread through the realm. What is this now?
Her keen senses picked up on this unusual shift. The usual cheerful party vibes of her domain were replaced by a subtle, almost imperceptible tension. There was a dissonance in the fabric of her heaven. Her emerald eyes narrowed as she scanned the horizon, searching for the source of the disturbance.
She hovered in the air, feathery wings flaring out behind her as she took in the scene. The landscape below, reminiscent of the Mesopotamian times, with sprawling temples and lush gardens, seemed to be untouched. On a first look, everything seemed alright. And yet the unease in the air was unmistakable.
Something was here, something that didn't belong.
Quetzalcoatl's emerald eyes flashed gold, her smile dropped, and the pupils narrowed as ancient symbols and runes spun within them. The Wisdom Eyes activated. Her vision expanded to see the unseen, to perceive secrets hidden in thin air. They allowed her to see beyond the physical, into the very essence of reality.
As the symbols settled, the truth became clear. "...Ah. I see. So it seems the world has gone through incredible changes in the last month," she murmured, her voice carrying a note of both irritation and resignation. It was almost insulting that she hadn't seen this coming.
As her wings flapped softly, she turned her head slightly to the side, her gaze locking onto a figure. It was a figure that had appeared beside her so swiftly that even she had barely noticed it. No, she would have missed it if not for her Wisdom Eyes.
A man stood there, tall with a mane of wild blonde hair that seemed to shimmer with a light of its own. His eyes glinted with a fierce, predatory light, and his body was draped in a cloak that rippled with the raw energy of his Icons. The aura around him was unmistakable—as the Black Jaguar, he wore the [White Tiger] Icon, while the [Speed Icon] marked him as one of the fastest beings in existence.
"Hasn't it, Tezcatlipoca?" Quetzalcoatl finished her question, her voice calm, as if she was having a light conversation. The man before her was no ordinary opponent; he was the god whom she had barely defeated to claim her place as the Chief God of the Aztecs.
Tezcatlipoca, the Jaguar God, grinned—a feral, predatory mark that sent a ripple of power through the air. "It has," he replied, his voice a low, rumbling growl that echoed with centuries of pent-up rage and ambition. "But I've been waiting for this, Quetzalcoatl."
Waiting to reclaim the throne. Quetzalcoatl defeated him centuries ago, and then she gained the Dragon Icon fifty years ago, while he remained Iconless. He had no way to catch up to her… but suddenly, he stood matching her height. Perhaps even higher.
Dragon God Quetzalcoatl locked gazes with the Jaguar God Tezcatlipoca.
Until he blasted toward her with the speed of a divine beast, his fist blurring toward her. She barely had time to react. Tezcatlipoca's speed was unreal, a blur of motion that even her Wisdom Eyes struggled to track. In an instant, he was upon her, his fist slamming into her face with the force of a collapsing star.
The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the 9th Heaven, and the skies exploded in a blinding flash of light. A new war had just begun, and Aztec was far from the only place where such a scene unfolded.
The world had gone mad, for [Icons] bloomed like flowers under the morning sun.
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Author Note: Well we're back! To a maddened world. Vote for more, no goals
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