"I am Shakuni-"
Rocky's jaw fell open when he heard what the man in front of him said as he was convinced at this point that he was absolutely hallucinating.
Shakuni was one half of the Gemini brothers, the most revered gods of the Tower Of Ascension.
They were the patron gods of the True Elite Guild, the number one guild on Earth and were considered to be strongest patrons to worship amongst all other religions.
Amongst the two brothers, according to folklore, Shakuni was the elder brother and the strategist, with him being revered and feared highly for his brains and intellect by all other deities.
There was a popular saying that if it was Shakuni making a war plan, then the battle was over before it even started as he was hailed as the invincible god who had never lost a war in his entire existence.
The younger brother Ravan was given the tag 'War God' and was worshiped as the ultimate warrior.
In ancient lore, he was depicted as a bloodthirsty beast who thrived on a bloody battlefield, with the lore saying that he had the unique ability to manipulate blood to his will.
Throughout history, there were only two confirmed cases of him fighting a battle personally and it was said that dozens of gods died every time he snapped his fingers, forcing entire armies of immortals quake and retreat when he joined the battlefield.
Individually, both Shakuni and Ravan were fearsome enough to have a strong cult following, however, together they became the Gemini brothers, who were simply unstoppable.
On Earth, one could find a Gemini worship temple every five streets, with people worshiping Shakuni by offering milk over his idol, while they offered lamb or goat blood to appease Ravan.
The ardent followers of the cult displayed an unwavering devotion to the Gemini brothers with their faith being so intense that they would readily sacrifice an arm and a leg for just a fleeting five-second encounter with these beings.
This extreme devotion was precisely why Rocky found it difficult to accept that he was actually in the presence of one of the Gemini brothers, as it was nothing short of a miracle or a dream come true.
"Glory to Gemini" Rocky said reverently as he fell to his knees and kowtowed before Shakuni by laying flat on the ground.
"At ease" Shakuni replied as he patiently waited for Rocky to come back to his feet.
"I know what you're thinking, you don't believe this is real and you're not wrong. This isn't actually real and you're not really in my presence.
If this were my actual body, you would be incinerated from my aura alone, so be glad this is not real" Shakuni said as he affirmed Rocky's belief that this was not a real meeting, but rather his mind playing tricks on him.
"But, it might as well be real, as what I'm about to tell you is very much real," Shakuni said as Rocky felt confused as to what the supreme god really wished to convey.
" You might not be aware of this, as she kept it a secret from everyone including you, however, your sister was my chosen champion and I had blessed her with a cheat code that would more or less ensure that she became a powerhouse in the future, however, a few hours before that incredible power could truly become hers, someone kidnapped her and tried to forcefully absorb the powers I endowed to her- " Shakuni said, as Rocky's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Riva was your champion? Do you know where she is? Do you know what happened to her?" Rocky asked in a hurry with panic evident in his voice as he displayed his concern for his sister's well-being.
Alas, he was asking these questions to the wrong being as Shakuni shook his head in annoyance.
Naturally, he too wished that he had the answers to these questions but unfortunately he did not.
"Like I said, this is not my real body and the knowledge this portion of my consciousness possesses is really limited.
So unfortunately, I don't have the answer to your questions" Shakuni said, as Rocky felt extremely disappointed.
" The power that I passed onto her as my champion was such that before it fully became hers, If someone successfully killed her, then it would be automatically passed onto them.
Now fortunately, the people who kidnapped her, did not actually kill her but tried to perform a forceful takeover of her body by manipulating her soul, which was why they broke the seal binding my power to her, giving me a unique opportunity that was not a part of my initial plan" Shakuni said as a soft smile spread on his face.
" Your sister was my first choice for becoming my champion, the first champion I've chosen in the history of the universe as in my opinion she had every quality needed to become a great individual.
Unfortunately, circumstances have forced me to alter my plan, however, before this piece of my consciousness parted ways with Riva, she requested that this power be passed down to you, as in her opinion if this great strength could not be hers then you were the next best choice I could make" Shakuni said as he softly spread his wings and levitated into the sky.
" Rocky Yadav, you were not the champion I wished to choose, but you shall now be endowed with the power which was originally meant for your sister.
Use it right and perhaps you will be able to save her from her grim fate, fail and you will probably end up hunted and captured just like her.
Because of the unexpected interference, it will take time for the system I'm passing onto you to reach its full glory, however, it should improve in function and capabilities as you progress as a warrior.
With you being my champion, your life won't be peaceful or easy. However, it will help you attain the power you need, to protect those you love-" Shakuni said as his floating body began to glow brightly, blinding Rocky by blending perfectly into the surroundings as a streak of pure white light.
*GAHHHH*
Rocky woke up with a start, drenched in sweat from head to toe as a blue screen lit up in front of him.
[ 3…2….1…. Integration Complete, Strongest System is now online ]