Bell Cranel stood at the forefront of his group, the wind stirring the trees around them as they approached a clearing that pulsed with divine energy. Before him stood the twelve Olympians, shining with arrogance, along with the leaders of other pantheons: the gods of Hinduism, Norse deities, and a handful of others who had descended upon this world.
Bell had already felt the oppressive nature of their presence for days. Their unchecked power spread fear and chaos among the mortals, and the gods reveled in it, believing themselves untouchable. They ruled as tyrants, treating mortals as playthings, their Arcanum bending the laws of the world. Bell had come to end this arrogance once and for all.
Behind him stood the future heroes of legend—Argonaut, Yuri, Galmus, Elmina, Finn, Fianna, and Epimetheus—each of them wide-eyed at the sight of the gods before them. These were the beings of legend, worshipped by countless people, and yet, here they stood, completely unfazed by the destruction they'd wrought on the world.
Bell, however, had no fear. He had faced far worse in the dungeon and had grown into something more than human. His divinity flowed within him, even if it wasn't fully awakened yet. And today, he would prove that mortals could stand against gods.
"Are you the one they call Bell Cranel?" Zeus asked, his voice booming across the clearing. His eyes, sharp and piercing, bore into Bell with the confidence of a being who had never known fear.
"I am," Bell replied simply, his eyes narrowing. "And you're the gods who've forgotten what it means to respect the world you created. You've come down here and trampled over mortals, using your divine powers like it's your playground."
Zeus chuckled, his lips curling into a smirk. "Respect? Mortals exist to serve us. We are their creators, their rulers. We need no lesson in humility from the likes of you."
The other gods laughed, their auras glowing with radiant divinity. Shiva from the Hindu pantheon stood with his arms crossed, watching Bell with mild amusement, while Odin, All-Father of the Norse gods, looked on with a calculating gaze.
Bell's fists clenched, his blood boiling. He had hoped to resolve this without violence, but their arrogance was unbearable.
"So, you're not willing to leave peacefully?" Bell asked, his tone dangerously calm.
"Leave?" Ares, the god of war, stepped forward, his muscular form brimming with divine energy. "We're here to stay. We'll do as we please, mortal. What could you possibly do to us?"
Bell's eyes hardened. "I was hoping to avoid this, but if you leave me no choice, I'll have to make you remember what mortals are capable of."
The gods laughed again, their voices ringing out through the clearing. But as Bell's aura began to shift, the laughter died down. The earth beneath his feet trembled as he released a portion of his true power. His once gentle presence now radiated with the raw force of divinity and untapped potential—something that even the gods hadn't expected.
"Enough talk," Bell muttered, his voice low but filled with power. "Let's settle this."
Bell blurred into motion, faster than any of the gods could follow. One moment he stood before them, and in the next, he was in front of Ares, his fist driving into the war god's chest with such force that the impact reverberated through the heavens. Ares gasped, the wind knocked out of him as he was sent crashing into a nearby mountain, the earth splitting beneath him.
"What the—?!" Ares groaned, struggling to push himself up. Blood trickled from his mouth, and for the first time in his existence, he tasted pain—real pain.
Bell didn't stop. His body flickered again, and suddenly, he was in the air, facing Zeus. The King of the Gods had no time to react as Bell's palm glowed with radiant power.
"Starfall Strike!" Bell shouted, launching a beam of condensed light straight into Zeus' chest.
Zeus roared as the blast hit him, sending him hurtling through the sky like a comet. He smashed into the ground, his divine body cracking the earth beneath him.
The gods around them watched in stunned silence. Bell's speed, his strength—it was beyond anything they had anticipated. Even the gods who had fought in the most ancient of wars had never faced an opponent like him.
"Impossible… he's just a mortal!" Hermes muttered, his eyes wide in disbelief.
"No," Odin corrected, his one eye narrowing. "He's more than that. His power… it feels like a god's, but there's something else, something even stronger."
Bell landed gracefully on the ground, his gaze sweeping over the gods. "You've had your fun," he said, his voice cold. "Now it's my turn."
A flicker of lightning appeared at Bell's fingertips, and before anyone could react, he extended his hand, releasing a torrent of electricity that arced toward the gathered gods.
"Tempest's Wrath!"
The bolt split the sky, and Thor stepped forward, raising his hammer, Mjolnir, to block it. But as the lightning collided with the hammer, Thor's eyes widened. This wasn't ordinary lightning—it was infused with Bell's divine essence, far more powerful than anything he had faced before.
Thor grunted, his arms shaking as he struggled to deflect the blow. But Bell was relentless, pouring more and more energy into the attack until the lightning exploded, sending Thor crashing to the ground, his once mighty weapon smoking in his hands.
"Enough of this!" Shiva shouted, stepping forward. His three eyes gleamed with fury as he raised his hand, summoning the power of destruction itself. "You've overstepped your bounds, mortal!"
Shiva unleashed a wave of black energy, a force so potent that it twisted the very fabric of reality. But Bell didn't flinch. Instead, he brought his hands together, channeling his own energy.
"Crimson Nova!"
A sphere of fiery red energy erupted from Bell's hands, colliding with Shiva's attack. The two forces clashed in the center of the battlefield, causing the earth to shudder and the sky to crack. The heroes in the making, watching from the sidelines, could barely comprehend the scale of the battle.
"He's holding back gods—actual gods," Elmina whispered, awe-struck.
"He's… unbelievable," Argonaut added, his eyes shining with admiration. "No one's ever done anything like this."
The clash between Bell and Shiva reached its peak, and with a final push, Bell's Crimson Nova overwhelmed Shiva's power, exploding in a blinding flash. When the light faded, Shiva lay on the ground, defeated, his divine form flickering.
But Bell wasn't finished. His eyes locked onto Odin, the Norse All-Father. Odin had been observing the battle carefully, and now, seeing the power that Bell wielded, he knew he couldn't hold back.
"Divine Rune: Gungnir!" Odin intoned, summoning his legendary spear. He hurled it toward Bell with all the force of a god's will, the weapon flying with blinding speed.
But Bell merely smiled. With a wave of his hand, he caught the spear in mid-air, spinning it around before launching it back at Odin. The All-Father's eye widened as his own weapon hurtled toward him, but before it could strike, Bell appeared in front of him, fist drawn back.
"Skybreaker Lance!"
Bell's fist connected with Odin's chest, sending the god crashing into the ground with a thunderous boom. The force of the blow caused the ground to cave in, forming a crater beneath Odin's prone form.
One by one, the gods fell. Apollo, Artemis, and Hermes—all were bested by Bell's speed and overwhelming strength. Even the mighty Poseidon, who summoned the power of the seas, found himself outmatched as Bell effortlessly deflected his waves and struck him down with a single blow.
The gods were reeling, their pride shattered, their divine forms flickering as they struggled to comprehend what had just happened. This mortal—this man—had defeated them all.
As Bell stood in the center of the battlefield, surrounded by fallen gods, his aura flared, radiating power that made even the world tremble.
"Now do you see?" Bell said, his voice calm but firm. "You're not invincible. And I won't allow you to harm mortals any longer."
Zeus, bloodied and bruised, pushed himself to his feet, glaring at Bell with a mixture of fear and anger. "You… you dare to challenge us?"
"I more than challenge you," Bell replied. "I beat you. And if you don't stop your arrogance, I'll do worse."
Zeus growled, his fists clenching. But before he could make a move, Bell's aura flared again, and the gods felt a surge of power unlike anything they had ever felt before. It was as though the world itself was rejecting their presence.
"Enough," Bell said, his voice cold. "I will kill you, permanently, if you ever threaten this world again. No more divine interference. You will seal your powers, your Arcanum, and never use them against mortals."
The gods stared at him, realizing that he wasn't bluffing. This was no mere mortal—they were standing before something greater, something beyond even their comprehension.
Zeus looked around at the defeated gods, then at Bell, and finally, he nodded. "Very well. We'll do as you ask. But know this, mortal— if you die one day, we will return and do as we please."
Bell's eyes narrowed. "If."
And so, the gods relented. A divine pact was forged that day—a Sealing Pact, which bound all gods to refrain from using their powers to harm mortals. Any breach of this pact would result in their permanent erasure from existence.
As the gods faded from the mortal realm, Bell turned to his group of heroes, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
"Well," he said, dusting off his hands, "I'd say that went well."
The future heroes looked at him with a mixture of awe and disbelief. They had just witnessed something that would go down in history—Bell Cranel, the mortal who had bested the gods.
"Now," Bell continued, turning his gaze to the horizon, "we have a lot of work to do. The world's a big place, and there are a lot of people who need saving. Let's get started."
And with that, Bell and his group of heroes set out on their journey, ready to shape the world and leave their mark on history.