READ WEBNOVEL A Different Epic!
*Vol. 1: Tales of a God.
Chapter 41 - A Different Epic!
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- Location: nearby Yam ha-Melah / Al Bahr al Mayyit / (Dead Sea).
Pov. Third-person.
The Dead Sea is well known to mortals due to the almost absence of life in its waters, which results from a large concentration of salt.
About ten times higher than other oceans.
But it wasn't just that...
The people who lived close by obviously knew that this 'sea' was not a good source of resources. However, there was a river that flowed into the Dead Sea that had resources such as fish and drinking water.
The river had its source on Mount Hermon, crosses Lake Hule, and then flows to the Sea of Galilee, only then to empty into the Dead Sea.
That river was the Jordan River.
For the people who lived nearby, this was one of the rivers that were essential for the existence and prosperity of settlements.
Although... The Dead Sea was still considered a place that should be avoided at all costs by mortals.
But it wasn't just for lack of resources...
The reason was simple.
This sea was home to a creature that ravaged the region.
The creature was described as a mighty seven-headed serpent that issued fire from its mouth and brought chaos and death to everything around it.
For the supernatural world, this creature was not classified as a simple 'serpent', for the other supernatural beings, this creature was feared for being something else...
A dragon.
And not just a low-ranked dragon, but a dragon king.
Although in the present time there were several dragons with the rank of king, it was more of a title of sorts.
The reason for this was quite simple actually...
There was a consensus in the supernatural about the race of dragons.
They were represented as one of the most powerful creatures and they represented power, after all, they were created from large masses of energy and acted freely and selfishly.
Although they are considered free-spirited creatures and act according to their desires and ambitions, it is a fact that they have a sort of ranking within the species.
After all, if they are creatures that represent power, then they are creatures that only respect one thing...
Power.
Officially, the ranking of dragons was divided into a few rankings, some of which were:
- 'Low Class' dragons are represented by dragons considered to be the 'weakest' and are strongly linked to the elements. The Fenegrad-species Earth Dragons are a good example.
- 'High Class' dragons are technically the strongest dragons among the lower class... But with more skills and raw power. The Earth Dragon of the Gakia and Araba species are the most common examples.
These two ranks are the lowest as well as the most common found in the supernatural world...
And then there are the dragons of a certain rank that impose 'order' and 'respect' on both Lower Class and Upper Class dragons.
King Class.
Currently, they are:
- Tiamat.
The Chaos Karma Dragon, and the strongest 'King Class' dragon. Even after her battle with Enlil, which split Tiamat's power in half forever, she was still considered the strongest 'Dragon King'.
- Yamata-no-Orochi.
The Penance Dragon is the one 'King Class' dragon that is about to belong to the other rank due to its habit of demanding sacrifices.
- Quetzalcoatl.
The dawn dragon is also recognized as a deity by its pantheon... In addition to being a confrontational maniac and a great defender of humans.
And then there are the dragon king brothers of the seas, who shared the same territory.
- Ao Guang, the eastern sea dragon.
- Ao Qin, the sea dragon of the South.
- Ao Run, the sea dragon of the West.
- Ao Shun, the sea dragon of the North.
And these brother dragons were living in a territory quite close to another dragon king.
- Vritra. The Prison Dragon, and Indra's sworn enemy.
There was also the youngest dragon to achieve 'King Class':
- Tannin, the Meteor Dragon.
Another dragon king would be the only dragon that lived in the far north of planet earth:
- Jörmundgander, the Sleeping Dragon, the biggest dragon in existence and called the 'Dragon of the End', as well as having as its greatest characteristic its 'personification'... The weight of the world.
This king lived in peace and tranquility in the north of planet earth, until something happened to make him disappear. In fact, no one knew where Jörmundgander was now located.
The supernatural world was alarmed that the 'King Class' dragon that represented the weight of the world seemed to be hiding from something...
Or someone else's.
And finally, the last known dragon king.
- Lotan, the dragon of fury. Considered the most mysterious dragon of all.
Besides the 'King Class,' there was another class that was known as another title among dragons.
Evil Dragon.
A title that was reserved for those dragons who are considered the most vicious and brutal of all dragons, all being dangerous battle maniacs who want to destroy everything, including themselves.
Niðhöggr was one of the few dragons to hold that title.
The 'King Class' dragon, Yamata no Orochi, was almost gaining the title of 'Evil Dragon' and losing the previous title of 'King Class' due to recent actions of taking pleasure in mortal sacrifices.
That was a brief summary of dragon rankings and titles. But then there was another thing this race had that almost threw the power ranking 'out the window'...
The danger was due to the creation of the dragon race.
One cannot simply concentrate large amounts of unstable energy and expect no side effects to occur.
The 'dragon's wrath' was one such effect.
It is a serious mistake to enrage a dragon of any level, be it a Lower-Rank or Higher-Rank Dragon, as it can cause destruction and mayhem.
Lotan was a 'King Class' dragon.
The Dragon of Fury.
Easily irritable, and does not like to be disturbed.
So it was common knowledge that Lotan was hiding somewhere, and avoiding being bothered by anyone.
The dead sea was their resting place.
And no one in their right mind would be foolish to anger the fury dragon.
" – ~Drownin' worms and killin' time
Nothin' too ambitious
She ain't even thinkin' 'bout
What's really goin' on right now
But I guarantee this memory's a big'in
And she thinks we're just fishin'
She's already –…
Hmm, what was the next part?" someone questioned, in a small canoe, with a fishing line.
It was Thor.
The Norse god had been there for some time, waiting for the hook of his fishing line to catch something.
The thunder god was fishing in the dead sea due to legends from the people who lived in that place about the seven-headed serpent.
But it was already getting tedious.
And his songs were already running out due to memory loss.
In fact, the memory loss itself was bothering Thor, for the simple reason that it was weird.
Do not misunderstand...
It was not a strange thing for the gods to forget things, if they have no association with knowledge, it was considered normal.
Even because the gods were like humans to a certain extent...
The gods are hungry, they can be deceived, they are angry, they love, they hate, they have the sexual desire... And just like a human being who forgets something in a short time, the gods forget things as the years' pass.
Thor still remembered much of his childhood in Asgard, not all of it, but just the important parts, like when he met Hel, Fenrir, and others... as well as his fun time on Útgard.
It was the one from his previous life that was fading most quickly and completely.
It was like a written sheet turning into a blank sheet.
Someone was erasing his memory.
Thor knew something was wrong.
But, as Thor had some knowledge about runes, a temporary solution was made.
A memory rune that was invisible and located on the back of his neck, which had a function similar to a pensieve, to protect his remaining memories.
But while it may have saved some parts of the memory of his previous life, not everything was saved.
For Thor, this was no coincidence.
Someone has erased his memories of his previous life.
And if there was anyone that Thor was suspecting, it was the cycle of reincarnation.
After all, reincarnation was something that occurred in the supernatural world with some beings, humans being an example.
But gods?
It wasn't necessarily considered 'reincarnation', but rather 'avatars', which were basically a weaker version of the original body.
Avatars functioned as new bodies for the gods.
Vishnu was well known for using avatars to interact with humans. When the avatar was 'born', the original body went into a kind of 'coma' until the avatar's death.
Although they are two different things, both processes were under the jurisdiction of a single being...
"...Samsara, when I find you, top 10 or not, you'll have some explaining to do with me," said Thor, whispering with a frown.
As Thor thought about Samsara's possible action, time passed faster than expected.
Until night came.
"You know what, I got tired of waiting!" shouted Thor.
At no time did Lotan 'take the bait'.
If Lotan doesn't want to leave peacefully, Thor will force him to leave!
The Norse god then raised his fist and pointed towards the sea and shot lightning.
The seawater glowed blue until the glow disappeared.
*Splash*
"ROOOARR"
A creature's roar resounded through the night on the black sea.
It was without a doubt, Lotan.
Thor just looked at the creature...
And he remained silent, the Norse god seemed to be thinking about something as he faced the 'King Class' dragon.
That's when the seven-headed serpent looked in Thor's direction and stared at the Norse god.
"Are you a god who dares to awaken us? Are you not afraid of death? After all, I've killed many gods who dared to bother me, but you seem calm... Have you accepted your fate?" asked one of the heads, with a curious tone.
Thor, however, gave an answer that sent a shiver down the 'King Class' dragon's spine in fury.
"I may seem calm... But in my mind I'm choosing the best way to kill you, too many options you know?" asked Thor, with a sarcastic smile.
Lotan was obviously infuriated by the arrogance shown by Thor.
Little did the fury dragon know that it wasn't arrogance...
It was confidence.
"You will be just another god I will kill!" roared Lotan, launching himself towards Thor.
Thor took out Mjolnir, which was attached to his belt, and lifted it with just his right hand.
"Come to me 'Loot'! I will made a new purse out of your skin to give to Hel for her birthday! Hahahahahaha!" said Thor.
For a brief moment… Lotan was confused.
What is a purse?
But that thought soon faded when the battle began, and then a shock wave followed, as well as an earthquake, scaring most of the people who lived nearby.
The people who lived nearby didn't know what was happening, they just thought that some god was in a bad mood and was taking out his wrath on the land.
When in fact, Thor was just...
Looting?
- Location: Uruk.
Pov. Third-person.
Only a day had passed since Thor's departure in search of Lotan, and Gilgamesh and Enkidu's departure in search of the creature of the cedar forest with the face of a lion.
Huwawa.
It was not late in the morning that the city of Uruk saw its king, returning victorious from his journey.
"Gilgamesh! Gilgamesh! Gilgamesh!" cried the people of Uruk, who received their king who carried the decapitated head of what looked like a lion.
"Fuhahahaha! Can you see that Enkidu?! It's like I told you before, that's how men achieve immortality... By glorious deeds!" said Gilgamesh, shouting at the end as he raised the monster's head for the people of Uruk to see.
Enkidu, however, looked uncertain.
"I don't know Gilgamesh... I think the gods may seek retaliation" said Enkidu.
Gilgamesh soon looked at Enkidu, confused.
"But it was you who told me to kill Huwawa," said Gilgamesh.
Enkidu promptly replied.
"Although I came up with the idea, it is you who are disrespecting the creation of the gods as if it were a trophy," said Enkidu, a little annoyed.
In a way, Enkidu could relate to Huwawa.
Although the creature is the son of Hanbi, an evil god, the creature had a mission given to him by Enlil himself to protect the forest from the cedars.
Just like Enkidu, whose mission was to preserve the balance between men and beasts, as well as stop the tyrannical rule of Gilgamesh.
For Enkidu, he and Huwawa were servants of the gods.
Although Enkidu agreed to kill Huwawa, he disagreed with bringing the monster's head as a trophy.
"And you wanted us to just bury the creature and give up our chance for our names to be eternal? Meaningless! I promised you that even if death defeated us, I would make sure that we would never be forgotten!" said Gilgamesh, with conviction.
Enkidu just sighed in resignation.
Although he managed to change Gilgamesh, some behaviors of the former tyrant were still perpetrated.
One of them was pride.
If Gilgamesh made a promise, he would fulfill it... No matter the means necessary.
Gilgamesh had promised Enkidu that they would be immortal according to human limits, and that was exactly what the king was doing.
With the death of the terrible Huwawa at the hands of Gilgamesh and Enkidu, the king of Uruk was sure that no one would forget their names for millennia.
"So, has Thor returned from his own journey yet?" asked Enkidu, looking at Gilgamesh.
Gilgamesh responded promptly.
"Although Lotan is said to be a creature of the same rank as Huwawa, it has become quite known for slaying gods and is one of the feared but mysterious 'King Class' dragons. Perhaps our friend might need our help, although he shouldn't, after all, since he's my friend then he must be strong enough" said Gilgamesh.
Enkidu seemed to stare at Gilgamesh in disbelief.
After all, the king's logic was simple...
If he's my friend, then he must be strong.
But though Enkidu wanted to speak, he thought of Thor and the clash between them that demolished Uruk's palace.
Enkidu, being part animal, fully trusted in one thing.
His instincts.
And during the confrontation, Enkidu's instincts soared when he was fighting Thor.
But because of the result, which virtually all of Uruk's people believed was a draw, Enkidu knew one thing...
Thor didn't fight seriously.
In fact, Enkidu believed that Thor was just having fun.
Enkidu kept that thought from Gilgamesh, as he didn't want to see the people Enkidu came to call friends fight again.
It was then that Enkidu and Gilgamesh approached the courtyard of the rebuilt palace and saw something that surprised them...
Thor.
Sitting on a severed head of what appeared to be a giant water snake.
The Norse god smiled at the sight of them.
"I thought you guys would take longer, I've been here most of the night," said Thor.
One day.
It took a day for Thor to travel to the predicted location, locate Lotan, fight Lotan, kill Lotan, and bring back his head as a prize.
And there was still plenty of time.
"Fuhahahahahaha! As expected! But tell me, my friend, where did you leave the rest of Lotan's body?" asked Gilgamesh, curious.
Thor then looked away, before answering.
"Well... Let's just say the rest of the body isn't in good shape," said Thor.
- Location: Yam ha-Melah / Al Bahr al Mayyit / (Dead Sea).
Pov. Third-person.
Yishaq was a simple man.
He obeyed the rules created by his father and the father before him from the beginning of his family, and the rules were simple:
- Honor the gods.
- Love your wife.
- Defend your home.
But Yishaq wasn't prepared for what he was seeing...
"By the gods..." whispered Yishaq, in disbelief.
The man came to the Dead Sea the next morning to investigate, for in the night the sky roared and shone like never before in the place where according to legend was inhabited by Yam's servant.
But when it arrived at the place.
There was nothing else.
Literally.
The sea that once existed was no longer there.
Though it could be seen that the river was continually bringing water to the site.
But there was something else.
In the center of where the sea was, there was a carcass that was more like a bloody 'pulp'.
The reason the carcass looked like a 'giant pulp' bathed in blood was simple...
The carcass was crushed.
It was crushed to the point of looking like a mere stain on the earth.
"… Baal be praised," said Yishaq, in awe.
- Location: Uruk.
Pov. Thor.
Upon my return from my small 'loot', I left the head outside my storage location for practical reasons.
The parts of Lotan's body that I didn't destroy ended up being placed inside my storage collar, which was upgraded during my stay in Uruk.
Unfortunately, one head didn't fit and I had to carry it.
It was somehow funny to see the people of Uruk reacting to me as I carried Lotan's head with one hand.
However, it made me want to upgrade my storage space on the necklace again.
This time I'll leave a space of 5,000 m³, it should be big enough for anything I want to store.
I was currently attending the feast in the rebuilt ballroom of Gilgamesh, along with my party.
It was then that I was caught by Hel, who looked at me.
"How was your adventure, cousin? Did you find what you were looking for?" asked Hel curiously.
Sincerely?
"...Yes" I replied.
I will make good use of the loot.
But... I was a little disappointed.
I honestly expected more from someone who held the title of 'King Class' dragon.
There is little time left for my group to travel... But this time I will go alone.
There was only one thing I wanted here.
Adapa's skeleton must still be preserved somewhere buried in these lands.
What I want to do is something simple.
Gods can bring things to life if they have the right items.
Create a human? It was child's play.
But to create something else?... Well, that depends a lot on the resources.
I want to create a being capable of protecting my land while I am away.
Fenrir is my guard dog.
But Fenrir cannot effectively guard my house if he has to probe the territory around my house.
Then I will create someone capable of that.
And as a creator, I already have a good idea of what to do, and I have a perfect name.
I will call my future creation...
Igris.
Well, that's all folks!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
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