READ WEBNOVEL The Dynasty 0!
*Vol.1: Tales of a God.
Chapter 35 - The Dynasty 0!
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- Timeskip: 740 years (current era: 3010 BCE / Thor: 990 years)
Pov. Thor.
Learning a technique that basically revives a god is easy!... That's what I wanted to say...
But the reality is quite different...
I failed.
I failed spectacularly, for CENTURIES.
The theory was already complex, but it was the practice of magic that was on another level.
Thoth, knowing my lack of experience in healing magic, recommended that I learn the theory along with the practice...
According to the scribe-god, it would be easier to assimilate theoretical and practical content at the same time; according to the god with the head of an ibis, if I only concentrated on the theoretical part, when I got to the practical part I would be more lost than blind in a forest...
According to the 'historian bird', I learn best when I put what I've learned into practice, whether I fail or not.
For Thoth, when it comes to learning something new, there is no such thing as failure... There are only lessons of learning.
But obviously, frustration prevailed every time I missed.
The first lesson was the 'simplest' part.
'Reconnect' the separate parts.
The object of practice?
A decapitated snake.
Basically, I would reconnect the snake's head with the rest of the body, and then Thoth would do the rest of the reanimation process.
But... For decades I was not successful.
I was stuck on the first step of the process for longer than expected.
Fortunately, I've managed to live in Egypt and Asgard easily over the years. My group that accompanied me was always welcome to Egypt again...
As long as it didn't interfere with politics.
Why do the Egyptians welcome us at any time?
Hathor.
The necklace that I made worked perfectly.
Of course, Hathor now only had half of her original god power, but that definitely was not a bad thing in the eyes of many Egyptian gods.
Obviously, this meant that Sekhmet also had half the power.
Horus could now much more easily subdue the bloodthirsty goddess.
Sekhmet was now locked in an obelisk made especially for her by a god named Ptah, who visited the bloodthirsty goddess when he could.
In short... Sekhmet was under house arrest.
But back to what really matters...
Thoth's healing magic.
Definitely one of the most complex healing spells I've ever seen.
The magic that at full capacity could revive a god that was slain in battle.
But like any spell, it has certain weaknesses...
For starters, it was not possible to perform the maximum capacity of this spell if the corpse is more than an hour old, the excuse was that the 'soul' had already left the whole body.
Of course, this spell could heal 'simple' wounds, such as broken bones or cut wounds. But I really wanted to have the full capacity to utilize this magic to the fullest.
I didn't want to let anyone die.
Call me weak... But I was very attached to my family and friends.
No way would I let someone superpowered take them away from me.
And since I don't have the 'power of friendship', I can only do one thing... Learn the most ridiculous techniques the world has to offer to strengthen me.
Another interesting thing was that over the decades, while it wasn't 'class time', Thoth was a good friend.
"So, what do you call this game again?" asked Thoth, as he moved a piece on the board.
"Chess" I replied.
When I introduced the Egyptian god of knowledge about such a game, he was excited to play it.
I only had to explain the rules once... The bastard already played better than an amateur of my time.
Talk about fast learning.
"Yes, that's right, 'chess'... But what a fascinating instrument of entertainment! Where did you get such an idea from?" asked Thoth, puzzled.
I then moved the next piece calmly, while answering.
"It wasn't as splendid as you think, I was just bored... By the way, Check" I said.
Thoth remained calm as he moved a piece to a more defensive strategy.
"Don't act like it's no big deal, it's a good idea… It could be an excellent alternative to pass the time, it's much more my style to 'fight' that way than physically" said Thoth.
... This bastard was a quick learner, and we'd been playing for over three hours now.
Either I'm terrible at chess... Or he was very good at learning from mistakes in a matter of seconds as well as predicting possible moves.
It was probably the second option... The reason?
... This was only his third game after I explained the rules.
In the first game, he played more aggressively with the pieces, I took advantage of that and won quickly.
In the second game, he played much more defensively. He was already making one of the defensive moves in my time, the French defense, therefore, it took me longer to win, about an hour.
In that third game?
It was as if Thoth were already a professional.
"By the way... We have a visitor today, someone wants to meet you if you don't mind" said Thoth.
I moved to my next piece while reflecting on what Thoth had said.
Does anyone want to meet me?
That was interesting.
Not many Egyptian gods visit other Egyptian gods.
The gods I saw most often were the most 'social'.
One of them was the couple in love, Horus and Hathor.
By the way, they were quite 'active' at night; because of that, everyone in my group had to sleep in my room as it was the room furthest from the main bedroom.
Another god was my current teacher, Thoth.
He may prefer to live alone, but that doesn't mean he doesn't like to socialize a little...
It's more like... Thoth will only join a conversation when something catches his eye or he sees a need to socialize.
In short, Thoth was more of a... Introvert?
"May I know who wants to meet me?" I asked, curiously.
I didn't wait long for an answer...
But it was not Thoth who answered me.
"It would be me, son of Odin," said a voice.
As I looked towards the voice I saw a man... I knew this man was a mighty god.
And not just any powerful god.
The pressure he was putting on the room with just his presence made me a little vigilant.
And it looks like it wasn't just me who was nervous.
"... I... I see you're a little early," said Thoth, looking at the man.
Thoth was one of the calmest gods I've ever seen... But I realized, at that moment...
Thoth was afraid.
"I was a little curious about the Norse god who helped my daughter, so I chose to come to visit him a few centuries later when the Norse were more comfortable with our pantheon so that I can have a friendly chat," the man said.
The man seemed open to reasonable conversation.
And by the words only confirmed who it was.
"I assume you're Ra," I said.
The man just smiled in response.
"Certainly... But I think a polite introduction is more ideal, allow me to introduce myself... I'm Ra, and I don't really care about titles, It's a pleasure to meet you son of Odin" said the man, now identified as Ra, approaching me.
Although I was nervous... I was also curious.
It's not every day that the strongest solar deity wants to meet you.
Whether that was good or bad, I still didn't know...
Thoth snapped his fingers and then a chair floated towards where we were sitting.
Ra then sat in the chair and was silent.
"So... Could you teach me how to play this game too?" asked Ra, with a smile.
And here I was a short time later, sitting in a chair playing chess against Ra himself.
Thoth had retired saying it was time to record the day's events...
But I knew Thoth well enough for me to know he was lying.
"So I don't think you came all this way just to play chess... What does someone important like you want with me?" I asked.
I had to be careful.
If a fight broke out... I wasn't completely confident that I would beat Ra.
Perhaps if my limiters were removed, in addition to the awakened Mjolnir...
But I still wasn't sure of victory.
And it seemed Ra had a brief idea of what was going through my mind.
"No need to be so nervous... I came here to thank you, you did me a big favor" said Ra, while playing.
... A mighty god thanking you?
What comes next? Will pigs fly too?
"I don't care about 'thanks', I did what I did to have a passage and stay in the lands of Horus, since I'm sure the sky god would not accept my group willingly..." I said.
Ra didn't look insulted.
"Ah yes, my temperamental great-great-grandson who 'loves' a goddess he's barely seen in his long life of war... It's disappointing what we become when we don't focus, don't you think?" asked Ra.
I moved a piece and then responded.
"Your great-great-grandson was focused on leadership before, he guided the people of this land into a golden age… At least until he handed power to mortals and left it at that," I said.
Horus was... 'complicated' to understand.
He fought Seth for revenge and power.
And, when victorious, he led Egypt into a prosperous new era.
That's why I didn't understand something...
After having bled, lost an eye, killed his mother, fought for a thousand years, and ruled these lands... Horus only surrendered his power to humanity after a few centuries of rule.
Why?
Horus was in the best position to rule.
Why did he just give up?
What Thoth had told me when we first met still troubled me...
The age of the gods will end?
... Perhaps Thoth is not referring to the existence of the gods?
But if so... What was Thoth referring to?
"Certainly, it was a choice that confused many of us... But I supported it, after all, this is also my land and I trusted Thoth" said Ra.
This... It was something I didn't expect.
For one simple reason.
"…Do you trust the brother of your greatest enemy?" I asked.
Thoth was the son of Neith, goddess of war and hunting, and little sister of Ra.
But Neith had other children besides Thoth.
Who were they? Well, you see...
Serket, goddess of scorpions.
Sobek, god of crocodiles.
And last but not least...
Apophis.
Ra seemed to have understood the implication of my question...
"We do not choose our kin, son of Odin. A good example is my great-great-grandson, I respect him and I don't hate him... His mother on the other hand... I would kill her if she didn't bring consequences for me" said Ra, with a dark tone.
Well, I won't deny that Isis, the goddess of magic, didn't think very well when she blackmailed Ra...
The goddess nearly killed Ra while blackmailing the sun god to find out Ra's secret name.
It was kind of obvious that Ra was angry at his own great-granddaughter's actions.
Ra then moved a piece.
"Besides, don't say that Apophis is my greatest enemy, I just keep him away from here so he doesn't threaten these lands... I'm not a kin-killer for no reason," Ra said.
So Ra does not wish to kill his nephew Apophis?
This surprised me a little.
I then moved my piece.
"...If you just wanted to thank me, know that while I accept your thanks, there's no need for any of that," I said.
If this god came here to give thanks...
I didn't see the need to have this conversation.
After all... I didn't help Hathor, or Sekhmet, willingly.
I helped so I could stay and learn one of the most powerful healing techniques I've ever discovered.
Ra just smiled.
"I see… But as a father, I felt the need to thank you anyway… By the way, check," Ra said, as he moved a piece.
'As a father'.
... I wonder what it was like to be a father.
I then moved a piece.
"I suppose you knew about the son of Horus..." I said, with a disinterested tone.
During this last century, Horus had a child with a mortal.
The mortal was called Shesh and she was special, for her ancestor was the son of Serket, goddess of scorpions.
Horus and Thoth decided it was time, so they chose this woman from among all mortal women to carry Horus' lineage and carry out the plan to unite Egypt once more...
But this time, Egypt would be unified by the hands of a mortal.
The child was known to his tribe by a title...
Scorpio King II.
It had been a few years since the child was born.
When he reached adulthood, he organized resources and set out on a campaign of conquest to unite Egypt.
And he was supported by Horus and Thoth in the shadows.
Hathor, obviously, was a little displeased with her lover's 'betrayal'.
The goddess left the obelisk of Horus and went to live in her own obelisk...
... I suppose this couple's fight won't last long, After all, Hathor was in love with Horus and the feeling was reciprocal...
Anyway, the demigod child was promising.
A good warrior and leader.
And because of the child's real name... I knew he would succeed in uniting Egypt.
After all, Scorpion King II was the original title of the mortal named Narmer.
Ra then moved a piece before starting to speak.
"Ah yes, the son of Horus... I suppose Horus and Thoth want to let the divine blood between humans so it has some form of 'control', I wasn't much in favor of such an action" said Ra.
So Ra doesn't like Narmer...
Narmer, as much as he has divine blood in his veins and is a demigod...
He's no big deal.
He hasn't developed any power or anything that I know of, other than his combat prowess.
I suppose being a demigod at the moment was more about status than power itself...
At least, until some demigod is born who breaks this paradigm...
"But then, you taught Thoth this fascinating game before you leave, right?" asked Ra.
I moved a piece.
"Yes… It's time to get on with my journey," I said.
After centuries... I had successfully learned the ultimate healing technique from the god of knowledge, Thoth.
As a gift, I chose to give Thoth the game of chess as a thank you.
Thoth seemed to have enjoyed the gift.
Learning such a technique took a great deal of my time.
I was worried that my group was getting upset while we were staying in these lands because of me...
But I ended up fooling myself.
Everyone seemed to have fun in this land.
Hel had made a new friend named Bastet.
Sif and Hrist were interested in the Egyptian afterlife and how it was different from Valhalla.
Vali and Hermod had fun among mortals when they could, but they never caused trouble.
I think everyone enjoyed the trip... I would wait a few centuries before leaving for my next destination.
Mesopotamia.
The reason was simple... My old man would like me to check on Enlil, who hadn't appeared at any meeting between the major gods of each pantheon for half a millennium.
According to Hrist, it was just a passing mission, as my mother and most of the Valkyries were suspicious about what had happened to the leader of the Sumerian pantheon...
Enlil probably was...
Sleeping.
Our mission was basically to wake him up.
It would take a while for me to get out of Egypt, as I was organizing some resources acquired over the centuries.
"Oh, another thing I'd like to ask... Would you be willing to be a witness to the union between my daughter and Ptah?" asked Ra, as he moved a piece on the board.
Oh?... Is Sekhmet getting married?
"…Since when did your daughter decide to get married?" I asked.
Also... Ptah?
It's a little hard to imagine a bloodthirsty goddess like Sekhmet married to the god of builders.
"Hahahahaha! I was also a little surprised... But it seems that Ptah makes my daughter happy, and for me, that's more than enough. She would like to thank you for helping her, so she wants you to be a witness to their union" said Ra.
It seems that the strongest sun god is a very reasonable father-in-law...
"However, if Ptah breaks my daughter's heart, I will void the union in the next second... And I will rip out that worm's soul with my bare hands," Ra said with a smile.
... Well, no father is so reasonable when it comes to his daughter's marriage.
Anyway...
"Sure, why not," I said, shrugging my shoulders.
"Excellent, thanks for agreeing," Ra said.
Witnessing a divine marriage should be something important.
Also, it can be good for Egyptian and Nordic relations.
Strengthening ties between pantheons has always been good, after all, pantheons at the moment must remain united for the future conflict to come...
The conflict?
It looks like the 'morning star' was gearing up for open warfare.
He was low on numbers, but the bat was just waiting for his race to grow in numbers before declaring war.
I knew there was going to be a big war between the factions sooner or later.
But when?
I had no idea.
All I know is that when war breaks out... The pantheons will likely choose to support one side of the biblical factions.
I should do everything I can to keep the Nordic pantheon neutral.
I then moved a piece.
"Check..." I said.
Ra thought for a while, before moving a piece.
"...There's another thing..." said Ra.
I looked at Ra and gestured for him to continue...
Ra looked…unsure.
"My other daughter, Bastet… would like your cousin, Hel, to witness her union with Anubis," said Ra.
Anubis and Bastet.
Dog and cat.
Getting married.
Bastet was a somewhat lonely goddess... That was until she met Hel.
Hel became Bastet's best friend in just a few years.
I was a little afraid of this friendship... After all, Bastet was known as the goddess of fertility.
I was afraid that Hel would be corrupted.
But when I met Bastet, she was a reasonable person.
I know this because Hermod still tried to flirt with Bastet and ended up being rejected.
That was a relief for me.
After all, I wouldn't want Hel to interact with some female version of Inanna.
Inanna was praised as one of the most beautiful goddesses... and had a reputation as a 'collector of men'.
As soon as Inanna laid eyes on a man she would seduce him to satisfy her…and then discard the man when she got bored if he weren't a god.
And when I say 'discard', I mean 'kill'.
When her advances didn't work?...
She was killed the same way.
Basically, with Inanna the saying 'it's just your turn' prevailed.
I looked at Ra before answering.
"...It's not exactly me you should ask such a question... But I will notify Hel of her friend's request" I said while moving a piece.
Ra then quickly moved another piece.
"Oh? But I know how uncomfortable you would be if I approached your group without you knowing… It wouldn't make a good impression, would it?" asked Ra, with a smile.
... That guy.
"Let's be clear Ra, I may have befriended some members of your pantheon, but just as you care about your family, I care about mine... Just like you, I would kill to defend the people I care about" I said.
Ra's smile was gone.
"Even if it is me, son of Odin? Would you face me?" asked Ra.
I looked at Ra, maybe it wasn't my best idea... But fuck it.
Pov. Third-person.
"If you threaten the people I hold dear?... Yes, I would stand up to you without hesitation," said Thor.
As soon as Thor answered, a suffocating pressure fell on the Norse god's shoulders.
Thoth's obelisk began to shake.
An aura with a mixture of golden, red, and white colors began to emerge from Ra, as he stared at Thor with a serious gaze.
Bathed in his divine power, Ra's eyes shone like two suns.
Cracks began to appear in the obelisk.
Thor didn't look away and then responded to the sun god by evoking his own divine power, which was a blue color with lightning flashing periodically on his body.
Thor would not falter at that moment.
Even if the being in front of him is considered powerful... No... Considered another level.
The god who was stronger than the primordials of the Egyptian pantheon itself, Nun and Mehet-Weret, as well as other primordials from other pantheons.
The strongest solar god who shared his position with other primordials such as the void, Chaos, in the top ten of the strongest existences.
Occupying the fourth position.
Ra.
When Ra saw how Thor responded, he did something that surprised the Norse god.
Ra stopped trying to intimidate the Norse god with his divine power...
"Hahahahahahahahahahaha"
And started to laugh.
Thor did not see any funny...
But the Norse god was confused by Ra's intentions.
The Egyptian god stopped laughing and then looked at the Norse god.
"I must say, son of Odin, I am pleased with your response to my actions... You maintained your composure... Maintaining your composure is a trait reserved only for the strong. So I'm glad you have a strong conviction, I apologize for my previous actions," Ra said.
It was then that Thor realized something.
Ra was just testing him.
"... Why did you do that?" asked Thor.
Ra smiled in response.
"Call me crazy, but... I wanted to see firsthand if your title of 'strongest Norse god' was deserved or was just a misconception... I'm glad you didn't disappoint me son of Odin" said Ra.
If there was anything uncertain about the pantheons... It was the balance of power itself.
The Hindu pantheon is, without a doubt, the strongest pantheon in terms of raw power.
The reason?...
The second position in the top ten of the strongest existences was officially made up of five beings.
However... Three beings were from the Hindu pantheon.
The Trimurti...
Brahma, the creator.
Vishnu, the preserver.
Shiva, the destroyer.
In short, the top ten list was complex.
A single position could be occupied by more than one entity.
Most pantheons had beings that were present in the top ten... Only a few pantheons didn't.
Unfortunately...
The Nordic pantheon had no one in the top 10.
And that, many times, made some beings look at the Norse as weaker or useless... A good example?
The Hindu sky god, Indra.
Ra, however, wanted harmony in the 'balance of power'.
The sun god wanted the northern pantheons to have someone powerful around.
The northern pantheons were three...
The Nordic pantheon.
The Slavic pantheon.
And the Celtic pantheon.
But none of these three possessed someone very powerful who had caught Ra's attention...
Until now.
When Ra heard about the stories of Thor and his battles, as well as the Norse god's desire to learn about spells from another pantheon...
Ra saw potential in Thor.
However... Only through achievements will the Norse god be in the top 10.
What Ra wanted was to see if the Norse god would fight with all his might if he was face to face with someone, who at the moment, was more powerful.
Ra wanted Thor to see the difference in power between them at the moment for one simple reason...
Ra wanted Thor to grow stronger.
For Ra, all pantheons should strengthen.
After all, the leader of the angels was another being that occupied the second position of the top 10... And Ra knew that this god would make some move in the future.
Especially after his army split because of rebellions and spawned two more races.
The fallen angels and the devils.
Ra was not a fool.
Anyone who knew of the current situation knew one thing...
A war was approaching.
A war that would possibly change the supernatural world.
And, consequently, the balance of power.
For Ra, the pantheons needed to be strong by all means to resist this possible war.
"... Anyway, now you know my position... I will witness the union between Sekhmet and Ptah and I will warn Hel about her friend's request... By the way, checkmate" said Thor.
Ra looked at the board.
"Ah?... Looks like I lost... Well, what do you think of a rematch?" asked Ra, with a smile.
Thor... didn't smile back.
"I pass… I have other things to do," said Thor.
Thor would soon be returning with his group to the north for good reason.
It was almost time to leave.
Thor knew he was in Egypt longer than anticipated and he has a new mission in Mesopotamia.
The Norse god thought it was time for his group to organize and travel.
Although there is a mission in Mesopotamia, Thor's next destination was a little further away.
China.
From conversations with Thoth, Thor knew of a strange power that some Chinese beings had.
Touki.
A technique that senjutsu users could use by controlling their life base, in other words, the user's own life force.
Why did Thor want to learn such a technique?
The reason was simple... Thor believed that Touki could be perfected, having the possibility of becoming a technique that Thor knew from an anime in his previous life.
Haki.
But Thor knew that to perfect such a technique he would have to learn other things...
To learn about the spiritual side, Thor would have to go to a place right after learning about 'Touki'...
The cradle of spiritual traditions... India.
Well... That's it, folks!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Until next time, don't forget to leave a comment!
Forgive me in case of grammatical errors... I tried. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I still haven't figured out how to link the paragraph images... Someone, please help me!