READ WEBNOVEL The Immortal King!
*Vol.1: Tales of a God.
Chapter 53 - The Immortal King!
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Location: Greece/ Future island of Mykonos.
Pov. Third-person.
On an island paradise on a beautiful night, an extremely beautiful woman was sitting on the sand with her legs crossed.
That woman was Gaia, and at that moment... She was waiting for the person who stopped her from capturing the strongest human king she had ever seen.
Time seemed to freeze as the space in front of Gaia, over the ocean, seemed to crack.
A fissure opened over the sea and a foot wearing golden armor stepped into the water, which made any waves cease to exist.
A figure began to walk on the water and with each step, it approached the mother earth of the Greeks.
Once the figure was only a few steps away, Gaea stood up and frowned at the figure.
"...Fatum," said Gaia, in disgust.
The figure, identified as Fatum, just remained with his eyes closed and showed a calm countenance, even identifying the displeasure visible in Gaia's tone.
"Daughter of Chaos... You don't know how close you were to die, or at least to forced eternal sleep, just like Abzug" said Fatum, without emotion.
This seemed to surprise Gaia, but soon the earth primordial scoffed.
"Do you really think I would be demoted to that extent? Without Chaos, I'm the strongest around... I'm on the same level as the brat Enlil, of course with that sword connected to the raw power of Abzug" said Gaia, with a confident tone.
Fatum remained only a second in silence.
"I see all realities, so don't doubt my certainty. I assure you that if you had continued with the madness of capturing the king... Mortal... There would have been only two results," Fatum said.
Gaia was silent until curiosity got the better of her.
"Then tell me 'Illuminated One', what would be my future? Just the best and worst case scenario, please, since if you were to say everything, we would see the life of this world die and you wouldn't have counted half of the numbers of possible realities" said Gaia, with a smile.
Fatum frowned a little but chose to respond.
"The best case scenario is that you would sleep, like Abzug, and have your raw power transferred to some object," Fatum said.
Gaia was outraged, as this literally broke the primordial image of invincibility. But Fatum's next words were forever etched in Gaia's mind.
"The worst case scenario, however... You would die, and also ¼ of the planet would have been destroyed..." Fatum said, with an icy tone.
Those words sent a shiver down Gaia's spine.
"…Chaos returned and she interfered directly?" asked Gaea fearfully.
Fatum, however, surprised Gaia by shaking his head, as well as surprising Earth's primordial with his next statement.
"The destruction... It was accidental," Fatum said.
"... How is this possible?" asked Gaia in disbelief.
For Gaia, no one had that ability except for two beings...
The two dragon gods, Great Red and Ouroboros.
"... It is not necessary for you to know... I only give you a warning Gaia, stay away from the King of... Mortals" said Fatum.
Fatum then turned around and created a new gap that teleported him away, leaving Gaia silent, reflecting on Fatum's statements.
Although not what Gaia would have liked, she knows that when Fatum gives a warning, the warning should not be taken lightly. With that in mind, Gaia can only frown, showing that she was upset.
"I'll have to use Zeus then..." Gaia said in disgust.
The primordial just sank into the earth and disappeared, as if someone was never there...
- Location: Greece / Knossos Palace (Thor's Vacation Colony).
Pov. Thor.
A few months had passed since my encounter with Gaia, and at that moment I was in my throne room, reviewing maps and legends written about any creature with a dog's face and a fish's body.
Unfortunately, my searches were proving fruitless, as the only thing I determined was that the Telchineas forged Cronus' sickle and just disappeared into the ocean, supporting neither the current government nor Zeus' rebellion.
So basically I was looking for a needle in a haystack.
"My king"
A voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and when I looked towards the voice I saw one of the priestesses wielding a flower.
A familiar flower, but unfortunately the name didn't come to mind at the time.
"What do you want?" I asked.
"My king, the priests ask your opinion about recent visitors to the island, a young woman wearing rags, asks for an audience," said the priestess.
Ah?... I really don't have anything better to do, as my searches have proved fruitless.
"She may come in," I said, shrugging.
A short time later, a woman wearing a cloak, making her look a bit like a beggar, was in front of me...
But the woman was quite familiar.
"…You are the woman from before," I said.
The person covered in the robe looked surprised, but took off the robe and showed himself to the people in my throne room.
Pov. Third-person.
The woman in front of Thor was Thetis.
The Oceanid came to Knossos to ask Thor for a small favor, as it was the request of Thetis's great friend, the goddess Hera herself.
"Hello again..." said Thetis nodding with a smile.
Thor looked even more confused, as after Gaia had left, he hoped that no supernatural being would have the courage to come to him.
"... Why are you here?" asked Thor.
Thetis looked a little shy.
"Ah... You see, my friend Hera has a brother, and he is the former owner of the javelin spear you currently wield, and... He needs the spear back," said Thetis wiggling her fingers.
Thor blinked.
"... Take it," said Thor.
Thor then threw the javelin spear he had in his hands to Thetis, who grabbed it after being surprised by the statement, after all, Thetis didn't think it could be that easy...
"You do not want it?" asked Thetis.
"No…Actually, it's more like I don't need it," said Thor, whispering the last part.
Thetis smiled happily.
"Well...thanks, it saved me a problem," said Thetis.
Thor just waved his hand dismissively.
"Alright... If that's all there is to it, I have to go back to sort out some... important things," said Thor.
Thetis looked like she wanted to ask, but shook her head and thought it wouldn't be appropriate. The Oceanid just waved once more in thanks and got ready to leave the room.
But as Thor turned again to leave the room and head towards the maps again, the thunder god felt something speeding towards him.
As Thor tried to dodge it, he raised his hand in defense and ended up grabbing something...
It was the javelin spear.
Thor then slowly looked at Thetis, who had a shocked look on her face as she alternated her gaze between her hand and the javelin spear. The Norse god found him confused, as he initially thought Thetis had thrown the spear intending to harm him.
"... What was this?" asked Thor.
Thetis seemed to have ignored the question as she began to grumble.
"Oh no... Hera's brother will not like this at all..." said Thetis, putting both hands to her head in disbelief.
Thor just raised an eyebrow and tried to get Thetis' attention again.
"Hey!" said Thor, in a firmer tone.
Thetis seemed to wake up from her thoughts, for she soon looked at Thor.
"Oh! Sorry! I was surprised, that's all..." said Thetis shyly.
Thor just sighed and asked the same question.
"What was this that happened now? Why did the spear fly towards me?" asked Thor.
Thor was confused, as the lightning javelin spear did not exhibit any consciousness of its own... At least that was what Thor believed.
"Well... Master Bolt has just chosen a new owner," said Thetis, with an uncertain smile.
Thor just blinked in confusion and looked at the spear with narrowed eyes.
[... So this thing has a conscience, but not a very advanced conscience because it only seems to understand the basics...] thought Thor.
Thor then looked at Thetis.
"So… And now?" asked Thor.
Just as Thor asked the question, Thetis suddenly appeared in front of Thor and grabbed the thunder god's hand.
"I ask for your help! Free the Hecatoncheires!" said Thetis quickly.
Zeus' javelin spear along with Hades' bident and Poseidon's trident combined are the only weapons with the power needed to break the chains forged by the Telkhines, who trapped the unwanted children of Uranus.
At this time, this was the quest given to Thetis due to Hera testifying that the 'human king' had saved the Oceanid from Atlas before and, although he beat Zeus...
It was cogitated that he would help the Olympians.
"No," said Thor.
Well... Every plan has flaws.
"... Because?" asked Thetis.
"I have no interest in joining your war for power, I'm fine just taking care of these people," said Thor.
In fact, Thor didn't even have a duty to care for the people who elected him as king, but that only served as a whim, as the god of thunder grew to like the people...
Also, Thor has invested time on this island, whether it's only 4 years or not, only a fool would leave it all lying around like that!
"Well… is there something you want? Gold? Wo – Women?... Divinity?" asked Thetis desperately.
Oceanid was fully aware that without the support of the Hecatoncheires, Zeus' rebellion was likely to end in failure.
So Thetis was willing to use it all.
"... You don't have anything that interests me at the moment," said Thor, unconcerned.
But then Thor froze.
"Actually...I want something," said Thor.
Thetis seemed to have her ears open to the request of the 'human' in front of her.
"I want the loyalty of the Telkhines, wherever I go they must come with me," said Thor.
For Thetis, this was a difficult request, but not impossible, as she believed that the Telkhines would only live on the outskirts of the island...
But for Thor?
If 'coincidentally' King Aeolia moved further north in the world, 'coincidentally' on the coast of Norse territory, the Greeks could not interfere without risking a conflict with the Norse pantheon.
So basically... Thor was planning to transport the Telkhines, with no long-term consequences.
"I...maybe I need you to talk to Mother Rhea..." said Thetis, sweating a little.
Thor just shrugged.
"She can come over here, or you can tell me where she is… Just know that I'm open to bargaining "said Thor, with a smile.
- Location: Sumeria / Babylonian city.
On the banks of the Euphrates River, the city of Babylon thrived, with people from various parts of Sumer coming to the city in search of the greatest Ziggurat ever built, said to have been built by gods and given to mortals as a sacred place to praise the gods. The Ziggurat was called Etemenanki, built by the gods Marduk and, more discreetly, Thoth.
Etemenanki had the goal set by Marduk, to unite all peoples in one language, in addition to serving as a bridge between divinity and humanity, attracting more and more believers to the Sumerian pantheon.
For this reason, the city of Babylon became very full of life, as could be seen in the streets of the city...
Amidst the throngs of the streets, a hooded figure walked around the Ziggurat newly built just a few decades ago.
The figure just looked at the Ziggurat with a melancholy look.
"...You are a long way from home...God of the Kemet" a voice sounded from right behind the figure.
The figure didn't look frightened, though it was silent at the statement. During this silence, the being who had spoken calmly walked to stand beside the hooded figure.
It was Enlil, who glanced briefly at the hooded figure before looking at Marduk's Ziggurat.
"…Glorious, don't you think? It is Marduk's greatest boast, though his help was needed for the construction and Marduk denies his presence," said Enlil.
The figure just looked at Enlil, revealing the face.
It was Thoth, who scowled at the ancient leader of the Sumerians, who had recently relinquished the throne of the gods to Marduk.
"I don't mind taking credit... I'm more concerned about what it might create," said Thoth.
This seemed to have caught Enlil's attention.
"A Ziggurat creating something? Unlikely, this Ziggurat only has a few runes to help communicate with Marduk, humans from all over the world come here to ask Marduk for blessings" said Enlil.
"Exactly, I didn't help build this so that its successor would disrupt my creation," said Thoth.
Enlil frowned.
"What do you mean?" asked Enlil.
"Enlil, I just enchanted the Ziggurat to function as a translator and for humans to send prayers to Marduk... But Marduk has altered it so much that he now sends divine power down the same path" said Thoth.
Before Enlil could answer a new voice spoke before the former leader.
"I don't see anything special, after all, he used some runes of my own"
It was Enki, who wore a confident smile.
Enlil frowned when he saw his irresponsible twin, while Thoth only wore the same serious countenance.
"Therefore we must review the Ziggurat completely, our runes are of a different nature, as well as created by different methods... We may have on our hands a second failure worse than the first city that housed humans and gods, Cerne " said Thoth.
However, both Enlil and Enki disregarded it.
"...Thoth, I made my runes so they wouldn't interfere with yours, except for the language translation rune. Furthermore, Cerne was a failure as humans saw us as equals," said Enki, dismissing Thoth's concerns.
Enlil quickly disagreed with the twin.
"Cerne was a failure because you insisted on living alongside humans... We are gods, we have our own time and life very different from humans. In fact, humans only live a tiny fraction of our lives, I never understood why we should relate to them whether they dying or not makes no difference to us," said Enlil.
Thoth was irritated.
"Have you forgotten Gilgamesh?" asked Thoth, in a mocking tone.
The twin gods were silent.
"... He is already dead," said Enki.
"Yes, but his blood still lives on, and you know as well as I do that Enkidu is accompanying the rest of the 'blessed by fate' bloodline with each new reincarnation of Gilgamesh's soul, they are heading north!" said Thoth.
Gilgamesh may have died a long time ago a happy human...
But the king's lineage did not cease to exist, though it left Uruk to a new capable king.
While there can only be one descendant for each age that lives to adulthood, Gilgamesh's bloodline is protected by one who had gained the immortality given by Erishkigal...
Enkidu was closely watching the growth of his deceased best friend's descendants, and protecting them from supernatural beings.
"...You should not have given the sword access to the blood of Gilgamesh," said Enki, looking at Enlil.
This information had made Thoth's eyes widen in disbelief at Enlil, who crossed his arms in confidence.
"You gave a human the power of primordials?!" asked Thoth.
Enlil only gave Thoth a second glance, as he turned to face his twin brother.
"With Enkidu watching closely, I'm sure the sword won't fall into the wrong hands. Also... I have a wrong feeling when I look at the Ziggurat" said Enlil.
Thoth looked surprised.
"But you said before -" said Thoth before being interrupted.
"I said it was 'unlikely', but it's not impossible. I admit that for some reason when I look at Etemenanki I don't feel blessings... I see only suffering and lamentations" said Enlil, as he looked back at Etemenanki.
Enki soon snorted derision.
"I forged these runes brother… Have you forgotten who created the runes that connected the 'sword of rupture' with the Abzug power core? I did that, and at no time did I see anything wrong with the Ziggurat," said Enki.
Enlil soon looked at his brother.
"My instincts have never failed me, unlike you Enki..." said Enlil.
Enlil's answer made Enki lose his smile and frown in anger.
"Still... We'd better check it out," said Thoth, interrupting the possible argument between the brothers in the middle of the human city.
Enlil, however, denied the request.
"I am no longer the leader, I cannot give you proper authorization... You must speak to Marduk" said Enlil.
Thoth didn't like it.
"If you need to destroy the Ziggurat, Marduk will never let you! Not when with each passing day, his minions keep increasing," said Thoth.
Enlil only frowned.
"I'm sorry, god of Kemet, but it's the rules... If you can't do that, leave and only come back when you talk to Marduk," said Enlil firmly.
Although Enlil wanted to accompany Thoth on the investigation, the former leader of the Sumerians always prioritized the rules, no matter the situation. As Thoth knew that neither Enki nor Marduk would let him investigate the Ziggurat fully, the god of wisdom had only one option...
Leave.
"... I only hope I am being paranoid for our own good Enlil," said Thoth, before leaving.
Enlil just stared at Thoth's back and frowned in thought, while Eni chose that moment to walk away too.
"Farewell brothers, see you at the next meeting... I'm going to pay Inanna a little visit, it's been a while since I've visited her bed" said Enki, winking at Enlil, as he walked away looking at any woman with a predatory smile.
Although most of the time Enlil disapproved of Enki's behavior, the former Sumerian leader was lost in thought and ended up ignoring his twin's farewell.
Enlil only looked at the Ziggurat one last time.
"...At first glance, it looks like it was built with just stones, clay, and wood... So why... Why do I feel like I'm looking at a giant power core?" asked Enlil, to himself, as he stared at the Ziggurat with a suspicious frown.
With that question lingering in the former leader's mind, Enlil could only leave the place silent, while ignoring the humans.
Well, that's all folks!
Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
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!