9 days later.
Tower of Babel.
He stood at the very peak of the Tower of Babel. A white hood covered his head, blending seamlessly with his long, snow-white hair. Intricate light armor sat across his frame—platinum pauldrons, and a light breastplate. Functional. Meant for movement, not ceremony.
A black full-body shirt, dull tight pants, and long brown boots completed his attire.
Sun set precisely behind him. Its final rays illuminated Orario below, making lit areas seem more luminous, while conversely... shadowed areas became darker than night itself.
Similarly, his shadow stretched from beneath him, cleaving the whole of Orario in two.
Twin indifferent voids gazed at the Labyrinth City below, taking it in like a chessboard between divinity and mortality.
His foot tipped forward, his eyes locking onto a specific part of Orario.
The first move was yours...
The last will be mine.
...
..
.
Slightly before.
Ishtar Familia.
"Haruhime... the time has come." Aisha spoke while looking at Haruhime's limp tail, her knuckles turning white with helplessness.
"Thank you for taking care of me until now, Aisha." Haruhime's ears lay flat against her hair. Her voice held steady—almost—until the last word.
Aisha couldn't bear to look at Haruhime's expression. She turned her back to the Renard, her knuckles popping from rage.
If there is some benevolent god out there... can you please save Haruhime? She is innocent in all of this.
Haruhime looked at the last rays of sunlight she would ever see, her eyes flickering with sadness and pain.
So... heroes only exist in stories?
No one answered her; her innocent question going unheard.
...
..
.
Now.
Ishtar Familia.
Haruhime stood in between the Hanging Gardens, surrounded from all sides by Ishtar Familia amazons as the sun went down fully behind them, darkness starting to swallow their surroundings.
A short distance away stood Goddess Ishtar, flanked by Tammuz Belili and Phryne Jamil.
A Level 4 and a Level 5, respectively.
Ishtar toyed with a stone in her hand—black, smooth, warm enough to mist in the cool air. Haruhime's eyes locked onto it, and her tail went rigid.
The Killing Stone.
Phryne yawned without a care, speaking quite casually to Ishtar.
"Can we get this over with soon? I have imported a new batch of boys to play around with. Can't you speed this up, Ishtar?"
Several Amazons nearby grimaced in disgust, some of them nearly gagging.
"Be patient, Phryne. Be patient." Ishtar glanced at her, already used to her Familia captain's disgusting hobbies.
Phryne ignored Ishtar's words. Instead, she rubbed her greasy hands together, nearly drooling at the thought of sampling new 'toys'.
"You would be quite an item even back in Heaven, Phryne." Ishtar took in her reaction and let out a disdainful tsk.
Her gaze however soon snapped towards Haruhime, surrounded by other members of her Familia.
Ishtar's eyes traced the line of Haruhime's neck, slow and deliberate, the way one might examine a trinket before purchase. This was her key to finally overthrow Freya and her Familia.
Haruhime felt Ishtar's gaze and wrapped her arms around herself, tears appearing at the corners of her eyes.
"Hold Haruhime down for me and knock her out. We'll make it as painless as possible for her." Ishtar ordered with finality, and her Amazons responded by forcefully seizing Haruhime's limbs.
"Tammuz. Go knock her out." Ishtar commanded without a change in expression, her eyes merciless and her face neutral.
"Please... be gentle." Soft, trembling sobs erupted from Haruhime, her eyes blurring with tears.
SMACK
"Shut your mouth, Renard. You should be honored to be sacrificed for Goddess Ishtar's ambition." Tammuz backhanded Haruhime across the face, her sobs choking into silent whimpers.
Aisha, who was nearby, felt her blood boil, nearly attacking Tammuz then and there.
Tammuz ignored Aisha's reaction, pulling his hand back to knock Haruhime out.
The Renard's ears and tail slackened, tears starting to drip down her face.
Ishtar took all of this in, her expression flat. The lower world was, after all... a game for most gods.
Phryne had already tuned everything out, her mind already on the 'adventures' ahead.
Aisha clenched her jaw, her hand moving towards her sword.
Only one sentence resonated across Haruhime's mind.
Heroes are a lie.
Tammuz brought his hand down.
That was the moment...
BOOOOOOOOM!
A sonic boom shredded the atmosphere apart, resounding across every corner of Orario.
...
..
.
Moments before.
The first move was yours...
The last will be mine.
He took a step forward, followed by another, and another.
His steps did not cease as the floor vanished from beneath him. His body freefell parallel to Babel.
His shadow expanded mid-fall, stretching until it swallowed every inch of Babel in black. Red eyes opened across it—hundreds—and for one breath, every living soul in Orario felt something watching.
However... the shadow snapped back to normal a moment later.
He pivoted mid-air, his legs tensing against the Tower.
Clunk
Spokes turned.
His leg strength climbed.
BOOOOOOM!
Sound barrier shattered as he tore across Orario's sky.
...
..
.
Ishtar Familia.
Hanging Gardens.
A white blur ripped a path from Babel all the way here.
BOOOM!
Dust and debris spread across the area as someone landed very close to Ishtar and her Barbara.
A hooded man walked out from within the smoke and dust, his hood making it hard for people to get a clear look at his face.
Every eye snapped towards him in response—from Goddess Ishtar, to her Amazons, and even Tammuz and Haruhime.
"Tammuz, take care of this nuisance for me. No one... I mean no one interrupts us at such a pivotal moment." Ishtar let out a shrill scream, her voice full of wrath and impatience.
"As you will, Goddess Ishtar." Tammuz spoke, ignoring Haruhime and walking towards the hooded man, his hand already on his weapon.
The hooded man continued his walk towards them.
Both he and Tammuz reached each other in seconds.
Yet... before Tammuz could swing his sword, a thread of flame flashed across his nape.
A fountain of blood erupted from his neck... Tammuz was beheaded without even knowing how.
Not even a drop of blood from Tammuz touched the hooded man's silver armor, maintaining its pristine appearance.
"Tammuz!?" Ishtar shrieked.
"What!?" Phryne's eyes went wide.
"!!!!" The Berbera were left dumbfounded.
Haruhime couldn't breathe.
He continued to walk towards them... his voice rang out.
"He held his head too high..."
Ishtar went white at his words.
Phryne's face twitched. Grease gleamed on her chin.
The Barbara's jaws dropped after hearing his words.
...
Are you a hero?
...
..
.
***
[300 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter]
[8 chapters ahead on P@tr3on = [email protected]/Not_Aaryan]
...
[Author's Thoughts]
So... I told you. It'll be fight after fight, though It'll be better to call this a massacre instead.
Ishtar is about to have the time of her life, becoming the first prey of a wounded monster.
...
As for what happened in between? It'll be shown in flashbacks in the upcoming chapters.
...
I'll also inform you all that there will be no chapter releases on Sunday, since even your boy needs some rest to gather new ideas.