Judgement

I sit in front of the demon, speechless. He told me an unbelievable story, but what stuck out was, "I am an artificial dragon?"

"No, you are an Artificial Being. You have the DNA of each of the Six True Gods; however, since you were raised in Ragnarök, you only accessed part of your genealogy."

"I find this all hard to believe."

"Hmm. Ok, then how about I prove it to you? Close your eyes and focus on the area next to your shoulder blades."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just do it. Trust me."

I don't know if I can trust anything this demon says, but he is the only person who has given me any answers. I close my eyes and follow his instructions. But after a minute of standing in silence, nothing happens. Just as I want to open my eyes, I feel something growing from my back. I open my eyes and behind me are wings of blood.

"What is this!?"

"Those are demon wings. A demon grows them when they reach adulthood. And since you are an entity that has existed for millions of years, your body has already matured."

"This... it can't be... I'm... not a dragon? I'm not related to Grandpa? I'm an Artificial Being."

"Yes. And you also have a duty."

"A duty?"

"Your memories were wiped; however, ALL still has a strong will. Alvis would have seen this already and reported it to the other True Gods. If this goes to a vote, then you will have to go through a memory wipe again. And if the problem persists, well then... worst case scenario, you cease to exist."

"Cease to exist? Will they really wipe me out because I have an Omnipotent God inside me?"

"The Will of the True Gods outweighs any other. Your protest would be for nought."

"What about the Laws of Fate? Is there no rule against killing the vessel of ALL?"

"Rule #15: The vessel of the Omnipotent God, ALL, shall not be killed under any circumstances - to prevent the release of the mad God. That is the rule you are searching for, right?"

"Yes!! Since the True Gods cannot overwrite the Laws of Fate, does that not mean they will receive judgement?"

"You misunderstood my words, Haruki Ryu. Yes, the True Gods cannot overwrite the rules; however, there is no being in existence higher in rank than the True Gods, this also means, there is no being in existence that can judge True Gods. And if four of the True Gods agree to your demise, then the others can not judge them, as it was a fair vote."

"So, I should just wait for my future to be determined by the True Gods?"

He nods his head. "That is your only choice... is what I want to tell you; however, Lord Lucifer has demanded your presence. He says he wants to speak with you, so you are to come with me to Netherworld, where you will have an audience with the ruler of the underworld."

"Go to the underworld?" If I leave now, I need to leave those three here alone. "I'm sorry, but I can't follow you to the underworld now. I have friends here and a mission to accomplish."

"Well, that is an issue. Lord Lucifer is not a patient man, and I have yet to speak with you about something." He thinks about it and says, "I cannot defy Lord Lucifer; however, I do not want to bring you without your consent. So, I will aid you in your mission."

"Aid me?"

"I might not look it, but I am a powerful demon. Tell me the details of your mission."

"We are searching for the demon Leviathan. But even if we find him, Behemoth will stand in our way, and I don't see a way of defeating him."

"Hmm, is that all?"

"We also need to defeat the person who took over the Borneheimer Kingdom."

"I do not know anything about the person who took over the Borneheimer Kingdom; however, I can help you find Leviathan."

"You know where Leviathan is!?"

"Yes, I am a demon, after all. Plus, this works out in my favour."

"What do you mean?"

"Leviathan's mouth is the gate to the underworld. If we find Leviathan, we can enter the underworld, and once you are finished there, you can return to fight against this mystery person."

Meeting Lucifer should not take long, so this is not a bad deal. "Okay. If you help us find Leviathan, then I will meet Lucifer."

"And you said Behemoth is preventing you from meeting Leviathan?"

"Yes, and he completely destroyed me in our previous encounter."

"He defeated you?"

"Yes. Why?"

"No, it's only surprising. If you have ALL's powers, then the only challenges to you should be the Six True Gods. A creature such as Behemoth should not pose a threat."

A creature like Behemoth? He makes it sound like Behemoth is some foot soldier.

"I want you to strike me with your most powerful attack," he says.

"My most powerful attack?" If it's my most potent attack, then it has to be that, right? "But why would I just attack you suddenly."

"If you want to gain the power to defeat Behemoth, then fire your most powerful attack at me."

His expression is serious, but I can't attack him. "I'm sorry, but..."

"In the nearby town, there are a few thousand citizens. Among them are three women very close to you personally. I wonder what expression you will make when I rip their throats from their bodies?"

"What did you just say?" My emotions spike, and my mind goes blank. "Don't you dare touch them!!" I run to the demon, but he sprouts wings and flies into the sky. I copy him, sprout my demon wings and take to the skies. "You wanted my most powerful attack, right? Fine, have it your way." I stretch out my hand, "Wo oi taonmnreniseeekpmiorhd rkollm nn eatp d. Ulj r snhdoi hurtgaacs etdrofetn nslr eitaatstodpu ne emso. Holy Magic: Judgement."

The clouds part and from the heavens, a hammer strikes down on the demon. He doesn't bother to dodge or block the attack, instead, he takes it head-on. After the spell disperses, a cloud of smoke forms - which makes it harder to see whether the demon is still alive.

"I see," says the voice from inside the cloud of smoke. The smoke parts with a wave of his arm.

"That's impossible. How are you uninjured?"

"With power like that, you will never defeat Behemoth, let alone survive a confrontation with the Six True Gods. Haruki Ryu, I will train you."

"Train me?"

"Be glad, Haruki. You are getting a lesson from the greatest demon in history."