Chapter 64
['Lightbringer' suggests another solution!]
Lightbringer, a mysterious Bloodline Skill that acted with a mind and personality of its own. Theodore simply came to the conclusion that it was some sort of guide that helped manage Lucifer's skills like Ouroboros.
But it seemed there's more to it than what he initially thought…
'What is it? Make it quick please.'
['Lightbringer' proposes that it brings out a dormant power lying within you.]
'…Dormant…power?'
He couldn't stand still for long since Zeus was still fixated on killing him, lightning flashed all over the room as they struck in random places, some of which almost hit the fallen gods. Theodore managed to dodge most of them but had to block with Scales of the Serpent eventually.
The intense pain that followed was less bearable than before, but Theodore gritted his teeth through it and focused on dodging with all he had, he was ready to use Godspeed when he needed too.
['Lightbringer' wants to explain more, however the situation is too urgent. It suggests that you give it permission to use its authority.]
Theodore hesitated for only a second, but he quickly replied after feeling that his legs were about to give out. 'Okay! Do it!'
['Lightbringer' gives its savior a gentle smile.]
An unknown warmth suddenly washed over his entire figure, engulfing him in a feeling of serenity and calmness. Despite his tense muscles relaxing, his senses instead grew sharper and Zeus' lightning bolts seemed to have slowed down—Like time itself decided to lend a hand for that exact moment.
Theodore's eyes were wide with surprise and confusion as the next strings of notification appeared in front of him. Instead of the usual blue, the boxes were bright yellow with fancy frames decorating their outlines.
['Lightbringer' has chosen its fate.]
[The 'Lightbringer' will be consumed to fuel your awakening!]
[Your human soul is being showered with holy power!]
[The Sky of the Divine acknowledges your contribution.]
[The Kingdom of Angels acknowledges your contribution.]
[The Judge and Jury welcomes you.]
[New divine name 'Executioner of The Wicked' has been created!]
Theodore searched through the bundle of knowledge Apophis had given him. He found out that Eden is practically the civil servants of the divine world, rarely would there be corruption within their pantheon so they were chosen for the job. Up until now, there were only a Judge and a Jury; Uriel the Judge of Fire and Gabriel the Jury of Wisdom.
With Theodore being chosen to become the last of the trio, the Executioner, the divine world's laws have greatly been strengthened.
The slowed down time has begun to speed up, Theodore noticed the bands of electricity creeping closer to him and quickly moved out of the way just as the flow of time resumed.
Zeus' eyes went wide when he noticed the unfamiliar aura surrounding Theodore, he subconsciously retracted his remaining hand and took a few steps back. "…What did you just do?"
Theodore didn't reply and instead he used his new authority, releasing a wave of power that spanned over the entire throne room. He glanced at the new notifications on his side and smiled when he read it.
[The divine world is furious at the 'King of Olympus'.]
[The divine world sends out its will to the 'Three Courts of Justice.']
[The Jury of Wisdom deems the 'King of Olympus' guilty of multiple crimes against his own pantheon and the divine world.]
[The Judge of Fire expresses his calm judgment and sentences the 'King of Olympus' to a trial of death.]
[The Judge of Fire wishes to send the Executioner of the Wicked.]
'If that's what you want, then I'll gladly comply!' The sword in Theodore's hand began to glow, giving off the same energy as the wavering aura around him. His weapon suddenly changed its shape to a fancy black and red longsword.
['Archangel's Might' has undergone its evolution!]
['Executioner's Will' has been created!]
< [Evolved form of Archangel's Might.]
Rank: S
Origin: Eternity's Cycle
Type: Damage. Weapon Manifestation.
Cost: 400 MP
Cast Time: 5 Seconds
Cooldown: None
Description: The Will of the Heaven is the Will of the Executioner, with your duties as the Executioner of the Wicked, you're bound to the divine world's laws and must punish those who dare to defy it. The Executioner's Will can be infused with any of your elements and can be used in combination with your other skills. This sword will gain a 20% Attack buff when fighting the divine world's enemies and buffs the ability [Execute] by 10%.>>
< Rank: S
Origin: Unique Spell 'Executioner's Will'
Type: Damage. Buff.
Cooldown: 30 Minutes.
Description: If an enemy's Hit Points has fallen below 20%, activating this ability will temporarily increase all damage dealt by [Executioner's Will] by 300% for 1 Minute. If the enemy's Hit Points are below 10%, the next attack has a 100% chance to activate [Instant Kill] which will ignore all forms of damage-reducing buffs and shields.>>
['Executioner's Will' is glaring at the 'King of Olympus'.]
[It expresses great thirst for the sinner's divine blood.]
[The Hit Points of the 'King of Olympus' is 20%. Would you like to activate 'Execute'?]
Theodore thought about it for a moment. 'If I use Execute now…then I won't be able to trigger Instant Kill…so I would need to kill him within the next minute…'
'But then again…'
['Execute' has been activated.]
Following that notice, his sword's energy began to expand and violently roared, the ground cracked from the sheer killing intent radiating from the gleaming blade. 'It's not like I can't kill him now.'
[Your authority as the 'Executioner of the Wicked' grants you strength!]
[Until the sinner receives his judgment. The divine world grants you full reign!]
[The Scale of Balance expresses its concern, but hesitantly turns its back to you.]
Zeus finally snapped out of his daze and shot more lightning towards Theodore while surrounding himself with a shield of electricity. "You won't win!"
"Haha…ha!" A booming yet broken laughter rang out from somewhere in the rubble, Poseidon was kneeling on the floor while holding onto his trident, barely keeping himself stable in that position. "Oh brother…it seems that you're still denying reality…the divine world itself favors that child over you…"
"Impossible…Impossible!" Zeus shouted and a powerful, invisible force bursted from his aura. It was similar to the last one but it'd weakened a lot from the god's exhaustion.
This meant that Theodore wasn't pushed back by it, after deflecting all the bolts, he activated 'Godspeed' and reached Zeus in a single thought. The worn-out god couldn't react in time and his last arm was severed in an instant.
"F*CK!!" Zeus shouted several more indecent words as his knees gave up on him. When he fell to the ground, he found Theodore's sword aimed at his throat.
"It's over, Zeus."
"No…NO!" The lightning god desperately protested, frantically shaking his head as if he'd gone crazy and denied the truth. "You didn't win…It's impossible…I, the King of Olympus…I'll never lose…I can never!"
'SWISH…! Thud!'
Golden liquid stained the beautiful dark crimson sword. One moment someone was spouting out nonsensical words and the other his head was rolling on the floor, drowning in his own ichor.
Theodore took a deep breath and sigh, willing his sword to disappear before heading towards Asclepius, who the two least injured gods, Hermes and Aphrodite, were helping up from the debris. "Sorry I took your kill."
The medicine god smiled, one of his eyes was closed shut and ichor dripped from a large wound on his forehead. "It's…fine, we won…right?"
Theodore felt the corner of his lips moved up. "Yeah, we did."
Asclepius let out a short laugh before falling unconscious once again.
The other gods slowly made their way towards Theodore, they didn't seem to be as injured as Asclepius but most had difficulty standing up straight.
Poseidon was the first to speak. "Child, we must thank you for your help today."
"In what? Killing Zeus?" Theodore tilted his head. "Or giving 'you' the throne?"
The sea god couldn't say anything for a moment as he stared at Theodore with widened eyes. He glanced at the other gods for a moment then finally replied. "…Well, it's only right that I ascend to the throne considering that I'm the eldest here…"
Hestia gave Poseidon a blank look but didn't say anything at all, her expression practically spoke for her already. 'What do you mean you're the eldest?'
"You know what, I don't care." Theodore threw his hands in the air and walked towards the exit. He was tired and didn't want to spend his remaining energy thinking about gods' politics. "You all manage things on your own, as long as you don't get in my way then do what you want."
The Olympians were shocked by his blase attitude, but none of them spoke or moved and they could only watch Theodore leave the scene and disappear in an emerald flash.
Poseidon slowly turned back towards the gods, smiling softly. "So…Do we all agree that I'm king?"
Of course, none of them did.
.
.
.
"Oh Great King, please give us your commands." An Egyptian warrior spoke with his head low, he was kneeling in front of a man, who was sitting on top of a throne made from pure god with expensive gemstones of all kinds embedded into it.
The throne itself was on a large boat—a barque with no sails and one giant oar at the back, which was being handled by multiple bandage-wrapped men; they're rowing this boat through a river seemingly made from pure darkness, just like the space surrounding them.
The torches on old, iron stands were their only source of light.
After hearing the warrior's request, Ra's eyebrows knitted together. "Be patient, my worshippers…Once we've reached Olympus we can slowly gather our strengths and strike when it's time."
"My king," A woman's voice came from his right, she was an extreme beauty on par with many of Olympus' goddesses. She had long wavy black hair and her eyes were seemingly made from the best topaz and her cloth and leather attire exposed much of her scar-ridden dark skin and the twin blade resting against her back gave away her warrior status. "Please allow me to descend to the human world…I shall punish all of them for their insolence."
Ra's eyes gleamed as he smiled, thinking to himself why he didn't send 'this person' at the start. "If it's not too much of a hassle for you, Sekhmet."
Sekmet licked her lips as she smirked, a sense of thrill she'd once felt in the past had suddenly come back to her. She was stopped once, but now it was unlikely that she would be stopped again.
After all, her mighty father was furious.
"A hassle?" Sekhmet laughed maniacally. "Crushing bugs under your name has never been a hassle to me, my king."
.
.
.
As he walked along the streets of Olympus, Theodore bought himself another one of those nectar-coated skewers and replenished his hunger. 'I'm tired…I should head back to Apophis' place before setting off…'
'Oh yeah, Isis hinted that Ra is in the divine world…Scorching Heaven…right?'
His worries had disappeared after awakening his status as the divine world's executioner, this would allow him to freely use his powers without needing to watch out for the Scale. 'Even if Ra is in his true form, I wouldn't have a problem killing him.'
'No, it's best that he ditch that human shell…Then I wouldn't need to go through the trouble of killing him twice.'
Theodore eventually arrived back at the gate where he'd entered Olympus and continued his journey back to Apophis' realm.
He took his time unlike before, sparing the effort to turn back around and look at the other portals that lead to different pantheons. He couldn't recognize most of them at first glance but the Norse and Eden were pretty obvious with their entrance's decorations.
Asgard's portal frame was made from carved-out stones with nordic runes inscribed into them, the road leading up to it was seemingly made of rainbow-colored glass, imitating their infamous Bifrost.
Eden's gate was simple and green with wood as the portal frame and a flourishing garden in front of it. However, unlike the others, it was closed off by a beautiful golden gate.
'Asgard…that's where the Midgard Serpent is, right?' Theodore was suddenly reminded of their last encounter. The snake had said something ominous before dying, while Theodore did reply like he wasn't afraid of him, but he was still worried that the next attack might end up causing the end of the world. '…They wouldn't let him cross over that easily…I hope.'
'Ah, speaking of which.' Theodore waved and his status window appeared in front of him.
< Species: The Ouroboros Serpent (70 Meters)
Titles: Demon God of Eternity. Odds Conqueror. God Eater. Executioner of the Wicked.
Lvl: ■■
EXP: Incalculable
Skill Points: 0
HP: 3,241,321/7,000,000 (Recovering…)
MP: 52,000/60,000 (Recovering…)
DE: 25,000/25,000
Rank: ■■
Attack: 1,500 (S+)
Speed: 1,800 (SS)
Defense: 3,500 (■■)
Charm: 1,000 (S)
Intelligence: 1,600 (S+)
Magic: 2,500 (■■)
Elements: Ice. Fire. Draconic. Lightning. Divine.
Personal Attributes: Thermal Vision (Lvl.MAX). Tongue Receptor (Lvl.MAX). Deitify (Lvl.MAX). All-Speak (Lvl.MAX). Scales of the Serpent (Lvl.2). Asclepius' Guidance (Lvl.MAX). Final Desperation (Lvl.MAX). Hell's Master (Lvl.2). One-man Army (Lvl.2). Pro Alchemist (Lvl.4). Godspeed (Lvl.2). Deicide (Lvl. MAX).
Unique Magic: Frozen Disaster (Lvl.3). Immortal Flames (Lvl.3). Eternity's Cycle (Lvl.MAX). King's Lightning (Lvl.2)
Skills: Persistence (Lvl.3). Asclepius' Secrets (Lvl.3). 13th's Knowledge (Lvl.MAX). Lord of Souls (Lvl.2). First Deceptor (Lvl.2). All Devourer (Lvl.MAX). Master of All Poison (Lvl.1). Caller of Ragnarok (Lvl. 2).
Bloodline Skills: Immortality (Lvl.MAX). Dragonkin (Lvl.MAX). Coldest Death (Lvl.4). Flaming Life (Lvl.4).>>
'Caller of Ragnarok leveled up because I killed Zeus.' The requirement was to kill a god of lightning, the quest itself was most likely meant for the other god, Thor, but since Zeus also counts, it didn't discriminate and gain a level either way. 'Has anything else changed about it?'
< Lvl. 2
Rank: S
Type: Active Skill
Requirement for Upgrade: Use 'Caller of Ragnarok' 5 Times.
Cooldown: 7 Days
It'd been told that if Jörmungandr releases its tail, it would spring out of the ocean to face the mighty God of Thunder, signaling the beginning of Ragnarok. With this skill, you can create a battlefield where you and your opponent will be forced into a death battle, neither side can leave until one comes out victorious, once this skill is high enough level, you can revive Ragnarok on a world-wide scale.
Bonus Effect: Any Gate Creature within the skill's vicinity will fight alongside you no matter their level, their main objective will be to kill any living being they come across, excluding you.
[NEW!] Increased Range from 300 Meters —> 350 Meters.
[NEW!] For the duration of the skill, you can call upon the Beast of Ragnarok, Fenrir.>>
Theodore softly hummed as he read through the new functions. "Now that I think about it…The monsters that fight with me will attack anything else that's not me, so it isn't really a good skill to use with people around…"
"Wait! I forgot about 'Dragon Monarch'!"
< Rank: S
Origin: Bloodline Skill 'Dragonkin'
Type: Passive Skill. Personal Buff. Debuff.
Cooldown: None.
Description: If one is truly greater than dragons, then they are their king. Your presence will naturally cause dragons to submit to your might and acknowledge you as their superior. Your majesty will become a lot harder to resist even among those who are a high-rank dragon and you'll never lose against a dragon with a lower authority, when faced against one of your kin, you'll gain increase Attack and your opponent will be inflicted with the 'Submission' debuff, allowing the skill to better assert its dominion.
Bonus Effect: [Beast King] Dragons are one of the most powerful monsters to ever exist, their strength can grow strong enough that even the gods had once feared their power, with your Draconic Bloodline, you can easily cause any Creatures of the Gate to submit to you, and even if they possess similar strength, the effects will still linger and they'll feel more wary to attack you. [2x Buff from consumed skills.]>>
"I can actually somewhat control them with this…" Theodore sighed, there were a lot of skill combinations that he'd spent some time thinking of, but if he wanted to be efficient in killing Ra then he would need to only use his most powerful magics.
'Caller of Ragnarok could just be a backup, at least now I know what I can do with it.' After deciding what plan he wanted to go with, he swatted his hand and closed the status window before continuing his walk. '…Let's just go see Apophis first.'