Chapter 7: Scathach

The Celtic Goddess of Fate and War, Morrigan, clutched her head in pain, her silver eyes closing in agony as she let out a scream. Lugh, who appeared as a young man with white hair and blue eyes, swiftly caught her with a worried expression, preventing her from falling to the ground.

"Hey! What happened? Are you okay?! Morrigan?"

"It hurt so much! Damn it!" Despite the lingering pain in her mind, Morrigan managed to regain her composure and turned her gaze to Lugh, who was looking at her with concern. "That being—it didn't even let me fight. It cast me out..."

Morrigan spoke, visibly shaken, before coughing. Lugh watched the Goddess, who was holding her head in pain, with deep concern. "Who was it? What kind of being could banish you so cruelly from our realm?"

Morrigan took a moment to catch her breath and calm herself before looking at Lugh seriously. "It was the God of Heaven. He is the one watching over our realm."

"Are you sure? Why would he be watching us?" Lugh asked, his expression serious yet incredulous. Morrigan frowned. "Do you think I'm lying?"

"No, but why would the God of Heaven be interested in this realm?" Lugh sighed, unable to understand why Heaven was interfering with their land instead of the Greeks.

The tension between the God of Heaven and Chaos was a well-known fact. It was only a matter of time before the Greek Pantheon or Heaven made a move. It had always been clear that the two omnipotent forces had only agreed to a temporary truce.

The world may have seemed balanced on the surface, but in truth, it wasn't. There had been a kind of equilibrium when Heaven was isolated, and the Greek Pantheon was embroiled in its internal conflicts.

But now, Heaven had suddenly reentered the stage of power by wiping out an entire Pantheon. The Celts and many other Pantheons had assumed that this would keep Heaven and the Greek Pantheon occupied with each other, leaving the rest of the Pantheons undisturbed.

It seemed they were mistaken, for the God of Heaven was clearly watching the Celtic realm. Lugh, worried by this revelation, hoped it wouldn't escalate into a crisis.

"So? What do we do now?"

Morrigan pondered over Lugh's words, deep in thought. Suddenly, an idea struck her, and her eyes gleamed. "If we, as gods, intervene openly, he will undoubtedly retaliate."

Then, Morrigan smiled. "The Greek Pantheon has yet to act, and Heaven has not yet revealed its stance."

Lugh listened with interest to Morrigan's cryptic words. "What are you planning?"

"If we unite the power of all the Pantheons, we can at least force Heaven to come to the negotiating table."

"You mean—"

"Yes, if we restrict the gods from intervening in mortal affairs under the guise of preventing wars, our realm will be somewhat protected from external threats," Morrigan explained.

Lugh liked the idea, but there was a problem. If they succeeded in creating this agreement, it would also limit their own actions. That's why Lugh curiously asked, and Morrigan responded.

"Of course, we will still be able to interfere with the mortal world. However, it will be limited to blessings, prophecies, or divine punishments."

Hearing Morrigan's thoughts, Lugh smiled with interest. "This is a good plan. Who should we invite? All Pantheons or only some of them?"

Morrigan laughed with a dismissive expression before answering. "No need. We will only invite the High and Mid-level Pantheons. The important ones are Heaven, Greece, Egypt, and Sumer. If they participate, we will pit them against each other for the agreement."

"This way, under the pretense of giving everyone an equal chance, we will impose some restrictions on them while allowing developing Pantheons like ours to grow without the fear of being suddenly wiped out."

Morrigan then noticed Lugh thoughtfully resting his chin on his hand. Lugh smiled. "Good idea. If Heaven plans to invade us, then the new agreement will require a justification for war."

"Yes, and similarly, if any problems arise, neither the Greek Pantheon nor Heaven will be able to easily threaten us with their overwhelming power." Morrigan grinned, then continued. "Moreover, since the agreement hasn't been established yet, we still have an opportunity. We can create a powerful immortal human who will walk the mortal world in our name..."

The more Morrigan spoke, the more convinced Lugh became. His eyes sparkled, and he smiled, feeling a rush of excitement. "Let's inform the gods immediately. This cannot be delayed."

Morrigan simply nodded, and then they left to deliver the news to the gods.

---

In a short time, the gods unanimously agreed to create a human. Brigid quickly shaped the clay, forged the soul, and finally, the gods began crafting the new immortal human.

The created being was a woman. She had braided black hair, armor, and a dangerous spear as dark as death itself. Slowly, the woman took form, and the gods lined up to bless her.

Dagda granted Scáthach wisdom and infinite strength. She became a warrior who never tired in battle.

Lugh bestowed upon her mastery of all weapons. She gained superhuman reflexes and could defeat her enemies even with her eyes closed.

Morrigan gave her the ability to sense the outcome of battles in advance. This ensured that she only engaged in battles she would never lose.

Manannán mac Lir gifted her the ability to become invisible within shadows and mist. She could walk on water and summon the power of the ocean.

Nuada made her a leader of royal stature. She gained an instinct that allowed her to train only those who were truly worthy.

Cernunnos granted her the ability to communicate with the spirits of the wild. She became an archer who never missed her mark in hunting.

Brigid bestowed upon her the ability to forge her weapons and armor to be unbreakable. Even if she placed her hands into fire, she would not burn.

Arawn gave Scáthach a soul that would allow her to continue fighting even if she received a fatal wound. Even in death, her spirit would take on a form that could keep battling.

Belenus granted her dazzling speed and resistance to heat. She gained the ability to manipulate warmth and light energy in battle.

Epona gave her the power to form a mental bond with Celtic horses. She became an unrivaled cavalry warrior on the battlefield.

Goibniu blessed Scáthach with the ability to connect with the spirit of any forged weapon, drawing power from it. Weapons could only reach their full potential in her hands. Her weapons became an extension of herself, growing sharper with each strike.

Danu bestowed upon her the sacred light of the Tuatha Dé Danann. This granted her a natural resistance to dark forces and a divine presence.

With so much power, Scáthach's strength level was immediately elevated to the peak of humanity. Even against a low-ranking god, she had a chance of victory.

It was astonishing to empower a human to such a degree. After all, in this era, only the Sumerians were known for granting such strength to humans, and even that was rare.

Aside from the Sumerians, all other Pantheons relied on non-human entities as their servants. Though the immortal human created by the Celts, Scáthach, was undeniably powerful, her eyes remained strikingly empty.

This was not due to innocence but because the Celtic gods had no desire to use her as a mere puppet. Thus, Scáthach had no ego.

Technically, she was considered human, but only in name. With her abilities, she easily stood at the pinnacle of humanity. In fact, one could argue she had already surpassed human limitations.

"A magnificent achievement," Dagda mused, stroking his beard. He was a man with black hair and green eyes. Lugh and Morrigan, watching the immortal human before them, were also pleased.

"Now, we must determine which Pantheons to invite," Morrigan stated, to which Dagda smiled wisely. "Lugh, prepare for the necessary arrangements. Invite all the high-ranking Pantheons."

Lugh nodded and left without another word. Dagda then turned to Morrigan with satisfaction. "Well done. This will be a good plan. If it succeeds, the threat will be reduced."

Morrigan simply smiled. Though she was pleased with her plan, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was making a mistake somewhere. Unable to pinpoint the source of this feeling, she chose to ignore it for now and focused on the list of Pantheons to be invited.

Odin, one of Ymir's sons, would be invited as Ymir's representative. Since Mad Ymir lacked mental stability, Odin, the most leader-like among his sons, would be summoned.

Additionally, only two representatives from each Pantheon would be allowed to attend. Most likely, they would send their leaders or other important gods.

Still, Morrigan remained focused on the primary objective: limiting the power of the strongest Pantheons. She made sure to invite every powerful Pantheon she could.

The most crucial part, however, was ensuring that either Heaven or the Greek Pantheon participated. If Heaven joined, the Greek Pantheon would feel compelled to participate. If the Greek Pantheon chose to attend, then Heaven would have no choice but to follow.

A mocking smirk played on Morrigan's lips. The arrogance of Heaven and the Greek Pantheon was so immense that they believed they could do whatever they pleased.

But this arrogance disturbed Morrigan. If they wanted to exist and grow stronger in this world, Heaven needed to be restrained.

By restraining it, the rest of the Pantheons would also be kept in check, ensuring that, at least for a while, the world would not face the threat of destruction.

For the first time in a long while, the Celts had created something of their own and begun to evolve. Morrigan wanted this progress to continue—she hoped it would.

Otherwise, sooner or later, they would share the fate of the Etruscans, who had vanished from existence. The mere thought of it sent a shiver through Morrigan, filling her with unease. To prevent such a fate, they had to keep advancing without pause.

Her gaze then fell upon Scáthach, who still stared at her with lifeless eyes. Dagda had already left. Morrigan, however, had been tasked with training this new Celtic weapon.

"Do you know who I am?" Morrigan asked calmly.

Scáthach answered swiftly. "Yes, one of my masters and a great Goddess."

"Tell me. To whom does your will belong?"

"Only to you and the gods," Scáthach replied, her voice devoid of emotion, like a machine stripped of feeling. Seeing this, Morrigan was satisfied and gently raised her hand.

"Come. Your training begins now."

Scáthach said nothing more. She simply took Morrigan's hand and stepped forward. Morrigan's figure shimmered briefly before she vanished, teleporting away with the immortal human.