Chapter 108: Gods and Gods
Victoria found herself in an unfamiliar and ominous place after consuming Euphemia's potion. The effects were instantaneous, guiding her senses directly to Adrian's location.
However, the surroundings she found herself in were perplexing and disconcerting.
The atmosphere exuded an overwhelming darkness, with every element shrouded in blackness. The air carried a putrid smell, and the entire landscape seemed devoid of life.
Even the trees, the ground beneath her feet, and the skies above were tainted by an eerie stillness, giving the impression of a desolate cemetery.
As Victoria took in her surroundings, a sense of foreboding crept over her. The inexplicable nature of this place left her with more questions than answers.
Determined to find Adrian, she pressed forward, navigating through the unsettling environment that seemed to defy the very essence of life.
Victoria found herself in a location significantly distant from the academy. Despite her prowess as a high-class mage and an archmage, teleporting over such vast distances was an exerting feat.
She had reserved her magical reserves, anticipating potential challenges that Adrian might be facing. However, the reality of the place she now found herself in exceeded her worst expectations.
A pungent odor of blood hung thick in the air, enough to make even those with a strong constitution nauseous. Yet, it wasn't the stench that perturbed Victoria the most.
Rather, it was the demonic miasma saturating the surroundings that heightened her sense of concern. Thoughts raced through her mind as she pondered why Adrian would willingly venture into such an ominous place.
'Why the hell are you here Adrian?' she wondered as she couldn't fathom Adrian going here willingly.
"Oya?" A voice, laced with surprise, echoed behind Victoria. She turned around to discover a mysterious boy with jet-black hair and captivating golden eyes, his gaze fixed on her with a curious intensity.
His words, unconventional and seemingly insightful, caught her off guard.
"For a mere human, the amount of mana you possess is comparable to Skadi. The only distinction lies in the purity and divinity of hers, which surpasses yours. Perhaps, with another thousand years, you might approach her level," the boy remarked, his eyes appraising her as he scanned her from head to toe.
Victoria, though intrigued, maintained her composure.
"Who are you?" Victoria demanded, instinctively stepping back and preparing her magic. There was an unsettling aura around the boy, and every aspect of his demeanor set off alarm bells within her. The way he smiled, spoke, and observed her, it all conveyed a disdainful superiority, as if he regarded her as nothing more than an insignificant creature.
"Me? ….Oh I'm LOKI!"
The boy, introducing himself as Loki, the way he spoke he spoke his name, made a sharp ringing noise reverberate in Victoria's head.
It intensified, causing her body to convulse involuntarily. The sudden onset of weakness and the taste of blood in her mouth alarmed her.
Before she could comprehend the situation, she collapsed, still expelling blood as her strength abandoned her.
"Oops, her strength was quite similar to someone I knew. I completely forgot that I was talking to a mere mortal and ended up using my true voice to speak my name," Loki thought, a twinge of guilt crossing his mind as he observed the fallen Victoria.
"Loki…." came a creepy voice from behind him, and when he turned back, he couldn't help but squeal in surprise.
"EEEKKK!"
"What's wrong?" said a crow with multiple eyes on its body and head. Its mature feminine voice indicated it to be a woman.
"So, it was you, Avian…. Haah, don't scare me like that," said Loki, feeling relieved that it wasn't the crow he initially thought it was. After being bossed around by Odin so much, he had developed a trauma of crows along the way.
Not many gods knew of this weakness, and he was kind of glad that only Avian was here to witness it.
"What's wrong?" asked Avian again.
"Nothing…... your form just reminded me of someone. Anyways, what should we do with this girl?"
"Did you break her soul?"
"O-only by accident. I was quite surprised as someone suddenly teleported here, you see. She was a bit strong, so I completely forgot I was talking to a mortal. Her strength is comparable to some of the finest warriors and mages of Valhalla" Loki explained. "Should I kill her?"
Although Loki appreciated Victoria's strength, that didn't mean he had any personal likings for her. For him, she was just another mortal he could see in the next few centuries, which is a time quite long for humans but minuscule in front of gods.
"Hmm? Wait… don't kill her yet. I can feel traces of Nyarla's divinity in her," the crow landed on Victoria's head before suddenly a black portal appeared under Victoria, swallowing her whole.
"Wow, no matter how many times I see it, Nyarla's expertise in popping out Astral portals with ease is really something else. I only know a few beings in the cosmos that might rival her in that."
"Oh? You're impressed even though you're one of the few beings who can give her a run for her money when it comes to portal making?"
"I appreciate talent, strength, beauty, and skill wherever I go, Avian. Besides, the way she opens portals is different from mine. Although it might look similar, the process is entirely different. So, you could say I'm highly impressed by the way your sister can casually pop portals like that without any magic circles or runes. As far as I know, only high-ranking space gods could do that."
"Well Nyarla is quite Unique, and she is still quite young for a ##### ### so you'll probably be more surprised in the future"
'So, she's still not a fully mature God? That explains why her divinity seemed a bit unstable. I thought it was because she was blessing a human, but it seems it was because she was continuously growing. I just played chess with that literal monster. I feel like my life's messed up for some reason if I ever piss her off again' Loki thought as he gulped 'I better prepare a plan for a grandiose funeral'
"Let's go back," said Avian as she flew back to the castle.
"OK," replied Loki while casually smiling up above the skies, which made the peeping Goddess of the Elves shiver in response, her eyes widening.
'He noticed me? How?' thought Calissia, the Goddess of the Elves. She saw Loki gesturing something with his nose.
"THE NOSE KNOWS!" he screamed at her in a lively voice.
Before Calissia could react, a low growl crept up behind her. Her body shivered—no, her soul shivered in fear. She could feel that whatever was behind her could kill her permanently if it wanted to. Calissia cried silently.
"Don't kill her, Fenry~! She might be useful!" Loki screamed in her direction once again. Noticing her predicament getting worse, Calissia tried to teleport away, only for her divinity to refuse her will.
'W-what's going on?' Calissia thought.
"PFFT! AHHAHA!" Suddenly, Loki appeared right in front of her and laughed hysterically while spinning around in midair.
"Did you really just try to teleport away from the beast of Ragnarok? I must say your cowardice reminds me of Odin."
"Loki…," Avian called out to Loki as she noticed he teleported in the skies above.
"Oh hi, Avian! I found this cute little rat," said Loki with a sinister smile as he looked at the scared goddess.
Although Avian was curious about how Loki sensed her when even she couldn't, that wasn't important right now. What mattered was that someone managed to hide from her eyes, which was very insulting for a goddess like her.
As Avian underwent her transformation, the entire process was a mesmerizing display of divine power. Bones cracked and shifted, and the intricate reshaping of her form unfolded gracefully. The metamorphosis continued, each moment marked by a profound transformation until she stood as a stunning woman with the only exception being her multi-eyed crow's head.
Reaching out towards Calissia, she intended to invoke her divine abilities. However, before the process could complete, a radiant golden light enveloped Calissia, whisking her away through teleportation. The sudden disappearance of the goddess frustrated Fenrir, whose growl echoed ominously, causing the very skies to tremble in response to the mighty god-ender's displeasure.
As Loki soothingly patted Fenrir's enormous head, the monstrous wolf's agitation began to subside. Loki, seemingly unfazed by the earlier encounter, struck up a conversation with the colossal creature.
"Was that the Goddess of this world?" Loki inquired, his tone casual yet curious.
Avian, with her monstrous yet articulate lady like voice, responded
"Yes, it seems she's aware of the threat that's coming to her now."
"Haha, I guess so. But it doesn't really matter, right? After all, you're all so great; Mother already decided her end," Loki stated, a mischievous grin playing on his lips.
A heavy silence settled between them as the weight of Mother's wrath loomed in the air. Loki's acknowledgment of this worlds pantheon spoke volumes about the gravity of the situation.
Avian, still wearing an enigmatic smile, muttered, "Yes... Mother is quite angry this time."