4 Game of the Gods

Riku narrowed his eyes at the woman that claimed to be goddess. What did she mean? Was it some kind of codename? The name of her unit? Dammit... He should've brought some of the intel regarding foreign assets he got for the government with him when he quit!

"You don't believe me, don't you," she frowned at him. "Even after you woke up and saw all of this?"

"You could be an asset working for a foreign government," he blandly replied, his body still tense and ready for a fight. "Nobody gets the drop on me. Ever."

"Ah, apologies then. In my defense, I'm kind of pressed for time," she weakly apologized before quickly perking up again. "Oh, but again, I'm a goddess, you know? You shouldn't be talking to me like that."

He crossed his arms as he stared at the supposed goddess. He didn't even know her name yet, and yet here she was actually bowing her head to him. Somehow, her voice still sounded smug and arrogant, but he shouldn't discount her trying to get the drop on him by acting like she had no idea what she was doing.

Blinking, he took the opportunity to get a proper look around, his eyes flickering out toward the sea currently surrounding them. He could tell that they were in the middle of the ocean, especially since there was... a massive hole... out in the middle of the ocean... It almost looked like a massive sinkhole, one that took in all the water surrounding it.

What?

"Ah, that's the Deep Blue," the goddess chimed in. "The home of the gods, they say... Well, some of them at least."

Riku mentally raised a brow. He was sure that he wasn't even turning his head to look at the massive hole. Was this woman just that good at reading him? "I see."

"Yep," the goddess smiled. "We were born there, and we Thirteen Gods lived there for as long as I could remember. Along with the God Father, we watched over the universe, making sure that all would be alright in the grand scheme of things."

He mentally took her words with a grain of salt even as all logic pointed at her words being the truth. There were some religions that worshipped multiple gods. And while he wasn't really the religious sort, he could imagine some of the tales being true. After all, if what he was seeing now was any indication, there was no way that any of the world governments could ever build something like this supposed Deep Blue.

"You're... taking things rather well," the woman curiously stated. "You don't even have any questions."

"It's good to have an open mind to things," he carefully replied, only partially letting his guard down. "There's simply no way that where we are right now could exist without the entire world clamoring over it."

"Right? It's a massive hole in the middle of the Ocean of Souls. Surely, no mortal could ever- Wait, I'm being side-tracked again," she mumbled to herself before shaking her head. "Ugh... The games are about to start, and I haven't even introduced myself to you yet."

The former assassin merely blinked at her words, but he did try his best not to show his surprise as the goddess then started to float in front of him. Not that he wasn't already convinced of his current predicament having already seen what he had, but it was still a sight to behold as her cloak began to billow behind her, her power coming off of her in waves. Her hood was still firmly on her head despite it, however, which only added more mystique to her appearance.

"I am Nyx, the Goddess of Chaos, and you are my chosen Champion..." she began, her tone switching from unsure to imposing. "Riku Tachibana, you should feel honored for the task that I am about to give you."

Tendrils of darkness seeped from below her, Riku being forced to shield himself from the wind as the newly-named Nyx announced herself to him. It was a far cry from his initial impression of her being a hired hitman to just being a klutz. In fact, she looked downright mature and imposing as she hovered in front of him. She almost looked her part as the supposed goddess of darkness and evil.

"You will be the one to represent me in the Game of the Gods," she continued. "One that would determine who would succeed the God Father... He... Well..."

The seconds ticked by, and Riku didn't know whether to gape in awe or confusion as Nyx simply floated in front of him, her expression morphing from indifference to awkwardness even as she continued exuding her power to him. She clearly didn't know what to expect from him. Nevertheless...

"Champion?" he couldn't help but ask, taking her awkward silence as permission to field his question. "Why should I be your Champion? I didn't ask for this."

"Err... I honestly thought you'd appreciate being given a second chance. Also, as you might've already guessed, we're no longer on Earth," Nyx quickly replied, hesitation in her voice even as a hint of mischief began seeping into her tone. "I saw your potential, so I'm giving you a chance of attaining everything, even ultimate power."

Riku blinked. The Ocean of Souls? Is that the name of the sea they were currently on then?

"Yes, it is."

...

....

"You can read my mind?" he asked.

"Of course, I can. What kind of goddess would I be if I couldn't even read my champion's mind?" Nyx scoffed, her mischief now in full swing as she leaned towards him. "I've seen what you can do, and I know of your desires. Become my Champion and win me this Game, and I shall fulfill each and every single one of them."

He froze at such a statement. That sounded too good to be true. And he actually couldn't believe that he was considering it. "Can you return me to Earth then?"

"I'd... have to talk to my siblings for that," Nyx awkwardly chuckled. "But if you win, I'm sure they'll have no choice but to allow you either way."

He hummed at the options given to him. So if he won, he'd be able to return to his restaurant. He'd be able to continue cooking. To be the best chef he could possibly be and make his restaurant the best sushi spot in the world. And that wasn't to mention any possible benefits he'd get for winning a literal game of the gods.

"Speaking of sushi, I really have to get you to make them for me," Nyx suddenly spoke aloud, her voice now devoid of its earlier divine power. "But enough about that. We should really get to the Deep Blue. We're already running late, and I don't want to hear Themis nagging me again..."

Before Riku could even ask what was going on, a cloud of starry darkness suddenly consumed them both. He felt himself being transported somewhere. Where? He didn't know, but he was starting to get excited about what was happening.

He was a former assassin for hire. Nyx had a lot of explaining to do to him, and that was on top of her not even asking about his true price yet.