32

"Shaka, I brought some divine wine!" The stranger speaks approaching amidst the storm.

"I don't drink and you don't like my company." Buddha retorts in a mockery tone.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll talk a lot."

The man had a peculiar appearance that could hardly be associated with his status. He has short, spiky greenish brown hair, is wearing round sunglasses that cover his lavender-colored eyes, is wearing a Hawaiian-style aloha shirt that gives off a vacation look, and a necklace around his neck in the shape of beads on a rosary.

This peculiar man walks over to Buddha and Sun Wukong and starts looking around whistling.

"Beautiful mountain. But I still prefer Mount Meru."

"If you like it so much why don't you go back there?" The Monkey King comments.

"How cruel Wukong, you shouldn't talk to his boss like that."

"Can I resign?" Sun Wukong ignored the sarcasm and fake pained expression, questioning it without a second thought.

"Not at the moment, you are my faithful vanguard. But I already have a candidate to replace you in the near future."

The stranger fills three goblets with the wine of the gods. They keep one with them, pass one to Sun Wukong and the third to the Buddha. Buda refuses and he tries to pass it to Nero, but is stopped by Buda who takes his arm.

"You could have said before I served." The stranger speaks when he notices that Buddha did not let him give the teenage devil a drink.

"Śakra why are you here?" Buddha interrupts the Hindu god.

Shakra sighs.

"I'm just being polite."

Śakra puts his finger in his cup filled with the wine of the gods and swirls the contents.

"Hey devil brat, you look familiar what's your name?" Śakra says bored as he watches the glass of wine.

"Nero Lucifer." I answer honestly.

"Hello Nero, do you know who I am? To whom does the title Śakra belong?" Śakra grins at me.

I ponder a bit but decide to keep telling the truth.

"I have no idea. Sounds as an asian title to me, maybe Indian."

"Honesty coming from a devil, impressive. Even more if the being is Lucifer's offspring, hey how's your grandpa doing I haven't seen him for a while. By the way, I am the strongest god of war from the hindu mythology." Śakra comments stopping playing with his wine.

"Śakra is enough, you can read his mind, no need to gossip." Buddha interjects.

"Shaka, I didn't expect you to be so rude. Did you miss your morning meditation time?" Śakra then looked at the Buddhist forcing an expression of shock.

"I'm saving our time." Buddha retorts.

"That's right, but I don't need to read his mind. Someone told me that Rizevim left his grandson as a spy in the underworld while he planned something bigger." Śakra smiles mysteriously.

"No need to worry about Nero, I need to keep my guard up against you." Buddha speaks without any respect.

"Are you working with that lunatic?" Sun Wukong is surprised.

"Come on Wukong, you know my goal is different. That son of Lucifer isn't even worthy entertainment. But how about we get down to business." Śakra quickly changes the subject as he notices that Buddha is about to question whether he knows or not about Rizevim's future plans.

Śakra looks ignores all around focusing seriously on me.

"You seem like a calm and rational person. Are you... a calm and rational person?" He speaks addressing me and ignoring the dubious look from Buddha and Wukong.

"If the moment calls for calm, yes."

"I would say the moment calls for calm."

Shakra smiles.

"Hand me the Annihilation Maker." Śakra speaks directly.

"No way. Leonardo is a person, not an object." I comments irritated by the guest's attitude.

"It wasn't a request, that was an order. Besides, this young man's only use is his sacred gear, which is useful for my plans." Śakra watches the startled human and then shifts his focus to me who I remain firm hiding Leonardo behind me.

Śakra releases some of his energy directed at me, making my surroundings feel like they are being compressed. It's like I'm being crushed by a giant. But the sensation is replaced by a warm and comfortable feeling.

"That's enough Śakra, the boy has suffered enough. He does not deserve to be used as a pawn in your mindless crusade against the god of destruction." Buddha speaks releasing his energy at the same level as the intruder.

"Buddha, what did you call my war?" Śakra glared at his feelings reflected in the rising storm and tremors in the mountain from the clash of pressure from the two gods.

"You heard it right, it's a stupid crusade or should I call it a childish quarrel. I can find multiple synonyms my dear Indra." Buddha smiled as usual, but this time he seems happier to irritate his guest.

When Buddha spoke without any propriety citing his name instead of his title, Śakra smiled ecstatically.

"HAHAHA Shaka you're still fun after all these years!" Indra bursts out laughing.

"You are crazy Śakra." Buddha shakes his head .

"Did you just notice now? I thought you were the one who reached enlightenment." The monkey king said.

"Hey Wukong you should be defending me. Why don't you take my side on the brat with sacred gear?" Indra complains.

"I'm sorry God Of Military Arts, but I must be old and losing focus." Wukong sips his wine silently. "Maybe I should retire."

"You're not wrong, maybe it's time for you to retire. As I said before, I even arranged your replacement myself, but you guys ruined my plans."

Sensing the irritation hidden by Śakra's sarcastic tone, Sun Wukong steers the matter to let the Hindu god proceed.

"Who is my successor?" Wukong asks sipping from his cup.

"I'm glad you asked me Wukong, you unlike certain people still show the necessary respect to talk to me."

"Spit it out Indra, I don't have all day to hear your nonsense." Buddha smirks at Indra seeing his annoyed face. But the expression on the Hindu god's face quickly returns to calm, boring the buddhist.

"As I was going to say before I was interrupted, my next vanguard will be a boy who lives in an isolated area in the countryside. This boy has immense potential because of his sacred gear, but it still needs to go through challenges to awaken and master it."

"Which sacred gear he possess?" Buddha is curious what he managed to get Indra's interest, clearly it must be one of the longinus.

"It's none of your business Buddha, but know that he will be one of the people who will influence the future. The important thing is that you sent this imbecile to eliminate one of the obstacles I prepared." Indra speaks looking at me.

"It was you who took the stray devil to that village!" I glare at the god of war and storm of the Hindu pantheon, but I don't attack knowing that he is one of the leaders of the strongest gods in existence.

"Bingo, we have a winner. The mr.Obvious understood my sentence." Indra acts as if what he said earlier was something completely normal.

"You killed my parents!" Unlike me Leonardo acts furious creating shadow creatures to attack Indra.

Indra doesn't even get up from his seat, just swinging an object that was on his waist, I think it's his weapon. When he makes the move several rays fall in the area destroying each monster made by Annihilation Maker.

"Calm down kid, I didn't kill your parents. If they died it was the stray devil's fault, I just led you there. No hard feelings." Indra smirks without any remorse.

"Was it really necessary Śakra?" Sun Wukong comments.

"You know that humans need to stimulate their feelings and desires to awaken and evolve their sacred gears, that's how the god of the bible created these weapons. So the best way to strengthen my vanguard candidate is to create a hostile situation in which if he doesn't overcome the obstacle he dies and when he overcomes it he will feel like a hero, especially with his reward of saving a little boy that will be useful to him in the future." Indra faces Leonardo at the end of his brief speech.

"Śakra, you have no right to go around playing with the lives of humans." This is the first time I see Buddha really angry.

"I rule the strongest pantheon, I am the King of the Hindu Gods and Lord of Heaven. I am also the God of War, Storms, and Rainfall. If I can't do what I want in my territory then who can?"

Indra bate takes the wine glass again and fills it. But he stops filling halfway after listening to what Buddha says.

"Don't be so arrogant, even you cannot defeat the Trimurti alone." Buddha pokes Indra's wound.

"Since you understood the situation, you know that the human would only overcome that stray devil if he awakened his sacred gear and he would then obtain a loyal companion, two opportunities that you stole from him. My vanguard will be essential for my fight against the Trimurti in the future, so I will cordially ask you to return the human."

"The answer remains no. Please withdraw Śakra." Buddha closes his eyes and opens them again in his pupil a distinct pattern appears.

"Oh is it to show powers?" Indra turns the cup he half-filled, drinking it in one gulp. Right away, he makes the rain fall even more and the thunder intensifies.

"We seem to have an impasse." Buddha also raises his pressure so that the area where everyone is present is under a clear sky as if it were a sunny day. Surrounding the situation is different marked by the storm of the god Indra.

"You know I'm not leaving without the boy, so how about a deal." Indra grins slyly.

"What is the deal?" Buddha asks.

"A one-on-one fight between you and me for the holder of the sacred gear Annihilation Maker. Sun Wukong will be the judge as he is linked to both sides." Indra gets up excited at the thought of finally being able to measure the strength of the Buddha who always abstained from combat and starts talking as he walks.

"I see no reason to fight you. Leonardo is already in my territory, if you attack me it will only create a conflict between the gods and that would benefit your self-proclaimed rival."

"I may not be able to attack you without consequences, but I can legitimately punish Wukong however I want just for being your friend or killing little Lucifer for his connection to you. Besides, I can just send someone to kill the longinus user to make the sacred gear reappears in another human's hands, and you'd never be able to prove my involvement."

"You have a point." Buddha fell silent upon hearing the threat.

"Don't worry Shaka I'm not evil, I just want to have some fun. How about changing the bet, if you win the kid stays with you and I don't hurt anyone. But if I win, I'll hand the kid over to my future vanguard's team when he starts recruiting members, but I won't interfere if the devil Nero Lucifer tries to take him from my future protector. How about it?"

After a minute of silence Buddha nods.

"Then it's show time. I warn you better watch out or we'll be one less god today." Indra draws his Vajra divine weapon.

Indra's divine weapon is a legendary relic that controls lightning. Just by lightly moving the vajra, allows Indra to create giant thunderbolts that can cover the entire rating game field, possessing power far superior to any Holy Lightning, to the point that they are considered incomparable. A single strike is said to be able to cause fatal injuries to a God-class or Satan-class being.

Buddha calmly got up from where he was sitting, drew his divine weapon, the Six Realms Staff, and walked to the center of the mountain where Indra was standing waiting for him.

Once activated, scrolls materializes from the the staff, slowly engulfing it. The staff changes to best suit Buddha's emotions and needs in battle, he have six forms: a basic long staff, a long golden halberd, a giant spike club, a golden shortsword, a massive golden shield and a giant scythe with a head of a lion.

Both face each other standing in front of each other, Indra with an expression of ecstasy and Buddha relaxed, waiting for Sun Wukong to declare the beginning of the combat.