Chapter 48 – Bastard Version of Haki!

Here's the new chapter!

Thanks for the wait!

*Any images in this chapter do not belong to me! It belongs to their respective artists/creators!

Attention: Remember, the *Auxiliary chapter* is reserved for the design characters chosen by ME. But if you don't like it, feel free to choose the design you like for the characters.

Without further ado, enjoy the chapter!

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- Location: one of the particular dimensions of Vishnu / Kṣīra Sāgara (Ocean of Milk) / Thirupaarkadal (Sacred Sea of Milk).

POV. Third-person.

The Kṣīra Sāgara was a private resting place of the god Vishnu after dying as an avatar in the mortal world, being characterized as a calm sea where silence prevails while Vishnu rests in bed and was massaged on his feet by his wife, Lakshmi, the personification of prosperity.

However... Kṣīra Sāgara was now everything but a 'calm sea'.

Tsunamis 1000 meters high was created, not by the force of an earthquake...

But from the clash of fists.

Two figures were running through the rough sea at a speed never seen before.

*BOOM*

As the sound of an explosion resounded through the dimension, time seemed to freeze as the two figures at the origin of the explosion were revealed.

Thor and Shiva.

Both of them bumped fists, with Shiva being the one smiling excitedly, while Thor grimaced.

It was then that Thor moved and tried to punch Shiva's face again, only for the Hindu God of Destruction's hand to stop and grip his fist, causing another explosion that caused the 'water' floor to sink 500 meters below normal sea level.

However, Shiva only used his upper arms...

*BAM*

The Hindu god's lower arms slammed into the Norse thunder god's Hypochondriac region, which resulted in Thor being flung away, splitting the sea in two until he slowed down.

"What is this Nordic? Are you even trying?" asked Shiva, his voice resounding throughout the dimension as if it were thunder.

Shiva at that moment was urging Thor and pushing him to the limit, whether physical or psychological so that he could utilize the ability to 'see' the future and determine in what situation the god of thunder would release the Berserker seal.

As soon as Thor stopped, he replied, his voice resounding like thunder just like Shiva.

"I DON'T fight against someone who has FOUR ARMS frequently!" shouted Thor, mumbling about the situation.

It was ridiculous the dexterity that Shiva displayed in fighting with two extra upper limbs. Also, if Thor were to compare Shiva's fighting style...

It would be a dance.

A dance with a rhythm that could be described as eternal.

This resulted in Shiva never getting tired in a long fight.

Aside from Thor's inability to land a decent hit, the thunder god was doing relatively well, with no bruises or wounds let alone blood after receiving a few attacks from the Hindu god.

Thor then propelled himself forward, churning the sea and creating new tsunamis, and shot towards Shiva, who raised all four arms and raised his left leg.

As soon as Thor got close enough, he punched again, aiming for the god of destruction's head, but then something, which has happened several times during the conflict, happened...

Shiva closed his eyes and lifted two right hands from his upper and lower arms, time seemed to stop when the Hindu god touched Thor's wrist and pushed it lightly to the side of his head.

Resulting in a complete change of direction that split the sea and caused an explosion in the distance due to the shock wave from the power the fist had.

Shiva soon used his left arms free and delivered a double punch to the side of Thor's chest, but the thunder god raised his leg blocking Shiva's fists before they made contact.

Thor soon raised his free hand and grabbed Shiva by the wrist of his upper left arm and prepared to punch again, this time with Shiva trapped in his grip.

But then the Hindu god made a small leap and kneed the thunder god in the face, interrupting the Norse god's action, and causing him to step back. And now Shiva was going on the offensive running towards Thor with all four arms ready for a consecutive series of punches.

Thor seeing Shiva's actions raised both of his arms, and just like that, Shiva delivered hundreds of blows per second, but most were being blocked by Thor's forearms.

But then something happened that surprised the Hindu god.

*BAM*

Thor had surprised him by quickly reaching out with his left arm and hitting Shiva squarely in the face, which sent the god of destruction hurled by the force of the blow.

And then Thor smiled.

"So you really have a rhythm to your 'dance', huh?... Good to know," said Thor, darting towards Shiva.

As soon as Shiva composed himself, Thor was already in front of him, preparing to punch him with his right fist...

The god of destruction soon prepared to redirect the blow again, but then Shiva's eyes widened and then the four arms quickly moved to the right side of the body at high speed.

*BAM*

Thor had punched him with his left arm, his right arm was just a feint. Although the blow was obvious, Thor changed the attack in a matter of milliseconds... Shiva was only able to perceive the change as he 'saw' the near future.

Shiva then used two of his arms and grabbed the arm and kicked Thor in the neck, causing the thunder god to be bewildered for just a few seconds.

Long enough for Shiva to slap Thor's ears quickly, who quickly lost focus, while punching Thor's chest with both lower arms, where the rib cage would be.

Each blow caused thunder in the world as the water was pushed by the shock waves.

For just a second, Thor gasped for air and lost focus, but the thunder god soon regained consciousness and kicked Shiva's leg, causing the Hindu god to lose his balance.

During the loss of balance, Thor landed a punch on Shiva's chest, in the region where the diaphragm was located, causing the god Shiva to spit out some saliva as he lost air and was thrown.

However, Thor stopped the Hindu god from being flung too far by grabbing the god's foot and violently pulling him back towards him. The thunder god then quickly turned his body with his extended left arm and landed a blow on Shiva's neck area, making a swinging motion.

Shiva gritted his teeth as he fell from the force of the blow that looked like it would break his neck.

Just as the Hindu god was taking off, he crossed his arms in front of his body to prevent a high-speed kick from Thor that hit him squarely.

*BOOM*

Shiva was then flung away, followed by Thor at high speed.

As he was flying, Shiva noticed that Thor had an excited smile plastered on his face as he fought, the initial frustration had disappeared and was replaced by satisfaction now that Thor was finally getting a feel for how Shiva fought in hand-to-hand combat.

But there was something else Shiva noticed as Thor smiled...

When the Hindu god uses the ability to 'see the near future' the image shown in Shiva's mind is always in the third person, as it is the astral projection itself that 'sees the near future'.

There were moments when Thor seemed to be enjoying the fight... The Berserker mark glowed a mesmerizing scarlet red from time to time.

Shiva could feel a feeling that the glow emitted, it was almost like...

As if the presence in the Berserker brand was having fun.

While Shiva thought, Thor was approaching quickly preparing for a punch, Shiva soon got ready and assumed once again his dancing posture.

The Norse god then tried to punch Shiva, but the Hindu god just redirected Thor's fist again, which caused another explosion right behind the Hindu god, who went on the counterattack quickly punching Thor's celiac plexus and face at the same time.

But then Thor dodged the blow by jumping and doing a high-speed somersault, causing Shiva's fists to just miss, it was then that Thor used his heel to hit Shiva's head with a kick right after the somersault.

*BAM*

Shiva was bewildered for just a few milliseconds as he looked at the 'ocean floor' due to the force of the kick, Thor then grabbed Shiva by the chest, turning the Hindu god upside down, and quickly threw him upwards, Thor then grabbed Shiva by the armpits of the Hindu god's lower arms.

Thor then threw Shiva towards the ground, aiming to crush his head.

The force of the ensuing blow felt like a meteor falling into the ocean, causing an explosion that shook the dimension and created a clap of thunder that resounded throughout the place.

But then something happened right after the clap of thunder.

An amethyst-colored glow appeared and blinded Thor for just a second.

The sea suddenly calmed down and Thor stopped his fist before punching Shiva... Not least because the Hindu god was no longer where he threw it.

"...I thought you only said fists... Why did you start using tricks now?" asked Thor, who then turned and looked at Shiva who was behind him smiling calmly.

Thor didn't return the smile, for for the first time he thought he would fight without all restrictions... But it seems that Shiva didn't want to fight anymore.

"Hahahahaha! Don't be like that, my friend... I've seen what I needed to see. Also, this last blow reminded me how old I am" said Shiva, with a sly smile, rubbing his neck a little.

The vision of the near future showed Shiva interesting things, but the main one was the answer he was looking for...

Thor would never release the Berserker Mark, even if Shiva used divine power.

This made Shiva look curiously at Thor, as the mark also didn't seem to react to Thor's 'difficulties'.

There was something else that also caught Shiva's attention.

In a 'near-future line', Thor removed the golden belt, and during the fight, in this specific situation, Shiva was sure of only one thing...

That if Thor removed the gauntlets and belt...

[...Physically... He is already stronger than me] thought Shiva, still smiling.

Thor then took the gauntlets out of the necklace's storage space and put them on again, while facing Shiva.

"…How did you predict my blows?" asked Thor curiously.

Shiva just smiled wider at the question.

"This is one of the things you will learn… By unlocking your Sahasrara, you, as a god, will have a perception beyond time and space and your consciousness will be open to a new vision that the world offers you" said Shiva, which created a glowing puddle again, which soon began to sink both him and Thor.

Thor was a little surprised by what Shiva said after all it meant that Shiva would not only allow him to stay but also... The thunder god was surprised by the Sahasrara's function, after all, it reminded Thor of something else...

Observation Haki.

Or at least one of Observation Haki's abilities.

"…Will you teach me personally?" asked Thor in surprise.

Initially, Thor thought Shiva would just assign someone to teach him, but now Thor had the opportunity to learn from the god of destruction himself.

Shiva nodded in response to Thor's question.

"Yes, that and much more..." said Shiva.

"...well...it can't be that hard, right?" asked Thor, with a smile.

But Shiva didn't respond, which made Thor look at the god of destruction.

"... right?" asked Thor, losing his smile.

- Timeskip: Current Era – 2195 BCE (Age of Thor: 1805)

POV Thor.

I achieved!

It took me centuries of frustration, in addition to my determination being based on the strength of pure hate... But I did it!

A bastard version of Haki!

Observation Haki was the easiest, as I practically had to merge what I already knew about Senjutsu in addition to having learned about Sahasrara, and then we have an innovative, not 100% faithful version of Observation Haki.

Armament Haki was a little more difficult as I had to combine the Touki with the energies coming from all the balanced Chakras, from the Muladhara Chakra to the Sahasrara Chakra.

I still couldn't do such an action unconsciously, since the Sahasrara Chakra awakening itself was necessary for all the six previous Chakras to be in perfect balance, which is still quite difficult for me to perform right now, but I believe I can improve in the long run.

Also, to my disappointment, using the bastard version of Armament Haki I created doesn't create a black-colored armor... In fact, it just leaves an aura, almost invisible, of pure white color.

Shame, but worth the try...

Also, this bastard version of Armament was very, VERY similar to Touki... However, it was much more resistant.

If I were to compare Touki with the bastard version of Armament Haki, it would be like comparing an armor made of leather against an armor made of steel.

For me, it was a success.

About the Conqueror's Haki, well... I had to be a little creative...

Utilizing the abilities of the Ajna Chakra, which enhances my concentration as well as gives me the ability to see things beyond the material, and the Sahasrara Chakra, which allowed me to have the ability to be connected with all the energies in the universe, and combining them with my divine power, I found a way to recreate this Haki...

Energy pulses.

Basically, using my divine power, I can focus on a certain area, and using the Chakras, allows me to focus enough to fire a small pulse of energy that results in a momentary interruption in normal brain functioning, as the nerve impulses of the brain are electrochemical phenomena.

It was a success, but it doesn't work as I wanted... If the energy pulse I shoot is too powerful I might end up blowing the target's head off instead of knocking them out...

Anyway, after learning everything I could from Shiva, in addition to training Igris in my spare time, I decided to continue my journey.

I have not met with any Hindu deities other than Shiva and Ganga, the reason for this, according to Shiva, was that Vishnu and Brahma forbade any supernatural beings, other than those I had contact with, to approach me on pain of death.

I thought it was an exaggeration, but according to Shiva, it was necessary due to some volatile clash maniac gods like Indra wanting to face me and possibly try to kill me.

I didn't want to get in trouble with another pantheon so I shrugged off the decree.

Shiva, however, was a nice guy.

I dare say I became friends with him, I was even a little surprised when he introduced me to his wives when he invited me and Igris to his house for dinner.

One thing that I found a little strange at the time was that one of Shiva's wives, who was called Kali, was quite similar to him, when I asked him about this I was surprised by the answer.

Shiva had created Kali from a hair of his.

Obviously, my mind was confused about what this could mean, so I just closed my eyes and got on with dinner.

In fact, even after my departure, I still kept in touch with Shiva and his wives, Shiva had also stated that I was always welcome in his house, which was good, as I still planned on talking to Shiva about creating an Astra for me eventually.

And here I was approaching the island of Crete in a small boat, where it would be my first stop after I had left India.

I was disguised as a mortal, not wanting to attract attention.

I was wearing only a men's lionskin loincloth, plus leather sandals, all my clothes, including Mjolnir, were inside my necklace's storage space.

I was wearing megingjörð and Járngreipr too because I thought it best to have my limiters still being used just for safety.

This disguise I created as another secondary function of my necklace for me to use when I wanted to blend in with humans...

There was also the fact that this disguise also made me hide from supernatural beings, I just needed to avoid any use of my divine power and I would be fine.

My natural strength should be enough.

The reason I disguised myself was something basic... After all, I was technically invading the territory of the Greeks, who, apparently, were in the midst of civil war.

Actually, this was great, because while the titans fought the gods, I could just sneak in and meet the Telkhines.

The problem was finding these mysterious sea creatures...

It was then that I saw the island of the future known as Crete and smiled in anticipation.

"… I only hope to find any clues to the whereabouts of the Telkhines without getting any attention from any supernatural beings," I said.

It was then that I started to row towards the island in my small boat, after all with my strength and endurance I could row for days and not get tired.

Also, what are the odds of meeting a Greek deity? My luck was never good, but this time I was so careful that I look like an ordinary mortal in the eyes of supernatural beings, only a select few in the top 10 could notice me.

"*sigh* I wish I hadn't left Igris behind, at least I would have had someone to talk to, but he refused to take that armor off, besides, he wanted to go to my house in Midgard sooner... I told Hel, so everything should be fine," I said, reflecting on Igris' situation.

For some reason, Igris was strange from the moment I returned from my little spar against Shiva, the 'first king of civilized men' trained fervently every day.

It looked like he was training to get stronger for some reason...

At least it's good he's motivated for something.

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Well, that's it, folks!

The updates will be 1 chapter per week!

Because I need to study hard!

I have already started writing the fanfic: 'Son of Agni'; in addition, I already created an auxiliary chapter to find out how I will work the chapters of 'Book Two: Earth'. If possible (if you are interested) take a look at the auxiliary chapter of this new fanfic of mine and participate!

Title of the next chapter:

Chapter 49 – Greek Civil War.