38 Chapter 38 - The One Ultimate

---Mael POV---

Sensing it's life was going to end, Nightmare launched a last ditch attempt to attack me. Bringing both of it's claws down as hard as it could, I caught both of them mid-descent. Thrashing around trying to get free of my grip, it didn't even make me budge an inch.

"How dare you attack my family!!", I shouted as I activated The One Ultimate.

The air around me became an inferno as the power at my disposal skyrocketed. Tightening my grip on Nightmare, it's carapace started to crack causing it immeasurable pain. Ripping both of it's arms off with a single movement, I jabbed my right index finger through it's stomach.

"Helios Fair!", I said as geyser of golden flames shot out of its back.

The flames cut through it like melted butter, and the buildings behind it started to sink as they became molten rock and charcoal. Pulling my finger out, I stretched my right out.

"Heed my call, come to me Divine Axe Rhitta!", I stated.

Hurdling through the city, Rhitta flew into my hands moments later. The pressure from its flight left a line of destruction in it's wake, and blew the guards and Adventurers off their feet. Swinging the axe back, Nightmare immediately tried runaway from me. Sensing the power contained in the axe, it wanted to crawl in the nearest hole and disappear.

"Running away from me won't do you any good.", I chuckled, "Die!"

Swinging the axe down, the air pressure alone split Nightmare in half. Following close behind, a torrent of hellish, hot flames exploded forwards engulf Nightmare and everything in front of it. Jumping out of the way Thanatos and Erebus barely managed to avoid being consumed, but the others weren't so lucky. The Evilus Adventurers screamed out for help as their bodies burned away to nothingness as the exhausted defenders watched.

"Help me!!", Rudra pleaded, "It hurts!! Stop the burning!!"

The other two deities fell into the molten building debris, and were quickly consumed by it. Not seeing a golden beam of light come from where they died, Freya and Loki immediately understood what happened.

"He...he actually killed them!!", Loki shouted, "Like permanently killed them!!"

"What!?", Alice yelled in confusion.

"There isn't a pillar of golden light...they won't reincarnate.", Freya said hiding the smile on her face, 'So he can kill us, this is very interesting.'

Grabbing Rudra by the head, I crushed him like cracking a walnut. Dropping him, his body continued to burn without stopping. Turning to face Erebus and Thanatos, they knew their time was up. Pushing Erebus away from him, Thanatos took off running trying to escape from me. Throwing Rhitta at him, Thanatos glanced back to watch the axe cut his head off. Watching the world spin as his head flew the air, his last thoughts were of Astraea's desperate pleas for them to give up on attacking Orario.

'If only...I had listened to you...', he thought as his head hit the ground, 'I wouldn't have died here...'

Fading into the darkness as his life ended, he apologized for everything before disappearing.

With no allies, aside from Chaos, left to help him Erebus looked around frantically trying to find a way to escape. In a few moments the remaining monsters would be killed, and he would have nowhere to go. Ordering Chaos to take him away to somewhere safe, the Cerberus turned back only to find the back of my left hand in his face. Hitting him lightly, the monster exploded unable to take the impact.

"Damn you!! This was the perfect plan!!", Erebus howled like a mad man, "This world will rot away because of you!!"

"No it won't, it will continue to live because the five of you are dead.", I refuted raising my right hand up to chop him, "Die knowing this was all for nothing."

"Fuck you!!", Erebus shouted summoning his Arcanum, "I will wipe you all out myself!!"

Knowing how dangerous his Arcanum was, the Deities got in front of their children and got ready to intercept it. Laughing like a mad man, he told me that I wouldn't survive this attack as a mortal could never match the power of God.

"Who decided that?", I asked with a smirk, "I am the one who decides what happens."

"Die you bastard!", he mocked me.

"Your Arcanum is broken.", I said in a calm tone.

Suddenly his Arcanum shattered into a billion pieces as he fell to his knees clutching his chest. Feeling extremely weak, he struggled to look up at me.

"Why...why can you destroy...Arcanums...?", he wheezed.

"Because...I decided that.", I replied with a smile, "Divine Sword: Escanor!"

Swinging my arm down, the earth split as my arm came down. Feeling the ground beneath his feet part under my hand, Erebus regretted not having been better prepared. Watching his life flash before his eyes, Erebus didn't register anything after that. The world around him went black as his body was torn apart. As his body came apart, I saw a green flame flare up for a split second before it vanished.

'Why do I feel like I have seen that before?', I thought as I ended One Ultimate.

Cracking my neck, I turned around to see everyone staring at me in shock.

"Something wrong?", I asked.

"Well uh...how did you do that?", Lily spoke up.

"I am not sure how to answer that.", I laughed.

"You can't be serious...you wiped out all of them, and you aren't even the least bit tired...", Zald groaned.

Telling him I could keep it up all day, several Adventurers fainted from shock on the spot.

'I could say that wasn't even my final form, but I feel like that line is overused.', I thought, "Anyways, lets get all of you patched up. I have dinner plans with Lily and Bella tonight."

"You can use Healing Magic?", Riveria asked.

"Yep.", I replied as a white orb of light appeared in my hand, "Sanctuary of Healing."

Enveloping the group in a warm light, people's injuries started disappearing immediately. Those on the brink of death found themselves coming back around as their bodies were repaired. Coughing up more blood, Bella looked like she was getting better with every passing moment she laid there. Zald and Alfia spat up a mouth full of black bile that burned away into nothingness.

"What the heck!?", Zald said, "What was that?"

"That was the poison that had been in your body all these years. Sanctuary of Healing heals all injuries and status debuffs.", I told him, "Alfia's medical condition is also gone as well."

Looking at each other then back at me, they asked why they hadn't heard of the spell before. Stating that I went to places on this world that had yet to be mapped or explored, I lied and said I found the remains of an old magician from a long forgotten age.

"In addition to this spell, there were notes for various magic potions, Ambrosia, and even some details regarding the details of this worlds creation.", I stated carefully watching the expressions of the deities present.

Surprisingly none of them reacted at all to that statement, almost like they didn't know how it happened either. That part of this world was what really confused me, how could the Gods not know everything about this world if they were the ones ruling over it all this time.

'Someone or something must have hidden their memories of the creation of this world.', I thought.

"Did you say Ambrosia!?", Dian Cecht shouted, "That is a legendary medicine that was lost thousands of years ago!! How is it made!?"

"I am not telling you, I was the one that worked my ass off to get it! You realize how many monsters I had to slay to get to the body?", I spat, "The monsters in those places are far more dangerous than those Level 8 monsters. Those monsters have grown unimpeded for thousands of years, Chaos and Nightmare were only pups compared to the monsters out there. I even encountered a talking Dragon on my journey."

Seeing Ais' expression sour, I remembered that she hated Dragons with a passion.

"A talking Dragon?", Zeus asked.

"Yes, the creature is big enough that when it flies it blacks out the Sun for twenty miles ahead of it. It's the size of a mountain range, it calls itself Ancalagon the Black.", I replied taking the name from the Tolkien stories.

Seeing his expression pale, I assumed that meant the Dragon that the Zeus and Hera Familias fought was much smaller.

"Don't worry though, he doesn't have any interest in world affairs. He's quite happy to sleep the centuries away on the Edge of World.", I chuckled, "He gave me some insight into what the Dungeon is, and why it's there."

"That will be enough for now.", Ouranos said cutting me off.

'So he has some idea then...', I thought, 'He doesn't know the origins of this world though.'

Telling the Adventurers and the Guards I was going to do a final sweep to ensure monsters weren't missed, I said to take it easy for now and recover their strength.

---That Evening, Freya's Room---

Since the city was still in disarray, dinner had to be postponed till businesses could reopen. I was told things should be opening again in a few days so we didn't have long to wait. After the city was confirmed to be cleared, everyone went their own way to help with the recovery of Orario. As for Freya, she told me to come to her room in Babel to receive her compensation.

"Ottar not here?", I questioned as I came in.

"No, he is currently resting at the Familia Manor. He is now a Level 7 Adventurer thanks to all the fighting, I hear Zald and Alfia are Level 8 now as well. All of this happened because you saved them from dying, and caused quite a seen doing so.", she teased me.

"That's kind of my thing.", I chuckled.

"The children were evacuated safely before the fighting began, now will you answer my question?", she inquired.

"It's probably easier to show you.", I said snapping my finger.

The scenery around us vanished instantly as we appeared high above the world. The sudden change frightened Freya a bit as it was a new experience to her.

"You are right, I am not a mortal nor someone of this world natively. I am a Seraphim and a God, this universe and several others are under my direct supervision. To be blunt, your Divinity and Arcanum draw their power from me. I can revoke your godhood and I can give godhood, all of it is in my control.", I told her.

Seeing her smile, I knew I had piqued her interest.

"So there are other worlds than this one.", she remarked, "This is fascinating, why involve yourself with this world?"

Telling her how the Omniverse worked, I explained that this world was a key point in their part of the tree. Saying that I came to save their world from destruction, I told her the consequences of failing to do so. Realizing that so many worlds rested on their survival, Freya understood the gravity of the situation.

"That explains a lot...I am sure you have noticed it. You were probing for information earlier, specifically about the creation of our world.", Freya said, "Hearing you talk about the places you visited, I thought it was concerning that I had no recollection of their existence. When you mentioned the creation of our world...I honestly couldn't remember anything past a twenty thousand years ago. I am not the only one either, I could tell the other deities were just as concerned as I was."

"My suspicion is that someone from outside your world is the cause of that. There are people that can travel between worlds freely, not all of them are upstanding people either. I can name a few that would happily mess a world up just to watch it burn.", I warned her, "They manipulate things, get other people to do the dirty work while they watch from the shadows. Some of them are a very real threat to you and your kin. Like me, they can kill you without any problem."

Nodding her head, she understood that with this new found understand of creation came new threats that were able to kill them. That said, she had lived so long that those sort of things didn't frighten her as much as it would mortals.

"I take it you will be sticking around?", she inquired.

"Of course, I will visit my other worlds as well to ensure everything continues forward.", I chuckled, "Why do you ask?"

Getting up from her seat, she slowly walked over to me. Staring at me like a hungry lioness, I shifted in my seat as I noticed her flushed face.

"It has been thousands of years since anything truly interesting happened. The Omniverse...other worlds...new experiences...I want it all, no matter the price.", she said climbing onto my lap, "I will willingly give myself and everything I have to see it and experience it with you. This life of mine has grown boring here, I want something new."

Watching her take her gown off, I realized that she was dead serious. I honestly expected her to tempt me, but I didn't actually think she'd go through with giving me everything she had. Putting my index finger to her lips, I gave her a smile and told her to settle down.