Chapter 68

Isis frowned at Theodore's question. She straightened her back and spoke. "Have you checked Olympus?"

"Yes, I trashed that place upside down and Ra never showed." Theodore's tone was as cold as ever. It made Isis shuffled in her seat. She averted her gaze, though her breathing remained rhythmatic.

Is she hiding something? Theodore caught himself before Isis could notice him staring. He turned to Bastet instead, figuring that the truth would come out with time. "What about you? Why were you two fighting anyway?"

"…'Lady' Isis suggested to all of us that we rebel against Ra while he's not present." Bastet's tone sounded like it was lashed with venom. Each of her words stressed and clear. Her furrowed brows didn't make her look any friendlier. She narrowed her eyes at him. "And why are 'you' looking for him?"

"First, he's a Code Black criminal." Theodore gave Bastet a cold, scornful gaze. "And second, he killed my father."

Bastet's eyes turned around. She shook her head and spoke. "There's no way Ra would do something like that."

"The Scorching Heaven is clueless…" Isis sighed and slid off of the wall. She opened her palm and magenta mist bursted from her fingers. It gathered above her hand and an image appeared from within the fog.

Bastet bit her lips as she stared at what Isis showed her. It took her a few moments, but she lowered her head after seeing the destroyed buildings and bloody streets of the human world. "…Was that Sekhmet's doing?"

There was no way she wouldn't recognize her counterpart's traces. Isis nodded as she lowered her hand, prompting the mist to disperse. "Theodore executed Sekhmet…we both know that lioness only follows Ra, she wouldn't dare to do this on her own even if she's a bloodthirsty killer."

"But…!" Bastet couldn't find her words. She bit her lips, frowning like she was about to cry. "…Okay, but there needs to be a reason! His Majesty wouldn't do this without a purpose!"

"His purpose is power." Theodore's tone remained the same. "He chased Apophis out, but wasn't satisfied with his standing, he wants to take over the human world and Apophis is trying to stop him."

"Apophis?"

"She is my mother." Theodore didn't leave any room for Bastet to say anything. "If Ra successfully colonizes the human world…Not only would the other pantheons be mad, but the Scale of Balance will be disrupted."

"I…I know that!" Bastet averted her gaze. She didn't dare to look the other goddess in the eyes, let alone Theodore. "But I really don't know where His—where Ra is right now…No one could possibly know."

Isis looked behind her and smiled. "Well, perhaps you are wrong about that, Bastet."

"…" Another person stepped out from behind one of the pillars. A tall man with a white robe draped over his elegant, chiseled form. His skin was the color of warm bronze and his dark eyes gleamed with both calmness and intelligence. Despite his humanoid body, he has the head of an ibis bird. His identity revealed the moment he stepped into the light: He was Thoth, the god of wisdom. "My eyes may be sharp, but I am not all-seeing like Heimdall."

The god's voice was deep and sonorous, melodious with a calming quality that soothes the soul. Theodore's eyes widened, locking gaze with Thoth. He wasn't surprised by the god's appearance, but it was the fact that he couldn't feel his aura at all until he revealed himself. "…Are all Egyptian gods like that?"

Thoth chuckled. "If you meant us having the head of animals, no. You see this with Isis and Bastet. Though if you meant our ability to stay hidden…yes. We are an ancient pantheon who have roamed the divine realm ever since the beginning of mortal civilization, hiding and changing forms are one of our main specialties."

"That's why I said it's near impossible to find Ra." Bastet sighed with a shake of her head. "Compared to the king, our powers are nothing but specks of flames. Ra is the entire sun, if he wants to disappear from every realm in reality, then none of us will be able to find him."

Thoth nodded. "Indeed, not even Heimdall has the power to find someone such as His Majesty."

"…Your point?" Theodore raised an eyebrow at the wisdom god. There has to be something more to this. If not, why would Isis call him out here?

Thoth seemed to be smiling, though it was hard to tell from looking at his unmoving beak. "I suppose even serpents are wise in their own ways. We don't need to know His Majesty's exact location. We can deduct based on the little pieces of clues we have."

Isis crossed her arms and nodded, smiling with satisfaction. "Mhm, now then. Care to share some ideas?"

Bastet answered first. "Allies…Since Olympus' hierarchy is destroyed, he might aim for other pantheons like the Norse or the Hindu."

The top three most powerful temples were Norse, Egyptian, and Greek. The Hindu and Chinese pantheon were fourth and fifth. Surprisingly the Norse were extremely powerful. When comparing different pantheons, one must consider their innate traits and specialty. If the Egyptians excelled in hiding, the Greeks were very fast and informative, they essentially receive news before any other pantheons and can choose to hide or even manipulate information if needed.

What about the Norse? Their main strength is power and magic. They're very formidable, even more than the Egyptians. Isis pales in comparison to Freya or Hel despite not being goddesses of magic, if she were to go up against Odin, she would lose in only a few exchanges of spells.

That's just scrapping at the surface, Thor has enough strength to go up against multiple gods of different pantheons. He can brute strength his way through even the most powerful of magics, losing to only the All Father himself.

If Theodore's enemy was Thor instead of Ra, he would only have a fifty percent chance of winning, though that's only if Thor isn't in a descention form.

'The true strongest pantheon is actually Eden…although they don't participate in the struggle of power so their ranking isn't official.' Theodore gained all the information after becoming the Executioner. They were basic knowledge all citizens of the divine world should know.

Thoth grazed the underside of his beak with his fingers and hummed. "That is a possibility…though which of the Norse would collaborate with a criminal? Even Loki wouldn't take the risk of joining hands with Ra."

"The World Serpent, perhaps?" Bastet tilted her head. "The Serpent is already imprisoned in a sense, working with a criminal wouldn't make much of a difference for it."

"That's…a little unlikely." Theodore shook his head. "I've already beaten Jörmungandr once, Ra wouldn't think of joining hands with a potential deadweight. His goal is to take over the human world and he can't do that while in his true form. Of course, we shouldn't neglect the potential completely."

"A clash of serpents, how intriguing." Thoth chuckled. "Anyhow…Might I suggest my own opinions?"

"Go ahead."

"Knowing His Majesty's temperament…He might not be anywhere near the divine realm." Thoth looked at Theodore. "Since the Executioner is looking for him here…escaping elsewhere would be wisest."

Theodore frowned. Where would Ra go? Not counting the Norse's Nine Worlds, there's only three realms: Heaven, Human, and Hell. The gods of the underworld are just and fair, they wouldn't listen to personal requests of other beings, even if they are the King of the Gods.

The only viable options were Heaven and the Human world. But if Ra's trying to run from Theodore…He wouldn't be anywhere near him.

"Humans…" His eyes widened the moment the thoughts crossed his mind. Immediately, he opened a portal behind him. "I have to go right now."

"Theodore?" Isis frowned. "What's wrong? What about—"

He didn't say anything. He didn't have time. Theodore sprinted to the portal and was about to pass through when—

'THUD!'

"What the f*ck?" He brought his hand up to his stinging forehead. What happened? Why couldn't he use the portal? He frowned and turned towards the gods behind him.

All of them looked just as surprised as he was. Thoth stepped forward and lightly tapped the portal. 'Thud, thud.' It sounded like a brick wall. "Hm? It seems that the gateway is closed from the otherside."

Theodore readied his fist and punched the portal as hard as he could, although nothing happened at all, it didn't even create a shockwave. "Damn it! Is it Ra? Can he do this?"

Isis tapped her chin with a frown. She nodded after thinking for a moment. "Yes…but doing so would—"

"AHHH!"

Everyone's attention turned to the scream. Bastet was the first to move but she suddenly collapsed after taking a few steps. "Ack!"

"Bastet? What happ—" Isis fell onto her knees soon after. She tightly clutched at her chest, gritting her teeth in pain.

Thoth looked towards the palace as more pained cries erupted from within. "…His Majesty has really gone mad."

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'Step.'

The wooden platform creaked underneath his weight. Each step getting softer and softer until he reached the broken asphalt floor. His golden eyes looking ahead and swept across the scene of mayhem: Burning buildings and the blaring noise of cars came from his left. Water shot out and spilled from a burst fire hydrant. The thick stuffy air carried the smell of blood and smoke wherever it went.

The normals and the awakens were helping each other clean up the scene. Chatting and joking among each other to lighten the mood after the crisis. He narrowed his eyes at the sight. How dare they laugh at the death of his kin?

Ra's gaze moved to the front. A few dozen meters away were four figures, each one of them holding out their weapons and glaring at him with pure hatred in their eyes. He should've been the one to make that look, although he remained calm with his hands resting behind him.

The solar barque retreated its plank and floated upwards, disappearing a moment later with a flash of gold. Ra looked around again, as if checking his surroundings. "…Which one of you did it?"

None of the four answered. None even moved. As if they weren't living people in the first place.

"I asked…" Ra spoke through his gritted teeth and a powerful gale of hot air bursted from his form. It rippled the atmosphere and struck at the four. They stumbled from the impact but managed to hold their ground. "Which one of you dares to kill my daughter?"

"It wasn't even us, dumbass." Mammon muttered loud enough for only his teammates to hear.

Ra extended his palm and magic circles appeared on the ground between him and the group. They gleamed like newborn embers, looking to spark a bigger, much more powerful flame. In mere seconds, an army of Egyptian soldiers rose from the circles. Their armors shining under the light beneath them, their weapons radiating the animosity of their wielders.

The soldiers' dead eyes shimmered with life as their roars shook the earth. Unlike before, Ra's army didn't look like undead: they retained a human appearance but their skin was translucent and glowing softly.

"I will finish what Sekhmet has started," Ra flicked his extended wrist and instantly his army dashed forward, screaming and howling the name of their king. "I will burn the human world to ashes!"

Merlin released the arrow between his fingers, letting it fly though the aura of flames. But as expected, it burned away in almost an instant. The hoard of crazed fighters unfazed by the attempted attack. They continued to rush forward with no signs of slowing down. He frowned and turned to his friends. "What's the plan!?"

"…Just fight!" Mammon roared and lunged forward, letting his demonic powers encase his body. The orange smoke wrapped around his limbs, growing to match the imposing aura around him. The lump of pure dark energy expanded and dispersed, and revealed a gigantic dragon.

'ROARRR!!' The Dragon of Avarice's thunderous cries halted the army's movements, though they soon resumed their march a second later. This would prove to be a mistake though, as Mammon opened his jaw and breathed a dark orange fire onto the ants beneath him.

The painful cries of the dead rang throughout the battlefield. Asmodeus chose this moment to join. She stepped forward, one hand emitting smoke from gripping a holy weapon while the other readied her whip. "Merlin, shoot whoever passes through."

Without waiting for an answer, Lust dragged the blade across her chest. As blood ran down her tattered clothes, her eyes and mouth widened into a grin. She laughed while jumping into the middle of the enemy's circle, wildly whipping anything that got close to her. A demon king's sheer strength alone was enough to completely cleave the enemies in half with each strike.

Merlin glanced at Eugene. The werewolf was panting heavily, but despite his injuries, he'd managed to stand on his own. "Are you okay?"

"I…I can fight for a bit."

"Leave this up to the demon kings, you will die if you go in with them right now."

"I know…"

Without looking, Merlin nocked an arrow and shot a soldier that'd gotten past Asmodeus' psychotic rampage. Before the entirety of the arrow burned away, there was enough time until the head disappeared, a small shrapnel to the heart or brain could kill them in an instant.

'They're like ghosts…but they aren't intangible.'

"Hm? So this is your strength." Despite being far apart, Ra's calm voice managed to reach the other end of the battlefield. "How pathetic, I was wary for no reason."

'Click!'

Ra raised his hand and snapped his fingers. At that moment, time seemed to have stopped. All attention shifted towards the sky, where a large object flew in front of the sun: a boat glimmering like a star, shining brightly despite being the middle of day.

"What…What is that?" The others watching from afar slowly stepped back, their necks craning to stare wide-eyed at the object in the sky. None would get the chance to say another word though as a sudden burst of heat surged from the air, lighting trees on fire and melting the asphalt road.

Normal humans couldn't withstand the intense heat. Their bodies combusted and slowly burned away until not even ash remained. In mere seconds, pandemonium broke.

The solar barque rippled, a low humming of power deafened all the screams. The edges of the boat moved like reality around it was shifting. Its light radiated even brighter than before and soon the second sun outshone the first.

Ra's laughter ran throughout the field, he was the only one able to speak under the immense pressure of the solar barque's howling. He spread his hands wide and shouted in a booming voice. "Behold! This is the power of a Sun God! I will eclipse your sun for the rest of eternity and plunge this realm into eternal hell!"

The frozen Egyptian soldiers suddenly sprung back to life, although they didn't continue their attack. They turned around and knelt to Ra, lowering their heads and dropping all weapons, the clanging muted yet auditable. "ALL HAIL HIS MAJESTY."

Merlin looked at the demon kings, who did nothing and stared at Ra, their expressions unknown from where he was standing. He turned to Eugene and instantly his eyes went wide. "Eugene!"

The werewolf had returned to his human form. Eugene laid on his side, breathing heavily as sweat soaked his entire figure. His eyes were squeezed shut and no matter how hard Merlin shook him, he didn't stir at all. "Eugene! Wake up!"

If it weren't for his past injuries, Eugene would've had no problem fighting under the intense heat. Even Merlin could handle it easily, so there was no way a Beastman couldn't.

"Asmodeus!" Merlin called for the demon king and she turned around, the effects of her skill were gone.

She briefly glanced at Eugene and looked back at Merlin, though she didn't say anything and merely shook her head. Merlin lowered his hand. He couldn't tell, but was she trying to tell him to give up? "What are you—"

"No time to talk!" Mammon's fierce roar broke through the deafening silence. He spread his wings and sprung into the air, diving towards Ra at a speed unseeable by a normal human. His agility didn't match his current size.

The sun god frowned and swatted the air in front of him, immediately an invisible blast of power struck Mammon's side and flung him off trajectory. The dragon cried out in pain and crashed onto the ground, the force shaking the earth just as much as his mighty howls.

"I hate reptiles..." Ra growled under his breath.

Asmodeus still didn't move from her spot. She looked at where Mammon had landed and instantly shifted her focus back to Ra. Her furrowed brows stopped the trickling sweat running down her forehead. Her lips thinned into a straight line. How can they win against a god? She racked her brain for any sort of answer, but she found none that was plausible.

Merlin gritted his teeth. "Fine, at least one of us has to do something."

He stepped forward and shouted at the top of his lungs. He couldn't hear his own voice over the boat's persistent humming. "Aren't you scared of what would happen if the divine world sees you? You'll end up like Sekhmet!"

Ra clenched his fist, his pupils shaking as he glared at Merlin. "I will not bow to the authority of a false ruler. My Sun blocks all prying eyes! I shall never be discovered even by the Norse's Watcher himself!"

Ra opened his palm and summoned another magic circle. It spun in his hand like a pedal dancing with the wind. Its golden he pulsated, mimicking the image of a beating heart.

'VOONMMM'

The sun god's aura—no, the magic circle's ambience changed. Its colors drained away, replaced with a sinister pitch black. The thumping stopped, going dead still as if its life had been drained from it. The feeling of warmth dispersed and an uncanny aura came in its place. One look casting an unknown fear down one's spine.

"God of Death, torment these sinful souls under my domain of endless light."

A low growl echoed from within the shadows. It was everywhere. Behind. In front. To the sides. No one could pinpoint where exactly the noise had come from. None of them had the time to figure out the answers. A mass of black rose from the magic circle and formed into the shape of a humanoid.

His entire body was seemingly made from the darkest substance. He has the distinctive head of a jackal, and a pair of purple, lifeless eyes glowing from within the sockets.

Anubis, while his form radiates the air of death and fright, he appeared to be…missing something.

That wouldn't be important right now though. Anubis held out his hands, summoning similar dark magic circles that spanned over the sky and ground.

And then he spoke.

[Death…reigns…over…all.]

A surge of power expanded outwards, reaching everyone alive enough to feel its sinnister and cold touch. Any regular human unfortunate enough to survive Ra's mighty sun would die instantly from hearing the god's words. Even the awakens couldn't fully withstand it and their ears bled, the lower ranks collapsed and gasped for air as they would feel their internal organs squeezing from within.

Asmodeus stepped back until she was standing next to Merlin. The archer was relatively fine apart from the fact that he was wincing from the pain in his bleeding ears. "Tongue of the Divine…Something's wrong, a god can't exert this much power in the human realm."

"They can't see what's going on here either." Merlin bit his lips. "Theodore…we need to hope that he comes back."

It'd not even been an hour since Theodore had left, and now humanity was faced with an extinction-level calamity. Anubis' magic circles sparked with immense power and thousands of undead beings emerged from them. Some were humanoid and some wore the skin of monsters. Both the air and ground became contaminated with threats of A rank and above.

"What do we do…?" Merlin looked at his bow. Its clear purple gems reflecting his dread back to him. A complete loss. He didn't know what to do: He didn't know if he 'could' do anything at all.

[…Eh? You're not the one I was looking for.]

A glimpse of hope shone within the dark.