Chapter 969 - 968: The Gods Convene

The Storm Lord laughed so loudly that the recording became difficult to hear.

Above the table, Blackmoon drove the God of War through a mountain. The image shook, cleared, and caught the demon drawing back his fist.

"Go back," the Storm Lord said. "I missed that."

"You didn’t miss anything."

"You’re right. I want to see it again."

Iron-grey light flared around the God of War. Spears turned within it, their points aimed across the table.

Six gods had attended the meeting in their true bodies, though none had revealed their appearance. The Storm Lord occupied a mass of blue cloud threaded with lightning. He belonged to the Iron Pantheon, as did the god he was openly laughing at.

Their pantheon had required the God of War to attend. His written account had left the others with questions he would rather not answer.

"Enough," said the God of Light.

White-gold radiance filled his seat. Beside him, silver chains surrounded the Keeper of Oaths. They represented the Dawn Pantheon and had called this gathering.

The two remaining gods belonged to neither pantheon. Violet funeral lamps concealed the Lady of Graves, while the Keeper of Ashes sat within a dim orange glow. Nobody else had been invited.

The recording stopped.

"We need to decide what to do with Blackmoon," the God of Light continued.

"Kill him," said the God of War.

The Lady of Graves chuckled.

"You must have said that before chasing him. What went wrong?"

"My chosen couldn’t withstand more of my power," the God of War shamelessly said.

"And whose decision was it to keep fighting in that body?"

The spears around the God of War began to turn toward her.

"Mine. Are we finished?"

"Not quite. How did you get away?"

"My chosen’s sister exchanged places with him before the blade landed. I took the opportunity to reach a temple."

"So she died saving you."

"She saved her brother."

"And you happened to be inside him. How fortunate."

The Storm Lord laughed again.

"Next time, ask her to fight the demon for you."

"She’s dead, you bastard."

"Then you’ll have to find someone else."

A silver chain struck the table.

"Leave the girl out of it," the Keeper of Oaths said. "We came here to discuss Blackmoon."

The God of Light changed the recording. These images had been gathered from surviving observation artifacts on Earth. None showed what had happened during Blackmoon’s absence in the Demon Realm.

They had not been interested in the battle below, and even when the God of War descended, they only glimpsed at why he descended before taking their gazes back due to lack of interest.

His precious Chosen died, and he wanted to protect his Chosen.

If they knew that such an interesting event was occurring on Earth, they would spent their powers to watch.

The demon called Blackmoon appeared above the Carpathian basin, black skin marked with ivory stripes. Four pale horns rose through his white hair, and six wings spread behind him. Black flames burned along his sword.

"An Uruqath," said the Keeper of Ashes.

He had not spoken until then.

The Lady of Graves examined the image.

"With Byakko blood."

"A Nine-tailed Byakko," the Storm Lord corrected. "Watch how space moves with the wind."

The image advanced. Crimson lightning travelled along Blackmoon’s wings as he accelerated.

The Lady of Graves brought one of her lamps closer.

"Both bloodlines are awakened? Completely?"

"Yes," said the Keeper of Ashes.

"How is he alive?"

For once, the Storm Lord offered no joke.

The Lady of Graves continued, "A humanoid Daemon and a Daemon beast of that quality, sharing one body? One bloodline should have consumed the other. Or killed him while trying."

"Yet he appears to control both," said the God of Light.

"Appears to," the Keeper of Ashes replied. "We don’t know what is holding them together."

The God of War’s weapons settled.

"You now understand why I want him dead."

"I understood before you arrived," said the Keeper of Ashes. "He has barely learned to use them."

The old god enlarged the image around the six wings.

"The Uruqath learn to move their true bodies within their greater manifestations, and their fire affinities were truly something to be wary of."

The God of Light studied the wings.

"What else?"

"The mature ones can shelter others inside those manifestations. I once saw an Uruqath carry its surviving clan through a siege that should have finished them. By the time they broke through, most had escaped."

The Lady of Graves turned toward the Storm Lord.

"What of the beast bloodline?"

"Have you ever tried to leave a Byakko’s hunting ground?"

"No."

"You can spend hours travelling in a straight line and return to the place you started. Their storms distort the space inside them. The older beasts learn to control where their prey can go."

Blue lightning crawled over the table.

"That boy is using wind to move faster and lightning to attack. There is a great deal he hasn’t discovered."

"Then why are we wasting time? Let’s kill him." the God of War demanded.

"Because someone taught him how to become this," said the God of Light. "I want to know who taught him how to become a Daemon when he was a demon initially."

The Keeper of Oaths spread several reports beneath the image.

"We have found no connection to The Abyss before this invasion. No known teacher from another hidden organisation in the demon realm either. He entered Earth as a recruit under Black Horn."

"Black Horn?" The Lady of Graves sounded incredulous. "They wouldn’t know where to begin for something of this caliber."

"Which is why we are looking elsewhere."

"Perhaps he found an inheritance."

"With instructions for combining those two bloodlines?" the God of Light asked. "And all the materials he would need, conveniently available while a god was pursuing him?"

The Lady of Graves considered that.

"Then he had help."

"Or he prepared it before entering Earth," said the Keeper of Oaths.

The recording changed again. Ironcrest Watchtower appeared behind its failing defences. Blackmoon had only one horn.

"He destroyed Sunshear in this state," the God of Light said. "A Supreme Archfiend. He killed the commander and broke their position before any of this happened."

"The sword helped," said the God of War.

"Was that all?"

"No."

The answer came reluctantly.

"His control was far beyond what I expected. So were his techniques. I wanted to find out where he’d learned them."

"And take the sword," the Lady of Graves added.

"Yes. I wanted the sword." The God of War said coldly.

The Keeper of Ashes leaned closer to the recording.

"Show the fire again."

The image returned to the mountains. Blackmoon caught an iron-grey axe with the Chaos Blade, and black flames rose along its crimson edge.

The orange light around the oldest god thinned.

"Do you recognise it?" the God of Light asked.

"I think I’ve seen it before."

"Where?"

The Keeper of Ashes watched the exchange again.

"I can’t remember."

The other gods waited.

"Was it an Uruqath’s flame?" asked the Lady of Graves.

"No. Somewhere else. Long ago."

He examined another frame, then dismissed it with an irritated sound.

"A recording isn’t enough."

"The flame damaged the power I was using," the God of War said. "The blade could cut through my weapons. Send someone expecting an ordinary demonic fire and you’ll lose them."

"Then we should take him alive," said the God of Light.

The God of War growled. He had made that same mistake and he had learned from it.

"No."

"We need his bloodlines, his knowledge, and that weapon. A corpse gives us considerably less."

"And a prisoner gives The Abyss a reason to become even more bold and annoying. And do not underestimate him. I did, and I ended up losing."

The Keeper of Oaths turned toward him.

"You’re certain Enigma was involved?" He asked, completely ignoring the God of War’s last words.

"He interfered with my pursuit. Whatever the boy was before, The Abyss will be interested in him now."

The Storm Lord spoke without laughing.

"I agree that we should act quickly. Have him captured before they take him somewhere we can’t reach."

"Who is capturing him?" the God of War asked.

"We have Demi-Gods."

"Choose carefully. And don’t send one alone."

"You think that highly of him?"

"Do you intend to ignore everything I just told you?"

The Storm Lord’s cloud thickened, but he offered no answer.

The God of Light drew the image back to the centre.

"I propose capture. His weapons are to be taken immediately. His abilities will be sealed, and no pantheon examines him alone."

"That last condition seems important to you," the Lady of Graves said.

"It should be important to all of us."

"And after you’ve learned what you can?"

The God of Light did not hesitate.

"Then we kill him."

"I want him dead in the worst way possible, and I want to be the one to do it," said the God of War.

"That can be discussed."

"It is being discussed."

The Keeper of Oaths raised a hand.

"No one has authorised an expedition yet."

The God of War turned toward him.

"Why call us here, then?"

"Because attacking The Abyss requires more than the agreement of six gods."

The silver chains drew together around the Keeper of Oaths.

"Enigma intervened openly. Other Daemons have been leaving their hiding places. If The Abyss considers Blackmoon one of theirs, taking him may bring us into conflict with far more than one child."

"Then deal with them too," the God of War said.

The Keeper of Ashes gave a dry cough.

"Have you asked HIM whether you may?"

The God of War said nothing.

The Storm Lord’s lightning withdrew from the table. Even the Lady of Graves brought her lamps back.

The Keeper of Ashes addressed the two gods presiding over the meeting.

The God of Light and the Keeper of Oaths glanced at one another.

"We can name prisoners and prepare executions all day. It means nothing if THEY forbid us to act."

"You already knew we had asked THEM how far we were permitted to go." said the God of Light.

"Then tell us the answer. What are we to do about The Abyss and these Daemons becoming bolder?"

The Keeper of Ashes waited.

"What did THEY say?"