Chapter 217 - (217) Gods And Dragons

All around the world, heads began to turn and look toward this new source of power.

The few Demons who managed to gather were stunned. They heatedly discussed the implications.

Some felt that this must have been the birth of this timeline's first Tier 9 creature. Some others believed that Asmodeus himself had managed to break into this timeline.

In a dark cavern, somewhere deep below where the Phugtal Monastery once stood, a strange creature was roused from a deep slumber. Its head turned and looked toward the source of this strange disturbance.

Somewhere in the west, an ancient power was awakening. The creature rose and stretched its stiff muscles. Its actions caused the entire cavern to shake.

'How long hassss it been?'

The creature looked down into the small pond next to which it had been sleeping. This pond was one of the few sources of Mana left on Earth.

Its reflection showed in the bright blue water. Its body looked like that of a Human man, its height being just over seven feet.

The man looked down at his body. The scales that made up his skin were covered in thousand-year-old dust and grime. 

'To think that the Great Vritra hasssss been pushed to thissss.'

Many thousands of years ago, the "God" Indra had attacked the great Dragon, driving him into hiding. All because Vritra had stolen some of their precious liquid Mana.

The self-named "Gods" had slaughtered many ancient creatures for trying to gain a bit of power for themselves. The Gods had finally caved in and separated the worlds, taking most of the energy out of reach of the other Races.

Vritra was one of the many who didn't participate in the war against the Gods. Indra had injured him too deeply, and he'd been in hiding all this time.

When the seal was placed, Vritra was forced into a deep slumber. There wasn't enough Mana on Earth for a creature like him to survive.

Vritra spread his senses out, finding that the cavern and Mana pool before him had expanded to ten times their original size.

'I sssssee... the ssseal hasss sstarted to break.'

A large grin flared on the scaled man's face, the thick dust and dirt cracking at the edges. Vritra stepped into the pool of Mana, using his control to circulate the liquid and clean off the ancient filth from his body.

Soon, his eyes that were once welded shut fluttered open. Bright yellow eyes with slit pupils looked into the distance.

A forked tongue slithered from its dry mouth as it spoke for the first time in many millennia.

"I'll have to thank that kid for waking me... but firsssst, I have other mattersss to tend to."

*****

Many similar instances occurred worldwide as the burst of power woke these ancient beings. One specific being looked toward the source with great interest.

She had witnessed many of the Demon's Bloodline Awakening Trials in her time, but she'd never felt anything like this. The amount of power was suffocating, even from here.

The woman looked across the world, staring at the strange man and his companions. They were weak but seemed to have much more potential than Humans should have had.

'What Demon would waste its power to awaken the Bloodline of a Human?'

The situation didn't make any sense. The Races may have joined together against the Gods many thousands of years ago, but Demons always hated Humans.

'This Human doesn't have a trace of Demon's blood. So why...?'

A Demon would have to drop down an entire Tier just to provide the energy for an awakening trial. No Demon would do that unless it were for a direct descendant.

The Bloodline Awakening Trials used to be held every decade. A Higher Demon would sacrifice one Tier's worth of Demonic Energy to create a powerful creature.

The young contestants in the trial would fight to the brink of death. They would be rescued just before the last of their life energy faded.

Depending on how long they lasted or how much damage they did to the creature, a certain amount of potential would be unlocked.

She'd only witnessed two Demons who'd managed to kill the creature in their trial, and they grew to be entities that could rival the Gods.

This Human's aura was just as powerful, if not more, than those two. 

*Sigh*

"This human will need guidance."

Apate looked at the scene with pity. Whoever the Demon was could have at least stuck around to make sure the trial had ended well.

She floated into the skies and looked at the world below her.

'It's much smaller than it was in my time. My brothers and sisters really took everything worth taking.'

She shook her head sadly. Apate had never agreed with the way the Gods treated the other Races.

Resources were meant to be shared by all, not hoarded by a select few. She had been chased away and almost beaten to death but managed to find a safe place to hide.

The Gods then spread her name as a being of deceit, causing her life to be a constant struggle. When she heard about the Gods splitting the world, she'd found a place to hide away from their senses.

Similar things had happened to many of the Gods or Goddesses that were thought poorly of. In fact, those were the only ones that attempted to help the other Races.

Most were dead, but there were still a few that had ended up in other worlds. Apate had been living all of this time in the world of the Undead.

"Hmm..."

She looked in another direction.

"It seems that one of the Dragons has remained on the Human planet this whole time."

She spread her senses around the planet.

"Four... Six... Nine... It looks like only nine of the higher Races managed to hide away before the split. But what are these other creatures..?"

She could sense small groups of Demons, Beasts, and a Race that she didn't recognize. All of these creatures were much more powerful than the others on the planet.

'It looks like the seal has only broken for a few of the weaker planets. So why are there so many creatures above Tier 4...?'