Chapter 350 – The Gods Respond.

Chapter 350 – The Gods Respond.

"Well, there they go..." Kanato said as he watched Akagi fly away with a screaming Amakusa in toe. "The Demon Lord takes off on a journey to save the world..." He sighed as he pondered how absolutely stupid those words sounded.

{And meanwhile, the Heroes have been reduced to little more than pawns in either her or the Gods' plans. Though, is it a reduction when we were never anything else? The Gods never saw any real value in us and had no interest in seeing us become true Heroes...} (Kanato)

"Don't look so down, Hero. You might think that your current situation sucks but it's leagues better than the alternative." Zo shrugged as she put her hands behind her head. "Besides, if it's Boss, then things will be fine."

"Indeed." Ro nodded. "Compared to those idiotic and arrogant Gods, she's far and away much more amicable, and from what I've seen from her, she is likely far more trustworthy."

"I'm not sure I'd completely agree with that sentiment." Kanato replied. "Her 'trustworthiness' aside she fully intends to drag this world under her boot, and as we've seen she's more than happy to make people suffer to do it."

{I heard about what happened in Amdamell. Akagi... She went too far. There was no reason to launch an attack like that, though I suppose the brutality itself was the real purpose.} (Kanato)

“Hey, at least with Boss, you know where she stands." Ro commented. "A being like her just wants to be left alone, and I have no doubt that her idea of 'ruling' will boil down to little more than ensuring that people respect her." He figured that Akagi wasn't one to micromanage and was more interested in her own private life and personal enjoyment than anything else.

"Unlike mortals, or even Gods or Primordials actually, Boss seems to lack the single worst trait that one can have." Zo said as she turned to Kanato.

"And what's that?" Kanato asked.

"Greed." Zo answered.

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<Gale POV>

"What a fascinating display of power!" A well built man with short gray and black hair laughed as he watched a small 'recording' of Akagi's fight with the Twins. He, as well as Gale, a purple-haired woman, and a skull-faced man wearing flaming armor, were sitting around a table in Gale's domain as they watched a playback of the fight between the Demon and the twins. The woman had a deep scowl on her face, while the flaming man's expression showed neither interest nor apathy, though that was likely more because of his face lacking the ability to have expressions than anything else.

"Those two children put up a great fight against this Demon Lord, and I'm itching to test my mettle against her." The tanned man laughed loudly. As the God of War, Teiera was always looking for a good fight, and despite his misgivings about Demon Lords, seeing Akagi so easily handle both Ro and Zo got his nonexistent blood pumping.

{I hope she pushes me to my limits just like Vikes did! I've gotten even more powerful over these last four thousand years, and I'd love to see what she's capable of!} (Teiera)

"Don't go looking so excited, Tei. Need I remind you that this woman is out to not only kill us but to conquer our world." The Goddess of Magic Cheofla sighed. “You saw exactly what kind of being she is when she toppled the Amdamell government and sacked their Capital.

{His reaction is not surprising. This battle maniac would probably head down there right now to fight her one-on-one if Gale would approve it...} (Cheofla)

"Bah! It's in my nature to get excited when faced with a powerful foe!" Teiera laughed loudly. "I mean, would you tell ol' ugly over there to stop being so ugly? I mean, that's part of his identity!" He pointed to the flaming man seated across from him.

"Our stabilization efforts have produced marginal results, but it would be best for us to be ready to leave before we go risking such a move. I cannot garuntee this world will survive much longer after any significant disturbances." Cheofla was directly involved with the mass ritual to transport the Gods to Earth, though she was taking steps to delay things as per her secret agreement with Elariel.

"How long would we have if a group of us went down in force?" Teiera asked. “Could you buy us enough time to make it workable?”

"I can't answer that, but I would imagine that we'd shrink this world's time down to years." Cheofla answered. “It would probably be enough time to get things done, but that's going to be risk we need to be willing to take.”

"Not to mention that there's no guarantee that four of us would be enough to win." Gale murmured.

{Ideally, we'd fight her together as one group, but that would also open us up to defeat since that would probably require her to come up here. I suppose it may be necessary to break out my back up plan if things move in that direction, though I have no doubt that the others will oppose my efforts} (Gale)

“Oh well, its not like they're necessary.” Gale said under his breath before continuing. "Though... Now that I think about it..." Gale paused. "Perhaps we can plot an alternative course here." He looked between the three of them.

"What do you mean?" Teiera was puzzled, not seeing what kind of alternative path could exist when a Demon Lord was involved.. "The only path forward is to fight and destroy her, that's it."

"Perhaps, but I'd at least like to speak with her before we decide things." Gale's words took the other three Gods by surprise.

"You'd negotiate with a Demon Lord?!?" Cheofla nearly leaped out of her chair. "Gale! You know better than to think such a beast can be reasoned with!"

{What is this idiot thinking? Vikes might've been able to speak, but that crazy bastard had no interest in discussion! Demon Lords are born to destroy and that's all they are ever going to do!} (Cheofla)

"Such a move would be fraught with risks, and not just for you, Gale." Korex spoke up while folding his hands together. "I would advise against making any 'deals' with her. The look in her eyes tells me that she's dangerous, and I've got a feeling that she's no stranger to backstabbing."

{Not to mention that she comes across as someone who is unwilling to agree to demands made by those she finds inferior, a trait that we share.} (Korex)

"I understand your concerns, but I've devised a method that I think will protect me, and naturally I'm very wary about trusting her." Gale stood up and looked between the three of them. "Cheofla, Teiera. I'd like the two of you to begin preparations with the others for direct conflict with her. Use whatever methods are at your disposal to enable a group of us to descend without destabilizing the world too much. Meanwhile, Korex, I'd like you to take command of the situation on the ground and work toward guiding the different races together to aid in confronting her." He continued. "We cannot stand by and allow her to displace us, and I've already heard rumblings that people are believing us to be helpless in the face of her power." The last thing he or any of the Gods needed was for the people of Enoris to abandon them, either by choice or force. While they didn't need their faith to survive, a good deal of the Gods' power came from their ability to influence world events. Without mortals to bend to their whims, it would make enforcing their will more difficult, not to mention it could potentially sink their evacuation plan.

{Let's parley, Demon Lord. I've only ever met one of your kind before, and I hope that you are a bit more interesting than he was.} (Gale)

Spoiler

Cheofla!



Teiera!



Korex!



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