"Origin Wolf, I started forging these for you a long time ago now. Take them, even if only as a symbol of approval for the actions you're about to take."
In Hephaestus' hands, was a box, lined with a protective coating, a pair of gauntlets, and greaves, armlets, and open fingered-gloves… it was equipment made especially for him. It brimmed with a borderline divine favor.
Shurry smiled, inspecting the equipment.
"These are wonderful. They might actually last long enough to survive my strength…"
He put on one of the armlets with a smirk.
"It's good. This won't break easily. I'll do my best to beat him up, and keep these intact."
The sense of shock at both the items, and the incredible boldness of his words, silenced the room.
"You should have a tough time breaking these. I made them with the intent to last, and with this many gods in agreement, Tenkai would never allow Erebus to pursue any action against your soul-"
"Lady Hephaestus, I do not fear him. Even in Tenkai I'd fight and kill him."
Shurry's bold remark made some gods laugh with hysteria.
"He really said that?! Ahahaha! Tenkai doesn't have the same restrictions as here."
"Oh, I guessed as much. But you see, I don't plan on dying any time soon. I have far too much left to avenge. A path I'll begin on now. Ouranos, give me the numbers."
Ouranos began speaking… When he finished, Shurry sighed.
"I wonder, will my stamina hold out that long…"
Al, one who'd been dragged into the fold by his odd need to keep an eye on Ais, finally spoke up with a question of his own.
"Origin Wolf?"
"Hmm? What is it, Al-"
Shurry stopped, realizing that the boy who spoke looked so much like Alraj, however, Al thought he was simply addressed while the most powerful was preparing for battle.
"What is it you plan to do?"
"Huh? I guess not many would know." Why does this guy look so much like Alraj, he even smells like a mix of him and… Wait, this guy is what, 14-15? Bell should be 7-8 years old right now. What's going on with this? I'll ask Mother about it later… "I plan on killing Erebus, as many times as the number of mortals he is responsible for killing. This is the only way to ensure that he is properly punished."
"Why's that?"
"Do you think that everyone here would be satisfied just sending him back to Tenkai, after all of this devastation?"
Al looked around.
"There's a chance-"
"No, there's not. I guarantee you that there's gods who agree with me. I'm wearing proof of that right now."
"So, why do you do this?"
"Because, I am the only one who can. If I don't, who will? The lovers, and families separated by the grave, their sorrow, it's one only time can heal."
"But then why-"
"Can anything grow without nutrients?"
"No?"
"How about without a seed?"
"No?"
"Time is the nutrients. Relief is the seed. Out of everyone here, I am the only one strong enough to attempt this. So I must be the one to carry this suffering through the finish line, to acquire this relief."
Al remained quiet, he was trying to understand what was happening.
"They call you-"
"Hero?"
"Yeah…"
"I don't see myself as one. However, I will still do what I can to fill the role. Admittedly I'm a bit selfish, I want to kill Erebus, because he ordered the death of my wife, and the baby we had on the way. A baby I'll never see now. He robbed me of my kin. As the alpha of my pack, this is an affront I can not tolerate. And even less so as a father, a wolf, and a man. So, be it a man, monster, demon, or yes, even a god. I'll kill them. To protect what I hold dear, and avenge those that I've lost."
"That's-"
"A hero? No, a hero is someone who, despite the odds, despite the pain, they are a humble person that achieved a great feat. I have yet to do that. I'm just a furious wolf."
Shurry explained, as he started to walk away, towards the fight he never wanted, but now must face, and win.
"If this makes me a hero in the eyes of others, so be it. But that's not why I'm doing this."
He waved to those behind him.
Every single god there knew that he was lying. He was doing this to let the fallen rest in peace… The act of a hero, the story of a man, killing a demon god.
Erebus, recovering a slight bit now, and looked on as his challenger approached.
"You really think you have what it takes to fight a god? Laughable! Arrogant mortal!"
Erebus' aura of darkness flared up, and he pushed himself to the limit. Accidentally going just above his limits, before going back down to avoid leaving Gekai. A shift that Shurry could see.
"Thanks for that, now I know just how badly I can beat you, before you'll be sent back. Now, I'm going to avenge the death of all the mortals. I'll leave the 20 gods you killed to take care of you in Tenkai. I don't want to give anyone a reason to come after me."
"Oh, but you already have. You've already impeded the will of a god, but that wasn't enough for you. You're planning on committing the ultimate taboo! Killing a god!"
"You calling yourself a god is the sin here. How dare you claim to be Mother's kin! You're nothing alike! You're a demon masquerading as a god!"
"HOW DARE YOU!"
Erebus fired a blast of dark arcanum towards Shurry.
"DIE!"
Shurry caught the ball of arcanum, inspected it, and sighed.
"This really won't be easy."
With a blast from his mouth the dark ball was forced up into the sky, exploding high up in the sky, far enough away there was just a powerful gust of wind.
He leapt from the ground, telegraphing a punch, and…
"Ha! Fool! I can see what you're planning on doing."
Erebus goaded, as he prepared to block the punch. But what happened instead was a kick right across the jaw, spinning the evil god's head around. 5 times it spun.
The power this kick held had actually killed Erebus for a moment. However…
"Huh? FUCK THAT HURT! Why am I still here?"
"I wonder why?"
Shurry smirked. Seems like those three really are making this a whole lot easier, suppressing his ability to return like this. Mother said it was one of her lovers in Tenkai, then Grandpa Zeus's other half, and some old know-it-all? Right?
"How's it feel? Dying, that is?"
"Why am I here, if I was killed?"
Erebus tried to bluff his way through it. It wasn't working so, a mid-air brawl began…