A gray mist rose from the earth, gradually enveloping the battlefield.
It was the aura of "death." feared by all living things.
Yet, strangely, the deathly mist here differed from what Alaric had sensed above that island.
While both carried the essence of "withering" And "finality." This battlefield's gray mist wasn't cold or sinister, nor did it silently sap the vitality of the living.
Instead, it was serene, spreading quietly like a requiem or an unfolding ink painting.
Clop, clop...
From the thick fog, a purple silhouette approached, her form flickering in and out of view.
She stood within the mist imbued with the concept of "death." Silent and still.
The fog veiled her entirely, obscuring her face from mortal eyes.
But what did that matter? Everyone knew who she was... all Celts on this island had heard her name and the tales of her legendary life.
The most ancient of human heroes, the first to raise a spear against the gods. A legend who, as a mortal, stepped into the divine realm, reigning as queen over the shadowed land that welcomed only the dead and their souls, the sole living being in that realm of death.
By comparison, her later deeds seemed trivial... merely training the most renowned hero in Celtic history.
[Scáthach].
Her name was a legend among legends, even in heroic tales.
To think that, in this twilight of the Age of Gods when mystery was fading, one could still behold this iconic figure.
... Or, put another way:
"Old lady, this isn't your era anymore."
"Why aren't you staying in your underworld instead of stirring trouble in the mortal world?"
The white dragon in the sky glared down at the goddess, his azure eyes blazing with radiant light.
Coincidentally, at that same moment, the goddess on the ground looked up... her wine-red eyes meeting the supreme being above, gleaming with eager anticipation.
"Wait…"
Sensing something, Artoria reached out, trying to stop this utterly inexplicable conflict.
But it was too late.
Boom...
Though the true battle had yet to begin, a clash of domains had already silently commenced.
The god ruling the world of the living and the goddess reigning over the world of the dead... in this waning Age of Gods, these might be the last two deities left, now waging a true "War of the Gods."
[Sanctuary Deployment].
In the mortal world, the white light spewed from the dragon's maw intertwined with the red light fired from Scáthach's spear, creating a spectacle of clashing beams.
On the reverse side of the world, from the massive island surrounded by black waters, a torrent of deathly mist surged forth. Like a stampede of countless galloping horses, it raced toward the world of the living.
Sensing danger, Alaric swiftly shifted to his [White Spirit Dragon] form, spreading his white protective power across the fairy realm to halt the deathly mist's invasion.
... But he couldn't.
His authority was incomplete; he wasn't truly the "God of the Mortal World." Half of this island's mysteries still lay in the hands of the White Dragon King, Vortigern. With only half that power, he couldn't counter the complete might of the Underworld Goddess.
His pure white protective force could only resist powers below divine level. Against the deathly mist that seemed capable of swallowing the entire world, it could merely slow the invasion, watching helplessly as the once-vibrant land was gradually overtaken.
"White Dragon, danger!"
Though the dragon in the sky hadn't called for aid, and the red-and-white beams still clashed without a victor, Artoria, who had raised this dragon from a hatchling, sensed his dire situation instinctively.
"I have to help him!"
With that resolve, the Chosen King unhesitatingly swung her holy sword. The sun's radiance erupted, golden power joining the battlefield of this divine war, instantly turning it into a two-against-one fight.
The battlefield's dynamics seemed to shift decisively.
Yet Scáthach remained unfazed.
In fact, quite the opposite... when she saw the solar power join the fray, the gleam in her eyes grew even more excited.
"Oh?"
"Interesting... "
Feeling the two forces beginning to overpower her, Scáthach calmly adjusted her stance.
She had been wielding her spear with both hands, but now her left hand relaxed, holding the dark red magical spear with only her right.
In her now-free left hand, another magical spear appeared.
Raising her left arm slightly, a second beam of light shot from the spear... its target, the Red Dragon King on the ground.
"It's over!"
"It's the twin-spear old lady form!"
…
This was a battle that began beyond anyone's expectations but ended as all foresaw.
Against two of the mightiest beings in the mortal world, the Underworld Goddess single-handedly suppressed them both.
... Yet no one would say her opponents were weak.
They would only say Scáthach was too strong.
She was, after all, the ruler of the world of the dead, the legendary god-slayer!
In the thriving Age of Gods, when deities roamed freely, countless gods fell by her hand.
Now, in this twilight of the divine era, defeating a god and a king... what was so surprising about that?
... Even Scáthach herself thought so.
She acknowledged the potential of this god and king. Perhaps one day they could stand as her equals… but not today.
Now, both Alaric's and Artoria's powers were incomplete. To Scáthach, these two, invincible in mortal eyes, were merely children yet to fully mature.
A battle-hardened warrior defeating two children wielding wooden swords... what was strange about that?
With this in mind, Scáthach prepared to increase her magical output, aiming to decisively defeat these overconfident youths before returning to her palace for a well-deserved rest, concluding her mortal world visit.
But then.
"Lord God... "
Against all expectations.
On a battlefield meant only for gods and monsters, an "ordinary" figure appeared.
A lithe woman, wielding a curved blade, charged into the Underworld Goddess's domain.
Everyone thought she'd die... but in the next moment, a faint white light glowed around her. This thin barrier not only shielded her but illuminated the gray mist surrounding her.
"I'm here to aid you!"
***
Hi guys, I just wanted to let you know that I'm currently working on a new fanfic, so if you like this one, you should definitely check that one out too:
[Saint Seiya: The Lord of the Underworld (Multi-Cross)]
Hades.
The Lord of the Underworld and one of the Three Sovereign Gods of the Greek pantheon is among the most powerful deities to ever exist.
It is said that He was the strongest of the Three Sovereign Gods, and that Zeus holds the throne of the heavens only because He allowed it to happen, because He lacking of ambition and valuing the balance of the world above all else.
But what if this time, the title of Lord of the Underworld had changed hands, and inherited by someone whose ambition is as vast as the waters of the sea?
Chaos!
This is the story of an ordinary human who through both luck and misfortune inherits the title and responsibility of the Lord of the Underworld.
Yet there is a fundamental difference between the Lords of the past and the present.
Ambition!
It is in human nature to possess ambitions that can reach the stars, and because of this once-in-a-lifetime chance, he will not let the opportunity slip away to expand his dark and somber dominion, making it as bright as the sky and as deep as the ocean.
---
This is a multiverse fanfic that focuses on journeys to worlds other than Saint Seiya.
Saint Seiya, Nasuverse, Dragon Ball, Campione, Re:Zero, Date A Live, Genshin Impact, Akame ga Kill, Kimetsu no Yaiba, Overlord, No Game No Life, Marvel, DC, Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Pokemon, Fate, Danmachi, and etc.