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"There are many ways to tell a story." "Nothing built can last forever as it is. And every legend, no matter how great, fades with time, and within each passing year, more and more details are lost…and more are added where the missing pieces are. In fact, the greater the legend, the more it is prone to changing throughout its different tellers, and that's how legend transcends into myth." "And when we tell a story, we never tell it the same way twice. So here's one way to tell the story…" <> [TAKAMAGAHARA – Realm of the Shinto Gods] The sun rose upon the heavens, its golden rays casting a warm morning light across a mountain range in the vast land of Takamagahara, lair of the mighty gods of Shinto. On a lonely peak, a small shrine stood. Its rustic walls were adorned with multiple cracks and the wooden parts of it were rotten, but yet, there was beauty in the abandoned building as nature reclaimed it for itself, moss and flowers grew freely upon the cracked walls and floor and multiple insects made their home in it, multiple spider webs converged upon the statue of a man in kimono with a straw hat who sat in a cushion at the back of the building. The peaceful scene was disturbed when a red rift suddenly opened in the grassy hill leading up to the shrine, and from it, two figures stepped out of it. The first was a very tall blonde woman clad in a royal red kimono with white edges who carried herself with elegance as she stepped forward. "Ugh….he really has not bothered to clean the place at all in the last one hundred thousand years," The woman said as an expression of distaste came to her face as she stared at the shrine. [AMATERASU – RULER OF THE SHINTO PANTHEON, 'Princess of Sunlight'] A tall man with long, flowing red hair and a heavily scarred face walked from the rift after her; he wore a waistcoat over a red shirt. "Let's not waste much time; this region is infested with wild Yokai." He stopped beside his companion. "…It feels weird to see you without any bodyguards trailing behind you" [LUCIFER – LEADER OF THE GODS' SIDE IN RAGNAROK, 'The Once Golden Angel'] Amaterasu side-eyed him while raising an eyebrow. "Please, I am visiting my father's house; there is no place in existence where I am safer." The princess pushed the doors to the shrine open, which proceeded to crumble and fall to the ground with a light shove, multiple bugs skittering away following that. "……he really hasn't been the same since Mom…" Amaterasu stopped herself before sighing as she entered the shrine, bending down so as not to bump her head against the roof. "Dad, we talked about this before; this is no way to live!" Lucifer stared at her for a moment with a look of utter confusion on his face. "…..Who are you talking to-" A loud cracking sound made the angel stop speaking, his head turning to look at the statue on the back of the building, its head having just moved. Slowly, the statue began to move, its limbs moving with unnatural mechanical movements as it stood up, the cobwebs and the dust covering it being shed with each move. The statue stood, now revealing itself to be a tall man with his face obscured by a straw hat and a fukumen mask. Now a sakura flower pattern could be seen adorning the kimono, although the pink colors were faded. [IZANAGI – SHINTO'S FIRST EMPEROR, 'Patron of Creation'] "……….." The pressure in the room increased as the god stood still, the very air itself feeling heavy. "AMY!" With a snap movement, the old god jolted forward and hugged his daughter, barely reaching her waist as he did. "It has been so long! You should visit more often! Have you been eating well? Do I have any real grandkids yet?" Amaterasu looked deeply uncomfortable as she was bombarded with questions. "I have a pantheon to run! Yes! And also yes! Just because they are adopted doesn't mean they are not real!" The goddess pinched the bridge of her nose before hugging Izanagi back. "…missed you too, Dad." Izanagi's head then once again snapped, turning to look at Lucifer. "And who may you be?" The angel bowed respectfully to the older deity. "Lucifer, once Heaven's General of the Angelic Army, and currently the reigning Demon King, it is a pleasure to meet-" "Never heard about you before." Izanagi cut him off with a sharp tone. "What is your relation to my daughter?" Amaterasu palmed her own face in frustration while Lucifer sighed. "Absolutely none, I can assure you of that, sir." He straightened his posture. "I can't blame you for failing to recognize my titles; my entire existence has been a speck in the grand scheme of your life, but I believe one might mean something to you: I am currently responsible for leading the gods in Ragnarok." Izanagi took a step back from his daughter and stared at the fallen angel. "We currently have the lead, as expected, but the last match was way too close for comfort…I need a guaranteed victory, an overwhelming one, and there is only one god I can think of that can guarantee that." The creator god clenched his fist as the pressure in the room began to increase once again. "…It took way too long to wipe off those *pests* from Midgard; they have been desecrating my beloved's creation for way too long…" Izanagi then bowed in turn to Lucifer. "I will fight for you, angel, and I thank you for the opportunity to honor my beloved…" "Please, the gratitude is all mine." The angel dismissed him with a handwave. "When is my fight due?" "This afternoon, about half a day from now" The old god nodded his head. "I see." His gaze returned to his daughter, who stood awkwardly beside him. "Well, until then, I shall celebrate! Amy! Order the chefs at the palace to make the grandest of feasts! I need to see all my babies again!" Izanagi said in a cheerful tone as he hugged his daughter once again, who sighed. <> [OLYMPUS – Realm of the Greek Gods] (Temple of Themis) "Honestly speaking? You guys really didn't need me for this," Said a man. He had a scarred face and wore a blue, long-sleeved ninja suit with black mesh underneath and black boots while wearing a red scarf, speaking while sitting casually on a chair. "After nearly a million years away, Izanagi suddenly comes back, and the entirety of Takamagahara is celebrating on the same day a new Round is going to happen….it is pretty obvious." [HATTORI HANZO – HUMANITY'S SPY FOR RAGNAROK, 'Greatest Shinobi in History'] "…Man, it still feels weird to talk about gods I grew up hearing stories about like this," He said as he stole a cookie from a jar on the table and began to eat it. Two women stood in front of him, one a tall woman clad in armor that concealed her toned frame, and another a short, smaller one who wore a dress and an eyeless metal mask over her face where her eyes were supposed to be. "…Well, things have gotten a lot more complicated," The taller woman said while she held her chin. "We knew he had Izanagi on his side, but…nobody has heard from Izanagi since his wife passed. At first, I almost thought having his name on the roster was just a bluff." [ATHENA – GODDESS OF WISDOM, 'Warrior of the Mind' ] "Anyhow, it was naive of me, but I was hoping we would have won Ragnarok before he fought….it is hard to think of anyone that could stand up to a god like him…" "Well, in cases like this, we just forget strategy and hit the panic button," The smaller woman said while crossing her chest and letting out a hopeless smile. "…Who is the weakest human we have on our side?" [THEMIS – HUMANITY'S LEADER IN RAGNAROK, 'Lady Justice'] "LADY THEMIS!" Athena spat out in shock while glaring at her. "That's no way to approach this fight! We can't go in assuming we are going to lose!" Themis sighed. "Fine, fine….if we are not sacking anyone, then…." The titaness stared down for a moment, crossing her arms while in thought. "Well, no human is beating Izanagi, that is for sure." Athena was about to say something until Themis spoke again. "But maybe…..another god could do something, or at least someone that used to be one." <> [TIAN – Realm of the Chinese Gods] In the territory of the domain designated for human souls, a man marched forward in a forest while dragging the body of a large mole-like reptile beast by its tail, as the sun began to set. The man, who carried a wooden bow and a quiver on his back, kept his black hair out of his face, tied into two neat buns. His bushy eyebrows, mustache, and goatee were all perfectly trimmed and orderly. The man wore simple clothes, a sleeveless tunic of aged blue tied at the waist by a red binder, the colors having also lost their luster to time. Coming from under his tunic, a bone white shirt covered his arms while his leather shoes fit snugly on his feet. An outfit showing its practicality with its longevity. [HOU YI – TIAN'S FORSAKEN CHAMPION, 'The Sun Slayer'] The man eventually reached a small town upon a clearing in the woods; his arrival was immediately noticed by the inhabitants, who began to gather around him. "He actually did it! He killed the Tulong that had been eating our crops!" "Look at him! He is not even harmed!" "He is just like a god!" The humans said in awe as they flocked to him. Hou Yi chuckled softly while brushing them off with a hand wave. "It was nothing, really; the hardest part was waiting for it to come out of its burrow." An elderly man stepped forward, seeming to be the leader of the community. "What do you wish for a reward? We don't have much to offer that could match your greatness, but-" The archer stopped him by putting a hand forward. "I am not greater than any of you, and there is no need to reward me. In fact, I brought the carcass of the beast here so you can either strip it for resources or eat it." Hou Yi crossed his arms while taking a moment to look at the body of the slain dragon, which dwarfed him. "I'm sure you can make quite a feast out of it." The people of the village began to cheer until Hou Yi turned his back to walk away. "W-where are you going!? Aren't you going to stay for the celebration?" A villager asked. Hou Yi stopped and smiled softly. "…I would love to, but I have places to be before the night falls…." <> The archer made his way towards a hut in a secluded area of the forest as the moon started to become visible in the sky. He entered the building and rested his bow and quiver against a wall after he closed the door. The interior of the house was almost as simple as the exterior, the wooden furniture being well made, but far from fancy. The only thing in the hut which truly would catch anyone's eye was a beautiful altar that rested against a wall with a vase of flowers and a plate of mooncake in it. Hou Yi knelt beside the altar. He took the vase and replaced the dead flower in it with an Osmanthus Flower. "Wherever you are, my beloved….I hope you are well….and happy if possible." He smiled softly. His quiet moment was interrupted, however, as the sound of something large landing and the neighing of horses became audible. Hou Yi stepped out of his house to see Athena tending to the Pegasus that pulled her chariot while Themis carefully descended from the vehicle. "Lady Athena, Lady Themis." The archer bowed before the two goddesses. Athena smiled and bowed back, while Themis didn't notice the gesture. "Is it my turn to go now?" "Yes, it is. Izanagi is going next, and I think you and Beowulf are the only ones who have a shot of lasting for more than a few minutes," Themis stated while crossing her arms. Hou Yi looked shook for a moment after hearing about the god he was going to fight, but he quickly composed himself and nodded his head. "I see." The man turned back to walk towards his hut. He then pulled over the rug on his floor to reveal a trapdoor, which he then opened and effortlessly lifted a large chest out of the compartment. The archer smiled nostalgically as he retrieved a beautiful, ornamented red bow from out of the chest. "I am ready." Themis smiled. "You seem pretty calm considering who you are going to face." "No matter who my foe is…" The once-god smiled as he turned towards his two guests. "I will fight for my kind" <> [RAGNAROK ARENA] Hours later, the skies had darkened as the moon began to rise. The arena was filled with gods and humans alike, as well as other races among them. There was a loud uproar of noise in a sizable chunk of the stands on the gods' side of the arena as the Shinto Gods cheered loudly and celebrated. "Gwahahaha! Man, I don’t think I ever saw the old man fighting besides some sparring sessions we had!" A tall and muscular man who had long navy blue hair with white streaks tied in a ponytail and a messy, unkempt beard shouted. [SUSANO'O – GOD OF STORMS, 'Tempestuous Blade'] "It is going to be awesome seeing him go all out!" Besides him, a much shorter god, clad in a dark colored hood and gi with his face obscured by a mask with a visage of a rabbit, shook his head with crossed arms while looking at the other god's attitude. "…" [TSUKUYOMI – DARKMOON BLADE, 'Amaterasu's Shadow'] "Come on, Omi, say something! Dad's finally back after eons! Say something!" Susano'o teased his younger brother. "Please, Sano, I believe our little brother is just mortified at your stench," Amaterasu said, unable to contain a small smirk at her sibling's antics. "HEY NOW! I will let you know that I bathe in the most crystal clear rivers and lakes every day!" Susano'o protested while laughing. As the children of Izanagi laughed and cheered together, one of them was notably missing. <> A red-haired man wearing a gi with flame patterns stood against a wall with his arms crossed in one of the colosseum's hallways that led directly to the arena where the two fighters were about to duel. The man was completely covered in deep, cicatrized scars, every inch of his body adorned with them. [KAGUTSUCHI – GOD OF FIRE, 'The Accursed Flame'] Kagutsuchi looked down nervously until he heard footsteps; his head turned to see Izanagi marching towards the battlefield. As Izanagi stared down at his son, the pressure in the room suddenly began to increase; the younger god shivered before weakly muttering, "…..Dad…." The pressure immediately turned back to normal. "….I…" Kagutsuchi faltered, unable to find the words, unsure of what to even possibly say. "I know the last time we met each other….it didn't go well….." He tried to look at his father's face to gauge their reaction, but the mask and the hat made that impossible to discern. "I wanted to…I wanted to apologise" "…For what?" Izanagi simply asked. Kagutsuchi raised their eyebrows. "For….." He became wordless again, before it finally came out exactly as he was thinking. "For being born." A silence fell between the two gods until the younger one started to sob. "I… I'm so sorry…..mom…I didn't mean to…I never wanted to…..If it wasn't for me, maybe she would still be here…Maybe-" Izanagi suddenly wrapped his arms around his son in a tight hug. "I'm the one who has to apologise for making you ever feel as if you were unloved." Kagutsuchi froze in shock for a moment, before finally blurting out. "What?! Y-you can't just…HUG ME after everything!" "My son….I didn't ask for your forgiveness….After your mom died, I was so struck by grief…So consumed by it, I became a fool, a complete and utter fool." Izanagi pulled away from the hug before bowing deeply to Kagutsuchi. "I sincerely hope you have it in your heart to forgive me, but if you don't, I will understand….but regardless of it, I will always love you." Kagutsuchi stood still; he tried to say something, but all that came out of his mouth were weak sobs. Izanagi gently put his hand on his son's shoulders while he stepped forward. "Go watch the match with your siblings. After I win, we will make up for the lost time." The creator god continued to walk forward towards the match, leaving his son standing in the hallway. <> The arena was a circular battlefield that was split in the middle by a small river and connected by a few bridges. Two temples, one of Japanese architecture and another of Chinese architecture, stood opposite each other at the edges of both sides, each connecting to a hallway. A straight patch of grassy plains filled the path between the two temples, and a large forested ring circled the arena. Two women stood on a bridge in the center of the arena, one with an athletic build and long blonde hair wearing a golden tank top with some silver stripes, while the other woman was more lean, her pale skin contrasting with the gothic, pure black overdress she wore; she wore her raven hair in a ponytail and had blood colored eyes. [NIKE – GREEK GODDESS OF VICTORY] [SANDRAUDIGA – NORSE GODDESS OF DEFEAT] ['Announcers of Ragnarok'] "GOODNIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Nike screamed at the top of her lungs through the microphone. "Thanks to a certain section of the crowd, we all already know who the fighter for the gods is, SO LET'S GET RIGHT INTO IT!" Spotlights shone from above into the Japanese temple. "Born in a dark land, before the very idea of the Heavens was even thought of, this god was one of the progenitors that built this realm!" Sandraudiga began to announce. "He and his other half, Izanami, survived the primordial chaos, claimed it as their own, and carved out their own empire from it!" Nike continued. "Amaterasu, the beautiful Sunlight Princess of Takamagahara! Susano'o, the Monster Hunter who slew the Yamata no Orochi! Tsukuyomi, the mysterious skilled assassin! All own their talent and greatness due to HIS lineage!" "And many, many, MANY more gods!" Nike added The two linked their arms together before starting to speak in unison. "The Patron of Creation! The Emperor of Takamagahara! He who cast the Rising Sun out of the Abyss! HE IS IZANAGI NO MIKOTO!" The crowd roared as Izanagi walked through the doors of the Japanese temple; his movements were stiff, but even then he carried himself with elegance. "…." His gaze remained locked at the opposite temple. <> Lucifer watched the match below him with his arms crossed while looking down from a VIP box in the stands. "That guy is creepy," A girl beside him said while eating fries from a box she was holding. She was a young woman with a smaller stature. She wore two red ribbons over her black hair, which was cut short, but her fringe completely covered her eyes. She wore a black and red dress with a corseted, fitted bodice that connected to a skirt with long frills that went all the way to her knees. The dress had an opening on her midriff, revealing her pale white skin and a small, pure white piercing-like object on her navel. [BEELZEBULB – LUCIFER'S ASSOCIATE, 'The Bottomless Abyss'] Lucifer raised an eyebrow. "That's ironic for you to say. What makes you feel this way?" "Bad vibes," She simply said before returning the attention to her food. "There is a basis for 'Bad Vibes'; there is something very different about Izanagi than most other gods." A tall, lanky, vaguely humanoid figure spoke; his "skin" was made out of bronze, and on his face he had a single visor displaying a yellow light that seemed locked on Izanagi. [TALOS – LUCIFER'S ASSOCIATE, 'God Made of Metal'] "What do you mean by that?' Lucifer inquired. "The mana readings detected by my scanners are completely unlike any others in my database," The automaton stated coldly, but his visor remained focused on the arena below, as if showing genuine curiosity. <> "Now, onto the humans challenging the mighty Izanagi…" Sandrahdiga began to say before smirking, "There isn't one!" The audience began to murmur in confusion. Nike let out a laugh before starting to talk. "A Chief God's might is unparalleled! But they alone cannot secure an entire pantheon on their shoulders. Kingdoms don't need only a king; they also need a CHAMPION!" "Asgard has Thor! The angels have Michael! And Tian had a champion that could rival them! Yayu, Zaochi, Jiuying, Dafeng, Fengxi, and Xiushe are just a few of the countless monsters he struck down! There was nothing that could stop him! …Until one day, he made a choice that sealed his fate." "When the Shí Rì, the 10 unruly solar gods, children of the Jade Emperor, came down to wreck havoc on Midgard for no reason other than their own pleasure, HE put a stop to them! One arrow for each, and 9 stars were removed from the sky on that day!" "But this action angered the Jade Emperor! And so, for fighting to protect humanity, the champion was stripped of his divinity and sentenced to never set foot in heaven as a god again!" "And now, once again he defies the gods to fight for humanity once again!" "He is Tian's Forsaken Champion! The Sun Slayer! The Consort of the Moon!" The two goddesses shouted together, "MAKE WAY FOR HOU YI!" Humanity cheered in uproar as their champion walked into the arena through the Chinese Temple. <> "So….is he a human or a god?" A man in Victorian-era clothes in the stands questioned. "Does it matter!? Didn't you hear the ladies!? He has killed the sun! 10 of them! There is no way he is losing!" A viking interjected before laughing it off. "But are we really okay with a god representing us? This just feels wrong,” A man wearing more modern clothes said. "Well, as long as he fights for us and scores a point, I don't see the issue," A knight in medieval armor beside him spoke. Despite some mild distrust, hope festered in humanity at seeing their champion. <> Izanagi and Hou Yi stared each other across the battlefield, the divine aura of the older god flaring across the arena as the pressure hardened, but Hou Yi simply stood still, his own divine aura being far more suppressed after eons of living as a mortal, but it still remained steadfast and strong. "Hou Yi….I had heard tales of your skills, of your greatness before I departed to mourn my beloved…. What happened to you? To defy your Chief God to protect those primates?" Izanagi asked, "I could forgive you for your naivety…but after living directly with them, you still choose to fight for them?" Hou Yi stared at Izanagi for a long moment before letting out a frustrated sigh. "Irrelevant. I am a human now, and I will fight for them." Izanagi's expression was obscured, but his voice hardened along with his grip on his naginata. "Then you will die with them." Both fighters took on their respective battle stances. "Izanagi vs Hou Yi, The Patron of Creation vs The Sun Slayer, BEGIN!" The two announcers screamed together. submitted by /u/Cantthinkagoodnam2 to r/RecordOfOurRagnarok |
Source: r/RecordOfOurRagnarok · by /u/Cantthinkagoodnam2