"Humans, Gods, Goddesses, Demi-Gods and anything in-between, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 3rd Round of Ragnarok!" The Announcer of the End, Heimdall, called out to the crowds gathered in the Stadium of Heaven, the onlookers letting out cheers for the upcoming battle. Some were filled with fear, some with awe, some with anticipation for the upcoming fight, a fight for the ages!
"Zeus-Sama, you seem particularly interested in the upcoming match." Hermes, the Messenger of the Gods, spoke to his allfather with a tone of respect, the decrepit Zeus releasing a dry, hollow chuckle that made his beard flutter in the wind. "Is it because Poseidon-Sama will be participating in it? Or is it because of the human participant...?"
Zeus could only smile, "Yu, huh...? Or so they called him in life... What would you make of him, Hermes?" The Supreme God asked his son with a tone of childish curiosity, stroking his beard softly as he observed the stadium, surrounded by kilometers upon kilometers of raging water currents. It was a grand stadium indeed, one fit for a battle of the divine.
"I've no idea what to make of him, Zeus-Sama... At least, in terms of strength, that is." Hermes said, "I, for one, wouldn't dare underestimate lady Brynhild's choice of warrior."
"A Boxer? Please! I've no doubt he'll be flattened the moment the fight starts!" The God of War, Ares, spoke up indignantly, puffing up his chest to the air. A wave of arrogance came from his mouth as he leaned forward to get a look at the battlefield.
"Both of your evaluations make sense... But, based on the previous 2 matches, I wouldn't look down on humans anymore, wouldn't you say, Hermes?" The almighty Zeus said, leaning back in his throne.
"Indeed, Zeus-Sama. Humanity... They are indeed
strong." Hermes said with a sly grin plastered across his face, bowing lightly to his allfather.
Ares froze at that comment, putting his hands together. Finally, he nodded. "Indeed... Humans are stronger than we previously thought."
"Let's see how the match progresses then, shall we?" Zeus said, letting out an audible, hardy chuckle which irritated his wounds from the previous battle with Adam. Yes, if there was anybody in the room that knew of Humanity's strength best, it would be the almighty one who had taken on the brunt of humanity's power firsthand.
"Let's see how things progress, indeed..." Zeus said once more, leaning forward..
...
"S-Sister Hild, w-wait! Please listen to me for a second!" Goll called out to her eldest sister, running with reckless abandon. The eldest Valkyrie's heels clicked anxiously across the ground as she paced throughout the observation stand, with Goll finally catching up to her after the eldest Valkyrie had mysteriously ran off quickly to observe the arena from the stands.
"Wh-Why'd you run off like that...?" Goll asked her eldest sister, breathing heavily.
"Sorry for leaving you behind like that..." Brynhild said as she looked down at the battlefield with a steely expression plastered across her face, ceasing her pacing as she finally let out a breath.
"It... It's fine...!" Goll said as she looked down at the battlefield herself, stepping onto her tip-toes a bit to see over the stand. With a look of awe, her eyes widened as she saw the ragging torrents. Was such a grand battlefield really necessary?
"S-Sister Hild..." Goll addressed her sister, tugging gently on her dress.
"Yes, Goll?" Brynhild turned to her younger sister, her arms crossed.
"Do you... really think we can win this round with the fighter you chose?" Goll asked, her expression becoming pale. "I would never doubt your choice, Sister Hild, but-"
"No, your concern is grounded, Goll. In fact, I myself was nervous when choosing this fighter." Brynhild admitted.
"Th-Then why choose them?! This guy isn't some sort of legendary warrior like Adam or Lu Bu!" Goll said with an expression of worry, sweating as she loudly addressed her sister with her concerns. "I-I-I d-don't think he has a chance...!"
Brynhild was silent for a few moments, before speaking up. "There's nothing to worry about, Goll... Just trust my choice, alright?"
Goll froze at those words. She shrunk backward at her sister's words, nodding. "A-Alright..." Worry was still plastered across her look, but she didn't plan to defy Brynhild. Not when the look on her face was so serious that is, and especially not when the match was right about to start!
...
Heimdall spoke into his horn, igniting the flames of anticipation within the onlookers. "Following humanity's 2nd loss, Round 3 of Ragnarok now begins!" He exclaimed as the sea began to part, the crowd's going wild in excitement and confusion.
"In the Gods' Corner!" Heimdall called, "He bears no love for the pitiful humans... One could even say that perhaps he enjoys testing them?"
The ground would rumble.
"But that is what defines a God! The harshest trials! And that indifference to life! Is the Realm of the Gods!!"
The ground writhed.
"He follows the almighty Zeus... And represents the Gods in Round 3!"
The sea, which was already beginning to split, violently erupted in half, the door from which it covered shooting open as the man from within it began to walk out... With a single swing of his hip, the seas obeyed and opened a path for him, as if it was merely natural.
"If Zeus is the God of the Cosmos, then this man rules all Oceans with an Iron Fist. The Ruler of the Seas!"
And as he walked, the crowds intensified in their cheers.
"Even the Gods tremble at the thought of invoking his wrath..."
But only the humans. The Gods, in the spectators seats, were silent. Completely, silent.
"The most fearsome God!!"
And the humans would soon silence themselves as well.
"Second of the Three Brothers of Olympus... Known to man as Zeus Enalios!!"
The world stilled itself at his every footstep, and only the one that announced his arrival had the right to move in his presence.
"His name is..."
In the presence... Of another Supreme God.
"
POSEIDON!!!!"
And with that, complete silence overtook the stadium as the Supreme Being scoffed. "Hmph... Nothing but filth before my eyes."
And with that, Heimdall began the announcement of humanity's participant... Or well, he should've. "Huh?" Heimdall said.
"You." Poseidon addressed Heimdall, "Get on with it."
"O-Oh, I'm sorry, sir... I just... I don't know who this man is..." Heimdall said, before he was cut off by the ground beginning to rumble...
The crowd was set off back into their confused cheers, but, there were a select few who read deeper into it. Zeus, in particular, chuckled at the rumbling, a shiver running down his spine. Hah! A shiver! A feeling of fear ran down Zeus', of all people's, spine.
"What is...? What is happening!?" Ares called out, shivering in his seat as he looked down at the door that was opening opposite to the one Poseidon had come out of.
"Something very interesting, brother..." Hermes said with a grin as he let out a light laugh.
All Gods, Thor, Odin, Loki, Aphrodite, Shiva, all of them felt it. All humans, gods, demi-gods felt it. The feeling. That chill that they hadn't felt to such an extent in so long. That chill... That only intensified as that door opened. As the water parted, as if out of instinctual fear. The rumbling ceased.
"S-S-S-S-Sister... Wh-What did... What is...?" Goll trembled in her boots, nearly falling back. "What's going on...?"
"Something is coming, Goll..." Brynhild said, looking down as the door fully opened itself, revealing nothing but darkness. "Something inhuman..."
And from that door came a man. A man with spiky, black hair. He wore pitch-black shorts with a crimson outline. His skin was pale. That was it. He was painfully bland-looking. You'd never expect much from him.
"Just how we discussed, alright?" And next to him walked a white-haired man with blue eyes, who spoke into the bland-looking man's ear as they walked up onto the stadium. The black-haired man nodded silently. His expression was empty. Dull. There was nothing to speak of that one could decipher from him, and as he walked onto the stadium, Heimdall addressed them both.
"Excuse me, but who are you two?" He asked, speaking into his horn.
"Your fighters." The white-haired man said with crossed arms as the black-haired man walked up, standing in front of Poseidon. He looked up at the God. Poseidon was indeed a head taller than him, most likely even more.
"Wh-Wha...?" Heimdall spoke with confusion as the white-haired stepped back, a grin on his face.
"How ridiculous..." Poseidon said with a sneer, looking down at his opponent. Boxing gloves. Those were his only weapon. His only form of combat. It was akin to the previous fighter for Humanity, Adam, the father of Humanity.
He got into a stance.
"Start the match." The white-haired man ordered Heimdall.
"B-But-" Heimdall stuttered on his words, before the man addressed him once more.
"Start. The. Match." A chill ran down Heimdall's spine. He could feel his body bending against his will as the white-haired man stepped back further to observe the fight.
"
F-FIGHT!" Heimdall called out with a stutter, the crowd not knowing how to react. Nobody knew how to react. None accept Brynhildr, of course... She looked down at the white-haired man who'd entered the ring with humanity's fighter. A visible grimace could be seen on her face as she uncrossed her arms and clenched her fists, biting her lower lip in frustration. She knew. She knew the depths of the man's obsession.
"K... Will you really go so far...? To hunt a God..."
And far he would go. Far
they would go. Poseidon looked down at his opponent, and armed his spear. The black-haired man was unphased. Not even a flinch was elicited from his form. Not even the tiniest twitch of a cell. Everything was balanced within his body, his posture, his stance. In a way, everything about how he composed himself so far could be considered "perfect". Without equal in comparison to any fighter that had shown up in humanity.
Poseidon thrust forward.
"Die, you bottom feeder..."
And the Devil would then hunt the God.