"What the fuck are you!"
The same man who talked shit now tried to crawl away from me. His face was covered with blood. I followed him with slow steps. As I walked blood dripped from my wounds to ground. I grabbed his face and looked into his eyes. One was closed due damage caused by my fists. Other one looked at me with fear. I leaned back and smashed my head to his nose. I heard bone cracking and him whimpering. He tried to release himself but my grip were too tight. I smashed his face in using my head. When I felt he went limp I let him go. His body fell to ground like a sack of potatoes. I looked at his two lackeys. They were also ground, unconscious. I looked at the woman covering at the corner.
"It is okay. You should call the cops."
I fell to ground. It was an uncontrolled, hard fall. The knife which was stuck in my back went deeper with my fall and I let out anguish filled gasp. I put my hand to my wounds to put pressure to lessen blood loss. But when I raised my hand I realized that it was covered with blood.
"I guess I am wounded worse than I thought?"
I looked at the Lucy. She was waiting in my head.
"I told you to not go! I told you to not go!"
"I know." Despite her hysterical cries my voice was calm. I closed my eyes.
"Is this how you want to die? Is this how this world wants to treat you?"
"No. But this was what I chose."
"Dying like a dog in a shit filled street is your choice?" She screamed to me.
"No. Following my morals was the my choice. This is just consequence of it."
Despite my pain and my conscious slowly fading away I was calm. Weirdly calm.
"Dying isn't sad. What is sad is not choosing how you die."
And I chose my death. I had nothing to to be sad about. That's what I told myself even though I had millions of things I could be sad about. Thousands little wishes never going to happen. Thousands of little heartbreaks will never heal. You will be forgotten in several generations. I smiled. Did those mattered? I didn't know.
"We are here to claim your soul, O, Brave One."
A voice I didn't heard before. I opened my eyes. Despite my blurry vision her beauty made my head go blank for a second. Blonde, long hair that reached the ground. Her clothing were a mix between a dress and an armor. With a shield and spear in hand she looked at me with caring eyes.
"My name is Brynhildr. With Allfather's orders I am here to guide you to Valhalla, a place for brave warriors like you."
"Shut the fuck off whore."
Brynhildr's calm and motherly voice clashed with Lucy's rough swearing.
"I can't comply with that order. This man has the qualifications to get into Valhalla. It is my duty to guide him."
"Upss, sorry about being late. I can't believe I am late. My title as fastest God is in danger! Hahah!"
My sense of vision was gone so I couldn't see the newcomer. I could understand that he was a man.
"Well, at least I am not the last one. Isn't that right, old man?"
I heard a voice I could only describe as thousand people talking at the same time.
"Yeah, yeah I know. But we can't all this mortals soul at the same time. We have to decide."
Man talked again. I wanted to open my mouth to talk but all the feeling in my body were gone.
"He is mine." Lucy talked. I heard other three people-beings?- object.
"That's not possible. That mortal's soul is not corrupted. You can't have him."
"That's right. He is soul is full of honor and bravery. He can't be sent to Hell."
"Heaven already picked him."
"I will burn this world to its very ashes."
I shifted from feeling nothing to feeling intense pain. I wanted to scream and cry but I felt like I had no body.
"Then I will make him its king."
I snapped out of my past.
"Lucy! What have you done?"
Despite my screaming she didn't answered me. I activited every ability I had to force myself from her control. I tried to pull the strength I didn't know existed from inside my bones. But all of my efforts didn't mean shit and I felt my body shifting.
(I am the one that gave you that power. Do you think you can use them to rebel against me? I am the first rebel in the entire existence.)
I roared in anger and frustration. At the same time my spear and arm started to shine and leak mud. Did it broke the barrier I created? I felt panic taking over me. But to my suprise only thing it did was anchor me to here.
(What have you done? What is that? Why do you have a shard of Chaos with you? Why didn't I noticed it?)
I felt her control over my body being lifted.
(You gained title Defiant(Unique))
(Skill Mental Barrier became level 7.)
I looked at the Basat. It and my arm stopped leaking black mud. Did they protected me?
I kept moving.
(Gah. Why? Why do you always chose to do opposite of what I want?)
I didn't stop moving.
"Because I am my own person. Lucy, people are free to do what they want."
(When I did whatever I want I was punished and exiled! Don't talk like you know what you are talking about!)
"Then keep talking. You should know that I am very good at ignoring you."
(You will return back to me crying. When that happens we will see.)
"Very well. We'll see."
She stopped talking. I also didn't said anything after that. I just kept roaming the swamp to find the boss. I knew that Noctua was chasing me. According to Lucy I had no chance of winning. I also felt like that. In our battle he was playing with me rather than being serious. So I had to fast and clear floors before he reached to me. Looking in my skills I realized I haven't choose what skill I would acquire from 8th floor boss.
"Wind Blade and Sonic Flight, huh?"
Wind Blade would allow me have more offensive options but I picked Sonic Flight.
(You acquired passive skill Sonic Flight. Wind Blade is turned into 0.1 skill points. You currently have 5.2 skill points.)
(Sonic Flight passively gives you correction and speed while flying.)
I transformed only my wings. If I wanted to clear floors fast I had to learn flying. With the help of this skill and some training I should be good. I used 2 skill points on Sonic Flight.
(Skill Sonic Flight became level 3.)
For other 3 I saved them. I could use them to get Weapon Aura to level 10 and possibly evolve it but I didn't wanted to do it unless I have to. I wanted to train and learn in battles rather than relying on simple power ups. While saying it I also put 3 points in strength, 3 on agility, 3 on magic and 1 on vitality.
"Yeah, I sound like a hypocrite."
After trying for around 3 hours I was able to fly. It felt weird but it was good finally being able to do it. I went up as possible. I looked at the swamp beneath me.
"Everything looks small."
It felt good. I understood why people made a big deal of flying. The view, wind and feeling were amazing.
"But I have no time to enjoy it."
I had two time limits now. One was that owl and other one is saving Minerva. I also didn't know if Lucy would try to pull me to Hell again. Or maybe trying to do something with my name… I had to be quick.
"Father!"
A handsome man with horns got into room.
"Pardon for my intrusion!"
An old man was sitting in a chair looking at documents. He raised his head.
"An enemy attack?"
He asked to his son while he grabbed his greatsword.
"No, Father! This a great news! Our God send us a mission!"
Son talked with such enthusiasm. Hearing those words old man slowly let his sword. He slowly lowered himself to his chair.
"It is probably a false alarm. Our God doesn't send us anything."
He just shook his head in disappointment.
"I wouldn't be that sure this time, my old friend."
Old man raised his head in suprise.
"Jusdas! Why are you here?"
He asked to man in robes.
"Because I got the same message as you are. And I am pretty sure every noble family also got it."
Old man stopped breathing for a second.
"Does this means…"
"Yeah, prophecy is finally happening. A King from our God's blood."
Old man started laughing. He got up and bear hugged both his son and his friend. Jusdas tried to escape but he wasn't able to.
"So, what is the mission?" He asked with voice full of energy.
"Finding and bringing him to Hell. I already set my lab up to find him."
"Good. We should be first ones to find the his majesty to pledge our loyality!"
Jusdas looked at his friend with diffidence.
"My friend, I think this mission is different than you think."
Old man turned to his friend.
"Why?"
"Our mission is to forcefully bring his majesty back to Hell. Whatever he wants or not."
Old man looked puzzled.