His Holiness Adam was truly a devout follower of the pantheon of gods—someone who was bestowed with every divine blessing to exist. Yet, even so, he was humble; his doctrine was to help the weak and later himself. His riches from the offerings of subjects of all gods were sought after by everyone yet he gave them all away. However many praise him the most for being brave enough to follow the hero, who has now become our brand new king.
"Father George! Is it really true that His Holiness prayed day and night as he grew frail? He refused to eat and he hardly looked tired," One of the kids asked excitedly
"His holiness although frail and aged, the blessings remain. He never forgets to pray to the divine. So that our tomorrow is bright," The teachings of the young priest ended abruptly as the ray of the sun vanished and the walls collapsed with a demon's havoc.
"Everyone seal the entrance. Protect the children. We must face these heretics for trespassing on the house of gods-" The priest's body shook as one of the many tendrils of the beast was hurled to take his head, but a spark of blue light emerged.
'His- His Holiness Adam!" A frail old man appeared and stopped the brief end of the priest as his palms burst a blue menacing flame.
"Take the kids and leave," As Adam stepped in to save the monastery, the priests followed his command and evacuated with the young.
"You still got it, old man!" A flash of light passed through the beast, and its head rolled through the ground as a swift slash of a sword ended its life.
"Your highness, no wonder you visited me after leaving me to rot for ages. We failed am I correct? Our greatest defense was shattered. It seems the fated destruction can't be stopped," The pope of the pantheon of the gods, Adam stood uncaring as if he foresaw such an end, the king nodded in agreement, as before their very eyes the world was consumed by darkness.
"Fret not Adam, my good friend. Your sacrifice has led to the god's recovery. The faith they amassed will allow us the most powerful of blessings. Regression,"
It was the only sound judgement left, the paladin deemed to be invincible was toyed like a ragdoll, mages torn to shreds, and beast folk crushed. The prophesied end of days where the exiled gods' creation, the demons would one day outgrow their limits and destroy everything. What they're seeing now was the culmination of their pointless revolt against such a fate, as they merely halted such an event for three decades.
"I told you so, that we should've continued our pressure. But you and the rest voted that we build our defenses. Leave the rest to the next generation, who pale in comparison to ours, that died on their first expedition," Adam was berating the decision of this fool of a king, yet the ruler had no quips, that the one standing before him was right.
"Our comrades who died so that we could kill the Demon King, their sacrifice was for nothing. I knew you were soft. You couldn't bear the weight of death. Now look at what your softness has resulted in. We were the strongest generation and you chose to stop when there were only a few of them left to die?" Adam's uncaring act was gone as his frail old body was ridddled in fury
"Enough, take your leave. Make sure that this future never exists. I'll try and hold them off until the ritual is complete-" Before the holy pope could finish his words, the king shoved him to the ritual circle.
"I'm sorry old friend. I know how much you've sacrificed yourself. But I can't be the one to regress. It should be you," As the ritual began, Adam tried to flee but he felt trapped as if a barrier was created to keep him in place
"Stop this right now! I've suffered long enough. My money is gone. I haven't been able to drink for years. I ate slop every waking day, I couldn't gamble, and I prayed nonstop to those fuckers for this?" The reverent mask of the holy pope was broken, and he revealed his sinful and earthly self, deprived of his freedom.
"Even now, you remain growing, your talents are cut above the rest, no, it even rivals the gods. Unlike me, you have a better shot. Farewell, old friend!" The King who stood proudly and unwaveringly, finally fell as his heart was pierced and his body mauled by countless demons.
"Frederick..." Tears well up in his eye, a lump forms in his throat, and his words become harder to hear as he views the death of his comrade.
"You fucking asshole!" He flipped his middle finger as he cursed his friend till his lungs gave out.
"I only had a few days till I die. I would've gone to heaven. I would've been free of this life of slavery. Now you want me to do it again?" The ritual circle came to a close, and he felt his soul leaving his body and dreamt of a long long time, till he ended up in the mines.
"Quit your buggering around slave! Mine faster. Is the whip not working, you scrawny ass masochist!" A rough and irritating voice woke him up before a crack of the whip and a searing pain made his body instantly rise from the ground.
'You're kidding me! Of all the time they could've chosen, it's when I got sold off to the mines. These fucking gods-'
"Oh, have ya gone deaf, bastard? It seems you're truly getting my attention, yeah? Looks like you really need a beating-" As the guard was about to whip him again, he felt a chill through his spine, as a malicious aura came down from above.
[What are you doing? Do you want to die? Quickly accept our blessings, Adam!]
"You fucking Gods fuck you and your shitty ideologies! You want me to worship all of you? Instead of resolving this on your own you made me regress through time, suck my groin" In the eyes of the gods Adam had gone mad but he was conversing with the gods as he got himself whipped again and again.
[You've truly gone mad, Adam. Have you forgotten our graces? How we saved you from your lowest of lows. And this is how were treated? Now agree with our demands and take our power]
'Oi you fuckers! You really think I'd agree to that deal again? Think again... I would rather die. If I hadn't accepted that deal before I would've lived a much better life. Go find a much more subservient replacement. I admit I have problems, I'm an alcoholic, a gambling addict but instead of making me grow you made it so I can't do those things. I will never go back to that life, where I no longer feel like a human, chained by your very blessings. Unfulfilled, unloved, unbroken, I feel like a toy kept locked in its box not feeling the joy of expiring nor being played with,'
[I told you all that you shouldn't have abused him so much. Now look at what you've done. I can't see through any falsity in his words. He would rather die than take the oath]
'Damn straight, goddess of justice. I bust my ass working for these ungrateful slobs. You want my help then give it to me. If there's a requirement then piss off, I'd rather die and make this second chance a blunder on your side. The lot of you are worse than demons. So what will it be? Give it up for free or lose all your efforts and risk dying to the demons without me. Make it so the only condition is save this blasted world, just to give you some assurance,'
[You greedy fiend!!! How could such a sinful and inconsiderate soul like you be one of our creations?]
'Who knows, why don't you look in the mirror, I am in fact made in your image,'
"Ahahahahaha! Tick tock! What will it be? I feel like I'm close to the edge of death. Guess you pricks can't swallow your pride,"
Even after the countless whips that tore apart his flesh, Adam felt the most euphoric sensation, as death was nearing for his soul.
"You really got a lot of nerve, brat. It looks like you've gone crazy. I guess losing one slave wouldn't hurt. You asked for it," The guard no longer held himself as the man before him taunted him nonstop, and even as he drew closer to death, he hardly looked concerned.
[****!!!!]
[****!!!!]
[****!!!!]
[****!!!!]
[****!!!!]
[****!!!!]
[****!!!!]
[****!!!!]
[****!!!!]
[****!!!!]
[****!!!!]
[****!!!!]
As he lay on the ground with his final breath, he smiled hysterically, as the curses of the gods blended like a fine melody. Powerful they were, these gods had regressed to their weakest link upon doing the ritual to bring forth a soul back to the past. Even though there were countless geniuses that they could have sought, with their current strength even granting them power is life-threatening. Adam was different for he had a natural affinity with Divine power thus making his body accept it so easily.
[Pantheon: You've been bestowed by countless divinities of the pantheon of the gods!
[Divine Perception]: You can see through the realm of the gods, and gain access to the all-seeing eye known as [Pantheon]
Requirement: You must save the world. Granted by the All-Seeing Prophet
[Azure Flames]: An all-consuming flame that feeds on the sins of its targets to grow ever so strong
Requirement: You must save the world. Granted by the Punisher of the Damned
Weaponry of Light: Can weave Divine power in any form suited for combat. When faced with anyone harboring your death you shall gain power. Injuries dealt to can't be healed by normal means
Requirement: You must save the world. Granted by the War Maiden of Blood]
"I think you had your fill. I think it's time for a turn, don't you think?"
"Arghhhh!!!" The guard flails in terror as a searing sensation engulfs the very arms that made him sin with a fiery blue flame.
[Punisher of the Damned: You better keep your end of the deal]
"Since when have I broken our agreement?" As the flames consumed its first victim, the violent power returned to him and as it engulfed his body, every mortal wound he had was cured.
"Everyone, gather up!" The screams of his first victim attracted dozens of guards to his location.
"All of you have sinned greatly. I'm weak, as of now... but in the presence of sinners I am powerful, for I dictate justice,"
A flash of light gathered around his palms, it took the shape of a dagger, and as they approached, his speed grew faster. His untrained body flees past their blades, and his weapon slices through their flesh without any resistance. Even as they drank a potion, their wounds have never healed, as whomever struck by his weapon can't undo a punishment for the sinful.
"How in the world did you idiots accidentally bring along a priest?" His murder spree was stopped the moment he came crashing through the cave's exterior as a hulking figure knocked him down without a sweat.
"So you're the boss? You took your time getting here. Are you sure that you can kill me with just that?" Adam survives a head-on strike by an advanced expert martial artist, and he suffered only a swollen arm due to his negligence.
"What a cocky Church boy you are! Just because you can handle my boys, you think you're shit? Let's see you survive this!" The leader suddenly appears at Adam's back and releases another flurry of attacks, crushing his enemy and the ground beneath him till dust scattered through the air.
"Is that all?" The Martial artist was stunned as he saw an ungrazed holy barrier even as it took countless powerful strikes from his fist.
'They say Divine power comes down to your sincere faith to the gods to grant you their blessing and miracles, but that's jack shit. These bastards only want attention, you can get the same effect by just cursing the hell out of these suckers. I'm the only one who knows these since no one is crazy enough to mock the gods,'
"Oi god of war! Give me your strength or whatever. Or are you that weak that you can't even spare a helping hand," The skies ruptured in fury, and yet his blessing surged through his fist and he released a strike that had in store all of the damage he took tenfold.
The cave burst from within, a large hole appeared in the mountain, and the blue uncorrupted sky was finally in sight. As he turns back he sees the guards who were lucky enough to die a while ago now kneeling with their heads balanced, their bodies and arms tucked in their backs. The fear he struck through these people unknowingly earned him divinity which was transferred to the gods as they now grew in fear of the divine.
[Pantheon: You've successfully converted 33 non-believers to the beliefs of the Pantheon of Gods.
Status: 1000 divinity has been split amongst the gods who have blessed you]
"Can somebody get me a beer?" The first thing Adam did after everything grew quiet was to sate his addiction