Chapter 221: Dr'ul's Challenge.
"A hot spring in the heavens...?" The god of creation looked at Sol weirdly. "Are you doing the leg pulling?" He asked innocently and Eris slapped her forehead, how could the god of creation have a bad memory for puns?
"I'm dead serious, is there?" Sol asked again and he shook his head in the negative resulting in Sol as well as Ikaris sighing. "Well, never mind then, I'll make one somewhere on D'ol, it's close to the same size as Earth so it's pretty easy to find somewhere nice with how well you've remodelled it for comfortable living." He stood up and disappeared from their sight.
"Is he serious?" Uriyu looked at Eris who had started chuckling. "A hot spring at a time like this?"
"You have no idea how laid-back that man can be!" Eris laughed out loud causing Dr'ul and Ikaris to chuckle as they understood perfectly why she was laughing. "Sol used to play around like a child when everyone else was in warring times." Eris reminisced with a fond smile.
"What, then how did he ever get strong, was the power he has just given to him?" Uriyu scrunched up his nose in disappointment at what he was hearing.
"It is quite the opposite actually." Ikaris looked over her shoulder at him. "Sol was strong upon being summoned here, he had the luxury of being playful because there was nothing on Arkadia that could harm him."
"Indeed." Dr'ul held up her right hand and stared at her palm.
"I remember it quite vividly, the power of one human who defied the gods themselves, he was not yet a demigod nor was he Godslayer, at that time he was only human, but there was none stronger than him on Arkadia, he was fearless, ruthless, and merciless, our very first meeting sparked a fused after I struck him down from the heavens." She looked at her hand remembering in detail how her palm had itched and her hand had shaken from their clash.
"He never mentioned that before." Dina looked at the goddess surprised at what she was hearing.
"Indeed, it was the first time since growing strong that I had seen him humbled." Ikaris added. "It was the spark he needed to seek greater strength, and he did, through many battles and tragedies he gained insurmountable power surpassing even myself which none other than the first had ever been stronger than."
"He has been tested by the fires of fate over and over again, becoming a force unlike any other." Dr'ul clenched her fist and then looked at Janifer who sat quietly listening. "You, human, do you want to fight me?"
"Your Highness!" Eris snapped. "Do you have to ask every new person you meet for a fight?" She asked and Dr'ul erupted in laughter.
"According to sir, the one with the red hair of flames is stronger than the average Godslayer and Vatui, I am also stronger than the average, but he went the extra length to tell me that your power dwarfs that of everyone else's aside from his and Milady's." She gestured to Ikaris who held a reserved expression as she regarded her.
She didn't know what Sol did to this woman, but her unquestionably loyal reference to her made her uneasy.
"If possible, I would prefer you not make any gesture at all towards me." Ikaris stated, and Jenifer lowered her hand with a complex expression akin to heartache. "He may trust you to some degree, but I will never trust someone from the Emporium that seeks to kill me and my baby, no matter how much you do for us, you will always be the enemy in my eyes."
"Of course." She responded; her voice evidently the only sound as everyone else had gone mute from Ikaris's hostility towards her. "I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Jenifer answered, casting a depressed aura as her lowered hand sought refuge in her lap making her look like a child that had been refused something they liked.
"Regarding your proposal, Majesty." She looked up at Dr'ul taking note of how Eris had addressed her. "I was told not to fight anyone else but Sir."
"Why would he tell you that?" Arla seemed a tad confused.
"Vatui have different signatures, once exposed to it there is no mistaking them for another, kind of like a fingerprint, if I fought any Vatui regardless of being harmed or not my body will have traces of their signatures on me, Milady's..." She almost gestured to Ikaris, but paused and lowered her hand again.
"Her signature has already been recorded, if they were to scan another on my body you would be compromised." She explained and Dr'ul nodded.
"Fair, I will take that information and utilize it wisely going forward." Dr'ul took a mental note and then looked at Dina. "How about you, and Arla then, as usual, my pantheon refuses to fight me, but even more so now that they have seen my fight against Sol, I am starved of battle; as the goddess of war this is most tragic!"
"I would like to see the extent of their power as well, ever since Origin they have not fought anyone seriously." Ikaris chuckled
"Milady you would agree to this!?" Arla gawked looking at Ikaris and then at Dr'ul again and shuddering. "I am terrified of raising a finger against the queen of the Arkadian pantheon!"
"I don't feel good about it either, we literally have no chance of winning." Dina clasped her hands at Ikaris, but she seemed to have already made up her Ming as she smiled at them without saying a word.
This was a done deal, they'd been sold for her entertainment.
"Are you all serious?" S'mael asked folding all his arms and staring at Dr'ul. "Are we not in the middle of a crisis?"
"If they fight properly you will see a great tonne of destruction, S'mael." Ikaris looked at him.
"Do it." The god grinned shamelessly.
I will limit myself to Sorath's level of power, that should-"
"You would lose." Ikaris shook her head and Dr'ul stumbled from her seat and fell to her hands staring up at her with her eyes wide in horror.
"What do you mean lose?"
"Dina alone can contend with the goddess of the sun, while Arla is about the same power as Diablos." Ikaris answered and watched Dr'ul grow a blush on her face as she creepily regarded the two mages.
"Is the goddess of the sun strong?" Uriyu asked, and Eris nodded with a look of horror on her face as well, she knew they had grown stronger, but this level of power made it impossible for her to catch up no matter how many years she trained; the power to face the gods on equal footing was something she believed only Sol would ever be able to do.
"She is the only god that Sol lost to, she beat him in a battle of attrition and will but surrendered out of respect for his morales, say she should see this too, I am sure she and Dina would be a great matchup," Ikaris answered proudly.
"Please don't do that, she's as stubborn as Dr'ul is being her younger sibling, if she starts challenging me only Master could save me from her." Dina held Ikaris's hand pleadingly.
"All done!" Sol reappeared in his seat. "I hear there's a fight, where's the venue?"
"M-master don't agree so fast~" Dina whined while Arla sighed in defeat.
"To be fair I want to know where you lack strength so I can help you build stronger foundations, I haven't really paid much attention to your fights in the past." Sol smiled at them. "Come on, it's a great idea and a pretty good way to work up a sweat before you hit the springs.
"We can host it on Arkadia, the land is still vastly unpopulated." Dr'ul suggested and Sol laughed as Dina ran to his side and dropped her forehead on his leg forcing up tears and weeping.
"Master, I feel like I might have the flu... and I miss Eve, also my knee hurts-"
"Pfft-hahaha!" Sol broke into hysterics again, tapping her shoulder. Enjoy additional stories on m-vl-em|p-yr
"Don't worry, fighting can cure your loneliness, working up a sweat can cure illnesses, and just hop on one leg!" He gave her no leeway as he found her behaviour and unwilling attitude hilarious.
"I will do it." Arla stood seriously, staring at Dr'ul who righted herself and smiled. "If this means you can help me gain more strength, then I will do it, I want to stand next to Dina someday, I am her teacher, I cannot remain in her shadow forever." She balled her fists closing her eyes as her sigils emitted a steady crimson glow from her thoughts and feelings resonating with Sol's.
"Ugh..." Dina stood and rubbed her forehead. "Fine."
"Wonderful!" Dr'ul clapped and two systems windows appeared before them.
[The goddess of war has challenged you to a friendly fight, will you accept?]
Both: [accept]