Chapter 322: Your end is inevitable
The Round Hall was reserved solely for the Seven Higher Gods. There were no exceptions. The Ring of Fire surrounding the hall ensured that none but those worthy of entering could cross into its realm.
Yet even that ancient perimeter held no authority over beings who existed beyond the laws of immortals.
Beings who were not called Gods merely because of the dominions they ruled, but because their very existence governed the foundations of reality itself.
Life.
Death.
Fate.
The Three Celestial Ones.
The Fundamental Beings.
The True Gods.
Across countless ages, they had been given many names. Yet no title could truly encompass what they were.
And now, all three stood within the Round Hall.
The moment they appeared, every God rose from their seat.
Not one remained seated including Odin and Ares.
Before them stood three figures whose existence preceded every throne, every divine law, and every god who had ever claimed dominion over creation.
The first was veiled entirely in white.
The Goddess of Life.
The second was draped in darkness so absolute that even the light surrounding her seemed reluctant to draw near.
The Goddess of Death.
And between them stood a figure clad in gold.
The God of Fate.
These were the true deities, beings who had existed long before the others rose to power. Unlike the Seven Higher Gods, their positions could neither be challenged nor inherited. No war could strip them of their authority. No divine decree could bind them.
For the laws that governed immortals had never been written for them.
They were the ones who had written those laws.
"We did not know you would be attending the gathering as well." Odin broke the silence, turning his attention toward the silver-veiled lady.
Despite knowing of their existence for more than a millennium, neither Odin nor any other deity knew the names of the Three Celestial Ones.
"This is a gathering?" Fate spoke, his voice carrying quiet contempt. "Do you mortals and immortals convene merely to exchange pleasantries, rather than attend to the dominions entrusted to you?"
Ares gave a low snicker. "A desperate summons from our King, intended to protect the mortal realm."
Fate’s gaze shifted toward him.
"Do you speak of the same mortal realm that has compelled the three of us to gather beneath one roof?" His voice remained calm, yet the weight behind it silenced the hall. "You seem remarkably unconcerned by that fact."
Ares fell silent.
The Three Celestial Ones had never stood together in the same place throughout recorded divine history.
Yet now, they had gathered.
And whatever had brought them here was clearly no ordinary matter.
"I have not come to assign blame," Life declared, her voice serene and silencing every thought. "But those involved are undoubtedly aware of their transgression. We shall now hear their justification."
Her gaze shifted toward the one who had begun it all.
Allfather Odin.
"I... was compelled to interfere, Mother," Odin said. "His misery had become unbearable to witness."
"I concur, Mother." Freya stepped forward, her voice respectful. "Sooner or later, Kyle would have been driven beyond the limits of his spirit and consumed entirely by grief. Odin merely allowed him to perceive the remnants of hope that still remained within his life."
Fate hummed softly, his gaze settling upon Freya.
"So you aided him in unlocking his abilities under the guise of divine gifts, allowing him to grow stronger in the hope of achieving what, precisely? The salvation of the mortal realm?"
Apollo spoke with a faint scoff. "They treated him as little more than a plaything, and now their indulgence has spiralled into a calamity."
Freya’s expression hardened.
"Mind your words, Apollo. We have never regarded Kyle as a plaything. He is our friend."
For the first time, the silver-veiled figure made a sound of amusement.
"Friend?" Life repeated, her voice carrying a strange gentleness. "Did I hear you correctly, Freya?"
The Goddess of Life regarded her with an almost sorrowful patience.
"My dear child, do you truly comprehend the nature of the being you have chosen to call your friend?"
The hall fell silent.
"He is not a God. Nor is he a ruler of some divine dominion, as you and I are."
Her voice remained calm, yet they could feel the urgent edge to it as she added,
"He is the Beginning and the End."
"The origin and conclusion of every fragment of reality that we can comprehend..."
Her gaze deepened beneath the silver veil.
"...and even those beyond our comprehension."
Everyone fell silent.
Even Ares, who had remained visibly irritated until now, found himself unable to respond.
Fate gave a quiet chuckle.
"And because of your interference, this is the fate that has befallen his world."
The moment the words left his mouth, a projection manifested before them.
"Ah..."
Freya’s eyes widened.
Odin’s expression hardened as his fingers tightened around his trident, his knuckles growing rigid beneath his grip.
Athena and Hades stared at the projection in disbelief, both taken aback by the sight of what had once been a world teeming with life.
Now, there was barely anything left.
Poseidon merely watched in utter indifference, his expression revealing not even the slightest trace of emotion.
Ares, however, was grinning.
It was the satisfied smile of a man who had finally witnessed the outcome he had desired.
"You appear pleased, Ares?" Fate’s voice carried a faint edge of amusement. "I presume you have contributed considerably to bringing those mortals to their present state."
Every pair of eyes turned toward the God of Chaos.
Every pair except Freya’s.
She remained motionless.
Her gaze was fixed upon the projection, unable to tear herself away from the devastation before her.
Tears slowly welled within her eyes.
Tears of anger.
Of grief.
Of regret.
And above all, of a frustration so profound that even a goddess could scarcely contain it.
"I could, to some extent, discern what that entity means to you all, and the danger his existence may one day pose, not merely to you, but to all of us. That is why I devised this plan."
Ares turned his gaze toward Athena before continuing.
"Through Artemis, my attention was drawn to that existence for the first time. She understood the danger that was approaching him, and thus, she established a bond with him."
Apollo gave a thoughtful hum.
"So he is the same existence."
Ares nodded.
"I knew there would come a day when he became too powerful and too resourceful for those chains to restrain him. And once he remembered his true nature, preventing his awakening would have become impossible."
"And so?" Fate asked, his voice calm. "You hastened the process by forcing the Supreme One to recognize his origin?"
"Yes."
Ares did not hesitate.
"I concede that I forced him into a corner. And considering the fate that has befallen that world, the entity has indeed awakened a portion of his true power. Yet his awakening remains incomplete. He is still immature."
Ares’s eyes swept across the gathered gods.
"Therefore, we still possess an opportunity. We can isolate him before he reaches his full potential, can we not?"
Poseidon hummed thoughtfully.
"So that was your intention. Prevent the disaster before he attains his complete strength, then cast that world into oblivion, ensuring he can never reclaim what he once was?"
Ares nodded, a faint sense of relief entering his expression now that someone had articulated his reasoning.
"Precisely."
He looked toward the projection.
"Perhaps I was wrong. But if the alternative was allowing an existence capable of ending reality itself to regain his full power, I would make the same choice again."
Seeing the calm and nodding heads of a few others, Ares smirked. His plan had no holes and it was for the betterment of everyone.
But then, "A dead world requires the death of a deity too." The one who had been silent all along, the figure whom no one could see beyond the veil of darkness spoke.
Ares stiffened as the darkness suddenly began to creep his way before he heard them saying. "And I choose you to be the sacrifice."
The entire Hall fell into a dead silence as Death made her choice.
Ares hurriedly stepped forward. "I cannot be killed. I am a God!"
"And I-..."
"Wait."
Fate interrupted the veiled figure, panic creeping into his voice. "We talked about this. The only way to restore things is to allow them to exist within the renewed timeline."
Life nodded. "You made the promise."
Freya glanced at the familiar deity, who looked dangerously close to allowing her emotions to dictate her actions. But her attention soon shifted as Ares raised his voice.
"You’re going to break the Law of Continuity to save him? Why don’t we simply isolate that entity and be done with it?!"
His words made Freya grit her teeth, but she had no need to respond.
Fate stepped forward, his voice firm as he laid out the truth.
"The three of us had to unite just to restrain the complete destruction of that world. And yet, even as we stand here arguing, he continues to grow stronger from the very nothingness you intend to cast him into."
Ares frowned.
Death then delivered the final blow.
"Your end is inevitable. If not by my hand, then he will surely come for you one day. You made the mistake of awakening him. Now, you and your subjects shall pay the price for it."
°°°°°
A/N:- Thanks for reading. Kyle’s character would just transform.