Music Up Top: Dependent Weakling - Kuniyuki Takahashi (Monaca)
Lmfao I'm using one of my other books as a school book- They're gonna get a 100k fanfic HH-
- Back To The Story -
Everyone was in shock as Heracles' arm dropped down to the floor, now completely motionless.
"Al... Alcides!!!" Castor yelled.
Heracles silently looked down at his amputated arm for a moment as his club formed back to a lion head.
"H-His arm...!"
"Lord Heracles!!!"
"W-What in the...?!"
"What just happened-?!"
"N-No..." Göll muttered, collapsing to her knees as Randgriz gently comforted her. Brunhilde stood in silence as Hrist's eyebrows furrowed. "... Is this how you want it to go?" Reginleif silently looked at her eldest sister, who had stayed quiet in reply.
"U-Unbelievable! Big Ben's... clock face has... ch-ch... chopped off... Heracles left arm!!"
Jack lifted his hat, now looking at Heracles with a deranged grin.
Humanity... and even the Gods... had froze at the sight... of a Human wounding a God without the use of a Divine item.
The first one to fully understand...
"... I see..." Heracles spoke. He then pointed to Jack's hand. "That... is your Divine Weapon!"
... was none other than Heracles himself...
"Ah, mayhaps you've figured it out, Sir?" Jack gently pulled at the fabric of his gloves with a small grin.
"... Aha!" Loki tapped at his head with a grin. "I see! He got us good!" He and Hermes then looked at Ares. "Wh... W... Wh.... What the hell just happened-?!" He got up. "Whoa-" Loki floated off of his spot. "Don't you get it yet" Hermes questioned. "Huh-?" Ares looked at him and Loki. "That whole thing about Jack's pouch creating Divine Weapons... That was... a lie, as well." Ares froze up. "A lie-?!" He questioned. "Yup. The real Divine Weapon... isn't his ridiculously large scissors, or his inexhaustible tool pouch... The real Divine Item... is his gloves..." Ares immediately looked down at them as Hermes silently nodded. "I'm guessing that whatever his gloves touch... becomes a Divine Item..." He spoke. "It becomes a divine item..?" Ares looked towards Loki. "He drew all his weapons from his pouch... so we'd believe that's where the Magic was... He wanted us to believe there was a size limit..." The God flipped himself upside down, now floating whilst putting his arms behind his head. "He kept attacking.... over and over... and over and over... to drill that belief into Heracles..."
Loki then pulled himself up, leaning his elbow down on air whilst resting his chin down on his palm. "All so he could... pull off that one attack... Looking back... His first bluff was pretty ineffective... but it was just a setup so he could fool Heracles a second time! In any case... Heracles fell for it!!" Loki chuckled as Hermes looked towards (Y/n), who looked to be explaining things to the group in the stands. "Jack's every word... and every action, has been a bluff." Loki spoke. "Shit..." Ares muttered. He slammed his fists down on his legs repeatedly, cursing as he had done so. "Shit!! That cunning little bastard!!" Loki only blinked before looking towards Brunhilde.
(Is everything... going according to your plan... My Dear Brunhilde? -Loki)
"His real Divine Weapon was his gloves-?!" Göll questioned. "Yes. Didn't I tell you?" Brunhilde looked down. "No you didn't." Reginleif glared at the woman. "Oh. I thought (Y/n) did then." Brunhilde continued to stare forward. "The both of you knew of his Divine Weapon and that Heracles would fall for it, 100%-?" Randgriz questioned. "Oh, so you knew this would happen-?!" Hrist grit her teeth as she glared at her eldest sister. "Yes. That's why I made the decision I did." Brunhilde looked to the side.
- Prior to the match -
"You will be next... Hlökk." The Valkyrie spoke. She continued to look at said Valkyrie, who had ran the hairbrush through her hair while looking into her mirror. She then looked back at Brunhilde with a blink before scoffing. "You stupid or something?!" The smaller woman shouted.
Seventh of the Thirteen Valkyrie
Hlökk
(Norse Pantheon)
Brunhilde silently exhaled through her nose, seeing her younger sister get off of her seat. Hlökk then walked towards the Valkyrie. "Why must I, the beautiful Hlökk, be paired up with that serial killer of yours?!" Brunhilde's eyebrows slightly furrowed. "That man will not be causing any problems when Lord (Y/n) is taking care of him." She replied. "I don't care! I don't need to hear it! Even if it's you asking, sister, I. don't. wanna!!" She yelled. "Besides, in order for a Human and a Valkyrie to perform a Völundr, you need both of their hearts to resonate, right? That will never happen between me and a guy like that! So, sorry about that! Go pick someone else!" Hlökk spoke. "No. I have already decided." Brunhilde firmly replied. Hlökk seemed to sigh. "Weren't you listening?! That does it! Now it definitely won't be happening at all-"
Hlökk had been cut off when she had heard a sudden footstep behind her.
She slowly looked at Brunhilde, who had also stayed silent.
Hlökk then slowly looked into the reflection of her small mirror, seeing a crimson eye staring right back at her.
The Valkyrie immediately looked back with a shriek, seeing Jack's figure towering over her.
He had smiled, his eyes narrowing. "Oh, are you the one to be my partner? Quite a cute young lady." Hlökk had stayed within shock. "Ah-" She then looked towards (Y/n), who had leaned themselves against the wall, silently staring at her behind their mask. Slowly, Hlökk looked back at Jack. He had gently bowed his head, pulling his arm to his chest while placing one foot behind the other.
(What the... When did the two of them get in here...? Is this guy even Human...? -Hlökk)
Jack had suddenly flashed a close eyed smile, making the Valkyrie stop. She then looked at the male's hand, seeing it extend towards her. The woman immediately looked to the side. "W-Who would take your-"
Hlökk immediately got her throat snatched into the air, making her grip at Jack's hand with beads of sweat rolling down her face. "No need to worry... I shall simply have our hearts become one." Jack's eyes narrowed as he saw the colors within Hlökk's figure fluctuating. "No...! Sister...! Help...!" She held her hand towards the Valkyrie, seeing her doing nothing to stop the actions within eyesight. Hlökk then slowly looked towards (Y/n) as a last resort. They had stood with their arms crossed, clearly letting things go by. "Y-You two... No...!" Hlökk muttered. "Oh..." Jack's smile could only widen. "You've become such a wonderful color! And now... become the purest of colors!!" He raised Hlökk into the air even more. "Völundr!!" Everyone within the room had heard the Valkyrie's screams of protest as her body started to glow. It had then shifted into threads, weaving and threading around Jack's hands as a perfect fit. He hummed softly with satisfaction, staring at the gloves with a small smirk. "... Good girl..." He softly spoke.
- Back To The Present -
"H-How..?" Göll muttered. "How could you-?!" She yelled. "You forced Hlökk to do a Völundr with a man like him?!" Hrist shouted. Reginleif silently looked down with a small glare as Randgriz covered her lips. "You forced her into a battle she didn't want to fight...?" She muttered. "I needed her powers to win this fight." Brunhilde stared forward with a soft glare as Göll sniffled. "The 13 Valkyrie sisters. Hlökk, the 11th born... The pwoer that dwells in her... The runic meaning... of her very name is... The unsettled one!!"
"Gloves should always be custom-made, don't you think?" Jack raised his gloves into the sky. "They just fit so much better... And..." He reached down to grab a pebble. "With but a touch of these gloves..." The male flicked it towards Heracles, making it fly right into the tower of Big Ben.
It caused a crater in the tower, making the God silently eye it with a blink.
"A mere pebble may become capable of bringing down walls... and the face of a mere clock... may become a weapon capable of slaying Gods..." Jack smirked as he stared into Heracles' color. He had remained undeterred. "I am certain that one such as yourself... has already understood... the true meaning behind my words, yes?"
Everyone had remained in shock or interest.
"No...!" Ares muttered, his eyes narrowing.
"Unbelievable!!! Everything this man touches!!!"
Jack covered his face with both hands, grinning through the gaps of his fingers.
"The entire city of London has become a lethal weapon!!!"
Despair has been unveiled.
"Heracles..."
"Alcides..."
"You can do it!!!"
"Don't give up, Heracles!!"
Facing the madness before him, the God of Fortitude had stood, stained with his own blood.
Jack chuckled as he listened into the cheers of the Gods and Humans around him. "I can hear their cries of Requiem for you now, Dear Hero..." He spoke. "And now..." Jack held his arms out. "We enter the Final Act."
"What... What is going on...? All that Jack The Ripper has touched will now evolve into a blade capable of slicing through Heracles!! The God of Fortitude has now, been driven to the edge by none other than Humanity's greatest evil!!"
Ares slowly looked up. "Heracles...!" He then placed a hand over his knees.
That was, until he was punched into the wall.
"Whoa..." Loki mumbled as he floated to the top of the room. Hermes had leaned himself back to avoid Ares, looking at Zeus. "... Eh?" The blond God blinked. "What are you doing, breaking before the man himself-?! You're a damn foolish son of mine!!" Zeus yelled. "Hmph." He then allowed his arm to swell down as Hermes bowed himself down. Loki sat down on the flipped couch. "B-But... his right arm..." Ares muttered. "Ah, yes. What of it?" Zeus walked up to the projector. "You really think that's enough of an excuse for him to lose?" The older God then looked towards Ares, tapping his fist against his own cheek. "He won't lose. Heracles just isn't that kind of man." Ares' eyes seemed to widen.
He then got up, looking up at the projector.
(Right... That's right... He is... Heracles is... -Ares)
He punched his fist to his chest.
(The man who passed the trials of Zeus himself! And the man I call my greatest friend! -Ares)
Heracles looked at his arm, now tightening one of his straps around it to lessen his bleeding.
Jack silently watched as some of his bracers dropped down to the floor, and as he had continued to tighten the strap by tugging at it with his teeth and other hand to tie it up.
"... Please do not push yourself... That technique from before... puts quite the strain on your body, if I recall?" Jack gave another deranged grin. "... You needn't worry." Heracles helt his club towards Jack.
He slowly raised one hand over the other before beginning to clap, grinning softly. "Unbelievable... Such an overwhelming pride!! Mixed with but a hint of anger, and yet in spite of the stimulation, there is no sign of fear to be seen..." He took his hat off, now pulling it towards his chest before placing one foot behind the other. "As one would expect of the God of Fortitude's color... I stand in awe..." Jack then silently looked at Heracles as he got quiet for a few moments. "... You... You can see my emotions with that eye of yours." He spoke. "Wow!" Jack smiled.
"See... emotions...?" Arthur mumbled.
"Yes, sir... Amongst all the evil that permeates my soul, this is my sole reason for life..." Jack placed his hat over his head again. "The one gift the Gods saw fit to bestow upon me..." He outstretched his arms. "The colors of emotion I can see... are a work of art... that only I am capable of producing..." He then looked at his glove, pulling it towards his face. "Furthermore... This art of mine is capable of making anybody shine... no matter how dark their life was... Isn't that wonderful...?" Heracles' eyebrows softly furrowed. "You continued to kill... for a reason like that?" Jack grinned. "I'm certain that it is beyond your comprehension... But those whose hearts resonate with the sole emotion of fear... possess a beauty that I wouldn't exchange for the world..."
It had remained quiet for a while until the muttering of those in the stands were heard.
"This is madness... He is truly evil.."
"How repulsive..."
"Humanity must be purged..."
"Some gift of the Gods, you damned monster..."
"... You're going to sit here and defend that man?" Poseidon silently eyed (Y/n) as they silently stared down at the match. Adam silently snapped his head towards the blond. "You. Excuse me." The two silently stared at each other as Chen faintly sweatdropped. "My Lord, is this something I can defend you in...?" He mumbled, smiling softly. "... That will depend on you." (Y/n) blinked behind their mask. Lü Bu silently looked at them with a blink. "... This guy of yours... You got some real trust in him." Kojiro remained sat on a pillow of his own, silently watching with a blink.
Jack listened to the chattering with a small smirk. "... I see..." Heracles frowned softly. "You have... lost, haven't you?" His eyebrows lowered. Not from anger, but from sympathy. "I have... lost, you say....?" Jack slowly raised his head, staring down at Heracles. "Is the reason you fell to evil due to the bottomless pit of poverty...? Or was it because of the deep cuts seared into your soul by betrayal?" The God shook his head. "No... The reason is... irrelevant..." He replied. "You lost to depair, and gave yourself to hedonism..." Jack's eyes widened. "This is..." He muttered, looking into Jack's color. "It's suppressing his feelings of anger, fortitude, repulsion... and doubt... This color spreading from the center of his mass... I've seen it before somewhere..." Heracles looked down.
"I am a Demigod. A Human born on Earth who ascended to Olympus as God. Humanity and deity... as one holding both titles... I can say this.. Humanity is foolish. They're jealous, hateful, discriminatory, scornful, depraved, treacherous, faithless, lustful, oppressive, slothful, rebellious, vindictive, egotistical, resentful, hostile, desperate, greedy, unjust, despairing, crafty, sly, and sycophantic... And yet... in spite of all of that... I truly love Humanity."
Humanity had all teared up, with the Valkyries besides Reginleif and Brunhilde being an exception. However, the smaller Valkyrie had a small smile on her face whilst her eldest sister had overshadowed eyes.
The Gods remained in glee as Ares, Hermes, and Zeus had chuckled softly. Loki softly whistled.
(Y/n) and Adam seemed to faintly smile as Chen teared up. Lü Bu softly grinned with Kojiro being no exception.
Poseidon had his eyes closed as Proteus smiled softly.
"It's the same..." Jack muttered. "This color... I'm sure I know it..."
(Ah... Mother... My beloved... -Jack)
He saw the same colors his Mother had resonating within Heracles.
(I never thought... I'd see this color again... -Jack)
"Jack The Ripper..." Heracles held his club towards the male. "I will.." Jack tensed. "... I will save you from your suffering!!" He seemed to softly grin. "Ah... How beautiful..." He muttered.
Heracles grit his teeth, now throwing his club into the air.
"What...? Heracles has thrown his club skyward...?" Heimdall muttered.
Heracles' club had then formed into the figure of a black lion before it twisted the skies into a portal.
"What's this...? It's twisting... the fabric of reality!!"
Jack silently looked up at the portal whilst keeping his hat over his head.
"Come forth, hound of Hades!"
Heracles raised his hand upwards before a black liquid had started to drip from the portal.
Wind had gusted everywhere.
But even so, everyone had kept their eyes forward.
"No... That's..." Ares muttered, his eyes widening once he saw the creature that had slowly crawled out of the portal.
It's claws gripped at the swirling energy.
Herculean Exodus
It had been Cerberus.
Two heads of the hound bit down at Heracles' arms, with the very third opening its mouth.
Twelfth Labor
As it bit down on Heracles' head, blood had gushed everywhere.
Yet, within only moments, Cerberus had disappeared, as well as the steam covering Heracles' form.
He now looked entirely different, with his tattoo shrouding most of his figure.
His hair had grown longer, with the brace on his shoulder looking sharper than ever.
His remaining hand had claws on it.
Hound of Hades: Cerberus
"What...?"
"What is that...?"
"L-Lord Heracles...?"
"So ominous...."
"It's a battle for time from here on out." Zeus spoke. "Time?" Loki looked towards him whilst placing his hands behind his head. "That skill possesses an overwhelming capacity for destruction. However, it takes a proportional toll on its user. Will he engulf his opponent?"
Jack stood silent, tensed up as goosebumps had traveled through his body.
"Or be drained of his essence first?"
Heracles had stood firm, his eyebrows faintly furrowing as his tattoo burned onto more sections of his body.
"That labor... cannot be stopped." Zeus spoke. "Wow... A skill that burns through the user's own life..." Loki smirked faintly. "So if he doesn't win, that tattoo will overwhelm his body, stripping it of life in the process... What a truly amazing man..." He spoke. "Heracles...! Hurry!" Ares clenched his fists.
Jack's eyes narrowed as he stared into Heracles' color.
Jack could tell... that this was Heracles' final skill... and his most fearsome one yet... The serial killer's instincts screamed at him... to come up with a plan...
The gentleman grinned, drifting his shoe along the floor before gently aching his back, tipping his hat whilst placing a hand on his hip.
However, it would need to befit a gentleman!!
"Here I come." Heracles' words spoke.
The male then lunged at Jack, his eyes widening from the sudden speed boost.
Yet, he had managed to dodge Heracles' punch, his eyes then seeing the claw marks that had befell the building beside him.
Jack continued to avoid the God's offenses, grabbing rubble and throwing it at the man for chip damage at the very least.
He simply punched them away, with Jack continuing to fling more rubble at him.
"Th-They've entered a devastating melee! As he runs and strikes, Heracles kicks up a storm of debris! Meanwhile Jack imbues that storm with divinity and fires it right back! Demolition! Demolition! A fierce demolition of the arena takes place! Heracles countinues to crush any debris Jack sends back his way!"
The man's eyes landed on a pub sign that had flew in front of him and Heracles.
Right as he grabbed it, the male broke it to pieces with one punch.
Jack's arm, now stunned, had slightly shivered.
He then looked up at Heracles with a grimace before seeing him pull his fist back.
"Heracles capitalizes on the opening!"
The God sent a punch towards the gentleman, only for him to leap over it, using Heracles' arm as a launch pad.
The floor Jack was previously standing on was now demolished.
"A-And yet, Jack freely dodges Heracles' almighty blow!!"
The God swung his other fist at him, only to flick blood on Jack's face.
The male took his steps back, keeping his hat over his head before feeling a cut form over his face.
"Ah... Heracles just grasps at air... It appears he'd not used to that body yet!"
Loki whistled softly. "I thought that Human was just full of bluffs... But it seems that he's pretty capable too... Although... just how long will he hold out?"
Heracles raised his fist as Jack looked up at him.
"... against the God of fortitude himself...?"
Jack suddenly stepped on the ledge of a manhole lid, now grabbing it to use as a shield.
Heracles' punch had landed on the surface of the lid, but had added pressure.
"Try this...!" Heracles yelled.
Jack's eyes widened as he saw Heracles' fist starting to bend through the metal of the lid.
Slowly, the gentleman had began to slide back, even with how much he tried to keep himself still.
But even through his efforts, Heracles' fist had punched through the manhole's lid, landing a hit right on Jack's face.
The male fell back immediately.
"It's useless! Even if it's Divine, it's basically paper! Such power! As expected of Heracles!!"
Zeus weakly laughed as he stroked his beard. "One direct hit, and he'll be done!!" Ares punched his fist into his palm.
"He's amazing!"
"Heracles is the best!"
"Good going, Alcides!!"
"No good..."
"He's too strong..."
Jack, who had fallen back, quickly flipped himself to his feet, chuckling softly. "Wonderful..." He muttered. Heracles' eyebrows softly furrowed as his skin felt the burning sensation of the tattoo. "You've exceeded my expectations..." As Jack spoke, he slightly looked back at the cross on top of a church building. Heracles' eyes narrowed.
He then saw Jack shoot a grappling hook at the cross, making himself fly at it.
Yet, Heracles was already in front of him, swinging his fist down on the male.
Before he had fallen, Jack eyed the fence below him.
He then deflected Heracles' punch, falling towards the fence at a rapid speed.
Yet, Jack adjusted himself just in time...
Even if the fence had pierced into his side.
"What... What now...?"
Heimdall perked up.
"Impaled!! Jack The Ripper's body has been pierced by the iron fence below!!"
The male coughed out blood through his teeth as Heracles landed on his feet.
He saw Jack cut the fence behind him before he dropped the knife, now gripping at the fence that had impaled him.
He grit his teeth, trying to pull it out.
Successfully, albeit painfully, he managed to pull the fence out of his side with a sheer yell of pain.
"Jack..."
The male collapsed to one knee, but stabbed the sharp point of the fence into the floor.
He then slowly got up, covering his wound with his glove as Heracles walked towards him.
"No matter what you do, it's useless. There's nowhere you can run in this town."
The gentleman backed away, leaning against the fence with a wince.
The fence he had been impaled with wasn't visible anymore.
"It's as you say, Sir..." Jack muttered. "However..." He then tore his coat off. "Have you forgotten?"
The male swiped his coat towards the building beside him.
Heracles' eyes widened slightly from his confusion.
Yet, he thought he saw some sort of glint in Jack's coat...
The God's eyes widened yet again once he remembered Jack's hand drifting across the building once he had fell onto the fence.
"That all of this city of London... is a deadly weapon in my hands..."
Jack fit his coat over his shoulders again before running at the God.
He quickly blocked the male's kick with his remaining arm, seeing the gentleman grin at him before kicking himself into a window.
Heracles' eyes had then locked onto the building that had fallen on him full force.
Rondo of Blessing
The God shouted, trying to lift the building with his back.
At least, until it had completely collapsed on him.
"Such... destruction..."
Jack placed his foot over one of the pieces of rubble, grinning softly as he lifted his hat.
"This man turned an entire building into a weapon, and dropped it onto a God!!"
Arthur could feel a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face.
(Was it all part of his plan...? Turning the building divine... and leading him within range... and to stop him from escaping... He used Heracles' blow... as a temporary retreat... What a... truly devilish plot!! -Arthur)
"After taking a blow from a huge weapon like that... even Heracles would be..."
"No... He wouldn't... No..."
"Lord Heracles!"
"Don't lose, Heracles!!"
"Brother Heracles..." Göll muttered.
Brunhilde stood in silence as Reginleif frowned softly.
Randgriz and Hrist had stared at the fallen building with shock.
"... Whoa." Kojiro stared with wide eyes.
"What the..." Chen blinked.
"Holy shit." Lü Bu softly chuckled for a moment.
Adam was completely silent, staring at the building.
Poseidon could feel his eyebrow twitch as Proteus' eyes widened.
(Y/n) completely crossed their arms, staring down at the match.
"Alcides... You're kidding me!!" Castor yelled, running forward, only to be restrained. "Quit it, Castor!" A male yelled.
"I won't forgive such a ridiculous conclusion!!"
Both Castor and Ares had called out for their dearest friend, their voice resonating through the arena.
"Alcides!!"
"Heracles!!!"
"Stand up!! Please stand up!!"
The rubble had slowly began to move before a fist punched through the debris.
Jack quickly tensed up.
"What-?! I can't believe it! Is this a hallucination?! No! No! NO!!! Our hero has... clawed his away back from the underworld!!"
Heracles, who was now standing entirely still, had panted softly whilst glaring straight into Jack.
"Yes.. The way it should be. Heracles... yields to nobody." Ares clenched his fist with teary eyes. "Heracles... you will always rise up again... He bears the pride of all us Gods... He is the God of Fortitude!!"
"Amazing! I knew Lord Heracles was amazing!"
"Yeah!! You go, Lord Heracles!!"
"Geez... Don't scare me like that..." Castor wiped one of his tears.
Jack and Heracles silently stared at each other, both gravely wounded and exhausted.
"Welcome back, Sir... Was the gift I prepared to your liking?" Jack tilted his hat upwards. "No matter what you do... the justice in my heart will never waver..." The male stared into Heracles for a moments. The male had bursted into laughter right after, stunning the God. "... Is osmething funny?" He questioned. "Haha.... Whoops- Ow- that hurts-" Jack covered his wound. "My apologies... Its just... thanks to you, I was able to confirm... that the color my Mother showed me... was indeed a fake..." Jack slowly looked at his hands. "... To think that true love would be as dazzling and wondrous as this sight before me..."
He slowly sunk to his knees "I... ah... I just... to you... wreathed within... such pure, beautiful colors of love... I... want to..."
Jack started to grin, now looking at Heracles whilst pulling an ear reaching smile onto his face.
"... dye you in my favorite color..."
The male blinked.
He then grinned, punching his fist towards Jack.
"Just try it!"