In the eternally dark sky of the Dark Elf Empire, A sudden light shined upon the city and plummeted toward the Valkyrie Fortress before anyone could actually act to stop it.

The strengthened walls of the fortress were no match for whatever crashed into it. It was only after the object burst through the fortress walls did it stop after landing in a garden deep within the structure.

...

Kara opened her eyes, awoken by the sudden shock, and found flowers taking up her vision.

“Damn it, Ira!” Kara shouted as she realized Ira sent her away.

She coughed a few times before sitting up only to find dozens of weapons pointed toward her. Women dressed in dark red armor surrounded her on all sides while a beautiful raven-haired woman wearing black armor stood a few feet away from her. Her silver eyes showed hostility as she watched Kara, she held a sword and shield that shined with a molten red glow.

“You…” Kara felt there was familiarity in the woman’s features.

“Why did you say that name?” Avery asked, pointing her sword at Kara.

Kara observed Avery for a few moments before noticing two women wearing black veils who stood in the background. It felt like there shouldn’t have been anything too eye-catching about them but the more she looked at them, the more they stuck out.

“Answer me!” Avery shouted, drawing Kara’s attention once more.

Kara furrowed her brows as she felt something was familiar with the situation. Once she recalled how she pointed her own sword at Ira, she gave a wry smile. It made sense for Avery not to recognize her since her hair was silver and the situation was too distracting for anyone to instantly recognize Kara’s face.

“There’s no need to worry…” Kara slowly stood up, her silver wings spread open with a powerful gust of wind. “I am a Valkyrie...It seems as if you’re all my descendants.”

Kara surveyed the Valkyries surrounding her and then changed her words. “No, it seems only some of you are my descendants.

“If Ira described you correctly, you must be Avery.” Kara turned her gaze to Avery.

Avery showed a look of confusion before she slowly lowered her sword. “Who are you?”

“Is there a need to ask that when-”

“It can’t be...Mother?!” Lauren’s shaken voice interrupted Kara.

“Lauren?!” Kara ignored everything else and went straight for her daughter.

“It’s you...Mother, you’re alive!” Lauren found herself unable to keep the composure that usually couldn’t be shaken by anything.

The two hugged each other tightly while showing smiles of pure happiness.

Avery finally understood who Kara was by her Grandmother’s reaction and sheathed her sword.

After the Lauren and Kara separated, Avery spoke to Kara.

“Forgive me, but I didn’t know who you were...But, I need to know how Ira is.” The urgency was clear by Avery’s tone.

“Ah, yes, I am sorry for-” Kara inhaled in order to collect her thoughts. “Firstly, Ira is alive...It was only a few moments ago when we spoke. He sent me here to...keep me safe.” Kara added the last part with a sense of shame.

“To keep you safe?” Lauren interjected with a strange expression.

“Ira has decided on a path that will change everything, that much I can say for sure. Because of his actions, there are more than a thousand Gods currently seeking to capture or kill him.”

“Do you believe his life is in danger?” Lauren asked cautiously.

“I’ve seen his abilities and I think he’ll somehow be able to survive the onslaught of those Gods, no matter the number. They are nothing compared to the entity he’ll face after he deals with them...If his words were true, then I cannot say he will survive for sure, even with all his power.” Kara showed a grim expression.

“What does that mean? What could be stronger than the Gods?” Avery questioned.

“I do not know a way to describe it...But, the way Ira spoke of it, it’s power is too much to put to scale.”

The mood darkened as the news was absorbed. Meanwhile, Zella and Juliana remained in the background, discussing something in low whispers.

“You’ve realized it?”

“Yes, the truth has become unknowable.”

“I cannot see beyond it.”

“Then what does that mean for him?”

“I cannot say.”

It seemed as if they knew something and whatever it was, they showed no intention of informing anyone about it.

…

Two catastrophes struck the Divine Realm.

One came in the form of the Tainted Land spreading, rendering all land touched by it an unlivable death zone. The other was less concerning but almost equally worrying. Ira had begun consuming all the land around him. A city-sized crater surrounded him but he seemed to be insatiable as he continued to pull more at his surroundings.

Although he was causing a damage to the area he was in, he was basically advertising himself for the Gods.

As such, Xandes was forced to call the Gods together once more under his blatant provocation.

“We should strike now!” A barbaric God bellowed.

“No, this might be a trap set by the Avarus. We should wait,” A God with a sly face replied.

“When did we have so many cowards among us?”

“The moment we all needed to gather in order to defeat the Avarus.”

“You all do not know, but this Avarus is nothing like Indras...He’s far worse and if we do not deal with him soon we will all suffer the same fate as the ones who fell to him so far.”

“Why not bargain with him?”

“He doesn’t want anything other than our deaths, that’s why.”

“Fool, even if we did try to appease him, his desires would only grow and he’d demand more.”

“That would buy us time and we could form a plan to completely deal with him.”

“If he even agreed in the first place, that is. He will attack the first person who makes him an offer.”

“Enough,” Xandes said.

His composed voice brought all arguments to a close. He looked at the hundreds of God who grew more unhinged with each passing moment.

“We’ve had a chance observe his power and gain a slight understanding of its nature. First, we will isolate the area he is in. Divine seals need to be placed around him to prevent his escape. After that, attack from a distance and do not let him approach under any circumstances. The initial fight was a terrible failure and it is clear that a few dozen Gods aren’t enough to properly deal with him. I suspect that at least one hundred Gods will be needed to deal with him and even that might just barely be enough. That’s why I will give you something incredibly useful.”

As Xandes finished speaking, several Gods descended from the sky carrying a golden box. They opened it and a beautiful crystal arrow with an iridescent shine was revealed. It had an astounding effect on the Gods as they could feel the power radiating from it.

“That can’t be it!” A God shouted in pure awe.

“This is an Origin Arrow.” Xandes closed the box. “Only a God with a divinity centered around archery is fit to use this.”

“I will!”

“No one has a better shot than me!”

“Wrong, I have to be the one to use it!”

The Gods who used bows began to compete much to Xandes’ delight. He needed to test the effects of a weapon refined from the Origin Realm and using it on Ira was the best method. Shooting the arrow at anything else would just be wasteful in his mind.

“We will all decide on who uses it. You should know that there will only be one chance and if the Avarus escapes he will grow stronger.”

The bickering Gods went silent at the responsibility that would be thrust upon them. If Ira wasn’t hit by the arrow a great opportunity would pass by and they would be the ones held accountable. It was a difficult role and only a few Gods still showed intentions of receiving the arrow.

After a period of deliberation, the Gods nominated an Archery God who fitting wore a wolf’s pelt over his armor.

With a new plan formed, one hundred Gods departed under Xandes’ watch. He didn’t care whether or not they lived or died, only if the Origin Arrow worked. Knowing how much damage could be done to Ira was his highest priority. If it ended up succeeding and Ira was captured, it would be better than he expected but he knew that was unlikely to occur.

As soon as the Gods were out of his sight, Xandes eagerly retreated to the Origin Realm.