[God Personas].

Through the course of time, billions of myths about gods, demons, beasts, and heroes have been created and passed down from person to person. Most of these myths have been lost down the flow of time. However there are countless myths that were fused together to form a new myth.

Let's use the Greek god, Zeus for example. After the Greeks invaded Egypt, they fused their religion with theirs. This brought forth the fusion of Zeus and the already fused god, Amun-Ra. Hence Zeus became Amun and Amun became Zeus.

There's other times when myths got lost in translations, and underwent changes. For example, name changes.

For whatever reason, countless mythical beings have had multiple personas throughout time.

Ouroboros is no exception.

In Norse mythology, he is known as Midgard Serpent, World Snake, Jörmungandr.

The Ouroboros born of the union of the God Loki and the giantess Angrboða. Middle sibling of the God eating wolf, Fenrir and the goddess of death, Hel.

And more importantly, he's the one who signals the final battle, Ragnarök.

Zanis who switched personas along with Ouroboros, appearance changed completely.

He was no longer in his dragon form.

His hair was long and wild, and had a dark green color. His eyes were golden and beastly. His skin was partially scaly, the symbol of a snake eating its own tail was on his tongue.

Zach who saw his transformation, got extremely excited.

“Yes! That's the form I wanted to see! This is the form I wanted to see! I don't care about the other three, this form is only one worth killing!”

His body suddenly doubled in size as his muscles got bigger. His skin darken and bull like horns spurted from his head.

“Let's-”

*Boom!*

“You talk too much.”

Zanis pop up in front of Zach and kicked him in the face while he was talking.

“So I've been told!”

Zach punched Zanis across the face. Zanis immediately replied with a punch to the gut.

Zach flew back and covered his body in flames. The flames created the image of a mountain sized bull.

The bull charged at Zanis, while scorching the earth.

“Zakiel.”

A door with the infinity symbol appeared behind Zanis.

The twin doors swung open and a gigantic shadow rushed out.

“Roar!”

What rushed out was a gigantic serpent with feathered wings and two arms.

The monster charged and clashed directly with the flame bull.

*Boom!*

An explosion of fire caused by the collision turned the world into hell itself.

Zach was sent flying and crashed into a ruined country.

He crashed into a large building and reduced it dust.

He got up and glared at the monster circling above him.

“That Regalia is really annoying!”

As he said that, the monster flew towards Zanis who stretched out his hand. The monster then transformed into a large black sword.

Zanis then sent a cold glare towards Zach.

He swung down his sword and the tip turned into a snake's head. The snake shot down and opened it's jaws to devour Zach.

“[Servant Of The Fly]!”

Zach activated his blessing as an Apostle, made an armor of red bones cover his body.

He used the fly wings on his back to fly towards the snake.

“[Zebul Fire Sword]!”

He created a giant sword of black flames and swung at the snake.

*BOOM!*

A shockwave swept through the area and shattered all the buildings like glass.

Zanis pulled back the serpent and returned it to its sword form.

Zach continued to rushed towards Zanis. Zanis clenched his sword and rushed at him.

The two clashed swords.

*Boom!*

They pull back and then charged at each other again.

*Boom!*

Zanis slashed at Zach head. Zach turned into a stream of fire and circled around his back.

Zach swung down his sword.

“?!”

A snake burst out of Zanis's back and blocked the sword.

Another snake rushed out and tried to bite Zach. Zach covered his hand with fire and cut the snake's head off.

He then swung his foot up and destroyed the snake that stopped his sword.

“Zakiel.”

At that moment Zanis's sword turned back into the monster Zakiel.

“Roar!”

“Shit!”

The monster immediately tried to devour Zach.

It's giant jaws clamped down on him. Zach stopped the jaws with his arms and legs, he used all of his strength to prevent himself from being devoured.

“?!”

It was then countless snake rushed out from Zakiel’s throat and slammed into him.

The snakes forced themselves on him and tried to devour him.

“I've had enough!”

*Boom!*

A burst of dark magic instantly destroyed the swarm of snakes.

“[Demon Bull Stampede]!”

Dozens of mountain sized bulls appeared behind Zach. He pointed at Zakiel and they started charging.

Zakiel charged at them without fear and rip of their heads off. A bull slammed into it and sent it flying. Zakiel crashed into the ground and flew back up and charged at the bulls.

Two bulls charged back.

Zakiel headbutt one and wrapped its body around the other. It used its body to twist the bull’s head off and then used its claws to slashed the other’s throat.

Seeing their comrades murdered all the bulls rushed at Zakiel.

“Roar!”

Zakiel gave a brave roar and directly clashed with the bull stampedes.

The bulls crushed Zakiel under their feet, but a blast of black flames roast a couple them.

Zakiel then bite its way through a bull in order to regain its footing.

It then killed several of the bulls with its flames.

Two bulls then charged at it from the side and stabbed it with their horns.

“Roar?!”

Zakiel screamed out in pain and used its claws to rip the bull's head off.

It then used its tail to slap a few of them away.

The bulls all slammed their bodies into it.

“[Demonic Lance]!”

Zach created a giant lance and threw it at the cornered Zakiel.

“[Black Glutton]!”

A mass of black fog intercepted the lance and devoured it.

Zanis shot out of the fog and rushed towards Zach.

He covered his body in water and transformed into a gigantic serpent.

Zach rushed forward and transformed into a gigantic bull made up of black flames.

*Boom!*

A pill of fire and water shot up towards the sky.

*Boom!*

Zanis slammed his right leg in Zach stomach. Zach kneed him in the face and cut his arm off with his flame sword.

“[Infinite Rebirth].”

The infinity symbol appeared on the arm, and new body grew from it. Meanwhile the original Zanis grew a new arm.

The two Zanis's rushed at Zach together.

Zach smiled and created another flame sword.

He blocked one Zanis's punch with one, and slashed the other with the next one.

Three bones then grew from his back and impaled one of the Zanis's in the head, chest and gut.

The bones detached themselves and exploded.

*Boom!*

The impaled Zanis was blown to bits.

Zach then turned his attention to the remaining Zanis and was uppercut by him.

Zach gripped the swords and slammed them into Zanis's chest.

He suddenly turned into hundreds of snakes which rushed at Zach.

Zach vigorously slashed his swords with a savage smile. One slashed burned dozens of snakes.

It didn't take long for him destroy all the snakes.

An infinity symbol then appeared at the center of the floating ashes. They then all gathered up and turned back into Zanis.

“Come on, Zanis! This can't be the extent of Jörmungandr’s power!”

Zach pointed his sword at Zanis and shouted.

“I risked it all for this fight! My status. My livelihood. My life. So quit being a little bitch and showed me the power that killed the Norse faction’s strongest god! Show the power that ended Thor!”

He raised his sword and it grew so tall that it looked like it reached the heavens.

“[Burning Heavens Splitter]!”

The sword swung down carrying an oppressing force.

People could stay from hundreds of miles away and see the flames swinging down. It was like the heavens were being cut by a burning sword from hell.

Zanis watched as the terrifying sword swung down on him, and shouted.

“[God Slaying Serpent]!”

*BOOOOM!*

The sword clashed with something and even though the force split opened the earth, the sword itself couldn't touched the earth.

A gigantic serpent caught it with its teeth.

This serpent was so large that it a mountain looked like child in comparison. It's body could be seen from all over the continent. It's body stretched so far, that it made one wonder if it circled the world.

Even those in the far away Dragna Kingdom could see it.

“Midgard Serpent?”

In the foremost corner of the kingdom, someone sat and looked at the giant body in the sky.

The person who sat beside him spoke with emotion.

“How nostalgic. I had a lot of fun fighting against that thing.”

The first person nodded in agreement.

“Looks like the world is getting interesting again, Old Man.”

The second person nodded and started drinking.

“Hahahahaha! Yes! You finally did it, Zanis! Now the fight can truly begin!”

Zanis in his snake form crushed the flame sword with his mouth.

He swung his colossal tail and hit Zach with it.

*Boom!*

Zach slammed his fist in the snake's body. His punch forced the tail back.

“Roar!”

Zakiel who was finally finished with the bulls then came and rammed into him.

“Y-You stupid sword!”

Zach forced its head upwards with a kick, and punched it in the side of its head.

At this moment, Zanis slapped him with his body.

Zach was sent crashing into the earth.

*Boom!*

The impact created gigantic gorge in the earth.

Zanis turned his head towards the gorge and shot a gigantic pillar of water into it.

*BOOOM!*

The water ripped opened the ground further and created a sea in the center of the continent.

The newly created sea then started boiling and a gigantic pillar of black flames burst out.

The sea was instantly evaporated and the gorge turned into a glass surface because of the heat.

Zach floated in the air with the fly wings on his back burning like the sun. The number 5 was especially bright.

“[Zebul Burning Bone Sword]!”

The bones from his armor then reconstructed themselves into a bone sword.

“[Fifth Scripture: Hell Flames]!”

Zach popped up at Zanis body and swung the sword down.

The sword sliced through the skin and blood sprayed across the land.

Flames then spread from the wound to all over his body.

“Guaaaah!”

Zanis screamed out as his body was set ablaze.

Zakiel then rushed to protect his master.

“Scram!”

A gate with the number 5 appeared behind Zach.

“[Fifth Scripture: Demolition Blaze]!”

The gate opened and crimson flames shot out and devoured Zakiel.

“ROOOAR?!”

Zakiel was forced out of the sky and fell to the earth while withering in pain.

An infinity symbol appeared on Zanis's body and immediately shed his burning skin and took a new one.

The shed skin fell to the ground and the flames spread across the land.

(This isn't good Zanis. You're starting to run low on magic.)

Jörmungandr spoke to Zanis for the first since he changed his persona from Ouroboros.

(Changing [Persona] took a great amount of power to perform. Then there's continuously wielding your Regalia, performing high magic consuming attacks, and transforming into your serpent form; all of this ate away at your magic. If this battle continues any longer, you'll suffer from [Magic Exhaustion].)

‘Then I'll have to end it now.’

After he said that Zanis snake turned into a humanoid form.

“[Poison God Slayer]!”

A purple mist shot out Zanis's mouth and covered the sky.

Everything it came in contact with started to rot. Whether it land, sea, or air the poison mist instantly killed thousands lifeforms by the second.

The land was instantly turned into a world of rotten dead.

“Cough?!”

Even Zach was being affected.

His body started trembling, skin started to turn purple and blood started leaking from eyes nose and mouth.

“This is the poison that killed Thor? I thought you couldn't use it unless you reach [XXX Class]?”

His body fell to the rotten land as purple mist continued to come out of Zanis's mouth and spread across the land.

“This is bad. I can't mess around now that he's using that poison. I'll have to kill him now, before I die.”

While Zach was thinking that, Jörmungandr was panicking inside Zanis's head.

(Hey, Zanis! What the hell are you doing?! Deactivate the poison now! Are you trying to kill yourself!)

‘Jörmungandr, answer me honestly. If I were to lose here, what do you think would happen to Luka?’

Zanis asked calmly.

(…….)

Jörmungandr didn't answer. But Zanis continued.

‘You're already familiar with Zach’s hatred towards me. If I were to die and he survives he'll enter the world you created and kill all of your descendants and kidnap Luka. He would do as he said and make her his toy. Even if he doesn't do that he would paint me as a traitor when he returned to the empire. Even though he's my adoptive father, Zara isn't one to forgive betrayal. He would seek and destroy any place my daughter hides and kill her himself.’

Even Zanis acknowledges that Zara was a cruel person. The missions he assigns Zanis was proof enough.

It was an undeniable fact that Lisa used his necklace that Zanis was suppose to bring back to him. The chances of him already knowing about it was extremely high.

Zach knows this, and because of that it wouldn't take much to brand Zanis as a traitor who ran off with the empire’s national treasure.

‘Zach cannot leave here alive. No matter the cost.’

*Boom*

Zanis heard an explosion and looked in Zach’s direction.

“?!”

There he saw that the wings on Zach's back grew to a colossal size.

‘He's going to risk it all too?!’

The wings on Zach's back started glowing dark red. Skulls on them literally flew off and started laughing.

The 5 flew upwards and stretched across the sky.

A dong sound like a bell rang out through the area, and a giant gate appeared on the ground.

“Goodbye, Zanis. It was fun.”

Zach smiled and spoke.

“[Fifth Scripture: Hell Gates]!”

The gate swung open and fire rushed out and covered the heaven and the earth.

It was like a tsunami of flames washing over the earth.

Skeleton creatures then started emerging from the gate with dark mist covering them.

All kind of hideous monsters followed suit. They swarmed across the land and destroyed everything in their path.

They slaughtered thousands of people. Burned down hundreds of towns and cities. They did everything they could spread fear and chaos.

When they came in contact with Zanis's poison mist, they started to rot away. That was until giant evil-looking birds started blowing the mist away with the winds caused by their wings.

Before Zanis knew it, he was surrounded by nearly a million monsters.

“Your mist is useless now. It's checkmate, Zanis. But don't worry, I promise to take care of your daughter for you.”

Zach spoke with a mocking smile.

Unexpectedly, Zanis didn't seem angry or was in despair. He stopped releasing mist , and actually smiled back at Zach.

“You seem to be misunderstanding something here.”

“What?”

“Like you said earlier, I shouldn't have been able to use Jörmungandr’s poison yet. Since it's his deadliest weapon.”

Zanis smile grew wider.

“But there's a method that let's you use without needing to reach [XXX Class]”

An image of a snake eating it's own tail appeared behind Zanis.

“Hey, do you know what was the signal for the final battle, Ragnarök?”

The snake behind him started moving.

“It was when Jörmungandr releases his tail from his mouth and sprayed poison into the sky.”

The snake opened his mouth and lifted its body up. It turned and glared at Zach.

“?!”

Cold sweat immediately soaked his body.

“K-Kill him! Kill him now!”

All the monsters moved towards Zanis according to Zach's command.

“ROOOAAAR!”

At that moment the still burning Zakiel flew back up and devoured several hundred of the monsters.

It then opened its mouth and fired a breath of black flames and turned thousands of them in ash.

“Y-Y-You Fucking sword!”

Zach and the monsters rushed towards Zakiel, who wrapped its body around Zanis in order to protect him.

They fire long-range attacks at him. They rammed themselves into him. They slashed him with their claws and bit him with their fangs.

Even so, Zakiel never allowed any of them to reach Zanis, as he burned them with flames and slashed them with his claws.

Seeing Zakiel fight so desperately to protect him, Zanis placed his hand in his body.

“…Thanks for everything, boy. You were my first true friend.”

He then moved away, and the symbol of a serpent appeared in his eyes.

His body started glowing gold, and cracking sounds could be heard coming from him.

“Jörmungandr.”

(Yeah.)

“Could you make Luka your next Proxy. She already possess your blood, so she should make the perfect vassal you've searching for.”

(I was already planning to.)

“Thanks. With you there to guide her, I won't have to worry about Lisa being too angry when we meet in the after life.”

(……….)

“Goodbye, father.”

(Goodbye, my son.)

Zanis smiled and flew further up into the sky.

“Zanis!”

Zach glared at him and tried to move towards him, but Zakiel blocked his advance.

“Last spurt, buddy!”

“Roar!”

Zakiel who was on the verge of death, suddenly vigorously attacked Zach and his monsters.

“You!”

Zach formed a flame sword and angrily swung it down.

The sword instantly beheaded Zakiel who was about to swallow him.

He could've sworn he saw the monster smile as its head was cut off.

He looked up and saw Zanis with cracks all over his body, while shining as bright as the sun.

“Zanis!”

“Too late, Zach.”

Zanis looked down at him and smiled.

“It's my win.”

He spread his arms opened and shouted.

“[Ragnarök]!”

And then-

The world momentarily came to an end.

Cracks appeared in the sky, and in the space itself. It was like they were inside a mirror that suddenly cracked.

A bright little then engulfed the almost one-quarter of the continent.

*BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*

An explosion spread through the land and destroyed everything in its path.

People, land, countries. Everything caught in this blast was effortlessly destroyed.

That included Zach and the monsters he created.

“ZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAANNNNNNNNIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSS”

He screamed out as his body was throughly destroyed.

After nearly a minute, the light finally disappeared.

What was left behind was a crater so large that the sea itself started flowing into it as if to full it up.

Zanis attack had changed the shape of the continent and topography.

[Ragnarök]. A technique that reenact the world end events that signaled the beginning the final battle.

That was the reason why Zanis was able to use Jörmungandr's poison. He was replicating Jörmungandr's actions in the myth.

However, since there was no Thor the events went differently, but the results were somewhat the same.

“…….”

Zanis silently floated above the endless crater he created.

His body was ash white, and had large cracks in it.

“Lisa….”

He turned towards the direction were he left his wife's body.

“I'm sorry. I wasn't able to watch Luka grow up either. But was able to protect her like a father should.”

He smiled.

“That's enough, right?”

The biggest downfall of [Ragnarök] was that it loosely followed the myth.

In other words, Jörmungandr must die. Even while knowing that, Zanis didn't hesitate to use it for his daughter.

A true father.

*Crack*

His body started crumbling as he floated.

“Luka. My precious daughter. I'm sorry, but daddy and mommy won't be there for you anymore.”

The image of the villagers smile faces appeared in his mind. He couldn't help but to smile.

“But don't worry. You have a huge family willing to die protecting you. Just like mommy and daddy did.”

His crumbling body started shattering in the wind.

“Be happy, my daughter.”

A strong gust blew away the last of Zanis's body as he spoke those words.

This incident where millions of people died in a span of a few hours, went down in history as The Lovers’ End Incident”.