- tChapter 104

Arc 13- Public Enemy No.1 - Part 7

Headquarters of the United Nations in New York City was swarming with journalists and angry civilians.

There were soldiers who kept these civilians away from the main building. There was a yellow line drawn which kept them away.

These soldiers were wearing black trousers and dark blue shirts with guns in their hands.

Their clothes seemed ordinary but they were bulletproof armours. The guns in their hand, though looking ordinary, were very unordinary. These are energy-based guns that shoot photon blasts.

The media, however, was inside the yellow line and standing in front of the entrance.

They have been standing here for hours, waiting for the appearance or a response from the world's biggest "enemy" at the moment - Nazar.

"I don't think that coward is coming."

"What if he just kills us?"

"But the question is, why hasn't he killed us yet?"

After the very long wait, the dozens of journalists started to talk about the man of the hour.

"Maybe his alien bosses haven't given him permission to destroy this world?"

"Can we even try and defeat him?"

They shook their heads.

"Are we gonna die?"

"Stop with the depressing thoughts."

"And how do-- ??"

"Do you guys feel that?"

"This strange vibration and--"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

"Was that…?"

"I have heard that sound in Iraq… It's a sonic boom."

A loud sonic boom can be heard across the city.

"Could it be him?"

As they collectively looked up to the sky, the clouds split apart.

THUD!!!!

Someone landed in front of the UN headquarters.

As the ground shook, people tried to keep themselves standing. However, some failed and fell down.

They gasped for breath as they looked at the man.

It was a tall and muscular man with white hair and red eyes.

"It's him!"

They collectively inhaled sharply before starting to record or take pictures.

Although in the old timeline Nazar had black hair and black eyes, for some reasons, people remember him as having white hair and red eyes now.

“Tch. What a pain.”

Nazar walked into the building slowly, while getting malicious and scared looks from everyone.

He went into the building and entered an assembly hall.

The moment he stepped into it, everyone gasped for breath. He could see the fears swelling up within them.

“This is going to be fun,” Nazar said as he rolled his eyes.

He stood before them, and subconsciously, smiled.

Seeing the nervous sweats streaming down their face, deep down, it gave him a sense of satisfaction.

In the original timeline, this place was used by the demon to carry out many missions which hurt Nazar or those close to him.

No, it ruined his life in many ways.

In this timeline, although the demon hasn't used the same way, he still hates it. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, he believes. The roots of the organisation are the same.

“So, why have I been called out here?”

Although he said casually, everyone sucked in a breath in fear.

“Let’s get over this.”

In return, he got silence.

He waited for a short while for them to tell him why he was here but no one said anything.

Being impatient, he started to stretch his neck.

“If you are not going to talk, then I will leave.”

“W-w-wait.”

One of them spoke, so Nazar looked at her.

“So, speak.”

The representative of Argentina sucked in a breath.

“Ahem. I-I am sure you have seen the reports. I am sure you know that we all know about your secret or what you have done. So, let’s skip to the main problem...”

Nazar waited in anticipation of her question.

“Did you dest--”

“No, I did not.”

She bit her lip in anger of being stopped midway.

Putting that aside, she asked another question.

“Can you tell us why we should believe you?”

"Maybe.."

He shrugged while everyone exchanged confused glances.

“Let me tell you the truth about the world. The truth which was hidden under the carpets until now.”

Looking around the room, he had their complete attention.

“Thousands of years ago, two being descended into this world. An angel and a demon.”

He didn’t let his speech waver, but he could already feel that some people had stopped taking him seriously.

"From the shadows, the demon watched as the humans fought amongst each other. Kill one another. War with one another. Betray one another. And so… He used that to his advantage and slowly took over the world."

This didn't sound any different than a fairy tale told to children.

“And when the world went to shit during World War II, he used that opportunity and took over the world. And then came an organisation he used to control the world with.”

Nazar knew that no one was taking him seriously anymore. Who would?

But he continued.

"The man who made it at all happen… William Brown - the demon known as Zerathos."

That got their attention.

"He used the organisation. He used its people. Because why not? He created it."

William Brown was an alias used by the demon. He was one of the few people who established a new world order after World War II. And the UN played a major role in it.

“Slowly but surely, people who didn’t fall in line with his view were killed. By this very organisation. What do you think happened to New Zealand a few decades ago?”

That sent shivers in the hall.

The Fall of New Zealand was one of the biggest tragedies in the world.

Every history book will tell you one story; a meteor fell from the sky and washed away the lands of New Zealand, just like another meteor that did the same to dinosaurs in the far past.

"New Zealand tried to stand against the demon. They figured out what was going on behind the scenes. But do you remember what happened after it?"

He waited for a few moments and looked around.

"It wasn't a meteor as you all believe. No, it was the demon that wiped the country from the map of this planet as he laughed above its ashes. New Zealand was made an example of and every other country surrendered itself to this… this shitty organisation."

Nazar clenched his fist.

"Do you really think you have any right to judge me? Or to accuse me of something? Who do you think you are?"

In the distant lands, the skies roared.

"The demon ruled over this pathetic world for years and years and years. He manipulated you into doing his work for him. And in the last timeline? He used this very same organisation to nearly collapse the world. He was going to turn this world into a new hell for himself."

He narrowed his eyes.

"Do you know why that did not happen?"

With the thump of his right hand, he pointed at himself.

"Because I saved you," Nazar spat out in anger. "I saved this damned world. I saved you all!"

The fears swelled up within the audience.

Not even Nazar noticed the changes in the world.

Throughout the world, the weather was being affected. The waters rose up. Volcanoes erupted.

But this world had a hero who kept it safe; Norse God.

"And then came in aliens. With them, came in death and conquest. Guess who saved you then?"

In the original timeline, the Duluria Empire wanted to conquer the cosmic atrocity that was Earth. Of course, no one noticed because it was taken care of.

"Me. It was me."

Of course, he had help from different people. He didn't do it alone.

However, if he was not there, everyone else would have failed.

“This organisation which was made by the devil… This organisation which was used to kill anyone...”

He held his chest in his hand.

On top of his lungs, he shouted, "WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE ME??? YOU, WHO LET MY LIFE BE RUINED…"

Everyone's bodies jolted.

"YOU, WHO LET THE LIVES OF THOUSANDS BE RUINED…"

The echoes of his voice carried a lot of pain and anger.

"YOU DON'T GET TO FUCKING JUDGE ME!!!"

He looked down as he took out deep breaths.

“None of you get to judge me. None of you gets to question my actions or my motives.”

The fears in the hall skyrocketed.

These people were breathing heavily and sweating nervously.

As the representatives of their countries, they have faced a lot of terrifying people, but none comes close to Nazar.

“I did not come here to prove my “innocence”. No, I came here to tell you one thing...”

Nazar raised his head fiercely.

“Stay away from my family. Keep your armies away from my house. Get close to them again and...”

Seeing the big red eyes glow, everyone gulped.

“I will destroy the FUCKING WORLD FOR REAL THIS TIME!!” Nazar shouted on top of his lungs.

But suddenly, it hit him.

He realised what he said.

He said the last thing he should have said.

“Ah…”

His eyes and mouth opened wide in surprise and fear.

“Damn it...” he muttered to himself as he teleported out.

The people in the assembly hall exchanged glances.

Seeing how he was no longer around, they let out a sigh of relief. But deep down, the fear was still present within them.

လလလ

All around the world, natural disasters were brewing. Tsunamis without end. Volcanos that vaporised the waters. Floods of water in the deserts of the Middle East.

To add more troubles, meteors were coming down.

Norse God AKA Edward "Eddie" Hunt was watching the news but then suddenly, everything started to go wrong.

Chaos.

As his eyes lit up with light blue energy, he flew up.

"Which one? Which one? Which one?!"

He struggled to decide which trouble he should take care of first.

"What should I take care of first?"

He closed his eyes as he thought. Everything around him stood still.

He is a human who has the power of many Gods within him.

So, it’s time to use it.

“Everything.”

And so, he moved as the world looked like a still image.

Flying to Japan, the tsunami was standing still.

“Now then...”

He raised his right hand and lifted it up.

“Freeze.”

The tsunami froze in an instant.

Holding his left at the tsunami, an energy beam came out of it and shot it.

The frozen tsunami broke apart into small pieces.

In front of Eddie, a large magical circle appeared and pushed away the frozen pieces. People on the streets were safe.

Without any hesitation, he flew away from Japan and went to the Middle East.

Around the deserts of the Middle East, water was washing everything in its wake.

Flying above the desert, he increased the temperature and vaporized the water.

Eddie wondered, maybe water is needed in this place.

“Better be safe than sorry.”

Within a second, he covered the planet and took care of all the problems.

Flying high, he noticed that his form was changing slightly.

His hair was glowing with light blue energy. And so was his entire body.

He has moved faster than this before but this is the first time since he had to use all of his combined powers (of most Gods) to solve problems. If this continued any longer, his physical form could be destroyed completely and he would become a being of pure energy.

So, he slowed down and took a few deep breaths.

“That was close...”

Eddie is an extremely powerful individual. He wanted to restrict his powers, so Nazar created a weakness for him.

If he uses too much power, he loses his physical form.

But right now, for a second, he regretted having a weakness.

“Damn it… What are you doing, Nazar?”

The small amount of relief he felt soon vanished when he sensed something.

“!!”

His body froze.

“Hk!?!”

You see, Eddie had an ability in the original timeline which gave him an immense advantage in battles.

“Is this… Can it… But how?”

Time - the future doesn’t exist. With every step these people take, the future is being made.

So, there was no way for Eddie to use this ability of his.

“[Precognition]?”

Yes, that’s right.

Precognition is the ability which allows the user to see the future. How far they can see into the future depends on the user.

In Eddie’s case, he can see just seconds into the future and is made aware of something that froze his body.

“!!!!”

Nazar got too angry and let his powers run amok for a split second.

With infinite power being released, the world went into chaos.

And now…

“A meteor shower?!”

Large meteors were coming towards Earth.

“Damn it, Nazar.”

He sucked in a breath as the world around him stood still once more.

His eyes lit up with light blue energy.

All around the world, even if they looked up, they might not have noticed meteors coming down. But if Eddie didn't intervene, it would reach them soon.

“Can I really do it…?”

Eddie gritted his teeth.

Can he stop all the meteors before they even reach Earth’s orbit?

He can move faster than the speed of light. He should have no problem crushing the meteors.

However, there is a slight problem with that. The debris could be harmful.

Eddie's best option is to redirect them all, but that would require a lot of energy - which would make him lose his form - and might take longer.

Eddie has had his powers for many years. He can grow stronger but he doesn't want to. This level he is at is perfect for him.

He is happy.

He is happy…

Eddie clenched his fist.

(Time to use my trump card.)

Eddie has the power of multiple Norse Gods. However, he never used the power of one of them.

(Wisdom of Mimir.)

Put the Wisdom of Mimir to use. Use the knowledge of God.

Eddie has never tried accessing Mimir's power or knowledge. He always preferred the more flashy powers, which is why he uses Thor's powers on a regular basis.

Furthermore, accessing Mimir's wisdom would be too much for Eddie to handle. He cannot control what he learns.

But there is no choice now.

(!!!)

Accessing that infinite pool of knowledge, something changed.

(This is…)

Not noticeable by anyone, but at that moment, the laws of the game board twitched as something new was introduced.

(Impossible...)

Knowledge flowed into his mind. Unlocking magical spells unknown to the universe.

An unknown form of energy-- magic overflowed into Eddie - and the world. It used Eddie as a conduit to enter this universe.

Yes, that's right.

(Rune Magic. The magic of the Earth Gods.)

Magic of the Earth Gods?

(This magic… It's powerful.)

Eddie is one of the few beings in this universe who could use all three forms of magic.

And this makes him the first person to be able to use four forms of magic.

Despite the bad situation he was in, he felt his chest started to become lighter and lighter. His heart pumped faster and faster of happiness.

For many years, he has been in the shadows of a literal God who could one-shot everyone and everything.

But for the first time, it feels like he has something over Nazar.

He doesn't want more power. But having something like this made him happy within.

(Now to save the world…)

He sucked in a breath.

And…

And…

And…

All the meteors started to move away from Earth.

(What… happened?)

Eddie looked up to the dark sky above him and wondered.

The excitement he felt earlier was replaced by confusion.

(This magic…)

He was wondering, how is it that the meteors were pushed back but he didn't even activate a spell.

But the answer came to him immediately.

(Ah. This is thought based magic. It does whatever you want it to do.)

All forms of magic used to require spells. Either to be said out loud or recited in their mind.

However, this one does not require that.

This is truly the magic of the Gods.

(And it doesn't require life force either… That's new.)

Eddie stared at the dark skies above as he thought about what just happened.

It doesn't make sense to him.

လလလ

"Perfect!" said Ishaya Bradley as he smiled thinly.

Inside a dark room, he was sitting on a cosy chair.

"Now… Connect me to them."

He snapped his finger and dozens of holographic monitors floated in front of him.

The screen did not show anything but static.

"- You were right. -”

A sound came out of the screen.

“- But from what you have said, this is impossible. -”

“Heh,” Ishaya smiled thinly. “I just need you to greenlit the project. I have a plan to take out Nazar.”

“- And if it fails? -”

“You don’t fight a God and expect to win immediately. But he is going to die soon. Either by us or someone else. I have been promised that.”

There was quiet in this dark room for a moment.

“- ... -”

“But of course, I need funds to complete the project,” Ishaya said as he rubbed his palms together.

From the screen, a burst of laughter came out.

“- Aren’t you the richest man in the world? Do you really need funds? -”

“Of course, I could fund it. But why should I, Mr President?”

He waited for their response.

Not getting a response, he chuckled.

“Everything is business. You can’t expect me to do this for free. I am saving you, after all.”

“- Sigh. What have you got? -”

“- -”

Ishaya shook his head.

“I am standing before the presidents and prime ministers and monarchs of nearly 200 countries and pleading you to support me in taking down a literal God who can destroy our very planet. I need assurance. I need to know you are up to his challenge. So...”

“- How much do you need? -”

His lips curled up into a thin smile.

“The world is in trouble so I want to be as sympathetic as possible… Two hundred billion dollars for the project to continue forward. And I need it in one hour.”

“- T-two... -”

“- Hundred... -”

“- Billion... -”

“- Dollars?!?! -”

“- That’s preposterous!! -”

“- The amount of… It’s ABSURD! -”

“Haha,” Ishaya laughed. “Most of you are in that position because of me.”

“- Are you…? -”

“No, no, no,” he shook his head. “I am not trying to blackmail you.”

Despite what he said, his smile said otherwise.

“I am just reminding you of who I am and what I am capable of.”

Ishaya Bradley, the owner of the Bradley Conglomerates owns the majority of private businesses in the world.

"I control most of the media in the world."

Controlling the media means he can control what the public sees and hears about, ultimately controlling their opinion.

"And you know what that means, right?"

Although he could not see them, he was sure they were uneasy at this moment.

"How do you think the situation with Nazar escalated to this level? Why do they fear him?"

Of course, these people knew that.

"So… Do we have an agreement?"

He waited patiently for them to reply, but no one spoke for a while.

After a short while, one of them spoke.

"- ...We agree. -"

"Pleasure doing business with you," as he smiled.

"- H-- -"

The screens vanished.

"The production for the armours is already finished. The project is nearly ready. Every piece is in Its place."

He leaned back in his chair as he stared at the ceiling.

"The project was going to be completed anyway. But as dad said…"

With a smug smirk on his face, he spread his arms slightly.

"Never lose an opportunity to make money."