The palace of the gods has never been this crowded in billions of years.
The Divine Council in Heaven is a circular colosseum the size of which rivals that of a large city. The walls are crafted from platinum, and the tiled floors shimmer in expensive gold. The ceiling was glistening with diamonds, and statues of handsome and beautiful gods and goddesses were aligned at the sides of the walls. Creating a divine and perfect image for the mighty and the powerful.
The gardens gloomed with hundreds of species of plants, surrounding a great and magnificent lake. Animals, extinct and alive, predators and prey, relaxed by the lakeshore with no fear or worry, coexisting in harmony and bliss.
It would have been a breathtaking sight, if not for the current situation.
Inside the colosseum, millions of circular rows of seats were occupied with deities of all shapes and sizes and pantheons. Dozens of thrones sat in the middle of the stage below; they were perfectly crafted with the best gold and the best blacksmiths of the heavens. It was reserved for the top gods among the pantheons.
Everyone was here, and various figures materialised on the stage below. They scattered and took their seats on their respective thrones. The gods in the spectacles stood up in unison and kneeled with respect to their leaders.
They weren't here for the bidding of some valuable object; they were here for thegreatestdiscussion of the universe.
A god sitting on one of the thrones below coughed to catch everyone's attention. He is a frail, wrinkled elderly man with sunken eyes and a low stature, sporting a goatee, thick eyebrows, and a mixture of dust-grey and raven-black hair. Dressed in a traditional Greek garb, tying a white sash around his waist and covering his entire lower body with a piece of cloth.
He was Zeus, the king of Olympus and the chief god of the Greek pantheon.
"Well..." Zeus announced. "I suppose everyone is here. Let us begin, shall we?" The gods in the spectacles were given a flag, with the front painted in emerald green and the back tainted in blood red.
"Now. I want to ask you all a question." The god sitting on a towering, golden throne decorated with various gems and dragon-like symbols embedded on it, a replica of the Dragon Throne of China. The god sitting on it was a middle-aged Chinese man with a long, flowing beard, donning dazzling robes that shimmered in various colours from time to time. His overall attire symbolizes his connection to the precious jade stones.
For he is the Jade Emperor and the supreme god of the Chinese pantheon.
"Regarding the survival of specieshom*o sapiens, or humans." The Jade Emperor continued. "Should we spare them? Or should we wipe them from the face of the Universe? If you think they shall be forgiven, please raise the flag's green side. If you think otherwise, wave it's red side."
Many whispered discussions erupted from the gods' spectacles. Many questioned on how horrible this idea sounds, knowing that no organism deserves to be destroyed. Some believed in the change of humanity, knowing they can do better than this. While some are intrigued and impatient for the eradication of mankind.
"Hey!" A god spoke from one of the front rows. "Over here!" There sat a young man with leaves entwined in his brown, curly hair. Like Zeus, he wore a traditional Greek attire, although he donned modern-day white trousers. He sported a mustache and had pale white skin. In his right hand, he held a glass of fine red wine. Taking a sip from the wine, he raised his flag: red to agree to humanity's extinction.
He conjured more red wine into his glass, something the Greek god of wine, Dionysus, can obviously do. He is the god of wine, after all. Of course, he can do something like creating wine from out of nothing.
"Let's just slaughter those parasites already." Dionysus said. He laid back on his seat and took another sip of his wine. "From what I've seen, I don't think humanity has any plans to redeem themselves at all. It's now nearly impossible to guide them."
The other gods listened, curious on his decision.
"Yes." He continued. "They are really good party dudes and do love wine and alcohol, but still." He cringed, as if the thought of mankind were as disgusting as a gas station's restroom. "You all get what I mean, right?"
"The drunkard is right." A feminine voice agreed.
This startled Dionysus, causing him to spill his wine onto the floor, getting some on his trousers. "Dang it!" He groaned, and with a snap of his fingers, the spilled wine vanished (yes, gods can do that too). "Who are you calling a drunkard?!"
The gods turned to face the source of the voice and spotted a goddess. She wore a headdress with cow horns and a sun disc between them, and she donned a silky, purple dress. She yawned and raised her flag, and like Dionysus's, it was red. She raised her leg and stretched relaxingly. The goddess was Hathor, the Egyptian goddess of beauty, love, and maternity.
"For the past years." Hathor continued. "Earth has been damaged thanks to humanity's selfish actions. Polluting the oceans, mowing down forests, and poaching innocent wildlife. Earth is becoming more inhabitable for species thanks to those living diseases. And like how diseases are treated, mankind needs to be purged for the sake of other living beings."
The gods chattered again on their decisions. Now that after Dionysus and Hathor had spoken, they're now beginning to think they are right.
"She has a point." A god said from one of the back seats. He has a youthful and an athletic build, wearing a shiny and bright armor, and with his trusty spear, Gae Assail, in his right hand. He was Lugh, the Irish god of the sun and the truth.
Lugh sighed and pointed out more of humanity's flaws. "Those creatures are not only cruel to the other beings, but to themselves as well. They've started wars and pointless slaughters, killing in the number of thousands. They've committed unspeakable and horrible crimes; they've invented more weapons and methods to torment each other. They are responsible for the suffering of their own kind!"
He raised his red flag.
"We must exterminate them immediately and damn all of their souls to the darkest depths of Tartarus!"
Inspired by Dionysus, Hathor, and now Lugh, the other gods had concluded their decisions.
"They're right. All of them." A god said.
"Mankind is nothing but evil and destructive." Another god agreed.
"There's no hope in redeeming them anymore." A goddess added in agreement.
Soon, the colosseum erupted in hateful rants towards mankind. More red flags were raised, agreeing with the extinction of humanity. This is the will of the gods. It cannot be stopped or objected to. Once a god has made their decision, it is final.
Everyone has made up their mind and their votes.
"Alright!" Zeus interrupted. "Settle down, settle down." The rants and screams died out, and everyone sat down respectfully. A screen manifested and tallied the votes. "Now, for the final votes."
The screen showcased the final votes from the gods.
"It seems that, surprisingly, forty-seven of you objected to the extinction of humanity." Zeus announced, and his brow wiggled with interest. "And about a hundred and two of you are neutral on the votes." He scanned through the audience, as if to find those who objected and refused to vote.
"But that cannot compare to the number of agreements for the exterminations."
The screen flashed with the numbers of votes needed to destroy mankind. Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and millions. It dwarfed over the other votes. The gods looked at the screen in satisfaction with themselves, proud that mankind would be a fossil soon.
Zeus whistled in awe and shock and the numbers. "Yeah, I'm not counting all of that. So, yeah. Most of us agreed to purge humanity."
"And cast them into Tartarus!" Lugh added.
"And cast their souls into Tartarus." Zeus repeated. He summoned a judge's hammer, crackling with electricity. "I, Zeus, the king of Olympus, sixth child of Kronos and Rhea, the father of many, and whatever stuff I am."
He raised the hammer, summoning more sparks of electricity.
"Has decided to bring humanity to extinc-"
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!"
Zeus stopped before he could slam down the hammer, and all the gods turned to the rude interruption. Just then, a winged figure stepped into the colosseum. His wings were as white as a swan, and they radiated light that illuminated the entrance of the Divine Council. And he is the most fascinating of creatures.
He is a handsome warrior, clad in armour, resembling that of a Byzantine military leader. His hair was as black as the darkest of nights, and his skin was as white as the snow that covers the Arctic. His eyes radiated with courage and determination.
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The other gods muttered in annoyance.
"An archangel?" A god said.
"What is he doing here?" Another asked.
"Shouldn't you be comforting humanity in their impending doom?" One taunted.
The archangel warrior cleared his throat. "Pardon me for interrupting this spectacle." He scratched his chin and stepped forward for the deities to get a closer look at him. "But I have one proposal to offer."
"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Lugh yelled at the warrior. "You think you can just barge in and interrupt someone like you own the place?! You think you can do whatever you want just because you're Michael, the leader of the archangels?!"
The archangel, a.k.a. Michael, eyed Lugh, then turned back to face the other deities. "Yes, it is true that humans can be barbaric, sad*stic, and cruel."
"Hey! Don't ignore me!" Lugh pouted.
"But. Don't you all think that eradicating them just with a single flick a bit, not entertaining?" The gods blinked, processing Michael's words. "Also. It is a bit unfair to not allow mankind to prove their worth of surviving."
"What are you suggesting?" The Jade Emperor asked.
The gods ranted in agreement.
"Spit it out! You winged maggot!" A goddess insulted.
"What are you planning?!" A god demanded.
"Say it! Say it!"
Michael stared at the countless gods in the colosseum, raised his voice and spoke:
"I propose Genesis."
Most of the gods' jaw dropped (some literally) at his words. Their eyes widened in disbelief at Michael's proposal.
Michael summoned an ancient book and flipped through pages and stopped. "Heavenly Constitution, Article No. 101. Clauses for Special Cases. Genesis is a one-on-one death match between mankind and gods."
Many gods stared at Michael in confusion and amusem*nt. Michael ignored that and continued. "Both sides will assemble thirteen combatants and battle. The first side to seven victories will be declared the winner." He cleared his throat and made another proposal. "Here's a deal. If mankind wins, they shall continue to exist. However, if you gods managed to emerge victorious, you may proceed with your extermination."
The entire colosseum fell silent after Michael's proposal. Several sounds burst out from some gods, those same sounds were emitted by more deities, and soon, the entire place was filled with these sounds. The gods burst out, laughing at this amusing little delusion.
Lugh slammed his spear and wiped his eyes. "I don't know what you're thinking, but it seems that archangels are a bit unaware of some circ*mstances: Mankind has rarely defeated a god!"
Many agreed with him.
"Your proposal is pointless!" A god agreed.
"Fighting them would be a walk in the park!" Another god added.
"Why bother fighting them at all! This is ridiculous!" A third god said.
Michael knew this would happen, the gods are too arrogant and proud to accept what is a child's play to them. They were too haughty to accept a challenge. And the archangel knew how to get under their skin. He knew that to insult a guy with a big ego, you need to insult their ego.
"Ah, I see now." Michael said. "I knew it all along. You guys want to destroy humanity, and to avoid a confrontation. Spot on?" The gods fell silent again. Michael made a mental smile and continued. "We want to eradicate those parasites without fighting them. We want to preserve our beauty and not tarnish it."
Michael knew that he might be making a grave mistake here, but it's worth a shot. Everyone has to make some risks in their lives to achieve greatness. The archangel closed his eyes, preparing himself for this risk.
"Now, I'm wondering on this question: are you scared?"
He felt the silence enhance, to the point he can hear some breaths taken by some nearby gods. He can sense the wrath building itself within them, he wanted that. Many growled in rage at this taunting remark, scratching their seats and gritting their teeth. Michael's single line has triggered many of them.
Are you scared?
Like Michael suspected, the gods are haughty, superior to other beings. But if someone were to suspect that they were too afraid to challenge lower beings, specifically, humans. It would be the greatest insult to their pride and dignity!
"How dare you?!" A goddess roared.
"Know your place!" Another goddess snarled.
"Do you know who you're addressing?!" A god demanded.
Michael felt amused at their anger. He was right. The gods are even pettier and are easier to taunt and insult. They have egos and superiorities the size of a kaiju. All of that tarnished, by one, lesser, being.
A clap was released from the stage.
Zeus stood up and clapped at Michael's words. "Yes. Very interesting. Genesis, right? What a proposal." The gods can spectate electricity sparking around the Olympian king. "That said. Your proposal was an absolute SPECTACLE!"
Bolts of lightning struck from the ruler of Olympus, striking the ceiling, his fists crackled with more electricity. "And besides, don't you all think it's been too long since everyone has witnessed the might of the gods?"
Dionysus nodded. "Pops is right." He agreed. "Let's put that archangel and humanity in their place!"
The other gods muttered, agreeing it's been a while since they have a good source of amusem*nt and entertainment. They soon roared in agreement, waving their flags in green. Zeus cackled and raised the judge's hammer, slamming it to the floor with enough force to brake the hammer and leave a dent on the floor.
"It is decided!" He announced. "We agree to evoke Genesis! You better rally up some good fighters and give us some entertainment! St. Archangel Michael!"
Michael smirked.
"Oh, I will."
***
"Mike? Mike!"
Michael heard someone with a powerful voice address him as he is leaving the Divine Council. A huge wind whooshed beside him, and a fellow archangel appeared before him. Like Michael, he also had wings and a radiant body. With a masculine build, fiery eyes and a face similar to lightning.
Michael smiled and greeted his friend. "What is it, Gabriel?"
Gabriel stood up and shook Michael.
"You moron! You moron! You reckless moron!" His shaking got more violent. "Are you trying to get yourself slain and thrown into Tartarus?! Do you know how dangerous it is to insult not one, butmillionsof gods?! You always did some stupid things. But this is a whole new level!"
"I know that." Michael replied, trying to get a hold of himself by Gabriel's shaking. The Messenger of God soon released Michael, his worry calming down.
"And also, do you think mankind can beat the gods?" The two sat down, getting a view of the lake and its wildlife. "Yes, there are some people who managed to best the gods." Gabriel continued. "Take Arachne for example, she bested Athena in a weaving contest. And Diomedes, who fought and won against both Ares and Aphrodite back-to-back. However, not everyone is special as the unique ones!"
Michael stood up and stretched, feeling more confident than ever. "Then, we'll make them all special. But first, let's choose our fighters."
***
The chief gods from various pantheons are assembled for a dinner meeting. Delicacies from various countries are placed on the large table, cooked by the finest chefs of the heavens, with many majestic thrones lining up against it. The waiters kneeled before the gods and goddesses and presented their dinner.
They wasted no time chowing down.
The scent and the taste were outstanding; they expected no less from the best chefs. Zeus tapped his glass with his spoon to get the others's attention.
"Now." He said, his mouth still full of the roasted mutton. "It's time we discuss our fighters."
A god raised his drumstick for a proposal. He has many blue and black stripes on his face, wearing armour decorated with eagle feathers. And the most prominent part is his helmet, which is decorated with hummingbird feathers.
A good fashion choice for the chief Aztec god of war and the sun is Huitzilopochtli.
"We summon our mightiest of fighters." Huitzilopochtli said. "We finish the representatives of the specieshom*o sapiensand claim a seven-to-nothing victory."
"Hey, hey." A falcon-headed god clicked his tongue, wearing the pschent over his head, a double crown that symbolises his rule over Egypt, and sprouting falcon wings on his back. He ate some berries and spoke again. "Seriously? Sending our top men and women to fight a battle that is already ours?"
Huitzilopochtli sighed. "Then what do you suggest, Horus?"
Horus, the Egyptian chief god of kingship, smiled. "We just sent in some random fighters. We'll win easily. There's no need to worry about humanity scoring a point."
"You underestimate humanity." A black raven on a one-eyed god spoke. The one-eyed god wore formal robes and had an eyepatch on his left eye, which he sacrificed to gain more wisdom. On his left shoulder rested a black raven, and on his right, rested a white.
"Mankind always has a way to counter their problems." The white raven said. "Even against mighty beings like us gods."
Horus whistled. "That's some wisdom from you, Muninn. As expected from a raven of the Allfather, Odin." The chief god of the Norse pantheon stared at Horus in silence, and the black raven, Huginn, continued.
"We shouldn't look down on humanity. We should follow Huitzilopochtli's suggestion: to finish them all by sending our top fighters." Huginn cawed; it's in his nature as a raven.
"Alright, then." The Jade Emperor said, drinking from his cup of tea. "How about this? Some of us will participate along with other major and minor gods. We can't risk many of us going though; if we were to perish, our pantheons will be in scrambles."
Horus sighed. "You have a point there. In that case, I need to stay out of this one to keep Apophis in check."
"As much as I want to fight," Huitzilopochtli clenched his fork. "I have to keep the other Aztecs in line."
"My family needs me." A four-armed, robust god spoke in an Indian accent. He had golden hair and a beard and was overall youthful in appearance. He scooped up some ice cream with two of his hands and ate it.
"You too, Indra?" Zeus said that and finished his bowl of mushroom soup. "Man, this is good stuff." Wiping his mouth with a tissue, he stood up.
"It's too risky for me to go, someone in the Greeks might want my throne." Zeus cleared his throat and drank his glass of wine. "Let's ask some deities on their opinions and willingness to participate. And let's crush humanity and destroy them."
***
Gabriel woke up early in the morning to check on Michael.
He knew he was a bit distant to the rest of the archangels, but he was worried sick on their leader. He almost thought Michael was going to die back in the Divine Council. He stretched and dashed with his superhuman speed towards Michael's room. In a matter of seconds, he made it. Impatiently, he burst the door open, and is blinded by the room's light.
He found Michael near his desk on a hologram screen, choosing the fighters for humanity. History books were scattered across the desk and the floor, with Gabriel almost tripping over some.
"Tsk. What a mess, Mike." Gabriel said. "Don't tell me you didn't-"
"Don't worry." Michael said. "I did sleep." He proved his point by having no black spots on his eyes. Gabriel softened himself and looked over the hologram.
"These fighters will represent the strength and determination of humanity." Michael said with hints of pride. "They won't let us down."
"But." Gabriel scratched his chin. "What about them being able to go toe to toe with the gods?"
"Fear not, Gabe." Michael stretched and yawned. "Us and the other archangels got this."
The hologram rang, announcing that the fighters for both sides have been announced. Michael tapped the notification and displayed the roster for the gods and humanity.
Gods:
Jade Emperor
Tyr
Athena
Quetzalcoatl
Chernobog
Kukulkan
Amaterasu-Okami
Seth
Sun Wukong
Cernunnos
Quirinus
Dakuwaqa
Ishtar
Mankind:
Wu Ze Tian
Vlad the Impaler
Jim Corbett
Cleopatra
Richard I
Khutulun
Napoleon Bonaparte
Archimedes
Attila the Hun
Shaka Zulu
Billy the Kid
Tomoe Gozen
El Cid
"Ahh." Gabriel whistled in intrigue. "The fighters you assembled are interesting, Mike." He turned to face Michael, and too his shock, has a look of disappointment. "Michael? Is something wrong?"
"No huge figures are here." Michael noted out, and unexpectedly, he grinned. "Zeus and co must have been too cowardly to face humanity!"
"Uh, Mike." Gabriel said. "Stop smiling like that. You're going to be a maniac soon."
Michael stopped and made a look of sternness. "Nevertheless, this is a good thing that our fighters won't battle against the more powerful deities." He made a dramatic gesture, like he was a comic book superhero charging up his ultimate attack. "With us archangels by their side, we shall guide humanity towards victory and survival! Those gods will stand no chance against the courage and wrath of mankind!"
Gabriel clapped in awe, like a child after a grand performance. "Well said."
"Now." Michael stood up from his chair, his back aching from sitting for quite a long period. "Gabe. Let's head over to the arena."
