Beyond The Impossible

When Thoth appears at the center of the arena, the audience falls silent. There are several spectators that didn’t bother to show up during most of the matches: both Isis and Nephthys are watching from the Egyptian amphitheater, Circe has rejoined the Greek pantheon, and both Hermes and Dmitry Voron have returned to the mortal audience.

<Let us begin the semifinals of the tournament that shall decide who is the Strongest Under The Heavens. Lady Inanna has selected the contestants: Noriko Null, the Slayer of Gods, and Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, may approach the arena> Thoth declares.

Nobody says anything to Artemis when she flies towards the Egyptian god; she doesn’t have any allies here. But when Noriko stands up, Voron holds her by the sleeve of her jacket.

<Don’t go. Without the God Eraser, she will kill you> he says.

“He’s right. Let’s hide and rebuild, we can let these suckers die” – Abyss whispers in her mind.

<Somebody has to stand up to her> Noriko replies to both Voron and Abyss, moving towards the arena. She feels everyone’s eyes on her: not only because they’re wondering what she will do, but because with her left sleeve tied at the elbow it’s impossible to miss she doesn’t have her prosthetic arm. And without it, no God Eraser.

<I’ll be damned. You’re actually going to fight? Well, more “flailing harmlessly” than “fight”, but you have more guts than anyone I’ve killed before> Artemis comments.

<You already expressed the wish you desire to fulfill. Do you intend to change it?> Thoth asks.

<I still want to kill Ares> Artemis confirms.

<Yes. I do have a real wish I want to claim as prize> Noriko reveals, seemingly pausing for the gasps that come from the divine audience. But she actually turns towards the mortals and looks at Quantum, the only other mortal in the semifinals.

<Wish for Hera to love all the children of Zeus equally> she tells him and Thoth.

<WHAT!? How DARE you!?> Hera predictably shouts, standing up from her seat and unleashing a bolt of blue flame meant to incinerate the mortal.

<There shall be no interference> Thoth reminds her, making the fire disappear without looking at it.

<How’s that wish going to solve anything?> Quantum wonders.

<Most of the divine kingdoms are ruled or at least co-ruled by children of Zeus; if she stops pushing legitimate against illegitimate, the Olympian Galaxy may find peace without spilling a simple drop of blood> Ulysses calmly explains.

<The stakes are decided, until defeat or death. Null versus Artemis. FIGHT!!!>

Noriko immediately shoots Artemis with the Genius Gun; the goddess doesn’t even bother dodging the blast, which leaves her completely unharmed.

<Come on. This wouldn’t have worked the first time we met, you really expect this to work now? I thought you were supposed to be smart!> Artemis taunts her.

“She’s got a point” Abyss says in Noriko’s mind while she switches to rapid fire, bombarding Artemis with one kinetic blast after the other.

“We have one chance. Help me activate the Nexus” Noriko suggests to her other self.

“You want to do the golden eye thing again? Like the first time you deleted me? Forget it!!!”

<My turn> Artemis then says, moving out of sight. Noriko tries to adjust her aim, but in the blink of an eye Artemis is right in front of her, swatting the gun out of her hand. And before Noriko can do anything about it, Artemis punches her in the stomach.

The goddess put as little effort in it as she possibly can, but it’s still enough to make Noriko collapse and spit blood on the arena.

<You’re down already? That was just a little love tap!>

<Don’t count me out yet> Noriko answers, getting back on her feet and extending her arm; the Genius Gun flies back towards her, transforming into the Gravity Glove and fitting perfectly around her hand. Artemis seems to enjoy this: she had the chance to intercept the weapon, but didn’t take it.

<Maximum power> Noriko instructs the glove, then proceeds to throw a punch at Artemis.

The entire arena is shaken violently by a gravitational wave that hit like a powerful earthquake. But anyone looking only at the contestants would see Artemis effortlessly block the punch with the palm of her hand, with the Gravity Glove now shooting sparks everywhere.

<I survived trading blows with Hephaestus, mortal wench. These tricks won’t…>

<Didn’t he beat your sorry ass?> Noriko interrupts her.

Artemis reacts by hitting her, for real this time. It’s like being hit by a cement truck going two hundred miles per hour, and the only reason Noriko isn’t reduced to a bloody pulp is the forcefield generated by her jacket. She crashes into the wall of the nearest amphitheater, right below the mortal audience; she’s still dizzy, but she can see the Gravity Glove is damaged beyond repair.

Artemis is immediately on her, pushing against the forcefield with both hands.

<You know, I was going to be merciful and finish the hunt with an arrow between your stupid silver eyes. You shouldn’t have insulted me, Null.>

<My forcefield withstood blows from Selene, Artemis. You’re not gonna…> Noriko replies, but stops when the circuitry inside the jacket starts to give in. Artemis digs her fingers inside the field and pulls it apart with her bare hands, causing it to collapse.

Before Noriko can do anything, Artemis rips the jacked apart, leaving Noriko vulnerable. She tries to get one of her gadgets from her pockets, but Artemis grabs her wrist and lifts her with one hand, slamming her against the wall like a child trying to break her doll.

All of this under the nose of their friends, who are leaning against the wall of the amphitheater to watch her being brutally assaulted.

<Behold! The Slayer of Gods!> Artemis shouts, holding up Noriko by holding her neck; she slams her face against the wall, twice, and then holds her up again like a trophy.

There is laughter and applause coming from some gods in the audience, with Hera being by far the most vocal about her appreciation for the show.

<Maybe the mortal’s wish came true! I would love more of my husband’s bastard children if they acted like this!> she says between laughs.

<You’re gonna… pay for this> Noriko says, spitting a couple of teeth. Her face is a mask of blood.

<You’re the one paying for your hubris, Null: you’ve brought this upon yourself> Artemis replies, hitting her kidney. As much as she’s trying to hide her pain, Noriko must scream now.

<Ooh, that looks like it hurt. Was that a vital organ? I need to catch up on mortal anatomy> Artemis continues, pinning Noriko against the wall; even though she’s struggling as much as possible, she can’t prevent the goddess from licking the blood off her face while touching her between the legs.

<Artemis, stop!!! Let her go!!!> Vesta shouts from the audience.

“The Nexus, Abyss!!! She’s close enough!!!” Noriko thinks.

“It’s your body now, isn’t it? What do I have to lose?”

<Artemis, that’s enough!!! You’ve won!!! Stop it!!!> Vesta implores her, pounding against the invisible barrier created by Thoth.

<Just surrender, Nori! It’s not worth it!> Voron shouts, surprising the others by showing far more emotion than they’ve ever seen him.

<Ignore them. You’re my toy now> Artemis tells Noriko, kissing her while also breaking her arm.

Vesta decides to take action: she won’t allow another mortal girl to go through this under her watch. She’s not allowed to enter the arena, but she can fly towards the throne where her mother Rhea is watching the fight together with Inanna.

<Mother, please! Order her to stop!!!>

<Absolutely not. The fight shall continue> Inanna decrees.

<You call that a fight!? Artemis is about to rape my friend!!!>

<I have to agree with my daughter, dear. This is not very godly> Rhea nods solemnly.

<That’s the problem with you Greeks: you’re too soft with your mortals. I will not stop the fight; your mortal friend can always surrender, if she wants to> Inanna dismisses them.

<You hear them?> Artemis asks Noriko once she finally gets her tongue out of her mouth.

<Everyone wants you to surrender. What do you say?>

<Surrender this> Noriko answers; her eyes become completely black, and the sky rumbles.

Everyone looks up: they were too distracted by the fight to see the clouds gathering again above the arena, but they see them just in time to witness the massive lightning bolt striking the contestants.

Only the gods are fully able to appreciate what happens next; the mortals have to wait a little longer to realize that Artemis just grabbed the electricity in her hand before it could strike.

“We’re fu##ed” Abyss realizes, watching Artemis throw the lightning bolt back in the sky.

<You were going to use that against me, weren’t you?> the goddess asks, throwing away Noriko like a ragdoll. She hits the ground hard, but the pain she feels is nothing compared to when Artemis lands on her left leg, breaking the tibia. She proceeds to walk on her back, pushing down her foot to very slowly and very painfully crack her ribs.

<I’m not as smart as you, so you’re going to do some math for me. Let’s say you have 80 years to live. Multiply that by the number of days and multiply that for the number of hours. You know what number we reach, don’t you?> she asks, twisting Noriko’s arm behind her back, hard enough to tear some ligaments. Another lightning bolt tries to strike her, but Artemis swats it away.

<That’s how many of my subjects are going to have fun with you, “Slayer of Gods”. You will never sleep, you will never rest, until every last pitiful hope has been extinguished from your heart. And you know what the very best part is, Null?> she asks, kissing her cheek and giggling innocently like a schoolgirl.

<I couldn’t have done it without you. This is how it feels to lose everything> she concludes, walking towards Thoth.

“Are you kidding me!? You’re gonna let her win!?”  Abyss protests; she can’t see anything since Noriko’s eyes are still closed. But she can hear something: Sirens going off. Children crying and calling their mothers. Parents calling for help. In Chinese.

<What are you waiting for? Call my victory!> Artemis says to Thoth.

The Egyptian god hesitates, staring at Noriko for a couple of seconds. She’s not moving.

<Noriko Null is no longer able to fight. The winner is…>

The sound of thunder interrupts the god. There are dark clouds above the arena, so dark that they’re starting to block the sun’s light, and they seem to be ready to explode with electricity.

<Oh for my father’s sake, she’s just a mortal> Artemis sighs, making her golden bow appear in her hands and quickly shooting a bright energy arrow at Noriko.

A lightning bolt intercepts the arrow before it can hit its target. A black lightning bolt.

<This is just ridiculous> Artemis whines, shooting three other arrows in rapid succession: they are all intercepted and disposed of by the black electricity.

<One… million…> Noriko says, using her broken arm to get some leverage to get on her knees.

<Seven… teen… thousand…> she continues, pushing herself against the amphitheater’s wall in order to stand up despite the broken leg.

<Two hundred… eighty-five… people. That’s how many… you killed on Earth. Remember?>

<Who cares? They would’ve died anyway> Artemis responds before shooting another arrow.

This one is intercepted by electricity as well, but it’s not coming from the sky. Noriko has grabbed the arrow in mid-flight using her left arm. Which, since her prosthesis is gone, is entirely made of electricity.

“What the… I didn’t even give you access to the Nexus! How are you doing this!?” – Abyss asks.

<I haven’t forgotten them, Artemis. All their knowledge, their memories, all their hopes and dreams, are still talking to me. Can you guess what they are all saying right now? SOUL RESONANCE!!!> Noriko shouts, her silver eyes shining like stars and surrounding her body with a wall of electricity.

There is so much of it, in fact, that even when Artemis starts to shoot arrows at machine gun speed none of them is able to reach its target.

<What the f##k just happened!?> Voron asks, echoing the thoughts of the entire audience.

<It looks like what she does when she absorbs information from the planet. Just… backwards?> Kari says, not sure how this is even possible.

<She appears to be accessing the higher functions of the Nexus. Apparently, through sheer willpower> Ulysses hypothesizes, stroking his beard.

<I’ve seen her trying to overclock that thing in the past. It should give off way too much heat for her brain to survive> Quantum recalls.

<That’s why she made us install the freeze field generator inside her head. It wasn’t to be able to use the God Eraser again> Voron tells Lily.

<It was to make the God Eraser obsolete> the Lampyrian realizes.

<You think I’m going out without a fight? I’ll show you what a real goddess is!!!> Artemis protests, channeling power from the Blood into her bow: the elegant golden weapon is warped into a nightmarish design that oozes red energy, while Noriko’s wall disappears.

“You didn’t need my help to access the Nexus. You just wanted to get mad enough to use it” – Abyss realizes, while Noriko concentrates everything she has into a ball of energy that floats between her real arm and the one made of electricity.

<I do need you, Abyss. Hatred can be a powerful weapon, as long as you don’t let it control you.>

“Oh shut up and kill somebody before I throw up”

For a moment, time seems to stop. Artemis ready to shoot the most powerful arrow she’s ever created, and Noriko Null holding pure righteous vengeance in her hands.

<Final…> the mortal says, filling her lungs.

<Sc##w this! INFERNAL HUNTER!!!> Artemis shouts first, releasing the arrow: it immediately grows to a ten feet tall wave of red Blood energy, which is rapidly and pathetically absorbed into the ball of lightning that Noriko is holding. Every vein in her body seems to be ready to explode for the effort it takes to channel her attack, but she’s holding.

The white-haired goddess watches it to her horror, like she’d just seen her own death.

<That’s not how it was supposed to->

<FINAL ABYSS!!!!!!> Noriko shouts as loud as she can, releasing the pain of a million violent deaths into a stream of pitch black electricity. It flows like a river hitting Artemis at the speed of light, completely engulfing her body and proceeding until it reaches the Greek amphitheater at the other side of the arena. Considering how much she’s screaming, it’s hard to tell if this is hurting Noriko more than her target. It seems to go on forever; when it finally ends and the arm made of electricity dissipates with the rest of the attack, Noriko Null is still standing.

Short of breath and exhausted, she has one final thing to say:

<That’s… for destroying… Beijing> are her last words before collapsing.

<Is it over?> Rhea asks, confused about what just happened.

<I suppose. What happened to Artemis?> Inanna asks, focusing on the direction of Noriko’s blast.

It leads to the wall of the Greek amphitheater, but there’s no one there. Just a shadow.

The silhouette of a woman cowering in terror. The last thing that remains of Artemis.

<No way! She vaporized her!?> Rhea wonders, while Vesta flies towards her friend.

<Gods are living information. This… “Final Abyss” of hers seems to be able to delete that information. Most intriguing> Inanna contemplates.

<Nori! Are you alright!?> she asks, checking her pulse: it’s barely there, but she’s alive.

<Artemis and Noriko Null are no longer able to fight> Thoth summarizes.

<What are you talking about? She clearly won!> Vesta protests, taking Noriko in her arms.

<Double elimination. Both contestants are out of the tournament> the Egyptian god declares.

<You’ve got be kidding me!!!> Vesta shouts.

<Do you contest the fact that Noriko Null is unable to fight?>

<Well, no, but…>

<It is settled. In absence of other contestants, the last semifinal shall serve as the last fight: the winner shall be declared the Strongest Under The Heavens and claim the prize. The last two contestants, Quantum the Hero of Earth and Enyo the Goddess of War, shall approach the arena.>