Bloodlines of the Ancient Pantheons

Chapter 596: DXCVI. Fight For Yourself!

With a slow movement of his hand, the Xis summoned a third beam of that same matter, which, having turned in the air like a constricting snake ready to kill its helpless prey, twisted on Dag, strengthening the 'cocoon' that kept him trapped.

"You can empower your mortal body as much as you want, 813666, but it won't be enough anyway. Your power comes from that of our race, but it remains a by-product, a waste that comes from a matrix as pure as the tissue that makes up the known Universe. Your dedication is remarkable, I admit it, but... like any existing life form, you will bow to the power of the Xis! I would need a mere movement of my hand to reduce your weak body to dust!" the Xis exclaimed again, whose eyes glimpsed the anger generated by Dag's irreverence, who had even managed to disintegrate a black hole and resist almost all his attacks, getting up every time.

In a dismal scene, Dag's horned head rose upwards and his long pointed tongue remained out of his mouth, while his limbs could not unleash their power due to the force that kept them locked.

His shining purple eyes pointed towards the night sky, searching the Earth among the various stars that illuminated Klorr's Square where the great leader Dag was about to suffer his first and final defeat.

...

"Daaag! Don't stop fighting! Please, Dag! Don't give up! Just stop fighting for us, fight for yourself, save yourself! Show everyone how strong the power inside you is! Show that alien what you're really capable of!" Freydis screamed with all the air in her lungs, who didn't want to give up on the idea that the maximum power achieved by her boyfriend was still insufficient to counter that of the Xis, who seemed not to fear him in the slightest.

"Freydis, it's useless! You don't understand?! The Captain is dying! His dark power derives from that of the Xis, it is obvious that it is less powerful than the energy source that generated it! Fuck, he should have let that alien take a piece of his dark matter! By now he would be safe and sound and we could continue our adventures!" Reidar interrupted, wiping away tears from his eyes, feeling strong anger toward Dag, that despite knowing he had no hope of defeating one the Supreme Court of Xis' members, had launched himself into a merciless fight, disobeying his enemy and master.

"Grrr...no... that's not what I want this is not the man you just defeated me! Boy, where's your intelligence?! You're just using brute force, you're fighting like me! You're so much more than that! Your mind! It's the one that makes the difference! Find a way to free yourself and start fighting again!" Bloodfang added, who kept himself standing on his wooden stick and did not want to give up on the idea of the young warrior capable of beating him being defeated.

"Dag would never refrain his power." 

"Mh?!" 

"What?! What do you mean?!" 

Kranus's sudden words caught the attention of those who had just expressed their opinion, and at the same time, Reidar, Freydis, and Thyrius turned to him.

"He is the chosen one. He is the only human warrior capable of carrying out the prophecy illustrated in that book... the Crystals of Elements, the Frostsinners... no, Dag cannot die today" the ice mage continued, with his arms crossed and his gaze rabid, focused on the impassive eyes of the enemy.

"Yet, there he is, trapped in the same dark matter that he too can generate! A few minutes ago he managed to disintegrate a huge sphere of energy, why doesn't he even do it now?! Why can't he break free despite activating all his strongest skills?!" Freydis asked yelling, knowing that her question, while trivial, made sense.

"I don't know why... but that dark matter is not the same as his, it is stronger... much stronger... those beings are really more powerful than any warrior, every man. However, Dag is still holding the Giantbane, which has so far failed to hit the Xis. A little while ago, his head dangled for a few moments and then immediately got up... something that we can't see is happening inside him, I can feel it. Managing his power doesn't have to be easy... we often forget about it, but... he's just an 18-year-old boy" Kranus replied, and while he continued his speech, his words became less and less encouraging.

"Who said that the prophecy illustrated in your stupid book is true?! How can you be so sure! I was there when the Giantbane was forged by God Weland, I was right there, I witnessed the whole process! How can you... mmhh!" 

As he spoke gripped by uncontrolled rage, Reidar was silenced by Bloodfang, who forcefully closed his mouth with one hand, strongly grabbing him from behind and preventing him from speaking.

"Don't say another word, boy. Do you want the Frostsinner to hear this too?!" the Packmaster exclaimed wisely, making the archer reflect on the fact that, shortly before, the Xis had managed to perceive his voice many meters away and that he could do it again, obtaining key information for his victory.

Reidar calmed down and grabbed Thyrius' wrist, which removed it from his face, allowing him to breathe again.

Anxiety and nervousness again imprisoned Reidar in a loud weeping, filled with anger and disbelief.

The archer turned his gaze back to Dag, who without hair and without a beard was almost unrecognizable and his crying gradually diminished, as the first happy memories with his Captain came to his mind: for him, Dag was not only a warrior and a friend. From the first moment they met, at the Temple Of Orn, the headquarters of their Clan, his life changed forever.

All the adventures spent together, all the enemies faced and defeated together, all the fears overcome together.

These were the values that forged the personality of the new Reidar, who from being just one of Master Egill's best pupils, had become a skilled and experienced archer, even surpassing the precision and archery skills of his father, who was in the service of King Einar himself.