Goblin Kingdom (Last Part)

Volume 4: Intermission - The Dawn of the Gods (1/2)

Those that received Altesia, the Goddess of Courage's, divine protection fought desperately against the forces of the underworld. Having forbidden herself from appearing in the flesh, Altesia shared her power with them through divine protections.

A blessing that showed itself most strongly in the heroes. They would appear among the humans on occasion, showing greater adaptability for the divine protection of the gods, allowing them to accept greater power. Though unseen, Altesia would walk with them, and with her divine authority, strike fear into the demons of the underworld.

Should their life of valor come to an end, she would take care of them as well.

It was a long battle full of sacrifices, and in the course of the long war, the old gods came to grow weak. At Hera's counsel, an alliance was made with them. That was true for their creations as well. Already, no other force besides the humans could conquer the continent, so rather than be overwhelmed by the forces of the underworld, they chose to fight alongside them instead.

The forces of the underworld fought while bound by the principle of the surface.

Over the course of several generations, the structure of the two forces broke down, and a struggle for survival emerged. The demons spread their roots on the land and began to multiply, while the humans sought to exterminate them.

In the course of the long battle, Altesia's power began to stand out from the crowd. Because she had given her divine protections not only to the humans, but also to the elves and demihumans that fought alongside them.

Ativ did not like that.

"It's too dangerous to share your power with those other than the humans!"

But Altesia insisted, saying that it was necessary.

"If I don't share my power with them, the humans will be in danger!"

Altesia believed their argument to be but a mere quibble, but that was not actually the case. Unfortunately, for Ativ, Altesia was already stronger than him, so he could only think of a plot to remove her from the board.

There was only one path to the underworld, and that was through the depths of the Fortress of the Abyss. So great was the ether overflowing from the underworld that the trees in the forest would bend and sway, and the animals that dwelt nearby have evolved in strange ways.

It was to such a place that they would dispatch a small but elite team to close the path to the underworld.

On the side of the humans came two heroes. The Saint of Flames, Eliza Sol Rain, and the Martial God, Sylvia Ross. From the elves came the Golden Eagle, Falco Gordola, and from the humans came The Prince with the Red Sword, Greco Bel Alsanzark, who would be acting as their commander.

There was fierce resistance as expected, but Greco's leadership allowed them to overcome all the trials. With Ativ's blessing, he would later be hailed as Alsanzark's best general.

Altesia watched the battles as she walked alongside the heroes.

Before long, the humans overcame the fierce resistance of the monsters and were able to deliver the heroes into the fortress. Falco and Greco took the responsibility of clearing the way, so the two hero's strength could be preserved.

When they finally reached the gate to the underworld, what greeted them was a huge gate that towered even Altesia. Past the colossal, double-door gate could be seen a darkness so dark not even a god could see through it.

──The Gate of the Underworld could only be opened if someone inside and someone outside worked together.

At Ativ's counsel, the two heroes would have to cross the gate and enter the underworld in order to close it. The two heroes parted with Falco and Greco there and entered the underworld. Altesia, who always accompanied the heroes, entered as well.