The Primal Hunter

Chapter 1010: A Proper Greeting

the lord protector observed the sky as the aura of the human recognized as the war god bore down on him. the pressure was intense, but he did not submit despite the evident power difference. he was the final vanguard of the order of the malefic viper, and as long as his master had yet to make his appearance, the boundless hydra was responsible for ensuring none would cause their members harm.

dealing with yip of yore was already a matter the lord protector wasn’t confident in, but now, even as it looked even more hopeless, he decided to go on the offensive. hundreds of heads emerged from the living barrier and flew toward the many gods and valdemar himself. yip of yore simply looked down as valdemar smiled as he lifted his axe.

“this is not your fight, guardian,” his words echoed as he lowered his weapon slowly. the hundreds of heads were instantly crushed as the lord protector felt the shockwave from the impact permeating through his entire body. it hadn’t done any real damage, as losing a few hundred heads meant nothing... however...

i shall-

“you’ve done enough, snappy,” a voice suddenly echoed in the lord protector’s mind. the comforting words of his master. as these words were spoken, a lone figure appeared in the air between the boundless hydra and the attackers, emanating an aura surpassing that of the lord protector by a fair margin.

“quite rude to come knocking without a proper invitation,” the malefic viper spoke in a confident tone as valdemar retracted his own aura. the viper’s words were addressed at not just yip of yore, but valdemar and everyone else present.

the lord protector observed his master as he sighed internally, trying to squash the insecurities in his heart. for so many eras, he had trusted the malefic viper to handle things... what was one more time?

the malefic viper basked in the auras of the many gods who looked down upon him. he saw eversmile stand next to yip of yore, aware the god would not interfere personally. he was the kind to prefer indirect involvement, after all.

finding the right time to appear was always a tricky matter, but he believed things had worked out fine. he couldn’t wait too long as that risked snappy deciding to go all-out, which could risk everything, including snappy potentially taking severe damage.

no, as the viper said, the lord protector had done enough, and from here on out, it was all on the malefic viper.

“to think you’d come out on your own... i’ll admit, i’d assumed we’d have to drag you out of your little hole by causing a bit of damage first,” yip of yore spoke as the viper felt himself be measured up. “almost admirable for you to come out and save your pet hydra.”

“or perhaps i’m just tired of dealing with this annoying rat that’s been gnawing at my ankles for a few years now,” the viper shot back as he shook his head. “you’re far from the first who’s come here, trying to make themselves a primordial slayer, and i wonder where you got this much confidence from... but i guess arrogance is a trait of the young.”

truthfully, the viper saw little meaning in all this grandstanding and bantering, but he knew it was important for the story being told. what good villain wouldn’t act a bit like an asshole when confronted? and it was for certain that villy was the villain of this story, a role he embraced wholeheartedly as it quite frankly fit him far better than that of the hero.

“it’s also a common trait for them to be daring,” yip of yore responded as he launched into yet another annoying speech. “for them to be willing to do what none has truly dared to do before. to go where none have gone before. look beyond the status quo and what the older generation believes is impossible. for too long has it been an assumption that the primordials are infallible beings, unreachable by all. the truth? all you have is age. for the primordials who’ve continued to struggle and continued to reach for more power, i understand why they maintain respect... but you? you’re just a relic of old, coasting on the reputation of those who were once your peers.”

there was nothing new in his words, yet they still bore repeating due to the expanded audience this time around. the viper could vividly see the conceptual energy gathering all around yip of yore. the many skills were working in concert, empowering him to act his role as the hero.

even now, he had reached a level few gods ever could... and he was only growing stronger as his momentum would soon peak.

“don’t get me wrong, if you had been a force for good and used your reputation to make the multiverse a better place, things would be different. but what did you do? what have you done since your return? the moment you stopped hiding away, you became a tyrant. you killed weaker gods and had your faction expand, crushing anyone indiscriminately who dared stand in your way. for so many eras, the order of the malefic viper had been a mostly peaceful organization that kept to itself, and only with your return did they return to being the force for evil they were back then and have become once. to me, it seems like the order of the malefic viper was better without the malefic viper.”

he had been given the blessing at a very low grade, and he’d displayed a level of talent that was near-unprecedented. this wasn’t just about his nevermore performance, but his title of harbinger of primeval origins. the c-grade human held genuine power and influence, and his existence had helped the malefic viper greatly when staging his comeback.

it was all a great story. the malefic viper returning to the multiverse with a one-of-a-kind chosen able to stand atop his generation as the malefic viper – a god who once stood at the top as one of the first gods – would reclaim his position. the chosen ceremony was still fresh in people’s minds and had been a major boost to the viper’s reputation among the many gods who had only ever read about the primordial in history books. that ceremony had shown a chosen and patron united as the order was on track to become a true pinnacle faction once more.

this was the story most people had come to believe. this was what the majority of all those who looked on at this confrontation believed. innumerable people were watching this entire thing unfold, from all factions spread across the multiverse, all the way from low-ranking mortals to gods who ruled the peak factions.

to some, it was merely entertainment. to others, it was research, a third group, an event that would define their futures. they all had their reasons for watching, and all had their own theories and thoughts, but all of them knew that no matter what, they were witnessing history in the making.

the first clue that something unexpected was about to happen was the frown the malefic viper showed the moment his chosen was mentioned. usually, one would expect a god to show some pride or even to gloat when their outstanding chosen was mentioned... yet he frowned. he was unhappy at his mention.

then, as if on cue, the golden gate behind valdemar began to glow once more. five figures walked out, all five of them releasing auras that had surpassed the circles of divinity. yet, it was the one who seemed the weakest who led them as she walked in front and took her place beside valdemar, the other top-level fighters of valhal staying behind the two of them.

it was gudrun, the first valkyrie and if valdemar was the emperor that ruled valhal, she would be the empress actually handling all the day-to-day politics.

“you brought your wife? seriously?” vilastromoz asked with a scoff as he ignored yip of yore and looked at valdemar. “i thought you said you weren’t getting involved?”

“i’m not getting involved,” the bearded man shrugged with a smile. “never said the missus wouldn’t.”

“don’t mind his words; none of us will take part in any fighting today unless we are forced into it,” gudrun said, clearly leaving an opening for valhal to take a more offensive position based on what happened next. “no, we are merely here to deliver a message. one that i believe is long overdue yet has found its perfect time to be delivered. a message not just to you but to the rest of the multiverse. i would ask everyone to be quiet and just listen.”

gudrun lifted her hand as a giant formation appeared. the runes on it lit up as it connected to something far away, through the void between the universes, and unto the newest one integrated. an image slowly took form as a familiar figure appeared, projected as a lifelike illusion into the sky.

it was a familiar figure. it was someone most had seen pictures or even recordings of prior. it was naturally the all-time top scorer of the nevermore leaderboards, harbinger of primeval origins, and last but not least, the chosen of the malefic viper... which was why many were shocked that gudrun would be the one bringing his message.

confusion would be an understatement as the projection slowly fully took form. once it did, the aura of the chosen also began to slowly be released... which only caused more confusion as it seemed off. however, not as off as his first words.

the projection clearly looked down at the malefic viper, the god frowning as his chosen spoke.

“didn’t expect to see me here, now did you? why not? did you think i would just lie down and submit despite everything, you manipulative, insane piece of shit excuse of a god?”

so, yeah, not the way most would expect a chosen to greet their patron.