Chapter 659 (Patreon)

The commotion caused by the fight had not gone unnoticed.

Ronova, Ruler of Death, Arbiter of Heavenly Principles, was only one of four ‘Shades’ that served the Heavenly Principles and managed the world.

Her movements and her actions were perceived and watched by her peers, especially when they caused such a significant disturbance and had her utilizing her authority over death in such a substantial manner.

When Death became apparent, the first one to notice was Life.

Naberius, Ruler of Life—Rhinedottir, the name now attached after the original Ruler of Life’s Heart was devoured by her. The two merged together, and the identity of Rhinedottir, the usurper, had taken the driver’s seat while Naberius became a voice in the back of the head.

She stepped out onto Teyvat as the disturbance began to manifest properly.

Ronova had already appeared and revealed herself, trapping part of the world within a domain, keeping everything still around them.

The Ruler of Death floated far enough away not to get caught up or noticed, simply content to watch from a distance. In her mind, there was no need for her to join in; merely her curiosity had her appearing at this point.

But to her surprise, the one she saw suffering the wrath of Death was not one she recognized. From her hand, a sprawling map of life revealed itself, and she couldn’t find the person she was looking at.

Using her own authority as one of the four shades under the heavenly principles, she couldn’t find him within the [Fate] of the world either.

That meant only one thing, an outsider.

Outsiders were rare, but not something completely unheard of. There had been more than a handful over the years. There was even one running around in the mortal city not far away that they knew about.

But what confused her was that she had no idea that this one was even on Teyvat. At the very least, when an outsider descends on the planet, they usually notice, even if they don’t care for the most part. That is unless the outsider causes problems and forces one of them to step in.

She noticed that the outsider was using magic as she watched curiously. He also seemed to wield an authority from beyond the skies of Teyvat as well. His lightning was not that of Electro that she was familiar with.

It carried with it a different feeling, of the ocean, of the winds, of storms.

The strange thing was that he was most certainly not a god. She had never seen a mortal being possessing divinity before.

Not in such a manner, at least.

There were those who had been blessed by the divine, those who had been granted fragments of authority, and even those who had stolen power that was never meant to belong to them.

But this was different.

His Divinity was his own.

It wasn't something borrowed, nor was it something bestowed upon him by a higher existence. It was intrinsically tied to him, as natural as the blood flowing through his veins.

And yet, it was incomplete.

“How peculiar.” She whispered to herself.

Rhinedottir watched with growing fascination as the outsider clashed against Ronova.

The Ruler of Death was not someone easily provoked into action. She had always been rather detached from the affairs of mortals, only concerning herself with matters that fell under her jurisdiction. A short insult may have had her raising her hand to dispense Divine reckoning, but not on this scale.

Rhinedottir’s eyes then found the mortals off to the side, and her eyes landed on another woman before her eyebrows raised. 

A mortal girl…no, was she mortal? She had never seen something like that before. It was like a being woven into the shape of a mortal and a story written in to fill out the vessel. She wanted to inspect it closer, but as she reached out a finger, she felt something vast.

The Weight of Another World.

It stilled her hand.

She dared not probe it any further. Rhinedottir was fearful of very few things, but trying to probe an entire world was something she would be foolish to attempt. Whoever –whatever that strange mortal was, she carried with her the Light of another World and it would answer her call if needed.

She looked at the other, the Geo Archon.

He was easy to recognize, and it disinterested her.

Rather, she looked at one mortal on the ground being protected defensively by the not-mortal woman. It was a simple man, but as her eyes narrowed, she could piece things together and see its true identity.

And just like that, Rhinedottir understood why Ronova was acting so overtly and aggressively.

It seemed that the outsider had touched a bottom line.

Death manifested.

Not merely the cessation of life, but the very principle that governed its end.

Rhinedottir recognized the phenomenon immediately as Ronova drew upon more of her authority over the world's death. She was inching closer and closer to a line that she wasn’t allowed to cross.

“Oh, Ronova…”

That was rather excessive, wasn't it?

She could feel the disturbance spreading through the Ley Lines, the delicate balance between life and death being disturbed by the sheer amount of power Ronova was drawing upon.

The Ruler of Death was no longer attempting to simply punish an insolent mortal.

She was attempting to erase him.

And yet...

The outsider refused to die. Rhinedottir’s left eye glowed as she peered into the underlining concepts being imposed. Ronova attempted to apply Death to him, yet he rejected it. An outsider that was keeping away from the world's rules.

The Fate of the World couldn’t tie him down.

Thunder and Lightning, he called upon, imposing his own Authority over Teyvat. But Rhinedottir’s expression changed when he released a Golden Sword.

Life.

So much life.

As the Ruler of Life, how could she not understand and see it for what it was? A vast, boundless [life] that seemed to have no end. The Sword itself was just the tiniest spark of it, and it clashed head-on against Ronova, moving the world’s [Death] at her command.

Quickly many more strange and foreign things appeared within her sight.

A power that didn’t have a basis on Teyvat, something heavy and…spiritual in nature. It wasn’t elemental energy, it wasn’t magic, it was something closer to [Death], yet it wasn’t deathly. Almost immediately, another power she didn’t recognize manifested around him. Black, almost like flames, it [destroyed] everything it touched.

A concept of [Destruction] manifested at his behest.

It wasn’t a divine authority, but something…darker and more malevolent.

She was now fully interested. She wanted to take a look at this mortal, to look inside of him, to pick him apart and see what made him tick. All those mysteries that had her far too curious. She could barely hold herself back and was about to make a move when she saw that Ronova also escalated.

Once more, Ronova inched closer to the line that she wasn't allowed to cross when it came to weaponizing her authority without permission.

Rhinedottir was about to step in and stop it, for nothing else, she didn’t want such a precious and rare specimen to disappear before she had a chance to thoroughly research it.

But even Rhinedottir, who had taken a casual, indifferent stance on what was happening, had gone completely still. She saw the vast light before and understood that it was something unfathomable, but not something that concerned her. The 'world' the mortal girl held inside of her was ignorable because it wasn’t imposing itself outwardly but an echo of something else.

But now, a hole opened up in the world.

At the outsider’s behest, he had torn open a hole through the world.

That wasn't…strange. All the Shades, and many others in the world, were capable of utilizing similar methods to traverse the realms and the world itself. But as one of the four who managed Teyvat’s Laws under the Heavenly Principles, she could see its true nature.

It had gone completely through all the boundaries of the world and reached out to another.

All the protections, all the warnings and alarms that would have gone off if someone descended upon the world or broke in, were bypassed as if they weren’t even there. She had wondered how someone managed to sneak onto the world without her notice, but now that question was answered, and it had her worried.

But that worry made way for something else entirely.

Because someone stepped through that portal—that tear in the world’s barriers.

A god of another world stepped out.

He looked around ever so briefly, yet, from that distance away, from her hiding spot, he looked at her.

Rhinedottir subconsciously took a step back under his gaze that only lasted a brief moment.

For the first time in a long time, she felt her heart beat quickening and the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. His gaze didn’t linger, which allowed her to calm down, but even when he wasn’t announcing his presence, he was like a towering pillar that stopped anyone else from approaching.

It made her stop any actions she was going to take or think about taking now.

He also didn’t make a move, so she wasn’t going to act out now.

Her gaze went back to the one Ronova was fighting. And again her eyebrows rose in surprise as she saw his divinity begin to soar. It was like he was becoming closer to a proper god, and his power increased accordingly.

The power behind his lightning had been elevated to a new level. Where before his Lightning was losing to Ronova’s [Death], it was now able to somewhat contend with it.

They began to clash in earnest.

A streak of lightning colliding with a faint red throughout the sky, decimating the landscape, tearing apart mountains and rivers with each collision of power. She watched as those two collided dozens of times in quick succession, causing the world around them to shake and tremble.

Rhinedottir now had to reevaluate the mortal outsider in her heart.

She acknowledged him before, for few could contend with one of them, yet there was always a certain…..threshold that she viewed, that she knew he wasn’t standing on. But that idea went right out the window now.

“Ronova, are you really planning to go that far?” Rhinedottir whispered as she saw Ronova take that one last step where a single wrong move could have her authority revoked.

The Leylines beneath the earth began to tremble as she called upon the full Authority of Death bestowed upon her by the Heavenly Principles.

Just as she did, though, Rhinedottir also noticed that she wasn’t the only one making a move. The Element of Geo had increased manyfold, and the Archon of Geo had finally responded.

Daring to point his spear at one of them, she could admit that the Geo Archon had courage. She could see that his lifespan didn’t have long remaining, his erosion was becoming worse and it wouldn’t be long before he disappeared into the annals of history. Perhaps that was where his confidence came from, not having much left to lose.

She hadn’t seen such a sight since the Archon War thousands of years ago.

There was a reason why the Geo Archon was unanimously declared the strongest of the Archons.

While he still fell short of one of them, it also wasn't a fight that they would like to initiate without a good reason. Being threatened by both the Geo Archon and the otherworlder, Rhinedottir didn’t mock Ronova in her mind for retreating.

Ronova had certainly straddled the line, and the Geo Archon wasn’t wrong to say that she had gone too far. Rhinedottir knew as well that she didn’t have permission to give [Death] to the Geo Archon, as he hadn’t broken the laws himself, leaving her in an awkward position.

She understood that things weren’t so simple.

The carefully arranged board could be tipped over at any moment with a new variable running around. But just as well, it wouldn't be easy to remove this variable without considerable effort based on what she saw.

She would need to go consult the others.

@***@

Wilhelm POV

Zhongli left already, and I could feel the disturbance in the distance start to diminish. The storm that was brewing over the city was also a response from the Earth.

It was clear at this point that he would be handling cleaning up things, and I didn’t feel like I needed to intervene.

I guess Odin’s words had awoken something in him. He devised some scheme that ended with his own retirement after faking his death. But, well, it was just unnecessary at the end of the day. Humans weren’t so weak that they couldn’t be told the truth, that their god was tired and wanted to step down.

Maybe he was just wrapped up in his own head, or he just didn’t have a peer able to offer an advice. I doubt it was as simple as someone just smacking him in the head and telling him he was being stupid.

Rather, just being confronted with the ideological question of whether he thought so low of the city and people he raised all these years. If he answers no, then he logically has to acknowledge that this whole song and dance wasn’t needed.

If he answered yes, then there was also no point in continuing doing it anyways because they would still need him to act as a pillar of support.

I don’t know, my perception of it may be different. I never bowed my head or worshipped any gods. I couldn’t understand the heartfelt and deep reverations for the divine and how they affected them on an emotional and spiritual level.

I mean, logically, I understood. But I couldn't empathize with it spiritually or emotionally.

The sort of strange domain that froze this part of the world began to unravel at Odin’s behest. We retreated some distance away, as we didn’t want to get swept up in the chaos around them after their battle.

“Thanks for coming.” I wasn’t going to dismiss Odin’s help even if he wasn’t the one I was specifically calling.

“Thank you.” Artoria also spoke right after me. “Your assistance was appreciated.”

Admittedly, it made things easier than if just Jeanne came. I wanted to grab Jeanne because she’s very good at defending other people and keeping them safe. But Odin was…well, Odin, he could accomplish that job just as easily, if not better.

Odin acknowledged it but didn’t say anything. “This world is strange. The Sky contains a forged Fate, the Elements are vibrant and spirited, and the Rulers of these lands are such interesting things.”

He turned his gaze south, and it felt like he was looking at something.

“Your Divinity is still immature. However, you’re more pleasing to the eye than before. Keep working hard; it will turn into something good. I can feel it.”

It was…rare for him to say something like that to me.

“A foolish child who attempts to become a god while staying mortal.” He laughed, seeing through my intentions and efforts fairly easily. “I don’t dislike such foolishness.”

I felt like he was both encouraging me and mocking me in the same breath. Honestly, it felt closer to the Odin from back home compared to how this one usually acts. Then again, they are both Odin; I shouldn't be surprised that they have somewhat similar personalities.

I ignored it for now.

“Do you want to stay or go back home?” I asked him.

He raised an eyebrow. “I had thought you would have been forceful about sending me back.”

“Do you think I’m so petty after receiving your help?” I asked him in return.

Odin showed a rare moment of consideration as he looked around the world. And with a shimmer of golden light, his armor, his regalia, and even his spear all disappeared. He was now fitted in loose clothing of basic material, a cloak over his head, his golden eye covering was now a cloth eyepatch, and his divine spear was the form of a walking stick.

“It has been many years since this old man has wandered the mortal worlds.” Odin replied, even his tone was somewhat different. It no longer had that authoritative feeling to it.

His Divine Aura receded too; it became practically imperceptible to even my senses.

For all intents and purposes, he was simply an old man standing there now.

“Should I call you Grimnir?” I asked.

Odin rubbed his beard. “That is a name I have not used in a very long time.” There was a slowly growing smile. “How nostalgic.”

I took out a kaleidoscope and handed it to him. “Here, take this. You can reach me on it whenever you want to go back home.”

Odin looked at it for a moment before nodding and slipping it up his sleeve, disappearing from view.

“Lord Odin, this may be beneficial as well.” Artoria took out a small bag and handed it to him. “It has local currency and some foodstuffs.”

Compared to me, when he looked at the gift from Artoria, his expression was much more gentle. “Then I thank you for the gift.”

I doubt Odin needs us to give him a rundown of things or lecture him on how this world worked. He was a God of Wisdom; he would figure things out, and perhaps, he was interested in doing so himself.

Odin held his fingers up to his lips and whistled.

I looked up, and two ravens flew down, hidden from view or manifested through his divine powers.

Huginn and Muninn, his famous familiars.

“I recommend joining the Adventurer’s Guild when you reach a city.” Artoria spoke up again. “It allows one ease of travel between nations with near unlimited freedom.”

Odin smiled and nodded.

He gave a little bow of his head in goodbye before he chose a path and just started walking on it.

It reminded me of when Scathach got her own wanderlust. It wasn’t for a purpose; it was simply that she wanted to venture off and explore the unknown.

“Want to go back to Mondstadt for a couple days?” I asked her. “Then we can set off to Inazuma.”

“You just want to avoid the mess you created in Liyue.” She deadpanned.

"You…may be correct," I admitted.

She grabbed my arm. “Very well, let us go visit Mondstadt again for a few days. Then we set off to that Inazuma.”

I also wanted to ask Venti a few things.

@***@

A/N

Odin has been let loose on Teyvat, but I’m sure it’ll be fine.

Also, just a heads up, next release Wednesday/Thursday, will only be two chapters. Wow Forever is coming out Wednesday and I plan on playing the release.