“It is impossible for you to enter and leave Tartarus in just a few hours!” Turan shouted nervously after hearing Susanoo’s declaration.
Ana and Susanoo were still speaking with Turan, the grigori of the Papal States. The three of them remained inside the alternate dimension the Etruscan goddess had created.
“I believe you do not understand how complicated this matter is,” Turan continued explaining. “That hell has several areas: the River Acheron, the Asphodel Meadows, Erebus, the palace of Hades, and finally, Tartarus.”
The Etruscan grigori stood furiously when she saw that Susanoo still wore an expression of little concern.
“Besides that, there are very powerful gods and monsters there, beyond anything we can imagine,” the goddess continued explaining.
Ana then tried to calm the beautiful Etruscan goddess.
“And tell me, Turan-sama,” Susanoo asked calmly. “If not now, when they are distracted by the war against anata-tashi, then when, pray, shall it be?”
“Our friends, the members of Orniskem, are locked up there,” Ana confessed gloomily.
“Tashikani,” Susanoo replied. “If watashi-tachi, together with the kami of Orniskem, support thee, we shall defeat Olympus-kuni. Anata-tachi shall achieve your objective, and we shall achieve ours: the rescue of Athena-sama.”
Turan scratched her head, somewhat confused.
“I understood half of what you said,” she replied, rather embarrassed.
Ana laughed nervously and covered Susanoo’s mouth.
“Let’s just say we’ll join you in the war. It’s the only way,” she said.
Susanoo moved away from Ana and nodded.
“If you wish to wait here with us for Menrva-san, Epona-chan, and Anpiel-san, you shall be welcome,” the eastern god added.
Turan then nodded. The goddess quickly removed the alternate dimension as she sat once again on one of the beds.
“I hope you succeed. I truly am placing all my faith in you,” she said while lowering her head toward the floor.
“Miss Turan,” Ana asked, intrigued. “Why did you decide to fight against Lel? You were always a privileged group among the pantheons that served them.”
Turan closed her eyes and fell silent. Then she looked toward the small window, where the dark sky could be seen.
“We never forgave Lel for persecuting our people and forcing them to convert to Christianity,” the goddess said.
Turan fell silent again while nervously playing with her hands.
“I admit that the power of faith drove us mad when we fought among ourselves,” the goddess confessed. “But humans, I believe, were innocent of our conflicts. They should not have been tortured merely to embrace a faith they did not approve of.”
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“Lel always claimed that the war among gods would end if the world became Christian, and that we would lose the power of our totemas through that process,” Ana said. “But none of us have lost any of our power at all.”
Turan then smiled.
“There is a very ancient city in Syria where our chronicles and feats have been preserved and stored,” Turan replied. “Lel does not know its location, but that is our last refuge of power.”
Ana was surprised by that fact. She would never have imagined that such a place existed, where paganism still survived.
“But that place is in Syria, now part of the Abbasid Caliphate. Which makes it even more surprising that it still maintains pagan practices, given how intolerant Islam is regarding such matters,” the Etruscan goddess added. “That is why we urgently need to bring Olympus down, since they are the most powerful group of gods and control the most advanced empire in the world.”
Ana crossed her arms and breathed deeply. She had never thought about how fragile the source of their powers truly was. If that city were destroyed, then all the totemas in the world would become dead. But what intrigued her most was that, if that happened, the elohim would also lose all their threatening power.
“Could it be that they’re super confident because of the human sacrifices celebrated in their honor?” the Irish goddess wondered.
Susanoo then stood and placed his hands on his waist while beginning to laugh monotonously. Ana and Turan looked at him in confusion.
“That meaneth Susanoo shall become the most powerful god in the region if that occurreth,” the eastern god said proudly.
Ana then shook her head.
“My Rui could still kick your sorry ass,” the goddess said proudly.
Then Ana became thoughtful for a moment.
“Wait, Turan. It doesn’t make sense for them to worship my people in Syria. I doubt anyone from my people ever set foot there,” the Irish goddess replied, confused.
Turan became thoughtful for a moment.
“I believe both you and my people are still worshiped indirectly through traditions that have not yet died in the kingdoms of our humans,” the Irish goddess added.
“Well… in truth, I have never gone there, so I could not confirm it,” Turan said.
Ana then remained in thought.
“Syria… is a place where the gods of the Levant and Greece were worshiped, right?” Ana asked again.
Turan was surprised by those words.
“Those bastards from Lel… They are still being worshiped in that city together with the gods of Olympus!” she shouted furiously.
“Now I understand why they are so powerful,” Susanoo said.
“Turan, what is that city called?” the Irish goddess asked.
“Harran, an ancient sanctuary dedicated to the god of the moon,” Turan replied.
Ana struck her palm in a gesture of victory.
“That’s it! We have to bring down the cult that exists there so we can face Lel!” she said excitedly.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door. Ana realized she had shouted too loudly and disturbed the other inhabitants of the palace, so she covered her mouth, filled with embarrassment.
“Lady Melania, if you cannot sleep, may I bring you a glass of warm milk?” a girl’s voice was heard from behind the door.
Turan then, imitating Menrva’s voice, explained that it was not necessary. The woman behind the door nodded and withdrew, allowing Ana to release her stress over the situation.
“Sorry. I forgot we were in this place,” she said, embarrassed.
However, at that moment, the three gods felt a monstrous power. It was so gigantic that they could feel the castle tremble before that energy. The birds in the forest flew into the sky in terror, making horrible, noisy screeches.
“Oh my God, what was that?!” Ana asked, frightened, just as she saw Turan and Susanoo stand.
“It came from the west,” Susanoo said, intrigued, as he drew his sword again and took his stance.
At that moment, bonfires were lit throughout the castle, and people began to mobilize. A maid once again knocked on the room’s door.
“Lady Melania, please come out. There is an earthquake, and we cannot allow your life to be at risk,” the woman said.
The three gods grew nervous when they realized they had to leave, and that there would be no way for the castle’s people to see Menrva.
“Before aught else, Ana-hime, we must needs go toward the place whence that incredible power was felt,” the eastern god said.
“I know, but I have a bad feeling,” Ana replied.
“Tania and Tul… are in Ibiza… west of here,” the goddess said.