A colossal figure, vast enough to suffocate the skies, came crashing down with a thunderous roar. Towering above the clouds, arms crossed over his chest, stood a golden-haired figure, a being who, like a god reigning from on high, watched the masses below from the skies.
In Upper Egypt, chaos had once reigned. The people, terrified by the sudden appearance of the Outer God Orphe, had run in all directions, but now, they froze, stunned, gazing blankly at the radiant figure suspended beneath the azure sky.
"Rejoi—!"
"Rejoice our savior!"
Atop the royal citadel, The Other raised his scepter, preparing, as always, to deliver a hymn of praise for Lothar. Yet to his shock, that wretched Pharaoh of Egypt had beaten him to it.
What was the meaning of this?
Stealing my spotlight?
With a scowl, The Other glared daggers at the Egyptian king, his eyes full of disdain.
But Menis was far too excited to care about any of that.
Clutching the Millennium Eye, he trembled with fervor. After six long months, he once again bore witness to a miracle. After half a year, the savior had returned.
How could he not be overwhelmed?
How could he not be moved to tears?
"That's it?" The Other asked coolly, unimpressed as Menis bellowed a single, tear-choked cry of "Savior!" and then… said no more.
"Huh? What?" Menis blinked, clearly lost. He had no idea what The Other was getting at.
Tch!
Unprofessional.
The Other spat on the ground in contempt. He was about to continue the celebration when suddenly, the earth began to tremble violently.
"Who are you?!"
Pinned to the sand by a single blow from Lothar, the Outer God Orphe drove his fists into the earth, golden grains scattering in all directions. Dark magical energy surged through his arms, his expression twisted in confusion and fury.
"Just a Saiyan passing through," Lothar replied, the corner of his lips curling into a cocky grin.
That arrogance, so blatant, so unfiltered, it set Orphe ablaze with rage.
It was a provocation.
A dangerous one.
"Meow!"
Lothar turned slightly, and the Flerken perched on his shoulder immediately stood upright. Its tiny pink paws pointed directly at Orphe's locust-like head as it shouted defiantly, "Meow!"
[That's him, meow!]
"A Flerken?"
"You... are that Flerken's master?"
Orphe, who had spent countless eons outwitting Outer Gods in other dimensions, immediately pieced it together. Especially when he looked down and found that his worshippers… were gone.
So that's what happened.
"You came here... for that Flerken."
With a furious snarl, the energy building in Orphe's arms burst skyward, tearing through the serene blue sky as his dimensional realm materialized, rending the fabric of space.
A bizarre gravitational pull engulfed all of Egypt. Whether they lived in Upper or Lower Egypt, every human found themselves lifted off the ground, helpless against the pull of Orphe's dimensional breach.
"What is this?!"
"Help! Somebody help!"
"Save me!"
The cries of panic echoed around Lothar, a cacophony of desperation that made him frown.
So noisy.
"A savior of humans, are you?"
"What a pity, you'll never be one."
"These people... will enter my dimension, and they will become my loyal subjects!"
Orphe's antennae twitched with delight as he cackled, but his laughter was cut short in an instant.
He felt it.
A pressure, absolute and undeniable, condensed inside Lothar's small frame.
"This power—?!"
"How is that possible?!"
Golden light exploded from Lothar's body as he raised his left hand high and clenched his right into a fist. The radiant energy that shone from him was blinding, like a miniature sun blazing above all of Egypt.
"I'm no one's savior. That title belongs to my father."
"Now disappear."
His emerald eyes held no emotion, only calm indifference. The cold tone in his voice made Orphe's pupils contract with fear.
It was as if a comet, unstable with energy, were barreling straight for him, ready to erupt at any moment.
"Impossible!!!"
"You're just a monkey with a tail!!!"
Orphe roared, his voice echoing with the wrath of otherworldly magic. His dimensional energy surged, colliding head-on with the rising fist of Lothar.
A brilliant lotus flower of light bloomed in the skies where their powers clashed, two utterly incompatible energies exploding in a radiant burst of destruction.
BOOM!
BOOM! BOOM!
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!!
The ensuing chain of explosions swallowed Orphe's agonized screams whole.
As the dimensional pull collapsed, the people of Egypt plummeted toward the earth. But just before impact, Hela, who had watched silently all this time, finally acted. Pillows of enchanted metal formed beneath each falling human, gently cushioning their descent.
"…He really did it."
Hela lifted her gaze to the golden-haired figure floating beneath the sun, his left hand still raised. Her expression was a tangled mix of awe and disbelief.
No magic spells. No artifacts.
Just raw, unadulterated power.
Orphe hadn't even had time to summon complex magic before he was utterly annihilated.
"So this is an Outer God?"
"Tch. Pathetic."
Lothar clicked his tongue in disappointment. He'd expected a good fight, but his opponent couldn't even handle a single probing strike.
"Just like Laufey. Weak god, weak name."
"Rejoi—!"
"Blessed be this moment! The strongest and kindest savior!"
Once again, Menis beat him to it. The Other's expression locked in a deadpan twitch as he slowly turned to face the Egyptian Pharaoh, who now stood atop the walls, leading his people in passionate cheers. The Other was so enraged he nearly bashed his own head in with his scepter.
"Savior!"
"Savior!!"
"SAVIOR!!!"
"…"
Under Menis's lead, all of Upper Egypt erupted into cries of adoration for Lothar.
That golden-haired back, raised high beneath the midday sun…
That wild, defiant posture…
That unmatched strength…
That flawless, heavenly face…
A seed called faith was quietly planted in the hearts of the Egyptian people.
"Boring."
"Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!"
"Meow! Meow! Meow! Meow!"
The orange feline stood proudly on Lothar's shoulder, swaying its tiny paws to the rhythm of the cheers. Its eyes curved into crescents of joy, its little mouth open wide, echoing the people with an innocent purr.
"Pointless," Lothar muttered, feigning disinterest in the thunderous celebration.
Yet the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch upward in a faint smirk.
In the distance, clad in white robes and standing alone in the desert, a delicate young man named Cuba stared wide-eyed at the golden figure who had obliterated an Outer God with a single punch.
He was utterly stunned.
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