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Chapter 10 - Chapter X. Clash of the Titans

Stepstones, Grey Gallows

Neferion

 

Focused on the unusual weather phenomenon, emanating extraordinary divine power, before he took any action, the sea abominations were already upon him, rushing into him in frenzy, driven by the malevolent will of their god. Even half-tonne bodies hit him like a tsunami.

But he stood firm. He dealt blows left and right, crushing bones and skulls, crushing their slime- or scale-covered bodies, tearing limbs or tearing them apart. He responded to their frenzy with his own fury. How dare these wretched creatures stand against him, as if they had any chance?

His eyes flashed like two golden suns, and a shout escaped his mouth.

"YOL TOOR SHUL" (Fire, Inferno, Sun)

A river of fire burst from his mouth, and he spun around, sending the flames everywhere. Burning hundreds of enemies at once and giving him a moment to breathe, but more Deep Ones, as he supposed they were called, were already approaching, and from the south a 50-foot wave hit the land, rushing at great speed towards him.

"SPAAN YOL QAH" (Shield, Fire, Protection)

Another Word of Power burst from his throat, creating a dome of white fire, so hot that the ground around him began to melt, turning into molten lava, creating another barrier.

In this way, he gave himself a moment of respite to use some more destructive thu'um. And he had one especially for such an occasion. Shout, which, when he was at his full strength, permanently crippled Molag Bal.

However, he had to change his plans on the run when, above his head, electrical discharges began to gather in one point, bringing to mind his fight with Alduin. He doubted that this attack would be even half as powerful as his thu'um, but he did not want to risk an attack from two sides. So, taking a deep breath, he used Clear Sky shout..

"LOK VAH KOOR" (Sky, Spring, Summer)

Most of the clouds around them dispersed like a flock of birds, but the ones gathered just above the island itself remained unwavering. He frowned at the sight, and only then did it dawn on him what he was really dealing with. These clouds were not simply a manifestation of power but the god himself, existing without a typical corporeal form.

In a split second, the lightning struck the barrier he had created earlier with such force that the sound of the impact probably echoed for hundreds of miles, and Neferion winced at the pain his ears experienced.

The powerful lightning and the barrier of fire remained at an impasse for a moment, and he knew he had to act quickly, for he could feel something powerful beginning to emerge from the sea.

"LAHVRAAN QO FIIK" (Gather, Lighning, Reflect)

Using a hastily created thu'um, he let the dome of flames shielding him collapse before catching the lightning in both of his outstretched hands. A massive amount of energy began to collect in his palms, and the heat it generated began to melt his ebony, enchanted, armoured gloves.

A dozen or so seconds later, the attack ceased, and he began compressing the lightning waiting for the appropriate moment to release all of this energy.

A moment later, the wall of water approaching him struck him hard, and the monsters swimming inside it assaulted him mercilessly, attempting to harm him with sharp claws and odd black metal weapons.

He stood firm under the pressure of millions of litres of water and hundreds of creatures attacking him and finally simply released the accumulated power of the entire storm into the water surrounding him. It boiled in a few seconds, and the Deep Ones in it turned into cooked seafood.

He himself used another thu'um at the moment of releasing the energy.

"FEIM ZII GRON" (Fate, Spirit, Bind)

In the blink of an eye, his physical form changed into an ethereal one, resistant to all damage. He watched the effect of his attack with undisguised satisfaction. Soon the water began to recede, and at the same time he was thinking about how to end this fight. Every shout on such a scale burdened him in some way, and he could not drag it out forever.

Compared to his fight with Alduin or the Daedric princes, which had lasted even several hours, he was greatly weakened. In addition, he still did not fully understand the nature of the deities of this world. How, for example, does one fight a Storm god who does not even have a corporeal form?

Probably at full strength he would be able to actually destroy him with Clear Sky thu'um, but now it turned out to be insufficient. He had to find another way. He was also glad that the Drowned god had not appeared here in person. However, he felt a powerful presence in the sea, bearing the signs of his energy. Could it be some powerful servant?

Sure enough, while his vision was limited by the receding water and the rising steam, a massive, oblong shape shot toward him and struck him with such tremendous force that he shot out like a missile, flying several hundred feet before falling into the sea. For a moment he was confused. How had it reached him.

"KRIIST OKAAZ" (Stand, Sea)

Having jumped out of the water, Voice allowed him to stand on it as if on solid ground. Looking around, he saw what had attacked him, and, probably for the first time in this new world, he felt true excitement at what he had to face.

Fighting an immaterial elemental god wasn't all that interesting, but fighting a giant octopus-crab hybrid whose tentacles alone stretched 700-800 feet and were as thick as the main tower in Starfall was much more his style. And this monster had 16 such tentacles instead of eight, most of which were heading towards him, each weighing probably thousands of tonnes.

How did this planet hide something like this? Where was this monster living? And how was it even able to function, and what did it feed on? These questions were now occupying his mind. His innate hunger for learning secrets and gaining new knowledge flooded his head with countless questions.

Seeing the tentacles attacking from multiple directions, he was immediately flooded with memories of the battle against Hermaeus Mora. Desiring to derive the utmost enjoyment from facing this monster, he first needed to eliminate the unwelcome guest looming over him. He doubted that what he had planned would be able to permanently hurt the god, but it could weaken or terrify him enough to leave him alone for now.

So, focusing all his will—since this shout required incredible concentration, as it momentarily stripped the deity of his immortality—he opened his mouth, and the Words that emerged from it shook both the visible world and the spiritual realm to their very foundations.

"JOOR ZAH SAHLO FRUL" (Mortal, Finite, Weak, Temporary)

Modified specifically for his need to fight the Daedric Princes of Dragonrend, it was probably the most powerful Thu'um in his arsenal. He would never forget the pure terror in Mehrunes Dagon's eyes when he first tasted mortality. What could have surpassed stripping a god of his divinity?

That moment when a being convinced of its superiority and invulnerability realises that the slightest mistake, a thoughtless action that it had not paid attention to before, could cost it its existence.

And indeed, when the shout reached the cluster of clouds that was the physical manifestation of the deity, the world froze for a moment and everything fell silent, as if in anticipation.

A moment later, it was torn apart not by a roar but by a shriek of agony that made even Neferion flinch in pain. If it reached people with such force, it could even be fatal.

He had not expected such an effect. Was there such a difference between the Daedra and the gods of Planetos? And what was it? Did it result from a difference in existence? Or was the Storm god himself specific in this regard?

Something began to happen to the sky above him; unfortunately, he didn't have time to observe it in peace because the sea monster started to writhe in pain and wave its tentacles left and right, causing great waves, destroying the rocky islands around, as well as the shore of Grey Gallows Island. Clearly the voice of the god's agony above them affected either the beast itself, its master, or both.

Taking advantage of the prevailing chaos and having lost all will to fight, replaced by a desire to delve into the concept of divinity in this world, which could be crucial to his liberation from the bonds of this world, he decided to get rid of the creature with one attack. Maybe the Drowned God has more of them.

And if ordinary mortals display the corpses of their enemies outside their city gates as a warning, how much more astonishing would the corpse of a great sea monster be? But if he used that level of Thu'um again, he would be exhausted, which was a risk. But what was life without risk?

So, having made up his mind, in seconds it appeared over a mile away, just behind the struggling monster, facing the island. And then with a shout of Unrelenting Force, he pushed the body, weighing thousands, if not tens of thousands of tonnes, towards the Grey Gallows.

 Despite its unimaginable weight, the monstrosity yielded to the power of the thu'um and rolled partly through the water onto the island. Now that the first part of the plan was ready, a more difficult task awaited him. He focused his thoughts on the effect he wanted to achieve, and with the strength of his will and soul, he manifested it into reality through the appropriate Words of Power.

GOL REYTH KINZON (Earth, Tree, Sharp)

In the blink of an eye, a giant stone tree nearly four miles high grew from the island. The beast howled in agony as its body was pierced by countless, sharp, diamond-hard branches, then rose into the air, lifted by the growing structure.

"Now it is time for the final act," he muttered to himself.

"LIZ SLEN NUS UL" (Ice, Flesh, Statue, Eternity)

 

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Stepstones, Blodestone

Ahzidal

 

He and his companions circled the skies on their dragons dozens of miles from the battle, but even here they felt the effects of this clash of titans.

Though their wills were subservient to their master, their minds remained clear, and he could not help but marvel at the Dovahkiin's power.

Their former master had been powerful, no doubt, but they had never seen him fight. What had taken place on the Stepstones was far beyond the capabilities of man, even with thousands of sacrifices as fuel for the spell.

When the battle ended, the islands around were devastated by the elements, and from the island itself, which was in the centre of the battle, grew a gigantic, mountain-like ice tree, shining with reflected sunlight, on which also hung a frozen, mangled monster, straight from a nightmare.

This towering ice figure stood like a testament of power and a challenge to all who would see it. Looking at it for the first time a dozen or so minutes ago, Ahzidal could not believe what he was seeing. Who would dare to oppose someone with such power?

While Alduin spent his time sleeping in his huge chamber hidden in the heart of the volcano, Dovahkiin fought, clashed with enemies, and gained experience. His priest felt that he knew who must ultimately emerge victorious from their eventual battle.

"This is the true power of a god. A true god walks among us, enclosed in a corporeal form." He heard Morokei's telepathic voice in his head, filled with almost fanatical adoration.

"Our duty, then, as priests, is to proclaim His greatness to the world and to glorify His deeds. Come. We have a task to fulfil." He replied in the same manner.

 

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