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A lone god sits atop the acacia tree. Power seeps through this figure’s body and bleeds into his endless wings, so dark the stars glitter beneath the feathers. Glowing eyes regard him under the brim of his wide hat, and the antlers that twist into the sky burn with the intensity of the sun above. Through it all, Techno sees his familiar, golden hair and grins, tusks bared. “Zephyrus,” he greets with a brandished sword.
“Heard there was a god killer on the run,” the god says in lieu of a greeting. “Hiya, mate.”
Techno grunts, feeling too light on his feet. The Higher Order locked down this server the second he entered it, and Helios is hot on his trail ever since, years of pent-up strife and discord between the god and a scheming mortal named Technoblade fueling him. Zephyrus, however, poses a massive threat.
The god of order doesn’t take too kindly to his frequent escapes from Her grasp. They managed to bond during their encounters, despite Zephyrus seeking to serve his purpose and Techno ruining each chance he gets.
Something about today makes Techno think it won’t be that easy.
His wolves bark. In the distance, a pig squeals.
Zephyrus rises to his feet, and Techno makes a break for it. A creeper spawns just as he darts away, along with the ringing cackle from the invisible spirits that plague this server.
“Techno!”
The piglin’s head snaps up. There’s so much barking and ringing and hissing in his ears, he shouldn’t be able to hear anybody’s voice. Whatever Helios and Zephyrus are scheming, they’re suspiciously quiet. So…
He slams his inventory closed, snagging the nearest weapon he could find, and stares face to face with a frozen grin.
Ah. He should’ve suspected. Wherever Zephyrus went, the god of chaos is quick to follow.
“I saw that there was a bounty going around from Hypixel himself,” Erys hums, threading his fingers together. His grin turns mischievous, and Techno regards the squinted eyes that dance around him with careful bemusement. “So I figured I should join the fun! Hope you don’t mind me coming in, right, Technoblade?”
There’s always something dizzying about Erys. Helios and Zephyrus are bound by gravity, and while they’re gifted with any item they could imagine, they can be harmed just as much as Techno can be. It makes sense -- Zephyrus’ core of order means he’s bound by the rules of life, despite being betrothed to Death, and well… Making Helios mortal was no simple feat, but Techno’s quite proud of the achievement.
Erys, however, is bound by nothing. Fueled in opposition to Zephyrus, Erys’ form is untouchable. Gravity is at his whim. In just a snap of his spindly, too-long fingers, he can be anywhere and everywhere in the server, his ever-present grin following every step made. Even standing next to him makes Techno’s head swim.
“Actually, I do kinda mind,” Techno grunts.
Erys sticks his tongue out at him. Two hazy after-images split from Erys’ body, similarly sticking out their tongues, and Techno realizes the ground underneath him no longer feels steady. With a chuff, he vigorously shakes his head. It hurts -- the loud noises in his ears don’t help the wave of nausea Erys brings as a migraine forms, but at least the chimes give him something to focus on.
Yeesh. If he’s starting to rely on these mischievous ghosts, he really needs to leave this server.
“Too bad!” Erys shoots back giddily. “Anyway, I knew the old man would be too slow to catch you, so that’s why I’m here! It’s easy to win if you don’t play by the rules.” His voice ends with an edge that raises Techno’s hackles. There’s something dark in the god of chaos’ eyes, something that swirls and swirls and swirls and-
“Wil! I heard that!”
Techno tears his eyes away. Erys jolts away at the same time and jerks his head towards the west -- Techno catches the way his hands retract back into the pockets of his trench coat. His heart’s pounding against his chest. He was about to grab Techno, do something with Techno. His head swims. Stars, was he really that close to losing? Just by looking at Erys?
Too late, he realizes a TNT was hissing right in his ears. He shields himself as best as he can against the explosion, mentally preaching his thanks to that one whispering spirit for his netherite chestplate. And cursing the snickering one that left the TNT.
Fortunately, Zephyrus’ world-round voice provided a solid distraction for Erys. The gods’ voices can be heard no matter how close Techno is to them, or how close they are with the other gods. Something this cursed server Techno stumbled into came with. At least he can hear what they’re planning and it’s keeping Erys busy.
With one last glance towards the god of chaos, whining petulantly that, “Phil, why can’t I join the fun?”, Techno begins his sprint across the plains.
“Did somebody say, fourth hunter?”
Techno’s ears flatten. “I was just joking-” he begins to complain, before he nearly runs snout first into a figure that wasn’t there the last time he blinked.
Curious red and green eyes peer down at him. “Hi, Techno!” the new god greets cheerily, hovering just a few feet above the ground. When he speaks, no mouth moves -- the voice echoes into his ears as those eyes stare endlessly into him. The sharp green tracks every move he makes. The keen red takes in everything and nothing at once.
The god of balance was the last person Techno thought he would see. “Lethe,” he gruffs, taking a step back. Not out of fear, of course. Just giving the young god some space.
Lethe’s eyes don’t blink, but he hears the amusement in his voice as he says to the other gods, “Honestly, I feel like you guys should be helping him, not hunting him.”
Zephyrus’ disembodied voice scoffs. “We can’t help the fugitive, Ranboo.”
“Yeah!” Erys chimes in before abruptly appearing beside him. Techno somehow manages to not jump out of his skin, but only slightly. Erys’ sly, swirling eyes slide towards him. “Don’t you want that bounty, Ranboo? 300 thousand coins.”
Techno’s ears twitch. Part of him boasts at the utterly expensive amount his capture is worth -- damn right God Killer Technoblade is worth that many coins. Hypixel really outdid himself putting a value on his life. Another part freezes when both of Lethe’s eyes zero in on him.
“That is a lot of money,” he murmurs.
Techno discovers a funny thing about Lethe. Unlike the frequent encounters he’s had with the previous gods, this is the first time Techno’s analyzing him as a target. And, unlike the other gods, Lethe is the least human.
He doesn’t react at all. Nor does he move. He stands, looming and disturbingly thin like an enderman, but the longer Techno stares at him, waiting for movement, the more Techno realizes he doesn’t move. He doesn’t even pretend to breathe like the other gods. His body remains rooted in place like a statue.
The only movement Techno catches is the trembling of his right eye, but Techno knows better than to stare. Even if that eye pins him to the ground.
Techno takes another step back and raises his hands in front of him in a placating gesture. “Hey now, come on. What do gods even need money for? Just spawn in as much money as you need! Maybe cheat at Sky Wars, go godmode in Bed Wars, or something! Why go after little old me?”
Helios’ voice snorts. “Little old you terrorized my potato farms for months, Technoblade.”
Erys snickers. “And destroyed countless empires in countless servers.”
Lethe stares. “Plus… you did kinda kill a bunch of gods. Hence, y’know. The bounty.”
Well. They got him there. Enderpearls and sugar cane catch his eye as they pop into his inventory, and he quickly tries to recall the terrain of the land without moving a muscle. The whispers still don’t make sense, but he wants to believe they’re helping him. “Can’t bygones be bygones though?” he says with a forced chuckle. The wolves at his heels begin to growl. “We all know each other! We’re friends! We can just… let this all pass, right? I mean, four gods hunting me is a little excessive.”
A firework fires to his right, and with a billow of wind, Zephyrus lands on Lethe’s other side. His wings shadow the three gods standing before him, and the shimmer of enchanted netherite sends a jolt through Techno’s heart. Zephyrus’ carefree smile is a grim frown. “Not after the gods you killed.”
Another firework follows as Helios glides in right after Zephyrus. He’s cloaked in netherite as well, his always-burning hands morphing the handle of the bucket of lava he’s holding. “Skeppy,” he says lowly.
Dolos, the god of pranks. Technoblade’s first victim of the mortality chains. The whispers croon, “You did well, Technoblade. Watching him fall excited you, didn’t it? Do it again. Do it to another one.”
“Tommy,” Erys snarls. It’s so sudden that Techno blinks and a stranger stands in the god’s place. He isn’t smiling. Techno can’t see his face for longer than a second, but he knows the aura of bloodlust when he feels it.
Hestia, god of youth. Another victim to a forbidden enchantment. Techno remembered how full of life he was, and the whispers remind him of how foolish he was. Even so, Techno had to look away as the magic tore him to shreds.
Lethe's eyes blaze as he hisses a solemn, “Tubbo.” The rage he emits isn’t searing hot, not like the heat of Helios or the inferno Erys sends in his direction -- it’s quiet, just like the god. Cold. Unmoving. Lifeless.
Pan, god of nature. Techno didn’t even know him. He was young, close with Hestia, close with Lethe, and he was gone in the next second as Techno plunged the blade through him. It was a test -- it works on the swords he uses. The whispers roared for the bloodshed.
With each name, Techno’s heart thumps against his ribcage. The whispers and ringing in his ears grow louder and louder, even as the gods’ voices cut through them. Zephyrus brandishes his sword and takes a step forward.
“To the god, Dolos; the god, Hestia; the god, Pan, I ask of Her to bring their spirits to us for this one, final moment. I stand before you as the God of Order and I enact my role as Death’s angel.”
His voice carries out across the clearing, bellowing through the wind as a storm brews above. Gusts whip around Zephyrus’ cloak, even as his hat stays in place, and his wings spread wide to catch each billow. It’s dark, all-consuming, made of void and end. Behind him, over his shoulders, Helios, Lethe, and Erys loom.
He almost can’t hear Zephryus’ words over the chanting in his head.
Zephyrus raises his sword into the sky, directed at the heavens. “Under the order of the Higher Order and the command of Hypixel himself.” The sword shoots down until it points to Techno, right over his chest. “Technoblade, you will pay for your crimes against godkind.”
His blood sings.
Four gods stand before him, as the blood of their kin paints his skin red. There’s no point in pleading for mercy; the forbidden magic is the only thing that puts the gods’ reign under threat. To dabble is punishable by public execution. To kill a god is simply unfathomable, inconceivable, unheard of because it shouldn’t be done.
And yet Technoblade has done it.
All of his worry leaves him in a rush. An eerie calm washes over him as Zephyrus’ words echo in the air. This server has no escape. Only gods can come in, under Hypixel’s permission, and they can leave whenever they want. If they choose to stay, they’re just as trapped as Techno is.
Which means… he isn’t trapped here with them. They’re trapped in here with him. Technoblade, the killer of gods. Technoblade, the worshiper of arcane magics. Technoblade, the sole follower of an old, abandoned, angry god.
The voices clamber and cry out with glee. More blood will spill today. They will be happy.
Blood for the blood god, it calls.
And Technoblade answers.