CHAPTER 11.5: GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR, GOD OF CHERSEA AND OF THE FOUR REALMS

***Gaius’ garden***

Natasha and Seirna arrived in Gaius’ garden using the latter’s teleportation magic; after all, the Saint of Darkness had no idea where his place was. As the Saint of the Flame initially intended to just confront the former god about the new information she learned, Natasha let her speak first.

“And why did you bring that traitor here, Seirna?” Gaius asked without looking. He was just standing in a corner of his garden, gazing far into the grassy plains that surrounded his place. He wore a Roman general’s armor, as if he already expected their arrival.

“Milord, I came to ask a few things about you,” the Saint of the Flame replied. “Mostly…about your intentions.”

“My intentions?”

“Those that Alexa saw in your heart…”

“And who gave her the right to peek into my thoughts? Who gave you the right to admonish me?”

Seirna, who was still having doubts about Gaius, was taken aback by his question. She fell silent, as she was intimidated by him.

“Oi, Gaius,” it was Natasha, who was unaffected by the former god. “If there’s a traitor here among us, it would be you. Do you dare to deny the lies you spoke to Seirna, even as those came inside your heart?”

“And who are you—a mere human turned demon—to judge the wisdom of a god like me?”

“Correction, you’re a former god,” the Saint of Darkness chuckled. “And your wisdom now is only as good as a mortal, like us, for your perception is limited!”

An air of silence before Gaius drew his gladius from its sheath. “Alexa Cassandra David, your mouth is really a poison. Everyone who listens to you is convinced yet they always make the wrong choices! I should’ve never summoned you! I should’ve never helped you! I should’ve never given you powers!”

“Eh, you know what they say…” Natasha readied herself. “Regrets always come in too late. But hear this, Gaius…I never regretted turning against you! And I also came with Seirna for a round two of our duel in my tower!”

“En garde!” the Roman bellowed. At once, he went on the offensive, closing in the distance between him and Natasha in a matter of seconds. However, Seirna was still there, and she intervened on the side of her colleague.

“Milord! I believe that you’re being misled!” she pleaded as she parried Gaius’ attacks. “While you can still be god, you’re playing with fire!”

“And who are you to tell me what to do, Seirna?” he shot back. “You’re just a random baby I picked up out of pity, when you’re about to die…left in the forest by your parents! And now you dare to raise your sword against me, your benefactor?”

“Milord! This is precisely why I’m standing against you!” the Saint of the Flame answered. “You’ve been like a father to me, and I don’t want to watch you become those very men you hated and betrayed you! You can still be god, but not in this way!”

“Silence!” The former god, now dealing with two swords, used his magic to defend himself. “You won’t understand, Seirna! This is my opportunity! This is my time! I will fight against that Seductress and be acclaimed as the savior of this realm! I, the great Gaius Julius Caesar, conqueror of the Gauls, dictator of Rome, and the God of Chersea would reclaim his rightful place among the gods of heaven!

“You’re crazy!” Natasha quipped. “But with all the schemes you did, and the people that died for your whims, a simple death is something that you don’t deserve! You don’t fit to be a god, Gaius! You should burn in hell instead!”

“Aargh! Die!” Gaius was now enraged. His attacks intensified, though his movements were more erratic than calculated; Natasha and Seirna could easily read him and parry his sword.

“I told you Seirna, long before I even became Natasha Bellingsen,” the Saint of Darkness chuckled, “your god is bonkers!”

“Milord,” Seirna ignored her. “I shall help you see reason!”

At once, the Saint of the Flame and the Saint of Darkness took their fighting stances, just like how they did back in the old days. As the former god Gaius went berserk, they went to destroy him, removing his armor, and disabling his hands, so that he dropped his sword and unable to cast a spell. Then, with swift, well-coordinated footwork, they caused his feet to weaken, targeting the muscles that made him stand. Once the Roman was on his knees, Natasha was about to give him the final strike, when Seirna stopped her.

“Cease from hurting him, Cass!” the Saint of the Flame blocked her. “That’s enough! The Lord Gaius is already disabled enough!”

“That man deserves to die, or he’ll cause even more trouble for us later on!” Natasha insisted.

“Cass, I beg you, the Lord Gaius is only blinded by his ambitions! I can talk and make him see reason,” Seirna countered. “Please stay your hand! Enough of this violence! His punishment should come from the heavens, and not from your own judgment!”

The Saint of Darkness, seeing reason in her colleague’s pleas, sheathed her sword. Gaius, though he committed many sins, was still a former god. And the heavens decreed that no one should pass judgment on him, save for the gods themselves. And as they were mere ‘saints’, they were expected to ‘rule’ their respective realms in the name of their god or goddess, and not to fight against them.

And she has been repeatedly violating those edicts ever since.

“…”

However, unlike Seirna who was pitying Gaius, Natasha wouldn’t stay confident. While she didn’t have the right to pass punishment on him, she made sure that he would never get to influence the events in Chersea and the four realms to his favor. She drew a magic circle that sealed him, after convincing the Saint of the Flame that it was the next ‘best’ course of action after killing him.