Tyranny of Steel

Berengar stood in the sands of Egypt, perhaps for the first time since he underwent the trials of Horus. For centuries, Islam had been the dominant religion in the land, and yet as of late there had been a newcomer which challenged this solid faith and its adherents.

Perhaps new was not the right word. After all, this religion had been previously practiced by the Egyptian people for a millennium before the fall of their most ancient civilization. It was not just the ancient gods that were being worshiped, but a new take on the ancient style of fashion had been revived by many of the adherents.

In the city of Cairo, a large statue of Anubis had been erected, unlike those in the ancient era which were made of limestone. This statue was made of bronze and was intricately crafted by the finest of modern craftsman.

Berengar stood before the statue in the dead of night, when no other soul dared to walk its streets. He gazed into the inanimate object's eyes while shrouded in a disguise and whispered some words in a long forgotten tongue. Just as he suspected, the statue began to speak to him, with the voice of the god he had once bested in a battle of wits.

"Hmmmm... I never expected a mortal like yourself would be able to fulfill the promise you once so foolishly made to me, and yet at the current rate, it looks like I will not be casting your soul into the abyss. Not that I even have the power to do so anymore. Truly, I never expected to be bested by you twice. Just what deity did you come across that was powerful enough to break my control over your blackened soul?"

Berengar scoffed as he heard this remark, before responding to Anubis with a rather conceited tone in his voice.

"The same one who brought me into this world... It is not just your pantheon which is starting to become revived, but also those of my ancestors, who are making a comeback in Iceland as we speak. However, I did not travel all this way to simply make some small talk with you. As promised, your religion is flourishing, and might soon take over all of Egypt and Nubia.

And even though you no longer have the power to condemn me to an eternity of darkness, I have still fulfilled my end of the bargain. After all, I am a man of my word. And though it will still be a long while before you and your pantheon fully recover, I will make sure that my son Alexandros maintains the safety of your followers. The Muslims will not be able to inflict harm upon your adherents so long as Byzantium remains in control of Egypt and Nubia."

The jackal headed god simply scoffed when he heard this, clearly the fact that he was forced to rely on a mortal from an entirely different faith and culture of the world had wounded his pride as a god. But, in the end, he sighed heavily before admitting that he had underestimated Berengar.

"I never expected you would be able to pull this off. The other gods have begun to recover some strength. Those who were at death's mercy are no longer on the brink of non-existence.

I truly have you to thank for all of this. However, I must ask, what are your plans for Africa? I am all too aware of the deal you have made with that sub-saharan child. But recent movements by your sons have made me uneasy."

Berengar shook his head, and responded with an honesty, as he confirmed the Jackal headed god's worst fears.

"I can secure the future of the Zulu only so long as I still draw breath. However, my successor is unlikely to honor the agreement I have made with that woman. Africa will be split between the European powers, and whether my sons will be more forgiving of the aggressive actions which the natives continue to engage in, this has yet to be seen. I know not what the future holds, for I am not a god, but a mere mortal man."

A slight sigh emerged from the bronze statue of the jackal headed god, in that moment, Berengar expected that if the inanimate object was capable of moving, then it would have nodded its head in defeat, because the voice that followed was filled with exasperation.

"So be it... Such a thing was inevitable. Even without your influence in this world, Africa would always be colonized by foreign powers. It was the same in the world you came from, and all other timelines which I can see...."

Berengar nodded his head in agreement to these words. Even if he had never interfered in this world, the Europeans would arrive in the coming centuries with guns, cannons, horses, and the wheel. Something which sub-saharan Africa was completely lacking in. And if the Europeans did not come to conquer the region, then the Arabs, or the Asians, would.

Knowing this, Berengar had no sympathy for those south of the Sahara. Civilizations clash, and those that are more advanced almost always win. That is the nature of humanity.

Something which Berengar was all too familiar with after living through two lives. However, the voice of the jackal headed god interrupted his thoughts, as it condemned him for actions he had taken during his colonization.

"Still, what you have done in this world has made the situation so much worse. Countless different tribes and ethnicities have been pushed north because of your campaigns, those that survive the journey beyond your borders, now clash with the other tribes native to the regions they now find themselves in. There is more blood on your hands than you realize. I wonder if the world you came from knew about all that you have done in this life. Would they condemn you as the worst man in history?

Berengar scoffed at this notion at what was perhaps the most disdain he had ever expressed since first being reincarnated into this world.

"Most likely, but the real question that matters is why should I care? The world I came from was weak, depraved, and decrepit. I was born into a civilization that was on the brink of total collapse and deservingly so. The peace that came after the second world war, had weakened the west, and turned all of its nations into a bunch of spineless apologists. I am not sorry for what I have done in this life, nor for what my ancestors had done in my past life.

Everything I have done in this life was for the benefit of my people. It is not my responsibility to care for the entire world. I am the Emperor of Germany, and thus the lives and happiness of the German people come first.

Even if it comes at the cost of everyone else. That is what it means to be a proper ruler. The world can be damned for all I care. Their opinions are meaningless, for they are not my people, and thus they deserve no sympathy from me.

Perhaps if there were more rulers like me in my past life, men who actually cared about the wellbeing of their people, then maybe western civilization would have become something more than just a dying society. But I have changed the outcome of this world I now live in, and Germany shall reign supreme for the next thousand years.

Without the enlightenment, which will never come to pass in this world as a result of my actions, there will be no liberal school of thought, and without a liberal school of thought, none of the ills that plagued my past life's society will come to pass. All of which result from the selfishness of individualism!

The world has now begun to emulate the society which I have created. A strong society, a martial society, a society built upon the benefit of the nation, and not the individual. Condemn me if you will, Anubis, but I have saved Germany from total extinction, and now it reigns supreme above all else in this world. Perhaps even the gods themselves can not compare to what I have created. Could you withstand the power of twenty-five thousand thermobaric missiles? I think not!"

Anubis went silent for nearly an entire minute before responding to Berengar's argument with a grim tone in his voice.

"It is true that you have created a world where Germany is its master, and perhaps in a few millennia it will be only your people who remain on this Earth. One, which undoubtedly benefits from the environmentally friendly and conservationist policies that you have introduced so early on into the timeline.

But I wonder if perhaps your ego has gotten the better of you. Undoubtedly, the power you wield is magnificent, but to challenge the authority of the gods? Even in our weakened states, we have the ability to smite you from this world in the blink of an eye.

For all that you have done for my pantheon, I will take your words, as a slip of the tongue. Never forget who brought you into this world, Berengar von Kufstein, or should I say Julian Weber? For without our powers, you would have never been able to achieve all which you have in this life."

After saying this the Anubis statue went silent, as if it had never spoken in the first place. Berengar, had simply been venting a frustration which existed inside him longer than he cared to remember, and had gotten carried away. Luckily Anubis was a good sport, or he would likely have entered the afterlife a few decades earlier than he planned to.

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