Phoenix under the Umbrella (Umbrella Academy AU) Chapter 43: The Phoenix Vs. God

[Third Person's PoV] 


“What the hell do you mean by ‘filthy ginger’? You seriously want to throw down, old man?” Nathan asked, looking both offended and incredulous.


God scoffed, his expression indifferent. “Everyone knows gingers don’t have souls. They go straight to my counterpart.”


Nathan raised an eyebrow. “Your counterpart?”


“The Devil,” God clarified casually. “In this heaven, I only accept those I deem worthy. Those I don’t like, well… I send them to him. Gingers, for example.”


Nathan’s eyes narrowed. “What’s your problem with gingers? What did we ever do to you?”


“You gingers are an abomination in my creation. That’s why you don’t have souls.”


Dave, who had been quietly watching, looked nervous. “I thought God was supposed to be all-loving?”


God scoffed again, this time with a hint of irritation. “I can’t possibly love everyone. That’s ridiculous and illogical. But don’t worry, I like you, Dave. That’s why you’re in heaven.”


Nathan muttered under his breath, “Well, at least God’s not homophobic…”


God's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Nathan. “Now, what in tarnation is a soulless ginger like you doing here? You don’t even belong in my creation.”


‘Is he talking about my reincarnation?’ Nathan wondered.


‘Yes,’ Phoebe’s voice echoed in his mind. ‘You’re not from this universe, so you’re not part of his creation.’


Nathan smirked slightly and shrugged. “I’m here to claim his soul,” he said, nodding toward Dave.


Dave pointed at himself, looking bewildered. “Me? Wait, I don’t even know who you are.”


“The name’s Nathan.” He extended his hand.


Dave shook it hesitantly. “Dave... Red hair, green eyes... Are you related to Klaus?”


Nathan’s expression softened. “Yeah, he’s my brother. You know him?”


Dave smiled. “Yeah, Klaus talked about you a lot.”


God rolled his eyes. “Enough chit-chat. I won’t let you take him. He’s part of my creation.”


Nathan’s smile faded. “Yeah, about that… I’m not exactly asking. Before, I might’ve tried to strike a deal. But now? I’m just taking him. My brother’s miserable without him, and that’s the whole reason I’m here. So, I’m not leaving without him.”


Dave blinked, surprise flickering across his face. He looked down, smiling softly as he thought of Klaus.


God stared at Nathan for a moment, then raised two fingers and slashed them downward. In response, Nathan lifted his own fingers toward the sky, mimicking the gesture.


A bolt of golden lightning shot down from the heavens, but Nathan’s fingers ignited with a fiery blaze that erupted upwards. The two forces collided mid-air with a deafening explosion, sending out a shockwave so powerful that Dave had to cover his ears in pain.


Nathan’s expression darkened, his eyes glowing a fierce emerald, green flames flickering at their edges. “Did you seriously just try to smite me?” he asked coldly.


“And if I did?” God replied, his voice steady.


Nathan sighed, rolling his shoulders as if loosening up for a fight. He stood tall, feet firmly planted, raising one fist toward God while the other hovered near his chest. An aura of flames began to swirl around him, his hair catching fire and defying gravity as the flames intensified.


Nathan’s clothing transformed, a red, shimmering suit materializing over his body, accented with golden gloves, boots, and a sash. The flames on his chest flared brighter, forming the shape of a golden phoenix. His eyes shifted, glowing with an otherworldly fire, and the flames around him took the shape of a massive phoenix, its wings spreading wide.


“The things we do for family, huh, Dave?” Nathan said, his voice now echoing with the power of the phoenix.


God floated upward, his expression unbothered. “Do you really think you can fight me?”


Nathan’s voice overlapped with another, ancient and powerful. “We are the Phoenix, the embodiment of life and death, creation and destruction. A mere god is nothing against our might!”


God sighed, shaking his head. “Fools.”


His eyes changed, transforming into swirling galaxies, the cosmos contained within his gaze. A soft golden aura surrounded him as his appearance shifted. He grew younger, his face becoming unnervingly handsome, while his white hair grew long and radiant. His clothing morphed into an immaculate, pure white three-piece suit.


He adjusted his tie as he rose higher, looking down at Nathan with eyes that seemed to pierce through all of existence. “Perhaps it’s time you learned why my name starts with a capital G, and why it’s used to describe a being beyond comprehension.”


With a snap of a finger Nathan created a powerful barrier around Dave to protect him against the chaos that was to ensue. With a moment's notice Nathan blasted off towards his confrontation with God.


The moment Nathan's body ignited with the Phoenix Force, he shot forward like a comet, fists blazing with cosmic fire. God met him head-on, his own aura shimmering with raw, unfiltered divine power. The clash of their fists was instant and violent—no hesitation, no struggle.


A thunderous shockwave erupted, splitting the sky as their blows connected, sending ripples of energy across the heavens. Nathan’s flames roared, consuming everything in their path, but God stood unmoved, his presence unwavering against the inferno.


Nathan pivoted, swinging a flaming roundhouse kick aimed at God's head. Without flinching, God raised his forearm, deflecting the blow with effortless precision. The force of the kick leveled the clouds behind them, but God responded immediately, his hand slicing through the air like a blade. Nathan blocked with a fiery arm, the collision sparking another explosion of energy.


Without pause, God thrust his palm forward, a beam of pure divine light erupting from his hand. Nathan crossed his arms in front of him, his fiery shield meeting the beam head-on. The blast didn’t push him back, but it detonated with enough force to tear a hole through the sky. Nathan’s eyes burned brighter, and he retaliated, launching a wave of Phoenix fire from his fists that engulfed God in a storm of green and gold flames.


In the midst of the inferno, God emerged unscathed, his eyes glowing like twin stars. He darted forward, faster than light, his fist crashing into Nathan’s chest. The impact was instantaneous, sending Nathan flying through the air at blinding speed. But before Nathan could hit the ground, he twisted mid-air, righting himself and streaking back toward God with a trail of fiery energy behind him.


Nathan met God mid-flight, their fists colliding once more, creating a massive explosion of energy that cracked the sky like glass. Both combatants surged forward, exchanging blows faster than the eye could see—punch for punch, kick for kick, each attack meeting its match. Neither struggled, neither faltered.


Nathan summoned the full might of the Phoenix, his entire body now engulfed in flames, his power reaching its peak. His movements became sharper, faster, every strike carrying the weight of a dying star. God countered every move with equal ferocity, his cosmic power manifesting in bursts of radiant light that deflected and parried Nathan’s onslaught.


With a sweep of his hand, God summoned a spear of pure divine energy and hurled it at Nathan. Nathan smirked, twisting his body as he dodged the spear by a hair’s breadth. He countered by summoning a massive phoenix made of fire, sending it barreling toward God with a deafening screech. God’s eyes glowed, and he raised his hand, slicing through the flaming bird with a beam of light that tore it apart mid-flight.


The sky erupted into chaos as the two titans continued their battle, neither gaining the upper hand—until Nathan decided to push harder. In one swift motion, he launched himself directly at God, his fist cocked back, flames swirling around it with the intensity of a supernova. God didn’t flinch, raising his hand to meet the strike.


But this time, Nathan’s power flared, and the Phoenix Force surged beyond its limits. His fist connected with God's hand, and the sheer force behind it caused a crack in the heavens. God’s eyes widened, ever so slightly, as Nathan pushed through his defenses, the flames scorching the divine aura that surrounded him.


Without a word, Nathan unleashed a flurry of punches, each one driving God back a step. God blocked, deflected, and parried, but the force behind Nathan’s attacks was growing, becoming almost relentless. Nathan's power, fueled by the Phoenix, began to overwhelm the divine energy. His fists burned hotter, faster, hitting harder with every strike.


In a final burst of speed, Nathan ducked under one of God’s strikes and spun low, sweeping his leg toward God’s midsection. God raised an arm to block, but Nathan was already there, delivering a devastating uppercut that sent God careening into the sky. For the first time in the battle, God was thrown off balance.


Nathan rocketed after him, flames trailing like the tail of a comet, his hands glowing with the full power of the Phoenix. Without hesitation, he raised both fists and brought them crashing down on God with all the force he could muster.


The impact was cataclysmic. A massive explosion tore through the sky, engulfing both Nathan and God in a blinding light. The shockwave ripped through the heavens, scattering clouds and causing the earth below to tremble.


As the light faded, Nathan hovered in the air, breathing heavily but standing strong, flames still flickering around him. God stood a short distance away, his suit singed, but his expression remained calm—though his once-perfect form now showed the smallest hint of wear.


Nathan narrowed his eyes, his voice echoing with the power of the Phoenix. “Still think you can stop me?”


God stared back, silent for a moment. Then, without a word, he smiled—just a flicker of amusement, barely noticeable—and readied himself once again.


“I think you're forgetting something young lad, I'm the creator, which means I create anything I so desire, even my own victory if I so please.” God said in amusement. 


Around him the space began to shift spinning rapidly, slowly turning into a black hole with a golden line surrounding it. 


“I think you're the one forgetting something old man… you're not the only one with the power of creation” 


Nathan's eyes gleamed with a dangerous intensity as the space around them warped under God's influence. The swirling black hole began to drag everything in, pulling at reality itself with a crushing force. But Nathan remained steady, his feet rooted in mid-air, flames flickering around him like a living storm.


Nathan smirked. “You think bending space will stop me?” he asked, his voice laced with confidence. "You're forgetting who I am."


Suddenly, the flames around Nathan shifted, not just burning with raw power but pulsing with an energy that transcended the physical. The Phoenix Force was not merely destructive—it was creation itself, life and death intertwined in perfect harmony. Nathan’s psychic energy flared, wrapping around the flames in a way that made his entire aura seem alive, pulsating with an otherworldly rhythm.


With a single thought, Nathan extended his psychic abilities. Invisible tendrils of mental force lashed out, wrapping themselves around the edges of the black hole God had created. Instead of resisting it directly, Nathan merged his psychic energy with the space around him, shaping it, manipulating the very fabric of reality itself.


The black hole trembled as Nathan’s psychic grip closed around it. With a twist of his mind, he began to unwind the singularity, tearing apart the dense gravity well God had summoned. The black hole started to collapse in on itself, slowly shrinking as Nathan reshaped it, turning the destructive force into something else entirely.


Nathan’s eyes glowed brighter as the black hole transformed into a brilliant sphere of green and gold energy, pulsating with life. He raised his hand, pulling the sphere toward him, and with a casual flick, hurled it back at God.


The sphere collided with God’s divine aura, and for a moment, there was silence. Then, an explosion of light erupted, shaking the heavens once again. God emerged from the blast unharmed, his smile widening slightly as he waved a hand, dispersing the remaining energy. But his amusement had faded—now, there was a hint of something else in his gaze.


Respect.


Nathan hovered in the air, his fiery wings spread wide, and his psychic presence filled the space around them. His mind reached out further, brushing against the edges of God's consciousness. “You’re not the only one who can shape reality, old man,” Nathan said, his voice both calm and deadly.


Without warning, Nathan's psychic force surged forward. His mind slammed into God’s mental defenses with the same intensity as his physical strikes. The force of his psychic assault was relentless—Nathan's mind was a weapon, sharp and precise, probing for weaknesses in God's divine consciousness.


God winced, the first sign of discomfort since the battle began. But he quickly recovered, his own psychic power flaring to life. Their minds clashed in an invisible battlefield, each probing, attacking, and defending with lightning-fast strikes. Psychic blasts collided with mental barriers, and the air around them crackled with the tension of their invisible duel.


As they fought, Nathan unleashed his flames once again. But this time, the fire wasn’t just a physical force—it was imbued with psychic energy, making it even more dangerous. His flames moved with a mind of their own, snaking toward God like sentient vipers, attacking from all sides.


God deflected most of them with a wave of his hand, but Nathan’s psychic power allowed him to control the flames with precision, forcing God to split his attention between their psychic battle and the onslaught of fire.


Nathan capitalized on the distraction. With a surge of psychic force, he shattered through one of God’s mental barriers, driving a wedge deep into his mind. The brief opening gave Nathan the chance he needed. He lashed out with both fists, launching twin fireballs that spiraled toward God like twin suns.


God raised his hands, summoning a divine shield of light to block the attack, but the fireballs detonated with immense force, cracking the shield. The impact drove God back, his expression still calm but now showing signs of strain.


Nathan didn’t let up. He teleported in an instant, reappearing behind God with a fist blazing with fiery energy. He struck with all the power of the Phoenix, his psychic energy amplifying the force of the blow. The impact sent God crashing downward, smashing through the clouds as he plummeted toward the earth.


Nathan followed immediately, streaking down like a meteor, flames trailing behind him. He stretched out his hand, and the ground below erupted with molten fire, creating a massive crater where God landed.


God rose slowly from the impact, dusting himself off, still unshaken but now undeniably showing signs of fatigue. Nathan hovered above him, eyes glowing fiercely, his psychic energy crackling around him like a storm.


“I told you, old man,” Nathan said, his voice calm yet seething with power. “You’re not the only one with the power of creation. The Phoenix isn’t just a force of destruction. It’s everything—life, death, rebirth, and the endless cycle of existence.”


God looked up, his eyes still burning with cosmic energy, but there was a subtle shift in his demeanor—no longer dismissive, no longer amused.


Nathan's flames flared brighter as he descended, his psychic energy amplifying his every move. "Now, let's see if you can truly handle both fire and mind," Nathan said, his voice layered with the collective strength of the Phoenix. He raised both hands, and the sky above him turned green with the full force of his psychic power.


With a simple thought, Nathan unleashed his final assault—a massive torrent of psychic energy intertwined with roaring flames, a storm of power that crashed down on God with the fury of a dying star. The ground shook, the heavens trembled, and the very fabric of reality seemed to strain under the weight of their battle.


And still, neither side faltered.


However, God could feel the universe he was connected to, he could feel it shaking, on the verge of breaking through the power of their clash. 


“Alright that's enough!” God said teleporting away from Nathan. 


“That will be enough of our fighting” God said in a low voice, “The soul of a man isn't comparable to the souls of trillions that will perish alongside our useless fighting.” 


Nathan nodded, “Good. So when I take him. Don't think about getting in my way next time”