War came, and the production of mortals was forced to stop. The sky was dark, although it was daytime. There was no sun to give light to the land. There was no rain to feed the crops. There was no wind to dry the rags and clothing. There were no fish to capture in the sea. There were no land creatures to hunt. Rivers stopped running, and the waterfalls were still. There were no waves in the ocean. The earth refused to shake. The volcanoes stopped releasing smoke. For the first time, the world was frozen.
Agitation haunted every mortal as they did not feel any warmth. No family left the comforts of their homes. The mortals prayed to every god they knew, yet none of their prayers were answered. Many believed it was the end of the world. It was truly a horrible day for the mortals, for today, there was no god.
The tension was the thickest in the sky above the western sea. All of the deities have gathered, staring each other down. “This is your last chance to back down, brothers.” Bathala declared, wielding his staff towards the deities of the other kingdom. Behind him are his deities. One of which is Idianale, the goddess of labor and good deeds. In preparation for the war, the goddess had created weapons for the other gods with the use of her talent in crafting.
Those who were inexperienced in fighting stood at the back of the crowd of deities. Regardless, they are still willing to fight for their kingdom. Standing bravely beside Bathala, however, are Amanikabli, Mayari, and Apolaki.
“We do not have to fight, brother!” Malayari shouted. He, along with his deities, stood beside Bathala. Standing beside him are his anitos or assisting deities. The first is Akasi, the god of health and sickness, who wields the same strength as Malayari. The second is Manglubar, the god of powerful living, who pacifies the hearts of angry mortals. Beside him are Manglabar, the goddess of good grace, and Aniton Tauo, the goddess of wind and rain. Behind them are a group of deities that assumed the form of bulls but stand on two legs- Dumagan, the god of good harvest, and his brothers- Kalasakas, Kalasokus, and Damulag, who help the god in his duties.
On the other side of Bathala’s group are Kabunian and two of his deities. “Come and join us, brother,” He spoke. On his left was Bulol, the god of the household, while on his right was Tayaban, the god of death. The deities of Kabunian and Malayari also wielded weapons that were crafted by the goddess Idianale.
“It was all peace until you became greedy.” Kaptan spat in return towards Bathala. Like Bathala, most of his deities stood behind him. The only divinity that bravely stood behind the supreme god of Visayas was Maguayen. Most of the gods held stoic expressions. However, their eyes burned with anger.
Pamulak Manobo remained quiet throughout the final exchange between the other kingdoms. His heart was filled with courage and strength, given to him by his deities, who all stood beside him. Today, their hearts knew no fear, even in the face of their end.
“May the strongest remain.” And with that, chaos broke loose.
The sky roared as if thunders were booming as the divinities of different kingdoms charged for each other. It was so loud that the land shook, and the mortals were brought to their knees. The biggest trees wavered, and the peaceful ponds splashed uncontrollably.
As the gods swung their weapons at each other, Sappia froze, clutching her crafted weapon tightly. The world began to slow down for the goddess as she watched the fight between gods. Skulls crushed by wooden clubs. Blood splattered by sharpened blades. Bodies dismembered by bloodied hands.
Sappia fell onto her knees as she watched divinities fall one by one. Everything was but a blur for the goddess. The cries of pain and the sound of weapons hitting flesh were distant to her. Her heart broke as she felt the loss of divinities she knew and didn’t know.
She saw Kalasokus of Malayari take Sumpoy in his grasp and rip him into pieces without hesitation. She watched as Mayari was brutally murdered by Lumabat, the god of the sky in Pamulak Manobo’s kingdom, and she could not look away from when Apolaki saw this and murdered the god. What broke her heart more was when she saw Kaptan strike Amanikabli with numerous thunderbolts until the god was no longer moving.
The goddess felt chained down. Her mind reminded her that she must fight, but her heart cried with pity. The divinities she once knew were either dead or had become monsters.
“T-this didn’t have to happen…” The goddess hysterically spoke as she struggled to stand up. She stumbled past the battling divinities who did not pay much attention to her as she tried to approach Kaptan. However, before she could reach him, it was too late. The supreme god was struck down by Bathala. The goddess’ body froze once again. She had no choice but to watch as Bathala ended the life of her supreme god. Bathala raised his staff and, with a cry, brought it down with great strength onto the god’s head. Suddenly, everything went black for the goddess.