The hall that just minutes ago had been so beautifully decorated and filled with gods of all colors and origins talking and joking in such a friendly and peaceful manner had, almost out of nowhere, turned into a complete battlefield.
At that mont, I thanked the gods for bringing my sword.
The hall that just minutes ago had been so beautifully decorated and filled with gods of all colors and origins talking and joking in such a friendly and peaceful manner had suddenly turned into a complete battlefield.
I wasn't going to lie: part of was enjoying it.
Aegle and I fought our way through the crowd with fists, swords, and divine shoves. A demigod in shining armor ramd into from behind—it felt like I'd been hit by a butterfly—and I dispatched him with a kick that sent him flying over a fountain of nectar. Another, who seed to be made of living clay, tried to trap my feet, but a twist of my sword was enough to split him into three blocks that rolled downhill like bricks.
Aegle was not far behind. A goddess with silver claws leaped at her and blocked her with a burst of golden light that sent her crashing into a decorative column. Aegle smiled smugly at another who hesitated to attack.
"Are you sure, baby? The dress is already ruined. Now I have nothing to lose and I have greater mobility."
A winged god tried to take flight and escape , but with a single leap I caught up with him and grabbed him by the ankle, slamming him to the ground like a wet rag. We kept advancing, back to back, as if we were in the middle of a training session rather than an impromptu divine war. Most of them were young, inexperienced, so overly confident and others downright ridiculous. They were no match for us.
One, with his face painted like a theatrical mask, tried to attack with a crystal spear... I grabbed him by the neck and threw him into a group of spectators. Sorry, skinny.
"This is ridiculous," I muttered, as another goddess approached, shouting sothing about desecrating her temple with my masculine aura. I responded with a look... and a right hook that knocked her out before she could finish her sentence.
Everything was going so easily, so absurdly easily, that for a second I let my guard down. And that's when I felt it.
A strong tug in the air.
I rose without aning to, as if I had been ripped from the ground with brutal force. I flew between broken columns and floating candelabras until sothing—or rather, soone—stopped in my tracks, trapping in midair with both arms.
It was a god (what a surprise). Taller than , with dark blue skin that shimred like a starry night sky. His eyes were two silver moons, and the smile on his face was not kind.
"I was starting to get bored," he said, squeezing tightly. 'I saw how you made your way through those weaklings. You seem to have decent strength for an 'initiate.'"
I tried to break free, but his grip was solid as stone. I didn't know him. I didn't know his na, but his power was not sothing I could ignore.
I turned to see where Aegle was... but she was no longer by my side.
Across the hall, I saw a serpent-haired goddess grab Aegle by the hair from behind, pulling her hard.
"Are you kidding !?" Aegle shouted, her eyes flashing with rage. 'You're grabbing my hair!? What are you, a jealous schoolgirl!?"
"You have it too perfect. You annoy ,' the other replied, shaking her violently.
That was it.
Aegle spun around, kicked her hard, sending her flying backwards, and without missing a beat, activated her solar aura. Her silhouette began to radiate like a mini star in motion as she advanced with her fists raised toward the one who had dared to pull her hair.
And ... well, I had my own problems for now. But I swear, as soon as I got rid of this guy, I was going to make him pay for separating from her.
I was still trapped in the air, floating above the chaos while this guy held tightly. He had a confident smile, as if he thought he had caught a wolf with his own hands.
But I wasn't a wolf.
'[Scan]', I thought, activating the scan with minimal intention. Imdiately, the data floated before , visible only to .
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
🔍 DIVINE SCAN – ACTIVE
👤 Target: Nykros – Minor God of Shadows
📊 Class: E — Awakened One
❤️🔥 DIVINE VITALITY
🩸 HP: 3,200 / 3,200
🔥 Energy: 780 / 780
🌟 Divine EXP: 4,120 / 5,000
🧱 Authority: 37
📊 BASE STATS
🧬 Attribute Value
⚔️ Strength 289
💨 Agility 302
🛡️ Endurance 265
🧠 Willpower 240
🎯 Accuracy 250
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
Class E. Well below what I expected. I could feel his energy, yes, but it was barely a breeze compared to the storm raging inside right now.
I sighed internally.
This was going to be quick.
I channeled a small pulse of energy into my muscles and spun around, easily breaking free of his grip. His surprise was as evident as the tension he let escape through his arms. Without losing montum, I delivered a well-aid elbow to his ribs. I watched as his body arched in pain as he lost control of his flight.
I appeared above him in a flash and finished him off with a knee loaded with divine energy to the chest. The impact sent him like a teorite to the ground, crashing through a marble table in a cloud of splinters and plates flying through the air.
At the sa ti, I used my energy to stay levitated for a few seconds while I slowly descended, scanning the chaos below.
Gods struggling, screaming, casting spells, plates turned into improvised weapons... absolute madness. This was no longer a gala, it was a tournant of immature people with egos too big for the room.
And there I saw her.
Aegle. Her golden hair shining as she dodged a purple-clad goddess who had grabbed her hair. For a second, I thought Aegle would give her a calm response.
But no. Because the next image I rember seeing was that sa goddess flying three ters backward after receiving a perfect kick to the chest.
I smiled.
She definitely didn't need to protect her. Although... I was probably going to need help getting us out of this circus.
I landed hard, the marble cracking beneath my boots as I looked at the ss that had been unleashed. There was no pause, no respite. As soon as my feet touched the ground, three gods lunged at as if I were the main target of the day. One wielded a spear wrapped in fire, another a chain of light, and the third seed to rely on his fists covered in magical gauntlets.
I took a step forward and slid my sword out of its sheath with one hand. The blade sparkled with divine energy as I blocked the spear with a quick twist and then, in the sa motion, punched the gauntleted one in the stomach, making him spit out saliva before flying backwards and crashing into a column.
The chain of light wrapped around my right arm, but a crack of energy was enough to disintegrate it. I spun around, splitting the first attacker's spear in two, and finished him off with a spinning kick that sent him flying like a rag doll.
"Akhon!" shouted Aegle, a few ters away from , fighting a goddess with two chakrams spinning in her hands. She dodged them with the grace of a dancer, each of her movents fluid and natural, as well as lethal.
I saw her block one of the spinning discs with her arm wrapped in golden light, and with her other arm she launched a wave of energy that pushed her opponent away, causing her to crash into a table still set with glasses, which flew through the air in a shower of glass.
I ran towards her, clearing a path with my sword. Two gods tried to intercept , but one was knocked out with a clean cut to the shoulder and the other was sent flying after receiving a shoulder charge. I finally reached her side, just as another goddess was trying to attack her from behind.
I grabbed her arm just before impact and, without wasting any ti, threw her into the air as if she were a sack of sand. She fell into a decorative fountain, which now looked more like a trench than a work of art.
Aegle looked at for a second, panting a little.
"I thought you were entertaining yourself up there."
"I wouldn't give that one in the purple dress any ideas. I think you traumatized her."
She smiled at , turned her back to , and nodded.
We stood back to back.
The battle felt clearer this way, as if everything around us had slowed down. Two gods with double swords were coming toward , one on the right and one on the left. Aegle had a goddess in front of her and another one launching herself from the air with a crystal spear.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Always."
The first one to reach ca in with a direct thrust. I deflected his attack with the flat side of my sword and with a brutal twist I kicked him sideways, knocking the wind out of him. Before his companion could react, my sword was already upon him, unleashing a wave of energy that sent him flying through the air.
On the other side, I heard a burst of light and the sound of a spear breaking.
"One down!" shouted Aegle, her voice full of adrenaline.
"I've got three!" I replied with a smile.
"This isn't a competition!" she said as she blocked an attack with her forearm and counterattacked with a burst of light that enveloped two enemies at once, leaving them disoriented.
"It's not, but if it were, I'd be winning," I said with a mocking smile. To which she responded by sticking her tongue out at childishly.
That's when it happened.
A deafening roar echoed through the air, like a thousand thunderclaps in a closed cave. The sound was so powerful that the shock waves pushed us all backwards, imdiately stopping every movent, every blow, every spell in the air. The atmosphere beca heavy, as if the air had beco saturated with pure divinity.
And there, at the top of the main staircase of the hall, enveloped in a golden and imposing aura, appeared Zeus.
I could see his eyes flashing with miniature lightning bolts, his white beard seed to sparkle with every breath, and in his hand he held a lightning bolt that pulsed with contained energy. At his side, with a dignified gait and an icy stare, Hera descended slowly, her royal robe fluttering as if obeying not the wind but her own physics.
"ENOUGH!" Zeus bellowed, and even the echo dared to fall silent. I could feel his cry amplified by divine power, and oh boy... it was only by chance that I didn't wet my pants. The King of Olympus knew how to command respect.
Hers, who had two guys hanging off him—one on each arm—dropped them like sacks of potatoes and straightened up quickly, pretending to be simply observing.
All the gods present stopped imdiately, so in mid-punch, others still on the ground, panting or shaking off the dust.
Hera took another step forward, assessing the disaster before her eyes with an expression of utter contempt.
"Is this how gods behave?" the goddess asked in an icy tone. "Beating each other like savages at a gala ant to promote unity? Is this the best the new generation of gods has to offer?"
Sha fell over the room like a leaden storm. The gods looked down, uncomfortable, shifting in their seats or helping each other up without saying a word. So murmured apologies, others didn't even dare to move.
I... well, I just crossed my arms. I didn't feel particularly guilty. I hadn't started anything. Aegle, on the other hand, upon seeing Hera, seed to panic a little and quickly smoothed her hair in case she saw her, yet she didn't seem to show much sign of remorse.
Zeus scanned the room until his eyes settled on a figure further back: Zagreus.
"ZAGREUS." The re ntion of his na was enough to make the god cringe slightly.
The son of Zeus, still proud and his robe unwrinkled, lifted his chin but did not respond.
"Is this what you expected when you brought them together? A spectacle of violence? Or did you simply lose control of your own event?"
Zagreus clenched his teeth.
"I... I didn't expect it to get out of hand like this."
Zeus looked at him for a few more seconds, and although he did not raise his voice, the weight of his disappointnt was palpable.
"You had a chance to show maturity, and you turned it into a circus."
Hera, without even addressing him, walked past him, her gaze held high as if he wasn't even worth looking at.
At that mont, the entire hall seed to writhe with discomfort. Everyone was silent. Everyone except , of course.
Aegle approached and whispered with a restrained smile:
"Well... at least it wasn't boring."
"They did go a bit overboard with the welco show, though," I replied with a wry smile.
And so, the room fell silent, waiting for the next move... under the stern gaze of the kings of Olympus.
Zeus stepped forward, still enveloped in that imposing aura that made the ground vibrate beneath our feet. His voice bood again as if the sky itself were speaking:
"Ten seconds. That's how long you all have to leave this place."
There was complete silence.
"After that, the next lightning bolt won't be just to get your attention."
The tone of his voice left no room for doubt.
And in less ti than it takes to blink, the gods began to disappear. So activated portals, others simply vanished in beams of light, mist, or smoke. Not even a second passed before the first one flew away, and by the ti the third second had passed, the room was practically empty.
Even those who had been enthusiastically fighting each other were now running for their lives as if pursued by Tartarus himself. It was a rather comical scene, considering the level of divinity they all claid to possess.
In less ti than it takes for lightning to strike... there was no one left.
Well, no one except us.
Aegle and I exchanged a quick glance, halfway between resignation and relief, wondering how we were going to get out of there, until our driver appeared.
"Well! That was a ss, but at least the decorations were nice, right?"
Hers appeared smiling as if he hadn't just knocked two guys unconscious against a wall minutes earlier.
"What about you? Aren't you going to stay so your father can pull your ears for encouraging this circus?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Hers raised his hands as if that exonerated him of everything.
"And miss the chance to go back to the Garden with you guys? Please. Besides, I'm not staying to watch Dad give Zagreus a piece of his mind. If you think yelling like that was bad, wait until you see him in disappointed father mode."
"Isn't he always?" muttered Aegle.
Hers laughed and snapped his fingers. In an instant, the room disappeared before our eyes.
And the next blink... we were back in the Garden.
The fresh air, the birdsong, the gentle breeze, and the sll of flowers enveloped us like a balm. The contrast with the chaos of the hall was almost ridiculous. For a second, I wondered if it had really happened, or if it had been a very, very intense bad dream.
"Ah, much better," said Hers, stretching his arms as if he had just stepped out of a sauna.
"Are you planning on staying long?" I asked, looking tired.
"Nah. I took this as an ergency trip. You guys rest. I'm leaving before my na shows up on so blacklist again."
And with a wink, he simply vanished.
Aegle collapsed onto the lawn, letting out a long sigh, while I sat down next to her.
"Well..." she said. "Next ti we're invited to a divine gala, remind to say I'm sick."
"And miss all the entertainnt?"
"No way. I'd much rather spend another night under the tree."
"With you there, I wouldn't trade it for anything," I replied without thinking.
She smiled at , and finally, we were at peace again in the garden, at least for a few days, until an event would turn everything upside down for everyone.
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