Ch. 163: The Sea's Wrath
The air reeked of salt and blood. The ocean, once a roaring battlefield, was deceptively calm now, stretching like an endless mirror beneath the dawn's faint light. Poseidon's chest rose and fell heavily, his grip on the trident unwavering despite the crimson streaks that ran down his torso. My scythe, dim but not extinguished, trembled in my hand as the nether fla flickered defiantly.
Neither of us spoke further. Words had no place here. Only the unyielding resolve of gods stood between us now.
Poseidon moved first, his trident slamming into the water. The still ocean turned alive, writhing and roaring as a colossal whirlpool ford beneath us. The pull was instantaneous, the force nearly dragging under.
"Do you think you can match the seas, brother?" Poseidon roared, his voice carrying both fury and triumph. The whirlpool accelerated, its vortex pulling debris, waves, and foam into its ravenous maw.
I didn't answer. Instead, I thrust the scythe into the swirling water. Black tendrils of death smoke erupted, eting the pull of the whirlpool head-on. The clash sent shockwaves rippling across the sea, and for a mont, I held my ground.
Poseidon wasn't deterred. With a guttural cry, he raised the trident high, summoning water spouts that spiraled toward like serpents. The first struck my shield of darkness, dissolving into mist, but the second and third broke through my defense and slamd into my side, the force sending skidding backward on the waters surface.
Pain seared through my ribs, but I couldn't falter. I gritted my teeth and surged forward, channeling every ounce of energy into my scythe. The flas roared back to life, black and violet, licking hungrily at the air.
With a powerful leap, I closed the distance between us. My scythe arced through the air, aid at Poseidon's throat. He blocked with his trident, sparks flying as the weapons collided. We locked eyes, his deep green eyes clashing with my abyssal black.
"You will not best here, Hades!" Poseidon bellowed. "You abandoned us rember? You want nothing to do with us."
"You've already lost, Poseidon," I snarled, forcing the scythe downward.
Our weapons clashed again and again, the sheer force of each blow cracking the ocean's surface. The waters beneath us churned violently, waves rising and falling in chaotic rhythms. Blood trickled down my arm from the recoil, but I pressed on, forcing Poseidon onto the defensive.
His eyes darkened as if filled with endless hate. "There you go again avoiding the topic. Brother Olympus, the entire world will be unified under my rule. We were always ant to rules as one but you chose to break that delicate balance."
I felt blood slide down the sides of my face and my vision blurred with red for a mont. "So that's your ambition to be the supre god? Clearly I expected sothing grander."
In a desperate move, he slamd the butt of his trident into the ocean. The waters exploded upward, enveloping us both in a suffocating sphere of liquid. It was cold, dark, and relentless, pressing against my body with crushing force.
"Water Manipulation. Infinite depth!" His voice bood loudly. Read exclusive chapters at empire
But the darkness was my domain.
Closing my eyes, I let the nether fla spread from the scythe, wreathing my entire body in its unholy glow. The water hissed and evaporated as the flas carved a path of air around . With a roar, I unleashed a shockwave, the force shattering the water sphere and sending Poseidon flying backwards.
The space between us left a trail of red blood that sparkled and reacted violently with the waves.
He crashed into the ocean with a thunderous splash but recovered almost instantly, his fury palpable. The trident glowed with an otherworldly blue light, and the waves rose in unison, forming towering walls on all sides.
"I am the ocean incarnate!" Poseidon thundered. The waves converged, closing in on with the force of a thousand storms.
I didn't flinch. Planting the scythe into the ocean's surface, I unleashed a surge of energy that split the waves apart, creating a path straight to Poseidon.
If we were on on his domain I would have dealt him a heavy hand already. Being able to recover almost endlessly, there must be a limit to it.
He hesitated— just for a mont— but it was enough. I darted forward like a whirlwind, my feet barely counting a step before I surged further even faster, my scythe leaving a trail of violet fire in its wake. Poseidon raised his trident to block, but this ti I was faster.ball my years honing my muscles reinforcing them a hundred tis over, no a thousand tis over. It was all for this mont when I would surpass all of blmy obstacles.
"Hoo~." I breathed out black billows of smoke from my nose and ears. "Slash Of The Nether!" Every muscle in my body converged into one, my breath and body calm, my shoulders moved effortlessly in the motion I had rehearsed elwith eade. The blade carved through his weapon's shaft, severing it cleanly in two.
A huge disk of black fla danced in spirals like the work of an artists painting the air.
Poseidon staggered, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Damnit!" He gnashed his teeth sending sparks flying.
"This ends now," I growled, raising the scythe for the final blow. All of my conviction lted into one, into this final attack.
But Poseidon wasn't done. With a primal scream, he slamd his palm into the ocean. The waters exploded upward, a massive geyser shooting into the sky and taking with it.
For a mont, I was weightless, the world spinning as the force carried higher and higher. Then, gravity reclaid , and I plumted back toward the sea.
Poseidon was waiting. He thrust the broken trident forward, the jagged edge aid straight at my chest.
I twisted mid-air, barely avoiding the strike. The trident's edge grazed my shoulder, tearing through flesh and bone. Pain exploded, but I didn't stop. Using the montum, I swung the scythe downward, the blade slicing through Poseidon's side.
He roared in agony, stumbling back as blood poured from the wound.
We both landed on the water, now stained red with our blood. My vision blurred, my body screaming in protest, but I couldn't stop. Not now. Not ever.
Poseidon summoned another wave, smaller this ti but no less deadly. I countered with a blast of nether fla, the two forces colliding in a violent explosion. The shockwave sent us both tumbling across the ocean's surface, battered and broken.
Sowhere in the chaos, I lost my grip on the scythe. It sank into the depths, its light dimming as it disappeared.
I could hardly stop my arms from trembling, the shockwave of our attacks had crippled it. Even feeling the blood rushing through my body was hard. "Ack--!" I coughed out blood as it clogged my throat.
Poseidon saw his chance. With a triumphant grin, he charged, his broken trident raised. I had no weapon, no shield, but I wasn't defenseless.
Summoning the last of my strength, I thrust my hand forward. Shadows erupted from my palm, forming a jagged spear of pure darkness. "Shadow manipulation." I hissed out against the searing pain throbbing through my body
Poseidon didn't falter. He t the spear head-on, the trident clashing against the shadows in a final, desperate struggle.
For a mont, ti seed to freeze. Then, with a roar of triumph, I broke through his defenses. The spear pierced his chest, the force sending him sprawling across the ocean.
Poseidon lay motionless, his blood mingling with the sea. I staggered, barely able to stand. The fight was over. I had won.
Or so I thought.
A sudden, sharp pain tore through my chest. I looked down to see the jagged edge of Poseidon's trident protruding from my torso.
"No..." I gasped, blood filling my lungs.
Poseidon, battered and broken, stood behind , his face a mask of grim determination.
"You forgot one thing, brother," he rasped. "The sea never surrenders."
He twisted the trident, the pain blinding. My strength failed , and I fell forward, the ocean rising to claim . The Poseidon I had killed was apparently a clone made with water, when did he even have the chance to do that?
My body shut down as blood poured out of my chest, everything seed to freeze from the shock.
The water greetings was warm and red....
As I sank into the cold, dark depths, my mind raced. Pandora's presence still lood on Olympus, her power growing stronger. I couldn't let this be the end, not like this. I wondered if Talos managed to get the team to a safe area.
As I fell deep towards the depths the image of Poseidon standing on the surface and gazing down on blurred out. The waters beca colder and as such my skin started to turn pale and white as it had been in the shower. My heart had stopped beating a long ti ago, the only thing keeping alive was almost gone— a sliver of divine energy.
Dying a second ti without achieving what I had set out to. My journey being chosen to be reborn, being chosen to save this world. I never cared about that at all, all I wanted was to live in leave and not... I could finally rest in peace.
But the darkness was all-consuming, and my vision faded as the sea swallowed whole.
"Goodbye.... I had so fun—" I gurgled to any soul that was nearby and then I--!
To be continued…
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