The roots surrounding Demeter recoiled toward her like a swarm, enveloping her in a golden cocoon that burst forward in the form of living projectiles. Dozens of sacred wooden spears, pointed like arrows, streaked through the air toward Hades.
The god did not move.
Around him, the ground split open, revealing a circle of shadows. Spectral arms emerged from the abyss, faceless figures that spun like a funeral dance, intercepting the roots one by one. Where they touched, the sap froze, life withered. Demeter's projectiles shattered and crumbled into dark dust before reaching their target.
Then Hades extended his spear.
"You don't want to understand," he murmured, pointing at his sister's chest.
A ray of pure darkness shot out from the tip. This was different from the shadows the god had produced so far. I didn't know why, but it seemed as if Hades had unleashed the very essence of oblivion from his spear.
The ray struck Demeter with such force that the remaining columns shook. The field of roots receded from the shockwave, and the goddess was thrown several meters back, sliding across the ground with the sword still firmly in her hand.
She fell to her knees, but she wasn't bleeding. Her skin seemed to be trembling, covered by a black frost that tried to cling to her flesh.
With a cry of rage, she plunged the golden sword into the ground.
The response was immediate.
From the cracks in the marble, columns of living earth sprouted, not roots this time, but columns of stone and fertile fire, as if the heart of the world were responding to her anger. In seconds, the hall became a battlefield where spring fought to break through the dead of winter.
Demeter stood up. Her hair waved, but not in the wind; after all, there was no wind in the underworld. It seemed to be waving from the sheer power boiling around her. Her eyes shone like suns. With every step she took, the ground blossomed... only to wither immediately under the pressure of the Underworld.
"You will not take my daughter from me, Hades!"
"She has already decided, Demeter. Get over it," he roared, lunging toward her with a leap of several meters, his spear raised and shrouded in a kind of spectral mist. The impact was brutal: spear against sword, the clash of power unleashed an expanding circle of energy that caused the doors of the hall to disintegrate. Even part of the ceiling collapsed.
I could barely stand. Even Hecate, normally unflappable, had to plant her staff firmly to avoid being swept away.
Demeter and Hades spun around each other like colliding kites.
Every time the golden sword touched the ground, trees sprang up and died instantly.
Every time Hades' spear rose, the shadows took the form of wolves, fallen warriors, specters howling forgotten names.
Demeter leaped, her sword spinning above her head with such speed that it became a circle of light. She fell upon her brother like divine judgment, but Hades raised an arm and muttered in a language only souls understand. The darkness of the hall condensed and enveloped him like armor.
The sword struck.
An explosion of energy shook everything and threw various things into the air—dust, rock, and even green fire. The floor split, and both gods fell to the lower level of the palace.
Without hesitation, I ran to the edge of the open hole. Below, the two continued to fight among the crypts, among the tombs of ancient heroes. The tombstones fractured with each blow, the walls weeping will-o'-the-wisps.
"Stop!" Hecate shouted, descending after them. "If you continue like this, you will destroy all of Hades!"
But no one seemed to heard her. And if they did, they didn't care.
Meanwhile, I watched from the edge of the hole, my muscles tense and my heart pounding so hard it felt like it was about to burst out of my chest. The confrontation was... something beyond anything I had ever witnessed. Primordial powers clashed before me. It was not a simple fight. It was a war of wills, of entire ages, of mythologies crossed in flames and shadows.
And I...
I had done nothing.
Since we arrived in the Underworld, I had been a spectator. A useless companion to ancient gods.
What good was a new god if he did nothing when the chips were down?
What good was he if he couldn't protect, if he couldn't prevent those around him from being consumed by their own pain?
"I'm useless," I had told myself several times during the journey through the Styx. "I'm just here to watch."
But when I saw Demeter wounded, her back hitting a carved sarcophagus, her sword slipping to the ground as Hades descended toward her with his spear ready for the final blow...
Something inside me burned. I knew I had to intervene.
Even if it wasn't courage what I felt. It was more like necessity, the need to prove myself to these divine beings. Where did this come from? I don't know, maybe it was the helplessness of the moment, maybe the system influencing my judgment, or maybe I just didn't want to admit that I had gone mad.
Without further ado, I jumped.
I felt the air hit my face as I also felt the divine tingling activate under my skin. My vision focused: Hades, lowering his spear, Demeter barely raising her arm. In that eternal second, I felt every vibration of power.
'[Activate: All Skills]'
I activated every skill I could activate at the same time. I didn't knew if it was possible to do it but I was gonna try it, if I endured Hades strenght then I would know it worked.
Hades' spear collided with the blade that Hephaestus had given me, and although it was difficult, I managed to resist the god's strength and, most importantly, the impact didn't kill me.
The impact dragged me a few meters. I felt some pain, but I didn't give in.
I held the weapon with both hands, trembling, my feet digging furrows in the cursed earth.
"Enough!" I shouted, in a voice that didn't sound like my own. "No more!"
Hades' eyes were fixed on me. Cold. Surprised. Almost... curious.
Demeter, from the ground, opened her eyes with a mixture of surprise and fear.
"What are you doing...?" she whispered.
"Nothing," I replied, keeping my eyes fixed on the King of the Underworld. "I just felt like facing a god."
Hades didn't respond immediately.
He just stared at me with that inscrutable expression, as if weighing my words, assessing whether I was even worth the effort of confronting me.
The silence grew heavy. I noticed that Demeter tried to sit up, but her body was still sluggish while Hecate stood to the side, watching, part surprised... part expectant.
I took a step forward.
The hilt of the sword remained firm in my hand. The heat of the divine steel throbbed against my skin, vibrating as if the blade itself shared my fury.
"That sword... Hephaestus gave it to you, didn't he?" Hades muttered at last, with a barely visible smile. "The old curmudgeon is still making dangerous toys."
He planted his spear in the ground with a fluid motion. A shadow rose like a cloak of ink... and then disappeared.
The helmet.
My Divine Eye barely caught the distortion before it was upon me.
CLANG!
The impact was brutal. His spear collided with my sword at an impossible angle, and the force was enough to knock me back. My feet left gouges in the black stone. I could barely contain the urge to fall. My arm felt numb, as if the shock had torn my shoulder from my body.
And then I felt it again.
He was behind me.
I turned just in time to block the next attack, a thrust aimed directly at my neck. Hades became visible again, just for a second. His face was so close that I could see his eyes like bottomless pits.
He wasn't going to stop.
I spun backward and responded with a horizontal slash that left a trail of fire in the air. The blade grazed his side. It was a shallow cut, but still enough to make his smile twist slightly. A line of smoke rose from the charred fabric.
"Well, puppy. Let's play."
His spear struck the ground, and the Underworld seemed to react to it.
I saw cracks opening beneath my feet, and from them emerged specter-like shadows, skeletal arms, and living chains that tried to grab me by the ankles and arms.
However, I concentrated my power, the energy form my Dominion spreading from my chest to my sword. A circle of flames expanded around me like an explosion of will. The specters screamed on contact with the divine light and crumbled like ash in a strong wind.
But I had no time to celebrate.
Hades was already descending, his spear shrouded in liquid blackness. The shadow itself obeyed his will. Every thrust he made was like a sentence: it left no room, showed no mercy.
I defended myself as best I could, deflecting blows, taking others with the flat side of my sword or my arm wrapped in energy. Sweat blinded me, and I felt my breathing become irregular. I was pushing my body to the limit just to hold on.
And yet... I was still there.
And I was facing him.
"Why do you keep getting up?!" Hades roared, his voice finally raised as he seemed enraged. His spear collided with mine with such force that I felt my arm crack.
I spat blood and smiled.
"Because someone has to. You can't groom someone else's daughter and not expect there to be people willing to kick your ass."
I charged as I knew there was no technique, nor strategy on my attack. Just strength and a little of faith.
I channeled all my power, the divine energy my followers offered me from Kaeron in the mortal world. The sacred bond that anchored me to them vibrated intensely.
And I felt my blade burn and its iron-gray color mutate into a rainbow of red, white, and yellow.
I slashed vertically with all my weight, and Hades blocked it with his crossed spear, but the impact created a shockwave that shattered the ground beneath our feet.
And for a moment, for a single moment... I noticed his knees buckle.
I was pushing him back. That was my cue to keep pressing on, hoping that after a time he would be tired enough to give up.
I thought hopefully as I clashed again with the King of the Underworld.