War was part of life. Everyday, we are forced to fight our own battles. Some are won, and some are lost; but in the end, the true winner of war is the one who can rack up more wins than losses. When it came to war between two forces, not much was different. There was one great disparity though.Unlike the wars we fought against ourselves, the wars that claimed lives and left people destitute didn’t determine their winners by the number of battles won, but by one or two moments that could easily shape an era. The winners of a hundred battles could easily lose the war by failing to grasp victory in the most important battles. What did it matter if you conquered a hundred minor world and lost one major world? What meaning was there in bringing back the heads of ten generals but losing the head of your king? Victory is made meaningless at that point.Those that sought the universe understood this logic. Thise that sought to place everything in their hands, moved by the power of this law.
*Boom*Ares flew through the sky with great speed. His lips were stained with his own blood and his breathing was hurried. His aura was unstable and though he looked relatively fine on the outside, his star map was a mess on the inside. Taking a blow from the one strong enough to carry an entire world had been more dangerous than he thought it would be. Even though he had tried to offset the destruction by using his maximum strength, it had not been enough. He finally understood why Hoovey was always warning him to stay away from the Celestial Emperor. That man was just as powerful as his father!“I am sorry Hoovey. I promise to avenge you one day.” Ares swore silently.For while he did not regret the decision to abandon Hoovey, his most trusted aide, to save his own life, he it was still a painful decision he had made. It was a hard choice and though it was the most logical one given that he had to survive since he was the king, his heart still ached at the thought of Hoovey’s death.
Olympus had always been stuck in a conundrum, Among the gods who were of the new generation, who was strongest? Olympus which had lived a century without the presence of two of its big three, Hades and Poseidon, couldn’t help but wonder what would happen were they to lose Zeus as well. It sounded like something that was impossible, but was it? After all, several millions of years ago, it had been an impossible thing to consider the absence of Hades and Poseidon. Olympus had been very strong then, and who dared to look down on them with all Zeus and his brothers around? Yet had that illusion not been shattered by their sudden disappearance? And had Zeus not fallen a mere century after, and that to his own child? Olympus knew that if Hades and Poseidon were around, there was no way that Ares would have been brave enough to usurp his father’s throne. If Ares had not done it, Ra or that power hungry Jade Emperor who hid his motives behind his smile, would have come after the vast 2nd Heav
*Boom**Boom**Roar**Bang*“Amazing,” Mane muttered as his eyes tracked the figures of his father and estranged uncle. Even with True Eyes, could barely make out their forms through the mess of fire and earth that they freely commanded. Destruction followed them wherever they went, and Edict run thin as they abused this already scarce resource. “So, this is the power of gods,” Mane’s eyes shone brightly as another mountain was reduced to dust by his father. Flames engulfed the figure of the one the universe knew as Brute King like clothes hugging the figure of a well-proportioned model. Each movement accentuated the power of the fire that dwelt within and around him, and with a wave of his wrists anything that had life embraced death. This was the true power of Brimstone!“Watch closely, kid. This is the proper way to use the flames you have been blessed with. This is the way of the fire Phoenix!” 1st exclaimed excitedly within Mane’s mind space.Mane could hear the other masters s
“I must thank you,” Ares stated as he walked out of the flames.His clothes had been burned to cinders and there was no garment that remained on him. His clothes, which were made from the highest quality materials and were equivalent to high grade armour, had been reduced to ash by his own brother’s flames. It would have been a miracle if he had managed t survive those flames with just a few injuries, but he was completely unscathed! Only his reddened skin signified his discomfort!“Save your thanks. I didn’t plan to aid your breakthrough.” Reus stated and stretched forth his hand.A magnificent spear appeared in the hands of the man who controlled the phoenix’s flames on his command. It was a dark red spear with a blood red tip. It reeked of blood and gore, and its presence shifted Reus’ aura sharply. If he was a flaming boulder before, now his presence was akin to that of a fiery blade.“While you are right, it doesn’t matter. It was by fighting you that I rediscovered who I am. I t
Reus and Ares clashed several times. Each clash produced a different victor, but the battle was not won by either one of them. Ares was having a hard time dealing with the Flames of Purgatory. It was no surprise given that these flames were on par with Zeus’ Heavenly Lightning. They burned and scorched and threatened to take his life at every turn. It took more than his physical strength and his mastery over the earth to offset the aggressive might of thee flames.Reus was in a similar predicament as well. Although he was called the Brute King and was a battle god, he was still a god who had lived several millions of years shorter than his brother. He may be a god of combat like Ares, but experience was a fatal advantage when two battle gods came face to face. Ares was more adept at using his powers to his advantage unlike him who had hidden the Flames of Purgatory and had seldom relied on it. One could say that he was now gaining understanding of his own power. Besides that, Ares’ br
“Heyyyy,” Reus greeted his scowling son awkwardly. It was easy to act cool when there was a murderer after his son, but now that the nuisance had been dealt with, he had to face the son he had abandoned for the first time in a year. It was even worse when he was reminded that his son had been stuck in another universe for a few more years. Just imagining how his boy would have felt when he woke up to two absent parents made him nervous.Mane stared at Reus expressionlessly. His excitement of being reunited with his father had faded the moment Ares lost his life, and his mind was clear to think again. Immediately, he realised why Reus was here. The man who was supposed to be at Olympus, fighting for the throne and restoring it to normalcy, was here. Clearly he was here to watch his son’s debut into the world of heroes. While that was sweet in its own way, he had abandoned his son to restore balance to his place of origin. For like it or not, he was still an Olympian. To come here and
“Hmm. So, he failed. Did I expect too much from a fool?”In a realm that embraced darkness and chaos more than it did order, the Reaper sat on a throne higher and greater than any other in the universe. Fire and lightning dominated this realm, and the winds that blew over were too violent to be sought by anyone. Tornados and tsunamis co-existed in a chaotic harmony that was bolstered by the constant earthquakes and violent tremors; yet in all this, the Reaper sat confidently and calmly. His throne was unmoved neither was his frame. He regarded everything calmly and confidently, for he was the Reaper!“I guess this was a lapse in judgement on my part. Asking a fool who had lived his entire life in the shadow of his father to take command was a mistake. I guess that makes me a fool as well.”The Reaper chuckled softly, causing the rampaging elements to momentarily lose their power. Peace returned to this realm for a few seconds before chaos erupted again. It was almost as though the ele