42 King VS Spear Boy Part 2

(Zeus POV)

Scoffing at the floating body within the arena, I questioned how such a weak being was able to kill Ares and my daughter Artemis, he held power, yes, and experience, yet his overconfidence defined those hades damned Longinus wielders. 

Sadly, they were almost impossible to get rid of as whenever the user died, they were already gone and returned to Yahweh's system. What I would give to be able to assault that place and destroy that damnable system.

Humanity never deserved such power. They already have their lives, and that should be enough. But my work here was done. Thanks to Indra, I gained my old power once more, and with that weird concoction he gave me, it was high time for the world to be reminded that the world was not so easy to conquer. I could even feel the Styx fearing my new power, and that filled me with pride as I wondered if Hera and I could simply make a new son.

"Well, it matters not; it's time to retrieve this interloper's soul and give it to Hades for punishment. It should keep him satisfied for a while." So, reaching for the body, I felt the world begin to shake as the child's body began to glow, and not desiring him to finish whatever he was doing, I rushed at him, but as I grabbed him, I was thrown back by force almost reminiscent of old power.

Then the area turned into something else; where once was water, it was now an endless sky, yet what I did not notice was that the world had not changed. I had simply been launched away. The force and speed even I could not follow. As I saw a being floating above me with flowing blond hair and glowing yellow eyes wearing armor with flowing blue wings behind it.

The pure power emanating from the being made even me begin to shake, and then it began to speak, "I am disappointed in myself."

Five words, and I was launched halfway across the country and seemingly surrounded by hundreds of this being, and he continued, "I thought myself above fate, above destiny, that I could change it." His spears then flew into me at speeds that defied reason and pierced me into the ground.

"I thought I had escaped my bindings, the threads, the tapestries, the endless winding plans. But I see it now, how wrong I was." His spears then exploded, leaving me in complete agony as the earth itself grabbed me in vines, earth, and trees. The being then floated down, and with arms turned black, he began to slam into me over and over again, using flowing movements I had never seen before.

"I do not want to listen to your damned sermon, you wretch!" I yelled as I surrounded myself with lighting, breaking the hold his earth had on me. I then winded up multiple punches, arcing lightning, and rolling thunder, and tried to hit him, yet all I hit was nothing; it went right through him as he simply grabbed me using his star blue wings with his glowing eyes showing pure light within them.

"It is not a sermon; I am just letting things off my chest. Are you not the king of gods? Have you not heard the prayers and complaints of mortals, then you shall listen to mine. I see what empowers you: Fate, the infinite, and the storm. You had not simply returned to your Prime but had been empowered further. This strength is not yours; it is artificial, made so that it will fail you." he then stabbed me with the spear as he gripped me by the neck and pulled out a deformed serpent that disintegrated in his hands before he crushed it.

I felt my strength begin to fade as he held me aloft, and when I tried to move, he extended another force on me, leaving me breathless. The spear he held had changed from a bident to a more ornate spear with a red tip and cross-like designs at the tip and end of the weapon. Even I must admit that the make was full of majesty and might.

"The infinite is gone, but for now, the fates shall be defied again." He then took his spear and cut what was seemingly thin air, yet I felt something be ripped from me, and in utter agony, I cried out.

"Just end this farce, mortal! No matter what happens here, you will always be looking over your shoulder, just like I have. Power does not come without a price, and rulership is not given freely." My words seem to make this being chuckle as he moves the spear, but as I expect the blow to heal, it does not and only seems to grow worse.

"If you expect my strikes to heal, don't. This was a weapon made to kill beings like you, and I had been refusing to accept that for a while now; I was afraid to accept this mantle for fear that I would become just like "him," and I was right. I can feel pride in having you like this, but I need to end this." He then lets me go, and I fall to the ground.

I then yell in frustration and charge him, and as I slam into him with all of my might, my lack of strength is made apparent as I cannot even move him more than a few inches. He then slashed at me, cutting my chest diagonally, but it was shallow and as he then grabbed me by the neck that was a black substance formed on his arms, and he threw me into the sky. 

As I expected nothing to be there, I tried to reorient myself but then felt a being slammed into my back, sending me back into the ground.

The being then grabbed my legs and slammed me into the ground over and over again before he swiped his spear through my legs, leaving deep cuts in both of them, leaving me crippled. How was this possible?! I had him at my mercy!

Before I could voice my questions, he answered, "You are right. You did have me at your mercy, and it's not going to happen again. Thank you for teaching me a lesson, Zeus. You were good for something after all."

I then felt pain as he stabbed me through the heart after flipping me over so I could see his eyes, but before I could die, I charged up all of my power in an effort to take this thing with me, but he smirked at this and placed a hand on my head, and I felt my body betray me and go still.

I then saw lettering spread across my body as I realized that they were the runes that governed reality, and I realized how much he held back in this fight. And I was the one he chose to use them on.

"Divinity, like magic, can be manipulated just like the body and the mind, so I shut you down; there will be no suicide pact today, Zeus. Oh, and by the way, thank you for saving your daughter that day, as it is the last piece I needed to save Olympus from itself."

My daughter? Wait, Thalia! "You bastard, you shall not touch my blood!" This almost makes him laugh as he responds.

"That is where you're mistaken. She was never yours, and you never considered her yours at all. You just do not want your pride to show that you have a weak point. And you were right on something else. The cycle does end here." 

He then grabbed the Longinus, and I saw my height grow and then plummet as I felt my essence leaving me. Darkness is all I see, and the void welcomes me with its endless nothing.

"Hera, I am sorry." I think as my last moment is seeing that mortal return to normal and his golden eyes staring back at me with utter and complete apathy.

(Cao Cao POV)

Dispelling my balance breaker, I feel the strength leaving my form as Zeus's essence enters my body, and the storms relent across the country, and I return to the throne of the Grand Temple with my body in immense pain.

My fight with Zeus showed the Fates still play their hands in my affairs even if they can't manipulate me directly. Thanks to my balance breaker, I could see the threads of Fate binding my entire body, and when I entered the balance breaker, I used it to cut all of them. In all regards, I was free from their influence for now, at least.

Speaking of my balance breaker, it seems to have become an anti-divine weapon with the ability to cut concepts if given enough power. It still feels incomplete, but such questions are for later.

But the fact that Zeus had a snake within him shows that the brigade is not waiting for me to hunt them down. The fates will not suffer changes to their futures, but they are in the underworld within the palace of Hades. 

I could sense their position based on following their threats, and it is a good idea as his realm is fortified against any intrusion, with Hades himself being among the top 10 due to his influence and domains.

It's mostly due to the fact that people would need to worship the gods for them to gain strength, while Hades is a bit special as he feeds off their fear of death as well as the souls that enter, at least the ones that do not go into the fields of Elysium. It is a rather brilliant move on his part.

For now, though, I need time to heal, and as I entered the dimension, I saw the throne before me. As I sat down, I saw Scathach and Scylla rush towards me, but before I could say a word, I fell unconscious.

"You know you don't really seem to want to follow my advice, you troublesome child of mine. Why do this to yourself? Even the most powerful Campiones spend months without fighting Heretic Gods, but you seem just to attract them like metal to magnets." Her questions made me sigh as I answered.

"If I didn't, he would have sunk the Eastern Seaboard, if not partially. I was not going to let that happen, and while I am selfish, I can't allow my actions to waste so many lives. I will not apologize for that." My answer leaves her flabbergasted but relieved.

"I can sense the weight of this Authority or authorities. In this case, you killed Zeus, didn't you? How did you go from killing Ares to killing Zeus? from what I heard from my other children, isn't there some kind of buildup before the final boss?" It's almost funny how she thinks Zeus is the final boss in my world, but let her believe that.

"I'm sorry if my innate charisma just draws them in." As I say this, the look Pandora gives me is one of complete disbelief, but that makes it all the better. Instead of congratulating me, she then flicks me on my nose and says.

"I'm sorry you have to live like this. I can't see through your eyes like the others, but I can feel the conflict they go through, and for you, it seems like it never ends, and even the brief moments of respite I can sense are fleeting at best." Her eyes begin to water as I rub the tears away using my telekinesis.

"It's okay. Us Campione never have it easy after all, especially humans. We fight, and we fight, but it never seems to end, yet that in itself is a goal. To reach an end, finish the mission and go home. But I won't get that for a while. Not in my world, at least." Pandora only rubs my head tenderly as I continue.

"From what I've gained, your world seems to have problems with heretic Gods, but in my case, the gods never died and have existed since their Pantheon formed, and while some of the gods have faded over time due to lack of worship, some still exist. It definitely makes it easier to get on their bad side, but at least I won't have to worry about them coming back after I kill them. Also, we have to deal with Devil's Fallen Angels Yokai and other races."

"Mind my crass language, my child, but your world sounds like a clusterfuck and a half. But here's my question: how can Devils still exist because that would mean God exists in your world?" I am almost hesitant to answer that question, but the face she is giving me and my own tiredness has weakened my resolve.

"Biblical God in our world spent himself sealing a great Beast and fighting against his own son, and since he was so diminished by the end of their conflict, both Lucifer and God fell along with the original first devils. The world itself now exists as a giant Supernatural powder keg with everyone carving up their own territories with Humanity in the middle." Her shocked expression was worrisome, and I stopped there for her sanity's sake.

I begin to flicker away as the Authority is transferred, but before I leave, Pandora gives me a kiss on the cheek and, with a smile, says, "I hope you can find your peace in the end, my child, and keep experiencing new things, don't simply lose yourself in killing gods. Fight when you need to, but do remember that an eye for an eye makes the world go blind. And please lessen your "charisma" for my sanity's sake."

"No promises, Mother. I am just that likable." I then disappear but find myself inside the spear once more, looking at those same emerald eyes.

( I wrote a new snippet on my snippet story called Journeyman Finding Happiness in Lost Worlds And Infinite Possibilities, and I hope you all have a nice day.)