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Chapter 33

After Zeus transformed, he charged at me faster than I could even perceive. My instincts screamed, but all I could do was flood my body with cursed magic, hoping it would be enough to keep me alive. "The Fist That Surpassed Time"-An attack that Zeus gathers all his strength and punches with so much force, that time itself seems to come to a halt. It is at least faster than 0.000000000000000000001 seconds. There was no way to dodge. I braced for impact.

The blow hit like a thunderstorm collapsing into a single point, the arena shaking with its force. My body was launched across the stadium, smashing into a wall with bone-crushing impact. I slid down to one knee, dazed but still conscious. 'He's on a whole different level now.' I barely had time to move before another "Divine Axe" smashed into the ground where I'd been standing. Dust exploded around me.

I got back to my feet, shaking off the disorientation, and deflected Zeus's next attack "True God's Right"-a straight punch infused with the totality of his divine might. My arms trembled from the force behind it. 'Shit, even deflecting them is taking a toll.'

I managed to redirect Zeus to my left and retaliated with a powerful "Cursed Slash" aimed at his torso. The strike barely phased him. His giant hand wrapped around my head, the pressure enough to crush steel. I stabbed at his wrist with Muramasa, the blade piercing his flesh but only shallowly. He let go but immediately launched another "Fist That Surpassed Time"

This time, I anticipated the attack and blocked, though the sheer force behind it still sent me flying to the other side of the arena, skidding to a halt against the rubble.

'He should only be able to maintain this transformation for another eight to ten minutes' I thought, my body aching from the punishment it had already endured. But time wasn't on my side, and his relentless attacks weren't giving me any room to breathe. Zeus charged again with another "True God's Right" I deflected with the blunt side of Muramasa, but the vibration shot through my bones.

I countered with a strike aimed at his chest, but he easily deflected it and launched consecutive "True God's Right" The sheer speed of his movements was blinding, blurs and flashes the only signs of our clash. To the spectators, we'd become nothing more than streaks of light and shadow, punctuated by the deafening booms of each hit. Dust, rubble, and debris flew in every direction as our battle tore apart the arena.

'I've got to survive long enough for his transformation to end, or find a weak point somewhere' I thought, deflecting another incoming strike. The force sent cracks spidering out from beneath my feet, but I pressed forward. 

Zeus grinned at me, his eyes blazing with the joy of battle. He roared and charged again, fists raised, the full weight of a god bearing down on me.

-With Brunhilde, Göll, and Kojiro-

'Disgusting.' Brunhilde's lips curled in disdain as she watched Zeus unleash his terrifying strength. 'I can't believe that old man still has this in him.' Watching Ryou desperately defend himself, slowly beginning to deflect the monstrous attacks, Brunhilde felt a strange mix of emotions, somber happiness was the one at the top though. 'He's holding his own… but if I had sent Adam in for this round, he might have lost.' The thought troubled her deeply. 

Her train of thought was interrupted by Kojiro's quiet observation. "He really is amazing."

Turning towards him, Brunhilde asked, "Zeus or your descendant?"

Göll, who had been anxiously watching Ryou fight for his life, quickly shifted her gaze to Kojiro, waiting for his response.

"Ryou" Kojiro said with a firm nod. "While I can't quite keep up with that old man, I can follow Ryou. And what's more he's getting faster, little by little. Soon, he'll be able to match that geezer's speed."

Both Valkyries were visibly shocked. 'As fast as the God Father of the Cosmos?' They shared the same incredulous thought. How could a human, hope to match Zeus in speed? doesn't Kojiro see what's happening?

Seeing their disbelief, Kojiro clarified "What I mean is, that magic he's using… whatever it is, it's enhancing his body more and more, allowing him to keep pace. The question is whether his body can endure the strain or if it'll break first. This is a battle of endurance now."

Brunhilde's brow furrowed as she mulled over Kojiro's analysis. 'A battle of endurance…' Could Ryou really outlast a god in this state?

Kojiro's eyes softened as he looked back toward the arena, his focus unwavering. "Keep going, kid," he muttered under his breath. 'You're close. I can feel it. You're close to more than just a win. Something else is just within your reach. I know it.'

-On the Gods' Side of the Stadium-

Even Ares, in all his arrogance, had to admit something unsettling, these human figters, though fated to lose, had etched their names into his memory. 'I haven't been able to see their attacks since Zeus used that form.' The thought frustrated him.

Hermes, watched with a mixture of surprise and amusement. 'Two humans...' He marveled. 'Not just one, but two humans have pushed gods to their limits. I wonder... what kind of song would capture this moment?' His mind wandered, though his eyes stayed glued to the chaos below.

Odin, stoic as ever, furrowed his brow. He'd expected Zeus to finish this long ago. 'Why is this taking so long?'

The entire arena seemed to hold its breath as something changed. Ryou and Zeus were locked in a fierce exchange, moving at blinding speeds across the battlefield. Then, in the blink of an eye, the unimaginable happened. Zeus, who had dominated the fight, was suddenly on the opposite side of the arena from Ryou. His left hand... severed.

'What?!' The collective gasp of disbelief echoed through the gods. Shock coursed through them as they processed what they were seeing.

One voluptuous goddess, however, had a different thought entirely. Her eyes hungrily traced over Ryou as the top part of his kimono lay in tatters, revealing his toned, battle-worn physique. 'What a nice body~' she mused with a sultry smile.

-Back with Ryou Before the Incident-

My body was breaking down. Each movement was slower, less sharp than the last, and the pain was everywhere. As I slipped on my own blood, Zeus seized the chance and launched a barrage of "True God's Right" Using my hand as a spring, I managed to right myself just as one of his fists grazed my left shoulder, tearing out a chunk of flesh.

"Fuck!" I hissed through clenched teeth.

I barely blocked the next punch with Muramasa, getting back into a rhythm of deflecting his strikes and retaliating when I could. My muscles screamed in protest. 'Three more minutes. Just three more.'

Zeus stopped his assault momentarily, his gaze cold as he aimed a vicious kick my way. "Divine Axe"

I leaped onto his leg, using it as a springboard to gain height. My target, his head. With Muramasa charged with another half of my cursed magic, I swung. "Cursed Slash"

He reacted faster than I thought, throwing his arm up just in time, and the blade sliced clean through his left hand. I didn't even have time to revel in the success, Zeus was on me before I could escape.

"The Fist That Surpassed Time!"

This one was stronger, more desperate. I barely deflected it, but the force sent me crashing into the ground with a violent tremor. "Divine Axe" followed immediately, but I rolled, pushing all my weight onto my now slightly broken right leg. I surged forward, blitzing beneath his kick, slipping behind him for another attack.

"Cursed Slash!"

Zeus spun just in time, using his severed arm to absorb the blow. He recoiled, backing off to the other side of the arena. Taking a moment to take a breather. 

We locked eyes, the world fading into nothing but the fierce determination to end each other. No words, just the weight of our aura clashing in the arena for all to see. Both of us surged forward, intent on one final blow.

As we closed the distance, Zeus unleashed a barrage of "True God's Right" His fists were a blur of divine might, but I deflected as best as I could, searching for an opening. 'Come on, just one chance.' Each block sent shockwaves through my bones, but I kept my guard up, waiting. A minute passed. Then, there it was a small gap in his stance. 'Now!'

I surged my remaining cursed magic through my veins and into Muramasa, lunging for his chest, the same spot I'd struck at the beginning. But as I moved, I caught the growing smirk on his face.

'Shit, a trap!'

"The Fist That Surpassed Time"

It was too late to fully dodge. The attack was aimed straight for my unguarded stomach. I forced more cursed magic into my body, managing to twist just enough to avoid the brunt of the blow. But it still connected, tearing a chunk from my right side. Pain shot through me, but I couldn't stop now. My sword pierced through the opening, striking Zeus dead center in the chest.

The impact sent him crashing into the ground in a massive explosion of debris. I dropped to one knee, clutching my injured side, my breath shallow.' Stay down' I thought, staring at the smoke where his body had landed. 'Please, stay down.'

Seconds felt like hours. Heimdall cautiously approached the dust cloud, waiting for movement. I stumbled to my feet, every step a battle in itself, channeling what little cursed magic I had left. Each second was agony, but I kept moving. 'Stay down, dammit.'

Heimdall glanced toward me, then raised his hand. I stopped in my tracks, barely able to hold myself upright, magic flickering away as I released my grip on it.

Heimdall's voice echoed across the arena, cutting through the silence that gripped both gods and humanity alike. "Ryou Sasaki has won!"

The crowd gasped as one, tension shattering as the words sank in.

"The supreme god of the Greek pantheon has been defeated after an unimaginable battle!" Heimdall's voice rose higher, repeating the declaration for all to hear. "Ryou Sasaki has won!"

I raised Muramasa in triumph. Humanity's side erupted in cheers. Tears flowed freely, faces once filled with despair now beaming with joy and relief. They were chanting my name, voices blending together like a wave crashing over me. 'I could get used to that.'

I limped toward the exit, exhaustion finally weighing me down. My victory was real, but so was the toll. 'It's now 1-1. Let's see how this changes things.'

All the named attacks are going to haunt my dreams.

Have a awesome October.

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