[Third Person Pov]
Agares's lips curled into a charming yet unmistakably devilish smirk as he took a single, deliberate step forward.
Midway through their argument, both Annabeth and Lucian abruptly fell silent. A creeping chill ran down their spines as they slowly turned around—only to find Agares no longer where he had been moments ago, but standing several meters behind them, as if space itself had politely moved aside to accommodate him.
His gaze drifted past them, settling on the terrified humans fleeing in every direction as the earthquake continued to tear through the area. Agares let out a low, amused laugh before casually snapping his fingers.
Annabeth and Lucian froze in horror. One by one, people staggered as their eyes rolled back, their bodies going slack as their souls were forcibly torn free. They collapsed to the ground like discarded shells—men, women, and even children—lifeless husks left behind in cruel silence.
Agares lifted his hand and lazily twirled his fingers through the air. The liberated souls spiraled upward, caught in an invisible current that bent to his will. With a satisfied hum, he guided them downward and swallowed them whole, his expression one of indulgent pleasure.
Annabeth's face hardened instantly, fear giving way to fury. Lucian stepped forward, jaw clenched tight.
In the blink of an eye, he appeared directly in front of Agares, his expression darkening as his fist shot forward at full force.
Agares blocked the strike without even turning his head. In the same fluid motion, his tail lashed out—
—and Lucian saw himself decapitated.
He blinked.
Lucian was suddenly back beside Annabeth, one foot barely forward, his heart pounding as the vision of his own death faded. His precognition had saved him—barely.
Agares slowly turned to face them again, his eyes lingering on Lucian with unmistakable interest. His smile widened, predatory and curious.
"Annabeth…" Lucian murmured cautiously, his voice low and tight.
"What?" she asked, startled by the tension in his tone.
"Run."
"Huh? What do you mean run—"
Lucian turned toward her with a strained, nervous grin. "I'm telling you to run because I'm not sure I can beat him and protect you at the same time."
"You cannot," Agares said calmly, as though stating an obvious truth. "I'll allow you both to leave. You did, after all, free me from my… circumstances. Consider this my expression of gratitude."
Lucian glanced at the lifeless bodies scattered at Agares's feet. His eyes hardened. "I'm afraid I'll have to decline. I doubt you're done with your meal—and I'm not exactly a fan of casualties."
"You're right, I'm not," Agares replied with a shrug. "You cannot imagine what it is like to starve for centuries. This is my chance to finally indulge. I need nourishment. This is simply how the world works."
He tilted his head slightly. "It won't end well for either of you if you get in my way. I'm warning you now."
Annabeth's fingers twitched—just once.
Lucian reacted instantly, tackling her out of harm's way as he crossed his arms defensively.
Agares was already there.
His fist was moving, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Even after I was kind enough to warn you!!"
The blow twisted against Lucian's skin. Even with his weight increased to enhance his durability, the force was overwhelming. He was launched backward like a projectile.
The side of the museum exploded outward as Lucian was hurled into the open street, stone and debris flying in all directions. Agares followed close behind. Lucian crashed down hard, slamming into a moving car that crumpled under his weight. The airbag deployed as the driver inside fell unconscious, blood trickling from their brow.
Lucian groaned and glanced at his arms, already darkened with deep bruising.
"Haha…" he muttered as he pushed himself upright. "I'm going to have such a fucking blast."
"Hohoho?" Agares chuckled. "You survived that? And here I thought they didn't make demigods like they used to anymore."
He straightened his suit with deliberate calm, smiling broadly. "Come now, boy. Show me this Era of Demigods!"
"Gladly!" Lucian shouted as they both charged forward.
They collided in the center of the street—Agares catching Lucian's fist mid-swing while Lucian seized Agares's clawed hand, stopping it just short of his heart.
They broke apart instantly.
The fight erupted without restraint.
Lucian punched.
Agares deflected.
Agares stabbed.
Lucian parried.
Their speed increased with every exchange, the air around them howling as shockwaves rippled outward. The sheer force of their clash bent the wind itself, their power visible in the distortion of the space around them as the battle escalated.
Lucian's fist suddenly began to vibrate violently, the air around his knuckles distorting as if reality itself were being strained. The ground beneath his feet cracked as he surged forward, blocking Agares's wrist with his own arm and driving his trembling fist straight ahead with devastating intent.
Agares's grin widened. He calmly raised his palm and caught the blow head-on. The resulting shockwave rippled outward—but instead of being repelled, Agares absorbed it into himself as though it were nothing more than a mild breeze.
He laughed openly.
He was Agares—the Great Duke of Hell, the embodiment of seismic devastation. For Lucian to wield the power of quakes against him was nothing short of amusing.
With a fluid twist of his body, Agares seized Lucian's wrist and rolled along the length of his outstretched arm. In a blur of motion, he struck Lucian with the back of his fist, returning the very same shockwave with amplified force.
Lucian staggered backward, vision swimming. He barely had time to blink before blood burst freely from his nose, streaming down his face as the impact rattled his skull.
Agares didn't give him a moment to recover. Moving while Lucian was still disoriented, he unleashed a relentless barrage of punches—each strike hammering into Lucian's face. His lips split, his brow was torn open, and before he could brace himself, Agares stepped in close and drove a brutal punch into Lucian's chest.
The force sent Lucian flying.
He crashed backward through a nearby building, stone and steel exploding outward as his body tore through multiple walls before disappearing into the structure entirely.
Ancient magic surged around Agares, thick and oppressive. The earth beneath his feet trembled violently as he lifted one leg and brought it down in a crushing stomp aimed towards Lucian's direction inside the building.
Cracks raced through the structure like veins of lightning. The building groaned before collapsing inward, crumbling into a massive heap of debris that buried Lucian beneath tons of rubble.
"Hm?" Agares muttered.
Sensing movement behind him, he turned—only to be met with Annabeth, now clad in gleaming bronze Valkyrie armor.
"Ahhh!!" Annabeth roared as she conjured a morningstar and swung it down with every ounce of force and momentum she could muster.
Agares stopped it with a single finger.
He scoffed. With a casual flick of his middle finger, the air itself rippled outward in a violent shockwave. The liquid metal clinging to Annabeth's body was torn away instantly, bursting apart and scattering, leaving her defenseless.
Before she could react, Agares jabbed forward with two fingers. The strike sent her flying through the air, blood spraying from her mouth as her body tumbled helplessly.
Nebula materialized behind her in a flash, wrapping her arms around Annabeth just in time to shield her as they slammed into a car. The vehicle crumpled, denting inward before tipping onto its side.
In a simultaneous burst of light and darkness, Nox and Lucerna appeared. Without hesitation, they launched coordinated attacks—waves of shadow and brilliant lances of light tearing through the air toward Agares.
Agares laughed, genuinely entertained.
He danced between their attacks, weaving effortlessly through spikes of shadow and beams of radiant energy. Their desperation was obvious, but to him, it was nothing more than a spectacle.
With a casual wave of his hand, Agares unleashed hellfire. The infernal flames tore through their magic, annihilating both light and shadow in an instant.
He vanished.
And reappeared directly in front of them.
Before either could react, Agares grabbed both of them by the head and slammed them into the ground. The asphalt cracked outward like a spiderweb from the point of impact, leaving them stunned and gasping. He then tossed them aside as though they were discarded toys.
"Hm?" Agares murmured again.
The rubble near his feet began to tremble.
He hadn't caused this.
The rumbling intensified rapidly. Car horns began to blare uncontrollably. Streetlights flickered as power surged erratically. Telephone poles swayed and toppled, sparks bursting into the air as chaos spread through the streets.
Agares slowly turned toward the mountain of rubble where Lucian had been buried. Large chunks of concrete began rolling down its sides.
Then Agares burst into genuine laughter.
"Hahaha! You said you would gladly show me this Era's Demigod!" he roared, spreading his arms wide as his voice deepened into a demonic rumble. "So show me, Son of the Greek! Show me—who. you. are!"
The rubble exploded outward.
Chunks of debris were hurled in every direction as something massive rose from within. Standing atop the wreckage, rearing on its hind legs, was a horse forged entirely of obsidian. Its eyes burned with pure fire. Flames poured from the corners of its mouth and licked along its hooves, seeping from glowing fissures that ran across its body.
Mounted upon the infernal steed was a man clad in bright silver armor, polished to a mirror-like sheen. Light reflected brilliantly off the metal as a green cape billowed behind him. His helmet and faceplate was obscured beneath a hood, revealing only vivid green eyes that burned with unwavering resolve.
Resting over his shoulder was his signature weapon—a scythe.
He was of course none other than Lucian Blackheart.
The Earth Sentinel.
A/N: Check the comments (not the paragraph comment) to see the official art
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