Hephaestus came at Adam like a falling star, his divine hammer wreathed in forge-fire that could melt adamantine. The god's grief transformed his usual methodical approach into pure berserker fury.
"YOU KILLED MY WIFE!" he roared, bringing the hammer down with enough force to crack continents.
Adam sidestepped, his enhanced reflexes from the Monarch of Tempestuous Wrath making the blow seem sluggish. The hammer struck marble, and the entire temple behind them exploded into white dust and golden sparks.
"She was already dead," Adam replied coldly, his plasma blade humming with chaotic energy. "A trophy wife for a broken god. I set her free."
Hephaestus swung again, but Adam was already behind him, his blade carving a line of plasma across the smith-god's back. Divine ichor sprayed across the pristine marble as Hephaestus stumbled forward, his forge-fire flickering.
