Monsters had gathered along the treeline; there was no discernible formation or pattern in their grouping, revealing the chaos that monsters were known for. It seemed they had been waiting for the command to attack, for they didn't move until a red bolt flew into the sky, exploding, almost like a firework.
With the signal sent, the monsters surged forward, a wall of teeth and claws, eyes gleaming with bloodthirst and cruelty. Some monsters were already falling before they reached the father and son, some crushed beneath the foot of a charging cyclops, some injured by the monsters beside them to stop them from overtaking, and some monsters were too slow, shoved to the ground by passing monsters and crushed beneath the wave of monsters that followed behind.
"Monsters," Steven spat in disgust, seeing their lack of unity and camaraderie.
His coat swayed as he raised his weapon, the faintest smile playing on his lips.
Crack.
A dracaena collapsed into gold dust with a neat hole drilled between her eyes.
Crack.
A hellhound burst into dust mid-leap, its momentum scattering golden motes across the yard.
Steven reloaded smoothly, flicking the spent casing to the ground with the elegance of a practiced duelist. He sidestepped a cyclops' massive club and muttered, almost politely, "Excuse me," before firing once into the creature's eye. The giant toppled with a groan, its body hitting the earth and sending a tremor through the clearing.
Steven didn't waste energy. Every shot was precise, calculated to kill with minimal effort, preserving his energy. He didn't dodge the oncoming monsters but stepped into their ranks, using the closest monsters as barriers and obstructions, dodging with minimal distance and killing all he saw. It was killing as an art form, a gentleman's waltz with death.
Lucas, on the other hand, moved like a ghost, shifting at the edge of the battle, dancing around the monsters.
He threw a card into the air, which dissipated into flames as it was consumed. A torrent of high-pressure water was released, cutting through the monsters like paper. Lucas didn't stop. Summoning more cards and more torrents of water, cutting through many a monster before Steven caught onto his plan. The monsters dying were just a side effect. Lucas was using the water to alter the terrain, turning the ground into mud and creating a natural barrier that slowed the charging monsters, giving them some respite without worrying about being overwhelmed.
Steven laughed between shots, proud of his son's scheme. He soon stopped shooting at the monsters stuck in the mud, allowing them to slow down the monsters behind, and some even toppled and were crushed beneath those rushing forward.
Steven's revolver cracked rhythmically, every shot landing like clockwork. Lucas continued his annoyance, summoning more water while cutting down some monsters.
Soon, a change occurred, a scoff echoing over the sounds of battle as a brown wave spread over the earth, solidifying the ground and trapping all the monsters whose legs were in the mud, in the earth. Those who couldn't quickly break free fell and were crushed by those behind them.
Steven frowned, seeing this. With the earth reinforced and solidified, the monsters could once again freely charge and overwhelm them, especially the centaurs, who had suffered the most under the mud, now free to use their speed. It seemed there was someone smart hiding behind the horde, someone with incredible magic.
Lucas saw the effect of the magic, but didn't stop his actions; he continued his summoning of water, only this time it had little impact, killing only a small handful of monsters.
Steven furrowed his brows, seeing his son's actions, while he could guess that using those cards helped preserve his magical energy; however, using them so often must also consume him. Although the mud effect made such actions worthwhile, continuing now was just a waste. In fact, he wasn't the only one who thought so. Medea, who was hiding in the backlines and was the one who solidified the earth, also had that thought, thinking Lucas wasn't as brilliant as she expected.
Already bored with this nonsense, she turned, looking at the man beside her, and gave a command.
"Go."
The man didn't need anything more; with a whoosh, he launched himself through the trees and towards Lucas, cutting through all the monsters and rogue demigods that were in his way, not caring that they were on the same side.
The smell of blood thickened when this man stepped on the battlefield.
He was a tall figure clad in a ragged robe stitched with the uncured pelts of wolves. His eyes gleamed in the dark, red and wild. He smiled, his teeth bared in a sharp, wide grin, revealing his canines.
Lucas recognised the man and his crown of bones.
"Lycaon," Lucas muttered, eyes narrowing in recognition of the danger he represented. While the horde may have been numerous, they were too weak to bother him. However, Lycaon was powerful. He remembered when they first met; it was only thanks to the arrival of Artemis that he had escaped his claws.
"Lucas…" The name dripped with loathing. Lycaon only had eyes for Lucas, ignoring Steven.
He looked down at the corpses, the blood, the mounds of gold dust, the pools of water, and then back at Lucas.
"It seems you have grown since the last time we met. Unfortunately for you, that's not enough to defeat me, and that bitch isn't here to save you this time."
Lycaon snarled, baring teeth. Around him, the monsters howled and surged toward Steven, emboldened by Lycaon's presence. The battlefield roared back to life, now with lycans and wolves on the field.
Lucas glanced at his father, seeing him able to cope with the monsters, and while he couldn't kill the lycans without silver, he could still survive for a while by using other monsters as shields. Confident his father could hold out, Lucas turned to Lycaon, smiling.
"Oh, if it isn't the coward who ran, only daring to face me now that you have a backer?"
Lucas' mockery wasn't something Lycaon would allow, especially since he was telling how the situation was similar to how they first met, but this time reversed. Being looked down on, Lycaon snarled, about to retort when his instinct flared, he quickly dodged to the side as a torrent of high-pressure water surged from behind, cutting off a few tufts of his hair and tossing his crown onto the floor. If he hadn't dodged, that water beam would have beheaded him.
Lycaon turned, seeing Lucas behind him, a card dissipating into small flames in his hand. Understanding flickered in Lacyeons' eyes as he turned, noting how the Lucas he was talking to was smirking at him as it dispersed into smoke.
He was played with again!
Lycaon no longer wanted to mock Lucas; he transformed into a werewolf and ran toward Lucas on all fours, dodging the multiple high-pressure water columns Lucas sent toward him. He reached the demigod and swiped his claws towards Lucas' neck, cutting through it.
Seemingly feeling something wasn't right, Lycaon intended to jump back, but it was too late; Lucas exploded into water, drowning Lycaon and some of the monsters surrounding them in water. Lycaon stood back up, unconcerned with how wet he was; the clones' self-destruction had done no damage to him, so he crouched low, muscles tense as he prepared to dodge any sudden attack from Lucas.
Contrary to his expectations, Lucas appeared far away.
When their eyes met, Lucas smirked, sending a prickling feeling up Lycaon's spine as his instincts warned of danger. He watched as Lucas raised a card that sent forth a lightning bolt; however, while fast, it was nothing compared to his speed, so he dodged backwards, watching in contempt as the bolt struck the ground before him... no, not ground, the pool of water.
Suddenly, something clicked: the water!
By solidifying the earth to prevent mud, it also stopped the water from being absorbed into the ground. The ground was already slightly bowl-shaped from constant attacks and terrain changes, almost imperceptible. Thanks to this, something normally insignificant became deadly; it allowed the water to form a wide puddle in which Lycaon and many monsters were standing in, and since they were already drenched by water beforehand...
The bolt of lightning struck the water, sending electricity coursing through it. The lightning wasn't weak; the card had been inscribed with storm magic, strengthened by Hecate, a trump card. Amplified by the water, it became devastating. Any monster struck by the electrified water was hit by a powerful lightning surge, instantly killing the weakest caught in its range, while tormenting the ones strong enough to survive, causing them to pause in pain as their muscles were destroyed.
Lycaon howled in pain, his body convulsing, but he quickly recovered, wanting to run before Lucas continued, but it was too late.
Silver chains sprang from the ground, trapping Lycaon, while a dagger was pressed against his neck; his instincts flared, warning him that if this dagger cut him, he would die.