The furious tides surged forward, turning into colossal beasts that lunged toward the shore. Even the fire-breathing dragons and mounted knights could not withstand such an overwhelming natural force. Within moments, most of the soldiers Duanmu Huai had summoned were completely swallowed by the sea. Though those soldiers possessed great power, before the vast might of nature, their attacks were simply too insignificant to inflict even a scratch, let alone cause Poseidon any harm or even mild irritation.
But Duanmu Huai did not give up. He continued summoning card after card, launching attacks at the ocean before him that seemed utterly futile. It was as if he were completely blind to how helpless his summoned soldiers were against the waves—everything he did looked like nothing more than the final thrashings of someone on the verge of death.
"Hahahahaha!!!"
Watching this scene, Poseidon burst into triumphant laughter.
"Your resistance is meaningless. This is my domain! On the sea, no one is my match! No matter how you struggle, the outcome is already decided! You have only one path left—death! Your corpse shall be devoured by the ocean and vanish forever within its depths. Now, repent for your arrogance! Your death has already been sealed!"
"Hmph!"
Ignoring Poseidon's grandstanding, Duanmu Huai simply rode atop the Magitek Thunder Rhino, swinging his warhammer to smash back the serpentine monsters formed from condensed seawater. Black flames still burned around him, but before the boundless ocean, Duanmu Huai's defense appeared like that of a mantis trying to block a chariot.
Yet even while fending off Poseidon's attacks, Duanmu Huai continued to summon more cards, converting each [Doll] into a [Dragon], and coordinating them with his paladins to push forward. Though the dragons and paladins could not gain the upper hand, they still managed to hold off Poseidon's frenzied assault.
To Poseidon, however, this was nothing but the last futile struggle.
"Courting death! I have no time to play with you here. Since you refuse to surrender, then die!"
At Poseidon's roar, the sea rose once again—this time forming a tsunami dozens of meters high, like something out of a disaster film. The surging mass of water condensed together, shaping into creatures with horse-like heads and limbs. They neighed wildly, their cries mixing with seawater as they charged straight toward Duanmu Huai and his army!
"Hiiiiii—————!!"
The sea-horses galloped forward, their hooves striking the water and sending up sprays that merged into the waves, forming an avalanche-like surge. Before the merciless force of nature, not even dragons could hold their ground. The dragons circling the outer perimeter, spewing flames, were the first to be engulfed. They desperately beat their wings, but to no avail—moments later, the massive waves crashed down, dragging the dragons into the depths of the sea.
Next came the hundreds of paladins. They, too, were powerless before Poseidon's divine might. Their shields and armor, strong enough to pierce enemy lines with ease, meant nothing before the tsunami. They could not even leave a hole in the incoming wave before being swept away and erased from the surface without a trace.
Within mere moments, the obstacles in front of Poseidon had been completely cleared away—leaving only Duanmu Huai still standing, resisting desperately.
Seeing this, Poseidon laughed even louder. He raised his trident high. Under his control, the seawater surged dramatically upward. Countless sea-horses merged together into a single colossal beast of water, opening its gaping maw and lunging toward Duanmu Huai!
"Die, outsider—————!!!"
Yet while the monstrous wave-beast bore down on him, Duanmu Huai did not dodge. Instead, he calculated briefly, then nodded.
"Mm. That should be enough."
Raising his left hand, he looked directly into the giant maw about to swallow him whole. A soul card flashed into existence between his fingers.
[Divine Relic of Greatness (Legendary)]
[Battlecry: Deal damage to all enemy servants equal to the number of your Construct cards destroyed this battle.]
In that moment—lightning split the sky.
Bolts of electricity rained down like a storm, striking the sea with deafening force. Poseidon's enormous water-beast, completely unprepared for such a sudden assault, recoiled in shock—but it was already too late.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!!!
Countless lightning strikes hammered into the immense creature. Each bolt triggered an explosion across its watery surface. Poseidon desperately tried to manipulate the sea to block the continuous barrage—but quantity transformed into quality, and under the infinite bombardment, the giant creature collapsed. Its once-solid form dissolved back into seawater, bursting apart under the combined heat and current.
And the searing electricity surged straight inward, riding the water as a conduit.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Poseidon screamed in agony. It felt as if he were trapped inside a cage of lightning—his entire body, inside and out, was assaulted by electric shocks. His flesh blackened and cracked, pain and explosive voltage merging into a torment so intense it nearly drove him unconscious.
Through the haze of agony, he suddenly felt a violent impact strike his chest. The next instant, wind roared past his ears. His body slammed hard into the mountain wall before falling to the ground.
"Ugh… ah…"
Poseidon struggled to open his eyes—only to see the outsider striding toward him. Duanmu Huai grabbed him by the collar, lifted him high, and smashed Poseidon's head into the wall. Then he punched him again and again, smashing his face and knocking him to the ground.
Duanmu Huai stepped forward and kicked Poseidon in the face, sending him flying like a cannonball into yet another mountain wall.
"Cough… cough… cough..."
Poseidon forced his swollen eyes open, staring in horror.
"You… what are you trying to do?! Zeus won't let you go! No matter how many gods you kill, new gods will rise to fight you!"
"Any who come will die."
Duanmu Huai spoke calmly as he walked toward Poseidon again. He clenched his fist and smashed it into Poseidon's skull. Then he reached out, grabbed Poseidon's head, and drove two fingers straight into his eye sockets—blinding him instantly.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!"
Poseidon screamed in unrelenting agony, but Duanmu Huai was unmoved. Pinning Poseidon down with one foot, he grabbed the sea god's head and yanked upward with brute force.
SPLRRCH!!
In the next moment, Poseidon's head was torn clean off. His neck ripped apart like wet cloth, blood spraying wildly. Red divine power burst forth as well and flowed straight into Duanmu Huai's hands.
"Next… is you, Zeus!"
Raising Poseidon's head high, Duanmu Huai glared toward Mount Olympus and roared. Then he tightened his grip—
—and crushed Poseidon's head to pieces.
BANG!!
Poseidon's head exploded. His severed head and corpse dissolved into seawater and collapsed entirely.
"..."
On Mount Olympus, the gods watched this scene through the water mirror. Their faces turned pale, then ashen. Zeus, seated upon his throne, panted with rage, fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked. His jaw worked furiously as he nearly shook with fury.
"Kill him! Kill him immediately!! Who among you can slay him?!"
"..."
The gods exchanged glances, but no one stepped forward. The man had already killed Ares, Hades, and Poseidon—all fearsome powers of Olympus. If even they couldn't stop him, wouldn't they just be going off to die?
"…Allow me."
At that moment, a soft voice echoed through the hall. A woman floated forward gracefully. Seeing her arrive, Zeus's eyes brightened.
"Oh, Athena. Do you have a way to kill this insolent madman?"
"I am not certain… but I will try."
Athena nodded, then spoke.
"We still do not know this man's purpose, but by his actions he has declared war on Olympus. If we cannot stop him, then Mount Olympus—and every god upon it—will perish."
She looked slowly around at the gathered gods, her expression solemn and heavy.
"Alone, none of us may be able to defeat him. But together, combining our strength, even if he possessed heaven-piercing might, there would be only one outcome for him—death. We must act as one. If we do, then we can defeat him."
"Good."
Zeus nodded in satisfaction.
"I leave it to you. I want to see his corpse!"
(End of chapter)