I stared at the words.
— - —
[Limit Break activated]
— - —
Huh?
What does that mean?
"Help?" I mumbled.
Nope.
Nothing.
"More info?" The words bobbed up and down for a moment. The bright blue letters faded, and a small, gleaming paragraph took its place.
— - — ~
Congratulations! You have activated your very first Limit Break! Limit Breaks—often referred to simply as Limits—are powerful combat techniques granted to you in moments of extreme need. Harnessing the raw intensity of your emotions, combined with your innate abilities, a Limit Break channels unparalleled energy to turn the tide of battle.
These techniques are among the most devastating moves in your arsenal, capable of inflicting massive damage, enhancing your capabilities, or providing critical support. Be warned: Limit Breaks are not infinite, and some are locked behind specific level thresholds. Use them wisely, and always remember—victory or defeat may hinge on how you wield this extraordinary power.
Limit Break : {Mana Overflow}
[Description]: Gain unlimited mana, unleashing the full force of your abilities without restraint. Spells, skills, and techniques will no longer drain your reserves, allowing you to fight at your absolute peak.
— - —
"Yo, what are you looking at, punk?" Ares called out from in front of me. He was impatiently tapping his foot and swinging his bat around, smashing holes in the sand. "I got shit to do, ya know. Come get some and we can both get the fuck out of here."
I willed the words away for now. Unlimited mana, huh? I raised a watery hand. Little drops of seawater hung off the top of my fingertips, which were completely encased in the translucent substance. I felt a tug in my gut as a rush of mana shot through my hand.
FWOOOM!
I blasted seawater toward Ares. He easily sidestepped it, but I grinned to myself. I didn't lose any mana off that!
— - —
4:59:52
— - —
Ah, right—the catch. I only had five minutes. An uncomfortable feeling squeezed my throat—I had to find a way to make this count.
He swung the baseball bat off his shoulder again. "How would you like to get smashed: classic or modern?"
I showed him my sword. "That's cool, dead boy," He said. "Classic it is. I can't wait to see the face on ol' Barnacle Beard when I deliver him your head on a silver platter."
I got the faintest idea that Ares loved to talk trash. I can't really tell you why, though. He's a millennia-old deity (whose domain is war, by the way) fighting some kid who didn't even know he was a demigod until about a week ago.
It's like if you swung by the Barclays Center to watch the Nets play and Kevin Durant started calling you a bitch. Actually, that's a bad analogy. Kevin Durant's definitely the kind of guy to do that. Maybe it's just something fun he likes to do.
Maybe it's a battle thing —the few times I'd fought some of the Ares kids, they taunted me the whole damn time, like it was a requirement for them to not shut up while fighting. Something told me this battle would be a little different than that, though. I ignored the red-hot feelings of anger in my chest. I needed to be calm and in control. If I wanted to get in his head, I had to make sure he wasn't in mine, first.
The baseball bat changed into a huge, two-handed sword. The hilt was a large silver skull with a ruby in its mouth. Looking back, it was definitely for the intimidation factor, but the skull's mouth started opening and closing, emitting a dark cackle, "Bring it on, then, sea spawn."
Pressure started building in my ears. You know that feeling when you're at the top of a rollercoaster, looking down at the track, and your ears pop? Yeah, that's what I was feeling. The air shifted. Ares cleaved downward at my head, but I wasn't there. My body thought for me. The watery armor pulsed at my feet, pushing me into the air. I catapulted over him, slashing as I came down.
But Ares was just as quick—no, quicker. He twisted, and the strike that should've caught him directly in the spine was deflected off the end of his sword hilt. A loud crack was heard. Particles of water hung in the air for a split second and SHWOOM!
Oh, man. The speed. The rush. My stomach dropped, and I felt my body contort into nothingness. All the air left my lungs. I disappeared from my spot suspended in the air, my body flashing behind him instantaneously.
"How—" WHAM! Ares' face rocked sideways, and he backpedaled. A black line formed on his face, almost like a car drifted on it for a second. It sizzled in the Santa Monica heat, making Ares' face look like he poured some oil on himself.
"Nice job," I taunted back, the watery whip retracting back into my armor. "The God of War gets smacked around by a twelve-year-old. I wonder what Uncle Zeus thinks about that."
— - — -
[270][MP] - [5%] chance to blind, stagger, cripple, or bleed! - [100 x 43] + [100 x 15] = [-][5800][HP]
— - —
"Nice try, Jackson," Ares said, cracking his jaw and rolling his arms a few times. "It's going to take more than that to get in my head. I've been doing this longer than your puny, little, walnut of a brain could comprehend."
I took another look at him, sizing me up from across the dune. His muscles rippled in the sunlight. For a moment, I felt helpless. He was big, strong, and manly. Not really sure what that last part has to do with the fight, but, yeah...not to mention, he's basically royalty—wait!
A grin formed on my face. I knew how to play this one. Yeah, I knew exactly how to play this one. Look I'll be the first to tell you I don't have much experience fighting deities of mass destruction—it's just the truth. Getting into other people's heads, though? Especially rich, spoiled kids? Well, let's just say there was a reason I was in detention all the time back at Yancy. Pampered kids are easy to break down. I started wracking my brain, trying to remember some dirt on Ares. He was a god—there had to be something I could use on him. He'd been around for centuries!
For now, though...there was a surefire way to get inside the head of any man... "Ha!" I screamed, another ring of [Mana Manipulation] expelling from my fingertips. It slammed into him, and he grunted in response. Unbeknownst to him, I snuck in a second one. It was the size of a small penny, and I concentrated the mana to shoot out with my first ring. It smashed right into his groin.
"Sheesh," I said, feigning disappointment. "It didn't even feel like anything was there. Next time, I'll just aim for your fingers or something."
— - — -
[10%] chance to blind, stagger, cripple, or bleed!
— - —
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The fight between Ares and Percy in still ongoing what are your thoughts on this fight in the comments. If you've been enjoying the ride so far, please leave a review and drop a power stone. Your support keeps this story alive and makes sure Percy doesn't suffer completely in vain.
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