The moonlight garden stood quiet—peaceful—until the ground itself began to hum with power.
This was the place Aetherion always trained, nestled deep within Gaia's divine sanctuary.
The field was surrounded by colossal trees glowing with starlight, and the grass shimmered like silver under the eternal moon.
Today, however, it would not be used for training.
Today, it would be used for battle.
Aetherion stood at one end of the field, arms relaxed, eyes steady.
Across from him, Themis stood tall and silent.
Gaia, Prometheus, and Rhea watched from the side, their expressions solemn but curious.
Aetherion slowly raised his hand, bringing it together in a clapping motion.
He noticed Themis watching him with a slightly puzzled expression, clearly unsure of what he was about to do.
Then—he clapped.
In an instant, silver and green light burst from his body, sweeping across the environment like a wave.
The light shimmered, warping the air around them as a new realm unfolded—Parallel Expansion.
Within seconds, the world transformed.
This was a realm of his own making—a pocket of divine reality where any damage inflicted would not affect the outside world.
Once the technique ended, all destruction would vanish with it.
Themis's eyes widened, a stupefied expression crossing her face.
She didn't understand what the young deity had just done.
Aetherion noticed her look and offered a calm explanation.
"This is Parallel Expansion," he said simply. "As the name says, a parallel reality where all damage in here will be removed as the technique is released."
''I see,"
was all Themis said as she looked around the Parallel Expansion.
Though the place had not changed and still appeared the same, she gazed about in quiet wonder.
Remaining silent, Themis finally turned her gaze fully to him."
Still silent, Themis turned her gaze fully toward him.
The air between them thickened—not with tension, but with anticipation.
Neither spoke another word.
They stared at each other.
No sound.
No movement.
Only readiness.
The battle had yet to begin, but already, the world around them was holding its breath.
Suddenly, Themis's body began to grow.
Her figure expanded until she reached the size of a full Titan—nearly thirty meters tall.
Her white toga shifted with the motion, divine energy radiating from her like heat from a sun.
Aetherion didn't hesitate.
He followed suit, growing—thirty-two meters in all.
Then, Themis knelt low, a warrior's stance.
Aetherion moved first.
No divine energy flared from him at first.
He sprinted forward with pure speed, each step trembling the earth, fists clenched, and threw a quick punch directly toward Themis's abdomen.
She blocked it, skidding back slightly, surprised by the force without energy enhancement.
Their fight began in earnest—strike for strike, a dance of muscle and raw technique.
It didn't take long before their divine power began to leak into each blow.
Themis struck with terrifying precision, her fists crashing like boulders.
But thanks to his eyes, Aetherion responded, weaving around her hits, slipping beneath her defenses.
He summoned weapons from thin air—swords, spears, daggers—all forged from moonlight and illusion.
One of the illusions rushed forward and looked just like him.
Themis hesitated—just for a moment—but long enough for a spear to cut across her thigh.
The illusion exploded into moonlight.
He followed with another technique.
The Moonlight Illusion activated—his weapons transformed midair, each taking the shape of Aetherion himself, rushing her from multiple angles.
While the real Aetherion vanished in a blur, the false ones attacked.
Themis countered with divine precision, crushing several illusions—but they didn't bleed.
But instead, it was she who was nearly bleeding—or rather, she was already beginning to show scratches along her skin from every illusion she struck.
Each time she landed a blow, it turned out to be a trap.
Magically, a weapon would always be moments away from striking a vital point.
If she hadn't been fast enough, she would already have several weapons embedded in her flesh.
It was truly a frightening technique.
But eventually, when she managed to dodge them all, each of the light-forged weapons burst into radiant energy and vanished from sight.
Aetherion weaved his fingers through the air and tapped into his Life Domain.
From beneath Themis's feet, spears of stone erupted—guided by his Earth Domain and fed with living energy from the land around them.
The roots of trees answered his call, lashing out like whips, forcing her to leap into the air.
Even midair, he didn't let up.
Aetherion threw a punch filled with Nature's force—drawing energy not only from himself but from the environment.
The sheer life force surged through his veins and into his fist, striking Themis across the face and knocking her down.
He also noticed that Themis—despite everything—hadn't truly attacked him using any of her domains.
Even though he had used nearly all of his, she had yet to respond in kind.
And honestly… that frightened him.
She hadn't even taken the fight seriously yet.
Aetherion thought to himself as he steadied his stance, readying for the battle still to come.
Themis landed hard, the ground cracking beneath her.
A bruise bloomed upon her cheek, and from the corner of her lips, golden ichor trickled—radiant and divine, a testament to her immortal blood.
But she was smiling.
She stood, her expression hardening.
"Now," she muttered, "let me show you what I can do."
The air grew heavy.
Her Divinity flared, glowing white-gold and surging around her. The wind shifted.
He noticed her mouth moving, muttering something under her breath.
"Justice… I deliver. Sinner… perish… he deserves ."
Themis whispered.
Then all the white and golden energy exuding from her body began to compress even further into herself.
Only her skin continued to glow, shining with golden and white particles—until, in an instant, she vanished.
Not blinked.
Vanished.
Aetherion's eyes tracked the flow of movement with his divine sight—but even so, his body couldn't keep up.
He saw her moves before they came, but reacting was another matter entirely.
Aetherion brought up a shield of moonlight and starlight, compressing it as much as possible, but she shattered it instantly with a kick glowing in golden light.
He dodged a second blow only by dropping into the Earth, burrowing briefly, and emerging behind her with a burst of vines and roots.
He summoned a storm of weapons again—hundreds of glowing projectiles circling him.
Then he snapped his fingers.
They surged.
Themis fought back fiercely, slicing through illusion after illusion, but some landed hits.
Not deadly, but enough to sting.
He crafted chains of living energy from the Life Domain, flinging them at her like vines from a forest god.
She dodged and countered, slicing through them with a sword Aetherion hadn't seen until now—a blade resting at her hip, glowing with divine order.
Aetherion felt the sting of cuts himself now, her counterattacks landing.
He spun backward, planting his hand into the ground.
The Earth answered—columns of stone rose like towers, encircling Themis.
She blasted through them.
They moved like titans.
Each punch was enough to level mountains.
Each step shook the field.
But then—Aetherion stopped.
He was getting beaten badly—especially now that she was serious and had begun using one of her domains.
Bruises marred his immortal flesh, his garments hung in tatters—and from the corner of his lips, golden ichor dripped like molten starlight.
He could no longer keep up with her speed; she was simply too fast for him.
He knew he had to step up his game… and go beyond.
He breathed slowly.
And his form began to glow.
Moonlight shimmered over his skin, starting at his heart and moving outward.
His golden hair, streaked with forest green, shimmered into silver, while his eyes blazed with lunar flame.
Upon his brow, a crescent moon emerged—glowing with divine light.
His Divine Form activated.
Prometheus' eyes widened.
Rhea stepped forward.
Even Prometheus raised an eyebrow.
Themis stood still, surprised.
"You didn't tell us you'd reached that level,"
she said.
"I didn't think I had to,"
Aetherion replied, voice calm, yet resonating with power.
The battlefield fell silent for a moment.
And then everything changed.