The sky over the sea was clear as glass when they left Kahndaq.
John rose first, lightning rippling softly beneath his skin as he extended his will outward. The barrier answered him instantly. Invisible and absolute. Divine magic layered upon ancient sorcery, reinforced by wisdom older than nations. The air around Kahndaq shimmered once, then settled, sealed tighter than any fortress ever built.
Nothing and no one with evil intent would enter or leave while he's gone.
Harley hovered beside Maureen, spinning lazily in the air. "Well, that's comforting," she said. "Apocalyptic shield upgraded. No pressure or anything."
Maureen nodded, eyes focused. "Time to go."
Hippolyta looked back once at the land below. She felt the weight of it settle in her chest. A nation protected not by fear, but by certainty.
Then they turned east.
Paradise Island waited beyond the horizon.
They flew low over the ocean, cutting through clouds that parted at their passing. The sea below reflected flashes of lightning and frost as sunlight glimmered across waves. No one spoke for a while. Each of them carried their own thoughts.
Halfway through the journey, John slowed.
Then he stopped.
The air around him vibrated faintly.
Maureen noticed first. "John?"
He did not answer immediately. His gaze had shifted, no longer fixed on the direction of Paradise Island, but toward the north. He felt traces of divine energy that weren't theirs.
"I can feel him," John said quietly.
Harley rolled upright. "Feel who?"
John closed his eyes for half a second, then opened them again. Lightning crackled faintly along his arms.
"Ares."
Hippolyta asked. "Where?"
"Looks like an island," John replied. "He is watching us."
Harley grinned. "Ooo. War god side quest."
"No," John said, sternly. "You three continue to Paradise Island. Proceed exactly as planned. Hypnota first. Diana second. Do not improvise."
Harley scoffed. "Rude."
Maureen stepped closer to him. "You be careful."
John nodded with a little smile. "You girls be careful too."
Hippolyta inclined her head. "We will not fail you."
Harley pointed at him. "Don't you go dying without me, thunder husband."
John allowed himself a small smile. "Save the island."
The three streaked toward Paradise Island, their auras fading into the distance.
John turned.
The world blurred.
He crossed the distance in seconds, the sky tearing open around him as clouds split and scattered. The island revealed itself abruptly, a jagged mass of black stone rising from the sea like a wound. There was no life in that place. Just rock and silence.
John descended slowly this time.
The moment his boots touched the ground, the air changed.
It grew heavier.
Hotter.
The scent of iron and ash hung faintly on the wind.
Someone clapped.
John narrowed his eyes.
A man stood a short distance away, hands coming together in polite applause. He wore a black tuxedo, perfectly tailored, untouched by the harsh environment. His hair was neatly combed. His shoes gleamed as if he had just stepped out of a gala rather than onto a dead island.
He smiled.
"Impressive entrance," the man said pleasantly. "Subtle, too. Zeus always did favor theatrics."
John did not return the smile.
"Ares," he said.
The man sighed, mock offended. "Straight to the point. No small talk? Not even a bit of curiosity about what's going on or why I didn't hide and decided to confront you? That is... disappointing."
His eyes shifted.
For a fraction of a second, the disguise slipped.
Fire burned behind his eyes. Endless battlefields reflected in their depths. Blood, screams, banners torn apart by war.
Then it was gone.
He adjusted his cuffs casually. "You have grown powerful, Champion of Gods. Stronger than I expected."
John stood still, lightning crackling around him. "You let Hypnota take Themyscira. You used that conflict to fuel your power."
Ares shrugged. "I allowed her to remove obstacles. Nothing more. And yes, that conflict helped me regain my lost strength."
"You planned to open Doom's Doorway."
"Yes."
"You plan to start another war."
Ares smiled wider. "I plan to end stagnation."
The ground trembled beneath his feet, just slightly, as if the island itself reacted to his presence.
"You hide behind mortals and mind tricks now," John said. "That is not the god who wounded Zeus."
Ares laughed softly. "Zeus underestimated hatred. You are making the same mistake."
He took a step forward.
The island responded.
Cracks spread through the stone. Heat rolled outward in waves. Ghostly echoes of clashing steel whispered through the air.
"I am war," Ares said calmly. "Every conflict feeds me. Every scream strengthens me. Your existence has already accelerated my return. I won't lie, I was worried for a while when you shut off your powers and decided to live a normal life. I expected you to use your power to wage a war on the heroes for all the pain and suffering you went through. Sadly, I underestimated your mental prowess. I was about to make my move, but Joker, Shredder, and Blaze did the job for me by dragging you into the unavoidable conflicts. Now, I'll..."
John did not wait for the speech to finish.
The world snapped.
In the space between one heartbeat and the next, John vanished.
Ares' smile was still forming when impact came.
John's fist buried into Ares' chest. The shockwave ripped outward, pulverizing stone and hurling rock fragments into the sea.
"Whatever," John said coldly.
Ares skidded backward across the black rock, boots carving trenches as he was driven hundreds of meters away. He dug one hand into the ground, stopping himself at the edge of a cliff.
He laughed.
Ares straightened slowly, brushing dust from his tuxedo as if mildly inconvenienced.
John did not pause.
He was already there.
Ares was about to speak or laugh again, but before he could even respond, John's knee drove into his ribs, followed by a hammering punch to the sternum that folded the God of War inward and sent him rocketing skyward.
John chased him.
They tore through the clouds, thunderheads imploding as John caught Ares by the throat and drove him straight back down. They hit the island with a massive explosion, creating a big crater.
John hovered over him, lightning crackling around his body.
"You think borrowed power like that would frighten me?" Ares laughed, rising to his feet. The tuxedo burned away, revealing scorched armor beneath. It was his ancient God of War armor. "I have fought gods faster than thought."
He blinked before John and swung.
The air itself fractured as his fist tore forward, wrapped in raw war-energy.
John simply flew back, nearly avoiding the super-speed punch.
The shockwave flattened everything within a mile.
'Fuck! That was dangerous.' John thought as he witnessed the destruction caused by a simple punch. 'Gotta be careful.'
Ares straightened fully, rolling his shoulders once. War-energy bled out of him in thick, crimson-gold waves, curling around his arms like living fire. With a sound like a battlefield tearing itself open, a massive double-headed axe formed in his grip. Its edges were glowing with divine heat. Every breath it took scorched the air. Ghostly echoes of battle poured off it like steam.
Ares grinned.
"This is not borrowed power," he said calmly. "This is mine."
The axe came down from above in a vertical cleave meant to split the island in half.
John twisted midair and caught the handle inches from his face. The impact sent a concussive shock through his arms, lightning exploding outward as he was driven downward. His boots gouged into stone, carving a trench as he skidded back dozens of meters.
'Fucker is using teleportation!' John thought.
The axe screamed again as Ares wrenched it free and swung horizontally.
John ducked under the arc, feeling the heat peel across his shoulders. The missed strike continued on, tearing through the island behind him. Stone vaporized. The sea rushed in to fill the gap.
John countered instantly.
He drove a lightning-charged punch into Ares' side. Thunder detonated point-blank, launching the God of War through three jagged ridges before he slammed into a cliff face hard enough to collapse it.
Ares burst free from the rubble, laughing.
"Yes," he roared. "This is what I've been craving for so long. Show me more!"
He rushed forward again, axe whirling in a brutal combination that left no space, no rhythm. Overhead cleaves, diagonal hooks, spinning strikes that bent the air itself.
John moved.
He weaved through the storm, lightning flaring with every near miss. He blocked where he had to, deflecting the haft with reinforced forearms, redirecting force instead of meeting it head-on. Each clash rang like a bell struck by gods.
One strike slipped through.
The axe clipped his shoulder.
Pain flared white-hot as divine energy tore across his flesh. Blood sparked, evaporating before it could fall.
John grunted and kicked off the ground, creating distance.
Ares grinned wider at the sight of it.
"There it is," he said. "You bleed."
John rolled his shoulder once. The wound was already knitting itself back together, lightning sealing torn flesh.
"So do you," John replied.
Ares felt something wet dripping down his nose. He touched his nose and noticed blood. 'How long has it been since I've seen my own blood?'
They stared at each other across the shattered ground.
Ares planted the axe into the stone and leaned on it casually, as if this were a friendly spar.
"You know," he said, "I wondered what you would become. A conqueror? A tyrant? Another Zeus in a different skin? But no. You built walls. You protected people. You tried to end the conflict."
He laughed, shaking his head.
"Do you have any idea how much that infuriates me?"
John stretched his arms and legs. "All I ever wanted was a peaceful life with my loved ones, but one fucker after another keeps popping up. And I had to step in every single time. Fawcett City bombing incident, then Bangbabies and Shredder, then Seven Deadly Sins and Blaze... I've destroyed all my enemies just to get some peace. Then, just when I obtained that peace, you popped up. Now, imagine what I'm gonna do to you, who stands between me and my peaceful life..."
Ares' expression sharpened.
"You cannot fight me without feeding me," he said loudly. "Every strike. Every clash. Every ounce of effort you pour into this battle makes me stronger."
He yanked the axe free and pointed it at John.
"And you cannot walk away. Because if you do, I will go to Themyscira and I will open the Doorway. I will drown the world in glorious, endless conflict. And you won't be there to witness the rise of a new God."
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