Anaxagoras vs Ra
Victor: Ra
Time: 10 minutes and 13 seconds
Finishing move: Sun Blast
For the first time in what felt like forever. The humans felt the fear of defeat at the hands of the gods.
And yet all humanity stood in unison. For even the man who thought differently against the gods… Anaxagoras the force to rebel against the gods.
1 – 1.
Across the human stands, no one spoke. Some stared at the floor. Others clenched their fists. A few wept quietly. Not because Anaxagoras had lost but because of what he represented.
A man who looked at the sun and said:
"You are not a god. You are a star."
And for that… he burned.
And yet—
All of humanity stood.
Not commanded.
Not coordinated.
They simply rose together.
Not in defiance.
Not in celebration.
But in respect.
Joachim's hands trembled at his sides.
"This… was the one fight I— I expected to win," he gulped solemnly, eyes still fixed on the scorched battlefield. "He died… fighting."
There was no humor in his voice this time.
Furbiris exhaled sharply, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Dang…" he muttered. "That's the first time I've seen someone die."
He paused.
"…And smile while doing it."
Because that was the part none of them could forget.
Zeus let out a slow breath before raising his hand.
"Round Two!" he declared. "Victory, Ra!"
The gods erupted in cheers.
"1–1…" he muttered to himself.
His sharp eyes drifted across the roster carved into the golden tablet hovering beside him. Names shimmered in divine script, some glowing faintly, others dim and waiting.
Ra had done his job.
But barely.
Zeus exhaled through his nose.
"They're troublesome," he admitted quietly.
Hermes stood beside him, adjusting his gloves, still glancing toward the human stands.
"That philosopher pushed Ra farther than expected," Hermes said. "If their next fighter has similar… creativity…"
Zeus' lip twitched upward.
"Creativity won't matter."
He raised one finger, and the golden tablet expanded, names rotating slowly in the air like constellations awaiting selection.
Below, the humans watched anxiously. Joachim clenched his fists again. Furbiris leaned forward in his seat.
"C'mon…" Furbiris muttered. "Don't send someone insane…"
Zeus' eyes scanned the divine side.
Powerhouses.
War gods.
Primordial beings.
Executioners.
Each one capable of flattening mountains.
But this wasn't just about power.
It was about momentum.
The gods could not afford to look shaken.
Zeus' gaze stopped.
A name pulsed faintly.
He chuckled.
"Oh… this will be entertaining."
Thunder rumbled softly above the coliseum as Zeus stood, lightning arcing behind him like wings.
The entire arena looked up.
"For Round Three!" Zeus' voice boomed across heaven and earth.
The air tightened.
The gods leaned forward.
The humans braced themselves.
Zeus' eyes gleamed as he prepared to announce the next divine combatant.
"Allow me."
All eyes turned.
Ra had not yet left.
The sun god stood tall once more, radiance now stable, though clearly diminished from the previous battle. His golden cloak flickered behind him as he turned to face the divine stands instead of the humans.
"If you are choosing power," Ra said calmly, "choose refinement."
Zeus raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
Ra's eyes narrowed slightly—not in anger, but in certainty.
"There is one among us who understands war not as chaos… but as craftsmanship."
A murmur spread through the gods.
Ra continued.
"He does not fight for spectacle. He does not rely on inherited divinity. He tempers himself like steel. Again and again."
Lightning crackled faintly around Zeus' shoulders as interest grew in his expression.
"You speak highly," Zeus said. "For someone who rarely praises."
Ra did not look away.
"He is not fully god," Ra stated plainly. "Nor fully mortal."
A ripple passed through the arena.
"He stands between."
The divine tablet beside Zeus flickered.
One name began to glow brighter.
Ra's voice deepened.
"He is a forge given will. A hammer that shapes destiny. A warrior who understands that strength is not born…"
"…it is built."
The gods were silent now.
Then, Heavy footsteps echoed from the entrance corridor.
Not dramatic.
Not explosive.
Measured.
Each step sounded like metal striking an anvil.
From the shadows emerged a towering figure.
Broad-shouldered. Dark-skinned. Muscles defined not by vanity but labor. His chest was marked with faint glowing patterns like heated metal veins. Around his waist hung tools of craftsmanship, hammers, tongs, unfinished blades.
Across his back rested a massive, blackened iron cleaver, its edge dull in appearance but humming faintly with restrained power.
His eyes were calm.
Focused.
Unimpressed by the noise.
The whispers began instantly.
"It's him—"
"A demi-god?"
"No way…"
Ra spoke the name.
"Ogun."
The murmurs grew louder.
A demi-god.
Not a full deity.
Yet the air shifted the moment he stepped into the light.
Zeus' grin widened slowly.
"Well, well…"
Ogun rolled his shoulders once, metal rings around his wrists clinking softly. He glanced around at the cheering gods, at the humans watching warily, then toward Ra.
"You talk too much," Ogun said evenly.
Some gods laughed nervously.
Ra did not.
"I speak truth," Ra replied. "Among us, you are discipline. You are improvement."
Ogun stepped fully into the arena light.
The ground beneath his feet faintly darkened, as if heated by invisible flame.
"I'm not here to be praised," Ogun said. "I'm here to work."
Zeus burst into laughter.
"HAHAHA! I like him!"
Hermes leaned forward, intrigued.
"A demi-god stepping into Round Three…" he mused.
Ra turned toward the human stands briefly.
"If they send creativity again," Ra said quietly, "send them someone who understands structure."
Ogun reached back slowly and gripped the handle of his massive blade.
The metal sang faintly.
Not divine choir.
Not heavenly chorus.
The sound of steel ready to be shaped.
The gods began chanting his name.
"O-GUN! O-GUN! O-GUN!"
In the human stands, Joachim swallowed.
"…A demi-god?" he muttered.
Furbiris leaned forward, eyes wide.
"He doesn't look flashy…"
Ogun planted the tip of his cleaver against the arena floor.
A small crack spread outward.
"But he feels heavy."
Zeus raised his hand high, thunder rolling overhead.
"For Round Three!"
Lightning split the sky.
"I will not fight… for you pathetic gods." Ogun chuckled. "Find someone else. I'm a human for life."