Reborn As Hades In Olympus

Ch. 163: The Sea's Wrath

The air reeked of salt and blood. The ocean, once a roaring battlefield, was deceptively calm now, stretching like an endless mirror beneath the dawn's faint light. Poseidon's chest rose and fell heavily, his grip on the trident unwavering despite the crimson streaks that ran down his torso. My scythe, dim but not extinguished, trembled in my hand as the nether flame flickered defiantly.

Neither of us spoke further. Words had no place here. Only the unyielding resolve of gods stood between us now.

Poseidon moved first, his trident slamming into the water. The still ocean turned alive, writhing and roaring as a colossal whirlpool formed beneath us. The pull was instantaneous, the force nearly dragging me under.

"Do you think you can match the seas, brother?" Poseidon roared, his voice carrying both fury and triumph. The whirlpool accelerated, its vortex pulling debris, waves, and foam into its ravenous maw.

I didn't answer. Instead, I thrust the scythe into the swirling water. Black tendrils of death smoke erupted, meeting the pull of the whirlpool head-on. The clash sent shockwaves rippling across the sea, and for a moment, I held my ground.

Poseidon wasn't deterred. With a guttural cry, he raised the trident high, summoning water spouts that spiraled toward me like serpents. The first struck my shield of darkness, dissolving into mist, but the second and third broke through my defense and slammed into my side, the force sending me skidding backward on the waters surface.

Pain seared through my ribs, but I couldn't falter. I gritted my teeth and surged forward, channeling every ounce of energy into my scythe. The flames roared back to life, black and violet, licking hungrily at the air.

With a powerful leap, I closed the distance between us. My scythe arced through the air, aimed at Poseidon's throat. He blocked with his trident, sparks flying as the weapons collided. We locked eyes, his deep green eyes clashing with my abyssal black.

"You will not best me here, Hades!" Poseidon bellowed. "You abandoned us remember? You want nothing to do with us."

"You've already lost, Poseidon," I snarled, forcing the scythe downward.

Our weapons clashed again and again, the sheer force of each blow cracking the ocean's surface. The waters beneath us churned violently, waves rising and falling in chaotic rhythms. Blood trickled down my arm from the recoil, but I pressed on, forcing Poseidon onto the defensive.

His eyes darkened as if filled with endless hate. "There you go again avoiding the topic. Brother Olympus, the entire world will be unified under my rule. We were always meant to rules as one but you chose to break that delicate balance."

I felt blood slide down the sides of my face and my vision blurred with red for a moment. "So that's your ambition to be the supreme god? Clearly I expected something grander."

In a desperate move, he slammed the butt of his trident into the ocean. The waters exploded upward, enveloping us both in a suffocating sphere of liquid. It was cold, dark, and relentless, pressing against my body with crushing force.

"Water Manipulation. Infinite depth!" His voice boomed loudly. Read exclusive chapters at empire

But the darkness was my domain.

Closing my eyes, I let the nether flame spread from the scythe, wreathing my entire body in its unholy glow. The water hissed and evaporated as the flames carved a path of air around me. With a roar, I unleashed a shockwave, the force shattering the water sphere and sending Poseidon flying backwards.

The space between us left a trail of red blood that sparkled and reacted violently with the waves.

He crashed into the ocean with a thunderous splash but recovered almost instantly, his fury palpable. The trident glowed with an otherworldly blue light, and the waves rose in unison, forming towering walls on all sides.

"I am the ocean incarnate!" Poseidon thundered. The waves converged, closing in on me with the force of a thousand storms.

I didn't flinch. Planting the scythe into the ocean's surface, I unleashed a surge of energy that split the waves apart, creating a path straight to Poseidon.

If we were on on his domain I would have dealt him a heavy hand already. Being able to recover almost endlessly, there must be a limit to it.

He hesitated— just for a moment— but it was enough. I darted forward like a whirlwind, my feet barely counting a step before I surged further even faster, my scythe leaving a trail of violet fire in its wake. Poseidon raised his trident to block, but this time I was faster.ball my years honing my muscles reinforcing them a hundred times over, no a thousand times over. It was all for this moment when I would surpass all of blmy obstacles.

"Hoo~." I breathed out black billows of smoke from my nose and ears. "Slash Of The Nether!" Every muscle in my body converged into one, my breath and body calm, my shoulders moved effortlessly in the motion I had rehearsed elwith eade. The blade carved through his weapon's shaft, severing it cleanly in two.

A huge disk of black flame danced in spirals like the work of an artists painting the air.

Poseidon staggered, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Damnit!" He gnashed his teeth sending sparks flying.

"This ends now," I growled, raising the scythe for the final blow. All of my conviction melted into one, into this final attack.

But Poseidon wasn't done. With a primal scream, he slammed his palm into the ocean. The waters exploded upward, a massive geyser shooting into the sky and taking me with it.

For a moment, I was weightless, the world spinning as the force carried me higher and higher. Then, gravity reclaimed me, and I plummeted back toward the sea.

Poseidon was waiting. He thrust the broken trident forward, the jagged edge aimed straight at my chest.

I twisted mid-air, barely avoiding the strike. The trident's edge grazed my shoulder, tearing through flesh and bone. Pain exploded, but I didn't stop. Using the momentum, I swung the scythe downward, the blade slicing through Poseidon's side.

He roared in agony, stumbling back as blood poured from the wound.

We both landed on the water, now stained red with our blood. My vision blurred, my body screaming in protest, but I couldn't stop. Not now. Not ever.

Poseidon summoned another wave, smaller this time but no less deadly. I countered with a blast of nether flame, the two forces colliding in a violent explosion. The shockwave sent us both tumbling across the ocean's surface, battered and broken.

Somewhere in the chaos, I lost my grip on the scythe. It sank into the depths, its light dimming as it disappeared.

I could hardly stop my arms from trembling, the shockwave of our attacks had crippled it. Even feeling the blood rushing through my body was hard. "Ack--!" I coughed out blood as it clogged my throat.

Poseidon saw his chance. With a triumphant grin, he charged, his broken trident raised. I had no weapon, no shield, but I wasn't defenseless.

Summoning the last of my strength, I thrust my hand forward. Shadows erupted from my palm, forming a jagged spear of pure darkness. "Shadow manipulation." I hissed out against the searing pain throbbing through my body

Poseidon didn't falter. He met the spear head-on, the trident clashing against the shadows in a final, desperate struggle.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze. Then, with a roar of triumph, I broke through his defenses. The spear pierced his chest, the force sending him sprawling across the ocean.

Poseidon lay motionless, his blood mingling with the sea. I staggered, barely able to stand. The fight was over. I had won.

Or so I thought.

A sudden, sharp pain tore through my chest. I looked down to see the jagged edge of Poseidon's trident protruding from my torso.

"No..." I gasped, blood filling my lungs.

Poseidon, battered and broken, stood behind me, his face a mask of grim determination.

"You forgot one thing, brother," he rasped. "The sea never surrenders."

He twisted the trident, the pain blinding. My strength failed me, and I fell forward, the ocean rising to claim me. The Poseidon I had killed was apparently a clone made with water, when did he even have the chance to do that?

My body shut down as blood poured out of my chest, everything seemed to freeze from the shock.

The water greetings me was warm and red....

As I sank into the cold, dark depths, my mind raced. Pandora's presence still loomed on Olympus, her power growing stronger. I couldn't let this be the end, not like this. I wondered if Talos managed to get the team to a safe area.

As I fell deep towards the depths the image of Poseidon standing on the surface and gazing down on me blurred out. The waters became colder and as such my skin started to turn pale and white as it had been in the shower. My heart had stopped beating a long time ago, the only thing keeping me alive was almost gone— a sliver of divine energy.

Dying a second time without achieving what I had set out to. My journey being chosen to be reborn, being chosen to save this world. I never cared about that at all, all I wanted was to live in leave and not... I could finally rest in peace.

But the darkness was all-consuming, and my vision faded as the sea swallowed me whole.

"Goodbye.... I had some fun—" I gurgled to any soul that was nearby and then I--!

To be continued…