Blood, death, carnage, catastrophe, and armageddon, these words could only hint at the scene unfolding, but none could fully capture and retell its horror.
"ARES!!!" Horus screamed.
Ares responded with a growl, adjusting his stance to unleash his full power as he blocked the black lightning strike hurtling toward them.
BOOM!!!
CRACKLE! CRACKLE!
Lightning crackled around the crater formed by the impact as Horus, battered and bruised, rushed to aid Ares, who seemed only a step away from death's door.
Ares coughed up blood violently, a helpless smile playing on his lips. Who was he kidding? If blocking the attack of the monster they faced was so easy, then with the multitude of apex lifeforms gathered against just one man, they should have already taken him down.
All around stood apex lifeforms, cosmic superior beings (gods) from countless pantheons, whom mortals could neither fathom nor do more than worship with reverence. But now, they were no different from chickens awaiting slaughter.
The monster, or rather, the young man, terrorizing these gods couldn't care less about their thoughts as he butchered his way through them.
He was called Koa the godslayer.
The aura he radiated reeked of bloodlust, killing intent, and unadulterated power. The lightning of the world danced around him, in a myriad of colors as if trying to please their supreme deity.
He was dressed in simple black robes and wielded a majestic celestial spear, glittering with the blood of gods, shivering with excitement in his grip.
His silver hair flowed with the regality of a king, shining with the luster of unknown metals. Without any thought of the consequences his actions might have on the balance of the universe, he fought bravely against his adversaries, or rather, unleashed holy hell upon them.
_'All my life, you cowards hounded me like a sheep before wolves, all because of a stupid prophecy? Now watch as the life and prestige you've always protected flips on its head._
_'I'm going to enjoy killing you all. You dreaded my existence because you prophesied the coming of a godslayer? I'll show you just how much of a godslayer I can be!'_
---
Standing far from the battlefield was another congregation of beings, even more terrifying than the legion of gods fighting the prophesied godslayer.
Ra, Odin, Dias, Agni, Brahma, Indra, Ogun, Amadioha, Perun, Velves, Hades, Poseidon, Montu, Khonsu, the Titans, Oiris, and many others overlooked the ongoing slaughter with grim faces.
"Shouldn't we lend a hand?" Indra asked.
"...."
"...."
"...."
He looked around and realized that no one was paying attention to him, their focus entirely on the battle ahead.
"They won't last long; we need to help them," he said louder this time, his voice grim. He was again met with silence. He looked around once more, and realized that he was being ignored, which made him snort in disdain.
"Hmph! I'm going ahead. You cowards can stay back and pussy around," he sneered before turning into a flash of lightning, appearing on the battlefield in an instant.
"Too rash," Odin said mockingly, while Agni frowned in dissatisfaction, flames flickering around his figure like a dance.
___________________________
Back on the Battlefield:
Koa had just dodged a strike from behind and, gathering essence from the surroundings, punched to the side, the head of his victim, exploding like water melon.
He suddenly sensed a powerful hostile aura from above the clouds, heading in his direction. His pupils immediately constricted as he retreated six steps before punching forward.
BOOOOOOOOM!!
A powerful, deafening explosion rocked the battlefield from the collision. The terrifying shockwave sent debris and shrapnel flying, flinging nearby gods like ragdolls while killing and injuring many. A silhouette flew out from the center of the explosion at breakneck speed before stabilizing himself.
The multitude of apex lifeforms on the battlefield were shocked to see that someone had survived the powerful punch unleashed by the monster in human skin they had been fighting.
They failed to realize that the attacker who had supposedly been punched away was actually flung in the opposite direction of the attack.
Focusing their gazes on the silhouette to discern who was strong enough to survive such a devastating blow, they hoped to see the face of a messiah.
However, their minds nearly went numb with shock when they saw Koa hovering in the air, his otherworldly blood trickling down his lips. Only then did they realize that the demon who had been killing them like mere chickens was the one who had been blown away.
"How?" A god, Nereus wondered in disbelief, but the surrounding gods were too stunned to reply.
Slowly, their heads turned toward the direction of the clash, and only then did they register the suffocating aura coming from that direction, their knees shivering from the pressure it radiated. When they finally recognized the aura and face of the being standing there, their initial shock turned to disbelief.
"That's... That's Indra," another god Tlaloc stuttered, his voice quaking. He, too, was a lord of storms, lightning, and the weather, but compared to Infra, he was nowhere close.
Koa eyed his new opponent with a predatory glint flashing deep within his eyes. Power pulsed and rushed through his veins like a flood, and the pressure he was exuding multiplied instantly. After sizing him up, Koa licked his lips in satisfaction as a maniacal grin slowly crept across his face.
He descended from the air in an instant and banged his spear on the ground forcefully, creating a shockwave that cleared the battlefield of the other gods. Dead or alive, injured or not, they were all blown away like ragdolls.
The surviving gods sighed in relief that the burden of fighting this monster was no longer on their shoulders. They exchanged wry smiles, realizing they had not even seen half the height of their enemy's power and now, all they could do was watch from afar as he fought someone who was way out of their league.
Koa sped towards Indra like a rocket, and Indra, likewise, did the same, leaving only two flashes of light, one multicolored and the other purple-blue. The resulting impact of their clash led to a deafening soundwave capable of destroying the eardrums of a demigod.
While the ordinary apex lifeforms scattered from the battlefield could only see flashes, a heated battle raged on between the two.
Indra, who was older and more experienced in combat, dominated the offensive from the onset. Yet, he couldn't gain any advantage over Koa, who was as slippery as an eel and as sturdy as a fortress.
He was inwardly surprised at Koa's combat prowess and decided to up his game. With a lightning-fast horizontal swing of his Vajra, he aimed at Koa, who spun rapidly in the air to dodge. Koa slapped his palm forcefully against the ground to coordinate his landing, propelling himself upwards with a short but super-fast burst.
While airborne, he twisted his core and, with a swift generation of torque in his hips, unleashed a whip kick that would put Muay Boran experts to shame, striking Indra's jaw with lightning speed and precision.
Indra was blasted backward before quickly stabilizing himself. With a tap of his toe on the ground, he blasted forward in a purple-blue streak of light that seemed to tear apart the sky. Koa clenched his teeth before speeding towards him.
Heavy winds and shockwaves blasted in every direction as the ground of the planet, one of the most powerful and sturdy in the universe, cracked from the intensity of their speeds.
Koa pierced forward with his spear, but Indra swiveled to the side and thrust his palm forward.
BANG!
Koa was met with a violent clash, sending his entire body flying across the air upon collision.
"You are weak," Indra spat after attacking. However, before he could take a breath, a multi-colored streak blazed across the sky, rippling with energy that made the heavens shudder.
'Damned cockroach' Indra thought with grievance before swinging forward swiftly.
Koa's figure appeared before him, sweeping his spear in a move that threatened to bisect Indra's very existence, its tip gleaming with a menacing light.
"Vajra Lightning!" Indra hollered, moving his weapon (Vajra) to block.
A massive purple beam of lightning suddenly descended from the sky, bearing down upon Koa with overwhelming force. Sensing that he was about to be overwhelmed, Koa released his grip on his spear and quickly crossed his arms in an X to brace himself for the impact.
BANG! BANG!
The ground shattered as long trenches were carved into its surface; Koa's feet dragging against the earth, as he was pushed back by the force of the lightning strike.
His pupils constricted, and without taking even a fraction of a second to catch his breath, he propelled himself backward with insane speed.
BANG!
The ground splintered like wood as Indra's Vajra hammered against it, rocking the planet's core and scattering massive chunks into space.
The surrounding gods immediately began to feel uneasy, preparing to flee when the need arose.
The fight continued, with Indra still dominating the offensive. However, he began to grow agitated and apprehensive as he noticed Koa finding more opportunities to counter.
This realization made him grim, as it meant that Koa was actively improving his combat prowess in the middle of their supposed life-and-death battle.
So he decided to go all out, using every technique, skill, and scheme in his arsenal, raining destruction upon the world.
The surviving gods began to flee, anticipating what was bound to become a supernova involving a celestial-grade planet.
Two minutes into the battle, they were already evenly matched, trading blows like equals before separating momentarily to catch their breath, as if by mutual agreement.
The temporary ceasefire didn't last long. Both cosmic superior entities launching themselves at each other again, with Koa taking the initiative to brandish his spear against Indra, who quickly deflected it with the Vajra.
Indra swung his Vajra at Koa in retaliation, but Koa jumped high-up, and slammed his heels downward in an axe kick.
Indra's gloomy expression immediately gave way to a grin as he angled his body and adjusted his center of gravity.
Gathering torque in his hips, he caught Koa's descending leg and used his momentum against him, slamming him into the ground with a force that created a city-sized crater.
But Indra wasn't done. He swung Koa over his head and slammed him against the ground repeatedly.
"Hmph," Indra snorted, tossing his Vajra into the sky, while still slamming Koa left and right. His eyes turned a white-purple hue, and his hair flowed like water as he unleashed the full power of his divinity.
CRACKLE!!
Lightning crackled in the skies with vengeance, and the seas formed horrifying tsunamis.
"Storm God's Wrath!" he bellowed, his eyes gleaming with killing intent.
Koa was instantly alarmed. Without thinking twice, he twisted his body hard, using his free leg to bang his foot against Indra's ear, causing him to lose his balance for a split second.
But a split second was enough.
He hooked his foot around Indra's head and slammed it into the ground, causing Indra to instinctively loosen his grip.
Koa quickly freed his leg and materialized his spear into his hand, swinging it toward Indra, who swiftly moved away, causing the spear to create a deep ravine that cut down to the planet's core.
The titans and other deities watching from afar were astounded by the martial prowess exhibited by Koa. They knew how proficient Indra was in physical combat.
In fact, aside from the war gods, Indra was the best fighter among the millions of apex archaic lifeforms. Yet Koa was going toe to toe with him as though it were a spar among equals.
They watched with shining eyes as Indra's ultimate skill, [Storm God's Wrath], descended upon the battlefield with a speed that seemed like teleportation. When suddenly, Indra's voice blasted into their heads.
"I can't hold him long enough. He must be stopped... Aaarrrggghhh"