Percy Jackson - Beyond the Gods

🚨 WARNING: HIGHLY ADDICTIVE STORY 🚨

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The air around them grew heavy, as if a storm was about to break over the pier. The cold sea wind blew against the group's faces, carrying the smell of salt and imminent danger.

Thalia was the first to react, squeezing her soda can and transforming it into a spear, her watch into a gleaming shield. Aegis radiated a golden aura, and the image of Medusa's head was embedded in the metal, its sculpted eyes seeming to come alive. The mercenaries hesitated for a second, sensing the threat of the legendary shield.

The Hunters, ever disciplined, drew arrows from their quivers and aimed their bows at the enemies with lethal precision. Zoe kept a sharp eye on Ethan, while Phoebe was already analyzing the mercenaries, choosing her targets.

Grover held his flute with steady hands, his brown eyes darkening in concentration. At any moment, he could play a melody to call upon nature for defense—roots to ensnare enemies, vines to disarm them, or even the distant roar of a wild animal.

Ikki, at the center of it all, cracked his knuckles, his presence growing like a giant shadow over the battlefield. His eyes analyzed Nemesis with a sharp glint.

"I'll take care of her," he declared, his voice firm as steel. "The rest of you take the boy and the mercenaries."

The enemies reacted. The young man narrowed his eyes—or eye—drawing his sword and assuming a relaxed but calculated stance, as if he had been through fights like this before. The mercenaries raised their modern weapons, aiming at the group without hesitation.

Nemesis, in turn, just smiled. A cold, cruel smile, as if she already knew how this fight would end.

Although he could kill the young Asian man and the mercenaries in an instant, Ikki had no illusions. If he tried to resolve everything quickly, she would certainly intervene. The Goddess of Vengeance wasn't the type of enemy who would stand idly by while her side was massacred, and although he knew he was faster, the Goddess could very well shift her attention to someone in the group and kill them.

And he couldn't risk that.

So, he stepped forward, keeping his eyes fixed on her. The wind blew between them, carrying with it the promise of a confrontation no one would soon forget.

The instant the first shot from one of the mercenaries was fired, Ikki moved.

It was fast. So fast that, to everyone else, it seemed like he simply vanished. A flash of light, a displacement of air that made the Hunters recoil slightly and knocked down some of the unprepared mercenaries.

Before anyone could react, Ikki was already in front of Nemesis, his hand gripping the Goddess's face with crushing force.

Her golden eyes widened.

"What—"

And then, he moved again.

At the speed of light.

The world around them became an absolute blur. The city disappeared, the pier was left behind like a distant echo. They crossed San Francisco in an instant, the skyscrapers becoming mere streaks on the horizon. The ocean appeared below them, only to be replaced by valleys and mountains.

In less than the blink of an eye, Ikki chose a destination: a rocky mountain in the middle of nowhere. A desolate location, far from any interference, far from the group.

And with all his strength, he hurled Nemesis against the rock.

The moment Ikki threw Nemesis against the mountain, the world seemed to hold its breath for a brief moment—and then exploded.

The Goddess of Vengeance hit the mountainside like a divine projectile, and the entire mountain reacted as if it had been struck by Zeus's own fist. The force of the impact made the air vibrate, displacing a destructive shockwave that swept the mountaintop like an explosion. The roar echoed for miles, shaking the ground and cracking the earth into deep fissures.

The initial crater of the impact pulverized the solid rock into a dense cloud of dust and debris, rising like a volcanic eruption. Waves of cracks spread across the base of the mountain like glass shattering in slow motion, before finally succumbing to the weight of their own destruction. Huge blocks of stone began to slide in an avalanche, dragging trees, snow, and everything in their path.

The accumulated pressure generated a second, even louder boom, as the mountain's core finally gave way. The entire structure fractured, collapsing like a house of cards, while a burst of energy hurled fragments of rock in all directions, some shooting off like incandescent meteors. The surrounding ground trembled violently, creating fissures that extended to the base of nearby hills.

The dense dust became a gray curtain covering the sky, momentarily hiding any trace of what had once been a mountain. The echoes of destruction would take minutes to dissipate, and the silence that followed was almost as deafening as the collapse itself.

Ikki landed softly on the ground, cracking his neck.

If she were any lesser goddess, it would have ended there.

But he knew it wouldn't be that easy.

From the smoking rubble of the destroyed mountain, a golden glow began to emerge.

The sound of shifting stones echoed through the air as gigantic pieces of rock were hurled aside as if they were mere pebbles. A moment later, Nemesis emerged from the dust, her body radiating fury.

The golden ichor of the gods flowed down her forehead, slowly sliding down the side of her face and dripping onto the destroyed ground. Her golden gaze burned with intensity, but instead of blind rage, there was something else there—respect.

She wiped the blood from her forehead with the back of her hand and chuckled softly. "I admit... I underestimated you." Her voice carried a tone of dark amusement. "Now I understand. I understand why you defeated Hercules. Why Ares fell before you. And why Kronos fears you'll ruin his plans."

She took a step forward, and the ground beneath her feet cracked, still unstable from the surrounding destruction. Her eyes analyzed him with surgical precision, as if she were seeing beyond the physical, beyond what anyone could perceive.

"You're a Space War Potential." She smiled, as if she had discovered something fascinating. "Your body is a rare feat even among the gods. Your attributes are divine, your abilities unmatched... You are exactly the kind of force that could change the fate of this world."

The sharp wind blew through the debris as Nemesis straightened, her muscles still tense from the battle. She looked at Ikki like a predator recognizing another predator.

"But now, tell me, son of Zeus..." She raised a hand and conjured her whip, which crackled with crimson energy. "Are you just a strong warrior... or will you be the one to truly bring balance to the scales?"

Then, without warning, she shot towards him, her superhuman speed breaking the sound barrier.

Ikki advanced as well, moving like lightning.

When Nemesis shot towards him, he blocked the first attack with a simple arm movement, feeling the Goddess's power reverberate through his bones.

The two exchanged punches and kicks, moving at breakneck speed. Ikki, with his honed skill, maintained the advantage. His blows were precise and devastating, but he felt something more. When his fists met Nemesis's body, there was something that made him hesitate. It wasn't physical strength, but something more subtle. She was manipulating the concept of vengeance, as if the pain he caused her amplified her own abilities.

With each attack that landed on Nemesis, her power seemed to grow. She moved more fluidly, more violently, as if she were absorbing the blows themselves, turning them to her advantage. But Ikki, though surprised by the Goddess's subtle power, didn't let himself be carried away. He was already beginning to understand the trick. She was retaining the energy of each blow she received, channeling that energy to reinforce her own attacks.

One of the uses of her dominion over vengeance, he imagined.

When he finally managed to land a heavy punch to Nemesis's stomach, the impact was brutal. She was thrown back, flying through the air like a human projectile, before colliding violently with the base of a nearby mountain. The rock exploded on impact, fragments of stone flying everywhere.

"I was holding back," Ikki said to himself, watching the Goddess stagger. He wanted to take this opportunity to study more about the gods' manipulation of laws and concepts due to their domains, concluding that they were quite limited.

Nemesis was stronger than Hercules not because of physical strength, but because of the manipulation of her own concept of vengeance to increase her power even without entering her [Divine Form]. It was no wonder she was the daughter of a Primordial, possessing far greater control over her domains than most Gods.

Nemesis, recovering from her collision with the mountain, spat out a mixture of dirt and golden ichor. She seemed more furious now, her eyes blazing with uncontrollable rage. "You... you underestimated me, son of Zeus! But you won't escape so easily."

As soon as she finished speaking, the atmosphere around Nemesis changed instantly and terrifyingly. She rose with an overwhelming presence, her physical form fading into an imposing aura, as if the reality around her were distorting. The sky, previously clear, became covered with dark, heavy clouds, as if the cosmos itself were aligned with her power. The air grew dense, charged with an electric energy that pulsed with each beat of her heart, as if the entire universe were feeling the weight of her wrath.

Nemesis's golden eyes shone with supernatural intensity, and her skin, once normal, now displayed a shimmering silver coloration, almost as if bathed in cosmic light. She appeared larger, more imposing, a presence of authority that transcended anything Ikki had ever faced. Her hair, now loose, floated in the wind, gleaming with a radiant golden hue, while her features became sharper and more befitting a Goddess.

Observing her transformation into her [Divine Form], Ikki didn't respond, merely positioned himself calmly, his feet firmly planted on the ground, his body relaxed but ready to act at any moment. His hands were slightly open, fingers flexed, as if absorbing the tension from the air around him. He leaned forward slightly, an imposing stance, his eyes fixed on Nemesis, who was beginning to release her energy more and more visibly. The smile that appeared on his lips wasn't one of overconfidence, but an expression almost… of pleasure, as if he knew he was about to face something monumental. He wasn't bothered by the intensity of the battle that was about to unfold, for he knew there was no challenge too great for him.

On the other hand, Nemesis no longer appeared human. Her Divine form revealed itself with an intensity that seemed to tear the fabric of reality. The air around her began to heat up, and the dark clouds gathered in a charged sky, as if the cosmos itself were aligning to avenge the Earth. Her energy radiated in powerful waves, and Ikki could feel the pressure on his muscles, as if the gravity around him had increased several times over. Her power was palpable, a brute force that seemed even greater than Hercules'.

The clouds above them began to churn violently, lightning appearing and twisting in spirals, reflecting the Goddess's wrath.

The feeling was almost apocalyptic, as if the very sky and earth were being influenced by Nemesis's fury.

Her power was so great that nuclear bombs would be mere toys compared to the destruction she could cause.

But even in the face of this devastating power, Ikki didn't move. His posture didn't change, and the smile on his lips remained calm. The environment around him almost froze in his perception, as if the calmness of his mind were the only thing separating him from the impending storm. He didn't care about the sky cracking above his head, about the black clouds forming a backdrop for Nemesis's divine power. He knew that, in the end, everything depended on him—and, in a moment of absolute silence, he was ready to face the Goddess's fury with the strength of his own being.

The confrontation was about to explode.

And they quickly launched themselves at each other.

Each blow exchanged between them was a cataclysm, an explosion of force that made the ground tremble and the air fragment. The exchange of punches and kicks created shockwaves so powerful that the surrounding mountains seemed to disintegrate.

Nemesis, in turn, did not yield. Her strength was immense, but her attacks, though devastating, were visibly more unstable when Ikki reacted with his own refined technique. Each blow Nemesis struck, Ikki responded with deadly precision, as if he were waiting for exactly that. The Goddess of Vengeance felt the weight of his superiority challenged at every moment.

Then, Ikki stepped forward, propelling himself with inhuman speed, dodging a blow from Nemesis and landing a punch directly to her chest. The force of the impact generated a shockwave so intense that it destroyed an entire chunk of the island, sending Nemesis flying backward, creating a crater where she landed. The Goddess of Vengeance rose, now with golden ichor dripping from her lips, her expression more ferocious and disconcerted than ever.

Ikki looked at her, his eyes focused and calculating. The perfect body he had honed over years of training was just beginning to unleash its power. He had already demonstrated a fraction of what he could do, but now he allowed himself to release more, to feel the strength that was contained, waiting for this moment.

He controlled a bit more of his strength, making his muscles contract.

As soon as he contracted his muscles and prepared to use more of his strength, a wave of indescribable and overwhelming terror spread throughout the area, taking over the environment and destabilizing the very reality around them.

Nemesis, the Goddess of Vengeance, the only one in this area and the only one to succumb to this force.

Terror seized her in a way she could never have foreseen.

Her posture wavered. Her golden eyes, normally imposing and immortal, were now paralyzed, reflecting a primal dread. The Goddess's body trembled uncontrollably, as if every cell in her existence were screaming for an escape she couldn't reach. All she wanted, desperately, was to flee. Flee from Ikki, flee from that overwhelming fear that seemed to crush everything within her. Flee, like prey at the mercy of its predator.

It was an almost tangible sensation, something primal that could not be ignored. For Nemesis, the Goddess of Vengeance, the idea of feeling fear was a humiliation. She was a force of vengeance, a personification of retribution and justice. But there, before Ikki, she found herself reduced to nothing more than an animal, a being that wanted to run, hide, and above all, survive that overwhelming force.

Her knees buckled. Her heart raced, but her body didn't respond. Nemesis wanted to scream, but her words were swallowed by fear. She tried to move away, tried to create distance between herself and Ikki's power, but it was impossible. The [Intimidating Aura] stretched like an invisible net, trapping her, holding her firmly in place, unable to escape its crushing influence. She, who was the very symbol of vengeance, was now at the mercy of the fear Ikki had invoked.

It was an unparalleled terror.

Ikki began to walk towards Nemesis. He moved slowly, unhurriedly, almost as if savoring the moment. But the Goddess before him, the one who represented vengeance, was now at his mercy.

Nemesis's body trembled uncontrollably, her uncontrollable fear mingled with the pain of the humiliation she felt. She, the Goddess who made gods and mortals tremble, was now in the position of being defeated. Ikki didn't need words anymore. His presence said it all.

In an instant, the ground shuddered as he unleashed his maximum speed. It was a burst of energy that made everything around him seem like a blur. With a single movement, Ikki appeared before Nemesis before she could even process his presence. He looked her directly in the eyes, now illuminated by dread, and with a calculated smile, delivered a devastating punch to her face.

The force of the blow was so colossal that the reality around them seemed to distort and disintegrate. The impact was so deep and devastating that not only was Nemesis's body instantly pulverized, but the pressure from the punch continued its relentless journey, tearing apart the very space and time around them.

The pressure from the blow continued its journey, tearing through earth and sky. The explosion of energy expanded, shattering everything in its path. The surrounding terrain split open, cracking into great fissures that stretched to the horizon. The sound of the impact was deafening, reverberating for miles. The surrounding mountains and forests disintegrated before the force of the punch, as if the world itself had been affected by the pressure of the blow.

The dark clouds that had previously taken over the sky disappeared, as if nature itself were cleansing the remnants of Nemesis's presence. The sky, which had been dark and charged, was now clear, without a single cloud in sight, as if the battle had rewritten the very balance of the world.

Ikki, with his calm and firm posture, stood there, in the center of the chaos he had caused.