The Battles

Cassius Pov

The second part of my training with Ares was an eye-opening event in my game life. It not only taught me how to utilize my body, but to have it open to change. The ability to adapt to challenges is something that I have always been good at, but this training made that idea concrete in my fighting style.

We must have fought hundreds maybe thousands of times in those five days, each spar different from the last, but I only have a firm memory of three. These are the memories I look back too, when I'm faced with impossible odds. These are The Battles.

Battle 1:

Cassius Pov

I block an incoming fist, the impact is still enough to send me crashing into an arena pillar.

I don't know how many times I have been beat, but I'm starting to get sick of it. I realize know that if Ares had attacked me back in our initial spar, it would have been my complete loss 10 times out of 10. I have to think of a way out of this.

He's not giving me and opportunity to think of a plan. All I need is a minute, no thirty seconds.

Thirty seconds and I can come up with a battle plan, and execute it, I roll past a air slice from his sword.

I grip my bow as if my life depended on it. Countless battles against Ares has thought me Two Golden rules,

• Rule #1: Never ever, ever drop your bow: well, unless you want to. As it is a ranged weapon, if its dropped against my will, my chances of being killed increase rapidly

• Rule #2: Melee is life: this may not seem accurate for a long ranged fighter but it's an unmatched truth for a archer who has ever face countless interactions with close combat.

I start sprinting towards an open bunker, I make a last second dive right before the area that I was just standing explodes.

'Ahh! I'm being whipped, My best qualities that make me dangerous are being locked away effortlessly. I can't continue like this. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing, and expecting a different result'

"Ok, so far I've been trying to maintain my distance and fire from a distance, since that hasn't seemed to be working for me. The only option I have is too charge straight at him and since I can't make up plans at all, I'll just go without one" I said also trying to convince myself.

'Ah this is going to hurt' I thought in remorse

I stand from my bunker, and use flit steps to travel halfway to Ares' location. Ares was visibly confused and stopped his next attack mid-swing.

That all the time I need, I flit step the rest of the distance and remarkably stop at the location I intended. At this point I

am scrambling for my next course of action.

'I'm so stupid, coming in with no plan' Unfortunately I have no time to continue my gripe, Ares aims his swords toward my head. I make a split second decision and bring my bow up blocking the slash. I quickly use the momentum to summon an arrow and fire at point blank range. Ares quick as ever jumps back. Unwilling to let the slight advantage I have gained, toss golden death into the air and summon a kunai in both hands. I throw the kunai at Ares' throat and grab my bow from the air in the same fluid motion.

"Wow I didn't know that I'm part ninja" I joked impressed at my own abilities

"Don't get too impressed" Ares said cleanly catching my kunai with one hand "Seems like your finally catching on, battle isn't about long drawn out plans that have to be changed continuously, that's war. Battle is about split second decisions that can sway the fight to your favor. Most archers never understand that and have to make hundreds of plans to access every situation. Since you understand that I guess I can increase the difficulty." Ares said flashing an evil smile

"Bring it on" I said materializing 4 kunai, It seems that I am excited for the first time in a while.

Battle 2:

I don't know when, but I seem to be fighting close range more and more.

This battle started of differently than usual, Ares activated a unusual killing intent that hit me with an intense heat. I couldn't keep my grip on Golden Death, and collapsed on the floor as I felt myself burn alive. 'Ahh does he really want me dead'

I felt my life burn away in a few agonizing seconds, I have to do something otherwise this is the end for me. I needed a way to block this killing intent. "The gods aura" I exclaimed succeeding in burning the inside of my throat also.

I quickly activate it and feel my wounds slowly begin to repair itself. 'This won't last, I need a way to keep him from using that killing intent. Gods' Command!! I completely forgot about because it wasn't in the skills list, maybe it's because it's a race ability'

"Gods command" I whisper "Ares yield, this is my win!!" I yell as he falls to his knees. I struggle to keep him down as he fights against my will.

'This isn't working, how can I keep him down' My minds wanders back to the first time I met Ares and how pale he got when my mother got angry. 'I'm not sure that was solely fear of my mother's powers, it was because of my mother's killing intent.'

"I tried recreating the feeling from that day, of me literally sucking the warmth out of existence." I watched as Ares turned pale and his breathe started to show. I flashed a smile of triumph after succeeding, until I saw Ares face. It was filled with uncontrolled anger.

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Suddenly the heat intensified, a heat that rivaled a super nova, or an atom bomb. I couldn't maintain my consciousness and slowly blacked out.

When I woke up, I looked up to see an abashed Ares, "Sorry brat, I lost control for a second there. I almost killed you, it's just that killing intent brings up nightmares better left unthought-of. Guess you really are your mother's son, that killing intent is truly unique."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously

"That killing intent not only projects your will to kill your target, but actually feeds from the life of the victim and uses it as power. I literally see lords Hades avatar whenever she uses it, The name your mother gave it is truly fitting."

"What name?" I ask my curiosity peaking

"She called it The Grim Intent and please don't use that killing intent again, I don't want to kill you by accident. Also its considered rude to use God's command on other gods." He said ominously

'Grim intent huh, I think I just learned another extremely useful skill' I thought flashing Ares' evil smile, causing him to cringe.

'He's not even thinking about my warnings. Oh no, I think I corrupted him" Ares thought chuckling

Battle 3:

"Huh, huh, This is it." My breathing has steadied. This will be the first win I've gotten since this training began.

I rush out from the solitary tree remaining, using focus energy around the area my body hid to keep it standing despite the constant bombardment from above. Ares was using a killing intent that like a mix between a swarm of hornets and electricity, and my initial introduction to it left a bad taste in my mouth.

I use flit steps to quickly to move from pieces of smoking debris, over the last couple of battles I've gained a mastery over the skill that I wouldn't have believed possible four days ago. After materializing a kunai in each hand I use focus energy to vault into the clouds over the hill were Ares is standing. Immediately 5 arrows head toward my direction, thanks to calm brook the arrows speed is easily block able, and I used my kunai to effortlessly divert their path.

I quickly diverted focus energy from legs to my fingers and use golden death to fire both my kunai towards him. I look down to see two small crater where my kunai had landed and Ares running towards my position. As I land, I'm immediately greeted with a arrow towards to the head.

I raise golden death, and block it while Ares closes the distance and punches my face with his bow. Predicting the move coming I sidestep, and aim a low kick to his right leg. He jumps the kick, spins, and aims an roundhouse towards my skull.

I step into the kick, countering with golden death. Ares saw it coming though and uses my momentum to launch himself away.

"Not bad brat" Ares says smiling

"Of course, I am my masters student" I reply back beaming

"Unfortunately, your still a millennium too young to ever defeat me" He said firing 3 more arrows at my head.

"The minute you decided you would be an archer on our final battle, was the minute I won. You may be the god of war but I am Kothori" I yell back cleanly dodging all three

I flit right in front of him and manage to land a knee to his stomach. He grunts and throws two consecutive punches to my kidneys, before I flit back. This time it is I who fires first and I double my arrows just like I did on our training spar.

"You didn't think I would fall for the same trick twice did you?" He said after fazing through the arrows like last time.

"No, no I didn't." I said while flitting towards his current location. I materialize a kunai arrow and fire it at point blank.

Ares catches it and throws it back to where I'm standing, but I'm already gone. Flitting behind him I swing golden death towards his head and throw a kunai towards his feet with focus energy.

Ares blocks my swing and sweeps my legs from under me in my moment of imbalance. As I fall he swings his bow towards my head with an arrow strung and ready to fire.

"It's your loss, once again Kothori" He said coyly

"You would think that, but..." quickly directing focus energy back to my feet and kicking a lone kunai back towards Ares face. Right before it hit, an invisible wall blocked my kunai and redirected its trajectory.

"HaHaHa, what do you know. Miracles do happen, how'd you do it." He asked beaming

"Remember that kunai I threw at your feet, I used focus energy to imbed the shaft into the ground instead of the point." I explained

"So the swing...was a trap to draw me in. God of war falling for it, hook line and sinker." he smiled."Well congratulations, get some rest the next part will require all the energy you can muster"

"Ok." I said, while logging off

As I stepped out of my capsule, I could hardly contain my excitement. Forever Eden huh, how long will you be able to relieve my boredom.

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Hey guys so the double chapter, no.

Just to much to do.

But here are some extra battle scenes to make up for it, the next chapter is the final training with Ares,

Cassius magic training will be much chiller....probably.

Anyway lets get some ratings up in here i plan to make the best rating list by chapter ten.

Thanks for reading as always.

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