Asterion lead the charge, his dual axes poised for bloody conflict. He bellowed loudly as he galloped, his hoofs kicking up dirt into the air obscuring my view of the battlefield. Theseus followed from behind, using the burly Minotaur as cover while he followed with only a small throwing axe in hand.
Blasting the earth with her wings, Lilith sped through the air like a bullet, her wings folded tightly behind her as she raced toward their foe. Refusing to give any ground, Apollo braced himself, firing three more shafts of light in her direction, forcing her to evade skyward.
As if timed to perfection, Asterion's stampede was interrupted as he smashed into a golden wall of light just ahead of his target, forcing him to an immediate halt. I knew just by watching it would not hold for long though; as his giant obsidian horns had punctured the spell, creating a spiderweb of cracks over its surface. The god of sun within appeared unconcerned, focusing instead on more blasts of light being fired in rapid succession toward Lilith.
Theseus was next to go on the offensive, slipping out from behind his cover, he dashed around the barrier and into melee range of Apollo, who's eyes were still fixated on Lilith flying high above them. Swinging the small axe at his midsection, a golden spear materialized with perfect timing to block the blow.
"It takes more than mere numbers to defeat a god." Apollo grumbled with annoyance, not bothering to turn to face his foe as five more spears conjured around him, whistling through the air with radiance as they began to attack Theseus, forcing him on the defensive.
*****
"Watch closely now, Desmond. This is how true deities fight." Lucifer instructed, his gaze never leaving the screens as he drank in every image that appeared. I nodded wordlessly, unable to pry my own eyes away.
*****
Lilith weaved through the sky with the grace of a fighter jet, dodging each projectile thrown at her with ease and practiced precision. Finally, as Theseus began his attack, she dove head first down into Apollo, performing various aerial rolls to avoid his projectiles. The wind split into streams beside her as she increased her speed, threatening to break the sound barrier. Shattering another wall of light that Apollo conjured to protect himself, Lilith landed in an explosion of motion, crouched behind him, her copper dagger held tight in a reverse grip.
She lunged upward, seeking to bury her blade deep within his belly. Asterion let out a triumphant roar as he brought his axes down from overhead, seeking to strike while Apollo's attention was still diverted. Theseus, having found a narrow gap within the conjured spears onslaught, slid low to sweep his legs out from under him. I watched in awe as my companions teamwork executed perfectly timed sequences of attacks, without a single word spoken between them.
However, just as Apollo had said, it was obvious it would take more than numbers and well timed strikes to best him. Brand new conjured blades intercepted each blow without any physical input from their master who remained completely stationary. Raising his right arm, Apollo shot a burst of arrows into the sky above him that coalesced into a large ball of light.
Leaping into the air to fly a short distance away from his foes, Apollo pulled back on an invisible drawstring from his bow, firing upon the sphere he had just created. His arrow punctured it, to which it erupted with force enough to create a crater below my friends, rocking them unsteadily.
As the ball ignited, its energy then unfurled into another large yellow sphere erected around the trio, trapping them within as if they were hamsters in a ball. Small dots of golden condensed light dotted its surface, growing ominously with each passing millisecond.
"This will be the end of you whelps, and thus one part of my vengeance will be complete." Apollo's words cut through the air like ice as he raised his forefinger and thumb. His snap was immediate, and I watched my companions prepare themselves for whatever would come next. Of all the scenarios I would have expected, I did not anticipate a barrage of arrows from within that bubble like an ancient iron maiden constructed of light.
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It seemed so easy for him, like shooting fish in a barrel. First it trapped them, then it fired upon them from every conceivable angle without respite. I winced, unable to watch as the barrage immediately kicked up dust, obscuring everything within.
*****
"Oh please, Desmond. If it is this much, my dear Lilith can manage all on her own." Lucifer mocked lazily, watching the screens with a now clearly disinterested glare.
Peaking through one open eye I saw the faint glint of red within the cloud of dust. He was right! I smiled wildly as I never thought I would for Lilith's blood magic.
*****
Before the dust could dissipate, a ragefull bellow filled the air once more. It was Asterion, who crashed into the golden barrier once more, spiderwebbing the surface with cracks on the first blow. His horns stuck through the spell again with ease, and with a violent twist of his skull, it shattered.
Just as the spell went down, a deep red tentacle lashed out at Apollo, cinching around his ankle. His expression morphed into one of surprise as it yanked downward. Slamming him into the ground with a sickening crack.
With the golden spherical spell gone the dust cloud quickly dissipated, revealing a smaller red shield surrounding the trio. Small holes punctured the surface in places, showing proof that it had not held up without some issue.
From the edge of the shield though, morphed the tentacle that now held fast onto Apollo. Lilith's blood red eyes showed no pupil, but I could see she was focused sternly on their foe, holding with significant strain to the two spells. Her left arm outstretched as if controlling the every undulation of the tentacle which held tightly to Apollo, while her right palm was outstretched above them, holding fast to the protective shield she had generated.
Despite Asterion's impressive showing against the golden barrier, several arrows that had punctured through Lilith's spell had wounded him, leaving him dripping with lost blood. Theseus though once again wasted no time, not even on checking Asterion's wounds; that could wait for after I assumed he would have thought. He Instead he leapt into the air, landing deftly on the tentacle, using it to race to Apollo, who groaned weakly on the ground before them.
A radiant aura surrounded Apollo as he rose to a crouched position, groggily attempting to stand upright. Theseus slashed with his axe, landing a harsh blow against the deities face. Splatters of gold blood spilled out onto the ground.
Rearing his axe for another blow, Apollo swung his leg into Theseus, knocking him off the tentacle and prone on the ground beside him. More brightly glowing light wept from Apollos face as it began to heal him, reattaching muscle sinew and tendons from his unhinged jaw putting all the pieces back into their rightful place.
"Do not forget, boy. I am not just the god of the sun but I am also the god of healing!" Apollo growled from his once again pristine visage as he rolled atop Theseus, straddling the pinned hero. Raising both arms above his head, a new spear conjured between his fists. A disgusting smile contorted his face as his muscles tensed, poised to put an end to him.
"I will enjoy kill you almost as much as I will enjoy killing the boy. While his death will be slow, yours will be satisfying, 'Hero of Athens'. Hah! Not even Athena can save you now!" His arms descended violently for the killing blow.
But it never came.
"You know.... You arrogant gods just never shut up and finish your fights. Save your gloating for when the fights won." The demonic voice of Lilith rang out from behind him. Apollo's muscles began to seize as he looked down with confusion, unable to finish his strike against Theseus despite his effort. Finding her copper dagger stuck forcibly through his chest, right where his heart was, its point jut out from his skin, glowing unnaturally.
"D-do you really think this is enough to kill a-"
Apollo's words were cut short by the swoosh of another blade, removing his head clean from his shoulders.
"No. But surely that will." Asterion's large axe finished as he grimaced from the golden radiant blood spurting from the two disconnected ends. With a single final twitch, the body fell from Theseus, landing still beside him. A pool of glowing blood growing with each passing second.
Wiping excess essence from his face, Theseus rose. "Thank you, my friends. That was a bit too close for comfort."
"Dont mention it. I hate cocky bastards." Lilith Huffed, her eyes slowly returning to their usual hue.
Asterion though, wasted not a moment longer before slinging his massive arms around his love. "I am glad to see you are okay. We were so worried." His usually impassive voice, cracking with relief.
They had all survived. For now.