AN: Will be doing editing for this later.
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As the Lokis threw all kinds of attack spells at him, ranging from fireballs to curses and everything in between, Apollo merely raised his hand and a wall of fire would stop them in their tracks. His divine powers could nullify such weak spells instantly, there was no need for him to fear.
He quickly grew disappointed in his feeble attempts. "Loki, for all your talk, it seems you're nothing more than a weak little parasite. It is said the small dogs bark the loudest and that appears to be true. I'm ashamed of myself for having been beaten by you the last time."
Apollo let out a look of disdain as the numerous Lokis ran around in an attempt to survive Apollo's onslaught.
But to this taunting, they were indifferent.
One of them spoke just then, casually, carefree. As if it were simply any other day.
"Ah, it seems we're being underestimated."
"That seems to be the case." Another, carrying the same tone, commented.
One of them laughed lightly. " Well, have we had enough fun yet? I, for one, tire of all this."
"I suppose. Shall we get a bit serious then?"
"Against an opponent like this, is there a need?" Another asked back, teleporting away from several arrows and whisps of gas.
"Apollo isn't exactly weak, though."
"Quite so, but he can't compete with those three monsters we hang out with."
"True."
"Well let's show him a bit of our power in any case. I have things to do, you know."
"Is everyone ready?"
"We've been ready, so why drag things on any longer?"
"Let's not."
As one, they all smiled wickedly.
Apollo frowned. " Big talk. Are you implying that you've been holding back a bit? Amusing. Come, let's see what feeble attempts you can make!" He said viciously.
They laughed. "Boy, who do you think we are? Do you not know why we're tolerated? It's not simply because the other gods cant catch us...it's because they don't want to risk trying to stop us!"
"You, who exists within the same Pantheons as both Mercury and Hermes, don't know to fear us? Then let you show you...exactly what kind of person you point your claws at."
Every Loki in the city then disappeared at once.
A bright flash of red and green light blinded Apollo for an instant.
In the moment before, merely a fraction of a second, he witnessed streams of red and green converging high above the center of the city.
Apollo raised a hand in that direction and a new miasma came to life. It was thick, almost in liquid form. It was darker than the other, more inky. A stain in the sky. He hurled it towards the convergence along with countless arrows.
The light quickly coalesced into the shape of a man an instant before the arrows, miasma and whisps hit. A large explosion ensued, a mixture of radiant light and inky darkness tinged with trace amounts of a sickly green.
Apollo wasn't sure what happened, but at that moment he was sure that the man was no more. Something like that was surely enough to destroy his body.
He had just been about to turn to leave and regain control of his vessel when he heard a light, mocking voice.
" Where are you planning to go, boy? Surely you don't belive something of that level could harm me, right?" The voice laughed.
"Impossible...." Apollo looked towards the voice.
In a matter of seconds the smoke and miasma from the explosion was forcefullly cleared away.
In the center stood a man, a tall man who was a head larger than Apollo.
He wore dark, obsidian-like armor. It wasn't overly large, but rather sleek and seemed as if it were created solely to be worn by him. His chest was comprised of black chainmail with his shoulder guards were a bright gold. This armor turned black once more as it continued down towards his arms, the armor covering his hands and making them end in fine points.
His leggings were simialr, his feet wrapped in armor as well. The entire thing was almost shard-like in the way it seemed to all come together to form one singular piece that covered his body.
At his back was a long cape, the outside gold while the inside was a dark green. His head had a golden helmet that had two long horns entending for nearly two feet upwards in a slight curve.
In his hands was a long staff, longer than he was tall, but it's head was a odd shape. Like a long blade, silvery and emitting a pale luminescence like moonlight
His hair had grown too, reaching his lower back in a fine, well-groomed mane. His face had lost it's previous boyishness and become sharper, more defined. His body as a whole had transformed But of all this, his eyes were the most attention grabbing, turning into a brilliant emerald green that appeared to radiate it's own light.
This appearance was surprising enough, but to think that he had withstood that last barrage without even a scratch....
Apollo watched him carefully. He had never seen such a form from Loki, or either of his other selves that he knew.
"So what if you change yourself? Would that make any difference against me? It would be best if you simply stand still ane accept what's about to happen, Loki. Your antics have gone too far, attacking me and stealing my possessions. I won't let you off like the other gods do."
Loki was unperturbed by his accusations. "Boy, I merely borrowed it. Don't get your panties in a twist. As for attacking you, come now, you're a big boy. You think giving you a little bump on the head and putting you to sleep a few years qualifies as attacking you? Are you truly so sensitive? I only took this thing for a ride, nothing wrong with that, is there?"
His glib tone infuriated Apollo even more.
His eyes flashed dangerously.
Apollo disappeared.
He moved with his greatest speed, creating a sword of concentrated sunlight and aiming it at Loki's throat. He intended to stop all these games and simply do away with him.
This was one of his strongest abilities, a weapon that embodies his own powers. A sword wielding the power of the sun within it. A weapon with destructive capabilities comparable to that of Zeus' Master Bolt
However...
Loki had not moved an inch, simply had gazed at him with amusements.
As soon as Apollo had disappeared he snapped his fingers.
And just like that, as Apollo came before him ready to cut his neck, thousands of golden chains surrounded the youth's body, immobilizing him.
No matter how he struggled, these chain would not give any slack at all, would not budge in the slightest. He was stopped abrupty, his body still in a position that aimed for Loki's neck.
His sword was merely inches from him but right now that small measurement seemed an insurmountable distance.
"You really are a fool, you know that? You grow confident in your victory simply because you kill a few clones possessing barely even one tenth of my true power? You grew so arrogan, so sure of my defeat, that you simply disregarded my every move. You think those spells from before were meant to hurt[/i you?"
He laughed, as if the thought was ridiculous. "Please. Give me some credit." He smiled at him. " You didn't notice, did you? That there were quite a few of me who simply hung back and simply avoided your attacks.. They weren't lazy, either. They were [i]preparing. And all so that they could complete this nifty little thing."
He ran a hand over that chans, admiring them.
"These things are an original by me, based off the things that my daughter wears around her neck. They are almost as strong and have quite a nasty effect attached to them as well. I can't summon these things all that fast unless I have some other's vcarry a bit of the workload. It's quite complicated to perform, you see. So many things have to be done just right. I can't do that all by myself if I prioritize speed. But luckily I didn't have to do it by myself. However, know this: Even if I didn't use this method, I can still think of at least several dozen more that would result in you defeat in a matter of minutes."
He then raised a hand and lightly slapped the youth's cheek. Next he snapped his fingers again, causing the chains to tighten dramatically.
Apollo felt his throat being squeezed, his air supply blocked.
"Now, since this is quite taxing I have to appear in this form. It's bothersome, really. I have yet to perfect this spell, so the energy is quite high. If I want to maintain this thing, I cant use my other, weaker forms. You should feel honored, not all that many get to see me like this. Although this form doesn't suit my sense of aesthetics, I do get to do enjoy the fact that I now have the power to do this."
With a gesture, Apollo's body was manipulated like a pupet, forcing him upright.
An instant later Loki pierced his chest savagely with his hand.
Bright red blood sprayed everywhere. Apollo's eyes went wide, his heart beating erratically as he understood what the man was about to do.
Loki cleched his hand around a soft, spongy material and ripped it out of Apollo's body.
In his palm rested the still-beating heart of the stunned sun god.
Loki smiled. " Simply doing this won't kill you for long, but, well, that doesn't matter all that much."
In order to "kill" a god, one needs to destroy their entire body until they are simply not able to function antmore or else they will heal from practically anything. The best way to do it was to reduce them to smithereens.
Therefore Apollo's sword would have simply cut off Loki's head but would've spread it's flames throughout his entire body as well.
Loki squeezed the heart in his hand, causing Apollo intense pain.
As he gripped the thing tighter it sprayed out more blood and was soon reduced to something akin to a deflated balloon.
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Apollo had felt the entire thing, a wave of pain spreading everywhere from the tip of his head all the way down to his toes like an strong electric current was flowing through his body and wreaking havoc.
He went let out a scream, a loud, piecing thing that was cut off as his heart was completely pulverized. His golden radiance was no more, everything about him turning dull and lifeless.
Loki smirked.
In his head all he could hear was a deep, epic voice going, Loki wins. Fatality.
The thought amused him immensely
He looked at Apollo's unmoving body.
With a snap of his fingers he conjuring several camera and light stands. All of them looking at Apollo.
He then manipulated the chains that were around the youth, positioning hi, so that he appeared to be beding over with his ass in the air.
Loki tore off the youth's clothing.
With his staff placed firmly in his hands he came up from behind the youth.
He then let out a dastardly grin full of evil intentions.
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Aries had only just arrived at the highest level of the ship when he saw a golden youth chasing a small, adolescent boy high in the air.
"Eh, is that Apollo and Loki up there?"
It appeared to be so.
He watched for several more minutes as Loki made serval rather unsavory threats to Apollo that made Aries raise his eyebrows in amusement.
He saw groups of people running for their lives, each one taking the various paths down to the lower levels.
He looked around found an abandoned stall not far away the sold numerous snacks. He helped himself to some popcorn, icecream and several other treats. After a few minutes of preparation, he was ready.
Then he floated and found a good place high up on top of one of the large building where he could enjoy the show. He sat down on near the edge, resting upon a comfy padded chair he liberated from a nearby store moments ago.
"Ah, he's multiplying." He idly provided commentary. "Just what we need, more Lokis. As if the ones we already have aren't enough."
Apollo was seen conjuring a thick miasma. " Shit, that looks nasty."
The Lokis sealed the thing in a barrier. But it seems a few whisps hadn;t got caught, and a few seconds later one of those thin streams found itself behind one of the Lokis.
Aries cringed. "Son of a bitch. Disgusting. " He almost lost the contents of his stomache as the poor Loki shriveled un onto a gangrenous mess.
He felt relieved as the Loki was put out of it's misery.
The Lokis then spouted abuse at Apollo, one of them making an especially disturbing one involving Mercury that caused Aries to shiver. Ah, that woman, would she be happy or sad to know that she is being used as a means to threaten others?
Probably the former. But damn, that woman is into some pretty sick and perverted shit. If she were allowed to do as she pleased with the youth's body then wouldn't he be ruined for life? Je ewouldn't be suitable for marriage fter something like that.
Aries finished the popcorn and food just as Apollo dodged the Lokis collective attacks. They had rebounded off each other and flew out everywhere and Apollo didn't let it stop there. He sent a flurry of punches and kick that were almost too fast for Aries too see. Luckily he had good battle sense, which apart from increasing his combat abilities and growth, also enabled him to follow the movements.
He took a sip from a large glass full of amber liquid as the Lokis once again launched various threats at Apollo.
He considered. " Hm, should I help him out? He's getting his ass handed to him." Then he threw out the idea as soon as it came to him. Loki can handle himself. Even against this pissed off Apollo he's still more than capable of dealing with him.
And it was pretty fun watching him let himself get fucked up.
....But Aries groaned as he heard Apollo's reply. " That damn firefly, he's in for it now. Doesn't he know Loki's a damn daughter-con? Threatening her is a really bad idea...."He sighed, almost pitying the sun god.
It was hard to notice from the way Loki reacted to it, but Aries knew that he was pretty miffed right now.
Aries himself, a long time friend of Loki, still wasn't exactly all too familiar with that daughter of his. Sure, he had some relation to her due to him being friends with Loki and being in the same pantheon as her other father Hermes, but even still Loki had not let her interact with him all too much.
He was like that towards his close friends, and now Apollo comes along threatening his daughter?
Aries continued to watch the fight play out,
Apollo, as expected, got a bit tired of all Loki's nonsense and hurled arrows of gold along with those whisps at him.
"But damn, they really are making a lot of noise."
And not to mention all those people who were going to go down to the lower levels while spreading the panic. A lot of people are going to be loosing their shit once they hear about what was happening right now. A battle between two gods would do that.
Normally they didn't use large-scale attacks at the beginning. But a prolonged battle would just make them throw out larger and more powerful moves. Eventually they would be hurling out things that could wipe out nations. It wasn't that bad right now though.
Still, those people down below would make this fight known and then all hell would break loose.
Aries had a sudden bad feeling just then but he didn't know why. It was gone so fast...Maybe it was nothing....
After some dodging and more talk, the Lokis disappeared. A flash of light came into existence at high above the city's center and Apollo conjured a new miasma before he launched it at the place Loki's silhouette was seen.
"Ah, he used that form, huh. I wonder what he's gonna do."
His question was answered as Apollo was about to strike the man down. Chains appeared around him, rendering him helpless.
"Hm... those things look familiar...."
And there was a reason for that, one Loki explained. It was a small rant, one used to taunt the sun god.
Loki did this to show his superiority over Apollo. He had even said that he had dozens of other methods he could have used instead, which Aries believed.
Then Loki ripped out Apollo's heart and crushed it. Apollo's screams made Aries smirk a bit. He found the whole thing pretty hilarious.
But just as he witnessed Loki about to make good on his earlier threats, Aries decided to appear to him.
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"I didn't know you were into that kind of thing, Loki. I feel as if i'm finally seeing the real you."
Loki almost jumped up at the voice, surprised.
"Fuck, learn to make some goddamn noise why don;t you."
"I'm not all that stealthy, you know. You just didn't pay attention."
Loki glared balefully at him. " Whatever. So, how long you been here?"
Ares shrugged. "Since nearly the beginning, I guess."
"Then why didn't you help me?" Loki frowned.
The man gave him a lazy look. "It would have been such a hassle to disrupt such an amusing sight. Normally I would have wanted to join in but i just wanted to enjoy the free entertainment this time."
"Bastard."
" You can't say that, I only have one real parent."
Which was true, his mother had an immaculate conception, without the aid of any man. So calling him a "bastard" was inaccurate. Even if that wasn't true, both Hera and Zeus were married.
" Ah....right. Hey, you do know that I just totally fucked up your brother just now?" Loki remembered that the two had that kind of relationship.
"Apollo is a little shit anyway, I don't give a fuck."
Aries meant it. His childhood rather fucked up and he never really bonded with any of his family members. At least most of them. Athena was alright, he supposed, but some of the others didnt care much for him and the sentiment was returned. The amount of crap he had to go through as a kid due to this.....
Ah...his family relations were pretty complicated. Most were simply step-siblings anyway, like Apollo. His true, sole parent was Hera. He wasn't related to Zeus by blood at all, so his children didn't have any real relation to Aries.
In fact, his family, his pantheon, was too damn complex and annoying for him to really give much thought about. Some people, like Roland, had only ever heard about those pesky myths mortals came up with.
Then they assumed a whole buch of bullshit. Roland learned a bit more and therefore now knew most of those myths were completely made up. Some weren't, but they were not entirely right either.
Thinking about all this really gave him a headache....
" So cold. No love for your poor little bro. Quite sad."
"Shut up. Not like you're any better off." Loki, with his other selves like Hermes and Mercury, was probably even worse off than Aries was.
Now that was a damn messy situation.
Though, honestly, gods didn't usually give much thought to those who were not directly related to them in some way. If you were not siblings or parent and child, then generally speaking, they didn't really consider you part of their family.
" True. Anyway, wait a few minutes, I got to shove this--"
He heard a cracking sound.
"Hmm?"
Aries heard it too. "Was that..."
"...Yeah...."
They looked over and saw the barrier for the first plague breaking. Apparently it was like that since Loki had forgotten to supply it with power. Now it was under too much stress due to the miasma inside expanding.
"It looks like it's running wild now that Apollo's dead. I should do something."
"Can you? That isn't an ordinary plague, you know."
"No worries, I got this"
Loki waved off the man's concern.
He turned towards Apollo's body. "You wait right there, I'll get to you in a minute."