Ch. 139: Harsh Training!
BOOM!
“Tch!” I hissed, dodging just in time to miss a lethal strike from both sisters. Each blow hummed with deadly intent, sending arcs of energy around us, crackling like storm filled skies. Controlling this raw arcane energy coursing through my body was still tasking, but each dodge, each swing felt sharper than before.
I remembered when keeping up with them felt impossible, how they seemed to float circles around me, untouchable. But now…
BOOM!
I unleashed a shockwave, and half the island cracked beneath the force, sinking into the ocean’s depths as Charon spiraled toward the ground. The impact left a crater, and I saw him spring up from it with the same relentless fury, wielding his scythe like a phantom of death. His speed could overwhelm anyone lesser, the swing of his scythe too quick for a mortal eye.
And now, so was I.
With a sweep of my wings, I cut through the air, summoning my bident in a burst of dark, electric energy, meeting Charon’s charge mid-air. The impact was a thunderclap that shook the heavens, and every cloud above us dissipated, swallowed in the shockwave of our clash. I could feel every muscle, every fiber in me push past its limit, the power of Hades coursing through me like liquid fire.
Charon grinned beneath his hood, eyes gleaming with satisfaction as his scythe aimed for my head in a swift, silent arc.
“Impressive,” he muttered, his voice low and deadly. “Your power has grown – but you’re not quite there yet.”
I intercepted his strike with the bident, our weapons grinding against each other with a shrill hum. I twisted and drove a fist into his face, sending him careening down into the earth below, the very ground splitting beneath him. The ocean roared around us as waves crashed, riding the shockwaves of our battle.
“Haa…” I exhaled heavily, feeling the weight of the clash in every cell of my body.
To think I would reach this strength in just ten years – each year had been a relentless, backbreaking battle to harness Hades’ power. In the first few years, I had nearly lost myself to it, struggling to keep control, to maintain a balance without letting the power consume me. Once I could stand firm and wield the power more efficiently, I had trained in various techniques, pushing my physical endurance and reflexes to the brink. The feeling I got from every battle was exhilarating and sometimes, addictive.
But fighting Charon was no ordinary training – it was survival. Without giving my all, he would have killed me, and sometimes I wondered if that wasn’t the point.
“Is it just me, or are you getting rusty, Charon?” I smirked as I landed before him, dust settling around us, rubble crushed beneath my feet.
Charon pulled himself to his feet, his hood shadowing a sharp grin. “Hold your tongue, you little upstart,” he rasped. His scythe glinted in the moonlight, each edge honed and unforgiving. “I could crush you in a heartbeat, if I weren’t holding back.”
With a flicker of intent, I lunged, and our clash turned into a blur of lethal moves, each of us testing the other with deadly precision. I spun the bident, unleashing a wave of dark energy that shattered the rocks below and thrust forward, only for Charon to sidestep at impossible speed, countering with a swing of his scythe. Sparks flew as steel met steel, each strike ringing through the night.
Charon vanished and reappeared in the blink of an eye, his scythe slicing toward me. I twisted, barely dodging as his blade nicked my arm, drawing a thin line of blood. With a grimace, I countered, summoning an eruption of shadows from beneath him. They latched onto him, momentarily binding his movements.
I tightened my grip and struck, my bident blazing with dark flames as I drove it into the earth, sending a shockwave that shattered the ground around us. Charon grunted, thrown back by the force, skidding to a halt with a fierce grin as he dusted himself off.
“Not bad, but you’re still far from mastery,” he said, that gleam of respect barely concealed. He dismissed his scythe, letting it dissolve into the air. “We’re done for now.”
I let out a sigh, wiping the sweat from my brow as the remnants of my summoned shadows faded. The power still hummed within me, a beast now caged, yet barely.
Renee and Yvonne waited nearby, watching with satisfied smiles as we regrouped on the ship. Renee clapped, her bright eyes shining with pride. “Not bad! You’ve really come a long way, you know. Ten years ago, you couldn’t even hope to lift the bident without it tossing you around. And now you just destoryed your third island.”
Yvonne smirked, folding her arms. “I’ll admit, I doubted you’d last even a month, let alone make it to where you are now. But here you are, still standing.”
I glanced at them, the weight of their words settling in. “It wasn’t just me. I’d be nothing without all the help you two – and Charon – put in.” I let my gaze sweep across the shattered island I called my training ground. “Every ounce of power I’ve gained, it’s thanks to all of you. I might be the lord of the underworld but I’m not someone that doesn’t show his respects.”
Renee shrugged, brushing it off with a grin. “Oh, don’t get mushy on us now, Lord Hades. You’re supposed to be the embodiment of darkness and all that.”
Yvonne’s smirk softened as she nodded in agreement. “But it’s true. You’re nearly ready. I suppose it’s time for you to leave the nest and spread that dark, mighty power of yours.”
The weight of it hit me. Leaving this place. After years of training, pushing past every limit, I was finally ready to venture beyond this sanctuary – to face whatever awaited me out there.
I straightened, taking a steadying breath. “Then it’s time. I’ll be ready by tomorrow.”
Charon stepped forward, placing a heavy hand on my shoulder. “Remember, power alone won’t guarantee victory. You’ve learned what you can here, but out there… it’s a whole different battlefield.”
I nodded, feeling the enormity of the journey ahead. The world awaited – and so did the destiny I’d carve out with every ounce of strength I’d earned.
Tomorrow, my path would begin anew.
I felt Charon’s grip tighten on my shoulder and I looked up at him. “And who the hell said you could leave tomorrow? You don’t get to decide just when you up and leave, I’m in charge of your training here not you.”
I jerked him off and trotted off. “Next time I’ll win Charon.”
Charon called out to me before I walked too far. “So what are you going to do when you’re back to full strength?”
I smiled and said. “Win back every that should be mine.”
Charon sighed. “You talk as if a war is coming, besides you still haven’t told me who poisoned you.”
I stood there and said. “You should go freshen up, I did leave more than a mark on you.” I started to walk away.
Charon said behind my back. “He still has his high horse, he hasn’t changed in that regard.”
Some questions would only be answered when I had gotten string enough but was I on par with Poseidon and Zeus now?
If I revive a magic castle I will mass release 10 chapters
