TRIPLE THREAT
1335 Words
UNDERWORLD ARC
Chapter 13: Triple Threat Handicapped Battle
The shattered remains of Lucifer's fortress trembled beneath an overwhelming pressure.
Three warriors.
One consciousness.
One enemy.
Hades tightened his grip around the Divine Bident as the lavender aura of Divine Energy Omen danced around his body.
Across from him, Aza, Zxe, and Zel stood in formation.
Aza planted his bone staff into the ground.
"You should feel honored."
"You are only the second being worthy of witnessing our true selves."
"Our bodies are separate..."
"...but our minds are one."
"We see through each other's eyes."
"We think the same thoughts."
"We attack as one."
"There are no openings."
"There is no hesitation."
"There is no weakness."
Hades scratched the back of his head.
"...That's honestly messed up."
Far away, Beelzebub released another swarm of infernal flies.
The tiny creatures scattered across the battlefield, allowing everyone in the Underworld to witness the coming battle.
Persephone looked on anxiously.
Beelzebub frowned.
"...Azazel is using his trump card from the very beginning."
"This won't be easy."
Hades rolled his shoulders before pointing the Bident at the trio.
"If you're going all out..."
"...then I guess I'll have to do the same."
Without warning—
BOOM!!
Hades exploded forward.
His first target...
Aza.
With a powerful swing, he hurled the Divine Bident like a spear.
Aza calmly spun his bone staff.
CLANG!!
The staff barely managed to deflect the divine weapon.
The instant the Bident left Hades' hand...
He changed direction.
Straight toward Zxe and Zel.
"So that's your plan."
Zxe grinned wildly.
"I like it!"
He lunged first.
His left fist rocketed toward Hades.
Hades answered with his own right fist.
BOOOOOOM!!
The collision created a deafening shockwave.
The surrounding castle walls exploded apart.
The ground split beneath their feet.
Hades immediately felt pain shoot through his wrist.
"...His punches..."
"...They're ridiculously heavy."
Zxe laughed louder.
"HAHAHAHA!!"
"Again!!"
The two exchanged a relentless barrage of punches.
Each collision echoed throughout the battlefield.
Every impact blasted apart another section of the ruined fortress.
Despite matching him blow for blow...
Hades noticed something.
"My wrist..."
"...it's going numb."
Suddenly—
Zxe vanished.
He reappeared directly above Hades.
Both fists raised overhead.
"Catch!"
Hades barely leaped away.
BOOOOOOM!!
The pillar beneath him shattered from top to bottom, disintegrating into dust.
Hades landed several meters away.
"...That would've hurt."
Zxe crouched low.
A crazed smile stretched across his face.
His demonic energy gathered around both fists.
"Let's make this fun!"
He slammed both fists together.
"CHAOTIC MORTALITY—FIST STYLE!"
"FOUR-LAYERED DESTRUCTION PUNCHES!!"
Four compressed shockwaves erupted from his fists one after another.
Each stronger than the last.
Hades' eyes widened.
"I can't block those barehanded..."
He stretched out his arm.
"Come back!"
The Divine Bident shot through the air, escaping Aza's control before returning to Hades' hand.
Just before the attacks landed—
He spun the weapon.
The vibration crystals inside the Bident resonated violently.
Vibration Shield.
BOOOOOOOOM!!
The shield absorbed most of the impact...
...but Hades was still blasted backward.
He smashed through five consecutive walls before finally stopping.
Dust covered his body.
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
"...That guy hits harder than Typhon..."
He barely had time to stand—
SHHHHK!
A silent blade sliced toward his neck.
Hades instinctively leaned back.
The sword narrowly missed his throat...
...but carved a deep cut across his shoulder.
Blood splattered across the broken floor.
The pressure behind the s***h completely split a ruined tower in half.
Zel.
The silent swordsman.
"I'm... sorry..."
His sorrowful voice almost sounded genuine.
Then he vanished again.
His flesh-like katana became a blur.
Countless slashes rained down.
Hades blocked desperately with the Bident.
Metal screamed.
Shockwaves tore through the battlefield.
Each clash froze the surrounding air.
Suddenly...
Zel inhaled deeply.
His five eyes glowed.
"WAXING MOON..."
His katana radiated pale blue light.
"FROZEN EVENING CRESCENTS!!"
Massive crescent-shaped blades of ice exploded outward.
Hades immediately raised the Vibration Shield.
The frozen crescents shattered against it...
...yet frost still crawled across his body.
Within seconds...
His arms were frozen solid.
"Damn..."
The cold reached his bones.
He surged Divine Energy through his body.
The vibration aura shattered the ice.
Before he could recover—
"Behind you!!"
Zxe appeared above him.
A devastating bicycle kick descended toward Hades' skull.
Hades ducked at the last possible moment.
The kick demolished another stone platform instead.
Now...
The battle changed.
No longer one-on-one.
Zxe attacked with savage, unpredictable brutality.
Zel struck with flawless precision.
Every time Hades blocked one...
The other attacked his blind spot.
For the first time since entering the Underworld...
Hades was completely on the defensive.
Persephone covered her mouth.
"...He's being overwhelmed..."
Beelzebub clenched his fists.
"They're perfectly synchronized..."
"They don't leave him a single opening."
The relentless assault continued.
Finally...
Both demons stepped back simultaneously.
Their energies exploded.
Zxe raised his leg.
"CHAOTIC MORTALITY—LEG STYLE!"
"ONE HUNDRED EXPLODING KICKS!!"
At the same moment—
Zel lowered his blade.
"WANING MOON..."
His five eyes glowed crimson.
"LOATHSOME ZERO THRUST!!"
The two ultimate techniques raced toward Hades together.
"...Seriously?"
Hades sighed.
He slammed the butt of his Bident into the ground.
The weapon vibrated violently.
A massive vibration wave collided with both attacks.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
A tremendous explosion swallowed the battlefield.
Smoke covered everything.
Out of the smoke—
Zxe and Zel attacked from opposite sides.
A perfect pincer attack.
Hades spun the Bident horizontally.
One blade stopped Zel's katana.
The opposite end blocked Zxe's punch.
For a brief second...
All three remained locked together.
Then—
"Get off me!"
Hades twisted his body.
A burst of Divine Energy hurled both opponents away.
The trio immediately regrouped.
No wasted movement.
No hesitation.
No communication.
They simply knew.
"They really do share one mind..."
Hades muttered.
Before he could think further—
Zxe rushed him again.
Four-Layered Destruction Punches.
Hades dodged.
Only to meet Zel's Frozen Evening Crescents.
He jumped—
Directly into another trap.
High above...
Aza floated silently.
His bone staff pointed downward.
Dark lightning gathered into an enormous sphere.
Even Beelzebub's face turned pale.
"...No..."
Aza's robes fluttered violently.
His voice echoed across the battlefield.
"DARK DEMON ART..."
Lightning roared.
The crimson ruby atop his staff glowed like a dying star.
"RUMBLING THUNDERCLAP!!"
The gigantic lightning sphere crashed down upon Hades.
For a split second—
The battlefield became pure white.
Then...
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!
The explosion consumed everything.
The remaining sections of Lucifer's castle vanished instantly.
Shockwaves swept across the entire Underworld.
Mountains collapsed.
Rivers changed course.
Even Beelzebub's infernal flies were vaporized.
Persephone stumbled backward.
"Hades!!"
Silence followed.
Smoke slowly drifted through the ruined battlefield.
Aza lowered his staff.
"...It's over."
Zxe laughed triumphantly.
"HAHAHAHA!!"
"That was awesome!"
Zel quietly lowered his sword.
"...Forgive me..."
Deep beneath the mountain of rubble...
A broken hand slowly emerged.
Hades pushed aside the debris.
Blood covered his body.
Cuts stretched across his chest and arms.
His breathing had become ragged.
He leaned heavily on the Divine Bident just to remain standing.
Then...
He coughed violently.
Cough!
Blood spilled from his mouth.
"...This..."
"...is bad."
Far worse than he wanted to admit.
For the first time...
Hades had no immediate answer.
He closed his eyes.
Thinking.
"Everything I do..."
"They counter."
"Zxe's wild attacks always find me."
"Zel's blade never misses."
"Aza breaks through every defense."
"Even Uncle Atlas' prediction training isn't enough anymore..."
He laughed weakly.
"...Man..."
"I wish I was lying under the sun right now..."
"...drinking one of Uncle Buddha's sweet honey juices."
Then...
His eyes widened.
"...Buddha..."
A forgotten memory resurfaced.
A peaceful smile.
A quiet shrine.
A lesson spoken years ago.
Hades slowly lifted his head.
"...That's it."
"If there's any technique that can beat these three..."
"...it's his."
The trio began advancing once more.
Hades tightened his grip on the Divine Bident.
His breathing slowed.
The memory grew clearer.
The battlefield faded from his mind.
Only Buddha's voice remained.
"The strongest enemy you will ever face..."
"...is yourself."
End of Chapter 13
- Writer
