[Third person POV]
Although the demigods fought with admirable determination, their valor alone wasn't enough to turn the tide against the grotesque horrors swarming the battlefield. Their weapons clashed, their shields held firm—for a moment—but these abominations were unlike anything they had prepared for.
One of the twisted monsters—a towering, eyeless grey abomination with viscous, corrosive saliva dripping from its snarling maw—let out an inhuman screech as it lunged forward. With terrifying speed, it swung its massive, clawed paw down at a young son of Apollo, who barely managed to raise his shield in defense.
The impact was instant. The shield, reinforced with celestial bronze, was shredded in a single swipe, the metal torn apart like paper. A brutal gash split across the demigod's chest, sending him flying backward like a ragdoll. He hit the ground hard, skidding across the mud before coming to a painful stop. Blood oozed from the deep wound in his torso and trickled from his mouth in thick rivulets.
Tears welled in his eyes as the searing pain overwhelmed him. Every breath felt like fire. 'I'm going to die… I'm going to die,' he thought repeatedly to himself, panic and despair rising with him. He was paralyzed, unable to move, helpless as the monster began its slow, deliberate approach to finish him off.
But before the abomination could deliver the fatal strike, a radiant flash of golden light erupted beside its head, illuminating the darkness of battle like a miniature sun. The light spiraled and condensed, forming the figure of Lucian—his bronze skin glowing beneath the energy, his snow-white hair swaying with the motion of his descent.
Without hesitation, Lucian drew his leg back and delivered a devastating spinning kick to the monster's face. The sheer force of it caused the creature's skull to buckle and cave inward slightly. The abomination was hurled through the air like a cannonball, smashing into the ground a good thirty feet away in a cloud of dirt and shattered bone.
Lucian landed gracefully, his boots barely making a sound on the blood-soaked earth. He turned to the injured boy and extending a glowing hand. Particles of golden light—glimmering like stardust—flowed from Lucian's palm and sank into the boy's wounds, knitting flesh and restoring life.
"T-Thank you…" the boy gasped weakly, his voice shaking as his vision cleared. He blinked rapidly, staring in disbelief. "L-Lucian? Is that really you?"
Lucian's expression was unreadable, his glowing eyes hard. He didn't respond at first. Instead, he narrowed his gaze.
"You should be ashamed of yourself," he said coldly.
The boy flinched in confusion. "W-What?"
"You wield a fragment of the same power that flows through me, and yet this is all you amount to?" Lucian's voice was like ice—cutting and unforgiving. "Disgraceful."
And with that, his body dissolved into golden particles once again, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
High above the battlefield, Lucian reformed midair, his form crackling with luminous energy. His eyes scanned the field below until they landed on something truly revolting—a creature that made even his stomach churn.
It was a grotesque blob of quivering, liquified flesh. Its form was ever-shifting, composed of fluid muscle and bone, absorbing anything it touched. Several demigods were already trapped inside it, their faces and limbs half-submerged. They clawed and screamed, desperately trying to escape as they were slowly digested alive.
Lucian's lips curled in disgust.
Ribbons of light suddenly unfurled from his fingers, each one coiling and whipping through the stormy air like living serpents. With perfect precision, they lashed out and wrapped around the wrists, ankles, and torsos of the trapped demigods. Then, with a commanding tug, Lucian yanked them all free in one swift motion, pulling them safely away from the monstrous blob.
"Nebula. Lucerna," Lucian called calmly, his voice carrying across the chaos like a bell.
A streak of brilliant light shot away from Annabeth, who had just unleashed a blast of silvery magic at a charging monster. From that streak, Lucerna emerged—eyes shimmering with pride and reverence upon seeing her father in his Brightheart form.
"Yes, Father," she said, bowing her head with glowing grace.
Moments later, a swirling mass of deep purple mist coalesced nearby, reshaping itself into Nebula. She took Lucian's default appearance, a smirk on her lips as she gave a casual salute. "Yo."
"Lucerna, tend to the wounded and protect them until they can stand again," Lucian instructed, his voice sharp and resolute. "Nebula—create the largest containment jar you can. Something strong enough to imprison that disgusting thing."
Without another word, Lucian took off, soaring into the air like a blazing comet.
He flipped upside down mid-flight, his body spinning rapidly until he transformed into a tornado of light. Brilliant star-shaped sigils spun around him, orbiting faster and faster before he unleashed a powerful barrage of searing golden projectiles.
Each beam of light shot forth with incredible force, skewering abominations and automatons alike. One piercing cross-shaped blast struck a massive bronze warthog automaton, detonating on contact. The resulting explosion sent shards of molten metal flying across the field.
Screeches and roars erupted from every direction. Though the monsters weren't completely destroyed, they were slowed, stunned, disoriented—giving the battered demigods a much-needed reprieve to regroup and catch their breath.
Lucian hovered in place for a moment, his body glowing faintly in the rain. He ran a hand through his soaked white hair, slicking it back as he looked toward the swirling storm clouds that had gathered overhead.
"Although I despise the sun being blocked," he murmured, his voice almost amused, "I'll allow it—just this once. Consider it a mercy."
Lucian tilted his head back, his sharp golden eyes narrowing as he watched Thalia appear as a Thunder Goddess wreathed in stormlight. She hovered high above the battlefield, lightning dancing across her body, her hair flowing around her face.
With each motion of her hand, thunderbolts rained from the skies, streaking through the darkened skies like javelins. Wherever she pointed, lightning obeyed—striking the earth with violent precision, detonating patches of the battlefield into flying rubble and plumes of smoke.
The demigods below shielded their eyes, some in fear, others in admiration, as her raw power painted the battlefield with electric fury.
Lucian scoffed under his breath, the corners of his mouth twitching into a smirk. "Like I'll seriously let anyone outshine me…" he muttered, his voice full of contempt and challenge.
His gaze sharpened, glowing faintly with radiant purpose.
"It's time these ignorant fools learn what true might looks like."
With practiced elegance, Lucian brought his hands together before his face. His fingers aligned precisely, forming a perfect triangle between them. Within that space, a spark of energy pulsed—bright and ominous. He inhaled deeply, and as he exhaled, he spoke a single word. A single, resounding invocation:
"Descend."
The word was not loud, yet it carried. It echoed across the battlefield like a divine command—bouncing off stone, metal, and flesh, felt in the hearts of all who heard it. For a moment, the world held its breath.
Then the skies responded.
Within the swirling vortex of clouds above—darkened by Thalia's storms—new light ignited. Blinding beams of pure radiance burst to life, piercing through the storm as if heaven itself had opened its gates. Pillars of light—massive, searing, and holy—rained down from the heavens like sacred comets, striking the battlefield with thunderous impact. The very ground scorched beneath them, casting brilliant halos into the smoke and ash.
Lucian stood tall at the heart of the storm, his white hair glowing like silver fire, his golden eyes reflecting the descent of his divine might. Around him, silence fell—not of peace, but reverence.
Then, slowly, as the radiance began to fade, shapes emerged from the glowing pillars.
From within the light stepped his army—but not as they were before.
Gone were the creatures of shadow, the fearsome demonic silhouettes of his former legions. In their place now stood radiant warriors of divine design. Their bodies were forged from pure, immaculate light, their forms outlined with shimmering gold rather than the crimson.
Where once they were demons, they now appeared as paladins—celestial knights descended from the sun itself.
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