The central district of Mos Eisley still felt as though it had been torn from reality itself.
Between Darth Vader and Pallas Athena, the air twisted and warped—two vastly different supernatural fields clashing in utter silence.
The Dark Side of the Force surged like thick, boiling tar, while Athena's divine power shone like sunlight piercing through storm clouds, ripping radiant tears through the chaos.
Under the pressure of their collision, the ground cracked open. Fragments of stone floated against gravity, forming a slowly rotating storm between the two figures.
At that moment, Vader's breathing became unnaturally calm. His left fingers trembled ever so slightly, and in his palm, pale pink Chaos energy condensed into an ominous orb of light.
Its glow reflected off his pale, sculpted face, adding an eerie taint to his otherwise cold, handsome features.
He made no move to attack. If Athena struck first, he could deflect and seize that fleeting moment of vulnerability to deliver a fatal counter—after all, even gods had openings when committing to a full-power strike.
But Athena… seemed to read his intent.
She smiled faintly.
There was no rage in her expression, no disdain—only a mocking pity, the kind a god reserves for watching a beast thrash in futility.
With a slow twist of her fingers, the Spear of Victory traced dazzling arcs through the air, leaving a trail of fading afterimages behind its tip.
"What are you waiting for?"
Her voice was like a polar wind scraping against steel, each syllable carrying a biting chill.
"Waiting for the Chaos gods to whisper you the key to victory?" She tilted her head, golden bangs falling like a shimmering veil. "How disappointing. The Sith Lord who received their blessing—reduced to such cowardice."
That final word was drawn out, like a dull blade dragged across the nerves.
Vader's pupils narrowed.
His crystalline fingernails lengthened, and the orb of energy in his palm began to pulse violently.
But before he could react, Athena stepped forward—
CRACK!
The ground beneath her feet split with spiderweb-like fractures. The precarious balance between divine and chaotic energy shattered instantly.
Floating gravel and debris shot outward like bullets, screaming as they tore through nearby ruins.
"Let me see—" she said, leveling the Spear of Victory straight at Vader's throat, "—just how much courage your gods gave you."
At the final syllable, the entire gravity field over the block suddenly inverted.
!
Caught off guard, Vader staggered, nearly losing his footing.
But he quickly adapted, forcefully stabilizing his stance by counter-twisting the reversed gravity.
Then, he raised his hand—the pink Chaos energy exploded outward. Twisting bolts of corrupted Force lightning surged like venomous serpents toward Athena's face.
At the same time, he summoned his lightsaber back to his right hand. With a humming crack, the crimson blade arced upward in a lethal diagonal slash, aimed to sever the goddess's damned spear.
The moment their divine weapons clashed, time seemed to freeze for a second.
Then—
VMMM—~BOOM————!!!
A blinding white sphere, 500 meters in diameter, exploded in the heart of the city. Any mortal who looked directly at it would've been blinded instantly—then incinerated to ash.
The shockwave expanded in concentric rings, toppling ruined buildings like toys. Corrupted tanks and walkers were hurled skyward and disassembled mid-air.
The ground collapsed in layers like a fragile eggshell, forming a crater over 100 meters deep.
Smoke and dust spiraled upward, forming a monstrous mushroom cloud. Its peak pierced the atmosphere and was visible from low orbit.
The shockwave swept the entire city like a tsunami. Even Hera's psionic barriers flickered under the pressure.
The Spartans, closest to the blast, bore the full brunt—
VMMM—VMMM!
John's Mjolnir armor shrieked. His energy shield dropped to critical the moment the wave hit.
He dropped to one knee, magnetic boots anchoring into the ground. The alloy plating on his knee gouged a deep trench in the rubble.
Douglas was thrown to the ground, saved only by stabbing both hands into the dirt. Jerome drove his rifle butt into the rock, sparks flying as it carved into stone.
Most critically—
The barrier separating the central district fractured.
From those cracks, corrupted energy oozed like pus. Everything it touched twisted and mutated.
A dead clone trooper convulsed and rose. Flesh tumors bloomed from its mechanical skeleton and armor. Its rifle morphed into writhing tendrils.
Hera immediately noticed the anomaly. She raised both hands, etching new psionic sigils into the sky.
But her repair and purification couldn't keep pace with the spreading corruption.
The battle between Vader and Athena was tearing apart the boundary between reality and the Warp.
On the smoke-choked battlefield, a red glow pierced the dust.
Vader slowly ascended into the air, tattered cloak drifting down like dead butterflies.
The Dark Side and Chaos energy entwined around him, forming a warped field that kept him aloft above the crater's center.
His breathing was heavy and deliberate. His slitted pupils glowed with deadly intensity.
And below, at the crater's bottom—
Athena stood tall and unmoved.
One hand braced the Spear of Victory. The ground beneath her feet had melted into a molten mirror, reflecting her flawless form.
Though she wasn't a master of magic, her divine body and armor could withstand nearly any physical impact—even apocalyptic chaos shockwaves.
Every piece of her equipment had been forged by the Emperor himself.
The Spear and Armor of Victory had been reforged by Samuel Young's own hands. Combined with the legendary dwarven smiths of Tyrella, they transformed Athena—who neither specialized in divine energy nor psionics—into a top-tier powerhouse of the Human Empire.
Vader's fingers twitched.
He could feel the vast gulf in gear quality.
His lightsaber, forged with Sith alchemy, was child's play before the Spear of Victory's pure psionic essence.
And his armor, etched with Chaos runes, paled beside the radiant, holy luster of Athena's golden warplate.
Yet true power was never merely material.
Vader suddenly raised his left hand. His fingers splayed. A sphere of crimson flame ignited midair.
It wasn't ordinary fire—it was the compressed anguish of billions of tormented souls.
Civilians who died during Coruscant's fall. Loyal soldiers who chose death over surrender. Their cries of pain took shape within the flames, forming thousands of twisted faces—mouths open in silent screams.
"Taste a real gift of Chaos."
His nasal, mechanical tone multiplied into hundreds of overlapping voices—like those same lost souls speaking through him.
Then, his hand clenched—
BOOM!!
ROAR~——!!
The fire burst, transforming into a tidal wave of screaming wraiths.
Everywhere the phantoms touched, black frost crept over the ground. The air turned blood red. Even light itself was devoured.
"..."
The Spartan comms went dead silent.
They could almost hear their own blood surging in their veins. Their adrenal levels spiked into overdrive.
And what truly chilled them—
Even their hands were trembling uncontrollably.
Not from fear, but from reality-shattering revelation.
Dr. Halsey's voice echoed in their memory:
"Always stay humble, children. The universe is far vaster than you imagine."
They had thought they understood.
As Spartans, they had earned pride. Young as they were, their power rivaled Astartes, and they were far rarer.
Who wouldn't feel proud?
But now—witnessing the aftermath of a godly clash—their pride shattered like glass.
Douglas stared at the energy storm reflecting off his visor. His hand drifted to the plasma grenade on his hip.
A weapon capable of vaporizing Covenant tanks… and yet, here? It wasn't even a sparkler.
Cortana, meanwhile, ran predictive data simulations based on Vader and Athena's first engagement, projecting the results on the Spartans' HUDs:
[0.3s]: Dark Lord pierces energy shields.
[0.5s]: Force choke shatters cervical vertebrae.
[Within 1s]: Entire Spartan team reduced to smoldering meat paste.]
The Spartans were rattled.
They had actually thought they could snatch Obi-Wan from such a being???
Absurd. Laughable.
They were alive only because—
Darth Vader couldn't be bothered to squash "ants."
Athena drew all the fire.
And the Emperor's teleportation gate had arrived just in time.
Which proved one thing:
Halsey was right to include a "coin toss" test in Spartan recruitment. It identified those with exceptional luck—a vital quality for survival.
At the center of the storm—
Athena faced the tidal wave of wraiths with unwavering calm.
She gripped the Spear of Victory with both hands. The tip glowed fiercely, then plunged into the molten ground beneath her feet—
VMMM—!
A brilliant golden ring erupted from the spear's tip, rippling outward like a wave.
Where the ring passed, glowing Greek runes appeared in the glass-like pit floor. Ancient sigils pulsed with divine power, forming a massive, 100-meter-wide spell array.
Sacred energy coursed through the glyphs, transforming the crater into a divine sanctum.
But Vader's attack was too overwhelming—
First wave: The golden barrier trembled violently. Runes near the edges flickered.
Second wave: The malicious aura of the dead corroded the array like acid. Black cracks spread.
Third wave: The wraith tsunami crashed down—
CRACK—SHATTER!!
With a nauseating crunch, the entire defense shattered.
Athena's footing fractured. Glowing runes shattered like glass.
Purified fragments of wraiths reformed into even more grotesque visages, jaws wide, surging toward her.
Athena frowned.
As goddess of wisdom and war, she had always disdained complicated magic. She preferred to crush enemies through strength and tactics.
But now—facing a death wave of billions—she wished she knew more about psionics.
She didn't.
This was the best defensive array she could muster.
Still, as the goddess of war, she had one more response:
Raw power.
And—
Divine possession.
Her fingers clenched.
The Spear of Victory shifted with metallic groans—reshaped by divine force into a six-sided Han-style greatsword, 2.4 meters long.
Its surface gleamed like molten gold. Chinese runes carved into the blade flared. Pure psionic energy wrapped around the edge like thunder and flame.
Then, Athena assumed a classical Greek battle stance.
Left foot forward. Right foot back. Sword held level at brow.
This pose—once used to slay gods and heroes in ancient battlefields—now radiated divine authority.
BOOM!!!
She brought the sword down.
Time paused.
Where the blade met the tide of wraiths, there was no explosion—only a strange phenomenon—
The ghostly faces froze. Crimson Chaos energy halted midair.
A shattering noise echoed like glass breaking.
Vader sensed something was wrong.
Athena's azure eyes had turned fully gold. In her irises danced not divine fire—but something deeper… more terrifying.
And his worst fear?
The sword was absorbing the wraiths.
Each twisted face devoured by its edge purified into pure energy.
Air distorted around the blade from overload, forming a golden vortex like a miniature black hole.
All the incoming wraiths were sucked into the blade—
As if becoming part of Athena—
Or rather, becoming part of the one now controlling her: the Human Emperor, Samuel Young.
RUMBLE——!!!
The infinite horde of wraiths vanished into the sword, triggering a blinding explosion of light.
Athena gripped the sword with both hands. She bent her knees, then—
FWOOOOSH————!!
The goddess of war became a golden comet—
Charging straight at the still-hovering Darth Vader.
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American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
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