A scream of steel tore through the battlefield as Hades hurled his spear with divine force. The weapon sliced through the charging undead like a blade through silk, tearing a clean line through dozens of ribcages and skulls before vanishing into the distant haze.
With a sharp breath, Hades wrapped the chain blade around his left arm and charged forward, feet skimming over shattered bone. A skeleton lunged toward him, slashing horizontally with a rusted sword.
He dropped low, sliding beneath the arc of the blade. Dirt and bone dust trailed behind him. In one fluid motion, he smashed his left fist into the skeleton's ribcage, sending its spine arching backward.
As the creature's weapon clattered to the ground, Hades snatched it mid-fall and hurled it like a dagger, pinning another skeleton to the earth.
Without hesitation, he snatched up his spear again, spinning into a wide arc and cleaving through a cluster of skeletal warriors, their skulls flying into the air like shattered porcelain.
But the next attacker was different.
A skeleton dashed toward him with twin daggers, its footwork precise, its speed unnaturally swift. Hades brought his spear down in a vertical strike but with surprising dexterity, the skeleton crossed its daggers and blocked the blow. With a shriek of metal, the spear cracked in half.
He let the broken spear fall from his hand and lowered his body slightly, sliding into a boxer's stance. Fists up. Eyes locked. The skeletal assassin lunged again, stabbing toward his ribs.
Hades twisted, parrying the blow with a sharp strike to its wrist, forcing the dagger aside. He followed with a hook toward its head, but the creature ducked low, slipping beneath the strike and countering with a sudden upward slash.
Hades jumped back just in time, the blade kissing air where his flesh had been.
As it rose again, he saw the opening.
His knee came crashing upward smashing into its skull with a sickening crunch, shattering the bone like dry bark. The skeleton collapsed, unmoving.
He didn't stop. He couldn't.
Bones cracked underfoot as he launched into the horde once more, fists and wings tearing through rows of undead. He moved like shadow and thunder, his martial form a blur of speed, precision, and raw violence.
And then a piercing, metallic scream echoed across the plain.
Everything stopped.
The skeletons every last one froze mid-attack. Then, as if pulled by some invisible force, they turned and began retreating, running toward a single point at the edge of the field.
Hades narrowed his eyes.
From the dark horizon emerged a figure twice the size of the others. A skeletal commander. Its armor was thicker, darker, laced with old enchantments and worn emblems from forgotten wars. Its empty eye sockets glowed with faint blue light, and its presence caused the very bones of the battlefield to stir.
And then… the impossible.
The skeletons began to fuse.
Bone merged with bone, blade with blade, forming a grotesque colossus giant skeleton, stitched together by necrotic energy and the will of the commander embedded within its chest like a beating, cursed heart.
Hades exhaled slowly.
"…Alright then. Round Three."
He stepped back, wings unfurling wide, and raised his arms. Shadow pulsed at his feet, then rose like a storm cloud. Darkness twisted, condensed, and formed himself shaping itself into a colossal avatar, a giant of living darkness, mirroring the size and form of the skeletal behemoth.
With no more words, the skeletal giant lunged, throwing a massive punch.
Hades met it with his own.
The fists collided mid-air a thunderclap cracked the skies, and the shockwave flattened the nearby hills. The very ground beneath them rippled from the force of impact.
The skeletal giant swung a kick.
Hades crossed his arms, absorbing the blow, then gripped its leg with both hands. With a roar, he twisted, spinning the monster around like a cyclone, and with a final heave, hurled it across the sky.
The creature slammed into a distant mountain, shattering the cliffside, burying itself in an avalanche of stone.
But even that wasn't enough.
The bones clicked. Shifted. Reformed.
The creature rose again untouched.
Hades sighed, almost disappointed.
"Persistent."
He looked at his avatar's hands the fingers curled into fists. His divine energy surged.
Then, with grim focus, he began to condense his power.
The divinity of death and mortality power began to gather in his giant's hand, turning it blacker than void, rippling with ancient force.
The essence that severed soul from flesh, that commanded the passing of all things.
Then he struck.
The fist of death plunged into the chest of the skeletal giant straight through its ribcage and struck the commander embedded within.
The moment of impact was silent.
Then everything crumbled.
The giant skeleton collapsed.
Bones turned to dust.
Blades rusted instantly.
And the wind carried away what remained of the army.
All that was left was silence.
Hades stood alone, the battlefield barren once more.
He rolled his shoulders, dismissed his shadow giant, and looked to the distant spires of his castle.
A soft smile tugged at his lips.
"Satisfied."
and return to castle.
Though I had created my own fighting style still it wasn't enough.
Now I have to create my own spells with the help of my domains.
My divine domains were vast: darkness, death, arcane, minerals, sin, demons, soul, mortality, secrets, fear, and dreams. I could slip into invisibility, read thoughts, cloud judgment, nullify regeneration, and bend shadows to my will. With such features, I can be a mage, warrior, seer, assassin, and king in one body.
But this variety came with drawbacks.
When I turned invisible, I couldn't hide my thoughts and killing intent.
I could read emotions, yes, but manipulating those of those who hold greater divinity than me? Impossible. And while I could summon demons, they only came if they'd already bowed to me or those who were weaker than me.
I have to precisely created a spell.
But I don't know how to create it.
And for that, I needed a teacher. One who knew the arcane better than any living deity.
I quite lucky that I know that person.
I found Hecate, alone in her private study, the smell of incense and ink clinging to the air. Scrolls hovered around her, glowing with runes.
I stepped forward and spoke plainly, "Hecate, will you teach me? How to wield arcane magic in battle."
She looked up, surprised.
A beat passed, then another, as she weighed my sincerity. Finally, she exhaled and nodded.
"I can teach you only the basics," she said, her voice even. "But not my signature spells."
I accepted without hesitation. 'That's only fair, as why anyone tell about their trump card.'
She stood, robes shifting like midnight fog, and gestured for me to follow.
The training field was silent just the wind brushing ash across stone.
Hecate stepped into the centre, raising one hand. The air around her shimmered, vibrating with energy older than memory.
"Listen carefully," she said. "This universe is built from one root energy: primordial energy. Even the Primordials treat it with caution. As there was once a god who tried to consume it directly and he no longer exists."
"This root splits into many forms," she continued. "Divine energy, arcane energy, cosmic energy, and others. Divine energy is strong, yes but rigid. Arcane energy is weaker… but far more flexible. It allows you to simulate the powers of other domains, if used right."
She extended her palm. A fireball formed small, glowing red, spinning with controlled fury.
She hurled it toward a practice puppet. It struck. The explosion turned it to ash.
Then she conjured a water sphere, a bolt of lightning, a ball of wind, and one of darkness.
Each spell she formed with minimal gesture, minimal strain.
"The most important factor in spell manifestation is the mind," she said. "Imagination, intention, and calm. Magic takes the shape of your thoughts. Chaos in the mind creates chaos in the spell."
She turned, expression calm. "That's enough for now."
Left alone, I took what I learned and began practising.
Fireball. Waterball. Thunder spear. Dark orb. Wind bullet. Each spell was easy enough in structure but I began to notice something quickly.
These spells, though showy, lacked penetration. They exploded, yes but they didn't cut. They didn't pierce.
Then I try to manipulate nether energy, this energy is unique to the underworld, as currently only I can wield this.
I create a spear from it and shoot a puppet.
It only deals little damage to the puppet.
I was surprised that such powerful energy still doesn't hold explosive strength. So I began to explore it.
After sometime I found that nether energy speciality is not power but it is in enhancement as it can evolve any being and objects to higher level.
So I began fusing nether energy with arcane energy.
The changes were immediate.
The fireball turned into Netherflame, a black-blue flame that clung to surfaces like tar and burned through rather than across.
The waterball became netherwater, corrosive, thick, and oozing, like a living tide of acid.
With the fusion of the nether energy and dark energy.
The dark orb developed a vacuum effect, pulling light and sound into itself, causing temporary blindness and disorientation.