Hyperion could not believe it.
His own strength could not pierce the barrier.
The hidden realm concealed between the physical world and whatever space lay beyond it remained untouched.
No matter how much force he applied, he could not breach it.
He could not reach it.
It seemed impossible.
He tried again.
And again.
But his power failed to penetrate the boundary.
The barrier resisted him completely.
A frown darkened his face.
His pride was wounded.
Hyperion was many things—but he was, above all, a prideful man.
He believed his strength surpassed everything in existence except Kronos himself.
And he could not accept that a mere barrier was keeping him out.
His divine energy suddenly flared violently.
The battlefield below trembled as his aura expanded.
The gods and Titans alike felt it—an overwhelming surge of power from one of Kronos' Four Great Generals.
Hyperion no longer concealed his strength.
Golden radiance wrapped around his body, intensifying.
Divine light coiled around his fist, condensing into something sharper, denser—deadlier.
He did not care who felt it.
He did not look down.
His only thought was breaking through.
Reaching the hidden realm.
Reaching Pallas.
If someone had created a barrier capable of holding him back, then Pallas was in danger.
That was the only conclusion he needed.
His golden hair blazed upward as if defying gravity itself.
Light bent around him violently, space warping under the pressure of his presence.
He took a combat stance.
Without hesitation, he spoke:
[Domain of Heavenly Light: Glimmering Sword.]
His hand transformed, condensing into a blade of pure, incandescent radiance.
Then he moved.
He rushed forward and slashed downward with overwhelming force.
Boom!
The power of the strike rippled outward for hundred of kilometers.
The sky fractured with light, and the battlefield below shook under the sheer pressure of the descending blow.
Hyperion did not hesitate.
He intended to cut through reality itself.
He intended to cut through the space between the unseen realm and the physical world.
He had to break through.
There was no hesitation in him—no distraction.
His only focus was tearing open that hidden dimension and entering the unknown battlefield within.
But something shocking happened.
His eyes widened.
Even after using one of his powerful techniques, his blade of heavenly light failed to pierce the unseen realm.
It did not split.
It did not fracture.
It held.
His radiant hand pressed against the invisible boundary, power pouring into it.
The sky trembled.
The battlefield below shook violently as raw energy burst outward from the point of contact.
But there was one thing that did not happen.
The barrier did not break.
His blade could not cut through.
Hyperion stood there, hand blazing with divine radiance—yet unable to move forward even an inch.
Disbelief filled his face.
Confusion.
And something worse.
Wounded pride.
He had always believed himself untouchable—second only to Kronos.
No one else stood above him.
No one else could stop his attack.
And yet, here he was.
Stopped.
For several long seconds, he stared at the invisible barrier as his energy slowly receded back into his body.
An unnatural silence fell across the battlefield below.
The sky above transformed.
Darkness gave way to overwhelming brilliance as holy, heavenly light flooded the heavens.
Hyperion's expression changed.
Fury and determination ignited in his eyes.
To be stopped by an unknown enemy—one he could not even see—was an insult too great to bear.
He could not accept it.
Without regard for the battlefield below, he made a decision that stunned everyone.
From beneath, a voice shouted urgently:
"Everyone, put up a barrier!"
It was the Daughter of Kronos.
If Hyperion had not been consumed by rage, he might have admired her awareness.
She had realized what he was about to do.
Without hesitation, Hyperion's form began to change.
His skin turned milky ivory, radiant and flawless.
His blue eyes shifted into burning gold, brighter than the sun itself.
A halo crown of light formed above his head.
His golden hair dissolved into pure radiance, becoming living light that flowed upward like a divine flame.
His body grew more imposing—lean yet immensely powerful.
He had entered his divine form.
His only thought was to shatter the barrier.
To prove his pride.
To prove that nothing could deny him.
But also to accept the challenge in front of him as he said, only a few people could managed to stop his attack and even fewer keep a fight against him.
The mere fact someone actually manages to stop his attack was quite…exciting.
He gathered heavenly light into his hand once more.
No announcement this time.
No technique name.
Just pure, unrestrained power.
Below, the gods scrambled to reinforce their defenses as the very atmosphere changed.
The world was bathed in blinding brilliance, as though the heavens itself had descended upon the battlefield.
Then—
Swish.
Hyperion slashed downward again.
This time—
Crack!
The barrier cracked.
A luminous fracture spread across the invisible boundary, white light spilling outward as the hidden realm began to tear open.
The world shook violently.
Starlight pulsed outward from within.
Hyperion narrowed his eyes.
Starlight.
So that was the nature of it.
As the white brilliance slowly faded, the hidden realm became visible to all.
And what they saw froze the battlefield in horror.
Pallas stood in the center.
Burned.
Broken.
His body charred beyond recognition.
But that was not the worst part.
A hand was protruding through his chest.
Thump… Thump… Thump….
It held his heart.
Behind him stood a man cloaked in pure ivory, speckled with countless golden specks of light, his face hidden beneath a green hood that concealed even his presence.
Only his eyes were visible.
Glistening golden.
Pupils like stars.
Pallas' body trembled as life drained from him.
His gaze dimmed.
A soft chuckle echoed across the battlefield.
The rebels already knew that voice.
Hyperion did not.
The cloaked man tilted his head slightly.
"It seems… I won, huh?"