Aetherion, having heard Asteria's plan, now had a single goal: keep Hyperion distracted long enough for her to carry out the escape.
He had no real desire to fight Hyperion at the moment.
He was exhausted and far from his best condition.
Though he did not show it outwardly, he was injured and strained.
He had already summoned numerous clones, fought one of the Twelve Great Titans—Pallas—and defeated him.
Now he had to evade one of Kronos's four generals.
That had definitely not been on his checklist today!
Still, he continued teleporting between the stars he had summoned, each jump putting distance between himself and Hyperion's relentless attacks.
Hyperion's great sword kept swinging through the air where Aetherion had just been moments before.
Aetherion's expression remained calm as he waited for the right moment.
But Hyperion's focused, relentless expression irritated him slightly.
'This guy really doesn't care that his companions entire army just got wrecked…'
It seemed Hyperion was completely focused on capturing him.
That annoyed Aetherion just a little.
'Can you just let me go already!?'
Instead, he chose to provoke him.
"Can you even land a hit on me?"
Aetherion said with a mocking grin.
"I thought the Heavenly Light was supposed to be fast."
Hyperion's eyes narrowed slightly, though he remained calm.
Aetherion continued.
"What? Is that all? You hit like a little child!"
He smirked.
"Actually… no. That's insulting to little children."
"Maybe you're just a servant pretending to be a general."
He shrugged dramatically.
"For one of Kronos's mighty generals… your attacks are pretty pathetic."
Hyperion's patience finally snapped.
In an instant, his great sword swung in a massive arc toward Aetherion.
[Heavenly Light domain: Radiant Cleave]
Aetherion teleported away immediately—
—but Hyperion appeared again in front of him, moving at a speed far beyond light itself.
Aetherion summoned a sword instinctively to block the strike.
But something was wrong.
The Hyperion in front of him vanished.
It was only an afterimage.
Hyperion had already moved.
To Aetherion's left.
The real Hyperion appeared there, swinging his sword downward.
Aetherion reacted as fast as he could with the help of his eyes, twisting his body to avoid a fatal strike.
But he wasn't fast enough.
The blade carved across his chest.
A deep wound split open as blood burst outward.
"Fuck!"
Aetherion's body was thrown backward before he teleported again, disappearing in a flash of starlight.
A red star appeared several meters away, and Aetherion reappeared beside it, clutching his wound.
Hyperion slowly swung his sword downward, shaking the ichor from the blade.
Then he looked toward Aetherion.
"Is it not time to stop this façade, firstborn of Kronos?"
Hyperion's voice was calm.
"You cannot defeat your father."
"You cannot defeat me."
He raised his sword slightly.
"Ask for mercy, young man. Your father may grant it to you—and perhaps even to your siblings."
His eyes hardened.
"If not, I will take you to him by force."
"And there… you will meet your end."
"Think carefully, boy."
"This may very well be your last day."
Aetherion stared at him for a few seconds.
Silence filled the sky.
An ancient Titan—one of Kronos's four generals.
And a young rebel determined to overthrow his father.
Aetherion slowly smiled.
"You really are foolish."
Hyperion's eyes widened slightly.
Aetherion continued.
"As if I fear death."
He placed a hand over his chest wound.
"I fear something far worse."
'I fear never having lived.'
"What kind of life is it," Aetherion said, "if you never try to achieve anything and follow your heart's desire?"
He looked directly at Hyperion.
"You say I will be defeated by my father."
He shrugged.
"So what?"
Hyperion's eyes widened slightly.
"Then let me be defeated."
"But I will be defeated on my own terms."
"Giving everything I have."
Aetherion's gaze sharpened.
"I may win."
"I may lose."
"It doesn't matter."
"At least I'll know I lived and did my best."
Silence followed.
Hyperion studied him carefully.
Then he chuckled.
There was no anger in his eyes.
Only something close to pity.
"I see."
He shook his head slowly.
"I have nothing to say to that."
He chuckled softly.
"Now I understand why my son has grown so strong beside you."
"And my daughters as well."
He looked directly at Aetherion.
"Aetherion."
"Even if you die today… be proud of yourself."
"You are a great and honorable Titan."
The sky fell silent once more as both men stared at each other.
Then Hyperion's expression hardened.
And the battle was about to begin again.
Aetherion needed to buy time.
He knew that.
So he took a stance with his sword.
He was about to use an attack he had never attempted in his divine form—something he had only used before in his normal state.
This time, however, he wouldn't combine it with the power of his other domains.
It wasn't entirely new.
He had practiced it during training countless times and battle against enemies.
But this would be the first time using it like this.
Hyperion noticed immediately.
The ancient Titan raised his great sword and took his own stance.
Aetherion spoke first.
[Star Domain:Illuminary Wrath!!]
In an instant, he moved at blinding speed.
Starlight gathered around the sword he had created, and gravity compressed tightly around its blade, bending space itself as he accelerated far beyond the speed of light.
Hyperion moved at the same moment.
[Heavenly Light Domain: Sky Cutter!!]
Radiant light erupted around Hyperion's blade.
The light compressed so densely around the sword that the gravity around him warped violently.
Then both of them moved.
Aetherion's sword rested at his waist as space itself seemed to bend to accommodate his movement.
Hyperion's blade descended from above like divine judgment.
Their attacks met.
Boom!!!
A massive explosion erupted in the sky.
The shockwave shook the earth below and rippled across the entire battlefield.
The clash of their divine power spread across the sky, strong enough to be felt throughout the world.
Above the battlefield, Asteria finally saw her chance.
A small smile appeared on her lips.
"Now's the chance!"