Chapter 37: The Laughable God of War
Inside the Watchtower, just before everyone set out for Mount Olympus.
Luka walked a step behind Batman, hands in his pockets, head lowered, lost in thought.
Batman broke the silence first. His voice remained low and rough, and he did not turn around.
"Five minutes until departure. If you have something to say, now's the time."
Luka paused slightly, gazing at Batman's back.
"Over the past few days, I've learned a lot about your operational records through various channels. You've never abandoned a single comrade."
"The League has only been established for two years, yet you've already forged such deep trust with every member."
Batman continued walking toward the landing platform without stopping.
Luka frowned slightly.
"The Greek Gods specifically requested that I enter alone."
His tone shifted, a playful smile appearing on his face.
"If Ms.Prince is safe and sound, for Earth, trading a newly-arrived alien like me for peace with the divine realm seems like a sure-profit deal."
The moment these words fell, Batman finally stopped walking.
He slowly turned around, his eyes beneath the bat-helmet as sharp as an eagle's, gleaming coldly in the dim light as they locked onto Luka.
The air between them seemed to freeze, leaving only the faint hum of the ventilation system.
Luka raised his head, meeting Batman's gaze without flinching.
...
On the plaza before the temple of Olympus, Zeus' commanding voice carried divine authority, as if the air itself might solidify.
Luka looked at the king of gods, a figure whose legends spanned multiple worlds, and suddenly let out a short, derisive laugh. His tone brimmed with naked provocation.
"You want my body, but how can you prove that your divine power and magic are worthy of being placed on the other end of the trading scale?"
Diana's face changed abruptly, instinctively wanting to dissuade him.
She knew Zeus's temper all too well. The legendary ruler of Olympus tolerated no insult.
And this was more than refusal. It was an open challenge to the authority of the gods.
To Diana's surprise, Zeus showed no anger. Instead, he stroked his beard, a glint of amusement flashed in his eyes.
"And how would you have us prove it?" he asked.
Luka lifted a hand and pointed straight at Ares, who had long been unable to restrain himself, murderous aura surging around him.
"I know nothing except fighting and conquest."
"Since you want seven trials, let me set the rules. Have seven gods face me one after another, until someone can beat me into submission."
Ares blinked, then burst into laughter as if he had just heard the most absurd joke imaginable.
"Ignorant mortal," he sneered. "You dare pick me yourself? Even in this era of relative peace, when I cannot draw strength from active wars, my power is still beyond your comprehension."
He took a step forward, his thorny armor glowing crimson. A twisted, overwhelming force surged outward, causing the stone slabs of the plaza to tremble slightly.
"The concept of war extends far beyond the battlefield. Every war-related power humanity has ever wielded, from ancient times to the present, flows through my veins. Including the nuclear deterrents designed to prevent war."
Ares's voice rose sharply, carrying a suffocating weight.
"Do you know how many nuclear weapons humanity, with its self-destructive tendencies, has created to this day? The absolute minimum power contained within me is equal to the total number of nuclear weapons currently designed, used, and stockpiled on Earth!"
Athena's expression shifted slightly, and she exchanged a glance with Hephaestus beside her.
Without another word, the goddess lowered her spear, and the god of the forge shouldered his massive hammer. Together, they retreated into the shadows of the Temple of Olympus, vanishing in an instant.
After Luka's audacious declaration, Zeus remained silent. The thunder patterns on his gilded robe flickered faintly. His gaze was icy as he watched Ares, rubbing his fists and palms, stride toward Luka, showing not the slightest intention to stop him.
Luka's feet lifted slightly off the ground, his body slowly hovering up. His indifferent eyes looked down upon the approaching Ares.
"You should also understand one thing," Luka said, his voice calm and detached. "The combined military might of Earth, which you boast so proudly, is merely a place for my race to vacation and relax."
Ares's steps froze abruptly.
"What race? A nameless nobody like you dares to speak of racial glory!"
Before Ares could finish his sentence, his pupils suddenly contracted, and his divine body trembled violently.
Luka had vanished.
That speed tore straight past the limits of his perception.
"Where?!" Ares roared, his divine power surging outward. Crimson energy erupted around him, forming a massive barrier that enveloped his entire being.
"Here."
The voice came from behind him, cold and absolute.
Before the God of War could react, a fist hammered into the center of his back.
Crack!
A crisp sound rang out. Ares's spine instantly shattered, his thorny armor denting inward. His entire body flew out like a kite with its string cut, crashing heavily against a stone pillar of the temple, shattering the thick marble column to pieces.
Luka dove after him, catching up to the airborne Ares in an instant. Grabbing his ankle, he swung him like a bludgeon before hurling him straight into the ground.
Bang!
The sound was like a firecracker amplified tens of thousands of times, so deafening that Wonder Woman winced and covered her ears in pain.
Zeus watched silently, his eyes remaining deep and inscrutable, revealing nothing of his thoughts.
Violent explosions continued to erupt, shattering stone slabs across the plaza and filling the air with debris and smoke.
Before the smoke could clear, Luka seized Ares by the arm, yanked him upright, and hurled him high into the sky.
He flashed instantly above Ares, intercepting him mid-air with another devastating punch to the chest.
Ares screamed incessantly, like a puppet manipulated against his will.
From sky to earth. From earth back to sky.
The terrifying explosions never ceased.
Each impact was accompanied by the crunch of shattering bones and violent detonations. The God Realm's plaza was now utterly devastated, its surface riddled with craters of varying depths.
This time, Luka held nothing back, nor did he need to worry about environmental damage. Each punch carried unprecedented force, his expression completely impassive as he locked his gaze firmly on his opponent.
After the savage barrage, he grabbed Ares by the helmet. His fingers tightened, deforming the hardened, thorned metal.
Immediately after, he channeled the power within his body, his form shooting skyward. He then randomly picked a direction and began accelerating without limit.
This was a mandatory lesson taught to every warrior of the Viltrum Empire: the Destruction Decree.
A target marked for the Destruction Decree need not consider any consequences, even if it meant destroying the entire planet's structure.
The atoms within Luka's body entered a semi-transitional state, causing his ground speed to skyrocket exponentially. Within ten seconds, he had surpassed Mach 45, far exceeding his own reaction limits.
The high-speed flight generated air currents and shockwaves that enveloped the God Realm in searing heat, continuously blasting the land apart. High-temperature, red-orange plasma spheres erupted across the landscape, tearing massive cavities into the ground. Distant plumes of smoke and heatwaves rolled across the Temple of Olympus, engulfing the entire area.
The Ares gripped in Luka's hand could no longer scream.
Under the intense friction and heat, the God of War's body and armor melted together. In moments, only half a head remained, resembling a lump of asphalt, stuck to Luka's palm.
Luka's expression hardened as he casually flung away the foul mass. Enduring the tearing pressure of his accelerating flight, he gritted his teeth and executed a massive, arcing turn. His figure flashed like black lightning as he charged straight toward Zeus.
Ares was dead, yet Zeus still had not made a move. This confirmed Luka's belief that the God-King was currently using his power to suppress space and had no spare strength to act.
Facing Luka's relentless charge, Zeus let out a cold snort.
"You're too arrogant. Ares was merely the first."