CHAPTER 498: THE FALL OF OLYMPUS 13

The first strike came without warning.

Zeus’s right hand swept forward, his fingers curled to channel primordial lightning. The bolt that erupted from his palm was not the chaotic discharge of a storm—it was surgical, concentrated, aimed directly at Adam’s heart with the precision of a master craftsman who had been perfecting his art for millennia.

Adam’s left blade swept up to intercept, its dark energy hissing as it met the divine lightning. The collision sent shockwaves rippling through Mount Olympus, each wave carrying the harmonic resonance of two fundamental forces locked in opposition. But Zeus had anticipated this—the moment his lightning met Adam’s blade, he pivoted on his left foot, his body rotating clockwise as his left hand came up in a hooking motion.

The second bolt caught Adam in the ribs, the divine energy searing through his chaotic essence and leaving a charred line across his torso. The impact sent him stumbling backwards, his right foot sliding across the melted marble as he fought to maintain his balance.

"You expected brute force," Zeus observed, his voice carrying the satisfaction of a chess master who had just executed a planned sequence. "But I have fought for eternity, mortal. Every movement has purpose."

Adam’s response was immediate and vicious. His right blade swept horizontally at chest height, the dark energy extending beyond the physical weapon to create a crescent of annihilation that could have sundered a realm. But Zeus had already begun moving, his knees bending as he dropped into a crouch that brought him below the arc of destruction.

The King of the Gods’ palms pressed against the marble beneath him, and lightning erupted upward in a perfect cone of devastation. Adam twisted his torso to the left, his spine bending at an impossible angle as the divine energy passed mere inches from his face. The heat was so intense that his hair singed, the smell of burned keratin mixing with the ozone scent of Zeus’s power.

But Adam’s evasion was not merely defensive. As he twisted away from the lightning, his left blade swept down in a diagonal slash that would have opened Zeus from shoulder to hip. The King of the Gods rolled backwards, his shoulders hitting the marble as he executed a perfect backwards somersault that carried him out of the blade’s reach.

Zeus’s feet touched the ground, and immediately he launched himself forward in a flying tackle that would have brought down a titan. But Adam had learned from his simulation in Mab’s dream world—he no longer fought like a mortal who had stumbled into power. His right knee came up to meet Zeus’s charge, the joint reinforced with chaotic essence that could shatter divine bone.

The collision sent both gods flying in opposite directions. Zeus hit the marble with his left shoulder, the impact creating a spider web of cracks that spread outward. Adam landed on his back, his spine striking the stone with enough force to pulverise a mountain range.

They rose simultaneously, their movements perfectly synchronised despite their opposing natures. Zeus’s right hand wiped blood from his mouth—the first time in eons that he had been wounded by a mortal’s direct attack. Adam’s left hand pressed against his ribs, feeling the deep burn where divine lightning had scorched his flesh.

"You struck me," Zeus said, his voice carrying a note of genuine surprise. "In all my eons of rule, only the Titans have managed such a feat."

Adam’s response was not words but action. His right foot pushed off the marble, propelling him forward in a charge that carried the accumulated fury of every slight, every manipulation, every moment of weakness that Zeus had exploited. The chaos around him coalesced into a spear of pure hatred, aimed directly at the god’s heart.

Zeus sidestepped to his right, his left hand coming up to deflect the spear while his right formed a fist crackling with lightning. The punch was aimed at Adam’s temple, a strike that would have scrambled the thoughts of any mortal. But Adam ducked, his head dropping below the level of Zeus’s elbow as his left blade swept up in an uppercut that sought to open the god’s throat.

The blade met lightning-hardened flesh, the dark plasma hissing as it encountered divine durability. Zeus’s left hand clamped down on Adam’s wrist, his grip like a vice. His right knee drove upward toward Adam’s solar plexus, seeking to drive the breath from his lungs.

Adam’s free hand caught Zeus’s knee, his fingers digging into the god’s flesh hard enough to leave permanent marks. For a moment, they were locked in a contest of pure strength, divine muscle straining against enhanced mortal will. The marble beneath their feet began to crack and buckle under the pressure.

Then Adam’s head snapped forward in a vicious headbutt that caught Zeus directly in the nose. The King of the Gods’ grip loosened, and Adam tore his wrist free while driving his elbow into Zeus’s ribs. The god stumbled backwards, golden ichor streaming from his nose as he raised his hands to defend against the follow-up attack.

But Adam was already moving, his body flowing like water as he spun counterclockwise, his right blade sweeping in a horizontal arc that would have bisected Zeus at the waist. The god arched backwards, his spine bending until his hands touched the marble behind him. The blade passed inches over his chest, close enough to part the fabric of his divine robes.

Zeus’s hands pressed against the marble, and he launched himself upward in a standing backflip that carried him over Adam’s head. As he reached the apex of his arc, lightning erupted from his feet in twin bolts aimed at Adam’s skull. The mortal threw himself to the side, rolling across the marble as the divine energy scorched the stone where he had been standing.

They came to their feet facing each other, both breathing heavily despite their divine nature. Zeus’s right hand pressed against his ribs where Adam’s elbow had found its mark. Adam’s left hand touched his face, feeling the swelling where Zeus’s lightning had grazed his cheek.

"You fight with the fury of the betrayed," Zeus observed, his voice carrying a note of what might have been respect. "But fury without discipline is merely chaos."

"Then let me show you disciplined fury," Adam replied, his voice carrying the cold edge of calculated revenge.

The next exchange began when Zeus’s right foot slid forward, his body assuming the classical stance of a boxer who had learned his craft from the very concept of combat itself. His left hand extended in a probing jab, not meant to damage but to measure distance and timing. Adam slapped the hand aside with his right blade, the dark energy hissing as it met divine flesh.

But Zeus’s jab had been a feint. His right hand came up in a devastating uppercut that would have lifted Adam’s head from his shoulders. The mortal twisted his torso to the left, the punch whistling past his ear as he brought his left blade down in a diagonal slash aimed at Zeus’s extended arm.

The god’s elbow bent, pulling his arm back as he stepped forward with his left foot. His left hand shot out in a palm strike aimed at Adam’s sternum, the heel of his palm crackling with contained lightning. Adam’s right blade swept up to intercept, the flat of the weapon meeting Zeus’s palm with a sound like breaking thunder.