CHAPTER 413: CHAPTER 400 FULFILLING FILIAL DUTIES_2

Athena never imagined her full-force strike would be crushed so effortlessly by Nezha. She was in disbelief but refused to relinquish her desire to fight.

The golden staff swept across, radiating golden Divine Light that sought to dissolve Nezha’s Divine Power. However, Nezha possessed no Divine Power, making the attack utterly ineffective against him.

In an instant, he flashed in front of Athena, delivering a powerful punch. Athena reacted quickly, raising her shield defensively while activating the Medusa’s Eye once more.

Yet, just as the blue glow bloomed in her eyes, the shield bore the brunt of a terrifying force and immediately cracked. This robust Divine Artifact shield was thus rendered useless.

Athena was hurled away by the overwhelming force, her mind racing with shock: was this young man holding back all along?

Mid-air, Athena forcefully thrust the Wisdom Wand into the ground to stabilize her uncontrollable movement. With a graceful leap, she raised her hand and summoned her Golden Chariot. As the three divine horses roared, Athena wielded the Wisdom Wand and charged forward once more.

But against absolute power and speed, this was all meaningless. Nezha met her head-on with a straight punch, his fist radiating terrifying Blood Energy that surged forward. The space before them rippled visibly, as if controlled waves were colliding directly against Athena’s transformed golden chariot.

Red beams clashed with golden light, and Athena’s golden Divine Power instantly crumbled. The three snow-white divine horses were reduced to minced flesh in an instant, and the horrifying force barreled straight toward Athena. Shielding herself with the Wisdom Wand and spreading a pair of massive golden wings to cocoon her body, she was sent hurtling through the limits of the Duel Platform like a cannonball, crashing into a cloud of dust.

If the gods in the stands hadn’t fled quickly, they would likely have been gravely injured, if not killed, by the impact.

Nezha had clearly held back considerably. As the dust cleared, Athena was half-kneeling on the ground, her entire frame in a battle-worn state. The golden armor she wore had mostly shattered, leaving only fragments of a white robe to cover her.

Leaning heavily on the Wisdom Wand for support, she struggled to her feet and rasped, "Hercules, you win."

Now, all the gods quieted down. They realized that Hercules was incredibly powerful—stronger than any god. At this point, on Olympus, only God King Zeus stood a chance of defeating Hercules.

Zeus, too, had noticed that Hercules’ combat prowess seemed boundless. Just when he thought Hercules had used up all his strength, the next moment he became even stronger—not just by a little, but overwhelmingly stronger.

This Hercules—is there no limit to his power?

At this moment, Zeus no longer wished to use the gods as fodder to enhance Hercules’ glory. The best course of action would be to end this farce now. At least for now, Zeus was confident he could defeat Hercules, but if things continued, that certainty might waver.

"Enough, Hercules. You’ve already proven your strength before the gods. To defeat gods as a mere mortal—that is enough for today."

Nezha let out a cold laugh. The will of the world hovered above Mount Olympus—stop now? Was this a joke? A mere act of pulling punches?

Instead of returning to frivolous pursuits, why not claim what he came here for? The Twelve Labors were merely stepping stones for increasing his strength. Now that his power was sufficient, he was ready to submit a perfect score. Nezha wasn’t going to sit around waiting for someone else to take the test.

His plan now? Blow up the exam hall! Among all examinees, the only one getting full marks would be him!

Pulling out Frost’s Sorrow, forged by Fire God Hephaestus, he pointed it directly at Zeus and declared, "Zeus—or should I call you Thunder God? Isn’t it perfect timing? Let’s settle the matter of ownership of that thing right now!"

Hercules pointing his sword at his own father was a shocking display of filial impiety that left the gods stunned. Yet, somehow, it wasn’t entirely unexpected. They assumed the "thing" Hercules spoke of was none other than the throne of the God King.

After all, Zeus had stolen the position of God King from his father, Chronos, who in turn had stolen it from his own father, Uranos—it was a long-standing tradition.

Zeus, now staring down Hercules’ ungrateful sword, wore a face twisted completely in fury. The sky darkened with heavy clouds, a manifestation of his wrath, as if divine punishment would soon befall those who dared provoke him.

"Hercules, are you rebelling? Do you intend to claim the throne of the God King right here? Guards, seize him!"

Zeus began by deploying a human wave strategy.

But most of those present were relatives. They were all too familiar with this family drama of filial conflict. Most remained quiet, thinking, "Whoever wins, we’ll side with them. After all, you can’t guard Mount Olympus alone."

"Traitors, all of you traitors! Hercules, are you truly going to strike down your own father?"

Nezha retorted dispassionately, "Thunder God, drop the pretense. You and I both know we don’t belong to this world. Honestly, I never imagined someone like you, an Ancient Great God, would settle for a life of complacency and hedonism in a world like this."

The gods exchanged uneasy glances. The phrase "outsider" rang simultaneously in their minds—were Zeus and Hercules both outsiders?

"Zeus, stop running from this. Between the two of us, only one can emerge victorious."

With that, Nezha unleashed his full aura. A crimson beam of energy pierced the heavens, pushing dense storm clouds aside as a mysterious will descended.

Zeus understood now—he had no choice but to duel Hercules today. However, he hesitated, trying once more to negotiate. He was merely a sub-soul of the Thunder God. Losing would mean death, but even winning wouldn’t guarantee survival, as he would then absorb "that thing" only to be refined by the Thunder God. Either way, death awaited him. That’s why he lingered here, indulging in the pleasures of the God King’s throne.

"Hercules, if you abandon your pursuit of that thing, I will remain Olympus’ God King, and you shall become the Second God King. I will bestow upon you the glory of all gods. Every fine wine, delicacy, and woman in this world—ours to share. Isn’t that enough? Why chase such an empty ideal?"

Nezha sneered with disdain. Did he lack anything Zeus mentioned? Hardly. If he fancied the Guanghan Palace and its Chang’e maidens, he could enjoy them every day at leisure.

What fine wine and delicacies could this primitive world possibly offer? Absolute nonsense.

He didn’t bother to explain further. Instead, he lightly replied, "You’ve already reached your peak, but I’ve only approached my starting line."

That simple statement pierced deep into Zeus’ heart. If not for being stuck between a rock and a hard place, who would settle for stagnation? Zeus didn’t lack ambition; he just knew the road ahead led only to a bottomless abyss.

"Hercules, I’ll see you dead!"

Zeus hurled a bolt of lightning directly at Nezha. Nezha casually swung his Blood Energy-enveloped hand, shattering the lightning. His three-meter-long great sword swung from a distance, slicing through the air toward Zeus.

The crimson Sword Qi shattered three consecutive bolts of lightning. Enraged, Zeus roared, "All of you, attack! Anyone who refuses, I’ll kill them myself!"

Most of the Twelve Main Gods didn’t move, but a few weaker gods, unable to withstand Zeus’ wrath, reluctantly joined the fight. Nezha, however, showed no fear of these pawns. His great sword swept across the battlefield, cutting down swaths of enemies in one motion. Some tried casting Divine Arts from a distance but were annihilated by crimson Sword Qi. Others attempted curses, only to die from the backlash.

As Nezha and Zeus engaged in fierce combat, the remaining Main Gods exchanged uncertain glances, unsure how to proceed.

Athena carefully assessed the situation on the battlefield, considering how to secure as many allies as possible. It was then that Hades, who had remained silent with a grim expression, suddenly spoke: "I have matters to attend to in the Netherworld. I’ll take my leave."

With that, he transformed into black mist and departed Mount Olympus.

Athena was stunned; she never expected her ever-dreaded uncle Hades to simply choose to stand aside.

Next in line was Hestia, Zeus’ elder sister. She cast Zeus a disappointed glance and said, "This is a family matter of Zeus’. I have no reason to interfere."

With that, she transformed into flame and left Mount Olympus.