Even though his left hand had just been severed, Clyde felt no pain. He wasn’t worried either, because he knew he could easily heal it later.
"What are you planning?" Hades suddenly asked, his tone sharp. He tried to hide the dread in his voice and the fatigue that was beginning to creep into his body.
"I’m not planning anything, Hades. Do you really think I’m the type who plans everything? I just act on my whims," Clyde replied, his voice laced with madness, his wide grin just as unhinged.
In truth, Clyde was someone who preferred to plan every step. But he said that to throw them off guard. An enemy who acted purely on impulse, without any thought, was far more terrifying than one who plotted carefully.
It made him seem more monstrous than before. That way, he could trap them deeper in fear.
Gabriel stared at Clyde with the same fury as before. "There’s no point in questioning this thing," he said. "He’s a wild beast. An abomination. There’s nothing to gain from trying to understand what’s in his head."
Clyde shifted his gaze to Gabriel. From the way Gabriel moved, he could tell the man was growing tired. At that moment, Clyde realized he might actually be able to defeat these two powerful higher beings.
But just as he was about to make his move, another rumble echoed from below.
Looking down, he saw Asqa, flying desperately, bolts of lightning chasing her. Another Celestial had appeared, and judging by that power—it had to be Zeus.
Zeus was attacking Asqa. No—he was hunting her. She wouldn’t stand a chance.
Clyde couldn’t allow that.
Gripping his Elderglass sword tightly, Clyde unleashed his fire and lightning powers again. His eyes turned darker than ever.
Hades and Gabriel noticed that Clyde was about to attack again. They readied themselves.
"What’s our plan?" Hades asked in a whisper to Gabriel. "You know we can’t kill him."
Gabriel gritted his teeth. He hated admitting it, but said, "Buy time. I’m sure the others will arrive soon—and Zeus will be done any moment now."
They both knew Zeus was fighting the abomination’s ally—but she wasn’t strong. Zeus would kill her soon. They just had to hold out until then.
Then, suddenly, Clyde fired a crescent-shaped blast of energy—a fusion of fire, lightning, and dark mist. Not just one, but three in rapid succession.
Hades and Gabriel knew how powerful that attack was. They immediately joined forces to destroy it.
But they didn’t realize their bodies were already infused with the Ancient One’s essence. The god’s influence was weakening their output.
"What’s happening to my body?!"
Gabriel and Hades were shocked. They finally noticed something was wrong with them. But there was no time to think—the crescent energies were nearly upon them.
They braced themselves and blocked the attack together. The crescents hit one after another, stacking in force and pressure, pushing them to their limit.
After giving them just enough of a distraction, Clyde surged downward, his figure trailing blackened lightning and fire. His pitch black eye locked onto Zeus below.
Zeus was still chasing Asqa, bolts of divine lightning lashing out from his fingertips, driving her to the brink. But then he felt it. A danger descending upon him.
The god spun midair, raising both hands that crackling with lightning just in time.
Clyde’s Elderglass sword came down at him. Zeus caught the blade with both hands, the clash sending out a thunderous shockwave that flattened the earth.
Zeus’s grin widened as he noticed Clyde’s missing left arm, still freshly severed.
"So, you can bleed," he sneered. "Turns out the monster is still flesh."
"Of course I can bleed," Clyde replied. "I’m mortal. But I won’t be the one bleeding the most!"
The power behind Clyde’s attack surged—flames roared along the blade, bolts of red lightning lashing outward.
Zeus’s feet skidded in the ground for a split second, then the ground beneath them shattered as the god was thrown backward.
Zeus slammed into the earth with explosive force, stone and dust erupting in all directions. Craters spiderwebbed from the point of impact, trees and rocks blown back like paper.
Clyde dropped down after him without pause, landing a few meters away. The wind around him howled with dark energy, his one arm holding the sword steady. Asqa immediately flying toward him.
Zeus rose from the debris, sparks flickering across his arms and shoulders. His robes were torn, his expression less amused now.
Asqa arrived beside Clyde. Her breath caught the moment she saw his missing arm, still freshly seared at the stump. "Your arm—!"
"Don’t worry about it," Clyde said, voice calm despite the chaos. "I’ll deal with it later. We need to get out of here now."
He reached into the tattered remains of his coat and pulled out the amulet. He thrust it into Asqa’s hands.
"Channel your magic into this. Focus on home."
Asqa hesitated only a second, then nodded, her eyes burning with resolve. She gripped the amulet tightly and began pouring her lightning-infused magic into it. The glyphs flickered to life. A low hum filled the air.
But Zeus was not going to give them time.
With a roar of fury, the god burst from the crater, streaking toward them.
At the same time, Hades and Gabriel broke free from Clyde’s distraction, the last of the crescent-shaped blasts dissolving behind them in sizzling sparks.
The two higher beings came out from the swirling black mist in the sky and they dove down in unison.
Clyde saw all three of them coming.
Zeus from the front. Gabriel and Hades from above.
His expression still calm.
Raising his Elderglass sword high, he channeled everything, dark mist, roaring fire, and lightningand, swung.
A colossal tornado erupted from the slash, a spiraling tempest of fire, black fog, and electric fury. It howled toward with a wrathful scream, surging toward the oncoming gods and Archangel.
Zeus slammed into the storm headfirst, vanishing in the chaos. Hades and Gabriel braced themselves midair, Gabriel’s wings folding and arms shielding their faces, but the force still flung them back.
Meanwhile, the amulet in Asqa’s hands pulsed, and a swirling portal tore open beside her.
"It’s open!" Asqa shouted. "Clyde!"
Still surrounded by crackling remnants of his attack, Clyde launched into the air, soaring toward the portal. Asqa followed, both of them diving into the gateway just as the storm began to collapse behind them.
The portal sealed shut with a sharp pulse of light.
A split second later, the tornado imploded, sending out a shockwave that tore through the surrounding mountains.
But Clyde and Asqa were gone.