The Zuran army was in the worst position yet but the same couldn't be said for the gods siding with them.
In that open field, three holy gods faced off against two neutral gods and a former champion. Including Kylon above, there were now four holy gods present to give them a clear advantage, especially after considering their levels.
Secluded from the other deities was Alcahain. He rushed to face the former champion that he had helped train.
Hadurt focused on his drive for battle and not the overwhelming odds that made his interference completely illogical. Rather, Hadurt gritted himself to face off against the only chaotic god that could be counted as a true teacher of his.
While Pestro was the one who had blessed Hadurt, the late Demon God took little to no time to teach Hadurt anything. The only lengthy interactions they had were the times when Pestro would bully and beat on Hadurt. Though Alcahain wasn't a father figure for Hadurt, he at least answered Hadurts questions on occasion or allowed Hadurt to test a skill every so often. Alcahain was the god that Hadurt disliked the least. But that was nowhere near enough emotion to stop Hadurt from trying to shred the Brawler God to pieces.
Pausing his charge, Alcahain sighed, "You know, we could--"
The Brawler God was interrupted by the swing of Hadurt's halberd. It crashed down where Alcahain once stood. When Alcahain sidestepped the attack, Hadurt added, "Why stop fighting? Let's talk with our mouths and our fists!"
"Fine…"
Acquiescing, Alacahain covered his gauntlets in earth energy, thrusting his fist forward. The demonic halberd rushed to parry the attack, forcing Hadurt back a couple of meters.
"There's only a one-level difference, yet the gap is so wide…" Hadurt complained.
Alcahain chuckled. "For a mortal, you're the strongest I've ever faced. But that's to be expected after your permanent demonization. Let me guess, you used Kori's blood, didn't you?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Hadurt smiled, readying himself for charge again.
"Well, it's better than Pestro's choice. I'll give you that. But that doesn't mean you're ready for me, kid."
"Only one way to find out!" Hadurt shouted as he bolted toward Alcahain.
"Good… At least put up a fight!"
Letting go, Alcahain showed an excited grin. One fist was now coated in earth energy while the other was coated in lightning, allowing him to change his fighting style with each punch thrown. He could land a heavy blow that could tear through defenses or an instantaneous body blow to create an opening.
Hadurt understood Alcahain's fighting style well. The berserker chose an interesting tactic to counter the Brawler God.
When Alcahain led with a lightning-quick punch, Hadurt ducked. Hadurt used his new body's flexibility and strength to the max to evade the opening punch while swinging his own attack toward Alcahain's body.
Spotting the attack, Alcahain was cautious. Though Hadurt was still a mortal, he didn't dare underestimate the berserker. After seeing Hadurt time and time again supersede the expectations of the gods, Alcahain wouldn't take the chance against Hadurt's newly upgraded strength. Instead, he used his weighted punch to deflect the attack head-on.
The halberd was swatted aside and Hadurt felt his hand tingling from the impact.
Alcahain didn't let up. More electrifying punches hurled toward the former champion. And even with Hadurt's new flexibility and speed, he couldn't avoid all of the blows. One knocked the wind out of Hadurt after drilling him in the side. But rather than fight the fist, Hadurt used the punch's momentum and jumped back to avoid the follow-up swing of the heavy punch.
"Good, good… You still remember my fighting style," Alcahain commented.
Panting, Hadurt smiled. "Sure do… I liked it so much that I would've copied you had I chosen to be a brawler. Instead, I had to adapt it to my style…"
"Oh? Then go ahead and show me before I finish you off."
Lightning and darkness formed a thick layer around the halberd. Hadurt calmed his breathing and refocused his gaze. "Then let me show you… the perfection of your technique!"
Taking off, Hadurt charged the Brawler God. Hadurt threw his entire body into this swing of the halberd, not letting a single ounce of his strength go by unused.
Still smiling, Alcahain readied his heavy attack to counter yet again.
Both attacks were thrown. The halberd arched with fury toward Alcahain while the gauntlet roared upward with potent strength. Yet they didn't collide. A sudden gust of wind fell upon the halberd, allowing it to slightly change its course at the last second and breeze past the defending fist.
In the end, the heavy fist fell upon Hadurt's chest while the halberd coated in lightning, wind, and dark energy bore into Alcahain's chest.
Hadurt was thrown far back. The berserker tumbled as he ate dirt tore apart the ground with his various impacts.
Alcahain remained standing. He didn't move whatsoever. However, blood dripped from his torso.
"You liar!" Alcahain shouted, unsure of whether he should get mad or laugh.
Coughing and forcing his aching body back to its feet, Hadurt laughed, "So? I landed a blow and that's what matters."
"You… You just had to turn traitor on us…" sighed Alcahain. "You would've made the perfect sparring partner with some more practice."
"Why not test that theory now? I'm down to spar if you are?"
"I don't have time for that now, otherwise, Grixor might beat me from frustration."
"Too bad… Then I'll have to keep trying to kill you." Hadurt shrugged, wiping the blood from his mouth and ignoring his broken ribs.
Alcahain took the lead again, dashing ahead with his fists. Now they were both covered in earth and lightning energy.
Taking the defensive, Hadurt covered himself in lightning and wind while he used his speed to narrowly avoid the blows and wait for a proper opening. He would bide his time. Hadurt didn't mind fighting quickly but he understood that the current moment needed a delayed battle. Besides, Hadurt's confidence wasn't really in winning, it was in surviving.