Both sides were in a deadlock.
" ...huff... huff... huff... " The Titans were spent.
" Hisssss... shahhh... " And so was the Hydra.
And so, they agreed to an unspoken agreement. No, the fight was not over, both sides were too prideful to concede. They instead agreed to give each side a reprieve. For they all knew that not doing so was just going to end in mutual destruction.
Having a tense staredown, they waited for their stamina to return. Within each second, the Hydra's wounds were healing at an astonishing rate. Heads returned from destruction, and organs and scales regenerated.
Meanwhile, Atlas and Oceanus were also healing at a speed befitting such divine beings. Atlas' skin was healing and his complexion was returning to its original hearty, brass hue. Meanwhile Oceanus' magic and energy reserves were replenishing, not completely, but enough for the next exchange.
" I must say Beast, you are a worthy opponent. But unfortunately, the King of Titans demands your demise. " Atlas acknowledged the previously 'mindless' beast before him.
" We. Do. Not. Need. Your. Approval. You. Uncivilized. Brute. " The Hydra spat with venom, literally.
" Hah! To think that an abomination like you would call ME uncivilized. " Atlas spat back in amusement.
And finally, as if in unspoken understanding, both parties braced and readied themselves in unison. Muscles taut and strained, heads reared and teeth bared.
" Prepare for the beatdown that's comin' Beast! " Atlas says as he starts to charge. Dust kicking up in the air, with a force no less than their last exchange.
" You. Won't. Even. Reach. Us. This. Time. " Five heads release the Chaos that was built up in their five throats. Unleashing havoc with Chaos energy through the Hydra's signature poison breath.
And like it was alive, the giant smog of poison spread faster than fire! Heading towards the Titan general, covering his path as well as the immediate area around.
Atlas, knowing the danger of the toxic fog, called out to his associate-
"Oceanus, support me! " Atlas requested, not letting his pride get in the way of this battle.
" On it! Oh, River From Which The Sun, Moon, And Stars Rose and Fell! Okeanos! Head my call! Protect your warriors! " Pulling no punches at all, Oceanus conjures a divine shield of water from the River that encircled the world itself.
Atlas, now with divine protection, charged forward fearlessly. And the shield did wonders! The smog was rendered completely useless. With the ethereal gleam of the shield, it made for an epic sight!
The Titan General himself, charging forward relentlessly, The gleam of the deific barrier painting a picture of a shooting star coursing through a nebulous storm of blight towards a horrific beast of unspeakable might! The stuff of legends I say!
Unfortunately, there was one more problem... He could not see! The smog had veiled the beast, and was currently lurking in the fog! The famed General was no more than a lost rodent, feeling around ignorantly, unaware of the venomous scorpion in the underbrush. He hated this feeling! No one treated HIM like prey!
An even match they were, but nothing was ever fair from the start.
" RAAH! Come out you sly beast! " Enraged, he pounded the ground with his fist, the gale of wind instantly dispelling the fog.
But sadly for him, he was a step behind. From behind, five ravenous jaws struck! The intensity of the concentrated blight that laced each tooth seemingly polluting the clear, spiritual shield. The malicious nature of the Chaos having proven too much for the barrier.
" Krh! Grk! " Atlas grit his teeth in agony, becoming used to the ravenous energy.
That didn't dismiss that fact there are five heads entangling and relentlessly tearing his body to shreds bite by bite.
" RahahahaHAH! " The beast laughed scornfully.
Bound by a similarly mountain sized figure, Atlas grit his teeth and strained. Grabbing hold of one head and pulling as hard as he could. Ripping one head clean off, he forwent his own defense, choosing to attack and endure instead.
It was a bloodbath, They both abandoned their defenses and started trading blows. Not willing to be outdone, the Hydra willed their own decapitated head to evaporate into hazardous liquid and bathed the Titan in it.
Feeling the burning pain, Atlas decided to retake the upperhand. Quickly getting hold of their heads, he performed a magnificent throw! Easily lifting and throwing a giant behemoth onto the ground. Atlas rushed to capitalize on the opportunity and lunged to strangle all five heads.
The Hydra struggled and strained. Not willing to waste the chance, Atlas called out.
" Oceanus now!! " Atlas yelled to his ally.
Oceanus, having spent the time gathering energy for a blow, manifested his own beast. A giant water trident, easily comparable to the wave from before, the signature weapon of all water Gods. The entirely water-made weapon somehow shone with a metallic sheen, and it's very presence churned the waves and willed a raging storm to appear. And, like it was summoned, faint projections of the River Okaenos shone in the horizon, representing the full might of the River God.
" Perish abominable creature! You belong in the deepest pits of Tartarus! " Oceanus concluded, determined of their victory.
And with a mighty throw, the trident ripped through the air, it's trajectory making a huge pillar of light. The killing intent it was projecting was dominating! Any lesser being would have died from exposure alone at this point.
The Hydra's eyes narrowed into thin slits. They couldn't think of a way to counter the incoming blow while they were bound by the mighty 'armaments' of Atlas.
' Unless-' 'No, that's foolish' ' It won't work ' ' But what else are we gonna do? '
' It's coming, Do it! ' The Hydra's heads debated in overdrive. Deciding they had no other cards to play, bet everything at once.
Using up almost 90% of the remaining energy that they can access in the space between reality, they concentrated with outmost attention. This could easily backfire.
When the trident was no less than a foot from the beast, the world stopped. Literally, time slowed to a crawl for everything except the Titans and beast. Suddenly, weird things started happening within the immediate vicinity. Colors were becoming inverted or disappearing, the sky was shifting from day to night erratically, the storm started turning into sand that littered the sky, the ground was constantly shifting between materials and states of matter, the trident that was in motion became... nothing. As if the weapon was banished from existence, there was only an outline of the weapon filled with... nothing? A void? It was like a hole in reality, it made no sense! This was literally not possible!
" ... " " What? " Thought both titans, mouths completely agape and minds buffering at the absurdity of the situation. When suddenly, something was happening to them too! Atlas was becoming thinner, his muscles atrophying in real time.
" Wha-! My strength!? NOO!! " Atlas thought in horror, feeling his divinity weaken, as his strength was converted into magical energy, something he never used nor cared to learn to use. It seemed his strength was not disappearing, but instead was inverted into magical prowess. Somehow, he went from a Titan of Strength into a Magical one!
" NONONONO!! " Oceanus on the other hand, was no different. For he saw his hands have erupted in flame! He felt his connection to the River Okeanos disappear, and instead felt a connection to the flames of Hell! What was this!?
As the two were absorbed in complete hysteria and shock, the exhausted Hydra did not waste their time. Easily escaping from Atlas' atrophied arms, the Hydra quickly fired two concentrated beams of poisonous energy towards the unaware enemies.
" AAAAAAAAAA!! " Atlas, who was caught by surprise and without his gift of endurance screamed in agony! He had never felt this much pain before! He wished he could use his new magical reserves to heal himself, alas, he had no magical knowledge at all.
" Wai- NOo-AAAAA! " Oceanus who regained sanity for a moment tried to react, but suffered the same fate as well.
" RAAHHAAHAHA! " The Hydra roared in pleasure! It seemed he had gained the upper hand once more!
But just as quickly as it came, the Chaos that was manifested disappeared, and the effects started to revert swiftly. Surprisingly, It seemed that the disappearance of the mysterious power had brought back the trident as well! Now, without the Hydra to receive the blow, the trident punctured the dazed Atlas.
" AAAAAAAAHHHH! GRAAHH!- Grk! " Having gained his strength back, Atlas was able to take it this time while gritting his teeth. But even so, a fully powered trident throw still held enough power to take him out of commission for a while.
" Oh... no... " Oceanus who had just realized this, breathed out, tired out of his mind.
Now with one Titan out of the ring, another one spent and tired, all the Hydra had to do was deal one more devastating blow. The Beast of Chaos grinned, he could see victory now!
--- To Be Continued ---