"They can go fuck themselves," I said boldly, raising my voice in arrogance.
The entire hall turned silent at my words. Some Elder Gods directly released their pressure, while others simply directed glares at me.
Suddenly, the Elder Gods broke into curses like children, further amusing me.
"Bunch of children," I spat on the red carpet, dirtying the front of Kronos's throne while doing so.
I saw Prometheus smack his forehead using his palm. He shook his head, but couldn't help but chuckle.
He mouthed, "Too bold."
Jacque and Leo turned pale. They were on the verge of collapse, but Prometheus's reaction caught them off-guard.
Color returned to their faces as they noticed the smile on Prometheus's face.
The subtle fear that threatened to corrode my mind vanished, and I gained confidence in my words.
The hall turned silent again, and Kronos broke into a soft chuckle.
A few seconds passed, and boisterous laughter encompassed the hall. Kronos laughed like there was no tomorrow.
The Elder Gods displayed varied reactions. Some hissed at me, while others widened their eyes at Kronos's laughter, finding it to be traitorous.
"You… you amuse me," shouted Kronos, continuing to laugh freely.
I didn't know how to respond, so I chose not to. Soon, Kronos's laughter faded, and silence enveloped the hall again.
Suddenly, Kronos's lighthearted emerald eyes narrowed. "But can you back your arrogance through power, or are these empty words?"
Glancing at Prometheus, who nodded, I steeled my resolve. "These are not empty words."
"Very well," responded Kronos. "We shall see about that."
He then glanced at Prometheus.
"Shall I test him?"
Prometheus nodded solemnly, but a hint of reluctance flickered on his face. It didn't escape Kronos's eyes since he chuckled.
"What is your name, Prophetic Child?" asked Kronos.
"Noah… Noah Numen."
"Very well. Would you be willing to engage in battle with another demigod? He is at the peak of demigod rank and is about to become an Ascender God. Well, he hasn't become one for the past two million years, so I'm not sure when that will occur."
Hearing his rants, I thought more of him as a friendly uncle. However, behind that lighthearted grin was a beast.
The beast was trapped, but it would emerge someday.
A beast had deposed Ouranos, according to Greek Mythology. I wasn't sure if that was true in the Divine Realm. However, that beast could awaken any day.
"I am willing," I responded.
"Call Memnon, son of Tithonus and Eos!" Kronos ordered, and his voice reverberated across the hall.
A slight creak was heard, and a muscular man entered through the main entrance.
My eyes narrowed as I viewed my future opponent. His physique was incredible, and the aura he exuded was both dangerous and carefree simultaneously.
He seemed like a nice big brother.
With a black compression shirt hugging his body, he seemed like a bodybuilder. He was dark-skinned and had blue eyes.
His soft footsteps were casual as if he were taking a stroll.
His behavior attracted a few dissatisfied looks, but none of the Elder Gods commented.
"Your majesty," Memnon, the dark-skinned man, greeted as he bowed as low as he could. His head gently touched the floor.
"Memnon," acknowledged Kronos, nodding once.
Memnon approached where I stood before stopping beside me. He glanced at me, directing a lighthearted smile before turning his attention to Kronos.
"Your majesty hasn't invited me to the palace in thousands of years," stated Memnon. "Why so suddenly?"
"Greet the Prophetic Child, Memnon," ordered Kronos. "You shall be fighting him today."
Memnon's eyes brightened, and he suddenly turned to face me. His eyes glittered as he scrutinized my appearance and power, which I hid before he could dig deep.
A flash of amusement flickered over his face, probably noticing I had hidden my power.
"The Prophetic Child…" muttered Memnon. "The one who's supposed to rescue the Divine Realm?"
Kronos nodded.
"A half-breed," mused Memnon. "I can't say anything, since I am one, too. But it's weird that the savior is a demigod."
"Nice to meet you too," I responded, revealing a sarcastic smile.
"Bold."
"You too. Talking so casually in the royal palace is pretty daring of you."
"His majesty doesn't mind. As long as you display power, he pays attention to you. However, the moment you lose, he loses all interest. Happened to a couple of my colleagues."
I raised an eyebrow, taking a glance at Kronos. He didn't respond, and simply stared at our interaction.
The Elder Gods chatted amongst each other in the meantime.
"So, when should we begin?" asked Memnon, revealing his pristine, white teeth in an attempt to intimidate me.
His appearance and demeanor were friendly, but his intentions were far from it.
Him revealing the fact that losing would result in severe consequences was an act of intimidation. He intended to scare me.
I would be lying if I said I wasn't terrified at the consequences.
But who said I would lose?
"Right now," I responded to his question, and Memnon smiled.
"You seem excited."
"No. Just scared for my life."
"Admirable sense of humor," said Memnon before turning to face Kronos. "We shall begin on your orders, your majesty."
Kronos nodded before extending his arm.
His emerald eyes shone brighter, and a tiny tornado spawned under above his palm. Memnon watched calmly, and the Elder Gods became silent.
The tornado enlarged, eventually spanning several hundreds of meters in length.
It enveloped our bodies, yet did not cause any harm. The winds calmed, and a lime barrier spawned in place of the tornado.
The hall expanded.
The thrones of the Elder Gods and Kronos were pushed back, but Memnon and I remained in place.
"What's going on?" I asked. My eyes widened as the barrier formed a circle around us. The diameter was about 3 kilometers.
The barrier was transparent, but contained a tint of lime, akin to tinted glass.
"This is our battlefield," explained Memnon, calmly observing as several things occurred around us.
A circle engraved itself in the middle of the barrier, and I was suddenly teleported to one side of the barrier.
As I looked forward, I saw the arrogant figure of Memnon standing a few hundred meters away from me.
Kronos's holographic figure appeared above the middle of the battleground.
"This will be a clean battle," announced Kronos. "Either side is allowed to forfeit at any moment, and the other side is not permitted to attack afterwards."
Memnon and I nodded in accordance.
"You are allowed to use anything in your possession, whether it be artifacts, skills, techniques… anything is permissible."
"Also, murder is not permitted, obviously."
"Self-introductions will occur before the battle begins," said Kronos. "After introducing yourselves, I shall begin the countdown."
Memnon and I walked forward before meeting in the middle of the inner circle.
Our gazes were unwavering, and it was obvious that neither of us wished to lose, or would accept a loss.
I had trained for six months to win, not to lose.
"I am Memnon, the son of Tithonus and Eos, and a demigod of Light. I specialize in healing and offense. I am proud to admit that I was equal to Achilles's power back in the day."
I nodded, wondering whether the latter part about Achilles was necessary.
"I am Noah Numen, the son of Magnus Numen and… supposedly, Chaos. I am a demigod of Chaos and Void. I specialize in offense. I am proud to admit I have defeated Prometheus, the God of Fire and Foresight on equal terms."
Memnon raised an eyebrow, and Prometheus let out a soft chuckle.
Kronos didn't show a change in expression, hearing the news for the second time.
We both extended our arms for a handshake. It was firm, and although neither of us used mana or divinity, we both used our raw strength.
I, of course, lost terribly, and was almost dropped to the ground.
Memnon possessed significantly higher raw strength than me.
The two of us distanced ourselves from each other again, and waited for Kronos to begin the countdown.
A few moments passed, and Kronos began counting down.
"3."
I assumed a stance, and Memnon unsheathed a sword. We both glared at each other, metaphorically shooting daggers using our eyes.
"2."
I augmented my body using mana and spread divinity into the surrounding air. Memnon did the same, but he didn't augment his body.
"1."
Nothing much happened, and we simply stared at each other.
"Begin."
A soon as Kronos uttered those words, all hell broke loose. The Elder Gods watched in concentration as the two of us charged at each other.
For them, it was simply a dog fight. We weren't worth watching, but they were forced to due to Kronos's orders.
I could see cold sweat trickle down Jacque and Leo's faces, as if they were overwhelmed by the auras of the Elder Gods.
No, could it be due to my battle? I smirked.
Divinity encompassed the area, and Memon and I neared each other.
As soon as we collided, the true battle began.