It was easier than he thought.
Each king was gifted with a unique ability, which helped them turn the tides in battle. For Helios, it was the control over fire that he could draw from his own body. For Raijin, it had been the ability to fly and call down lightning as he pleased. For Yam, it was to manipulate bodies of liquid. For Averys, it was total mastery over shadows.
Typhon could only increase in size, transforming into a towering giant over sixty meters tall. His durability was greatly enhanced, making him an unstoppable mountain. Louis, on the other hand, could create great tremors in the earth as well as manipulate the ground beneath him to do his bidding. It was brilliant defensively, but unlike Typon, it could be optimized in a confined environment.
Individually, Helios was sure he could beat either of the two. His firepower trumped anything they could throw at him. But together, they posed an incredible threat. One Helios was not prepared for.
The moment he saw Louis shift slightly, he leaped into the air, shooting out a torrent of fire at the duo. He saw Typhon roll off his throne and onto the ground, while Louis lifted up a wall from the ground beneath him. Spinning in the air, he kicked down as he fell to the ground, letting out fire from the soles of his shoes instead. The momentum kept him up, away from Louis' domain.
"You can stay up there if you want!" Louis yelled from under his wall. "I can use everything around us!"
Helios heard a swish from above him. He leaned back immediately, shooting away from where he had been. A rectangular slab plunged to the ground a second later, shattering as it hit the ground. Louis had to go first. Although he was slightly expended from earlier, Helios drew strength from within. The flames around him intensified, growing larger, brighter, and hotter with each breath he took.
"Don't let him do that," Typhon called out, panic in his voice.
Two slabs came at him from either side, interrupting his concentration. He smashed both with ease, firing down another stream of fire at the duo. The hotter the temperature was, the more sluggish they would get. That was all Helios could think of. Although he had the advantage now, the second Typhon chose to destroy his castle with his ability, it was as good as over.
He dropped to the ground, spreading his palms across the surface of the floor. He heard Louis curse, and a disk of earth came spinning at him. He dove under it and poured all of his firepower into his palm. The ground erupted into flames at once, the intensity forming cracks along the floor. Louis and Typhon yelped, quickly climbing the steps Louis had erected from the walls. Helios smiled at their attempt, but there was no escape. He was going to make the throne room hotter than a furnace.
"Do it!" Louis shouted, flames lapping against his legs.
Helios knew what he meant immediately. Lifting himself off the ground, he rocketed towards the duo, using fire to propel himself. They were taken by surprise, which gave Helios all the time he needed. He shut off all the fire in the room, focusing it into a single fist. Louis tried to shout a warning, but he was too slow. Helios was already in front of them. Bringing his arm back, he punched forward, aiming directly at Typhon's jaw.
He didn't stand a chance.
As Helios' fist connected, the flames around his fist exploded. Typhon was knocked out upon contact and sent flying out, through the castle walls, and into the courtyard. Louis brought up a shield to protect himself, but the explosion destroyed it, sending him sprawling helplessly through the air.
Helios was about to dash after him when two stone slabs slammed into him from either side, boxing him in. Smiling, Helios flexed his arms, breaking through the slabs with ease. But when he looked around, Louis had vanished.
"Coward," Helios muttered, walking out of the hole Typhon had fallen out of. Wherever Louis wanted to hide, he would kill him another time. Typhon was of more importance.
The setting sun had descended completely, shrouding the courtyard with darkness. The moon was nowhere to be seen, leaving Helios blinded completely. He lifted his hand in front of him and conjured a flame that illuminated his surroundings.
Typhon was tangled between vines, hanging from a wall, unconscious. Helios would have rather not killed him, but imprisoning a king was impossible. Typhon would just destroy his cell and everyone in the building. Helios could order a hole to be dug deep enough to contain him, even in his giant form, but that would take a while. Besides, if he were alive, Averys would have a slimmer of hope.
Sighing, he increased the intensity of the fire in his hands. Just one strike, like the one he had used to knock him out. That was all he needed to put an end to him. It took him nearly a minute to conjure, as he was exhausted from expanding his powers so much.
"I really wish it hadn't come to this," Helios lamented. Then he thrust his arm forward, unleashing the flames.
Right before it consumed Typhon, Helios saw a wall of earth shoot up. Helios hissed in annoyance. The wall wouldn't stop the force from the attack, but it would reduce it, leaving Typhon badly scarred at best. Helios didn't have the strength to follow up with another attack, so he lunged forward, hoping to kill him with his own hands.
Yet again, another wall of earth came up as the first shattered, briefly stopping his movement. Helios slammed his fist through it, destroying it immediately, but it was already too late. Louis had whisked Typhon away already.
Yelling, Helios punched a hole through the wall Typhon had been hanging on. He tried breathing slowly, trying to calm himself down, but he was angry at himself for not knocking out that fool of a chicken as well. Even if his men tried to stop them, there was nothing much they could do, and Helios was too tired to chase them down.
He had won this battle, but he had let that fool outsmart him. Pulling his arm out of the wall, he shook dust off it and headed into the castle. He would wait for his commanders. Then they would begin planning their next course of action.