The battlefield was silent but for the low hum of the Void-tainted energy still clinging to the shattered earth. Obsidian lay sprawled across the debris-littered ground, struggling to push himself up. His cloak was torn, his once-commanding presence reduced to a flickering shadow of desperation. His breaths came in ragged gasps, the defiance in his glowing eyes dimming with each passing second.
Deleo stood motionless, shrouded in swirling shadows.
The air around him seemed heavier, darker—his power radiating like a void that consumed all light and hope. For a moment, he was still, his form framed against the shattered remnants of the battlefield, his chilling silence more terrifying than any words.
And then, with a deliberate step forward, Deleo began to close the distance.
Obsidian snarled, his Void-tainted energy flaring weakly as he rose to his feet, trembling. He lunged forward with a burst of erratic speed, his jagged claws aimed for Deleo's throat.
But Deleo was faster.
With a flick of his wrist, shadows lashed out, wrapping around Obsidian's wrist mid-strike. The sharp snap of bone echoed through the wasteland as the tendrils twisted mercilessly, dragging Obsidian to the ground like a broken marionette.
THUD!
The force of the impact sent cracks spidering through the already-ruined earth. Obsidian let out a guttural groan, his body convulsing as the shadows released him.
"You are persistent," Deleo said, his voice a low rumble, ancient and unyielding. "But persistence does not make you worthy."
Obsidian tried to rise, his teeth gritted in pain, but Deleo was already upon him. A shadowed tendril shot out, coiling around Obsidian's ankle and lifting him off the ground.
Obsidian struggled, his movements frantic, his Void-tainted energy flaring in pitiful bursts. Deleo tilted his head slightly, his voice cold and dispassionate.
"Look at you, writhing like an insect caught in a web. Is this what you imagined power to be, mortal?"
With a sharp motion, Deleo swung Obsidian like a rag doll, slamming him into the ground with enough force to send a shockwave rippling outward.
BOOM!
The earth cratered beneath the impact, a plume of dirt and debris rising into the air. Obsidian's body convulsed, blood splattering from his mouth as he gasped for air.
Deleo didn't stop. He swung Obsidian again, this time against a jagged outcrop of stone.
CRACK!
The sound of bone meeting unyielding rock was sickening. The outcrop shattered, chunks of stone tumbling to the ground as Obsidian's limp body slumped against the debris.
From the outskirts of the battlefield, soldiers who had retreated earlier watched in stunned silence. Some averted their eyes, unable to stomach the brutality before them. Others stared, their expressions a mix of awe and fear at the display of power.
Deleo released Obsidian, letting his broken body fall to the ground in a heap. Blood pooled beneath him, staining the fractured earth. Yet, somehow, the Void-tainted leader still moved, his hands clawing weakly at the ground as he tried to crawl away.
Deleo appeared before him in a flicker of shadows, his towering presence casting a long, menacing shadow over Obsidian's battered form.
"Still crawling?" Deleo asked, his voice dripping with disdain. "Even now, you cling to the delusion of victory."
Obsidian's remaining eye glared up at him, his expression a mixture of rage and desperation. With a roar, he summoned the last of his Void-tainted energy, lashing out in a wide arc.
The attack was chaotic, unstable—a desperate gambit that tore through the air with a deafening shriek.
Deleo raised a single hand, his movements calm. The shadows around him surged forward, colliding with the attack in a brilliant explosion of light and darkness.
When the dust settled, Deleo stood unscathed.
Obsidian's energy flickered and died, leaving him defenseless. His chest heaved as he stared up at Deleo, his voice barely a whisper. "You… you cannot… be this strong…"
Deleo's response was a chilling silence.
And then, from the corner of the battlefield, another presence emerged.
Malik.
Obsidian's loyal second-in-command appeared in a burst of Void-tainted energy, his expression wild with desperation. "Master!" Malik cried, his tone laced with both fear and rage.
He turned toward Deleo, his energy flaring as he prepared to attack. "You will not take him!"
Deleo shifted his gaze to Malik, his expression unreadable beneath the shadows of his mask. For a moment, he simply stood there, as though sizing up the new challenger.
Then, in a voice colder than death, Deleo spoke.
"You are nothing."
Malik charged, his Void-tainted energy surging as he aimed for Deleo's heart. His movements were fast, fueled by desperation and loyalty. But to Deleo, he might as well have been standing still.
Deleo sidestepped with effortless grace, his shadows lashing out like a viper. They coiled around Malik's arm, twisting and pulling until—
SNAP!
Malik screamed as his arm was torn from its socket, the severed limb falling to the ground in a bloody heap.
Deleo didn't stop.
He grabbed Malik by the throat, lifting him into the air. The shadows around Deleo pulsed with malevolence, tightening like a vice. Malik clawed at Deleo's grip, his eyes wide with terror as he struggled for air.
"An ant," Deleo said softly, almost to himself. "And like an ant, you are crushed."
With a sickening crunch, Deleo's grip tightened, and Malik's neck snapped. The lifeless body fell to the ground, a broken, bloodied husk.
Deleo stepped over the corpse without a second glance, his focus returning to Obsidian.
The leader of Hades' Wrath was barely conscious, his body broken and bloodied. He lay on his back, one eye half-open, the other swollen shut. His once-handsome features were marred by bruises, cuts, and blood.
Deleo loomed over him, his shadows swirling ominously. Slowly, deliberately, he raised a hand to his mask.
As the mask was removed, Obsidian's remaining eye widened in shock.
Val's face was illuminated by the faint glow of the Void energy still clinging to the battlefield. His right eye was a deep, searing red, while his left was an abyssal black, the veins around it dark and pulsing with shadow. The contrast was haunting, a chilling reminder of the power now coursing through him.
Obsidian's lips trembled, but no words came. His body shook as he tried to crawl backward, his broken form betraying his fear.
Deleo knelt slowly, his voice soft but filled with finality.
"This is the face of your end, mortal."
Obsidian's eye rolled back as he felt the shadows pierce his chest. His breath hitched, blood bubbling from his mouth as his vision blurred. He looked down, his hazy gaze falling on the hollowed void where his chest once was.
The light in his eye flickered. And then, darkness.
Obsidian fell to his knees, his head hanging low, blood dripping onto the ground. His body slumped forward, lifeless.
The battlefield grew silent once more.
Deleo rose, his shadows retreating slightly but still coiling around him like loyal guardians. He placed the mask back over his face, obscuring Val's features once more.
The soldiers watching from the distance were frozen, their breaths caught in their throats. None dared move or speak.
And in HQ Command, General Luis and Dr. Lewis stood in stunned silence.
Deleo's voice echoed across the battlefield, carried through the Mind Link, resonating with a chilling finality.
"It is done."