Welcome to Hell.
This place serves as both a prison and a reservoir of strength, where even the King of the Gods, Zeus, cannot intervene indefinitely. There comes a time when discontent against Zeus boils over, and he unleashes them, much like he did with the Giants. It was meant to be this way from the start!
"Don't come any closer!" A Titan's cry preceded a massive stone, the size of a mountain peak, hurled mercilessly towards Cyd at incredible speed.
Facing the incoming attack, Cyd exhaled sharply, his left hand gripping a sickle forged from meteorite, wreathed in black light. Simultaneously, he raised his right arm to shield himself.
"—— ——-"
The stone seemed to pass through Cyd, its impact blunted by a phantom-like black light. Yet, the force was enough to drive Cyd deep into the ground beneath the colossal weight.
"Is he dead?" A Titan patted the shoulder of another nearby.
"He's dead," the Titan nodded. "That fellow's done for."
The Titan who had thrown the stone collapsed soon after.
"This is bad. That sickle carries the strength of Hades. It can't be scratched by mere light," another Titan lamented, gnashing his teeth. "Why! Hades himself should not be able to display such deadly power so easily. There's something wrong with that weapon!"
"I only care that the human is dead now!" another Titan interjected.
"How could a mere human slaughter so many of us with such ease? Only two of us are left!" another Titan exclaimed.
"—— ——-"
With the mountainous stone crashing down, a giant figure with wings made of scales rose from the crater. Then, a shadow flew straight up into the sky.
"My body's aching a bit," Cyd said, raising [Reforged Pandora] to Original Mode. The orange glow spread from his left wrist across the entirety of [Reforged Pandora]. "Time to hunt."
Opening up, the box split down the middle as tiny components slid into place. What emerged in Cyd's hands was a grand black bow, the orange glow forming a pattern branded upon it.
[Reforged Pandora] — Apollo Mode
"This time, it's the power of the Sun! It houses the strength of many gods," Cyd announced, as a Titan threw a stone towards him.
"My hunting may be a bit... crude," Cyd remarked, drawing back the bowstring. A dazzling light gathered at the tip of the arrow, which was aflame and ready to strike.
"—— ——-"
The fiery arrow sped towards the Titan, but upon impact with the stone he threw, it turned to magma and scattered away from Cyd.
"No! Why hasn't Father saved us?" The Titan, struck by the fiery light and now burning, looked desperately towards a certain direction in his final moments. "Why is he looking there?"
"Ah!" Cyd focused his gaze. The orange pattern on [Reforged Pandora] shifted to silver, and the bow itself shrank back to its normal size, yet appeared more magnificent than before.
[Reforged Pandora] — Artemis Mode
Cyd released the bowstring, aiming at the Titan who had been struck. Silver light rained down from the arrow, strafing the area and raising a cloud of smoke.
As the smoke settled, Cyd's eyes narrowed. He knew there was no guarantee it wouldn't harm him, but in Tartarus, only Chronos, considered by many to be the father, could claim such power. If only Chronos were that easy to beat, Zeus wouldn't have sent him.
"You're quite the reckless lad," a middle-aged man emerged from the smoke.
"Father!" the last Titan crawled towards the middle-aged man. "Finish him off quickly!"
"Fool. You were a mistake," the middle-aged man glared coldly at the Titan, then pointed his finger at the Titan's forehead. "Return."
"W-wait! I-!"
The Titan convulsed and transformed into a lump of flesh that slowly merged into the middle-aged man's body.
"Seems even separating my own child's flesh was too much," the middle-aged man flicked the meat froth off his finger. "The title 'Titan' hardly suits you. Nonetheless, all I need is myself."
"The big boss arrives suddenly," Cyd turned, [Reforged Pandora] morphing back to its initial form. "The former King of the Gods, Chronos."
"At first, I was skeptical of your divine strength, but now I'm certain. You wield power nearly equivalent to that of all the Greek gods combined," Chronos narrowed his eyes, disassembling his right hand. "Let me tell you, Zeus deceived you. He meant to imprison you here, and you were almost persuaded."
"Since I can't leave now anyway, you're all that's left. You can't ignore me while you strut around here," Cyd smiled, [Reforged Pandora] shouldered. "Show me what you've got, former King."
"a human that dares to fight a titan!" Suddenly, a vein bulged on Chronos' forehead, his legs swelling. The ground beneath him crumbled, and he charged at Cyd like a cannonball.
But he was met with a blazing giant hammer.
"—— ——-"
The earth shook violently as countless cracks spread from the impact site, spewing pure fire.
[Reforged Pandora] — Hephaestus Mode
"Cough..." Cyd coughed up blood, the first person to ever damage his immortal body. A massive cavity appeared in his chest. "You truly are the former King of the Gods..."
"—— ——-"
[Reforged Pandora] slammed onto the ground, Cyd's hands grasping the handle to support himself. Scales unfurled from his right shoulder cloak, guarding him as he knelt.
"I told you... Zeus can't handle me," Chronos' body twisted, shedding the flesh in his hand. The deformed body began to heal. "You've merely slowed me down."
"Is that so...?" Cyd wiped the blood from his mouth, gripping [Reforged Pandora] as he swung the hammer into Chronos' body.
"—— ——-"
Cyd stood firm amidst the chaos of Tartarus, [Reforged Pandora] gleaming in his hands. Across from him, Chronos, the former King of the Gods, exuded an aura of ancient power, his eyes narrowed with determination.
Chronos lunged forward with incredible speed, his movements like a blur as he aimed a devastating punch at Cyd. Reacting swiftly, Cyd dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the blow that cracked the ground where he had stood moments before.
Undeterred, Chronos followed up with a series of rapid strikes, each blow carrying the weight of eons of rage. Cyd blocked and parried with [Reforged Pandora], the clash of metal against Chronos' fists echoing through the desolate landscape.
With a swift spin, Cyd swung [Reforged Pandora] in a wide arc, aiming for Chronos' midsection. The former King of the Gods countered with a sudden burst of energy, creating a shield of swirling darkness that absorbed the impact of the strike.
The ground trembled beneath their feet as they continued their fierce exchange. Chronos unleashed blasts of elemental force, sending shockwaves rippling through the air. Cyd responded with agility and precision, evading and deflecting each assault with calculated movements.
In a daring move, Cyd charged forward, closing the distance between them in an instant. With a mighty leap, he soared into the air, [Reforged Pandora] glowing with intensity as he brought it down in a sweeping arc toward Chronos.
Chronos met the attack head-on, his own power surging to meet Cyd's strike. The collision created a burst of energy that sent shockwaves rippling across Tartarus, the force of their clash threatening to tear reality itself.
As the dust settled, Cyd and Chronos stood locked in a tense standoff, each breathing heavily from exertion. Cyd then swung [Reforged Pandora] The earth beneath Cyd's feet cracked and groaned, and Chronos' body was sent flying by the impact. He turned into a frothy mass, before his indifferent head fell to one side.
"Remarkable, but that was your final counterattack," Chronos' head slowly lifted, his skeletal form gradually developing into organs, blood vessels, muscles, and finally, skin. In moments, Chronos stood before Cyd in full form, his black robes swirling around him. "You managed to injure me twice. Human, you can die with pride."
"Sadly, you've only injured me once," Cyd shouldered [Reforged Pandora]. "Before I return, I'll make sure to see them."
"Why! How could... I be defeated?" Chronos widened his eyes. Cyd's chest cavity was gone, and though his attire was damaged, then it dawned on Chronos how Cyd survived. "You also have an immortal body!"
"Look around, former King of the Gods!"
"Who... will fall first!"