The court erupted into laughter.
A mortal, bound in chains of light, had issued a challenge. His defiance echoed through the grand hall, but instead of outrage, the gods roared with mockery.
"A mortal dares to challenge a god?" one deity scoffed, his laughter booming like thunder.
"How pitiful!" another sneered. "Does he not know his place?"
The supreme judges exchanged glances, their expressions impassive amidst the raucous jeering. Darius, the god of might, stepped forward, his silver armor gleaming under the divine light. His towering figure exuded unshakable confidence.
"Let the mortal speak his final words," Darius said, his voice laced with amusement. He glanced at Sun with a smirk. "This won't take long."
The laughter grew louder.
One of the gods shouted, "Will you even need a weapon, Darius?"
"Perhaps he should just kneel instead," another added.
But Sun remained unshaken. His smirk widened, his eyes locked onto Darius. The laughter grated against him, but he let it wash over him like a storm battering a mountain.
"Silence," intoned one of the supreme judges. The hall fell still, the weight of authority smothering the noise. "Darius, do you accept this mortal's challenge?"
Darius chuckled. "How could I refuse such an amusing request?" He turned to the judges and bowed slightly. "I ask for permission to loosen his chains. Let him entertain us before I crush him."
The judges nodded, and the light binding Sun's wrists dimmed, releasing him. He flexed his arms as if testing them, his translucent soul-form shimmering faintly.
The courtroom shifted. The marble floor melted away, replaced by coarse sand. The walls expanded, curving upward to form massive stands where the gods gathered to watch. The grand chamber had transformed into a divine coliseum, its center bathed in a golden divine light.
The crowd buzzed with anticipation.
"Begin," the supreme judge declared.
Darius moved first.
He was a blur of motion, closing the distance in an instant. His battle axe, massive and menacing, descended with a force that could shatter mountains.
Sun didn't flinch.
At the last moment, he pivoted, his fist striking the side of the axe with pinpoint precision. The weapon veered off course, spinning back toward its wielder with doubled momentum.
Complete Martial Arts: Second Form – Force Redirection.
The redirected attack struck Darius' shoulder, forcing him back. A shallow gash appeared on his divine armor, a thin line of ichor seeping out.
The laughter ceased.
For a moment, the gods were silent, their jeers dying in their throats.
"A mortal… injured a god?" one whispered in disbelief.
Darius straightened, his expression darkening. He glanced at the blood on his shoulder and then back at Sun. A slow, humorless smile spread across his face.
"A technique that absorbs my strength and adds it to your own before returning it to me… magnificent," he admitted, his voice cold.
He planted his battle axe into the ground with a deliberate motion. "But your success was conditional," he said. "The only reason you managed that is because my weapon's aura was weaker than your fist. Tell me, mortal… do you think your soul is stronger than the body of a god?"
Without waiting for an answer, Darius charged.
Sun's eyes closed as he shifted into a flawless horse stance. His aura expanded, forming a ten-meter sphere of crackling energy around him. The gods watched intently, some leaning forward in their seats.
Darius entered the sphere.
In that instant, Sun pinpointed his target's weak point and retracted his aura into his right fist and unleashed a devastating punch.
Complete Martial Arts: First Form – Single Point Impact.
The clash sent shockwaves rippling through the arena, sand exploding into the air. When the dust settled, Darius had been forced back once more, his fist trembling slightly from the impact.
"How?" Darius thought, his gaze narrowing. "In strength, speed, and reflexes, I surpass him. Yet his technique… it's flawless, multiplying his strength a hundredfold."
His wounds, though, began to heal. The gash on his shoulder disappeared, the tremor in his hand fading.
He smirked. "It doesn't matter," he said aloud. "You can injure me, but I can heal faster than you can strike. Your stamina will give out long before mine. This fight is already over."
Across the arena, Sun stood tall.
He cracked his neck, his smirk turning into a feral grin. For the first time, he took the initiative, walking toward Darius with deliberate, measured steps.
The gods watched, their earlier mockery replaced by uneasy silence.
Then they saw it.
The entirety of Sun's aura gathered into his right arm. The air hummed, a sharp whistling sound growing louder with each step.
Darius' instincts screamed at him to move, but before he could react, Sun's fist was already in front of him.
Complete Martial Arts: Fifth Form – Nuclear Punch.
For a heartbeat, the world held its breath.
Then came the explosion.
A blinding light consumed the coliseum, followed by a deafening shockwave that obliterated the arena's floor. The stands remained untouched, shielded by divine barriers, but the heart of the coliseum was left in ruins.
When the dust cleared, Sun stood at the center. His right arm was gone, burned away by the force of his own attack. Before him lay Darius' corpse, headless and lifeless.
The gods stared in stunned disbelief.
"A god… killed by a mortal?" one muttered, their voice barely audible.
"That's… impossible," another said, their face pale.
The supreme judges exchanged tense glances, their calm facades cracking ever so slightly.
Chains of light erupted from the ground, binding Sun's remaining arm and ankles.
"Mortal Sun," the judges intoned, their voices echoing with authority, "though you have bested a lesser god, it does not absolve you of your sentence."
Golden patterns swirled in the air, descending toward Sun.
But before they could attach to him, a portal ripped open behind him. A massive, furred hand reached out, gripping Sun's shoulder with inhuman strength.
Before the gods could react, Sun was yanked into the void.
The portal snapped shut.
The coliseum erupted into chaos once more, the gods' laughter now replaced with shouts of confusion and fear; as most of them recognised the aura behind the portal.