Chapter 20- The Unbreakable Warlord
The ocean roared with a restless fury as Helios stood alone on the rocky shore of Fish-Man Island, the mist rolling in like the breath of an ancient beast. His crew had gone with the Fish-Man King to handle business elsewhere, leaving him to watch over the ship. But the moment the sky darkened, and the pressure in the air shifted, he knew he was no longer alone.
From the mist, a figure emerged—a tall, imposing man clad in a long, tattered coat of black and gold. His body gleamed unnaturally under the dim light, his arms covered in metallic veins that pulsed like living iron. His eyes, cold and calculating, locked onto Helios with a hunter's gaze.
"Lion D. Helios," the man spoke, his voice smooth but carrying the weight of a warlord. "I've heard a lot about you. Strong, reckless, and stupidly ambitious."
Helios narrowed his eyes, already feeling the rage boiling inside him. "And who the hell are you supposed to be?"
The man smirked. "Flimlight. Pirate Warlord. Master of Metal. And right now, the one who's about to teach you a lesson in pain."
Without warning, Flimlight raised a single hand, and the ground beneath them twisted. The metal within the earth, invisible to the naked eye, bent to his will, forming razor-sharp tendrils that lunged at Helios.
Helios reacted on instinct, dodging and slicing through the metal with his sword, but Flimlight moved faster. In a split second, Helios' own blade wrenched out of his grip, twisting violently in the air. Before he could react, the sword bent backward unnaturally and drove straight into his hand and forearm, the sharp edge sewing into his flesh like a grotesque needle.
"GRAAAAGH!" Helios howled in agony as blood poured from the fresh wound. His vision blurred from the sheer pain, but before he could even process it, Flimlight was in front of him.
A fist of pure steel slammed into Helios' face. Then another. And another.
His head snapped back, blood and teeth flying from his mouth as Flimlight mercilessly pummeled him. The blows were relentless, each strike heavier than the last, breaking skin, cracking bone. Flimlight grabbed Helios by the hair, lifting him like a ragdoll before driving a knee into his gut with a force that sent shockwaves through the ground.
Helios coughed violently, blood splattering onto the rocks beneath him. His body ached, his strength waning—but his rage only grew. He wasn't about to be humiliated like this.
With a roar, Helios activated his Apex Gems. His body erupted with raw power—the Water Gem surging waves around him, the Sun Gem igniting his wounds with searing flames. His hair stood on end as his cheek markings grew into rectangles, his strength doubling, his presence becoming godlike.
He dashed forward, the very air trembling from his speed. He struck, fists colliding with Flimlight's metallic body, creating sonic booms with every impact. But Flimlight didn't falter.
Instead, he laughed.
The warlord's body melted into liquid metal, reshaping instantly to avoid fatal blows. He countered, grabbing Helios by the throat and slamming him into the ground so hard the rock cratered beneath them. Before Helios could recover, metal shards shot up from the ground, impaling his limbs, pinning him in place.
"You're strong," Flimlight admitted, stepping closer. "But strength without control is nothing."
Helios snarled, eyes burning with fury. He clenched his fists, his entire body erupting in elemental energy—water, fire, raw power, all merging into something monstrous. He wasn't done.
He tore himself free from the metal spikes, flesh ripping in the process, and lunged once more. He tried using his Apex Gems, hydras of water, earth spikes—but Flimlight adapted to everything. The warlord dodged, countered, punished.
Then, with a flick of his wrist, Flimlight bent all the metal in Helios' armor and weapons at once, turning them against him. Chains of iron wrapped around his limbs, tightening like a vice.
"This is over."
Flimlight reared back his fist, now a massive hammer of pure steel, and slammed it into Helios' ribs with a force that shattered bone and sent him flying. Helios skidded across the battlefield, his body broken, his vision fading.
He couldn't move. His body refused to respond.
Flimlight stood over him, unimpressed. "Learn from this," he said. "Or next time, I'll make sure you don't get up."
And with that, he walked away, leaving Helios to bleed into the shattered earth.
The entrance to the temple loomed over Helios and Flimlight like the maw of some ancient beast, its stone doors covered in symbols so old they predated even the Fish-Men's oldest legends. The walls pulsed with an eerie glow, as if alive, as if watching.
Helios stepped forward, blood still dripping from the wounds Flimlight had inflicted. His battered body screamed at him to stop, but he clenched his fists and kept moving. This was the only way forward. The only way to grow stronger.
Flimlight, arms crossed, leaned against the temple's exterior. "You sure about this, kid? That door won't open for just anyone."
Helios ignored him and placed his hand on the cold stone. Immediately, the markings flared, ancient energy surging through his veins. The Apex Gems within him burned, reacting to the temple's call. The door groaned, stone grinding against stone as it split open, revealing a staircase that spiraled down into darkness.
Helios took the first step, then another, until the abyss swallowed him whole.
The descent felt endless. The air grew heavier, pressing against his chest, making each breath a labor. Then, without warning, the steps vanished beneath his feet. He plummeted, darkness swallowing him whole, until—
SLAM.
He crashed against something solid. Pain flared through his body, but before he could recover, the agony truly began.
A force latched onto his flesh, digging into his nerves. His Apex Gems flared wildly, but they provided no relief. His skin cracked and peeled, his bones twisted, his muscles tore apart and reformed in an endless cycle of destruction and rebirth.
Screams filled the chamber—his own.
Visions assaulted him. He saw the people he had slaughtered, their faces twisted in agony. He saw Bow, Prometheus, and Ariadne standing over his corpse, disgust and disappointment in their eyes. He saw Flimlight shaking his head, muttering, "Not strong enough."
The whispers started next.
You are nothing.
Your power is borrowed, not earned.
You will fail. You will die. Just like before.
Helios snarled through gritted teeth. "No. I refuse."
The pain intensified, his body writhing, his mind teetering on the edge of madness. It was as if the temple itself was trying to erase him, to strip him down to his very essence and leave nothing behind.
Then, in the midst of the torment, he saw it.
A sword, embedded in a pillar of molten rock. Its hilt was blackened, its blade pulsing like the core of a dying star. The heat alone should have incinerated him, but Helios forced himself forward, dragging his broken body inch by inch.
The temple fought him. Chains of raw agony wrapped around his limbs, pulling him back. His skin blackened, his blood boiled, his mind shattered.
Still, he moved.
He reached out.
Fingers trembling, he wrapped his hands around the hilt.
The temple roared.
Fire erupted around him, a hurricane of pure destruction. His Apex Gems flared wildly, his body threatening to break apart. But Helios held on, teeth bared, eyes burning with defiance.
Then, with one final pull, he wrenched the sword free.
Everything went silent.
The pain vanished. The whispers stopped. The fire dimmed.
Helios stood, his breath ragged, the sword in his grasp. It felt like an extension of himself, as if it had been waiting for him. The blade no longer pulsed—it burned, steady and controlled, the embodiment of raw, unyielding power.
He had won.
Barely.
Stumbling, he made his way back up the endless staircase, the sword's glow illuminating his path. When he finally emerged, Flimlight was still waiting, arms crossed.
The pirate warlord eyed the weapon, then smirked. "Took you long enough."
Helios didn't answer. He simply gripped the sword tighter, feeling its heat, feeling the strength that came with it.
He had survived the trial. He had earned this power