Son of the Hero King

Chapter 782:

The explosion was silent at first— too much power for sound alone to convey. Light itself was inverted, turning the battlefield into a film of a negative image that only showed inverted colors. The ground did not just crack; it ceased to exist, matter breaking down into component particles that scattered with the wind and then ceased to exist, vanishing into the abyss of nothingness.

Then the sound finally came— a deafening boom that made one shriek and lose hearing. The others immediately distanced themselves. The blast of energy Sol had unleashed cared for neither friend nor foe. Destroying absolutely everything without exception in its wake.

When the light faded, there was a massive hole in Euphoria's chest— a void, where her divine flesh had been completely erased.

She staggered backward, golden blood pouring from the wound that refused to close. Her regeneration was failing. The world's rejection was too strong, her power too depleted.

In a way, it was a testament to her strength that she could still stand despite all the ultimate attacks she had received one after the other. Nevertheless, it was also a proof of her weakness, all the restrictions that had been imposed upon her for staying in the Mortal Realm.

"I... I am a goddess..." She repeated absent-mindedly. Her mind was far more hurt than her physical body, but there was no one here who would pity her. There were only enemies present.

"Doesn't matter," Echidna said from behind her.

Euphoria spun, but it was already far too late.

Echidna's serpentine form struck with impossible speed. Her jaws, now elongated to impossible proportions and lined with crystalline fangs, closed around Euphoria's left arm, and with a sickening crunch, she bit clean through.

Divine flesh tore. Bone shattered. And Echidna swallowed the limb whole, not consuming its essence but preserving it within herself, to be analyzed and studied later in all its divine complexity.

Euphoria screamed once again, the sound echoing across dimensions and realms, reaching even the fourteen goddesses who were watching the fight, or rather, the lynching. They realized once again that immortality did not mean invincibility and that there existed many destinies worse than death.

The pressure increased on Euphoria. The Mortal Realm locked in harder. The world itself was done with her blatant disregard and humiliation for it. Space itself began to crack around her body, dimensional fissures opening to forcibly eject her.

"NO! I WON'T—"

"You lost," Sol said simply. "Now leave. And never return."

A rift opened beneath Euphoria, pulling her down into the space between dimensions. She clawed at the air, trying to resist, but it was futile. The world wanted her gone, and not even a goddess could fight the rejection of an entire plane of existence against oneself. Not with the power Euphorea wielded. Not with her status as a newly ascended goddess.

"I'LL REMEMBER THIS!" she shrieked as she fell. "ALL OF YOU! I'LL—"

Her words cut off as the rift began to close.

For a moment, it seemed like everything was finally over, that the battle had finally come to a close.

Then, in that final instant before the dimensional tear sealed completely, two figures emerged from the shadows on either side of the rift.

One struck from the left— a man with midnight-black hair and eyes burning with glee. It was Anubis.

His obsidian scythe gleamed with power as he moved with inhuman grace, and his blade sliced through Euphoria's right side, sending her last arm flying. Ancient magic flared as he collected a sliver of her essence, a sample to be studied and analyzed later.

The other was a complete surprise.

Dawn or Aurora, as she was now called.

Her golden hair flowed like sunlight around a face of otherworldly beauty. Her blue eyes were fixed on Euphoria with cold determination and a certain mixture of sadness and resignation. In her hand was a dagger that seemed to be made of condensed darkness itself, absorbing all light and storing it inside.

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She moved like a shadow, her presence barely visible even as she struck. Her blade plunged into Euphoria's neck, and the concept of Secret and Night activated simultaneously. Darkness spread from the wound like ink in water, and Euphoria felt something being stolen from her very being.

"WHAT ARE YOU—NO! STOP!"

But it was already done. And there was nothing the goddess could do to stop it.

Dawn pulled her blade free, and clutched in her other hand was something impossible— a crystallized concept, glowing with pink and gold light.

Love.

She had stolen Euphoria's concept of Love, ripping it from her divine essence like pulling out a tooth.

Only then did the rift snap shut completely, dragging Euphoria's broken, diminished form back into whatever realm she had come from, her scream shaking the dimensions as she disappeared.

Silence fell.

Dawn stood there for a moment, studying the stolen concept in her hand with unreadable eyes. “The concept of Love originally belonged to Amora. Euphoria’s twin sister. Sadly, she fell during the Twilight of the Gods. Betrayed by the one she trusted the most. Her own twin sister,” she muttered loud enough for everyone present to hear.

The power coming from her was just that of a King rank. But no one here was foolish enough to believe that her realm was all the Ancient Goddess was capable of.

“I initially did not plan to intervene. But Euphoria proved that she was unworthy of this concept.”

Then she looked up, her gaze finding Sol's.

Something passed between them— history, unspoken words, and many doubts. Her blue eyes held his for a heartbeat longer than necessary. Then she nodded.

"You should be wary of Hypnos and Thanatos. Death and Dream still have much hidden.” She turned around. “We will meet once again at the edge of the world, and there I will ask you. Who you are. I hope to receive an answer then," she said, her voice like wind as she vanished.

Sol's expression tightened, the only sign that her words had affected him at all.

Then she was gone, fading into shadows that should not exist, had no reason to exist— a shadow created from non-existence. She took Euphoria's stolen power with her as her form and existence were veiled inside that shadow, going who knows where.

Anubis remained, casually twirling his scythe before letting it dissolve into shadows. His handsome face held an amused expression. He had been tempted to go after Dawn. But something told him she was no pushover like the newly awakened goddess had been.

"Where were you during the fight?" Lilith demanded, still breathing heavily from her exertion.

Anubis smiled, the expression both charming and dangerous. "The main character always appears at the end, doesn't he? Makes for a more dramatic entrance."

"You could have helped earlier," Ambrosia muttered, flames still dancing around her fingertips.

"And miss the chance to see how you all performed under pressure?" Anubis laughed, the sound surprisingly melodic for a man. "Besides, I arrived exactly when I was needed. Not before. Not after." He said as he held Euphoria’s arm.

"Well fought, Sol," he added, "Though I suspect you've made a powerful enemy. Next time might not be as easy."

"We've made lots of those already," Sol said, his dragon form receding as exhaustion finally caught up with him. "What's one more goddess?"

Anubis's smile turned knowing, a gleeful glint coloring eyes for a split instant. "Indeed…"

"You're not leaving?" Echidna asked, her serpentine features shifting back toward human, though the white and black scales remained etched on her beautiful face.

"And miss the grand finale?" Anubis's red eyes sparkled. "I wouldn't dream of it."

For a long moment, no one spoke a word, not even making a sound. There were many questions, most about Dawn. But they were too tired, both mentally and physically.

Then Ambrosia let out a long breath and sat down hard on the ground. "I need a drink."

"I need a week-long nap," Lilith added, her sword finally lowering, automatically sheathing inside her scabbard.

Echidna was already examining her prize. "I need to study what I have swallowed from the goddess." She also eyed the arm in Anubis’ hand, but knew that he would not share it with her. He knew her old friend and companion quite well.

"What about your kingdom?" Ambrosia asked, but Echidna was already too far gone to listen to her.

Sol just stood there, staring at the spot where Dawn had disappeared. He was sure that by now she had many doubts about his true identity. But the answer to that question was already a given. His gaze lifted higher, focusing on the rift where the fourteen goddesses were watching, the barrier of the Mortal Realm separating them from the goddesses.

They had witnessed everything. This was why he had held back.

Euphoria had not been the only one to have restrictions placed on her. But soon, very soon… he would have to hide no more.

Sol closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, they blazed with newfound purpose.

"I am sure you have many things to ask and many things to say," he said, and his voice resonated with power. “But not today.” He gave them his back as he spoke in a tone that brooked no compromise, held no fear for the goddess’s wrath or intervention.

“Today, I have a wedding night to attend. Everything else comes second.”

Then he vanished, leaving only devastation. He would send someone to give relief to the chimeras. But now he wanted to focus on Medea and Medea alone. This was their wedding, dammit.