Zeus still had a way to win.
Because of that, he dragged the battle into an attrition war without hesitation.
After all, even though Jaden in his current state could continuously beat him back, as long as the full set of Divine Artifacts remained intact, Zeus was not truly in danger.
Not until those artifacts were destroyed.
But-
It was now becoming clear that this decision might have been a mistake.
The gods watching from the sidelines didn't notice anything unusual.
But Zeus did.
Facing Jaden directly, he could clearly feel it.
Although he couldn't understand what kind of monster the being in front of him truly was-
Jaden was getting stronger.
Constantly.
Every punch carried more weight than the last.
Every movement was faster than before.
-Just how strong do you plan to become, you monster?
Regret surfaced briefly in Zeus's mind.
But he had already made his choice.
So now, there was only one path left.
Endure.
As the lightning entwined around Ares's Spear grew brighter and denser, Zeus planted his feet firmly on the ground.
He lowered his center of gravity.
Athena's Shield shifted to protect his vital points.
His legs bent.
His posture stabilized completely.
At this moment, while enduring Jaden's relentless attacks, Zeus spoke.
And he smiled.
"It seems I've won."
His voice was steady.
"I was originally thinking that if the Divine Artifacts were destroyed by your attacks first, I would detonate them and continue fighting you."
He paused.
"But unfortunately for you, I reached the position of the victor first."
As he spoke, Zeus raised Ares's Spear high above his head.
The dense lightning completely swallowed the weapon, until the spear itself no longer looked solid.
It resembled a bolt of lightning given physical form.
Seeing this, the gods surrounding the battlefield immediately retreated.
They rushed out of the arena without hesitation.
Jaden, meanwhile, did not stop attacking.
Several clear fist imprints were already pressed into Gaia's Armor.
A section of Ouranos's Helmet showed obvious deformation.
But none of that mattered anymore.
Swoosh-
The lightning on Ares's Spear began to connect with Zeus's body.
A terrifying storm of thunder and lightning gathered around him, expanding outward in the shape of an electric circle.
The moment Zeus released this power, Jaden dodged instinctively.
At the same time, he reverted from Third Gear back to his normal state.
His attacks paused.
Only for a moment.
Seeing this, the smile beneath Zeus's helmet deepened.
"Are you giving up, monster?"
Hearing those words, Jaden covered his arms with Armament Haki.
Then he looked at Zeus.
At the spear raised high.
And he smiled.
The same way Zeus had smiled.
"Zeus."
His tone was calm.
"Maybe you think this move-one that required you to drag me into a long fight-is the key to winning this battle."
He paused slightly.
"But..."
The smile on Jaden's face was faint.
There was no sarcasm.
No mockery.
Instead, there was something rare.
Disappointment.
"The outcome might surprise you."
Jaden didn't provoke him further.
He didn't add any taunts.
But that calm, disappointed expression-
It enraged Zeus far more than any insult ever could.
"So confident?"
Zeus roared.
"Then die, monster!"
He pulled his shoulder back.
His arm retracted.
Using his knees as pivot points, he shifted half of his body backward.
A straight line formed between his fully extended arm and his chest.
Then-
Gathering nearly all the power in his body-
Zeus hurled Ares's Spear.
Straight toward the sky.
Not toward Jaden.
Toward the heavens.
The terrifying lightning carried the spear with it, piercing through the entire structure.
From inside the arena-
Straight into the clouds above.
The gods who had fled outside witnessed the scene.
Some of them froze in shock.
Those who had never seen Zeus use this move couldn't understand what he was doing.
Even Heracles was stunned.
As a great hero who had ascended from humanity to become a demigod, he had never seen this technique before.
Standing beside him, Ares spoke.
"Heracles."
His voice carried unmistakable pride.
"Bear witness to this."
"This is Father's ultimate move."
"And because he is using Ares's Spear for this technique, it is also a different kind of glory for me."
Hearing this, Heracles hesitated.
Then he asked the question that had been bothering him.
"Ares... I'm familiar with most of the King of Gods' Divine Artifacts."
"But what exactly is the ability of Ares's Spear?"
In Heracles's impression, the spear was sturdy.
Extremely sharp.
Beyond that, he had never seen it display any special abilities.
Ares smiled.
"Heracles, if you asked about something like Hermes's Boots-something even I saw Father use for the first time-I might not know."
"But Ares's Spear?"
He spread his hands slightly.
"That artifact named after me has no special abilities."
"The only thing that could be considered special..."
He lifted his chin.
"...is its sturdiness."
"Other Divine Artifacts have physical forms. They have durability. They can be damaged."
"They can be destroyed."
"But Ares's Spear is different."
"Like my will in battle, it is a synonym for invincibility."
"It cannot be destroyed."
"It cannot be defeated."
"It is the medal of the undefeated."
"The proof of victory."
As he spoke, Ares looked up at the clouds that were already fully charged with lightning.
His expression was fervent.
"So watch carefully."
"This single strike."
"The sure-kill blow that leads directly to victory."
Crack-
The entire sky flashed.
Not just the clouds.
The whole Gods' Paradise was illuminated in that instant.
When the light dimmed-
A bolt of lightning appeared.
Dark.
Yet blindingly bright.
It existed for only an instant.
But it etched itself permanently into the eyes of everyone who saw it.
Piercing straight through heaven and earth.
There was no explosion.
No flames.
No overly dramatic spectacle.
Only the thunder that followed.
Heavy.
Distant.
Like a war drum echoing through the void.
Heracles stood frozen.
The image of that fleeting lightning bolt was still burned into his vision.
And the super-giant arena where the gods had gathered-
Was gone.
In the sky, a massive void had been carved out of the black clouds.
Sunlight poured down through that opening, forming a concentrated beam that illuminated the area below.
And on the ground-
At the exact point where the light descended-
There was a pit.
Equally massive.
Equally deep.
Pitch-black.
So dark it seemed capable of swallowing even the light falling into it.
Golden radiance drifted down from the sky.
Black, nihilistic dust rose up from the earth.
At the boundary between light and darkness-
Zeus stood.
Steady.
With a flick of his hand, Ares's Spear reappeared in his grasp.
He raised it high toward the light above his head.
A silent declaration of victory.
But-
Before the gods could cheer-
Jaden appeared.
He was suddenly right in front of Zeus.
His fist struck upward.
Straight into Zeus's chin.
At that moment, Jaden's eyes were wide.
His face was completely expressionless.
Neither wild.
Nor disappointed.
It was his usual calm.
As if nothing extraordinary had happened.
His voice was not loud.
Yet every god present heard it clearly the instant he moved.
"I told you."
"The outcome might disappoint you."