Ares flew down towards the Commander, who let out a roar of excitement as one would inside the playground of their dreams. They grabbed their javelin and Ares watched as their ring glowed blue before the javelin turned into lightning. Ares dove down and then tried to spin around the lightning bolt as it struck his front, glancing off of his side. His body convulsed in pain and then grew lax as he fell down ahead of the human Commander.

“How disappointing. I had heard much of your exploits, but this was all you could amount to.” The Commander chuckled and then stomped down onto Ares’ neck.

Ares shifted back into a human, panting for air. His head was firmly pushed into the dirt by the boot of his enemy. He continued to pant for air as he heard the lightning crackle above him before the rumble filled the air.

Ares did not feel any pain however, instead he felt the warmth dissipate over his body. He grunted out and then looked up to the surprised face of the Commander. However, he thought little of it, and so he reached up a finger.

“Get your foot off me, you filthy ape.” He snarled out as his mind continued to grow numb.

The Commander stared at him, confused. Yet they grabbed at the short sword at their side and then turned the blade into lightning, their face filled with great effort before they then plunged it down into his back, though the lightning spread out across the back of his cloak.

Ares winced, though not from the pain, for there was none. He could feel a gentle warmth around him, not pain. He looked up at the Commander’s confused face.

“What madness is this?” They wondered aloud and Ares began to laugh.

“Get fucked.” Ares coughed out and then he pointed the finger up at them. “Bang.” He said as he dropped down once more and then closed his eyes, trying to focus on healing himself.

The Commander grunted as countless javelins, arrows and spears shot at them from every direction. They were peppered with holes as the points pierced through him. Ares could feel the blood pool ahead of his head, though he paid little attention to it.

The body above him dropped down in front of him, filled with countless spears that pierced through their armour. Ares then reached over and grabbed onto their hand. He grunted with great effort as he began to pull the ring off of their finger and then stared at it for a moment. It was a ring of silver and blue, and the gems within it seemed to swirl with power. His own ring was similar, though did not give off such an obvious reflection of magic.

“Get fucked.” He whispered again as he tried to stand up, stumbling onto his feet as shouting around him began to echo across in his mind. ‘These bastards need to keep their voices down…’ He panted out. His mind pulsed and he winced as he felt a number of javelins glance off of his body and his armour. He looked around to see the enemy had begun to converge around him and he smiled. He threw his fist into the air, causing the soldiers to pause.

“I am King Ares! Master of Waters! King of All Riveans!” He stumbled back and then panted out. “Kin… of All Riveans!” He corrected himself as he continued to stumble as javelins continued to whistle through the air, striking against his armour, but glancing off. One pierced his cheek, splattering the area around him with blood as the warm iron taste filled with mouth but he looked back towards them with a grin on his face. He began to chuckle and then continued to look around at the human soldiers.

“I am invincible.” He said as he raised a hand on either side of him. The human soldiers that had surrounded him stepped forward with their spears in hand, ready to kill the King that was on his last legs. “Invincible!” Ares shouted as the earth around him shifted upwards to form thick walls, a pyramid to defend him and the enemy Commander. He dropped down onto a seat of earth, unable to keep himself standing upright, but he had not wanted them to see him collapse.

He panted out for air as his entire body burnt with pain and effort. Every second that passed had caused him to grow lighter headed. He looked down towards the enemy Commander and then raised his hand over them. He looted their body, shifting away the armour and the various weapons they had. They had some decent looking armour, so he made a note of handing it over to his smiths. He stripped the Commander completely nude.

He looked up at the ceiling where the walls joined at the tip. Then he slowly formed a tiny hole so light poured in to illuminate the tiny pyramid. The walls were being struck by various weapons and the sounds echoed. He then raised a finger into the air and smiled as a black dot appeared and then grew larger. Then the light was gone and a heavy crunch echoed through the pyramid. The Commander’s body had crashed against the dirt.

“Fucker.” Ares panted out as he then began to shift away his armour to see the wounds that had been caused by the lightning through his phoenix form. They had carried over and were still stinging him. He lifted up his cloak and then glanced around back, but he could see no wounds.

He then looked at his cloak, and rubbing his fingers through the cloak, he wondered for a moment, trying to recall where he had received such a thing. This was not something he had received from Voshk.

He smiled.

“Thanks Levi.” He said before he then slumped over as blackness took him away, the sounds of shouting and screaming accompanying him as his mind left.