Gabriel eyed the Grand Master with distrust as he spoke.
"Please, you must investigate Draznkal'. My men keep vanishing, and the ones who return have gone insane, muttering nonsense about 'He has risen, and he won't fail this time.'"
Gabriel crossed his arms. "Your people are always sticking their noses where they don't belong. Maybe if you stayed away from there, you wouldn't have this problem."
"If we're being honest, we were there long before you even came to these lands," the Grand Master replied.
Gabriel shot him a look of disgust, his patience with mortals wearing thin.
"Do you want my help or not? Your constant remarks are tiresome. You ask us gods for aid, then belittle us acting as if your human words hold weight. I could eradicate every last one of you if I wanted to. Did you hear what I did to Riverdale when I arrived?"
The Grand Master's face paled. "I'm sorry, my lord. I didn't mean to lash out. Please forgive me."
"You dare speak to our master like that?" a voice snarled.
Fifty assassins surrounded the temple, their blades gleaming with intent. Gabriel smiled, sensing an opportunity for amusement. With a single sweep of his hand, the entire roof of the temple shattered. The Grand Master fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.
"They meant no disrespect, my lord!" he cried.
As Gabriel seized him, poised to strike, thunder clashed and a blinding light appeared out of nowhere.
"I know you're not about to kill my subordinate, are you?" a voice called out.
Madras descended, lightning crackling around him, striking the air with fury. Gabriel's smile faded as the God of Lightning gripped his hand, inches from the Grand Master's throat.
"What are you doing, Madras?" Gabriel demanded, snatching his hand back.
"I won't allow this," Madras replied firmly.
"You realize you're on my land now, right? If I choose to kill you, it's fully allowed," Gabriel sneered.
Madras glanced up at the sky, then raised his hand. A strange light beamed down shifting from white to black and red enveloping him.
"I've been waiting to use this," he said.
The light dispersed, and Madras vanished. Gabriel, confused, scanned the area. Even his precognition couldn't detect him.
Suddenly, Madras' voice echoed through the air:
"UNHOLY LIGHTNING!"
A flurry of attacks surged toward Gabriel. Madras had perfected his black lightning technique to a degree even Gabriel couldn't counter.
The strike hit with devastating force, leaving a deep gash in Gabriel's side. His god-level regeneration failed, his cells were destroyed on a molecular level.
Unable to move, Gabriel stood rooted to the spot.
Madras walked over, spat in his face, and said, "No one can control the Three Kings."
He flew off, leaving behind a massive crater where the S.O.A. temple once stood.
Gabriel finally rose, his wounds still not healing. He growled, "You'll pay for this, boy."
Meanwhile, Madras flew back toward Eratiell.
But as he neared Draznkal', he sensed it—an unusual darkness, more sinister than ever before.
Landing atop the abandoned castle, he was suddenly surrounded by four shadowy figures. Lightning swirled around him as he declared:
"If you've come to kill me, you'll find it harder than you think."
A mysterious figure stepped forward, voice cold and confident.
"Oh, don't worry, old friend. It won't even be a fight."
Madras focused on the speaker, eyes narrowing in recognition.
"Don't get too cocky, Dagon. I've killed you before," Madras said as the others came into the light.
"Well this is a treat. Of all the gods I get to slaughter, you're the first one." Razon said, his hands lit with a pale greyish magic as he smiled at Madras.
"The great Titan of Lightning, Madras. How does it feel to know that after everything you've done, all your work will crumble to the ground as quickly as it rose?" Davon said as he walked forward, his aura lashing out at the lightning coming from Madras.
Madras steadied himself. This will not be an easy fight, he thought as the fourth figure came into the light.
"The crimes of your son are on your head. Now you will pay for his mistakes," Eldon said as he walked forward toward Madras. Dagon then stopped him.
"He's my kill, void god. Strike him and I'll see that our lord punishes you accordingly," Dagon said as he drew his blade.
"I also have unfinished business with Madras. With my newfound power I'll cast him down as he once casted me down," Razon said menacingly as he stepped forward as well.
"Razon, Eldon, you're not needed here. Dagon called him first. Back away or I'll back you away," Davon commanded as he smiled at Madras and turned. "Be sure to make it slow. He doesn't deserve a quick death."
As the three of them vanished in a shadow, Dagon smiled and materialized a second blade.
"Think about it, Madras. The Three Kings have been a stain on existence for as long as I can remember. First you killed Razon, then you all killed every other divine being in the land. You of all people should understand vengeance."
"That was thousands of years ago, Dagon. We were young and just freed. We took our anger out on everyone near us. We've paid the price five times over," Madras said as the Spear of Lightning materialized in his hand.
A bang sounded out as lightning struck the castle, as if flag waving to start the battle. They both leapt at each other, both ready to end this once and for all.
Dagon's twin blades collided with Madras' spear, sparks exploding in all directions.
The sheer force of their clash cracked the stone beneath their feet. Dagon twisted mid-air, one blade catching the edge of Madras' gauntlet and slicing it open. Blood trickled down, sizzling against the charged lightning in Madras' veins.
"You're slowing down, old man," Dagon said, his blades swinging with fury.
Madras grunted, deflecting another strike and shoving Dagon back with a blast of thunder. "You talk too much."
He surged forward, spear spinning in his grasp. The sky above roared, and bolts of lightning rained down as if the storm itself fought beside him. Dagon weaved between the blasts, one blade deflecting while the other sought flesh.
"You think lightning scares me?" Dagon laughed, vanishing in a blur and reappearing behind Madras. "I've danced in the dark longer than you've been worshipped!"
He drove a blade toward Madras' spine, but the Titan twisted just in time, catching it with the shaft of his spear. With a roar, Madras unleashed a shockwave that sent Dagon flying into a ruined pillar, shattering it.
"You were a better fighter before you got cocky," Madras said, stepping through the rubble.
Dagon staggered to his feet, shadows crawling up his arms to heal his wounds. "And you were a better god before you grew a conscience."
They clashed again, faster this time blurs of steel, lightning, and shadow. Every strike echoed like thunder through the ruined castle. For a moment, it seemed evenly matched.
But then, Dagon feinted left and drove a blade straight through Madras' shoulder, pinning him to a wall.
"Looks like the gods bleed like the rest of us," he whispered.
Madras growled and gripped the blade, lightning surging through it and into Dagon's arm. The shadow warrior screamed and reeled back, the blade ripping free in a burst of sparks.
Madras lunged, burying his spear into Dagon's side.
"You're not the first to try and end me," Madras said, twisting the spear, "but you will be the last to underestimate me."