I Am Zeus - Chapter 232

Chapter 232: God’s Rival
The throne room was a canyon of bone and shadow, so vast the ceiling was lost in a haze of crimson smoke. The air tasted of blood and old, old pain.

They didn’t march in. They flowed—a tide of gods and giants, titans and spirits, finally reaching the heart of the enemy. The ground trembled under the weight of them. On one side, the polished armor of Olympus stood beside the wild, earthy magic of the Vanir. The silent, focused power of the Shinto kami hovered near the fierce, multi-armed forms of Hindu asuras. It was every story, every prayer, gathered in one damned place.

And facing them, the Lords of Hell stood waiting. They didn’t look worried. They looked… interested.

Moloch was a slab of muscle and scar tissue, his armor fused to his skin by what looked like eternal heat. He cracked his neck, the sound like grinding boulders.

Beside him, Belial looked like a fallen aristocrat, leaning on a thin, cruel sword. He offered a mocking little smile to the entire army.

Baal was a pillar of living smoke and ember, with two red coals for eyes burning deep within. He had no clear shape, and that made him worse.

Asmodeus looked almost bored, examining a dagger made of crystal. His beautiful face was a mask of utter indifference, but his eyes were sharp and hungry.

And in the center, on a throne that seemed to breathe, sat Mephisto. He was stillness itself, his red eyes taking in the divine host without a flicker of fear.

The two sides stared each other down across the bone-strewn floor. The silence was heavier than any war cry.

Then, a golden blur shot to the front of the divine ranks.

Sun Wukong planted his staff on the ground with a sharp crack that echoed through the chamber. He didn’t look at the others. His eyes were locked on one figure.

“You!” Wukong shouted, pointing his staff directly at Mephisto. “We’ve got unfinished business, you pointy-faced cheat!”

A slow smile spread across Mephisto’s lips. He didn’t stand up. “The monkey returns. I was hoping you hadn’t gotten lost on the way. It would have been a pity to end this without you.”

“End this?” Wukong laughed, a sharp, loud sound in the quiet. “Buddy, I’m just getting started!”

The other gods shifted. This was the spark.

Thor hefted Mjolnir, his eyes fixed on the shifting form of Baal. “I’ll take the smoky one,” he grunted to Odin.

Odin’s single eye was locked on Moloch. “The brute is mine. A smith must test his metal.”

Ares was already staring down Belial, who met his gaze and gave a tiny, insulting wave. “I’m going to enjoy peeling that grin off your face,” Ares growled.

Asmodeus finally looked up from his dagger, his gaze sweeping over the divine army. It lingered on the goddesses for a moment before settling on the collective might of the eastern pantheons. “So many guests,” he sighed, as if hosting a tedious party. “And I’m afraid the welcome feast is… well, you are the feast.”

Wukong took another step forward, ignoring everyone else. “You getting up, or do I have to come over there and knock that chair out from under you?”

Mephisto rose. It was a slow, fluid motion. The darkness in the room seemed to gather around him, clinging to his black robes.

“If you insist,” he said, his voice a soft threat. “Let’s finish our dance.”

That was all it took.

The room exploded.

A roar went up from both sides that shook the very foundations of Pandemonium. The two armies crashed together not like waves, but like two continents colliding.

Thor’s hammer met Baal’s smoky form with a thunderclap, scattering embers across the room. Odin’s spear Gungnir flashed, clashing against Moloch’s molten fists in a shower of sparks. Ares and Belial became a whirlwind of steel and fury, their movements too fast to follow.

The Vanir and the kami wove spells of light and nature against the creeping, corrupting magic of Asmodeus, whose beautiful illusions shattered against their pure, stubborn power.

But in the center of it all, a storm of gold and crimson raged.

Wukong and Mephisto fought like nothing else existed. Wukong was a cyclone—unpredictable, relentless, his staff a blur. He’d feint high, strike low, laugh as he dodged a killing blow.

Mephisto was his opposite. Every move was precise, calculated, and cruel. He didn’t block attacks; he dissolved them. He didn’t strike to wound; he struck to unravel.

“You fight like a child with a new toy,” Mephisto said, sidestepping a crushing blow from the staff.

“And you fight like an accountant!” Wukong shot back, ducking under a whip of shadow. “All numbers and no fun!”

He spun, and the Ruyi Jingu Bang extended, smashing into Mephisto’s shoulder. The Lord of Hell staggered back a step, a flicker of genuine surprise in his eyes. A thin line of black blood traced its way down his arm.

“You drew blood,” Mephisto said, almost curiously.

“First of many!” Wukong grinned, leaping back. “I’m just getting warmed up!”

Around them, the war raged. The air was thick with magic, with screams, with the sound of realms breaking. But for Wukong and Mephisto, the world had shrunk to the space between them. Their rematch had begun, and this time, it would only end when one of them was dust.

Another part of Hell

The air on the plain was dead and still, thick with the ash of unmade Watchers. Zeus walked through the settling silence, his boots crunching on glassed ground. The storm around him had quieted to a low hum beneath his skin.

A shadow fell over him, cold and deep.

“Impressive.”

The voice was smooth, familiar. Zeus didn’t need to look up to know who stood before him. He kept walking for two more steps before stopping, finally lifting his gaze.

Lucifer hovered just above the ground, his vast, dark wings casting a long shroud across the scorched earth. He looked… pleased.

“You’ve grown stronger since our last little chat,” Lucifer said, his head tilted. “I have to admit, I’m impressed. Father would be, too. In fact…” A slow, knowing smile spread across his face. “I think He’d be rather grateful if I took you off the board. You’re pulling faith away from Him. Stealing His spotlight. Can’t have that. So He’s decided to overlook my… recent choices. The Watchers, the Beasts… all of it. A little chaos is a small price to pay for getting rid of a rival.”

Zeus let out a short, harsh breath that was almost a laugh. He looked Lucifer dead in the eye, his own gaze sparking with tired fury.

“Tell you what,” Zeus said, his voice a low rumble. “When I’m done with you, I’ll send your cold, dead corpse back to Him. A gift from one ‘rival’ to another.”

The faint, mocking smile vanished from Lucifer’s face. The air between them turned sharp enough to cut.