Thea lowered her holy sword and went straight for Steppenwolf. Thanks to her feat of directly challenging Darkseid, Orion—covered in blood from head to toe—stepped aside to recover.
Sword met axe. The expected earth-shattering, planet-colliding spectacle never materialized.
Both gods were grievously wounded. Thea's divine power was nearly depleted, her spiritual energy completely exhausted. Steppenwolf had been struck by the shockwave of Highfather's attack; half his blood-red armor was shattered, and one horn of his impressive helmet had snapped off.
The two were in roughly equal condition—they had to keep fighting simply for the sake of their respective leaders' honor.
Despite both gods being utterly exhausted, their attacks still far surpassed ordinary deities. After a few exchanges, everything within a kilometer (about 0.6 miles) had been reduced to rubble.
Every New God present was wounded. On the side of justice: Thea, Orion, Scott Free (dragged in as backup), and Big Barda. On the side of evil: Steppenwolf and DeSaad. Not a single one was in fighting shape.
Big Barda, former captain of the Female Furies, was a false god—her injuries were the most severe. DeSaad had pinned her to the ground with a blood-red spear. The recovered Orion was now coordinating with Scott as the two younger gods mounted a fierce assault on the sorcerer.
Regardless of relative strength, Thea legitimately held four divine positions now, giving her recovery speed that surpassed all other gods. However, her physical power attribute still couldn't match Steppenwolf's. A magic-based deity dueling a warrior deity in close combat wasn't exactly wise.
She fired two Meteor spells to drive Steppenwolf back, then drew her signature long bow. Well, her Wealth long bow.
Whoosh, whoosh! The sound of arrows splitting the air never ceased. Golden arrows rained down on Steppenwolf like a storm.
As the commander who had led Darkseid's armies to conquer countless worlds, Steppenwolf's combat experience was extraordinarily rich.
Thea wanted to create distance and stall for time, counting on her superior recovery to gain the advantage.
How could Steppenwolf let her succeed? Battle-axe in his right hand, greatsword in his left, he stirred up a fierce gale and charged forward.
Thea began rapid-fire shooting. Arrows poured down on Steppenwolf's head like raindrops.
Hack, slash, chop, shear! Steppenwolf dodged and weaved, his two weapons spinning like windmills as the distance between them shrank rapidly. When he deflected another arrow, something felt off. Huh? Where's my sword?
He stared dumbfounded as the greatsword appeared in Thea's hand while he held... a pair of boots.
Those boots belonged to Hades. Neither Thea nor Diana had any interest in footwear worn for who-knows-how-many millennia. No matter how powerful the artifact, they wanted no part of it...
This was the perfect opportunity to use her Trade domain's forced exchange feature. Swapping a copper coin for a divine weapon was certainly possible—it just consumed an excessive amount of Trade power. These boots were just right...
Thea examined the greatsword in her hand. So this is the blade that killed this timeline's Diana. Perhaps the same sword that slew Highfather's queen?
Steppenwolf certainly lived up to his title as God of Hatred—his ability to draw aggro was first-rate. His natural punchable face made everyone who saw him want to beat him up!
Thea simply stored the greatsword away. It didn't suit her, but she could study it later. Whether to give it to Diana or send it to Highfather—either option worked.
Taking advantage of Steppenwolf's momentary daze, another rain of arrows came streaking toward him.
This time Steppenwolf didn't dare block directly. He almost threw away the boots in his hand, but upon closer inspection, realized they were a divine artifact. After a brief hesitation, he pocketed them.
No blocking? Then I'll dodge instead. His evasion skills were equally impressive, but having his charge interrupted and now wary of her strange abilities, he could no longer get within a hundred meters (about 330 feet) of Thea.
With the two locked in stalemate, Thea finally had a moment to survey the entire battlefield.
The fighting had begun so abruptly. No one had anticipated Darkseid's ambush on Scott—followed by a cascade of events that prematurely ignited the war.
At the start of the conflict, neither side was prepared. Yet the Apokoliptian drones, despite their lack of readiness, relied on their overwhelming numbers—counted in the billions—to catch the Mage Legion off guard.
A hundred for one, or even a thousand for one—under such terrifying numerical disparity, her legion had suffered heavy casualties in the opening phase.
Later, the Mage Legion stabilized their lines using their seemingly inexhaustible supply of magical gems, and numerous high-ranking mages joined the fray.
Human commanders weren't complete idiots either. Recognizing the critical moment, they abandoned their squabbling and threw themselves into the front lines.
Several superheroes Thea had previously dismissed as weaklings were fighting tooth and nail. Combined, these factors barely held back the Apokoliptian advance.
When news of Darkseid's defeat spread, the tide of morale shifted. Victory began tilting toward the side of justice.
Her legion had lost seventy to eighty thousand soldiers. The sight pained Thea. Many of the fallen were people she had personally trained. She had brought them here to fight; she should bring them home.
Continuous arrow fire drove Steppenwolf back. She ordered Orion to take over fighting his great-uncle, buying her some time.
Thea began chanting a spell aloud. Resurrection of the fallen with full health was impossible—even Highfather couldn't manage that.
Using a legendary Celestial Summoning spell, she modified and adapted it, infused her Soul domain power, then expanded its range to cover the entire battlefield before releasing it.
Less than ten seconds passed. Steppenwolf hacked Orion twice more with his axe. He feared Thea's spells and tried several times to rush over and interrupt her, but Orion proved impossibly tough, stubbornly blocking his path.
By the time the spell had been cast, Steppenwolf recalled the acid cloud that had blanketed the entire city before. He considered fleeing, but upon closer examination, this spell seemed harmless.
Magic like a gentle spring breeze swept through everyone's heart. Those on the side of justice felt warmth—Increased strength? Apparently not. Restored stamina? Not that either...
The Apokoliptian drones were half-mechanical constructs and felt nothing at all.
Only the Mage Legion members sensed something different. They refused to believe their awe-inspiring Legion Commander would do something pointless.
Soon, the answer was revealed.
"Luka? Is that you? My brother!"
"Elisa! My love—you've returned?!"
Legion soldiers saw familiar figures reappearing beside them, shocked beyond words.
"I am the God of Souls! I have a duty to bring the souls of our fallen back to New Genesis! Our fallen brothers and sisters—unleash your power upon evil once more!" Thea raised her voice in a rallying cry.
The entire legion erupted in fervor. New Gods were essentially immortal beings. They could sacrifice their lives to defeat evil, thinking it a one-way trip. Now it seemed they had gained an extra half-life!
What more was there to say? The living fought with renewed vigor. The fallen, freed from physical constraints, became immune to all physical attacks while their spiritual power surged. Endless spells rained down on the enemy.
"AAAH! KILL!!" Orion, that fanatic, was ecstatic. His fists pounded in a relentless barrage, actually forcing his great-uncle Steppenwolf—who clearly outclassed him—into retreat.