As Plutus was on his way to the sanctuary, the long-awaited battle between Johnny and Ogun the Barbarian was about to begin. Galvanized by the challenge his avatar had issued, Plutus decided to teleport directly to the scene. Although this required much more energy, he didn't want to miss any of the confrontation.
As for Mammon and Faro, they had a discussion that Faro found rather amusing, but which exasperated Mammon.
"My dear friend, don't be so angry, it's normal to be afraid of someone stronger than you," she said with a mocking laugh.
"Tss! You find that amusing?" Mammon replied calmly. "It's funny, is that it? I'm not afraid of that useless old fool!" he cried, his anger rising.
"Then, can you explain to me why you were trembling when he told you that this war might end well before it even started? Hmm? You didn't even say another word! Pathetic!" Faro retorted.
"Enough chatter! We're leaving for... Rendezvous at eight o'clock. I already have the tickets. Good evening, my dearest," Mammon replied, his brow furrowed and his eyes closed. He disappeared, leaving two tickets behind him.
"Idiot!" Faro murmured.
"I will win this war, no matter the cost! You'll see, with or without you, you fallen serpent!" Mammon thought.
Arriving at the motel, Mammon found Roxane asleep. He looked at the palm of his hand: a screen appeared there, revealing the next reincarnated goddess. She was a beautiful and attractive woman, a company CEO, out doing some shopping. Mammon had the power to observe the world through the tickets he used, a habit he'd picked up since his imprisonment. But this time, the goddess realized the intrusion. She crumpled the ticket in her palm, and the image disappeared.
Furious, Mammon then heard Roxane's voice.
"They should call you the god of Wrath, you're always mad! Yes, but when you pretend, I manage to feel your emotions, my old man!"
"Well then! If you feel my emotions, I think you're the best person not to provoke me! I've had enough for today, so stop your teasing, you fool!" Mammon retorted. "Go get ready, we're leaving at eight o'clock, and we have a guest!" Mammon said after calming down.
"Great! You managed to get him too! So, why did I have a feeling of black anger?" Roxane asked.
"It's a long story," Mammon replied, heading towards the balcony, very calm.
"Oh, right! Plutus stopped by, maybe I should inform him," Roxane thought.
"No need, you just told me!" Mammon replied. "I imagine he wanted to convince you to abandon this war? Humph, that dog gets on my nerves!" he added.
"Do you think those are just empty words?" said Johnny.
"Stop talking and come get demolished," Ogun replied.
Johnny then materialized a sword, a bow, and two clones: one with the bow, the other accompanied by a gigantic dog. The two clones attacked Ogun. The one with the bow fired an arrow aimed at his head and cried: "No more arrow!" As Ogun took flight, the dog leaped at him in the air. Ogun smiled.
"Not bad, as an ambush, but it's useless!" he whispered. "Who do you take me for, little one? The Turtle Shell!" A scarlet light drew a turtle shell that served as his shield. The dog collided with it.
"Is that all?" Ogun exclaimed. "Don't you have anything better?"
"You think so?" Ogun heard behind him. Johnny, the original, created a rope that tied Ogun up. Just as he was about to strike him, Ogun transformed into a multitude of small swords that exploded on Johnny, brutally propelling him to the ground. "Brooaaahhh!" The scattered weapons rejoined and reformed the silhouette of the god of war.
"Not bad, little one! No bad! But don't take me for a kid! I know that's a clone, and the original is the one with the bow," Ogun added.
"What makes you say that, old man?" Johnny asked.
"Simple! You're the one with the most spiritual energy, so... What, little one? Are you going to shoot me with an arrow? Summon more clones?"
Ogun underestimated the last clone, filled with injuries, thinking it was about to dissipate. Johnny and his clones attacked him from all sides at once. The one with the bow fired an arrow. The other struck the sanctuary ground; the suspended stones were launched at Ogun. And the last one rushed headlong at the god.
"It's no use if you all attack without a plan!" Ogun shouted.
Ogun caught the arrow and crushed it. When the stones arrived near him, he shattered them with his war cloak. When he broke the last stone, Johnny appeared crouching under the cloak. Ogun was surprised: "How?"
Johnny launched an uppercut with all his strength, but the god had more than one trick up his sleeve. Ogun let his spiritual energy burst forth. Johnny took the full impact and was once again propelled into the air. But he didn't give up. Johnny materialized a dozen swords and launched them while falling, without even looking at them. He quickly turned around and threw a thick red smoke to hide in.
As Ogun dodged the swords, he found there was something odd about it all, but what? He continued to dodge the blades until the last one. Once it was dodged, Johnny held out his hand, and the sword returned to him, behind Ogun's back, like a boomerang. The sword plunged into the god's back. All the gods observing were surprised.
"Are you kidding me?" An energy as thin as paper placed itself between him and the blade, acting as a shield. "Get out of your annoying smoke, it's useless! War Storm!" Ogun cried out, striking the ground with his hammer. A storm immediately lifted him, chasing the smoke away.
Johnny was there, on his knees, covered in wounds. His outfit was torn.
"Already! Ahahahahaha!" the god laughed heartily.
"What's so funny, old fool?" said Johnny.
"You dare?" The god let his black anger take over and launched an attack: "The Rhino Charge!" Energy took shape around him as he ran towards Johnny. A rhinoceros whose horn was Ogun's war hammer. "I'm going to teach you respect, little one!"
Johnny launched an attack to defend himself: "The Divine Wall!" Johnny cried, both hands extended.
Ogun struck the Wall which he thought he would easily break. His surprise was great when only the rhino's horn barely managed to crack the wall. When he looked at Johnny, he realized that blood was flowing from his nostrils. He had put all his spiritual energy into this defense.
"You give everything for a pathetic attack! I'm curious to see what you'll do next!" "Destruction!" cried the god of war.
The wall exploded. The rhino's horn pierced Johnny's shoulder, blood splattering. Ogun was surprised to see Johnny smile. Johnny lifted his head and firmly grasped the hammer's handle. Ogun tried to free himself, in vain. "What?" said Ogun, who took this as a test of strength. It was at this moment that he received a blow.
"I warned you: you let your guard down!" said Johnny, on the verge of fainting.
"So what? You don't even have the strength to stand up! What can you do?"
Johnny began to disperse in front of the god, who was surprised and confused by this feat. Ogun sensed a presence above. He called upon the Turtle Shell above him. When he realized it was just a knife, he wanted to turn around.
"Pow!"
Johnny punched him in the cheek. On his fist, he had a glove filled with thorns that he had materialized with the last energy he had left. Ogun tried to disappear, but it was too late: one of the thorns scratched the cheek of the god of war.
When he reappeared behind Johnny, who was exhausted, the latter fell to his knees. Ogun looked at him with contempt. Then, he felt sweat on his cheek. When he wiped it, he understood that it wasn't sweat, but blood. The god became black with rage.
Just as he was about to deliver a violent blow, the Sun intervened between them. A sunbeam so concentrated that the ground was consumed.
"That's enough!" all the gods said simultaneously.
"You lost the moment you were injured by that young man's blow! Get a grip, God of War!" said Khonsu, who appeared after the sunbeam that separated them.
When Johnny heard Plutus's voice, he smiled, remaining on his knees. Khonsu used his healing power to completely heal him.
Once again, things had nearly gone wrong, and a man had been able to injure a god, just as Johnny had predicted.
What will Ogun do after this humiliation?
See you in the next chapter...