Poseidon's trident slammed into the temple floor, and the ocean answered.
Water erupted from nowhere—thousands of gallons materializing from divine will, flooding the battlefield. The torrent surged toward Maxime's defensive positions with tsunami force.
But Maxime's domain pulsed, and reality bent.
The water stopped. Suspended mid-air, defying gravity, held by nothing but Maxime's will imposed on the territory he'd claimed.
"Impressive," Poseidon admitted. "But domains require constant energy. How long can you maintain this?"
Through Truth Sight, Maxime saw the strategy. Poseidon would force him to burn mana defending, then Hades would strike when he was depleted.
Nyx—shadows on Poseidon. Freyja—engage Hades. Everyone else—handle the fifteen.
The Soul Bond network lit up with acknowledgments.
Nyx emerged from beneath Poseidon, tendrils of absolute darkness wrapping around his legs. He stumbled, trident swinging wildly.
Freyja hit Hades like a meteor, her rainbow blade meeting his staff of death in an explosion of opposing energies.
The fifteen subordinate gods crashed into Maxime's other defenders.
Chaos erupted.
Chang'e's spectral warriors swarmed three gods, her pipa's melody turning lethal. Xochiquetzal and Pele fought back-to-back, Aztec war magic and volcanic fury melting divine armor. Ares—no longer pretending—tore through two gods with brutal efficiency, three thousand years of combat experience on full display.
Maxime focused on Poseidon.
The ocean god had broken free of Nyx's shadows, water forming into massive serpents that struck from all angles.
Maxime activated Reality Sculpting, turning water into stone mid-flight.
[MANA: 1270/1500]
Poseidon's eyes narrowed. "You're wasting energy. Stone won't stop me."
He shattered the stone serpents with his trident, reforming them instantly into sharper, faster versions.
But Maxime had seen this in Temporal Sight. He wasn't trying to stop the attacks—he was buying time.
Three seconds, he counted through Prescience.
Poseidon charged, trident aimed for Maxime's heart.
Two seconds.
Maxime dodged left, the trident grazing his ribs. Pain flared but he ignored it.
One second.
Nyx struck from behind, shadows condensed into razor-sharp spears that punched through Poseidon's back. Not fatal—gods didn't die easily—but devastating.
Poseidon roared, spinning to face Nyx.
Mistake.
Maxime activated Chaînes du Désir, manifesting pink energy chains that wrapped around Poseidon's arms, his legs, his throat. The chains didn't just bind—they manipulated emotion, feeding his rage into exhaustion, his fury into despair.
[MANA: 1230/1500]
"What... what is this..." Poseidon's voice weakened.
"Emotional manipulation. You're powerful, but you're also proud. Arrogant. I'm turning those feelings against you."
Through Empathic Reading, Maxime felt Poseidon's emotions fracturing. The ocean god was crumbling internally, his confidence shattered by the surprise assault.
Nyx's shadows tightened, pulling Poseidon into a dimensional pocket.
Another god captured.
Maxime turned to assess the broader battle.
Hades and Freyja were locked in a stalemate, death magic versus Valkyrie fury. Neither could gain advantage.
The fifteen subordinates were down to nine—three killed, three captured by Pele's sisters who'd formed volcanic cages.
But Maxime's forces were tiring. Chang'e was bleeding from a shoulder wound. Xochiquetzal had taken a spear through her leg. Even Ares showed signs of strain.
Through Temporal Sight, Maxime saw the critical moment approaching.
In thirty seconds, Hades would break his stalemate with Freyja. Would kill her unless Maxime intervened.
But intervening meant leaving the domain control, which would collapse his territorial advantage.
Choice: Save Freyja or maintain strategic position.
Through their Soul Bond, he felt Freyja's awareness of her impending death. And her acceptance.
Don't, she sent. Hold the domain. I'll handle it.
You'll die.
Maybe. But if the domain falls, we all die.
She was right. Truth Sight confirmed it—if Maxime abandoned domain control, the remaining Council forces would overwhelm them within minutes.
But watching Freyja die...
Trust me, she sent through the bond. I've been fighting gods for millennia. I know a few tricks.
Maxime held position, maintaining domain control while tracking Freyja through Bond Sense.
Twenty-eight seconds.
Hades raised his staff, channeling death itself into a concentrated blast.
Twenty seconds.
Freyja couldn't dodge. The blast was too wide, too fast.
Fifteen seconds.
She didn't try to dodge.
Ten seconds.
Instead, she activated something Maxime hadn't known she possessed—a Valkyrie technique that temporarily converted life force into raw power.
Five seconds.
Freyja's body blazed with golden light, her rainbow blade extending to twice its length.
Impact.
Death magic met life-burn technique.
The explosion threw both combatants backward. Hades crashed into rubble, his staff clattering away. Freyja hit the ground hard, the golden light fading.
Through their bond, Maxime felt her vitals—critically low but alive.
Hades struggled to rise, but Ares was there, sword at the death god's throat.
"Yield," Ares growled.
Hades, pragmatic as always, assessed the situation. Nine of his fifteen subordinates were down. Poseidon was captured. He was disarmed and wounded.
"I yield."
The remaining Council forces—seeing both commanders neutralized—surrendered immediately.
Second wave: defeated.
Total Council casualties across both waves: Two dead, seventeen captured, numerous injured.
Maxime's forces: One critical injury (Freyja), multiple moderate wounds, zero deaths.
They'd won again.
But the cost was mounting.
As his allies tended to Freyja's injuries, Maxime felt something shift in the cosmic currents.
Zeus had felt both defeats.
And he was coming personally.
Through Temporal Sight, Maxime saw the third wave's arrival—not tomorrow, not in hours.
In minutes.
Zeus, Odin, and the Jade Emperor. Plus thirteen elite guards, all Level 38+.
The commanders themselves. Coming now while Maxime's forces were exhausted and wounded.
Everyone, he sent through the Soul Bonds. Third wave incoming. Sixty seconds.
Through the bonds, he felt their reactions:
Nyx: Determination despite exhaustion
Chang'e: Calm acceptance of death
Freyja: Fury at being too injured to fight effectively
Xochiquetzal: Battle-mad joy even in face of doom
Ares: Protective rage, ready to die defending his oath-holder
Pele and sisters: Volcanic defiance
No fear. No surrender.
Just absolute commitment to fight until the end.
We're going to die, Maxime admitted through the network.
Probably, Nyx agreed. But we'll make them bleed first.
Fifty seconds.
Maxime activated every ability simultaneously—Domain Manifestation amplified, Reality Sculpting preparing traps, Temporal Sight tracking futures, Truth Sight eliminating deception, Empathic Reading feeling enemy approach.
[MANA: 730/1500]
Forty seconds.
His allies formed defensive positions, wounded supporting each other, ready for the final stand.
Thirty seconds.
Divine pressure built on the horizon. Three massive presences approaching—Zeus's lightning, Odin's wisdom, the Jade Emperor's celestial authority.
Twenty seconds.
Maxime reached out through Bond Sense to his distant observers.
Aphrodite in Cyprus—sending love and grief.
Hel in Helheim—respecting his defiance.
Kali in India—watching to judge his final moments.
Bastet in Egypt—amused by the chaos to the end.
Ten seconds.
If we die, Maxime sent to Nyx specifically, I'm glad it's with you.
Sentimental idiot, she replied. We're not dead yet.
Five seconds.
The sky split open.
Zeus descended in a column of lightning. Odin materialized from nowhere, Gungnir in hand. The Jade Emperor appeared in golden light, radiating absolute authority.
Behind them, thirteen gods, all elite warriors.
Level 48. Level 47. Level 46. Plus thirteen at 38+.
Against Maxime's exhausted, wounded eleven.
Zero percent survival probability.
Zeus's voice boomed across the temple:
"EROS! YOUR REBELLION ENDS NOW!"
Maxime stepped forward, Domain pulsing around him.
"Then come and end it, tyrant. Let's see if you're as powerful as you think."
Zeus raised his hand, lightning gathering.
And someone new appeared.
A figure stepping through dimensions—tall, shifting between forms, wearing chaos like a cloak.
[LOKI — LEVEL 39]
The trickster god grinned at Zeus.
"Did someone say rebellion? I LOVE rebellions."