Chapter 707 - In the Way

Fighting a greater god on unfamiliar ground was very, very different than trying to kill one on his own turf.  Zeke discovered the truth of that assertion the second the battle against Simeon commenced.  The first attack had very nearly atomized him, and it was only because he’d already been channeling [Hand of Creation] that he hadn’t died, then and there.  Since then, he’d endured hundreds of such attacks.

But he continued to rebuild himself after each one. 

“Why.  Won’t.  You.  Die?!” screamed Simeon, his harpoon moving like lightning.  It cut hundreds of times with every passing second, ripping Zeke into a million different pieces.  His flesh was no barrier to that sharp blade.  Nor were his bones.  And he suspected that shifting into his titanic form would only slow the dismantling by a minute degree. 

So, he’d kept that in his back pocket.

Instead, he bent the entirety of his willpower toward healing himself.  Vast torrents of divine energy flowed through him, weaving in and out of the dislodged hunks of flesh, and pulling them back together. 

If he hadn’t been in so much pain, Zeke might have stopped to appreciate just how powerful the skill really was.  He’d done something similar in the Circle of Greed, though not nearly to the same scope.  Watching as his body was torn down to the smallest molecules was a novel experience.  Seeing them slam back together as his body reformed was even more awe-inspiring.

And Zeke had a front-row seat.

Suddenly, Simeon stumbled.  It was a minute thing.  Barely noticeable, and then only because Zeke was uniquely suited to do so.  When the greater god resumed his furious tirade, he moved just a little slower. 

That gave Zeke some degree of hope.

Because it was obvious evidence that the first temple had fallen.  Simeon would never admit it – not while engaged in a battle to the death – but Zeke could see it in his every slowed movement.  The wild look in his eyes was even more telling. 

And it only got worse a few eternal minutes later when it happened again.  Simeon broke away, skidding across the water then leveled his bloody harpoon at Zeke.  “What have you done?!”

“I told you I was here to kill you, Simeon.  Pretender.  False god.  Weakling.  I can take whatever pain you can inflict, and I will just keep coming,” Zeke growled, stepping forward.  His body transformed, growing much larger until he towered far above the sea god.  “So keep it up with your useless attacks.  You cannot kill me, and we both know it.  I’m eager to see your continued futile attempts, though.”

As Zeke spoke, he projected his voice across the world.  He knew it echoed in every port, across every continent, and even down the deepest depths.  Every single one of Simeon’s worshippers would hear it.  They would listen as their god was mocked, and they would eagerly await the reprisal that would never come. 

Because Zeke had already endured everything Simeon could throw at him.  If he couldn’t affect a victory when his domain was at full strength, then what hope did he have to kill Zeke when two of his temples had already fallen?

Simeon knew it, too.

Zeke could see it in his beady little eyes.  But the greater god was trapped.  He could not flee – not and keep the faith of his followers.  Those people worshipped him because they saw his power as unassailable, especially nestled in the seat of his power.  But if he ran? 

That illusion would shatter.  His source of divine energy would run dry.  And his defeat would come sooner rather than later.  At least if he fought, he might have a chance. 

Or at least that was what logic suggested.  Zeke knew it was impossible, though.  He could feel power flowing through him, as strong as ever before.  The domain had weakened.  His victory was assured.

That was what he kept telling himself as Simeon continued his assault, and even more furiously than before he’d lost the first two temples.  When the third blow to his power sent a shudder through the world, Simeon tried to break way.  But by that point, Zeke was comparatively strong enough to slow him down. 

Simeon took on the shape of a giant, many limbed leviathan and skated through the water.  By comparison, Zeke bulled through the surf, grabbing hold of one of the writing limbs.  A second later, a thousand blows slammed into him, one after another over the course of a single instant.  Each one left his primordial body shattered, and he very nearly lost complete cohesion.

It wouldn’t have been the first time, but if he failed to keep himself together in this instance, Simeon might escape.  And given the situation, he would make a beeline toward one of the other temples.  Perhaps Zeke’s armies would destroy it before the greater god reached his destination, but he wasn’t willing to bet on that.

So, he used every ounce of his willpower to push [Hand of Creation] even harder.  Divine energy flooded out of him in unprecedented amounts, but his worshippers answered the call.  Back in the tower, there were millions of non-combatants praying for his victory.  And while that made him uncomfortable, he was more than willing to accept the faith-driven increase in divine energy.

He managed to hold himself together just long enough to reaffirm his grip on Simeon, frustrating the greater god’s attempt at an escape.  Seeing that, Simeon wheeled on him, wrapping thousand-foot tentacles around Zeke and squeezing with every ounce of his godly energy.

Zeke’s body was crushed.

His rocky flesh pulverized.  His organs ruptured.  Oceans of metallic blood sprayed across the world.  But [Hand of Creation] once again answered the call, mending the tentacle-wrought damage even as it presented itself. 

Then, another temple fell.

Simeon let out a many-mouthed scream, his faceted voice echoing throughout his domain.  Zeke felt it like a physical blow, but he refused to release his grip.  If Simeon meant to reach the fourth temple, he would have to drag Zeke’s considerable body along with him. 

And Zeke wouldn’t allow him to do so without reprisal because, at last, he went on attack.  Not with the full force of his skills – those were for later – but with the entire weight of his considerable strength.  He ripped and clawed, tearing hunks of rubbery flesh from the greater god’s transformed body. 

And if Simeon attempted to focus on running, it only got worse.  The god’s body was durable and one of the most regenerative things Zeke had ever seen, but everybody had limits.  And with every passing second, his worshippers lost faith.  His temples had already fallen.  It was only a matter of time before he lost the battle.

Zeke knew it.

So did Simeon.

And he pulled out all the stops to change the course of the battle.  He unleashed tidal waves upon the world.  Zeke weathered them with the stoicism of an enduring mountain.  Simeon’s harpoons multiplied, then copies hung in the air, ready to descend.  They hit Zeke a moment later with the power of falling missiles.  Huge hunks of his body disintegrated with every strike.

Through it all, Simeon’s tentacles continued to constrict him.  They squeezed with undeniable pressure, and his body crumbled. 

Zeke rebuilt it.

A storm of skills hit Zeke.  Some, he could identify.  Others were lost in the chaos.  But one thing was clear – Simeon’s panic had driven him to throw everything at Zeke. 

And as had been the case since the very beginning – stretching back to when he’d been reborn in those troll caves – Zeke endured.  The barrage should have torn the planet to pieces, but somehow, the greater god held it together. 

But Zeke was stronger than a planet.

More enduring.

His willpower was undeniable. 

And his worshipers simply would not let up.  Vast waves of divine energy washed through him, fueling his stoic refusal to surrender.  He lost himself in the chaos of the storm and the wash of his worshipers’ faith.  There was nothing but the eternal cycle of destruction and reformation, and Zeke lent the entirety of himself to it. 

So, it came as a surprise when the storm momentarily ceased.  That cessation only lasted for a brief moment, but it was enough to bring Zeke back to reality. Another temple had fallen.

Simeon screamed. 

Zeke flinched away.  And the greater god slipped through his fingers.  Zeke dove after him, but he was far too fast. 

Then, the world rippled again.  And again after that.  A third time soon followed. 

That was it.  Seven temples, all destroyed.  Zeke could feel the dimming of the greater god’s domain.  The lessening of his power.  Meanwhile, Zeke’s own might soared to greater heights. 

There was nowhere to aim it, though.  With Simeon gone, Zeke felt impotent in a way he couldn’t articulate.  Sure, he had all the power in the world, but with no one to attack, it counted for nothing.   

Furious, Zeke summoned Voromir and slammed it into the ocean with all his might.  The water parted, and the hammerhead hit the seafloor with unmitigated power.  A second later, the world trembled, sending a rift cutting across the ocean’s floor.  A moment after that, an earthquake violently ripped through the planet.

A moment later, he hit it again. 

Then again after that. 

He continued to slam his hammer into the planet’s crust until it erupted into an enormous crater.  But he kept going even after that. 

“Stop!” came a familiar shout.  “You will destroy us both!”

Zeke looked up to see Simeon back in his humanoid form.  He didn’t know if that was his natural shape or if the tentacled creature was his native form.  Probably the latter.  He didn’t care, though.  He leaped to the top of the crater, his feet digging into the edge as he faced his foe down.

“I’m pretty sure I’ll survive.”

“Without my domain, the void will claim everything!”

Zeke shrugged.  “And?”

“You are mad.”

“Or maybe I’m just built different,” Zeke growled.  He leveled his hammer at the greater god.  “You want this the quick way?  Or you want to die slow?”

“I don’t understand…”

“Well, the quick way is I use a skill to destroy everything here.  The slow – and painful – way is that I rip  you apart bit by bit until you run dry of whatever energy you’re using to keep yourself alive.  Pretty sure most of your worshippers are dead or dying, right?”

“Not by half,” Simeon spat.  “You could slaughter every one on this planet, and I’d still have plenty of…w-what?  What have you done?”

Zeke tried to grin, but in his primordial titan form, his face wouldn’t move.  “Oh?  Did you think you’re the only one with armies in the lower realms?”

Indeed, that was the second part of the plan.  Just because many of the kobolds had ascended, that didn’t mean they’d abandoned the Eternal Realm altogether.  The bulk of their population lived in the lower realm, and down there, their military might was unmatched – both in terms of quality and quantity. 

All it took was a little reconnaissance, and they’d found the nation of Simeon’s worshippers.  The were an aquatic species, so it’d taken a bit of problem-solving to get everyone down there, but they’d managed it all the same. 

And from Simeon’s expression, it seemed that their assault had been very successful. 

“Why?” demanded Simeon.

“You attacked us first.  But this was always bound to happen.”

“I don’t understand.”

“You’re in the way.  This realm is just a pit stop.  I need to get stronger.  You and your…colleagues are my only option there.  So, that’s just the way it’s gotta be.”

“Madness.  The Ethereal Realm will fall into chaos.”

Zeke shrugged.  “So be it.”

Then, without another word, he used [Primordial Wrath].  The world went white with divine energy, and then, the planet exploded.