Chapter 12

The Fight started with Nemesis spouting a buncha flames from her mouth at Jackie. A trio of white-hot balls of fire slew toward Jackie forcing him to dodge away with the Wave Step and Quicksilver Stepping Method boosting his speed. Unfortunately, the fire seemed to be some kinda homing fire, as the fireballs started to follow Jackie around the room. He just barely was able to stay ahead of the flames, ducking, weaving, running, diving, and leaping around the room to keep ahead of the flames.

"The Fires of Vengeance will follow you to Hades! They can sense your guilt!" Cackled Nemesis.

"Fuck you, crazy bitch! I'm trying to be better! Don't that count for something?" Spat Jackie.

"No Mortal is free of Sin! Even repentance is not enough!" Retorted Nemesis.

Jackie growled as he raced toward one of the stone weights on the floor and then flew up into the air at the last second via the Resplendent Crane Takes Flight. The first fireball smashed into the weight and set it on fire, melting the stone weight like some kinda volcanic shit. The other two, though chased him into the air. Jackie was forced to fly around one of the gymnastic posts, the second fireball hitting the post and causing it to blow the fuck up, showing flaming splinters and shit onto the floor.

"I think I found the fucking hole in your plan! Ain't that a bitch?" Taunted Jackie as he banked to the left.

"The Flames of Judgement have no remorse! You will run out of cover eventually!" Snarled Nemesis.

Jackie banked around another Gymnastics post and caused the last of the fireballs to explode it like some sorta artillery shell. Jackie grinned, now was his shot, and he ain't gonna waste it. He raced for Nemesis before she could shoot another group of fireballs outta her mouth. He slashed out with his butterfly sword in a cross-cut forcing Nemesis to parry with her Xiphos. As he did that, though, he intoned a mystic syllable and poured a buncha extra mystic power into the spell matrix to bypass the somatic components of the spell. As he did that, a trio of True Jade Arrows materialized from off to his right and flung themselves at Nemesis. Nemesis was forced to dodge backward to avoid the arrows that'd been conjured with Wuxing Elementalism. One of 'em grazed her left arm, cutting a line across Nemesis' bicep that bled.

Sensing blood in the water like some kinda shark, Jackie poured on the pressure, molding Chi in his lungs and twisting it into lightning Chi as he roared out in the Qirin's Thundering Roar. The electric and sonic attack burst one of Nemesis' Eardrums and shocked her enough to temporarily stun her. With a shout, Jackie lunged, butterfly swords cutting out for Nemesis' throat only for her to throw off the paralysis just in the nick of time to flap her fucking wings and fly up. Instead of cutting her head offa her body, the blades instead wound up cutting into the Celestial Bronze Breastplate and striking sparks from the clash of mystical metals. Nemesis lashed out with a sandalled foot as she flew up and caught Jackie right in the mouth, smashing his happy ass back to land in a heap on the floor.

Nemesis shouted in triumph as she belched a torrent of white-hot flames at Jackie's prone form, only for Jackie to disappear in a cloud of sand with the Great Sand River Bears Away the Serpent Technique. He reappeared a few feet away, standing upright as the white-hot flames melted the floor tiles to a gooey mess, like some sorta magma. With an incantation and a mystic gesture, Jackie flung another group of true jade arrows at Nemesis, one of which caught her in the meat of the thigh. Nemesis cried out in pain, but Jackie grinned. Served her right for trying to roast him like some kinda barbecue pork dish. Still, that was a close one. If it hadn't been for the Great Sand River Bears Away the Serpent Technique, he'd be making like a pig at a luau right now.

"I gotta thank Brother Sandy for teaching me that one." He muttered.

"Damnable Mortal! Why won't you die? Don't you see that oblivion is the only cure for the Ills of the Mortal World? Roll over and die already!" Screamed Nemesis.

"How bout you go fuck yourself? Save us all the trouble of putting you down like some kinda rabid dog?" Returned Jackie.

"Insolent Mortal! I'll kill you!" Screeched Nemesis as she pulled the true jade arrow shaft outta her thigh, divine blood gushing outta the wound.

"Not if I kill you first, crazy bitch!" Growled Jackie.

Nemesis let out a wordless screech of rage and flapped her wings to build up steam before charging outta the air toward Jackie like some sorta dive bomber. She thrust her Xiphos for Jackie's heart, and Jackie turned sideways in time for the Xiphos' edge to scrape against his armored chestpiece with the screech of metal on metal. With a shout of triumph, Jackie trapped Nemesis' sword arm under his left armpit with his left arm and smashed the knuckle guard of his right-hand butterfly sword into Nemesis' nose. The Goddes of Vengeance's nose cracked, breaking as it was smashed sideways. Jackie punched out again, smashing the knuckle guard into her right eye, busting Nemesis open, and bruising her orbital bone. He lashed out a third time, catching her in the mouth, splitting her lip, and cracking a pair of her teeth.

Before he could strike out again, though, Nemesis kneed Jackie right in the balls. His armor dulled most of the force, but any guy'll tell you even a light knee to the nutsack hurts like a bitch. He stumbled away, letting go of Nemesis' sword arm, causing Nemesis to be able to strike out with her Xiphos. Jackie shoved aside the pain of his smashed nuts in time to throw himself on his ass to avoid a cut that woulda ended him. The cut still opened up a gash on his left arm just under where the pauldron, carving into the meat of his left bicep. He dropped his left-hand Butterfly sword as that happened and Nemesis spat out another plume of white-hot flame at him.

Once again, Jackie hadta use the Great Sand River Bears Away the Serpent Technique to avoid being roasted alive, disappearing in a plume of sand to reappear next to Nemesis, cutting out with his remaining Butterfly Sword for her neck. She janked to the side sharply getting cut on her shoulder, but only lightly. Jackie though, pressed the attack, forming blades of pure Chi over his hands using the Razored Talons of the Resplendent Crane and lashing out in a tiger claw strike aimed at clawing Nemesis' face offa her skull. Unfortunately, she bent damn near in half to avoid that, and Jackie's claws missed.

As Nemesis did that, she thrust up with her Xiphos, forcing Jackie to pivot to the side. Out came a second Tiger Claw strike, aiming for Nemesis' sword arm and the claws of Chi dug deep into Nemesis' wrist, forcing her to drop her Xiphos as bloody gashes tore into her sword arm like she'd been mauled by some sorta wildcat. Nemesis screeched in pain and blasted Jackie back with a massive backhand punch that bruised Jackie's skull and rattled his brain.

"My arm! My sword arm! How dare you?" Ranted Nemesis.

Jackie was too busy trying to get to his feet to respond. He was just happy this bitch was crazy since she probably coulda ended him with one of her fire attacks while he managed to get himself back in the game. Instead, she was ranting about how divine punishment couldn't use a sword or some shit like that. As she did that, Jackie took stock of his injuries. His left arm was basically useless thanks to his Tiger Claw strikes aggravating the cut on his bicep. That ain't the smartest of plays, but he'd deal with the fallout now. Aside from that, his right nut seemed to be hurt bad, while he probably had a concussion and a bruised skull from that last backhand. He also had a split lip from that first kick to the mouth, but that ain't important.

Nemesis ain't faring any better, though. She was limping thanks to the true jade arrow to her left thigh and she couldn't hold her Xiphos cause his Chi talons'd carved her wrist open down to the bone. At the same time, her left eye was swollen shut with a bruised orbital bone, and she was missing a couple teeth and had a broken nose from his knuckle guard punches. All told, he'd gave as good as he'd got against a Goddess. Thing is, he had a way to heal, she didn't. As Nemesis ranted, Jackie popped a healing pill into his mouth and felt the worst of his injuries, his skull, left arm, and busted nut, heal. He still had injuries there, but they ain't gonna degrade his capabilities.

Fortunately, he did that right in the nick of time, as Nemesis snarled, turning toward him and took a deep breath. Then she spat out a giant fireball of white-hot, divine flame, that Jackie was forced to dodge away from on account of how it'd utterly burn him to a crisp if it hit. Unfortunately, it followed him, being another fucking homing attack. Jackie tried dodging around another of the Gymnastics posts, but the fireball just went through it like a hot knife through butter. One of the stone weights went the same way, melting like some kinda soft cheese as the fireball went through it and kept on following Jackie.

"You won't escape this time!" Spat Nemesis, firing off another, smaller, fireball.

This one Jackie was able to block, Conjuring a silver, mystic, shield with Abjuration that the smaller fireball washed over like it was some sorta windshield on a car or something. That still left the big-ass fireball on Jackie's six, though. Jackie tried to use the marble bench in the center of the room to soak up the giant fireball, but that still couldn't do it, being burned through in moments as the fireball kept coming. That gave Jackie enough time to think of a solution, though. With a shout, he flew toward Nemesis using the Resplendent Crane Takes Flight, Giant Fireball following him.

"Yes! Come face your judgment!" Cried Nemesis, spitting a jet of white-hot flame at Jackie's oncoming form.

Jackie conjured his strongest Abjuration shield, tanking the jet of divine flame as he flew closer toward Nemesis. The shield ain't gonna last long, but Jackie didn't need it to, he just needed it to last long enough. Just a moment before the shield popped, Jackie reached Nemesis' position, disappearing at the last second into a plume of sand with the Great Sand River Bears Away the Serpent Technique. As he reappeared underneath and behind Nemesis, he looked up to see the Goddess of Vengeance be consumed by her own homing fireball. She burned up in her own divine flames, falling dead to the floor as a charred corpse.

"Heh, guess no Goddess of Vengeance is free of sin either, huh? Fucking psycho bitch, couldn't've happened to a nicer Goddes." Spat Jackie, kicking the charred corpse of Nemesis.

Sighing, Jackie took stock of his reserves. He had two healing pills remaining, a couple less severe wounds now, and most of his mana. His Chi reserves'd taken a beating though since he'd been forced to use multiple castings of the Great Sand River Bears Away the Serpent Technique. Chi-based teleportation techniques ain't cheap after all. Fortunately, he had more than enough Chi pills left to afford refilling his reserves.

"What the Hell? Might wanna use a healing pill too. I'd only have one in reserve, but it ain't like I'm gonna be fighting a shitload of more battles. This was supposed to be one of three big enemies in this place, and Brother Sandy's handling the second right now anyway." Shrugged Jackie.

He reached into his pill chute and popped a healing pill along with a Chi pill. As his Chi reserves were refilled and his remaining wounds all healed himself, Jackie grinned. He was back to tip-top fighting shape. Unfortunately, that feeling was a bit premature. No sooner'd Jackie healed up fully and topped off his Chi reserves than a sonic scream from outta nowhere slammed into his back and tossed Jackie through the exterior wall and outta the Gymansium of Herakles onto the street outside. Jackie felt two ribs and his tailbone bruise in the sneak attack. He lost his grip on his remaining butterfly sword too.

As Jackie landed out onto the street, he forced himself to tuck into a shoulder roll. That saved him from an ass-whupping as a blurry black and white form smashed into the paved flagstones of the street outside, breaking the road around a fist. Jackie stood up, grunting as he looked at his attacker. Standing in the middle of the shattered street was the black and white skeletal-looking war form of Aoife MacDougal.

"Ready for round two?" She asked.

"Me and my big mouth. I gotta learn to stop tempting fate with that shit." Groaned Jackie.

He took up a stance and Aiofe MacDougal did the same. Jackie's was your basic Hung Gar stance, something to start off a fight with, but it ain't anything too advanced. Aiofe's on the other hand was even more basic. She looked like she was used to street brawling more than proper martial arts. Unfortunately, street brawlers could be deadly too. Bane hadn't had much more than some street fighting, a bit of basic boxing, and a few wrestling moves, but he'd polished that shit till it shone. Jackie ain't about to underestimate Aoife just 'cause of that.

"Whenever you're ready." Intoned Jackie.

"I'm always ready!" Boasted Aiofe.

Then she charged, and there was no more time for talking. . .

XXXX

AN: All right, so here's Jackie versus Nemesis. Jackie's new to God-level combat so he takes a beating. He also dishes one out, but ultimately, Nemesis gets got by her own attack thanks to Jackie being cunning with how he fought while Nemesis was batshit crazy. Now Jackie has to fight Aoife MacDougal who was waiting for the aftermath of Nemesis' fight to hit Jackie while he was weakened. Unfortunately, she didn't realize he'd pilfered a bunch of healing pills from her fellow Demigods and restocked his supply. She still got in a solid hit from surprise, which means their fight will come down to skill rather than power.

Of course, that doesn't mean a whole lot if Wonder Woman, Sun Wukong, Erlang Shen, and Poseidon can't fight their way through Tartarus to interrupt the Ritual to steal Cronos' Power that Ares is having Circe perform for him. If Ares pulls that off, then it'll take more muscle than they're going to have to pull off a victory for the Olympian Loyalists.

At any rate, the next chapter will be an interlude of Brother Piggsy versus the Hydra and Brother Sandy versus Phobos. Then we'll have Jackie versus Aiofe MacDougall Part Two, followed by the Interlude in Tartarus.

Stay tuned. . .