Everyone heard what Diana said.
Hades.
The God of the Underworld from Greek mythology.
The name carried weight that transcended mere knowledge. It was embedded in human consciousness, a primal recognition of death's inevitability and the being who ruled over it.
Coulson's hand instinctively moved toward his sidearm, but he stopped midway. The gesture was automatic, a trained response to a threat, but his rational mind caught up quickly.
What good would a gun do against a god?
The bluish hand continued to emerge from the ground, followed by an arm, then a shoulder. The figure rose from the earth with deliberate slowness, as if savoring the dramatic entrance or perhaps simply unconcerned with the passage of time.
The being that emerged was extremely tall, standing over ten feet in height.
Kon-Rao kept watching intently. This was the first god he had encountered face to face.
Kon-Rao was trying to understand what made him different from other powerful beings. What separated a god from simply a powerful entity?
But he was also extremely cautious.
Gods were unknown variables. And one doesn't like having variables in a situation where the people you are leading are the last survivors of your race.
Hades could have abilities that bypassed physical durability entirely, could manipulate death itself in ways that rendered conventional defenses meaningless... he was the God of the Underworld, no?
Kon-Rao would not underestimate this being simply because he appeared to be alone. That would be the height of foolishness.
Just then, Kon-Rao gently released Diana from his hold. She could fly as well, after all, and it would be better for both of them to have freedom of movement for whatever was about to happen.
Diana adjusted her position in the air, grateful to be standing on her own power again, even as a small part of her missed the security of those strong arms.
Hades looked up at Diana, his glowing eyes focusing on her with an expression that mixed disappointment and something approaching paternal disapproval.
"You disappoint me, Princess," Hades said, his voice carrying disappointment. "I send worthy opponents for you to face. Yet you collude with others to defeat them?"
Diana's response was sharp and immediate. "You sent quite a number of them, Lord Hades. The Harbingers numbered in the hundreds, and the Tetracide is a weapon designed to kill gods. So it is only fair that I receive some assistance as well."
Though she said assistance... everything was basically done by Kon. She just did not want Kon to face unnecessary attention.
Her tone was respectful but firm. She would not be cowed by Hades, even if he was one of the most powerful beings she encountered.
Kon noticed the way Diana talked with Hades. Her voice held no fear... no submission. Yet, the tone of respect in her voice showed that... while she did not fear Hades, she knew he was superior to herself.
It was clear that this was not the first time she had met Hades.
Hades's gaze shifted to Kon-Rao, and the intensity of his stare increased. When he spoke, his voice carried curiosity mixed with something that might have been concern.
"And you... You are not a god. Nor a demigod. You are not even a mortal in the traditional sense. Yet you possess strength that surpasses even Diana, who is said to be the bane of gods."
Kon-Rao looked at Hades and said nothing.
He simply kept his expression neutral, his posture alert but not aggressive.
He was cataloging everything - the god's mannerisms, his speech patterns, the way he carried himself, the fluctuations in the dimensional energy surrounding him.
Silence was often more informative than words.
Let Hades fill the void, let him reveal more about himself through his reactions.
But silence was not what Hades wanted.
Gods were accustomed to worship, fear, or at least acknowledgment. This calm stare from a being who should have been terrified or at least impressed was... unsettling.
Hades raised his hand, and the air around Kon-Rao and Diana suddenly changed.
The pressure increased dramatically, as if the weight of the entire ocean had been concentrated into the space they occupied.
It was not physical force, but something more fundamental.
For a few seconds, everything appeared normal from the outside.
But then Diana began struggling visibly. Her muscles strained against the invisible force. This was a god after all, and not just any god - the God of the Underworld, the third strongest among the Olympians after Zeus and Poseidon.
And even that ranking was somewhat misleading.
Hades had been banished to Tartarus and had his freedom severely restricted by Zeus for supporting the Titans during the second great war. If he had his full power and freedom, he might have been even more dangerous than his brothers.
Kon-Rao, on the other hand, was not even flinching. He did not resist the pressure; he was trying to understand how Hades did that.
He could see a type of energy flowing from Hades's hand, and it commanded the air around himself and Diana. Though he could not understand the functioning behind this.
Was this how Gods operated? Commanding the fundamental forces of the universe?
The pressure continued to increase.
After a minute, Diana was barely maintaining flight. Her face showed the strain, sweat beading on her forehead despite her heritage. But she was resisting it through sheer willpower and the strength of her own divine blood.
"Impressive. Most beings would have already collapsed or fled." Hades spoke as he brought down his hand, and the pressure immediately dispersed.
But before Diana could relax, Hades suddenly appeared directly in front of Diana and Kon-Rao.
To Diana and others, Hades moved through space in a way that bypassed normal travel - simply ceasing to be in one location and existing in another.
It was not teleportation that Hades used; it was just his speed. He was fast, though Kon saw him, and to him... Hades was slow.
Hades reached for Diana's shoulder, perhaps intending to drag her down to the earth or to intensify the pressure he was exerting.
But Kon-Rao moved faster. His hand shot out and grabbed Hades's wrist before the god could touch Diana.
The moment of contact was revelatory. Kon-Rao could feel the dimensional nature of Hades's existence through that physical connection.
The god was both here and not here, existing partially in the mortal world and partially somewhere else... probably the underworld.
But more importantly, Kon-Rao could feel that Hades was physically weaker than expected. Much weaker.
Still, caution was necessary. This could be a trap, a feint to lure him into overconfidence.
Gods were known for their trickery and misdirection.
But his analysis suggested this was genuine. Hades's physical body somehow felt weird... the dimensional energy on Hades's body was like a string... a thread, connecting him to somewhere else.
"Not so fast, little god," Kon-Rao said, his voice calm but carrying an edge. "You have yet to pay for your actions as well."
Before Hades could respond, Kon-Rao's other hand came up in a measured strike. He did not use his full strength - that would be reckless against an unknown opponent - but he used enough force to make a point.
His palm connected with Hades's face, and the god was sent flying backward.
The impact created a shockwave that rippled through the air, and Hades's body crashed into the surface of the ocean hundreds of meters away, sending up a massive spray of water.
Diana was shocked into stillness, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Hades was by no means a weak god.
In fact, he was one of the old gods, one of the original Olympians who had helped Zeus overthrow the Titans. His divinity was bound to death itself, one of the eternal aspects of the universe that had existed since the beginning of time.
And Kon-Rao had just... punched him away like he was a common brawler.
On the other hand, Kon-Rao's mind was racing with analysis.
He was intensely curious about how Hades would fight back.
Physically, he had not sensed much strength from the god. The punch had confirmed that - Hades's body had been surprisingly vulnerable to physical force.
And as for him being a god?
That was precisely why Kon-Rao had initiated this confrontation. He wanted to see how a god fought. Hades was the God of Death - what did that title actually mean in practical terms?
Could he instantly kill any being in existence?
No, that seemed unlikely. If Hades possessed that kind of absolute power, he would be the leader of the Greek Pantheon, not Zeus. So that particular nightmare scenario could be ruled out.
But what could he do? What were his powers? What were the limits of his power?
This fight would provide answers. It would be recorded, analyzed, and used to develop strategies for dealing with other gods in the future.
Diana, recovering from her shock, looked at Kon-Rao.
She understood the reason behind his action. He was an emperor, a ruler of his people. The pressure that Hades had exerted on him was a show of dominance, an attempt to force submission.
Whether that pressure had actually affected Kon-Rao or not was irrelevant. The gesture itself was disrespectful, a challenge to his sovereignty. By striking back, Kon-Rao was establishing that he would not be cowed by Hades's display of power.
But then Kon-Rao asked a question that caught Diana completely off guard.
"Why... why is he so weak?"
The question was genuine, born of confusion rather than mockery.
Kon-Rao truly did not understand why Hades had been sent flying so far from a single controlled strike.
Diana was stunned at this question. Her mouth opened, then closed, as she processed what he was asking. Then a sly smile formed on her lips, amusement mixing with the realization that Kon-Rao's power was even more abnormal than she had thought.
"It's not that he is weak," Diana explained, her voice carrying a note of warning. "By all means, Hades is one of the strongest gods in the Greek Pantheon. In pure divine power, only Zeus and Poseidon surpass him."
She paused, making sure Kon-Rao was paying attention. "It's the type of god he is that makes him appear weak yet incredibly strong at the same time."
Kon-Rao raised an eyebrow at this. "The type of god?"
This was new information, and it immediately captured his full attention. There were categories of Gods?
Diana nodded, settling into a teaching tone despite the situation. "Yes. There are three types of gods that we know of."
She held up one finger. "The first are Aspect-Bound Gods. They represent one or multiple aspects of the universe itself. Zeus represents storms and thunder. He has near-absolute control over those aspects of reality. When he commands lightning to strike, it strikes. When he calls the storm, it comes."
A second finger joined the first. "Then come the Domain-Bound Gods. They are bound to a certain place or location. Even though they have divinities that represent aspects of the universe, they are weaker compared to the Aspect-Bound gods when outside their domain. But..." She emphasized this word heavily.
"It's the opposite when they are within their domain. At that time, their powers and control over their aspect increase many times over. That is why gods avoid challenging other gods within their own domains. It would be suicide."
Diana looked toward where Hades had fallen. "Lord Hades is a Domain-Bound god, and his domain is the Underworld, Tartarus, and the realm of the dead. Within his domain, he is nearly invincible. Even Zeus is said to tread carefully there. But here, in Midgard, he is... manageable."
She turned back to Kon-Rao.
"Though I would like to tell you that even without the powers of aspects or domains, gods have a physiology that is far stronger than mortals could hope to match. Their bodies are reinforced by divine essence. A god's body should be able to withstand tremendous force."
Her eyes met his directly. "Yet you, who are not a god, matched and exceeded it. That is... abnormal."
Kon-Rao processed this information rapidly.
So, gods were categorized by the source and scope of their power. Aspect-Bound gods had universal authority over their domain of influence. Domain-Bound gods had localized but intensified power within specific areas.
This explained why Hades had seemed so physically vulnerable. He was outside his domain, cut off from the source of his greatest strength. His physical body, while enhanced by divine nature, was not as strong as it was in his domain.
"And the third----"
Diana was interrupted before she could say anything, as she looked at the ocean where Hades fell, sensing something.
In the next moment, a massive beam of black and yellowish flame rose from the ocean, aiming directly at where he hovered in the air.
.....
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