Kon moved instantly, positioning himself in front of Diana. He crossed both his arms in an X formation, fists closed, creating a barrier between her and the incoming attack.
The massive beam of black and yellowish flame struck him directly. The impact was tremendous, the heat so intense that the air around them shimmered and distorted. The flames roared like a living thing, hungry and eager to consume everything in their path.
A moment later, the beam dissipated, the flames vanishing as quickly as they had appeared. Kon hovered in place, his posture unchanged, with Diana hovering right behind him.
Diana screamed, her voice filled with concern. "Kon!! Are you—!!"
But before she could complete her words, she saw his arms.
The armor on his forearms had been completely vaporized, leaving his skin exposed to the open air. But what shocked her into silence was the fact that his arms themselves were intact, nearly harmless if one were to ignore the steam releasing from his skin as it cooled.
This was no ordinary flame.
That had been hellfire - the fire that consumes everything it touches. The flames that burned in the deepest pits of Tartarus, fueled by the suffering of the damned and the inexorable nature of death itself.
Even though her companion Pegasus also wielded hellfire, those flames were nothing compared to an attack performed by the Lord of Tartarus himself. Pegasus's fire was like a candle compared to the sun when measured against what Hades could produce.
And Kon had taken that attack head-on and emerged unharmed.
Kon was also examining his arms with interest. He was surprised, though not for the reason Diana might have expected. It was not the fact that his hands were undamaged that surprised him.
No, what caught his attention was the fact that his armor had melted.
His armor was constructed from an alloy that was extremely close to Supernanium in durability. It had an extraordinarily high melting point, to the degree that it was used in the construction of Kryptonian ships that traveled near their red sun without sustaining any damage.
The metal could withstand direct exposure to stellar heat for extended periods without degradation.
Yet in just a single attack from this being, from this god, it had melted away like wax before a flame.
This discovery put Kon on high alert.
If there were more beings capable of generating such intense heat, then his space vessels - which he had assumed were vulnerable only to stellar-level temperatures - would be in a far more precarious situation than he ever thought.
The implications were serious. His ships, his technology, everything he had brought with him from Krypton might be more vulnerable to such attacks than conventional weapons.
Even though Kon himself had not been harmed at all, in his mind, he had already begun categorizing these gods as potential threats to his civilization.
After all, this was just one god out of many, and he was not even at his full strength according to Diana's explanation.
If a weakened, domain-restricted god could melt Kryptonian armor with a simple attack, what could a god at full power accomplish?
Right then, from the ocean where Hades had fallen, the god rose into view. He was hovering right above the water's surface, and as their eyes met, Kon noticed something had changed.
There was no hostility in Hades's gaze now. Instead, there was something that looked like recognition, perhaps even respect.
Hades slowly hovered upward, approaching Kon and Diana. But this time, his movement was not threatening or aggressive. There was no buildup of power, no gathering of dimensional energy. He simply floated closer, his posture almost casual.
As he neared Kon, the blue aura surrounding his body suddenly scattered like mist in the wind. His massive form began to shrink until his height matched Kon's seven and a half feet.
As the bluish light on his body faded completely, the figure that emerged was strikingly different from the towering divine form he had displayed moments before.
A man appeared with long black hair that fell past his shoulders and a clean-shaven face that looked to be in his early thirties by human standards. He wore a single black cloth wrapped around his entire body in the style of ancient Greek dress, leaving only his neck, arms, face, and a portion of his left chest visible.
His features were sharp and handsome in a way that transcended normal human beauty.
Kon watched this transformation with interest. He had thought that the blue giant form was Hades's original appearance.
But perhaps gods had multiple forms they could assume? Or maybe the human-like appearance was actually the true form, and the giant blue figure was simply a projection of power?
The questions multiplied in his mind, each one adding to his growing database of information about Gods.
Kon observed as Hades approached, noting every detail of the god's movements and energy signature. He was aware that this time, Hades was not approaching for an attack.
The body language was all wrong for combat. Perhaps this would be a conversation instead?
Still, he kept himself ready for any unexpected assault. The Greek pantheon from his memories was not exactly known for trustworthiness. Gods were capricious beings, capable of changing their will and intentions in an instant.
Betrayal and manipulation were common themes in the stories of Greek mythology. It would be foolish to lower his guard completely, regardless of how peaceful Hades currently appeared.
Hades stopped when he reached Kon, hovering directly in front of him at eye level. The two beings regarded each other in silence for a moment.
Diana, who was still processing what she had witnessed and remained wary of Hades's intentions, spoke up. "Lord Hades, he simply helped—"
Diana was cut short as Hades raised his hand toward her, the gesture clearly indicating she should stop speaking.
Diana understood immediately and fell silent. She had not seen Hades in this form before. In all her previous encounters with him, he had always remained in his true divine form - the towering blue figure that radiated death and authority.
Unlike Lady Persephone, who, around her, had never taken her true form and always appeared in a human-like shape, Hades typically maintained his full divine presence.
If Hades had intentions of attacking Kon, he would not have emerged from his true form. The transformation to this more human-like appearance meant he was here only for conversation. And Diana knew better than to interrupt a god when they wished to speak.
She had been trained by her mother in the proper protocols for dealing with Hades. One of the fundamental rules was simple: when Hades speaks, you listen.
Hades spoke, his voice now lacking the grinding, supernatural quality it had held before. It was still powerful, still carrying an undertone of authority, but it was more... human.
"You are quite strong for a mortal," Hades said, his tone neutral and assessing rather than mocking or hostile.
He extended his hand forward in the gesture of greeting that humans use. "I am Hades, Lord of Tartarus."
Kon looked at the offered hand for a moment, analyzing the gesture and what it might mean.
In his memories, handshakes were a common greeting among humans, a gesture of peace and respect. But among gods? He was less certain of the implications.
Still, refusing the gesture might be interpreted as an insult, and he had no reason to insult him for now.
Kon reached forward and took Hades's hand, shaking it firmly. The god's grip was strong but not crushing, another sign that this was meant as a greeting rather than a test of strength.
"I am Kon-Rao, the Emperor of Krypton."
.....
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