The Council's first wave materialized like a storm front.
Twenty-three gods, armored and armed, led by Thor's massive form. Lightning crackled across his shoulders. Mjolnir hummed with barely contained violence.
Behind him: Athena in golden armor, wisdom and war combined. Heimdall with his horn, eyes that could see across dimensions. Twenty others, all Level 30 or higher.
And among them, looking miserable, Ares.
Thor's voice boomed across the ruins.
"EROS! By order of the Council, you will surrender immediately or be destroyed!"
Maxime stepped forward from his defensive position, Truth Sight showing him every micro-expression, every hidden fear.
Thor was nervous. Good.
"I reject the Council's authority," Maxime called back. "This temple is neutral ground. You have no jurisdiction here."
"We have the authority of strength!" Thor hefted Mjolnir. "Surrender or—"
"Or what? You'll kill me like you killed the original Eros?" Maxime let Divine Radiance flare, turning twilight to blazing noon. "Thirty-seven gods it took last time. You only brought twenty-three. Should I be flattered or insulted?"
Through Empathic Reading, he felt the ripple of uncertainty in the enemy ranks. Several gods exchanged glances.
"Enough talk!" Athena's voice was cold calculation. "Form up! Standard assault pattern!"
The Council forces began to advance.
Now, Maxime sent through the Soul Bonds.
Nyx erupted from the shadows beneath three gods simultaneously, her tendrils of darkness yanking them into dimensional pockets. Their screams cut off instantly.
Twenty gods remaining.
Chang'e's pipa sang, and spectral warriors materialized—dozens of them, flooding the battlefield and creating chaos in the enemy formation.
Pele and her sisters unleashed volcanic fury. The ground itself became lava, forcing the Council forces to scatter or burn.
Freyja and Xochiquetzal hit the left flank like hammers, their bond-enhanced coordination allowing them to fight as one entity. Two gods fell in the opening seconds.
Eighteen remaining.
Thor roared fury, launching Mjolnir at Maxime.
The hammer flew with godkiller force.
Maxime activated Prescience, seeing one second ahead—the hammer's trajectory, the return path, Thor's follow-up charge.
He didn't dodge. He caught it.
His new strength—145 Force versus his previous 35—allowed what should have been impossible. The impact drove him back three meters, his feet carving trenches in stone, but he held the hammer.
Shock rippled through both armies.
"Impossible!" Thor's eyes went wide. "No one catches Mjolnir except—"
Maxime threw it back.
Not at Thor. At Heimdall.
The watchman god had no time to react. Mjolnir struck him in the chest with the force of a meteor, launching him backwards into three of his allies.
Four gods down, temporarily.
Fourteen combat-effective.
Ares made his move—charging at Maxime with theatrical fury but telegraphing every strike through their Soul Bond. Maxime "defended" just barely, making it look desperate.
"Traitor!" Athena's voice cut across the battlefield. "Ares, you swore—"
"I swore not to PURSUE him!" Ares bellowed back. "He attacked first! The oath stands!"
Technically true. Maxime had thrown Mjolnir, initiating combat.
Ares continued his fake assault, and Maxime "defeated" him with a theatrical blast of Divine Radiance. Ares flew backwards, crashing into rubble, "unconscious."
Through their bond: Family safe. Sekhmet confirms extraction complete.
Relief flooded through both of them.
Athena realized the deception too late.
"ARES IS COMPROMISED! Fall back to secondary positions!"
But Maxime wasn't giving them time to regroup.
He activated Reality Sculpting, pouring mana into the battlefield itself.
[MANA: 300/1500]
The stone beneath the Council forces became liquid. Gods stumbled, lost footing. Some fell through entirely into chambers Maxime had prepared—shadow prisons Nyx had woven.
Five more gods trapped.
Nine combat-effective remaining.
Thor recalled Mjolnir, catching it mid-flight. His face was thunder incarnate.
"You want a real fight? FINE!"
He charged, and this time there was no holding back.
Maxime met him head-on.
The collision shook the temple foundations. Lightning versus Divine Radiance. Strength versus Strength. Level 42 war god versus Level 40 Primordial.
They were nearly matched.
Thor's experience showed—three thousand years of combat refined into perfect technique. But Maxime had Temporal Sight, seeing attacks before they landed.
He wove between Mjolnir strikes, using Prescience to stay microseconds ahead. His own attacks—enhanced by Frappe Imprégnée and Reality Sculpting—hit with devastating force.
"You fight like him!" Thor growled, blocking a strike. "Like the old Eros! All tricks and speed!"
"I AM him! Just better!"
Maxime activated Emotional Influence, pushing doubt into Thor's mind.
[MANA: 270/1500]
The effect was subtle but critical. Thor's next swing hesitated. Just a fraction of a second.
Maxime's counterstrike took him in the ribs, cracking divine armor.
Thor staggered back, blood—golden ichor—leaking from the wound.
"Impossible... you're only Level 40..."
"Turns out levels aren't everything."
Through Bond Sense, Maxime monitored the broader battle:
Nyx had trapped eight gods total in shadow dimensions
Freyja and Xochiquetzal had killed one, incapacitated three
Pele's group held the perimeter against four gods
Chang'e was locked in combat with Athena
Numbers: Four Council gods still combat-capable including Thor. Against eleven defenders.
They were winning.
Athena saw it too. Through Truth Sight, Maxime watched her calculate odds, recognize the losing position.
"RETREAT!" she commanded. "Fall back! This wave is lost!"
The remaining Council forces disengaged immediately, disciplined warriors recognizing defeat.
Thor spat blood but nodded.
"This isn't over, Eros. The second wave—"
"Will fare no better."
Maxime let them go. Pursuing would cost lives he couldn't afford to lose.
The Council's first wave retreated in disarray. Eight gods captured. One dead. Four injured including Thor. Ten still combat-capable but demoralized.
Maxime's forces: Zero deaths. Minor injuries across the board. Victory.
As the enemy vanished through portals, Nyx appeared beside him.
"We won."
"We won the first round," Maxime corrected. "Poseidon and Hades lead the second wave. Fifteen gods, all Level 32 or higher."
"When?"
Through Temporal Sight, Maxime saw the futures converging.
"Tomorrow. They'll attack at dawn, hoping we're still recovering."
"Then we prepare."
That night, they reinforced defenses and healed wounds. The captured Council gods were locked in shadow prisons—not killed, but neutralized.
Ares, no longer pretending unconsciousness, helped coordinate defenses.
"Zeus will be furious. Thor's never been defeated in direct combat before."
"First time for everything."
Through Bond Sense, Maxime felt something shift—not in his immediate allies, but in the distant observers.
Aphrodite's worry had transformed to hope.
Hel's curiosity had become respect.
Kali's watchfulness had intensified—she was evaluating whether he'd become monster or liberator.
And somewhere in Olympus, Zeus was raging.
Maxime could feel it through the cosmic currents—the King of Gods realizing his "easy suppression" had become a genuine threat.
Good, Maxime thought. Let him be afraid for once.
Dawn came too quickly.
The second wave materialized with Poseidon at the lead, trident crackling with ocean fury. Hades beside him, death itself given form.
Fifteen gods, fresh and ready.
Against Maxime's eleven, exhausted from yesterday's battle.
But Maxime had prepared.
He activated Words of Power, speaking truth into reality:
"This temple is MINE. This ground is MINE. You fight on MY territory now."
[MANA: 70/1500]
Reality rippled. The temple—already fortified—became an extension of Maxime's will. Every stone, every shadow, every breath of air answered to him.
Poseidon's eyes widened.
"Domain Manifestation? Impossible! You've been restored for less than a week!"
"Turns out I'm a quick learner."
Through Soul Bonds: Execute Plan Delta.
His forces moved as one.
The second battle began.