Pontos’ punch, having lost all reason, was heavy.
He was no longer holding the club he had used when he had his mind, and like Poseidon he fought only with fists and legs. Yet fighting only with two fists and legs made the impact feel even deeper.
“Wow, the taste of your punches is totally different.”
Whoosh, whoosh.
Pontos used Panktarion, and Poseidon used his own self-made hybrid martial art as they tested each other’s strength.
Pontos’ techniques, once he lost his reason, became unbelievably clean and simple, making every one of them lethal.
He did not hesitate to gouge eyes or grab the nape to snap it, so in a strange turn of events, he became a more troublesome opponent than when he had been fighting with rational thought.
“Unbelievable. Losing your mind actually makes you more dangerous?”
“That means that base instinct has been eating into your capability as a god.”
Thump.
Their fists struck each other’s shoulders and chests, then they pushed apart.
Their physical strength was equal. Their technical skill was also equal.
In a fierce battle where no one could tell who would win, the goddesses who had retreated from the combat shockwaves watched anxiously from afar.
“At this rate, it’ll become a stamina fight.”
“Yes. Lady Eurynome, no one imagined that Pontos possessed techniques of that level. Not even Poseidon.”
“Even so, watching two fighters at the level of the greatest living warriors battling like this is amazing.”
At Metis’ final remark, the others nodded too.
Even though it was a fight against an enemy, they themselves were goddesses who loved martial arts.
If it were not a war, they would have been enjoying nectar and ambrosia while happily watching the spectacle.
The battle of mighty warriors.
* * *
Unlike the goddesses, who had unknowingly set aside their anxiety about the war’s outcome and become spectators—
Poseidon, who was fighting, was displaying extreme focus.
The battles of gods were the battles of superhumans. A sixth sense beyond the five senses.
Some gods could even manipulate their bodies at will when needed.
On top of that, most attacks could be blocked or dodged even with eyes closed.
The mindless Pontos, now equal to him, could topple Poseidon at any moment if he let his guard down.
Crossing fists over and over, and using precognition-like prediction, their battle for spatial dominance continued for twenty long minutes.
“Hoo~ This won’t do… am I wrong?”
“…….”
Even at Poseidon’s question, Pontos mechanically continued to execute martial techniques.
Seeing that machine-like state, Poseidon felt the need to change his approach.
‘No matter how many times I hit him, he heals faster than he gets injured. And the physical damage is practically nonexistent. Then I guess I’ll have to pin him down and strike with full power….’
* * *
More time passed, and even the gods, fairies, and fantasy species watching began reaching the point where boredom crept in.
Pontos’ hooked hand brushed Poseidon, and blood burst from Poseidon’s chest with a “chwaaak!”
The sharp tearing had finally put wounds in the net-like layers of Poseidon’s muscles.
When Poseidon’s posture broke, Pontos mechanically swung a finishing punch.
Thud.
“““No!!!”””
The goddesses watching from afar screamed, and the many gods who had been watching with subdued interest realized at once that Poseidon might have lost.
Everyone began thinking only about how to respond after his defeat.
Then they heard Poseidon’s voice, laced with laughter.
“Got you.”
What could be seen was Pontos’ fist penetrating Poseidon’s abdomen—by all appearances, Poseidon had clearly been defeated.
Yet instead, Poseidon was smiling, and Pontos was struggling.
Pontos desperately tried to pull his fist out of Poseidon’s stomach.
“Sorry, but I already pushed all my guts up. You punched into an empty space. And now I’ve got you.”
Like a fisherman catching a giant shark with a net—
The more the prey struggled, the tighter Poseidon clenched his abdominal muscles.
“Goodbye. You were actually not a bad opponent. The rampaging was more interesting than expected.”
Poseidon placed both fists on Pontos’ struggling torso and threw a punch.
Tap.
With a light sound like a feather brushing against a body, there was no visible impact where the two fists met.
Pontos, who had been struggling, blinked in confusion and looked at the spot where Poseidon had struck, but the outside looked untouched.
But the gods watching from a third-person view were horrified.
Because except for Pontos’ outer abdomen, everything behind it had exploded into a massive hole.
“This is probably called inch-force or fa-jing in China. You’re the first god I’ve ever used it on. Feel honored.”
The seemingly light punch produced an aftermath that was anything but light, and only then did Pontos realize what had happened.
Next, Pontos’ abdominal wall turned to powder and opened into a large hole, and instead of healing, the backlash of his rampage made his body shrivel.
Behind the hole in his abdomen, the shockwave remained clearly visible—
A hole far larger than Pontos’ wound had been carved straight through the middle of the sea.
* * *
As Pontos’ body shriveled, unable to withstand the accumulated damage, he collapsed.
When his body broke apart and fell, Poseidon released the tightened muscles and shoved Pontos away.
Then, looking at the scene he had created, he burst into loud laughter and said something even the gods and fairies could not comprehend.
“Hahaha, see? I told you Moses split the sea with punches. Look. Totally possible.”
The gods, fairies, nymphs, and monsters watching all stared at Poseidon with their mouths hanging open in disbelief.
“Tch, I told him not to solve everything with punches, and he still does it. Look at that. Bloody fists and a body ruined from reckless behavior. And he carries such a fine weapon, too. Tsk tsk.”
“Hehe, Hera. Are you worried about your brother?”
“What?! Hestia, take that back. I am merely rebuking a foolish man.”
“Sure, sure. If you say so.”
“Demeter, you….”
The three sisters shook their heads at Poseidon’s behavior, though as if they had expected it.
And the same was true in the Underworld, where Hades watched.
“As expected, that brute always ends up like that.”
“Hades, are you not surprised by that sight?”
“Ha! Thanatos, how many times do you think I saw that idiot pulling stunts like that inside Kronos’ stomach? We siblings all suffered under that brute.”
The god of death Thanatos realized the secret behind the strength of the rulers of the world.
‘So this is the kind of environment that makes them end up so strong.’
But reactions like that were not limited to the goddesses watching closely.
“Oh my… not even in the Titanomachy did I see something like that….”
Styx was speechless yet again at the astonishing display.
“So the Trident was actually a shackle. The technique and method he used in the end—that was worthy of a warrior. If a man, he should have that kind of flavor.”
Bzzzzzz—
“Even if you complain to me, there's nothing I can do. Your master is the one doing that.”
Eurynome, watching Poseidon’s victory, gasped in admiration at his manliness and looked suspiciously at the Trident.
“So this is the brother of the three great gods, the brother of Zeus….”
Metis reflected deeply on the terrifying determination and strength Poseidon had shown at the end and thought about the relationship between Olympus and the sea.
* * *
At last, Pontos, one of the Protogenoi, had fallen.
Even though he was a Protogenoi, even though he collapsed, he continued regenerating and twitching to the end. It had become almost grotesque.
Pontos no longer seemed to have the strength for full recovery.
With the bubbling sound of boiling blood, the regeneration itself seemed to cause him pain, making him wriggle like an insect.
Grrrk, gugh!
Poseidon lifted Pontos, tore out his tendons and muscles, and used the blue Adamantine—obtainable only from the sea—to forge chains that even bound Pontos tightly.
Then, gazing at the many gods, fairies, and monsters watching him, he shouted:
“The war is over!!!”
Waaaaaaaaaah!!
* * *
When everything was finally over—
Poseidon realized that cleaning up after a war was even harder than the war itself.
There was a great deal to sort out already.
And he himself had to pass judgment on the traitors.
Especially because the myriad types of traitors could not be judged all the same.
Most of them had not been in their right minds.
The sentences for major gods and for fairies and fantasy species had to be different.
First, Poseidon rendered unconscious and imprisoned in the deepest part of the Strait of Oceanus Thaumas and Phorcys—the children of Pontos who had participated in the war despite not being corrupted by Pontos’ power.
And the sea nymphs and some fantasy beings with lighter offenses were forgiven with one year of imprisonment.
The problem was Nereus, Doris, Amphitrite, and some of the sisters.
And the one who had committed the greatest sin—the catalyst of Pontos—Thetis, who was still unconscious after being pierced by Eurynome’s spear.
“You yourselves know that what you have done is enough to be imprisoned together with Pontos.”
At Poseidon’s words, Nereus, Doris, and Amphitrite—bound and forced to kneel before him—could not raise their heads.
Thetis had not awakened even after the war ended, so she was locked alone in solitary confinement.
“However, considering that you acted for your family, and that you did not fight actively in the war and tried to minimize the damage, and considering that Ceto and Eurybia and others who fought for me abandoned their rewards in order to save you—taking all of this into account, I will absolve all your crimes with one year of imprisonment and ten years of labor.”
Nereus, Doris, and Amphitrite, kneeling before him, raised their heads in shock and stared at Poseidon.
And the many creatures, gods, and fairies of the sea watching the judgment were likewise astonished.
Yet Poseidon acted as though he had no interest in their reactions.
With an emotionless expression, he concluded the judgment.
“Then the sentence is hereby finished. As for Thetis, considering that she is also a victim, her judgment will be delayed until after her treatment is complete.”
Leaving behind the sounds of widespread astonishment, Poseidon left the courtroom.
After leaving—
On the way back to the newly completed palace—
“Hoo~ Judgment like that really feels awkward.”
Unlike his appearance in the court, Poseidon muttered as though he were wearing clothes that did not fit him.
At Poseidon’s murmuring, Eurynome suddenly appeared and applauded.
Clap, clap, clap.
“For something that does not suit you, you handled it very well.”
At Eurynome’s praise, Poseidon glanced at her with a face saying, “When did you get here?”
Then, seeing the applauding goddess, he spoke with a mischievous expression.