The air crackled with energy as the towering figure stood before them, lightning arcing from his body with every breath. His presence alone made the atmosphere heavy, and the sky darkened with an ominous swirl of thunderclouds.

  “Who might you be, visitor?” Paradox asked, tilting his head slightly, his signature cocky smirk already forming.

  The figure's voice boomed like an oncoming storm.

  “I am Thunderous, son of Zeus, the mightiest warrior to walk this earth!” His declaration sent a shockwave through the air, thunder roaring in agreement as bolts of lightning struck the ground around him, carving deep trenches in the asphalt.

  Paradox chuckled, unfazed. “Strongest, huh? You couldn't even beat my pinky.” His tone was drenched in mockery, eyes gleaming with amusement.

  Thunderous' expression twisted with rage. Without hesitation, he raised a hand to the sky, calling down a blinding bolt of lightning that struck Paradox dead-on. The force of the impact sent him hurtling through the air before crashing into the side of a building, the structure crumbling upon impact.

  Smoke and debris filled the air as Thunderous let out a deep, triumphant laugh. “You may be different from a normal mortal, but compared to me, you are an insect beneath my heel.”

  From the rubble, a figure slowly emerged. Paradox stood, dusting himself off as if he'd merely tripped. His jacket, now torn and burned, hung loosely on his frame.

  “Haaaaa… This was my favorite jacket.” He sighed, inspecting the damage. Though the attack had done some harm, it wasn’t enough to keep him down.

  Norika, who had been watching with mild interest, sighed in disappointment. “Father, let’s take this fight seriously. Something tells me it’ll take all of us to put that thing down.”

  Paradox simply waved a hand dismissively. “Not too worried, Nor. If anything, I could just regain my half-form and end him in seconds.” He tapped his chin, as if debating something trivial. “Actually… Yeah, I think I’ll do just that. Be right back. Hold down the fort, will ya?”

  And just like that—he vanished.

  Norika groaned, dragging a hand down her face. “Ugh, that’s so like him. He could’ve at least taken me with him.” She turned to Eve and the young hero standing beside her. “Looks like it’s down to the three of us.”

  “I am here as well.” A calm voice interrupted.

  Kael Arden still floated midair, held in place by Eve’s psychic restraints. Though his expression remained unreadable, his voice had an edge of irritation.

  “Right, right.” Norika cracked her knuckles, stretching her neck. “Then let the rumble begin.”

  In an instant, she was in motion.

  Her sword, a blade without a hilt, ignited in swirling fire as she lunged forward. With a flick of her wrist, she sent a rapid succession of flaming arcs towards Thunderous. Each slice cut through the air precisely, but none found their mark. The warrior of Olympus swiped his hand through the air, his lightning effortlessly overpowering her flames, dispersing them with a crackling burst of energy.

  Eve, ever the tactician, capitalized on the moment. Raising a hand, she launched five metal rods in quick succession. Each rod detonated upon impact, sending Thunderous skidding back several feet. Before he could react, Eve’s psychic grip wrapped around him, lifting him high into the sky.

  “Stay down.” She whispered coldly, before slamming him down into the pavement with a sickening crunch. The sheer force of the impact shattered the street, creating a crater beneath his body.

  “Wow, she’s just as strong and cool as she is on TV!” The young hero—Beetle Blitz—exclaimed, his awe evident.

  Eve shot him a glare. “Quiet, whatever-your-name-is.”

  “Uh… it’s Beetle Blitz, or just Blitz for short.” He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you! I’ve looked up to you since—”

  A stray bolt of lightning cut through the air towards him. His instincts kicked in, his exoskeletal armor hardening just in time to absorb the blow. The electricity crackled against his shell, but he stood firm.

  Beetle Blitz clicked his tongue. “Hey there, big guy! It’s not nice to attack people while they’re talking. Didn’t your mother ever teach you any manners?”

  With that, he surged forward, his wings beating furiously as he closed the distance in a blink. His fist, reinforced with enhanced strength, connected squarely with Thunderous’ jaw, sending the Olympian stumbling backward.

  He turned back to Eve, flashing a cocky grin. “You saw that, right? Pretty cool, huh—”

  A psychic barrier snapped up around him just in time to deflect a barrage of thunderbolts.

  “Focus on the fight, you idiot.” Eve scolded, yanking him out of harm’s way. Without missing a beat, she sent another wave of metal rods flying towards Thunderous.

  Thunderous gritted his teeth, dodging the projectiles with ease. But before he could counter, Norika moved in.

  She grinned, her bloodlust evident.

  “Oh, no, you’re not getting away that easily.”

  The first rune of her blade released. Flames erupted around her sword, but this time, they were different. She didn’t strike at him directly—no, instead, she struck the rods mid-air, igniting them with her flames and sending them rocketing toward Thunderous with even greater speed.

  The moment they connected, the explosion was instant. A massive burst of fire and energy engulfed the battlefield, swallowing Thunderous whole. The shockwave shattered nearby windows, and the heat warped the metal of the surrounding cars.

  Beetle Blitz shielded his eyes. “Did we get him?”

  A moment of silence. Then—

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  A powerful force tore through the smoke.

  “No.” Eve’s voice was grim. “We barely did anything. Stay on guard—”

  Before she could finish, a thunderous gauntlet slammed into her, sending her flying backward. Tendrils of electricity lashed out, catching her midair and slamming her repeatedly into the concrete, each impact more brutal than the last.

  “EVE!”

  Beetle Blitz shot forward, his wings buzzing with urgency. His body hardened once more as he cocked back a punch, aiming straight for Thunderous' chest plate. The moment his fist made contact—

  CRACK!

  Pain shot up his arm. He recoiled immediately, clutching his fist. It felt like he had just punched a mountain.

  Thunderous smirked. “Enough playing around, mortal.”

  Before Blitz could react, a devastating kick connected with his jaw, sending him spiraling through the air. His body crashed through the side of a building before he fell, unmoving.

  Norika watched as Blitz’s body slumped into the rubble.

  “Wow, what a display of power.” She clapped her hands mockingly. “Too bad you can’t win not against me nor my Father.” Her second rune released—her flames now burning a haunting blue.

  Thunderous sneered. “You think that coward who ran at the sight of me stands a chance?” With a flick of his wrist, dozens of cars levitated into the air before hurtling toward her.

  Norika merely grinned.

  Spinning in place, she conjured a twister of flames. The vortex engulfed the cars instantly, reducing them to molten scrap before scattering them into pieces.

  She turned to Thunderous, licking her lips.

  “C’mon. I know you can do better than that.”

  The fight wasn’t over.

  If anything, it was just getting started.

  Sitting atop the ruins of a destroyed building, drenched in his own blood, Paradox let out a slow, shaky breath. His body twitched from the pain, but the frustration burned deeper than the wounds.

  "Damn it… How the hell did this happen? I just got here."

  He tried to piece together the sequence of events. The moment he arrived, he had been standing atop a building, taking in his surroundings.

  Then—

  A blinding light.

  And in the next instant—

  A gaping hole in his chest.

  "Tch. An attack faster than light…" he muttered, gritting his teeth. His fingers trembled as he clutched at his wound, though it was pointless—his body had already lost too much blood. "I know they’re fast, but attacking me the instant I show up? That’s not how they’re programmed… This is bull. I call bull."

  His vision blurred. The life drained from his eyes. And then—

  He gasped awake, body drenched in sweat. His lungs screamed for air, and his fingers dug into the rubble beneath him.

  "Oh, for f—don’t tell me this is gonna be a recurring thing. I can’t dodge something faster than light right now. This is going to be a pain in the ass."

  And he was right. The process repeated itself.

  Paradox tried to react the moment he revived. He attempted to dodge, attempted to counter, attempted to shield himself—but no matter what he did, the result remained the same. The beam of light tore through him, faster than his perception could register, and he died. Again. And again. And again.

  "Damn it—!" He spat blood, the frustration growing with each failure.

  At first, he tried keeping track of the number of deaths. But after the first few hundred, the count became meaningless.

  He tried everything. He warped space. He slowed time. He even gambled on blind luck. Nothing worked.

  "If only I could land one attack…" he murmured between labored breaths, his body aching from the toll of constant resurrection. "Just one. That’s all I need. If I can kill one, I can imagine killing the rest."

  His fists clenched. His patience thinned.

  "But if I keep dying, my power and speed will keep getting cut until I’m no stronger than the weakest human."

  It was a race against his own declining capabilities. Every death drained him. Every failure weakened him. If he didn’t find a solution soon, he would reach a point where he wouldn’t even be able to stand up after reviving.

  Hundreds of tries later…

  "Still nothing."

  Thousands of tries later…

  "Ugh. This is getting annoying."

  At some point, the pain stopped mattering. He was too numb to care. It was the sheer frustration that kept him going.

  Then—

  An idea.

  "Wait…" He steadied his breathing, pushing through the pain. "What if I expand the indestructible barrier around my heart… and change its properties? If I make it reflective, I might be able to bounce the beams back at them."

  It was worth a shot.

  He focused. The moment before his next revival, he altered the barrier’s structure, expanding it in his mind. The second he came back to life—

  A searing beam of light struck his body—

  And was instantly reflected.

  The ENO that had fired it was eviscerated, its form vanishing without a trace.

  Another beam came. Another ENO was erased.

  One by one, they fell—each destroyed by their own attack.

  Paradox exhaled, his lips curling into a smirk.

  "Finally."

  He snapped his fingers—an echo of power ringing through the Hyper Dimension. The remaining ENOs shattered like fragile glass, their existence erased in consecutive bursts of destruction.

  Then, as the final one fell—

  His power surged.

  Black markings spiraled across his body, radiating an unfathomable energy. His presence warped the very fabric of reality. His Half-Omnipotent form had been achieved.

  Back in Upper New York

  Norika and Thunderous were locked in a brutal clash, neither willing to yield. Their bodies dripped with sweat, but neither backed down. Flames erupted around Norika, her crimson hair whipping in the air like a burning inferno. Opposite her, Thunderous crackled with raw electricity, his form glowing with divine thunder.

  "Let’s end this!" they roared in unison, unleashing their final attacks.

  Their powers collided—an explosion of fire and lightning consuming everything in its path. The impact devastated the city block, leveling buildings and leaving the battlefield in ruins.

  From the rubble, Eve groaned, pushing herself up. "Ugh… Good thing everyone was evacuated…"

  Then—

  A portal ripped open in the center of the destruction.

  Out stepped Paradox, his body adorned with the distinct black markings of his new form. His aura was suffocating—an overwhelming presence that demanded attention.

  He grinned. "Howdy, everyone. How’s the battle going?"

  For the others, only three minutes had passed since he left.

  For Paradox? Seventy-five days of relentless death.

  Norika glared at him, frustration boiling over. "About damn time you got here! Next time you leave me out, I’m gonna kill you!"

  Paradox chuckled, stretching his fingers. "Yeah, yeah. I’ve already been through death, like… what, a few thousand times? Lost count, honestly."

  Thunderous narrowed his eyes. "So, you survived. Whatever those black markings mean, it won’t change the outcome. I will still win."

  He spoke confidently, but his instincts screamed otherwise. The pressure emanating from Paradox was unnatural. Before, he had been strong. Now? He was beyond comprehension.

  Paradox tilted his head, unimpressed. "You talk too much. Be quiet."

  With a mere flick of his wrist, Thunderous’ divine armor shattered. His golden crown crumbled. His power was stripped from him in an instant.

  "What—?!" Thunderous barely had time to react before an invisible force pulled him forward—Paradox’s hand wrapping around his face.

  "Why don’t I send you back to Zeus?" Paradox mused, tightening his grip. "And tell him this: If any of his children or little gods cause me or those close to me any more problems…"

  His eyes gleamed with something dark. "I will destroy his entire pantheon."

  And with that—

  Thunderous vanished, teleported directly to Mount Olympus.

  Paradox turned, surveying the battlefield. The destruction was bothersome. With a casual snap of his fingers, the city was restored to its original state. The injuries of Eve, Beetle Blitz, and Norika were healed in an instant.

  Beetle Blitz groaned, rubbing his head. "Ugh… I-Is it over…?"

  Paradox smirked. "Yep. Zeus’ golden boy is down for the count."

  Beetle Blitz blinked. "…Wait. You mean to tell me I nearly got fried fighting that guy, and you just—"

  Paradox shrugged. "Handled it."

  Norika crossed her arms, pouting. "Tch. I could’ve beaten him myself."

  Paradox smirked. "Sure. Just like how you ‘handled’ that situation back at the haunted mansion?"

  Norika twitched. "…I will kill you."

  With the battle over, the group went their separate ways—Eve being forced to sign Beetle Blitz’s autograph while Paradox and Norika disappeared into the night.

  The city, unaware of the real heroes, credited Beetle Blitz as the sole protector.

  As they returned to Omega-7 HQ, Kael made a feeble attempt to escape.

  Paradox, still in his Half-Omnipotent form, didn’t even glance at him.

  "Try that again, and I’ll make sure you can’t walk for a week."

  Kael froze.

  Paradox smirked.

  The night wasn’t over yet.