⁕ High Voltage (part 3)

There was an eerie silence as Jagger's previous fight with Jerry had almost wiped out the massive underground city surrounding the Inverted Monolith. Daylight streamed into the underground through the hole left by the destroyed Inverted Monolith and illuminated Athena in its center. Meanwhile, Jagger remained in the darkness, barely out of the light's reach. With a devilish grin, Jagger turned around to face Athena.

[Jagger] - "I suppose you found out the absolutely hopeless situation you are currently in. With Kadyn brain dead in her bed and Jerry here reduced to a fine mist, you finally decided to show up. "

Said Jagger in a mocking tone.

[Athena] - "Are you dumb? Kadyn is already out of here and out of your reach. I think the only brain-dead mother fucker here is you. "

Said Athena with a mocking smirk.

Jagger's eyes widened as he looked down and noticed Kadyn's empty prison.

[Jagger] - "Impossible! I fucking lobotomized her! "

Yelled Jagger in shock.

Before Jagger could react, two of Athena's conjured arms crashed into Jagger and sandwiched him between their fists. In anger, Jagger slowly pushed himself out of his prison before reaching his hand toward Athena.

[Jagger] - "Guilt Extension: Blade of Pandemonium! "

However, Athena simply began walking toward Jagger with an unconcerned smile. Due to how multiple of her massive divine hands were phased through her and protecting her from harm, Jagger's attack only managed to create wind around Athena.

[Athena] - "You massacred Jerry, desecrated Mike's legacy and smeared your dirty smell all over Mike's wife. To say it simply, you won't be getting any mercy from me, you worthless hellspawn! "

Said Athena with a cold voice as she stared at Jagger.

At this point, Jagger had Blade of Pandemonium active for a whole 7 seconds for a total of 3.583 x 10^21 vertical strikes and 7.166 x 10^21 horizontal strikes. However, despite this amount of damage, Athena wasn't even scratched by a single strike even once.

[Athena] - "I wonder which of us will break first? Will my defence break or will your mental capacity be stretched to its absolute limit? "

Said Athena as she inched her face closer toward Jagger.

At the 8th second, Jagger finally broke as Blade of Pandemonium had finally taken its toll on his psyche. Suddenly, Athena grabbed Jagger by the neck before lifting him off the ground.

[Athena] - "It's time to pay for all your crimes, you fucking animal! "

With a savage strike, Athena bashed Jagger's face using one of her conjured arms which caused his defence to temporarily falter. As Jagger came to a stop on the ground, he immediately stood up before spitting out a loose tooth in his mouth.

[Jagger] - "As expected from Athena, The Spartan Marshal. You will offer me a fight which won't disappoint. "

As Athena's arms descended upon Jagger, he immediately swiped his hand and caused all the arms to be swept away from his view. As Sisyphus' boulder crashed against Jagger's back, he simply bore it using his ability with minimal effort while ensuring to not destroy it.

[Jagger] - "I know what you can do. I know everything about you, so what makes you think you have a chance against me? "

Said Jagger as he began to walk toward Athena.

[Athena] - "Unfortunately, you don't. You knew me from my days as Mike's apprentice but I've grown and changed. Mike's memory can only serve you so much before you have to fight me using your own capabilities. There is no leverage you can use against me, Jagger. This is a fight to the death with no cowardly tactics or advantages. "

Said Athena with confidence.

Jagger remained silent to avoid showing his unease, but Athena saw right through him. Both knew Jagger was far from as powerful as Mike despite possessing knowledge and access to his full arsenal of techniques. The two combatants stood facing each other, like in a Western face-off.

Suddenly, Jagger dashed and landed a punch against Athena, which sent her into the air. Following this, Jagger flew up and attempted to reach Athena before being ambushed by many of Athena's divine arms. As he fought off the row after row of endless appendages descending upon him, Jagger reached his hands forward and focused his eyes on Athena.

[Jagger] - "Echoing Verdict: Staff of the Monkey King! Echoing Verdict: Jigsaw of Pandemonium! "

It was a dual activation as Athena was abruptly slammed and pinned against the wall by the massive extending staff which manifested from Jagger's palm before being sliced by Jigsaw of Pandemonium. This time, a few bloody marks appeared on Athena's body but nothing more than surface skin damage by Jigsaw of Pandemonium. Upon seeing how his technique worked against Athena, Jagger smiled confidently before he was confronted with a smile from Athena.

[Athena] - "Guilt Extension: Champion of The Titanomachy! "

At that moment, Jagger realized that it was a trap all along. Athena allowed herself to be pinned and damaged not because she was helpless, but because she was channelling a counterattack by sacrificing elements of her defence. Instead of attacking Jagger, the divine hands grabbed Jagger's arms and legs before the flashes of blue lightning appeared all around Jagger from every angle.

Like a thunderstorm, the bolts of electricity rain down upon Jagger out of thin air without ever running out of ammo. As Jagger busied himself with defence, Athena abruptly kicked the staff pinning her down and instead sent Jagger crashing into the opposite wall before trapping him under his own technique. However, Jagger immediately developed a new technique by conjuring his own divine hands to battle Athena's army.

[Jagger] - "Don't think this is over! Mike's greatest asset is his adaptivity. No matter how strong you think you are, his ability can simply create something to counter it. "

Said Jagger as he created a shield around himself to protect against Athena's electric bolts.

[Athena] - "That is true but he often refused to do this. "

[Jagger] - "I'm not bound by honour, you filthy cunt! Mike might choose to fight like a knight but I have none of the obligation to do so! All that matters is the final victory! "

[Athena] - "What a beastly animal you are, you absolute filth! Mike refused to do this because copying an ability doesn't mean you can master it right away. "

Said Athena as she conjured more divine arms.

To his horror, Jagger watched as his own conjured hands quickly lost against the sheer number and ferocity of Athena's ability. Before long, one of Athena's hands pushed through the chaos and slammed against Jagger's chest before sending him crashing below. In a devastating blow, the hand crushed Jagger with such force that it broke through the barrier set by Jagger to block Jerry from earlier. Finally, with a ground-shaking boom, Jagger was firmly crushed under the hand against the ground below.

Meanwhile, on the ground floor, Kadyn jumped through the tall grass field while cutting down any soldier attempting to approach Athena's ship. However, their number was increasing as reinforcement arrived without stopping. Time slowed as Kadyn entered acceleration and slashed the throats of many men before they even realized that they were dead.

As Kadyn reached the maximum time of her acceleration, she immediately made her way back into the ship to rest and hydrate. However, despite her efforts, the number of soldiers and droids kept increasing as they fired shot after shot at the ship.

[Kadyn] - "They are relentless. If this keeps up, we'll be done for. "

Said Kadyn before gulping down a bottle of water.

[McCree] - "There! Missile inbound! "

Yelled McCree as he watched the battlefield from the cockpit.

In an instant, the missile detonated mid-air before Kadyn took up another bottle to drink.

[McCree] - "Mother of God! Did you cut that damn thing or am I seeing things? "

Said McCree with his mouth agape.

[Kadyn] - "Yeah I did, thank me later. "

Said Kadyn before gulping down a bottle of water.

[McCree] - "You went down there, cut the missile down and came back within a blink of my eyes? "

[Kadyn] - "Yeah? What's the big deal? "

[McCree] - "Damn, I must upgrade my Conagher Mk.5 to a Conagher Mk.7M like yours. "

[Kadyn] - "Well, you must find a Conagher Mk.7M and then have a death wish since your nerves aren't bioengineered like mine to resist being fried by high-voltage electric signals. "

[McCree] - "I'd take a chance than whatever the fuck this situation is right now. "

Suddenly, the ground began to shake intensely before violent shockwaves of air escaped through the massive hole in the ground. It was a sight like no other as if two giants were battling it out in the underground city.

[Kadyn] - "I wish Athena is doing well down there. "

Whispered Kadyn as she eyed the situation with concern.

During this time, with Jagger smashed against the ground, Athena raised her hand before a legion of divine hands descended upon her enemy. Hit after hit, Jagger was assaulted by a barrage of punches fueled by the shared fury of all his victims. It was no longer a mission to get revenge, it was a mission to uphold justice when no judge can enforce it upon the animal that is Jagger.

[Jagger] - "You think you had me... Every strike, a precise attack to pin me down. As soon as I try to conjure any technique, you would outright deny me the opportunity to do so by tying me down to pure defence. "

Whispered Jagger under his breath.

To prevent Jagger from getting shoved underground and out of sight, Athena even reinforced the soil behind her target with divine hands, thus forcing him to defend in both directions. With a wicked smile, Jagger pressed his hands together and stared at Athena with a devious look in his eyes.

[Jagger] - "I might not be as resourceful or skilled as Mike but your underestimation of my capabilities will be your ultimate downfall. Athena, are you prepared to face judgment at the gate of hell? "

Yelled Jagger as his crystals burned brightly like blue soul fire.

For a moment, just a moment, Athena's lips parted ways slightly as she struggled to contain her fear upon realizing what Jagger was trying to do. However, deep inside Athena, it was not just fear but also uncertainty and despair as she wondered if Jagger used his techniques the same way Mike would use them.

[Jagger] - "Existential Judgement: 1st Dimension! "

As soon as Jagger uttered these words, Athena felt a sharp pain around her chest. Mike's 1st Dimension can be conjured at any designated point in space before collapsing the surrounding area of the point into the similar confines of the 1st dimension of space-time. Therefore, Jagger simply couldn't miss her with this attack. Blood spewed out of Athena's mouth as the full pain of her injuries finally reached her brain.

Athena slowly touched her chest and realized that all her ribs and sternum had likely been crushed into a mush by the technique. However, she noticed that despite her injuries, the divine hands phasing through her body had mostly ensured that the attack wouldn't be fatal by maintaining her bodily integrity.

As Athena's blood escaped her mouth like a fountain, Jagger let out a satisfied smile. The divine hands have stopped attacking Jagger, which probably meant Athena was done for. However, just as Jagger flew out of the crater and positioned himself right in front of Athena, she suddenly let out a smirk which spooked Jagger.

[Athena] - "There I thought if you had the strategic genius of Mike himself... But thankfully you had just proven my doubts to be unfounded. "

Said Athena mockingly.

[Jagger] - "How pitiful, on the edge of death and still talking like a confident little cunt! "

[Athena] - "Mike used his Existential Judgements only when he was sure he could finish off his enemies with them. Meanwhile, you used the technique because you were desperate and even failed to deal the killing blow against me. So tell me, who's the more pitiful here? "

Said Athena with a smug smile on her face.

There was a clear hint of frustration on Jagger's face as Athena exposed his insecurity with such ease and confidence.

[Jagger] - "E- "

[Athena] - "Existential Judgement: Greek Kitchen! "

Said Athena as she cut off Jagger mid-sentence.

Before Jagger could react, hundreds of divine hands descended upon Jagger and trapped him in a spherical prison. In an instant, sparks of lightning appeared around Jagger before he was subjected to a pressure similar to the conditions at the center of two Earths combined. Meanwhile, a heat similar to the outer layer of the sun began to envelop Jagger.

[Athena] - "You really thought I was done? I'm not one of your pansy-sissy Blue Guards, Jagger, I'm one of the best cyberknights to have ever existed! "

Said Athena as the fire of passion burned fiercely in her eyes.

Suddenly, a distinct pattern of slashes appeared all over the walls of the underground city which prompted Athena to defend herself against Jigsaw of Pandemonium. Using this momentary distraction, Jagger destroyed his prison and slowly flew out of the ball of fire which enveloped him.

[Jagger] - "You really think- "

Before Jagger could continue, he let out a mouthful of crimson blood before his vision turned red with blood leaking out of his eyes. The abrupt nature of Athena's attack did allow Jagger to sustain a certain level of damage to his organs and flesh as patches of purple appeared on Jagger's face due to tissue compression damage.

[Athena] - "Hahaha! Well, well, look at this pitiful mother fucker! "

Said Athena, amused by Jagger's pain.

[Jagger] - "Heh! Athena, you have officially made this fight personal! I'm going to wipe that smug smile off your ugly face, bitch! "

Yelled Jagger before striking Athena with his staff.

In response, Athena struck Jagger with divine hands conjured from her direction. Without hesitation, the two threw themselves at each other, exchanging punches and kicks in the air as if they were in an aerial acrobatic show. As Jagger extended his staff, Athena simply leaned her head sideway and avoided the strike. As Athena struck forward with her divine fist, Jagger ducked backward and avoided the attack.

[Jagger] - "Guilt Extension: Sky of A Thousand Wishes! "

While keeping up with his relentless attack, Jagger began bombarding Athena from all directions with high-velocity spikes made using objects from their environment. However, just like when Mike trained her in her final test in the kitchen, she was prepared. No matter how many times or how unexpected were Jagger's sneak attacks, she was easily able to keep up with the onslaught while maintaining the momentum of her strikes.

As their exchange came to a climax, they were each merely an inch away from each other's faces while each grabbing the other by the collar. The two exchanged a long psychotic stare fueled by the thrill of adrenaline and the murderous intent behind their mind before finally pushing each other away.

[Jagger] - "Existential Judgement: 1st Dimension! "

Said Jagger as he put his hand before his sight.

[Athena] - "Existential Judgement: Greek Kitchen! "

Said Athena as she extended her arms.

With each party now aware of the other's ability, they each maintained a perfect balance between offence and defence. While initially no side took any damage from the other's attack, Jagger suddenly activated Blade of Pandemonium, which upon reaching the 5th second of activation built up enough strikes to overwhelm Athena's ability by cracking the prison.

With Jagger now freed, he used this opportunity to maintain Blade of Pandemonium to its 6th second to strike Athena. With her hands in front of her face, Athena bore a series of devasting slashes which were not lethal thanks to her defence but dealt a significant amount of damage to her body nonetheless. Catching Jagger completely off-guard, Athena conjured an electric arrow from below, which struck Jagger in the lower jaw. This temporary distraction allowed Athena to break free from 1st Dimension.

As each side struck the other with a punch, they were both sent crashing into the city below. As the cloud of dust and debris cleared, Athena and Jagger walked side-by-side while staring at each other with dilated pupils and a grim smile full of murderous intent and excitement.

[Athena] - "Let's do this again, you piece of shit! Existential Judgement: Greek Kitchen! "

Said Athena with confidence.

[Jagger] - "Existential Judgement: 1st Dimension! "

Said Jagger, happy to oblige.

This time, as their abilities struck at each other, Athena conjured one of Sisyphus' boulders and used it to absorb Jagger's Blade of Pandemonium. By the 5th second mark, just as Jagger thought he could pull the same trick as last time, he was hit by a boulder which was destroyed a total of fifty times in five seconds. With this condition in play, the boulder's weight was the Earth's mass with a speed of 10% the speed of light.

While Jagger used his ability to keep the boulder at a safe distance from him, this left Athena with the perfect opportunity to strike. As soon as Jagger turned around, he was hit in the chest by one of Athena's lightning arrows. By the time Jagger broke through Athena's Greek Kitchen, a huge burn mark was left on his chest with charred flesh sizzling and cinders detaching from his ruined clothes.

Both sides were beyond exhausted by the intensity of the battle on top of being severely injured. However, neither Jagger nor Athena showed any sign of weakness or willingness to give up. Discreetly, Jagger prepared to activate another of his techniques but hesitated before deciding to not go forward with his plan.

[Athena] - "Are you ready to continue, you bleeding bastard? "

Said Athena while breathing heavily.

[Jagger] - "This dance has gone on for long enough, so let's clear the floor already! "

[Athena] - "Nah, turn up the music because it ain't a true dance if it doesn't rock the heavens and hell to make God and the Devil nervous. "

Said Athena with a confident grin.

"This woman... I'm going to bathe in her blood and rip out her vocal cords! She pisses me off so much! Does she even know who I am? "

Thought Jagger as his face grew red with rage.

The final showdown was near as both sides activated their crystals and prepared to fight. There is no more holding back and no more games, their next exchange will be a pure exchange of strength aimed at tearing each other apart. But who will have the last laugh?

To be continued...

*EXTRA

- Profile: Athena

- Ability: [Existential Judgement: Greek Kitchen]: "An ultimate ability developed by Athena during her early days under Mike's guidance. Upon activation, the divine hands from her previous abilities will form a prison around her target and apply extreme pressure, simulating the conditions of being crushed at the center of Earth up to twice of said pressure at the maximum power output. Meanwhile, using electricity, the prison will heat up to a temperature similar to the sun's outer layer at 2 million degrees Celsius. However, in line with Athena's nature, this ability is only a tame version of her true Existential Judgement attack. "

- ABILITY STATS:

Power - A

Speed granted - None

Speed of ability - B

Range - A

Durability granted - A

Durability of ability - B

Precision - A

Potential - B