Chapter 23: The Pursuit and the Truth

The air was thick with tension as they stood over the devastated village of Veld. The smell of the gas still lingered in the air, a bitter reminder of the horrors that had just unfolded. Diana's heart pounded in her chest, her mind racing as anger took hold of her.

"This could have been stopped," she whispered, her voice trembling with rage. She turned to Steve, eyes blazing with fury. "You stopped me. You held me back when I could've killed Ludendorff. This is on you!"

Steve flinched at her accusation, guilt heavy on his shoulders. "I had to, Diana. We had to destroy the gas first. If we hadn't, the entire Western Front would've been wiped out."

"But you don't understand!" Diana snapped, stepping forward, her fists clenched at her sides. "If I had killed him sooner, none of this would've happened. The war would've ended."

"Diana," Alex interjected softly, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's not that simple."

Steve watched, unsure how to respond, but the sadness in his eyes was unmistakable. "Diana, we're all trying to do what's right. I'm sorry."

"I don't want your apologies, Steve," Diana snapped, her voice hardening. "I want to end this. I want to end the suffering."

---

The Pursuit of Ludendorff

Without another word, Diana stormed off, Alex following close behind. They had no time to waste. Ludendorff was still out there, and Diana's determination to stop him only grew stronger with every passing moment.

They reached the outskirts of a hidden German base just as the moon began to rise. The sky was dark, and the air felt heavy, as if the world itself knew the weight of what was about to happen. Alex and Diana moved swiftly, silently, through the shadows.

Ahead, they could see the base bustling with activity. Soldiers were loading the deadly gas into a massive bomber aircraft, preparing it for launch. And there, standing at the center of it all, was Ludendorff.

"There he is," Diana hissed, her eyes narrowing as she drew her sword. "Ares."

Alex stood beside her, his gaze focused on the army below. "Diana, wait. Killing Ludendorff won't be enough to stop all this. He's not Ares."

Diana turned to him, her expression a mix of confusion and frustration. "What do you mean? You said yourself there was something more, but you've been holding back."

Alex sighed. "I can't tell you everything, not yet. But I know one thing for sure: killing him won't end the war. Ares is still out there, but it's not Ludendorff."

Diana clenched her teeth, torn between her trust in Alex and her conviction. "Then why am I even here? Why do I feel this pull, this need to stop him?"

"Because he's part of the problem," Alex said softly, "but not the whole problem. We need to end this war at its source, and it's deeper than Ludendorff. But for now we have to kill Ludendorff."

Diana hesitated, her sword lowering slightly. She looked at Alex, searching his eyes for the answers she desperately needed, but they remained hidden behind his calm, resolute expression.

"Trust me, Diana," Alex said gently. "We'll get through this."

---

The Final Confrontation

They moved in, and chaos erupted. Diana charged ahead, her sword gleaming in the moonlight as she tore through the German soldiers like a force of nature.

Alex, meanwhile, unleashed his full strength. With a mighty swing of Stormbreaker, he sent bolts of lightning crashing down onto the battlefield, obliterating enemies like they were nothing.

Soldiers screamed and fled, but there was no escaping Alex's wrath. His combat mastery, combined with his godlike power, made him unstoppable. He moved like a whirlwind, cutting down enemies with terrifying efficiency. The ground trembled beneath him, and the sky lit up with the violent clash of his thunder.

Diana, her eyes locked on Ludendorff, pressed forward with unrelenting determination. She fought her way through the soldiers, her sword carving a path toward the man she believed was the god of war.

Ludendorff, seeing her approach, grinned wickedly and prepared for the fight. He inhaled a mysterious gas, his body surging with unnatural strength. The two clashed in a fierce battle, sword against brute force. The ground shook beneath their feet as Diana landed blow after blow, her fury driving her forward.

With a final, decisive strike, Diana plunged her sword into Ludendorff's chest. The light left his eyes as he fell to the ground, lifeless.

Diana stood over his body, breathing heavily, her hands trembling as she waited for something to happen. For the war to stop. For the world to be at peace.

But nothing changed.

---

The Moment of Truth

Diana's breath caught in her throat as the realization slowly set in. The war was still raging. The gunfire in the distance continued, the explosions still echoed in the night. She turned to Alex, her eyes wide with confusion.

"Why… why hasn't it stopped?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Alex walked toward her, his expression somber. "Because I told you, Diana. Ludendorff isn't Ares. He was just a man—part of the war, yes, but not the cause of it."

Diana looked down at Ludendorff's body, her heart sinking. "Then… what was all this for? Why did I feel so sure?"

Alex placed a hand on her shoulder, his voice soft but firm. "Because Ares is out there, manipulating things from the shadows. The war didn't start with Ludendorff, and it won't end with him. People's hearts… they're not so easily swayed by the death of one man."

Diana looked up at him, tears brimming in her eyes. "I thought if I killed him, it would be over. I thought I could bring peace."

"I know," Alex said gently. "But peace isn't something you can achieve by killing one person. It's deeper than that. Ares has been feeding the anger, the fear, the hatred. He's been twisting the minds of men. But this war is about more than just one man's influence."

Diana stepped back, her head spinning. "Then how do we stop it? How do we end this?"

Alex's gaze was steady, filled with understanding. "We have to find Ares, the real Ares. But more than that, we have to change the hearts of people. War isn't just about one battle—it's about the beliefs, the fears, and the pain that cause it. That's what we have to fight."

Diana's shoulders slumped, her heart heavy with the weight of this new knowledge. She had believed so strongly that stopping Ludendorff would end the suffering. Now, she realized just how wrong she had been.

Alex stood by her side, his hand resting on her shoulder. "We'll find Ares. And when we do, we'll stop him. But this war… it's bigger than either of us."

For the first time, Diana felt the true burden of her mission. It wasn't just about defeating one god or ending one war—it was about something far greater.

As she stood there, looking at the battlefield strewn with bodies and destruction, Diana realized that her journey had only just begun.