Chapter 123 - Tempting Invitation

Ikki advanced, his firm steps echoing in the ruins of Otrys as his gaze remained fixed on the General — the titan Atlas. The weight of his presence seemed to increase with each stride, as if the very ground trembled beneath his feet.

His fists were clenched, muscles taut with a tension that emanated pure ferocity. The aura around him intensified, like an invisible pressure field, and the surrounding air seemed to grow denser, harder to breathe.

That feeling of fear gripped everyone present. It wasn't just a fleeting sensation, but something deep, running down the spine of everyone there. Zoë and Thalia, still paralyzed, felt their legs tremble uncontrollably, and the feeling of helplessness consumed them, reminding them of the sensation they felt when Ikki destroyed Talos.

Even the General, the dreaded titan, began to feel Ikki's power bearing down on him. His gaze, normally arrogant and full of confidence, was now tinged with a subtle apprehension.

The fear wasn't just of Ikki's strength, but of its limits. Every movement of his body, every contraction of his muscles, was a promise of destruction. The pressure of his presence was overwhelming, and something in the environment seemed to shift, as if the laws of nature were being challenged.

And then, a slight tremor ran through General Atlas's body. He tried to maintain a serious expression, but the feeling was undeniable.

Ethan, completely paralyzed by Ikki's overwhelming force, felt a wave of dread so intense that he completely lost control. His body shuddered violently as his eyes widened in horror before the overwhelming presence of Zeus's son. Adrenaline coursed through his veins, but instead of courage, the only response he had was a silent scream of fear. With a muffled sound, he couldn't contain the panic, and the relief of his bladder bursting was the only thing that reminded him of his absolute vulnerability in that moment. He wet himself, his clothes sticking to his skin, but his mind was distant, focused on the absolute terror before him. He was no longer a warrior, nor a being endowed with power. He was just a man, small and powerless, before something much greater.

The dracaenae, who had previously stood firm beside the sarcophagus, were now running desperately, fleeing for their lives as if they were being hunted by an uncontrollable force. Their serpentine bodies moved swiftly, but the speed of their movements made no difference. Fear dominated them, and their throats emitted shrill cries as they fled from Ikki, as if they knew their destruction was imminent.

Then, as if a storm had suddenly passed, the fear dissipated. It wasn't replaced by anything grand, no new overwhelming emotion took its place. Only silence remained.

The air, previously heavy and suffocating, returned to normal. The trembling in Thalia and Zoë's legs ceased. Artemis sighed in relief.

The General remained motionless, his expression unreadable. There was no anger, no defiance, no surrender. Just a momentary emptiness, a lapse where nothing seemed to make sense.

The fireplace crackled in the distance. The cold wind cut through the ruins of Otrys, stirring dust and ashes.

For an instant, everything stopped.

And then, Ikki moved with supernatural speed, his presence a blur before Ethan. In an instant, he was there, in front of the demigod, and before Ethan could react, a powerful hand rose. The sound of a crack was heard as Ikki's slap landed on Ethan's head, the force behind the blow so immense that the young demigod's skull couldn't withstand it.

The impact was brutal. The explosion of blood and brain fragments spread, throwing the remains across the field. Ethan's body fell inert, lifeless.

The silence that followed was profound, as if even the wind stopped to contemplate the scene.

Ikki observed the body without emotion, his expression unchanged, as if he had completed a simple task. He looked towards the General, who had started to move upon seeing Ikki move towards Ethan, no longer dominated by the previous fear and being one of the few present capable of reacting to his speed.

The moment he turned and looked at the General, he was already in front of him.

The General couldn't tolerate the humiliation, and the sight of his soldier, Ethan, being annihilated without him being able to do anything burned his dignity. Cronos's order to keep Ethan alive now seemed distant, since the demigod's death had been inevitable.

With a ferocious yell, the General brought his gigantic fist down towards Ikki. The impact would be devastating, a blow capable of ripping the air and crushing anyone in its path. But Ikki, with astonishing calm, didn't move. In a precise movement, he extended two fingers—his index and thumb—and, with unexpected strength, stopped the General's fist in midair.

The titan, perplexed, tried to exert more force, but it seemed as if his fist had encountered an invisible wall, unable to advance.

The tension between the two grew. The General, his expression of fury transforming into a mixture of surprise and frustration, began to realize that something was completely out of place.

"You... you really think you can stop me with that?" the General growled, his voice like the roar of thunder.

Ikki, with an impassive look, responded with his usual serenity:

"Of course I can, because I am the strongest..."

He kept his fingers firmly pressed against the titan's fist, Atlas's brute power being absorbed by his fingers as if it were nothing. His muscles contracted, but he was imperturbable, keeping the titan trapped while Atlas's fury tried to find a breach.

With a calculated movement, Ikki freed his other leg and lifted it with impressive speed. The kick landed directly in Atlas's stomach with a resounding impact. The sound of the blow reverberated through the air as the force of the kick sent Atlas flying backward, his body colliding with the ground brutally, dragging stones and cracking the ground as if it were a shock wave.

Atlas, stunned, rolled across the ground for several meters, raising a cloud of dust and debris. He tried to get up, but the pain radiating from his stomach was unbearable. Ikki remained standing, calm and focused, as he watched the titan slowly rise, the expression of growing frustration on Atlas's face.

The two clashed.

Atlas and Ikki moved like a blur of speed and pure force. Both were like two lightning bolts, their movements invisible to human eyes. The sound of their attacks cutting through the air was all that could be heard, while the shock waves created by the speed of the exchanged blows shook the mountain.

Ikki, with his undeniable advantage of speed and concentrated force, moved like a shadow, his punches and kicks becoming flashes of light.

The titan tried to adapt, but his speed was inferior to Zeus's son. Each of Ikki's attacks became a direct hit.

One of Ikki's punches crossed the air, hitting Atlas's face with such force that the titan was thrown back. The earth trembled beneath his feet as golden blood spurted from his mouth, mixing with the dust around him. Ikki gave the titan no time to react. With a fluid movement, he advanced and delivered another punch, this time to Atlas's stomach, causing the titan to spit more golden blood as he doubled over in pain.

But Atlas wasn't easy to defeat. He recovered quickly, attempting to counterattack with devastating punches that could destroy the entire mountain.

Ikki, however, used his [Sky] authority to dissipate them before impact. With a simple hand movement, he used the energy of the firmament to neutralize the attacks and dissipate them into the atmosphere as soon as they reached him.

The battle continued, the frenetic rhythm of punches and counterattacks a dance of pure violence.

Atlas, even with all his strength and resilience, was beginning to be overwhelmed by the relentless pace of Ikki's attacks. The titan tried to regain control, but the demigod's agility and blows were like heavy hammers breaking Atlas's defenses, bringing the titan to the brink of collapse.

After forcing the Titan back with another punch to the stomach that made him spit blood, Ikki stopped holding back, letting all his energy concentrate in his right fist. His muscles contracted, his pure strength focusing, immense pressure building around him.

The entire environment seemed to bend before the overwhelming force accumulating in his arm. With a single movement, he raised his fist, the skies darkening above him as if the firmament itself was preparing to witness the destruction about to unfold.

The General — Atlas — was there, eyes fixed on him, trying to regain his composure, but it was too late. Ikki's speed and power were beyond his comprehension. The impact was instantaneous. Ikki's fist descended with the force of a cataclysm, striking the General.

The explosion of power was so great that it seemed as if space itself was being torn apart, a shock wave so intense that it reverberated throughout the atmosphere.

Atlas was completely destroyed, his form instantly disintegrated under the impact.

There were no pieces, no traces.

All that remained was a void where he had stood. If Ikki hadn't dissipated the power with his [Sky] authority, the entire continent-sized area would have easily vanished.

Despite this, the force of the blow was such that the shock wave still swept through the planet's atmosphere, causing the air to tremble and even the surrounding terrain to crack. The sound of the impact was like divine thunder, and the impact of this colossal force could be felt in every corner of the Earth.

After Atlas's total destruction, the impact still reverberated in the air, the surrounding space trembling with the released force.

Ikki, at the center of this destruction, looked at the place where the titan had existed, now just a sea of disintegrated particles.

These particles began to move, as if being pulled towards a central point, towards Ikki himself.

With an imperceptible gesture, the void within him — the [Conceptual Void] — opened. Atlas's essence was sucked into that space, a silent and immense absorption, as if his very existence was being erased, dissolved into the infinity that Ikki controlled.

As the General's particles were pulled in, the [Conceptual Void] slowly filled. Increasing his understanding of the concepts he was absorbing. The concepts of [Resistance] and [Strength] were fully understood. With these concepts now completely comprehended, he felt his being expand, as if he were in tune with the fundamental laws of the universe.

The [Conceptual Void] continued to fill until it reached 5% overall. With that, he possessed the Laws of [Wind], [Lightning], and [Poison] materialized, and the concepts of [Justice], [Balance], [Revenge], [Serpent Dragon], [Immortality], [Strength], and [Resistance] materialized, having complete control over each of them.

But not only that, the increased understanding of several concepts helped him almost materialize the concept of [Magic]; it had increased by another five percent, leaving very little to finish.

He had also sensed the interference of [Fate] in this battle, although he couldn't understand the intentions of those old women. He could guess it was to make Zoë die at the hands of her father, Atlas, considering the prophecy about one of them being killed by a relative hadn't yet come true — with that, he basically saved her life as well.

Leaving that aside, Ikki observed Artemis for a moment. Although she still showed signs of fatigue from holding up the sky, she was fine. Her breathing was a little irregular, but her silver eyes were fixed on him, assessing him in a way he couldn't tell if it was caution, admiration, or a mixture of both.

Zoë and Thalia, on the other hand, remained completely still, frozen in place. It was as if the reality of the fight ending so quickly was difficult for them to process. Thalia gripped her shield tightly, her blue eyes wide. Zoë, always so proud and confident, couldn't hide her disbelief.

Was it all over just like that?

Unconcerned with their reactions, Ikki turned his attention to the sarcophagus. The dracaenae had been carrying it before fleeing in despair. Whatever was inside, it was important. He approached without hesitation and, with a single movement, removed the lid.

But before he could see anything, an invisible force gripped his consciousness and pulled him into a deep void.

.

.

.

.

.

The world around him transformed into a white and silent space. There was no ground, sky, or any point of reference. Just an unrestricted void.

In the center, a dark flame floated. Its presence was strange, jarring in that monochromatic space, as if it didn't belong there. Still, Ikki could feel its warmth. A warmth that didn't burn his skin, but reached something deeper, as if trying to touch his very existence.

He realized that, although he was floating, he was "standing." His body maintained its firm posture, as if the very concept of gravity was irrelevant there.

And then, the darkness moved.

It was a smile.

A deep voice, laden with an almost amused tone, echoed through the space.

"Ikki Phoenix, my grandson. I've been waiting a long time to meet you. If you are here, it means that all my plans have failed, and that Atlas and Ethan are dead."

The pause was brief, but loaded with meaning.

"Unlike others, you have the disposition to kill. You could say you inherited that from me…"

Ikki felt his fists clench as he recognized the name.

"Cronos…"

The thing smiled wider.

The smile in the darkness broadened, almost satisfied, as it observed Ikki carefully. It didn't seem bothered by the fact that its army had been destroyed, nor by the end of Atlas and Ethan.

"Yes… exactly as I expected." Cronos's voice was deep, laden with an ancient weight: "You are everything an heir of mine should be. Powerful. Decisive. Without hesitation to crush your enemies. Zeus's brat finally did something decent for the world…"

Ikki remained motionless; there was no fear, only careful assessment. He wasn't bothered by the Titan of Time's words, nor did he care about his attempt at flattery. His mind worked quickly, seeking to understand what was happening and why Cronos was speaking to him in this way.

"What do you want?" he asked, directly and without preamble.

Cronos laughed.

"Always objective. I like that. I want to make you an offer, Ikki Phoenix. You have power. You have ambition. You weren't born to be a mere pawn in the game of the Olympian gods…"

The black flame flickered, and around it, the void began to transform. Images began to emerge, taking shape like projections molded in the very fabric of reality.

"Join me. Become my right hand. Take Atlas's place."

The vision unfolded before Ikki's eyes.

He saw himself sitting on a colossal throne, made of a black and shining metal, engraved with symbols.

Around the throne, female figures knelt, all naked and with an intoxicated look of pleasure.

Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, the one who always despised men, was now before him with downcast eyes, submissive. Her unyielding pride was absent. Silena, Annabeth, Zoë, Thalia, Hestia, and Aphrodite were beside Artemis, all of them naked and ready to serve him with their bodies as slaves to his desires.

Cronos continued speaking, his voice seductive and full of promise.

"You will have everything. The world at your feet. Goddesses and mortals will be your servants, eager to fulfill your desires. You will be more than a god, Ikki. You will be the absolute ruler…"

The vision shifted.

The Twelve Olympians knelt before him. Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Hermes, Ares… All with their heads bowed, their expressions filled with despair. They were no longer the arrogant gods who ruled the world with iron fists. Now, they were there, humiliated, awaiting his orders.

It was they who now feared the figure of Ikki Phoenix.

"This can be yours." Cronos's voice resounded again: "Just one word. Tell me you accept, and the world will be yours. The gods will fall before you, and you will be the new ruler."

The vision was vivid, tempting.

Absolute power. The submission of the gods. Complete control over those who once ruled with tyranny.

It was a promise anyone would covet.

But Ikki remained silent. His eyes scanned the scene before him, absorbing every detail. Within his mind, the thought was acidic and corrosive.

Join Cronos?

The mere idea was repulsive. Disgusting.

The Titan of Time, who prided himself on orchestrating the death of his mother, really thought he would accept an offer like that? That he would bow and become a pawn of a monster who was just another puppet of fate?

Ikki felt disgust.

Disgust at the proposal. Disgust at what Cronos represented.

The Titan believed he could escape the web of fate, but he was nothing more than another plaything in the hands of the force that truly ruled the universe. He was an Old God trying to revive a past that would never return. A remnant of an era that no longer had a place in the world.

To ally with Cronos would be to accept the same fate that led him to kill his own mother.

He had never been one to accept being commanded. He never bowed to anyone.

And he definitely wouldn't start now.

What a joke.

The repulsion within him burned, but instead of showing, it transformed into something more dangerous. Something sharper.

Ikki then spoke.

"And why should I accept this?"

The question was simple. Emotionless.

Cronos leaned forward slightly, as if studying Ikki's reaction.

"Because you don't belong on their side. Because you don't bow to anyone. Because, deep down, you know you were made for more."

Silence reigned for a moment.

"You think you can manipulate me with this?"

Cronos's voice remained calm.

"It's not manipulation, Ikki. It's an invitation. You've already surpassed them all. You don't belong on Olympus. You belong at the top. You can be the sovereign of everything."

Ikki remained impassive.

"And if I say no?"

Cronos chuckled softly.

"Then you will continue serving the gods who despise you. You will remain trapped in their game."

The black flame flickered once more, and the vision began to dissolve.

The monochromatic void returned to envelop them.

Ikki crossed his arms, his gaze still fixed on Cronos.

"Do you want to know the real difference between us?"

Cronos's smile remained.

"Tell me."

Ikki took a step forward as he spoke calmly.

"I don't need that kind of vision to know what I want."

Cronos remained silent for a moment before laughing softly, a deep, reverberating sound.

"You really are different, Ikki Phoenix. To refuse a throne, gods kneeling at your feet, immortal women devoted to you… Anyone would have yielded. But you? You are driven by something different. Something deeper."

Ikki remained impassive. His blue eyes shone in the monochromatic void.

"And what do you think drives me?"

Cronos leaned forward slightly, his black flame flickering in response to the question.

"Loss. Pain."

The darkness seemed to stir in response to the Titan's words.

Ikki continued to stare at Cronos, but now his gaze was colder.

Cronos smiled wider.

"I can bring her back."

Time seemed to freeze.

For an instant, the very space between them distorted, as if reality itself hesitated before that statement.

Ikki continued looking at Cronos, and then his lips curved into a mocking smile.

"You can't."

Cronos arched an invisible eyebrow, as if genuinely intrigued.

"And why are you so sure? I am the Lord of Time. I can reverse the moments that led to her death."

Ikki chuckled softly, crossing his arms.

"You have no dominion over the fate that killed her."

There was a brief silence before Cronos burst into a deep, reverberating laugh. The surrounding space trembled as if the very fabric of reality was bending to his laughter.

"Hahahahaha! Oh, Ikki, you truly are fascinating! Yes, you are absolutely right!"

The black flames around the Titan flickered more intensely, as if reflecting his enthusiasm.

"I can control time. I can manipulate its passage, accelerate it, decelerate it, even reverse it. But fate? Fate is beyond my reach. I can circumvent it, but not break it completely…"

The entity tilted its head slightly, still chuckling softly.

"And the fact that you know this only makes you more interesting."

Ikki didn't react to the provocation. He knew Cronos was trying to find any crack in his mind, any unstable emotion that could be exploited. But he wouldn't give him that satisfaction.

Cronos's smile widened, his presence distorting the space around him.

"And if I had her soul?"

The Titan of Time's voice was seductive, captivating, laden with unshakeable certainty.

Ikki narrowed his eyes. He didn't react immediately, but the insinuation sent a chill down his spine.

"What makes you think I wouldn't?" Cronos continued, taking a step forward, his shadowy form wavering in the nothingness. "She died at the hands of Luke Castellan, didn't she? And tell me, Ikki… who was Luke's true master?"

Silence weighed between the two. Ikki's gaze showed no emotion, but Cronos felt it. That tiny moment of hesitation.

He laughed.

"Exactly. Me."

The surrounding space twisted, as if existence itself rejected this truth.

"Luke was my pawn. He acted under my influence. And her death…?"

Cronos's voice dropped to a near whisper.

"It was by my will."

The son of Zeus remained still, his expression unreadable.

"She didn't go to the Underworld. She didn't reincarnate." The Titan's voice deepened. "She is here. Trapped within me…"

Cronos carefully observed every nuance of Ikki's expression. He expected… anger. Despair. Perhaps even submission.

But then, Ikki smiled.

It was a small smile, almost imperceptible, but laden with something… dangerous.

Cronos furrowed an invisible brow.

And then Ikki laughed.

Softly at first, a dry, mocking sound.

Then louder.

Until his laughter echoed through the void, resonating like thunder.

Cronos narrowed his eyes.

"And what exactly makes you think that means anything to me?" Ikki spoke calmly.

The Titan's smile faltered for an instant.

"Are you saying you don't care?"

For the first time, Cronos felt something he hadn't experienced in millennia.

A pang of uncertainty.

Ikki kept his expression unchanged, but within his mind, he had already unmasked Cronos's farce.

His mother's soul… in the Titan's hands?

Impossible.

He didn't need proof, he didn't need arguments. The very concept of [Justice] that he had materialized made the lie in Cronos's words evident. He was basically an infallible lie detector through this. If he hadn't achieved the materialization of this concept, perhaps, for a moment, he would have hesitated. Perhaps he would have been deceived by the confidence with which the Titan spoke. But now?

It was almost laughable.

His mother's soul wasn't with him.

This lie was just another attempt to bend him. To plant a seed of doubt. To instigate a spark of false hope in his heart.

He looked at Cronos, who still smiled confidently, thinking his bait might work.

Pathetic.

He tilted his head slightly, his voice becoming a sharp whisper.

"You think this is a negotiation? That you're in control?"

Another step. The void around them trembled.

"If you really have her soul… then I'll rip it from you."

Cronos's black flames flickered slightly.

Ikki smiled.

"And in the process, I will destroy you."

Cronos remained silent for a moment. So it was all useless. He suppressed the urge to sigh.

Sending those dreams to Percy… useless. He had created careful visions, letting Percy see Ikki's mother trapped in the sky, a false hope subtly planted. If everything had gone as planned, the boy would have told Ikki and sown doubt in his mind.

But it didn't work.

Deceiving Artemis with the power of one of his subordinates who transformed into Ikki's mother while also reinforcing everything with a powerful illusion to trap the goddess in the sky and make Ikki come to them to trap him in the sky… useless.

Letting Ethan take Luke's place with the destiny of escaping the campers and hunters… useless.

Ethan was dead. Atlas was dead, and the Sky was destroyed. He watched it all thanks to the thread of consciousness within the Sarcophagus. He even used a thread of his power to cause confusion in Ladon, hoping the dragon could at least tire Ikki out so his plan would have more success, but it was flawed.

He implanted a fragment of his consciousness inside the Sarcophagus, which was his plan B, allowing him to, at the right moment, communicate directly with Ikki, probe him, evaluate him, and, in the best-case scenario, convince him. It was also useless.

And Ikki didn't bow.

Everything he had devised to bend the son of Zeus… was reduced to nothing.

Cronos observed Ikki for a long moment before his smile widened. It wasn't a smile of mockery or provocation, but a genuine smile of acknowledgment.

"Interesting." His voice echoed in the white void around them. "So it was all useless…"

He shook his head slightly, as if appreciating a work of art that, despite deviating from what he had planned, was still impressive.

"You truly surpassed all my expectations, Ikki Phoenix. You not only rejected my offer but also saw through my lie. Even faced with the possibility of recovering your mother, you didn't hesitate to scorn me."

Cronos's smile turned sharp.

"Now, more than ever, I am certain. When I return…"

"You will be the first to die…"

It wasn't an empty threat. It wasn't an outburst of anger or frustration.

It was a promise.

"You will return... and kill me? Hahaha…" Ikki chuckled softly, as if it were something trivial. "I've heard that before."

His relaxed posture reflected his confidence.

Cronos's smile only grew wider before he vanished and the void faded completely, along with Ikki's consciousness that had been pulled to this place.