Can You Feel The Heat

The Grand Arena of Olympus had never seen a battle of this magnitude not in eons, not since the days when Cronus raised his sickle against Uranus.

Now, thunderclouds swirled above but not from Zeus. They birthed themselves from the sheer magnitude of divine forces colliding below. Power ancient and new, war born and flame forged, clashed in a duel that would be carved into myth.

Riser Phenex stood tall with radiant power, heat rolling off him in pulses. His every breath hissed with power. Rita, the axe sword that danced with condensed solar fire, pulsed in his grip so bright even Apollo was fascinated, his eyes flicker with clear amusement.

Across from him, Ares, the God of War, rolled his neck and twirled his crimson spear. His eyes gleamed with bloodlust,The devil before receiving the full brunt, simply brushed it off.

"Come on, Sun God," Ares growled, planting one foot forward. "Show me the fire that threatens to outshine the heavens."

Riser raised his axe and pointed it directly at the war god. "You might just die being near me War God. But I'll give you a taste."

CLANG!

Their weapons collided, and Olympus shook.

Shockwaves thundered through the colosseum, cracking the divine marble and shattering columns that had stood for thousands of years. Dust flew, and so did minor gods even Hermes having to catch Dionysus mid air with a surprised yelp, and Hera having too shielded herself with her hands on her divine gown a blush forming.

Ares laughed, wild and full of fury. "Now this this is what I live for!"

"I fight for more than survival," Riser replied, his voice low, his flames blazing around him in white arcs. "You think Gods fear me now you know nothing of what I will become my blood is pumping with vigor." A demonic smile forming on his face

Another clash another boom.

Ares's strikes came fast, precise, brutal. He wielded his spear like an extension of his soul one sharpened by a thousand wars. Riser parried each with disciplined grace and retaliating with devastating power, wanting to bury Ares under his might.

"You've trained well," Ares admitted between strikes. "Too well for a devil. Who taught you?"

Riser grinned. "This is all my own hard work discipline blessed with obsession to incinerate my foes."

That earned a bark of laughter. "Gods, I like you."

The Gods continued to watch

From his throne of clouds, Zeus leaned forward. His usually unreadable eyes were sharp, calculating.

"What a obsessive devil, to think he is this young and already matching maybe surpassing my own son," he muttered, the words almost reluctant.

Beside him, Athena narrowed her eyes behind her silver helm. "He calculates between strikes. See how he doesn't overextend? He tests, learns, then counters. His discipline outpaces most demi gods."

Apollo, his golden lyre silent on his lap, spoke with barely concealed curiosity. "His flames it's not just mimicking the sun. I feel echoes of primordial flame. Helios. Sol Invictus. Something older than even me how is that possible."

A deep voice rumbled from the shadows. Hades, unseen but ever present, gave a ghostly chuckle. "He reminds me of Helios before the fall. Careful, brother he may burn brighter than Olympus can contain."

Far below, in the VIP balcony, Thalia gripped the rail, her heart hammering in her chest. She had seen Riser's fire before had fought alongside it. But this?

Every motion was deliberate. Every flame, controlled. He danced with divinity like its his play thing, willing to challenge what it meant to truly be a God of the sun.

"He's not just a devil anymore maybe he never truly was" she whispered.

Aphrodite who walked in now standing behind Thalia." you're man is truly a speciment how hot he make my nether region. Do you mind if I take him for a ride."

Thalia looked at her and with fury is her eyes she snapped at her "NO! he's mine."

Aphrodite just laughed continuing to watch both fighters.Her lover and this handsome devil going blow for blow, licking her lips imagining Riser massive frame above her.

Back in the Arena

Ares roared, his war aura flaring crimson. He raised his spear and slammed it into the ground.

A tidal wave of raw violence erupted outward. Chunks of divine marble flew into the air like paper, and the entire arena trembled under the blast.

Riser didn't even flinch.

White flames rose like a barrier a Phenex wing shield, wrapping around him. The blast parted around it, unable to touch him.

"You think that's enough?" Riser asked calmly. "Then allow me to respond."

He pointed his axe skyward.

"Cruel Sun!"

A massive sphere of blinding heat bloomed above his head. The watching gods shielded their eyes. The temperature soared.

He hurled it like a nuke.

Ares's smile widened and he sliced through it, sundering it in a fiery explosion.

But his grin vanished when a second, smaller sun smashed into his chest midncharge, sending him crashing across the arena floor.

Ares grunted, smoke rising from his armor. "You bastard. The first one was a feint."

Riser continue pressing the attack aiming to bisect ares in half.

"You're strong, Ares. I won't deny it. But I have something you don't."

The war god pushed himself up avoiding the blow barely but it still nicked his chest leaving a potential scar in it's wake.

"Purpose."

The flames around Riser blazed with celestial force, forming the vague shape of wings behind him.

"You fight for war's sake. For glory. I fight for my people. My home. The future I will build even if I have to burn the heavens to do it."

Ares paused, his expression unreadable.

Then, slowly, he rose to full height, spear spinning in his hand.

"No one's ever said that to me before," he said, voice quiet. "Not without trembling."

He pointed his spear at Riser.

"Then let's see whose fire burns hotter, Sun Devil."

The arena glowed with twin forces crimson and white. War and flame. Legacy and rebellion.

Even the stars above seemed to dim, giving space to the impending explosion of power.

Riser's armor cracked with energy. Rita still blazing like a second sun. His aura a divine reckoning born of ambition, pain, and conviction.

Ares's war aura reached its peak, crimson clouds swirling above him. He bared his teeth, eyes glowing.

And then

They once more charged.

When they met in the center of the arena, time seemed to pause.

The impact shattered the sky.

Gods turned away. Olympus itself quaked.

Below, mortals whispered prayers they didn't understand what was happening it seemed like the world is ending. Birds scattered. Tides shifted. The world felt the moment.

The Only thing it knew was that only one figure could remained standing.

As the Grand Arena of Olympus was in ruin.

Pillars lay shattered. The divine marble floor was cratered and scorched. The skies above swirled with red and white as two titanic powers clashed without relent.

Riser now bore half his armor some parts with scorch marks across it. His obsidian gold armor was cracked in places. Even Rita, his mighty weapon, hummed less fiercely but not wavering before its master.

Across from him stood Ares, the God of War, breathing heavily, but grinning with feral excitement. Blood dripped down his lip, yet his spear remained firm in his hands. There was no fatigue in his stance only bloodlust.

Cracks in the Flame

Riser charged again, white fire flaring around his feet as he swung it. Ares caught the strike with his spear, and their weapons locked in a burning deadlock. For a moment, neither moved. Then

CRACK!

Ares twisted and kneed Riser in the gut, sending him flying across the arena. The Sun Devil hit the ground hard, bouncing once before skidding to a halt.

"You've got the shine, devil," Ares taunted, pacing forward. "But shine fades. Glory doesn't."

Riser growled, standing slowly, flames licking at his back.

"You talk too much," he spat, blood dripping from his mouth.

"And you're slowing down," Ares grinned. "I told you I'm the God of War. Battle is my breath. My soul. You're playing king. I'm a killer."

Olympus Watched in Silence

From the royal balcony, the gods and goddesses of Olympus watched with bated breath.

Zeus narrowed his eyes. "Riser is faltering"

Athena frowned. "His movements they're slowing. He's bleeding too much divine power."

Apollo clenched his fists. "But his flame it hasn't gone out."

Thalia gripped the stone railing hard enough to crack it. "Come on, Riser. Don't give in. Not to him."

The War God's Wrath knows no bound

Ares came in with another furious assault, his spear a blur of slashes and stabs. Riser blocked the first few strikes, but Ares's sheer brute force pushed him back. A downward slam broke Riser's defense, sending Rita skidding across the arena.

Ares didn't stop. He landed a punch to Riser's jaw that echoed like thunder, then slammed him into the ground.

"Where's that pride now, Sun Devil?!"

Riser groaned, struggling to rise. His hands trembled. Blood seeped from his forehead.

"Is this it?" Ares sneered, stepping on Riser's back. "All that power. That big talk. And you're just another upstart pretending to be a god."

The Fire Flickers with fury of the words being spar

For a moment, everything stilled.

Riser, his body battered but healing slowly, his pride being wounded, lay beneath the God of War.

The crowd was quiet.

But deep within him something stirred once more.

A voice. A memory. Not of gods, not of battles but of his people. His home. His lovers. His dream.

"I will not fall here."