Cronus' system: Against the gods-Chapter 172: Filler - - Lucius vs Jeff

Lucius walked at an unhurried pace, his hands tucked in the pockets of his long, dark coat. His shadow stretched unnaturally, shifting and twisting as if alive. He had felt the military's presence long before they had even noticed him.

A smirk played on his lips. "They never learn."

A moment later, spotlights flared to life, bathing the cracked pavement in harsh white light. Dozens of soldiers emerged from their hiding spots, weapons trained on him.

Arris' voice boomed from a speaker attached to a nearby drone.

"Lucius Noctis. Surrender now, and you might live."

Lucius tilted his head, his expression one of amused curiosity. "Is that really the best you can do? An ultimatum wrapped in false hope?" He chuckled darkly. "I've already died once, Arris. Do you really think I'm afraid of death?"

Arris gritted his teeth. "Fire."

The soldiers obeyed. A barrage of high-powered energy blasts ripped through the air, converging on Lucius' position. The impact sent a shockwave through the street, obliterating chunks of concrete and engulfing him in a cloud of smoke and debris.

Silence.

Then, a deep, resonating chuckle echoed through the dust.

The smoke cleared, revealing Lucius—completely unscathed. The shadows around him pulsed like a living entity, absorbing every ounce of energy thrown his way.

Arris' blood ran cold.

Lucius sighed, shaking his head. "Disappointing."

In a blur, he vanished.

The next second, he was in front of the nearest soldier, his hand gripping the man's throat. With a casual squeeze, the soldier's helmet cracked, ice spreading across his body in an instant. Within moments, he was nothing more than a frozen statue.

The others barely had time to react before Lucius moved again. He weaved through them like a phantom, his shadowed fists colliding with bodies, sending them flying like ragdolls. Blood splattered across the pavement. Screams filled the air.

Arris cursed, drawing his own weapon—a specialized Aether saber designed to disrupt energy-based attacks. He dashed forward, his blade igniting in a surge of golden light as he swung at Lucius' back.

Lucius spun, catching the blade mid-swing with his bare hand.

Arris' eyes widened in disbelief.

Lucius grinned. "Nice toy."

Then, with a single flick of his wrist, he shattered the blade into glowing fragments.

Arris barely had time to react before Lucius' palm struck his chest. The force sent him hurtling backward, crashing through a concrete barrier. Pain exploded through his ribs, and for a moment, the world blurred.

Lucius turned back to the remaining soldiers. Most were already retreating, the fear in their eyes clear. He exhaled slowly, letting his power simmer beneath his skin.

"I expected more."

Then, the temperature changed.

A powerful surge of Aetheric energy tore through the battlefield, sending a shockwave that forced even Lucius to pause.

From the rooftops above, a familiar figure descended, his presence radiating authority and sheer power. His body crackled with raw, golden energy.

Jefferson had arrived.

Lucius looked up, his smirk widening. "Ah, finally. Someone worth my time."

Jefferson's piercing gaze met his. No words were spoken. None were needed.

The true battle was about to begin.

A gust of wind howled through the ruined street as Jefferson landed, his boots cracking the pavement beneath him. The golden Aether around his body burned like a miniature sun, raw power radiating from his form. His expression was unreadable, but his stance spoke volumes—he was ready for war.

Lucius let out a low chuckle, rolling his shoulders as the shadows around him thickened, coiling like living serpents. His muscles tensed beneath his shadow armor, the temperature around him dropping as his ice and darkness intertwined.

Then, in a blink, they moved.

Jefferson struck first.

A burst of golden energy exploded beneath his feet, propelling him forward at blinding speed. His fist, crackling with condensed Aether, shot toward Lucius' face like a meteor.

Lucius barely had time to react. He twisted his body, narrowly dodging the blow as Jefferson's punch shattered the air, sending a shockwave rippling through the battlefield. The sheer force of it sent debris flying in every direction.

Lucius countered instantly. His knee shot up, aiming for Jefferson's ribs, but the older man pivoted, catching the attack with his forearm. The moment their bodies connected, a violent pulse of energy erupted between them, distorting the very air around them.

Jefferson gritted his teeth. He's fast. Too fast.

Lucius smirked, sensing the hesitation. He capitalized on it, twisting his body mid-air and delivering a devastating spinning kick aimed at Jefferson's skull.

CRACK!

The impact sent Jefferson skidding backward, his boots digging trenches into the ground as he fought for balance. A faint bruise marked his cheek where Lucius' strike had landed.

But instead of anger, Jefferson smiled.

"You hit harder than I expected," he admitted, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. "But you're still not strong enough."

Lucius' eyes narrowed. "Then come prove it."

They clashed again.

This time, Jefferson ducked under Lucius' punch and slammed his elbow into his gut. Lucius grunted, the force rattling his insides, but he retaliated with a brutal headbutt, sending Jefferson stumbling.

Neither gave an inch.

Jefferson surged forward, his fists moving like a relentless storm—each punch precise, calculated, and devastatingly powerful. Lucius blocked, dodged, countered. Their movements blurred, fists colliding with flesh, bones creaking under the sheer force of their strikes.

The ground beneath them cracked, unable to withstand the battle of monsters.

Jefferson swung, his fist coated in golden flames. Lucius raised his arm to block, but the moment their limbs connected—

BOOM!

Aether and shadow detonated on impact, the explosion blasting them apart. Lucius flipped mid-air, landing on one knee, ice rapidly spreading beneath him. Jefferson landed on the opposite side, his feet skidding across the ruined asphalt.

They both breathed heavily.

But Jefferson's grin widened.

"Not bad, Lucius." His eyes burned with determination. "But you're still not at my level."

Lucius wiped a trickle of blood from his lips. His smirk never wavered. "Then let's fix that, shall we?"

Jefferson rolled his shoulders, his golden Aether pulsing wildly. His knuckles were bloodied—some of it his, most of it Lucius'. He wiped his mouth, his expression darkening.

"You're stubborn," Jefferson muttered. "But you're reaching your limit."

Lucius spat to the side. "Tch. Limit? I haven't even started."

Without warning, Lucius vanished.

A shadow flicker, faster than sight—he reappeared behind Jefferson, his leg already swinging in a brutal arc aimed at his temple.

Jefferson barely had time to react—CRACK!

The impact rattled his skull, sending him skidding across the ground. He caught himself, barely avoiding falling, but Lucius was already on him.

A barrage of punches followed.

Left hook. Right hook. A knee to the ribs. An elbow crashing against Jefferson's jaw.

Lucius was relentless, his attacks faster than bullets, infused with ice and darkness. His fists tore through the air, each one aiming to shatter bone, to break Jefferson down piece by piece.

BOOM!

Lucius' fist landed against Jefferson's chest, sending him flying through a concrete wall. The building trembled before collapsing into dust.

For a moment, silence.

Lucius stood there, his breath ragged. He had hit him with everything. There was no way—

Golden light erupted from the rubble.

Lucius' eyes widened.

A golden blur shot out like a comet—before he could react, a fist slammed into his gut.

"GAAAHH—!"

Lucius felt the air explode from his lungs, his ribs cracking like twigs. His body folded around the fist before he was launched like a missile, tearing through debris, bouncing off the ground like a ragdoll.

But Jefferson wasn't done.

The moment Lucius' body touched the ground, Jefferson was there.

A golden knee drove into his stomach, making him cough up blood. Before he could even groan in pain, Jefferson grabbed his head and slammed it into the ground so hard the earth shattered beneath them.

Lucius tried to rise—a foot crashed against his jaw.

A tooth flew out.

He tried to summon his shadows—a fist buried itself into his ribs.

Another crack.

Lucius screamed in pain, but Jefferson didn't stop.

He grabbed Lucius by the throat, lifting him off the ground. Lucius clawed at his arm, but Jefferson's grip was iron.

Golden Aether blazed around his fist.

"This… is where it ends," Jefferson whispered, his voice cold.

Lucius' eyes widened as the fist came down.

A golden flash.

Then—silence.

Lucius' body went limp, a hole torn through his chest, golden energy searing through his very soul.

Jefferson let the body fall.

Lucius Noctis was dead.

The battlefield was silent.

Lucius' body lay motionless on the cracked pavement, smoke rising from the gaping hole in his chest. The golden glow of Jefferson's Aether still flickered in his clenched fist, remnants of the devastating final blow that had ended the so-called God of Death. His breathing was heavy, his knuckles bloodied, his body battered, but he stood victorious.

The wind howled through the ruined streets, carrying with it the distant echoes of sirens and the static-filled chatter of the military's comms. The remaining soldiers, those who hadn't fled in terror, stood frozen in disbelief. The nightmare was finally over.

Or so they thought.

A slow, grating sound filled the air—the sound of something shifting against broken asphalt. A sickening crack followed. Then, impossibly, a breath.

Jefferson's eyes widened.

Lucius moved.

His fingers twitched, dragging against the debris-strewn ground. His shoulders jerked as though something was pulling him back from the abyss. Then, a deep, rattling inhale—like a drowning man gasping for air after being submerged in darkness.

The shadows around him pulsed.

Jefferson took a step back, instincts screaming at him to stay on guard. No, this wasn't possible. He had driven Aether directly into Lucius' heart, obliterating his core. He had felt the life drain from his enemy. He was dead.

He had to be dead.

Yet, the temperature plummeted once more.

A deep, guttural laugh echoed from Lucius' throat, ragged and filled with something inhuman. His body convulsed as the shadows writhed beneath him, clawing at his flesh, stitching together what had been destroyed. The hole in his chest began closing, black tendrils of dark energy weaving through bone and muscle like grotesque stitches.

His once-dead eyes fluttered open. But they were different now.

The whites of his eyes were gone, replaced by a pure abyssal black, as if the void itself had claimed him. The irises glowed with an eerie crimson, like embers smoldering in an eternal, hellish fire.

Jefferson clenched his fists, Aether surging around him once more. "You should be dead."

Lucius tilted his head, rolling his shoulders as though testing his new body. His lips curled into a cruel smile, his voice dripping with amusement.

"Should be." His voice was different—distorted, layered with something ancient. Something monstrous.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he moved.

Jefferson barely had time to react. A black blur shot forward, and a shadow-infused fist collided with his stomach. A shockwave of dark energy erupted from the impact, blasting through the street like a hurricane.

Jefferson's eyes bulged as blood erupted from his mouth. His ribs caved under the force, and before he could brace himself, he was launched backward, slamming through one, two, three buildings before finally crashing into the side of a massive steel structure.

He groaned, struggling to push himself up, but his body screamed in agony. That hit had been unlike anything before. It wasn't just strength—it was something else. Something… wrong.

Lucius stepped forward, his movements unnatural, his very presence warping the space around him. The shadows beneath him coiled and slithered like living things, eager to consume.

"You really thought killing me would be that easy?" He let out another chuckle, his new voice sending chills down the spines of every soldier still watching. "No, Jefferson. You only freed me."

Jefferson's fingers twitched, golden energy flickering weakly. He had spent too much Aether, taken too much damage. His vision blurred for just a second. But it was enough.

Lucius appeared in front of him, gripping him by the throat with a single hand.

"You're strong," Lucius mused, tilting his head. "But in the end… even the strong kneel before gods."

Then, with effortless force, he slammed Jefferson's body into the ground, creating a massive crater. The earth trembled beneath the sheer brutality of the attack.

Jefferson coughed, struggling, but Lucius tightened his grip, lifting him back up like a ragdoll.

"You should feel honored," Lucius whispered, his crimson eyes burning with dark amusement. "You get to witness my rebirth."

Jefferson's fingers twitched. He wasn't done yet.

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He gathered the last remnants of his strength, Aether igniting in his palm one final time.

But Lucius saw it.

And he smiled.

Then, with a flick of his wrist, he plunged his other hand into Jefferson's chest—straight into his core.

Aether exploded outward, but this time, it wasn't golden. It was black. Twisting. Corrupting.

Jefferson's eyes widened as the agonizing cold spread through his veins. His golden glow flickered, dimming, suffocating. His breath hitched as his body convulsed against the overwhelming power seeping into him.

Lucius leaned in, his voice a whisper of death.

"Now, let's see how a god truly dies."