Battle of the Sun Gods
Apollo's golden chariot hovered above the sea of fire, the sun god squinting as his solar flames engulfed the entire street. In the blaze, the figure of the mortal woman had long since been swallowed up.
"Sister..." He bent down and picked up the unconscious Artemis, the goddess's silver eyelashes trembling in the Kakkō. Just as he was about to drive his chariot away, hundreds of blue lights suddenly appeared in the sea of fire.
"Crack--crack--crack" The sound of the nano-armor assembly was like raindrops, and the flames were pushed away by the suddenly unfolding metal barrier.
Tony's voice came from beneath the nano-barrier. "Seriously, do you Olympus gods lack any martial ethics? Zeus attacked without hesitation, striking down with lightning. Are you the same?"
Apollo yanked the reins tight, and the four fiery warhorses neighed uneasily as they pawed the ground. He turned to look at the armored area, where Tony stood in front of Natasha, his energy shield slowly fading.
"Friday, make a note of this." Tony's armor rose from the burning ruins. "Apollo, the sun god, his weakness might be—"
"Tony, have you settled Bruce and Barry in?" Natasha, bandaging her thigh with a tourniquet.
Apollo drew his golden bow taut once more, sunlight condensing into arrows on it: "Ants!" "Oh, Wade's done," Tony suddenly turned to Natasha, "Now leave it to me."
Natasha rolled her eyes, and her nano-armor instantly covered her entire body, spewing flames and slowly taking Natasha into the air.
The next second, the six mechanical wings behind Tony simultaneously shot forward, unleashing Six Paths laser beams that collided with Apollo's arrows.
The intense light from the explosions of the sunburst arrows and lasers dimmed the entire sea of fire.
Before the aftershocks of the explosion had even subsided, Natasha's armor propelled her into the sky, heading towards the safe zone.
Apollo watched Natasha fly away and roared, "Escape? Don't even think about it!"
He drew his bow again, and the Sunburst Arrow flew from the string, heading straight for Natasha in the air.
"Boom--!!"
A laser beam shot out from the ground, detonating the solar arrow in mid-air.
"Hey, hey, handsome, have you forgotten I'm here?" Tony's teasing voice came from the Kakkō. "Tsk tsk, no wonder you're the most handsome god in legend. Hey, want to chat with Wade? You'd be a hit with rich women, I can introduce you to some clients."
Tony hovered in mid-air, his mechanical wings behind him emitting photons, the blue-white flames contrasting sharply with the red flames.
"Your words will cost you, mortal." Apollo stopped looking at Natasha and glared at Tony.
The rage in his eyes was like a blazing sun, threatening to incinerate the glib-tongued Iron Man before him.
"Ha, many people say that, but I'm still alive and kicking." Tony, beneath his mask, had a serious expression. "Let's have a battle between divine power and technology!"
"As you wish!" Apollo flicked his whip, and his chariot of the sun soared into the air. The golden bow in his hand transformed into Lyre. "Listen to the music of the gods! This is your funeral dirge!"
The moment the Lyre vibrated, golden ripples spread across the entire sky. Tony's armored alarm suddenly blared, and six floating cannons hastily deployed their defensive matrix.
"High-frequency sonic attack detected--" F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s electronic voice was ripped to shreds by Kagura.
Apollo's fingertips danced across the strings, each note distorting the trajectory of the floating cannons.
Tony's armor snapped back at a near right angle, and as his laser sword cleaved through the sonic waves, six miniature missiles were launched from his shoulder armor.
"Boom!"
A sword of light suddenly pierced through the Kakkō of the explosion, Apollo's chariot swept through the thick smoke, and the blade grazed Tony's visor.
Tony leaned back sharply, the building behind him cleaved in two by the sword energy, the cut surface melting into crimson magma.
"Is that all you've got?" the sun god sneered.
Tony suddenly spread his arms, and all the floating cannons overloaded simultaneously. "Let me show you what it means to be --" A blue-white beam of light pierced through the sky and earth, but Apollo turned into a stream of fire and dissipated.
Tony's pupils contracted sharply as he was suddenly struck on the back of the neck by a piano.
The Lyre struck the armor with a dull thud like a death knell, and he crashed into the square like a meteorite, shattering the broken fountain.
A golden arrow gleamed from the smoke and dust; Apollo's golden bow was drawn to its fullest extent. "Die in the fire of the sun, you ants!"
Tony's armor flickered violently amidst the ruins of the fountain, the blue light of his energy shield like a candle flickering in the wind. He rolled sharply to dodge the Sunburst Arrow, the rubble melting into a rain of glass as it exploded.
"Friday, how much shield do you have left?" He panted as he fired a palm-sized cannon, only to have it cleaved in mid-air by Apollo's sword of light.
"17%, repair rate is lagging behind damage value by 42%." Amidst the AI's warning, Tony suddenly activated all the thrusters on his back, and the armor veered back at an angle that defied the laws of physics.
Six floating cannons fired simultaneously, weaving a crossfire net in the sky—but the Sun God Chariot evaded them all with a magnificent spiral maneuver.
"Useless, Iron Man." Apollo's golden hair flew in the heat, he held a bow in his left hand and a sword in his right, the four wheels of his chariot leaving a trail of fire like a meteor.
The instant Tony's lightsaber clashed with the sword of light, the asphalt on the entire street suddenly boiled, and the melting asphalt gushed out like black blood.
The armored right leg emitted a metallic groan of fatigue, and Tony gritted his teeth to activate his trump card.
The chest armor suddenly unfolded, Eternity Core erupted with a Nova- like burst of light.
"Full fire!!"
The six mechanical wings behind him suddenly thrust forward, and the Eternity Core on his chest unleashed a beam of energy. The seven beams merged into a single energy beam with a diameter of 20 meters, which shot fiercely toward Apollo.
The missile bay at the back also opened, and dozens of small missiles were launched simultaneously.
The sun god laughed. He loosened the reins, letting his warhorse turn into flames and dissipate, while he himself opened his arms to meet the impact.
Just as countless attacks were about to strike the divine body, Apollo transformed into a miniature sun, engulfing all of Tony's attacks.
"Mortals are mortals after all," a god sighed from within the sphere of light. "However, you performed well and deserve my praise."
Tony's armor trembled with an energy overload hum, and his pupils beneath the visor reflected the miniature sun that was devouring everything.
Apollo's divine body stretched out in the flames, every inch of his skin flowing with liquid sunlight.
"Warning: Target energy reading exceeds threshold." F.R.I.D.A.Y.'s mechanical voice echoed in Tony's ears. "Immediate retreat recommended."
"No." Tony's expression suddenly relaxed. "Looks like we still have to rely on that kid Chen Tian."
He chuckled and watched Apollo stride toward him through the air.
Tony's expression shifted from relaxed to serious again. "We still need to use the Sun God to deal with F.R.I.D.A.Y.!"
"The Solar God Protocol activated--"
Tony's armor suddenly shuddered violently, and the left chest plate unfolded layer by layer like flower petals.
A card slot shimmering with ancient runes slowly emerged, and a card radiating golden light floated up. The patterns on the card writhed as if alive, emanating a terrifying Kamui.
"The elven song, the ancient power governs all things!"
Tony's voice echoed within the armor, carrying an unprecedented solemnity. His visor reflected the flowing golden light from the card, and his gaze was more serious than ever before.
"His life, his soul, and even his remains!"
As the incantation was chanted, the entire battlefield suddenly fell into an eerie silence. Apollo's miniature sun abruptly contracted, and for the first time, a look of surprise and uncertainty appeared on the sun god's face.
"At the moment when heaven and earth meet --"
Tony's voice gradually rose in pitch, and the card burst into a dazzling light, illuminating the entire Washington District with a golden glow.
"Begin the ritual to summon the sun god!"
Apollo suddenly roared, and the sword of light slashed at Tony with all its might. But the blade was blocked by an invisible barrier three meters away from Tony, and the blade began to melt at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Descent— "
The space behind Tony cracked open. Not metaphorically, but in a real, physical sense. Space was forcibly ripped open by some force beyond comprehension, creating a rift that stretched across the sky.
"The Sun God's Winged Dragon!!!"
In that instant, the whole world seemed to be paused. Then--
"Roar--------!!!!"
A deafening dragon's roar echoed from the crack, the sound waves shattering all the buildings within a ten-mile radius.
Apollo's miniature sun flickered like a candle in the wind, and the sun god himself was so shaken by the dragon's roar that he had to retreat repeatedly.
Golden flames poured down from the crack; they were no ordinary fire, but the purest essence of the sun. From within the flames, a colossal figure, obscuring the sky, slowly Descent.
Every scale of the Winged Dragon of Ra shone with a light more dazzling than the sun, and when its golden wings unfolded, flames and golden light filled the heavens and earth.
Its eyes—pupils like molten gold—were coldly looking down at the retreating Apollo.
Tony floated in the golden light cast by the Winged Dragon of Ra, his voice carrying an unprecedented majesty:
"Now, let the two sun gods have a proper 'exchange'."
The moment Apollo saw the full form of the Winged Dragon of Ra, the proud sun god exclaimed for the first time, "Ra? Impossible!"
The Winged Dragon of Ra's pupils contracted simultaneously, like miniature suns burning. It didn't roar, it didn't howl, it simply slowly raised one of its forepaws—and then gently pressed it down.
The entire street surface sank three meters instantly.
Apollo's sword of light shattered under Kamui, and his long golden hair danced wildly in the raging energy turbulence. The sun god gritted his teeth, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and his entire body erupted with a dazzling sun.
"You're not La!" Apollo's voice trembled. "You're just—"
Suddenly, the Winged Dragon of Ra's wings unfurled, each feather bursting forth with a glint of light like Solar Flare.
The remaining buildings on the street vaporized in the light, and the ground melted into a sea of crimson lava. Apollo's sun disc was forcibly pressed back into his body; he groaned and knelt on one knee in mid-air.
But the sun god of Olympus quickly rose again. He tore open his golden cloak, revealing his chest covered with divine markings. Apollo's skin began to crack, and liquid sunlight seeped from the cracks.
In the name of Olympus!
He transformed into a golden meteor, crashing straight into the chest of the Winged Dragon of Ra. The instant the two forces of the sun god collided, a beam of light a kilometer in diameter shot into the sky, tearing a huge hole in the atmosphere.
The Winged Dragon of Ra made its first sound—not a roar, but a low, almost contemptuous murmur. Its pupils locked onto Apollo, and its right claw pressed down slowly and irresistibly.
Apollo's arm muscles bulged, veins popping out. His boots created fiery ripples in the Void as he stepped, yet he was still slowly pressed towards the ground. Golden divine blood seeped from the corner of the sun god's mouth, dripping onto the claws of the Winged Dragon of Ra, instantly vaporizing.
"I am the god of light!" Apollo suddenly roared, twelve phantom images of sun discs appearing behind him. "How could this be—"
The Winged Dragon of Ra's left wing suddenly flapped.
A simple action caused all twelve sun discs to extinguish simultaneously. Apollo was struck as if by lightning, and was slammed into a sea of lava, creating a thousand-meter-high lava wave.
When Apollo struggled to rise from the lava, his golden armor had melted, and his handsome face was covered in burn marks. But the indomitable flame still burned in the eyes of the sun god.
The Winged Dragon of Ra looked down at him, ancient runes swirling in its pupils. It slowly opened its mouth, and a jet-black sphere condensed deep within its throat—not darkness, but the core of the sun compressed to its extreme.
Apollo's pupils contracted sharply. He clasped his hands together, and all his divine power condensed into a shield of light in front of his chest.
The black ball was launched silently.
The light shield lasted only 0.3 seconds before disintegrating. The instant Apollo was swallowed by the black sphere, a second sun could be seen rising on the horizon throughout Washington District.
When the bright light faded, Apollo hovered in the air, his body emitting blue smoke. His left arm was gone, and his right eye was a charred hole. But the sun god was laughing.
"So that's how it is..." he said hoarsely, "You really are... the embodiment of the sun..."
When the two Yang Power collided again, time seemed to freeze for a second. Then--
A figure suddenly appeared between the two.
Zeus's lightning simultaneously blocked the claws of the Winged Dragon of Ra and the fist of Apollo. The beard of the king of the gods danced wildly in the energy storm, and thunder and the sun intertwined around him.
"Enough!" Zeus's voice boomed over the roar of energy. "I never expected even the Egypt gods to join in the fun!"
The Winged Dragon of Ra's pupils simultaneously turned towards Zeus, while Apollo staggered backward. "Father..." Tony's armor had just emerged from the rubble, half of his visor broken. He gazed at the confrontation between the three gods in the sky and whistled:
"Friday, remember to remind me to throw a party for Chen Tian."