“No.”
There wasn’t a shred of doubt in his tone.
“I’ll kill this bastard without any blessing,” he declared, his lips curling into a bloody smirk. His pale face, smeared with dirt and blood, exuded a twisted sort of confidence, a raw determination that sent chills down the spine of anyone who dared look into his eyes.
It would mean nothing to defeat Ajax with the blessings of the gods. That hollow victory held no value for Nathan—not when this fight was deeply personal. Aisha’s memory burned in his chest, fueling his resolve. This wasn’t just about vengeance; it was about his pride as a man, as Aisha’s man.
Nathan wiped the blood trickling from the corner of his lips, a small smile tugging at the edges of his mouth. “Magic and mana don’t work on you, I see,” he murmured, his voice calm yet edged with an icy determination.
Ajax loomed over him, grinning with cruel amusement. “Good, good! But what are you going to do now that you know? It doesn’t change anything!”
With a flicker of movement, Ajax disappeared from sight, reappearing in an instant above Nathan. His massive fists clenched tight, muscles bulging as he prepared to bring them crashing down like a wrecking ball. From his vantage point, Ajax could already taste victory, a twisted smirk curling his lips. This was it—the blow that would end it.
Nathan’s golden, slit-pupiled eye glowed ominously as he tracked Ajax’s movements with supernatural precision. A second before Ajax’s fists descended, certain of their devastating impact, Nathan vanished.
BADAAAAAAAM!
The ground beneath exploded in a deafening burst of power. Shards of debris flew like deadly projectiles, and a shockwave rippled outward, claiming the lives of the unlucky souls who had been caught behind Nathan’s previous position. Their bodies were torn apart, reduced to grisly fragments in the chaotic aftermath.
Amidst the settling dust and carnage, Ajax’s victorious smirk faltered, then disappeared entirely. He scanned the destruction, his instincts screaming that something was wrong. His gaze snapped around—and froze.
There stood Nathan, unharmed and utterly calm, a ghostly silhouette in the swirling smoke. His lips curled into a smirk of his own, a mocking expression that sent a chill down Ajax’s spine.
“Impossible…” Ajax muttered under his breath. He replayed the moment in his head—Nathan had been there, in the strike zone. He shouldn’t have been able to escape, not with that speed.
Nathan’s eyes were different now. His ice-blue iris glinted like frost under the sun, while the other eye glowed gold, its slit pupil pulsing with a feral, demonic light. His entire presence was altered, his body taut and trembling with restrained power. He exhaled slowly, his breath visible in the cold, charged air.
“If magic won’t work,” Nathan said, his voice low but cutting, “then I’ll just beat you down with my fists.”
“What!?” Ajax’s face twisted in shock, but before he could react, Nathan was already upon him, his movements impossibly fast.
BADAM!
Nathan’s fist slammed into Ajax’s abdomen like a cannonball, the force driving deep into the massive warrior’s midsection. The sound of impact reverberated through the air like thunder.
“GARH!” Ajax’s eyes widened as blood erupted from his mouth. His towering form was hurled backward with staggering speed, crashing to the ground and rolling violently across the shattered battlefield.
For a moment, all was still. Ajax groaned as he pushed himself back to his feet, his massive hands trembling. When he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his fingers came away stained with crimson.
Nathan, still standing where he had struck, tilted his head slightly, his smirk insolent. “What’s wrong? Did you drink too much wine, or is it the taste of your own blood?”
Ajax froze, staring at his bloodied hand. His mind raced. He wasn’t this fast before… That means… He wasn’t fighting seriously until now.
Nathan’s golden and blue eyes glimmered with unrelenting intensity as he took a step forward, his knuckles cracking ominously. “Get up, Ajax,” he said, his voice carrying a deadly calm. “I’m far from done with you.”
Ajax glared at Nathan, his eyes blazing with a mixture of fury and begrudging respect. The strength behind Nathan’s punch was undeniable—Ajax could still feel the residual ache radiating from his abdomen. It wasn’t often that someone landed a blow like that, and even rarer for anyone to force him to acknowledge their strength.
Nathan had been right. Magic, unless wielded at an extraordinary level, was useless against Ajax. His body, tempered through years of relentless training, had surpassed mortal limits. He had risen to become one of the strongest men in the world, his physical might a testament to his dedication and the bloodline of Zeus that coursed through his veins. But Nathan… Nathan was different. That man—Heiron, as they called him—had a strength that Ajax couldn’t dismiss. A strength capable of wounding him.
Though anger surged within him, fanning the flames of his desire to rip Nathan’s head clean off his shoulders, Ajax couldn’t suppress the grin tugging at his lips. At last, an opponent worthy of his strength. Finally, a battle that promised exhilaration rather than tedium.
“I’ll take great pleasure in killing you,” Ajax growled, his voice rumbling like a stormcloud on the verge of breaking.
Without warning, he launched himself off the ground, his massive frame disappearing in an instant. Nathan, ever watchful, leapt to meet him, their trajectories intersecting in midair. Both warriors raised their fists, prepared to collide in a raw contest of power.
BADAM!
The sound of their clash reverberated like a crack of thunder. Nathan’s fist fell short of its target as Ajax, with his superior reach, swung his long, muscular arm in a wide arc, intercepting Nathan’s strike. The impact jarred Nathan’s arm, drawing a low groan from him as the force rippled through his bones.
But Ajax’s triumphant grin vanished just as quickly as it had appeared. His sharp eyes caught Nathan’s counter in the split second before it struck—Nathan’s leg, already in motion, was aimed at his flank.
The blow connected with explosive force, sending Ajax hurtling sideways while Nathan was flung in the opposite direction. Ajax crashed violently into the ground, a plume of dust and debris erupting from the impact.
“GUUURGH!” Ajax coughed, the wind momentarily knocked out of him. He groaned as he pushed himself upright, brushing away the dirt clinging to his skin. His chest rose and fell heavily, but his thoughts were cut short when he looked up and met Nathan’s gaze.
Nathan’s eyes bore into him like twin daggers, the pulsating gold eye with its demonic slit was the scariest one. The murderous intent within them was palpable, radiating like a storm of pure malice.
Those were the eyes of a predator. Eyes filled with hatred so raw and visceral that even Ajax, hardened as he was, felt a chill crawl up his spine. He couldn’t fathom why such an overwhelming desire to kill was directed at him, but he had no time to dwell on it.
Nathan charged, his form a blur of motion. Ajax raised his massive arm to block, but Nathan showed no hesitation.
CRAAAK!
Ajax’s arm trembled under the impact of Nathan’s punch. Pain shot through the limb as the unthinkable happened—his bones, infused with the blood of Zeus himself, cracked under the blow.
“Ughn!” Ajax groaned, his voice strained as he stared in disbelief at his own arm. Blood trickled from the cracks, staining his skin.
“Did you hurt yourself?” Nathan mocked, his voice cold and unrelenting. He grabbed Ajax’s damaged arm, wrenching it with enough force to elicit a guttural cry of pain. Without missing a beat, Nathan’s other fist drove forward, smashing into Ajax’s face with unrelenting precision.
BADAM!
The sickening crunch of bone echoed as Ajax’s nose shattered under the blow. Blood gushed freely, staining his once-pristine features as he was sent hurtling across the battlefield. His massive frame skidded to a halt several meters away, the ground cracking beneath him.
`
For a moment, a heavy silence fell over the battlefield. Both Trojans and Greeks, who had been witnesses to countless battles and bloodshed, found themselves spellbound by the brutal exchange. This was no ordinary fight.
This was a clash worthy of the legends they had grown up hearing—a battle that would be sung about for generations to come.
It wasn’t just the raw power on display; it was the primal force of the combatants. A pure, unrestrained contest of manly strength.
But one thing became abundantly clear to everyone present.
Heiron, the mercenary recruited for a few silver coins was a monster in his own right. To go toe-to-toe with Ajax the Great in sheer strength was unthinkable.
Nathan stood amidst the chaos, his chest heaving with labored breaths, the sound of his ragged inhalations drowned out by the roaring tension in the battlefield. His fists trembled, not with fear, but with the sheer strain of his efforts. Each swing, every punch, had pushed him to the edge of his limits. His body screamed for rest, for reprieve, but Nathan’s mind silenced those pleas.
He glanced down at his bloodied hands, his knuckles split open and raw, the bones beneath fractured and fragile. Yet, he clenched his fists tighter, ignoring the searing pain that shot through his arms like wildfire. Pain was irrelevant. The only thing that mattered was the figure before him—the man who had to die.
His thoughts burned with a singular focus: Aisha.
Each time Nathan looked at Ajax, rage overtook him, consuming every corner of his mind. He didn’t see the battlefield, the soldiers, or the shocked faces of the onlookers. He saw only him.
Across the field, Ajax staggered to his feet, his massive frame looming like a shadow of death. Blood streaked his face, dripping from his nose and lips, but he seemed unfazed by the injuries. With a casual swipe of his arm, he wiped the crimson stains from his skin, revealing his cold, hardened expression beneath.
The playful smirk that had danced on Ajax’s face earlier was gone. In its place was a grim visage of pure, murderous intent. His icy glare locked onto Nathan, promising retribution.
The air grew heavy as Ajax tilted his head back and let out a thunderous roar, a sound so deafening it seemed to shake the heavens themselves.
“GAAAAARGHHHHHH!”
The earth beneath them trembled as his guttural cry echoed across the battlefield, reaching even the distant walls of Troy. Soldiers on both sides froze in place, their weapons slack in their hands as they turned to witness the terrifying transformation unfolding before their eyes.
Ajax’s body began to glow, a blinding white aura enveloping him like a shroud of divine power. The light was fierce and searing, illuminating the battlefield and casting long, jagged shadows. It was the radiance of a man unrestrained—a man who had cast aside all pretense of holding back.
Every muscle on Ajax’s massive frame seemed to ripple with unnatural strength, his veins glowing faintly as if liquid fire coursed through them. His very presence was suffocating, the raw power radiating from him pressing down on Nathan like a mountain.
He was going to go all out.