The Light God continued to flee as fast as it could move, from two hundred thousand meters above the earth to four hundred thousand meters. It was now out among the stars, a place where no mortal creature could follow. Even the mightiest martial artists could not survive the frigid vacuum for long.
Gods and demons, however, had no such restrictions. Their second skin protected them.
Their advanced armor wrapped them tightly from head to toe. Neither deep freeze nor lava flows were a threat. Furthermore, they had no need of air to breathe or food to eat. They continued to live comfortably, for eternity.
Without these mortal requirements, gods and demons could survive indefinitely out in the universe.
The Light God’s injuries were grave, but did not impede its ability to run. Every few seconds there was a flash of light and the being advanced ten thousand meters or more. Human armies were left far behind.
Godly emotions were dulled. They did not fear death or injury. As such their decisions were not based on emotion, but logic. After its defeat the Light God determined it was no match for Cloudhawk. F it remained to do battle with the human, it would die. It was assured, so why make the effort?
Its kin from Sumeru were bearing down on this planet this very moment. The Light God chose to live, at least in order to aid the coming armies. It would convey the changes that embroiled this human planet.
It was more valuable to its species alive than dead. Thus, logically, the correct course of action was to flee from danger.
The Light God did not escape to some other place on the earth. To prevent being discovered and surrounded, it escaped into space. It was a wide and inhospitable expanse where humans could not follow. Even Cloudhawk would find it difficult to locate the god out here.
But recovery had to be prioritized, and a location where it could focus on healing was needed. The planet was not a poor choice. As a god almost no injury was beyond repair, only time was needed. Cloudhawk was the sole human that threatened this Supreme, and it was quick enough to escape if necessary.
Although, that would be put to the test. Five hundred kilometers from the surface of earth, the Light God felt a mental presence lock onto its location. Immediately the culprit was known. Breaking the lock was not possible for it was the exclusive talent of this fallen Supreme.
All the Light God could do was speed up.
Six hundred kilometers. Seven hundred! Higher and higher it flew.
Even injured the Light God moved at incredible speed. However, the process to repair its body and armor was a draining one. The extra strain was enough to prevent it from escaping its pursuer.
If this continued, eventually the Light God would become exhausted. Without energy, being captured by the enemy would result in disaster. With no other option it chose to stop running and face its hunter.
“Cloud God. Have you really fallen so far?”
A figure emerged from the darkness, stopping before the Light God. It was clad in magnificent armor bearing masterful etchings. Flickers of gentle white light pulsed across its surface, conveying a sense of power.
Indeed it was the Cloud God who had given chase. Gods were innately connected, so it was not difficult for him to locate his former compatriot.
The two were of similar status and their respective powers were on the same level. However, their condition was vastly different. The Light God was beaten and on the verge of collapse, giving the Cloud God an obvious advantage.
His resonating ‘voice’ boomed through the Light God’s head. “An awakened general would introduce uncertainty into the divine consciousness, posing a threat to the reign of the God King. It would never tolerate this, so I was left with no choice.”
The Light God contradicted this. “You could have remained asleep – you could have waited for Sumeru to call you back. Instead you chose to aid the humans and their demonic masters. As such you have elected to abandon the pride and dignity of your race.”
“I cannot go back, nor do I wish to.” The Cloud God’s response was quick. He didn’t even consider the possibility. “The gods are a race that require unity. Every god is a cog in a perfect machine. The instant you break away and realize your individuality, you realize there is no going back. This is a truth you cannot understand.”
“Then we are at an impasse!”
The Light God raised its sword of light and attacked. In response, the Cloud God revealed a sword of light embedded in the armor of its right arm. The two clashed, and as their weapons collided a storm of energy was birthed. Light spread out through the darkness of space.
Close combat was not the Cloud God’s preferred method of fighting. Luckily the Light God was wounded and weakened. Four or five exchanges later, the Cloud God’s armor was marred but whole. However, the Light God’s protections were failing.
It was out of options. The Light God employed its unique skill.
In the same instant the Cloud God summoned power from its relic to submerge the Light God in psychic force. Both gods struck at once.
There was a flash, and the Cloud God’s body was cut in half.
Victorious, the Light God stood ten thousand meters away. Even in its poor state, the Cloud God was no match? Something didn’t feel right… the fallen Supreme was too strong for one blow to cut him down.
It turned back in time to see the two halves of its kin dissolve into nothingness.
Just as it predicted. This was the only logical answer – the creature it destroyed was merely an illusion. Tricks from the Cloud God were of such high quality they were almost indecipherable from reality.
Quickly the Light God scanned its surroundings. Only darkness. Nothing out of the ordinary. But in that instant half a dozen more Cloud Gods appeared, blazing swords held high. They attacked the Light God from all directions.
Now the deity understood. It was captured in the Supreme’s world of illusion.
Were it in peak form, the Light God could use its own formidable mental powers to break free. This was not the case. It was helplessly stuck.
The voice of the Cloud God returned. “You are too weak, enough that I can read your thoughts. Although your attacks are strong, how many more can you muster?”
The Light God’s blows were lethal indeed. While the Cloud God did not have a relic like the Eye of Time, he could predict his foe’s movements by reading their mind. Despite not being perfectly accurate, it was enough to help him dodge most attempts.
With the Light God’s primary means of attack castrated, how could it fight back? In less than fifteen minutes the fight was over. The Cloud God dragged the body of his defeated enemy back toward the planet. Wolfblade ordered it spared, so the Cloud God did not take his kin’s life. It was worth more alive.
**
Sky Fortress was no more.
Three Supremes were captured, on the verge of death. No matter their tenacity, they had been defeated.
Cloudhawk had removed the most pressing threat, no it was time to deal with the aftermath. He didn’t need to trouble with it himself, for Wolfblade had everything under control.
He was reunited with Selene after the fighting, and the two teleported back to the southern wilds. Now was their best chance to dominate and assimilate the other Elysian realms.