"You can catch one or two by hand, but try dealing with a hundred, a thousand!" Thea's magic transformed rapidly. The whip danced like a living serpent, continuously conjuring Silver Fire. The divine realm, already resplendent with starlight, seemed to gain many times more stars as countless silver flames filled the sky with their deadly radiance.
"Try my Silver Fire Prison." The numerous flames followed Thea's commands, advancing and retreating with discipline like a well-trained army.
The Firstborn swung his longsword with all his might, hacking at the flames. The dragon sword, forged in the earth's core, feared no Silver Fire. These flames born from the purest magic shattered under his blows, their remnants falling to the ground and still incinerating the spectral creatures to ash.
Cassandra, commanding the army, hurriedly led the troops away from the combat zone.
The Firstborn's efforts weren't ineffective, but while he destroyed them quickly, Thea created them faster.
Transparent Silver Fire gradually filled the sky. Seeing the flames multiply, the Firstborn stopped attacking and pushed his speed to the limit, planning to engage Thea in close combat.
He ignored the searing flames entirely. The dragon hide with its astounding magic resistance smoked heavily, and large patches of his bare chest were scorched black. Still, the distance between them closed rapidly.
"Your old man's the God of Thunder. Wonder how you handle lightning!" Thea kept the whip dancing, wrapping it around the Firstborn's sword hand while her left hand gathered tremendous electrical energy and released it at his face.
Sparks flew. The brilliant yet lethal lightning struck the Firstborn with overwhelming force. This deity who could make Zeus himself wary didn't hesitate. His arm muscles bulged as he gathered his full strength and punched the lightning directly.
"BOOM!" A dull explosion rang out. Thea's lightning burst apart from sheer physical force—no divine power, no technique, just overwhelming might.
The worst kind of opponent—no finesse whatsoever! Thea cursed inwardly. Though her attack failed, at least she understood his reliance: that incredibly powerful body.
The Firstborn's physical strength was extraordinary. They rapidly closed the distance. He swung the ten-meter sword in a horizontal slash toward Thea's waist, the blade shrieking through the air.
Facing this sonic-boom-inducing strike, she could only dodge temporarily. She drew her holy sword, unleashing ten thousand rays of light aimed at his head. The Silver Fire raging across the sky also surged toward him under her command.
He ignored the searing flames, ignored the blinding light, single-mindedly determined to trade blows with Thea.
After three exchanges, though the Firstborn looked like he'd crawled from an oven, Thea found herself forced into continuous retreat. Both simultaneously chose to descend and fight on the ground.
Thea abandoned her whip, gripping the holy sword with both hands—no fancy moves, just a straight overhead chop.
Naturally, the Firstborn wouldn't test her blade's edge with his skull. His wrist twisted, the massive sword arcing to deflect her attack using his superior strength.
Unfortunately, he underestimated both Thea's power and the holy sword's sharpness. In pure strength, Thea definitely fell short of him—even Diana, a pure warrior, couldn't match him.
But Thea had infused this strike with mental power. Mental power could be as vast or as focused as needed. The Martian Manhunter could use this force to slay gods. She hadn't reached that level, but amplifying herself to match the Firstborn temporarily was entirely possible.
Having miscalculated, the Firstborn found his opponent far stronger than her slender frame suggested. He didn't deflect her attack—instead, he left himself wide open.
The holy sword, carrying crushing momentum, was about to split his skull. His weapon was too long to defend in time. He could only raise his left arm to block.
The Firstborn wore guards on the outside of both arms. Thea hadn't looked closely before, but now she realized they weren't guards at all—they were massive dragon fangs.
The dragon fang rose to block the holy sword. Gleaming white like jade and radiating dragon might, it was still a dead object. Against Thea, never mind one fang—even the black dragon itself would be doomed.
"CRACK!" The brilliant holy sword sliced into the dragon fang. Initially slowed, it quickly cut through, splitting the meter-long fang down the middle.
The sword's momentum continued, cleaving through the Firstborn's dragon-hide armor.
Just as it was about to wound his body, the less than one-tenth of a second gained by sacrificing his equipment allowed the Firstborn to redirect his massive sword toward Thea.
His reliance was his body. Trading injuries was second nature to someone who'd fought for survival since birth. He'd suffered countless wounds. His greatest weapon wasn't that sword but his tempered body.
If Thea continued her strike, she might sever his arm, but she'd be injured herself. Since she was only helping, she naturally wouldn't risk her life. Her feet touched ground, and she retreated beyond his attack range.
"Skulking coward! You're worthy of being my opponent," the Firstborn declared, his battle lust fully ignited. It had been ages since he'd faced a deity of equal strength. He'd stopped caring who his opponent was.
"Hmph. Acting like you're so impressive. You're nothing special!" Thea's voice, altered by divine power, was indistinct and gender-ambiguous.
The Firstborn's combat experience was vast. He wouldn't underestimate weaker opponents or rage at insults.
Realizing his opponent matched his caliber, his fighting style became more measured.
The gods watching from Mount Olympus naturally had various thoughts. Some were astonished; others felt envious.
Eris, Goddess of Discord, approached Diana with a sinister smile. "Your little lover seems even stronger than you? As your sister, I truly pity you. With such excellent potential, now you've been surpassed. How does it feel?"
Diana was intently watching Thea's battle, ready to immediately intervene regardless of divine war protocols if danger arose. Initially not understanding Eris's meaning, she quickly caught on—this woman was sowing discord.
She laughed coldly. "Get lost, Eris, you tongue-wagging bitch."
With that, Diana ignored her completely. Diana's love was pure and devoted. Once she confirmed her beloved, she would reciprocate with everything she had. In the Injustice world, she'd committed countless atrocities alongside Superman, driven purely by her love for him.
Her love transcended her own values, even bordered on blind devotion. Thea had always known this but never intended to correct it.
If Thea turned evil, Batman and Martian Manhunter would immediately oppose her. Oliver would try to stop her. Only Diana would remain by her side, even if it meant fighting friends, alienating her people, or facing the entire world. For the love in her heart, she would walk that path without regret.
So Eris's self-satisfied manipulation seemed laughable and boring to the warrior goddess. She had no interest in explaining. The higher her beloved's achievements, the happier she was. Jealousy? Impossible!