Even though it might be a trap, Ryan approached as fast as possible. If that were the case, he might as well fall into the trap as fast as possible and give Hephaestus less time to recover.
As soon as he got close enough to feel Hephaestus' presence, Death Sense warned Ryan of danger. He immediately used Flash and moved to the side, and that had been just enough for Ryan to dodge a massive sword that went flying upward at sonic speeds. However, things didn't end there. Several types of weapons began to be fired from the ground toward him, and all of them were stupidly big. Still, they were only made of ordinary steel and not of mithril.
The speed of the weapons was so high that they quickly left the planet. Under normal conditions, Ryan would be able to follow them with his eyes, but not while the dust was covering the area. Still, by relying on Death Sense, Ryan escaped the danger.
"There is no mistake. Hephaestus is firing those," Ryan thought. "He is probably trying to buy time since he is heavily wounded. Still, approaching someone that could fire such massive weapons at fearsome speed isn't wise…"
Despite thinking that, Ryan decided to approach. He didn't have armor or shields that could help him in that situation, but he had the chains that he used against Thanatos. So, Ryan covered his arms with them and added a layer of strengthened ice. One or another projectile flew directly at him as he approached, but Ryan blocked them with his arms. In the end, just as expected, they weren't powerful enough to surpass his defense. Ryan tried to use Appraisal on them, but he didn't see anything. That was weird… there wasn't any reason why the system wouldn't recognize the weapons created by the Greek god of blacksmithing.
When Ryan got close enough, he swung the chains in the direction he saw the weapons coming from. Ryan actually hit something that wasn't on the ground, but then the chains were pulled alongside him. Before letting the chains go, Ryan bombarded that spot with the Hydra's bow. Thanks to it, the dust cloud began to dissipate, and then the figure of Hephaestus covered in blood appeared. He was standing on a single foot since the other was completely broken, and he was firing the massive projectiles using a single hand as well because the other was nowhere to be seen… even though he was pulling those from some sort of spatial storage, he apparently had to do that for some reason.
"To think that I would be this damaged, even though I didn't hold back for even a second…." Hephaestus said while his eyes were emanating a vicious glow. "It was with this that you defeated Poseidon?"
Hephaestus asked while he was looking at the miasma leaving his body. Just like what happened with Thanatos, the same thing was happening with him. The wounds on his body were emanating a lot of miasma. It was no wonder since Ryan aimed his Dark Ice Breath toward his heart. Still, for some reason, Hephaestus looked even more beaten down.
"No, I didn't use it," Ryan said.
"How then?" Hephaestus asked.
"Would that change anything?" Ryan asked.
Hephaestus recalled the moment half an hour ago when he said the same thing. In the end, he only showed a tired smile. There was no point asking how since the fight was about to end. Ryan was also thinking among the same lines, but weirdly enough, Hephaestus didn't look like someone who had already accepted his defeat.
"It is time to end this," Hephaestus said, and then he threw away the chains and raised his arm again.
Ryan didn't like that. Why was he raising his hand when the enemy was right in front of him. Nothing happened for a while, but then Ryan understood what Hephaestus was doing… he was calling back the weapons he fired earlier.
"Don't even think of dodging," Hephaestus said. "Those will follow you even in hades."
It was the effect of Perfect Aim; Ryan knew that Hephaestus had used that skill. If all those weapons return at the same time, then Ryan will truly be cut into pieces. However, even while panicking, Ryan found a way out of that situation. After using all the buffs that could increase his speed and strength, Ryan began to concentrate all his energy on his right fist. Usually, not even all his mana and stamina would be useful at such time, but Ryan assumed that Hephaestus' body was weakened due to the miasma. So, after Concentrated Strike reached the max power that Ryan could reach, he dashed toward Hephaestus.
Naturally, Hephaestus knew that such an attack wouldn't kill him, but Ryan didn't try to do that. He attacked the leg that was keeping Hephaestus standing and then broke it. Hephaestus clenched his teeth in pain, but the worst was yet to come. Ryan returned before Hephaestus could fall and then grabbed him by the back… Ryan was planning to use him as a shield.
Congratulations! The skill Concentrated Strike has leveled up.
Congratulations! The skill Concentrated Strike has leveled up.
Congratulations! The skill Concentrated Strike has leveled up.
...
"Oh, shit!" Hephaestus said.
Before Hephaestus could think of stopping his own attack, the first weapons fell on his chest. Naturally, they immediately broke, but not before causing some damage. In the next few seconds, hundreds of enormous weapons made of steel fell on Hephaestus's body, and while they weren't damaging Ryan, the impact and the Hephaestus' weight began to crack his bones and even crack the ground below him. In the blink of an eye, Ryan saw himself standing at the center of a crater. One that grew with each impact caused by the steel weapons.
Amidst the downpour of weapons, Ryan couldn't help but open his eyes widely at Hephaestus' resilience. He was supposed to be feeling some hellish pain, but he didn't do anything aside from grunting. In his place, Ryan probably wouldn't have time to scream in agony.
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