It wasn't even a challenge for him.
Reyna wiped the blood from her eye as another member of the raid team was flung past her, crashing through the trees like a ragdoll. She slumped behind a thick trunk, her breath shallow, cradling her broken arm against her side. *Dammit.*
They were supposed to be the strongest. Chosen by gods. Heralded in temples.
"DON'T GIVE UP! PUSH FORWARD!" Celestina's voice rang out — still fighting, still believing. But it sounded desperate now. Hollow.
This was supposed to be a simple mission.
Kill the boogeyman from the history books.
A body slammed down beside Reyna. She turned, heart freezing — Bjorn. One of Thor's blessed. His head lolled, neck broken, eyes glassy.
Dead.
Bjorn was top five in the world. And now he was just... meat at her feet.
*Simple mission,* she repeated in her head, numb. She looked up at the clear blue sky, the sting in her eye forgotten. "Worse ways to go," she whispered.
This was the Dead Zone — forbidden for millennia. Declared cursed. Off-limits by the gods.
Until he came back.
The gods panicked. Called on their elite. Champions. Demigods. Followers. Hera herself had summoned Reyna. Urged her forward with fire in her voice.
And now, silence.
Reyna held her breath. No more clashing. No more war cries. Just stillness. Dread.
She peeked around the trunk.
Bodies. Everywhere.
Limbs torn. Heads missing. The ground soaked red. A battlefield turned slaughterhouse.
She staggered back, her breath catching—
And found herself staring into the blue reptilian eyes of a bearded man.
He didn't speak.
He didn't need to.
Reyna exhaled slowly. She knew who he was. She closed her eyes.
And accepted the end.
But the blow never came.
Instead… he sniffed her?
Reyna opened her eyes in disbelief as the bearded man leaned forward, taking in her scent. "You all reek of the gods," he muttered, then sat down in front of her like a man too tired to be dangerous.
She flinched.
"I'm not going to hurt you," he said quietly. "You all started this fight. Not me."
His words were calm, almost sad. He didn't raise his voice. He didn't move aggressively. He didn't need to.
Reyna swallowed. He knew she couldn't fight back — and so did she.
"What do you want?" she asked, her voice trembling. "Why are you here? Why are the gods afraid of you?"
He sighed. "I'm looking for someone."
Then his eyes drifted toward the ruined landscape.
"This place… it used to be filled with houses. Schools. Playgrounds…" His voice was soft, his gaze distant. "I've been gone a long time, it seems."
Reyna stared. This wasn't a killer. Not the way the stories described. Not the monster they warned her about.
"You're… from here?" she asked hesitantly.
He nodded. "Born and raised."
The pain in Reyna's body surged again. Her arm throbbed. Her head pounded. She winced, trying not to let it show.
He noticed.
He reached toward her.
Reyna recoiled instinctively—but then felt a wave of warmth.
A soft purple glow radiated from his palm as he gently touched her arm. The pain vanished. The break was gone. Her forehead? He touched it next. The cut disappeared like it was never there.
"You're… much kinder than the gods make you out to be," she whispered.
Something slipped from her sleeve — a photo, fluttering to the ground face-down. She grabbed it quickly, flipping it over.
He noticed. "Who's that?"
"Hera," Reyna said.
His entire body tensed.
"Show me," he said, voice suddenly sharp. His eyes glowed.
Reyna felt something tighten in her chest, a divine pressure urging her to obey. She held the picture up with trembling hands.
The man stared.
The air grew heavier.
"This… this is Hera?" he asked. His tone was different now. Too calm.
Reyna nodded quickly. "Yes. I swear—"
"Are you lying to me?" he growled. The ground trembled beneath him. His gaze burned through her.
"No!" she gasped.
A tear in space formed beside him — a portal. An elf stepped through it, her expression shifting when she saw the photo.
"You found her?" she asked quietly.
"That's Hera," he hissed.
"Okay, okay, you have to calm down," the elf said, her voice suddenly frantic.
Reyna quickly tucked the photo back into her sleeve, hands trembling under the weight of his stare.
Then—crack.
Someone materialized behind the man and the elf. A flash of movement. An assassin—face masked, a pistol forming in his hand mid-stride. He fired.
The bullet struck the man directly in the shoulder—then ricocheted off harmlessly into the woods.
Reyna blinked—
—and the man was suddenly behind the assassin.
One hand gripped the assassin's skull.
And then, without a word, he closed his fist.
Crack.
Blood sprayed. The body dropped like a sack of meat, twitching as if trying to dodge a moment that had already happened.
Then his hand was around Reyna's neck.
She couldn't breathe.
Her feet kicked helplessly as he lifted her like paper. His grip was unshakable.
"You're going to tell me everything," he said. "About Hera. And what you know about me."
He carried her into the portal, the elf behind him.
Reyna tried to nod, but the world was already fading.
And then, everything went black.