Destined for Greatness
Chapter 26
Authors Note: Dahak in Persian mythology was actually the one who possessed the form of a three-headed dragon. However, because he never manifested that form in Hercules The Legendary Journeys, I've decided to give that monstrous form to Angra Mainyu, per artistic license.
In fury, Angra Mainyu opened all three maws and unleashed several massive blasts of fire towards Hercules.
The demi-god spun the Jingubang staff around, deflecting some of the shots. He then ran towards the dark dragon, twirling the staff across both sides of his body and then across his back as he ducked to avoid a stream of flames sailing overhead.
Now within striking distance of the dark god, Hercules planted the staff into the ground, leaping into the air and kicking Angra Mainyu in the chest, sending the ancient deity crashing through several buildings until he smashed against the city walls.
Angra Mainyu shook his head and got up. By the time he looked up, however, Hercules was running towards him, this time holding the staff in front of him with both hands and smashing him right through the city walls.
As the dark god fell on his back, Hercules was upon him, pressing the Jingubang staff down upon all three of his necks.
"Your increase in size will not save you, Hercules!" promised Angra Mainyu. "Throw as many bodies against me as you wish! None shall stand against me!"
With that, one of Angra Mainyu's massive wings reached over, grabbing Hercules by the neck with its three claws on top and threw the demi-god off.
As Hercules landed, Angra Mainyu got back to his feet and unleashed a spat of red lightning from his central maw, blasting Hercules in the chest and hurling him into a mountain.
Groggily, Hercules got up.
"This is not going to be a walk in the park," Hercules groaned, realizing how strong Angra Mainyu was in his reborn state.
Whirling around, Angra Mainyu smashed his tail down at the demi-god but Herc raised the mystical staff in time as the dragon's tail wrapped around it, lifting Hercules into the air. With a fearsome road, Angra Mainyu hurled Hercules overhead and smashed him into the ground below.
Un-wrapping his tail from the staff, Angra Mainyu turned over to face the fallen Hercules.
The son of Zeus, however, was far from finished. Flipping his body over his own head, Hercules planted both feet into Angra Mainyu, kicking the dark god with enough force to knock him on his back yet again.
Remembering what Wukong said about pinning down Angra Mainyu with the Jingubang staff so that the pantheons could do their work, Hercules planted one foot down on the dark god and raised his staff. But before he could slam it down, Angra Mainyu spun back to life, wrapping his tail around around Herc's neck this time and throwing him off.
Hercules got up again but this time, Angra Mainyu flew forward and kicked Hercules in the chest with a massive foot, flooring the demi-god completely.
oooo
"This isn't good," Salmoneus frowned, watching in horror as Angra Mainyu continued his assault on Hercules. "C'mon Herc! Kick his tail!"
"That dragon is one ugly bastard," Pecos Bill stood next to Iolaus, watching the fight. "Think your partner's got a chance?"
"We've been through scrapes like this before," Iolaus admitted. "In fact, Hercules and I once went up against a similar multi-headed beast before called the hydra a few years ago. Whenever we cut off one head, two more would take its place."
Bill's eyes widened. "Well that ain't good!"
"Lucky for us, we figured out a new plan of attack and Herc impaled it against a tree to finish it off," finished Iolaus. "There's got to be a key to taking down Angra Mainyu."
"Hercules must hold the staff down on the creature," Wukong limped forward. "From there, the gods from above may act."
"Sounds easier said than done," Iolaus grimaced, remembering how the attempt had gone earlier.
"It is difficult," Wukong admitted, steadying himself against a wall. "But it's the only chance Hercules has. The Jingubang is not merely my personal weapon. It can act as a conduit for the powers of heaven."
"Well, let's just hope it'll work," Iolaus looked on in fearful anticipation.
oooo
Standing before the towering dragon, Hercules swung the staff to knock away one of Angra Mainyu's heads that came down to try to bite him. As another head came down with its jaws open, Hercules swung the staff around and batted that one away as well.
Whirling the staff around, Herc slammed the blunt end of the staff into Angra Mainyu's stomach, drawing a surprised cry of pain from the dark dragon.
Taking hold of the weapon, Hercules swung it upwards, smashing it across the central jaw of Angra Mainyu.
As the central head of Angra Mainyu swung back, the left and right heads came at Hercules ferociously, forcing the demi-god to raise his staff as both jaws clamped down on the weapon.
Both heads lifted the staff up, taking Hercules with it. Without warning Angra Mainyu reared back as both his hands swung forward, striking Hercules in the chest with several powerful palm strikes.
Finally, Angra Mainyu whirled Hercules around and around until the demi-god was thrown some several good miles away.
The dark god hurled the staff away and advanced upon Hercules.
Hercules got up, looking for any possible weaknesses he could exploit in the powerful god.
Finally, Angra Mainyu raised an arm full of razor-sharp claws and slashed at him. Hercules avoided the strike and locked arms with the dragon, flipping over his back and then delivering a powerful uppercut across the head on the left.
The other two heads struck down at Hercules but one by one, Hercules punched them away.
Soon, the demi-god was unleashing the full force of his punches upon the dragon, delivering blow after blow upon the evil deity. After about a dozen or so blows, Hercules grabbed the central head of Angra Mainyu, delivering a powerful knee right into its jaw, severing multiple teeth in the process.
As Angra Mainyu fell back, Hercules spun around, delivering a spinning sidekick to the creature's stomach, forcing it back further.
Hercules attacked again, throwing a punch at the creature's chest. This time, Angra Mainyu caught the punch with his on hand, squeezing down on Herc's wrist tightly.
"In our last encounters, you were unable to withstand my assaults," Angra Mainyu told Zeus's progeny as the two struggled against one another. "What makes you think this time will be any different?"
"Because I have something you don't," Hercules told him. "I have friends by my side, people who are willing to give their lives for me, just as I'm willing to give my life for them. I may have inherited my father's strength, but it meant nothing without my friends and family being there to cultivate it. That's what gives me strength. I have people in my life to live for."
"Hah!" laughed Angra Mainyu. "Friends? Family? Living among mortals has truly impaired your sense of divinity!"
"Laugh all you want," Hercules kicked Angra Mainyu off of him. "But friendship? Love? Camaraderie? These are things you'll never understand. And that's why view your followers as nothing more than disposable toy soldiers."
"All of my minions serve one singular purpose!" Angra Mainyu announced angrily. "They serve my will!"
"Then look upon them now," Hercules pointed to the city.
In the city itself, the monsters under the command of Angra Mainyu were finally being driven back and cut down by the combined forces of both the Greek and Persian soldiers, in addition to the Wukong clones that were there.
"As long as darkness and avarice exist in this world, I will have plenty of followers!" Angra Mainyu replied, seemingly unconcerned about the welfare of his own soldiers.
"Well maybe it's time to shine a little light on you," Hercules leaped back into action.
Angra Mainyu charged angrily but Hercules somersaulted over the dark god and picked him up from behind by the tail. Taking hold of the tail firmly, Hercules spun Angra Mainyu around and around before finally letting go and allowing the dark god to smash into a mountain.
Hercules then rushed over to the Jingubang staff to pick it up. Just as he did, Angra Mainyu flew into the air in a rage and flew towards him.
Again, Hercules leaped into the air and wrapped the staff in front of Angra Mainyu's three necks in a chokehold, forcing the dragon to land.
Hercules yanked back with all his might, attempting to finish the dark being once and for all.
Without warning, Angra Mainyu's tail spun to life and grabbed Hercules from behind with a chokehold before throwing the demi-god off.
Hercules got up but another tail swing caught him in his chest, knocking him on his back.
Angra Mainyu grabbed Hercules, lifting him up. The head on the left came down, biting Hercules on the shoulder and drawing blood.
"Aaaahhh!" screamed Hercules.
Sinking his fangs in deeper, Angra Mainyu forced Hercules onto his knees.
Nevertheless, Hercules would not give up. Raising his other arm up, Herc punched Angra Mainyu in the jaw with his other fist, forcing the dragon to let go of his bite. Gripping his staff, Hercules slammed it into the central neck of the three-headed dragon, causing Angra Mainyu to stumble back in order to catch his breath.
As Hercules tried to regain his composure, Angra Mainyu let loose a powerful lightning bolt from his maw that struck Hercules and sent the demi-god smashing through several layers of sand and rock.
The son of Zeus tired to get up but Angra Mainyu planted his foot down on Hercules to prevent him from moving. Raising his hand into the air, Angra Mainyu created a purple bolt of pure power and brought it down, stabbing Hercules through the shoulder.
"Aaaahhh!" screamed Hercules.
Angra Mainyu twisted it in further, allowing his dark powers to flow into the body of Hercules, torturing the demi-god.
Finally, the evil deity allowed the energy spear to disappear. He allowed Hercules to get up slowly and weakly before creating a whirlwind with a single gesture that knocked Hercules back against some hills.
Hercules looked up weakly. In the sky were several large shapes flying towards them. Were they more of Angra Mainyu's warriors?
His questions were soon answered as he realized that the creatures flying towards them were the roc clan he had allied with before. From the skies, Talos let loose a piercing cry before diving down and dive-bombing Angra Mainyu in the back of the head with his powerful beak.
"Aaaahhh!" screamed Angra Mainyu as Talos managed to rip through his flesh and draw blood.
"Hercules!" cried Talos as he and his brethren surrounded the dark god. "We will buy you time to do what you need to destroy this monster!"
"Appreciate the assist!" Hercules smiled, getting up and running towards the fallen Jingubang staff.
Angra Mainyu whirled his tail around, knocking back several rocs that were attacking him. Swinging his entire body around, Angra Mainyu unfolded both massive wings to batter away the other rocs that were surrounding him. His left and right heads also lashed out, biting down on the necks of two attacking rocs, breaking their necks and killing them instantly.
With a powerful strike of his tail, Angra Mainyu knocked Talos to the ground.
"There are not many of your kind left," Angra Mainyu informed the massive eagle. "Do you really wish to risk extinction through this foolhardy attack on my being?"
"Hercules helped us before," Talos informed him. "We could not do otherwise."
Without warning, three rocs came down from the skies and grabbed Angra Mainyu by his three necks and lifting him up.
"No!" shouted the dark god. "What is this?!"
At once, the other rocs attacked once again, using their beaks and razor-sharp talons to claw and rip into him.
Finally, Talos leaped into the air and dove down with a powerful beak strike, this time piercing the eye of one of dragon's head on Angra Mainyu's left.
"Raaaaagghh!" roared Angra Mainyu.
In an instant, a powerful wave of energy erupted from Angra Mainyu's body, knocking all of the roc back. The dragon reared his head back and unleashed a powerful spat of flames that took down a good portion of rocs flying in the sky and sent their burning bodies crashing to the ground.
For the other rocs that were flying towards him from behind, Angra Mainyu turned another head and unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning that cut through his attackers and sent their bodies crashing to the ground.
Talos rose but Angra Mainyu grabbed him by the neck with one hand and threw him onto the ground. Raising his foot, he smashed it down on the roc's wing, breaking it instantly as Talos shrieked in agony.
"The age of extinction for you and your kind begins now!" promised Angra Mainyu.
Suddenly, Hercules came in from behind with a flying sidekick to the back that knocked the dark god off the roc.
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" promised Hercules. "You okay, Talos?"
"My wing is broken," Talos replied weakly. "Go and avenge my slain clan members!"
Not needing to be told twice, Hercules leaped up and smashed the Jingubang staff down on Angra Mainyu's head with all of his might.
The dark god roared in anger and pain but Hercules flipped the staff around and slammed the blunt end of it into the chest of the dark god. He then twirled it around, striking the dragon in the legs and then his chest.
Two of Angra Mainyu's heads bit down at the staff but Herc was more prepared this time around. He leaped up and planted a powerful dropkick into the dragon's chest, knocking Angra Mainyu down on his back.
As Hercules got up, he felt the throbbing pain again on his shoulder. However, he noted that the dark god was now beginning to bleed as well. Perhaps he wasn't as invincible as he believed himself to be.
Where there was a will, there would be a way. And Hercules vowed that he would find a way to defeat the dark god.
In rage, Angra Mainyu opened his three maws and unleashed several bolts of lightning and fire towards him. Spinning the staff around his body tightly, Hercules deflected all of the shots and rolled forward, striking at both Angra Mainyu's legs as he stood upright, weakening them.
Hercules then spun around with a spinning sidekick to the dark god's chest, knocking him back against a nearby mountain.
However, Angra Mainyu returned fire with a blast of lightning that sent Herc flying back onto the ground. As Hercules got up again, Angra Mainyu summoned several vines to erupt from the earth and wrap themselves around Hercules, tying him up and preventing him from gaining full mobility.
"I have toyed around with you for long enough!" declared Angra Mainyu.
The vines surrounding Hercules began to glow with a dark energy, draining Hercules of his strength and the magical protection Merlin had bestowed upon him. Soon, Herc's body began shrinking.
oooo
In horror the other heroes watched as Herc was slowly drained by the dark god. Finally, Wukong resolved that he would bear witness no further.
"Nimbus," he called out.
At once, his magical cloud appeared but before he could leap on top, Ares, the god of war, appeared before all of them in a flash of light.
"Ares," Iolaus looked at the god of war with wariness.
"I see this is the little justice league my brother cobbled together," Ares noted.
"What do you want now?" asked Iolaus.
"This may seem uncharacteristic, but I'm here to help Hercules," admitted Ares.
Then he turned his attention to Sun Wukong.
"You there," he pointed at the divine primate. "Monkey boy."
"What did you just call me?" demanded Wukong, making an abortive move towards Ares as Salmoneus and Autolycus had to hold him back.
"In case you haven't noticed, Hercules is getting creamed out there," Ares pointed out. "So save your indignation for later and do that little magic trick where you can create an army of yourself."
Sun Wukong sighed. He hated to admit it but Ares was right. And if befriending Hercules had taught him anything, it was that there were times where restraining his anger was a necessity.
Taking out a handful of hairs, he blew them into the air, creating more clones of himself that flew towards Angra Mainyu.
"And if you don't mind," Ares walked over to Iolaus. "I'll be taking that."
Iolaus looked down at the sword with Hind's blood in his own hands. Warily, he handed it over to Ares.
"Just promise me you'll help Hercules," Iolaus said to the god of war.
"In this case, I don't have a choice," Ares took the sword and vanished.
oooo
By the time the dark vines had done their work, Hercules was shrunken back to normal size along with the Jingubang staff. Looking up, he saw the dark dragon towering over him.
With a swipe of his tail, Angra Mainyu knocked Hercules back several yards. Hercules tried getting up but Angra Mainyu unleashed a blast of fire from his mouth that caused an eruption near where Hercules stood, throwing him on his back.
Attempting to get up again, Hercules held his staff tightly and attacked but Angra Mainyu struck Hercules with enough force with his hand that the son of Zeus was sent flying against a boulder.
Hercules sank down on both knees, still holding on to the Jingubang.
"Your time ends now!" promised Angra Mainyu.
Without warning, Ares appeared in the air right underneath the central jaw of Angra Mainyu, thrusting the sword with Hind's blood upwards and stabbing the dark god right through his flesh.
"This better do the trick…" Ares hoped.
Angra Mainyu only smiled. He backhanded Ares onto the ground near Hercules. With that, he removed the Hind's blood stained sword and allowed it to fall to the ground harmlessly.
"I was the one who provided Alexander with his Hind's blood," Angra Mainyu informed the god of war. "Did you think by now that I haven't experimented with it enough to build up immunity to its god-killing properties?"
"Oh great, a god who isn't affected by Hind's blood," Ares frowned. "Guess I'll have to go with Plan B now."
"Plan B?" asked Hercules.
From behind, hundreds of Wukong clones leaped onto Angra Mainyu, scratching, biting, and punching at him.
"Pathetic!" declared the dark dragon. "You believe these lower primates can stop me?"
"They're not here to stop you, you three-headed freak," Ares smiled.
With that, he grabbed Hercules and the two of them disappeared in a flash of divine light.
"Raaahhh!" screamed Angra Mainyu, unleashing powerful blasts of lightning and fire upon the Wukong clones, annihilating them on contact.
oooo
Before Hercules knew it, he and Ares were transported towards an abandoned watchtower somewhere along the edge of the city. Inside the room, corpses were strewn everywhere, both that of human soldiers and the monsters that had been attacking the city.
As for Hercules himself, he shook himself off and tried to get up, albeit stumbling and falling against the wall for support.
"Looks like Dahak's daddy really did a number on you," Ares pointed out.
"Looks like it," agreed Hercules numbly.
"I'll cut to the chase," Ares told his younger brother. "I'm here to help."
"I'm listening," Hercules leaned against the wall, still in a fair amount of pain.
"You want to beat this guy?" Ares asked. "You'll need more than some monkey's toy and an old wizard's magic to back you up."
"And what do you propose?"
"You need the powers of a full god."
"Alright," Hercules raised his voice in irritation. "Maybe I do need the powers of a full god! And how do you propose I get them? Unless you have a stash of ambrosia somewhere, I really don't think—"
"I'll lend you my godhood," Ares finally told him.
Hercules went silent. A few uncomfortable seconds passed before he felt comfortable enough to speak up again.
"What?" Hercules was in disbelief.
"Look, I'm really having to swallow my pride to say this so don't make this any harder for me than it needs to be!" Ares glared at his half-brother.
"Fine then," Hercules relented. "But why are you doing this?"
"All my life I wondered why Zeus preferred you over me," Ares admitted. "But now it's becoming apparent. You're a fighter, Hercules. You never give up, not in the face of adversity. You've defied all the gods of Olympus and you've taken on who knows how many foreign gods. All to protect mankind. You're a true hero, something I could never be. You never give up fighting the good fight and this time, I'm not going to let you give up either."
Choked with emotion, Hercules was taken aback by Ares' confession. The situation they were facing was so dark and desperate that for Ares to say something like this was astonishing.
Ares then held out his hand.
"The last time we made this sort of deal, I took away your powers," Ares mused. "And now here I am giving you my powers. Funny how things work out."
Hercules held back his emotions, remembering the last time they had made a deal like this. In exchange for the right to marry Serena, he had to give up his demi-god powers. However, Serena had ended up murdered due to the machinations of Ares and the marriage destroyed. It was a tragedy that deeply colored Hercules, much like Hera's murder of Deianeira.
Without another word, Hercules grabbed the hand of Ares as the god of war allowed all of his divine powers to flow into his younger brother.
Finally, Ares let go and sunk to the floor, completely drained and weakened from such a transfer while Hercules himself felt invigorated and strengthened by the full powers of an Olympian deity he had just attained. He had gained the powers of a god before but this time, it was different.
He had been told before that he had the strength of Zeus. Now the strength and divine powers of Ares had been added to his already prodigious might. A slight aura surrounded his body with his newfound abilities. He had never felt such power before.
"If you happen to win this battle, I want my powers back," Ares told Hercules firmly.
"Deal," promised Hercules.
"Go," Ares told Hercules. "Go out there and do what you do best. Be the champion for mankind that we all know you to be."
Hercules could tell from the tone in his brother's voice that even though Ares would never outright admit regret to his past actions against him, this was the best the god of war could do in conveying his sympathies. By giving up his powers, this was Ares' way of giving back for the pain he had caused him in the past.
"Thanks," Hercules gripped his Jingubang staff and used his new powers to teleport himself out of there.
oooo
After eliminating the last of the Wukong clones, Angra Mainyu turned his attention towards Herc's friends and allies.
"Hercules cannot save you," the dark god told them. "And neither will your magic tricks!"
He moved towards them menacingly, getting on all fours and running towards them like a savage beast.
Iolaus braced himself.
"I guess this is the end," he said, taking hold of a sword on the ground.
He looked at everybody else around him.
"Nice fighting alongside all of you," he told them.
Before Angra Mainyu could reach them, however, a bright light appeared before the dark god, glowing with such radiant power that the dragon shrank back from his attack.
From the glowing object in the air, a figure could be made out. As Angra Mainyu opened his eyes, the newcomer blasted him in the chest with a bolt of lightning, hurling him back.
"Hercules!" shouted Iolaus, realizing who it was.
"You!" Angra Mainyu yelled, getting back up.
As he advanced towards Hercules, the now fully divine god began to grow in size until he was at the same level as Angra Mainyu.
Hercules held the staff in his hands, allowing the staff to magically extend, striking Angra Mainyu in his central throat, stopping him on his tracks.
The dark god coughed in violent pain and stumbled back but Hercules flung himself into the air with the Jingubang and kicked Angra Mainyu in the chest, knocking him flat to the ground.
All three heads regained their composure and blasted at Herc. The son of Zeus leaped over Angra Mainyu, throwing the Jingubang staff to the side and grabbing the dragon from the back.
The superpowered Hercules then lifted Angra Mainyu up, suplexing him back-first into the ground. Grabbing on still, he threw Angra Mainyu into the air and flew up, summoning the Jingubang staff to his hands once more.
Flying into the air, Hercules flipped over Angra Mainyu and kicked him in the back with a powerful axe kick to send the dark god hurtling towards the ground again. The deity struck the ground in an explosion of sediments and rock. As he got up, Hercules attacked him with a flurry of staff blows. After five or six strikes, Hercules leaped up and drop-kicked Angra Mainyu back.
In retaliation, Angra Mainyu whipped his tail forward as Hercules charged and struck the demi-god across the face to knock him to the side. Opening all three maws, Angra Mainyu unleashed his most powerful spat of flames. Spinning his staff like a whirlwind, Hercules deflected the blast of dark flames with his newfound abilities.
Finally, Angra Mainyu stopped, realizing what was happening.
"You… you've gained the powers of a god!" exclaimed the god.
In response, Hercules hurled the Jingubang staff forward, striking Angra Mainyu in the chest, forcing him back. Hercules then created a ball of fire in his own hands, hurling it forward.
Angra Mainyu was not expecting such an attack. The fireball struck the right neck of the three-headed dragon, severing it in a fiery explosion.
"Aaaahhh!" screamed the evil deity.
Herc ran forward, tackling the weakened god, bringing both of them to the ground. Raising his fists, Hercules rained blow upon blow on the remaining two heads of Angra Mainyu, hammering him with the combined strength of both himself and Ares.
Angra Mainyu, however, was not finished. He dug his claws into Herc's side, eliciting a cry of pain from the now divine god. Getting both feet under Hercules' chest, he kicked the son of Zeus off.
"Raaaaghhh!" cried Angra Mainyu, charging at Hercules with all the strength of a crazed and rabid animal.
As Hercules got up, Angra Mainyu whirled around, catching him in the ribs with a tail strike that hurled the son of Zeus into the side of a mountain. Angra Mainyu flew up, slamming down feet down on Herc's stomach, nearly crushing the air out of him. He slashed Hercules across the chest, drawing blood and causing the long-haired man to cry out in agony.
Hercules raised his Jingubang staff but Angra Mainyu grabbed it with both hands and yanked it away from Hercules, throwing it away into the distance.
With his two remaining heads, Angra Mainyu bit down at Herc's face as the full god dodged left and right. As Angra Mainyu's central jaws came down for a third time, Hercules grabbed a boulder and bashed the deity across the head with it, forcing him off. He then punched Angra Mainyu across the chest, sending the god stumbling back in the process.
Hercules cupped both hands together into the air, allowing his new divine powers to do the work for him. He summoned a green ball of energy and hurled it forward, striking Angra Mainyu in the chest with a powerful explosion that knocked the dragon back several yards.
As Angra Mainyu got up, Hercules noticed the Jingubang staff right behind him. Quietly he summoned the staff telekinetically. As soon as Angra Mainyu had his attention focused on Hercules once more, Herc summoned the staff back to him, allowing the Jingubang to strike Angra Mainyu in the back and send him flying forward along with the magical staff.
Hercules ran forward, knocking the dragon down with a clothesline. As Angra Mainyu fell, he grabbed Herc by the leg with his tail and yanked the full god to the floor. Hercules got to both feet but Angra Mainyu backhanded him and then blasted him in the chest with another full charge of dark lightning.
Again, Angra Mainyu swung his tail but this time Hercules was prepared. Creating a flaming sword in his hand, Hercules swung his new weapon forward, slicing off Angra Mainyu's tail in the process, causing the dragon to howl in pain. Running forward, Hercules plunged the weapon into Angra Mainyu's stomach, making the dragon roar in tortured pain.
As Hercules plunged the weapon deeper, Angra Mainyu's left head came down, biting Herc in the shoulder and drawing blood.
"Aaagh!" screamed Hercules.
Continuing to sink his teeth into the son of Zeus's flesh, Angra Mainyu lifted Hercules up and threw him into the distance. As Hercules flew forward, he noticed the Jingubang staff lying on the ground. Using his newly gained powers, Hercules summoned the staff, having it stand straight up as he clasped onto it with both hands and swung around, launching himself back at Angra Mainyu and kicking the dark god down with both feet into his chest.
As Hercules planted his feet down on Angra Mainyu's stomach, the Jingubang staff flew back into his hands. Hercules lifted it up and slammed it down on the dragon's chest, causing Angra Mainyu to spit out blood.
"Was that supposed to finish me?!" Angra Mainyu spat.
"No," Hercules replied calmly. "I'm just the conductor."
Suddenly, in the skies above, a ray of light appeared over the two.
Above in the clouds stood Buddha, Guanyin, Mabon, and a grand multitude of gods and divine beings from all over the world. Foremost among them, however, was a deity with a dark bushy beard dressed in red and blue robes. Rainbow-colored feathers decorated the two wings on his back. It was a foe that Angra Mainyu had not encountered for a long time.
"Ahura Mazda!" Angra Mainyu choked as Hercules held him down with the Jingubang.
"Angra Mainyu, you have been judged and found guilty," Ahura Mazda told him. "May the thunder of the gods strike you down!"
With that being said, all of the gods focused their power upon a massive storm cloud hanging above them. Pooling all their divine energies together, they filled the storm cloud with enough power to give the dark god his final sentence.
"No!" shouted Angra Mainyu, struggling to free himself. "Son of Zeus, you must set me free! I will give you power! I will make you ruler of this world! I will return to you your deceased family! Think of your children! Deianeira! Serena! Your mother Alcamene! Even your father Zeus! They can all be yours once more!"
Hercules glared at the dragon deity balefully. Had the dark god become so desperate that he would sink to making empty promises like this?
"I've been tried and tempted before," Hercules informed him. "Your empty promises mean nothing to me!"
At that moment, the storm cloud was willed with enough divine power that a massive bolt of divine thunder erupted forth and came down towards the two.
"Time to face the music," Hercules told Angra Mainyu.
"Noooo!" screamed the evil deity.
The massive bolt of divine thunder struck the Jingubang staff as Hercules held on tightly. Travelling through the staff, the divine lightning bolt then penetrated the body of Angra Mainyu as Hercules continued to pin him down.
"Aaaahhhh!" screamed Angra Mainyu as the lightning of the gods coursed through him.
In agony, he felt the divine lightning ripping through him and destroying every bit of his evil essence inside and out. Continuously, the lightning of the deities above struck him and tore into him. Red, green, purple, and blue bolts of energy alike began to tear him up first from the outside and then soon penetrated his very soul.
As Hercules continued to hold on, he too felt the rush of power through his own body. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. Soon, it felt as if the massive amount of power coursing through his body would destroy him as well. Nevertheless, he held on tightly, screaming in pain as he stood there, holding the Jingubang staff as the divine instrument of Angra Mainyu's final destruction, conducting all the divine thunder and allowing it to course through the dark dragon's body.
Finally, there was calm. As Hercules opened his eyes, he realized that he had not been destroyed.
Looking down, he saw the charred and almost unrecognizable body of Angra Mainyu. Smoke now arose from what appeared to be a hollow shell.
Allowing himself use of Ares' magic once more, Hercules shrunk back down to his regular size.
At long last, Angra Mainyu's two remaining heads sank to the floor as the body began dissolving into black sand.
"It is done," Ahura Mazda announced.
He disappeared and reappeared before Hercules, extending his hand as a peaceful gesture.
"I thank you, Hercules," Angra Mainyu's nemesis told the son of Zeus. "We would not have stopped Angra Mainyu without your help."
"Just glad this world won't be covered in eternal darkness," Hercules smiled. "That's what's important."
"You have secured the future of generations to come," Ahura Mazda nodded.
Hercules smiled as the sun finally began to rise in the horizon, shining light once more upon all of creation.
"Something's telling me the future's about to look a whole lot brighter," Hercules agreed.
To be concluded.