The gods were silent while humanity cheered as Khutulun stood over a fallen Aphrodite.

"By the will of the gods! Khutulun smashed Aphrodite to the earth with a devastating powerbomb that shook the arena. The goddess of love is down for the count!" Gods felt more humiliated after Heimdall declared.

On the humans' side of the arena, Kaidu laughed proudly.

"Yes! YES! Do you see this, you petty gods? This is the consequences of your foolish ego. My daughter is the strongest in the world, so bow to her!"

Then, an older, graveling voice laughed near to Kaidu.

"Hahaha! I must say! My great-great granddaughter gave that goddess a good thrashing!"

Every Mongolian was taken aback when they saw an aged yet battle-hardened guy seated alongside Kaidu. He has a steel gray eye on his right, a vertical scar on his left eye, a rough grey beard, and wears lamellar armor.

Founder of the Mongol Empire

Genghis Khan (Mongolia)

"Did you see that, great-grandfather! That's my daughter out there showing our people's greatness!" Kaidu said excitingly

Genghis laughs heartily, "Indeed! The fact she wasn't made Khan is a disgrace! Alright then! Men, continue to show your support for Khutulun!"

Inspired by Genghis's words, the Mongolian warriors wave their banners and cheer for their princess.

"Amazing! Khutulun nearly collapsed the whole arena with that powerbomb," Goll said with astonishment.

Brunhilde smirks, "Now, Goll. Don't give too much credit to Khutulun. After all, she is paired with Thrud. With our sister as Khutulun's volund, the princess's impressive strength increases exponentially. That means if she wanted to, she can shake the earth with a single footstep!"

Volund: Thrud- The Mighty One

Zeus grunts in frustration.

"This...this can't be it. I know Aphrodite has more than that."

Ares clutches his hands together, trying to hold himself together.

"Please, my love. Live..."

"Dad now is not the time to cry," Eros said confidently.

Ares shifts to his children as they remain confident and reassured.

"Why are you all acting like that? Your mother was slammed with extreme force!"

Phobos smirks, "Dad, you might want to keep watching. Because you'll see that mom got more tricks up her sleeve."

On the field, Khutulun admires this new strength she has.

"I'm impressed, Thrud. This power is incredible."

Thrud's spirit appears, blushing slightly.

"Oh shucks, it's nothing. But I didn't expect this fight to be over that quickly."

Khutulun agrees to this.

"Yeah, but I had a duty to fulfill, so I might as well take my leave."

Khutulun began to walk away from Aphrodite and headed for the cell door.

"Where...do you think you're going?"

Khutulun looks back to see Aphrodite beginning to move.

"Can this be? Yes! Yes, it is! Despite Khutulun's powerbomb, Aphrodite's passion has not gone out yet!"

As Heimdall announced this, the humans were in disbelief at this. They couldn't fathom how this goddess was still alive. As Aphrodite got to her feet, she grabbed her bloody nose and popped it back into place. She grunted at the pain and wiped the blood off her face. Aphrodite swayed despite being on her feet since she wasn't fully conscious.

"Damn it! She badly hurt!" Ares said worryingly

"She already took so much damage," Hermes stated.

Meanwhile, Khutulun sighed as she walked back toward the dazed goddess.

"I got to admit. You got heart, Aphrodite."

Khutulun then grabs Aphrodite by the neck with one hand and balls a fist with the other.

"But I'm ending this."

Khutulun raises her fist to go for a brutal Russian hook. But before the attack connected, Khutulun felt a sharp pain piercing her forearm. She looks to see Aphrodite's fingertips, no, claws digging into her forearm.

"D-damn you! What...is this?"

Aphrodite grinned at Khutulun and whispered songlike.

"~What can I say?~ A manicure does wonders!"

Suddenly, Aphrodite delivers a vicious sucker punch to Khutulun's stomach. The strike pushes the Mongolian princess back and leaves her a bit winded.

"*coughs* A cheap shot!? That's low."

Aphrodite looks at the crimson on her fingers and smirks.

"Cheap? Oh, my dear, all is fair in love and war. Honestly, you remind me of a man I knew in another life."

"Huh?" Khutulun uttered.

"What the hell do you mean?"

Aphrodite shrugs, "Forget it. It was an old life I once lived. Anyway, it seems I've underestimated how strong you are. I guess I got too cocky for my own good. But now, the gloves are coming off. Therefore..."

Aphrodite then offered a terrible smile that would chill the blood of a fiend.

"Let me show the dark side of pleasure! Epithet Embodiment: Melaenis!"

Then blackened, purple flames erupted and engulfed the love goddess.

The arena gazes on in fear and awe as the flames disappear to reveal Aphrodite's new form. She now has long, wavy violet hair, icy blue reptile eyes, sharp fangs, sharp claws, and an ebony horned headdress. She wears a bodysuit made of black and azure-plated scales, obsidian-clad gauntlets with propulsor-like protrusions, and taloned dark metal boots.

Aphrodite Melaenis: The Dark Love Matron

"Aphrodite has transformed once again, and her new appearance is frightening!" Heimdall exclaimed

Love goddess's new form unnerves the crowd, especially the gods.

"Is this...Aphrodite?"

"Why does she look so evil?"

"How ominous!"

Khutulun quickly braced herself as she got into the Bokh stance.

Aphrodite grinned widely in sinister glee.

"You're wise to prepare yourself, human. But I'm afraid..."

Unexpectedly, the purplish flames roared from Aphrodite's gauntlets as she rockets forward.

"THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

Instantaneously, she delivers a powerful straight jab to Khutulun's stomach. Khutulun became breathless and then received an uppercut square to the jaw.

'H-her punches...? They're heavier...than I thought!' Khutulun thought about despite the pain.

"Now, time to break you, dear! Aeneas: Trojan's Calamity!"

Aphrodite let rip with a blurring barrage of punches onto the princess of Magnolia.

"Such savagery! Aphrodite is pulverizing Khutulun as if she were a slab of beef!" Heimdall announces while holding back his fear.

Both gods and humans watch in silent horror as Khulutun is getting pummeled. Aphrodite to go for a rocket-propelled right hook, but Khutulun managed to weave through it. Running by instinct, Khutulun use a palm strike to push her opponent back. Khutulun was bruised, with swelling on her left lower eyelid and blood dripping from her mouth.

"Aww, such a cute face you have!" Aphrodite said with a predatory smile and a sickly sweet tone.

Goll's mouth quivered as she was horrified by Aphrodite's twisted demeanor.

"Wha...what's wrong with her?! Has Lady Aphrodite lost her mind!"

"No, that's just the aspect of Melaenis," Hera replied.

"What do you mean by aspect?" Goll asked.

Hera took a breath before explaining, "Aphrodite's epithets not only give her power, but they are part of her being. Her base form, Pandemos, reflects her kindness but her aloofness. Nikephorus reflects her focus but her vanity. As for Melaenis..."

Hera then gulped as a bead of sweat came on her face.

"It reflects her tenacity but her cruelty as well."

In the arena, Khutulun spits out a bloody loogie on the mouth.

"This form of yours... It allows your strikes' destructive power to increase, right?"

Aphrodite then clapped as she was impressed with Khutulun's figuring it out.

"You surprised you, human. Here, I thought the beating I gave you knocked away your intelligence. Yes, Melaenis allows my punches to break anything that comes into contact. Also, I saw that when I was punching, you rolled with my strikes to lessen the damage. Not bad."

Khutulun grunts in annoyance, "Don't act like you beat me! I can still..."

As Khutulun tries to take a step, Aphrodite rushes forward for another brutal punch. However, the warrior princess catches it and delivers a right of her own to Aphrodite's jaw. But Aphrodite was standing and struck back with another punch.

"Come on!" Aphrodite yelled gleefully as she and Khutulun threw fists at each other.

"Oh, sweet Rhea! Aphrodite and Khutulun are slugging it out to see who will crumple first!" Heimdall exclaimed while the audience cheered on their respective champions.

Goll watches the fight, hoping Thrud and Khutulun will come back alive.

"Wow, those two are giving the crowd one hell of a show!"

Goll, Hera, and Brunhilde sighed in annoyance as they looked and saw Gilgamesh in a yellow Hawaiian shirt and white cargo shorts. Two female demihumans held Gilgamesh's arms affectionately. One was a kitsune, and the other was a harpy.

"Ugh! What do you want?" Goll said with disgust.

Gilgamesh rolled his eyes at Goll before looking out to see the match.

"Well, I was bored being coup up in my chamber, so I came here to see the action myself."

"But did you have to bring your floozies with you?" Hera said harshly.

The kitsune and harpy were appalled as they were disrespected.

"Hey, be nice to them, okay? Himawari and Alexia are beautiful and dignifying," Gilgamesh corrected Hera, much to her further annoyance.

Both women cozy up to the demigod, which made Goll sick to her stomach.

Across from the arena, Zeus saw Gilgamesh showing up. Gilgamesh then glares directly at Zeus. Both men stare at each other as they know that fate wills it for them to fight each other. They knew as the moment the roster was revealed. Their clash was inevitable.

'I'll see you in the final round, old man.'

'I'll see you in the final round, boy.'

Khutulun dodges a punch from Aphrodite, and once she turns around, she surprises the audience with a superkick. That kick sent Aphrodite back temporarily, and she rockets back to hit a power tackle. Driving her left shoulder into Khutulun's midsection.

"Holy shit! Aphrodite hit a spear to that Khutulun chick," A human wearing a wrestling t-shirt yelled in the crowd.

"Fuck yeah! This is way better than Wrestlemania!" Another wrestling fan declared.

As the two women staggered back to their feet, Aphrodite was pleased as she licked the blood from her lips.

"This is wonderful! To believe you can withstand attacks from my Melaenis form? You are such a delight!"

Khutulun was huffing a bit before laughing genuinely.

"Not gonna lie, for a goddess of love, you're one tough bitch."

Aphrodite smirks at the compliment.

"You know, human. You remind me of my sister. She was the only one who could stand against me. Of course, that was when I..."

Aphrodite stopped herself as she didn't want to remember the past. Even now, echoes of her former life fuel her with disgust. Khutulun was surprised as the battle-hungry smile was replaced with a stern and remorseful frown on Aphrodite's face.

'Hey, Thrud, are you seeing this?'

Khutulun feels Thrud's presence.

"You know she's our enemy, right?"

'I know, but I see she's burdened by something. And to be honest, I don't want to take advantage of someone who has guilt, even if it's a god."

Thrud couldn't help but smile at her wielder's kind heart.

"Hey, Aphrodite, what's bothering you?" Khutulun sincerely asked, catching Aphrodite and the gods off-guard.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about," Aphrodite said, hoping to avoid talking about it.

"You told me I remind you of your sister, then you went silent. Care to explain?" Khutulun retorts

Aphrodite gritted her teeth as she didn't want this human to question her about her life.

"I don't know where you're getting at, but stop it."

Khutulun grunted, "Look, I get this is touchy for you, but since one of us is gonna die, it's better to make peace with yourself."

Aphrodite's eyes flash with anger at the statement.

"Enough! You know nothing of me, yet you dare to try to sympathize with me?"

Aphrodite's eye color changed to crimson red eyes, and Phobos knew what his mother would transform into next.

"N-no way! Mom's going to use that form on the human!"

Deimos, Harmonia, and Eros were unnerved upon seeing Aphrodite's red eyes flashing.

"Khutulun," Aphrodite said with a sinister undertone.

"You will know your place for pissing me off. Epithet Embodiment..."

"AREIA!"

Shooting up from the grounds are lengths of chain. Khutulun Jumped out of the way as one of them nearly struck her. All of the chains converge and wrap around Aphrodite's body. They form a metallic cocoon-like sphere, which leaves the audience speechless.

Then, the chains shatter, and a malicious aura radiates throughout the Valhalla Arena. Standing beneath the broken pieces of metal is Aphrodite, with medium tan skin and a muscular build. Her hair is messy and mane-like like a fearsome lion. Her attire is that of a chain cross-top, lion head pauldrons, clawed golden and iron gauntlets, leather spiked kilt, and armor-clad boots.

Aphrodite Areia: Mother of War

Almost every human and god couldn't say what they thought of Aphrodite's new form. Even Heimdall couldn't utter a word. It was as if they had been told about the boogeyman by their parents and were overcome with a sense of dread.

Aphrodite looked at Khutulun's shocked expression and smirked.

"Surprised? Come now, after seeing my previous forms, did you think I wouldn't call upon Areia," the goddess said in an ominous voice.

Khutulun then smirks, which catches Aphrodite's curiosity.

"Now I see how your forms work. They're like masks hiding who you are behind them."

With renewed vigor, Khutulun resumed her wrestling stance as she declared.

"Well, screw that! I'll break as many of your forms until you show us who you are!"

Aphrodite sneers as she gets into a grappler's stance of her own.

"Such a bold claim. But tell me, will you make me yield, unlike the soldiers of the Trojan War?

Remnants of the goddess's past begin to unravel. Who was Aphrodite before being an Olympian?