The golden light appeared just in time to block Zeus’ attack and save Grace from having her core destroyed.
As the light faded, a handsome young man appeared before everyone. He had white hair and wore tattered clothes. But despite his rough appearance, he exuded an otherworldly presence that set him apart from the rest.
He stood still in front of Grace, solid as a mountain.
“Dustin?”
The moment she saw the white-haired man, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She knew then that she was safe and so was everyone inside the ancient temple.
Aside from his stark white hair, he looked nearly the same. But now, he carried a mysterious, otherworldly energy that she had never felt before. At that moment, she knew he had broken through.
“Thanks for holding on.”
Dustin turned and gently tapped Grace’s shoulder. A beam of golden light shot from his hand and flowed straight into her body.
She shuddered as warmth surged through her, soothing every inch of her body.
The previously blocked circulatory pathways and accumulated internal injuries began to heal at an astonishing speed. Within seconds, she felt energized.
Her injuries were healed, and her energy burned brighter than ever.
This technique went beyond what any mortal could do.
“I’ll take it from here.” Dustin smiled and fixed his gaze on Zeus and Hera.
At that moment, the two royal gods seemed to sense danger. Standing next to each other, they were silently alert.
They couldn’t explain it, but there was something about this seemingly ordinary young man that unsettled them deeply.
Zeus sized him up from head to toe. “Are you Logan?”
He looked almost exactly like the man in the files. But something didn’t feel right.
Wasn’t Logan supposed to be badly injured? So why did he seem so full of life?
“You’re Zeus?” Dustin asked instead.
Zeus scoffed. “You’ve got some nerve, calling me by name like that,” he said coldly.
Dustin’s gaze shifted to the woman beside him. “Then you must be Hera.”
“That’s right,” Hera said with a faint smile. “Taking down Poseidon shows you’ve got skill. But today, you’re facing two royal gods, and we’re stronger than Poseidon. Since you dare to show up here alone, aren’t you afraid of dying?”
“Of course I am. But being afraid doesn’t mean I’ll keep hiding forever.” Dustin smiled faintly. “When my friend’s in trouble, I can’t just ignore it.”
Zeus sneered. “Hiding might keep you alive. But if you stop running, you’re just seeking death.”
“Who lives and who dies isn’t set in stone, “Dustin shot back, smiling. “Maybe it’s one of you who’ll end up dead.”
Zeus laughed sharply, then his face darkened. “You’ve got some nerve, kid. You think we’re weak like Poseidon? I’ll show you what real power is.”
He raised his hand and unleashed a bolt of lightning straight at Dustin.
Dustin stood still and didn’t flinch. Just as the lightning was about to hit him, a golden glow flared up in front of him.
Lightning crashed into the golden light with a deafening boom. The energy vanished on impact, but the glow held steady, untouched.
“Huh?”
Zeus frowned and attacked again. He sent two more bolts hurtling forward.
Dustin didn’t flinch, but invoked the golden barrier. The lightning bolts struck the barrier and exploded on contact. The golden light rippled like water, then quickly settled back into calm.
“You’ve got some skill. But let’s see if you can block this,” Zeus growled.
He spread his fingers wide, and his hand curled like a claw to conjure a sphere of blue lightning
As he charged it up, the sphere grew from the size of an egg to as large as a basketball in seconds. It pulsed with raw power, crackling with destructive energy.
“Break!” Zeus roared.
He hurled the sphere like a cannonball. The lightning slammed into the golden barrier with a deafening boom.
The entire ancient temple trembled. Lightning crackled wildly in the courtyard, smashing nearby buildings into rubble.
The lightning bolt roared fiercely, but the golden barrier stood firm and unshaken without a single crack.
“What?” Zeus’ expression flickered with doubt.
Even Grace’s divine artifact-the Seven Shards Steeple, bound to her life force-had trembled a few times under his relentless attack. However, this golden barrier protecting Logan didn’t react at all.
What the heck was this thing? Another defensive divine artifact?
“Let me try,” Hera said.
After sensing trouble, she stepped forward and joined the attack. She raised her hand, and suddenly over a thousand black icy spears materialized behind her.
“Fire!” she shouted.
She clenched her fist, and in a flash, hundreds of black ice spears launched from behind her. They streaked toward Dustin and Grace like a violent hailstorm.
The barrage slammed into the golden barrier with deafening force. Shards of ice exploded on impact and dissolved into bursts of scattered energy.
But the golden light around Dustin was still intact without any cracks.
Zeus and Hera frowned at the sight. They finally realized Dustin wasn’t going to be easy to deal with.
They were in for one hell of a battle.
