Bastard Son of Immortal

BOOOM!

High in the sky over Chicago, two people were sparring within a cloud bank that formed a circular ring when their fists collided together.

BOOM!

BOOM!

POW!

William attempted a kick to the Side of Immortal's head after a two-hit combo, but the older hero merely smiled at this.

"TSK OLD BASTARD!" William roared before putting more power into the kick and forcing the two into a mid-air spin.

Immortal grabbed William by his calf and pulled him in for a strong hook.

BOOM!

William's face distorts from the blow before he is blasted backwards so fast that the city below begins to blur.

Outside the city in a more densely wooded area, a few animals are seen grazing and drinking water along the edges of a river.

A fisherman and his son were floating lazily along the river with blissful expressions on their faces after having had an excellent haul of fish.

RUMBLE!

A rumbling in the distance caused the nearby fauna, as well as the fish, to flee, causing the two to look up from their business to see a dust cloud rising over the tree line.

Suddenly, from within the tree line, William flew out from one side of the river to the other while Immortal stood on top of his abdomen and appeared to be using William as a water ski.

Frustration filled William's mind, and his expression made that clear, "I'm clearly stronger than Immortal but goddamn it, he has had practically millennia to train."

Slamming his open palm against the ground, William shot back up and surprised Immortal with an elbow to the man's chest.

CRACK!

Immortal flew back upward with the sound of his cracked ribs echoing through his body.

The ribs were already in the process of healing completely when William flew up from below with his fist raised in an uppercut.

POW!

Catching the uppercut with his hand, Immortal and William then spun in the air as they struggled for physical dominance in the sky.

The two fighters, these two heroes, continued to struggle physically to the point that their veins nearly burst from under their skin.

BOOM!

Immortal attempted to throw a headbutt, but William had the same idea, and the impact left them both stunned for a bit, although only Immortal had blood oozing from his nose.

The blow caused them to separate for a moment, and as they floated there, both of them could not help but think, "What a tough bastard!"

WHOOSH!

The two flew towards each other, the collision of their bodies sounding like distant thunder, a smile on their faces as they once again rose to the sky in a flurry of blows.

At some point, Immortal had begun using a different fighting style that reminded William of an Anime where the protagonist screams a lot and has yellow hair.

"HYAAAAA!" Immortal did just that by yelling out and launching himself towards William with his hands already formed into fists and ready to throw.

William, caught off guard by the sudden change, was unable to put up a proper defense, and although his durability was rather high, the punches still hurt like hell, each blow causing his expression to fluctuate 

POW!

A blow landed on his face, causing his expression to ripple.

POW!

Another landed on his abdomen, knocking the wind out of his lungs.

POW!

The final blow was a hammer fist that smashed William downward towards the ground with such force that a small earthquake formed around him.

CRASH!

William smashed into the earth like a meteor, carving out a crater that sent trees toppling like matchsticks and sent shockwaves rippling through the forest. Birds burst into flight, and animals fled in a panic as dirt and debris mushroomed into the air.

For a heartbeat, all was still.

WHOOSH!

The dust cloud exploded outward as William rocketed from the crater, his eyes blazing with orange fury, His fist was already cocked back, muscles bulging, veins glowing faintly beneath his skin.

"ENOUGH!" he bellowed, his voice shaking the trees.

Immortal barely had time to brace as William closed the distance in an instant.

CRACK!

William's punch connected squarely with Immortal's jaw, snapping his head to the side and sending him spiraling backward through the sky. A streak of blood flew from Immortal's mouth as he grinned through the pain.

"He's learning... good." Immortal thought, wiping the blood from his lip. His ribs were still mending, but there was no time to breathe, William was already on him again.

The two collided midair, fists flying faster than the eye could follow. The sky echoed with the sound of their strikes.

BOOM!

BOOM!

CRACK!

WHOOM!

Each blow generated shockwaves that rippled through the clouds and flattened trees below.

William feinted a right hook, then spun and delivered a brutal backhand that sent Immortal crashing through the canopy.

THOOM!

Immortal hit the ground hard, sliding through dirt and roots, carving a trench as he slowed to a stop. He coughed, wiping blood from his mouth, and looked up just in time to see William diving down at him, both fists together over his head.

SLAM!

The ground split beneath them as William landed, the force of his strike creating a mini earthquake.

Immortal grabbed William's wrists, muscles straining, and with a roar of effort, flipped him overhead, slamming him into the earth like a ragdoll.

The ground erupted upward from the impact.

Immortal didn't give him a chance to recover. He launched forward, knee smashing into William's ribs, then grabbed him by the hair and hurled him across the clearing.

William tumbled through boulders, smashing them to rubble, before skidding to a stop against a cliffside. His chest heaved, his body bruised and bloodied, but his eyes burned hotter than ever.

"You're stronger than me, huh?" Immortal called out, grinning despite his battered state. "Prove it!"

William wiped the blood from his lip and grinned back. "Gladly."

FOOM!

He blurred forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet from the sheer force of his launch. Immortal met him halfway, and they clashed again, fists colliding with thunderous force.

This time, their battle took to the skies once more, a chaotic dance of destruction. They crashed through clouds, tore through the upper atmosphere, their bodies glowing like meteors as they exchanged blow after blow.

Immortal ducked a punch and drove his elbow into William's gut, then followed with a headbutt that made stars explode in William's vision.

William retaliated with an uppercut that sent Immortal spinning upward. He shot after him, grabbed him by the ankle, and whipped him downward like a comet.

BOOOOOM!

Immortal hit the ground with a force that cracked the earth for miles, a pillar of dust and debris rising like a volcano.

Standing up to his feet, he could see William flying toward him, looking to finish the fight with a devastating punch, when Immortal raised his hands in surrender.

The sudden surrender caused William to fall out of the air in surprise, but he managed to catch himself just before smashing face-first into the now barren dirt.

"What the hell, man? Now I just feel robbed!" He thought as he approached while scratching his head.

Immortal nodded in satisfaction while thinking, "he has great potential within, with guidance, he could be the hero the Earth needs!"

"You did well, William, but let's stop for now!" Immortal gestured to the surroundings, which used to be a green forest area with lots of wildlife, and now had a series of ugly craters throughout it.

"I think we would need Cecil to create an Arena in the desert or something!" Immortal thought with a sigh.

An hour after this, when it was beginning to get dark, a young man with a large, oddly shaped briefcase stepped off a ship, followed by hundreds of dark figures whose outlines barely rippled against the dimming light, visible only to the most watchful eye.

SLAM!

The briefcase hit the ground like a meteor, the impact rattling nearby windows and sending a tremor through the cracked pier beneath his boots. Dust and splinters burst outward in a small cloud.

He glanced back at the ship and sighed, knowing his hands would be bloodied before nightfall.

But then again, he thought, first dibs are pretty nice.

With precise, deliberate motion, he unclasped the heavy locks on the briefcase. The lid groaned open, revealing a massive hammer resting inside, its head etched with ancient, angular runes. The air around it hummed, the scent of ozone thick as tendrils of caged lightning arced lazily between the carvings.

"Ready to strike down the enemies of god Perun?" he whispered, almost reverently.

The hammer answered not with words, but with a violent crackle of energy that split the night, a jagged spear of light leaping skyward from the weapon's head. The young man smiled, a strange blend of benevolence and cruelty behind his eyes.

He turned, regarding the small army of shadowed men standing at rigid attention. With a sharp movement, he raised his hand and thrust it forward as if grasping at the horizon. The hammer, as if obeying an unspoken command, rose from its bed and flew into his waiting palm with a deafening CLANG, causing the dock beneath his feet to splinter further.

"You know your orders," his voice rang out, carrying over the waves and the wind. "Find William. Bring him down. If anyone gets in your way, send them to meet god."

"SIR!" The word burst from hundreds of throats, echoing like thunderclaps.

Without another word, they scattered, vanishing into the night, spreading through the city like a plague of locusts, their passage silent save for the faint hiss of disturbed air.

The young man stayed behind a moment, watching them go. The last light of day bled away, and darkness fully claimed the city. The wind shifted, carrying the smell of rain.

He hefted his hammer onto his shoulder and began walking inland.

Back at GDA, Cecil watched the screen showing the atmospheric reentry of the ship that they had launched to Mars not too long ago, radio communications were reestablished, and everyone had a gloomy and dark expression on their faces as they were told of what occurred on Mars.

Conor stepped off the ship with Marie walking behind him, both of them were glad to be back on solid ground as they weren't used to being off-world.

The agents, as well as Cecil, were shocked to find the Martian survivors huddled within the vessel, even though they were made aware of them; they were shocked by the number of survivors.

Cecil had Donald escort the anxious alien refugees to a series of empty rooms that happened to be quite close to one another before he turned to see Conor and Marie leaving to go get changed back into civilian gear.

"Sigh..."

A cloud of smoke flows from behind Cecil's back, barely masking the pungent smell of sulfur and pain.

"The first of the knights has arrived; you had best prepare yourself, Cecil!" Damien said, the soft hellish glow in his yellow eyes intensifying as he finished.

"TSK... Don't tell me how to do my job, demon! What have you learned?" He asked commandingly while making sure to keep his thumb on a button in his pocket in case the demon tried anything.

The glow in Damien's eyes intensified before it faded, only to be replaced by a sinister smile filled with razor-sharp teeth.

"Other than the fact that he is Immortals' kid, he is practically a mystery!" Damien said coldly, no longer interested in taunting this human.

Cecil nodded, "Yes well that was obvious given his power set, even if it is different in certain ways, the abilities are damned near similar!" Cecil grabbed a cigarette from his jacket and was about to light up to calm his nerves when Damien reached over.

"Here, allow me!"

Damien snapped his fingers, and a thin plume of black fire ignited the tip of the cigarette.

The old man took a long, relaxing drag from the poisonous stick before he looked Damien directly in his eyes.

"What about the mother?"