The prison that once held the God of War was now empty. The chains and manacles remained intact—proof that Ares had been transported away by the God of Death himself.
"He's given up all dignity as a god? Groveling before Hades like a dog," Queen Hippolyta scoffed with disdain at the war god's choice.
Liu A'dou thought to himself—after being locked away for so long, and with Zeus refusing to help him, it was understandable that Ares might lash out and make a bad decision. "Do you think he'll come for revenge?"
"If not for revenge, why else would he do this?" Hippolyta sneered. She raised her arm and gave a crisp command, "Call every warrior to arms—prepare for war!"
Themyscira entered high alert. The God of War could attack at any moment. The Amazon warriors never removed their armor, never laid down their swords. They were in full battle readiness.
Meanwhile, Liu A'dou and Ada Wong were eager to test out the twelve Gold Cloths Athena had delivered. But Liu A'dou was unable to wear one. No matter how hard he pushed his Cosmos, the armor gave him no response. On the other hand, the Scorpio Gold Cloth instantly wrapped itself around Ada, fitting her like it had waited just for her.
The armor looked almost identical to the original design, but Athena had added silk embellishments to make it more feminine—especially tailored for a female Saint.
These Cloths weren't the authentic Sacred Cloths of legend. Athena had poured her heart into crafting them using gold, meteorite, and Golden Fleece. They could block most attacks but didn't enhance the Cosmos itself—because Athena hadn't actually mastered the Cosmos. She had only crafted armors with high defensive power and the ability to respond to Cosmos resonance.
True to both versions of Athena across worlds, she shared the same aesthetic—storing the armors in metal boxes arranged in the shapes of the zodiac constellations. When summoned by a Saint, the armor would burst from the box and affix itself to their body.
"So beautiful..." Diana stared at the Cloth in admiration, visibly envious of Ada's stunning armor. Still, she had no interest in training in Cosmos. She preferred the fighting style of the Amazons. Even without Cosmos, once she donned her divine gear, she could still take on gods and demons alike.
"Liu, where's your Cloth?" Diana asked. Seeing how hard Liu A'dou tried and failed to activate one, she couldn't help but chuckle at his awkward expression.
Liu A'dou's unorthodox Cosmos was slightly off from the traditional flow, so the Cloths didn't acknowledge him. All he could do was walk away in disappointment.
"Next time, we'll have Athena make a special one just for you," Ada consoled him.
But A'dou didn't mind. "So what? It's just a Cloth. It's not like I can't fight without one." He shrugged. "Let's focus on how Ares might attack Themyscira."
"No matter how he attacks, I'll make sure he never leaves alive," Diana said coldly. That was the spirit of a true Amazon—battle was her destiny.
Ares didn't keep them waiting. Three days later, a massive storm cloud swept in from the open sea. Under that cloud came low howls and bestial roars.
The God of War had pulled together an army in record time—beasts, pirates, goblins, dragons, and cyclopes—all riding enchanted ships, surrounding Themyscira's shores with terrifying momentum. Many of them were ancient enemies of the Amazons. A thousand years ago, the Amazons had roamed the world undefeated, and in doing so, made many enemies. Now was the moment for payback. Called by Ares, ancient races had awakened to settle the score.
The Amazons rolled out catapults and formed disciplined battle lines along the beach, every woman ready for war.
This was a war straight out of myth.
Liu A'dou, Ada, and Diana stood together. Queen Hippolyta had assigned the three of them to a special operations unit. They were to strike only at the most crucial moment.
Boom. Boom. Boom—
War drums and horns echoed across the waves. Ares stood tall at the bow of his massive flagship, voice thundering.
"Brothers and beasts, the time of vengeance is now! We'll take the heads of every Amazon and wear them on our belts! Their skulls will be our goblets! War! WAR! WAR!"
"Kill! KILL! KILL!"
"Slaughter them all! Leave Themyscira a barren wasteland!" Ares drew his war blade. "Long live war!"
"WAAAHHHHH—!"
Ares was thrilled with his hastily assembled navy. He even regretted not making a deal with Hades sooner. In his mind, he'd outsmarted Death himself. But what he failed to see was that Hades had no intention of letting him off easily. Hades had only tempted him into this chaos—he didn't actually believe in him.
Athena had not stayed long after descending. She'd left behind the twelve glittering Gold Cloths, placing them atop the twelve stone pillars of the training ground. They didn't rust, nor did they fear wind or sun.
"Diana, come here." Hippolyta called her daughter into the armory and opened a sealed vault using her wristguard. Inside was Wonder Woman's iconic red-star bikini armor, along with a pair of indestructible bracers known as the Gauntlets of Zeus.
"Put it on, daughter. From today onward, you are a warrior."
Diana didn't find the outfit revealing at all. In fact, she eagerly put it on. Though it wasn't as dazzling as the Gold Cloths, each item was a divine artifact, and the power boost was immediate.
Queen Hippolyta handed over the Lasso of Truth.
"My daughter, today I pass this to you."
"Mother!" Diana saw the encouraging look in her mother's eyes.
She raised both hands to accept the Lasso of Truth and solemnly vowed, "I will make you proud."
Queen Hippolyta nodded, then turned with flair, drawing a longsword from the weapon rack. "It's time the God of War tasted defeat again."
The beasts were growing restless, ready to attack, but Ares continued flaunting his army. He wanted to wear down the Amazons' morale before breaking the barrier and launching his assault.
When Diana returned to the training grounds, Liu A'dou's eyes nearly popped out. She was finally wearing that legendary, sexy Wonder Woman outfit. And in real life, it was even more distracting than in the movies—absolutely the best weapon for breaking the focus of any male enemy.
Ada looked at the outfit with a deadpan expression. It only covered the chest and abdomen—arms and thighs were completely exposed. Honestly, throwing on a burlap sack might've been more practical. She couldn't imagine which tasteless designer came up with such a thing. Thank goodness Athena's sense of fashion wasn't this awful—her Gold Cloth wasn't nearly as revealing.
"I'll make sure Ares never returns!" Diana declared with confidence.
"Then once the battle starts, you'd better give it your all," Liu A'dou replied. Between the three of them, they might just be able to take Ares down.
Dark clouds now fully blanketed Themyscira. The trio looked up. Just outside the barrier, enormous bats flapped their wings, baring fangs dripping with saliva. As the transparent liquid fell onto the barrier, it hissed and steamed—clearly corrosive.
"Interesting," Liu A'dou muttered.
War was imminent. The storm above churned like the hand of a god pressing down.
At last, Ares launched his assault. With a wave of his hand, black flames spread across the barrier. These were the Underworld's Hellfire, granted by Hades, and they began devouring the shield. Meanwhile, the monstrous fleet sped toward the coastline.
Hippolyta knew the battle had begun. She raised her sword. "Woooo—" the Amazon war horns bellowed like charging rhinos.
Catapults fired, launching boulders at the ships. But against the God of War, this was child's play. Ares gestured, and the bats dove from the sky, wrapping themselves around the stones mid-flight, using their corrosive blood to melt the projectiles.
The fleet landed on the beach in full force, charging forward without formation, surging like a rabid tide toward the Amazons. But what met them was the famed Amazonian rain of arrows.
Arrows fell like a monsoon, pinning wave after wave of enemies to the sand. Blood of every color soaked into the shore, staining it with a hideous hue.
"Kill—!" Though they were a ragtag force, their momentum was overwhelming. Vengeance gave them endless strength, and Ares had given them their chance—they wouldn't waste it.
They finally broke through the arrowstorm and slammed into the Amazonian phalanx.
Brutal close-quarters combat erupted.
At the training grounds, Diana was itching to leap into the fray. The sounds of her sisters screaming and dying stirred her blood. Her whole body burned with rage.
The black fire had reached overhead, and bats from the clouds swooped down to attack every corner of Themyscira—including the training grounds.
The bats dove and spat from the sky.
Disgusting. Liu A'dou stepped forward. "Rozan Shō Ryū Ha!" Twin dragons burst from his fists, blasting a swarm of bats into dust.
Ada moved too. "Scarlet Needle!" Her needles flew like a chain, piercing giant bats and sending them crashing dead to the ground.
Wonder Woman had no ranged attacks, so she used the Lasso of Truth to snare bats mid-air, yanking them down to the ground, then cutting them down—either cleaving them in two or stabbing straight through. Her sword strikes were precise and clean.
The three formed a triangle of steel, wiping out every bat near the training grounds.
The rest of the island had descended into chaos. The giant bats wreaked havoc, stretching the defending Amazons thin. When they realized the training grounds were secure, they quickly evacuated all non-combatants there. The remaining defenders began regrouping at the grounds.
But the bats were endless. No matter how many they killed, more kept coming.
The front lines were in danger too. The enemy surged like crashing waves—wave after wave, endlessly charging forward. They had no fear of death, fighting like madmen, hell-bent on dragging the Amazons down with them.
The ocean ran red with Amazonian blood. Broken weapons littered the beach. The sight was unbearable.
Queen Hippolyta stood on the battlefield, her hair loose, her face bloodied. Her iron longsword was chipped to pieces, and only half of her shield remained. She had personally slain over a dozen cyclopes and two giant dragons. The battle had started at a fever pitch and never slowed down.
Ares had gone all in to protect his soul. He gathered every ancient enemy the Amazons had ever made, charging all at once in a reckless, overwhelming wave—trading chaos for victory.
Now was the moment to taste the fruit of his revenge. Ares flew high over Hippolyta, launching a blast of black fire that knocked her to the ground. Then, with a gesture, he clutched her throat from afar.
"A victory one thousand years in the making," he sneered, inhaling deeply. "Sweetest vintage I've ever tasted. Hippolyta, my once-lover—can you feel it?"
But Hippolyta couldn't answer. His grip was choking the life out of her.
Ares laughed maniacally, then flew toward the training grounds. He was going to finish Hippolyta in Themyscira's most sacred place—make it a stage for execution.
But Hippolyta had anticipated this. She knew a vengeful Ares would come charging with unstoppable momentum. That's why she left her three strongest warriors behind—specifically to ambush and take him down. In terms of strategy, she had surpassed even the God of War.