Tyke became even more confused. "What are you talking about?"
He didn't finish that question before Helios lunged for him. Tyke was startled by the sudden movement. He stepped back on reflex and Helios missed.
"You're dishonorable," Tyke shouted as he evaded Helios.
He is faster than Helios so he can always avoid Helios' attempts to make contact. Helios is on the offensive but all his attempts have been futile. He can't get a grip on his opponent. Still, he wasn't flustered.
"And you're stupid," Helios said with a grin.
He roared at Helios, "I am not stupid."
"Then why did I call you stupid? I can't be mistaken. You have all the signs of stupidity."
Tyke's voice got even louder. "Shut up."
Helios smirked. "You see why I said you're stupid. You're supposed to make me shut up not ask me nicely like a stupid boy."
His continuous comment on Tyke's intelligence finally got to him. He attacked Helios with a punch in a bid to shut his opponent up. His movement was fluid, smooth, and fast. There was no wastage in movement at all. He has an instinctual ability to move quickly and efficiently too. It is an indication of progress in mastering momentum.
Tyke is displaying the weapon form, the ability to move your body in the best way to maximize the use of your weapon. In this case, his weapon is his fist. All demigods of the sky god have it. It is one of the benefits of moving without thinking, it is practically an instinct for them.
Helios grabbed his opponent's hand and pulled him in. He had seen the attack before it was made. He saw the change in Tyke's expression that indicated a decision to attack. The shift in Tyke's posture and shoulders telegraphed his chosen method of attack. But Helios wasn't going to underestimate his opponent. The attack could be a feint. He would be fooled if he mistakenly takes it as a real attack.
That's why he decided to turn the attack, whatever it is, into a real but shoddy attack. His pull on Tyke's hand was more of a jerk. Tyke was pulled off balance. He fell forward while trying to shift his posture and get his hand forward to stop his fall. It was then that his face came in contact with Helios' knee.
Such intimate contact is not pleasant to experience. His nose broke as his head was knocked back. It disoriented him for a bit. He couldn't recover before he received another blow to his face. Helios had taken advantage of his moment of vulnerability and punched him.
It felt like he struck his head against a mountain. His head was returning to its normal position after being kneeled in the face when that punch hit it and pushed it back into its previous painful and unnatural position. The bones of his spine squeaked in protest as they bore the brunt of the damage. The flesh of his face spilled open like spoilt fruit but the ordeal isn't over yet.
Helios grabbed Tyke's hand with his two hands and threw him over his shoulders. He landed with an impact that shook the stage. Then Helios picked him up again and threw him around like a sack of produce. Each impact on the stage dealt heavy blunt damage to Tyke's body.
Sadly, no one could hear the sound of flesh being traumatized brutally because of the sound of cheering. The spectating crowd was going wide with glee. They were shouting and getting their throats hoarse with it. They were chanting the name of the demigod of the sun god. The gods were also cheering for him. Even the ones that placed their bets on Tyke were excited. There's nothing more exciting than watching an underdog create an upstart. It is especially exciting when it is the smaller guy throwing the bigger guy around. Each contact of Tyke's face against the ground thrilled them.
The sun god was shocked by the display but he showed a smug smile opposite to the grim look on Harkam's face.
Harkam couldn't take it anymore, "Stop it. I call for an intervention."
Helios was frozen in the midst of throwing Tyke around. He became stuck trying to slam his opponent on the ground. His opponent whom he was forcing to make intimate contact with the ground also froze in the air with blood leaking from his broken lips, smashed nose, and swollen face. The drops of blood forcefully evicted from Tyke's body froze in the air like shiny purple pearls.
Everyone turned to the Observer. He was the one that froze the match and it is his job to resolve this issue and resume the fight.
The god of conflict asked Harkam. "On what grounds?"
Harkam answered with an aggrieved tone. "I was tricked, the boy doesn't have any runes."
"Dismissed. You chose the competition mode. You can't change it now that the fight is underway. Do you have any other reason?"
The god of conflict was supposed to resume the fight immediately since Harkam's claim for divine intervention was dismissed. Each patron of the parties involved in a challenge like this has a single opportunity for divine intervention. But he gave Harkam another opportunity in the hopes that the fight will be more interesting.
Harkam struggled to find something to say that will make things go in his favor. He was finding it hard to come up with one. He felt like raging out and causing some damage, maybe killing a few people but he couldn't. The rules that govern the ways of life of the gods were placed there for a reason which is to entertain the gods.
The rules have added order to the lives of gods and must be adhered to even if he is a grand god. Breaking a rule will cost him far more than a demigod because the entity that set the rules is not going to take breaking rules lightly. So he has to come up with something that agrees with the rules of engagement and will turn things in his favour.