Realising that his flames were now useless, even the golden-haired man found himself in a bind. As a member of the strongest race, the Golden-Winged Great Roc, his Golden Wing Flames ranked among the highest divine fires, only surpassed by a select few.
Yet, even this mighty divine fire, after killing Heracles once, became ineffective. The Twelve Labours: In theory, you need at least twelve separate trump cards to kill Heracles. Strictly speaking, since this recreation of the myth hasn't included the Golden Apples trial yet, there's an empty slot, but it still means you'd have to kill him eleven more times.
Now that one life was gone, he'd need ten more surefire means of slaying Heracles, and to be honest, he didn't have that many at his disposal.
"What a troublesome opponent… But if I can just snatch the key item, I can seize the initiative," the Golden-Winged Roc muttered, face tense with thought.
"Hmph, your divine fire is useless against me now! Victory will be mine!" Heracles growled, his entire body radiating a brutal aura.
"Authority Release—Twelve Labours!" Heracles suddenly roared, unleashing his Authority in full. An overwhelming surge of divinity and power shook the world.
In the next instant, Heracles' eyes turned blood-red as visions appeared behind him, scenes that made the Golden-Winged Roc's expression change.
One by one, twelve distinct worlds unfurled behind Heracles, each clear as day!
The first world: a savage lion, tearing gods apart with ferocious might.
The second: the Hydra, a nine-headed serpent of undying poison.
The third: the Ceryneian Hind, a golden-horned, bronze-hooved stag, fleet as the wind.
The fourth: the Erymanthian Boar, captured alive from its mountain lair.
The fifth: the Augean Stables, with a stench that snuffed out all scent.
The sixth: the Stymphalian Birds, iron-feathered predators of the sky.
The seventh: the Cretan Bull, master of the labyrinth.
The eighth: Diomedes' Mares, man-eating horses infamous for their savagery.
The ninth: Hippolyta, the warrior queen of the Amazons.
The tenth: the Cattle of Geryon, wild bulls impossible to tame.
The eleventh: Cerberus, a three-headed hound and gatekeeper of Hades.
The twelfth: a blank, empty world.
Twelve worlds: each one representing a completed Labour, each one an achievement, twelve revolving mythic worlds, a true recreation of the legend, the source of Heracles' greatest Gift.
The final world was empty; due to the game's rules, that trial hadn't been completed, so it remained a blank space.
Even so, this was enough to boost Heracles' power to terrifying levels. And it meant that to kill him truly, you'd have to obliterate him ten more times!
ROAAAAR!
Having unleashed this fearsome strength, Heracles charged the Golden-Winged Roc with a mighty roar.
The Golden-Winged Roc had no choice but to engage.
In the skies, thunderous shockwaves exploded again and again, echoing endlessly.
The Roc was indeed stronger than Heracles overall, but now that his divine flames no longer worked, he had to rely on shockwaves and his own physical strength. Without the aid of divine fire, his combat power was halved, maybe even less. And with Heracles' incredible might and mastery of close-quarters combat, even the Roc was forced onto the defensive.
It was enough to make him frown deeply. Heracles couldn't kill him, but at this rate, things could drag out and attract other contestants. It was time to go all out, release his full Authority and go for the prize.
But just as this thought occurred, his expression changed again.
Heracles smashed the Roc with a punch, sending it tumbling through the sky in a rare moment of vulnerability. But instead of pressing the attack, Heracles and the Roc both turned to look in another direction.
There, the space warped, and a white-haired youth appeared, standing in the sky with a faint, amused smile.
"Looks like I got spotted as soon as I arrived. As expected of participants in the Sun Authority War and of the hero Heracles," Riku said with a shrug, as casual as ever. "Things are lively over here. Mind if I join in?"
The Golden-Winged Roc furrowed his brow, sizing up Riku in silence. A human? Was this the Sun Authority holder?
But would the Sun Authority holder really be so careless, just showing up in front of everyone?
After all, only those connected to the Sun, or Sun Authority holders themselves, could enter this game. Yet sensing Riku's Authority, he seemed to be utterly, absolutely human with no sign of Sun-related feats or Gifts.
"Leave. Now. Don't interfere with my battle," Heracles barked, glaring at Riku with blood-red eyes. His aura and Authority bore down mercilessly, intent on scaring Riku off.
"So you think I'm weak, huh? That really pisses me off," Riku's brow twitched. He understood: his regular form, even as a four-digit powerhouse, was the weakest here. But just because he understood, didn't mean he had to accept being looked down on.
He wasn't the type to keep calm and not retaliate when provoked.
And so, he acted accordingly.
Zzzt—!
In the eyes of both the Roc and Heracles, a surge of golden energy exploded around Riku, trembling the air, instantly amplifying his power a hundredfold.
Both the Golden-Winged Roc and Heracles reacted with shock and wary respect.
BOOM—!
With a crack of thunder, Riku vanished, reappearing in front of Heracles and driving a fist wreathed in gold-red, destructive energy straight through Heracles' chest, shattering his heart.
"Guh—!" Heracles' eyes went wide, blood spraying from his mouth. Another of his twelve worlds crumbled. Heracles had been killed in a single blow, instantly, by Riku!
"So strong!" muttered the Golden-Winged Roc, deeply impressed. That single punch was enough to pierce even Heracles' divine defences, blasting through his mighty body. By any measure, this white-haired youth's physical power was not only above Heracles ' but possibly far above him.
ROOAAAR—!
Before Riku could make another move, Heracles revived once more, his powerful Authority surging as he let out a furious roar, forcing Riku back.
BAM—!
Riku snorted coldly, his right leg whipping out like a steel rod, landing squarely on Heracles and sending him flying through a mountain, shaking the earth itself.
But this time, it didn't inflict any real damage.
The same attack wouldn't work again. The method Riku had used to kill Heracles earlier was registered as physical combat by the game system.
Fwoosh—!
Suddenly, a wave of heat swept over the battlefield as the Golden-Winged Roc condensed its own Golden Wing Flames and launched them at Riku.
Riku frowned, summoning golden flames of his own to clash violently with the incoming fire. Two divine flames collided, the temperature in the area spiking to terrifying extremes, space itself seemed to melt, and for a moment, the cries of phoenix and roc echoed together.
"Phoenix Flames?!" The Golden-Winged Roc's expression froze in shock as he saw the fire Riku wielded. Golden Wing Flames, Golden Crow Flames, and Phoenix Flames were all divine fires of equal standing, though each excelled in different aspects.
The phoenix was said to embody six forms and nine attributes. In ancient bestiaries, the head symbolises heaven, eyes the sun, back the moon, wings the wind, feet the earth, and tail the constellations.
Of its nine qualities: its voice rules destiny, heart is harmony, ears are far-hearing, tongue draws in and out, colour radiant, crown is red, talons sharp, song uplifting, belly marked with doors.
Its various calls were named, its food was paulownia and bamboo, and where the phoenix danced, all living things flourished.
Now that Riku was using Phoenix Flames with deep ties to the Sun, the Golden-Winged Roc found it impossible to determine if Riku was truly the Sun Authority holder.
"As a warrior, ambushing others is hardly something to be proud of," Riku said coolly, staring the roc down.
"Apologies. I just wanted to test whether you were the Sun Authority holder. It seems I misjudged. My mistake," the Golden-Winged Roc replied, eyes flashing. "I am Garuda, the Golden-Winged Roc. And you?"
"Riku Dola of [Disboard]," Riku replied with a shrug, casual as ever.
"[Disboard]? Never heard of that community. But if it produced someone like you, it must be formidable." Garuda gave a toothy, insincere smile. At this point, he still couldn't tell whether Riku held the Sun Authority, so it wasn't the time to start a fight.
"Oh, you Golden-Winged Rocs are the real top-tier race here," Riku replied, matching the false politeness with some of his own.
Anyone could do empty flattery.
"Riku, why don't we team up to take out Heracles and steal the bow and arrows? That way, when we encounter the actual Sun Authority holder, we'll hold the advantage." Garuda offered with a false smile.
"That's not a bad suggestion," Riku nodded easily.
"I'll kill you both!" Heracles roared once more, charging straight at them, shaking the ground with his fury and power.
Riku's eyes flashed; as Heracles charged, he unleashed a torrent of golden Phoenix Flames like a tidal wave, swallowing Heracles whole.
Fwoosh!
But in the next moment, Heracles burst out of the fire, covered in burns but otherwise undeterred.
Riku showed no surprise. Killing Heracles with Phoenix Flames in a single shot was impossible.
Earlier, the Golden Wing Flames had incinerated Heracles because his Authority had not yet been fully released. Now that his Twelve Labours Authority was active, Heracles was far harder to kill. Worse, now that he'd been killed by the Golden Wing Flames once, he'd developed resistance not just to them, but to other divine fires as well. That's just how the system worked. But Riku had more than just fire at his disposal.
His lips curled in a grin as he vanished from sight.
Garuda's eyes narrowed a space-type Gift.
A split second later, Riku reappeared behind Heracles, lightning-quick, reaching for the bow and arrows on Heracles' back.
Garuda's face changed slightly.
At the same time, far away, a man wearing a golden cap, wreathed in radiant sunlight, narrowed his eyes. A divine bow suffused with sunlight appeared in his hands.
Without hesitation, the man nocked an arrow of pure sunlight and fired at Riku. The solar arrow, blazing with terrifying speed and power, tore through the air straight toward Riku.
"Hm?" Noticing something amiss, Riku's eyes narrowed. With a twist, he caught the solar arrow behind him.
"Hraaah!" Heracles had recovered, too, lashing out with a fist wreathed in divine might.
BOOM!
Riku vanished once more, sidestepping to a new spot, forming a triangle with Heracles and Garuda.
Now, all three paused in unspoken agreement, turning to the source of the solar arrow.
"Everyone here just loves sneak attacks, huh? Hey, you over there, come out already." Riku's face was cold, his gaze sharp as steel.
"Heh, to have noticed my attack, that's impressive. Not surprising for the Sun Authority holder, and for a human who can wield Phoenix Flames at three-digit power." The distant god sighed in awe, stepping forward, his eyes locked on Riku.
As he spoke, Garuda's golden eyes flickered, and Heracles still wore that savage look.
Riku, unfazed, simply crushed the solar arrow in his hand.
"I am Apollo, one of the Twelve Olympians, a chief god of the third layer of Little Garden." The man doffed his golden cap, elegantly introducing himself. "Don't you want to reveal your identity, stranger? I have my ways of discerning who holds the Sun Authority, you know."
"Sun God Apollo, huh?" Riku glanced at the god, shaking his head. "Even a bootleg sun god like you showed up, and you're the type to launch sneak attacks, too? Shameful for the Twelve Olympians."
Apollo's face froze, his expression turning sour.
Though Apollo was called a sun god, his solar Authority wasn't truly pure. Apollo was the god of light; the true sun god was Helios. Because of historical overlap and confusion, human faith merged the two, creating the mistaken belief that Apollo was the sun god.
That's why, in Little Garden, Apollo had gained a sun god's Authority, but his real power was rooted in light, not the sun. So calling him a "bootleg sun god" was actually spot-on.