Though he didn't think his opponent was strong, Ares clearly had grown serious.
As the god of war, he naturally favored slaughter and death; vultures and hyenas symbolized him, and his very existence embodied disaster.
Yet Ares also loved strength—he loved bravery.
Those who faced death courageously were even more likely to earn a god's acknowledgment.
The method by which the God of War acknowledged someone was quite simple—by letting them die on the battlefield!
"Hahaha! Mortal, are you prepared to accept the judgment of a god?" Ares brandished his massive spear, pounding it rhythmically against his shield, producing a sound akin to war drums, echoing like thunder.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Lightning crackled outward, turning into blood-red streams.
Ares, the God of War, also wielded the Mystery of lightning.
As one of the Twelve Olympians and Zeus's own child—like Athena—this was only natural.
Yet Rovi merely lifted his gaze calmly toward the enormous figure in the sky.
Ares had indeed gotten serious.
However, he still retained his human form—rather than appearing as the mechanical form of Zeus whom Rovi had previously encountered within the Sea of Imaginary Numbers.
Am I still being underestimated?
Rovi couldn't guess the exact reason.
Even though he sought death, just as he had previously challenged hundreds and thousands of Spartans single-handedly, in this moment, he intended to shake the majesty of a god.
Then… Rovi clenched his fist, gently stirring the power within him.
A crimson storm expanded outward, centered around him, surging and boiling like fiery currents, then instantly condensed—forming into a single "sword."
A golden hilt, with a crimson, cylindrical blade spiraling endlessly.
Ea—the Sword of Rupture—rested in his grasp.
"Hm?" Ares's eyes narrowed slightly.
Within that crimson storm, he sensed a "Mystery" even he found difficult to look at directly—a Mystery seemingly higher, deeper, more ancient.
"So that's it… no wonder you dare challenge a god; you had something up your sleeve!"
"But—it's useless!"
With a thunderous roar, Ares's powerful, massive body bent slightly like a bowstring, and then hurled his spear forward.
BOOM!
The air instantly shattered. A blood-red spear descended like lightning from the heavens, bearing a power capable of splitting the earth, aimed directly at Rovi.
Rovi's robes whipped about, deforming slightly under the overwhelming pressure, yet his face remained calm.
He raised Ea.
Blade rotating gently, upward and forward—colliding directly with the approaching spear.
Instantly, the ground exploded, layers of earth cracking apart. Red collided violently with red, spreading storms in all directions, sweeping away everything within reach.
"Sisters, protect the Athenians!"
"Understood—Euryale, Medusa, now!"
"Yes."
The three Gorgon sisters moved simultaneously. As Earth Mother deities under Athena's authority, symbolizing the "serpent," they transformed at once into giant snakes, intertwining protectively around the terrified and immobile Athenians.
They rose like a towering fortress.
"Ares!" The Spartans who had collapsed previously, empowered by their god's might, rose again.
They shouted, their voices fueling their deity with endless faith: "Ares!"
"Ares!"
"Hahaha!" Ares laughed triumphantly. After the spear, he pulled fiercely at the reins, causing the four horses pulling his chariot to rear up simultaneously, storming forward amid gusts of breath toward Rovi.
But at that very moment, Rovi released his grip on Ea.
He bent his knees and launched upward.
Bang!
Fist clashed violently against fist—Rovi directly met Ares atop his chariot.
"Hahaha! You have good strength, War God Ares!"
Do you think you're the only one who can laugh?
"Hahaha! Sage of Uruk, you possess strength like this?" Ares had recognized Rovi the instant Ea appeared.
Even as their fists collided, Ares threw the shield from his other hand high into the air, then swung his freed fist again.
This time, Rovi didn't directly clash. He shifted his body slightly, letting the fist pass by, before turning his own fist into an open palm, gripping Ares's hand.
He pulled forcefully, attempting to drag the god down from his chariot.
Just then, a whistling wind sounded overhead. With a loud clang, the shield Ares had thrown came crashing down, forcing Rovi's grip apart.
Ares recovered his shield, swinging it furiously.
Rovi extended a hand. Behind and beside him, golden ripples appeared, and the Gate of Babylon manifested upon Greek soil for the first time. Endless chains poured forth, striking like spears against Ares's shield.
Even here in Greece, holding the Key to the treasury's gate, Rovi could call upon the support of his two companions at any moment.
They exchanged blows rapidly, the battle shifting in an instant—the sage from Uruk not at all inferior to Ares.
"There's real hope." Athena revealed a relieved smile.
Even the three Gorgon sisters, transformed into giant serpents, released an inexplicable sigh of relief simultaneously…
"Sister, that guy's actually pretty amazing?"
"Yes, Euryale, he is quite something!"
Medusa said nothing, though her eyes sparkled with evident delight.
At the same time, golden ripples surged violently, and Ares roared furiously, throwing Rovi from the chariot.
With a thunderous crash, the earth quaked, raising clouds of dust.
"Hahaha… splendid!" Ares stood on his chariot, joyfully shouting.
He retrieved the spear he had thrown earlier.
Rovi landed firmly on his feet, steady.
After such an intense battle, both their clothes and armor were marked by creases, but—
Neither had been injured.
Whether Ares or Rovi himself, aside from a slight expenditure of stamina, they remained unharmed.
"So it really is like this?" Rovi shook out his hands, gripping Ea once more.
Victory Will Elude You did not mean defeat—instead, it symbolized an outcome where neither victory nor defeat was possible.
Athena, goddess of wisdom, had played a little game with words.
A harmless concealment.
From the start, she intended only for Rovi to hold off Ares—not for him to die by the god's hand.
Rovi had already anticipated such an outcome.
"With strength like yours, why bother with such a meaningless blessing?" said Ares. "Come, let us continue, Sage of the foreign lands!"
"By my name, Ares, you shall meet your end here and now!"
He prepared to resume the fight.
But Rovi shook his head. "No need. You've already won."
"Now—"
"Come down!"
Ares paused, startled, then realized his body was suddenly losing control, descending involuntarily.
What…?
This was...
"A war that can neither be won nor lost leaves behind only the pure concept of War itself."
Rovi smiled.
To wage war solely for war's sake—was that not precisely the essence of Ares's existence?
He had been influenced.
Older Mysteries could suppress lesser Mysteries, invading and influencing them.
With the added similarity of their concepts...
At this moment, Ares was under Rovi's "control."
Athena stood up abruptly.
Such an outcome far exceeded her expectations.
In truth, this was precisely why Rovi had gladly accepted her blessing, despite its subtle verbal trap.
With a thunderous crash, Ares, along with his chariot, fell to the earth.
Rovi then disabled the blessing Athena had granted him.
And, controlling Ares...
Forced the God of War into a decisive battle with himself, paying the price of near-death, to kill him.
To grievously injure a God of War as a mere human, bringing the god close to death—such a feat would unquestionably be sufficient to earn him a seat upon the Throne!
This was Rovi's true goal—a flawless plan!
---
T/N: hmm yes... hmmmm let him cook?
bonus chaps
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200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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