Chapter 575: Defeat Again
"Ares, you must understand, mortals are ignorant; their eyes cannot see too far. They are also blindly obedient, only believing what they wish to believe."
"Those humans, like ants wandering the earth, never care what the truth is, just as they have never had the ability to discern what the truth is."
"That is why they cannot comprehend how powerful that cursed artifact is, nor can they understand how perfectly that human fits with the Styx River."
"Looking at the Sky from the bottom of a well, one can only ever see a corner of the Sky; and in the understanding of mortals, an artifact should not be able to bridge the gap between them and a Dark Ruler."
"After all, except for that cursed sword, no high-level artifact is enough to allow a non-god to harm a Dark Ruler on Mount Olympus, so those mortals naturally believe what they saw is real."
"They believe you lost, that the God of War lost to a human in a one-on-one fight, and your faith and my faith have both diminished because of it… So, Ares, no matter what, you must resolve this trouble as soon as possible."
"If you still can't resolve it within half a year… then never come to see me again!"
… …
Crash—
Throwing the last wine glass in his hand to the ground, watching the exquisite vessel that a mortal craftsman might take a year to create shatter into pieces, a sense of destructive satisfaction surged into Ares's heart.
But this brief pleasure was only momentary. The half-drunk God of Warthought of Aphrodite's previous merciless reprimand, and only vexation remained in his heart.
A human who most likely died without a burial place; since the person was gone, how could he resolve it?
A living person, no matter what, cannot defeat a dead person… And that Centaur, he actually dared to refuse his command.
If it weren't for his apprehension of the Goddess of the Magic Web, who was outside the God Court, how could Ares have tolerated him until today?
"One last time, I'll give him one last chance."
"If he still dares to refuse me… then let the dead speak for me!"
Under the influence of alcohol, the God of War's last bit of patience was about to run out.
The solution he had thought of before was actually very simple: since he couldn't defeat a dead person, he would turn the 'dead person' into a 'living person,' and incidentally choose an opponent he could definitely defeat.
One must know that since Achilles was Chiron's student, he naturally understood that mortal the best.
And Achilles's true 'death' was being struck down to the human world by the Dark Ruler, with even his 'corpse' flowing into Tartarus along the Styx River… Strictly speaking, no one could be sure he was dead, and there was no legend of the Lord of Darkness taking action in the human world.
Therefore, whether he was truly dead or not could actually be decided by himself.
In this way, as long as he could find another powerful Great Hero, then find a way to temporarily change the opponent's appearance, and finally have Chiron personally 'identify' him, and then kill the opponent in front of everyone, everything could be salvaged, and the previous failure could also be explained.
Anyway, it was not uncommon for Gods to be deceived by humans due to carelessness or other reasons. Adding himself to the list would at most be another amusing tale.
Everything looked perfect, at least Ares thought so. Mortals couldn't see the truth, so he would give them a truth.
With his mind made up, the God of War immediately went to Olympia… However, what he didn't expect was that the Centaur actually refused him.
Without the other party's cooperation, Ares's plan would be difficult to succeed. Even if it did succeed, if Chiron were to step forward in the future and identify that person as not Achilles, then his actions would once again become an even greater joke.
So the days passed, and the Centaur never relented, and the God of War's patience grew increasingly thin.
Until today, under the influence of alcohol, he no longer wanted to endure.
He might as well kill Chiron, have someone manipulate his corpse and 'Achilles' to provoke him, and then both would be slain by him. If the Goddess of the Magic Web wanted revenge, then let her come!
In the temple, swallowing the last mouthful of wine, Ares strode out, dismissing the surrounding attendants.
"Alright, all of you, withdraw!"
"Chiron, you ungrateful fellow… Since you insist on seeking death, then I might as well grant your wish!"
A trace of cruelty flashed in his eyes. Without the softening influence of Aphrodite, Ares's inherent nature, stemming from his Divinity, gradually ceased to be suppressed.
Duels, mutinies, bloodshed, brutality, unjust War… The Authoritycomposed of these various domains pulsed slightly, enveloped in his Divinity. He had long wanted to find an opportunity to vent.
Achilles was merely an unrepeatable accident. Now, even a small Centaur dared to disregard him, relying on Hecate's existence?
"This, absolutely cannot be allowe—"
"—Hmm?"
His previously surging Divinity stirred slightly. Ares's expression was momentarily stunned, then filled with great joy.
Turning to look towards the area outside the city, in the God of War's perception, something seemed to be approaching him from that direction.
Vigorous vitality, resilient spirit, even enough to trigger the WarDivinity's sensing. Undoubtedly, that must be a powerful Great Herodestined to look down upon countless armies.
This feeling… even Perseus once did not give Ares such a strong sensation.
Normally, upon encountering such a rare individual, the God of Warwould most likely choose to issue a divine oracle, even at the cost of granting eternal life, to bring that human into the embrace of his church and spread his name among mortals.
Only now…
"…No choice, I can only say your luck is bad."
"Before, I was still troubled about what kind of human to find to play the role of Achilles. After all, he had also fought with other mortals, and others knew of his strength."
"I never expected that even fate would be on my side today…"
"Hahahahahahaha…"
Laughing heartily, Ares soared into the Sky, intending to be quick and return, capturing that human before the people in this city noticed.
As for whether he could defeat him—what a joke. Without the aid of the Styx River power and artifacts, Achilles could not have defeated him either.
What's more, although this was not Olympus, Olympia was close enough to the God mountain.
Divine power was certainly absent, but Ares believed that his current self was more than a little stronger than the top-tier demigods in the human world.
Let alone just a substitute, even if the opponent was Achilles himself, without the divine sword he could only flee in panic, relying on his invulnerable body, let alone a human who appeared out of nowhere.
One move, three moves at most.
With a flick of his hand, he could take him down.
· · · · · ·
"Heracles, pay attention."
"It seems a God is coming from that city, and he seems to have ill intentions."
Seemingly alone, but actually accompanied by Ender.
The moment he disembarked from the Star Shuttle, the Great Herorushed towards Olympia.
He didn't intend to cause trouble here, only wanted to act quickly, rescue the person, and leave.
But what he didn't expect was that halfway through his journey, the puppet in his pocket suddenly warned him.
"God?"
"Who is it? How can you be sure he has ill intentions?"
Speaking in a deep voice, at Ender's reminder, Heracles immediately became vigilant.
However, he did not choose to believe everything directly, even though Ender was now considered his friend.
Everyone has their own stance, and it is the same between evil Gods and righteous Gods.
Although many Gods of Olympus disappointed him, there was no shortage of benevolent and kind Gods like Hestia.
Staying in the Great Hero's pocket, Ender was not offended by this.
He just smiled, then called out the other party's name.
"Hehe… If I'm not mistaken, that's Ares."
"Believe me, Heracles, you must have heard of his Divinity and stories… No matter how you look at it, this half-brother Lord of Darkness of yours has never been an easy-going being."
No more explanation was needed, because at the horizon, an ancient bronze chariot was already speeding towards them.
Four warhorses, named Aethon (Burning), Konabos (Tumult), Phlogios (Flame), and Phobos (Terror) respectively, galloped and neighed in front of the chariot, showing no intention of slowing down.
And sitting in the center of the chariot, Ares, holding a long spear, laughed and hurled it towards the Great Hero.
Without exchange, the God of War wanted to quickly capture this sudden human Great Hero, so he aimed at the enemy's thigh and threw with all his might.
He believed no human could withstand this blow head-on in the human world. Being within the confines of Olympia, this was no longer a power entirely belonging to the mortal realm…
Then, under Ares's gaze, the Great Hero reached out and gripped the shaft of the flying spear.
Swoosh—
A faint bloodstain appeared on his palm. Although the powerful spear's speed suddenly decreased, it still struck Heracles's body with its momentum.
Carrying the impact of the divine horses' gallop, the bronze spearhead finally collided with the tough fur with a roar, and then could not advance an inch further.
His eyes narrowed slightly, watching the God of War's surprised expression, the Great Hero slowly nodded.
He had to admit, Ender was right.
"Ender, you're right, he indeed has ill intentions towards me."
"God of War Ares… Is he here for Perseus?"
He didn't know if that was the case, and Heracles didn't need to know.
To a God who attacked him upon their first meeting, he only needed to return the favor.
He reversed the spear, threw it back, and then strode forward, meeting the galloping divine horses.
If he couldn't discreetly bring the Centaur out, then changing the method was also acceptable.
… …
… …
"…Boom…"
"…Neigh…"
"…Rumble…"
… …
Olympia, the entire city was enveloped in the shadow of the central colossus.
Perhaps it was due to Ares's arrival; although this God of War's reputation in the human world was not as grand as other Lords of Darkness, this pious city, which regarded all Gods as its everything, still rejoiced for him.
However, today's Olympia seemed a little different from usual, because although Ares's departure had not yet been discovered, in the distance of the city, increasingly clear commotions affected the city's tranquility.
Pious believers frowned, condemning in their hearts the presence that disturbed the Gods.
Some people looked worried, not knowing if the visiting God of Warwould inflict punishment because of this.
But no matter what, this noisy commotion attracted considerable attention in the city.
Even the confined Centaur vaguely felt the trembling of the earth, but he didn't know what was happening outside.
As time passed, the tremors of the earth grew closer and closer, and obvious shaking could be seen in the houses of the city.
Only in the center of the city, the tall statues of the King of Gods and the Queen of Heaven remained motionless. It was as if some power fixed them in place, unaffected by any external force.
"What is this?"
"What happened? Did the Gods get angry?"
"Could it be the Lord of the Sea, the Earth-shaking God Poseidon, has arrived in Olympia?"
"Don't be afraid, the God of War is still here, Olympia is a God-blessed city!"
… …
In the city, discussions arose, but the trembling of the earth only grew stronger.
Endless prayers were transmitted, and the most recent and frequent recipient was the God of War present there.
Logically, Ares should have stepped forward to quell this chaos, rather than letting the public's suspicions continue to fester… But at this moment, he could do nothing.
The bronze chariot that was originally beneath him was long gone, and the reins of the four divine horses were held together in the hand of the human whose name he still hadn't asked.
The divine horses galloped, wanting to flee in terror from this terrifying presence. However, the Great Hero merely pulled them down with his left hand, rendering the four divine horses immobile.
Striding forward, Heracles glared at Ares.
This was another Lord of Darkness he had seen, but this one still disappointed him.
Is this what a God is? He didn't seem so impressive.
If they didn't have their innate divine power and Authority, what would these Gods even have left?
"The Goddess of the Magic Web created witchcraft… The Goddess of Wisdom brought much knowledge to the human world."
"Every creation in human homes cannot escape the presence of the Goddess of the Hearth… The Queen of Heaven established human marriage, and she and the Goddess in black robes perfected the rules of fertility and reproduction respectively."
"God of War Ares, what about you? Tell me, what have you done?"
"Besides what you were born with, do you have anything that is uniquely yours?"
He wasn't mocking; Heracles asked seriously.
"You… human!"
"You dare to mock me—what I was born with is what you will never possess!"
Clang—
Drawing his sword from its sheath, Ares's face was grim.
Damn it, where did this monster come from now?
When did so many existences defying common sense appear among humans? And most importantly…
"Why do they all come for me?"
Unable to comprehend, Ares pondered, and could only reach one conclusion.
He was the God of War, perhaps, this was the fate that the God of Warwas destined to face.