Chapter 23 The Fairy of the Lake
"mortal..."
"I am the messenger of the gods."
"She is the lake fairy who guards this place..."
"You must not kill that lion..."
The beauty claimed to be a fairy from the lake and also identified herself as a "messenger of the gods".
This caused everyone to feel horrified.
Old Tyr's pupils trembled as he looked at the slightly alluring fairy standing barefoot on the blood-soaked water. His parched throat emitted a deep, resonant voice:
"Legend has it... that the spirits of nature, or the frail offspring of the lesser gods, would become fairies and goddesses, hiding in the mountains, living in the dense forests, or residing in the lakes..."
Dick shouted again:
"But I've never fucking heard of fairies living in lakes formed from human blood!"
The fairy ignored old Tyr and Dick.
Instead, barefoot and stained with blood, it slowly floated down in front of Yara.
It shielded the sleeping lion behind it.
Watching the fairy's long, golden hair cascade down like a waterfall, draped over her rosy shoulders.
Her flawless face was filled with arrogance and disdain. Her emerald-green eyes, like jade, were captivatingly fixed on Yara's. Her warm, red lips parted slightly, and her soft, melodious voice once again rang in Yara's ears—
"Mortal, you must not kill that lion..."
Yara finally couldn't hold back any longer. He gritted his teeth and roared, "Why can't we kill it!"
The fairy extended her slender, jade-like fingers and gently brushed them across Yara's furious face. She spoke slowly—
"That was the decision of the gods..."
"The Nemean Lion can only be slain by the prophesied 'hero'..."
Yara felt a sense of absurdity and sneered, "Gods? Humph!"
"And what is a hero?"
"I have come here, carrying the hopes of the King of Argos and his people, traversing mountains and rivers and overcoming countless obstacles..."
"Doesn't that qualify as a hero?"
The fairy held Yara's shoulders and floated around him.
If one disregards the mountain of corpses and sea of blood behind her, and the bloodstains at her feet, one might truly believe she is a beautiful, ethereal, and pure fairy.
Her voice was soft, like the clear sound of a bell—
"No, mortals..."
"You are merely a mortal, a hero to a king..."
"But it can't be called—"
"The hero of the gods..."
Yara continued to rebuke: "And what are the heroes of the gods? Where are they?!"
"This lion monster wreaked havoc on humanity, devouring nearly hundreds of thousands of people living in northern Nemea."
"It brought terrible natural disasters to the west; the floods and droughts almost destroyed the entire city-states and villages west of Nemea, and countless refugees wept bitterly, embracing their dead loved ones!"
Where are the gods at this time?
Where are the heroes?!
The fairy extended a slender, white finger and gently pressed it against Yara's lips; it was cool and soft.
Yara was immediately speechless.
The fairy's voice remained calm and unhurried—
"hero..."
"He is a mortal with divine blood..."
"And this hero has yet to step onto the stage..."
"The birth of this lion was the decision of the gods..."
Boundless rage burned within Yara's heart. This inner torment actually enabled him to break the divine seal the fairy had placed on his mouth. Yara gritted his teeth and roared:
"So you're saying that this lion was released by the gods?"
"All the villages and city-states in northern Nemea, and indeed everything in western Nemea, suffered as a result of natural disasters..."
"All of this was caused by the so-called god you're talking about?"
"Are the lives of hundreds of thousands of ordinary people so cheap in your eyes, less than weeds, less than dust?"
"Just to wait for that damn hero to arrive, to become his trial??"
The fairy hadn't anticipated that Yara could break the seal. A hint of surprise appeared on her delicate face. As her wings flapped rapidly behind her, she took a short step back and said—
"Mortals are nothing more than blades of grass on the ground, reborn every few decades..."
"If it's for the sake of 'heroes,' then it's all worth it..."
"Go back, mortal..."
"I can make the way home open for you..."
"The spirits will no longer harass you..."
"You have reached the end of this journey—"
"I will bestow upon you gold and glory, and shrink this land of death by hundreds of miles..."
"Your king will praise you, your people will sing your praises..."
"You've done enough..."
"Go back, mortal...go back, mortal..."
The group was bound to the spot by an invisible force.
The sword-wielding skeleton stood by like a butcher waiting to slaughter livestock.
It seemed that if they dared to refuse, there was only one path awaiting them—
die.
Dick gritted his teeth, his expression filled with anger.
Pan trembled and struggled incessantly, even though he knew he couldn't break free from the divine power's restraint. He continued to struggle, his veins bulging, his arms turning blue, and blood seeping from the corner of his mouth...
Old Tyr, like an old wolf, stared intently at the fairy, his knuckles white as he gripped the sword hilt.
Yara glanced at the three of them and knew everything.
He inexplicably asked the fairy a question—
Who is your god?
The fairy was taken aback, unsure why Yara had suddenly asked such a question, but she still responded with a light, melodious voice—
"My god is the master of Mount Olympus, the great king of the gods, Zeus..."
Yara seemed relieved and replied—
"My God is the Lord of the Kingdom of Heaven!"
Immediately, he bit his tongue hard!
A strong, metallic smell of blood filled Yara's nostrils, and intense pain assaulted his senses. But it didn't stop there; his teeth, like a meat grinder, were crushing every inch of his tongue, meticulously savoring every bit of the agony...
The next moment—
Before the fairy's shocked eyes, Yara suddenly broke free from the divine power's restraint!
However, this self-destructive act, akin to a sacrifice, is not yet over...
Yara pulled out a dagger, plunged it into his abdomen, and then violently twisted it, enduring excruciating pain.
Yara broke out in a cold sweat. He stood up and made countless cuts on his body, reaching into each wound and stirring it vigorously.
He pulled out his fingernails one by one, and smashed out his teeth piece by piece...
Until the pain reached a terrifying, unbearable level.
Yara knelt on the ground in agony, blood dripping from his wounds and mingling with the ashes on the ground...
The fairy was so frightened by this sudden turn of events that she immediately retreated back to the surface of the lake.
Meanwhile—
[Resurrection of Misery]!
That terrifying pain was unbearable for ordinary people.
But in Yara, it transformed into a power that ordinary people could not imagine!
When he stood up from the ground, covered in blood, his eyes changed, becoming bloodthirsty...
It has become so terrifying that even fairies would be terrified!
The fairy seemed to finally lose her haughty demeanor, staring at Yara in shock—
"Gods above, madman...this is absolutely insane!"
.....