《Mythologia》


 Prologue+Chapter 1: A Large Price to Pay

    Note: Words with <> can be searched in the net for more information.

    PROLOGUE: <del>VIRTUAL</del> REALITY

    Countless specks of faint light surround the vast expanse where darkness prevailed. Like an awe-inspiring planetarium, it was a majestic sight to behold. A scenery like no other.

    "Ahh.... its so beautiful."

    A boy laid down with his body sprawled to the ground. He was smiling, but that smile did not carry any hint of life. He weakly reached for the floating lights above, but his hand could only grasp thin air. The lights were too far away.

    "Stop.... please... don''t move anymore!"

    A figure beside him spoke. Someone he knew. Someone that was close to him. Someone who followed him through rain and fire. A loyal companion till the end. But that voice carried both sorrow and desperation.

    ".....Gold."

    He weakly called for the owner of that voice. That girl whose beauty outshone any woman, was kneeling beside him. Tears were flowing from her eyes.

    "Don''t ..ugh!... cry, Gold."

    Reaching for her golden hair and patting her head, he tried to console the despairing beauty.  Unfortunately for him, it had the opposite effect. Like a broken dam, Gold''s tears flowed non stop, and so were her suppressed feelings.

    "You Idiot!!! You should''ve let me!! I- I was already resolved! You didn''t have to do this!! Why??!!! Why??!!!"

    It was painful for him to see such grief coming from a beautiful lady. But he did not regret the actions he made.

    "Why.... Master....", she muttered while sobbing.

    To her sorrow, the boy could only faintly smile. This girl, with the two years she became his companion, had never expressed her emotions to him so openly. She could only speak mechanically before, but now she was crying in front of him like a tragic heroine.

    What had happened? He could only recount the past events as his life dwindled away.

    CHAPTER 1: A LARGE PRICE TO PAY

    This is ''Mythologia'', the most popular online game in the world that incorporated Virtual Reality. It was based on Mythology of different civilizations incorporated in a fantasy world. With more than thousands of players online everyday, it was hailed as the best fantasy game of the century. All, until a madman turned it into a Death Game. A game that forced thousands of players to gamble their life and survive a harsh world where death means the end, unable to leave until the game was finished.

    After two years of effort, the players managed to beat the game. Unfortunate setbacks and problems plagued their progress, but they were able to reach the end. Those multitude of players who did not lose hope, had struggled till the end. They had successfully beaten the game.

    With the appearance of the log out function, no one hesitated to immediately depart from the virtual world. With a face of happiness and relief, the players transformed into glowing white orbs that started rising and illuminate the starless sky. Every people left Mythologia, all except for a boy.

    He visited the grave of the players who did not manage to survive until the end. With both closest friends and the vilest of enemies, he prayed for them in the afterlife. But when he was ready to leave, the ''log out'' function was already missing.

    "Where''s the log out button?!"

    The boy became anxious but his mind told himself to be rational.

    "A bug at this crucial moment?"

    This black haired boy led the players of Mythologia, and managed the NPC forces that assisted them in finishing the game. His power and leadership skills, along with achieving powerful status and titles, allowed the players to defeat the last boss with the least casualties.

    During his one hour wait, he felt something weird. About his body. About his senses. About the environment. For a Virtual Reality world, everything then felt too REAL.

    ''Grumble''

    He never ate food due to desire or hunger. He only ate because his <satiety> level (which is the virtual reality''s equivalent to hunger), reached critical condition. But now his stomach grumbled, which never happened for two straight years. Something''s really wrong. Everything feels off. As he pondered on such things, a sudden wave of terror assaulted his senses.

    "You.... can''t be joking."

    The demonic, evil aura that came from below a valley not far from the boy''s location. He can''t believe it. That insane amount of blood lust came from the giant corpse of the enemy that took everything the players had to defeat.

    GRRRRRUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!!

    Issuing a terrifying roar, the colossal monster came back from the grave. With minimal movements, earthquakes shook the place and storm clouds started gathering atop its head.

    Two bat-like wings spread out violently. One wing was torn and tattered, owing to the assault of thousands of magic that rained against the monster in the epic battle that decided the fate of Mythologia itself. The boy could see, even from a distance, signs of the monster regenerating its heavily damaged body.

    Owning a lizard''s body, protected by dark metallic scales, long neck and destructive magical breath, only one monster fit the given description. A DRAGON.

    " If only it was a cute dragon", the boy muttered sarcastically.

    A dragon,even though one of the strongest wild monster in the game,could not compare against the ''King of all Monsters''. An existence feared by even the gods themselves, the incarnate of destruction. It was supposedly the last hurdle to finish the game. And now it was alive again. Its jet black head faced the sky with extreme hatred and malice. It still hadnt noticed the boy, who hid himself to avoid  being detected.

    "<Typhon>"

    The boy spat the name of the colossal terror that took the lives of many of his friends. He knew he could not  defeat the monster. Every cell in his body told him to run away to the ends of the world. A terror he never felt from the prior battle with it now came upon him. There was no one to help him anymore.

    But what of the people left behind if he run away? They were just Artificial Intelligence, NPCs that doesn''t even have the will to live. A collection of manipulated data. Its stupid to risk his very life for the survival of beings that can''t even feel genuine emotions.

    "....pffft.... aha...hahaha!!"

    The boy laughed at himself. Not because he considered helping those strangers, but because he even considered escaping. He had a strong sense of justice.

    "Escaping would just delay the inevitable", he thought.

    Besides, abandoning people who, even if artificial only, carried their hopes on his success, would leave a very bitter aftertaste. He had already accepted from the beginning that he was such an egoistic fool.

    "I am an idiot", he proudly proclaimed.

    Shiiiiing.

    With his black hair swaying against the pressure from the wind, he drew his legendary sword <Tyrfing>, from its pitch black sheathe. The blade slightly vibrated, as if showing the desire to cut and slice.

    Leaning a bit, he positioned himself to make a preemptive strike against the recovering Typhon. But something beyond his expectations occurred that made his stance crumble.

    "MAAAAASSSSSSSSSSSTTTTEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!"

    A shrill scream reverberated through the air.

    "EH?! This voice??"

    he knew too well the owner of this voice. A golden haired lady came into mind. He was astonished, as that girl never made such voice before.

    "GOLD!!"

    The boy gasped. A streak of golden light swiftly approached him. He silently thanked the heavens that an ally appeared, but changed his mind when the golden streak of light showed no signs of stopping.

    "Oi.. oi... you can''t be serious..."

    Frozen in place, he felt cold sweat pouring from his temples.

    "Maaaassstttteeeeerrrrrrr!!!!"

    CRASH!

    "Guhah!!"

    He consciousness started fading as Tyrfing fell of his hands. Before even engaging the monstrous Typhon, he was already defeated?

    Laying down, he stared face to face against the assailant. Gold was beaming like a puppy who met its owner for a long time. She was sitting on top of him.

    What the heck is wrong with the world!!!!, he silently screamed as the golden-haired girl hugged him like a teddy bear. He felt two soft mounds pressing against his chest, but he mustered enough willpower to ignore that. Helplessly, he could only utter a simple question.

    "Hey Gold... what do you think you''re doing?"

    "Hugging you. Is there something wrong?"

    She said those words innocently. The boy got a strong urge to execute a face-palm by any means.

    "This is not the time, you idiot!!!! Rather, how come you''re here?! Aren''t you assigned on stopping the other threat?!"

    "Ehehe. You know master, for some reason I''ve been extremely happy since  after we defeated the <Echidna>. I immediately came here after giving off the finishing blow myself."

    Typhon was not only the last enemy they had to defeat. Split into two, the boy led the main force against Typhon, while

    Gold was assigned to the auxiliary forces against the Monster Queen Echidna, Typhon''s mate.

    "Praise me, Master."

    "G-good girl. For stopping Echida, I''ll give you a- WAIT!!"

    He got sidetracked. There was something in Gold''s words that caught his attention. He played Gold''s previous sentence in his mind.

    ......master, for some reason I''ve been EXTREMELY HAPPY since  after we.......

    "THAT''S WEIRD!!!"

    Gold was taken aback by the sudden enthusiasm of her so called Master.

    "Is there something wrong?"

    "Of course!!! How come you have feelings?"

    Because Gold was supposed to be an NPC.  Compounded data. Even if the Artificial Intelligence level in Mythologia is too advanced for its time, there was no way she can answer so human-like. Even her scarlet lips moved so naturally. Something an NPC can''t imitate. And having feelings of happiness.....

    "..........Those truly rude words are unforgivable, even if was you who spoke them, Master."

    Though Gold was smiling, the boy could notice her veins popping out. The boy himself knew it was such a rude and indelicate question, but this was a a special situation. Thinking hard, he tried top quickly solve the questions bugging his head. Willing himself to be calm, he started.

    ''First why did everything feel so real?'' He had earlier speculations, but the golden idiot''s ridiculous charge confirmed it. He finally felt such realistic pain after living in Mythologia for 2 years.

    ''Even her touch, and those heavenly melons, felt the same as the real thing!!'' This was never, ever the case before.

    In short, he made a conclusion

    "This virtual world turned into reality."

    He wanted to deny this line of thinking, but with such evidence right at his face, there was no way to do that.

    On to the next problem. Gold was showing ridiculous amounts of feelings for him. How? When? Did he triggered a super rare eroge flag in this game?? Of course not. But for an NPC to be able to think independently and have emotions, he tried confirming it.

    "Gold, what do you feel about me?"

    "I love you master. Let''s get married. Then we''ll have k--------------"

    Ignoring the frank confession and omitting the troubling sentences that followed, he accepted the fact. NPC''s already became sentient. Its as if complementing the fact that ''everything turned to reality''.  The NPCs could also make funny jokes.

    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

    "For some reason, I feel like you''re trampling on my feelings, Master."

    " Don''t mind it."

    So it has come to this. Like the popular light novels and manga he read in the past, the Virtual World itself became the real world. But how?

    GRRRRRUUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRR!!!!

    A roar delivering sheer terror and despair resounded through the atmosphere and returned the boy''s full attention to the imminent threat to their lives. A question bugged him now. How can they both defeat that creature by themselves?

    He could defeat it if he had a force of thousands of high level players. But now he was the only player left. The NPCs were all concentrated to the auxiliary forces, and with Gold as the exception, the fastest time they could reach Typhon would be after it annihilated Gold and himself, along with multiple cities razed to the ground. His initial plan of drawing its attention would never work to begin with, so he was now stuck on what to do. That is, until Gold started speaking.

    "I... have a plan."

    While sitting atop him. She stared solemnly at her master, as all traces of playfulness disappeared. Noticing it, the boy returned her gaze with seriousness.

    "Let''s hear it."

    She drew her breath, before replying heavily.

    CHAINS OF COCYTUS

    The boy''s ears perked up after hearing the words. Cocytus was an underworld river famous as an eternal prison of time. It was supposed to be part of an expansion pack that was released a few months prior to Mythologia becoming a death game. But no one really found this area. A true mystery zone.

    "Please explain.."

    "We cannot defeat that Typhon. Even gods fear that being."

    She glared at the pitch black dragon that had already started rising from its prone position. She continued.

    "But we can at least seal it. There''s no other way."

    "Seal it? Will it work?"

    It was the ''Last Boss'' of the game they were talking about. An  entity that required numerous powerful players to defeat. A high level seal would not even slow it down, so Gold must have something more powerful in her arsenal.

    "Don''t even think of underestimating me. Even if I''m part of your harem of convenient slaves, don''t forget what I really am."

    Except for wanting to correct some parts of what she just blatantly said, the boy nodded and trusted her words. Since she had powers that could rival that of his.

    "#$%^& $^*&# ) #)@)&$ )!*&!**@ $% #& #%^$(@ "

    She muttered an incomprehensible language and was enveloped in white light that illuminated the dark surroundings.

    "God-mode."

    Reappearing from the light she became clad in a  golden dress-like armor. A black crown was decorating her head, and she was emitting an overwhelming aura that made the surrounding air unstable. The boy who already saw this transformation countless of times, was still in awe of the goddess who appeared.

    "Thanks Gold. Or should I call your true name? Goddess of Heaven and Time, <Cronus>."

    A true goddess. One that rules over the aspect of Time, Prosperity and the Sky. How such a powerful being casually calling the boy her master, and becoming his companion in the game, was a great mystery to all the Players of Mythologia.

    "Please call me Gold , as you always have."

    She smiled sweetly before getting up, turning her golden gaze,  brighter than it was before, at the enemy who already noticed their presence.

    " Invoking Chains of Cocytus takes a bit of time. Please defend me, Master."

    ".........Roger."

    "Then...... Skysunder."

    Pointing her hands in front, she summoned her weapon. A two meter  curved  black blade, attached to a golden shaft that was decorated with ominous engravings. A divine looking scythe, that commands time itself.

    Grabbing the shaft, she continually sliced the air in a circular motion, spinning uncontrollably, She stopped afterwards, the boundary surrounding her being distorted and bent. She slammed the end of Skysunder''s shaft to the ground, creating a magical array of the highest tier below her feet. She then closed her eyes, becoming unconscious.

    ''The spell had started'', the boy thought. Large black chains crept toward Typhon like giant snakes, aiming to drag it down to the deepest part of the earth. He had faith that Gold will succeed. The monster started struggling against the creeping chains, which started dragging it down to the ground. But something was off with her expressions just a while ago. He did not failed to notice the sadness that lay within her looks of resolution. It was akin to a person who had already accepted death. Something bad will happen.

    ''This skill is bad news'', the boy thought. Trusting his instincts he used a high level skill.

    World''s Truth

    A special skill only owned by him due to his unique powers. A skill that pierces the truth behind an object. It was a more powerful version of the skill ''Identify''. He used it on Gold''s skill, and showed the game''s description in his mind.

    {

    CHAINS OF COCYTUS

    Type: Sealing Magic

    Level: Primordial

    An absolute seal that condemns anything to the frozen prison of Cocytus. The spell will exhaust the caster and forcibly destroy the catalyst''s soul.

    }

    The description was truly ominous. The boy glared at the unconscious Gold.

    "....Even if we had just talked properly for the first time a few moments ago, you planned on abandoning me already?"

    It was definitely a suicide skill. In exchange for sealing something, it would need to destroy someone''s soul. A process where the sacrifice could never even go to the afterlife. Even gods were not an exemption.

    "For me?"

    The boy remembered how countless times the goddess in front of him had helped him in life or death situations. Even if she doesn''t have a free will at those moments, the boy believed he would not reached where he was now, if not for her.. He could only feel gratitude to his faithful companion. And so, he also will risk his life.

    Magic Mod

    Another skill only he could use in the game. The ability to modify magic array at frightening speeds. Pointing at a certain part of the magic array below Gold, he replaced the ''Hourglass'' symbol with his own, an asterisk of eight arrows.

    "Ugh!!"

    Clutching his chest due to pain, he instantly received the effects of Gold''s spell. His vitality was being shaved off.

    "... So that''s why she chose to remain unconscious..."

    The pain was extreme, but he wasn''t given any time to rest as Typhon was now searching for the magic caster of the chains.

    Typhon immediately found the caster of the troublesome spell. It aimed at the sleeping Gold, but her master will not allow the monster to lay even a single scratch on her.

    "Well. Since you''re doing your best, I''ll also get serious."

    The boy was resolved. He silently made his declaration of war.

    "I am Alter. Embodiment of Nothingness and Change. Spectator of the Primordial World.  I am the Beginning and I shall be the End."

    The boy, whose name is Alter, invoked every word naturally. It was his exclusive incantation to use a unique kind of power that only fewer than a hundred in the whole game had unlocked. And it was said among the players that his was the most powerful.

    "Let it be told. My true name, <Chaos>."

    His body felt light. This was his first time using it outside of the virtual world. It felt like something inside him squirmed and his mind accelerating through space in  light speed.

    "God Mode."

    What appeared was a boy with black hair, wearing stylish  black coat and pants. His black eyes glared at Typhon, while his legendary sword Tyrfing vibrated violently as if celebrating at its master''s powers.

    ".........."

    In truth, nothing changed. It was still the same boy and his outfit.

    "Talk about anticlimactic, the aspect of Nothingness."

    But the boy was strangely satisfied. He vigilantly waited for Typhon''s move. The monster, though being pulled down to the ground roared and blew a stream of fire that reached the heavens. It was a sign indicating that its relentless attacks were about to start.

    "So bring it on, monster."

    He faced the upcoming onslaught, even if he knew he would still not win. All the while his soul started to decay.

    -----------------------------------------------------------

    Gold opened her eyes.

    "Hmm........ ''yawn''"

    The goddess, still in her dress armor, felt extremely tired even though she slept. Looking around, while being half-asleep, she unsteadily checked her surroundings. There was the darkness of the night, with the distant orbs of light illuminating the sky. There were also craters, scorched earth, and spikes that embedded deeply on the ground. A sign of a great battle. But the place were she stood was strangely unharmed. Gold smiled as her master was successful in defending her.

    "I wanna meet mas-"

    She stopped. A question came like a slap on her face, removing any trace of sleepiness.

    "Why... am I alive...?

    She knew the nature of the Chains of Cocytus. She was reluctant to use it, but her loyalty and affection to her master took precedence over her own life. From the beginning when she met the human named Alter, she swore to herself she will follow him loyally. Even after when she was mysteriously released of her emotional restraints an hour ago, she never thought about breaking her oath. That''s why she was prepared, even if her fate was to be erase forever.

    But why is she alive? He weakly called for her master.

    "Master?"

    She saw Alter lying down on the ground a few meters away. From the familiar armor that he wore, which was mangled and broken, to the weapons that clearly didn''t belong to him, she knew that Alter had used his own Aspect of Nothingness. She was relieved he was still breathing.

    But fear overtook her feelings. She almost cannot detect her master''s ''presence'', even though Alter was right in front.

    His spiritual energy is almost gone. In other words, his soul is almost destroyed.

    " It cant be....."

    Gold immediately knew what had happened. Her master change''s the spell''s structure. The boy manipulated the formula, changing the catalyst from her to Alter. All the while using his mind-taxing powers to defend her from Typhon''s attacks.

    "Ahh..... its so beautiful."

    "Stop...Please... don''t move anymore.!!"

    "Gold.... Don''t.... cry Gold..."

    "You Idiot!!! You should''ve let me!! I- I was already resolved! You didn''t have to do this!! Why??!!! Why??!!!"

    She was in a state of despair, but she did not lose hope.

    "Anyone........ please... help him....."

    She tried contacting their other companions using Telepathy, but they were still too far away since no one replied.

    "Save him...... save him, please........"

    She could only beg. To anyone. To anything.  Just this once... Just for a miracle.....

    And she fell unconscious. But Alter, barely alive, saw something strange happening around.

    CRADLE OF TIME

    An unknown spell had activated, and they were both surrounded in blue liquid. It formed into a dome, with them at the center. Strangely, Alter felt calm and very comfortable at the unknown substance that engulfed both of them. He also noticed his soul stopped eroding.

    As if Gold''s prayers were answered, the dome had saved his soul from being erased,

    With a bright flash, the dome disappeared into thin air, along with the two unconscious beings it surrounded.

    -Chapter End-

    Notice: I combined both the gods Cronus and Chronos, which in the accounts of Roman Mythology, were one and the same (as Saturn).

    Now who would you rather believe? Plato or Julius Caesar?

 Chapter 2: The Fallen Princess

    For words with <>, you could try the ''List of Terminologies'' chapter or search the net. Its there.

    Chapter 2: The Fallen Princess

    <Romanum Imperium>.

    The strongest Empire situated along the <Mare Nostrum>, the large sea that supported numerous civilizations since the beginning of time. Its banners flow gallantly against the wind, a golden eagle amidst a bloodred background.

    The empire was famed for its <Legion>, hailed as the strongest and most disciplined army to date. Blessed by its gods, it had once dominated all areas surrounding the Mare Nostrum. Feared by its enemies, and revered by its allies, the Roman Imperium was an empire second to none.

    The current empire was ruled by the then Emperor Regulus I. Before he assumed position, the empire was in a state of chaos. Northern Territories were overrun by barbarians, while the newly formed empire, the <Hellenic League> conquered much of its eastern colonies. The internal situation in the empire itself is no better.

    But Regulus was quick to take action. His reforms, wise decisions and wit overcame the empire''s crisis, allowing it to prosper again and even recover some territories. He was also loved by both the people and the majority of the senate, and was backed by the Legions of the empire. A man with the abilities of a true emperor. Some say he had the backing of the empire''s chief god,<Jupiter>.

    "Long Live the Emperor!!!! Long Live the Imperium!!!!!!"

    His people would always shout. But no human, whether he be a lowly slave or an Emperor, could be exempted from death. His passing due to old age was mourned by the whole empire, and even envoys from other kings and emperors of faraway places offered their respect.

    Regulus was already satisfied with his life, and if there were any lingering  regrets, that would be to say goodbye to his only granddaughter.

    Tishia Venetias.

    She was the daughter of the deceased emperor''s son, who was appointed governor of Ostia, one of the most prosperous cities of the empire. She was currently the fifth in line of the Emperor''s throne.

    At a young age she was already loved by the people. Her benevolence won the hearts of the masses. Around the empire, she was already a celebrity. But the truth was not what it seemed. Though she acquired her grandfather''s

    She was discriminated among the nobles. For them the legacy of the previous emperor would only hinder them from elevating their status. She was treated as an obstacle by her enemies, and a convenient tool by her so-called allies. All because she was not a normal person.

    "All because I am blind"..... she would murmur regretfully.

    She was discovered to be blind since birth, and was considered no use in the world of politics except for being a puppet. The citizens of the empire had always frowned upon the ones that had disabilities, claiming they were rejected by the gods themselves.

    Some even proposed to dispose of her to spare the Venetias family from shame. Although it was completely rejected. Her parents deeply love her, and the doting Augustus I who was then emperor of that time ordered the fools who suggested such actions to be severely punished.

    Tishia was an optimist, and views the world innocently as being beautiful and just, even with the enemies that surround her.

    The azure sky. The bright sun. The serene moon. The lush flora and fauna. The deep blue Mare Nostrum and the pristine lakes. Tishia could only imagine what they were, and would always ask her mother stories that would always feed her curiosity.

    Tishia education was top notch. She was skilled in housework, and a prodigy in duels, despite the fact that she was blind. Her exceptional talent of knowing distinct presences and detection of movements in her surrounding compensated for her disability.

    She never blamed her blindness to the gods, which in legends were said to be responsible for such disabilities. Instead, she would ask for their blessings  and respected their authority. She would be usually found in the temple praying. She especially favored <Themis>,  one of the foreign goddesses that was also celebrated in the empire.

    At an early age of 13. the fame of the ''Blind Princess'' even reached the neighboring countries.

    That fame unfortunately, also became her downfall.

    --------------------------------------------------------------

    "Mother. I have a question."

    The 13 year old girl who was currently holding a very thin sword, prompted her mother. She moved her delicate fingers on the slim blade, as if caressing it like a pet.

    "Yes, dear?"

    Her mother did not removing her gaze from the book she was reading. It seems her mother was deeply engrossed in it, but she never failed to reply to her beloved daughter.

    "This sword that you and father gave me."

    "Hmm? What about it?"

    "I could feel something weird. It feels umm... bright."

    Her mother was surprised at her daughter''s words. Closing her book, she stared at her daughter.

    "Tishia. How could you tell its bright?"

    "Umm... when I raise it like this...."

    Tishia nimbly raised the thin sword overhead. Being a meter and a half long, it was classified as a short sword, but with the very thin blade, it would be more appropriate to call it a rapier. But this one had a large handle similar to that of a claymore''s, reaching almost half of its total length. With no weapon similar in design, it was considered a ceremonial sword by Tishia''s parents.

    "I could feel radiance coming from it. Isn''t this what you call bright?"

    Her mother could not say anything back. She knew that this is how Tishia could identify her surroundings while being blind. She could sense a distinct form of aura from any object.

    "Where did you find this sword, mother?"

    "It was found in an ancient ruin at our northern colonies. Its a gift from your cousin."

    "Eh? Clavius did?! That cheapskate, really?!"

    Clavius was the 4th prince of the empire, the fourth son of the current emperor. He was also Tishia''s childhood friend, and both of them would both play and bicker before. Now Clavius was the positioned as the 5th Legion general''s aide at an early age of 13. The said Legion was currently on an expedition against the barbarians of the North.

    "Tishia. Do not badmouth your cousin."

    Her mother reprimanded her, and Tishia lowered her head in apology.

    "He''s a very good child, unlike her brother.."

    "...... I agree mother."

    The two grimaced at the same time. They were talking about the second prince of the empire, who was antagonistic against the former emperor''s family. Many times had the 2nd Prince stirred trouble against the Venetias family, especially to Tishia whom he had bullied for a long time.

    " What''s his problem, mother?"

    "........I really don''t know my dear."

    The carriage they were riding made a rumbling sound as it hit a rock.

    "I really wish we could go home earlier."

    "I hope so too. Your father is sad since we had been gone for four months already."

    Tishia and her mother came back from a foreign visit to the Hellenic League capital as envoys for peace talks. Since the talks ended smoothly, both of them had been eager to return to the Imperium. They were now at the outskirts of the empire''s territory.

    There was no problems during their travel, or supposed to be, since not everything can go smoothly as they want.

    ''whiiiiiiiiiiiiirr''

    The sound of an arrow cutting through the air. Hitting the door of the carriage, Tishia could see the arrow tip that pierced through the carriage door.

    "Eh?"

    Tishia was dumbfounded. Her mother became alert at the sudden turn of events. She screamed for the royal gaurd.

    "

    !!!!"

    "Senator! Princess!" One of the Praetorian guards outside immediately replied. He was wearing red and purple armor, owned by the most elite soldiers of the Legion. His bloodied helmet indicated that heavy fighting had occurred.

    "The enemies. We can''t identify them. Probably elite assassins."

    It was clear that the Praetorian Gaurds were overwhelmed. But for the elites of the strongest army to be pushed back so easily, the assassins were also no normal opponents. A ball of fire traversed the battlefield, almost hitting the carriage.

    Stolen story; please report.

    "They also have mages!!!"

    Tisha became nervous at the supposedly distant battle that had drawn near enough to be heard so clearly.

    "We can''t hold them much longer, Senator!! Please escape!!!"

    Tishia''s mother, Senator Venetias, paused to look at her daughter. Then she ordered the Praetorian in a commanding voice.

    "Take Tishia and head for the nearest city immediately."

    The praetorian saluted, but worriedly asked.

    "What about you senator? The assassins are definitely aiming for your life!!"

    "You cannot defeat them. No one here could. I could sense that they were backed by a god."

    The soldier was taken aback by the senator''s words.

    " A- a god you say?! So it was that......"

    "Mother, I could also feel it."

    Tishia also felt the overwhelming presence of ''someone'' watching them. Though the assassins themselves were emitting a very formidable pressure, the one her mother called a god was of a different level altogether. It does not need a skilled person to notice such abnormal presence.

    "I will take the front. Take a squad and escort my daughter!! Move!!"

    "SENATOR!!!!!!!" "MOTHER!!!!!"

    Both the Praetorian and Tisha objected, but Senator Venetias was resolute. Her face told them she would not allow objections.

    "Don''t underestimate me soldier!! Tishia, you are to seek refuge to the nearest city. Immediately seek assistance from the Legion. If Praetorian Guards are not enough to stop these monsters, probably no one else could. But I can delay them enough for you to escape. Now go!!"

    The atmosphere around her mother twisted, and the seemingly frail woman immediately turned like a fear-inspiring veteran. Tishia had almost forgotten the countless stories her mother told her. That her mother had the title of a ''Hero''.

    The praetorian grabbed the princess from the carriage. Gathering five of his companions, he left the carriage, carrying the screaming princess with them. Tishia on the other hand screamed as numerous foul presences surround the seemingly formidable presence that could only be her mother. But a sense of dread came all over her body as the other presence that they identified as a god, had drawn near to the carriage. She could only perceive black and red waves emitted by the god that could only be nothing but malice and bloodlust.

    "Nooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    She screamed loudly, as her mother''s presence waned until it cannot be felt from a distance.

    ----------------------------------------------------

    A few leagues away, the group rested on a clearing inside the forest. Tishia did nothing during this time but cry. She could not accept the event that happened.

    "It is all because I''m weak!! I-I....."

    Ignoring the pitiful princess, the Praetorian Guards gathered and murmured to each other.

    "Should we do it....."

    "I- I''m against this!!"

    "Fool! This is orders!!"

    "You call yourselves Praetorians?! This is not right!!"

    "Shut up! You''re just newly promoted and now you talk big huh?"

    "I stand by the Princess!!"

    "Oho... perhaps ulterior motives, huh? Sad to say, but either you follow, or you die!!!"

    Tishia had only noticed the commotion between the Guards. An infighting had occurred. She felt foul presence coming from the guards. Only one remained clear, the one her mother ordered.

    "Wh-what''s happeni-"

    "Princess!!! Run!!!!"

    One of the Praetorians tried to go between his companions and her as if shielding her, but.....

    "Fool."

    The sound flesh being pierced was heard. Four silver spears had embedded themselves to the Praetorian Guard who tried to defend Tishia. Tishia''s blind eyes could only shudder as the presence in front of her waned and vanished. Someone had died in front of her. Some liquid splashed to her face. It smelled of iron.

    "So now Princess. Let us face the hard truth. Though its gonna be too hard for such a young girl, huh?"

    One of the Praetorians who reek of unpleasant presence spoke in a taunting manner.

    "By the decree of the Emperor, as approved by the <Senate>, you are judged to be a traitor to the empire. And the punishment is a good execution from us old men."

    "...........eh?"

    She though she was hearing wrong. Is this an illusion due to despair? was on her thoughts. She was frozen in shock and fear.

    "Secretly giving the enemy empire extremely confidential information. What scum royalty we have here?"

    The Praetorian continued sneering at Tishia while spouting false accusations.

    "What are you talking about?!!!"

    "Well, the senate actually had not heard of this. This came from someone in the Legion"

    "I.... I don''t understand at all!!!!!!!"

    "Shut up kid!!!! Our Platoon lost a significant amount against those assassins!!! What the heck were they aiming at??!!"

    The Praetorian''s bellow only made the blind princess shudder. The ornamental sword that she held could do nothing against the hardened veterans of the Legion.

    "Thankfully, they took care of the Senator. Heck how could a few of us deal with a Hero?"

    Tishia''s chest hardened at the man''s words. her mind was starting to break out of despair. She was going to be killed. On top of that, the executioners were also the very guards that took care of her when she was still very young. Some other presences drew near, but she could not feel them anymore.

    "So~ so~ what do we have here? Give us your valuables and the girl and we may ''spare'' you lot.  If we feel generous that is!! Ahahaha!!!!!"

    A ragtag group of humans appeared. About twenty of them surrounded Tishia and the Praetorians. The one who spoke drew near the Praetorians, mistaking them for normal guards since they left their armors to emphasize speed for escaping. The guards observed the bandits, then whispered to each other.

    "Hey... to kill a princess is...."

    "Yeah... how about we earn some gold?"

    "Hmm... that may be better..... but them?"

    "We have no choice... the city is near!"

    "And... we might get to see a show... ehehehe"

    The bandit who spoke before was annoyed at the whispering guards. He was about to hit one of them, but saw the insignia on their shield.

    "Hiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! P-praetorians!!!!!!!! H-how??! Wh-"

    The bandit started fearing for his life. Who would think royal guards of the empire would wander these parts.

    "Oi scum!!! Give me gold and we''ll give you this girl."

    The guard said mercilessly.

    "Wh-what did you say?!"

    The bandit protested, but he knew too well he was in no position to even negotiate. The thieves were the ones who were robbed instead. His companions also became aware of their predicament.

    "This is a princess, scum. Consider it your lucky day!! Now hand over your gold!!!!"

    "Thirty gold!!! We only have 30 gold!!!! Spare us!!!!"

    "You have more!! Your lives and a princess for such measly amount?! We''d rather grill you with our spears instead."

    The Praetorian''s skill at extortion and intimidation had forced the bandits all their fortune. The Praetorian shoved the princess who was now unresponding, as if her gears had stopped. The nobles, the people, even the very guards she thought were her allies. She was betrayed. And they had judged her to be condemned here... to live and die as a bandit''s flesh toy..... her mind seemed breaking at the thoughts.

    "Ehehe. A blind princess as a plaything is more exciting than it sounds."

    Some of the bandits forgot about the Praetorians and gazed at Tishia  with lewd eyes. A particular nasty-looking one started reaching for her.

    "Miss... Guheheh!!!!  Let me get a feel on those tits o'' yours."

    ".........dare touch me....

    "Huuuhh?! Whad'' you say??"

    "DONT YOU DARE TOUCH ME!!!!"

    The surrounding around Tishia distorted. Her blind eyes shone brightly, staring at the despicable beings in front. Anger. Resentment. Revenge. They were all useless. These sinners needed to be judged. They needed to feel the weight of their actions. Tishia won''t be judged anymore. This time, she will be the one who will do judgement.

    "ALL OF YOU!!"

    A symbol of a weighing scale formed above her head. The scale deeply tipped to the left. Her ornamental sword glowed, and the thin blade emitted blue like energy that coated it, forming the appearance of a huge sword. It buzzed as if cutting through the air. The shocked bandits, including the Praetorians, cowered before the being that was emitting a terrifying aura, and holding a great sword of light.

    " I CONDEMN!!!!!!!!!!"

    A great burst of light had scattered everywhere, as if an explosion of white. Only traces of burning earth, and a deep cut to the ground surrounding that being who once known as the Blind Princess. There were no traces of the bandits and the Praetorians left.

    "For Justice......"

    Tishia murmured as she left the vicinity and was never seen again.

    A goddess of Justice had just been born.

    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 3: The Deal at the Tavern

    Chapter 3: THE DEAL AT THE TAVERN

    "......Gold?"

    Alter''s mind was hazy, unconsciously calling to his partner. But she did not replied. Slightly opening his eyes, he noticed that both of them were calmly floating, and there was nothing but blue in the surroundings. His body was stiff, but he felt refreshed as if he had slept for an eternity.

    "Where.. where are we?"

    Examining his surroundings and the sleeping Gold, he failed to comprehend the situation.  Drowsiness overtook his mind, and he  slowly  fell asleep, not noticing the intense vibrations indicating a fierce fight currently happening nearby. Before he completely lose consciousness, he made one baffled remark.

    "Was Gold always that small?"

    _________________________________________________________________________

    If someone ask for a place to acquire information, lodging, food service, jobs and good ol'' wine, there would be no better place than a tavern. Notorious as a stage for drunken fist fights, gathering spot, backdoor deals,  lover''s quarrels and viral rumors, the Tavern was one of the largest building in the city of Veleia. It was also one of the oldest buildings, along with the adventurer''s guild, the marketplace and the temple, dating back to the <Dark Ages> where great conflict and strife were prevalent in the ancient world.

    Being adjacent to the Adventurer''s Guild, the Tavern provide services from gourmet and mundane meals, to selling and buying information from legal information brokers that reside in certain parts of the Tavern. Both adventurers and normal folks come and go, and the Tavern was never empty at any point in time.

    Within were different kinds of people and races. There were the rare Elves, the sturdy looking short Dwarves, and the diverse Beastmen. They were welcomed in the Romanum Imperium as long as they have citizenship. And the most numerous of all were the humans.

    The people would create a ruckus here and there, boasting about their adventures. Others would spread rumors, not caring if they were the truth at all.

    "It seems that something is stirring in the Northern Tribes. Peace talks with the Hellenic League were not faring well, if the barbarians attack, the Imperium might be in a pinch."

    "My friend had just discovered a new type of ore near Mount Vesuvius. The blacksmith god might visit him any time now."

    "The 2nd Prince and the 2nd Princess were both gathering support from the Legion. Which side would you join?"

    "Ha! I killed a Dire Wolf yesterday. Bet you can''t even make a scratch against it, shorties!!"

    "Oh we''ll scratch you instead!! Get him boys!!!!"

    The boisterous chatting and swearing filled the tavern hall. Sitting on a chair at the other end of the counter, a hooded figure was observing the surroundings. At close inspection, the conspicuous white cloak could not hide the contours of a young lady, but among the regulars of the Tavern, no one was brave enough to dare come near.

    "Bart, I''ll bet my money pouch there''s a cutie hiding in those white clothes."

    "Stop it you fool!! She''s bad news I tell you. Besides, I doubt your money pouch had anything inside."

    ""GAHAHAHAAH!!""

    The reason for their caution was due to a rumor,  a large syndicate single handedly destroyed by the same white-cloaked lady and that rumor circulated throughout the city.

    While some were skeptical at the start, their suspicion dispersed when a caravan filled with people who were identified to be members of the destroyed syndicate, were personally led by the mysterious hooded lady garbed in white cloak. The town''s crime rate decreased as the lady continued to do subjugation quests against evildoers. Her one week stay in

    Veleia already earned her a good yet scary reputation. Also considering the atmosphere around her that screams ''Mind your own business!''.

    The person in question was currently sipping orange juice and eating a fruit tart, contrary to her intimidating atmosphere.

    "Why was I sent here by my teacher??", she murmured, looking dejected under the hood.

    SLAM!!!!!

    The tavern doors were forced open. A lone man entered the tavern,carrying an air of authority. He walked brazenly to the center of the tavern.

    Seeing his blue and black uniform, the people around immediately knew his purpose. It was a a''Guild Announcement''. They became interested, as nowadays a public notice from the Adventurers Guild means something important. Clearing his throat, he announced using a basic amplification magic.

    "The Guild had discovered an anomaly that happened near the Town!!! A new dungeon had been discovered!"

    The man''s words caused a few ears to twitch. They were the information brokers. Special information should only be kept to them, and such announcements would always hinder their trade.

    "The Guild had already assessed the danger level inside the dungeon!!!"

    A group of expert mages of the Adventurer''s Guild can know the danger level of a place using <Threat Detection> magic, a highly advanced spell used exclusively by the Guild. The difficulty was influenced by the level of threats present in the whole dungeon combined with the level of treasures that could be obtained. The levels would normally vary from <No threat> for trivial item gathering, to <Legendary>, where beings and things normally found in legends were said to reside in.

    "This is the 1st time I heard of this! Even I can''t believe it!"

    The guild member started talking unprofessionally, but the people, especially the adventurers did not mind as their curiosity wanted to know the held information immediately. It was then that he dropped the bombshell.

    "It was labeled as a ''Mythical'' dungeon!!"

    The entire Tavern became dead silent for a few moment. Even the waiters stopped what they were doing and stared incredulously at the man. It was the white cloaked lady who broke the tension.

    "Mythical, you say?"

    The tavern became chaotic, with an uproar among the Adventurers.

    "Mythical,what is that???!!!!"

    "Could it be, something higher than that of ''Legendary''??!!"

    "I''ve only heard of ''Legendary'' dungeons in books, but ''Mythical''??!!"

    "Legendary Swords? Priceless gems? Who could tell what riches are stored in there!!!!!"

    The tavern was crowded with ecstatic people wanting to have an opportunity to explore such rare dungeon. Only a few of them though, ever thought it was great. The  veteran adventurers had their bodies flowing with cold sweat.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    "Oi oi!! Isn''t that bad news?

    "I lost half my companions in a <Very Hard> rank dungeon. What horrors await in that one, I could not imagine."

    "What is the Adventurer''s Guild doing?!! The Senate should know of this immediately!!.

    Fear could be seen among the veteran adventurers, as they admonished those who wanted to jump blindly at the given opportunity. The man continued his announcement.

    "Unfortunately the Scouting Expedition to be held by the Guild has a level limit."

    The rowdy atmosphere and noise lessened, and the people closely listened.

    "Only Gold-ranked adventurers would be allowed  to enter. The rest would only be allowed if threats were minimized in a dungeon level."

    Boos and moans could be heard from those who wanted to go but did not meet the requirement. Only less than 10% of all adventurers in the Imperium were Gold ranked and above. The man continued.

    "Since this is just a scouting expedition, an 8-man party will be formed. The expedition should start two days from now. Its main goal is to assess the real ''threats'' that lie within, along with the dungeon''s topography. The meeting place for those qualified will be at front of the Adventurer''s Guild."

    The man left, and the crowd dispersed. The tension broke and the people returned to their own business. But the announcement clearly rattled their thoughts. Lots of abnormalities had been happening recently around the world.

    The hooded young lady rose from her seat. She was vexed at the fact that she was sent here by her teacher, and expected that she would find what she was looking for. The only interesting thing she ever heard was that Mythical level dungeon, but it had nothing to do with her goals.

    "Better to go sleep early", she told herself. No more subjugation quests were there, so she planned to take a little break tomorrow. She suddenly halted as a sharp and sinister presence drew near to her.

    "Hey miss Mysterious."

    A man where the aura originated, whispered to her. The movement of the man who drew so near could not be followed by her senses. He was wearing flashy merchant clothing, and a seemingly expensive feathered hat. Some ladies would swoon over a rich and handsome guy, but the white-cloaked lady did not even notice his flashy appearance. It was his presence she was wary of.

    "Can we talk for a bit?"

    The man asked. His unnerving presence that only the lady had felt, made her very uncomfortable. More if she could see his creepy smile.

    "Don''t talk to me", she said without remorse. It was better not to associate with such sinister and shady characters.

    The man''s smile broke, and his mouth made a shape like an "O" figure, before breaking into laughter and showing a very amused face.

    "Ahahah! So blunt to strangers are we! I like you kid!!"

    "I don''t like you", she immediately replied,and turned her back to leave.

    "W-wait!! Wait!!! I''m here for a business proposal! Hear me out first!"

    The man who sounded flustered blocked the young lady''s way. His movement were indeed very quick. He still had the creepy smile plastered to his face.

    "No. Don''t involve me in anything funny. Your presence is suspicious, and your reek of trickery."

    The man became amused at the lady''s words.

    "Oho?? So you can feel ''presences'', huh? What''s my aura look like."

    "........I have no obligation to tell. Now lea-"

    "Interesting... for someone blind"

    "!!!"

    This man is irritating, the young woman thought. How could he know such fact, since her eyes were completely covered by the hood. She wished she had left earlier.

    "Please leave me alone. I''m warning you"

    "Now.. now.. This should benefit you too. Don''t you want to find out who were the ones responsible of your family''s demise?"

    "........What are you trying to say, stranger?!"

    Bloodlust came from the lady, making the nearest adventurers nervous.

    "I could help you find your mother''s killers, Princess Tishia."

    The atmosphere on the whole tavern became tense. The inexperienced adventurers cowered, and could sweat flowed from the faces of the hardened veterans, barely resisting the malice that made them felt that they were about to be judged. Contrarily,the man picked his nose, not shaken at all.

    "Hoho. Such powerful will at such a young age. As expected from a goddess."

    "Speak. Are you from the royal family?"

    In a commanding tone, Tishia forced the man to speak. She knew that the man in front of her was trouble. But knowing her secrets, this man turned out to be more dangerous than she thought.

    "Relax girl. I swear to you I am not your enemy. Feel free to judge me."

    ".......I still don''t trust you stranger."

    She did not let her guard down, but the intense atmosphere vanished, allowing  the people around to breath in relief.

    "Well, now that you''re listening, lets go down to business shall we?"

    "...........Its better be worthwhile."

    Both of them sat down,facing each other. A passing waiter nervously asked for any orders.

    "Aquilean Brandy, and crab meat."

    ".................."

    "Please order. I''ll pay."

    "Orange Juice and fruit tart. Apple flavor."

    ".......pfffttt!!!"

    "You have any problems?

    ".....No..."

    After a brief exchange, the waiter left. The mood between the two became serious.

    "So what do you want?"

    "Its about the Mythical Dungeon.  I''ll cut to the chase."

    Tishia  was taken aback by the man who said the following words so casually.

    "I need you to kill the god residing in it."

    "......can you repeat that?"

    "I need you to kill the god inside that mythical dungeon."

    "Are you crazy? And how do you even know there''s a god in there?"

    "My sources told me. If you agree to the job, I will tell you more."

    "And who said I would agree?"

    "Because I have this."

    The man opened his bag and took out a gold coin. But unlike a normal one, this had a strange motif of the Sun, and with the radiant aura she felt from the coin, she immediately knew the coin''s significance.

    "Oracle...... is that the token for the <Oracle of Delphi>?"

    "Of course~"

    The Oracle of Delphi. It was a sacred shrine, housed by talented oracles that were second to none, the best around the world. Located in the borders of the Hellenic League, it was sought by many people but they all lack the coin needed to pass through its magical protection. And in front of her was the token that everyone sought.

    "How did you got your hands on that?"

    "Agree first to the job. I''ll tell you now, the Oracle may give you the answers you seek."

    Those two and a half years of preparation in order to find those responsible, this must be the starting point, Tishia thought. If she accepts, there would be no turning back. But this was the perfect time to move.

    "I agree."

    "Thanks. Now I should tell you what I know"

    "Wait, wait!! There''s no magical or at least a written contract for this? What if I betray you?"

    "And what if I betray you too? Of course that''s not gonna happen. This is a verbal agreement between us gods."

    "I should have known."

    Feathered hat. Quick movements. Merchant. There''s only two gods that fit that description, according to history. And if he is associated with the Hellenic League, then it narrows down to one.

    "<Hermes>. An honor for me to be visited."

    "Haha. I''m flattered, goddess of Justice. Isn''t your true name..."

    "<Justitia>, but don''t call me that. My name is still Tishia."

    It was courtesy to gods to know the other''s name if they were presented theirs, even if they were enemies, even if their powers were worlds apart.

    "So I''ll tell you the reason for this unreasonable request. Listen carefully."

    Hermes told her that the Emperor of the Hellenic League had a premonition from one of the oracles. That the god that was residing in a dungeon rated as ''Mythical'' would cause the downfall of numerous empires around the world. The same premonition came upon the Demon King <Solomon> XI, king of Judais, a very mighty city state, and the Empress of the faraway <Middle Kingdom>. It was Hermes'' job to collect such information for the benefit of world stability, or so he claimed.

    "So..... are you telling me to go suicide against that which the gods did not dare to touch?"

    "No.. no... if it were me, I''d use my <Caduceus> to impale whatever looney was sleeping there but, unfortunately, we are all bounded by a territorial treaty that prevents us from taking action."

    "Huh? Then why no ask the gods of the Imperium?"

    "........ Its too dangerous. It seems that the gods here started to be affected by corruption."

    "......... corruption you say?"

    "Its hard to explain, but there''s something wrong with most of them. Remember two years ago?"

    "........."

    "Most of the gods had concluded that it was the fault of an Imperial god, though we don''t know who it is."

    Tishia could only remain silent, her hunt for the true culprit was being narrowed.

    "It''s only you that we trust for now. That god is sleeping, defenseless, but if released from its prison, it would cause chaos around the world. You must definitely kill it."

    "And if I fail?" Tishia inquired.

    "Then the deal is off. Thank you for bringing ruin to the world", Hermes said sarcastically

    "That''d be troubling. I''ll accept. But if I judged him to be harmless, I ''ll do what I want."

    ".....Remember the consequences of your every actions, child. You need to start tomorrow, earlier than the expedition."

    "Of course"

    After eating their orders, the two parted. Tishia headed for her room upstairs to prepare for tomorrow. And so the hunt for the god of the Mythical Dungeon had commenced.

    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 4: Fateful Meetings

    Author notes: Sorry for the delay. The internet was crazy, But at last.........

    CHAPTER 4: FATEFUL MEETINGS

    Dungeons.

    As far as history could tell, dungeons have been present in the world since its creation. During the time gods and mortals would walk the same land, dungeons were already explored. The pioneers on dungeon exploration were the people of an ancient civilization. Although it was said that the civilization colonized most of the continents, majority of its people suddenly disappeared after a great battle to defend the world against destruction. Though the civilization was lost, the records and part of its technology were left to the remaining ones, and one of these technology is dungeon exploration.

    The people who risk their lives to explore the countless dungeons around the world were called Adventurers. They would enter such dangerous places for different reasons. Some would like to earn fame, others covet the hidden treasures and relics of the past, while others just for thrill and fun.

    Dungeons would contain different monsters, that were recorded by the ancient civilization. From the goblins of ''Beginner''  dungeons to Ancient hydras that haunt ''Legendary'' dungeons, these monsters were magically created by the dungeons themselves. Research on this phenomenon did not progress well, so the people of the world just assumed dungeons were ''alive'' and converts its enormous magic capacity to shape itself and its interior randomly

    And if dungeons were rated Mythical, even gods would be in for a surprise.

    "WHAT IS THIS?!"

    A shout of despair came from a lady garbed in white cloak. She looked like she was dancing in the dark, but if you look closely, she was dodging against something that cannot be seen. Shadow-like creatures, swiftly moving through the darkness were trying to impale the lady.

    "<Claiomh Solais>!!"

    Her ornamental sword sparked, and sharp blue energy flowed through the thin blades. The giant sword of light moved nimbly through the air, leaving afterimages as she cut through the shadow creatures, making sizzling sounds as she hits.

    "Is there no end to this?"

    The girl, Tishia was fatigued as she could not count how many levels she descended in this temple-like dungeon. Upon reaching this particular level, countless shadow creatures spawned from the darkness and she had been battling for hours non-stop.

    "I feel I regret the contract with that trickster."

    She made a cartwheel slash, cutting through multiple shadows as she voiced her complaints. Using the momentum, she made an upward slash with her sword, white light cleaving through a straight line and annihilating the shadows. With the way clear, she ran past the other monsters and advanced little by little. Continuing this tactic, she finally made through the open stone door at the other side, closing it to prevent the shadows from entering. The huge dark room she entered was only illuminated by her sword of light, Claiomh Solais.

    "haa..... haa..... For the first time, I really feared for my life in a dungeon."

    She tried to catch her breath, but a rumbling sound coming from the walls of the rooms would not allow a moment of rest. Four grey metallic hand came from the walls and slammed towards Tishia. She managed to evade by jumping to the side, but the place where she was before now has a crater.

    "Golems?! And they''re not normal either!!!"

    Lifting up her sword of light, she felt the abnoral aura of her enemies. A pair of six meter tall golems, their grey texture having golden streaks, Their back were line with stalagmites of sharp grey rocks. She had heard of this kind of golem in her lessons before, but to meet it in person was not what she was hoping for.

    "<Grey Adamant> Golems!!"

    They were golems that were said to use time magic to accelerate. One of the strongest golems ever recorded. Living up to their reputation, the two grey constructs swiftly charge at Tishia using inhuman movements. And their aura was gold.

    She was able to dodge the first charge, but not in time for the second one. Raising Claiomh Solais, she managed to block, but the force from the charge sent her flying backwards. Executing a somersault, she landed on her feet safely, but her arms were numb from blocking.

    "Should I use my powers?"

    She contemplated on using her goddess form, but her aspect of Justice would be no use on nonliving organisms. It would only spend her remaining energy.

    "Think Tishia, think!!!!"

    She rattled her mind for any information about these formidable enemies. The golems made a stance to prepare another fearsome charge.

    "To defeat it......."

    She managed to sidestep, avoiding with a hair''s breadth one of the golem''s charge.

    ".......use the same or stronger materials!!!! But..."

    She managed to remember it. But she currently did not have any materials that could possibly be stronger than Grey Adamant. At that moment, she failed to evade a charge, and went crashing against the wall.

    ''"GUH!!!"

    The wall crumbled upon impact, bringing her over to another room. Though her bones did not break due to having stronger constitution as a goddess, her body was still sore all over from the damage the charge gave her.

    "Ugh.... It hurts..... if only I have the same material...!!"

    She thought of something. Desperately, she ran back to the room where the golems were preparing to charge, and made it to a corner of the room.

    "Bring it on!!!"

    The first golem charged at her, but Tishia was prepared and evaded. But instead of running, she positioned herself at the stony back of the golem who charged, and had its grey arms stuck to the wall of the room. As if taunting the other golem, she waved with a smile. The second golem charged swiftly.

    "Got you!!!!"

    Tishia jumped to the side in timing to the charge. The monstrous impact was transmitted to the first golem, while its sharp stalagmites of Grey Adamant on its back pierced the second golem. After the impact, both of the golems stopped moving and crumbled, disintegrating and absorbed by the dungeon. On where they stood before, two large metallic ores lie.

    "Ohhhh. What are these? Rare ores get!!!"

    Despite being injured, Tishia was happy at the items dropped by the Golems. It was indeed a rare loot. After gathering the ore using basic storage magic, she examined the other room where she crashed before.

    She did not noticed because she was too absorbed in the fight against the golems, but what lay inside was an endless darkness, not a room a room at all. A few meter in front was a seemingly bottomless chasm.

    "Whoa.... I- I almost fell down."

    She could feel a faint blue light with her perception, probably shaped like a dome, far away down the wide chasm. She wondered how to advance now, and upon investigation, found what she was looking for.

    "Stairs! I really wonder how dungeons form themselves."

    She cautiously went down using the stairs, due to her blindness and wary that it might collapse or some magic array would suddenly activate leading to all sorts of trouble. It was based form experience, when during the two years of training with her teacher, such instances could never be completely avoided.

    "Whew. That was hard."

    But nothing of the sort happened. She smoothly went down the very long stairs, wondering if this really was a Mythical level dungeon. Reaching the bottom, she could not see the blue-colored dome that was made out of some kind of flowing liquid, but she could definitely see it aura."

    "What..... is that?"

    She was baffled. That large dome that was about a hundred meters away from her, but she could still feel the pressure coming from it.

    "Is this really golden aura? Its so beautiful."

    Even though the dome was blue, her ability told her it was gold. But she never encountered such aura before, except that it was a little bit similar to that of the Grey Adamant Golems. Drawing near, she made sure there were no other presences. The dome that was 20 meters in diameter was the only sole thing that released its aura in the vicinity.

    "Now what do I do with this??"

    She tried throwing a rock at the dome, but it passed through, and she could not tell what happened to it inside. But Tishia did not fail to notice an aura that leaked the moment the stone passed through.

    "That feeling, someone''s inside the dome??"

    She felt two distinct aura that were very faint.

    "Is it the god.... no, there''s two people. Are they trapped inside? Their presences are too faint."

    Tishia contemplated on whether to try save them or not. If she did, her instincts told her it would be a disaster. But her conscience was telling her to do so. Being a goddess of justice, she would do the right thing.

    As body went past the dome, she felt a different kind of atmosphere inside, giving a feeling that time was stopped. She sensed the two people who were together on the ground. A small girl in a golden dress, and a teenage boy wearing faded black coat and pants. They were together sleeping, and gave the feeling as if they were siblings.

    Deciding to investigate more, she drew near.

    "This girl is a goddess."

    She made a conclusion, as the presence coming from the girl that looked around 10 years old was definitely that of divinity. She pondered for a bit and decided to do what she had signed for, releasing bloodlust. It was then that someone spoke.

    "Don''t..... dont... hurt...."

    It was the sleeping boy beside the little girl. He unconsciously embraced the little girl, as if wanting to protect her from harm. And them she felt something. That boy was releasing divine aura too, although it was too weak to easily notice.

    "So he''s one, too. That trickster said to kill a god, but I have two gods right before me. What to do now?"

    But if Hermes was right, if the god in the prophecy lived, world-wide havoc and chaos would ensue. Sacrificing two people for the sake of the world, was this the right thing to do? The goddess of justice in the end chose the ''greater good''.

    "Let justice be done, though the heavens fall"

    Activating her divinity, her blind eyes glowed white, along with the outline of her body.

    "God-mode."

    Enveloped in white light, Tishia''s cloak seemed to melt and form into a sleek white armor. Her fiery eyes that glowed white stared at the two unconscious beings she was about to condemn. She raised Claiomh Solais overhead, as she intended to finish it in one blow.

    "This is nothing personal, but for the sake of the world."

    Right before she gave the finishing blow, she felt something that sent a chill down her spine. She ducked instinctively, as a wave of golden light slashed to where her upper body was before.

    "WHA?!!!!"

    Another wave almost ripped of her right arm, if it weren''t for her ability to detect presences. But this enemy was too fast, as if her senses could not follow it.

    "Show yourself!!!"

    She notice that the golden aura from the sleeping child was manifesting into something humanoid. With it, was an ominous looking black scythe that she never saw before. The presence of that humanoid being was affecting the surrounding, as if it was being distorted. Tishia dashed to immediately eliminate the threat before it acts again, but Claiomh Solais only cut through air. The humanoid shaped aura that was there in front was gone.

    "Teleportation, or could it be?!!"

    She sensed the incoming bloodlust from her back, and parried the slash from the scythe with her sword of light.

    But the strength from that slash was enough to blow her outside the dome. Getting back on her feet, she raised her sword, parrying another slash from the being that followed her, with movements that cannot be followed by the naked eye. But Tishia was blind, and her senses were honed to the limit and she was an expert in a duel.

    She prepared using her current best technique, staying still while her sword at the ready. As the presence of that humanoid being came into her range, she moved.

    Mortal Judgement!!!!

    Dashing in a straight line faster than the enemy, she slashed horizontally. But that did not end as she seemingly disappeared from the front of the humanoid being, reappearing a split second at its back before delivering another blow. The enemy tried to slash with the scythe, but she was gone even before the attack started. It failed to notice that she jumped overhead, striking again the helpless humanoid, before disappearing to its side. She bombarded her opponent with fourteen sword strikes, then finishing up with a final powerful overhead slash, shredding it to bits.

    "Haa...... haa...... that thing was too strong."

    She silently congratulated herself. If that battle had continued longer, she would have lost. But her sense of victory immediately dissipated when the aura that made the humanoid being, gathered and reformed, as if time was rewound.

    "......This will take longer than expected."

    She rushed to meet the reformed being''s attack, but did not noticed that the blue dome had cracked due to the shock waves of her powerful strikes, and was now disintegrating.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------

    Alter had a dream. No, he considered it a nightmare,

    Tied to a pole, his upper body was bare, showing the lean body that was honed through training and acquiring monstrous stats.

    Strings of different color bind him to the pole, and he stood there, helpless. What was worse than that? The fact that three ladies stood in front, gazing at him with different expressions. One had a bubbly expression but was staring at him like a hungry fox. Another looked skeptical, yet seemed to be analyzing him. And the worse was the last who looked like she wanted to murder him.

    "Tell us, human. What do you intend to do in the future?"

    The one that was analyzing him, said. Her glasses indicated she was somewhat the intellectual type of woman and looked like she was in her early twenties.

    "I don''t know what you''re talking about..... tell me, where is this place?"

    "<Lachesis>, don''t be too harsh on our guest. Well, I believe we girls are the guests instead."

    "<Clotho>, you''re too softhearted on this man. He''s branded as a threat to the world."

    Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

    "He may be, but I think we''re missing something. We don''t even know his origins."

    "Well... try asking him. I don''t believe he''ll lie in this situation."

    "Okay! We''ll ask in a fair and humane way of course."

    After saying that, the girl named Clotho grabbed a 3 inches long needle from thin air. Pointing its tip to Alter, she spoke.

    "Hello boy!! My name''s Clotho!!! For every statement, if I prick you and you feel the pain, it means you''re lying. Nice to meet you!!

    Where''s the ''fair and humane'' way in that!!! Alter screamed silently.

    "Kidding!"

    ".........."

    This girl has personality issues, he concluded. Clotho, who looked like a girl who just reached her teens, giggled at Alter''s incredulous expression.

    "Clotho, stop fooling around."

    The lady beside the girl reprimanded her actions. Alter remembered her name. It was Lachesis.

    "Okay~okay~. Now boy, we''re visiting your dreams right now. Do you know that your appearance caused a stir among the gods of the  world?"

    ".....no."

    If she was talking about gods, Alter believed he was acquainted with a few of them. In fact, his closest companion was a goddess herself, and he could name a few close ones if asked. But something was off.

    "Umm... don''t you know me?"

    He thought being the leader of the Players and also commanding the NPCs which included some of the gods was enough to be known throughout Mythologia. But it was not the case.

    "Please identify yourself. We know you''re some sort of god, but we have no clue on your aspect or whatever"

    "I am Alter, the one who led the battle against Typhon."

    The two girls widened their eyes at the mention of the word Typhon.

    "To know such ancient, despicable creature.... what are you??"

    "Sister, if this guy is really saying the truth, we need to support him"

    Clotho said in a serious voice  contrary to her earlier attitude. But Lachesis rebuked her.

    "And what proof did he have? He is probably lying."

    "I''d rather kill him. But he''s telling the truth.n He''s a genuine god."

    The third girl who was silent before, said those words with malice. Unlike the two others who wear white robes, she was wearing violet and black, like some black magic apprentice. Lachesis wondered at the black robed girl''s words.

    "What do you mean, <Atropos>?"

    "Exactly what I said."

    She stabbed her hands to Alter''s chest.

    "WHA?!"

    Alter was surprised at her sudden movements and flinched, but the girl''s hands slipped through his chest. Pulling it out, the girl was holding on to a thread that was connected to his chest.

    "Look at his thread of fate"

    After drawing near to look, the two others gave a gasp and surprised faces.

    "I-Indeed! I never saw such color!"

    "Almost transparent, what kind of being are you really?"

    "That''s not all"

    The girl named Atropos said. She drew out an ominous looking scissor. If you observe closely, it was stained with red liquid, giving off the vibe that it was used as a murdering tool.

    "W-what are you trying to do?"

    Alter tried to protest, his instincts told him his life would be in danger if that thread was cut. But Atropos ignored him.

    SNIP.

    ".............."

    "Eh? It can''t be."

    "Amazing!!"

    The three girls were amazed. The scissors only passed through the thread, and nothing else happened to Alter. Atropos was the one that was shocked the most, even if she already deduced what would happen due to the thread having a strange nature. She was the one feared by living creatures as the the ''cutter of the thread of life''. Even the fate of gods can be twisted by her ''demonic shears''. But here is a man that was not the least bit affected.

    "......What are you?"

    She could only ask. The existence before her made her doubt her own powers. Even though an ancient law stated that the three of them must not involve themselves in the affairs of the world. Atropos became interested in this young man.

    "For now, we''ll monitor you more closely. For the sake of the world, of course."

    "Alter, its almost time to say goodbye!!! We''ll meet you a bit later. But I''ll give you a parting gift."

    Clotho drew near to Alter''s ear.

    "Listen closely so you could analyze what to do. You are trapped in a dungeon that was made from some magic even we don''t have knowledge about."

    Alter''s face tensed. It seems that these are very important information he must not miss.

    "Your other companion, though weakened, was unconsciously fighting a girl who''s goal was to kill you."

    "Kill me?"

    "Its all due to the prophecy that you will bring forth chaos to the world. Everyone wants you dead. Even our cute Atropos here."

    "Prophecy? I don''t~"

    "Listen, You must prevent your friend from killing that girl. And you must persuade that girl to be your companion. Her fate is strongly connected with the preservation of this world.  If you could do so, you should proceed to Delphi. Only there you could find your answers, as we here cannot say any more that this."

    "..... I understand."

    "Clotho, what did you tell him?"

    "Nothing~!!"

    The four-eyed lady asked in suspicion, but the bubbly young girl denied anything."

    "I''ll do my best to support you as much as I can, Alter. Even if we have to much restrictions, Clotho here will do her best"

    "Umm.... thanks?"

    Alter could only smile wryly at the bubbly attitude of the girl.

    "See you, Alter!!!"

    "If you do anything suspicious..."

    ".....I''ll kill you."

    After giving off different goodbyes, the surrounding images became hazy, and Alter woke up with a start.

    ---------------------------------------------------

    "Haa.... haa.... this... is bad...."

    Tishia was leaning on a wall. Her breathing was erratic, as she faced both fatigue and  injuries. Her pure white armor was ripped and stained in her own blood. And her sword of light was far off, embedded on the ground after her hands were too injured to weild it. On the other side, the entity made of aura that was holding a black bladed scythe was standing and facing her direction. She though she could win, but it was clear who was more powerful.

    "Am.... I gonna die here?"

    She was too hasty. She relied too much on her powers. She should not have been tempted by the trickster''s deal for she was still far too weak. And now she faced the consequences. Closing her eyes, she resigned to her fate as the humanoid being approached, its deadly scythe ready to swing and claim her soul. Without even giving proper justice to the ones who destroyed her family.

    Clank!!!!

    She thought it would hurt. But no sound of flesh being ripped was heard. Instead, the sound of metal clashing with another echoed around the dark cavern. When she tried to sense her surroundings, she felt the aura of an unfamiliar sword, holding off the scythe in place. The sword vibrated as if telling her to hold on.

    "Hey, are you okay"

    "........No.."

    She heard a voice. It definetely belongs to a boy. Though she never heard of it before, she thought the voice was very reliable.

    "Hold on. She unconsciously used the ''doppleganger'' skill. It''ll be hard to stop her, as it copies almost all of the user''s stats. I.... I need your help. You''re a goddess right?"

    She could partly understand his predicament, but she can''t fight anymore.. Her body was bruised all over, and blood was flowing from her wounds.

    "I can''t.... help..."

    ".......do you really want to live?"

    The boy asked a funny question. Of course anybody would want to live. But the serious tone that was used prevented Tishia from making fun of him.

    "......Yes"

    "But..... we need to have a ''connection'' with each other. I don''t know any other effective method, but......"

    The boy sounded reluctant. As if he was hesitating on something. Tishia wanted to scold him for dallying in this life or death situation.

    "Since I don''t even know you, I  have to do something against your will. Please feel free to hate me after this"

    She doesn''t understand what he means, but she nodded, as she felt the humanoid being readying its scythe to slash at both of them. It was then that she felt something.

    "Mmph..."

    It was a sensation she never felt before. Her lips were pressed against something soft. Her heart skipped a beat, welling up with emotions of both confusion, excitement and fear.

    He kissed me! she screamed in her mind, but she personally did not hated it. But for her first kiss to be stolen by a stranger, any woman would complain.

    She felt her soul tremble, as if its essence was mixing with that of the boy. She could only helplessly endure this moment that seemed to last for hours. Even as he parted his lips, that feeling lingered for a little bit more.

    "Please rest."

    The boy gently laid her down, before facing the humanoid image made of golden aura. She wondered what he would do, and was surprised when both her aura and the golden aura swelled from the boy.

    Tishia''s symbol, the scales of justice, floated above his head along with the hourglass symbol of Gold.

    Brilliant gold and dazzling white.

    The boy recited a chant that made his outline glow, in contrast to his black clothes.

    "Let it be known. My true name, <Chaos>"

    As the light completely enveloped his body, he whispered.

    "God Mode"

    The light seemingly exploded and dispersed, and what appeared before Tishia was something beyond her imaginations.

    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 5: Decisions

    Chapter done! Meet the deadlier form of the so-called yandere.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    INTERLUDE: THE MOIRAI

    In a faraway place that no mortals could reach, three ladies were resting on a beautiful garden.

    One looked like a 12-year old girl with a bright radiant face. The other one looked like in her early twenties, wearing eyeglasses. The last one looked sullen like a teenager in her rebellious phase.

    They were called the <Moirai>. The three sisters who guide and influence the fate of mortals. They were currently on break on their jobs and were lazing around .

    "Clotho!!!!"

    The four-eyed girl said in a reprimanding voice.

    "Its not that bad, Lacchi! Its just a little talk with Alter!"

    Clotho tried to make a few reasons, but her sister Lachesis did not buy it.

    "Why did you help him?! He''s already marked as a threat!"

    "He''s a good guy! He''s falsely accused!!"

    "....And how could you tell?"

    "Gut feeling."

    Lachesis could only hold her head in pain. Her sister was very troublesome.

    "Lacchi''s a meanie. That''s why no gods ever tried to woo you."

    "They can''t even reach this place!! That goes for you too!!"

    "Well, now Clotho here has a soulmate, its Alter!!"

    "Don''t be ridiculous. What do you find in that boy interesting?"

    "Everything!!!"

    "You''re hopeless....."

    The two girls seemed like bickering, but this was just one of their games made to kill time. They had to invent a lot of pass time, or else they will go crazy at their endless jobs. On the other hand the black robed Atropos was staring blankly into space.

    "Atro! What do you want to do? Lets play something before our break ends."

    Clotho called for her sister, yet not expecting any response. Atropos was never interested in anything, and would just proceed with her job cutting the threads of those mortals who are already destined to die or fall. But, contrary to her sisters'' expectations, Atropos responded.

    "I want to cut his thread."

    "".....................................Eh?"

    "I want to cut the thread of that boy."

    Clotho, and even Lachesis fell down their knees. For Atropos to be interested of something... clearly she was probably sick, they thought.

    "A-Atropos? Do you feel sick? Is there anything wrong? Tell your sister!!"

    "A-atro''s gonna die........ wait.... could it be???!!!!!!"

    Atropos ignored her overreacting sisters, and stared into the distance. Specifically, where the boy they just met before had disappeared. Clotho, being the busybody she always was, did not miss the slightest of these details. She drew closely to Lachesis.

    "I-It seems that Atro found her ''soul mate''..."

    "Sniff..... Our sister has grown"

    "Is this what they call ''love at first sight"

    "I don''t know.... I never experience such things"

    Atropos did not react, but deep inside she was denying her sisters'' ranting. She only found a goal, no more like a desire. Endlessly cutting through the threads of mortals had bored her, and even the threads of gods that could be damaged, and be cut if they were nearing their deaths, did not give her any satisfaction at all.

    It was the thread of that boy. Beautifully transparent, unlike any others. And she could not cut it, not with her magical scissors. She could not stop thinking about the thread of the boy. She knew her behavior was being out-of-character, but that did not stop her from wanting that thread for herself.

    "I hope to see you soon, Alter"

    A spine chilling aura radiated from the black robed girl.

    Chapter 5: Decisions

    Tishia had felt countless kinds of presences and the aura they emit. From elves, humans, monsters, and even gods, she had already felt a lot of them. But this was her first time feeling a unique one that gives off multiple auras. The aura that the boy gave off.

    "You are...?"

    She could not tell if it was the same person as before. Right in front of her was what she could only describe as an enigma. He was wearing tattered white cloak, his head covered by a hood. From the darkness under hood , two orbs of different colors shone, gold and white.

    Under the white cloak he was wearing an elaborate sleek armor that was made of gold. And his weapon, with both in his hands, a black and a white sickle.

    "This form is powerful indeed."

    The entity spoke, as he himself seemed surprised at his own self. The enemy, that ''manifestation of golden aura'', felt the threat that came from Alter, and immediately rushed towards his position. An arc of golden light slashed towards Alter, but it only passed through him, while he stood there in the same position. Then both the two were gone from Tishia''s range.

    "They disappeared?"

    But the truth was that both Alter and the enemy produced a unique field that manipulated time. And inside that space where different time flowed, the two made their deathmatch. Twin sickles against a large scythe. Both of them were on par in speed, but the additional effect of the aspect of Justice had favored Alter. It was an aspect that makes you stronger if your desire is just.

    And Alter''s goal was to save both Gold and this girl that Clotho asked him to be associated with.

    The black and white sickles relentlessly slashed at the humanoid aura, and with every cut, the shaved parts from the enemy returned back to Gold''s body.

    "haa!!!"

    Ducking and sidestepping to avoid the scythe was easy enough for Alter, as he nullified the time magic with that of his own. With the advantage, she pushed back the enemy to a corner.

    But the enemy did not back down. it also contained the aspect of the sky, and prepared to cast a large magic, with a magic array appearing under its body. Unfortunately, that was what Alter was waiting for.

    "Magic Mod!"

    One of the god Chaos'' special move, the ability to alter magic structure. Since Gold had been Alter''s main partner, he knew all her battle styles, moves and timing. He immediately knew that the doppelganger was going to use a high level magic ''Skyfall'' that manipulates gravity to work against the opponent. Casting Magic Mod, he altered the ''target'' of the spell.

    After casting the magic, the enemy was surprised as its body sunk down due to Alter''s modification of its spell. Using this chance while the enemy was incapacitated, Alter used time magic to accelerate towards it. In Tishia''s point of view, he was in front of the enemy in a blink of an eye.

    "Sorry, you did your best defending us two."

    He positioned the two sickles at its throat and mercilessly beheaded it.

    "Haa..... the energy consumed from this form is a real burden...."

    Alter complained as he deactivated his divinity. The defeated enemy dissipated into particles that returned to Gold''s sleeping form.

    "Gold!!!"

    He ran towards his partner. Tishia also drew near, limping. It seems her feet needs to be healed for a while before she can fully run.

    As Alter drew near, the sight of Gold being fine made him breath in relief, or so he should have.

    "I-is this Gold?!"

    The girl in front of him was Gold, but not exactly her. Her face had turned cuter. Her height grew shorter. Her melons became oranges instead. Even her divine clothes had adjusted to her change. The blossoming young lady had turned into a 12-year old!!

    "She became a child?!"

    When Alter used his ''World Truth'', there was no magic acting on her body, so it was biological in nature. He wondered if that was the effect of the spell that saved him. He really wished to have a break from all these things.

    ".....No use moping now. This is now my reality."

    He took his bag that was beside the sleeping goddess and used it as a pillow for her. He yawned, tired from this ruckus, and he almost forgot the other girl that had drawn near.

    He saw TIshia staring at him with translucent eyes. He immediately saw that she was blind.

    "......umm is there a problem?"

    "......problem huh?"

    Tishia could cite countless problems if necessary. How he easily beat that ''thing''. How he transformed to that cloaked form. How he used two foreign auras so expertly, and how he kissed her.... how he stole her first kiss. And who was this girl, is she his girlfriend? Then why did he kissed her!

    But she managed to kept that to herself for now. It was proper to give introductions when a god meets another.

    "My name is Tishia. I am also the goddess Justitia."

    She stiffly bowed, her injuries hurting just because of moving slightly. Alter did not fail to respond.

    "I am Alter. Also known as Chaos. This girl beside me is Gold. She is the goddess Cronus."

    "Why are two gods here in this dungeon."

    "Its... a little bit complicated."

    "Its alright. I need to know your circumstances."

    "..... alright."

    Alter narrated his story. That this was supposed to be a game from his world, but it transformed into reality. How Typhon that was defeated had revived, and was only up to the two of them to defeat. In the end, they could only seal it. But Gold''s seal requires a sacrifice. Alter willing to be the sacrifice instead, had modified the spell. His life then became critical, but with some unknown magic that belonged to Gold, they were trapped in a stasis of time that allowed hi broken soul to recover. That he was visited by the three ladies that helped him assessed the situation.

    "I see...."

    This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    Tishia could more or less comprehend what Alter said. Her brows involuntarily perked up at some things like Typhon, Clotho and spell modification.

    "How did you manage to use my aura."

    "My aspect has ''nothingness''. That allows me to take in any aspect or power from a god. Think of it as an empty bucket that can be filled with the liquid known as power."

    ".... I get it... thats clearly cheating..."

    "But there are prerequisites before I could use a gods power."

    "Prerequisites?"

    "I told you before that we don''t have a connection right?"

    "Yeah."

    "A connection is the relation between me and  a god. Since I''m closely related to Gold due to circumstances, I could tap into her power. I had read that the stronger the connection, the stronger the power i can use."

    "So.... you kissed me to....."

    At her words, Alter became ashamed and lower his head.

    "Please forgive me. I didn''t intend to force such a lady like you."

    "Eh?"

    Tishia was flustered as the presence of Alter wavered as if being very sorry. She wasn''t really angry at the person, just at the situation that forced them to. And besides, it doesn''t really feel that bad with him.

    "Eh?! What am I thinking about!!!"

    Tishia shouted and cleared her mind at her flow of thoughts that headed to a dangerous direction, making Alter jump in surprise.

    "Is there something wrong?"

    "No!!!!"

    "O-ok......"

    "........tell me. You lived through the Dark Ages??"

    "Dark Ages? Well yeah, probably. The atmosphere during that period was indeed dark."

    "....amazing. Its like you were a living fossil."

    "I... don''t know what to say."

    Tishia admired the boy in front of her. He had such an epic background, A question had then popped in her head.

    "Hey, Alter...."

    "Yup"

    "In the past, you also commanded most of the gods, right?"

    "Of course. But in the final battle they were all positioned on Echidna''s front."

    "Then..... why did the gods forgot about your existence?"

    "Huh? What do you mean?"

    "I came here, as a representative of the gods around the world. They believed that you were a threat that needed to be eliminated, so I''m here supposedly to kill you."

    "....... Indeed, that''s really troubling. Did they want to get back at me for making them target practices for my powers?"

    He remembered that he used some NPCs as target practice for his god mode, but that couldn''t be the real reason . Something had gone wrong somewhere, and he needed to investigate it. He also need to get clues on what made the monster Typhon revive.

    " I want to get answers. Where do you plan to go?"

    "....After this I was supposed to go to the Oracle of Delphi, but now I lost the means of entering it, since I cannot kill you at all."

    "Oracle of Delphi, huh? Want to go there?"

    "Huh? Go there?! Its not as simple as you think!"

    "Really?"

    "If you want to enter the Oracle, you need to have a certain token. Its so rare that I undertook the pain of exploring this dungeon just to get one."

    "Umm..... could it be that you''re talking about these?"

    Gently rummaging his bag as to not wake up Gold, he took a pouch from the bag. Tishia did not miss the radiant aura that came from the pouch.

    "That.... that.... that..."

    She was dumbfounded. Within the pouch she could count the radiant auras.

    "Three... seven... thirteen......... twenty?!!!"

    "What are you shocked about?"

    Tishia could only face the boy with her mouth agape. He was nonchalantly giving of the expression of ''What''s the big deal?''

    "HOW DID YOU GOT YOUR HANDS ON THAT?!!"

    ''This is clearly cheating!!!!'', she screamed in her mind. Even gods had a hard time acquiring these Oracle tokens, but here he was holding the pouch full of treasures, and giving off a lax attitude.

    "Is this really a rare item?"

    "Listen to me when I''m talking!!!!"

    "But these were just rewards for a Normal Ranked quest. Even my production-class friends had at least five of these at a time."

    "..................."

    Tishia remained silent. She decided to stop reacting to whatever this boy said. Even though his words were unbelievable, the proof he was holding in his hands are the real deal.

    On the other hand, Alter was confused as to why these coins were important at all. During the time Mythologia was a death game, these coins have no particular use, and were often discarded if a player''s inventory had reached the limit of what it could hold. Also, the Oracle of Delphi was made by the players just for fun, installing NPCs that tell off horoscopes and random facts. He could not believe that it evolved into a world class divination site, It was most likely the three ladies of fate were messing around for fun.

    "You.... really are full of surprises."

    Tishia commented at the boy who was her savior.

    "Thanks again for saving me."

    "No problem."

    "OHO.... it seemed that during the time WHILE I''M ASLEEP, Master TOOK ADVANTAGE and LURED another WOMAN."

    Emphasizing some words, a loud childish voice came from beside them. Her golden eyes seemed burning, while glaring at Tishia and giving off hostility.

    "Gold! You''re awake!!"

    "L-l-lured another woman?! What are you talking about, brat!!"

    The two in front of Gold made different reactions. One was showing a face of relief, while the other was giving off a flustered face. Gold stared and observed the girl that was with her master.

    "You''re a goddess. How come I haven''t met you before?"

    "..... I just got my divinity two years ago."

    ".... A mortal that turned into a goddess, huh. That''s certainly the first time I heard of it."

    "Yes. We both have missed something during the time we were asle--- Wha?!!"

    Alter gave his  speculations, but was surprised as Gold jumped and hugged him.

    "MASTER!! I really thought you''re gonna die back then... ''sniffle''... just thinking about it hurts..."

    Alter could only pat her head. Gold smiled at his actions, but felt something wrong. Was her master really that tall.

    "Master, you have grown taller haven''t you?"

    Alter stopped patting. He could not believe she hadn''t noticed it yet.

    "Gold, you don''t know what happened to you?"

    "Umm..... that is?"

    "You body turned to that of a child. Its probably the effe-"

    "EEEEEEEEHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    A loud childish scream reverberated along the darkness.

    "A magic that even forcibly affected the body. How strong was that, really?"

    Even Tishia became a bit interested at Gold.

    "Don''t worry. Its... its not like it will greatly affect your abilities."

    Alter tried to console her, but Gold did not pay heed to his words.

    "How.. how could I satisfy master at night with this body......."

    ""That''s what you''re worried about??!!"", both Alter and Tishia retorted.

    "But some men do have such fetishes. Could this be a blessing in disguise?"

    ""That''s a crime already!!!""

    Doing such things lightened the mood around the three.

    "You''re coming with us, Tishia."

    "Eh?"

    "Don''t ''eh?'' master. His words are absolute."

    "Stop that Gold. You''re not helping"

    "muuuu....."

    "But I tried to kill you...."

    "That''s fine."

    Alter made a carefree smile. Tishia could not believe that he was such a powerful god even if he looked so defenseless.

    "Both of us need a guide to this world, since the geography could have changed. Also, fate told me that I would need your help. Be our companion."

    Alter didn''t have any underlying meaning, and was just stating the facts. But Tishia''s cheeks turned a light shade of red at his words.

    "Okay.... just for now."

    "Our first goal is the Oracle. Where should we go first"

    "After leaving the dungeon, we  must go to the Port City of <Apollonia>, where we must take a ship and travel to the Hellenic League."

    "Hellenic League, huh? Is that a new empire?"

    "Just formed recently, around 50 years ago. But their rapid advance in technology and prosperity had the Romanum Imperium worrying."

    Even Romanum Imperium did not ring a bell. Alter wondered how long both of them were trapped inside this dungeon.

    "Master! I''ll just use time magic to hasten our travel by land."

    "You''re too weak right now to do that. I even defeated easily the doppelganger you used to guard us. And you lost control and it even attacked me."

    ".........tsk"

    "Heh. Could it be, this brat is afraid of sea travel?"

    "Don''t get too cocky, blind girl. And who are you calling brat? Want me to accelerate your aging process, huh?"

    "Why you?!"

    "Stop it both of you."

    Alter stopped the bickering girls. It seemed that the addition of a companion would only increase his headaches. But he was happy that things have been progressing well. To survive this world, solving any essential problems along the way, finding the clues that would help, and finding any ally that would give a hand, all while maintaining a grip on his sanity.

    He set these now as his goals while living in Mythologia.

    "Lets go!!"

    "I''m still injured."

    "Shall I carry you?"

    ".......oka-"

    "I''ll gently drag her master. GENTLY."

    "....We''ll use a Teleport Stone. That''s less hassle for me."

    "EH?!!! YOU ALSO HAVE THAT?!!"

    Tishia screamed as the three of them turned to white particles of light, leaving the dark and quiet dungeon in solitude.

    ------------------------------------------------------

    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 6: Entering Apollonia

    Thanks for reading, everyone!!

    Again, words with <> can be searched in the net for more information. I''ll compile a short glossary after I write more chapters.

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    CHAPTER 6: ENTERING APOLLONIA

    Apollonia was one of the wealthiest cities of the Imperium, owing to its geographical position of being the center of sea trade and commerce. Its valuable trade routes were primarily connected to Aegyptus which is the kingdom of the Beastmen, the rival Hellenic League, the Demon King''s empire, and other minor city states and empires.

    Different kinds of products ranging from incense and silk, carried from the faraway Middle Kingdom, up to the expensive dyes and ink from Aegyptus.

    It was also headquarters to the 7th Legion, the Imperium''s main police force that rivaled even the elite Praetorians. Being the center of trade, security was so tight that even slum children had to be registered to be able to walk the streets.

    Outside the borders of the walled city, the three gods Tishia, Alter and Gold arrived in a caravan. Hiding their identity, they posed as siblings, while Gold being Alter''s slave (which she insisted strongly, not content with being his sister),

    "We have arrived, young ones."

    The caravan master announced. He was a middle-aged man with lean muscles and leather armor. Anyone can mistake him for an adventurer if he posed as one.

    "Thank''s boss. We owe you a lot!"

    Alter replied. Since Tishia was injured, it would be hard for her to walk long distances, They were lucky that a trade caravan came by and allowed them to join. And so their travel time was shortened. Probably the workings of Clotho, or so he imagined.

    "Don''t mind it boy! It was me who was supposed to be this thankful to you!"

    ------------------------------

    During their travel, many obstacles hindered them. Bandits had ambushed them to steal their goods, and their huge group can''t be stopped by the few caravan guards, who were not even soldiers. Tishia and Alter were deeply sleeping at that time. But before the bandits could even touch the other civilians and traders, a young girl walked in front of them.

    "Eiiiyy!! What''s this young missy doin'' here?"

    "She''s a cute one!"

    "Maybe a child of a senator or something. Her ransom must be high!"

    "Come here, lil'' one. If you don''t, brother will be very angry."

    The bandits became interested since Gold''s childish features were overlapped by a noble aura. Gold didn''t even lend an ear to these ''rubbish'' and complained in a childish voice.

    "Go away pieces of sh**, you''re loud. Master is currently sleeping. If you dare disturb him I''m gonna  F** kill you all."

    The bandits became dumbfounded and angry as dirty words flowed from the small rosy lips of the girl.

    ""YOU LITTLE BRAT!!! WE''LL SPANK YOU SENSLESS!!!""

    "Too loud."

    Alter and Tishia woke up, as they felt Gold''s powerful aura coming from a distance.

    "Oh master, you''re awake? Please sleep more. Its too early."

    "Hey brat, what''s the commotion?"

    "Don''t call me brat. Some bandits tried to rob the carriage, but I forced them to leave."

    "Really? Thanks a lot Gold."

    "Yay! master praised me!!"

    "Good job, I guess."

    "I don''t need your''s, blind girl."

    "hmph..."

    Alter really wondered why these two can''t get along each other. As there were no other troubles, both of them continued to sleep, while Gold kept watch.

    "Haah.... quiet is the best."

    Gold stared at the distance where she faced the bandits, Dismembered and slashed bodies had littered that area, since Gold had really forced them to leave....

    To leave the mortal plane.

    The guards who saw her one-sided slaughter were too scared to even mention the event and kept it to themselves.

    -------------------------------------------

    "That was nothing. See you later, Mister!"

    The trio had arrived at the borders of the city.

    "The city of Apollonia has very tight security. We can only pass inside legally. Don''t you have any ID cards or something?"

    "I have my adventurer''s card with me."

    "I also have one, thanks to master."

    "I........."

    Alter noticed Tishia was hesitating.

    "Whats the problem."

    "I...... am a wanted woman in the Imperium."

    Alter was shocked at her confession. For the goddess of justice to be a wanted person, what did she do?, he thought.

    ".......and yet you stayed? How did you move about?"

    "I have my circumstances. And I used a fake ID. The adventurer''s guild may be fooled, but the Identification magic from the Legion who reside there would detect it."

    Alter had heard of the 7th Legion, that was described as an elite military police. He once asked why she chose a place that was heavily guarded, but she only said that it was the only direct route from the Imperium to the Oracle. But Alter had a plan.

    "Don''t worry, just follow me and everything will be fine."

    Alter walked towards the guards at the gate, while Gold followed him nonchalantly. Tishia hesitated, before giving up and joined them.

    "Halt. Identify yourselves!"

    One of the guards that were posted at the gates approached them. Alter and Gold readily handed his ID card, but Tishia thought they will get into trouble if she handed hers.

    "Don''t worry"

    Alter whispered in her ear, so she did as she was told. The guard had used Identification magic at the cards, which checked whether their identities were approved. Tishia expected an alarm would have rang the moment the magic touched hers. But nothing happened. Looking at the side, Alter winked at her.

    After when they entered the city, Tishia began interrogating the boy.

    "What happened? Did you do something??"

    "Magic Mod"

    "....That''s a total cheat..."

    So his spell was strong enough to modify even spells like Identify. Tishia again saw how powerful her companion could be.

    "Apollonia."

    Tishia had been to Apollonia when she was younger. As for Alter and Gold, they had never seen such a developed city in Mythologia.

    "Is that a temple? Its huge!!"

    "Look master!! Is that the rumored Flea Market?"

    "What a huge library!!"

    "They even have public baths...... ehehe"

    "Wow! They already invented ice cream??!! I never had it for more than two years!"

    "Is it delicious, master?!"

    "Lets buy one!"

    Tishia''s two companion, who sounded like country hicks, did their best to sight-see at the industrial district of Apollonia.

    They also rushed to the large store that sell ice cream. Tishia could only sigh.

    "It seemed the Dark Ages is too ''ancient'' a time for living."

    She said to herself. She wondered if orange juice was already invented during that time.

    "Tishia......"

    The two who excitedly went in the ice cream parlor, came out dejected.

    "What''s the problem?"

    "What currency do they use here?"

    Tishia now only realized that these two were from the past. The currency would have been different. She rummaged for coins inside her pockets to give them reference.

    "Geez. You two are hopeless. Look here."

    She showed them a gold coin.

    "Remember. This is an <Aureus>. Gold coin."

    The two nodded. Then Tishia pulled out another coin. It was silver.

    "<Quinarius>. Fifty of these is one Aureus. Though these are seldomly use for trades. Greenish gold colored coins.

    Then she continued to take another coin.

    "<Sestertius>, or Sest, the silver coin. This is more commonly used for trades, while <As> is the most basic, a copper coin. Four hundred of these is equal to a single Aureus. The empire standardized it as the world currency more than a hundred years ago."

    ""Ooooh........""

    "What currency do you have, by the way?"

    "Master manages the spending"

    "Umm.... I''ll check in my inventory."

    He chanted some words, and the storage magic activated. Alter was troubled before due to him not knowing how to access his Inventory in reality, but fortunately Tishia taught him that on the way to Apollonia.

    "It seemed they were called <drachma>. I never knew since we just call them ''coins'' in the game."

    "Drachma...... That''s a very ancient coin. I believe the Hellenic League still circulate it in their local currency and its equivalent to Aureas there. How much do you have?"

    Tishia thought that they should have at least twenty, even if they look poor. If not, these two were going to be straining her coin purse. She hoped it was not so.

    "Twenty... million, or so."

    "....................................."

    Dink. Dink. Dink.

    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

    The thirty Aureas made a sound and scattered as Tishia''s pouch fell down the street floor.

    "Money!!" Gold exclaimed before reaching out for them,  returning back afterwards to the ice cream parlor. She ignored the frozen stiff goddess of Justice.

    "T-ten... ten...."

    Tishia could only repeat what she had heard. She didn''t know, but Alter was the one who led the players during the final stages of the death game. It was natural that he hold some of the budget for the expenditures of the guilds he had led. In other words, he was really filthy rich!

    "I... can''t believe it."

    "The ice cream vendor won''t accept it."

    "...... that''s because..... they don''t use it here. Only in the Hellenic League...."

    She had a hard time breathing due to the shock. Even she, a princess, had only seen a trade of 500 thousand Aureas. That was the largest sum she ever saw in her lifetime, and it involved buying a large area of land. With that money, they could have already found a new city.

    So their situation is this..... they were literarily broke in the Imperium, but if they ever reach the Hellenic League, they would become moguls.

    "Oh, heavens. Where is justice in this?"

    Tishia complained about the unfairness of the world. She gained a new desire to punish cheaters.

    "Ice cream, Master!!! Its really delicious!"

    Gold trotted joyfully. If Alter didn''t know her true form, he would definitely be struck by the cuteness of the golden haired girl. She was holding two cones of ice creams in each of her hands.

    After eating leisurely, the three of them decided to go the harbor.

    "Oooh. Its my first time seeing a lot of ships."

    There were mostly ships that were designed with three rows of oars, and they were going to and from the busy harbor.

    "They are called <Triremes>. They serve as trading ships around the Imperium. The few large ones, the <Hexaremes>, were warships of the Imperial Navy, designed to defend the port against any threats,"

    Tishia explained to the two, as she had a lot of background in these things due to her education. For some reason, she enjoyed being a guide.

    "Where can we ask for a passenger ship to the Hellenic League?"

    "Let''s ask the harbor master. I believe he''s at the port office at this hour of the day."

    Proceeding towards the large building near the docks, they immediately found the harbor master. He was wearing leather armor that was dyed red and blue. He was with some merchants, and it was clear from the shouting that they were arguing over something. Drawing near, the trio heard the contents of the commotion. He was currently arguing with a fat, bearded merchant with brown hair.

    "I tell you! Do not ask me for remunerations of your stolen goods. That is the jurisdiction of the 7th Legion!!"

    "But this is harbor is YOUR jurisdiction! If you just agreed for more guards which we strongly requested, none of these would have happened!!!"

    "Yes!! But-"

    ''Yet you said this harbor was secured enough!! We''ll let the senate hear of this if we don''t receive the cargo in a 3 days!!"

    The merchants left the troubled harbor master, who was currently holding his head in frustration.

    "Hey, that sounded similar to a quest I''ve already finished."

    Alter humorously pointed out, which Gold agreed to. He went in front of the harbor master, and directly asked a question.

    "Excuse us, but we need a ship that would be headed for the Hellenic League."

    "..... haaaaah... Hellenic League, huh. The ''Python'', I believe. But her captain is a stingy one. I think the rate would be around 30 Aureas each head."

    "Haaaa?! That''s too expensive! Wasn''t that supposed to be at most 10 Aureas for a person?!"

    Tishia loudly protested. She knew the estimate rate of fare for a voyage, and this harbor master is trying to rip them off their money.

    "A lot has been happening recently, young miss."

    "For example?"

    "Pirates. Their activities had started escalating around the <Mare Nostrum>. Also, reports of ''sea monsters'' lurking near the territorial borders between the Imperium and the League have circulated around the whole harbor. Also, tensions between the two empires have strained to a point that the Hellenic League already sent a letter of warning to the Senate."

    "......tsk. After all the efforts of peace talks."

    Tishia swore in her mind, as her mother''s efforts are starting to go to waste. Alter on the other hand, inquired on a topic that has no connection to their deal.

    "Hey, what was that all about before?"

    "That? Some merchant had put all the blame to me for his goods disappearing on the warehouse of the docks."

    "Oh..... How much would you have to legally pay up for this?"

    "About seven thousand Aureas. That would cost me my whole fortune."

    "That''s terrible indeed! Was it stolen on a rainy day?"

    "Y-yes. How did you know?"

    "I believe they used the cover of the rain to steal the goods"

    "R-really?!!"

    "And, have you met with a red-haired man before?"

    "Again, how did you know?"

    "He is a notorious smuggler"

    "What did you say?!!"

    "Man, talk about bad luck. I''m sorry for your loss but..."

    Alter sympathized with the harbor master, or so it sounds. Gold saw through the poker face of her master. It was actually smiling.

    "I believe we could help."

    "R-really?! You''re a god-sent!"

    "Master is a ''generous'' man"

    "I''m impressed. You really are a good guy, contrary to the rumors."

    Tishia praised his attitude, not noticing the voiceless communication between the two using Telepathy.

    {

    ''Gold, I think we hit a jackpot.''

    ''I think so too, Master''

    ''This is really similar to a certain tricky quest that we had before.''

    ''I agree. We took a long time solving the puzzle and looking for clues but.''

    ''This time, we know where to find.''

    ''And the profit is high, if we follow the ''right procedures''

    ''We can buy all we need in this city''

    ''Ahahahahah''

    ''eheheheheh''

    }

    The most common sin all the gods have is simply ''greed'' Alter though that the fate sisters were not doing a proper job at all.

    "What day will the ship to the Hellenic Kingdom depart?"

    "Around 4 days from now. Hey, can you really find those goods??"

    "Leave it to us. We have some clues on the culprit. But, can you pay for the ship in return?"

    "I''ll pay!! I''ll even give you a reward!"

    "Thank you....... but we don''t have any money right now, we might get kicked out of the city tonight...."

    "I''ll give you some money and lodgings! Just promise me you''ll be able to retrieve the stolen goods."

    "Deal."

    "T-thank you...."

    On their way out of the building, Tishia asked Alter.

    "Hey, was that really fair, Alter? I think you''re ripping him off!"

    "You''re too naive in the ways of the world, goddess of justice!!"

    "Eh!?"

    "To survive in this harsh world, you need to cut corners, the ''legal'' way, of course."

    "That a bit......"

    "This is not in any way illegal. The harbor master just ''sympathized'' on our predicament."

    ".....is that so..."

    Alter proudly proclaimed, jingling the Sests in his pockets. Tishia was still not fully convinced, but she let it go for now. It would probably take a while if Alter continued trying to corrupt the goddess of justice.

    "So, he gave us lodgings to the Tavern."

    "Master, this paper he gave says its only one room"

    ''EH?!!"

    "Really? I should sleep outside then."

    "EH? MASTER WHY?!"

    "Its improper for a man to sleep with girls so openly."

    Alter faced Tishia, who was troubled. Her cheeks were a bit reddish.

    "I-I think its fine... I won''t be bothered one bit."

    "See, the blind girl gave consent!!"

    ".....alright. Sorry for the trouble, Tishia."

    The trio went inside the tavern. All eyes turned to look at them. Numerous stares were directed towards Gold and Alter, as they both gave off a formidable aura. Tishia''s presence was not thoroughly noticed, since her white hood covered her face. Many men stared at Gold, mesmerized by her cute yet regal face.

    "Wow. The tavern is the same as always. It only turned bigger now."

    "I agree, master."

    "A lodging up the 3rd floor please.", Tishia said while handing her the letter of recommendation for their lodging.

    The one manning the counter was a young lady with silver hair. She looked at Tishia, then at Alter and Gold who were observing the people at the tavern.

    "Wow..... I''ll be entertained tonight... hehe."

    "Pardon?"

    "I mean... room 303 please. Its has a slightly larger bet to accommodate you three."

    "Eh? Only one bed?!"

    "Sorry, our other rooms with multiple beds were already taken"

    ".......okay."

    Tishia could only give up. While that was happening......

    {

    ''Gold, have you seen him?''

    ''If my memory serves me right, master, he should be arriving by now.''

    }

    Just on cue, a red haired man entered the tavern, wearing merchant clothing.

    {

    ''So it really was completely similar to the quest we knew.''

    ''That means this job is as good as done''

    }

    Tishia''s two companions were happily looking at each other with grins plastered on their face.

    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 7: Before Leaving Apollonia

    This chapter would be a little bit shorter. Thanks for reading!!!

    CHAPTER 7: AROUND APOLLONIA

    Under the dark moonless night.

    The receptionist of the tavern herself reserved room 302. Her shift had already ended, so it was time for her to rest for tommorrow. But, instead of availing the soft comfy bed in the room, she was huddled on the wall on the right side of the room, with her right eye pressed to one side.

    She was waiting for the show to commence, and when the actors all went to bed..........

    "Thanks for the food. Ehehe."

    -------------------------------------------------

    "I''m starting... this is my first time."

    "Master.... don''t... mmm... this is my first time too..."

    "Does it hurt? I''ll be more gentle."

    "Please.... no more..... iyah!!"

    "Don''t squirm... It only makes me harder to.... "

    "Y-yeah... that''s the spot.... ahh.."

    "Don''t hold it in. Let it be."

    "But I.... ahh! No more!! I can''t!! haah!"

    "I''m almost there."

    "Ahh.... aahh!!!"

    "I''m gonna finish it."

    "M-master! Your getting rough!! Gold can''t!! I-!!"

    "Haah!!!!"

    "IYAAAAAHH!!!"

    "STOP IT YOU TWO!!!!!!!!!"

    Tishia was covering her ears, her cheeks red like a tomato. The erotic sounds coming from Gold had her retreat in a corner of the room. Alter, in turn, gave her an incredulous look.

    "Huh? I''m just treating Gold''s power deficiency."

    "That''s not the problem!!!!!!"

    Alter had used Magic Mod, trying to repair the broken magic circuits that flowed through Gold. It was his first time trying to do so, making a few few mistakes that brought some pain to the little goddess. He managed to repair some in the end, but continually doing so showed some bad effects, so he abruptly stopped.

    Gold was limp, unable to move due to the pain. But she didn''t complained as long as it was her master. On the other hand, even though Alter had already explained it, Tishia still couldn''t try to ignore the erotic sounds that Gold produced.

    "haah... haa..... pervert goddess..."

    "Who''s the pervert!!!!"

    The night ended with Alter sleeping on the floor.

    --------------------------------------------------------

    It was early morning the next day. Only few people were already awake around the city. But on the dark alleys in the slum area of Apollonia, the silhouettes of four people were outlined by the magic lamp that lit the streets.

    "Where are you going, little mice"

    "Stop moving. You''re surrounded."

    "So, peacefully raise your hand and-"

    "WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE?!"

    The man with red hair shouted. His job was that of a trader, and he was a rich one at that. But three people right now are arresting him.

    "We know you''re the leader."

    But the black haired boy saw through his disguise. His records were supposedly clear. Any kinds of evidence have been erased. And all sort of alibis have been under effect. He did not even used magic so that nothing would be traced. But here he was, easily tailed and cornered by three kids.

    "YOU THINK I"M SCARED OF KIDS?!!"

    He unsheathed his knife. It was sporting a scarlet blade, and an obsidian stone at the pommel. Classified as a rare weapon, it was the strongest among his arsenals. A knife that could cut through a dragon''s hide. But one of his opponents showed hers, making his face contort in despair.

    "You''re going to use that toy, against mine?"

    The golden haired little girl asked in ridicule. She raised her right hand and the space in front of her distorted, and a black bladed scythe with a golden shaft appeared.

    The red haired man''s legs gave up, and he surrendered unconditionally. The terror that the scythe gave off was reflected on his face.

    "Its a mystery why should we even bother with this petty job, master."

    "Ahaha. It reminded me of the old times when its just the two of us back then."

    "...... you''re leaving me out..."

    The quest that was similar to this event was supposed to be harder than usual. It took Alter ten days to finish it in the death game, not knowing where and who to find. But now he cut corners and went directly to the mastermind, skipping the entire process.

    "Now, tell us where you hid the stolen goods."

    "I-I don''t know what your ta-"

    "Should I judge you right now?"

    Bloodlust filled the entire area as Tishia''s eyes glowed white. The man, knowing that his life would end if he kept silent immediately confessed every detail of the robbed goods.

    "Master, you forgot something."

    "Hmm?"

    "''Bonus Objective'', wasn''t it?"

    "Oh!"

    Alter drew near the red haired man and whisphered something.

    "!!!!!!!!!"

    "If you don''t give me that, I''ll let the goddess of justice there to judge your soul instead."

    "G-goddess of justice?!!"

    "Tishia."

    Alter made a sign, and Tishia followed what they had rehearsed earlier. She activated her sword of light, Claiomh Solais, and the scales of justice appeared above her head, Such act made the man wet his pants. This kind of threatening can''t be resisted by mortals.

    "Don''t.... please don''t....

    "So?"

    "......Temple.... A house to the right of the temple. Colored green. In the gray locker....."

    "Thanks a lot!! Tishia, take care of this guy!! Let''s go Gold."

    The two gods ran off the direction of the temple, leaving Tishia stupefied and screaming.

    "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHH?????!!!"

    -------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Ahaha. It really is the real thing!"

    Alter was holding a brown folded paper. It was the reward for the supposed bonus quest.

    "Treasure map!!!"

    He was the first player to stumble upon this bonus quest, when he and Gold interrogated a criminal NPC a bit more cruelly than normal. It was mostly due to his high ''Persuasion'' skill and Gold''s ''Intimidation'' skill. When combined, both of them do wonders.

    "Where does it leads to, master??"

    "It points to some island in the south area of the Hellenic League. The nearest city is called <Serifos>, it says."

    "Serifos....... it rings a bell, master."

    "Indeed."

    "Should we stop there?"

    "Well, it depends on the route of our ship. But we''ll definetely go there."

    "Let''s go back to claim the goods for our rewards."

    "..... what are you hurrying for?"

    "Ice cream!"

    It seems the goddess of time developed a love for Imperial Ice Cream.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    "Th-thank you so much!!! If not for you, I would''ve been bankrupt..."

    The culprit and all his associates have been arrested by the 7th Legion. The goods have been restored, and the three gods given their just rewards. Now with enough sum to spend along, they have two more days before the voyage to the Hellenic League commences.

    "Where do you plan to go, you two?"

    "Shop for clothes. And you?"

    "I''ll go and visit the blacksmith."

    Tishia and Gold went to find and be able to replace their worn out clothes. Alter decided to go sightsee the blacksmith''s shop.

    "Wow..... these are neat!"

    Alter was ogling the weapons that were lined up in the blacksmith''s display. Back in his time, Alter did not learned the blacksmithing skill, and entirely relied on to a subordinate. The prices were high, but he did not plan to buy because he had his <Tyrfing> beside him, along with several more weapons ''gathering dust'' in his inventory.

    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    "You like ''em boy?"

    The blacksmith noticed Alter''s interest in the weapons, and he planned to brag about them. Talk about pride.

    "Is this made from quicksilver? Its beautiful!"

    "Oho? You have a keen eye for swords, young ''un. That''s actually infused with <Cold Iron>, and is deadly against those mischievous fairy folk."

    "Cold Iron, huh? First time I''ve heard of it."

    "Its recently discovered metal. The need to drive off monsters along the Imperium had risen drastically."

    "What''s the best item you have here?"

    "Best item, huh? Wait for a bit."

    The blacksmith returned after fetching something. In his hand was a sharp-looking knife that had a green colored blade, with a bronze handle. It looks like a ceremonial knife, but as the blacksmith demonstrated, it cut through a steel ingot in one slash.

    "Impressive."

    "Isn''t it? Its made of the legendary metal called Orichalcum. Imperial Shields, or Hellenic Armors, there are no metal existing that this baby can''t cut."

    The blacksmith declared. Alter just smiled, but the blacksmith''s pride was provoked.

    "You don''t believe me? It could cut through your weapon with ease! Show it!! I''ll replace it later with one of my superior works, for a discount."

    "I.. don''t think you could..."

    Alter gave up after the old man refused to back down. Some other customers drew near for a demonstration. This was the blacksmith''s plan, to let them know the quality of his works and attract more buyers. Alter raised his Tyrfing horizontally, and the orichalcum knife was slashed against it.

    ''TIINK!!''

    ".........."

    "Sorry, old man."

    The orichalcum blade was cleaved cleanly into two, the severed part stuck to a wall after the impact. The black blade of Tyrfing vibrated as if laughing at the old man. Alter quickly went away due to the numerous stares he felt around him, leaving the old man standing still in shock.

    Alter went inside the temple, where statues of gods that were celebrated in the Imperum decorate the center. He drew near a statue''s pedestal, looking at the long inscription.

    <Minerva>

    Circa 600-900

    Empress Iulia

    Princess Aiustia

    Lady Graydia

    Lady Tremum

    Princess Ionia

    Alter was puzzled at the meaning of the names inscribed. Looking at another statue, this one a heavily armored soldier, it was also similar.

    <Mars>

    Circa 600-900

    Prince Gallus

    General Antonicus

    General Vesivius

    Princess Lilliana

    "Its the same. What does this list mean?"

    He asked a passing priestess to clear his doubts.

    "Excuse me but, what do these names mean?"

    "You don''t know? Are you a foreigner, dear stranger?"

    "Yes. I am...."

    "That means the persons chosen by the gods'' spirit to be the next goddess from the calendar year 600 to 900."

    "Eh? Gods'' spirit?! Chosen? Aren''t gods immortal beings?"

    " You must have a wrong concept on the immortality of gods.

    The priestess explained that immortality of the gods meant that the essense of the god itself doesn''t disappear from the world after the person''s, but choses its next vessel that was psychologically compatible with it. Though she also said that there were some exceptions, and those gods have lived through the Dark Ages.

    Alter, hearing of this, thought that meeting these gods would allow him to uncover the mystery behind the development of the world. He also thought that these essences could have forced those normal people to live the life of a god. He was angered at the thought, wondering if it could be true.

    "Do you have any records of history after the Dark Ages??"

    "Sorry, but the earliest records after the Dark Ages were the founding of the Empire. The blank period was heavily debated by scholars around the world."

    It seems this priestess was very knowledgeable, Alter thought. He thanked the priestess, and after viewing the statues a little bit more, he left to return to the Tavern since it was getting dark.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    A few minutes before Alter decided to leave.

    "Hey, Justitia......"

    "Its Tishia."

    "....... how could you tell its good?"

    Gold was wondering how Tishia could choose clothes even if she was blind. Tishia smiled at the inquisitive child and answered her.

    "Remeber how I cannot see things in your point of view?"

    "Mmm"

    "I could still feel the outline of different objects. Each one has individual auras that I could tell apart,"

    "Ooh. Such fine skill. But that doesn''t answer how could you choose beautiful clothing...."

    "I....... I actually can''t... sorry..."

    "Don''t worry. Since master specifically told me to be GOOD to you, I''ll help you choose BEAUTIFUL clothes."

    "T-thanks..."

    Tishia could not help worry about Gold''s emphasis on those words while emitting hostility. As for Gold, even though she really planned on playing a prank, she mustered all her reasoning to stop and follow her master''s orders, choosing fitting clothes for Tishia. Tishia suddenly stiffened, though.

    "!!!!!"

    "What is it?"

    "I just sensed some hostility..."

    "Apart from me?"

    "......apart from you."

    "Well that''s troubling.... where is it?"

    "...its gone. I can''t detect it anymore."

    "Probably some rats that were angry for their nest being destroyed... don''t mind it"

    Gold was talking about the group that they cornered for stealing the merchant''s goods, but Tishia thought otherwise.

    "We should still be prudent."

    "Yes~ yes~"

    In the end , with a fashionable short cape and a hood, Tishia bought a red and white travelling wear that emphasizes her figures and drew stares from the surrounding, while Gold bought a black frilly dress and a small hat fashioned for a noble child, looking exactly like a gothic loli.

    Satisfied with their new attire, they visited a few more stalls, before returning to the Tavern to meet Alter.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    At a dark place.

    A person cloaked in red was running quickly, barely avoiding detection from some enemies. The small passageway ended and the figure appeared before a place covered in grass. It was a field for pasture. The figure used the underground aqueducts to quickly travel to this place, as if it was running from something.

    The wind blew off the cloak that covers the head, revealing a woman sporting a red hair that only extended until her neck. She has very beautiful features, like a princess in legends, but what was most peculiar was her eyes.

    Vermillion eyes that shone like burning blood. She stared back to where she saw the girl with auburn hair along with a small child for a companion.

    "Tishia.... so this is where you were hiding."

    And the woman left, her destination the headquarters of the 7th Legion.

    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 8: Escape from Apollonia

    Thank for waiting! Chapter is done!!!!

    Chapter 8: ESCAPE FROM APOLLONIA

    Legions.

    They were considered the strongest army by those who already met them in battle. Neither the elite <Lacedaemon>, the strongest infantry of the Hellenic League, nor the monsters used by the Demon King, would be able to stop the Legions of the Imperium if they ever declared total war.

    The legions were divided into thirteen, and each of them were assigned to a certain place around the empire, enforcing its rules and defending it in case of any invasions. There were currently four legions surrounding the Mare Nostrum, while seven were inland. The remaining two were stationed on the Mare Nostrum itself, occupying Islands and turning it to bases for sea patrol.

    A Legionnaire is equipped depending on the task they perform. Some were equipped with heavy armor and shields capable of blocking magic. Some have light equipment suitable for scouting and espionage. Those that were assigned to the Mare Nostrum even wore stainless armor that was resistant to corrosion.

    The 7th Legion in particular, was assigned to keep the public peace of the empire.They wore medium armor and tower shields. Their signature magic is Identification magic. And they were so efficient that criminals would fear their lives if the 7th Legion were on their tail.

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    Headquarters, 7th Legion.

    The head of the military police of the Imperium was currently Antiochus Venecelli. Promoted to General at the age of 33, he won numerous battles against the North, commanding the 3rd Legion before transferring to the 7th for a change of pace.

    And his competency did not fail the Imperium. In his 35 years of service to the military, he made the security of the empire strong, decreasing the crime rate by a large margin. He was also a good natured man, and was just to his subordinates.

    Scanning some documents on his desk, three knocks came, signalling the arrival of a VIP. Gently putting down the papers to his desk, Antiochus called for the visitor.

    "Come in."

    ''It is I, General."

    What entered the room was a beautiful woman in red cloak that covered her entire body. She had dazzling red hair and vermillion colored pupils. And she had enough authority to make the general of a famed Legion rise from his seat.

    "Princess... Good Evening. What a surprise."

    "Good evening too, General Antiochus. Sorry for my sudden appearance."

    ''We were never informed of your visit here in Apollonia."

    "I did not intend to."

    The princess was not one bit interested in formalities, but being a princess of the Imperium, proper decorum must be followed.

    "I am here to report. I found the traitor, former princess Tishia."

    "....Go on."

    "She was currently here inside Apollonia, but under disguise."

    "Really? But to slip through our nets..... Is she alone?"

    "I think she has companions. The only one I identified for now was a small child with bright blonde hair."

    "I see. We shall prepare for a subjugation tomorrow. Her companions would be also arrested."

    "Don''t let her get away this time. She might be trying to escape If she gets wind of you."

    "Of course, by the pride of the 7th Legion."

    The general saluted the princess, who returned it.

    "I wonder, Princess Lilliana, why you hate her so much?"

    "..... I won''t forgive those who sold the Imperium for their own means."

    "What a gallant thought indeed."

    The general admired the red haired princess, who only desired for the continuity of the empires peace. She was one of those with a pure desire for the continued peace and prosperity of the empire. That''s why the shock from the report of her cousin''s betrayal left her a deep hatred for the former Princess.

    "I''ll be leaving. I am fatigued."

    "Of course. Gaurds, escort her to the gates."

    "No need, General."

    And she left the headquarters.

    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The docks that day were busier than normal. The three gods were currently chatting as they walk towards the ship they were going to board, the ''Python''.

    "Hey, Alter."

    "Mmm?"

    "Did you really live through the Dark Ages?"

    "Yup. Probably....."

    "And you defeated this Typhon, right?"

    "Well, not actually defeated. We only managed to seal the creature to the deepest part of the underworld. It was an eternal prison of time."

    "Wow.... that sounded so much like a myth to me"

    "I don''t want to hear that from a goddess."

    The two of them laughed for a bit. Then Tishia asked a serious question.

    "Why did you think, that you were branded as a criminal by the world?"

    "I don''t really know."

    "When I judged you before, the scales of justice just stayed still."

    "Yeah. But we''ll probably figure that out the reason once we get to the Oracle at Delphi."

    "I hope so."

    "Why''d you ask?"

    "Its just that your troubles are similar to mine."

    "Really? Come to think of it, you haven''t told us about yourself."

    "Well, I-"

    "Were Here."

    Gold interrupted the two''s chat pointing out to a ship they called a trireme. A figurehead of a python adorned it, while its sails were similar to that of a serpent skin, being green in color. It was indeedf worthy to be called ''Python''.

    The captain of the ship was reading through a parchment that indicated the goods they were carrying.

    "Excuse me."

    Alter interrupted the busy captain, and he stopped reading to look at the young boy.

    "What''d you want kid?"

    "Were here to board the Python going for the Hellenic League."

    "Sorry kiddo, but I''m not accepting any more passengers."

    "We have a recommendation letter from the harbor master."

    ".......show it."

    After reading through the letter given by Alter, the captain reluctantly agreed.

    "I got a debt from the harbor master, this would be my payment, huh? We''ll leave for tonight as the sun sets."

    "Thanks!"

    Securing their trip to the Hellenic League, the three went to the Flea Market to browse some goods.

    "There were some that looked unique but....."

    "Tishia, could you sense anything important from these?"

    "Umm..... Nothi-... wait."

    She pointed out from a store manned by an old lady. Her features were different from the rest of the populace, and in Alter''s point of view, she was an asian.

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    "A Far-Easterner. How rare."

    Tishia said in wonder. She had never felt the aura of an far-easterner, and the hospitable yet sharp aura from the old lady was a new experiece.

    "Far-Easterner?"

    It was Alter''s first time to hear such term.

    "They were the inhabitants of the Far-East Empire, which some pointed out as the Empire where the sun rises. Its an empire east of the Middle Kingdom."

    "Hello, young ones. How may this old lady help you?"

    The old lady gave a warm smile. She was wearing an outfit similar to what Alter in his world would call a Kimono. Tishia pointed out the object of interest from the old lady''s rows of item.

    "That one."

    It was a weird looking stone, curved and shaped like a coma.

    "You wanted this? This is a <Magatama>."

    "Magatama, master what''s that?"

    "Its some stone that holds power for good luck, I think."

    "Houu..."

    Alter ogled the stone, having a hunch that it would help him in the far future. The old lady saw that he was interested.

    "I''ll give it for only twenty Sests, young one."

    "I''ll buy it, old lady."

    After the transaction, they looked at the rare Far-Eastern accessories, before thanking the old lady and left.

    "I''ll buy some ice cream, Master. I''ll meet you later. Tishia, don''t take advantage while I''m gone."

    "I won''t!!!"

    "Again?"

    Alter wondered if there were any drugs mixed in the ice cream she was eating, but it was just only his imagination.

    Gold left, skipping while holding her black hat on her tiny head. After a few minutes, as they walk to the tavern, Tishia felt something was wrong. There were no more people arount them.

    "Alter.... we''re being followed by the 7th Legion."

    "....yeah"

    A few guards had them surrounded. Noticing too late, they have no other ways of escape.

    "Halt! Don''t move!!"

    One of the guards warned the two not to make a move, but the gods held the handles of Tyrfing and Claiomh Solais. If needed they would make their way out with brute strength.

    "Tishia. Were in a pinch."

    "Sorry, Alter.... This is all my fault."

    "Don''t say that. Is it you they want?"

    "....Yes."

    "Guess we''re busted huh? I''ll make a diversion. Go run and fetch Gold for me. We still have an hour to wait before the ''Python'' departs, We should split for a bit, but we must return together to the ship. Got it."

    Alter gave orders like it was normal. He already had a contingency plan if this kind of event ever happened. Something you would expect from the leader of the players.

    As Tishia used the sword of light to make a way against the guards and dashed away, Alter taunted them to keep their aggression at him.

    "Don''t let the girl get away!!!"

    The guards tried to pursue, but Alter''s quick movements blocked and prevented them from advancing. But the numerous guards can''t be stopped if he continued to hold back, so he invoked the chant he needed.

    "I am Chaos"

    As the particles of light gathered around him, he imagined a golden aura. A power that controlled time. A power that ruled over the heavens.

    "God Mode"

    The guards were briefly blinded by the light emitting from the criminal, but they  immediately recovered and thrust their spears at the boy''s position, but they only pierced through thin air. Something white began slashing them one by one, its movement unable to be followed by their eyes. They could only thrust randomly, and when they thought they could hit it, it would on vanish and reappear at their backs, striking them with ease, its blade passing through their armor like butter.

    "Ha!"

    In Alter''s point of view, the guard''s movements were in very slow motion. Using time magic, his form which was a human with tattered white royal clothing, a sickle in one hand and Tyrfing at the other. His head was adorned with a small black crown that was cracked.

    This form was not yet complete, he thought, as though his connection with Gold was very high, her powers did not recover too much. But he''s convinced that this was more than enough.

    "(Deposed King Form)"

    Unlike the mashed up form that he assumed during the dungeon which used volatile auras from the gravely injured Tishia and the sleeping Gold, this form was more stable. In fact, this was the form he first used when he recieved his divine powers, and his only companion at that time was Gold.

    "Wh-where is he?!"

    "He keeps disappearing!!"

    "Ugaaaaah!"

    The guards can''t keep up with Alter, thinking that he was moving in god-speed. The truth is that they, who were affected by time magic, were the one who were moving in slow motion that even a normal citizen could fight them off barehandedly.

    Alter incapacitated the guards, but more were coming, so he retreated some distance. Using time magic was taxing to the body and he could feel the stress accumulating.

    As he retreated, a javelin whirred through the air, and almost hit his ankle, if it werent for the bloodlust he detected that the javelin carried. Far off, near the incapacitated guards, a human cloaked in red was advancing.

    ''Whoa, is this going to be a boss battle?!"

    Alter could feel the pressure emminating from the red-cloaked human. He again avoided the second javelin that came like a beam of light. The red cloak was thrown to the air, but a figure came upon him with lightning speed.

    Kling!!!!

    Sounds of metal clashing upon metal resounded on the air as two swords collided. In the split second of the impact, Alter saw the opponent, a young girl at her teens, with short red hair, and her irises that were locked to his was like the color of burning blood. She pushed back Alter who was in god mode.

    "You''re strong, but..."

    As the girl said that, she did not gave Alter any time to breath or reply, as her sword, which was lined with crimson at the center, slashed again at unbelievable speed.

    She''s a warrior, the real deal, Alter could only surmise.

    Without pausing, her sword strikes had no superfluous movement, striking accurately against Alter, It was only to time magic that he could even the odds.

    "This is a rare moment, for someone to hold of my attacks, I admire you."

    "Well, what an honor..."

    "........ but sorry, If you''re allied with the traitor, It cant be helped."

    "Traitor?"

    But the girl did not respond through words, but through a sword slash. Using Tyrfing, Alter used all his streng to parry and push back the girl a few distance from him, and sent her crashing against some crates of cabbages. He used this oppurtunity to get away, thinking that he had already bought enough time.

    "Master!!!"

    Gold met him at the entrance of the harbor. There were a few guards that were striked down by the loli goddess, but her face was worried as she saw the small wounds of her master. As they ran, Gold questioned him.

    "Who did that to you?!"

    "I believe she a god, and one that''s adept in battle, no less."

    "I''ll kill her if you wish."

    "No, and we don''t have time for that!! Where is Tishia?"

    "She''s there at the ship, guarding against any enemy that may slip through."

    "Is it about to leave?"

    "Yes. let''s go, master!!"

    The duo continued running for the ship, which already removed its anchorage and is now ready to depart.

    The girl that Alter fought entered the docks, but the ship was already  meters away from the port, and gaining speed.

    It was then that she saw a woman in white clothes, facing her from the aft of the ship. Blind, white eyes and fiery red eyes exchanged stares.

    ".............Lilliana?"

    "Tishia......"

    Two princesses of the Imperium. A reunion with bad blood.

    As the rest of the 7th Legion came up, Princess Lilliana instructed them.

    "By the authority of <Mars>, I order the 7th Legion to give chase. Contact the 11th Legion in the Mare Nostrum, and set up a blockade."

    Her orders were immediately followed by the Legionnaires. She, who was chosen to be a god of war, held some authority to the Legions of the Imperium.

    "I will not let you escape, Tishia."

    She declared, her pupils red like dancing flames.

    --------------------------------------------------------------------------

    It was a a few minutes since the ''Python'' set out to sea.

    The captain of the ship was enraged at the spectacle that happened just a while ago.

    "WHAT''S HAPPENING? WHO ARE YOU PEOPLE AND WHY ARE YOU PURSUED BY THE LEGION????!!!!!"

    He was fearing for his life. If the Legion gave pursuit, his entire ship would be roast.

    "Hey, calm down"

    "HOW CAN I CALM DOWN!!!!!!"

    "......Should I make him calm down, master?"

    "No, thank you."

    "Gold, Alter, if what my instincts tell me are correct, we must prepare for a sea battle."

    "They could pursue this ship?"

    "I saw one of the goddesses of the Imperium before we left.... she''s.... got a grudge on me."

    "....... that''s troublesome indeed. Gold!!"

    "....Yes, master...."

    "Use your time magic and concentrate accelerating the ship"

    "......Okay....."

    "Hey, are you not feeling well??"

    "Oh my, her face is green."

    They have forgotten that Gold wasn''t good at sea travel.

    "Tishia, we''ll defend the ship. They''ll be  targeting our port and starboard, so we''ll position ourselves there."

    "Got it. But this is a trireme. They have at least a hexareme, so this will be more troublesome than you think, Alter. We at least need a ranged weapon, and no one here is an adept at ranged magic."

    "Don''t worry. I got that covered."

    Alter smiled nonchalantly as if their predicament was just a game.

    "Compared to leading against a huge invulnerable dragon, this is just gonna be a breeze."

    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 9: Mare Nostrum

    Warning: Its going to be hard to imagine the route of the ''Python'' without a map. I''ll upload it sooner or later. :)

    Thanks for reading!!!

    _________________________________________________________________

    Chapter 9: Mare Nostrum

    The <Mare Nostrum>.

    Literally translated as ''Our Sea'', it was the great sea that divided four great empires, namely the Romanum Imperium, the Hellenic League, the Kingdom of the Demon King, and the Kingdom of Aegyptus.

    The Imperium was once the sole superpower on this sea, but due to the passage of time, its power declined, and the hold of the four empires on the Mare Nostrum were on a stalemate.

    There were lots of ships that travel the Mare Nostrum. The <triremes> were used both as transport and small time merchant vessels, <hexaremes> as both for main military vessels and huge scale trading vessels, and the monstrous <Dekeres> that served as a flagship of every navy.

    Currently, a Trireme was sailing faster than any vessel ever did. If  observed carefully, a sigil of an hourglass in the center of a Magic Circle was on top of the Trireme.

    "Gold! Are you still alright?"

    A black haired boy asked worriedly. He was looking at a young girl that was probably around 11 years old, but her true age was not what it seemed. And yet her complexion looks worse as time passes.

    "Yes, master. Gold can.... still continue."

    "Don''t overexert yourself."

    The golden haired girl named Gold was currently maintaining her Time magic that accelerated the ship''s travel speed. Alter, the black haired boy wearing black coat, helped her by easing  up the burden using Magic Mod. Altering the magic sequence, he decreased the consumption of energy while increasing its potency.

    "We have a lead and currently able to escape the 7th Legion. But what worries me is the 11th Legion. Unlike the previous police force, the 11th is fully equipped and designed for naval warfare."

    "Why do I have to be so unlucky......"

    The girl in white travel clothes, with a hood and a short cape hanging cutely at her back was Tishia, the goddess of Justice. The one who spoke miserably was the captain of ''Python'', the name of the Trireme they were in.

    They have traveled for days, but they were unable to completely outrun the pursuit force led by the goddess of War of the Imperium. From a distance, the red sails with the golden eagle sigil could be found, relentlessly in pursuit.

    The trio of gods have promised to pay up the Python crew a large sum as long as they reach the shores of the Hellenic League, which the captain unconditionally agreed, since now that they had helped these fugitives, even though they were threatened, the Imperial Army would have no mercy in their jurisdiction.

    "!!!!!!!"

    Tishia perked up, as she felt unnatural presences approaching fast to both the port and starboard side of the Python.

    "ENEMIES!!!!!!"

    As she screamed, something large spouted on the waters, a few distance from both sides of the ship.

    "Ooooh!!"

    "Master......"

    Blue-green scales, infested with corals and marine growth. Deep dark slits for eyes. Sharp rows of teeth. And a serpentine head and body.

    "Gods save us...... Sea Serpents...."

    The captain of the ''Python'' muttered in despair. They were one of the most feared creatures by hardened men of the sea. A single one could coil around and make easy workings against a trireme. But they have now two as their enemies.

    "Tishia defend the starboard side!!"

    "Y-yes!!"

    Alter positioned himself to the port side of the ship. The two serpents both bashed their heads against the Python, but the Trireme suddenly disappeared, reappearing a few meters away from its current position. Due to Gold''s time magic, they luckily avoided any damage.

    But Gold was already at her limits. Apart from weakness to sea travel, her true powers have not yet recovered. She cannot use time magic like that the second time.

    "Let justice be done, though the heavens fall!!!!!"

    Chanting her lines, Tishia decided to use her divinity. Her outline glowed white and light particles gathered, her eyes shined brightly.

    "God-mode!!!!

    With her sleek white armor, the goddess of justice engaged the sea serpent on the left. Her majestic sword of light, Claiomh Solais, burst forth its energy blade and attempted to cut through the serpent''s head.

    "Hiyaaaaaa!!!!"

    But the serpent twisted its head and narrowly avoided the slash of the sword. Its small enemy is now within its domain, the waters.

    Tishia used floating magic to run temporarily on the water surface, avoiding the serpent''s tail that thrashed about, trying to hit her. A small magic circle appeared on her feet. Looking back, she sensed Gold who was leaning on the railings of the ship, giving off short bursts of aura as if telling her not to lose.

    "....Of course."

    Inwardly she smiled. It seemed that Gold''s prior hostility to her lessened to an extent. Using the time magic to accelerate, Tishia dashed with god-like speed along the waters, and used her special move.

    Mortal Judgement

    Tishia seemingly disappeared from the vision of the serpent. Her first slash seared the hard scales of the monster, but her second and third slash already penetrated its flesh. The remaining eleven slashes shredded it to bits, its head cut into two. She catched the crystal orb that flew from its head, hoping for a rare loot.

    While Tishia was engaging the first serpent, it was Alter''s duty to hold off the second one.

    "You guys look too similar to the ones we fought back then in the game."

    He said amused. He was observing the sea serpent, who was currently waiting if Alter would attack it.

    "Inventory"

    Alter used storage magic to access his inventory, and rummaged through it using his mind. A smile adorned his face as he found out what he was looking for.

    He took something similar to a flute.

    "What''s the best way to fight a monster?"

    And played a mystical tune that echoed through the surface of the sea.

    "It''s using a monster yourself."

    The sea rumbled. It was a sign that his summoning was successful.

    "I wonder. I wonder what would come out."

    He excitedly anticipated.

    It was called  ''Hera''s Vanity''. A flute he got from defeating a rogue NPC god. The flute that can only be used thrice. He had already used it twice, against the monster Typhon.

    Its effect was to summon a random monster and makes it swear its allegiance to him. He had summoned an ancient

    and a Hudred Handed Giant <Hecatonchires>, which were very instrumental in the battle against Typhon, and now he was expecting something more overkill than them this time.

    Something plopped out of water. It was a small head of a snake.

    "......Huh?"

    Contrary to his expectations of a monstrous dragon or at least giant octopus, a small figure of a snake appeared from the water, looking at Alter with curious eyes.

    "D-did it fail??"

    "Master! Look out!!!"

    The sea serpent lunged at the frozen Alter. He managed to recover from the shock of his failure and jumped at the side. A large part of the deck was missing where Alter was standing before.

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    "Crap!!!"

    Alter drew out Tyrfing, which vibrated as if laughing at its owner''s failure. The monster''s tail went upward, ready to slice the wooden ship in half.

    "Gold!!!"

    ".....Y-yes!"

    Gold used time magic to narrowly avoid the large, heavy tail that went down, creating huge waves upon impact on the sea surface. But she cannot anymore draw her powers, and fell down, unable to move. Only Alter was left to defend the ship, since Tishia was currently rampaging against the other Sea Serpent. But the monster he was facing did not move anymore. It only stared at the trireme.

    "Huh? Its not following?"

    Alter was surprised. Did it gave up, he thought. The Sea Serpent''s head wobbled, swaying back and forth. Its huge long serpentine body fell slowly, and with a load sound, it crashed to the sea surface.

    """EEEEEEHHHHH?!!?!"""

    Alter, the Captain and the other sailors were dumbfounded at the crazy spectacle. The sea serpent''s body floated, the white of its eyes showing.

    "...Master, what did you do?"

    "Wasn''t it you Gold??"

    ".....No."

    The two gods were baffled as they saw the little snake swimming towards the ship, hissing happily. The only difference that added to their confusion was the fact that there were two snake heads bobbing out of the water.

    Tishia, on the other had saw with her perception what had really happened. The little snake bit the Sea Serpent, and the monster wobbled and was knocked out dead. It also sucked the life energy of the Sea serpent after injecting something from its teeth. Upon returning to the ship, she questioned Alter, who was being coiled around playfully by the two-headed snake.

    "What the heck did you do?! What is that?"

    "......Master. That snake....."

    "Alter, that thing simply bit the Sea Serpent, and now its Dead!!!"

    "R-relax! Its completely tamed!!"

    Alter tried to reassure them, but he was also curious. There was only one way to identify this little creature.

    "World''s Truth"

    After invoking the words, his mind was shown the identity of the two-headed snake.

    <King Hydra>

    {

    Multi headed snake that increase its heads as it gains experience. The poison from the main head is a very potent poison that could kill most creatures regardless of size. It could develop different kinds of heads with different attributes.

    }

    "What the heck!"

    He gave up upon seeing the snake for the first time, but who would have expected this little guy to be a strong monster. Alter, now smiling, decided to raise it. The hydra''s two heads hissed happily, sensing acceptance from its summoner.

    "I''m gonna call you Snake."

    Snake hissed as it recieves its name,

    "....... Master."

    "Hmm? What?"

    "Think of another,"

    "I should agree with her, Alter."

    Tishia said, agreeing with Gold. Alter''s naming sense was too simple.She immediately guessed how Gold got her name. It was probably Alter''s doing. The poor girl.

    "Oi kid!! Stop dallying there! The 7th fleet is catching up!"

    The ship captain of the Python scolded them, forcing them to return to their battle stations. He never thought he would become a fugitive of the Imperium. But to go against these kids that could even defeat Sea Serpents was not a good decision.

    "Tsk.... as long as I get paid enough."

    He could only say in resignation.

    "I sense it......."

    Tishia declared, as she felt something bad along the horizon.

    "What is it?"

    "A mass of red auras... its a seaborne Legion, probably the 11th?"

    "It can''t be.... they barricaded the nearest land?!!"

    The captain screamed, worried at the new trouble that followed.

    "Our... our only way through would be  by land by travelling north, or southeast, passing through the strait between Cretan Island and the tip of the Hellenic League''s mainland."

    "Its going to be suicide to attempt to pass through that strait!!"

    The captain protested. He''d rather be caught by the Legion than that.

    "No, we will force our way through."

    "But, Alter. At this time of the year, that would be the most dangerous area of the Mare Nostrum!!!"

    "Really? In what way?"

    "Its home to two large monsters."

    "Monsters again? We''ll just do the usual."

    "You seemed so confident......"

    "Worry would just hinder your judgement."

    "As expected of master."

    _________________________________________________________________

    Pursuit force of the 7th Legion, aboard a Hexareme.

    "How is that even possible?!"

    General Antiochus exclaimed as he watched the fight between the small trireme and the two Sea Serpents. He could not believe that two people could do short workings against such monsters.

    "They are even more formidable than what I have assumed."

    He now knew why the Princess Lilliana would care to follow in a pursuit mission like this. Though they could easily corner the little ship, It would be very difficult to face those aboard it.

    "Are they gods!?"

    If so, drastic measures were necessary. The princess already ordered the 11th fleet to blockade the nearest coastline of the Hellenic League, which she had assumed was their destination. But if the trireme shifted course to the southeast, instead of heading east directly, it would have to pass through a very dangerous area. He had a bad feeling about it.

    "Princess!"

    He shouted to Lilliana who was at the fore of the ship.

    "We will continue pursuit."

    "But that part of the Mare Nostrum is....."

    "We will continue pursuit."

    The princess firmly stated. Even though Antiochus was a General, he couldn''t say no to the war god of the Imperium.

    ".............. very well."

    "They could be smuggling Imperial secrets to the Hellenic League."

    She convinced herself of this. What could that traitor do except for this, she thought. Even if they pass through the dreaded strait that leads to the island archipelago that the Hellenic League owns.

    She was the goddess of war. What could be able to stop a goddess? She, who has the power to singlehandedly destroy an army of invading savages.

    "She is being too rash. Perhaps the spirit of war made a mistake choosing a young girl."

    General Antiochus could only murmur worryingly, as the darkness of the Straits of death could now be seen on the horizon.

    -----------------------------------------------------------------------------

    The Strait

    It has no official name, but the old sailors would call it the Strait of Death.

    The small trireme Python, skimmed through its dark borders, entering it. The Hexaremes of the 7th Legion that were very close also followed. There were reasons why hardened men of the sea would fear this part of Mare Nostrum.

    And the fools who entered it would be experiencing it first hand.

    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 10: Strait to Death

    Chapter done! Thanks for waiting everyone!

    It took a little bit more time, but finally!

    _________________________________________________

    Chapter 10: Strait to Death

    Legionnaires were battle hardened soldiers that were the main forces of the Romanum Imperium. Their unbreakable formations were hard to deal with, and any enemy General would think twice before facing them head on.

    But the spectacle before General Antiochus made him question the strength of these legionnaires. Simply put, they were no match against something that was enough to be called legendary. Currently, the 7th Legion was in a serious predicament.

    "Raise your spears!!!"

    "It got Hecter!!!"

    "Duck!! Take cover!!!"

    "Dont break formation!! Archers, fire! Mages, keep it at bay!!!!"

    The pride of the Imperium was in total chaos, as casualties piled up one after another. Arrows and magic fired in every direction, trying to fend of the ''enemy'', but for every few seconds, one soldier would be pulled into the darkness, his screams echoing through the waters. They were against the horror that made their empire''s Goddess of War fight on the front line.

    ""Princess!!!""

    "Don''t just stand there!! Tortoise-shell Formation!!"

    She desperately gave orders as she fend of the shadows that lunge and tried to bite at her. She had underestimated the Strait where sailors fear to tread, and she was suffering the consequences. Her target, the trireme with green sails and its passengers, were already at the side of their ship, but now she was fighting with her life alongside them.

    A large whirlpool had formed in front of their ships, greedily sucking out the waters. From her eyes, she saw rows of teeth within the whirlpool: some gigantic mouth had just opened in it. She glanced at the other party that was also fighting.

    There was the cousin whom she hated  for betraying the empire. But now, she was hesitating. What was supposed to be the truth? Their brief exchange made her doubt her belief. It was all due to that boy, she thought.

    "D-did I just made a grave mistake?"

    Something lunged at her. Blocking it with her sword, she saw the sharp, row of teeth of the assailant; it was a grotesque reptilian head the size of a human, with a long neck connecting to the darkness, With another head lunging to take a bite at her, she was unable to block it at the last minute, its teeth sinking into her armor.

    "Lilliana!!!!!!!"

    She heard the scream of her cousin. Her body was being dragged away by the reptilian head, and she was unable to resist as her strength left her. And yet she saw him.

    Wearing black all over, he dashed gallantly, cutting away all the monstrous head that blocked his path, and reached for her ship with a leap. Before she was completely dragged to the darkness, his figure jumped to the neck of the monster, cutting it.

    She fell down the cold waters, along with the head whose teeth was still embedded in her body. Thinking she would die, she felt something that hugged her head, preventing her from drowning.

    "Don''t worry, I won''t let you die."

    As she heard that, she saw a smile adorned on the boys face. That boy whom she first met at Apollonia. That was the last thing she saw before she lost consciousness.

    "MAAASSSSSTEEEEEEEEEEERRRR!!!!!

    The girl with golden eyes screamed, as the figure of her most important person, was lost in the whirlpool that would have swallowed everything.

    ________________________________________________________________

    A few hours earlier.

    "Alter.. are you really sure of this?"

    Tishia asked her companion, the boy called Alter. She was currently worried, as the place they were attempting to enter was enveloped in darkness, and filled with malice.

    "....Do have a better idea?"

    It was the small child with golden hair who returned the question. She was slumped on the railings, clearly uncomfortable and not looking good.

    "We have nowhere else to go, Tishia."

    "I..... I know. But its all because of me...."

    She felt that she was to blame. She had become a burden to him, who saved her life. She intended to repay the favor, finding the truth alongside him. With dark thoughts that condemned herself, it was just now that she fully felt the severity of her presence along with them.

    "Don''t be an idiot."

    She felt warmth as her head was caressed. The tears she was holding trickled along her beautiful face.

    "Since after that dungeon, you are our companion. Don''t isolate yourself."

    For someone who lived in darkness and solitude, those words were unfair.

    "I know...... Thank you, Alter."

    She made a genuinely happy smile and caressed his face, and Alter smiled back as he wiped of the tears of the blind girl. This was the first time he saw her smile for real.

    "STOP~~"

    The childish voice of Gold snapped Tishia back to reality.

    "Daring to flirt with my master!"

    She, who was sick a while ago to the point of unable to cast magic, was now brimming with energy devoted to stop any kind of advances to her master. Tishia, who became red all over due to realization that she was indeed flirting, quickly made a distance from Alter. Imaginary fumes puffed from her head.

    "I... I.... THAT WAS NOT TRUE!!!!"

    She rush away, leaving Alter with question marks floating above his head and Gold smirking in delight.

    ___________________________________________________________

    After a few minutes.

    "We are here!! We entered the Strait of death!!!!"

    The shout of the captain making the announcement made the ship''s crew asking for guidance from the gods, before taking action and preparing for what was to come.

    "So this is the Strait of death."

    The rest of the crew felt terror, but Alter only felt thrill and curiosity. What was it that these straits held? The king hydra, that they apparently named <Tiamat>, had its body coiled to him, hissing nervously.

    "Its darkness...... darkness is spreading out!!"

    One of the trireme''s crew shouted. The sky was still clear, but the surface of the sea was covered in something dark. It was black fog, creeping quickly and obscuring their view.

    "This is really ominous.... i can''t feel anything beyond that darkness,"

    Before Alter could even reply, something flew from the darkness and almost hit him, but he was able to deflect it with Tyrfing quickly drawn out. The object clattered at the floor of the ship. It was a red colored arrow. From the darkness, ships on both side of the Python appeared.

    "T-they''re here!!"

    "They catched up? What do we do now, master?"

    "..................."

    Grappling hooks shot from the flanking Hexaremes, disabling the ''Python'' from escape. A wide ramp from each ship fell down the captive vessel, and Legionnaires stormed in ranks. At the back, Alter saw the Imperium''s Goddess of War, with an old soldier wearing flashier armor, the General Antiochus.

    "Do not resist, criminals of the Imperium."

    Princess Lilliana spoke in a commanding tone. She was wearing lighter armor compared to the Legionnaires, but the aura that it released made Tishia realized that it was not ordinary

    Alter walked boldly in front, and faced the goddess of war.

    "With all due respect, care to explain what we''re charge against?"

    "Spying and collaborating with the enemies of the empire. Such acts deserve death as punishment."

    "Lillia-"

    "Don''t call me by my name, you traitor!!"

    Lilliana shouted when Tishia tried to speak.

    "I''ve trusted you. We''ve dreamed of improving this empire. But I  was wrong to place my trust in the likes of you."

    "....... I''m falsely accused."

    "Ha. That''s what they all say."

    It seems that there were no rooms for negotiations. Lilliana ordered the Legionnaires to arrest them, but a magic circle formed under the feet of the Legionnaires. A bright flash came from it, and all movements that were caught in the circle''s boundary became very slow. It was Gold''s time magic.

    Lilliana, who escaped the spell, drew her red sword and ready to fight them.

    "I request for a duel."

    Alter lowered his sword. He calmly faced Princess Lilliana.

    "What did you say?"

    "I said I request for a duel. Does the ritual for duel still exist?"

    "........ yes."

    "Then would you accept?"

    Lilliana knew that this was a trick. She already had the numerical advantage so she planned on saying no, if it was a death match. But to invoke the sacred ''duel'', she cannot back down. She was taught since she was young that a duel is a fight of pride and ideals, and it would soil her pride if she backed down against one.

    ".....very well. I''ll give you a very bitter defeat. The conditions?"

    "First Strike."

    First strike means the first one that could deliver a direct blow or damage to the opponent wins. Being the goddess of war, Lilliana was confident of her skills, even though this boy in front was able to fight on par with her.

    "Very well. I''ll make short work on you."

    "Well, who said I was the one going to fight?"

    ".........................what do you mean?"

    ''Our companion here will fight for us."

    He gently pushed Tishia in front.

    "Huh?"

    "If she wins, you must listen out to what she is going to say."

    ".......And if I win, you''ll be deported back to the empire and face judgement,"

    "Very well. You can do it, Tishia."

    Alter gave a little shove of encouragement.

    "Traitor, I don''t know why you became so powerful, but this will be the end,"

    "......... Very well, I''m gonna make you listen to me."

    Both swords, the crimson sword and the sharp energy blade were positioned at the ready. And as the magic circle of the time magic glowed and dispersed, the two figures dashed towards each other and clashed head on.

    TIIIIIIINKZZ!!!!

    As the one meter sword collided with the great sword of light, the force produced from the impact made some Legionnaires fall down their knees. Sparks scattered everywhere as the two of them rampaged against each other. Lilliana was relying on her martial skills, while Tishia was accurately predicting her movements while using her perception.

    Both of them were on par with each other. With every slash, a counter. Each of their hands could only be seen as blurred figures, as they attempted to damage one another. With a difference of chants, they prepared to battle seriously,

    "Destruction, for Preservation!! Chaos, for Order!! War, for Peace!!"

    "Let Justice be done, though the heavens fall!!!"

    With red and white particles gathering at the outline of their bodies, they screamed.

    ""God Mode!!!!!""

    Exactly at the same time, they both activated their divinity.

    "Save us...."

    The old General prayed, as he was in awe at the sight before him. The two  goddesses clashed  with each other, forcing both the Legionnaires and the Python''s crew to take  refuge. One was wearing a white dress armor, her eyes glowing white, and on top of her head, the insignia of the Scales of Justice floated.

    While the  other one was clad in crimson light armor that followed the contours of her body up to her thighs. It could only be described as sleek and sexy. The insignia of a spear and shield floated at her right shoulder.

    Stomping her crimson boots to the ground, the armored lady began.

    "I couldn''t believe..."

    Lilliana said that, as she executed an overhead slash, leaving a trail of crimson in the air. Tishia skillfully evaded, sidestepping to the side that left an afterimage. She then countered with a full swing from Claiomh Solais, burning through the air with its energy blade.

    "...that you became a goddess."

    Lilliana glared at the blind princess. That she was actually on equal grounds with was already a surprise.

    "I-"

    But before Tishia could respond, Lilliana dashed forward, delivering a storm of blades that hacked against her. The goddess of war had no doubt about winning. Though she was surprised at how nimbly the traitor could handle a great sword, in terms of battle prowess, she was the one who was in the advantage.

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    The two swords clashed again, the red sword on top trying to overpower the sword of light. It was apparently on par with each other, but Lilliana has more up to her sleeves. She chanted some words, and a silver blade formed from her free hand.

    "Dual wielding?!"

    Tishia was astounded. She was already in a pinch with one sword alone, but to use another blade, she was in a complete disadvantage. She could feel terror and fear being exuded by the red and silver sword. And for every clash of blades, her body and breathing becomes more heavy and unstable.

    On the other hand, the two gods who were observing the fight, saw the swords on Lilliana''s hands.

    "Hey, Gold. Those two swords the redhead wields...."

    "Yes master..... I couldn''t forget those two...."

    "If our hunch are correct...."

    "Then Tishia''s gonna lose at this rate. Should we intervene?"

    ''Don''t. Lets observe a little longer. Tishia won''t lose with that."

    And they did not tried to disrupt the duel.

    "I hated the day I started calling you a ''friend''."

    "You won''t even listen to me!!!"

    "Save that if you can make a miracle and beat me. Unfortunately..."

    Lilliana made a stance, her two blades slanting on her both sides. Tishia, feeling the incoming danger, also readied her best move. After a second of silence, they clashed.

    "Mortal Judgement"

    "Vermilion Blade Dance"

    Tishia  made her signature move, slashing uncontrollably through the air with her great sword without stopping momentum. For each slash, the energy blade would sizzle through the air.

    Lilliana''s eyes burned vermillion, as the god of war used her own skill, completely countering the greatsword''s multiple strikes with one blade, while focusing offensive on the other blade. Tishia was forced to both attack and defend with one sword, her attacks dampened becoming far from being effective.

    And at the last moment, with Tishia''s fourteen consecutive strikes, the goddess of war made a roundhouse slash with both swords, destroying Tishia''s momentum. She fell down, with the sword of light thrown to the sides.

    "Haaa...... Haaaa......."

    Tishia''s breathing was now heavy. Her heart ached, an unknown dread was eating at her. It was the same feeling when she lost her mother in the past.

    "Feeling heavy, aren''t we?"

    Lilliana grinned as she stared at the fallen Tishia.

    "My swords are called

    and <Deimos>.

    "!!!!"

    Alter and Gold perked up at the name of the swords. And their

    "We''re correct, Gold!!"

    "Phobos and Deimos.  Swords of Fear and Terror. That''s why my skin feels tingly right now."

    Both of them became interested. It seems that they encountered those items in the past. The two swords have a detrimental effect on the body. For each and every hit against the opponent, the body will become heavier, and would instill fear that hinders the opponent''s reflexes.

    Tishia, was parrying against a multitude of strikes. The negative effect of the swords stacked up to the point that even her goddess form was affected. They were swords designed to weaken the enemy, the perfect weapons in a battle of attrition if both powers were in equilibrium.

    "And now, you lose."

    Lilliana declared, satisfied on her victory.She prepared to strike the now vulnerable opponent. Tishia on the other hand, still did not lose hope.

    If she lose here, who would give justice to her mother''s death?

    Who would free her imprisoned father in the deep dungeons of the Capital?

    Who would be able to clear the name of the Venetias?

    And who would be able to bring justice to the ones behind this plot?

    Tishia thought on what Alter once said to her. She had finally made allies, and to lose here would sever her connection to them...... to him........

    "I can''t lose.........."

    Her blind eyes shone more brighter, leaving white trails as her head moved. They looked as if they were burning with white flames. Lilliana noticed too late the indomitable aura that her opponent emitted. The aura made a force that knocked her on the opposite direction, landing on the mast with her back to it.

    "Cough, cough, h-how could you??!!"

    Lilliana was enraged. She was too careless, thinking that the opponent was already defeated. She knew that the effects of Phobos and Deimos was still effective, but Tishia moved too quick for her to catch up, taking back the sword of light that lay on the corner.

    "Judgement"

    A scale materialized on her hands. The scales of justice that judged mortals and gods alike.

    "<Libra>, bring forth Judgement."

    As she spoke, it made a magic circle throughout the ship. It weighed the beliefs of her opponent and countered it to hers. Currently, she only chose Lilliana as her enemy.  The scale tipped deeply to the left, indicating that her beliefs weighed more than that of Lilliana''s. Tishia made a face like one bringing forth judgement.

    Libra vanished, along with the magic circle, but the two people who were affected by the spell immediately noticed the effects.

    "Wh-what have you done???!!!!"

    Lilliana felt weak, as if her divinity was robbed of her. Her aura was not the same as before, it was now thinner.

    Tishia''s aura on the other hand became denser than before. She felt lighter, as if the curse of Phobos and Deimos were lifted. And in that single moment of her enemy''s confusion, she dashed against her opponent, the sword of light in her hands.

    Lilliana couldn''t see her movements. She was too fast, and Lilliana''s reflexes couldn''t follow up. She tried to parry the incoming blow, but it did not reach in time. Her shoulder armor was destroyed, and blood trickled on her left arm. Then she felt something close to her, it was so nostalgic that her eyes watered. Though it was her enemy, and her mind wanted to reject that very moment, her body surrendered to the hug made by Tishia.

    "I''m innocent, Lilliana. Please believe me this time."

    "Eh...... Eh??"

    And Tishia parted herself.

    "..........I won...."

    Tishia said, panting in exhaustion. She almost fell down but Alter managed to catch her.

    "I..... how..... but....."

    Lilliana couldn''t accept her defeat. But she had no choice, for this was a sacred duel.

    "As promised, let Tishia explain her circumstances."

    Alter said, smiling as his companion won through difficult odds.

    "B-but that technique she did?!"

    "That was a legitimate skill. I analyzed it carefully. It was simply called ''Judgement''.

    "....Judgement?"

    "The ability to compare between Ideas. In other words, it judged fairly on whether who''s justice was more correct. The one who weighs more will be strengthened, and the one who weighs less will be weakened"

    "I... still don''t understand."

    "In short, Tishia''s current actions was right. Your beliefs were wrong."

    "Eh??"

    Clutching her bleeding shoulder, she cannot believe the words from that black haired boy.

    ''Is he telling me that all the anger I have on Tishia was wrongly placed? Was I told wrong information? Was I decieved by someone else?''

    But she still won''t believe it.

    "Who was she, to make Judgements, at all?!"

    "She is the goddess of Justice, <Justitia>"

    Lilliana became dumbfounded by the reply of the golden-haired little girl. She had forgotten to make introductions, blinded by rage, For Tishia to be a goddess of Justice, would mean she had done no wrong at all. The fact was reinforced by the sigil of the scales of justice on Tishia''s head.

    "W-what should I really believe?"

    The legionnaires who were present during the fight did not know what to do. It seems that the girl they were chasing had proven herself innocent.

    "Master......"

    "Alter...."

    "What is it?"

    Both his companions noticed something. They were looking at the confused Lilliana.

    "There''s a foreign aura mixed on her. I could sense it"

    "Gold''s correct. It was so small I haven''t sensed it at all."

    ".......I see."

    Alter frowned. He had been suspecting of that girl''s unnatural thirst for vengeance, something that was close but completely different from the aspects of a god of war.

    "So there was a third party involved...... Seem the one that is the sort that manipulates."

    As he made this deduction, someone shouted from one of the Hexaremes that flank the ''Python''

    "Princess Lilliana!!"

    One of the legionnaires called to the Princess. There was fear and unease mixed in his voice.

    "Monsters!! Five of the men had just been grabbed by the darkness!!!!"

    "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Tishia can''t feel any monster in the vicinity, but she gasped as a large mouth bit the legionnaire that warned them, quickly dragging him to the darkness. Muffled screams could be heard in the darkness, as if something was being bitten to shreds. Everyone became alert, and even Tiamat was hissing in fear. That thing that killed the legionnaire had been too fast that only few poeple could react to it.

    "Defensive Positions!!!!"

    Lilliana, although injured and confused, did not failed on reorganizing her men.

    "God of War''s Blessing!!"

    Her aura scattered around toward the legionnaires, boosting their morale and battle prowess.

    General Antiochus saw the monstrous heads that looked reptilian and immediately knew what they were. Mentioned not only in legends, but even in history books of the empire, these monsters share a single body, and that body was the darkness itself.

    In other words, they were already surrounded by the horror that was picking up the legionnaires one by one into the darkness with its sharp teeth.

    "<Scylla>"

    The multiheaded horror that inhabited these parts of the Mare Nostrum. It was said to be unkillable since you cannot damage its main body, which is the darkness that would surround the ship. From every angle, the heads would appear lunging at the poor soldiers.

    The mages tried to burn the heads and  necks with fire magic, killing them in the process, but the relentless assault of the numerous heads showed no signs of stopping.

    Tishia, who was in god form and Gold was trying to fend them off the Python that was already severely damaged by the fight earlier.

    Lilliana also fought against the reptilian-like heads, but her movements were comparatively much slower than before, as fatigue had accumulated on her body.

    "Master, use your divinity!!"

    Gold, who was cutting heads with her scythe, urged her master. But Alter did not follow. All of the gods present had already been worn out. If he attempt to get power from them, they would not be able to handle the burden.

    "No."

    "But at this rate!!"

    "Steer Forward!!!!!"

    Lilliana commanded the rowers to move the ships faster. But already one of the Hexaremes at the back were riddled with holes, and all its crew completely massacred by the darkness. The Python was partly protected by the two Hexaremes that flank it, but it will not last long if this situation continued.

    After minutes of fighting that seemed to last for hours, the legionnaires and the gods continued repelling the monster heads. Most of the ships were able to leave the black fog to safety, but it still continued to follow the three ships that were connected to one another.

    "We must outrun this monster, row quickly!!!"

    The four gods could almost see the light at the end of the dark strait, but the endless heads that lunged at them did not even slowed down.

    "I had almost cut a hundred!!!"

    Alter complained, with Tiamat coiled at his arms, glaring against the heads of Scylla with its own two heads.

    But, looking as if Atropos was deliberately wanting him to die, the sea surface at the end of the strait rippled. The waters started moving in a circular motion, turning into a giant whirlpool.

    The captain, who only heard this from talks with veteran sailors, shouted in despair, as rows of teeth protruded from the large whirlpool.

    "<Charybdis> has come! Have mercy on us!!!"

    Charybdis was said to be a giant monster that slept beneath the sea bed. If it awakens, it''s mouth would open near the surface of the water, creating a massive whirlpool that would eat anything that comes near.

    This appearance of another threat, whether instigated or natural, was slimming the chances of their survival. It was then that Tishia saw one of the heads that bit through a girl.

    "Lilliana!!!!!!!!!!!"

    The monster''s teeth sank through the girl''s crimson armor, trying to drag her to the darkness. She could not do anything with the other heads trying to kill her. Fortunately someone dashed and came to Lilliana''s rescue.

    "Alter!"

    The black haired boy dashed through, killing the lunging heads with his black sword, before jumping overboard the hexareme, cutting the neck of the one who bit the goddess of war. It was a close call since the neck was almost halfway to the darkness. But the problem was that both he and the red haired princess fell overboard. They were both being sucked to the monstrous whirlpool.

    "What to do? What to do?"

    Alter started to worry, as he did not actually have a plan in this kind of situation. He wondered at the large whirlpool, and as if something whispered him the idea, he tried to identify the monster.

    World''s Truth

    <Charybdis>

    A gigantic monster that feed upon anything, creating a giant whirlpool in the process. It lives in the dungeon called Strait of Death.

    He did not missed the information that popped in his mind. Analyzing it, he managed to make a plan at the last minute.

    "This is a dungeon?!!!"

    He was dumbfounded. While hugging the princess to prevent her from drowning, he used inventory and managed to take what he needed. But he sank underwater, the monster already sucked him and the red haired princess.

    "Shit!!"

    At the last moment, he simply used ''that'' .

    -------------------------------------------------------

    "MAAASSSSSTEEEEEEEEEEERRRR!!!!!

    Gold screamed, as the figure of her most important person, was lost in that whirlpool that would have swallowed everything.

    -Chapter Done-

 List of Terminologies

    For those who had a hard time coping with some terminologies, a service for you!

    List of Terminologies

    <Atropos>

    Beware! She''s first on the list!

    Atropos was the oldest of the Three Fates</a>, and was known as the "inflexible" or "inevitable." It was Atropos who chose the mechanism of death and ended the life of each mortal by cutting their thread with her "abhorred shears." She worked along with her two sisters, Clotho</a>, and Lachesis</a>.

    <Chaos>

    In Greek mythology</a>, Chaos, the primeval void, was the first thing which existed. It symbolizes nothingness, but in the modern times, the term would refer to the opposition of order, and can be interpreted as change.

    <Charybdis>

    Charybdis ( Kharybdis) was a sea monster</a>, later rationalised as a whirlpool</a> and considered a shipping hazard in a strait.

    <Claiomh Solais>

    is an Irish term meaning "Sword of Light", or "Shining Sword", which appears in a number of orally transmitted Irish folk-tales. Tishia''s cousin retrieved it from an ancient ruins, probably a dungeon.

    <Clotho>

    Clotho  is the youngest of the Three Fates or Moirai</a> �C including her sisters Lachesis</a> and Atropos</a>, in ancient Greek mythology. Clotho was responsible for spinning the thread of human life. She also made major decisions, such as when a person was born, thus in effect controlling people''s lives. She might be friendly with Alter right now, but who knows what''s inside a goddess'' mind?

    <Cocytus>

    Meaning "the river of wailing", is a river in the underworld</a> inGreek mythology</a>. It serves as an unexplored dungeon in the story, as well as an eternal prison of time. Let''s hope no one is stupid enough to open up this place.

    <Cronus>

    was the leader and youngest of the first generation of Titans</a>, the divine descendants of Uranus</a>, the sky, and Gaia</a>, the earth. He overthrew his father and ruled during the mythological Golden Age</a>, until he was overthrown by his own son Zeus</a> and imprisoned inTartarus</a>.

    In the story, she was an NPC who became attached to Alter for certain reasons. Now she serves as his right hand in doing anything at all.

    Also an amalgamation of Chronos. In roman mythology, Chronos and Cronus is one and the same (Saturn).

    <Deimos>

    Deimos, in ancient Greece</a>, was the personification of terror</a>. In the story, it serves as the left sword of Princess Lilliana.

    <Dekeres>

    One of the largest ships during the ancient world. In the story it serves as a flagship not only by the legion, but also by the other empires that share the Mare Nostrum.

    <Echidna>

    In Greek mythology</a>, Echidna was a monster, half-woman and half-snake, who lived alone in a cave. She was the mate of the most fearsome monster Typhon</a>, and known primarily for being the mother of monsters and many of the more famous monsters in Greek myth were said to be her offspring.

    <Grey Adamant>

    In Greek Mythology</a>, Kronos</a> castrated his father Uranus</a> using a gray adamant sickle</a> given to him by his mother Gaia</a>. In the story, the golems were made by the copy of Gold that had gone berserk.

    <Hellenic League>

    Hellenic League, in ancient history:The association of Greek city states against the Persians during the Greco-Persian Wars</a> of the 5th century BCE. In the story, it would refer to what we called Ancient Greece.

    <Hexareme>

    The hexareme or sexireme is affirmed by the ancient historians Pliny the Elder and Aelian</a> to have been invented in Syracuse. They serve as the main assault ship of any empire that treads the Mare Nostrum.

    <Hera>

    Hera was known for her jealous and vengeful nature against Zeus''s lovers and offspring, but also against mortals who crossed her. She was defeated as a rogue NPC by Alter and his guild, but who knows where she is now?

    <Hermes>

    Hermes  is an Olympian god</a> in Greek religion</a> and mythology</a>, the son of Zeus</a> and the Maia</a>. He is the second youngest of the Olympian gods.

    Hermes is a god of transitions and boundaries. He is quick and cunning, and moves freely between the worlds of the mortal and divine, as an emissary and messenger of the gods intercessor between mortals and the divine.

    He''s an annoying guy whose allegiance is a mystery.

    <Justitia>

    Iustitia, Justitia or Lady Justice is the Roman goddess of Justice</a>, who is equivalent to the Greek goddessesThemis</a>) is an allegorical</a> personification</a> of the moral force in judicial systems.

    She''s now represented by our blind heroine, Tishia.

    <Lacedaemon>

    Also known as the 300. You know who they were now.

    They still don''t have an appearance, but beware....

    <Lachesis>

    Normally seen clothed in white, Lachesis is the measurer of the thread spun on Clotho''s spindle, and in some texts, determines Destiny, or thread of life. In the story, she''s the four eyed young woman whose function was blatantly being taken by Clotho.

    <Legion>

    Legion (from Latin</a> legio "military levy, conscription</a>", from legere "to choose") normally indicates the basic ancient Roman army</a> unit recruited specifically from Roman citizens.

    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    In the story, its the 13 divisions of the Imperium''s army.

    <Legionnaire>

    The Roman</a> legionnaire was a professional heavy infantryman of the Roman army</a> Legionaries had to be Roman citizens</a> under the age of 45. They enlisted in a legion</a> for twenty-five years of service, a change from the early practice of enlisting only for a campaign</a>. The last five years were on veteran</a> lighter duties.

    They were the basic infantry of the Imperium. Also the strongest, if in land only.

    <Magatama>

    Magatama are curved, comma-shaped beads that appeared in prehistoric Japan from the Final J��mon period</a> through the Kofun period</a>, approximately ca. 1,000 BC to the 6th century AD.

    Who knows what their connection is to the story.

    <Mare Nostrum>

    Mare Nostrum (Latin</a> for "Our Sea") was a Roman</a> name for the Mediterranean Sea</a>. Its the sea that divides the four main empire around it.

    <Mars>

    Mars was the god of war</a> and also an agricultural</a> guardian, a combination characteristic of early Rome</a>. He was second in importance only to Jupiter</a> and he was the most prominent of the military gods in the religion of the Roman army</a>.

    He now chose a clueless young girl. The pervert.

    <Moirai>

    In Greek mythology</a>, the Moirai��often known in English as theFates��were the robed incarnations of destiny

    They were Clotho, Lachesis and Atropos. Will they be someday punished for playing with the mortals'' fate?

    <Oracle of Delphi>

    The Oracle of Delphi was the most important shrine in all Greece, and in theory, all Greeks respect its independence.  Built around a sacred spring, Delphi was considered to be the omphalos - the center (literally navel) of the world.

    Its now the trio''s destination, to find the answers they seek. But due to lots of dangers, detours and setbacks, was the journey really worth it?

    Phobos  is the personification of fear in Greek mythology</a>. Its the right sword of Princess Lilliana with detrimental effects to the opponent.

    Praetorian Guard was a force of bodyguards used by Roman Emperors. The title was already used during the Roman Republic for the guards of Roman generals, at least since the rise to prominence of the Scipio family around 275 BC.

    They were also the elites of the Legion in the story.

    <Romanum Imperium>

    Imperium R��m��num was the post-Republican</a> period of the ancient Roman civilization</a>, characterized by government headed by emperors</a> and large territorial holdings around theMediterranean Sea</a> in Europe, Africa and Asia.

    In the story, it had lost multiple territories, yet it was still the most powerful empire among others.

    <Scylla>

    In Greek mythology, Scylla was a monster that lived on one side of a narrow channel of water, opposite its counterpart Charybdis. It has multiple heads that bite off sailors as their ship pass through the narrow channel.

    And it made short workings on the gods and the Legionnaires. Scary...

    <Senate>

    The Senate of the Roman Republic was a political institution in the ancient RomanRepublic. It was not an elected body, but one whose members were appointed by the consuls, and later by the censors. After a Roman magistrate served his term in office, it usually was followed with automatic appointment to the Senate. It has a similar function in the Romanum Imperium.

    <Solomon>

    The conventional dates of Solomon''s reign are circa 970 to 931 BC. He is described as the third king of the United Monarchy</a>, which would break apart into the northern Kingdom of Israel</a> and the southern Kingdom of Judah</a> shortly after his death. Following the split, his patrilineal</a> descendants ruled over Judah alone.

    In the story, he was known as Solomon IX, ninth in line, and the Demon king that ruled over demons. Also the ruler of what we know as the Persian Empire.

    <Trireme>

    A trireme was an ancient vessel and a type of galley that was used by the ancient maritime civilizations of the Mediterranean, especially the Phoenicians, ancient Greeks and Romans.

    The most basic type of ship in the Mare Nostrum.

    <Typhon>

    Typhon was the most fearsome monster of Greek mythology</a>. The last son of Gaia</a>, fathered by Tartarus</a>, Typhon was, with his mate Echidna</a>, the father of many famous monsters.

    The last boss. Currently imprisoned in Cocytus.

    <Tyrfing>

    was a magic sword</a> in Norse Mythology. Considered as cursed, but its true effects is still not known in the story, only that it was very sharp, and seemed to have its own personality.

    -List End-

    Will be updated as new chapters are released.

 Chapter 11: A Troublesome Companion

    Chapter finished!! Thanks a lot for waiting!!

    Interlude

    Alter woke up with a start..

    "Haah.. haah.... eh?"

    Panting, he thought he had drowned, but the teleport stone had worked on time. But he had no time to feel relieved, as he found himself tied again to a pole using multiple colored threads. And he was again topless.

    "Oh, he''s awake."

    "Indeed."

    ".............."

    Right before him, the three goddess that influence fate were sitting comfortably while watching him.

    "Long time no see, Alter!!!"

    "...... it was only less than a month."

    Alter could only blandly reply to the little girl''s enthusiastic greeting,

    "Is it? Well, I don''t really care~"

    "Of course... maybe."

    "......don''t care....."

    It seemed that these goddesses don''t have any sense of time at all.

    "Well, what are you planning? Is this my dream again?"

    "Well of course its your dream. How else could we show up? And were not planning anything at all"

    Clotho replied to him readily. It seems she wants to get close to Alter.

    Still, Alter couldn''t trust the smile of this young girl. He had seen hundereds of smiles like this, and he would knew if anyone has a hidden agenda behind their poker face. Clotho, who guessed at what''s his thinking, pouted and unhappily made a tantrum.

    "Mouu~ why are you so not trusting!! I''m being a good girl here!! Meanie!! Meanie!! I even gave you an idea on escaping Charybdis!!!"

    "Clotho, stop that."

    Lachesis made a light chop at her sister, telling her to stop. She then faced Alter with a serious look.

    "I saw most of what you did. That was unexpected."

    "Huh? What do you mean?"

    "Haven''t you saved the red haired princess?"

    "Well, I suppose. But what''s that got to do with this?"

    Alter wondered. This small talk might be important for the future, so he earnestly listened.

    "Well, apart from Atropos waking up Char-"

    The black robed girl Atropos jumped towards the bubbly young girl and covered her mouth.

    "She had a weak fate from the start, and was supposed to die early."

    Alter didn''t like the words Lachesis spoke. What did she mean by ''supposed to die early''?

    "What do you mean?"

    "When Clotho and I measured her thread, it was too short. See here.."

    Lachesis drew a thread from midair. It was a bright shade of red, and it was glowing. But it was very short, with only a meter in length, unlike the other threads that extend ten times more.

    "This is that red haired girl''s thread. Its glowing indicated that the owner is a divine being. But her thread was supposed to be cut by our Atropos when that monster Scylla was about to devour her."

    Clotho made a brief explaination to Alter, who was starting to get more disturbed by their words, as if taking life for granted. But she made an incredulous look as she said in enthusiasm.

    "But you see here, your thread became indirectly connected to her!!"

    When Alter looked closely, his own semi-transparent thread seemingly branched off, with one branch leading to the crimson thread as if the two fused.

    "This is really the first time we saw threads interwine like this."

    "Correct. We only just noticed but when we checked the threads of your companion, they were also connected. "

    "......................and I can''t cut them."

    The three goddesses were a bit frustrated since they would have a hard time meddling with Alter''s group. Alter, realizing this, made a grin.

    "And? What do you want with me now?"

    "Nothing, we''ll just continue doing our jobs for a while. But here is an advice."

    "Associating yourself with this girl will lead to your demise."

    "And It would be better to cut ties with her,"

    Clotho and Lachesis told him a warning. Should he believe them? Of course not.

    "The way I choose my friends has nothing to do with you."

    "Well, were not really commanding you. Its just an advice, since we couldn''t directly intervene with that invincible thread of yours."

    "Hey Alter, here''s some help...."

    After talking with Lachesis, Clotho held Alter''s head and drew her mouth near his ears.

    "You''re stranded in an island. You''ll see a kingdom, and you will battle a great threat, along with that red princess."

    "R-really?"

    "And you must finish off that monster that you will set out to kill, otherwise lots of mortals will die."

    This girl really says some troubling things, Alter thought.

    "Eh? What about Gold and Tishia?"

    "They''re safe. That''s all we can tell

    Alter breathed a sigh of relief. Not that he thought Gold and Tishia might be killed in that sort of situation.

    "Well our time''s up, Alter. See ya!!"

    "We''ll still monitor you."

    "......And cut you... someday...."

    With the three different farewells, Alter''s surroundings became hazy again.

    _____________________________________________________________

    Chapter 11: A New Companion

    Alter woke up with a start.

    "Haah..... haah.... eh?"

    He could feel the cold sand. He assumed he was washed ashore after teleporting to a random area.

    It seems he did not really drowned. Moving his head, he checked whether he was again tied to a pole with threads, or if he was wearing tops, or if three carefree goddesses were sitting comfortably and ogling him, but luckily, there was nothing of the sort.

    What was new, was that his hands were grabbing something that was bulging. Alter did not mind the soft sensation in his fingers, and instead prompted to caress it more.

    "This is fun!", he thought.

    But that fun was short-lived as a sword strike flashed in his eyes, stopping before his throat. A red demon was glaring at him, emitting bloodlust that made him shiver. That demon was sitting on top of him, holding her silver sword to his neck.

    "You imbecile!!!"

    It was the red haired girl. Alter did not know, but she was the 2nd Princess of the Romanum Imperium, 4th in line to the throne of the emperor. To Alter, she was just a naive girl who lost miserably to Tishia.

    "Let go already!!!!!"

    Thinking too much, Alter had just only noticed where his hands were currently glued, to the ample bosom of the girl. Not only her irises and hair were red, now her cheeks were trying to catch up.

    "S-sorry!! That was on reflex!"

    "What kind of reflexes do you have!!"

    Alter immediately removed his hands, and tried to crawl away from her, but the girl just increased the force she made when sitting on him, pinning him to the ground. Now Alter felt another sensation, this time coming from her rear.

    "Don''t you try to escape. I''m taking you priso- ughh!!"

    "H-hey! Are you alright?"

    It was now that Alter saw the teeth marks on her body, along with her injured shoulder from the duel with Tishia.

    "Shut up! I''m fine....."

    "No you''re not. Show me your wounds."

    "You think you can trick me?"

    "I think I can. But I don''t plan to. If those wounds were not treated, you''ll be dead in a day."

    "Why you-"

    "Enough! Do you want to die?"

    Alter unintentionally raised his voice, but that was very effective as the girl only pouted, and removed her damaged armor. What was left was a beautiful body covered only in red undershirt, showing the figure an ample bosom and curves. Her arms were evenly toned, similar to that of athletes. Numerous wounds were currently received by her body.

    "Where are you staring?!"

    "Nothing."

    Lilliana noticed his looks, but Alter denied anything.

    "Stay still."

    Using storage magic, he searched for some potion. He took out a small vial containing red liquid, Lilliana''s eyes widened at the item he was holding.

    "That, isn''t that?!!"

    "Healing Potion. Now drink this."

    "Its ... its the first time I''ve seen one so pure red! Where did you get that?"

    "I have a lot."

    "........ I don''t trust you."

    "Geez, if you don''t trust me then don''t."

    "......Perhaps I won''t then."

    Lilliana stood up, leaviing Alter who whose mouth hanged open.

    ''This girl is a real pain'', he thought. But seeing the girl limping while walking, he chose not to abandon her even if she was an enemy before.

    "Oi... don''t be so stubborn!!"

    "........"

    The red head still did not stop, so Alter stood up and catches up to her, who was unsteadily walking on the sandy beach. But the girl could not cope with her current condition and collapsed unconscious,

    ''....Talk about being too rebellious,"

    Alter caught the girl''s falling body that was riddled with wounds,

    "Oi, wake up!!"

    He tried to gently tap the girl''s cheeks, but she wouldn''t respond.

    "If you don''t wake up, I''m gonna grope these things! Wake up!"

    After minutes of trying, he gave up. She was totally unconscious due to fatigue, injuries and various other reasons. But if this continued, she wont be able to drink the potion. Alter was worried she may die.

    "What to do? ''That''? But....."

    He immediately though of something that he had seen in the movies before. A way for someone unconscious to be able to drink the medicine. He could not think of anything else

    "...Tsk. Guess I have no choice."

    He opened the vial of potion, and drank all the content. Then he pressed his mouth to hers, forcing the medicine into her throat.

    ''This is treatment..... this is treatment......''

    He made a chant in his mind to prevent any weird thoughts. But the unconscious princess did something that blew away the mantra he made.

    "Mmphh!!"

    As the medicine was entering into her mouth, the girl invaded his own with her tongue. Shocked, he tried forcing her tongue with his, but it only ended up getting sucked seductively with her mouth.

    "Mmphh...chuu"

    That process that felt like heaven and hell had lasted a minute, as Alter had a hard time forcing her to drink the potion.

    "Haa... haa..."

    He panted after letting go of her mouth.

    "This.... this girl is much scarier than I had thought,"

    Though he said this, he did not really disliked the experience. But deep kissing with an unconscious girl, how surreal....

    ________________________________________________________________

    Somewhere

    Tishia felt bloodlust coming from the gold haired little girl.

    "G-gold??!"

    The girl had unconsciously activated her divinity. Her eyes were ablaze with golden flames.

    "Nothing~ It seems that I need to punish a certain thieving cat in the future...."

    Gold glared at the horizon and went out the room. Tishia was only left with question marks floating on top of her head.

    ___________________________________________________________

    Lilliana  opened her eyes, yawning. It seems that she feel asleep.

    She had missed the days when she was so carefree. Being chosen as a goddess at the age of nine made her miss the chance to live a life of a young maiden. Being trained by the best masters, she did not fail their expectations.

    She was sent to the front lines two years after that. Crushing a huge army of invading Northern barbarians with only a single Legion, she earned the respect of both the Army and the Senate. But what had greet her on her return was the shock of the betrayal of the Venetias, especially her aunt and cousin.

    To sell imperial secrets to the enemy. Why would the family of Emperor Regulus betray the empire? It was so illogical that she could not believe it.

    "Traitors, princess Lilliana, are the worst scum. They indirectly kill the citizens of the empire they betrayed. They should not be pitied."

    That was her aunt Cordia, who was the sister of her father, the current emperor. Lilliana had noticed that she held contempt against the Venetias. Though she didn''t want to listen, Cordia had been her teacher for many years. She had taught her very important things, and she did not doubt them, since they always turned out to be correct.

    That''s why it was a shock to her that Princess Tishia, her very childhood friend, had betrayed the empire. It was also reported that she and Senator Venetias, who were both skilled in the ways of the sword, killed their Praetorian Guards in order to swear loyalty to the enemy empire. That very news made her anger rise to the peak.

    "Traitors. They deserve to die. They are scum, Lilliana. Undeserving. Filthy."

    The words of her aunt would always resound on her mind. Though she initially hated it, it had become her mindset as two years passed. And when she finally saw her cousin, deep inside she was totally relieved that Tishia was alive. But that feeling turned to hatred as remembered the past.

    That had clouded her judgement, prompting her to chase after the enemy. And she had paid the price: the loss of countless good men of the Imperium, all due to her personal hatred. When she was being dragged to the darkness of the waters, she thought this was her being condemned.

    But when her consciousness had returned, she was still alive. She found herself in a sandy beach in the middle of the night. Her wound were deep but she think she could manage for a while. Thinking where to find medicine, she looked around, only to see a familiar black haired man. It was the boy she fought on the harbor of Apollonia

    "W-why is he here?!"

    She was surprised, as to why was he washed ashore along with her. She couldn''t remember anything very clearly. Cautiously, she went near the boy. He had a carefree sleeping face, as if he had no worries in life. She became jealous of it.

    Taking a small branch, she tried to poke his cheeks, something that just came into her mind.

    Poke..

    "Eh~ he smiled?"

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    The boy just grinned for a second. Lilliana poked it again, and his face did it again.

    "He looks like a pet or something... eh?"

    Lilliana was surprised as to why she didn''t hate him, unlike before. She thought there was something wrong with her mind. Suddenly, the boy kicked his legs, and caught hers. She stumbled down, unable to control her falling body  towards him. And when she stopped, her face was so close to his that they would almost kiss.

    "Awa...Awawa?!"

    Lilliana panicked at the event, especially when his hands rose and started groping her chest.

    "Wawawa????"

    Even after opening his eyes, he did not take off his hands. Lilliana can''t take it anymore and took out Deimos, sticking it to his neck.

    "You imbecile!!!!"

    And that''s what happened before Alter woke up,

    _______________________________________________

    "Mmmm......."

    Lilliana woke up slowly. Yawning sleepily, she observed her surroundings. It seems she was inside a cave lit by a small campfire.

    "Hey, you''re awake."

    "You!!"

    "Stop. You must still rest."

    Alter stopped her hand that was about to draw her sword. She glared at him, but seeing bandages all over her body, she stopped.

    "......Did you do this?"

    "Yes. You''re now far from death."

    "Th-thank you... sorry for earlier...."

    She could only say sorry. Again she experienced what a failure she was if she keeps continuing such a rotten attitude. She was also thankful for being treated. But there was another disturbing topic.

    "......Did you do something... perverted?"

    "Noo!!!"

    Alter quickly denied, but Lilliana saw his face a little red. Her cheeks also felt a little hot.

    "So you did something!!! Pervert!!! Don''t approach me!!!!"

    ''How can I help it, its your fault!!'' was Alter''s only reply, but he did not try to voice it out. If she knew, he predicted that chaos would ensue. But jokes aside, he was still worried about her health. It could only cure physical wounds, not fatigue.

    "Hey, can you move now?"

    "......I''m fine. Where are we?"

    "I don''t even know. Were both washed up in this island."

    It seemed that both of them did not know their location.

    "But how did we manage to live?"

    Lilliana wondered at the miracle that they have survived that. Alter explained that he found out the Strait of Death was really  a dungeon, and how he thought of using a Teleport Stone to warp them outside.

    "EEEHH? YOU HAVE ONE??!!"

    Lilliana could only say in surprise. A reaction similar to that of Tishia''s. A proof that they were really cousins. After a few exchange of information, both remained silent for a while.

    ".................................."

    ".................................."

    Until Alter said something.

    "You were cursed."

    "Eh?"

    Lilliana was surprised at this boy''s words. She didn''t exactly understand what he meant.

    "What do you mean?"

    "There is something foreign that entered your divinity''s magic sequence and modified.... no, just overwritten it."

    "Something foreign? Magic sequence?"

    She was baffled at his terms. What did he actually mean?

    "In simple words, you were manipulated by someone."

    "EHHH??"

    She can''t believe it. But she felt herself that his  words were true.

    "I- I don''t really know. That I was brainwashed? That''s preposterous."

    "Its probably the reason why you hated Tishia so much."

    ".........................................."

    Lilliana only became silent, which continued for a long time.

    "Hey, what''s your name."

    "I''m Alter."

    "Call me Lilliana."

    Silently, without speaking any words, they had agreed to a truce.

    "Sleep now. Tomorrow, we will set out inland. We''ll need to find out were we are"

    "......Yes."

    She obediently went to sleep, the tension and wariness against the boy fading into the background.

    __________________________________________________

    "Are you ready to leave?"

    ''Yes."

    The following morning, they left out of the cave and entered the lush forest.

    "It seems that there are monsters here."

    ''hisssss''

    "!!"

    Lilliana heard a hiss and saw a two headed snake, constricting the hand of the boy. She readied her sword, and was about to slice it when.

    "Stop!! Its my pet!"

    "What?!"

    Lilliana got surprised as Alter caressed the two snake heads.

    "She''s called Tiamat. Isn''t she cute??"

    ''hiss''

    "You.... even gave it a name?"

    On the way they had met monsters, but since they were both gods, they made easy workings on the poor things. Some of theme were familiar to Alter, as he had fought them before. It was only a few hours of walking when they found a large road leading to a temple.

    "Hey, we should investigate that temple."

    "And why did you think of that?"

    "I had a feeling there''s a rare item inside."

    Lilliana was wondering if she should trust this feeling of his. But since he was the leader, she agreed.

    They entered what they would say a temple ruin. With only the arches standing erect, all the other walls and structures of marbles have already corroded and ruined.

    "I know this place."

    "....Come again?"

    Alter, lost in thought due to nostalgia, did not hear Lilliana''s reply.

    This had been one of the temples that was known as a Cathedral. In the past, before Mythologia became a death game, this temple served as a revival area for players. Its functiion ceased when the players can no longer revive, so it had been a memorial for the surviving players of that time, marking the names of the fallen on the marble stones. And yet, it did not prevailed the passage of time.

    "This place had been a very important place for us...... for me."

    "Alter, who are you really?"

    Lilliana could only wonder. This place looked like it had stood since a thousand years ago, but the boy in front of him spoke as if he was present during the time it was still standing in full glory. How could he even fight on par with her, who was a goddess of war? And it seems that Alter had not yet shown his true abilities and powers.

    "I came from the past."

    "................"

    Was he joking? Lilliana thought. She was about to retort to his words, but something told her that Alter was telling the truth. Her crimson eyes tried to look at his obsidian black eyes for any hint of lie, but there was nothing at all.

    "I was imprisoned in a sphere where time did not flow, along with my companion named Gold. It was a long story, but both of us defeated a certain monster that threaten the world. To survive, we have to be locked in that sphere."

    Alter''s brief summary seemed like it came from a legend, Lilliana thought, fascinated.

    "This monster was really strong?"

    "It took about a thousand people similar like me to be able to defeat it."

    "Amazing.........."

    Lilliana could only imagine a battle of a thousand gods pitted against the strongest monster. It would be an epic fight that would''ve transform the terrain itself.  Alter on the other hand, stared at the heavens, wondering where his friends were now.

    They walked around the ruins as they chatted, exchanging stories to pass time. They would occasionally encounter some ghost-like monster, but the two gods would just exterminate it with ease. It was then that Lilliana saw a pedestal at the end of the ruins.

    "Hey, something''s gleaming!"

    Lilliana tried approaching the pedestal, but an arc of light swung from her side. She managed to evade it and jumped back to a distance. Where she was standing before, a large battleaxe stuck on the ground.

    A hooded figure stood, holding the battleaxe. From the hood, the two gods could see a pale female face with green glowing orbs in place of its eyes. It was emitting intense bloodlust against them. Raising the battleaxe with ease, the figure rested it to its shoulders. It then spoke in a chilling voice.

    "You..... are...... not.... welcome.... here..... Diiiiieeeee....."

    "Its clearly an opponent that we can''t beat if we hold back."

    "Yes. Lets flank it and simultaneously attack, Lilliana."

    The two tried to coordinate against the single enemy. But their brows creased as from the ground, two robes with claws for hands came out. They have three enemies to deal with. Without using World''s Truth, Alter already knew the identity of the enemy.

    "They are called <Keres>. Bloodthirsty spirits that hates the living."

    "You know about them?"

    "They are monsters that lived during my time, during the Dark Ages."

    "!!!!"

    If so, these monsters would be unusually strong, Lilliana thought. Before the enemy could attack, she already activated her divinity.

    "Destruction, for Preservation!! Chaos, for Order!!! War, for Peace!!"

    Crimson particles gathered on the outline of her body, as her eyes flamed the color of vermilion.

    "God Mode!!!"

    And appeared was the crimson goddess of war. With her sleek armor shining against the sun, she rushed to face the three Keres head on. The three Keres dispersed to her sides and back, but the three battleaxes were timely parried by two swords of silver and red.

    "It seems that I could use two now. At last!"

    Alter on the other hand used Tishia and Gold''s power.

    "Embodiment of Nothingness and Change. Spectator of the Primordial World. I am the Beginning and I shall be the End.

    "God Mode!!"

    Gold and White particles of light gathered together on top of his head, and enveloped his body. What came out of the light was something Lilliana had never seen before. Something that exudes both authority and terror.

    It was wearing tattered white cloak, and was holding two sickles. White and gold burned through the sockets where its eyes were supposed to be. Its hands were made of golden bones, and so was its skull and its legs. The closest description would be a white grim reaper.

    (Ancient Avenger Form)

    The golden skull faced the Keres who were fighting Lilliana

    " Fools who dare oppose me"

    Even the Keres stopped at the words of the grim reaper. Even Lilliana found it scary.

    "Alter...... is that you?"

    "all you fools will be judged by my wrath"

    The golden skeleton dissolved on the air, only to reappear on the front of the Keres, tearing off the arm that was holding the battleaxe with a swing of the white sickle.

    "AAAAAaaaaaaaaaaa"

    The evil spirit screamed. It was unable to follow the grim reaper''s movements, and was continuously slashed to pieces.

    Lilliana, though astounded, engaged the two Keres who were wildly swinging their battleaxe. With a storm of sword strikes, she was able to overpower one and slashed it to pieces, but the remaining one slipped past her attacks and swung its battleaxe with full force, directed at Lilliana''s neck.

    But the huge weapon was destroyed in midair, white blurs cutting through the air from the white sickles. Lilliana made a heavy overhead swing, completely cleaving the last Keres in half.

    After there was no more hostile presence in the surroundings, the white grim reaper glowed, and transformed back to into the black haired boy. Lilliana couldn''t resist asking about the spectacle she had just seen.

    "You?! That! What!!"

    "R-relax"

    "How could I relax?!! What is that?! What are you really?! That was really unexpected!"

    Alter tried to calm down the excited Lilliana, but the teenage god of war wants to feed her curiosity immediately. Her front body was pressing on him.

    "My strength is that of borrowing the aspects or powers of a god that has deep ties with me. I used both Tishia''s and Gold, and combined them. The form would be depending on the combination."

    "Combination?!"

    Lilliana''s eyes were gleaming. She really is childish, Alter said in his mind,

    "I could borrow more than one power."

    "Really? That''s so cool!!"

    "O-okay! Stop that!"

    Lilliana stopped pressing her body and removed herself. With slightly reddish cheeks, she just noticed what she was doing. Trying to change topics she remembered the gleaming object from the pedestal. She drew near, and saw a small green object.

    "What is this?"

    It was a strange looking stone, shaped like a coma. Alter immediately recalled the stone he bought at the Flea Market.

    "That''s a Magatama!"

    "Magatama?"

    "Its a stone imbued with power. I bought one at Apollonia that was identical to this."

    "Hou~ . Then, could it be a collection?"

    "....probably."

    If it was a collection, he would have to find the remaining ones, though its gonna be hard since he doesn''t know their locations. But he was sure there''s a large reward waiting if he manage to collect all the identical Magatamas.

    "Umm.... Alter? Where''s that two-headed snake of yours?"

    "Eh?"

    Alter completely forgot about Tiamat after reminiscing about the ruins. She had been missing since then.

    "Damn. I''m a terrible owner."

    The sun was already about to set, and fog had covered most of the ruin grounds.

    "We must find shelter first. We''ll find her tomorrow for sure."

    "That would be true."

    And they went away from the ruins. Little did they know that the fog that covered the forest they entered was dense in magic, and would definitely play tricks on their mind

    -Chapter End-

 Chapter 12: Troubles

    Chapter 12: Troubles

    The dense jungle, where different kinds of monsters and animals tread, was surrounded by a thick fog. Known among people as clouds that reach the ground, it had spread all over the island during the night.

    Some monsters that are endemic to that place felt a foreign presence that crept. In fear, they fled, creating rustling noise in the thick vegetation.

    ''hisss''

    Two heads poked from a nearby bush. Looking at the surroundings, it wondered why the multiple presences of animals it had detected earlier had all ran away. A question mark floated on each of its head. It continued to slither on the ground looking to and fro different directions, hissing as if trying to find something, or someone.

    It was actually looking for its master, the person who summoned it. It regretted wandering alone, since it had felt an alluring scent, prompting it to follow. It only realized too late that fog had thickened in the forest, making navigation and instead, would cause hallucinations to those who do not have enough mental strength.

    ''hisss''

    But that ''scent'' had been near. Its forked tongues could feel it close by. Not able to resist, it continued following the scent.

    As it drew near, it heard multiple voices.

    "Hey, did you know?"

    "Really?" ''giggle''

    "I saw it with my own eyes."

    "You can''t say! She''s two timing?"

    "How audacious!"

    "And this girl here......"

    There were multiple female voices that came from a few meters ahead. They were happily talking as if gossiping on someone. It had a bad feeling, but still became curious.

    Poking its heads again, it saw a huge pond. The water was slightly bubbling, and yet it felt that the water''s temperature was lukewarm and comfortable. Was it this pond that made the fog?

    "Hey something is approaching."

    "Really? Lets go get it!"

    It panicked when the presences drew near closely to it, moving like phantoms. Before it could escape, it was already surrounded,

    "Whoa! What is this creature!"

    "A snake? It has two heads!"

    "Its so cute!"

    "Let''s take it with us."

    "Come here cutie!"

    The snake, who was actually Alter''s pet, Tiamat, did not know what to do. Surrounding Tiamat were beautiful maidens, with flowers and plants ornamenting them. Some of them have a light shade of blue on their skin, while others have green. And all of them were looking at Tiamat with affection, but the poor thing only saw grinning, hungry foxes.

    ''hissssssssssssssss''

    It could only hiss in resignation as the maidens skillfully grabbed and took it away.

    ___________________________________________________________________

    "Were lost......."

    "Well that''s fun."

    Alter and Lilliana had been trying to find their way out of the forest, but a thick fog blocked their vision. They had just noticed that Alter''s pet Tiamat was missing, and decided to set out for tomorrow. But they were not given a chance as the fog completely enveloped the whole forest.

    "Hey! W-What do we do now?"

    "For starters, lets try not to be separated."

    "...Yeah. But how?"

    Alter simply grabbed her hand.

    "This is what you meant?!! I thought you have a rope or something."

    "Well, I dont have a normal rope."

    ''But to hold hands is..... '', Lilliana thought, but did not say it aloud.

    Like this, they traversed through the jungle, wary of bogs and bottomless swamps. Still they did no progress, as they walked out of a thick bush, they found a familiar sight.

    "This is the temple!!! We came back to where we came from!"

    "Whew. This is such a pain."

    They had just returned to the temple ruins. Lilliana was starting to lose her patience.

    "Hey, Lily. I think we should rest here for tonight."

    "It''s Lilliana! Don''t call me using weird nicknames!!"

    "Right right. Then lets set up camp here."

    The two chose a good spot in the ruins to rest. Lilliana took off her crimson armor, and wore only undershirt and her shorts, which were both revealing. Noticing Alter staring at her, she immediately chided him, albeit with reddened cheeks.

    "Don''t stare to much, you pervert."

    ''Then don''t wear such worrisome clothes!'' Alter shouted in his mind, amused.

    The two made a campfire in the center of a roofless, ruined room. Its broken yet still standing walls made the two at ease against the unknown and the dark. Lilliana noticed that Alter was setting up something at the corners of the room.

    "What is that?"

    "Warding stones. We used this back then to repel wild creatures and monsters."

    "I see..... back then, huh?"

    Lilliana, since she was young, was already fascinated on the technologies of the Dark Ages, most of which were lost in time.

    Seeing such ''artifacts'' used by Alter casually, sparked again her curiousity.

    "Hey hey. Tell me more about the Dark Ages before we sleep."

    "How old are you to still want some bedtime stories!'' Alter cried in his mind, afraid of saying it out loud.

    "Lets go eat first."

    "Okay. I only have fruits as rations. Do you have something?"

    Alter used storage magic, taking out something. The light that had spread from the magic reformed to make two bottles of golden liquid. Lilliana dropped the apple she was holding, staring at the item that Alter had just taken out.

    "Golden water...... Is that what I think it is?!"

    "....Behold, its that."

    Though Alter didn''t really know what she was thinking, he just played along since her reaction was interesting.

    "AMBROSIA!!!!"

    "Oho? You knew?"

    In Alter''s time, Ambrosia was indeed important and expensive, used by players to slightly increase their stats permanently. Although the stats received would be random and was only limited to a single drink every week, it was very invaluable.

    "That''s..... what they call the ''Food of the Gods'' in legends!!!"

    Lilliana had  read that a mortal may become immortal with one sip of Ambrosia. Alter, on the other hand decided to entertain himself with the naive girl.

    "Can I drink it?!"

    "........you can but.... its too risky, so no."

    ''What''s too risky?!!! I''ll take it!!"

    ''hehehe'', Alter laughed evilly. This redhead''s reactions are too interesting.

    "It was said that drinking Ambrosia would kill those who are unworthy."

    "R-really!!?"

    "So if I were you, I won''t risk my life."

    "Uuuuuuu......"

    Lilliana really wanted to try the Ambrosia, that according to the legend, would feel as if all her wants and desires have been fulfilled in a single drink. But she, in the end still feared for he life.

    "That''s why you are unworthy."

    "Ehhh??"

    "Those who are worthy will not hesitate and would drink this immediately."

    A single drop of sweat fell from Lilliana''s forehead. She was torn on whether to risk it or not. And Alter was currently enjoying this and laughed out secretly , only hidden skillfully by his poker face.

    "I....I.... give it to me!!"

    Lilliana grabbed the small bottle of golden liquid from Alter''s hands and opened it. Breathing deeply, with a look of conviction, she drank it slowly.

    "Mmmmmm!!!!!!!"

    The sweet liquid that tasted better than honey flowed in her throat. Her hunger had alleviated, and she gave a smile of satisfaction as the drink itself was delicious, but felt there was something lacking.

    "Eh? This is it?"

    She felt a little disappointed. Was this really the legendary drink? she thought. But Alter immediately answered.

    "You did not felt the true effect of drinking it because you anticipated the effects. You should have a clear mind, to experience what you wished for."

    "R-really!!?? Why didn''t you say so earlier?!!"

    Lilliana pouted as she failed to feel the Ambrosia''s true effects. And then she glued her eyes on Alter''s ambrosia.

    "Give it to me."

    "No."

    "I''ll do anything."

    Alter was unsure if what she just said was a normal flag or a death flag, so he''d rather play safe, drinking the Ambrosia in one gulp.

    "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    Lilliana made a tantrum after that, punching Alter until she felt satisfied. On the other hand.

    "Itsh a deash frag no matter wha......."

    The culprit got what he deserved.

    And they slept, alternately guarding each other during the night

    _________________________________________________

    Atheneum

    The capital of the Hellenic League. It was the largest city in the League. It was also the oldest known city that predates the Dark Ages. A center for arts, learning and philosophy, it boast itself as on par with the city of Roma, the capital of the Romanum Imperium.

    It houses the headquarters of the great naval fleet of the League, as well as the great dungeon of Acropolis, a Legendary difficulty dungeon where many dared enter but only few returned.

    It was under the protection of <Athena>, the goddess of War and Wisdom, as well as different other gods that reside or visit the city.

    A small meeting was currently held in one of its castles, the Great port-castle of Piraeus.

    "Are you telling the truth?"

    "Why should I lie in the presence of a god?"

    There were currently four people in a secret room in the castle. They had been discussing on threats currently present on the League. And one of them had glowing gray eyes, unmistakably a goddess.

    "Goddess Athena, what I had just said is true."

    "I see......"

    Athena was one of the celebrated gods of the League, and was also part of the Council of Olympus. She was wearing a gray dress that shone dimly in the dark, along with her eyes that exudes wisdom. She was speaking with a serpentine beastman, the king of Atheneum, <Cecrops>.

    Wearing nothing but his circlet imbued with sapphires and white robes, he gave of an aura of nobility. But his face was creased and grave Not due to old age, but to the current problems they were now facing.

    "First of all, the Imperium was straining our relations. Its almost inevitable that there would be war sooner or later."

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    "That would be grave, indeed. But we will not allow that to happen."

    The two other members of the meeting were the elven deputy of the Hellenic emperor named <Antipater> and the dwarven hero <Theseus>.

    "In fact, one of their gods, Neptune had his ''subordinates'' muster near the castle of <Serifos>. It seems that they are trying to provoke us, but the Imperium had been trying to evade our questions."

    "That''s troubling. Should we send <Ares> and the other war gods?"

    Though Athena would rather go herself than trusting it to that bloodthirsty war god, she had no choice since she needs to help King Cecrops with the management of the large Athens. Antipater then proposed and idea.

    "Should we send in the <Lacedaemons> and the army?"

    "No. We cannot spare the army for now. We have two fronts to battle against. And if there was not enough mannuing one side, the League would collapse."

    Athena rejected Antipater''s proposal. Not only the Imperium, but the Demon Army of King Solomon had been scouted of increased aggression on their borders. It was then that the dwarf made the best proposal possible.

    "Since it has come to this, I''ll personally ask the Adventurer''s Guild for help."

    "Indeed. That would  be the most plausible for now."

    "But are you sure? The heroes might also be needed at the front lines."

    Antipater questioned the proposal of Theseus, but the gray-bearded dwarf immediately replied.

    "Unlike the army, these heroes do not follow orders from the top, my old friend. They are best suited against that rogue god."

    Rogue God. It had been a term that was becoming more common these days. Athena was worried, as not only the Imperium, but also those from the Middle Kingdom and the Northern Gods have been showing signs.

    "King Cecrops, what would you suggest?"

    "I agree to send the heroes. Though I would have also liked for the war gods to assemble, since another troublesome report on Serifos have been received by my subordinates."

    The three in front of the King frowned. They have never heard of this new report. Antipater worriedly asked.

    "And its contents?"

    "A <Gorgon> had been spotted nearby the Island."

    "WHAT?!"

    Athena screamed in surprise. She, who had been present since the Dark Ages, had been rarely surprised by anything. But this news had her young-looking face looked ashen.

    ''Wh-whats wrong?"

    "For her make such a face..."

    The dwarf and the elf were worried on what could make a goddess feel despair. Athena inquired them of this.

    "You don''t know about Gorgons??"

    "Hmm.... aren''t they just a little bit stronger than your average <Lamia>?"

    "High leveled snake monsters."

    Athena could only make a sigh, as these two didn''t face the horrors of the Dark Ages.

    "They were the first offspring of <Echidna>. And worse, they were immortal."

    Antipater and Theseus froze at the mention of Echidna. They have heard stories of how Athena and multiple other gods, along with the people of the civilization who mysteriously disappeared fought against this dreaded monster, and managed to win in the end.

    "Thats.....troublesome indeed."

    "....for now, I will ask the heroes to try to keep it at bay."

    The two were deeply trouble at that.

    "Send for

    or <Achilles>, King Cecrops."

    "Achilles is a stubborn man, and won''t come. But we can trust Perseus for this."

    With the suggestion of Athena and Theseus, the king of Athens agreed.

    "For now this meeting is adjourned. Goddess Athena, when should be the next council at Olympus?"

    "A month from now."

    "That''s too long..... but we must hold off the threats for now. Perseus will lead the reinforcements to Serifos."

    The king ended the meeting. As the others went out, only Athena was left in that dark room lit by candles. She was staring outside the window, into the sea.

    In that direction, she had faced Echidna. Though that battle ended in their victory, the loss of ''him'' due to their late response gave a scar to her heart. She was not there when he died. She would have chosen to die with him in the battlefield but she must now live in order to not let his efforts go to vain.

    "Master........ why did you die and left us here......"

    ______________________________________________________________

    Alter woke up with a start.

    Rubbing his eyes, he tried calling for Lilliana.

    "Lily, where are you?"

    "Don''t call me by weird nicknames."

    There was Lilliana, cooking wild bird eggs. The scent was appetizing, Alter thought.

    "Where should we go after eating? The fog did not show signs of clearing."

    "We still must find a way. Should we still look blindly?"

    "Then lets mark trees as landmarks."

    After eating, they immediately went out to travel. Cutting trees and putting landmarks while they go, they managed to find another scenery after hours of walking in the dense jungle. They had traveled for nearly the whole day, due to constantly returning to certain locations due to the fog. As the moon became visible in the night sky, Alter and Lilliana stopped and rested on a clearing for the night.

    Breeuurrrrr!! Breuurrrrrrrrr!!!!!

    Something roared and was rushing at them in high speed. The two immediately ducked, avoiding something huge and black that stampeded to where they had been.

    "Tha-"

    "Whoa. A huge black pig!!"

    "No its not!! Its a boar!!!"

    The black boar, with its back covered in black sharp bristles, had its red eyes glaring at the two of them. It again roared and rush towards them at high speeds. Lilliana and Alter tried blocking and stopping its sharp tusks, but the force of the boar''s charge had them flying off.

    "Whoa!!!!

    "Kyaaaaa!!!"

    Alter crashed into a tree, while Lilliana fell on the ground. But the area where she had fallen was not safe at all. Alter, recovering from the impact, and saw where Lilliana had fallen.

    "Lily, don''t move abruptly!!"

    The red haired girl was stuck in a large, wide quicksand. She tried moving her body, but it only increased the rate of her sinking.

    "Use your divinity!!"

    "I can''t!! Its eating at my powers!!"

    Alter did not have the luxury to think as the large black boar charged against him. Its body seemed to melt in the darkness due to its color,

    "Shit!!"

    He managed to duck at the right moment, its tusk almost impaling his left hand.

    "Th-that was close!!"

    Thinking quickly, he accessed his inventory, trying to find the necessary one among the sea of items inside. Another charge from the boar had forced him to cancel his search and evade it first. He had a hard time since the boar was blending in the dark.

    "Whoa!! This thing is really quick!!"

    He released his divinity and used Gold''s power.

    God Mode!

    (Deposed King Form)

    And casted time magic to slow down the rate of Lilliana''s sinking. He also debuffed the boar, slowing its time perception.

    Continuing his search, he managed to find what he''s looking for.

    "<Gleipnir>!!"

    A rope that looked like a thread had extended from his hand. He aimed for the sinking Lilliana whose chest area had already sunk.

    "Lily, grab!!!"

    Lilliana managed to catch the extending rope, and clung quickly to it. Alter waited for the black boar''s next charge, positioning himself at the right area. And when the monster recovered, it charged blindly against Alter.

    "This is gonna be tricky!!"

    Alter timed his move, and when the boar was only a few meters away, that''s when he evaded.

    "Yes!"

    He had left the magical rope Gleipnir in the air as he jumped sidewards, becoming stuck to the boar''s tusk. He lured it again, this time to the direction away from the quicksand. The boar''s actions allowed Lilliana to be lifted from the quicksand. As she was pulled to safety, she immediately activated her divinity.

    With two gods the vicinity, the boar who felt danger ran away, leaving the two panting.

    "What was that boar?! That was the first time I saw that."

    "Its... a <Calydonian Boar>."

    Alter used ''World''s Truth'' and found information about the monster.  The description tells that even a group of heroes would take a hard time defeating its tough hide.  And that it was impervious to any kind of magic.

    If he was in full power like in the past, killing it would not even make him sweat, but now his powers were limited. He needs additional help aside from Lilliana. As he was thinking this, he felt something weird. Some mysterious scent wafted throughout the surroundings, Looking to his side, Lilliana had fallen unconscious.

    "Lily!! This is-

    Sleeping Gas.

    But he did not have time to utter the words as his consciousness faded due to late realization of the scent''s origin. Before he completely fell asleep, he heard some voices. From the high pitched voiced, it would probably be a group women,

    "Had it fallen asleep already?"

    "Yeah, I thinks so. Something that can even make gods fall asleep...."

    "Mistress, lets go back to the grove."

    "Hey hey what about this man?"

    "Leave it alone, right mistress?."

    "Good, lets go. Red haired girl, thank us from saving you from the clutches of that man."

    They carried the unconscious Lilliana towards the mist.

    The last thing Alter saw was a bright silver haired woman, holding a silver bow, and was beautifully glowing like the moon.

    -Chapter End-

    Author''s notes:

    These are the newly introduced characters, if anyone might be confused

    King Cecrops- the lizard beastman King of Atheneum.

    Athena- she''s so famous you don''t have to know her anymore.

    Theseus- one of the top Guild members, recieving the ''Hero'' title after many feats. Also holds Adamantium-class membership ID in the guild. (Currently the top rank in the list)

    Antipater- an old elven warrior which lived more than a hundred years, acting as the Hellenic Emperor''s deputy.

    Perseus- one of the strongest heroes in the League.

 Chapter 13: The Huntresses

    notes: this chapter might have some errors. I  will try editing any wrong parts tomorrow

    Chapter 13: The Huntresses

    "Ughh......"

    Alter''s head hurt after waking up. He immediately remembered that he was made to fall asleep. Lilliana was then kidnapped. Such a useless war god.

    "Who in the world are they?"

    He was puzzled at the actions of his assailants. What were their intentions?

    And the fact that he was knocked down unconscious without even a fight was an embarrassment to all his past colleagues. He swore he would get even one way or another.

    "Well, better to find her immediately."

    Alter said, smiling nonchalantly, going to a certain direction like it was natural. If anyone looked closely to his left hand, it was clutching on a loose thin rope that extended to the wilderness.

    "I''m gonna go rescue a damsel in distress. Does that make me a hero?"

    The god asked himself in humor to his actions.

    ________________________________________________________

    A strange light was travelling the Mare Nostrum. Moving very quickly, it created huge waves of water along the way. If anyone could go near the light, they would see a man running so fast that his legs were already a blur. He wore a feathered cap and his favorite winged shoes. His hand was holding a winged staff with two ruby snakes wrapped around it.

    "This is bad indeed."

    He was worried, as his job had become more and more troublesome lately. Just a few minutes ago, he was at the capital of the League, and now he was heading to the royal palace at Aegyptus. After that, he must go assess the situation at the Far East. For now, he tried recalling the information he was carrying.

    "Gorgon found at Serifos? Really........ A civil war at the Middle Kingdom.............. The Lacedaemons were planning to rebel against the League? Tsk tsk................ The Demon king amassing an army..... The god of war Mars was missing? She was an idiot to enter the Strait of Death.............  Need part time clerk.... where the heck did this come from?"

    Having a wide array of information networks, he carried the info that could decide the fate of Empires. He would only tell what each empire needs to know in order to keep the balance of the world. That was his job, according to his predecessor and mentor, who already passed away.

    But that balance would soon be ruined if he fail to do his job properly. And yet, even with this great responsibility he carried, he did not failed doing his job in the most relaxing way.

    "I''ll try the new flavors of ice cream at the capital first."

    But before he could think of anything else, he failed to notice something charging towards him.

    "WHA?!!"

    He followed his instincts, and abruptly changed direction. He stopped running to find the thing that he almost collided with. What he saw made his eyes open wide. It seems it was more shocking than that of the important news he was carrying.

    "You- who, what?"

    What appeared before him was a man. But this guy was almost the spitting image of him.

    "Are you my twin or something?"

    "Of course not."

    That man replied, grinning. He held the same staff as Hermes. He also wore winged sandals. the only difference was his hat, which has wings instead of just feathers.

    "Lets have our courtesies. I am the god Hermes."

    "Likewise, pleased to meet you. My name is...."

    Before the man could finish speaking, he disappeared and in a flash, appeared before Hermes, his staff raised up in the air, ready to strike him.

    "Damn!!"

    Hermes managed to avoid his strike. But the man followed up with a kick to his stomach at light speed, and the force made Hermes fly off a long  distance.

    "Guhah!"

    With Hermes spitting blood, the man appeared to the direction he was flying to, kicking him downwards this time.

    CRAAASHH!!!!!

    Hermes crash to a small island, creating a crater a few feet wide.

    He felt his consciousness fading due to the impact. He saw the enemy walking towards him.

    "Mercury, at your service."

    The man finally introduced himself. Hermes became confused.

    "Mercury..... I..... did not know.............. such god existed...."

    " Of course you don''t."

    The man replied, staring at Hermes whose head was bleeding. He was not really built for battle, as he only served as a carrier of information, so his constitution was weaker than most gods.

    "As early as possible, we want you out of the ''theater''."

    ".....What are you planning....."

    "Haha, you don''t need to know. Our emperor''s ambition will be fulfilled, and the Imperium returned to its former glory."

    So it was the Imperium who made the first move, Hermes thought. He miscalculated, thinking that he would not be a part of this conflict. But now he was attacked by a rogue god.

    "We just need the information you currently have in that head of yours."

    "Fool, as if...... you could force me.... to tell you."

    "Oh don''t worry, at the capital, you''ll tell us all of them yourself."

    The man grinned evilly. Hermes still has a trump card to escape, his Caduceus. He just need enough time and he would be able to escape with his magic. But before he could do so, Mercury took something out of the air and threw it to Hermes. It was a golden colored net.

    "Trying to escape? Unfortunately, you can''t now."

    Hermes tried to gather power into his staff, to be able to teleport a few distance, but the mana he gathered only dispersed to thin air.

    "That net disrupts the use of magic. You''re coming with me."

    And before Hermes could react, the staff Mercury was holding bashed his head, making him lose his consciousness.

    "One down. A few more to go."

    Mercury stared at the east side of the Mare Nostrum. He successfully finished the first step of the ''plan''. Grinning, he proclaimed.

    "For the Imperium."

    And then ran towards the direction of Roma, carrying the unconscious Hermes.

    ___________________________________________________________

    Alter continued moving through the forest. Though he had great difficulty due to the surrounding fog, he still moved according to the direction of the thin rope.

    The fog still enveloped the forest even after five days had passed. Even with a guide, he cannot help but get lost for  few moments due to the thickness of the fog.

    "Where is this Gleipnir leading to?"

    It seemed that the assailants have traveled a long distance from where they appeared before. They were skilled at hiding their tracks, since Alter had not even detected at least one sign that they had passed an area.

    "Hmmm.... why does it smell slightly?"

    He had smelled something similar to rotten eggs. It also felt hotter ever since he followed the Gleipnir rope.

    "Did they found out and led me to some terrible trap?"

    He voiced out his worries, but immediately rejected it as he found no signs of such thing happening. And when he got out of the bush.....

    "Whoa!! A huge hot spring!"

    He discovered a hot spring in the middle of the forest.

    "So that''s what was making the smell. I''ve read about it in a book."

    He tried soaking a branch, then his fingers, trying to check if the water''s temperature was safe. And when he confirmed it was good, his mind told him to take a break and relax.

    "How lucky! I never went to one before. Is there volcanic activity or something nearby?"

    Excitedly stripping his clothes, he tied the Gleipnir to a tree, before slowly entering the hot spring.

    "Oooohhhhhh!!"

    The temperature was good, and the warm waters made his body relax.

    "This really is great...."

    While relaxing at the hot spring, his mind wandered on many thoughts.

    The trip to Delphi was supposed to be a short one, according to Tishia. Being plagued by setbacks, Alter suspected the Moirai sisters doing something behind the scenes, or it really might just be because of his actions and choices. The three ladies told him they could not influence his thread of fate, but now he was suspecting that they might be using some cheat or backdoor methods. But he just dismissed it in the end as paranoid thinking.

    Then, where could Gold and Tishia be. Even after losing them for only a week or so, Alter could not help but worry. Tishia was a bit naive, but not to the extent of the war goddess he recently met. About Gold, he was worried the little goddess might be up to no good, as she was mischievous in nature. He just hoped his absence would not led to any funny situation.

    About Lilliana, he wondered how that lady became the war god. Not only her abilities were lacking, but her attitude was sometimes annoying. He was not troubled though, as he found ''Lily'' interesting in many ways, and majority of it was about her naivety that led him poking fun at her.

    But how did this crimson avenger turned into a stubborn yet open person? The answer lies on Alter''s actions before they fell off the Hexareme in the Strait of Death. A strange magic circle flickered under Lilliana''s feet at the time she was defeated by Tishia in their duel.

    Using World''s Truth, he found out that the magic circle had similar effects to that of the ''Hypnotize spell''. It was a banned spell during the Dark Ages where the victim would unconsciously be influenced by the orders of the caster, and together with his friends, he set out multiple countermeasures to prevent its usage. Seeing it again now, his sense of justice was again provoked by this unknown culprit.

    He manipulated the spell and neutralized it at that time, but not all of its detrimental effect was lost. It seems that she also had ''Enfeeble'' casted on her, a spell that lowers the battle abilities of the afflicted, but he could not find its magic circle. That would explain why such a person with the divinity of a war god would be that weak.

    "Wait.... I''m being bad here....."

    He accidentally compared Lilliana with an npc who was also a war god. He had battled that god, borrowing Gold''s and the other''s powers, and yet he still had a hard time before finally defeating it. ''That was during the Dark Ages, not now'', he chided himself.

    He felt terribly weak, since all of his original connections were severed, all except for Gold''s. He thought that if the NPCs that were originally his teammates had developed sentience, what would be their reaction upon meeting him? Are they still alive? And where in the world are they now?

    Alter, who was deep in thought, did not noticed that someone else had already entered the hot spring. When he became fully aware of the surroundings, he froze when he opened his eyes.

    "Mmmm...."

    There was someone at the middle of the spring.

    ''A woman!!''

    He shouted silently, as he tried to hide himself behind some rocks. It was indeed the figure of a woman. Her lower body was submerged in the spring, and she was currently holding the center of her chest with both of her arms, as if praying.  And she had pointy ears, which would make her an elf.

    "Holy.... cow..."

    He muttered as he saw the voluptuous chest of the elf.

    Alter also started praying to the heavens for two reasons. One about thanking for the satisfying eye candy and another asking not to be snagged by this obvious death flag.

    Splosh!!!

    He heard something drop in the water. Observing the surrounding, he saw nothing, including the nude elf. After a full minute of silence, something surfaced out of the waters.

    "Wha?"

    The lady elf''s body floated on the spring with her head facing downwards, like some dead animal''s carcass in the water.

    "O-oi!!! Are you okay?!"

    Alter abandoned all form of concealment and waddled quickly towards the lady. He hugged her neck as he reached for the banks. Raising the lady''s body out of water, he immediately realized something.

    "This idiot lost consciousness and drowned in the spring??!!!!"

    He really wanted to laugh and add it to the ''Top Ten Silliest Deaths''. But he did not have any such luxury, as he immediately decided to give CPR.

    "How was that done again?"

    He positioned his hands on the middle of her bare chest and made chest compressions. Then Alter tilted her head and lifted her chin. Pinching her nose, Alter covered her seductive mouth with his, and blew in air. He continued administering CPR until she coughed out the water.

    "Cough! cough!!"

    The female elf was still unconscious, but she was now breathing comfortably. She had a very beautiful face, not incomparable to Tishia and Gold, but she looked a little more mature, giving off a feeling similar to Lachesis of the Moirai. Her wet silver hair was shining mystically.

    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.

    "Wait... silver??"

    Alter had a very bad premonition. His senses tell him bad things await him if he did not escape immediately, and his body was at full alarm. He tried to silently leave to safety, but the three goddesses of fate likely messed with him, as his feet tangled to hers and he fell towards her.

    Alter''s head fell over something soft. It was a feeling greater than a pillow, but his situation did not allow any form of wild fantasy. Because the eyes of that woman opened wide.

    The two of them nude, both of them face to face to each other. These incomprehensible events made the female elf''s face red in great shame, and then ashen in despair, and then even redder in deep fury.

    "Uh... hello."

    "A man.... a man just touched me......"

    Alter wanted to retort that he had done worse than touching. But he was scared at the bloodlust that could even beat that of Typhon''s. The elf''s eyes sparked and silver fire burned from her eyes.

    "You.... defiler........scum...............

    She extended her hand, as particles of light gathered around it, forming into a silver arrow. She tried to stab the arrow at Alter, but he managed to roll to the side and fully evade it.

    Where the arrow struck the ground, a large crater had formed.

    "I did not mean any harm!!!"

    "UNFORGIVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

    The silver haired elf stood up, and recited some words. Silver light now gathered at the outline of her body.

    "With the Guidance of the Moon, and the blessings of the Wilderness, Let the Hunt begin."

    She glared in hatred at the foolish imbecile of a man who dared defile her.

    "God Mode"

    And what appeared before Alter was a goddess wearing bluish-silver loose clothes, with a green belt around her waist. A flower ornamented her hair. adding to the pristine appearance of the beautiful maiden. She was holding a silver bow, and her figure glowed as if moon had descended.

    But her eyes, though comparable to the moon''s beauty, was glaring at Alter with murderous intent. She notched a silver arrow to her bow, aiming at Alter.

    "Die, you wretched thing."

    TWIIIIING

    And released her bowstring. The arrow glowed and seemingly gathered energy at its tip. It sang through the air and approached Alter in a split of a second. But Alter did not panic as he unsheathed Tyrfing and used its blade to strike the incoming arrow. What he did not expect was that the arrow  exploded, dealing damage to him.

    "Guhah!"

    "Fools should just die. Receive my wrath!"

    As Alter tried to recover from the impact, another silver arrow was notched and released. He focused this time on evading the incoming arrow, but it suddenly deviated from its trajectory and followed Alter as he tried to dodge.

    "Homing?!"

    The arrow followed his every move without slowing down. He managed to strike it in the end when it was only a few millimeters away from its body. But the silver goddess did not allow Alter to relax, as a rain of arrows followed.

    Alter had no choice but to use his divinity. While running he invoked his chant

    God Mode!!

    (Ancient Avenger Form)

    What appeared was a white grim reaper holding two black and white sickles. Its golden skull faced the silver goddess.

    The goddess was surprised at Alter''s transformation, but she did not falter due to her extreme hatred at him. Notching a silver arrow, she aimed at the grim reaper.

    "Eh?!"

    But it suddenly disappeared from her vision, reappearing in front of her in a blink of an eye. It jumped and raised the two sickles overhead to strike her.

    "Fangs of Judgement"

    The two sickles glowed, but even as they descended  with frightening speed, they only slashed through thin air. The silver goddess had already jumped high above, executing a somersault and releasing an arrow to the golden skull at point blank.

    FWIIP!

    But the grim reaper was gone before the arrow was even released. It reappeared on her back, but she blocked the incoming slash with her silver bow.

    "Kuh!!"

    "Too late!"

    The goddess used summoning magic, and two magic circles appeared at her side. She though, without her guardian beasts, it would be difficult to exterminate this scum of a man.

    But that was her bane, as Alter used Magic Mod to mess with the magic circles. Instead of her trusted beast companions, large vines sprouted from the magic circle like overgrowth. She was held prison by the creeping vines, as it bound her hands and feet.

    "WHA- WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!!"

    The goddess was both shocked and enraged at the turn of events.

    "Its just simpl....."

    Thinking that the threat was gone, he reverted back to his original form. And the black haired boy whom she really hated reappeared.

    "Ehem. Its just simple. I hacked through your magic."

    Having the base ability to alter magic sequences, Alter was feared by both enemies and allies alike. From a simple fireball, he could change it to a ''dragon breath'', given the circumstances. Manipulating an enemy''s summoning magic was mere child''s play to him,

    The goddess was still confused, as she never heard of someone who can do such things. She could only glare in spite at the black haired boy before her.

    "Since I''m the winner, I got the questioning rights."

    She still wanted to kill him, but she was not so stubborn as to deny the rights of the winner. She only nodded silently, all the while emitting killing intent. Alter could even feel the pressure on his cheeks.

    "Whoa! Easy there! You''re the one who was leading those group of hunters from before. Where did you bring Lilliana?"

    "...... I won''t tell."

    "Even if I do this?"

    Alter used Magic Mod on the the magic circle that summoned the vines. The vines turned slightly reddish, and it suddenly moved vigorously like tentacles.

    "Wh-what are you trying to do?!"

    "Heheheh......"

    Alter laughed evilly as the vines started creeping on her body.

    "S-stop... I... Stop!"

    If this was a Gal Game, he had already unlocked a new CG, featuring the captured female elf with tentacles. It was wriggling and already pulling on her undergarments.

    "Please.... stop that!"

    "So be obedient, shall we?"

    "Y..yes! I''ll do as you say!"

    "Please?"

    "PLEASE!!"

    Alter was not so bad as to rape the goddess using vines. He just wanted to try the things he always see on hentai. But his ego told him to stop at that.

    "Okay~"

    Using Magic Mod again, he changed the vines, returning it to a shade of green. It became docile, only binding her hands and feet. Tears had formed on the corner of her eyes, and her prior anger increased, but so was her fear of Alter.

    "For someone like me......."

    "Now.... where''s Lilliana?"

    "She was only with my hunting companions...... she''s fine and free....."

    "Who are you by the way?"

    ".... I am Lycaea, The goddess <Artemis>....."

    "I am Alter. The god Chaos. To tell you the truth, it was all just an accident."

    "...I won''t forgive you."

    So he really won''t gain her trust this easily. At least the bloodlust was lessened.

    "Bring me to your companions."

    "...I am bound....."

    "Promise me you won''t attack me..."

    "I won''t promise that. The great me?"

    "Magic Mod..."

    "OKAY! Enough already!"

    She reluctantly agreed. Alter made the vines disappear, and Lycaea was freed from her bindings. After rubbing her arms due to pain, she walked away from Alter.

    "...Follow me..."

    Alter followed the goddess. She was really beautiful, a different level than the young looking elven girls he saw at the

    capital.

    After half an hour of walking through the deep jungle, they arrived to a grove of trees neatly lined, forming a large circular clearing.

    Alter saw different young females, from elves, to humans, to different colored beautiful nymphs, and even beastmen. They were all merrily singing and eating in the center of the forest clearing. He even saw Lilliana happily eating with some green colored nymphs.

    He couldn''t believe what he just saw.

    "What is this?"

    "They are my companions in the hunt"

    Lycaea proudly said. Though she immediately turned into a frown,

    "What do you want to do?"

    "I just want Lilliana back. She''s my companion."

    "...Very well."

    As they went nearer the merry circle, lots of eyes stared at both Lycaea and Alter.

    "The mistress..."

    "With a man..."

    "H-how can this be? Did she abandon her vow?!!"

    "Is that her captive? But mistress hates men..."

    "Alter!!!"

    Different kinds of reaction were present among the girls. Lilliana, who was biting the leg of a roast chicken, made an incredulous face that looked as if she was caught red handed on the middle of an act.

    She immediately ran towards the black haired boy.

    "Don''t harm them! They''re friendly!"

    "Friendly indeed."

    Lots of arrows were notched on the bows held by the female companions of Lycaea. They were all aimed at Alter.

    "Please! He''s a good man!"

    Lilliana  tried to reason with her new friends but..

    "Oho.. so he''s your boyfriend huh?"

    "You told us you were still single but.."

    "You lied to us."

    "That''s not true!! He''s not my boyfriend!!"

    Chaos ensued as Lilliana tried to defend both Alter and her dignity.

    "I saw it. He defeated mistress Lycaea."

    One of the nymphs replied.

    Everyone became silent. Someone stronger than their mistress, they cannot hope to defeat such person,

    "I want to have peace with you all. I only came for my companion."

    Alter didn''t have any deep meaning with those words, yet Lilliana still blushed. Lycaea still found it hard to accept her defeat, so she planned to beat him in her own game.

    "I''ll accept your apologies, only if you beat me in hunting."

    "Okay. The conditions?"

    To Lycaea''s surprise, he easily accepted. Her pointy ears twitched.

    "We''ll hunt the Calydonian Boars roaming in the forest. The one who hunted the most will be the winner. If you lose, I''ll have you punished severely."

    "Sure."

    "........ its a one-on-one. No interference from companions. Summons are exceptions."

    Lycaea intended to have the advantage. Her summons would be very helpful in hunting. She was confident she would win this.

    "If I win, not only would you forget your grudge, but I want you and your companions to become my ally."

    "...I don''t understand what you are trying to say."

    "What I mean is, if I need any assistance, please help me if I ask you."

    ".....fine."

    ''How preposterous of him to ask. Well, not that it even matter. He won''t win with just those powers.''

    Lycaea secretly laughed. She would have her revenge against that boy. He would regret humiliating her.

    Alter secretly laughed, Not only will he be able to leave without anyone gaining a grudge, but he could also gain allies in this foreign world.

    -Chapter End-

    note: tiamat''s on the next chap. Sorry guys. xD

 Chapter 14: Skirmishes at the Cyclades

    No electricity last night, so delayed release. Here''s for you guys!

    ____________________________________________

    Chapter 14: Skirmishes at the Cyclades

    Artemis was the goddess of Hunting and the Moon.

    She and her entourage of female hunters would hunt around wild animals and monsters around the archipelago of <Cyclades>. In this particular island, they have prepared for the main event of the year: that is, <The Calydonian Hunt>.

    The Calydonian Boars around the island would suddenly become ferocious and increase in population. These monsters have strong sharp tusks that could impale even the armors of renowned blacksmiths, and were responsible for the deaths of multiple adventurers and even heroes. Some say the island where they spawned is a large Dungeon, but the goddess Artemis herself only thought of it as a large hunting ground.

    The current Artemis, Lycaea, had already familiarized herself with how to hunt these ferocious monsters. Their behaviors, movements, patterns, and their weaknesses, she knew it all. She was the greatest hunter in the wilderness.

    But there was a man who challenged her to her game. The impudent, despicable man who needs to be taught a lesson.

    His black irises never even showed any form of nervousness when near to her. It was actually the opposite.

    Artemis herself was uneasy near him. He had shown her his capabilities, but the insight of the Goddess of the Hunt warned her that the power he had shown was just the tip of an iceberg. He was hiding his true powers, or he can''t use it for now. If it was the latter, then she was confident he won''t win.

    But the art of hunting was her forte. Even if he was hiding unknown powers, it was still her win in the end. Even now, he was just talking with the red haired girl comfortably.

    "You''re gonna lose so bad that you''ll regret ever touching me. Now for your punishment..."

    She swore that in her mind. And she excitedly thought of the punishments she would give after the competition.

    ______________________________________________________________

    Somewhere else in the Cyclades Archipelago

    "Gold, do you know these parts?"

    "...Probably."

    Gold and Tisha were walking on the road. They have been weary of the long travel before reaching their current position.

    "These are the Cyclades Islands, during your so-called Dark Ages. But at that time, there were only two large islands. How they broke off and scattered into an archipelago, I have no clue."

    "Me neither. I had been to the Hellenic League a few years ago, but only to its capital at Atheneum, and Lacedaemia."

    "Atheneum?"

    Gold felt that the name sounds familiar. She tried to remember what that name meant. But in the end she really didn''t care.

    "Where could Alter be right now? Judging from his carefree demeanor, he must be quite in trouble one way or the other."

    "Master? Don''t worry about him. He''s more resilient than a giant."

    "You''re really confident, huh?"

    "Of course, its master were talking about."

    "Okay... uh.. what is this?!"

    Tishia suddenly felt something was off from afar.

    "I could feel divinities not far from here. My senses told me their hostile, and they''re chasing someone."

    "Divinities? Let''s get out of here."

    Gold held Tishia''s hand and urged her to leave immediately, but the goddess of justice did not budge.

    "Tishia?"

    "I wont leave. Those beings emitted bloodlust. It seems that they want to kill the one they''re after."

    "And what do you plan to do. I could feel that they''re enemies"

    "If I could go near and judge him innocent, I will save him. And the ones after him reeks of evil aura."

    ".....you''re too naive, goddess of justice."

    ".... why did you say that?"

    Gold sighed, before replying to  Tishia.

    "Why would you try to risk your life on a stranger?"

    "Its my duty, as a goddess of jus-"

    "That''s not what I mean! I''m saying, as a person, as Tishia, why would you save this unknown man? Were not even in friendly territory."

    "...Its my own sense of justice."

    "You''re going to be ridiculed for that kind of thinking."

    " I don''t care what others think. I will save even strangers."

    "....That''s stupid."

    Gold could only sigh again. She wanted to persuade this girl to leave and save inviting trouble to themselves. But Tishia''s words reminded her of Alter.

    "I myself don''t want to involve in the petty affairs of anyone, much more that of strangers."

    She declared that, but opposite to her statement, her divinity was released, and she summoned her scythe.

    "Master though, would risk his life no matter what in order to save anyone. Though I really didn''t like the idea...."

    A magic circle formed under her feet. Before she disappeared in a flash, she added.

    "...I would always do what my Master want."

    And she went ahead of Tishia, moving quickly to the two formidable auras.

    ______________________________________________________________

    <Silenus> was running for his life. It was his first time running so fast that his feet were already aching.

    It was just supposed to be a normal afternoon work collecting rare herbs in the forest for his master''s new products, but it turned into a dire situation.

    "Why did I became diligent today of all times?!"

    He would normally laze around and refuse to work, leaving it to the other servants. But his master was quite in a bad mood this time, for trouble was brewing faster than wine is, so he went to work to avoid hearing his tantrums.

    As he ran, two figures were chasing him. And both were emitting bloodlust.

    "Hey little goat!! Come back here!"

    "I''m gonna make you into skewered goat!!!"

    It happened when he was picking some rare herbs he found.

    "Oho, the old man would be happy with this!"

    He was happy as he could ask for a bonus for his wages. He was such a greedy satyr, a goat beastman. But he noticed something.

    "Hmm? Does it feel  a little bit windy today?"

    But that wasn''t the problem, as the wind is sucked from the surroundings, forming into a huge tornado.

    "What the heck!!"

    He tried to run for his life . The tornado was following the direction he was running to. But the trouble did not stop as a large human blocked his path of escape.

    "Now, now, don''t run away, little goat."

    He was grinning, and red tattoos were etched on his hands. He was wearing bronze armor, holding a shield and a spear. and his amber irises were shining.

    "Wha?"

    The tornado that was chasing him stopped, but there was a man at the center of that huge whirlwind. He had white hair and gray eyes. His eyes were  gleaming, as if interested.

    "You are Silenus, right?"

    "What do you want?!"

    The white haired man gathered the winds on his feet, and jumped towards Silenus at high speed. He landed right in front of the satyr without any noise.

    "I am <Aeolus>, god of the winds, and this here is the war god

    ."

    The man bearing red and black tattoos all over his body glared at Silenus.

    "Tell us your master''s whereabouts, and we will let you live."

    "What do you want with my master?!"

    "We just wanted to escort him."

    "To the Underworld."

    The war god Pallas and the wind god Aeolus both released bloodlust, and the poor satyr felt that his life would cease any minute.

    "....... Let me drink first. I can''t talk without my wine."

    "...... We''re thankful that you could cooperate."

    Silenus reached for his skin bottle and drank the wine inside. He will not betray his master, and will not be captured by these foolish gods.

    "Puah..... that''s great! Now what are we talking about?"

    "Tell us your master''s location, little goat."

    After drinking the wine he felt energized. He took some powder from his pockets, and threw it to their faces.

    "Ugh!! You Oaf!!"

    "Damn!! My eyes!!"

    "My master''s inside my ass, you idiots!!"

    And he sprinted away as quickly as he can. The powder though, was just an irritant, and the two gods immediately recovered. The war god gave chase, swearing and shouting, and Aeolus flew using the wind.

    "They''re fast!"

    Though Silenus used the ''wine of vigor'' to increase his stamina and speed, its gods who were chasing him.. They immediately caught up to him.

    "This is bad!! This is bad!!"

    The war god Pallas jumped, his crimson spear pointed at the small satyr.

    CHIIIIINKK!!!

    Before the war god pierce Silenus, a golden rod defended him, parrying the spear. It was immediately followed by an overhead slash from a black curved blade. The war god evaded at the sudden attack, but his bronze armor was largely dented by the single slash.

    "What the?!"

    The two gods became confused on what just happened. In front was a golden haired child, holding an ominous scythe.

    "Greetings!! "

    "...Who are you?!"

    "Pallas, he''s the girl that was with the former princess."

    "The one following that black haired boy."

    The two gods immediately recognized her from her golden hair and height.

    "I''ll ask again. State your name. You''re a wanted criminal"

    "I don''t need to tell it to someone who will die."

    So they were her master''s enemies. The girl did not care about the rule of introduction. She just positioned her black scythe to the side, and was immediately gone from the war god''s sight.

    "What?!"

    She reappeared at his side, slashing the war god. But the war god Pallas parried the black slash of the scythe using his spear, and jumped at the back to gain distance.

    "That won''t work"

    In the war god''s eye, the little girl ran so fast that it seemed like she blinked.There was not even any afterimages as she ran straight in front of Pallas. His instinct could still follow, as he was able to evade the black blade of the scythe at the last second. Before the small girl could execute a series of slashes, pressurized wind assaulted her, making her retreat a few distance from Pallas.

    "Thanks, Aeolus!"

    "Who''s that little girl?! First time seeing her."

    "Me too. A goddess?"

    The two wondered at this new enemy. Silenus was unable to move due to the pressure emitted by the three gods. Gold rushed to the two while using time magic to accelerate, but she could not easily draw near, since every time she approach, the wind would force her back.

    "Tsk.."

    "Idiot! You can''t destroy our wind barrier!!"

    As the wind god Aeolus taunted Gold, Pallus the war god rushed to engage her in melee.

    CHHIIINKK   TIIIIIINKK  CLAANK

    Sounds of metal clashing reverberated through the air.

    Scythe against spear.

    Gold was originally stronger than this, but her powers had yet to recover. She was starting to get pressed by the spear''s relentless thrusts. Then compressed air blew her away as it hit the ground in front of her.

    "Tsk... Hey you!!"

    Silenus was baffled at the identity of this young girl. She was a god, no less, but he didn''t know such god existed. She was pointing at him.

    "M-me?"

    "Run away. If you meet a blind lady along the way, tell her to hurry up."

    "Y-yes!!"

    Silenus immediately continued to sprint. Gold on the other hand, started to get serious.

    "Come, you worthless scums!!"

    Pallas, taunted by the childish voice, ran towards Gold at full speed. He pointed his spear to the little girl. The wind god Aeolus fired compressed air. Not on Gold, but to the spear that was pointing to her. The  wind that gathered on the tip of the spear immediately twirled at high speeds, forming like a mini tornado. It increased Pallas'' speed as well as the spear''s piercing damage.

    "DIE!!!!!!"

    But it was Gold he''s fighting. The Goddess of Time and the ruler of the Heavens. The small black crown on her head was not for show.

    "SKYFALL"

    Pallas who was charging immediately found something wrong. His body felt very heavy and his charge slowed, and he was shocked as he fell to the ground, unable to carry his own weight. He was being pressed to the ground, a crater forming as he was compressed harder. As if the sky had fallen to the ground.

    "Tsk...."

    But Gold could only maintain this spell for a brief period, as it depleted her magical energy that was very low from the start. The worse part is, the wind god was not affected.

    "Who are you two?"

    "We''re following the orders of  the Imperium."

    Aeolus stood in the air, glaring at her. His ally was incapacitated, but he was still free.

    "You''ll suffer for this!! Gather!!"

    Wind gathered at his side, forming into two huge tornado. The tornadoes approached Gold at frightening speeds.

    "Uh oh!"

    Even with time magic, she could not stop magical phenomenons. But she can''t get away, as the tornado was keeping her from escaping. And she exhausted all her energy, incapable of fighting seriously. Luckily, the one she was waiting for had arrived.

    With her sword of light, the woman wearing white dress armor ran at full speed. Positioning herself in front of the tornadoes, she used a skill she had recently learned.

    "Reflection of the Just"

    The scales of justice formed on her right hand, tilting to the left. Magical in nature, as long as the cause of the user was just, the attack on her would reflect back to the one who used it.

    "What?!"

    Aeolus  was forced to make two more tornadoes to defend himself, but the returned spell from Tishia contained more power, and was sucked by the raging tornadoes. After it dispersed, his armor was partly torn due to its effects.

    "Damn you!!!"

    Pallas who had just recovered, used his spear to continuously stab at the newcomer. Tishia nimbly dodged, as his movements were easily picked by her perception.

    "Its really you, blind princess?! Ha!! I''ll kill you for sure!"

    "I won''t be defeated by the likes of you!!"

    The war god''s spear clashed with the sword of light. Tishia wondered at the spear he was holding, that could even hold of her Claiomh Solais. But she immediately countered.

    The blue light emitting from her sword became denser, and as she slashed through air, the arc of light made from the sword swing did not disappear. For five slashes from each direction, arcs of light formed, shaped like crescent blue moons. Pallas avoided the sword of light, but the unmoving cresent blades of light formed in the air suddenly moved at light speed and slashed against the war god.

    "Guhah!!!"

    Coughing blood, Pallas knelt down, touched the wounds that were sizzling due to Tishia''s attack.

    Aeolus fired multiple compressed air, but Tishia only slashed them and evaporated due to the sword of light.

    "Pallas, lets retreat for now!"

    Aeolus grabbed his injured comrade, and wind gathered with them at the center. After a few seconds, the wind dispersed, and the two enemies had disappeared.

    "Gold, are you fine?!"

    "...No I''m not. I want to eat ice cream."

    "I''m sorry.. I''m really sorry..."

    Tishia again felt that it was her fault for insisting, but Gold thought otherwise.

    "Don''t worry. Master''s enemies are my enemies. It has nothing to do with helping you."

    But as she said this, her ears were a little red.

    "Let''s rest for a while."

    Tishia could only smile at the pouting child. But she felt another presence approaching.

    "Your... the satyr that was running away from them."

    "Thank you for saving me! I''m very grateful. Let me help you with anything."

    "Who are you, little goat."

    With his eyes slightly twitching at being called little goat a lot of times this day, he replied.

    "I am Silenus, right hand of <Dionysus>, god of wine.

    "God of wine? He''s useless"

    Gold immediately replied. But Tishia was shocked.

    "Gold, don''t say that. Dionysus is the owner of the taverns of the Hellenic League, and one of the members of the ''Olympians''.

    "Olympian?"

    "They are the strongest group of gods in the vicinity of the Mare Nostrum!"

    "Please follow me. My master''s at the Serifos Castle right now, and he really is in a bad situation."

    _______________________________________________

    In a clearing in the middle of the forest that was blanketed in fog, a group of female hunters had assembled. Different races of women all gathered for the competition, that is between the Goddess Artemis and the God Chaos.

    "Beat him!!"

    "Show him who''s boss."

    "You can do it, mistress!!!"

    Lots of cheers were heard from the surroundings, but the crowd all concentrated on cheering for Lycaea, which embodies the spirit of Artemis.  None was heard for the black haired boy, who only ally was the red-haired goddess of war.

    "Hey Alter. You''re gonna win, right?"

    Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

    "Don''t worry."

    Lilliana blushed as Alter gave a confident answer. She remembered the events that had happened last night.

    _____________________________________________

    "Goddess Artemis."

    Alter and Lilliana laid prostrated on the floor. Lycaea could not believe what she is seeing.

    "W-what is this? Are you excited to be punished this quickly?"

    "We''ve come for your help on Lilliana."

    "...What''s her problem?"

    If it was about a girl, Lycaea could not say no. She was also a patron of women.

    "I believe she had a curse inflicted on her."

    "A curse you say......"

    "Its called ''Enfeeble'', a curse that disrupts the battle abilities of anyone who was affected by it.

    "Enfeeble, you say. But that spell won''t work on a goddess."

    "Well, it did, actually. Here''s the living proof."

    "Hey!"

    Lycaea herself was knowledgeable of curses, but she was not one who could remove such curse.

    " But I can''t help. I dont know how to remove that curse on her."

    "I''m not asking for you to remove it."

    ""Eh??""

    The two of them thought that Alter was here to ask Lycaea to remove the spell, but that was not his intentions.

    "I ask you to help find the magic circle of the spell in her."

    ".... I could probably do that."

    Lycaea could find the magic circle using her nature magic to detect it. Its then when she realized what he would do. Its his ability to manipulate magic circles.

    So that''s what you would do."

    "Yup. For her to be able to take care of herself."

    "Hey!"

    "We''ve been experiencing a lot of trouble because of you. Should I name them all?"

    "Uuuuu....."

    "So please."

    Lycaea agreed to the request, largely because it was Lilliana. She closed her eyes and focused in front of the red haired girl. Nature energy flowed in the place where they were. The yellow flames of the campfire in the middle of the clearing became greenish due to the energy that was gathering.

    "Ugh.."

    Something reacted inside Lilliana. Lycaea opened her eyes, now flaming silver. She pointed on Lilliana''s neck.

    "Its located at the back of her throat."

    Alter was amazed at the ingenuity of the one who cursed the girl. Not only was Lilliana made to be unable to notice that she was cursed, but also the area that the caster put the magic circle. A blind spot.

    "I see... now open wide."

    "Eh?! What are you planning to do?!"

    "I can''t manipulate magic circles without seeing or touching."

    "B-but..."

    "Do as he says, girl."

    Even Lycaea urged her to it.

    "Tsk...... alright...."

    Lilliana gave up and opened her mouth wide. Alter''s fingers entered inside and started to feel the magic circle. Lilliana was teary eyed as he probed her throat. She wish that it would end faster. Lycaea closed her eyes and faced a different direction, muttering.

    "H-how lewd...."

    The process lasted for 30 minutes, as Alter had a hard time feeling the magic circle and manipulating it. Lilliana face was already wet with tears after it ended.

    "......... Now that was done, I''ll take my leave."

    Lycaea left the two by themselves.

    "Alter, I could feel power slowly flowing into me."

    "Is that so? Good news, then."

    "....Why did you even helped me with this? You could''ve abandoned me and continue with your journey."

    "Well, aren''t you enjoying their company as I was toiling the forest in search of you?"

    ''Ugah! T-that''s not it. I was also a captive, but they treat women fairly, but men as trash."

    "Haha. Not that it matters. If you really want to know, its because you reminded me of someone."

    "...really? Who is that?"

    "Umm... its far back in the Dark Ages. She was my friend. She''s clumsy and weak, but she''s fun to be with."

    "Where is she now?"

    "...She''s somewhere faraway that I could not reach..."

    "I-I''m sorry."

    "Don''t say that. Hey, why are you crying?"

    "...its... because..... you''re kind..."

    Tears flowed on Lilliana''s beautiful face. She stared at Alter.

    "Even in the short while that we have teamed up, I was just a burden. I always imagine that when I wake up, I would be left alone. But even as an enemy, you saved me. My debt to you cannot be repaid."

    "I will save anyone that needs help. I swore that to myself during the Dark Ages. And I won''t revoke it now."

    This man seemed to shine in Lilliana''s eyes. She thinks that she might just be a little bit attracted to him.

    "Hey Alter, please close your eyes."

    "Hmm, why?"

    "Please."

    "O-okay...."

    Alter obediently closed his eyes. Is she gonna change or something?

    Chuuu.

    He felt something hot that overlapped his lips. Opening his eyes in shock, he saw Lilliana kissing him, her arms embracing his neck. After immediately parting her lips, she stared at Alter while smiling.

    "Wha.. wha??"

    "Your reward. Thanks a lot, Alter. I''ll be more useful in the future."

    And Alter was left there standing in the middle of the clearing, with the blazing campfire.

    ____________________________________________________

    A silver arrow was shot through the air, exploding high up in the sky. It was the signal that commenced the Calydonian Hunt to begin.

    Lycaea immediately activated her divinity, and as the Goddess of hunting, she dashed off into the woods, along with her numerous hunting companions that she summoned.

    "I thought its one on one. That''s cheating!"

    Alter complained to himself as the enemy had a great advantage over him. But he was still giving off an aura of confidence. He wont lose to this kind of challenge.

    Activating his divinity, this time he did not use Tishia''s sigil of balance in addition to Gold''s hourglass, but used the new sigil he obtained.

    God Mode.

    (Chrono Legionnaire Form)

    Appearing before the gathered particles of light was a man wearing crimson combat jacket, with flaming gold as motif.  His eyes were flaming both crimson and gold. He was carrying two impossible weapons of that time: bloodred and golden plated pistols. A symbol of a shield and spear appeared over his left shoulder

    His mind was given information on the form he received.

    "This much consumption of power?!"

    The huge cost of maintaining this form gave him only five minutes of usage. But Alter was still satisfied as the form itself was very strong, according to the information in his mind.

    "Lets practice using it first."

    Alter disappeared from the area.

    _________________________________

    Lycaea was winning. She had hunted at least 20 Calydonian Boars in thirty minutes of time. Half the alloted time had passed, but the scorer did not report any boar hunted by the boy. She smiled triumphantly. But her smile broke when he heard thundering noises in the forest.

    BANGG!! BANGG!!

    "What is he doing?"

    She tried to tail his scent, and upon catching up to him, she became shocked.

    "Wha-what is that......."

    Alter seemingly disappeared as he moves, killing one boar after the other using the strange weapons in his hands. She had never seen those things before, that seemed like wands that shoot some unknown fire magic. The Calydonian Boars, even with their invulnerability to magic and tough hides, fell one by one as Alter moved around the forest.

    With each bullet he shot, one boar dies, and using acrobatic movements, he massacred all he deemed as targets.

    Lycaea could only wonder at the crimson figure, appearing and disappearing like a phantom. She already gave up as she saw the numerous lumps of carcasses that littered the forest. Forgetting about the competition, she only watched her opponent in awe.

    "....Time''s up!!"

    The scorer nymph almost forgot about the time, and immediately declared the competition over. Alter went near the unmoving Lycaea.

    "Hey, I think I won."

    ".....yes."

    All the female companions of Lycaea became silent, while Lilliana was beaming in joy.

    ".... As promised.. we won''t hold any grudges against you, and we will help in times of need.  Crush this runestone and we will immediately know your summons. "

    Lycaea sullenly muttered as she handed the runestone. It was the second time he disgraced her. But she cannot do anything as she was the loser.

    "Hey, don''t be so sad, it''ll ruin your cute face."

    Alter said something to console her, but Lycaea seemed to become angry at that.

    "Shut up! Take Lilliana and go way!"

    Though her words were harsh, her pointy ears and cheeks were already red, not with anger, but something else.

    "O-okay. let''s go, Lily."

    "Yes~!!"

    Lily waved goodbye to the hunters, and the two prepared to leave. Alter had almost forgotten something for the second time. He hurriedly asked Lycaea.

    "Before we left, have you seen a two-headed snake somewhere in this forest?"

    "....two-headed snake... are you referring to a snake named ''Tiamat''?"

    "Eh? How did you know?!"

    "I could talk to animals."

    He had almost forgotten that she was also the goddess of the Wild. Lycaea pointed in the direction up north.

    "Since she was a sacred animal to some other gods, we made her a shrine. Its nearby, so you could ask for blessing from her, since she''s benevolent and docile."

    "Umm... that''s not it."

    "Tiamat''s his pet snake."

    It was Lilliana who answered Lycaea, who''s mouth was now opened wide.

    "Pet? That sacred creature?!"

    The snake was a strong and sacred creature that she even scolded the nymphs who took it, and immediately made a shrine dedicated to it. The two immediately left, leaving Lycaea frozen in her position.

    They journeyed up north, arriving into a small waterfall. It was indeed made into a shrine, as vegetation was cleared and incense burned near the foot of the waterfall. Rocks were lined in the perimeter, with small glowing runes, probably made by Lycaea. But what was off was the blood that was splattered near the bottom of the falls. There were also bones of Calydonian Boars lined up in different areas. It was like the home of some boss monster.

    "Alter, this kinda look creepy."

    "Tiamat~"

    Ignoring Lilliana''s caution, Alter simply called for his pet. It was then that a shadow loomed at their backs without them noticing. Something coiled around Alter''s legs and body.

    "Alter!!"

    Lilliana became stiff as a snake similar to a small anaconda had coiled around Alter, and she was about to draw her swords, but the black haired boy fearlessly caressed the body of the snake.

    "Ahaha! You grew so fast, Tiamat!!"

    "Tiamat?! That!?"

    hiisssssssssss

    It was indeed Tiamat, but instead of the usual two, she had now four heads. With the original green and blue, now had black and grayish white. Her body had also become larger, and was now longer, almost twice a human''s length.

    "Oho, you increased your abilities?"

    Alter was fascinated, as he knew that a hydra that increases heads gains new abilities. He believed that exposure to the mist and eating the black Calydonian boar added the ''Blur'' state, and ''Invulnerable to Magic''. It was all due to game knowledge in the past.

    "Let''s go Tiamat!!"

    hisssssss

    The Hydra did not think twice of leaving the shrine and immediately followed the owner that she missed so much.

    "What do you plan to do now, Alter?"

    "Hmm.... there should be a port somewhere this large island. I have a feeling that we could meet my other companions as we travel.

    "I....."

    "Don''t hesitate. We''re friends now."

    ".... I''ll continue following you. But we must part sooner or later, as I have to find out who was manipulating everyone in the Imperium."

    "...That''s a bad idea."

    "Why?"

    "Even as their celebrated god of war, I''m sure you''ll just get arrested and be brought to execution. And then I, the hero, will need to appear moments before you get executed, declare war to a whole empire, and save you in style. Please save me the trouble of doing that."

    "Where did you get such fantasies!!"

    Its the most cliche event that could happen, and will probably be instigated by the Moirai, those three sisters. Alter didn''t want to be played in their hands, so he had to outwit them.

    "I''ll... think about it."

    "You don''t have a choice. You''re coming with me. Don''t be such a burden."

    "Ehhh?!!"

    And the two managed to get out of the misty forest, seeing a small town up ahead.

    -Chapter End-

    Bonus Content:

    "Haah...."

    Lycaea made a deep sigh. The events that recently happened made her mind and body fatigued. That boy was too much to handle.

    "Mistress, you sigh too much recently."

    One of her attendants worriedly ask. She was a forest nymph, with green skin.

    "Is it because of that boy?"

    "No!!"

    She immediately denied. What is this girl saying?, she thought.

    "Well... since you two already kissed, it can''t be hel-"

    "WHAT DID YOU SAY!!!?"

    Lycaea screamed. The nymph was frightened at her mistress, who''s eyes were wide, staring at her.

    "Whe.. when did that happened?!"

    "A-a-at the hot springs, mistress!"

    The nymph narrated how Lycaea lost consciousness due to heat, how the boy saved him, how she was not anymore breathing and the boy kissed her, as if giving her life.

    "....Did that all happened?"

    "Yes, mistress."

    Lycaea had different emotions swirling inside her. Anger for being desecrated. Grateful for being saved. Shame from being harsh with her savior. And a lot more that made her confused.

    "...that boy. Alter, was it?"

    But in the end, she was still angry for being played with the vines.

    _______________________________________________________________

    Chapter''s new characters:

    Aeolus- god of wind

    Pallas- war god

    Silenus- right hand of Dionysus

    Dionysus- god of wine and an Olympian