— — — — — —
Mount Olympus
A handso man with short golden hair stood bare-chested, his expression dark as he stared at the red-haired, sharp-featured man before him.
"Apollo, why are you stopping ?"
Apollo didn't answer. He simply looked at Hers with cold, unyielding eyes.
"Tch." Hers clicked his tongue, his face sour, and stepped forward again.
"He's just a human. Not worth this. Step aside, Apollo. As long as you leave my temple, I'll pretend none of this ever happened."
He spoke as he continued walking, keeping a wary eye on Apollo, afraid this god might strike without warning.
One step. Two steps.
When more than half his body had passed Apollo, Hers finally let out a breath of relief.
Losing an avatar to Ryo after backing down made his blood boil, but Apollo's stance was sothing he couldn't ignore.
In all of Greece, the god of light stood second only to Zeus. Even Hers had to show him so respect.
"I'll only break one of his arms," Hers said as he prepared to leave.
Hers fully intended to teach that man, the one who dared provoke him, a lesson he would never forget.
Just as Hers was about to step out of the temple, Apollo finally spoke. "Athena has left the Temple of Wisdom."
Hers' raised foot froze in midair.
Athena left her temple? Was she heading to Arcadia for the leader's debut battle?
"As one of the Twelve Gods, why would she…"
Hers' face filled with shock.
As a dominant force in the lower layers of Little Garden, every move made by the Twelve Gods was watched and analyzed by countless factions.
Athena lowering herself to personally go to Arcadia was clearly a signal of sothing extraordinary.
Was she planning to protect Ryo?
Hers hesitated.
He didn't dare provoke Athena.
That woman was called the Goddess of Wisdom, but in Hers' eyes, she was more like a berserker. The kind who, once enraged, never stopped.
He had no desire to end up like the Demon Star Algol, sealed away for eternity.
"…"
Hers fell silent.
At that mont, Apollo let out a soft sigh. "Want a drink?"
"…Sure," Hers replied stiffly.
He understood. At least until Athena returned, he couldn't lay a hand on Ryo.
'But Athena's reckless move wouldn't just affect …'
As that thought crossed his mind, Hers couldn't help glancing toward the peak of the mountain, where Zeus' temple stood.
Thunder rolled endlessly there.
---
Noon - Arcadia City, the temple district.
This temple had once been dedicated to Shirayuki-hi, the Snake Water God. But after she was forced into joining Arcadia, it beca Arcadia's property.
The banquet welcoming visiting communities was being held inside.
Hotel staff temporarily hired from the City were laying out exquisite cold dishes on long tables covered in white cloth.
Wine brewed by phantom beasts, magical fruits purchased from spirits, and master chefs preparing Japanese-style cuisine on the spot.
Add to that the mbers of countless communities, of every race and appearance, gathered from all corners of the world to participate in the Gift Ga. The scene looked like a lively masquerade.
Yet strangely enough, the atmosphere was heavy and stifling.
Several well-dressed beastn clustered together in small groups.
"You got the news too?"
"I did… but is it real? Arcadia actually offended the Greek Gods?"
"Offended? That's putting it lightly." One beastman lowered his voice deliberately, fear etched on his face. "I bought intel early this morning. Lord Hers' avatar was killed."
"And the one who did it was a subordinate divine beast of Arcadia's leader."
"..."
"Hiss… how did he dare?"
"Maybe he's still living in the glory days of Arcadia Alliance."
"Idiots who cling to past glory and can't see reality are everywhere in Little Garden."
"But even at their peak, Arcadia wouldn't dare offend the Twelve Gods, right?"
"Maybe he thinks he needs to surpass his predecessor?"
"Surpass her? Lady Canaria? Don't joke. Who could compare to the one who cleared the Last Embryo?"
"Yeah. Arcadia's leader really made the worst possible decision."
...
Listening in on those conversations through his Gift, Mandora Doltrake's face looked awful.
At that mont, his younger sister, Sandora Doltrake, the candidate for the next leader, curiously surveyed the surroundings and asked in confusion,
"Mandora-nii, why aren't we going to Arcadia's headquarters to see Lily and the others?"
Half a year ago, Arcadia and Salamandra had been allies. Both sides' upper echelons wanted the next generation to build friendships.
Because of that, Sandora, Salamandra's future leader candidate, had gotten along very well with Arcadia's younger mbers.
At seven years old, Sandora had t Jin Russell, Lily, and the others back then, and they beca friends.
This reunion, after half a year apart, was sothing she had been looking forward to.
"..." Mandora hesitated.
The decision to sever ties with Arcadia had been made privately by him. Sandora knew nothing about it.
To avoid affecting her training, Mandora had even ordered community mbers to avoid the topic so she wouldn't overhear.
But after Arcadia's revival, he planned to let Sandora continue bonding with the reborn Arcadia. At the sa ti, he himself would co here to shoulder all the bla, apologize in person, and hand over authority early to Sandora, who was destined to beco Salamandra's leader anyway.
But now, he regretted it.
If he'd known Ryo would be dumb enough to headbutt Olympus, he'd have to be insane to walk into this death trap.
What was Arcadia's leader thinking? Did he believe that just because he was so four-digit, Greece wouldn't dare act?
Was his brain lost? Even if he was strong, so what?
The stronger and more obnoxious the enemy, the more the God of War, Ares, loved tearing them apart. That madman didn't care who you were. Show hostility toward Greece, and Ares would personally co down to slaughter you.
Aside from Athena and Zeus, almost no one could rein him in.
And Ryo didn't just show hostility. He stomped Olympus' face into the dirt.
These small, clueless communities might not understand, but Salamandra, once a four-digit community, certainly did.
Ares might already be on his way.... This wasn't so proxy fight. This was the God of War entering the battlefield himself.
Who the hell could survive that?
Damn it. Why did I cheap out last night and not buy so intel? If I had, how would things have co to this?
Mandora looked around at the crowd, mostly made up of newly risen communities. Of course he knew the old, established ones had already gotten the news and fled.
It was just a leader's debut battle. Who would stay and be buried with Arcadia? At least Salamandra wouldn't.
Mandora's mouth twitched as he grabbed Sandora's hand.
"Sandora, we're going sowhere else."
"Oh!"
Sandora's eyes lit up. She thought Mandora was finally taking her to Arcadia's headquarters, and happily let herself be led away.
The mont they stepped out of the temple gates, they ran straight into a group approaching them.
From within the group, Leticia said in surprise, "Huh? Isn't that the kid from the Salamander family?"
Mandora stiffened.
Staring at the people blocking the entrance, he felt like he was looking straight at the god of death.
.
.
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