As a priestess of the divine, and bearing the royal bloodline that traced back to the gods themselves, a priestess possessed a unique capability.
Through total self-dedication and close physical contact, she could vastly accelerate the circulation of mana within another individual, assisting in the rapid restoration of their wounds.
Priestesses were required to maintain their absolute purity, and from the exact moment they became priestesses, their entire being belonged to their patron deity.
As maiden servants of the divine, aside from the sacred courtesans serving the Goddess of Beauty, the priestesses serving almost all other gods were required to maintain physical purity.
After all, the possessiveness of the gods was exceptionally intense.
From the very beginning under the starry sky, when Chryseis had attempted to use her first night to keep Night from risking his life, she had already betrayed her god and violated her faith toward Lord Apollo.
This devout priestess harbored a profound sense of guilt in her heart.
Yet if the object of her affection was Griffith, the Lord Hero...
From the moment she was saved in the city of Thebe, a feeling of deep yearning had been born within her.
Through countless days and nights of meticulous care and the events that followed, that feeling had long since evolved into profound admiration and love.
This hidden emotion, upon seeing Night for the second time and witnessing this brand new hero blessed with overwhelming demonic charm, suddenly broke past all restraint, leaving her utterly captivated and intoxicated.
It was like an incurable poison, making her fear its potency while leaving her entirely unable to resist, willing to fall into its embrace.
This was especially true over the past few days as she tended to Night alongside Briseis.
Experiencing that continuous stimulation of demonic charm at zero distance.
This charm, which even goddesses found impossible to resist, combined with the continuous accumulation of Night's various heroic legends, was something no woman in all of Greece could endure.
If he had only been a fraction more conscious and in better shape, they might not have been able to resist taking the initiative to mount him themselves.
If she could save Night, then even if Lord Apollo chose to punish her afterward for losing her purity, she would accept it completely.
There was even a faint thrill of slight rebellion.
For a quiet, obedient girl, performing an act that went so thoroughly against her established character was an exceptionally thrilling thing.
Presently, Chryseis planned to utilize this method to accelerate the speed of Night's recovery.
"If you are unwilling, then please keep watch for me, Briseis. I can handle this alone..." She stammered softly, her entire body growing scalding hot as a deep blush spread across her face.
She then slowly stepped closer toward Night, as her sister stood stunned.
"No, there is no need. Let me do it instead, sister. You should be the one to keep watch. Compared to you, who are a formal priestess of the divine,
I am merely a royal princess and a candidate priestess. I have no obligation to maintain my purity, even if..."
Even if things went a step further, even if Lord Griffith woke up and suddenly desired her body, she would not refuse.
Although the story of a hero saving a beauty was classic and old-fashioned, it remained undeniably effective.
To say nothing of a grand hero who, for her sake, possessed the raw might to battle two high gods and slaughter his way straight through the Greek army camp.
What woman wouldn't lose her senses after personally experiencing all of that?
Between the heavens and the earth, there was no soul more dazzling and noble than this man.
If one did not love a person like this, then who else was worthy of receiving her love?
Immediately after, Chryseis and Briseis seemed to see straight through the subtle thoughts lingering in each other's hearts.
The atmosphere grew somewhat awkward for a moment as they stared at one another with wide eyes.
Even though remaining inside the carriage was exceptionally dangerous, where anyone peeking inside could easily discover them...
One person keeping watch while the other provided treatment was obviously the best arrangement.
Yet neither of them was willing to back down.
For a moment, the gazes of both sisters turned remarkably sharp.
Even for twin sisters, there were certain things that could never be conceded.
Love is war!
Before a war between women, even if Lord Apollo arrived in person...
At this moment, completely unaware that two princesses who rightfully should have become his formal priestesses were seeing their faith grow weaker by the second, reaching a level that could be described as open rebellion as they prepared to perform outrageous acts upon his cherished hero and his sister's dependent,
Apollo was currently focused on how intense the exchange between Artemis and Athena had become up in the starry sky.
To be honest, he also wished to find certain gods to spar with right now, such as Poseidon, Ares, or Helios!
As for why Helios was included at the end:
'Apollo thought, Griffith did not utilize the divine artifact I bestowed upon him to battle, but rather used the radiance of the Sun God instead.'
Although he understood that using a lyre string in combat was far less cost-effective than using a long spear explicitly designed for slaughter, as a fellow guide along Griffith's heroic and radiant path, seeing that the youth had not unleashed his light of hope, but rather used the light of the sun to crush Poseidon and Ares, left a bitter taste.
In the future, the world would only remember that the hero Griffith used the Sun Spear of the Sun God to crush the Sea God and the War God.
Griffith might even be stamped with Helios's label within the epics because of this.
A matter of this nature felt even more disgusting than being NTR'd by his own sister, Artemis.
No, perhaps there was still a way to alter the records of the epic.
If he simply struck down Helios and snatched the divine domain of the Sun God for himself...
Just a joke!
How could he possibly commit to an action so fraught with danger?
After all, he was not an overly ambitious troublemaker like Ares.
Achoo! Apollo suddenly sneezed.
He had no idea who was slandering him in the shadows.
It seemed as though someone was repenting toward him?
He originally intended to trace the connection to see which of his believers had committed a misdeed, but upon sensing that the region appeared completely severed by a strange divine power, Apollo knit his brows.
At this moment, he remained entirely oblivious to the true severity of the situation.
Once someone sneaks ahead to steal a march, there will inevitably be a second time, and then countless times after.
Still failing to recognize the absolute truth that the struggle over the hero Griffith was a never-ending war,
Apollo assumed the entire situation had already calmed down.
The sole remaining issue lay in Athena's previous overstepping behavior.
And as Apollo stood fully prepared to step in for a two-on-one battle the moment Artemis needed his aid, he could only vaguely sense that something unfavorable was about to happen to him, yet he remained entirely unable to deduce what it specifically was.
Meanwhile, on the other side, when Night finally woke up, he discovered two soft bodies pressed tightly against his own.
Most importantly, it was a zero-distance contact in the truest sense of the term.
Hiss, this is lethal.
Was the red bean sweeter, or was the milk better for washing the face?
Well, he had tasted both now, yet he found it impossible to provide an evaluation.
One could only say this scene was far too stimulating, proving even more intense than the moment he had nearly been discovered by Zeus, King of the Gods, within his dream.
Especially upon recognizing those familiar light-blue locks carrying a faint, delicate fragrance, and those two pairs of watery crimson eyes looking directly at him,
Night deduced their identities.
"This is..."
After taking some time to digest the current situation, during which Chryseis and her sister let out intermittent gasps whenever the carriage bumped along the road and caused contact with things that shouldn't be touched, they managed, with heavily blushing faces, to finish explaining the current dilemma.
Night said, "...The hero Cycnus?"
Hearing this name might not mean much to Chryseis and her sister, but once he understood what the figure represented...
Is it you?
.
.
.
Chapter 154: My Father Governs All Sea Nymphs! Poseidon: Shut Up, You Disgraceful Son
Near Troy lay the kingdom of Colonae, whose king, Cycnus, was a son born between the Sea God Poseidon and a nymph.
He was raised by a miraculous swan on the island of Tenedos, which earned him the name Cycnus, meaning swan.
He was also a long-time companion of the Trojans.
According to original mythic history, when the Greeks made landfall at
Troy, this warm-hearted neighbor took the initiative to aid his old companion without even waiting for the elderly Trojan King Priam to send a call for rescue.
The logic of mutual survival that
Night had once shared with Hector was something this King of Colonae had understood long ago.
Had Troy not maintained a remarkably stable performance in the war against Greece and later pushed back against them, this neighbor would likely have arrived to assist much earlier.
Evaluating strictly from the myths, there was nothing unusual about Cycnus joining the Trojan side at this juncture.
Not long ago, the War God Ares had nearly wiped out Troy, pressing the city until it could barely breathe.
It was perfectly normal for Cycnus to arrive as reinforcement now.
However, when his background was taken into account, the situation turned entirely abnormal.
Night had just cut down his father, the Sea God Poseidon, in battle.
Of course, certain mythic variations also claimed his father was the War God Ares.
Regardless of which version applied, or if both mythic links existed simultaneously, it lined up perfectly:
He had cut down both of those gods, blasting both of his potential fathers until not a single scrap of dust remained.
Any son with an ounce of filial affection would be spending this exact moment plotting how to kill him, or figuring out how to offer him up as a prize to those two rotten deities.
Even if Cycnus was a staunch ally of the Trojans, he was simultaneously Cycnus, the Son of God, possessing more than enough justification and motive to strike against Night.
He harbored more than enough reason to make a move.
However, Night was in no rush to attack.
Slaying an ally before verifying their true objective mirrored some other's motto of preferring to betray the world rather than let the world betray him, slaughtering his own uncle's entire household.
To be honest, he did not suffer from such an absurd degree of paranoia.
Furthermore, with Athena currently absent, leaving him unable to operate at peak divine output while saddled with two non-combatant princesses, he had to be cautious.
It was much like standard Ultraman Taro compared to Super Taro when calling upon all his brothers.
Right now, relying purely on the reinforcement of his divine artifacts, Night could achieve a combat effectiveness on par with Achilles and Hector.
Once his physical body completed its full evolutionary transformation, he should easily reach the level Heracles possessed while dwelling in the mortal realm.
That tier in Greece where only two types of heroes existed: Heracles, and every other hero beneath him.
Commonly known as completely breaking the meta.
Even now, Night found it impossible to comprehend what kind of cheat-like absurdity Heracles's arm strength was to be capable of holding up the very heavens.
And having just awakened, he already ranked firmly within the top tier among mortal heroes.
Combined with the power of solar fire and lunar brilliance, any hero of equal rank who lacked defensive capabilities would be instantly vaporized upon encountering him.
However, Cycnus happened to be a hero who passed that specific durability check.
So he wanted to recover his mobility a bit further while observing what Cycnus truly intended to do and who was pulling the strings behind him.
The myths contained explicit descriptions concerning this hero's combat prowess.
Many people tended to overlook this formidable hero.
The story recounted that when he mobilized his army and boldly set out for the battlefield, he secretly surrounded the Greek camp.
At that time, the Greeks were mourning their fallen heroes, standing sorrowfully beside the pyres without holding their weapons, fully focused on conducting the cremation ceremony for Protesilaus.
Suddenly, the Greeks discovered they were completely surrounded by chariots and fully armored soldiers, and Cycnus unleashed a brutal and bloody slaughter upon them.
At that moment, Achilles, stationed on other ships, led his soldiers in a rapid reinforcement.
Back then, Achilles rode his chariot, fully equipped with his complete set of divine gear—chariot, sword, spear, shield, armor, and invulnerable body—assuming he could remain invincible as always, slaying Cycnus as easily as a chicken.
Yet the invincible Achilles suffered an unexpected setback against this very hero.
The javelins he hurled bounced harmlessly off Cycnus's chest; the man possessed an invulnerable body completely identical to Achilles's own.
He even offered a mocking smile toward Achilles, declaring: "Do not be surprised, son of a goddess. It is neither my armor nor my shield that blocked your spear. I wear these items merely as an ornament, just as the War God Ares sometimes wields weapons purely as a game.
Ares has no need for weapons to protect his divine body, and I am the same. Even if I remove my armor, you cannot harm a single hair on me.
You should know that I am not the son of some ordinary nymph, but the favored darling of the Sea God.
The man standing before you is the son of the Sea God Poseidon!"
Cycnus's implied meaning was a clear mockery, painting Achilles as merely the son of an obscure, ordinary sea nymph, while he was the legitimate offspring of the mighty Sea God Poseidon himself.
Even if both possessed invulnerable bodies, they could not be mentioned in the same breath.
He even claimed that his father held dominion over Nereus, the elder sea god, and all his daughters, entirely oblivious to the fact that his father's position as the Sovereign of the Oceans was actually exceptionally awkward, holding an illustrious title that was largely hollow.
Although Achilles's mother was a sea nymph, she was a presence to whom even Zeus had to show respect.
It was particularly foolish of Cycnus to choose the wrong person to pose against; he chose Ares, that loser of a War God.
As everyone knows, Ares is either on his way to failing a show of force, or he is already in the midst of a panicked retreat after failing one.
Therefore, unsurprisingly, Cycnus's ultimate fate would be a tragedy.
But at the very least, he managed to press Achilles on the defensive at the beginning.
His spear was thrown out and nearly pierced Achilles's divine shield.
The shield of ten layers of divine oxhide was pierced through nine layers, which shocked Achilles and left him unable to contain his rage.
He drew his spear and threw it twice more, yet failed to cause the opponent the slightest bit of injury.
Achilles was described as "charging and colliding like a bull attacking a red cloth with its horns, yet missing every time."
It was as if he were being toyed with completely by the opponent.
When he finally succeeded in throwing his spear again, he was briefly happy to see blood on the opponent's shoulder, only to realize he had rejoiced too early.
It was not Cycnus's blood, but rather the blood of a comrade beside him that had splashed onto his shoulder.
The reckless Achilles, burning with fighting spirit, engaged him in close-quarters combat.
After breaking his own divine sword without inflicting any injury on the opponent, Achilles, in desperation, raised his shield of ten layers of oxhide and smashed it violently against the opponent's temple.
The result was that force worked a miracle, and the opponent was actually smashed unconscious by him.
In the end, Achilles used his formidable wrist strength to strangle the son of the god to death, killing him through suffocation.
Even Achilles's divine gear could not break through his defenses, and Achilles's gear was imbued with a piercing attribute, showing that Cycnus's level of invulnerable body was even higher than Achilles's.
And yet, he had never experienced the agony Achilles endured as a child, being forged by celestial fire and washed in the River Styx.
.
.
.
(End of the Chapter)