"Let him pass, Lesser Ajax."
There was no one in this world who could resist the profound charm of a self-sacrificing hero.
If anyone could, it would only be someone completely devoid of a brain or driven entirely by raw selfishness.
After Phoenix finished listening to the entire sequence of events, thoroughly won over by that noble spirit, he chose to directly disobey the War God's command and let Night leave in peace.
Lesser Ajax, however, was highly displeased.
He happened to fall precisely into that category of brainless and extremely selfish individuals, as he shouted excitedly, "Are you out of your mind?
I have absolutely no intention of facing the War God's fury alongside you, let alone giving up this perfect opportunity to make a name for myself!
The gods watching from the heavens will all witness my glory when I crush Griffith! Hahahaha!
He was actually stupid enough to strip off a divine artifact of that caliber and return it to Achilles! He brought this death upon himself, and he has nobody else to blame!"
Having spoken his mind, Lesser Ajax completely ignored all attempts to stop him.
Spurring his horse forward, he led the portion of the army under his command to charge straight at Night with murderous intent.
Briseis clutched Night tightly in her panic, her small hands beginning to rub erratically against his torso once more.
Feeling the soft warmth and friction against his abdominal muscles, the latter thought, Seriously?*
To be honest, this girl was wonderful in every way, but this habit of rubbing around whenever she got anxious was something he could really do without, especially when they were literally on a battlefield.
Night naturally heard the roaring voice of Lesser Ajax as well, however he didn't pay any attention to the insect.
Instead, he shifted his state of absolute calm to its maximum threshold, entirely tuning out the rising heat caused by those restless little hands.
"Hold on tight, Briseis! We are speeding up now!"
Night's icy voice snapped Briseis back to reality, and she instinctively followed his command, clutching him even tighter.
Immediately after, he spurred his horse into a furious gallop forward, simultaneously drawing out the Sun Spear.
Lesser Ajax widened his eyes.
'Wait, the air feels like it's turning a fraction hotter. Is it an illusion? Whatever.'
'It doesn't matter! Excellent!
A thousand soldiers against one, the absolute advantage is mine!'
Convinced that even the gods should be charmed by his glorious display, the fearless, cocky youth charged headfirst toward Night without a single care.
The very instant the two sides closed the distance, Night suddenly stood straight up on the back of his horse.
Boom!
Hoisting the Sun Spear, capable of tearing through the atmosphere, high, as the solar fire wrapping the weapon transformed into arcs of golden lightning, he violently hurled the light-spear straight down, piercing the earth.
The golden lightning ravaged the ground, instantly illuminating the battlefield until the sky turned as bright as broad daylight.
Lesser Ajax didn't even have time to react.
The confident smile remained frozen on his face for a single split second before he was completely swallowed by that terrifying flash of lightning.
Under the extreme heat, he was vaporized instantly until not a single trace of blood or bone remained, and the entire area surrounding him was thoroughly swept clean.
Night utilized the true ether lingering in the atmosphere to wrap his steed, riding straight forward across the massive, scorching crater that had just been blasted into the earth.
As the horse leaped to the opposite side, the remaining soldiers stared at the massive gap that had been torn into their ranks.
These Greek soldiers, who had been marching forward under Lesser Ajax's command, now displayed expressions of absolute terror upon losing their leader.
At this exact moment,
Night looked to them exactly like the Nameless King descending upon the Archdragon Peak in a certain game world.
An invincible firstborn of the sun, a dragon-hunting god of war born from an ancient conflict, arriving amidst a storm of golden lightning and fire, holding a light-spear that illuminated the heavens much like the lightning-wielding Zeus.
Atop the high mountain wrapped in clouds, he stood awaiting the arrival of anyone brave enough to ring the bell and challenge him.
Deep presence, light, darkness, and human nature all became entirely meaningless before the sovereign of thunder.
The absolute debut of the Sun Spear displayed an immensely powerful force.
The difference was as vast as whether one held the divine authority of the lightning-wielding Zeus himself.
"Retreat, soldiers. I have no intention of causing unnecessary slaughter, nor do I wish to battle my own compatriots.
There is no reason for you to sacrifice your lives for a meaningless conflict," His voice echoed out.
Already harboring an immense reverence for his power, and having learned about Griffith's legends and experiences, these Greeks were thoroughly unwilling to treat him as an enemy, and they promptly parted to give him a clear path.
At the same time, a silent, unspoken complaint against a certain War God began to stir in the hearts of the soldiers.
The hero Griffith had originally come to aid Greece, yet he had been forcibly driven to the opposing side by the War God's coercion.
Who else could they blame for this?
They were utterly unwilling to wage war against Griffith, the man who had preserved the final sliver of Greek honor!
Who was the hero who had defended their ultimate glory in that decisive battle despite his honorable defeat?
Why on earth were they standing here trying to fight him?
Ultimately, Night departed without further hindrance.
Phoenix let out a sigh, watching his departing silhouette until it completely vanished from sight.
At the same time, he felt deeply shocked yet glad that he hadn't been arrogant enough to strike.
After all, the hero in front of him, still possessed such terrifying strength even after losing Achilles's full set of divine gear, if he had attacked...
Cold sweat drenched Phoenix's back.
It turned out that it wasn't a case of him showing mercy and letting the man go; rather, it was a case of the opponent harboring a thread of camaraderie, sparing his life for the sake of their shared lineage and his connection to Achilles.
Finally, Phoenix dismounted from his horse, drove his longsword into the earth, and offered a deep bow toward the horizon.
This was a gesture of profound gratitude for being spared and surviving the encounter.
He would likely never be able to forget that spectacular sight for the rest of his life.
The image of the hero commanding golden lightning and fire, moving across the land like a shooting star as a deafening roar echoed, shattering an army to pieces in the blink of an eye.
A numerical disadvantage had been reduced to an absolute joke.
Perhaps this battlefield truly belonged only to those authentic heroes, and ordinary, weak individuals like himself simply did not belong here.
As Phoenix indulged in boundless emotion, a thread of dread toward the battlefield began to stir in his heart.
The scene of countless soldiers being reduced to absolutely nothing along with the massive crater the moment they were merely clipped by the lightning and fire played continuously behind his closed eyes, forcing him to fear this war as a mere human.
'War God! What kind of powerful monster are you forcing us to face?
Perhaps a hero like this can only be handled by the gods themselves!'
What on earth was that divine spear?
Even though he had returned everything to Achilles, why did he still possess such a horrific divine weapon?
If any other heroes saw Griffith's current state and assumed he was weak and easy to bully, they would surely face the exact same end as Lesser Ajax.
And thinking of Lesser Ajax, a man who talked big but lacked any real ability, yet was instantly killed in the blink of an eye, Phoenix couldn't help but let out a shudder of pure dread.
At this moment, he had no idea that the owl resting on Night's shoulder was actually the Goddess Athena herself, otherwise he would be even more grateful to be alive.
No, perhaps the very instant he learned a goddess was present, the realization alone would have scared him unconscious.
To sum it all up, the War God Ares was an absolute saboteur.
If Ares had dropped even a single hint regarding Athena's presence, heroes like Lesser Ajax would never have been so reckless.
However, there were no ifs.
.
.
.
(End of the Chapter)