Speaking of Philoctetes, this man actually held a deep grudge against that wicked Odysseus.
It is recorded in Homer's Iliad that when he initially set out with the army for Troy, the troops stopped at the island of Lemnos, where his foot was bitten by a water snake, leaving him severely infected by the venom.
And what did Odysseus do?
He chose to directly abandon him on that deserted island to fend for himself, showing absolutely no regard for his life or death.
Later, after Philoctetes recovered from his injuries, Odysseus brought Achilles with him to recall the marksman, only to be flatly rejected.
It was only after Heracles, acting under the instructions of the gods, personally descended to the mortal realm that he managed to convince his close friend to rejoin the war.
This tragic hero rarely made a move, but when he did, he instantly earned enduring fame, especially while wielding such a powerful divine artifact.
Night would absolutely never underestimate his strength.
On the other hand, the story of Idomeneus was even more memorable.
The King of Crete, grandson of Minos, and son of Deucalion.
A warrior of astonishing spear technique, he was the hero who followed Diomedes to write that most brilliant chapter on the Trojan battlefield, where they came remarkably close to slaying a god.
In the future, after completing the Trojan War, he encountered a violent storm at sea on his return voyage.
To secure a safe return to his homeland, he begged the Sea God Poseidon for assistance, promising to sacrifice the very first living creature he encountered upon landing in his kingdom to the god.
Believing it would merely be some small animal, he never anticipated that the first person to greet him would be his own son, running out to welcome him with pure excitement.
Thus, he endured the agony of slaughtering his own child as a sacrifice to the god.
The Iliad once described Idomeneus as being like a massive wild boar.
King Agamemnon had also praised Idomeneus exceptionally highly, stating, "Idomeneus, I honor you even above the other Danaans.
Even when the other Achaean leaders have finished their fine wine, your cup remains filled to the brim, just like mine, allowing you to drink whenever you please and enjoy it to your heart's content."
His physical conditioning was superb, a trait revealed across every aspect of his combat.
This was a powerful hero whose spotlight was frequently stolen by Diomedes, yet his raw strength remained exceptionally formidable.
Inside his war tent rested more than twenty spears, every single one of them a trophy captured from a Trojan hero he had personally slain.
A single man could hold the left wing against the entire Trojan army completely on his own, cutting down numerous enemies in a single battle.
His specific achievements included, but were not limited to, killing Phaestus, the son of Borus the Maeonian, by driving a thick spear point through his right shoulder and throwing him from his chariot.
He killed Othryoneus, driving his spear point deep into the man's abdomen.
He killed Alcathous, the son-in-law of Anchises, with a direct spear strike to the chest that shattered the protective armor shielding his torso.
He clashed against the legions of Aeneas to dispute control over the left wing, successfully blocking the Trojans' strategy to burn the Greek ships.
Even Aeneas, the founder of Rome, frequently suffered defeats at his hands.
With two such powerful heroes, one for close quarters and one for long range, cooperating seamlessly, their formation was practically flawless.
This was very likely the final obstacle.
Night looked at the pair of heroes standing before him, one near and one far, evaluating the situation in his mind.
Ajax, the great hadn't come.
Based on his understanding of that hero and their time spent together, although he hadn't explicitly spoken to convince the man to defect alongside him, he doubted Ajax would willingly participate in this pursuit to hunt him down.
As for Diomedes, the goddess he worshipped, Athena herself, was right here on this side.
Night didn't believe Athena would fail to notify her loyal believer to stay far away from the battlefield, or at least refrain from causing trouble.
Among the top heroes remaining in the entire alliance, aside from the final two standing before his eyes, there was only Odysseus left, and he was currently locked away in a prison cell.
Once he defeated these two, absolutely no one would be left to block his path to Troy.
"Halt right there, hero Griffith! Your journey of escape ends here," the hero Idomeneus spoke out first, taking the initiative to challenge him.
Presently, both heroes looked at Night with deadly serious expressions.
To be perfectly honest, unless it was absolutely necessary, they had no desire to fight this powerful hero, but they possessed a reason that forced them to battle.
If it were merely their original selves, even if they joined forces, they wouldn't harbor much confidence in taking down Griffith.
But right now, the surging power coursing through their bodies provided them with a significant boost of confidence.
At that moment, the owl Athena perched atop Night's head suddenly spoke out. "This disgusting divine power, there is no mistake, Griffith.
It is the divine power of that fellow Poseidon. That guy has actually made a move as well!"
Ever since the Goddess of Discord Eris and the War God Ares stepped into the fray, Athena had been pondering the situation.
If her perverted uncle harbored designs on Griffith, given how aggressive he usually was, it was completely impossible for him to remain quiet.
It was just like the wild offensive he launched back when he openly pursued her, his own niece.
That old, shameless pervert would resort to any underhanded method the moment he set his sights on something.
Furthermore, what Athena remained unaware of regarding the future was that Idomeneus, who in the original myths shared a remarkably close relationship with Thoas, the mortal avatar of the Sea God Poseidon, deeply revered the deity, only to be plotted against by Poseidon later on, losing his own son's soul as a result.
Poseidon's desires were as vast and limitless as the ocean itself.
The moment the sea of his desire surged, he wouldn't hesitate for a single second to utilize and play with his own faithful followers.
Pitiable Idomeneus was still working himself to death for Poseidon at this very moment, running out under his instructions just to test Night's limits.
Athena possessed ten thousand reasons to believe that if Night were defeated here, he wouldn't eventually be delivered to the War God Ares, but rather to the temple of the Sea God Poseidon.
"Sea God Poseidon?" Upon hearing the title of the sovereign of the oceans, a cold gleam also flashed through Night's eyes.
Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades.
After the three brothers overthrew the second generation King of the Gods, they drew lots to decide who would claim the realms of heaven, the oceans, and the underworld.
In the end, Zeus drew the realm of heaven, becoming the King of the Gods on Olympus.
But since the throne was obtained through such a method, his two older brothers naturally remained entirely unsatisfied, and it was completely impossible for them to lack hidden designs in their hearts.
However, compared to the reserved Lord of the Underworld Hades, the Sea God Poseidon frequently exposed his grand ambitions within the myths.
Not to mention, this guy mimicked Zeus, even surpassing him as a literal stallion, driven by a limitless desire that could violate anything in existence.
The mere thought of being targeted by a god of that caliber left Night feeling deeply disgusted.
The War God Ares merely wanted him to work himself to death, but if it were Poseidon, the god might actually ruin him completely.
Thinking up to this point, Night, who was absolutely unwilling to accept a future of that nature, felt his intent to kill boil over for the very first time.
It was a will powerful enough to boil the vast oceans, leaving him wishing he could unleash the Sun Spear this instant to evaporate the sea entirely.
"Have we been discovered?
Wait, an owl spoke?! Whatever! Since you already know, Griffith, you should understand that with the power of Lord Poseidon reinforcing me, your current self stands absolutely no chance of winning. If you choose to surrender right now, I can still—"
"Surrender...?" Night's voice echoed out slowly, cutting the man's speech short.
.
.
.
(End of the Chapter)