Bang!
The burly hunter stomped forward with force.
Accompanied by a burst of dust and the rumbling of splitting earth, his body surged forward like lightning, rapidly closing the distance of several dozen steps between him and his target.
His massive fists, brimming with fury, slammed forward.
Even before the fists landed, the air rang with the sound of a tidal wave, as if wave after wave was pressing in toward the center.
Seeing his opponent standing there stupidly, Orion's face twisted into a vicious smirk.
He had inherited the traits of the Titan giants, boasting a robust body and arm strength that was unrivaled even among demigods.
These arms, of which he was exceedingly proud, had once strangled lions with ease and overpowered a variant of the hellhound Cerberus in a contest of strength.
Before such pure brute force, even demonic beings and monsters would tremble and flee.
Any prey that dared resist had invariably perished beneath his fists.
And today, he knew, he'd be adding a living human to his hunting list.
Filled with both rage and anticipation, Orion roared as he closed in:
"Die!!"
BOOM!
His fists struck, unleashing a violent surge of magical energy as the ground beneath caved in several meters deep, and a fierce wind swept outward, instantly flattening all the vegetation in the valley and exposing bare, lifeless rock.
Hmph. And who's the idiot now?
You think you can take a punch from me?
As the thick dust began to clear, Orion, still holding his striking pose, watched in disbelief as the figure remained upright a dozen meters away.
The grin on his face froze and his expression turned sour.
"That's some strength…"
A low voice sounded, somewhere between praise and mockery.
From ten meters away, Lorne glanced at the deep trenches carved by his feet beneath him.
Casually tearing off the remnants of his upper clothing, which had been shattered by the shockwave, he revealed a streamlined, explosive, and balanced physique.
He rolled his neck, then lifted his legs, which had been partially buried in the earth, and stepped forward.
His bones crackled sharply as they flexed with reckless freedom.
This guy…!
Orion stared at his opponent, one who looked slender, yet whose physical prowess was clearly on par with his own, and grew even more furious.
"So you can take a hit, huh? Then let's see how you take a beating!"
Taking the resistance as a provocation, the hunter slammed his fists together and charged again.
His muscles bulged like they were forged from steel, his massive frame surging like a bear through the forest.
At the same time, the divine blood coursing through him boiled almost to the point of eruption.
A deep blue radiance surged from his body, like an enraged sea surging with countless waves, crashing toward his foe.
"Divine Authority Blessing?"
Lorne sensed the familiar scent of the sea in that power and inhaled deeply, recalling the days he'd been chased across the Oceanus Sea by those relentless Atlantean guards as a dark grin crept across his handsome face.
"What a coincidence. I've got one too…!"
In an instant, a thick aura of golden-red blood burst from Lorne's body like a pulsing flame, burning fiercely in the air and distorting everything around him.
A frenzy of killing intent, grim and cold, swept outward.
Orion suddenly felt as if he stood upon a blood-soaked battlefield.
And in a daze, as he looked up…
Headless titans, mindless nymphs, wingless dragons, roaring heroes—each a nightmarish silhouette, drenched in blood, born in slaughter, charging over and over again toward their doom.
At their center stood a war god wearing a bronze-crested helm and leather-braced arms, wielding sword and spear, cutting down waves of challengers with relentless precision—slicing, thrusting, cleaving.
The spraying blood and flying limbs formed a chaotic, grotesque symphony of slaughter.
—Divine Authority of War!
Damn it!
No one said Ares had such a powerful demigod offspring walking the mortal world!
Orion's face changed dramatically.
He bit his tongue to steady his mind, already being eroded by the battle madness.
His divine blood roared, and he pushed the blessings of his oceanic authority to the limit.
His fists, now like dragons leaping from the sea, smashed forward with full force.
Whoever this guy was, it no longer mattered.
The arrow was nocked—there was no turning back now!
"Good. Bring it on!"
Lorne gave a low shout, raised his arm to strike back, using this son of the sea god before him to test the results of his months of rigorous training.
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Fist collided with fist, creating shockwave after shockwave that echoed like muffled thunder in the air.
They were descendants of giants, their veins running thick with the mad blood of Titans, battle was practically an instinct from birth.
Under the influence of frenzy, the two figures cloaked in aether tides and heavy smoke clashed like wild beasts in the forest, locked in a brutal, primal brawl.
At first, relying on his inherited giant's physique, Orion had a slight advantage due to his size and raw power.
But the longer they fought, the more shaken he became.
His opponent seemed like a natural-born combat machine, constantly adapting and breaking through his rhythm, quickly forcing Orion, who only had brute strength, to falter and fall back under relentless pressure.
Realizing he was being overwhelmed by the hurricane-like offensive, Orion gritted his teeth, raised both arms to protect his upper body, and used the momentum of Lorne's strike to pull back and widen the distance.
In one smooth motion, his left hand grabbed his hunting bow from his waist while his right hand snatched arrows from the quiver, firing off six shots in quick succession.
Facing this sudden ambush, a faint smirk of mockery flickered in Lorne's eyes.
Just like his old man, this guy doesn't know how to lose gracefully.
And at that very moment, with the threat looming, the raging battle intent within him pushed his innate talent—Limitless Martial Tempering, to the brink of its potential.
Orion's supposedly exquisite archery now looked not only predictable but riddled with flaws to Lorne's enhanced perception.
With crystal clarity of thought and hyper-sharp senses, Lorne shifted three inches to the right, stepped back slightly, then flicked his curved left fingers at the center of one arrow, sending it spinning off course.
It struck a weak point between two other arrows on the left flank, and all three buried themselves harmlessly in the dirt.
At the same time, with his now-free right hand, Lorne drew the bronze longsword from his side.
With a deft twist of his wrist, the blade danced like a butterfly weaving through flowers, casually slicing down the three arrows coming in from the right.
Extreme simplicity to defeat complex tricks.
The killing technique Orion had relied on during countless hunts was so easily dismantled.
But that was enough!
Having pulled back to a distance of about ten paces from Lorne, Orion's legs flared with deep blue divine light. With a sudden burst of speed, he once again closed the gap, stepping into the danger zone within a heartbeat.
Wearing a cold grin, the hunter lashed out with a right fist wrapped in divine power, aiming straight at Lorne's seemingly undefended abdomen.
Compared to his archery tricks, he trusted his body more.
That retreat had merely been a ploy, to retake the rhythm of the fight.
But faced with the incoming blow, Lorne's indifferent expression didn't waver in the slightest.
He lightly leaned back and raised his right knee, precisely slamming the hardest part of it into the inside joint of Orion's elbow—almost dislocating the son of Poseidon's arm entirely.
So, he doesn't dare take it head-on. Looks like strength really is his weak point.
When defense falters, the key is speed—push him to reveal his openings.
Having failed to land the blow, Orion didn't lose heart.
Instead, he looked like he had just discovered a fatal flaw in his opponent as his face lit up with glee.
He ramped up both his speed and strength to the peak, launching into a violent flurry of rapid strikes.
Each move, blessed by the power of the ocean, carried the might to shatter mountains and crush stone.
Under this overwhelming assault, Lorne twisted and weaved, dodging left and right like a small boat battered by stormy waves, looking as if he could capsize at any moment, yet always managing to ride the wind and survive by the narrowest of margins.
Before long, Orion's barrage, which lasted for over ten heartbeats, gradually lost its edge in the face of such elusive evasion.
Worse still, his rhythm broke under the pressure of rising frustration, and his stamina began to drain.
Panting heavily, he finally snapped:
"Bastard! All you do is dodge?!"
What Orion didn't expect was that, rather than being provoked, the previously defensive Lorne suddenly let out a chilling grin.
A blood-hued gleam flickered in his eyes, like a lone wolf closing in for the kill, and even his fighting style shifted dramatically.
Every strike now was sharp, ruthless, and aimed to kill.
BANG!
Orion's expression shifted as he staggered back three full steps.
His right arm, raised to block, was nearly driven into his chest by Lorne's brutal punch.
The force of the blow was like a collapsing mountain or a crashing tide, which nearly shattered the bones in his arm.
As the son of the sea god was pushed back, Lorne immediately closed in, his right fist following up with a swift and precise strike.
Orion raised both arms in front of his chest to block, but soon found that this strange and shifting assault was utterly impossible to guard against.
What began as a fist would transform into a palm mid-strike if blocked, which would then morph into a claw at close range, snaring joints, or even a finger-thrust aimed at vital organs.
The attacks transitioned seamlessly, unpredictably, and without a single set pattern.
Sometimes they were vicious, small joint manipulations; other times they were heavy, concussive blows; occasionally, they came with the support of complex Hermesian script and battle spells…
In the blink of an eye, his head, throat, heart, groin, every vital point, became the focus of the assault.
Even though Orion went all-in on defense, he was repeatedly struck. Finally, battered and bloodied, he managed to leap just outside of Lorne's close-quarters range.
Three ribs were broken, his nose smashed in, and three gashes across his brow nearly reached his cornea…
This guy is both cunning and savage—far harder to deal with than any monster I've faced!
Cursing under his breath, Orion winced at the stinging pain lancing through his body and was forced to consider retreat and recovery.
As the son of a sea god, blessed with the power of the ocean, he immediately darted toward a nearby stream, clearly intending to use the water to heal himself.
But Lorne, well-acquainted with the abilities of ocean-type demigods, had expected this.
Heal yourself? Not so fast.
A cold glint flickered in Lorne's eyes as he charged forward, determined to stop Orion before he reached the stream.
However, Orion's own eyes gleamed with trickery and malice.
Got him!
The moment Lorne entered his calculated range, Orion suddenly twisted his torso and swept his fully-coiled right leg through the air in a fierce roundhouse.
Lorne's eyes narrowed.
He bent backward in a controlled fall, his right hand slamming into the ground mid-descent to propel himself into an aerial flip with the rebound.
But as he fell—
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Six sharp piercing sounds tore through the air, six arrows fired by Orion, aimed perfectly to lock Lorne's movement midair.
With nowhere to gain leverage, the airborne Lorne faced a deadly rain of arrows, sealing off every direction.
CLANG CLANG CLANG CLANG—!
In a flash of sparks and metal, Lorne landed safely. In his right hand, reversed in grip, was the bronze longsword once sheathed at his waist.
Through a subtle shift in his posture, his blade had traced a smooth arc, deflecting all six arrows mid-flight—each one arriving simultaneously.
Stunned, Orion gawked, horror blooming in his chest.
For the first time, he felt fear deep in his bones.
This opponent had animal-like reflexes, encyclopedic combat knowledge, and a body forged into a living weapon.
Every move, every breath, was a lethal technique.
It was like a monster born for war.
And indeed, that's exactly what he was.
Though Lorne hadn't received formal training in any one martial style, his divine affinity with war, granted by his godly nature, had allowed him to integrate every technique he experienced into his body, transforming them into instinctive battle memory.
That was the essence of his ability: Limitless Martial Tempering.
"Awoo~~!"
Just then, as Lorne and Orion stared each other down, a deep, resonant horn echoed from the coast, its call spreading across all of Crete.
"Roooar…"
Following that, came a sorrowful cry—like a serpent's wail, or a sea beast in agony.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, on the sea—
The last remaining Minoan warships and divine-blooded royal guards, led by a hulking Minotaur-like creature, surged forward like a blade cleaving through the beast tide, finally pushing the battlefront all the way to the Mother of Monsters.
Spears and arrows flew.
Chunks of dead, blackened flesh were torn from the Mother of Monsters, falling like sludge into the sea.
Writhing in pain, Ceto thrashed her tail, summoning tidal waves and aether surges in a desperate attempt to drown all opposition.
But in that instant, two pale yellow wings unfolded in the sky, shielding the fleet from her wrath.
With those golden wings slowly stretching wide, the merged figure of the three Gorgon sisters, now transformed into a towering hundred-meter serpent goddess, revealed her monstrous, divine form upon the sea's surface, and her cold, icy voice rang out:
"Ceto, you have no right to set foot on this land. Nor the right to slaughter its people. This ends now."
In a deep, resounding chant, the Gorgon's rectangular pupils, shining with the authority of the serpent goddess, flared brightly.
The dense, heavy divine pressure spread out once more.
One by one, the sea beasts that locked eyes with her didn't even have time to wail before they turned to stone, sinking lifelessly into the depths.
"ROOOOOOOAAAARR!!"
The Mother of Monsters, Ceto, was the first to bear the full brunt of the divine power, and she was not spared.
The gray-white erosion of lifeless stone spread uncontrollably across her entire body, leaving only half of her head barely mobile, still struggling desperately.
But clearly, it was all in vain.
The serpent goddess raised her hand slightly, and behind her, hundreds of massive snakes, her transformed violet hair, lifted their heads, hissing and swallowing the stray magic and divinity from the air, forming a giant, violet-red halo before her.
—Forced Seal: Dissolution of All Things!
"VMMM!"
In the next moment, with a trembling roar from the air itself, a dazzling violet-red beam shot out from the lightwheel, cutting across the sea.
The power to dissolve all creation pierced straight through Ceto's body, annihilating the final thread of life within the Mother of Monsters.
"CRACKKKK…!"
The colossal gray-white stone sculpture, part serpent, part fish, stretching for miles, shattered into dust, piece by piece.
As the shadow that had long loomed over every Minoan heart was finally vanquished, a thunderous cheer erupted across the coastal defenses.
"Θνη (Athena)!"
"Θνη (Athena)!"
"Θνη (Athena)!"
Soldiers, priests, civilians, even nobles of divine blood, all gazed with reverent, fanatical eyes at the figure above the sea: a goddess bearing divine wings upon a demonic serpent body.
They believed that the ruling goddess of Crete had two incarnations:
One, dwelling on Olympus, was the warlike bird goddess.
The other, lurking within Crete, was the vengeful serpent goddess.
And now, their goddess had answered their devotion, fighting for them, winning for them, securing their right to survive and thrive!
That immense, pure conviction surged like a golden river, soaking into every inch of Crete's soil, rooting this faith deep in the hearts of every Minoan.
~~
Meanwhile, in a secluded valley of Crete—
The death cry of the Mother of Monsters echoed faintly and Orion, hearing it, felt a chill pierce his bones.
Impossible… Ceto actually lost?!
As the celebratory roar rolled in, Lorne finally relaxed, stretching his limbs with ease and flashing Orion a radiant smile.
"Well then, game over…"
Orion looked at the man whose presence only grew stronger as he advanced—unbelieving.
He wasn't even fighting at full strength?!
—Run!
In the blink of an eye, Orion made his decision.
He turned and bolted toward the valley exit, aiming straight for the sea.
Only in the waters of the ocean did he still have a sliver of hope!
But he hadn't gone far when a piercing sound whistled from both sides.
Orion's instincts screamed.
He tensed his muscles and rolled desperately to the ground.
"Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!"
A bone-white throwing spear and two bone-tipped arrows barely missed his skin, embedding themselves deep into the rock behind him.
Then came the sound of bone grinding against bone—sharp and grating.
Two warblades and two spears followed, thrusting directly at Orion's head and chest.
"GET LOST!"
In a burst of desperation, the son of Poseidon unleashed the divine power within him.
A deep blue aura exploded outward, blasting away the incoming weapons.
But just then, three more skeletal figure, each one wielding close-combat bone weapons, rushed in from the rear in staggered formation.
"Dragon-Tooth Warriors!"
Orion glanced around at the seven serpentine-featured skeletal monsters clearly lying in wait and cursed through clenched teeth.
Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't fear these gold-tier summoned creatures, at most they'd be troublesome.
But now, in flight, every second of delay was deadly.
"OUT OF MY WAY!"
Orion once again flared his divine energy in a furious attempt to smash through the encirclement.
But then—a flash of gold.
Pain lanced through his right leg, and he stumbled, falling heavily to the ground.
"Woof! Woof woof!"
Beside him, a golden hunting dog barked cheerfully, tail wagging proudly as it trotted to its master, rubbing against his leg for praise.
Lorne, standing nearby, calmly reached down and patted the dog's head in reward.
Orion's eyes nearly burst from his sockets with rage.
These things… were supposed to be his!
It was all that stubborn old man's fault!
It was all this damned outsider's fault!
Seeing there was nowhere left to run, Orion steeled himself and quickly pulled the final three arrows from his quiver, drawing them to his bowstring.
"Splat!"
But a bronze longsword, hurled with deadly precision, flew through the air and its cold blade not only severed the bowstring but also sliced off Orion's entire right arm.
Hot divine blood sprayed violently, splashing across Orion's face.
A brief moment of numbness was quickly followed by searing agony, causing the son of the sea god to clutch his mangled limb and howl in anguish.
"AAAH! My hand! My hand!!"
"Don't worry… the pain won't last long…"
The gentle voice, seemingly meant to comfort, instead sent a chill straight down to the soul.
Lorne calmly stepped forward, pulling his bronze sword from the earth with a serene smile.
Orion, clutching his severed arm and crawling back in desperation, saw the demon standing over him, raising his sword with merciless resolve.
Panic overwhelmed him, and he cried out toward the sky in terror:
"Father, save me!!"
In an instant, the clear skies above twisted, pulling moisture from all directions to form a deep blue vortex—like an inverted whirlpool, descending upon Orion's position.
Sensing the immense oceanic divine power within it, Lorne's expression darkened.
Poseidon.
He hadn't shown himself at the main battlefield, choosing to abandon the ancient god Ceto just to save this demigod son?
But faced with the sea god's intervention, a flicker of cold determination surged in Lorne's eyes.
If he matters this much… then he absolutely must die.
"VMMM!"
His ruthless will surged into his sword, driving its sharp bronze edge down.
"Fath—"
Orion, delighted by the hope of salvation descending around him, barely managed to utter the first syllable of "Father" before the joy froze on his face.
His body trembled violently, then burst into a cloud of blood mist.
The life in his eyes extinguished instantly.
From the heavens came an enraged roar.
The descending blue vortex morphed into a massive sky-piercing hand, aiming to crush the mortal insect who had dared to defy divine will.
"You insolent wretch! You court death!!"
In that moment, Lorne felt as if he had been dropped into the deepest trenches of the ocean.
Every cell, every muscle in his body was being crushed from all directions.
He could almost hear the snapping of his own bones and the tearing of his flesh.
Divine grace is like the sea.
Divine wrath is like a prison.
Unseeable. Untouchable.
They are the laws of the world—the lords of creation.
"Hmph~!"
Just as the colossal hand was about to crush the defiant mortal, a cold snort echoed from midair.
A golden spear fell from the sky, its crescent-shaped edge slicing through the overwhelming surge like a blade through water.
"Splat!"
With a muffled sound of flesh tearing, the massive sky-hand was cleaved apart by the golden spearhead.
Gold-blue divine blood rained down from above as a grunt of pain echoed across the sky.
Lorne, caught in the middle, was drenched in the divine ichor.
On the altar within his mind, the twelve-sided dice spun wildly, and a powerful resonance thrummed through his body.
In that instant, the crushing oceanic pressure vanished completely.
In its place, Lorne's blood surged like a rising tide.
His bones, his nerves, his flesh, even his soul, everything felt as if it was being scoured and purified by wave after wave of seawater.
Seizing a fragment of Poseidon's divine oceanic authority?
So this… is the [Chance] I rolled?
A dawning clarity entered Lorne's heart.
He released his mind, embracing this hard-won Gift of Fate, as his consciousness was engulfed by the sound of crashing waves.
His body, no longer in his control, collapsed forward.
But instead of hitting the ground, his head fell gently into an open embrace.
At this moment, warm voice whispered in his ear—gentle, filled with sincere praise and a deep, complex emotion.
"You've done well…"
Hearing that familiar voice, the last thread of clarity in Lorne's mind snapped before his head sank into a soft, warm embrace, and as darkness closed in, one final thought surfaced in his mind.
I was mistaken before...
Athena… really is quite big…
(End of Chapter)