"Hurry up and help!"
Seeing the subjugators falling into a perilous situation, the Gemini brothers stood up subconsciously.
"Wait a moment first!
They are divine descendants after all; they can hold out for a while."
Lorne once again held down the Gemini brothers, who wanted to rush out to rescue their teammates as he gaze scrutinized the battlefield with cold severity, his eyes flickering darkly.
"Besides, don't you two find it a bit strange?"
The Gemini brothers looked at each other, then turned blankly toward Lorne.
"Strange?"
"What do you mean?"
Lorne raised a hand to his forehead, speaking up with a trace of exasperation to remind them.
"We were scheduled to enter the mountains today to subjugate the Beast Disaster, yet the outpost fell just the night before.
Not only was the garrison completely wiped out, but the scene also left behind active trails of magical beasts all the way.
We simply followed this path and arrived straight at the source of the Beast Disaster, isn't that a bit too coincidental?"
Hearing this, the two brothers subconsciously raised a doubt based on their past hunting experience.
"Isn't it very normal for magical beasts to carry captured prey back to their nests?"
"Most of them are just beasts; it fits common sense that they wouldn't know how to hide their tracks."
"That is true," Lorne nodded, countering with a dark question.
"But if their actions follow pure instinct, then why did we only encounter one decent attack on our way here?
This is the source of the Beast Disaster; why did those highly territorial magical beasts let us in so easily?"
The two brothers knitted their brows, falling into deep thought.
Indeed, the resistance they encountered along the way seemed a bit too minimal.
What they met previously were mostly low-rank magical beasts, and only that Chimera could barely be considered a threat.
But one had to remember that when they passed near this area a few days ago, they had encountered a full two high-rank magical beasts possessing Typhon's divinity; the [God-Runed Demonic Boar] and the [Three-Headed Dragon-Serpent], along with a massive swarm of demonic wolves and demonic boars roaming onto the mountain pass.
Even as sons of Zeus, the Gemini brothers had nearly perished on the spot due to a moment of carelessness.
Logically speaking, the further they pushed into the deep mountains, the stronger the magical beasts they encountered should be.
Yet the reality was that ever since that Chimera led a massive wave of magical beasts to launch a round of attacks and failed, they had barely encountered a decent opponent for the rest of their journey.
It was as if those high-rank magical beasts were intentionally avoiding them.
Could it be that...
"These magical beasts are deliberately luring us in!"
"This place is a trap?"
The two brothers looked at each other, staring at Lorne with dumbfounded expressions.
"At first it was just my suspicion, but now..." The latter turned his head to look behind them.
"There's a beast tide converging rapidly from the north and east, roughly estimated to be over a thousand beasts!" Atalanta leaped down from the tree branches, her face looking unsightly.
"There are more coming from the south and west too! A lot more!" Medea pulled her staff out from the ground and turned her head to answer, her forehead sweating slightly.
Hearing this, the Gemini brothers' hearts sank.
They had fallen for a scheme!
But even more doubts followed immediately.
"How could the magical beasts know our route of action, and even execute a precise counter-surrounding after luring us here?
Don't most of them lack intellect?"
"Magical beasts don't possess this kind of wisdom, but what about a human?"
Hearing Lorne's deeply meaningful counter-question, the Gemini brothers stared at each other blankly, a jolt running through their minds as a surge of chill rose in their hearts.
"There's a traitor?"
Lorne nodded, looking darkly toward the subjugator army that had already fallen into a heavy encirclement, and added in a deep voice.
"[That person] is not only among us, but likely holds a high position."
"Then why didn't you say so earlier?"
The Gemini brothers asked subconsciously, their eyes full of incomprehension.
The latter rolled his eyes at the two of them, asking back with a sigh: "Without concrete evidence, even if I wore out my lips talking, it would only leave you half-believing. Do you think they would have believed me?"
"..."
Hearing this, the Gemini brothers scratched their heads awkwardly, left completely speechless.
They could only shift the topic sheepishly.
"Who is that person?"
"Whose behavior is the most anomalous, who was the most eager to lead us into this dead zone; whoever that is carries the greatest suspicion."
Lorne answered in a deep voice, his eyes carrying a deep layer of meaning.
The Gemini brothers fell into memory. By piecing the information together, a certain suspicious figure gradually became clear in their minds.
But their expressions also gradually turned bizarre.
They raised their eyes darkly toward a certain individual within the subjugator army, murmuring in low whispers.
"Hippomenes?"
"No way..."
The conclusion they arrived at left them somewhat incredulous.
Yet if they thought about it carefully, this rookie commander indeed seemed to be shrouded in riddles and a sense of dissonance.
On one hand, this person was completely obscure, yet right on the verge of departure, he leaped to become the commander of the subjugator army;
On the other hand, during the journey, he seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally fanning the emotions within the ranks, indulging the army in making mistakes, and luring the ranks step by step deep into this encirclement.
Previously, the two of them had merely put forward a reasonable suggestion, yet they were assigned to the front to be responsible for the most dangerous task of scouting the path.
Had Lorne's trio not proactively joined the team, the two brothers would likely be dead or severely wounded by now.
Thinking about it this way, that commander's attitude was indeed rather suspicious.
Moreover, the five of them who were responsible for scouting had just gone missing, and the fissure ahead was clearly teeming with an ominous aura.
Under such circumstances, even a novice leading troops should have become alert and sent out a few more scouts to investigate, confirming the situation before advancing.
Instead, he didn't even think about it, bringing everyone straight into that dangerous zone.
As for the reason he used to urge the subjugators to advance, it was because he was worried about the safety of the five of them...
If this commander truly cared that much about them, why did he place them at the very front line of the most dangerous scouting path?
But doing this, what benefit did it bring him?
Unable to figure it out after a hundred thoughts, the Gemini brothers looked at Hippomenes, who was currently leading the subjugators to fiercely resist the impact of the beast tide on the field, and gradually felt a few fractions of doubt regarding their own deduction.
Could it be that this was a mistake?
Seeing the two brothers starting to waver, Lorne spoke with a smile.
"Whether the answer is correct or not, won't we know just by testing it?"
Testing it?
Just as the two were feeling puzzled, they saw Atalanta beside them already leaping onto a high platform, slowly drawing her bowstring to full extension.
~~
Meanwhile, before the fissure.
Facing the sudden beast tide, the caught-off-guard subjugator army fell into a bitter struggle.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
Rows of javelins were hurled out, arrows were launched, and spell bullets dropped.
The charging faction of magical beasts resonated with explosions everywhere, as dozens of demonic wolves and demonic boars struck by the attacks blew to pieces.
However, facing that monster army numbering a full thousand-odd heads, the results of the subjugators' attacks at this level appeared negligible.
And what was even more fatal was that these offensives they took pride in could only resolve low-to-mid-rank magical beasts; against the crowd of Typhon's sub-species progeny, the effect was minimal.
Approaching the time of sunset, the fierce cold wind over the wilderness made one's cheeks ache with pain.
The dried blood looked like wildly smeared paint, extremely high in visual impact.
The surroundings of the subjugator army were littered with incomplete corpses.
They were stacked and piled atop one another, some belonged to humans, others to magical beasts.
But the deceased magical beasts were mostly of the low-to-mid-rank species.
More than ten Typhon's sub-species progeny stood at high positions, blocking the surroundings.
They didn't seem in a hurry to personally enter the fray, continuously urging the magical beasts under their command to launch round after round of charges, consuming the magical power and energy of the human side as much as possible.
"Roar!"
Before they could even mourn for their comrades, the magical beasts, whose formation had barely been forced apart, assembled and charged once again under the low roar of a white Chimera.
At the same time, two tan-colored Chimeras surrounding the white Chimera also joined the formation, increasing the difficulty of the combat round.
Under the high-intensity battle of attrition, the several hundred subjugators were already somewhat exhausted.
Whether the spellcasters originated from the Temple of Artemis, the Hermetic sect, the Cult of Dionysus, or the Eleusinian Mysteries, their magical power was about to run completely dry, completely unable to squeeze out much magic.
At the same time, the javelins and arrows had been entirely used up.
Lacking support from the rear, the divine-blooded warriors holding the front lines could only tightly grip their long spears and shields, crowding together with their comrades.
Relying on one another's support, they mechanically and numbly lunged forward.
But because humans were far inferior to creatures like magical beasts in terms of muscle power and endurance,
Consequently, after the mutual clashing and slaughter barely sustained a few rounds, the defensive formation the subjugators relied on to maintain their lines began to lose its shape.
Bang! Bang!
Two tan-colored Chimeras standing several meters tall took advantage of the momentum to charge over, raising their heads to smash apart two round shields.
Crack!
Amidst the crisp sound of snapping hand bones, two divine-blooded warriors at the end of their ropes were sent flying while vomiting blood.
Their defenseless, heavily injured bodies dropped toward the rear, falling into the pack of magical beasts to be trampled into minced meat.
Seeing an opportunity to exploit, dozens of demonic wolves on the flank let out excited low roars, saliva dripping from their mouths as they immediately ran and converged, continuously crashing against the gap in the formation opened up by the two Chimeras.
Humans consumed the flesh and blood of magical beasts and the essences of magic potions, thereby gaining bloodline elevation and self-advancement.
Similarly, the magical beasts themselves could also devour the divinity and magical power on these humans possessing divine blood during the process of preying upon them, reaching higher levels of life.
Natural selection, survival of the fittest—it was precisely thus.
Furthermore, according to the divine oracle, the more humans they successfully preyed upon, the more satisfied the Monster Progenitor who created them would be.
If they could please the god through these slaughters and sacrifices, thereby earning a glance from that Monster Progenitor, they would inevitably receive even more bountiful rewards!
"Get lost, trash!"
Accompanied by a coarse, violent shout, a figure as burly as a giant bear crashed into the pack of demonic wolves like a cannonball.
Deep-blue ocean divine power kicked up a glowing giant wave that surged and vibrated toward the surroundings, instantly sending the hundred-odd demonic wolves before the gap flying outward.
Under this fierce, titanic strength, bursts of blood mist exploded across the bodies of the demonic wolves, the sound of breaking bones within their bodies echoing continuously.
For a moment, those who weren't dead were severely injured.
The subjugators' defensive line, which had been on the verge of collapsing, stabilized once again.
It was the saint of the Cult of Dionysus!
The heroes cast grateful glances toward Polymnus, who had rushed to save the situation.
That burly and honest-looking middle-aged man nodded, then raised his hand, unhooked the ambrosia wine possessing a certain healing effect from his waist, and tossed it behind him, speaking with solemn severity.
"Those who have lost their strength, retreat into the center of the camp and grasp time to recover!
Those who can still fight, form up and follow close behind me!
The [Beast Disaster] here is far more powerful than what was mentioned in the intelligence; we must break out immediately before it gets dark!"
Hearing this retreat proposal from the saint of the Cult of Dionysus, the heroes who were already at the end of their ropes felt quite moved.
"We can't leave! The source of the Beast Disaster is right ahead.
As long as we charge over and destroy this nest, we win!"
However, Hippomenes immediately rejected this cowardly proposal with righteous severity.
To display his resolve, he drew his bronze shortsword on the spot, leading the charge with grand righteousness toward that fissure swirled with red-and-black light.
Seeing the commander behaving so bravely, the divine-blooded heroes had no choice but to grit their teeth and follow, attempting to advance against the flow of the beast tide to completely destroy that bizarre and ominous nest of magical beasts.
'Is this fool trying to get everyone killed?!'
Seeing this situation, Polymnus couldn't help but grit his teeth and curse furiously.
But with things already having reached this point, he was helpless as well, and could only be swept along by the heroes to charge toward the fissure.
As the commander of the team and the very first target to stick his head out, Hippomenes naturally attracted the attention of a large block of magical beasts, becoming the priority object for the magical beasts to attack.
One by one, the divine-blooded heroes subconsciously gathered toward the commander Hippomenes, attempting to protect this leader of the team, causing the formation to become further scattered.
And this time, the ten-odd Typhon's sub-species progeny that had been waiting for an opportunity from high positions finally lost their patience.
They stood up one after another and charged toward the human ranks, smashing, dragging, and tearing apart the heroes who were at the end of their ropes!
"Roar!"
The King of Chimeras, covered entirely in white fur, was the first to leap into the loosened human ranks with a low roar.
Its serpent head spat venom, its goat head launched spell bullets, and its lion head spewed raging flames.
Its three heads displayed their might simultaneously, instantly causing a large area of casualties among the divine-blooded heroes.
The commander Hippomenes, who was protected in the center, was subsequently exposed right before that white Chimera.
Seeing this, several divine-blooded heroes quickly stepped forward, raising their shields in an attempt to withstand the offensive of this white Chimera.
However, having gone through successive battles, the potential of their bodies was already nearly drained dry, and the magic potions they carried with them had been drunk completely empty.
Now, even if they wanted to risk their lives in a desperate struggle, it was difficult to extract much strength from within their bodies.
Therefore, with just a single exchange, they were slapped flying by the white Chimera raising its claws.
Seeing that the commander Hippomenes was about to lose his life beneath the jaws of this monster, Polymnus, the only one who could withstand the frontal impact of a high-rank magical beast, gritted his teeth and rushed out of the ranks.
Squeezing the remaining divine power within his body to the absolute limit, he raised his muscle-knotted forearm and met that oncoming massive white beast.
"Boom!"
Accompanied by an explosion resembling muffled thunder, Polymnus's feet plowed two trenches extending several dozen meters long across the ground, pushed all the way right before Hippomenes as a trace of golden-red blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
But at the same time, the charging white Chimera was pinned dead to the ground, its four claws scratching wildly around.
Clearly, in this contest of strength, it was still the saint Polymnus who possessed the superior skill.
It was blocked!
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as if a heavy burden had been lifted, unable to help but feel fortunate in their hearts to possess such a powerful teammate.
Swoosh!
However, before everyone could finish smoothing out their breath, a dark-red meteor sliced through the sky, shooting toward the face of the commander Hippomenes with lightning speed.
The event happened too suddenly.
The surrounding heroes wanted to prevent it, but they were beyond reach, and could only watch helplessly as the tragic end was about to occur.
Yet right at this critical juncture, a hand as white as jade raised upward, firmly catching that stray arrow coming from the flank.
Everyone looked at the owner of that hand, a trace of astonishment surfacing on their faces.
'The commander is actually this strong? Then just now he...'
As rows of gazes focused upon his body, Hippomenes's face first stiffened slightly, then his eyes flickered.
He immediately snapped the arrow in his hand, speaking out furiously.
"There's a spy, they are at..."
"Swoosh!"
Before his voice could fully drop, a sharp sound of tearing through the air exploded once again.
Hippomenes subconsciously assumed a defensive stance, preparing to stand ready against a formidable enemy.
However, that dark-red light streaming through the sky didn't drop toward Hippomenes at all.
Instead, it plunged into the currently empty mountainside fissure, piercing straight toward that heart throbbing within the blood light.
Hum!
Accompanied by the sharp vibration of the air, a freezing gale swept across the wilderness.
Falling into the mountainside fissure with lightning speed, a hand firmly grabbed that bronze javelin wrapped within the blood light.
This scene felt somewhat familiar.
Looking at Hippomenes, who stood floating before the bloody heart of the beast nest and had once again successfully intercepted an offensive; the heroes' expressions changed one after another.
If catching that sharp arrow was merely hiding his strength and self-preservation,
Then blocking this javelin made the answer self-evident.
Realizing that he had been completely exposed, Hippomenes tossed down that bronze javelin in his hand, shaking his head with a somewhat faint sense of disappointment.
"Tsk, I thought I could happily spend these final moments with everyone. How truly disappointing."
Polymnus forcefully flung away the white Chimera before him, glaring furiously toward this commander who had suddenly turned coat.
Had it not been for this sudden arrow and javelin, he would have likely nearly suffered a fatal blow at this fellow's hands just now.
After all, he was the only threat on the field at the time capable of shifting the situation.
Thinking up to this point, this saint of the Cult of Dionysus felt a lingering dread in his heart, his mind growing even more furious.
"Traitor! To think we trusted you so much, yet you actually colluded with the magical beast