(Words: 2783)
"Roar!"
The solid black etheric dragon broke half its body free from the abyss, opening its mouth to bite down toward the mortal lives on the ground that were as tiny as ants, preparing to feast on its first meal upon waking up.
A prison-like divine majesty pressed down on their faces, and the surrounding air and ether stagnated and solidified, as if turning into a viscous swamp.
Trapped deep within it, everyone's limbs went rigid, frozen on the spot like clay sculptures and carved wood, only able to watch helplessly as that bloody, gaping maw dropped down.
Boom!
Right at this moment, a grim rumbling broke the silence of the scene, and a fierce bolt of lightning dropped from the vault of heaven.
Like a slashed, pale-silver sharp sword, it cleaved straight toward Hippomenes in mid-air.
The dragon's body immediately shrank back, letting out a low roar as it swung its sharp claws upward.
At the cost of a few breaking claws, it forcefully crushed that bolt of lightning above Hippomenes's head.
From the looks of it, the two sides seemed to have arrived at a evenly matched result.
However, as the etheric dragon pressed its broken claws against the ground, the light patterns on the stone walls of the surrounding temple flickered, and a black stream of mud erupted out from the abyss, absorbing onto the dragon's claws. In the blink of an eye, the damage was completely repaired.
Seeing this situation from the distant mountaintop, Lorne couldn't help but furrow his brow slightly.
'Infinite regeneration? A bit troublesome.'
"Hiding and sneaking around—get out here!"
At the same time, Hippomenes, who had nearly been cleaved into charred charcoal by the lightning, couldn't help but be driven to true rage.
Based on the direction from which the several attacks had struck, he locked onto the source of the danger.
And the etheric beast beneath him simultaneously let out a low, deep screech, opening its bloody, gaping maw toward the distant mountaintop as it made an inhaling motion.
Instantly, the surrounding ether was sucked completely empty, turning into a red-and-black light sphere compressed to the absolute extreme inside the beast's mouth.
Swoosh!
The next moment, a thick, purple-red beam of magical power shot aggressively out from the beast's mouth.
Carrying a sharp howl as it crossed the sky, it scraped a dazzling aurora across the air, striking that distant mountaintop in the blink of an eye.
The mountaintop standing several hundred meters high was instantly shaved flat, collapsing shattered rocks flying in all directions as dark-red magma rolled turbulently down.
Accompanied by the blast wave of the explosion, four figures dropped somewhat disheveledly into the crowd, barely escaping the disaster.
"You're finally willing to come out, you little mice hiding in the back."
Hippomenes looked down at his four disheveled opponents before him, sneering proudly.
Yet immediately after, his pupils shrank violently as he thought of a certain question he had overlooked.
The ones sent to scout the path at the very beginning seemed to be, five people?
The moment Hippomenes realized this point, an earth-shattering, ocean-toppling strength suddenly erupted from behind him.
Caught off guard, he flew outward with a whistle like a cannonball leaving the barrel, continuously smashing through trees and boulders along the way, only stopping his momentum after sliding a full distance of several hundred meters.
Immediately following that, a javelin with the force of a shooting star sliced through the sky, dragging the figure that was swaying as it stood up from the smoke and dust for several dozen meters, pinning him dead to a tree trunk.
Hippomenes looked at that figure standing atop the head of the etheric beast, his eyes filled with disbelief.
Lorne flew up and delivered a savage kick right onto the raised head of the etheric dragon.
Instantly, the dragon's bones shattered, mud splattered, and half of its massive head was smashed to pieces, dropping into the abyss with a wail.
"Looks like you guys aren't all that great either."
Having finished all this in an offhand manner, Lorne shook his head, delivering a calm evaluation.
Hearing this, Hippomenes felt his blood surge aggressively.
Vomiting a large mouthful of blood mixed with chunks of internal organs, his eyes were filled with complete bewilderment.
In the records and registration of the subjugators, wasn't this fellow the weakest one?
'Dammit, those sons of bitches from the Temple of Artemis actually hid a card...'
Carrying endless fury and unwillingness, the eyes of the culprit gradually grew dim, his head slowly drooping down.
Confirming that the life signs on the other party had been extinguished, Lorne withdrew his gaze, looking at his own arm which had developed several glowing fractures, his brow furrowing slightly.
Sure enough, utilizing strength at the divine level or higher was still far beyond the load this body could bear.
'Must wrap this up quickly!'
With that thought, he looked down at that etheric beast whose damage had been restored as it broke most of its body free from the abyss once again, his gaze hardened.
'It actually wasn't control, but awakening!'
Therefore, even killing Hippomenes was useless; he had to resolve this thing along with him.
"Roar!"
The etheric dragon let out a screech, successfully vibrating its wings to ascend into the sky.
A pair of red-and-black vertical pupils the size of lanterns stared darkly at that figure before it that was as tiny as an ant, not daring to act rashly.
Instinct originating from biology told it that this was the only existence on the field capable of posing a threat to it.
'This human is very strong!'
Lorne slowly manifested the Altar Cloth and the Spear of Nation-Founding, glanced at the glowing fractures continuously spreading and expanding across his arm, and spoke toward the crowd behind him.
"I can hold it off for thirty minutes at most. During this time, find a way to destroy that temple!"
Since this etheric dragon's infinite regeneration ability had nothing to do with Hippomenes, the most likely cause right now was that this Typhon temple constructed from flesh and stone was providing it with divine blessing, creating a powerful home-field advantage.
"Good!"
At the critical juncture, the crowd responded in unison and spontaneously followed behind the four individuals, the Gemini brothers, Medea, and Atalanta, rushing toward that Typhon temple before the fissure.
Seeing the actions of the crowd on the ground, the etheric dragon could instantly no longer restrain itself, as it raised its heads, and let out a violent and majestic low roar, like a monarch in thunderous rage.
In an instant, the eyes of the magical beasts distributed across the surroundings burst with a surge of blood light.
Letting out sharp, screeching wails one after another, they rushed like a surging ocean tide toward the tiny humans attempting to attack the temple.
The white Chimera, the human-headed lion beast Sphinx, the nine-headed serpent Hydra, and the Nemean Lion, the four top-tier magical beasts bestowed with Typhon's divinity—entered the fray one after another.
Flames, spell bullets, and venom came covering the sky and blotting out the land, the violent offensive making everyone's scalps go numb.
"O Goddess Hecate standing at the crossroads, who is the Empress of Hell, who is the spiritual guide of the living, with my lifeblood I pray here: let the myriad phenomena of the world's principles return, trace back, and reconstruct!"
Medea stepped forward, chanting with solemn severity.
As the final syllable left her mouth, she brandished the Underworld Moon staff in her hand forward.
Instantly, the earth vibrated, and rows of stone walls burst out from the soil, sheltering everyone within and blocking the flames, spell bullets, and venom coming from all directions.
"Beautifully done!"
Atalanta cast an admiring glance toward her friend's outstanding performance.
Promptly leading the subjugators beside her under the cover of the magical barrier, they rushed toward the temple with burning speed.
However, the pack of magical beasts opposite them clearly wouldn't give them this opportunity easily.
The Nemean Lion rushed out from the ranks with a howl.
Utilizing its characteristic of possessing muscles and bones akin to steel bars, it smashed a stone wall to pieces with its head.
Facing this kind of pure physical attack, Medea's magical defensive spell formation was a bit inadequate.
Seeing this sinister and fierce monster about to charge into their ranks, a low, explosive shout echoed from within the crowd.
"Let me do it!"
Accompanied by a coarse and heavy voice, a figure as burly as a giant bear rushed forward with a whistle like a cannonball leaving the barrel.
Deep-blue ocean divine power kicked up a glowing giant wave that surged and vibrated toward the surroundings, his muscle-knotted right arm smashing savagely right onto that Nemean Lion's forehead.
In an instant, the tan-colored lion sprinting forward looked as if it had been struck by a flying chariot, flying straight out for several dozen meters to smash heavily into the pack of magical beasts, directly crushing several unlucky demonic wolves into minced meat.
But very quickly, that thick-skinned monster scrambled back up from the ground, letting out a furious low roar as it led a massive group of magical beasts to charge toward the gap it had previously opened.
Standing like a bronze wall before the gap, the saint Polymnus grabbed the wineskin at his waist and took a massive gulp, turning his head as he let out a hearty laugh.
"Brothers of the Cult of Dionysus, are your capacity for wine and your courage still present?"
"Cheers!"
Several dozen cheerful voices rang out.
One after another, the followers of the Cult of Dionysus unhooked the wineskins at their waists and tilted their heads back to drink deeply.
The sweet wine flowed through their throats, surging to all their limbs and bones.
A hazy state of intoxication blocked out the sensation of pain, and the heat of their bodies caused their bloodlines to throb, awakening the hidden strength within their bodies.
Taking swaying steps, they stood firmly behind the saint Polymnus, using their flesh to construct a new high wall here to obstruct the impact of the beast tide.
Even if the front was a tragic Asura battlefield, the mortals who had unleashed their bloodiness were without fear and without dread!
"Go!"
The Gemini brothers shouted aggressively to awaken the teammates beside them, commanding them to continue forward.
As Spartan princes who had undergone military training since childhood, they understood what they ought to do at this very moment, and what they ought not to do.
On the battlefield, pity and sadness were the most useless emotions. If they wanted to save their teammates and ensure their sacrifices weren't in vain, they had to defeat the enemy opposite them and destroy that temple as quickly as possible!
But the magical beasts similarly understood this principle.
The white King of Chimeras led the dozens of subordinates under its command, bypassing the defensive line constructed by the Cult of Dionysus, smashing through a stone wall from the flank as they charged toward the subjugators' ranks.
"Get lost!"
Pollux, the younger brother among the twins, flashed forward, cleaving his sword right onto that white Chimera's forehead, blasting this vicious beast back for several dozen meters.
"Leave these beasts to me, you guys go first!"
Pollux muttered in a low voice toward his elder brother and teammates behind him, stepping out of the ranks.
Acting as the elder brother,
Castor nodded without saying another word, leading the remaining manpower to continue advancing forward.
Although they were inseparable brothers, for the sake of the final victory of the battle, they had to temporarily separate.
Watching the army leave, Pollux tossed down the bronze longsword in his hand, calling forth the Gemini Cloth.
Clicking and snapping his knuckles, he walked toward the pack of Chimeras with a cold smile.
Compared to using a sword, he was actually far better at using his fists.
It was merely to cooperate with his brother that he rarely revealed this strength before people on ordinary days.
Now, practicing his hands on these beasts was just right!
In an instant, Pollux turned into a golden stream of light, rushing into the pack of Chimeras as he kicked up a dense storm of blood and slaughter.
Seeing this, the white King of Chimeras was infuriated and immediately turned its body, meeting this formidable enemy.
And just as both sides fell into a fierce battle, the advancing army encountered a new interceptor.
—A nine-headed giant serpent standing several dozen meters tall!
"I'll do it!"
Atalanta plucked her bowstring, stepping out of the ranks decisively.
As a follower of Artemis, she could utilize the dual-sided divinity of that Goddess of Hunting with this Bow of Heaven in her hand.
And the side of pestilence and death happened to be able to counter magical beasts possessing immortality.
At the same time, the mobility of an archer could also allow her to effectively avoid close-quarters combat, preventing her from being attacked by the venom of the Hydra.
Therefore, she was naturally the one to take up this interception.
Atalanta first hit this monster's forehead with a few arrows, drawing the Hydra's hatred.
Then, leaping to run toward the outer perimeter, she drew this clearly unintelligent magical creature away from the path of the army's advance.
Castor, the elder brother among the twins, cast a respectful glance toward that retreating back before continuing to advance toward the temple.
During this time, magical beasts continuously pounced up.
And mages or divine-blooded warriors continuously took responsibility for intercepting and covering the rear spontaneously.
Finally, at the cost of losing over half their numbers, Castor arrived before the gates of that flesh-and-blood temple leading a squad of fewer than a hundred people.
Two winged, human-faced Sphinxes wearing crowns stood up from before the temple gates with low roars, staring down sinisterly at the intruders attempting to transgress the divine majesty.
Without needing to say more, this time Castor proactively stepped forward, leading the remaining army to battle these two gate-keeping magical beasts.
Under the intentional cover of the crowd, Medea, utilizing magic to conceal her aura and figure, rushed into the temple.
The moment she entered the door, a rich stench of blood pressed down on her face.
Inside the dark, gloomy space, intersecting purple-red corridors extended in all directions.
As she walked deeper and deeper, purple-red beast eggs resembling root nodules were distributed everywhere along the corridors.
Bang!
Hearing the commotion, a struggling figure crashed against the purple-red egg wall, its ferocious outline pressing against the embryonic membrane, attempting to break out of its shell.
Promptly, the purple-red magical beast eggs connected to the outer side of the blood vessels dropped down one by one.
Puchis! Puchis! Puchis!
Amidst successive sounds of bursting sacs, several dozen magical beasts large and small drilled out of the egg bodies, roaring as they rushed toward the intruder who dared to break into the temple.
Seeing this, Medea hurriedly waved her small hands.
Dragon Tooth Warriors burst out from the soil one after another, brandishing bone swords, daggers, and spear-shields as they guarded around their master, meeting the swarming pack of magical beasts.
Fortunately, before setting out, her senior brother had given her these dragon teeth as a backup source of soldiers; otherwise, a mage attempting to plunge into the temple would have truly faced a situation fraught with danger.
Thud, thud, thud, thud—
Inside the dim temple, accompanied by hurried footsteps,
Medea's disheveled figure ran inward along the cavern opening rather exhaustedly.
Behind her, continuously writhing and deforming blood vessels and one hatched magical beast after another surged over from all directions.
The spell formations behind her were activated in succession, but they could only delay those offensives for a brief moment.
Boom—
Almost at the exact same time, successive bolts of fierce lightning cleaved down from the gray, mist-laden sky, and the ether radiating a majestic aura formed sharp swords connecting heaven and earth.
The thick, bloody mist dissolved away, and the invisible feeling of freezing cold was somewhat eliminated.
Good opportunity!
Taking advantage of the gap where the temple's aura was exposed,
Medea raised the [Rule Breaker] in her hand, hacking and drawing wildly against the walls swirled with divine runes around her, finally plunging the sharp blade right toward that mottled bronze altar.
Instantly, a succession of rumbling explosions came from beneath her feet as the ground vibrated violently.
The entire temple composed of flesh and stone looked like a structure of building blocks with its pillars removed, crawling with fractures as it was right on the verge of collapsing.
(End of this chapter)
.
.
.
P.S: To read chapters in advance, join my Patreon. There's like 60+ advance chapters here at: Patreòn.com/abhi28