Under King Agenor's command, the princes of the Phoenician Kingdom immediately began recruiting soldiers and horses, then embarked on their respective journeys.
Some sought to inherit the throne, while others yearned to return to their homeland where they completed the task. Thus, no one dared to neglect King Agenor's command, each diligently choosing a direction and setting off.
The princes left Sidon, the capital of Phoenicia, one after another. During this time, Ares, also in Sidon, used the reputation accumulated by "Cadmus" over the past two years to gather a group of people. Because before him, all the famous Heroes in Sidon had already been recruited by the earliest departing princes, most of the people he gathered were servants who helped with other tasks.
There were fewer than ten soldiers who could fight alongside him.
Seeing Ares's simple lineup, Queen Telephassa, King Agenor's wife, said with some concern:
"Cadmus, why don't I go with you? Mother at least knows a little magic taught by the gods, which might be useful on the road."
"No need. You should stay in Sidon and keep the King company."
Ares refused the Queen's request, for he remembered that in the myths, Queen Telephassa never returned to Sidon after this journey. She followed Cadmus's party through Rhodes and Thera, but died of illness before the group reached Thrace.
"But your team is too weak," Queen Telephassa said worriedly. "The road is full of bandits and monsters. Can just a few of you handle it?"
"It's fine. I just need to pray for the blessings of the gods," Ares said confidently. "Before I depart, I will go to the temple and perform a sacrifice. Don't worry."
After refusing Queen Telephassa, Ares went to the temple on the hillside of Sidon before departing and requested to perform a sacrifice. Hearing of "Cadmus's" actions, the Phoenician King and Queen, as well as the few princes who had not yet departed, all came to the temple, wanting to watch Cadmus's sacrifice.
The High Priest of Phoenicia granted his request. He had Ares personally slaughter a bull in the open space outside the temple and light the sacrificial bonfire. Then, the High Priest gently asked Ares:
"Cadmus, which deity do you wish to honor?"
"Of course, Ares," Ares declared his name without hesitation, and then stated his reason: "The journey I am embarking on has no known end, nor a certain victory. What I seek is not victory, but merely to bring my family back. Therefore, I hope Ares can grant me protection, allowing me to be incomparably brave and invincible on this path."
"It's a sacrifice to Ares," several princes began to discuss upon hearing this. "I heard that Ares has never blessed those who sacrifice to him in temples; he only blesses Heroes who die in battle. Cadmus's sacrifice should fail."
Queen Telephassa also felt some concern upon hearing Ares's chosen deity for sacrifice, but the Phoenician King and the High Priest of the temple remained unperturbed.
"Ares, is that right? I understand."
After listening, the High Priest took out the sacrificial parts from the bull and placed them on the bonfire, then began the ritual to Ares. As his ritual concluded, a visible red light suddenly descended from the sky into the temple, a faint scent of blood permeated the air, and the entire city of Sidon began to rumble and shake.
Witnessing this scene, the Heroes present were all astonished. Even King Agenor of Phoenicia and the High Priest, who had just been composed, widened their eyes in shock. They thought it wouldn't be difficult for Cadmus, as a divinely favored child, to receive Ares's blessing, but they never expected Ares to directly project his will, creating such a grand display.
"Ares's will has descended!" After a long moment of stunned silence, and feeling the summons from within the temple, the High Priest finally reacted and shouted, "Cadmus, enter the temple and receive Ares's blessing!"
"Yes." Ares bowed slightly, and as "Cadmus," he followed the High Priest into the temple, kneeling before his own statue. At the same time, his statue within the temple, under the control of his divine power avatar on Olympus, slowly lowered its head, its eyes glowing red, and fixed its gaze upon him.
This perspective was quite peculiar; Ares was now using two avatars, each with different functions, to gaze at each other through a statue in the temple.
After a moment, Ares's divine power avatar spoke directly.
"Warrior, I shall bless your journey."
A heavy voice emanated from Ares's statue, and at the same time, two items appeared in the statue's hands:
"Receive my reward, take my weapons, and slay your enemies for me!"
"Cadmus," kneeling on the ground, devoutly lowered his head and took two items from the hands of Ares's statue. These two items were a staff entwined with a snake and a long, narrow sickle-shaped sword.
The snake-entwined staff was, of course, the magical staff Hermes had given to Ares as a "protection fee," possessing hypnotic powers. The sickle-shaped sword was a weapon Ares himself had forged in the God of War Palace using Hephaestus's forging techniques when he had nothing else to do. Although it couldn't compare to the powerful Noble Phantasms of the God of Fire, it could still be considered a Noble Phantasm, perfectly capable of clashing with Heroes and slaying monsters.
After transferring the snake-entwined staff and the sickle-shaped sword from one avatar to another through the statue, Ares had his divine power avatar withdraw the will that had descended upon the statue. Feeling Ares's will depart, the High Priest of the temple in Sidon finally dared to get up from the ground.
He eyed the two weapons in Ares's hand with a somewhat envious gaze, but said nothing more, merely patting Ares on the shoulder and remarking, "To gain Ares's favor, your future prospects are limitless, young man."
"You've been deceived then; I'm just boasting about myself."
Hearing the High Priest praise him, Ares felt a slight pang of shame:
"Unlike you, my future as Ares is already nearing its end."
Seeing that "Cadmus" had truly received Ares's blessing, and even powerful Noble Phantasms bestowed by Ares, King Agenor of Phoenicia and Queen Telephassa naturally had no more worries. They confidently allowed Ares to depart from Sidon with his small contingent, heading from the Phoenician Kingdom towards Europa.
And it was at this moment that Ares and Hecate, deep within Tartarus, suddenly felt a terrifying tremor emanating from its depths.
In the depths of that infernal realm, it seemed as if some powerful demon was slowly awakening.