"Who!"
Panic-stricken, yet with a ferocity of a beast facing danger.
Ares gripped a bronze spear, pilfered from who knows where, and stared nervously ahead.
He was too weak now, so weak that any demigod in the mortal realm could probably capture him.
If it were a wizard blocking his path at this moment, or perhaps those ascetics from Silvermoon City who had never made a move, then he would likely fall here.
After all, Ares had heard of the terrifying nature of those humans; they were selected from the most elite guards and priests of the Spirit World Church, voluntarily honing their spirits through the harshest lives, and ultimately using their powerful will to bear that power—fragments of the Ancient Sun God scattered in the mortal realm.
According to them, this was bearing and carrying the sins of a false god, using their own spirits to enlighten the wills within those fragments.
If one day, the former Sun God could realize his mistakes, perhaps he would be fully forgiven by the Almighty Lord and allowed to walk upon the earth again.
Ares scoffed at this, but it didn't stop him from being wary of their power.
Because according to the size and level of the fragments they carried, these ascetics also gave themselves different names.
From 'Sentinels,' 'Night Watchers,' and 'Sun Dancers' who were not even qualified to be called ascetics, to 'Priests of Light' and 'Mentors' who truly began to temper their will, and even 'Children of Light' and 'Overseers' who could draw demigod power and even incomplete Authority from divine fragments…
Undoubtedly, if the God of War were to encounter a 'Child of Light' here who could temporarily transform into a blazing sun, he would likely have no choice but to surrender and await his fate, waiting to be dragged into the endless abyss. (3-21)
"Hoo… ho…"
"Hoo… ho…"
Heavy breathing, tense nerves, yet before the bronze chariot, there were no barefoot ascetics in sackcloth, no powerful Legend wizards.
Ares only saw a girl in a white dress clutching her bumped forehead, glaring at him with wide eyes.
She seemed to pose no threat, appearing to be just an ordinary girl.
But at this very moment, the God of War's limited Wisdom began to kick in.
When he lost his immense power, his perception became much more refined.
He saw no injuries on the girl that could be called such.
"Who are you!"
"Get out of the way, or die!"
Pointing the bronze spear forward, he threatened loudly.
Among the three three fates, Clotho was the only one who had never appeared in the world, so Ares didn't recognize her.
He only knew that he absolutely couldn't let her see through his bluster, but instead had to show his strength.
"You—"
"How can you be so rude!"
Her small mouth slightly agape, she pointed at Ares on the chariot.
She was the one who had been hit, yet the other party was blaming her, which made Clotho even angrier.
"I clearly told you to stop just now, but you drove right into me. You should apologize to me!"
"But don't worry, as long as you apologize to me, I'll forgive you."
With a serious expression, Clotho knew that a collision involving a Goddess of Fate was by no means a simple accident; it would bring about some subtle omen.
Especially since Ares was currently driving a chariot, this might indicate that he was heading towards a fork in his destiny, a completely different turning point…
However, before her, Ares clearly didn't grasp Clotho's good intentions.
His expression grew increasingly ferocious as he looked at the white-dressed goddess; the God of War only felt that the other party was deliberately looking for trouble.
"We didn't know each other before."
Suppressing his anger, Ares loudly declared:
"So I don't need to pay attention to you, and besides, I didn't hear your shouting at all."
"Now, get out of my way. This is my final ultimatum—"
"—No, you can't go past!"
Upon hearing this, Clotho's expression changed slightly, and her voice became noticeably more urgent.
"You, you have too many wronged souls on you. Hurry and release them… They shouldn't enter the abyss with you, that's wrong."
It was dusk, and to others, Ares was just one person.
But in Clotho's eyes, he was surrounded by an overwhelming, boundless tide of souls.
To resist the punishment of the laws and delay his entry into the abyss, thereby giving himself a chance to find a way out.
Ares used the Authority of War to connect his army, both living and dead.
In addition, he also connected his Divinities, his devout followers he could sense, and everything that could be considered his subordinate at that time.
Finally, he unified the army, letting everyone bear the punishment of these rules together.
The laws were naturally not so easily deceived; this action could not exempt the God of War from punishment.
But it was not without use, so the punishment was delayed, at the cost of them entering the abyss with Ares.
It was precisely because she sensed this behavior, clearly contrary to destiny, happening before her eyes that Clotho rushed here, trying to stop Ares's actions—after all, she could only obstruct existences of this level.
However, before her, the God of War clearly couldn't understand her 'good intentions.'
"You actually know the content of my punishment by Father God, and know that I'm going to enter the abyss?!"
His already tense mood was stimulated again; the God of War felt that this inexplicably appearing woman was simply premeditated… But just as he was about to fight to the Death, another voice came from the side at the right time.
"Cough cough, don't rush."
With a light cough, Ryan said with a smile.
"Miss Clotho, aren't you a witch from the Northland who worships the Goddess of Fate? Why don't you quickly explain it clearly to His Highness the God of War?"
"You glimpsed a corner of destiny and came specifically to help him."
"Ah?"
"Hmm?"
In unison, the originally concentrated momentum was interrupted.
Ares glanced at Ryan, who had emerged from the bushes, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.
Another guy who appeared out of nowhere, and he hadn't even sensed his presence before… His current state was still too weak.
Turning to look at Clotho, the God of War asked with some suspicion:
"You are a follower of the Goddess of Fate, can you foresee the future?"
"Ah… yes, but he can also foresee the future."
With a somewhat bewildered look, Clotho then pointed to Ryan.
"He knows what I'm here for, hmm… but if something bad happens, I'll refuse, okay?"
The last sentence was directed at Ryan. Considering the previous success in twisting the Fate of the God King, Clotho decided to trust the evil Great Demon King again.
And watching all this, Ares once again felt like he was being played.
"Both of you can foresee the future?"
"Alright, I'll assume you can. Then tell me, how can I change my punishment of entering the abyss?"
"That cannot be changed."
Taking a few steps forward, very satisfied with Clotho's obedience.
Ryan smiled as he pronounced the 'God of War's' Death sentence, and then, just as Ares was about to erupt, offered another solution.
"The punishment of the laws is not insurmountable, but no one will help you."
"So instead of thinking about how not to be punished, why not change your approach, for example—how to get out."
"How to get out?"
"Yes."
Nodding, Ryan retorted:
"Your respected Highness the God of War, you were cast into the abyss by the God King, but did the God King stipulate when you could leave?"
"It seems… no."
Lost in thought, Ares felt he understood something.
"Yes, no, which means you're not like the Titans who were once imprisoned in Tartarus; you can come out, as long as the laws' punishment for you returns to nothing."
Speaking lightly, Ryan then brought up another matter.
"Speaking of which, Your Highness Ares, do you still remember Achilles?"
"You might not know, he's actually still alive, just living in the abyss… And that's why we found you today."
"The supreme destiny has revealed everything. The God of War of humanity and the God of War among the gods, only one of you can survive… So you understand what I mean, right?"
"I understand…"
A trace of excitement flashed across his pale face, Ares slowly said:
"Only one of the two can survive, but as a god, I am immortal, so only he will die!"
"Heh heh heh hahahaha… So that's how it is, I didn't expect this human to still be alive! But this time, I will tear him apart with my own hands!"
"But a follower of the Goddess of Fate, what does this have to do with me leaving the abyss? The current punishment is so heavy, even if I kill him, it won't alleviate the burden of the laws, will it?"
"If you simply kill him, then naturally no."
Nodding, Ryan glanced at Ares.
This time, the God of War was much more patient.
"So what should I do?"
"It's simple, just like your father deceived Typhon."
"If he wants to be the God of War, then let him be."
"Then, you, the true God of War, will personally strike and completely slay him."
There is no great sin that cannot be erased by dying once, even if this Death is a false Death.
After all, gods are inherently immortal; true Death has nothing to do with them.
Ares knew this, so his expression became even more excited.
However, despite this, he still had some doubts.
"What about you two, what benefits do you get?"
"Restoring destiny is the benefit, wouldn't you say so, Miss Clotho?"
Spreading his hands, Ryan asked.
"Hmm… that's true, but can this really restore destiny?"
Muttering to herself, Clotho pondered for a moment and found that it really seemed possible.
Anyway, Ares wouldn't die. Just taking a trip to the abyss would not only fix his own destiny anomaly of falling into Tartarus, but also fix the problem of Achilles not dying.
The only trouble was that she didn't have the ability to mobilize destiny power at this level—unlike Atropos in the past.
The other party created a one-day fruit for Zeus, thereby helping him defeat Typhon, and that had a prerequisite.
On the one hand, the God King gave birth to the three three fates; this was their destined connection with Zeus, an inescapable fate.
On the other hand, the Death of Typhon was also part of destiny, and the actions of the three goddesses were precisely executing it, which is why they could directly activate their power and create such a rare miraculous item.
However, the one-day fruit could not be replicated. Although Achillesand Ares were far from comparable to Typhon, and the things they needed to do were far less outrageous than devouring the power of the King of Ten Thousand Demons, this was still something Clotho couldn't do… But when she looked at Ryan, Ryan just nodded affirmingly.
"You can do it, at least this time."
"Is that so?"
Reaching out and gently pinching, Clotho tried to create a seed.
She originally thought she wouldn't succeed, but the reality was otherwise.
A seed, existing between reality and illusion, appeared in her palm, very similar to the one from before.
Somewhat surprised, as a Goddess of Fate, Clotho found it difficult to measure her power with specific divine power or anything else.
But she had a very keen intuition that could tell her what she could and couldn't do.
Creating a replica of the one-day fruit was something she couldn't do, yet the reality ultimately contradicted this.
"Is this the treasure Father God once used to trick Typhon?"
He had never seen the real thing, and even its authenticity was just a rumor.
However, upon receiving the seed, Ares immediately 'knew' how to use it.
"Followers of the Goddess of Fate, when I return from the abyss, I will surely reward you."
Taking a deep breath, Ares finally regained a shred of confidence.
"In the name of the gods, whatever you desire, your wishes shall be granted."
…
At the western edge of the land, a wild land bordering the sea.
Recently, the winds and waves on the ocean had grown increasingly violent.
Water spouts connecting heaven and earth, waves over a thousand feet high, fish and shrimp dashed to Death on the sea surface.
The East Sea was somewhat controlled because it was the core of humanity, close to Silvermoon City and Athens.
But here, in the wilderness far from the mortal world, everything was so wild and chaotic.
Crack—!
Like a clap of thunder, tearing open the skin of a giant sea beast.
Standing on the raft, he didn't use the weapons behind him.
Heracles had slain the last sea monster in front of him, and in the distance, land was already faintly visible.
"Is that a passage to the underworld?"
"It looks like it's not far now."
Having journeyed through the West Sea, the final preparations were complete.
Next, he only needed to go underground, then follow the River of Forgetfulness to the center of the Spirit World.