Chapter 174 If you have the guts, come and talk, Ares! (4.7k)
Cyprus.
A thin, silver-haired boy, carrying a bag in his arms, stumbled and ran quickly in the dense forest.
Severe abrasions on his arms and thighs, a bleeding forehead, and a bronze arrow piercing his left shoulder blade...all these signs indicated that he was fleeing from a hunt.
"Escape? Can you escape?"
A gloomy snort was heard, and a middle-aged man with messy red hair and a red beard, wearing a Thracian-style green robe and carrying a wooden spear, followed the silver-haired boy slowly. He showed no intention of ending the chase and seemed to be simply enjoying the process of hunting and killing.
Seeing the pursuers approaching again, the fleeing silver-haired boy, or the future god of medicine Asclepius, gritted his teeth, reached into his bag, took out two pottery bottles, and threw them behind him.
The red-haired middle-aged man raised his hand and touched his cheek. There was a faint smell of black and smelly blood seeping out of his eyes covered with cloth. He swung the wooden spear with a grin.
You've used this trick before, little bastard!
Blood-colored light patterns shot forward, smashing the two flying ceramic bottles in mid-air.
At the same time, scarlet divine power spread out, and in an instant it burned as fiercely as a flame, completely burning the fragments of the pottery bottle and the flying powder inside.
Seeing his last means of self-preservation being easily resolved, Asclepius, who had already lost too much blood, turned even paler, and a sense of despair rose in his heart.
Originally, he just accepted the invitation of Prince Adonis of Cyprus to come here to treat his hidden illness.
But who could have thought that after curing Adonis and being sent out of the city by him, he would actually run into a madman.
When this guy learned that he was the doctor who cured Adonis, he chased him all the way with a spear without saying a word.
Although he took advantage of his unpreparedness and used a makeshift poisonous potion to seriously injure his eyes.
But this not only failed to make him retreat, but instead aroused the ferocity and tyranny in his heart. He continued the game of chase with a cat and mouse mentality, forcing the injured Asclepius to flee.
Once the prey resists, the pervert behind it will become more excited and more cruel.
The dozens of wounds of varying sizes on Asclepius' body were left by the pervert behind him.
If he was not an excellent doctor who could heal himself, he would not have lasted long, and the divine blood in his body would have dried up, killing him in a cruel way.
But even so, Asclepius was reaching his limit.
Not only were the magic potions and divine power in his body consumed, but even his own physical strength and mental will were on the verge of collapse.
Realizing that it would not be long before he would die in humiliation on this doomed escape, Asclepius gritted his teeth, stopped abruptly, and looked back.
Fight him!
However, seeing that the weak prey dared to turn around and show its claws to him, the red-haired man immediately showed displeasure and knocked the wooden spear in his hand to the ground.
"Run! Run, you little bastard!"
The scarlet divine power shot forward as the red-haired man snorted coldly, brushing against Asclepius' cheek, arm, and hair, leaving terrifying deep pits all around.
But even so, Asclepius in front remained motionless. Instead, he pulled out the half-broken cane at his waist and showed a resolute posture.
Seeing this, the red-haired man suddenly lost interest. His eyes, bleeding profusely under the cloth, looked at the prey in front of him, with a hint of cruelty flashing in them.
"Want to die? Then I will grant your wish!"
With a gloomy and cold shout, the red-haired man swung his arm and threw the palm wood spear in his hand forward. Like a red meteor, it tore through space and fell towards the location where Asclepius was.
Feeling the violent and surging divine power coming towards him, Asclepius, who was almost suffocated, suddenly realized how ridiculous his idea of fighting to the death was.
The gap between the two sides is as huge as heaven and earth.
Once that person lost his intention to tease him, he couldn't even block his attack.
As the dazzling scarlet color quickly filled his field of vision, Asclepius closed his eyes powerlessly.
However, after waiting for a few breaths, the expected pain and death did not come as expected.
Instead, an arm with some warmth patted his shoulder.
"Boy, how long are you going to stay like this? Why don't you leave?"
The old voice echoed in his ears, and Asclepius subconsciously opened his eyes and looked in the direction of the voice.
Suddenly, he saw a two-meter-tall blind old man with long silver-gray hair. He was holding the scarlet spear that was shooting towards him with his right hand raised high. His muscles were bulging, and the golden divine power gushing from his body was constantly eroding the divinity of the scarlet spear.
——Homer?
Looking at the blind old man's exaggerated muscles that looked like cast iron, and the majestic divinity bursting out of him, Asclepius couldn't help but be stunned.
——Is this... a poet?
"Haha, I was just bored and here comes another one seeking death!"
At this moment, seeing someone successfully blocking his spear, the red-haired man laughed instead of getting angry. The blood in his body became even more intense and violent. Immediately, with a burst of air, he turned into a scarlet blood shadow and leaped forward.
Seeing this, the blind old man was startled. Without thinking too much, he kicked behind him and used his free left hand to quickly draw a series of Hermetic characters in the direction where Asclepius was falling.
“Go to Athens and don’t look back!”
With a low roar, the last Hermetic line was drawn, and the magic circle was instantly activated. As the light flowed, Asclepius, who fell into it, was transferred dozens of miles away.
Sensing that the breath did not approach the battlefield again, the blind poet Homer, or rather, Lorne who came to the rescue in a vest, couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Phew, I finally listened to your advice.
At the same time, without any worries, he unhesitatingly threw away the spear whose divinity he had completely exhausted, turned his hands into fists, and struck forward with all his strength, colliding heavily with the bloody figure that rushed forward.
"boom!"
Thunder-like explosions rang out in the air, forming terrifying layers of sonic booms. The surrounding ground was instantly cut off dozens of meters by the powerful impact force, and smoke and dust filled the air.
"Moo!"
Immediately afterwards, accompanied by the dull roar of a bull, the blood-red figure was thrown out like a cannonball.
"Bang bang bang bang!"
The red-haired man wrapped in blood knocked down dozens of giant trees in succession before he released his remaining strength and stood still among the flying wood chips.
"Not bad, not bad, I finally met a character worth attacking!"
Amidst his excited laughter, the man raised his head, his masked eyes staring straight at the unimaginably burly old man in front of him and the phantom of the "Bull" emerging behind him, and a rare solemnity emerged on his face.
"You are worthy to know my name. I am the King of Thrace - Lykurgos!"
After hearing the other party's self-introduction, Loen looked at the red-haired man in front of him who claimed to be the King of Thrace, as well as his iconic war divinity, and secretly shook his head at this man's straightforward lying skills.
In Greek mythology, the ancestor of the Thracians was Tyarchus, the son of the god of war Ares, who was said to be the first to migrate to that area.
Due to their martial spirit, Ares was the most important god of the Thracians and a symbol of their unique culture and faith. There is even a saying that this god of war originated in Thrace.
The Thracian kings of all generations called themselves the King of the Sun and the one blessed by the god of war Ares.
As for the Lykurgos in front of him, he is the legendary last Thracian Sun King.
In Homer's epic, he is described as the son of Boreas, the god of the north wind. In Herodotus's History, he is described as a descendant of Ares. Lykurgos is burdened with multiple confusing legends, and no one knows the truth, but in any case, he truly possesses divinity.
After that, the great dynasty of Dionysus was established, sacrifices and sects changed, and the glory of the ancient gods faded.
Afterwards, the rebels ascended the royal steps and extinguished the last remaining flames of the god of war, and from then on Thrace was shrouded in carnival.
That's right, he and Lycurgus were destined to be enemies.
According to legend, when Dionysus, the god of wine, wanted to pass through Thrace, he was rejected by Lycurgus, who then launched a surprise attack on Dionysus and his followers at night. He rushed into the forest of Nissaum and killed a crazy woman who was a follower of Dionysus.
It was undoubtedly a great victory—so much so that Dionysus escaped in the form of a bull and was driven into the sea.
Haha, how could he be just a mere city builder king who could force the god of wine, who was one of the twelve main gods at that time, to this point?
I am afraid that even if it is not the real body of any main god, it is also a human container that holds the consciousness of that main god.
So, you're such a bad liar, do you really think I don't know who you are?
If you have the guts, come on and speak up, Ares!
While Loen righteously denounced this shameless behavior in his heart, he answered without changing his expression.
"Homer, a poet, I'm just passing by..."
“…”
The King of Thrace on the opposite side couldn't help but look dark when he heard this.
A poet? And you're just passing by? Are you kidding me?
Looking at the blind old man in front of him who was obviously lying, Ares, who was on his trumpet, didn't bother to talk nonsense. He snorted coldly, stretched out his hand and grabbed the wooden spear that fell beside him. Then he ignited the blood-red flame on his body and rushed towards the opponent who made him excited.
In an instant, the surrounding temperature rose sharply.
The air is burning, the world is burning!
Everywhere he looked was heat and scarlet, and Loen seemed to be in a world that was being destroyed.
Bendis's sacred tree is also a branch of the World Tree [Great Palm Tree] in Thracian mythology. After Thrace was conquered and assimilated by the Greek gods, Ares, who occupied that land, made it into a javelin as his own weapon. [Great Palm Tree] has disappeared without a trace, and this javelin is the last remnant of a dead world tree.
Feeling the pure will of destruction, Loen's expression immediately changed. He used all his strength to materialize the phantom of the "Bull" and at the same time sang the words of God, pushing his power to the extreme.
"I am the strongest and hold all victory in my hands. I am the one who defeats all enemies, whether gods or beasts. I will defeat any enemy that stands in my way! Bull with shining golden horns, protect me!"
The phantom of the Cretan labyrinth, like a fortress, rose up in front of Loen, and together with the roar and butt of the Bull, they resisted the erosion from the dead world.
However, with a devastating roar, the [maze] born in the earth lasted only a moment before it collapsed.
"puff!"
The next moment, the blood-red spear, which came at me with great force, pierced straight through the Bull's neck, making a tearing sound like a sharp blade entering flesh.
"Moo~~"
The golden bull let out a wail and shattered into pieces.
As the main body, Loen suddenly felt an extremely domineering and violent force and a life-destroying will of death wreaking havoc in his body. He was immediately struck by lightning, a streak of golden-red blood flowed out of his mouth, and he was extremely shocked.
Damn it, how could this happen?!
At this moment, before Loen could think about it, the blood-red figure with rich combat experience took the opportunity to rush forward, and the palm wrapped in blood-colored divine power grabbed his throat fiercely.
"Bang!"
A huge palm flew through the air and crushed a huge tree to pieces.
Psychedelic?
Ares looked at the shattered shadow in front of him and the vines entangled under his feet, frowned slightly, and blood-colored divinity gushed out, instantly burning all the vines that brought a sense of intoxication and frenzy around him.
With the strong aroma of wine in the air, he rolled his eyes, glanced through the cloth at the figure who was trying to regulate his breathing a hundred meters away, and the [Goat] that appeared behind him, and grinned with excitement.
Found you!
To be honest, he hated those kinds of flashy tricks the most.
As a warrior, the most satisfying thing is to rely on your natural body, use pure speed and strength, and experience a fist-to-flesh duel. If you win, you stand, and if you lose, you fall down!
"Are there any goats that can increase their speed? Let's see how long you can escape!"
Ares bent his fingers and grasped the wooden spear again, then rushed forward with a grin.
In Thrace, he is not only the god of war, but also the god of hunting.
Similarly, hunting wild boars and killing wolves were also necessary tests for Thracian princes before they could inherit the throne.
It is an ancient ritual and blessing inherited from the ancestor of the Thracian tribes, the god of war Ares.
Demonstrate your bravery by killing wolves and wild boars, and also gain concepts and power from them.
The so-called evil wolves and wild boars are not just simple wild beasts.
The "evil wolf" is cunning and ferocious. He lurks in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to take the head of the Sun King.
"Wild boar" is ignorant and crazy. It is born in dampness and has no scruples. It always maintains an indescribable madness.
What the Thracian prince is really hunting is the "black beast" that symbolizes these evil and crazy things. They may be pagan villains, possessed demons, or savage monsters.
Defeat it, and then learn from it——
Draw wisdom from cunning, exercise decisiveness from cruelty, understand determination from ignorance, and breed courage from frenzy.
At this moment, Lycurgus, who was leaning over by Ares, had extremely high resistance and restraint to the power and strength derived from the concepts of these animal divinity.
In battle, he can peel off, filter, and purify these fragments that he regards as [evil and crazy things] bit by bit, and learn corresponding combat skills from them.
The fragments of the cunning man turned into a storm of wisdom, surrounding the body and blowing away illusions.
The fragments of the fierce man turned into courageous thunder, which roared in an instant and exploded.
The fragments of the foolish man turned into flames of determination, with endless power, burning away the wounds.
The fragments of the frenzy turned into the light of courage, illuminating oneself and dispelling the darkness.
Therefore, the true King of Thracian, the true god of war, cannot be "contaminated" by power, and the only way to defeat him is a head-on confrontation.
At the same time, Loen, whose whereabouts were exposed, looked at Ares, who was not affected by [Frenzy] and rushed straight towards him. His heart sank and he looked at the ordinary spear in Ares' hand with fear.
There's something wrong with that thing! You must not let it touch you!
Almost at the moment of making this decision, Loen raised his right hand without hesitation, bent his fingers and drew in front of him at a very fast speed.
Hermetic script, linear divine patterns, Titan sacred words, primitive letters… and other sacred symbols that existed or appeared in the Greek Age of Gods and possessed transcendental powers appeared densely in front of him, like stars in the sky.
At this moment, he finally remembered another area in which he was good at.
——The great witch Circe was his first teacher;
——The witchcraft goddess Hecate was his extracurricular tutor;
——The magic goddess Athena once served as his sparring partner;
——Mnemosyne, the goddess of knowledge and memory, personally baptized him with spiritual thoughts.
——The nine Muses are his subordinates and vassals;
——He studied in the Temple of Memory and read almost all the Greek mystical knowledge...
Loen looked at the Warrior God who was charging towards him, and without hesitation used the power of [Goat] to distance himself from him. At the same time, he waved his hands forward with a humorous thought in his heart.
——Sorry, besides being a warrior, I am also a mage!
In an instant, densely packed divine patterns of all kinds shot forward like a meteor shower. The violent explosion and dazzling flames instantly submerged the menacing figure.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
