151 The Blood Feast Begins

Some moments before Seth acted...

"Oh? So the dogs that ran with their tails between their legs came back for more? I suppose there are those who enjoy the taste of defeat." Jason was extremely delighted to see the losers coming for revenge. Just as he predicted, they would have no other option but to do so.

It was truly an exhilarating feeling when things went as planned. With that said, he didn't anticipate Atalanta joining them. That stinky, traitorous cat. You can never put your trust in them. There was also a green-haired man like Theseus with them, although he didn't look that impressive, and that was coming from someone like him.

Next there was that supposed God that the little witch was wary of. Despite the fact that man was only staring at Herakles, Jason had the feeling he was also looking directly at him, ready to pierce his heart. H-He would leave him to the Great Hero. Yes, yes. As a Commander, he couldn't bother with fighting every single person around. That was why he had capable men for this occasion. Nothing too complicated to understand.

As for the last person hidden by those robes... they looked very familiar... Where had he seen them before...?

...

...

...

Isn't that Medea?! What was she doing here?! And the adult version to boot! The younger version was enough to feel afraid, he did NOT need the grown up as well!

It seemed his inner fear was somehow reflected on his face as the person in question mockingly smirked behind their hood. "Oh? What's the matter Jason? You don't look so well."

"M-Medea. W-What are you doing there if you are here? And why are you in that form?" The blond-haired man's bravado was all gone by this point. He even had to turn to the side to check if their Medea was still there with them and hadn't suddenly changed teams.

Jason didn't even know if in normal situations it would be this way, but he actually felt relief that the younger version of Caster was by his side. In fact, she was observing the other Medea with some curiosity—or that was at least what appeared to be at first glance.

The Witch of Betrayal removed her hood, leaving her face to be seen by the man that ruined her life. As she had set up a barrier around the ship before entering the heavy storm, she didn't need to worry about getting wet.

Caster first looked at Jason. Although she wanted to see him cry like the weak person he is, there were some other things that required her immediate attention and concern, and for that, she turned to her younger version.

"After everything that man had done to us. Why is it that you are help—"

"I am glad you all came back. I was seriously starting to worry if we should go and search for you. We did beat you up pretty badly, so maybe you ended up with mental scars." Medea's younger version, or Medea Lily for short, interrupted her adult self without hesitation. What's more, it looked as if she was treating the older woman like she didn't exist.

Her words naturally pissed most of the Chaldeans, albeit for a different reason. Medea was angry that she was being disregarded for a brat who was none other than her younger self, while some of the others didn't didn't appreciated that she reminded them of their previous defeat with that sweet smile on her face.

"...Independently of what you are planning, we would still come here to stop you. Our world cannot exist if we don't." Dr. Roman wasn't offended by her words. In fact, he took them as a small celebration due to a moment of success done by a small brat.

"And I thank you for that!" She cheerfully responded. "We only needed a Divine Spirit to offer to the Ark, but you gave us two at first, and now a third! You really are a generous person!"

"Exactly! Once we offer a Divine Spirit to the Ark, I would have enough power to be the sole Ruler of these seas!" Jason quickly exclaimed, feeling his courage returning to him all of a sudden. The fact that Medea was gritting her teeth in fury at her younger version probably had a hand in that as well.

"What did you say?" David furrowed his brows in an obvious sign of confusion. There was no way they were talking about what he thought they were. It could be both. Either he misunderstood, or they simply were talking about a different Ark.

"What? Are you deaf or are you ignorant?" Jason mocked David instantly, believing him to be some kind of nobody. "Once we obtain the Ark that is somewhere in this world and offer it a Divine Spirit, I would be able to obtain a power never seen before!" And with that... maybe... just maybe... he would be able to change some things.

David's frown only deepened after hearing what he said. This was too strange. "I am sorry to say, but you have no chances of achieving that. That option is not available for you anymore, and never was."

"What?" Jason's face was a mix of frustration and anger. He felt like there was something going on that he had no idea about, and he didn't appreciate it in the slightest. Of course, there existed doubts about the green-haired man's statement, but he didn't seem to be lying, and that was nothing to be happy about.

Meanwhile, Theseus shared the the King of Israel's frown. 'I knew it... Something isn't right here. I already suspected her plan wouldn't magically give Jason the power he so desperately wants, yet that man's face is telling me that things wouldn't end with everything not working and that's it.'

He then redirected his gaze to the woman next to him, who was observing the new God with slight apprehension in her eyes. She didn't seem to be too interested in the conversation going on. 'She better not look for two long. Those two seem to be ready to throw themselves at each other and rip the other apart like rabid dogs.'

Charles was a voluptuous woman. Her brown-hair cascaded down her back down to her bottom. She was wearing shoes and tights that matched her hair, a green buttoned mini dress opened up near he breast area over a white shirt. Additionally, she had a green coat hanging loose around her shoulders.

"A God is an Avatar of the World. If you offer one to the Ark, you will not gain power of any sort. You will just see the world come to an end. It is known that whoever touches it dies. If the 'World' touches the Ark, then it is natural that it is going to perish as well. I don't know who tricked you into thinking that you would obtain some sort of God-like power, but you have clearly been deceived. Furthermore, the Ark is no longer here. It has already been taken long ago. Even if I were lying about the first thing, you would still have no chances." David's declaration brought back Theseus attention to the matter at hand. Damn it... He knew that sly woman couldn't be plotting something good.

Theseus was not the only one who was shocked, the other ones were as well. Jason had never disclosed why they were so stubbornly trying to get their hands on Euryale or Stheno. Or what was their objective for the matter. To think he had such a crazy idea...

"What?" Again, he repeated the same question, unable to understand. No, it was not that he couldn't, he just didn't want to. People often say that the truth hurts, and this case couldn't be a better example for that phrase. And yet... something was wrong... something HAD to be wrong. Were his efforts going to be for nothing if not, then?

"I am the Ark's keeper. It materializes somewhere in the world when I am summoned, so of course I would know of this. It doesn't change if you believe me or not, as we ultimately have to defeat you. Think what you will of that." This was the last straw—what ended with his hopes. The only thing Jason could do was to turn to his Medea to see if she was going to deny it.

"He is right, Lord Jason. It is pretty simple, really. If there is no one else in what's left of the world but you, wouldn't that make you the strongest and single Ruler of all?" She smiled at him, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. However, Jason saw no purity in it. The goal indeed 'favored' him, but the path that led to it was twisted beyond repair.

If there was one word to describe what emotion Jason was giving off right now, it would be pity. It was not compassion, though. That would be too much for a man that tirelessly mocked them on every occasion he had got.

"Still. I admit you gave us more trouble than I expected. Who would know that your little God could use a Phenomena. That person mentioned none of it, and I ended up wasting precious Magical Energy in consequence." Oblivious, or simply not caring about how Jason was feeling right now, Medea Lily continued.

"Phenomena? What does she mean by that...?" Mash asked, perplexed by a term she haven't heard before.

"I can take it from here, Mash." Da Vinci appeared with her glasses on before Dr. Roman could say anything. It was at times like these that she had to take the spotlight. "As you know, Noble Phantasms are the embodiment of a Hero's legend. They are all extremely powerful in their own right. Phenomena could be described as something short of a Noble Phantasm. Think of it as an event that was not enough to be considered a legend."

"That intelligent-looking woman-"

"Why, thank you."

"-is right. However, she forgot to mention one thing. They are extremely rare and only a few have them. They are indeed not powerful, but that does not make them less annoying."

"Now I understand." Romani started, returning once again. "When Seth killed his brother, he was not able to 'become full' again after that. The reason why you couldn't heal Hector before and had to resort to summon him again was that, wasn't it?"

"That's right!" Medea cutely pouted, something that only put the others on edge, instead of making them lower their guard.

"Enough!" Jason was done with her act. Immediately, he turned his head to his most trusted ally: the son of Zeus himself. "Herakles! Go and and kill them all—"

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"..."

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"Herakles...?" A dead calmness washed all over him. If it was due to surprise or dread, he didn't know. Maybe both. Yet, he knew than no one could blame him. Not after witnessing what he did.

There, in the hands of the person he took as a joke, was the head of his friend. Was he worried about the possibility of Heralkes dying? No. He had numerous more lives. The thing that worried him was the swiftness of the kill. Everyone on his peripheral version seemed to share that surprise.

"Get up. We are not done yet. From now on, the games are over." It wasn't until that person spoke that he realized the hand he had raised to order Herakles was trembling.

The games were over indeed. Seth was not going to be picky with his skillset anymore. Although he would not actively seek their use, refrainment was not an option either.

That's why, with the use of his panther form's speed, the one that chased down rioters and toyed with their lives before devouring them, he got in front of Herakles without anyone, not even him, noticing. With the use of a serpent's dexterity, the one he used to infiltrate rebellious camps and poison the infidels, he avoided his enemy's — who had reacted, albeit a little late — strike and climbed all the way toward the top of his body until his legs were strangling his neck. And, finally, with the power of his hippopotamus form, who sunk the ships of poor refugees who wanted to escape his tyranny through the Nile, he positioned his arms under Herakles' chin, and, after applying greats amount of pressure, tore off his head.

First blood was drawn. Blood that kept spilling endlessly from Herakles' headless body. However, Seth was aware of God Hand. The Noble Phantasm that made it so he would revive twelve times, each time gaining an incredible resistance to what killed him last.

Yet, what was him if not resourceful?

He would let Herakles experience untold and creative deaths.

Ah...He was getting excited just thinking about it.

[A/N: Aaaaaaaand END! If you are confused about the last part, think of Seth getting himself "too much" into his role like what happened previously. It's not permanent, so don't freak out e.e. As a final note, I wanted to thank every single one of my readers for reading and supporting this book as you have been doing. At the moment of publishing this chapter, it would be one full year since I started writing. I honestly didn't think I would keep posting for this long. I admit there were many times where I thought of dropping, be it due to stress, lack of motivation, sh*t like the fake report, or simply bad comments in general. I know I am not the best - this is my first book after all - but I still want to again thank all of those who encourage me with your words each time I publish a chapter (Trust me, it means a lot). So, let's hope I can keep this up for another year at least! Also, I want to wish you guys a Merry Christmas! You all have different time zones, that's why I am saying it in advance lol]