Duel witnessed by the gods!

After that, Promise thought for a moment, and then turned toward the deep blue sea.

"Honorable Poseidon, the god of the sea, I pray to you, please hear my request. I am about to engage in a duel with my friend.

If you would be so kind as to grant us a battlefield upon the ocean."

With that said, he raised the pure white feathered canvas from the sky.

He drew a simple sketch upon the ocean's surface, and the painting grew larger and larger until it covered the entire sea horizon, disappearing into the waters.

As Promise finished his prayer, the waves ceased to move.

Then, Promise leapt from the ship.

At that moment, the ocean's surface seemed as solid as land.

Standing upon the ocean and his artwork, he stamped his foot twice to test the ground, then tilted his head to look back toward Peleus.

Peleus took a deep breath, produced a long spear, and jumped down from the ship to join him.

The spear in his hand was crafted from the highest ash tree atop Mount Pelion, forged by the centaur sage, Chiron, himself.

So to put it simply, this was a weapon created by God, so, its characteristic was that it could not be destroyed.

However as they were about to start.

Just then,

"This battle will be witnessed by me, Athena, goddess of wisdom."

Athena had arrived, and this time she was not dressed in her usual white robes; instead, she wore her battle armor.

She wielded her spear and raised her shield.

Just from her attire, it was clear how seriously she took this duel.

As for the reason…

"Come to think of it, this seems to be Promise's first duel with a hero since he left the mountain?"

Meleager, the prince of Calydon, muttered aloud.

Hearing this, Atalanta, who had spent the most time with Promise, couldn't help but be stunned.

However thinking about it carefully, she realized it was indeed true.

After all, who would dare challenge Promise in the first place?

What's the difference between that and suicide?

After all, even if someone did, regardless of the duel's outcome, whether they win or not, they would definitely face a group assault and likely a severe beating from the crowd afterward, probably to the extent that even mighty Heracles would get brutally beaten.

"Anyway, Brother Promise will definitely win! He won't lose!"

Helen raised her head with pride, fully confident that her words would receive universal approval. However…

"It's hard to say." Atalanta shook her head lightly, disagreeing calmly.

As the latter stared at her in disbelief. If it had been anyone else, she might not have taken it seriously, but Atalanta…

"Ahem, my silly little sister, you've forgotten," Helen's sister, one of the twin heroes, couldn't help but knock Helen on the head and said, "When Promise competed with you in strength, during that arm-wrestling, you defeated him."

No one denied all that Promise had accomplished up to now.

But neither could anyone deny that he was as fragile as if a mere gust of wind could sweep him right off to the underworld!

Otherwise, even now, why would everyone still worry about him so much?

Even Atalanta, who knew and trusted Promise's unique qualities more than anyone, shared the same impression as the other heroes when it came to sheer physical strength.

One hand could defeat him!

"But… but Brother Promise has always been watched over by the gods," Helen replied, looking up at Atalanta. "And he has that special art…"

'Others may not know about Brother Promise's situation, but don't you know it...'Helen didn't understand why Atalanta, who obviously knew him best, didn't agree with her!

Seeing this, Atalanta glanced down at Helen and told her the real reason for her doubt.

"Do you really think Promise would use such methods against a friend… especially in a formal duel like this? If that were the case, then the goddess of wisdom wouldn't have appeared, much less with such honor."

At this moment, Promise still didn't fully understand why Peleus was challenging him, but he knew he was serious, that he had made a difficult decision.

And he was right,

This duel meant everything to Peleus, he longed to win, yet at the same time he also looked forward to failure.

To be honest, his feelings were deeply conflicted.

And so, Peleus chose to face Promise in battle.

This duel was a deeply rooted tradition of this era, one where victory or defeat, witnessed by the gods, will decide the future of both parties!

.

.

.

"Peleus, can you tell me what this is all about?"

Standing upon the surface of the ocean, Promise looked at Peleus, and asked the reason before starting the duel.

To be honest, lately, he had been feeling an inexplicable restlessness in his heart, as if he had overlooked something very important.

He had thought it over and over but still hadn't grasped what it was.

"...The mighty king of gods, Zeus, took me away and granted me a marriage."

Peleus spoke, glancing briefly at the goddess of wisdom, Athena, who stood by as witness of their duel and continued. "And when I saw that sea goddess for the first time, I realized I had fallen for her."

"I felt ecstatic, as if I were the luckiest man alive… until I sensed that she seemed to have someone else in her heart, and that person was not me."

As Peleus voiced this revelation, the one most surprised was not Promise but Meleager, the prince of Calydon, aboard the Argo.

Almost instinctively, his gaze shifted to Atalanta, only to see that her vivid green eyes were fixed solely on Promise.

"And so, I returned," Peleus continued, looking at the young man in front of him with an earnest and resolute look. "I couldn't simply turn a blink eye to what I'd learned, nor could I simply let it go. So please, fight me with all your strength, Promise."

"...I understand," Promise replied as he looked at Peleus.

His eyes were calm but also full of realization, because he finally remembered what the thing he had forgotten for a long time was.

"I'm sorry," he said, apologetically meeting Peleus' gaze. "But I'm going to win this duel because when she took me to Olympus that day, I had already decided that I would change her fate."

When Promise said these words, the prince of Calydon, Meleager, and the stag-hunter, Actaeon, turned to look at him.

Alongside them, Orpheus and his nymph wife, Eurydice, who were also listening closely, after his words, glanced at each other and understanding the meaning behind Promise's words, began to smile.

In that moment, they already knew the outcome of the duel.

As they watched, Pegasus descended from the heavens, spreading its pure wings as it landed beside Promise.

The young man mounted the sacred steed, holding onto its white reins.

With everyone's eyes upon him, Pegasus lifted Promise into the blue sky.

Below, Peleus clutched his spear tightly, watching as the young man flew farther and farther away—until he became a falling star, streaking down toward him…

"I've lost."

Peleus lay on the water's surface and said.

However, there was no anger on his face, but instead he was smiling happily.

"Is there anything you need me to do, Promise?"

Promise looked at his friend, who had already cast aside his weapon when Pegasus fell.

After thinking about it for a long pause, he pulled out a golden apple from his hand.

"Please inscribe upon it;

'To the fairest.' "

.

.

.