kobalos

We really just got teleported. Honestly, this is starting to feel more annoying than terrifying. It's like when you finally get placed in a division full of colleagues who perfectly click with you, and suddenly your boss ships you all off to different teams because the rapid progress you're making is too radical for the rest of the company to keep up with.

And I'm pretty sure I was just starting to break through Anna's walls. My uncle always said the key to winning over a woman is knowing her vulnerable side and figuring out when to fill that gap with your presence.

Okay, so Anna's one of the Sinners. Okay, I'm already dead. Okay, romance shouldn't be top of mind right now. But hey, no harm in trying, right?

After all, chemistry's important too.

The Main Hall was way bigger than I remembered. I guess this place doesn't care much for the laws of physics. The podium where Ares was standing, which should've been just 15 meters above us, now towered all the way to the ceiling.

And on top of it was...a naked man.

I rubbed my eyes, half in disbelief. He was… actually naked. With that level of confidence, is he supposed to be another god?

I noticed one of the Angels walking up to him, and they started chatting.

"Huh? Everyone's here already? I just poured myself a drink."

It seemed like he had a microphone near his lips and forgot about it.

The guy stood up and leaped into the air, fully exposing himself to everyone. That's when I realized, at least his lower half was covered by some thin white cloth. His dark purple hair shimmered ominously among the crowd.

"Ahem. Ahem. Testing, testing. Can you hear me? Hello?" He stroked his chin. Sure, the whole hall had gone silent, but he didn't seem satisfied. "Alright, alright. If you can hear me, say 'Io Bacchus.'"

Everyone exchanged looks. Even though no one really knew what it meant (probably something Italian or Greek?), it sounded pretty cringe.

"I'll give 100 Worship Points to anyone who says it with passion."

Worship Points?

"Io Bacchus."

"Io Bacchus!"

"IO BACCHUS."

"IO BACCHUS!"

"Yeah, yeah, just like that. This is... it. Ecstasy." The half-naked guy moaned as he started glowing. Not just him either, a few people who shouted along began glowing too, which only fueled the crowd to scream louder, filling the hall with noise.

"Stop!" he yelled. "This feeling... it's incredible. You guys are the best. Thanks, brave warriors, for letting me experience this sensation again in my long, often boring life."

Compared to Ares' introduction, this god's welcome was... strange, and a little unsettling.

"My name is Dionysus, known as the god of wine, parties, and celebration. But I prefer to be called the god of freedom." Dionysus frowned, as if something wasn't quite right. "What's this? No applause? You guys are seriously disappointing me."

So we all started clapping really 'genuinely'.

"There we go. Life should be full of fun and excitement. After all, isn't this the beginning of your glorious ascent to greatness?" Dionysus grinned and shrugged. "But I see some gloomy faces in the crowd. Anyone wanna share?"

A woman raised her hand. She looked to be in her late twenties, with wavy brown hair and a black jeans outfit. "Is there a chance we can swap out our weapons?"

Dionysus smiled and shrugged again. "I'd love to answer that, but spoiling the surprise would ruin the party. Save that question for later, Sweetheart."

She nodded and lowered her hand.

"Any other questions? No? Alright, let's get down to business." Dionysus cleared his throat, but his tone became more bored. "Some of you may already know what we're testing out—yeah, I'm talking about those spoilers from you Sinners. Mood killers, the lot of you. Just wait and see, if your masters fails after this, there will be consequences—so, we're changing the rules. All of you... will fight the Angels."

Everyone frowned. Even the Angels looked shocked (wait, are you telling me they weren't briefed on this either and Dionysus is just making it up?).

"Well, not actual Angels. They're the 'perfect product,' and what you'll be fighting are the prototypes." Dionysus summoned a creature with a bald head, ears too sharp that they formed horizontal triangles, and a face that was way too wide. Its skin was a metallic gray. "This is a Kobalos. I created him. Isn't he cute? But don't be fooled by his looks."

Dionysus suddenly threw the creature towards us. It landed perfectly, standing chest-high to an adult.

"This little guy's as nimble as a deer, with reflexes as sharp as a cat, and…"

The moment it locked eyes with one of us, the creature bared its sharp, drooling fangs.

"…hunting instincts as fierce as a lion."

The Kobalos lunged at someone, trying to bite them. Thankfully, the person dodged quickly, conjuring a glowing sword out of thin air, and sliced its head off.

The decapitated body of the Kobalos suddenly burst into flames. Whether it was the laws of this world or the fighter's powers, I wasn't sure.

Dionysus looked at the creature's death with a wistful gaze, like someone mourning a beloved pet.

"The rules are simple." Dionysus' voice echoed. Behind him, a massive, virtual hourglass appeared. "You need to kill at least two Kobalos before time runs out. The more you kill, the more bonus Worship Points you'll earn."

With that, in the middle of us, thousands—no, hundreds of thousands—no, maybe even millions of Kobalos materialized, glaring at us with their wild, predatory eyes.

"Have fun."