Chapter 140 August vs Hyakinthos, True motives.

August gripped his weapon while keeping his eyes glued on Hyakinthos. He couldn't understand what he was feeling right now. While it was true, the sensation of the mana the captain of Apollo Familia was releasing was similar to that of the abomination, he could still feel the mana of Hyakinthos mixed in with it.

But that wasn't all; his eyes gleamed at the flames that started to flicker around Hyakinthos. Starting from his sword, they slowly crawled towards his body, enveloping him with black miasma-like flames.

"Ha-haha-HAHAHAHAHA!!!" A maniacal laughter erupted out of Hyakinthos, making August flinch. He raised his guard as Hyakinthos stared at him with crazed eyes. "S-sorry hahaha, whe-hahaha, where are my manners? I completely forgot that you're still there." Hyakinthos couldn't contain his laughter as he slowly took a step towards August.

"Evilus? Really? I didn't know Apollo would stoop so low," August spoke coldly, willing his mana to move towards his spear, the crackling of red lightning coiling all over Beowulf.

"Oh August... You didn't give us a choice. And to be perfectly clear here, everything that's about to happen is completely your fault, HAHAHAHAHA!!!" Another fit of maniacal laughter echoed throughout the area, then suddenly stopped as Hyakinthos glared at August. He then vanished, making the spear user's eyes widen. Within a fraction of a second, he arrived in front of August, his weapon raised, black flames coiling at it, releasing an overwhelming amount of heat.

"And that's Lord Apollo for you! Learn some fucking respect!" Hyakinthos slashed his sword, aiming for August's neck.

August moved instantly. While Hyakinthos' speed shocked him, he was still slightly faster. He raised his spear to intercept the blow as their two weapons collided. August's hands felt numb, which made him do a double take at Hyakinthos' face. He saw him smiling crazily. He did not expect that level of strength from that blow.

He skidded a few meters away, which frankly shocked him. Hyakinthos' blow felt heavy. He pushed the thought down as he saw Hyakinthos dashing at him with lethal intent.

August took a step forward, brandishing his spear, and stabbed his weapon, maximizing his superior range, aiming for Hyakinthos' chest.

The captain of Apollo Familia turned his body to his left while moving his sword near his chest, letting the spear pass by him while also preserving his momentum forward. He then completed the turn, spinning while also slashing at August's abdomen.

August judged that pulling his spear back and blocking the blow would take too much time, so he opted to go for the attack as well. He shifted the weight of the spear to his right, using his left hand to flick the body of the spear, making it curve towards Hyakinthos' head, performing a picture-perfect "sparrow."

Hyakinthos clicked his tongue and canceled his attack. The longer reach of August's spear meant it would reach him first. He leaned back, dodging the blow. He then grabbed August's spear and pulled it towards him, pulling the captain of Heracles Familia along with it.

He then aimed his sword to stab him in the head. August kicked the ground, the force propelling him up while also pulling his spear free from Hyakinthos' grasp. It also allowed him to dodge the blow, flipping through the air in a front flip. While doing so, he slashed his weapon downwards, aiming for Hyakinthos' shoulder.

Hyakinthos hurriedly blocked the blow, their weapons clashing again with the black fire and red lightning threatening to devour one another. The ground cracked beneath Hyakinthos' feet, his eyes completely focused on August.

August grunted as he shoved more mana into his spear, the red lightning growing larger. With a violent boom, it sent Hyakinthos flying through the trees.

August then landed on his feet and quickly turned around towards Hyakinthos' direction, his feet dug into the ground as a sonic boom sounded. He beamed straight towards the captain of Apollo Familia with Beowulf hungry for its prey.

But suddenly, a large black fireball came hurtling towards him, leaving him no other choice but to jump to the side. Dodging the ball of inferno, the scorching heat made him wince as even with him dodging it, the heat was enough to burn his skin. 'Those flames are no joke!' he thought to himself as he watched the fire explode and lay the area barren, the trees turning to ash, and the ground a molten mess.

He turned his eyes back to Hyakinthos, who had an ugly snarl on his face. "I've grown tired of this!" he roared as the flames erupted out of his body, August shielding his eyes from the heat.

"August, move!" A voice sounded in his head, snapping his instincts to the extreme. He jumped back just in time to dodge Hyakinthos' sword. The moment it connected to the ground, a loud, violent boom shook the entirety of the woodlands as August stared wide-eyed at the destruction Hyakinthos left in his wake.

The ground he once stood on cratered and charred, a pool of molten stones puddling below. "Witness true power!" Hyakinthos stood with a crazed smile, staring at August, his eyes maddened as the black flames danced all over his body. August could even see that even he wasn't immune to those flames as his skin boiled and popped, but the crazy bastard couldn't feel the pain from those.

"What the hell did Apollo do to you?" August asked, his instincts telling him that right now, Hyakinthos was extremely dangerous. The heat he was releasing was something he couldn't take; even moving close made his skin burn.

"He made me into a weapon capable of killing you!" Hyakinthos answered. He then chuckled and held his stomach as it slowly morphed into hysterical laughter. "Now then, shall we continue?" He dashed towards August, his speed faster than ever before.

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Denki and Helga were both bloodied and tired, as bodies littered the area they were resting at. The two of them had just faced a whole battalion of Apollo Familia adventurers, and although they won, it was not without consequences.

Helga had a huge gash on her chest, and a dagger was embedded in her calf. Her hands shook with the fatigue of dealing with multiple monsters and adventurers at the same time.

Denki wasn't faring well either. He lay sprawled on the ground, his eyes facing the sky while panting hard. Cuts and bruises covered his body, and a chunk of his left bicep was missing, replaced by a bite mark.

"Oi Denki? You good?" Helga limped towards Denki, using her claymore as a cane. "Don't go dying on me now."

Denki chuckled through gritted teeth as he slowly pushed himself to sit using his one good arm. "Still alive." He took a glance at Helga, who was offering him a hand. "You don't look too good yourself."

Helga pulled him up with a grunt; she could feel her bones shaking as she did so. "T-that's no way to talk to a lady." She stuttered a bit due to the pain. Truthfully, it was a miracle that the two of them could even move right now. They had lost count of how many they killed, be it monsters or adventurers of Apollo Familia.

Denki took a deep breath, trying to straighten himself up. He felt a little dizzy, due to blood loss or fatigue he didn't know. All he knew was that the world seemed to be spinning. "So much for planning everything out," he said sarcastically, aimed at himself.

Helga shook her head and patted him on the shoulder. "You should have realized by now that not everything goes as planned. We did not account for a tamer in their ranks; don't kick yourself up."

BOOM!!!

The two of them felt the ground shake, their eyes quickly meeting as a wave of sinister mana assaulted their senses.

Denki stared in the direction of where the explosion came from. He expanded his mana dome to the extreme and felt two massive mana sources coming from that direction, one of them being his captain. "The captain is fighting something in that area!"

"Something? Not Hyakinthos?" Helga's eyes widened, she asked curiously, staring at the area where Denki pointed.

"No... I-I don't think so... The mana I'm getting from his opponent..." Denki gulped and looked towards Helga. "I-it does not belong to a mortal..."

"Pardon?" Helga did a double take on what Denki said. "What do you mean it does not belong to a mortal?!"

"It feels sinister... No... Vile is a more precise way to put it. That mana, whatever it is, it's vile and disgusting." He did another gulp and continued. "I don't know what it is, but I'm pretty sure it's not Hyakinthos. No mortal should have that type of mana."

*Clap Clap Clap*

The two of them paused as the sound of slow clapping came from behind them. They slowly turned around and saw a lone figure in a mask. "Well well well, that's a convenient ability if I do say so myself." The masked individual spoke, their voice distorted, which made Denki and Helga draw a blank at their gender. They also wore a cloak, which hid the proportions of their body.

"Who the fuck are you?" Helga took a step back. She glanced at Denki and saw that the young adventurer was as shocked as she was to see this person. They had bypassed the mana dome, allowing them to get close without her or even Denki sensing them.

"Oh, who I am isn't that important." The person shrugged and leaned on a tree. They then pulled something out from behind them. This action made Denki and Helga tense up and grip their weapons tightly. "Relax... Don't be so jumpy. I don't bite. I'm just grabbing this." They pulled the object playfully, twirling it around their finger.

"The crown." Denki glared at the figure and crouched low, his mana moving into his katana as he sheathed it back, assuming an iaijutsu stance while releasing a thick killing intent.

"Oh, how scary." The person then stood straight and playfully raised their hands in a mock surrender. "I gotta say, you two really didn't spare anyone, huh? Pretty heartless if you ask me."

"I won't repeat this again. Who the fuck are you?" Denki growled, his stance crouching lower and lower to the ground. To be completely honest, Denki was nervous. His mana dome was raised to the max, yet he couldn't sense whoever this person was, so much so that they were able to march willy-nilly behind him and Helga without the two of them noticing.

"Like I said, who I am isn't that important... not to the two of you, at least. But if you insist. I am called Kumo." They shrugged and pointed towards the dead adventurers from the Apollo Familia. "Or at least that's what those lots called me."

"There's no one named Kumo in the Apollo Familia." Helga raised her claymore, readying herself. She then willed her mana and took a standard balanced stance. "Which means you are the tamer."

"Bingo!" Kumo amusingly clapped their hands. "Wow, you folks from the Heracles Familia sure are capable... Those guys from Apollo should learn a thing or two from you. To be completely honest, they're fucking useless."

"Aren't you part of them?" Denki began to shift to the left, his eyes briefly meeting Helga's. She gave a barely perceptible nod, understanding his intent. Mirroring his movements, she slowly edged to the right, their actions synchronized through months of fighting side by side.

"Oh, gods no! I'd rather be dead than join a narcissistic god such as Apollo. Completely useless lot, I tell you." Kumo shook their head, even appearing insulted by the very idea of being part of the Apollo Familia. "I'm more of a loan... a reassurance, if you will."

"A loan? Loan from who?" Helga clicked her tongue. The possibility of other gods being involved in the War Games with them loaning their adventurers did come up in the strategy meeting, but with the no interference rule in place, they quickly scratched that idea. Still, they made some contingencies if the possibility did arise. They just never expected the loaned adventurer to be a tamer.

"Wow, the two of you sure are good. Using small talk to get information out of me while also moving to flank me." The two halted their steps. Sure enough, the person caught up to what they were doing, but as far as they were concerned, they had already succeeded, surrounding Kumo with Denki on the left and Helga on the right.

They also exposed the fact for every god to hear: Apollo had broken the no interference or assistance of any shape or form rule set in the War Games. This meant their victory was assured. Too bad the two of them didn't know that the gods had no idea what was happening right now because of Evilus' machinations.

"Very well, I'll play along. If anything, consider this me being a good sport." Kumo shrugged. "Apollo loaned me from Lord Erebus."

Helga and Denki's eyes widened. They were familiar with the name of the god Kumo had mentioned. After all, it was the very same god who attacked Orario three and a half months ago. Erebus of Evilus.

"So it really is true..." Denki gritted his teeth, his eyes darting towards the area where he felt August was fighting. Even right now, the sound of explosions and the ground shaking could be felt from there to here. "Apollo did shake hands with Evilus."

"Shook hands, got used as a pawn, who knows?" Kumo once again answered playfully. "It doesn't make a difference either way."

"Why tell us this? The gods would certainly hear this." Helga glared at Kumo. Right now, an uneasy feeling filled her stomach. Something was amiss. Why would this person reveal everything with all the gods watching the War Games right now... unless... Her eyes widened once again. "Fuck!"

Kumo's eyes sparkled with genuine admiration beneath the mask. "Impressive," they said, clapping slowly. "It's not often I encounter opponents who can see through the layers of deception so quickly. You two might actually be fun to kill."

Denki also realized why Kumo was easily sharing information that would make all the gods in Orario march their familias here without a second thought. He bit his lips hard enough to draw blood from frustration. "This was never really about the War Game, huh?"

"Oh, don't get it wrong. For Apollo, this was always about revenge, and what better way to do it than by winning the War Games." Kumo once again took the crown off their back. They then tossed it towards Denki's feet. Denki stared at the crown only for a moment, then returned his complete attention towards Kumo. "But for us in Evilus, these War Games are simply a means to an end... just like Apollo is."

"And I'm guessing you're telling us this because you're not letting us get out of here alive." Denki took a deep breath and calmed his heart, fully focusing on the fight ahead.

"Yes... After all, like they said..." Kumo reached behind their back once again, pulling out a dagger. "Dead men tell no tales." They released their mana, making both Denki and Helga take a step back. For the first time, the two of them could feel the mana that surrounded Kumo.

"Fuck me!" Helga sheathed her claymore and opted for the large kite shield on her back. She took a more defensive stance as she let her mana run wild. Sweat dripped from her face as she tried to fight off the nervousness that threatened to take over her body.

Denki paled, his mana momentarily staggered as he felt Kumo's mana. It was overpowering. His heart raced as he gritted his teeth. Even without the aid of the mana dome, he could tell that the two of them were completely outmatched. After all... Kumo was a level 5.

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*BOOM*

*CRASH*

*THUMMM*

The ground shook as August dodged another one of Hyakinthos's devastating blows that rendered the ground barren and burned. Everything the black sword touched was burned to ashes and swallowed by the miasma-like flames.

August clicked his tongue. He couldn't even get close to Hyakinthos as he was now. Even at the distance he was maintaining, his skin could feel the heat that emanated from Hyakinthos' body.

The spear-wielder dug his weapon into the ground, plucking a large boulder and kicking it towards Hyakinthos. It didn't even reach him as it turned to dust mid-flight.

"That's fucking annoying." August cursed to himself as he jumped back, dodging another blow that cratered the ground where he stood. 'He's getting faster.' His eyes held a hint of shock as Hyakinthos quickly appeared in front of him with his sword slashing horizontally, aiming to cut him in half.

August reacted instantly. He twisted his spear and shoved it forward, meeting Hyakinthos' blade head-on. He could feel his skin boiling from being this close, yet paid it no mind.

*BOOM!!!*

Their two weapons collided, and August grunted as he was sent flying through the trees, his body smoking as he felt an intense heat all over. 'He's getting stronger as well?!' He crashed on his back, skidding on the ground.

His eyes stayed on Hyakinthos, who was giving chase. He slammed his spear into the ground, pushing himself up with a flip. As he got to his feet, he jumped back, just in time to dodge Hyakinthos, who stabbed his sword into the ground. 'The hotter he gets, the more powerful he becomes.' August quickly made his assessment. 'I have to finish this before he gains more power.'

He gripped his spear tightly as his mana ran wild inside his body. Red lightning coiled all over him. "Endless battle," he chanted his magic as the space suddenly shook, his mana exploding and covering the entirety of the woodland area.

He took a step forward as his body suddenly vanished and appeared in front of Hyakinthos. "It seems like you're enjoying yourself?" He muttered as the captain of the Apollo Familia looked at him with glaring eyes, his face charred and blackened by the very flames he commanded. "My turn!" August roared as he raised his spear high and slammed it straight towards Hyakinthos.

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***

Chapter 140 is now complete. How are you all enjoying the story so far?

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