Whoosh!
As the eerie, lethal aura condensed to its peak, a streak of black light shot from Samael's hand, like a venomous serpent baring its fangs in the dark.
Damn it!
Ares felt the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. A sharp premonition flared in his mind, and a faint stabbing pain bloomed at his brow, right where he was being locked onto.
"You bastard, don't look down on me!"
The god of berserk war roared in fury. In a moment of desperation, he gripped the Sword of the God of War with one hand and slashed upward to block.
Boom!
Two torrents of violent Ether smashed together. The surrounding space compressed violently, then twisted and exploded.
Ares took the hit head-on. Wounds tore open across his body as his blood-soaked form was hurled downward. Even the Sword of the God of War let out a mournful hum as its radiance dimmed and slipped from his grasp.
Sea beasts that had already tasted traces of divine blood went completely mad under the stimulus of that power. Like sardines swarming together, they crowded toward Ares's fall point. Some thrashed their tails and leapt from the sea, jaws yawning wide, rows of jagged fangs gnashing as they scrambled to devour every scrap of flesh, blood, and marrow from this gift fallen from the heavens.
"Get out of my way!"
After all, Ares was one of the Twelve Olympians. As his consciousness shook off its brief daze and he realized just how many sea beasts had set their sights on him, his rage exploded. Divine power surged violently around his body.
The monsters affected by [Blood Dominion] were instantly pierced through by razor-sharp force, their bodies bursting apart one after another. The spreading blood mist surged back toward the god of war like a thousand rivers returning to the sea, pouring into his pores. His wounds sealed rapidly, and his waning strength recovered at a frightening pace.
War feeding war, growing stronger with every battle!
As long as there was enough blood, as long as the frenzy of battle continued, he could use these offerings to hold out to the very end.
He could lose, but he would never lose forever!
Flames blazed in Ares's eyes as he slipped deeper into madness.
Shk!
Before the god of berserk war could finish gathering his momentum, a follow-up strike tore through the outer blood cocoon with unstoppable force. The icy spearhead stopped precisely at the divine core in Ares's chest, the split flesh immediately oozing blood.
With just a little more force, that overwhelming authority would pierce straight through and rob Olympus of one of its Main Gods.
A defeated general, what right does he have to boast of valor?
If you want to win, you still need the victor to allow you a chance to turn the tables!
Samael lowered his gaze, not even bothering to look at Ares's furious, unwilling expression. A cold snort sounded in his heart.
Still… what a pity.
The ancient serpent slowly withdrew his spear. The divided spirit of the Goddess of Wisdom that clung to his body peeled away and drifted forward, her voice dignified, with a hint of mockery.
"What is it now, Ares? Can't accept another loss?"
"Shut up, Athena! You took my authority of victory, split the godhood of war, and now you even incite these ants to seize the offerings mortals dedicate to me! This humiliation can only be washed away with blood!"
"Oh, spare me, Ares. I once thought that no matter how many times you lost, you were still a true god. One who dared to challenge himself, challenge authority, with the ferocity of a wolf. But now I see it clearly. You're nothing more than a coward who vents his anger on the weak. A stray dog that only bares its teeth at innocent passersby.
The authority of victory? The seat of the war god? Your dear father forced all of that onto me. Don't tell me you truly didn't know."
The phantom of the Goddess of Wisdom rising from the divine vessel narrowed her eyes, her gaze cold and piercing. The sharp, all-seeing light within them made Ares instinctively turn his head away.
"Moreover, the Argo expedition was a divine oracle from Zeus. Those mortals survived countless dangers without so much as a scratch because they were under Olympus's protection. Their arrival in Colchis and the taking of your Golden Fleece was nothing less than destiny, personally upheld by the God-King!
"And yet here you are. Your divine authority keeps shrinking, your faith continues to wither. As the biggest victim of all, you don't even dare vent your anger openly. You take it out on pawns like the Argonauts instead, sealing off the seas in secret, sneaking around because you're afraid your dear father will notice and punish you. How ridiculous."
Ares's expression darkened. His clenched steel teeth ground audibly as he let out a low, muffled snort.
"Shut up. Don't think you can drive a wedge between me and Father."
"You may treat him as your father, but that doesn't mean he sees you as his son. Don't forget, you are the child of Hera and Zeus, the purest bloodline of the God-King.
"The curse carved into your very bones is that the son replaces the father. So why do you think you're targeted again and again? Still don't understand?
"Perhaps only on the day you cease to exist will he finally sleep soundly."
Those words struck straight at the heart. Aphrodite's earlier warning echoed in his mind. Ares opened his mouth, but for once, he didn't rush to refute it. His expression flickered, light and shadow warring across his face.
"That's enough. The authority you're using to seal this place is almost gone. Get back to Olympus before Zeus notices. In the end, we don't have any deep-seated hatred between us. If I really killed you, your father might actually be happier. I have no interest in doing that."
The phantom of the Goddess of Wisdom waved her hand with clear disinterest. As her divided spirit faded and dispersed, Athena's teasing whisper lingered in Ares's ears.
"One last piece of advice. Whether you choose to be a wolf or a dog is up to you. But don't keep wavering between the two, ending up neither wolf nor dog, hated by everyone.
"Honestly, if you want to live a little longer, you'd better keep your tail tucked and behave like a good dog. Don't go jumping out and biting people at random."
"Otherwise, who knows how much longer your dear father will tolerate you?"
Ares hovered in midair for a long time. His fingers curled inward, nails digging into his palms as a thin line of crimson seeped between them.
The instant the blood-flames within him finally settled, the Sword of the God of War, which had fallen into the sea, seemed to answer his call. With a clear, ringing clang, it flew back into the hand of the god of berserk war.
Raising his hand, Ares signaled the Korekis fleet to withdraw. He lowered his gaze and bared his teeth in a cold snort.
He was no one's dog. Never had been.
…Finally over.
The King of Colchis, whose senses had been cut off by the divine domain and who could only watch anxiously from the outer edge, saw the god he worshiped return and issue the divine order to retreat. The tension that had bound him snapped at once, replaced by overwhelming relief that he was still alive.
As for War God Mountain, he could only hope his daughter truly was aboard that ship. Perhaps Medea might one day become a bridge to ease relations between both sides.
…
Meanwhile, the Argo struggled to remain steady as the heroes waited tensely on deck.
It's coming!
The prodigious singer Orpheus caught sight of the figure streaking through the storm pillars like a meteor. His excitement made the notes from his conch shell slip off-key.
The light-curtain wall, governed by its fixed score, twisted violently before dropping down and sealing shut.
Fortunately, at the critical moment, Pegasus beat its wings and surged forward, breaking through the blockade and safely delivering its master onto the deck of the Argo.
"Go! Move! We can't hold it any longer!"
The moment Samael dismounted, he shouted a sharp warning, his expression tense with urgency.
"W-where… where to?"
Hearing this disastrous news, Jason's breathing faltered. By instinct, he turned to Samael, the favored child of the Goddess of Wisdom, seeking guidance.
"The way out is straight ahead! Charge in! No one will know where we've gone!"
Samael caught the fish-scale sea chart Orion tossed down from the lookout and spread it open for the captain to see, pointing the route toward the vast, pitch-black vortex ahead.
The Eye of the Tidal Sea? Y-you've got to be joking…
Charging straight into a whirlpool like that was basically asking to be fed to the fish. Jason swallowed hard.
"Hurry! If we're any later, it'll be too late! Trust me!"
As Samael glanced back again and again, frowning as he urged him on, Jason steeled himself. He squeezed his eyes shut, gritted his teeth, and swung his sword forward.
Moments later, the Argo slammed into the Eye of the Tidal Sea and shook violently. Even with Magecraft protection, the hull let out an ear-splitting creak.
Then came an intense sensation of weightlessness. The Argo plunged as if falling into an abyss, dropping sharply. Once it reached a certain depth, however, a strange force around the vortex began to lift the ship slightly, stabilizing its descent.
Samael had the vague feeling of riding a roller coaster, shooting through long, narrow tunnels of varying widths.
The ancient serpent narrowed its eyes and looked up. Bathed in the aqua-blue glow, he exchanged nods with Artemis and Orion on the lookout platform, a trace of relief and joy surfacing in his gaze.
Just as expected. A spatial warp.
The seemingly most dangerous [Eye of the Tidal Sea] was actually the entrance to a Mystery realm.