Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Argonaut heroes guarding each chokepoint raised their shields and hurled their arms forward. One spear after another lit up with divine runes, tearing through the air.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions erupted in rapid succession. Amid the violently billowing dust, several Olympian soldiers were blasted backward, smashing into the pillars of the Machine God Corridor and leaving deep, unmistakable dents behind.
Yes! We got them!
Trapped within the hall, the Argonauts saw the breach their combined effort had torn open in the enemy formation, and their spirits instantly surged.
"Buzz!"
But as an eerie vibration rippled outward, those Olympian soldiers embedded in the pillars let out dull mechanical grinding sounds. Crimson light flared once more in their eyes. They reached up, yanked the spears from their bodies, and the torn gaps in their armor visibly sealed shut. Despite having taken such heavy blows, they were moving normally again in no time.
That tough? And they can self-repair? What kind of freaks are these?!
The smiles on the heroes' faces froze.
Charging toward the front entrance from the central hall, Atalanta immediately broke into rapid fire. Her arrows flew like shooting stars, exploiting the chaos of the melee with razor-sharp angles, deliberately targeting weak points in the Olympian soldiers' armor, such as their eyes.
In an instant, several soldiers who had just gotten back up were pierced straight through the skull. They toppled backward, blue mechanical fluid mixed with crimson blood spraying from the wounds. Their bodies twitched a few times before going completely still.
"Find their weak points! Don't let them get inside!"
Atalanta shouted the warning. Snapping back to their senses, the heroes nodded in unison and quickly formed a shield wall in front of the blasted opening in the wall. The rear ranks steadied themselves, drawing bows and spears to pick off Olympian soldiers attempting to force their way in.
"Roar!"
However, the elite defenders of the Interstellar City-Mountain Range were no pushovers. With furious roars, they raised their silver shields and locked them together.
As Ether surged, streams of light flared and interlinked, forming a massive magecraft barrier that spun endlessly before them.
In a chorus of clanging metal, incoming arrows and spears were deflected one after another.
The heroes' pupils contracted sharply, their expressions darkening.
These steel coffins were even harder to deal with now that they were prepared.
"Hmph!"
Just as the Olympian soldiers, locked into their defensive formation, were about to surge into the hall, a cold, explosive shout rang out. A one-and-a-half-meter-long armor-piercing projectile, forged entirely of bronze with a four-edged tip, tore through the air. It whipped up a violent gale, accompanied by a shriek sharp enough to pierce eardrums, and slammed straight into the center of the shield wall.
Boom!
A violent explosion roared through the hall. The magecraft barrier formed by ten linked Olympian soldiers shattered, along with their shields and armor.
The three shield-bearers at the very center were hit the hardest. Their bodies were torn apart completely, pink flesh and stark white bone scattering through the air. Multicolored organs splattered down like rain, covering the floor, the walls, and even both allies and enemies.
After that missile-like strike, all eyes turned in unison toward the raised platform. There stood Heracles, already fitting another armor-piercing arrow to his bow and drawing back the bronze string. The chaotic battlefield fell abruptly silent.
"Ahem…"
Samael looked on with satisfaction at the scene created by the Great Hero's strike. After clearing his throat lightly to draw the attention of both sides, he casually twirled the dagger-shaped Mystic Code between his fingers, smiling as he let the blade drift languidly across Triton's vital points.
"Everyone outside, listen up. You're being threatened. The hostage is in my hands. If you want him alive, put down your weapons, stop resisting, disarm, and surrender. I guarantee your personal safety."
Unfortunately, an eerie silence fell over the scene. No one seemed to take that warning seriously.
"Ah, looks like that won't do. Fine, we can still talk terms.
"But don't crowd so close. My hands get shaky. If I accidentally take off Prince Triton's arm or leg, it'll be hard for everyone to explain things afterward.
"How about this. I suggest you all step back a hundred paces. Let's sort this out properly. Maybe it's just a misunderstanding?"
Samael blinked and smiled, his voice gentle. Yet the lightning-shaped dagger in his hand tilted downward, the blade slowly sinking into Triton's arm. Dark red blood seeped from the wound.
The Olympian soldiers' hearts clenched as they exchanged uneasy looks. In Atalanta, bloodline and status were deeply ingrained into the social order. Instinctively, they hesitated, afraid their prince might truly be killed.
"What is there to discuss?! You defiled the sacrifice and delayed the Sea God's festival! Even if I die, when Father returns, he will avenge me! You will never leave this place!"
Triton's face twisted with fury, his voice brimming with rage and resolve.
As the merman prince struggled violently, the wound on his body deepened. The surrounding Olympian soldiers immediately lowered their weapons and retreated without hesitation.
You might not fear death, but we do!
If Lord Poseidon returns to seek vengeance, he won't just kill these outsiders. He'll slaughter us as well!
We should have wiped out these foreigners the moment they surfaced from the Eye of the Tidal Sea.
If we wanted to question them, leaving one or two key survivors would have been enough. You insisted on bringing them to Olympus. Completely unnecessary. Why insist on capturing them alive?
If the Sea God's festival fails, we die. If Atalanta's secrets are exposed, we die just the same. From the moment they set foot here, these people were never meant to leave alive!
Forced into a passive position and held at another's mercy, the Olympian soldiers cursed inwardly, seething with resentment toward this commander whose ambitions far exceeded his judgment.
As the soldiers withdrew like a tide to a hundred paces away, Samael eased the strange, curved dagger back slightly.
Following closely behind, the young Medea raised her staff and cast a healing spell on Triton's wound.
The ancient serpent's eyes flickered with approval. The girl flushed faintly, a trace of delight shimmering in her gaze.
Incidentally, the small tool capable of nullifying Triton's Ether barrier had been a Mystic Code Medea crafted personally at Samael's request.
That was right. This item was the prototype of the future [Symbol that Shatters All Laws].
Samael gathered his thoughts, scanning the surroundings. His gaze brushed over the cold glints hidden in various corners. Narrowing his eyes, he leaned close to the hostage's ear, his expression amiable.
"Your Highness, could there be some misunderstanding between us?"
"Misunderstanding? Hah! Do you remember the little girl you ran into in the Storm Sea? Someone among you tampered with her, delaying the Sea God's festival. Those who violate taboos must die!"
"The sacrifice you mentioned… you wouldn't be talking about—"
"Exactly. Her name is Rhode. She is the key to the Sea God's festival. That sacrifice wasn't very obedient. She actually escaped, left behind a sea chart, and sought out you lot, the hounds of the Divine Mountain, to help her break free and come here to sabotage Father's millennia-long plan! Since you're here today, not a single one of you is leaving alive!"
So that's what it was.
The Argonauts' eyes filled with understanding, their expressions sinking.
"If I said this was all a misunderstanding, would you believe me?"
Samael sighed helplessly. Triton only sneered in response.
"Then there's nothing left to talk about. Fine. Looks like we're stuck taking the blame for this mess.
"So what are we waiting for? Please lead the way, Your Highness. If we don't rescue that little mermaid, if we don't do something, wouldn't we die for nothing?"
The ancient serpent raised the [Symbol that Shatters All Laws], prodded forward, and forced Triton out of the hall.
Damn it. Trying to kill us without a word? You really think we're easy targets? Fine. Let's do this.
Having suffered an undeserved disaster, and already fond of that young guide, the Argonauts were filled with righteous fury as Atalanta pressed in on them step by step. Gripping their weapons, they clustered around Samael and the hostage Triton, ready to turn the place upside down.
...
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