Among the Twelve Olympians, Ares had finally been defeated as well, sealed away by Athena and Meruem together.
Sealed inside a chamber pot—yes, a chamber pot.
The chamber pot was made by Meruem. After all, back in the Gigantomachy Ares already had the precedent of being stuffed into a bronze jar. And as the most infamous and thick‑skinned member of the Twelve, he did not particularly care.
Although Ares was also a god who tried to seize the earth, he was the least welcome god on it. Even Poseidon and Hades had great temples where humans worshiped them, but Ares was different. Aside from a few war fanatics, no one liked him.
Average divine power, far weaker than several of Athena's other enemies; brave but brainless; cruel in temperament; acting without thinking. With all this stacked together, it was inevitable that Ares would lose to Athena.
When Ares was sealed, Aphrodite was sealed along with him. Her seal was even more casual. Though she was also one of the Twelve, her divine power was only slightly stronger than that of a typical First‑tier God.
In a real fight, she might not even be much stronger than the Twin Gods serving at Hades's side. A vase with divine power but no way to wield it properly—that was Aphrodite.
She was made one of the Twelve solely because of her earth‑shaking beauty. Who knew where she and Ares got the confidence to go looking for trouble with Athena? Did they think Athena hadn't awakened yet? Or did they think that because Athena hadn't awakened the war divinity there was hope?
Even supposing Ares defeated Athena and gained dominion over the earth, how long could he hold it?
Never mind the Underworld King Hades; just Abel, now in the Sanctuary, was already far beyond anything Ares could handle.
So what goes on in the heads of gods really is beyond human guessing.
In this Saints vs. Berserkers war, the high‑end combat forces were almost completely intact. The foot soldiers and low‑ranking Saints did take fairly heavy losses, but nothing beyond what the Sanctuary could accept.
After all, it had been a brilliant annihilation battle. Since the two main gods had clashed from the very first moment, the war hadn't dragged on; it ended quickly.
While the other Saints cleaned up the battlefield, Meruem stayed at Saori's side. Before long, they would have to set out for the Sanctuary again, since the Sanctuary, as the Saints' main base, could not go too long without Athena presiding over it.
After the battle with Ares, Saori's spirits had never risen. On the contrary, she seemed a bit listless. So Meruem simply stayed with her, keeping her company and helping her relax.
The two of them stood on the rooftop of the War God Temple, the highest place in Sparta. Saori held Meruem's right arm and leaned on his shoulder. They simply, quietly watched the moon in the sky.
Meruem said nothing, and Saori was equally quiet, just staying there silently.
Meruem could clearly hear Saori's soft breathing against his shoulder, and he could smell the faint fragrance of her breath and the subtle scent from her body.
Call it lewd if you like, but that was the truth. Meruem really did like Saori's scent. And yes, it was her true body fragrance. As Athena, Saori would never wear some cheap human perfume; it did not smell half as good as her own natural scent.
In Meruem's eyes, Saori was far more attractive than the goddess of beauty Aphrodite, though in pure looks alone Aphrodite truly had no equal.
But just thinking of Aphrodite's "lifestyle" made one's scalp prickle. Or rather, the entire heavenly race's lifestyle was enough to make anyone's scalp prickle.
If gods could get syphilis or other venereal diseases, they would eventually play themselves to death. Let one god catch something, and before long the entire pantheon would be staring at annihilation.
Their little circle was far too messy. Sometimes Meruem suspected that the reason Saori refused to be like them was precisely because their private lives were so chaotic.
Simply being with Saori like this, quietly, was enough to make even Meruem feel his face warm and his heart race a little. Although he had already formally established a relationship with Pitou and Neferpitou in the past, in truth neither of them had really "dated" him.
Meruem had never pursued them. It had all just progressed naturally, as if everything were a matter of course. The feeling he had when he was with Saori now was something entirely new.
But it was not an unpleasant feeling.
Still, little Saori had been raised by Meruem's own hand. In a sense… didn't that make him kind of a lolicon?
Sensing Saori's breathing grow deeper and steadier, Meruem turned his head and saw that at some point she had fallen asleep on his shoulder.
So cute. He gently brushed his hand through Saori's short hair, and with every small motion a few threads of that subtle fragrance drifted into his nose.
It smelled wonderful.
Watching Saori wrinkle her little nose in her sleep, Meruem could not help finding it funny.
That Valkyrie of the battlefield now looked like a girl from next door, sleeping on his shoulder.
Meruem quietly slipped his other arm around Saori's shoulders and gently drew her into his embrace.
He did not notice that, pressed against his chest, the supposedly sleeping Saori wore a faint, sweet smile.
Did he like Saori? Meruem did not know how to answer. The answer was probably yes. But as king, the queen of the Chimera Ants was Pitou, and Meruem could not abandon her for Saori's sake.
Because Meruem knew he loved Pitou. He never said it, but he was certain of it: he loved her.
But Saori was Athena, the goddess of war and wisdom. Would she be willing to rank beneath Pitou?
More importantly, the enemy Meruem would ultimately have to face in this world would very likely be the entire pantheon of the heavens. Even if Saori stood by his side now, what about in the future? What then? Would she really turn against her own blood for him?
Meruem had not even told Saori what he planned to do after taking the jar sealing Poseidon from her.
If Saori learned that Meruem treated Poseidon like an experimental animal, bleeding him and using his divine body for tests, how would she react? Poseidon was, nominally and by blood, Athena's uncle. In terms of kinship, he was far closer to her than Meruem, a stranger, could ever be. Meruem simply did not know.
Since Saori had not asked, he had not said. That was the trust they had in each other.
But one day, everything would have to be laid bare. What then?
Meruem shook his head, driving those thoughts from his mind.
Even the always‑invincible Meruem was troubled in this moment, weighed down by worries over other people.
Live in the present; when the boat reaches the bridge, it will naturally straighten. They would deal with the future when it came. So long as Saori did not betray him, he would never betray Saori.
Cherishing the moment, Meruem very naturally brought his lips down and brushed them lightly against Saori's purple hair.
Time seemed to freeze in that instant. It felt as if things could stay like this forever.
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