Chapter 389: Dealing with Isis

The air around Isis shimmered with divine pressure. Her silver eyes darkened with fury—glimpses of storms flashing behind them. Murderous intent radiated off her like desert heat.

But Nathan didn’t stop.

“You can try to kill me now,” he said, unmoved. “But Aphrodite and Khione are both aware of my presence. They’re listening. Right now.”

Upon hearing Nathan’s words, Isis narrowed her eyes, a sharp glint of suspicion igniting in her gaze like moonlight on the edge of a blade.

It became immediately clear to her—Nathan had come prepared. He wasn’t some wandering fool who had stumbled into the lion’s den unaware of where he stood. No, from the moment he had stepped foot into the Amun-Ra Empire—a land ruled by divine authority, teeming with unknown threats and bristling with ancient power—Nathan had anticipated confrontation. He had walked willingly into the heart of enemy territory, a place where he had no allies, no status, no foundation. And yet, he stood there, speaking with the calm edge of someone who had calculated his every move.

Indeed, he had planned for this.

Ever since his arrival, Nathan had steeled himself for the possibility of facing the gods of the Egyptian pantheon. A confrontation with Isis was not a surprise—it was an inevitability. And while he wasn’t entirely truthful, he wasn’t lying either. After all, Khione, Aphrodite, and Amaterasu should by now be aware of his presence and the delicate position he was in. What they likely didn’t know—or perhaps hadn’t yet pieced together—was that Isis herself was responsible for his mysterious disappearance. A detail Nathan had no intention of revealing. Not yet.

He needed Isis to hesitate. To question. To doubt.

Because as powerful as she was, Isis could not afford to treat him as a disposable mortal—not when there were goddesses of immense stature silently standing behind him. If nothing else, the ambiguity of divine support would serve as a protective veil. He needed her to believe that any harm inflicted upon him could have consequences—divine, political, or otherwise.

After all, even for a goddess, murdering a mortal without provocation, especially one under the implied protection of other deities, could be seen as reckless. Dangerous. Perhaps even disgraceful. She was treading on unstable ground now, and both of them knew it.

“I wonder why those two are supporting you,” Isis muttered, her voice low and uneasy, more to herself than to him.

There was a flicker of unease in her expression—an expression that rarely cracked. From her perspective, it was troubling. Aphrodite and Khione were not known for siding with mortals without reason, much less ones as enigmatic as Nathan. Their involvement wasn’t just suspicious—it was unnatural.

And that made him dangerous.

“So, does that mean you won’t act against me?” Nathan asked, his voice calm but loaded with intent.

“Don’t think invoking their names will shield you from me,” Isis snapped, her silver eyes glowing with a glacial sheen, like ancient starlight cast through frost. “You are nothing more than a mortal, Nathan. And I am not so easily swayed by divine gossip.”

Her tone was sharp, but Nathan saw what she was trying to do—reclaim her ground, assert her dominance, remind him that he was still, ultimately, a human standing before a goddess.

He didn’t flinch.

“Then what?” he said, voice turning colder. “You should know—I would rather avoid spilling blood. Cleopatra’s life isn’t my goal. But if you stand in my way, I won’t hesitate. I will kill her.”

Isis’s expression didn’t change much, but the atmosphere shifted. He had struck a nerve. A warning flickered behind her unreadable eyes, like the calm before a sandstorm.

“You’re only increasing my desire to end you,” she said, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper. “Do you truly understand the situation you’re in, mortal?”

Nathan met her gaze without a hint of fear. “And I return the question to you.”

He took a step closer—not threatening, but resolute, fearless.

“I have everything to lose by making you an enemy, and I know that. I don’t want a war with you, Isis. But I believe Cleopatra on the throne could be more than a political move—it could be a turning point. She could become a powerful ally against the Light Gods and their puppet Knights.”

His words lingered in the air like smoke, curling into the silence between them.

“I don’t seek conflict,” he added. “But I won’t run from it, either.”

Isis, usually quick to respond with words sharp as daggers, didn’t speak immediately. Her silver eyes narrowed, the light within them dimming to a contemplative glow.

Light Gods… Divine Knights…

There had been something more than defiance in his voice when he mentioned them. Bitterness. Loathing. A quiet, controlled fury that smoldered beneath his words like embers waiting to become fire.

“You were summoned by them,” Isis murmured at last, piecing the puzzle together. “But now you want them dead. So that’s it… Aphrodite saved your life, didn’t she? And Khione took your side… You’re not just trying to survive. You want revenge. That’s what this is about.”

Nathan shook his head slowly, his white hair brushing his shoulders. His expression remained unreadable, but something in his eyes shifted—something deeper than rage.

“My objective isn’t that shallow,” he replied. His tone was colder now. Wiser.

Yes, at first, vengeance had been his only guiding light—an instinctual need to strike back at those who tore his life apart, who treated him like a pawn, a disposable creature unworthy of choice or dignity. But time had changed him. His purpose had evolved.

He wasn’t fighting only for revenge anymore.

He was fighting for the women he loved and also his Childs. For their freedom. For their future.

He wouldn’t allow them to live in an Empire shackled by the tyranny of Divine Knights and Light Gods.

“These people—these so-called gods—they’re up to no good,” Nathan continued, voice sharp with conviction. “If you’d rather align yourself with them, despite everything they’ve done, despite the corruption they spread… then that’s your choice. But don’t pretend it’s the right one.”

His words hung in the air, heavier than before. Like chains waiting to be broken.

Isis regarded him quietly for a few long seconds, her expression unreadable. She wasn’t used to being spoken to like this. Not by mortals. Not even by lesser gods. And yet, there was something strangely compelling about him—something that tugged at her instinct, warning her that Nathan was more than what he appeared to be.

At last, she broke the silence.

“You may align yourself with the Amun-Ra Empire,” she said slowly, her voice carrying the weight of ancient authority, “but only under one condition.”

Nathan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What condition?”

“The Roman Empire,” Isis answered.

There was an edge to her voice now. Something darker.

“I want you to deal with them.”

Nathan blinked, surprised. “Deal with them?” he repeated, not quite liking where the conversation was going. A storm was brewing behind her gaze, and his instincts warned him to brace for it.

“If you truly plan to draw my Empire into a war,” Isis said, each word measured, deliberate, “then I want to ensure that Caesar and his wolves don’t use the chaos to seize control of our lands. That is precisely what he’s planning. Make no mistake—Rome watches us. The moment we show weakness, they will strike.”

Her voice dropped lower, more venomous. “And they won’t stop until we are just another province under their iron rule.”

“You don’t trust them,” Nathan observed.

Isis laughed bitterly, a short, humorless sound. “Who would? If I could, I would erase their Empire from existence. But they are too well protected—by politics, by gods, by something darker.”

She didn’t say more. She didn’t have to.

Nathan exhaled slowly, the weight of her request pressing on his chest.

“So… what are you asking me to do?” he said. “Destroy the Roman Empire?”

He looked at her, incredulous. Even for him—with all he had seen, all he had done—that was an overwhelming demand.

“Because that… that would be madness.”

“I didn’t ask you to destroy the Roman Empire,” Isis said, her silver lips curving into a mysterious smile. “But if that’s where your thoughts went when I mentioned dealing with them… well, that’s your interpretation. I won’t stop you.”

Her voice was deceptively calm, like silk wrapping around a dagger.

Nathan narrowed his eyes. “Enough of this wordplay. What exactly do you want from me?” he asked, irritation sharp in his tone.

Isis met his gaze, unbothered by his rising impatience. “What I want,” she said softly, “is for Rome to stop believing they can extend their fingers over the Amun-Ra Empire like vultures circling a wounded beast. I want them to stop thinkingthey have the right to take what’s mine.”

Her expression hardened. “They shouldn’t even dream of it anymore.”

“And the best way to make that happen?” she continued, her eyes glittering like polished steel under the desert sun. “Simple. Remove the ones who feed that ambition. Take down their leaders—quietly, effectively. Once their heads fall, the rest of the body won’t dare move.”

She said it as if she were discussing trimming weeds from a garden.

But it wasn’t simple.

Not even close.

Nathan would have to infiltrate the heart of one of the most powerful empires in the world, surrounded by layers of protection, deception, and divine politics. He would be walking into a lion’s den wearing the scent of blood. One misstep could cost him not just his life—but the lives of those he was trying to protect.

“I didn’t come here for that,” Nathan said through clenched teeth, the muscles in his jaw tightening. His hands curled into fists at his sides. “That wasn’t my mission.”

“Oh, you’re speaking of your dear Princess and her lovely companion, yes?” Isis tilted her head slightly, amusement playing on her lips. “Both of them are in Rome now.”

Nathan’s blood ran cold.

“What…?” His voice was hoarse, stunned. “What did you say?”

“Don’t tell me you had something to do with this,” he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

Isis gave a shrug, that ever-present smile never leaving her face. “Not at all. Their presence there has nothing to do with me. But I won’t say more than that. Only this—if you want to find them, that’s where you’ll need to go.”

She leaned forward slightly, eyes glinting like moonlight on obsidian. “They’re both still alive… at least for now. But who can say for how long? You should hurry.”

The air felt heavier. Nathan’s mind was already racing through every possibility, every danger they might be in. His heart was pounding, but his face remained a mask of icy calm.

Isis watched him, waiting.

“Well?” she said. “Do you accept?”

For a long moment, Nathan didn’t respond. He stood still, his expression unreadable, his eyes closed as if trying to calm the storm within him. Then, slowly—deliberately—he opened them.

There was steel in his gaze.

“I will take down the Roman Empire,” he said, his voice low and resolute. “From within.”