Chapter 1038: 437: Defeat Again

Chapter 1038: Chapter 437: Defeat Again

“Ares, you must understand that mortals are ignorant; their eyes cannot see far. They are also followers, only believing what they wish to believe.”

“Those humans, who wander the Earth like ants, never care about what the truth is, just as they are never able to discern what the truth actually is.”

“Therefore, they cannot comprehend how powerful a Divine Artifact that bears a curse can be, let alone understand how perfectly that mortal resonates with the Styx River.”

“Looking up at The Sky from the bottom of a well, one can only ever see a corner of the heavens; and in a mortal’s understanding, a Divine Artifact should not be able to erase the gap between them and the Principal God.”

“After all, apart from that cursed sword, no High-Grade Artifact could allow a non-deity to wound a Principal God on Mount Olympus, so those mortals naturally assume what they see is the truth.”

“They think you have lost, that the War God has been defeated by a human in single combat, and thus both your Faith and mine are slipping away… Therefore, Ares, you must resolve this problem as soon as possible, no matter what.”

“Within half a year, if you haven’t dealt with it… then never come to see me again!”

…

Clatter—

Throwing the last cup of Nectar to the ground, Ares watched as the exquisitely crafted vessel, possibly taking a mortal craftsman a year to produce, shattered into pieces, a sense of satisfaction from Destruction washing over him.

But this fleeting pleasure was just that—instantaneous. The tipsy War God, recalling Aphrodite’s utterly merciless scolding earlier, felt nothing but annoyance at the bottom of his heart.

A mortal that is likely dead without a place for burial—how can he deal with one who is no longer?

Alive, one might win however possible, but against the dead… And that Centaur, he even dared to defy my decree.

Had it not been for the fear of the Goddess of the Magic Net, who drifts outside the Divine Court, Ares would never have tolerated him until today.

“One last time, I will give him one final opportunity.”

“If he dares to refuse me again… then let the dead speak for me!”

Under the influence of alcohol, the last bit of Ares’ patience was wearing thin.

The solution he had come up with was actually quite simple: if he couldn’t overcome a dead person, then let ‘the dead’ become ‘the living’, and in passing, pick an opponent he was certain to defeat.

Since Achilles was Chiron’s student, then naturally, he is the one who knows the mortal the best.

Moreover, the true cause of Achilles’ ‘death’ was falling to the Mortal Realm at the hands of The Dark Overlord, and even his ‘corpse’ flowed into Tartarus with the Waters of the Styx… Strictly speaking, nobody can confirm he definitely died since there are no tales of The Lord of Darkness’ actions told among Humans.

Therefore, whether he is dead or not, can actually be decided by Ares himself.

In doing so, as long as he can find another powerful Hero and somehow temporarily alter that person’s appearance, and eventually have Chiron ‘identify’ him in person, by killing him under the public eye, everything can be restored, and the previous defeat explained away.

After all, Deities being deceived by Humans due to carelessness or other reasons aren’t uncommon, adding one more of me would, at most, add another tale to be laughed at.

Everything seemed perfect, at least Ares thought so. If mortals can’t see the truth, then he shall give them a ‘truth’.

Once the idea was set, the War God immediately went to Olympia… However, what he didn’t expect was that the Centaur actually refused him.

Without the other’s cooperation, Ares’ plan would be hard to succeed. Even if he succeeded, as long as Chiron came forward in the future and identified that person as not Achilles, then his actions would become an even greater joke.

Thus, as days passed one after another, the Centaur never relented, and the War God’s patience grew thinner and thinner.

Until today, under the influence of alcohol, he no longer wanted to tolerate it.

Just be straightforward—kill Chiron, control his corpse alongside ‘Achilles’ to provoke him, and then both would be slain under his hoof. If the Goddess of the Magic Net sought vengeance, then let her come!

In The Temple, after swallowing the last sip of Nectar, Ares strode out, dismissing the servants around him.

“Alright, all of you leave me be!”

“Chiron, you ungrateful fool… Since you’re so bent on courting death, then I’ll simply grant your wish!”

A hint of cruelty flashed through his eyes, without the softening touch of the Goddess of Beauty, Ares’ innate nature from his Godhood was no longer suppressed.

Duels, mutiny, bloodshed, brutality, unjust War… These domains collectively formed a realm pulsating within the cocoon of Divinity, and he had long wanted to let off some steam.

Achilles was merely an unrepeatable accident, and now even a mere Centaur dares to treat him as null due to Hecate’s presence?

“This, I cannot allow…”

“—Hmm?”

The lively essence of Godhood quivered slightly, Ares’ expression briefly astonished, then followed by elation.

Turning to look towards the city outskirts, in the War God’s perception, it seemed as if something was approaching him from that direction.

The vigor of life-force, the tenacity of spirit, even enough to stir the antennae of the War God’s Godhood, undoubtedly, it had to be a great Hero destined to tower over armies.

Such a sensation… even the once Perseus did not give Ares such a profound response.