Fury's Finale -2

The Blood Echoes were just barely starting to affect me as well, not in any sort of insanity-born way, but my movements were becoming slightly more like theirs, though just barely. I just barely noticed it as well. It was like seeing something so many times over and over again until you start unconsciously replicating it. They were good movements however, so I made no effort right now to try and not do them.

If they were bad, they would hopefully get beaten out of me with further combat. I learned how to fight by fighting, did almost everything so far through trial by fire, and I would probably further continue tempering myself like that… Or by getting beaten up by Melusine under the pretense of sparring. But even then, it would pretty much be the same thing.

{Skill is irrelevant when you're strong enough.} Well I am not strong enough. {True.} Oi… No, she was right, but I still chose to be a little offended.

With the next group of enemies defeated, which proved that the movements were not that bad, I was faced with a massive hole in the 'wall'. There was no obvious path to go from there, but the gears and everything around me were trying to pull up a chain which was stuck on something or another. All I could do was assume that I was supposed to manipulate time, unsure as I was if it could exert enough influence and power to do so.

It ended up working rather well, stone rising up, the chain moving into a different position. The statue must have been completed, then destroyed, at some point as merely exerting the rewinding influence was enough to bring up the massive arm in what was likely to be a very clear sign of where I was. The previously hanging arm however was repaired, closing the hole from which I had been watching, but I continued to hold. Mostly because I vaguely heard sounds of approaching crumbling when I stopped early.

It was a strange feeling to say the least, but I felt that there was still more to be done, holding on and rewinding until it felt as if the last stone, very last pebble even, was put into place. The fact I did not hear anything collapse was probably a good sign, along with the fact I was not immediately attacked. I gave the Furies a few more moments, but when no one showed up, I returned to doing my best to find out the right path ahead, not really being given hints or directions…

o.O.o.O.o

I know that statues are for looking at and not for moving around in, but I still wished that it was easier to move around. It was also further forcing me to actually go the normal way to put everything in the spot, which was only further annoying. And what was the point of an elevator with a flame in the center of it that only went up when I threw an enemy into it to be used as fuel?!

[Statue Worker's Idol

Type: Idol

Quality: C

A carved image of Apollo meant to offer protection while at work on Archimedes great statue. +100 Luck]

Oh wow, I should complain more often. For something I just happened to find lying on the ground, it nearly tripled my Luck. At that, it seemed I would need all the luck I could get as well since the mechanism near it caused what I was pretty sure was a massive beam of purple light to shoot up into the sky like a beacon. I knew that they knew I was around the statue, but the Furies must know exactly where I was by now, which means they are only playing with me since two could definitely fly and Megaera could climb… I would not be surprised if all of Greece knew I was here at this point.

…no, that's probably a bit too much. It wasn't that wide of a beam… But the Furies really would be aware of it. Maybe even Olympus itself… Which leaves me wondering if Apollo himself knows and is aware of the situation. Is Ares trying to explain things up in Olympus? Dismissing questions? Does anyone on Olympus know what is going on? Because if someone was to start asking questions about all of this, the whole plan might start unfurling.

Before long however, I did not have any option but to go into the beam. For some reason, I had expected it to harm me somehow, but it turned out to just be harmless purple light. Going up from there, I ended up where the head should have been… With a pretty obvious implication of what has to be done. It was time for more repairs. As I called back the head, I noticed that the chest was being repaired as well and that the lantern had indeed been brought back up from the depths, the statue maybe even complete once again by the time the head was properly in place again, the light now being focused through some crystal toward the eyes.

Well, it took a bit of a short puzzle to get it to the eyes since the crystal had a specific spot it had to be in, which involved more fights, but the point stood. The fights, either way, also resulted in sufficient Red Orbs being obtained for another full upgrade.

[Skill Upgraded!

[Soul of Hades] -> [Soul of Hades (V)]

[Skills Fused!

[Cold Flame of War] + [Soul of Hades (V)] = [Frozen Soul Flame of War]

[Frozen Soul Flame of War Lv.3/10] – A power which summons the Ice of Poseidon, Souls of Hades and the fury of Ares' Fire. A small amount of Red and HP Orbs is generated with every hit and after making a sufficient amount of attacks, the enemy is stunned, as well as a bonus amount of Red and HP Orbs being generated. Enemy blocks are negated. Breathing underwater is possible as well as an increase of movement capability while in or under water]

It was a mixture of blue and purple fire even without the [Calamity of Flame], which certainly looked better. All that was left was to gather enough for Zeus's and it will be truly complete. The fact that it had a slightly higher level due to both the [Soul of Hades] and [Cold Flame of War] being above level one was further encouraging in its own way.

When the light started being channeled into the eyes, a ladder descended to signify the path forward, which took me outside through a hatch. It was still day, but the sun had moved just barely. I suppose the progression of time is tied to my progression of the plot then?

However the sun worked, or if Helios was just having an off day or something, being placed outside let me spread my wings and fly around for a bit, establishing that yes, the whole statue was now repaired and back to its true glory, lacking any actual sign of being any older than brand new at that. Even the legs did not look older than the very top. I considered throwing Archimedes out now, but well… He could probably be useful in some way. Maybe a catalyst to summon the Heroic Spirit version… Would that even work?

Instead of being able to muse on that possibility, a seemingly random full grown Manticore tried to attack me, launching its balls of fire in my direction. I chased after it, Blades at the ready. I did not have aerial battle experience and it seems it volunteered to be a training dummy.

It was supposed to be a short chase, but the Manticore, which flied on instinct and from the day it was hatched, was far more skilled in the air, causing a lengthy flight that damaged my pride a little but also made me more certain in my flight capabilities until finally, I managed to hook it with a Blade, using it to stabilize myself fully and Burst to it, stabbing the other one in its side and gutting it mid-air.

It was allowed to fall into the waters below in its certain death. It only took a few moments after that to establish that there were no convenient hooks around, or ropes or anything else… Which probably meant that it was supposed to be the convenient flying mount meant to be used to get to the lantern. With the usual way gone and without more gears to worry about, I just flew into the lantern after finding a proper entrance to do so. I was not a moth.

I was also physically not used to flying, my body taking a few moments to 'adapt' to solid ground again. When I was confident on my feet, I looked around and saw a cage of sorts, walking closer to it. It was at that point that Orkos teleported right next to me, making me lose my balance and nearly fall on my face on unsteady legs.

"Not much further now, Vortigern." Orkos however gave no fucks. And honestly I couldn't be too mad at him as I probably would be trying to do the same thing if I could teleport as freely as he apparently could. But it still felt like a dick move to just appear like this when I had to go the more difficult way. "Inside there are the Eyes of Truth. The very same eyes my mother ruthlessly pulled from Aletheia. When I learned of the plot between my parents to overthrow Olympus, I could not believe Aletheia's words… But then she showed me the truth that the God of War would bring down the very walls of Olympus."

I chose not to comment on that as it was… Actually a bit complicated even by canon. Kratos was not the God of War when he brought down Olympus, having given up his godly powers and been cast out of Olympus. But… It was close enough, no? "Wait, if you could just teleport like this, why didn't you take the eyes yourself and give them to me?"

"I knew I must stop them." Hey, I asked you a question! Don't ignore me you bastard! This is a bit more important that exposition, isn't it? "Aletheia and I sought to warn Zeus but when Ares learned of our attempt, he sent my mother after us. The eyes were brutally ripped from my beloved and she became a prisoner of her own temple. Ares and my mother knew that if the Eyes of Truth were hidden, then their wicked plot would not be revealed and they would rein over the Gods themselves. And now… I knew you will do the right thing."

I was still cross at him for ignoring my totally valid question. "…I suppose I will." If killing the Furies is the right thing, and then eventually bringing down Olympus is the right thing… Well, probably better to never tell him. He was gone again, leaving me with the challenge to solve on my own. As much as I continued wanting to be mad at him, I grew considerably just here at the statue.

I spent a few minutes running around, taking everything in. The Eyes of Truth were on the marble bust of a statue depicting either Aletheia herself or just the general hair style that the oracles had to have. The cage itself was very sturdy, refusing to be cut open. It also lacked glass or anything of the like. I probably could have sent a lizard or several through the massive gaps and had them bring me the eyes… But no, it should probably be done the normal way, whatever that was. I was more likely to get more experience that way.

Though temporarily, it was possible to open massive doors, currently being held closed by statues that I was not entirely sure if they were alive or inanimate, which let the light from the eyes hit more crystals inside here, raising the cage and just about leaving the eyes to be taken. It probably would have been pretty easy as well, but the clone made by the Oath Stone did not seem capable of keeping the doors open, meaning they closed… But in their closing, a crank lowered from the cage.

At least the next step was obvious, for which I was remotely thankful. Rotating the crank caused a pair of magnifying glasses to shift around inside until the power of the Eyes of Truth was focused into a beam of power that dispelled a strange barrier over a circular gate with swirling blue energy inside it. Unlike the doors, the Oath Stone was able to keep the crank in place, letting me enter a… Mirror dimension… Because why the fuck not at this point, right?

I had to just roll with some of the punches, take these sorts of things as they were, but also had to think about how to solve the challenges placed in front of me. It was an annoying back and forth but one that I would have to live with for at least a while longer as I explored this side.

Instead of day, on this side it was night and the same crank was blocked by the same material the barrier was made out of, the barrier which had ended up returning when I passed through, blocking me from making it back on the other side until I figure out how to remove it from this side. The statues were not holding the doors closed on this side. As a result, the doors could be fully opened with an inhuman strength requirement.

…When the massive doors were opened, they revealed not a statue of Apollo but of a woman. A nearly naked woman that I felt a bit awkward to look down on. There was a functional veil, massive transparent cloth, on her face that flowed with the calm sea winds of the night.

[+75 LP]

I mean, the boobs are nice, almost needlessly detailed, but shut up! I did look down after that, noting that she had some sort of outfit instead of being fully sculpted naked. Her tits were out, but at least she wasn't fully nude. Quickly turning around, I noted that I was able to take the mirrored Eyes of Truth now.

[Eyes of Truth

Type: Eyes

Quality: A

Passed from Oracle to Oracle. These eyes can see through illusions and the dark magic of the Furies]

…wait, passed down? That had some… Odd implications, didn't it?

I pretty much knew there had to be some trick to all of it, yet I was surprised when the cage suddenly vanished, along with the bust, leaving me on a mostly empty platform that descended down. It stopped, eventually, as the same material as the barrier had stopped the descent and three pairs of ghoul-like hands showed up, further making an… Implication about what I had just opened.

For a short moment, I considered flying out and trying to look at whatever giant creature it was that the hands belonged to. I decided against it after a short few moments of consideration. On top of that, I realized that the doors were not only going up and being massive, but that they likely went along the whole height of the lantern on both and either side of this mirrored setup.

I decided to shelve the thoughts and just focus on progressing. Removing the material with a strange burst from the Eyes, the platform started to go up, being stopped by the lowest set of hands and the material returning while enemies showed up. They were two Lamia and I did not yet trust whatever it was that was grasping the lantern, so I sent out Lia to be able to split my focus between the Lamias and the hands.

Lia seemed to be eager to prove herself against her original species as well, quickly killing them, impaling them on her additional spikes. The chance was used and I found out that this sort of situation did not permit the use of [Echoes of Blood]. It was hardly a waste, but it meant I had to kill bosses on my own… Which itself was not really that much of a waste either. I was planning on doing so anyway.

The hands had retreated, letting me eye blast again and the platform went up to the next set. The next ones were the electric screamers, two of them though Lia petrified one of them nearly instantly before being stunned by the scream of the other one. The floor had also shifted, 'walls' with screaming human faces rising from the floor along with a pair of Amazons to show up and nearly impale both of us individually.

Killing the screamers caused the screaming faces to start spouting fire, a pair of living statues showing up to continue the challenge, walking through the fire casually. I was pretty sure Lia could not do the same and went right for the statues, leaving her to deal with the Amazons, who I was pretty sure she could at least petrify and deal with, unlike the statues. Even if they seemed to be made of metal and not stone, I was not really all that certain that petrification would work.

A sudden scream that did not belong caused me to lose concentration for a moment, mere moments after deciding to split the fight like this. A hammer struck me and nearly threw me off the platform, Blades thrown and stabbed into the ground, chains used to kill my momentum, at which point I saw Lia impaled by the spears of both Amazons. A quick exertion of will sent her back to the Gate and left me facing all four opponents on my own.

I took as little risk and chance as I could, rushing forward with Bursts to cut the statues apart until they couldn't move anymore before moving back to avenge the damage Lia had taken, decapitating one Amazon before kicking the other one off the platform, possibly caving in her torso in the process.

It was accepted, the hands moving away and the next layer being challenged after that. The floor moved up again, making a wider area with spiked walls, in the middle of which appeared a Centaur moments before the shadowy diggers showed up again, each spawning four spectral versions of themselves to make the number of enemies eleven.

Even while more or less capable of killing them with one strike, they still managed to annoy and challenge me, the Centaur running around while I was protecting myself against the diggers and the diggers simply hiding out. All of them had to get close to hurt me however, which meant I could block and counter them when they tried to hurt me, a fact they realized soon as well and tried to get me from behind.

It took a far longer time than it should have as a result, but ultimately they lost patience before I did, the last spectral enemy, both diggers and the centaur rushing me together, Innocence Arondight unsheathed from both hands as a result as I moved into the Second Step of the First Form, powerful and consecutive blows descending on them until they were all dead, at which point the skill stopped and the hands retreated.

It seemed to be the end, no other challenges ahead of me. All that was left was to catch my breath properly and dispel the barrier, letting me pass through again… But when I was back on the dayside, the eyes vanished from my hands as if they exploded, the barrier returning after that.

I looked around again, but found no further clue, trying to push the crank again to remove the barrier and cross over again, finding that the eyes were right where I had left them. When I took them back, only the bust vanished. This repeated twice more. I took the eyes, dispelled the barrier, crossed over, lost the eyes, tried again and it was only then that I started trying other methods.

I took the eyes again before closing the door, the sides of the cage closing again, the crank's block dispelled with the Eyes, which let me move the glasses to where they had to be. With the Oath Stone, a copy was left to hold the crank in place as I crossed over again.

This time it worked. The eyes probably moved back to where they were being focused and in doing so it created some sort of change on this side, the floor under me igniting with strange symbols which lead all the way to the door, the statues that seemed to be holding it shut suddenly going limp…

It probably would have been easier to use lizards… Or to cut the arms off of the statues… Making things more confusing, when the floor was fully alight, everything seemed to arbitrarily descend and I found a weird thing on the floor that definitely was not there as I went back to the door.

[Antikythera Mechanism

Type: Mechanism

Quality: D

A gear mechanism used by Archimedes to track the heavens. Grants [Territory Creation] skill if it is not already present, levels it up if it is]

[Skill Obtained!

[Territory Creation Lv.1/?] – The Skill to build a special terrain that is advantageous to oneself as a magus or otherwise and for various purposes such as collecting mana or creating things]

Hm… Between the Fairy Patterns, [Item Construction] and now [Territory Creation], I was pretty sure I qualified as a sort of Caster class myself already.

[Skill Level Up!

Designated Space: 1 -> 2

Two outlines can be made]

With excellent timing, I was reminded that I would not be all that much of a Caster when that is the only real spell I have… Well, I suppose Mana Bursts, CSC and Frozen Soul Flame could count… But I could focus on that later. Maybe Tamamo could teach me some curses.

The doors were opened once more, the light from Apollo's eyes shining through and opening the cage… Yet when I turned around, all three Furies were there in the cage and Orkos was kneeling in an obviously captured position. "I am sorry, Vortigern." He apologized on his own as soon as I saw him. "When I learned that my mothers were close, I came to warn you…" He really did sound sorry, but was ultimately kicked in the back by Megaera.

"We have special plans for you, my son." The Caster sister said vaguely as she lifted his face off the floor.

"All this effort…" And the last one was holding the Eyes of Truth tauntingly. "And you still fail?" In this final moment, yes. I could probably still jump out of the open door and run away, get into a better position to try and fight them… But my vision was starting to blur, which itself was an implication that this was the approaching end of this part. Even if I try to escape, they would catch me pretty quickly, so why fight it? Fate was already predetermined here and now. "Come, sisters. We will break him within the walls of Hecatonchires."

The last thing I saw was a blob of darkness flying towards me before I found myself back where I had… Reobtained the Oath Stone, the implication more or less clear about what happened. I was captured, the Amulet and the Oath Stone taken from me, chained up, left at their mercy for some time before Megaera showed up and broke my chains in a torture session gone too far. And now, I suppose it was time to end this. Maybe.

I did not have enough to fully upgrade the [Lightning of Zeus] though and I was missing one eye and one feather to complete the apparently final sets… Plus the last level of the Blades would require even more Red Orbs. So maybe there will be more between the end and now, though to get the amount of Red Orbs, it would have to be a considerable chunk…

On top of all that, I hadn't even found out the names of the Furies either, but that was slightly less important… Wait… Megaera had mentioned Alecto interrupting us, didn't she? And Orkos mentioned Alecto destroying the only path… Considering one of them had pulled the lantern down and I was fighting two, then the inky one was Alecto, wasn't she? Logically, it made sense.

I was proven a bit correct in that it wasn't a straight shot to the end as well as I was attempted to be stopped… By a pair of Empusa who appeared to try and fight me even while look looking all that special or unique. Not even warmup bosses… Well, there would still be time sooner or later to catch up on the upgrades I hadn't managed to obtain.

The Empusa were swiftly corrupted, reducing my lizard count by twenty, but adding two Empusa Dragons, which I was pretty sure was a worthwhile trade. With them put away safely, I walked to the door behind which the Caster disappeared, finding no traps and simply preparing myself for another false reality. Well, part of it was simply to try and recover the leftover fatigue and general feeling of being tired after the final trials back in the lanterns.

When I felt ready, I walked through the door and was proven insufficiently ready as the scene changed, as predicted. It was powerful in impact, hitting my senses hard enough to make me forget for several moments that it was false even having prepared myself. Thankfully, it did not actually hit me, though it probably could have considering Megaera created true enemies to fight against me. Instead, it was… The smell. The warmth. The sound of music. The illusion was skillfully made, not seeming as if it was only starting, but rather as if it was in the middle of things.

Shouts of "Vortigern!" were occasionally heard from outside, an experience that would have probably been a little less… Odd if it really was my name and not some strange naming choice. They were not outraged shouts demanding justice for some crime or another, but the ones of… Worshipers, fans, begging for the attention of their idol. It was just about the sort of thing I would have expected from soccer fans, shouting their preferred team's name over and over in encouragement.

The music was of a similar nature, a celebration, the smell of potent wine, of good food, combined with the natural smells of what I could only further describe as a royal climate. More than just Mediterranean, the sort of atmosphere one would have expected the courts of kings and lords to smell like. The climate, the smell, the sea, home… All of it in the middle of a celebration, further combined with the strangely comfortable embrace of warm stone.

My surroundings were truly magnificent as well. The room was wide, decorated as if a hall with elaborate designs on pillars which only further seemed to accent importance. The place of residence of a powerful individual, a balcony for a ruler to address his people, which had only further drawn me in. There, over the balcony, I saw, I heard, the people who were shouting for my false name, calling me a god, begging for my blessings, a cacophony of voices I could barely even make out.

"It is ambition, is it not?" Alecto was were as well, looking as ridiculous as always and arriving seemingly out of nowhere as I hadn't seen her before, her voice supreme over the voice of the worshipers, yet when she stopped talking, their voices became more pronounced again. A shift of who, what, was important, ensuring that she would be heard and listened to. "You swore what you had sworn for the sake of ambition." It was only further clarification.

"Is that what you take me for?" Though I replied as such, my focus was still more on the worshipers than her.

At least until she placed a hand on my body, almost a lover's caress as she moved around me. "What else would it be? You came from nothing, having no friends, no family, no history." I was not completely sure if she was insulting me… "You had nothing before you swore the oath. It is only natural that you would seek to become something. And something you can become. If this is what you seek, then it will become real and you shall have it."

"…huh?" Was she…?

"Offer yourself to us completely and you will live worshiped. We are not foolish enough to believe that the Gods of Olympus will simply bow. Some may die and when they do, they will leave empty thrones. You can take the place of one of them. Rise above being nothing and become a God, be worshiped as one. It will be no illusion, but reality. Reality that we can make together." Her voice did not contain fury or outrage, but simple alluring tones, trying to further sell me on the idea.

"You're… Offering an alliance? Why?"

Her eyes somehow narrowed further. "We, I, thought you a mere mortal, one of no significance… But no mere mortal could have done what you have done. Reached the Oracle of Delphi, defeating her guardian, reaching the Eyes…" They were hanging off her hip even now, still in their holding marble. And hadn't she taunted me for failing to get them just earlier? "Not to mention your peculiar ability to grow stronger with every life you take. You have grown more powerful since you started this journey, more powerful yet when you killed our, my, sister, and you only grew more powerful since."

"And you're just fine with that?"

"The death of Megaera was unfortunate." I could see her reluctance to simply let it go as well. "But ultimately, it happened and to throw away possibility because of it would be a waste." Ultimately, she had no love for her siblings. She had her ambitions and it did not matter if she ruled with them, or alone. "Perhaps it will take an ocean of blood to accomplish it, but together, we can bring down the walls of Olympus and when we do, you can become a God. You will be worshiped, exalted. All you have to do… Is devote yourself to us completely. This will no longer be an illusion then, but reality."

She was a Fury, the Queen of the Furies, a being of vengeance. To simply let go of her hatred and offer me the chance to join them, to become a God, was likely going against her very nature. Yet, for whatever reason, she… Wanted me. Wanted my help. "…I serve no one."

I found myself questioning if there ever would have been a situation in which I would have accepted her offer… But there probably would have been. I was not really an individual who stood his ground that much before… All of this. Before even Kuoh… I probably would have reasoned with myself and said yes for the sake of something or another.

Even so, this was never truly about becoming a God. This was about gathering power, yes, power that she was offering me, yes, or well more or less. Every line of remaining logic, every bit of sense, told me that I should just accept her offer… The end result will be the same, after all. Yet, there were still paths, games, ahead of this, paths that would be lost. If this was a self-contained game, story, example, maybe taking the offer of a being more powerful than myself, would have been the path to survival. It would certainly be the path in which I would not have to fight the final boss who I was not entirely even sure I could actually kill.

"Then let death be your reality." She was hardly even upset, not truly at least. More like… She returned to her default, natural, state. She inked me again, which was rather easily escaped by using the Oath Stone, further just barely putting me in range to steal back the Eyes of Truth from her hip, sending them right back into my inventory as I did so. I was surprised there was no innate resistance… "You have made a poor choice, Vortigern!" She flew back and the false surroundings vanished, a massive chamber being unveiled instead.

Pillars of statues lined the chamber that seemed to go on forever, the same black substance flowing down them and yet never actually staining them, creating a bit of a torture motif. Amber-like stones further lined and decorated the pillars and walls. There were worse places to have a final battle.

"A simple trinket will not defeat us, sister." The other one arrived, still carried by her bird in a way that I noticed was somehow both lazy and sexy.

"You defy me?" She questioned as I armed myself with the Blades and walked forward. "You are but a mortal."

"So was your sister." A familiar barrier formed between Alecto and me, but it was dispelled quickly with the Eyes.

"You should have taken our offer, Vortigern. Now you will pay for that mistake!" The amount of ink suddenly increased greatly, the entire wall of the chamber in front of me, behind Alecto, turning into it as Alecto herself let out what should have probably been an intimidating roar but instead sounded like she had something stuck in her throat that she was trying to yell out.

"I am the Queen of the Furies!" Alecto declared as if she hadn't just done the shout, only to start spasming on the ground, her entire body turning into the inky substance from which three tentacles formed, their size either growing or more of their length leaving the liquid. They smacked me into the inky wall either way while I was trying to process things. I really needed to stop trying to make sense of things.

Including the fact I was launched out of the water and into a visage of the end of the world. Okay, maybe not quite as dramatic as that, but that was what came to mind. The sky was blocked out by gray clouds, which themselves made the sea in turmoil beneath me gay. No rain fell, but thunder still struck the surface of the water in the distance, dozens of tornados further dotting the near distance, an erupting volcano within dangerous distance as well; all of it was further centered around an absolutely massive whirlpool that looked more like a hole that would lead straight into Hades, or Hell or something, than anything else.

Yet in spite of all of that, there were ships being pulled around the whirlpool, a likely implication of where I was supposed to be, yet I could fly and was not particularly keen on trying my luck on one of the boats if I had the choice.

Tentacles rose from the watery depths like black pillars, trying to strike me down and forcing me to maneuver around with flying skill and speeds I was not sure if I could maintain for long, Caster flying around as well with the only reason I was even able to see her being the shining contrast of her bird compared to the rest of the scenery. A flock of harpies was created seemingly to just complicate things for me on top of things.

I could probably take them on, but I could not waste MP right now and every hit I made was a cost of MP that would put me closer to death. I had resources saved up though, which meant I could simply fly down, avoiding the bolts of magic sent in my direction as I flew down to one of the massive rocks that jutted out of the sea, taking twenty of my gathered eighty-one Manticore Eggs out of my inventory and unleashing the forty unnamed lizards I still had, letting each one corrupt an egg, two per egg as was necessary. Caster saw me by that point and the harpies were moving to swoop down. My arm shot up, Time Stone activating as fast as I could use it.

All twenty Chimera Dragons were hatched before the harpies arrived, subiquently being aged up by a considerable amount, turned from hatchlings to fully grown monsters at my command. With merely a gesture, which also served as an attempt to try and block as much of the potential flying, descending , talons of the harpies, my beasts flew to challenge and slaughter the harpies in my stead.

It was only a moment's distraction, a change of focus, yet even that was enough time for a tentacle to find me and slam down on top of me, breaking the rock and nearly crushing me in the process, digging the rocks further in against me.

[-1.667 HP

+417 HP]

I felt the armor dent and be crushed up against me, jagged rocks stabbed into non vital areas, effectively rolled around to rip even more flesh after that; so on and so forth. [Sadistic Constitution] hadn't even activated yet but the damage was over a quarter of my HP. Not quite being finished with me yet, I was further brought down into the depths, maybe to be drowned, maybe not depending on how much she actually knew about my powers. Either way, I was faced with the monstrous form of Alecto.

Yellow, piercing, eyes shined like beacons even through this water making them seem like they could shine through from any depth of water still be seen from the surface. She had massive sharp teeth that were possibly several times my own height were made bare even if there did not seem to be any lips or anything to actually close the mouth and hide the teeth away from being a permanent snarl. She, it, was an absolute and massive monster, a leviathan capable of spawning the greatest of fears of deep water. She only further dove down, still holding me in her grasp as the pressure increased the further we dove down.

With the Oath Stone, I managed to escape, the remaining blessings still being carried with the Frozen Soul Flame being the only things actually keeping me alive right now. There was blood in the water as well from where there were rocks in my body and where the armor bent to such angles it cut into me. I was probably at risk of simply bleeding out, yet I was unable to really see what sort of results that actually had on my HP.

It seemed that she knew I escaped as she simply turned around before I could check any bleeding effects for damage over time, her body, immensely wide yet impossibly fast on turns, facing me once again and going up with an open mouth intent on swallowing me whole. The sheer dimensions of her gaping maw meant that it would have been practically impossible for a normal individual to escape, be they on their own or in any, even modern, vessel.

Even I barely got away in time with a strong Mana Burst and actually making use of the [Evade] skill, just barely avoiding her in the process, causing my wounds to deeper. I did my best to ignore the pain and give her some pain instead, stabbing her even if it was likely no more than a tiny prick against her size. The first stab let me make a second one, stabilizing myself as she just kept swimming, sticking close to her to try and avoid her attacks as she tried to shake me off.

It was a bit strange to take a moment, to catch my breath, underwater, but none the less I did so, activating [Sadistic Constitution] after I did and starting to stab her. Her flesh was surprisingly soft and stabbable, letting me take the Blade out time and time again until I started to actually draw blood, further encouraging me, Sadism stacking more and more as I hurt her.

Ultimately, maybe in desperation, maybe in actual, careful, planning, this caused her to launch herself out of the water, not upwards but to go through the side of the whirlpool, the sheer action managing to throw me off of her while she herself fell a short distance, no longer in water, slamming into a truly convenient platform that she failed to fully destroy in her impact, giving me actual solid ground to stand on. Somehow it was not until I was out of the water that I actually felt the saltwater in my wounds, furthering my pain even if no further notifications for damage values came up.

I was not even able to properly wince in pain before her tentacles shot up again, grabbing a pair of rocks jutting out from the side of the water and lifting up her absolutely massive body in an impressive feat of strength. I had to get up to my own feet as well, mask falling off for no good reason, my bare eyes staring right back into her piercing ones in a short stare-off.

She stared me down with absolute animalistic rage before properly roaring with such conviction and power it seemed to reverberate through every bone in my body and even my soul. I glared at her in refusal to die even as she pulled her other tentacles back.

[-594 HP

+149 HP

-586 HP

+147 HP

-551 HP

+138 HP]

A refusal that I had to make good on faster than expected since none of that prevented Caster from continuing her assault with her magical prowess, three bolts of magic coming down on me while I was focusing on blocking the telegraphed attack from Alecto's tentacles. At least I managed to block the tentacles as they would have been far more dangerous. [Spartan's Revenge] demanded that the force be used on something, but there was nothing, the Blades simply spilling apart and sending short waves of fire against the ground.

It was in that moment that I fully acknowledged that I had to deal with Caster first. She no longer had the 'plot armor' of being alive later on in the timeline, so it should be possible and every line of logic I could come to told me that was the best course of action. If this was her illusionary area then bringing her down would mean Alecto would lose her advantage and even if it wasn't, she was smaller and more annoying.

I could probably find a way to deal with the massive, intimidating, size of Alecto, but Caster was slippery and had already killed all of my Manticores. Plus, she could probably shield Alecto if I was not careful, all of which meant that I absolutely had to deal with her first. All of this before my sheer rising hatred for her general annoyance and the sneak attack that stopped our stares.

I immediately took flight, making preparations while in flight to avoid being an easy target for either of them. The Blades were replaced by Innocence Arondight. The thematic importance was far less important than actual survival right now and the penetrative power was likely going to be key if she does start shielding again. Yet, before I even got good distance, what little light there was was suddenly blocked out. Alecto had launched herself at me, her entire massive body sailing through the air with her mouth open.

For a moment, I actually laughed. The only way for her to have succeeded in doing something like this would have been to have slingshot herself forward using her tentacles, an image that brought unfitting laughter to my mind even as the mouth proceeded to close in front of me, to try and devour me whole, in which she was pretty much successful. {Focus!} But it wasn't over yet! I would not die like this!

I spun for no good reason, a full three-sixty rotation, crossing my arms over my chest so that each Arondight was over my shoulders and glowing with gathering power. "Second Form!" I flew up to the top of her mouth, bursting off of it, assisted by both [Reduced Earth] and [Furthest Earth], gathering momentum and going to the bottom of her mouth, feeling her entire body shift from the impact as I did. "Lake Ripples!" The second burst nearly slammed me against the teeth.

Instead of directly slamming against them, my arms moved in five strikes, two sweeps, one from each hand before my arms moved into three thrusts before the effects of the sweeps could even be properly activated. The attacks ended up destroying the teeth trying to keep me contained and imprisoned, chunks of them flying off and away followed by myself.

We were underwater again, but that did not stop me as I quickly changed the direction I was facing, facing Alecto once again and staring into her piercing eyes before Bursting forward again, gritting my teeth as the wounds were only further enraged in the process of moving far too fast for my own good. It felt as if the water under my feet turned solid before being used as a launching point, sending me on a direct trajectory to one of her eyes, both swords on my wrists fully activated, the water further rotating in front of me, yet even without it creating such a penetrative force I shot through her eye and out the other side of her head, somehow apparently not killing her in the process considering no such notification came.

Her survival was only further confirmed when I I felt the water shift with her scream of pain more than I felt the scream itself, a truly primal rage escaping her. Though I had barely noticed it while doing so, the process of hurting her like this had taken away nearly sixty percent of my MP. I faced the water's surface again, still aware that I needed to deal with Caster before I could finish her off, yet before I could move back to the surface, tentacles started to come after me again. I underestimated her. Alecto still had the capability of retaliation. I thought she would at least be stunned for a few moments longer.

[-1.936 HP

+484 HP

-1.797 HP

+449 HP]

For all my blessings, she was still the more aquatic one of the two of us, fully utilizing the water as one tentacle smacked me from below before another came down on me, crushing me with enough force to turn me into paste were it not for [Masochistic Constitution], [Perseverance] and [Battle Continuation]. I healed nine hundred HP and I was left with just over seven hundred, only further driving the point that I should have died from that. Should have died for my arrogance.

I was barely even given a moment to recover when the tentacles moved away before new ones started to shoot toward me in realization that I really was alive. I did not have the time to reposition myself, instead simply spending just over ten percent of my MP for another Burst of movement, the very water around me being displaced as I shot out safely at an angle, forcing my body to go rigid enough not to slam into something.

Though water could not stop me, once I was out of it, I started to bleed, which forced one of my eyes shut. Yet one eye was enough to witness the burning sky. Caster had been busy, somehow replacing a notable amount of gray clouds with flowing fire. Worse, the armor on my body was reaching its limits, starting to fall off my body. At least I was still in the air, even if I did not know how long that would last.

Caster saw me and gestured with her hands if I saw it correctly, seemingly uncaring of Alecto's own survival at this point. A tornado woven from fire and winds formed just where I had been floating, following after me as I got out of range. It had a strong capability to suck things into it as well, bringing the water around it into it while further causing steam to rise up where it was making contact with the water.

It was negating a notable amount of my momentum, preventing me from escaping at whatever my full speed was. It only further served to keep me in place as dozens of bolts of thunder gathered together above and in front of me, forming one absolutely massive strike of divine, or primordial, fury, focused nearly entirely on my bare right shoulder in spite of the absolutely massive and thick size of the thunder.

[-1.752 HP

-173 MP

+436 HP]

The damage was lethal, going deeper than just the HP damage itself. I felt my body spasm, the thunder passing through me, trying to incinerate me from the inside, trying to destroy my shoulder. It passed before long, the resulting sound further deafening me for a few moments, trying to burst my ear drums. But my arm was still in place. I was still alive, surviving with just under thirty percent MP even if my HP was effectively non-existent at these amounts of damage.

I had to admit I was being just a little dramatic. I still had two hundred thousand MP. It would take a hell of a lot of attacks to actually kill me if I were to just focus on survival. The problem was that I had to use percentages of my MP to actually come close to killing them. Even just escaping Alecto, a process that had only removed a few of her teeth, had taken seventy percent of my MP. If I get captured again, I would not survive.

The fire tornado was still coming for me. I might be able to survive, but the question of if I would remain conscious still remained. It did not really matter how many thousands of attacks it would take for them to kill me if I was unconscious while they were doing it after all.

There was no solid area on which to open a chest and recover either. "Second Form!" So the only thing I could do was go all out. "Third Step!" Fairy Sword Arondight formed in my hand as I flew directly to Caster and focused Red Orbs.

[Skill Upgraded!

[Lightning of Zeus] -> [Lightning of Zeus (III)]

It would have to be enough! "Reflections of the Lake!" It would drain my MP and I was on a pretty heavy time limit. If that damn bird decides to attack me, it would all be over, but I grasped this chance as much as I could, the blade glowing with sparkling thunder and flames that were supposed to be capable of incinerating even the Gods as it made hit after hit after hit.

The other Will, apparently, had the movement capacity and thoughtfulness to activate a Gate and unleash the final yet first Chimera Dragon, which came in the way of the bird that tried to attack me in this position. I was so focused on trying to make a final attack I hadn't even thought of that.

Every strike that could be milked from my state was made until my hand stopped moving, my MP too low to continue the attacks, leaving a short moment of tension… Before the end vanished, replaced with the chamber once again. Caster was standing on solid ground, taking steps back while her body was covered in deep cuts.

A bit further away, Alecto was holding her head in pain a short distance away as my arm hung down, the near absence of both my HP and MP weighing heavily on my body and greatly forcing my Fatigue up. It was then that I felt something at my neck activate, causing a moment of panic.

[Code Cast: [heal(16)] Activated

-30 MP

+355 HP]

Oh… I totally forgot about that… And considering [Perseverance]… No, thoughts for a different time and this actually had a cooldown on how often it could be used.

Right now both Furies were temporarily unable to move, dealing with their respective inflicted wounds. It was enough to let me drop two chests just in case they recover and the fight continues, opening the HP chest first, followed by the MP, restoring both completely. As a result of my HP fully recovering, the various rocks sliding out of my body and the wounds properly closing, my body fully recovering to peak health aside for the exhaustion.

I could not focus on that for long as the Furies still needed to be slain so that the fight would not continue. I could not risk another phase of this fight. The Fairy Sword Arondight formed and activated completely once again in my left hand and I stabbed it through the Caster's bountiful chest, feeling an almost familiar flow of power go into me as I did.

[Primordial Slain!

Authority Stolen!

[Marble Lv.1/?] – A Primordial Authority. The Alteration of the World, or at least an illusionary one. Through the Authority, it becomes possible to falsely alter the space and matter around oneself, creating objects that are not actually there, expanding spaces beyond what they should be capable of housing and so on. With increasing mastery, it becomes possible to even create entire cities manifested and supported by the user alone. In spite of not actually being there, the objects are still mostly affected by physics, having their own weight, force and so on. However, an unsupported path will not crumble, allowing for it to stay in mid-air and if a space is altered to have double its size, passing the half way point is still possible. Rather than casting illusions on a specific target, it creates an illusion that alters and fools the World, the environment, itself]

Oh holy fuck. Her death was pretty much confirmed… "You bastard!" But Alecto still lived in rage. I could explore the skill later. For now I took the Sword out and ran right at her, feeling like I would fall over myself as I did so, holding the sword with both hands and swinging it once in range. She managed to raise an arm to block it, Arondight cutting deep into it but failing to go all the way through, insufficient power put into it. "My death will not free you!"

"Just shut up already!" From my right, Innocence Arondight was unsheathed and stabbed through her. A final glare of rage was given before a massive amount of the inky substance was unleashed from her body, rising into a crescent shape going either way next to us…

I thought it was a suicide attack to try and take me down with her, only for it to suddenly stop and simply bursting away into a black pulse of energy that eliminated the glows from the gems and caused the whole structure to start collapsing in on itself while leaving me unharmed. Her body vanished, further leaving me dropping to my knees in lack of support.

[Primordial Slain!

Ability Stolen!

[Crossing Monstrous Form Lv.1/?] – A transformation ability that allows the user to shift to a monstrous form that can be considered their true one, gaining bonuses as appropriate for the form. Further, it becomes possible to manifest traits appropriate for the true form without fully entering it, including physical capabilities]

[Level Up! x5

HP, MP and Fatigue restored

+500 HP and 50,000 MP

+5 to All Stats]

It was… Over? Ah… Then… [Echoes of Blood] was used and I got a headache as a result, pushing me further to the edge of being conscious. None the less, though the related skills did not level up, nor did [Echoes of Blood], I felt like I had a slightly greater understanding of how to use both of the acquired skills.

I was unable to properly think right now and everything was falling apart. Yet, as I forced myself back up to my feet, I saw it. The bird was still there, nudging at its mistresses' corpse.

I could probably kill it for what it had been doing to me, a final act of vengeance… All I had to do was swing this sword and it would probably die… Yet, instead, I found myself holding my hand out. In the next moment, he was Captured instead. Apparently his name was Daimon, huh… Ah, right, I should be running…

As soon as I tried to do so however, I found myself stumbling forward. The scenery changed as I was trying to catch my balance, placing me at a different location entirely and still more or less half naked due to being in mostly destroyed armor. It was a far more sudden shift than any of the previous ones, putting me in front of a house that was seemingly in the middle of nowhere.

"All of Sparta mourns the loss of Kratos." If I was not feeling like I had a foot in the grave, I probably would have at least punched Orkos for sneaking up on me again. "Yet none know where he and his family truly lived." Ah… So that was… His house. "I would not have been strong enough to choose your path, Vortigern. I would have taken their offer…"

"Oh? Is that so…"

"Unfortunately. Even more so… Your bond remains."

"Oh?"

"Before you killed them, my mother once again made me your Oath Keeper." Ah, more exposition. Great~ "For you to be free, I must die by your hand." This was never about being free though. "If you do not release me, all of Olympus will be your enemy and even I will live in eternal torture, neither of us ever finding peace. There is no other way, Vortigern. Destroy the oath. Kill Ares. If it is you, I believe you can even do that. Have revenge for the sake of Kratos and me. I was never the warrior my father wanted me to be, but please…" He took out his short sword and put it in my hand while aiming it at his side. "All I ask… Give me an honorable death. And avenge us."

"Orkos…" I considered trying to convince him otherwise. But his eyes were resigned yet determined. There was simply no other choice. And I did not have the strength in me to find the words either. "I am sorry." So instead, I leaned against him and pushed the blade in where he had been aiming it himself. Free of the oath or not, I would still ultimately bring down Olympus itself. I did not tell him that however, letting him die in whatever beliefs he had.

"Thank you…" And he thanked me as he took his final breaths due to those same beliefs while I lowered him to the ground and knelt by his side.

[Primordial Slain!

Ability Stolen!

[Oath Keeper] – Those around you become more aware of any and all oaths and promises they had made toward you. While there is no innate punishment for going back on their word, they will not be as capable of ignoring and forgetting the promise made, going as far as to find any punishment given to them justified, within limits, as their punishment for going back on their word to you.]

[Orkos' Cloak

Type: Cloak

Quality: A

Durability: 1,000/1,000

Worn by the Orkos, the son of the Fury Queen Alecto and the God of War Ares. In spite of that, it is a mostly normal helmet, holding no innate special powers or immense defense. It has a high conceptual weight however due to its history, meaning it can handle more power and energy being flowed into it, including stronger and multiple enchantments than a mundane cloak of the same type would be capable of

+5% Physical Damage Reduction]

That ruined the moment a bit, but well, it couldn't be helped. There were only a few things left to do now. Or so I could only assume considering I was not being sent back. I slowly caught my breath while finishing off the things I could think of.

[Skill Upgraded!

[Lightning of Zeus (III)] -> [Lightning of Zeus (V)]

[Skills Fused!

[Frozen Soul Flame of War] + [Lightning of Zeus (V)] = [Frozen Soul of Burning Thunder]

[Frozen Soul of Burning Thunder Lv.4/10] – A power which summons the Ice of Poseidon, Souls of Hades, Lightning of Zeus and the fury of Ares' Fire. A small amount of Red, MP and HP Orbs is generated with every hit and after making a sufficient amount of attacks, the enemy is stunned, as well as a bonus amount of Red, MP and HP Orbs being generated. Enemy blocks and part of their defense, increasing with Skill Level, are negated. Breathing underwater is possible as well as a notable increase of movement capability while in or under water]

With that done, I moved into the house, where I found the last Feather and Eye I needed, completing the last sets. Even with the increase to MP and HP, I still did not feel any less exhausted. Damn it…

[Game Complete!

+50 to All Stats

[God of War: Chains of Olympus] Key Obtained

It is now possible to enter [Titan Mode] difficulty in [God of War: Ascension]

Yet, with the completion, the world began to blur. So it was time to return to Kuoh… That's totally going to be safe, isn't it?

…isn't it?

I did not find the answer before simply appearing in my room again. "Welcome back~" Where Tamamo greeted me so casually and with closed eyes. "Wh-What happened!?"

"That is… A long story… But for now… I need to borrow your legs…"

"My… Legs?" Confusion.

"…I need to rest and they look comfortable." Suddenly, the floor started flying up to my face. Well, it was either that or I was falling down. Either of those two…