5 Chapter 5: Only I can

"Inform Olympus!" One of the old men exclaimed, his back drenched in cold sweat.

Unfortunately, as he finished speaking, he noticed that Raven had vanished. It was only after hearing a shocked gasp from one of his companions behind him that he turned around.

His complexion grew pale, finding Raven right behind him.

The final image that the old man saw was a pair of cold eyes from the past as the world around him plunged into darkness, his lifeless body collapsing to the ground.

One by one, the people in command of the Sky Fortress met their deaths, unable to even send a message to Olympus or anyone else. Before long, the room was covered with the stench of death.

Enchantress fought against Raven's grip, her eyes filled with desperation.

"Release me," she gasped, her voice choking. "I didn't mean to-"

The woman pleaded for freedom as if she were genuinely willing to surrender. However, simultaneously, two serpentine-carved daggers materialized in her hands.

"Give me one chance... and I will..." she struggled to speak while attempting to buy herself some time.

The moment she finished creating the daggers, the fear in her eyes transformed into intense hatred as she exclaimed, "Die!"

She thrust both daggers at Raven with all her might, aiming for his chest. But before the daggers could reach their target, Enchantress froze, her gaze fixated on the daggers that had morphed into two-headed snakes.

It was the same ability she had used to take down the Knights.

Instead of attacking Raven, the daggers transformed into snakes that coiled around her' arms, gradually climbing like poisonous ivy, constricting her movements.

"A mere illusion... cannot stop me!" Enchantress exclaimed, closing her eyes.

It was her own power, so she understood that this was no more than a simple illusion, attacking her psyche. She also knew the means to break free from the illusion. For her, it was no different than attacking the Ruler of Flames with Flames.

She attempted to free herself from the illusion. After a few seconds, she opened her eyes, her expression darkening.

"This is not an illusion!" Her shrill cries filled the room as the poisonous snakes stabbed their fangs in her shoulders, injecting their venom.

She witnessed the icy glare in Raven's eyes, as if he was telling her that he didn't need to copy her weak abilities. He was someone who had once brought down the entire Heaven to its knees. He didn't need the help of illusions.

Blood trickled from Enchantress' lips as she felt the poison course through her body, nearly paralyzing her.

With a flick of his wrist, Raven sent a surge of energy through Enchantress' body, causing her to convulse in agony. Her screams reverberated through the hall.

Enchantress of Blood... This was the title she had received. She was the nightmare of thousands of people who knew about her. Not a single person who opposed her lived to tell the tale.

Although not on the level of a High God like Wukong or Zeus, she had created her own identity. But in this moment, she was no different than a frail mortal before a god, struggling for each breath.

Raven watched with cold indifference as Enchantress writhed in agony, her once formidable existence reduced to nothing more than a pitiful display. Her screams echoed through the hall. It was a sound that Raven had grown accustomed to. He neither felt happiness nor sadness from it.

As the venom coursed through her veins, Enchantress fought against the paralysis that threatened to consume her.

Her body convulsed with each wave of pain, but she refused to succumb. She had clawed her way to the top, leaving a trail of blood and destruction in her wake, and she refused to fall. She didn't want to die again!

As if making a mockery of her struggles, Raven sent another surge of energy through Enchantress' body, intensifying the pain to unbearable levels. Her screams echoed off the walls, reverberating through the hall.

In that moment, Enchantress knew true despair. The despair she had only faced once before, and that too was at the hands of the same person.

Since Raven was cursed by Gaia, they had been killing him in every life. They had forgotten the kind of existence he used to be. Seeing those cold eyes, she was reminded of the horror once more.

Her vision blurred and darkness encroached on her consciousness. She had spent her life inflicting pain and death on others, and now she would meet the same fate.

The silver-haired man observed in silence. He had personally witnessed Raven's suffering, the torment and despair that had consumed him. Compared to that, Enchantress' pain was nothing.

He could only imagine how many times these people had tormented and killed Raven in their previous lives. Compared to that, this pain was no different than mercy. And now, witnessing his Lord seize control of his own fate, it filled him with a renewed sense of hope.

With one final gasp, Enchantress succumbed to the venom coursing through her veins, tears of blood trickling down her cheeks. Her body went weak, no longer capable of fighting against the inevitable.

The once powerful Enchantress of Blood was no more, reduced to nothing more than a lifeless shell.

...

The instant Hermes entered the hall, Enchantress drew her final breath.

Raven tossed the Enchantress aside, appearing back in the Punishment Hall, his eyes gazing at Hermes in the distance.

"It's impossible for you to break the curse. What trick are you using?" Hermes asked, frowning. "If I'm not wrong, this is only a temporary effect, right?"

The more he spoke, the more confident he became in his theory. Gaia had used the life source of the entire heaven to seal this guy. So it didn't make sense for him to recover with just one item when there were many more being kept by the other Gods.

No single item could've been more powerful than the Gaia's curse. At best, they could temporarily free Raven from the curse by force, but that also made the curse stronger in return until he was once again sealed by curse. He was sure of his theory.

"Do you think you'll be able to survive the moment these effects run out? The others will soon find out! While I'm still in a good mood, let me grant you an easy death and save you from misery!"