'Done. The twelfth incarnation. [Eagle]!'
In the darkness, Lorne's thoughts stirred as the golden wheel behind him turned to the twelfth slot.
An eagle with pitch-black feathers and golden pupils appeared, beat its wings and cried out, and in an instant fierce lightning radiated outward as wild winds rose in all directions.
The [Eagle] that soared through the skies and commanded thunder carried the divinity of both speed and destruction.
Everything, just as he expected.
Lorne gave a satisfied nod, then sent a consoling glance toward a certain figure struggling in the corner and waited patiently for that grand-teacher to come calling.
However, two days and two nights later.
The figure in the corner was nodding off to sleep, with faint sounds of teeth grinding drifting over.
Lorne, eyes full of red veins and face growing progressively darker, stared fixedly at the dead-silent cave entrance and sanctuary, cursing inwardly without stop.
'She did not take the bait directly?
This crafty old fox is rather cautious.'
'It seems more fuel needs to be added.'
A flicker passed through Lorne's eyes as he reached out and pulled the Gorgon emblem hanging at his chest, activating the magical formation diagram on it.
At the same moment,
Athena, standing guard in the great temple, slowly opened her eyes, thought for a moment, as though making a firm decision, then raised her hand and traced out several lines of Hermes script, murmuring through the air.
"Make your move..."
Almost the instant Athena's words left her lips, three golden streams of light with sharp air-splitting sounds shot into a volcanic cave somewhere on Sicily.
"Pop! Pop! Pop!"
In an instant, the three Cyclopes inside the cave, who were forging divine artifacts using the volcanic fire, did not even have time to cry out before being simultaneously pierced through from eye to back of head by three golden streams of light.
Their bodies were covered in golden flames as they collapsed and were incinerated to ash in the blink of an eye.
At the same time, the Olympian God king, who was busy with his usual affairs in a certain water marsh gave a sudden start and leapt to his feet, roaring with shock and fury.
"Who? Who did this?!"
The sky darkened with clouds as lightning flashed and thunder rolled.
The God power surging from Zeus's body electrocuted the nymph below him without mercy, turning her to charcoal.
But that God-king didn't even spare her a glance, his face a mask of darkness.
Long ago, the Titan God king Cronus believed the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires threatened his rule and locked them in Tartarus, dispatching the dragon Campe to guard them.
Later, Zeus prepared to overthrow the rule of the twelve Titans and establish new order, so on the advice of the primordial Goddess of Wisdom Metis, he entered Tartarus, killed the dragon Campe, and freed the three Cyclopes and three Hecatoncheires from their seals.
In return, the three Hecatoncheires and three Cyclopes swore loyalty to Zeus and formed a pact with him.
So when the three Cyclopes died, he could clearly feel the severance of the pact.
But who had the audacity to lay hands on his craftsmen?
Having his authority challenged was the overstepping Zeus found most intolerable.
He immediately surged with wind and thunder, transformed into a black eagle, and beat his wings toward Olympus hidden among the stars.
At the same time, Athena in the temple rose and stepped outside, looking at the lightning-lit sky that spread across all of Greece and the sacred flame ignited on Olympus, the corners of her lips lifting in a curve of pleasure.
'It has begun...'
Then the Goddess of Wisdom spread the golden wings on her back and flew upward toward the divine realm.
And as the guardian God of Athens officially departed her territory,
Lorne in the darkness narrowed his eyes and murmured quietly.
'Now I simply do not believe you can hold back any longer.'
God power surged and pulsed as the rich fragrance of the [Fruit] continuously dispersed in the darkness, flowing without end into the air, into the earth, into the underworld.
"Gulp..."
The goddess beside the River Styx gave an involuntary swallow as her ink-dark figure gradually grew lighter and more transparent.
---
....
A road has no inherent existence or non-existence.
When enough people walk it, even a thorn-covered wilderness or a twisting and turning labyrinth can have a clear path opened through it.
And as the guide of crossroads, the goddess presiding over [Path] and [Chance], almost nothing could truly obstruct her arrival.
After a full day and night of waiting, Lorne slowly opened his eyes and looked at the old familiar who came walking from the darkness holding a lantern.
"To reach the mature stage this quickly. You truly surpassed my expectations by far." Hecate sincerely praised this grandstudent she personally trained, her gaze toward him brimming with intense blazing heat and longing as her throat made an involuntary swallowing motion.
"Thank you for the praise." Lorne responded with a smile that did not reach his eyes, then tried his luck with a suggestion. "So, is it possible we could discuss this? How about everyone coexist peacefully?"
"I would like that too." Hecate shook her head with a grinning smile, her face full of helplessness. "But. You smell wonderful."
Hearing this, Lorne let out a resigned sigh. "I knew you never had good intentions toward me."
"Children distinguish between good and bad, right and wrong. Adults only look at benefits and drawbacks."
Hecate spoke with a smile, patiently instructing this grandstudent of hers.
"That is fair." Lorne nodded, seeming to quite agree with this reasoning, then raised his hand and tossed a pebble toward the corner.
Accompanied by a clear sound, the girl jolted awake from her sleep, opened her eyes to see Hecate appearing in the cave, and could not help struggling while calling out with a face full of delighted surprise.
"Teacher, save me!"
"Melinoe?"
Staring at her own disciple bound to the stone pillar in the corner,
Hecate blinked in surprise, then looked at her own grandstudent with astonishment. "She has been in your hands all this time!"
Ever since unrest occurred in Elysium, Melinoe, who should have been under her supervision, had gone missing without a trace.
Although various clues suggested the girl slipped away on her own, as guardian, Hecate bore undeniable responsibility for the disappearance of the Underworld King's daughter.
Initially she assumed Hades and Persephone, consumed with love for their daughter, had hidden Melinoe away.
She therefore approached them deliberately several times, hoping to use the opportunity to investigate Melinoe's whereabouts.
However, she searched every corner of the Underworld and even combed through Persephone's garden entirely without finding any trace of Melinoe.
So the girl was not in the Underworld at all.
She had been lured away to the mortal world by the young man before her.
At this moment, a certain chief culprit produced the confiscated [All-Law-Breaking Talisman], held it against Melinoe's fair neck, and looked toward Hecate with a grinning smile.
"Grand-teacher. You would not want anything to happen to the Underworld King's daughter in your care, would you?"
"You think holding her can threaten me?" Hecate asked back with a grinning smile, her face completely unconcerned. "That is Hades's daughter. What does that have to do with me?"
Lorne skipped the talk and applied light force with his hand, the curved blade of the [All-Law-Breaking Talisman] drawing a line of blood along Melinoe's neck.
"Stop!" Seeing the other party seemed genuinely about to go through with it, Hecate immediately called out to stop it, her face showing frustration and grievance. "Using my own disciple to threaten me. Does that not feel rather underhanded?"
"Children distinguish between noble and underhanded. Adults only look at benefits and drawbacks. Was that not what you said yourself?"
Lorne looked at Hecate, his gaze full of teasing.
"How about that. I learned fairly well, did I not?"
"..."
With the tables turned on her, Hecate was left momentarily speechless, and could only wave her hand with resignation.
"Speak then. What do you want?"
"Very simple. We make peace..."
No sooner had Lorne opened his mouth than he felt wind at the back of his neck as his body shot backward like it was struck by lightning, flying a hundred meters.
And that Underworld Moon Goddess who had just been about to lower herself and negotiate terms had appeared behind Lorne at some unknown point.
"How about that. I performed rather well too, did I not?"
Hecate looked with teasing humor at the grandstudent sprawled on the ground while reaching out to untie Melinoe from the stone pillar.
The [Path] authority on her body had no blind spots in offense or defense.
Besides, as the goddess who presided over witchcraft, the godmother of the underworld, the little fellow before her was far too inexperienced in both strength and cunning compared to her.
Trying to overthrow her was far too presumptuous.
"CLACK!"
At the same time, a crisp metallic ring sounded before Hecate.
Before she could react, she found a pair of shackles appearing on her hands, and the God power within her body seemed to freeze like cold springs, sluggish and obstructed.
"How about that. My performance was also not bad, was it not? Teacher?"
Melinoe, who silently delivered this gift to her teacher, broke into a triumphant smile, celebrating the successful execution of their conspiracy.
At the same time, several magical formation diagrams lit up on the surrounding stone walls as chains like snakes wound out and wrapped around Hecate layer upon layer, firmly binding her to the stone pillar.
"Well done. Well done. I will have the Athens Academy give you a best actress award later."
Lorne on the ground offered a weary and perfunctory reply, straightened his creaking neck, climbed up from the ground, and sent a deeply aggrieved look.
"But next time. Remember not to show such exaggerated expressions and strike faster."
"You have a nerve to talk!"
Melinoe turned around, rubbing the faintly aching cut on her neck, and glared at a certain accomplice with furious indignation.
"Before you said just put on a show. And yet you actually went through with it!"
"To deceive others, you must first deceive yourself."
Lorne answered with complete righteous conviction, not a trace of guilt on his face.
"What we are dealing with is a former Goddess of Scheming. Your beloved teacher. Being careful is never wrong."
Watching the two bickering before her, Hecate immediately understood she had been set up together by her beloved disciple and grandstudent.
"When did you two get together behind my back?" She was genuinely curious.
Hearing that familiar voice, Melinoe, who had just been calling out dramatically, instinctively shut her mouth and retreated behind a certain "good brother," firmly using him as a shield before her.
Obviously, Hecate had left no small amount of shadows in that young heart.
'Look at you coward!'
Lorne muttered inwardly and shot Melinoe a sidelong glance, then looked toward Hecate bound to the stone pillar and answered with a light smile.
"From back in the Underworld."
"I somewhat underestimated that Underworld King and my own goddaughter."
Hecate caught the implication and looked at the disciple and grandstudent before her with considerable approval.
"You did well. Even I was fooled. Congratulations on successfully completing your apprenticeship."
Lorne automatically filtered out that praise and looked at the restlessly moving wrists behind the stone pillar with a smile that was not quite a smile.
"Save your energy. Those restraints were specially prepared for you. Breaking free will not be so easy."
Seeing her stalling and distraction tactics exposed, Hecate made several more failed attempts and gave up with resignation, lowering her somewhat reddened wrists and casting a grieved look at the Melinoe to one side.
"To think I was just thinking of saving you, and you went ahead and stabbed me in the back. You have truly failed the trust I placed in you."
Her own [Path] authority could advance or retreat freely and let her easily cross any obstacle, to some degree ignoring distance.
Without a close insider leaking information, even if the little rascal before her wanted to set a trap, getting close to her would be very difficult.
Obviously, before coming to the War God Mountain, her secrets had been thoroughly stripped bare.
"Give it a rest. You were afraid of Hades and Persephone holding you accountable. If you truly cared that well for Melinoe, why not send her back to her parents' side?"
Lorne gave a cold hum and tore apart the emotional card Hecate played, then tossed the Gorgon emblem in his hand to Melinoe behind him and gave an indifferent instruction.
"Right then. Melinoe. Take this and go to the Arimaspian Cavern. You can return to the Underworld now and be reunited with the Underworld King and Queen."
As he said this, he opened the sanctuary's barrier without hesitation and sent Melinoe out.
At this moment, Melinoe, transferred to outside Athens city, felt the fully unsealed God power within her body, looked toward the distant War God Mountain, then looked at the Gorgon emblem in her hand, and could not help pressing her lips together.
One person said nice things but kept holding her back as a hostage the entire time.
The other person often spoke harshly, but after achieving their goal, returned her freedom without hesitation and let her reunite with her parents.
Who truly treated her well went without saying.
After sorting out her thoughts,
Melinoe headed toward the Arimaspian Cavern without looking back.
---
...
Meanwhile, Hecate bound to the stone pillar, having failed to win anyone over, was thoroughly dispirited and could not help muttering with resignation.
"You actually were willing to let her go."
"As long as she is not in your hands or under your influence, that is the best outcome for me.
What is there to be willing or unwilling about? Is it not better to do a favor at no cost?"
"So that is why you are more suited to the God domain of presiding over [Scheming] than she is."
"Just scheming? It seems you do not truly understand the human heart."
Lorne glanced at Hecate before him and shook his head.
Scheming that only emphasized calculation and focused on benefit and loss could only walk through the wilderness of night, or live in the dimness of the gutter.
Using genuine feeling as a lubricant was what allowed it to undergo a qualitative change and walk openly in the light of day.
As for this grandstudent's mockery, the original Goddess of Scheming smiled with indifference.
"Whether I understand the human heart does not matter.
As long as I understand [that heart] on your body, that is enough."
As Hecate's lips moved soundlessly, Lorne felt a blazing heat across his chest.
His heart pounded violently as something within his chest cavity seemed to be breaking free.
'The Wheel of Hecate! The twelve-sided die!'
This woman was trussed up like a dumpling and yet she could still use these two things to exert influence over that Zagreus divinity.
Realizing where the trouble lay,
Lorne's expression changed drastically as he immediately retreated, trying to put distance between them.
"Only thinking of running now. Is that not a little too late?"
The teasing murmur echoed through the dark cave.
A goddess shadow with three aspects broke free from the flesh bound by shackles, covered a hundred meters in an instant, and collided into Lorne's body.
Gods possessed near-indestructible physical bodies, while chief Gods possessed near-immortal souls.
In an instant, Lorne felt the world spin as everything fell into chaos.
After a moment of disorientation, a familiar scene appeared before his eyes.
Parched earth covered in cracks.
The sky a murky, hazy yellow. Water seemed to ripple somewhere above.
A few withered trees like the arms of the dead reached up from the soil, growing in the wilderness.
Several ravens perched on the dark branches preening their feathers.
And directly ahead, the Goddess of Paths Hecate, holding her lantern, wearing a veil, dressed in a black long dress with purple hair falling over her shoulders, stood quietly at the crossroads.
She examined him with interest for a moment, and like the beginning of some destined encounter, elegantly extended her hand.
"This time. Where exactly can you run to?"
However, Lorne's face didn't show the terror of someone cornered.
Instead a brilliantly radiant smile spread across it.
"Run? Perhaps it is you who will be running."
Then under Hecate's astonished gaze, Lorne called out toward the hazy void above.
"She is here! What are you all waiting for?!"
"BANG BANG BANG BANG!"
The next moment, the sky shattered like glass as ancient giants, misshapen divine monsters, ferocious beasts, towering old Gods... one terrifying shadow after another broke free from the chaos, roaring as they charged toward the warden who had been suppressing them.
In an instant, Hecate's expression changed drastically.
(End of Chapter)