Goddess' (7)
In the kingdom of Calydon,
As the flawless goddess brought her chosen hero before everyone, a star fell from the night sky and landed in front of them.
Pegasus, flapping his silvery wings, carried Promise and Athena away from the kingdom of Calydon under the gaze of all.
This was Athena's gift to Promise, a story that would undoubtedly be sung by bards and spread throughout ancient Greece.
The hero favored by the wise goddess Athena, riding the fallen star.
...
Understanding that this was a compromise due to her shyness and modesty, Sasaki didn't show disappointment but instead 'breathed a sigh of relief':
"As long as Sakura is willing to get along with me, that's enough."
Seeing that he genuinely wanted to be with her, Miyajima Sakura, for the first time being so liked by a boy, awkwardly brushed her ponytail over her left shoulder under his intense, bright gaze:
"Am I really that... but we've just met for the first time."
<...
In the Temple of Fate,
The fate goddess Clotho, with blank eyes, had been sitting there, motionless, for several days.
But tonight, she finally spoke her first words.
"He hunted that boar."
With her head lowered and her soft voice, Clotho whispered, "He ultimately did it; he rewrote the original fate and defeated me..."
Her words were light, making it hard to discern her current mood.
But as she gently held the crystal ball in her arms, Clotho's expre...
Noticing that things were deviating from his expectations, Sasaki straightened his back and slowly widened his eyes.
According to his thinking, after hearing his words, the old man should nonchalantly brush off the matter.
After all, compared to Sasaki's current situation, the Miyajima family could be considered a prominent household.
And so, it seemed impossible for the family to allow their precious granddaughter to become a concubine.
It was true that the two f...
"You said you're from the Julius family?" Night suddenly asked the old man, ignoring the slave master.
Originally, he hadn't planned to intervene, and just wanted to observe and find the right moment.
But——the name Julius made him change his mind.
A person might lie with their words, but the honor and pride when mentioning their family cannot be faked.
That deep-seated pride, even in the face of death, was evident in the old man's involuntary display of pri...
It was too late.
Night, who did not have any weapon in his hand, had no intention of saving the man.
Though he felt deep sympathy for the man's impending fate, he wasn't suicidal enough to risk his life for others.
At least in reality, it didn't allow him to act recklessly as he did in the simulated universe.
As the lion's claws tore through the man's throat, the unwilling Greek warrior, grasped the lion's head, eyes wide open as he was bitten to death.
At f...
“Ha ha ha ha! Brilliant! Thrilling!
Spic, you're a genius!
Coming up with such a new way to toy with (torture) people.”
“If he doesn’t escape, he gets bitten by snakes. If he does, he’s attacked by lions and becomes lion food.
This is just too exciting.
I could see the despair on that slave's face multiplying!”
“A tough human decision...!”
“Kill him, yes, just like that, ha ha ha ha! Tear his flesh, eat this filthy rat!”
...
In the outside world, in the familiar confines of the real-world dungeon, Night opened his eyes.
The passage of time felt different here; his biological clock indicated that the days he spent in the Simulation Universe hadn't significantly overlapped with real-time.
It was as if a single second had been infinitely stretched.
One moment he was in the internal consciousness world, the Star Core, meeting Black Tower, and the next, he was back in reality.
According ...
"Is the Simulation Universe test over?" Night asked.
"It can be considered over... and yet not," Black Tower replied patiently.
"You made a name for yourself in the Battle of Thebes, collaborating with Hector to defeat the demigod Achilles, and your fame spread throughout Greece.
Because of you, many people were saved, leading history to take a drastically different direction.
You can choose to save here.
The next Simulation Universe test can start from this ...
The invincible body was breached!!!
His invincible body, bathed in the River Styx, was not truly immortal and had its weaknesses.
Once the attack exceeded his endurance,
Or when facing fatal or armor-piercing attacks, he could be injured!
(Night only understood this after obtaining Achilles' destiny template,
It wasn't necessary to pierce the heel to break the invincible body—by understanding Achilles' combat habits from the template, he launched what he b...
"Hector!!! Catch!”
As the battle between Achilles and Hector reached a fever pitch, a voice suddenly called out from afar.
It was Night's call—
Almost instinctively, both fighters' attention shifted slightly.
At that moment, a sword was rapidly thrown towards the center of the battlefield.
—Durandal!
While the sword was still in mid-air, both combatants recognized its true identity simultaneously.
Achilles: "…!"
"I won't let you ...
Night held the sword in his hand, feeling as if it was a hot potato.
If he hadn't given Hector the sword, Hector could at least be fighting with Durandal now.
Although wanted to throw the sword back to Hector, but it wouldn't be easy.
If Achilles intercepted it mid-flight, already having the divine spear, obtaining the holy sword would make the demigod even more formidable.
Cold sweat poured down Night's forehead.
Think—think quickly,
How can I break th...
"Why are you here?!" Night asked, his mouth agape in shock.
The man was indeed Hector.
Yes, on this battlefield, the only hero capable of saving someone from Achilles' grasp was Hector.
"Of course, I'm here to save you. To face a demigod alone... I've felt your courage, Night." Hector did not question why Night acted alone or why he used his name to lure Achilles.
His face showed no anger, only a calm smile of admiration.
Admiration for what? His courage?
Promise and Atalanta didn't have to wait long.
However, it wasn't Meleager who returned, but the elegant woman in the red dress, Queen Althaea of Calydon.
When Althaea appeared and introduced herself gracefully to the two, Atalanta instinctively glanced at Promise.
After all, she had a good memory and still recalled the prophecy left by the wise goddess Athena that night... Meleager would ultimately be killed by the mother he loved the most!
Despite being the queen...
While speaking quietly with Miyajima Sakura, Sasaki followed Tsubaki Miyajima around the training ground, through a courtyard with a pond and bamboo, into a spacious guest room filled with an elegant and serene ambiance.
In the hall, filled with a faint fragrance, two men were seated on tatami mats, drinking tea and playing a game of go.
The steaming hot tea on the rosewood table and the occasional sound of pieces being placed on the board made people unconsciously calm down an...
From the brief introduction given by Tsubaki Miyajima during their previous meeting, Sasaki knew that the young girl before him was the future successor of the Miyajima Dojo, Miyajima Sakura.
Walking quickly to the entrance of the training hall, he greeted Tsubaki Miyajima with a smile.
“Aunt Tsubaki, sorry to disturb you.”
As he spoke, handed over the gifts he brought.
Taking the gifts, Tsubaki Miyajima looked at his handsome face, her gentle eyes flashing wit...
As Night's heart sank into despair, only by confronting this demigod head-on could he comprehend the true might of this hero.
An almost overwhelming power, not needing to consider martial skills, just a casual spear thrust nearly ended his life.
He didn't think Achilles lacked martial skills.
It was simply that the gap was too vast, and he probably wasn't worth the effort for this powerful demigod to take seriously.
"The next strike won't be as easy to dodge," Achi...
Single-handedly holding a spear aimed at the ground, a blurry figure slowly emerged from the dust.
Whoosh~!!
The winds stirred as the figure became clearer,
Tall, robust, exuding an overwhelming sense of strength and majesty.
It was Achilles.
The demigod hero, renowned for his invincibility and unmatched prowess on the battlefield.
Night’s body tensed up, All his senses on high alert,
Knowing that every move could be his last.
Achilles...
In the small city of Thebes,
Resided the true greatest heroes of both factions, along with a false hero,
Yet they had not encountered each other.
But when Achilles rode the chariot pulled by a fantastical celestial horse into the sky,
For a moment,
The celestial horse's neigh echoed through the night sky,
Attracting countless gazes.
"…It's Achilles!" Hector, leading his soldiers toward the city's center, was shocked when he saw the figure on the ...
This was war,
Even those in high positions, once the tide of war turns against them, cannot protect their own families.
If the original history unfolds,
After tonight, this father's two daughters would all be captured.
The elder daughter was offered to Agamemnon,
Who was astounded by her beauty, far surpassing that of his own wife.
The Mycenaean king did not hesitate to propose marriage to her but was rejected…
Later, the old priest Chryses tried...
Hector, on the other hand, had his own thoughts.
Hector: "..."
At this moment, on the other side, Achilles could think that it was the divine intervention of Apollo,
Hector naturally thought of it too.
He was a bit worried,
Could the Greeks have done something so unforgivable that it angered the gods?
But now was not the time to think about that,
First, drive back the enemy!
Thinking about this, he accelerated his movements, but due to t...
Back at home, changing into slippers, Sasaki, in response to Otome's gentle inquiries resembling those of a housewife, skillfully wrapped his arm around her slim, soft, willow-like waist.
Seeing her shy and expectant expression as she handed him a small pink and white cherry blossom cake, he smiled and took a bite.
The cherry blossom cake, though small, was packed with various elements.
As its name suggested, the outer layer was a thin pinkish-white, resembling the color...
No one should have to feel concern or pain for the sacrifice of someone who doesn't truly exist.
Night had already chosen his own way to fall, even if it meant facing an unbeatable monster, even if the price was his life.
But for him, death was merely the end of a simulation, the start of something new, not the end of everything.
However, he couldn't explain this to them.
He needed a way to convey it that the people of this era could understand better.
Aft...
Night didn’t have time to explain.
In the heat of battle, every second counted.
All he needed was for the soldiers to believe that he was Hector.
At this moment, tyranny was more fitting than nobility.
When Night turned, his gaze filled with an oppressive force, locking onto the soldiers.
Unaware of how much his life force had surpassed that of ordinary people, he didn’t realize the extent of his intimidating presence, which was enhanced by his many kil...
With the divine spear Hector in hand, Night’s efficiency in slaughtering ordinary soldiers was not inferior to Hector’s.
Especially under the ancient, sacred aura emanating from the golden spear, his blood-soaked presence on the battlefield felt like an ancient heroic epic coming to life.
Bang~!!
Channeling the power within the divine spear, Night thrust it through two Greek soldiers, then forcefully flung their bodies off the spear.
The heavy bodies of the Gre...
"We can't hold them... We absolutely can't hold them."
There wasn’t even time to send a plea for help to Troy.
On the streets of Thebes, in the midst of the final, desperate struggle, a squad leader muttered to himself, feeling a deep sense of despair.
Ordinary citizens, praying desperately amidst the flames of war, were being slaughtered.
The soldiers, who were supposed to protect them, were now struggling to protect themselves.
With the overwhelming t...
For the first time, Hector's spear had a name!
Talking about naming the spear after himself, the usually straightforward and sincere hero, Hector, felt a bit embarrassed and shy.
He had said it on a whim, and although he spoke casually, thinking about naming a weapon after himself brought a sense of shame.
But now that the words were out, there was no taking them back.
Oh well.
Hector thought about the events of the previous night and, after a long reflect...