"But... allow me to refuse!"
"What?!!"
Ares's expression showed utter astonishment, as though he never once considered that Night would dare refuse him.
It seemed his self-opinion was indeed very high.
He believed that since he extended the olive branch, Night as a warrior who wanted to become stronger would certainly accept.
After the initial shock, Ares's expression visibly darkened at a speed observable to the naked eye, becoming extremely grim.
The intense low pressure combined with his divine might made the surrounding environment feel heavy, as though sinking into a swamp or quagmire.
But Night looked at the war god like an emotionless machine, still silently watching him without the slightest fear.
Athena at this moment had transformed into an owl and was perched on a branch at Night's doorway.
Ha! He would be afraid?
Accepting the blessing was absolutely out of the question.
If this thing could also be taken out of the simulated universe, he as a free man would come out the other side and immediately be controlled by the war god Ares on the outside.
This was something Night absolutely could not accept.
Whether it was the pride of the dragon breed as a born king, or his naturally free spirit, he refused to accept the enslavement or shackling of anyone.
And at his rate of growth, even if he was still a mortal now, sooner or later he would cross the gap in life level between humans and gods and reach an entirely new dimension!
Never mind the war god Ares.
Even if the God-King Zeus himself stood before him, it was not worth sacrificing his own soul for a small shortcut to power.
Ares was furious.
His eyes radiated a terrifying oppressive force.
The kind that could cause an ordinary person's heart to explode from a single look, a pressure carrying the breath of death.
Facing a mortal who regarded his intimidation with absolute calm!
This brave warrior drew his admiration at the same time as he deeply resented and detested his merciless resistance.
He had no desire to ask the other party's reasons!
He only cared about the result.
The man before him refused his power, refused the possibility of becoming an even more powerful, perfect warrior!
But as a god he was still benevolent.
He was willing to help a born hero like this one become even more brilliant.
To bestow a blessing upon him, and even give him more favors, to let him pass down bloodline inheritance within the war god's family lineage.
For this, no matter how many daughters needed to be sacrificed, it did not matter.
So even if it was not for that reason, Ares would absolutely not let Griffith go.
He was simply too fond of this perfect warrior.
For Ares, the satisfaction of obtaining and collecting a warrior like this was ten thousand times more satisfying than being with beauties or even goddesses.
"There is no room here for you to refuse. Griffith. You do not have the right to refuse the power of a powerful chief god.
Accept my blessing.
And afterward I can even bestow Penthesilea upon you as a gift.
If that is not enough, my remaining dozen or so daughters can also all be given to you together. I permit you to permanently leave the bloodline inheritance of your power within the war god's descendants."
Ares seemed to consider this kind of thing an enormous honor.
But...
To Night's ears and Athena's ears, these words sounded so grating and strange.
This was obviously prying into his genes, prying into that power inherited by the descendant of the dragon-slayer who was impervious to blades and spears.
Which was to say, the power of the dragon breed.
Only Night knew very clearly that his dragon breed power had nothing to do with inheriting any fabricated dragon-slayer bloodline.
But it was unexpected that even Ares could not see through it and was perfectly deceived.
And just as Ares prepared to make his move, wild sand suddenly came from all directions trying to envelop Night and baptize his soul.
At this critical and urgent moment, the latter knew he could no longer delay and called out loudly. "Athena!!"
Boom!!
The next moment, a warm feeling suddenly descended from above and shattered all of the war god's raging sand and that crimson, immense, chaotic, and terrifying divine power.
Like a layer of iridescent bubble membrane, it covered Night and kept him completely unharmed even as the tidal wave of war god's divine power surged against it.
In that instant, there was genuinely a sense of calling upon the goddess, and then burning my small universe.
When he felt Athena's gentle divine power wrapping around him from every direction without a single gap.
Hiss!
Night: This cursed, indescribable sense of security.
Ares: "What?!!"
The war god was clearly thrown off by this suddenly intervening divine power.
He even anticipated that the moon goddess Artemis might suddenly come out to stop him.
But he never once thought that Athena's power would appear and help Griffith.
Though somewhat unexpected,
Ares quickly snorted stubbornly.
"Even if you and Artemis step in together, you cannot stop me, Athena!!" From some unknown place came this confidence.
This war god baby who even dared to fight two at once had never shown a trace of backing down when it came to confidence.
After saying this, Ares tried to forcibly break through Athena's divine protection and continue going after Night.
Athena frowned, and a trace of irritation flashed through her heart.
Knowing full well that she was also protecting Griffith, he still stubbornly chose to provoke two powerful goddesses.
She had not expected Ares to be this utterly obsessive.
Not wanting to come to open blows with the war god here, Athena stirred up a blast of wind with her divine power.
In the instant Ares's perception was blocked...
Night felt a pair of jade-like hands as soft as cattail flowers grab hold of him, and then Athena's low voice rang in his ear. "Come with me!!"
Outside, by the time the wind and sand passed.
Ares found himself looking at empty space.
Seeing that Night had vanished from the spot, the war god let out an angry and indignant roar.
Again it was you, Athe-na!!
"How many more times are you going to oppose me?!" Ares let out a sound of intense displeasure.
He would not give up!
As long as Griffith was still in Greece, he would always find an opportunity to impose his chaotic blessing on him.
And at the same time on the other side.
Athena used her divine power to block the war god's perception, and brought him all the way to Agamemnon's field palace.
At this moment the place was empty.
From when Ares descended to the mortal world, this place had been occupied by the war god, and no mortal was permitted to come near.
And right now it would never occur to Ares in a thousand years that they would be hiding in here.
Athena looked at the young man and asked. "Do you know why I brought you here?"
"The most dangerous place is the safest place..."
"Clever! But Ares will return sooner or later. Once he comes back here, he will quickly find us.
You can no longer stay in the Greek camp, Griffith. I apologize. Though I promised to protect you.
I cannot start a divine war here for your sake.
The God-King Zeus has been watching this whole time. Without his permission, the Father God forbids any further direct battle between the gods."
Zeus?
Hearing Athena's words, Night noticed a gap.
Obviously with the perception of the God-King who always had his eyes on the earth, there was no way he would not know what happened.
But he allowed Ares to run amok in the Greek camp.
When Artemis and Athena fought, he did not step in to stop it, but he would not allow the gods to fight again afterward.
As if noticing the doubt in Night's heart, Athena smiled.
"You should be able to figure out why.
Perhaps it is a test. Perhaps there is another intention. If Ares fails, many gods will abandon the same idea he had. But if he succeeds..."
Night: "....."
Well... hearing Athena's words that seemed to read minds, where she answered her own questions before he even said a word, in an ambiguous and noncommittal way.
Though she never once mentioned Zeus by name, every single sentence seemed to be alluding to someone.
As though someone deliberately allowed this situation to unfold!
.
.
.
(End of the Chapter)