Deimos did not walk; he loomed. Every step the God of Terror took left a scorched, blackened footprint on the ancient marble of the Parthenon. The air grew heavy with the smell of old iron and cold sweat. To any normal Hunter, the aura he radiated was a physical weight, a psychic scream that whispered of every failure, every nightmare, and every painful death.
"Mortal," Deimos rumbled, his voice grinding like tectonic plates. "You have played your little games with the weak-willed. You have seduced the mindless. But terror is the only truth in this universe. Face me, and see your lust turn to ash."
He leveled his gore-dripping spear at my throat. The tip of the blade trembled with a dark, chaotic energy.
I didn't back down. I didn't even summon a weapon. I felt the [Belt of Irresistible Grace] pulsing against my waist, its golden light clashing with the sickly red of Deimos's presence. I looked at So-Hee and Yuna, who were already flanking me, their power surging in resonance with mine.
"Terror is just a lack of imagination, Deimos," I said, my voice smooth and mocking. "You think you're scary because you smell like a slaughterhouse and shout a lot? That's not terror. That's just bad hygiene and a temper tantrum."
[Condition Met: Divine Mockery.]
[Multiplier EXP x10,000 active.]
"DIE!" Deimos roared.
He lunged. The spear moved faster than the eye could follow, a streak of crimson light aimed squarely at my heart. But I wasn't fighting as a warrior. I was fighting as a provocateur.
I activated [Bishonen Step], a high-rank movement skill I'd just unlocked. Instead of parrying, I leaned into the attack, my body twisting with a fluid, suggestive grace that made the spear-tip miss my skin by a fraction of a millimeter. As I slid past the God's arm, I didn't punch him.
I ran a finger along the side of his bronze helmet.
"Is this helm too tight?" I whispered as I reappeared behind him. "You seem really... frustrated. Maybe you just need someone to listen."
Deimos spun around, his face—or the burning darkness where a face should be—contorting in a mix of fury and genuine confusion. "You... you touched me? You dared to lay a finger on the Son of War?"
"He didn't just touch you, you overgrown tin can," Yuna chirped, her shadow-blades flickering as she darted through the ruins. "He's mocking you! And honestly? You're making it too easy."
So-Hee raised her hand, and the ground around Deimos's feet turned into a slush of violet ice and rose petals. "You represent Terror? My Jin-Woo represents something you can't even fathom. He represents the end of your relevance."
The God of Terror let out a scream of pure rage. He slammed the butt of his spear into the ground, releasing an 'Explosion of Fear'. Dark phantoms erupted from the earth, wailing spirits meant to paralyze the soul.
[Warning: Psychic Attack 'Legion of Nightmares' incoming.]
[Resistance Check: Level 99...]
[System Notice: Your 'Indecency' score is too high to feel fear.]
The phantoms swirled around me, but instead of seeing my deaths, I saw... well, the system didn't show me nightmares. It showed me a montage of So-Hee in her lace bodysuit and Yuna in a maid outfit.
"Is that the best you can do?" I laughed, walking through the swarm of ghosts as if they were nothing but annoying gnats. "I've had dreams more intense than this after a heavy dinner."
I closed the distance. Deimos tried to swing his spear again, but I was inside his reach. I grabbed the shaft of the weapon, and the [Belt of Irresistible Grace] flared with a blinding, golden radiance.
[Skill Activation: Corruptive Grace.]
[Target: Deimos (Avatar Grade).]
[Effect: Terror is being converted into 'Performance Anxiety'.]
Suddenly, the God's spear began to droop. The crimson glow flickered and dimmed. Deimos stumbled back, his breathing becoming shallow and panicked. He looked at his hands, which were now shaking.
"What... what have you done to me?" he gasped. "My power... I feel... I feel exposed! I feel small!"
"That's because you are small, Deimos," I said, stepping into his personal space. I reached up and slowly, mockingly, unlatched the chin strap of his bronze helmet. "You hide behind this mask because you're afraid the world will see you for what you really are. A god who has forgotten how to feel anything but hate."
I pulled the helmet off.
Underneath wasn't a monster. It was a remarkably handsome man with pale skin and eyes that looked like they hadn't seen a friendly face in a thousand years. He looked stunned, his lips parted in a silent gasp.
[Quest Objective Achieved: Make the God of Terror 'Flustered'.]
[EXP Reward: 3 Billion.]
The Phalanx warriors, who had been watching in terror, suddenly began to laugh. The spell of fear was broken. Seeing their God standing there, helmetless and blushing like a teenager, was the ultimate humiliation.
"Look at him!" one of the Spartans yelled. "He's just a guy!"
"He's actually kind of pretty," another added, leaning in with a drunken grin.
Deimos let out a strangled sound. He wasn't defeated by a blade, but by the absolute destruction of his image. He was the God of Terror, and now, he was a meme.
"I will... I will destroy you for this!" Deimos whispered, but his heart wasn't in it. He looked at me, and for a second, I saw a flash of something other than hatred. It was a terrifying, obsessive interest.
[Warning: A new 'Yandere' Seed has been planted.]
[Target: Deimos (Male/Divine).]
"Oh, hell no," I muttered. "I'm not starting a God-Harem. One Pantheon is enough."
Before I could do anything else, a massive horn blast echoed from the sky. A chariot pulled by four horses made of literal fire descended from the clouds, landing on the roof of the Parthenon.
Standing in the chariot was a messenger wearing a red cape and carrying a scroll sealed with the mark of a bloody fist.
"A message from the Father of War!" the messenger shouted. "Ares acknowledges the strength of the Pervert Hunter! He invites you to the Arena of Blood in Sparta! If you survive, the belt is yours to keep. If not... your women will be the new prizes of the Legion!"
The messenger looked at the helmetless Deimos, paused, and then added, "...And he says Deimos needs to come home and put his hat back on. He's embarrassing the family."
The chariot vanished in a blur of fire, taking the stunned Deimos with it.
The Parthenon fell into a strange, expectant silence. So-Hee walked up to me, her eyes cold. "Sparta? You're actually considering going to a place called the 'Arena of Blood'?"
"Of course he is," Yuna said, sheathing her blades. "Because I'm going to be there to make sure no one touches him but us. And if Ares wants a prize... I'll give him a funeral."
I looked at the [Belt of Irresistible Grace] around my waist. I looked at the 6 billion EXP in my bank account.
"We're going," I said. "But we're not going as guests. We're going as the main event."