บท 86: [FGO]: 86
"By the way, if the news were circulating among the Olympian gods, it would be understandable. But how did such significant news reach other pantheons?"
Curious, Ryou asked casually.
As a result, Ishtar Rin's face showed an extraordinary expression.
"The news came from one of Zeus's lovers... You know, Zeus, that old lecher, is a notorious womanizer. His lover was dissatisfied with his unfaithfulness and spread the news out of revenge. Coincidentally, this lover of Zeus is a goddess with extensive connections, so almost the entire heaven knew about it..."
A bead of cold sweat appeared on Ryou's forehead.
"That's very Zeus."
"By the way, I wanted to ask, didn't Master say to leave no survivors from Ishtar's Familia? Why did you leave those two girls?"
Ishtar Rin pointed to Aisha and Haruhime, pretending to ask casually. However, her face was full of a "there's more gossip, tell me quickly!" expression.
Ryou sighed and directly told her the reason.
"Really? You say that little fox girl is a rare possession vessel?"
Ishtar Rin couldn't help showing a surprised expression. As a goddess possessing a mortal, she had the most say in this. Her current body was also possessed through a highly compatible vessel.
"That's right, that little fox can become a vessel for Tamamo-no-Mae's possession, and due to the high compatibility, she can possess both Lancer and Caster classes."
Ryou looked complexly at Haruhime, who was showing a frightened expression like a little squirrel.
If it weren't for this, with his vengeful nature, he would have long since cut down Aisha, the mastermind, instead of going through all the trouble of giving her potions and cutting her tendons.
Fortunately, Haruhime was kind-hearted and naive, making it easier for her to deceive.
In any case, he planned to take them back for now.
He felt a headache and couldn't help but pinch his brow.
As for why Haruhime had such high compatibility, it wasn't hard to guess.
Haruhime's family had served as high priests for Amaterasu for generations, so she surely had Amaterasu's bloodline in her veins.
Tamamo-no-Mae was worshipped as an incarnation of Amaterasu, the Inari deity.
"Ara~, it's already so late. Since the matter is resolved, let's hurry back and rest."
Ishtar Rin said with a big yawn.
Given her current body, she shouldn't experience fatigue or hunger. However, perhaps due to her high compatibility with the Tohsaka family's eldest daughter, Ishtar Rin had even inherited that young lady's greed, tsundere nature, and low blood pressure in the morning.
"Don't rush, there's still some unfinished business. You take Haruhime and this Amazon prisoner back first."
When Ryou said this, the dim light cast shadows on his face, making half of it look particularly dark.
However, the sleepy goddess, Ishtar Rin, wiped her eyes and didn't notice anything unusual. She simply took Haruhime and Aisha onto the ark and left.
"Atalanta, are you still there?"
He suddenly asked softly.
The dark magic aura gathered around him, forming a dense fog with a strong scent of blood.
"What's up?"
Affected by the pelt of the demonic boar, Atalanta had completely transformed, exuding a dark, cold aura with a bloodthirsty nature.
He wanted to say"Sun's getting real low." but there are still some important things to handle.
He didn't mind her attitude and whispered something.
The wind howled, carrying his words into the night.
"A very agreeable suggestion, I'll handle it."
Atalanta licked her crimson lips with her little tongue, her face full of bloodthirsty desire.
Then, Atalanta lightly leaped and disappeared.
"Although it's natural for the defeated to be at the mercy of the victor, aren't you afraid they'll truly unite against you for doing this?"
At this moment, Scathach's slightly lazy voice sounded beside him.
Ryou didn't look back and spoke indifferently.
"At first, I might not have noticed it, being blinded by anger. But now, how can I not see it? This fool is nothing more than a pawn sent by Athena to annoy me."
He spoke with a hint of contempt, kicking the fallen Ishtar lying to the side.
"As for the purpose, isn't it obvious? She wants to convene a council of gods to unite them against me. This is nothing more than an attempt to push me to the opposite side of the gods.
After all, gods are inherently very proud. But when a mortal can freely humiliate, trample on, and even kill a god, the other gods will feel fear and anger. They will not hesitate to unite and kill me, a mortal who has desecrated their domain."
"Should I feel honored? That goddess does take me seriously."
After hearing his words, Scathach showed an interested expression.
"Since you know they will unite against you, why excite them?"
"Of course. There are two reasons for my actions:
Firstly, even if I escape this time, with Athena's personality, she will continue to plot against me. Who will be hurt next time? Even if I choose to strike first, I have no guarantee of victory against Athena. She will use her ordeal as an example to persuade the other gods. After all, they are gods, and I am just a mortal, inherently unequal.
Since the result is the same, I might as well give her a reason!
Secondly, if I'm going to act, I need to do it in a way that makes them tremble with fear!
Anyone who wants to deal with me will unite regardless. So, I need to eliminate those who waver. After all, gods have their pantheons and cannot be of one mind.
Especially after learning that secret, I am 100% certain that these gods see each other as competitors. They have the longevity to slowly eliminate their competitors, and they can afford the time."
After listening to his long explanation, Scathach nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad. It seems you've learned to control your emotions."
Faced with her praise, He smiled faintly.
"And I'm not unprepared."
"Preparation... you mean the Assyrian Empress you sent out?"
Before setting out, Ryou had called Semiramis aside and given her instructions.
Then the empress left alone, and she hasn't been seen since. Ryou had sent her on another mission.
"Yes. Her Hanging Gardens is a great asset, especially when the opponents are a bunch of treasure chest monsters who can only exert demigod-level strength. When the time comes, who is the hunter and who is the prey will be uncertain!"
Having the confidence to exit the world at any time, he was just that confident.
...
While Ryou led his Servants in a massacre of Ishtar's followers, several hooded figures walked through the rugged wilderness. As they moved, strands of smooth hair and graceful curves hidden under the cloaks were occasionally revealed.
The figure in the middle of the group suddenly sensed something and looked up. The stunningly beautiful face of the goddess of wisdom and war, Athena, emerged from the shadow of her hood. Given that Athena was protected in the center, the identities of these mysterious travelers were clear. They were naturally Athena's most trusted guardians, the Zodiac Twelve.
A cold wind blew, making their cloaks flap loudly. The sound of falling rocks came from a distance, followed by the eerie green flames of ghost fire lighting up the shadows of the rocks. In the dim light from their torches, the surroundings became faintly visible. With almost every step, they encountered half-buried bones alongside fragments of armor and weapons. The further they walked, the more bones they saw. There were not only humanoid skeletons but also large beast-like skeletons, some as tall as one or two stories. These bones belonged to fearsome monsters.
As they walked, a towering canyon appeared before them. Passing through the canyon's entrance felt like stepping into an underworld. The density of bones increased tenfold, and undead beasts began to appear. As soon as they entered the canyon, a dozen skeletons near the entrance sensed the presence of living beings and immediately turned, their hollow eye sockets glowing green.
Rattle, rattle, rattle!
Without hesitation, the skeletons rushed toward them. The Zodiac Twelve moved in perfect unison without needing to communicate.
"Tch! The dead should obediently return to the earth!"
Taurus roared, charging into the skeletons like a heavy tank. Libra raised a shield, firmly protecting Athena. The emotionless Virgo chanted a spell like a song, then clapped her hands. An invisible ripple spread out from her. When the ripple touched Taurus, nothing happened—it seemed like an illusion. But when the ripple hit the skeletons, the green light in their eyes flickered wildly, as if about to extinguish, and they froze. Taurus seized the opportunity, smashing the confused skeletons to pieces with her palms.
The group continued forward, encountering more skeletons of increasing strength, from ordinary skeletons to armed skeleton warriors, then armored elite skeletons, and even a squad of skeleton knights and a bone dragon! With their close cooperation, these powerful undead creatures were swiftly defeated.
"My niece, you never bring good news! These poor children took decades, even centuries, to be born, only to be killed by you all at once."
At that moment, a timeless, ethereal voice echoed from the depths of the canyon.
"Hmph! if you had simply moved these filthy undead out of the way, I wouldn't have dirtied my hands."
Athena retorted sharply.
The voice paused, then sighed.
"Just like Zues when he was young. Come in, I've restrained these children—they won't trouble you anymore."
After a pause, the voice continued.
"Also, I must remind you: the undead are not filthy. They are quiet and diligent, unlike the living with their endless desires. It is the living who are filthy, for their desires are insatiable."
Athena scoffed.
"I'm here on important business, not to hear your world eternal rest theory."
The voice suddenly chuckled.
"Hahaha~ Always impatient. Alright, come in."
Athena led the group inside. Soon, they saw an old man with silver hair, dressed in a tattered black robe and looking like a necromancer, sitting on a throne made of bones. He was the target of Athena's visit, Zeus's brother, the ruler of the underworld, Hades.
"Speak, Athena, what brings you to me?"
Hades smiled kindly, but his gaze was unsettling as if he viewed everything equally as dead objects with extreme indifference.
Athena suppressed her discomfort and produced a box containing Bell's ashes.
"Our most important piece has been burned to ashes."
A skeletal hand floated over, taking the box of ashes to Hades. Hades opened the box and looked inside, then suddenly burst into laughter.
"Indeed, there is a lingering scent of Argonaut's presence in these ashes. After so many years, since he was expelled from Orario, it must have been quite troubling for him to finally produce such an excellent piece."
Despite Hades' gloating, Athena remained noncommittal.
"Can you revive him?"
Hades pondered for a moment, then replied somewhat helplessly.
"He was burned by flames imbued with the sun, wasn't he? If we were in the Underworld, I might have a way. But now... I can only make him into a half-human, half-undead form."
"That despicable mortal!"
Ryou's image immediately flashed in Athena's mind. If he hadn't been overly cautious and purified Bell's body with sun flames, Athena wouldn't have had to go through this trouble.
"That will do. After all, he's just a disposable piece."
Athena waved her hand impatiently.
"As you wish."
"Also, turn his body into a female form. In my familia, no filthy males are allowed."
"What a peculiar preference," Hades muttered, but he didn't say more. After all, it was just a disposable piece; appearance and gender were irrelevant.
Hades abruptly unleashed the divine power sealed within him. The vast power of death transformed into a dense fog that enveloped his body. Even the clouds below the canyon were affected, with dark clouds rapidly gathering above. At that moment, a massive vortex appeared in the sky above the canyon, and a terrifying suction force surged toward Hades.
However, as the suction approached the canyon, countless black-gray death forces radiated from every corner of the canyon, forming a canopy over Hades' head. Utilizing the abundant death energy in the area, Hades' divine power surged, surpassing the limits of a demigod. Then Hades pointed at the ashes in the box. His divine power, mixed with the vast death energy, merged into the ashes. Gradually, the death force enveloped the box, obscuring the view inside.
สถานะพลังงานรายสัปดาห์
-- การจัดอันดับด้วยพลัง 
-- หินพลัง