THEOS

She turned and faced them, and the three of them looked back at her. It was dim outside and they were nearly a mile away, but Luke had no problem seeing her hate filled glare.

His mouth felt dry, and he could feel his heart thumping in his chest, but he didn’t look away. Instead he took a deep, calming breath, and adjusted the grip on his sword, and returned her gaze with a blank stare. Then, just to put her off kilter, he cocked his head to the side, smiled and waved cheerfully with his free hand. As if she were a friend he hadn’t seen in a long time.

Maybe it was arrogance, or perhaps apathy, but he found himself unafraid of her.

The Rebel’s wretched and battered form combined with her despicable actions– something in him was just unwilling to let her inspire fear in him. He suspected though, that he was just tired of living like that. He hadn’t realized until Arke was gone just how exhausting being scared all the time truly was, how good it felt not to feel that, and even the idea of returning to that state of mind was repulsing.

So he wouldn’t.

Heracles was right, he decided. It was better to die than it was to live at the mercy and in fear of those stronger than him. Not that he would actually challenge Arke to a fight anytime soon, but maybe there was a line he could toe. Between being stupid and getting himself killed and being meek. It didn’t have to be one way or the other.

Kind of like Nefkha, or even Cyzicus. Do enough not to get killed out of hand, but no need to bend over backwards and obey their every whim to the letter. Maybe even act against them when it suits me.

His smile turned a hint more genuine, and he chuckled. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw both Heracles and Lukeus stiffen at his gesture.

Yeah, they probably think I’m insane. Whatever, any minute now, my sword is going to be buried in her chest, and I’ll probably be hiding my agony as it drinks her Hero-tier mana. The thought unnerved him as much as it excited him.

As he looked at her, he couldn’t help but wonder. Wonder how he was going to actually do that. Wonder how his sword would evolve, and if it would gain any new abilities or not. Speculate on how many Stat Points he would gain, and how a leg up they would give him in the Tournament.

He sighed deeply. Yeah… that’s all she is now. Someone that I will step on to go higher. Couldn’t have happened to a better person, but it still feels a little slimy. Sure, I suppose the real reason I’m doing this is because it’s the right thing to do, and the world will be better without her. That’s not even a question, but it does feel a little on the nose. Hunting monsters for gains is one thing, and hunting people no matter how monstrous is something else.

“This is your last warning.” Tyrisa yelled at them. “Leave me be, and I shall spare you. we have no quarrel.”

No quarrel… Is she for real?

“I think I misheard you, what did you say?” Luke yelled, putting his hand behind his ear and leaning forward comically.

“We have no quar–”

He slashed lazily with the blade Cyzicus had given him, filling it with a single point of his mana. The world seemed to hold its breath as it cut through the air between them. She easily dodged to the side, and an ominous pressure filled the distance between them. Luke held back a grin.

She really doesn’t want to fight, huh.

“– What is the meaning of this? Does this,” she pointed at Luke, “buffoon speak for the two of you as well? If you give him to me and turn back, I shall consider sparing both your lives.”

Wow. Straight for the divide and conquer strategy. Does she really think this is going to work, or is she just that desperate.

“I’m not a buffoon.” Luke yelled back. “I thought I heard a mosquito buzzing right where your face is.” He shrugged. “Promise.”

Heracles chortled at his bad attempt at humor, and a wide grin stretched across his face. Almost lazily, he drew back the string on his bow and fired an energy arrow straight at her.

The charred remains of her lips stretched wide in displeasure as she dodged once again.

“I think I saw a mosquito too.” He called out, as he fired another arrow, and then chuckling, he rapidly fired a dozen more. “Oh wow, there's so many of them.”

Alright, that was kind of cheesy. Luke cringed internally. It also kinda feels like kicking a dog… Yeah, I probably shouldn’t be making fun of people when I plan to kill them. Not that she doesn’t deserve it, she definitely does, but let’s not turn into that guy Luke. I should execute people with grace and seriousness. For real.

His jaw set in determination as the reality of the situation suddenly dawned on him.

She’s an asshole, but I’m still robbing her life. This isn’t something I should let myself get used to, or something I can take lightly, and especially not joke about to the person I’m going to kill. Ever. That’s entering megalomaniac territory. He thought solemnly, as he watched the path of the arrows as they flew towards her.

She managed to dodge all but a single one that grazed her shoulder, not that she seemed affected by it.

Then with a snarl, she came barreling towards them faster than she had moved the entire time they chased after her.

She was too slow, or rather, Heracles was faster.

A golden barrier manifested around their chariot. Barely big enough to hold all three of them and Nutbutter inside a second before she reached them.

A thin silver blade appeared in her hand, and she swung downwards. Nutbutter squealed and neighed as they were sent plummeting down to the forested ground underneath them from the force of the blow hitting the bubble. Luke held on to the chariot with a single hand, and then slashed at her with his sword.

An arc of blue light flew out and through the barrier and collided against her before fizzling out.

A shallow line of blood appeared, traveling from her hip all the way to her shoulder.

I really can hurt her then. Not much, but… I’ll take it.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Lukeus sneakily prepping an explosive talisman. Tearing off the perforated edge, he activated a protective talisman and then counting down the seconds, flung it towards her.

The moment the talisman left the shield, her sword jabbed forward and sliced it into two.

“You didn’t think it would be that easy, did you?” She grinned savagely, and just as Nuttbutter managed to stabilize his flight, she slashed down with her sword again. The golden barrier undulated, and for a moment, Luke thought she might cut into it.

It held.

A pit formed in his stomach as they violently hurtled towards the ground, his attempt at catching himself with his mana failing entirely under her might. A moment later, he realized it was because Heracles had grabbed his ankle and forcibly broken his grasp on the fabric of space.

A drop of sweat fell down the side of his face. He had almost thrown himself out of the chariot with his actions. The shield was tethered to a slip of paper that either Lukeus or Heracles were holding, had he resisted falling with the chariot successfully, he would have left its protection.

That could have been really bad. He thought, careful not to panic, and with the lesson learned, he anchored his own mana to their vehicle.

Just when they were about to hit the earth, she appeared underneath them, and slashed upwards with her sword, and sent them flying. Heracles activated another barrier, just as their current one was about to fizzle away.

“I wonder.” She said calmly, appearing above them, she heaved her sword down on the bubble, sending them plummeting once again. “How many talismans do you have? Because you know, right?” Her eyes traced over them. “You know that once you run out, you’re dead. One itty tiny mistake, and I sever your heads from your necks, and Cyzicus can admire them with all the others I’ve left him.”

Heracles activated another talisman as they hit the ground and dug a deep trench with their impact.

“I tried to be merciful, but you really thought you could do something that both Cyzicus and his pet Cyclops failed at? HAAH.” She wheezed, as she battered their barrier into the ground. “I am three thousand years old. I have survived horrors beyond your imagination. I have killed more people than you have seen. I will not be bested by Three. Ignorant. Arrogant. Nobody. Warriors.” She said, driving them further and further into the dirt with each strike.

Alright this may actually be bad. Think, think, think…

Luke ripped a tab off an explosive talisman, and slid it outside the barrier, and underneath them, simultaneously activating another protective barrier.

It detonated, and sent them flying into the sky. The Rebel bounced off the surface of the bubble.

Heracles, capitalizing on the opportunity, shot her with what looked like a dozen arrows in the span of a second, most sinking into her torso and leaving marble sized rends in her blackened flesh. A single one pierced her eyes, and blood splattered across her face as it blew up.

Lukeus held on to Nutbutter’s reigns, and the pegasus’s wings caught the air. Rapidly trying to put some distance between them.

Seeing that she was distracted, Luke ripped the tab off of three explosive talismans, and threw them in Tyrisa’s general vicinity.

She managed to cut through two, before the third blew up beside her.

White blurred their vision as they were blown through the air once again and they blinked the spots out of their eyes with baited breath. Desperately raking their eyes across the sky in search of her.

Is she dead?

Heracles shuffled around, and shot one arrow after another behind them. She cut through them with her sword, and shoulder checked them back towards the ground.

Lukeus activated another protective barrier.

Luke frowned as he tried to assess the damage the single explosive talisman had done to her. It was harder than he expected. She already looked like she should be dead. Had looked like that before the battle even began, and as he was learning, there was only so wretched a single person could look.

With the exception of the eye and the few holes Heracles’s arrow had poked, she looked the same.

How is that possible though? If my Warrior-tier sword can leave cuts and Hercales's half assed arrows can do the same then an explosion that big should have torn her to bits.

Does she just have something that nullifies explosive talismans?

That would explain how she’s still alive but… if explosions don’t wear her down, then this just got a lot harder. I don’t know how much mana Heracles has, but he’s been spamming the bow constantly.

He looked at the Son of Zeus, and opened his mouth before closing it.

Luke wanted to ask if he had a Saint-tier talisman he could try, but decided not to. If she heard them talk and teleported away, then that would end the battle right then and there and defeat the purpose entirely. It wasn’t the worst possible outcome, but he really didn’t want to learn what happened when he failed a quest.

Their battle continued for over an hour in the same vein. They would sneak in an attack every once in a while, while she used her sword like a bat and tossed them through the air like they were toys.

Until suddenly, a spear crackling with lightning pierced her stomach.

An eagle cried, and a golden blur shot through the air faster than Luke could even see. It flew right at her, and blood spurted from the Hero as it passed her.

Something had torn her arm off.

Luke activated a protective talisman as raked his eyes across the sky. He didn’t have to search long to see who had come. There was only one person who had a steed that fast, and she was over a mile away and standing heroically atop it, as her griffin casually tossed the Rebel’s arm into the air and swallowed it whole.

“THAT'S FOR SOPHIA YOU BITHCH.”

“AND FOR JAX!” A bald girl peaked her head out behind her, and yelled.

“Agnella! It’s so nice to see you again.” Heracles waved at her with the goofiest grin Luke had ever seen.

“We’re fighting for our lives, man. Can you take this seriously?” Lukeus snapped at him.

“I’m just saying hi.” The Son of Zeus grumbled, pulling back the string of his bow, he started firing arrows again.

“I think Lukeus is right, that was a bit too flirty for a mid-combat hi.” Luke added, grinning slightly when the Emperor’s grandson leveled his glare at him.