Chapter 345: Hera Wants Me to Be a Father?

While the two were chatting, a gentle breeze swept through the courtyard as Lorne turned his head toward the entrance with a sensing glance, breaking into a playful smile.

"Looks like we have visitors?"

"Then have fun playing, as I am going to sleep."

Understanding his intent, Athena nodded from the other end of the magical formation diagram and raised her hand to dissolve the connection.

"Sizzle—!"

At that exact moment, dozens of light-based arrows shot over the wall, flying straight toward the stone table in the courtyard.

Lorne did not even look up, casually flicking the remaining half-cup of wine into the air as the condensed liquid was driven by his divine intent, automatically outlining lines of Hermes script that precisely erased the incoming light arrows.

Seeing their initial strike fail, globs of mercury-like liquid seeped through the cracks in the gate and floor, gathering into humanoid silhouettes within the shadows of the courtyard.

Lorne set down his wine glass, looked around, and counted them up.

There were about twenty of them.

They were completely covered in bronze armor with a metallic sheen at their joints, wielding swords, shields, bows, and spears as they stood divided into four squads at the four corners of the courtyard, faintly radiating surging waves of etheric energy.

Standing at the front of each squad was a heavy warrior clad in gold, white, and red armor, wielding a metallic sword and shield as if commanding and deploying the unit.

"Quite a crowd showed up."

Lorne chuckled with a shake of his head and rose lazily from the stone table, taking a step forward as his expanding divine intent automatically transformed the entire courtyard into a closed domain, preventing the shockwaves of the coming battle from blowing away Caenis’s house.

At the same time, the twenty-odd uninvited guests assumed combat stances, chanting in unison with stiff accents and mechanical tones:

"In the name of our God, death to the living, judgment to the guilty—Sword of Divine Wrath!"

As magical energy coalesced, the four heavy armor leaders smashed their glowing red metallic broadswords downward, releasing a surging torrent of magic that rushed toward their central target like a stampede of crimson lightning.

Lorne neither dodged nor ducked, taking his second step forward instead.

Boom—! Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!

As surging divine power washed over the area, explosions rang out one after another, sending all twenty-plus visitors flying backward through the violently trembling dust to slam into the walls and flowerbeds, leaving clear indentations behind.

’So these are Atlantis’s mechanical soldiers? Nothing much to look at...’

Lorne rubbed his chin with his right hand, shaking his head with a slight sense of boredom.

’Buzz—!’

However, as a strange, rhythmic vibration echoed through the air, those strange soldiers who had crashed into the flowerbeds slowly stood up to a dull sound of mechanical friction, crimson light flaring in their eyes once more as the tears in their armor instantly mended with the flow of the mercury liquid.

’Taking a heavy blow like that and still moving as usual? Self-repairing? Is it because the outer shell is mixed with mithril embedded with memory incantations?’

’Well, now it’s getting a bit interesting.’

The man raised his hand and traced symbols through the air, forming lines of Hermes script one after another as they shot forward like a shower of falling stars, specifically targeting the weak points in their armor.

Instantly, the newly risen soldiers were pierced through their skulls and joints, falling flat on their backs as blue mechanical fluid spewed from their wounds, twitching a few times before going completely paralyzed after sparking with bursts of fire.

Just as Lorne was about to step forward to examine them, the twenty-some soldiers on the ground automatically decomposed, reassembling into a massive droplet of silver liquid that shot toward the gate in an attempt to escape.

’Trying to run?’

With a cold smirk in his eyes, Lorne reached out and squeezed his empty fist, instantly shattering the silver droplet—several meters in diameter—mid-air.

As a fine silver rain drizzled down, he caught one of the drops and infused his divine intent into it, noticing the tiny, dust-like metal particles structured in an orderly fashion, along with miniature incantations engraved within them.

’Be good and let me see who’s hiding behind this.’

Playfully resonating his divine intent, Lorne used the silver droplet as a medium to search for nearby entities operating on the same frequency.

At the same time, in a dense forest north of the city, a red-haired girl standing on high ground felt something amiss as her expression turned pale.

’Damn it!’

Cursing under her breath, several light patterns erupted within her golden eyes as a pair of crimson metallic wings opened behind her back, vanishing from the spot in an instant as she flapped them rapidly.

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Meanwhile, back in the courtyard, Lorne opened his eyes, looked at the dull silver liquid in his hand, and shook his head regretfully.

"Ran pretty fast."

Even without catching them red-handed, the answer behind this was not hard to guess.

He tossed away the deactivated metal fluid, shaking his head with a dismissive laugh.

Those individuals from the Sea God’s temple were still too young, unable to hold back for even a single night before secretly coming to test the waters.

Clearly, the other side was getting anxious, likely having failed to make any breakthrough with the King of Thessaly.

With a little thought, Lorne pieced together most of their situation and motives, while basically confirming the identities of the three individuals from the temple.

The strange man and woman masquerading as Gods were likely the Mechanical Gods Aphrodite and Ares, while the final member of their group referred to Queen Alcestis as his "niece."

In other words, like King Pelias of Iolcus, he was a son of Poseidon.

And in the entire Sea God’s temple, the only son of Poseidon capable of having two Mechanical Gods act as his attendants while holding control over them was likely just one person.

’Prince Triton, we meet again?’

Lorne playfully spike the merman prince’s identity, his flashing eyes glinting with amusement.

’If you couldn’t outplay Athena in Troezen, do you really think you can outplay me here?

Fine then, I’ll try to put on a good show this time.’

With a playful smile, Lorne sat back down at the stone table, continuing to sip his wine while contemplating the current situation in Thessaly.

The Gigantes were born from the blood of Uranus and belonged to the faction of the Titan Old Gods, so for them to pop up and cause trouble now with an altered style of operation meant someone was likely guiding them from behind the scenes.

Based on his experience dealing with the beast calamity in Arcadia, the boss hiding behind the curtain was almost certainly connected to the Titan Gods in Tartarus, most likely Kronos from the previous generation.

’Tsk tsk, another creditor coming to the door.’

Lorne thought silently, his eyes narrowing slightly as his expression grew more solemn.

The revival of Typhon had caused no small amount of trouble, as its avatar was slain yet the beast calamity it unleashed continued to plague various regions with endless harm.

As a representative of the Old Gods, Kronos was hardly a pushover either, and while it was unclear what schemes he was brewing behind the scenes by colluding with the Gigantes, the Third Divine War of the Greek Mythological Age was, as far as Lorne knew, instigated by that very race.

Back then, not only did all Twelve Olympians join the war against the Gigantes, but even divine descendants like Heracles were summoned to Olympus to assist in battle.

Now, under his own plotting, the Olympian system had already fractured, so if the Gigantomachy played out as scheduled, it would prove to be quite a troublesome affair.

Therefore, this crisis in Thessaly needed to be handled with care.

As Lorne pondered, he thought of a certain child of destiny who would decide the outcome of this divine war, shaking his head with a murmur.

The Gigantes had already made their move, yet that kid was nowhere to be seen, leaving no clue as to how he was doing right now.

Come to think of it, his name was actually given by Lorne himself...

~~

On the border of Thessaly, an old woman wearing a headscarf backed away toward a rushing river.

In front of her, several demonic wolves emerged from the dense forest, grinding their white fangs and growling as they drew closer.

Just as the vicious beasts lost their patience and leapt into the air, a thunderous roar echoed from the opposite bank.

"Pfft—pfft—pfft—!"

A massive stone weapon resembling a cross between a sword and an axe came spinning through the air, accompanied by sharp wind pressure as it sliced all the airborne wolves in half.

A rain of crimson blood mixed with mangled wolf corpses showered the ground, resolving the danger while leaving behind a gory scene.

Shortly after, a muscular man over 2.5 meters tall, his body bulging with veins and muscle, easily leaped across the tens-of-meters-wide river, casually pulling the nameless axe-sword from a tree trunk as he turned back to look at the startled old woman with concern.

"Ma’am, are you alright?"

Beneath the bright moonlight, the man’s physique transcended human proportions, resembling a statue sculpted by a God as his muscles and blood overflowed with pure magic power that could only be called divine energy.

Merely the aura he unwittingly released dominated the area, making anyone who witnessed him feel a sense of solemnity within seconds.

"I am fine..."

The old woman replied plainly, as her attitude remained strangely cold despite being saved from danger by the giant.

Unbothered by her attitude, the man casually wiped away the blood from his axe-sword, letting out a hearty laugh.

"Ma’am, monster beasts have been running wild lately, so it’s best not to wander into the forest this late at night. Where do you live? I’ll walk you back."

"No need."

The old woman shook her head, sizing up the giant before asking nonchalantly:

"What is your name?"

"Heracles."

The giant answered frankly, strapping the weapon to his back.

However, hearing the name, the old woman froze slightly, a look of surprise crossing her face.

"Heracles? The Glory of Hera?

Why were you given such a name?"

"It was my mother’s idea.

She said my life was saved thanks to the mercy of Queen Hera, who picked me up from the wilderness and spared me from death, so she wanted me to take this name and remember that debt of gratitude forever."

The giant explained with a bright laugh, pulling a bronze badge from his shirt as he pointed to a string of characters engraved on the back to add. "Look, so I wouldn’t forget, my mother even made me carry this badge with my name carved into it."

The old woman glanced at the relief of the Gorgon on the badge as her face darkened inexplicably.

What "mother’s guidance"?

That was clearly an idea cooked up by a certain little rascal.

The Glory of Hera?

Hmph, was she really that petty?

Snorting softly, the old woman looked back at the giant, a trace of warmth unknowingly seeping into her eyes as she spoke in a deep voice:

"Boy, is there anything you desire?

For what you just did, I can grant your wish."

"I saved you because you needed help, not for a reward."

Heracles laughed heartily, shaking his head as he patted the dirt off his clothes and prepared to leave.

For her to venture into this dense forest alone and remain unfazed by the bloody scene on the ground, this old woman was likely no ordinary person.

Perhaps he had simply been meddling.

"Since you won’t choose, take this piece of advice instead: the gifts of fate always come with a steep price, and only by enduring twelve trials toward glory can one achieve immortal greatness..."

Pausing, the old woman turned to look at the rustling woods on the opposite bank, her eyes narrowing as she added sternly:

"Additionally, do not blindly trust those around you, and if you encounter trouble you cannot solve on your own, take this emblem to the War God Mountain to look for a God named Lorne."

Hearing this, Heracles froze for a moment.

"The legendary Shepherd?"

"Mm..."

The old woman nodded, a trace of playfulness appearing on her face as she spoke nonchalantly.

"In a sense, he might be something else to you; a father figure."

"?"

This sudden declaration of paternity left Heracles completely baffled.

He he opened his mouth to ask for clarification, only to realize the old woman had vanished without a trace.

"What happened?"

At that moment, a handsome young man with long purple hair emerged from the forest, asking with a furrowed brow as he looked at the wolf corpses covering the ground.

"Nothing, just encountered some monster beasts blocking the path." Heracles shook his head before looking toward the distant cities of Thessaly, speaking in a grounded voice. "Teacher, let’s pick up the pace so we don’t keep my two old friends waiting."

The purple-haired youth nodded slightly, quickening his steps as he followed his disciple toward the distant cities.

(End of Chapter)

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