As the battle continued, Theseus's army lost hope. In the decisive moment, a blinding light surfaced in the distance, near the Phaunus Forest.
It was the Holy Judgement skill. Like a light in a sea of hopelessness, Holy Judgement made every ghost and Shade squint from its glare, even dozens of miles away.
Theseus stood over the tattered Lord Capricorn.
"Is this really all you have?"
***
Aries looked at the light. That was Lord Virgo's skill! Did Theseus use some weird skill to let him fight? Or, did Lord Virgo escape? Aries didn't want to think about the alternative and made up his own narrative.
"Theseus has defeated Lord Capricorn! Everyone, make your Suzerain Lord proud!" He boomed across the battlefield.
Looks of disbelief and pride appeared on the faces of the soldiers and Captains on Theseus's side and looks of fear and disbelief appeared on Lord Achilles and his forces.
Only Gemini and Leo knew the concrete truth. Theseus really had just defeated Lord Capricorn!
"Charge!" Aries roared.
***
"How, can you be this strong?" Lord Capricorn asked from the ground in surprise. In six water prisons, the six Captains of Lord Capricorn were imprisoned in shock. Theseus was fighting as if his whole army was right here, and yet, he was one man.
"I made a good skill, that's all." Theseus shrugged nonchalantly.
"Listen here soldiers, don't move, unless you want to die." Theseus threatened. The army was petrified. After the Holy Judgement, he could still fight at his peak.
"Now, Lord Capricorn, your plan was indeed really good, but your fatal flaw was your shallow information on me. As far as you can tell, I was an upstart who barely scratched the F Rank. I could barely duel Aries according to your spies, and I've used my tamed beast and Aries for the majority of my fights.
While you acted on that accurate information, I've been growing secretly. The biggest problem with you Suzerain Lords is that you are complacent with your tainted ideals and skills. You all want power but strive to maintain the status-quo. You do not expect the unexpected.
You will never surpass me with that attitude. Perhaps the only Suzerain Lord I am afraid of at the present is Lord Darkin. This is because he the only Suzerain Lord I'm aware of that is striving to become more than just a Suzerain Lord!" Theseus finished his lecture to the army.
"Just a Suzerain Lord?" Lord Capricorn whispered. This was the first time in her afterlife that she heard someone look down on the Suzerain Lords like this. They were the peak of the known world! They were the absolute rulers! They were the goal, the strongest, the best.
"Yes, just a Suzerain Lord. Your world is too small, Capricorn. Remember that in the real world, Deities and high-level Kings ruled over countries? Yet, you are all complacent with the bare minimum. You've sucked yourselves into this fake reality, when there are ninety-nine other worlds in this dungeon that could be looking to squash yours at any moment!" Theseus spat on the ground in disgust.
None of these Lords bothered to care about the bigger picture. They had no information on how Hell actually operated, and they sat here playing games instead of gathering information that could be crucial to their survival. They had no reliable information on this Dungeon, and the historical accounts were all inconsistent. They needed to secure their future before they could take advantage of the present.
"I'm going to tell you how this will go next. You will follow me to the main battlefield to subdue Lord Achilles, and when this invasion is over, you will become a vassal of Oceanus. Lord Capricorn, I acknowledge your sharp mind, and I want you to help me run the economic sector of Oceanus.
When I'm done with Achilles, he will also serve me, or he will die. I will stop Lord Darkin and untie this pathetic, sinful realm. I will abolish the Suzerain Treaty and create a bright future for Oceanus rooted in righteousness!" Theseus declared. Even some of the soldiers from Lord Capricorn's army started to cheer.
Lord Capricorn had to submit. She didn't realize she stepped into a monster's den.
"Lord Capricorn, send your subordinates back, but you and your Captains are coming with me. We are heading to Lord Achilles." Theseus helped Lord Capricorn up. Her blue eyes shined in awe of Theseus. Maybe working with him was worth a shot, for now.
She was one of the few Suzerain Lords that wasn't a Shade, and for that reason alone, her beauty was the greatest of any current female Suzerain Lord. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was tall and slender, and the other Lords sometimes tried to coerce her into marriages and frivolous nights of passion. Even Lord Jezebel tried to seduce her at times.
Theseus could not care less about that. He was a man trying to get things done, not find a woman. Also, his heart was still secretly with Astrid. Lord Capricorn, however, felt a tug at her heartstrings.
"Thank-Thank you." She said as she was helped up.
"Come on, we have a lot of ground to cover." Theseus let the Captains free from the water prisons and led the way as the soldiers followed.
Awkwardly enough, they couldn't go back through the forest into Lord Scorpius's territory because the forest was too dangerous to transverse without the Captains. If they ran into one of the stronger beasts, there would be a lot of casualties. Imagining the scene with the Scourge Bandits and Leo, Theseus couldn't protest.
However, a few of Scorpius's subordinates snuck away in the commotion. Lord Scorpius had to know about this incident, at all costs.
***
Days later, Lord Scorpius heard the report.
"Finally, another person to spar with," he giggled, excitedly like a school girl. Lord Scorpius was a bloodthirsty warlord who raided his neighbors every year because he wanted to spar. Hundreds died on both sides, but the blood was cosmetic to Lord Scorpius. His personal vendetta against Lord Taurus was simply because he wanted a good fight with the oldest living Suzerain Lord. Even the arguably feral beast, Leo wasn't as battle hungry as Lord Scorpius.
"What do you think happened afterwards?" Lord Scorpius asked the trembling soldiers, who would be murdered instantly if they spoke out of turn.
"Sir, I hope your three Captains return safely and that Lord Theseus is able to fight you forever." The soldier tried to say something Lord Scorpius would want.
"That would be grand, wouldn't it!" Lord Scorpius agreed.
"I don't want to wait for my Captains to return. I'm going there personally. Do you think the final battle has occurred yet?" Scorpius asked the poor soldier.
"By the time you arrive, Jezebel and her forces will have arrived." The soldier said, hoping he said the right thing.
"That will make this even better." Lord Scorpius laughed hysterically. Finally, a real battle!
***
On the day of the battle for Oceanus, Theseus's army couldn't hang on any longer.
Aries lay kneeling before Lord Achilles, in chains.
"You fought a valiant battle Aries, but the D Rank isn't something you can compete with." Achilles pat the Shade on the head, as if he were his pet.
"Once Lord Capricorn arrives, it will be over, and the reign of Lord Achilles begins!" He laughed; he planned on backstabbing Lord Capricorn and taking all four territories for himself after Lord Jezebel arrived and was defeated by himself and Capricorn. If Jezebel agreed, there would be four Suzerain Lord level powers under him.
"Muzzle that beast!" Lord Achilles barked. Leo was sprawled out in the meadow, blood oozing from his wounds. A bloodied Captain came over and muzzled Leo. Trying to fight weakly, Leo growled. The Captain kicked Leo after the all the trauma the beast caused him.
"Stay down, mut."
The three other Captains of Oceanus were also chained and placed in confinement.
"It's over." Captain Centos didn't think Lord Theseus could do anything now.
There were only two people in Theseus's army who still believed in him, Leo, and Gemini. Even Aries felt as if this was the end.
"As soon as Theseus bows his head to me, Oceanus is finished!" Lord Achilles declared. The Oceanus army held some hope still after the rumors of his victory over Lord Capricorn, but most felt helpless and hopeless.
A day later, Theseus arrived with Lord Capricorn's army behind him.
"I miscalculated Achilles's power…" Theseus muttered, seeing his comrades enchained.
"No way." Theseus saw Leo, bloodied, beaten, and muzzled. Leo's dry blood was mixed with his new wounds. On death's door, Leo was even too weak to enter the Soul Link zone.
Theseus's rage erupted.
"Lord Theseus, you've arrived. It looks like you couldn't even beat Lord Capri-" Before Lord Achilles could finish, Theseus punched Lord Achilles in the face at a breathtaking speed, sending him flying.
"How dare you hurt Leo!" Theseus roared. Everyone in the plains felt strange. What was this feeling?
Fear.
Hope.
And everything in between.
Lord Capricorn had already consented to a Soul Contract, and for the case of Theseus's signature skill, she was already a force of Oceanus. Theseus's power rose by a substantial margin once again.
"Skill: Holy Light!" Theseus sent a wave of light into Achilles, who fought off the skill without trouble.
"How rude, is that how you greet your new ruler?" Lord Achilles wiped his face with his hand and unleashed his D Rank Aura.
Lord Capricorn watched at a distance.
"What are you doing, standing there? Help me." Lord Achilles protested to Lord Capricorn.
"Kneel." Theseus said imposingly. The entire Lord Capricorn army knelt, causing Achilles to go into an uproar.
"What is the meaning of this Lord Capricorn?" He snarled.
"I will speak for her," Theseus snarled. "I am her new ally, and you, are just the fool who hurt my best friends." He turned to look at the chained Aries, Gemini, and Leo.
"Skill: Holy Judgement!" A pillar of light smote Lord Achilles from the sky.
"Hahaha, this feels good." Achilles embraced the smite, taking some damage, but smiled all the while.
"You may have stolen some of Lord Virgo's power, but he was just a small fry. Same with Lord Jezebel and Lord Capricorn. Those three were the lowest ranked Lords in terms of power. Now, face true power!
"Skill: Invulnerable Body!" Achilles's body glowed golden.
"Skill: Slithering Strike!" Theseus moved faster than the naked eye, striking Achilles from all angles like a flash of light with his snake dagger while draped in his snake cloak.
"Pitiful attacks."
Achilles was unharmed.
Just then, Jezebel arrived with Zamani.
"Am I late?" She asked awkwardly.
Theseus ignored her and continued the battle.
"Oh my, Lord Capricorn and Lord Achilles are here, and everyone is in chains. This is my time to shine!" Jezebel declared righteously. Theseus would have to acknowledge her after saving him from their evil clutches.
"Don't move." Theseus growled out at Lord Jezebel, causing her to freeze in place. Reminded of their first conversation, Lord Jezebel almost burst into tears. Lord Capricorn jumped up in fear, thinking Theseus was talking to her too.
"You have quite the grasp on these ladies. You must have quite the charm." Lord Achilles laughed. It wouldn't be long before he defeated this small fry.
"You have something twisted here, Lord Achilles." Theseus monologued. Hearing his tone, Jezebel, Capricorn, and Aries flinched unwillingly. He was about to tell Lord Achilles off.
"I have not allowed my two allies not to attack you because I want you to personally feel how inadequate your foundations truly are."
"Skill: Cornucopia Feast."