The mirror shield rose above the giant's head, crafted as a replica of Athena's divine symbol, once wielded by Perseus and now used by a giant. Mystery swirled vigorously around the shield, reflecting the rain of green arrows that fell upon it. For each droplet, there was a reflection that clashed against it. No matter where they originated from, as long as they fell within the shield's reflection range, they were simply nullified.
Yet those that were not nullified rained down like a storm into the sea. Each arrow left behind an explosion, creating wave after wave that collectively formed a tsunami.
"Κάτω (Down)"
His authority over the seas was exerted upon the turbulent waters, compelling the tsunami to subside back into the sea in silence.
Crisaor lowered the shield before looking toward the ship that shimmered with its own mystery—Argo, the ship of the Argonauts.
In his own legend, its endurance was such that it could withstand the onslaught of mythical beasts. As for why he knew it was Argo, he simply recognized the violet-haired girl and, consequently, knew her story and the "heroic" man who made her story so tragic.
"Giant! Why do you obstruct our expedition? Are you going against the gods?"
Crisaor's eyes locked onto the handsome youth who spoke with a certain arrogance. He was aware that the Gigantomachy had recently concluded.
Zeus and the other gods must be sensitive to matters involving giants, but he really didn't care. While it's true he can't defeat the Twelve Greats yet, he still possesses enough strength to fight for his survival.
"Jason, disciple of Chiron... What are you doing coming to the island guarded by my mother?"
Jason was somewhat lost. Mother? Who was the mother of this giant? As far as he remembered, there were only three entities on the island, all of them women. How did a giant come to be?
"Mother?... Who is your mother, giant?"
Crisaor looked at Jason, who was conjuring a spear out of nowhere. Although he seemed calm on the outside, Crisaor could sense his profound internal nervousness.
By his side, Menelaus was giving him a menacing look, weapon in hand, and Atalanta had her bow aimed at him. The only one not in an attacking position was Medea, who had at some point ended up on the ground.
"My mother... My mother is the youngest Gorgon, Medusa. Now tell me, what brings you to my mother's domain? If you don't answer within 15 seconds, I will attack, sinking your ship into these waters for eternity."
As if to lend power to his threat, he aimed his sword toward them. The authority of "Strength" enveloped the sword and his arm with a faint black armor, brimming with power and force.
Upon hearing the giant's words, Jason knew that this time his crew couldn't simply bypass this obstacle, and that terrified him. Jason was never truly a brave person.
The only reason he came to this island to kill Medusa was because Athena assured him that upon arrival, there would be weapons capable of defeating the Gorgon: Hades' helmet, Hermes' boots, and Athena's shield—legendary weapons, all meant for him.
But now he could see one of these treasures embedded in the giant's body, and he appeared to be quite adept at using it...
"Damn it... I should've declined this task."
Gritting his teeth, Jason forcefully stamped his ship's deck. Mystery and ambient mana trembled strongly as the power of the seas seemed to settle around him.
The wind of the Four Winds filled his sail, and pure power was present.
"So then... as the son of Medusa, you shall pay for the deeds of your mother. 'Come, we, the Argonauts! Astrapste Argo!!'"
Divine power swirled around the ship as a ghostly silhouette manifested—a giant with grayish skin and dark black hair, so muscular that it was terrifying.
It was an avatar of Hercules, the one who had once mounted the ship Argo during its voyage across the seas...
The concept of mystery revolved around Crisaor—the ship was analyzing him. His past, present, and future—all being scrutinized to determine whether he was good or evil.
Unfortunately for Jason, Crisaor hadn't done anything "bad" up to this point. That meant that Argo's ability was simply diminished.
Hercules leaped from the ship, pounding the air with his footsteps, creating a path in the air toward Crisaor. A sea of arrows followed him, and a slightly more composed Medea, though in pain, supported him.
Under the sea of lights coming his way, with a man slightly larger than an ant rushing towards him with monstrous strength for his size...
Crisaor swung his sword, but on the overlay of "Strength," he introduced the concept of "Earthquake," one of his divine authorities...
The air shattered as the power of his strike transmitted through the very air ahead.
The arrows were repelled, magical crystals shattered into dust, and the giant was thrust back into the sea.
"Your attack is taken as an assassination attempt against me. So, I won't go easy on you anymore."
The concept of an earthquake was once again thrust into the air. The pure power of his sword strike cascaded forward as vibrations towards the ship, which groaned continuously even as the barrier stopped a large part of the attack.
"That shield is quite sturdy."
Frowning, he was about to attack again, but a sharp pain hit his cheek. His head was pushed to the side as if hit by a bullet.
"Hercules."
Crisaor's eyes gleamed with malice as he released the shield, which vanished as soon as he let go. His free hand attempted to seize the manifestation of the Greek hero.
Regrettably, he couldn't. Hercules was exceptionally swift, and Crisaor was exceptionally large. Each of his movements took a moment longer, making it incredibly difficult to strike him effectively.
Dodging his hand, Hercules struck again, but where his blow landed, it produced a tremendous clash sound, yet did nothing to Crisaor's face.
A thin metallic layer prevented Hercules' blow from connecting.
At a certain point, the battle turned into a war of attrition. Crisaor could only connect a few blows against the Argonauts and Hercules, while the Argonauts had no attacks that could penetrate his high magical and physical defenses.
But he was a damned giant, a divine giant at that. How could he lose in a battle of attrition?
The ship split in half by a golden sword slash. The shield fell, Jason's mana depleted, causing Hercules to vanish.
Medea ran out of mana and perished. The only one left somewhat standing in the group was Atalanta, yet even she couldn't contend with a giant's resilience.
[Congratulations, you have stolen "Territory Creation" Rank A.]
[Congratulations, you have stolen "Mage." You possess an extensive knowledge of magic, to the point that any modern-era Magus pales in comparison. Sufficient knowledge to wield True Magics with some difficulty.]
[Congratulations for stealing "Animal Instinct." You can sense the gaze and presence of any malicious being within a radius of 100 meters.]
[Object Creation (A)]
Crisaor took a bite of the fish he had caught, looking with interest at the two small figures still unconscious by the campfire.
"I wonder... if I use Pegasus' magic, will Medea's 'Curse' state disappear?"
In the end, he tried. Now that he had complete knowledge of Medea's magic, wasn't it better to have her create a barrier around the island?
Not to mention, it would be good to have such a capable assistant.
Pointing a finger at the small girl/woman with violet hair, an aura of incredible purity cascaded down onto her body.
The curse of the gods truly broke, and her obsessive love slowly faded away like air.