Chapter 14 - Overrun
A day before the Chess Tournament's final match…
The figure of a seated woman veiled in mystery without a soul knowing her facial appearance, her hand was stuck in a pause as if something was disturbing her internally.
Even so, the quill in her hand flows with a drop of ink onto the paper, prompting it to be stained and ruining the entire document in the process.
"..ugh.." The lady groaned softly while her free hand was rubbing her temple.
"If your body is urging you to rest, you should listen to it." A woman beside the seated individual emerged to remove the spoiled paper; a tone of concern was faintly in her voice.
"It's a mild headache."
"Mild headache, you say? Zeus' lightning isn't a matter you should disregard. May I remind you that I was at death's door when faced with his Blessing? You simply aren't in the state to be preoccupied with work."
"Yes, I'm well-aware of the consequences of sustaining the injury. Moving on, how's the Chess Tournament?"
It was a change of topic, and not an effort was put into making it less obvious. For the woman who stood next to the veiled person, when the subject of the matter wasn't the topic anymore, it became nothing more than a headache.
'Again with her attitude towards her own body and health.'
'The lightning has taken a toll on her to this degree, and yet..' Worried as she ought to be, the woman thought with a glance at the masked lady.
—Fwoosh..
"The Chess Tournament started off without minor inconveniences, and as we anticipated, the security has been tightened to the maximum. Nevertheless, our people have infiltrated safely with no further issues. It appears there won't be a route for any abnormality entering." Nonetheless, the woman chose to be ignorant for the veiled lady's sake.
"That's great to hear. How is communication with Hypnos and Thanatos? Have they encountered each other yet?"
"That's unlikely. It'll prove to be a challenge to approach one another when each of their locations is far off."
"However, it shouldn't pose a threat to our formation and mission, yes?"
The woman nodded before hearing a chuckle resounding from the person next to her, standing with a nosy ponder.
"Haha, sorry. I'm reminded of my time at the Imperial Palace, and I realized how fond I am when witnessing Zeus' reactions unfolding in the situation. It was amusing, to say the least."
"Hmph. Then I suppose you'll be fond of his terrified expression once I confront him?"
"Of course, of course. You seek vengeance, and so, Zeus is all yours to keep. Though, can I ask a favor from you?"
"What is it?"
"Once you get to him, could you land a strike on him for what he did to me with his lightning? I would prefer it if you strike him hard."
"Pfft, hahah! Naturally, only if we get to that point."
—Whoosh.
"Oh my. The documents flew off." The veiled individual stood up, which caused the whole situation.
"I'll handle it. …Wait a minute, isn't that the list of assassins who are expected to infiltrate the Olympic Stadium?" The woman picked it up before reading it.
"Yes, these are the assassins who'll either assassinate the soon-to-be Representative of Olympus, or commit the kidnapping of said person." The lady retrieved the paper from her aide, and took a glimpse of one of the individuals on the list.
"Is something bothering you?"
"Tomorrow, I'll arrange a set-up that will serve to draw everyone's attention. In this case, the opportunities to attack are pinpointed on my set-up. Certainly, this 'person' won't miss this chance." A vicious smirk carved itself into her covered face.
"Ah ha. A big surprise will ensue, won't it?"
"You read my thoughts, Metis."
—-------
Back to the present…
The winner of the Chess Tournament emerged victorious with a loud crowd chasing behind them through their relentless hue and cry!
—CHHEEEERRRRR!
Ear-splitting with a clamor, the audience had witnessed a once-in-a-lifetime moment where it was unheard of for a commoner to beat a noble, much else a noble who had defeated two competent individuals!
This person, Caissa Thea Skaki, will go down in history as the first commoner to ever set foot in this tournament and come out as the sole victor!
Amidst this uproar of bustling shouts where conversation can't be held nor can a sound be heard by the constant cheers, the trophy soon makes its way through the field with its glimmering shine! Even the prize money was unfathomably uncountable in the way it was presented.
"Caissa Thea Skaki, how do you feel after coming this far?" Hermes rises up and walks up to the teenager, waiting to receive the rewards and get things over with.
But then..
—BANG!
On the spur of the moment, once the deafening noise reached everyone's ears, they were startled to an extent where they almost jolted out of their seats!
In place of the blaring sound, Kore's air balloon was nowhere to be seen, as though it was the culprit behind the noise, falling to the ground with its destroyed remains! Not only did this suddenness scare the living daylights out of everyone, it wasn't long before another surprise stunned them into chaos!
—SCREECHING!
Something unexpected had made its way towards the stadium's gate, causing an audacious entrance by making their presence known through their relentless outcries!
"..Gahhhh!!!!!!"
"Acckkk! Beasts!!!!"
The source of this atrocious pandemonium was immediately identified as Griffins; a beast with the head of an eagle and the body of a lion! The hordes displaying above their heads drove the audience to be panic-stricken while the Griffins were beginning to strike and disrupt the special occasion!
"Move over already! Urk!"
"Gaaarhh! It's above me!"
"G-Griffins! Run!!!"
Consternation ensued in every corner of the stadium while the surge of people continued to bombard the exit! And among the swarm, a griffin was diving from the top to the bottom in a flash, targeting what seemed to be a noble lady!
"Gahhh!!!"
—SWISH!
With a slash, the slain griffin trampled down to the floor where its blood splashed and stunned the noble lady who was about to be attacked!
In this griffin's location stood a man holding his sword drenched with the beast's blood as well as splashes of blood covering his knight's wear!
"Please evacuate moderately as it ensures my knights can quickly react at a moment's notice to rescue everyone."
He was Somnus Lethe, the Imperial Knights' Commander!
—Fwoosh!
"Everyone, remain calm." Hermes promptly lets out a deafening shout for the audience to hear after hurriedly rushing to the megaphone!
"To set foot in this stadium is to trample on our Empire's pride! The Imperial Knights shall send down our Emperor's wrath upon those daring Griffins!"
"Show them that you're not afraid!"
—SWISSSSH!
As if her voice was a signal, the Imperial Knights carried out their duties and already sprinted out of their positions to combat the griffins in both the air and ground!
A sway to the griffin's leg, it fell after touching the sword! And afterward, griffins were seen being flung to the side and decapitated after its plummet!
On the other hand, a couple of the knights are leaping from one griffin to another, using them as leverage in the sky while knocking a dozen down to the center of the stadium!
Grave injuries were mostly sighted on the beasts rather than the knights, and upon seeing this, the masses started to lose their fright and gain their composure!
—THUD!
—PLOP!
In an instant, the stadium turned out to be a bloody mess with the repeating corpses falling from above and below! It won't take long before the unprecedented situation dies down enough for people to feel assured!
Most notable was Somnus, who executed a massacre where corpses were piled up wherever he went to slaughter the beasts in quick succession.
On the other hand, Hermes, who was guiding the crowds to evacuate from the scene and instructing the commentators and arbiters to prioritize the participants' retreat, felt a sense of foreboding out of the blue.
Assuming it was the griffins, her viewpoint averted to the concentrated area, yet it wasn't hazardous in her eyes..
'His Majesty.' Hermes speedily turned her head to find Zeus and his aide nowhere to be spotted!
To be precise, the Emperor is leaving his seat and is aiming a bolt of his lighting towards a certain destination instead of the griffins!
'It can't be?!' Hermes realizes that Caissa is being apprehended by assassins from all sides!
'She was supposed to evacuate with the finest knights! Those assassins shouldn't have a near chance of entering the premises!'
'Unless.. Those Resistance's tricks!' Ticked off by enemy forces, Hermes gathered her energy in her legs before kicking off from the ground!
She dashes like the wind, reaching a speed that can cut the distance into half in a couple of seconds! Before long, she snatches the fallen Knight's swords from the floor and wields them skillfully!
In response to the daggers being thrown at her, Hermes went in a zigzag, parrying and taking hold of those daggers before returning them to their owners threefold!
—SWOOSH!
"Knights! They have kidnapped the soon-to-be Representative of the empire amidst the chaos! Rescue her before disaster strikes!" Hermes ran towards the ground-floor Imperial Knights who were stationed to protect the civilians.
In the blink of an eye, when the assassins tried to dissipate from their positions, lightning struck to disrupt their orientation, inflicting substantial damages and paralyzing some of them in the process! It was the work of Zeus' thunder!
"I repeat, Caissa Thea Skaki has been targeted! Go to her rescue immediately!"