Advance chapters on P@treon.com/Saintbarbido.
2/4.
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(Kane's P.O.V)
The ditches were everywhere.
At first I thought there was only a few around the Camp but from the sky, it was evident the ditches were less ditches and more like Volcanic vents.
As the sun dipped on the horizon to herald the end of the day, the massive vents started glowing red before Hot red lava rose up and consumed the corpses inside
Then, from the mouth of the Volcano behind me, a deep rumbling emerged, followed by a horrifying sound.
Like the screams of a million souls in pain.
It was clear that there was something wrong with the Volcano.
After staying in this world for what amounted to a couple of months, I had learned how to tell apart something supernatural from the mundane.
And the aura the Volcano gave off was ominous.
Still, I managed to finish scouting the entire camp in only just a few minutes.
And in doing so, I discovered something very important.
I could end this by killing Ares. Here and now.
(General P.O.V)
The camp was built around one massive tent.
"Father, I have returned."
Deimos greeted, bowing down before a flap that led into the bed chamber.
"Enter."
His father's voice spoke from within.
Deimos threw a look at his entourage. Hermes and Herakles stood behind him at the head of the remaining warriors he had with him.
"Stay here."
Giving the order, Deimos sweeped away the flap and entered.
His eyes managed to make eye contact with Circe who grinned at him from the massive bed in the middle of the room.
She was draped in a sheet that covered her torso but left the shoulders bare.
And then Deimos was staring down in subservience, as he felt his Father's gaze land on him, along with the pressure that only a God of War could exert.
Ares, standing beside the bed, placed the helm in his hands on a rack with the rest of his armor.
Finding the Helm had not been easy. But with Circe's and the magicians under her using Locator spells, eventually he was able to get his hands on it.
With that, the set was complete. And his full power was back. All that was left was to awaken Typhon and do away with the Gods.
And so his gaze naturally fell to his son. The duty given to Deimos was important in ensuring the ritual went off smoothly.
He couldn't have anyone interrupting his plans so close to achieving them.
"Are the Amazons dead?"
Ares directly asked, cutting to the heart of the matter.
"Yes."
Deimos answered in a confident and slightly proud voice.
"I sent their corpses to the ditch. The bodies are whole and ready for reanimat-"
"That will not be needed anymore. I have decided to sacrifice them all to Typhon. With IT'S power, we have no need for an army."
Ares interjected.
"I- I see."
Deimos nodded.
That made more sense. Truly his father's foresight and strategic mind was deserving of the God of War.
The God of Terror cleared his throat. It was time to speak of his achievements.
"Father, I also brought a gift for you. I-"
"You branded Hermes."
Ares muttered, approaching the bowed Deimos, before patting his shoulder.
"Good."
Deimos felt his heart soar in happiness.
"Why don't we go say hi to my little brother?"
proposed his father, a gleam in his eyes.
To Ares, another Divine Soul was naturally welcome. With Hermes and Diana those were two children of Zeus.
Paired up with Haephestus' soul, he now had three children of Zeus. Just enough that Zeus would have a hard time dealing with the Monster when it awakened.
And then...Ares would kill him.
(Kane's P.O.V)
I could do it.
He was right there within my sights.
For context, three figures had emerged from the big tent in the middle of the camp.
And there was no way mistaking the divine aura shrouding the central figure.
Even without having ever seen him before, I could infer from the respectful way Deimos and the woman with them both treated him.
Wait, that woman...
Dressed in a green gown and a familiar arrogant smirk on her face...is that Circe?
"Fuck."
I muttered.
This just complicated things. There was a risk her magic could stop the arrow before it could hit its target.
I lowered Crescent Moon.
1 arrow. That was all I had. There was no reason to risk it when Circe could stop it with her magic or telekinesis.
I started to turn around when I stopped.
Yes. There was no reason to risk it...but, could I really let go of this opportunity?
I was on the outskirts of the camp, standing on a part of the terrain that was elevated.
Ares and his group were yet to notice me. He seemed to be monologuing to Hermes and Herakles.
Spyra manifested on my hand before she melded with Crescent Moon.
I'm going to take the shot.
There's no reason not to. And with the blessing from Artemis...I'm sure I can kill him before the others can stop me.
There was no guarantee I would get this opportunity again.
I closed my eyes, letting out a long breath.
In my mind, pinpricks of light appeared throughout the camp. There were thousands of them, flickers of blue flames that I'd left behind to give me a way to use Flame Displacement.
Together, they formed a map. Or rather helped guide my hand as I reached onto my back and brought out the single arrow.
Crescent Moon glowed blue from the flames shrouding it's entirety.
I drew back the bow, notching the arrow before holding the position, waiting...for the perfect time to strike.
But...I needed more than just the right time. The arrow had to be fast enough and powerful enough that there was ni chance to dodge, or tank it.
With that said, streaks of yellow electricity danced around my hands erratically, pouring forth into Crescent Moon just like the fire had.
The arrow positively begun to vibrate with the bio-electricity. It merged with Spyra's flames, combining into elemental storm that made my hands shake.
So I stopped holding back my strength.
And because the bio-electricity and fire were both incredibly eye-catching, I activated Invisibility over my form, further ensuring no one could spot what I was doing.
The distance between where I was and Ares was a little over a mile.
The best shot I had ever taken was 2.6 miles. In comparison, this was easy.
But my target was a God. Solely going on that, in retrospect, this wasn't going to be so easy.
"The second the arrow misses it's target, use Flame Displacement and teleport it back to me."
I instructed Spyra.
She gave the mental equivalent of a nod and I decided that I was stalling.
"Here goes nothing."
To save Diana, to save the world, and because I had a grudge with him, I released the arrow.
(General P.O.V)
The sleeves of Kane's assassin outfit were torn apart by the pressure wave and kick back produced from releasing the arrow.
The projectile was like a blue and yellow shooting star, cutting through the air at speeds closer to mach 10.
In a single instant, it closed the distance between the Assassin and the God of War, before the arrow dug itself through Ares' head.
The arrow burst his head open and the explosion of the elements destroyed his entire torso as well.
The ground below them shook as the arrow created an impact crater, throwing everyone present away.
The smoking lower body belonging to the God of War fell onto the crater beside Deimos and Circe, who were protected from the dust and smoke by Circe's magic shield.
Lightning cracked and thunder rumbled from the sky above.
Once the dust had settled, the two of them were shocked.
A single glowing arrow shrouded in blue flames, that made Deimos dizzy and sick just from staring at it, was stabbed onto the ground- tail end up.
Next to it was a smoking lower body. Ares' smoking body.
Deimos turned his shocked eyes from his Father's corpse to the slopes of Mount Etna looming above him, recognizing the flames immediately.
'It's him!'
The God of Terror felt a spike of fear.
"Enemy attack!!"
He yelled, pointing the scepter in his hands at the direction the arrow had been fired from.
"Hermes! Herakles! Go and bring me that bastard's head!!"
Despite yelling out his commands, the two Branded Gods failed to comply. Not even moving an inch from where they stood.
Deimos turned to them, angry and confused.
Unbeknownst to him, the arrow in the crater disappeared with a small burst of flames.
"Did you not hear me??!"
Deimos stalked towards Hermes.
"It's no use. With Ares...dead, the slave brands won't work."
Circe told him, narrowed eyes directed at the mountain, while holding active the strongest shield spell she could create around her.
It was only a matter of time before the influence from the brand wore off and then in addition to the Sniper hiding in the slopes, they would have two pissed off Gods to contend with.
It seemed she would have to accelarate her own plans. Unaware to Deimos, the Witch had began to slink away.
Another shooting star cut through the air before finding Deimos and bursting through his torso.
The God of Terror was immediately turned into a blood mist that was turned to ash by fire.
The impact crater this time was even bigger and ended up destroying the tents around.
Blue flames raged across the entire campsite, taking out most of the souls that Ares had stolen from the Underworld.
(Kane's P.O.V)
It worked.
Not only was I able to take out Ares, I also dealt with Deimos. Fuck that guy.
Now all that was left was to find the soul artefact housing the souls of Steve and the others, and Diana- if she was here.
Using Flame Displacement, I emerged from the flames burning around, Crescent Moon in it's daggers form.
The flames died down and before me stood two of the most dangerous figures I had encountered in this world.
Hermes and Herakles stood unbothered by the fires around. Or the fact that I had just killed their master. Not that they were loyal or anything.
The matching axe tatoos on them had been controlling them. It's why Hermes hadn't hesitated to kill everyone.
But with Ares dead, the brands had to have lost their influence on both of them.
Yet, they stood with glazed and unfocused eyes.
"Spyra."
I called to my Spider Totem and without wasting time, she swallowed Hermes and Herakles into her stomach.
Now then, where did the Witch run off to?
"A thief. In my territory. How bold."
Only for an amused voice to stop me in my tracks.
Immediately, Crescent Moon was back in it's arrow form, the God slaying arrow notched and ready to fly.
From the crater in the middle of the camp, a figure emerged.
"Impossible."
I muttered in disbelief as Ares, fully healed smirked as he approached me.
"I was wondering when you were going to strike, Assassin."