**Third Person POV**
Athena's senses were very much so not ordinary as compared to the others. With his experience of almost a thousand lives the intuition Athena had towards his surroundings was nothing less than extraordinary. With things going exactly as they were being planned, Athena's intuition was telling him that something was not right.
The Land of Slaughter lived up to its name as Athena and the second black order soldiers pressed deeper into its treacherous heart. The air was heavy with the scent of blood and decay, and every step seemed to echo with the weight of countless battles fought and lives lost. Athena led the way, his senses sharp, his determination unwavering despite the mounting challenges they faced.
The journey had been relentless. Cerberus packs ambushed them at every turn, their three-headed assaults testing the limits of their endurance and skill. Draven, ever stalwart, directed their defences with precision, his veteran leadership a beacon of strength amidst the chaos.
As they marched through a narrow gorge, the ground quaked beneath their feet. The soldiers halted, weapons raised, their eyes scanning the rocky walls for signs of danger. A rumble echoed through the canyon, followed by the ominous slithering of scales against stone.
"Prepare yourselves!" Draven shouted, his voice cutting through the tension.
From the shadows emerged a creature unlike any they had faced before—a massive serpent with scales as black as obsidian, its eyes glowing with an eerie crimson light. It coiled and lunged with lightning speed, its fangs dripping with venom that sizzled upon contact with the ground.
Athena gritted his teeth, his mind racing as he assessed the situation. This was no ordinary beast; its presence here hinted of darker forces at play within the Land of Slaughter. The soldiers fought valiantly, their blades flashing in the dim light of the gorge, but the serpent seemed impervious to their attacks.
"We need a plan!" Athena called out to Draven, his voice barely audible over the din of battle.
Draven nodded grimly, his eyes never leaving the serpent's relentless advance. "We must strike together, find its weakness!"
But before they could coordinate their next move, a sudden gust of wind swept through the gorge, carrying with it a chilling laughter that echoed through their very souls. Athena's blood ran cold as a figure emerged from the shadows—a cloaked figure with eyes that glowed with an unnatural intensity.
"Who dares intrude upon my domain?" the figure's voice boomed, its tone laced with a malevolent amusement.
Athena's grip tightened on his sword, his senses on high alert. He had heard tales of dark sorcerers who wielded forbidden powers within the Land of Slaughter, but he had never expected to encounter one firsthand. The soldiers around him faltered, their resolve wavering in the face of this new and unknown threat.
"We seek only passage through this land," Draven called out, his voice steady despite the unease that gripped them all. "We mean no harm."
The sorcerer chuckled, a sound that sent shivers down Athena's spine. "No harm, you say? Yet you wield weapons stained with the blood of my servants. You have disrupted the balance of this place."
Athena exchanged a tense glance with Draven. They were outnumbered and outmatched—a realization that weighed heavily upon them all. But retreat was not an option, not with the fate of their mission hanging in the balance.
"We will not be deterred," Athena declared, his voice carrying the weight of his determination. "We seek passage to fulfill a greater purpose."
The sorcerer's laughter grew louder, filling the gorge with its mocking cadence. "Very well, prince of fallen realms. If you seek passage, then prove your worth. Defeat my guardian, and you may continue on your journey."
With a wave of his hand, the sorcerer vanished into the shadows, leaving behind only the serpent and a sense of foreboding that hung heavy in the air.
Athena glanced at Draven; their unspoken agreement forged in the intensity of their shared resolve. They had come too far to turn back now, their mission to retrieve the relic from the heart of the Land of Slaughter a goal that burned brightly amidst the darkness that surrounded them. (The mission given by Asmodeus has changed from defeating the Cerberus to fetching a demonic relic as a form of Athena's resolve.)
"Focus your attacks on its eyes!" Draven shouted, his voice a beacon of guidance amid the chaos.
The soldiers rallied; their determination renewed as they launched a coordinated assault on the serpent. Athena moved with calculated precision, his swordsmanship honed by years of training and tempered by the trials they had faced thus far. The serpent writhed and struck, but Athena danced through its attacks, searching for the opportunity to strike a decisive blow.
As the battle raged on, Athena's mind raced with strategies. The serpent was formidable, but it had vulnerabilities. With each clash of steel against scale, he drew closer to uncovering its weakness—a flicker of doubt in its relentless onslaught.
Then, as if guided by a surge of instinct, Athena saw his opening. With a swift movement, he lunged forward, driving his blade deep into the serpent's eye. The creature thrashed and wailed, its cries echoing through the gorge in a haunting crescendo.
With a final, shuddering breath, the serpent collapsed to the ground, its once-piercing gaze now dulled in death. Athena withdrew his sword, breathing heavily as he surveyed the aftermath of their hard-won victory. The soldiers around him cheered, their spirits lifted by the sight of their fallen foe.
But their triumph was short-lived. As Athena turned to face Draven, a shadow fell across them—a figure emerging from the depths of the gorge, cloaked in darkness and wielding a power that seemed to twist the very fabric of reality.
"It seems you have some skill after all," the sorcerer's voice echoed, tinged with a mixture of admiration and malice. "But defeating my guardian was the easy part. Now, prepare to face the true challenge."
Athena's heart sank as realization dawned upon him. Their battle had only just begun, and the sorcerer who stood before them was a force beyond anything they had encountered thus far. With the fate of their mission hanging in the balance, Athena braced himself for the confrontation that would test not only his strength but the limits of his resolve.
The Land of Slaughter held many secrets, and they were about to uncover one that would change the course of their journey forever.
Mc's Pov
The danger this dark mage possesses is far more difficult than what I had expected. He is almost on par with the demon lord Asura. Defeating him with this unsharpened blade of mine which was barely enough to defeat his guardian is close to impossible. No, it is absolutely impossible. For now, the only choice I have is to follow what this mage is saying and build a proper strategy while completing the tasks he had laid out for us. Just then, an angry but soft voice, Black frustrated by watching Athena scared by a mere forbidden dark mage (P.S-according to him, the mage was like a pawn) exclaimed a deep sigh
*SIGH*
'You really can't do anything without my help now can you…'
'And what exactly do you want me to do here, Black. That guy is a monster I cannot face right now. Realizing the situation I am in; the best course of action will be to follow what he says right now and think what to do later.'
'Well, it is true that you are way too weak to put even a single scratch on that guy right now. But its not like that guy is invincible. All you need is to find his weakness and the rest will fall in place on its own.' Black responded with a mature tone and eyes full of determination.
'Well then, how do you think I can find that guy's weakness while keeping him distracted.' Athena spoke while mustering all his strength.
'That I will tell you later, first deal with the situation at hand first.'
Third person Pov
While Athena was busy talking to himself. Draven, with eyes full of arrogance decided to confront the mage. 'We are the second black order commanded by none other than the demon god Asmodeus himself. And the person along with me is none other than the first prince of the demonic realm. I am warning you, if you don't move away this instant-,' just as Draven was about to finish his sentence, a strong gust of wind hit Draven with a devastating force.
The black mage in front of him was someone who was caged there by none other than Asmodeus during his day as the demonic prince. Hearing his name again, the mage, filled with anger and agony, shouted at the top of his voice. Athena, realizing that it was already too late to shy away from the confrontation now, decided to launch an attack with every bit of his strength left while the mage was still in his berserk state.
Just then, Black knowing what Athena was about to do, stopped him by floating right in front of his face,
'Wait, I have a better solution. Listen to what I am about to say carefully. The outcome of this battle will be decided by your final blow, Athena. Black's eyes were filled with sorrow but at the same time he had an absolute faith in Athena. With a slow but fast voice, black murmured...….