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Chapter 10 - First Victory

I dashed forward, predicting the demigod's next move.

It was a clumsy one, a foolish retreat filled with hesitation.

He gave up on his offense and tried to retreat into the fog once more, but this time I wouldn't let him.

The golden outline of his figure showed me exactly where he was, and I hunted him down.

I pounced forward and caught him in a bear hug around his waist. He was fast, but I was much faster. It was inevitable that I would catch him.

I wished that I had a weapon so that I could defeat him with ease, and faster, but my hands would have to do.

As I hugged him, I squeezed with all my might, while simultaneously lifting him into the air.

"Auuughhhhh!" the man screamed from the pain, as I felt and heard some of his ribs cracking against my grip.

I wasn't finished yet. After lifting him high enough, I arched my body and fell backward, aiming to drive his head into the ice beneath us.

His head hit the ice with incredible impact, and I heard a loud cracking sound.

After I landed, the mist around us began to fade instantly, allowing me to see the entire frozen lake again.

When I let go of the man's limp body and rose to my feet, I saw the mess I had created.

Not only had the ice begun to crack from the impact, but the man's head had split open, leaking red blood onto the cold surface.

It was the most gruesome scene I had witnessed, both on Earth and Arnos.

I wanted to stand there to take in what had happened and ensure that the man was truly dead, but I had to rush off of the frozen lake before it completely cracked and collapsed under my weight.

As I reached the snowy land, I turned to watch the layer of ice on the water crack, which it did.

The body of the demigod, which lay bleeding by the hut, fell underneath the water with the ice. Once all was done, all that was left was the fishing hut at the center of the lake, and no evidence of the battle that had just taken place.

That was the first time I had taken a life. And for some reason, I did not feel as bad as I thought I would.

It felt as though, as a god, I had earned the right to take the life of those who opposed me.

I'm not sure if that ks something I am pleased with, but it will hardly be the last time that I have to do such a thing.

Have I accepted my circumstances so easily? Do I accept that I am a god that has been thrust into a game of survival?

No longer wishing to linger on those thoughts, I turned and was prepared to leave. However, I felt something deep inside of me. A scream for new power was urging to be released from my body.

A new blessing?

Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I sat down on the snowy earth in the same position I had with Diogen and repeated the mindset and wording instructed by him.

The words that I needed to speak came naturally to me.

Grant me the strength to access this divine potential within me, so that I may act accordingly as a god.

The familiar power that I had felt before washed through my body as though I had been baptized and become anew.

I pushed myself to my feet, and as I stood, I instantly felt as though I had a new understanding of my body.

I knew what had changed within me. But the blessing that I had been given seemed so powerful that I was in disbelief.

I have to test this.

I made a strange change to my vision, similar to how one would usually cross their eyes to create an effect that produces double vision. However, when I did this, something incredible happened.

I no longer only saw what was in front of me. My peripheral vision had expanded to the point where I saw what was in front of me, to either side of me, and even behind me. In other words, I saw everything in my surroundings.

Omnidirectional vision? Another eye ability?

I could use the ability for only a few moments before the space in the back of my eyes began to hurt, similar to the Golden Eye.

However, I instantly grasped this power's uses.

But what are the chances of me receiving two blessings related to vision in a row? Well, to be fair, the Golden Eye is more than just a change in vision. It is a glance into the future, or something of the sort.

Either way, I was pleased with the blessing and wished I could thank whichever being had bestowed it upon me.

Afterward, I turned and headed back through the plains that led to Lasandra's domain.

---

My travel back through the field was uneventful. I saw no more of the black lions, as the domain had most likely fallen with the death of the demigod, thus producing no more of the beasts.

Though after earning my new blessing and facing a true adversary in combat, I felt confident that I might have even been able to take on two of the beasts at the same time if they were to attack me.

Still, I wish I had some sort of ability more suited to attacking.

After the long run, I finally began to feel slightly fatigued. More importantly, my eyes had a dull ache from the use of my abilities.

I reached Lasandra's domain and trudged through the thick trees of the dense forest.

I looked forward to telling her about my victory. I felt like I was finally becoming equals with the other gods.

I must be close in strength to at least the weakest of the twenty?

I made it back to the tent where I had met Lasandra sitting outside, but she was not there. And neither was her sword. Then, I heard a bubbling sound coming from behind the tent curtains. Someone was inside.

Thinking it might have been Lasandra, I drew the curtains.

Sitting on the floor, brewing something by a campfire, was a woman. But it was not the Eighteenth god.

This woman wore thick clothing to fend off the snow and even warmed her hands by the campfire. She was young, probably still a teenager, which was not much younger than myself. And her hair was straight and black, hanging past her face.

She turned from the boiling pot to look at me, but there was no fear in her eyes, only a welcoming smile.

"You must be Fate? Lasandra told me about you. I'm Petra. Would you like some tea?" she said in a friendly tone.

A human?