Those time travelers that year

"Using my money to enjoy yourself, you're getting something for nothing! Athena..."

"Do you really think I don't know?" Athena retorted sarcastically. "All your expenses are reimbursed by the national treasury, aren't they!"

“I can get them to reimburse me!” Charles said, swirling his wine glass. “...But for you, it’s not necessarily the same.”

"Tch, what a stingy man..."

"Thank you for the compliment!"

"So you're not really here for a vacation, are you!?"

“Of course not…” Charles replied, “It’s just that we’re waiting for those two guys who recently fought and crippled each other to recover.” Looking at the ice cubes floating in his glass and the dark red liquor, Charles smiled, “If these two are willing to quiet down and listen to me obediently, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring them along, would it? Athena, goddess?!”

"But in my opinion, these two are basically all brawn and no brains!" Athena said arrogantly. "Instead of hoping that these two will fight until their brains are all muddled, we should try my suggestion." Before coming to Sardinia, Athena had suggested that instead of using her manpower (cannon fodder) on the disobedient gods who had already descended, she should take matters into her own hands and bring down those who had not yet descended. In any case, with her status as the Earth Mother Goddess, Athena could easily find places to bring down these gods.

"No rush, no rush... If the two guys fighting here don't want to, I'd like to borrow something from them."

"Divinity and divine power?!" Athena exclaimed. "You haven't given up on that support plan!"

“Better safe than sorry!” Charles shrugged. “There are always more cannon fodder than not. Besides, I’m quite curious about that golden sword in the hands of that war god that can sever divine power.”

"What a nasty man!"

"Compared to you, petty goddess!"

501. Sardinia

Sardinia, this tourist and resort island, has been anything but peaceful lately, mainly due to a sudden storm that struck the island, thankfully without causing any damage. However, this is how it appears to the average person; in the eyes of those in the know, what's happening in Sardinia is far from trivial. If Charles hadn't gone there, the Italian Magic Society was even prepared to send Labanji to their deaths.

Unfortunately, this place became the meeting place for two recently descended, disobedient gods to arrange a hookup—no, a fight. What's even more infuriating is that these two parties have absolutely no connection to Sardinia or even the rest of Italy; this kind of off-site fight completely disregards the feelings of the locals.

As if by chance, both sides suffered severe injuries in the first round of their battle due to various coincidences and accidents. One was seriously injured by the sword that cleaved the godhood, while the other had his body shattered and his godhood torn to pieces.

“One of them is none other than that Persian war god.” While sipping his $275000 wine and enjoying the sun, Charles said, “...It’s just a pity that he descended in the name of the Persian war god. If he were Indra instead, it might be a bit more troublesome.”

"I think it's all the same..." Athena said nonchalantly, "As long as he isn't struck by the sword of the god of war that severs divine status, then this person isn't in much danger!"

“No, no, no! If he really is Indra, then he would possess the divine status of Buddhism, being both a thunder god and a guardian deity of Buddhism,” Charles said. “Of course, in that case, his karma would be much greater. But think about it, if he were to descend in a non-human form, he wouldn’t be able to choose Indra (Indra).

"You talk as if you're scared!?"

"Of course not!" Charles sighed. "It's just that, as a war god, he probably won't be willing to talk to people. I was hoping that he could use the golden sword to shatter the divine status of that world's god!"

“I don’t believe his golden sword is omnipotent,” Athena said sarcastically. “If it could sever any divine essence, then his status wouldn’t just be at the level of a later chief god.”

“That’s right!” Charles nodded in agreement. “There will definitely be limitations, but it’s undeniable that he’s better at restraining gods than a fully-formed monkey. However, in terms of combat power—I’m afraid that in this era, he might not be as good as a fully-formed monkey.”

"Hmm..." Athena also sensed something and looked in one direction in the city. "They've arrived! But this is beyond my expectations! This ever-victorious war god has actually had such a miserable day."

Roar……

A tremendous roar rang out, and in the once peaceful city, the figure of a gigantic beast appeared out of thin air like a ghost. It was a wild boar, an unimaginably enormous wild boar; buildings several stories high looked like toys in comparison.

This wild boar, glowing with golden-red light, roared and easily smashed the buildings around it to pieces. Despite being so conspicuously enormous, no human could see its body or hear its roar. As the boar shattered the buildings, pedestrians below ran and screamed in terror, terrified by the inexplicable explosions.

Yes, that's normal. In China, something like this would only attract a large crowd of onlookers. But in Europe, where terrorist attacks are common, people don't react with the same composure as the onlookers in China whenever there's an explosion or gunfire. Instead, they shout to bolster their courage and try to confuse the terrorists' targets, while running as far away as possible.

Unfortunately, this time it wasn't the greens greeting the European gentlemen.

Furthermore, most people are completely unaware of the wild boar's existence, as if the wild boar and humans are not even in the same dimension or on the same level.

This is a divine beast, a magical beast with divine power.

“By the way, I remember Hercules also dealt with a wild boar.” Watching the boar rampage through the city, Charles and Athena didn’t take it seriously at all. After all, compared to the two of them, that boar was only slightly larger; in a real fight, it would just be extra food. So, the two watched the boar frolicking with great interest, and Athena even remarked with enthusiasm, “It looks like a large wild boar from the dense forests of Mount Erimantus. This boar seems a bit weaker than the one Hercules dealt with.”

“How could a demigod and a monster from the Steel Hero Trials possibly compare to this creature that split off from a god’s core?” Charles said. “Without its main body, this boar is free, but its power has been greatly reduced.”

“That’s true!” Athena nodded. “However, its master has arrived…”

Just as this wild boar was wreaking havoc in the city, acting as a demolition target for urban management officers, a figure suddenly appeared in the sky.

It was a boy wearing a tattered gray cloak, floating above the city, with a white-haired steed following beside him.

Looking over there, Ciel complained, "Speaking of which, there are so many white horses lately. Prince Charmings are practically worthless these days!"

After the boy with the white horse appeared in the sky, the wild boar seemed to notice something, turned around, and roared angrily at the boy flying in the sky. However, with a loud rumble of thunder, a tornado formed out of nowhere, trapping the wild boar firmly within it.

The wild boar roared, trying to break free from the tornado's grip. However, the air currents seemed to possess a living substance, tightly binding the boar and rendering it unable to move.

Roar.

The wild boar, trapped by the tornado, let out a desperate cry, but it was to no avail; it was completely unable to break free. At that moment, seemingly out of nowhere, the boy who had been flying through the air appeared beside the boar, wielding a large, golden sword, and plunged it into the boar's chest.

A blinding flash of light, and the wild boar's entire body shattered into golden fragments, vanishing along with the tornado that had bound it. Also vanished was the white horse that had followed the boy, leaving only the boy flying through the air and the ruins below, ravaged by the wild boar.

Seemingly sensing this, two gazes turned towards them. The boy who had just wielded the golden sword and 'slain' the rampaging wild boar turned around and looked back. In the distance, he saw Charles and Athena lying on the roof of the Cala di Volpe Hotel, having booked the entire swimming pool, sunbathing and drinking expensive wine.

Seeing the boy looking over, Charles didn't mind. Instead, he raised his wine glass, gestured to him from afar, and downed the wine in one gulp.

"Interesting!" A calm voice echoed around Ciel and Athena. Then, the boy smiled from a distance, waved, and disappeared into the distance.

502. Mekkal of Sardinia

Watching the boy in the tattered gray cloak disappear after merely exchanging a greeting, Athena smiled coldly. "This is truly embarrassing for me!" She then turned her gaze to Charles, chuckling, "...He only greeted you? Does he not even consider me, the highest goddess, worthy of his attention?!"

“He has a golden sword that can subdue most gods!” Charles shrugged and replied. “With such an trump card, this war god naturally has his own arrogance.”

"Anyway, I'm in a terrible mood right now!"

"Let's make do, after all, this person doesn't seem to want to have a proper talk."

"Heh, this war god, who still has the trump card against the gods, was actually able to have his divine personality split by an old relic..." Athena mocked, "He couldn't even gain the upper hand against an old guy who was eliminated by the times. This war god is nothing special!"

"Anyway, at least I know that this guy doesn't want to talk to me, he just wants to fight. Even if he has to go back to mythology, he doesn't care. Really." Charles sighed. "If we could use this kind of tough guy, we could at least take down one or two of them. What a pity."

"Not at all regrettable!"

"Forget it! Isn't there still a former Mediterranean god-king here?!" Charles said. "We can ask him later. If he's interested, we can just clear that war god out of the area."

"What if the god worshipped by the Phoenicians doesn't want to listen either!?" Athena's eyes lit up as she stood up from the recliner, went straight to Ciel's side, and unabashedly sat on his lap, leaning her beautiful curves against him. "Let's kill him too!"

"Huh!? Why are you so interested in this!?" Feeling the delicate touch, Charles glanced at Athena strangely, sensing that Athena's dislike for the Phoenician god was even greater than that for the Persian war god who ignored her.

“Him!” Athena chuckled, narrowing her eyes. “…The god-king worshipped by the Phoenicians, or rather, the Semitic peoples—Mekal, but Baal! Before he was defeated by that one god, he did not fall into the Seven Deadly Sins or the Seventy-Two Demons.”

"Oh, I see. Was that really necessary?!" Rolling his eyes, Charles finally understood. The Trinity Athena is the ancient Earth Mother Goddess, a winged serpent goddess from ancient times, wielding the wisdom of the heavens. However, mythology changed later, the era of kingship began, and she was dethroned from her position as the reigning queen. In her place came the God-King who ruled the skies. However, Charles didn't quite understand this pattern of behavior; could he simply say the goddess was petty and vengeful?

“Of course I need to!” Athena said, leaning against Charles with a dissatisfied look on her face. “At least before I leave this world, I will not be satisfied if I do not take revenge myself!”

Mekal is Baal. Before the monotheistic religion, Baal was not a demon of hell, but rather a god-king who ruled the sky, the god of storms and lightning—the god of the sky. Coincidentally, Zeus also controlled thunder and lightning and ruled the sky.

“But Mecard is not Zeus!” Charles said. “On the contrary, his authority in mythology has been separated with the changing times. You see, his death and resurrection were once seen as part of the natural cycle of death and resurrection... but this part has now been poured on Jesus’ head, and he has been cast into the dust.”

"The superposition of multiple ancient and later deities within him has actually suppressed his original power and divinity—so, Goddess... you've taken revenge on the wrong target!"

"I know, but I'm just not reconciled!" Athena said through gritted teeth. "I know that it is Mekal who has descended, not Zeus, but at least in terms of divinity, he is close to Zeus... This is for the revenge of those winged serpents, and I do not want to give up this opportunity to take revenge on the sky!"

"Alright! Whatever you want. I'll go fight that Persian war god, and you can go get your revenge, okay?"

“Of course!” Athena smiled and lowered her head. “This is my reward…” she said, gently kissing Ciel’s neck.

"Come on! You're just worried that when you fight Mekal, that Persian war god will most likely stab you in the back..."

——————————Divider Line——————————

Sardinia boasts numerous tourist attractions, mostly historical sites. Among the oldest are the ruins of Nora and the Temple of Antas, both dating back to the Phoenician and Roman periods. The latter, the Temple of Antas, is particularly noteworthy. This temple, dating back to the 6th century BC, was built by the Carthaginians and Romans and is situated in a picturesque valley.

However, like every ruin, there are some unknown parts. The Temple of Antas also has sections that are not open to tourists, though these areas are usually sealed off by local magic societies. There are no magic societies on Sardinia, but there is an elderly witch in charge. Recently, however, this witch has unfortunately discovered that she is powerless to remove the sealed-off sections of the Temple of Antas.

Because an uninvited guest, an outsider, a disobedient god, had arrived here. So, quite naturally, control of this place was directly taken away by this seemingly injured disobedient god.

However, upon reflection, the Phoenicians also contributed to the construction of this temple, and it's not surprising that this disobedient god, who was worshipped as the god-king by the Phoenicians, would come here.

Of course, this person did not stay here for long and left quickly. However, before leaving, all the remaining spiritual energy of the earth veins in the entire Antas Temple was drained. It is estimated that for a long time, not even weeds will grow here.

That evening, the temple, which had lost all its spiritual energy, welcomed two new guests.

“He was here!” Sharl said, kicking the dirt under his feet. “But he left quickly… after draining the spiritual energy accumulated in the ley lines.”

"Before Rome ruled this place, it was the territory of that fallen god-king." Athena, dressed in a white Greek robe, glanced at the ruins of the Temple of Antas and said disdainfully, "Of course, his injuries from being severed by the golden sword have not healed, and draining the spiritual energy here only temporarily suppressed the rupture of his divine status—no wonder he was the Persian God of War; even a god-king of higher rank than him almost met his demise."

“He can’t go far!” This ‘fallen god-king’ that Athena spoke of didn’t look well at all, at least not as well as the Persian war god. Charles estimated that the Persian war god’s damaged divine essence was almost completely recovered, while this god-king didn’t seem to have any way to heal his injuries in a short time. “Can we track him down?!”

“Yes…” Athena smiled, then closed her eyes. A moment later, with the sound of flapping wings, an owl flew out of the darkness. Athena opened her eyes and reached out to let the owl land on her arm.

“Found him!” she said. “In another, even more dilapidated ruin… but he also found me there!”

"Whatever!"

503. Invitation

The ruins of St. Bastille are a dilapidated site nestled in a vast forest. There are many poorly preserved Nurague ruins and numerous settlement ruins. Although the area also contains many well-preserved ruins, it's not a popular tourist destination, largely due to its somewhat remote location.

The lush forest and the towering ancient towers are visible from the outside, with only the shadows of stone buildings standing out in the sea of ​​trees.

Yet here, somewhere in this place, a colossal giant opened his eyes. He was a robust middle-aged man with disheveled hair and a beard that completely covered the lower half of his face. He wore very rough clothes, with dirty rags and leather covering his front, and a tattered cloak draped over his body…

“This feeling…” A magnificent and deep voice echoed as the burly giant cast his gaze in an unknown direction. In his vision, he saw a snow-white owl perched on a branch. “Those defeated ones who were once knocked down to the dust? So that’s how it is. It seems I was careless. I didn’t expect that besides that war god, there was also a winged serpent who had regained its form here.”

"No, I misjudged." Soon, the giant overturned his judgment. In his perception, besides the war god and the winged serpent, there was a deep darkness on the island, and it was with the winged serpent. "Really, hahahahaha, so many beings have come to this small island. It seems I can no longer stay here."

"Although the wounds inflicted by that war god have not yet healed, they have all come knocking on my door. If I were to remain hidden, wouldn't I be utterly humiliated?"

"Former mortal enemies, current challengers, and that unknown darkness, come forth! I am Mekal, the god-king who rules over storms, lightning, and the sky, and the ancient dragon slayer."

Boom!

As the giant's roar echoed, the sky over Sardinia darkened, thick clouds gathered, and in the blink of an eye, a torrential downpour began. Accompanying the storm were thunderclaps and flashes of lightning…

Just as the weather changed, the boy who had once wielded the golden sword to slay the rampaging wild boar paused, then a confident and proud smile spread across his face. This smile quickly transformed into a maniacal laugh, in which the boy reached out towards the sky. Immediately, the sky split open, and above the boy in the storm-swept area, a funnel-shaped vortex formed. From within this vortex appeared the phantoms of a galloping goat and a soaring phoenix, which then descended from the sky and merged into the boy's body.

"Since it's an invitation, how can I refuse?" The boy laughed heartily, his voice carrying through the downpour. "Mekar! God of the Mediterranean, King of the Sky, Great Warrior, Dragon Slayer... I, the Persian God of War - Veleslana, will now go—let us continue our unfinished battle, and those two come with us too!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the boy disappeared from his spot. Immediately afterward, a visible storm swept up from where the boy had been standing and soared into the sky.

……

Still at the Temple of Antas, beneath the torrential rain, Sharl and Athena paused, both gazing into the distance. There, two conflicting divine powers were proclaiming their presence: one with thunder and lightning, the other with an unquestionable resolve for victory.

"What's this?!"

"Just a provocation!" Athena said coldly, her pretty face frosty. "A former rebel, a victor wielding a golden sword... what is this? Are they all provoking me?!" The god-king who rules the sky and the ever-victorious god of war, these two seemed to be deliberately mocking Athena, making the goddess grit her teeth in hatred.