Those time travelers that year

"Alright! Looks like neither of these two intends to have a peaceful dialogue..." With a deep sigh, Charles realized how unreliable his previous plan to fool the 'cannon fodder' had been. The descending heretical gods were all those with clear goals; getting them to listen to their hearts and have a heart-to-heart talk was incredibly difficult. Now Charles understood: the only way to deal with these brainless bastards was to teach them a lesson with his fists. As for his partner/cannon fodder, he'd better just listen to Athena and manually recruit them.

'Thankfully, there's still a monkey as a prelude, although even a fully-fledged monkey is the kind that completely disobeys.' After muttering to himself, Sharl said to Athena, 'Let's go! It seems that neither of them is willing to sacrifice themselves for the 'great' cause, so we'll just have to make them sacrifice themselves passively.'

"It should have been like this a long time ago!" After leaving those words, Athena disappeared into the darkness. Charles lagged behind for a moment, but was immediately enveloped by black mist, obscuring his figure.

——————————Divider Line——————————

This storm was merely a source of complaint for those tourists and visitors on the island. However, for the person in charge of the island, the witch who had lived for many years, it was a dreadful impending doom.

Right there in her dwelling, through the power of magic, this witch was able to sense three completely different divine powers emanating from the entire island, each one making no attempt to conceal its presence.

There was a dragon slayer who ruled the sky and brought torrential rain, an invincible war god wielding a golden sword, and an ancient winged serpent. These three, without any concealment, unleashed their divine powers and began to clash from afar. This made the torrential rain even more violent, with violent bolts of lightning crisscrossing the heavens and thousands upon thousands of lightning spears tearing through the clouds.

This unexpected misfortune, happening to someone who was sitting at home, filled the witch with a deep sense of helplessness and tragedy. Unfortunately, this was no longer a situation she could intervene in; she didn't even have the right to watch. Simply observing the battle between the Dragon Slayer and the God of War had already severely injured her, and now with the addition of the Winged Serpent, if she recklessly went to watch, all that awaited her was the merciless annihilation by those three gods.

Three different divine forces intertwined in the skies above Sardinia, and due to the interference of their wills, the celestial phenomena became increasingly erratic. The storm was likely just the appetizer; who knows, after a while, earthquakes and tsunamis might follow.

It wouldn't be surprising if the island were eventually destroyed.

The people here don't care about this small problem; at most, it just means more people will die on the island. How many will die? A thousand, ten thousand, or a hundred thousand? It's all irrelevant, at least in the eyes of these beings.

Ask for leave!

Because my old laptop is having a minor problem—it seems the heatsink is broken—it's lagging a lot and I'll probably have to take it in for repairs. That's why Chapter 3 is late today. I'll make it up tomorrow or the day after. Sorry.

504.Start the fight

Because no one cared about the island or the humans on it, when they faced each other directly, the three disobedient gods made no attempt to hide their hostility and determination to kill the other two. The clash of divine power became even more intense, and the surrounding environment began to visibly distort.

Behind the colossal giant, Mekal, came ceaseless thunder and torrential rain. Now, under the influence of his spreading divine power, the entire island of Sardinia, and even a vast expanse of sea, was shrouded in the storm. On the ocean beyond the island, waves rolled and roared, blocking all routes to the island. By striking first, Mekal controlled the sky, endlessly drawing energy from nature.

Although his injuries haven't fully healed, no one can deny that this god-king, who initially fell short, still possesses the power to overturn the table. As long as this storm hasn't been dispelled, at least Mekal won't be defeated so easily.

Similarly, the young man—Velluslana, the Persian god of war—was unconcerned about Mekal's favorable timing and location; he too would receive blessings amidst the storm. His divine nature also contained elements of wind and lightning, so upon meeting, this god of war made no attempt to conceal his fighting spirit, locking onto everyone present.

Athena, clad in a long white Greek robe, stared coldly at Mekal. In terms of their current divine status, she and Mekal were true mortal enemies. This was the hatred between a former rebel, now a ruler, and a former supreme goddess, now a fallen serpent—a hatred that could never be resolved. Beside Athena, surging darkness and shadows swirled, keeping the rain completely at bay.

Of course, besides the three disobedient gods who immediately adopted a posture of fighting to the death upon meeting, there was another person who also joined in. However, none of the three present had any objection to this person who was not a disobedient god—in fact, he was the strongest among them.

Still dressed in a black suit with a black cape and a black hat with white feathers, the torrential rain did not affect Ciel.

Mekal summoned a torrential rain, but Veleslana paid no heed to being drenched, while Athena used darkness and shadow to keep the rain away. As for Ciel, any rain that approached him vanished into thin air, as if swallowed by something.

Although the three were clashing with each other using their divine power, constantly affecting the weather over a large area, it had nothing to do with Ciel. Well, because he was on the same side (mainly because the other two were men, while only his side had pretty girls to look at), Ciel calmly walked to Athena's side, just to give her support and boost her morale.

Of course, this pleased the goddess greatly, so she looked at Mekal and Veleslana with malice. The former had a grudge against her, and the latter had a weapon that could restrain her... Without Sharl, no matter how confident she was, Athena did not think she could take on two opponents at once. However, with Sharl in charge, Sharl himself could take on two opponents at once.

The advantage is on our side, and it's an absolute advantage that can't be undone no matter how much we heal.

"It seems I'm at a huge disadvantage!" Mekal spoke first. "One is someone who fought me but recovered before me... On the other side is my mortal enemy, the goddess of the winged serpent—and a darkness I can't fathom, hahahahaha." Laughing, Mekal showed no fear, instead conjuring a pair of rough clubs, one crackled with storm and the other with lightning. "God of Light, who upholds the monarchy, what do you think?!"

“Me?!” The boyish Veleslana replied with a smile, “I have no interest in cooperation whatsoever. No matter what battles we encounter, no matter what enemies we face, I am Veleslana, and I am the victor!” Veleslana seemed completely unconcerned that Shar was on Athena’s side. “Even though I was once the guardian of the throne, I am now merely a disobedient god of the Way of the King. All that remains in this body is the fighting spirit, which is essentially about struggle and victory… Therefore, I only seek a magnificent battle to quell the fighting spirit within me, even if I am the one who is killed.”

"How arrogant!" Athena sneered. "Whether you are a rebellious dragon slayer or a guardian who protects rebellion."

"Hahaha, goddess of winged serpents, that's not right!" Mekar laughed and said, "The winner takes all, the loser is king, and the loser is a loser. I won't cause a mess like that stubborn earth mother goddess."

"No trouble? Ridiculous. Right now, the entire sky is exactly what you call 'no trouble'."

"Who told me to be a non-conformist now!?" Holding a stick, Mekal said, "Alright! The pre-battle conversation is over. Since I have no allies, it doesn't matter. At least this war god who injured me is all alone."

"Could it be that even the ancient dragon slayer is afraid of being alone?!" Veleslana said. "If you are afraid, God-King, you can run away."

Mekal: "What a joke! The king would never run away!"

Athena: "Then you two might as well both die!"

Vereslana: "Let the battle begin!"

Ciel: "A bunch of idiots..."

——————————Divider Line——————————

Boom!! Boom!!

Thousands upon thousands of lightning spears cleaved from the sky, crashing down upon the earth and shattering trees and rocks. At Mekal's command, storm, rain, and lightning converged and crashed down. And so too did the enormous club he wielded fall.

The club, accompanied by a storm, slammed down on Veleslana, creating a massive gust of wind as it fell with a whistling sound. Facing the club's descent, Veleslana laughed, drawing his golden divine sword to deflect the devastating blow.

Having failed in his first attack, Mekal did not pursue, for at that moment, Athena, wielding a scythe imbued with the deathly power of the underworld, slashed towards Mekal's neck. Although both possessed the authority of death, it was clear that Mekal's current divine power primarily manifested in storms, lightning, and the sky, with a relatively weak divine nature regarding death. If this strike landed, regardless of whether it would be a fatal blow, the sheer deathly power from the underworld would be enough to severely damage Mekal.

So Mekal's response was to swing another club imbued with lightning power and smash it down on Athena's body, which was much smaller than his own.

Roaring lightning and the deep power of death collided, shattering all the raindrops in the area. Athena, wielding her scythe, desperately withstood Mekal's attacks. Ultimately, she was somewhat restrained; in a simple clash of weapons, Athena was slightly inferior.

At that moment, Vereslana, laughing loudly, swung his golden sword, but his target wasn't Mekal but Athena. However, Athena showed no panic in the face of the oncoming golden sword—because another blade, burning with the flames of destruction, emerged from behind her and, with a clang, parried Vereslana's golden sword.

505. One-on-One (Part 1)

The flaming sword and the golden sword clashed, their blades meeting and sparking bright fire. These tiny sparks, born of the force of the clash, shot out during the exchange between the two swordsmen, mingling with the surrounding gale. Then, a spark drifted to a nearby tree, and upon contact, the entire tree burst into flames.

"Interesting! Interesting!" Veleslana shouted. "A warrior who protects the goddess? Hahahaha..."

"You've got it wrong!" Charles replied nonchalantly, pressing down hard on the flaming sword to counteract the increasingly powerful force emanating from the golden sword. "Just allies!"

“When did these once-defeated earth goddesses—” Vereslana replied, “—stop giving birth to monstrous beasts that wreak havoc on the world and instead seek allies? Truly, the world is full of strange occurrences!”

"Hahaha, absolutely, absolutely, that's what I think too." Mekal, who was dealing with Athena's attacks, suddenly burst into laughter upon hearing this, and then forcefully swung his storm and lightning at Athena.

"Hmph!" A purple light flashed in her eyes, and the Petrifying Demon Eye activated. The ensuing storm and lightning were astonishingly pulverized into rock. Athena swung her scythe, forcing Mekal back a step. "As long as I can eliminate the former traitor, and this bastard who conspired with the traitor to usurp the throne, why shouldn't I ally with the more powerful serpent?!"

"Allies!? Hahaha, you've only made this old man laugh!" Mekal launched another attack, blocking the scythe's edge, and laughed as he said, "As this old man sees it, it's more like a further step in cooperation among mortals!?"

"You old fool, you can't expect anything good to come out of your mouth!" Athena sneered, leaping into the air and slamming her hand into the ground. A thunderous roar erupted as a giant serpent burst from the earth, its gaping maw snapping down at Mekal.

"Even goddesses can be enraged? I've certainly learned something new today!" Facing the giant serpent's gaping maw, Mekal laughed heartily, slightly shifting his body to avoid it, then smashing the serpent's head to pieces with a single blow. "But... I am an ancient dragon slayer! Goddess of the Winged Serpent, did you send your little pets out to bestow upon me a gift of great deeds?"

"Is that so? Then you can try again! Let's see how long you can last under my 'pet'!" A purple light flashed in her eyes once more, Athena smiled coldly, and casually gripped the scythe in her hand, slicing it horizontally across the ground beneath her feet.

Boom...

The earth split open, and a fissure hundreds of meters long stretched across the battlefield, separating Mekal and Vereslana.

"One-on-one?!" Vereslana exclaimed, his fighting spirit blazing. "It seems the goddess of serpents has chosen revenge..."

“Yes! So let’s switch positions!” Charles replied. “After all, I promised her that I would come to settle things with you so she could take revenge herself.”

"What's this? Could it be that, as Hawu thought, the proud goddess of the winged serpent chose to submit? Hahahaha—" Vereslana laughed, "—Heroes have always found it hard to resist the charms of a beautiful woman?"

"No! Let me correct you—I am Cthulhu."

Charles and Vereslana's figures suddenly flickered, then vanished from their spot like phantoms. Of course, they didn't disappear; rather, in that instant, an alternate dimension directly transported them into another battlefield.

Athena and Mekal could naturally sense it, and even directly see the hidden alternate dimension through their divine vision. Until a victor was determined, Veleslana would be unable to escape unless the entire alternate dimension was shattered.

"Without the brilliance of the God of War..." Athena exclaimed gleefully, "Without that guardian of royal power, Mekal! Are you ready to face the wrath of the goddess of vengeance!?"

"Ridiculous! You say I can't win without relying on others!" Mekal retorted sarcastically to Athena. "But you—the winged serpent who uses beauty to seduce—have truly opened my eyes. This trip has been worthwhile!"

"That's all you can say, Mekal!" Athena sneered, raising her left hand with her fingers spread wide. "In the name of Athena, ancient Underworld Tartarus—open your gates and unleash those calamities!" As Athena's words fell, a dark purple light began to flicker from the crack she had cleaved open. The power of death originating from the Underworld surged forth, instantly turning the surrounding area into a desolate wasteland. Grass and trees withered, the earth cracked, a scene of utter desolation.

“The authority of the Underworld!” Mekal said solemnly. He too possessed the authority of the Underworld, a power inherent in his divine nature, as did Baal, the King of Hell. However, it was clear that now, as the ruler of the sky, Athena, the Trinity, held the power of the Underworld and death over him in this respect, rendering him unable to stop Athena's actions.

Roar! ! !

And at that very moment, a demonic beast roared from the crack, followed by a burst of flames that surged forth from the crack and swept towards Mekar.

"Hah, child's play!" With a loud shout, Mekal swung his club forcefully, shattering the flames with a single blow. At that moment, he saw a gigantic magical beast crawling out of the crack, roaring towards the sky.

This is a monster with the head of a goat, the head of a lion, and a snake's tail—a descendant of Chimera, Echidna, and Typhon. In Greek mythology, this monster was ultimately slain by Belerofen, riding Pegasus. Clearly, Athena, possessing authority over the underworld, directly summoned this monster, which should have died in mythology, back into the world of mortals.

Carmela, who had just climbed out of the T?ρταρο, was immediately controlled by Athena. Then, Carmela roared and pounced on Mekal.

"This little kitten—" Mekal roared, his rock-hard muscles bulging as he gripped his club and swung it at Camilla. The club, whipping through the air like a storm, created a gust of wind. Camilla dodged it, but the shockwave forced her to slow her movements. At that moment, the club, crackling with lightning, followed, catching Camilla completely off guard. Mekal smashed the goat's horns and shattered its skull with a single blow. "—Don't use it to embarrass yourself!"

Awooo!!!

Camilla's lion-like mane let out a painful howl, and at that moment, its serpentine tail shot towards Mekal with lightning speed, its fangs gleaming with chilling venom. However, before the tail could bite Mekal and inject venom, Mekal, with an agility beyond its physical capabilities, released the club in one hand, then grabbed the serpent's head with the other, squeezing it with unimaginable force, crushing the head to pieces.

506. One-on-One (Part 2)

After twisting and crushing Camilla's serpent head, Mekal roared, grabbed two clubs, and slammed them down on Camilla's last lion head. Even Camilla, the once-mighty monster in Greek mythology, was incredibly vulnerable against Mekal. With a club swung with far greater force, Mekal could shatter even a mountain, let alone a monster! While Camilla was said to be a descendant of Echidna and Typhon, it was not Typhon, the hundred-headed dragon who had once defeated the entirety of Olympus.

Faced with Mekal's offensive, Camilla only managed to hold out for a short while before Mekal smashed her last head to pieces.

"Goddess of the Winged Serpent..." Stepping on Camilla's corpse, Mekal laughed loudly, "Looks like your little pet isn't all that great! It was so easily killed by this old man!"

"Is that so!?" Athena smiled from mid-air, then pointed her scythe at the massive crack. "Then... what about this one?! Mekal, can you still maintain your confidence!?"

Roar! The monster's roar rang out again, and then a huge serpent emerged from the crack, opening its blood-red maw to bite at Mekal.

"Useless, useless!!!" Mekal roared with laughter, facing the giant serpent emerging from the crevice head-on. His club, crackling with wind and lightning, swung down at the serpent. The wind transformed into invisible blades, tearing at the serpent's head; lightning burst forth with light and intense heat, scorching its body. In mere moments, the giant serpent that had crawled out of the crevice collapsed beneath Mekal's club, its entire head shattered.

"Is that all?! I don't believe the goddess of the winged serpent is of such a mediocre level!"

"Hehe..." Faced with Mekal's sarcasm, Athena did not speak, but just chuckled and responded to Mekal with a disdainful look.

Seeing Athena's disdainful gaze, Mekal was taken aback, then his expression tightened, and he quickly leaped away, leaving his original spot. After he jumped away, a huge black shadow attacked, devouring a large chunk of the ground.

"This is impossible!" The dark figure was the giant snake whose head had just been smashed by Mekal. Its head had been completely shattered, its brains and blood spilled out. Logically, no living being should have survived.

“No! It grew back…” Mekal was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized, “I did indeed smash this snake’s head just now, but it grew back in a short time—it’s a Hydra!”

Athena: "You got it right..."

Roar! Roars rang out one after another, and from the crack, one giant snake after another emerged from below, hissing. Including the first one, there were a total of nine snake heads, eighteen eyes filled with coldness and killing intent, staring intently at Mekar.

This is Hydra.

In Greek mythology, the monster of the Lena swamp in Argolis.

It has nine heads, eight of which can be killed, but the middle head is the only one that cannot be killed. It is also the second of the twelve trials of Hercules. When Hercules fought it, he smashed its heads one after another, but no matter how many he smashed, they would immediately grow back.

In the end, Hercules used fire to suppress the newly grown snake head, and then pressed the indestructible snake head in the middle under a rock, finally defeating the immortal monster.

Now, this snake, which was also defeated by the Steel Hero, has been summoned back to the real world by Athena through the authority of the Underworld.

The Hydra was enormous; the mere hundred-meter-long fissure was far too small to contain it. When the nine serpent heads emerged from the fissure, the path created by Athena to Tartarus was stretched even wider by the Hydra, finally allowing it to crawl out.

"Megal, King of the Mediterranean!" Athena gently landed on the middle head of the Hydra, and spoke in a resounding tone to Megal below, "Ancient dragon-slaying hero—come and try, defeat this serpent! Just like Hercules!~"