Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"Be careful and don't be reckless."

"Don't worry, senior, I'll do my best!"

Eager to prove herself, the girl immediately went into armed mode and rushed toward the drop zone on the right.

Seeing Mashu's appearance, Samuel was both amused and exasperated. His relaxed state of mind tightened up again.

But in the end, he didn't follow, choosing the opposite direction and going in the opposite direction.

The fledgling will eventually grow up; we can't keep her locked in a cage forever, can we?

It's fine to let her try to handle it independently; after all, it's such a short distance, she can manage on her own.

The ancient snake calmed itself and headed straight for another crash site.

For Samael, a distance of several kilometers was but a short distance. Soon, he arrived near the target area.

Looking around, the surrounding buildings were in ruins, some with shattered glass, some with cracked exterior walls, and some collapsed in the middle... a scene of utter war damage.

The only place that was barely intact was a three-story department store.

Samael's gaze fell on the half-open roller shutter door on the outside. His eyes flickered, and he slowed his pace slightly before bending down and slipping inside.

"do not move!"

As soon as he entered, a cold metal object was pressed against the back of his head, and a low, cold snort sounded in his ear, carrying a strong warning.

Samael raised an eyebrow upon noticing the outline of the object.

"A gun? That won't protect you, ma'am."

Another one?!

Upon hearing that nonchalant tone, the figure hidden in the shadows hardened and immediately pulled the trigger.

But at the same time, the target ahead also moved.

The young man who barged into the mall casually turned his head away, took a step back with lightning speed, and suddenly raised his right elbow, precisely hitting the woman's shoulder.

"Boom!"

With a dull gunshot, two steel-core armor-piercing rounds, their primers ignited, spiraled and accelerated out of the barrel, shooting off at an angle and hitting the shelf in front, shattering two bottles of cola.

Large amounts of foam and cola sprayed outwards, while a sweet-smelling black liquid splashed and washed over the woman's face.

The woman instinctively lowered her head, closed her eyes, and turned to the side to avoid it.

As her vision was obstructed, her right ulnar nerve groove was suddenly struck, and a strong numbing sensation caused her entire right arm to go numb and stiffen instantly. Her five fingers trembled uncontrollably, and the black pistol in her hand slid down and landed in her other fair and slender hand.

"Beretta 92F? Feels good."

A languid voice echoed between the shelves. Samael disassembled the spoils of war, saw the incantations engraved inside the gun barrels and the characters branded on the bullet tips, and raised an eyebrow slightly.

"A spell-based speed boost, with runes that include armor penetration and explosive effects—it looks like a high-end, modified version..."

The ancient snake dropped the parts in its hand, looked up at the figure standing in the corner clutching its wrist, and narrowed its eyes.

"Are you with the military?"

The Beretta 92F pistol, developed by the Italian company Beretta in 1985, boasts exceptional accuracy and reliability, easily adapting to harsh combat conditions such as sandstorms, dust, and mud. Consequently, it became the standard-issue pistol of the US military in 1986, later renamed the M9, and widely adopted by the armed forces.

Today, not only officers, but also the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard are equipped with the classic Type 92F pistol.

Therefore, this high-precision weapon has a distinct characteristic.

At this moment, Samael finally had the opportunity to properly examine this mysterious figure.

Without a doubt, she was a very beautiful woman.

With a high, straight nose and deep, bright eyes that seemed to sparkle like stars, her features combined Western sharpness with Eastern softness, creating a near-perfect profile. Her black business attire perfectly accentuated her curvaceous figure.

What's most admirable is her pair of beautiful legs, long and straight.

However, what Samael cared about more than her beauty was the irony emanating from her.

The scent of rust is often confused with that of blood. But a woman surrounded by the fragrance of iron itself is truly rare. This scent is that of swords, armor, and shields; it is the aroma of those who entwine on the battlefield of conquest.

"Want to know? Beat me first!"

The woman in the shadows did not answer directly, but sneered, her ether surging within her, and stomped her feet hard on the ground.

"boom!"

The marble floor shattered into dust with a crash, and the tall figure, like a cannonball, instantly closed in on the target, swinging his fist to smash into the opponent's cheek.

Ugh, why be so violent? Why can't everyone be a little more civilized?

Samael shook his head and sighed, then made a grabbing motion in the air with his right hand, his knuckles cracking as he casually threw a punch, directly hitting the woman's fist.

Danger!

Although they were more than ten steps apart, the intense sense of crisis that arose in the woman's mind made her hair stand on end instantly. Instinctively, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, switching from offense to full defense.

At this moment, propelled by the force of the punch, the surrounding air was compressed and condensed before exploding with a bang, as if several tons of TNT were detonated at close range.

"boom!"

Amidst the deafening explosions, the surrounding shelves shattered into pieces, various goods were scattered and flew everywhere, and the ceiling at the top, along with the internal air conditioning units, collapsed one after another, leaving the entire first floor of the department store in a complete mess.

Looking at the scene before him, filled with billowing smoke and utter silence, Samael wore a slightly embarrassed expression.

Uh, did I go too far? Could he be dead?

Just as the ancient serpent was muttering to himself, a golden streak as fast as lightning struck his chest.

He's not dead? That's good!

Samael chopped down with one hand, deflecting the incoming projectile with a single slap. The unexpected recoil made him narrow his vertical pupils slightly.

Divine power?

Just as the ancient serpent was puzzled, a fair hand caught the golden light that was flying back, and then used it to hold the serpent's head, gathering its loose chestnut hair.

This is a simple and antique-style metal headband, engraved with shimmering stars and ancient characters.

"I must admit, you are the strongest opponent I have ever encountered. In that case, I will not hold back anymore. Come and witness my full power, mortal!"

A cold, low shout was followed by a piercing metallic clang, the sharp sound waves mixed with a chilling shockwave sweeping in all directions from the billowing dust ahead.

At the same time, a lithe figure, wielding a golden-blue short sword in one hand and a bronze shield in the other, wearing a star-studded crown and bronze armor, charged forward like a cheetah.

The short sword on the right slashed horizontally first, and as it rubbed against the air, dark red divine patterns appeared on its surface. Scorching flames rose up and wrapped around the sword, turning into a blazing wind.

Divinely created weapons?

Samael raised an eyebrow, took a half step back, tilted seven-tenths to the left, dodged the sword's edge, and reached for the woman's wrist with his right hand, attempting to disarm her once again.

However, having learned from past mistakes, the woman decisively raised the shield made of mysterious metal on her left side and smashed it with its extremely sharp edge at the hand.

A faint blue light shimmered, and divine runes representing [protection] and [sharpness] appeared on the surface of the shield.

Another amazing artifact?

As his right hand was thrown back from the impact, Samael's eyelids twitched again.

But the woman opposite her was even more horrified as she looked at the large number of obliterated divine runes on the shield and the deeply sunken front.

This guy can even destroy a divine artifact with a single blow! He's too dangerous!

Realizing that she was no match for him in close combat, the woman decisively created distance. A pair of golden wings extended from behind her, and she soared into the air. At the same time, she retrieved her damaged sword and shield, and with a clenched fist, a bronze longbow and a pointed arrowhead engraved with runes appeared in her palms.

Samael looked up, his gaze sweeping over the woman's bracers, headdress, armor, and the longbow and arrows in her hands, silently counting them in his mind.

Five items...

Including the short sword and shield from before, there are a total of seven divine artifacts?

What kind of family is this? Coming to a small place like Snowfield City dressed in such amazing gear?

As the ancient snake silently grumbled to itself, a strange sense of déjà vu began to form in its mind.

This scene looks familiar; it seems like I've seen it somewhere before...

Just as Samael was deep in thought, the woman in mid-air had already drawn her longbow to its fullest extent, and the pointed arrows ignited with blood-red flames, while a deep chant echoed in his ears.

"May the bow of the moon goddess, the arrow of war, be annihilated in my anger!"

"Whoosh!"

The arrow, like a shooting star, fell from the sky.

Samael instinctively raised his hand and grabbed the arrow that was aimed at his face. The letters and inscriptions on it caught his eye and made him pause in surprise.

"Snapped!"

Just as the ancient serpent was stunned, a golden rope snaked down and tightly bound his upper body.

It worked!

The woman with golden wings fell gracefully, gripping the other end of the rope with a sigh of relief. She stared intently at the prisoner before her and questioned him coldly.

"Tell me, who are you?"

Samael snapped out of his daze, released the somewhat old bronze arrow, looked at the valiant female warrior before him, took a deep breath, and forced a subtle expression onto his face.

“I am your father…”

Chapter Sixty-Eight: You Won't Even Call Me Father

After he said that, a long silence fell over the supermarket.

After a moment, the woman tightened the lasso of truth in her hand again, her voice becoming more stern and cold.

"Tell me honestly, who are you? What are your intentions in coming to Snowfield City?"

"I've already told you, I'm your father..."

Samael reiterated, his face filled with a helpless expression that was both funny and exasperating.

Something's not right. Could there be something wrong with this thing?

The woman looked at the lasso of truth in her hand, a deep look of doubt in her eyes.

This was a creation made by Hephaestus, the god of fire, using the golden belt of Gaia, the goddess of the earth, and the scales of Ophion, the primordial serpent. It was later blessed by Themis, the goddess of justice, and bestowed upon Hestia, the goddess of household. Artemis, the goddess of the moon, personally tied it to the arrow of war and shot it down from Mount Olympus to the mortal realm.

Therefore, this artifact, created by the hands of the gods, is unbreakable and has the ability to protect and discern lies. Those trapped within it can only tell the truth, hence it is also known as the "Lasso of Truth".

At the same time, keeping the Lasso of Truth with her at all times also helps her stay clear-headed so that she can face the objective and rational world.

With both factors combined, theoretically no one could lie to her.

Just thinking about the phrase "I am your father" that kept echoing in her ears made the woman feel a strong sense of absurdity. She quickly shook her head, her gaze firm.

There must be something wrong!

Didn't your mother Hippolyta tell you this?

Samael sighed, looked up and looked intently at the Amazon warrior in front of him, his dark eyes revealing a serpentine quality as they opened and closed slightly.

“You have half the blood of the Greek ‘City Builders’ Pandion family, Diana…”

Theseus... Your Majesty?

The woman named "Diana" stared at the boy who seemed to be even younger than her, muttering in astonishment.

"Hmm, you got it right."

Samael nodded slightly and snapped his fingers.

Instantly, all of Diana's divine armor, including the Lasso of Truth, the Bracelet of Protection, the Sword of Vulcan, the Shield of Gods, the Crown of Starlight, the Helmet of Champions, the Bow of the Moon, and the Arrow of War, disintegrated automatically, turning into golden streams of light that shrank back into her body.

No matter how she called out, the artifacts remained unresponsive, as if they were dormant.

Having lost her magical weapon and reverted to her former office lady persona, Diana instinctively adopted a defensive posture.

"Don't be nervous, these are all things I used before. I never thought that Mount Ares would give them to you."

Samael explained calmly, forcing a gentle smile so as not to frighten his daughter whom he had never met.

When the Third Greco-Persian War broke out, he and Hippolyta traveled together deep into the heart of the Persian Empire to gather intelligence on Persia, and their relationship naturally blossomed into romance.

That night happened to be the "day of birth" that the Amazonian queen had specially chosen.

Soon after, Hippolyta returned to Paradise Island and gave birth to a baby girl, whom she named "Diana," the Roman name for the Greek moon goddess Artemis.

Subsequently, the Battle of Thermopylae and the War of the Covenant broke out, the Age of Gods was isolated, and Paradise Island sank into the Inner Sea of ​​the Stars.