YM778.TV Chapter 46: The Heroes Challenge Sol
"Apparently, two of the statues in the hall of gods crumbled to dust last night; the faceless god of golems, Psiko, and the god of dragons Diablos,"
"Is it an omen?"
"The priests are saying the gods are angry at us!"
"You think those gods actually exist?"
"Ugh," Sol stood perched on one of the temples of Diablos with a meaty kebab in his grasp slowly eating. "These people are as obsessive as those gods are, can\'t they find more meaning to their lives than nitpicking at every detail of someone else\'s life?"
"You believe the gods are obsessive?" Sara asked, and he looked over at her who sat and ate carelessly with a smile at how he had corrupted her into committing blasphemy agains Diablos, even if she already knew that the pantheon had abandoned Diablos who had been judged for interfering with the affairs of the heroes summoned to save Arkadia and caused a divide in the heavens.
"Sir, you never did explain how you knew it was the god of dragons, Diablos, that-"
"Interrogation." Sol answered taking off a large piece of meat and chewing it with a hum. "After I killed them all and left one, I got everything out of him before I killed him too, if you had stayed in the meeting last night you\'d have heard this, that\'s my fault though, so I have no reason to hide that from you." He lied to her face once more.
"Ah," Sara idly swung her feet while she ate her kebab.
"Did you find out how soon the army will idly linger until they are ready again?" Sol asked after he finished eating.
"Within another two days, I heard." Sara turned to him with a small smile. "I would expect that you would be more reluctant to leave Argom, since you are the least interested in this conflict."
"I am Ikaris\'s protector," Sol raised a brow at her. "How could I stay here and leave her with the likes of those heroes, in case you didn\'t realise, she was targeted the last time we split up,"
"But," Sara leaned her head. "You are apart right now, are you not?" She asked him surprised.
"I\'m paying attention this time," Sol answered her with a serious expression.
"I won\'t ever drop my guard again." Sol declared with a sharp rasp in his tone that caused his voice to sound like a whisper directly into her head, it shocked her to alertness as his calm exterior gave way to the appearance of a tiger ready to pounce on prey; his passive perch suddenly looked like he was looming over something he was about to attack and devour.
"A-ha," Sara\'s pupils shrunk when she continued staring at him, very faintly she could see the light around his skin shimmering, a tell-tale sign that his magic was actively being utilised and upon further observation, there was a difference in his eyes as well, usually his iris was a dark brown, but now they were several shades lighter, almost hazel with traces of blue, and he had one of them closed and allowed his hair to drag over it, she had meant to ask him about that, but refused to on account of his tendency to gaslight and avoid every question she threw at him.
"Surely, it is safe inside of Argom, you could relax-"
"It\'s okay," Sol regarded Sara with a smile. "I have magic to spare."
"Sol!"
Both Sol and Sara stared down to the ground where they saw Eris and Bruce standing at the foot of the temple and staring up at them, and behind the two were Han and Dina walking up the steps, with Usami walking behind them.
"I do not see Lady Ikaris," Sara commented before anything else.
"Ikaris is having a friendly spar with Renia somewhere close by, she begged me for this so I had no choice but to agree." Sol answered and stepped off the edge of the temple roof that was almost ten stories high.
"That crazy-" Dina readied several spells in an instant to catch Sol, but Han held her hand and made her watch.
"Do you honestly think that he\'d jump to his death?" Han asked.
Sol righted himself and stuck his hands in his pockets as he slowed to a snails descent by the time he was a few feet over the ground.
"Usually you lot don\'t approach me at all, did something happen?" Sol gave them all a knowing glance as his feet gracefully tapped on the ground before them.
"What the~" Bruce stared at Sol\'s feet confused after whispering his shock.
"Heroes," Sara appeared from behind Sol, giving them all a dainty curtsey and smiling brightly at them.
"I\'ll get straight to it," Dina stepped forward when even Eris hesitated after feeling the pressure withing his gaze as he focused on them with only an eye lazily opened. "We want a mock battle with you," She demanded. "I say mock, but it\'s gonna be a real fight, I don\'t want to hold back-"
"Dina!" Eris tried stopping her but she ignored her and waved her hand at sol so he focused on her again.
"I want to see how much stronger you are, if your strength is where we need to be to survive them I want to guage it for myself and see the depth of my own weaknesses." She declared with her fists tightly clenched.
Sara hummed at this challenge, and Sol seemed intrigued by it as he started smiling at them, not his usual sadistic smile, but one of pure intrigue, an almost innocent and childlike smile, causing Dina to blush and avert her eyes at the way he was staring. "Please," Dina slightly lowered her head, and along with her Eris and Usami, followed by Bruce.
"I... Didn\'t agree to this, but if you accept I\'m definitely taking the opportunity." Han added.
"Hm," Sol leaned his head and grinned even wider. "Who put you up to this?" He asked, watching their respective masters approaching from behind.
"I hate to admit it, but after just two months, I do not believe there is much I can teach Eris, at the very least, I would want to fight you as well, as the rest of us captains could agree." Idria stated to which the rest nodded, even Arla who knew of his alternate and terrifying existence because of their interaction in that restaurant once.
Sol was smiling for a whole other reason though, as he had expected of Ikaris, their memories had been perfectly altered; Aside from Renia who had been visibly disturbed to the point of wanting to have an inconsequential bout with Ikaris everyone else was properly manipulated.
"That\'s to be expected from a god though," Sol mumbled to himself and then looked at them again. "I can entertain you, but only the heroes, since they\'re all far harder to break." Sol looked at the captain\'s that had requested to join as well with a shake of his head. "I\'m hesitant to fight you lot,"
"That\'s good enough!" Dina exclaimed and summoned a staff in her grasp, slamming it against the ground and pointing it at Sol.
[The hero Dina Levina has challenged you to a duel.
Rules: The loser is decided when someone can no longer move from mana exhaustion or is incapacitated and surrenders]
Sol looked at the window with a frown, this was unacceptable. "This won\'t do."
[Challenge has been rejected]
"Wha-" Dina looked at him shocked.
[Sol Vestic has challenged you to a duel]
Dina and all the other heroes saw the message simultaneously.
[Rules: You are permitted to use any conceivable weapon on your arsenal.
The loser is decided when one party surrenders or is incapable of moving through damage or a state of unconsciousness.]
[There are no penalties or a time limit]
"You want to fight us all at once?"
"It\'s the other way around," Sol answered. "You all have to fight me all at once, I wasn\'t there, but through Sara\'s accounts you guys lack teamwork, I\'ll make it easy for you," Sol pointed to his closed eye. "I\'ll fight with one eye closed, with one hand and without the use of any weapons too, and I won\'t use any magic." Sol smiled when his conceit burned at their pride and fired them all up.
"Where are we fighting?" He asked.
"... The training grounds." Han had his sword already in his grasp, grinding his teeth; visibly provoked by Sol\'s words.
[The heroes have all accepted your challenge, the destination has been decided, calculating...]
Within an instant all six of them vanished, and in response Arla jolted and gestured to everyone who drew closer to her as she began a chant.
Sara who had found the time to buy another kebab slowly walked over to the captains, granting them all a respectful curtsey and then standing within range as a large magic circle appeared beneath their feet and they vanished in a flash.