Thud.
Night's force increased by one more measure and pressed down.
Through blood and firelight, Diomedes saw the young man's blood-soaked state through the shield.
The sight, far beyond anything he had expected, made his pupils contract.
And it was exactly this moment of mental distraction that broke his momentum.
Night seized the opening and countered.
The spear struck back against the shield, driving it down with a press, and then came a war stomp followed by a flying kick!
Thud.
A devastating kick, heavy as a divine bull's charge, sent Diomedes flying.
Without giving him a breath to recover, Night launched a javelin throw right after and pressed in immediately.
However, at the critical moment, "Stop!!"
A wild, masculine roar rang out.
The next instant, boom!!
Something like a falling gate locked completely around Diomedes, and in the instant before the javelin could reach him, a new shield moved into its path.
Thud!!
That throw had not been Night's full strength, and it was stopped without difficulty.
Though without full strength, it was still a killing blow against Diomedes, a throwing technique most heroes could not have blocked.
And yet this single shield stopped it casually.
....
"That is enough! In the name of Great Ajax, both sides lower your weapons.
A goddess has made the situation clear to us.
This was a fight that should not have happened! Hero Griffith, we have all witnessed your bravery. The fury that came off you shook even me.
Agamemnon has prepared a feast to receive you. Please calm your anger and spare Diomedes his life.
There is no blood debt between you two that demands one of you die, is there?"
...
...
Great Ajax!!
Hearing him announce his name, then seeing a frame two full heads taller than Diomedes,
Another famous name.
Night let the killing intent recede slightly, and a brief flicker of regret crossed his mind.
So close.
But the best opportunity to kill Diomedes was already gone.
With the hero bearing the shield said to be equal to seven walls of fortification here to stand guard, there was simply no way left to finish Diomedes off.
Ajax's tone was humble and sincere, but his eyes were constantly tracking Night's movements, and his body had not left its combat-ready stance for a moment.
And the single most important point.
Night: A goddess?
Whatever goddess he meant, it was not Artemis.
As her devotee, Night was extraordinarily attuned to the divine power of the moon goddess.
Just as he had sensed Apollo's divine power in the Roman temple.
Artemis didn't come here.
If she had, there would be no reason to hide it.
Divine punishment would already be raining down.
Which meant another goddess had arrived.
And thinking through the names of the goddesses who had been active in the Trojan War, not a single one of them was uncomplicated.
Athena. Aphrodite.
It seemed today's chaos really could not be pushed any further.
A faint thread of regret settled in him.
Know when to stop. Still, he said in a cold voice, "Take me to Agamemnon. His answer decides whether this fight continues."
An explanation was needed.
Ajax nodded.
This sort of troublesome problem could be Agamemnon's own headache.
If not for the face of that goddess, he would not even have bothered stepping into this fight.
The battle between Night and Diomedes had made enough noise to draw the attention of other heroes throughout the Greek alliance.
But not a single one had come out to help in the meantime.
Which said a great deal.
These heroes put on a show of presence and did none of the actual work.
Without hard requirements, none of them wanted anything to do with something this complicated.
Afterward, Ajax handed Diomedes off to Odysseus to be taken for treatment, then led Night alone toward the heart of the alliance's main camp where Agamemnon was stationed.
As for the defensive fortifications Night had destroyed and the casualties among the soldiers, Ajax said not a word about any of it, as though none of it had happened.
Clearly the Greek side had no interest in making an enemy of Night.
Especially since he had come under the name of providing reinforcement.
The fault was theirs to begin with.
If they still punished Night for his actions, who else would ever dare come and support Greece?
But Ajax kept entirely silent the whole way.
Night followed behind that mountain-like back and used the walk to regulate his breathing and recover his body.
He was hoping that Agamemnon would turn out to be a fool.
That would give him another excuse to make trouble.
Then his thoughts drifted to Ajax himself, this hero known for his shield.
Wait. This one might actually be someone with potential to turn.
Almost by instinct now, every new hero he encountered in the Greek camp was immediately assessed.
Could be won over or could not.
Those who could not be won over were all enemies.
Enemies were to be ruined without mercy, while those who could be won over had to be brought together.
That was what it meant to be a proper undercover agent.
As for Ajax, he was one of the main commanders of the Greek alliance.
Son of Telamon and Hesione.
Telamon had participated in multiple famous mythological expeditions, including the Argo's voyage for the Golden Fleece and accompanying Heracles to Troy to bring down King Laomedon.
Telamon was a Greek hero, but his wife Hesione was Trojan and the older sister of King Priam himself.
Mother being Trojan royalty was a point in his favor.
His father Telamon and Achilles's father Peleus were brothers, and Telamon had been close friends with Heracles on top of that.
And as it happened, Night had been getting along very well with descendants of Heracles, and he also intended to win Achilles over.
As Achilles's cousin, watching Agamemnon humiliate Achilles the way he had, Ajax must have harbored considerable resentment deep down.
Since Achilles was a potential turncoat, and Telephus was a potential turncoat, adding Ajax as a third was perfectly reasonable.
Ajax and Achilles had always been close.
After Achilles died, it was Ajax who personally protected his body and carried it back to the allied camp.
Given all of this, Night found himself developing an interest in striking up a conversation.
The disappointment over not finishing Diomedes was pushed quickly to the back of his mind.
And while Night was studying Ajax, Ajax was also watching him from the corner of his eye.
He found it genuinely hard to imagine that someone with such beautiful features could carry such a powerful, ferocious body underneath when actually fighting.
Even Diomedes had come off worse in his hands and nearly been killed.
Though admittedly Night's approach had relied heavily on the element of surprise and information advantage, and Diomedes had underestimated him badly to end up in such a sorry state,
But there was no such thing as overconfidence or carelessness in real combat.
If Night had succeeded, he would practically be stepping over Diomedes's reputation to carve out a legendary name of his own.
Finally,
"Griffith Lista." Ajax suddenly heard a quiet voice beside his ear.
Coming back to himself, he introduced himself in return.
It started as just a polite exchange, but then Night spoke up. "I have heard your name. Legend has it that it was the great hero Heracles who gave it to you. The meaning is a child as nimble as an eagle."
.
.
.
(End of the Chapter)