— — — — — —
High above, Star Mars blazed, spilling red light across the game field.
The sky, once blue and clear, was gradually drowned in a dark, blood-red hue.
—Red War—
Anyone who looked up and saw that wash of red received a revelation, a silent warning that war was coming.
Mooo~~!
Then a thunderous bellow echoed. From the red glow of Mars stepped a divine bull. Its hide was brownish red, long horns curved from its head, and its eyes were pitch-black. It dragged a war chariot behind it, as if striding straight out of another era.
Each step the colossal bull took deepened the gloom of the sky. By the time it stopped, red and black had completely swallowed the game field.
Then an invisible drumbeat began to sound.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
The rhythm matched the pounding of a heartbeat.
As the drums grew louder, a figure slowly took shape on the chariot behind the bull.
He had deep red hair, the color of rusted iron, loosely curled and falling to his neck like a lion's mane. His eyes were a striking blue, his features sharp and handsome, and the slight upward curve of his lips gave him an air of careless arrogance.
The man wore bronze armor. A golden shield hung from his left arm, while his right hand held an extravagant helmet forged entirely of gold. And he had a stone spear etched with countless patterns on his back.
There was no need to ask who he was. The swelling divine presence announced his name to the world the moment he appeared.
The God of War, Ares.
The divine bull hauled the chariot straight down toward the ground. It moved with terrifying speed, crossing the distance in just a few strides and stopping above the area where Ryo stood.
A slightly youthful but unmistakably proud voice rang out from the sky. "So you're the human who killed Hermes' incarnation."
Ryo tilted his head up and met those blue eyes, "Yeah. So what will you do?" he asked, one eyebrow lifting.
Ares's lips curled into a wild, brazen grin, "Nothing at all."
"Actually, you did great. I've been sick of that lackey for ages."
"What's so fun about being Zeus's dog, anyway?"
Ryo's eyelid twitched. For a moment, he wasn't sure whether to mock Hermes for being that hated, or to marvel at the utterly flimsy brotherhood of the Greek gods.
And honestly, what was Ares implying here? That Hermes shouldn't be Zeus's dog, but his instead? The man was absurdly full of himself.
At that moment, the white-haired, red-eyed woman spoke coldly from the side. "Ares. This is between Ryo Yagami and me. You've crossed the line."
Ares didn't even turn his head. He merely cast a sideways glance, looking down at Asura with open disdain.
"Hah. Indra's bastard daughter. Even if your old man were here, he wouldn't dare talk to me like that. And you think you can?"
Ryo froze and instinctively glanced at Asura. Sure enough, her face was livid. Her teeth were clenched tight, her eyes blazing as if they might spit fire.
"Oh, my apologies," Asura suddenly said, her tone dripping with mock sincerity. "I forgot. You don't have a father."
The moment the words fell, Ares struck first.
The chariot and divine bull vanished in an instant, slipping through space itself as Ares's form slammed straight into Asura.
BOOM!
It was like a meteor crashing into the earth. Every structure in the Seireitei shattered in that instant.
Even the entire fabricated world shook violently.
Dust filled the air, red light and pure white radiance flashing and colliding.
Within that glow, a terrifying shockwave kept rippling outward.
Ares's foul mouth and cheap attack had clearly ignited the true fury of the Asura queen.
Ryo's gaze flickered. His fingers moved, and in the blink of an eye, he swapped the worldline.
The dust vanished. The tremors faded. The shattered Seireitei snapped back into its original form, as if nothing had happened.
"Oh?"
Ares stood in the sky, his feet planted on empty air. He raised an eyebrow and scoffed.
"Flashy little trick."
He descended slowly and landed about fifty meters in front of Ryo. After settling into place, he snorted, "I hate it when women butt into a fight, but that bastard daughter is pretty strong. You wouldn't last five minutes against her."
Ryo, having quietly coordinated with Ares to push Asura out of the center of the battlefield, frowned. "So?"
Ares grinned, his tone playful. "Don't play dumb. I'm asking if you're willing to surrender within five minutes."
Ryo's expression didn't change. He only sighed, "Honestly, there's no deep grudge between us, is there?"
Ares blinked, then shot back, "Since when do men need a deep grudge to fight?"
He frowned, then waved it off.
"Humans are such a pain. Whether it's fighting or killing, you always need a reason. You've got brains, but you waste them on pointless things."
After venting, his grin spread wider, turning savage. "But if you really want a reason, I've got one."
He laughed loudly, "Because beating the hell out of Athena's little lover will feel damn good!"
"How's that for a reason?"
'So that's it…' Ryo's eyes glinted faintly. He sighed again and raised his hand, slowly pulling off his gloves.
"Sure, that counts as a reason. At least to you."
As Ryo spoke, he removed his tie, tossing it aside with the gloves. He shrugged off his coat and undid the top three buttons of his shirt.
"Your fighting spirit's rising," Ares said, frowning, then breaking into a delighted smile. "Not bad, kid. Looks like I misjudged you. You've got some violence in you—"
Before he could finish, a hand filled his vision.
It grew larger and larger, blotting out everything else.
Crunch—
Ryo's fingers clamped around Ares's face. His five fingers drove in with a sickening crack, sinking into the god's skull. Ryo let out a weary sigh.
"I always knew it. People who are too cautious eventually turn into reckless brutes."
"So why push me this far?"
With that soft sigh, power surged through Ryo's waist and right arm.
With a piercing boom of compressed air, he smashed Ares's head straight into the ground.
Boom!
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