Across the vast, ethereal Machine God Corridor, the Argonaut heroes advanced in formation, shields raised and spears leveled.
With Triton, the son of the Sea God, taken hostage, the Olympian soldiers lining the route had no choice but to retreat again and again.
Reaching the end of the corridor without incident, Circe and Medea received feedback through sensory Magecraft and gave a slight nod, signaling that the path ahead was safe.
As a group with plenty of experience stirring up trouble, the Argonauts split into squads with practiced ease. They ascended the spiral stairways one by one, keeping the hostage and the most critical members of the Areopagus faction firmly in the center.
According to Triton's directions, once they passed through the Machine God Corridor and climbed the spiral stairs, they would reach the summit of the Interstellar Mountain City of Olympus, the ring-shaped structure known as Kronos's Crown.
The sacrificial mermaid, Rhoda, was being held at the very core of the Great Altar.
With a hostage leading the way, the Argonauts broke through layer after layer of defenses and quickly reached the Great Altar.
Along the way, a few guards attempted reckless moves, but with Atalanta, Selene, and Heracles providing coordinated support as three top-tier archers, those who overestimated themselves were picked off by ghostly arrows before they could get close.
Seeing this, the autonomous defensive devices and Olympian soldiers guarding the route grew even more wary of Triton's safety. They could only watch as the band of ruthless intruders swaggered up to the bronze doors and pushed their way into the sacred forbidden zone of the Great Altar.
As the bronze doors closed once more, temporarily cutting off the outside threat, the group—whose nerves had been stretched tight the entire way—finally let out a small sigh of relief. They turned to look around, their gazes eventually settling on the center, their expressions turning strange.
Above them, the open-air dome was a massive hollow star disc, drawing down countless rays of starlight that converged into a luminous cage imprisoning the sacrifice.
Below it, dense Magecraft arrays carved with divine runes interlocked perfectly with the sealed area of the light prison.
All of that was perfectly normal.
The problem was… mermaids and whales are not even the same species, okay?
The Argonauts stared blankly at the Leviathan whale inside the light cage. Its massive body was curled into a ball, its skin coated in a gray-black sheen, frozen in place like a stone statue. They exchanged looks, snapping back to reality, a wave of frustration washing over them.
Where was their little guide? Where was their mermaid?
"Wait, look. Isn't this the Leviathan she used to ride?"
After stepping closer to observe for a moment, the Prince of Calydon was the first to react, frowning as he spoke.
Drawn by his words, the Argonauts examined it more closely. From the familiar patterns, contours, and sheer size, they immediately confirmed its identity.
That's right, it's that one.
And… it smells pretty good…
Some of the Argonauts, memories stirred, found strange thoughts surfacing in their minds and swallowed unconsciously.
Focus. Focus.
What were they here to do again? Right, find the girl.
If her whale was here, then where was she?
Full of doubts, everyone looked around, then followed the hostage's gaze back to the Leviathan whale curled into a ball.
Don't tell me…
Snap!
At that moment, an almost inaudible snap of fingers sent an invisible ripple through the air.
Crack!
The gray-black hardened shell coating the Leviathan's skin inside the light cage split apart and peeled away.
The sea beast, which occupied most of the altar, moved like a snake waking from hibernation. It shook its head and tail, stretched its body, and after a brief bout of writhing, opened its massive mouth and expelled a gush of salty seawater.
Wrapped within a faint blue membrane, a small figure was clearly visible inside.
Plop…
As the protective layer shattered, the little mermaid Rhode yawned and opened her sleepy eyes. Still groggy, she looked around, only to see the Argonaut heroes gathered all around her, staring straight at her.
She froze, her small face filling with embarrassment and confusion.
"You… you're here? How did you get here?"
You actually managed to sleep through all that? Kid, you really need to be more alert.
The Argonaut heroes, who had been dragged into this mess for no clear reason, couldn't help feeling both amused and exasperated. In the end, Orpheus, the one most skilled in epic song and storytelling, squatted in front of the light prison and quietly explained everything to the little mermaid, from both sides' circumstances to the situation they were currently in.
As the girl let out soft gasps of amazement, her face cycling through confusion, worry, and embarrassment, the others couldn't help laughing along. The heavy, stifling tension of what had been a deadly encirclement eased considerably.
Unfortunately, the light prison itself was unbreakable. It seemed fused not only with the entire Great Altar, but even with the surrounding ring-shaped structure, [Crown of Kronos].
The Argonauts took turns trying their hand at it. Those with weaker strength couldn't break through its defenses at all, while those with greater power risked destroying the entire Great Altar, along with the little mermaid inside.
Still, Rhode, trapped within, was a natural optimist. None of this dampened her enthusiasm for chattering away with the Argonaut heroes.
Selene, Atalanta, Caenis, Circe, and the other women couldn't resist gathering around, teasing and doting on the sweet, clumsy little girl.
Meanwhile, Samael, the seasoned ringleader tasked with holding the hostage, leaned against a sea-patterned divine pillar at the edge of the altar. From afar, he met the resentful, mournful gaze of the Leviathan whale, his eyes half-lidded with a sly glint.
Deep within the sea beast's pupils, a blood-red shadow in the shape of an ouroboros slowly swirled.
Alright. Cards on the table.
He had to admit it. The Atalanta people hadn't grabbed the wrong culprit. This mess really was on him.
Back when he parted ways with the little guide in the Storm Sea, Samael had already sensed something ominous. The wind pillars, massive whirlpools, crashing rocks, all of it felt wrong.
So, to be safe, he had left behind a small precaution inside the Leviathan whale he had personally modified and rebuilt, to ensure Rhode's safety.
Logically, with a Sea Emperor Clan guide familiar with the Storm Sea leading the way, they should have passed through without incident.
Yet along the journey, trouble kept cropping up. Even the so-called safe route mapped out by the Sea Emperor Clan had become unreliable.
It felt as though someone, or some hidden force, was deliberately preventing the Argo from entering. Now it seemed likely that the goal had been to conceal the very existence of Atalanta.
That reckless little girl, when they parted, had assumed the sea charts were wrong. Worried that her surfaced kin might suffer as a result, she rushed back to warn them.
What she didn't realize was that the same force interfering with the Argo was also pushing her straight into danger.
That was why Samael had been uneasy from the start. There was no guarantee her own people had good intentions toward Rhode.
Fortunately, he had left behind a protective divine seal inside the Leviathan whale. The moment it sensed danger to the girl, it would activate immediately.
Publicly speaking, the Paradise Island they were searching for might well require this girl's "enthusiastic" guidance.
Privately speaking, he simply liked this friendly little guide. Helping her out on a whim felt only natural.
And just as expected, when Rhode returned and was prepared as a sacrifice on the Great Altar, the Leviathan whale became an insurance policy no one could crack. It successfully stalled things until the Argonaut heroes returned and ventured deep into the Eye of the Tidal Sea.
Of course, that also led to a problem.
He had inadvertently sabotaged whatever shady business Atlantis was hiding in its Sea God Festival, and in the process, thoroughly screwed over his future ally, Poseidon.
But honestly, it didn't matter.
As long as I don't admit it, who's going to prove I did anything?
Samael muttered to himself, then, after gathering his thoughts, glanced aside with mild boredom.
"Your Highness, if you don't want the entire Great Altar to go up in smoke, release her."
Triton let out a cold snort. After a brief hesitation, he stepped forward, raised his hand, and aligned his palm with the star disc in the dome, twisting it back and forth.
With the trembling hum of shifting mechanisms, the star disc split and retracted, revealing the open sky above. The light prison immediately vanished.
The little mermaid stepped out of the altar's Magecraft array and was instantly swarmed by the women, who hugged and fussed over her like an adorable pet.
Samael cast a mischievous glance at Triton, who stood nearby with a sour expression, stretched lazily, and muttered in satisfaction.
Alright. Prison break complete. All that's left is to head down to the harbor and make a run for it aboard the Argo—
Boom!
Samael's thoughts came to a screeching halt. His right hand shot out at the last second, gripping Heracles's incoming fist in mid-swing. When his eyes caught sight of the faint pink mist rising from the hero's body, his pupils shrank violently.
The authority of Eros? How is that even possible?!
"With such insignificant bodies, you dare profane a god… hehehehe. Tremble—your very existence is desire that throws the stars into chaos!"
At the same time, a light, mocking laugh echoed from above. Samael looked up and saw a pair of pink metallic wings spread across the open dome, silhouetted against the star-filled sky.
Pink mist drifted downward. The male heroes present stiffened, turning their heads with feral expressions toward the few still able to remain conscious.
[True Machine God] — Aphrodite!
Damn it. Don't tell me even Machine Gods are something Atlantis created?!
Just what kind of insane black technology does the Sea Emperor Clan possess?
Samael cursed inwardly as the realization sank in.
...
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