All that emotional talk just now—was it all for nothing?
Athena took a deep breath, her gently rising chest quivering slightly.
Then, she couldn't help but laugh. "As expected of you, Sage."
"As expected indeed," Rovi answered smoothly.
Yet, in truth, he'd gained new insight into the goddess before him.
She had placed an extremely heavy stake on the table.
The promise of a goddess was rare in the Age of Gods.
But promising everything often meant promising nothing at all.
The scope of "everything" was entirely determined by the god themselves.
After all, this was the age when the gods dictated everything.
Never mind ordinary people—even Rovi had nearly fallen into that trap. Fortunately, he had reacted just in time.
"Benefits first, action later." Rovi stretched out a hand.
Athena fell silent for a moment.
She studied the youthful-looking, foreign sage in front of her, slightly narrowing her crimson eyes.
"Fine…"
She began, her delicate, lovely features shimmering faintly with divine radiance. A sense of sacredness emerged as she spoke, "In the name of Athena, I hereby—"
"Grant you victory everlasting in war…"
The goddess's blessing began manifesting once more.
"No blessings allowed."
"?"
"I said, no blessings allowed." Rovi was entirely serious. What kind of joke was this? If he never lost, how would he ever die?
"Give me a different one."
Athena's expression instantly froze.
Did he think this was a marketplace? Asking to change it on the spot? I'm a goddess—show some respect!
Yet she truly felt her blessing being rejected—something impossible for ordinary mortals, but easy enough for Rovi.
The strength of a god's Authority depended on the era it covered. The older the Authority, the more powerful.
Rovi was no god, but he was 'humanity' rooted in primordial times.
Rejecting it was effortless.
Of course, Athena didn't perceive this clearly; she merely felt that her released "Mystery" had run into a wall—impossible to penetrate.
Rovi waved dismissively. "How about you grant me… a blessing of certain defeat?"
"…"
She'd seen all kinds of demands before, but never anything quite this bizarre.
...
"Is it up ahead?"
Half a day later, beneath a blazing sun and clear sky, Rovi stood atop a slightly elevated hill outside Athens, gazing down at distant figures.
They clashed, confronted, and rushed around. Flashing blades and arrows imbued with divine Mystery tore through the air, blasting craters onto the earth.
There weren't that many fighters, yet the battle was fierce enough—this was the Age of Gods, after all. Thanks to the nature of the Greek pantheon, warfare rarely fell short of intensity, even compared to earlier, more mystical eras.
Battles between gods, carried out by humans, were characteristic of the Greek Age of Heroes.
The struggle among countless city-states represented the contest between the gods backing them.
Naturally, the gods did not hesitate to bestow their blessings.
"Athens… and Sparta, huh?" Rovi observed for a moment.
On Athens' side, mages in flowing robes stood beside classical Greek warriors wielding swords. Spartans wore uniform armor, tall warriors holding spears and shields.
Though he'd agreed to help Athena, Rovi didn't act immediately. He carefully felt the blessing within himself:
FROM NOW ON VICTORY WILL ELUDE YOU.
Athena was the goddess of wisdom and war, as well as the patroness of victory and triumph. She couldn't guarantee his defeat, but ensuring victory stayed out of his reach had a similar effect.
This had been Rovi's sudden inspiration—and an unexpected gift.
"Well then, let's test its effects!" Rovi smiled with satisfaction. He flexed his body lightly, eager to test this near-negative blessing—perhaps it would push him toward a certain death scenario. If not, he could always disable it using the still-intact powers of the Key of Heaven later.
The next moment, he leaped from the hilltop straight onto the battlefield.
The earth trembled slightly.
Though he was just one man, his descent felt like an army stampeding forward, instantly capturing the attention of both sides.
"By Athena… what is that?"
"Is it some secret weapon from Athens?"
"Who cares! Sparta is invincible under Ares's protection!"
"Quick, quick, he's charging toward us!"
"Stop him—!"
His linen robe whipped violently in motion, flapping under the bright sunlight as Rovi became a white whirlwind, plunging into Spartan ranks.
Some screamed in fear, others in shock—but quickly realized…
No one fell. No one was injured.
Under the blessing Victory Will Elude You, Rovi's strikes never found their targets, unable to fell anyone, thus unable to claim victory.
He came to an abrupt halt, instantly surrounded by spears and shields.
"Not bad at all." Rovi dusted off his immaculate clothing, satisfied.
If he couldn't win anyway… then there was no need for caution, right?
Since that was the case...
He stood straight, calmly glancing around.
"Is this all Sparta has to offer?"
Short, concise—but absolute arrogance and provocation taken to the extreme.
Since they were enemies, Rovi naturally felt no psychological burden at all.
He intended to provoke everyone to attack him.
Even provoke the war god Ares himself to descend.
To create a potential "death" scenario.
To fight thousands—alone!
Come on—!
To claim victory, you must first overcome me, the man destined never to taste victory again!
"Uoooh!"
The Spartans erupted into furious roars.
...
"Is that… Mister Rovi?" In Athens' distant rear lines, someone stared blankly, instinctively murmuring.
She wore the pure white robes of an Athenian priestess. The fabric clung closely, outlining a petite, slender figure, framed gently by flowing hair. Her voice trembled nervously, somewhat fearful of those beside her.
"Medusa, you know him?" A crisp, youthful voice asked from beside her.
"Yeah, yeah, that guy's not from Athens, right?" another asked from her other side.
"Don't tell me you secretly went out without informing us?"
"Yeah, yeah—sneaking out deserves punishment!"
"N-no, I didn't!"
Facing the two voices, Medusa responded hurriedly, "I-I only just met him with Lady Athena outside the city…"
"Hmm? Really?"
One sounded doubtful.
"Well, if Medusa says so, let's believe her. Anyway, he looks like he's here to help us, right, Euryale?"
"Since Sister says so. But if you're lying, you know what the punishment will be, right, Medusa…?"
"Come to think of it, that guy seems pretty interesting, huh, Euryale?"
"Yeah, yeah…"
Medusa lowered her head, glancing nervously at the two nearly identical girls beside her—her elder sisters—with visible anxiety.
---
T/N: LMAOOOOO oh lord victory will elude him... ROVI UR VICTORY IS DYING!!!! U FOOOL!
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