Diana's eyes widened with astonishment as she turned to look at her mother.
When had the Amazons ever been conquered?
Why had she never heard about such a thing?
Hippolyta's expression darkened, the anger on her face carrying a trace of humiliation that only appears when someone exposes a long-buried secret.
"Those events happened thousands of years ago," she said coldly. "They are a shameful chapter in Amazon history. How do you know about them?"
Her gaze locked onto Victor.
The man sitting on her throne felt increasingly mysterious. Not only did he possess terrifying power close to that of a god, but he also seemed to know secrets that had long been forgotten by the outside world.
Victor leaned slightly back against the throne.
"That was a long time ago," he said calmly.
"Heracles, the legendary Greek hero and son of Zeus, was once mocked by others. They said that although his strength could shake mountains, he would never be able to conquer the women of Paradise Island."
His voice echoed slowly through the palace.
"The hero came here with his warriors, determined to conquer the island. But the Amazon Queen at the time possessed a magical belt given to her by Aphrodite, the goddess of love."
Victor's gaze drifted toward Hippolyta.
"And with that belt, she defeated Heracles."
"That's enough!"
Hippolyta's face showed a mixture of anger and shame as she tried to interrupt him.
"It was all the instigation of Ares, the evil god of war."
Victor ignored her attempt completely.
Around the hall, many Amazons who had been born in later generations looked utterly confused. Clearly they had never heard about this ancient history before.
Victor wanted them to hear it.
The Amazons liked to claim they could never be conquered. He intended to show them how fragile that pride really was.
"It's unfortunate," he continued calmly, "that the queen who defeated Heracles was later deceived by him. He stole the magical belt, and without its power she was captured."
His voice remained steady.
"The entire Amazon race became prisoners of Heracles."
He paused slightly, almost as if emphasizing the word deception.
Hippolyta's expression shifted constantly as she stood before the throne.
Victor had already been generous in his wording. The reality was even more humiliating.
The Amazons had not simply been conquered.
They had been enslaved completely.
"You were already conquered once long ago," Victor said lightly. "So don't pretend you would rather die than surrender."
"If I still possessed the goddess's belt—"
Hippolyta clenched her fists tightly.
Her teeth ground together as she glared at Victor with burning fury.
"If the belt were still in my hands, outsider, you would never be sitting on my throne today!"
The magical belt gifted by Aphrodite had once granted her power rivaling that of the gods themselves. Even Heracles—the legendary son of Zeus—had been utterly defeated by her before ascending to godhood.
Just an outsider like this man?
Victor shook his head slightly.
"Losers always have excuses," he said calmly.
"Whether that belt could help you defeat me doesn't really matter now."
His lips curved faintly.
"After all, the belt is gone."
Victor tilted his head slightly as if considering something.
"Let me guess. It disappeared after you were… captured by a man, and the goddess of love eventually took it back?"
In truth, for a man to obtain a woman's magical belt involved more than simple trickery.
Aphrodite had been deeply disappointed in Hippolyta because of that incident. She originally planned to abandon Paradise Island entirely.
But when Hippolyta saw the suffering of her enslaved people, she repented and prayed desperately to the goddess of love for help.
Eventually Aphrodite relented.
She intervened and drove away Heracles, freeing the Amazons.
After that day, Amazon women began wearing bracelets as a permanent reminder.
"It was meant to remind the Amazons never to forget the days they lived as slaves," Victor continued. "A constant warning to remain wary of outsiders—especially men."
"You want the Amazons to kneel again," Hippolyta said coldly.
"That will never happen."
Her voice trembled with anger.
This part of Amazon history was the deepest humiliation they carried. She couldn't understand why Victor, who clearly knew the full truth, hadn't revealed the worst details publicly.
Doing so would have shattered both her authority as queen and the dignity of her people.
Yet even though he had spared her that humiliation, she could not feel the slightest gratitude toward him.
He was still an invader who wanted to enslave Paradise Island once again.
"Because we understand the pain of losing freedom," Hippolyta declared loudly.
Her voice echoed through the ancient hall as she addressed her people.
"We know that living without freedom is worse than death!"
Many Amazons had just learned about their ancestors' enslavement moments ago. Their confidence had been shaken, but Hippolyta's words ignited their spirit again.
"The gods watch over us!" she continued. "We are not afraid to return to their embrace."
At the mention of the gods, the Amazon warriors straightened.
Their eyes filled with fierce determination.
"Outsider!" one warrior shouted.
"You may kill us all, but you will never take our dignity!"
The Amazons had been created by the gods from the souls of women who died tragically at the hands of men. Their bodies had been formed from clay mixed with divine power.
If they died, they believed their souls would simply return to the gods.
What was there to fear?
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Victor slowly applauded.
"I admire your willingness to die rather than surrender."
He knew they meant it.
In countless legends and stories, Paradise Island had been invaded and even destroyed many times. Yet the Amazons had never surrendered to outsiders.
"In that case," Victor said calmly, "it seems I'll only end up with an empty Paradise Island as my private collection."
He stood up slowly from the throne.
The sword in his hand gleamed as he ran a finger along its blade, as if preparing it for slaughter.
The simple gesture sent a wave of fear through the hall.
Even the bravest Amazon warriors instinctively stepped back. Their hearts pounded as if they were facing some unstoppable monster from mythology.
"Outsider, you are not allowed to harm my people!"
Diana struggled desperately to rise.
But the Lasso of Truth bound her so tightly that she could barely move. The rope wrapped around her body like a cocoon, leaving her almost helpless.
For Wonder Woman, the Lasso of Truth was nearly as restrictive as kryptonite was for Superman.
"If you hurt them," Diana said through clenched teeth, "I'll make you pay in blood."
Even with her strength suppressed by the rope, she forced herself to stand.
Victor flicked the sword casually.
Diana immediately lost her balance and fell back onto the throne again in an awkward heap.
"There's nothing threatening about you right now," he said calmly.
He glanced down at her.
"Perhaps I'll keep the Amazon princess as a trophy after I destroy your legendary tribe."
His gaze moved across the hall again.
"Wait."
Hippolyta suddenly spoke.
Her expression tightened as if she were facing a monster from ancient myth.
"Any final words?" Victor asked lightly.
He stood there with the sword in hand, completely relaxed.
To him, slaughtering the Amazons seemed like a trivial task.
Behind Hippolyta, the warriors' hearts pounded loudly as they watched their queen.
"For outsiders," Hippolyta said slowly, "Heracles—the son of Zeus—once completed twelve legendary trials."
Her eyes locked firmly on Victor.
"Those trials made him a hero known throughout the world. Countless warriors followed him and willingly sacrificed their lives for him."
Her palms were damp with sweat.
She had personally witnessed Victor's terrifying strength. The entire Amazon tribe had experienced it.
"If you can accomplish a feat greater than the Twelve Labors of Heracles," she continued, "the Amazons will surrender to you."
This was no longer the ancient Age of Gods.
Most of the old gods had already left the world.
Hippolyta wasn't even certain whether the souls of her people would truly return to the gods if they died.
And even if they did…
The Amazons had lived freely on Paradise Island for thousands of years. The divine realm might not offer the same freedom.
They might even become servants there.
"A feat greater than the Twelve Labors?" Victor repeated with a sneer.
He looked at the warriors standing below him, all of them terrified yet defiant.
"My intention was never to destroy the Amazons," he thought calmly.
Destroying them would bring him no real benefit. It would only create enemies who might eventually return for revenge.
The Amazons were persistent warriors.
Even if he killed them now, some might survive and pursue vengeance later.
"Conquering them is the better option," Victor concluded.
"They will hate me, fear me, and resent me—but they will still remain under my rule."
A strange glimmer flashed in his eyes.
Victor's mocking expression made Hippolyta feel as if she had been slapped.
Only moments ago she had declared that the Amazons would rather die than surrender. Now she was offering conditions for surrender.
But she had no choice.
For the sake of her daughter and her people, the queen had to endure the humiliation.
"Twelve labors?" Diana murmured, frowning in confusion.
"A feat greater than Heracles…?"
....
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