The next day, at the summit of the God of War's Mountain, inside a vast, empty arena built on a grand scale.
On the spectator stands,
Athena, Hestia, Medusa, and Euryale sat leisurely, eating pastries while enjoying the show.
At the center of the arena, Stheno folded her arms and looked at the figure walking out from the opposite gate, her gaze filled with mockery.
"Fight me? Are you sure?"
"What, scared?"
Lorne nodded, smiling as he deliberately provoked her.
At once, the proud and arrogant Stheno was furious, gritting her silver teeth as she was about to lash out.
However, just as she was about to act, the anger on her face abruptly vanished, and stopped in place, sneering at him.
"Cut it out! You're definitely digging another pit for me, using this as an excuse to gang up on me with that woman and beat me again!"
As she spoke, Stheno cast a furtive, slightly fearful glance toward Hestia sitting in the stands.
Then she turned back, her face full of smug confidence, as if she had already seen through everything.
Lorne smiled indifferently and made a solemn promise. "Relax. It's a fair duel. Also Athena's watching, she won't step in."
"Really? You're not lying to me?"
"I swear on the River Styx!"
With a serious expression,
Lorne raised his right hand and declared the fairness of the duel to the Styx beneath the earth.
With a solid guarantee in place, Stheno finally felt reassured, though she was still somewhat hesitant.
"A sparring match is fine, but without any stakes, it's too boring."
"So?"
"If I win, you stand there obediently and let me whip you a hundred times!"
Stheno immediately threw out her condition, staring darkly at him as she finally revealed her true intentions.
This bastard had relied on Hestia backing him up and used her power to bully others, whipping her and Euryale several times.
She had wanted revenge for a long time!
Lorne neither confirmed nor denied it, smiling as he asked instead,
"And if you lose?"
"Me? Lose? Don't make me laugh!"
"If you do?"
"Then I'll let you whip me a hundred times!"
Stheno replied casually, looking completely fearless.
She was already used to being whipped anyway.
At worst, she'd just grit her teeth and endure a few more times.
However, Lorne shook his head, looking rather uninterested, and turned as if he were about to leave.
"Whip you? I'm bored of that. No fun…"
"Wait! Then what do you want?"
Seeing that he wasn't taking the bait, Stheno immediately panicked and waved him back.
Lorne raised his hand to stroke his chin, thinking for a moment.
Then, as if a sudden idea struck him, he slammed his fist into his palm...
At this moment, his raised face was full of smiles.
"How about this, if you lose, you whip her! A hundred lashes. Hard!"
Following the direction of Lorne's finger, Stheno couldn't help but look toward a familiar figure in the stands, who was happily eating melon seeds and enjoying the drama.
Sensing the invisible pressure suddenly targeting her, Euryale instantly bristled, jumping to her feet and angrily shouting,
"You bastard! Don't even think about sowing discord between me and my sister! She would never—"
"I agree!"
Before her sister could finish, Stheno in the arena hurriedly nodded, afraid Lorne might change his mind.
If she won, she could whip her enemy a hundred times.
If she lost, she'd whip Euryale a hundred times.
Either way, none of the punishment landed on her.
It was a massive win!
After quickly sorting out the logic and stakes, Stheno looked excited, even proactively swearing an oath on the River Styx as a guarantee.
Watching her beloved sister sell her out so smoothly, Euryale froze in shock on the stands.
"Sister, you…"
"Don't worry. I won't lose, and I definitely won't let my dear little sister get hurt. You'll just have to suffer a bit for now."
Stheno turned back and smiled reassuringly at Euryale, who was visibly displeased, then casually threw out a tempting offer she had already prepared.
"How about this, after I win and beat that guy, we each whip him fifty times."
Hearing this, the gloom in Euryale's heart was instantly swept away, and she nodded excitedly in agreement.
She had long wanted to beat that guy up anyway.
It was a rare chance, so there was no reason to miss it.
No need to think further. I'm in!
But then, Euryale's expression suddenly changed as she turned to look behind her.
"Medusa, what are you doing?"
At that moment, Lorne subconsciously looked up, only to see that the row of seats behind Euryale was completely empty.
Euryale turned back toward Lorne, an insidious, playful smile spreading across her face.
Her lips moved silently, forming words without sound.
"You fell for it."
At the same time, a swift purple blur shot forward like lightning, arriving in an instant as a fierce gust of force slammed toward Lorne's face.
"Boom!"
Violent aetheric turbulence blasted outward in all directions.
The ground trembled violently as dust and debris filled the air.
Direct hit!
Feeling the solid impact through her arm, Stheno, who had launched the surprise attack, curved her lips upward.
She exchanged a tacit glance with her sister Euryale in the stands.
The two nearly identical pretty faces showed the same malicious grin.
They were snakes. They never played fair. Ambushes were their nature.
Falling for something so obvious could only mean the opponent was stupid.
A cold smile crept onto Stheno's lips as her monstrous strength surged with the flow of aether, crashing forward like a collapsing mountain or raging sea.
Snakes possess an extraordinary number of muscles, far more than humans.
An adult human theoretically has 700–800 muscles, but a snake has roughly 10,000–15,000.
Not only can they use these muscles to move swiftly, they can also unleash strength many times greater than their size to crush prey to death.
Likewise, as a serpentine divine being, Stheno looked petite and cute on the outside, yet possessed terrifying brute strength.
With a light slap, she could shatter stone into powder.
A direct hit like that...even a Titan's body would have to lie down obediently.
So I've won for sure. Get ready to be whipped, idiot!
Stheno excitedly increased the pressure, ready to complete the long-planned revenge with ease.
However, that slender arm suddenly stopped in midair, unable to advance even an inch.
"Trying to gang up on me, huh?
Looks like you two haven't been beaten hard enough yet."
A low voice came from within the dust, freezing the excitement on Stheno's face and instinctively tried to pull her arm back.
But it was already too late.
A hand clamped down on Stheno's wrist.
"Buzz!"
Along with a trembling hum in the air, a heavy, golden radiance poured out and a powerful force invaded her body, causing Stheno's face to turn pale as she cried out in pain.
His physical strength is even greater than ours? How is that possible?!
The sudden reversal left Stheno in disbelief as she stared at her opponent in shock.
As the dust settled, she clearly saw that Lorne, who had been ambushed—was standing calmly in place, unmoving.
The divine power surging within him formed the phantom of a golden bull.
That overwhelming strength came from there!
Just as Stheno was still immersed in shock, a low, mocking voice sounded from across from her.
"Done enjoying yourself? Then it's my turn."
In an instant, the arm gripping her like iron tongs yanked her up as if she were a torn sack, then smashed her backhanded into the hard ground.
(End of Chapter)