"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
One ring of light after another was punched through by the spear. From each rupture, crimson-black sparks scattered, and like fire meeting oil, they clung to the rings and violently burned the Ether inside to ash.
Stripped of their glow, the barriers shattered like crystal. The black serpent formed from the cross spear surged forward without slowing, only trembling and falling at last after it pierced straight through Sefar's abdominal stellar core.
"Crack…"
A crisp fracture rang out from the Alien vanguard's abdomen. Crimson-black, light-like fissures spread through the monster's limbs and frame.
Had he finally won?
Samael curled a finger, manipulating space to draw his cross spear back. He stared at Sefar, slumped sideways and apparently powerless, and at the golden-blue fragments breaking away from her body and dropping into the sea. Relief washed over him, and he let out a long breath, though the fingers gripping the spear still trembled slightly.
A narrow win at the very end…
Just as the Ancient Serpent began to siphon Ether from the surroundings, wings beating as he prepared to return, his gaze flicked to the coastline where the battle still raged, and his pupils snapped tight.
No. Those things… they're still moving!
Sefar… hadn't shut down!
"Hum!"
At the same time, twelve light rings high above the sea of stars automatically refocused, stirring the Ether tides with a vast, resonant tremor.
In the next instant, a pillar of light, blue as the ocean and golden as starlight, descended from the heavens and poured over Sefar's collapsing body.
"Sizzle!"
The crimson-black serpentine dark patterns began to shrink back and dim, until they vanished completely. The curse Samael had forced into Sefar with everything he had was being erased.
Worse still, under that golden-blue beam, the shattered stellar core sealed itself again. The disintegrating fragments of her body slid back into place, restoring her as if nothing had happened.
What the hell is that?!
Samael's face twisted. The cross-shaped star pupils in his eyes opened wide as he looked up.
Among the constellations, a silver-white, tear-shaped celestial body was shining.
"Hum!"
Then an even stronger tremor rippled through the starry sky. A crimson demon star, dragging a long tail of flame, plunged toward the inner bay of the Aegean Sea.
Boom!
The explosion threw up a wave that towered for ten thousand meters, and thick white mist boiled into the air across the sea.
Through the haze, an oval metallic object shaped like a teardrop floated on the water. Its surface blossomed with tangled, dense golden-blue star patterns, and it slowly opened.
A moment later, the fog churned violently, and a gigantic white figure, glowing from head to toe, emerged in a bleak, towering outline. Its hollow, unfathomable eyes radiated a chill that had nothing to do with mercy.
A second Alien vanguard…
Damn it. What did I do to deserve this? What did Greece do to deserve this?!
You bastard, are we really that worth your attention?!
Samael's eyes burned with grief and fury as he stared at that tear-shaped light among the endless stars, cursing under his breath.
Just then, the white giant advanced toward the shore, dragging a tidal wave made from billions of tons of seawater. Island arcs in its path shattered and broke apart.
No… its target is Athens!
Everyone's faces changed as they saw which city-state lay in that line of advance.
As the white giant drew closer and closer, Samael was about to pull back and deal with the immediate crisis first.
But a ten-thousand-meter seven-colored sword light slammed in like a thunderbolt.
Caught off guard, the Ancient Serpent could only hurriedly bring up the cross spear.
Rumble!
In an instant, spear and sword collided, and Samael was smashed straight into the sea, sending waves several meters high exploding outward.
At that moment, Sefar reversed his grip on the sword hilt. His chest resonated with a deep vibration as star patterns across his entire body pulsed and flickered. Between light and shadow, the light rings suspended above him spread open one by one, their focus aligning with the tear-shaped celestial bodies far above.
"Star Core Link activated. Weapon authorization granted. Countdown to firing: two seconds. Tear Star: Sword of the God of War!"
As the apertures of the seven-colored light rings completed their focus, a blazing white beam, formed from the fusion of all seven hues, plunged from the heavens at blinding speed. Like a red-hot blade cutting through butter, it effortlessly split the sea and slammed into the spot where Samael had fallen.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Amid the layered explosions, the seabed crust rumbled violently. Nearby underwater volcanoes erupted in response, thick black smoke boiling up to the surface and filling the air with a choking sulfur stench. Vast clouds of volcanic ash were hurled skyward, nearly blotting out the sky, painting the scene with unmistakable apocalyptic ruin.
Yet after that single strike that parted the sea and severed the currents, Sefar abruptly ceased his assault. Slowly lifting his head, his blood-red eyes locked onto a slender figure emerging from rippling air along the Aegean coastline.
"Cough… cough…"
Samael's face was pale as he clutched his chest, coughing violently. The divine core within him, its glow dulled, throbbed with a faint but persistent pain.
That was close.
If I hadn't sensed the danger in time and forced my way through the blockade with spatial authority, a hit like that would've killed me outright, or at least left me crippled.
The Ancient Serpent silently acknowledged his narrow escape, his wariness toward the Alien Vanguard deepening once more.
"This one has no intention of landing. We'll hold it here. You join Athena and the others and deal with the other one first!"
At the same time, Prometheus leapt forward, vaulting over the sea, still turning his head to shout a warning to his old friend.
Blood mist surged around Medusa as purplish-red serpent scales crept up both sides of her face. Her legs fused together, flesh twisting and knotting as they transformed into a powerful serpent tail, openly revealing a more fearsome divine-monster form.
Chiron immediately understood. His divine core spun at full speed, drawing down starlight as luminous arrows shot out in succession, sniping the giant war machines and other monsters in their path, clearing a corridor for the Seer's advance.
The remaining elite fighters—Echidna, Heracles, Orion, Perseus, Peleus, and others—each invoked the True Names of their divine armaments, unleashing their full might to buy time for a swift resolution on the other front.
This Alien Vanguard had only just descended upon Greece and had yet to absorb enough spirit particles for full evolution. Its strength was still inferior to Sefar's.
A calculated gamble. Best against weakest. If there's a chance, we take it.
Seeing the situation reach a deadlock, Samael chose to gamble everything. His wings beat violently as he turned into a streak of light and shot toward the Athenian coastline.
"Hey, brat. Over here!"
The Ancient Serpent drew his golden bow and fired repeatedly at the white giant advancing into the near sea.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
As the blades pierced into the white giant's body and detonated inside, the golden-blue star patterns across its upper form flickered erratically. The monster finally halted, turning its head toward Samael and releasing a shrill, incomprehensible roar.
"Now comes the moment of judgment. Hear the voice of the stars. Your virtue weighs lighter than your sins. Justice shall be enacted. Order shall be restored here. The Celestial Tribunal!"
A cold, ethereal chant descended from the War God's Mountain. The sky darkened abruptly as starlight drawn from the vast cosmos fell like a translucent curtain, enveloping the white giant.
Themis stepped through the air, the jewel-studded Sword of Justice in her hand. The star-forged scales at the hilt tipped heavily toward the white giant's side, as though burdened with the wails of countless亡 souls, while the opposite side rose high, radiating dense starlight steeped in solemn chill.
"Hear the song of triumph. I shall call forth victory!"
At the same moment, amid that solemn proclamation, Athena charged forth from the towering walls of the Acropolis, riding Pegasus and wielding the Spear of Victory and the Aegis.
Three figures of light advanced from three directions, moving in perfect coordination. Their opening strike was already a devastating killing move, each clearly aware of the others' intent.