In truth, Sefar bore the designation "Velber 02." The other two roaming star vanguards were naturally "Velber 01" and "Velber 03," the "elder brother" and "younger sister" of the one in the Storm Sea.
As far as Samael knew, only three roaming star vanguards had ever been successfully deployed into the Solar System by the Star-Eater Velber.
Yet those three alone were aimed at the entirety of Earth's Age of Gods.
From conclusions drawn in later eras, traces of their activity appeared across Mesopotamia, Greece, India, the Celtic lands, and beyond.
Among them, the Greek Age of Gods and the Indian Age of Gods were each confirmed to have suffered the arrival of a single roaming star vanguard.
The enemy faced by Zeus and the Greek pantheon was only Unit 02, Sefar.
According to the mythological records of this world, even then, when confronted with a fully grown roaming star vanguard, Zeus had to unite the power of the Twelve Olympians and achieve divine integration to barely secure the chance to eliminate Sefar and prolong the divine era.
Of course, a roaming star vanguard that had not yet undergone deeper advancement was not necessarily capable of crushing heaven and earth outright.
For example, in one divergent future record, the individual that drifted into India seemed to suffer from sheer bad luck. Before it could fully mature, it was devoured by Arjuna, the protagonist of the Indian epic Mahabharata. That act became the foundation of his unified divinity, allowing him to stand at the pinnacle of the Indian Age of Gods.
In the end, the catastrophe unleashed by the roaming star vanguards was thwarted by Earth's united resistance.
So your grand ambition is to conquer the entire Age of Gods? Could you at least show a little more promise?
Damn it, why did you all pile into Greece?
Wasn't there a reservation to go sightseeing in India? Look how nice it is over there. Drink a bowl of Ganges water and you're Indian from that day on!
Who knows, maybe the brothers Karna and Arjuna are waiting for you to drop by. Gods like Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu are all incredibly tempting. Couldn't you go pick a fight with them instead?
And then there's Mesopotamia. That bastard Marduk is the King of Kings who completed divine integration. He's a much bigger obstacle. If you really want to conquer Earth, shouldn't you start by tackling the hard ones? Why come to this run-down corner of Greece to gang up on a bunch of old, weak, and injured relics?
And all three at once. Are you sick in the head?
Thanks so damn much. I'm truly honored that you think so highly of us.
His thoughts in complete disarray, Samael beat his wings and swept toward the coastal wall. From above, he looked down at the floating star vessel unfolding within the Storm Sea, watching as the third roaming star vanguard gradually took solid form, muttering to himself with a hint of nervous hysteria.
Yet no matter how much he complained or seethed with indignation, the reality could not be changed. The three roaming star vanguards, originally meant to land across at least three separate divine-era regions, expand outward, and ultimately reap Earth's civilizations, had now all converged on Greece.
At the same time, Medusa and the others, caught between two roaming star vanguards and locked under the targeting of the Light Wheel, were hanging by a thread, with no room to spare for anything else.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
With the loss of the coastal wall's protection and coordination, thousands of giant god-soldiers surged onto the shore. Swinging spears of pure light, they annihilated every barrier and obstruction within their field of view.
The ground split apart along their advance, everything reduced to scorched ruin. As far as the eye could see, thick smoke rolled across a wasteland of ash and fire.
Close behind came humanoid combat weapons, the Deep Sea Fleet, and creations from the Eukydna arsenal, flooding in like a tidal wave. Any detected civilization substrate was methodically and mercilessly wiped out.
"With these tear-stained marks of lament, I shall play the requiem of civilization—Star Emblem: Annihilation!"
Sefar's voice, growing ever more fluent and chilling, resonated through her chest as she chanted. Gripping the God of War Sword with both hands, blade held upright, the stellar core within her body spun at high speed. Golden-blue star patterns flared across her skin, surging like flowing rivers as they greedily drew in the surrounding ether.
The halo turning in midair was drawn into motion once more, reconnecting with the tear-shaped projection of the falling star. Ring after ring of magecraft arrays formed in rapid succession.
Guided and focused by the halos, light projectiles like a meteor shower plunged straight down, streaking through the air as they swarmed toward the sea surface and the coastline.
Medusa and her group, already locked in a desperate struggle with another roaming star vanguard and pushed to the limits of their strength, were about to become the primary targets of this concentrated bombardment.
At the last possible instant, a dark arc of black light slashed diagonally in from the shore. A crescent-shaped blade swept through the air, seeming slow yet arriving in a blink, like a tailor's knife ripping open a curtain. Along its path, it tore open a long, narrow fissure of pitch-black darkness, as though trying to cleave the mortal world in two.
Parallel Space Interference—Distortion!
Samael descended with wings spread wide, veins bulging at his temples as his fingers curled forward.
The elongated spatial rift he had carved open immediately expanded, its eerie, shadow-filled depths swallowing the star-patterned light projectiles released by Sefar in one gulp.
In the next moment, silver-gray light patterns bloomed around that roaming star vanguard. The star-patterned shots that had vanished into the spatial fissure now came crashing back out like a torrential meteor rain, slamming into its body.
Staggered by the sudden disruption, the roaming star vanguard's movements slowed for a split second. Medusa seized the opening at once, unfurling her pale yellow wings and beating them hard as she pulled away.
Beside her, Prometheus let out a sharp whistle, summoning his old companion, the Caucasus Divine Eagle. Grabbing onto its talons, he retreated as well, withdrawing from the battlefield shrouded by the star rings.
At the same time, the cross spear in the Ancient Serpent's hands had already been released into the primordial form of the Scythe of Kronos.
"Laaaa!"
Having taken that hit, Sefar's attention clearly locked onto its previous foe. Amid the chanting of a sacred hymn, the God of War Sword in its grasp transformed into a brilliant rainbow pillar, sweeping horizontally toward Samael with thunderous force.
Amid the violent ether turbulence, the Ancient Serpent barely managed to raise his arm to block the seven-colored beam. He held on for only a brief moment before being blasted away.
Bang!
A figure dove down from above, pale yellow wings spreading wide to catch Samael as he fell like a meteor.
Cradled in something soft, the Ancient Serpent cracked his eyes open. When he saw that cool, mature face, the tension coiled tight in his chest finally eased.
A Gorgon with an older-sister vibe? The fun kind, no less. As expected, this form really was the most tempting.
But after prolonged, brutal fighting, both of them had already expended enormous amounts of divine power. Under the force of Sefar's synchronized strike, Medusa, displaying her monstrous aspect, could not hold out for long. She plunged downward, crashing toward the coastline.
Fortunately, the two were veterans of countless battles and worked in perfect sync. Before Medusa could lose control from exhaustion, Samael forcibly summoned the cross spear, driving it deep into the ground to bleed off their remaining momentum. In the end, they landed safely, a close call but no disaster.
The moment they stabilized themselves, giant god-soldiers and combat puppets in the vicinity swarmed toward them like sharks drawn by the scent of blood.
"Roar!"
"Woof!"
"Hiss!"
At the same time, bestial roars echoed across the battlefield. The Colchis Dragon, Cerberus, Hydra, and other offspring of Typhon churned the ether, charging headlong through the monster horde.
Working in seamless coordination, the divine beasts and monsters either pounced and tore or spewed venomous magical fluids, scattering broken limbs and mangled remains. They formed a moving bulwark around Samael and Medusa, fighting as they withdrew, escorting them safely to rejoin the main force that had fallen back to the next defensive line.
The Ancient Serpent took the stamina potion prepared by the god of healing and downed it in one gulp, recovering a bit of strength. He lifted his gaze to survey the battlefield, his brow knitting tightly.
In the direction of Athens, Zeus was leading the Olympian gods in a fierce battle against another roaming star vanguard. Though they held a slight advantage, the thing could continually reassemble itself even after being shattered, making it an exceptionally troublesome opponent.
As for the Peloponnese Peninsula, which had held out for several hours, the collapse of the coastal wall meant that the plan to prevent the roaming star vanguards from landing had completely failed.
Of the three defensive lines hastily assembled by the city-states, one had already been destroyed. The fall of the remaining two was only a matter of time.
Beyond the walls and magecraft barriers of the second line, the area was already packed solid with monsters. Nearly a quarter of the entire Peloponnese Peninsula had fallen.
Worse still, given the nature of the roaming star vanguards, the longer this dragged on, the slimmer their chances of victory became.
A dead end…
Samael rested a hand on the edge of the city wall, gazing at the steadily worsening situation as he let out a helpless sigh. As his flickering eyes shifted, they settled ominously on the back of a certain wise god-king, and he muttered to himself in a low voice.
What about… sacrificing a teammate to the heavens?
For some reason, on the Aegean battlefield, Zeus, who was pressing his advantage and successfully suppressing the roaming star vanguard before him, felt a sudden chill run down his spine. An inexplicable sense of dread washed over him before he even had time to catch his breath.
...
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