Chapter 462: The Real Prize

Ariel raised her warhammer high. A vortex of lightning gathered and condensed before her.

Then came a single sweeping release. The vortex expanded outward, engulfing every kouto within a hundred meters.

Even Ambrose, at a distance, felt the current in the water numb him momentarily. Every kouto caught within the vortex died instantly.

Ariel possessed terrifying power. That attack was only marginally below Storm of Revenge—at least eighth-tier by any measure.

Ariel looked across at Ambrose and signed, "Master Megaman, I told you that going alone would be dangerous."

Now that was slightly awkward. She had arrived looking like a divine being descending from the heavens; her hand signs cut her gravitas in half.

The kouto began swarming around them both again.

Ambrose called over to Ariel, "Deal with the enemy first!"

Working together, they easily overwhelmed the kouto. They couldn't match either Ambrose or Ariel individually, and with Ambrose keeping them constantly occupied, Ariel was free to do what she did best.

Ariel's style wasn't particularly complex. She simply radiated electricity, again and again. The ocean was her home ground. Between the two of them, the entire stretch of the sea was turned into a vast pot of seafood broth.

Within three minutes, the kouto withdrew in a chaotic shriek, leaving a field of bodies behind.

Though they won, Ambrose had failed to locate the illusionist hiding in the dark. The kouto, almost certainly a legend itself, had stayed hidden from start to finish without once revealing itself.

He'd need to be better prepared for that kind of opponent next time.

He'd encountered illusionists before. They were hardly a new problem for him.

If anything, Ambrose's most valuable asset was his experience earned from centuries of adventuring. He had faced virtually every type of enemy there was, and found a way through each one. Next time he crossed paths with that kouto illusionist, he would drag it out and turn it into one of his undead.

Ariel rehung her warhammer at her hip and swam over to Ambrose.

She was still carrying a faint residual charge. Tiny arcs of lightning flickered across her skin at intervals, visible even through the surrounding water.

"Are you alright, Master Megaman?"

"I'm perfectly fine."

There were a few scuffs on the mithril armor, but nothing worth worrying about. Unless he was particular about the surface finish, it didn't even need to be repaired.

"Do you still think your guess was right?" Ariel asked. "Is it possible the kouto were controlling the sea creatures, keeping them from attacking specifically to draw us into the trap?"

Ambrose didn't respond directly. He simply raised his right hand. "I don't know, so let's ask someone who does. Great Lord of Storms, I'd say I've completed your trial, wouldn't you?"

The mark in his palm pulsed with lightning. Thanos's towering projection materialized before them both.

The moment Ariel saw her god, every instinct told her to kneel. But Thanos's gaze didn't move to her. It stayed fixed on Ambrose. "Your performance doesn't entirely satisfy me. My own faithful had to come save you! I was looking forward to seeing how you'd break free of that illusory interference on your own, but the kouto turned out to be utterly useless."

Thanos had never been fond of fights that fizzled out. But the kouto hadn't listened to him, and had retreated after taking heavy losses.

Ariel was deeply shaken. Those ambushes had been arranged by the Lord of Storms himself? Had she just ruined the plan of a great deity?

She was preparing to beg for forgiveness when Ambrose spoke first. "If you want a more interesting fight to watch, might I suggest the war between Lyon and the orcs? Those two sides will be fighting to the last. It'll be far more entertaining than any skirmish of mine."

Ariel froze. How could this lich speak so casually? Did he understand who he was addressing?

In Ariel's mind, Thanos was the embodiment of destruction itself. There was no deity in the world more terrifying or more exalted. How could the lich say something like that without any fear of reprisal?

What shocked her even more was Thanos's reaction. He seemed entirely unbothered by the tone, and replied enthusiastically, "I have you to thank for that. If you hadn't sent Lyon those magic mirrors, they'd have lost by now. If you hadn't sent them a general with real tactical ability, they'd have lost as well. Though you did supply the orcs with a fair number of undead troops, so the two sides are roughly balanced, and now they fight every single day. It makes for an excellent show."

This time it was Ambrose's turn to be caught off guard. "Lyon, lose? How is that possible?"

In his experience, the orcs fought without coordination. Individually, they were perhaps a bit stronger than the average Lyon soldier, but in large-scale engagements, an army without formation or teamwork was barely better than cannon fodder. And yet Thanos was saying that without the magic mirrors, Lyon would have fallen?

Thanos laughed broadly. "You didn't know? A remarkably gifted young orc emerged, one capable of telepathic communication with any orc at long range. The orcs, who have always fought purely on instinct, suddenly became a unified elite force. Under his command, Lyon has already lost several engagements.

"The power gap isn't that large to begin with, and this orc commander can issue orders to every soldier simultaneously. Do you have any idea how terrifying that level of command is? Long-range communication is no longer a constraint for the orcs at all. Think about how easy warfare becomes for a commander who can see the entire battlefield. If you hadn't sent Lyon those magic mirrors, their border cities would already have fallen."

"So Grush has started blessing the clever rather than the strong?" Ambrose said, genuinely surprised.

Thanos laughed. "Do you think only mortals can read the signs of the times? The gods have witnessed the rise and fall of countless civilizations. We understand the signs of a changing world better than you do. The blessings of the gods will keep increasing, right up to the boundary Aion has set.

"Your weapons of war are reshaping the nature of warfare itself. Perhaps one day Lyon will be placing orders with you for undead armaments. Now that would be something worth watching!"

"Then I'm genuinely grateful for the warning. I'll be keeping a close eye on developments."

Ambrose hoped to see that day. War meant casualties, and casualties were wasteful—let the armies start using drones instead. Wars cost money regardless, so why not direct that money toward him?

But that wasn't the immediate concern. Ambrose pressed on: "Lord of Storms, though the trial came with some unexpected variables, a deity of your stature would never go back on your word. Isn't that right? As for my reward..."

"No wonder every god calls you insatiable, lich. You actually have the nerve to bargain with me." Thanos seemed more amused than offended. "Very well. Since your performance left something to be desired, your reward shall be as well. I'll give you one piece of information: the githarks you've been searching for are indeed here. And I'll also tell you that the reason they were able to hide in this place is that I permitted them to live."

Thanos's words left Ambrose silent. Then, the latter arrived at a bold conclusion.

"You must have built the Sea of Storms. That's why Ariel and I could intimidate the sea creatures here. Not because we're legends, but because Ariel carries your artifact, and I bear your mark."

Thanos regarded this deduction with open admiration. The lich really could connect even the most disparate threads into a coherent picture.

"Correct. I built this sea myself. Long ago, it was known as the Arena of Storms, a coliseum for my faithful gladiators who used to entertain me. A pity it's lain abandoned for so long. Little skeleton, are you interested in undergoing one more trial?"

"To revive the arena, you mean?"

"Indeed. You really are quick. Go inside: I think you'll know how to make it worth my while."

"Well..."

Ambrose hesitated. He had no desire to spend time on this sort of thing. He wasn't a born fighter, and the idea of gladiatorial combat held no appeal whatsoever.

Thanos seemed to have anticipated his reaction, and immediately continued, "There are a great many souls still wandering this sea, including warriors who died in the Arena long ago..."

Ambrose didn't hesitate for another instant. "It would be my greatest honor to offer the most glorious battles to the Lord of Storms! It is my duty to find rest for those brave warriors who fell in combat! Leave everything to me!"

Warriors who had died on this battlefield were surely heroic spirits who had lingered in this sea for countless ages. How powerful would spirits like that be?

Finding the githarks and the mindflayers didn't matter anymore. These heroic spirits were the real prize.

This was exactly what Thanos hoped to see. Since Ambrose had taken the bait, he turned to Ariel, who had been prostrated on the seafloor throughout. "My faithful servant, you have done well. Cooperating with this lich twice over has been the right choice."

Ariel bowed her head with practiced reverence. "All glory is yours, great lord."

Then came a faint confusion.

Cooperation twice over? Did Thanos mean the alchemical factory and this expedition? Or was it something else...?

"Ha! Keep at it, both of you. Your devotion will be rewarded!"

Thanos's projection slowly dissolved. The light in Ambrose's bracelet came back on.

Ariel rose from her bow. She turned to Ambrose with a wondering look. "I didn't realize that you've also received the Lord of Storms' blessing. I knew working with you was the right decision. But just now, when he said 'twice,' I had the strangest feeling that I've known you before..."

"That's not important." Ambrose cut off her train of thought and changed the subject immediately.

"Forward we go, then. The githarks are inside, and so are the heroic spirits, the gladiators, that have been wandering this sea for who knows how many years. Your Highness, this is a trial Thanos has set for the both of us. Please put those other thoughts aside and focus on what's in front of us. You wouldn't want to disappoint Thanos, would you?"

Ariel's expression became completely serious. "Never," she said, with quiet resolve. "I will offer all glory to my lord."

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