Heroes' Dog Chains 2/2

At this moment, sensing the situation his two companions were in, Samael smiled with relief and gently stepped on the ground.

Amidst the air vibrations, the power of the Serpent of Original Sin spread, precisely severing several purplish-black threads underground that were absorbed by the spiritual veins. Its rich emotions and strong self-awareness immediately broke free of their restraints and flowed back into its master's body.

"Orion? Could it be that you also..."

The handsome man with purple hair and green eyes seemed to wake from a dream, and when he saw the scenery in front of him and that unforgettable, honest baby face, his expression was one of astonishment.

Before he could finish speaking, the trembling of his bones caused Perseus, who had just awakened, to contort his face slightly.

"Let go... let go... let go first."

Orion realized he had gone a bit too far with his enthusiasm, so he awkwardly let go of his old friend, chuckled, and scratched the back of his head to cover up his embarrassment.

Perseus, having broken free of his restraints, rubbed his aching joints, looked around, and finally looked at Orion, sighing with a gloomy expression.

"When I woke up, there were quite a few new faces in the Elysium. It seems that His King of Gods has sped up his actions considerably. I originally thought that you would be the first hero to escape the curse, but I didn't expect that even your entire soul would be bound here."

Orion scratched his head, a smug smile playing on his lips.

"Master Perseus, I actually forgot to tell you that I followed my friends and crossed the River Styx to find this place on my own initiative."

Then, the Greek three-star hunter briefly recounted his journey to his old friend and explained how he had just regained his physical body.

"Idiot! You think this is a good thing?!"

Perseus, upon hearing the final account, turned grim, and couldn't help but rub his forehead in rebuke, revealing the sinister intentions hidden beneath this gift.

"Having merged with that part of the soul bound by Elysium, and now possessing a physical body, you are probably completely controlled by Zeus's divine seal and reduced to a servant apostle!"

Orion looked bewildered, then quickly picked up the teddy bear's soul container from the grass and stuck it to his forehead.

However, no matter what, some of my consciousness could no longer be transferred as before.

Even as he was about to curse the instigator, a subtle constraint came from his body, and his soul felt a sharp pain at this disrespectful thought, causing him to clutch his head and pound it hard.

Furthermore, a lightning bolt symbol with a flowing halo appeared on Orion's forehead, leaving a charred mark.

The pain, like a red-hot iron rod twisting in his brain, even Orion, who was usually thick-skinned and enjoyed masochistic behavior, have bloodshot eyes and bulging veins on his forehead.

The three-star hunter's brow was beaded with sweat as he laboriously raised his hand to press on Perseus's shoulder, asking a dry, hoarse question.

"This is... Zeus's... mark? To plant something like this within our physical bodies to control us, how insidious... ugh!"

The moment the disrespectful thought arose, silver arcs of light surged wildly across Orion's body, causing him to scream in agony.

Perseus turned his head slightly, unable to bear to look at Orion. Only after Orion's convulsions gradually stopped did he pat his old friend on the shoulder and reply with a gloomy expression.

"It's not about burying, it's about awakening!"

In fact, almost every one of us heroes who inherited divine blood had a latent divine mark etched into our souls by the threads of Loom of Fate at the moment of our birth.

Until we 'mature' and step into death in our destiny, the divine seal will take our souls to the Elysium, reshape our bodies, and serve the gods.

Upon hearing this secret, Orion's face changed drastically, and he couldn't help but curse.

"So that means our fate is mostly predetermined, and we're going to be manipulated and toyed with by the gods in the heavens? This isn't a divine seal, it's clearly a curse!"

If you're going to treat me like a dog, you'll have to put a leash on me beforehand... Ouch... It hurts, it hurts, it hurts..."

Once again subjected to the dual torment of soul and body, Orion was drenched in sweat, his body trembling uncontrollably like a sieve.

"Darling, don't think too much, there will be a way, I will definitely find a way to save you..."

Artemis, who was also hearing this secret for the first time, couldn't bear to see her old lover suffer. She immediately pressed his head into her bosom to comfort him, and used her power to try to dispel the so-called divine seal by pressing her fingers against the back of his head.

However, the activated lightning-shaped divine seal was already inextricably linked to Orion's soul.

Let alone forcibly removing it, even the slightest movement would bring the host excruciating pain, as if their consciousness were being torn apart.

Moreover, the legendary Loom of Fate weaves the future of the world, and the patterns it weaves even encompass the fate of the gods, which insignificant humans are powerless to resist.

He thought his suffering was finally over, but after many hardships he finally found Paradise Island. Orion's torn soul was rebuilt and he was reborn with a new body, but he also became a prisoner here.

Once discovered by Zeus, even if both sides manage to save their lives, they are destined to be separated and never see each other again.

Artemis's eyes were filled with sorrow, and a sense of resentment and bitterness welled up within her.

Orion, while temporarily suppressing his grumbling about the gods, patted his head, gathered his thoughts, and asked with difficulty.

"Hiss... Boss Perseus, you just said that our divine seals will be activated in Elysium after we die. What if we appear here as living people?"

"They'll be awakened prematurely! Assimilated by this land! Did you bring living people here?!"

Perseus's eyes flickered, his expression serious.

"Damn it! Atalanta and Heracles are in trouble!"

Upon receiving the dangerous reply, Orion cursed inwardly and immediately grabbed Artemis and Perseus, rushing towards the Wall of Sighs, shouting a warning to Samael and the others from afar.

"Go! The Elysium will assimilate you and leave you behind! That old Hecate is up to no good!"

At the same time, upon hearing the warning, Samael's eyelids twitched. He stepped forward, shielding Atalanta, Medea, and Circe, who were a few beats slower to react, behind him. He then looked warily at Hecate, who was standing to the side, and narrowed his eyes.

Hearing the commotion, Heracles picked up his Nameless Axe-Sword and strode over. The three handsome young men, whose minds had returned to normal, also grabbed their javelins and shields and followed closely behind.

Sisyphus, who was feasting in the riverside nursery and filling his withered soul, hesitated for a moment upon hearing this, glanced helplessly at the good things around him, and then turned and headed towards the source of the sound.

In the tense atmosphere, everyone arrived one after another, bringing with them the secrets they had discovered, and new members joined the group.

Upon hearing Orion's revelation, his teammates' expressions changed drastically. Samael immediately spread his palms and placed his hand on Atalanta's head, and his divine power pulsed and spread, carefully examining the abnormality within the leader's body.

Sure enough, after rigorous and repeated probing, the ancient serpent quickly found the invisible threads within Atalanta's soul fire that were intertwined with her memories and emotions.

Following that, Medea had it, Circe had it, Heracles had it, and even Sisyphus was not spared.

And under Samael's power, the divine seal woven by the Loom of Fate appeared one after another on the heroes' bodies, behind their ears, on their foreheads, on their chests, on their lower abdomens, and on other parts of their bodies.

The ancient serpent gazed intently at the Goddess of the Dark Moon ahead, and asked in a low voice.

"Your Highness Hecate, are you aware of the potential dangers of lingering in Elysium?"

"Know..."

Why weren't you informed beforehand?

"How to see through things and how to deal with them is your business; I'm only responsible for guiding you..."

The Witch Goddess remained calm and responded indifferently. When Hecate's eyes caught sight of a little follower struggling to protect her beside the ancient serpent, she paused briefly and added a sentence.

"If you need to ask me for help even for this little trouble, then you shouldn't be looking for the Elysium, nor should you have such dangerous ideas."

"Understood..."

Samael's gaze fell on Hecate's subtle movements, and he seemed to be deep in thought. He then raised his hand and gently stroked Medea's little head, before his fingertips slid down the side of the little girl's cheek, stirring up a captivating blush on the purple-haired loli's face.

Hecate across from him had a furrowed brow and her knuckles were white as she gripped the scepter, clearly indicating that she was not at peace.

Samael became increasingly audacious, lightly rubbing and kneading the little girl's ear with his fingers, a playful smile on his face.

Circe was about to speak when Atalanta pulled her back.

The Huntress gestured for silence, gently shook her head, and calmly looked at the person's frivolous and profane behavior.

A blush crept onto the face of the Goddess of the Dark Moon, and her expression tightened. Just as she was about to speak, a strange sound of tearing cloth came from behind her.

"Laugh!"

As the ancient serpent slowly withdrew its hand, the mark that had appeared behind Medea's ear, Herm, had already disintegrated and dimmed.

Samael stretched, cracked his knuckles, and looked at Hecate opposite him with a knowing smile.

"So, have we passed this test?"