Alcides

"King of Heroes, please forgive the children's rudeness; they meant no harm."

Yuxian expressed his apology with a respectful attitude. He knew Golden Flash's personality very well. When dealing with Golden Flash, one must give him face and not be arrogant or rude.

Golden Flash can discern whether the children have malicious intent or not; there's no need for Yuxian.

He turned around, looking at Yuxian and his group with disdain, "Mongrel!"

"Now that you know who I am, you must have heard of my greatness."

The children were already used to Golden Flash's way of speaking and didn't find anything special about it. They said to Golden Flash without any concern:

"Golden Flash, you're actually living in a casino! You must be gambling there. We've got our hands on you!"

"Hmph!" Golden Flash scoffed. "All the treasures in the world belong to me; it's just a pastime to move them around in the vaults and courtyards."

Little Jeanne, with a sly glint in her eyes, pulled out a beautifully crafted little toy and flashed it in front of Golden Flash. "Then let me ask you, is this toy yours too?"

"Of course!" Golden Flash without hesitation; there wasn't a treasure in the world that wasn't his.

"You're lying!" Little Jeanne retorted immediately. "This is something you gave me before, so it's mine now that you gave it to me!"

"Unless... you go back on your word!"

Little Jeanne wore a triumphant smile, finally managing to refute the difficult Golden Flash!

Actually, Little Jeanne played a trick here. This exquisite toy was not given to her by Golden Flash himself, but was obtained from young Gilles.

Of course, in essence, there is no difference; they are all things that came from the Gate of Babylon.

Gilgamesh was speechless for a moment. Was there really such a saying?

As the King of Heroes, he could not possibly admit to breaking his word, but it was equally impossible for him to take back what he had just said.

He watched Yuxian and his group with great interest.

"So you are just some miscellaneous monks who once basked in my glory. Then you should be grateful and thank me."

The children were whispering among themselves, but their voices reached everyone's ears.

"This Golden Flash doesn't remember us?"

"Is he getting old and his memory is failing?"

"How pitiful, will we become like this when we get old?"

"No, no, we'd better not grow up, it's too scary!"

The children deliberately spoke loudly, and Tinī, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but want to scold them, but she noticed that Golden Flash didn't seem angry, so she thought about it and kept quiet.

Yuxian promptly interrupted the children's antics and said earnestly, "King of Heroes, we do indeed have some connection with you and have received your care in the past."

"Since you don't remember, we won't bother you any further."

Yuxian was about to leave with the children, he realized that the Golden Flash in front of him was not the person he was looking for.

"It's alright!"

Golden Flash waved his hand, "I, in my benevolence, allow you to continue to admire my majesty here."

Gilgamesh could naturally tell that Yu Xian's words were not Yuxian talk, and he was very interested to know how these people had gained his approval.

Having received Golden Flash's permission, Yuxian couldn't refuse him, so he stayed, also taking the opportunity to gather some information.

"This must be the King of Heroes's newly recruited minister. He must be an outstanding person." Yuxian turned his gaze to Tinī Cherke, who was standing next to Golden Flash, and gave her a friendly smile.

Tinī lowered her head, unsure how to answer.

"Raise your head!" Golden Flash's majestic voice reached Tinī's ears. "As my subject, you should be proud of this."

Tinī perked up, straightened her back, and looked directly at Yuxian. "My name is Tinī Cherke."

Yuxian smiled and nodded at her. "Tinī, you're about the same age as the children, so you should be more cheerful and lively."

"Whatever the matter, the King of Heroes will naturally handle it. You should trust him."

"Children should have the joys of childhood. The King of Heroes shouldn't be unable to protect the smiles of the children under his command."

Tinī was a little nervous and didn't know how to explain, "I..."

"Tinī," Golden Flash spoke up, "All you need to do is let my kingly radiance shine in your eyes."

"I will do my best!" Tinī's eyes shone with the light of a king.

She looked at Yuxian with curiosity. This young man, whom she was meeting for the first time, seemed to know the King of Heroes' temperament very well, and every word he said could win the King's approval.

Yuxian smiled and decided to ask some questions about the city, so he asked:

"I wonder what this city is like now..."

At that moment, a sharp gust of wind swept through the streets of Snowfield.

The wind, sharp as a slash, cut straight through the sky above Snowfield, heading straight for the top of Crystal Hill.

The air was torn apart, shockwaves were released, and a deafening roar echoed around.

There is an arrow in the center of the wind.

The shockwave swept across the city, shattering the glass of buildings below in its range due to the sonic boom and impact.

If struck by such an arrow, not only humans, but even Heroic Spirit would be unable to escape unscathed.

If this arrow hits the forehead, it will instantly shatter the upper body to pieces, leaving no chance of survival.

The arrow's target was the head of Tinī, the girl standing beside King of Heroes Gilgamesh, at the top of Crystal Hill.

Before Gilgamesh turn around, Chiron made his move first.

Chiron, who was facing the window, reacted very quickly. He had never let his guard down, and in this critical moment, Chiron was the first to react.

With a flash of his bow and arrow, he shot out an arrow in an instant with a speed that was difficult for ordinary people to detect.

Bang!

The sound of shattering glass and the clashing of arrows reached Yuxian's ears almost simultaneously.

Section 523, Chapter Nine: Alcides

Chiron's reaction was observed by Golden Flash.

He glanced at him briefly and was somewhat surprised that this man, who had remained silent the whole time, had such a reaction and archery skills.

The hand that was about to open the Gate of Babylon quietly lowered itself.

"Then let me enjoy the performance of this misfit; it won't hurt to have some entertainment."

Golden Flash stepped Cause, shielding Tinī behind him, amusement on his face.

"... Have they arrived?"

He said softly, expressionless.

Chiron's eyes were sharp, his face serious, and the bow and arrow in his hand were steady without the slightest tremor, as if they were nailed to his body.

Whoosh!

His arrow collided with the incoming arrow in mid-air once again.

The rapidly colliding arrows produced a loud boom, like Fireworks exploding in the sky.

Yuxian held his breath; at this moment, he dared not disturb Chiron.

The technique of shooting down an arrow head-on is extremely difficult and allows no room for error.

Whoosh whoosh!

Chiron shot down the enemy's arrows one after another, not letting a single one slip through his fingers.

Although everyone was now prepared and could defend against the arrows, he still did his best to shoot them down one by one.

This is his value, and this is his territory that cannot be challenged.

Finally, the opposing side seemed to realize that such a firefight was completely ineffective and stopped.

Chiron sheathed his bow and arrows, murmuring in a voice barely audible to himself, "What made you point your arrows at a young child? My disciple..."

Yuxian noticed that Chiron's right hand, which was drawing the bow, was trembling slightly, indicating that the previous shooting duel had also been extremely difficult for him.

Is it over?

Gilgamesh's eyes narrowed coldly. The performance was over, and it was time to eliminate the insects that had provoked him.

The next instant, a huge Noble Phantasm appeared outside the shattered glass window and stopped beside it.

"It's Vimana!"

The children exclaimed in surprise. They had been craving Vimana for a long time and were naturally very familiar with it.

"King of Heroes, please allow me to ride in your chariot."

Chiron surprised Yu Xian by asking Golden Flash to accompany him, much to Yuxian's astonishment.

Golden Flash gave Chiron a meaningful look and nodded slightly.

The children couldn't wait to climb up Vimana, touching and exploring everything with great envy.

Yuxian said, "Please allow us to stand aside and admire it."

Golden Flash didn't answer Yuxian, but instead said to the girl next to him, "Tinī, sit in the back."

Tinī did as she was told and climbed up Vimana to sit with the children.

Looking at these lively and active peers, she felt a mix of envy and distress.

Having inherited her father's position as the head of the Guardians of the Land Clan, Tinī had long since abandoned the innocence and naivety that children should have.

However, she was still a child at heart, and the desire for carefree play deep in her heart had not truly disappeared; it was just suppressed deep within her.

After everyone boarded, Gilgamesh made the golden machine take off.

He stood imposingly at the bow with his arms crossed, while simultaneously directing the ship in a straight line toward the direction from which the arrows were shot.

North of Snowfield, in the Valley Highlands.

A man with a cloth covering his head stood there, holding a longbow in his hand; he was clearly the one who had just launched the attack.

"You were the one who launched the sneak attack, so you're not going to beg for mercy now, are you?"

Gilgamesh descended from the bow of the ship to the high ground. His words caused the eerie man standing in front of him to slowly raise his head, but he did not respond.

Do you have any last words?

Despite Gilgamesh's inquiries, the mysterious man offered no response.

He remained silent and calmly drew back the bowstring—unhesitatingly releasing the arrow toward the children peering out from behind Vimana.

Bang!

Chiron shot his arrow down again.

With a grim expression, he questioned in a low voice, "You said you would never point your arrows at children!"

The children looked at each other in bewilderment. "So he's someone Teacher Chiron knows. Who is he?"

The mysterious man did not answer Chiron's question, but raised his bow and arrow again, pointing it at the child behind Chiron.

Chiron said coldly, "You should know that you cannot shoot anyone behind me from in front of me!"

"Answer my question: Why are you pointing your arrows at a child!"

Chiron roared at the man, a hint of sadness in his eyes.

"Answer me, Heracles!!!"

Heracles, it was Heracles, one of Chiron's disciples, the most outstanding of all his disciples, the great Greek hero who completed the Twelve Labors, Heracles.

Illya's expression changed, and she desperately tried to rush forward.

Gretel Little Jeanne, and the others held her tightly. The Heracles before them was clearly not the Heracles who doted on Illya that they knew. Rushing forward would expose Illya to danger.

"Heh... hehe... heh... heh puff... heh ha... heh ha ha..."