A god's sacrifice and the man who pressed forward

Bang! With a tremendous crash, countless soldiers slashed through the smoke and dust with swords in hand. Crimson light flickered along their blades as they hacked wildly through the haze, not caring whether they struck friend or foe. As long as they could vent the battle lust within them, even chopping off a comrade's arm meant nothing.

The hearts of the Colchian warriors were now filled with frenzied battle lust. Fighting was all they could think about, the urge blazing within them like fire. As long as they could fight to their hearts' content, life, reason-all of it could go to fucking hell.

A figure emerged from the smoke like a bird in flight. It was Bai Mo.

"Damn it, these guys have lost their minds. They don't even care about cutting down their comrades. If this keeps up, even if I can protect myself, these soldiers under Ares's influence will lose their lives in the melee."

Bai Mo turned toward the Argo. Their situation was hardly promising either. Many soldiers fought with no fear of death whatsoever. Though the heroes had held off their attacks, things would only grow worse if this continued.

Bai Mo made up his mind. Pushing off a mast, he shot forward and ran straight across the sea as though it were solid ground.

"A perfect opening! Just how many trump cards is this Bai Ermo hiding?"

"That power-is it Poseidon's blessing?"

Every hero aboard the Argo was astonished. Whenever they thought they could gauge Bai Mo's strength, he shattered their understanding once again.

The gods on Mount Olympus, however, thought otherwise. Everyone present was a deity. They could recognize a power at a glance, especially a deity who possessed authority over it.

This power is still the God King's lightning. But to think he could use lightning to this extent. This little fellow is no ordinary man.

Athena studied the current beneath Bai Mo's feet, silently considering it. Though this power was utterly insignificant compared with Zeus's lightning, even Zeus probably could not manage such excellent applications with ease.

Of course he could not. Magnetic field power and simple electric current were entirely different concepts. Even when comparing destructive power alone, the difference between them could be called heaven and earth.

If a lightning attack was the heat released by burning fuel, then magnetic field power was the force of machinery driven by a nuclear power plant, drawing out all the power within.

Unfortunately, Bai Mo could at most be considered a steam engine at present, while Zeus's power was an erupting volcano. Though Zeus could not match Bai Mo, who had trained with the Great Blade Martial God, in the techniques of using power, Zeus could simply make a brick fly through sheer force.

Yet Athena could not help entertaining a strange thought. How powerful would Bai Mo be if he were given Zeus's current power?

She shook her head. That was utterly impossible. There was no need to waste time on it.

Bai Mo ran across the sea, spray flying as he caught up with the pursuing Colchian fleet through a method of movement humans could not even imagine.

He darted past, sending the swift boats flying with direct blows. Like an impassable barrier, Bai Mo stood between the Argo and the Colchian fleet.

Meanwhile, aboard the Argo-

Medea had finished preparing her ritual. None of the heroes paid her much attention. They had all taken up their weapons, ready for a fight to the death.

"Bai Ermo, hurry back!"

Atalanta shouted. Heracles drew his bow again, routing the pursuing fleet with a single arrow.

Aboard the Agor, Jason shouted at Medea, "Medea, stop preparing whatever magic ritual that is! Hurry up and protect me! They're about to unleash a rain of arrows. Hurry up and keep me safe!"

Medea, however, remained utterly focused. She told Jason, "My love, don't worry. I won't let you die here. Fighting to the death now offers no way out. The Argo will surely be destroyed!"

Jason replied, "Then is there any other way?"

Medea told Jason with complete confidence, "Only a god's blessing can lead us out of danger. I've already prepared a sacrifice to Poseidon, god of the sea. He can surely protect us."

Medea's words reached Bai Mo's ears, and he could not help feeling that something was wrong.

Even in Greek mythology, full as it was of deranged perverts, Poseidon was in a class of his own.

To put it bluntly, most male gods got around, while Poseidon got around and got creative, doing plenty of bizarre things. But if anyone could protect the Argo on this sea, Poseidon really was the clear choice.

I'm just afraid he'll be easier to invite than to send away.

That was what Bai Mo thought, but he could not afford to worry about it now. He had deliberately exposed himself to the Colchian fleet to draw their arrows, all to prevent the Argo from suffering too much damage. But these frenzied Colchian soldiers now knew neither exhaustion nor pain. Since he could not keep destroying their masts, there was only one way left to halt their advance.

"This is my first time going all out. I definitely couldn't have done it before. Fine, let's see whether I've improved during this time."

Bai Mo held his blade across his body, gathering power as he blocked the arrows.

Meanwhile, Medea had already made contact with Poseidon.

"O great god of the sea, I beseech your attention. I yearn for your gaze. Please help us escape this danger, O great Poseidon."

At that moment, Poseidon on Olympus also heard Medea's prayer. The sea god smiled.

A priestess of Hecate, the Goddess of Fate, was praying to him now.

Poseidon's delight was beyond description. Then he lightly flicked his fingers.

A sea breeze swept past, blowing back Medea's hood. The girl's dark hair fluttered in the wind. Her eyes were unbearably endearing, and her elven ears made it impossible to look away.

Poseidon smiled in satisfaction. Then his lips moved, and Medea's face instantly turned deathly pale, as though every drop of blood had been drained from her body.

Jason warily watched Bai Mo's situation. Medea turned to look at him. At that moment, he had not so much as glanced at her.

Everyone aboard the Agor was anxious. Suddenly, Medea shouted at Jason, "Jason!"

Jason turned back and looked at Medea. There was a kind of magic in his gaze that reassured her.

In an utterly tender voice, Medea said to Jason, "My love, do you still remember your oath? I forsook my homeland to help you obtain the Golden Fleece, while you were to swear to marry me and love me forever."

Seeing this, Jason did not much care inwardly. Sometimes, that was how love was. What one gave wholeheartedly was merely commonplace in a lover's eyes, met with nothing more than a casual response.

Jason replied, "Of course I remember, my love. I will always love you. Once I become king, you will be my queen."

Medea smiled in satisfaction, then whispered. On Mount Olympus, Poseidon smiled in satisfaction.

Bai Mo closed his eyes, then stopped defending himself. Gradually, the shouting and sounds of fighting faded away. An arrow grazed his face, leaving a crimson scar. At that moment, he seemed to have returned to his days training with the Great Blade Martial God.

"Avici Hell Blade - Eighteen Levels of Hell!"

Bai Mo slashed with all his strength. A wave turned into a blade's edge and hurtled straight toward the Colchian fleet. But in the next instant, the light of Ares's blessing began to appear on the fleet's ships as well. His slash could do no more than jolt the people aboard.

Something whistled through the air. Three arrows struck Bai Mo, and blood immediately flowed.

"No!" Atalanta let out a heart-rending cry!

For a moment, almost everyone who still had their reason broke into a sweat for Bai Mo.

"Not enough? Ares's blessing really is powerful."

Bai Mo sighed, but instead of retreating, he continued swinging his unfinished blade. This is only one failure. But the arrows can't damage my bones, so I can keep going. I still have something to stake. I can keep gambling.

I can't leave. If I leave, the Agor will definitely be destroyed.

Ares's blessing began because of me. It won't disappear until I'm defeated. There's no escaping it.

Behind me are the first friends I've made in this life. If I leave, many of them will die.

Bai Mo kept shouting within his mind. Then he slashed again and again.

The waves hurled themselves against the rocks again and again, shattering to pieces. Yet the waves paid it no mind, hurling themselves against the rocks time after time.

Persevere, even if the finish line was almost impossible to see, even if every step took all one's strength, even if every step was too small to see. One day, however, the stubborn rock would finally shatter. As long as one moved forward, kept moving forward, one would surely gain something.

Even if one fell along the way, one would fall with a smile.

Slash after slash, like drops of water striking stone. More and more wounds appeared on Bai Mo's body. Apart from arrows aimed at a few vital areas, he ignored them all. He was drenched in blood, yet the gods' expressions changed-especially Ares's.

"How is this possible?"

Ares could not believe it. But in the next instant, a threadlike strand of blade energy slashed straight into a ship! With a ripping sound, the light shattered, and the wooden ship was torn apart in its entirety. Just as the heroes reeled in astonishment, the ocean current seemed to come alive, carrying the Argo straight through the waves and away!