The female hunter in fitted battle gear, with cat ears and green hair, held the Bow of the Heavens. She cast a quick glance, then swiftly looked away, her fingers lightly brushing the bowstring.
The female Magus, cloaked, with purple hair and pointed ears, held the Dark Moon staff. Delight shone on her face, as if she were on the verge of breaking formation and running out, her cheeks already tinged red.
The Eagle Witch, with colorful wings on her back and pink hair flowing over her shoulders, blinked her iridescent eyes while munching on snacks and curiously looking around.
The wheat-skinned female warrior in light armor, haughty in expression and armed with spear and shield, critically surveyed the Eighty-Eight Star Palaces, searching for a worthy successor.
The white-haired healer, hooded, with a small bronze bell at her waist and a serpent staff in hand, frowned as she sniffed the lingering foul trace of the plague, then pulled out a small bottle and poured disinfectant.
Standing shoulder to shoulder, the twin swordsmen, with identical handsome faces and tousled golden hair, stepped ashore together, as inseparable as ever.
And the tall, broad-shouldered giant with knotted muscles, loose hair, a nameless stone axe-sword held across his body, and crimson divine markings all over him stood out from the crowd like a crane among chickens, every movement radiating overwhelming pressure...
Big Sister, Medea, Circe, Caenis, the God of Medicine, the twin swordsmen, Heracles...
They were all back!
Everywhere Samael's eyes landed, joy struck deep into his heart. Memories long sealed away burst through the gates of his mind and came pouring out, reflecting countless scenes from the past.
Their gazes met, and though no words were spoken, everything was understood.
As his serpent-like pupils swept around the group, the figure squeezed all the way at the back finally managed to stick half his body out through a gap and greet him with a grin.
"Yo, long time no see, brother!"
A frivolous blond pretty boy, smiling faintly and letting his roguish eyes dart around the crowd in search of beauties, wore a winged helmet atop an elaborate noble robe, making him look comically out of place.
He looked the least like a hero, and yet he was trusted and surrounded by countless heroes.
The moment he saw this flippant blond youth crab-walking over, Samael instinctively opened his arms and gave his long-lost friend a solid hug. Even after patting him again and again to make sure he was real, he still murmured in disbelief,
"It really is you, Jason..."
"Of course it is. Achoo!"
Still grinning as he answered, Jason suddenly felt a sharp chill crawl up his back. His nose itched on its own, and he sneezed violently.
Damn it!
Lord Theseus's embrace had actually been stolen by a man first!
At the harbor, the purple-haired witch standing frozen in place twisted the hem of her clothes so hard her knuckles turned white. Her eyes, fixed darkly on the back of a certain frivolous man, looked ready to spit fire. Her clenched silver teeth ground audibly as she longed to tear a few pounds of flesh off that oblivious bastard to vent her rage.
"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"
Jason sneezed three times in a row, and a powerful sense of foreboding surged through him. Startled, he instinctively shrank his neck and hurriedly put some distance between himself and Samael.
Sure enough, the moment contact broke, the chill that had wrapped around him began to fade at once.
Captain Jason cautiously glanced at a certain human-shaped calamity now marked DANGER and quietly shuffled a little farther away.
"Didn't you say descending from the [Inner Sea of the Planet] was difficult? Then how are they...?"
As they separated, Samael gradually came back to himself from the shock and joy of reunion. Confused, he turned and looked at Ana.
"Just because extraordinary gods are hard to descend from the [Inner Sea of the Planet] doesn't mean it's impossible to summon incarnated Heroic Spirits from the [Pure Land of Bliss]!"
The Serpent Goddess, pleased that her plan had worked, curled her lips upward and answered with open smugness.
"Besides, did you forget? The Argo still carries the Great Altar bound to their fate. Zeus spent a great deal of effort on that thing. Using it as a medium, summoning them wasn't difficult at all!
"Whether it's reclaiming Greece's kingship or resisting the Persian invasion, bringing along these old companions of yours. That's the gift we prepared for you."
At that, Jason nodded with a smile and shifted sideways, revealing the figure behind him.
"And for that, we really have to thank the new Queen of the Pure Land of Bliss. After completely digesting the witchcraft legacy of the goddess Hecate, her mastery of secret arts is truly incredible. This summoning ritual, unprecedented in scale, was all her doing."
"That's impressive!"
Samael's praise for the witch of extraordinary magical skill came straight from the heart.
"Ah, it wasn't all me. Aunt Circe helped too."
Suddenly being praised like that, Medea, utterly unprepared to face Lord Theseus head-on, blushed and averted her eyes in panic. Stammering, she grabbed the equally bewildered Eagle Witch and shoved her out in front.
"How many times do I have to tell you, don't call me Auntie! It makes me sound old!"
Circe, who had just been wondering what to eat tonight, snapped out of her daze. Dark-faced, she swallowed the fruit in her mouth and waved a small fist in protest at her niece.
"Mhm, you did well too. Though you should eat more meat and grow a little taller."
Samael habitually reached out and ruffled Circe's fluffy pink hair. While praising her with a chuckle, he looked at the girl's still tiny frame, unchanged after all these centuries, snatched the fruit right out of her hand, took a bite, and teased her.
"What's with that look?! I've obviously gotten a little fatter and a little taller, alright! Even a little counts!"
Her snack stolen and herself mocked on top of it, Circe instantly bristled.
"Lord Theseus, I... I've grown up!"
But before the Eagle Witch could speak in protest, Medea, forcing down her nerves, let go of the hem she had been wringing to death, lifted her head, and fixed him with bright, burning eyes.
After thousands of years, the little girl who had once only been one meter forty had grown more than twenty centimeters taller. Her figure had filled out into full curves, lush hips, and a narrow waist, the very image of a ripe peach waiting to be picked.
As her aunt, Circe, standing beside Medea, now looked more like the niece, the Eagle Witch was filled with deep resentment. Faced with such brutal reality, Circe's face stiffened, and she went completely quiet, crouching off to the side and drawing circles while muttering to herself.
But Samael, standing face-to-face with Medea, felt his blood pressure skyrocket, his expression turning horrified.
If he remembered right, he had made some kind of promise to Medea back when she still had not grown up...
And now that she had said she was grown up, why did it sound so much like a marriage demand...?
That familiar look had cold sweat breaking out across Samael's forehead. He could only answer stiffly and dryly,
"Uh... good. That's... good..."
As the atmosphere began turning dangerously strange, Samael immediately cut off the reunion chatter before this witch could blurt out anything truly explosive in her excitement. He retreated back toward the Areopagus faction and spread a savage grin, his face twisting into a cold, ferocious smile.
"Everyone, the Persians have declared they'll destroy us within ten days. And now, there are only eight days left on that countdown.
"In other words, you have exactly eight days to drive every last one of those bastards into the sea to feed the fish!"
"Where your sword points, our hearts shall follow!"
The heroes all dropped to one knee, solemnly answering the Holy King who had led them again and again in creating miracles. Then they erupted into a proud shout.
"Glory to. The Argo Expedition!"
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