The Fourth Beast

32

Enter ExE

IV

Somewhere in Underworld

"Fuck!"

In a fit of rage, Ares backhanded the puppet that was tending to him, completely obliterating it.

"Bastard!" Ares clenched his fists. The wounds he had received from the fight with Azazel, he could easily brush it off. But it was not the injuries that angered him. It was the outcome.

Yes, he had won. Azazel, the first and the strongest fallen angel, the leader of Grigori, fell in the battle. But in the end, he had the last laugh.

It seemed Azazel knew that he was not going to win against Ares, so he switched his target. Instead of stopping Ares, Azazel focused on stopping their army. And he pulled it off brilliantly. All those area-based and wide-ranged attacks that Azazel threw out left and right during their fight, his real target was the Greek army. And self-destruction at the end of the battle, Ares hated to admit it but that one move shifted the tide of the war.

The explosion did not go off in front of Ares. No. When the Azazel self-destructed, his body was teleported right in the middle of their force. He learned from the report that another fallen angel sneaked inside their army and then activated the teleportation using a device... at the right place and at the right moment.

Azazel's sacrifice had cost them one-third of their force. It not only stopped their army's momentum but also gave the rest of the fallen angels more than enough time to retreat. And last he heard, they regrouped at their capital.

And Azazel executed his plan right under Ares' nose.

Ares calmed his nerves when he noticed the white owl. The owl landed in front of him, and a second later, the shape changed to that of Athena. This was not her real body. It was a type of astral projection that she used to communicate covertly.

"What's the news?" Ares grunted.

Athena looked around the room before frowning, "These healer-type puppets are very hard to create."

"Focus on the war at hand, Athena."

Athena narrowed her eyes, "Then treat it as a real war and stop wasting our resources, Ares. This is not a backyard simulation for you to practice your ego."

Ares stood up, fists clenched as he felt the pent-up rage threatening to come out. For a few seconds, no one said anything. Finally, he backed down, "It was a miscalculation on my part. During our battle, that filthy crow tried to seal me. And he almost succeeded," It was painful for him to admit it. But seeing the surprised look on Athena's face was worth it, "So when he went for the suicide route, I thought his aim was to cripple me, so I defended myself."

"His aim was to cripple our army. No," Athena frowned, "It was to halt our movement in any way possible."

"We are not stopping."

Athena raised her head and met his unwavering gaze, "Unfortunately, we do not have the luxury to take any more risks..."

"Are you seriously thinking of retreating?!" Ares roared.

"Let me finish," Athena replied calmly, which somewhat pacified him. She continued as the image of a city appeared beside her, "The Fallen had regrouped and fortified their capital."

"One strike from my..."

"And then what?" Athena stopped him in his tracks, "What if they have other hidden weapons or artifacts? Listen to me. We can't take any more risks. Remember why we started all this. What is our end goal."