(In the end, he's just going to abandon everything. Isn't that what this really means?!)
Following his report to Lord Deus, Ares had been ordered to remain confined to Ares Palace. Given that unyielding, authoritative decree, he would almost certainly be placed under strict surveillance this time. Ares had effectively lost any chance of intervening in Lemuria.
If Ramiel were rescued and Lemuria’s peace preserved, that would be one thing.
Yet Lord Deus had chosen to invade with the full might of the Heavenly Army—ready to sacrifice Lemuria itself just to preserve the cosmic order. If the main force of the Heavenly Army clashed with that fly-headed monster, Lemuria would inevitably be caught in the crossfire and suffer catastrophic devastation. Worst of all, it might even be reduced to a barren wasteland where no living thing could dwell for millennia to come. In that case, Ares’s report would have accomplished nothing. If anything, it had only made things worse.
(Why does everything I do always backfire like this?!)
Worse still, what few rumors surrounded Lord Thanatos—the one who had proposed the reconnaissance mission to Lemuria—were far from reassuring. He was said to be a Great One who would justify any sacrifice so long as it served his own brand of justice. Ares could hardly imagine such a Great One conducting a quiet, discreet espionage operation. It was painfully obvious he would leave irreparable scars across Lemuria just to torment the fly-headed monster.
(If things were going to turn out like this, I should have resolved myself from the very beginning...)
To sit safely by while watching the beautiful world entrusted to him crumble to pieces—he had sworn to himself that he would never let that happen. But that had been nothing more than sheer arrogance. Protecting what was precious demanded both strength and conviction, yet Ares had neglected to cultivate either. At the very least, he currently lacked the power to see this crisis through to a proper resolution.
(What am I supposed to do now...?)
He murmured the question beneath his breath, though he already knew his options were exceedingly limited.
In truth, he had only two choices: stay quiet in Ares Palace and forget everything, or throw himself into a reckless gamble. Taking the former meant losing only the world under his care, while the peace of the divine people would remain intact.
The latter was a pure gamble. Activating the spell formula offered a strong chance of saving at least one life—Ramiel’s. In return, however, Ares would forfeit the entirety of his remaining divine existence. He would never be able to smile again.
(Hah! As if there's any choice at all!)
The die was already cast. If he stood by and allowed his subordinate and his world to perish, Ares knew he would regret it for the rest of his days. A lifetime of endless lamentation—he would rather die than endure that.
(I'll do it! I'm going through with this!)
This was a battle to defend his final shred of pride as a Chief God. His opponent was a threat that warranted deploying the Heavenly Army. While an unproven novice like Ares stood no chance of victory, he could at least refuse to die a coward.
Clenching both fists, Ares made his way to his private quarters aboard his airship.
Laid out across the floor of the room was a three-dimensional magic circle. It was Ares’s ultimate safeguard to protect Ramiel, secretly embedded within her under the pretense of a divine protection. Once triggered, the spell would cause Ramiel’s soul and Ares’s soul to swap places. Ramiel’s soul would then return inside this body, securing her rescue. Meanwhile, Ket—fully briefed on the situation—could question Ramiel within Ares’s form and relay the intelligence directly to the Heavenly Army. That would eliminate any need for Lord Thanatos’s dependents to conduct espionage in Lemuria. Better yet, it was a move that would kill two birds with one stone, making amends for Ares’s recent failure.
"Do you truly intend to carry this out?"
Ket voiced the question once again, its tone dripping with heavy reproach.
When Ares had first confided the plan, Ket had fiercely opposed it, persistently pressing him to reconsider. It was only recently that Ares had finally managed to persuade it.
"Yes. It's the best move we have."
Ket closed its eyes with an agonized expression.
"Very well."
Nodding solemnly, it assumed a grave demeanor and began a lengthy incantation. At the same time, Ares initiated the spell formula for Soul Change.
While Ares was technically capable of casting the spell on his own, reinforcing it with another’s magic was essential to push the success rate as close to one hundred percent as possible.
As Ket brought the incantation to an end, it turned its gaze toward Ares. Ares gave a resolute nod and spoke the final key phrase.
"Access."
A brilliant blue, three-dimensional magic circle enveloped Ares. The runes composing the formation rotated, gradually shifting in form. But at that exact moment, a cluster of runes peeled away from the circle surrounding Ares and darted straight toward Ket.
"What? Th-this is...!"
Just as Ket cried out in shock, the stray runes multiplied rapidly, turning a violent, blood-soaked red before engulfing its entire body.
"Guh! An enemy attack now of all times?!"
The crimson runes bound Ares tightly, piercing his skin and boring deep into his flesh.
"Aaaaggghhh—!!"
An unbearable, excruciating agony—as if his very nerves were being shredded—ripped through his body, tearing a shriek from his lungs.
In a split second, Ares’s consciousness severed and plunged into absolute darkness.