Type-Moon: God of War

[3rd POV]

Whether it was intentionally making himself a target by pretending to lose a duel against Athena, following Hecate to learn magic, or swearing a vow of virginity to the world, Ares' ultimate goal had always been survival.

The reliable way to stay alive, aside from running away from the world, was to hide his real body and use created avatars to do his work.

As the Greek Goddess of Magic, Hecate would definitely know how to do this.

Moreover, based on Ares' memories, even in a future when the world's darkness of mystery recedes, there was still a renowned high-ranking puppet master known as the "Scarred Red," who used a similar method to replace her body with a doll and prepared many spare vessels, making her nearly impossible to kill completely.

Ares didn't need all that. He just needed a few puppets or dolls that could hide his real body while allowing him to control them remotely with his mind.

As expected, after Ares inquired about it, Hecate only pondered briefly before agreeing.

"Alright, it's time for you to learn your own magic. I've studied this kind of magic. When we get back, I'll teach you."

Thus, after Hephaestus and Aphrodite got married, Ares gave his older brother a gift, left Mount Olympus, and returned to their tree palace by the shores of the Oceanus Sea.

Since Zeus was busy preparing all living beings, he didn't mind that Ares, the God of War, was absent from his duties.

In fact, Zeus is more than happy for Ares to stay out of trouble during this period and not cause chaos on Earth, which would only cause him more problems.

According to Hecate, the reason no other gods on Olympus came to ask about Ares was probably because of this, but also because his vow had been so shocking that it left a lasting impact on them.

However, Ares didn't care about such matters. 

After returning to the tree palace, Ares immediately devoted all his energy to studying magic under Hecate's guidance.

During this process, Ares didn't forget to learn magic related to time and space.

If one day he could successfully analyze the black pendant and escape this world, Ares wouldn't have to force himself to endure the headache of learning magic as advanced calculus.

...

After some time had passed, Ares had completely mastered the soul-transfer magic that Hecate had taught him. 

He also improved it, making it easier to use, and had also fully learned puppet magic.

However, Ares currently didn't know how Prometheus and Athena were creating humanity, and he was unable to craft a human body for himself. Instead, he had to use rare materials from the earth to create a divine vessel slightly weaker than his original body. 

He then infused this vessel with his divine power and soul, using it as his real body to show the outside world.

Meanwhile, Ares' real body remained hidden inside Hecate's library in the tree palace. Recently, he had gradually shifted his focus to analyzing the black pendant.

With Hecate's magic and Hephaestus' material identification skills, Ares had made significant progress in deciphering the pendant's secrets.

Through his research, Ares discovered that the pendant was a substance originating from outside this world. 

Even though he hadn't fully understood all its properties, Ares had confirmed that it could absorb the ether and convert it into its own energy.

Once it had accumulated enough energy, the pendant could break through the barriers of space and time, allowing things nearby to travel through time and space to other universes.

Right now, Ares had filled the black pendant using a leyline from the earth, making it ready for a second experiment to travel through time and space.

However, finding a suitable location for the experiment was a big problem.

In this world, the sky, the Earth, the underworld, and the sea all had their own respective rulers. If Ares did his experiment openly in any of these domains, Zeus and the other gods would detect it immediately.

In the Age of Gods, the authority of the god-kings was nearly unstoppable except for extraterrestrial invaders, like the Velber or ORT, the only ones who could defeat the god-kings were the inevitable fate destined for them.

If Zeus found out that he was doing these experiments, Ares might end up in Tartarus, locked up with his grandfather and uncles, other imprisoned Titans condemned to eternal torment.

After thinking for a long time, Ares still couldn't figure out where in the world he could safely test the power of the pendant.

However, it seemed that the Hecate noticed his worries. 

While Ares was busy sketching a blueprint for a secret magic experiment placed on papyrus, Hecate suddenly called him out.

"Today, I'm taking you somewhere." 

Hecate spoke, raising her hand to open a portal, "Follow me."

Ares didn't understand her intentions, but she had already changed her appearance and stepped through the portal first. 

Since he knew that Hecate had no reason to hurt him, Ares thought about it for a moment, then decided to follow... by sending in one of his avatars first.

Even though Hecate was his teacher, Ares didn't trust any of the Greek gods right now.

He wouldn't actively try to harm her, but he knew the importance of being cautious.

Ares and Hecate were close, but they hadn't become close enough to truly trust each other, and he decided to be cautious for now.

After sending his avatar through the portal, Ares realized he had arrived at the deepest part of the Underworld.

The sky above was filled with rocks and heavy fog, and the ground was nothing but endless stone and gravel, with countless bones of creatures buried in the ground.

There was no trace of life here. In the distance, within the deep darkness, Ares could see a river burning with fierce flames. 

A towering copper wall surrounded the river, and beneath that wall, giant creatures with a hundred arms patrolled back and forth.

This place was the bronze prison where the Titans were imprisoned, and this land of course, was the terrifying underworld of Tartarus, located deep beneath the earth.

Ares withdrew his gaze from the distance and turned to the purple-haired goddess standing before him with her arms crossed. 

Hecate could tell immediately that Ares' current body was a fake, but she didn't get angry. Instead, she let out a disdainful snort from her nose.

"Look at you, and you call yourself the God of War?"

"I'm just following my heart." 

Ares said casually, shrugging his shoulders, "Teacher, why did you bring me here?"

Hecate kept her arms crossed and turned around, pointing to a stone palace in the distance. 

"There is my secret laboratory. As long as you're here, Zeus, Hades, or Poseidon will never find you. You can do whatever magic experiment you want. Just stop walking around with that gloomy face, wasting my papyrus by scribbling all over it in my palace."

After noticing Ares' surprised expression, Hecate added, "I already knew what you were thinking. Don't worry. I told you before as long as you swear you won't go against me, I won't care what you do. You can use this lab, do your experiment, and come out when you're done. I won't keep an eye on you."

"Hecate..." 

Ares' face showed a complex expression. 

He had just arrived in this place and was preoccupied with thoughts about how to escape his fate. 

He hadn't considered other factors, even when trying to get along with gods like Hephaestus, Apollo, and Artemis, always cautious, keeping his guard up.

He instinctively felt that these Greek gods, with their vastly different perspectives, were not of his kind.

However, Hecate's actions made Ares feel a bit shaken. She had clearly noticed that Ares was secretly up to something, but she still chose to keep it hidden and had no intention of interfering with his plans.

"Dony worry." 

Ares said solemnly as he swore to Hecate, "I swear by the name of Ares, the god of war, that I will never oppose the Goddess of Magic, Hecate. Also, I will remember your kindness. If you ever die, I will find a way to help you."

"Hmph." 

Hearing Ares' promise, Hecate couldn't help but laugh, "You better remember who the teacher is. Do you really think I'm the one who needed saving, little brat?"

To be continued...

...

200 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter

A/N: Every 200 power stone, I'll drop bonus chapter...