Two days later, in the inner sea of Okeanos.
Light-shaped white dolphins and azure narwhals, each wrapping a figure, sliced through the waves in the sea and sped along.
Behind them, the sky was a stretch of scarlet.
Large areas of blood clouds spread with the wind, pursuing relentlessly.
At the same time, in the fusion of blood aura and seawater, the scarlet that seeped underwater turned into colorful sea snakes, wriggling toward the prey ahead.
Looking at those "spicy strips" whose entire bodies were marked with vibrant colors that screamed "don't mess with me," along with very gang-like tattoos, Lorne unhesitatingly sped up.
Using special marine environments like reefs, islands, and whirlpools, he gradually widened the distance.
However, before he could breathe a sigh of relief, Thetis's warning came to his ear.
"Careful ahead!"
In the colorful coral thicket ahead, dozens of blood-aura sea snakes, using their color camouflage, blended perfectly with the various grotesque corals as they lay motionless on the path the two had to take, waiting for the prey to take the bait.
So fast?
Lorne's heart sank in alarm, a trace of doubt rising in his eyes.
Weren't these divine creations already shaken off?
How could they arrive ahead of their necessary path and set up an ambush?
Something's wrong!
At this moment,
Thetis had clearly realized it too.
"Something's off. These past two days, we've shaken them off several times successfully, yet not long after, they catch up again.
Whether changing appearance or using [Sea's Blessing] to erase our own aura, it seems useless."
Combined with these sea snakes ignoring detours and camouflage, directly taking shortcuts to block them ahead, the two exchanged a glance and instantly realized a certain possibility.
"Tracking magic!"
"Divine imprint!"
They answered in unison, reaching roughly the same conclusion.
"No matter what, find that thing first!"
Lorne said in a deep voice.
The [Whale] behind him shook its head and tail, pushing the sea authority to the extreme.
Tens of thousands of tons of seawater layered and advanced, crushing the coral thicket ahead along with the divine sea snakes lying in ambush, opening a safe path forward.
The two, who had gradually developed a tacit understanding during the escape, immediately sped through the devastated coral thicket while circulating their divinity, carefully checking every inch of skin and flesh on their bodies.
Soon, Lorne opened his eyes first and shook his head.
"Nothing..."
"It's on me."
In a depressed answer, Thetis bit her cherry lips.
A complex expression appeared on her face as she pulled down the shoulder strap on one side of her long dress, revealing a red-black brand on the left side of her back.
Three intertwined venomous snakes formed a circular outline, with a cluster of flames representing vengeance burning and flickering in the center.
Seeing the scarlet brand on the ocean goddess's snow-white skin, Lorne's heart sank.
Vengeance Brand, the divine imprint of the three Furies, a secret technique used to hunt down targets for punishment.
The deadly part was that this thing was rooted in the recipient's karma of sin.
As long as one was not completely innocent, it could not be removed at will.
And the moral level of the Greek gods, those who understood understood.
Who hadn't done some guilty deeds?
To put it seriously, probably not even a fertilized egg could be considered truly innocent.
So, without the corresponding method, he really had no way to deal with this thing.
"When did it happen?"
"It should be when we first met..."
Thetis looked at the ominous scarlet brand and felt a wave of annoyance.
"I think a few drops of strange blood fell on my back. I didn't notice at the time."
Lorne raised his hand to his forehead, looking quite helpless.
He had really pitted Thetis again.
This ocean goddess, originally hidden on a deserted island in the primordial ocean to avoid the wind.
She was sunbathing on the beach at the time.
Who would have thought disaster would fall from the sky?
Lorne had fallen straight onto that island with a sky full of blood color.
As a result, not only did Thetis lose her new home, but because she had no defenses, the divinity of the three Furies invaded her body, successfully marking her and branding her with a humiliating imprint.
'You have a grudge; go catch him! What does it have to do with me?
I was just sunbathing at my doorstep, and I still got dragged into this?'
Thetis looked back at the three Furies and the red-haired goddess relentlessly pursuing behind them, and could not help but look at a certain culprit in grief and indignation.
"I even gave you hints with my eyes, but you didn't see and just blurted out nonsense. How is that my fault?"
Lorne was also helpless.
The moment he saw Thetis, he wanted them to pretend not to know each other, so as not to drag this unlucky ocean goddess into it again.
But he had clearly underestimated Thetis's resentment toward him.
Before she could understand the meaning in Lorne's eyes, the ocean goddess had already started accusing her own misfortune and the certain troublemaker's impropriety.
Moreover, the script she used was the ambiguous resentful-wife style.
This time, Eris, who had just failed to recruit and lost face, received tons of critical hits.
So, she directly flew into a rage and identified the two of them as adulterer and adulteress, wanting to bury them both together.
Unwilling to become the fish in the pond affected again,
Thetis looked at the red-haired goddess charging aggressively in the sky behind them and asked unwillingly.
"How about explaining?"
"You can try."
Lorne showed encouragement, made a "go ahead" gesture, and added quietly.
"But a friendly reminder, the one behind is called Eris, the goddess in charge of discord, and she is Ares's sister..."
"..."
Thetis's face twitched, and her gaze became even more resentful.
Ares, that brute's sister, the goddess of calamity from the war and disaster system.
What else was there to say?
Sensing the little divine power left in her body and looking at the thick blood color constantly approaching behind, this ocean goddess sighed helplessly and waved her hand.
"Forget it. Let's split up.
Without the imprint's tracking, you should be able to shake them off."
As an ocean nymph famous for her wisdom, Thetis's combat ability and divinity accumulation were only average.
The fact that she had kept up until now was still thanks to the ocean divinity's blessing in water.
At this point, in this chase that had lasted two days and two nights, she had reached the end of her strength.
From a rational point of view, staying by this guy's side as a beacon was meaningless.
It was better to separate now.
Although she had the vengeance brand on her, the other side clearly attracted more hatred.
Who could successfully escape would depend on their own ability and fate.
"Run? It's not the end of the road yet."
However, as soon as Thetis moved, Lorne unceremoniously pulled the ocean goddess, who was about to part ways, back to his side.
Then he picked up Thetis, shook off the swarm of venomous snakes behind, suddenly leaped out of the water, sketched runes, and shouted in a deep voice.
"Xanthos, Balios!"
Immediately, two divine warhorses with bright coats leaped out from the magic array reflected on the sea surface, pulling a bronze chariot and arriving beside their master.
Lorne decisively threw Thetis into the chariot, then grabbed the Spear of Nation Founding and whipped the two warhorses' butts hard.
"Go!"
The two warhorses neighed in pain and immediately carried the goddess forward, galloping ahead and escaping the danger first.
Then, seeing the blood light approaching behind, Lorne also activated the [Goat]'s extreme speed and the [Whale]'s sea blessing, sprinting forward across the sea surface.
In just a few breaths, he shot across the vast sea like a comet, running as if on flat ground amid the rolling waves, catching up to the bronze chariot pulled by the two divine horses and shaking Eris and the three Furies far behind by a distance.
He really can run!
Eris and the three Furies were so angry they jumped in frustration, unable to help but curse inwardly.
From the primordial ocean to the inner sea of Okeanos, she had led the four of them on a wild chase the whole way, possessing the ocean's blessing, the warrior's skills, and wind-like speed...
This is a subordinate god of the hearth system?
A newcomer responsible for brewing and pouring wine for Olympus?
Family, who would believe that if you said it out loud!
"Go! Using multiple divine authorities at the same time definitely can't be maintained for long. He won't be able to run far!"
Eris vibrated the black wings behind her, gnashing her teeth as she issued orders.
First chased all the way, then led on a wild goose chase all the way, her anger was now very big.
Today, no matter what, she had to catch that adulterous pair and hang them up to whip them hard, to vent her anger.
The three Furies responded with angry gazes, stirring up an even thicker scarlet storm, sweeping toward the bronze chariot galloping on the sea surface.
Looking at the scarlet that was still biting tightly behind, Thetis frowned and looked at Lorne beside her, who remained calm, and asked tentatively.
"Do you have any other methods?"
"Of course I do!"
Lorne nodded calmly to reassure her.
While driving the bronze chariot, breaking through the vast sea fog, accelerating toward the several islands scattered ahead, his face revealed a malicious kind smile.
'Everyone, I'm back again.'
Accompanied by a certain evil person pulling the reins, driving the bronze chariot through the gaps between the islands with agile trajectories, large stretches of scarlet blood aura and swarms of wriggling venomous snakes followed and submerged the islands along the way.
For a time, wails and curses resounded, echoing across the sky.
"Who? Who did this!"
Several figures rose into the air one after another, searching everywhere for the culprit.
However, when their gazes saw the Goddess of Discord Eris vibrating her wings in the center of the scarlet storm, as well as the three Furies, their expressions changed drastically.
They cursed loudly and, like dumplings dropping, one after another leaped into the deep sea and dived away to escape.
What the heck!
Which bastard provoked these four disasters together and even led them from the primordial ocean all the way to the nearby seas!
At the same time, Thetis looked back at the chaotic sea surface behind and the scarlet storm that had slightly paused due to the interference, then quietly looked at a certain culprit who had come to harm the ocean gods again.
"Your method..."
"This is a necessary sacrifice!"
Lorne patted Thetis's shoulder and answered earnestly.
At the same time, that handsome face showed sincere solemnity and heaviness, as if he were a compassionate holy father.
'I will thank you for your sacrifice, and I will be with you.
Of course, spiritually...'
To show that he was not speaking falsely, Lorne faced the "Daoist friends" behind and silently drew a cross in his heart.
At this moment, seeing that scarlet storm pass through the obstacles and start spreading rapidly again, constantly closing the distance,
Thetis immediately reminded in a deep voice.
"They're coming again! Hurry!"
Hearing the ocean goddess's warning beside him, Lorne breathed a sigh of relief.
Good, she is not a real saint.
After all, he had dragged the group of ocean gods behind into the water because Thetis was about to run out of steam.
If this ocean goddess really wanted to morally criticize him and seek justice for her fellow ocean gods behind, Lorne could only respect her choice and throw her off the chariot.
However, the suggestion that followed completely shattered his doubts and refreshed his understanding.
"South by east 45 degrees, there are many islands there..."
'Wow, you are the hidden living King of Hell.'
Watching Thetis sell out the unrelated ocean gods and their dependents around without the slightest hesitation, Lorne muttered inwardly.
As expected, those who can mix in the Greek divine generations and preserve themselves, none of them are real saintly white lotuses.
Even if the surface is white, after cutting open, it's black; they have done plenty of conscienceless things.
For example, to drive away Ares, who came knocking, she had unceremoniously sold out Adonis.
No wonder the Furies' brand had successfully imprinted on her.
'Since none of us are good people, I can rest easy.'
Lorne shook off his psychological burden, turned his head to the increasingly compatible accomplice beside him, and reminded in a low voice.
"Remember to put on a disguise."
"Which layer are you talking about?"
Thetis turned her head.
Light patterns floated around her body, making the figure in the light cocoon appear as a mermaid, a snake woman, a flying bird, a sea beast.
"..." After a moment of silence, Lorne cupped his hands. "...My respects."
Immediately after, he followed suit and activated the memory divinity's cognitive distortion and the Dionysus divinity's madness, adding several more layers of disguise to himself.
At the same time, he used the [Whale's authority to envelop the entire bronze chariot in case of emergencies.
In a whirlwind of speed, the blue light shadow, whose contents could not be seen, skillfully passed several islands.
The scarlet storm followed closely behind, bringing disastrous blood color, causing a crowd of ocean gods and dependents who suffered undeserved disaster to curse nonstop.
After repeating this several times, the ocean gods and dependents used as shields also learned their lesson.
Before that damned [Whale] came knocking, they one after another jumped into the sea and fled to avoid suffering undeserved disaster.
Soon, Lorne discovered that the shields seemed insufficient.
And what was worse,
Thetis covered the venomous snake brand on her back that was gradually starting to heat up and burn, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead, her face showing pain.
Seeing this, Lorne immediately diverted part of his attention and asked concernedly.
"What's wrong?"
"The hatred seems to be activating and strengthening the power of this brand..."
Thetis suppressed the pain like venomous snakes gnawing, and answered in a deep voice.
Her pearly teeth had unknowingly bitten through her cherry lips.
The Furies were born for hatred.
The more discord and turmoil expanded, the stronger the divinity they displayed became.
No wonder Eris behind and the three Furies behind were not afraid of offending the ocean gods at all, but instead fought more bravely the more they fought.
Lorne thought of this and frowned deeply.
Can't continue dragging it out?
It's troublesome..
Just as he was feeling somewhat overwhelmed, a brilliant golden light ahead pierced through the scarlet blood clouds, from which came a high and majestic, angry shout.
"Reckless and willful criminals, the sea of Oceanos does not allow you to run amok!"
Hearing that indignant declaration, Lorne could not help but show a relieved smile on his face.
After causing trouble for so long, someone capable finally appeared on the sea!
And when his gaze saw the long sword and scales in that golden figure's hand, his eyes became even more eager.
Wow, it's a big fish!
At the same time, Lorne put on an indignant expression, turned around angrily and shouted loudly, following in the footsteps of that golden figure.
"That's right, I and evil are irreconcilable!"
(End of this chapter)