Chapter 461: Trial (4)

Perseus POV

The monsters lay defeated, but the battle wasn't over. As the dust settled, a glimmer caught my eye, another quest window materialized in front of me, whew, I am so tired. I paused to catch my breath, wiping sweat from my brow as the adrenaline rush slowly faded away. The taste of victory was short.

Just when I thought I could collapse and take a long nap right there amidst the debris, a glimmer of light caught my eye. Not another quest window...Not now, I thought, but there it was, materializing in front of me.

[Quest: Confrontation with Satan.]

[Enter the Chamber of Shadows and face the ultimate trial against the Lord of Hell and Darkness.]

[Reward: The salvation of realms from eternal darkness and the restoration of balance, along with a boon unimaginable, an infusion of the Lord of Darkness's own power, to be wielded for the greater good.]

"I'd pay a good amount of money to see all your fantasies." Maple commented, "This is like one of those video games thing, isn't it?"

"You do not want to see my fantasies."

"Why...? Oh...it's lewd, isn't it?"

"Actually, no."

"And why would I believe that?"

" Why wouldn't you?"

"You told your mom that you're a virgin."

"...Well, I lied to them about many things."

"And so you expect me to believe that the person who's constantly chasing skirts of older women doesn't have lewd fantasies."

"Well, I have, but they're not really my priority."

I have fantasies of a lot of food and just shoving them down, but if any of this leaks...well, let's just say that a lot of people are going to be mad since I prioritize gluttony over many loved ones. If it helps, Buddy was there to share the food with me, and Vince was the person serving me all sorts of drinks.

*****

3rd Person POV

Phineas, dressed in cloaks and trying his best to use magic to hide his wings as he usually doesn't hide them to show his pride in his powers, arrived at a secret rendezvous with the heroes. A veil of suspicion draped over the gathering, each hero eyeing him cautiously, their guard up, and skepticism etched on their faces.

The heroes exchanged wary glances as Phineas approached, their defenses raised in anticipation of what they believed might be a ploy to infiltrate their ranks. They expected pleas for alliance, a pitch for reconciliation, or perhaps an appeal for redemption.

Their suspicions waned momentarily, replaced by a flicker of curiosity tinged with wariness. What lay beyond this unexpected approach? Had they misjudged Phineas's motives, or was this a cunning ruse?

Yet, Phineas's purpose did differ from their assumptions. His gaze held a somber determination, his demeanor devoid of the expected attempts to win their trust. Instead, there was an air of urgency, a weighty secret harbored within his guarded conscience.

The heroes, anticipating a different narrative, were perplexed by Phineas's unexpected approach. A murmur of suspicion and curiosity reverberated among them, but Phineas remained resolute, poised to disclose a truth far removed from their presumptions.

"I've not come seeking allegiance or to mend bridges," he spoke up after a moment of awkward silence, "There's a matter of grave urgency that you should all know, one is relating to Cain, your spies should have already told you of him, and the other is Perseus."

"You and Cain working together against us," one hero interjected, skepticism lacing their words.

"I'm not necessarily working with him, it's just the person I'm serving tolerates him, I found out that he is the same Cain from the...to put it lightly...he is known as the first murderer...but he's even more vile and sinister than anyone can remember, I'm willing to work with you on eliminating him, he's very dangerous, he does not care for morals...

"He poses a threat to all of us, we can go back to being enemies after he is gone. However...well...I can't be known to be working with you and yet, I am here to enlist your aid in stopping his relentless pursuit of power."

"You're actually serious? No kidding." a hero exclaimed

"I don't kid." Phineas sighed and then took a deep breath, "The other...well, about Perseus... he may be a reincarnator."

The heroes exchanged puzzled glances, the revelation stirring a mixture of surprise and curiosity. The idea that Perseus was a reincarnation of Loki was discussed before, but to hear it from Phineas' mouth was surprising.

"The brilliance and strength they exhibit could be attributed to a past life's experience. Their actions may be guided by a deeper knowledge ingrained in the very essence of their being." Phineas explained, "Consider the uncanny abilities they possess, the instincts, the strategic brilliance that transcends mere skill...I have also heard a lot of things."

He then mentioned and spoke about what he knew and what he learned from Cain, the experiments, the similarity of Perseus and Loki, the possibility of reincarnation, and the possibility of Loki being in the same place as the heroes, and having his soul reincarnated...his age is around the same time of the heroes being brought over, all of this matches.

The heroes thought so too, but they also can't really prove it, what if Perseus was indeed a reincarnation of Loki, but without the memories? No one can say for sure. So they agreed to put the Perseus problem to the side for now.

"We'll work with you." Sarah spoke up after a short discussion, "But we'll still kill every and any of your comrades that are going to get in the way of us killing Cain, you'll also have to reveal certain inside information...at least, just the ones relating to Cain, like how important is he? What is his role? All of Cain-related information."

"Fine...but same for your side, I want to know the names of certain spies, ones who are close to Cain, I will need to check in on them and kick them out once Cain is eliminated." Phineas counted and then remembered something, "Oh...and Cain did say that he had someone he's working with on your side, he had the same name of the deceased hero, Rolan."