The members of Orniskem entered the planet through the open portal and immediately saw the desolate Martian landscape.

  It felt like a gigantic desert—except the sky was a bluish gray, and the ground glowed a rusty red. Mountains surrounded them, and countless crude structures were scattered across the planet’s surface.

  “Still… looks nicer than Palas,” Maahes said sarcastically as he surveyed the wasteland.

  “And my body feels lighter—almost like we’re standing on a small moon,” Montu added.

  “Even though it looks like a desert, it feels cold… not as bad as space, but still cold,” Rodrigo noted.

  “This planet could’ve held life millions of years ago, but now it’s dead—and these bastards turned it into their hideout,” Epona said.

  “Yeah, I can see their shacks and columns everywhere,” Ana replied.

  Tania wanted to join the conversation, but shame still clung to her. She stayed close to Rodrigo and the others, quiet as they explored the bleak Martian terrain.

  “T–there’s too much dust…” Sol coughed.

  “And visibility is terrible because of it. These people could ambush us easily,” Mitras said.

  Then an omnipresent voice echoed across the entire planet—

  Ares.

  “Welcome, Orniskem, to my humble home. I’ve been waiting for hours already, but I see you enjoy taking your sweet time,” Ares said, though he was nowhere in sight.

  “Show yourself, coward!” Tania shouted furiously.

  “There’s no need to be upset, dear,” Ares replied.

  “I am in my palace—located atop the tallest mountain on this planet. You must find it in… hmm, ten Lel-hours. Which would be twenty hours here.”

  “That won’t be a problem,” Ana said as she summoned her sword Dyrnwyn.

  “If you fail, the malak will be sacrificed. He’s tied to the highest hill facing my palace. If you find me, you’ll find him. Simple, isn’t it?” Ares said.

  “Too simple—we can search this tiny planet in thousandths of a second,” Mitras said.

  “What you haven’t realized,” Ares continued,

  “is that this dimension obeys my rules of time.

  Time here runs millions of times faster. Your movement speed won’t matter—the time you perceive will be the time you spend.

  Outside, only a millionth of a second will pass,

  but here you’ll experience twenty full hours.”

  “I knew he’d pull something like this,” Epona growled.

  “Can you find the Areopagus mountain in that time?

  After all, it’s your fault for arriving late to my game,” Ares mocked.

  “Everything is a game to that bastard,” Mitras spat.

  “Oh, and I almost forgot,” Ares added.

  “My hundreds of igigi, malakim, behemoth, and nefilim will try to stop you.

  And my twelve Keres are waiting across the planet.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  So hurry—your twenty hours start now.”

  The transmission cut, and everyone in Orniskem tensed up.

  “I don’t get it—so we have twenty hours to reach Anpiel?” Rodrigo asked.

  “Yes, Rui,” Ana answered.

  “But those twenty hours are based on our perception. Divine power slows time around us—but the dimension will track our internal sense of time.

  We can’t cheat it.”

  Rodrigo’s face showed even less understanding.

  “Rodrigo,” Epona said gently,

  “just count twenty hours from now. That’s our limit to reach the Areopagus.”

  “But… when we move, time freezes, right?” Rodrigo asked.

  “For example, back in my village, when I powered up, everything slowed. Soldiers barely moved while I could run around freely.”

  “Exactly,” Ana said.

  “You moved through time differently. For you, ten seconds might pass while they experienced less than one. The stronger your divine power, the slower the world around you moves.”

  “We’re using divine power right now,” Tania added timidly.

  “So time adapts to our collective strength. The sky’s movement will show how much time we have left.”

  Everyone looked at her carefully.

  Tania blushed.

  “Don’t feel bad, Tania. We’re a team, remember?” Ana said warmly.

  Tania remembered stabbing Ana’s back…

  But Ana smiled at her anyway.

  She returned the smile shyly.

  “Meeting!” Mitras shouted. Everyone gathered around him.

  “Unfortunately, Ares is hiding. No matter how fast we move, we can’t search the whole planet in twenty hours.

  We must split up. Whoever finds Ares’s palace warns the others telepathically.”

  “I didn’t think Ares w–would use a trick like this…” Sol muttered.

  “How will we divide?” Maahes asked.

  “We form three groups,” Mitras said.

  “Khine, Tania, Ana—north.

  Maahes, Montu, Rodrigo—east.

  Sol, Epona, and I—west.

  Each team gets a squad of malakim so you don’t waste energy fighting unnecessary battles.”

  “And the south?” Tania asked.

  “I’ll contact Athena telepathically so she and Horus head there when they arrive. Remember: whoever finds Ares first alerts the rest. Understood?”

  “Understood,” everyone answered.

  “Already leaving? We were preparing a feast for you,” a voice called from the mountains.

  Everyone looked.

  A man stood atop a ridge, malakim behind him.

  He wore Greek armor, a hoplite general’s helmet, a spear, and a red cape.

  “Warriors of Athena,” he said,

  “My name is Polemos, and I’m here to kill you. This planet empowers me enough to crush you.”

  The malakim aimed their flaming swords…

  But in a flash, Mitras appeared behind Polemos and stabbed him in the gut.

  At the same moment, Sol decapitated him with his blazing arm.

  The malakim fired lightning bolts, but Mitras blocked them with his cape.

  Sol raised his hands, and pillars of solar light struck from above—

  reducing the malakim to ash instantly.

  “Impressive! They’re so strong!” Rodrigo said, amazed.

  “Don’t be surprised, Rodrigo. He was just a loudmouthed igigi,” Mitras said as he and Sol rejoined the group.

  “B–but it’s obvious there’ll be stronger foes nearby… not just igigi,” Sol added.

  “Those Keres Ares mentioned,” Tania said.

  “Yes. The Keres are twelve powerful war gods,” Mitras explained.

  “When they were katteres, they were exceptional. I only know a few, but listen carefully.”

  Everyone leaned in.

  “First, Khonsu, the Egyptian god—son of Egypt’s anunnaki.

  He looks like a teenage boy, but he was banished for being a sadistic monster who experimented on humans.”

  “We know of him,” Montu said darkly.

  “Then Zalmoxis, a nephil. Very tall, carries a massive axe.

  Don’t underestimate him—he’s also a powerful mage.”

  A nephil like me, Rodrigo thought.

  “Two goddesses you surely know… especially you, Ana and Tania.

  Ishtar and Sekhmet.

  Both legendary war goddesses. Extremely strong. Be careful.”

  “Sekhmet is here too…?” Tania thought nervously.

  “I don’t know the rest, but rumors say two new members are Jupiters—and a man from a far eastern land called Yamato.”

  “What the hell is someone from there doing here?” Epona asked.

  “That region hasn’t even been touched by Christianity or Islam. If entering India is impossible, why would someone from there join this war?” Tania wondered.

  “No idea.

  But remember—do not take the Keres lightly.

  Fight together. Do not face them alone.”

  Everyone nodded.

  “W–we should go, Mitras. Time is running,” Sol said.

  “Alright, Orniskem—don’t die! That’s an order from our leader, Athena!” Mitras roared.

  Everyone shouted back with fiery determination.

  Then they each departed toward their assigned routes.