Artoria now found herself standing amidst an enormous labyrinth, a surreal construction where the sky, sea, air, and clouds had all melded into its twisted design.
She stood still, her sharp gaze scanning the vast maze that surrounded her, taking in its intricacies.
Suddenly, a familiar voice rang out from behind her.
"This presence… Could it be Minos' doing?"
Hearing the voice, Artoria turned her head with an almost indifferent calm, her expression betraying neither surprise nor alarm.
"So, you're still alive after all," she said.
"To be precise, I did 'die' once," replied Heracles with a wry smile, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
"Ah, resurrection powers," Artoria said knowingly. "Rare, but for someone like you, it's not entirely unexpected."
Her tone carried a note of curiosity as her piercing gaze fell on him. "Is this yet another ability granted by your Twelfth Labor?"
But Heracles shook his head.
"No. This comes from my Fourth Authority, derived from the trial of the Erymanthian Boar," he explained, his golden eyes now restored to clarity but tinged with complexity.
"Myth has it," he began, "that on my way to capture the Erymanthian Boar, I stopped to rest at the home of my friend Pholos. While I was there, some centaurs, drawn by the scent of wine, tried to seize it for themselves. To protect my friend, I used arrows dipped in the Hydra's venom to slay them."
"I chased the surviving centaurs all the way to the Anaurus River… where my teacher Chiron resided. The centaurs sought refuge with him, but in the chaos, I accidentally struck Chiron with one of my poisoned arrows."
"The Hydra's venom seeped into his body, its agony so unbearable that my teacher willingly gave up his immortality, surrendering it to Prometheus."
Heracles sighed softly, his voice heavy with reminiscence.
"This Authority—the immortality once possessed by my mentor—is what allows me to return from death, but only once."
Artoria's calm demeanor showed no surprise at this revelation. From the moment she had sensed that her power hadn't increased after slaying Heracles, she had suspected he wasn't truly dead.
The ability to resurrect was not unheard of among Heretic Gods. The Marquis of Voban possessed such an ability, as did the protagonist of the original Campione! series.
Artoria shifted her weight slightly, pointing at the ground with her sword, a playful smile curling her lips.
"So? How does this labyrinth feel? Familiar, perhaps?"
This labyrinth was no ordinary maze. It was a manifestation of the Authority called [The Great Labyrinth], stolen from Minos, the god of the labyrinth, by Alexander.
Heracles' connection to it ran deep. His seventh labor had been to capture the Cretan Bull for King Minos, who was also the one to commission the labyrinth.
In Greek mythology, the labyrinth had been constructed by Daedalus and his son Icarus to imprison the Minotaur—a monstrous offspring born from the union of Minos' wife Pasiphae and the bull cursed by Poseidon. The Minotaur, known as Asterios, was a creature of great infamy, often depicted as a man with the head of a bull.
Interestingly, the Minotaur's origins could be traced to the Phoenician deity Melqart, also known as Baal, who was represented with a bull's head. This same figure influenced Heracles' mythos—both as a bull-like god and as a club-wielding hero.
Thus, Heracles' connections to the labyrinth and its origins were undeniable.
Through his Authority, Alexander could transform the very environment into a massive maze, using anything around him as raw material. Within the labyrinth, he held absolute control, able to alter its terrain, set traps, and even create monsters.
Not far from where Artoria and Heracles stood, Alexander observed the two in secret. Using his mastery of the labyrinth, he had concealed himself perfectly, his presence entirely undetectable.
[The Great Labyrinth] could only be used once per month, and the long cooldown reflected its extraordinary power.
For Alexander, the labyrinth was more than a prison—it was a fortress and a staging ground. It allowed him to trap powerful foes and prepare his other Authorities in relative safety.
"Heracles wasn't truly killed… A resurrection Authority, huh? As expected of the greatest hero in Greek mythology," Alexander murmured, his golden eyes narrowing.
"But he's been slain once already, and his body was reduced to ash. Even if he's revived, he must be significantly weakened."
While defeating a weakened Heretic God would not allow Alexander to usurp their Authorities, he was willing to forego such gains if it meant achieving his ultimate goal.
And his ultimate goal…
Alexander had come prepared. From the moment he identified Artoria as the legendary King Arthur, he had begun crafting a plan.
Victory, he knew, lay in exploiting mythological vulnerabilities.
He intended to recreate the weapon from the legend of Mordred, the sword that had slain King Arthur. Even if it was merely a one-time replica, Alexander believed it could deal a fatal blow to the King of Knights.
The materials for the sword were almost ready. Only one vital component remained.
Mordred, the rebellious knight, was the offspring of King Arthur and his sister Morgause (or Morgana, depending on the tale). Mordred had been created as a pawn by Morgause to destroy King Arthur and the kingdom of Camelot.
To forge a replica of Mordred's sword, Alexander needed Arthur's blood.
The blood of the king was essential for two reasons: the sword's original legend stated that it had been stained with Arthur's blood, and Mordred himself carried Arthur's bloodline.
Once he acquired this final piece, Alexander would have the means to recreate the cursed weapon capable of slaying the King of Knights.
As he watched Artoria and Heracles engage once more, his lips curled into a cold smile.
"Soon," he thought, "we will see if the legend of King Arthur's demise can be rewritten here and now."
---
...
"GACHA!!"
"WOOOO you made it to the end! That's commitment! That's—wait—wait—are you F2P!? Disgusting. Fix it."
"You like words? You like fanfics? You like dopamine without burning 300 quartz and a pack of tissues?? SUPPORT WISE-TL!!"
👉 [patreon.com/WiseTL] (LIMITED TIME BANNER, RATES UP, NO LIES, NO MERCY—OK MAYBE A LITTLE MERCY IT'S HALF OFF RIGHT NOW)
👉 [discord.gg/wisetl] (JOIN. SHITPOST. ROLL. SCREAM. COPE.)
"If you don't click that link RIGHT NOW, I'LL MAKE SURE U ONLY GET BLACK KEYS AND MAPO TOFU. TRY ME."
-Gudako