Chapter 191: Rebound (Second Update)

This story is really absurd.

Yes, it’s true that her precious daughter was sent by Hippolyta to call for reinforcements.

The Amazon Queen's original intent was for her to seek out the sanctuary where Zeus and other true gods resided. After all, the gods no longer inhabited the earthly Olympus of Greece but existed in another dimension.

The Amazons could still receive the gods' power through prayers and various rituals. For example, the demonstration of a ballista shooting a warship from ten kilometers away was due to the power granted by Artemis, the goddess of the hunt.

But why did she bring back Penthesilea?

Wasn't she already...

Queen Hippolyta pushed down her chaotic thoughts, and along with her followers, spurred her horse toward the location of the report.

Halfway there, she saw the four figures.

She was stunned, and the nightmare that had haunted her for years dissipated with just a glance.

"Sister..."

"Sister—"

The two sisters looked remarkably alike, but oddly, the elder sister still appeared as if in her early twenties, while the younger was marked by the visible signs of aging.

"By the gods, is it really you!?" Hippolyta hugged her sister tightly.

"It's me... Sister, what happened to you?" Penthesilea hesitated.

"Please! I don’t know what you’ve been through, but in this world, the Trojan War ended nearly two and a half centuries ago. Even for us, the offspring of the gods, we can't avoid the passage of time!" Hippolyta hugged her sister even tighter.

No matter how Penthesilea had wronged Hippolyta back then, whatever misunderstanding had occurred, the passing years had erased any resentment.

After a long embrace, they finally released each other.

Hippolyta looked toward the sea. The bombardment of the steel fleet had gradually subsided with the setting sun. She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and turned to her beloved daughter and the mysterious outsiders.

Diana quickly stepped forward: "Mother! This is Atreus, though he’s using the alias Kratos..."

Hippolyta’s eyes widened. "You’re Kratos? Then this lady must be Helen?"

Her reaction startled the group of four.

Atreus was surprised. "Wait! You know the name Kratos?"

"Of course! While Themyscira didn’t participate in the Trojan War, I closely followed the reports from there. I first heard that Penthesilea was wounded by Achilles, then that someone named Kratos killed Achilles. But after the fall of Troy, I heard that you had all died in the city. I wept for a long time because of it."

Atreus, Helen, and Penthesilea exchanged looks, stunned for quite some time.

This doesn’t make sense. Or rather, has history been altered?

Before arriving, Atreus had worried that Penthesilea and Helen might not align with the history of this world, potentially causing a time paradox.

Unexpectedly, the two worlds were in sync, and past events that had been changed had somehow merged with the present?

This bizarre absurdity left Atreus and the others speechless.

He had even explained to the women about the differences in time and space planes, warning of the potential consequences. For instance, if Hippolyta didn’t recognize Penthesilea, it could lead to problems.

At least family ties remained intact.

But the story just kept getting stranger.

The Queen of Themyscira glanced outside, then bowed to Atreus. "No matter what, thank you for saving my sister. This is not the place to talk. Please follow me back to the palace, where I’ll reward you all and explain the situation further."

The group mounted their horses and headed toward the temple at the highest point on the island.

Along the way, Atreus was greeted with what could only be described as a passionate welcome.

Though, there was something odd about it...

On cliffs, tree branches, and roadsides, Amazonian warriors crowded around to watch. While they greeted him warmly, there was no shortage of pointing and whispering.

"A man."

"Look! It’s a man!"

"Thank the heavens! The gods have finally granted Themyscira a strong man."

Even though Atreus wore Kratos’s disguise, the slight twitch in his facial muscles wasn’t lost on those nearby.

Watching her aunt and mother chatting endlessly on horseback ahead, Diana quietly said, "Hehe! I had the same reaction the first time I saw you."

Atreus gritted his teeth slightly. "Didn’t Ares send his forces to invade Themyscira?"

Before Diana could respond, an Amazon warrior with sharp hearing answered.

"Those fools with their fire sticks? I sat on one of them, and his pelvis shattered."

Her bold words drew cheers and laughter from the nearby Amazons. She even proudly twisted her muscular, rock-solid hips for emphasis.

"Hahaha!"

"Such weaklings dare to call themselves men?"

Atreus glanced at her, slightly speechless. She wasn’t bad-looking, but her eight-pack abs were a bit too prominent, and her skin—clearly with some kind of defensive properties—indicated she wasn’t someone the average man could handle.

Atreus wasn’t entirely sure, but from his perception, he estimated that these Amazons weren’t as weak as they were depicted in movies. They wouldn't be so easily killed by rifles from the World War I era.

Just then, the Amazons around them began to stir.

Hippolyta, protected at the front, glanced back helplessly. "Sister, I thought you’d have marked him by now. You know the Amazonian custom."

The stronger Amazon warriors held higher status, and those in power could mark a man they captured with their unique paint in a visible spot. That way, other Amazons wouldn’t touch him.

Otherwise, shared economy, anyone?

But her sister only rolled her eyes. "Hah! The fact that he didn’t mark me is already a sign of respect."

Amazons didn’t think much of men, but strong men were another matter.

The most famous example was when Heracles nearly conquered the Amazon queen without even drawing a weapon to claim the token for his Twelve Labors.

Her sister’s words shocked Hippolyta. "So, he really did kill Achilles?"

"Of course."

As if in response to Penthesilea’s words, one Amazon warrior made a move.

She drew a powerful bow, and an arrow over a meter long shot past Atreus’s left side.

It wasn’t a sneak attack; in fact, she snapped off the iron arrowhead before firing and even shouted, "Watch out, tough guy!"

There was no malice, just a test.

The sound of the bowstring resonated, and the arrow’s power was comparable to a Mauser rifle from World War I.

Atreus’s reaction took everyone by surprise.

He casually raised his left hand and, with a flick, sent the arrow back the way it had come.

A single finger, in that fleeting moment, had deflected the arrow as if it were a mere marble.

(End of the chapter)