The Greece Antagonist

Seeing this lustful goat thrust itself straight in, Apollo instantly revealed a confident, cold smile and serenely spoke, announcing the conditions.

"This time, we will compete in playing music while standing on our hands..."

Upon hearing this, Pan subconsciously touched his goat horns, his face drastically changing.

Playing with his head to the ground would not hinder Apollo's lyre playing much, but it was completely different for him playing the panpipes.

Air flow, posture, and technique would all undergo a radical change.

For a contest between experts of the same caliber, even a slight difference could determine the outcome.

Not to mention, this kind of overturned playing method.

What was thought to be merely a contest of skill, unexpectedly saw the God of Light resorting to despicable means in front of a large audience.

Realizing he had been tricked into a trap, just as Pan was about to refuse, Apollo turned his head towards the audience below, showing an extremely affable smile.

"Ladies and gentlemen, do you want to see this unique performance, to find out who the ultimate winner is?"

Instantly, the villagers on the scene cheered in response, pushing the atmosphere to a climax.

The words of refusal Pan wanted to say were forced back into his throat; he had no choice but to accept the challenge, head held high.

But the result was as clear as day.

The upside-down Apollo not only smoothly played a beautiful tune, but even switched to a folk melody familiar to the villagers.

On the other side, Pan's performance was a complete mess. He not only had to divide his attention to maintain stability but also had to explore a new way to control the airflow. As a result, what should have been a smooth melody was high and low, intermittent, sounding as dreadful as a ghost's wail, and even worse than a mediocre musician.

Faced with such an obvious gap, Midas, as Pan's loyal disciple, was still stubbornly supporting his idol, trying to use the favor he had gained earlier to sway the villagers and turn the tide for Pan.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I think Pan's music is more beautiful. If anyone shares my thoughts, please cast your vote for this great musician!"

Such blatant partiality infuriated Apollo unusually.

He immediately walked up to Midas and said with a sneer, "You fool, you dare to pass judgment on things you don't understand."

As he spoke, the God of Light suddenly grabbed Midas's ears and pulled hard: "This way, your hearing might improve a bit."

Midas quickly used his hands to soothe his painfully stretched ears, yet from within his hair, he felt a fuzzy sensation.

Through the reflection in a wine cup, he suddenly saw that he was wearing a pair of donkey ears on his head.

In an instant, Midas, both ashamed and furious, rolled his eyes back and actually fainted on the spot.

"Is there anyone else who needs my help to correct their hearing?"

The Apollo on the stage scanned the audience around him, his gaze cold and unfriendly,

Under that overwhelming divine pressure, the villagers of Arcadia shivered, hastily casting the stones in their hands into the jar representing Apollo.

Seeing Apollo resort to threats directly, Pan, who still held a sliver of hope, suddenly realized there was no chance for a comeback. His eyes reddened with rage, he accused indignantly.

"I protest! This is cheating!"

"This is a contest you agreed to participate in voluntarily. You chose the venue and the audience. Everything was fair and square! Now according to the results of the vote, I won!"

Apollo, looking at the powerless and furiously raging Pan in front of him, tossed the laurel wreath onto that despised goat face, snorting in contempt.

"So, our prior agreement is null and void. Get lost, mongrel!"

The merciless humiliation, coupled with his unconscious follower on the ground, caused Pan to grit his teeth until they nearly shattered, his chest feeling as though it were erupting with scorching heat.

Gradually, fury and resentment condensed in his eyes, turning into a hysterical madness.

"Bang!"

A muffled roar exploded on the stage, Pan activated his Extreme Speed to its limit, turning into a blur as he lunged into the Muses below, reaching out to grasp the Goddess he had set his sights on.

If the God of Light was going to play dirty, then he wouldn't pretend either!

No one shall take away what I deserve from me!

However, just as Pan was about to succeed, the Muse in front was sharply shoved aside, a familiar figure stepping in front of him.

In a flash, the two collided heavily.

"You~!"

Pan looked in shock and anger at Luo En, who had abruptly appeared before him.

But before he could voice a threat, Luo En revealed a subtly mocking smile and bumped discreetly into Pan's chest, forcing him back several steps.

"You're asking for death!"

At the same time, a sinister roar came from behind.

A sharp Light Arrow shot through the air, piercing straight through the goat's head, causing a massive explosion that blew it to pieces, scattering flesh everywhere.

The headless corpse, staggering like a drunk, stumbled forward a few steps, then collapsed with a thud; golden-red neck blood gushed out like a fountain, continuously splattering onto the surrounding soil.

As the thick scent of blood spread, the gathered villagers snapped out of their trance and screamed in terror, fleeing in all directions.

Facing the sudden bloody turn of events, Artemis, the Nymphs, and the Muses were all shocked as they looked toward Apollo, who had acted so violently in public.

In the midst of chaos, Apollo looked at the longbow in his hands and the body of Pan, who had stopped twitching. His boiling blood instantly cooled, and he stood there, dumbfounded.

He had only intended to teach that stupid goat a lesson; he hadn't expected to actually kill him...

At the scene, no one noticed the golden mist seeping from Pan's remains, flowing through the ground and into the body of a certain figure.

As the God of Light's mind reeled in confusion, the golden mist was drained away. The necklace that had rolled off from Pan's severed neck shattered, unleashing a beam of golden-red light straight into the sky.

Immediately afterward, the wind howled, and Hermes, wearing a winged helmet, with winged shoes on his feet and the Caduceus in hand, arrived at breakneck speed above the ground. He looked down upon the ghastly scene and the headless corpse of his son Pan, his eyes nearly bursting with rage and a roar of grief and anger.

"Apollo!"

Then, in extreme anger, Hermes pushed his Authority of Extreme Speed to its limit, raised his Caduceus, and charged towards Apollo, the perpetrator.

However, a golden arrow whizzed through the air and pinned itself at Hermes' feet as Artemis stepped forward and scolded,

"Stop, it was Pan who struck first! He was bested in his own game and even attempted to abduct a Muse under my brother's command!"

"So, you killed him?"

Hermes, clutching Pan's headless body, asked angrily in return.

"It was an accident!"

Artemis immediately defended her brother, trying to absolve Apollo of blame.

In response to the questioning, Apollo, too, tensed his face and replied with a cold snort,

"He brought it upon himself!"

In an instant, Hermes, left speechless, repeatedly said with grief and anger,

"Fine, fine, fine! You siblings have two mouths to argue with; I can't outtalk you, so let's have the Father God be the judge!"

With that, the Divine Envoy struck his Caduceus firmly on the ground, sending countless murmurs with the breeze across the whole world.

As the god of messengers, Hermes was not only responsible for delivering messages but also for keeping secrets; he was Zeus' most loyal cover during his affairs.

But now, with his son killed, a furious Hermes could no longer bother to conceal for that father.

He sought justice for himself and his tragically deceased son.

In no time at all, thunderclouds gathered in the sky, as flashes of lighting combined overhead Arcadia to form Zeus' figure.

Zeus, seemingly irritated by the interruption of his dalliance, listened to Hermes' accusations and looked down on the bloody scene and Pan's pitiful dead body with annoyance, casting a displeased glance at Apollo.

"You went too far. Apologize to Hermes..."

"I'm not in the wrong; he asked for it."

However, the defiant god paid no heed to the Father God's offer of reconciliation, holding his head high with stubbornness.

Seeing his son so unwilling to afford him any face, Zeus, who had wanted to smooth things over, didn't get angry but rather maintained his composure and spoke indifferently,

"Then let it be so. Tomorrow morning, I shall officially convene a council of the gods to pass judgment on all matters. Since you believe you're not wrong, let all the deities judge."

Apollo nodded in agreement, gathered the Muses around him, cast a glance at the furiously staring Hermes, and departed with long strides.

Seeing the atmosphere sour, Artemis also had no desire to linger. After casting an apologetic look at Hermes, she took Luo En and the Nymphs with her and left.

"Father God, you must stand up for me!"

Watching Zeus descend from the clouds, Hermes could no longer contain the grievances in his heart and cried out to the Father God in anger.

"He dared to kill my son today; who knows, tomorrow he may dare to do the same to you..."

With a single glance from Zeus, Hermes' complaints abruptly stopped. He wisely shut his mouth, without saying more.

And after a moment of silence, the Divine King of Olympus glanced at Pan's headless body and softened his tone,

"Alright, you go back too. I will certainly give you justice tomorrow."

Hearing this, Hermes nodded fiercely and, clutching his son's remains, left the scene.

Looking at the vastly different attitudes of his two sons, Zeus narrowed his eyes, a hint of darkness lurking in the depths.

It seems some need to be taken down a peg or two.

At that moment, Luo En, mingling among the Nymphs, felt a shiver in his mind. From the altar came the familiar sound of a twelve-sided die rolling, and a golden divine revelation followed suit,

"The Death of Pan, completed."

"Progress of The Twelve Sacrileges - 3/12..."

The golden revelation then dissolved, sketching out a vivid effigy of a Goat and embedding it into the third slot of the roulette.

Excellent, a mere walk outside, and he had coalesced a third avatar—not a wasted trip.

He thanked Lord Apollo for the gift of the goat's head and for taking the blame willingly.

Luo En stretched leisurely, glanced at the grim-faced God of Light up ahead, his eyes discreetly sweeping over the Muses beside him, the corners of his lips curling up with pleasure.

Next, it was time to repay him.