Lord of Entertainment-Chapter 309: Enyalius

(3rd Person POV)

Arthur channeled even more power into the chain, watching it pulse with light. It vibrated—not with strain, but with something disturbingly close to pleasure. Both he and the imprisoned deity could feel it.

The chain... was happy.

The deity's eyes narrowed as he felt the binding grip on his limbs begin to loosen ever so slightly. But relief never came.

Instead, dread bloomed in his chest.

'What is this madman doing...? Letting the chain feast on him so casually—this guy is beyond crazy!'

Arthur showed no signs of slowing. The Devourer Ring hummed, and the divine power surged through his fingers like a river, endlessly pouring into the chain.

The deity—who bore a striking resemblance to a younger Keanu—gritted his teeth, watching the scene unfold with mounting anxiety.

Minutes turned into half an hour.

Still, Arthur remained unfazed. No sweat. No fatigue. His divine output continued, seemingly limitless.

The chained god's jaw slackened.

'He's still going? This—this should be impossible!'

He could feel it.

The chains were bulging. Swollen. Saturated.

Chains that were forged to drain gods dry over millennia... were nearing it's limit from a single man's power in mere minutes.

The deity stared at Arthur, stunned.

'Is this guy really just the descendant of Aides...? What kind of monster is he?'

But Arthur remained focused, narrowing his eyes at the trembling chains.

Then—something changed.

The absorption began to slow.

And then, it stopped.

The chain had enough. It refused to take more, as if saying, "I'm full."

Arthur snorted. "Full already? Hmph."

He extended his hand—and forced it.

The ring unleashed a brutal surge of magic, ramming more power into the chain against its will.

It tried to resist, but Arthur was relentless.

"Stop!" the deity shouted, eyes wide with alarm. "It's full! If you keep letting it devour your energy, you might push yourself to the brink—!"

Arthur simply shook his head. "No. I'm generous. If it's hungry, it can keep eating. And if it's not... I'll force-feed it anyway."

The deity stared at him, dumbfounded.

Words failed him.

At that moment, he no longer saw Arthur as a mere descendant of Aides...

He was beginning to look like something else entirely.

A force of nature.

A few minutes later, the chains began to tremble—no longer from hunger or resistance, but from fear. The runes etched along their surface flickered weakly as the metal itself recoiled.

Then, they loosened.

One by one, the bindings slithered off the deity's limbs like frightened serpents abandoning a collapsing nest.

They didn't just release him.

They surrendered.

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Huh. It's submitting?"

The deity didn't respond.

He barely registered that he was free. His eyes were locked on Arthur, still wide with disbelief, as though he were staring at something that defied the laws of the divine.

"...You..." he murmured hoarsely. "You're not normal."

Arthur said nothing. Instead, he casually reached out and grabbed the remnants of the chain. He funneled more energy from his ring, continuing to force-feed the artifact. The chain trembled again, this time in pure panic. The runes glowed dimly, and rather than absorb the power, it vomited it out—expelling the energy in unstable waves.

Then, as if deciding its own fate, the chain twisted, reshaped itself... and shrank.

Within seconds, it wrapped neatly around Arthur's waist—forming into a sleek, metallic belt.

Arthur blinked. "Huh. So now you want to be my belt?" He let out a short chuckle. "Smart choice."

The deity stared at him, utterly speechless.

Arthur turned to him. "Well, you're free now."

The deity stood still, eyes scanning Arthur carefully. Then he asked, "You... you're not exhausted at all? After releasing that much power?"

His gaze dropped to the golden ring on Arthur's finger. His pupils shrank.

"Wait... is that—? One of the Legendary Rings?!"

Arthur didn't even flinch. "Took you long enough to notice," he said, amused. Then his tone shifted. "Anyway, now that you're free... what can you offer me in return?"

The deity glanced again at the ring—and for a brief moment, it flared with an ominous glow. As if watching him.

A chill ran down his spine.

'The ring... it's chosen him. It's alive. And it's warning me...'

He hesitated too long.

Arthur tilted his head. "Well?"

The deity cleared his throat. "I—I can pass on several Divine Skills. Techniques you could only dream of—"

"Not interested."

Arthur's answer was immediate. Blunt. Final.

The deity looked stunned. "You... don't want my divine skills?"

"No," Arthur said coldly. "Unless you've got something truly valuable, don't waste my time."

He released a sudden surge of divine pressure—crackling through the air like a thunderclap. The deity stumbled back, a bead of cold sweat forming on his temple.

'This boy... he's far stronger than I thought...'

"I—I do have treasures!" the deity blurted out quickly. "Just... not on me at the moment."

Arthur scoffed. "You don't even have clothes. Don't talk to me about treasure."

"...Right," the deity muttered, lowering his head in shame. He let out a sigh. "Look, I've got nothing to offer you right now. But I swear, I will repay you. I need to reclaim my power. I need to... take revenge on Solarus."

He turned, preparing to fly away.

But he didn't move.

He couldn't.

An invisible weight pressed down on him—holding him in place.

A mix of the cave's residual divine seal... and Arthur's silent, suffocating pressure.

He looked back, realizing he was still not free.

Not entirely.

Arthur walked toward him slowly, each step radiating authority.

"Don't even think about running," he said calmly, stopping just inches away. He placed a firm hand on the deity's shoulder. "I freed you. That means your life belongs to me now."

His golden eyes narrowed.

"You serve me."

The deity's eyes widened, filled with shock and defiance. "What?! No—I never agreed to—!"

Arthur chuckled darkly. "You don't have a choice."

He pressed down harder. The pressure wasn't just physical—it was divine. The deity gritted his teeth, his body trembling under the weight.

Arthur tilted his head slightly, his tone now mock-casual. "Oh—before I forget... What's your name, oh mighty prisoner?"

The deity hesitated.

But the pressure mounted, and resistance was no longer an option.

"...Enyalius," he finally said, voice low but clear. "Enyalius Mars."

His eyes flickered with a faint glow as he lifted his chin slightly, pride still lingering in his voice.

"I am the God of War."

Arthur's eyes flickered with mild surprise. "God of War? Strange... I've never heard of you before."

Enyalius nodded, his expression somber yet proud. "I was once a revered deity across the old world. Hundreds of millions followed me—warriors, soldiers, generals, champions. They called me Enyalius, the God of War."

He glanced up at Arthur with curiosity. "But you... with that kind of power... you're clearly not just some descendant of Aides."

Arthur frowned. "There's that name again. Aides. Who is he, exactly?"

Enyalius let out a long breath, as if recalling a memory older than mountains. "Aides... the God of the Underworld. One of the Original Gods who once ruled this world. His bloodline carried the traits of horns, tails, and scales. Like yours."

Arthur tilted his head. "So he's the one we demons descended from?" he mused aloud. "And you and Aides... were the gods before the Three Known Ones took over?"

"Ignorant gods," Enyalius spat bitterly. He clenched his fists. "Yes. We were the native gods. Before they came."

Arthur narrowed his gaze. "The Three Known Gods... Solarus, the Moon Goddess, and the God of Craft?"

Enyalius's voice hardened. "Solarus, especially. That bastard led the invasion. He's the one who sealed me here—along with others."

He gestured to the vast, ominous cave around them. "This entire realm was once ruled by Aides. The Nether Realm—your ancestor's domain. He resisted the Invaders until the end. Because of him, some of us survived. Solarus and the others couldn't kill us... so they imprisoned us here, in Aides' own land."

Arthur remained silent, digesting the weight of that revelation. "So... Aides might still be alive?"

Enyalius's expression turned conflicted. "I don't know. I was sealed long before I could learn of his fate."

He turned his gaze deeper into the cave's shadows. "Others were sealed here too—my men, my fellow gods. But this place is vast... a maze of silence and shadow. I've never seen them. I don't even know if they're still conscious."

He sighed, his voice softer now. "That's why I needed to be free... I have to find them."