"Sandhya, I won't say whatever you are feeling right now is not real.
But I will tell you, that it will not last. The basis of that whole feeling is the curiosity about the unknown and the attraction towards unfathomable things. Sam is a very attractive in many aspects and his prowess is way too much simulation for someone like you who didn't see the world.
I made the same mistake and had to be with your father.
I was deceived and the whole reason for that is me being unable to differentiate this new infatuation with true love. So, be careful on what you pursue."
"But, mother. You had unlimited power in the planet, the resources you have are way more and father had nothing compared to you. He had every reason and necessity to deceive you. So, he took advantage of that infactuation you had.
What about Sam though? What does he need from us when he has everything he needs and wants. I don't see anything wrong in acting up on it."
"Still, your infatuation is not with the person. But the power of that person. I won't stop you from making your decision, after all you are the one that is going to live with it. I will leave it in your own hands."
With that Priestess left Sandhya.
Meanwhile, Sam who was in the middle of the formation, suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion hit him. He has been working for way too long and this ice formation has taken a toll on his physical strength.
He disconnected himself from the formation. The valley right now is freezing cold. It is colder than the time before the disaster. But the citizens and the cultivators of the city are extremely happy because of it.
Sam didn't get any alert from Karthikeya even though the ten disasters are officially completed. So, he made his way to the residence arranged for him and let all the beasts back into the Divine Dimension.
His work in this place is done.
Now the only thing left is take revenge on that one clan that wanted to screw him over and get on with his life of this competition. From what he knew the next phase is going to be interesting. He would be closer to the gods and their subordinates more than ever and he could start exerting his revenge on those assholes for controlling his life for such a long time.
He has been waiting for this.
But before all of that could happen, he needs to get some rest.
Sam laid down on the bed and closed his eyes.
At that moment, the leader of that city took the stage at the center where Sam previously was and made a declaration.
"By Sam's favor, we managed to avert the disaster successfully.
The debt our ancestors owed for the Olympian gods has been finally paid off and all our lives were saved. Tonight spend time with your families and enjoy the peace. Because I declare ten days of celebrations starting from dawn tomorrow.
We will celebrate not only our lives that were saved but also our savior who will be leaving soon. On the day of his departure we will throw a grand farewell that he will never forget."
His announcement made everyone go on an uproar. Everyone is happy.
The leader then went ahead and met with the young masters of the other clans.
"If it is not a problem, please contact your clan leaders and let them know of my decision. Sam, indeed had to put a lot more effort in our disaster and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that we suffered the most.
I would like to host a celebration here. And from the looks of it, Sam is not looking to move around. If your clans also want to participate in this, tell them to come by tomorrow morning."
The young masters agreed immediately.
Priestess who is there didn't want to be a part of this celebration. She turned to her daughter and said.
"Whether you leave with him or not, please bring him to the mountain before the departure. In fact, he might have to come there. The way out of this planet for him is there after all."
"Alright, I will let him know."
After that, the priestess left.
She went back to the mountain temple and immediately went into the prayer room to have a conversation with Karthikeya. She performed the usual ritual and waited for his arrival. But it has been few minutes, and still there is no sign.
She frowned and got worried.
Just when she was about to do a different ritual, a purple flash appeared within the room. A humanoid silhouette appeared out of nowhere and looked straight in Priestess' eyes.
"Hello, you must be the priestess that Karthikeya spends time with. You indeed have the looks for it."
Priestess frowned at that comment.
She gave him a good luck and then immediately understood who he was.
"You must be Zeus."
"You recognized me? That is a surprise."
"Impolite intrusion, disrespectful words, twisted mind with lustful thoughts. All the boxes are checked. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out who you are."
As soon as her words left her mouth, Zeus froze in the spot. He looked at her angrily. But that anger was fleeting. He set himself straight and said.
"Today, I am here to offer you something."
"The people of this planet have learned a painful lesson. To not to accept anything from the Olympian gods easily. Much less directly from the King of Olympus himself. I am not a fool."
"Who said anything about it being easy? It is just a fair trade. But you can also take it as an opportunity.
I want you to kill Sam, right there on that planet."
Priestess frowned as soon as she heard those words.
"I want him dead. And if you do it yourself, I will give you anything you need. I will help you ascend to higher realms. I will give a bloodline to your family that will make you the predators among the humans.
I don't have much time. Just think about it. If you can do it, the reward is yours."
By the end of his sentence, he was sucked by an invisible force and disappeared.
The next moment, Karthikeya's statue glowed and he appeared.
"Are you okay?"
Karthikeya asked in a worried tone.
Priestess nodded and looked at him.
"Are you okay? What happened? I did the ritual and waited. Instead of you, Zeus appeared."
"I know. That bastard did something from here. He interfered my Divine connection sneakily. What did he say?"
"He wanted me to kill Sam for some rewards."
Karthikeya closed his eyes and sighed.
"Why does this guy have to complicate everything?"
"Can't you just take Sam away? After all, he already finished the ten disasters. He should be free to go."
"No, I can't. I had to give others some leeway for me to include your planet and that leeway is that the competitiors are going to stay back on the planet for a few days after the actual disaster times are over. And during that stay if anyone dies because of the residual effects of disasters, they will also be counted under the participant's belt.
At first I didn't think much of it and agreed. But it seems like I underestimated the underhandedness of this person way too much."
Karthikeya paused and his expression changed.
"There is some more interference. Be care…"
Before he could finish the sentence Karthikeya disappeared.
Priestess went into a deep thought. Things are a little fishy.
But what she doesn't know is that the same purple flashes have appeared all over the planet in different places. That included the city inside the valley that Sam just rescued.
Priestess thought for a moment and decided to go back to the valley city the same night.
Sandhya was surprised by that arrival. But the Priestess didn't reveal anything.
Sam slept the whole night like a baby while the rest of the city was busy with preparations for celebrations. Throughout the night, people from different cities, including their clan heads made their way to the city.
The excitement for the celebrations is unreal. Everyone is looking forward to it.
Sam slept through the night and woke up at the crack of the dawn.
"You should be a lot more careful than this, you know. I could have killed you. You had your guard completely down."
Sandhya said as she looked at Sam who just woke up.
Sam looked at Sandhya who is standing at the door. It seems like she has been there for a while.
"You should have tried."
Sam said casually as he stretched his body lazily. He is shirtless at the moment and his muscled and scarred body is clearly visible to her. She is a bit shocked at the sheer number of scars.
She wanted to ask, but didn't dare to.
Instead, she turned to a guard standing far away and gave him a message.