Rise of the Eromancer

"There are no more exceptions, reasoning, or excuses—If you lose even once without reaching the top, Rhys Wilder…

…I will eat you, and I will take my time because you humiliated me in front of the god who has been humiliating me for as long as I can remember."

"You said that last time, Arachnea." Rhys stood with his arms crossed, casually staring at Arachnea while shaking his head.

"Welll…" Arachnea's towering figure leaned in closer, her dark eyes gleaming with a playful yet dangerous glow.

"I like you, Rhys," Arachnea said, her voice dripping with amusement. "But not that much. This is the last time I will be warning you. I will eat you if you fail."

"Well…" Rhys let out a short but very deep sigh, "...I suppose that's a deal, then."

Clio, standing a few steps behind them, blinked in confusion. Her eyes darted between Rhys and Arachnea, trying to figure out what kind of relationship these two had. "How… do you actually know Arachnea, Rhys?"

Rhys let out another long sigh, his shoulders finally relaxing. "You could say she saved me, in a way."

Arachnea giggled, slinking behind Rhys and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Oho… you and I have very different interpretations of that time, Descendan of Eros," she whispered.

"I remember you riding me and pulling my hair."

Clio's eyes widened, her face turning red. "W-What?"

Rhys groaned, stepping out of Arachnea's grasp with a tired expression. "It wasn't like that. Well, it was… but it's not what you think, Clio."

Clio looked more bewildered than ever, biting her lip as she glanced away. Rhys having other women? Sure, she was completely fine with that. But Arachnea?

Arachnea was a goddess—how could she compete with that?

"This new one of yours is rather amusing, hm?" Arachnea let out a small giggle as she saw the frantic expression on Clio's face, "But she's very much like you—thinks too much to the point it's leaking out of her head. I am—Oh?"

Arachnea suddenly stopped talking as she looked up.

And without warning, the sky suddenly erupted into flames. A fiery blaze descended from the heavens, swirling with light and heat like a colossal arrow, casting the ground in a golden glow.

Clio instinctively shielded her eyes, her breath catching in her throat. Rhys, however, barely flinched.

The fire spiraled down until it landed softly on the ground in front of them, and from the flames…

…the figure of Pythia emerged, her form shifting from a blazing sun to her usual graceful, human appearance.

She eyed Arachnea with a mix of amusement and surprise. "Oh my… oh my, indeed. You truly are full of surprises, Rhys Wilder," Pythia said, her voice smooth as silk.

"Out of all the gods that danced in my mind of who would be your sponsor, the goddess of spiders was not even in it."

Rhys offered a small shrug. "We have history. I owe a lot to her."

Arachnea, still standing close to Rhys, moved behind him again, wrapping her long, slender arms around his waist this time. "The sun god, I apologize," she said with a sly grin. "But this one is already mine."

Pythia's golden eyes twinkled with humor, clearly entertained by the interaction.

"No wonder my sister hated you," she said, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

"Which one?" Arachnea smirked, "You have a lot it's very hard to count."

"Oh, I do believe you know which one," Pythia covered her mouth to laugh, "I'm sure you are reminded by that every day."

"Reminded by what? That I am more beautiful than the other gods would ever be?" And unlike Pythia, Arachnea had no plan of being demure and pretentious at all, "Take as many forms as any of you want, the fact that I only need this form proves that the gods are not as… pretty as they deem themselves to be."

"Well, I never claimed to be pretty—but it just so happens that a lot are attracted to me," Pythia spun around in place, "Of course, not like someone who needs to trap someone else would know what I am talking about."

"Typical of a god to insult someone who they have cursed," Arachnea scoffed.

"I didn't curse you, Arachnea—this is the first time we're ever meeting," Pythia giggled again before her tone changed, "Well enough of this, as the god overseeing this plane, I shall now explain to you more about the Coliseum of Champions."

Pythia stepped forward, her graceful movements making it look like she was gliding over the ground. Her gaze flicked to Rhys, sizing him up as if she were evaluating a piece of artwork.

"The Coliseum of Champions is no ordinary battleground," she began, her voice carrying a tone of authority. "The participants are heroes and champions with feats that resound throughout the land. They are plucked from time, removed from the frozen, repeating world played by the gods…

…and you, Rhys Wilder, have more than proven yourself to be welcomed by its halls."

"Well, well…" Arachnea tightened her grip around Rhys's waist, her voice low and possessive. "...And you have never seen anyone like him, I promise you that."

Clio shifted uncomfortably as she glanced where Arachnea's hands were at.

Pythia gave a light laugh, her gaze lingering on Rhys with a bit more interest than before. "We shall see, Arachnea…

…We shall see."

Pythia suddenly raised her hand, and with a single flick of her wrist, the air around them began to shimmer. A glowing portal materialized in the sky, swirling with bright light, and a gust of wind rushed past them as the portal opened wider.

"Now, Rhys Wilder," Pythia said, her voice almost teasing, "you must be ready to leave everything you have built here behind."

Rhys didn't hesitate. "I'm not leaving anything behind… they'll still be here."

Clio shifted nervously, watching the banter between the two gods and Rhys. Pythia seemed far too interested in him for her liking. But just when Clio thought she was going to be ignored entirely, Pythia glanced her way.

"You're coming too, princess," Pythia said with a chuckle. "You may not have realized it, but your name also resounded across the land as much as Rhys Wilder's."

"That…" Clio's heart skipped a beat, and she nodded quickly, though she was still trying to process everything that was happening.

One by one, the group stepped through the portal. Arachnea was the first to vanish into the swirling light, her movements graceful and confident. Pythia followed close behind, her golden eyes glancing back at Rhys with a teasing smile before she disappeared.

Rhys gave Clio a nod, and they both entered the portal together.

And the moment they stepped through, they were greeted by a sight that took Clio's breath away.

The Coliseum of Champions wasn't just a coliseum at all, not an arena—it was an entire city. The towering structures stretched high into the sky, with streets bustling with life. It felt familiar, yet grand, as if they had entered a world far beyond anything they'd ever known.

"What… is this place?" Clio whispered, her voice filled with awe.

Pythia's voice echoed from somewhere nearby, though they couldn't see her. "Welcome to the real, breathing world, Princess of Calydon."

Rhys scanned the area, his sharp eyes noticing the stares they were getting from the people around them. Warriors, heroes, and champions—all of them turning their heads to eye the newcomers.

Arachnea and Pythia were already ahead, making their way to register Arachnea as Rhys's sponsor, leaving him and Clio alone in the middle of the coliseum's bustling streets.

And suffice it to say, with the two gods gone, it didn't take long for a group of champions to notice Clio. A gang of rough-looking men approached, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.

"A woman…?" one of them said, raising an eyebrow. "Now that's something you don't see every day here."

Another man, larger and burlier, smirked. "What's a clothes washer doing here?"

Clio blinked, completely dumbfounded by their words. These were supposed to be heroes? Champions of the gods? And yet here they were, mocking her like some street urchins.

Rhys said nothing, his expression unreadable as he watched the exchange on the side.

One of the men stepped closer, his hand reaching out to touch Clio's arm. "Don't worry, sweetheart. We'll take care of you—"

Before he could finish his sentence, Clio's hand shot out, grabbing his wrist with lightning speed. With a quick twist, she flipped him over her shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground with a loud thud.

The other men took a step back, their eyes wide with shock.

"Take care of me…?" Clio scoffed.

The man on the ground groaned, holding his arm in pain as he tried to stand. "What… the hell was that?"

Clio crossed her arms, glaring down at him. "Next time, think twice before underestimating someone."

Of course, Clio did not spend the passing weeks just sitting pretty—not at all. She wasn't going to waste the power that was bestowed upon her by Rhys.

These past few weeks…

…all she did was train.