Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 519: Wanting to Bang One's Head Against the Wall

In the northwestern port city of Le Havre, France, which also serves as an outlet for the Seine River, this ancient port city, now rebuilt, has become one of the UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The residents here have a strong sense of pride. They possess France's oldest football club. Although this team has only won the French league championship once in its history, this does not diminish its status as the oldest. The city leads France in container shipping and serves as a major trade export hub, playing an extraordinary role in the economy.

Life by the port is bustling every day, with nothing particularly special about it. The residents here are accustomed to the sounds of various ships' whistles and the different strange languages spoken by tourists from all over the world. In fact, many residents would have trouble sleeping at night if they didn't hear the piercing whistle sounds.

But today, since the morning, the port has been unusually quiet—so quiet that not a single soul can be seen! Curious nearby residents thought to take a look inside the port, but as soon as they approached the port's edge, they were immediately intercepted by French soldiers armed to the teeth.

The port was sealed off!

Many residents speculated whether there was a terrorist attack, some sort of bomb, or if the military was conducting secret exercises, transporting some secret weapon.

In the seawater by the port, the only grand superyacht, the Louis XVI, was docked peacefully. At the boarding area of the ship, a uniformed Fortessa, leading Bolton and several other deputies, stood upright.

There was no trace of ease on Fortessa's face. He looked at his custom-made wristwatch; it was already past two in the afternoon, and only half of the participants had boarded. Fortessa had no certainty in his heart; after all, these people were not ordinary characters. Promises, etiquette, and morality were jokes to most of them.

"Who has arrived so far?" Fortessa asked one of the recording deputies behind him.

The deputy immediately opened the tablet in his hand and replied, "Reporting to the Deputy Director, the internationally renowned large organizations that have arrived include the Soviet Order of Russia, Blue Storm of the US, Jaguars of South America, Mossad of Israel, the newly formed killer organization Zero, Sea Eagle of the Mediterranean, the Eight-Fold Society of Japan, and Yan Huang Iron Brigade of China. However, both the Eight-Fold Society and the Yan Huang Iron Brigade have only sent one representative each: a high-ranking ninja named Takahashi Red Sword and Master Yunmiao from the Yan Huang Iron Brigade. There are several other national security organizations, but their strength is not considered significant. The rest are smaller organizations. India's Brahma and the newly risen Sandstorm from the Middle East have abandoned this secret meeting for unknown reasons."

After listening, Fortessa fell silent.

"Deputy Director, rest assured, the remaining participants will surely come. There is still plenty of time before the ship departs. Many of these people have grudges against each other. If everyone boarded early, it could spark unnecessary conflicts," said the chubby Bolton from behind, sensing his superior's anxiety.

Fortessa nodded and patted his trusted subordinate's shoulder, "You've all worked hard these days. Once this conference is over and we find a way to deal with the 'Realm of Gods,' you all can take a break. When the real action begins, it probably won't be our turn."

Bolton grinned naively, "Deputy Director, saying that is a bit demoralizing."

A faint, helpless smile appeared on Fortessa's upright face. He also hoped that the French Security Bureau would have the capability to take on the detestable Apollo, but reality was harsh; they indeed lacked the strength to get involved.

Just then, a few dark clouds suddenly drifted over the sky.

As the clouds gathered, a light drizzle began to fall from the sky, quickly turning into raindrops.

"Why did it suddenly start raining?" someone asked in surprise, touching the moisture on their face.

Fortessa also found the rain to be rather peculiar. The weather had been clear just moments ago; how could it suddenly start raining?

"Deputy Director, more people have arrived," one of the subordinates alerted Fortessa.

Turning around, Fortessa saw several figures dressed in various attires approaching the boarding area. Among them was a long-haired, enchanting woman in a red kimono. Her jet-black hair flowed straight down to her knees, and she had a tall, slender figure with willow-like eyebrows, exuding the captivating allure of an Oriental woman.

Another was a hunchbacked figure completely shrouded in a large black robe, with no visible face. The entire body was covered, and there seemed to be a faint black mist surrounding this mysterious character.

The remaining woman wore a blue kimono and appeared to be a thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl. Despite her doll-like appearance, she had tears in her eyes and was sniffling as she followed the long-haired woman.

The last person was a man in a brown Japanese samurai outfit, with a short sword at his waist. He had a delicate and fair complexion, and wore a smile, looking the most normal of the group.

"May I ask who you are?" Fortessa knew that anyone allowed entry must have an invitation, but he wasn't sure of these people's identities.

The enchanting long-haired woman responded coyly, "We are from Takamagahara. It's our first meeting. I am Maochang Ji, pleased to meet you."

A recording officer behind Fortessa reminded him, "Deputy Director, Takamagahara is Japan's strongest special organization in the true sense. They recently achieved unification, which is why our invitation reached them successfully. Before this, Takamagahara was a leaderless, scattered organization."

Fortessa nodded and smiled at Maochang Ji, "So, it seems Miss Maochang Ji is the leader of this delegation from Takamagahara?"

Maochang Ji laughed coquettishly, full of charm, "Unfortunately, sir, you guessed wrong. Our General himself is here this time."

"General?" Fortessa was unfamiliar with Japanese titles but understood it meant the leader. He asked, "May I ask who the General is?"

The delicate-looking man, who had been smiling silently, pointed toward the door of the yacht, "The General is already there."

Fortessa and his team turned to look and were astonished to see a man in a blue-black martial arts uniform, with white hair tied back and a sparse beard, smoking a pipe as if waiting for everyone to board.

Fortessa and the others were dumbfounded. They had no idea how this man had boarded the ship!

Could this man be invisible?

"That is our General, Nurarihyon. Apologies, our General has a rather eccentric personality. Please don't take it to heart," Maochang Ji said with a smile, bowing slightly.

Fortessa quickly waved his hand, "All of you are esteemed guests with extraordinary skills. We understand. Please, go ahead and board the ship. Someone will arrange your accommodations."

After expressing their thanks, Maochang Ji and her group began to board. After a few steps, as if remembering something, Maochang Ji pinched the face of the sniffling girl and gently said, "Xiaoyu, be good. If the inside of the ship gets too damp, everyone will be uncomfortable. If someone comes out and wants to hit Xiaoyu, that would be bad."

Hearing that someone might hit her, the girl immediately pouted in fear and stopped crying.

At this moment, Fortessa and his team suddenly noticed that the dark clouds in the sky quickly dispersed, and the drizzle stopped. Watching the Takamagahara group board the ship, the recording officer remarked, "Deputy Director, if I'm not mistaken, that crying little girl is the 'Rain Woman' listed in the records. She's a legendary Japanese yokai said to bring rain. The rain earlier was probably caused by her crying. Whether she's truly a yokai or just a human isn't clear; there are very few records about organizations like Takamagahara."

"Yokai?" Fortessa felt his brain was about to explode and had an urge to bang his head against the wall. Was such a thing even possible?

Before Fortessa and his team could recover from the shock, a few more unfamiliar figures approached from a distance. To be precise, one of them wasn't walking—she was flying?!

A woman in a tight black outfit, with light golden hair flowing, hovered about ten centimeters off the ground. Her body moved smoothly, as if in zero gravity, until she gracefully landed in front of them. She flashed a cold, elegant smile, "Deputy Director Fortessa, I presume? We are the delegation from England's 'Excalibur.' My name is Laura."

"Storm Woman?!" An aide immediately recognized the name. Given the proximity between England and France, the French Security Bureau knew relatively more about Excalibur, England's elite secret unit.

Laura didn't respond but stepped aside, introducing the other members hovering behind her. "Our Excalibur has two divisions: the 'Merlin Magic Association' and the 'Knights of the Round Table.' To show respect, we brought four mages and three knights," Laura explained.

Fortessa and his team looked over and saw three refined but imposing men, likely the Knights of the Round Table Laura mentioned. There was also a towering man over two meters tall and a slender young man with sharp eyes, dressed in a sharp suit.

The burly man greeted everyone warmly, while the arrogant young man ignored Fortessa and the others.

"Miss Laura, you mentioned there are seven of you, but why do I see only six?" Fortessa asked, puzzled.

Laura paused and then smiled, pointing to a petite figure hurrying from a distance, "That's Emma, another member of our mages. This child is often absent-minded and probably got lost again."

The approaching girl, around fifteen or sixteen years old, had freckles on her face and chestnut hair tied in a ponytail. She looked fresh and charming, and was now panting as she shyly greeted Fortessa and his team, "Hello everyone, I'm Emma. I'm fifteen years old! I-I'm also Prince's fiancée." As she finished, Emma's face turned beet red.

Fortessa and his team were stunned. This girl was so straightforward. In such a setting, merely stating her age was surprising enough, but to also declare herself someone's fiancée?! She was adorably naive, much more likable than the cold young man. But who was this Prince?

Just as Fortessa was about to say something polite, the previously silent young man cast a cold glance at the shy Emma and said, "How many times have I told you, woman, I won't marry you. Stop telling people you're my fiancée."

Everyone suddenly realized that this cool kid was the "Little Prince" Emma mentioned? It seemed like a classic childhood betrothal.

Emma looked up, her eyes brimming with tears, "Little Prince, our engagement was arranged by our grandfathers. It can't be changed. Emma can only marry Prince."

"Are you stupid? What does a marriage arranged by those old geezers have to do with me?!" Prince snapped harshly.

"Enough!" Laura, the Storm Woman, shouted. "Prince, stop bullying Emma. She hasn't said anything untrue. Your engagement is a fact. If you're unhappy with it, take it up with your family elders!"

Prince seemed to have some respect for Laura, snorted coldly, and stopped speaking. Emma, looking pitiful, tugged at Laura's arm and whispered, "Don't scold Little Prince. It's my fault for talking too much..."

Laura sighed, patted Emma's head, and smiled apologetically at Fortessa and the others, "I'm sorry for the scene. They are still kids."

Watching this, Fortessa once again felt the urge to bang his head against the wall. Was one of the world's strongest special organizations, Excalibur, filled with such characters?

Just then, the previously silent and stern Prince suddenly frowned and sharply looked ahead to the right.

Gritting his teeth, Prince growled, "It's you?! You demon, I've waited for you for so many years, and you finally appear."

Demon?

Everyone looked puzzled and followed Prince's gaze toward a figure approaching from a distance.