Chapter 93

Whether she confirmed something alone, Hera laughed loudly and left me with a meaningful remark.

‘If this matter ends well, and the result satisfies me as much as your words, I will give you a gift.’

Leaving only those words, Hera looked at the sky with a peculiar gaze and vanished from the spot in a dazzling light, just like Hermes.

“…A gift?”

Carefully putting the gayageum, which I had yet to name, back in its place, I opened the stored wine and went out to the balcony.

Greek and Roman mythology.

Since it was the greatest story I both loved and cherished, I had a rough idea of how things worked in this world.

“A ‘gift’ could mean either a hardcore quest, or a mind-blowing actual reward…”

Whether it entangles or not, like the kudzu vines on Mount Manus…

Given that divine interest rarely leads to good outcomes, do I have to live with the premonition of orbital bombardment again?

The situation had already spiraled long ago, and counting all the gods I was either directly or indirectly entangled with, one hand wasn’t enough anymore.

Things had already escalated beyond control.

I was riding the back of not just any tiger, but a legendary, godlike one.

I decided to loosen up a bit and prepare for the approaching big event.

“Big event. Or is it a raid event?”

The Goddess of the Crescent Moon, Protector of Huntresses, the Lunatic of Moongazing.

Artemis.

That crazy one shamelessly insists on a life-or-death duel with me.

No longer holding back, I must generously stake my all in this world.

“Wow~ I was just trying to live quietly and peacefully, but the world won’t leave me alone.”

Should I be happy about this or not?

The sky I looked up at while sitting on the veranda was, as always, indifferent, with only stars and the moon twinkling.

It didn’t give me any answers.

“Artemis, Artemis… I wonder how it will be.”

Reflecting on the memory from the last encounter at Passos, the killing intent and venom were as immense as those of a desperate Tang Clan master. Yet, there was a glimpse of the god-level arrogance and self-absorption typical of a prestigious family’s late-stage genius.

After all, she had a Titaness for a mother and the King of the Gods, Zeus, for a father. Born into the upper echelons of the Twelve Olympians, she’d probably spent her whole life in luxury. What could she possibly worry about in the world?

“Since her archery skill has reached divine levels, it’s understandable, but she just swings her immense divine power around like she’s punching and kicking. It was rough and crude.”

Typically, late-stage practitioners build up tremendous inner strength from a young age by consuming elixirs and spiritual herbs.

But seeing them rely solely on that inner strength and eventually falling to inner demons and self-destruction, it’s evident how absurdly advantageous it is to be born with a divine spoon instead of a golden one.

How can a body hold such energy without proper cultivation techniques and still manage to regulate it automatically?

“Neri is the same. All spiritual beings are cheats.”

Come to think of it, that tomboy Eris also wielded magic to block the extreme heat of the Gu Yu Sword’s initial fervent state and didn’t even have a nosebleed, let alone cough up blood.

It wasn’t so much admiration for the gods and spirits, but rather a recognition of their transcendental forms.

The transcendent body that always maintains its complete form, the power of enhanced qi that realizes will by freely circulating qi and blood through every part of the body!

Possessing a body, having children through love, and freely traversing the earth, they embodied the Perfected Realm that all martial artists dream of, and beyond that, the True God Realm itself.

“Born with a realm that even I, unable to take the last step, could not reach. It’s understandable to be arrogant.”

I could still see it clearly in my mind.

That pure and bright enormous energy that glimmered enticingly.

Even the perfect body that wielded human emotions with a human form, boasting the body and power of a god.

“Can I face them in my current state?”

I closed my eyes and pondered deeply.

The opponent was a young girl with childishness but possessing a catastrophic power.

For long years, she spent her time hunting and wandering, a goddess born to be great.

Her name survived through the long years, disappearing and reappearing like the mountains and rivers.

Her divine power was overwhelming, far beyond even the highest martial masters of this realm.

Her body, as if to show what a true divine body is, would recover instantly from even severe injuries with just minor bleeding.

It was truly an extraordinary specification.

In contrast, what about me?

I was reborn in this Greek world, but my mind was filled with the techniques of the Twelve Divine Demons, a legacy of ten thousand years of demonic history, and various martial arts of the Justice and Demonic Sects.

Combining my internal qi and divine power, I developed the Godly Demonic Qi, a divine power specialized in martial arts, contending with Ares and crossing swords with Nemesis.

Moreover, within the barrier of Ares and Nemesis, I was not bound by time, and had already reached the pinnacle state through the divine martial arts and true demon arts in my mind.

However, no matter how advanced I was, I was still restricted by the limitations of the human body; thus, I could not avoid the effects of fatigue and injuries.

Compared to Artemis, I could not say that I had a significant advantage.

Additionally, due to Chiron’s interruption in Passos, I had not fully observed Artemis’s skills and strength, making it difficult to predict the outcome of the battle.

“In that case, there’s only one way.”

To borrow the words of the Supreme Fighting Demon.

The more complicated the fight, the simpler the outcome would be.

It was time to settle the long-standing debt that I had wanted to clear.

The next morning.

I tucked Neri in so she could sleep soundly, and for the first time in a while, I looked at the dawn sky as I headed down to Poseidon’s coastline.

There, as always, it was bustling with young heroes eagerly preparing for their breakfast death match. From a high cliff, someone was watching them and laughing sinisterly.

“Bwahahahaha. Look at those trashy heroes!”

“Who is this villain acting arrogant from the sky castle?”

“Huh? Dianes!”

When I called out, a large boy stood up with a bright smile.

It was Hercules, who was now almost a young man, the budding great hero.

“What’s the occasion today? Didn’t you say morning runs are annoying and you’d skip breakfast?”

“I did. Usually, skipping breakfast keeps my stomach light and feels good.”

“Hey~ Breakfast is Demeter’s blessing to start the day. You blasphemous guy!”

Today, Hercules, who was once again shirtless, had five scars on his chest from a direct hit by the thunder-splitting spear.

Of course, if he received treatment from Asclepius, even the traces would disappear, but Hercules insisted on keeping the scars that reminded him of his mistakes and folly.

Appreciating his spirit, I interrogated him, patched him up, and even watched his martial arts. Seeing him grow day by day with just a bit of training left me astounded.

Now, it was time to collect on that investment.

“Are you planning to disrupt the kids’ breakfast again today?”

“Oh, disrupt? This is legitimate training and practice. I’m doing running and military martial arts training. They’re doing monster hunting training.”

“Ha, monster hunting training, you say.”

It seemed he was well aware of his own monstrous potential, even if he didn’t admit it outright.

“How about it? Want to join in? These guys might look like nothing, but they were quite famous in their own kingdoms or regions. It might be pretty tense, you know? In Hyperborean terms, it’ll be thrilling. Really fun, right?”

This guy.

Not only did he reflect on his actions and repent, but it must have been quite a shock to be defeated by me.

He used to look down on everyone as if they were mere straws. Now, he was recognizing them and taking them seriously.

“That sounds good. But I have someone else to face today.”

“What? Who?”

Looking at the tall Hercules, who seemed puzzled, I gave a sly smile.

“Let’s use the Oath of the Styx now.”

“…What?”

– Puuuaaa!!

“Everyone, spread out in the net formation!”

“Spread out in the net formation as planned! Hold your positions!”

The sound of a conch shell announcing the start of the morning deathmatch, and the greatest strategist and tactician in the Forest of Heroes.

Theseus and Jason pointed to the location of Hercules and commanded the small hero corps.

Today, the formation they prepared was the so-called net formation.

Even when they gathered tightly in a tortoise formation to block him, the monster known as Hercules broke through the spears and massacred them.

When they scattered into the forest for each to save themselves, he chased them like a ghost and struck them down one by one.

What kind of change came over him after being defeated by that guy named Dianes, persistently capturing and breaking each one with all his might? Everyone shivered at the sight of the great hero.

Despite having such monstrous strength and body, seeing him seriously confront them made the small heroes resolve themselves, and every morning, they put more effort into their tactical lessons with the single thought of bringing him down.

“But speaking of Hercules, isn’t Theseus acting strange too?”

“That’s true, isn’t it?”

“He’s been holed up in the library until late at night, like he’s possessed, and he doesn’t even drink.”

“The other morning, he almost mashed up Lesigos while forming a battle formation.”

“It’s not like it’s the first time he’s been beaten by Hercules.”

“Hey! Focus! Do you want to die?”

The young heroes, holding spears and shields in Spartan fashion, were on guard against Hercules on the cliff.

Despite Theseus’s shout, which was as fierce and strange as Hercules these days, the doubts about their transformed commander did not fade.

Usually, Theseus was a respected commander and a clever strategist, the one who had outsmarted Hercules with a single trick.

Always with a gentle smile, he encouraged those around him, and he was a reliable general who always stood by Jason, fighting Hercules and showing them what victory was.

However, Theseus had recently been forcing unreasonable strategies and sacrifices, and he did not hesitate to use violence if anyone disobeyed or acted against his command.

Each time, Jason was startled and tried to stop him, but distrust and suspicion towards Theseus were slowly sprouting among the young heroes.

“Ugh… Anyway, we can at least land a hit today.”

“We’ve been training like crazy, haven’t we?”

“The problem is that monster has also been brawling fiercely with Dianes lately.”

“Damn it!”

“Who’s the jinx here?!”

“Ares is pissed. The crows will take you away!”

Just when it seemed to quiet down, the young heroes suddenly became noisy again.

However, even so, the formation was unwavering, with the determination to hunt the monster without any gaps.

“He’s moving!”

“Everyone, get ready!”

When the silhouette on the cliff soared high into the sky, the legion, which had fallen silent in an instant, burned with resolve to prepare for the impending onslaught of the monster.

However, there was one thing different from usual.

The falling silhouette was not just one.

“…Wh-what is that?”

“Oh, no…”

The small heroes who gathered that morning learned one lesson.

No matter how wide and tough the net may be.

If two monsters rampage inside it, it will be torn apart helplessly.