Chapter 177
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 177
Chapter Title: Cyclops Polyphemus
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Out of Athena's barrier—no, the space they called the divine realm—it was already morning.
If it were any other day, I'd be rolling around in bed with a piping hot Atalanta or lounging lazily while listening to Neri's chatter.
The forest was deathly quiet, probably because everyone had gotten blackout drunk yesterday.
Aside from the groans of spirits and demigods sprawled everywhere, soaked in booze and vomit, that is.
But unlike the silent woods around me, my head was throwing a full-blown riot.
"Why! Why did you let that loathsome Heavenly God go!?"
Why? Because even if I'd gone all the way, it wouldn't have been fun.
"To parley with the enemy instead of spilling blood—unthinkable negligence for a demonic cultivator! Especially against a Heavenly God!"
If I picked a fight with every Heavenly Clan member I met, how would I be any different from those hypocritical righteous sect bastards your creator ground his teeth over?
"Shut your mouth! Turn back now and finish it! Wash away that vile hypocrisy with blood, crush that arrogant face, violate it, and kill!"
Look, just hold on a second.
Your creator didn't go that far off the rails! Shut up already!
"Kraaaagh!"
Only after deploying the Divine Demon Energy and Demon Wave Art did the chaos in my head finally quiet down.
The culprit? None other than the lingering will of the Asura Heaven-Reversing Art.
"Ugh, that crazy demon bastard..."
The Asura Demon Lord's Asura Heaven-Reversing Art was a demonic technique on par with the Heavenly Demon Divine Art itself.
The higher its realm, the more it evolved, constantly testing its user with its own will—a true freak among freaks.
What, autonomous AI in the Ming Dynasty era?
And not some helpful ChatGPT-level genius AI, either.
No, this was Skynet-level, human-exterminating AI that bayed for blood at every turn.
Zeus help me.
No wonder the Asura Demon Lord died without leaving a single disciple or successor.
Even I would've been devoured by this demonic art—or demon?—long ago without the Demon Wave Art and Double Demon Art to hold it back.
The problem was, resisting it was the best I could do.
"What can I do? My realm's not high enough for the Heavenly Demon Divine Art yet, and against gods, nothing short of the Heaven-Reversing Art works."
True to its name, the Asura Heaven-Reversing Art was the ultimate demonic technique, defying reason itself.
It was the polar opposite of the Nine Great Sects' orthodox arts, serving as the foundational premise for the Divine Demon Art I was developing by adapting the Divine Demon Energy.
"Gotta climb to Transcending Demons quick and switch to the Heavenly Demon Divine Art..."
Luckily, even this vicious evil spirit in my head bowed to hierarchy. It couldn't even squeak against the ancestral demonic art that birthed all others.
Even the Heaven-Reversing Art's creator, the Asura Demon Lord—who never originally learned the Heavenly Demon Divine Art—had to hurriedly master it as the art neared completion and its malice peaked, just to control it.
That story came straight from the Heavenly Demon Divine Art itself(?), so it had to be true.
Or...
'Poison drives out poison. Strong energies subdued by even stronger ones...'
My eyes drifted to the divine work in my heart, still silent.
The massive energy cluster, shrouded in even deeper mystery than the Heavenly Demon Divine Art or Heaven-Reversing Art, had overpowered and devoured the latter's energy.
Even now, with Eji awakened, just mentioning "divine work" put it in silent mode. Pretty much confirmed.
And if my hypothesis that divine work equaled true divine scripture was right...
Awakening it might directly unlock not just the Heaven-Reversing Art, but the Heavenly Demon Divine Art too.
"Hope that stubborn prince makes it back to his hometown safe..."
If computers were like YouTube machines, maybe programmers felt the same—crafting their own code, elated or crushed by a single bug, hurling papers when it worked.
The anticipation of my insight, drawn from instinct and knowledge, hitting the mark was reserved for those piling up great merits.
"Filthy thing. Gotta raise my realm fast. Gave that dog who wrecked someone else's stuff what he deserved, and now this circus."
It all worked out in the end, thank goodness, but getting roped into consequences was inevitable.
Gods, goddesses—any involvement meant headaches. I dreaded it.
Quests were piling up already.
"Agh, what a pain..."
Leading thousands of followers, roaring at gods and heroes—it thrilled me to no end. Yet a quiet seaside cabin still tugged at my thoughts.
More quests, and here I was moping.
Snap out of it.
By now, the recovered bunch were probably at breakfast in the dining area.
I headed there to consult Atalanta and Heracles on next steps.
-Thud...!
"Huh?"
A strange vibration rippled through my soles.
Artificial, from far off, but strong enough to reach here? That meant serious power...
"...Poseidon, you don't say you're flexing here too?"
Earth-shaking vibes? Naturally, thoughts went to that blue-balled sea(foe) king Poseidon.
Dionysus's feast was midway; time for gods' show-off antics, I figured.
Sure enough, the henpecked sea god was showboating for the kids. I bolted toward it.
Brown was trees, green was leaves.
Through the familiar high-speed blur, I reached the seaside epicenter in seconds.
A far more brutal scene than I'd imagined greeted me.
"Get away from Galatea right now!!"
"N-No, no, no! I said no!! Y-You give up!!"
The stunning blue Greek sea and pristine white sands never failed to impress.
Smack in the middle, a monster and a prince—stereotypical as they come—faced off.
"Grrrrowl! You dare challenge Polyphemus, blood of Poseidon and warrior of Dionysus, son of a puny pastoral god?!"
An eight-chi-tall, muscle-bound cyclops hefted his club, menacing someone, straight out of Greek myth.
"H-How dare you tr-trample a god's name so lightly! Oppressing with your background instead of Galatea's love! As her lover, I can't stand by!"
Before him, a handsome curly-haired man with goat horns peeking through trembled violently yet gritted his teeth, shouting defiance.
I knew the face—one of the Fifty Warriors who'd survived this hero tournament.
Impressive with his horn-shield charges, pitifully leashed to Neri's second sister.
Acis, son of the pastoral god Pan.
"Heh, worth the mind tweak."
Helpfully self-introducing, the cyclops looked the part but raged fitting his bloodline.
His skill, level, raw power—cyclops clearly outclassed Acis.
With Poseidon's backing, the giant could smash Acis one-handed, and even Pan couldn't complain.
Yet Acis stood firm, protecting his love.
"Mmm~ The scent of pure love. I dig this vibe."
Fights were best as dogfights. Spectating? Nothing beat watching someone else's house burn.
A lovers' quarrel turned dogfight? Prime entertainment.
As I savored David vs. Goliath: Greek Edition, the cyclops's patience snapped first.
"Raaagh! Enough! I'll take your head to Galatea! Then she'll see I'm her only match!"
"Wha?!"
The eight-chi giant raised his club sky-high—intimidating as hell.
Witnessing it up close, Acis nearly fainted.
"Die!!"
-Whoosh!
"Gyaah!"
Whoa, can't let him die.
Can't waste my future grad student proxy like that.
-Snap!
My finger flick triggered Object Telekinesis; the cyclops's swinging club floated mid-air, slipping from his grip to smack the ground harmlessly.
"Huh?!"
"Whoa!"
His single eye bulged at the escaped club; seizing the opening, Acis bolted away.
"Wh-What...?"
Looking up for his vanished club...
-Snap!
The telekinesis released.
-Boom!
"Gek!?"
The club smashed right into his eye, drawing a scream.
"Quaaagh! You rat! Dirty trickery!"
"Uh... uh...?"
"Magic! Using filthy magic to bewitch and steal my Galatea!"
Look at that one-eyed golem freak out.
Heracles was tame by comparison.
Mistaking my work for Acis's magic, the cyclops clutched his eye and swung fists now.
"Cyclops Fury!!"
...Wow, naming sense.
I blanked at his proud shout of the lame technique name, but Acis dodged like his life depended on it—which it did. Landslide survival, really.
-Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Uwaaaoooh!"
Ever seen a wild mountain goat?
Meditating on peaks, I'd hear a faint meh~ and open my eyes.
Turn, and there's a goat perched mid-cliff, staring oddly.
Watching, it locked eyes with me awhile, then hopped down nimbly, hooves pattering.
Lightness skill masters couldn't match that goat's footwork.
Acis's sprint rivaled it.
"...Nice. Got potential and guts. Let's play for a breather."
Blind dates need the matchmaker to handle the afterparty. Plus, might score big from Poseidon and the pirate queen.
That decided, I was suddenly atop the cyclops's head.
"Grrrrowl! Wh-Who are yooou?!"
"Hold up, this line, this setup—feels familiar."
What to say?
"Te...ll... meee...!!"
"What're you on about."
You think I'm sparing you 'cause I like you?
"Lemme see, sturdy build. Should handle this."
"Eh?"
My grinning face spooked him; his eye widened.
Too late for regrets, as always.
-Crack!
"Ack? H-Heavyyy?!"
"Hey, move and you're done for."
I'd channeled qi to seize his crown acupoint, locking his meridians solid.
Any posture slip, and his bones and vessels would crumble like wet plaster.
Now, adding weight from above—his eye trembled visibly.
-Crack!
"Wh-What sorcery now?!"
"Thousand Catty Drop... though it's way past a thousand."
Using internal energy to mimic a thousand-catty weight—an advanced internal art.
But this pressure was mountain-like. How long could he last?
"Beg."
"Wha?!"
"Say 'Please spare me.'"
Cheap price for messing with my grad student prospect.
Right?