Chapter 94
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Two Monsters in the Net
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That outcome would come from the simplest place.
After checking something on her own, Hera laughed without raising her voice too much and left me with one meaningful remark.
"If this matter ends well and your results satisfy me as much as you claim, I'll give you one gift."
With those words alone, Hera gazed at the sky with an enigmatic look in her eyes, then vanished from the spot in a brilliant flash of light, just like Hermes had.
"...A gift?"
I carefully returned the unnamed gold ingot to its place, uncorked the wine I'd set aside, and stepped out onto the veranda.
Greek Roman mythology.
As the grandest tale I loved and cherished in my memories, I had a rough idea of how this world operated etched firmly in my mind.
"Whether it's a 'gift' disguised as a hardcore quest or something that'll leave my jaw on the floor..."
Either way, tangled vines on the path to immortality or not.
Recalling that cases where the gods' interest led to good endings were rare, did this mean I'd have to live with the premonition of an orbital strike hanging over me again?
But the situation had long since unfolded, and counting the gods I'd tangled with directly or indirectly already exceeded the fingers on one hand.
The momentum of divine favor was already in full swing.
I'd mounted not just any tiger, but a legendary mountain lord or spirit beast of historic proportions.
So, I decided to loosen my grip on sanity just a bit and prepare for the incoming big event.
"Big event. Or is it a raid event?"
The goddess of the new moon, protector of huntresses, she who dances under the moonlight.
Artemis.
For that madwoman to come charging in without a shred of shame, insisting on a duel to the death with me.
It was time for me to pour every last coin I had into this world without holding back.
"Man, I just wanted to live quietly and peacefully if possible, but the world won't leave me alone."
Should I be happy about this or not?
Perched on the veranda railing, I looked up at the sky, which shone indifferently with stars and moon as always.
It gave me no answer.
"Artemis, Artemis... I wonder how it'll go?"
Recalling our encounter in Pasos last time, her killing intent and malice were as overwhelming as a furious poison sect leader.
But there was also a god-level self-obsession reminiscent of the arrogance and complacency unique to the later-generation disciples of prestigious clans.
Well, born to a Titan mother and the king of gods as father, she'd ridden his coattails straight to the top twelve Olympians, living cushily her whole life—what in the world could faze her?
"Her divine feats are impressive, so her archery has truly reached the level of a god."
But she just swung around her innate overwhelming divine power like wild punches and kicks. It was crude and rough.
The typical later-generation disciples gorged on elixirs and spirit pills from childhood, piling up ridiculous amounts of internal energy.
But relying solely on that quantity and strutting around, they often fell to qi deviation and self-destructed.
Not being a gold spoon or divine spoon from birth—how cheat-like is that?
How could a body without proper heart arts contain that much energy, self-regulate without control, and all?
"Nesneria too—spirit bodies are all cheats."
Come to think of it, that tomboy Eris had blocked the extreme heat of my Returning Void Sword at its peak without spitting blood or even a nosebleed.
My admiration for gods and spirits wasn't baseless.
The transcendent flesh that always maintained its perfect form, the authority of qi circulation that channeled their will through every meridian and vessel without obstruction!
They bore physical bodies, conceived children through passion, and roamed the earth freely—they embodied the Manifestation Realm that all martial artists dreamed of, and beyond that, the True Body Realm itself.
"Even I couldn't take that final step to ascend to that realm, born with it... No wonder she's arrogant."
It was still vivid in my mind.
That pure, clear, massive energy gleaming so enticingly.
And that perfect body boasting divine flesh and power while wielding human emotions.
"Can I even handle her in my current state?"
I closed my eyes and pondered deeply.
My opponent was a capricious girl with disaster-level power.
She'd spent eons hunting and wandering, born a great goddess.
Her name had endured through ages that saw mountains crumble and reform.
Even seeing it firsthand, her divine power was immense enough that even peak Fire Realm masters couldn't touch it.
Her body healed a fatal wound from my Soul-Stealing Secret in moments, leaving only faint bleeding—like the epitome of a true divine body.
It was cheat-level specs.
And me?
Reborn in this Greek world, my mind was packed with the true transmissions of the Twelve Divine Demons, etched eternally in ten thousand years of demonic cult history, plus every orthodox and unorthodox martial art.
Combining internal energy and divine power into Demon God Qi—a divine power optimized for martial arts—I'd matched Ares and clashed blades with Nemesis.
Moreover, inside Ares and Nemesis's barrier, unbound by time, I'd already amassed peak superhuman internal energy through my divine heart arts and demonic techniques.
But no matter what, still trapped in a human body, I couldn't ignore fatigue and trauma.
Not exactly advantageous against Artemis.
Plus, I hadn't fully seen her skills and power in Pasos due to Chiron's interruption, so I couldn't predict how the fight would go.
"Then there's only one way."
As the Infinite Demon Fist said:
The more complex the fight, the simpler the outcome.
It was time to settle the long-overdue debt I wanted to collect.
The next morning.
I tucked Nesneria in as she slept soundly and, after a long time, descended to Poseidon's coastline while watching the dawn sky.
The place bustled with young heroes gearing up for their morning internal energy deathmatch breakfast as usual.
But atop the high cliff overlooking them, one figure cackled darkly alone.
"Kuhuhuhu. Look at them! Trash heroes!"
"Who's the villain lording over the fortress from above?"
"Huh? Dianes!"
The massive boy stood with a bright smile at my call.
Heracles, the budding great hero who could now almost be called a young man.
"What's up today? You said morning jogs are a pain and skipped breakfast."
"Yeah. Skipping breakfast keeps things light and good."
"Pfft~ Breakfast is Demeter's blessing to start the day. Blasphemer!"
Heracles, shirtless as usual with his bare chest on full display, bore five clear scars from direct hits of my Returning Void Sword.
Of course, Asclepius's treatment would erase them without a trace, but Heracles insisted on keeping the wounds as reminders of his mistakes and foolishness.
I'd approved of his resolve, so I'd checked his pressure points and sparred with him, and even with just that bit of training, his daily growth was jaw-dropping.
And now, it was time for me to collect on that training fee.
"Planning to ruin the kids' breakfast again today?"
"Hey, ruin? It's proper training and cultivation. I'm doing running and group combat drills. They're hunting monsters."
"Heh, monster hunting drills."
He seemed well aware he was a monstrous potential beyond human limits.
"How about it? Wanna join? These guys are pretty famous in their kingdoms or regions. It'll get your blood pumping. In Hyperborean terms, full of thrills. Pretty fun, right?"
This guy.
Not just lip service repentance—he must've been shocked to his core after I crushed him.
Before, he'd dismissed them all as straw, but now he acknowledged them properly and took them seriously.
"Sounds good. But today's opponent's someone else."
"What? Who?"
I flashed a grin at the puzzled, tall Heracles.
"The oath on the Styx—let's use it now."
"...What?"
-Bwoooo!!
"Everyone, scatter into net formation!"
"Spread out in net lines as planned! Hold your positions!"
With the conch horn signaling the morning deathmatch's start, the forest's top tacticians and strategists, Theseus and Jason, pointed at Heracles's position and commanded the young hero legion.
Today's formation: the so-called net formation.
Even in a tight turtle shell, the monster Heracles would smash spears and massacre them.
Dispersing to survive individually into the forest? He'd haunt them like a ghost, taking them down one by one.
No one knew what change came over him after falling to Dianes, but his relentless, full-power pursuit and crushing of each one sent chills through them all.
Yet, facing that superhuman strength and body with seriousness honed their resolve, spurring the young heroes to intensify their tactics lessons each morning with the vow to topple him.
"But Heracles aside, isn't Theseus acting weird too?"
"Totally."
"Stuck in the west annex till late like he's possessed, not even drinking."
"Last morning, when the formation slipped, he nearly pulverized Regis."
"It's been days since Heracles beat him."
"There! Focus! Wanna die?!"
The young heroes, Spartan-style with spears and shields, eyed the cliff-top Heracles warily.
Despite flinching at the venom-laced shout from Theseus—who'd grown as strangely intense as Heracles lately—their doubts about their transformed commander lingered.
Theseus was usually the esteemed, clever leader, the master strategist who'd once outwitted even Heracles.
Always encouraging with a gentle smile, ever glued to Jason's side, reliably facing Heracles to teach them victory.
But lately, Theseus demanded reckless strategies and sacrifices, not hesitating to use violence on any defiance or disobedience.
Jason would frantically hold him back each time, but distrust and suspicion toward Theseus were quietly sprouting among the young heroes.
"Ugh... Anyway, we can land one hit today, right?"
"We've trained insanely hard."
"Problem is, that monster's been clashing hard with Dianes lately too."
"Damn it!"
"Who jinxed it?!"
"Ares is pissed. The crows'll peck you!"
Quiet for a moment, then the young heroes erupted in chatter instantly.
Yet their formation held firm without gaps, ironclad with the will to hunt the monster.
"He's moving!"
"Get ready!"
As the figure on the cliff soared high into the sky, the legion fell utterly silent, steels their resolve against the monster's impending rampage.
Only one difference from usual.
The falling figure wasn't just one.
"...Wh-what's that?"
"Oh, crap..."
That morning, the gathered young heroes of unparalleled talent learned one lesson.
No matter how vast and tough the net.
If two monsters rampaged inside, it would tear apart effortlessly.