Chapter 97 – Supreme Demon Realm
-Swooosh!
Fortunately, I didn’t have to go far to find a stream; there was a large brook nearby where I could immerse myself.
The brook that meandered through the middle of the forest was clear and cool, and in this summer season, nymphs often bathed in it.
Luckily, from what I could sense, today wasn’t a bathing day; the brook was quiet with no sign of anyone around.
“I picked the perfect day.”
Greek-style clothing was just a few pieces of cloth wrapped around, and it had become dirty with toxins and stench from my body, so I simply threw it aside and slowly immersed myself in the brook.
-Splash!
The brook was deeper than it looked, and I submerged my whole body up to my head, washing myself under a small waterfall nearby.
“Wow... Is this what they call a true reformation?”
To be honest, I had never experienced true reformation before.
To be precise, this Body Reformation process was skipped when crossing over to the martial world and became a process of refining the body beyond its limits afterward.
The process of sublimating the body itself was incredibly fascinating and refreshingly new.
“Have I ever felt this light and nimble?”
Manipulating the current, I carefully washed every part of my body. Slowly, I stood up, letting the moonlight shine on me.
A body showing perfect golden ratios like a Greek statue with spotless, clean skin.
The sharply defined six-pack and the masculine muscles of my limbs were as robust as those of a wild beast.
My long hair, soaked with water, shimmered like silk, and when I caught a glimpse of myself reflected in the water, I couldn’t help but let out a gasp of surprise.
“Phew...”
It was as if a statue from a temple or a Greek sculpture had come to life.
And that was supposed to be me.
“Wow, doing all this by myself.”
I chuckled for a moment, amused at the sight of myself being surprised by my own reflection.
Closing my eyes and focusing all my nerves inward for a moment. Then, I focused on what was most important.
Underneath my beautiful body, reminiscent of a Greek statue, two different qi’s flowed cleanly through my meridians without any impurities.
One was the powerful demonic qi rushing through my blood like a raging torrent, and the other was the divine power of the black night freely traveling through my meridians and blood vessels.
The two qi’s that made up my body had grown unbelievably in both quantity and control.
-Shaaaa...!
The first thing I raised was the divine power resembling the pitch-black night.
Despite Eris’s scolding and Nemesis’s fervent lessons, reaching the miraculous state felt like wandering aimlessly through a mountain at night.
For some reason, I felt like I knew how to use this now.
“Inhale!”
With my eyes closed and a ridiculous shout, I imagined.
Not imagining turning divine power into an apple, but that the apple already existed in my hand.
I focused on the result, skipping the process, and drew that image in my mind.
A bright red apple, a delicious-looking apple.
It was already in my hand.
How many seconds had passed while I was concentrating like that? I cautiously opened my eyes and looked at my hand, filled with divine power.
There, just as I had imagined, a delicious-looking apple was glistening in the moonlight.
“H-hahaha! Gods, gods are really such fraudulent beings!”
Artemis’s divine power turned into silver dust and scattered in the forest of Passos.
Just like Eris’s divine power turned into an apple and a snake to mock me.
Divine power was literally the power of gods.
It was truly the authority of miracles, capable of the impossible.
“Ah, my body is itching.”
Naturally, the thrilling battle with him came to mind.
And recalling the past conflicts and aura, my entire body seemed to itch with a desire to leap around in this newly invigorated form.
Like a child who had just received a new toy.
Like a warrior who had just obtained a master sword.
It had been so long since I felt this excited by an achievement, this urge to test my skills and strength.
I wanted to see just how powerful this transformed body had become and how deep this energy now ran.
“I can’t take it anymore. I need to find Ares right now, and...”
Eventually, what came to mind was the Greek War God Ares.
Just as I was about to step out to fight an old rival I hadn’t faced in a long time, with whom I’d had many long duels.
-Ssshaaah!!
“Hm? What is this?”
Suddenly, the surrounding air around me changed.
Sensing something unusual, I raised my qi perception, and the surrounding scenery that used to feel natural became muddled to the point where even my qi perception was distorted and dizzying.
-Whooong!!
Then, with a sound that resonated through the air, an unfamiliar scene began to intrude upon and replace the distorted scenery.
It was a strange landscape, as if the space around me was connecting to another space.
Wondering if I was seeing an illusion or had fallen into a demonic trance, I looked around and noticed one peculiar thing.
“...Crescent moon.”
Clearly, just a moment ago, a bright full moon had illuminated the center of the sky, but now a sharp, crescent moon like a wolf’s tooth was looking down at me.
-Shashaak!
-Shashaak!
-Woof! Woof!
-Roar!
And as the distorted space connected and solidified, the sounds of footsteps and dogs barking resonated in my qi perception.
This could only mean one thing.
“...Ha!”
The crescent moon rising high in the sky.
The fierce footsteps of women and the howling of hunting dogs.
As the Queen of the Gods had foretold, this foolish goddess had finally intruded into my sanctuary to exact her revenge.
“Unasked, but greatly desired. The best toy comes crawling on its own.”
I felt a sense of pleasure even in the corners of my mouth as I relaxed and soaked in the stream.
“Well then. Let’s see what you’ve prepared.”
Like the fight with Hercules, the days of ravenously devouring everything out of hunger were over.
It was time to savor and bring to a conclusion the awkwardly ended war that had not even lasted a year.