The Myth of the Greek Heavenly Demon

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.

“Trying to use this like human techniques, like human martial arts. Of course, it couldn’t respond!”

Just a few hours ago, I, too, was trapped by the limits of my human body, blocked by an invisible wall.
No matter how much divine power I unleashed, I couldn’t display miracles in reality like the true gods.
But upon reaching the supreme realm of martial arts, peering into a thousand miles, and freeing my energy flow…
I instinctively realized how to transform energy into matter.

“This… I should consult our lovely elder sister about this. Will she like it?”

Thinking of the beautiful goddess who always flapped her wings and encouraged me, I couldn’t help but smile.
Eris had run away with a flushed face last time, so I hadn’t been able to talk to her properly.
I should return the mistreatment and seek her out.

“Let’s see, then, the demonic energy?”

-Whoooong!

This time, I slightly exerted strength to draw out the demonic qi.
Then, the jet-black demonic qi blossomed in my hand, growling softly.
When I had drawn it out earlier, during the confrontation with Hercules, it had tried to devour me and rampage, but now it gently blossomed in my hand, flickering. Looking at the demonic qi of Reversal Heavenly Art, I found myself smiling.

“Yes, this is the true supreme demonic qi…”

A terrifying demonic qi that, when the time came, would shatter the world and challenge the heavens.
The fact that it completely followed my will was proof that the Reversal Heaven Art was entirely under my control.
Unlike the half-baked supreme demonic qi of my previous life’s early days, it was evidence that I had reached the true pinnacle of supreme demonic qi.

“Did you see, Demon Lord? I have once again earned the right to wield your Reversal Heaven Art.”

The main god of the Heavenly Demon Sect, which was passed down in Western Esoteric Buddhism and the Heavenly Demon Sect, was the Heavenly Demon of the Sixth Heaven and the Demon God who resided above the Inverse Heaven.
The Asura of Sura was said to be the adversary of the celestial gods, with power surpassing that of all the twelve heavens combined.
However, due to heavenly principles and fate, the Heavenly Demon was defeated by Buddha, and Asura couldn’t overcome the celestial gods.
Ultimately, the demonic path couldn’t surpass the righteous path, which was the heavenly decree of the Nine Great Sects of the Murim Alliance.

The Demon Lord, who was said to be the closest to the Heavenly Demon in the ten thousand years of history of the Heavenly Demon Sect, heard this and sneered coldly.
Thus, he mockingly called himself the Asura Demon Lord, and he declared that his unique martial art, bearing the name of defying heaven, would crush such heavenly decrees with his own hands.

And his Other Heavenly Path’s Heavenly Arts lived up to their name, showing the power that rivaled the divine might of Asura.
When Asura took a step, mountains crumbled, and when the Demon Lord gestured, armies turned into a handful of blood.
The Nine Great Sects, who arrogantly proclaimed justice, abandoned their main sanctuaries and fled in fear of a single Demon Lord.
And befitting such a terrifying power, Reverse Heaven Arts seemed to have its own will, devouring those unworthy of mastering it, causing them to go mad and rampage.
Until I reached the supreme demonic state where I could fully suppress and control Reverse Heaven Arts, the Demon Lord didn’t even want to look at my face.

“Honestly, using this against that Hercules guy was a bit of a gamble. But it worked out fine, so whatever.”

If I took just one step forward, just one single step, I could reach the supreme demonic state beyond the transcendence.
For that, what was needed was an extreme battle and danger, exhausting everything I knew.
So, I provoked Hercules, who was on the verge of awakening, and led him into a fight by even invoking the Oath of Styx.
And against Hercules, who came at me with the intent to kill, I too took out the Other Heavenly Path’s Heavenly Arts with a determination of life and death, and faced Hercules, who had awakened the divine power of Zeus.

No matter how close to the supreme demonic state I was, causing the Heavenly Arts was almost a suicidal act since I was not truly in the supreme demonic state.

But as I had once told Chiron, without risk, there is no reward.

Heavenly Arts could only be learned and controlled once you reach the Supreme Demonic State.
I reversed the danger, forcing myself into a state where I could control the Reverse Heaven Arts amidst crisis, creating a situation of life or death or awakening by choice.

“It was a gamble worth taking. A gamble with many gains.”

As a result, I reached the pinnacle of demonic martial arts that many demons aspired to ascend.
Moreover, I was able to elevate a promising great hero to a similar level as mine, making it a rather profitable gamble.

“But… hah, what a talent. To manifest qi without any martial arts or divine techniques…”

Hercules.
The great hero of Greek mythology, the most ancient and renowned in human history.
His name was not in vain; his growth was phenomenal, and he even awakened the divine power of lightning through the bloodline of Zeus.
I couldn’t predict how far his influence would reach, but I was left marveling at the history I had witnessed.
It was fascinating to imagine how humans in the age of myths had reached such heights without proper demonic arts or divine arts.

“Shall I seriously teach him once?”

Now that Hercules had awakened his divine power, it might be fun to test my newly reborn body and powers by teaching him martial arts.
If I taught him well, perhaps I could turn him into a worthy opponent, someone I could fight again and again.
Who knows, if he became famous later, it might even be recorded in mythology that I was the one who taught him how to fight.

“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.