The Greece Antagonist

Dawn broke, and with the arrival of the first light of day, the thick sea fog gradually dissipated.

The desolate Volcanic Rock Island looked as if it had suffered a brutal artillery barrage, with large and small craters filling the beaches and rocky land along the coast, and white bone fragments mixed with blood-stained Serpent Scales scattered everywhere.

And the closer to the center and the highest point of the island, the more gruesome and bloody the scene became.

Seductive Lamia, some with their heads severed by wind blades, some with waists chopped by ground spikes, and others blown to bits by fierce flames... Their blood and flesh flew everywhere and fragments of their bodies stained the grey-brown mountain rocks a brilliant crimson, forming a bloody path that led up the mountain ridge to the heights.

"Bang!"

Accompanied by a sharp explosion of air, the upper half of a Lamia corpse hit a protruding rock and burst into splattered chunks of flesh.

Streams of divinely rich golden-red blood essence extracted themselves from the carnage and automatically converged into the body of the lone figure standing above.

"Huuh..."

Luo En lowered his arms and slowly exhaled a long, turbid breath, his joints crackling noisily. His eyes, that were gradually losing their blood color, surveyed the utterly transformed and horrific battlefield, causing him to furrow his brows.

Indeed, even with the full exploitation of the home ground advantage, taking on thirty-seven was a bit of a stretch...

Moreover, that number constituted only the adult Golden rank Lamias, not to mention there were at least a hundred more of Silver and Bronze caliber juveniles.

If it weren't for the fact that he had transformed the entire island into an ironclad war fortress, and with the Dragon Fang soldiers guarding the flanks, it was uncertain who would have won or lost in the end.

But anyhow, he had ultimately made it through this ordeal.

After confirming the area was safe, Luo En let down his guard and slumped to the ground. He looked down at the mangled wounds on his chest, arms, and neck, grimacing and gasping at the cold air while inwardly cursing nonstop.

Originally, according to his plan, he was to use the advantage of his home ground, killing as many as possible and then retreat while fighting until the dawn's low tide, taking a rest before coming back for another round of nest-storming and fishing.

But who knew that the so-called "Blessing of Ares" would have such a screwed-up effect.

——It makes one ignore fear, become increasingly brave and excited in battle, shedding all reason, transforming into a berserker, and engaging in a do-or-die fight with everything living in sight.

Especially after Luo En, utilizing the bull-granted War Authority, absorbed too much impurity-laden and negative-emotion-filled Divinity from the fallen enemies at once, that state became uncontrollably more intense.

If it weren't for the War Authority's ability to absorb Divinity while simultaneously possessing the benefits of Healing and repairing bodily injuries, Luo En's body would likely not have a single spot without injury.

No wonder Ares is also known as the "God of Berserkers"; it's because of this crazy, blood-frenzied state that makes one not recognizing even kin on the battlefield.

As Luo En massaged his throbbing temples, he muttered complaints about his distant forefather by blood and resolved to firmly slow down the pace of his ascension through the usage of [War Authority].

After all, its negative effects are too treacherous, and he doesn't possess the near-Immortal bodies of the gods.

It would be a joke if he ended up serving himself up on a platter before he even completed the ascension.

At this moment, as Luo En rested, streaks of golden-red blood essence emanated from his wounds, causing the previously grotesque, gaping injuries to close and heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Merely three quarters of an hour had passed, and not a single trace of damage could be seen on his body, his previously somewhat wilted spirit now vibrant with even greater vitality.

It must be said, though Ares's war authority did a number on intelligence, its effect on physical enhancement was nothing short of perfect.

Of course, aside from these, there was one small, less-than-ideal problem.

For instance, being prone to getting fired up...

Feeling the surging blood coursing through his body, and the ornaments beneath him that were continuously expanding and hardening, Luo En's lips twitched. He stood up from the ground, dragging his tattered bronze armor and outer clothing, and went to the seaside to wash up and cool down, then looked down at his current appearance.

After a night of fierce battle, having sacrificed thirty-seven gold-ranked Lamias, he now stood at one meter eighty in stature under the baptism of war authority and inner and outer divinity, with limbs and abdomen sprouting evenly distributed muscles full of explosive power.

"Bang!"

He threw a punch, and the several-meters-tall hard volcanic rock shattered to the ground amid a piercing sonic boom.

Luo En looked at his fist, which wasn't even scratched, then back at his own reflection in the water, rippling with a panther-like fitness, and involuntarily brought a hand to his forehead.

That being said, why did it feel like his path as a mage was getting more and more off track, focusing more on physique and strength...

Never mind. After all, having good physical qualities wasn't a bad thing. The pressing matter was to complete the trial of ascension to demigod.

Luo En briefly collected his thoughts and began to tally the gains and losses after the battle.

Although he had successfully annihilated a significant number of Lamias, boosting his strength by leaps and bounds, the materials, magic potions, and equipment he had scavenged from Circe were almost entirely depleted.

Without these war resources, the only option was to make do with what was available, scavenging what was needed from the bodies of sea beasts and divine monsters.

Naturally, the effectiveness was bound to be greatly reduced.

For this reason, Luo En, after considerable contemplation, decided to slow down the hunting pace, attracting at most three to five gold-ranked sea beasts at a time, taking a steady and firm approach to complete this ascension trial.

Now, there remained sixty-three...

The huntress, bathed in sunlight on the seashore, licked her parched lips and gazed out over the tumultuous sea with a distant look.

～～

At night, atop Mount Olympus, splendid starlight cascaded from the heavens, adorning each splendidly arrayed building.

The deities' temples at the summit stood proudly, some shrouded in thunderclouds, others radiating tranquility, some with doves fluttering about, each manifesting its own divine authority.

And at the center, surrounded by a profusion of sacred plants like roses, poppies, pomegranates, fragrant peach wood, cypress, and clover, was a temple of pure beauty made entirely out of pure white marble, built according to the golden ratio. The colonnade, carved with waves, foam, dolphins, and other ornaments, was also inlaid with a multitude of gems and pearls.

This was the chamber of Aphrodite, goddess of love and beauty.

As the goddess born from sea foam, she possessed skin like white porcelain, golden hair, blue eyes, and the perfect body and features of an ancient Greek woman, symbolizing love and beauty, wielding the authority to provoke sexual desire and the flames of love between the sexes.

Even the male deities of Olympus had fallen for her, pursuing her with frenzied vigor.

But in the end, the delicate flower was placed atop the head of Hephaestus, the god of fire and craft, by the arrangement of the Divine King Zeus.

—An ugly and lame deformity.

This union of beauty and ugliness was hardly favored by the deities and consequently was bound to face many twists and turns.

At this moment, within the depths of Aphrodite's splendid temple, faint sounds of intense clashing and the rough breathing of a man and a woman could be heard.

Underneath the pink tulle curtains, clothes were in disarray, flying about, and on the exquisite shell-shaped waterbed, two figures were intensely kissing, ready to vent their vigorous divine energies and breeding desires.

However, looking at the man's robust and well-proportioned limbs and handsome appearance, it was obvious he was not Aphrodite's ugly and lame husband.

—Infidelity to her husband was as well-known as the love goddess's spectacular beauty.

And her main adulterous partner was none other than the War God, Ares.

After all, only the king of the bravest and most robust warriors could satisfy the insatiable desires of the God of Love.

But for some reason, today's zealous lovemaking, which normally would last for days, came to an abrupt halt after just a short while.

Next, no matter how hard Aphrodite tried, she could not get Ares to regain his vigor.

"Bang!"

Finally, unable to endure any longer, the furious love goddess kicked Ares off the bed.

"My love, surely it's the battles of today that have drained too much of my strength, just wait, I will definitely..."

Ares, scrambling up from the floor, hurriedly tried to explain, his handsome face blushing crimson from being engorged with blood.

"Get out!"

Yet the repeatedly frustrated Aphrodite on the bed had already lost her mood and even started to doubt her own charisma, so she coldly turned her peach-and-plum-like beautiful face and unceremoniously banished her old lover from her chamber.

Faced with the ultimate male shame, even the volatile and arrogant God of War found himself in an awkward and embarrassing situation.

In the end, seeing no chance for reprisal, he could only grab his clothes and depart from the chamber sulkily.

Dammit, what's happening?!

Why have I been feeling lower back pain and lack of energy lately, and can't even muster the spirit for my favorite activity?

Outside the chamber of the Love Goddess, the aggrieved Ares cursed under his breath, taking out his anger on the flowers and plants along the way.

"Bang!"

In his distraction, the hot-headed God of War collided head-on with a figure rushing toward him.

"Are you blind, you fool!"

Ares, who staggered back a few steps to steady himself, angrily looked up at the idiot who had offended him.

"Yo, yo, yo, it's just a walk and a bump. Is that worth such rage?"

Hermes picked up his felt hat from the ground, dusted it off, and placed it back on his head, teasing with a cheery smile.

"What? Got beaten up again?"

"Are you asking for death!"

Faced with a brother who mentioned exactly what should not be, Ares's face darkened even more, his fists as large as sandbags clenched tightly, his bloodshot eyes now filled with a chilling coldness.

Perfect, he was just looking for a punching bag.

"No, no, no, just a joke, a joke!"

Hermes, seeing Ares like an enraged bull, quickly plastered a smile on his face and waved his hands while pointing at the Great Temple ahead.

"Father God is waiting for my message, I'll make it up to you with a cup of honey water later."

"..."

Hearing the words "Father God," Ares, who was striding over angrily, stopped abruptly and kicked Hermes away furiously.

"Scram!"

As the War God, unable to vent elsewhere, left the scene and headed back to his own temple, Hermes, who had been kicked to the ground, got up and surveyed with a playful gaze the silhouette of Ares and a certain splendid palace in the distance.

Looks like, from the time he went in to the time he came out, it was only three minutes, right?

Could it be...

As a peculiar thought emerged in his mind, Hermes, as if he had discovered some secret, wore a subtle smile on his face, the fire of gossip within him blazing fiercely.

Gathering news and secrets was indeed this Messenger God's favorite pastime.

Of course, delivering messages was the primary duty of a messenger...

Hermes, stroking his chin, cast a meaningful look at a temple from where the heavy sounds of metal striking metal continually resonated.

Why not make things a bit more interesting?

A sense of pleasure, mixed with a taste of vengeful delight, quickly settled his decision, and he stepped forward.