Episode 134

Ah, now I understand.
This is why those rotten ones sing their songs, why the Four Heavenly Kings take young disciples and reenact the Lion King.

“Haaaap!!”

Atalanta’s crimson eyes burned with fierce determination, her entire body enveloped in a protective red qi.
Especially the red qi gathered on both her fists and legs, showing an ideal form of martial arts with perfect timing and balance, even though I hadn’t taught it.
It wasn’t by anyone else’s hand, nor anyone else’s blessing, but by my own hand, that this martial talent blossomed, and now I understood the distant feelings of my masters.

When a fledgling bird takes flight for the first time, its parents share in the wonder of its maiden journey.
When a young lion brings home its first kill, it proves itself to its pride, met with joy and celebration.

Then what about martial artists?
How do the warriors, who have inherited martial arts and achievements, commemorate this?
Even without saying, both Atalanta and I knew.

“Let me show you.”

With a sound resonating through the air, enhanced qi surged in my hand.
Atalanta shone brilliantly like a red meteor, while I was reminiscent of a moonless night where not even a star rises with my jet-black demonic qi.
If she stirred the stars with her whole being, I would become the night that devoured them.

Sura Reversal Art - Star Devourer.

A fist imbued with the black night swallowed the red star.

-Kwaooong!

This was what it meant for qi to collide.
To metaphorically describe the sound, it was akin to a massive burst, as if a needle had punctured a gigantic balloon, with the strange noise piercing the ears, and the meteors of enhanced qi unable to overcome each other’s force, chaotically soaring and overturning the surroundings.
In the midst of it all, the pure qi that burned all impurities and shone brightly was dazzlingly white.
A moment of destructive and beautiful light, awe-inspiring, fearful, and thrilling.
Here, the very source of all creation, a phenomenon that should not exist before my eyes, burned fiercely in response to my will alone, etching into my vision an explosion of creation that not even the gods had witnessed.

It is said that countless warriors and countless masters spend their lives searching for their match.
Even the strongest of the strong, who could have the world’s delicacies and treasures and the power above all, seek battles, risking their lives like insignificant second-rate warriors.

To refine themselves, to surpass themselves and reach the next level, to build a reputation, to find disciples, and so on.
They bring all sorts of reasons, but the nameless elder of Kunlun shook his head while filling my cup with liquor.

‘Perhaps they wander, unable to forget the fleeting moment we both witnessed…’

Like moths to a flame, they remain captivated by this glorious sight, thirsting for it all their lives.

“Hahahaha!”

And so, I showed her.
To the first disciple I had nurtured.
To the most beautiful yet ruthless woman of myth.
This beautiful curse that would make her wander in thirst for a lifetime, this enchanting moment that masters of the Semi-Divine Realm feared yet were captivated by.

“Aaaa…!!”

The white light reflected in her red eyes.
The greed of a warrior, the torment of a martial artist.
Even if she conquered everything and basked in endless glory, this image would remain etched in her mind—a pure explosion of destruction and creation that bloomed at our fingertips.

“It’s about time to finish this.”

Though Atalanta had just awakened her qi, her power was remarkable, fitting for a prodigy of the mythological era.
However, with her still immature and rough qi manipulation, she could easily suffer serious internal injuries.
As I swung my hand toward the sky, the two violently clashing qi’s surged simultaneously.

-BOOM!

Like a grand firework, the two colors of qi soared high into the sky.
The black qi, fiercely ascending like a rising black dragon, and the red qi, trying to catch up like a red dragon, entwined around the black qi as they ascended together.

-Kwaang!

And then, an explosion.

The dark currents covering the blue sky and the red meteors streaking through it created an unexpected meteor shower.

-Whoosh!

“Ah…”

“How is it?”

Atalanta, who was staring at the fantastic spectacle she had created, slowly turned her head to face me.
Her whole body was drenched in sweat, as if she had just emerged from water, and the thin garment beneath the discarded armor was a mess of dirt and sweat.
Yet, her eyes, shining brightly, still glimmered intensely.

Desire, longing, joy, awe.

They were the beautiful eyes of a warrior who had just crossed a new realm.

“Is this the world you see?”

“And it’s also the world Hercules sees.”

Beyond that, it was the world seen by the gods and those who had crossed the wall.

“Congratulations. You’ve opened the door and now stand before it.”

She had earned the qualification.
The qualification to transcend humanity, to challenge the world of the gods. The realm I had walked, and that many warriors would walk.

In Greece, they called it Apoth de Aura.
In the martial world, it was referred to as transcendence.

The first step to superhuman perception, where one’s will could shape qi, allowing one to hear the unseen and see the unheard.

It had been about two months since I arrived at the Forest of Heroes.
In the original myth, it was the moment the beautiful Atalanta, destined to be the tragic heroine and an oracle’s sacrifice, escaped her fate.

As her mentor, I acknowledged her with a warm smile, and Atalanta seemed unable to contain her intense emotions.
In front of her warriors staring intently and kings watching from afar, she pounced on me like a lioness on her prey and stole a kiss.
As if she intended to quench her burning thirst through me, I felt an instant fear that I might be devoured.

“Mmm—chuup! Pwah!”

“Phew!”

Atalanta, who had been fervently kissing me as if to devour me, finally released her grip on my neck and waist after gulping down saliva, seemingly satisfied.

“Haa, haaa… it’s good…”

I couldn’t help but smile wryly as she rubbed her face against my neck like a content cat.

“You’re too bold.”

“Hehe, so what?! Let them all see.”

Her bright and confident demeanor left me speechless.
Perhaps thinking she had scored a point, Atalanta, with her sweat-drenched face, finally stepped back with a wide grin.

“Erainea! Bring it over!”

“H-huh? O-oh?”

“Hurry!”

Then, she called over her deputy, the pink-haired magician, and promptly handed me the flag she brought.

“Alright! I surrender!”

The beautiful warrior grinned boldly, showing no hint of regret, and in her smile, I saw a glimpse of the Supreme Fighting Demon, who had once shaken the martial world.

“Oh… well, it can’t be helped.”

The sudden surrender declaration from the commander shocked the deputy, but she quickly accepted it with a resigned bow.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Ah-ahahaha… Oh, hello?”

The daughter of Aphrodite, the sorceress magician Erainea, who had been avoiding me since the last music class.
That hard-to-pronounce name and her striking hair color were unforgettable.
Of course, the genes of the goddess, which could pull off that incredible hair color, were a bonus.

Just a month ago, she and Atalanta would have growled at each other upon meeting—when had they become so close?

“I’d like to hear what happened later.”

When I smiled as if finding it amusing, Atalanta shrugged and smiled back.

“Well, let’s talk slowly after this mess is over.”

“Huh? Ah, Atalanta? Could it be that—”

“Shh, Erainea. I told you to just trust your sister.”

“…?”

I was skeptical about what was exchanged between the two.
Solving that intriguing question seemed to be something to postpone for a while.

-Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Beyond the exhausted Atalanta’s army, the steel legion, having pushed away the dirt, marched forward with imposing steps.

“Let’s see, since I took the military flag, you automatically lose, right?”

“Yeah! Well, I’d like to play a bit more, but there’s nothing we can do.”

*We’ll play later… in the quiet of the night. *

As she briskly passed by, Atalanta whispered with a mischievous smile.

“Oh, th-thank you for your hard work!”

“Wow! That was awesome! Teach me sometime, too, handsome brother!”

“Ugh, monster. A real monster… Eek!”

Following her, Atalanta’s army retreated from the battlefield like an ebbing tide, each making a remark as they left.
And taking their place, a legion armed with spears and shields slowly approached me.

-Clank!

As the vanguard of the legion neared me, they halted with precision at the signal of the leading commander, aiming their spears at me.

“Good, your spirit hasn’t broken.”

“……”

At the forefront of the legion, a mere twenty paces away, Theseus faced me with a spear, his eyes blazing.

As it was with Atalanta, no more words were needed for those who stood against me on the battlefield.

“Chaaaarge!”

-Attack!!

-Waaaah!!

With the commander’s roar echoing through the air, the soldiers, spurred on by his strength, rushed at me with their spears raised.

Round two.
It was the prologue to the great war led by the Hero of Wisdom, the Prince of Athens, Theseus, who stood alongside Hercules.