The location was a gigantic temple. Adorned with statues of peacocks and lotus flower staves, the massive structure showcased its grandeur and divinity. Its wide corridors were made of pure white marble.
In the center of this grand temple stood a magnificent bed, detailed with gold and other jewels around it.
Lying on the bed was a stunningly beautiful woman with long, night-black hair cascading down to her waist. Her proportions were divine, and her eyes, closed in sleep, were a shade of purple.
Lying on the bed was a stunningly beautiful woman with long, night-black hair cascading down to her waist. Her proportions were divine, and her eyes, closed in sleep, were a shade of purple.
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The woman slept with a satisfied smile on her face. Meanwhile, beside her was a man watching her sleep calmly.
A hand ran through his brown hair as his golden eyes scanned the surroundings.
"That was certainly… interesting."
[Alex, you're going to get yourself killed one day.]
The man—Alexandre Ikuse—smiled as he heard the familiar voice of the White Dragon in his mind.
After his night with Freya, the Goddess of Love had returned to Asgard, so he had come to check on his disciple's mission.
Taking advantage of his free time, he stopped by a bar and found the beautiful woman crying alone. His gentlemanly heart couldn't let such a thing pass.
One conversation led to another, and one thing led to another.
"Maybe one day, but not today," Alexandre laughed as he got out of bed, using his magic to conjure new clothes.
As he looked at the sleeping body of the stunning woman, he quickly made his way through the grand temple without a care.
"Truly, this is unnecessarily grandiose luxury."
Alexandre commented as he sneaked through the temple, dodging servants while continuing his path.
"The Greek Gods have always been like this," the spirit of the Nemean Lion grumbled in the mind of its wielder.
Alexandre laughed as he listened to the displeasure of the Lion King; he expected nothing less from the spirit of the Longinus.
As he walked, the Hakuryuukou finally reached an immense, intricately decorated gate.
He tried to touch it but was immediately repelled.
"That's a pretty strong barrier…"
"Of course, behind that gate are treasures like Ambrosia and weapons like Harpe," Regulus explained.
"The divine drink capable of fully restoring a god's health; it's said that, depending on who consumes it, that person could even become a deity—or be incinerated. I bet I could sell it for a good price to some other pantheon."
Alexandre said, smiling cheerfully, while Regulus and Albion sighed.
"Besides, the Immortal-Slaying Scythe—Harpe—is also quite an interesting weapon."
The things he could do if he got his hands on it…
Alex's eyes suddenly widened as he sensed a new presence. Gram appeared in his hand as he swiftly spun it.
The Demonic Emperor's Sword, surrounded by an overwhelming crimson aura, clashed against a barrier made of darkness.
"Quite a greeting."
A mocking feminine voice echoed through the hall as Alex's eyes twitched in annoyance.
"What are you doing here?"
"I should be asking, what's a mortal doing on Mount Olympus?"
The speaker was a beautiful young woman with a childlike face, long black hair, and pointed ears. She wore a frilly dress, and an overwhelmingly dark aura surrounded her body.
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"I bet you know, Nyx."
The Primordial Goddess of the Night from the Greek Pantheon—Nyx—smiled maliciously at the human before her.
"Yes, I do know, Alexandre Ikuse."
Alex's eyes narrowed as he pulled Gram back.
He already knew this sadistic and curious goddess, who enjoyed watching others' suffering. Alex had met her in the past because the Goddess of the Night was very curious about Longinus and had followed him once.
"Imagine my surprise when I found out a mere mortal had seduced none other than Hera of all goddesses."
The goddess declared cheerfully, darkness still swirling around her as Alex kept Gram ready in his hand.
"I wonder how you seduced her."
"I wouldn't say seduced; she was very upset at a bar last night because of Zeus's latest betrayal. All I did was help her forget a bit of everything."
"To make the Goddess of Marriage cheat on her husband… Hera will surely try to kill you to hide the fact, and I can't imagine what Zeus will do."
"I don't care about Zeus's opinion," Alexandre scoffed as the goddess smiled.
"For someone who likes to stay so hidden, you certainly cause a lot of chaos. Why don't you go steal from another mythology, like the Celtic or Egyptian, maybe the Hindus?"
"Please, the Celts have Lugh, and the Egyptians have Ra; both are among the strongest beings in the world, not to mention the Hindus, who have four of the top ten among them."
Alexandre said, letting out a sigh. He might enjoy adventuring, but he'd be suicidal to attempt something like that.
The Goddess of the Night maintained a cheerful smile, her frivolous attitude matched by her mischievous eyes, which seemed amused by everything she saw.
"Now, I think you should go…"
Alex's eyes narrowed, then widened as he sensed a large number of divine auras heading his way.
"Your demonic sword and my aura attracted the gods' attention, huh…"
"So that was your plan, you bitch!"
"What a way to treat a lady; have some respect…"
Alex huffed as the goddess smiled, then pointed his finger at her, who blinked in confusion.
"How about a trip to the Dimensional Rift?"
Nyx's eyes widened, and before she could react, a magic circle sent her into the void between worlds.
"Well, that won't kill her, but it'll keep her out of my way for a while."
As Alexandre thought, the sound of thunder tearing through the sky was heard, making the entire mountain tremble.
"Why do I have a feeling Zeus just found out something?"
As purple mist gathered around his body, the White Dragon vanished.
Meanwhile, in another part of Greece, the young wielder of the Holy Spear began his mission.
The location was a forest somewhat removed from civilization; it seemed a small village existed in this area, and strange events had occurred in this region.
People disappearing, dead, suspicious things—or rather, supernatural.
Cao Cao didn't know exactly why Alex had sent him to investigate this. His brother only did things when there was something to gain; investigating incidents in the middle of nowhere with nothing to gain wasn't very much like the Hakuryuukou.
As he advanced through the forest, Cao Cao could feel the tension.
The wind rustling through the trees, the faint howl of a wolf, and the grass crunching under his every step were the only sounds audible.
As he moved forward, the young boy finally sensed something off in the air.
Cao Cao took a deep sniff, frowning at the strange scent infiltrating his nostrils.
"It smells metallic," he murmured, sniffing again. "Like copper, iron, and slightly sweet… salty?"
The smell was unique.
The smell of fresh blood.
As he narrowed his eyes, he finally saw a small cabin in the middle of the forest, and a body lying in its own pool of blood.
"It's dead," Cao Cao murmured as he approached and inspected the body. "Something ravaged its neck, maybe blood loss or it choked on its own blood."
Setting the corpse aside, Cao Cao entered the house and began inspecting; as expected, everything was destroyed—paintings broken in half, walls and doors scarred by a wild beast, wooden furniture receiving the same rough treatment, and, of course, pools of blood with their respective owners collapsed on the floor.
"They're all dead."
Cao Cao murmured, seeing the figures of five bodies sprawled across the floor.
"This cabin is too big for a tribe."
Looking around the place, especially the ceiling, just to ignore the overwhelming stench corrupting his nose.
As he walked through the cabin, despite everything being destroyed and the bodies, nothing unusual was found, leaving only one last place to investigate.
Reaching the office entrance, he quietly opened the door, doing his best to avoid it creaking.
Once the door was fully open, he entered calmly.
Inspecting with his sharp oceanic eyes, Cao Cao noticed the ceiling was practically broken, revealing the beautiful, dark sky with some clouds horribly obscuring the silvery moonlight. Looking at the office, he saw the roof that once shielded the owner from rain had turned into rubble and crushed a person.
Cao Cao approached the body slowly and could see it was indeed dead, especially due to what looked like claw marks that shredded the face. The young man began inspecting further…
But stopped when he heard a growl from behind.
Looking back, Cao Cao found a man on the broken roof staring at him. What made his eyes widen in horror was what came next.
The unknown man gasped before sudden pain coursed through his bloodstream, causing intense agony. Cao Cao could hear his bones stretching, his jaw dislocating and transforming into a mouth with fierce fangs, blood-red eyes staring at the human as he continued howling in pain.
A werewolf.
"So that's what happened; werewolves ravaged this region," Cao Cao murmured.
"Lycanthropy; the user can transform into a werewolf through a curse or by a bite or scratch from another werewolf."
"And since they always travel in packs…"
As if responding to the boy's words, other men began joining the werewolf as their bodies underwent metamorphosis, transforming into large wolves.
Cao Cao extended his hand, a small glow smiled as the Holy Spear manifested, its blade shining with divine light.
Seeing the weapon, the werewolves growled.
And the boy smiled.
"Moon Breathing - Fifth Form…"
The holy spear was brandished multiple times, sending slashes of holy light overlapping each other upward toward the sky while a single crescent moon strike cut through its path.
"Geppaku Saika (Moon Calamity Spirit)"
The crescent slashes cut through the werewolves, shredding their bodies, the crescent moon strike having sliced the house in half as Cao Cao stepped back.
As he quickly made his way, Cao Cao managed to identify some surviving werewolves but swiftly exterminated them with a single strike of his Holy Spear.
The young boy made a point to eradicate every werewolf in his path.
When he finished killing the last beast, out of the corner of his eye, Cao Cao saw a strike coming at unbelievable speed, giving him just enough time to raise his spear to defend.
A flaming sword struck the holy spear, sending Cao Cao flying, his body crashing against a tree.
The impact caused a large tree to crack but not break. The teenager wielding the Holy Spear spat a bit of blood as he looked at the attacker.
Approaching was a tall man with black hair, wearing some kind of armor, his eyes a flaming red. In his right hand was a long silver sword enveloped in flames.
"Oh… I was trying to figure out who was killing my little pets."
The man's words were enough for Cao Cao to realize he was behind this, behind these werewolves.
"To think I'd have the chance to see the Holy Spear before me… what an honor."
The man's voice was laced with sarcasm, and as he saw the overwhelming bloodlust emanating from him, Cao Cao could sense the danger of a battle.
Using his spear as support to stand, the descendant of the Chinese Warlord positioned himself with his weapon in hand.
The man before him was strong.
"How boring… I didn't manage to grab anything."
A familiar Alexandre Ikuse grumbled as he sat by the edge of a lake.
His body leaned against a gigantic golden lion over four meters tall lying beside him.
Though usually residing in Alex's consciousness, one of his Sacred Gears—[Regulus Nemea]—was an Independent Avatar type that could manifest in the world beside him.
"You got lucky, Alex. If you had stayed, you'd have faced gods like Zeus and others; even with your power, that would've been tough."
"What do you mean?" Alex asked as he looked at the lake. "Your claws can cut through the flesh of gods; the sharpness of your axe should be able to as well, and maybe go beyond."
"I've seen Supreme-Class demons, I've seen the Balance Breaker compete with Dragon Kings, and I've seen the power of Breakdown the Beast put gods in trouble, but from there to entering the domain of Chief Gods, there's a long way to go."
"You think? If we combine your power, mine, and Albion's, I think we'd win."
[Just me would be enough,] the Celestial Dragon grumbled in his wielder's mind.
Alexandre laughed, but suddenly stopped, his expression turning serious.
"Hey, Regulus, remember the promise I made to you when we met?"
"That you'd avenge me by killing that detestable man?" Regulus asked curiously.
"Yeah, I think it's time now."
Regulus' eyes showed doubt, but soon a powerful divine aura filled the entire area.
Regulus and Alex stood up, casually looking toward the source of the power.
"I wonder why that witch wants him dead, considering you're not a bastard like me."
Emerging from the forest was an immense man, two meters tall, with an extremely muscular body, black hair, and electric blue eyes.
"To think it'd be the wielder of that lion I killed…"
Alexandre just smiled at the man.
"The strongest demigod, called the Greatest Hero of Ancient Greece; it's a great honor to meet you, God of Strength—Hercules."
The one who had completed the legendary Twelve Labors and was later welcomed among the gods for his deeds, the hero who, in myth, had slain the Nemean Lion.
"Sorry, Hercules, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. Could we settle this quickly and without fighting?"
"Sorry, kid, but no can do. I have orders to take you, even if it's on the brink of death, to Olympus."
The God of Strength said as he began walking toward Alexandre, and Regulus immediately stepped forward.
Regulus' fury ignited in an instant upon seeing the man who killed him.
Seeing the situation, Alex could only sigh and say those words. Though he no longer needed them, he spoke them out of habit, feeling they gave him strength.
"My Lion, the King of Nemea, you who were called the Lion King! Answer my rage and become my armor…"
Hercules' eyes widened as the entire region began to tremble, and with a smile shared between Alex and his Longinus…
"Balance Breaker!" "Balance Breaker!"
A blinding flash engulfed the area. Due to the intense light, the god covered his face with his arms.
When the light faded, what stood before them was a metal armor in a golden color with lion motifs in some parts. The helmet had golden hair, like a lion's mane. On the chest of the armor was the head of a lion, its eyes giving off a gaze as if it were alive.
No words were spoken as the two combatants charged at each other. Alexandre's fist, surrounded by Regulus' earth-shattering power, struck the god's body, while Hercules' fist, enveloped in his divine aura, hit the armor.
Both were forced to retreat as they began exchanging blows again.
Punches and more punches were thrown by both fighters—face, abdomen, chest, arms; they stood there, pummeling each other.
The unleashed pressure was overwhelming; the ground was destroyed as earthquakes struck the entire area, the very dimension seeming to vibrate with the force of their devastating attacks.
Both their blows were destructive—Hercules' carried his natural super strength and divine power, while Alex's carried Regulus' earth-shattering power amplified by his aura.
"Let's end this."
Alexandre murmured as both he and the Greek Hero stepped back from each other and prepared.
"That's a lot of confidence. I admit your strength is overwhelming, but you think you can defeat me?!"
"I do! As my avatar, the Lion Regulus!"
"Yes! If your body wills it, destroy them with that divine body!"
Answering his master's call, the lion's eyes on his chest unleashed a blinding light. A touki exploded from the human's body, filling the entire space.
Alex recited the chant of power—
"This body, this soul, even if it falls into an endless ravine!"
The lion then spoke.
"My Lord and I, we will exhaust this body and soul to climb endlessly the royal road!"
"Roar! Triumph! Massacre! And, shine!"
"This body is that of a Demonic Beast!"
"Lodged upon my fist is the glorious imperial authority!"
His touki created an intense cyclone; the very space seemed to yield as the violent aura grew.
"—Dance!"
"—Dance!"
Enveloped in touki, the power surrounding Alexandre's body swelled even further.
"—Breakdown The Beast, Climb Over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
With that final breath, it opened! There stood—a majestic being, the armor of a highly aggressive lion. It was a new armor with a golden and purple two-tone appearance.
The golden armor was accompanied by a purple touki enveloping Alexandre.
The magnitude of its density was immense; even Hercules felt terror creeping up his spine.
Even the god's divine aura was crushed as the space seemed to give way.
"…How can this be! Could this be the so-called awakening of supremacy…!"
—Breakdown The Beast.
It was a form that only a Sacred Gear with a legendary demonic beast could achieve… but it also came with great risk.
Like the release of the Sacred Gears in which the Two Celestial Dragons were sealed—Juggernaut Drive—it would consume the user's life after activation.
Moreover, the effects had already begun as Alexandre spat blood from his mouth.
"Come on, give me your best."
Only those words were spoken by the Lion King facing the god.
Hercules did not falter as he charged with a punch full of his divine aura…
But the god's massive fist shattered upon contact with Alexandre's hand.
"So that's your limit…"
A single fist was used to attack, carrying an aura that caused the very fabric of spacetime to crack and seem to break.
That single fist pierced the chest of the God of Strength.
The forest had been reduced to an immense pile of rubble; swords and axes were scattered throughout the area.
Cao Cao was breathing heavily, his clothes torn in several places, his body bearing cuts from various blades. If it weren't for the intense training he had undergone with his brother, he would already be dead.
The man before him wasn't in much better shape either—his armor broken, his blade in hand also destroyed.
Cao Cao slightly raised his spear.
"Now I understand why you're so strong…"
The tip of the [True Longinus] was bathed in a golden liquid, the same that flowed from the body of the man with flaming eyes.
"Ichor, the blood of the gods."
Cao Cao's eyes narrowed at the man before him, who smiled cruelly despite the ichor flowing from his body.
"So you figured it out, brat…"
"Yes, I never imagined I'd cross weapons with the Greek God of War."
The Son of Zeus, the God of War Ares, smiled cruelly as he summoned new weapons around him with his Authority over War.
"Don't think this is over, brat. We'll continue until one of us dies."
"No, this is over."
Cao Cao gripped the spear with both hands, flexing every muscle as the atmosphere shifted. An unparalleled pressure surged from Cao Cao's body, an aura so overwhelming it wasn't a power any human should wield. Cao Cao himself was synchronized with the full power of the [True Longinus].
This power was the combination of the god-killing power of the True Longinus and the limitless strength unleashed from the hero's blood.
As Ares' eyes widened in shock at the immense aura emitted by the spear.
The last words the Son of Zeus, the God of War, heard were these.
"Balance Breaker."