Chapter 47: Half-God Xi Nian
The next morning.
As the first rays of golden sunlight fell upon Themyscira, the main island grew lively with noise and excitement. Warriors who usually spent their time training or guarding were now fully armed, and the beautiful women in long white gowns joined them as they gathered into a great crowd heading toward a colossal ancient structure by the coast.
The building resembled an open-air coliseum. In its center lay a vast, empty arena, while the Amazons filled the stone steps surrounding it.
"Silence! The Queen arrives!"
At Antiope's sharp command, the chatter immediately ceased.
Under countless gazes of respect and devotion, Queen Hippolyta, ruler of the Amazons, appeared. Wearing the golden crown of power, she took her seat on the throne with majestic dignity.
"Princess Diana arrives!" Antiope announced again.
Diana followed behind her mother, dressed in royal golden attire. Nearly every Amazon instinctively looked up at her head.
But instead of the silver royal crown, a flower crown rested upon her black hair.
"The princess… she really gave her crown to a human?"
"That was the Starlight Diadem, a royal artifact!"
"And the Queen allowed it!"
"How could this happen?"
The stands erupted with shock and disbelief. Many had only heard rumors in the past few days, but now they saw it with their own eyes. Diana stood calmly beside the throne, smiling with confidence, still dazzling and radiant as the jewel of the Amazons.
"Let it begin," Queen Hippolyta said, ignoring the voices around her.
Antiope nodded, leapt down from the platform, and declared, "The tournament will now commence. Contestants, enter!"
Tall, muscular warriors clad in light leather armor marched into the arena to cheers and applause. Eight female warriors lined up proudly in the center.
Antiope glanced behind them, but there was no Xi Nian.
So he backed out? That might be for the best.
She quietly breathed out in relief and glanced at Diana, only to find her still smiling and staring at the arena gates, her eyes glimmering with expectation.
Something's wrong.
Before Antiope could lower her head again, the cheers suddenly died.
From the Queen on her throne to the common Amazons in the crowd, every eye turned toward the arena entrance.
There, a lone figure entered last.
Xi Nian, with long silver hair, wearing white training clothes, and upon his head—the royal crown. On his back, he carried a sword with twin dragon hilts locked in a bite.
Every Amazon recognized that weapon at once.
The Sword of Hephaestus. Forged by the god of the forge himself, it was said to be able to cut down gods.
That blade carried a weight even greater than the Starlight Diadem. One symbolized Diana's strength. The other her identity and honor. And now, both sacred artifacts rested on a human boy.
Though this tournament was not a battle of weapons, carrying them made one thing clear: he bore the name and will of Princess Diana.
Queen Hippolyta's eyes flickered with surprise at the sight of Xi Nian. She hadn't expected their first meeting to be here.
Antiope swept her gaze over all nine contestants. "Since everyone is present, the tournament will—"
"Wait a moment!" Xi Nian raised his hand. "Could someone explain the rules first?"
The arena fell into silence.
The warriors were stunned. He didn't even know the rules? What was he even doing here?
Antiope's brow twitched. She swallowed her temper and explained. "It's simple. Start here in the arena, swim across the sea to the far shore, then mount the horses prepared there. Along the mountain path, you must shoot three targets with arrows. Finally, whoever returns through this gate first and throws the arena's spear through the golden ring will be the victor."
She softened her tone. "Understand? If not, I'll explain again."
"No need. Let's just start already," Xi Nian said casually, waving his hand.
Antiope clenched her jaw. "Very well. I announce the tournament officially begins!"
At once, the eight Amazon warriors dashed forward, climbing the tall ladders that led toward the sea.
Xi Nian, however, remained where he stood. Some thought he had given up.
Just as one warrior was about to reach the top, Xi Nian finally moved. He crouched slightly, preparing to sprint.
In the next instant—
Antiope's face changed.
His presence shifted. His eyes shone with divine sharpness, and the harmless aura around him vanished, replaced by a crushing, divine force.
"Divine power? Impossible!" Antiope gasped.
Boom!
With a single leap, Xi Nian soared thirty meters into the air and landed directly atop the ladder's highest point.
His silver hair streamed wildly in the wind as he sprinted forward, vaulting across the sea to the opposite shore.
Splash!
He landed in shallow water, kicked off again, and burst toward the horses and bows waiting ahead.
He ignored the horses. He ignored the bows.
There was no need.
Snatching up three arrows, Xi Nian sprinted up the mountain path faster than any horse.
At the first target, he didn't even stop running. He simply threw an arrow by hand. It whistled through the air and struck the bullseye.
A plume of blue smoke rose into the sky, marking his success.
Unlike his first awakening with Diana's power, this time the bond was deeper, his training sharper, and the medium stronger.
In this moment, Xi Nian was as if a true born half-god.
He blazed through the remaining checkpoints with speed and stamina far beyond humanity.
Though the crowd could not see him directly, they saw three plumes of blue smoke rise in quick succession, each less than ten seconds apart.
The Amazons froze in awe, as though witnessing a miracle.
By the time another colored smoke finally appeared, Xi Nian was already thundering back toward the arena.
Kicking up a storm of dust, the half-god Xi Nian dashed through the main gate.
From start to finish, it had taken less than a minute.
"Just one more thing left, right?" Xi Nian called, grabbing the long spear from the stunned Antiope and hurling it at the golden ring.
"Wait—the ritual isn't ready yet—!" Antiope cried.
Too late.
The spear streaked through the air, glowing like a falling star.
Rumble!
From the arena's center, a golden statue of a goddess rose. The spear pierced straight through its chest, exiting its back. Sparks exploded as the weapon clipped the ring before vanishing into the distant sky.
"Uh… did I just mess something up?" Xi Nian asked awkwardly, scratching the back of his head.
Queen Hippolyta: "…"
Diana: "…"
All Amazons: "…"
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