Facing the giant serpent Python, although Ares knew his strength far surpassed this monster, he still dared not be careless.
Python's threat to the gods never lay in its power, but in the potent venom contained within its body; if bitten, even Ares would not feel good.
He had never battled snake-like creatures before; both in Ares's memories and his own, fights were mostly against humanoid beings. However, Ares used to enjoy watching wilderness survival streamers teach people how to deal with snakes in the wild, especially one known as the "Snake Man." His exquisite skill and extraordinary courage left a deep impression on Ares.
And from his snake-catching techniques, the current Ares could now leverage the authority of the God of War to extrapolate many useful moves.
Although Python itself was not a snake that could be born in nature, but a great serpent that only existed in the Age of Gods, its venom could even be directly sprayed from its mouth as a toxic mist to attack opponents. However, its body structure was generally similar to that of snakes. This meant that as long as its head was restrained, Python's inherent strength was not to be feared; this giant Python could not defeat Ares with its physical power.
Currently, Ares did not have a specialized snake-catching tong, so he used his spear instead. The flaming spearhead, held in his hand, continuously swayed in front of Python's eyes, attempting to distract it.
Sensing the God of War's hostility, the giant serpent Python also became enraged. In the Age of Gods, these monsters, which walked the earth alongside the deities, were not particularly afraid of the gods. If it were the three great God-Kings or Heavenly Queen Hera, Python might retreat, but Ares was merely a fourth-generation god; neither his seniority nor his reputation could make Python feel threatened. Therefore, this giant serpent also raised its upper body, its body Expansion, and hissed, flicking its tongue, signaling an attack on Ares.
Seeing Python in this state, Ares knew it was about to attack, so he became extremely vigilant. He continued to use his spear to lure and distract Python, while his other hand clenched his shield, holding it upright by his side, ready to block Python's attack at any moment.
Being just a monster, Python was also an impatient and ferocious creature. Ignoring Ares's flaming spear, it suddenly raised its head, and its entire upper body shot towards Ares like an arrow released from a bowstring.
Mid-air, it opened its massive maw, revealing its two enormous fangs, and two streams of potent venom, like water jets, shot from its venom glands, aiming for Ares's face.
Fortunately, Ares was well-prepared. As he raised his shield, he activated his divine power, and the monstrous face on the shield opened its mouth wide, spewing forth a raging sea of fire that instantly evaporated the venom Python sprayed in mid-air. Subsequently, his other hand did not pause; his spear swept horizontally, striking the side of Python's body, forcefully deflecting Python's attack direction as if with a stick.
The giant serpent Python bit down fiercely, but it bit onto one of the four pillars forged by Zeus's divine power. Ares used the momentum to spin around, and his shield slammed down onto its head. Taking advantage of Python being momentarily paralyzed by the residual divine power of Zeus on the pillar, he completely pinned Python's head against the pillar, sealing off its most dangerous maw and fangs.
The waves churned, and the giant serpent Python, sensing danger, was unwilling to die. It desperately twisted its massive body, thrashing in the sea, even causing a tsunami. Its enormous body coiled around Ares's waist and arms, attempting to hinder his attack. However, Ares had already gripped his sword hilt and drawn his Flame Sword.
He activated his divine power, ignoring the giant serpent Python's strength, and pressed the sword's edge against Python's neck. With a swift cut, a flame-like streak cut across the air. The giant serpent Python's body fell with a thud, landing on Delos Island, raising a huge cloud of dust, while its head remained pinned to the pillar by Ares, separated from its body. Only after Ares confirmed that the monster's soul had permanently left its body did he release the shield, allowing its head to fall back to the ground.
"Phew."
Seeing the dead giant serpent, Ares let out a slight sigh of relief. In a sense, this was his first battle since arriving in this world, and his opponent was Python, a monster capable of threatening the gods. Even though this monster would later become Apollo's stepping stone, Ares still dared not be careless.
But he also couldn't leave this giant serpent unattended, because killing Python would not only earn him a great favor from Leto and her children, but also from the goddess Asteria, who had transformed into Delos Island, who would also owe him a huge favor.
And this goddess Asteria, her daughter was Hecate, the goddess of night, roads, the underworld, and witchcraft, in some sense the most powerful sorceress of the Greek Age of Gods.
To fully analyze the black crystal in his hand, Ares felt that Hephaestus's forging techniques alone might not be enough; only by relying on this world's mysterious system could he hope to understand the black crystal's true nature.
Moreover, since it was confirmed to be the Moon World, if he wanted to establish himself in this world after the Age of Gods, knowledge of the mystical arts was indispensable. With Asteria's introduction, Ares might be able to learn true magic from the goddess Hecate.
However, that was for later. To avoid Zeus's suspicion, Ares could only proceed slowly, step by step. He first confirmed the giant serpent's corpse, then began to collect the giant serpent, preparing to see if he could create a new Noble Phantasm for himself.
In this era, the bodies of monsters were almost entirely treasures; their hides could be made into shields, and their bones could be fashioned into weapons, proving to be extremely formidable.
However, when his palm touched Python's corpse, the giant serpent's body suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon. In the end, all the flesh and internal organs of the giant serpent completely disappeared. When Ares picked it up, all that remained was a snakeskin, a section of snakebone, and two fangs without their venom glands in its mouth.
"What's going on?"
Holding the snakeskin, Ares was somewhat bewildered. He blinked, then looked down at the black crystal pendant hanging on his chest, and detected a rich ether within it.
[Because the giant serpent Python died, the magic condensed from its flesh lost its owner, becoming ownerless magic, and was quickly absorbed by this pendant?]
Seeing this scene, Ares speculated in his mind:
[It seems this pendant needs energy to activate, but I don't know how much.]
Having understood this, Ares also conveniently collected the items left behind by the giant serpent Python. Although the flesh had been completely absorbed by the black pendant, these parts also retained extremely strong magic. After returning, he would find a way to ask Hephaestus for help, and he would definitely be able to forge extremely powerful Noble Phantasms.
After tallying the spoils, Ares returned to Delos Island and reverted to his normal human size. Once he re-entered the area surrounded by the four pillars, Ares could clearly feel that the gaze falling upon him had become much kinder.
He pretended not to know about this and walked directly into the temple in the center of the floating island. Just then, the temple suddenly glowed brightly, and brilliant golden light illuminated the entire floating island.
Apollo, the God of Light, God of Prophecy and Healing in later generations, was finally born at this moment.