The Myth of the Greek Heavenly Demon

Chapter 24 – Heavenly Demon King’s Landing

“Oh…!”

An exclamation of admiration came out.
Was this body ever this powerful?
Was this body ever this beautiful?
Facing the deep waters of the underworld, passing the test of the Twelve Godly Demons.
Sweeping away the worm-like cult leader’s family and the rotten high priests who were gnawing at the cult from within.
This body that had been cut, stabbed, and broken countless times, tempered like steel—my longed-for body!

“Hahahahaha!!”

It was when I burst into laughter with joy at reuniting with the body I thought I had lost long ago.

“Aaaargh!”

“Hmm?”

Suddenly, with a scream, a blood-stained blade aimed at my neck.
As if catching a butterfly, I gently caught it with my index finger and traced it up with my eyes to find Atalanta, her face twisted grotesquely, pointing a sword at me.

“Urrrrgh!! Aaaargh!!”

“Tsk, have you stopped the heart demon?”

Dark eyes devoid of clarity, a rough murderous aura surging from her whole body.
It was the typical appearance of a madman consumed by a heart demon.
Perhaps when the heart demon, who took on the form of Atalanta herself, disappeared, she was eventually eaten by the heart demon because she couldn’t control her hatred and murderous intent.
I released the sword spirit to see what she would do, and, as if waiting, she charged at me again.

“Uwaaaaah!”

“You really try everything, don’t you?”

A figure that had lost all reason and intellect, rampaging like a mad beast.
But it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that the king of the mountain taught her and the goddess of hunting blessed her, as her destructiveness and ferocity resembled those of a hunting bear.

“However, a beast drenched in such killing intent soon meets its end at the hands of humans.”

Three steps.
It only took me three steps to break through Atalanta’s offensive and seize both of her hands.

“Kyaaaah!”

“What are you looking at? What do you hate? What do you despise so much? Do you remember and rage?”

Atalanta, her hands caught by me, dangled in mid-air.
Seeing her struggle like a fish out of water, trying to kick and attack me somehow, made me sigh.

“Sigh… What am I doing with this lunatic?”

Why was I suddenly in the form of the Heavenly Demon from my past life instead of Dianes?
The answer was simple.
This space was a place where Atalanta’s nightmare and my thoughts were connected through the energy guided by the Martial Spirit Cultivation Arts.
In other words, this place was both Atalanta’s nightmare and my mental landscape.
To investigate the origin of the nightmare, I let it flow freely, but by twisting the end of the nightmare and bringing the flow of this imagery to my side, I too returned to my original form as I remember it.

“Shall we move to a different place first?”

I’ve seen many hellish scenes, but the sight of eyeballs rolling around and tongues flicking was among the most bizarre.

“Shall we start lightly like this?”

A majestic demonic qi flowed freely from my lower dantian to my middle dantian and upper dantian.
The omnipotence I felt after such a long time sent a thrilling shiver down my spine, and the corners of my mouth lifted involuntarily.

“Yes, this is the feeling.”

-Uwoooooo!!

“…!!”

The nightmare shook just from me drawing up the demonic qi.
Feeling a sense of crisis, Atalanta, who had been flapping like a mackerel, quieted down. Her eyes and tongues flailed wildly, attacking me.

“Futile efforts.”

In an instant, the martial arts of the Twelve Godly Demons and the formulas of the Heavenly Demon Arts flashed through my mind.
However, using their true techniques or the supreme vision of our sect on such phantoms was absurd.
To this Atalanta in my grasp, and to me standing in this dreadful space.
There was only one thing needed now.
Simply taking a step forward.

Atalanta, limp like wet cotton, might get caught up in the aftermath.
Carefully holding her in my arms, I slowly walked into the heart of the bizarre nightmare.
I took three steps to enter, so three steps should be enough to leave.

“Move.”

-Thud!

One step—the step of the Heavenly Demon who subjugated kings and emperors.

– Kyaaaaaa!!

The ghostly figures vanished like morning dew at the step of the Heavenly Demon, who made all nations kneel.

– Step

Another step. The step of the Heavenly Demon, who subdued both the surface and hell.

– Uwaaaaaaa!!!

At the step of the Heavenly Demon that crushed the earth, the nightmares that surrounded all directions were torn apart.

And the final third step.
I stood on a high mountain peak, carefully holding the sweat-drenched Atalanta in my arms.

– Whiiiiiing!!

The highest mountain peak in the world.
Below my feet, the sea of clouds flowed like waves, and the distant horizons stretched out below me.

“The final third step, commanding all demons and conquering all realms, ultimately reigning over the Three Sects with the step of the Heavenly Demon.”

After taking those three steps, nothing existed above me anymore.
Those who take three steps would soon rule over all lands, for the movement of the ruler of the realms of desire and the human world, Talus, signified this.
This was called the Heavenly Demon King Landing Step, and the demons bowed beneath his feet.

“This scene is familiar…”

In my previous life, I had reached the pinnacle of the Heaven, Earth, and Human realms by mastering the Heavenly Demon King’s Landing Step.
Though I lived in another world, in another body, and under another name, this feeling deeply imprinted in my soul never disappeared.
Would this child named Atalanta know that she enjoyed the glory of sharing the perspective of the Heavenly Demon, a privilege no devout follower ever had?

“Wow…”

Atalanta, mesmerized by the overwhelming sight of looking down upon all things below the sun and moon, exclaimed in wonder.

“Isn’t it beautiful?”

“…Yes.”

In the end, the affairs of the world flow endlessly.
Good things and bad things eventually pass and come back again.
If you forget the good things easily and hold onto the bad things until they fester and rot, they become a grudge, and that grudge turns into a demon in your mind.
Overcoming it, forgetting it, or embracing it and self-destructing—all of these were your own responsibilities.
And whether it was a demon or a grudge, a calamity or a stroke of luck, if you look down from here, it was nothing more than a minor tremor compared to a strip of the sea of clouds. So why would you self-destruct over such a trivial demon?

“With this beautiful world around you, why do you only fixate on the demons within you?”

“……”

Her ruby-red eyes, shining beautifully without a trace of confusion, took in the scenery once more.
Anyway, to her, it would be a memory that fades like morning dew in a dream, but no longer would nightmares and demons be found within her.
A greater principle had taken root in her mind.

The next morning.
Just like yesterday, before the sun had fully risen, the students, including myself, began to gather one by one at the Colosseum.
Because of the strange incident that happened yesterday, I felt restless and spent the night practicing Martial Spirit Cultivation Arts, researching the qi within my body, which I had decided to call Godly Demonic Qi.
As always, Godly Demonic Qi flowed with my internal qi according to the principles of the Martial Spirit Cultivation Arts, boosting my vitality and purifying the turbid energy within me.

“Did you see what happened yesterday?”

“It was a thunderous sound that even Hephaestus would be amazed by.”

“How hard-headed must one be for that Atalanta to…”

“Could it be that her head is made of iron?”

“Maybe an iron man created by Hephaestus?”

“No way, could it really be iron?”

“At the very least, it has to be adamantium…”

“Then, adadium human?”

Due to what happened yesterday morning, everyone seemed to feel a barrier between us, causing a commotion around me.
Was some huge rumor about me spreading?

“Why do you look so grim right from the morning?”

“Don’t you think you’re a bit too energetic?”

Hercules tried to hit my back, but I missed because I dodged slightly.

“Oh, oh, oh, did you see that? Did you see it, Theseus?”

“Of course, Jason. I finally see the path!”

Jason and Theseus, who had been sticking together like best friends since then, pushed Hercules aside and put their arms around my shoulders from both sides.

“It’s you! You are the last piece sent by Zeus in answer to our prayers!”

“If we combine our strategy with your martial skills, we might achieve an unprecedented feat in this forest of heroes today!”

It seemed that the entrance bunkering by that Hercules rascal yesterday was not just a one-day event.
The two strategists enthusiastically rushed at me today, wanting to break through the wall of that great hero by making me a champion.
Hercules, too, found it amusing and kept fueling the fire with his jests, and I couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the sight.

As we noisily entered the Colosseum, familiar reddish-brown hair blocked our path.

“Uh, excuse me!”

It was Atalanta, her fierce beauty tinged with a fiery red, as if she would ignite at any moment.

“Oh!”
“Ugh!”
“Eek!”

Upon seeing the volcanic Atalanta, who looked like she might explode at any second, the trio of Greek heroes vanished into the wind.
Other small heroes, noticing Atalanta’s ominous expression, also quietly avoided her and me as they slinked away.

“What is it?”

“Ugh… Th-that is…”

Just in case she suddenly attacked, like yesterday, I quietly prepared myself.
Atalanta abruptly approached me and grabbed my hand.
Her face turned even redder, and with strangely moist eyes, Atalanta said,

“T-today! I’ll guide you properly! S-so follow me well!”

“…What?”

…Something seems to be going strangely.
In a direction I never expected.