BXBX NOVEL Chapter 81
“Now that I think about it, this barrier is incredible.”
The seemingly endless vast wasteland and the colossal colosseum-like barrier of Ares that surrounded it.
Whether it was dawn without the sun or night without the moon, the sky was always a bright, hot afternoon, and no matter if I spent a day or a month here, only about an hour passed outside.
Thanks to that, I could fight Ares without any external interruptions.
The fact that I could continue the extreme battles I had intended with Hercules, without worrying about time or space, was a huge advantage for me, so I planned to make the most of this opportunity.
Even more so, the opponent was the War God, who had lived through thousands of years of battles and wars.
Regardless of anything else, in terms of combat, Ares was a fiercer and rougher warrior than any martial artist I had ever seen, and whether it was martial arts or tactics, he was the best opponent to face my current power without any problems.
“Well, why are you so happy about this? You can do it too if you learn it.”
Ares, seemingly pleased with my compliment, pursed his lips and waved his hand as if it was nothing.
As Ares snapped his fingers, the ground was instantly restored, and naturally, he took out two small ceramic bottles from thin air and offered them to me.
In the outside world, it had been a little over a week, but in terms of our experience, it felt like we had been sparring for almost a year, and I had grown quite close to the War God.
“Still, these techniques are amazing. Even I am surprised at them.”
“The masters would be delighted to hear this. A god revered as a War God by the world has acknowledged my martial arts.”
“Even if you gild a god’s face, not a single speck of gold will come out.”
Come on, you’re loving it.
Despite grumbling curtly, his lips twitched slightly, making me chuckle.
“But this isn’t just flattery, you know? Honestly, where I come from, no martial artist could take both the Reverse Heaven Palm and the Old Oil Sword at the same time and come out unscathed.”
Each of the Twelve Divine Demons was of an earth-shattering level, but even among them, the Old Oil Sword Demon and the Asura Lord were exceptional powerhouses.
It was no wonder the Shaolin monk and the Namgung fool were shocked by their unique martial arts.
“I don’t think you realize just how thrilled I am. Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve met someone who could take these techniques head-on?”
During the conquest of the martial world, none of the top five masters or the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors who boasted they would sever my head, nor any of the twelve demonic arts, could withstand even one of my techniques properly.
Its destructive power was already at the level of breaking mountains and drying up rivers.
Yet, the fact that my opponent could counter all Twelve Demonic Arts with full force and still match me meant that even these Twelve Demonic Arts weren’t perfect, implying that there were still higher realms to surpass.
“Ahem, joyful… Haha.”
“The Great Queen, the Hidden Magician, Lady Hera, and you, Ares, have shown me that there is still a path ahead. You’ve become both a guidepost and a beacon for me, and I’m sincerely grateful.”
These were my sincere words, without any hint of flattery or pretense.
As a warrior, as a Demonic Sect arts practitioner, how could I not respect those who let me glimpse the next level I thought was the end?
“Shut up, you idiot! What are you doing not drinking it quickly? It’ll get cold!”
“Ah, yes.”
Perhaps feeling embarrassed, Ares barked and handed me the bottle he was holding.
Opening the cap of the bottle he offered and taking a long swig, the remaining fatigue and depleted energy quickly began to replenish.
“Ah~ There’s nothing like a drink after a bit of sweat.”
“Whew… I really want to get a large jug of this and stash it away to drink. Thanks to you, I’m living in luxury.”
The unique sharpness of the alcohol and the fragrant aroma that warms the nose and mouth.
It reminded me of the unique barley alcohol I used to drink in the middle of Dongting Lake, coupled with its top-notch restorative ability, reminiscent of the highest-grade elixir.
The Nectar of the gods, which I had a small taste of last time, thanks to Asclepius’s prank.
A precious item so rare that even Asclepius, the son of Apollo, had to ration it drop by drop,
Ares would generously offer me every time we met.
“Ahem. Then, it’s indeed a luxury. What demigod in the world gets to taste Nectar prepared directly by Hebe?”
The more I saw him, the more I thought…
This War God feels like a stoic big brother who looks after a favored junior.
Easy-going and without grudges, suddenly taking care of you when they like you, and denying compliments gruffly while their lips curl up in pleasure…
What if I poked him with a comment like this…?
“By the way, how is your daughter doing these days? You seemed so happy saying she showed promise, taking after your wife… I mean, your spouse.”
“Oh, Hippolyta? Oh, don’t get me started. That little toddler has grown up so much…”
Even while sparring, Ares and I would often chat like this over Nectar or Ambrosia.
Both his mother, Hera, and Ares himself surprisingly enjoyed these kinds of casual small talks.
Thanks to that, I got to hear all sorts of stories about the gods that I couldn’t get from mythology or comics, and many of them were quite useful.
“Oh, just recently, my little daughter, who used to be so tiny, grew up and offered a burnt sacrifice to me. So I begged Brother Hephaestus and gave her a belt as a gift. Time flies, doesn’t it?”
“Oh, you’re a good father.”
“What do you mean, good father? I’m just doing what any father should. Otrera came back after months, and we fought like crazy, but at night, she clings to me and cries, which is quite charming.”
In addition to bragging about his children and wife whenever we drank Nectar, Ares showed a side of himself that contrasted sharply with his reputation as a war-crazed maniac.
Unlike his father, who often ignored or abandoned his mortal lovers, Ares proudly acknowledged his human wives and took good care of his children, displaying a warmth that was unexpected.
“Oh, by the way. How about you?”
“Me?”
“Yes! Last time I sneaked a peek, two pretty ladies were hanging on you. Have you already had a round with each of them?”
“Ah, ahahaha. Well, you see…”
I wasn’t exactly a traditional Confucian scholar, and I’d had my fair share of wild nights with women. Yet, the Greeks’ characteristic unrestrained R-rated talk made me feel awkward, and I covered my face.
“Is it Atalanta? I noticed you were giving her quite a beating last time. Even while taking such a beating, she was dripping honey whenever she saw you. If she’s your woman, you should cherish her a bit, you know. Do you have some grudge against her?”
“For the War God, that’s quite a gentle statement, you know. And if you put it that way, it sounds like I just mindlessly used violence. That was clearly martial arts training.”
While I was training martial arts with Ares, Atalanta also began to earnestly learn the Supreme Fighting Demon technique from me.
However, Atalanta was not learning the Supreme Fighting Demon technique from the basics but was accepting the essence of its enlightenment internally and adapting her own martial arts accordingly.
Rather than teaching the forms or techniques of the Supreme Fighting Demon technique, she was learning it through sparring that was close to real combat, allowing her to adapt it to her own style.
It was just that the martial art being taught, known as the Supreme Fighting Demon technique, was quite aggressive because it was a warrior’s martial art.
“Regardless of anything else, I can’t concede on that. What she learned is not just a light pastime between lovers.”
In whatever way, in whatever relationship, she accepted the essence of the Supreme Fighting Demon technique from my mind into herself.
I inadvertently became her master, passing down the Supreme Fighting Demon technique to her, and now I could only guide her to become a strong warrior worthy of the Demon name.
“Ah… Indeed, that’s why that girl, Atalanta, had no regrets. Good, good~ A mutual understanding without words~”
Ares, nodding like an old man delighted by young people’s romance, took a sip of Nectar.
“Then, how about my fifth cousin? All the nymphs in the forest are in an uproar. They said your display of courtship at the beach last time was incredibly romantic.”
“Neri? Neri is, well…”
If Atalanta felt like a lover-cum-disciple to me, then Neri was something else.
She was a precious lover whom I couldn’t help but accept without any right to refuse…
“Too young.”
“Pfft?! What?!”
Ares spat out his Nectar, bewildered by my words.
What can I do? From my perspective, touching Neri would literally be a crime.
“No, I don’t know if it’s because she’s a nymph, but she looks almost five or six years younger than me. So, I feel some kind of aversion to touching her more than that.”
“Look at this… What a peculiar guy.”
No, from a Greek romantic view, it might not matter if it were a man or a woman as long as they were pretty.
But still, from the perspective of an Asian whose thinking was two-thirds based on Confucianism, touching Neri was just a crime.
“I spend time with Atalanta because she keeps pestering me, so I teach her the flute and gayageum occasionally. I don’t have the energy to touch Atalanta in a different way.”
“Huh… Look at this frustrating guy. Are you perhaps a eunuch?”
“…What?”
Why is the conversation going that way again?
I was so dumbfounded that I shot a glare, but Ares just looked at me with eyes that said he was even more dumbfounded.
“No, after getting beaten like that, you still hug the warrior woman who likes it, and the immortal sea nymph looks at you with such sweet eyes. And your heart doesn’t move? Maybe you should see that nerdy son of mine…”
*-BOOM! *
As if to interrupt Ares’s words, with a huge roar, the sun that was floating in the sky suddenly descended, and a bright full moon replaced it, illuminating the dark sky.
“Oops, your sisters are calling. Let’s talk later then.”
“It would be nice if you just let it go…”
“Kahahaha! Have you ever seen a lion run away leaving the meat?”
Laughing like a mischievous older brother, Ares patted me on the back as he departed.
Then, as everything around me spun chaotically, I suddenly found myself sitting on a giant tree.
“Thank you for your hard work today. You were very impressive again.”
“Did Ares give you Nectar again? That brother of ours is too generous.”
Two goddesses fluttered down towards me with their gigantic wings above my head.
It was the start of the second period magic class.