The Greece Antagonist

Several days later, deep within Arima Cave.

The strong divine aura of the Agriculture God spread like waves, and a milky white radiance imbued with the thick essence of life flowed through the dark and spacious lava cave. It formed tangible streams of light that irrigated towards the golden Wheel behind Luo En.

The originally short emerald-green grapevine, after being nourished by the Divine Power of Life, visibly grew at a rapid pace, creating a large expanse of dense foliage. It spread through the central and peripheral gaps of the Wheel, extending into the seventh region of Chaos and weaving into a crown made of grape leaves and vines.

At the same time, a halo of intertwined gold and green light surrounded Luo En. The stone walls and air gradually moistened in the sparkling waves, as drops of rain as white as milk and as fine as hair revivified the somewhat grey dirt. Grapevines, wheat, daffodils, and other green plant saplings miraculously sprouted from the earth.

The tender green leaves fluttered in the wind, as if celebrating the birth of a new king.

Success!

At the same time, Luo En slowly opened his eyes, tucked away the dim Horn of Plenty in his embrace, and satisfied, reached up to touch the grapevine crown above his head.

—The Seventh Incarnation, "Crown", a symbol of the authorities "Life" and "Healing".

Accelerated healing, self-recovery, blood regeneration, limb regeneration—these are just the basic extensions of divinity.

Beyond this, it is also possible to transfer one's own and all beings' vitality to the injured, awakening their life potential.

With this authority, Luo En felt his physique and vitality ascend to a new level. Theoretically, unless he encountered a deity with the Law of Mutual Conquest or a too-cautious berserker, even if his arms and legs were all severed, he could reattach them, lie down for a while, and continue to bounce around causing mischief.

Moreover, as his own limit for endurance had seen a monumental increase, his primary reliance—the incarnation of Phanes, The Primordial One—seemed to have entered a new phase.

For instance, during that event on Cyprus Island, if he encountered Ares's Divine Incarnation again, he could simultaneously use four powers and easily maintain this state for almost two hours. If he could also eliminate the spear's sealing attribute, he could utterly defeat the God of Berserkers' incarnation, making him unrecognizable even to Zeus and Hera.

If pushed to the limit, using five incarnations simultaneously and entering the state of The Primordial One, he could probably sustain battle for thirty minutes. Even facing the spear head-on might not necessarily overpower him.

The most extreme scenario would be simultaneously activating six powers, incarnating as Phanes. Based on the endurance of his current body, Luo En estimated he could maintain this for about two to three minutes. With the element of surprise, it would certainly be enough to give Hypnos and The Furies behind him a hard time.

Just the compatibility of six powers was enough to ensure survival under the Chief God. If he could collect all twelve main gods' divinity and merge them into one, Luo En estimated he might actually be able to match the King of Olympus in strength.

If not, at least he'd be on the level of the God of War Athena, the Sea King Poseidon, and Hades, the God of the Underworld.

But this was not the ultimate fate he could reach.

If he could break through all barriers, explore broader "Spaces" and "Worlds," gather more divinity and authority to fill that "Blank," and unify the "All" into "One," then what would he ultimately become?

The King of All Kings, the God of All Gods?

The "Lord of Hosts" who governs all things and phenomena?

The grandiose imagination within his mind made Luo En's heart surge with emotion. Your adventure continues at empire

However, soon, the skeleton resting in the corner of the lava cave, along with the concerned looks from three figures nearby, pulled him back to reality.

Alas, unable to handle even an Age of Greek Gods, and he's dreaming of being the Lord of Hosts?

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; better focus on the task at hand.

Luo En shook his head, dispelling the cluttered thoughts, and stood up from the ground. Under the watchful eyes of Tethys, Cerberus, and Echidna, he approached the pale white skeleton and raised his hand in a hollow grasp.

The golden Holy Grail, with its beautifully sacred soft light, appeared in his palm.

Subsequently, Luo En held his other hand above it, clenched his fist, and pierced the center of his palm with his fingertips, combining his blood—imbued with the power of life—with the aether in the air to create a delicious grape wine that he poured into the Holy Grail.

"Be replenished, be replenished, be replenished, be replenished, be replenished;

May this ointment be poured and this marking be engraved, let my cup overflow,

Bestow grace upon the good, and life upon the dead,

With my blood, I bless thee…"

Accompanied by the deep chanting of these divine words, Luo En poured the brimming grape wine over the black-misted skeleton.

"Sizzle~~~"

Immediately, a violent reaction like water hitting hot oil occurred between the two, where the thick gray aura of death clinging to the skeleton was expelled by the pure Divine Power of Life, steaming violently.

Greens that had just grown in the lava cave, once touched by the stirring aura of death, instantly withered and perished.

Seeing this, Tethys quickly pulled Cerberus behind her, simultaneously casting protective curses to shield the unconscious Adonis and Sisyphus within barriers.

With the support of his teammate behind, Luo En completely let go of his concerns, fully activating the Divine Power of Life of the Seventh Incarnation, "Crown." Along with the Divine Liquid of the God of Wine infused into Echidna's skeleton, he washed away the accumulated aura of death inch by inch.

In this tug-of-war between "Life" and "Death," the ample yet unfocused aura of death from the Netherworld faced the pure and orderly Divine Power of Life and was forced to retreat, getting gradually erased and eliminated.

Echidna's bones, originally tinged with the color of death, gradually revealed a jade-like luster. The purple-red Divine Liquid of the God of Wine, having completed the "Baptism" in the region, intertwined and flowed, inch by inch sketching out the contours of vessels, fasciae, organs. Flesh wildly proliferated within, filling the void and rapidly reconstructing the original form of the living.

As the scene of life being reversed unfolded, Echidna's face registered shock and delight, while Cerberus barked excitedly at the side, thrilled by his mother's rebirth.

However, Thetis in the corner furrowed her brows, appearing deeply worried.

Resurrecting the dead was a violation of the Law of Life, especially in the Netherworld, where the laws of death were strongest.

Moreover, the one he was trying to save was an ancient deity.

Even if successful, Luo En would inevitably pay a heavy price.

Indeed, she did.

As the Life Authority rapidly depleted, Luo En's complexion turned increasingly pale, and the green grapevine crown atop his head swiftly withered and wilted, leaving only blackened vines.

Not enough! Still not enough!

Watching the dense, ink-black aura of death within Echidna's chest, Luo En steeled his heart, frantically extracting the aether from the air, plundering the breath of life around him, pushing the powers of life to their limit, inch by inch dispelling the stubborn will of death within Echidna's bones.

"Hum!"

With a reluctant moan, the mass that obstructed the growth of flesh was completely obliterated; veins and fascia swiftly spread upwards, reinfusing vibrant life into the skeleton, shaping out her original face and form.

As the final layer of skin and hair finished regenerating, Luo En staggered, nearly collapsing forward uncontrollably.

Thetis, who had been closely monitoring the situation, rushed forward, covering Echidna's exposed body while helping the exhausted Luo En to sit, pointing at his crown with a pained expression.

"You're injured…"

Luo En instinctively reached up to touch, his fingertips brushing against the crown on his head as if punctured by something sharp, bringing a slight pain.

Seeing this, Thetis quickly gathered moisture from the air and formed a mirror, handing it to Luo En.

Through the clear reflection, Luo En saw that the crown, which symbolized the vitality of all things, had completely withered. The green grape leaves had all faded, leaving behind only grape vines that had lost moisture and luster, appearing dried up and dark.

Also, it seemed that because of the excessive use of the Law of Life and the backlash from meddling with death, venomous thorns had sprouted from those withered vines, digging into Luo En's scalp and leaving behind spots of blood and persistent pain.

—Thorns are curses, pains, and no one in the world would willingly wear thorns as a crown;

—But if it is the sacrifice needed to save a life, this pain is insignificant.

A Crown of Thorns, is it?

Luo En fingered the sharp protrusions on the crown on his head, feeling its sting, and thoughtfully smiled.

So that's how it is.

In the Netherworld filled with death, the blood of a lamb and the suffering of thorns, ultimately break the shackles of fate, nurturing buds of rebirth and miracles.

Now, the blood of gods flows for you, the pain of gods is endured for you.

Thus, forgiveness is now, and my incarnation rightly ends this vow here, welcoming rebirth!

Luo En dispersed the crown, terminating the transmission of Life Authority, and looked up ahead.

"How are you feeling?"

"Although my body has regenerated and my functions are entirely normal, there's still no sign of life."

The ethereal figure of Echidna in the corner shook her head, looking puzzled and disheartened,

For some reason, her body appeared lifelike, but it could not operate normally, her own soul unable to enter and resonate with it.

"That's because you're still lacking one ingredient to activate vitality."

Luo En smiled faintly, handing the Elixir of Immortality he held to Thetis beside him.

The Ocean Goddess, understanding, stepped forward to help Echidna rise. Then, she pulled out the elixir bottle's wooden stopper, pouring the purple-red liquid into Echidna's mouth, and using her authority over fluids, quickly directed the Elixir of Immortality throughout Echidna's limbs and body.

A moment later, the covered chest under the white shawl showed distinct signs of breathing; the two peaks slightly trembled as divine blood, along with the rhythm of the heart's contractions, circulated swiftly.

"Quick!"

At Luo En's prompting, Echidna, filled with excitement, dove into her own body, which radiated vigorous vitality.

Soon, the Mother of Serpents completed the initial fusion of spirit and flesh, her eyelashes quivering as she slowly opened her eyes.

The dull colors of the cave, the howling wind by her ears, the murky smell before her nose, and the delicate touch of the silk against her skin…one after the other, various sensations and information flooded back, making Echidna acutely aware of the joy of rebirth.