Chapter 1707 Awakening The G.o.d of War.
1707 Awakening The G.o.d of War.
Near the edges of the universe, in a somewhat spa.r.s.ely populated galaxy, a pink planet orbited a red dwarf star at a distance almost similar to that of Earth and the sun.
In the serene embrace of a vast pink-hued corn farm, under the gentle canopy of an ancient tree, an old man found solace in a midday slumber.
Dressed modestly with a wide-brimmed farmer"s hat shading his lined face, a single stem of wheat rested idly between his lips, moving ever so slightly with his tranquil breaths...
The soft melody of birds chirping high above in the branches provided a sweet lullaby, enhancing the peace of this pastoral scene.
Suddenly, the harmony of nature witnessed an uninvited guest; a small green double-headed snake slithered its way down the rough bark of the tree, drawn to the resting figure below.
With silent, calculated movements, it approached the old man, its forked tongue tasting the air, its eyes fixed on its target.
Yet, as it prepared to strike, closing the distance between its fangs and the man"s exposed skin, an unseen force halted its advance.
The snake, perplexed, tried repeatedly to breach the invisible barrier that enveloped the old man, but to no avail.
Each attempt to bite was met with an inexplicable repulsion as if a s.h.i.+eld of air kept the serpent at bay, pus.h.i.+ng it away the more it got closer to his skin.
Suddenly, the scene was momentarily disturbed as an invisible wave of communication pierced through the serene atmosphere, targeting the seemingly peaceful old man napping under the tree.
Stirring from his slumber, the old man lifted his head, revealing his time-worn face marked by the pa.s.sage of countless years.
The double-headed snake froze for a second and then dropped to the ground, its body aging rapidly at a noticeable speed until there was nothing left of it besides four cracked fangs...
The aged man"s voice, slow and mild, broke the silence.
"Do I need to remind you not to disturb my peace, first ruler?" Ares"s words were tinged with annoyance, yet carried a weary patience.
From the ether, the first ruler"s voice emerged, a telepathic whisper that seemed to resonate with a sense of urgency. "Your tranquility aside, we require your expertise, Ares."
Ares"s brow furrowed in confusion, a rare expression for someone who had seen as much as he had.
"You have stumbled upon a hurdle that can"t be handled by Eris, Ura.n.u.s, or the rest?" He inquired.
"It"s easier if I showed you."
The first ruler spent some of his celestial energy to send a spiritual capsule that showcased the recent events that had shaken the foundations of their realm.
"Interesting..."
As Ares watched, his expression s.h.i.+fted from mild irritation to a focused intensity.
The story of Felix, the new paragon, and his resistance against the rulers unfolded like a tapestry of war and strategy, a narrative that piqued Ares"s interest despite his initial reluctance.
When he finished watching the whole narration, he couldn"t help but break off in a raspy harch laugh.
"I have never imagined a day will come when a child of a mortal birth will put the three rulers and the entire kingdom in such a bind...How impressive, how impressive."
The first ruler remained silent, unbothered by his mockery...He waited patiently until Ares was done laughing and then he stated calmly, "I believe Eris, Ura.n.u.s, and Demeter will be enough to bring him back, but it will be guaranteed with your a.s.sistance."
"I don"t know about this." Ares rubbed his small white goatee thoughtfully, "On one hand, it sounds too bothersome and energy-draining, but on the other, I am quite intrigued to meet this child. Though, he is currently weakened, so, the meeting might not be that worth it."
In Ares" terminology, a meeting was considered a battle showdown. Otherwise, he never bothered to show himself and would rather keep himself isolated in peace.
"Whether you join us or not, you have been slumbering for far too long. We are close to our second attempt at breaching the universe"s heart and I believe it"s about time you partake in our mission." The first ruler added, "Otherwise, don"t blame us for missing it."
"Is that so..."
He might not have said it directly, but Ares picked up on the buried threat behind his last statement.
The threat was that Ares should not dream of even peeking at the other side if they were to succeed and he didn"t contribute anything for it.
While the first ruler always came up as calm, stoic, and sometimes even as a pushover since he rarely showed emotions, in reality, he was simply holding it in...Holding it for the day he achieved his freedom.
When the time comes and the universe"s heart breaks apart, he would no longer take anyone"s bulls.h.i.+t, whether it was Eris, Ura.n.u.s, or Ares.
As he would not need to respect their decisions and desires for the sake of maintaining the status quo and keeping his celestial energy intact.
If it wasn"t for knowing that unigins" cores consumed a significant amount of celestial energy when birthed again by the universe, he would have already slaughtered them all alone.
Felix had demonstrated fully well that the three rulers were more than capable of doing this.
"What can I say? Stretching for a while doesn"t hurt."
Not planning to miss that eventful day,Ares began to rise, his movements slow and shaky, reminiscent of an aged leaf quivering on the brink of being carried away by the wind.
Initially, his form seemed frail, as if the mere act of standing was a combat against time itself. Yet, as he continued to ascend, an extraordinary transformation unfolded.
With each pa.s.sing second, the years seemed to reverse around him. His posture straightened, the wrinkles smoothing out as if they were being erased by an invisible hand.
The gray strands of his hair reclaimed their dark hue, flowing back like the mane of a warhorse ready for battle.
His skin, once marked by the pa.s.sage of countless seasons, now radiated with vitality, tightening around his manly muscular frame.
The transformation was swift yet profound, leaving behind a figure that embodied the prime of life, a mature middle-aged male whose presence alone commanded attention.
But it was his eyes that marked the most dramatic s.h.i.+ft.
Gone was the weariness of age, replaced by a piercing hunter"s gaze that seemed to cut through the very fabric of reality...His aura, once subdued, now roared to life, a testament to his true nature as a warrior destined for combat.
Ares, fully transformed, stood tall and formidable...The aura of frailty had vanished, leaving behind the undeniable presence of a G.o.d of war, reborn and ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.
"So, do you want him alive or dead?"
Ares asked indifferently as he cracked his neck, his voice seemed laced with a touch of death as the entire corm plantation aged rapidly until it became a sea of golden crops.
"Alive if possible." The first ruler shared, "He possesses four unigin cores along with Asna"s core. Securing them all for our use could propel us to the brink of liberation."
"I will see what I can do,"
"Are you planning to head down now?"
The first ruler asked with a tint of surprise after noticing that Ares had seated back in a mediation position. He expected him to return to the eternal kingdom so he could join the party.
"I would rather move solo." Ares replied calmly, "With all due respect to the beautiful Eris, I have no interest in carrying extra baggage."
For someone to consider the G.o.ddess of order and disorder as a hindrance, could lead one to question if they misunderstood or if the speaker was overly presumptuous.
Yet, the first ruler didn"t see him as such at all.
"I don"t care how you achieve it as long as you return with the desired results."
"Fine by me."
With that as a last remark, Ares commenced another extraordinary transformation. His towering form began to diminish, becoming smaller every nanosecond!
To the observer, had there been one, it would appear as if Ares was dissolving into the ether, his figure blurring into the background of reality itself.
But this was no simple vanis.h.i.+ng act; Ares was navigating through layers of existence far beyond the grasp of conventional understanding!
Past the realm of atoms, beyond the subatomic, he delved deeper than the quarks and leptons that danced within the heart of matter.
As he shrank, the familiar universe of galaxies, stars, and planets expanded into an unrecognizable vastness.
He pa.s.sed through the gates of the quantum realm, where reality flickered and probability ruled, into a dimension where the vibrational strings, the very sinews of the universe, weaved the fabric of existence!
Yet, he did not stop there...Ares ventured into a domain so profoundly minute, it lay beneath the level of these strings, into a domain untold and unseen.
Here, in this ultimate depth of reality, Ares existed beyond the constraints of physical laws, where the concepts of size, time, and s.p.a.ce unraveled.
It was a domain so fundamental, it was beyond the vibrations that const.i.tute the universe"s essence.
While everyone knew about the Quantum Realm, not many knew that it was split into three levels; The Ground Level, The String Level, and The Quantum Level.
Ares had entered the ground level, the bottom of the bottom...A place, so bizarre, so unique, not even unigins could survive in it without being extra cautious.
Here, the laws of physics were not just moot; they were unformed, fluid, a canvas of chaos awaiting the brush of consciousness.
This was a domain of pure potentiality, where thought could reshape existence and the fabric of reality was malleable, responsive to the will of those who dared venture this deep.
In this unfathomable depth, Ares found himself in an expansive colorful void, yet it teemed with an invisible, pulsating energy.
It was as if he stood at the edge of creation, where the universe itself was a thought yet to be conceived...
With a faint smile, Ares sat in a meditation position and closed his eyes.
"Home at last." He murmured in the endless void, "The Realm of Infinity and Finality."