Chapter 211

Even more striking were the mutations in other parts of her body.

After transforming into her combat form, a pair of huge white horns sprouted from her head.

Because they were too abstract, Qi Xing couldn't tell if they were bull horns or goat horns.

Behind her, a pair of bat wings slowly unfurled.

Her long, silver-tinted white hair swirled in the air, the tips glowing like flames.

This unmasked, surging energy was both divine and demonic.

It was not something human mages or espers could possess.

This was power accumulated over hundreds of years; though its strength and soul did not rival the gods, it could surpass humans, and even transcend demigods and divine beasts.

An immortal transcendent.

A mimicry of a god.

Qi Xing had guessed that the combat forms of these Peacock Disciples leaders should all be related to mythological archetypes, like deluxe versions of Magical Girls…

…However, Qi Xing couldn't figure out what myth Xue Ning's mythological form belonged to.

A Minotaur? But Minotaurs aren't that strong.

Qi Xing's full-power combat was god-like. A demigod-level Minotaur probably wouldn't qualify to join in, right? So it shouldn't be a Minotaur.

But if not, which mythological figure was she? Which ancient god was she mimicking? Or was it like Yaobikuni's case, an idol form crafted by the ancient leader herself?

Qi Xing didn't have the specialized knowledge of European mythology. He couldn't take out his phone now to contact Elaine either.

Xue Ning had already raised a massive silver-white battle axe that appeared out of thin air, turning into a silver torrent as she charged straight at Qi Xing.

The giant axe carried the pressure of a mountain-cleaving blow, smashing down directly at Qi Xing!

No feints.

No flourishes.

But it was the most primitive, heaviest, and purest power!

If this axe blow landed in the outside world, on the real earth, Qi Xing would bet that the whole island would be split open!

What a display of bovine strength!

Faced with such an enemy, Qi Xing always felt the same way—he was delighted to find such a worthy opponent!

He did not retreat, but instead took a step forward. Thunder-Fire Sword qi shot from his fingertips, moving like a dragon or snake, colliding exactly with the back of Xue Ning's giant axe!

BOOM!!!

True qi exploded! The giant axe, wielding the force of tens of thousands of galloping horses, was forcibly deflected by Qi Xing in a single move!

Xue Ning didn't get angry; instead, she laughed, clearly having anticipated that Master Leipu would possess such power.

Taking advantage of the momentum, she spun around, the giant axe swirling to whip up a hurricane like a raging tide. The axe blade gleamed with fiery light, roaring like a typhoon, as she swept it horizontally toward Qi Xing!

Ordinarily, one should avoid the edge of such a frontal sweep. But Qi Xing did not retreat; he advanced, his Thunder-Fire Sword qi cutting into the storm, breaking through the front, and stepping into the Island Master's offensive range.

But at this critical moment, Xue Ning retracted the axe, changed her move to a thrust, and used the spearhead of the axe-spear to strike with full force directly at Qi Xing's face—

The spear tip was like a volcanic eruption, a supersonic clash that made even the ground tremble!

Tense, tense, tense! Exciting, exciting, exciting!

Qi Xing grinned, exhaled, and stomped, cracking the silver ground. True qi roared through his limbs and bones, his fist intent soaring to the heavens—

In an instant, their figures crossed, BOOM!!

The entire labyrinth was shaken by the heaven-shaking blow; the ground crumbled, dust filled the air, and even the orange-red liquid in the pool rippled violently!

Xue Ning was blasted back, a huge fist print on the chest of her silver armor, its radiance dimming by a fraction.

Her blood surged within her, making her lean on her battle axe and smile bitterly: "Really, strong to the point of being unreasonable…"

"Is that all, Island Master?"

Qi Xing was also smiling.

"When Yaobikuni used her mythological power to fight me, she performed a bit better than you. You should still have many hidden moves, right?"

Yaobikuni had at least forced out Qi Xing's ultimate move, a punch of [Wuji Vibration Zen].

As for the [silver coin], Qi Xing had no intention of using it yet—fighting a false god, why use the [silver coin]?

It was rare to have a strength-type enemy; this was what made fighting fun!

However, fighting this [Master Leipu] who wasn't even using his full strength, Island Master Xue Ning was secretly groaning—she wasn't a professional warrior to begin with. Her bovine strength was no match for Qi Xing's supreme martial arts; having exhausted her initial moves, continuing to engage in melee combat would only lead to a worse beating.

[Well, although it feels a bit like hindsight to say it now—but you should have noticed. This is the divine power of the [Bull].]

Having watched these three rounds of melee exchange from the side, Sasa finally spoke to Qi Xing.

[…This should have been a pure, robust strength like that of Heracles, a great power capable of supporting the sky, yet you managed to blast it back head-on in melee combat… Even though you shouldn't have any power-type authorities, it's truly unreasonable…]

"It really is a Minotaur?" Qi Xing was slightly surprised this time. "Do demigods have that much strength?"

[It's a Minotaur, but it doesn't necessarily have to be the Minotaur.]

Sasa sighed, feeling that her partner was truly unlearned and in need of polishing.

[There are so many gods with the head of a bull and the body of a human. Isn't the Flame Emperor Shennong also a bull-headed man?]

Qi Xing: "…"

That was true.

Back to Island Master Xue Ning. Qi Xing had fought her briefly before and knew that taking just one punch was nothing to her.

Sure enough, the Island Master wiped her hand over the wound on her chest; not only did the injury fully recover, but even the armor that had been dented by the punch repaired itself automatically.

Combat aside, these leaders were all immortals who had lived for at least several hundred years, each with their own method of longevity.

Yaobikuni's method of longevity was reproduction. I give birth to myself; birth, death, and then rebirth—it was a constant cycle of this process.

Xue Ning was definitely different from her—presumably every leader was different—but what exactly was her divine method?

Although Qi Xing had the leisure and curiosity, he wouldn't just watch his enemy heal. With a flash, he reached Xue Ning, seizing the opportunity to slam a heavy punch down at her head.

The Island Master immediately raised her axe to block, but how could she? Qi Xing's fist changed direction like a snake, turning into invisible sword qi that wove through, instantly piercing her with a thousand wounds!

—However, what happened next finally took even Qi Xing by surprise.

The sharp sword qi inflicted dozens of wounds on Xue Ning's body.

But what flowed out from the wounds was not blood.

Dazzling golden radiance burst from within her body, like explosive blades, forcing Qi Xing back!

—That was actually sunlight.

It was golden and white sunlight, the fire of the sun that dispels darkness!

"Sorry, [Master Leipu]! I know you like close-quarters combat, but I truly don't have the strength to compete with your martial arts! If you want to blame me for hiding my moves, then the next part is a battle of dharma!"

Xue Ning raised her battle axe, but this time, it was not used as a weapon, but as a ritual implement.

Pointing directly to the east, her voice pierced the heavens, chanting solemnly:

"I am the Mistress of Heaven, Earth, Mountains, and Seas, the powerful wielder of the double-headed axe! White dove spreading its wings, bring down the radiance of my sun!"

In an instant, Xue Ning's entire body, as well as the double-headed battle axe she held up, transformed into the core of the sun-wheel's fire, beginning to shoot out ultra-high-temperature flames in all directions!

Light with no gaps, light with no blind spots, and the fire of sunlight that burns everything, as if to burn the entire world into a searing white hell!

Even if he turned into thunder, Qi Xing could not dodge the sunlight itself.

—So at the critical moment, Qi Xing once again activated the Silver Coin of [Illusion] to block!

He didn't use illusions to deceive the enemy. He already knew that using illusions against the [true] silver coin had terrible results.

So he simply transformed the vast concept of water directly into defensive power, as if wrapping the mass of the ocean around himself.

Hundreds of billions of tons of seawater wrapped around Qi Xing. It was an endless, vast sea that could isolate all light, a sea that even the sun could not burn dry! The sun's flames were blocked just like that.

Finally, it was time for the stage where they had to use authorities to compete in offense and defense.

Although he wasn't hit, the scene before him still surprised Qi Xing greatly.

The divine power of the sun.

Was it transformed using the [true] silver coin? But it felt a bit different.

[I see.]

Sasa immediately saw the clue, suddenly feeling both annoyed and amused.

[Minotaur, double-headed axe, the labyrinth of Crete—what an "Island Master," what a Mistress of Heaven, Earth, Mountains, and Seas!]

[What a—[White God Believer]!]

Believer… What is the essence of a believer?

Is worshipping a god being a believer? No, the essence of a true believer is learning, imitating, and embarking on the same, or at least a similar, path as the object of their devotion.

Therefore, the essence of a Christian is one who imitates the words and deeds of Christ; the essence of a Buddhist disciple is one who imitates the Buddha's practice, pursuing Nirvana.

The same principle applies to other faiths; just saying it with your mouth doesn't count; you need to practice it with both heart and body.

—So it turned out that this Labyrinth Island was Xue Ning's learning and imitation of the White God.

Creating her own small world, and experimenting within it to create New Humans.

[Be careful, Qi Xing!]

Sasa called out, her expression rarely serious.

[This person is also playing the "Mistress of Heaven," only she is also the mistress of the earth and life; only she is not Venus, but a sun brighter than Venus!]

"A female sun god? Besides Amaterasu and Xihe, are there other female sun gods?"

Qi Xing only knew of Japan's Amaterasu and the Xihe from the "Classic of Mountains and Seas" as female sun gods… Damn it, were all the leaders of the [Peacock Disciples] playing roles with this type of theme?

Or rather—what they were playing was nothing else, but one of the goddesses who were part of Samael's elements.

[There are plenty of sun goddesses, and this god is also a name you have heard, only she is older and closer to my original form.]

Speaking of this, Sasa tilted her head and said proudly,

[She is—the Goddess Queen Athena (Atana-Potinija).]

This made Qi Xing freeze.

Then he retorted:

"…Where do you, stupid Sasa, resemble Athena?"

Volume Five: Welcome to the █ █ █ Paradise!: 194: Both Mother and Virgin

Athena.

This name could almost be said to have been born from myth and entered the language of the mortal world.

Even those who knew nothing about Greek mythology had heard her name. But this Goddess of Wisdom…

Goddess of Wisdom… How did she resemble Sasa? Not at all, right?

Does world-shaking wisdom count as wisdom?

Shouldn't Athena be depicted holding a spear and shield?

How could she have bull horns and swing a huge mountain-cleaving axe to hack people?

Furthermore—most importantly, shouldn't Athena be a virgin goddess?! This doesn't fit at all!

[That's why I said, she is the primitive Athena, not the Greek Athena.]

Lying on Qi Xing's head, Sasa explained with rare patience,

[Greek mythology is quite shameless, taking various myths from surrounding regions and incorporating and integrating them all. Even the most classic Athena was not created by the Greeks.]

"Do you have the right to complain about that?"

How many things in your universe are original?

[Before being learned by the Greeks, Athena was the main god of the Minoan civilization on Crete, a goddess possessing fertility, ruling power, and war authority; she was the embodiment of the sun, the Mistress of the earth and light, a powerful and mighty one (Inaja Paqa).]

[Wearing a bull-horned crown and holding a double-headed axe (Labrys), she was the god symbolizing royal power long before Zeus, during the Minoan-Mycenaean period (Bronze Age), a maternal war god. The Greeks only copied the war goddess part.]

Her symbol was the double-headed battle axe; the ancient Mycenaeans called her the "Goddess of the Labyrinth" and the "Goddess of the Double-Headed Axe"—which is the etymological source of the Greek word for double-headed axe (Labrys).

In Greek, the words for double-headed axe and labyrinth (Labyrinth) have basically the same pronunciation, often interpreted as a symbol of the sun's path traversing heaven and earth.

The ancient Athena was, without a doubt, a god of Labrys.

The bull is a symbol of the earth's harvest; a fertility god, of course, could not be a virgin goddess.