Chapter 675: Godslayer?
The Godslayer Power
Diana's blood already stained the ground red.
The female snake-person, though awed by her battle spirit, shook her head with pity at the sight.
"You don't have much blood left."
"Enough to kill you," Diana countered.
She raised her long sword, channeling all her remaining strength into a downward strike. The female snake-person pressed her fingers together, and a meter-long blade of light shot from her fingertips.
Clang!
The sword point and the blade edge collided, instantly stripping the surrounding air and creating a vacuum.
"Your sword is excellent," the female snake-person genuinely praised. Her ability stemmed from the Celestial Court's highest heritage—the sharpest power in the world. When mastered, it could cleave space itself, let alone a mere artifact.
"However, using only this is far from enough to kill me."
She opened her left hand, and a blade of light erupted from her palm, piercing through Diana's body and vanishing into the distant sky.
A circular hole appeared in Diana's abdomen. Blood gushed out profusely. This strike caused her unprecedented, grievous wounds. Even her smart A.I. spoke up:
"Princess, your physical condition is extremely poor. You need to retreat immediately."
"Please activate aggressive escape mode. Please activate emergency escape mode."
"Shut up!" Diana roared, her eyes burning with fire. Frenzied battle intent ignited her body and soul; she felt every cell in her body trembling.
She had to win. She had to win, no matter what.
Her blood seemed to respond to her call, glowing with a reddish light—like a burning fire, yet devoid of light or heat, possessing only a will to destroy everything.
The female snake-person sensed something. Her pupils contracted.
"You... a Godslayer?"
"Die!"
Diana yelled, raising the Sword of Hephaestus. Blood spilled from her hands and pooled onto the blade. The pale red sword edge turned into a burning red flame.
She brought the sword down, carrying boundless fighting spirit, madness, and the absolute conviction to defeat her enemy.
Crack!
The woman's light-blade snapped instantly. The sword's edge continued its course, slicing through her armor. A straight red line appeared on the female snake-person's body, running from her shoulder down to her right hip.
The red flame hovered in the air, lingering for a long time.
The female snake-person smiled resignedly, a complex expression—more relief than anything else. Her upper body separated from her lower half and fell to the ground. As for her blood, it had been vaporized the moment the Sword of Hephaestus struck.
Diana leaned on her sword, panting heavily. Her body felt completely drained, weaker than ever before. This fight had consumed nearly half of her blood—half of her demigod body. Any ordinary person would have died long ago.
"Princess, you need rest now. I will help treat your wounds."
Diana spoke weakly, "How is your condition?"
"Damage rate exceeds 27%. Energy is nearing exhaustion, only 19.1% remaining. Fortunately, the medical and teleportation systems are intact."
"Sounds good," Diana managed a slight smile, closed her eyes, and slowly collapsed to the ground.
The Bargain and the Truth of the Bow
Not long after, Clark and J'onn, having defeated their own enemies, arrived. Seeing the scene, Clark couldn't help but shake his head.
"You really should have helped her."
J'onn spread his hands. "Come on, she glared me away! Anyway, let's not dwell on that. The real headache is explaining this to Luke."
Clark chimed in, "You noticed too?"
"What do you think I do? I knew the moment they got together! The question is, what are you going to do?" J'onn looked at Clark curiously.
"I saw nothing. I know nothing," Clark said firmly.
"That's irresponsible. Linda is your cousin."
"Diana is my comrade. Should I side with my cousin against my comrade?"
"True." J'onn sighed wistfully. "A complicated love triangle. It is difficult to deal with."
The two men carried Diana away, but before they got far, their path was blocked by one person: Dom, the God of the Underworld.
He had been circling above the Plain of White Bones, searching for the tentacles' traces. He sensed the trio when they burst out of the ground and had been making his way toward them.
Clark and J'onn exchanged a look. Clark moved to protect Diana and backed away. J'onn used his psychic ability to transmit a message.
"I can tell you the location of the main tentacle monster's body."
"Why tell me?"
"Those creatures were trying to kill us."
Dom glanced at the unconscious and severely wounded Diana and nodded slightly.
"Lead the way. When I find the Mother Entity, I will let you leave."
J'onn said nothing more, turning to fly toward the right. After half an hour, he stopped, pointing downward.
"It's here, deep underground. Go straight down, and you will find it. A friendly warning: the Mother Entity is very powerful. You may not be its match."
"In the Underworld, there is nothing I cannot cut down."
His calm tone carried immense confidence, a confidence he was entitled to. There were many Death Gods, but only one Pluto.
J'onn said no more and left with Clark. They had only gone a few steps when Dom's voice echoed in J'onn's mind.
"Tell your friend not to use the Soul-Devouring Bow again. That bow is not meant for the living."
The living?
J'onn froze. He couldn't help but ask, "What do you mean? Why can't the living use it?"
"Deep in the Underworld, connected to Hell, there is a lightless place called the Black Domain. Monsters that feed on death and darkness live there. The Soul-Devouring Bow was crafted from the bones of one such creature. That monster represents death, and the Soul-Devouring Bow is tainted by that power. Only the dead can wield it. The living who touch it will be cursed by death and turned into a Corpse Puppet."
"Your friend possesses a demigod body, which can resist the curse, but only temporarily. If she continues to use it, she will lose her life before long."
Having spoken, Dom said nothing further. Black light erupted from his body, turning him into an unstoppable knife that plunged straight down, disappearing into the soil.
Clark asked curiously, "What did he just say?"
J'onn spoke with a solemn voice, "He said that bow is meant for the dead. The living who use it will be cursed and slowly lose their life."
"Then Luke..."
J'onn shook his head. "I can't figure that out either. Diana clearly felt exhausted using it, but Luke showed no such symptoms. He was even able to make the Soul-Devouring Bow evolve, gaining greater power."
Clark joked, "It's not like Luke could be dead, right?"
"That's impossible."
"I agree it's impossible. Anyway, enough talk. The primary plan is complete. We need to withdraw."
The moment he finished speaking, the ground suddenly began to tremble. The tremors grew stronger and stronger, affecting the atmosphere. Large cracks appeared on the bone-covered plain. The ground shook violently, and earth and rock crumbled away.
Suddenly, light erupted from the fissures, forming a colossal light column that pierced the heavens and the earth.
Boom!
A deafening roar sounded. A soft moan emanated from underground—a sound that resonated in the depths of their souls, as if born in ancient times and spanning infinite space to arrive here.
The ground swelled into a mountain, growing higher and larger. Endless light poured from within. In an instant, the world went blinding white. Intense light engulfed everything. After a long moment came an ear-splitting explosion and a world-destroying shockwave.
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