The Greece Antagonist

But [approaching] does not mean [equivalent]; there's a fundamental difference between the two.

If the initial four stages are simply about the [accumulation of quantity] in magic power and skill, then to become a Demigod is a [qualitative transformation] in the form of life itself.

Therefore, the ascension of the first four stages is often called [advancement in rank], while stepping into the realm of [Demigods] is referred to as [Ascension].

And only by becoming a Demigod do we truly begin climbing the ladder that leads to the domain of the gods."

Luo En listened attentively, committing Circe's words to memory, his eyes thoughtful.

"So, a Demigod is much stronger than Gold?"

"Much stronger? It's not even comparable!"

Circe rolled her eyes and casually snapped her fingers.

In an instant, the sky over Aiaia Island changed dramatically, with magic tides visible to the naked eye stretching for dozens of kilometers, converging toward the center of the temple and forming a massive vortex.

An overwhelming sense of oppression hit them, and Luo En, in the eye of the storm, felt like a small vessel in raging waves, at risk of capsizing at any moment.

"Snap!"

A second snap echoed in their ears, and the surging, compressing magic tide vanished in a puff, the sky clear and blue once more.

As if nothing had happened.

"See the difference now? I could take on a dozen of you, and it wouldn't scare me one bit."

Circe, rarely puffing her chest out in front of a student, stood with one hand on her hip, tilting her smooth chin upward, her face brimming with smugness.

Give me a break, if I could actually beat you, I would have smacked you already!

Luo En ignored his silly bird teacher's boasting, making a mental snide remark, while pressing his hand on his chest that was still throbbing with palpitations, his eyebrows unconsciously furrowing.

Indeed, Demigods and Gold were practically different species.

He had worked hard just to invoke a magic tide spanning about thirty meters, yet this silly bird could unleash a magic storm extending dozens of kilometers with a flick of her finger. The gap was insurmountable, a generational difference in technology that spanned from hardware to software.

Moreover, this was just the power at the level of Demigods. If it were real deities, then the authority displayed with their every move would be even more terrifying.

In the blink of an eye, they could move mountains, fill the seas, collapse the stars...!

Luo En thought of the records of deities in the epics and couldn't help but feel even more weighed down.

However, he quickly suppressed the gloom that had arisen in his heart, his gaze turning sharply cold.

So what if they're gods? They'll die if they're killed!

Since the God of Chaos, Chaos, disappeared, the first generation of origin gods like Uranus, the Father of Heaven, Mother Earth Gaia, and The Old Sea God Pontos seized control of the world, marking the transition of chaos from disorder to order.

Afterward, the three origin gods who represented the sky, the earth, and the sea created and united with each other, spawning a large number of offspring and strengthening the ranks of their own groups, which solidified their rule.

But Uranus, to maintain the strongest paternal power, harshly suppressed the growth and divinity of his children.

With time, as they approached adulthood and could no longer bear it, Titan God Cronus rallied himself and his eleven siblings. With Mother Earth Gaia's assistance, they castrated Uranus, stripped the Father God of his authority, established the Great Temple on Mount Othrys, then thoroughly looted the coins of the older generation, only to share the spoils of authority with their siblings.

The biggest victim in all of this was The Old Sea God Pontos.

According to Circe, that oldest of sea deities had long ago been shattered into fragments of divinity, scattered and integrated into various parts of the Primordial Ocean, transforming into a myriad of Sea Beasts and all kinds of Monsters.

It was probably because the river god Occhanos and the goddess Thetis, that couple among the twelve Titan Gods, did not shy away from consuming their uncle's legacy that they were able to produce such a large progeny of three thousand sons and three thousand daughters.

Of course, to describe the fall of a god as [death] might be too blasphemous; a more euphemistic term would be [eternal slumber].

They come from the origin and rules, and when they can no longer sustain themselves, they return to the essence. Their flesh and divinity become the cornerstone of the world, further perfecting the entire Age of Greek Gods.

As they say, the fall of a whale gives rise to all life; it's roughly like that.

By the way, Circe here is an indirect beneficiary of that ancient [fall of a whale].

——According to the Divine Chronicle, the river god Occhanos and the sea goddess Thetis are Circe's legitimate maternal grandfather and grandmother.

But that's all old news, as the main holder of the sea god's authority is now under Poseidon's control.

The transition of authority among Greek deities is a sort of excellent [familial backstabbing] mechanism.

The next generation usually needs to perform a round of father leaves, son laughs, before they can inherit the old ones' legacy.

The authority and dominions of the current Twelve Olympians are built on the foundation of looting the gold of the older generation of twelve Titans.

With Circe's corroboration, it's clear that in these two transitions of divine power, the fallen Demigods, Monsters, and Deities are far from few.

Therefore, with these precedents to reference, Luo En does not believe that those so-called deities are truly invincible and immortal.

Nonetheless, times have changed.

As the Divine King destined to rule, Zeus was much more difficult to deal with than the twelve Titan Gods. Attempting to follow in the footsteps of his predecessors and repeat the glorious family tradition of a father-son showdown at Olympus was, to say the least, laughably understated as "hell difficulty."

Anyway, it's useless to think too much about it. Better focus on what needs to be done right now.

Luo En exhaled a turbid breath from his chest and looked pensively at his teacher.

"Tell me, how do I ascend to a Demigod?"

"It's a somewhat complicated process, first you need to have the bloodline of deities, which is a prerequisite..."

"And then what?"

Circe glanced at Luo En's unchanging face, her pink pupils twinkling slightly.

Sure enough, this little piggy that drifted onto Aiaia Island wasn't as simple as he seemed.

But so what? There are plenty of secrets in Greece, and it's not her concern to meddle too much.

Instead of pondering those, better think about how to upgrade and refine the recipe for Hecate's concoction.

—This is my favorite little piggy now.

Seeing his creepy teacher eyeing him strangely, sizing him up while barely concealing a shiny drool at the corner of her mouth, Luo En's face darkened as he pressed her for an answer.

"Speak, what should I do next!"

"Oh, you need the essence of the bloodline to extract Divinity and ignite the divine flame!"

Circe, snapping back to reality, coughed dryly and responded on the spot.

Such a vague answer made Luo En frown.

"Can you be more specific?"

"Uhh, I can't..."

"Then how did you ascend from Gold to Demigod status?"

"Me? One day I was sleepy, took a nap, and when I woke up, it just happened..."

The Demigod Great Witch blinked her pink eyes, looking innocent.

"..."

At that moment, Luo En's forehead was etched with lines of frustration; he finally understood why Circe had beat around the bush on this topic.

It seems that even she herself didn't fully comprehend the specific method of ascension.

However, it wasn't entirely fruitless.

Based on the previous method described and Circe's individual case, Luo En could roughly guess the reason for this silly bird's ascension.

Nothing more.

—Living long enough, the bloodline being refined day by day by Magic Power factors, automatically purified, then Divinity overflowing, and eventually the divine fire igniting on its own.

This is probably the more common path of ascension for most Monsters and Titans.

That is, accumulating the gifts of innate talent over a prolonged period and growing passively.

But such a strategy, akin to lying flat, undoubtedly requires a waste of considerable time.

After learning this, Luo En frowned deeply.

He didn't believe he could live long enough to surpass Zeus by lying down, and such a passive strategy was unlikely to close the gap with his Divine King father in his lifetime.

With no fruitful ideas in his mind, he turned his questing gaze back toward Circe.

"Is there a faster way?"

"No."

The Great Witch Demigod could only shake her head, indicating she was no help at all.

Seeing that this silly bird really had nothing useful to offer, Luo En could only wave his hand in frustration.

Having been given permission to leave, Circe, who had been dozing off, suddenly perked up, cheered, and rushed out of the Great Temple toward her kitchen to start preparing tonight's meal.

—What should I make this time?

Hmm, let's try the new recipe I just thought up! Hecate concoction 3.0 version!

Watching the joyous departure of the Demigod Great Witch, Luo En touched his forehead and smiled bitterly.

It seems that for the time being, he couldn't count on this silly bird for guidance on his path ahead.

So, now he could only consult someone else.

Under the cool moonlight, Luo En slowly turned around and quietly looked towards the Great Temple, where a mysterious, delightful figure in light purple had appeared at some point, sitting at a stone table, supporting her chin with one hand while smiling at him.