Within the Wall of Sighs lay the Pure Land of Bliss.
Clear streams rich with ether meandered through the land. Scooping up a handful and tasting it, the water was pristine and sweet. The air was so saturated with mana that it nearly condensed into mist, and the vegetation growing from the soil was lush beyond measure.
Along the roads and within the forests, shrubs heavy with fruit and grain bent under their own weight. Birds chirped and insects hummed from time to time. Flowers and grasses grew freely, their fragrance soothing, as bees and butterflies danced among them.
Compared to the Greek lands where the World Egg had settled and the Age of Gods had declined, this place was like an unimaginably fertile grand garden, filled everywhere with gifts straight from the heavens.
Water of Life. Primordial Soil of Life.
No wonder the souls of Greek heroes, after living here for long periods, could become incarnated Heroic Spirits and gain physical bodies.
Samael sensed the peculiar nature of the water and soil. His eyes narrowed as realization slowly dawned, and he could not help but feel shaken by Zeus's handiwork.
Pure mana permeated every corner of this place. The inhabitants needed only to breathe the air, drink the water, or eat the fruits and grains. Humans, gods, and even incarnated spirits could directly absorb and digest it to sustain themselves, or even strengthen their own existence.
Beyond that, there was no biting heat or freezing cold, no natural disasters, no wars or conflict. Isolated from the turmoil of the mortal world, the faces of the incarnated residents were filled with peace and contentment. Calling this place the Pure Land of Bliss was hardly an exaggeration.
That was, of course, assuming Zeus had not spread his authority here, the power that suppressed human desire and emotional fluctuation.
At this moment, the incarnated Heroic Spirits before them wandered aimlessly or stopped to rest. Not a single one showed vigilance or surprise at the arrival of these outsiders. The welcoming smiles on their faces clearly moved their muscles, yet felt no different from painted expressions on wooden puppets, forever unchanged.
The longer one stared, the more unsettling it became.
Looking more closely into their eyes, it was easy to see that their gaze had lost all focus, making these Heroic Spirits seem as though they were immersed in a beautiful, endless dream.
Samael slowly lowered his gaze to the grass-covered ground. As the cross-shaped patterns in his eyes opened and closed, his vision pierced through the soil. He saw hundreds of leylines, vast as surging rivers, flowing in from the boundless wilderness beyond the Wall of Sighs, nourishing this small patch of blessed land.
So that was it.
The countless souls in the Underworld whose consciousness had dissipated and been reduced to pure energy were being recycled as fertilizer for the Pure Land of Bliss.
Harvest mortal souls. Provide immense ether. Use it to supply these heroes with enormous resources, allowing them to incarnate and grow stronger.
Well played, Zeus.
I used humanity to accelerate the decline of the Age of Gods. You, on the other hand, used the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death to turn humans into crops, harvesting them again and again to reclaim the ether they absorbed from the world.
Samael frowned and snorted coldly, pulling his gaze back from the outer reaches and focusing again on the underground leylines.
On closer inspection, countless thread-like strands of purplish-black negative miasma were mixed among them.
These were being drawn out from the bodies of the incarnated Heroic Spirits, carried along the leylines, and funneled into unfathomably deep abyssal layers below.
Pandora's Box all over again?
That overwhelming sense of familiarity made the ancient serpent mutter unconsciously. Unpleasant memories resurfaced in his mind, and his expression darkened.
Back then, Zeus had used this very method to unbalance humanity's good, evil, and emotions, dragging Samael into the scheme and forcing him to flee to the Oceanus Sea to lie low.
And based on Samael's understanding of that so-called wise God King over countless millennia, Zeus's kindness almost always concealed something far more insidious.
In short, the Pure Land of Bliss was absolutely not a good place.
Samael's thoughts raced, his expression shifting as he silently weighed his options.
At the same time, the group that had entered the Pure Land of Bliss gradually scattered, each driven by their own purpose.
The first to react was Orion the teddy bear. Like an oversized field mouse, he chased after that familiar scent, darting excitedly into the gardens and weaving his way forward.
As the plants rustled softly, Orion came to a stop before a sturdy figure standing amid the grass, his gaze fixed straight upward.
That hunter's figure, a longbow slung across his back, wrist guards wrapped around his arms, and a body packed with muscle, paired with that unmistakable baby face, honest-looking features, and the faint resonance of a soul within, made Orion murmur without thinking.
"This body… is mine?!"
As Orion trembled and raised his hand to touch the skin of that body, a vibrating hum suffused with golden-blue light rippled between them.
A moment later, the toy bear that had been buzzing with manic excitement suddenly lost all vitality and flopped limply into the grass.
At the same time, the simple-faced hunter who had been "on standby" just moments ago suddenly stirred. Light flickered in his eyes, then burst into unmistakable joy. He lowered his head, repeatedly checking his limbs, squeezing his muscles, and touching his face as if to confirm everything was real.
After a rough inspection, the hunter seemed to remember something. Acting furtive, he reached toward his waist, then, using the grass and flowers as cover, tugged open his trousers and squinted down to sneak a look.
Oh ho. The little guy's packing quite a punch too.
The grin spreading across Orion's face carried an indescribable lewdness and frivolity, the kind that made you want to punch him on the spot.
"Darling, you're finally back!"
Artemis, the Moon Goddess who had followed close behind, immediately threw herself into Orion's arms. Tears streamed down her face as her pale arms wrapped tightly around the hunter's neck, squeezing with excitement as she poured out all her pent-up longing and joy.
Don't be fooled by Orion's reputation as a famed three-star hunter, a burly man with terrifying strength. As the Goddess of the Hunt, Artemis could draw powerful bows, chase golden stags at full speed, and subdue serpents with her bare hands. The sheer physical might of her divine body was self-evident.
As a result, the Moon Goddess's near-maddened affection was so overwhelming that even Orion's massively built body was nearly suffocated. His tightly locked limbs let out sharp cracking sounds, as if they might snap at any moment.
"S-s-stop… stop! Don't choke me—! Ngh… I-I'm… gonna die, Artemis…"
Only when Orion begged in broken gasps did the overly excited Artemis realize she had nearly killed her lover again, just after his soul had returned to his newly regained body.
The goddess stuck out her tongue in a rather girlish manner, hurriedly loosening her arms while lightly patting Orion's chest to help him steady his breathing.
After a brief moment of intimacy, Orion finally calmed down. Filled with emotion, he took Artemis by the hand and looked around.
After only a few steps, the hunter pushed aside some grass and spotted a green-eyed, purple-haired man standing before a flowerbed. Delight instantly lit up his face.
"Perseus, boss! You're really here! Hahaha, this is great, seeing you again!"
Orion rushed forward and pulled him into a hug, his powerful arms squeezing so tightly that the young, handsome man's spine let out an audible crack.
Even so, Perseus's expression didn't change in the slightest. He merely looked at his old friend calmly, like an empty shell devoid of a soul.
At the same time, deeper in the woods, Heracles stood frozen, staring at three youths training with wooden swords and blades in a clearing. Their faces, ones that had appeared again and again in his dreams, drove the mighty hero to the brink of regret and madness.
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/PinkSnake (50 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.