Chapter 321: The Possibility of a Demigod
With the complete end of the battle, the energy turbulence in this space gradually subsided. The entire Demon King's Castle had been reduced to utter ruin; not a single intact building could be found.
The dense demonic aura in the surroundings, having lost its source, began to dissipate at a visible speed, just like the scene when the first Demon King was eliminated a thousand years ago.
Serie looked at the crystal-like object in Rhodes's hand and asked, "Where do you plan to place this thing?"
Rhodes thought for a moment and looked up at the sky. "How about Olivia's place? It is high enough and protected by a barrier. Ordinary existences cannot even approach it."
Over the past thousand years, the Heavenly Kingdom had become a legend. Coupled with the fact that the city was constantly moving, the world had no idea of its specific location.
Even if they knew, they might not be able to fly to that altitude. And even if they could reach that altitude, they couldn't break through the barrier and Olivia's defense.
It was undoubtedly one of the safest places.
"The Heavenly Kingdom?" Serie frowned slightly, offering a different opinion. "Let's not trouble her. Besides, that is the homeland of the Sky-Winged after all. It is hard to guarantee there aren't unknown things there. If some conflicting reaction occurs, it would be troublesome."
She paused, then continued, "Why not place it in the deepest part of the Magic Association? We can guard it personally. After all, neither of us will be leaving the Association for a long time."
Hearing this, Rhodes turned to look at Serie. Seeing her serious expression, it was clear she had considered this carefully.
"You are right. Keeping it under our noses is indeed safer. Let's do as you say. Anyway, there cannot possibly be a second Solitär."
He had already modified the Association's barrier. It was absolutely impossible for demons to sneak in so easily again.
With business concluded, Serie showed no intention of moving immediately. She tilted her head slightly, seemingly recalling something.
"What is it?" Rhodes noticed her strangeness.
"Just now," she organized her words and spoke slowly, "when fighting that Annelise... I vaguely touched something—a feeling of a strength barrier."
"What do you mean?" Rhodes gestured for her to continue.
"You know," Serie admitted frankly, "at my current level, improving my strength has become extremely difficult. Not because I have reached the end, but because every step forward requires thousands or even tens of thousands of years of accumulation."
Her tone carried a trace of helplessness. This was a bottleneck commonly faced by long-lived species after becoming powerful to a certain extent.
"Previously at Olivia's place, I drank so much precious Divine Wine. You know how much massive mana it contained, yet in the end, it only increased my mana capacity by about one percent. Negligible, one might say. But..."
Her tone shifted. "Just now, during the battle with Annelise, especially the moment my mana collided directly with the divine power in her body, I vaguely felt the barrier of strength within me... loosen a little?"
"There was even a feeling that I could use this to advance further."
Serie raised her hand, looking at her fair palm, as if savoring that fleeting, strange sensation.
"I do not understand. Why would fighting her trigger this perception more than absorbing Divine Wine?"
Looking at her confusion, Rhodes realized immediately. He held Serie's small hand and said, "That is because you touched the edge of the Demigod level. You felt the stimulation of a higher-tier power on your own strength."
"Demigod?" Serie was slightly stunned. This term was somewhat unfamiliar to her, yet incredibly enticing. "You mean—?"
"Simply put," Rhodes explained patiently, "with my help, plus your own thousands of years of accumulation, your current strength has reached the limit attainable by conventional life forms, perhaps even surpassing it."
"But above this limit, there are other realms. Specifically, the divine domain involving Authority and using Divine Power as the source of strength."
"Mana and Divine Power may both seem like energy, but there is a fundamental difference. The constitution of ordinary life forms cannot control Divine Power at all, making them seem like ants before gods."
Serie grasped the key point immediately. Gripping Rhodes's hand back, she asked urgently, "What about you? You are stronger than me. Are you already—"
She took it for granted that Rhodes must have already stepped into that level.
However, Rhodes shook his head, denying it. "Not that easy. I have only stepped half a foot in. I am still far from reaching it."
"Half a foot?" Serie grew even more curious. "How did you do it? Tell me!"
Her tone allowed no refusal, her eyes filled with the desire to become stronger.
Although she was already invincible under heaven, what if an enemy came from beyond the sky one day?
Looking at Serie's eagerness to know the answer, Rhodes suddenly wanted to tease her. He dragged out his tone deliberately. "Well... the method is a bit special, but..."
He left it hanging, not continuing.
Seeing him stop at the critical moment, Serie pouted in dissatisfaction.
But she had ways to deal with this man.
She let go of Rhodes's hand, took a step forward, pressed close to him, then stood on her tiptoes, raised her face, and kissed Rhodes directly.
It wasn't a fleeting peck, but a long and bold kiss.
Unknown how much time passed, Serie pulled away on her own initiative, taking small breaths of fresh air. With flushed cheeks, she said, "Now—can you tell me?"
Rhodes clearly hadn't expected this move, but he had to admit, he was weak to it.
"Alright, alright, I will tell you." He smiled helplessly, reaching out to hold her waist and bring her closer. He explained carefully, "The reason lies in the experiment I am conducting to modify my own life formula."
"Since I want to fundamentally modify my life formula to bear stronger power and longer time, it is impossible not to touch the level of Divine Power that constitutes the underlying rules of the world."
"I need to constantly analyze and deeply understand the power of the divine level to gradually adjust my life formula. It was during this long experimental process that I gained a deeper understanding of the essence of Divine Power, allowing me to approach the domain of a Demigod bit by bit."
Serie leaned against his chest, listening intently.
She understood. Rhodes hadn't touched that threshold through simple cultivation or accumulation, but through other means.
"Then—how much longer? Can I use this method to become a Demigod?" she asked, expectation in her eyes.
Rhodes estimated the current research progress and gave a rough timeline. "If everything goes smoothly without major accidents, probably another few hundred years. Once this experiment is complete, you can become a Demigod too."
"A few hundred years..." Serie repeated softly, then looked up. "It does not matter. I will wait for you."
For an elf with a near-eternal life, especially after confirming the direction forward, a few hundred years was merely a small wait in a long life.
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