Having traversed countless realms, can you possibly be as clever as me?

And at that very moment—

boom!!!

With a deafening, earth-shattering explosion, a figure suddenly plummeted from the sky, landing in the center of the arena like a battle axe cleaved down by Zeus!

All eyes turned to him, and there stood a man in black armor, rising from the dust, his bright red cloak billowing behind him, and holding a delicate and lovely girl in his arms.

“Too much nonsense.” He grinned and pointed at Ianis on the stage.

"What kind of competition are you playing? Is this the Olympic Stadium?"

Having said that, he kicked Comertes away, sending the Messenger prince flying in an arc for a long distance. He then beckoned to the remaining so-called heroes, taunting them.

"Come on, you trash, let's fight right here! What are you waiting for? The winner stays, the loser gets out!"

"Take him down!!!"

The king angrily ordered his guards to step forward, but the man in black armor simply blew a breath, and they were frozen in place.

Oenius immediately became docile; in this era where demigods roamed freely, assessing the situation was of utmost importance.

And without a doubt, his actions successfully angered all the heroes and demigods here.

Faced with such provocation, if you don't step up, you don't deserve to be called a hero—or even a man!

In an instant, the arena transformed into a massive gladiatorial arena.

Meanwhile, the intruder who disrupted the entire situation, with an unparalleled presence, held the girl in his arms with one hand and laughed wildly as he sent every attacker flying with his hammer!

With unparalleled power and a fighting stance like that of a god, he swept across the entire field, with no one able to defeat him.

Such a terrifying and powerful existence instilled fear in many heroes, while others recognized his identity.

"You are the son of the sun of Colchis!"

Someone, seeing the red cloak fluttering in the sun, couldn't help but shout out.

Tsugumi's response was to grab him, fly him into the sky, and then hurl him towards the distant sea.

Soon, only three people remained on the battlefield—the River Thrush, the river god Acromeu, and Heracles.

1014

734. Women are such a nuisance!

Is the Son of the Sun of Colchis famous?

No, in fact, very few people on the high seas know that this Son of the Sun is named Karl.

As for why this is the case, it is naturally because this Son of the Sun has not performed many heroic deeds or achievements.

As for your question about the hero's actions and achievements?

Attacking a country, winning a victory, capturing a princess, or defeating a monster and being favored by the gods, etc.

Only when your story becomes widely known and loved will you be recognized as a great hero.

This is why Hercules became the first hero of Greece; his formidable strength is one aspect, but the numerous 'stories' surrounding him are the most important.

Why didn't Dongjiang become a hero? Was it because he didn't want to?

Of course! In his second life, he still didn't want to do anything big, but simply wanted to enjoy this different kind of happy life.

So why be the first to stick out now?

Because the blessing and curse belonging to Hecate on him had begun to take effect—twenty years old, this predetermined age could only signify one thing: the three Fates were about to discover him.

When the embodiment of destruction finds Tsurugi, Clotho will personally weave a lifeline for him, Lachesis will quickly measure its length, and finally Atropos will cut the lifeline.

If you can't control his fate, then create an 'accident' for him through fate.

Beings born of opportunity are destined to face the unexpected.

Tsugumi was mentally prepared for this, which is why he chose to come out of seclusion—he had no interest in changing so-called fate, nor did he intend to fall into the cliché of 'wanting to change fate but ending up creating fate'.

Before relentless fate catches up with him, do what he wants, do what he wants, and kill what he wants!

That's enough; there's no need to pursue any grand goals.

At this moment, the defeated heroes almost filled the entire arena.

This also shows that most of the heroes who came to this competition were not very impressive.

Or perhaps—no matter how many heroes come, they are destined to be nothing more than stepping stones for Hercules.

"Son of Helios, have you also come to woo the beautiful Princess Ianis?"

The river god Acroius, who was in the center of the field, spoke arrogantly. He was wearing a robe woven from seaweed, his half-naked chest was covered with scales, and a short horn grew on his left forehead. Water naturally seeped from the ground where he stood, quickly forming a shallow puddle, and several silver fish swam frantically in the puddle.

"How dare you, son of a Titan traitor, compare yourself to the descendant of the great Oceanus?"

Acroos was the son of the Titan Oceanus and the goddess Thetis. The Acroos River, which he ruled, originated in the Pindus Mountains, flowed through western Greece, and eventually emptied into the Ionian Sea. It was one of the major rivers in Greece.

It's understandable that he looked down on Dongjiang, who was "supposedly" the son of Helios.

After all, in terms of bloodline, he was a legitimate descendant of the Titans, but in terms of identity—Helios—he was an absolute Titan traitor!

In the Titanomachy, which determined the fate of the world, Helios sided with Olympus and, riding the chariot of the sun, personally defeated his father Hyperion, thus gaining a position of prestige that would remain in the age of the gods. To the descendants of the Titans, he was undoubtedly a traitor, a spy, a lackey, a revisionist, and a tyrant!

So it's that simple that Achilles looked down on him.

"If you have any shame left, then get out of here immediately!"

To his surprise, Tsugumi looked at him with the eyes of someone looking at a mental patient in response to his provocation, then pointed at the princess on stage who was giving him flirtatious glances and said without any politeness.

"Who came here for that stinky woman? Don't compare me to a fish-faced, repressed old codger like you!"

"Handsome son of the Titans, don't you want to marry me?" Ianis looked sadly at Tsurugi and said in a mournful voice.

"I want to be number one in the world! Women are just a hindrance!"

Dongjiang waved his hand, his heroic spirit soaring to the heavens.

Dude, are you crazy?!

At this moment, this idea did not belong to Acroos alone; Hercules, Oeneus, and everyone present shared the same thought!

If it's not for the princess, what are you trying to achieve by barging into our competition like a madman?

Just to defeat us and prove that they are the strongest!

Of course, it must be admitted that such thoughts and purposes are also very valid, but—that is not the mindset of a hero!

As a hero, one should obediently follow the king's orders and accept the king's trials, even if one could easily strangle the ruler.

A person who disregards the outcome, cares little for the prize, and scorns authority cannot play the role of the protagonist in a heroic tale!

1014 >>

"How reckless! How foolish!"

Acromeus, seeing the beautiful princess weeping, flew into a rage and pounced on her. The moment he grabbed the thrush with both hands, the puddles on the ground burst open in all directions, splashing the hems of the clothes of the spectators in the front row.

The river god possessed immense strength, his arms supple yet resilient, like vines swollen by the floodwaters, constantly tightening and constricting, attempting to force Dongjiang into the ever-rising puddle. The water had already reached their ankles and knees, and several silver fish frantically bumped into their calves before bouncing away.

"In the sea, my power is as boundless as the ocean!!!"

Acroos proudly proclaimed his immense strength, but the next second—

He felt a sudden weightlessness, and then Tsurugi lifted him up above his head with one hand. The moment he left the water, the force vanished.

"What is the same as the power you just mentioned?"

"Endless?" Tsurugi looked at him and mocked.

Akroos, who had just boasted and was immediately proven wrong, turned red instantly and transformed into a giant snake. Its body was bluish-black, and its scales were arranged like copper coins. The snake coiled around Tsurugi's waist and abdomen, its head raised, and its forked tongue almost touched his nose.

Then, it opened its blood-red maw and bit at Dongjiang's neck! Amidst gasps of alarm, the next moment revealed the gruesome sight of the giant snake with its teeth broken.

The unwilling river god immediately dropped to all fours, head bowed, back arched, and transformed in the blink of an eye into a black bull. One of its horns was short and thick like a tree stump, while the other was long and sharp, gleaming with water. The bull roared and charged forward, its hooves creating small gushing springs of water with each step.

Tsurugi gripped the long horn with one hand, his heel braced against the ground. The bull shook its head desperately, but remained motionless. The man holding a little girl in his arms subdued it single-handedly.

Feeling further insulted, the river god went berserk. Instead of shaking his head, he pressed all his strength forward, but in the next moment, he was met with a punch from the Son of the Sun from above.

He was hammered to the ground, and the Horn of Abundance on his head broke off, but he did not give up, or rather, the humiliation he suffered made him unwilling to give up.

So he transformed into a venomous snake once again, but this time he bit Medea, who was being held in Tsurugi's arms!

But just as the venomous snake shot out like an arrow, Tsurugi's eyes fired out a scarlet beam of light, which struck him squarely in the body!

The serpent let out a mournful cry, rolled to the ground, and transformed back into Acromeu. He lay face down on the yellow earth, his short horn on his left forehead broken, half his face scarred by the intense heat. He struggled to raise his head, swallowing his humiliating defeat, yet also cursing with resentment.

"You have won, Son of the Sun! You have won glory, but you have also received my curse! What you hold so tightly today will one day slip through your fingers, like water flowing into sand..."

Before he could finish his curse, Tsurugi grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up. The Son of the Sun didn't care about his curse or surrender at all. With a chilling yet unfathomable smile, he slammed him hard to the ground!

The river god's body was deeply embedded in the ground beneath him. The son of the sun's raised fist suddenly fell, and amidst gasps of alarm, it ripped off one of the river god's arms!

"What are you doing? I've already surrendered!" the river god cried out in terror.

"You're cursing me, you're attacking me, how can this be considered over?" Tsugumi grabbed his head, her cheerful smile hidden in the shadows of the sun appearing particularly terrifying.

"So the battle continues until your curse loses its effect."

But how could that be? Once a curse is cast, it will never end easily—not even the person who cast the curse can stop it.

So, in front of all the heroes present.

The river god had his arm shattered by the Son of the Sun, then his shoulder was pierced, and his body was being brutally tormented by punch after punch amidst his wails.

Gods are immortal, that much is certain! Even this one of the three thousand river gods, who outnumbers even the stray dogs on the roadside, still enjoys eternal life, just like Chiron.

However, most of the time, eternal life does not mean invincible power; it often means a tragic curse, and the best example of this is Prometheus.

Just before Dongjiang's attack was about to smash the river god's head, a strong, steel-like arm caught his falling fist.

"Enough, stop now." Hercules stopped Tsurugi's continued violence and said in a deep voice.

"No matter what, he is still a god. Your atrocities are blasphemy and will surely bring disaster upon you and your country."

As someone who had been through it all, Hercules advised the young man before him not to go astray, while Acromeus seized the opportunity in a panic. His mutilated body turned into a pool of clear water that seeped into the ground, leaving only his severed horn spinning on the ground.

1014>>>>

"Then let them come!" Tsurugi laughed fearlessly.