Monsters: Evolving from Titans to Ancient Gods

Asia, the banks of the Yellow River.

Titan-Xiangliu dwells in a section of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River, its body submerged by tens of meters of water, with yellowish river sand covering its dense scales that gleam with a metallic luster.

Nine heads, resembling dragons and snakes, hung naturally at the bottom of the river, their eyes closed, as if they were fast asleep.

Many winters have passed since Alpha Nature left again.

Xiang Liu has returned to his usual routine of waking up, going out for a walk, and then returning to the Yellow River to continue sleeping.

This life, where it doesn't have to go out to fight or have nightmares about snakes, and only needs to occasionally get up to tend to the water veins, makes it feel very comfortable.

"Thump...thump...thump"

A noisy drumming sound rang out on the riverbank, causing Xiang Liu to instinctively open his eighteen snake eyes and look towards the riverbank. The thermal imaging penetrated the cold river water, taking in everything that was happening on the riverbank.

A dense array of humans stood on the riverbank, surrounded by objects that Xiang Liu did not recognize.

Xiang Liu thought that this might be a sacrifice made by humans against themselves, so he raised his nine long necks, and the cold river water swirled and churned under his stirring.

Xiangliu emerged from the Yellow River, displaying its graceful yet powerful body to the crowd.

However, just as Xiangliu cast his gaze down, he discovered that things were not quite as he had imagined.

The densely packed crowd adopted hunting stances, wielding weapons made from the bones of various strange beasts, casting bloodthirsty glances at the Titan, their intentions self-evident.

"Warriors! The evil god that has long caused the river's floods and eroded our city is right before us. Let this evil god see our courage and slay it here!!"

A burly old man, wearing a cow skull ornament on his head and bare-chested, raised two huge axes and shouted.

"The supreme Lord of War is watching us!!"

"...?"

Xiangliu understands human language, but what does "river disaster" mean? It hasn't done anything like that in a long time.

Xiangliu's perception extended along the Yellow River's extensive network of waterways, sensing the river disasters that humans spoke of. These were flash floods caused by torrential rains, purely natural calamities, and had nothing to do with him.

Immediately afterward, under its gaze, the burly old man leaped high into the air, as if he had received some kind of blessing, his whole body radiating golden light, and the two axes in his hands, imbued with a power that Xiang Liu felt was familiar, slashed down.

In the brief moment of Xiang Liu's distraction, two weapons fell, instantly tearing through the Titan's scales and bones, and a dazed head splattered high with blood.

The intense pain alerted Xiang Liu, who coiled his body around it, and a section of the Yellow River's water, along with the enraged Titan, surged and crashed against the riverbank.

However, this wild old man, who had received the blessing of the God of War many years ago, simply raised his two giant axes and swung them lightly. The golden light tore apart the overwhelming waves, revealing huge ravines.

Xiang Liu stared wide-eyed, his eyes filled with horror. Was this thing a person?

Feeling the familiar, powerful force and the old man's imposing aura, Xiang Liu hesitated for a moment before turning around, diving into the river, and leaving without looking back.

As he fled, a question arose in Xiang Liu's mind: What the hell? When did those tiny humans become so terrifying? Is this reasonable?

On the riverbank, the wild old man watched Xiang Liu disappear into the distance, his eyes filled with regret and helplessness. He was getting old.

As a mortal, he lacked the ability to move in the water, and his physical strength was far inferior to before, making it impossible for him to catch up.

So much so that the evil god escaped. He knew he no longer had a chance to kill the evil god, who had become wary of humanity.

"Lord of the Army, I have failed you in your expectations!" The old man changed his wild demeanor, threw down his axe, knelt on the ground and wept bitterly.

On the edge of Mount Tai, Longbo, who had just returned to Earth, heard these words of remorse in the Pandora's Realm, but he was puzzled by them.

He cast a questioning glance toward the Yellow River, his gaze piercing through the demonic realm, taking in the kneeling old man and the fleeing Xiang Liu.

What is all this nonsense...?

Longbo had no recollection of having any particular expectations of this human who had casually bestowed a blessing upon him.

If this person hadn't mentioned it, Longbo wouldn't have known when he would have remembered that he had bestowed blessings upon humanity.

But a new question arises: how did this person and Xiangliu get into conflict?

Soon, Longbo used his psychic powers to read the memories in the old man's and Xiangliu's minds and understand the whole story.

"..."

"This is really..."

Longbo didn't know how to describe this incident. He never expected that Xiangliu, who had "turned over a new leaf" for so many years, would still suffer such a blow for taking the blame for a disaster.

Longbo remained silent for a moment, then used his light to heal Xiangliu's injuries, and then stopped paying attention to the matter.

He focused his attention on the changes on Earth, taking in the current state of the planet.

Firstly, the Earth's appearance hasn't changed much, but there are many traces of Titans and monster battles, and the terrain in some areas has changed compared to what Longbo remembers.

Secondly, most of the monsters and Titans have entered a period of dormancy again and are rarely active on the surface anymore.

However, the changes they bring are still ongoing, and the derivative species born from them are spread all over the world, becoming humanity's number one enemy.

Those creatures that should have gone extinct during this period survived tenaciously, and even population growth failed to cause the extinction of mammoths and saber-toothed tigers.

However, in contrast, the pressure humans felt in this harsh environment also caused astonishing changes. Their physiques became stronger and stronger, and there were many humans who could leap three to five meters high and kill lions, tigers, and elephants with their bare hands.

Although the telepathic abilities that evolved from coexisting with the Titans have gradually disappeared from human populations, their overall power has become stronger.

It's clear that they are developing in the direction of Ultraman, and perhaps in the future, one or two beings will emerge who can physically defeat Titans or monsters.

For example, there's Han Ye, who dares to take on the 80-meter-tall Bemstein with just a rope and a fruit knife, and claims that after human training, he can easily defeat one or two monsters.

Nishikita Kojuro Iryu, who chopped out a book called Taihei Fudoki with a knife.

As the Titans and monsters gradually disappeared, the pressure on humanity reached its lowest point in history.

Even though the Titan derivatives still exist, humans have now fully embraced slavery, and human city-states around the world have begun to wage war against each other.

The wars between human city-states should have begun long ago, but they were put on hold because of the existence of the Titans. Now the gods are nowhere to be found, and even the giant beasts that follow them cannot stop the start of human conquests.

Longbo's gaze swept across Asia, Europe, and the Americas; almost every land within his sight was engulfed in battle and fire, with constant strife.

In a short period of time, the casualties caused by humans killing each other have exceeded the total casualties caused by the Titan derivatives hunting each other, and are approaching the number of humans who died in the aftermath of the Titan battle.

People were astonished to discover that the weapons used to defend against the Titans and hunt giant beasts had amazing effects when used on their own kind.

As a result, a large number of weapons of war were created, the astonishing population produced a number of geniuses ahead of their time, and the priestesses created a variety of intellectual trends through enlightenment and guidance.

A variety of anti-human weapons, which Longbo considered to be ahead of their time, suddenly appeared and were widely used on their own kind, which broadened Longbo's horizons.

In this context, many small settlements and villages were massacred, and slavery gradually became more sophisticated.

The situation improved considerably when Lombard turned his attention to Asia. Although human city-states were also at war, a complete moral collapse did not occur.

However, this is not because the moral standards of Asian city-states were particularly high. As civilizations that also developed from primitive times, their moral standards did not transcend the limitations of their time.

Rather, it was because they were collectively subjected to psychological suggestion that limited the cruelty of war to a certain extent.

It was the priestess who did it.

Longbo came to this conclusion at a glance.

She had always loved humans, and her affection for the civilization nurtured by her birthplace was even more pronounced.

Therefore, the priestess, who possessed the modern memories of the Kirieloid witch, knew that this was a normal setback in the development of human history, but still chose to intervene.

Moreover, she had aliases in many civilizations, using various methods to teach humanity some of the technologies she remembered.

The priestess has been guiding human development from behind the scenes, but judging from the current situation, not only has what she has done had little effect, but the technologies she used to guide and enlighten humanity to create have been used on humans one after another.

Longbo couldn't help but sigh, wondering when the priestess had started to show signs of becoming a legendary lover king.

But Longbo did not intend to interfere with the priestess's actions.

After all, he himself had done similar things, such as blessing warriors who were fighting against the Titan Derivatives.

not to mention…

Longbo's gaze swept across every continent, taking in all the calamities that were quietly brewing.

At this moment, a global flood disaster is brewing. This disaster, which is brewing from the Earth's instincts, will last for a long time and will eliminate many lives.

The floods experienced by the blessed old man were not accidental; in fact, many legends were born during the long era in which Longbo lived.

For example, Yu the Great's flood control, and Noah's Ark.

Moments later, Longbo controlled the Pandora Magic Realm and appeared at Mount Tai, taking in the grand sacrificial ceremony taking place there.

For example, Yu the Great's flood control, and Noah's Ark.

Moments later, Longbo controlled the Pandora Magic Realm and appeared at Mount Tai, taking in the grand sacrificial ceremony taking place there.

At this moment, this ancient sacrificial city has completely become the domain of humankind. Although it is frequently maintained, the passage of hundreds of years has still left many traces of weathering.

Soldiers clad in iron armor stood scattered on either side of the wide steps, weapons in hand, surrounded by vibrant colors. Solemn city officials knelt devoutly behind the soldiers and on the massive altar.

The spirited young man climbed the long steps one by one, relying on his body and will to reach the top. Even though he was drenched in sweat, his expression did not show any signs of distress.

He was dressed in a long robe reminiscent of the ancient style that Longbo remembered, with an ornate headdress adorned with small horn-shaped decorations. He had a robust build and a piercing gaze.

At the top of the steps, an elderly priest dressed in ceremonial attire, holding a long staff, silently watched the young, newly appointed leader ascend to the summit.

That was the priestess's new identity; she truly loved the role of priest, and had been happy to do so for hundreds of years.

Longbo's gaze extended, and countless futures of this spirited young leader unfolded before him.

From his energetic pioneering spirit in his youth, to his role in promoting the integration of city-states, to his contributions to the prosperity of civilization, and finally to his stubborn conservatism in his later years, he left no stone unturned.

It's clear that this is a young leader carefully cultivated by the priestess. I wonder how much effort she put into drawing such an SSR in the post-primitive era.

Longbo watched as the spirited leader ascended the altar, and under the guidance of the priest, he paid homage to the magnificent statue and the heavens and earth, making a promise.

Longbo pondered for a moment, his eyes flashing, and a wisp of his will fell upon the huge statue, causing it to radiate golden light. Longbo's blessing transformed into rays of light that fell upon the young leader.

The young leader was enveloped in golden light, and the pain from the climb instantly vanished, replaced by a radiant glow, as if he were invincible.

He felt incredibly incredulous, but quickly realized that this meant the gods had approved of him. His expression became extremely solemn and resolute, and he knelt down in devout worship once more.

This astonishing phenomenon shocked everyone, making them realize that the new leader was different from the past, having gained the approval of Heaven and the gods, and thus they revered him even more.

Beside him, the seemingly elderly priest paused for a moment, then a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.