I impersonated God in America

Ring ring.

"Hello, is this Priestess Kalena? This is the Ministry of Defense."

Ministry of National Defense?

Karina was puzzled as to how a department she had no connection with could be related to her.

"Is this the place? Excuse me..."

"Your side is truly unassuming. To make a long story short, Crete is currently experiencing a crisis and urgently needs your sacred flame."

what?

Olympic flame?

Isn't that something used only during the Olympics?

What are these people saying in their chatter?

Could this be a scam?

Chapter 121 Sacred Flame Ceremony

Athens, Ministry of Defense conference room.

The replay on the screen froze on the moment when the two figures' fists collided, and the conference room was silent.

Nikos was the first to break the silence.

Are these guys really carbon-based life forms?

"Judging from the current situation, the damage from their punches just now has at least exceeded that of a Tomahawk missile." The analyst glanced at the data, paused, and added, "The damage from the subsequent punches was no less."

This data made the military personnel sitting in the corner laugh.

"Are you saying that our main weapons are even less lethal than the normal punches of these two monsters?"

"It's not that strong."

"You may be overestimating our main weapons."

"Indeed, after all, they can deliver at least dozens of punches per second."

The scene is switched to slow motion.

With each punch the minotaur throws, the surrounding air contracts and then explodes.

Pakko's silk armor, wrapped around his body, shattered and reformed repeatedly during the impact, leaving not a single intact rock beneath their feet.

"This is just a clash of fists. Keep in mind that the minotaur's double-headed axe is still lying there unpicked up." The analyst zoomed out, framing the area affected by the battle.

"That's right, ever since they threw away their axe, they haven't shown that slashing ability again?!"

“Not only that.” Another voice came from the back row. It was the intelligence officer who hadn’t said much. He pushed up his glasses. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but ever since that minotaur threw away the axe, the other’s wounds haven’t healed as quickly as before.”

"It's limiting itself?" someone asked incredulously. "Why?"

The intelligence officer stared at the minotaur's face on the screen, contorted with extreme excitement, and slowly said, "It's enjoying it."

The meeting room fell silent again.

The operator looked up with a subtle expression: "Minister... the temple has replied."

Nikos was taken aback: "Could it be that the temple is finally willing to reveal its trump card?"

"Do not."

The operator carefully considered her words.

"The priest said... the sacred flame is only used for lighting at the Olympics and is not used at other times, so he doesn't really understand what we're talking about."

The meeting room fell silent again.

After a long while, Nikos spoke again.

"Isn't she a priestess?"

“She said the previous priest left without teaching anything, so she doesn’t know many things.”

"As for the previous priest, we have also checked, and he has already passed away."

"So now we're facing... a generational gap?!"

The operator paused, looking at the call log.

She also asked if she could be told what the Olympic flame was specifically for, so she could be mentally prepared.

[No, they said they wanted to know the purpose!]

Could it be?!

Nikos closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his eyes were completely different from before: "She's afraid."

"what?"

“I’m afraid something might happen.” Nikos pulled out a chair and walked out quickly. “It’s not that she doesn’t know about the Olympic flame, it’s that she doesn’t dare to act rashly.”

"She's speculating whether the events in Crete warrant the use of the Olympic torch! She's probing our limits! She's afraid something terrible might happen!"

"After all, if she were to rashly use a divine artifact of this level, the consequences would be beyond what she could bear."

That's it!

Upon hearing this, everyone in the conference room immediately realized what was happening, exchanged glances, and their eyes were full of admiration for Nikos.

As expected of a minister!

The intelligence officer nodded thoughtfully: "Indeed, I wouldn't dare to make a promise to hand over the Olympic flame so easily either."

“The problem is that we need to get the sacred flame now.” Nikos stopped at the door and turned to the operator. “Tell the temple that we are willing to donate money to the temple. Any amount is fine.”

"Send...donation money?"

"Since she declined, it means she has concerns. Her concerns are nothing more than the cost."

"It was also specifically emphasized that this was borrowed by the Greek government, and the government is willing to bear all the consequences."

The operator hesitated for a moment: "Just... that's it?"

“Reply like that. Also…” Nikos added, “Be respectful in your tone. The temple might be a bit vague about the inheritance of the extraordinary, so don’t make things difficult for them. After all, we’ll still need them to contact the Greek gods in the future.”

The operator lowered his head and began relaying the message.

The analyst next to him leaned over and whispered, "Minister, do you really think the temple can solve this?"

Nikos glanced at him, pointed at the two figures on the screen, and said something.

"All I know is that if we don't find a solution, it'll be hard to say whether you'll still call me minister when things really get out of hand."

----------

Temple in the Peloponnese.

After hanging up the phone, Karina stood by the pillar, her brow furrowed.

Elias, the assistant, approached with a tea tray. Noticing her unusual expression, he asked softly, "High Priestess, is something wrong?"

“The Ministry of Defense called.” Karina briefly recounted the conversation, then sighed. “They spoke with such certainty, as if our temple truly possessed some extraordinary power. But Elias, you’ve been here for six years, have you ever seen any extraordinary power?”

Elias thought for a moment, then honestly shook his head: "No. Every day it's just cleaning, offering flowers, and changing olive oil."

“Yeah.” Karina spread her hands. “So what are they expecting? I’ve only ever seen the Olympic flame used in Olympic years.”

Elias hesitated for a moment, then cautiously began, "But... High Priest, surely the Ministry of Defense wouldn't go so far as to deliberately deceive a temple, would they? Didn't they say that even if they fail, it's alright, the responsibility isn't on our side? Since they're so certain, should we... give it a try?"

Karena paused for a moment, then turned to look at the ancient concave mirror in the center of the temple, which was bathed in the slanting sunlight.

That bronze mirror is said to have been passed down for more than two thousand years. Its edges are covered with patina, but since it is used in every Olympic Games, the mirror is still in relatively good condition.

"Let's give it a try."

------------

Athens, Ministry of Defense conference room.

The large screen then displayed a live feed of the temple.

According to the liaison officer, the temple priests agreed to have the entire ceremony recorded.

Nikos leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped across his chest, clearly trying to stay calm.

At this point, the frontline battle had been handed over to the deputy minister for command; at least in his view, the Olympic flame was now the primary objective.

A group of analysts and military personnel nearby were also watching the screen intently.

"Does anyone know anything about the Olympic flame lighting ceremony?" The army representative broke the silence first.

The intelligence officer adjusted his glasses and continued, "I do know a bit about the traditional procedures. The core tool in the ancient Olympia fire-lighting ceremony was that concave mirror. The principle is the same as a magnifying glass, focusing sunlight onto a single point, generating enough heat to ignite olive branches or hay."

"Of course we know this stuff from elementary school science class. What we want to know is whether there are any other purposes behind these rituals."

"How would I know? If I knew, I wouldn't be sitting here."

"Never mind that." The intelligence officer glanced at the screen. "Since it was the temple priest who personally took action, this sacred fire is definitely not an ordinary fire."

On the screen, Kalena had changed into a priestess's white robe, holding a bunch of dried olive branches in her hands, and slowly placed the bronze mirror in an area in front of the temple.

There is a specific name for this place.

τεμενο?

It means a piece of land that has been specially set aside.

In temples, it generally refers to a sacred site specifically designated for the gods.

Elias, the assistant, stood to the side with a basin of water and a towel, looking even more nervous than the priest himself.

Karina positioned the olive branch at the focal point of the concave mirror and adjusted the angle.

Although there is a partial solar eclipse at this time, the light is only reduced, not disappeared.

Sunlight shines on the bronze mirror, and the focused light spots fall on the surface of the olive branch.

A wisp of smoke slowly rose.

The flame flickered, initially as thin as a spider's thread, then gradually stabilized.

Elias couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "This is worth three hundred million US dollars?!"

Karina, single-mindedly holding the burning olive branch in her hands, raised it above her head.

He recited the ancient prayers with a steady rhythm.

"A goddess of chastity, a heart of fire"

"The eldest daughter of Cronus and Rhea, and also their last descendant."

"You sit in the center of the earth and ignite the First Flame in your name."

"Today we gather here to call upon Your holy name..."

Boom!

Suddenly, Karena heard a thunderous boom overhead.

Upon hearing this, her heart skipped a beat.

There seems to be a sense of foreboding.

[Have I gotten myself into some kind of trouble?]

Chapter 122 Hestia

The rituals were proceeding smoothly in the temple.

A hushed murmur arose in the conference room.

The analyst stared at the flame for a long time, then frowned and said, "It looks like an ordinary fire, nothing special."

"No rush, this is just the beginning."

Boom!

What's that noise?!