Myth: The Spiritual Dominator

"This is...Auroa?"

“It’s amazing.”

Passing through dense forests and hills, wearing clothes made of lion skins.

Towards evening, Hercules finally found the place the old man had mentioned.

Before arriving, the young hero had many speculations about this place.

Primitive fence, life of eating raw meat and drinking blood.

An ancient and bloody priest dance, or a warrior painted with all kinds of strange symbols.

This was not something he made up, but was indeed a rumor among the human kingdom.

These humans living in the north of the continent seem to be more gifted physically, but lack the light of civilization because of their barbaric belief in evil gods.

However, now that he saw it with his own eyes, Hercules was greatly surprised by everything he saw.

A city built in the mountains and forests, and of such a scale, is rare even in the outside world.

Especially the vaguely visible temple in the city...what is the difference between this place and the city-states outside?

"Why, does our brave hero seem a little surprised by this?"

The welcoming team sang melodious tunes, and children with curiosity and longing in their eyes watched from a distance.

As Cologne led the young hero towards the city, he noticed his confusion at the right time.

"Yes, everything here is indeed different from what is spread outside."

"Especially...these temples and their shapes seem to be somewhat different."

As I stepped into the city gate, I passed by a tall building.

Hercules was somewhat surprised to find that this was actually the temple of Zephyrus, the god of the west wind.

But what surprised him even more was that the specifications of this temple were obviously different from what he had seen in the outside world, and it was lacking in many places.

“Haha, this is not surprising, because including the one you see, they are all temples built a long time ago.”

"At that time, the God King had not yet canonized the twelve main gods, and the God of the West Wind was only a close minister of the God King. His temple was naturally restricted in certain aspects."

In a calm voice, Cologne introduced the details: "As for why there are so many temples here, it is also because of the past."

"They were like this from the beginning, and they have been like this to this day."

“Is it like this from the beginning…?”

Hercules' expression changed slightly and he was a little surprised.

In his impression, the time when the King of Gods enthroned the Lord God seemed to have been a long time ago.

He didn't even know whether the fourth generation of humans was born at that time, or perhaps it was born, but there was no written record of that period.

So this is actually a thousand-year-old ancient city? It was built a long time ago and was even more advanced than the human kingdom outside.

"Haha, these are all old things, not worth mentioning."

"Hero who has come from afar, I can tell you the history of this city later, but before that, please allow me to entertain you on behalf of the residents of the city."

"You killed a great lion that was a threat to the area, and everyone in the city is eager to hear your story."

"We have prepared a banquet for you in the center of the city. Please do not refuse."

"……All right."

Although he still had many doubts, Hercules nodded in agreement.

But before that, he asked a question that had been accumulating for a long time.

"Before I came to this forest, I had heard many legends about the Nomissa Lion."

"It is said that it is not only cruel by nature, but also controlled by an evil god."

"As locals, have you ever heard of the existence of an 'evil god' nearby?"

"Evil God? Not really."

Shaking his head slightly, the old man seemed very surprised.

"It may be a rumor. We have lived quietly here for so many years."

"Hero who has come from afar, do you think there is an evil god here?"

“…It certainly doesn’t look like that.”

Everyone lives and works in peace and contentment, and people in various clothes walk around the city.

Looking at the happy and peaceful residents in the city, Hercules said this despite a strange feeling in his heart.

After all, a city like this doesn't look like one where evil gods exist.

Maybe it is really a rumor... Rumors stop at the wise. After he leaves, he will tell the people of other countries everything that is true here.

……

In the center of Auroa, a flame was burning.

Walk all the way to the core of this city.

On a high stone platform, Hercules saw grooves that seemed to be filled with animal fat.

Flames were burning on top, and the symbol of the Hearth Goddess was engraved next to the stone platform.

It looked a bit like the Holy Fire Altar, but it was also very similar to the altars of today… Looking at this scene, Hercules confirmed that this city was indeed quite old.

"Zizi-"

A fire was lit and the meat was glistening with oil.

A large amount of food was brought up and filled the makeshift venue.

Buckets of wine were poured into glasses, and there was a wide variety of fruits.

Once again the young hero was surprised, not only by the abundance of produce here, but also by the fact that the people here were obviously not that hungry for such a feast.

Just like the old man said, they were just looking forward to the young hero telling about his experience of fighting monsters.

This made Hercules feel valued, which he had never felt before.

“What a rich city.”

With a sigh, the young hero asked:

"How many settlements like this are there here?"

"Of course not much."

Although the aged Cologne is no longer as tall and strong as he was when he was young, he is still obviously much taller than the average old man.

He picked up the glass, smiled and said:

"In fact, there are no other tribes in this forest. Auroa City is the only settlement."

"Within a hundred miles, there are no signs of human activity - you should have seen that along the way, right?"

Nodding silently, Hercules indeed saw no other signs of human activity.

In fact, if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he wouldn't have believed that there was a city here.

But the facts were there after all, so the young hero just smiled.

In front of him, Cologne stood up, raised his glass and invited:

"Hercules, hero from the south of the earth, you have earned our respect with your abilities."

"In the presence of God, please allow me to toast you to express my respect for you."

Cologne raised his glass, and everyone else who came to the banquet also raised their glasses.

Although the two sides did not speak the same language, Hercules still felt their enthusiasm.

There are farmers, priests, craftsmen; there are old people, young people, and children...

Being admired by so many people for the first time, the young hero couldn't help but raise his glass.

He looked at everyone, ready to say something.

If the battle at Eleusis is not counted, this is his first battle since his debut. It is so memorable...

...?

Hercules raised his glass and his smile suddenly disappeared.

He swallowed the words he was about to say and looked at the field solemnly, as if he was looking at an enemy.

"what?"

Cologne seemed a little surprised. He looked at the hero who was holding up his glass and couldn't help asking:

"From your current appearance, are you dissatisfied with our hospitality?"

"Why are there no women?"

Taking a deep breath and without turning around, Hercules suddenly asked.

"… This is one of our traditions. Women shouldn't be present at a party to welcome a hero like this."

After a moment's pause, Cologne replied.

"Really? But there aren't even any girls here..."

His eyes swept across the field, and at that moment, the strange feeling from before became clear, and the young hero's mind was sharper than ever before.

"I will take this as your custom, then please tell me, what is the food here?"

"……food?"

Cologne was puzzled.

"Is there anything wrong with this?"

"There are no farmlands, no livestock, no villages or towns. As you said, there are no other settlements in this forest."

"You are a lonely city, built in such a vast forest. Tell me, where does your food come from?"

“…Of course, that’s because of the existence of God.”

Colon replied, a smile still on his face.

"The power of God can solve many problems...so do you still have any questions?"

"If not, please allow me to continue toasting you, out of respect for you shown by the Oroya people."

"What if I refuse?"

Putting down the wine glass, Hercules asked calmly.

"Reject...why would you reject?"

The smile remained unchanged, but there was a hint of inexplicable emotion in Cologne's eyes.

"You don't have to do that."

"Yeah, why would you refuse?"

This time, the voice came from behind, and Hercules turned his head subconsciously.

The person who spoke just now was a being wearing a sacrificial robe, and there seemed to be the mark of the god of war painted on his body.

"This is……"

"Yeah...why would you refuse..."

Without waiting for a response, hundreds of voices rang out at the same moment, and Hercules turned around again.

Everyone at the banquet kept raising their glasses and smiling at him.

Uniform voices, almost identical smiles.

At this moment, even Hercules felt a chill in his heart.

This doesn't mean he is afraid, because this is a natural human reaction to the unknown.

Living, dead, or not human... There is no such thing as the 'uncanny valley' in this world, but the effect is no different.

However, in front of Hercules, everything is far from over.

He had never seen anything like this before.

"……yes……"

"……Why……"

"……Why--"

"……Why!"

The sound came from inside the city and from outside the city.

He saw people standing on the roof and birds flying to the treetops.

Whether human or animal, whether on the ground or in the sky.

Countless lives are singing in unison as if they are performing a grand piece of music.

"Why... do you want to refuse?"

His expression suddenly changed, and this time, Hercules was surprised to find that the voice actually came from himself.

He lowered his head...and what he saw was the fur of the giant lion with its mouth open to speak.

······

boom--

The earth was shaking slightly, and in the corner of the city, a young man was carving a wooden sculpture.

With just three or two cuts, the general outline of a puppet appeared.

The loud noise in the city center was like an accompaniment, without affecting the stability of the arms at all.

As if nothing had happened, Ander quietly completed his work.

There is no smoke without fire. This saying actually makes a lot of sense.

Just like the rumor that the giant lion of Nomissa was controlled by the evil god, that was naturally true.

Long ago, when Ender discovered the lion, his fate was sealed.

After all, although the giant lion has an invulnerable body, it is obvious that what Ender really relies on is never its body.

Just like every thing can defeat every other, for Ander, controlling the giant lion is not even as difficult as controlling a strong human being.

After all, the latter often have a firm will, while the former do not. In this case, the result is self-evident.

Until today, it was killed, but the 'wire' connecting it has not been broken.

"...In addition to brute strength, it seems that he has some observation skills, but not much."

"But his will is indeed strong, even if he didn't drink my wine. But now it seems that even if he drank it, my 'line' would be useless to him."

Although he was not at the scene, everything in the city obviously could not escape the young man's observation.

Bathed in the blood of the giant lion and covered with its fur, in a certain mystical sense, Hercules and the Nomissa giant lion can be equated in a distortion.

Therefore, the "thread" that Ender was parasitic on the giant lion had the possibility of changing its owner.

But judging from the final result, although the young hero lacked caution, he did have the ability to deal with the trouble caused by his lack of caution.

Of course, this may also be because he has never been exposed to such strange means, and he does not know that just bathing in blood will bring such consequences.

"Not bad. If he can't even resist my abilities, how can he do what I can't do?"

"If I can't do what I want to do, then I might as well stay here and replace the lion as my 'gatekeeper'."

Give the wood sculpture in your hand a rough shape, and once its outline is drawn, all that remains is to carve it in detail.

So Ender's movements slowed down, no longer as violent as before.

At the same time, in the center of the city, like the accompaniment to his carving, bursts of loud noises never stopped.

The young hero is using force to tear off the shackles, trying to find the mastermind behind it.

boom--

Boom boom...

……

The vibration continued, and the blood energy rose into the sky more and more powerfully.

Although such strength is not as strong as divine power, it seems to be much stronger than many of his demigods.

Ander couldn't help but look at him sideways. This man was still very young, and his potential had not been fully tapped... Suddenly, the young man understood why there was a god following Hercules.

After a long time, the noise in the city center finally died down.

Until one moment, low footsteps came from a distance, as if approaching where Ander was.