Chapter 4 The Ascension of Divine Power

Hebe raised an eyebrow, her delicate and flower-like features revealing a hint of heroism, sharp and unrestrained like a sword drawn from its sheath. Over the past century, she had continuously practiced her combat skills and archery, and with the power that would soon come from her two new divine positions, Hebe felt herself slowly breaking free from the 'vase" category.

This made the pride and fighting spirit that had been etched into her bones since her previous life gradually lose its concealment and begin to shine.

'Oh?" Ares raised an eyebrow. The more he got to know this sister of his, the more surprised he became, along with a small sense of pride. 'In that case, the next monster lair is in the Abyss Marsh. Let's see how far you can go without my help."

'Just you wait and see," Hebe replied.

Her violet eyes were filled with the spirit of battle. Having been the vase goddess on Mount Olympus for so long, she felt stifled.

The siblings drove Ares's war chariot through the sky at incredible speed. The speed of this chariot was extraordinary; the immense wind generated during the ride had no effect on the gods, but if a mortal were on this chariot, they would likely be blown away.

The four magical horses pulling the chariot had an extraordinary lineage. They were the offspring of the vengeful goddess Menestheus and the god of the North Wind, born with the power to control storms. Their speed was indeed comparable to that of the wind, and they were later taken in as mounts by Ares.

In less than half a day, Hebe and Ares arrived at the Abyss Marsh, located deep within the earth.

This monster lair truly lived up to its name. Having grown accustomed to the vibrant beauty of Mount Olympus, Hebe felt a wave of discomfort wash over her as she looked at the dark and eerie jungle before her.

It was supposed to be a bright and sunny noon, yet the trees here were tall and twisted, resembling gigantic serpents. The warped trunks exhibited a strange bluish hue, with lush foliage that was not the vibrant green Hebe associated with life and vitality, but rather a dull, rusted green that felt lifeless.

In this jungle, the interwoven branches completely blocked out the light from the outside world. The only source of light was the eerie mushrooms growing on the tree trunks, emitting a ghostly blue glow, combined with the rust-colored marsh below, filled with miasma.

Hebe had no doubt that if any unwary creature stumbled in here, it would be knocked unconscious by the toxic gas in less than three seconds and then sink into the marsh, becoming nourishment for the lurking monsters below.

'What a thick miasma," Hebe frowned, raising her hand to cast a purification barrier around herself and Ares to ward off the miasma's effects.

'This place is a magical domain created from the remnants that fell during the Titan War, tainted by the essence of the Abyss," Ares explained, having gathered relevant intelligence before coming here.

'The monsters in this marsh are tough to deal with. It's the swamp witch, Mandragora, so be careful," Ares cautioned Hebe, but he had no intention of intervening. While Mandragora was indeed troublesome, she was not an overwhelmingly powerful monster. Since he wanted to test Hebe, he would not interfere as long as her life was not in danger.

'Okay," Hebe nodded, looking around. The surrounding environment was indeed unfavorable for combat, with the thick miasma, the trees exuding the essence of the Abyss, and the witch hiding in the murky marsh.

It seemed she needed to force her opponent out of hiding first.

The golden-haired, violet-eyed goddess raised her hand and summoned her companion artifact, the Golden Cup. With a flick of her delicate hand, the golden cup transformed into a size that could be embraced by a person, and a majestic pure aura surged from its rim.

Hebe took out nine silver arrows from her quiver and placed them into the Golden Cup, stirring them clockwise.

As time passed, the silver arrows submerged in the cup began to shine with a silvery light, the pure aura standing out in the marsh like a bright lamp in the night, so obvious and out of place.

Almost there!

Hebe pulled out the silver arrows that had been fully infused with purifying divine power and put the Golden Cup away.

The young goddess picked up her jade bow and nocked the nine purified silver arrows onto it. Her seemingly delicate white hands suddenly unleashed unmatched strength, drawing the jade longbow back to a full moon shape.

'Go!"

With a flick of her jade hand, nine silver arrows shot forth like nine brilliant beams of moonlight, flying towards the center of the marsh. The nine arrow lights intertwined and merged mid-flight, transforming into a bird with a crown atop its head and a long tail trailing behind, exuding great vitality.

'Chirp!"

The peacock formed from the arrow lights let out a cry, flapping its wings and charging towards the Abyss Marsh with the force of a raging river.

A massive explosion erupted, and the once dark and silent Abyss Marsh became lively and chaotic. The purifying aura contained within the nine silver arrows naturally opposed the dark magical energy present here, a clash akin to fire and water.

The purifying divine power began to spread across this area, long tainted by darkness, driving away the magical energy and cleansing the jungle. The miasma gradually dissolved under the purifying power, and the eerie blue branches and dark green leaves of the trees began to wash away like paint washed off with water, revealing their original forms. Fresh green buds sprouted, and the jungle began to regain its vitality.

'Crack!!!"

A scream filled with anger and brutality echoed from the depths of the marsh, and the once calm surface of the marsh began to boil like scalding water.

From within the swamp, a dark green shadow suddenly lunged out, attacking the girl with the silver bow.

'I've been waiting for you!"

As the monster approached, Hebe was already on guard. Seeing the creature being forced out of the marsh, she swiftly dodged to the side as the creature's dark green claws reached for her face.

Hebe stepped aside nimbly and, in a flash, drew her jade bow. The purifying divine power coalesced into a silver arrow, which she shot directly at the swamp witch.

The jade bow in Hebe's hands was a divine artifact crafted by her brother Hephaestus, the god of fire and forging. It had the ability to accelerate the gathering of divine power and imbue the arrows with speed, sharpness, and explosive force.

The silver arrow flew like lightning, and the swamp witch had no time to dodge. It pierced through her shoulder, and the purifying divine power exploded, engulfing her in intense pain that made her let out a sharp wail. The piercing sound waves even snapped nearby branches.

'Shut up!"

Hebe couldn't help but frown at the swamp witch's cries and shot another arrow.

'Clang!"

The arrow met the witch's claws with a sound like metal striking metal. However, the swamp witch seemed to have forgotten one important detail: this arrow would explode!

As expected, the purifying divine power detonated again, and the swamp witch let out another wail. Her palm was corroded by the divine power, and the intense pain slowed her movements.

Finally, Hebe had a chance to see the creature born from the Abyss Marsh.

The swamp witch, Mandragora, was not ugly-on the contrary, she had a slender, graceful figure and an enchanting face. Her hair, resembling seaweed, clung to her exquisite body, and her skin was a strange dark green. Her claws glimmered with a cold light, and her pitch-black eyes, devoid of whites, emitted a faint magical aura. Unlike the pure and noble goddesses and nymphs of Mount Olympus, Mandragora was filled with a bewitching and sinister beauty.

Fortunately, it was Hebe who came to eliminate the monster. If Zeus had seen this, who knows if that unscrupulous father god would have taken yet another monster as a lover.

'Ah! $#@u0026. (Monster language) You damned outsider! How dare you destroy my territory! I will tear you apart!"

With her territory violated and her ambush thwarted, Mandragora let out an angry scream.

Born from the Abyss Marsh, she was inherently repulsed by the aura of purity and sanctity. The intense purifying energy radiating from this intruder made her feel nauseous! Moreover, this was the culprit who dared to invade her territory, and Mandragora could think of nothing else but to tear this intruder to pieces.

Hebe couldn't understand the language of the abyssal creatures. Unlike Mandragora's alluring appearance, her voice was grating and unpleasant, laced with an unsettling magical power that stirred irritation in the listener's heart.

Hebe frowned; for the sake of her ears, it was better to end this quickly.

A golden cup-shaped sigil appeared above the young goddess's head, and a powerful wave of pure energy surged from its mouth, condensing into countless silver arrows that floated behind her. Since she had not yet fully honed her purifying divine position, she had to rely on the artifact, the Golden Cup, to quickly extract purifying divine power.

The golden-haired, violet-eyed goddess swiftly turned and dashed forward, her movements as quick as lightning. In the blink of an eye, she was positioned right behind the swamp witch, drawing her bow with a crisp, decisive motion.

With a single pull of the bow, sharp silver arrows rained down upon Mandragora like a storm of pear blossoms. Each time Hebe drew her bow, she shifted her position, using the tall trees around her to conceal her figure, maximizing her advantage as an archer.

Before Mandragora could react, countless silver arrows fell from the sky, resembling a beautiful rain of silver light. However, to the swamp witch, it was far from wonderful.

Though she was agile, the sheer number of arrows was overwhelming. The marsh had also been infused with purifying divine power, making it impossible for her to hide within it to evade the arrows.