Being a Saint since the Age of Myth

"Oh, so you're this generation's Tenma Constellation?" The lady in the black veil nodded as she looked at Tenma.

"But how did you end up like this?" She eyed Tenma's illusory soul form with some curiosity.

"I met Alone in the human world-the human incarnation of Hades-and one blow from him left me like this!" Tenma scratched his head awkwardly.

"You took a blow from him and still retained your soul?" The lady in the black veil looked somewhat surprised, but soon noticed the woven grass wreath on Tenma's wrist.

"So Athena's blessing protected you. No wonder, no wonder!" Understanding dawned on her.

Even a Hades who had not fully awakened was beyond what the current Tenma Constellation could withstand.

Having his soul scattered by a single blow would have been perfectly normal. Keeping his soul intact was the real miracle.

"As for you..."

She turned to Wuxin and smiled. "You're more interesting than the Tenma Constellation!"

"Besides Athena, which other god stands behind you?"

"I'm sorry, my lady, but I don't know either!" Wuxin replied with a bitter smile.

Judging from her words, the elegant lady sitting before him was very likely a deity.

He was in no position to lie to her.

"You don't know either?" The lady in the black veil raised an eyebrow, not quite believing him.

"There are severe gaps in my memory. I've even forgotten my original name, so I don't know which god has placed a wager on me!" Wuxin answered truthfully.

"So that's how it is! It seems this Holy War will be quite interesting!" A meaningful smile appeared on the black-veiled lady's face.

An unknown god's involvement in the Holy War would make it more complicated.

Of course, that also made it more interesting to her.

"You can wield Sekishiki, so opening a passage to the human world should be easy for you. Since you've already found Tenma, why didn't you leave immediately?" the lady asked, fixing her gaze on Wuxin.

"May I decline to answer that? It concerns some of the Sanctuary's strategic plans!" Wuxin replied with a bitter smile.

He did not know whether she was friend or foe and did not particularly want to explain, but with her seemingly being a deity, refusing was very difficult.

"The Sanctuary's strategic plans?"

The lady thought for a moment, then nodded. "In that case, I won't ask!"

Then she smiled at the two of them. "Come to think of it, it has been a long time since any outsiders visited my home."

"Your coming here was a kind of destined encounter."

"For Athena's sake, I shall grant each of you a cup of nectar!"

As she spoke, she gave a nearby little fairy a meaningful glance.

"As you command, great master!"

The little fairy answered, then called its companions over to help and flew into the sea of flowers nearby.

Before long, they flew back out, chattering as they carried two trumpet-shaped flowers.

Perhaps the load was a little heavy, for the little fairies struggled to carry it, their tiny faces flushed red as they wobbled through the air, unable to steady themselves.

Other little fairies nearby immediately came over to help when they saw this, and only with their combined efforts did they carry the two small flowers over to the pair.

Only then did Wuxin see that the little flowers held a faintly glowing liquid. It gave off a refreshing fragrance that made it impossible to look away.

"This is my gift to you. Drink it!" the lady said with a gentle wave.

Tenma swallowed and tore his eyes away with difficulty, looking toward Wuxin, unsure what to do.

Sensing no ill intent from the lady before him, Wuxin nodded, accepted one of the little flowers, and carefully drained the nectar inside.

As the nectar entered his stomach, Wuxin clearly felt a strange power flow out from it, seeping into his flesh and blood before penetrating deeper into his soul.

At that moment, he felt as though spring rain had fallen upon the earth, bringing an incomparable sense of nourishment. His soul and will were strengthened, rising considerably out of nowhere.

"What miraculous nectar!" Feeling the changes within him, he could not help flexing his fingers.

After his recent training in the Sanctuary, his base strength had already reached a level of nearly five hundred thousand times the speed of sound. Now, nourished by the nectar, his soul and will were strengthened further, increasing the power of the Cosmo he could draw upon.

By his rough estimate, he should have reached nearly seven hundred thousand times the speed of sound.

With the enhancement from his Cloth included, he approached eight hundred thousand times the speed of sound.

His strength had increased substantially.

In terms of speed alone, he was already very close to light speed. Even against someone with the Seventh Sense, he now had the power to fight, rather than being overwhelmed by their speed without any ability to retaliate.

However, Wuxin also noticed that as his own base strength increased, the enhancement from his Cloth weakened, falling far short of what it had provided when he first obtained it.

Tenma also drank the nectar.

Although he was only a soul, he received its nourishment as well.

This was not because Tenma was special, but because the nectar was special: it could be absorbed by a soul form like his.

His strength increased dramatically. He had already reached High Bronze, and with the nectar nourishing his soul, he rose straight to Silver Level.

His improvement was even greater than Wuxin's.

"What miraculous nectar! It's absolutely incredible!" Tenma was beside himself with excitement and licked his lips, still wanting more.

Seeing this, the lady in the black veil gave a mysterious smile. "Now that I have given you my gift, I shall have you help me with something in repayment!"

"Huh?"

At those words, both Wuxin and Tenma cried out in surprise.

After all that, the nectar had not been free. It came at a price!

"Can we... refuse? We still have a very important mission to complete!" Tenma asked with a forced laugh.

"If you return the nectar, I will permit you to refuse!" the lady in the black veil replied unhurriedly.

"Well..."

Tenma was immediately at a loss for words.

Knowing refusal was no longer possible, Wuxin could only steel himself and ask, "My lady, what do you need us to do?"

"We will do everything we can to help fulfill your wish!"

The lady in the black veil smiled faintly. "In the Eighth Trench of the Seventh Prison, a fellow named Hephaestus is hiding."

"Find him and obtain a seed of the Searing Heart Spirit Flame from him for me. Then your mission will be complete!"

"Hephaestus? The smith god of Olympus?" Wuxin was startled.

"Yes, him!" The lady in the black veil nodded.

"The smith god? Why would he come to Hell instead of staying on Olympus?" Tenma was equally astonished.

"Why? To hide from heartbreak, of course."

The lady in the black veil shook her head and mocked him openly. "That fellow married a woman he shouldn't have and was played for a fool. He could no longer stay on Olympus, so he hid here in Hell!"

"Since the smith god is here in Hell, why not have this gentleman, or another Specter, do it?" Wuxin glanced pointedly at Orpheus.

Chapter 66: Intimidation and threats

"Because I don't want anyone else in the Underworld to know. Do you understand?" The lady in the black veil narrowed her eyes, her tone growing much more serious and carrying a hint of warning.

"Understood!"

Wuxin nodded.

Since she did not want anyone else in the Underworld to know, she naturally could not use her own people. Having an outsider like him do it was the most suitable choice.

"Then may we ask further what you need that flame seed for, my lady?" Wuxin asked again.

"Don't ask what you shouldn't!"

The black-veiled lady's gaze grew far sharper, all her earlier gentleness gone, and a terrifying pressure from her Cosmo emanated from her.

"Aah-!"

Wuxin and Tenma could not withstand it at all and were blasted away by that pressure.

However, the pressure vanished as quickly as it had come.

After that momentary eruption, the lady in the black veil reined it back in. As though nothing had happened, she remained seated in her chair, composed and dignified.

"This... this Cosmo is powerful enough to rival a god's!" Tenma was horrified as he climbed up from the ground.

He had already met Alone in his hometown in Italy and witnessed Hades's power within him.

The mysterious lady before them was even stronger than the newly awakened Alone.

"Now, do you have any other questions?" The lady in the black veil lifted her teacup and took an elegant sip.

"I'd like to ask, why us? With your abilities, my lady, surely you could easily find people in the human world to help?" Wuxin asked cautiously.

Like Tenma, after the power she had just unleashed, he was now certain that the lady before them was a deity.

For a deity with immense authority in the Underworld, seizing people from the human world would be effortless.

"It's quite simple!"

Setting down her teacup, the lady in the black veil said unhurriedly, "As I said before, I do not want anyone else to know about this."

"Besides, not just anyone is qualified to carry out this task!"

"And you happen to be one of those fortunate few."

As she spoke, her gaze settled on Wuxin.

"Me?"

Wuxin was somewhat taken aback. He had thought Tenma was the one the lady truly intended to entrust with the task.

After all that, Tenma was merely an extra. He himself was her target.

Hearing those words, Tenma also began looking Wuxin over curiously.

"Have you heard of fate?"

The lady leaned languidly back in her chair and said with a faint, ambiguous smile, "Fate does not govern everything the way you mortals imagine."