The Sword Emperor Transmigrates

Chapter 261

Booooom—!

Cerberus’s fangs ripped through the air, but Adam Kadmon was a beat faster and dodged before kicking him.

The hundred-ton beast was hurled back and slammed into the ground like a boulder. The attack barely left a mark, as Cerberus was a divine beast, but his eyes briefly went hazy from the dizziness before he righted himself.

You can’t call that martial arts. It’s something else, Leonard thought to himself as he watched them fight.

Despite Adam Kadmon’s enormous size, the giant made of light was remarkably limber and agile in its movements. Seeing as how each punch and kick was accompanied by a tangible impact and a boom, it definitely had mass, but its inertia and center of mass shifted fluidly as if ignoring laws of physics.

“...It’s not that Adam Kadmon has no mass, it’s that it only becomes material the moment it strikes,” Leonard realized, muttering to himself.

Simon’s eyes widened in surprise, not bothering to hide his astonishment. “Impressive! Though this spell is faulty and incomplete, it’s still close to the Class 10 level. And you mean to tell me you can discern its mechanisms? I didn’t know the synergistic potential between the Dragon Heart and Dragon Eyes was this amazing.”

“It’s not because of my Dragon Eyes. The Archduke, Commander Demian, and even knights of a commander’s caliber could all discern it.”

“Is that so? You all must have a different perspective from mages.”

“That’s right,” Leonard agreed.

“Exactly,” Demian chimed in. “As Leonard has said, that thing’s attacks are too unnatural. If something of that size jumps down from that height, it should cause a big shockwave, or at least kick up a cloud of dust. You know how they say every action has an equal and opposite reaction? It’s quite obvious that it doesn’t follow that basic law either.”

With that, one could tell from the way Adam Kadmon fought that it wasn’t a martial artist. There was no logic behind its moves. It seemed that the entity merely came up with the right attack on the spot, and none of its techniques indicated that it possessed good bodily awareness or was using its body mass strategically.

Mages who viewed the world through magical spells and principles couldn’t even comprehend how even the simplest kicks and punches required a deep understanding of the human body and laws of motion, and that achieving an understanding of countless techniques and exchanges could give one near limitless martial potential.

Those who reached the Demigod Tier relied mostly on visualization and mind martial arts when they fought, but in order to reach that stage, they had to first study and master the very basics.

“From the way one walks, turns, and forms a fist, the human body uses hundreds, no, thousands of small motions to create a so-called action,” Demian explained. “But there is nothing human about the way that giant moves. Actually, the question I should be asking Simon is why even shape it like a human anyway?”

Demian turned to the Grand Magus with a look of disgust.

“Because Adam Kadmon is a spell that seeks to manifest the perfect human,” Simon said calmly. “Those movements that you speak of are merely limitations caused by possessing a mortal body. If intent can be translated directly into action, there would be no need for muscles and joints to portray it. This is no different from mind martial arts; it’s where thought and action become one.”

In other words, it wasn’t merely enough to be able to withstand an Aura Blade or dodge lightning in the physical realm. The leader of the Arcane Society dared to pursue something more.

“Wouldn’t it be possible to reach a divine state by creating some kind of transcendent being that is not hindered by a physical body, just like the gods? That is what I asked myself. And thus, Adam Kadmon is a result of that research,” Simon explained.

“I decided to use light as a medium for my will to embody the limitless potential of divine powers in a limited manner. Though I can only summon it to fight hand-to-hand combat, it is still a very burdensome Class 9 spell, so it needs further improvement. Sadly, I don’t think I’ll be able to complete it before the Outer Gods invade.”

While the three of them conversed, the earth-shattering battle between Cerberus and Adam Kadmon was approaching its conclusion.

Even though the guard dog had been pummeled into the ground multiple times, his six eyes glowed with ferocity. Cerberus couldn’t effectively neutralize a single one of Adam Kadmon’s attacks. The real Cerberus wouldn’t have been hindered in the slightest by this level of power, but as a mere replica in a Divine Territory, he wasn’t strong enough.

Cerberus’s three heads spewed hellfire onto Adam Kadmon, but the giant moved at the speed of light and instantly emerged behind the hound, wrapping its arms around Cerberus’s necks, seemingly recreating the legendary battle with Heracles.

The giant squeezed hard, as though seeking to crush Cerberus’s throats.

Cerberus thrashed as he tried to escape, slashing Adam Kadmon’s arm with his sharp claws, but it was all futile. The peculiar giant was made of light, meaning it was immune to any physical attacks.

“I believe this is the end,” Simon remarked.

Demian nodded, still impressed by the hard fight the guard dog had put up. “If the Divine Territory had reproduced Cerberus’s hellfire more accurately than his physical strength, the battle would’ve been closer. But this way, he was at a disadvantage in too many ways,” he acknowledged.

“It wasn’t that Cerberus is weak, it’s just that the Adam Kadmon spell is almost like cheating,” Leonard agreed.

He was right. As a mostly immaterial being, Adam Kadmon’s ability to neutralize or offset physical attacks would almost be able to rival True Gods. Cerberus, on the other hand, had been reduced to a tenth of his former strength, so he never stood a chance.

“Enough.”

Just then, a booming voice, laced with authority, came from behind Cerberus.

“You have proven yourselves worthy. Let the child go, and you may enter my palace.”

The voice belonged to one of the three strongest gods of Olympus, the king of the netherworld.

It was Hades himself.

“...Dispel,” Simon commanded with a tilt of his staff. Adam Kadmon, which still had its arm wrapped around Cerberus, scattered into pieces and soon faded into thin air. Though Simon was the most powerful mage in the world, he seemed a little fatigued after casting and maintaining this spell.

Cerberus seemed slightly stunned when he realized he was free. He soon nodded to the trio as he stepped aside to let them pass. If the ancient myths were correct, there wouldn’t be any more obstacles standing in their way.

The three passed through the gates and entered a big hallway adorned with soul stone lanterns on both walls, glowing with bluish light like will-o’-the-wisps. It wasn’t exactly bright, but it wasn’t dark either.

They proceeded deeper into the palace.

The Underworld was an eerie and unnaturally quiet realm. The living weren’t allowed to come here and leave, and even in the ancient stories, few people had ever broken this rule. Heracles was about the only one who had achieved his goal when coming down here.

Still, the sense of emptiness was all too strange.

“...It’s quiet,” Leonard observed as he scanned their surroundings. “Aside from Hades, it doesn’t seem like any other residents have been recreated here. Commander Demian, is there anything you can sense?”

“It’s very different from Poseidon’s and Zeus’s Divine Territories. It’s hard to believe that he hasn’t summoned any soldiers, or at least some attendants. I don’t see a single sign that indicates he wants to grow his divine power or expand his Divine Territory.”

Typically, the top priority of Void Deities was to establish their presence after losing their power and basis of existence from the ancient eras. The quickest way to recover their lost strength and authority was by gaining veneration from mortals.

But out of everyone in his kingdom, Hades had summoned only Cerberus and Charon, ignoring the rest. It was possible that he was conserving and amassing his divine power instead of using it to expand his Divine Territory, but so far, the trio had seen no signs to prove that.

“Are there Void Deities that act like this?” Leonard asked.

“Just a few of them. They’re very rare,” Demian explained. “They remain idle because they don’t want to acknowledge that they are only a vestige of their former selves, or something like that.”

“It’s good that Hades doesn’t seem to be aiming to restore his glory from the ancient days... but in that case, he might not be interested in the Nine Hells either,” Leonard pointed out.

Hades would only be willing to fight if he had retained the ambition of his past life. If he was indifferent about fading away and willing to roll over, there was nothing they would be able to do.

In order for him to fight Crom Dubh for dominance over the netherworld, Hades needed something to motivate him.

After being reduced to less than a True God, these mortals were about to try to convince Hades to enter the battlefield. If he was too arrogant or prideful, he might take their proposal with offense.

“...Oh.”

It didn’t take too long for them to reach the heart of the palace. There, they came face-to-face with Hades, who was sitting on his throne.

His eyes and hair were as black as a starless sky, contrasted by his ashy white skin. Despite his languid demeanor, his overwhelming aura left no doubt that he was a Great God. Even though he was only a remnant, his colossal presence was enough to intimidate the three Demigod Tiers.

“I welcome you to the Underworld, mortals.”

There was no energy, let alone any anticipation in his voice. Only his eyes moved.

“As my wife and my vassals are absent, forgive me for this inadequate reception. Since you already seem to know the rules of my realm, I assume you will not partake in a meal either?”

“If you are referring to the rule that those who eat the Underworld’s food cannot return to the world of the living, then yes,” Simon said courteously, stepping forward. “Thank you for accepting us into your palace, O Lord of the Underworld, king of the dead.”

“Indeed, staid old man. I met countless others like you back in my day. They were neither interesting nor entertaining. Step aside and let the young ones speak.”

“...Yes, milord.”

Embarrassed by Hades’s brusque comment, Simon immediately stepped back and gestured to Leonard and Demian to come forward. He instantly realized that Hades was a way stronger Void Deity than they had expected. Moreover, it seemed his decisions would be dictated by his mood. If any of them complained about unfairness, they might be kicked out and barred from returning.

But on the other hand, this meant the trio could get what they had come here for without a fight. They just had to match Hades’s temper.

“It does not appear that you have come here to fight nor to serve me. I am curious as to what your business is. One of you may explain. If you speak any falsehoods, you will immediately be expelled.”

Leonard and Demian exchanged a look at that thinly-veiled threat, and Demian stepped forward. No one was more experienced and knowledgeable when it came to dealing with gods than him.

Perhaps that was why he made the gamble. Instead of stating their business as ordered, he said something more dangerous and provocative.

“My lord, before I answer, there is something I would like to propose.”

“Arrogant man. You mean to say you will state your own demands first?” Hades narrowed his eyes, the carelessness in his voice vanishing.

“We shall bring your wife Persephone to your Divine Territory. In exchange, I ask that you join us.”

Demian’s hard hitting words dispelled the fury in Hades’s eyes.