The Greece Antagonist

Sea of Okeanos, on the volcanic rock island.

"Chirp~!"

Accompanied by a piercing scream, a Siren with the face of a woman and the body of a bird, carrying a spray of blood, plummeted from mid-air, crashing onto the rocky beach below.

Before she could struggle to her feet, a foot descended suddenly, crushing her neck.

The plaintive cries for help ultimately turned into gasps for air, wheezing out of the leaking windpipe.

Luo En reached into both his ears to pull out clumps of grass soaked with magic potion and tossed them to the ground, stretching his body to embrace the golden-red blood essence escaping from the Siren's body.

As the divine energy flowed and converged within him, the last wisp of vacant starlight upon the bronze altar illuminated.

A hundred gold-tier sacrifices, after more than half a month of difficult hunting, were finally gathered!

But at the moment of accomplishment, Luo En's chest surged with intense heat. The Wheel of Hecate, symbolizing rebirth, twisted and turned, and the hundred divine lights above the bronze altar fell like shooting stars into the sea of his soul.

Om——!

In an instant, Luo En's entire heart and the world itself seemed to be battered by a tremendous meteor shower, his thoughts, consciousness, and emotions all obliterated in the thunderous roar and trembling that surged through his mind.

In that moment, time lost its concept, space lost its dimensions.

All ceased to exist, all reverted to primordial chaos.

Then, in a flash, a golden-yellow flame ignited in the darkness, an infinite light overflowing and piercing through the boundless chaos and darkness.

Thoughts, sensations, emotions, like thousands of rivers flowing into the sea, rapidly returned to every bone, every drop of blood, every cell in his body.

Every pore of his shell seemed to have opened completely, sensing the world with unprecedented clarity.

Vaguely, Luo En felt as if he were in the midst of a bustling marketplace.

The breath of the wind, the flow of water, the sediment of earth, the burning of light and fire, the sprouting of life, the rhythm of souls... Everything around him was clearly reflected in his mind.

The world was like an eternally burning flame.

He himself was a spark within it.

Of the same essence, interconnected!

"Hoo..."

With a long exhalation, Luo En slowly opened his eyes, his pupils shimmering as if two golden flames danced within them.

In a trance, it seemed he could glimpse another chaotic world within them.

So that's it!

The so-called Demigod is one who, through the medium of Divinity, allows an individual's soul to merge and resonate with the essence of the world!

Mortal strength may have its limits, but if one relies on the whole world, freely calling upon magic power and controlling the rules, then life can truly be called a God.

Only the soul's strength and the physical body's endurance limit one's reach.

Thus, a life that lights the divine fire can only be called a Demigod.

Luo En's thoughts whirled, continually refining his understanding of cultivation and of this world.

In the process, magic power from miles around became visible like an aether tide, converging on him, celebrating the birth of a new Demigod upon the Sea of Okeanos.

Rich and pure magic power particles constantly washed over his flesh and bones, perfecting his body to adapt more fully to the world, to hold and call upon more magic power.

Perhaps sensing danger, the fish and sea beasts attracted by the scent of blood in the nearby waters panicked and fled in all directions, among them not a few gold-tier monsters.

Looking at the adversaries he had once handled with care now trembling in fear under the divine might of the Demigod, Luo En couldn't help but smile, a sense of surreal alienation rising in his heart.

Unexpectedly, the Ascension was successful so quickly.

Things were going smoothly.

Luo En looked down at his palm, a surreal sense of absurdity spreading through his chest.

Or rather, it seems too smooth...

"Hum!"

As Luo En was lost in thought, the disappeared Twelve-Sided Die reemerged in his palm with a buzzing tremor.

Then, the grey-snake patterned rock die, as if tossed by an invisible hand, spun a few rounds before him, showing a number composed of snake patterns.

This was the mark and symbol of Athena, Goddess of Wisdom and Warfare.

Simultaneously, a divine script shimmered upon the Wheel of Hecate transformed bronze altar, revealing clear letters.

"Desecration One, commit an act of desecration against the Goddess Athena."

What's going on here?

As Luo En looked confused, the Twelve-Sided Die in front of him spun again, this time displaying symbols of musical notes and strings.

—Belonging to Apollo, God of Light and Prophecy.

And the divine script in his mind altered accordingly.

"Desecration Two, destroy a temple of Apollo, God of Light."

A strong sense of foreboding rose within him, and Luo En's face changed dramatically, his hand instinctively reaching out to stop the Twelve-Sided Die before him.

However, the die spun a third time, patterns of waves coming into view, followed by a new prompt above the altar.

"Desecration Three, slay a Demigod offspring of Poseidon, God of the Sea."

Feeling the lines of prophecy that appeared side by side in his mind, and the malice embedded within them, Luo En couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat—all joy from his ascension as a Demigod gone.

"You seem puzzled?"

An elegant and pleasant voice came from one side, where a deity tasked with guiding lost souls had appeared on the beach at some point, sitting gracefully upon a boulder, her feet, as white as jade, dipped in the azure waters, gently swaying.

"So, wanderer, do you need me to unravel this for you?"

The figure, enshrouded in mystery, turned towards Luo En, a teasing smirk playing on its face.

At that moment, Luo En took a deep breath, his face ashen as he looked toward Hecate, who was clearly concealing something.

"What in the world is going on!"

"The tiny price of using this thing…"

"Haven't I already paid it?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you…"

Hecate tapped her forehead, lifting her eyes apologetically as Luo En approached and began to speak in a somber tone.

"Killing a hundred gold-ranked Sea Beasts and collecting Divinity is only the sustenance for Ascension, solely for yourself. That is not the chip required to lever fate."

"..."

Luo En's mouth twitched involuntarily as he realized he had been duped.

He came to understand that he had won on the chessboard, whereas Hecate had won beyond it.

From the beginning, this woman had planned every step to trap him.

As Luo En's expression grew even darker, Hecate offered a comforting smile.

"Don't worry, just choose one of the three; you don't have to complete them all."

Luo En's lips curled into a cold sneer, his expression still dark and stormy.

What difference does it make?

The three prices were to hand over the battle-hardened Athena, to find and destroy a Temple of Apollo in the vast Sea of Okeanos, or to kill Poseidon's Demigod progeny...

Each one was suffused with the shadow of death.

If Luo En had known that the Dice of Chance was such a cursed object, he would never have rolled those numbers.

Wait, it seemed that right after he had returned from the Netherworld, Hecate had tossed the die to him.

But because he had always maintained a certain vigilance towards this woman, he had left the object to gather dust in Hecate's Temple for years, rarely even touching it.

At that thought, Luo En's mind clarity returned, as all his questions were suddenly answered; his gaze landed coldly on the Goddess of the Crossroads.

"So, from the beginning, this was intended for me…"

"Didn't you say you wanted to overturn Olympus? I'm merely fulfilling your wish, guiding you onto the path you ought to tread," Hecate replied with a smile, spreading her hands as if questioning.

Luo En was left speechless, his heart filled with gloom.

Big sister, I was just joking, who told you to take it seriously?

The creditor patted the debtor's shoulder in a friendly manner, comforting him benevolently.

"Rest assured, I am not some evil deity who would stand by and watch you march toward death. That's why I waited until you ascended to a Demigod, earning the right to enter, before officially drawing back the curtain on this game."

"I truly thank you!"

Realizing there was no escaping his debt, Luo En gritted his teeth and expressed his gratitude reluctantly.

Hecate seemed oblivious to the deep resentment in his words, smiling gently as she waved her hand.

"No need for thanks, it's only what's expected."

"..."

Luo En choked again, fell silent for a moment, then, gathering himself, he spoke while clutching the Twelve-Sided Die in his hand.

"Then, once I've paid the chip, I can leave the game?"

"You should know that in gambling, there's only a difference between zero times and countless times."

With a reassuring smile that belied the underlying harshness of her words, Hecate dashed Luo En's last sliver of hope.

"But don't worry, the die will be cast at regular intervals, ensuring you have enough chips to continue playing at the table of [Fate]."

In the face of Luo En's expression, which was on the verge of tears, the Goddess of Gaming pushed the indebted man into the game, offering her encouragements and blessings.

"So, whether your Dice of Chance can eventually leverage [inevitable fate], is something I'm really looking forward to."

"If I get the chance, I will certainly not disappoint you," replied Luo En, forcing a smile on his face, maintaining superficial respect while internally desiring to lash the Goddess who pushed him into conflict with the Twelve Olympians a thousand times!

Hecate smiled and waved, signaling her farewell.

But as she turned to leave, something seemed to strike her, and she abruptly turned back, kindly reminding him.

"Oh right, if you don't make a choice within the allotted time, like a die cast at random, the chip will be matched randomly. Good luck."

"...!"

On the shore, as Luo En thought about how to deal with this gambling Goddess after surviving, he suddenly shivered, his face turning green as a chilling dread crawled from his spine to the top of his head.

But before he could respond, the three divine edicts on the bronze altar in his mind faded and disappeared.

Simultaneously, a cold wind and waves rose up at sea as a massive figure fell onto the Volcanic Rock Island like a meteorite, scattering debris everywhere.

A low roar, filled with both excitement and cruelty, came from within the billowing dust.

"To run into you here, you damned sheep thief!"

Luo En, seeing the immense figure that loomed large as a small mountain, had his expression change drastically as his body instinctively tensed like a bowstring.

It was him!