Chapter 249: Athena Approaches Death
Qin Chu’s confidence in the face of such overwhelming power stunned both Heloise and Iyeta. They didn’t doubt his ability to reach such heights. After all, his growth rate was astonishing.
They were also shocked by the Dark Witch Shaye’s strength. After all, she had been welcomed by the Demon King, a being of equal power.
There were only two beings in the entire Heavenly Continent who had surpassed the level 100 limit, and both of them were Demon Beasts. Fortunately, the Demon King was obsessed with his research and rarely left his palace, and Shaye was also engrossed in her own studies.
Otherwise, if these two were to unleash their full power, humanity would be doomed.
“By the way, what is Shaye researching?” Heloise suddenly asked.
Iyeta shook her head. “I heard it’s about modifying Demon Beasts. His Majesty personally selected a group of strong and healthy Demon Beasts for her experiments. After leaving her laboratory, these Demon Beasts became incredibly powerful, like madmen, fearless in battle.”
Although he had been with Shaye for a long time, Qin Chu didn’t know much about her research. He hadn’t inquired about it.
Intrigued by Heloise and Iyeta’s words, he asked Shaye in his mind.
She didn’t hide anything. “It’s pretty much what Iyeta said, experimenting with modifying Demon Beasts using potions.”
“That Nagath knows I’m proficient in potion brewing.”
“For a potion-making Witch, high-quality materials are precious and very attractive. Nagath said he had some extremely rare materials, and the Demon Beast territory is vast, filled with all kinds of herbs. He said he would arrange for Demon Beasts to collect them for me if I needed anything.”
“Of course, in exchange for the materials, I had to share my research results with him.”
“To me, research is research, no matter where I am. I just want precious materials to improve my skills. Since someone was willing to offer them, why not accept? So I readily agreed,” Shaye replied casually.
Shaye was different from other Witches.
She was powerful, but she didn’t care much about good or evil.
She simply did as she pleased, regardless of the consequences.
“What kind of materials did he give you?” Qin Chu was even more curious.
To attract a powerful Witch like Shaye, it must be something extraordinary.
“Well, it’s a strange red liquid.”
Shaye leaned on his shoulder, her chin almost touching his ear, “I think it’s the blood of some creature.”
“I dare say my knowledge is vast, but I can’t identify it. And it’s highly diluted, not the original. But even so, it contains an incredibly potent energy, something I’ve never encountered before.”
“I asked Nagath what it was, but that old man didn’t tell me. He said he would reveal its origins after my research yielded results.”
“That diluted blood is enough for several years of research. I only need a single drop each time, and I even have to dilute it further. Otherwise, those Demon Beasts undergoing the modification wouldn’t be able to withstand it.”
Qin Chu was even more curious now. How strong was Shaye?
Even highly diluted blood was considered incredibly potent by her, something she had never encountered before?
Could it be… the blood of a god?
This thought suddenly appeared in Qin Chu’s mind.
That couldn’t be possible, right?
The gods had perished a thousand years ago. Where would he find their blood? And it wouldn’t have lasted this long, it would have spoiled.
Apart from those strange beings in the Void, Qin Chu hadn’t encountered any true gods, and he didn’t know much about them.
“He asked you to modify Demon Beasts. Didn’t he have any specific requirements?”
“Of course, he wanted them to be as agile as the wind, as intelligent as humans, incredibly strong, and indestructible. It seems he wants to create an army of killing machines.”
“Agile as the wind, incredibly strong, and indestructible are easy. Most of the Demon Beasts I modified met these standards. The only problem is ‘as intelligent as humans’.”
Shaye yawned lazily, tucking a strand of silver hair behind her ear, “As intelligent as humans… Isn’t that the same as awakening their intelligence?”
Her tone turned slightly displeased, “Most of the Demon Beasts Nagath sent me were all brawn and no brains. Awakening their intelligence? I might as well try to awaken the intelligence of cockroaches, it would probably be easier.”
“Their tempers were already volatile, and with the potion’s influence, they all became a bit… manic.”
“But undeniably, their combat power increased significantly.”
“Their speed is like lightning, their claws can tear through steel, and human bows and crossbows can’t pierce their skin…”
“I thought my research was quite successful, but that damned Nagath was still picking faults, so I retorted…”
“The potion’s effects are very strong, the transformation process incredibly painful. Even the most strong-willed Demon Beast can’t withstand it, their minds becoming somewhat… unhinged. To fully endure the potion’s effects, you’d need a… corpse…”
Shaye’s voice turned smug, “Hmph, that guy was probably intimidated by my aura. He paused, thought that what I said made sense, apologized, and left with my research report.”
Strength, agility, intelligence, defense…
What was that Nagath planning? Was he really just trying to create an army of killing machines?
Qin Chu pondered. It didn’t seem that simple.
The Demon Beasts already had the upper hand in their conflict with humans. Nagath didn’t need to go through so much trouble to create killing machines. He could just personally crush the humans.
What was he planning?
In the first playthrough, whenever he encountered the Demon King, they would fight immediately. He didn’t know much about these things.
If you can’t figure it out, then don’t think about it, he thought. I can always sneak into the Demon King’s Palace and find out later.
The most important thing now was to return to the camp. Angelica and Anastasia were probably struggling to maintain the illusion of his presence.
Although Violet was there to keep things under control, his prolonged absence would still arouse suspicion. And he hadn’t figured out how to explain Heloise and Iyeta’s presence.
Did he even need to explain?
After confirming his coordinates, Qin Chu activated a spatial teleportation scroll and reappeared in his tent.
Angelica and Anastasia were inside.
Seeing his sudden appearance, the two girls instinctively tensed, ready for battle, then relaxed when they saw it was him.
They vaguely sensed that he seemed even more charming now, but their lover was always charming in their eyes, so they weren’t too surprised.
But… they quickly noticed Heloise and Iyeta beside him.
The two beautiful girls looked at them with resigned expressions.
The Hero had brought back more women again, two this time.
Because Heloise and Iyeta looked so human, Angelica and Anastasia didn’t realize they were Demon Beasts.
Anastasia even curtsied politely, “What are your names, sisters?”
Demon Beasts didn’t have such complicated etiquette. Seeing Anastasia’s curtsy, even the powerful Heloise and Iyeta were a little flustered. They mimicked Angelica, awkwardly curtseying in return.
“Heloise…”
“Iyeta.”
Newly arrived in the human world, the two powerful Demon Beasts were a bit nervous.
“Sisters Heloise and Iyeta?” Anastasia didn’t mock their awkwardness, but smiled gently. She didn’t know that these two Demon Beasts were much older than her. If anything, she was the younger sister.
“How did Qin Chu deceive you into coming here?”
What do you mean, “deceive”? Can’t you use a nicer word? Like… “persuade”? Qin Chu thought.
“Huh? Are you talking about Master Qin Chu? He didn’t deceive us,” Heloise said, puzzled.
Master?
This title made Anastasia raise an eyebrow and glance at Qin Chu. This Hero, he was quite the playboy, wasn’t he?
Having such a cute little maid like Angelica wasn’t enough for him? Did he think he was some kind of nobleman?
“Ahem…” Qin Chu felt that his reputation was about to be ruined if this conversation continued, and he coughed, changing the subject.
Anastasia understood, but she was smart. A little teasing was fine, but too much would be annoying.
“Did anything happen while I was away?” Qin Chu asked.
Anastasia nodded. “There was a small incident, a conflict between the surviving soldiers and the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess… But Miss Violet handled it, although it might have earned us their resentment.”
“I didn’t want her to be so impulsive, but I couldn’t stop her. And those people from the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess were truly too much.”
Anastasia briefly explained what had happened and Eileen’s return.
She had thought that Qin Chu would be angry about provoking the Church of the Earth Mother Goddess, but he didn’t seem to care at all.
On the contrary, he was more concerned about Eileen.
After a brief silence, he asked, “Where’s Eileen now?”
“After a brief meeting with the former Hero Squad members, Eileen, Airi, Sylph, and Athena asked Violet for leave and left. I don’t know where they are now.”
“I see. Where’s Ekaterina?” Qin Chu asked nonchalantly.
“She’s outside. She’s been here many times, seemingly with something important to tell you, or maybe just to keep an eye on you. After all, you’ve been in here for two whole days without showing your face. Everyone is wondering what you’re doing!” Anastasia blushed slightly, “Although we’ve been trying our best to cover for you, it’s getting harder and harder.”
After all, even if the Hero was… vigorous… who could go for two days and two nights without stopping?
Was he a machine?
Some of the nuns had even started whispering about their… impropriety… behind their backs.
Although Anastasia didn’t care about their opinions, she still felt a little annoyed.
Qin Chu sat down, tapping his fingers on the armrest. “Angelica, Anastasia,” he said, “can you show Heloise and Iyeta around?”
“And call Ekaterina in.”
Anastasia and Angelica understood that he had important matters to attend to and left without a word, taking the two Demon Beast girls with them.
A few seconds later, Ekaterina rushed in, clearly anxious.
Just as she was about to speak, Qin Chu smiled and beckoned her over.
The Crimson Valkyrie blushed slightly, then sat obediently on his lap, her athletic body leaning against his.
She let him have his way, her eyes clouding with desire.
Where Ekaterina couldn’t hear, Qin Chu asked Phil in his mind, “This is the Crimson Valkyrie. What do you think?”
“No,” Phil’s answer was immediate and decisive.
Her unwavering rejection surprised Qin Chu.
“She’s a very… capable… woman, isn’t she?” he asked.
“No, her soul is filthy, it disgusts me,” Phil’s voice was firm, “Besides, her body is no longer pure. I’d rather create my own body later.”
As the former Saintess of the Flame Temple, she valued purity highly.
Although it was Qin Chu who had… defiled… Ekaterina, Phil still couldn’t accept it.
Since she didn’t like Ekaterina, Qin Chu guessed that she probably wouldn’t like Athena either.
Well, he would deal with that later. Perhaps Phil would change her mind after meeting her.
He wrapped his arm around Ekaterina’s slender waist, inhaling the fragrance of her hair, and smiled. “Ekaterina,” he said, “I missed you.”
Ekaterina blushed, her body wriggling slightly in his embrace. “Master,” she murmured, “I missed you too.”
“It seems you have something to tell me.”
“Yes, Master!”
“Eileen returned with news. Ronald has been captured by Lomond.”
“After some discussion, Eileen, Airi, and Sylph went to rescue him.”
As expected.
Just as he had predicted, Loseweisse and the others might not care about Ronald’s life or death, but they definitely cared about Jie Luo the Second’s soul fragment.
They would definitely go to Lomond’s territory, trying to rescue Ronald and find the soul fragment.
These women weren’t stupid, they must have realized it was a trap, but their obsession with Jie Luo the Second made them willing to take the risk.
Lomond’s territory was about to become very lively.
“What about Athena? Didn’t she go with them?” Qin Chu asked, finding it strange that Ekaterina hadn’t mentioned her.
“Athena didn’t participate in the rescue mission,” Ekaterina quickly replied, “Muse the Mad encountered some trouble, and Athena went to support her. If nothing goes wrong, the former Hero Squad members will soon obtain a piece of Jie Luo’s soul fragment.”
Hearing this, Qin Chu’s eyes narrowed.
Athena was walking towards her death.
“Master, what are you going to do?” Ekaterina asked, seeing his grim expression, a hint of worry in her voice.
Qin Chu didn’t answer, just patted her head.
Ekaterina understood, her cheeks flushing slightly, and she left his embrace.
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