Son of the Hero King

Chapter 731: I want to sleep

The pain showed no signs of stopping, as Sol’s body writhed desperately.

Even after Adam began to write, even after the golden blood seeped into the book resting in Sol’s soul, the pressure inside him did not disappear. If anything, it became heavier. Still, it was within the limit of his control.

His pride would never let him succumb to something as measly as pain. Even if it now seemed to be burrowing deep into his very soul.

Man, this shit fucking hurts.

He gritted his teeth and grumbled inwardly. The divine essence of Struggle was still active, still trying to force itself into places it did not belong, nor could it ever belong.

But the difference now was that it was no longer spreading on its own. It was being pulled by an external influence. Sol had zero clue regarding what Adam was doing, but the ancient old bones clearly had a far better understanding of Divinity than Sol himself did.

While Adam was working inside, Sol was also receiving help from outside influences.

Lilith reached him first. Her expression was calm, but her steps were slow and careful as if walking into deep water.

She made sure not to approach the ominous energy Sol had used. However, no matter how much she tried, her eyes would eventually end up drawn toward that energy.

It felt dangerous. Extremely so. But at the same time, it felt very familiar. She decided that she would meditate here later.

The moment her hand touched his, Sol felt some of the pressure lift as he focused the power on her.

Just a little.

He transferred a fragment of the energy into her. Not enough to hurt her. Not enough to change her path. Just enough to make a difference. At Lilith’s current level, all she needed was enough energy to complete her metamorphosis.

She tensed slightly. Her aura flickered for a moment; unlike Sol, Milia, and Nuwa, Lilith had no power or skills related to devouring. Receiving power in such a way was a first for her.

Sol expected that. Her foundation was already complete. Still, even if she was unable to absorb the energy of struggle, she could help him redirect it.

“Sol. I have decided where exactly I will create my territory.” Lilith grinned at Sol’s surprised expression and gave one last look at the place that was filled with the power of the End.

There could be no better place than here for her ascension. Once she made her decision, she closed her eyes and focused on absorbing the pure energy Sol was directing towards her. It was hard, extremely so, but since Sol was sending a gentle and steady flow, she could handle it somewhat.

Wukong came next. His clothes were torn because of his training with Lilith, and his staff buzzed faintly in the unstable air, but he walked with the same casual confidence as he always did.

“Tch. You look like utter shit,” he said, crouching beside Sol. “Need a hand?” Inwardly, Wukong felt humiliated. He and Lilith had appeared in such a grandiose way, only to be of no help when Sol needed it the most.

The fact that they were separated because of a Law was of no importance. Rules were made to be broken, and Wukong’s goal was to reach a level where he could destroy all laws standing before him and his goals.

Sol made no effort to answer the monkey’s provocation. There was no need for him to do something so base. He knew how important pride was for people like them. No words could help the handsome monkey king now.

“Well. We can talk about this later. I think it’s time for me to also truly become a demigod. Of course, if you will have me. I need a place to rent.”

Sol chuckled, and the two exchanged a fist bump before Wukong placed a hand on his back.

The moment their energy connected, another sliver of power flowed out of Sol.

Similar to Lilith, Sol allowed no hint of divinity to flow in his connection with Wukong.

The Monkey King's concept of Combat was extremely similar to that of Asura. In fact, with Asura dead, giving the divinity to Wukong would have been the best choice. But he knew that the man would never accept such a free meal. It went against everything Wukong stood for.

“You are damn right,” Wukong growled softly, feeling insight into all forms of combat thanks to observing Asura clash with Sol. In fact, the Law Asura used at the end was very similar to Wukong’s Zone.

Undeniably, a part of him was tempted to devour the insights of Asura. But in doing so, he would destroy his own potential.

Observing and learning from it was one thing, but his path was ultimately different from the fallen god.

“We are not enough.” Lilith interrupted them. The power of Asura was too strenuous. “Call the others.”

Sol nodded and sent a signal to his beloved women. Thanks to the ring he created for the witches and his soul connections with his contracts, it only took a moment’s thought. Nothing more. Nothing less.

* * *

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

Outside Sol’s dimensions, all the women who received his messages reacted simultaneously.

In fact, Milia, Isis, Lilin, and Setsuna were already extremely stressed. They could feel his condition since they were connected to Sol, even beyond dimensions, time, and space.

This was why they knew that something was terribly wrong with their beloved. They could feel the changes in his soul and the danger he was facing.

In the Tower of Babel, the space in front of Medea twisted. Without speaking, she raised her hand, and a crack in reality opened. A portal. It was jagged and unstable, but it would lead them to Sol’s dimension.

Behind her, Freya, Kali, and Milia were already moving. Medea's lips were tight, arms crossed over her chest. Freya said nothing, but the sharpness in her gaze was obvious. Kali was calmer than the rest, though even she clenched her fists once before stepping forward.

Milia was the first to walk through. Her face was unreadable, but her aura was colder than usual. Behind her, Setsuna and Lilin appeared almost simultaneously. They were previously in Wratharis, but thanks to the rings, they could open a portal to Sol’s dimension wherever they were.

Both were silent, but their expressions said enough. Setsuna’s jaw was locked tight, her fists trembling at her sides. As a knight, not being able to fight alongside her King had already deemed her a failure like none other. She could only wonder what kind of enemy he faced this time to end up in such a state.

Lilin gritted her teeth hard enough to draw blood. The air around her warped with pressure. Her discussion with Setsuna had helped her calm down some of her fears and feelings of inferiority. But she was reminded once more that there was so little they could do for their man.

Setsuna placed a hand on hers. “Let’s do what we can. Right now, he needs us more than ever. It is not time for us to remorse, only respond.” Lilin wanted to snap, but she knew that Setsuna felt the same way as her about their weaknesses. She sighed and nodded. “Let’s go.”

Isis appeared last. Her shoulders were shaking. She tried to wipe her eyes quickly, but the tears kept coming. Just a few moments ago, she had been filled with joy because she noticed the energy signature of her parents in the mortal dimension. But now she could only think about Sol.

“He’s not dead,” she muttered to herself. “He’s not dead.” As a master of the Soul, she could vividly feel the tumultuous turmoil Sol was facing, and with that understanding came an even more pronounced fear.

She dared not imagine what kind of combat he went through or how powerful the ones he fought were.

The group passed through the portal and into Sol’s realm. What greeted them was worse than any of them expected.

Twisted terrain. A shattered sky. Divine energy that burned just from being near it. And at the center of it all, Sol, barely upright, bleeding golden light from dozens of cracks in his body.

There was no hesitation.

One by one, they stepped forward.

Medea. Persephone. Kali. Freya. Milia. Setsuna. Lilin. Isis.

Each one walked with purpose. They knew that this was a great opportunity and that after this night, their realms would increase greatly. However, there was no joy for any of them. It was only a necessity.

Each of them stood in the same position they once did during the ritual for his ascension to the King's realm. Each helped anchor the runaway force burning inside his body.

Further in the distance, Pandora, Nefertiti, and the others watched. Ideally, Sol wished to send them some energy as well, but not now. A precarious balance was reached, and adding one more person would disturb the balance that was so hard to attain.

The pain did not vanish. His injuries did not heal. The backlash did not stop.

But slowly, the seemingly unending energy that was burning inside of him settled down.

His vision cleared slightly. The whispers at the edge of his thoughts quieted. The weight in his chest evened out.

The power of Deus, wild and directionless, was no longer pushing against his will. It was now responding to him. Still volatile. Still too unfathomable for him to wield. But no longer entirely out of his reach.

Adam’s voice echoed once more within this precarious peace.

{You are very lucky. Truthfully, I envy you. It might be cheesy to say this now, but you have what I lacked the most. People who believe in you and in whom you can believe.}

Adam’s voice reached him. It was faint and far weaker than he ever remembered the old man to be.

In Sol’s inner world, the golden blood finished its last line, and the book inside Sol’s soul pulsed with a faint light. Nothing flashy. Just a low, steady hum.

He looked at the story written in the book. The story of a poor god born for battle with no goal of his own.

It was a pitiful story, and yet there was undeniable beauty within such a story.

Sadly, there would be no happy ending for the pitiful god.

[... Thus, the power of Struggle was released into the world. Waiting for someone to obtain it.]

This was just the story of a minor character. One out of thousands upon thousands, and he had no power to put an End to it. As such, he wrote,

[To be continued…]

The moment those words were written. Something seemed to snap into place.

The power fighting inside Sol vanished as if it had never existed in the first place. Adam had rewritten reality in a way so that the event of Sol’s eating the divinity of Struggle never happened in the first place.

This action consumed nearly all the power at his disposal, and he could feel his existence vanish at a higher speed than initially intended.

This was not good. The faster he vanished, the more information Sol would have to assimilate. Sol’s ego was incredibly powerful, but everything had limits. Cracks were already appearing after he used a power he could not yet control and tried to devour a fallen god whole.

Truly, what a troublesome child.

At the very least, this was going to be an important lesson for him. It was time for Sol to understand the danger those reincarnated gods truly posed.

Adam smiled. He felt no sadness at Asura’s end. He had already been given mercy once. Sadly, he was not able to cherish his second chance.

I wonder, Sol. How many people will be part of the Happy Ending you are envisioning?

* * *

Thanks to Adam’s intervention, the rest of the ritual proceeded smoothly, and the energy was shared among all ten of Sol’s chosen. The quantity each of them could absorb was in no way equal, but they were all feeling equally bloated.

Lilith let out a small sigh and sat beside him. Her skin was pale, and her mana felt unstable, but she did not seem too concerned about her own condition.

Wukong looked half-asleep, eyes narrowed. “So. That’s it?”

Sol stayed silent for a few seconds before answering.

“… For now.”

His voice was rough. His body still felt like it was about to fall apart at any second. But he could feel that the worst had already passed. He could no longer hear Adam’s voice inside him. But he could still feel his presence. Adam was now asleep, and it was unlikely that he would be able to help if Sol recklessly devoured another demigod.

For the time being, the crisis had been handled.

He looked down at his hand.

No more outbursts. No more stray divine sparks. Just a slow pulse of steady energy.

He had kept his Balance.

Barely.

Lilith turned to him. “What do we do now?”

Sol thought for a moment before replying.

“… Rest.”

He closed his eyes and exhaled. There was still his initial target. The fox woman— the instigator and source of all the problems.

Sadly, Sol knew that he was in no state to fight or even search for another demigod. Furthermore, the one who could affect Karma seemed to have erased all traces.

But Sol did not despair.

He had no clue just how long he was allowed before the next problem popped up for him to solve. But right now, he had done enough.

He just wanted to sleep.