Son of the Hero King

Chapter 784:

In another wing of the palace, Lilith lay on a healing bed, her wounds being tended meticulously by Nefertiti. The violet-haired swordswoman's body was filled with injuries— burns from her mana overdrive, cuts from debris, and deep muscle tears from pushing well beyond her limits to enact techniques and enlightenments she only gained in the fight itself.

Her old body would have been destroyed. The new one was already close to destruction. However, it was nothing if not resilient, a trait granted to her by Sol.

"You should have come to me immediately," Nefertiti chided gently, her hands glowing with healing light as they moved over Lilith's lacerated arm.

"There were others who needed urgent and immediate attention, far more than I did," Lilith replied, wincing slightly as Nefertiti healed her.

Lilin and Isis had been working since the first meteor shower, flying all over the country and healing whoever they could witness. Even now, Isis was moving toward the frontier of Greed Dike to provide relief and aid to the ruined settlements.

The door opened quietly, and Camelia entered, her blind eyes somehow finding Lilith without hesitation.

"I thought I might find you here," she said, her voice carrying that familiar mix of warmth and steel. "Still avoiding proper medical care until the last minute, I see."

Lilith managed a weak smirk for her old friend. "Old habits die hard, and what can a blind woman even see?"

"Hahah.” Camelia gave a sarcastic laugh at the lame joke thrown her way by her friend.

“Some habits should be broken," She then replied, taking a seat beside the bed. "Especially when they involve nearly getting yourself killed."

Nefertiti worked in silence, her focus entirely on the healing as the two older women spoke and bickered. Though Nefertiti's faith in Sol was undeniable, there remained a professional distance between her and Lilith— respect, certainly, but not the easy familiarity that Camelia shared with the swordswoman. It was only warranted; the pair of women knew each other for far too long not to be anything but close.

"I did what was necessary," Lilith said, her voice steady despite the pain. "The meteor had to be stopped."

"By cutting it yourself?" Camelia's tone was incredulous, but there was unmistakable pride beneath it. "You never do things by half measures, do you?"

"Would you have preferred I let it fall?"

"I would have preferred you not damage yourself beyond repair." Camelia's hand found Lilith's, giving it a gentle squeeze filled with her concern and affection for her friend. "Mars isn't here to scold you anymore, so someone has to do it in his stead."

At the mention of Mars, a shadow passed over Lilith's face before her features schooled. "He would have done the same."

"He would have," Camelia agreed softly. "And I would have been here to scold his ears off, too."

Nefertiti completed her work on Lilith's arm and moved to the burns across her shoulders. "The damage to your mana channels are severe," she reported. "You'll need at least a week of rest to recover fully."

Lilith scoffed at the time mentioned. "I don't have a week."

"You'll make time," Camelia said firmly. "Or I'll have Sol order it."

"That's fighting dirty."

"It's fighting smart," Camelia corrected with a smile. "Something you seem to have forgotten in your quest to sever the heavens themselves."

Lilith went quiet, her eyes distant, almost glassy. "I saw something when I cut that meteor, Camelia. A truth about my concept." Her voice dropped to nearly a whisper. "There's nothing I can't sever. Nothing. Until now, those words were more bravado than anything. But now, I believe I can realize this truth and sublimate it.”

Camelia stilled, her blind eyes widening slightly. "That's a powerful revelation."

"And a frightening one," Lilith admitted. "The line between what should be cut and what should remain whole... it blurs sometimes for me."

The full concept of Severance she grasped was heavily intertwined with the power of the End, and while faint, its power was definitely affecting her.

Nefertiti finished her healing work in silence, then stepped back. "The physical damage is repaired," she announced, "but your mana channels need time to recover naturally. I've done what I can."

She twirled her shoulder. “I could instantly heal you with Nirvana, but it would deny you the growth that would come along with healing your wounds normally.”

"Thank you," Lilith said, testing her arm with a careful flex that only served to twinge her mana channels, making her grit her teeth.

As Nefertiti gathered her supplies, Camelia stood as well. "Rest," she ordered, her tone leaving no room for argument. "The world will still need saving tomorrow."

Taken from ReadNovelFull.com, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

After they left, Lilith sat alone in the quiet room, her mind replaying the moment her blade had severed through the very heavens themselves.

Not using mana did not mean she could not meditate and contemplate over her enlightenment and her concept.

* * *

In a specially secured laboratory beneath the Tower of Babel, Nuwa's body hunched over a crystalline containment chamber, but the eyes that gleamed with fascination were unmistakably Echidna's. Inside the vaulted chamber, suspended in a field of pulsing energy, floated the severed arm of the Goddess of Love and Hatred, now only Hatred, with her concept of Love stolen by Dawn.

"Incredible," she whispered, adjusting the arcane lenses of her examination equipment. "The cellular structure defies conventional understanding. It's neither matter nor energy, but something beyond."

Divine Beasts were half-energy beings, so Echidna had always deduced that gods were simply beings entirely made of energy. It seemed like they went a step beyond her estimations.

Nuwa's normally silver hair now shimmered with streaks of gold, and white scales glimmered across her skin in geometric patterns. This was the result of increasing the synchronization rate between them. At this rate, Nuwa would become truly Blessed even without Echidna.

But Echidna herself had no care for this. Though she appeared outwardly calm, there was a manic energy to her movements that betrayed her current excitement. With increasing clarity and perception, she considered it a shame that she could not retrieve the arm Anubis took for himself.

"The concept is literally woven into the matrix," Echidna muttered to herself, fascinated. "Hatred isn't just an idea the goddess embodied— it's physically integrated into her very being."

The laboratory door slid open, and Sol entered, now dressed once again in his wedding suit.

"What are you doing?" he asked, nodding toward the severed limb.

"Studying," Echidna answered without turning and gracing his presence. "Your timing is excellent. I've just isolated something fascinating. The goddess's divinity is still active, even separated from her body."

"Is that dangerous?" Sol asked.

"Potentially. But contained for now." She finally looked up, Nuwa's soft features transformed by Echidna's manic glee. "More importantly, it supports my theory about the nature of conceptual embodiment."

Sol approached the containment chamber, studying the divine flesh with narrowed eyes. "What theory?"

"Those concepts aren't merely metaphysical constructs adopted by beings of sufficient power. They're actual fundamental forces – like gravity or electromagnetism – that can be isolated, transferred, and potentially synthesized." She gestured excitedly toward another chamber, where a smaller fragment pulsed with dark energy. "This is why Dawn was able to steal the concept of Love. Unlike Hatred, Love was not fully integrated within her body. She was not born with it; she only wielded and made it for herself over countless eons. It's not just an abstract idea— it's a fully tangible force. It could even be integrated into technology.”

She was already bursting with ideas. What if they used this to mass-produce Dukes and King levels? If the overall power of the world increased, then there would be a higher chance of gods being born.

At the same time, she remembered the Ranger armors created by Theresa. One of the greatest weaknesses of that armor was that, while it could provide physical specs comparable to a Duke, it could not grant individuals Domains or Zones, manifestations of their beliefs and truths.

But with this?

Sol's expression darkened at the mention of Dawn. "That's what you took from today's events? A confirmation of your theories?"

Echidna finally registered his mood and straightened Nuwa's body. "Not just that. But you must admit, the scientific implications are revolutionary."

"More than twelve thousand dead is what I see, Echidna. Death caused by our own fight.”

She waved a dismissive hand. "Most of them were Chimeras. They're designed to be expendable."

"They're people," Sol's eyes flashed, rainbow hues bleeding into blue.

"They're experiments," Echidna countered, then, seeing his expression, quickly added, "But yes, people too, I suppose. A regrettable loss."

There was absolutely no sincerity in her voice. But what could she do? The only reason she had been worried about her Kingdom was mainly because of her secret underground facilities.

Sol shook his head. He knew that there was no need to continue this conversation, not with a maniac and insane woman like Echidna. She had no empathy at all. "You're using Nuwa's body too much."

"I still have time. I need to finish observing this experimental object, please." Echidna insisted, turning back to her examination.

"No," Sol's voice hardened. "You're done for today. I need to speak with her."

Echidna opened her mouth to protest, then thought better of it. "Fine. But I expect unrestricted access to this specimen tomorrow."

"We'll discuss terms later." Sol's tone made it clear she was not negotiating with the demigod; she was ordering her.

Echidna sighed theatrically, then closed her eyes. The air around Nuwa's body shimmered, and when her eyes opened again, they were softer, confused.

"Sol?" Nuwa blinked, looking around as if waking from a dream. "Did we win?"

Sol's expression softened immediately. "We did. How do you feel?"

Nuwa flexed her fingers experimentally. "Strange. Like I was... everywhere at once." She looked down at her arms, where faint scale patterns were still visible beneath her skin. "I remember things. Knowledge that isn't mine."

"That's normal," Sol reassured her. "Echidna's consciousness left an imprint. It will fade with time. Don’t worry."

Nuwa touched her face, feeling the lingering changes. "Will I... Will I change completely?"

Sol stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Only if you choose to. The power you experienced— it's yours now, if you want it. But it doesn't have to define you."

"I felt so strong," she whispered. "Like I could do anything."

"You could," Sol agreed. "But such power always comes with a price. In fact, all power comes with it. The only difference is if you are willing to pay it."

Nuwa looked up at him, eyes suddenly sharp with a clarity that seemed beyond her usual self. "Like the price you're paying?"

Sol went still. "What do you mean?"

"I saw things while she was in control. Memories, impressions." Nuwa hesitated. "You're changing too, aren't you? Becoming something else."

For a long moment, Sol said nothing. Then, "Get some rest, Nuwa. We'll talk more tomorrow."

As he turned to leave, she called after him. "Sol? Be careful."

He paused at the door. "I will." Then he was gone, his thoughts a mystery, even to himself.