[Greek Mythology] The Demons Under My Command - Chapter 6
The little girl stood frozen in place, her expression bewildered. She slightly parted her lips but didn’t know what to say.
“You did very well.”
“Truly well.”
Li Jia lowered her head, smiling as she looked at the little girl. She gently wiped the tears from the corners of the girl’s eyes with her finger, then leaned down and tenderly embraced her.
How guilty and frightened the little girl must have been at that time.
“It was because I was too useless; I was a burden to Father and Mother.”
The little girl’s eyes turned red, and tears streamed down like pearls with broken strings, dropping onto Li Jia’s palm.
“You don’t have to blame yourself.”
“Do you know something?”
“I actually envy you.”
Li Jia was telling the truth; she envied the original protagonist.
They were using the same body, and in her vessel, Li Jia felt things she had never experienced before.
She felt a familiar yet strange love, causing a sweet and sour pang in her heart.
Sometimes Li Jia found it laughable. In her original time, she was just a student who had recently entered university, who should have been concerned with romance and typical teenage worries.
Yet, she was grieving over her family of origin and struggling to earn enough for living expenses.
She couldn’t understand why her university roommates called home every evening.
How could they have so much to talk about?
Meanwhile, the ‘Parents’ field in her phone’s contact list was perpetually empty.
No one willingly chooses to be self-reliant, but she was forced into it.
Adversity forged her independence.
Like a bird standing on a branch, it never worries about the branch breaking.
Because it trusts not the branch, but its own wings.
To receive love in one’s family of origin means forfeiting some tempering.
To receive tempering means forfeiting some love.
Ultimately, one cannot have both.
Li Jia had long since stopped expecting anyone to be her lighthouse.
She was her own harbor.
“Is that true? But if I hadn’t been so useless, Father and Mother wouldn’t have died.”
“And I don’t even have the courage to reclaim Father’s belongings.”
The young Li Jia lay in her arms, looking at a face that was almost identical to her own. She clutched Li Jia’s clothes, asking in a muffled voice, her confidence completely gone by the end.
“It’s not your fault. You were too young then, and you just wanted to survive. I understand the taste of being dependent on others more than anyone.”
“Your parents raised you very well and kindly.”
When facing difficulties, you don’t retaliate against others; you only punish yourself.
“Silly girl, using your own death to punish those with bad character, who rightfully belong in hell, is not worth it.”
The thorny vines, stained with Li Jia’s fresh blood, slowly receded. She held the little girl, standing in the center of the circle. The Divine Sovereigns in the temple witnessed everything: Li Jia’s fears and memories.
This included the segment where Li Jia, upon learning she was chosen as an acolyte, swallowed poison to commit suicide.
“Master, the target of the conquest is watching you.”
The System emitted a cold notification.
Watching me?
“Not only is the conquest target watching you, but the divine consciousnesses of the other Divine Sovereigns are also present.”
I see.
Li Jia curled her lip and gave a self-mocking smile. These candidates were like little figures on a monitor, with people observing their every move.
They were nothing more than tools for the amusement of the superiors.
“What a tragic little girl. Even I can’t help but feel soft-hearted and pity her.”
Aphrodite sighed, heartbroken, “Why did she choose Hera? She’s the most difficult Goddess in the entire Divine Realm to get along with. If I had known this girl’s fate was so difficult, I should have claimed her. Being by my side would be much safer than being with a lunatic.”
“These are her own choices. I have always disliked those who are timid and weak, choosing to abandon their own lives because of others’ mistakes.”
Athena’s eyes narrowed, carrying a hint of coldness and skepticism.
She was the Goddess of War born from the Divine Mountain, representing victory and wisdom. She possessed potent divine power and strong leadership skills, never panicking in the face of trouble, and resolving difficulties with clear logic and decisive action. Therefore, she detested cowards.
“It’s rather fitting that an arrogant and indifferent Goddess like Hera is matched with a timid, mouse-like acolyte.”
Zeus considered this and found it quite reasonable.
He didn’t want Hera to have an acolyte she liked.
An acolyte who was too clever, too brave, or too fearless wasn’t necessarily a good thing.
The Twelve Divine Sovereigns were all born from the Divine Mountain. The Creator God left an oracle that the Twelve Divine Sovereigns should each attend to their duties and constrain one another. If a deity grew jealous and attacked a peer, their soul would inevitably be harmed.
On the day the Divine Sovereigns were born, the Divine Mountain required them to take a Divine Vow, swearing by their most important possession, and extracting their most precious thing from their physical body to be guarded by the Archangel Gabriel in the Divine Mountain Hall.
This was to fulfill the duties of a Divine Sovereign.
Should they wish to reclaim their missing element, they would face judgment within the Divine Mountain.
For instance, Zeus, the God of Thunder, sacrificed his true heart, which is why he constantly falls for others but never loves anyone.
The Gods and the Divine Mountain check and balance each other.
Fortunately, over thousands of years, as the sun and moon cycled, there has been no deviation.
Time passed.
The four major domains—Sky, Ocean, Land, and Underworld—were governed by Zeus, Poseidon, Demeter, and Hades.
Hades acted cold and ruthless, preferring darkness and solitary action, disdaining to associate with the other Gods. He willingly degenerated into a God, becoming the Lord of the Underworld, permanently residing in the nether regions, and thus is not counted among the Twelve Divine Sovereigns.
The Underworld and the Divine Mountain have separate boundaries; neither can step into the other, maintaining a non-interference policy.
In the original book, Zeus and Hera possessed equal power. Zeus feared Hera’s strength and worried she might stand against him. He decided to pursue Hera to consolidate his power.
However, the proud and gloomy Divine Sovereign ignored his advances.
Various tactics proved ineffective until one day, he transformed into a rain-soaked cuckoo, appearing pitifully before Hera.
Perhaps moved by compassion, Hera embraced the small bird to keep it warm. However, Zeus seized the opportunity to transform back to his original form and violently took Hera. Afterward, he spread the news.
Initially, the Divine Sovereigns didn’t care; a woman’s chastity was not merely under her skirt; virginity was just a shackle for females.
But Hera did not want to start a war with Zeus and cause devastation throughout the three realms.
Zeus asked for Hera’s hand in marriage.
The terms he offered were tempting.
Sharing the Divine King’s authority, dividing power with her.
Zeus had many lovers and would father many children because of a prophecy that he would be overthrown by his youngest child. Thus, he had to continuously father children so that there would never be a youngest child born.
Hera never loved Zeus.
Zeus knew this perfectly well.
Hera’s punishment of Zeus’s lovers was merely a part of her domain of duty. She played the villainous role of breaking up Zeus and his lovers.
Everything she did was based on protecting marital stability and safeguarding the fidelity of the family. Hera sought to maintain the sanctity of marriage; as the Goddess who defends matrimony, she had to constantly restrain Zeus simply to fulfill her divine duty.
The golden-haired female attendant saw Li Jia’s dream. The gaze of this God, who had been solitary for millennia, a stagnant pool of water, showed ripples for the first time.
She was always self-disciplined and adhered to propriety. The Divine Mountain had given her a mission at birth, and she steadfastly maintained her duties.
Even if she was branded with the most venomous and jealous titles, she did not care.
Order needed the Gods to protect it.
She had no need for emotions or attachments.
Among the eight acolyte candidates, only Li Jia was the first to break the dream. She conquered her greatest fear. All she had to do now was follow the steps to the temple to pass the test.
Apart from Hera, the expressions of the other Divine Sovereigns were not pleasant.
It was well known that even the Sea God, whom people worshipped and revered, had acolytes who took three days to reach his side.
The Divine Mountain does not lie; only those who are absolutely loyal and absolutely subservient can reach the realm of the Divine Temple.
How could someone so determined and so resolute choose Hera?
Such a snake-hearted Divine Sovereign.
Poseidon watched the scene in the flames with interest, chuckling, “It’s over already? Isn’t that a little too fast? Let me spice up this game.”
He moved the trident in his hand. Roaring flames leaped upon the thorny vines, slowly enveloping Li Jia, pressing in to consume her.
Li Jia shielded the little girl in her arms as scorching hot air rushed towards her again and again. The leaping flames were like a pack of rabid beasts swaying wildly around her.
“Don’t be afraid.”
She comforted the little girl, urging her not to be afraid.
Li Jia’s spine felt like it was being pricked by needles where the fire’s tongue touched it. Thick smoke poured into her throat; just opening her mouth caused her pain. The heat was scorching her skin, giving off a burnt smell.
The fire grew bigger and closer.
Li Jia’s consciousness began to fade and scatter. The smoke stung her eyes, preventing her from opening them. Finally, she stumbled and fell to the ground but maintained her posture of protecting the child. The exquisite skirt was scorched, and stray strands of hair, mixed with sweat and dust, clung to her forehead.
“Sister.”
“I have to go now. I entrust Father’s silver coins to you.”
“Okay.”
Li Jia responded almost instinctively.
“Thank you, Sister.”
The little girl broke free from Li Jia’s embrace. As if she had made some important decision, she walked towards the outside of the circle of fire, and her figure quickly disintegrated and vanished.
Li Jia’s skin, which had been dried and roughened by the fire, was suddenly enveloped as if by a heavenly shower. A film of water covered her entire body, helping to isolate the heat source.
“Master, the conquest target is approaching you.”
Why is she gone?
Li Jia was referring to the young body of the original protagonist.
“Master, the original protagonist has entrusted her unfulfilled wish to you. The compatibility between you and her body is now one hundred percent; you will no longer be affected by her emotions. As the price for the wish, she willingly activated the protective mechanism for you.”
Do you mean that she has given her body to me, and now I won’t be burned by the fire and am not in mortal danger?
“Theoretically, yes, Master.”
Her body was fine, just looked a bit disheveled.
Can you report the distance between the conquest target and me?
“Of course, my Master.”
Li Jia quieted her mind, her heartbeat synchronized with the cold data.
“10km”
“1000m”
How is she moving so fast?
Li Jia mumbled softly to herself. She quickly tried to arrange a pitiful, fragile appearance for her impending meeting with the conquest target.
She was her only acolyte.
She’d take a gamble.
The flames continued to press in. Li Jia calculated the time by watching the System’s distance report.
“1m…”
She feigned resignation, pretending she could no longer hold on, closing her eyes and falling straight backward.
The cold, muddy ground she had imagined was replaced by a warm embrace. Li Jia breathed a sigh of relief. Her fingers desperately clung to the fabric of her skirt, refusing to let go.
Li Jia let out a choked sob in her arms, and Hera could finally clearly see the streaks of smoke and tears on the face of the person she held.
The moment she picked her up, Hera felt the weight of her bones.
So light.
Li Jia’s breath softly fanned her neck, like a clever, satisfied kitten. Scalding wood fragments landed on Hera’s arm, yet the Divine Sovereign still held her tightly.
The tall, slender figure carried a woody scent; it was pleasant, making her feel drowsy.
Seeing that she had achieved her goal, Li Jia, exhausted, truly drifted into sleep.
The superior held her and stepped out of the circle of fire. With a single instantaneous movement, she carried her back to her own divine residence.
Seeing that events were not unfolding as he had anticipated, Poseidon’s face immediately turned cold. Finding no further entertainment, he was about to leave the Divine Mountain.
Before he could exit the temple, ten thousand silver snakes surged in from outside. They swarmed Poseidon, biting and tearing at him. Poseidon tried to use his divine power but found it ineffective. He cursed angrily, filled with rage, “Hera, you lunatic!”
“My acolyte.”
“It’s not your place to discipline her.”
A deep, bloodthirsty voice echoed in the air. The oppressive divine might spread throughout the entire temple. The silver snakes’ red eyes scanned everyone present, their gaze profound, making it hard for anyone to breathe.
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