Watching the Battle

Despite Mandala's repeated careful avoidance, the silver arrows left deep, sinister wounds on her body, even marring her beautiful and enchanting face.

'Ah!!!"

Mandala let out a painful scream, her body severely injured, and the pure aura on the arrows felt like sunlight meeting ice and snow to the abyssal creatures—an endless burning and painful melting.

The purifying divine power hindered the healing of her wounds, and Mandala's pure black pupils turned blood red from the pain, with a raging hatred burning in her heart.

She gritted her teeth against the excruciating pain, her dark eyes constantly searching for Hebe's hiding place. It didn't take long before she finally found it. The swamp witch waved her hand, manipulating the vines in her domain. Thick, dark vines, shimmering with ominous light and magical energy, shot toward the tree where Hebe was hiding with lightning speed.

Hebe quickly dodged, the vines tearing the tree apart, reducing it to charred, putrid sludge under the corrosive magical power.

Hebe kept drawing her bow, firing silver arrows to fend off the vines. The arrows deflected the vines' trajectory, striking the ground beside her and the trees around her. The earth cracked, and the trees collapsed and withered, the sheer force and toxicity leaving one astonished.

'Nice power, but too slow. Perfect for honing my divine authority!"

A golden halo shimmered above Hebe's head as divine power flowed through her hands. The purifying force continuously coalesced, and more powerful purification arrows manifested. Drawing her bow like a full moon, she released a volley of arrows, the silver rain making a whistling sound as it rushed toward the vines summoned by the swamp witch.

The silver arrows and dark vines collided, the sound of breaking air echoing. The surrounding vegetation suffered from this unexpected disaster, leaving a trail of destruction and cracks in the earth.

The number of dark vines was no less than several hundred, but Hebe's purification arrows were not to be outdone. As she continued to gather purification arrows, her understanding of the purification principles deepened, allowing her to coalesce arrows faster and in greater numbers, gradually gaining the upper hand.

Watching Hebe's outstanding performance from the shadows, Ares stroked his chin, realizing that he wouldn't need to intervene—his sister was growing faster than he had imagined.

The speed of both sides' attacks increased, and soon the arrows and vines became indistinguishable, with only countless silver glimmers and dark lights intertwining and colliding.

'In the name of purification, cleanse the filth before me! Purification divine authority, coalesce!"

Divine light shone in Hebe's eyes, and at her heart, the originally ethereal purification divine core solidified in an instant. A brilliant silver divine core formed, and immense divine power surged into Hebe's body.

The feeling of divine power increasing was truly intoxicating. In that moment of grasping the new principles of power, an overwhelming clarity filled her mind, giving her the illusion of being able to oversee the world and control everything.

This sensation was like falling into a sweet dream—joyful and enchanting, drawing one into a state of bliss.

'Wake up!"

Ares called out sharply, rousing his sister from her stupor of divine power elevation.

Hebe cleared her mind in an instant and regained her focus. She hurriedly stabilized her spirit, feeling a twinge of fear; she had almost drifted away.

During the process of divine power elevation, if one could not maintain a clear and open mind, they could become lost in the principles and become a puppet of the laws.

Although the process of gaining power seemed long, in the outside world, it was merely the blink of an eye. The coalescing purification divine authority actively fused with Hebe's original divine core.

Under the radiance of youth, purification, and the soon-to-be-formed healing, the outpouring divine power allowed the golden-haired, purple-eyed girl deity to break through the barrier of a third-tier deity and ascend to a second-tier lower deity.

Though the peak of a third-tier deity and the lower tier of a second-tier deity seemed to be only a thin line apart, the difference between them was like heaven and earth.

As Hebe ascended to the rank of a second-tier deity, the benefits of her newfound power became immediately apparent when she faced the swamp witch again.

The swamp witch, who had been holding her own in battle, now seemed utterly vulnerable in Hebe's eyes. Her speed was too slow, her strength too weak, and her magic clumsy. All of the swamp witch's flaws were laid bare before Hebe.

This realization made Hebe feel a sense of boredom; this battle no longer offered her any gains. There was no need to waste any more time.

The golden-haired goddess put away her jade bow, opting not to continue the ranged combat but instead choosing to engage in close combat. The purifying divine power enveloped her entire body like armor, protecting her from the corruption and pollution of magic.

Hebe moved like lightning, swiftly severing the tentacle-like dark vines that Mandala had summoned. In the blink of an eye, she appeared before her opponent, and the purifying divine power transformed into chains that bound Mandala, leaving her no chance to escape.

'Ha!"

With a light exhale, the goddess gathered immense purifying divine power into a silver spear that radiated a terrifying aura, capable of inflicting irreversible harm on abyssal creatures. The spear pierced through Mandala's neck without any obstruction. Hebe raised her hand and twisted it forcefully, her exquisite purple eyes filled with coldness and killing intent.

'Ah!!!"

A wave of excruciating pain engulfed the swamp witch. Moments later, her vision began to shift, gradually blurring, until she was plunged into eternal darkness. Her head was severed, and her body shattered into countless pieces, scattering across the ground.

'Well done. Congratulations, my sister, on successfully joining the ranks of second-tier deities."

The purification divine authority, while not overly powerful, had its own combat capabilities. With this divine core coalesced, Hebe now possessed the power of a second-tier lower deity.

'Once you coalesce the healing divine authority, you should be able to reach the middle tier of the second rank."

'Middle tier of the second rank… that's still not enough…"

Although the elevation of her divine power brought Hebe joy, it was still far from her goals. To have a significant voice among the Olympian gods, she needed at least first-tier divine power, or even… the power of a supreme deity!

'A soldier who hasn't become a general in a day," Ares comforted Hebe. 'I'll ask our father for a few war-related divine authorities to give you later. At that point, ascending to first-tier divine power won't be difficult."

'Thank you, Ares." The affection from her brother warmed Hebe's heart.

'Alright, there are still several monster lairs that need to be dealt with. We can't waste time here; let's purify this area." Ares summoned his chariot, signaling Hebe to follow.

Hebe stepped onto Ares' chariot, and the magical horses flapped their pure white wings, ascending into the sky under the protection of the north wind.

Looking down at the ravaged land below, Hebe waved her jade hand, summoning a massive white cloud. Their father and mother were deities of storms and lightning, so Hebe naturally had some control over the sky's weather.

As Hebe's divine power increased, her accompanying artifact, the golden cup, also became more resplendent and magnificent.

Pouring the pure and untainted divine spring into the white cloud, it shimmered with brilliance, growing thicker and more radiant with silver light.

Before long, a cascade of holy light rain began to fall from the cloud, dripping onto every corner of the polluted abyssal swamp, purifying its filth and restoring its vitality.

An invisible force enveloped Hebe, and her purification divine core seemed to swell momentarily, strengthening within her.

Hebe felt a stirring in her heart and couldn't help but narrow her eyes.

In the days that followed, the siblings kept busy, driving their chariot around to eliminate monsters and purify the polluted land. Through the continuous practice of healing both her brother and herself, Hebe successfully coalesced the healing divine authority, ascending to the middle tier of second-tier divine power.

The benefits of clearing out monsters exceeded Hebe's expectations. Just like when she purified the swamp, she discovered that every time she performed actions beneficial to the world, such as purifying the land, she would receive a boost in power, akin to the concept of merit in Eastern mythology.

'Those who align with the will of heaven gain great merit; those with great merit possess vast powers, immune to all evils and undying through countless tribulations."

Not long after the Titan War had ended, many fallen deities had left behind a great deal of resentment, which gave rise to numerous monster lairs. Additionally, there were the countless monstrous offspring of the Beast King Typhon and Echidna.

These were all excellent places to accrue merit!

Hebe was thrilled upon learning this news and eagerly dragged Ares along as they roamed the earth, spending forty years among mortals.

'Hebe, we've been away from the divine mountain for a long time. It's time to head back; we can deal with the remaining monsters next time."