The Warrior of Love

"This is……"

Jiang Liu seemed to sense something, raised his hand and saw that bruise-like spots appeared on his skin and were expanding rapidly.

Seeing this scene, Jiang Liu understood and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

"The curse of death... You have plotted against me, Athena."

This is the word and curse of "death", the final outcome directly announced by the mistress of the underworld, and even gods and godslayers are no exception.

Originally, this was not a curse that could be cast remotely. It required the power of the spirit of words to be injected directly into the body in order to take effect, such as using weapons such as arrows or sickles to injure the opponent.

Jiang Liu's power of protection made Athena's arrows lose their threat. Arrows that failed to break through her defense should not be able to be injected with the Word of Death, but Athena took another way to bypass Jiang Liu's power.

The Queen of the Underworld added cursed power to each arrow, which was originally used to increase the power, so even if Jiang Liu noticed it, he would not be surprised. However, these cursed powers were actually tainted with the curse of death.

Although the arrow itself was deflected when it came into contact with the river flow, the curses remained on the surface of the river like "traces".

The amount of that weak curse may not be worth mentioning individually, but when hundreds or thousands of them are added together, it is the power of the underworld that is enough to curse and kill gods and demons!

At this moment, Athena concentrated on "detonating" it, and the long-accumulated Word of Death spirit began to madly erode Jiang Liu's vitality like a virus, dragging him into the abyss of death...

"Buzz!"

Jiang Liu's eyes turned cold, and waves of curse power began to circulate in his body, strangling all invading death word spirits like a rotating star ring!

He didn't even use the resurrection times of "Eternal Twelve Trials" or activate the immortality of "Hydra". He just used his magical power to eliminate Athena's spell.

——[Shura o sneered at Tiexin].

A strong heart that will not be affected by any negative abnormal status, and super high resistance to curses and magic!

When combined with the God Slayer's inherent resistance to spells, there is almost no curse in this world that can be effective against Jiang Liu.

What's more, Jiang Liu's vitality is unimaginable. Even if he has no resistance, it cannot be offset by a mere word spirit.

"It's better to avoid this kind of trick."

Jiang Liu clenched his fist fiercely, and the curse power on his body surged, and those bruise-like marks were instantly cleared away.

"Do you think I would fail in such a matter?"

"Humph!"

Athena steadied her body in the air, folded her messy wings, and seemed to have no intention of dodging anymore.

"As expected, the Word of Death alone is ineffective. Although it is disappointing, I have already thought of this possibility. It was just an attempt. If I want to defeat a man like you, I will have to fight with my life."

hum!

The light condensed in the goddess's dexterous hands, materializing into a golden sickle that did not match her slender arms. If it were not for the goddess's holy figure, the image of the person holding the sickle would be like the god of death in folk legends.

Considering Athena's "Underworld" deity, it is not wrong to say that she is the god of death.

"Heh... Let me see your bravery, Demon King Jiang Liu!"

Chapter 562: Embarrassed Athena

Clang!

The gleaming golden sickle and the deep black red-patterned long sword collided with each other, emitting dazzling, burning sparks that illuminated the faces of the goddess and the man in the dark night.

Athena and Jiang Liu stared at each other almost at close range. The eyes of the goddess of war were filled with a sparkling desire to win and a high will to fight. Although Jiang Liu's eyes were calm, there was a hint of fanaticism that could not be concealed.

Clang——

The Undead Slash collided with the sickle again, and obscure and invisible magic power came from the sickle, but disappeared into the void in an instant, like a stone sinking into the ocean without a trace.

A hint of surprise flashed across Athena's face, but she did not hesitate. She waved the scythe as tall as her own with both hands, drawing one arc after another, stirring up a fierce wind, and turning it into a blade that continuously slashed towards the river.

Her graceful figure swayed like a lily, and the way she wielded her weapon in battle was as dreamy as a dance, making it impossible to look away.

But hidden behind this beautiful figure is a superb skill worthy of the title of "Goddess of War".

A strange weapon like a sickle is more difficult to use than a sword, a spear, or an axe, especially because the sickle used by Athena is almost as tall as herself...

However, Athena turned the scythe into a part of her body, and her nimble hands and light steps were perfectly combined. Every slash drew a fatal arc in the air, leaving Jiang Liu with nowhere to hide and only able to fight back with the blade.

This goddess who once fought side by side with Jiang Liu, clearly knew Jiang Liu's fighting ability but still had the courage to approach him... She really had enough to be proud of.

Even in Jiang Liu's opinion, the martial arts of this female warrior were of a very excellent level. Unlike her beautiful appearance that was like a work of art, her physical strength and endurance were beyond expectations and were in no way inferior to the so-called Steel Hero.

hum!

With every confrontation and collision, an ominous cursed force would surge in, and then be crushed when it came into contact with the blade of the Undying Slash.

That is the "Spirit of Death"!

All weapons used by Athena will automatically be attached with this ominous curse, especially the sickle that symbolizes the god of death.

It can be said that every time the scythe of death is swung, it is a curse on Jiang Liu... Of course, this is ineffective.

What surprised Athena was that the curse was not resolved by Jiang Liu's resistance, but dissipated naturally when it encountered the long sword.

It seems that this sword, which looks unremarkable but exudes an ominous aura that is equal to that of the "Spirit of Death"... no, the opposite, is also quite powerful.

Is there a weapon like the sickle-shaped sword "Hepal (Snake Hunting Sickle)" that can kill the immortal?

I had originally thought that even if I couldn't kill this man by injecting the "Spirit of Death Words", it would at least be able to restrain the circulation of some of the cursed energy. Now it seems that my plan has failed.

The more I get to know him, the more I feel that this man is difficult to deal with - the silver-haired goddess sighed slightly.

Then, after fighting for so long, she had to admit her own limits.

Fighting against Jiang Liu in close combat... this is already the limit!

If the fight continues, Jiang Liu, who is used to this rhythm and style, will be able to break her martial arts at any time and overturn everything she has!

Originally, she chose close combat just because she was unwilling to give it a try. Now, she was defeated as expected. Although Athena felt regretful and unwilling in her heart, she could only silently distance herself from Jiang Liu.

However, as soon as she showed signs of retreating, Jiang Liu pressed forward without hesitation.

The previous steady fighting method seemed like a joke. The pitch-black Undead Slash burst into bursts of red light, and the sharp blade cut through the space, chasing Athena coldly and resolutely.

"Well!"

Almost in an instant, the situation changed from a barely evenly matched one to Athena being unilaterally suppressed.

"Don't push your luck!"

The goddess glared at Jiang Liu angrily. Her pitch-black pupils transformed into golden eyes. Strange vertical pupils appeared in them, reflecting Jiang Liu's appearance.

hum!

The strange wave of cursed energy spread out from the goddess, and the surrounding land was completely petrified, becoming gray-white hard rock.

Jiang Liu, who was confronting Athena head-on, was the first to be hit. The traces of petrification spread from his feet all the way up to his entire body.

call!

The cursed power gushed out like a tide, Jiang Liu's eyes condensed, and the petrification curse was broken just like the "Spirit of Death".

However, taking this opportunity, Athena had already put enough distance between herself and Jiang Liu.

Whether it is the petrification curse or the word of death, they are both one of the trump cards in Athena's hand. Not to mention ordinary humans, even if the target is a god or a godslayer, as long as it hits, it can take the opponent's life, and at worst it can reduce most of their strength.

However, Jiang Liu seemed to be born to restrain her. Not only did he have physical abilities and martial arts that were superior to hers, he also had a special physique that was not afraid of most curses.

Even the "Ancient Night" that could extinguish all fire and light was torn apart by the Sun King.

This was undoubtedly frustrating for Athena... but it was far from enough to bring her to her knees.

This most ancient goddess of the earth still has many abilities that have not been revealed. She is truly a queen who is even more powerful than Echidda!

"Go ahead, my sharp teeth, and crush my enemies into pulp!"

Roar!

A roar came from deep within the earth, and the ground suddenly cracked and bulged. A giant black-scaled snake nearly a hundred meters long rushed out and opened its bloody mouth towards Jiang Liu.

"Oh, do you understand? Fighting me on this land means you are against the land itself!"

As the patron saint of the city of Athens and the goddess of the earth who is closely related to the spiritual energy of the earth, Athena was very confident in saying this.

——This is indeed true.

Because after the black-scaled snake appeared, the ground shook again, and huge mythical beasts that were no less powerful than the black snake emerged from the ground one after another. A rough look showed that there were more than ten mythical beasts gathered here, like rising mountains.

Jiang Liu remained unmoved. When the giant snake opened its mouth to swallow him, he punched it hard on the jaw. The giant snake, which was over a hundred meters long, was sent flying high by this punch and fell awkwardly among the many divine beasts.

"Ho ho ho!!"

Facing the ferocious monsters who wanted to charge towards him, Jiang Liu waved his hand and attached the extremely condensed domineering aura to the blade of the sword.

For him now, Haki has almost no distinction between weapons and domineering color, because it can be wrapped around weapons and fists to increase power.

boom--

This mixed sword pressure of Ryusakura's domineering and overlord color immediately tore the earth apart, moving straight forward all the way, splitting all the divine beasts encountered along the way into two!

And finally, in the flesh and blood that seemed like the hell of Shura, the figure of the silver-haired goddess was directly swallowed up in the dark red crescent moon...

Chapter 563: Shield of Aegis

boom!

The violent turbulence swept away the atmosphere, and then rolled back from all directions. The howling wind blew past Jiang Liu but he didn't care, his eyes were fixed on the center of the explosion.

For a moment, a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, but he quickly returned to his calm expression.

When the aftermath of the explosion dissipated, a bronze shield with a Gorgon's head in the center was revealed. If you look closely, you can see that it not only has the characteristics of a "snake", but is also surrounded by bird wings.

Even though it had withstood a cursed attack that was powerful enough to destroy an entire street, there was not a single scratch on the surface of the shield, not even a trace of dirt.

Athena took away the shield and gave Jiang Liu a confident smile.

"Aegis... you really do possess this weapon." Jiang Liu slowly spit out the name of the shield, shook his head slightly, and gave up the idea of ​​continuing to pursue with domineering power.

The bronze shield in Athena's hand is actually called the "Aegis Shield".

In Greek mythology, there are two shields called "Aegis". One belongs to the god-king Zeus and is made from the skin of the ewe Amalthea (who protected Zeus when he was an infant). It has the power of blessing to eliminate all evil and provide absolute protection. Even Zeus's thunderbolt cannot leave a mark on it (the American Aegis system borrows from Greek mythology).

The other side belongs to Athena, who gave it to the hero Perseus to help him kill the Gorgon Medusa. Later, Perseus inlaid the head of the Gorgon on the shield and returned it to Athena.

Therefore, Aegis is also called "Shield of Medusa".

This is probably the most famous shield in Greek mythology. Whether it is Zeus's side or Athena's side, it represents the ultimate defense and indestructible guardian blessing.

Jiang Liu was very confident in his swordsmanship, but conceptual defense was not so easy to break through. Even if he continued to release sword pressure, he probably wouldn't be able to really threaten Athena who was being protected by him.

"This was one of my old symbols. Later, as I fell into depravity, it was also plundered." Athena said with a little pride, "But now that I have ascended the throne again, I naturally have to take back everything that belongs to me."

A woman with the characteristics of a "snake" and a "bird" - this is one of the classic images of the Earth Mother Goddess, and similar records can be found in myths all over the world.

As one of the oldest earth goddesses, this weapon is the embodiment of Athena's divinity. Its importance to her is like Zeus's thunder and Odin's divine declaration.

However, when Zeus came to power later, this weapon became a symbol of Zeus. According to mythological records, Zeus made this shield with ewe skin - the ewe represented the "harvest" divinity of the Earth Mother.

This is why there are two Aegis shields in mythology.

After returning to Athena's hands, the protective ability of the Aegis Shield will not be inferior to that of Zeus... no, it should be even better!

Jiang Liu has many methods, but not many of them can break through this defense.

"In that case, I won't be polite!"

With a loud bang, Jiang Liu disappeared from the spot and suddenly appeared in front of Athena. He lowered his body, lowered his shoulders and elbows, and his powerful right fist hit the goddess's lower abdomen like a pile driver.

With a "bang", the sword hit Medusa's shield, compressing and exploding with great force, sending the goddess' body flying far into the sky.

"Well!"

Athena felt suffocated. Even though she had almost absolute defense, the impact force even after being weakened was still not something her body could withstand.

call--

Jiang Liu suddenly appeared above the goddess' head, even faster than she flew out.

This time he did not simply use driving force, but wrapped double domineering power in his fists layer by layer.

The ultimate Ryu-Okara of Armament Haki, and the Domineering Haki entwined in it, the crystallization of the sublimation after the fusion of the two -

"Shinigami Haki"!

As if it was ignited, a solid blue flame burned in Jiang Liu's hand. The swaying light and shadow distorted the space and heavily bombarded the bronze shield that Athena hastily raised.