605 Heart’s Youngest

Athena clasped her hands behind her back and smiled as though she had rehearsed the moment countless times.

“Since we've reached well over halfway through the contest, I believe it is time for a little interlude. My master, the Supreme Fate, left a small gift inside my keepsake to entertain the Supreme Bearer and the Supreme Heart. Refreshments, a feast, and everything else one would expect from proper hospitality.”

She held out a mysterious box no larger than her palm. At first glance, it appeared ordinary, save for the countless seams crisscrossing its surface. She raised a hand and gently patted the air above it twice.

Click.

The box stirred.

Its countless segments began shifting like a Rubik's Cube unraveling itself. Each piece folded outward while simultaneously multiplying, compressing space and unfolding dimensions that had no business existing. The tiny container expanded with impossible precision, layer after layer blooming into existence until the object no longer resembled a box.

Instead, an entire platform floated before us in the vacuum of space.

No.

It was a ballroom.

Marble floors reflected golden chandeliers suspended without chains. Crystal windows overlooked nothing but the endless darkness between worlds. A magnificent table stretched across one side of the hall, laden with delicacies whose fragrances somehow reached us despite the absence of air. Musicians performed upon an elevated stage while elegantly dressed dancers glided across the polished floor as though gravity itself had agreed to accompany their rhythm.

I stared at the impossible scene.

"What is this?"

Heart's grin widened.

"Oh, you uncultured brute. It's a party in a pocket. I've heard they were quite a hit among gods and demi-gods of the Greater Asura Realm. It's a fun little trinket, crafted with laws and handcrafted by the greatest artisans the Greater Asura Realm has to offer. I heard asuras like to party, but even I feel embarrassed by this much grandeur." He chuckled before shrugging. "But hey, I am no killjoy. I could enjoy a party or two with all this gloomy atmosphere surrounding us. I mean, if your champion continues her winning streak, Da Wei, I'm going to lose."

Without waiting for anyone, he descended onto the floating ballroom and casually claimed a chair at the extravagant dining table as though he owned the place.

I followed after him.

Even from my seat, I could still observe the arena below. The battlefield floated beneath the transparent floor of the platform, allowing us to witness every movement without obstruction. It was less like watching from the heavens and more like looking through a divine window.

Athena approached carrying an ornate crystal tray.

"Refreshments?" she offered with practiced elegance. "A personal recommendation, Lord Bearer. Ambrosia. The purest nectar capable of satisfying whatever one lacks."

She handed me a crystal glass filled with a liquid that shimmered like liquid starlight. I lifted it toward my face and inhaled.

It had no scent.

Or rather, every scent.

For the briefest instant, it reminded me of fresh rain. Then blooming flowers. Then roasted tea. Each fragrance vanished before I could identify it.

Heart accepted his own glass and took a generous sip.

"Don't be such a bore, Da Wei. Supreme Fate schemes, but he doesn't scheme like me, so please, take a sip. You're missing out."

Curiosity won.

I tasted it.

...

That was it?

"It is... underwhelming."

Heart looked amused.

"You are not impressed."

"It's merely quintessence refined over countless years," I said, rolling the liquid around inside the glass. "Condensed into the shape of..." I frowned thoughtfully. "This. Hm. Strange."

I took another sip.

My eyes narrowed.

"It tastes different."

Heart laughed loudly.

"Exactly! Every sip becomes something new. You're right about the quintessence part. It's basically food and drink made from pure creation itself." He leaned back comfortably in his chair. "You'd be surprised how it was actually made. Do you know? It's made from the Shén."

I slowly turned toward him.

"..."

Our eyes met.

I didn't say a word.

I simply stared.

Athena immediately looked mortified.

"Lord Heart omitted... quite a significant amount of context," she said hurriedly. "The Olympians were not barbarians. The history behind ambrosia is far more complicated than that."

Heart burst into laughter.

"Nothing complicated about it! Zeus got a taste of the Shén once, and the lunatic became completely obsessed. In his lust and madness, he ordered his followers to recreate that experience in the form of wine." He wiped a tear from the corner of his eye. "Hah! What an absolute madman!"

Athena lowered her gaze. She looked thoroughly embarrassed by the subject, though she made no further attempt to argue.

The story, however questionable its authenticity, was certainly... memorable.

Another question surfaced in my mind.

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"Then how exactly were the asuras of this age created?"

Athena stiffened.

She avoided meeting my eyes, clearly uncomfortable with the topic.

Heart idly swirled the remaining ambrosia inside his glass.

"Of course Supreme Fate made them. How? No idea. Why? On that, I got plenty."

He rested his chin against his palm, looking surprisingly contemplative.

"At the top of my list? Boredom."

He pointed upward as though eternity itself hovered above us.

"If an immortal existence doesn't know how to cope with forever, boredom will kill them long before anyone else can. That's why everyone needs a hobby." He smirked. "Maybe Fate was homesick. Maybe he wanted to recreate something he once lost. Maybe he simply woke up one day and thought, 'You know what would be funny?'"

Heart laughed at his own speculation.

"I've always been a very straightforward fellow. I surrendered to my impulses and pleasures ages ago. Life became much easier afterward. What about you? Got any hobbies? Some little coping mechanism?"

I actually thought about it.

My schedule hardly left room for leisure.

Most of my time disappeared into cultivation, governance, research, teaching, repairing disasters, and preparing for the next catastrophe. Every completed task merely gave birth to three more.

Eating...?

I supposed 'eating' counted.

Not long ago, I had organized a beach gathering for my Ezekiels. It had started as an excuse to let everyone relax, but I ended up joining them more than once. Looking back, those moments had been surprisingly peaceful.

Maybe that qualified.

"Hm."

I set the half-finished glass upon the table.

"We should just get on with the program."

Athena nodded.

With a wave of her hand, the image of the battlefield beneath us rippled. The terrain shifted. The ruins crumbled. In its place, the earth rose in great waves until an enormous mountain dominated the arena, its jagged cliffs piercing the sky while rivers carved fresh paths down its slopes. Within moments, an entirely new battlefield had taken shape.

Athena turned toward Heart.

"Lord Heart, would you please tell me the name of the champion you wish to send next?"

Heart's smile became oddly genuine.

"My youngest son."

He glanced sideways at me, clearly making sure I heard every word.

"I think it's finally his turn."

A knot formed in my stomach before the summoning had even finished.

I have a very bad feeling about this.

The space beneath us rippled as Athena completed the invocation. A lone figure materialized atop the mountain battlefield. He had long dark hair streaked with a few strands of gray, giving him an appearance older than his face suggested. Bright blue eyes slowly lifted toward the heavens.

Toward me.

Despite the impossible distance separating us, it felt as though we were looking directly at one another. There was no hatred in those eyes.

Only sadness.

I rose from my chair so abruptly that it scraped across the polished marble.

"What is the meaning of this, Heart?"

Heart never looked away from the battlefield.

"That little shit sure was clever," he said with an almost nostalgic sigh. "Went so far as to cast away his true name. Even took a step further and hid certain memories from himself. He even suppressed his ability to feel through the Heavenly Eye. However..." His lips curled into a thin smile. "He can't always hide from me."

His gaze shifted toward me.

"I must say, I have you to thank, Da Wei. Ironically, your very existence is what's going to allow me to reunite with my family."

My voice rose before I realized it.

"What is Nongmin doing down there!?"

For the first time since this contest began, Heart wasn't smiling. His expression hardened, and the warmth vanished from his eyes.

"Don't feel too hurt now," he said quietly. "If you feel betrayed, then don't. After all, he was never yours to begin with. He's not your boy. He's mine."

I took a slow breath, and then another. Heart wanted me angry. No. He wasn't merely trying to provoke me. He was emotional. I could hear it beneath his taunts. Beneath the mockery. Beneath every carefully chosen word was something painfully personal.

Whatever he believed, I refused to accept it. Nongmin hadn't betrayed me. There was another piece to this puzzle. There had to be. I stepped closer to the edge of the platform and shouted with every ounce of strength I possessed.

"NONGMIN!"

The single word echoed across the void.

Athena immediately raised a hand.

"Lord Bearer," she said gently, "please refrain from addressing the champions. Casting your voice into the arena would be considered interference."

She waited until the echo faded before continuing in her usual composed tone.

"I hereby declare the fourth match between the champions of the Supreme Heart and the Supreme Bearer... to begin."

The mountain trembled.

Nongmin calmly reached into his pocket dimension. One after another, five severed heads floated into the open. Recognition struck me instantly. They were the original champions Heart had selected at the beginning of the contest.

I slowly turned toward Heart.

"Surely," I said, my voice colder than before, "this is cheating."

Athena hesitated. Her eyes moved between Heart and me, uncertainty written plainly across her face. She looked ready to object, yet no rule immediately came to mind.

Heart merely shrugged. "No rules have been violated. Think of it as bringing your equipment into battle or something." He waved dismissively. "Don't overreact."

Before anyone could argue further, Nongmin acted.

Immortal qi surged from his body.

The five heads floated into formation as flesh, bone, blood, and meridians rapidly reconstructed themselves. Within moments, five complete immortals stood beside him as though death itself had only been a brief inconvenience.

Then came the equipment from weapons, armor, talismans, and artifacts. Every single piece bore craftsmanship I recognized immediately. All of this things cames from the Workshop. The realization left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.

Without exchanging a single word, all six charged.

Ding Cai stood alone atop the mountain.

She met six opponents simultaneously.

Her sword flashed across the battlefield with flawless precision, yet numbers alone restricted her. Every movement demanded another response. Every opening she created was immediately covered by someone else.

Worse still, Nongmin knew her. He knew her habits, her strengths, and the rhythm behind her techniques well enough to devise counters almost as quickly as she revealed them. Watching him command the battlefield felt like watching two people I cared about tear each other apart.

It made my stomach churn.

Heart suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! That's it! That's exactly what I wanted to see!" He slapped the table with enough force to rattle the dishes. "Come on, Da Wei! Show me that face again! The one where you're wondering whether your disciple or your precious friend is going to break first!"

I silently watched the battle below.

Yeah.

Supreme Heart was an asshole.

Still chuckling, he lazily waved toward Athena.

"Lady Athena, would you be so kind as to bring me a plate of whatever snacks you'd recommend? Watching family reunions always makes me hungry."

Athena visibly hesitated.

"...Of course."

She returned moments later carrying a silver tray filled with delicate pastries, roasted meats glazed in golden nectar, jeweled fruits, and crystalline sweets that glimmered beneath the ballroom lights.

Heart sampled each dish with exaggerated delight while the battle unfolded beneath our feet.

"Mmm." He nodded approvingly. "Excellent choice."

He popped another morsel into his mouth before looking at me with an infuriating grin.

"At the end of all this, Da Wei..."

He casually pointed his fork in my direction.

"You're going to be my bitch."

Heart had just pulled a sleight of hand right in front of my face.

I let the anger settle instead of feeding it. Rage clouded judgment, and Heart excelled at exploiting emotional decisions. The more I thought about what had happened, the more obvious the limitations became.

If his trick truly had no restrictions, he wouldn't have stopped at five.

He could have flooded the battlefield with an army of single-layer immortals, burying Ding Cai beneath sheer numbers before the match even began. Yet he hadn't. Nongmin had only resurrected five, and even that feat visibly taxed the surrounding flow of qi. The resurrection itself wasn't what impressed me.

It was the restoration of that single layer of immortality.

Bringing someone back from death while replenishing the layers of immortality they had already lost were two entirely different miracles. Very few beings possessed the authority to accomplish both.

I happened to be one of them.

Nongmin wasn't. Normally, if someone resurrected a preserved carcass of an immortal, chances were they'd resurrect them as a mortal. It was just a single layer of immortality, but Nongmin did it under circumstances and powers I have no idea about.

The battle below continued without mercy.

A spear diverted Ding Cai's blade. A sword slipped through her guard. Another strike staggered her. Nongmin appeared behind her. His sword flashed once. Her head separated cleanly from her shoulders.

Time seemed to stop for me.

I closed my eyes.

Even after witnessing countless deaths throughout my life, the sight still hurt. Ding Cai wasn't merely my disciple. She was someone I had personally guided, watched mature, and entrusted with my teachings.

No master remained unmoved by the death of their student. I slowly inhaled, and then exhaled. When I opened my eyes again, the grief had already been buried beneath something far colder.

I turned toward Heart. "You are going to regret this."