บท 555: Demigod
"Why are you staring at me like this?" asked Diana with a slight frown. "This seems rude."
"It's because I'm intrigued."
"By what?"
"Your existence," replied Edward.
"What does that mean?"
"Forget me for asking such a personal question, but is Zeus your father?"
Edward knew Diana had two origins: one was she was the daughter of Zeus and Queen Hippolyta, and the other was she was crafted from clay and blessed with divine power.
"That's correct, but is something wrong with that?" she was also intrigued.
"I've met Gods before and their children. Their divine nature makes reproduction completely different from humans, but there are still some rules. From my experience, four fates await a child born from a God and a human.
"First, they would die in the wound. Secondly, they will turn out into ordinary humans with no abilities. Such a phenomenon is extremely rare but does happen. Thirdly, they would turn into this abominations-like creature whose very existence seemed vile and repulsive. Lastly, they will inherit powers from their godly parents [Authority]."
"I should belong to the third category, but why do you say my existence is an anomaly?"
"Yes, you are, but I noticed a few anomalies from you as a Demi-God. You do not have Zeus's lightning powers."
"That should not be enough for me to be considered an anomaly?" asked Diana.
"You're correct. Although I haven't seen a Demi-God without their parent's authority, it could be argued that you made up for this lack of powers with your overwhelming speed, strength, and invulnerability.
"The other anomaly is that you cannot absorb the power of faith, which is fundamental for the existence of any divine being. I can sense the divine power coursing through your veins, which is so pure."
"Is that a bad thing?"
"No, on the contrary. Without the restriction of faith, you have unlimited potential—potential that even the gods would envy. However, I could not help but wonder whether your creation was intentional or accidental?"
"What are you trying to imply?"
"Nothing," Edward shook his head. "Knowing Zeus, I doubt he's capable of engineering such a brilliant idea. So, you're probably an accident—no, not an accident, a miracle of the universe. You have inherited all the advantages of the gods without their weakness."
Edward's eyes twinkled as he realized how unique Wonder Woman was. If he ever had to walk the Path of Godhood, he would imitate her situation and combine it with his knowledge of the Elder Gods in his world, who also do not rely too much on faith.
"You truly have no regard or respect for the Gods?" she asked with a frown.
"Oh, I apologize about that. I know I should respect someone else's culture and ideologies, especially in their home."
Diana looked at him. She could tell his apology for saying these words to her, but the words themselves; she knew this man truly disdained the gods for some reason. However, she decided not to ask.
"I accept your apology."
"Thank you," replied Edward with a smile. "Look at me. You came to for something, but I went on a tangent before you could speak. What can I help you with?"
"I wanted to ask about how the World of Men was. Are there many Mages like you? Have they developed to such a level?"
Edward could see the curiosity and longing in her eyes. "I'm afraid you will be disappointed if that's how you see the outside world."
"Oh, why is that?"
"I'm from a different dimension where magic is everywhere, but in this place, magic is a rare thing practiced by a few."
"Is that so?" she muttered. "Wait, if you're from a different dimension, how do you know about my father? Have you been to Olympus?"
"No, but he exists in my dimension. Well, a version of himself," lied Edward without any change in expression or remorse.
"That seems complicated. Do you not know anything about the world of men?"
"Well, let me think." He secretly cast a spell to detect life in the nearest place to this island and read the people's minds.
"It's 1912? That means World War 1 will begin in 2 years?"
"World War?" asked Diana.
"Yes, they are about to fight the largest war in history."
"You said 1? As in, there will be a second one?" hurriedly asked Diana.
"Yes, but that won't happen for another two decades."
"How do you know such information?"
"As a dimensional traveler, I do not experience time linearly."
Diana calmed down, thinking to herself. If the outside world was about to enter an era of chaos, she felt it was her duty to do something. However, she knew her mother would not easily allow her to leave the island. She looked at Edward and asked:
"Can you tell me about your travel?"
"Sure, why not."
In the next few hours, he talked about many of the things he saw and experienced, and Diana listened fervently.
"I did not expect the world to be vast and wonderful," uttered Diana, not hiding her longing.
"It is, and I'm sure you will have a chance to experience it. But now, it's late, and you should leave."
"You're right," nodded Diana as she saw the sun was about to rise through the window.
"Thank you for talking to me," she exclaimed before flying away. He looked at her, flying away before closing his eyes and continuing his meditation. Alas, not even thirty minutes later, he heard the sound of crashing around him before sensing something binding him.
Edward calmly opened his eyes to see himself surrounded by many Amazonians with a robe tied.
"Your majesty, I thought we had an understanding."
"We did, but before we can continue any form of relationship, we need to know whether you're trustworthy," replied Queen Hippolyta, holding the end of the rope.
'This should be the Lasso of Truth,' he analyzed internally.
"Tell me who you are and your purpose in coming to our island."
The lasso glowed golden, but nothing else happened. Edward calmly looked at it.
"Whan an interesting Divine Artifact," he commented calmly. "I could easily replicate its ability to force people to tell the truth, but its indestructible nature is worth studying."
"It's not working," yelped an Amazonian.
"How is that possible?" muttered Hippolyta before activating the lasso again. "Tell me your origin."
"Don't waste your time," said Edward. "In the hands of a truly powerful creature, this weapon might work on me, but not in your hands."
He looked at the queen.
"I see. The gods have disappeared, and you want my help with your island's protective barrier."
As soon as he finished, the rope fell on the ground as he had sealed the divine power inside.
"If you want my help, we can talk normally. There is no need for all this useless work."
Now that he knew something had happened to the Olympic Pantheon, he did not need to be overtly careful when dealing with the Amazonian. Plus, he could use the time his ship was being fixed to gain some benefit, like scanning Wonder Woman's Life Code and studying their other divine artifact.
"Who are you?" asked the queen, raising the highest level of alert in her mind.
"Like I said, I only crashed here by accident," replied Edward. "And as you can see, if I wanted to harm you, no one could do anything about it—even your daughter."
The rooms became quiet for a few seconds.
"Now, if you don't mind, please leave my room. I will give you a few days to calm down, and we can talk properly. I hope you have the right attitude by then."
He waved his hand, and all the Amazonians were teleported outside. Then, the room repaired itself to the previous state, and Edward continued his meditation.
บท 556: Navigation System
Three days passed, and Edward did not stay cooped up inside his room. He would walk around the island during the day while continuing his calculations at night. During this time, Diana would come to see him and talk all night.
Today, Queen Hippolyta finally came to see him.
"So, have you calmed down?" asked Edward calmly.
"We apologize for our previous actions," said the queen. Edward looked at her and could not tell whether she was sincere or was putting on a diplomatic mask, just like himself when dealing with certain people.
"It's water under the bridge," he said calmly.
"I will be direct," said the queen. "What price do we need to pay for you to repair our protective shield?"
"I only have two requirements," replied Edward, also choosing to be as direct as possible. "Firstly, let my ship stay here until it's fixed. Secondly, allow me to study all your magical artifacts, especially the Lasso of Truth."
"Study?"
"Yes, just study."
"That can be arranged," replied Hippolyta. Since the intruder was already here, it made no difference if he stayed a little longer. "When can you begin?"
"Tomorrow." He had just finished his calculations for the Flash Dimension's Coordinate and needed to consult Morgana.
"I'll be waiting."
…
"Morgana, here are the coordinates."
"Okay, let me plug it in." A few seconds later, her voice rang in his mind again: "It's not working."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not picking up any signal on that coordinate."
"How is that possible? Did I make an error in my calculations?"
"No, I double-checked, and there were no problems," replied Morgana.
"Did the Akashic Record give us the wrong coordinate? No, that's unlikely. Their whole brand revolved around knowledge and the truth, so it's unlikely they would make such a major blunder."
Edward frowned, "If not them, what is the issue?"
"Let me run some deeper diagnostic," the purple-haired elf said before quieting. Edward did not hear from her until more than half an hour later.
"We might be in trouble."
"What did you find?"
"Because this world is constantly merging with others, constantly expanding, finding the correct coordinate is currently impossible."
A projection screen appeared before Edward, and he soon understood what she meant. It took too many calculations to deduce one timeline from the infinite multiverse with the constant space-time turbulence of this universe due to the Convergence.
And even if they could pinpoint the coordinates, Netheril was not equipped to navigate such a chaotic multiverse.
"So, we need a completely new Navigation System?" groaned Edward, who knew such a thing would take time, and that's the last thing he wanted.
Knock! Knock!
"Come in."
"What's wrong?" asked Diana. Although he'd only known this man for a few days, he'd usually be calm or smiling, but tonight, he had a deep frown plastered on his handsome face.
"The damage to my ship was more severe than I anticipated."
"Is that so? Is there anything we can do to help?"
"I will ask if there is," replied Edward as he waved his hand to summon a table, tea, and dessert. "Where did we last leave?"
"Before we begin, I wanted to apologize for my mother and the clothes' actions; they can sometimes go overboard when it comes to protecting the island."
"I don't blame her since I'm also a ruler in my dimension. So, I understand the need to do whatever is necessary to protect my people."
"Yes, you did mention that, but you never elaborate. How about you tell me more about your dimension?"
"Sure, why not." Edward then told her about his rise from school to the creation of the Arcane Empire and its latest accomplishment.
"Such a wonderful world, such a legendary tale," muttered Diana. She knew even if Edward glorified or glossed over some detail, she could tell how much he had experienced.
"I did not expect you to be such a womanizer," she commented.
"One of my few flaws," replied Edward calmly as he sipped his tea. "It's late."
"Indeed. I will see you tomorrow."
The next day, Edward immediately worked on the island's protective shield. Dealing with was simpler than he anticipated. The reason for its weakening was that the Gods no longer provided divine energy to sustain the shield, so he only needed to create a device that would allow Diana to use her divine power as an energy source. The entire process only took two days before being resolved.
After seeing how swift and efficient Edward was, Hippolyta did not go back on her word and sent Edward all the divine artifacts the gods granted them over their long servitude.
"So, what do you think?" asked Diana, who chose to accompany Edward while he was studying these artifacts.
"Hephaestus work?"
"Yes, have you met him?"
"In a manner of speaking," he replied. He indirectly studied forging from Hephaestus during his trip to the Mummy Universe.
"You don't seem impressed," added Diana.
"Besides the Lasso, I can easily recreate any of these items and even make them better."
"Even though you're not a God and no Divine Power?"
"I can turn any form of energy into divine power, including sunlight," casually replied Edward.
"So, magic is so magical?"
"Most power systems are 'magical' once you reach a deep enough level."
Diana looked at these artifacts, "What do you want me to do with them?"
"You can take them away after I scan them. However, leave the Lasso."
"Is it really so valuable?" asked Diana as she played with the lasso in her hand.
"Its ability is not unique, but its indestructible nature is worth studying. Of course, that is if it's truly indestructible."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I have met a few things that made such bold claims. However, they've all proven that their indestructible nature was because they have never encountered a power great enough. So, we will see if it's the case for the Lasso of Truth."
Diana took the other items away while Edward focused on his Navigation System. He had a lot of work to do and very little time. Although he knew a thing like World Fusion would take millions of years to finish, time is relative. Millions of years might be a few hundred years to him or only a few decades to someone else in another dimension.
So, he needed to finish this project as soon as possible to go to his destination and leave this world. As such, he put the Lasso in the back of his mind while focusing on creating a new navigation system.
A week passed, and Diana flew to Edward's new hut located near the floating city, far away from the main area of the Amazonians.
"You're early today," he commented without raising his head from the screens before him.
"It was a training day."
"No one can give you a decent challenge?"
"Sadly, no." Diana sighed before pausing and looked at him. "You're strong, aren't you?"
"Depending on who you're comparing me to."
"How about you become my sparring partner?"
Edward paused what he was doing and glanced at her. "Fine, I needed a break." He stood up, and two swords appeared in his hand while a sword and shield manifested for Diana.
"I thought you were a Mage?"
"If I fight like one, you won't have a chance."
"Big words. Let's see if you can back them."
Clink!
The battle lasted more than an hour, resulting in Diana painting on the floor and Edward not having a single scratch on his body.
"Are mages supposed to be this powerful with a sword?"
"If they are a good one, then yes."
Diana shook her head. "So, how do I compare?"
"To whom?"
"Some of the best warriors you've fought or met."
"Hmm, not bad."
"Only not bad?"
"What can I say, your attribute ranges from Tier 4 and Tier 6 based on my dimension's system. So, you're only not bad. What? Not satisfied?"
"Can say that I am."
"Different dimension, different rules."
"How so?"
"My dimension has a stricter and more hierarchical power system. People start at Tier 0 and go upward after years of hard work and study. Meanwhile, in this place, a Tier 0 human can acquire an artifact or cosmic power that grants them Tier 10, 11, and even more power.
"I see."
Edward could see she was still unhappy, so he continued, "I can tell you you're one of the most talented individuals I have met regarding Combat, even better than my wife, Olivier. The only thing you lack is combat experience."
"How do I lack experience? I fight and train with my sisters every day."
"I'm not talking about training, but life and death battles with powerful enemies."
Diana immediately smiled wryly. "Where would I have a chance on this island?" Besides a few missions or events she participated in in Olympus, most of her battles were against her sisters.
"I can help you with that." A black portal appeared before him, and he took out a helmet.
"What is this?"
"Virtual Reality. You can think of it as a very real illusion where you can choose any opponents to battle."
"That's interesting."
Diana did not hesitate to put it in her head and closed her eyes. Ten minutes later, she opened them with wide eyes, "Where am I? Wasn't I decapitated?"
"The illusion is too real so you will feel slightly disoriented. It will pass."
As clarity loomed over her mind, she looked at the helmet excitedly, "Can I let my sisters use it as well?"
"As you wish."
(AN: We should leave for the Flash in the next chapter.)
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