Standing proudly on his alchemy airship, Li Shengjiang gazed intently at the phantom of the greatest Hero King in history, a slight tremor stirring in his heart.
"Truly worthy of the legendary Hero King from ancient Sumeria. Even a mere summoned remnant possesses strength nearing the seventh-level threshold. Seems I can't afford to hold back anymore. Time to unleash 'Grantham'."
Before now, he'd never personally stepped into battle.
All previous confrontations had involved his alchemy airship alone, empowered by ten thousand Slime Engines. Those weakest of creatures furiously pumped bellows, converting kinetic energy into spiritual force through magic-engraved "circuit boards," effortlessly producing sixth-level spells capable of standing against the feared Death Monarch, Medusa.
No one would have believed it had he spoken the truth:
Ten thousand tiny slimes could confront the dominant Witch Monarch herself?
Yet this was precisely the miraculous power of alchemical technology.
This was the true potential of his Slime Engine species.
"Now, I must act myself."
Li Shengjiang gently leaped down from the alchemy airship, a confident smile blooming on his handsome face.
"Heh! Let's show the natives of this world…the real power of modern science—aircraft, artillery, and alchemical mechs! I might not be able to livestream, but screenshots will do just fine. Wait till the other players see how I secretly climbed the tech tree for nearly ninety years and conquered this new map single-handedly! Let them drool with envy!"
Laughing heartily, he raised his shield in his left hand, adorned with intricate black runes, while his right held a glowing wooden staff high overhead.
"There is no such thing as an unkillable being—not even the dead! I'll prove it right now!"
His voice echoed throughout the skies, causing everyone below to pale instantly, recognizing the imminent spell—Circe's legendary witchcraft, infamous for its cruel, devastating power.
"The Curse of Life Extinction!"
His roar split the heavens.
Behind him appeared a monstrous, hideously contorted giant ghost face, dripping thick, sinister fluids. It churned violently like boiling tar, emanating ghastly terror.
BOOM!!!
The phantom collided ferociously with Gilgamesh's descending sword.
Space itself twisted, forming a destructive whirlpool that dispersed violently. When clarity returned, the majestic remnant of Gilgamesh had already dissipated into nothingness.
The skies cleared instantly, leaving pristine azure calmness stretching to the horizon.
Every spectator looked upward simultaneously, witnessing an unprecedented miracle:
"Can this truly be the power of a human?"
Countless voices murmured in disbelief.
That had been Gilgamesh—the ancient Hero King who had dared challenge the gods themselves, now destroyed so effortlessly?
"This…this was already my ultimate power…" Medusa trembled uncontrollably, fear flooding her heart for the first time in her life.
"Though just a fraction—one-tenth of the true Hero King—it was far beyond me. Yet, using Teacher Circe's witchcraft, he so casually defeated me…"
"How can I possibly defeat such an enemy?"
Medusa's body froze in the sky, overcome by paralyzing dread. Uncontrollable tears streamed down her beautiful face, dissolving her usual dignity. The proud queen of witches, who had never known failure, suddenly appeared fragile and broken.
"So…this is fear?""Is this the dread of death?"
She floated, trembling in helpless panic. Yet beneath despair, pride surged violently within her.
"Such overwhelming power, terrifying yet fascinating…but I, Medusa, Death Monarch of the witches, cannot—will not—succumb to mere fear!"
"Move, damn you… MOVE!!!" she screamed hysterically, eyes wild with frenzy. "That bottleneck holding me back—BREAK THROUGH NOW!!!"
BOOM!!!
An intangible force surged forth. Energy long trapped finally erupted outward violently. The clouds churned furiously once more.
Li Shengjiang looked at Medusa's desperation in surprise.
The Rose Kingdom's witches below stared upward, stunned.
The people of Babylon watched the heavens anxiously, their faces contorting with dread:
"Stop her, quickly!"
"You're too late to stop me." Medusa ascended gently, arms spread wide as if embracing the entire world.
Behind her, a massive blood-red rose unfurled, layer upon layer of petals opening, releasing terrifying, endlessly growing power—doubling, tripling, multiplying tenfold…without limit.
Mental energy surged outward, uncontained.
BOOM!!!
The Seventh-level Epic Witch realm had finally been breached.
Even the Three Legendary Witches had only theorized about this stage. Only the legendary Hero King Gilgamesh had ever reached this legendary level. And now, after centuries of accumulation, she had at last stepped into this mythical domain.
Silently, Medusa absorbed the monumental shift, overwhelmed by gratitude toward Li Shengjiang. She gazed warmly at him, saying softly, "Thank you. Though I wield the power of death, I had never truly felt the horror of mortality. Without you, I would never have understood true fear nor broken through."
"To repay you, I will spare your life. Instead, you shall become my consort and rule alongside me as we govern the world."
"Come."
She reached out, smiling beautifully. "Babylon, the kingdom you wish to protect—I can leave it entirely to you, so long as it continues supplying men regularly."
Li Shengjiang froze, stunned: Wait, what?
Misreading his surprise, Medusa chuckled gently, shaking her head. "Still insisting on fighting me? I just broke through to seventh-level epic, becoming seventeen times stronger. You stand no chance…"
Li Shengjiang's expression filled with genuine disappointment. "So, you only increased by about seventeen times your previous power? How disappointing."
Medusa froze, then instantly realized something wrong, retreating swiftly in terror.
"Flower of Death!"
An immeasurable force, magnitudes beyond anything before, swept frantically towards Li Shengjiang.
He simply waved his staff gently:
"Protection of Spring."
The overwhelming force shattered her deadly spell effortlessly, blasting Medusa backward through the air.
He sighed regretfully, "I thought perhaps you had hidden seventh-level power all along, making me cautious. I greatly overestimated you. You only managed a breakthrough in desperation."
"Our Queen, the Death Monarch, was defeated?!"
This unimaginable scene stunned both kingdoms utterly.
Had the airship alone been fighting Medusa at sixth-level earlier, while Li Shengjiang himself never even engaged? Now that he'd personally stepped forward, he crushed the newly ascended seventh-level Medusa with ease?
"What kind of power is this…?" Medusa muttered helplessly, shaken to the core. "Impossible…you clearly feel like a sixth-level wizard, yet wield seventh-level power with ease!"
"This is the power of alchemy—granting strength beyond your own limits. The great creator once said: true intelligence comes from a species' ability to use tools."
Li Shengjiang smiled warmly, extending a gentle hand to help Medusa rise, surprising everyone with his sudden kindness. "Want to learn? I can teach you."
Medusa looked up abruptly, eyes wide in shock: "Have you gone mad?"
A legend soon circulated among witches, recorded later in historical texts such as "Spear of the Great Witch":
[Year 398 of Babylon. Grantham, the legendary Alchemy Emperor who mastered the Gates of Truth, emerged dramatically, shattering Medusa's dominance over the era with a single strike, shaking the entire world.]
…
In the orchard sandbox, Xu Zhi lazily munched an apple, glancing at the distant miniature world and scratching his head in amusement.
"That fellow spent almost a day in there—ninety-some years in sandbox time—finally resolving the crisis for me. Yet he was shamelessly cautious, hiding away and mooching off women until he became invincible before finally stepping out."
Truly shameless!
Look at other heroes entering a new world with their race: they fought bravely from the start. Yet this guy didn't even kill a single monster himself, comfortably mooching off resources provided by young witches, then Lilith, not stepping out until completely unmatched.
What a cowardly genius!
Honestly, he could have wiped out sixth-level enemies back when he reached fifth-level, thanks to his alchemy creations. Yet he waited till reaching sixth-level and seven-level strength before daring to confront Medusa, carefully probing her power out of fear.
"Absolutely shameless," Xu Zhi sighed mockingly, shaking his head as he took another bite of his apple.