Imp to Demon King: A Journey of Conquest-Chapter 353: Defying the Loom of Fate

Water pattered in the damp cave, slow, persistent, creating an atmosphere of gloom amplified by the all-encompassing obscurity. But nothing that could affect Achilles’ proud figure. freёweɓnovel.com

Standing cross-armed before a pond murkier than oil, he scrutinised the circles on the water. The first few shifted into ripples before icy drops splashed against his torso and soaked the ground. Yet, where anyone would have clawed at their faces and roared in agony, he didn’t flinch. Why would he? This was the very first water his mother had bathed him in.

Today, he shed his last weakness in her honor. Today, he defied Zeus and his prophecy. His lips curled into a smirk, his voice thundering as the pond bubbled. "And today! I become the unbending spear that will pierce Olympus!"

SPLASH

A face as somber as the river emerged from the water. Navy blue hair tied by a diadem shaped into laurel leaves cascaded down her eyes. They sparkled with ancient wisdom but also a deeply buried hate and... something more. Commitment? Would make sense since gods swore oaths on the river she personified. But it didn’t matter. He locked eyes with her, acknowledging but unfazed by her grand appearance.

Meanwhile, the titan’s lips curved, and her voice, misleadingly soft, echoed. "Well, well. And here I wondered who dared to disturb me. Hahaha! Achilles, Achilles. A stubborn mortal who chose bloodshed over happiness. A man reborn as an invincible hero in my waters. Yet you died as prophesied." Her smile broadened. "More than anyone, you should know how vain it is to fight against fate, so tell me: to what do I owe your visit?"

Achilles snorted, his eyes narrowing. "What else? My mother had an agreement with you and Zeus. She searched the realms for ways to protect me, yet I indeed died. Not because it was useless to fight fate, no..." His face grew somber, and his voice icy. "Because you all let hope dangle in front of her eyes while steering the flow of events."

Styx frowned, then gave him a side-eye glance. "What do you mean?"

"Don’t act clueless, not now." He shrugged. "I became a symbol of resilience and a driving aspiration to many. In truth? Zeus had planned for my death even before my birth. Think about it. He allowed Mother to bathe me in the river, not the source. She asked you to protect my soul, yet you didn’t guide her. When she noticed my weak heel and asked him to fix it, he refused."

He pointed at his heel, his eyes flashing with ridicule. "Tell me. Who killed me? Was Paris with his meager skills, his poison-coated arrow? Or was it Appolo who imbued it with divine energy?"

Styx remained silent for a moment, her eyes clouded with memories until she sighed. "Even if you were right, since when do you dare question gods? Every choice, every action we take has a cosmic meaning your mortal’s eyes can’t see."

"Fancy words for a lie even a blind drunkard could pierce? He feared what I could become and fabricated my prophesied death. Then? He manipulated events. The grander and more dazzling they were, the fewer chances mortals could understand..."

A bitter taste filled his mouth. "Understand how Aphrodite sparked the war by forcing Helen into Paris’ arms. How even when I wanted to leave the battlefield, Patroclus somehow died, and how Apollo ultimately ended the job. Athena supported me because of how similar her own birth prophecy was. Alas, it was mere compassion, or perhaps amusement since she was one of this farce’s instigators. And you..." His lips curled. "You, the Titan personifying the river of woe and oaths, have betrayed your words to my mother."

The air trembled around Styx’s face. Her eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, water erupting like snakes ready to pounce around her. Then, her voice echoed, heavy yet trembling slightly. "I promised Thetis to protect your soul—I see you walking the underworld without trouble. I made you invincible—am I to blame if she held you by the heel? Your suspicions are unfounded, mortal. Return whence you came from and leave the realm of the dead in peace... or else."

Despite the murky water shaped into roiling blades and spears surrounding him, he glared at her, his gaze unwavering. "Oh please, do tell me. Will you renege on another oath? Or do you think they come with prescription dates?" He shook his head. "You can’t wound me and your defense is as unstable as your voice. You told her not to dip my heel and played with words, ignoring your oath’s true purpose!"

Her expression twisted with fury as she clenched her jaw. Strike! How she wished to strike this puny mortal. But the consequences...

Her jaw loosened to let out a heavy sigh as the water constructs that had formed into deadly weapons around Achilles dissolved back into the bond. She wasn’t the river, only a titan drawing powers from it, meaning its rules applied to her.

And cruel they were. Zeus’ paranoia had already caused her to lose half her strength, which confirmed Achilles’ deductions. "How did you figure everything out?"

Achilles approached fearlessly, an expression of disgust scrunching his nose. "I fell prey to another schemer’s manipulations." He stretched his hands out, reaching for Styx’s face. "I resented him for years, then myself for acting like someone I never was because of his lies. I’m sure that just like me, you swore never to let Zeus’ words sway you again."

The air crackled as Achilles’ fingers hovered inches from Styx’s face.

Her navy eyes, previously narrowed in fury, widened slightly, a flicker of something unreadable crossing their depths. Was it surprise? Recognition? Or perhaps even a sliver of the shared resentment he’d spoken of?

He didn’t know, but his finger soon touched her wet face as she sighed. "You can bathe in the source..." Her voice lowered into a whisper. "I’m sorry, but at least I’ll fulfil my promise after thousands of years. You’re on your own after that."

Achilles took a slow, deliberate step inside the murky water, nodding as it bit his feet. Yet, the cold didn’t attack him. Instead, he felt like a flawed blade being heated up and about to be reforged into perfection.

Drowsiness made his eyelids flutter as he immersed himself in the pond. But it didn’t matter. He even welcomed the change, for once he emerged, the Olympians would tremble before his might, and Zeus would understand that he needed no divine lineage to surpass him!