For 30+ Advance/Early chapters :p
atreon.com/ScoldeyJod
The next day, early in the morning, the first golden rays of sunlight fell on Paradise Island, and the main island was abuzz with activity. The female soldiers, usually on duty or in drills, were now fully armed, and the beautiful female civilians in their white dresses gathered in a mighty crowd, converging on a large, ancient building on the coast.
The building was an open-air ancient arena, with a flat, empty plaza in the middle. The Amazons all stood on the stone steps surrounding the plaza.
"Quiet! Her Majesty the Queen is here!"
At Antiope's command, the arena fell silent.
Under the focus of countless worshipful, respectful, and loving eyes, the supreme ruler of the Amazons, Queen Hippolyta, wearing a crown that symbolized her power, appeared on an independent platform on the side of the arena and sat with dignity on the golden throne.
"Her Royal Highness is here!" Antiope announced.
Diana, in her golden royal costume, appeared behind the Queen. Almost all of the Amazons subconsciously looked at her head. There was no silver crown, only a gorgeous diadem worn in its place.
"Her Royal Highness really gave her crown to a human…"
"That's an artifact of the Amazon royal family, the Starlight Diadem!"
"The Queen even agreed!"
"Why is this happening?"
The Amazons on the stand erupted in an uproar, their faces a mixture of shock and confusion. In the past few days, only some of them had seen it, and most had only heard about it. But now, they had seen it with their own eyes, and they still found it hard to accept.
Diana, a smile on her face, stood beside the Queen's throne, her head held high, still the strongest and most beautiful pearl of the Amazon family.
"Let's begin," Queen Hippolyta said calmly, as if she hadn't heard the comments.
Antiope nodded and jumped down from the ten-meter-high platform. "The competition is about to begin. Now, please let the participants come on stage!"
Tall, robust female warriors in light leather armor walked from the gate of the arena into the middle of the square, enjoying the attention and applause of the Amazons. Eight of them stood lined up in the square.
Antiope glanced behind them, surprised. Leo was not there. Did he change his mind? Good. She thought, and looked up at Diana, who was still smiling, her eyes fixed on the arena gate.
No! Before Antiope could look away, she heard a sudden gasp from the crowd.
From the Queen to the civilians, all eyes were on the main entrance. A figure had just stepped through, appearing in the huge gladiatorial square.
Leo, with his long silver hair, was wearing white banquet clothes, a very conspicuous crown on his head, and an ancient sword with two dragons biting each other on his back.
As long as they were from the Amazons, no one did not know that sword.
It was called the "Vulcan Sword," made by the god Hephaestus himself, powerful enough to kill a god. The meaning of this divine sword was far more profound than the starlight crown. The former was a symbol of Diana's power, the latter her identity and honor. And now, both of these exclusive artifacts were in the possession of a human teenager.
"Wait a minute!" Leo suddenly raised his hand. "Can you tell me the rules of the competition?"
The square was suddenly silent. The female fighters participating in the competition were all dumbfounded. You don't even know the rules?
Antiope, holding back her temper, explained, "It's very simple. From this square, you will swim through the sea and land on the other side of the island. There are horses waiting on the beach. You will use a bow and arrow to hit three targets set on the road. Finally, whoever returns to the square first and throws a spear through the ring of the arena building is the winner. Do you understand?"
"Yes, let's get started," he said, waving his hand casually.
"I announce," she said, gritting her teeth, "that the competition has officially begun!"
The moment she finished speaking, the other eight female soldiers rushed out, climbing a tens-of-meters-high ladder in front of the square to enter the sea. Leo, however, remained in place.
Just as the first female soldier was about to reach the top of the ladder, Leo finally moved. He squatted slightly, and in the next moment, Antiope's expression changed. She could feel that he was a different person, his eyes sharp and calm like a god's, his aura shifting from harmless to a fierce pressure with actual energy.
"Divine power, how is it possible?!" she exclaimed.
BANG!
With divine power flowing through him, Leo's feet pressed hard, and he leaped twenty or thirty meters into the air, landing on the top of the ladder. His long silver hair danced wildly against the strong wind. He sprinted forward and jumped to the opposite shore, a hundred meters away.
He landed in the shallow water, and with a single step, he was on the beach where the horses and bows and arrows were waiting. He didn't choose to ride a horse, nor did he pick up a longbow. He didn't need to. He picked up three arrows and rushed up the mountain road, his speed no slower than a horse's.
When he saw the first target, he didn't stop. He threw an arrow with his bare hands, and it shot through the air, hitting the bullseye without a doubt. A cloud of blue smoke, representing him, curled up into the sky.
This was the second time he had possessed this strength, and with the training of the past few days, he was like a demigod who had been born with this power. He continued to run along the mountain road, his speed and physical strength far surpassing that of any of the other competitors.
Inside the arena, although they couldn't see him, they could clearly see the three clouds of blue smoke, representing him, rising in different locations, almost only ten seconds apart. The Amazons were stunned, as if they were witnessing a miracle.
At the same time, at the main entrance of the arena, a cloud of billowing dust appeared, and Leo, deified, rushed into the square with afterimages. From departure to return, it had taken less than a minute.
"Finally, finish this and it's over," he said, and came to the still-dazed Antiope. He took the unprepared spear from her hand and threw it toward the golden circle ahead.
"Wait, the ceremony has not been completed yet," she said in surprise, but it was too late.
The spear turned into a streamer, piercing the air. At that moment, a golden goddess statue rose from the center of the square, and the spear thrown by Leo hit it in the chest, penetrating through its back. The spear, its speed undiminished, knocked off a corner of the metal ring and disappeared into the distant sky.
"Uh, did I do something bad?" he asked, looking at the hole in the middle of the goddess statue and embarrassedly touching the back of his head.
Queen Hippolyta: "…"
Diana: "…"
All the Amazons: "…"