Reborn with Steve Stand

"Hmm... Have we arrived?"

Fang Mo hovered high above the deep sky, gazing down at the vast Etten Industrial Base below.

As the energy and research center of the Empyrean Realm, this island was even larger in area than the royal capital. All around were various modern factories, countless pipelines, and facilities stretching beyond the horizon.

However, unlike the clear, blue skies over Ghent, the environment here was exceptionally poor.

Everywhere, thick, dark greenish smoke filled the air, resembling industrial pollution. This leaden gray haze blanketed all the factories, obscuring them from view.

Even the sky was affected, becoming heavy and oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

Yet, this smoke didn't originate from pollution; instead, it came from the terrifying giant beast from the Demon Realm nearby.

Yes, not far from the coastline, Fang Mo saw the enormous creature, the Flame Eater Anton. It was a four-legged beast that resembled a turtle, but its back wasn't a shell; instead, it was a massive, sprawling volcano.

"This thing is huge..."

Even Fang Mo couldn't help but mutter in amazement.

Anton's body was incredibly massive, coiled among a cluster of factories, looking less like a creature and more like a living island.

Fang Mo estimated its size and realized it was even larger than the entire royal capital, Ghent.

No wonder Anton was known as the apostle whose body could "rival the heavens and the earth." Its size was indeed unparalleled.

In the original story, even after Anton was killed and its body sank into the sea, the part that remained above water became an island, which was later named Chronos Island, permanently becoming part of the Empyrean Realm.

Unlike Fang Mo's curiosity, this giant beast seemed unusually sluggish.

It was lowering its head slightly, greedily absorbing the surrounding energy.

This area was filled with power generation facilities. Whenever the beast opened its mouth, vast amounts of electricity surged towards it like a tidal wave, which it swallowed in one gulp.

Immediately, the power facilities dimmed, boilers began to work frantically, and after some time, when new electricity was generated, the beast opened its mouth again, swallowing all the energy in one breath.

The entire process was less like eating and more like the beast was breathing.

With every deep breath, it consumed the energy of the Empyrean Realm.

And with every exhalation, thick smoke billowed from the volcano on its back, spreading over the entire area and worsening the environment.

The air became hot and oppressive, with a faint smell of sulfur lingering.

It was important to note that this was the Etten Industrial Base's power hub, the energy center of the entire Empyrean Realm.

One of the main reasons the Royal Army had been pushed back by the Callets was that the royal capital had lost its power supply—precious electricity that had all been consumed by this monstrous creature.

"Hmm... I suppose I should say hello."

Looking at the creature even larger than Ghent, Fang Mo thoughtfully stroked his chin.

Although he had played as the main DPS in the volcano raid in the game, that was merely for gear. He had no real intention of killing these apostles.

If there was one apostle he genuinely wanted to destroy, it would probably be Hilder. Despite the 'De' in her name suggesting otherwise, her actions were anything but virtuous. Of the eight million warriors back in the day, at least seven million wanted to take her down.

Considering this, Fang Mo didn't show any hostility but instead activated the Arcane Ring on his hand.

Instantly, a vibrant flame ignited in his palm—not an ordinary fire, but the Eternal Flame from Muspelheim, one of the Nine Realms, and the essence of Surtur.

"…"

As soon as the flame appeared, Anton, who had been absorbing energy below, seemed to sense something.

Its enormous head slowly lifted, and its eight massive eyes, glowing like molten lava, locked onto Fang Mo, a look of longing flickering in their fiery depths.

Then the beast began to move.

It was like a basking Brazilian turtle suddenly spotting a piece of liver in its owner's hand, instantly drawn to it.

Its body arched upward, its neck stretching out, eyes full of hunger and desire.

"So cute..."

Fang Mo chuckled at the sight, conjuring a fireball and tossing it downward.

The Arcane Ring, being a legendary artifact from the equivalent exchange module, had no concept of "consumption." Creating an Eternal Fireball, or even an Eternal Sun, wasn't an issue if Fang Mo had the patience.

The fireball, although several stories high, was minuscule compared to Anton's colossal form—less than a single pellet of turtle food.

Below, the eager Anton opened its mouth wide, and a massive windstorm formed instantly, pulling the spinning fireball into its maw.

"…"

After swallowing the fireball, Anton's expression didn't change much, but it exuded a sense of immense satisfaction.

Soon, it raised its head again, looking at Fang Mo with its eight giant eyes, full of anticipation.

"Hmm?"

Fang Mo noticed this and conjured another fireball.

However, he didn't throw it down right away. Instead, he turned and began flying slowly toward the sea.

"…"

Seeing this, Anton stopped absorbing the surrounding energy and, like a little turtle chasing food, began to follow Fang Mo, its head held high.

But due to its enormous size, its movements were incredibly slow.

It took several minutes just to turn around, slowly plodding after Fang Mo.

"Feeding this beast is quite fun..."

Seeing this, Fang Mo couldn't help but laugh. He never noticed Anton's personality while raiding back in the day. Now, it seemed like an adorable little turtle.

Thinking this, Fang Mo decided to feed it something else.

But before he could rummage through his inventory, a few things suddenly flew out from Anton's body.

Looking down, Fang Mo saw what appeared to be bat-like creatures carrying humanoid figures—likely Anton's symbiotes.

Yes, although Anton was an apostle, its body also housed a unique ecosystem.

If he recalled correctly, Anton originated from a species called Odine, born on an extremely hot planet. The Odines consumed lava, absorbing the planet's heat and radioactive materials for sustenance. There was also another species on the planet called Tartan.

The Odines were giant creatures, each as large as a mountain, with immense strength.

Naturally, the Tartans couldn't compete with the Odines. Over time, to survive, they began worshiping the Odines as gods, climbing onto their bodies to find food and clean them.

Interestingly, despite their immense strength, the Odines had extremely low intelligence.

And due to their enormous size, moving around was very difficult, making it hard for them to find food. They often went hungry.

In contrast, the Tartans were extremely intelligent and highly adaptable.

Over time, the two species gradually merged into a symbiotic relationship: the Odines provided strength and shelter, while the Tartans acted as strategists and helped them find food.

Anton's arrival in the Demon Realm was largely due to the Tartans' guidance.

Because so many Odines were consuming the planet's energy, the planet was on the verge of exploding.

So, the clever Tartans climbed onto Anton, the youngest of the Odines with relatively fast movement, and advised it to escape to the Demon Realm just before the planet exploded.

After that, Anton became the Seventh Apostle of the Demon Realm.

As if confirming Fang Mo's thoughts, the creatures flying toward him soon revealed their identities.

"Honored one, we are Tartan Star People," said one of the strange-looking but surprisingly polite creatures. "Lord Mateka would like to speak with you. May we have the honor of your company?"

"Oh, sure."

Fang Mo nodded in agreement. ƒrēenovelkiss.com

He vaguely remembered Mateka. If he wasn't mistaken, Mateka was one of the raid bosses, the strongest Tartan Star Person, who had merged with Anton's consciousness, making him part of Anton.

He was essentially Anton's brain, responsible for thinking and strategizing.

With this in mind, Fang Mo threw the fireball in his hand downward. Below, Anton opened its mouth once more, eagerly swallowing the fire.

"Please follow me."

The Tartan Star Person, after casting a longing glance at Fang Mo, turned and flew back.

Fang Mo followed, and after a short flight, he landed on Anton's back.

As mentioned earlier, Anton's back wasn't flat.

Especially here, where it was a pure, active volcano.

The Tartan Star People led Fang Mo into the volcano's interior.

This wasn't the black volcano from the game's storyline, where cooling cannons helped reduce the temperature. Now that Anton had gorged on energy, the volcano's interior was a death zone for carbon-based life forms—anyone who jumped in would be instantly vaporized.

But, of course, Fang Mo was no longer a mere human, so it didn't pose a problem for him.

Inside the volcano, Fang Mo landed on a platform. The environment here was indeed harsh—not only was the temperature high, but the air was also thick with black smoke.

Fortunately, Fang Mo didn't have to wait long.

Almost as soon as he landed, a figure emerged from the shadows nearby.

The figure had crimson skin, short white hair, two sharp horns protruding from its forehead, and was covered in demonic patterns. Its arms were adorned with black magical stones. At first glance, it looked similar to a human male, setting it apart from other Tartan Star People.

"Greetings, honored one."

Mateka approached and greeted Fang Mo politely.

But soon, he seemed unable to contain himself, asking eagerly, "That flame you wielded earlier… do you have more?"

After saying this, Mateka inexplicably held his head in his hand.

"No, that's not right, honored one." Mateka quickly corrected himself, "What I meant was that you seem to have no ill intentions toward us. Your previous actions were likely a gesture of goodwill. Can I interpret it that way?"

"More or less."

Fang Mo naturally admitted.

"Who are you, honored one?" Mateka asked again, "You don't seem to be from this world. Are you, like us… beings who fell into an interdimensional rift?"

"I…"

Fang Mo was about to reply, but before he could speak, Mateka interrupted with another question: "Is that flame from your homeland? Can I visit your homeland?"

As he asked, Mateka seemed to instinctively swallow.

"Sor… sorry…"

Mateka lowered his head apologetically. "That flame was just too delicious. We couldn't help ourselves…"

"It's fine, I understand."

Fang Mo surprisingly didn't mind and waved his hand dismissively.

As mentioned earlier, Mateka and Anton were practically one. Their thoughts weren't independent but rather intertwined without boundaries.

If one were to draw an analogy, Anton was the body, and Mateka was the brain. While the brain usually controls the body, sometimes the body influences the brain. Like when Fang Mo in his past life tried to quit a certain habit but found his hand uncontrollably clicking on a certain site, only to regret it afterward—this was eerily similar to Mateka's current state.

"I'm indeed not a native here."

After waving his hand, Fang Mo continued, "I come from another world. However, I must clarify one thing in advance—I am not a human… but a god."

"A god?"

Mateka was stunned, clearly skeptical. "Even if you say so, but…"

Before he could finish, an earth-shattering aura erupted from Fang Mo.

The long-dormant power of dimensions surged, and infinite light burst forth from Fang Mo, shooting out of the volcano on Anton's back, piercing the atmosphere, and disappearing into the depths of space.

"This… This is…"

Mateka was almost crushed by the overwhelming pressure, his face filled with disbelief. The pressure was so intense that it was the strongest he had ever experienced. He was, after all, a part of Anton, sharing its power. This meant that even Anton's strength was being suppressed by the being in front of him.

At that moment, Mateka finally realized that Fang Mo…

Truly was a god.