Chapter 184 The End of the Sea and Dusk
Under the authority of the God-King, when the decree is given, change will occur.
The 'fire' that Zeus referred to was naturally not just the flame. In fact, the flame was only a tiny part of it. It was a word rich in symbolic meaning.
Because fire was given to mankind by Hestia, and this goddess is one of the gods most friendly to mankind; but it happened that mankind's first deception of God took place in her temple, and the goddess not only controls [fire], but also holds the divine power of [protection].
Therefore, the decree of the King of Gods actually severed the relationship between God and man, cut off all protection of God for man, and cursed them in turn.
From this moment on, the gods will no longer respond to human prayers, and everything that the gods have previously bestowed on mankind will be taken back.
Even on this basis, humans not only lost the fire given by God, they will no longer be able to rely on themselves to light fire; humans lost the harvest given by God, and the crops they planted will no longer sprout; humans lost the good weather given by God, and natural disasters will always be with them.
This was the punishment that the God King imposed on this deception, but he cleverly left some leeway. He used "fire" to represent all of this, so as long as humans regained fire, God's protection of humans would not be restored, but God's punishment on humans would not continue.
At this moment, some gods understood and some did not, but standing on Mount Olympus, Prometheus undoubtedly understood.
Not only did he understand, he heard more.
"Give up, brother, this is pointless."
"The God King is not kind. Even if you save humanity this time, he will punish mortals for other reasons. This generation of mortals is no longer what he needs."
Standing outside the temple of the goddess of law on Mount Olympus, Epimetheus once again persuaded his brother.
Previously, the two had not been able to see Themis here. According to the nymphs stationed here, the goddess left in a hurry after returning here.
God's laws should not be applied to humans, and God's rules may not apply to humans, and humans at this time actually have no laws. The goddess destroyed the temple because humans abused her name because she never allowed them to do so, but in fact, other than that, humans did not really break any rules - because she did not set rules for them.
Therefore, the goddess decided to give them a standard, and she would define under what circumstances, mortals could claim the justice of judgment in their own name.
The goddess of law was first the creator of the law, and then the defender of the law. She could not defend something that she herself did not decide. So she left Olympus, intending to seek the help of her old friends and try to establish the initial standards for the human "court".
As for what is considered guilty and what is not guilty, that is a matter for humans. She is only responsible for ensuring that the trials she witnesses are conducted in accordance with the rules.
If anyone dares to violate the standards she has set in court after she has set them, she will punish the violator according to the rules she has set.
Therefore, the two brothers planned to wait here until the goddess came back. In the end, the wait ended before it even began.
The King of Gods knew everything, and he punished mankind. Now, he was waiting for Prometheus to fall into his trap.
"Perhaps, but I don't ask for more. As long as the divine punishment can be taken back and they can grow old in peace, that's enough."
Looking towards the east, Prometheus felt a bit complicated. His most trusted student betrayed him, but he could not blame him.
After all, he was the one who created Orson and taught him. It was he who caused him to become what he is now.
Now, he has also received the fate he deserves.
"All this started with me, Epimetheus. Although I deceived the gods for the sake of mankind, now that I think about it, I was just showing off my own 'wisdom'."
"And I'm probably not that smart, like—"
Just like Metis, the goddess of wisdom.
Prometheus did not say this. As the goddess disappeared for a hundred years, the king of gods married a new queen, and the gods also vaguely guessed something.
They don't know the exact fate of this goddess who is famous for her intelligence, but it is probably not a good one.
"But what can you do, brother?"
Although he knew it was useless, the latecomer still spoke.
"The God King took away the 'fire' of mankind. The only one in this world who can go against his will is the Supreme Being who truly controls 'fire'."
"Goddess Hestia will not help you fight against your brother. The whereabouts of the goddess of the magic net who controls the fire element are elusive, and the Lord of the Spirit World will not respond to your call. There is no way for you to obtain the right to use fire."
He looked a little sad and even no longer as foolish as before. Epimetheus hoped that his brother would listen to his advice.
But Prometheus did not notice his brother's change at this time. Or, even if he noticed, he would not change his decision.
The God King had discovered everything and punished mankind, but ignored the instigator of all this. Prometheus knew that as the creator of mankind, it was his turn.
He could actually escape, but he didn't want to.
"There is another place. Apart from the gods, the divine weapons are not under the control of the God King's authority. The divine authority is absolute, and not even Zeus can violate this."
Look towards the top of Mount Olympus, where the temple of the sun god is located. It is there that Helios sets out every day, driving the sun chariot to make the sun rise in the east and set in the west, and then returns here at night.
As long as fire is drawn from the artifact, the decree of the God-King will become invalid.
"He won't give it to you. He is only a hair's breadth away from powerful divine power, and faith is his hope. As a remnant of the Titans, Helios' position in the gods' court is already unstable—"
"I know."
He interrupted calmly. At this moment, Prometheus really seemed like a wise man among the gods.
"So I'll give him a chance."
"I went to steal fire, and then he captured me and pleaded for me in front of the God King. This would of course not work, but he would gain the gratitude of mankind and the credit for the God Court."
As for what would happen to him, the Foresighted One did not say much. It was just an eternal imprisonment, and he could already foresee where he would be imprisoned.
But in the end, as if he remembered something, he began to admonish his younger brother.
"Leave here, and don't get involved in the affairs between the God King and humans because of me. You also bear the credit for creating humans. If possible, the God King will not let you go. Remember, don't accept any 'kindness' from Zeus."
".I understand, brother."
After a long silence, Epimetheus nodded his agreement. He watched his brother casually break off a fennel branch and then head up the mountain in the night.
And he just watched all this and did nothing.
"Not getting involved in all this? You really are thinking about humanity until the end."
"What about you, me, and even our brother who supports the sky and our father who lives in seclusion."
Shaking his head slightly, Epimetheus knew that his brother had finally regained his sanity from the flattery of humans and gods, and he saw clearly the cause and effect of this matter.
The King of Gods will not allow the two gods who participated in the creation of humans to continue to exist in the world, so the one who awakens first needs to commit a serious crime, and the one who awakens later must at least bring disaster to mankind in order to destroy his status in the hearts of mortals.
However, Epimetheus himself would be fine. Prometheus was very clear about this. After all, compared to him, the foolish latecomer was not considered a threat by the king of gods. Zeus would only use this to show his tolerance and would not let the two brothers suffer the same fate. So his last exhortation before leaving was actually just to prevent his brother from bringing disaster to mankind.
But this time, Epimetheus did not want to listen to him, just as he had never listened to the advice of the latecomers. Prometheus was willing to think about mankind, but Epimetheus only wanted to think about himself.
He didn't want to become a thorn in the eyes of the God King, or even stand against the gods, just for the sake of humans who would die sooner or later.
He was a god, so he should think from the perspective of a god. Moreover, feeling the faith lingering around him, Epimetheus didn't care about what humans thought.
He had not lived in the human world for these years in vain. Faith was not just derived from worship. With a little adjustment, fear and admiration actually led to the same end.
······
"So, people who betray their class usually don't have a good ending. But if you extend the time, it's hard to say whether it's right or wrong."
"After all, if he hadn't stolen fire and hadn't shown preference for humans, perhaps Prometheus in later generations would have been just an ordinary god, and wouldn't have had such a great reputation."
"From this perspective, he has completely written himself into human history. Even if time passes, his beliefs will remain unchanged even if they no longer dominate the mainstream."
On the East China Sea, a huge whirlpool was spinning slowly. Billions of tons of sea water were swirling and falling into the seemingly endless eye of the sea. That dark place was like the abyss that swallowed up all things.
Ryan was dressed in a black robe, standing above the vortex, and he seemed to see the figure of the fire thief.
Prometheus and the sun god were talking. Their conversation was not noticed by anyone, but it was clearly illuminated by the artifact next to them.
After all, Hephaestus in this life has not yet been born, and even if he is born, he will no longer have the opportunity to build the sun chariot. Therefore, the "important task" of capturing Prometheus naturally fell on Helios.
It is hard to say whether this is good or bad. After all, Zeus might be happy to see Hera's only son get this benefit, but he might not be willing to see the sun god get it. But at this moment, Helios was very excited and he decisively accepted the request of the forerunner.
However, he only agreed to give Prometheus half a day. When the sun rose the next day, he would "discover" that his artifact had been tampered with, and then take the initiative to capture the person.
"Come to think of it, there doesn't seem to be a place called 'Caucasus Mountains' in the east of this world. I wonder where he will be imprisoned this time?"
Looking away, there will be an answer soon, and Ryan is not in a hurry to know the result. He looked at the whirlpool he created with interest, and then headed further east.
He had a hunch that the reason this unknown thing appeared in the east of the world might have something to do with him.
Perhaps it was because the Sun, the core of the present world, came into contact with the East China Sea that there were brief disturbances at the world level here, thus attracting some things that should not have appeared.
After all, the complete ocean and water are equal to the power of the sky. If the power had not been divided, the ancient sea god would have already reached the realm of greatness. Although the sun is slightly inferior, it is very likely to reach greatness at the end of the third era if it had not been divided.
From this perspective, perhaps this is all part of the "destiny" of this world. As these things may touch upon the great divine power, He separated them one by one long ago.
The closest one is [Weather], and the next one is most likely [Light].
Passing quickly over the sea, Ryan could see that the sea surface was gradually becoming dead and restless. The closer he got to the edge of the world, the more lifeless it seemed, and the sense of existence of the laws of the world became weaker and weaker.
Until a certain moment, the sea surface suddenly stopped. At the edge of the sea, the seawater flowed towards the endless void below like a waterfall, and on the other side of the waterfall was the River of the World, which flowed endlessly and encircled the world.
Above it, you can vaguely see a palace, which is the residence of the Ocean God.
But the next moment, a loud voice came from the tall temple.
"Who's there!"
When Ryan stepped on the long river, the effect of the robe [Stealth] was also lifted by him.
This is already the boundary between the real world and the rest of the world, even close to the edge of the world, and the suppression of the laws is almost non-existent.
Therefore, feeling that the symbol of his divine power was touched, the Ocean God immediately discovered this uninvited guest.
"Hey, you've recovered?"
Looking at the tall figure stepping out of the shrine, Ryan was somewhat surprised.
Ryan felt somewhat sad that he had recovered but turned a blind eye to his daughter's fate.
However, later myths do not seem to have recorded that Oceanus became an enemy of Zeus because of the disappearance of Metis.
The goddess of Chaos is still okay, but among the male gods, there are indeed very few who are truly "good fathers".
"Ryan? What are you doing here?"
Oceanus frowned slightly as he did not recognize that the other party was the culprit who had caused him such severe injuries.
His injuries were indeed serious, but he was much more powerful than the sun god, and the most important symbol of his divine power was the River that surrounds the world, not the ocean.
As for why he still stayed here even though he had recovered from his injuries, that was another matter.
Thinking of this, Oceanus couldn't help but become alert. He didn't know what Ryan was here for, but he wouldn't allow him to go any further.
"I came here to find something as the owner of this place. Have you noticed anything wrong recently?"
"No!"
Without hesitation, the Ocean God replied immediately.
"Um?"
It was just a casual question and Ryan didn't expect to get any response, but Oceanus's reaction really surprised him.
Although the other party did not reveal any obvious flaws, his spiritual intuition told him that the other party was not telling the truth.
"Are you sure?"
With his eyes narrowed, Ryan smiled and persuaded,
"Some things are beyond your ability to handle. Perhaps it would be better if you told me. My intuition tells me that what I'm looking for may not be a good thing."
"This is none of your business, Ryan. If I can't handle it, can you?"
"Besides, I've already said that there's nothing abnormal here! This is my territory, please leave."
Oceanus refused once again without any fear. As a Titan who had seen Ryan in action, Oceanus thought he had some understanding of him.
Besides, this is not the earth. On the River that surrounds the world, even if Mother Earth comes, she can't do anything to him. Standing here, he is not afraid of anything.
"."
After a moment of hesitation, Ryan looked at the Titan who had oppressed him with divine power in the distant First Age, and finally decided to give him another chance.
After all, it was he who made the prophecy first, so it was understandable that Ocean God overreacted.
So Ryan nodded and said calmly:
"In that case, I won't bother you anymore."
Turning around, Ryan looked beyond the Ringworld River.
Walking here, that mysterious feeling has become more and more clear. There is no doubt that the "thing" he is looking for is right here.
Ryan stepped forward, intending to cross the long river and go there to see for himself. However, as soon as he took a step, the Ocean God, who was still in front of the palace, changed his expression and blocked his way.
"What do you mean?"
Ryan asked with a smile, the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
"I said, this is my territory, you are not welcome here, please leave."
He said coldly, with no intention of giving way at all.
"But I just want to take a look at the other side of the Ringing River. I'm afraid that place doesn't belong to you."
Still smiling, Ryan finally said politely.
"Everywhere the River of the World flows through belongs to me! Leave here! This is my last warning to you!"
Oceanus was getting impatient, perhaps more because he was afraid that his secret would be discovered. His power began to gather, and on the symbol of his divine power, Oceanus felt extremely powerful. As he had done before, he released his coercion and tried to force the gods in front of him to retreat.
However, this time, he felt that his strength was like a drop in the ocean, and disappeared completely when he approached Ryan's side.
"This kind of breath."
"Decay, ruin, and death. It feels like dusk to me."
Whispering softly, Ryan was keenly aware of something. He easily captured the aura that escaped as Oceanus' power vibrated, and it was obviously mixed with some power that the other party should not have.
Now, Ryan was completely certain of his guess that the Ocean God had definitely come into contact with that unknown thing, and it was not just an accidental passing by.
So he put away his smile and looked at the tall god in front of him. At the fingertips of Ryan's right hand, a dark light slowly emerged.
After a hundred years, the power of the spiritual world was once again taken over by him, and half of the great power descended on the boundary between the world and the outside world. Under this power, Ryan almost instantly locked the approximate location of the anomaly outside the long river, but he still looked at the ocean god in front of him first.
Taking a step forward, in the mythological world, there is no such thing as subordination, and who among the gods of Chaos really cares about these things. Now, it will be no exception.
"You said this place belongs to you, but I don't think so."
"Then now, I declare: this place belongs to me."
Chapter 185: A Sword and Fragments
It was obviously the same person, but it was only a moment before and after, but it gave the Ocean God completely opposite feelings.
When the black-robed god in front of him finished speaking, Oceanus suddenly felt a sense of oppression from the bottom of his heart. The surface of the river that enveloped the present world dropped by three points, as if it was under an unbearable weight.
This was the fourth time that Oceanus had this feeling. He had faced the Father in the distant First Age, faced Kronos a hundred years ago, and faced the shadow that looked like the original God not long ago. But in those three times, he did not face this kind of pressure alone.
But now, no one can stand in his way.
"What are you going to do, are you going to be my enemy here?"
Suppressing the throbbing in his heart, Oceanus didn't know what had happened to the god in front of him. The power of the gods was innate, and he wouldn't be like Kronos, who inexplicably broke through the innate limits.
The power of the gods was mobilized, and the water in his hand turned into a spear. The ocean god said threateningly. However, in front of him, Ryan had no intention of stopping.
On his right hand, the black ring became deeper. Ever since the Well of Samsara was built, this sublimated Death had always existed as a part of it, and Ryan had never tried its power alone.
Now, it was temporarily extracted, leaving only a small part to maintain the stability of the reincarnation. It was definitely impossible to kill the gods with it, but what kind of effect it could produce really made Ryan look forward to it.
"You think too much about being your enemy."
He said calmly, and before the Ocean Lord opposite could breathe a sigh of relief, the power of [Death] turned into a long sword and was held in Ryan's hand.
He really didn't intend to be an enemy. After all -
"After all, you are not worthy to be my enemy."
Zheng——
The black sword was raised high and slashed through the void. The next moment, everything in its path suddenly became quiet. Air, moisture, light, and even space, they were killed in an instant by the "Death" blessed by the power of the Great One, and lost all traces of their existence in the world.
The Ocean God, who was facing the sword, had no time to pay attention to Ryan's previous words. He only felt a sense of fear in his heart, and his intuition told him that he must not let this sword fall on him.
"Ryan, this is my territory!"
Fear turned into anger, anger inspired power, and when the instincts of the Titans were aroused, Oceanus roared, and the water of the river rolled back.
The river water infected by divine power rushed towards the black sword. The Ocean God could recognize that this sword was not a divine weapon, but just a temporary manifestation of some kind of power. It was no different from the spear condensed in his hand.
Without the blessing of the artifact, how could the other party dare to fight against me on the Ring World River? !
"Your domain?"
"Now, it's mine."
With a slight effort, the water of the Ring River surged in front of Ryan along with the spear of the Titan, but he just held the hilt and pressed down slowly.
The next moment, the spear and the river in front of him all died inch by inch as the black sword approached. Opposite Ryan, Oceanus was horrified to find that his connection with this part of the river seemed to have been temporarily erased.
"ah--"
A roar, also containing a bit of pain, caused the water in the long river to riot. But this instinctive counterattack was obviously useless. In front of the black sword's blade, the huge waves were cut apart and the waves were crushed, until finally, it directly slashed the "river channel" that seemed to be condensed from the void.
boom--
The long river shook, and the symbol of Ocean God's divine power was directly hit, which brought him pain no less than the sun. But Ryan's hand holding the sword finally encountered an obstacle, and it seemed that the power he had in front of him was not enough to cause further damage.
After all, the course of the Ring World River is not ordinary, it actually exists as a barrier at the edge of the world. It is not a physical entity, but a conceptual existence, which makes it difficult to touch, let alone destroy.
"No, the power of [Death], even if it is not perfect, is far more than this."
His eyes narrowed slightly. Perhaps the Ocean God was really unlucky. Ryan's original understanding of "death" was not very deep, but the sense of desolation he had felt from the other party before gave him some inspiration.
Holding the hilt of the sword with both hands, Ryan tried to replicate that feeling with his spiritual divine power and bless the blade of the sword.
That feeling of dimness and desolation seemed to be very consistent with the divine power of death, so much so that Ryan could clearly feel that the power of the black sword in his hand suddenly increased by three points, as if magic power was constructed into witchcraft.
He smiled with satisfaction, then pressed down hard.
"open--"
With a light shout, and finally, in the incredulous gaze of the Ocean God, accompanied by a loud noise that shook the source sea, the sword edge finally continued to sink.
The long river was cut open, and the power of decay and doom continued to spread along the cut to the upper and lower sides of the river. Ryan could feel that due to the erosion of [Death], the Ring River was no longer "perfect", and even this power was extending along the present time and space to the past and future, trying to completely and forever cut off this long river.
But unfortunately, whether it is [Life] or [Death], their spiritual parts only reach greatness after fusion and sublimation, making their unified creation become the [Artifact of Creation]. Moreover, its current user cannot be said to have complete great divine power.
Although the power of separation is also very strong, it is obviously far from being absolute enough to last for eternity. Moreover, it is only a temporary draw from the Well of Samsara, rather than a natural artifact truly forged by the power of death. Therefore, Ryan can feel that this erosion of the past and the future will soon become unsustainable and be forced to stop.
But a rough calculation shows that the damage caused by this sword lasted for at least three hundred years.
"Ryan?! Why are you here? What have you done?!"
With a cry of surprise, when Ryan's sword fell, the source sea surged and boiled, and in the distance of the present world, a blue light was approaching here.
That was the original water goddess Thesis. When the Ocean God stayed in the temple at the edge of the world, she was in charge of the Ocean God system. She was originally discussing things with her children. After all, in recent decades, the God King had turned part of the eastern part of the continent into a restricted area, prohibiting the river gods and lake gods of the Ocean God system from approaching there. But after sensing her husband's sudden mobilization of divine power, the goddess rushed over immediately.
Thesis came in a hurry. She thought that the Ocean God had encountered some accident "there", or had another conflict with the Lord of Darkness who had arrived before. But what she didn't expect was that in front of her was only Ryan standing above the long river, and the black sword in his hand slowly dissipating.
In front of him, a crack emitting a deadly atmosphere crossed the river, and there was no trace of Oceanus's breath left there.
The river is not cut off in a physical sense, because the water can still flow through there. But this section of the river, which is nearly 100 miles long, gives people an ominous feeling because it is too quiet.
The river water upstream and downstream was still rushing, even more turbulent because of the pain of its owner, but as long as the water flowed through this section of the river, it would calm down silently.
The huge waves were calmed, the turbulence was eliminated, as if the river water would die once it crossed an invisible "line", and would not come back to life until it flowed out of the other end of the "line". Even the Goddess of Water could feel that although her authority over "water" was still there, she had no sense of the cut-off section of the river in front of her.
There seemed to be a barrier between the two sides, and her current strength was far from enough to break through the barrier. If she wanted to restore everything to its original state, she would have to spend hundreds of years to wear it out.
"Death is indeed one of the most destructive forces in the world."
There was some amazement. Ryan, as the instigator of all this, was shocked by the scene before him.
He had not expected that in terms of pure destructive power, this divine authority would actually have such a terrible performance. That is, [Death] still has an insurmountable gap from the realm of greatness, otherwise he even suspected that the authority of [Death] standing at the pinnacle of greatness could even permanently kill a god's control over the symbol of his authority, or turn it into something else.
For example, if the Sun is killed by Death, the Sun itself may not be destroyed, but it is very likely to change from a body of light that brings life to all things to an existence that brings decay. At that time, whether the original Sun God will lose his divine authority or be forced to change is unknown.
No wonder Chaos's [Death] is so weak by nature. This power to end everything is simply challenging the order of the world.
"But now, this has really become 'my area'."
Feeling the river channel under his feet temporarily transformed by the power of death, Ryan turned around. He ignored the coming goddess of water and looked at Oceanus.
A black line also spread across the body of the Ocean God at this moment. It was the damage caused by the symbol of divine power being fed back to the divine body. His divine power was constantly flowing towards the black line, and then it was completely consumed in an instant.
Just like the river under Ryan's feet, this wound will be difficult to heal within one hundred and fifty years and will continue to cause pain to its owner.
Of course, with the help of his wife, this period of time might be shortened.
"So now you are willing to tell me what is here and what you encountered?"
With a calm expression, Ryan asked.
".Huh—what kind of power is this, what have you done to me?"
However, surprisingly, even though he was breathing heavily, Oceanus still gave a non-answer. It seemed that even after being hit by a sword, he still had reservations.
".It seems that I am still too easy to talk to."
"Perhaps only in front of a god like Uranus will you understand what you should do."
His expression turned cold, and the long sword in Ryan's right hand condensed again.
This place can already be considered outside the world, so no matter what he does, theoretically nothing will happen. Unless he intends to completely demolish the entire Ring World River, the rigid laws will simply turn a blind eye to it.
And he was very sure that even if he slashed the river a hundred miles at a time, it would not cause any harm to the river itself.
After all, as a barrier on the edge of the real world, the River Around the World is even more stable than the earth, so there is no need to worry about damaging it accidentally.
So Ryan raised his sword again and was about to chop it down, but a shout stopped him.
"Wait, I know what's there, and I also know that the master of the Lightless Realm has already gone over there."
"As a primordial god, he discovered the place only a little later than Oceanus. It's just that he can't get in yet. But if you delay too long, you can't be sure."
Rushing to the place, the Water Goddess had no time to think about why Ryan was so powerful. The reality was already here. Although the other party's oppression to her was less than that of the Lord of Darkness, the damage caused to the Ocean God was the opposite.
When the primitive god came, he also drove away the "ants" beside him, but after being hit by the other party, Oceanus quickly recovered. In comparison, this dead river channel was the real threat.
Erasing the authority of the gods, even if it was only temporary, was terrifying enough. After all, anything "temporary" could become "permanent" if combined with enough power and endless time.
"Erebus?"
Ryan paused, and something moved in his heart. He was actually neither surprised nor surprised to hear the name of the Lord of Darkness.
If the Ring River is the edge of the earth and the ocean, then the realm of the two primordial gods is the edge of the underworld, and Tartarus is directly below the world concept. It is not surprising that it was discovered earlier because it is closer.
However, he had originally planned to invite Nyx to explore this place together after a little probing, but now it seems that he can only go up alone.
"So what's in there?"
He spoke in a deep voice, but the black sword in Ryan's hand did not dissipate. The Ocean God seemed to want to stop him, but in the end he did not speak.
He had been warned by the Lord of Darkness before, so he kept it a secret. But now he realized that although the original god who easily knocked him back to the sea was terrible, after experiencing Ryan's sword, he found that the other party might not be that bad.
One was right in front of him, and the other was still very far away. He naturally didn't need to think about what to do, especially since he had already been hit by a sword.
"We are not really sure about this, because when I rushed over there, it was already blocked by the chain of Chaos's Law."
Shaking his head slightly, Thesis said slowly:
"All I know is that it seems to be a large number of broken pieces, some large, some small. They seem to have crashed into here somehow due to the turmoil in the East China Sea a hundred years ago, but..."
"But what?"
Seeing this, Ryan asked.
"But their auras are all very strange, just like their broken appearance, exuding a sense of decay from the inside out, and some even give me an inexplicable sense of threat. I don't know what is in there, because before Chaos's chain of laws decayed to the point where we could enter, we were driven out by His Majesty Erebus who arrived later."
"That's all I know." Looking at Ryan, Thesis said sincerely, "So can you withdraw this power?"
The Original Water Goddess was referring to the power of death on the long river. Ryan raised his eyebrows when he heard it, but remained unmoved.
He and the Ocean God were not on friendly terms to begin with, and now the other party was only willing to answer questions under the coercion of his force, so he would not just laugh it off.
"This sword mark should be regarded as a lesson, Oceanus. Even Gaia did not declare that other gods were not allowed to pass through the earth. The King of Gods did not refuse me to walk in the world, let alone you."
"Let's just leave it here, so that when I come back, at least I'll be returning from 'my realm'."
The black sword dissipated, and now that he knew the source of the abnormal movement, Ryan no longer hesitated. He took a last look at the two Titans, then turned into a silver light and left.
Behind him, the two gods were silent as they watched him leave. First, Kronos broke through the limit for some reason, and then Ryan, who was not strong before, suddenly showed terrible power. In just a hundred years, the familiar world of Chaos seemed a little strange.
At this moment, Ocean God felt a desire to go further.
If it were any other god, the desire would just be a desire, but it was different for him, he had the opportunity.
As long as he could completely dominate the sea and have a closer interaction with Thesis on divine power, then as the master of all water in the world, he would be able to reach that step.
After all, Chaos's earth and water are superior to wind and fire. Even if they are divided into three, they can create three extraordinary gods with powerful divine power. There are even dozens of true gods and countless regional gods. If they can be gathered together, the power may not be weaker than Gaia, which has been repeatedly hit.
"I remember you said that Zeus set up a restricted area in the eastern part of the continent?"
After a moment of silence, enduring the pain, the Ocean God asked.
"Yes, no gods are allowed to approach there, and our children are no exception."
The goddess nodded and responded.
"No matter what's there, I'll go there and take a look after I recover from my injuries. I have to know what he's doing so I can know if he'll interfere when I take action against Poseidon."
"Okay, I'll go with you then.
The power contained in the black mark on her husband's chest made Tessis's hand tingle.
The gods were still unfamiliar with death, especially such a powerful death. Their thoughts were still stuck on the simple death of mortals, so this power that seemed to be able to make all things die was really frightening.
"Zeus, our adopted son, he will not interfere with the sea as the king of gods. This is also the promise he made to me as the guardian of the oath, but he will never be willing to see the sea unified."
"In order to prevent the gods of Olympus from 'actively' helping Poseidon, we should indeed go and see what he is doing. If we are discovered, we can just assume that we are looking for Metis."
When talking about their missing daughter, the two Titans did not seem to be worried or angry. In the original myth, the Oceanus couple had never had any conflicts with the God King because of Metis, and they actually did not intend to investigate it further.
The daughter whose reason was blinded by Zeus' sweet words was no longer considered one of their own. Now, she was only worthy of being an excuse to help her parents achieve their goals.
······
After leaving the Ring River, Ryan set foot in this place outside the world for the first time.
It was said to be outside the world, but in fact it was a bit like a starry sky without celestial bodies. Walking in it, Ryan could hardly see anything except the Ring World River that was getting farther and farther away and smaller behind him.
Strictly speaking, this place still belongs to the realm of Chaos, because this is the world of existence. Outside the real world, whether you call it "chaos" or "void", it is all "nothing".
Creating something out of nothing is the real driving force behind the birth of a world, and it is also a miracle that goes against the underlying logic of the worlds in which Ryan lived in his previous and later lives.
And the real "nothingness" is something that Ryan and even the spirit world cannot directly touch. Only a complete world like Chaos can anchor itself in "nothingness" and even draw strength from it.
And what Ryan is looking for on this trip seems to be the "nothing" from outside the world, just like his soul that came to Chaos, a creation that does not belong here.
"Nothing happens out of thin air. Is the collision between the sun and the East China Sea really the source of this change?"
I thought to myself, maybe that's not the case.
Ryan felt that perhaps something else he had done was the cause of all this.
Chapter 186 The Remains of the Nine Realms
Continuously traveling forward, Ryan didn't know how far he had advanced in a flash, but in the void outside this world, he seemed to be standing still.
Without a reference, he had no idea how far he had moved. Only the increasingly smaller river ring behind him was witnessing Ryan's progress.
Gradually, Ryan's divine body began to become a little blurry, and he had to mobilize more spiritual power to maintain "stability". However, here, even the connection with the spiritual world became a little unclear.
This is not because the environment here is so bad, or there is some force blocking it. In fact, it is just because Chaos's "existence" here is getting weaker and weaker.
Whether it was the divine body or the various rules, they were actually all products based on the world itself. When the "existence" of the world weakened, everything built under the rules of the world would naturally no longer be stable.
However, Ryan unexpectedly discovered that the power of the spiritual world seemed to be able to calm this instability more easily.
To be precise, this comes from the trace of time and space divinity that Ryan invested in the beginning of the spiritual world.
"Time and space. I don't know how I got here."
Until now, Ryan still had only a vague understanding of his journey through time. When he woke up tens of thousands of years ago, he was already the first god of Chaos.
Even the fact that the world had once tried to kill him completely was something Ryan only learned after he opened up the cycle of reincarnation. Before that, all he could do was guess.
But no matter what, the result is always good.
Continuing forward, Ryan kept getting closer to the place he had sensed before. At a certain moment, Chaos's 'existence' in the surrounding void stopped decreasing, but began to slowly rise.
Ryan's spirits lifted, but he also became cautious. According to what the Goddess of Water said before, the laws of the world locked up these unexpected fragments, and everything that happened now undoubtedly proved this.
Chaos' power extended here, and his presence here naturally became stronger. However, this also meant that the Lord of Darkness was likely nearby.
"arrive."
After a while, the chain of laws was faintly visible. At the end of his sight, Ryan could clearly see large and small spots of light floating in the void.
Chains were tied to it, and the power of the world was pouring out, wearing away the membranes on the surface of these light spots. On the side, a familiar figure was standing there, quietly watching everything in front of him.
The dark lord Erebus, Ryan had already prepared for him to use his divine power to turn himself into a 'secret' and hide aside, but he didn't expect that the other party would be waiting here openly.
Noticing the newcomer, Erebus turned his head and looked at Ryan who was coming from a distance, but he had no intention of attacking him.
"Lian, long time no see. The last time we talked face to face was probably ten thousand years ago."
With a smile on his face, the Dark Lord seemed polite and courteous, not at all like he had fought Ryan mercilessly a hundred years ago.
"It's been a long time indeed. However, I thought you would be more 'warm' in welcoming me."
Stopping not far from Erebus, Ryan looked calm, but his secret vigilance did not diminish in the slightest.
At the same time, he also slowly observed the surrounding environment. The 'light spots' were close at hand, but Ryan had already distinguished that they were actually fragments of the interface, ranging from a thousand miles in radius to incalculable in size. However, under the dual effects of the void and the Chaos Law Chain, size had lost its meaning.
Only a few of them can be roughly seen to be a little "bigger" than the others. That's because those fragments seem to be one of the main parts, so they look a little special.
"I fought you before because Chaos was only this big. You had already taken so many steps ahead, and as a latecomer, I had to delay your progress. But now it's different."
"I have to choose one to go in, and I can't keep confronting you. You can still go in after I leave. There is no need to fight in vain."
Looking at the scattered fragments in front of him, Erebus said directly.
If it makes sense to do it, he won't hesitate. But if it doesn't make sense, he won't waste his time.
On the side, Ryan nodded when he heard this. He was more in agreement with what the Dark Lord said.
Strictly speaking, just like the result of the battle between the two sides at the turn of the era, Ryan's current strength is still slightly worse than that of the opponent. This is not a defect in Gaia's status that is difficult to repair, but an imperfection in divine power.
If the lower limit of complete great divine power is regarded as level 21, then the personality incarnations of other great ones are composed of divine power infinitely close to this level, plus the personality of the original body.
In this regard, the status of the spiritual world is not inferior to the other party, but the gap in divine power still exists. In Ryan's original plan, there were no sudden appearances of these interface fragments, so he has been increasing his divine power without haste, just like the past ten thousand years.
But as the other party said, if there was only one interface fragment here, both sides would have to fight for it, but since there is more than one, there is naturally no need to fight.
And the most important thing is that these fragments are probably not just here for them to take as they please. No one knows what is inside. On one side, the world was destroyed, and no one knows whether it was caused by external or internal factors, and whether it still exists here. On the other hand, Chaos is constantly wearing down their resistance.
When they completely lose the power to resist, the world will simply take these fragments away and "digest" them. As for what will happen after the "digestion" is completed, no one knows.
It is possible that they will be transformed into the origin again and enhance the power of the world. It is also possible that these fragments will be directly reorganized into large and small "planes" attached to the main body of the world. This is unknown.
It is even possible that Chaos, because of these unexpected gains, might give birth to gods that did not exist in his original destiny.
The time that Ryan and Erebus were able to truly explore these fragments was actually very short. That was the period of time when the "world" level power on the fragments was almost destroyed by Chaos, but not completely destroyed.
This is also the reason why the Dark Lord waited here before. Since these fragments can float in the "nothingness" outside the world, it is naturally because there is still power from the real world on them. Faced with a piece of cake that is destined to be unfinished, the two of them should of course focus on how to eat it faster.
"You're right, so, do you have a goal?"
Agreeing with this, Ryan spoke as he looked at the group of debris in front of him.
"First come, first served, let you choose first."
Although he had only been here for a while, Ryan had already roughly browsed all the interface fragments around him. Among these fragments, nine were the largest, and the chains of laws locked on them were the heaviest, while the rest were far inferior to them. Undoubtedly, these nine were their real targets.
Despite the isolation of the world's power, the differences between these fragments can still be vaguely distinguished from the outside. However, the more Ryan looked at these fragments, the more frightened he became.
He had already guessed why these fragments came to Chaos. Before, Ryan thought it was the result of the Great Sun Bathing in the East China Sea, but now it seems that this is at best an accelerator, and it determines the location where these fragments approached is in the east of the world.
What really attracted them here was probably Ryan himself and the Nine Hells that were opened not long ago.
At the level of the world, information, energy, and matter are equivalent, and the same information will also produce special connections. Ryan originally named the fifth level of hell "Atrium" just to commemorate the past, but he never expected that he would actually bring the real Atrium here.
What he didn't expect was that what he attracted was not the 'living' one, but the 'dead' one.
This is actually reasonable. After all, if it is a complete world, it may not come because of a name. However, looking at the remains of these dead worlds, Ryan doubted whether there were any living things in these fragments when the world was "dead".
"This is it, it seems suitable."
"Speaking of which, this time, we don't know what the outcome will be--"
On the side, Erebus obviously didn't know what Ryan was thinking. He just pointed at a target that he had already set his eyes on.
It was one of the nine largest fragments. Although nothing could be seen from the outside, it was undoubtedly a fragment dominated by dark forces.
Ryan was not surprised by Erebus's choice. The reason why he generously let the other party choose first was naturally because when no one knew what was going on, anyone would give priority to options that were close to or opposite to themselves.
Among the nine fragments present, there happened to be two that were dominated by darkness and light respectively.
"Then I'll choose this one. I'm still very confident in my luck."
With a casual flick of his finger, Ryan selected a fragment that was shining with golden light.
He was actually a little hesitant. The other fragment that exuded coldness was just as important as the fragment that was surrounded by mist, but in the end Ryan chose this one.
After all, this is just the initial option. As long as the speed is fast enough, no one stipulates that you can only explore one fragment, and the same is true for Erebus.
"Okay, that's settled."
After looking at Ryan's choice, Erebus didn't think there was anything wrong with it.
In Chaos, Ryan was born earlier than him, so he has means that he doesn't know, which is understandable. But facing these things from outside the world, they are on the same level.
Even the power of [Destiny] would probably be useless in front of these interface fragments that did not belong to Chaos. Therefore, although Ryan was famous for his prophecy at the beginning, Erebus did not think he could see anything.
The so-called "luck" probably won't work here.
Just like that, after making their choice, the two stopped talking. There was nothing much to say to each other. At the edge of this world, they quietly watched the spectacle of the intersection and collision of the forces of this world.
Although there is also a world, the spiritual world is undoubtedly far inferior to Chaos and the predecessors of these fragments. They are complete interfaces that can exist in the void on their own, and Ryan is still far behind. In the confrontation between the two world forces, many things that are usually difficult to see are revealed.
Ryan had no idea what Erebus had gained, but he did learn some useful techniques from it.
It was unknown how long it had been, even some tiny fragments had been completely wiped out by Chaos, and then dragged into the void by the chain of laws and disappeared. Until a certain moment, the power of the nine largest fragments finally reached a trough, and it could be broken.
"Now!"
He caught a glimpse of Erebus' figure disappearing without a trace, and Ryan took a step closer to the fragment he had chosen. The divine power of [Death] once again turned into a black sword. He clenched his hands, mobilized the power of the spirit world, and slashed the surface of the fragment fiercely.
Silently, a tiny crack appeared and healed. But when it returned to its original state, Ryan's figure had disappeared.
Then, in the void outside this world, the silence of the past returned again.
······
Light and shadow flashed before his eyes, illusions appeared one after another, and the moment he stepped into the fragments, time seemed to be infinitely stretched, and all kinds of old scenes were played out in front of Ryan one after another.
That seemed to be the world's "memory", containing its desire before its destruction. In the illusion, Ryan seemed to see ice and fire clearly separated on both sides of a gap in a void structure, and yet merged at the junction.
Twelve long rivers were born from the first spring in the Kingdom of Ice and Mist in the north. They flowed southward and entered the Kingdom of Fire. The river water circulated between the Kingdom of Ice and Fire, condensing into glaciers and evaporating into mist.
Finally, in this eternal alternation, the first life, the giant, was born
.
The illusion disappeared, and when Ryan came to his senses, he found himself in a fragmented world.
Unlike what you see outside, there is no golden light here. Everywhere you look, there is dead silence.
The sky was dark, the earth was cracked, and an air of decay and ruin filled the air. There was no sign of any life anywhere.
On the ground, with the vision of the gods, one can occasionally see dilapidated buildings or dried-up rivers in the distance. Everything seems to prove that in the past, there was an intelligent race that existed here.
Looking at all this, Ryan's guess was finally confirmed.
"Asgard, the highest of the nine realms, the country ruled by the Aesir, is indeed here."
"Who would have thought that I just picked a random name and it would actually attract the real owner?"
Ryan felt a little emotional. Undoubtedly, the predecessor of this broken world in front of him was another world recorded in later myths.
Unlike Chaos, although the living world here is somewhat separated from the outside world, and has formed an interface like the underworld that almost calls itself a world, Chaos is still a whole entity, but this is not the case here.
When this world was still complete, a world tree stood in the world, and the nine kingdoms were hung in different positions of the tree, together forming this fantastic and magnificent mythological world.
The "Midgard" that Ryan had previously named the fifth layer of hell is located in the center of the Nine Realms, also known as Midgard, the world where mortals live.
As for 'Asgard' where he is at the moment, it is the highest of the Nine Realms and the kingdom where the Aesir, ruled by the famous God King Odin in later generations, live.
"If I remember correctly, in Scandinavian mythology, one of the three roots extending from the World Tree extends here and takes root next to the Urd Spring."
"I don't know what's left of them now."
Standing in mid-air, Ryan looked into the distance. The possible remains of the God King Odin, the Fountain of Urd that was unknown whether it had been destroyed, the legendary "Rune", and the roots of the World Tree, these were the reasons why Ryan chose this world.
Although there is a high probability that not all of them will be left, as long as he can find one, he will feel that the trip is worthwhile.
Chapter 187 Conspiracy
Runes, in Scandinavian mythology, are mysterious words obtained by the god-king Odin hanging himself upside down on a tree and sacrificing himself.
Self-sacrifice sounds illogical, but now as a god, Ryan has a deeper understanding of it.
The one who offers the sacrifice is Odin, and the one who receives the sacrifice is the God King. The present self offers the sacrifice to the future self, and Odin, as the god, offers the sacrifice to the world on its behalf, and what he finally obtains is the runes that contain the secret of the origin of the world.
Although as words describing the laws of another world, runes may not be effective in Chaos, but what Ryan really values is the principle of its existence.
If he could obtain and analyze it, Ryan would be able to reconstruct the original spiritual text, create his own "Rune", and use this rune to describe the rules of the spiritual world more clearly and in detail. And all the achievements built on this rune are adding bricks and tiles to the spiritual world itself.
In addition to the runes, there is no need to say more about the World Tree Yggdrasil. As one of the nine kingdoms that supports a mythical world on its own, the withering of the sacred tree means the arrival of Ragnarok. All this proves that this is a plant that is much more terrifying than the golden apple tree.
Although what's here is not its main trunk, but only one of its three main roots, and Ryan is not sure whether the World Tree is still alive, this does not diminish its importance.
Whether it is used to cast sacred artifacts or to try to use it as a template to cultivate new sacred trees, its value is unquestionable.
As for the Spring of Urd, there are very few records about it in later generations. The only thing that can be confirmed is that it is a spring that contains the power of purification and vitality.
It has healed Odin's injuries and is used to water the World Tree all year round. The three goddesses symbolizing fate in Asgard are always by his side, but Ryan has a nonchalant attitude towards it.
After all, he already had the [Well of Samsara]. Even if he got this spring water, it would only be an additional tool for nourishing plants and brewing drinks. It was hard to say that it would be of much use.
As for the last 'Odin's Legacy', Ryan was not sure whether it existed.
After all, the Ragnarok recorded in later myths is not like this. It is all living things, including the gods, that meet the end, not the world itself. Even after the so-called twilight, Balder, the god of light, and the blind god who killed him returned from the land of the dead and rebuilt Asgard with the remaining gods.
But right now, no matter how you look at it, this world is dead as hell.
"Still have to be careful who knows how this world is destroyed."
"Besides, in the mythical world, 'phenomena' often have power and can even give birth to unique life. What will the 'death' of a world bring?"
Here, Ryan's connection with the spiritual world has become negligible, and even this broken interface is instinctively suppressing outsiders, but he still found his target at a glance.
In the center of the interface, the huge withered roots were still faintly visible even though they were an unknown distance away.
"I hope I can gain something."
With a move of his body, Ryan flew towards the huge black shadow that connected the sky and the earth.
In a world completely different from Chaos, gods can be killed and even grow old, looking just like Hercules in later mythology.
What exactly is the principle behind this is still something worth exploring.
······
The world of Chaos, on Mount Olympus.
Although Ryan left the world due to an unexpected premonition, the world itself did not stagnate.
When humans fell into chaos because of the sudden loss of God's gift, the giant beasts near the settlement also found that the aura that had always made them afraid had disappeared, and began to tentatively move towards the human tribe. Panic and fear spread among humans, and turmoil was about to occur.
At the same time, in the palace of the sun god, Prometheus, holding a fennel branch in his hand, stretched it towards the magnificent golden chariot.
He knew that his seemingly 'hidden' behavior was actually expected by more than one god, such as Helios, the god of the sun, who had made an agreement with him long ago, and the lord of Mount Olympus, the king of gods who ruled over all the gods.
They didn't really "see" his actions, but they all knew what the Forerunners were doing. However, even though Prometheus knew this, they were all waiting for him to commit a crime and then step on his "corpse" to achieve his goal, but he still ignited the fire without hesitation.
When the fennel branches were lit, somehow, a kind of "rights" was transferred.
From this moment on, the branch gained immortality because it carried the qualification given by the Lord of the Spirit World to use fire.
The branch is just a carrier. As long as the concept of "fire" exists in the spiritual world, it will be eternal and indestructible, and it cannot be taken away by any god unless Prometheus is willing.
Ryan gave this "right" to the Sun Chariot, and the owner of the Sun Chariot voluntarily gave it up, so now, its ownership has been transferred to the New God. Of course, this will also become the source of the New God's suffering.
Zeus would certainly ask him to exchange this right back, and Prometheus would naturally not agree.
"This is the 'fire' of mankind."
"From today on, the 'fire' of mankind is no longer a gift from God, including me."
After a moment of silence, Prometheus turned and flew back to the human world. From now on, he was the "fire thief" who disobeyed the decree of the God King.
On Mount Olympus, sensing the transfer of this special "right" on his artifact, Helios smiled with satisfaction.
He was ready to publicize his "good deeds" among future humans and become a powerful sun god like his father. However, another bystander, the king of gods Zeus, was a little annoyed.
When Zeus sensed the hot and warm breath going away from the Palace of the Sun, although this was what he wanted to see, the fact that Prometheus really ignored his existence and so directly violated the orders of the King of Gods still made him somewhat annoyed.
But this is the last time, and the King of Gods has secretly made up his mind. He will teach this Titan a lesson he will never forget, and use his existence to warn the gods, especially the sun god.
Zeus did not know about the conversation between the sun god and Prometheus, and his divine power did not have such power. But it is easy to guess that although Helios may have been "careless" and let Prometheus steal the sacred fire, this is too coincidental.
But the God King does not believe in coincidences.
At the same time, when the King of Gods and the Sun God had different reactions to the Forerunner's behavior, unknown to them, in a hidden dream realm in the third spiritual realm, a young god in a gray robe was also watching this scene unfold.
But what he was looking at was not Prometheus, but the burning "fire" in his hand.
Hypnos didn't take him seriously as he was just a paranoid and weak god. What really concerned him was the "right" to use fire.
When the sun chariot was built, Sleep had already been born, so he knew very well where the fire came from.
The guy who is theoretically his father God is also the real master of these seven spiritual realms.
"Sure enough, he's not here now, at least not for the time being."
After carefully observing every detail of Prometheus's theft of fire, Hypnos finally confirmed his guess.
The "right" to use fire was temporarily out of control at this time, or in other words, its owner was temporarily too busy to pay attention to these things for some reason, so he allowed his second-level authority to send it away, and then allowed himself to be brought to the human world.
This is consistent with what Hypnos saw in his dream of marine life. His powerful father god has now left the spiritual world for some unknown reason and gone to the east of the Eastern Sea, the edge of the world.
Now is undoubtedly a great opportunity.
"In that case, it's time for me to go meet him. I don't know what he wants to say to me."
His expression moved slightly. Such an opportunity was rare, so Hypnos gently shook the wings behind him, and then disappeared in the dispersing gray shadows.
·······
An unnamed valley on the shore of the East China Sea.
The void fluctuated, and Hypnos' figure emerged.
"call--"
He heaved a sigh of relief. Secretly leaving the spirit world was still a very difficult task for the young god.
This is really thanks to the improvement of the dream spirit world, which made the goddess of the underworld no longer pay attention to him. Otherwise, the god of sleep felt that even if Ryan was not there, it would be difficult for him to leave the spirit world quietly.
In this valley, in addition to Hypnos, there was also a black-robed figure who had been waiting here.
"Good morning, Your Highness Hypnos. It seems that you have finally made up your mind."
With a smile on his face, Mephisto, who had just "ascended to heaven" a few days ago, was standing here intact.
Everything that had happened among humans in the past few days was exactly what the devil lord had expected. Even the informer, whose envy and hatred of the gods were due to the secret influence of the goddess of hatred, Megera.
Don't pray to God for eternal life. This was the parting warning Mephistopheles once gave to another human high priest. Now that he has seen the fate of his colleagues, I think he will make the 'right' choice.
And now, the last link in his plan is about to be completed.
Mephistopheles found it incomprehensible at first that a powerful but ignorant spirit god dared to betray his creator. But later he gradually realized that this "honorable prince" probably had some misunderstanding.
Yes, after all, as a devil, if Mephisto had not completed his reincarnation when the interface was just opened up, it would be difficult for him to say what he thought of the Lord of the Nine Hells.
"Don't be so mysterious. Tell me, what do you mean by 'opportunity'?"
Hypnos frowned slightly, looking at the devil in front of him. He didn't like the other party.
Perhaps it was because of the attraction of the same kind, he had no good feelings towards this quasi-god who was just as hypocritical as himself, but the news that the other party had 'inadvertently' leaked through the dreams of mortals made it hard for the God of Sleep to let go. So in the end, he still came.
"I'm sorry I can't reveal the specific details."
With his smile unchanged, Mephisto dodged the gray feathers falling from the sky with ease.
In the land where divine power could not be used, he was not very afraid of the grown-up god of sleep.
"But what I can guarantee is that I will do something big in the mortal world, something big enough to anger many beings in the spirit world and make them come to hunt me down."
"At that time, perhaps the spirit world will be particularly empty. No matter what you want to do, Your Highness, this is the perfect opportunity."
He found the delusion of the god in front of him ridiculous. As a god of the spiritual world, he actually dared to rebel against the Lord of the spiritual world. This was as unbelievable as a devil rebelling against the Lord of the Nine Hells.
However, for Mephisto, it doesn't matter whether the other party can succeed or not. As long as the other party really takes action, there is a high probability that those spiritual gods will be attracted back again.
As for what will happen to this 'honourable prince', it has nothing to do with the devil lord.
"It sounds good, but what guarantees are you making that what you say is true?"
The young god in gray had no idea what the devil was thinking, but what Mephistopheles said did attract him.
Just like in the original myth, he once made Zeus, who was at the peak of his power, fall asleep. Chaos' [sleep] and [death] are exactly the opposite. The former is extremely powerful, while the latter is extremely weak.
Therefore, Hypnos was extremely confident in his power of [Sleep]. He believed that anyone could be vulnerable as long as he was given a chance to launch a sneak attack. However, the prerequisite was that he had only one opponent.
And those devout angels from the spiritual world are the biggest stumbling blocks standing in his way.
"How about the Styx Oath?"
Just as he had sworn to Ceto and Megela, Mephistopheles tried to fool them again, but this time, his trick was discovered by the other party.
"As far as I know, only the true God is qualified to swear an oath to the Styx and get a response."
The young god's smile was cold as he slowly said,
"That's why Styx is also called the River of Hatred. It has two completely different rivers for true gods and beings other than true gods. Although you have powers similar to those of a god, I'm afraid you are not a true god with immortal essence and authority."
It was somewhat unexpected, because at that time the gods rarely dealt with non-gods. Beings like Keto did not know the secret of the River of Oaths. It was unexpected that the god in front of him knew it so well.
Although, as far as Mephisto knew, the great Lord of the Nine Hells had been trying to create a medium for the oath that could be used by any being, it did not exist yet.
But this is not a problem. Just as it was not him who tried to deceive the other party just now, Mephisto said:
"But we don't need a promise between us, and no one can make a promise, right? You don't dare to ask me to swear to the spirit world, and it's impossible for me to swear to the Nine Hells behind me. In this case, let's not make a promise."
"When that day comes and you see the gods from the spirit world heading to the human world, you will naturally know that what I said is true."
After a little contemplation, the God of Sleep finally nodded. Just as the other party said, as the last one to take action, he could adapt to the situation. If the situation was not suitable, he would just wait for the next opportunity.
If it weren't for the emergence of faith, which made him afraid that his father God would gain greater power, Hypnos could have continued to wait.
"Then it's a deal, Your Highness. I won't stay any longer."
The goal had been achieved, so Mephistopheles said goodbye.
As his body exploded into a ball of black mist and then disappeared, Hypnos was soon the only one left in the valley.
Standing here, the God of Sleep felt the vast spiritual world on the other side of the world, and couldn't help but reaffirm his thoughts.
"The spirit world is so great—"
With a long sigh, as the builder of the third level of the spiritual world, the young god knew only too well how powerful the spiritual world was.
He actually didn't dare to go against the great ancient spirit world itself, but having witnessed the power of Nyx and Gaia successively, the God of Sleep felt that the relationship between his father God and the spirit world might not be as inseparable as the primitive gods and their original bodies.
Because Ryan gave him the feeling of being a person of extremely high status blessed by the spiritual world, but lacking the same powerful divine power, this made the God of Sleep guess that perhaps Ryan was to the spiritual world more like the God King was to the world.
It's just that the spiritual world is more generous. He allows his deputies to wield more power, rather than being restricted in every way like the gods in the world and gaining very little.
"I heard that you once participated in the replacement of the first generation of God King. I remember that in the legend, Heavenly Father seemed to be a God King who was 'granted by Heaven'."
The smile was gentle and indifferent, and Hypnos remembered the secret he had learned from the dream.
"'Kingdom is not eternal. You will lose it the same way you gain it.' That's a good saying, but have you ever thought that there will be such a day for you?"
The naturally indifferent evil gods would not be grateful, they would only fear strength. And as long as they could see an opportunity, they would never show mercy.
In one step, the young god returned to his realm in the dream world. Hypnos believed that everything that happened today, apart from the two people involved, could only be perceived by the laws of the world and the spirit world itself.
"It won't be long before I become the new master of the spirit world, just like the second generation God King Kronos."
With some anticipation, the god of sleep once again immersed himself in his own power, watching everything in the world and creating some terrible dreams for fun.
In the past, this was one of the few entertainment activities that he found interesting.
······
Outside the world, the ruins of Asgard.
The God of Sleep guessed right about one thing. Right now, Ryan's energy was indeed not focused on the spiritual world.
He was busy exploring this destroyed world, and other things would have to wait until he returned.
After a period of flight, the roots of the World Tree became clearer and clearer. The building debris on the ground became denser, but Ryan did not find any signs of life along the way.
He didn't even see a corpse.
As the core of Asgard, this place is also called Idaval Plain. During the flight, Ryan collected some unique minerals and relatively intact buildings here, but most of them were not important gains.
There are only two core places here, the palaces where the gods gather, the Golden Palace and Vangerf, as well as Ryan's previous goals, the Fountain of Urd and the roots of the World Tree.
Therefore, after a while, looking at the tall palace in front of him that seemed to be well preserved, Ryan knew that he had found the place.
Although he originally intended to go to the roots of Yggdrasil first, since he found another target first, it would not hurt to change the order.