In the boundless void, a huge hand pinched down from the sky, and all things turned into dust... It should have been like this, but in reality, it would obviously not be so direct.
Because when this virtual world was on the verge of complete destruction, the power originally used to maintain the existence of the world had to be withdrawn, and it turned into an unbreakable barrier to fight against the enemy of this broken world.
Of course, one force cannot be used in two places, so when the membrane formed by the power of creation collided with the giant hand, while it prevented itself from being destroyed immediately, the false world that lost its power support was also inevitably heading towards its demise.
The power of the gods was dissipating, and the laws that made up everything were disintegrating... The only difference was that one was a little faster and the other was a little slower. After all, the collapse of the self still required a process.
"Well..."
On a shattered island in the western sea, Hermes woke up in severe pain.
He opened his eyes and recalled what had just happened - at the moment when the huge hand that came from nowhere grasped down from the sky, the true great divine power and the remnants of creation collided with each other, and in an instant, an incomparably terrifying wave swept across the world.
All beings below the middle level of divine power disappeared in an instant, and all things turned into dust. Although Hermes was not among them, he also suffered unimaginable damage.
He lost consciousness for a short time, and finally woke up after a while. Standing up from the ruins with difficulty, Hermes couldn't help but gasp.
"Hiss - I thought I had run far enough... Now it seems that I am still far away."
The whole body was in pain, as if being tortured. Hermes, who had never experienced this before, grimaced. This was really unbearable for the God.
But this was not the most important thing… When he recovered a little, he truly realized the current situation. Hermes could clearly feel that as the invisible hand outside the sky continued to retract its power, a sense of emptiness and detachment from the source rose in his heart.
Others who didn't know what this was might think that the world was drawing the power of the gods to fight against foreign enemies. But at this moment, Hermes sensed a deeper secret.
"Is this world fake? Hey, this is really beyond my expectation."
Hermes smiled to find joy in the midst of suffering. It must be said that among the natives of this false world, he was actually one of the only three gods who could perceive the distinction between truth and falsehood.
The first was Pluto, he sensed it due to his deep connection with the origin of the underworld before his death; the second was Zeus, he could feel it all simply because of his position as the king of gods; and Hermes was the third, as for the reason why he could sense it, it was a completely unexpected superposition.
He was originally the daughter of Atlas, the giant god of the sky, and the son of Maia, the goddess of wind and rain, and Zeus. In the original trajectory, he had extraordinary wisdom in his cradle, possessed some of the innate characteristics of the Titan gods, and eventually ascended to the position of the twelve main gods of Olympus.
But unfortunately, reality is different from this illusory world, and Atlas' fate has reached a turning point again. The birth of Hermes was affected by this, and when the world was about to be destroyed, because of this influence, he actually had a subtle sense of reality.
What's even more coincidental is that among Hermes' priesthoods, "Commerce" and the like are just humanistic priesthoods added later. What is truly innate to him is actually more or less related to "stealing" and "traveling".
"Ahem, Lord of Ten Thousand Thunders, my respected Father God, even now, you are still so powerful."
After coughing twice, Hermes looked towards the direction of the original earth.
There, the continent had long been torn apart, with huge space cracks swallowing everything like a bloody mouth. The only place that was still intact was Mount Olympus.
The pillar that supported the sky, the place where the gods lived, a huge pillar of lightning pierced through the sky and earth, shaking the sky. It was a manifestation of the unparalleled power of the God King. But watching this scene, Hermes wanted to laugh.
Because everything in the world is afraid of comparison. Compared with the giant hand that covered the entire world, the lightning column, which was actually magnificent, did not seem that shocking.
On the contrary, it is like an ant in the palm of a giant hand, challenging an existence that is destined to be impossible to contend with.
"call--"
"Never mind, I'd better leave first... What happens to my 'dear Father God' is his business, but if I wait any longer, I might not be able to leave."
"The greatest adventure in the world, a legendary journey, crossing fantasy and reality - well, I just don't know what will be waiting for me over there, any pretty girls?"
While he was saying meaningless words, Hermes gradually suppressed the tension and fear in his heart.
He took a last look at this doomsday-like world, a world in which he had lived for a long time but which was not actually real. Then in the next moment, Hermes summoned up his strength without hesitation and ignited everything he had.
Rather than waiting for them to be sucked away by the world and used to fight against that world-destroying existence, it would be better to recycle the waste... So the next moment, from solid to virtual, from still to extremely fast, Hermes' figure instantly turned into a dim stream of light, cutting through the sky in an instant.
In just a few flashes, without any existence noticing him, Hermes arrived at the end of the sky, at the place where the world and the giant hand collided.
An extremely terrifying wave came from there, almost tearing his consciousness apart, and at this most critical moment, Hermes forced himself to be strong and used up his last bit of strength to mobilize his authority.
Then a gap opened up in front of him, and a familiar yet strange breath came from the other side. Hermes' idea was successful, but at the same time, a great sense of fear rose in the heart of the young god.
His intuition told him that perhaps by passing through the crack, he could really reach where he wanted to go, but this behavior itself was actually not allowed by the world.
Although the Hermes of the real world has not yet been born, he will be born sooner or later. So if he goes and replaces the other party's existence in advance... he will definitely pay a price.
No one knows what the price is. It could be the stripping of one's priesthood, it could be cursed, or even the loss of one's immortality.
After all, he is not immortal, and things in the false world will not take effect in reality. So if the real world is unwilling to re-endow Hermes with the essence of immortality, then he may no longer be eternal.
"Heh, you're talking as if I have a choice...whether another 'me' is born in the real world in the future, what does it have to do with me?"
With a sneer, he paused for a moment before rushing forward again. When the light completely disappeared into the gap, Hermes finally breathed a sigh of relief.
No matter what, no matter what it took, at least he escaped... But he also felt that his consciousness was blurring.
Having burned everything, he was almost in an eternal sleep, and the priesthood in the false world obviously could not provide him with real divine power. As for the laws of the real world, it seemed that they had not yet made any direct response to him.
It seems that I will have to sleep for a long time, until the world gives me judgment... Letting his consciousness drift, Hermes took a last look at that illusory world while sighing.
Like a bubble that is about to burst, it is bright and shining, but can only struggle helplessly in front of the giant hand of unknown origin.
"Hmm? What's that?"
Suddenly, something caught Hermes' attention. It was on the finger of the giant hand, where a dazzling green ring was worn.
Some runes as tiny as dust were drawn on it, as if explaining some truth of the world. Looking at this scene, although Hermes didn't know what it was, he still remembered it deeply in his heart.
Something that could be worn on the hand of such a terrifying being must be the most precious treasure in the world. And in this special state, Hermes vaguely felt that it was a mysterious knowledge that was highly compatible with him.
"When I wake up - if I ever wake up, I will definitely study it."
He made the decision silently, leaving a little hope for the future. As Hermes' last strength dissipated, it was as if he was thrown into endless darkness, and his memory became completely silent.
Everything returns to calm, and the escapee from this illusory world falls into eternal sleep, waiting for the day of awakening in the future.
······
Boom——
Crack!
Outside Mount Olympus, silver snakes fell from the top of the mountain, bringing with them a huge roar. The unparalleled power of the God King was revealed, a realm that the gods had not been able to reach until now, but it was almost visible to the naked eye that the power contained in the lightning was no longer as strong as it was at the beginning.
Holding the sacred scroll in her hand, Athena in a white dress strolled halfway up the sacred mountain. In the scene of doomsday, the goddess seemed no different from before. Her eyes were still bright, but now there was no audience.
When the giant hand from the horizon pressed down, Athena knew that the time had come. She gradually felt that her connection with reality was recovering, and at the same time, the power in this body that did not belong to her was being drained away.
But she did not feel regretful. After all, false things might be used as reference, but they should never be relied upon.
boom--
Another bolt of lightning exploded in the air, leaving behind dark gaps in space. This was a sign of instability in space and time.
The underlying rules of the world lost their support, and everything became fragile and breakable... Looking at this scene, Athena weighed the situation and finally placed her hand on the artifact.
The reason why Ryan did not complete this step himself was not only because he had to eliminate the last resistance in this world, but the most important point was that he could not do it.
To this illusory world, he is just an outsider; to this memory, he is a peeper; and even to Chaos's destined trajectory, he is a disruptor. So he may be able to destroy this world, but he can never use it. Only Athena is different.
The goddess of wisdom is an important existence in destiny, and her memory is the fundamental manifestation here. Everything in the false world is naturally close to her, and the most important thing is that she is also carrying a fate of "death".
Yes, what Erebus could see, Ryan could see as well. Pallas Athena, the son of Metis who was "stronger than his father", the "arrogant king of gods and men", had hoped to end Zeus's rule and become the fourth generation of the Lord of the Gods, but now, he no longer had the chance to be born.
But no matter what his fate was, in this situation, Athena, who carried part of the symbolism of her brother, undoubtedly became special. She had certain specific "qualifications", and therefore it was only natural for her to do all this personally.
She opened the book and pressed her palm on the cover. As the divine power surged, Athena seemed to hear the sound of flowing water.
A dim light was released from the artifact, and a certain connection was established. With the Goddess of Wisdom as the medium, the concepts of this world began to flow into it, turning into its words and enhancing its power.
But for some reason, in Athena's feeling, this artifact seemed to be absorbing [history], but the past time was not really integrated into it.
They seemed to have gone to another place... and what really made it gradually become "complete" was actually something more obscure. They were hidden in history and were the cornerstone of the world. Under this absorption, the size of the artifact itself began to expand.
Time passed minute by minute, and as the world was damaged, the artifact slowly became as big as a palace, and the speed at which it absorbed became faster and faster.
The deafening sound of thunder became more frequent, but to the ears of the goddess of wisdom, it was becoming increasingly obvious that the thunder was strong on the outside but weak on the inside.
"Um?"
After a while, at a certain moment, Athena's eyes changed slightly. She seemed to notice something, and then she stretched out her hand, and the accompanying Shield of Aequis fell into her palm.
The next moment, accompanied by a roar, a huge bolt of lightning struck down.
"Athena, what are you doing!?"
boom--
Thunder and lightning collided with the shield. Although Zeus' power had been greatly weakened, he still possessed strength that no other gods could match. However, when this power that was enough to defeat any true god hit the small shield, it only caused Athena's arm holding the shield to shake slightly, and then there was no effect anymore.
Under the [Artifact of Creation], it was the only shield in the world that could be immune to Zeus' [Thunderbolt]. Just as everything in the world was mutually reinforcing and restraining, the huge lightning was like hitting an abyss, without causing any ripples on it.
"call--"
Taking a deep breath, Athena knew that her actions had been discovered by Zeus.
This was bound to happen sooner or later, and there were not many living things in the broken world now. So after a flash of divine light, the skirt of the goddess turned into a golden armor.
When the artifact began to absorb power, Athena could actually leave. The king of the virtual world could not destroy the body of such an artifact, so she didn't need to guard it. So the reason she chose to stay was because she didn't want to leave yet.
Holding the spear that symbolizes "victory", the usually gentle and intellectual girl seemed to have changed. With a sharp look in her eyes and eager to fight, like a Valkyrie who had experienced battles, Athena held up her shield to block the flying lightning and flew to the front of the sacred mountain.
"Athena, do you know what you are doing?"
Although his breath was greatly weakened, Zeus's eyes were still sharp. He had realized that failure was irreversible, but that didn't mean he would just sit there and wait for death.
At least, he had to hold on until the world was completely destroyed, and then complete the last thing he could do... But what he never expected was that Athena would actually stand in front of him.
"Of course, as you can see."
Without hesitation or dodging, the tip of the spear pointed directly at Zeus. Looking into the eyes of the King of Gods, Athena spoke softly:
"As you can see... I am your enemy."
…
In the illusory world, a battle broke out on the sacred mountain. Although the God King, whose power was greatly reduced, still had an absolute advantage, he could no longer easily win.
Even as time went by, the balance of victory continued to tilt - of course, Athena could not win. But she did not attack Zeus at this time to win.
The great war in front of Mount Olympus continues, and those gods who have not yet died are still scattered across the earth.
They did not die in the first collision between the giant hand and the world, nor did they perceive the nature of part of the world like the God King and Hermes. They thought this was the end of everything, the destruction of all things, so facing the inevitable death, the gods naturally showed all kinds of life.
Some were desperate and crazy, venting their strength, some were kneeling and begging, hoping that the destroyer would show mercy to them, and of course there were also some who cursed and roared to the sky.
Of course, there are also those who face it calmly and welcome the result. Just like now, when the world is on the verge of destruction, the rope on the Caucasus Mountains has lost its power. Falling from the execution ground that has punished him for thousands of years, what appeared before Prometheus was the world that was about to be destroyed, and Poseidon, the sea king, pointing madly at the sky on the sea not far away.
In the original history, there was no East Sea with a sun bathing, and naturally there would be no sea eye that circled endlessly. After deceiving the gods, this wise man was chained to the mainland, and on the Caucasus Mountain, his heart was cut open and an eagle kept pecking at his liver.
They are eaten up during the day and grow again at night, and the cycle repeats endlessly. It must be said that as eternal beings, the gods know very well how to punish their own kind.
After a long while, as if he was tired of scolding, or perhaps he finally realized that his actions were meaningless, Poseidon finally stopped.
He looked up at the sky. The giant hand that held the world was just like the world itself. It treated all things as straw dogs and ignored him for the first time.
A huge sense of fear rose from his heart. The previous shouting and cursing was actually just to vent his inner fear. At this moment, Poseidon felt a little regretful. Maybe if he had said something nice, the owner of the giant hand would let him go?
"…Prometheus, what are you looking at!"
Fear, anger, anxiety, regret... when facing death, all kinds of emotions surged up one by one, and finally reached the peak when seeing the calm look of the seer in the distance.
Why was Prometheus so calm when he was in such a mess? Wasn't he afraid of death?
"Your Majesty Poseidon... I am afraid of death too."
Prometheus easily saw through the other party's thoughts and shook his head.
In the distant sky, in the center of the earth, the battle between the two gods was clearly visible, and also visible was the shadow of a scroll that was getting bigger and bigger.
It seems to exist and not exist at the same time. No attack or destruction can affect it. It just passes through it as if it is just an illusion.
There are no mortal things left on the earth; they were reduced to ashes when the giant hand collided with the world.
"But everything must die, sooner or later, even the world."
"If it's not today, it will be someday in the future. But facing this irresistible outcome... I just choose to accept it."
"madman!"
"Accept? I don't accept!"
With a curse, the fear in his heart was aroused again. Under the trend of emotion, Poseidon summoned all his remaining strength and stirred up the water of the four seas to roll back to the sky.
Whatever it is, at least give him a reaction... Even if it means killing him cleanly, it is better than waiting for the torment of death.
However, under Poseidon's gaze, the giant hand that captured the world did not move at all, but just maintained the previous rhythm and slowly tightened.
Everything remains the same as before.
······
Time continues to pass, and all kinds of love, hatred, and vengeance are played out everywhere at the end of this world, but the phantom of the volume is constantly expanding.
It grew larger and larger, covering the earth, overturning the sky, and eventually becoming equal to the world itself, and was then restricted by the remaining power of the world.
Until a certain moment, with a crisp sound, under the attack from both inside and outside, the world's final struggle ended. All civilizations and the past were frozen at this moment, and everything in the world collapsed into an illusion and became part of the artifact. And the giant hand that enveloped the world also closed and grasped the middle of the volume.
That's all.
"very good."
Ryan nodded slightly, satisfied with this.
This artifact still needs some time to digest what it has gained this time, but the result has already been determined. However, when Ryan held the [Book of History], his eyes did not linger on it for the first time.
Because in addition to the artifact, a drop of "liquid" was left where the virtual world originally existed.
That was the foundation of the world before... the remaining traces of the power of creation.
Chapter 268 The Truth and Gains
In the vast void, a drop of 'water' was suspended there. There was no special power flowing out of it, it looked so ordinary.
It was just a tiny little thing, but it gave rise to the previous world that seemed real. Even to reality, it might be false, but not necessarily to the life inside it.
After all, truth and falsehood are relative concepts, and the fate that constitutes them is also the original trajectory of Chaos' world. Under certain conditions, truth and falsehood may not be interchangeable.
Taking a step forward, Ryan stretched out his right hand and carefully caught the "water drop". He was ready for unexpected events, but until he held it in his hand, nothing else happened.
Everything was so calm, just like a drop of real water, the remnant of the power of creation flowed quietly in Ryan's palm.
Its power was not that strong, but it was so absolute and unfathomable. Sensing its existence, Ryan couldn't help but hesitate.
The power of creation has no properties, or more precisely, it only changes its properties according to the will of the user. It is 'omnipotent' and can accomplish almost everything in this world except that it cannot multiply itself.
Ryan even had a hunch that if he wanted, this power might be able to give birth to an immortal essence that he had never been able to replicate before... or shatter an existing one.
Killing gods, something he had only done in the virtual world, could be accomplished again by this supreme power. However, after just a little thought, Ryan gave up the idea.
Killing a god may seem powerful, but using external forces to do it actually has no meaning.
Perhaps the power of Death will increase greatly because of this, but it is now part of Samsara. Once Death increases unilaterally, even if Samsara does not collapse, it will take a long time to balance the two with its own cyclical power. Before that, the Well of Samsara may be shut down for a long time.
Although overall, the gains from this are still greater than the losses, the hard-won power of creation has completely become a disposable item. Moreover, in reality, it is still unknown whether the world will react to permanently killing a god.
"After all, it's just an unexpected gain. As for the Well of Samsara, let's stick to the original plan."
After making the decision, Ryan lightly tapped his finger, and the "water drop" disappeared and reappeared in the spirit world.
It will come in handy before long, and as for what the use will be - with the first one, it is natural to make it two, three, or even more.
"And then there it is."
After dealing with the remaining power of creation, Ryan finally turned his attention back to his own artifact.
The oracle tablet transformed by the spirit world was divided into three pieces. The other two pieces had already changed, and only the first piece had maintained the appearance when it was born. However, after this experience, it not only caught up with the progress of the other two pieces, but even looked a little "full".
At this moment, it has retracted all its extraordinary characteristics, just like an ordinary scroll. After absorbing the concept of the virtual world, this artifact named "Book of History" by Ryan finally began to have its own unique symbol.
However, unlike what it had shown before, the true essence of this artifact was not [History]. In other words, [History] was only a manifestation of its power, not the root of its existence. After all, pure [History] was not enough to achieve greatness, and was even the bottom of the list among the powerful divine powers. It might become more powerful with the passage of time, but the degree of enhancement was extremely limited.
Even the artifacts that really involve [Time] are still being nurtured in the core of the spirit world, and it will take a long time for them to be fully born. One symbol cannot give birth to two greats, and naturally it is impossible for two [Creation Artifacts] to appear in the time field. Therefore, unless Ryan can find the part outside the world and let them represent the time of Chaos from different aspects, otherwise relying on [History], the artifact transformed by the first stone tablet will never be able to go further.
Therefore, [The Book of History of Time] is not based on "time" and "history" is only its appearance. What it really represents is the unchanging, permanent and everlasting things. This is a conceptual category with high intentions, but it is very empty, just like the spirituality at the beginning. Although it can cover everything in theory, it needs to be filled up bit by bit.
The [Civilization Slate] is similar to it, and it also has some powers similar to the "future", just like the "divination" extended from it, and this kind of peeping into the future is one of its manifestations. But the composition of the time domain is just an embellishment of the [Civilization Slate], and the artifact itself symbolizes change, creation and inspiration.
Mutually opposed and interdependent, the criterion that links "change" and "invariance" together is the "order" outlined by the "Code of Creation".
The three artifacts all originated from one body, which was arranged when they were born. After completing this transformation, the last link of the three finally got on the right track.
"So, people are always contradictory."
"When it doesn't belong to you, you will hate it very much, and then the next step… is to make it something you can control."
Many things are like this, and Ryan is no exception. He hates something just because it is out of his control. Just like now, "unchange" and "change" are the principles that define the order of all things... It is obvious what these three artifacts are trying to target.
After repeatedly confirming that there was nothing left in the artifact that shouldn't be there, Ryan sent it back to the spiritual world.
After the matter of Hemenu is over, there will be another "big meal" waiting for it, so it is better to digest the harvest of this trip quickly. After all, it is not like the other two artifacts, which were perfected step by step and experienced the entire Second Age.
Growth that was achieved overnight would definitely require more time to adapt, in order to avoid leaving behind some bad consequences. Especially as part of the three divine artifacts, if there was any problem with it, it would only affect the other two.
"Finally, this is where all of this started."
Being in the void, Ryan finally turned his attention back to what happened at the beginning.
He had come to check his memory about Zeus, but he didn't expect such an accident to happen. Although the result was also very good, he couldn't forget the main thing.
Athena is no longer here at this moment. After all, neither Ryan nor she entered here in real form.
As the Lord of Spirituality, Ryan could continue to maintain this state of "wandering in the mind" and separate his consciousness from his divine body, but Athena could not do that. So when the world was destroyed, she had already returned to her body on the overseas island. And the memories that were originally blocked by the power of the world were naturally obtained by the two of them.
Without the cover-up and distortion of the higher power, everything became clear. In just a moment, Ryan reviewed that part of the past.
Asgard, Odin, the world tree, sacrifice, ritual... until Metis was offered as a sacrifice to Chaos in exchange for Zeus' ladder to become king.
After seeing these contents, Ryan's many doubts were immediately resolved. The first one was the changes in the laws of the abyss and hell not long ago.
One day hundreds of years ago, a new rule was written into the bottom of the world, which was related to "sacrifice". Although the Lord of the World can actively choose to accept or not accept, respond or not respond, this change has really happened. (See 3-83)
Before, Ryan once speculated whether this was because the two worlds had the same origin, and both worlds had instinctively evolved the ability to accept sacrifices, so that the creatures in his own world would sacrifice the beings in the other world to himself... But he felt that it didn't make sense when he thought about it carefully.
But now it seems that all of this actually originated from the sacrificial ceremony in which Chaos personally participated. It was He who influenced the changes in the underlying rules of the worlds. When the world did it for the first time, then this thing itself would become a destined rule. Perhaps independent realms like the Land of Eternal Night also gave birth to similar abilities, but Ryan didn't know it before.
As for why the underworld does not have it... we can only say that its own world is still somewhat watered down at present, otherwise, even if Hades only had half of the authority, it would be impossible for him not to have touched the great realm.
After all, the God King was never the master of the world, but the Hades was indeed the incarnation of the underworld. So it seemed understandable that the underworld had not undergone similar changes.
The first doubt was solved. In addition, Ryan's second doubt was Athena's "death fate".
It seems normal. Zeus swallowed Metis, so Pallas could never be born again, so his fate of "death" is natural... But as long as you think about it carefully, you will find that there are loopholes in it.
The gods are immortal, so any possibility can only be postponed but not completely eliminated.
It didn't matter if he was swallowed by Zeus or even imprisoned in Tartarus. As long as Metis was still alive, there was a chance for him to get out, and Pallas would have a chance to be born. But his fate was already "dead", which was an ending recognized by the world and could not be changed. This meant that even Chaos denied his existence, and even if he was forced to "reborn" by any means, he would only be destroyed by the world itself.
Ryan didn't understand why this happened before. Why did a being that was originally favored by the world incur the world's malice in return... But now he understands. Metis became a sacrifice, and the moment the world accepted it, there was no possibility for Pallas to be born.
The world will not deny what it has done. If Athena's destined brother is still born, it will undoubtedly deny the world itself. Unless He violates his own rules and "releases" Metis - but this is undoubtedly impossible, so if nothing unexpected happens, Pallas will never have the chance to be born again.
"That's a problem... I wanted to bring him back to life in another way, so that he could challenge his destiny in this world."
Ryan frowned slightly, feeling a little embarrassed.
Now, the world has doomed the existence of the 'arrogant god-man king' that was originally prophesied to be denied. However, if he wants to be born, he must be born in a place covered by the laws of the Chaos world, otherwise he will not be able to accept this fate of death. This is simply a vicious circle.
If Ryan has the power to directly fight against the world, then what's the use of him... Shaking his head, Ryan let the matter go for the time being.
We will talk about this later, as there is still a long time before the end of the era. No one knows how many changes will happen in the meantime, just like the remains of the Nine Realms, which is completely unexpected.
After putting this difficult problem aside and solving the two major problems, Ryan also figured out the reasons for the minor details one by one.
The transferred priesthood and Zeus's surging power were all reasonably explained. Ryan even had a deeper understanding of the sacrificial ceremony.
The present self is sacrificing to the future self, and the godly self is sacrificing to the world on behalf of the world... This was his initial judgment on Odin's ritual, and it was later confirmed by the wise giant Mimir.
But this is Odin's sacrifice and there are two problems with Zeus's. One of them is that the Chaos world did not recognize this sacrificial ceremony at the beginning.
Although due to the interweaving of the power of the Nine Realms and Chaos, different laws were in effect there at the same time, causing him to be forced to accept Zeus's sacrifice, but also under the influence of his power, the reward that actually responded to this ceremony was only half.
Odin's Runes were a gift from the world, and he would never have been able to figure it out on his own. Even after gaining this supreme wisdom, he himself could not bear the mystery of the Runes, so he had to record it in the Original Book, but Zeus's rituals were different.
The ritual was something he could have researched on his own in his destiny, and the world simply perfected it, granting the God King more special authority that was closer to the world itself. So from the perspective of gain, Zeus actually just prepaid the future and gained some additional reinforcement.
And the second question...
"Although it seems possible to understand Metis as 'the wisdom of Zeus', the gap between the two worlds may not completely follow Chaos' rule of 'one god cannot be subordinate to another'... But Chaos is the home court after all, and His power is far greater than the broken interface. Since only half of the rewards have been issued, is this rule really completely ineffective?"
He was a little suspicious, but Ryan had no evidence, because judging from Zeus' current situation, it seemed that he didn't pay anything extra.
So Ryan put the matter aside for the time being and focused on the ceremony.
This is a ritual centered on the throne of the God King, and he cannot directly copy and use it. Moreover, as a creation perfected by the world, it actually contains many deep mysteries, which Ryan finds difficult to see clearly for a while.
He also needed some time to analyze the mystery and see what he could get from it, as well as what the difference was between this changed ritual and the original one.
Yes, after swallowing the illusory world, the original ritual also fell into Ryan's hands. Comparing the two, what is the difference between them is what he cares most about.
"It just so happens that the interface between positive and negative energy still has some time to stabilize, so I can find something to do."
"This journey has come to an end."
Everything was dealt with and the matter was barely concluded, so with a thought, Ryan's figure gradually became blurred.
He was still in a state of 'wandering', his real body was still in the fifth spiritual world, and now he was going back. But before leaving, he looked back at the place where the virtual world disappeared for the last time.
At the end of everything, when the virtual world was contained by the [Book of Time], the God King realized that he was a fake and understood that everything was irreversible. But he still persisted to the end, until the moment when the world was destroyed, because he still had things to do.
At that moment, he was infinitely weak because he had almost lost all existence; he was also infinitely powerful because he almost touched the power of creation itself.
Zeus did not have the same essence, so he could not use this power, but through indirect influence, he still saw Ryan's existence and issued a warning in the end.
That was transmitted to another self, following the mysterious connection between the two Zeus. Under the final influence of the power of creation, his warning was indeed transmitted, but not completely, because after all, it was only an indirect influence, so the content directly pointing to Ryan himself was "blocked".
"'The Lord of the Small Spiritual World, He is an outsider'..."
"Um, 'Take It Out of Context,' from 'Don't Take It Out of Context.'"
With a smile, Ryan's figure completely disappeared. As for how Zeus in the outside world would understand this warning... he didn't know.
Chapter 269 A Nightmare
.
The destruction of the virtual world did not affect the real world, because the cold winter brought by Demeter continued.
The cold wind came from the north, and disputes and killings became more numerous. In order to compete for limited food, the conflicts between humans and beasts, and between humans and humans became more and more intense. Only in such a deep night could a little peace of the past be restored.
But this is only the human world, nothing has changed in Olympus. The gods have no day and night, and they will not lack food and clothing because of the cold winter. So at this time on the sacred mountain, the power of the gods covering their respective temples illuminates the night sky, just like the stars on the earth.
As always, the immortal gods enjoyed everything they had...but this night, the gods were destined to have no peace.
…
Boom boom
Late at night, a loud thunder suddenly exploded in the originally quiet night sky, startling all living beings inside and outside the sacred mountain.
Thick clouds gathered, as if to indicate that a heavy rain was about to fall. However, the climate on Mount Olympus was never naturally generated, and everything here was a reflection of the will of the gods. So for a moment, figures flew out from all over the mountain.
Some were still in dishevel, some were pondering some gadgets they had brought back from the human world, and a few were awakened from their sleep - but they were only a minority.
Gods can sleep, but that is never a necessity. Only a very small number of gods would do so. And tonight on Mount Olympus, none of the powerful gods would spend time on this.
This made their reaction very quick, but they also missed a lot, because when the illusory world was shattered, like Hades' dream, some invisible waves spread.
Everything that is unreal naturally needs an unreal carrier to bear, and dreams are the best carrier, but this is obviously not possible for the gods who are always awake... Of course, this is not a big loss.
After all, they do not have a special identity and power like Zeus, nor do they have special opportunities like some gods. Even if they can see something in their dreams, it is probably just an image for a very short period of time.
They may not know what happened, they only know that everything is destroyed, everything will die, and then there is nothing else.
Swoosh——
"What happened, Hera, were you with Zeus before?"
A flash of red light passed by, and Hestia's figure immediately appeared in the air. She looked at the dark clouds in the sky, and then looked at the palace on the top of the mountain.
The goddess of fire has been in a bad mood these days. Hades took away Demeter's daughter, but this was the compensation given by Zeus when the other party gave up the throne of the king of gods under the witness of the goddess.
Hestia was happy about this at first, and only asked for a condition so that the killing between brothers could be avoided. But she didn't expect that a thousand years later, this condition would be used here.
The goddess could not find a reason to stop him for a while. After all, compared with Zeus's behavior, Hades's behavior was nothing. In addition, the disaster caused by Demeter's anger made the world lose everything. She felt pity for him but also felt more troubled by it. If the problem could not be solved fundamentally, then all this would not end.
Therefore, Hestia couldn't help but feel a little annoyed by all the contradictions. All of this was related to Zeus, and now the other party not only did not make any efforts for it, but also summoned thunder and lightning in the middle of the night.
"I don't know about that. Zeus and I haven't been together that much lately, and he doesn't seem to really want me around."
Hera also hurried over and said expressionlessly in response to her elder sister's question:
"You know what kind of person he is. How could he want me, an eyesore, to stay around him when he's enjoying his life?"
Hestia was speechless, and now she had an even bigger headache.
Except that for some unknown reason, Zeus seemed to have no interest in the goddess of beauty, but his pursuit of pleasure never stopped. It's just that those who didn't give him children were often unknown.
The god in charge of marriage has the most failed marriage... Hestia shook her head slightly and gave Hera a comforting look. However, the Queen of Heaven opposite her did not react much.
As time went by, she got used to it. After all, most gods were like this. As long as there were no more illegitimate children and they didn't go to the mortal world and mingle with mortals, Hera could only let it go.
As the two were talking, more gods appeared in the air, all of them were shocked by Zeus's power. However, the gods had no idea what to do with the thunder that the King of Gods had suddenly summoned.
But soon, with the arrival of the God of West Wind, the gods stopped discussing.
"It seems that Zeus asked you to notify us to come over?"
Looking at the newcomer, Hestia asked first.
"Yes, Your Majesty invites you."
Bowing slightly, Zeferos said respectfully.
Even though things are different now, he still respects the Hearth Goddess as usual.
…
At the same time, on the top of the sacred mountain, on the throne in the center of the hall, Zeus frowned.
Just after waking up and releasing his power subconsciously, he ordered Zephyros to summon the gods to explain what had just happened. But strictly speaking, he himself was not very clear about the whole matter.
"…Is it a sign, or something else?"
"What are those vague words saying?"
Although on the surface, Zeus, like all the gods, has always been 'awake', but in fact the one who is still sleeping in Asgard is his true body, and the one who has been walking outside recently has been just his incarnation.
The reason why the God King had been avoiding Hera recently was not for pleasure, after all, an incarnation did not have such ability. He just wanted to avoid being discovered that his original body was missing, so he deliberately avoided contact with others for a long time. In this situation, the sleeping original body suddenly fell into a dream, and it seemed as if the real scene was playing out in his dream.
The huge hand that covered the sky, Athena who was fighting with him for some unknown reason, and finally everything in the world turned into a book and was held in someone's hand. All this seemed so real in the dream that when Zeus woke up, he couldn't even distinguish between reality and illusion at the first moment, and subconsciously activated his own power.
Mount Olympus is fine, but Asgard is probably in a mess at this moment.
"A precognitive dream, or something else?"
"And why would Athena do that to me?"
Zeus frowned, somewhat puzzled. He asked himself, even if this was a sign of the future from the throne of the God King, why would Athena be his enemy?
If it was because of Metis or something, then it was unlikely. In any case, the two generations of the goddess of wisdom had never even met each other, and the only connection between them was blood - but he was also the other half of the blood.
In the case that the blood connection cancels each other out, it seems that he has not done anything worthy of her hatred... So when thinking of this, the God King couldn't help but come up with a guess.
Perhaps Athena in that dream was influenced by something outside. Because when the dream ended, a memory from the past also surfaced and entered Zeus' mind.
That was the other self he vaguely saw on the day of the acquisition ceremony. Powerful, invincible, surrounded by gods, the center of the world. That self was the perfection that Zeus had imagined. He seemed to be saying something, but Zeus could not hear it at the time, but after hundreds of years, it became so clear.
"Be careful...Lord, He is an outsider!"
The voice was so urgent, and it also carried a hint of panic and despair. For a moment, the emotions in the tone seemed to have been transmitted to Zeus' heart.
Would such a powerful person also feel afraid? For a moment, the confidence that was originally brought by the surge in strength was suppressed again. And Athena's matter became acceptable.
It is difficult to understand why Athena is his enemy, but it is even more difficult to understand why the world will be destroyed. The reason leading to the former is most likely the potential impact of the latter.
"But...what does this 'Lord of the ***' refer to, and what does 'outsider' mean?"
"Lord of Darkness? Lord of Hell? Lord of the Spirit World? It seems that except for Hell, the other two are ancient gods born at the beginning of creation, and that Hell seems to be related to the Abyss."
The existence of Hell was only a fleeting one, and Zeus didn't really have much of an impression of it. The other party seemed to have some need for mortal souls, but it didn't seem like an existence that aimed to destroy the world.
My thoughts hit a dead end for a moment, as if nothing like this existed in the things I knew. As for whether it was possible that the dream itself was fake...
He shook his head slightly. Although it was just a dream, the more Zeus thought about it, the more he felt it was unusual.
How could a god suddenly have such a real and dark dream? Perhaps this was a warning from the laws of the world. But thinking of this, Zeus felt relieved.
Since the world itself has noticed all of this and even issued a warning, it proves that this is not impossible to deal with. Just like when he faced Odin's regret, fate has always been on his side.
So not long after, when the gods entered the temple, Zeus's expression was as calm as usual. Without waiting for them to ask, he sat on the throne and said,
"Everyone, creating such a commotion in the middle of the night is indeed an accident, but it is not without reason."
"Because just now, I received a prophecy."
······
The human world, the city of Eleusis.
Everything that happened on the sacred mountain did not affect this mortal city. In fact, it became more prosperous than before.
At a time when most people were suffering from hunger and cold, there was a country that was not only not harmed but had repeated bumper harvests. This was undoubtedly a great attraction to the surrounding countries.
Suddenly, the fame of Eleusis began to spread, and word of this remote country in the human world gradually spread, along with the existence of the goddess of agriculture.
Mortals did not know that their disasters were caused by Demeter. Even if a few people guessed this, they did not dare to openly slander the reputation of the gods. As a result, more and more temples dedicated to the goddess of agriculture were built, and a large number of mortals came to pray to the goddess for a good harvest.
However, on this day, with a flash of void, two young figures appeared on a hill outside the city.
They looked down at this human city, and saw the night market which was still brightly lit even at night. Here, primitive trade had already sprouted, and humans from other city-states came here one after another, exchanging food while also hoping to meet the true God who had come to the world.
Of course, Demeter had no time to see them. Since she revealed her true form, only Triptolemus could see the goddess' true face.
If nothing unexpected happens, this situation will continue until Demeter leaves here... But obviously, in the eyes of the twins of love, an accident will soon happen here.
"Do you think this city will still exist in a while?"
Sitting on a huge rock, Eros swung his legs and chatted idly.
After confirming that Poseidon had not found the wrong place, they arrived here in advance through the spiritual world. While waiting for the Sea King, they were inevitably a little bored.
"It should be possible. They might fight, but they probably won't use their divine powers."
"After all, Demeter should be very clear that even if both use their divine powers, she will not be a match for Poseidon. In this case, she should not make any unnecessary resistance - after all, this is not the first time."
It was a casual guess, but Volos was not speaking casually.
Before coming here, he already knew the past of this goddess of agriculture. When she gave birth to Persephone for Zeus, she had not resisted too fiercely, so there should be no surprises this time.
"Tsk, come to think of it, do we look like evil villains now—"
Nodding, Eros agreed with the other party's statement.
But thinking back on what he had done along the way, Eros couldn't help but smile.
"At most, he's like half of it. There's nothing wrong with being a villain."
"But then again, it's not like we summoned the winter, and we're not in a human palace... Well, that's called 'fishing', right? What a strange way of saying it."
Pursing his lips, Volos still remembered this inexplicable word.
Fortunately, the language of the spiritual world represents both sound and meaning, so even if he doesn't know where the word came from, he can still understand its meaning.
"That's it. The human queen is stupid, but the goddess of agriculture isn't much smarter either."
He clapped his hands. There was movement in the sky, and the blue light was getting closer and closer. Volos stopped chatting and said calmly,
"Okay, let's just be villains. Poseidon is really slow."
"Just wait a while. A mortal's arrow... shouldn't last long."
Chapter 270 Dusk
In the sky, divine light flew past, heading straight for Eleusis from afar.
At this moment, Poseidon, who was shot by a golden arrow, had nothing else in his heart but his ardent love for Demeter. He could not stand any more waiting, so he did not hide his whereabouts at all, but flew towards the great temple in the north of the city openly.
That was the first and largest temple built by the people of Eleusis for the goddess of agriculture. In other words, only a small part of the core has been built, and the rest is still being expanded.
As for why such an important building was built outside the city instead of inside it, it was mainly because the city center was already occupied by the royal palace.
The residence of the gods could not give way to humans, but it would take too long to demolish the palace. So people chose the best location in the north of the city and planned to expand the city of Eleusis with it as the center.
In the future new capital, the original city will become the southern city area, and the temple will be the real center. King Kleus had no objection to this, and instead agreed with it.
Thus, unknowingly, some unspoken rules that were passed down to later generations were set at this time. Although few cities later built temples in the center, the South City did become a place where the upper class lived. Over time, this also became a kind of customary culture.
Of course, the future is still far away, but at the moment, mortals who no longer have to worry about famine are building large-scale projects to construct a symbol of the goddess of agriculture on earth.
Tens of thousands of people gathered here, working day and night on the ground and on the dome of the building, making this magnificently designed temple change every day.
Until today, a tall, blue-haired god came from the south and crashed through the temple wall directly from the sky.
He went to where Demeter's aura was. For a moment, the auras of the gods collided with each other, and Poseidon's laughter spread all over the place. Even though the two gods were cautious and did not really use their power, the holy power of the demigod level had already been tilted out.
In just a single encounter, without any direct conflict between the two gods themselves, the invisible pressure had already made it almost impossible for the nearby craftsmen to breathe.
Some of those who were working at high places fell directly down, and after a few muffled thuds, blood splattered everywhere.
"Hahaha... My sister, it's been a long time."
"You are still so beautiful - or rather, you are getting more and more beautiful!"
Without paying any attention to the mortals who got in his way, Poseidon strode into the inner hall.
The golden arrow of Volos did indeed stir up a strong love in his heart, but that would not completely change his character. The Sea King would only express "love" in his own way, instead of taking the words of the Goddess of Agriculture as his guideline.
And it is obvious that Poseidon's emotional expression could not be clearer - as long as it is something I want, I will take it away.
"Poseidon? What are you doing here?"
She was startled at first, but then she calmed down. Demeter, who was resting, couldn't help but frown at her brother's rudeness.
She had noticed the commotion outside. Because of Poseidon's arrival, the temple she hadn't even built yet was stained with blood. The goddess didn't care that much about the lives of ordinary craftsmen, but their behavior made her lose face.
"Are you here to lobby for Zeus?"
"Then you'll be disappointed... I have only one request from the beginning to the end, and that is for Hades to return Persephone."
His tone was cold and hard. Before, the happiness in the human world had once relieved the goddess of agriculture from her boredom, but the arrival of Poseidon reminded her of this again.
It was not just about her daughter, but also about herself. She had never been taken seriously by these brothers who were extremely powerful. This was true for Zeus, Hades, and Poseidon as well...
Immersed in her own emotions, Demeter waved her hand, indicating that Poseidon could leave.
She had been very relaxed recently, so she didn't notice Poseidon's increasingly infatuated look. The goddess of agriculture obviously didn't expect that someone would dare to do anything to her when she had caused a natural disaster.
But soon, the goddess realized she was wrong, because Poseidon not only did not leave, but smiled and approached her.
"You think too much, sister. How could I come here to persuade you? What does Zeus's matter have to do with me? Humans on the sea only need fish to survive."
"It was you who really brought me here..."
Startled, Demeter looked up suddenly, but what she saw was Poseidon's face close at hand. Looking at his fiery eyes, she had no idea what he was going to do.
In panic, the goddess of agriculture changed her shape and immediately turned into a stream of light and flashed out of the hall.
"Another chase game? But where can you escape to? You better run faster, hahahaha..."
With a loud laugh, Poseidon flew after him. As a result, a large hole was once again knocked open in the dome of the hall. In the eyes of the people of Eleusis, they only saw two halos of light, one brown and one blue, breaking through the air, and then all that was left was a mess.
When the gods left, the original pressure also disappeared. After a while, two figures ran quickly from the direction of the city. They were King Chrysostom and his eldest son Triptolemus.
They were all startled by the breath that had just erupted here in an instant, but when they arrived here, they only saw dead bodies that had fallen from great heights, wounded people who were not yet dead and were groaning and wailing, craftsmen who had survived the disaster, and the temple with a damaged top.
"What's going on here?"
Standing on the messy ground, Kleus looked solemn. When he asked, someone nearby quickly stood up and told him what had just happened.
"Father..."
Triptolemus, who had also heard the whole story, turned to look at Chrysostom. He vaguely noticed that a trace of sadness flashed across the face of the King of Eleusis, but he knew that it was not because of the dead and injured craftsmen.
"…It's okay, you can stay here. No matter what happens, you are the patriarch chosen by the goddess and her representative in the world."
"You should put the goddess's affairs first. Everything else is just a side issue."
Kleus spoke calmly, knowing what his eldest son meant, but he just signaled everyone around to follow the prince's orders. He turned around and walked towards the old city.
"Don't worry about her affairs...just let me handle everything."
"I will arrange everything quietly and quickly, just like Demophon."
"…"
Triptolemus was speechless for a moment as he watched his father walk away. He
understood that he was going to deal with the funeral of Queen Metaneira, because the queen was found dead in her own palace in the morning. Although it looked like suicide, there was no sign of anyone entering, and the murder weapon disappeared without a trace.
In grief, the king immediately summoned his son, hoping that he would use his magical magic to find the murderer. But the noise coming from the temple immediately made Kleus understand the whole story.
So the two of them came here directly and saw the injured and dead bodies all over the ground.
"...I understand, father, I will do everything well."
Taking a deep breath, looking at Kleus's receding back, Triptolemus continued to speak in a low voice, regardless of whether the other party heard him or not.
The next moment, he turned around and looked at the people present with his usual gentle eyes. He could see the hesitation, confusion, puzzlement and suspicion in people's eyes, but these emotions should not appear in the eyes of the craftsmen who built the palace for the goddess.
So the prince stepped forward and motioned for everyone to look in his direction.
"What happened just now was just an accident. It was caused by an outsider, and the goddess led him to another place for our safety."
Saying things he didn't even believe, Triptolemus folded his hands and placed them in front of his chest.
A ray of light was released from his hand, and the gentle power healed the pain of the injured. As a god who favors life, Demeter has many magics that can easily do this, but resurrection from the dead...
"The souls of devout believers will surely enjoy peace under the protection of the goddess..."
Speaking in a deep voice, Triptolemus looked at the dead man.
"Now... let us comfort their souls together."
…
(It's easy to have problems if I write it directly, I deleted a part yesterday, so I'd better write it sideways, since it's just a supporting role anyway)
…
Time passed minute by minute, and under the comfort of Triptolemus, the mortals on earth handled everything in an orderly manner.
They collected the bodies of the dead, believing that all this had nothing to do with the goddess. Instead, they should be grateful to her for her kindness. Most importantly, they resumed the restoration of the temple.
After a long time, the void flickered, and the twins' figures emerged. They looked at the movement on the ground and looked at each other.
Just now, they chased after Poseidon and witnessed the two gods' "he chased, she fled, she had no way to escape". Demeter tried every way to get rid of Poseidon, and even turned into a mare and mixed in with the herds of mortals.
Strictly speaking, considering the general abilities of the god Chaos, this seemingly unreliable transformation actually had a certain probability of being able to deceive Poseidon, but unfortunately, perhaps due to the love buff, Poseidon's insight also increased, and the goddess of agriculture's true identity was eventually discovered.
Then, without hesitation, Poseidon also turned into a stallion, not caring about the difference in race. He even turned into a human again halfway through.
This is why the twins left early and looked at each other... Eros hesitated. She was not sure, after all, the golden arrow did not belong to her, but the lead arrow did, so in order to prevent the induction from being wrong, she still asked for confirmation:
"Just now...did Poseidon get rid of the influence of the golden arrow halfway?"
"…Yeah, that's what happened."
Nodding, with a strange look on his face, Volos said affirmatively:
"It was when he turned back into human form... my golden arrow became ineffective. After all, it was just an arrow shot out of hatred by a mortal. It was the limit of what I could do."
"…"
"But from my perception, Poseidon's 'emotional' fluctuations don't seem to have changed at all?"
Eros asked again, and Volos gave the same answer.
"Yes."
Nodding, Volos said,
"Perhaps he has wanted to do this for a long time... Perhaps even without us, he would have this day?"
After looking at each other, the twins actually wanted to see the reaction of the person who was shot after the magic of the golden arrow disappeared, so they followed so actively. But what they didn't expect was that Poseidon didn't react at all.
"Forget it, this...maybe a little abnormal."
Shaking his head, Eros said helplessly:
"Next time, next time we will change our target and forget about this one."
"Let's wait until Demeter comes back - she should come back. Once we get what we want from her, whatever they do next will have nothing to do with us."
······
Olympus, the Council Hall.
What happened between human city-states did not spread here, and no one knew that Poseidon followed in Zeus' footsteps and even surpassed him.
Here, the gods had just finished listening to the story of the King of Gods, and their first reaction was undoubtedly doubt.
"prophecy?"
Hestia frowned, not expecting that Zeus would create a new one before the recent trouble was resolved.
And what he said... the end of all things? The goddess naturally questioned this.
"Zeus, it is possible for gods to accidentally see the future, but there are usually special reasons for that."
"What about you? You woke up in your palace and foresaw the end of the world?"
Hestia's words were not without basis. As innate gods, the gods did gain a lot from being influenced by the real world. For example, their memories and thoughts that could not be permanently modified, or their immortal nature, were what made them different from the gods of other worlds.
Under such circumstances, some gods would indeed see a glimpse of the future on extremely rare occasions, just like Iapetus, the god of speech, who saw the future in the spirit world in the Second Age. However, they could only see a small part and then extend various interpretations that were either right or wrong.
In this case, it seems that Zeus can indeed see the future by accident, but on the one hand this is an extremely low probability event, and on the other hand this is what this prophecy reveals.
The world will collapse and everything will return to its ruins. This statement is somewhat like saying in the Middle Ages that the world is round. It will not have any other result except that the people who hear it will think you are crazy.
"Well, Hestia, I know it's hard to believe, but the world...may not be indestructible."
Sitting at the top, Zeus understood the doubts of the Goddess of Hearth. Even he himself would not have believed the authenticity of this matter if it had not happened during a ceremony of sacrifice to the world.
But if his [Royal Ceremony] is true, then this news about the future is also true. Moreover, there is a most direct evidence in Olympus.
The remains of a dead world... He foresaw the fate of Chaos and saw its destruction. This was perfectly normal. Especially since Zeus had found some documents in some of the damaged remains of Asgard.
Most of those things were meaningless, but there were some differences. For example, on a broken stele, Zeus saw a record about the God King Odin and "Dusk".
It caused the fall of the gods and restarted the world, [Ragnarok], the most terrible disaster in the world.
"Perhaps it is the same for us. Even before we realize it, the bells of dusk have already begun to ring... and that 'outsider' is the 'bell ringer'."