"Then..." Zeus pondered briefly before continuing, "Let's set the time for this war at..."
Hades interrupted unceremoniously, "Zeus, don't waste time. The power of the three of us is worlds apart from our father's. You've seen the divine power of our father through the Dirge of the Gods; it's nothing."
Zeus, unbothered by the interruption, remained calm. After his previous failure and guided by Metis, Zeus had evolved.
Because of this, Zeus listened carefully to Hades. Hades had genuinely experienced the peak divine power of their invincible father, Cronos, the Titan God-King.
Hades spoke calmly, "We must reclaim our essence and reach the level of a God-King before facing our father. Without reclaiming our essence, everything else is pointless. War requires equal strength, not a death sentence."
"Agreed!" Zeus nodded, "The primary goal now is to reclaim our essence and reach the level of a God-King. We can discuss the aftermath later."
"But..." Metis, smiling, stepped forward and said gently, "Hades, Poseidon, what do you think about causing turmoil throughout the mythological world while recruiting gods who are against our father?"
"I'm not interested."
"Not interested."
Hades and Poseidon spoke simultaneously. Zeus, very practiced, replied, "Then it's settled."
With that settled, Zeus and Metis left, while their sisters Hestia, Demeter, and Hera remained in the Heart of the Ocean. Although daughters of Cronos, their power was far inferior to their three brothers, born as natural God-Kings.
After Zeus and Metis left, Hades also departed shortly afterward, leaving Poseidon alone in the Heart of the Ocean.
"Hades," Poseidon muttered after Hades left, "It seems he did something in the Heart of the Ocean... but..."
Poseidon, having just recently mastered the Heart of the Ocean, was still unfamiliar with many aspects. Otherwise, Hades's actions wouldn't have succeeded.
"A barrier?" Poseidon came to a seemingly ordinary spot in the Heart of the Ocean, feeling the remnants of a dissipating barrier. He murmured, "Something was sealed here, and Hades took it!"
"No..." Poseidon shook his head, contemplating, "Perhaps Zeus took it."
Poseidon, usually indifferent, felt a rare anger. His divine artifact had been taken by either Hades or Zeus, and it was infuriating. Yet, there was nothing he could do. He hadn't noticed or caught them, so there was no point dwelling on it. Poseidon's cold nature quickly let go of this matter and moved on to other concerns.
Hades, having left the Heart of the Ocean, returned to the underworld. A cerulean chain was being gradually devoured by the demonic star.
The Sea World Chain!
This was the third world chain Hades had acquired. Using the power of the invisibility cloak and the sealing and devouring laws of the demonic star, he had stealthily taken the Sea World Chain from the Heart of the Ocean right under Poseidon's nose.
The process was incredibly smooth, almost unrealistically so. Hades had prepared for potential problems, like being discovered by Poseidon or the world chain causing disturbances.
In any case, he was prepared for various scenarios, yet nothing happened. The task was completed simply, taking the third world chain effortlessly.
"Well," Hades whispered, "taking the third world chain easily is good. Less trouble is always better. Next..."
Hades watched as the demonic star quickly devoured the third world chain. By now, he was accustomed to the process, making it faster each time.
Hades then left the underworld, departing the ocean realm and heading to the underworld. This departure marked the beginning of his plan, with many actions ready to commence.
To reclaim his essence, Hades had made extensive preparations. Although the Dirge of the Gods could easily achieve this, the song was exceedingly precious. Only four bottles existed in the mythological world, and if it could be used against their father, the Titan God-King, Cronos, it might also work against Ancient Gods.
If so, Hades had plans. His initial preparations for reclaiming his essence didn't require the Dirge of the Gods. Thus, saving the Dirge was crucial for future plans.
Hades took this seriously, knowing that preserving the Dirge of the Gods would significantly impact his future strategies.
As he thought about this, Hades returned to the underworld. He immediately noticed a significant increase in the number of infernal demons.
Crucially, as the master of the Seven Witches, he sensed that they had perfectly mastered the Seven-Headed Ten-Horned Red Dragon. Individually, the witches were only at the level of Third-tier Gods, not worth mentioning.
But!
When they summoned the Seven-Headed Ten-Horned Red Dragon together, it possessed the power to rival a Major God. This was just the beginning. As Hades continued to nurture the dragon, its potential to reach the level of a Chief God, God-King, or even Ancient God wasn't impossible.
In theory, the Seven-Headed Ten-Horned Red Dragon could grow to rival Gaia, the Earth Goddess, and even a Creator God!
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