The First Born exploded.
His flesh and blood scattered everywhere, and a powerful force shrouded in black light roared out, instantly piercing through the clouds and disappearing.
"Just as I thought!" Su Sheng muttered with a pout.
The force that flew away just now was probably the essence of the First Born, right? Whether it was the nameless god or the destroyer of souls, even though the First Born didn't have a specific divine essence, he was still real. Typically, killing the First Born would allow one to absorb his essence and take over his divine duties. But unlike others whose essence either drifted away like Eris or was claimed like Ares, the First Born's essence didn't just disappear—it flew away.
It was clear that the essence of the First Born wasn't meant to be inherited!
"Am I right? Is the Wall of Origin really using the First Born to eliminate the old gods? After all, there aren't many left after the First Born's rampage," Su Sheng mused, noticing that the monsters attacking Paradise Island were suddenly collapsing like deflated balloons, seeping into the ground and disappearing.
"The big boss vanishing after being defeated is so cliché!" Su Sheng complained, turning around. As he did, he noticed a pair of eyes glowing with golden light, sharp like an eagle's.
It was the woman in the shirt!
Her hand had transformed into bird claws, and the baby in her arms suddenly began to levitate.
Fly... fly?
Her sudden transformation caught Hera off guard, leaving her momentarily stunned. As the shirted woman was about to escape, Su Sheng launched a ball of fire at her back.
She fell from the sky with a pained groan, crashing to the ground and flipping mid-air to land heavily on her back.
Boom!
The shirted woman slammed into the ground.
Diana and the others were too shocked by her transformation to react.
Dragging the baby, the shirted woman slowly stood up, seemingly unharmed.
"What are you doing?" Her eyes, now like an eagle's, glared at Su Sheng as she spoke in a voice different from before.
"Athena?" Diana exclaimed in surprise. The voice was identical to the one she had heard in her mind before. It was Athena's voice!
"Is she Athena?" Su Sheng asked, looking at the shirted woman in surprise. "Well, well, you've been hiding quite well, haven't you, little one!"
"Thank you, Diana, for helping my father return," Athena said to Diana.
"Father? Zeus?" Diana said in shock, looking at the baby Zeus in the woman's arms. "You lied to me!"
"No, Diana, I've existed in this human body for a long time, with my divinity dormant until he returned. He..." Athena glanced down at Zeus. "Since Zeus once gave birth to me, and I to him, it's time for him to reclaim his throne. My mission is complete."
"So... don't stop me!"
Athena's eyes met Su Sheng's as she spoke.
"What if I do? Can you stop me, or can this little brat?" Su Sheng asked, stepping in front of Athena and reaching out toward the seemingly clueless baby. "You were the reason Hippolyta suddenly awakened from her statue state, weren't you? You should be able to change her back, right?"
"I promised Diana that I'd restore everyone on Paradise Island to their original state. So if you turn Hippolyta back, I'll let Athena take you to Mount Olympus to reclaim your throne. How about that?"
"Wow wow wow!"
The baby Zeus didn't seem to understand and started crying, frightened.
"You had the idea to make your daughter mortal, sleep with her, and then give birth to yourself. Do you think playing dumb will work now? Hurry up and don't waste my time. If you don't agree, I'll make sure you won't be able to use your ahem 'tools' when you grow up," Su Sheng threatened with a smile.
The crying abruptly stopped, and Zeus's eyes flashed with blue light, like lightning.
In the next moment, Hippolyta was restored from her statue state.
"Truly an old fox," Su Sheng chuckled, looking at the innocent, wide-eyed baby. "Good luck—don't cross paths with me again!"
Athena took a step back, holding the baby, and flew away again. This time, Su Sheng didn't stop her.
Everyone watched them disappear into the night sky in silence, unsure of what to say.
The woman in the shirt was Athena, and the baby was Zeus?
What exactly had they just witnessed?
"Hmph!" A soft voice called out as thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. Hera, the queen of the gods, had returned to Mount Olympus.
"Looks like it's over," Su Sheng said with a chuckle, finding the whole situation amusing.
These gods were truly entertaining!
Hera, queen of the gods, was jealous, perhaps intentionally allowing the Amazons to suffer or preventing Hippolyta's return. Athena slept with her father to give birth to him—a plan so complex it was suffocating to think about!
And then there was Zeus, an old trickster who capitulated the moment Su Sheng threatened his manhood.
"The gods of Olympus, hehe..." Su Sheng chuckled, turning to Diana. "Now that everything's settled, I'll be leaving."
"So soon?" Diana asked instinctively. "Why not leave tomorrow?"
Hippolyta chimed in, "Yes, you saved Paradise Island this time, and you've ended all this chaos. Stay, and let us properly thank you!"
"Forget it. Even though the matter's resolved, you still have a lot to clean up. I'm not interested in sticking around."
"Donna..." Diana whispered softly.
"Time to go!"
Su Sheng waved his hand, signaling to Riley and Valentina, who had deactivated Firestorm and were ready to return to the Disciple. Laura had been obediently guarding the ship.
"Wait!"
Just as Su Sheng was about to board the Disciple, Diana called out and ran after him.
He turned around.
Diana kissed him.
"Uh..." Su Sheng was taken aback by her sudden action.
After a moment, they separated.
Diana looked at Su Sheng. "Wait for me, decades or a hundred years, I'll find you... and then... I'll challenge you!"
"Challenge me? Is that a double entendre? After all..." Su Sheng chuckled, watching Diana turn back without another word. He touched the corner of his mouth, smirking as he boarded the Disciple.
Next stop: Central City, the birthplace of The Flash!
...