Mythology: Spiritual Ruler

Under the authority of the God King, when the decree was issued, changes followed.

The ‘fire’ that Zeus mentioned naturally did not refer only to flames. In fact, flames were only a trivial part of it. It was a word rich in symbolic meaning.

Because flames were given to humans by Hestia, and this goddess was one of the gods who was most friendly to humans; it just so happened that the first time humans deceived gods was in her temple, and the goddess not only controlled [fire], but also controlled the divine power of [protection].

Therefore, the decree of the God King actually cut off the relationship between gods and humans, and also cut off all the protection of gods to humans, and cursed them in turn.

From this moment on, the gods will no longer respond to human prayers, and everything that the gods had given to humans before will be taken back one after another.

Even on this basis, humans not only lost the fire given by gods, but they will no longer be able to rely on themselves to ignite fire; humans lost the harvest given by gods, and the crops they planted will no longer sprout; humans lost the good weather given by gods, and natural disasters will always be around.

This was the punishment that the God King had imposed on this deception, but he cleverly left some leeway. He used "fire" to refer to all of this, so as long as humans regained fire, the protection of the gods for humans would not be restored, but the punishment of the gods for humans would no longer continue.

At this moment, some gods understood, some gods did not understand, but standing on Mount Olympus, Prometheus undoubtedly understood.

Not only did he understand, he also heard more.

"Give up, brother, this is meaningless."

"The God King is not kind. Even if you save humans 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.

Before, 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.

The laws of the gods should not be applied to humans, and the rules of the gods 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 had never allowed them to do so, but in fact, apart from 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. She would define under what circumstances, all things could claim the justice of the trial 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 and planned to seek the help of her old friends to try to establish the initial standard for the human "court".

As for what is considered guilty and what is not guilty, that is the human's own business. She is only responsible for ensuring that the trial she witnessed can be carried out in accordance with the rules.

If after she set the standard, someone dares to violate the rules she set in court, then she will punish the violator according to the rules she set.

Therefore, the two brothers planned to wait here until the goddess came back. As a result, the wait ended before it even began.

The God King knew everything. He punished mankind, and now he was waiting for Prometheus to fall into his trap.

"Maybe, but I don't ask for more. As long as the punishment can be taken back and they can grow old in peace, that's enough."

Looking to the east, Prometheus felt a little complicated. His most trusted student betrayed him, but he couldn't blame him.

After all, he created and taught Orson. Wasn't it him who caused him to become what he is now?

Now, he got what he deserved.

"It all started with me, Epimetheus. Although deceiving the gods was for mankind, now think about it, I was just showing off my "wisdom"."

"And I may not be smart at all, just like-"

Just like the goddess of wisdom Metis.

Prometheus didn't say this. As the goddess disappeared for a hundred years, the God King married a new queen, and the gods also vaguely guessed something.

They didn't know the specific fate of this goddess who was famous for her wisdom, but it was probably not very beautiful.

"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 who can go against his will in this world is the Supreme 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 uncertain, and the Lord of the Spirit World will not respond to your call. You have no place to get the right to use fire."

His expression was a little sad, and he even looked no longer as stupid as before. Epimetheus hoped that his brother would listen to his advice.

But Prometheus did not notice the changes in his brother at this time. Or, even if he noticed it, he would not change his decision.

The God King had discovered everything. He punished mankind, but ignored the initiator of everything. Prometheus knew that as the creator of mankind, it was his turn.

He could actually escape, but he didn't want to escape.

"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."

Looking at the place near the top of Mount Olympus, that is the temple of the sun god. Helios sets out from there 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 the fire is drawn from the artifact, the decree of the king of gods will be 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. And as a remnant of the Titans, Helios' position in the temple of gods is unstable-"

"I know."

He interrupted lightly. At this moment, Prometheus seemed to be a wise man among the gods.

"So I will give him a chance."

"I will steal fire, and then he will catch me back and plead for me in front of the king of gods. This will certainly not work, but he will gain the gratitude of mankind and the credit for the temple of gods."

As for what will happen to him, the foresighted man did not say much. It's just an eternal imprisonment, and he can foresee where he will be imprisoned.

But in the end, as if he remembered something, he reminded his younger brother.

"Leave here, 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 "good intentions" from Zeus."

". I know, brother."

After a long silence, Epimetheus nodded in agreement. He watched his brother casually break off a fennel branch, and then walked up the mountain in the night.

And he just watched all this and did nothing.

"Don't get involved in all this? You really think about humans 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 gently, Epimetheus knew that his brother had finally regained his sanity from the flattery of humans and gods, and he saw the cause and effect of this matter clearly.

The God King would not allow the two gods who participated in the creation of humans to continue to exist in the world, so the first awakened one needed to commit a serious crime, and the second awakened one had to at least bring disaster to humans to destroy his position in the hearts of mortals.

However, Epimetheus himself would be fine. Prometheus was actually very clear about this. After all, compared to him, the stupid latecomer was not considered a threat by the king of gods. Zeus would only use this to show his tolerance and would not let both brothers end up in the same situation. So his last exhortation before leaving was actually just to prevent his brother from bringing disaster to mankind.

But this time, Epimetheus didn't want to listen to him, just as he had never listened to the advice of the latecomer. Prometheus was willing to think about mankind, but Epimetheus only wanted to think about himself.

For the sake of humans who would die sooner or later, he didn't want to make himself a thorn in the eyes of the king of gods, or even stand on the opposite side of the gods.

He was a god, so he should naturally think about the problem from the perspective of gods. Moreover, feeling the faith lingering around him, Epimetheus didn't care about the thoughts of humans now.

He had lived in the human world for these years, and he hadn't been in vain. Faith is something that never comes from worship alone. As long as there are slight adjustments, fear and admiration actually have the same end.

······

"So, people who betray their class often have a hard time ending up well. But if we extend the time, it's hard to say whether it's right or wrong."

"After all, without stealing fire and favoring humans, perhaps Prometheus in later generations would only be an ordinary god, and would not have such a great reputation."

"From this perspective, he has completely written himself into human history. Even if the years change, his belief will remain unchanged even if it no longer occupies the mainstream."

On the East China Sea, a huge whirlpool slowly rotates, and billions of tons of seawater swirl into the seemingly endless sea eye. The dark place is like the abyss that swallows all things.

Ryan, dressed in a black robe, stood above the whirlpool, but he seemed to see the figure of the fire thief.

Prometheus and the sun god were talking. No one noticed their conversation, but it was clearly illuminated by the artifact next to them.

After all, Hephaestus in this life has not been born yet, and even if he is born, he will no longer have the opportunity to build a 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 may be happy to see Hera's only son get this benefit, but he may not be willing to let the sun god get it. But Helios was very excited at this moment, and he decisively agreed to the request of the forerunner.

However, he only agreed to give Prometheus half a day. When the sun rises the next day, he will "discover" that his artifact has been moved, and then take the initiative to capture the other party.

"Speaking of which, there seems to be no place called "Caucasus Mountains" in the east of this world, and I don't know where he will be imprisoned this time?"

Retracting his gaze, 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 east.

He had a hunch that the reason why 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 [Sky]. If the authority had not been divided, I am afraid that the ancient sea god would have already touched the great realm. [Sun] is slightly inferior, but if it had not been divided, it would also have touched the greatness at the end of the Third Age.

From this perspective, perhaps this is all part of the "destiny" of the world. Like these, He had divided them one by one long ago, which might touch the great divine power.

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 gradually became dead and restless. The closer 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 ended out of thin air. At the edge of the sea, the sea water flowed towards the endless void below like a waterfall, and opposite the waterfall was the River of the World that flowed endlessly and surrounded the world.

On it, a palace could be vaguely seen, which was 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 [Secret] was also lifted by him.

This place is already the boundary between the present world and the outside world, even close to the edge of the world, and the suppression of the law is almost non-existent.

Therefore, feeling that the symbol of his divine power was touched, Ocean God discovered this uninvited guest at the first time.

"Hey, have you recovered?"

Looking at the tall figure stepping out of the temple, Ryan was somewhat surprised.

Obviously he had recovered as before, but he turned a blind eye to his daughter's fate, and Ryan was somewhat emotional.

However, the myths of later generations did not seem to record that Ocean God was hostile to Zeus because of the disappearance of Metis.

The goddess of Chaos is okay, but among the male gods, there are indeed few "good fathers" in the true sense.

"Lian? What are you doing here?"

Oceanos frowned slightly, not recognizing that the other party was the culprit who had caused him so much damage.

His injuries were indeed serious, but he was much stronger than the sun god, and the most important symbol of his divine power was the River of the World rather than the ocean.

As for why he had recovered from his injuries but still stayed here, that was another matter.

Thinking of this, Oceanus couldn't help but be alert. He didn't know what Ryan was doing, but he wouldn't allow him to go any further.

"I came here to find something as the owner of this place. Have you found anything wrong recently?"

"No!"

Without hesitation, the ocean god immediately replied.

"Hmm?"

Originally, 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 didn't reveal any obvious flaws, his spiritual intuition told him that the other party was not telling the truth.

"Are you sure?"

With narrowed eyes, Ryan smiled and persuaded:

"Some things are not for you to handle, maybe it would be better to tell me. My intuition tells me that what I'm looking for may not be a good thing."

"This has nothing to do with you, Ryan. What I can't handle, can you handle it?"

"Besides, I've already said that there is nothing abnormal here! This is my territory, please leave."

Okeanos refused again, without any fear. As a Titan god who had seen Ryan take action, Oceanus asked himself that he still had some understanding of him.

Besides, this is not the earth. On the Ring River, even if Mother Earth came, she couldn't do anything to him. Standing here, he was not afraid of anything.

"."

After a little hesitation, Ryan looked at this Titan who had oppressed him with divine power in the distant First Age, and finally decided to give him another chance.

After all, he was the first to make a prophecy, so Oceanus's overreaction was barely understandable.

So Ryan nodded and said calmly:

"In that case, I won't bother you anymore."

Turning around, Ryan looked at the place outside the Huanshi River.

When he got here, the feeling in the dark became clearer and clearer. There was no doubt that the unknown "thing" he wanted to find was here.

Stepping forward, Ryan planned 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 gate of the Palace, changed his expression and blocked him in a flash.

"What do you mean by this?"

Ryan asked with a smile, his mouth slightly raised.

"I said, this is my territory, you are not welcome here, please leave."

Said coldly, the Ocean God had no intention of giving way.

"But I just want to go to the other side of the Huanshi River to take a look, I'm afraid it doesn't belong to you."

Still smiling, Ryan finally said politely.

"Everywhere the River of the World flows belongs to me! Leave here, I warn you for the last time!"

The Ocean God was already a little impatient, perhaps more nervous about the secret being discovered. His power began to gather, and on the symbol of his divine power, Oceanus felt extremely powerful. As before, he released his pressure and tried to force the gods in front of him to retreat.

However, this time, he felt that his power was like a drop in the ocean, and when he approached Ryan's side, it disappeared completely.

"This breath."

"Decay, ruin, death. It feels like 'dusk' to me."

Whispering softly, Ryan keenly sensed something. He easily captured the breath that escaped as Oceanus' power vibrated, and there was obviously some power that the other party should not have.

Now, Ryan completely confirmed his guess that the Great Ocean God must have come into contact with that unknown thing, and it was more than just an accidental passing.

So he put away his smile and looked at the tall god in front of him. A dark light slowly emerged at the fingertips of Ryan's right hand.

After a hundred years, the power of the spiritual world was once again taken over by him, and half of the great power descended at the junction of this world and the outside world. Under this power, Ryan almost instantly locked the approximate location of the abnormality outside the long river, but he still looked at the Great Ocean God in front of him first.

Step forward, in the mythological world, there is no such thing as subordination, and who among the gods of Chaos really cares about these. Now, there 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."