Mythology: Spiritual Ruler

In front of Mount Olympus, the Earth Mother came in anger. Maybe with Zeus by her side, she couldn't break the mountain with one blow, but as long as she tried enough times, she would always succeed. After all, strictly speaking, there was still a gap in their strength, but it was not so obvious when Gaia was the main attacker.

However, at this moment, opposite the Earth Mother, as her opponent, Zeus felt like laughing in addition to being confused.

Although he was inexplicably blamed, it really made the God King very angry, and Gaia's declaration just now also made him very alert. After all, the Earth Mother was the original primitive god, and no one knew what other means she had. Once the other party was determined to lose both sides, Zeus would probably not have an easy time.

And before, in Zeus's expectation, they would not actually go to this step... When Gaia realized that he could not take him down, the God King gave her another step, and everything ended successfully. He successfully established his prestige and established the status of the God King. The Earth Mother lost face, but it was not the first time anyway, so it should not be a big deal. After that, the two sides "reconciled as before", which was the limit of what he could do now - after all, Gaia might not be able to defeat others on earth, but conversely, it was difficult for others to defeat her.

However, all this ended in front of the sudden "battle wisdom" of the Earth Mother. When Gaia came to Mount Olympus, Zeus saw the possibility of suppressing her on the spot.

Overall, Gaia was still stronger than him at this moment, and as far as this battle itself was concerned, the response of the Earth Mother was actually just right, because as the incarnation of the earth, she should have received the blessing of the home court in every part of the continent - except Olympus, because this was the body of the mountain god, and it was a place outside of her authority.

Therefore, the existence of this sacred mountain affected the balance between the two sides, reducing her advantage, but Zeus's authority as the king of gods remained the same. As long as it could be destroyed, it would undoubtedly change the fragile balance between the two sides at the moment. However, the Earth Mother, who was immersed in the ‘flash of inspiration’, obviously forgot one question: why did she sleep for hundreds of years, why did the present world prohibit the gods from showing their power, and finally, why was the restriction on the power of the gods the most serious on earth, followed by the sea, and then the starry sky, but not obvious in the underworld?

That is naturally because in the eyes of the present world, among all the changes at the turn of the era, the displacement of the sun can only be ranked last at best, and the East Sea of ​​Bathing in the Sun ranks second. After all, it brought the flowing sea eye, and the collapse of the pillar of heaven and the depression of the earth were the things that the law could not really tolerate.

So at this moment, Zeus could clearly feel that the suppression of the law that was lingering around because of the blow with the Earth Mother just now almost dissipated instantly, and it even urged the God King to maintain order in turn. And on Gaia, it increased geometrically, trying to stop this crazy primitive god.

Feeling all this, Zeus showed a barely perceptible smile at the corner of his mouth. He injected the power of transformation into the [Thunder Arrow], letting this powerful artifact fly out and collide with the Mother Earth. But I don't know if it was a coincidence, the God King was unable to block all of Gaia's power, but just happened to let a small amount of it leak out and go to the body of Mount Olympus behind.

——Boom!

The little for the great is still enough to shake the mountains and rivers, even such a rare mountain in the world is still not immune. With a huge noise, Mount Olympus shook twice, and the sky in the east also shook and fluctuated, looking as if it would collapse in the next moment.

Fortunately, as a mountain transformed by the body of the mountain god Urya, Olympus is already very solid, and Gaia's angry attack was also blocked by [Thunder] for nine layers, and could not really pour on the mountain. Therefore, under the horrified eyes of the gods, this towering mountain shook again and again, but it did not collapse after all, but still stood in the east of the earth.

But then, rolling rocks fell into the earth, the palaces and towers were reduced to rubble, and the few lives that remained in the mountains and did not leave in time turned into dust in front of the mighty force. But at the same time, because this scene was very similar to the alternation of eras, the laws of the world once again increased the stakes, wrapping the earth mother with thicker chains.

"Gaia... Although you have helped me before, I still don't understand why you wavered at that time."

"You always have this ability, turning a situation that I envy into what it is now, and then helplessly complaining about the injustice of fate."

Whispering softly, without enough faith and without the complete twelve pillars, Zeus could not do anything to the earth mother goddess, but he could recall the artifact at will. Looking at Gaia in front of him, the king of gods suddenly didn't want to explain the golden apple.

Fight first, and step on this grandmother underfoot in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. When he built up the majesty of the kingship with the defeat of a primitive god, he asked her as a victor, what gave you the courage to slander the king of gods!

······

Outside the sacred mountain, the war continued. At this juncture, even the servants who once served the gods fled in all directions, and the rest were wiped out by the blow just now, and the whole Olympus was deserted.

Among the rubble and collapsed buildings, there was only a slender figure shuttling between them. Broken wood and stone were scattered all around, but this was also thanks to the fact that those palaces were the residences of gods. After all, if there were no remaining divine power to protect them, they would probably be like those lives that suffered from unprovoked disasters, without even a corpse left.

So following the intuition in the dark, the goddess quickly moved forward among the collapsed ruins. The roar outside the mountain became more and more intense, as if someone on the warring sides finally realized something and was desperately venting their power.

Occasionally, some aftermath hit the sacred mountain, but Athena avoided them in advance. Until one moment, stepping over an overturned pillar, the goddess, who looked only sixteen or seventeen years old, finally found her destination.

It was a long-uninhabited palace. It seemed to have been blocked by some force for a long time. However, it was precisely because this force was completely blocked that its defense effect was far better than other buildings, allowing this remote palace to survive Gaia's power and become a rare exception on Mount Olympus. (See 3-11)

However, the power of blockade has its limits after all. Now, that inexplicable power has dissipated in the collision. There is nothing in this palace that can stop a god. Looking at this scene, Athena was silent for a while, then stepped forward and pushed open the door.

The sound of the door opening and closing was not small, but it seemed inaudible under the huge roar outside the mountain. He walked into the palace and closed the door. What he saw was not the gorgeous decorations and exquisite carvings like other temples. There were only a few pictures hanging on the wall, which seemed to be the masterpieces of the owner of this place.

Slowly walking forward, Athena looked at everything in the palace with bright eyes. The scrolls on the wall were different. They seemed to record the most impressive time for the owner of this place: the creation of the life of the golden generation, the spread of hydrology on the sea, the battle of the previous generation of gods to flatten the sea, and the first meeting with the blond young man on the nameless island.

Perhaps it was her natural affinity for art, or perhaps it was the blessing of wisdom and authority, Athena easily felt the emotions contained in the painting. Although she had never met, gradually, the image of Metis became fuller in her mind.

A goddess who loved knowledge, liked to share wisdom, once valued family affection, and later valued love more.

"..."

Shaking her head, Athena turned around. After all, she had never experienced that era in person, and it was difficult to piece together the whole picture with just a few paintings, so she just put away the scroll and headed for the real bedroom.

Tap tap -

After walking through a short corridor, the girl soon came to a place similar to a study. The room was of moderate size, and there was a bed against the wall, as if it was a place for the owner to take a break in the busyness. Not far from the bed, the wooden table was filled with parchment scrolls, and even on the table, there was a piece of leather paper spread out, and a feather pen placed on one side, and even the ink containing the divine breath on it was not used up.

It can be imagined that the owner here was probably writing something here, and then one day, she left for a short time for some reason. But even she herself did not expect that after leaving, she would never come back, and no one would come in here again. So these relics of the past were placed on this table forever.

"Is this... witchcraft?"

"Also, elements and... divine power?"

Walking forward, Athena, who possessed [Hydrology], easily recognized the contents above. Although the person who wrote them used many personal words and directional notes, this still did not stump the heir of the same priesthood. Just a cursory glance, Athena suddenly discovered that this was actually the owner of this place's cracking of a power called "witchcraft", and she had already achieved some results.

Her research was still very rough, but a general framework and system had been formed. However, compared with the initial sample of the research, she did not want to use "magic power" as the foundation of this new system. Looking through the manuscripts of the past, Athena gradually understood why she wanted to study this power.

At first, she was just curious about the owners of these manuscripts who wanted to understand the principles contained in them after seeing the wonders of witchcraft. Later, it was because of some premonitions that she increased her investment in this. Perhaps it was a sign of wisdom and authority, or perhaps it was an accidental glimpse of a corner of the future. In short, she anticipated the changes in certain laws in advance. Perhaps the gods in the future will be restricted on earth because of their recklessness, so after realizing all this, she secretly studied this unique power and tried to "divine it".

In the process, she also told her conjecture to the God King who had not yet ascended the throne, but the God King at that time did not really believe this "alarmist". He just wrote it down, and then naturally talked about other things with the owner of this place.

In this case, the writer of the notes had to continue this unfinished research alone, until one day, she never returned, so these manuscripts were left here and no one noticed them again.

"..."

"...Divine Art, is this the name you gave it? It's a very fitting name."

A faint voice sounded in the side hall, and in Athena's hand, the divine power and the elements were combined. The next moment, a glowing sphere appeared in her palm, emitting a slightly warm light, bringing some light to this quiet room.

"So... what happened?"

"Just as the gods thought, you were swallowed by Zeus, and then I was born... So now, where are you still?"

Whispering softly, Athena did not expect to get an answer, because her divine position told her that this was impossible.

There is no second god of [Hydrology] in the world, and she is the only owner of this authority.

"About this point... I'm afraid no one can come to a conclusion. In fact, I'm also curious about the whereabouts of Metis."

"Who!"

In an instant, Athena's soft eyes became sharp, and she turned around. Although in mythology, people often record her beauty, recording her as a 'bright-eyed girl', 'the protector of the city, the most radiant goddess', but no one can ignore that she also has power that is as beautiful as her beauty.

In silence, the spear symbolizing [victory] fell into her hand, and Athena scanned the space vigilantly, but there was nothing in sight.

"... There's no need to be so alert. In fact, I came before you. To be honest, you are the last one to arrive."

The gentle voice came again, and the next moment, the void shook, and a figure in a black robe emerged. He looked at Athena and the manuscript in front of her, and couldn't help but sigh from the bottom of his heart.

"I'm just someone who is looking for the truth like you... Speaking of which, I've seen Metis when she was still a baby. But I didn't expect that she would end up in such an unknown situation."

"Just like Prometheus... Does everyone who claims to be wise have to make a fatal mistake?"

Ryan didn't know whether it was because of fate, or their personalities, or whether it was the result of both, their personalities were part of fate. But in any case, he had to figure out the cause and effect of the matter today, the source of the power of the God King, and the whereabouts of Metis.

Zeus would not tell the truth, and even if he said it, it would not be enough to convince him, and other methods could not do it. So now the only one who can get the answer is Athena, who even she herself knows only a little.

...

In the remote palace, the atmosphere eased from solemnity.

In fact, as Ryan said, he had come to this palace long before Athena arrived.

The outside world was in full swing, and he didn't know if there were other people watching the drama of the God King and the Earth Mother - after all, the other two primitive gods in the world were extremely good at hiding their whereabouts. But Ryan could almost guess that even if they came, they would probably only focus on Zeus, whose strength had suddenly changed. In comparison, it would be difficult for them to remember who Metis was.

But Ryan didn't do that useless work. He bypassed the Earth Mother and the gods and came directly to find the root of the problem.

The sudden increase in power, the existence of some suspected rituals, and the feeling of being connected with the laws of the world... All of this showed that there was definitely an unexpected situation on the other party, but it was undoubtedly unrealistic to want to know the cause and effect from Zeus himself.

After all, even if he told you and it sounded like that, no one could guarantee that the God King did not deliberately conceal any key information. So instead of spending this energy, it would be better to find the answer yourself.

For example, the most important clue, the reason for all this, must be inseparable from the decline of Metis's priesthood. So after just a little searching, Ryan came here, where the Ocean Goddess once lived. He saw the other party's remains and waited for a while before waiting for Athena to come.

However, unlike the latter's complex emotions, Ryan only sighed about the fate of Metis, and then there was nothing else. After all, everyone should be responsible for their own choices. She voluntarily chose Zeus, so there is nothing strange about the result today.

"No matter who you are... It seems that you are here for His Majesty the God King."

In the side hall, seeing Ryan's figure, Athena's eyes flickered, and then she retracted her weapon.

She did not make unnecessary precautions, because Ryan did not hide his breath from her. After realizing this power that was more terrifying than Zeus and Gaia, the goddess of wisdom understood the purpose of this god in almost just a breath.

He came for the God King who was now fighting, and for Zeus's abnormal power-Athena actually didn't know what kind of power the God King "should" have, but the reactions of the gods in the hall before proved one thing. In the past, the gods had the impression that the God King was far from being the opponent of the Earth Mother, but now the battle outside was just the opposite. Perhaps it was this change that attracted the attention of the gods in front of him.

As for Metis or himself... This palace has obviously been vacant for hundreds of years. Although the other party claimed that he had contact with the Ocean Goddess when he was young, it was probably not a close relationship. As for Athena herself, she didn't know what she had just been born to be worth others' attention.

"I guess so, God King... In fact, I am not surprised that Zeus will become stronger. In the original destiny, he will become stronger, but when his way of becoming stronger is put together with the disappearance of Metis, it has to be taken seriously."

Nodding, as if praising the girl's intelligence, Ryan continued to talk about his purpose, even if the other party could not really understand it now.

"Before this, I actually used other methods to spy on the reasons behind it, such as interfering with the years and prying into history... Unfortunately, none of these succeeded."

"The changes at the world level concealed the truth behind it. In front of that kind of power, the great power of God also pales in comparison. Fortunately, in addition to Zeus himself, there was another witness at the time."

Ryan looked at Athena, and the goddess of wisdom understood what he meant. But her memory of her pre-birth days was only vague.

"That's going to disappoint you...actually, I don't remember what happened at that time."

"It doesn't matter, you may not remember it now...but you can remember it."

Ryan stretched out his hand, and the void fluctuated slightly. The next moment, after an era, the ancient scroll came to the world again.

On its side, a line of mysterious words changed and flowed, but the moment she saw it, Athena understood its meaning.

[Know the world, and then know yourself]

"Artifact?"

Making a quick judgment, Athena realized that this was the same artifact as her own Spear of Victory and Shield of Equis, but the difference in strength between the two sides was by no means easy.

"Yes, it is part of another artifact. It is the unchanging past, the carrier of memory, and the root of all things. Before you were born, you may not even remember what happened, but there is something about it Help, but you can see the scene you have experienced. ”

Putting this three-point creation artifact on the table, gently pushing it forward, Ryan smiled slightly, and then turned around.

"I'm lending it to you, and as for how to use it... I think you'll figure it out, right?"

Just like when he came, when he left, there was still no trace of Ryan. There seemed to be no trace of him in this abandoned palace, only the scrolls on the table.

After a moment of silence, looking at this artifact that could be called 'unknown origin', Athena picked up the scroll, but did not open it immediately.

She needs to find a more suitable place...and this place is obviously not suitable.

······

The light and shadow changed, and the next moment, Ryan arrived outside Mount Olympus.

The shaking of the earth has not stopped, and the shaking of the sky also occurs from time to time. The battle between Zeus and Gaia is still continuing. In other words, if it were not suppressed by the increasingly powerful laws, even if they fight for another hundred years, they will not be able to separate at all. No victory or defeat.

Strictly speaking, Zeus, who had just completed half of the ceremony and had a serious lack of faith, was actually no match for Mother Earth. He could only remain undefeated on Mount Olympus, but Gaia's own behavior made the victorious The scale keeps tilting.

The memory from Athena would not be known for a while, so Ryan simply stood aside and tried to analyze the composition of Zeus's power in his own way. Under his eyes that penetrated reality and the sea of ​​​​origin, the state of the God King at this moment revealed a part, which was some kind of power that was similar to the authority of Uranus, but different.

Two fulcrums, twelve supports... At this moment, compared with the myths of later generations, Ryan also roughly understood something.

Perhaps the original trajectory of Zeus also used a similar method to cross into the great realm, but it took him longer and longer, and it was not as suitable as the current one.

Perhaps in the original trajectory, although Zeus defeated Cronus in the Titan War, his battle with other Titan gods was far from ending easily. He failed to capture the other Titans together, or he was afraid of the existence in the hidden world. In short, even after ascending to the throne, the gods of the old era still often launched rebellions and caused trouble for the new divine court.

And it was during this process that Zeus's children were gradually born, and he gradually understood the mystery of faith, and tentatively established the twelve main gods to enhance his power. But compared to today's one, the one in the myth is obviously worse.

The most obvious difference is that the current Zeus and Hera are not included in the position of the main gods. They are independent and have a higher 'personality'. As a 'king', Zeus is far more powerful than Hera. higher.

Such a ritual is destined to be more stable and powerful. It's just that Ryan doesn't know whether this deeper imitation of the divine power will have any negative effects.

At least the most direct point is that in his observation, the connection between the God King and the law is closer at this moment... This is a good thing to a certain extent, but it will not always be a good thing.

"So, the root of everything lies in Metis. It is impossible for Zeus to suddenly invent such a ritual, even if it is what he will have in the future... Metis, Asgard, and I don’t know what our ‘His Majesty the Divine King’ has done and what he has paid for it?”

Although he hasn't gotten the answer yet, the information is so complete that Ryan can feel some clues. In particular, the subtle changes in the previous law's roots added the concept of "accepting sacrifices" to the "interface".

However, there are no trivial matters involving the world, and the real judgment must wait until that memory is reappeared. It won't take long, and Ryan can afford to wait. As for what to do while waiting...

Stretching out his hand, expecting some 'unexpected' changes, he looked at the gods aside who were shocked by the power of the God King.

The next moment, power surged up, and Ryan took action boldly towards these ignorant 'onlookers'.