Mythology: Spiritual Ruler

In the boundless void, a huge hand pinched down from the sky, and everything turned into dust... It should have been like this, but in reality, it would obviously not be so direct.

Because when this illusory world was completely on the verge of destruction, the power that was originally used to maintain the existence of the world had to be withdrawn, and it turned into an unbreakable barrier to fight against the enemy of this broken world.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, a force cannot be used in two places, so when the diaphragm formed by the power of creation collided with the huge hand, while it prevented itself from being destroyed immediately, the false world that lost its power support also inevitably went to its final death.

The power of the gods was dissipating, and the laws that constituted all things 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 requires a process.

"Uh..."

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 big hand came from nowhere and grasped down from the sky, the real great power and the remnants of creation collided with each other. In an instant, an extremely terrible wave swept across the world.

All beings below the medium power disappeared in an instant, and all things turned into dust. Although Hermes was not among them, he was also hit hard.

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 take a breath.

"Hiss - I thought I had run far enough... Now it seems that I'm still far away."

There was pain all over his body, as if he had been tortured. Hermes, who had never experienced this, grimaced a little. This was really a bit unbearable for the gods.

But this was not the most critical thing... When he recovered a little, he really realized the current situation. Hermes could clearly feel that when the invisible hand outside the sky continued to withdraw its power, a sense of emptiness and withdrawal from the origin rose in his heart.

Others didn't know what this was, and might think that the world was extracting 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 suffering. It must be said that among the natives of this false world, he was actually the only god who noticed this distinction between truth and falsehood.

The first was Hades, who sensed it because of his deep connection with the origin of the underworld before his death; the second was Zeus, who could feel all this simply because of his position as the king of gods; and Hermes was the third one, and as for the reason why he could sense it, it was completely an accidental superposition.

He was 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 characteristics that Titan gods were born with, and finally ascended to the position of the twelve main gods of Olympus.

But unfortunately, reality is different from this illusory world. In Atlas, fate has once again reached a turning point. The birth of Hermes was affected by this, and when the world was about to be destroyed, because of this influence, he instead had a subtle sense of reality.

What's more coincidental is that among Hermes's priesthood, [Business] and the like are only humanistic priesthoods added later. What really belongs to him is actually somewhat related to "stealing" and "traveling".

"Ahem, Lord of Ten Thousand Thunders, my respected father, even now, you are still so powerful."

After coughing twice, Hermes looked in the direction of the original earth.

There, the continent had already been torn apart, and huge space cracks swallowed everything like a bloody mouth. The only intact place is the Olympus.

The pillar that supports the sky, the hometown of the gods, a huge lightning column penetrates the sky and shakes the sky, which is the embodiment of the unparalleled power of the king of gods. But looking at this scene, Hermes wanted to laugh.

Because everything in the world is most afraid of comparison. Compared with the giant hand that covers the whole world, the lightning column, which is actually magnificent, does not seem so shocking.

On the contrary, it is like an ant in the palm of the giant hand, provoking an existence that is destined to be impossible to contend with.

"Hu——"

"No matter how much, it is better to leave first... What happens to my 'dear father god' is his business, but if I wait for a while, I may not be able to leave."

"The greatest adventure in this world, a legendary journey, crossing the illusion and reality - well, I just don't know what will be waiting for me over there, is there any beautiful girl?"

Saying meaningless words, gradually, the tension and fear in his heart were temporarily suppressed by Hermes.

He took a last look at this doomsday-like world, a world he had lived in for a long time, but it was not real. Then, in the next moment, Hermes summoned 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 the existence of world destruction, it would be better to use them as waste... So in the next moment, from reality to illusion, from stillness to extreme speed, Hermes' figure instantly turned into a dim stream of light, which cut through the sky in an instant.

In just a few flashes, without anyone noticing him, Hermes arrived at the end of the sky, at the place where the world and the giant hand collided.

The extremely terrifying fluctuations came from there, almost tearing his consciousness apart, and at this most critical moment, Hermes forced himself to use his last strength to use his authority.

Then a crack appeared in front of him, and a familiar and unfamiliar breath came from the opposite 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 maybe he could really reach where he wanted to go through the crack, but this behavior itself was actually not allowed by the world.

Although Hermes in the real world has not been born yet, 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 this price is. It may be stripping of the priesthood, it may be cursed, or even the root of losing the immortality of the gods.

After all, he is not an 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' can be born in the real world in the future, what does it have to do with me."

With a sneer, he paused for a moment, and then the stream of light rushed forward again. Until it was completely immersed in the gap, Hermes finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In any case, no matter what it took, at least he escaped... But he also felt that his consciousness was blurring.

He burned everything and almost fell into 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 seems that they have not made any direct response to him.

It seems that I have to sleep for a long time until the world gives me a verdict... Letting my consciousness drift, Hermes took a last look at the illusory world with emotion.

Like a bubble that is about to break, it is bright and shining, but it can only struggle helplessly in front of the giant hand of unknown origin.

"Huh? What is that?"

Suddenly, something attracted Hermes' attention. It was on the finger of the giant hand, where a dazzling green ring was worn.

Some runes as small as dust were drawn on it, as if interpreting some kind of truth in the world. Looking at this scene, although he didn't know what it was, Hermes still remembered it deeply in his heart.

Something that could be worn on the hand of such a terrifying existence must be the world's top treasure. And in this special state now, Hermes vaguely felt that it was a kind of mysterious knowledge that was very compatible with him.

"Wait until I wake up - if I can still wake up, then I must study it."

Making a decision silently, it also left a little hope for the future. As Hermes' last strength dissipated, it was like he was thrown into endless darkness, and his memory was completely silent.

Everything returned to calm, and the escaper of this illusory world fell into a long sleep, waiting for the day when he would wake up in the future.

·······

Boom--

Crack--!

Outside Mount Olympus, silver snakes fell from the top of the mountain, bringing a huge roar. The unparalleled power of the God King was revealed. It was 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 far less powerful than at the beginning.

Holding the artifact volume in her hand, Athena in a white dress strolled halfway up the mountain. In the scene of doomsday, the goddess seemed to be no different from the past. Her eyes were still bright, but now there was no audience.

When the giant hand on 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 that did not belong to her in this body was also being drawn away.

However, she did not feel sorry. After all, false things might be used as reference, but they must not be relied on.

Boom——

Another lightning exploded in the air, bringing out dark gaps in space, which was a sign of instability in time and space.

The underlying rules of the world lost their support, and everything became fragile and fragile... Looking at this scene, Athena finally put her hand on the artifact after weighing the situation.

The reason why Ryan did not complete this step himself was not only because he had to wear down the last resistance of this world, but the most important point was that he could not do it.

For this illusory world, he was just an outsider; and for this memory, he was a peeper; even for Chaos's destiny, he was a disruptor, so he might be able to destroy this world, but he could never use it, only Athena was different.

The goddess of wisdom is an important existence in destiny, and here it is still manifested based on her memory. Everything in the false world is naturally close to her, and the most important thing is that she is also carrying a "dead" fate.

Yes, what Erebus can see, Ryan can naturally see. Pallas Athena, the son of Metis who is "stronger than his father", the "arrogant king of gods and men", he had hoped to end Zeus's rule and become the fourth generation of the Lord of the Gods, but now, he has no chance to be born again.

However, no matter what his fate was, in this case, Athena, who carried part of the symbol of her brother, undoubtedly became special. She had certain specific "qualifications", so it was natural for her to do all this personally.

She spread out the volume and pressed her palm on the title page. As the divine power surged, Athena seemed to hear the sound of "splashing" water.

The dim light was released from the artifact, and some kind of connection was established. With the goddess of wisdom as the medium, the concepts of this world began to flow to 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 those past times were 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 between history and were also the cornerstone of the construction of this world. Under this absorption, the size of the artifact itself began to expand.

Time passed by minute by minute, and as the world was damaged, the artifact slowly became as big as a palace, and its speed of swallowing became faster and faster.

The deafening thunderclaps also became more and more frequent, but in the ears of the goddess of wisdom, it was only more and more obvious that it was strong on the outside but weak on the inside.

"Hmm?"

After a while, at a certain moment, Athena's eyes changed slightly. She seemed to notice something, and then stretched out her hand, and the accompanying Aquis Shield fell into her palm.

The next moment, accompanied by a roar, a huge lightning fell down.

"Athena, what are you doing!"

Boom——

The lightning and the shield collided. Although Zeus's power had been greatly weakened, he still possessed a power 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.

Under the [Artifact of Creation], the only shield in the world that can be exempted from Zeus's [Thunder]. Just like everything in the world is mutually reinforcing and counteracting, the huge lightning is like hitting an abyss, without causing any ripples on it.

"Hu——"

Take a deep breath, Athena knows that her behavior has been discovered by Zeus.

This is a matter of time, and there are 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 God King of the virtual world could not destroy the body of such an artifact, and she didn't need to guard it here. So the reason why she chose to stay was just because she didn't want to leave.

Holding the spear symbolizing [Victory], the usually gentle and intellectual girl seemed to have changed. Her eyes were sharp and eager to try, just like a Valkyrie who had experienced battles, Athena held a shield to block the flying lightning and flew to the front of the sacred mountain.

"Athena, do you know what you are doing?"

Although her 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 finish the last thing he could do... But he never expected 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, and looking into the eyes of the God King, Athena spoke softly:

"As you can see... I am against you."

...

In the illusory world, the battle broke out on the God Mountain. Although the God King, whose power was greatly damaged, still had an absolute advantage, he could no longer win easily.

Even as time went by, the balance of victory continued to tilt - of course, Athena could not win. But she didn't attack Zeus at this time to win.

The battle in front of Mount Olympus continued, and those gods who had not yet died were still scattered on the earth.

They did not die in the collision between the giant hand and the world at the first time, nor did they perceive the essence 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 power, some knelt down to pray, hoping that the destroyer would show him leniency, and naturally there were also people who cursed and roared to the sky.

Of course, there were also those who faced it calmly and welcomed the result. Just like now, when the world is on the verge of destruction, the rope on the Caucasus Mountain has also lost its power. Falling from the execution ground that punished him for thousands of years, what appeared in front of Prometheus was the world that was about to be destroyed, and the sea king Poseidon who was madly pointing to the sky on the sea not far away.

In the original history, there was no East China Sea bathing in the sun, and naturally there would be no sea eyes circling endlessly. This wise man of foresight was locked on the mainland after deceiving the gods. He had his heart cut open on the Caucasus Mountain and his liver was constantly pecked by an eagle.

It was eaten up during the day and grew again at night, and the cycle alternated, never ending. It must be said that as eternal beings, the gods knew very well how to punish their own kind.

After a long time, Poseidon finally stopped, as if he was tired of scolding, or perhaps he finally realized that his behavior was meaningless.

He looked up at the sky, and the giant hand holding the world was like the world itself, treating everything as straw dogs, and did not pay any attention to him at all.

A huge feeling of fear arose in his heart, and the previous curses at the sky were actually just venting his inner fear. At this moment, Poseidon felt a little regretful. Maybe he just said something nice. Can the owner of the giant hand let him go?

"...Prometheus, what are you looking at!"

Fear, anger, uneasiness, regret... all kinds of emotions surged up one by one when facing death, and finally reached their peak when they saw the calm-looking Illuminati in the distance.

Why is Prometheus so indifferent when he is in such a mess? Isn't he afraid of death?

"Your Majesty Poseidon...I am also afraid of death."

Easily seeing what the other party was thinking, Prometheus shook his head.

In the distant sky, in the middle of the earth, the battle between the two gods is clearly visible, and equally visible is the phantom of a volume that is getting bigger and bigger.

It seems to exist and not exist, and no attack or damage can affect it, it just passes through it, as if it is just an phantom.

There are no mortal things on the earth anymore. They were wiped out long ago when the giant hand collided with the world.

"It's just that everything dies, sooner or later, even in the world."

"It's not today, it will be one day in the future. It's just that when faced with this irresistible ending... I just chose to accept it."

"madman!"

"Accept? I don't accept it!"

An angry curse once again aroused the fear in his heart. Under the trend of emotion, Poseidon mustered up all his remaining strength and stirred up the water of the four seas to roll up to the sky.

No matter what it is, at least give him a reaction... Even if it means killing him neatly, it is better than waiting for the torture of death.

However, under Poseidon's gaze, the giant hand that captured the world remained motionless, only maintaining the previous rhythm and slowly clenching it.

Everything is still the same as before.

······

Time continues to pass, and all kinds of love and hatred are staged everywhere in this world at the end, but the shadow of the volume continues to expand.

It grew larger and larger, covering the earth, overturning the sky, and eventually became 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 internal and external attacks, the world's last struggle ended. All civilizations and the past were frozen at this moment, and everything in the world collapsed into phantoms and became part of the artifact. And the giant hand that enveloped the world closed up and grasped the middle of the volume.

That's all.

"very good."

Nodding slightly, Ryan was satisfied with this.

It will take some time for this artifact to digest the gains, but the result is already determined. However, when holding the [History Book of Time], Ryan's eyes did not dwell on it for the first time.

Because in addition to the artifact, there is also a drop of 'liquid' left where the illusory world originally existed.

That is the foundation that formed the world before...the remaining traces of the divine power of creation.