"Since you've decided, what can I say?"
"Let's go. I imagine Phoebe has already gone ahead."
Shaking his head slightly, Aether agreed with Hemera's words and then made his choice.
As the main god of the vast Zodiac Star Field, he represented the starry sky he governed, completely submitting to the God King's command, acknowledging his rule over the laws and substance of the starry sky.
In an instant, an invisible royal authority order spread from the earth, covering one-fifth of the starry sky.
At the same time, on the other side of the starry sky, the recognition of another god followed.
Another fifth of the Zodiac Star Field recognized the God King's rule, allowing the invisible net of order to extend further.
That was the doing of Light Body Goddess Fu Bai, and her actions had not yet ceased.
As the wife of the God of Dark Celestial Bodies, she occupied seven-tenths of the desolate Zodiac Star Field, and also had some Authority in the Land of Darkness.
Although if Coeus intended to stop it, her Authority could not cross him.
But just like every time before, this Titan God, whose aura was becoming increasingly profound, seemed to have no intention of expressing his stance on external matters from beginning to end, or perhaps he had already made some decision in his heart.
In any case, with the first Authority holder not expressing a stance, even though the rules of order extended with difficulty here, it still established its power and rule here.
The power of royal authority sweeping across the Zodiac Star Fieldfinally stopped at the Zodiac and ecliptic Zodiac Star Field, but three Great Divine Power arrived at the edge of this Zodiac Star Field one after another.
Their task was not to break through the Zodiac Great Barrier that sealed the sun; the God King only wanted them to contain it.
He was also prepared for the gods of the spirit world to release the sun, but he would not truly be helpless.
Over a thousand years of research, Zeus had a deeper understanding of Typhon's power, which originated from the Mother Tree, or perhaps the Blood and Flesh Great Mother never minded others studying her power.
In short, if the spirit world abandoned the Zodiac Star Field, he would use Typhon's power to replace the Sun Eater, using the power of evil to replace the power of the sun.
The Zodiac Great Barrier sealed the sun with its own power, so the God King would devour the power of evil to suppress itself in turn.
For a king, all power can be utilized; it has no good or bad distinction... However, at this moment, looking at the Zodiac Star Field in front of her, which gathered the essence of the entire starry sky, Light Body Goddess Fu Bai felt a little eager to try.
"...Your Highness Phoebe, what are you going to do?"
His eyelid twitched; Aether didn't know what crazy thing this woman was up to now.
"The God King only told us to watch over this place; he never told us to actually do anything—"
"—But he also didn't forbid us from doing anything, did he?"
A glint of excitement flashed in her eyes, and Phoebe glanced at the moon in the ecliptic Zodiac Star Field.
However, the reflection of a red dress flashed there, instantly sobering the Goddess quite a bit.
Although she didn't know why, she instinctively felt that the moon was closely related to her—in fact, in some later records, she was indeed given the beautiful title of 'Goddess of the Ancient Moon'.
But since the idea of the moon was out, she once again set her sights on the Hall of Heroes.
"You all say, if I reclaim the Hall of Heroes for His Majesty and defeat the Zodiac barrier in advance, will he grant this place to me in the future, allowing me to assist him in suppressing the fallen sun in the name of the Goddess of Light, and even exercise some Authority?"
"...I don't recommend you do that."
His mouth twitched, Aether reminded her.
"Although the power of the Zodiac Great Barrier is all used to deal with the sun, and those few spirit world angels are not known for their power, the Hall of Heroes is now Athena's property."
"In short, Phoebe, I advise you to be kind..."
"Hmph, since you don't dare to go, then I'll go myself."
With a cold snort, the Goddess of Light took a step forward, her expression sharp.
Previously, in order to compete for the title of the most beautiful Goddess, she had clashed with Athena and Artemis, and now she finally found an opportunity.
She really didn't believe that the other party would dare to openly and violently oppose the God King...
Whoosh—
"Ah—"
"Who is it? Come out!"
A scream. Just as Phoebe stepped into the Zodiac Star Field, a streak of light pierced through the air, instantly piercing her palm.
Although the wound on her flesh quickly disappeared under the influence of divine power, the pain caused by the injury was real.
Her gaze swept to where the light landed, and looking at the figure that manifested, Phoebe's face was full of disbelief.
She never expected that the one who ambushed her was the manifestation of Athena's companion artifact, Nike, the Goddess of Victory.
"Nike, it's you?"
"You, a weapon not even of Middle Divine Power, dare to come here to stop me?"
"...I didn't want to come either."
Spreading her hands helplessly, Nike said innocently:
"Why don't we not fight and just wait here? Anyway—oh, you old woman are so annoying!"
The starlight shone brightly. Ignoring the Goddess of Victory's words, Phoebe directly mobilized her divine power and crushed her without any fancy moves.
Having enjoyed a thousand years of faith, as a god of Great Divine Power, she could not be stopped by such an opponent.
Seeing this, Nike could only quickly retreat while screaming in her heart.
"Athena Athena Athena..."
"I'm going to die, I'm going to die, I'm going to die..."
"You told me to come, she's trying to steal your things, hurry up and come out and kill her, you can't abandon your loyal weapon like this—"
"[But I'm not free right now]"
Without any external fluctuations, deep in the Goddess of Victory's Memory, characters leaped out, spontaneously forming this line of text.
Vaguely, Nike seemed to see a faint smile in it.
Seeing this, the Goddess of Victory was furious and couldn't help but scold:
"Help! It's over! The Goddess of Wisdom doesn't care about her weapon anymore... Wuwuwu, who will save me? Anyone can—huh, are you going to make a move?"
She instantly stopped her fake crying, and a smile appeared on her face.
At this moment, although others didn't notice any trace, as Athena's most handy weapon, Nike only felt a familiar hand as if gripping her true form.
In an instant, an boundless force seemed to be added to her body, as if as long as she moved, a Zodiac Star Field would shake with it... However, in response to her question, Athena only displayed another line of text.
"[No, I still have something to do]"
"[Now, I'll lend you the strength of one hand... That's enough to deal with Phoebe]"
Gods cannot easily borrow power from other gods, but a god and her companion artifact can.
The two were, in a sense, one to begin with, just as only Zeus holding the Thunderbolt Arrow was the complete God of Thunder, and only Athena holding vokhtor's spear was the true Victorious King.
However, feeling this reassuring power, Nike still tried to refuse this unreasonable request.
"Don't be like that, Athena, I'm just a weapon!"
"[...]]]"
"Alright, what an irresponsible master."
Silently muttering to herself, the Goddess of Victory looked at Phoebecharging towards her.
The communication of minds seemed long, but in reality, it was less than a breath.
Holding herself, saying she didn't want to fight, but at this moment, Nike only felt excitement...
Does anyone really think that an artifact symbolizing Victory doesn't want to fight?
"Come on, old woman, today I only want to kill you, or be killed by you!"
Wielding her spear, the Goddess of Victory said words she didn't remember where she heard them, laughing as she charged towards Phoebe.
Standing in the distance, Aether and Hemera did nothing, merely watching it all silently.
As two seasoned homebodies, they only wanted to dabble on the sidelines and had no intention of getting deeply involved in these disputes between the gods.
What if they picked the winning side? Could it make them a Great Divine Power?
No, then go away.
They weren't like Phoebe, this woman who had gone crazy from being cooped up at the edge of the Zodiac Star Field. Whether they were in the Underworld or now in the Zodiac Star Field, their lives were quite good, with no need to seek trouble.
...
In the Underworld.
Zephyrus, the God of the West Wind, walked into the palace of the King of the Underworld, looking at the husband and wife seated on the throne.
Queen of the Underworld Persephone, once a weak seed Goddess.
But now, Zephyrus only felt a vast majesty emanating from her.
Was she the Queen of the Underworld sharing Hades's Authority, or was she also growing stronger herself?
The God of the West Wind didn't know, but he was only here to convey the God King's command.
"Your Highness Zephyrus, is Zeus going to break the agreement he once made with our brother?"
From his throne, Hades, whose aura had grown even more profound, looked at the God King's messenger before him and faintly questioned his intentions.
"Not so, Your Majesty."
Bowing slightly, Zephyrus appeared very polite.
However, what he said next tore open the facade of warmth.
"His Majesty the God King is the guardian of oaths; how could he possibly violate the agreement he once made with you and the Sea Emperor?"
"But as you know, not long ago, a being from the abyss, the wicked Ancient Serpent, brazenly attacked the esteemed Poseidon... and to this day, his whereabouts are still unknown."
"For this, the God King has been working tirelessly, worried about you, his only remaining brother in the world."
"Then, just a while ago, he learned another astonishing piece of news."
"A more powerful abyssal entity seems to have set its sights on you, attempting to abduct you when Your Majesty is unprepared."
"And she... is watching you right now."
Hades' expression suddenly changed, and at that moment, he truly felt a gaze from the abyss.
Although the opponent had not emerged from Tartarus, and although she concealed her presence.
Yet, that power, transcending true gods, was so clear that the King of the Underworld could not ignore it.
"You—"
Hades simply didn't believe it was an accidental discovery; he was more inclined to believe Zeus had actively brought this trouble upon him.
However, when under someone's roof, one must bow their head... Suppressing his anger, the King of the Underworld asked word by word:
"So, I wonder how His Esteemed Majesty the God King intends to resolve this problem? By having me disband the God Court of the Underworld and serve him on his Mount Olympus?"
"No."
Shaking his head slightly, Zephyrus slowly spoke.
"As long as you acknowledge His Majesty's order and the nobility of his royal authority, that is enough."
"..."
His face was grim, and he remained silent for a long time.
Only when he felt the tremors from the earth, the commotion of the God King striking the Well of Reincarnation with thunder, did he coldly glance at Zephyrus.
"...Get out!"
"No matter, you can consider it yourself."
Turning to leave, the God of the West Wind did not think Hades would refuse.
Because just now, even he had felt the terrifying killing intent emanating from the abyss.
He didn't know that the owner of this power couldn't display such Great Divine Power outside of Tartarus, but Hades didn't know either.
With a look of apprehension, the King of the Underworld found himself in a difficult situation.
He could choose to refuse, but the price might be facing an enemy like the great serpent from last time.
He could also choose to accept, after all, acknowledging order did not equate to complete submission to Zeus.
Athens was actually within the scope of royal authority's order, but this did not affect their resistance against the attacks of the continental nations.
But he knew this was just the beginning.
Once the first step was taken, there would be a second...
"Hades, do you still remember your dream?"
In the deathly silent hall, suddenly, Persephone spoke.
"...I remember."
"Then do you still remember the plans you made for it afterward?"
"I remember."
"Hades, do you still remember what you once told me?"
"—I remember!"
Taking a deep breath, the King of the Underworld's gaze swept across the abyss.
Demons, huh? No matter who you are, I remember you.
Gods are immortal, divine Authority is eternal... Perhaps it won't be long before you regret this.
Hum—
No longer resisting, the God King's order extended into the Underworld.
Vaguely, the entire Underworld not only did not weaken but even grew stronger.
royal authority's order was not a bad thing; it made all things combine more tightly, more concretely, more vibrantly, and more united under the order of the present world.
Whether it was the Underworld, the depths of the starry sky, or even the edge of the sea, they were originally parts in the cracks between the inner and outer worlds.
But as the God King's power extended, they became more obedient to the rules of order.
On the nameless mountain peak, although she didn't witness it firsthand, Clotho still opened her mouth slightly, as if she had discovered something very surprising.
"Oh, Mr. Great Demon King, your method is really useful!"
"Fate seems to have been repaired in part; I can feel that the order of the present world is developing in a more stable direction. If this continues, He seems to become even more powerful... Is this what a God King should do?"
Attempting to perceive fate's original trajectory, although it had been changed too much, Clotho still saw a hint at this moment.
Yes, the God King was walking on the right path; he should have completely ruled the heavens, earth, and sea, exercising the Authorityof the present world, a single golden rope able to pull up all the gods, along with the earth and boundless mountains...
Beside Clotho, he also didn't witness it firsthand.
Listening to the Goddess of Fate's sigh, a hint of solemnity flashed in Ryan's eyes.
Yes, this was Zeus's true threat, and it was the 'destiny' that still shrouded him, and it was also why he hadn't stopped Liana from attacking Asgard.
So, should he let the numerous angels shrink within the Spirit World, abandoning the believers he had never cared about, allowing Zeus to be satisfied with the Spirit World's concession after his probing, completely unifying the earth, ocean, Underworld, and starry sky, just waiting for his divine self to return and crush everything with the black sword that ends all? Could he accept such a choice?
"Of course not."
"If the order and destiny of the present world collapse, there will no longer be a God King in the Fourth Epoch, then conversely, the God King and the present world are so closely related."
"The extension of royal authority is just the beginning, but if Zeus is allowed to continue doing all this, making the gods obey him one by one, then it is equivalent to him personally consolidating the scattered forces of the present world into a single rope, integrating them under the supreme rule."
"This vast accomplishment might truly change the succession of God Kings, leading to legends in later generations where theoretical 'Fourth Generation God Kings' appeared one after another, yet no one ever truly replaced him... And I will face a more powerful present world."
"Why should I accept such a result?"
From the world's perspective, perhaps what Zeus did was right.
But from another perspective, Ryan felt it was incredibly foolish.
He had told Clotho that he would save the world, save the world, and save the world again.
Although these three worlds did not all refer to Chaos, one of them certainly did.
In the depths of his being, Ryan spoke to himself.
In fact, as the epoch developed to this day, as he discovered one secret after another that his past self had not known, the choices he made constantly shifted and changed.
If, at the very beginning, he merely wanted to tear apart predetermined fate and become the true master of Spirituality, existing eternally in this world, now it was more than that.
"Come... my other self."
"Make it behave."
Ryan said this, and at the other end of the distant void, the God glanced over.
He saw Zeus before Olympus, saw Liana, saw the Well of Reincarnation, saw Erebus hesitating whether to do something, saw Nyx silently observing everything, and also saw Gaia lurking beneath the earth.
And of course, the most crucial thing.
He saw the eye within the Well of Reincarnation that Ryan had personally sealed.
It had long lost its Memory and thought, leaving only pure and intense instinct.
It seemed to sense this gaze, and even while sealed, it still fiercely looked towards the source of the gaze.
Then, in the next moment, the twisted eye trembled.
It retracted its extended tentacles, not daring to make any further provocation.
It would die, it would die... Even though it no longer had a self, the instinct of all things to crave existence still remained.
Even when the seal that had once locked it opened silently, it remained motionless.
"Go."
With tired eyes, on the nameless mountain peak, Ryan smiled without speaking.
He once thought the twisted eye and the Mother Tree were one, but only later did he realize how great the difference between them was, despite their apparent similarity.
One was the derivative of a destroyer's power, and the other was the last remnant of a destroyed entity.
Perhaps they were the most irreconcilable enemies.