Tower of Truth, Ninety-Ninth Floor.
Mike lay on the ground, yawning, feeling a bit drowsy.
For so ti now, a butterfly had been perched on his shoulder.
Between SSS-level talents, there was always a natural attraction.
The butterfly, as the embodint of [The Heart of Omnipotence], fused with the world source of the Heavenly Realm, was a being whose rank and power rivaled that of a Supre Being.
And thanks to Apollo, the butterfly had a favorable impression of humanity.
Within its capabilities, it would occasionally lend humanity a helping hand.
Mike closed his eyes and dozed off for a while.
He was soon awakened by the sound of barking.
Opening his eyes, he saw a white horse bullying the white dog.
The white dog, having fewer awakenings under its belt, was no match for the white horse and could only bark helplessly.
Seeing Mike awake, the white horse snorted and nodded twice.
"You want to follow you?" Mike asked, curious.
Was Ares summoning him?
He quickly realized that wasn't the case.
If Ares wanted to see him, he would have co in person.
So, was it the white horse that wanted him?
Mike looked at the silent white horse, feeling a bit exasperated.
This creature clearly had the ability to speak but chose to remain mute.
The white horse led Mike outside the Tower of Truth.
The butterfly on his shoulder fluttered off on its own.
It was clear that the white horse intended to take Mike into the River of Ti.
Taking Mike alone was manageable, but bringing the butterfly along would have been a significant burden for the white horse.
If the butterfly wanted to go, it could do so on its own-it didn't need anyone's help.
Mike waved at the butterfly.
"While I'm gone, keep an eye on Earth's safety, will you?"
The butterfly flapped its wings lightly, signaling its agreent.
The white dog jumped into Mike's arms, fastened its "seatbelt," and signaled that it was ready to go.
The white horse pawed at the ground with its front hoof, and Mike felt the scenery around him begin to blur and retreat.
A familiar sensation washed over him.
He had entered the River of Ti.
Where were they going?
Mike didn't know.
But he trusted the white horse wouldn't harm him.
Besides, at Mike's current level of strength, the white horse couldn't harm him even if it wanted to.
The scenery blurred again before gradually becoming clear.
Mike found himself inside the Tower of Truth.
"This is..."
Mike looked around, feeling a sense of familiarity.
"This is the Forest of Truth, the ninety-ninth floor of the Tower of Truth!"
And here, a middle-aged man resided.
At first, Apollo's figure was blurry, and everything around him was indistinct and inaudible.
But as if sensing Mike's gaze, the surroundings gradually beca clearer.
Mike realized what he was seeing.
This was three hundred years ago, before the Tower of Truth had been opened.
At that ti, Apollo still lived in the Tower and had not yet descended to the mortal realm.
Apollo sat in the forest, a Truth Core crystal floating before him.
Tower Spirit?
Mike already knew that Apollo was acquainted with the Tower Spirit.
In fact, through his dealings with the Tower Spirit, Apollo had gained partial control over the Tower of Truth.
"Apollo Lawson, have you figured it out yet?"
The Tower Spirit sounded nervous, pacing back and forth.
Apollo withdrew his right hand, nodded, and said calmly,
"What you asked to calculate-I've figured it out."
Apollo spoke unhurriedly,
"Humanity's final battle with the Supre Demon God... humanity will lose."
Mike's brow furrowed.
Apollo continued explaining to the Tower Spirit how humanity could achieve victory.
The conditions were harsh, and the chances were slim.
"Apollo, I get it now!"
The Tower Spirit exclaid excitedly,
"If the demon race is going to win, I should beco a demon creature-no, a demon god!"
What was there to hesitate about?
If humanity was dood, the logical choice was to bet everything on the demon race!
The Tower Spirit only wanted to survive.
Whether as part of humanity or the demon race made no difference.
The more the Tower Spirit thought about it, the more excited it beca.
It even asked,
"Apollo Lawson, do you think it would be too much if I took the entire Temple of Truth with
?"
Apollo shook his head.
"Not too much."
The Tower Spirit was puzzled.
"Why not?"
Apollo replied matter-of-factly,
"Because you can't."
The Tower Spirit was indignant.
"What do you an I can't? I'm the Tower Spirit!"
As the Tower Spirit, it could theoretically move the entire Temple of Truth to the Abyss and
use it to beco the strongest demon god.
Apollo's response was simple yet irrefutable.
"I said so."
That was it.
The Tower Spirit was montarily speechless, unable to refute Apollo's statent.
Apollo was nothing if not straightforward.
The Tower Spirit didn't even bother struggling and gave up imdiately.
"Fine, if I can't take the Temple of Truth, so be it. I'm not that greedy anyway..."
The Truth Core crystal spun a few tis before stopping.
It asked again,
"Apollo Lawson, can I at least take a divine position with ?"
As the Tower Spirit, it had guarded the Tower of Truth for so long that it had earned the right
to claim a divine position.
Apollo nodded, seeing no issue with this.
The Tower Spirit pressed on,
"Which divine position do you think I should take?"
If left to its own devices, it might have chosen sothing like the Goddess of Beauty or the
Goddess of Love.
But it wanted to hear Apollo's opinion first.
Over the years, the Tower Spirit had asked Apollo countless questions, and Apollo had never
been wrong.
Most importantly, these questions were simple.
Apollo didn't even need to calculate to answer them.
This question was no exception.
Apollo gave his answer:
"The Goddess of Fate."
The Tower Spirit was confused.
"Why the Goddess of Fate?"
Fate was indeed a powerful divine position within the Temple of Truth.
But why did Apollo want the Tower Spirit to choose it?
Apollo hesitated briefly before explaining, "Because your luck... might not be very good in the future."
If it chose any other divine position, it would likely die.
"Not very good luck?"
The Tower Spirit was skeptical but didn't press further.
"Apollo Lawson, since you've already calculated everything..."
The Tower Spirit continued,
"What should I do after I go to the Abyss?"
Apollo replied slowly,
"When the Tower of Truth descends to Earth, the Abyss will connect to the Temple of Truth.
That will be your only chance to beco part of the demon race."
The Tower Spirit grew nervous.
"And then?"
"And then..."
Apollo pointed out a clear path.
"You'll craft SSS-level equipnt for humanity's potential Supre Beings."
The Tower Spirit: ???
Crafting SSS-level equipnt was indeed sothing the Tower Spirit could do.
The Tower of Truth itself was the strongest piece of equipnt in existence.
No one understood forging better than the Tower Spirit.
But why help humanity?
Wasn't it supposed to beco a demon god?
Why was it suddenly betraying the demon race?
Apollo's explanation was simple:
"No matter how much you help humanity, it won't change the final outco."
A few pieces of SSS-level equipnt were rely icing on the cake.
They wouldn't be enough to turn the tide.
"So, you're saying I should bet on both sides?"
The Tower Spirit was puzzled.
"Why bother with such a pointless effort?"
Apollo, ever ticulous, replied,
"Because I might be wrong."
Apollo never believed his calculations were infallible.
In his view, there was an almost infinitesimal chance that humanity could defeat the Supre
Demon God.
He had shared the conditions for this outco with the Tower Spirit.
To the Tower Spirit, such a scenario was utterly impossible.
Apollo thought so too.
Even so, Apollo left room for the theoretical possibility.
Under such circumstances, the Tower Spirit's best course of action was to support both the
demon race and humanity.
If the Supre Demon God won, the Tower Spirit, as a demon god, could escape to the
Heavenly Realm the mont its bonds to the Abyss were broken.
If humanity won, the Tower Spirit, having consistently aided humanity, would not be purged
despite being a demon god.
"That's actually a great idea, Apollo!"
The Tower Spirit began spinning in place, prematurely celebrating.
Watching this historical scene unfold, Mike could barely contain his laughter.
The rest of the story was well-known...
It turned out that Fool was the Tower Spirit, and her real na was Fortuna.
Mike witnessed Fortuna's transformation into a mber of the demon race. At the sa ti, the Tower of Truth was opened.
A man nad Nathan arrived at the Tower's entrance.
Apollo sighed, his expression uncharacteristically somber.
"I have so bad news," he said.
The Tower Spirit froze, a sense of foreboding washing over it.
"What news?"
Apollo watched as the man who had nad himself Morpheus entered the Tower of Truth.
With his usual precision, Apollo said,
"I might have been wrong."
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