Chapter 651: Chapter 222 War and Victory
What had occurred with Pandora was rely an incident, and the Olympian Pantheon was completely unaware of this turn of events.
By contrast, high above the Sea God Palace on the Pontus Euxinus, the conflict among the gods was intensifying.
The do of the temple had been lifted off, allowing light to pour into the ancient hall.
Huddled in a corner, as the only mortal and the catalyst for this divine war, Andrea looked up at the gods above.
At this mont, the divine war had shifted from tentative probing to intense battle, with so already suffering and bleeding.
Overwhelming powers shook the skies, various Divine Artifacts shining brightly. Andrea could even clearly see, for the first ti, bloodstains on Hera’s fair arms.
Just as Athena was known as “the girl with the bright eyes” in the mortal realm, the Heavenly Empress was similarly fad as “Hera of the white arms.” This was praise for her beauty as well as a description of her authority.
For in the heart of wise mortals, eyes are the windows to wisdom and the soul, while the arms symbolize the motherly kindness that nurtures children.
Fertility and wisdom, things mortals yearn for and find hard to relinquish. Yet, at this mont, their bearers were locked in a decisive battle in the skies.
‘… Did I do this?’
Eyes wide, Andrea’s face was only filled with confusion despite her decision leading to the eruption of conflict among the deities.
Earlier, before arriving here, Aiven had told her much about the situation among the gods, the danger Athena faced. He had told her that if she could not properly choose a steward for the Golden Apple, the mortal realm would inevitably be awash with blood, as this was the Divine King’s will as well as an unspeakable consensus among the gods.
But now, Andrea realized that things weren’t quite so. Because even though she had handed the Golden Apple to the Sea God, it seed that nothing had changed.
Or rather, she even started to doubt, if she had handed the Golden Apple to the Goddess… would this battle still have erupted?
[This was an accident, Andrea… I must say, this is sothing I did not anticipate as well]
[Originally, Keto should have left imdiately after obtaining the Golden Apple, instead of causing such a fuss]
A familiar voice flashed through her mind, but this ti, Andrea did not accept it so simply.
She remained silent for a mont, then asked inwardly,
‘I know this isn’t what you wanted… but Aiven, why do you think that war among the gods was inevitable? Couldn’t the Divine King prevent the outbreak of war, why couldn’t he stop all this?’
‘Besides, if deities created All Spirits… although I questioned this before, I think you made a good point, but is there a possibility that they are not as bad as you say? After all, there are many ridiculous rumors about deities, but there are just as many if not more about aristocrats and kings, from what I’ve heard my father ntion… Yet kings and nobles still rule this world, and really, would the gods stir up war in the mortal realm, causing millions to bleed?’
[So, you think the problem actually lies with Keto, and that I made you choose her, is that it?]
‘No, I’m not blaming you, Aiven, but… the choice made by this Sea God wasn’t what you expected.’
Andrea bit her lip and took a deep breath.
In front of her stood a barrier that appeared flimsy yet was indestructible.
It was left by Athena. Perhaps everyone else had forgotten, but she still rembered the worshiper who first brought everything. It was this barrier that allowed her to stand as a spectator and watch the battle of the gods unfold.
‘The Sea God has a problem, and for that reason, the Divine King departed. Perhaps that was unexpected for you… but it is precisely because the Divine King is not here that no one can stop the conflicts among the gods—my father told about such things. A country needs a strong king; only then can it suppress discord and govern all the powers within its reach.’
[So you think perhaps your previous approach was mistaken, you should have given the Golden Apple to Athena, and even if so deities were dissatisfied, the Divine King would surely have suppressed the conflicts that erupted among them]
‘…I don’t know if that’s right, but at least the current outco is not what I wanted.’
Andrea spoke softly, feeling her life had been a bit absurd recently.
An accidental kidnapping had led her to et an unexpected person, subsequently sparking a divine war, and even possibly causing conflicts among the mortals.
For a mont, she felt everything was sowhat unreal, which made her doubt many things.
After all, she was still too young.
[I understand]
The voice echoed in her heart before gradually growing fainter.
Listening to Andrea’s dilemma, Laine couldn’t help but sigh as well.
Although things seed to not have deviated too far off course, with Keto’s unforeseen manipulation at the hands of the Lord of Hell being avoidable in the future, Laine still took a mont to reflect on himself.
Yes, what he knew did not an others knew. And even if others knew, it didn’t ensure they could understand and act accordingly.
Even Keto had heeded Asmodeus’s command at a critical mont, ultimately changing his plans. If now there is an unavoidable war among humans, and if he ignored the mortals’ views like the Olympian gods did, arrogantly arranging everything, would Athens, or even Silver Moon City, really react as he envisaged in the upcoming war between gods and n?
Perhaps they would, perhaps not. If he were still wholly himself now, Laine would not have needed to consider any of this.
In the presence of absolute power, no problem was really a problem. But since he no longer possessed that absolute power, standing from the standpoint of a divine incarnation, Laine even felt his understanding of humanity was quite superficial.
Just as Andrea was still too young, the ‘him’ of the past had never stood at the pinnacle of humanity, and becoming the Queen of Gods naturally would not bother with these considerations. Perhaps in this regard, he still had much to learn… As these thoughts flashed by, at this mont, the plans that had changed because of Keto’s choice were directly erased by Laine in his mind.
He had envisioned, if the conflicts among humans were inevitable, that he perhaps could preemptively strike to gain an advantage; he had also considered clipping Zeus’s wings to buy ti, all of which seed quite necessary.
But now, Laine felt it actually might not be that necessary.
For so reason, Cohen’s image flashed through his mind. In that instant, acting directly on his spirituality, Laine abandoned these plans.
The war in the Mortal Realm had failed, what would that bring? Perhaps it was the destruction of Athens and Silver Moon City, as well as the increase in strength after Zeus had subdued All Gods. But what did that an to him?
Once his Divine Incarnation returned, this era would co to an end. And the fate of the living beings in the mortal world…
Let them decide for themselves.
As the incarnation of humanity, he would live peacefully as an ordinary human, then do whatever he wanted, such as exploring the developnts in alchemy.
“Since that’s the case, Andrea, since you still have hope for the gods, go ahead and do what you want to do… Go and see what Zeus and the gods will bring to Athens afterward.”
Speaking softly, Laine smiled lightly from his seat far in the Acropolis.
Well, there’s no point in worrying. If it were his forr self before the separation, he probably wouldn’t care about the Golden Apple at all.
It’s just that Andrea might still be disappointed, since when it cos to disappointing people, the gods never disappoint.
…
Bang——
During this mont of ntal exchange, Andrea, gazing at the battlefield in the sky, suddenly realized that the divine war had once again reached a turning point.
With a light hum, as weapons clashed, Ares’s bronze sword finally showed a crack after continuously colliding with the Divine Artifact, Spear of Voktor.
The tip of the sword broke off, flying towards the ocean, but Ares, already in a frenzy due to the empowernt, was oblivious, holding the broken sword as he continued to rush towards his sister.
“No, what sister, I am the elder brother! You couldn’t be born in Father God’s mind, what does that have to do with ?!”
The war of the gods increased the War God’s strength, and just a short while ago, the clash in the Underworld also stimulated the authority of Material Destruction. As the War God, Ares benefited from this as well.
At this mont, he felt an unprecedented strength, after all, both Zeus and he were mbers of the Olympian Pantheon, so Zeus fighting as a present deity naturally ant the best support for him.
“Athena, I am the War God!”
With a roar, nurous shadows flickered behind Ares, seemingly representing every deity and mortal currently engaged in battle across the world.
With this sword, Ares was confident, no being who hadn’t broken the limit of a True God was his match!
Ding————
Crack…
As spear t sword, Ares’s blood-red eyes stared at Athena. He expected to see panic in her eyes, but what t him was her usual calm.
At that instant, a naless fire surged in Ares’s heart, his fighting spirit transforming into even more overwhelming power. It was always like this, she always had this indifferent expression, as if everything was under her control!
Crack…
Crack——!
The long sword, forged by the God of Craftsmanship and three Cyclops over a hundred years, ultimately couldn’t withstand a real Divine Artifact.
Pieces of bronze scattered everywhere, but what truly baffled Ares was that unthinkably fearso power.
Almost in an instant, the Spear of Voktor had shattered his weapon, then slipping from Athena’s hand, it shot directly through the War God’s chest.
The spear streaked across the sky and over the ocean, nailing Ares’s body to a Naless Peak on an island.
“Yes, you are the war.”
Speaking faintly, Athena turned back, holding the tip of Poseidon’s Trident.
“But, I am the victory.”
As mbers of the Olympian Pantheon, Zeus’s battles brought strength to Ares. But at this mont, because Athena fought alongside Keto, the victory over the Divine King in the Underworld, was Athena’s victory as well.
Thus, just like every ti before, War fell disgracefully before Victory. The Goddess of Wisdom, already standing at the limit of True God, in that mont, felt through the feedback of the authority a vast domain of re strength.
It’s a pity…
With a touch of regret in her heart, Athena did not reveal this power because she perceived, in that instant, a familiar and formidable power had arrived under this sky.
And the next mont, as expected, the Divine King’s majesty swept the land.
“Stop!”
Neither clearly joyful nor angry, Zeus appeared in the sky, and with a gesture, the Thunder Shadow Arrow from Hera’s handle fell into his hand.
In the true master’s hand, the Divine Artifact imdiately demonstrated its real power. Countless bolts of lightning ford a wall, instantly isolating all the deities involved in the battle.
“Zephyrus, tell , what has happened here. Why is it that I only left for a mont, and the deities I trust the most are brawling, utterly lacking the majesty that should characterize a god?”
With a stern expression, Zeus asked knowingly, while subtly taking note of every neutral deity currently at the scene.
Neutral, how could that be? Don’t you have any friends or relatives?
The journey to the Abyss had ended, but Zeus’s craving for greater power had intensified more than ever.
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