Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

"I will answer your questions."

"Because I care little for these illusory honors... Instead, I am more concerned with being able to defeat you in your own domain."

Speaking in a deep voice, Heracles looked at the demon in front of him that bore no resemblance to what he had expected, and spoke candidly.

The story of Oedipus indeed surprised him, but along his journey, such occurrences were not new to him.

In the Mortal Realm, he could find the noblest of people, as well as the most despicable; the most honest, and those full of lies.

Compared to that, when the Great Hero stepped into this valley that has existed for over a thousand years, an unspeakable enlightenment transmitted to his heart through the unique order domain of the Sphinx.

This place has accumulated the wisdom and desires, the greed and fear of countless heroes from the Mortal Realm over a millennium.

Countless mortals have viewed this as a challenge for the wise, a ladder to fame, but no one has ever truly defeated the master of this domain.

Oedipus was the closest one, but he still failed.

Therefore, Heracles intended to take over his work and send the Sphinx and the Golden Scales back to the side of the Goddess of Law.

Incidentally, to dispel the delusions of those who sought fame in the Mortal Realm, ensuring that this place would no longer become a tool for them to fool the world.

"...Is that so?"

"Well then."

"Young mortal, according to the rules, as long as you decide to challenge, then I must agree to your request."

"Just a final reminder, if you fail to answer even one of my three questions, then even if I do not wish to kill you, under the guidance of the rules, your death is certain."

Her countenance grew a bit more formal, but the Sphinx still lay on the ground, unrisen.

Before her, the Great Hero nodded again, thankful for her reminder.

"Well, since that's the case, let's begin," he said lightly. With Heracles' confirmation, an invisible force radiated from the Sphinx, covering the entire valley.

The laws of this place seemed twisted; a minuscule part was amplified rapidly, while the vast majority became almost nonexistent.

This was the domain of the Sphinx, a formidable abnormal power that could rival both the Giant Lion's Unbreakable Body and the Nine-Headed Snake's Undying Body, formidable enough that even a True God might fail, with Divine Power that could not change these ordered rules.

The stone scales at the mouth of the valley also trembled slightly, as if moved by a force of the same origin, responding involuntarily.

"Mortal, as you wish, the great and wise demon, the Sphinx with the face of a human and the body of a lion, will give you three questions, and the stake is both your life and mine."

"The first question, mortals gaze upon the star cluster, thus knowing the vastness of the sky; they survey the Earth, thus knowing the breadth of the ground."

"So, young human, please tell me, how many stars are there in the sky? And how many pebbles upon the Earth?"

"Hehe, mortal... although you have killed more than one of my brothers, I don't care about the life or death of those who only know slaughter. So, out of respect for your courage, let me remind you—"

"The stars in the sky may be born anew at any moment; only the All-Knowing Mother Night knows how many adornments are on the hem of her dress... and the pebbles on the Earth may split at any given instant; only Gaia knows how much dust is upon her brown cloak."

"Cherish your opportunity to answer, and do not give your response casually. If you answer even one question correctly, I will consider it as if you've answered my question. This is the favor I grant you."

"But if you fail, then you're nothing but another arrogant fool."

"I will give you no further chances... the remaining two questions will be the epitaph you write for yourself."

Each word seemed to transform into a rune, as if an ancient contract had been signed right then and there.

In front of the Sphinx, Heracles furrowed his brow slightly.

Even just the first question had already made the Great Hero feel pressured.

He had not come to this valley unprepared.

Amongst his dependents was a book from Prometheus's hands that contained innumerable pieces of knowledge, after all, the Sphinx's rules had never forbidden contestants from consulting a book while answering.

Yet when faced with the first question, Heracles knew he could not find the answer within its pages.

Even if it were an All-Knowing tome, the answer he saw at this moment might be correct, but in the next instant, somewhere at the edge of the world, a star might shatter or a new star be born.

"...Madam Sphinx, before answering your question, don't you think there's a flaw in it?"

"You said that only Mother Night knows the number of stars, and only Mother Earth is aware of the number of pebbles. Then how would you judge whether an answer is right or wrong? This seems to contradict your own words."

"There is no contradiction, because in fact, I also do not know the answer," the Sphinx replied with a sly smile, eyes widening slightly: "But just because I don't know, it doesn't mean 'Order' doesn't know."

"I am only responsible for posing the question, but I do not judge whether the answer is correct or not. Since I am also a contestant, I cannot be the adjudicator."

"Just as the Godhood of a Deity can influence the natural laws of the world, so can my abnormal power."

"Within my domain, as long as it judges your answer to be correct, then it's correct even if it's not."

"Conversely, if it judges you to be wrong, then even if I feel"