Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

No one can perceive his traces. Even beings as divine as the Divine King cannot, and this is a well-verified conclusion.

Standing amidst the complete ruins, Akelaus sighed deeply.

It's over... Everything is over.

"The White Tower will be destroyed... I witnessed its inception with my own eyes, and I shall leave with the knowledge of the old White Tower, then witness its collapse firsthand."

"Do you know, wizards of the Third Age? Over the past thousand years, we seemed to be making continuous progress on the path of witchcraft, but in truth, we have been constrained since long ago."

"Silver Moon City, the Divine Kingdom, the source of faith."

"The first witchcraft originated here, offering protection to our frail selves... But wizards, as we became powerful, it in turn became a cage that confined us."

"Souls, life, years, destiny... These things they deem sacred are merely the reflections of truth scattered across the Mortal Realm."

"So, from the day I realized all this, I knew—Silver Moon City is not fertile ground for wizards. Any place scrutinized by those high above is not."

"Tyranny can only bring stability; only change can bring development."

"Today's Mortal World does not belong to me, neither does the starry sky nor the Underworld. Any place where deities can freely exhibit their might does not belong to me."

"Only the underground, the place wedged between the earth and the Underworld. The world sees it as a wilderness, but I see it as honeyed."

Crossing the threshold, at this moment, Akelaus could already sense the pursuit marks of space, but it no longer concerned him.

"Come, let history witness all of this."

"Right and wrong have never been decisions made by a single generation. Morality and ethics are but micro-waves under the tide of times."

"In millennia to come, later generations might curse me, view me as a merciless butcher; or they might sing praises of my achievements and accomplishments, adorning me with glory and splendor."

"But that does not matter anymore."

"For renowned heroes, illustrious generals, or even kings who ruled over gods... They are all the same."

"Open a thousand volumes of history books, and they tell one lesson."

"In this world, only the victorious... can be king."

...

In the queen's palace on Mount Olympus.

War in the Mortal Realm was in full swing, and soon, Ares would clash with the church worshipping the Ancient Gods on the battlefield.

Although she could hardly tolerate her useless son, in significant matters like this, Hera still patiently cast her gaze there.

Thankfully, aside from her son, her daughter was still very considerate... She labored each year to prepare the bathhouse, allowing the queen to wash away a year's fatigue.

The queen was very pleased about this, and she would be even more pleased if only Hebe's divine power and godhood were not so weak.

Unfortunately, godhood cannot be changed, though divine power can be boosted through faith.

To this end, Hera did not hesitate to issue an edict herself, rarely exercising the divine authority of the queen, commanding that the weak city-states surrounding Nafplion City must reverently worship Hebe, honoring the contributions she made to her Mother Goddess.

After all, as one of the rulers of the Divine Court, she did not lack that bit of faith. Rather, her daughter needed it more... Still, sitting high on the Golden Throne, Hera felt a sudden unease whenever she thought of the Goddess of Youth.

Bang... bang!

Her heart inexplicably accelerated, taking a deep breath. The queen did not know where this omen came from.

Amidst her speculations, she planned to relay her divine will through her mortal followers to see what Hebe was up to and whether she was in any danger.

However, when concentrating, as Hera tried to anchor on a sincere priest through the Magic Net to convey her divine will, she suddenly found that she could not locate her godhood practitioners for the moment.

No, they were still there, but for some reason, they had gone to nearby city-states... Frowning slightly, as divine power surged, the queen directly issued her divine will.

She wanted these priests to explain to her, but shortly after, the believers' reply left her speechless.

In order to allocate the faith of several cities to Hebe, Hera had not placed many godhood practitioners there and did not want other deities to have much presence.

But recently, traces of demons and evil creatures had coincidentally appeared one after another around other cities venerating the Goddess of Youth.

Unable to combat, the Church of Youth had no choice but to ask the queen's priests for help in eradication.

In the back and forth, the few remaining priests had all left, leaving only a few to guard the temple in Nafplion.

But without further sensing, Hera knew they were already dead.

This had just happened, yet no god would pay attention to the Mortal Realm for a few dead priests or thousands of believers.

Such things were too common... However, standing up from her throne, intuition told Hera that something was definitely wrong in Nafplion.

Just as she was about to investigate, another voice suddenly came from the door.

"Your Majesty... The nymphs on duty in your West Sea Garden have returned today, they—"

"Let them wait!"

Coldly scolding, a deeper anxiety filled her heart. Standing before the Golden Throne, Hera grasped the air.

At this moment, she began to call upon the authority granted by the Divine King.

All things seemed to gather in her palm, with heaven, earth, and sea surrounding her.

Conferring her divine authority across space, the queen looked towards the small city... Seeing only for a moment, she was struck as if by lightning.

"Ah—why is it Him!"

Boom—

In a cry of astonishment, her divine power unconscious dissipated, making the Divine Palace quiver slightly.

Blood tears trickled from the corners of her eyes. If she had gone in person, Hera might have been fine.

But she had invoked the queen's authority, seeing more while lacking the strength to bear it.

Vaguely, a voice she had heard not long ago echoed in her ears, seemingly ignoring the Divine Court's protection, even manifesting in the palace—

"Praise You, praise You!"

"Master of billions of demons."

"Source of all fallen realms."

"Devourer of multitudes, Blood Mother Tree!"

"Your most faithful followers are here to worship You, offering divine blood and the bones of a million souls."