Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

He had planned to destroy the remnants of the previous humans. Now, putting them to good use seemed like a fine turn of events.

However, compared to the past, the lifespan of the new humans would be greatly reduced—after all, they wouldn’t receive the baptism of ‘Life’ itself like the previous two generations of humans did, but were made with ‘second-hand’ materials.

“This is also good. If what Prometheus said is true, and the humans ‘whose thoughts have not been altered’ aren’t anything special, then they can soon die, and I can then try again, imitating the Golden and Silver Humanity.”

“It’s only a few hundred years; I can wait that long,” he said.

After some thought, Zeus returned to the banquet at the Divine Palace.

He still had high hopes for the creation of mankind—after all, before Cronus, the cosmos had an owner, the previous God of Sun hadn’t even touched the pinnacle of formidable divine power.

The same was true for presiding over legislation, which was largely the work of Themis, with the previous Divine King playing a limited role, but creating humans was different.

This was first proposed by Cronus, and it was two deities who truly carried it out.

The master of the Spirit Realm, the embodiment of Mother Earth. Perhaps there was really something special about humans for these three Supreme Beings to have taken such an interest, one after the other.

Three days later, within the palace on Mount Olympus.

Zeus said farewell to the gods one by one, watched as his two brothers and sister left, and Mount of the Gods started to feel somewhat empty.

“Iris, my messenger, go and destroy the remaining Silver Humanity on the earth. Let them return to what they were before they were created, and then bring them to me,” he commanded.

The one Zeus ordered this of was the Goddess of the Rainbow, Iris, the daughter of Pontus and the sea spectacles, Thaumas. In the disputes of the past decade, she often conveyed messages between the gods, possessing a speed that ordinary deities could hardly match. Tasking her with dealing with humans was more than appropriate.

As for whether she could accomplish it, there was no question. Even gods stripped of divine power possess strength unimaginable to mortals—after all, a godly form is inherently transcendent, far beyond what any mortal thing can match.

“At your command, Your Majesty.”

Answering in a soft voice, the infamous reputation of the Silver Humanity had already spread amongst the gods, so the Goddess of the Rainbow, Iris, was not surprised that they were to face destruction. Thus, after a single response, she transformed into a rainbow light and flew into the distance.

“It’s time for me to depart as well.”

Without taking any gods with him, Zeus left Olympus alone.

No matter the result he obtained in Delphi, he preferred to be the sole knower of it, without the presence of others.

Soaring through the sky riding on thunder, looking down upon the living beings on the earth, Zeus distinctly felt that the further he was from Mount Olympus, the slower the divine power within his body became. Eventually, when it slowed down enough to be maintained no longer, but as soon as he attempted to get closer to the earth, that sluggishness would intensify again.

“Is this the shackle prepared for deities by the mortal world… I can still influence the world’s climate with authority, but they will be purely natural thunder and rain, not lightning capable of harming a deity.”

Making a slight judgement, Zeus found that the world’s limitation on divine power was not as absolute as he had thought; he could still forcibly exert a very small part of his divine power, shaking mountains as in the past, but then he would face retaliation from the law in an instant.

“There’s no need,” he said, shaking his head slightly. Zeus didn’t think he needed to violate the Law, forcibly exerting power on the earth.

Flying mid-air, after a long while, the space in front of the Divine King opened up.

On the earth below, many buildings from the last era rose up here and there, creations of the Golden Age humanity. Despite thousands of years, they still stood firm.

“Here we are.”

Among the many structures, Zeus immediately recognized the most distinctive one. The Oracle of Delphi, a divine creation at the foot of Mount Parnassus, was the world’s first temple, built at the behest of the Ancient Gods.

Time had not left a single mark on it; the stone surface was as smooth as new. Even though he felt no actual power, the ancient temple still gave Zeus a vaguely oppressive sensation.

It was the presence enshrined within the temple that created this feeling. Let’s not mention the previous Divine King for now; the other two deities had both left a trace of their power here, becoming eternal ‘statues’.

Although it was only a trace, when the Spirit Realm opened to the Mortal World, and Mother Earth merged with her true self, these two powers underwent a transformation as well.

“Has no one come…to acknowledge my presence?”

Slightly disheartened, even having come here, yet still not greeted by anyone, Zeus couldn’t believe that Mother Earth was unaware of his arrival.

Just as any deity nearing Olympus would be sensed by him, his own conspicuous arrival at Delphi could not possibly go unnoticed by Mother Earth.

If she was aware but gave no response, that could only mean she was showing an unwelcoming attitude.

However, since he had come, it was impossible to just turn back. Zeus landed directly on the ground. As he neared the earth, the shackles of Law tightened further, and he felt somewhat uneasy with this sensation of suppressed Divine Power. Once this business was finished, the Divine King decided to seldom walk the Mortal World.

“Let’s go inside and have a look.”

Approaching the grand temple gateway, stepping on the bluestone slabs in front of the Oracle, Zeus passed by twelve tall stone pillars.

The stone pillars were covered in different human figures, landscapes, and skills, some as original as they were, others appearing spontaneously over the subsequent millennia.

They depicted how the gods created the beings of the Golden Age, recorded the birth of the first humans, the human king’s dreams of the gods, and that half-heard poem.

In the end, everything halted at the collapse of Mount Othrys, seemingly symbolizing the demise of the Golden Humanity.

“Poems…”

For some reason, looking at the images etched upon the pillars, Zeus was reminded of the inexplicable intuition he had when leaving the Abyss. Once again, he felt as if he had lost something.

Somewhat irritated, he attributed this to the unease brought about by his limited Divine Power. Zeus entered the temple with his head held high and strode toward its heart.

Along the way were many intersecting passages leading to various side halls, each with statues of different deities. But he was not distracted and kept moving inward.

Finally, in the center of the Oracle, Zeus saw three stone platforms floating in midair.

One was slightly lower, in the middle, symbolizing the Divine King’s dominion over the world and the right to grant existence to all things; the two higher ones, on either side, symbolized the Ancient Gods’ transcendent nature, granting flesh and soul to all things.

However, at this moment before Zeus, only the platforms on the sides held ‘statues’: one represented by a vessel of unique shape, the other a constantly changing symbol.

But in the center, the Divine King’s platform was empty, with nothing on it.

“Who’s there?”

Suddenly, Zeus sharply turned around. Perhaps due to his suppressed Divine Power, his senses had also dulled considerably, and it was not until the newcomer entered the temple that he finally became aware of her presence.

However, the newcomer had not sought to conceal herself; she was a sultry woman. But Zeus could tell at a glance that she was a Nymph born from the woods.

“I am Moanda, Your Majesty.”

Bowing slightly from afar, the Nymph respectfully said:

“Before Mother Earth fell into slumber, she commanded me and my sisters to guard this place and informed me that the world would welcome a new ruler. It is indeed my fault for not greeting you in advance.”