Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Perhaps it was the erosion of the Sun that gave the Mother Tree an opportunity to glimpse into a few past events, those that had occurred when Hyperion had been imprisoned here.

Helios immediately understood the meaning behind it, if the Sun was once corrupted, then the suppression of the current world would probably follow, even far more serious than that caused by Typhon; after all, the Sun is a part of the cosmos and should not be equated with the newly born demonic monsters.

Just as the ancient Sun God who had been imprisoned for half an era finally had a chance to break free, Helios too would have his turn—but if he refused the Mother Tree and was later held to account by the Divine King, then he would truly be without hope.

"..."

"The Sun..."

After a long silence, for some reason, Helios thought of his two sisters in this moment.

Moon Goddess Selene and Goddess of Dawn Eos, compared to him, the power of both was pitifully weak, they hadn’t even stepped into the realm of Intermediate Divine Power. But it was precisely because of this, they had never faced the dilemmas Helios had to deal with.

This world is just like that, the strong grasp their destiny, the weak drift along, yet nobody pays them much attention, only those who are strong, but not strong enough, face real danger and easily become the target of all sides.

"...But I have no choice."

Reaching out, Helios grasped the branches of the Mother Tree, and in an instant, it seemed as if he saw a world where everything thrived with vitality. All spirits lived and worked in peace and joy, with only one giant tree supporting the heavens.

"So beautiful..."

With a low sigh, when Helios accepted the power of the Mother Tree using himself as a medium, the barriers that the present world had imposed on the Sun were rendered utterly useless. A vast ocean-like power poured in, beginning to violently corrode the Sun’s abode.

"From the moment I was born, no one has ever given me a choice. My father, Cronus, Zeus, and the world itself."

"Since that’s the case, the choice I make today is reasonable, isn’t it?"

The voice echoed in the space, then fell silent. In this stretch of the cosmos where time was accelerated beyond measure, slow yet intense changes began to unfold inexorably.

······

The Mortal Realm.

Within a cave beneath the Corycian Mountains.

The calamity of Typhon had just begun, and the stench of blood was already descending upon the world everywhere.

Unlike the original trajectory of Typhon, the one that had accepted the power of the Mother Tree no longer needed a sea monster named Echidna to bear offspring, as its own flesh and limbs could transform into demonic monsters.

In the place where it fought Zeus before, countless demonic monsters rose and slaughtered their way in all directions.

However, it’s worth noting that now Typhon’s power, being composed of two parts, one of which bore distinct characteristics unlike those of the Chaos World, thus the life born from its flesh was also different.

Some of them did indeed match the traditional understanding of demonic monsters in the Chaos World, but more of them should perhaps be called "aberrations."

Like the Sun Eaters in the Spirit Realm, these "aberrations" of the material side varied in strength but all uniformly displayed a strong immortality, erosiveness, and chaotic thinking.

Unlike traditional monsters of Chaos that could communicate and interact, they destroyed everything in sight with madness.

They hated life, even the world itself, and places tainted by their power were left with ’scars of corruption’ that were difficult to erase, forever forbidden to all spirits.

Even the surface of the Spirit Realm was slightly affected, though this minor contamination was quickly extinguished.

Of course, whether it’s the transformations on the land, the anomalies in the starry sky, or the missing gods, they are all clearly irrelevant to Zeus in the Corycian Mountains.

At this moment, the illustrious Divine King lay bare on the ground, his skeletal frame pierced through by black mist. His limbs were torn and scattered around, a scene of utter misery.

"Tsk, I always seem to run into situations that others don’t,"

"It was the same with Odin, and with Typhon... Why didn’t my father and grandfather have this much trouble."

Piercing pain radiated from all over his body, yet Zeus seemed completely unconcerned.

He even managed to smile as if he weren’t a prisoner but still the exalted Divine King.

"...Zephyrus, you’ve come. I’m glad to see you’re willing to visit me, but my friend, I’m afraid I can’t stand to talk to you right now."

His voice was calm, and at that moment, amidst the vast cavern, Zeus suddenly tilted his head toward the direction of the cave entrance.

There, an unusual current of air made no attempt to hide as it flew into the cave. With only slight recognition, Zeus identified the newcomer’s identity. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The God of West Wind... he actually dared to come see him. Zeus had thought the gods would’ve either groveled at Typhon’s feet by now or fled in all directions. It seemed the other hadn’t let him down, still as loyal as ever—even to this day.

Hmm, it seems the previous generation of Divine King just didn’t have the personal touch, otherwise why would such a loyal subject defect to my side... Pondering in secret, Zeus couldn’t help but feel a bitter enjoyment in the thought.

"Your Majesty, you still possess such discerning eyes."

The airflow trembled slightly before transforming into human form. Zephyrus looked somewhat surprised; he hadn’t expected the Divine King to see through his movements, even in such a gravely wounded state.

But this reassured him, adding a bit more confidence to his heart about rescuing Zeus at this time, even though the Wind God felt somewhat uncertain.

Maybe Typhon just isn’t cut out to be the Divine King... he thought, his expression unchanged.

"Enough, Zephyrus, let’s dispense with the flattery for now."

Zeus shook his head slightly, but the movement pulled at the wound in his chest. He grimaced and decided not to play any sycophancy games with the Wind God any longer.

He wasn’t blind, ’discerning eyes’ indeed... Thinking this, the Divine King turned his attention to the Wind God standing before him.

"Now that you’re here, my friend, I might need you to do me a small favor."

"Help me reattach my severed limbs to regain some mobility, then find a mortal with an unyielding will to pull out this section of bone for me."

"A mortal?"

The God of West Wind was puzzled, and Zeus continued to explain:

"Yes, a mortal."

"Typhon may be arrogant and insane, but it has a bit of brain. The power it left behind is still suppressing my divine power, preventing me from saving myself—or rather, it is suppressing all external divine powers."

"Unless you possess the power of a Primordial Deity, you, with your divine power, cannot pull out this bone. But perhaps because it was newly born, Typhon did not consider mortals a threat. Ha, such is the folly of monsters, they always slip up somewhere."

Gods falling to the hands of mortals—a hallmark of the Chaos World—so it’s not shocking that the means Typhon left behind have such a flaw.

And sensing the black mist encircling the bone, Zeus warned again:

"Remember, find a mortal with an unyielding will, otherwise they too may be tempted by Typhon’s power—not that this demon intended to tempt anyone."

"Get this done quickly. Once I’m free, Typhon’s days are numbered."

Although Zeus hadn’t figured out how to deal with The King of All Monsters, he spoke with great confidence.

To win or not didn’t matter; as a Divine King, at least he had to make others believe he could win.