Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Not long ago, he had just crossed the threshold of the Abyss.

He appeared calm as he surveyed his surroundings, but in reality, Zeus felt somewhat bewildered, thinking he might have come to the wrong place.

However, after a dizzying swirl, as the chaotic space-time regained calm, the environment around him had drastically transformed into another world.

In Zeus's original impression, the Abyss was directionless and orderless, as well as devoid of chaos. In the past, he had wandered here with a trace of Divine Authority, moving forward one second and backward the next, or even just spinning in place. Even so, he and his brothers had kept advancing in Tartarus at that time.

But at this moment, a different world unfolded before Zeus.

The dark red earth stretched endlessly; mountains and yellow rivers flowed across the land, the soil seemingly soaked with blood and flesh, emitting a faint stench.

Some beings clad in scales, with sharp claws and horns, roamed and fought on the earth, devouring each other to grow stronger. They seemed naturally attuned to the chaotic order of the Abyss, enhancing themselves by plundering others.

In the sky above this realm, a red celestial body radiated light, illuminating the entire world.

It wasn't the Sun—Zeus quickly discerned that it was a special celestial body composed of fire and molten lava.

But no matter what it was, it was utterly out of line with his past impressions of the Abyss.

If it weren't for the familiar suppression and isolation of godly authority by Tartarus, Zeus might have thought a fluctuation in space-time was the issue, that he had merely arrived at some corner of the present world.

But now... soaring into the sky, Zeus observed this world. And as he looked down from high above, a piece of information abruptly and somehow became accessible to him.

"This is… the first layer of the Abyss, layer 001-1, the 'Myriad Abyss Plains.'"

"What is this? The Abyss has been divided into layers, and they are even numbered. And the 'Myriad Abyss Plains,' what is that?"

For a moment, an onslaught of consecutive information made Zeus feel as if he was in a dream.

He didn't know what was going on, but Zeus still remembered why he had come.

He briefly sensed the space-time of this world, resilient yet full of faults; it was easy to find a way to tear through it…

Then the next moment, something caught Zeus's attention. In the distant void, a portal abruptly opened.

Soon, an army that seemed majestic slowly emerged from it, with hundreds of thousands of lives of various appearances gathered together.

At the very center, a two-headed giant gripped the space-time passage, his heads peeking through to the other side.

Looking around, the giant seemed to be assessing the environment. Then the next moment, he noticed Zeus floating in mid-air.

Stare—

Six eyes locked in gaze, the flying Zeus and the other were almost at the same height. After noticing each other's presence, both clearly seemed taken aback.

Zeus couldn't help but ponder again what kind of place he had arrived at; whether the three male Hekatonkheires had left offspring in the Abyss... Meanwhile, the two-headed giant was also greatly surprised.

This aura, so out of sync with the Abyss, neither the left head nor the right had ever encountered such a thing.

[Left: Hey, what is this? I don't think I've ever seen such a lifeform before.]

[Right: I don't know, it looks like… a human? I've heard of the name; they say it's a sneaky kind of alien clan. But whatever it is, I haven't eaten one yet, might as well try it out now.]

[Left: Really, but he doesn't look very tasty, and his aura makes me feel sick, I want to smash him into a meat pie!]

[Right: No way, I want to try eating him, you can't lay a finger on him!] Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire

[Left: Why not? If you say no, I want to crush him even more!]

...

Boom—

Thoughts communicating far faster than words, in Zeus's eyes, the momentarily stunned two-headed giant suddenly erupted in anger, looking furious and fully intimidating.

And with the intermittent amplification of the Abyss, the opponent's strength was indeed formidable, although no threat to Zeus, yet certainly extraordinary.

Then the next moment, the giant's right hand thumped his chest, looking like he was issuing a challenge, while the other hand swept through the air, striking directly at Zeus.

"...What is it, can it not gauge the disparity between us?"

With a frown, Zeus was prepared to strike down his opponent on the spot with full force, but he hesitated.

This was, after all, the Abyss, and the opponent's body was faintly bolstered by the power of the Abyss—just as he had been bolstered in the realms of Asgard.

In such a situation, killing the opponent rashly might not be wise. So scanning the surrounding space for a moment, Zeus surged forward.

The space shattered, and his figure disappeared amidst the 'Myriad Abyss Plains.'

"Ah, the food has run away!"

Seeing Zeus's figure vanish, the right head of the giant felt somewhat disappointed.

"Yeah, the meat pie ran away."

Nodding, the left head seemed to forget that the other had just been preventing him from acting, and also expressed agreement.

"Forget it, it's gone... What were we about to do?"

"Idiot, we were about to massacre those demons, we were headed for the 'Asura Field!'"

Disdainfully cursing, the right head shouted loudly, "Move out, enlist all demons along the way, to kill, to advance!"

"Heh, we are one and the same, only an idiot would call themselves an idiot—move out, kill kill kill!"

Regardless, the two heads reached a consensus on this point.

Thus, this brief interlude as if it had never occurred, resuming the interrupted march across the 'Myriad Abyss Plains,' tightly linked with several layers of the Abyss and adjacent to the hells.

And just like every demon army that had passed before, their ultimate destination was the place known as the Blood War Battlefield, the "Asura Field."

······

Crack...

Crack, crackle—

In the Void of the Abyss, space-time trembled.

Unlike in the past, the Abyssal Demon Lords could once roam freely here and strike at the location of the Nine Hells, but now, as the layers of the Abyss gradually became more established and expanded, this Void, which carried many layers, was no longer accessible.

It wouldn't be long before, just like in the present world, the numerous layers filled up space-time here, making it impossible even for Zeus to come here.

But now, with a sound of breaking space, the Divine King still appeared.

Looking back at where he came from, the first layer of the Abyss was positioned 'above,' horizontally obscuring the vast Void in Tartarus. It was like a small bubble in a giant air bubble, yet continuously growing and expanding.

Below, countless 'bubbles' densely packed the space-time position. Witnessing this, Zeus was shocked while simultaneously feeling that he had uncovered a colossal secret.

"So that's how it is... No wonder I never had any intelligence on that mysterious existence. The Abyss is actually like this—wait, what about Crius whom I had previously incarcerated here?"

Having suddenly realized a blind spot, Zeus felt as if he had become aware of something he had previously overlooked.

An idea flashed through his mind, and he was about to ponder it carefully; however, the next moment, a premonition of alarm surged in his heart.

"Who is there?"

His thought process was interrupted, and Zeus had no time to regret it.

He instinctively took a defensive stance, yet what caught his eyes was indeed a blade light that streaked across from the distant end of space-time.

However, by now, Zeus was also battle-hardened, even having literally fought head-on with the mighty Typhon.

Even if he lost the advantage and was suppressed by the power of the Abyss, he couldn't possibly be ambushed by such simple tactics, unless there was something else that could disturb his mind—

"—Impossible!"

An incredible shout erupted as Zeus saw a sickle, all too familiar to him, slashing through the air.

He had clashed with this sickle's owner more than once, during the most dangerous yet most confident times. At that time, he hadn't yet become the Divine King, but the entire world stood by his side, and he firmly believed he would win.

But why would this sickle appear here? Wasn't it supposed to have retired into seclusion with the Mother Goddess Rhea, never to appear again?

Rip—

"Ah——————!"

His mind was disturbed again; though Zeus tried his best to parry in the next moment, two errors had ultimately made the situation irretrievable.

As the sound of flesh being torn erupted, Zeus's thigh was directly severed. However, the real reason for Zeus's scream wasn't just that, but also because something else very close to his thigh had also been chopped in half.

"Ah—damn it, no, you are not him, this isn't that sickle—ahhhh— who are you!"

His eyes bloodshot, his voice furious.

If it were any other deity, the reaction might not have been so severe, but this was Zeus.

Mere pain couldn't defeat this third-generation Divine King, but only Zeus knew the extent of the psychological blow he had received in that moment.

A similar appearance, a familiar path of the blade—it almost led Zeus to believe that he was facing the Divine Artifact that had ended the first Divine King.

Even though he knew he didn't possess the Divine Authority of a progenitor, facing this sickle, he still feared he could meet the same fate as Uranus.

What scared him the most was that in that instant, his inner answer was 'it won't happen.' Even if this sickle could permanently sever a part of him, he wouldn't eternally rest like the Heavenly Father. As for the reason...

Because during the turmoil instigated by Typhon, he had already found himself here once.

But the fake was ultimately fake. When Zeus came to his senses, he noticed the differences in the figure before him from the one he remembered.

For a deity, authority is the most direct way to recognize someone, and in front of Zeus, this figure wielding the sickle showed no hint of the Divine Authority formerly possessed by that man.

Moreover, even if the sickle appeared similar, the moment Zeus roared, he calmed down slightly.

This person is deliberately provoking me, purposely mimicking the past, deliberately crafting a weapon in its likeness.

Yes, I must stay calm, he may imitate external objects, but he cannot mimic authority—

"You ask who I am? Isn't it obvious?"

Under the black robe, the smile of the Lord of the Nine Hells remained.

He knew, once his fate, body, authority, and true name had all been altered, the other party would never recognize him as his past self.

Perhaps others might notice from the details, but Zeus wouldn't.

So without lies, without covering up, Asmodeus raised the sickle again, laughing as he spoke:

"Zeus, the ruler of Olympus, the third King of All Gods—"

"I am your most respected father; a father educating his son, is this not reasonable..."

"—You're courting death!"

So much for calm, so much for provocation, at this moment, Zeus didn't care about his severed body.

As the flesh on his left leg continued to regenerate, Zeus stepped forward on one leg.

Your strength is no greater than mine, yet you dare to provoke me like this... A father, is it? Then, like during the war with the Titans, I'll fight 'a father' once again!