"You may choose to sacrifice yourselves to him, placing all your chips on his side. That truly is the only option left…"
At the same time, the God King of Wisdom standing amid the thunderstorm fell silent for a moment. He looked down from above, calm and contemplative.
The remaining gods of Olympus knelt one after another on one knee, striking their chests with their right fists in reverence as they gazed up at the Father of Heaven who had reached this rational conclusion.
At the forefront, Artemis, the Moon Goddess, and Hades, Lord of the Underworld, exchanged faint, resolute smiles. Their expressions were solemn beyond measure.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
Divine bodies dissolved and scattered apart. The Ether and authority contained within them surged upward in vast streams of spiritual particles, converging en masse into Zeus.
Everything was conveyed without a single word.
Our Father who governs all things, our God King who commands all power, you led us to victory in the Titan War, the War against Typhon, the War of the Giants…
At this apocalyptic end, we still believe that this glory will endure once more!
You alone are our god. You alone are our king!
Buzz!
In an instant, two streaks of mottled, obscure divine light shot into the sky, washing over and dissolving the golden phantom projected from the void. The collapse of the Greek World slowed accordingly.
Long-forgotten rays of light pierced through endless chaos and darkness, illuminating the ravaged land below.
On the Oceanus Sea, where the storm had briefly subsided, the two God Kings fell into silence. Almost simultaneously, they raised their hands and sent the hundreds of divine cores hovering before them into relatively safe, hidden corners.
That identical choice caused Samael and Zeus to look at each other, their gazes colliding midair and sparking unseen tension.
"You should have acted just now…"
"Was there really any need?"
The ancient serpent replied coolly, unconcerned. He understood perfectly well what Zeus meant: taking the chance to replace him and seize control of the authority of the Olympian gods.
"Even so, don't expect my gratitude. If we win this battle, Olympus will still spare no effort to suppress you rebellious gods!"
"Rest assured, I won't hold back either. Greece is mine."
Lightning flickered in Zeus's eyes, while the ancient serpent answered with a cold sneer.
"How about a deal? No matter how the future war ends, I'll leave the Mount of the War God intact. You'll kneel before me willingly and swear submission."
"Don't worry, I have no interest in Olympus. As for you, perhaps you should start thinking about where to stake out a good spot in Tartarus."
The two God Kings studied one another in silence for a moment. Gradually, their brows eased, and their final misgivings dissipated.
No matter the outcome, leaving some room for each other's factions was the unspoken understanding reached between Samael and Zeus.
If they were to fight without restraint, they first had to remove all lingering concerns.
Hiss!
At that moment, the erosion that had been temporarily suppressed surged back, and the great hollow in the world wall expanded even further.
As wind and clouds roiled, Zeus hesitated no longer. With a flick of his finger, he disintegrated the remaining divine-seal puppets on the sea's surface, channeling the somewhat impure Ether into Typhon, the King of Monsters, gradually restoring him to his primordial state.
Zeus then leapt onto Typhon's back, armored in pitch-black dragon scales, and lifted his gaze toward the deep void, his expression dark.
"It seems he's running out of patience…"
At the same time, Samael regrouped with the Mother Goddess Tiamat and looked up with a cold laugh.
"Who's the hunter and who's the prey? That's still up for debate."
Once again, the two God Kings found themselves in agreement.
Clearly, that omnipotent deity was deliberately guiding them toward the Sea of Imaginary Numbers for a decisive confrontation.
If that was the case, then rather than waiting to be carved apart bit by bit, they might as well stake everything on a single throw!
"I'll be waiting to fight you again. Don't die here, rebel."
As he neared the great hollow, Zeus glanced back at his old rival and spoke calmly.
"Likewise. I have no intention of burying you, heretic."
Samael shot Zeus a sidelong look, his smile sharp and unyielding.
That reply made Zeus study him for a long moment, a trace of indescribable emotion flickering across his face.
"I'm actually starting to like you…"
"I can't stand you."
Samael's expression sharpened as he answered coldly.
"Hahahaha!"
Zeus froze for a beat, then the two God Kings looked at each other and burst out laughing.
Once, they'd said almost the same things to each other. And now, after only a single night, their positions had flipped, and they were replaying that scene without even meaning to.
Boom!
The instant they broke through the World Wall, Zeus raised his Thunderbolt Scepter and Samael brought up the cross spear, smashing it into the strike. Their divine might detonated and surged outward, sending a solemn, chilling resonance rippling across the Sea of Imaginary Numbers and ripping through the endless chaos.
The ancient serpent glanced down at the cross spear in his hand, feelings he couldn't quite name stirring in his chest.
It was supposed to be nothing more than a coup, a grab for authority. Yet by some twist of fate, he'd ended up reaching a kind of reconciliation with the gods of Greece.
His life as a human and the calamities of Mesopotamia had left him with fixed ideas, so he'd never had much affection for "gods" in the true sense.
But gods and humans didn't have to be absolute enemies. There was another path, a balance where coexistence was possible.
And now… he didn't dislike that feeling.
As for why, even after finding common ground with Zeus, he had never once considered negotiating with Marduk…
It was probably because that "god"… didn't have the slightest trace of humanity in him.
"Aaaaa!"
At the same time, the Goddess of Beginning sensed something and threw back her head, releasing a piercing sacred chant. The chaotic turbulence along their path shuddered and scattered, revealing vast black islands suspended in the Sea of Imaginary Numbers.
Ruined Sumerian-style structures. Broken statues drifting in pieces. Shattered weapons strewn everywhere. Jagged stone rising and falling like ribs. Everything spoke of deathly stillness and desolation.
The deeper Samael and Zeus went, the darker their expressions grew.
This wasteland was clearly a destroyed divine realm.
Marduk had truly drained the Age of Gods in Mesopotamia dry and hollowed out his own realm from the inside.
As if sensing her creations being slaughtered and absorbed by the King of Kings, Tiamat, the Goddess of Beginning beneath Samael, let out pained, restrained sighs. The beastly aura around her surged sharply, anger boiling up.
Rumble…
At the same time, as they pressed further in, a heavy roar rose from the heart of the many floating islands. A jade-colored archway of marble, carved with cuneiform divine runes, rose up from the ground.
Beyond the gate was the complete opposite: green grass, running water, a paradise overflowing with life.
Marble steps climbed toward the center. Seventy-two totem stone pillars stood in staggered ranks. Countless blazing white bands of light poured down from a ring-shaped opening above, gathering their radiance on the figure reclining against a splendid jade throne.
"Ants. Welcome to my heaven. Kneel and give thanks. This is the highest grace, and you should consider it an honor."
On the throne sat a slender man with long, slightly curled silver hair. Rings adorned all ten fingers. Crimson-black divine patterns were branded into his wheat-colored skin. He opened crimson eyes and looked down at the intruders with contempt.
Samael paused, momentarily stunned. That face looked eerily similar to someone he remembered.
But he recovered at once. His slit pupils narrowed as he glanced around, and a mocking smile tugged at his lips.
"Hah. You call this kind of dump 'heaven'? Are you trying to make me laugh?"
"All things shall return to One. To offer everything to this king is their honor! I alone am the only true god here!"
Marduk spread his arms, arrogance written across his face as if it were self-evident. The scarlet eyes looking down at them flooded with cold malice.
"But none of that matters anymore. Your journey ends here."
In the next instant, as the Emperor's right hand drew its five fingers together, tens of thousands of crimson-black magecraft circles formed across the floating islands in rapid succession.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The entire region shook violently. Hideous crimson-black tentacles, their surfaces covered in twisting, rotating eyes, tore up from the ground one after another.
In a blink, Samael and the others found themselves surrounded by a writhing forest of flesh and tendrils.
This once barren, death-still divine realm had become a hunting ground built to slaughter its prey.