Until now, Cronus had barely taken notice of Rovi and Athena.
Though Rovi's earlier attempt to devour Tartarus had startled him awake, Cronus knew it was impossible for Rovi to truly consume the Primordial Core's world. With Cronus fully awakened, any such effort would be forcibly halted anyway.
It wasn't a matter of quality—even someone with Rovi's extraordinary essence couldn't manage it. Rather, it was all about quantity. Rovi's current stature was island-class at best, equivalent merely to a regional major god. Though his essence might let him contend briefly with the highest among gods, the gap between them was absolute. No amount of specialization could bridge a gulf that wide.
Compared to Cronus, who at his peak matched Zeus himself as an interstellar fortress, Rovi was still inadequate.
As for Athena, goddess of wisdom and war—there was even less to discuss.
But that was before.
Now, Cronus burned with fury.
Rovi's attempt to seize control of the Titans had reminded him bitterly of his humiliation, of past failures, and of the one who'd forced him into this predicament.
ZEUS! ZEUS! ZEUS!
"Damn you!" Cronus's persona was intact, and thus his rage was visceral.
In an instant, the Titans controlled by Rovi collapsed beneath overwhelming pressure and were swept away by Tartarus's molten tides. Crushing gravitational force enveloped half of Tartarus—proof that the former sovereign of the skies still wielded an Authority above ordinary major gods.
"WISDOM, WAR, VICTORY, TACTICS, STRATAGEM..."
Athena stood poised, elegant yet severe, her snow-white robes billowing as her silver armor shone radiantly. Each word she uttered was an invocation, a crystallization of divine Authority.
Indeed, like her famous dominion over victory, Athena's authorities were not strictly her own. She had incorporated many gods as subordinate deities, accumulating multiple spheres of influence. In essence, she governed her own minor pantheon.
This was why she was formidable. Born later than most of the Twelve Olympians, she had nonetheless risen as the mightiest deity beneath the three kings.
At this moment, the power she revealed even drew Rovi's attention.
She raised her shield, blocking Cronus's oppressive force, then thrust forward her spear, retaliating in an instant.
BOOM!
Silver brilliance pierced through layers of force fields, stopping just short of striking Cronus himself.
Yet, almost wasn't enough. Had Athena stood alone, she could never have touched him.
But in that very moment, Rovi joined the battle.
His robes whipped fiercely as he stepped forward. A scarlet tempest erupted from beneath him, space itself fragmenting into void-black fissures.
The Sword of Rupture—Ea—was already in his hand.
Forward and upward!
With a resonant hum, Ea's triple-helical blade shattered the last barrier and slammed directly into Cronus's forehead.
BOOOOOOOOOM!
Cronus's heavy protective fields shattered instantly, yet right afterward, a deeper, more fundamental power surged forth—
—[Dominion].
Zeus had ascended to God-King precisely because he took the Crown of Dominion from Cronus. With it, Zeus had commanded the heavens, becoming Sky God; had commanded all things, becoming ruler of creation. Even deprived of the crown, as long as Cronus's body existed, he retained that power.
Weakened though he was from his prime, Cronus attempted to dominate Rovi.
But in a blink, that dominion was shredded by Rovi's scarlet storm. Rovi, whose very essence surpassed Cronus, was beyond such control.
BOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOM!
Ea's unleashed might drowned out everything around them.
"ROAAAAR!" Cronus staggered backward, his colossal body toppling as he bellowed furiously.
Immediately afterward, the glittering golden Gate of Babylon opened wide. Countless Chains of Heaven surged forth, binding Cronus's massive form from all directions.
But Cronus merely shook himself and broke free.
In the next instant, the Titan King—initially just a severed head—transformed abruptly, sprouting arms, legs, and torso like fluid metal reshaping itself. A massive fist swung upward.
Rovi caught the blow directly, skidding back several steps before lunging forward again.
BOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOM! BOOOOOOM!
Ea clashed repeatedly against Cronus's fists, man and god locked in fierce combat.
Having lost control of the Titans and with Dominion proving ineffective, Cronus resorted unwillingly to the crudest means—raw physical combat.
Tartarus blazed hotter than ever beneath their clash, rivers of molten fire boiling violently.
Athena couldn't directly intervene, yet she stood poised with spear and shield raised, bolstering Rovi's power and waiting patiently for an opening.
Cronus struck again; Rovi met him head-on with Ea, unleashing all he had. He felt it keenly—Cronus truly could kill him.
That knowledge thrilled him.
But at the moment of impact, Cronus suddenly shifted tactics, grasping Rovi instead and hurling him aside.
Caught unprepared, Rovi couldn't react in time, while Cronus readied himself to leap upward.
Rovi was exhilarated—but Cronus, his rage subsiding, felt only irritation.
This mortal was too troublesome.
At Cronus's current strength, killing Rovi would mean suffering severe damage himself.
He neither wanted nor intended that. His goal was Olympus—was Zeus.
"Zeus—I, your father Cronus, come bearing endless fury!" Cronus surged upward, approaching the fissure above Tartarus that led directly to Greece, to the Thessalian Plain.
At this rate, neither Rovi nor Athena could stop him.
Closer, ever closer—once in the mortal realm, Cronus could reclaim dominion over the earth, regain his full power, awaken the sleeping Titans.
The world would return to their grasp…
"Are you calling for me?" A resonant voice boomed suddenly, jolting Cronus alert. He looked up sharply and saw a massive silhouette looming at the fissure's opening.
A gigantic, silvery, head-shaped "machine."
It was—
"FUCK YOU CRONUS!" Zeus, King of Gods, smashed headfirst directly into Cronus's skull.
Cronus: "???"
Utterly stunned, Cronus was driven straight back into the abyss by Zeus, who laughed maniacally the entire way down. "Get your ass back down there, you bastard! Bwahahaha!"
"You insolent brat—I am your father!" Cronus exploded, ignited by seeing his archenemy. Mustering his remaining strength, he charged upward again.
"Father, my ass! You don't even have a mom!" Zeus slammed him down once more.
Unable to match Zeus's brute force, Cronus was beaten relentlessly, his roars echoing angrily.
Rovi stared speechlessly at Athena.
Athena flushed slightly. "Ah… Zeus's personality in battle is… like that."
"Somehow, that explanation makes it worse."
"..."
Zeus's appearance wasn't unexpected; Athena had deliberately withheld certain details earlier precisely to bait Cronus into this trap.
But still… Didn't you uninstall my speech patterns already?
Why'd you keep them—and even incorporate them as your battle personality?!
Cronus crashed back down into Tartarus, the flames raging madly. Zeus vanished immediately afterward, not bothering to glance downward again.
He'd only appeared because he sensed Cronus emerging; having smacked him back down, the matter was finished. The prophecy dictated mortals must resolve this crisis, so Zeus wouldn't intervene further.
Rovi briefly considered chasing after Zeus for attention, but with Cronus back, priorities shifted again.
"Insane. Zeus is absolutely insane!" Cronus staggered to his feet, ignoring Rovi and Athena completely and fleeing deeper into Tartarus.
He realized now what Athena had concealed—Zeus had never lost his main body; indeed, he'd grown even stronger.
For an ancient god-machine like Cronus, realizing this gap and fleeing was perfectly logical.
"Stop him!"
Rovi wanted to stop Cronus, hoping he'd fight seriously enough to kill him. Athena's duty as an Olympian god was simpler—eliminate the threat.
They exchanged glances and acted simultaneously. The Gate of Babylon opened again, innumerable Chains of Heaven snaking forth, while Athena raised her spear, dazzling divine light radiating forth to envelop Cronus.
"ROAR!" Cronus struggled feebly. Weakened by Zeus's blows, he was helpless.
"My ally… help me—Ymir!"
Ymir?
Rovi followed Cronus's desperate gaze and froze.
Across Tartarus, a rift had opened, linking another corner of the world. Wind and snow drifted within. Giants roamed amidst enormous trees. And in shadow stood a figure with golden hair and a crown of thorns, draped in a crimson cloak.
"Eresh?" Rovi's voice trembled.
Having reunited with Enkidu, he'd also been searching for Ishtar and Ereshkigal. With Mesopotamia's heavenly realm destroyed, they'd surely remain in reality. But he'd never expected to see her here.
Ymir… The North… Eresh went to the North?
Rovi felt realization dawn.
Athena instantly grew wary.
---
T/N: bro zeus...
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