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It could be called an act of betrayal from some year, and one did not know what the other party would think after today.

“Metis, huh? Perhaps. Wisdom, indeed, has extraordinary power.”

Whether Metis had done this deed or not, he was all too clear.

Shaking his head slightly, standing before the gods, ‘Cronus’ wore a smile. However, combined with the surrounding environment and the events that had just occurred, it felt somewhat out of place.

A sideways glance at the goddess destined to regret once more, the ‘Divine King’ paid her no attention, instead turning to Zeus standing behind her.

He would not waste his last moments on her.

Standing among the gods, facing the gaze of his ‘father,’ the golden-haired deity did not dodge but met the gaze head-on.

By contrast, many other deities were already panicking.

“Not bad,”

Nodding slightly, ‘Cronus’ seemed to give his approval.

“At least you haven’t been scared witless.”

After a moment of silence, Zeus’s gaze swept over his two brothers. Disappointingly, they were faring not too badly, perhaps because ‘Cronus’ hadn’t looked at them yet.

“Everything has a cause, Father God. You possess such great power, yet you fought with us for ten years, that surely wasn’t just for a laugh.”

As though he had forgotten how he arrogantly said ‘I call you this for the last time’ just half a day ago, Zeus still dared not address Cronus by his name.

But his emotions also settled down. There were only two outcomes now: if his father’s power remained, then begging for mercy would be futile; better to retain dignity and accept his fate. And if things were as he suspected, then he wouldn’t provoke the other party at the final moment.

Zeus was always a pragmatist. Aside from later growing complacent and somewhat unable to restrain his ‘small hobbies,’ whether it was the ugly Titans, the ferocious-looking offspring, or anything else useful, he could tolerate it, and today was no different.

Shaking his head slightly, to the surprise of the deities present, ‘Cronus’ did not enumerate the ‘crimes of rebellion’ as he had with Zeus before, but instead posed a question to him.

“Zeus, my child, the so-called ‘destined’ one to overthrow me, tell me, what have you learned from today’s experience?”

Once more silent for a moment, the Divine King’s talk of a ‘destined new king’ was a great irony, but Zeus replied calmly.

“I have learned the importance of power, father.”

“As long as one has enough power, nothing else matters. Wisdom or influence, they are merely means to acquire power.”

This wasn’t just sycophancy to show his weakness to the Divine King, but also Zeus’s honest thought at that moment. He had the support of half of the world’s deities and help from the Goddess of Wisdom, yet he still suffered a crushing defeat.

But he was somewhat puzzled. The power of the gods came naturally, and the strength of the Divine King’s authority could be roughly estimated. Even if, as he suspected, the other party was making an attempt to ascend to a higher plane, what was he relying on?

Perhaps there was some special secret contained within. And the reason likely lied in what Cronus had been doing all these years.

It could be related to law-making, or to the stars, or perhaps, to creating life.

If he got past this hurdle, he would certainly delve into these secrets.

“Is this your answer, then? It’s rather extreme, but not incorrect.”

Not knowing what the other was thinking, the Divine King nodded, neither confirming nor denying.

“—What about you then, Hades? What do you think?”

Once again addressing his original eldest son, ‘Cronus’ asked indifferently.

Now, some of the keener-minded deities among those present were beginning to perceive something.

“…I think it’s better to strengthen oneself rather than covet what others have.”

Faced with the ‘Father God’s’ inquiry, Hades, who hadn’t shown much in the previous battle, paused for a moment before responding.

If Cronus’s strength did not come from an external Divine Authority, then it must be that his own time-space power had undergone a change, which was also evident in the previous battle.

Such a degree of Divine Authority was not something that a powerful Divine Power associated with time-space godhood could achieve. Perhaps some methods indeed could alter godhood, and if given the chance, he too would learn to bring change to the desolate Underworld.

His sister, Demeter, was his best choice. Unfortunately, influenced by her godhood, she innately loathed the barren Underworld.

“That fits your personality, Hades. You are practical and willing to accept reality,”

Once again passing judgment, ‘Cronus’ finally turned to his second son.

Among the gods present, he was one of the few who not only had not suffered but had gained benefits.

Earthquakes, tsunamis, storms—the phenomena that were increasingly intensifying around the world and perfectly aligned with the godhood of Poseidon showed no sign of stopping.

“Go ahead, speak. Though I haven’t expected much from you, you still deserve an opportunity,”

His face flushed, even overshadowing his prior tension and panic. Poseidon hadn’t expected his ‘Father God’ to think so little of him.

But amidst the somewhat strange gazes of the other deities, he nonetheless responded loudly:

“Divine authority is supreme, that’s what I’ve learned,”

Unlike his two brothers, Poseidon believed that though many reasons could be found for Cronus’s might and many explanations for the power of the former Divine King, these were but post hoc justifications for the outcome.

But he felt that perhaps there were not so many secrets; the Divine King was meant to be this strong. If he were Divine King, he could do the same.

However, in response to his answer, the Divine King simply said, “Ambitious, but incompetent.”

“No different from what I thought.”

Suddenly, Poseidon felt the other deities’ gazes upon him grow even stranger.

It was a peculiar psychology. Even if the Divine King was their enemy, when he demonstrated such immense power, the gods paid close attention to any of his evaluations.

Moreover, this was the Divine King making a judgment about his own male offspring.

After asking around, it was unclear if anyone had received the answers they sought. In any case, the last of the Divine King’s power had begun to gather in Cronus’s translucent body.

The sky of the present world continued to descend, creating an even more oppressive atmosphere among the gods. They did not know what the Divine King intended to do but that did not stop them from feeling nervous.

Then, right before them, Cronus extended a hand and gently pointed; a familiar yet unfamiliar force began to coalesce in front of him. Its breath reached out and wrapped around the three deities before him.

Some had more, some had less, but all three deities received a portion.

“What… what are you doing?”

Across from Cronus, with a somewhat hoarse voice, an incredulous thought rose in Zeus’s mind.

Or rather, he had some guesses, but when it actually happened, he still found it unbelievable.

“Didn’t you guess it?”

With a slight smile, a pressure surged forward. The three gods knelt on the ground, but at this moment, they had no thoughts of resistance.

Cronus tossed an intangible thing before them, Divine Authority having no physical form; it only became visibly distinct under the constraint of Cronus’s power. As it left its original master, it instantly dispersed into the intangible, but under the constraint of the former master, it formed a mysterious connection with the three deities before him.

Some had more, some had less, but everyone received a part.

“The world as we see it is different indeed. What you care about, I actually do not regard as important.”

“Only I have ever defeated myself. A Divine King will never lose to another.”

“But Zeus, I hope you remember—”

The smile unchanged, bereft of the Divine Authority that was already minuscule, the power of kingship bestowed by the present world was now without support. But this last bit of power wouldn’t have lasted much longer anyway.

Yet, in this moment, to Zeus, his father’s smile seemed to carry a profound meaning.

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again.”

“Divine authority is not eternal, wisdom and strength are not distinctly separate.”

“When heaven and earth part, Thought will replace ignorance, just as it is now mine, the era that belongs to you will also come to an end.”

“And at that time, I will stand above the high heavens, waiting for the conclusion that belongs to you.”

Authority departed from its master, the last symbol of the Second Epoch was transferred. Something seemed to have changed in the world, but because the new Divine King had not yet ascended, that change was temporarily halted.

Before the eyes of all gods, Cronus’s divine form had already become nearly invisible, his voice fading. Going from clear to indistinct, accompanied by a barely discernible chuckle, with a turn, the unparalleled Divine King had seemingly merged with the environment around him.

“…Father God?”

After a short while, with no further changes occurring, Zeus tentatively inquired, but no existence responded to him.

The space before him was empty, and even with his perception heightened to the utmost, he could not detect the slightest trace of the other, as if no deity had ever existed there.

Zeus did not find this strange. The King of Time and Space would rightfully have such an ability.

“…So, just like this, have we won?”

Feeling somewhat relaxed, yet somewhat unable to accept it, everything that had transpired seemed like a joke, like a dream.

Endless dark clouds slowly spread from the East, the rumblings of the earth yet to cease. For a time, Zeus felt a sense of bewilderment.

He did not understand the meaning of his father’s last words. A curse, cursing that he would also be overthrown by his own child?

But that didn’t seem quite right; it appeared that he was truly just evaluating his own millennia of experience, providing some warning to those who would follow.

“Zeus, I”

Aside, the former water goddess supported her unconscious husband. The Divine King had vanished, and she, who had been consciously lowering her presence, was about to say something, but the next moment, a streak of yellow light flashed by.

That was Gaia. With the departure of her master, the stalemated force against Mother Earth also swiftly dissipated. Almost instantly, she arrived at the scene.

Casting a look at the place where Cronus had disappeared, her somewhat aged face bore down on the gods, her voice demanding sharply:

“Where is he? Where has he gone?”

However, no one among the present deities could give her an answer.