Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Chapter 379: Chapter 101: Belonging and Birth

"Crack—"

The wine cup was crushed, but Hera acted as if she heard nothing. She tried to stand up, but Zeus's power, flowing through their clasped hands, kept her seated. Clearly, the Divine King had anticipated her reaction.

The Golden Apple, a treasure that could allow deities to traverse the long span of years and reach their power's limit at the fastest speed—Hera had thought that her siblings had used up the accumulation of Mother Earth from two epochs, and no such treasure existed in this world anymore. But she had forgotten; there was one exception.

That Sacred Stone which replaced the newly born Zeus had, under various influences, not only preserved the power of the Golden Apple but even amplified it. Now, Hera watched Apollo growing ever stronger in the image, a chill spreading from her chest.

Zeus had deceived her again—no, the Divine King did not deceive; he simply omitted certain details.

With the power of the Sacred Stone, Leto's son, Apollo, would like Zeus and his brothers before him, seize his inherent godhood in the shortest time, while Ares would be different. Even with the aid of faith, it would take him nearly a millennium to achieve the same feat.

What's more...in just over a decade, Hera had realized that her child did not inherit his parents' wisdom at all. He was like his godhood, symbolizing the side of war that leaned towards brutality, slaughter, and injustice. He lacked mercy—not that Hera cared about that, but Ares didn't even have the brains to pretend to be merciful.

If she weren't sure she had done nothing to wrong Zeus, Hera would have thought he was actually a descendant of Poseidon.

"Hera, I am also making the best use of resources; only when used on Apollo can it have the best effect,"

Without opening his mouth, some voice conveyed this through their clasped hand. Zeus had known Hera would react this way, but he obviously had no intention of changing his decision.

At first, the Divine King hadn't planned to use his few treasures because he, who had once consumed the Golden Apple, knew very well that, although powerful, the effect of a singular divine fruit was not nearly enough to advance the potential of a True God with mighty divine power.

Even with just sixteen levels of divine power, it would take at least two to three fruits to manage barely, but with the birth of Apollo, the authority he demonstrated made Zeus change his mind. Your next read awaits at m v|l-e'-NovelBin.net

The Sacred Stone, unlike the mere Golden Apple, contained the bloodline of Zeus; its legend had spread amongst humans, which, in some way, greatly enhanced its effect. More importantly, the Sacred Stone, unscathed by the remnants of the Sun's burning, was inherently attuned to the realms of the [Sun] and [Light], unmatched by any other.

Therefore, this particular treasure could only exert its best effect on Apollo, which is why the Divine King didn't leave it for Ares. Even though he had the Heavenly Empress as a mother, if he couldn't reach the domain of mighty divine power in the shortest time with this gift, then he didn't deserve the opportunity.

The Divine King had always been a pragmatist, especially when it concerned his future.

"You also saw it, Hera, this power doesn't fit Ares as well."

Shaking his head slightly, Zeus explained once more:

"It's the choice of destiny, not mine..."

"The choice of destiny?"

"So Zeus, if destiny indicates that one day you will lose your throne, suggesting that the next Divine King will do better than you, would you accept all that willingly, my esteemed Divine King?"

The cold interruption, if not for being held back by Zeus's power, Hera truly wanted to start a commotion, to destroy the feast Zeus had so carefully prepared, and then see who the Divine King would choose between her and that Apollo.

Yes, Ares may not surpass the deity that holds [Light], but Hera also believes that, even considering 'value,' as the Heavenly Empress, her 'worth' far exceeds that of Leto and Apollo combined.

"...So what do you want to do? Regardless, the power in the Sacred Stone has been absorbed by him, and Apollo must return to Olympus, that is my bottom line."

"If you want something, just name it. As long as it's not too much, I will agree to it today."

Drawing a deep breath, Zeus's tone remained gentle.

He didn't care about the victory in words... moreover, Hera was actually speaking the truth. Precisely because he would never accept the destiny of losing the throne, that's why he did all this today. The 'Prophecy' of the changing epochs that 'Cronus' once spoke of still rings in his ear, he never forgot it.

"When heaven and earth part, thought triumphs over obscurity"... to this day, Zeus has yet to decipher its meaning. But as the Divine King, he has a premonition that it's not just an empty threat, but an actual destiny.

However, what Zeus didn't know to this day is that it was indeed 'destiny,' only this time, it wasn't the destiny of this world bestowed upon the Divine King. It was someone telling him that when that day arrived, his purpose would have been fulfilled, and the era of the third generation Divine King's rule would also come to an end.

"First, release your power."

The emotions between people are not shared, just as Zeus couldn't understand Hera's pain, and Hera couldn't possibly know what Zeus was thinking. She didn't make a request; she simply looked at their clasped hands.