Chapter 42
Chapter 42
Chapter 42 – Chapter 19 The Curtain Falls
Chapter 42 Chapter 19 The Curtain Falls
Translator: 549690339
“Prince Laine.”
Atop the Mount of the Gods, Rhea, who had always been by the Divine King’s side, suddenly spoke.
The gaze of the gods was drawn to her. The Goddess of time speaking at this moment was clearly not only representing herself but also expressed the will of the Divine King.
“Prince Laine, your creation has alarmed me, but the earth cannot be without the Sun, just as the Underworld cannot be without the Nether Moon’s light. If the daylight were to lose its lightness forever, then everything in the world would wither and descend into silence.”
The collision in the sky was still ongoing, and the power of the God of Sun became more and more erratic. If it were just Hyperion himself that was weakening, Rhea did not want to say much.
Her words were clearly exaggerated, but feeling the turmoil of the Sun’s Origin, the Queen of Gods was very aware that a world under Cronus’s rule missing a celestial body was something he would find utterly unacceptable.
The God of Sun might pay a price, but the Sun itself must remain unharmed.
Without agreeing or disagreeing with the Queen of God’s proposal, Laine looked at the Divine King and Queen, whose expressions had changed slightly, and he did not insist any further.
Let alone that he actually did not have the power to destroy the Sun. Even if he did, he could not see any benefit in doing so.
“Hyperion rightly deserves punishment for his arrogance, but you’re right. Chaos cannot be without this celestial body.”
“Therefore, in the presence of all gods, I can make some concessions. If Hyperion is willing to apologize to me and swears to relinquish control of the Sun for five hundred years, letting his offspring manage it in his stead, then I can forgive his actions.”
The corner of his mouth twitched. Cronus beside him did not know what to say about Laine’s ‘concession’. It was not permanent, only for five hundred years. It seemed generous but the Divine King did not even need to think about it; having experienced true freedom, Helios would never want to continue under his father’s control.
Perhaps another father-son struggle was to be seen in the future, but that was none of the Divine King’s concern. Deep down, Cronus was actually quite eager to see such a scene unfold.
In the past, the Divine King was not allowed to leave Mount of the Gods, but if he could take control of the starry sky, he would have his own territory to rule over.
“Respected God of Sun, I trust you have heard as well.”
Since he had received a response, the Divine King no longer hesitated. He looked up to the sky and spoke to Hyperion:
“As the Lord of the Spirit Realm said, you should pay a price for your actions. Celestial bodies have their own laws, and it is time for my nephew to join you in governing the starry sky, rising in the east and setting in the west, as the Sun should.”
As his words fell, the gathered gods also looked up towards the sky. If Laine had been determined to destroy the Sun, even if they were not close to Hyperion, they could not sit idly by and let that happen. But if it was only a matter of the Sun God’s family discord, that was a different story.
In the sky, listening to the voice coming from the earth below, Hyperion punched out in unwillingness. But looking at the Eclipse that tore and then closed, he ultimately submitted.
He did not know if this monster had a limit to its transformation of the Sun’s Origin, but if this continued, he feared he would become the second deity after Chaos to fall from great divine power.
Stopping the attack, Hyperion took a deep breath. He remained silent for a while, trying to squeeze a smile on his face, but ultimately, he was unsuccessful.
“Yes, you are right.”
“Prince Laine, I apologize for my previous actions. You have undisputed sovereignty over the Moon, established by the Mother Goddess and witnessed by all of us.”
Laine nodded his head, watching the Sun God’s rigid face, showing no response.
Hyperion’s cheek twitched, knowing what the other party wanted. So he looked at Laine and said, word by word:
“I swear upon the Styx River, that for the next five hundred years, my eldest son shall replace me in governing the Sun, as my due punishment.”
The next moment, a wave of Law’s fluctuation descended upon the place, a spontaneous response from Styx’s Godhood, far in the Underworld, witnessing the Sun God’s oath.
“Good.” Seeing this, Laine finally looked satisfied.
“Come back, Eclipse.”
He gestured towards the direction of the Sun, summoning his creation.
Although the consciousness of the Evil Spirit was chaotic and disordered, it could not resist the creator’s call. Leaving the Sun, as an immortal and indestructible Spiritual Body, it directly disintegrated its form, returning to Laine in a dispersed state.
Darkness had ended, and sunlight once more shone upon the earth. Everything seemed unchanged, yet everything had changed.
“This was merely a lesson,”
beneath the sun, Laine closed the Codex of Creation, smiling as he swept his gaze over the gods before looking up at the disheveled figures in the sky.
“But if there is a next time, it will be more than just a lesson.”
His face darkened, but upon seeing the mist that lingered around Laine, Hyperion ultimately held his tongue. He turned and walked away, with Theia and the ever-silent Selene following closely behind.
The young Moon Goddess seemed a bit frightened; she had anticipated her father’s endeavor might fail, but she hadn’t expected this outcome.
From the corner of her eye, she glanced at her aunt, Phoebe. This Titan’s Godhood wasn’t particularly strong, but her husband, Coeus, as a deity of the lightless celestial bodies, had even touched upon the domain of “Darkness.” Even among the mighty Divine Powers, his was no ordinary force.
The Moon Goddess found her thoughts drifting again, yet despite pondering all of the deities of Chaos, she could not think of any who were close to her father.
The family of the God of Sun departed, while around the Mount of the Gods, the expressions of the deities varied.
Some were worried, some panicked, some indifferent, some admiring, and some wary. Yet they all silently categorised Laine as someone not to be trifiled with.
They were acutely aware that usurping the origin of Godhood was by no means as effortless as Laine had made it appear, and it was an experience none wished to endure themselves.
Under the watchful eyes of the gods, Laine, sensing the Godhood of the “Eclipse” from the Evil Spirit, couldn’t help but feel some pleasure.
He hadn’t been disinclined to let Chaos’s first Eclipse last a bit longer, long enough for Hyperion’s Divine Power to plummet completely. However, Laine knew that continuing would risk revealing too much.
The “Sun’s” origin had indeed been shaken, but it was actually the will of Chaos that had taken action. Eclipses were regarded by the world as new deities born from the emotions of the former Divine King, and the “Eclipse” was its Godhood.
Thus, the previous draining of the origin was actually more akin to the splitting of Godhood that occurs when a new god is born, only Laine had manipulated the process through the use of the Divine Artifact. If one were to truly compare their strengths, even with a restraining relationship, the Evil Spirit would struggle to bridge the gap between two levels of Divine Power and pose a real threat to the God of Sun.
Nevertheless, after this event, once the concept of “Eclipse” seized by it was taken over, absorbed, and digested by the Spirit Realm, and then reintegrated with Eclipses, with the strength of Intermediate Divine Power and a double buff of restraint, it would truly become the nemesis of the Sun.
“Now that the farce is over, I shall not impose any longer,”
“My apologies for disturbing your celebration banquet,”
the latter was addressed to the Goddess of Law.
Themis shook her head upon hearing this. She too was not concerned with such matters.
Seeing Laine ready to depart, the deities present, no matter their inner thoughts, all paid their respects. Laine nodded in acknowledgment to each of them, and shortly after, as spatial forces surged, his form started to fade into translucency.
Before leaving, Laine cast a glance towards the God of Meteorology on the Mountain. Theia’s loyalty to her husband was incontestable, but Crius’s actions in mobilizing Divine Authority to lend support were duly noted.
However, he had done enough for today, and there would be a more suitable candidate to mete out punishment in the future.
Laine was gone, and with the departure of the two main protagonists of the previous conflict, the atmosphere among those remaining grew more relaxed.
Today’s events had introduced many of the new gods in attendance to this ancient being who preferred the solitude of the Underworld. Even the first-generation Titans were now deep in thought.
Oceanus began to ponder whether there was any chance for him to turn Laine into his ‘relative.’ Meanwhile, Crius was already regretting that he shouldn’t have intervened.
As for Cronus, aside from stepping in to mediate halfway through, the Divine King had remained largely inscrutable, as if everything was unfolding within his expectations.
But just as Laine had said, the farce was over, so he no longer continued in silence.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the Divine King announced loudly, “the interruption was merely an accident. Now that the issue has been resolved, please join me in my Divine Palace for the banquet I have prepared for all of you.”
A small incident had occurred during a celebration meant to commend legislative achievements, but for the Divine King, neither side of the conflict were good people, and he would be pleased with either’s loss.
Now, it was time for the banquet to officially commence.