Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

It wasn't until now that Zeus saw 'himself' for the first time in his true form.

Hollow eye sockets, white flowing beard, he wore a helmet adorned with an eagle and was clad in golden armor, his appearance nearing middle age yet still exuding a formidable valor. 'Odin' grasped a long spear, his hand donned with the Draupnir gold ring.

Even if it was merely an image recreated, Zeus could easily deduce that the divine lance was a divine artifact not a whit inferior to the Arrows of Thunder.

But all of this was an illusion, a mere echo of a past scene recreated in the confluence of powers from two realms. If Zeus had not arrived today, 'Odin' would have continued to repeat the same actions in his memory, in an eternal recurrence, until his power was finally exhausted.

But when the Divine King of Chaos received the response of the world through the ritual, Asgard's last resistance was also crushed.

If 'Odin' had been a real deity, he might have been assimilated by the world and become a member of the new world, but it was only a fragment of a remnant, a mere thought. So, having lost the basis for its existence, it inevitably headed towards destruction.

It did not know if the real 'him' had completely died, but as a thought, it was destined to be destroyed along with the last vestiges of the Nine Realms' power remaining in Asgard.

"To consume one's own wife, to regard her as one's own wisdom... it's truly an unexpected outcome. After all, how could the schemes of an 'outsider' like me win against 'one of our own' who is favored by fate?"

With a touch of irony, 'Odin', though somewhat regretful, was not too regretful, because such an outcome had been anticipated. Therefore, he had no intention of interacting with Zeus; he merely greedily gazed at this illusory world one last time, as if in reminiscence of the past.

He too, like Zeus, thought he had grasped everything after receiving revelation. But as he picked up the Rune Scriptures, he also foresaw the arrival of the Twilight of the Gods.

This seemingly equal exchange was, in fact, unequal. Odin's eyes could trade for the Spring of Wisdom's fountain, but not for the runes that would decode the source of the world. Similarly, losing the power of Metis might be more valuable than an eye, but by no means comparable to the path that leads directly to the pinnacle of greatness.

So having seen destruction, what did Zeus see? Or perhaps he has seen it, but I just don't know yet.

From clarity to blur, 'Odin's' image eventually dissipated, and the phantasm borne of his memory began to crumble as well. The true Asgard now emerged into Zeus's perception, but now it was a part of the present world.

It was like the Underworld, a realm unto itself, with its own portals, and this portal's front was located in Olympus.

"The Divine King of the Otherworld... how many secrets of this world remain unknown to me. Beyond Chaos there are even other realms, and their ultimate fate is destruction?"

Indifferently witnessing the 'death' of 'Odin', Zeus gradually calmed down from his initial joy. The experience of today had brought him unimaginable gain, yet it was a miracle that could not be replicated; even if he attempted it again, it was doomed not to succeed a second time.

It was an unavoidable situation, as from the beginning the entire ritual was not under Zeus's control, nor recognized by the fundamental laws of the Chaos World. Without the power of the Nine Realms, the world simply would not respond to a bizarre 'sacrifice'.

The schemer was the remnant of Odin, the power sustaining its operation was the world force intertwined between the two realms, whereas Zeus was merely a bystander caught up in the currents, even almost sacrificing himself in the process. The immortal deities of Chaos could not even manage to take their own lives, so how could they possibly offer themselves as a sacrifice to the world?

This was the manifestation of laws from an otherworldly realm.

However, unexpectedly, from now on, due to the success of Zeus and because the world itself participated in the ritual, sacrifices to the world may truly stir some power of the realms, although it will likely only affect places like the Abyss.

As for Chaos itself, unless someone can sacrifice something beyond the world to It, It will continue to exist as if not at all, unresponsive to any call of gods or men.

"World... such a terrifying power. But did fate really destine me to become this powerful?"

He sighed thoughtfully, but also with some doubts. Without today's accident, Zeus wouldn't have known how he could possibly break through to grow as strong as the 'future self' in the ritual. And at the end of the ritual, that version of himself seemed to have said something to him, but unfortunately, the Divine King could not 'hear' clearly at the moment.

It would require him to advance further to achieve that, to have equal power that could transcend time and fate, to hear the 'warning' of that false self.

Yes, Zeus had realized that this version of himself was not truly real; it was just a false future momentarily manifested by destined power. Without surprise, it would never have the chance to come true.

"Indeed, fate is not unchangeable, just like you."

Sensing the life within his own head, Zeus thought silently.

"In the face of sufficient power and wisdom, nothing is predestined."

This extraordinary daughter of his proved just that, her birth had been delayed, and her brother had lost even the chance to come into the world. Yet, Zeus harbored a hint of wariness towards her existence.