Opportunity!
There is only ever one, and once missed, what follows is bound to be endless trouble. Both Poseidon and Zeus were preparing for something. Hades, of course, could see this clearly. He knew they were preparing meticulously, and any slight mistake could lead to a catastrophe. If that were to happen, it wouldn't be good at all.
Precisely because of this, this one and only chance—this most crucial opportunity—had to be fully prepared for by Hades. Only by being thoroughly prepared could he achieve the greatest outcome.
Hestia gently pressed her thin lips together and sighed, "Poseidon and Zeus! Truly, those two brothers! They are not the least bit endearing, especially Zeus. Sigh!"
Hestia sighed helplessly.
Clearly, for Hestia, Zeus in particular was a source of great displeasure. Every time she looked into his eyes, she felt irritated and dissatisfied. There was no real way to describe or explain this feeling. It was simply how she felt. Hestia had always been uncomfortable with Zeus' gaze, but despite her displeasure, there was nothing she could do about it.
Of course, that was in the past. Now, Hestia was the princess of the Underworld. If Zeus had any designs on her, it would be considered a huge provocation to the entire Underworld. That was beyond question.
Hades pondered for a moment and then said quietly, "Poseidon has found a way to become an Ancient God. I'm not sure what method he has discovered."
"What?"
Hestia blinked in disbelief, her eyes full of confusion. Was this really possible? Or rather, could Poseidon have truly found a way to ascend to an Ancient God? Was something like that so easily attainable?
For any deity, the greatest pursuit of their existence was to become a God-King. Yet, even if they gave everything, they often failed to reach that level. Just look at Mephistopheles, who had been driven mad by his pursuit of becoming a God-King. That was the allure of that power.
For the deities born as God-Kings, their greatest pursuit was transcendence—to free themselves from the shackles of fate.
Was Hades powerful enough?
In the realm of the God-Kings, Hades was almost unbeatable in one-on-one combat. Yet, even with his immense power, what did that really mean? He still wasn't a match for the Ancient Gods. He wasn't on the same level. That was the hard truth, an unchangeable fact, one that no deity could deny.
But Hades, with the World Tree's seed, was walking a unique path. He was steadily moving toward becoming an Ancient God.
Laws, divine kingdoms, faith.
These three paths converged into one, forming a system that allowed Hades to integrate and leverage the other two paths, helping him to further grow in strength. It wasn't impossible for him to succeed.
In fact, this was a fundamental issue at the heart of it all.
But now…
Could it be that Poseidon, his own brother, had found a stable way to ascend to an Ancient God? That didn't seem realistic at all.
"Poseidon's divine power is unique. I have some theories, but I never expected that such power would manifest within this mythical world," Hades said quietly, his tone light. He had never imagined that such an unusual power would appear within the bounds of this mythic realm.
Moreover!
The Greek Pantheon's mythical world wasn't some place that had been abandoned and left to its own devices. It was under the protection of an Absolute God—Chaos, who silently watched over this world.
And yet!
Such an event had still occurred?
Hades found this strange, but no matter the circumstances, this was now a reality.
"However," Hades continued, "I'm not overly concerned about Poseidon. He has his own plans. What I'm more interested in is Zeus. Zeus and Prometheus, the God-King and his subordinate, both have their own agendas."
Zeus.
Prometheus.
They both thought they were hiding their intentions well, each with their own ambitions, each ready to tear the other apart. Yet, to Hades, the whole situation was simply amusing to watch.
It wasn't a joke, but a fact. To Hades, these matters were fundamentally meaningless.
The truth was clear!
How should Hades handle it?
Clearly!
He was content to watch the spectacle unfold. After all, it was a trivial matter of no real significance.
Hestia clicked her tongue in disdain. "What a disgrace! Zeus has let things get so out of control that his own ranks are starting to fall apart. It's really shameful. Forget it! I won't bother with him anymore."
She waved her hand dismissively, unwilling to think about it further. It wasn't a big deal.
After all, it was an internal issue of the heavens. Besides, if Hades hadn't already known about it, there might have been cause for concern. But now? Since he was fully aware of everything, there was nothing more to be said. Everything was under control!
"Big sister, if you like, feel free to take a walk in the mortal realm. In a sense, for the next 10 million years, the mortal realm is ours," Hades said calmly, his voice devoid of emotion, but his words filled anyone who heard them with a sense of joy.
"Hehehe~~"
Hestia laughed sweetly and replied, "Alright, alright! I'll go then. Oh, by the way, make sure to keep an eye on the Underworld Queen. That child is about to be born. It's strange, though, by the timing, she should have been born long ago, right?"
With a look of curiosity, Hestia departed, setting out to find her sister-in-law.
Meanwhile, Hades sat silently on his throne, softly murmuring to himself, "Some changes are happening in this mythical world. Are these changes for better or worse…"
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