Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

In Hell, next to a sapling that had grown to half the height of a person in just a short time, the avatar of Asmodeus inquired.

He was there because of Hypnos' affairs. Long ago, Laine had already said that he would send a lord to the third level of Hell to stand with Crius against the Abyss, as it was expected that, sooner or later, neither he nor the Lord of the Nine Hells would be able to intervene personally in the war between the two realms.

As the founder of the Nine Hells, it was natural for Asmodeus to use the power of the planes to counter the pressure of the Abyss itself. Compared to Tartarus, the newly formed Nine Hells were still too weak. And it was doubtful whether the World Serpent could spare any effort, as it also had to deal with Moya, the Mother of Demon Gods.

After all, an incarnation couldn't possibly mobilize the power of the Spirit Realm within the body of another Primordial God to confront Him, so with only three levels of Hell reinforcing his might, he wasn't capable of sweeping all before him.

Fortunately, the new deity was not weak, and with the advantage of terrain, he still had the strength to fight.

"I know what you're trying to say, but this isn't a matter of erecting a few more pillars in the Western Sea."

"The sky has both an actual weight and a conceptual 'weight.' Bronze pillars can share the actual weight, but the conceptual one can only be solved by symbols divided into three parts, something that pure quantity cannot replace."

Standing next to the Lord of the Nine Hells, Laine appeared somewhat ethereal.

To take, one must first give; it was the power of the world itself that nourished the divine tree, allowing it to grow. Now, its main root had sunk into the heart of the courtyard, greedily drawing power.

Of course, this was just an extravagant gesture initially carried out to revitalize the sapling. Moving forward, whether it was the 'Tree of Oath' named 'Nordaishir' by Laine, or 'Leonnor Spring,' both would have their own ways to grow.

"What about crafting a Divine Artifact?"

With a shift in his thoughts, Asmodeus thought of another solution.

Often, Divine Artifacts could replace deities in exercising authority, and since the Sun Chariot had been made before, it wasn't impossible to create another in a similar fashion.

"That's possible, but a Divine Artifact meant to prop up the sky must also possess the authority related to bearing loads, like [Mountain] or [Strength]."

Shaking his head, Laine said lightly:

"If Atlas is willing to give up all his strength to forge it into an artifact, replacing himself to hold up the sky, then I don't mind helping you with that."

Even though he said that, both Laine and Asmodeus knew that Atlas, the Sky-holder, would not consent to such an almost abjectly humiliating end.

Or rather, if he truly knew how to be flexible, he would not have refused to surrender to Olympus. Those with steadfast will often have their own form of stubbornness, as was the case with Atlas.

"...If a single Divine Artifact requires a congruence of authority, perhaps it might not be necessary if there are enough of them."

After a moment of silence, Asmodeus seemed to ponder something. Divine Artifacts couldn't be crafted at will, but from his tone, it seemed he had a way to obtain materials to forge more than one.

"Of course, propping up the sky doesn't mean fighting against the sky itself, but merely lifting it. A quantitative change can indeed lead to a qualitative one."

Nodding, Laine spoke with a smile:

"However, I do have another better idea, which might just take some time."

"Hmm? What are you planning?"

Upon hearing this, Asmodeus seemed rather lukewarm.

"It's not about planning anything, just because of a Prophecy."

Laine was indifferent to the Lord of the Nine Hells' rather cool attitude.

"Prophecy?"

"Yes, Prophecy."

Although it had been a long time since the so-called prophecy had been spoken, this time, it was truly a prophecy. Except the seer wasn't Laine himself, but another being with a special connection to the former second generation Divine King.

He tried to divine his own future and indeed received an omen from destiny. However, he himself did not understand the meaning of the message. Seeking an answer from his teacher, Laine overhead the discussion.

Actually, Laine thought that because of his disruption of fate, some things would no longer happen, but now it seemed that the power of destiny was still resilient. But that didn't matter, for he would continue to change it.

"Vaguely, I see that in the distant future, a human will complete twelve incredible feats for mere mortals, his steps covering the earth, the sea, the Underworld, and through them, ascending to divinity. However, unfortunately, even though I've seen this scene, I still don't quite understand how he can accomplish it."

"So you want to intervene in this?"

Looking at Laine, the Lord of the Nine Hells asked calmly:

"Then why don't you go and do it yourself."

"I will."

Shaking his head, Laine said lightly:

"But one example is not proof; I need different samples from various perspectives to see clearly what exactly this so-called 'great achievement' has brought him."

"You can participate or not, as it doesn't affect your plan to forge Divine Artifacts, right?"

"...Let's talk about it when the time comes. As for humans, Mephisto will keep an eye on them for me. I must say, in his case at least, I've seen the wisdom of humanity."

It was unwise to pin hopes on an illusory future, so Asmodeus merely kept this in mind without much expectation.