Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

"Stop, I command you to stop!"

The furious roar echoed in his mind, barely concealing a touch of panic in Zeus's tone. Throughout the journey, he had watched everything unfold passively, even when the exchanged power had its effects on him, he remained unmoved.

Because Zeus could feel that, at this moment as a cluster of consciousness that existed and yet did not, he could not lose his eyes. So, he just quietly observed, then anticipated what kind of 'Wisdom' this 'Divine King' from a Foreign Realm had once obtained. And as he thought, when Odin wounded himself, losing his right eye permanently, Zeus felt the pain, but did not lose any of his limbs.

Even now, as 'Wisdom' from the world drew near, Zeus was filled with surprise. For in that instant, he seemed to also feel the arrival of Chaos's will.

Just as Laine had once guessed, the true recipient of this self-sacrifice was actually the world itself.

The sacrificer was 'Odin,' while the one accepting the sacrifice was the 'Divine King.' The present self sacrificed to the future self, as a deity, Odin performed the sacrifice on behalf of the world, and what he ultimately received were the Rune Symbols that contained the world's profound mysteries.

However, the Rune Scriptures were the response of the Nine Realms to Odin, and in the intermingled powers of these two realms, what Chaos offered to Zeus was not the same.

The world was drawing near, the blessing about to arrive, and even as a Divine King for nearly a century, Zeus was experiencing the revelation from the world itself for the first time. He waited eagerly, until he suddenly realized that something was amiss.

Because he himself seemed to be dissipating.

Perhaps the very nature of enlightenment through Wisdom was an exchange, only the exchange involved both oneself and the world itself. But at this moment, within Odin's body, there were two consciousnesses. Odin offered his right eye as agreed, but Zeus had given nothing in return.

The loophole in the text could deceive another god, could deceive the Contract, but it could not deceive oneself, nor the exchange itself. To gain something, one must give something; Zeus had given nothing, so he should not receive anything. Had this been his own ritual, it would have ended immediately, and though he would not have attained what he desired, he would not have lost anything either.

But the current situation was different.

Because within the same body, there was another existence that had paid the price.

So the world's will, mingled together, came equally towards the commingled Divine King, the remnants of the Nine Realms would reenact the past, and Chaos would grant Zeus an alternative revelation. The only difference was that, at the moment of their encounter, Chaos would also claim the due 'Sacrifice.'

As for what the 'Sacrifice' was... If Zeus still had a physical form, he would randomly lose a portion of his limbs, thus equating himself with 'Odin.' But now he had no limbs, all that he was merged into one, so the only price he could pay was one.

"—It's all I have, everything that's 'existence' and beyond, it's a conspiracy!"

Consciousness churned, and Zeus finally realized the severity of the problem. If he could not find a proper 'Sacrifice' immediately, his very existence would become the 'Sacrifice,' and the fate of a 'Sacrifice' given to the world was unknown. Had Zeus still possessed his own body at this moment, he could have sacrificed a part of his body like Odin, but now he was merely a form of consciousness.

He couldn't divide his consciousness because he lacked such ability. So now, the world's will that was 'approaching' was no longer a blessing but resembled a guillotine ready to claim a life.

"Calm down, I am the Divine King."

Forcing himself to remain calm, Zeus exhausted all his Wisdom seeking a solution, but to no avail. Now he finally understood the danger that lay in the shadows; it stemmed from this very remnant—it's master had long perished, and it had lost the concept of existence. When this illusory 'dream' ended, so would the moment of its dissipation. But Zeus's arrival had changed everything.

If he truly offered himself to the world, then his 'existence' would be left vacant. This remnant should have died long ago could gain an anchor and through that medium become a new 'Zeus.'

But knowing this had no meaning, it was a death trap set by another remnant of a Divine King, which had lived longer, possessed richer experience, and also had 'Wisdom.' In the face of all this, Zeus had no recourse, not even with the Wisdom of Metis—

"—Metis?"

His mood suddenly halted, and in an instant, Zeus thought of many things. With the World Will drawing ever closer, he had no time for further thoughts.

The sense of a fatal crisis loomed over him like a vast shadow, almost suffocating the Divine King. In that moment, Zeus finally made the most "correct" decision.

After he had swallowed her, Metis became a part of him. She was his Wisdom, naturally blending with Zeus's current consciousness. Without the corresponding authority, Zeus couldn't split himself apart, but he could release his prisoner.

Thus, in that moment, Metis, who had been swallowed for a century and languished in eternal slumber, was finally set free by him. And in the first moment of awakening, Metis was offered up as a "Sacrifice" to the world in the guise of Zeus's "Wisdom."

Silently, this goddess who had lost most of her power with the birth of her daughter disappeared, and no one knew where she went as an offering to the world.

In the depths of Zeus's consciousness, all she left behind was a piece of leather, which floated down to rest upon the soon-to-be-born goddess.

In the next moment, the goatskin from Amalthea, the goat that had raised him—the very excuse Zeus had used to approach Metis—transformed into a shield. It would become a naturally formed Divine Artifact, accompanying the goddess of Victory and Wisdom upon her birth.

"Heh... So you've been carrying this goatskin all along... Hahaha... It really is quite ridiculous."

It was unclear whom he was laughing at, but the world did not pause for this. As Chaos's will was "within an arm's reach," Zeus suppressed his emotions and threw himself fiercely towards the boon of the world; at this moment, having offered the "Sacrifice," he no longer feared this power.

Odin sacrificed himself in search of "Wisdom," while he sacrificed "Wisdom" to achieve his own ends. Hanging upside-down from the tree, separated by vast distances in time and space, the two Divine Kings took drastically different actions, yet they both obtained what they wanted.

The Odin of the past gained the Rune Scriptures, explicating the world, and now, Zeus too had garnered the true essence of sovereignty.

In an instant, yet feeling like eternity, he seemed to cross time and destiny, seeing both the past and the future. Before Zeus's eyes, the scene of the first generation Divine King's ascension was clearly visible, and he also saw another "himself," along the original path of fate, an immensely powerful version with all gods in subjection, as if speaking to him in the present.

Somehow, Zeus suddenly understood.

Reliance on mere Faith could never achieve Great Divine Power. True greatness required complete symbols, while Faith itself did not possess this capability.

"So I need to construct one... Metis, thank you once again for your sacrifice for my sovereignty."

Consciousness coalescing into form, Zeus sensed the information in his mind and could not help but laugh aloud.

He had finally found what he was searching for, the very thing he had been pursuing all this time. Even though it couldn't immediately grant him unparalleled power, the very existence of this path eradicated his confusion.

"Perhaps it should have a name."

This path had no name, but now, Zeus was going to give it one.

"Manifesting in the form of a ritual, yet not bound by rune or material... capable of involving everything in the world, but solely to achieve the Divine King himself."

"In that case, let's call it the Sovereignty Grand Ritual."

Speaking softly, Zeus slowly raised his head.

Opposite him, another "himself" was slowly fading away.