Chapter 210


I was gazing out at the square with Shamash from the Temple of Life.

Over there, they can’t see us, but we can see them… it’s like we’re wrapped in a magic mirror barrier.

Thanks to that, they probably don’t realize that Shamash and I are watching the square.

“Did that guy just pull out his heart raw? Doesn’t it hurt or something…?”

“Right? How does one even pull their heart out like that?”

Even in Aztec mythology, no one performed self-heart-pulling.

And they do it with bare hands, tearing through skin, muscle, and bones to yank it out.

There’s a limit to foolishness.

I shook my head softly as I watched Indra’s body disintegrate after pulling out his heart.

Did he really want to protect the gods to that extent?

Is it worth such a sacrifice… to them?

I don’t know. Gods are, after all, just beings born from humans’ faith.

They are nothing but weak beings who cannot exist alone.

Was it really worth saving them to that extent?

I watched Indra’s soul being led away by a small Grim Reaper, having completely lost his form.

I saw that small Grim Reaper, unnoticed by the other gods, lead the god’s soul to the Underworld.

Even if it’s a fragment of Baal, the soul surely existed. If so, is Indra’s soul part of Baal’s soul?

I don’t know. I thought I had investigated souls fairly well, but there’s still so much I don’t know about the souls of gods.

Hmm. If fragments have souls… do my fragments have souls too?

I don’t know. Well… let’s put that on the back burner for now.

For now, let’s focus on Indra’s body, scattered and losing its soul, and I slowly closed my eyes.

I don’t really understand why he made such a choice… but let’s pray that his soul can be reborn safely.

And then…

“What do we do about that…?”

Shamash pointed at Indra’s glowing heart—the fragment of Baal.

The other gods just watched, not even thinking to approach the shining heart.

I lightly gestured toward the heart, and it flew towards me.

This heart is Baal’s heart. Baal’s emotions. A fragment of Baal’s memories.

Ah, so that’s it. The soul of Baal in the Underworld felt sluggish for some reason. A considerable amount of memories was stored here.

I briefly placed my hand on Baal’s memory and then pulled it back.

Reading his memories like this… would be rude to him.

So…

I made a small silver box to hold the shining heart.

“Mom. That heart is…”

“I thought maybe we could return it when Baal comes back to his place as a god someday.”

I don’t know when that will be. But someday… he might return.

If a human life is repeated to the point of boredom, wouldn’t they start to want to come back?

Even if he changes through such a life, if he regains this heart… Baal could become Baal again.

So…

“For now… let’s keep this heart safe.”

Especially for Indra, who showed self-sacrifice to the point of pulling out his own heart…

I must keep that promise.

“And we must also fulfill Indra’s last request.”

“Last request?”

“Yeah.”

He asked to raise the walls that stand between the land and the gods even higher.

Previously, it just prevented reckless descent and interference with humans… but hmm. The gods seem to have interfered with humans anyway.

Sending out a restricted avatar still caused considerable interference. It was practically a meaningless barrier.

“Other than issuing oracles or indirectly influencing through divine powers, we’ll need to impose restrictions.”

“Eh? Then, won’t there be backlash from the gods?”

“If they want to rebel when doom is right at their doorstep, let them try.”

Doom is only getting closer, isn’t it?

“Hm. It would be better to restrict them to issuing oracles, bestowing blessings, or temporarily descending through the bodies of faithful humans.”

“Wow… I feel like I’ll hear complaints from the gods. But won’t that put us in a tight spot too?”

“You guys? Aren’t you already on the surface? It only restricts those in the Divine Hall; it doesn’t mean much to you all… hmm, should we prevent gods from directly exerting power on the ground?”

“If you do that, the gods will really dry up and die!”

“That doesn’t sound too bad. Well, let’s just do it moderately. Excluding you guys, the main bodies are on the surface… hmm, mountain gods or river gods are on the surface but are quite weak, so it’s fine to leave them be.”

Mountain gods and river gods often have close relationships with humans nearby… forcibly dragging them up to the Divine Hall would be tough now.

Let’s leave them for now… Later, when I seize their faith, they can stop being gods.

Somehow, I feel like I’m the bad guy here. Hmm… From the gods’ perspective, am I the villain?

Anyway…

“That takes care of one thing.”

“Are you really going to gather the fragments from the others too?”

“Yeah. I must.”

For now, let’s give the gods about ten years.

I’ve spread rumors like that, and Indra sacrificed himself thinking that way.

It’s the first case of self-sacrifice, but it won’t be the last.

I stared at Zeus, who remained stationary in the square.

What will that guy do, who has already sent my neck flying once?

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Three years passed, and a child was born.

A small child whose existence was prophesied by the gods even before birth, destined to become a great hero.

Countless gods wanted to bless him first, but ultimately, he was bestowed with the blessing of Zeus, the king of Olympus.

The child named Rychlen grew up unaware of his future, frolicking through the mountains and fields as if they were his backyard.

“For now, it looks like we succeeded in giving him a blessing… and the child’s growth is going smoothly.”

Athena said as she watched the child playing on the ground.

He was a small child, but he could freely wield savage beasts.

A child who even crushed a venomous snake with one hand.

Sometimes, I worry he’s too strong.

“I’m worried he might be too strong…”

“Isn’t he supposed to be like that to be considered a hero?”

Zeus nodded, observing the child.

For now, we’ve successfully navigated through the many gods’ competition to bless him.

It’s a big issue that the gods in the Divine Hall can’t directly descend to the lower world, but… if the child becomes the king of the gods, that problem could be solved.

So…

“For now, let’s do what we need to do.”

Zeus said that and placed a golden laurel crown on his head.

A crown made of gold, adorned with small bolts of lightning flashing between the gold. The crown holds the power of Baal, the former king of the gods.

Zeus’s golden hair blended with the crown, looking like it was made from lightning itself.

The crown is the authority possessed by the king of gods that Baal had worn.

A symbol of the king of gods and a crystallization of power.

Even Zeus, the fragment who obtained it, can’t use it completely on his own, so he reduces its output through the golden laurel crown to use its power to some extent.

By wearing that crown, Zeus became one of the gods who can wield the power of lightning.

“Okay. It’s time for war.”

Zeus said quietly and glanced around.

The gods of Olympus, holding weapons crafted by Hephaestus over the years.

And at the forefront, ready to charge in a chariot, the god of war, Athena.

“It’s a shame things turned out like this for Ares.”

“Serves him right.”

Athena, donning a golden helmet held in her hands, said.

Originally, Ares would have charged forward alongside Athena, but he couldn’t participate in this battlefield.

Bragging about bringing back the sage of the deep forest, he dashed out of Olympus and ended up with most of his faith stripped away, to the point he could barely maintain his form.

Having returned in Hermes’s grasp as a faintly faith-laden mass, Ares became a withered god who could do nothing for decades.

Thankfully, he’s showing signs of recovery now; otherwise, Athena might have been the only war god left in Olympus.

“I don’t think a war god who just charges in without thought is necessary.”

“Nevertheless, there’s no denying his strength.”

Being a war god, Ares gains strength from battles; if he could participate, he would undoubtedly win every fight.

“Well, it’s unavoidable.”

“Then, Father, please unleash the lightning of commencement. I will charge in at the same time.”

At Athena’s words, Zeus nodded and summoned a bolt of lightning from the crown on his head, throwing it with all his might like a javelin.

The bolt of lightning flew through the azure sky, striking the gods of the Ennead facing Olympus, scorching many gods at the point of impact.

“Charge!!!”

At the same time, Athena drove her chariot with a loud shout and many gods followed, wielding their weapons and rushing out.

In response, the gods of the Ennead also began to charge towards the Olympus-deities, carrying the storm of the desert upon their backs.

This is a war among gods who are fighting for survival, and it is also a war to determine the next offering to the Goddess of Life.