"Aether."
"Aether."
The three gods of the underworld arrived in the astral realm, quietly gathering at Aether's side.
Aether nodded calmly and said gently, "The location has been determined. Now, it's time to act. And this time, failure is not an option."
The three gods of the underworld did not respond but nodded solemnly.
For the entire underworld, this operation was of utmost importance, and failure was absolutely unacceptable.
Earth, water, fire, and wind!
This was the next step in advancing the World Tree.
The underworld had already gathered two divine beasts of earth and water, both of which were of God-King level. As for wind? Their ruler had already made preparations. The wind-type divine beast would appear in due time, they just needed to wait.
As for fire?
It was the most crucial!
God-King level beings were extremely rare. Was there a hidden God-King in the Greek pantheon, or the great mythological worlds?
Yes!
Undoubtedly. In every mythological world, there were always such reclusive beings. Clearly, such an existence was beyond question.
However,
Such beings were few and far between, and for the underworld, they were of no significance. As for a fire-type divine beast of God-King level?
There was likely only one.
Failure?
If they failed, then the underworld would not have another chance to capture or succeed again—this was unquestionable. For the other gods,
For Poseidon and Zeus,
The first attempt was crucial.
A first failure would mean that a second attempt would almost certainly fail.
The underworld's dramatic increase in power after the apocalyptic event stemmed from this; although there appeared to be multiple chances, the truth was different! The first success was possible, but a second would be incredibly difficult.
And this was the critical and fundamental point.
Clearly!
This was an absolute, indisputable truth.
Poseidon and Zeus naturally knew what Hades was planning. The earth and water could not be stopped, but if they failed with fire, a second attempt would be impossible.
Moreover,
Why didn't Hades personally capture the fire divine beast?
It was an unspoken rule. If Hades did not act personally and succeeded, it would be considered a success. If they failed? Well…
There would be no second chance. This wasn't a joke, but a cold, hard fact.
The two God-Kings would not allow it.
This was an unspoken rule, with both sides waiting for the outcome.
Now,
Everything was about to begin.
In the sea realm,
Poseidon murmured softly, "After tens of thousands of years, Aether has finally found it. But whether the underworld will succeed remains uncertain."
Poseidon was simply observing, with no intention of participating.
To Poseidon, all of this was meaningless. He had no interest in these matters.
Or rather,
In Poseidon's eyes, the outcome, whether success or failure, didn't matter to him. It wouldn't change anything, nor did he care.
This was Poseidon's character, born from his confidence, which was beyond doubt.
Everything about Poseidon was laid out clearly—absolute confidence and absolute pride. His path was set before him.
Just like Hades, whose path was clear, and he simply needed to follow it step by step. Poseidon was the same.
Poseidon's path was also straightforward; all he had to do was walk it, and that was enough. As for everything else? It was meaningless.
But Zeus...
Hmm…
It was quite embarrassing!
Compared to Hades and Poseidon, who had clearly defined their paths, Zeus faced many more issues, which wasn't surprising.
Among the three God-Kings, Zeus was originally the true protagonist. But now?
Zeus was undergoing changes. He no longer possessed the grand power he once had in the original story, yet his internal issues remained unresolved. This meant that Zeus was in for a tough time.
In fact,
If Zeus couldn't stabilize the current situation, his death could come easily. If things reached that point, everything would become truly troublesome, and the day of Zeus's demise would be upon him.
This was an undeniable reality.
Of course,
The situation was still unfolding in the astral realm.
"..."
Although Zeus remained silent, surrounded by lightning, it was clear his flames were burning within. To Zeus, this was nothing short of a huge mockery.
What was this supposed to mean?
The underworld was growing stronger with each step, and they weren't even hiding it anymore?
Huh?
What exactly did Hades want? Under Zeus's watchful eyes, it felt like a mockery. What was Hades really up to?
However,
Zeus knew there was nothing he could do but silently observe.
On the other side,
"..."
"Sigh."
Prometheus sighed softly, muttering to himself, "Will my plan really succeed? What will the outcome be?"
"What will happen in the end?"
Prometheus was truly lost in confusion. With the entry of the Earth Goddess and the changes happening, everything seemed to be shifting.
Now, Prometheus felt truly bewildered.
As the god of wisdom, much of it should have been within his grasp, but as time went on, Prometheus realized that it wasn't the case at all.
He was genuinely uncertain whether his plan would succeed.
This was Prometheus at the moment—lost in doubt. As the god of wisdom, he found himself gripped by fear and helplessness, which overwhelmed him entirely.
Yet this!
This was normal. As the god of wisdom, sometimes the weight of awareness led to this—he could truly feel the crushing despair of looming failure.
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