A Pantheon!
Hmm…
The concept of a pantheon was something that every god understood.
It starts with a supreme god at its core, extending step by step downward, forming a complete hierarchy of divinity.
And within this hierarchy…
There is a vast complexity.
The Greek Pantheon.
The Japanese Pantheon.
These are pantheons created by Absolute Gods.
In fact!
There has always been a question—why would an Absolute God create a pantheon in the first place?
The answer is simple: a pantheon strengthens the Absolute God. The pantheon, whether it flourishes or falls into ruin, feeds divine power back to its creator, making the Absolute God even more powerful.
This is the origin and essence of pantheons. Essentially, a pantheon serves as a method for Absolute Gods to increase their divine strength.
Of course!
For an Absolute God, while beneficial, this method isn't particularly essential. It's just one way among many for them to grow stronger—a useful tool, but not the most critical one.
Normally.
If a god were to build a pantheon from scratch, in theory, it could lead to their ascension as an Absolute God.
But.
This remains purely theoretical. If it were that easy, Absolute Gods wouldn't be the apex beings in the Sea of Chaos.
For example, the Buddhist Pantheon!
The Buddhist Pantheon, being self-established, has immense potential. Given its scale, in theory, it should be capable of producing an Absolute God without any issue.
However!
The Buddhist Pantheon's ambition knows no bounds. Rather than creating just one Absolute God, it aims to produce five Absolute Gods at once! This level of greed has left the Buddhist Pantheon stuck in a bottleneck.
But.
That's their issue.
If the Buddhist Pantheon is overly ambitious, well… their success or failure is entirely their concern. The rest of the gods simply sit back and watch the drama unfold.
Beyond pantheons!
There are Divine Clusters.
Simply put…
A divine cluster is like a miniature pantheon.
To rephrase…
The Underworld itself can be seen as a divine cluster, with Hades at its core and the rest of the Underworld's gods forming its structure. This is a fully realized divine cluster.
This is indisputable.
Moreover.
Multiple divine clusters can combine to form a complete pantheon. And now, the Underworld is heading down this path.
Aether.
Baal.
Both are in the process of building their own divine clusters.
If they succeed?
It would be a monumental achievement.
Even if they fail?
Well.
As Hemera and the others discussed earlier, failure is hardly catastrophic. Building a divine cluster isn't a one-time opportunity. Even if they fail on their first attempt, they can try again—a second, third, or fourth time…
With enough experience, success is inevitable.
After all!
Repeated failure isn't the end. As long as success comes eventually, that's all that matters. A divine cluster isn't a fragile creation doomed to collapse after a single failure.
However…
For Aether, failing this time could be devastating. The mental toll of failure, not the act of failing itself, is the most frightening possibility for him.
But!
From Hades' perspective, Aether has already reached this stage. With Aether's capabilities, failure is simply not an option.
"The Divine Cluster of Darkness and Night."
"Aether."
"You will succeed and ascend as a Primordial God along this path."
Hades patiently awaited Aether's success.
From any perspective.
Aether.
Without a doubt, Aether's success was inevitable. This was not up for debate.
After all!
With Aether's talent and the support of Erebus and Nyx, if he couldn't succeed, then Baal and the other four pillars of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods would stand no chance.
Thus.
Aether's success was certain. All that remained was to wait quietly.
"…"
Erebus, Nyx, and the other Underworld gods.
All the deities were waiting silently.
Each god knew…
Aether had reached the final step.
If he could cross this step.
Then!
Aether would establish a divine cluster truly his own. At that moment, Aether would not only reach a new level of power but would also bring great growth to the Underworld as a whole.
Once again.
It was certain—Aether would succeed. Failure simply wasn't possible.
"Hah…"
Thanatos exhaled deeply, trying to suppress the turmoil in his heart as he calmed himself.
He needed to remain composed. If anything went wrong, it could create unnecessary problems.
"Thanatos, stay calm," Hypnos said, trying to reassure him. "Rest assured! We can already feel it—the connection to our elder brother. He will succeed!"
"I know!"
Thanatos nodded seriously, and as time passed, he could clearly feel it.
This wasn't the usual bond of shared bloodline or the connection between Underworld gods.
Instead!
This was the true connection between a member of a divine cluster and its leader—Aether.
Everyone could feel it. As this connection grew stronger, their confidence surged. Smiles appeared on their faces, brighter and brighter.
No matter what!
They had reached this point. Success was inevitable. Failure was no longer an option.
It was impossible!
From every perspective, failure was out of the question.
Every god of the Underworld radiated unwavering faith. Each was steadfast in their belief.
No matter what.
Aether would succeed. In fact! It wasn't just Erebus, Nyx, and their lineage of Underworld gods watching closely. Even Baal and the Seventy-Two Demon Gods were following this moment with keen interest.
Everyone eagerly awaited success, praying that no issues would arise.
This was what everyone hoped for.
After all!
At this point, Aether had come too far. He had to succeed.
If Aether failed, the blow to Baal would be devastating.
Currently, Baal wasn't far behind Aether in progress. But if Aether failed…
Then!
Baal would have to seriously reconsider whether success was even possible for himself. That would be a troubling dilemma.
At this very moment.
In the Underworld, as all gods watched in silent anticipation, Aether experienced something entirely different.
Darkness.
Night.
Erebus embodied the god of darkness.
Nyx was the goddess of night.
And!
At this moment.
Aether was attempting to master both powers, trying to fully integrate them into himself. Whether he could succeed?
No one knew!
But!
Aether had no choice. This was the final step. As the leader of his divine cluster, he had to accomplish this task. Among all his responsibilities, this was the most crucial.
He had to fully assimilate these powers into himself.
Under the endless surge of divine power.
At this moment…
"The road ahead…"
Aether gazed into the distance. Ahead lay a path, but it was fraught with peril. Even Aether wasn't certain whether he could navigate it successfully.
But!
Having come this far, he had no choice but to continue forward.
Retreat?
No!
To Aether, no matter what the future held, having reached this point, retreat was no longer an option. The only way was forward, forward, and forward—until success!
This was Aether's determination.
"This path…"
"I will see it to the end!"
Step by step, Aether advanced. He would not falter.
Aether knew exactly what he was doing.
A Divine Cluster.
The Divine Cluster of Darkness and Night.
This was what Aether sought to establish.
It would be a pantheon based on the divine laws mastered by his Father God and Mother God.
In theory!
Such a divine cluster would naturally have Erebus and Nyx as its leaders.
However!
Erebus and Nyx had no interest in leading it. They chose to pass this role to their child.
And that was enough.
At the very least!
For this primordial godly couple, watching their children grow was the most important thing.
After all!
As primordial gods, they had already reached their limits. To advance further? For them, it was nearly impossible.
To become Creator Gods?
To become Absolute Gods?
These paths had always been extraordinarily difficult. For Erebus and Nyx, personal effort alone was no longer enough to ascend further.
Their only hope for advancement lay in their allegiance to their lord—Hades.
Beyond that?
There was no path forward for them.
For this reason!
They had chosen to remain where they were, content to witness the growth of their children. Was there anything more joyous for parents?
For most gods in the Greek Pantheon, perhaps not. But for this couple, it was everything. Watching their children thrive was their greatest source of happiness.
This was their greatest joy.
After all!
For parents, seeing their children grow was enough.
This, to them, was the best outcome!
At this moment.
Aether had reached this final stage. This was the ultimate result.
In the outside world.
As Aether walked this last stretch of the path…
Every god of the Underworld could feel it. Aether's divine power was growing rapidly, almost visibly, with no apparent limit.
"It's happening!"
Thanatos instinctively clenched his fists, his gaze sharp with focus. They had come this far—it was finally happening.
"Yes!"
Hypnos nodded solemnly. They were on the verge of success. This was truly the final step, the ultimate moment.
As long as Aether pressed forward.
Then!
Success was guaranteed.
As for failure?
Impossible.
Having
reached this point, failure was no longer a possibility.
Every god prepared themselves. All the Underworld deities waited quietly for the Divine Cluster of Darkness and Night to be fully established.
Pure Land of Bliss.
"It's done," Persephone said with a relieved smile. "Aether has succeeded. He has endured the challenges of building a divine cluster and emerged victorious."
"However!"
Hestia tilted her head curiously and asked, "Brother, you're also the leader of the Underworld's divine cluster, right?"
"Indeed."
Hades nodded calmly. "The moment the Underworld was established, it became a divine cluster. In fact, within a pantheon, the birth of any God-King naturally represents the creation of a divine cluster."
Hades understood this well.
In the past.
When the Underworld was first formed, it became a divine cluster within the Greek Pantheon. Of course, as the Underworld grew, it eventually broke away entirely, becoming an independent entity.
"Hmm…"
Hestia pondered thoughtfully and said, "Brother, now that Aether has established the Divine Cluster of Darkness and Night, and with Baal soon to form the Divine Cluster of the Seventy-Two Demon Gods…"
"Does that mean the Underworld Pantheon is also on the horizon?"
Hestia was considering this possibility.
After all!
If divine clusters were now emerging within the Underworld, wouldn't it also be time to consider forming a full-fledged pantheon?
Although!
For now, it was just an idea. But in theory, it was entirely feasible.