"Father, you must listen to my explanation…"
Although his body was bound by the whirlpool, Triton still shouted desperately at Poseidon, hoping his father would not tear off this last shred of modesty.
However, Poseidon did not listen to his son. He simply squeezed his fingers and crushed the crystal in his hand.
The magic Ares had set upon it immediately took effect, transforming into countless light screens that appeared before Poseidon. These scenes were all moments of Triton and Athena's "illicit affair" that Ares had gathered through various means.
Watching these scenes of betrayal, Poseidon's face alternated between green and pale, while Athena, standing in the clouds, couldn't help but sigh, realizing that Ares was indeed her most formidable opponent.
"To kill someone and then crush their spirit, Ares, you are truly ruthless to us gods."
The Goddess of Wisdom muttered to herself, then braced herself, preparing to deal with the Sea King's imminent outburst.
Indeed, after witnessing these sights, Sea King Poseidon merely took a deep breath.
He gazed at his once most beloved son and asked him, "Triton, was I not good enough to you?"
"Father, it's not what you think…"
Triton still wanted to argue, but Poseidon merely waved his hand.
The Sea God's eldest son immediately let out a pained cry. Then, a massive whirlpool appeared on the surface of the ocean, from which countless iron chains emerged, locking Triton's limbs and body layer by layer, before dragging him violently into the deepest part of the ocean, never to see the light of day again.
Poseidon then turned and looked at Orion, saying to him:
"From today on, Orion, you are the Crown Prince of the ocean, the elder brother of all my children, Sea God Poseidon!"
With that, he placed the golden trident before Orion, who respectfully knelt and extended his hands to receive the Sea King's bounty.
After completing all of this, Sea King Poseidon turned his head, looked up at the sky, and coldly asked, "Now, do you have anything else to say, my dear niece Athena?"
The clouds gradually parted, and the beautiful figure of the Goddess of Wisdom appeared in the clouds. Then, she smiled confidently:
"Hmm, if I said this was for work, would you believe me?"
"Heh heh, it seems Ares's letter was indeed not mistaken; you are the source of chaos in the Olympus Divine Court!"
Sea King Poseidon said, extending his palm. The surging waves transformed into a true Noble Phantasm, a trident, and landed in his hand. After the Sea King's Noble Phantasm settled, countless sea creatures, sea monsters, and minor sea gods emerged from the ocean waves. Like the divine army on the beach, they all belonged to Poseidon's faction. Moreover, because Poseidon holds the title of "God King" and independently controls a realm, in terms of military strength alone, these armies were far stronger than Athena's divine army.
Standing before these vast armies, Poseidon proudly declared:
"From today onwards, I, Sea King Poseidon, unilaterally declare war on Goddess of Wisdom Athena! Receive my declaration of war, Athena! When you fail, I will cast you into the hottest volcano at the bottom of the sea, so you can neither live nor die!"
"Then I truly look forward to it."
Athena also stood up from the clouds. With a flip of her delicate hand, she flung her spear into the center of Athens. Immediately, a golden light barrier spread out, forming a massive divine power barrier that protected the entire Athens city-state kingdom.
"In the name of the Olympus Regent, I declare that Sea King Poseidon has betrayed the Olympus Divine Court and unilaterally instigated a war of the three realms. His crime is punishable by death! From today onwards, Poseidon's seat among the Olympus Twelve Main Gods shall be revoked, and he shall be subjected to the extreme penalty of eternal confinement at the bottom of Tartarus!"
"Heh, then there's nothing left to say."
Poseidon let out a roar, brandishing his trident and pointing directly at Athens ahead, bellowing:
"Charge! Kill all of Athena's followers, leave no one alive!"
Accompanied by the Sea King's roar, the army of the Sea God's lineage transformed into a surging torrent, mercilessly pressing towards Athens.
...
Bang! Bang! Boom!
Just as the ocean and Athens officially began their war, the battle between Heracles and Kratos continued fiercely within the Giant Race's divine city.
The battle between the two had reached a fever pitch, yet neither could gain the upper hand. Heracles skillfully employed various martial arts, constantly switching between several Noble Phantasms and divine artifacts in his hands. Even after changing weapons, there was no hindrance to his combat rhythm; it flowed like water, continuously pressuring Kratos while revealing no flaws.
Kratos, on the other hand, was equally formidable. If Heracles, with his multitude of weapons, was a weapon master who "knew a bit of everything," then Kratos, currently only wielding the pair of Chaos Blades, had pushed the artistry of this unique weapon to its absolute limit.
Facing Heracles's fierce assaults with weapons of different styles and rhythms, Kratos maintained a disciplined advance and retreat, constantly defending and counterattacking, searching for flaws in Heracles's footwork and movements, attempting to defeat him.
Their figures continuously moved through the mountains and wilderness. By now, their battlefield was hundreds of miles from their starting point. Along the way, shattered mountains and forests, destroyed by the residual impact of their battle, were everywhere. Some were directly smashed by Heracles's gauntlets and club, while others were pulled down by Kratos with his pair of Chaos Blades. Their battlefield stretched from the Giant Race's divine city to the deepest part of the Pallene Peninsula, with traces of various elements and magic left behind across the ravaged land.
By this point in the battle, Heracles and Kratos had each developed a sense of mutual respect for the other. Kratos actually held no animosity towards Heracles; he was merely carrying out orders to kill giants. Heracles, on the other hand, had been forewarned by Ares, so he didn't view Kratos as an enemy either.
Now, neither of them was thinking of defeating or killing the other to end the battle; they were simply, as the world's strongest warriors, wholeheartedly enjoying this exhilarating fight.
Bang!
Just as Kratos's Chaos Blades and Heracles's two holy swords struck each other in another collision, generating intense sparks, a necklace hanging on Heracles's chest suddenly emitted a strong light. Noticing this light, Kratos quickly retreated cautiously, fearing that this guy would pull out another troublesome treasure. Heracles, however, lowered his head, a slight smile on his lips, tinged with both reluctance and satisfaction.
"It seems our time is up. There's another target waiting for me to deal with."
He put away the weapons he had taken out, then looked at Kratos and sighed:
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Kratos. You truly deserve the title of 'Olympus Champion.' But I must give you a warning here—Kratos, don't be deceived by appearances. Sometimes, those who speak sweet words to you might just want to use you."