Chapter 577 Complaint
"The golden balance..."
Listening quietly to the renowned scholar, Heracles was not unfamiliar with this name.
Like the "Evil-Slaying Sword," also known as the "Sword of Judgment," the golden balance was the divine artifact of the ancient Titan God, Themis, the Goddess of Law and Justice.
On the human lands, it was also known as the "Balance of Fairness" or the "Balance of Judgment."
From kings high above to beggars by the roadside, almost everyone had heard of this divine artifact, which mortal judges regarded as their faith.
According to legend, it was the fairest judge in the world. Whether it was material treasures, land, or spiritual loyalty, good and evil, or even abstract concepts like rights and status, there was nothing in the world that it could not evaluate and weigh.
There were even rumors that this ancient God had visited the afterlife.
For a time, many nobles were terrified by this, and some even deepened their faith in the Gods, as no one could be sure of the fate of their soul after death.
Would they enter the realm of the King of the Underworld, or would they forget their past under the baptism of the River of Forgetfulnessand begin a new life, or even be placed on either side of this balance, with their faith measuring their blessings in the afterlife?
The unknown brings awe, and awe brings faith... But then again, what connection did this renowned divine artifact have with that Typhon's Sons?
"...That's exactly what I'm going to tell you, Heracles."
"I think you should know that many of Typhon's Sons' unique powers are connected to the Gods."
"For example, the connection between the lion skin on your body and Princess Hestia's 'Protection,' or the relationship between Hydra and the Goddess of Life."
"The Sphinx is also like this, and what's connected to it is Princess Themis, the Goddess of Law."
Gripping a branch, the Centaur drew primitive murals on the stone wall.
The struggle between the Gods and Typhon, the divine blood shed by the Goddess of Justice, and the Sphinx born from the unique divine blood's stimulation combined with the King of Ten Thousand Demons' legacy...
The Great Hero looked at these murals as if history had come to the present.
In front of him, Chiron continued to narrate this little-known story.
"Unlike other Great Demons, perhaps because the Goddess of Law's Authority contains deeper order, or perhaps because of the deviation brought by her justice."
"In short, unlike other Great Demons, the Sphinx was not bloodthirsty."
"It merely roamed the earth all day, seeking Wisdom and knowledgeamong humans, taking pleasure in defeating the wise among mortals."
"This hobby was peculiar, but it also posed no danger. So, at first, almost no one noticed it, only a few rural anecdotes circulated among the nations... However, a demon is still a demon. Once its tracks were discovered, its hostility towards humans became inherent and unchangeable."
"No one knows whether humans attacked it first or if it attacked humans first. In any case, from that day on, when the first human hero, confident in his Wisdom, fell before the Sphinx, a great battle erupted."
"Countless mortals went to crusade against the demon for fame and power, and then one by one, they eternally slept beside the demon. Gradually, the Gods also learned of its existence."
"The Gods sent down their avatars to try and kill this powerful demon. But they were astonished to find that although the Sphinx did not possess an immortal body, it did possess a special domain that was almost impossible to break."
"No matter who it was, if they couldn't answer her three questions, they would be no different from a mortal within this domain."
"Thus, several Gods returned in defeat, unwilling to risk being imprisoned within the domain. Only the Goddess of Justice stepped forward."
"Unlike other Gods, due to the nature of her Authority, she could be exempted from the demon's domain's influence as long as she answered one question correctly. However, the Goddess ultimately did not participate in this game. She merely stopped the slaughter and made a wager with the Sphinx."
"Why?"
"She didn't make a move... was it because Princess Themis wasn't confident she could answer even one question correctly?"
Heracles asked, his expression slightly moved.
However, the next moment, Chiron gave him a very unexpected reason.
"No, the Goddess didn't make a move because she discovered that the Evil-Slaying Sword had no reaction to the Sphinx."
"She believed it was innocent, so naturally, she had no reason to kill it. But she also didn't want it to continue causing unrest in the human world, even if it actually stemmed from the church's propaganda and human arrogance."
"After much thought, the Goddess finally decided to solve this problem in a different way. She gambled her divine artifact with the demon. If no one could solve the Sphinx's riddle within the stipulated time, then the divine artifact would belong to it from then on, and the Goddess would no longer interfere with its actions."
"And if someone solved its riddle, then it would serve the Goddess from then on. Just like the three-headed dog guarding the gates of the Underworld, it would become an enforcer of Law and Justice."
The narration ended here, and the murals on the stone wall also concluded.
The blindfolded God with a long sword at his waist held the golden balance, and the Sphinx's arm was placed on one side of the balance.
Evidently, they finally reached an agreement. The demon grew tired of fighting with these humans. It accepted the Goddess of Law's conditions and came to the old site of Mount Othrys, far from the nations.
After a short contemplation, gazing at the continuous murals on the stone wall, although he had not yet seen her, the Great Hero already felt a fondness for this Goddess of Justice.
Forcing victims to sacrifice for the greater good, in his eyes, was merely false justice.
But allowing people to voluntarily step back, and then personally making up for the price they paid, was more in line with the justice in Heracles' heart.
This was the difference between taking food from others to help the weak and buying food from others with one's own money to help in a disaster.
Unlike Ares, who contributed almost nothing to War, in the Great Hero's opinion, the Goddess of Justice was actively spreading Law and Justice throughout the world.
It was truly a pity that such a God did not become a main God of Olympus... Heracles sighed softly and thanked him:
"Thank you for clarifying, Sir Chiron."
"It's nothing, this is just to repay your help."
"Besides, that was just a story. What I'm about to say next is what can truly help you."
Smiling, the Centaur solemnly warned:
"The contest with the Sphinx relies not on force, but on Wisdom... On this point, I don't know if you can surpass those who came before."
"But if you fail twice in a row, then don't answer the third question."
"Only challengers who answer at least one question correctly can leave the domain. Three wrong answers will result in death by the rules... So, if it comes to that, remember to pray to the Goddess of Justice."
"After all, the Goddess's divine artifact is there. Perhaps, maybe... it can allow you to escape."
······
Whoosh—
Just as Olympia was in chaos, and Heracles took the opportunity to rescue the Centaur.
Above the Sky near the Divine Mountain, a bronze light streaked across the Sky.
The light flickered, alternating between bright and dim, seemingly reflecting its owner's current mood.
And enveloped in the flowing light, Ares, the God of War, was clutching the wound on his waist, flying rapidly towards Mount Olympus.
He came riding a chariot and Pegasus, but returned alone.
He didn't even have time to take his mount and weapons, which was undoubtedly a humiliating defeat.
But this time, Ares didn't utter any harsh words; instead, his face was somewhat pale.
Unlike before, this time, he had no more excuses to make for himself.
Failure was failure; he was directly defeated by a mortal in his most confident aspect.
Among all the Gods on Mount Olympus, there was more than one whose divine power was stronger than his, but even Athena, his father's perfect daughter, could not surpass him, the God of War, in divine physique.
Whenever he encountered setbacks, he would use them to console himself. But now, Heracles' fist had thoroughly taught him what reality was.
Victory was victory, defeat was defeat; there were no excuses to be found.
At this moment, the God of War in this world seemed to overlap with his counterpart in the original timeline at a certain point.
Facing the pain brought by a mortal, as the God of War, he did not learn from his shame and become braver, nor did he fly into a rage. He ultimately chose another path when this unprecedented event occurred, something almost no male God had ever done.
That was to return to the Divine Mountain... and then, complain to Zeus!
Yes, complain.
Although losing a fight and then complaining to one's parents was something that should not happen to a God of War.
However, unfortunately, both the mythical epic records of his original destiny in later generations and Ares in this world made this choice.
As the saying goes, 'It's easier to change rivers and mountains than to alter one's nature,' and that was probably the case.
Even though destiny had changed, the God of War still made the same choice.
······
Bang—
Not long after, the Divine Mountain was already in sight.
Falling from the Sky, feeling the divine power in his body re-energize, Ares clutched the wound on his waist, yet he delayed healing it.
He walked along, avoiding the Nymphs and Gods on the way, and Areswent straight to the entrance of the Golden Palace.
Soon, Zeus would announce the new main God of the Ocean, replacing Poseidon, and respond to his disappearance.
Ares didn't know where Zeus was at the moment, but within the Golden Palace, the King of Gods almost always kept a divine power avatar.
Bang—
"Father God!"
Pushing open the door forcefully, Ares' gaze swept across the Golden Palace.
As expected, he found Zeus's figure on the golden throne in the Divine Palace.
Sensing the opponent's powerful but not insurmountable aura, this was likely an avatar of the King of Gods.
It was just that for some reason, this avatar seemed a bit off at the moment. His current state seemed somewhat tense, not relaxed at all like usual.
Not knowing why this was, Ares didn't think much of it.
What existence in the current world could make Zeus, who had ascended to Great Divine Power, nervous? It couldn't be that he was currently fighting another Great Divine Power outside the human world, could it?
So, taking a step forward, Ares shouted again.
His voice was unusually mournful, and he didn't forget to release his right hand from his wound, showing the bleeding area.
"Father God, look!"
"This is the injury I suffered in the human world, the pain brought to me by a shameless descendant of a God left in the human world! Witnessing these savage acts, don't you feel angry?"
"To help mortals, the Gods are always in endless conflict... And as the main God of War, I have tasted the greatest bitterness."
"So I have come here to make it clear to you—there is a wicked God under your rule, a cursed criminal, whose heart is only set on doing evil, and who has left such descendants in the human world!"
"My great Father, all other Gods, every deity on this Mount Olympusmountain is respectful to you.
"We are all willing to bow and obey, yet there are some who are unwilling to obey your commands, to make their descendants revere the Gods!"
"Only he, this human who was incited to attack me—this human hero who doesn't know the immensity of Sky and earth, charged with fury, daring to rush at an immortal deity!"
"Previously, he caused slaughter among his own kind; now, he rushes at me, Ares, who presides over War!"
"Fortunately, I am good at running, and thus I escaped from his hands. Otherwise, I would have had to endure the pain, lie for a long time among the stiff corpses, or, suffering from the attack of the bronze spear, live out a fleeting existence!"
Shouting loudly, completely devoid of divine dignity, Ares angrily denounced Heracles, not even sparing the source of his bloodline.
Such a powerful physique... Perhaps he was the divine child of a Titan, and eventually gained strength comparable to a giant through some mutation.
With malice in his heart, Ares wished that Zeus would immediately take action, bring that mortal and his sinful father to the Divine Mountain, and declare him guilty of the same crime as Prometheus.
You wait... the King of Gods will surely deal with you... Immersed in his fantasy, Ares did not notice the gradually condensing aura around Zeus's avatar on the throne.
He merely continued to expose his wound while angrily denouncing the source of it all.