Immediately after, a mutation occurred!
A halo, its color indescribable, as if containing all the rules, authority, and conceptual origins of the world, violently fluctuated and was forcibly rejected and stripped from the kneeling Cronus!
It was bright, immense, and majestic, and its very existence caused the surrounding shattered time and space to show faint signs of healing. This was the [Position of the God-King]!
The symbol of supreme authority in the world of Chaos!
However, within this incomparably sacred and powerful core of the halo, all the gods could clearly see a strand of extremely stubborn, writhing, almost living energy, radiating a sweet and twisted aura, like the deepest curse, tightly coiled around the origin of the divine king's position, and even attempting to penetrate and control it in reverse!
"Eros..." Hades's violet eyes narrowed slightly, and the last trace of doubt in his heart was confirmed.
Cronus's final madness and the source of the strange divine power of Eros were indeed connected to the primordial god Eros, who had already been divided.
This was no coincidence, but a... scheme hidden for countless years.
The Position of the God-King hung in the air, radiating unparalleled allure.
Zeus's eyes blazed with fiery light, Poseidon gripped his trident, and the eyes of the other Titans, even the heavily wounded Rhea, became complex and burning.
At this moment, a majestic but clearly weak and sorrowful will, like an awakened giant, slowly enveloped the peak of this shattered Olympus.
The Earth Mother Goddess Gaia finally recovered from the consumption of resisting the world's collapse. Her embodiment—the figure of a blonde woman—appeared among the gods, looking more tired and aged than ever before.
Her gaze swept across the chaotic battlefield, saw the bloodied bodies of her children, and finally settled on Cronus, sealed by the 'Chains of Resolve' and unable to rise from his knees, and on the suspended, defiled throne of the gods, complex emotions swirling in her eyes.
"Enough... This tragedy, which began with devouring, must end."
Gaia's voice echoed with the resonance of the earth, but it was difficult to hide the hoarseness and pain within it.
As one of the original victims (of Uranus), she had witnessed the repetition of her successor (Cronus), and at this moment, only felt a profound exhaustion in her heart.
At this moment, Cronus, kneeling, suddenly raised his head. Though his divine power was sealed, the grievance burning in his eyes had almost become substance.
He stared at the children present, especially Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, and spoke the most vicious curse from the depths of his soul:
"You... think this is victory? Hahaha... Absurd! Foolish! I, Cronus, tell you this! The future God-King will also repeat the mistakes of the past and be overthrown by his own blood!"
"This is reincarnation! This is a fate from which you cannot escape! I am in the abyss of Tartarus, waiting for you to kill each other! Waiting to meet you... to follow in my footsteps! Hahahaha——!"
This curse was like a cold wind with the smell of blood, piercing the hearts of every god, freezing the joy that had just risen from victory.
Hades, on the other hand, acutely noticed the word 'reincarnation' mentioned by Cronus—this was the first time he had heard this word since coming to this world.
Uranus's curse was fulfilled; Cronus's curse... would it be as well?
Gaia's brows furrowed, and with a wave of her hand, a thick earthy yellow light enveloped and isolated Cronus along with his curse.
"The howling of a loser, pay it no heed." She turned her gaze to the gods.
"The old king is fallen, and a new order must be established. The priority is to determine the future of the world and... the throne that belongs to it."
Her gaze first fell upon Hades, with frank, almost deliberately praising and admiring words:
"Hades, my child. You broke free from the cage of darkness and established order in Hades with wisdom and perseverance. In this decisive battle, you contributed the crucial chains and led the final assault. Your strength, your wisdom, your calm—all the gods have witnessed it. If we speak of merit and reward, you should be the best choice for the new God-King."
As soon as these words were spoken, Zeus's face instantly became extremely ugly, Poseidon also gripped his trident, and the other Titans had various expressions.
Mother Gaia was indeed so explicitly supporting Hades?
However, Hades acutely perceived the depth beneath Gaia's words, which was not at all intended to expect him to take the throne.
Her eyes hid a deeper warning and reminder beneath the praise.
At the same time, his mind raced:
the entangled pink energy on the throne of the gods clearly showed that the scheme of Eros, the ancient god of love, had not disappeared with Cronus's defeat.
Rashly seizing this defiled and cursed throne would be like setting oneself on fire.
Gaia's praise was on the surface, but in reality, it was repeatedly hinting that he should not take over. The Mother Goddess might have seen fate more clearly; perhaps she did not want to see a God-King too powerful and free from her influence, or maybe... she also coveted the remnants of Eros's power.
For Hades, the position of God-King was not a necessity.
Once he completed his plan and achieved [Reincarnation], he would become an eternal existence beyond the rise and fall of God-Kings. Moreover, Hades was vaguely wary of the primordial gods, especially Nyx...
In an instant, a thousand thoughts returned to calm.
Hades met Gaia's seemingly expectant, but actually implicitly warning gaze, and spoke slowly, his voice clear and firm, spreading throughout the divine domain:
"Thank you, Mother Goddess, for your praise and affection."
He bowed slightly, his demeanor impeccable, but his next words stunned all the gods.
"However, the throne of the God-King... Hades declines."
Hades's voice echoed across the silent battlefield, clearly refusing the supreme God-King.
This move dumbfounded the gods, and even Zeus and Poseidon temporarily forgot their mutual hostility and looked in surprise at their unfathomable elder brother.
On the tired and aged face of Mother Gaia, a barely perceptible relaxation and approval finally appeared.
She knew what a hot potato the defiled throne was, and Hades's refusal was both wisdom and, perhaps, a response to her silent warning.
"Since Hades has no desire for it," Gaia's voice carried the weight of the earth, drawing the gods' attention back.
"The authority of the God-King cannot be left unattended, nor can it be concentrated in one body to repeat the mistakes of the past. The order of the world needs new pillars."
Her gaze swept over Zeus and Poseidon, and finally fell again upon the suspended pink throne of the gods, intertwined with energy.
"I propose to divide the power of the God-King into three parts, allowing your three brothers to govern jointly, checking and balancing each other to maintain equilibrium."
As soon as the words were spoken, Gaia extended her hands, and the majestic divine power of the earth surged towards the bright yet tainted halo.
Under the witness of the primordial gods and many Titans, the God-King, representing the supreme authority of the world of Chaos, let out a deafening hum and finally split into three clusters of light, varying in size but essentially equal in essence, with a soft sound, as if the law itself was being torn apart.