Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

A power that surpassed the gods still diffused between heaven and earth, bringing a certain intangible oppression, and outside of Mount Olympus, under the Divine King's gaze, the gods remained silent.

But that was all. Although they had chosen to be mere observers in the previous struggle due to a misjudgment of the situation, the gods were not overly panicked now in the face of the victorious Divine King who had returned.

After all, their choices had not varied, nor had they taken any further action. Thus, unless the Divine King intended to rule the world alone, it was unlikely that he would actually do anything to them.

Moreover, Mother Earth had been defeated, not killed, and there was that brief flash of darkness three days ago... But these were mere speculations. Perhaps the increase in power might even change Zeus's personality, so at this moment, the gods were quietly waiting for the Divine King's next move.

Of course, there were some exceptions among the gods, such as Ker, the God of Destruction. As Hades's subordinate, his presence here was merely to substitute for Hades and witness the banquet where Zeus would confer the title of principal gods, so even if he made the same choice as the other gods, he still stood aside quite naturally.

There was also the Goddess of Justice, who had just returned to Mount of the Gods not long ago. She likewise did not stand with any other deity and instead stayed alone in midair, calmly watching everything.

The goddess seemed to be pondering something, occasionally glancing back in the direction of Mount Olympus. She caressed the hilt of the sword at her waist, her eyes reflecting hesitation and relief.

Since receiving this sword symbolizing "Justice," she seemed to have never truly used it—the Divine Artifact meant to purge evil had always remained untouched.

Since when had it been like this? The goddess didn't quite remember. Perhaps, since the First Age, it had always been this way.

This is the world of the gods, the world of the immortals. Having stayed here for so long, even she herself seemed to have forgotten what 'justice' was. On the contrary, in the human tribes recently, Themis had seen something.

Perhaps, much of the time, unless there is a 'perfect' monarch, 'justice' and 'law' do not necessarily align. They intersect at times but also conflict.

"Princess Themis, it has been a long time indeed,"

Without immediately attending to the other gods, the Divine King looked towards his nominally senior relative with a smile, but his question was direct.

"Do you have any different opinions regarding what I have just done?"

"As you can see, what happened today is not what I wished to see, but it is not for me to decide. If possible, I hope that you can offer a conclusion in your capacity as the arbitrator, letting more lives know the beginnings and the right and wrong of the matter."

The Divine King's intentions were clear. As the first battle he'd fought since displaying his power, it was naturally meant to be perfect and justified. However, Gaia's curse as she left had made him seem like some kind of villain, so Zeus hoped that Themis would endorse his actions.

And it wasn't about creating a false narrative. Indeed, Zeus believed that although he'd certainly done plenty of things that were hard to speak of, at least in the matter concerning Gaia, he hadn't actually been in the wrong. Even now, after harboring some speculation, he reiterated that he was the innocent party.

After all, whether he had ever seen the Golden Apple Tree was something Zeus himself was more than clear about.

"Regarding the battle today, if you are seeking my opinion, Zeus, I have no comments about Mother Earth's matter."

"She failed to provide evidence to prove you did anything, and her actions indeed posed a threat to the world's order. So, the current world's response to this is only natural."

Without letting her personal view of Zeus affect her judgment, Themis indifferently gave her response.

This was, in fact, a sentiment shared among the gods—they didn't quite understand Gaia's hysteria. Before Mother Earth awoke, many among them had foreseen today's scene, as her conflict with the Divine King was almost unavoidable. However, in the eyes of the gods, this was at most a dispute about the God of Meteorology, Crius.

Perhaps in the end, unable to reach an agreement, Gaia indeed would have resorted to force, but more likely, Zeus would have stepped back once more, yielding in the presence of the Primordial Gods; there should have been no other path of development.

Yet, when the event actually happened, the Divine King's power indeed surprised the gods, but Gaia's actions also left them baffled.

Madness, paranoia, incomprehension, and even an unwillingness to listen to explanations—the other side had directly concluded that Zeus had stolen her Divine Tree and accompanying Divine Artifact—of course, they indeed had doubted whether Zeus had truly stolen the Golden Apple Tree, but while the tree was somewhat understandable, what about the Life Vase?

As Mother Earth's accompanying Divine Artifact, it would slumber along with its owner and reject anyone other than its master from using it. Stealing such an artifact would bring about nothing but scorn from the gods, with little to gain.

"To hear your fair judgment on this matter is truly more than I could ask for. In fact, I still find myself puzzled by it to this day. Perhaps Mother Earth has indeed slept for too long."

Zeus nodded in satisfaction, his lips curving into a smile as he received the response he desired.

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