"Perhaps Poseidon is the fake one."
The resplendent goddess, dressed in luxurious robes, thought to herself as she scrutinized the gods, but she could not discern any clues. In the end, she concluded that the god-king and the sea god had possibly reconciled their differences and were now on good terms again.
In the grand and magnificent hall, the gods stood in rows.
Amidst their gazes, Zeus's towering figure was surrounded by flickering lightning.
"Relay my oracle, summon the hundred-handed giants guarding Tartarus."
"I want to see who caused Typhon to escape his seal!"
The god-king said sternly.
After a while, a hundred-handed giant was summoned to Olympus.
This giant, barely clothed and with a ferocious face, had restrained its colossal body. Yet even in the god-king's palace, it appeared enormous, hunching over and bowing its head.
Contrary to its rough appearance, its eyes were pure, almost childlike in their innocence.
However, its coarse, rock-like skin, grotesque face, and savage demeanor made most gods frown and show varying degrees of disdain.
Under the gods' gazes, the hundred-handed giant hunched even further, its head bowing deeply, its eyes dimming.
"...Despite being a giant more powerful than the Titans, its demeanor is so humble, as if it looks down on itself."
Garon, disguised as the sea god, thought to himself as he observed the giant.
This hundred-handed giant was of considerable power, rumored to have boundless strength. It was said that when it unleashed its fury, even many second-generation Titans couldn't withstand it. If a fight broke out, most of the Olympian gods present wouldn't be its match. However, its behavior was extremely humble.
But thinking carefully, it made sense.
The hundred-handed giants had been despised and loathed by their father since birth, becoming synonymous with ugliness and being thrown into Tartarus. Now, they could only rely on the gods' pity to survive as guards, harboring deep self-loathing.
Garon's gaze fell on the giant's neck.
There, an invisible collar made of lightning was etched, a precaution by Zeus. If the giant rebelled, the collar would activate, showcasing its power.
"Arios."
Zeus's cold eyes fixed on the giant, speaking its name.
Because Tartarus needed guarding, Zeus only summoned one hundred-handed giant, named Arios.
"You and the other two hundred-handed giants guard Tartarus."
"Tell me, why did Tartarus show abnormalities? How did Typhon escape?"
Zeus's eyes glowed like thunder gems, his gaze stern and commanding.
At the same time, with Zeus's indifferent and grand voice, the lightning collar around the giant's neck glowed brightly, causing it to clutch its throat in pain and fall to its knees.
The light faded quickly, allowing the giant to catch its breath.
It curled up, head bowed, and whispered, "Reporting to the god-king, before the bronze gates of Tartarus were breached, a judge from the underworld arrived with a decree from Hades, bringing a soul into Tartarus."
"After the soul was delivered, Typhon regained much strength and broke the bronze gates from within."
Boom!
Lightning and thunder flashed, filling every god's vision with blue light.
In the next instant, the lightning in Zeus's eyes vanished.
"Where is Hades?"
"Typhon attacked Mount Olympus; why didn't Hades come to stop him?"
Zeus's voice was calm, like the sea before a storm.
The giant was silent for a moment, then, under Zeus's stern gaze, it said softly, "Hades, weary of the underworld's dull scenery, often sleeps in his palace, rarely coming out."
It knew the truth but dared not speak, only following Zeus's instructions.
At this moment, Athena stepped forward, looking up at Zeus.
"Father, I find this situation suspicious."
"Hades knows the importance of Tartarus and has witnessed Typhon's destruction before. He shouldn't be the culprit."
"Where is the judge who carried out Hades's orders?"
Athena asked, turning her gaze to the giant.
"I don't know."
The giant replied.
Zeus spoke again, suppressing his anger, "I can feel my bloodline disappearing; Aeacus has perished, utterly annihilated."
The sea god then spoke calmly, "Perhaps this judge, disgruntled with the gods, used Hades's decree to release Typhon and, fearing punishment, committed suicide."
"Or maybe a higher authority in the underworld instructed the judge and killed him to sever any clues."
The gods understood that the sea god was hinting at Hades.
Athena pondered quietly, half-believing the sea god's speculation. Without a better idea, she chose to remain silent.
"No matter the truth, Tartarus is in the underworld, under Hades's jurisdiction."
"Tartarus seals many Titans and is of utmost importance. If something happens in Tartarus, Hades is accountable."
"I suggest capturing Hades and bringing him to Olympus, temporarily stripping him of his powers until the truth is revealed."
The sea god spoke slowly and deliberately.
Whether Hades was truly involved no longer mattered.
As long as there was an issue in Tartarus, he was responsible, especially since the giant's account made him highly suspicious.
"Athena, Ares, you two enter the underworld. In my name, capture Hades!"
"If he resists, it proves his guilt, and I will personally lead the gods to the underworld!"
Zeus commanded forcefully.
Athena and Ares nodded, "Yes, Father."
Since Zeus gave the order as god-king and there were no unified objections from the other gods, they had no choice but to comply.
"The sea god and the god-king are now allies and are jointly targeting Hades... What is the situation among the three brothers? Is Poseidon manipulating Zeus for some scheme?"
Before leaving for the underworld, Athena glanced at the sea god.
This god, similar in appearance and stature to Zeus, with long sea-blue hair, stood solemnly behind Zeus, seemingly overseeing the gods.
...
"Hades is in peril."
"If he doesn't resist, his powers will be stripped, and he'll be sealed, with no way to clear his name."
"If he does resist, Zeus will have a reason to lead the gods to the underworld and capture him."
In the vast multiverse, through his avatars, Garon knew everything happening in the Olympian multiverse. He understood the threat posed by an outer god who had perfectly integrated into the local pantheon.
Just the faceless Garon was enough to unsettle the Olympian multiverse, especially with the assistance of the Eternal Sun.
"Although the Olympian multiverse is unified, with Zeus as the god-king, it might be better if it wasn't."
Garon thought silently.
A god-king without enough vision or breadth is not a good thing for a unified multiverse. It might lead it to decline step by step.
For example, if the dragon god system had continued to suppress the weakened elven gods after their surrender, the current pantheon would lack the elven gods.
The overall strength of the great ring multiverse would have been diminished.
Raising his head, the silver dragon saw the falling snow.
The cold wind howled, and snow flew.
Garon coiled in his icy cliff territory in the far north, using his time power to gradually influence the river of time, expanding his control over the material plane.
During this time-consuming process, keeping a part of his mind on the events in the Olympian multiverse had become one of Garon's favorite pastimes.
He wanted to experience what it was like to be a god-king.
Currently, it's unlikely in the great ring multiverse, but there's a significant opportunity in the Olympian multiverse. The faceless avatar is patiently executing the plan, with Zeus already ensnared in the web.
"If the primordial gods remain dormant and do not intervene, I will become the Olympian god-king."
The avatar and Garon share one soul in multiple bodies. Garon knows everything the avatar experiences and does. The avatar's actions are driven by Garon's will.
When the faceless avatar ascends to god-king, Garon will also feel the sensation of being a god-king.
In the midst of the falling snow, the silver dragon's body vibrated slightly, existing simultaneously in the material world and the intangible river of time, in both physical and ethereal forms.
Garon's physical form was in the Noah continent.
However, as time passed, more and more material worlds were incorporated into the ever-expanding body of the time dragon, becoming part of him.
Meanwhile, in the Abyss.
"Pleasure doing business."
The insect king Obox-Ob, resembling a gigantic fusion of centipede and scorpion, hissed at the three demon lords opposite him.
Its voice was like the low buzz of insects, extremely grating.
It carried an indescribable evil aura.
"Pleasure doing business," said the Lord of Darkness with a smile.
"Once we take down the spider demon, it's every demon for themselves."
The Beast Prince snorted, his voice deep.
The Mother of Demons, Graz'zt, eyed the insect king with interest, inviting it to her fortress, but the cautious insect king refused.
Recently, through repeated negotiations, the insect king and the anti-king alliance reached a consensus to temporarily cooperate and jointly deal with the immensely powerful spider demon faction.
This wasn't the first time they discussed cooperation.
But the insect king had always refused before.
In the depths of its heart, the insect king looked down on the anti-king alliance. To the insect king, collaborating with the demon lords was beneath its princely status. Even though the
combined strength of the three lords was formidable, lords were still lords, and princes were princes. This was an indisputable reality of the Abyss.
However, the growing pressure from the spider demon, Miska, made the insect king waver.
It felt the crisis emanating from the spider demon.
As the spider demon faction recruited several evil gods, the insect king knew that if it didn't act, it would be eliminated. The spider demon's attacks grew fiercer, occupying more Abyssal layers, with more demon lords following it.
"...The dragon god system's willingness to keep its promise and assist the anti-king alliance is just using it as a legitimate reason to involve itself in the Abyss. They won't really go to great lengths for the alliance."
"As long as the dragon gods don't intervene, how could I, the once-ruling insect king of the Abyss, lose to a few riffraff?"
After the start of the war for kingship, the insect king only regarded the spider demon as its true rival.
It didn't think much of the anti-king alliance.
"Once I become the Abyssal monarch and gain the Abyss's favor, there's no need to fear the Pantheon."
The insect king thought silently.
The anti-king alliance and the insect king established a clear contract: once the spider demon faction is defeated, the alliance would no longer rely on the dragon god system, and the insect king and the alliance would compete one-on-one.
"Obox-Ob, have you heard any news about Demogorgon today?" the Lord of Darkness suddenly asked.
The insect king was slightly displeased by the direct address but suppressed its irritation due to their current cooperation, replying indifferently, "No, I remember it growing weaker. It might have quietly died in some dark Abyssal crevice."
"Even if it isn't dead, in its half-dead state, what waves can it stir?"
"Demogorgon was a catalyst, indirectly causing the war for kingship. But now, with the current Abyssal situation, the kingship is no longer related to Demogorgon."
The insect king had almost forgotten about Demogorgon's existence.
Not because of poor memory or negligence, but because a target wounded by the Sword of Temporal Annihilation would lose its presence.
If killed by the sword, all traces of the target in the river of time would be erased, disappearing from the memories of all beings who knew it, even from related texts, images, prayers, and holy symbols.
Unless a powerful deity, no one could reverse this.
The gods and demons still remembered Demogorgon mainly because of its strong presence and the fact that it was only wounded, not killed.
The Beast Prince's ox eyes blinked, saying, "I once suspected Demogorgon was hiding in the succubus queen's palace, but after visiting several times and playing with her, I found no trace."
The insect king chuckled, its countless legs trembling.
"If it's not dead, it might be hiding in some material world, waiting for death in unwillingness and terror. If we catch it, it would rather die."
The Lord of Darkness nodded with a smile, "Indeed, Demogorgon is no longer significant. Our full target is the spider demon."
Soon after, the alliance began its confrontation with the spider demon faction, neither side yielding, with the conflict gradually escalating in scale.
...
The pervasive snow and the world outside all paused for a moment. The silver dragon slowly opened its deep platinum eyes, and the world resumed.
"Garon Aurelian, my child."
"The core of the Astral Realm has been found. Come and become the king of the Astral Realm."
It was the nine-faced dragon god's message that interrupted Garon's gradual influence and control over the river of time in the material plane.
"So soon, the core of the Astral Realm has been found. Truly worthy of a major god."
Hearing the nine-faced dragon god, Garon showed a trace of joy.
From the start of the search for the core to now took a long time, as locating any plane's core is difficult, especially considering the vastness of the Astral Realm. Even with the nine-faced dragon god personally involved, Garon had expected it to take a long time.
Responding to the call, Garon followed the coordinates given, traversing via the river of time.
In the whistling snowstorm.
The vast silver dragon's body faded away.
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