The second Holy War.
Its conclusion was quite simple.
In fact!
As the gods had mockingly remarked, it could truly be described as a child's play. Led by Hypnos and Thanatos, the Underworld swept through Oceanus and the Heavens with lightning speed.
From start to finish.
The resistance from Oceanus and the Heavens was minimal, almost as if it was just for show.
Anyone with a keen eye could see that this was nothing but going through the motions.
Come on!
Even if you're slacking, at least try to act like you're putting in some effort. You can't just blatantly not even pretend, right?
In the end.
The Underworld lost to Sanctuary, and that was that. The Holy War concluded in such an absurd manner that it left people unsure of where to even begin criticizing it. Mostly because no one dared—this was the business of the four God-Kings. Who would dare?
Even though it might seem that Sanctuary was just starting out, Athena's domain was vast. She was, after all, the true ruler of the earth.
In this context!
There wasn't much more to be said.
The second Holy War.
In the end.
It concluded in such a ridiculous manner that everything returned to peace. The gods, after taking in the situation, could only shrug. Well, that's that. Best to stop here and quietly move on.
What else could they do?
What other options were there?
They had to accept it!
Though it felt frustrating.
Still!
There was simply nothing anyone could do.
The gods hid away quietly, waiting patiently for what would come next.
The Creation!
The Creation of Man!
Next!
Everything was truly about to begin. After all, the new era needed to start properly. Otherwise, delaying it further wouldn't do anyone any good.
After all.
For the three God-Kings, preparations had long been made. Naturally, it was time for everything to begin.
Within the temple!
The shadows of the four God-Kings appeared once more. This time, none of them even bothered to show up in person, as there wasn't much point. They merely discussed things briefly.
"Ten million years."
"Five million years."
"Three million years."
"One million years."
Hades spoke slowly, setting the new rules. The rules for the first Holy War had been established by only three God-Kings, but now, there were four.
Whether Athena was considered a junior didn't matter; the necessary respect had to be given. As a God-King, all privileges were to be hers, and the distribution of benefits had to be restructured.
Of course.
For Hades, Poseidon, and Polaris, the resources gained from plundering the mortal world didn't matter much anymore. They had already accumulated what they needed, so much of it no longer interested them.
Athena, however, was different. As a junior deity, she had far less wealth and desperately needed this position to accumulate her own initial resources.
The key difference!
Athena, unlike the three God-Kings, couldn't act as freely.
The three God-Kings could plunder however they liked, doing as they pleased without fear of being challenged or opposed.
And why?
Heh.
The fundamental reason was that the three God-Kings were simply too powerful. Their strength allowed them to take what they wanted, whenever they wanted, without anyone daring to challenge them.
This strength came from their own inherent power.
The three God-Kings could plunder freely not because of the authority of their titles, but because they truly possessed the strength of God-Kings. That was the root cause of their freedom to take what they wanted.
Otherwise?
Just try it!
But what about Athena?
Even if Athena wanted to plunder, she would have to tread carefully, thinking through her actions.
It goes to show!
Many things aren't as simple as they appear.
And now!
With Hades setting new rules, Poseidon and Polaris had no objections. To them, it didn't really matter.
Then.
After a brief moment of thought, Hades continued, "The creation of man will be Athena's responsibility. However, Athena, you must complete the task within your allotted ten million years. Otherwise, the responsibility will fall back to me."
"Understood!" Athena replied calmly, without any objections.
"..."
Hades, Poseidon, and Polaris.
In silence, they left one by one.
Athena's shadow, too, slowly disappeared.
With the departure of the four God-Kings, the God-King's crown returned to Sanctuary. The gods knew that soon, everything would begin, and they were all waiting in anticipation.
To be precise!
They were eagerly awaiting the dawn of a new era.
In Sanctuary!
"Lady Goddess!"
Prometheus, somewhat anxious, watched as the goddess slowly opened her eyes. Although he knew that, given the personalities of the three God-Kings, they wouldn't stoop to anything disgraceful.
After all!
Their status was such that if they were to break their word and go back on their agreement, it would be a complete loss of face.
If they really did that, the three God-Kings would never be able to show their faces again.
As God-Kings!
At their level, what they fought for was their reputation. Losing face was something they simply couldn't afford.
But...
There's always that one in a million chance!
Gods.
Though Prometheus was also a god, he knew all too well—perhaps too well—that gods could be utterly shameless. Truly and utterly shameless.
And that wasn't just talk.
If a god decided to be shameless?
It would be an utterly infuriating situation!
"..."
Athena remained silent for a moment before speaking calmly. "Prometheus, keep calm. Everything is proceeding as planned. There's no need to worry."
"Yes!" Prometheus smiled slightly. Compared to Zeus in the past, things might seem more difficult now, but that didn't matter.
Prometheus didn't care. He had confidence in moving forward. Now that the issues had been resolved, everything would be fine as long as they advanced steadily.
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