Several societies tried to stop Yeon-woo and Olympus from taking drastic action.
âI believe I was clear. I said not to be greedy,â Yeon-woo growled while turning towards each of the gazes.
[The godly society, <Memphis> is silent!]
[The godly society, <Avesta>, is silent!]
âŚ
[All societies that have received a declaration of war request mercy from the Black Kingâs ego!]
âYou were aware of my warning, yet you still went ahead and took these actions, right? Alright, letâs see what happens.â
[Olympus has formed a conquest force.]
[List of Conquest Forces]
First Corps Commander: Ares
Second Corps Commander: Hercules
Third Corps Commander: Apollo
âŚ
[The First Corps has been deployed to Deva.]
[The Second Corps has been deployed to Memphis.]
[The Third Corps has been deployed to Avesta.]
âŚ
[The heavenly world societies that have received a declaration of war from Olympus prepare their defenses!]
[The demonic societies that have been invaded by Olympus prepare for the coming war!]
âŚ
[Some of the godly societies want to send envoys to Olympus.]
[Some demon societies have expressed their intention to surrender.]
[The Black Kingâs ego has refused all envoy visits.]
[The Black Kingâs ego has ignored all intentions and conveyances to surrender.]
âŚ
[All gods of death are moving to execute âdeathâ!]
[All demons of death are moving to bestow the blessing of âdeathâ on those who have defied the kingâs dignity!]
[Allied forces, <Chan Sect>, are ready and awaiting their orders.]
[Allied forces, <Niflheim>, are ready and awaiting their orders.]
âŚ
[The heavenly world has fallen into extreme chaos and disarray!]
During the entire time, Yeon-woo completely ignored the wishes of the various societies who wanted to send him envoys. Furthermore, he also left a separate order to his apostles who were in charge as corps commandersâŚto not let up the attack unless their opponents surrendered unconditionally.
âI can see why the Heavenly Demon tried to lock up all the gods and demons in the Tower.â
If they could see the slightest of openings, gods and demons were prone to taking whatever advantages that they could of a situation. They only acted for themselves, which made them too difficult to control. This time, while Yeon-woo had momentarily slept, they had almost destroyed Earth.
Yeon-woo felt that it was not enough to suppress them using force. He needed to lock them up or tie them down somewhere.
Chan Sect and Niflheim, who still have a good relationship with Olympus, expressed their willingness to mobilize and support Olympus. However, Yeon-woo did not accept their offer. There was absolutely no need to borrow their forces and distribute the spoils. MoreoverâŚ
[According to the request of Olympusâ leader, âAnankeâ is descending!]
The only being from Olympus who was not joining the combat forces quietly descended onto Earth. Ananke was a goddess who possessed warm, comforting eyes. In Olympus, she was a being who had âdestinyâ as her divine domain. Additionally, she was a familiar face for Yeon-woo.
âDid you call?â Ananke spoke in a very polite, formal manner to Yeon-woo.
At that momentâŚÂ Crack! Scythe shattered and took on a human form. Kronos looked at Ananke with her tender gaze. His eyes were watery, seemingly filled with tears.
ăItâs been a while, godmother.ă
âIâm glad to see that your future and fortunes look brighter than before, Kronos.â
When Yeon-woo experienced Kronosâ legends, Ananke, along with the giant Atlas, were the two existences who had always been by his side.
Ananke was like a mother to Kronos. All the love he received during his youth came from her. However, after Kronos became infected with Demonism and became a tyrant, Ananke resigned from all her posts at Olympus and took a step back within the society. And after Kronosâ fall, she stopped appearing publicly and quietly lived a life of seclusion in the heavenly worldâs senate.
The reason Ananke had to live quietly was because those on Zeusâ side were constantly wary of her existence. She also remained quiet because she was not the type to seek power.
And now, these two were meeting together once again.
ăAbout the pastâŚI wanted to apologize.ă
Even though it had been some time since Kronos awakened, he did not feel comfortable meeting Ananke. No, Kronos did not dare to meet her. It was just like how Kronos felt terrible and sorry for Poseidon and the others but did not approach them directly for forgiveness. He had committed so many atrocities towards Ananke that he could not muster the courage to face her.
Kronos: Godmother. I understand that, in your eyes, I still seem like a young child, but I am now king. Your caring actions are actually an interference for me.
Ananke: You want me to forgive them? Youâre asking me for a favor? Do you think what youâre saying makes sense?
Kronos: Does godmother know how much of a negative impact your actions have had on me? You should be grateful that I am only requesting self-constraint.
Kronosâ reign was mostly marked by tyranny and fear.
Ananke, with her warm personality, was the only person that the others, those who suffered under Kronosâ tyranny, could depend on.
As a result, they had no choice but to constantly argue with each other. And each time they argued, Ananke would be turned away with a fresh new emotional wound.
In a way, Kronosâ apology was a bit too late.
âKronos.â Ananke smiled. Her expression and aura had returned to the warm-hearted caregiver who had taken care of an immature child. âIâm glad your visage is brighter than it was back then. This godmother was always really worried about that.â
ăâŚ!ă Kronos stiffened and remained quiet. His godmother was still his godmother, even after all this time.
âIâve heard that you have a connection with By the Table.â Yeon-woo carefully approached the two.
Ananke gave a warm smile and bowed her head to Yeon-woo. âPlease speak comfortably. You are the king. A king never speaks up to oneâs subjects.â She used a noble yet direct tone.
Yeon-woo seemed to know where Kronosâ somewhat stately manner came from. âSince Ananke is like my mother to my father, I view you as my grand-godmother. I do not dare be impolite.â
A strange smile appeared on Anankeâs lips as she looked at Yeon-woo. âYou seem to resemble your father, but you developed in a much more mature fashion.â
âI am much better than my father.â
âWell, thatâs not really saying much. Kronos was essentially just an idiotâŚâ
âI, on the other hand, am not an idiot.â
âWhat would have happened if he never met Rhea? Kronos really was truly lucky.â
ăWhat the hell are you two talking about?!ă Kronos could no longer stand by and listen to their judgmental comments, so he screamed.
The two laughed lightly. Kronos still had a grim expression on his face. Then Ananke, with a serious expression, said, âAfter taking a step back from Olympus and focusing on the heavenly worldâs senate, I often took a position as an intermediary between Olympus and By the Table whenever it was needed.â
This was the main reason why Zeus and the others could not easily get rid of Ananke. Ananke maintained a close relationship with By the Table, the organization that managed Rheaâs legacy. Moreover, Ananke had a very special relationship with Rhea.
Zeus and the others required an ample reserve of supplies and resources to maintain their rule within Olympus, so they depended heavily on By the Table. Thus, it was not possible for Zeus and the others to do anything to Ananke, their intermediary agent. Thus, Yeon-woo was planning on asking Ananke to arrange a meeting for him with By the Table.
Yeon-woo could have found some other way to meet them if he were still in the Tower, but now that he was outside, he did not have any means of communicating with or meeting them. âAfter saving Sesha and the others with the ark, they were said to have just left.â
âBut after the Tower collapsed, there seems to be a lot of confusion and chaos within By the Table.â
In an instant, Yeon-wooâs eyes lit up. âConfusion and chaosâŚ?â
âI think there was internal strife. I donât know the exact details.â
âHmm.â
Just as Yeon-woo suspected, something was up.
âIn addition, it is known that the current leader has not made a public appearance in a long time, and the successor has largely taken over most of the management and operations⌠it seems the successor has taken over control and power of the group, or the one truly in power has put the successor out as the public face of the organization.â
Yeon-woo seemed to have an inkling of what was going on. âIs the successorâs name âYulâ?â
Anankeâs eyes widened after hearing Yeon-wooâs words. âDo you know himâŚ?â
***
[Olympus begins the war!]
[The heavenly world is in an uproar.]
ââŚah, my oraboni, I can always tell right away wherever you are and what youâre doing. Still, shouldnât you have visited me at some point? Iâm really hurt.â Edora murmured with a sigh. She knew that Yeon-woo had fallen into a deep sleep.
Though Edora always carried herself well outwardly, there were many times when she internally resented Yeon-woo quite a bit. She had finally conveyed her true feelings for him, and she thought that her dreams had come true⌠However, Yeon-woo made a choice to sleep arbitrarily without any consultation with her.
Even if Yeon-woo decided to sacrifice himself to save everyone, Edora would be losing her one and only lover, so her heart had ached. Still, for more than ten years, Edora did not give up on or change her feelings towards Yeon-woo. And she was certain that Yeon-woo felt the same way. The thread of the bond between them could never be broken from time.
However, Yeon-wooâs indifference infuriated Edora. No matter how much work he had to do, he could have at least sent her a message. Unfortunately, despite Yeon-woo causing such a great commotion, there was no sign of any incoming message. Did he forget about her? Such a heartless person. While grumbling like that, Edora hugged Divine Evil and went on her way.
ââŚHuh?â
[A message has arrived from the Black Kingâs ego.]
Edoraâs eyes widened as she saw the sudden system message appear in front of her eyes. After leaving the Tower, outside of entering a gate, she had rarely ever seen a message pop up.
[Message: Iâll pay a visit soon. Sorry.]
As she saw the blunt message, Edora unwittingly smiled wryly. âAnyway, so not a gentleman.â Even as she said that, she looked glad.
âMiss!â Suddenly someone ran into the field where Edora was. It was another âsisterâ who had once trained with Edora to become a potential priestess. However, something in the sisterâs expression seemed urgent. It was a facial expression full of sadness and confusion.
Edora felt something ominous and made a serious face. âWhatâs going on?â
âThe Psychic MediumâŚ!â
***
âDonât cry. To be honest, Iâve been alive here for too long. Iâm just going back to Shaohao Jintianâs side.â
The Psychic Medium caressed Phanteâs shoulder as he burst into tears in front of her. She thought her son would be immature all his life, but his shoulders had become broad as he carried the heavy responsibilities as the tribeâs chief. The Psychic Medium suddenly had a thought that, just like his father, Phante would lead the tribe well. With that thought in her mind, the Psychic Medium smiled.
However, seeing this response from his mother, Phante broke down and cried even louder.
Since escaping from the Tower, the One-horned Tribe had taken great efforts to find a place to stay while fighting the war against Night while supporting Day.
Shaohao Jintian was the original ancestor of the One-horned Tribe members. This was the reason why the tribe members had entered the Tower long ago. Since too much time had passed to return to their original hometown outside the Tower, they began to look for a new home. They had finally settled in one place.
However, in the process of searching for a place to call home, the Psychic Medium consumed an inordinate amount of spirit power. Her mental and physical exhaustion after the Martial Kingâs passing was already great, but with the added responsibility of overseeing the fortunes of her tribe on her shoulders, she quickly wore thin. As she used up more of her spirit power, her vitality started to dim, and as a result, she started aging quickly.
Each time Phante saw this, he told her to hold back and argued with her, but she remained stubborn.
From a certain point in the past, like the Martial King, the Psychic Medium was given a nickname within the tribe. She was their âHoly Motherâ.
The titles bestowed on the two illustrated just how influential both figures were to the tribe. And nowâŚ
The Psychic Medium could feel the last remaining time pass before her eyes.
âMother!â After hearing about her motherâs precarious status, Edora had rushed to her motherâs abode. Edora was huffing and puffing as she entered.
âWhy is everyone making such a fuss?â Unlike what her pale complexion indicated, the Psychic Medium had a smile on her lips. She continued to pat the shoulders of her grown son. âPhante, as you promised, will you give me some time with your sister?â
The Psychic Medium had previously asked her son to give her some privacy to speak with Edora one-on-one. Though he wanted to state that he was unwilling to leave his motherâs sideâŚ
ââŚIâll take my leave.â Biting his lower lip, Phante left his motherâs room, along with the other tribal members who had been guarding her bedside.
âIâm not sure what mother is planning to sayâŚbut it seems like she has a very important request for you. SoâŚmake sure you listen well.â Phante was only able to leave after continuously badgering his sister about the importance of listening to his motherâs last words.
After Phante left, Edora approached her mother and cautiously dropped down on her knees.
The Psychic Medium rummaged through her coat and quietly placed two wooden boards on the floor. The words âAbsoluteâ and âDeathâ were written on the boards respectively.
âThis isâŚ?â In an instant, Edora felt an ominous feeling as her eyes fluttered.
âBefore I leaveâŚI used my last remaining strength to conduct a fortune-telling of my future son-in-law. This is the divination I received.â
These were words that Edora had never considered, so Edora froze.
The wrinkles around the Psychic Mediumâs eyes deepened. âItâs the same no matter how many times I conducted his fortune-telling. Itâs the same result each time, like your fatherâs divination. It doesnât change.â