I Am Hades, Lord of the Underworld!

The Ancient Gods.

The pursuit of this supreme level is the ultimate goal for countless deities, yet it is also a threshold that keeps most of them forever barred from entry.

In their frustration, many gods redirected their ambitions toward becoming God-Kings. But even then, how achievable is that?

When Aether ascended to the rank of God-King, it drove all the gods to madness. Why? The reason is simple!

They knew they had no hope of becoming God-Kings themselves.

God-King!

The King of the Gods!

This is the highest echelon among deities, a level that drives them to obsession, consuming their every thought.

Yet, no matter how hard they strive, the number of deities who can reach the level of God-King is exceedingly small—so few they can be counted on one hand, a description that is all too fitting.

Such is the terror of the God-King.

Beyond this? The Ancient God!

That level is not even within reach for ordinary deities; it is a power they are not qualified to seek or touch.

In fact, apart from Uranus, the first God-King who was born as an Ancient God, and whose essence was that of eight Ancient Gods, the others struggled to break these limits.

Cronus, for example, was an exception, shattering the limitations and breaking through to become an Ancient God with his own power.

But after Uranus, every God-King's limit has been just that—God-King. This is the boundary set by the mythological world. Although there appears to be hope, a chance to step into a higher realm, is it really that simple?

It's far from easy!

This is an almost insurmountable challenge. Hades, Poseidon, and Zeus—all of them are scheming, all of them are preparing. They have expended countless resources, countless efforts, in the pursuit of this slim chance. But does that chance truly exist?

It does!

However, achieving it is by no means easy. In this process, the price to be paid for success is uncertain—no one knows what it might entail.

One thing is certain: no one will give up.

"To know the Way in the morning, and to die content in the evening."

For the gods, eternal stagnation is the most despairing fate. If they cannot advance further, they are ultimately mere puppets.

Within Elysium.

Hades quietly closed his eyes but murmured softly, "It's time for everything to begin. As time passes, let's see what happens next, and what the future holds."

...

Time flows like water.

It may seem slow.

But in reality, it rushes by at an unimaginable speed, crossing everyone's expectations, arriving right before their eyes.

Calm!

After Hestia returned to the Underworld and never left again, the entire mythological world settled into tranquility.

It was an unsettling calm.

The Sea Emperor's Temple.

The Celestial Emperor's Temple.

These were gradually constructed.

In the far west, the Celestial Emperor's Temple was established.

In the far south, the Sea Emperor's Temple was built.

With the completion of these temples, Poseidon and Zeus began instructing their subordinate gods to gradually start selecting believers and cultivating faith.

Though this effort pales in comparison to the accomplishments of Sparta, something must still be done during this golden era.

Otherwise, it would be too humiliating!

This is not a joke.

In the Underworld, they've produced Spartans as followers and even established a nation. If we do nothing, isn't that a disgrace?

Poseidon and Zeus certainly didn't want that.

For them, this isn't just about gaining followers—it's about pride!

Do we really not care about our reputation?

This question is what truly matters.

Because of this, they knew they had to take action. Regardless of the scale, they needed to at least make some preparations. At the very least, they couldn't afford to be so embarrassed. While they couldn't create a faith like Sparta's, establishing a nation or a congregation was still within their capabilities.

There was fundamentally no issue with this.

And as everything was completed, peace returned to the mortal world.

For a time, the entire mythological world seemed to have plunged into a state of complete tranquility. After the end of the Titan War, true peace had arrived, a calm even more serene than the Golden Age under Cronus.

The three God-Kings imposed no oppression or restrictions.

Whatever you wish to do, you may do. However you choose to live, you may live.

We won't interfere.

But the more this went on, the more nervous many gods became. What is this? Something feels off! I can't shake the feeling that something isn't quite right.

Calm!

Peace!

But the problem is, isn't this peace and calm a bit too eerie? It's so unsettling that it seems almost absurd.

Before long, the gods who used to roam freely, observing the world casually, began to feel uneasy. This isn't right! Something is definitely off!

One by one, they retreated into hiding, quietly observing from the shadows, convinced that something was wrong.

Although they couldn't pinpoint what exactly was amiss, they were certain something was off, so they decided it was safer to lay low.

In the far west.

At the Celestial Emperor's Temple.

Here, an elderly man coughed weakly but devotedly spread the faith to all the believers, quietly guiding them, instilling a new sense of purpose in these Golden Age humans who had lost their drive.

Meanwhile, a similar situation was unfolding at the Sea Emperor's Temple.

Even at the Underworld Temple, a similar presence could be found.

The Underworld Temple.

The Sea Emperor's Temple.

The Celestial Emperor's Temple.

These temples built by the three God-Kings seemed unremarkable on the surface, maintaining a facade of peace. Yet in reality, they were anything but ordinary. Each God-King had laid their own plans, quietly preparing, biding their time.

When the time comes, what will the outcome be?

That will be the most interesting moment, and as time ticks by, there is now only one year left until the start of the God-King Council!

The shift has truly begun.

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Read Ahead

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