Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality Chapter 611

Chapter 611: Chapter 195: [To the Most Beautiful Goddess]

The Sea of Pontus Euxinus glimmered with radiant hues. In comparison to the last visit from Zeus, the ancient Sea God Palace had been rejuvenated.

The sea mirrored the colors of the sky, vibrant corals sprouted from the seabed, and fish of various colors darted amongst them. Creatures flowing with sacred blood thrived and multiplied, showcasing their divine nature.

Due to the gathering of gods, thunderclouds and fierce winds surged on the sea's surface, flowers grew in the air, petals drifting down and bringing waves of fragrance. In the ocean below, giant clams opened, revealing pearls that shone like stars.

All of this was prepared for the wedding, but when the Divine King descended from the golden chariot, he unsurprisingly realized that the sea nymph Thetis was not seated in the place of honor.

“Looks like she knows, too, that this wedding is not really for her. Though, she probably just thinks the protagonists are me and her father…”

The thought flickered, and Zeus, surrounded by a group of nymphs, entered the palace.

He felt somewhat regretful–in fact, the Divine King knew about the prophecy concerning Thetis not through intuition or suddenly deciding to consult on Mount Nysa. In truth, he first took a liking to this beautiful sea nymph, and only then sought out the guidance of destiny, for one mishap was enough.

As for the result… clearly, just as he feared, it was another Metis, so Zeus decisively abandoned her. Just as he had never approached Aphrodite, perhaps the Divine King did not care about matters of status, much like how he was never lenient with his granddaughter. But for some people, he always maintained a respectful distance.

In the vast divine palace, Zeus entered the main hall, surrounded by nymphs. The gods who had arrived early were already exchanging cups, drinking, and laughing.

Seeing the Divine King enter, the gods stepped forward to pay their respects, and Zeus responded with laughter. He seated himself on the specially prepared golden throne and began to converse in low tones with Hera beside him.

Compared to before, the Heavenly Empress's complexion had improved significantly, and this wedding, attended by all gods, had put her in a good mood. Therefore, Hera uncharacteristically poured a cup of nectar for Zeus, which surprised even the Divine King somewhat.

Perhaps it was because he had too many illegitimate children over these years; Hera hadn't shown him a good face for a long time.

Time passed by second by second until Apollo, who was on duty, came as well–most deities willing to attend were now present.

The heavy doors closed slowly, making a loud noise. All the gods realized that the wedding was about to begin, their gazes turned to the Divine King and Sea God Nereus, awaiting their speeches.

Surely this wedding wouldn't truly be just a wedding… much like how Poseidon, at this moment, gloomily looked towards the head seat, occasionally glancing at his queen Amphitrite.

Nevertheless, the sea nymph, also a daughter of Nereus, seemed utterly unaware of what was happening. She simply flitted amongst her old sisters, flaunting her current life.

Among Nereus's children, there were no true gods, so Amphitrite held the highest status among them.

“Let's begin, Hera. You are the guardian of marriage; it should be you who presides over this.”

Without standing up, under the gaze of the gods, Zeus gestured to Hera.

“Me?”

Somewhat surprised, Hera looked at Zeus, only to receive an affirming look.

The Divine King had no intention of speaking; his focus was never on this wedding. In comparison, even the grand event in the mortal world was more worth his attention.

Zeus was not sure if everything was proceeding smoothly; after all, unexpected events were not uncommon. Fortunately, he had prepared a plan.

“Alright.”

Nodding in agreement, Hera slowly rose from her seat.

If Zeus did not want to speak, then so be it. She did not understand the purpose of this sudden wedding, either. However, with Hera substituting for the Divine King in making the speech, there was nothing amiss, so she adjusted her expression and spoke in a calm and confident tone.

“Ladies and gentlemen.”

The golden crown swayed as the Heavenly Empress looked towards the wedding “protagonists” who were relegated to the corner.

“Today, at the invitation of the King of All Gods…”

Creak–

A moment later, the originally closed doors suddenly swung open, interrupting Hera's speech.

The eyes of the gods converged there, immediately recognizing the newcomer. It was one of the Nereus's lesser-known daughters, a greeter for the banquet.

Some among the gods were ready to chastise but fell silent in the next instant.

Because everyone saw that all too familiar yet unfamiliar golden fruit.

Walking hurriedly in the palace, Onyx held a silver tray in her hands.

Without a goblet, on the tray lay a treasure exuding a brilliant fragrance. Even just by the scent, Onyx felt the power within her body surge and ebb, even the slightest increase.

This was no illusion; compared to a true god, they lacked a so-called “limit of divine power” since local deities without divine offices and authorities could only infinitely approach the lower limit of true gods but never reach it.

Exceptions existed, but Onyx was not one among them. Feeling the surging power within her, she was once again struck by the might of this legendary divine object.

A treasure that enhances divine power, even if just by a thread, was extremely terrifying. In comparison, the so-called “Golden Apple Tree” planted by Heavenly Empress Hera from a branch was like a clumsy counterfeit. Without ever having tasted it, Onyx could sense the gulf between the two.

Yet, at this moment, though carrying the silver tray, her heart felt no joy.

As sons of the ancient Sea God, the fifty sea nymphs born to Thalassa Nereus and Oceanides Doris were collectively known as the Nereids Sisters. While they were not true gods, being around the Olympian Gods, most were quite familiar with the matters amongst them.

Thus, just moments ago, when Out-of-Nowhere Goddess Eris, in her presence, produced that golden apple, Onyx's emotions were mixed with excitement, but seeing the black words on it, all joy turned into terror.

“[For the Fairest Goddess]”

This was a gift from Eris, a congratulation to the wedding's hosts, thus logically, it should have been a gift for Onyx's sister Thetis.

But without needing to think, Onyx didn't at all consider her sister to deserve the title of “Fairest Goddess.”

She tried to refuse the lavish gift, but Eris evidently gave her no chance. Forced to take the golden apple, unless Onyx kept it herself, she had no choice but to deliver it inside.

'But keeping it is not an option… compared to Thetis, I dare not call myself the fairest goddess.'

Gritting her teeth, Onyx felt the situation worsening.

If this were just an ordinary banquet, just a wedding held by her Divine Ocean family, receiving such a gift wouldn't mean much. But now, all gods were here, even those reclusive deities attended.

Her thoughts jumbled, yet she kept walking forward. For a moment, she even felt a bit fortunate that it was she who received the gift.

Just like how some extraordinary kings and demigods occasionally appeared among mortals, Onyx did not doubt that if certain of her sisters had received this gift, they might have claimed it as their own, even genuinely believing themselves to be the fairest goddess from then on.

Tap-tap-tap–

Footsteps echoed in the corridor, the door was right in front of her. Onyx took a deep breath, gently pushing open the heavy hall doors.

With a sound of friction, the doors slowly opened.

“…Here, I will witness this sacred marriage, bestowing eternal blessings upon both, wishing–”

Hera's speech was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Hundreds of gazes fixed upon Onyx, bringing pressure as heavy as a mountain.

Unable to speak momentarily, it wasn't until she saw Zeus on the golden throne wave his hand that the immense pressure dissipated.

“Daughter of Nereus, why do you come to interrupt the progress of the wedding?”

Not far from the Divine King, the Wind God Zephyrus spoke loudly, and Onyx immediately raised the silver tray.

Under the gods' scrutiny, the existence of the golden apple was glaringly obvious and strikingly captivating.

“Honorable Majesty, distinguished guests, moments ago, Her Highness Eris from the Netherworld brought this gift.”

Stepping forward and placing the tray with the golden apple on the table, Onyx felt immensely relieved, as though a burden had been lifted from her.

“Gave a gift… then where is she now?”

A deity inquired, and Onyx truthfully explained.

“Her Highness Eris said she received no invitation from the Divine King… so, after leaving the gift, she departed.”

The scene turned somewhat awkward for a moment, even the face of the Goddess of Hearthfire flashed with a hint of crimson. Discord Goddess was one thing, but indeed, Hestia hadn't remembered her brother far in the Netherworld.

“Ahem, then leave it behind… Moanda, is this the golden apple you gave to Eris?”

With a light cough, Hestia noticed Onyx's tension and indicated she could leave. Nonchalantly changing the subject, though the Goddess of Life expressed she hadn't left any golden apples for gods in the Netherworld.

“Perhaps it was a gift Mother Earth once gave to her two younger sisters. Though never acknowledged, it is said those true gods born of the Netherworld indeed relate to the two Primordial Gods.”

Some deity speculated, and the notion was quickly affirmed. However, whilst speaking, Hestia suddenly noticed that the sea nymph had not yet departed.

“Is there something else you wish to say?” she inquired, soon regretting it.

Because under the gods' gaze, Onyx hesitated but stepped forward to rotate the tray.

The other side of the golden apple was then revealed to the gods… along with that line of inscription.

“[For the Fairest Goddess]”

The place fell silent momentarily, Onyx quietly exited the palace, but now no one cared about her.

A golden apple by itself meant nothing; an apple engraved couldn't prove anything. If it appeared elsewhere, at another time, or under conditions where only part of the deities were present, it was a mere ordinary apple.

Even if a goddess had made it for herself, it would become a laughingstock. The value of a trophy is defined not by the trophy itself, but its audience, and quite unfortunately, at this wedding, nearly ninety percent of the significant “audience” from the Chaos World is gathered.

Obtaining a golden apple inscribed with “For the Fairest Goddess” doesn't confirm you as the fairest. Yet, acquiring it before nearly all deities of Chaos witnessing makes that concept quite real.

The Primordial Titans were aware that, in the distant past, the Lord of the Spirit Realm had thereby gained the Chronology, and modern deities also knew how Zephyrus, the God of the West Wind, gradually became the leader among the four Wind Gods, acting partly on the remaining authority of the God of Meteorology in the present.

For women, true “beauty” stems from character, marriage, power, wisdom, or appearance and talent–this was always an unresolved matter, causing disputes among goddesses. Yet, when Chaos's gods collectively select a winner, the authority represented by her stands legitimately as an interpretation of “beauty.”

And extending from this… if one could assemble other gods associated with “beauty” around themselves, could this lead to a unified ocean, an integrated sun and light, or even the Divine King's current state, possessing the ability to break the limits of a true god?

Nobody knew for sure, and all speculated, given that successive Divine Kings were the sole known beings not born at the world's genesis yet still breaking the constraints of a true god. Even possessing the interpretation of “beauty” didn't imply subjugating other goddesses, an endeavor exceedingly more challenging than selecting “beauty.”

Nonetheless, regardless of how implausible it seemed, in the endless life of a deity, even the smallest possibility bore a chance of realization.

Boom–!

Suddenly, the calm within the palace was shattered as Hestia acted. Intense flames birthed from nothingness, rushing toward the golden apple. Yet many powerful divine beings clearly saw that the Goddess of Hearth aimed not to seize it, but to destroy it.

Evidently, as the elder sister of the Divine King, Hestia foresaw upcoming events, not hoping for them to occur. However, under her flames' incineration, the golden apple remained unmarred, instead glowing brighter.

This highlighted the immense value of the golden apple.

No material in existence could endure under a powerful deity's divine power indefinitely… the golden apple was among the few exceptions. Until its vast vitality wore down, few things could truly destroy it.

Of course, creations of life could naturally dissolve into life, but if a goddess were to consume it directly, it would equate to claiming the golden apple by force.

“Tch, interesting, such a fine item, and you're just going to ruin it?”

“Extinguish!”

Smiling slightly, with a soft command, the red-dressed maiden among the gods twirled, a blue figure appearing behind her. The blue-dressed girl pointed, extinguishing Hestia's flames instantly.

Ignoring the concerned gaze of the Moon Goddess beside her, Hecate stepped out from among the gods. She cast a playful look over the present gods, pausing particularly at Aphrodite and Hera.

She knew today would be entertaining. Although the prophecy revealed was quite vague, and reflected some terrifying scenes, Hecate had still come.

“Don't be hasty to destroy the evidence… 'Fairest Goddess,' tsk tsk, does anyone here wish to claim this title?”

Chapter end

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