Outside, the rain was getting heavier.

Waiting silently in the house, Iris was not in a good mood.

She never does less than waiting for others.

But this was her first time waiting for a mortal.

If Hestia wasn't around, the Rainbow Goddess would never waste her time on a few humans.

Fortunately, just when she was getting a little impatient, there was finally a knock on the door of the wooden house.

dong dong dong-

"Come in, the door is unlocked."

Squeak——

The not-so-strong wooden door was pushed open, and a tall young man walked towards him.

If nothing unexpected happens, she should be the 'Mephisto' mentioned by the Goddess of Hearth... Looking back, a hint of surprise flashed in Iris's eyes.

Behind the other person, the so-called elder did not look that old.

From the outside, the other party looked more like a middle-aged man who had experienced many years, except for his pair of blood-red eyes which were a little unusual.

However, the Rainbow Goddess was obviously not surprised by this, because for some reason, she always felt that the person in front of her was somewhat familiar.

It was as if she had seen the other person when he was young before, but when she thought carefully, she couldn't find any impression at all.

"…You are late."

"Hasn't anyone taught you to visit someone's home in advance?"

Speaking quietly, without giving it much thought, Iris put aside the familiar feeling.

Perhaps she had indeed seen him there before, the 'sage' of the human kingdom... And in front of her, in a place where the Rainbow Goddess did not notice, Mephisto, who walked in, also had a flash of surprise in his heart.

"This is... Iris?"

With a flicker in his eyes, Mephisto just smiled and asked back at the other party's question:

"Madam, may I ask in what capacity you are questioning me?"

"…Isn't it possible as a guest?"

After a slight pause, the Rainbow Goddess answered decisively:

"As a punctual guest, I naturally don't like people like you who have no sense of time. This should be no problem."

"No problem at all."

Mephisto shook his head slightly, his smile unchanged.

"It's just that guests have things to do, and he shouldn't make decisions for the host, because they simply can't make the right choice... just like now."

"Ma'am, I'd like to know how you came to the conclusion that we were late when there was still half a water clock before our agreed time."

"But I think there might be some misunderstanding between us that made you hold a prejudice against me."

"If that is the case, please allow me to express my apologies and make amends for my unintentional behavior."

"..."

Speechless, Iris had to admit that he was indeed a very polite young man.

She curled her lips and stopped trying to find fault with him.

The Rainbow Goddess looked at the other's 'elder' and said nothing more.

"Okay...it's all done."

"Young men, you are here."

Just when the scene was getting a little quiet, Hestia came from the kitchen carrying a large basket of dried fruits.

Of course she heard the debate in the house, but Iris's dissatisfaction with waiting for humans was also common to all the gods.

Shaking her head secretly, the Hearth Goddess placed the food she had prepared on the table.

She was about to say something, but when she looked up and saw the middle-aged man in front of her, she was stunned for a moment.

"what happened?"

"……nothing."

"It's just that sir, you reminded me of an old friend."

Forced a smile, Hestia took a deep breath and put all the associations back into her mind.

Maybe it's because this place is too special. After all, this town is not far from there.

Without giving it much thought, the Kitchen Goddess called out to the guests who had come.

Time flies, so many years have passed.

Those events were so old that even she could hardly remember them.

……

The dinner was ordinary, nothing special.

Neither Mephistopheles nor the two goddesses showed anything unusual.

The meal went on normally until the heavy rain stopped and the people said goodbye to each other at the door of the wooden house.

I subconsciously breathed a sigh of relief, but then felt a little confused.

The Rainbow Goddess didn't know what was wrong with her. Why did she care so much about the coming and going of two humans today?

Well, they have left, and it is time for me to complete my mission... Turning around and bowing, Iris conveyed the God King's order to the Goddess of Hearth.

"……That's it."

"Your Majesty hopes that the gods will do something in the world to punish those humans who blaspheme the gods."

"Of course, Your Highness, you can decide as you wish."

"Whether we do it or not, I think His Majesty the Divine King will have no objection."

"Is that so?"

Frowning in thought, Hestia sighed upon hearing this.

Things have come to this point, and the flames of war are spreading among the gods...

She also knew about the changes that happened on the sacred mountain not long ago.

Under the unshakable will of the King of Gods, Olympus and the spirit world finally came to this point... Although she didn't want to get involved, as Zeus' sister, Hestia couldn't stay out of it.

However, on that day, when she was about to go, someone stopped her.

For the guardian of the house, as the eldest sister of Zeus' six siblings, no one could stop her from helping her family, but that person was different.

When she spoke to the goddess, Hestia finally chose to obey.

And from that day on, she has stayed here...even for that reason, she cleaned the temple where the Titan was worshipped.

"Iris...tell Zeus."

"If it really comes to a life-and-death struggle, I will help him."

"But until then, my attitude remains the same."

"As an eternal god, there's nothing wrong with taking a step back."

"If the Father God had calmly faced the change of fate and the change of the throne of the God King, perhaps there would not have been any Titan Wars, and there would not have been any separation later."

"This……"

The tone was hesitant, and the Rainbow Goddess didn't know how to comment on Hestia's words.

Mortals can kill their brothers and murder their spouses for a piece of gold, let alone the throne of God, the supreme power in the world.

"I will convey your message, Your Highness."

Iris spoke slowly, there was nothing else she could do.

"Oh, besides that, there is one more thing."

"Your Majesty hopes that when you are free, you can visit some secluded gods to see if you can find out something about the First Age."

"Especially the Lord of the Sky... His Majesty the Divine King is very concerned about this."

"what?"

His face changed, as if he had heard something incredible, but then returned to normal.

Nodding slowly, Hestia said nothing more.

"I understand. I will pay attention to this matter."

"Okay... I won't stay any longer then."

With a slight bow, Iris took her leave.

After a while, when the heavy rain stopped completely, a colorful rainbow light hung in the sky.

The goddess continued to complete her mission, while Hestia stayed in the small town.

He stood in front of the window for a moment, as if digesting what he had just heard.

The Hearth Goddess then quietly cleared the dishes in the room without using any supernatural powers.

She tried to calm her inner conflict in this way, but after an unknown amount of time, she came back to her senses from her trance and sighed again.

Escaping will not solve the problem, although she still cannot let go of Zeus' decision.

But no matter what, the other party is his younger brother.

So she stared at the town after the rain for a long time, and then a fire lit up beside her.

The next moment, a uniquely shaped knife materialized in Hestia's hand.

It was a sickle, but unlike the farm tool for harvesting wheat, it exuded an ancient and barbaric murderous aura.

The mottled bloodstains on the natural stone body made of flint seem to reflect a piece of ancient history.

In fact, it is indeed a witness to an epic story and a magical weapon that is powerful enough to threaten the God-King.

[Nameless Scythe]... Chaos's original weapon, the first artifact conceived without forging.

Gripping its handle with her hand, Hestia felt a powerful force being transmitted to her body.

An era has passed, and for some reason, this natural artifact seems to have become even more powerful.

Even if it is not facing its destined opponent, its power can still make the gods tremble in fear.

"Mother Goddess... I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint you..."

He whispered softly, his hand stroking the hilt of the knife.

Few people know that thousands of miles west of this small human city, in an unknown valley, there is an extremely noble ancient god who has lived in seclusion there for thousands of years.

If she had wished, she could have enjoyed the worship of the gods in both eras and possessed authority second only to that of the God-King.

But she gave up this choice and instead carried this sacred weapon with her, no longer having any connection with the world... until recently.

That day, Rhea walked out of the valley and found Hestia wandering in the town of the human world.

As a person with experience, she passed on her experience to her first daughter, telling her that perhaps the change of era was coming again.

The gods will tremble before the supreme power, and the old king will be replaced by the new king.

Although she didn't know who the next God King would be, the fact that the spirit world appeared so clearly in the world was a signal in itself.

After all, apart from her, not many people in the world knew how frequently Kronos communicated secretly with the spiritual world during his last days on earth.

"So you come to warn me that there are signs of awakening in the sky and corruption is spreading deep in the earth."

"Among your six children, I am the only one whose entanglement with the current God King is not so deep."

"If I want, with the protection of the artifact, in the next era, I may be able to continue to be active in the world as an ancient god like those Titans who did not participate in the war. Even the new king will have to respect me?"

She spoke to the sickle in her hand, and the latter only gave Hestia a flash of cold light in response.

Yes, that's what Rhea meant.

Having experienced the change of two eras and accompanied a generation of God-Kings for ten thousand years, this goddess who controls the passing of time seems to have seen through these things a long time ago.

There is no point in going against the trend; it is better to just go with the flow and withdraw as soon as possible.

As for Zeus, he enjoyed the rights of the king of gods, and it was he who brought about this foreseeable disaster.

Since this was what he wanted, as the mother goddess, Rhea accepted it silently.

"Do not."

"You may accept it, but I don't."

Pursing her lips slightly, the Hearth Goddess tightened her grip on the hilt of the knife.

"Since you gave it to me, I have the right to decide its future."

When dealing with other gods, this artifact may be just so-so.

But only when facing [Patriarchy], it naturally ignores the opponent's power; and when facing the enemy [God King], it can bring incredible blessings to the user.

Hestia didn't know what 'the sky is awakening' meant, nor did she know why Zeus suddenly started asking about that ancient time.

But when the two appeared one after another, it was hard for her not to have some association.

Uranus, the cruel and selfish king.

Perhaps the only difference between him and Typhon is that he was born in a sufficiently ancient era when all things were primitive and wild.

Faced with such an existence, if he could be resurrected and could not find Kronos, Zeus would probably be the first descendant he would deal with.

After all, in his opinion, everything in the world belongs to him, especially the throne of the King of Gods, but Zeus obviously doesn't think so.

“I hope things won’t come to that.”

"After all, the era has changed... There is no way it can be the return of the previous God King."

It was difficult to erase the worry in her eyes, so Hestia did not go looking for Zeus.

Since the other party asked about the First Era, he must have been prepared. Instead of telling him about the sickle in my hand now, it is better to treat it as a trump card.

After all, deep down, the Goddess of Hearth did not want the existence of this artifact to increase the other party's confidence again.

For thousands of years, Zeus has never lacked suffering for this.

……

On the north side of the town, there is the nameless temple.

Leaving Hestia's cabin, Mephisto and his elders came here.

In the eyes of the Hearth Goddess, this temple was built by mortals under the guidance of the Mother Goddess, and the people she met were his descendants.

But in fact, this temple not only has nothing to do with Rhea, but also has little to do with the two of them.

Walking into the temple, Asmodeus glanced at the statues of the twelve Titans one by one, and a hint of nostalgia flashed in his eyes.

Although this is his past, in every sense, Kronos is dead.

There is no connection between them except through memory and immortal nature.