"Hercules...my child, you are finally here."

Inside the Golden Palace, the sea nymph with inextinguishable vitality was thrown aside.

With a long sigh, the God King spoke with a leisurely and emotional tone.

In front of him, footsteps were heard in the space channel.

The previous unpleasantness was thrown behind him. Although Hercules did cause him a lot of trouble, Zeus thought it was all worth it.

Because in the other person, he saw a miracle that was far beyond his previous imagination, a potential that was much stronger than he had previously expected.

"A symbol that supports the sky, a demon's strength, a physique that surpasses that of a god, a strong will... You have finally discovered the secret of your own bloodline and solved the last puzzle I left for you."

"I know you may have a lot of doubts in your heart, but don't worry, I will respond to you one by one."

“And at the end of it all, I will grant you glory beyond all mortal imagination.”

The deep voice echoed in the Golden Palace, causing the God of the West Wind outside the palace to fall silent.

Zeus saw all along how much he valued this human offspring.

Maybe he was just a pawn at first, but now...

He became a key chess piece.

Well, that's it.

Zephyrus knew Zeus very well. In the eyes of the King of Gods, nothing could not be given up except himself.

A wife who has been with him through thick and thin, unborn children, a lover in the world, as well as a kingdom, life, and system...

So Hercules is no exception, he is just more important than the others.

Tread-

The footsteps fell.

It takes a long time to enter the world of all spirits from the outside world, but it takes very fast to come to the world from the world of all spirits.

The scarlet light and shadow seemed to still be reflected in my eyes, and the copper stick of inestimable weight was held in my hand.

For the first time in his life, the great hero came to this palace that belonged only to the gods.

On the high throne, the God King was becoming more and more delighted.

Hercules... is good.

Compared with such power and talent, the troubles he had caused before were nothing.

Although to the God King himself, this force is insignificant.

But for mortals, this power is out of reach.

And for Zeus, this human being who has reached this point in a mortal body is the best representative of his thoughts that he has never told others, and is also the cornerstone for him to gain greater power in the future.

“Canonize the gods…”

With fire in his eyes, Zeus thought of the evil gods that people in the world believed in.

Through faith, he has grasped the power to elevate weak gods to powerful ones.

And through Hercules, he will create a huge lie to make the world believe that he, the king of gods Zeus, really has the ability to promote a mortal to a true god!

As the master of royal power, Zeus knew very well that the essence of power was the control over living beings, and the essence of controlling living beings was the qualification for the distribution of benefits.

This benefit can be constituted by violence. I hold the right to decide whether you can survive. It can also be constituted by temptation. That is what all living beings in the world desire: power, longevity, immortality, and a status as noble as a god. This is what he has always been pursuing.

Although the God King cannot do this now, it is just the beginning.

When he has completely unified everything in the world, who says that he cannot take Asgard as the core and the power of the God-King to support himself and completely accomplish the feat of enthroning gods?

With the first seemingly real falsehood, he may be able to achieve the seemingly impossible truth.

"Hercules... my best son."

With a solemn and majestic face, Zeus looked at Hercules and was generous to him:

"Come up, my child, and ask me your questions, and I will answer them for you."

"When you were born, I foresaw your extraordinaryness. One day, you will reach the realm of God with your own strength and come to me step by step."

"This is the destiny of the Son of the Divine King, and it is also the blessing I bestow upon you."

"Answer...my question?"

The voice was calm, even though the roaring tide of blood had been seen in the past images.

But at this moment, Hercules still held on to a glimmer of hope.

Maybe that was false, maybe Zeus had already prepared. After all, even if it was for the sake of profit, there was no need for him to kill a mortal, right?

"Then I want to know, Your Majesty the Divine King."

"Since the gods promised mortals eternal life after death, where is my mother now?"

"I shot an arrow through her chest. It was the biggest mistake I ever made... and now I'm here to fix it."

"Alcmene?"

Hearing this, Zeus smiled, as he had expected to hear this question.

Yes, it was precisely because of the great sin of parricide that Hercules voluntarily started his trial, even though the mistake was not his intention at all.

And he had already made preparations for this, and had captured the soul of the mortal princess, who was also a descendant of his own blood, and brought it into the kingdom of God.

He had thought that one day in the future, he would resurrect her and turn her into a heroic spirit or even a constellation, thus ending Hercules' sins on earth.

"Don't worry, she's fine. She's in Asgar--"

"!"

Just as he was about to tell the other party's whereabouts, the God King's voice suddenly stopped.

Alcmene... the kingdom of God?

"Asgard?"

Hercules was refreshed and asked loudly:

"what about now?"

"..."

Zeus was speechless for a moment, then suddenly he remembered.

There are basically only two places where he deposits the souls of mortals, either the Asgard or the former Valhalla.

Now, problems have arisen in both places.

It was not that he had not made preparations in advance. On the contrary, the God King did not intend to sacrifice those souls that he particularly valued.

But what he didn't expect was that his real body was in the human world, but he failed to rush back to the temple in time when Olympus was attacked.

It was as if all the accidents gathered on him at that moment, forcing Zeus to linger in the void... When he returned to the mountain of gods, it was too late for him to do anything.

In order to prevent those souls from entering the Well of Reincarnation and becoming evidence of his inability to maintain the covenant between God and man.

The God King had no choice but to take action himself, using them as sacrifices and erasing the last traces of them left in the world.

"...There is an accident in Asgard now. Let's discuss this issue later. You will find out her whereabouts."

Zeus spoke, not wanting to get entangled any further.

But in front of him, Hercules did not accept this response.

Taking a step forward and looking at his father on the throne, the great hero was silent for a long time.

The other party's avoidance of answering seemed to have proved something... At a certain moment, he finally asked:

"it is good."

"Let me change the question."

"In the name of the God King, in the name of the Oath Keeper, as the ruler of the Heaven, Earth and Sea, please tell me."

"Where were you when I shot that arrow?"

"..."

The God King remained silent for a long time, then he spoke calmly:

"So...are you questioning me?"

On the throne of the Golden Palace, the original smile gradually faded, and only majesty remained.

Standing on the highest mountain in the world, the King of Gods looked at the most outstanding of his mortal descendants, and invisible pressure spread in the hall.

He can try to show the warmth of a father, or he can ignore the troubles caused by the other party... but that is premised on the other party understanding his identity.

He is the son of the God-King, and came into this world with a great mission.

For the greater good, why bother about a small problem?

"Hercules...you should know."

"As my offspring, I gave you the blood of the gods, this supreme gift, and the glory that surpasses all mortals."

"And all of this is because I have such high expectations of you..."

"So, child, I can ignore your small offense because you are still too young and have never understood the difficulties of the world - but this is not a reason for you to question me and your father."

"You should thank me and respect me more than anyone else in the world, not that woman who polluted your noble bloodline."

“Those who achieve great things don’t stick to trivial matters.”

"Step down, stay in Olympus, and continue on the path I have arranged for you. You will eventually become an immortal god and the most important cornerstone of my rule over all spirits."

The voice was calm and distant. Zeus was not as angry as one might imagine at Hercules' questioning.

Whether it's humans or gods, most of them are always easily swayed by emotions, but he is not like that.

Even though he still finds it hard to forget the figure of Metis, the King of Gods has never regretted his actions.

If it weren't for his decision back then, perhaps he would have fallen to the conspiracy of the foreign god king long ago, and how could he be who he is today.

Lowering his head slightly, Zeus stretched out a hand.

"The matter with Alcmene was just an accident. I never really wanted her to die, not even for your sake."

"But since the accident has already happened, let him go."

"Come, come to me, and I will give you the glory that no other creature in the world can even dream of - from now on you will be free from this world and stand shoulder to shoulder with God."

"Compared to this, the life and death of a mortal is nothing..."

call--

Taking a step back, the heavy copper stick made a sound in the air.

Although he had been mentally prepared in the past, Hercules still found it difficult to suppress his emotions when he heard such words from his father in person.

This is the God King. Is this the source of my bloodline?

"...Being your offspring only makes me feel sad."

The shadow of the stick swayed, and the hero took a deep breath.

However, standing in front of him, Zeus just frowned slightly and had no further reaction.

Can't understand? That's not surprising. After all, most people in the world are ignorant and trapped by emotions.

But it doesn't matter, when Hercules asked the question, he was already prepared.

He would not treat such a valuable offspring too harshly.

Just like Athena, even though she was not so obedient, Zeus was still so kind to her.

They need to be disciplined, whether it is a king disciplining his subjects or a father disciplining his children.

So looking at the shadow of the stick swinging towards him, the God King simply said:

"Zeferos."

brush--

With a flash of light and shadow, the God of West Wind immediately stood in front of him.

However, facing a powerful god who is located on a sacred mountain and is in a period of complete victory, even the bronze pillar that once supported the sky could not crush the opponent's figure.

"Hercules, my child, you are still too weak."

"You think you have achieved great things in the world, but what does it mean in front of the truly great ones?"

boom--

The God King stepped down from the throne gently, looking calm and composed.

The power of the God of West Wind was surging, but it could not get close at all.

“See, this is our gap.”

"You can't even come to me. If I don't want you to, you can't even set foot in the Golden Palace... And even so, my child, how much of the power you rely on comes from yourself?"

"Pillars of heaven, demons, evil things, divine tools... they seem to belong to you, but in reality you are just their user."

"Besides, even when they were alive, they were no match for me."

"Now that they are dead, what can they do to me?"

Rumbling--

The collision in the Golden Palace became more intense, and the God King's eyes became more regretful.

What an outstanding qualification, but other aspects need to be polished.

So he stretched out his right hand again, looked at Hercules in front of him, and the King of Gods made his own judgment.

"Stop it now, you've gone too far."

"The starry sky, the sea, the underworld, and the countless creatures on earth - you have brought too much trouble to this world, but you rely on my blood and power."

"Hercules, that's where your confidence comes from."

"But instead of teaching you humility, they gave you arrogance."

"In that case, I will take them back myself, lest you make a great mistake."

In the darkness, invisible shackles emerged from the void.

Hercules' power was certainly not bestowed by Zeus, but without those relics belonging to the demon and those powerful weapons, the King of Gods would not be unable to seal a human being.

So Zeus mobilized the power of Olympus and gathered them in his palm.

You have the Heavenly Pillar, and I also have the Heavenly Pillar, and it is much stronger than yours. How can you resist?

Reaching out and pressing it, the God King's voice was cold and detached.

"The power I gave you, I now take back with my own hands."

"I will wait for you on the sacred mountain, my child... until you realize your mistakes, until you come here again and swear allegiance to your king."

With one palm press, the world turned upside down.

The power of the sacred mountain turned into a phantom, blocking the bronze stick and Hercules.

Since you can't see the reality now, let reality teach you.

Isn’t setbacks also a part of life?