At night, on Mount Olympus, inside Hestia's temple.
A figure swift as lightning darted and shifted within, gradually splitting from one to two, two to four, instantly multiplying into thousands, filling every nook and cranny of the temple.
"Buzz!"
Accompanied by a resonance of ether in the air, the afterimages of running, jumping, dodging, or shifting gradually dissipated, returning to nothingness, leaving only the real figure in the center of the temple, stretching lazily.
Perfect!
Lorne twisted his neck, looking at the goat phantom behind him, nodding in satisfaction.
This third incarnation, named [Goat], bestowed upon him Pan's [Extreme Speed] power inherited from Hermes.
At the same time, based on the [Goat]'s inherent characteristics, the more complex the terrain, such as river valleys and mountains, the more agile his movements would be.
And the [Goat]'s [Extreme Speed] combined with the [Bull]'s [Immense Strength] would undoubtedly greatly enhance Lorne's combat capabilities, bringing him a qualitative leap.
However, that was for the future.
Currently, Lorne could only easily handle one incarnation; to achieve the fusion of two or more authorities, he still needed to spend some time and effort to slowly explore.
Time, ah, time.
Lorne glanced at the waning moon already high in the sky outside the window, helplessly shaking his head, preparing to go to bed for meditation and sleep, to recover his state and gather energy to watch tomorrow's good show.
However, as soon as he took a step, the unusual friction and tugging sensation from his clothes made his body stiffen, and he looked down,
Only to see a tent pitched high, his exceptionally thick and hard meatrod already on the verge of unsheathing, with signs of breaking through the seal upon the slightest movement.
This lustful goat, truly incorrigible!
Lorne's face darkened involuntarily, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
The [Extreme Speed] power brought by the [Goat] was indeed quite convenient.
However, after excessive use, it seemed to have a rather inconvenient side effect.
That is, heightened desires and an intensified craving for mating.
In fact, this perfectly matched Pan and the [Goat]'s nature.
Although goats are usually gentle in temperament, once in mating season, their emotions become extremely irritable and lustful, especially male goats.
At this time, goats, in order to compete for mates, easily fall into a frenzied state, attacking their own kind at all costs, as if possessed by a demon.
Therefore, in later Christian religious paintings, the [Goat], representing selfishness, brutality, and licentiousness, was recognized as a demon, placed on the left to endure hell's torment.
In contrast, the [Sheep] is generally seen as docile and gentle, symbolizing good people, placed on the right to enjoy blessings in Jesus's judgment.
Over-relying on the power of the [Demon] naturally brings some influence from the [Demon].
And the essence of this goat-headed demon is probably—[Lust] and [Debauchery]?
'If I had known, I should have castrated this lustful goat before making a move.'
Lorne recalled the records about Pan's disposition, secretly complaining in his heart, a trace of sinister killing intent flashing in his eyes.
Actually, from the first meeting, he had already sentenced that goat head to death in his heart.
Because he smelled a faintly familiar musky odor from Pan.
It wasn't from the [Goat], but from the centaur tribe he had encountered before.
That is to say, those centaur tribes scattered throughout Arcadia were not wild bandits, but artificially herded private soldiers.
Otherwise, with their level of civilization, where would they get so many fine weapons and equipment?
And Pan was likely the [Herdsman] hidden behind the centaur tribes.
During the next day's operation to exterminate the centaur tribes, some traces at the scene also corroborated Lorne's guess.
The few special hoof prints on the path did not belong to centaurs, but were traces similar to goat hooves, obviously left by that [Herdsman]—Pan.
This guy was as lustful as the centaurs, but as the legitimate god of Arcadia, he couldn't blatantly rob and plunder.
So, these centaurs who captured beautiful otherworldly beings everywhere were the troops Pan released for hunting beauties.
However, the centaurs were used to running rampant in Arcadia, and accidentally crashed into him, this piece of orichalcum, leading to their annihilation.
Realizing something was wrong, that goat head hurriedly came from his lair, following Lorne's traces all the way to the gods' camp to check the situation.
Otherwise, how could Pan appear so coincidentally at the gods' camp right after the centaurs were annihilated, changing his stingy nature, eagerly offering hospitality?
As for accidentally stepping into a trap and being half-killed by his magical trap...
Heh, if not for having a guilty conscience, wanting to see who annihilated the centaur tribes and whether he could afford to provoke them, how could that goat head specifically drill into dark corners?
Based on all the above,
Lorne took the initiative to take on the task of escorting Pan home, and in a series of subsequent tests, basically confirmed that this lustful goat was indeed the mastermind behind the centaur tribes.
Originally, he was still thinking about how to set a trap for this lustful goat.
As a result, Pan was truly blinded by lust; his centaurs hadn't even gone cold yet, and in the cave, he revealed his covetousness towards Artemis's nymphs under him.
Thinking about it, Lorne immediately diverted the trouble eastward, letting Pan go find trouble with Apollo, to make a move on those even more beautiful Muses.
Sure enough, this goat head didn't disappoint his audacious lust; with just a few hints and some instigation, he wanted to snatch food from the tiger's mouth from Apollo, robbing a Muse to serve as a tool for venting desires.
Thus, under Lorne's chain of provocations, Pan, who bravely put his thoughts into practice, naturally met his end at Apollo's hands.
Of course, Apollo being able to kill him so easily with one arrow was also thanks to Lorne's "casual push".
But since that God of Light generously admitted it in public, these minor details were unimportant.
As for Pan's wish to replace Apollo in taking care of those Muses...
Lorne looked down at his long, tight meat, eager to plunge, helplessly rubbing his forehead.
Alright, for the sake of that little lamb's great sacrifice, he might as well inherit this legacy.
If he guessed correctly, Apollo should be in trouble tomorrow.
In the darkness, Lorne, gazing remotely towards the great temple, his eyes flickering faintly.
~~
The next day, the great temple.
The god-king Zeus, returned from the mortal world, sat alone on the golden throne, after a simple discussion, issued a formal judgment to the sea king, who was escorted to the stage.
"Poseidon, you harmed the bloodline of Olympus (King Minos), slaughtered the creatures of Crete, and have tarnished the glory of the gods.
Therefore, you will be stripped of your divine authority, exiled to the mortal world for seven years, to serve mortals and atone for your sins!"
For this result, the gods nodded in agreement.
And Poseidon, who had been imprisoned for several days under Zeus's absolute dominance, had no thoughts of resistance, only burying his head, humiliatingly swallowing the bitter fruit.
Immediately, Zeus's gaze passed over the already submissive Poseidon, looking at another figure on the field with head held high, still arrogant in posture, a cold light flashing in his eyes, coldly announcing.
"As for you, Apollo, killing Hermes's offspring (Pan), exterminating the centaur clans of Arcadia, since you committed the same crime as Poseidon, you should receive the same punishment!"
In an instant, the gods on the field looked stunned.
Artemis quickly stood up from her divine seat, loudly defending her brother.
"It was Pan and the centaurs who attacked us first!"
"Yes, I can prove it."
Lorne, representing Hestia, smoothly stood up in agreement, playing his role well.
However, perhaps because of Apollo's usual arrogant personality, he had offended many gods....
So, even with Artemis and Hestia's two votes in support, the situation on the field was still not optimistic.
As the victim's father, Hermes glared angrily, naturally eager for Apollo to be punished;
Ares and Aphrodite gloated on the side.
Athena and Hephaestus acted as if it didn't concern them, hanging high above.
The remaining queen, Hera, and the agricultural goddess, Demeter, abstained due to absence.
In the midst of a crowd of silence and spectators, Lorne and Artemis's defenses seemed somewhat pale and powerless.
Seeing this, Apollo on the field still held his neck stiff without fear, directly retorting to Zeus on the stage.
"Why? I refuse to accept!"
"Why?"
Zeus laughed in anger, rising from the divine seat, pressing down with his empty right hand.
Lorne and Artemis, who were rising from their seats to speak for Apollo, suddenly felt an unmatched, immense force assault them, forcibly pressing them back into their seats, unable to move an inch.
And accompanied by muffled thunderclaps, the entire great temple instantly fell silent.
"Just because I am the king of Olympus!"
The low roar echoed within the temple, Zeus waved his hands down, and two bolts of lightning descending from the sky smashed onto Apollo and Poseidon.
Instantly, the two figures struck by the lightning burst out in painful low moans, their bodies trembling and twisting, divinity rapidly evaporating and dissipating, and then their entire beings disappeared in that ultimate brightness.
The gods gazed at the empty center of the hall, and the two charred marks left in place, and the god-king Zeus standing before the steps, involuntarily falling silent as cicadas in winter.
Even though Zeus did not go through a formal vote and directly imposed punishment, no god dared to jump out and question this god-king majesty's "justice".
Because, in the world of the divine era, stripping away that layer of glamorous disguise, might is the true justice!
"Alright, they have been exiled to Thessaly for a seven-year reflection."
Zeus glanced at the two charred marks on the ground, faintly murmuring, then his gaze swept over the gods on the field, smiling as he asked.
"So, is there anything else that needs my arbitration?"
Any god whose gaze was swept by him hurriedly lowered their heads, not daring to meet eyes with this god-king who hid knives in his smile.
Thessaly, that was the ancient battlefield of the Titan War.
Back then, the Titan king Cronus and his brothers, the Titans, occupied Mount Othrys. Zeus and his siblings occupied Mount Olympus.
Both sides, to seize supreme authority, had engaged in fierce slaughter in the Thessaly region, thereby establishing Olympus's rule.
But at the same time, that war also created a treacherous geographical environment in Thessaly and left behind a large number of Titan descendants who hated Olympus.
Therefore, the days of Apollo and Poseidon exiled to Thessaly could be imagined.
Using Apollo and Poseidon as these two chickens to warn the gods on the field, Zeus swept his eyes over the silent gods, nodded in satisfaction, waved his hand forward, his figure dissipating into lightning.
"Since all of you agree with this judgment, then the two matters end here."
Hearing that Zeus had already put the final nail in the coffin for this judgment, the gods, with various expressions, left one after another.
And the nine Muses, who suddenly lost their main god's protection, couldn't help but look blankly at the empty hall, and the two figures left alone on the main god's divine seat.
(End of this chapter)