---o---
Mythology is, in truth, a very messy affair.
Every god has a pile of alternate identities, or "smurf accounts."
One day they're hanging out in Greek mythology, the next they're mixing it up in Indian culture, and then maybe they'll pop over to Northern Europe for a spin.
A typical example was Surya, who had previously served his head up to Li Zihan on a platter.
He originated in the Indo-European cultural sphere, served as the giver of vitality in Hindu mythology, the Fire-Thief in Greek mythology, and the God of Mischief in Norse mythology...
Pulling off flashy moves in different mythologies was just standard practice for the gods.
In the original Campione! storyline, the God of Steel attracted by the Hera Stone Pillar—Perseus—once laid his cards on the table.
"I'm done pretending. I am Mithras."
Then, banking on the fact that he possessed the power of Mithra, Verethragna's old boss, he beat Kusanagi Godou into a state of depression.
Yes, this "Second Master of the Age of Gods" was an absolute player in the circles of mythology.
The myth of Perseus itself originated around the 15th to 13th century BCE.
Perseus's origin is a classic hero's tale, and the most mainstream form of hero worship can be applied to him. Hero worship is ancestor worship, once practiced by clans all the way into the classical period. In a political sense, a demigod hero with divine blood often represented the privilege and sanctity of their ruler's lineage. Typically, hero worship also carried aspects of regional and city-state guardian veneration.
In Greek mythology, Perseus's eldest son, Perses, became the ancestor of the Persians (Iran = Aryans), who were called "Persian" by the Greeks.
Mithra was an ancient Indo-Iranian deity, originally a shared object of worship in the Aryan pantheon. This belief from Persia (Iran = Aryans) was first accepted into Greco-Roman culture during the Hellenistic period after Alexander's eastern campaigns. The Greeks equated him with their own sun god, Helios, and thus, Mithra-Helios was born. (It was a fine tradition of the Greeks to connect foreign beliefs with their own.)
Around the 2nd century BCE in Pergamon, Asia Minor, Mithra-Helios officially transformed into Mithras, the chief god of Mithraism. Mithraism was a martial religion and thus very popular with emperors and soldiers during the Roman Empire. The cult of Mithras spread widely among soldiers and then to the frontiers of the empire, including the Danube region and Britain. During this period, Mithraism absorbed Babylonian astrology and Platonic philosophy, becoming a hybrid Eastern-Western mystery religion.
To the Romans of that era, the Persians (Iran = Aryans) were from the East, so "Persia" could be a general term for the Orient.
Perseus represents the constellation Perseus. The Greek constellation Perseus is equivalent to the constellation Mithra in ancient Persian (Iran = Aryan) star charts.
Both originating from Persia (Iran = Aryan), and sharing the same constellation, Mithras and Perseus were naturally linked by the fine tradition of the Romans that dated back to the Greek period.
Perseus gained the solar divinity of Mithras, and Mithras, in turn, became a solar hero, a god of light and war.
It might sound a bit absurd, but this is the process of mythological evolution.
This "Second Master of the aAe of Gods" was an alias for Mithras.
And Mithras was a fusion of Mithra and Helios.
The sun god Helios wasn't particularly famous, but the name he used after sunset, when he entered the underworld to rule the subterranean realm, was rather well-known.
His title was "the Subterranean Zeus" (ruler of the underworld).
—Hades.
---o---
"So, Perseus is that incredible?"
The young girl named Seele couldn't help but marvel as she listened to the story the young man told.
Beside her, the girl named Mei looked at the divine stone pillar storing the essence of the earth, her face also etched with shock.
"I had no idea there was such a convoluted story behind it."
That was the divine artifact known as the Hera Stone Pillar.
It stored a terrifying amount of the earth's spiritual energy. Once released, it would directly manifest as a divine beast—a dragon.
Then, it would catch the eye of Mithras, who, bored out of his mind, had descended to the mortal realm wearing the disguise of Perseus.
"Perseus himself was just a human, but after repeated worship, he became linked with the former supreme god of Zoroastrianism, as well as the Greek sun god and god of the underworld."
"Depending on your perspective, you could see a weakling demigod, a former supreme god replaced by Ahura Mazda, or the master of the sun and the underworld who works 24/7, all year round."
"But, it doesn't matter how many aliases he has. It has nothing to do with us."
The young man, who was quite knowledgeable about mythology, stretched out his hand, and the demonic sword from Celtic mythology materialized in his grasp.
"The strength of a Heretical God is determined by their obsession and will. The stronger the obsession, the closer they are to their true self."
"That guy, Perseus-Mithras, came down here just to slay a dragon, show off in front of everyone, and satisfy his own ego. How much of his true power do you think he could have possibly brought with him?"
These words fell upon the girls' ears, causing their expressions to turn peculiar.
"For some reason, Mithras sounds really... undignified."
"Mythology is ultimately based on human society. The difference between gods and humans isn't actually that great."
The young man, who was already a sun god himself, stretched lazily as he spoke.
"Alright, enough of this."
The young man, who had already foreseen the descent of Perseus, gripped the Celtic demonic sword that could even slice through the Kavacha and Kundala, shrugged, and said:
"Once I cut down this stone pillar, Perseus and an Earth Mother Goddess will likely descend."
"Seele, you'll be in charge of dealing with Perseus. Mei, you'll handle the unknown Earth Mother Goddess."
"Understood?"
The young man simply assigned their tasks.
"Um, can you be more specific? Which Earth Mother Goddess will it be?"
Looking at the divine artifact named the Hera Stone Pillar, Miss Mei suddenly felt her head grow heavy for some reason.
"It will be Hera, who shares power with Zeus and can wield the thunder of the heavens."
The young man, having seen the possibility of different Earth Mother Goddesses descending through his future sight, locked his focus onto Hera.
"For the Herrscher of Thunder, it shouldn't be too difficult to usurp the divine thunder of Zeus from Hera, right?"
"I understand."
Miss Mei looked at the pillar symbolizing the goddess protector of marriage and nodded gravely.
It seemed there were no major issues.
Looks like after this job is done, I can try talking things over with Rama, the young man thought.
And then—
After a long time, the voice of the System rang out.
"Emergency Mission Issued."
---o---
Author's Note:
PS: In order to find a reason to spare Athena, I spent all morning flipping through mythology resources (feeling world-weary).
Next up, it's time to start a new volume.
It seems I really can't just fight Luo Aotian (Rama) casually. After beating him, the only options left would be to write No Game No Life or Problem Children.
Regarding some ideas, let's have a vote.
FGO: Become Tiamat's Jinchuriki, revive all the Lostbelts along the way, and kick off FGO 3.0: Honkai Advent.
No Game No Life: Little Jibril stews some mushrooms, and while I'm at it, I'll pacify the wars of that world through schemes and deals.
Re:Creators: It's time for my favorite segment, the grand free-for-all! Characters like Alucard, Shana of the Blazing Hair, etc., can all make an appearance. Hmm, I could also connect it to Date A Live.