Pandora's topic shift was stiff.
But.
Alistair didn't press further.
Curiously, he asked, "I'm more curious about the essence of the Holy War."
"A Holy War every 243 years."
"Athena and Hades are the two sides of this game."
"Besides that."
"Poseidon and other gods join in every now and then."
"What's on the earth?"
This was what Alistair had always been most curious about.
Don't tell him.
Athena was protecting the earth's safety and peace.
That's pure nonsense.
If gods really thought that way, they wouldn't be gods.
To gods.
Humans are merely sheep providing faith.
Nothing more?
Heh!
Alistair would call them consumables.
"Once upon a time."
"The supreme absolute god, Chaos, created this world."
"After that."
"Gaia, the Goddess of the Earth, gave birth to the complete world."
Ker began to explain.
"Among them."
"The earth was the first to be born, and from it came the first life, the origin of everything."
"Because of this."
"The earth is forever brimming with boundless vitality."
"Over time."
"Every 243 years, the earth gives birth to a batch of divine artifacts."
"And these divine artifacts are inexhaustible."
Ker's explanation made Alistair understand the situation.
Resources!
Don't think gods are beings who need nothing.
Even the saints in some mythologies—ask them if they're interested in innate treasures or chaotic divine artifacts.
In short.
No matter the faction or being, resources are always of interest.
If I can't use them, can't I give them to my subordinates?
"In the mythical era."
"The root cause of the war of the three divine kings."
"Was exactly this."
Ker recounted with a touch of reminiscence, "The Goddess of the Earth fell into slumber, and she put forth the authority over the earth."
"Hades, Poseidon, Zeus."
"The three divine kings waged a long war."
"Hm!"
"This was also recorded as the first Holy War."
"I see."
Alistair nodded, understanding. If that was the case, it all made sense.
"Later."
"It evolved into what it is now?"
"Every 243 years."
"The Holy War begins, with Hades vying for the earth, while Athena became Zeus' blade, tasked with stopping other gods?"
Alistair concluded.
Ker nodded, saying, "Your Majesty, you're correct. That's the origin of the Holy War."
"And besides the divine artifacts birthed by the earth every 243 years."
"In fact."
"For gods, it's also about vying for faith."
"The power of faith."
"Not just any life can provide it."
Ker paused, then continued, "For many powerful gods, creating a divine kingdom or life isn't difficult."
"But."
"That's meaningless."
"Those lives can't truly provide faith."
"Only lives born through the natural evolution of a world can provide the power of faith."
Listening to Ker, Alistair pondered deeply.
Clearly.
Be it divine artifacts or faith.
For a god.
Controlling the earth meant access to vast resources.
With these resources.
One could push their divine power to great heights, not to mention the development of their forces.
"In fact."
Pandora spoke up, "Your Majesty, as you said, why not choose genius Specters?"
"It's not that Hades didn't want to."
"He simply couldn't."
"True geniuses, the moment they're born, are already targeted by the Sanctuary and taken away."
"The Sanctuary controls the earth. They know exactly what beings are born on it."
"Even..."
Pandora said with a hint of resignation, "Many times, Hades' mortal form, just born, would be found by the Sanctuary before the Holy War even started, killed, and the Holy War would end."
"That's not surprising."
"After all, you're fighting on their turf."
Alistair understood, especially after becoming the master of the Demon Stars.
He knew.
The Demon Stars gave rise to Surplices.
In reality!
Each Specter was merely chosen by the Demon Stars. Upon death, the Demon Stars would absorb them as pure divine power.
The Demon Stars would grow stronger.
It was a cumulative process.
Of course.
If the Specters themselves were geniuses, they could unleash even greater power.
But from the current situation?
The Underworld's Specters were basically a gathering of nobodies.
No choice.
And with the Mukurosses taken by the Sanctuary, each Holy War not only failed to strengthen the Demon Stars but weakened them further.
"Hades, what an embarrassment."
Persephone smirked, saying, "Hades' failure was inevitable. Launching Holy War after Holy War was pointless. In my view, it would've been better to build up strength and launch one decisive Holy War. That would've had a higher chance of success than these repeated failures."
"..."
Pandora and Ker didn't know what to say.
They couldn't say much.
Mainly because.
It was the truth. Sealed time and again, weakened repeatedly.
Hades wasn't without a chance to win, but he squandered it himself.
In Hades' eyes, frankly, he never took Athena seriously.
Just a kid—what's there to care about?
That was probably Hades' mindset.
***
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