Alistair and Persephone crossed the sea's boundary.
In an instant, they appeared in another sea.
The Sea Realm.
This was the true Sea Realm, ruled by Poseidon, with its depths connected to the Black Sea of Pontus, the Black Sea God.
"This is the Sea Realm…" Alistair said, scanning the surroundings, unfazed by the fish swimming past.
There were even mythical creatures—monsters, divine beasts, sea creatures.
"Besides being surrounded by water, it's hard to tell this apart from land," he murmured.
"Sunrise, sunset—everything exists here," Persephone explained softly. "The Sea Realm is a world of its own, like the Heavens, the Underworld, or Earth. Over time, it evolved into this."
Alistair shook his head. "No interest in sightseeing for now."
"Persephone, let's find Prometheus."
"As for the Sea Realm…" He rubbed his chin. "The scenery's nice. Maybe I'll create one in the Pure Land of Bliss later."
"Alright," Persephone nodded with a smile, leading the way based on her mother's directions.
Truthfully, Alistair had always wanted to reshape the Pure Land of Bliss.
Undeniably, it was beautiful, a place fit for gods.
But he wasn't fond of it. He preferred a touch of mortal vibrancy.
Unfortunately, the past nine months had been spent strategizing world conquests, running around, or throwing parties.
Talk about decadence.
But as the God of Darkness, wasn't decadence fitting?
He'd deal with it later, after phase one.
As for reshaping the Pure Land of Bliss? Definitely, post-phase one.
"Dust, what's on your mind?" Persephone asked, noticing his pensiveness.
He shook off his scattered thoughts. "Just thinking—the Pure Land is beautiful, but too ethereal, like a divine realm. I prefer some mortal flavor. I plan to tweak it after phase one."
Persephone chuckled. "I've been preparing for that idea for a while."
Alistair glanced at her, shaking his head.
Undeniably, this unspoiled Queen of the Underworld was utterly captivating.
Gentle, capable, and understanding.
He genuinely adored her—especially with Demeter in the mix.
Whoa.
That languid, elegant goddess was something else.
Demeter was the type to do whatever she pleased, her openness bordering on absurd. You could tally her antics endlessly and still not capture her audacity.
Alistair truly cherished this mother-daughter duo.
Chatting, they ventured deeper into the Sea Realm.
Soon, they stopped before a vortex.
Alistair vanished, leaving things to Persephone.
This was a game, after all—best played slowly.
"Persephone…" A weak yet magnetic male voice emerged from the vortex. "You found me? I'm curious—why?"
Persephone, no longer the gentle figure she was with Alistair, exuded the regal authority of a God-King, her demeanor lofty and commanding.
"Prometheus, as the God of Wisdom, can't you guess why I'm here?" she said coolly.
"The Fire of Humanity?" Prometheus mused, then hesitated. "No, that can't be right. Only I know of it."
Smart guy, Alistair thought, listening quietly.
Prometheus was clever, recognizing that Persephone's arrival offered a chance for freedom.
To escape, he'd need to offer something substantial.
The Fire of Humanity was his first bargaining chip.
"The Fire of Humanity…" Alistair thought, squinting. "The flame born of human civilization. If I could get it and tweak it…"
"Humanity's collapse?"
He sucked in a breath. If his idea worked, the payoff would be immense.
But he held back, merely pondering. The Fire of Humanity wasn't something casually obtained.
It required humanity's boundless progress and a history of heroic epics to form.
In ordinary worlds, it couldn't exist.
Only in harsh environments, where humanity faced gods and still advanced, could it emerge.
Forget humanity's collapse for now.
If Alistair could claim the Fire of Humanity and infuse it with his darkness, the Dark Cloths wouldn't need time to grow—they'd form instantly.
More than that, they'd be bound to his Dark Multiverse.
As long as humanity persisted in his Dark Multiverse, each Dark Cloth would have infinite evolutionary potential.
Though tempting, Alistair stayed silent.
"Prometheus," Persephone said, "as the God of Wisdom, your offer is impressive."
"But it's not enough to free you. This is a new era."
"Only Apollo and I are the players on this board."
"Your release, with your wisdom and ability, could disrupt the game."
"So, what else can you offer?"
Persephone maintained her lofty stance, as if Prometheus were the one begging her.
Prometheus fell silent.
Order didn't matter. He wanted freedom, and against a God-King, resistance was futile.
Outsmart a God-King? Laughable.
Metis and Prometheus had tried, only for Zeus to crush their efforts effortlessly.
Gods thrived on strength.
After a moment, Prometheus spoke calmly. "The Divine Canon. I have the Titan Pantheon's Divine Canon. I'll give it to you."
"The Divine Canon…" Persephone's eyes flickered with surprise.
A Divine Canon was like owning a storybook. Control the book, control the story.
Prometheus's Titan Divine Canon granted control over the Titan Pantheon.
Alistair wasn't interested in controlling the Titans, but the Canon was prime fuel for igniting his divine spark.
"Not enough," Persephone said calmly. "Prometheus, I know you can't fully control the Titan Divine Canon. It's from a parallel universe, isn't it?"
Though phrased as a question, her tone was certain.
Prometheus nodded. "Yes, it's from a parallel universe's Titan Pantheon. Since you know…" He paused. "Take it all. You know what I have. This Canon is just part of it."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have thought I could challenge Zeus."
"The process doesn't matter. The result is, I failed."
"Now, this Canon can free me."
Persephone's voice remained steady. "Good."
"I have the Primordial, Titan, and Olympian Divine Canons," Prometheus said. "I obtained a Greek Pantheon's Divine Canon from a parallel universe."
"But that universe's Primordial Gods were mere projections, weak, with limited impact here."
He laid it all bare.
"Acceptable," Persephone said. "And the civilization systems you developed for humanity—hand them over."
"Fine," Prometheus agreed. Freedom outweighed all else.
Persephone raised her hand, pointing into the void.
A ripple spread, and the vortex dissipated.
A man with long black hair, refined yet frail, emerged.
"Persephone," Prometheus said, eyeing her.
He'd seen her before but never imagined she'd become a God-King.
Abel, Athena, Ares, Apollo—these were the fourth generation's potential God-Kings.
In the Primordial Era, Uranus was the sole God-King.
In the Titan Era, Cronus and Hyperion could have been God-Kings, though Hyperion remained loyal to Cronus.
The Olympian Era's Three Kings' War spoke for itself.
But Persephone? She wasn't supposed to be among them.
Prometheus suppressed his questions, handing over a thick tome, over half a meter thick. "This records all the systems I developed for human civilization—mystical, scientific, everything."
He produced another tome, pure gold, radiating divine power.
Persephone pointed again, calming the energy. "A parallel universe's Greek Pantheon Divine Canon."
"Pity," she said. "It's incomplete, lacking chaos's power and full scope."
"Otherwise, it could be the Greek Mythology Divine Canon."
Prometheus nodded regretfully. A complete Greek Mythology Canon would require chaos, beyond his reach.
Persephone waved, collecting both tomes. "The Fire of Humanity."
Prometheus hooked a hand, his face paling further, and drew a crimson flame from his heart. It burned vividly, faintly revealing humanity's developmental history.
Persephone took it. "Prometheus, our deal is done."
She turned and left.
Prometheus coughed weakly, murmuring, "Persephone, how did you do it? Holding the Fire of Humanity, the Greek Divine Canon, and countless civilization systems, I still couldn't reach God-King."
"How did you?"
"Your rank—what completed it?"
As the God of Wisdom, he was baffled.
Without a God-King rank, it was impossible.
Yet Persephone had done it, elevating her rank. But how?
"Enough," he muttered, shaking his head.
Free at last, he knew what to do next.
***
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