"Idiot." Meruem glanced dismissively at the amphora, listening to the defeated god inside howl like a stray dog.
This was what passed for a god? Tsk.
No doubt plenty of gods in Heaven were watching. But since few were on good terms with Poseidon, most simply sat back and enjoyed the show.
You think the Heavenly lot wouldn't do that? Then how did they know the instant Hades died—and rage over it? They just never imagined that Pegasus, Heaven's great sinner, would actually slay a god.
In the past, "god‑slaying Pegasus" was little more than a joke. Thousands of years ago, the Pegasus had only earned the title of "one of the two men who ever wounded the Underworld King." No one expected that Pegasus would truly kill a god one day—and that was something the gods could not tolerate.
That was why, in the Heaven arc, so many gods showed up at once, even sending out the Heavenly Warriors.
A bunch of self‑important snobs.
But if it was only a matter of sealing Poseidon, seeing him humiliated in someone else's hands, most gods would keep right on jeering from the sidelines. At worst, if they met Meruem someday, they might give him a beating.
They wouldn't go out of their way to hunt him down. What god had that much spare time?
The so‑called Holy Wars really were games to the gods. Even so, Hades, Poseidon, and the rest truly did wish to invade the earth, and Athena truly did wish to defend it and protect humanity.
From the gods' perspective, however, it hardly mattered who owned the earth. That was why they called it a "god's game." To them, it was all just sport.
"How dare you insult a god! You insolent—@#@$#%%#$#…" Poseidon's fury from within the amphora was easy enough to imagine. But it was meaningless. He was still sealed and couldn't escape.
"No time for you. Bye‑bye." Meruem casually took the jar from Saori and tossed it straight into his own four‑dimensional apartment.
Now was not the time. Once he got back and set up proper barriers to block prying eyes, they could settle accounts then. His eyes sharpened at the thought.
"Let's go." Glancing at the already‑thawing ice around them, Meruem spoke gently to Saori.
The battles against the Sea Emperor and the North were over. It was time to return to the Sanctuary.
As for Julian, whose body still lay on the ice after Poseidon's soul was torn out—who cared whether he lived or died? Two of the Sea Generals were still alive; they would reach him soon enough. There was no need to get involved.
"Let's go home." Saori tilted her head and smiled at Meruem, a spring‑breeze smile.
Her short purple hair fluttered in the northern wind, full of heroic grace.
Truly beautiful.
"Mm. Back to the Sanctuary." Things were far from over. The North and sea arcs were only appetizers. Athena's true enemy was the Lord of the Underworld, Hades, who commanded 108 Specters and countless subordinate gods.
In the Underworld War, anyone below the Seventh Sense was cannon fodder.
And even after Hades was dealt with, there were still countless gods and divine warriors in Heaven. Most importantly, beyond Zeus there was also Apollo, hailed as the strongest god, and the ever‑hidden Yama.
"Still… we've just captured a main god. His blood and genes alone will greatly boost our strength and influence."
As for what would happen once the seal was undone—after measuring Poseidon's limits, Meruem was fully confident in victory.
Without realizing it, he had grown this strong.
As Meruem and Saori returned to the Sanctuary, word of Poseidon's defeat and sealing spread across the world, not just in Heaven, where the gods stopped watching the show and moved on.
The news caused no small uproar. This was Poseidon, one of the mightiest main gods.
And he had been sealed in a fully awakened state. Athena's strength had reached that level.
"Sea Emperor Poseidon was sealed by Athena? Hmph. And that sort of creature dares call himself a god?" In a mysterious palace, a blue‑haired man in a robe listened to his subordinate's report with a sneer.
The man was strikingly handsome, with eyes like the Aegean Sea. The faint pressure emanating from him made it clear he was no ordinary being.
Even Poseidon was beneath his notice.
He bore a dazzling name—the former Sun God, Abel.
If there were a god in this world who could rival the Twelve Main Gods of Heaven and the Lord of the Underworld, Abel would be one.
Long ago, after Zeus vanished, Abel sought to crown himself King of the Gods, ruler over all beings, gods included. Naturally, the other gods refused. In the end, he was sealed by the current Sun God Apollo along with several other deities.
Only in recent years had Abel broken free and returned to the mortal world. Sadly, though his divine power had not diminished, he was no longer a match for Heaven's current ruler, Apollo. Apollo had already surpassed his two uncles, Poseidon and Hades, becoming the de facto master of Heaven.
He bore the title of the strongest god in the universe.
Whether that was actually true was another question.
At least Apollo was relatively upright for a god and bore no special greed for the earth. In the original story, he only appeared after Hades's death to defend divine privilege and uphold the dignity of the gods. Otherwise, he cared little for anything beyond Heaven, so when Abel broke his seal, Apollo did nothing. As long as Abel didn't try to rule the gods again, Apollo didn't care what he did—even if he tried to claim the earth.
After all, Abel was Zeus's eldest son, and also Apollo's elder brother. (That was how Saint Seiya's mythology set it up.)
As someone who had once attempted to rule the gods, Abel had every reason to look down on Poseidon. His divine power was no weaker than Poseidon's—perhaps even greater.
A man in black robes, his face hidden deep within his hood, dropped to one knee before Abel. "My lord, even so, Poseidon is still one of the Twelve Main Gods, with tremendous divine power. Yet even he has been defeated. Athena's current strength may, in time, become an obstacle to our claim on the earth—"
He didn't finish. Abel's power blasted him up and flung him across the hall, cloak and all.
"What this king chooses to do is none of your concern. Did you think that just because you broke my seal, I would not dare kill you? Hmm… Cain?"
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