(Greek Mythology) Abyss of the Underworld
Chapter 74
The Laws had always been exceptionally good at attracting hatred. Tartarus was one of the rare gods who actually had a positive opinion of the Laws. After all, the Laws had never schemed against him. Although they could be rather talkative, they stopped once he protested and didn't continue rambling. Usually, as long as it didn't affect the world itself, the Laws would help whenever they could.
But even Tartarus, after staying in Greek mythology for so long and witnessing countless unlucky victims ruined by the Laws, generally avoided seeking them out unless absolutely necessary. The bloody tragedies he had seen were more than enough warning.
Only now did Tartarus realize that not only did the Laws' talkative nature contradict their aloof reputation, but their overall style seemed off in other ways too.
Sometimes the truth exists only to shatter illusions. Images exist only to collapse. Tartarus felt that from now on, he would never be able to look at the Laws the same way again.
"I must have been unbelievably naive to believe this was naturally how you behaved. So you actually learned it from novels? Your emotional intelligence is already terrible enough — can you at least stop throwing away your intelligence too?" Rarely getting the chance to catch the Laws making a mistake, Tartarus mocked them mercilessly.
"You're not any better. Otherwise, why would you have thought that in the first place?" the Laws retorted.
"Well, I was human in my previous life. Being influenced by first impressions is normal. Besides, you were the one who acted that way first — I just drew conclusions based on your behavior." Tartarus refused to take the blame for this lapse in judgment.
"Stop blaming everything on your previous life. I don't see anything human about you at all. And even in your past life, you definitely didn't fit the general standard of humanity." The Laws felt helpless about Tartarus's habit of making up convenient excuses over trivial matters.
Things like being recognized by transmigrators would be troublesome, or still having basic moral boundaries that prevented him from killing fellow humans without reason — in truth, it was all just because he found it entertaining.
From the moment Tartarus awakened in Chaos until now, the Laws had never seen even the faintest trace of humanity in him. Humanity had risen and fallen generation after generation. Transmigrators had died one after another. Tartarus had never shown the slightest reaction — not even a token sigh. Compared to the native gods, his indifference was even more pronounced.
"Say what you want. The fact remains that you did those things." Tartarus seized the point the Laws couldn't refute.
"I never denied it. And I don't think I was wrong. There are indeed drawbacks, but it's the most convenient method." The Laws spoke calmly.
The Laws had never been the type to blindly follow others. Novels might have had some influence, but fundamentally this approach was simply the most convenient among all options. Even emotionless Laws preferred methods that required the least effort and trouble.
Still, causing the deaths of so many gods just to save oneself effort — if this had been anyone other than the Laws, they would have been beaten senseless sooner or later.
"Aren't you worried someone might appear with lofty ambitions — someone determined to defy the heavens?" Tartarus teased. He understood perfectly well, but verbal victories were still worth taking.
"I'm not worried," the Laws replied calmly.
Just because the Laws must follow rules doesn't mean anyone could exploit loopholes like the protagonists in novels. Using the Laws to elevate one's own prestige without an author's protection was basically a guaranteed way to die sooner or later.
Even possessing equal intelligence would be meaningless. Emotions create weaknesses. Fatigue leads to mistakes. Even the wisest strategist makes errors eventually. How could anyone compare with Laws that felt no emotions, never tired, and possessed immense intelligence? It was like competing with a supercomputer in calculation — utterly foolish.
"Besides, there's still you," the Laws added.
The Laws had to act according to rules and couldn't interfere freely, but Tartarus had no such restrictions. One god and one set of Laws working hand in hand (not really) had already ruined countless lives.
"So since I've helped you so much, how about letting me kill the King of the Gods?" Tartarus steered the conversation back, attempting to negotiate.
"Don't you think lowering yourself to deal with a god like that is beneath you?" The Laws returned Tartarus's own words to him — the same phrase he had once used to silence the other Underworld gods.
"But Zeus is really annoying. Besides, I never said I'd do it personally." Tartarus pointed out that the many gods of the Underworld weren't there just for decoration. As long as he obtained the Laws' approval, having another god deal with Zeus would be no more than a single command.
"Why do you insist on making things difficult for Zeus?" The Laws found Tartarus impossible to understand.
"And why shouldn't I?" Tartarus found the Laws equally incomprehensible.
Leaving aside the distant past and speaking only of recent events — Zeus had only recently tried to target Amyeya. Tartarus hadn't intervened because Amyeya wanted to deal with Zeus personally. Then just now, Zeus had manipulated Cupid into letting the golden arrow affect the Underworld. And not long ago, Zeus had also imprisoned Typhon in the Abyss.
All of this pushed Tartarus's dislike for Zeus to a new historic high.
Cupid had never liked the dark environment of the Underworld. There was no way he would come there without someone guiding him. A brief investigation revealed Zeus's involvement once again.
The incident involving the Twin Gods was essentially a continuation of the Amyeya affair. After being beaten, Zeus still hadn't given up on Amyeya. Unfortunately, he couldn't see her, and gathering information proved impossible. The Underworld gods were united and extremely hostile to outsiders.
So Zeus came up with the idea of using the golden arrows of love as a breakthrough.
For a god struck by a love arrow, revealing a few insignificant details to please their beloved would be effortless — they would naturally tell everything they knew. Besides, although the Underworld gods were considered strange by the outside world, their appearances were quite pleasing. A romantic encounter would hardly be unwelcome.
But Zeus failed to follow Cupid into the Underworld due to an accident. As a result, the Underworld gods struck by the arrows ended up seeing someone else first — ruining Zeus's plan entirely. Thus Hypnos and Thanatos became the tragic victims.
Well, compared to the current situation, perhaps an uneventful outcome would have been the true tragedy. Hypnos's luck had not completely run out yet.
"In short — no," the Laws said firmly.
"Don't tell me you're really changing your style," Tartarus complained after repeated refusals.
"No means no. It has nothing to do with style," the Laws replied resolutely.
"Is Zeus your illegitimate son or something? You're protecting him awfully hard." Tartarus raised an eyebrow suspiciously.
"I am the Laws, but even I must obey the rules. It's not yet time to replace the King of the Gods." The Laws answered directly. Being the Laws didn't mean being omnipotent — if nothing else, Chaos itself was beyond their control.
"So when the time comes, I can kill him, right?" Tartarus calmly seized the loophole.
Laws: …Children of Chaos, just go away already! (╯=Д=)╯┻━┻
Chapter 74 End