I Am Hades, The supreme GOD of the Underworld!

The birth of Pandora.

It seems...

This also signifies something.

For Polos, he felt that the time was just about right.

Or rather, the time had come!

Elysium.

"Your Majesty!"

Hypnos and Thanatos knelt respectfully on one knee.

Hades spoke calmly, "Hypnos, Thanatos, the second Holy War is about to begin. You two will be responsible for everything in this war, ensuring the Sanctuary's victory."

"Understood!"

Hypnos and Thanatos, the twin gods, bowed their heads in obedience.

Hades continued, "You may leave."

"Yes!"

The twin gods rose and departed.

After they left, Eris pondered briefly before saying, "Your Majesty, I believe that the Sea Realm and the Heaven Realm will not easily concede victory in the second Holy War. Will they?"

If everything were to be conducted on fair terms...

Then, even if the Underworld were to support the Sanctuary with just one hand, they would remain unbeatable.

But...

What if the Heaven Realm and Sea Realm played by their own rules?

Persephone then spoke, "Eris, your consideration is not wrong. But you must understand, the fundamental rules of this game weren't set to limit Polos or Poseidon. They were designed to limit my husband."

"..."

"I see!"

Eris was momentarily stunned, but soon realized the truth.

Indeed!

This game, this so-called Holy War, was not meant to restrain Poseidon or Polos, but her own lord!

It was because her lord was too powerful.

Thus, various restrictions had to be placed.

This game...

At its core, it was meant to restrain her lord!

"I understand now!" Eris said, no longer speaking, and withdrew.

Hades did not bother to explain further. Regarding this second Holy War, he genuinely did not care.

He had already obtained the Earth's primordial essence, which he had long desired.

Next!

What interested him most was the game that the Earth Goddess had invited him to participate in.

The game of the protagonist races' conquest!

"Gaia."

"Will your preparations surprise me?"

"Or..."

"Will you have other tricks up your sleeve?"

Hades quietly considered these thoughts.

He had already made several well-informed guesses about the Earth Goddess's actions.

In fact!

Everything had practically been confirmed by him.

But no matter what.

If the outcome of this game were as simple as it appeared...

Hades would merely find it amusing, but not enough to consider the game truly interesting.

Still!

Hades was looking forward to the game's start.

After all.

For him, in the vast world of mythology, there were fewer and fewer opponents worthy of his attention.

A full-blown, straightforward battle?

In some sense, that was simply unrealistic.

But now!

This game that the Earth Goddess had prepared made things seem more intriguing.

Hades, after a brief moment of thought, withdrew his attention.

The game would begin soon.

So!

He simply had to wait patiently. There was no need for more words. All he had to do was wait and see how the game would unfold.

...

Sanctuary.

Athena slowly opened her eyes, her voice calm as she said, "Prometheus."

"My Lady!"

Prometheus stepped into the temple and knelt on one knee with respect, saying, "I am here!"

Athena spoke softly, "Prometheus, the second Holy War is about to begin. I leave everything in your hands. Although we have the Underworld's support, we must still prepare ourselves adequately."

"I understand!"

Prometheus nodded respectfully, then turned and left.

Athena was deep in thought, calculating many things in her mind. She mused, "If everything proceeds according to plan, then... two God-Kings will emerge from the Sanctuary, thus stabilizing the slow progress of our breakthroughs."

As she pondered this, Metis stepped forward from the shadows, speaking softly, "Athena, victory in the second Holy War may not allow the Sanctuary to participate in the next war."

"It doesn't matter."

Athena shook her head, replying softly, "Mother, I understand this well. The protagonist races' war! In this war, the Sanctuary's development started far too late."

"The Underworld, Sea Realm, Heaven Realm, and that Earth Goddess."

"And the other gods."

"They have all made sufficient preparations during this long period."

"Even though!"

"Hades, Poseidon, and Polos haven't yet entered the fray, Mother, you were once part of the Heaven Realm. You should be well aware of how thorough Heaven's preparations are."

"..."

Metis fell silent but nodded in agreement.

She understood well.

In the past, Zeus had been incredibly well-prepared. Although Zeus had not participated in the initial struggle, his lack of involvement was precisely because...

Zeus did not even regard this conflict as worth his attention.

As for the actions of the other gods?

One could only say...

They had a slim chance.

But!

That chance was nothing more than a sliver of opportunity, or perhaps, the faintest glimmer of a miracle.

Hades might be able to evoke a miracle, but that didn't mean the other gods could do the same.

If miracles were so easy to summon...

Then!

Miracles wouldn't be miracles, would they?

Precisely because of this, Metis understood that the eventual victors of the final game could only be Hades, Poseidon, Zeus! No, Polos and the Earth Goddess—these four were the only ones who could participate in this game.

In theory.

Athena, as the new ruler of the Earth, should also be able to participate in this game.

However!

Athena's rise had come too late. Even though she had millions of years to prepare, in this game, it was likely that Athena would not be able to truly participate. Again, it all came down to one thing—insufficient foundation!

Athena's foundation was far too weak. While the Sanctuary held many divine artifacts, treasures, and relics.

The problem was.

Whatever Athena had, the other three God-Kings had as well. Moreover, the division of Cronus' treasury, along with their own opportunities, created an insurmountable gap brought on by time.

For the gods, time might seem insignificant, but in some sense, it was the most valuable resource!

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