I Am Hades, The supreme GOD of the Underworld!

Erebus, Nyx, Uranus...

One by one, these were Ancient Gods who didn't get along with Gaia.

At this moment, they watched Gaia's predicament with unrestrained delight.

Especially Erebus and Nyx, who were practically gloating.

What? Really? Oh, Gaia, did something happen to you?

Tsk tsk tsk… The so-called all-powerful Earth Goddess—what, this is it? Is this really all you can manage? Speak up; why can't we hear you?

Particularly for Erebus and Nyx, seeing the Underworld gain a new Earth Goddess, a perfect ruler of the earth—just like Aether being the ruler of the Astral Realm—was thrilling.

It was simply the ultimate advantage.

This was, to put it mildly, a massive gain! Not only had Gaia been weakened, but their Underworld had been strengthened.

Amidst this, no matter how furious Gaia felt, there was nothing she could do.

In fact, the moment Gaia left the Earth's core, her face had already become calm, although her frustration remained evident.

Under the restrictions of the Mythological World, even Gaia was subjected to severe suppression.

She was utterly unable to exert power beyond that of a God-King.

The Mythological World had, indeed, carefully calibrated these restrictions against the Earth Goddess.

Gaia's expression was extremely sour, but she restrained her anger.

Gaia understood that, given the current situation, if she wanted to take action against Hades, she would have to storm into the Underworld. But could she really succeed by charging in? Truthfully, Gaia had no confidence.

As the Earth Goddess, Gaia was supposed to be unparalleled within the Mythological World.

Yet, with repeated suppressions, Gaia found herself in a state of weakness.

If this continued, then...

Gaia knew that recklessly entering the Underworld would likely mean paying with her life. The hidden strength within the Underworld was terrifyingly vast, something Gaia understood even without having set foot there.

A single misstep could mean sacrificing her life. And if it reached that point, then... things could spiral into serious danger.

Just a moment's thought convinced Gaia to abandon this idea.

What could she do? Gaia had no choice but to swallow this bitter loss, with no way to resolve it.

It was inescapable!

This was precisely why the Mythological World showed no concern over Hades taking Europa.

It was simple logic.

With Europa removed, Gaia's influence was genuinely weakened. If Europa remained in the Earthly Realm, what would stop Gaia from constantly causing trouble?

It would be absurd. 

In such a case, Gaia would not only reclaim her original power source but, thanks to the Mythological World creating the continent of Europa, gain even more power from the enhanced source.

Meanwhile, among those who might take Europa, only Hades, Poseidon, and Porus seemed capable.

However, Poseidon and Porus didn't quite measure up. At minimum, their strength and rank fell short.

In this situation, only Hades genuinely possessed the authority to face Gaia, limited as she was by the Mythological World.

For Poseidon and Porus, it came down to one thing: in the Mythological World, Gaia faced restrictions. But should they encounter her in their respective territories, they'd be beyond the Mythological World's jurisdiction.

Thus, aside from Hades—the sole one capable of risking a mutually destructive confrontation—no other deity, not even an Ancient God, qualified to challenge Gaia in this way.

For any existence in this world, this situation was essentially inescapable.

Hence, when considering who could manage such a feat, the answer was clear.

This conclusion was self-evident, needing no further discussion.

Ultimately, Gaia returned to the Earth's core. While this wouldn't be the end of it, she had no immediate means to recover her footing, which was a deeply frustrating situation.

The issues were abundant; there was no easy solution or quick fix.

Gaia sighed in resignation as she finally retreated back to the Earth's core.

Meanwhile, in the Sanctuary.

After Metis departed, Athena sat on her throne, her eyes narrowing thoughtfully, glinting with a sharp light.

At this moment, as she witnessed Gaia, the Earth Goddess, being weakened once again, Athena began to entertain some ideas she might not normally consider.

Or rather, Athena was starting to develop some rather peculiar ideas, ideas that could be called unsettling.

Actually, this wasn't surprising.

Hades and Tartarus.

Poseidon and Pontus.

Porus and Uranus.

Athena and Gaia.

These four God-Kings and four Ancient Gods were almost mirrored pairs, connected by a unique bond.

And theoretically, if they could somehow absorb or obtain everything from their counterparts, the growth in power would be significant.

In this regard, Hades, Poseidon, and Porus had already been making their own preparations and contributions.

Considering this, it wasn't exactly a secret. Anyone could deduce that if they wanted to advance further, dealing with and replacing their ancient counterpart, or even fully absorbing them, would offer incredible benefits.

This was an obvious conclusion, and as Athena watched Gaia become weaker and weaker, her long-concealed thoughts began to surface. Now, she, too, was contemplating her next steps, pondering how best to approach and ultimately absorb Gaia.

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