Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Leaving Olympia, the group continued their journey westward.

Under the extreme speed of the Star Shuttle, the distance, which spanned a fifth of the continent, did not take too long to traverse.

In the scorching heat of a sunny afternoon, the ancient foundation of the Heavenly Pillar was already within sight.

A sense of age and decay washed over them, causing Ande to feel somewhat oppressed.

Clearly, even after nearly ten thousand years, certain undying rules lingered here.

"Is this Mount Othrys? It's a bit different from what I imagined."

"Rather than saying this is a ruined Mount of the Gods, it's more like an endless high wall."

Gazing into the distance, one could also feel that same intangible pressure.

In the eyes of Heracles, there was no Mount of the Gods in the distance, only a 'high wall' with an unknowable height, length, and extent.

According to the records, this is the fallen body of the Mount of the Gods. However, from a human perspective, it is impossible to discern its 'mountainous' shape no matter how one tries.

"Call it whatever you want, a mountain or a wall, it has already fallen."

"As the only peak in the world that still belonged to the Earth instead of the ancient Mountain God Ourea, the fall of Mount Othrys might have been inevitable."

"The only regret I have is that the traces of a human tribe at the foot of the mountain have also been destroyed along with the collapse of the Mount of the Gods... That tribe was once the golden civilization you all yearn for."

"The Golden Age, huh... I wonder if they were really as just and perfect as the records say."

Slightly sentimental, the Great Hero had some doubts.

In response, Dionysus kept silent, while Prometheus merely smiled.

"Of course, they were."

"Only... what they possessed wasn't just and perfect; it was a perfect Justice."

A perfect Justice... nothing in this world is perfect.

If anything is perfect, it probably only exists within books or in the dreams of living beings.

…

Though Chaos didn't have the saying 'A watched pot never boils,' similar proverbs were not rare.

From the moment he saw the 'high wall' shrouded in mist, Heracles had walked a considerable distance on foot.

Perhaps because the Great Divine Power had clashed unrestrained here, the speed of the Star Shuttle was no longer swift near the broken Sky Pillar.

Only by evening of that day did Heracles finally sense an arcane Order different from other places.

This was a small valley, though the 'mountains' here more closely resembled natural barriers formed from the rubble of the Sky Pillar's collapse.

At the mouth of the valley sat a huge scale, seemingly carved from stone, blocking the sole entrance and exit.

"Hm? What is this for?"

Raising an eyebrow at the sight, Dionysus asked curiously.

On this stone scale, he faintly sensed a unique force of rule, yet it was not fashioned from a Divine Artifact.

Its existence seemed to be filtering those who entered... Looking at the statue once mentioned by Chiron, the Great Hero began to explain:

"This is the 'Equal Value Balance,' a peculiar object forged from the power of the Divine Artifact Golden Scales and another artifact of unknown origin."

"As its name implies, it's a tool of equivalent exchange."

"If you place something you own on one side of the scales as an offering to the Goddess, she will give you a crystal imbued with an equivalent Divine Power in return."

"So... is this the 'admission fee' collected by Lady Themis?" Dionysus continued to inquire.

"No, this is not an admission fee."

"On the contrary, this is the final lifeline for those who come here to challenge the Demon."

Gently shaking his head, the Great Hero stepped forward.

Walking straight past the scales, he showed no intention of making an exchange. Whether Dionysus wanted to make an exchange or not was his decision to make.

"Over the centuries, countless people have come here to challenge the Sphinx. Some for status, some for Fame, some for Strength... But not one has succeeded."

"And the fate of the failures is to be digested by the domain of the Sphinx, becoming Dead Souls toppled beneath its Order."

"To gamble with one's Life is the most cruel challenge. Yet, to lose one's life in a fair contest is something even the Goddess of Justice would not prevent."

"However, perhaps out of her own sense of Justice, Lady Themis still offers challengers a chance at life—that is, to offer 'oneself' to the Goddess before entering the valley and to exchange it for an equivalent Divine Power under the just scales."

"Once a challenger's everything belongs to the Goddess, even if they fail, they cannot lose their life a second time... To compensate for the loss of the Sphinx, the Divine Power imbued with Order also becomes a more delectable nourishment for the Demon."

"As for those challengers who narrowly escape death, they will devote the rest of their lives to the doctrines of the Goddess and fulfill their mission on Earth... So, Dionysus, whether you want to leave something behind here is for you to decide."

"This... is indeed a generous Deity."

Feeling somewhat sentimental, he did not expect there to be those who would exchange Divine Power for mortals. Although the exchange is indeed equivalent in a certain sense, Dionysus was sure that this equivalence was not the same in terms of material and energy.

However, shaking his head, Dionysus ultimately rejected the suggestion.

As an Immortal in a substantial sense, he had no need to sell himself to other Gods.

"I'll pass. With you ahead, at least I have a chance of answering one question correctly."