Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

"[Sovereign] or [Law], they are the same as the rules of the Sphinx, actually they all stem from one of the highest and core parts of the present world, [Order]."

"They either integrate, one yielding to another and thus achieving the other's strength, or they will conflict and find it hard to coexist."

"Thus the ancient Titans left the Divine Court, and perhaps the power of the Sphinx also affected me... Learning from mistakes, next time, I won't be so careless."

Thoughts flickered through his mind as Dionysus rested for a while at the same place.

Finally, he indicated that he was fine and could continue the journey.

Regarding Zeus's power, it couldn't be directly mentioned.

Thus, Dionysus politely declined Prometheus's offer to check his physical condition.

"... Fine, since you're okay, let's head towards the real site of Mount Othrys now."

Nodding slightly, Heracles did not refuse.

Having obtained the Sphinx's legacy, he felt a strange sense of swelling throughout his body.

He now wanted to fight someone or start a fire.

Although according to the records on the [Purgatory Book], the road under Mount Othrys leading to the fourth layer of the Spirit Realm is a 'dead end,' he still wanted to see it.

After all, he remembered the words of the Athenian Sage and his intuition from the Sea Eye. (See 3-347)

No matter what he did, whether he just wanted to reach the fourth layer of the Spirit Realm to fulfill his vow to himself... It seemed that someday, he would definitely walk that 'correct' path.

— Starting from the bottom of the Heavenly Pillar in the present world, walking along the ridge of Mount Sinai all the way to its end.

There, all doubts could be answered, all difficulties would no longer exist.

Maybe one day, he wouldn't need logic but could personally verify the Sphinx's questions.

The so-called 'All-Knowing and All-Powerful', is it true?

······

Heading west, since leaving the Nameless Valley, Heracles didn't know how many miles he had traveled.

Compared to when he arrived, he now had a Divine Artifact from the Goddess of Law.

He wondered if the Goddess won her bet with the Sphinx since he caused its death?

"Speaking of which, it's a bit strange... Ande, have you ever thought about a problem."

Silently speaking in his heart, using the ingeniously crafted mind thread of Ande, the Great Hero could communicate directly with it in his mind.

"The rules of the Sphinx's domain state that once someone begins the question and answer with the Sphinx, if they can't answer even one question, they will lose everything."

"Conversely, if they answer all three questions correctly, the Sphinx will lose everything, granting fame to the Answerer— that's right."

"Yes," Ande replied, already knowing what Heracles wanted to ask: "You mean that with these clear rules, Themis as the Lord of [Justice] and [Law], the Goddess of Justice, she could also see through this."

"So, her bet with the Sphinx was meaningless from the start, because even if the Sphinx lost, a dead being couldn't fulfill the bet."

"The power of the Sphinx's rules is so strong that even the gods who enter its domain couldn't escape the rules' punishment upon failing because this power harms both the enemy and itself, it couldn't even bind the Sphinx itself..."

"So in this case, the Goddess shouldn't make such foolish moves, right."

"... More or less."

The Great Hero agreed skeptically.

The Sphinx told him before dying that its life and death were also a riddle, with the answer long placed before Heracles.

Yet perhaps the first three questions consumed too much of the Great Hero's energy, making it hard for him to figure out the reason immediately.

"Well... I'm not sure if I'm right, I can only offer you a guess."

Changing position in the front pocket, the puppet smiled and said: "You should know, the Goddess of Law is not just the goddess of [Justice] but also the goddess of [Fairness]."

"Thus, in whatever she does, she wouldn't solely favor one side."

"However, from when she restrained the Sphinx to stay in the valley to setting the 'Equal Value Balance' at the entrance, exchanging divine power for the lives of the Answerers, although these actions were consented by the Sphinx and done fairly by her payment, if examined closely, there is somewhat of a bias towards humans."

"But you should understand, Heracles, Themis the Goddess of Law was never human, she is an ancient Titan, daughter of the Heavenly Father and Mother Earth, a Lawgiver who eradicates tumors in the present world."

"In her eyes, be it demons, humans, giants, sea monsters, or even ants underfoot, they are all equally ordinary beings."

"In the entire world, maybe only chaotic evil creatures would disgust her... Other than that, what special thing do humans have?"

"So if you think carefully, you'll find that the Sphinx's treatment was the same as humans."

"It was restricted to the valley, seemingly a cage... But, if looked from a longer timeline, if it still rampaged over the human world, though gods might not be able to do anything to it, one day, when Oedipus the fated one calculated by the gods arrived before it, could it really evade this 'calamity' and ultimately wait for your arrival?"

"It lost freedom but gained back hundreds of years of life... If viewed from this perspective, that stone balance before the valley might reveal another result."

"You mean..." Mind slightly moved, Heracles felt he started to understand something: "The Goddess left a glimmer of hope to the humans coming for the question not because of special pity for those coming for wealth, status, fame, who were ultimately driven by greed."

"But she first gave mercy to their opponent, thus giving them an equal opportunity?"

"The Goddess first set the bet with the Sphinx with a divine artifact, then this valley... Just as exchanging freedom with the Goddess, the divine power crystal can save them from the rules' erasure."

"Answerers exchanged freedom with her to gain life-saving divine power, at the cost of lifelong dedication to the cause of [Justice]... Sphinx bet its freedom, exchanged the divine artifact [Golden Scales], at the cost of eternal service to the Goddess upon losing..."

"Thus the artifact I found as the bet isn't due to the Goddess's favor but her [Fairness]."

"Just as the failed answerers took life-saving divine power crystals becoming the Sphinx's food, the divine artifact [Golden Scales] is also my rightful war spoils."

Heart shaken, at this moment, the remote and long gaze of the ancient deity made Heracles awe-struck, but her absolute fairness in actions was equally striking.

She seemed the embodiment of this godhood, the proof of [Fairness]... Looking down at the [Golden Scales] at his waist, the Great Hero knew that this artifact shouldn't belong to him forever.

The divine power crystals were permanently paid to the Sphinx because those failed answerers ultimately left whole.

Yet even if the Sphinx escaped in some way,