Ch.75Ep.75: Two Fragments

“Father…”

Brina looked sadly at Kraud, who was sleeping while bound in chains.

The Kraud she knew wasn’t such a powerless man.

Wasn’t he always leading the goblin tribe, thinking only of the prosperity of his people?

Brina had felt respect for him ever since she heard about the Squitte tattoo.

The more he used his power, the more goblins died, the more he would be consumed by Cronos.

Despite being born with the fate of becoming Cronos’s host.

He moved about calmly and even worked with Radios Magnum to secure freedom for the goblins.

If Brina were in the same situation as Cronos, she could never have done that.

She had the mindset that she would rather sacrifice others for her own sake.

“Please wake up. If Father remains lying down like this, who will lead the goblins?”

She herself was far from qualified to be the leader of a race.

The chief of the goblin tribe was Kraud, and Kraud needed to continue in that position.

His existence was irreplaceable, unique and one of a kind.

“The father I know isn’t this weak. What, destined to be Cronos’s host? If it’s you, Father, you can surely shake off Cronos. So please wake up soon.”

Sometimes she wondered if she had been too focused on obtaining Divine Order to look around her.

This fight with Nyarlathotep gave Brina an opportunity for self-reflection.

Would her desires really fade away if she obtained Divine Order? Probably not.

All living beings have the desire to rise higher, and even after obtaining Divine Order, they would yearn to go even higher.

But according to records, no being has reached a position higher than Divine Order.

More precisely, they existed but disappeared after creating this world—that’s what could be said about those two.

“The Blind Idiot God, creator of the Outer Gods, and Chaos, creator of Olympus…”

It is said that both possessed power beyond Divine Order.

But neither Yog-Sothoth, Uranus, nor Cronos could reach that position.

Brina was certain. No one could ever reach that position.

At best, they might be revived or appoint their successors.

So, Brina decided to let go of her lingering attachments through this incident.

Her Order, Blood Dance, had developed enough to fight beings with Divine Order.

Blood Dance at 128 layers, or Blood Explosion, which had landed a hit on Nyarlathotep.

It was a technique well-suited to face beings with Divine Order.

Perhaps with this new perspective, if she continued to refine her technique, she could face beings with Divine Order?

Even Radios Magnum, without an Order, had done the crazy thing of invading Yog-Sothoth’s domain.

Let go of attachments. If she abandoned attachments and purely pursued strength—

“I can become stronger. And I can fight the Outer Gods.”

Empty the mind. Abandon desire, the essence of goblins, and begin the quest solely to become stronger.

“So Father, please wake up soon. Or I might just surpass you.”

Brina slipped out of the tent with a faint smile.

But she would never know.

That her vow in the tent to abandon her desire for awakening Divine Order.

Was the very catalyst that would allow her to awaken Divine Order.

***

“Let us begin.”

Under Hades’ declaration, all beings of Olympus began to pay homage to Night and Day.

Nyx and Hemera.

Ancient gods of Olympus and offspring of the creator, Chaos.

Their power was among the strongest even among beings with Divine Order.

Perhaps it would take five Hades to handle one Nyx?

If only they could postpone their conflict and mobilize them for the fight against the Outer Gods.

‘We could not only reclaim the Underworld but also bring the Olympus Palace under our control.’

Faith wouldn’t be an issue. Under the protection of Nyx and Hemera, faith would be unnecessary.

“Zeus, Athena, and Artemis. Come up.”

Hades called three Olympian gods to the highest level of the altar.

Zeus frowned but climbed up as if he had no choice.

The siblings Apollo and Artemis stood to the right of Hades without any particular reaction.

“Oh, great beings who have gifted us night and day, and allowed us to enjoy freedom under them…”

“Your descendants await here. Please do not ignore these words.”

“A great adversity and crisis has come to Olympus…”

“Now descend directly and open the way for us to overcome this desperate crisis…”

Hades began the ritual, followed by Zeus, Apollo, and the Artemis siblings.

They were already in a deep trance, asleep.

To wake them required not just words, but a stimulus.

“Here. We offer the remnants of those who turned our Olympus into hell.”

“Open your heavy eyelids, rise, and guide us on the right path.”

“Arrrgh! You crazy bastards!! Do you think the Resident will remain silent after this?!”

The identity of the Outer God, whose head was held in Hades’ hand while screaming, was none other than.

The Outer God Tulcha, known as the Dancing Green Flame.

Hades had kidnapped him during the retreat with the sole intention of awakening Nyx and Hemera, and retreated to Erebos.

He decided to sacrifice his life for this ritual.

Tulcha was almost tortured as Apollo’s sunlight burned him, and Zeus’s lightning cooked him to the bone.

Afterward, he was sliced all over by Hades’ Death Scythe.

Perhaps Nyx and Hemera felt the abnormal surge in faith directed toward them?

Erebos began to tremble slightly.

And at that moment.

Swoosh!

“What the hell..!”

“Apollo! Artemis!!”

Before they could react, Apollo and Artemis’s heads were severed by someone.

Zeus and Hades turned their heads toward the assassins, interrupting the ritual.

They roared like beasts with indescribable feelings of betrayal.

[Demeterrrrr!! Hestiaaaaaa!!! What are you doing?!]

The assassins were Demeter and Hestia, the first and second children of Cronos.

The two goddesses, who were also Zeus and Hades’ older sisters, had beheaded Apollo and Artemis.

Hades displayed tremendous rage that he had never shown before.

Zeus also glared at Hestia and Demeter with lightning crackling all over his body.

But they merely laughed as if it were ridiculous.

“You two really seem stupid.”

“Rather than continuing to resist, it would be better to surrender and live under the rule of the Outer Gods.”

“What nonsense! You two are the real traitors!”

“To be precise, we’re all traitors. Isn’t this just a regime obtained through a coup?”

“..!”

When Hestia denounced them as rebels who killed their father.

Hades looked like he couldn’t hold back anymore and was about to charge at Hestia.

Rumble!

“Damn it! The ritual!”

As Erebos began to tremble, the seal of Nyx and Hemera, which was about to open, started to strengthen again.

In the end, Hades was placed in a situation where he had no choice.

‘Poseidon is in Kadinant… Hermes and Athena were defeated by Veichel, Apollo and Artemis were killed by Hestia and Demeter. What’s left is…’

Only himself, Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Ares, and Dionysus.

To continue the ritual here, Ares and Dionysus would need to participate.

And for that to happen, Hera and Aphrodite would have to hold off Demeter and Hestia, which would be a disaster.

While Hera had some combat ability, Aphrodite had none.

Not enough to hold off Hestia and Demeter.

[All of Olympus! Kill Demeter and Hestia! The ritual must not be interrup—]

Clang!

The moment Hades shouted.

The lower gods of Olympus, not Das Pluto, drew their swords.

They moved behind Demeter and Hestia and pointed their weapons at Hades.

Yes. The traitors were not just the two of them.

“Brother! We don’t have time to focus on the ritual!”

“…Damn it!”

In the end, Hades had no choice but to stop the ritual.

With two beings possessing Divine Order tied up in the ritual, they couldn’t suppress the rebellion.

“We surrender.”

“…What?”

At that, Hestia and Demeter dropped their weapons and withdrew their magical power as if they had no will to resist.

As if preventing the resurrection of Nyx and Hemera was enough.

“Argh! Those damn bastards!!”

Hades, enraged, released the divine power of death toward their heads.

But at that moment.

Whoosh!

“What, what is this?!”

“N-Night…”

All of Erebos turned black, and from within, a giant pupil looked down upon the Olympian gods.

[It seems our descendants don’t know the meaning of moderation?]

“..!”

“..!”

Just one sentence.

Though it was just one sentence from someone unknown, those belonging to Olympus couldn’t help but feel chills.

That’s because the absolute pressure in that voice.

Made the identity of the voice unmistakably clear.

“N-Nyx…”

Nyx, the goddess of night.

An ancient god of Olympus and one of the primordial beings who awakened Divine Order.

Hades reached a point where he could barely breathe due to Nyx’s divine power, which was denser than expected.

If he was in this state, what about the others?

‘Calm? Wait, since Nyx has been resurrected!’

Whoosh!

The moment Hades’ thoughts reached that point.

A pure white sun rose from the opposite side of the night.

It was day.

[If our unworthy descendants ask so earnestly, we must move, right?]

[I’ll get to taste blood after a long time.]

[You’re excited too, aren’t you? Let’s lend them some strength.]

The voice that came with the rising day was.

The god who witnessed the creation of Olympus alongside Nyx.

An ancient god who awakened Divine Order from the beginning.

Hemera, the goddess of day.