Tyche’s heart was shaken, her eyes widening involuntarily.
A goddess of radiant charm walked into the divine hall. The golden-haired, red-robed goddess wore a golden girdle, its peculiar power causing the mesmerized gods to involuntarily part a path for her.
Her azure eyes undoubtedly revealed the goddess’s oceanic essence. The power that had sealed her memories quietly receded. Tyche gritted her teeth, gazing at the beautiful goddess.
The newcomer was Aphrodite, possessing the divine offices of love, beauty, and joy!
Everything before had merely been a deception. The hidden primary divine seat, the wager of Iapetus, the God of Souls—these layers of disguise were all to conceal the presence of the love goddess!
Mnemosyne’s reminder was not just pointing to the primary divine seat left behind by the King and Queen of the Gods! It hinted at the fact that Hades and Poseidon could share a primary divine seat! No wonder Mnemosyne believed she could discover it; the method for Aphrodite and Mnemosyne to share a primary divine seat was one she herself had proposed!
The love goddess, swaying her slender waist, slowly approached. Sharing a primary divine seat with the goddess of memory, she would be the greatest trump card in deciding the ownership of the primary divine seat today!
Tyche gave a desolate smile. She never thought she would one day have to place her hopes on Aphrodite. Fate truly was a trickster.
The divine hall was silent, save for the sound of Aphrodite’s golden shoes tapping the floor.
The love goddess sat beside the goddess of memory. Her waist-length curly golden hair brushed against Tyche’s arm, and a deep rose fragrance wafted, yet it plunged Tyche’s mood to the depths.
The gods were also stunned by this unexpected turn of events. The deathly silence was shattered by clamor the moment Aphrodite smiled. Crius rose to welcome the love goddess, promising her all sorts of honors without reservation, clearly confident in securing Aphrodite’s support. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Zeus remained silent. The love goddess held a grudge against Tyche. Her primary divine seat had fallen through due to Tyche’s interference, forcing her to share it with Mnemosyne. Not to mention the series of incidents where she was beaten by Rhea and nearly became the wife of Menoetius, the God of Courage, all of which had Tyche’s shadow behind them. If Gaia were to reveal all this truthfully, Aphrodite would undoubtedly choose Crius without hesitation. Aphrodite’s choice, different from the goddess of memory, would mean one less vote for Zeus’s faction. He could no longer wait for the moment to decide the position of King of the Gods by force.
Crius thought the same. The God of Growth reveled in the flattery of the opportunists, his smile arrogant.
However, in the next moment, Aphrodite’s voice, as melodious as a nightingale’s, froze Crius’s smile.
“In the name of the primary gods, I support Zeus as the King of the Gods.”
Tyche couldn’t help but open her eyes to look at the love goddess. She only came to her senses when Aphrodite repeated it in her clear voice.
Meeting the surprised gazes of the primary gods, Aphrodite tossed her shining golden hair and offered her explanation, “No need to look at me like that. I simply made the choice that yields the greatest benefit for the gods.”
The gods fell silent once more. In the current situation, the rewards gained by choosing Zeus would indeed be greater than choosing Crius.
This was, of course, an unexpected joy for Zeus’s side. Regardless of Aphrodite’s reasons for making such a choice, she had genuinely pulled Zeus back from the brink of elimination.
“You will be rewarded beyond measure for your choice!” Tyche decisively extended an olive branch. “No matter the outcome, I am willing to provide security for your future circumstances!”
The God of Thunder followed suit, “Your safety will be guaranteed! If I become the King of the Gods, your status will be unshakeable!”
This tumultuous contest for the position of King of the Gods had seen many twists and turns, and now it had returned to a stalemate.
Tyche looked at the stiff-faced God of Growth, Crius, and asked slowly, “Your Highness Crius, I believe neither of us needs to waste each other’s time any further. What is your opinion?”
The God of Growth’s face turned ashen. Aphrodite’s unexpected choice gave him an ominous premonition.
The two candidates stepped forward respectively. Unlike Zeus’s full confidence, Crius’s unease was evident.
The God of Growth’s strength was not suited for combat; otherwise, he would not have resorted to such underhanded tactics to meticulously deceive Tyche’s faction of gods. It was clear he lacked confidence in his combat prowess.
With matters having reached this point, both sides could only grit their teeth and persevere. They bore not only their own goals but also the expectations of their supporters.
Lightning crackled and roamed, and lead-gray clouds soon obscured the daylight. The roar of thunder accompanied the incessant downpour.
Zeus, above the clouds, had a resolute gaze. The enamel-like blue round shield in his hand emitted a crystal-clear glow, the phantom of a crystal wall appearing and disappearing, making the God of Growth’s already gloomy face look even more displeased.
Crius’s domain of life slowly unfurled, and countless towering trees grew from the earth, blocking the lightning Zeus cast from the sky. Plants, in the power of life, ceaselessly grew and died, being destroyed and reborn, yet for a time, they could not overcome the opponent.
Seeing this, Zeus, holding his shield in his left hand, gathered the lightning from the clouds into his right hand, forming a spear, intending to engage Crius in close combat.
Leaping down from the sky, the dense forest turned to dust under Zeus’s impact, revealing Crius hiding behind the trees.
Dodging the incoming spear, the God of Growth was forced to retreat helplessly. He superimposed his domain of life and healing, quickly summoning the lush plants again. Fine thorns wrapped around Zeus’s lower legs, but before they could exude venom, they were turned to ash by lightning fire.
The domain of lightning gradually expanded. Although the domain of life was constantly retreating, it did not suffer significant losses. Crius’s ample divine power reserves made even the observing Tyche feel the situation was troublesome. On the surface, Zeus held a clear advantage. Under the onslaught of lightning, Crius could only dodge. However, a warrior fighting a healer could only engage in a war of attrition. As long as Crius’s divine power remained abundant, Zeus could not defeat him.
The battle between the two deities lasted for a long time. The occasional lightning burns Crius sustained were quickly healed by the power of life. In contrast, the might of Zeus’s lightning was no longer as fierce as before.
The heavy rain, unable to damage the plants, had stopped. The trees charred during the battle between the two deities quietly sprouted new shoots, and the scales of victory gradually tilted towards the God of Growth.
The God of Thunder, therefore, withdrew all unnecessary power. Pale lightning continuously gathered in his hand. Zeus raised the Lady of the Lake’s Shield, confronting Crius. There was no wavering in his deep brown eyes as he circled the God of Growth, searching for an opportunity for a killing blow.