Cohesion is something that is both powerful and fragile. Even the slightest crack can cause it to collapse.
Eros, the primordial god of love, sensed the determination in his allies' hearts. No longer holding back, he called out loudly, "Tartarus!"
Immediately, Tyche felt the earth tremble. The eroding power of the Abyss surged from the depths of the earth, engulfing the Underworld.
"Tartarus! Do you want to be my enemy?" Tyche's voice was cold and stern, as if she were about to explode into action at any moment.
Styx emerged from the River Styx, standing in front of the profound Tartarus.
The hazy figure of the Abyss hesitated for a moment, but the impenetrable darkness did not stop eroding the Underworld.
Necessity, without wasting a word, caused ripples on the River Styx beneath her feet and boldly confronted Tartarus.
Before provoking the quarrel, Tyche had made all the preparations. She entrusted the divinity of prophecy left by Phoebe and her own divinity of opportunities to her independent avatar, Styx. Coupled with her original divinity of Necessity and others, she almost had full control over the domain of fate!
Beautiful red flowers bloomed beneath Styx's feet. The beautiful things that countless souls longed for after death turned into invisible fragrances, invading this darkness. Naturally, Styx could not compete with the Abyss, but she could still manage to hold Tartarus for a while.
The darkness shrouding the Underworld stopped advancing. Emotions contributed by the souls in the Underworld were part of Tartarus'. His gaze couldn't help but be attracted to these illusions, unable to extricate himself. Even Eros' urging couldn't make him focus.
Time was of the essence. Tyche wielded the Eternal Spear in her hand and charged towards Pontus, who was fully prepared.
The waves raised by the primordial sea god couldn't harm Tyche. As sea gods, the origin of the ocean favored Tyche no less than Pontus! The surging waves were calmed by Tyche, and the storms and thunder on the sea also spread. The battle between the two sides began simultaneously.
Tyche didn't pay much attention to her sons who were fighting Eros. At this time, defeating Pontus as quickly as possible to end the battle speedily was what she should do! As long as she could free up her hands, there would be a glimmer of victory on both the sky and the Underworld battlefields!
Pontus also knew that he was in a race against time. As long as he could hold out against Tyche for a long enough time, at least until the Abyss broke free from the entanglement and came to assist, there would be a chance to change the situation on the battlefield.
Pontus, retreating while fighting, was in a sorry state and could only barely parry Tyche's fierce attacks. The sea battlefield was favorable to both Tyche and Pontus. However, the primordial sea god was mainly avoiding the battle, dodging and weaving in the seawater, narrowly avoiding the sharp attacks.
The slippery Pontus always managed to avoid Tyche's attacks by a narrow margin. During the battle, he mainly focused on dodging and defending, rarely taking the initiative to attack.
Tyche remained calm. The Eternal Spear in her hand launched a probing attack, without giving it her all.
The two sides in the stalemate were both very calm. Naturally, Pontus hoped that this war of attrition would last as long as possible. Unbeknownst to them, the battle between the two deities had gradually reached the deep sea. This was Pontus' territory. He didn't understand why Tyche would choose to transfer the battlefield to the deep sea, where her control was the weakest, but the sense of crisis pricking at his back made him dare not ignore it, so he perked up his spirits and contended with Tyche.
Finally, Tyche revealed her fangs. She raised the Eternal Spear in her hand and chanted a spell. This weapon, blessed by three divinities of fate, flickered with an almost invisible arc. In the next moment, it left her hand and deeply pierced Pontus' heart!
Pontus had been watching the trajectory of the Eternal Spear. Before Tyche released her hand, he had dived underwater. He thought he could avoid the weapon she threw, but at the moment of diving, he felt a pain in his chest.
An unstoppable scream came from the primordial sea god's mouth. Pontus, enduring the pain, tried to pull out the Eternal Spear. However, at the moment he touched it, he was pushed away by an irresistible force. The Eternal Spear rejected Pontus' touch!
"You can't kill me! I am the embodiment of the concept of the ocean! The laws won't allow me to die!"
Pontus finally panicked. He was nailed to the seabed, unable to move, and could only watch Tyche's footsteps getting closer and closer.
"Shut up! Stop your noisy tongue, or do you want me to cut it off for you!"
Tyche stretched out her hand, gripping the trembling Eternal Spear, and sternly ordered, frowning.
Pontus saw the undisguised killing intent in Tyche's eyes, cold and bare. He also saw a stiff version of himself in Tyche's eyes.
Wielding the Shield of the Nymph in her left hand, she smashed it heavily on the primordial sea god's head. The blood - streaming Pontus immediately lost consciousness and fell asleep. Tyche still cared about the fact that killing Pontus would cause unrest in the origin of the ocean. So she only sealed him at the bottom of the sea. Not being able to kill Pontus didn't mean he could still keep his freedom. Letting the primordial sea god fall into silence was in the interests of the Oceanids.
Drawing out the Eternal Spear and holding it upside down, Tyche ordered the earth to split open a crack leading to the Underworld. The power of her groundwater divinity connected with the River Styx. Tyche drew on Pontus' power to expand the scope of the River of Wishes. Before long, the calm River Styx became a vast expanse of water. Styx used the water flow to resist the invasion of the Abyss, diluting Tartarus' corrosive divine power and regaining control of the Underworld.
Necessity grabbed Pontus' body and used it as a shield. With his power, she confronted the Abyss. Every attack from the Abyss would reduce the water in the River Styx, but Pontus' oceanic divine power would quickly fill up the lost part of the River Styx. Pontus' vitality rapidly weakened, and he fell into a deep sleep like the sky god.
The crack on the seabed did not close. A continuous stream of seawater flowed in through this hole leading to the Underworld, causing the Abyss some trouble. The interlaced underground water veins delineated the boundary between the earth and the Abyss. The tremendous pressure pushed the Abyss away from the earth and the Underworld. Tartarus, who didn't dare to use his full strength to destroy the Underworld, had to retreat.
Pontus' body became the first line of defense for the Underworld. A continuous stream of seawater flowed out from his divinity, becoming power controlled by Styx. If the Abyss used all its strength, Pontus, who was in the front line, would be the first to be hit. The fall of the primordial sea god would only facilitate Tyche in unifying the sea. But if Tartarus didn't use all his strength, Tyche might have to free up her hands to deal with him.
Tartarus didn't have too much regret. In any case, he didn't suffer too much loss. Responding to Eros was just going with the flow. Retreating at this time was not unacceptable.
The power of the Abyss receded, and the panicked souls were washed away by the River of Forgetfulness and returned to peace, immersed in the ocean surrounding the Underworld.
Eros, entangled with Zeus and Krenos, sighed and turned to leave. Zeus stopped his elder brother who was about to draw his bow. The power of the primordial god of love came from the emotions of all intelligent beings. As long as there were intelligent beings, Eros was invincible.
Zeus knew that continuing the fight would be futile. He watched Eros leave.
The battle at sea also ended in Athena's victory. Facing the sea - god offspring whose numbers were ten times more than theirs, the seriously - wounded Phorcys and Ceto were unable to reverse the situation. Led by the friendly sea god Nereus, they retreated towards the more distant high seas.
Tyche's appearance was greeted with cheers. The conceptual sea gods, having lost Pontus, were unable to contend with Tyche. The oceanic authority they possessed began to shift towards Tyche, gradually moving towards unification.
With the oceanic divinity in Tyche's hands, the earth and the sky were attracted to it, forming a more magnificent divine persona.
Tyche closed her eyes, yet she could see everything happening in the world before her. The migratory birds flying in the sky, the herds of beasts galloping on the earth, and the fish swimming in the water were all vividly presented.
Chiron, the centaur who taught humans martial arts and knowledge, seemed to sense Tyche's gaze. He turned his head and looked around. The will of Prometheus was attached to this incarnation named Chiron. Lowering his head, he expressed his respect to Tyche.
Just as Tyche was immersed in this all - knowing and all - powerful feeling, she suddenly felt a resistance. An irresistible bond made her withdraw from this state, and the divine persona formed by the aggregation of the three great divinities also powerlessly dispersed, reverting back to individual divinities.
Tyche's gaze turned to herself. An inescapable causal line was entwined around the divine flame. The thick red light flickered. The oath made in the name of the River Styx could no longer determine the life and death of the primordial gods. However, if she wanted to make further progress, this oath had to be fulfilled no matter what.
The promise made to the goddess of magic, Hecate, seemed like a long - ago matter. Now might be the time to start unraveling this promise.
On the Invisible Island, Tyche's figure quietly appeared. What she needed to do now was to wait. The more fruits the World Tree stored, the better. With no worries in the rear, Tyche could afford to wait.
The natural changes caused by the battle among the gods were extremely intense. Protected by Pegasus and Medusa, Perseus fled far away. Looking back at the ever - changing battlefield, Perseus couldn't help but urge Pegasus to run faster.
The thunder and lightning rampaging in the sky and the fierce winds prevented Pegasus from spreading its wings. The horse galloped on the waves and the water surface, heading towards the distance.
After running for an unknown length of time, Medusa's voice sounded in Perseus' ear.
"The war among the gods has ended, Perseus. Your future will be blessed by me." Medusa's figure disappeared from the sea surface.
Pegasus carried Perseus to a city - state. The residents here were amazed that Perseus had Pegasus as his companion and warmly invited him to a banquet.
While drinking heartily, the wine relaxed Perseus' tense nerves. He let down his guard and vigilance and thoroughly enjoyed the joy. The banquet lasted until midnight before it ended. Perseus, in a daze, walked on the quiet intersection. The moonlight converged in the middle of the intersection, and in the haze, the figure of a goddess appeared.
This goddess had three heads and six arms. Each of her three faces faced a different road, and she held a key, a snake, a dagger, and a torch emitting a dim blue flame in her hands respectively. The wandering souls were attracted by the dim blue flame and walked towards their final destination.
Perseus' reason returned to his mind. He hurriedly wanted to avoid this majestic goddess but was carried by a force and involuntarily arrived at the crossroads.
Hecate, the goddess of wishes and witchcraft, looked at Perseus. Their faces were as if obscured by hazy mist, making it impossible for Perseus to read any emotional fluctuations.
The three faces of the goddess spoke simultaneously, "Perseus, the human favored by the gods! It is the fickle fate that has led you here, and we hand over the dice of fate to you."
Hecate said calmly, "No god can manipulate fate. The power of fate has been entrusted to the goddess of Necessity, and even the queen of gods who controls luck only exerts influence on fate."
"Fate dominates everything of countless living beings, but fate also arises randomly. Variable factors emerge in contrast to the pre - determined. The final outcome of fate also varies according to each life's choices."
After hearing the goddess's words, Perseus asked, "I don't want to be a coward who breaks his oath! Goddess, please tell the lost one where my fate will lead."
The goddess threw a die and looked at Perseus, saying, "This is the will of the goddess of fate. Fate can only be chosen by oneself, and I am just here to guide the way. Lost one, follow the throbbing in your heart."
After speaking, Hecate's figure disappeared in the dim blue flame.
Picking up the ever - changing die, the cowardice in his heart was driven away by courage. The divinity was guiding him. Perseus was extremely determined and took the first step of his own choice.
The prophecy that Perseus would kill his grandfather thus turned into a bubble, and the future was now in his own hands.
From then on, the fate of humans was no longer a plaything in the hands of the gods. The goddess of fate removed the yoke from their necks and left everything for them to choose for themselves.
Bidding farewell to this warm city - state, Perseus rode Pegasus across the sea. He was eager to return to his mother's side and share his adventure experiences with her. However, he suddenly noticed a beautiful figure appearing on the coastal reefs. On the solemn altar, a girl with her hands bound was crying.
A group of priests and a sad old woman were arguing on the seashore. The die in Perseus' arms became hot. Guided by fate, Perseus was moved. He immediately let Pegasus take him to the girl's side.
The shadow of Pegasus swept across the arguing crowd. The noisy people were terrified, thinking that a god had descended.
The old woman wearing a crown also stopped her hysterics. Trembling, she stepped forward and begged Perseus for help.
"Stranger, please save my daughter Andromeda."
Saying this, the weeping old woman told Perseus the whole story.
"All this is because of me. Please spare my daughter."
This queen, because of a moment of thoughtlessness, praised her daughter's beauty as being comparable to the Nereids, the fifty nymphs in the sea. These words of praise reached the ears of Nereus' daughters. The sea nymphs were extremely angry and asked their father to punish these arrogant humans.
The friendly sea god Nereus couldn't refuse his daughters' request and sent sea monsters to harass this country.
Andromeda's father, King Cepheus, sought the oracle of the priests. Finally, he received a warning that only by sacrificing his daughter to the goddess Ceto could this disaster be appeased.
A dispute broke out between the king and the queen. King Cepheus couldn't bear to see his people living in fear and danger, while the queen hoped to flee with her daughter.
This beautiful princess ultimately chose to sacrifice herself for the safety of the people. Andromeda, regardless of her mother's obstruction, resolutely offered herself as a sacrifice to appease the anger of the sea god.
This princess' courage made Perseus extremely admiring. He drew out the sword given by the goddess and stepped forward to cut off the chains on the princess' hands.