Olympus Heavenly Realm, inside the Hall of the God-King.
Poseidon, the fourth-generation God-King, sat silently on the majestic throne, his eyes slightly closed, with one hand gently supporting his tilted head, seemingly in a light sleep.
Gradually, the God-King opened his eyes, revealing a pair of deep blue eyes like the abyss of the sea.
Gazing at the empty hall, Garon, who had experienced the tyranny of being a God-King, squinted slightly and stretched out his hand.
A crystal-clear godhead slowly rose from Garon's palm, carrying the power of time and exuding the aura of a mighty deity.
"Iron-fisted tyranny, forcing the beings of Olympus to gather faith efficiently."
"In just a few decades, this godhead has grown from its birth to become a powerful godhead. Soon, it will be strong enough to match the identity of a God-King and can serve as the core of the Sword of Time's Destruction."
In reality, the godhead in Garon's hand was already sufficient.
However, it had not yet reached its limit and had higher potential, currently equivalent to a level sixteen powerful godhead.
It could potentially reach level eighteen.
With some effort, under the pressure of the gods, and further squeezing of faith, it might even reach level nineteen.
But reaching level twenty was unlikely.
As the fourth-generation God-King, Garon discovered a problem in the Olympus multiverse.
In this multiverse, the gods strictly controlled extraordinary power, resulting in most intelligent beings being ordinary, with those able to use even low-level spells being extremely rare. The stronger the being's faith, the greater the benefit to the gods. Given the situation in the Olympus multiverse, it was impossible for faith alone to reach a godhead level of twenty.
Even in the Great Ring multiverse, no one relied solely on faith to become a top-tier deity.
After admiring the godhead for a while, a sudden golden light coalesced into the figure of Apollo, the Sun God.
The two gods outwardly discussed the current state of Olympus while secretly communicating.
"Garon Aurelius, you have become the God-King."
"When will we leave the Olympus multiverse?"
Eternal Sun inquired.
He had fully assimilated the Sun God's solar authority, growing stronger and approaching a godhead level of twenty. He was eager to hunt for more solar authority in other multiverses.
Moreover, the situation in the Olympus multiverse had stabilized.
Even without his help, there would be no major changes.
"Soon, once this godhead grows a bit more."
Garon responded.
This was to be safe. In case of any unforeseen events, having a trusted ally was crucial.
After a brief conversation, Eternal Sun prepared to leave the God-King's Hall.
However, suddenly, both gods' expressions changed drastically.
The God-King lowered his gaze, looking through the heavenly barriers, past the mortal realm, and into the underworld. His gaze turned solemn. Besides the God-King and the Sun God in the hall, other main gods in the Olympus heavenly realm also sensed the change, their faces changing as they looked toward the underworld.
In the depths of the Olympus multiverse's underworld, Tartarus.
The massive bronze door trembled violently, cracks spreading inch by inch.
Three Hecatoncheires transformed into towering giants, leaving the bronze door and staring intently at the changing Tartarus.
There was no wind in the underworld, but the endless black fog of Tartarus began to churn as if an invisible hand was stirring it. There were howls of extreme fear and terror from within Tartarus.
"Let us out!"
"No? Please..."
"My flesh, my body..."
The heart-wrenching howls made the Hecatoncheires' eyes widen because they recognized them as the cries of the Titans, the terrifying second-generation Titans, who seemed to be enduring unimaginable pain in Tartarus, their howls gradually weakening.
"Is Tartarus in trouble again?"
One Hecatoncheir muttered, hesitating.
"Cottus, Gyes, let's suppress Tartarus together and calm it down. If something happens again, the God-King will blame us, and we'll definitely be punished."
Aegaeon said gravely to the other two Hecatoncheires.
"Okay!"
The other two Hecatoncheires responded.
The three Hecatoncheires, tall and mighty, stood up straight, spreading their hundred arms and facing Tartarus.
Ha!
With a roar, all their arms clapped together, releasing a terrifying shockwave towards Tartarus.
The expanding black fog was affected by the shockwave, collapsing inward and being compressed back to its original state.
The three Hecatoncheires showed signs of relief.
However, before they could celebrate, Tartarus suddenly erupted with unstoppable force, rebounding the shockwave and sending the massive bodies of the Hecatoncheires flying like rag dolls.
The entire underworld shook, and countless undead screamed.
The three Hecatoncheires stood up, ready to pounce on Tartarus again.
At this moment, a familiar yet strange gentle voice sounded in their ears.
"Aegaeon, Cottus, Gyes."
"My poor children, stop. Tartarus is awakening. Do not provoke his wrath, or you will face the most miserable end."
The Mother of All Gods.
The three Hecatoncheires' mother, spoke.
"Mother..."
The Hecatoncheires hesitated, torn between their duty given by the God-King and their mother's advice.
"Do not fear."
"Tartarus is awakening. The fourth-generation tyrant God-King who rules the heavens will meet his end."
"Children, listen to your mother."
The Mother of All Gods' voice was gentle yet firm.
Meanwhile, streams of light descended from the sky, landing in the underworld.
The God-King, leading the gods, arrived in front of the transforming Tartarus.
The gods, seeing the expanding Tartarus seemingly ready to devour the entire underworld, showed serious expressions.
"How does this Tartarus, the underworld prison, seem to be coming to life?"
Ares, the God of War, asked in confusion.
"The underworld prison... no, it feels like it's the core origin of the underworld."
Artemis, the Goddess of the Hunt, with sharp eyes, whispered.
While the gods communicated, they looked at Poseidon, the God-King. On his tall and majestic face, they saw no negative emotions. He was expressionless and indifferent to Tartarus' anomaly, which reassured the gods.
Although they believed this God-King was a tyrant, even more terrifying and domineering than Zeus, they couldn't deny he was more charismatic, decisive, and ruthlessly clear.
Crackling lightning, storm, and waves erupted, with time distorting around them. The Trident and Thunderbolt appeared behind the God-King.
"Let's suppress Tartarus together."
The God-King said solemnly.
The gods obeyed, channeling their divine powers, their divine auras shining brightly, preparing to act.
However, the ground of the underworld rose, forming the head of the Mother of All Gods.
"Olympus' gods, my descendants."
"Before you stands the awakening ancient primordial god—Tartarus."
Tartarus is a primordial god?
The gods were stunned.
They had always thought of Tartarus as just a prison in the underworld, never imagining it was a living, slumbering primordial god.
Primordial gods are beings older than the first-generation God-King, born alongside the Mother of All Gods.
Compared to the primordial gods, the Olympus gods present were mere youngsters.
"Gaia, it's you again."
"The turmoil in the Olympus multiverse is mostly your doing."
"After pacifying Tartarus, it'll be your turn."
Hearing the primordial god's name, Poseidon's eyes narrowed, coldly speaking to the Mother of All Gods.
"Hehe, Poseidon, you ignorant and foolish creature."
"I awakened Tartarus to eliminate you."
"Uranus, Cronus, Zeus, and now you, Poseidon."
"I've witnessed the birth of four generations of God-Kings of Olympus, and you, Poseidon, are the cruelest, most ruthless, iron-fisted tyrant. You are an evil god, a tyrant."
"You are unfit to be the God-King of Olympus. Tartarus will punish you and imprison you forever!"
The Mother of All Gods chattered on.
As the progenitor of the gods, she always held herself in high regard. When Poseidon scolded her, she lost her composure, flew into a rage but was too weak to retaliate and fled in disgrace.
Awakening Tartarus to deal with Poseidon had nothing to do with him being a tyrant.
Even if he cherished all living beings, the Mother of All Gods would still destroy his rule, just with a different pretext.
Ignoring the Mother of All Gods' words, the God-King turned his attention to Tartarus behind her.
The gods followed suit.
At this moment, the radiating Tartarus suddenly stilled, then rapidly contracted, the endless dark mist collapsing into a blurred, human-sized figure.
It had no facial features, appearing as a humanoid shape made of dark, swirling mist.
As it stood silently, faces emerged from its body, letting out weak wails, only to be pushed back in by countless tiny black hands, leaving only the wails outside.
"Tartarus, you have finally awakened."
The Mother of All Gods said joyfully.
Hearing the familiar voice, Tartarus turned its head, its movements becoming more fluid, revealing a pair of abyssal eyes on its featureless face, deep and unfathomable.
As its body took shape, an
invisible, terrifying pressure spread, making the air seem to solidify.
Facing Tartarus, the gods felt a shiver of fear, an astonishing sensation for them.
Poseidon's pupils contracted.
"The true foundation of this multiverse isn't the apparent Olympus gods."
"A godhead level twenty deity truly exists!"
Garon whispered in his heart, feeling wary.
Having faced the Nine-faced Dragon God and the Jade Emperor, and sensed the presence of beings like Annan and Iron Garon, he realized this primordial god was also a top-tier deity in the finite multiverse, not to be underestimated.
"I can't defeat it."
"And judging by the other gods' reactions, they won't follow my orders to fight."
"Should I flee with an almost-maxed-out godhead? I don't want to."
Garon's thoughts raced.
"Even with Eternal Sun... it's risky."
Exchanging a silent glance with the "Sun God Apollo," Garon saw the seriousness in the other's eyes.
"Let me think of a solution to this predicament."
"I have it!"
Garon remained calm on the surface while secretly communicating with Eternal Sun, advising caution.
If Tartarus had seen the real Poseidon or Apollo, it would likely see through the disguises.
However, having been asleep for so long, unfamiliar with and indifferent to the Olympus gods, Tartarus did not see through Garon and Amanata.
Meanwhile.
"Gaia, long time no see."
Ignoring the gods, Tartarus looked at the Mother of All Gods and spoke softly.
"Why did you wake me?"
"You know it's dangerous. When awake, I feel emptiness and might lose control and devour you."
Tartarus spoke quietly, but the sense of danger to the gods intensified.
In the Olympus multiverse, there were five primordial gods, with Tartarus being the most dangerous. Even other primordial gods feared and dreaded him. Comparable to the Hell Abyss God of the Great Ring multiverse.
Clearing her throat, the Mother of All Gods said, "You've devoured many Titans. If that's not enough, add a God-King."
She looked at "Poseidon."
"This one disrespects our origins and threatens to kill me. I want you to devour him, making him disappear from Olympus forever."
"Oh?"
Tartarus followed her gaze to "Poseidon," showing interest.
"A god of later generations, you have grown impressively."
"But your disrespect for primordial gods displeases me."
Pausing, Tartarus pronounced, "I sentence you to eternal imprisonment within me until you learn reverence for primordial gods, followed by ten thousand years of punishment, after which you may regain freedom."
As he spoke, a profound pressure enveloped the God-King, while the other gods relaxed.
Yet, under this top-tier divine pressure, Poseidon showed no fear, surprising Tartarus.
"I am the God-King, and all gods are under my command."
"Even primordial gods are gods. You dare to judge me?"
"Ridiculous."
The God-King sneered.
Tartarus remained calm, saying, "Such audacity, no wonder Gaia is so enraged."
"Little one, you have my attention."
"I've changed my mind. I'll imprison you forever within me, making you part of me."
His abyssal eyes grew darker and more terrifying.
Tartarus prepared to act.
The river of time rippled, and a portal opened behind the God-King, leading to an unknown space-time.
Time's power... the gods looked at the portal behind the God-King.
Has Poseidon successfully reshaped his godhead? Is this a crude imitation of the second-generation God-King or a further step?
The second-generation Titan God-King, overthrown by Poseidon and his siblings, possessed some time-related powers.
When Poseidon spoke of creating a time godhead, the gods weren't too surprised, thinking he aimed to emulate the second-generation God-King.
"Tartarus, come."
"Fight me beyond space-time, sparing innocent lives."
"Olympus gods, stay here."
The God-King said calmly.
Without waiting for Tartarus' response, the God-King stepped into the portal.
"Interesting. What gives you such confidence?"
Tartarus chuckled and, unafraid of any trap, followed into the portal.
Whoosh!
The portal closed, leaving the gods looking at each other.
"Poseidon is finished. He just wants a dignified death."
"Shall we choose a new God-King?"
Ares suggested, gleeful.
Under Tartarus' pressure, even Ares, the God of War, struggled to breathe, something Poseidon could never do. He couldn't fathom how Poseidon planned to deal with such a terrifying being.
"Not necessarily."
"Apollo" smiled brightly.
The gods looked at Apollo, who remained silent.
"Tartarus underestimated Garon, following him into the portal."
"The so-called space-time beyond... it's clearly a portal to the Great Ring multiverse."
Eternal Sun whispered internally.
In the Great Ring multiverse, local deities might not feel it, but gods from other multiverses would understand the true meaning of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and that there are always stronger beings beyond.
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