Regarding Poseidon's situation, Bolos could only shake his head.
It was hard to judge.
This wasn't a joke.
Poseidon had always given off an aura of mystery—so much of him was concealed that almost nothing of substance ever surfaced. Given these circumstances, it was clear Poseidon's activities were extremely secretive.
Even Bolos, despite his power, wasn't entirely certain what Poseidon was up to.
"This…" Hermes thought for a moment and asked quietly, "Your Majesty, if things continue down this path, isn't humanity destined to remain the protagonist?"
"Then what's the point of this war?" Hermes's confusion was clear.
Yes!
If the result is already set in stone, then what's the purpose of this war? Is it merely a meaningless display?
Hermes couldn't understand why the Earth Goddess would proceed with her plans if she must have realized the same thing. Why would she still act this way?
Surely, for the Earth Goddess, this outcome must have been obvious.
Her choice to persist meant that she believed this course was worth pursuing.
"Heh heh heh…" Bolos chuckled softly. "This is the core of the matter. For the other gods, these questions present great challenges. However, for the Earth Goddess, these issues are inconsequential."
"To her, everything lies within her control. That's the essence of it."
"And!"
"If the protagonist's race falls under her dominion as well, then that alone is of immense significance."
Bolos looked at Hermes and Demeter, then shook his head with a smile. He knew that too much explanation would be meaningless.
As for the Earth Goddess's intentions, Bolos understood well enough. She sought to bring the entire Mythic World under her dominion.
A joke?
No!
No!
This was no jest; it was a solid, undeniable fact. The Earth Goddess intended to control the Mythic World completely, like a puppet, manipulating every facet from within her grasp.
It sounded strange, perhaps, but it was the reality.
If even the protagonist's role fell into her hands, then indeed, she would have true control over the Mythic World.
That was the core struggle, and all the other gods, in essence, were just secondary participants in this race.
"But still…" Bolos thought to himself, "So, Earth Goddess, what exactly is your endgame? If you truly wish to control the Mythic World, you'll need a god-king capable of ruling it all. But is such a god-king even possible?"
Currently, four god-kings exist within the Mythic World: Hades, Bolos, Poseidon, and Athena.
Bolos did not have the insatiable pride of Zeus, who accepted nothing but complete authority.
On the contrary, Bolos was calm and level-headed, capable of tolerance and acceptance.
Now, Bolos was genuinely curious to see what would come next.
This was the crux! He, Poseidon, Athena, even the Earth Goddess herself could be dealt with. But what about Hades? How would she overcome him?
"Heh heh heh…" Bolos smirked to himself, musing, "Things are indeed getting interesting. There's no doubt about that. I'm eager to see how everything unfolds."
He stared quietly into the distance, wondering what the outcome would be. Would these two true protagonists eventually come to blows?
Indeed!
In this grand game, the ones truly standing center stage were Hades and Gaia, the Earth Goddess.
One, the King of the Underworld.
The other, the Goddess of the Earth.
They now stood in the spotlight, and while events hadn't reached their climactic confrontation, anyone with insider knowledge knew that nothing could stop this collision. This was the heart of it all.
These two were the absolute protagonists.
Bolos was eagerly awaiting what would happen.
Meanwhile…
In Atlantis, within the Sea Realm…
"…"
"Roar!"
In a quiet temple, a shadow hidden from sight roared furiously, its form writhing and twisting. Yet, the chained figure grew fainter and weaker, as though fading with each passing moment.
Merely looking at it, one could sense it had reached its limits.
At the same time…
Poseidon, seated upon his throne, emanated an ominous, dreadful aura. It was an otherworldly divine power, one that could be considered the power of a dark god.
Divine energy surged forth wildly.
However…
Gradually, everything calmed down as time went on.
Poseidon slowly opened his eyes. Once a beautiful ocean blue, his eyes now held a shade of darkness, gradually turning to a deep, dark blue.
More terrifying was Poseidon's power itself, which had reached the pinnacle of god-king status, on par with Hades.
But!
A powerful god in this place would notice that, unlike Hades, Poseidon's state was far from ideal. His power wasn't truly his own.
Because of this, Poseidon's power was very unstable, teetering on the edge of losing control.
If it ever did erupt, the impact would be enormous.
"Hoo…" Poseidon exhaled deeply, his voice cold as he muttered, "For now, this is the limit. Next, I need to stabilize this dreadful power. But this is not the end—Pontus, wait a little longer. You, too, will become my sustenance."
"All of it."
"Everything will become my sustenance."
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