Within the Underworld, after his Cadmus clone fell asleep on the large bed in the Thebes palace, Ares's true body disconnected from the clone and slowly opened his eyes.
He looked at his fists, clenching them tightly, feeling the power flowing through his body.
It is said that those who practice Magnetic Field Rotation develop a kind of obsessive emotion. Perhaps because of this, Ares reacted so "irrationally" when facing Kroto, the spokesperson for the planetary inhibitory force, today. However, he did not regret it.
He did indeed want to live. Since coming to this world, he had always strived to survive. He endured, he conceded, he learned magic from Hecate, and then he feigned madness in front of the gods—all to live beyond the Age of Gods.
However, if he merely pursued survival, Ares would only need to step forward now, expose Athena's plan, nip Kratos in the bud, and then quietly await the end of the Age of Gods, where he and the gods would be eliminated by the changing environment, retreating to the Starry Inner Sea, becoming a myth in the ancient books of the world.
But would living like that truly count as living?
No matter what, a person must have a bottom line in this life. For Ares, when Zeus betrayed Hera, he could offer a few words of help when it was not directly his concern, because in his heart, his mother was someone else. When Zeus, Poseidon, and others wantonly bullied other goddesses, he could also turn a blind eye, because these goddesses and women had no relation to him.
But now, the planetary inhibitory force tells him that if he wants to survive, he must hand over his daughter to that scoundrel, and after he's done, she must also die a terrible death. Well, Ares humbly admits he cannot do that.
"You forced my hand, Gaia."
Ares clenched his fists and murmured.
"Ares, what are you doing standing in the courtyard?"
Just as Ares was deep in thought, Hecate's voice suddenly rang out from behind him. He turned his head and saw the Moon Goddess, with a satisfied smile, carrying a large pile of papyrus scrolls with magic, stepping out of a portal.
When she saw Ares standing with his back to her in the courtyard, wearing an angry expression as if lost in thought, Hecate's eyes immediately showed confusion, and she asked.
"Teacher, you're back."
Upon seeing Hecate, Ares also snapped back to reality. He gave Hecate a somewhat forced smile and waved his hand as a greeting.
"Has Typhon's body been fully analyzed?"
"Yes, I've pretty much analyzed Typhon's body structure. As long as I have enough materials and time, it shouldn't be difficult for me to create a Titan from scratch."
Hecate clapped her hands, using magic to send the pile of papyrus in her hands back into the palace for storage, and at the same time, she asked with great confusion:
"Why are you standing in the courtyard looking annoyed? Did something happen?"
"That's a long story," Ares replied. "You'll know if you divine my fate."
Hecate, surprised, cast her magic, activating fragments of the Three Goddesses' authority to peer into Ares's fate line, then her eyes widened in astonishment:
"Your fate... how is that possible? A god's fate line only has two hundred years left?"
She took two steps forward urgently, then grabbed Ares's collar and asked:
"Did you offend the Moirai?"
"I did not offend the Moirai." Ares spread his hands, answering Hecate's question, but before the Moon Goddess could sigh in relief, she heard Ares continue: "I offended Gaia."
"Are—you—courting—death?"
Hecate jumped up, pulling Ares's cheek, and said word by word:
"Are you getting too big for your britches? You can't even deal with Zeus yet, and you're going to provoke the planetary inhibitory force? Do you really think you're a Youxing Vanguard?"
"I am not a Youxing Vanguard." Ares said, removing Hecate's hand. "Even a Youxing Vanguard cannot survive in front of a holy sword forged by the planetary inhibitory force. If I want to live, I must be stronger than a Youxing Vanguard."
"Is this really the time for such jokes?" Hecate, uncharacteristically, became angry. With one hand on her hip and the other pointing at Ares's nose, she said:
"I finally taught a disciple who can stand on his own, and I haven't even enjoyed the process of a disciple honoring his teacher, and you're going to throw your life away? What's the meaning of this? Huh?"
Seeing that Hecate still wanted to speak, Ares continued, "Teacher, please calm down. This is no longer about throwing my life away; Gaia truly wants me dead."
As he spoke, he told Hecate the conditions Kroto had presented. After listening, the Moon Goddess also remained silent for a long time, then she sighed:
"Ares, how about this? I've also pretty much analyzed Typhon's structure recently. Just wait for me a bit, I'll make you a new body. You can abandon your power and identity and start anew. How does that sound?"
"No, Teacher, thank you for your kindness, but it's not necessary."
Ares shook his head and said:
"In front of Gaia, such small tricks are likely to be ineffective. Moreover, this time, I am not going to yield any further."
He stared at the dim sky of the Underworld, thought for a moment, and then asked Hecate:
"Teacher, although it's a bit embarrassing, this time, I'd like to ask for your help. Facing Gaia, my abilities alone are absolutely not enough."
"Alright, I'll help you this one more time."
Hecate closed her eyes and thought for a moment, then directly told Ares.
"That's so decisive?"
Ares looked at his teacher with some surprise.
"Anyway, you only have two hundred years left to live." Hecate sighed, "You are, after all, the first disciple I took. With death approaching, I should at least fulfill my duty as a teacher and try to save you."
Ares chuckled at her words, "You have a point."
Both paused for a moment, then Hecate asked again:
"So, what do you want me to help you with?"
"First, I need an army."
Ares squatted down and drew a large circle on the ground:
"An army strong enough to contend with Olympus, to contend with the gods, and after defeating them, an army capable of perfectly replacing them."
"You mean... you want to directly attack Olympus, kill Zeus, and seize the throne of the God King?" Hecate pondered for a moment, then clapped her hands in praise: "Indeed, if you can go all out and seize the authority of the God King, then the inhibitory force might spare you."
"No, I don't want the throne of the God King. I have no interest in that position." Ares shook his head and said, "I want to fight against fate, and conquer my fate!"