(Greek Mythology) The Abyss
Chapter 72
Tartarus is currently engaged in a task: trying to persuade the laws of the universe to allow him to eliminate the King of Gods.
As for the reasons… well, there are countless.
The relationship between the divine realm and the underworld has always been delicate. Although the King of Gods is said to rule the three realms, in reality, he has virtually no control over the sea realm and the underworld.
Moreover, unlike the sea realm, which, while autonomous, is at least nominally under the control of the divine realm, the underworld and the divine realm are practically two separate countries. If the underworld were to collectively go into seclusion, it would be fine, but the underworld is also the place where beings reincarnate. What ruler would allow such an important place to escape control?
Unfortunately, the abyss is Tartarus's true form, and most of the first generation of gods reside in the underworld. Even the King of Gods can only reluctantly accept this.
However, there are differences among the god-kings. Uranus clearly understood what the first generation of gods meant—not just the difference in power, but many fundamental differences. Therefore, he always kept his distance from the underworld. Tartarus and the other gods also avoided trouble, and the two coexisted peacefully for many years without interference.
But when Cronus became god-king, he began to use the Abyss as a prison, housing gods within it. Zeus went even further, using it more than just as a prison, constantly engaging in various underhanded tactics and schemes against the underworld—it was incredibly annoying.
While Uranus was arguably better, in Tartarus's eyes, the three were fundamentally the same. Uranus simply knew more secrets and was more cautious, thus refraining from reckless actions. The other two, however, were ignorant and fearless, and having overthrown previous gods, they lacked the proper reverence for the original deities, leading to their arrogance and reckless behavior.
Tartarus, no longer interfering, had seen his impression of the divine realm steadily decline over the years, especially with the current king of the gods, Zeus, whose "hatred-inducing" skill was maxed out, further irritating Tartarus.
Eliminating the entire divine realm was impossible, so he decided to settle for killing Zeus, the king of the gods.
The Law of Gods refused.
"This Law of Gods truly misjudged you. I thought you were a cold, aloof, and indifferent guy, but I never expected you to be like this. No wonder you're Chaos's favorite son."
"Zeus's last act of recklessness was hundreds of years ago. You only now think of killing Zeus? Clearly, you're just bored and want to make another god suffer." The shrewd Law of Gods refused to believe this reason.
Tartarus: Please don't apply human timekeeping to me, thank you.
The longer a god lives, the worse their sense of time becomes. For Tartarus, hundreds of years are truly no different than a few days.
"Law, just agree," Tartarus tried to persuade the Law.
"No, Zeus can't be touched yet." The Law decisively rejected Tartarus's proposal to replace the king of the gods.
"Actually, you could reconsider."
"You don't need to test me. Zeus's reign will definitely be longer than Uranus's and Cronus's." The Law's tone was indifferent.
"Anyway, Zeus, the king of the gods, will be replaced sooner or later, so replacing him a little earlier won't make a difference." Tartarus persisted in his persuasive efforts.
"Who told you the king of the gods would be replaced?" The Law denied this claim.
Besides, even if the king of the gods were to be replaced, this wouldn't be a little earlier, but much earlier. The pantheon hadn't even reached its peak, and humanity had only just been wiped out and hadn't been recreated. Replacing the king of the gods? The Law said, Tartarus, please respect the laws of history, thank you.
"How can humanity prosper without replacing the King of Gods? Do you think Zeus, with his temperament, would allow humans to become the masters of the world?" Tartarus scoffed at the idea of laws.
The development of the world follows certain laws. In the world of Greek mythology, the initial development was the proliferation and expansion of the pantheon, because the world needed gods to function.
However, gods are not all the same. Some gods are essential to exist. Broadly speaking, they can be categorized as follows: the first generation of gods who created the world, the second generation who perfected it, the three realms who established order and managed the world, and gods who held important divine positions to maintain the world's normal operation.
As for the rest… they contribute nothing to the world, yet consume vast amounts of resources. The input and output are severely disproportionate. Aside from keeping a small number as replacements, what use are they to the laws of nature?
The world's resources are finite. The higher the level of existence, the more resources it requires. Gods don't die. At the current rate of reproduction, sooner or later, the world will be overloaded. At that point, the only path left will be the destruction of the world and the return to chaos.
Humans are different. They consume very few resources and have extremely short lifespans, so their rise to power and replacement of the gods as the world's protagonists is inevitable.
"But making humanity prosper doesn't necessarily require replacing the god-king," the Law indicated, suggesting there are many methods besides changing the god-king.
"Law, you've changed your ways! Uranus and Cronus were both rendered useless, and now Zeus, you're not even planning to lift a finger?" Tartarus expressed surprise at the Law's sudden shift to a more gentle tone.
Tartarus had always found the Law's methods of managing the world rather troubling—either cripple or kill, utterly ruthless and brutal.
The Law's duty is to maintain the world. Therefore, unless they are magical beings intent on destroying the world, or delusional or mentally unstable individuals, they don't actually conflict with the Law. If the world is destroyed, all living beings will die; in that respect, they'd be too busy helping to save it to oppose the Law. They'd die too if the world were destroyed, wouldn't they?
But why is the law so hated? Because its methods are too extreme. If anyone might obstruct the world, it's swiftly and decisively killed or maimed—it's incredibly brutal.
Those beings who accidentally disrupt the balance, hinder the world's development, or even those who don't know what they did wrong, cry out: "I'm wronged! I'm suffering! Can't you be a little less dictatorial? There are appeals in court! Would it kill you to hear an explanation?"
This situation can be vividly described as the law being a legislator, a law enforcer, and a law enforcer all in one. It doesn't tell you what laws it enacts, it doesn't warn you when you're about to break the law, and then, when you do break the law, it coldly and directly tries and sentences you (note: the punishments are very severe). And if you try to explain, it won't listen—it simply won't listen.
Uranus and Cronus suffered terrible fates simply for hindering the development of the pantheon; Zeus seems destined to stop human progress. Yet, judging from the tone of the Law's words, Tartarus doesn't seem to intend to depose Zeus. If he weren't certain his hearing was correct, he would have thought he misheard.
"As long as the goal is achieved, whether Zeus is deposed or not makes no difference to me," the Law explained.
"So, Law, you've definitely taken the wrong medicine today," Tartarus concluded regarding the Law's sudden change in tone.
Chapter 72