(Words: 3793)
Titans! Typhon's demonic army!
Seeing one familiar face after another surging toward her in the mind-image world, Hecate immediately understood and hurriedly constructed a protection spell, gritting her teeth as she glared at her beloved grandstudent.
"You went through that door in Elysium?!"
Lorne smiled without answering, waving goodbye with full teasing energy while quietly shifting his feet backward, yielding the main stage of this reunion to the two sides with deep accumulated grievances.
"CRACK!"
In just a moment, the purple-red barrier formed by the protection spell shattered under the old Gods' successive impacts, scattering into points of drifting light dust, leaving the Underworld Moon Goddess with her slender graceful figure completely exposed to the gazes of the assembled monsters and demons.
"ROOOAR!"
Accompanied by wave after wave of savage howls, old Gods carrying grudges dived toward Hecate as ferocious shadows nearly swallowed all light in the mind-image world.
'Old-timer Gods, pile on! Grand-teacher, you can do it!'
A certain unscrupulous spectator who retreated to the edge of the stage impartially sent encouragement to both competing sides, his face full of gleeful mockery and anticipation.
Three trips into the Underworld.
Playing mind games with demigods in the mortal world.
Navigating through the Gods on Olympus... Lorne did all of this, was it not precisely for the grand spectacle of today?
No matter what else happened, this had to be worth the price of admission first.
"BANG!"
Just as Lorne made up his mind to properly enjoy the great battle between both sides, a crisp smashing sound rang out, as the pitch-black sphere formed by the convergence of countless old God shadows on the main stage showed light-shaped cracks spreading across its surface.
"Pop pop pop pop!"
The next moment, blazing dazzling firelight erupted from within, tearing apart the darkness that had blanketed the entire wilderness.
One old God shadow after another let out cries of pain and fled from the raging flames.
The previously sealed cage collapsed and crumbled, revealing Hecate's graceful figure.
A proud, composed murmur then rang out across the wilderness.
"If their true selves had come in person, I would have been genuinely concerned. But these are merely a portion of their imprinted will.
Far from enough to beat me."
"Does not quite sound as effortless as you are making it seem..."
Lorne spoke quietly, his gaze falling on the shattered lantern at Hecate's feet.
As a triple-aspect Goddess,
Hecate possessed at least three God tools and authorities worth naming.
If he guessed correctly, they should be the [Tin Staff] representing witchcraft and magic, the [Short Sword] representing scheming and betrayal, and the [Torch] representing path and possibility.
The first two were respectively inherited by Circe and Melinoe.
The last one, touching on her divine nature's foundation, was firmly held in her own hands.
Obviously, just like the [All-Law-Breaking Talisman] that symbolized the [Short Sword], this [Lantern] was the external manifestation of the [Torch].
At the critical moment she had to destroy her foundational divine tool to severely wound the surrounding old God will and barely break free.
This was more than enough proof that the situation just now was far from the cloud-light wind-gentle description she gave.
And seeing her bluffing act exposed, Hecate could no longer maintain her composed expression.
Her face twitched as she turned a grieved look on the disloyal grandstudent watching from the sidelines.
"Actually turning against your teacher and joining these old Gods to come after me. All my painstaking care for you has truly been wasted."
"Does this not precisely prove you taught well?"
Lorne's face was all smiles without any guilt.
Although initially he learned witchcraft from Circe since childhood and should have inherited the [Tin Staff] representing magic, becoming a sorcerer.
In fact, the one who had always been guiding and pushing him from behind was Hecate herself, the Goddess presiding over night and scheming.
Strictly speaking, all these schemes and tricks of his were the result of proximity to darkness.
Lorne learned them from Hecate personally.
Having been countered with a single remark, Hecate, frustrated to her limit, found nothing to say and could only glare furiously at the "good student" who truly inherited her mantle, quietly closing the distance.
"She is going to run!"
However, a certain treacherous good student decisively released a signal of Hecate having suffered heavy damage, calling out loudly to stir up the old God shadows drifting through the wilderness.
"Kill her and you are free. Get her now!"
In an instant, under Lorne's instigation, the remaining old God will rallied its strength once more and swarmed toward Hecate on the stage.
And the chief culprit himself waved farewell while retreating with a smile.
As one old God shadow after another charged at her like madness,
Hecate could only steel herself to deal with them while watching that cooked duck flap its wings and escape.
"Run all you like. You can escape for a moment but not forever. I will find you sooner or later!"
Hearing that threat heavy with resentment from the wilderness behind him, Lorne's running pace quickened by several degrees as he cursed inwardly without stop.
'Outrageous. Truly outrageous!'
'This many old-timer Gods piling on together for a group beating, and they still could not put this woman down.'
But very quickly he let it go.
If Hecate were truly this easy to deal with, the ones locked inside Elysium's dreamscape would not have been these old Gods.
Triple-aspect Nyx... Triple-aspect Hecate...
Her origins were at least from the supreme deity in Orphism.
Without real ability, how could she possibly hold steady the title of Hell Queen in a demon-infested Underworld.
Lorne stood at the edge of the mind-image world, looked back at Hecate in the wilderness charging left and right through the surrounding old God will in search of a [Path], and his eyes flickered quietly.
'It seems the plan needs to be moved up.'
In the dark cave, the Gorgon emblem on Lorne's chest quietly flickered and hummed.
---
....
At the same time.
The War God Mountain.
Medusa, kneeling in the temple in prayer, seemed to sense something and opened her eyes.
She took out the Gorgon emblem at her chest with its light patterns flickering, lowered her gaze to look at it, and pressed her lips tightly together.
Then she steadied the rising and falling of her emotions, rose from the ground, turned toward the statue of her own chief goddess, and raised both hands with gravity.
Brilliant starlight fell from the sanctuary's dome and transformed in Medusa's palms into a golden scepter inlaid with star and moon patterns and decorated with bird wing ornaments at both ends.
"CLANG!"
The scepter touched the ground, sending wave after wave of ripples outward with a clear and stirring ring, like the first notes of a victory anthem.
The Victory Goddess Scepter.
Formed from a portion of divinity jointly sealed here by Athena and Nike. Its symbolism far outweighed its practicality.
The wielder of this scepter was to be treated as Athena herself present.
They could command the sanctuary, govern the War God Mountain, and decide all matters independently.
A moment later, one stream of light after another came rushing to the War God Mountain and landed in the plaza before the temple.
Memory Goddess Mnemosyne, the nine Muse Goddesses, the three Charites, the two Gorgon sisters, the great sorceress Circe, the sage Chiron, Mother of Monsters Echidna, and a large group of Typhon's descendants appeared one after another.
Having spent a long time together, combined with Athena deliberately cultivating goodwill, they had already developed a sense of belonging here.
Their fortunes were tied to the War God Mountain, and they were willing to listen to the requests of the scepter's bearer.
In an atmosphere of solemn gravity, they waited quietly.
And inside the temple, Medusa lowered her gaze to look at the scepter in her hands.
Originally, the best candidate to hold this item was Hestia.
But the Hearthfire Goddess had already fallen into slumber.
Following the succession order, Medusa received this authority from her chief goddess's hands.
'I can do this...'
The little girl who once did not dare meet anyone's eyes spoke this silently to herself, tightened her grip on the Victory Goddess Scepter, put on the bronze serpent armor, raised her head and squared her shoulders, stepped out through the temple doors, and solemnly declared to the assembled old Gods, new Gods, demigods, monsters, and heroes gathered here.
"Begin!"
Everyone gave willing nods, smiles of eager delight rising on their faces without exception.
---
....
The great temple of Olympus.
A figure wrapped in lightning and storms crashed through the great doors and charged inside roaring.
"Who? Who did this?!"
Under Zeus's sinister scrutiny, the assembled Gods fell silent as cicadas in cold weather, shaking their heads one after another.
Very quickly, that quiet gaze fell on two empty seats.
"Where are Ares and Hermes?"
Zeus asked with furrowed brows, his face dark.
Hestia and Demeter basically never participated in the council of Gods, so their absence from this occasion was normal.
Why had Ares and Hermes also not come after he issued the summons for all Gods?
"Perhaps they are a bit far from the sacred mountain and are still on their way."
A cool and pleasant voice came from outside the door as Hera stepped into the great hall.
Looking at his wife before him, Zeus's fury inexplicably dissipated as his gaze grew momentarily hazy.
Hera today seemed particularly beautiful.
Her dignified features wore no powder or rouge yet remained coolly elegant.
A golden belt buckled at her incomparably slender waist accentuated her graceful curves with full enchanting appeal, making even the Goddess of Love, Aphrodite, who accompanied her appear somewhat dimmed by comparison.
"Your Majesty. Since not everyone has arrived, why not sit and wait a moment first."
Hearing the suggestion, Zeus gave a hazy nod and allowed his wife to take his arm, ascending the steps toward the throne.
The golden-crafted divine seat remained exquisite and resplendent as ever, as though waiting for its master to come and be seated.
Returning to Olympus, everything was so perfect.
But for some unknown reason, something still felt vaguely odd.
After thinking at length,
Zeus finally arrived at the answer.
Wait.
This jealous woman Hera had just been in a cold war with him.
Why was she suddenly so gentle?
"CLACK!"
Just as that God king felt surging confusion rise in his heart, dozens of inscription-covered chains like serpents shot out from all directions, firmly binding his wrists and ankles and locking him to the divine seat!
In an instant, light patterns blazed through the great hall as one chief God after another summoned armor and weapons, emanating sharp and fierce killing intent.
'They are rebelling!'
Looking at the chief Gods on the stage one after another in full battle gear and ready for combat, a thunderclap split through Zeus's mind as his expression changed drastically.
At this point, the flames of rebellion officially ignited on Olympus.
And at the same time, the confrontation on another battlefield entered its most intense phase.
In the hazy and disordered mind-image world, old God shadows charged forward one by one toward the Hecate, trying to completely reclaim their freedom.
But before absolute suppressing force, their resistance was nothing more than the futile struggle of moths flying into flame.
"BANG BANG BANG BANG!"
Ancient giants, misshapen divine monsters, ferocious beasts, towering old Gods... One ferocious shadow after another crashed against Hecate and was extinguished by her powerful divine fire, leaving behind only scattered points of dispersing light.
"GET AWAY!"
Finally, accompanied by a shout that barely suppressed its fury, Hecate completely broke through the layers of obstacles, came to the edge of the wilderness, and looked at Lorne sitting on the ground ahead with a quiet cold laugh. "Run then! Why have you stopped running?"
The latter shot Hecate a sidelong glance and retorted with impatience.
"I would love to. But you need to at least leave me a path."
However, hearing the complaint from her disloyal grandstudent, Hecate's mood actually brightened considerably.
As the Goddess of Paths, she had sealed off all escape routes using her authority at the same time she invaded Lorne's mind-image world, precisely to prevent the cooked duck from actually growing wings and slipping out of her mouth.
On top of that, her God seal was still on him, allowing her to track the target wherever he went.
So despite suffering repeated setbacks, she never truly believed she would lose.
"Stop struggling. You cannot escape."
Hecate looked at the disloyal grandstudent before her with nowhere to run, let out a sigh, seemingly touched by some compassion.
"Don't worry. I only want that divinity. I do not necessarily need to kill you.
As long as you are willing to hand things over obediently, I will do my best to preserve your soul.
At worst I will let you reincarnate as a human."
"Do your best?"
"Even after reclaiming your portion of divinity, my God authority will not have grown powerful enough to surpass destiny, so I can only do my best." Hecate also had her helplessness.
"Should I perhaps thank you then?"
Lorne answered with a smile that did not reach his eyes, dismissing Hecate's proffered goodwill with complete disdain.
What kind of joke was this?
He fought tooth and nail to reach today.
Letting himself hand all his results over to the other party as a gift for someone else's wedding?
Did she take him for a complete idiot?
Setting aside how much water was mixed into Hecate's so-called "do my best."
Even if the other party had a genuine change of heart and the plan succeeded and he could smoothly complete reincarnation after being drained dry by Hecate.
Just the thought of losing his power and starting over from nothing, going back to living at the mercy of others and walking on eggshells every day, was something Lorne absolutely could not accept.
Seeming to hear the resistance in her grandstudent's reply, Hecate's tone softened several more degrees.
"How about this. What if you become my attendant God? Surely that compensation is sufficient?"
"Sounds quite attractive."
Lorne gave a nod as though moved by this generous offer.
However immediately after, a teasing gleam flickered in his eyes as he spoke quietly. "But your being this eager means you do not have certainty of victory over me, does it?"
"..."
Hecate's body stiffened.
The shadow representing her soul visibly wavered and swayed as the smile on her face froze.
Although those were only portions of the old Gods' imprinted will, even many ants could kill an elephant.
Withstanding this many impacts at the soul and divine nature level, even she was somewhat overwhelmed.
If there was absolute suppressing force, there would be no need to negotiate terms or play mind games at all.
Only when strength was mismatched and there was no complete certainty of victory did one think about using strategy to make up for the gap.
This was one of the limitations of scheming.
But even so, the situation was still within her control.
"You are indeed excellent. More excellent than I ever imagined.
Not only did you escape crisis after crisis, you also quietly absorbed part of Olympus's [Destiny] from the twelve chief Gods, allowing that seed to bloom and bear fruit at astonishing speed."
Hecate looked seriously at Lorne before her and praised him with complete sincerity.
This intelligence, this potential, was absolutely more suited to the God domain of [Scheming] than Melinoe.
He would make a far more capable assistant.
But certain choices, once made, could not be taken back.
Hecate set aside a faint trace of regret in her heart and spoke quietly, delivering her final answer and the foundation of her confidence.
"But with only these, you have no possibility of winning against me. Because without becoming a chief God first, you cannot control that divinity. This [Fruit] was never meant for you. It was always meant for me!"
As her words fell, Hecate transformed into a beam of dim light and shot forward.
She was the Goddess presiding over path and chance, while the power the other party inherited came from the destined God king, the God of Chance, Poros.
Without the standing of chief God or above, there was absolutely no way to make it one's own.
This was something Hecate had always concealed.
And as long as she could obtain that same-source divinity to replenish herself, the power she consumed before would rapidly recover.
Even if the other party had supreme-level intelligence, there would be absolutely no possibility of turning things around.
This game she could not lose!
Just as Hecate charged toward the [little treat] before her with full confidence, a low voice echoed by her ear.
"Too late..."
In an instant, the lamb that should have been presenting its neck for slaughter raised its head.
A teasing smile spread across its face as it spread its arms wife, as though welcoming something.
"HMM!"
In an instant, the mind-image world above both their heads shook violently as one star after another lit up in the void, together forming the projection of eighty-eight constellations.
Vast as the sea, starlight poured down and bathed Lorne's body.
Like a solid pillar of golden light, it instantly sent the charging Hecate flying backward.
And Lorne, bathed in starlight, seemed to be undergoing some wondrous transformation as his presence climbed step by step.
Seeing the scene before her,
Hecate's face showed complete disbelief.
'How could this be?'
As though sensing the confusion in Hecate's heart, Lorne asked with meaningful depth.
"Do you know what day today is?"
"What?"
"The annual Festival of Dionysus."
Lorne answered with unhurried ease, then added. "Of course. It may have come just a little early."
"What exactly are you trying to say?"
Hecate could not help pressing further as uncharacteristic anxiety rose on her normally composed and elegant face.
'This feeling is terrible. Completely out of control. Completely beyond expectation!'
It seemed the die that had once been played in her palm had found a way to completely break free from her control.
Lorne looked at the woman, in front of him, who was both rival and teacher, and smiled as he spoke.
"This is the lesson I learned behind that door in Elysium. If a thousand cats all dream the same dream, they can have the possibility of changing the world.
So what if tens of thousands of people call out the same name together and praise the same God together?"
"Especially when most of the Olympian Gods are not in the mortal world..."
In an instant, Hecate understood everything and her expression changed drastically as the answer burst from her lips.
"The Great Sacrifice! You want to use this festival to ascend!"
"That is correct!"
Lorne gave a willing nod, opened both arms wide, and welcomed the brilliant starlight pouring down from the sanctuary.
"Listen to this hymn of praise!"
At the same time, in Athens city, countless residents gathered to drink together, jointly celebrating the joy and feasting gifted by the God of Wine.
Hearing the cheers and shouts in her ears, Phaedra, as a leading Bacchae, felt excitement flush her beautiful face in the firelight.
She beat the loud, lively, deafening bronze cymbals, lit the torches for the night dance, and invited all the people of the city to together release the joy of their nature.
"I call upon Dionysus, the roaring God, shouting 'Evoe!'
Of dual nature, dying and reborn, Bacchus the future king,
Mysterious and wild, a pair of horns, two forms,
Covered in ivy, the pure and mighty God of joy, shouting 'Evoe!'
You receive sacrifice, adorned with grapes, clothed in leaves, celebrated every other year,
Immortal king, eternal spirit oh,
Hear me, benevolent God, gentle and perfect God!
Descend upon me with your joyful company!"
....
Countless people sang and danced in unison.
The same thing was happening in Thebes, Sparta, Corinth, and other city-states.
Countless followers of the Dionysian faith shared wine and food along the streets, inviting everyone to jointly celebrate this joyful day.
All the chants and songs gathered thoughts and blessings into the sky, flowing together toward the War God Mountain.
And in that open plaza, the nine Muses, the three Charites, the Memory Goddess, and one God and demigod after another, drank deep of the finest wine and praised together in united voice, conducting the final tuning and harmony.
"I call upon the great God born first, of dual gender, roaming the heavens.
Born from the egg, with golden wings bright and glorious.
You bellow like a bull, origin of the blessed Gods and mortals.
The unforgettable sower, the world's endless revelry. The Primordial One, Phanes..."
The golden divine liquid condensed from faith flowed into the sanctuary's starry sky, together forming the staircase for a certain God's ascension to the summit.
At the same time.
Inside the mind-image world.
Vine after vine of lush green grapevines grew wildly at Lorne's feet.
Cluster after cluster of purple-red grapes burst open as an intoxicating wine fragrance spread through the air.
In a trance, Hecate saw various animal heads surrounding that figure.
Goat, whale, bull, wild boar, white horse, eagle...
Twin horns grew from his head.
Both hands were twined with grapevines. His feet were shaped like the hind legs of a goat, calling to mind Pan's cloven hooves.
If Hecate had read the unabridged [Twenty-Four Line Sacred Words] and [Theogony] from a certain secret sect, she would have discovered with astonishment that every single one of these details matched the mythological account in the secret texts.
He was. [The Primordial One]. Phanes!
And Phanes was the Orphic God who replaced the triple-aspect Nyx to become the new sovereign.
The next moment.
The [Whale] swept its tail, raising new massive waves and storms.
The [Goat] ran with the speed of lightning. The [Bull] stamped its hooves, the earth thundering and trembling. The [Wild Boar] erupted in a savage roar, charging with bared tusks. The [Eagle] beat its wings and soared, stirring howling thunder and storm...
Twelve divinities, twelve incarnations were tempered through a flame in the furnace, fusing into each other, forming a perfect ring behind him.
Like a brilliant crown!
The towering figure beneath the starlight stood at the top of the radiant long staircase and slowly opened his eyes.
The divine light in them flashed like lightning, reflecting an endless star river and eternal joy.
A magnetic voice, accompanied by the faint unified chanting of countless people, echoed through the mind-image world.
Poetic and melodic. Majestic and lasting.
"Hecate. I have ascended to Godhood!"
(End of Chapter)