"..."
Hades remained calm, quietly watching Athena.
So then!
Athena, what kind of price are you willing to pay? No, rather, what do you have that could move Hades to agree to this deal? That's the most important and fundamental question. This isn't a joke, nor something that can be accomplished with just casual words.
The right to create worlds! Though it might seem like something Hades could brush off.
But!
The reality isn't that simple! Or rather...
All of this! It has never been a simple matter. The destruction and creation of worlds bring immense benefits in the mythological world, and such enormous gains are not easily dismissed.
Although Hades might not need it, he certainly wouldn't give it up so easily!
"..."
Athena also remained silent, but after a moment, she spoke softly, "The Essence of the Earth. Though I cannot offer too much of it, I can provide three-tenths of the Earth's Essence."
Her voice was soft and calm, but the words she uttered were deeply shocking.
The Essence of the Earth!
"..."
At this moment, the twin gods were doing their best to control themselves, because if they didn't...
They would certainly show looks of utter astonishment.
That was the Essence of the Earth!
What is the Essence of the Earth? It's like the Heart of Space. How did Aether manage to become the God-King? Was it not by relying on the Heart of Space to become the ruler of the Underworld and Astral Realm, ascending to the position of God-King?
And!
The significance of the Essence of the Earth is equally self-explanatory. Three-tenths of the Earth's Essence could essentially give rise to a god of the Underworld at the God-King level.
Of course.
The birth of a God-King in the Underworld is not the main issue. The core is that the Earth's Essence could restore the earth aspect of the Underworld!
For Hades, once he understood the importance of this, the future of the Underworld became clear.
However!
The union of Heaven, Earth, Sea, Underworld, and Stars!
Completing these five realms would bring immense benefits to the Underworld.
The Underworld, after all, is not merely about death—it represents a whole, an absolute core. With such replenishment, the future Underworld would be even more formidable.
Because of this.
Now!
The Earth's Essence that Athena was offering could help replenish the Underworld's earth element, an extremely valuable resource.
Moreover...
The acquisition of the Earth's Essence was nearly impossible.
To put it accurately...
Even the Earth Goddess herself couldn't easily produce it. Though she is a Creator God and embodies the laws of the earth, this does not make her the Earth God-King.
However.
The authority of the Earth God-King is in her hands, creating a paradox, but it's the truth. And now, Athena, holding the means to manipulate and extract the Earth's Essence, could offer it.
Thus.
Athena's offer of three-tenths of the Earth's Essence was already the most she could give without destabilizing the surface world. This amount would leave Athena severely weakened.
It would delay her ascension to God-King status by potentially millions of years.
This was a very real possibility.
Because of this, the fact that Athena was willing to part with the Earth's Essence was beyond shocking!
However!
Athena's voice remained calm and clear. Every word was spoken with certainty, proving that she was not joking, but stating cold, hard facts.
Now, it was up to Hades to decide whether to accept the deal.
"Agreed."
Hades responded calmly, "Let's sign the contract, the deal is settled."
His voice was tranquil, and with it, the deal was finalized.
A contract floated before Athena.
The victor of the Second Holy War would be Athena's Sanctuary, as Hades had promised. In exchange, Athena would provide three-tenths of the Earth's Essence.
Now!
The contract floated in front of Athena, and without hesitation, she signed it.
For her, this was necessary.
The Sanctuary was already weak!
Or rather!
The Sanctuary had fallen too far behind. To catch up, extraordinary measures were required, and the best solution was to ally with the Underworld, gaining the right to create worlds and beings. This way, the Sanctuary could produce two God-Kings.
This was no joke!
Only through this method could the Sanctuary catch up.
Otherwise...
Heh...
As time passed, the gap between the Sanctuary and the other three God-Kings would only widen, eventually becoming insurmountable. Especially now that Zeus, Apollo, and Abel had merged into one being: Poros!
The final weakness and risk of Heaven had been completely addressed. In such circumstances...
Athena knew that without drastic action, everything would be futile.
The three-tenths of the Earth's Essence she was giving up would allow the surface world time to recover. Though slow, recovery was possible. However, personally, it might take her millions of years to ascend to God-King status.
After all!
Before becoming a God-King, missing such vital essence meant it would be impossible to ascend casually.
"The deal is sealed."
The contract dissolved into two beams of light, merging into the bodies of the two gods. Hades gazed calmly at Athena.
The meaning was clear!
Produce the Earth's Essence, and everything would be straightforward.
Athena had no reason to hesitate. She knew Hades wouldn't deceive her. At the very least, Hades had no reason to deceive her—the contract was signed.
No matter how powerful Hades was, he could not break the divine contract, nor did he have the power to do so.
After all!
Breaking the contract would mean facing the Absolute God.
And with that!
The outcome of the Second Holy War was sealed!
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