Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

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Tap, tap...

Following a vaguely recognizable main path, Antilokos proceeded.

Small stones, stirred by the prince's movement, rolled in all directions, hitting the fragmented walls.

Amidst these ruins, Antilokos saw many creations of the same style as the ones he had seen before.

Broken patterns, shattered, chaotic crystal pipes, and various texts and books.

A polyhedral stone that continuously absorbed elements from its surroundings but could never garner any energy.

Yet, as he neared the center of this ancient city, more and more doubts surfaced in the prince's heart.

Without a doubt, there had once been a great civilization here, far more powerful than Pilos, even comparing the two would be an insult to the former.

Even the Silver Moon City, which worships the Ancient Gods, while Antilokos did not understand the true strength of the two, in his opinion, the latter might not be more powerful than this kingdom that had long perished.

Nevertheless, such a civilization had vanished in such a strange way.

Yes, strange, not unreasonable.

After all, even the King of All Gods would be succeeded, and the stars in the heavens would fall to the mortal realm; how could the kingdoms built by humans truly remain immortal.

What the prince truly couldn't comprehend was the odd sense of discord behind this destruction.

To perish is understandable, but for it to perish in such a way... seemed very unusual.

"According to the records of the kingdom... Hah, never mind."

"Even the Sea Emperor his Majesty has met with misfortune, so I might as well just say it."

With a self-deprecating smile, Antilokos's gaze swept over the traces of damage on the surrounding buildings.

As if a natural disaster had buried everything, turning the city into dust and ashes.

"According to the few texts that have been passed down from Silver Moon City, Mount Olympus was not a natural pillar of heaven, and the current Divine King is not the eternal King of All Gods."

"Thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of years ago, in an era unreachable by mortals. At that time, the true center of the mortal realm had another name."

"It was 'Mount Othrys', and at that time, this original Mount of the Gods stood tall in the world."

"It supported the heavens and the earth, and at the highest place in the world, the supreme Monarch ruled over the entire mortal realm."

"So, Your Highness," not truly addressing him with 'Poseidon', the prince used a more general term: "What happened on that Mount of the Gods when the Divine King was succeeded?"

"And what was the fate of the lives that originally resided there?"

"It collapsed."

The halo circulated, and the consciousness of the Trident spoke slowly.

Although it had only obtained its own wisdom not long ago, the marks left on it when it was merely a Divine Artifact had not been erased.

As a participant in that war, the Trident was well aware of the outcome of that struggle.

"The Mount of the Gods toppled, and All Spirits fell silent."

"The previous Divine King allowed all who wished to leave to do so before the final battle, but there were always those who believed they were far enough away or the speechless beasts and birds."

"So in the end, they all died there, along with that magnificent pillar of heaven, turning into remnants of the olden days."

He nodded slightly, this was no different from what he knew.

Mount Othrys fell during the succession of the Divine King, collapsing under the might of the previous King.

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But it was precisely this outcome that made Ambrokus even more puzzled about everything he was witnessing.

"...As a pillar holding up the sky, that ancient mountain perished due to the warfare of the mighty, and countless lives were extinguished. This is our history... But what about this place? Why is it like this?"

"There's no testament to human action here, nor any trace of warfare, not even a single corpse or bloodstain to be found."

"If this were an eradication by the supreme beings, then how did these so-called remains get left behind?"

"If it's merely a natural disaster, how could such a civilization, adept at wielding transcendental powers, perish so effortlessly?"

"Rather than a sudden catastrophe... I'm more inclined to believe this was an extinction that was foreseen."

"The people here had long known about the impending disaster and then fled this place."

"Perhaps time was pressing, but this result was certainly not unforeseen."

"As for whether they survived, that's something no one can know."

As he drew closer to the center of the city, everything in sight became more intricate and sacred.

Ambrokus saw arrangements similar to worship in many places.

Clearly, the beings that once lived here also believed in deities. They were devout and earnest, letting faith permeate every corner of their lives.

But just like Pilos, in the end, the gods they worshiped ultimately couldn't save them.

Or perhaps they did save them, but at that moment, the deities were too preoccupied with their own plight.

"Hmm, you do have a point."

"Yet, Poseidon's descendants, this place does not look like it fell into ruin after being abandoned."

"From the layout of this city, at least at the time its inhabitants left, they must have never imagined they could never return."

"From this perspective, there can only be one answer to their fate."

The blue light vibrated, and the Divine Artifact responded.

It too was immensely concerned about this world hidden on the other side of the temporal seascape.

An entire realm—if Poseidon had discovered it early on, he might have truly had the chance to reign over all the seas with the power of this realm.

But fate loves its ironies; when he was free, he never found this opportunity that was right under his nose.

And when he finally had the chance, Poseidon no longer had the capacity to attain it.

He could only entrust his hopes to others, but the Trident didn't think it would do any good.

It brought the prince here not because it believed it could fulfill the Sea Emperor's wish, but because it also did not want to fall into other gods' hands, and it too needed the blessing of faith.

"Yes, they thought they could return... but it turned out they were mistaken."

"I wonder what kind of disaster destroyed them, and if it could strike again..."

The prince muttered to himself, unaware of what the Trident was thinking.

After passing a tall, collapsed column, the view before Ambrokus suddenly widened considerably.

Right there, not far ahead, was the city's center.

Surrounding him were fallen buildings, and within was an open space.

And at the center of the open space was a huge, damaged base, upon which sat an equally enormous stone.

At just a glance, the prince realized how familiar that so-called stone was.

Though magnified by a thousandfold, a closer inspection would show there was no difference between it and the stone edges embedded in the ruins throughout the city.

"What is this thing?"

Taking a deep breath, Ambrokus subconsciously continued forward, attempting to approach the location.

Near that pedestal, he saw a few pieces of equipment that were still intact.

They might still be usable, which was a key discovery... However, at that moment, the divine artifact beside the prince suddenly surged with divine light.

The azure halo floated around like ribbons, as if guarding the young prince.

And at the tip of the trident, an even more frightening light flickered.

Buzz—

"—Wait, don't get agitated. I have no malice, nor do I have the ability to harbor any."

"The Rune Stone has long been devoid of power, and Vanaheim has not seen sunlight for tens of thousands of years... You are the only visitors, perhaps also the last."

"We are not enemies, perhaps you can listen to what I have to say first."

The voice rose above the crumbling ruins, and it was only at this point that Ambrokus belatedly realized.

His spirit immediately tense, the prince's gaze swept around.

Everything was silent, with no apparent changes. However, the next moment, he discovered the source of the voice.

"'Magnetic stone'..."

"Who are you, what is this place, and where are the people who once lived here now?"

"What is this so-called 'Magnetic stone' used for?"

The prince asked loudly, feeling extremely fortunate to have the protection of the trident on his journey.

He couldn't actually understand the language spoken by the other party, he could only understand the intent.

Like the so-called 'Rune Stone', whose entire meaning is 'Sun Stone inscribed with runes', but in the language of Pilos, it can be phonetically rendered as 'Magnetic stone' only.

Of course, that was still a minor issue.

What really made the prince anxious was the voice in these ruins.

Is it the original inhabitant? Impossible.

Then, is it the culprit responsible for the destruction of this place?

If so, then himself...

"I did not cause the destruction of Vanaheim, human. In fact, I do not possess that ability."

"When I was created, the great Gullveig had written in me the most fundamental order."

"And that is, under no circumstance is it permissible to harm any member of the Vanir."

The voice betrayed no hint of fluctuation, and under Ambrokus's watch, a faint apparition began to materialize on the dusty ground not far from the pedestal.

It was a woman, her face bore an unnatural smile, wearing clothes of a markedly different style.

There was no shadow beneath her on the ground, obviously, she was not a being of substance.

"Can you read my thoughts?"

Even more cautious, Ambrokus moved a bit closer to the direction of the divine artifact.

The trident timely emitted a stronger halo, shining around the prince.

To all these movements, the manifested woman paid no heed.

She maintained the same unchanging smile, answering the questions the prince had asked.

"No, I cannot read your thoughts."

"It's just that when the great Gullveig created me, she imparted to me a minor fraction of her wisdom, which enables me to see through the hearts of people."

"Just like now, you are wary of me, but it's unnecessary."

"My existence is to serve the Vanir, and humans are worshippers of the deity race, so I will not harm you."

"And about your earlier doubts... This is a Rune Stone, a result of the great Gullveig's research into the power of the Agriculture God before the sunlight departed."

"It can endlessly draw strength from the sunlight, transforming it into a nearly inexhaustible source of energy."

Whether it's the 'Rune Stone' or the 'Magnetic stone' he had phonetically rendered, at this moment, the prince no longer cared about it.

This unknown existence claimed she was not dangerous, but what dangerous thing would admit to its own threat?

"Then how did the people here die—don't try to deceive me."

"And the Vanir, who are they?"

"Gone."

"Vanaheim has been buried in history, perishing along with time itself."

"As for whether the great Gullveig still lives, that is not within my knowledge."

"She is an Undying Witch, the mightiest deities could not affect her."

"But in the cataclysm that marks The End of all things, no one can be certain of survival."

The voice remained steady, gentle yet cold.

The woman's apparition continued to speak, without the slightest pause.

"As for the demise of the inhabitants here... they were the favored of the Deity Race or Demigods with divine blood in their veins."

"They were supposed to enjoy joy and beauty in the Divine Domain, but on that day, the sign of destruction arrived, foreseen by the ruler of the Aesir Tribe in Asgard."

"At that ultimate moment, sworn enemies laid down their hostilities, and adversaries shook hands in reconciliation."

"God King Odin came here, not wielding his Divine Lance, alone he proposed a method to evade disaster."

"It seems he failed."

The prince had little reaction to much of what the woman said, as he had no understanding of the significance behind those names.

But when she mentioned the 'Divine King', he still said a word reflexively.

Divine King, is there still a God King by the name of Odin in this world?

He did not know, but perhaps the other party had already been engulfed in the disaster...

"No, he did not fail, for to him, there was never an option of failure."

"It's just different for us."

Calmly speaking, the apparition uttered faintly.

"After all attempts had failed, he deceived us."

"Because of his deceit, the Vanir have become history."

"And God King Odin... perhaps he still lives."