Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality-Chapter 866 - 345: Divine Iron (A few hundred words left in the second chapter, will be released in half an hour)

"Finally, you have come."

Along the path marked by Ande, Heracls avoided the numerous challenges near the center of the Sea Eye.

Only by experiencing it firsthand did Heracls realize that the true danger of this oceanic trauma was not on the surface.

The Divine Flame leftover from the Great Day, the lingering resentments of the countless beings that had perished in the ocean over the millennia, and even the twisted and undying spirits of evil creatures...

All things that the ocean could not accommodate had slowly converged here, becoming part of the Sea Eye.

Of course, perhaps due to these forces being loose and chaotic or possibly some other reason, with Ande's help, they were unable to breach the protection of the divine power.

Thus, the great hero Heracls safely reached the hollow at the center of the Sea Eye and met the person he wished to see.

Just as the legends recorded, the sinful god was imprisoned beneath the Sea Abyss, his hands bound by chains, and a Divine Nail piercing his chest.

However, it was such a captive who spoke words that should not have been spoken.

Finally, you have come... No matter how you look at it, such words should not have appeared here.

Since Heracls had decided to search for the Creator Prometheus and had only recently learned that he was the Son of the Divine King, he had never consulted with anyone.

Except for one exception.

"Do you know a human named 'Aiven'? Did he tell you of my existence?"

"If so... please tell me, what is the purpose of having me come here?"

Heracls spoke gravely, immediately thinking of that scholar from Athens.

It was he who had inspired the thought of searching for Prometheus; if anyone were likely to have predicted his actions, it would be him.

"Aiven?"

The bound deity slightly startled upon hearing the words, seemingly taken aback.

But it was only for a moment before Prometheus regained his composure.

Indeed... He shook his head with difficulty as the Forethinking God looked at the wary yet hopeful great hero and spoke slowly and gently, "No, child, I do not know him."

"But not long ago, someone did tell me that a child living in lies would come here; I also witnessed your valiant fighting on the sea surface."

"You are brave, yet also reckless—these may not be good traits, but for a young man, they certainly are excellent qualities..."

"Rest assured, whatever questions you have, I can answer them—including about the one who met with me, what he gave me, and what he spoke to me about."

"Whatever you wish to know, I will tell you everything."

"Why?"

Silent and somewhat feeling surreal.

At that moment, Heracls was certain—his innate intuition told him that this ancient god was truly not deceiving him.

Not attempting to fabricate lies or masking concealment with lofty reasons, as every other individual he had questioned before led others to guess their thoughts.

So, on impulse, the great hero unknowingly asked,

"Probably because I have already made the same mistake once—my mistake taught me that concealment only leads to suspicion, and suspicion leads to conflict."

"It causes the greedy to forget the risks, and the cautious to miss opportunities."

"Rather than having people walk down the wrong path in speculation, it is better to tell them the cruel truth from the start."

"The destruction of the Bronze Age originated from this."

"If they had known their insignificance early on, fear might be closer to survival than arrogance."

Whoosh—

Perhaps he had spoken too much in a short time, as Prometheus took a slight breath, causing the chains on his wrists to lightly clink.

Regaining his composure, Heracls then remembered the other's current state.

He took a step forward and solemnly said,

This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.

"Regardless, Prince Prometheus, whether or not you can answer my doubts."

"I believe in your morality and am willing to help you escape from this prison."

"I'm not sure if stealing the Heavenly Fire is indeed a sin, but including myself, every human now living should not use this as a reason to condemn you."

"You've been here long enough... and today is the day you will be released."

Stepping close to Prometheus' side, Heracls thought he would encounter some hindrance, but to his surprise, he easily approached the captive god.

His hands reached for the Divine Nail in Prometheus' chest, powerful strength flowing with the movements of his chest.

Ande, who had been silent until now, also covered him with divine strength; a sense of unprecedented power rose in Heracls' heart at that moment.

"One nail... cannot stop me."

"—Rise!"

With a loud shout, like a sovereign pulling up mountains.

Perhaps it was the effect of will, or perhaps his lineage was truly powerful.

When divine power was bestowed upon him, Heracls seemed to possess a demeanor capable of wrestling with the Divine King for a moment.

Responding to the call, the Divine Nail in Prometheus' chest buzzed, vibrating slightly in the Creator's chest.

Even though Prometheus was initially ready to speak out to stop him, he was somewhat astonished at that moment.

Incredibly... The Divine Nail, embodying the Divine King's will, was not meant to be removed so easily.

Apart from the initial shaking, no matter how hard Heracles tried, it remained immobile, with no possibility of being pulled out.

Even so, the fact that it could cause such a change was still extraordinary.

After all, although the nail was cast when Zeus had not yet stepped into the Great Divine Power of a God-King.

The power of sovereignty has no boundaries; the commands of a King from past days, too, would become transcendent with future strength.

In such circumstances, that Heracles could make it shake relied not merely on 'strength' but on a certain embodiment of 'fate.'

Perhaps he was always destined to surpass Zeus in some aspects, even though he himself did not yet realize it.

"Ahem… enough, stop wasting your energy."

"The punishment from the God-King is not so easily undone, and what truly traps me has never been merely this nail."

"It's merely a symbol, a medium."

"I can break free from it, but as long as the God-King's power persists, someone brought here by the will of Zeus must be forever bound in this Abyss."

Heracles cleared his throat lightly, a hazy halo emanating from Prometheus.

The shaking nail immediately returned to its original state, and Heracles was rebounded from it.

The Hero might not know that just as he had started moving, the waters at the Sea Eye of the East Sea suddenly surged up into frightful waves.

Like a giant deity reaching down from the sky, trying to grasp this handful of the ocean.

The strength of Zeus's sovereignty is also not infinite. It was the sea, over which he purportedly no longer had jurisdiction, that he used to entrap Prometheus.

It merged with the nail, becoming a symbol of the God-King's Sea Suppressing.

From then on, the crimes of suppressing an Innate God and quelling the turmoil of the Sea Eye were skillfully balanced, ensuring Zeus would no longer need to be troubled by them.

"Your power?"

Prometheus, stepping lightly backward from the gentle recoil in front of him. Heracles's eyes shifted.

Just then, Prometheus had nonchalantly separated him from the divine nail connected to the sea.

Though both derived from Divine Power, his seemed much stronger than that of Ande.

And noticing Heracles's confusion, the Forethinker explained with a smile:

"Faith isn't born solely from prayers... child, if you are a deity, if your deeds can be spread far and wide, then the journey you've made to this point is your best support in gathering faith."

"Alright, now, let me give you what rightfully belongs to you."

His body shook, and under Heracles's gaze, the Forethinker's body suddenly split into two.

One body, composed entirely of Divine Power, remained there, while the real body of Prometheus departed.

Watching this scene, entirely different from what he had anticipated, Heracles was once again astonished.

And sitting on his shoulder, a tiny puppet suddenly spoke up.

"This is… truly unexpected."

"Even confined here, you've nearly reached the realm of Great Divine Power."

"Heh, no wonder Bronze Humanity was destroyed… If they, like this generation of Humans, had continued to spread across the continent, your power might have been enough to frighten even Zeus of that era."

Had the God-King of the Bronze Age not taken that step, and had the Bronze Age not been destroyed, the Forethinker might indeed have been qualified to threaten Zeus's position.

Thus, even though the actions of the All Gods were rough and seemed forceful, they showed no mercy in dealing with him.

"Who is this?"

Breaking free from the chains and Divine Iron, Prometheus could not maintain this state for long.

Even for him, being bound to the Divine Iron probably consumed less energy.

At this moment, he was both defeating the Divine Iron's sensing and bearing the weight of the Sea Eye, his Divine Power draining every second.

Compared to before, although his Divine Blood continually dripped, even the not particularly strong body of a Titans Deity like Prometheus could cope with this minor damage.

"Who am I… I am the Creator of the Bronze Age, I want to ask you, do you remember Ande?"

Raising his head slightly, the puppet's face was expressionless, as it should be.

However, the next moment, Prometheus's reaction left it stunned.

"Ande... If you refer to the Ande in my memories, there indeed was one."

He pondered for a moment, Prometheus slowly said:

"He was among the third group of created Bronze Humanity, endowed with a soul of kindness, humility, and integrity."

"How so, is he still alive?"

"…"

"No, he died, died from his kindness, humility, and integrity."

"The reason I came to ask you… was just to see if the legendary Fire Thief remembered the name of each of his creations is indeed true."

The answer was, of course, true, as the outcome was evident right before his eyes.

Never having served a day as 'Priest,' nor particularly esteemed by those cunning favored by the created beings, he ultimately faced death alongside the creatures of the Bronze Age due also to the foolish acts of the priests, falling in the darkness just before dawn.

Previously, Ande didn't seem so indifferent about this, but now, one of his questions had been resolved.

"I have no more questions, but he does."

The voice stiff, the puppet's tone was flat.

"We've come here to seek you, mainly to understand some secrets about the depths of the Spirit Realm."