Urban Plundering: I Corrupted The System!-Chapter 179: Aftermath—Beyond the Mortal Veil

The gods had seen death more times than they could count. Hell, some of them designed the very concept of it. Mortals lived, mortals died—it was as inevitable as the sun rising. A single man’s death? Pfft. Less than dust in the wind. But this one? This one had served his purpose. A disposable pawn, nudged by Apollo’s hand to provoke Parker. A test.

And the results were... well. Interesting.

"He didn’t hide it," Athena muttered, arms crossed, golden eyes flickering as she replayed the moment of the kill in her mind. "If he was the cause of the gaps in our vision, we wouldn’t have seen it—his kill and awakening of this power!"

Apollo exhaled, rubbing his temple. "Which means the gaps aren’t coming from him… but something around him."

"Or someone," Hermes mused, lounging back like this was some drama flick playing out in real-time. "Maybe it’s Ere. That little shit moved, and we still didn’t see her."

"No, it’s not her," Nyx said, her voice cool as the void. She rested her chin on her hand, eyes narrowed. "I’ve been watching that cat since she crawled back into existence. Whatever she’s doing, it’s not this."

A slow tension filled the air. The gods weren’t used to not knowing things. That was kinda their whole thing—watching, influencing, puppeteering. But something was threading through the world, weaving holes in their omniscience. And Parker? Parker was now sitting smack dab in the center of it.

And then there was the flames.

The white-hot phoenix fire that had ignited around him, searing through the battlefield like divine judgment itself. That was what had really fucked them up.

"The Phoenix’s blessing," Artemis murmured, shaking her head. "But why him?"

Hera scoffed, eyes cold. "The boy is no virtue. No hero."

"A villain," Athena muttered darkly.

"A demon," said another.

Ares smirked. "Nah. A devil."

All eyes flicked to Apollo, who was suddenly feeling very judged.

"What?" he said, lifting a brow. "You’re blaming me now?"

"You pushed the pawn," Hermes grinned. "You poked the beast."

Apollo rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. Even if I didn’t, fate would’ve thrown him into this sooner or later. We don’t control the strings—we just nudge them."

"Yeah, well, great fucking job nudging," Aphrodite said, sipping from a goblet of nectar. "Now we got a baby devil with phoenix flames."

And worse—White Flames.

The flames of rebirth—but something worse too!

Pure. Unyielding. The kind of fire that burned through the soul, not just the flesh—for starters ’cause those flames...

Before any of them could even begin to unpack that nightmare, Parker’s voice echoed through the stream energy screen, sharp and biting.

"Not even the gods could’ve saved him."

Silence.

And then—

"WHAT DID HE JUST SAY?" Ares roared, surging to his feet so fast the ground cracked beneath him. His war axe materialized in his grip, divine fury boiling in his blood. "I SWEAR TO ME, SOMEBODY NEEDS TO BEAT THAT BITCH BOY’S ASS!"

The words hung in the air like a slap across the face of Olympus itself.

Athena’s fists clenched. "Blasphemous little shit."

Hera scoffed, looking genuinely offended. "This boy—this mortal—dares speak of the gods like we’re useless?" Hera’s nostrils flared. "Blasphemous little mortal—"

"He mocks us?" Athena hissed, hands clenching into fists.

Apollo’s smirk twitched, a crack in the golden mask. "Okay, fuck that." His voice was light, but there was a weight behind it-like the sun itself had narrowed its gaze. "I don’t give a shit if he killed that guy, but acting like we couldn’t do anything? Like we’re just-just helpless?" He scoffed. "Nah. I’m not letting that slide."

Ares, of course, was pissed. No, actually more—

Furious. "Chione, beat that bitch boy’s ass!" His voice boomed across the divine halls. "Break him!"

Athena and Hera both nodded, arms crossed, satisfied with this course of action. Apollo muttered something about making sure Parker felt it.

And oh, did she.

The gods laughed as Parker got his ass handed to him.

Chione was relentless-ice storms, bone-crushing kicks, magic that could freeze the soul-and Parker was struggling. They watched as he took hit after hit, each blow knocking the arrogance out of him, turning that cocky fire into something desperate.

Ares was howling. "THAT’S RIGHT! FREEZE HIS COCKY ASS!"

Apollo smirked. "See, this is what happens when you run your mouth."

Even Athena, ever the strategist, looked pleased. "A lesson in humility. Much needed."

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Hera just sipped her wine and said nothing, but there was something vindicated in her silence.

Dionysus, half-draped over a couch, lazily lifted his cup of wine. "I’ll bet... hmm, let’s say, a divine vineyard in Naxos that the kid stays down."

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Hermes snorted, arms behind his head. "I’ll take that bet. I’m putting up-let’s say, my best enchanted boots-that he gets back up."

Aphrodite arched a brow. "You like losing, don’t you, huh, Dionysus?"

Athena smirked. "Maybe now he’ll learn some respect."

Hera rolled her eyes. "Doubtful."

Parker, stubborn bastard that he was, kept talking—mocking the Olympians, laughing even as Chione’s ice boot cracked his ribs.

But then—then—Parker did the unthinkable.

And then he escaped.

Right under their noses.

One moment, he was there-bleeding, beaten, barely standing. The next? Gone.

A second too late, they realized.

The real distraction wasn’t his words. Wasn’t his fight. It was something else—something none of them had seen. And just like that—

He was gone.

Hermes blinked. "Wait, hold up—"

Aphrodite nearly snorted her wine. "Oh my. Did he just—" She burst out laughing. "Ohhh, that was slick."

Nyx’s lips barely curled. "He did."

Silence.

And then—Hermes just started cackling. "OH, YOU DUMBASSES—YOU ALL FELL FOR IT!"

Aphrodite doubled over, dying with amusement. "Not just them—us. Even we missed it!"

Ares was fuming. Athena looked like she was about to kill something. Hera? Hera was rubbing her temple, debating whether or not this was all beneath her. Apollo was stone-faced, but inside? He was pissed.

The gods had just been outplayed.

And not just by Parker.

By Ere.

Because none of them had seen her move. Not the champions. Not the gods. No one.

And that? That was terrifying.

****

The air in Olympus was different now. No more laughter. No more casual amusement. Just the weight of something big shifting in the world. A heavy silence draped over the celestial hall, the kind that carried weight beyond words. They stood in a loose circle, their expressions solemn, their divine presence humming in the air like a barely contained storm.

The gem was now in the wrong hands, and for the first time in ages, Olympus felt the tremor of uncertainty.

"They have it," someone muttered. No name needed. They all knew who ’they’ were. And now, everything was about to spiral.

Artemis exhaled sharply, arms crossed, her silver eyes flickering. "The champions—are they even ready for this?"

The Korean deity, the one known as the Lord of the Heavens, gave a slow nod, his expression unreadable. "They are ready," he said simply. "Though the fight will not be an easy one."

A scoff. Someone shaking their head. A low murmur of doubt. Because yeah, sure, the champions had potential, but potential didn’t mean shit when you were up against forces that could rewrite reality with a snap of their fingers. Worse, gods couldn’t step in. Bound by laws!

Then Artemis, ever the pragmatist, raised the real question—the one none of them wanted to voice. "And while the champions are occupied with this... who’s stopping the other two god factions?"

A muscle tensed in Apollo’s jaw. Dionysus dragged a hand down his face. Aphrodite, standing off to the side, let out a slow, tired breath.

No answer.

Because there wasn’t one.

The room filled with that familiar, unspoken frustration—the kind that made even gods feel powerless. They knew what was coming. Knew that once this chaos unfolded, it wouldn’t stop at just one catastrophe. The moment mortals and divinity mixed in ways they weren’t meant to, shit always went sideways.

"If only humans could withstand the blessings of the gods without needing it..." someone muttered.

A collective sigh.

Because that? That was the real problem. Humans broke under divine weight. They cracked, shattered, turned into something unrecognizable with it. And yet, they were the only ones who could stand against what was coming while the champions were occupied.

The irony wasn’t lost on any of them.

And so they stood there, staring at fate unraveling in front of them, knowing damn well that things were about to take a turn no one was ready for.