Chapter 1 The Last Stand

Poseidon's domain was now the last barrier for the Olympian "gods."

The ancient Greek gods, who had once been high above, their power covering the entire Mediterranean region, ruling over generations of dynasties and thousands of city-states, had finally reached their end. They were once proud, confident, watching the weak and short-lived empires of mankind rise and fall one after another. They mocked these native creatures, whose average lifespan was only thirty or forty years, mocked their ephemeral existence, mocked their weakness and fragility, and firmly believed that they, beings innately so powerful, were qualified to be called gods. They firmly believed that their rule would be unshakable, even eternal—but today, the "gods" were finally realizing that they were far from eternal. They were only slightly stronger than mortals, and their dynasty had only lasted a few thousand years longer than the short-lived kingdoms of men.

The days of sitting high in the clouds, receiving the worship of mortals, were ultimately just a dream that had lasted a few millennia.

The Holy Legion of demon hunters had completed its assembly around the Temple of Poseidon. Powerful, war-grade magic relentlessly bombarded the energy barrier above the temple, and scorching holy flames flowed through the rock layers, slowly but surely melting the alloy protective shell of the temple's foundation. The demon hunters had launched an assault about three hours ago. The assault had been repelled, but both sides knew that the outcome of this war was already determined.

The great barrier, supported by the combined power of all the Olympian gods and all the remaining energy of the "divine mountain," was indeed quite strong, perhaps the most powerful energy shield they had ever created since they had reigned over this world. However, this powerful shield was ultimately a source without a stream, and without replenishment and rest, its destruction was only a matter of time. Watching the shield flashing above the temple, and the silver-white light spots falling like meteors on the shield, every Olympian god knew that the end had come—only slightly delayed.

The demon hunters knew this as well. They knew that victory was in their hands, and that the prey hiding in the temple, no matter how stubbornly they resisted, would eventually die. So they didn't organize any more strong attacks, but instead used war magic to constantly deplete the temple's defenses, using this foolproof method to gradually destroy the prey's will to resist—perhaps before the barrier was completely destroyed, the prey in the temple would not be able to withstand the pressure and would take their own lives.

After all, such things had happened before.

In the upper level of the Temple of Poseidon, a crescent-shaped domed hall served as the last command center for the Olympian gods. The gods and demigod heroes who were still alive were gathered here, making this beautifully decorated hall, which had once served as a banquet hall, seem particularly crowded. However, with so many gods and demigod heroes gathered together, there was no discussion or consultation. A deathly silence enveloped the entire hall. Suppressed by this atmosphere, no one wanted to speak.

In the center of the crescent-shaped hall was a slightly empty space. Those qualified to sit in this position were pure-blooded gods whose height reached about four meters. Their towering figures had once been the symbol of the power of Mount Olympus, able to bring endless confidence and hope to their clansmen and servants. But now these giants were all hanging their heads, their listless appearance making them no different from those uneasy "mortals."

In their midst was a wide, pale golden bed, upon which lay a middle-aged giant in golden robes. He had long white hair and a beard, and his eyes flickered like two balls of lightning. Despite being on the verge of death, his face still carried a hint of majesty.

In the area of his heart, one could clearly see a penetrating wound the size of a fist. Pale golden lightning and silver-white holy flames danced in the wound, still vying for control of the wound. The giant's heart had been destroyed, but magic was still sustaining his life. Blood gushed from his severed blood vessels, then writhed in the air as if alive, and was injected into another section of the severed blood vessel: in this incredible way, Zeus had forcibly survived for several days.

Yes, he was Zeus, the "King of the Gods" of ancient Greece.

"Let me…see what's happening outside," he said in a low voice.

Beside the bed, a giant with hair and beard curled like sea waves nodded. He picked up his trident from the side and shook it three times at the dome above, whereupon the rock dome immediately made a rushing sound of water, turning into a nearly transparent sea.

Two-thirds of the people in the hall looked up at the situation on the other side of the transparent sea, but the other third remained drooping their heads as if dead, seemingly no longer concerned with any outside news.

Through the transparent sea, one could clearly see the great shield above the Temple of Poseidon. The shield, filled with magic, was still intact at this moment, but compared to when it had just been opened, it was now nearly sixty percent dimmer. Silver-white light clusters fell from the sky like meteors, generating ripples on the surface of the shield. These were the attacks of the demon hunters, endless and relentless.

"Do we have any reinforcements?" Zeus asked his brother in a low voice.

"No more, my brother," Poseidon's face was expressionless. This giant, as cold and ruthless as the sea, looked like this even in the face of death. "Hades' death has been confirmed to be true, and Hermes' body fell from the sky above the clouds not long ago. The Holy Legion has sealed all the entrances and exits. We are isolated and without help."

Zeus nodded, neither disheartened nor enraged by the news. He seemed to calmly accept the current situation, then turned his eyes and searched for a figure in the hall.

He saw the person he was looking for.

It was the only figure out of step with everyone else, the only figure who seemed completely unaware of the desperate situation before them. She wore a plain homespun dress, with almost no jewelry or ornamentation on her body. This appearance alone, which could be described as "poor," was enough to make her stand out among a group of gods and demigod heroes in golden armor and silver helmets and gorgeous attire.

Among a group of Olympian gods who were uneasy because they were facing a cataclysm, this strangely styled woman was just staring blankly with her head down, occasionally muttering to herself. Her performance was so different, as if an invisible barrier was enveloping her, making her live in a small world isolated from everyone else.

Zeus withdrew his gaze and looked at Poseidon: "How is she doing…"

"Ms. Anseitesta has started to get confused again," Poseidon replied. "She is sometimes lucid and sometimes muddled. Her condition has become even more serious after she went out to help block a wave of attacks before. I am very worried. Her current state is very much like a precursor to losing control. We all know some of her…situation. Once she loses control inside the temple, I'm afraid the consequences will be more serious than the Holy Legion breaking in."

"She came to help," Zeus said slowly, "and she has helped us a lot…It's a pity that even with her power, it is impossible to save this situation."

"Artemis and Demeter have discussed that when Ms. Anseitesta regains consciousness, they will ask her to break through with some of the Olympian descendants. We have found a relatively easy path to break through. As long as Ms. Anseitesta uses her power to envelop those descendants, it will be enough to hide them from the demon hunters' sight. This way, we can at least preserve a few sparks…"

"Has the list been selected?"

"Here it is," Poseidon handed over a list. "They are all…genetically inferior descendants. Their aura is weaker, and their appearance is closer to mortals. After the collapse of the Olympian theocracy, these descendants can still mingle in the mortal kingdoms."

"We have actually fallen to this point," Zeus just glanced at the list and pushed it back. "You decide, as long as there are sparks preserved, it doesn't matter who they are. The bloodline of Olympus cannot be broken…cough cough…"

Zeus coughed violently a few times. Many people in the hall immediately looked over nervously, but the King of the Gods waved his hand, indicating that he was fine. Then he lowered his voice again: "Has Hercules set off?"

This voice could only be heard by him and Poseidon. Obviously, this was an extremely important secret.

"He has already set off," Poseidon also lowered his voice. "With the treasure."

"That's good…" Zeus breathed a sigh of relief, and his body seemed to relax. He looked up at the dome of the hall, which had turned from seawater back into rock, and his voice was like a dream: "The eternal dynasty, the eternal dynasty…"

"Boom!!!"

"Boom! Boom!!"

Suddenly, huge explosions came from outside the temple, and not just once or twice, but several continuous explosions rang out densely. The explosions seemed to be detonated in mid-air, and they sounded like the explosion points were distributed over a wide area. Along with the explosions came the violent shaking of the entire hall. The shock waves also seemed to have affected the outer walls of the temple, causing the entire building to tremble.

Poseidon instantly stood up and shouted: "What happened?!"

The hall also became chaotic after a brief silence: "What's going on? Has our barrier been broken?" "Have those demon hunters broken in!" "It's over! The defense has been broken!" "Pick up your weapons! Rush out and fight them!"

"Every-one-be-quiet!!" Poseidon's roar, mixed with mental power, suddenly exploded, causing the entire hall to hum and finally calming down the panicked gods and demigod heroes. "Perhaps our palace walls are about to collapse, but those who flow with the blood of Olympus will not be frightened like this—you, and you, you two take people out to see what happened outside!"

At this moment, on a platform outside the Temple of Poseidon, the sky was still filled with smoke.

Within the area shrouded in smoke, there was no longer a single living carbon-based creature.