The Origins of the Demigods / The Steel Earth

Zeus made his promise. Knowing both humans and the Machine God, he understood the immense sacrifice involved in giving up eternal life and power.

"They certainly know how to make empty promises."

Fujimaru Kyoya didn't care whether such an empty promise would ever come true, but he didn't want to put Zeus in a difficult position because of his presence in Greece.

So, let's begin.

[You separated the Mecha Core from its human form, and began your performance by remotely controlling the main body using the human form.]

[You had an audience with the King of Gods Gods the watchful eyes of the gods, Gods did not understand why you had come, until Zeus provided the answer.]

"I summoned Prometheus this time because I had a vague sense of unease, and I wanted to ask you for guidance."

So it was Zeus who invited him.

Although the Gods' doubts were answered, they soon sensed something strange. What could possibly make Zeus, now the King of Gods, feel uneasy?

"Prometheus, please answer my questions."

"Zeus, this is not the right place to talk."

"There's nothing inappropriate about it. Everyone here is my brother, my dearest friend, and my closest family. I have nothing to hide from them."

For Zeus, there seemed to be nothing he couldn't say; this was a means for Zeus to gain people's trust, and besides, a play can't be performed without an audience.

"Zeus, your worries stem from your perception of the possibility of your overthrow, and this possibility originates from your most powerful child."

"Absurd."

Thunder roared on Mount Olympus, and Zeus's Mana began to surge, while the expressions of the other Gods around him varied.

Clearly, they did not expect that Zeus had made many concessions to prevent the tradition of filial piety from continuing, yet this tradition still exists on Mount Olympus today.

The Gods all understood how Fujimaru Kyoya be treated after such a prophecy, and at the same time, they secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Such a prophecy foreshadowed that Fujimaru Kyoya be unable to continue leading humanity, and might even die, while Zeus, whose rule was originally firmly established, also encountered problems.

This will give them an opportunity.

Poseidon had long coveted the position of King of Gods, but the existence of Zeus made him uncertain. However, upon hearing that someone could overthrow Zeus's rule, he immediately thought of Ocean God Okeanos.

Now Poseidon can also emulate Oceanus of old.

"Prometheus, I originally wanted to ask you for guidance, but you uttered such divisive words about our Greek Pantheon. What are your true intentions?"

Without any hesitation, Zeus directly blasted Fujimaru Kyoya's Mecha Core away. While all the gods' eyes were focused on the battle in the sky, Fujimaru Kyoya's human form watched the gods' performance and memorized each of them.

Who is loyal to Zeus and who is disloyal—these all need to be clearly remembered and dealt with one by one in the future.

Chapter 302 The Origin of the Demigod

For Fujimaru Kyoya's Machine God form, which is completely unsuitable for combat, to face Zeus, who is already King of Gods, is basically Dongbei Noodles—leaving nothing behind.

Following Fujimaru Kyoya's instructions, Zeus used a move called "Human Stick Reduction" to move the Gods so much that they dared not move an inch.

But in reality, Fujimaru Kyoya was celebrating with Zeus as if he were popping champagne.

"It seems they believed the so-called prophecy and immediately became much more well-behaved."

Zeus remarked that the pressure had lessened considerably recently. Both the unassuming Hades and the ambitious Poseidon seemed to have concealed their brilliance, awaiting the birth of the child who could overthrow Zeus.

Once that child is born, they will surely gather around him and plot to defeat Zeus, which is entirely to be expected.

"Next, you need to show your fear of the child."

Fujimaru Kyoya was merely offering advice; the effectiveness of his plan depended entirely on Zeus's acting skills. Zeus, however, was very confident in himself and had already made his choice regarding the child who could "overthrow" him.

[You've heard that Metis recently planned to have a new child, while Zeus vehemently opposed it. To the other Gods, this undoubtedly confirms the truth of the "prophecy."]

[You sense the Gods' growing ambition; they have begun to support Metis.]

[You see Zeus "eat" Metis.]

"Hiccup~"

Zeus let out a burp, clearly indicating that even for Zeus, eating a living person was a bit of a challenge, even if it was a pre-rehearsed scenario.

Metis was not dead, of course; she was hidden inside Zeus's body and began a transformation. Zeus would grant his first wife enough power, and only enough power could gather those who were dissatisfied with Zeus around the newborn Metis.

What should Metis's new name be?

Zeus questioned Fujimaru Kyoya, because according to the later script, Metis, who was "reborn" from Zeus's body, would certainly not use the name Metis anymore. Although his personality would not change, he would at least have to pretend to be someone else.

"How about Athena?"

Fujimaru Kyoya himself never imagined that Athena would be born in this way.

In the original Greek mythology, Zeus tricked Metis into swallowing him because he feared that his offspring would surpass him, making him a complete scoundrel.

In retrospect, this was nothing more than a performance between husband and wife. Combined with Athena's vow to remain single for life, it seems to be a way of dispelling rumors about her not having a "husband." In private, she probably had a lot of fun with Zeus.

The so-called father and daughter are actually husband and wife, and the so-called enemies are actually comrades-in-arms on the same front.

No wonder Athena stands out among the latest generation of Greek gods, clearly surpassing her contemporaries by a significant margin; it seems Athena weren't even from the same era.

[You hear that Zeus is having a headache lately, and you can't help but think that Zeus could easily Golden Statue an Oscar right now.]

[You watch from the shadows as Zeus's head is cracked open, and Athena is born from it. The Gods are clearly very excited about her arrival, because of the immense power she possesses. Even those gods who don't want to overthrow Zeus are amazed that someone can restrain Zeus.]

[Looking at Athena confronting Zeus, you can't help but sigh at how cunning and shrewd this couple truly is.]

This was just the beginning of Fujimaru Kyoya and Zeus's scheme. With Athena's help, Zeus quickly gained an understanding of those who opposed him.

The old scumbag's talent for fishing automatically kicks in, and his manipulative tactics of giving a slap followed by a treat are second nature, always giving Hades and Poseidon a glimmer of hope, even if that hope is just a fleeting illusion.

Zeus's previous abstinence from children was merely a pretense to make the Gods believe he was afraid. However, with Athena's arrival, the era of Zeus's Great Breeding Era began.

He fathered children with the Goddess associated with him, in order to expand his own power while weakening the power of the Gods.

After all, with more and more gods to worship, while the population of Greece couldn't grow that quickly, the fragmentation of believers was undoubtedly a problem for the Gods. More importantly...

"To have offspring with humans? That is indeed a very good option."

When Fujimaru Kyoya suggested that Zeus and humans have offspring, Zeus readily agreed, as this was no problem for someone with his extraordinary talent.

The King of Gods's work is so demanding, what's wrong with taking a break occasionally?

"Don't forget, I didn't let you do these things with humans so that you'd have an excuse to play around with women."

Fujimaru Kyoya tapped Zeus on the head. Fortunately, Zeus already had quite a few "previous offenses" and his indiscriminate appearance made the next plan easier.

"Listen carefully, Zeus. Let Demigod heroes be born into this world, and at the same time give them trials. This will allow Athena to intervene in human affairs in a legitimate way, and at the same time make the work of promoting human civilization more reasonable."

In the trials that followed countless Greek heroes, two characters played a crucial role.

The first is Centaur Chiron. He is the mentor of countless heroes. Before embarking on the path of trials, most heroes learn from him and eventually master their skills before emerging from the Deep Mountain and forests.

Except Jason.

The second is Athena, but she mostly provides guidance during the heroes' trials, or bestows Divine Weapons, or even more dramatically, she directly Deus ex Machina.

Now it seems that the relationship between the two is indeed not simple.

You're getting old.

I'm getting old.

This is certainly not the first time Fujimaru Kyoya has aged. He had aged once before when he was the Sacred King of the Bright Moon, and this time, even though he has aged, he is not panicked at all.

Human lifespan has an end.

"Are you going to die, Prometheus?"

Zeus looked at the aged Fujimaru Kyoya, who didn't seem very happy at the moment, clearly unprepared for Fujimaru Kyoya's departure.

"You could actually live much longer; you haven't yet seen the work we've created, a perfect world."

That's right, this was a creation prepared by Zeus, originally intended as a surprise for Fujimaru Kyoya, but he never got to see it.

A civilization that will replace Greece and become an unforgettable part of history, a civilization anticipated by all future generations— Rome.

Chapter 303 The Steel of the Earth 98/165

"The power of the gods will not allow humanity to continue to expand, and one day in the future they will surely launch a devastating attack on present-day Greece."

Zeus was fully aware of this future; as the King of Gods, he naturally knew that such a future was not a mere premonition.

"However, I have already come up with a solution: to use another civilization to overshadow the Greek civilization."

Zeus had already begun preparations for another civilization that would inevitably devour the entire Greek civilization in the future. Greek civilization would spread among the new civilizations, but the belief in the gods could not be grafted on so quickly.

If the Greek Gods lost their faith, then as outsiders, they would soon lose their Divinity and be once again antagonized by the Earth's Counter Force.

At that time, they will have to acknowledge the stronger human civilization and actively integrate into it.

This is the Perfect World that Zeus wanted to create, a civilization more powerful than Greece, while inheriting some of its cultural elements—the kingdom called Rome.

"That's quite impressive. You've already started thinking about things far into the future? How remarkable, Zeus."

Fujimaru Kyoya seemed very happy. If Zeus hadn't had such a backup plan, he would still be a little worried about this somewhat unreliable guy, but now he was relieved.

"Zeus, you must accept the departure of others; after all, your life has been too smooth sailing."

Looking back on Zeus's life, although it can be described as magnificent, he rarely experienced life and death separations. Kronos, whom he originally wanted to kill, ultimately only suffered imprisonment without a wife.

Fujimaru Kyoya's death may fill this void, after all, even greater challenges await him in the future.

"Zeus, your leniency towards your loved ones may have been the right thing to do. In the future, you will face a very powerful enemy, and it may take the combined strength of all of Olympus to defeat him."

Fujimaru Kyoya thought of the yet-to-arrive Harvest Star Vanguard. Facing that being, even Zeus would have a hard time saying he could definitely win. Perhaps the fact that the whole of Greece didn't spiral into the heavens was a relatively good outcome.

[You can feel Zeus's grief because of your departure, while you feel extremely happy. A King of Gods isn't heartless may not be the best, but he's not a particularly bad King of Gods either.]

You are dead.

[You have completed the ending "Eve of Civilization," and you can now draw one of the Three Basic Talents.]

[Please wait while the draw begins... Draw complete.]

[You have acquired the talent "Machine God Reincarnation".]

"Although I understand that the First Magic and Fifth Magic Spells are fundamentally different from other Magic, isn't this about the same as what you've already done?"

The Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg looked at the Iron Clump that Fujimaru Kyoya had placed in Avalon. This kind of thing shouldn't exist in this era at all, or perhaps there was something wrong with this era.

"If I could, I wouldn't like creating something like this either."

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the pure white mecha before him, there was no doubt that this was the Mecha Core of Prometheus. Although it was not a mecha specializing in combat, it was undoubtedly a nuclear bomb for the mystical side of this era.

Because he is the Database Administrator of the Alien Fleet, containing countless data. Once he appears in this world, he will probably dilute the current mystery of the mystical world in one fell swoop.

As the nominal leader of the Mage's Association, the Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg couldn't just leave such a thing out in the open; it had to be moved to Avalon, a place no one else could enter.

"But isn't that a bit too wasteful?"

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at Inner Sea of Stars's Pure White Gundam. Although he understood that it was an unreasonable thing for modern society, it would be a waste to just leave it to gather dust. Humanity cannot throw the baby out with the bathwater.

"Have you come up with some crooked idea again?"

"It wasn't exactly a crooked idea, but after learning the true nature of the First Magic, I vaguely sensed that this world seems to have no future."

Fujimaru Kyoya may seem to be asking a question, but he already has the answer to this matter. He is only asking the Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg to confirm it.

"The future? That depends on whose future it is."

The Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg's answer was ambiguous, but he was too lazy to continue playing games with the other Magus, and after a moment's thought, he gave his answer.

"No matter how this era changes, the final outcome is actually similar."

"As expected."

The future that Fujimaru Kyoya foresaw was indeed true.

"Gaia, representing the consciousness of the planet, and Alaya, representing the collective unconscious of humanity, are two Counter Force that will inevitably come to an end. When that time comes, no matter which one survives, the final outcome will not be ideal."

The Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg randomly captured two images from the future, images he saw of a future from which humanity could not escape.

"While these aren't all the endings, the others are quite similar, so I'll show you these two representative ones."

In the first image Projection the Kischur Zelretch Schweinorg, the concept of being the embodiment of planetary consciousness failed miserably, but this failure was one where the game was completely over.