The Great Prophecy

"Thank you for your generosity."

Faced with Ryan's invitation, Cronus appeared to accept cheerfully, completely unaffected by his older siblings beside him.

At that moment, inside the Earth Mother's womb, Crios was expressing his disdain for that "net." The other Titans around him agreed with his view. They likewise did not believe they needed the help of these elements.

Even Cronus thought so. As a god possessing Great Divine Power, he could accomplish anything he wanted with divine power alone. However, since he was asking for a favor, he still showed his concern.

"What do you intend to weave this net with? If you need it, I can temper space into strings and give them to you as a gift."

"No need. I have a better option."

Ryan gently shook his head, then smiled as he watched Earth Mother.

He had made his request. Now it was the other party's turn to act.

"We will do as you wish, Your Highness." Earth Mother met Ryan's gaze. "But you must not disappoint us later, either."

As her voice fell, Gaia extended her hand. Without a sound, a peculiar-looking bottle appeared.

Its shape resembled a woman's reproductive organ. Mysterious divine runes shimmered across its surface, while an unknown golden-green gem was embedded in its center. Ryan sensed an inexhaustible aura of life from it.

This was the Life Treasure Bottle, a symbol of life, gestation, and reproduction. Gaia herself did not possess these authorities. It was a supreme treasure bestowed upon Earth Mother by the world, and she had once used it to nourish vegetation and nurture new gods.

"For the next thousand years, it is yours. Although it contains the Origin of Khaos's life, I must warn you: absorbing its Origin will be meaningless. Just as a god's Origin will eventually return to its master, the life you take from the bottle will return to the world."

Though reluctant, Earth Mother still handed the treasure bottle to Ryan.

"Thank you for the warning. I'll remember it."

Ryan reached out and accepted the treasure bottle, examining the legendary Divine Artifact. "But the Origin of life seems capable of being absorbed by mortals. At least, that was what you did when creating plants."

"Because mortals will eventually decay, and the birth of new life will also strengthen the Divine Artifact's power," Gaia said calmly.

Ryan nodded, then looked toward Gaia's abdomen. Cronus and his eleven siblings were inside.

Under his gaze, the surrounding space-time began to ripple. A mass of golden and silver Origin Power slowly emerged. This was most of Cronus's Space-Time Origin. Given the unique nature of space-time power, even after his Origin left his body, he still retained the vast majority of his strength.

"It can only last five hundred years." Cronus's voice came from within, tinged with fatigue. "That is the limit of what I can do. After that, it will return to me uncontrollably."

"That's enough." Ryan stored the mass of Origin.

Space-time was the foundation of the world. If the Life Treasure Bottle represented most of the world's Origin of life, then Cronus held at most thirty percent of space-time.

Ryan possessed even less—roughly more than twenty percent of Khaos's space-time power—but that already far exceeded his expectations.

"Swear to the world that if you can tell me the truth of the Prophecy, including how to truly overthrow my father, then once I become the new God King, I will immediately fulfill the agreement I made with you."

Cronus's voice came again, his tone somewhat urgent. Earth Mother quickly followed by making the same oath.

The first payment had already been delivered, and they could hardly wait to hear the answer.

Ryan laughed inwardly. He knew that under Fate's influence and the world's impetus, Gaia and Cronus would have discovered the key to the problem even without him.

But reality was like this. Sometimes, learning something just one minute earlier could bring immense rewards.

In no hurry, Ryan slowly explained why Uranus had become the God King. Among the three generations of God Kings, he was in fact the one who had truly "ascended by rightful means," because the world had bestowed the throne upon him as a reward.

"Sky Father's Divine Office comes from the world. He was the first being to use intercourse to give birth to gods. When he took that step, he gained the symbol of masculinity. When the Titans were born, he became the origin of Paternal Authority. Because of these achievements, the world crowned him and allowed him to rule the sky, the sea, and the earth."

"So what do we need to do to make him lose the world's favor?"

Ignoring Ryan's mention of the humiliating title "Titans," Cronus hurriedly pressed him for an answer.

"He is a male god, so he represents masculinity. He is a father, so he holds Paternal Authority. Apart from me, the Primordial Gods, and his siblings, every living being in the world is now his descendant. That cannot be changed."

"So," Ryan said, his smile fading as he solemnly looked at Earth Mother and at the King of Space-Time within her womb, "you must use the Scythe to sever his symbols as a male god and as a father."

"When he loses those symbols, he will no longer be a male god, and the power of masculinity will leave him. When he loses those symbols, he will no longer be able to reproduce, and the power of Paternal Authority will collapse. After losing these things, he will still be the ruler of the sky, but he will no longer be a God King who has earned merit in the eyes of the world."

Gaia was stunned. Cronus and his siblings also seemed to have lost the ability to speak. Until that moment, they had been racking their brains over the Scythe's purpose.

There was no doubt that it was a Divine Artifact, but it was not enough to threaten the supreme God King. Yet after Ryan's explanation, they finally understood its purpose.

The Scythe had been nurtured within the earth, so it naturally would not harm Gaia. It could exist within her body and flesh. As long as Cronus swung that blade at the right moment, everything would end.

"So this is Fate." Gaia gave a cold laugh, though it was unclear whether she was mocking the God King or herself.

"He personally sent the Knife Wielder to the most suitable position, and personally buried the seeds of his own downfall. My sister who controls destiny—I wonder if she saw this scene long ago."

Ryan offered no comment. He knew that Lady of the Night was different from Gaia. She and Lord of Darkness had only personified a very small part of themselves. Even in the myths of later ages, they often had barely any presence.

"Choose the right time," Ryan said. "Not now, and not soon. Wait until the God King has completely relaxed and believes the Prophecy has already been thwarted."

"I will," Gaia said. Having received the answer, she no longer wished to remain here.

To her, Uranus was certainly hateful, but Ryan also made her reluctant to approach. In front of this Seer, she always felt like a puppet whose strings were being pulled.

"Wait, Mother."

Apparently sensing Gaia's intention to leave, Cronus suddenly spoke.

His voice was upright and powerful. Ever since he had been imprisoned within his mother's womb, he had stopped concealing his edge. Especially after Ryan revealed the key to overthrowing Sky Father, his confidence had grown even stronger.

But before that, he wanted to give himself some insurance.

"Before we leave," he said, "before we carry out this great undertaking of overthrowing the God King—"

"Esteemed Seer, creator of the Time Sequence; Lord of the Moon, God of Prophecy. As the future God King in your Prophecy, I will provisionally ask you this question in my capacity as God King."

"In your eyes, if I grasp this Scythe destined to be etched into history, can I fulfill the shared wish of my mother, my siblings, and me—overthrow the tyrannical old ruler and ascend the throne?"

"In the future, can I accomplish greater deeds than my father and rule the sky, the earth, and the sea forever?"

After a moment of silence, Ryan did not know what to say. These were the successive God Kings of Khaos. Even after witnessing the terror of the Prophecy, they remained so obsessed with Fate.

But Cronus had already asked. Ryan simply decided to satisfy his request. Since they loved Prophecy so much, he would make one final "Great Prophecy" before fusing with the Divine Office of Prophecy.

Having made his decision, Ryan nodded to Earth Mother. His eyes immediately glimmered faintly. Gaia and the Titans fell silent, and no one was willing to disturb the Seer as he observed Fate. With different thoughts in their hearts, they quietly awaited the final result.

After a long while, the light in Ryan's eyes had only just faded when Cronus impatiently asked his question.

"What did you see? Will I succeed?"

"You will succeed." Returning to his senses, Ryan spoke calmly. "You will successfully defeat your father. Although the process will require a battle, victory will ultimately belong to you."

"But I want you to remember this—" He looked directly at Earth Mother, as though also gazing straight at the future God King within her womb.

"Nothing is eternal, Cronus. You will succeed, but you will not succeed forever."

"One day in the future, when life and death are reversed, you will understand what I mean."

"How you gained it is how you will lose it. A ruler rises through this."

"—And through this, he will perish!"