He had a rough idea why. His soul probably didn't belong to this world, and he hadn't been part of the world's original destiny. That made him the one and only anomaly.
Thinking about it was rather embarrassing. He'd always thought he was hiding his intentions well, that no one knew about his experiments. Yet all this time, the goddess had been watching him.
But he soon calmed down. Ananke had shown no hostility; she didn't seem inclined to attack. What she showed was interest.
As if she'd found a fascinating new toy.
After thinking for a moment, Theron said, "I've offended you. I only wanted to see what kind of impact I could have on the fixed course of fate."
"Since you know you've offended me..." Ananke tilted her head. "How will you make it up to me?"
"What do you want?" Theron asked candidly. "You wouldn't have appeared here just to tell me all this."
"If you came to punish me, there'd be no need to explain everything so clearly. Beautiful goddess, just tell me what you want to see."
"You're clever. No wonder I've kept my eye on you for so long," Ananke said with a smile. "You're also very interesting—the only amusement in this boring world."
She thought for a moment, then said, "Once, you came up with the concept of gambling. You made a bet with the First Generation King of Gods and won, seizing the divine office of Fate."
"Now, let's make a bet too."
At her words, Theron grew instantly wary, but he betrayed nothing in his expression. Calmly, he asked, "What are we betting on?"
"You want to know how far you can go. To be honest, I'd very much like to know too."
"Then let's bet on whether you can overturn this world's fixed course. If you can, you win. If you can't, you lose."
Ananke leisurely laid out a wager that could overturn all of Chaos. Her beautiful, bewitching eyes remained fixed on Theron, like those of a seductive siren, luring the mind astray.
"What's at stake?" Theron wasn't swayed in the slightest. Instead, he focused on the important question.
"If you lose, you'll become my subordinate god." Ananke's tone was unhurried, her amusement undisguised. "I've been interested in you for a long time."
"And if I win?" Theron countered.
"Then I'll let you do as you please with me," Ananke said, her voice still alluring. "You can make me your subordinate god, too."
"That's a fair wager." Theron smiled. "Pardon my asking, but wouldn't influencing variables profane your divine office? Doesn't that bother you?"
"What's the point of everything being predetermined? It's as boring as this world." The beautiful goddess shrugged her lovely shoulders.
She paused, and a flicker of displeasure crossed her eyes. "Besides, I'm not the one who set this so-called fixed course. I don't like that. It makes me feel like a puppet."
"So go overturn those damned certainties—or overturn this boring world altogether, if you can."
"Of course, I'll be happy even if you can't." The beautiful goddess blinked and smiled.
"And remember the two favors you owe Nyx. Don't think you can wriggle out of them. She hasn't forgotten."
Theron: "..."
Chapter 58: Preparing for the Future
While Theron and Ananke were making their wager, King of Gods Kronos was busy elsewhere.
The six powerful Titans had finally made up their minds, after the King of Gods' alarming warnings and the Three Fates' prophecy.
They couldn't allow a mysterious and dangerous powerhouse like Theron to loom over them, and they certainly couldn't let the Titans' power face any threat.
They reached an agreement and decided to attack Theron together.
But they soon ran into a problem. Even with all six Titans and Kronos working together, they still couldn't break through the barrier.
It was a sturdy prison Kronos had created with the world-shaping power of a King of Gods, in a fit of fury. He had made sure no one could approach Theron.
Later, Zeus had ambushed Kronos, forcing him to vomit up the children he had swallowed. His command over the laws had greatly diminished. Now, faced with the barrier he had created at the height of his power, even Kronos himself was stopped.
But in a way, didn't that just show how powerful a King of Gods was? He'd said no god could enter or leave, and sure enough, every god but Theron was kept out.
Furious, Kronos could only try every method he could think of. The barrier had been created by a King of Gods, and only a King of Gods could break it.
The other six Titans couldn't help, so they simply stood guard outside the Void, keeping every god away and hoping to limit Theron's influence on the outside world.
And while they tried everything they could to breach the Void, the Olympian Gods weren't idle either.
Zeus came before Rhea and Metis and spoke with utmost seriousness. "We must help Lord Theron."
Rhea hesitated at once, worry creeping into her eyes. "A battle on this scale would be extremely dangerous for us to join."
After all, they were up against six Titans. Their attention was on Theron for now, but if Zeus went to help him, wouldn't that be like deliberately provoking them?
Kronos might simply turn around and destroy them with the six Titans.
Metis, however, shook her head. Her voice was calm but firm. "We have to act. Otherwise, sooner or later, they'll come for us."
Seeing Rhea's confusion, Metis patiently explained, "Their attack on the Void can lead to only two outcomes."
"If they break the barrier and go after Lord Theron, they won't spare us, whether or not they can defeat him. In their eyes, we're on his side."
"And if they fail to break the barrier, they won't waste their time forever. Eventually, they'll realize that Lord Theron supports us. They may attack us to force him out."
Metis's explanation made Rhea realize how serious the situation was. Zeus sighed and said, "I hadn't thought that far ahead. I just thought this was a great opportunity."
When the two beautiful goddesses turned to look at him, Zeus shared his thoughts. "Lord Theron matters far more to the Titans than we do."
"If we help Lord Theron now, some Titans who wouldn't otherwise support us might decide to help us for his sake—or, to be more precise, they'll help Lord Theron."
"That would bind us completely to Lord Theron. In the eyes of the gods, we'd be the side endorsed by fate, and we'd gain more benefits."
"And, as wise Metis said, we're already challengers opposing the King of Gods. Our job is to show everyone that we don't fear him and that we're capable of standing against him."
"Since that's the case, helping Lord Theron now is a perfect opportunity."
Hearing them both say this, Rhea still felt worried, but she nodded.
She was one of the Twelve Titans, after all, and had never been the indecisive sort. Once she decided to help, she quickly began planning.
"We can't go there recklessly. We can use this as a reason to visit the other Titans."
Rhea considered her words. "Including King of Gods Kronos, there are seven Titans involved now. The ones who haven't joined the attack probably don't feel such strong hostility toward Lord Theron."
"That's an excellent reason to approach them. Persuading them to help Theron is really the same as persuading them to help us."
Zeus nodded in approval, then said, "Mother, I'll leave this to you. I'm going to the Void now to stop them from causing more damage."
"Are you going alone?" Rhea panicked. "We can wait until we've persuaded the other Titans before we act."
"No, of course I'm not going alone." Zeus smiled. "I'll bring Poseidon and the others. They've recovered a lot of their strength during this rest. It's time they got moving."
When Rhea tried to persuade him again, wise Metis spoke softly. "Respected Goddess of Time, this is something we must do."
"Only if we show that we have enough strength—not necessarily overwhelming strength, but at least enough to avoid being wiped out in one blow—will the Titans be willing to support us. Otherwise, even for Lord Theron's sake, they won't oppose those seven powerful Titans."
"You needn't worry. We have the advantage fighting in the Void." As Metis spoke, she gave Zeus a meaningful glance.
Rhea was just about to ask what advantage they had when she saw Metis's look and suddenly understood.
That was right. As long as the others couldn't break the barrier, they could ask Theron to pull them inside if they started losing.
That was as good as having a safe zone.
At the thought, Rhea couldn't help smiling. "His Majesty the King of Gods really was thoughtful."
Once she understood everything, she said no more. She turned and left at once to visit the Titans who hadn't joined the battle.
Zeus didn't waste time either. He immediately gathered the Olympian Gods and headed straight for the Void.
He didn't explain who Theron was or how important he was. He only said they were going to give the King of Gods a warning and show the world that they existed.
That was one of Zeus's little calculations.
Zeus didn't want too many people to know about Theron. He didn't want to end up like Kronos, becoming King of Gods only to discover that everyone listened to Theron more than they listened to him.
For now, almost none of the Third Generation Gods knew Theron existed. That was for the best. As for the Second Generation Gods who did know about him, they wouldn't be the ones in power in the future.
That way, very few gods would know about Theron.
Zeus wasn't King of Gods yet, but he was already thinking about how to lessen Theron's influence.
Unlike First Generation King of Gods Uranus, who had arrogantly ignored Theron, or Second Generation King of Gods Kronos, who had tried to erase the threat out of caution, Zeus chose to keep him on the margins.
Clearly, Zeus had learned from his predecessors. The young Zeus was already planning ahead.
Chapter 59: Going All In
"Your Majesty, are you trying to defy the heavens?"
In the Void, just as King of Gods Kronos was relentlessly attacking the barrier, a burst of laughter rang out behind him and echoed throughout the Void.
Kronos's face darkened at once. He knew that voice too well—he loathed it. His grip tightened around the sickle, the veins bulging across the back of his hand.
Amid the laughter, Zeus appeared with Poseidon and the other gods.
"You rebels dare show your faces before me?!" Kronos was so furious he could only laugh. His immense power surged outward, carrying the oppressive might of the King of Gods and pressing down on them. Poseidon and the others immediately felt uncomfortable.
They were only Third Generation Gods, after all. Their power over the laws was strong, but they had been born too recently to withstand the might of a King of Gods.
But before Kronos could use that pressure to intimidate them, Zeus stepped forward. With his powerful, immortal body, he forcibly withstood the pressure.
Zeus's potential and power were truly exceptional—not only among the Third Generation Gods, but among all the gods. Even Kronos, before becoming King of Gods, hadn't been as powerful from birth as Zeus was.
The discovery only made Kronos angrier.
Deep in his heart, a trace of fear surfaced—one he didn't even want to face. He refused to admit that Zeus was destined to surpass him, just as he refused to accept that deadly curse.
At least for now, he was still stronger than me.
Thinking this, Kronos finally stopped hesitating and attacked without a moment's delay.
And having learned from last time, he deliberately blocked the way into the Void to prevent Zeus from retreating inside again if he was outmatched.
The clouds split apart. Kronos raised the Bronze Great Scythe high, dark purple lightning drawn from the Abyss coiling around its blade.
Kronos was like a moving mountain. Every step shattered the earth, sending lava surging a thousand feet into the air.
Zeus was no less formidable. Standing atop the clouds, he held a Bronze Stone Hammer—one he had forged as a child while playing. Yet, backed by his immense strength, it still held off Kronos's God-Slaying Scythe.
The instant hammer and sickle collided, sparks flew, and the impact sent the asteroids floating nearby crashing down.
While the two clashed, the other gods were busy too. Hot-tempered Poseidon struck first. The ground shook with every step he took, and the endless sea roared.
All the terrifying strength that could make the entire world tremble gathered in his fists as he swung them hard into Kronos's immortal body!
Hestia, who ruled over the sacred flame, brought her fiercest power to burn Kronos while blinding him and preventing him from seeing the gods' movements.
Hades slipped into the darkness. He didn't attack right away, instead watching for an opening like a silent assassin, ready to take a life.
Fair-armed Hera and gentle Demeter used their powers of abundance and fertility to help Zeus and Poseidon recover.
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