The Contest for the King of Gods

He instinctively wanted to find Theron and ask him to break the curse, too. But when he turned around, he didn't see that white figure.

Only then did Zeus remember that he had just sent Theron away! He had actually sent Theron away!!

Regret, remorse, fear—every kind of emotion flooded Zeus's heart at once. Without a moment's hesitation, he chased after Theron.

He reached the Void, only to be stopped by the barrier Kronos had once erected.

Zeus forcibly suppressed his panic and spoke in an exceptionally respectful voice. "Lord Theron, after giving it a great deal of thought, I realized that a celebration of our victory would feel incomplete without you. After all, you were an irreplaceable hero in this battle."

"So I humbly ask you to join the celebratory feast."

Zeus knew that he hadn't exactly been friendly earlier, so he hurried to make amends.

But the familiar white figure did not appear. Instead, from within the barrier, a leisurely voice echoed through the endless Void:

"No need. As you said, I don't enjoy crowds."

Zeus: "..."

He'd been careless. He'd changed his attitude too soon.

Chapter 66: The Contest for the King of Gods

"Why aren't you going to the Divine Banquet? You need to earn more recognition, don't you?"

"Zeus is unlike those two foolish Kings of Gods before him. He won't change his mind easily. Since he's already had second thoughts, why don't you take the opportunity to respond?"

In the Void, eternal night quietly descended, and a voice filled with doubt rang out.

From the subtle changes in the voice's tone, Theron judged that this must be Lady Ananke.

Had she been waiting here for him? Was she that eager to settle their wager?

Theron grumbled inwardly, but calmly replied, "If he tells me to leave, I leave. If he tells me to come, I come. Wouldn't that make me look pathetic?"

"Heh..."

The beautiful goddess couldn't help laughing. It seemed she hadn't expected that answer at all, and her gaze toward Theron held a hint of helplessness.

"This isn't the time to sulk. Do you want to lose?"

As the goddess of inevitable fate, Ananke already knew what Theron intended to do.

Fate was not so easily changed. Zeus was destined to become the Third Generation Gods' King, and changing that was extremely difficult. But Theron had no desire to become King of Gods at all.

What was so good about being King of Gods? It was just being a senior wage-earner for the Chaos World, responsible for the world and liable to be cast aside if it failed to develop well.

So Theron had never wanted to be King of Gods.

Everything he had done was, at its core, for the sake of gaining power. He didn't want to be King of Gods, but he also didn't want one to hold power over him.

And what power could be greater than the power of the world itself?

So the power Theron had always coveted was the power of this world. Kronos had realized this, which was why he had reacted so intensely.

In theory, only a King of Gods who had the world's support could wield the power of creation. No other god could. But Theron was an exception, because he did not originally belong to this world.

Moreover, by deceiving Uranus, the first King of Gods, he had won the King of Gods' recognition and forcibly tied himself to the fate of this world. In a sense, he was the world itself.

But the Chaos World had been forced into this arrangement. That meant Theron's power was stolen and temporary, while a King of Gods borrowed the world's power and could hold it for a long time.

Theron wanted to turn that theft into a loan without becoming King of Gods. His only option was to make an outstanding contribution to the world, such as advancing civilization or ending a King of Gods' rule.

That was why he had taken part in the Final War and faced Kronos himself: to earn credit.

But all this depended on one thing: his deeds had to be recognized. At least most of the gods had to acknowledge his contributions before they would count.

Kronos, for example, had become King of Gods because the other Titans recognized his contributions, and the world had followed suit.

So attending this Divine Banquet would help Theron greatly. It also affected whether he could change his fate.

Yet Theron merely smiled and said, "If I accept an invitation that easily, how will I make it clear how important I am? And then how will I make demands?"

Ananke laughed at that. "Zeus isn't a fool. He knows that inviting you repeatedly would show how important you are, so he won't invite you a second time."

"Then I'll make him have to invite me," Theron said casually. "He may not need me much right now, but if there's no need, I can create one."

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Zeus returned to Mount Olympus in a sorry state.

With the battle over, Mount Olympus had become a true divine mountain. Metis, the Goddess of Wisdom, had already arranged the celebratory Divine Banquet and was waiting for the gods to return.

After ten years together, her relationship with Zeus was practically common knowledge. And as she presided over the banquet, she looked every bit the lady of the house.

Poseidon and the other gods had already returned to Olympus. They were puzzled by Zeus's hurried departure.

But they didn't dwell on it. The joy of victory filled their hearts, along with the excitement of finally reaping the rewards after ten years of fighting.

By the time Zeus returned to Olympus, the banquet had already begun. He immediately joined in as though nothing had happened, smiling as he exchanged pleasantries and compliments with the gods and celebrated their victory.

But wise Metis keenly sensed the unease hidden beneath his smile. While the other gods weren't paying attention, she slipped to his side and quietly asked:

"Zeus, my beloved, what happened? You don't seem happy about our victory. Is it because of that curse?"

All the gods present had heard Kronos and Iapetus's curse. Metis couldn't think of anything else that would have dampened Zeus's spirits.

Zeus glanced at Metis and hesitated for a moment before speaking honestly.

"It's because of that mysterious Lord Theron. I think I made a mistake."

Zeus told her how he had slighted Theron, then gone back to ask for his help because of the curse, only to be turned away.

He hoped Metis would advise him. After all, she was the Goddess of Wisdom, with unmatched insight, and she was close to him. She wouldn't harm him.

"I don't know what to do about him now."

Having learned from the previous two Kings of Gods, Zeus had intended to marginalize Theron completely: neither oppose him nor engage with him, simply act as though he didn't exist.

But he had barely started putting that plan into action when he realized there were times he still needed Theron. Of all the gods in the world, only Theron seemed capable of undoing the curse from Kronos and Iapetus.

Zeus regretted not holding his temper a little longer. If he had, perhaps the curse could have been interrupted—and then he could have fallen out with Theron afterward.

"Zeus, my beloved, you're mistaken," Metis said gently, shaking her head. "Lord Theron is the God of Fate. If you become the new King of Gods, you can't avoid dealing with him."

"The King of Gods may rule the whole world, but the world doesn't belong only to him. Lord Theron is bound up with this world. Even if we resolve this issue now, what about the next one?"

Hearing this, Zeus knew Metis was right. He could only set aside his impatience and ask, "Then what should I do about him?"

"The best way to get along would be to cooperate."

Wise Metis explained, "The King of Gods builds and develops the world, while Fate offers help and guidance. You should complement each other, not oppose each other."

"Besides, if we struggle against Fate, we're bound to lose. How could Fate ever lose?"

Zeus listened, his expression thoughtful.

Metis's words had given him a new perspective.

After observing Theron's recent battle with Kronos, Zeus had concluded that Theron wasn't especially powerful—at most, he was on par with an ordinary Titan god.

That made him one of the strongest gods, but he was no threat to Zeus, who had been born powerful and wielded the power of thunder.

In that case, Zeus felt there was no need to be overly wary of Theron. If he couldn't marginalize him completely, then perhaps winning him over would be a good alternative.

At least then, Zeus could consult him when something came up and seek Fate's guidance. Perhaps the curse could have been stopped in time, too.

Of course, all of this depended on one thing...

Theron not threatening his position as King of Gods.

More than a curse that might come true at some unknown point, Zeus cared now about who would claim the throne of King of Gods.

Poseidon and Hades, his two brothers, might not be willing to give up the power of the King of Gods. They might already be plotting something of their own.

Zeus feared they might join forces with Theron to pursue the throne. He couldn't afford to ignore that possibility.

But Poseidon and Hades probably hadn't realized they could ally with Theron. For now, he could rest easy.

After thinking it over, Zeus decided that he could work with Theron, even make him his adviser, as long as he didn't attract too much attention and the hierarchy between them remained clear.

So he still couldn't invite Theron to this Divine Banquet. He could visit him after the banquet, once the question of the King of Gods had been settled.

Zeus settled on this plan.

Just as he composed himself and prepared to deal with the other gods again, a distinctly hostile voice rang out.

"Prometheus, how dare you show your face here?!" Poseidon's furious voice rang out, drawing everyone's attention.

On the dais, Prometheus, dressed in white, sat down at his ease, completely ignoring Poseidon across from him.

The gods' expressions changed. Everyone knew that Prometheus had been Kronos's most trusted confidant, advising him throughout the ten-year war.

And now that Kronos had been imprisoned for eternity, Prometheus had still dared to come to Olympus?

Wasn't that asking for death?

Just as the gods were about to erupt, Zeus quickly stepped in to defuse the tension. Smiling, he told them, "There's no need to get worked up. Allow me to introduce him. Prometheus, the God of Foresight, has been our ally all along."

His words left every god stunned, except for the few who knew the truth.

Zeus explained how Prometheus had been undercover all these years, passing along a great deal of information and even helping them win the Final War. The gods' expressions changed in spectacular fashion.

Facing their curious and appraising gazes, Prometheus calmly spoke. "I am a subordinate god of Lord Theron, the God of Fate. Everything I did was simply in accordance with Fate's guidance."

The moment Zeus heard him mention Theron, his heart lurched. He suddenly had a very bad feeling. Sure enough, the next moment Prometheus asked:

"Why is Lord Theron not here at the Divine Banquet celebrating our victory?"

The entire hall fell silent.

The smile on Zeus's face instantly turned painfully strained. "Lord Theron doesn't enjoy crowds. He declined my invitation."

The young, handsome God of Foresight looked fearlessly at the powerful Zeus and said righteously, "But we won this victory under Lord Theron's guidance. Perhaps we should invite him again, with sincerity."

Zeus's expression had grown very grim, but he forced himself to hold back and said, "I fear it would be inappropriate to disturb that esteemed lord."

As he racked his brain for a way to fob Prometheus off, Prometheus changed tack.

"In that case, very well." He sighed, seeming regretful. "I had hoped to ask him who Fate recognized as the next King of Gods."

At those words, Zeus felt his vision go black. He instinctively looked at Poseidon and Hades, and sure enough, one looked enlightened while the other seemed thoughtful.

Zeus: "..."

Those expressions made it obvious. As soon as the banquet ended, they'd go seek out Theron in private!