Gaia's hand was about to press against Uranus's arm when Uranus merely gave her an indifferent glance.
There was no anger in that glance, no flicker of emotion, only indifference.
The next instant, he unleashed the full divine power of the supreme God King. Silvery-white light erupted from within him, and a storm of divine power swept across the entire Sky Divine Domain.
Gaia and the twelve Titans were hurled away by that power at the same time, slamming heavily into the wall of sky at the domain's edge.
The iron chains that had bound the Titans for long ages all snapped, sending fragments flying. The Titans coughed up golden divine blood, which flowed from the corners of their mouths and dripped toward the earth through gaps in the domain.
The divine blood passed through the sky, through the air, and landed on the earth. Every drop contained the Titans' powerful divine power of origin. It seeped into the soil, merged with streams, and dripped onto tree roots that were sprouting.
In an instant, the various Nymphs still gestating were brought to maturity by the power within the divine blood and born ahead of their time.
They opened their eyes amid splashing water, reached their fingertips out from tree bark, and stretched their bodies within flower petals, yet not one showed the joy of birth.
Their gazes turned toward the sky in unison. An aura that towered above all else surged there, heavy and cold, leaving them afraid even to breathe too hard.
Fear rose from the depths of their hearts, overwhelming their newborn curiosity and delight. Every Nymph shrank back into the corner where she had been born, hugging herself with her newly acquired arms and trembling.
On the earth, the birth of more intelligent life also sent the torrent of emotions surging.
Fear, bewilderment, unease, and more-the Nymphs who had only just opened their eyes did not yet know what hope was, but they knew what it meant to be afraid.
Nairmis felt the divine power within his emotion godhead continuing to grow, but he had no mind to savor that growth. He looked toward the sky, toward the source of that aura that loomed above the earth and oceans and made every living being tremble deep within.
That aura was too powerful, so powerful that every being who sensed it instinctively wanted to lower their head and curl up.
The animals at the foot of Mount Proeon lay prostrate, their ears pressed against the soil, motionless. Distant birds fell from the air onto the treetops, forgetting even to fold their wings, while the Nymphs hid in their respective corners, not daring to make a sound even as they cried.
Nairmis did not lower his head. The power of his emotion godhead surged within him, peeling away that instinctive fear layer by layer.
He kept his head raised, straining to look. That aura was powerful enough to frighten him, and powerful enough to make him yearn for it.
Within the Sky Divine Domain, Uranus rose into the air. His golden hair streamed amid the tremors of divine power, and the robe covering his lower body fluttered audibly in the currents of air. His upper body was bare, every muscle brimming with strength and an oppressive presence.
The Crown of the God King radiated supreme pressure above his head. Hovering in the air, he looked down upon the twelve children who had just struggled to their feet, his voice cold.
"Come, my children. Let me see how you pieces of trash dare to defy me."
The Titans helped one another stand. Looking at that figure in midair who towered above all else, they dropped to their knees together almost instinctively. Their foreheads struck the ground again, harder than before.
"Father, we have not... under the laws, we cannot and dare not make an enemy of our own father..." Hyperion's voice was muffled as he choked on blood. "We are only your children. We would never dare..."
But Uranus could no longer listen. The figures rebelling in those images, the divine power that had grown out of nowhere, every silent interval during his absence when the Titans might already have been secretly conspiring-all of it converged in his mind into one possibility.
All he wanted now was to return every one of these children who dared covet his throne to their origins. He would make them understand that everything beneath the sky belonged to him, that even their very existence was nothing more than his gift.
Gaia blocked Uranus's path, spreading her arms. Her voice trembled with anger. "Stop! They are our children!"
Uranus slowly raised his hand and regarded her coldly. "You intend to stop me?"
Gaia hesitated for an instant. Memories of being pressed back down and forced into union surged up. She knew she could not stop him.
Though she was a primordial goddess, she had never been skilled at combat. Her divine power lay in nurturing rather than destruction, and repeated childbirth over the long ages had already severely depleted her origin. Moreover, this was the Sky Divine Domain, his home ground, steeped in his will.
But her children were watching her too, their eyes filled with desperate pleas for help. Rhea's lips moved soundlessly, calling out, "Mother."
Gaia closed her eyes, then opened them again. She could not lose them again. She turned and waved her hand, and the Bottle of Life that had fallen to the ground flew back into her grasp, its surface glowing.
This was her innate divine artifact, one of the primordial creations she had brought out of Chaos. It could bestow life upon all things, and it could also take life back.
As the goddess of life, she rarely used this reverse side of her authority, but now she raised the Bottle of Life and aimed it at Uranus.
A dim blue glow lit up the bottle's mouth. The vitality within Uranus began to dissipate. That fundamental life force, which came from the earth and Chaos and sustained his divine body and his status as God King, drifted slowly but steadily into the Bottle of Life.
Uranus lowered his head to look at the motes of light escaping from his chest. The indifference in his eyes finally changed, revealing the blazing fury beneath.
"Gaia." His voice was low. "For their sake, you actually mean to kill me?"
The Crown of the God King suddenly erupted with silvery-white light. The crown upon Uranus's head activated on its own, and the supreme privileges of his status as God King were formally invoked at that moment. Every law beneath the sky temporarily bent toward his will.
The Bottle of Life's blue light dimmed in an instant. Its life-draining power was crushed by the power of his status. Gaia let out a muffled grunt, the hand gripping the bottle jolted numb, and the Bottle of Life slipped from her grasp.
Uranus showed not the slightest mercy. He pressed one hand downward. The majesty of the sky brooked no violation, and the authority of the entire sky transformed in an instant into a mighty force that struck Gaia in full.
Gaia did not even have a chance to fight back. That power struck her straight out of the Sky Divine Domain. Her body slammed heavily into the earth, which shook violently the moment she landed, splitting open into a new canyon.
Gaia lay in the center of the fissure and let out a wail of pain. The sound passed through the layers of rock, making the entire earth tremble.
At the foot of the mountain, Nairmis watched it all. A flash of insight crossed his mind. The moment he had been waiting for should be now.
He slowly lowered his gaze, picked up his brush, and dotted in Uranus's eyes in the first painting.