However, on this day, the far end of the West Heaven welcomed a special visitor.
Shrouded in a black robe, Asmodeus walked on the surface of the sea. Just as gods in the mortal realm are suppressed, and as Laine would cause a collision between the Spirit Realm and the Law if he used his power, so it was with him.
Moment by moment, in the East of the continent, the power of the Nine Hells eroded the order of the Mortal Realm with that ceremonial track as its core. The current Hell obviously had no qualification to contend with the laws of the mortal world; it could persist till now only thanks to its uniqueness.
Since the Abyss had no conscious living beings, Tartarus once again took the hit for the Hell within himself. Most of the pressure ultimately fell upon Him, and the Nine Hells bore only a small part of it.
But this was only a temporary solution, so Asmodeus, although appearing to walk slowly, did not delay at all. It's just that the world was still too vast, so by the time he finally reached the end of West Heaven, the pressure of the Law on him had nearly reached its peak.
Fortunately, right in front of him, the titan deity revealing his true form was already clearly visible. The immense deity stood towering, bearing The Sky on his shoulders, accompanied by the stars—the effort of all this was obviously not easy for him.
Moment by moment, the divine power that Atlas drew from his godhood would slip away in the next instant, becoming the force that sustained the heavens. He was forced to endure this sensation of weakness constantly, without a moment's rest. Yet, when they met again, Asmodeus saw no sign of decay or despair on his face.
He simply carried The Sky quietly, as if he were waiting for something.
"...It's been a long time, Atlas."
Speaking softly, the Lord of the Nine Hells didn't know what to say or where to begin. The giant deity in front of him had long since noticed his arrival. After all, he hadn't concealed his tracks, but the other had only quietly watched as he approached. Only now, standing before him, hearing this greeting that lacked both beginning and end, the Sky-holder suddenly laughed.
"It's been a long time indeed, Your Majesty. Your new appearance is much more imposing than the old one."
"When Mount of the Gods fell, the symbol of heaven's support split into three. Olympus received one part, and I merged with another. As long as I support The Sky, the current laws of the mortal world limiting the divine power of the gods do not apply to me. However, correspondingly, as long as the symbol of support remains with me, I am bound by the Law and can never leave this place."
"Unless a replacement can be found to bear this symbol in my stead, only a power that can tear through the rules of this world will allow me to leave. I thought that bronze pillar might be capable, but now it seems it is far from having such ability."
His expression changing subtly, Asmodeus had not expected such a turn of events. Yes, he now understood. Although Atlas was punished to bear the heavens here, as soon as the laws of the mortal world realized his existence truly helped stabilize the world, regardless of whether Atlas had come voluntarily, he was directly stripped of his freedom.
Like He decreed the destiny of replacement for the Divine King, like He whimsically tore apart the divine authority of the deities, the Law cared only about pros and cons, not about the fairness in the eyes of living beings, or rather, just as the gods take from their mortals as they please, in the eyes of the world, deities and mortals may well be no different.
Therefore, unless something can replace Atlas, the Law now forbids the Sky-holder from leaving.
And that newly erected bronze pillar, although it stopped breaking apart after the son of the Sea God was trapped atop, only took on one-tenth of the weight from Atlas. Such a pillar was clearly far from capable of bearing the symbol of heaven's support.
"There's no need to worry, Your Majesty. Just as you ultimately broke the destiny decreed by the Divine King, I believe you can also solve this problem. It only takes a little more time."
With shoulders bearing the weight of the azure, Atlas noticed Asmodeus' anger. The mortal world had created so many troubles for him, and even after leaving the throne, it had not ceased. However, the Sky-holder only smiled, as if he didn't mind too much, or perhaps he simply believed that the difficulty was only temporary.
"I will wait for you here, Your Majesty, for the day you return to the Earth. By then, you will certainly have the power to change everything, and I will once again serve as your sword, overthrowing the Divine Court of Olympus.
I will tell those ignorant rebels that the Titans are the true masters of the world, and you, the only king."
Over the Western Sea, no life witnessed all this, only the wind and the waves, flowing endlessly.