One up, one down, one positive, one negative, like two magnets attracting and repelling each other, floating up and sinking down.
These two planes were far from stabilized, their powers still varied greatly, but compared to the beginning, the force needed to keep them stable was not as strong anymore.
Standing in the chaotic void, with his left hand smoothing out the conflicts between planes, Laine gazed at the outside world, at the extraordinary phenomena between Heaven and Earth, and at the location of Olympus.
There, a breath of air that transcended all other deities was gradually gathering. Yet for some reason, this aura felt different to Laine, not resembling the Primordial Gods, but involving something else.
Perhaps it was the order of the present world, perhaps the reversal of fate, or maybe something else. In any case, this was not a simple ascension, nor did Laine believe Zeus could inexplicably advance further just by relying on his godhood.
So...
"Hmm... Liana."
He called softly, and in the next moment, in the chaotic fifth layer of the Spirit Realm, the Goddess of the Nether Moon appeared in her purple gown. She folded her wings behind her and bowed slightly to Laine.
"I am here, Your Highness."
"Keep an eye on this place for me, I need to step out for a bit—especially keep Icarus away."
After giving the order, and seeing Liana's understanding nod, he temporarily handed over the work of maintaining the balance.
The Goddess of the Nether Moon's power was far from sufficient for such a task for a long duration, but Laine simply wanted her to hold on for a little while. He casually opened a portal in the void and stepped out.
Once again, as this power blended into the Sky, an immense and vague consciousness was slightly pulled back from eternal tranquility. It returned to its body once more, causing the heavens to shudder slightly at this moment.
However, the birth of a new deity concealed all this, and the waves from the Source Sea and the tremors of the land made the changes in the Sky seem insignificant, so nobody noticed any of it. Only Atlas, the bearer of the heavens, hesitated for a moment, then dismissed the thought.
In silence, a certain ancient supreme being revived a little. Perhaps because that power was too weak, resulting in an equally minute consciousness, his now-limited thinking capacity focussed on a single obsession that continued to influence this ancient deity.
Thus, under the drift of vague consciousness, the Sky began 'to speak.'
"Retrieve... retrieve my body parts..."
"Whoever it is... retrieve them... you will gain everything..."
The blurred murmurs came from the Sky, but this world-shaking content was heard by no being. At this moment in the Mortal Realm, nobody remembered his existence anymore.
So the empty voice echoed in the skies, day by day, ceaselessly.
...
A ritual, a birth, the entire world trembled because of it. The advent of a new deity was just the beginning; it ignited many long-standing contradictions. However, at this moment in Olympus, no one was aware of all these changes.
Inside the great hall, amidst the enveloping extraordinary phenomena, from the top of Zeus's head, a bright-eyed young girl leaped out.
Her attire was like armour, yet also like a flowing dress. In her left hand, she held the Shield of Aegis, that Divine Artifact transformed from the hide infected with the Divine Power of the previous Goddess of Wisdom, a witness to her and the Divine King's 'love'; in her right hand, she grasped a spear that symbolized ceasing wars and undefeated victories.