Mythology: Spiritual Ruler

Walk through the corridor connecting the outer hall and the main hall, and go all the way inside.

Although the royal palace of Athens does not have the structure that can make assassins lost like some palaces in later generations, it still covers a large area.

Passing by the main hall where people usually hold meetings, Andrea saw one after another who were in high positions in Athens.

At this moment, they were gathering in twos and threes, discussing the sudden changes in the middle of the night.

On weekdays, Theseus would summon everyone here to discuss matters, listen to their opinions, and announce his orders.

But he was not here at this time, and the position at the top was vacant.

"Your Highness, come this way."

With a greeting, Andrea looked in the direction of the voice.

That was his father's confidant, who was standing near a small door at the side and back of the main hall.

Her heart sank again, and Andrea noticed the eyes of some people around her who looked at her inadvertently.

The king returned in the middle of the night but did not meet with the ministers in the main hall to stabilize the people's hearts, but asked the princess of the kingdom to meet first.

No matter how you look at it, this doesn't look like good news.

'Huh - Andrea, don't panic, calm down. '

'You can do it, this is just a small scene, it's not a big deal. '

Cheer yourself up, Andrea raised her head and smiled politely.

She turned around and nodded to the people who looked over, as if it was just a normal night.

Some people smiled back, some looked worried, and some ignored it. But Andrea didn't say anything, she just did what she should do, and then walked to the side and back of the hall.

"I'm here, please lead the way."

There was no more to say, because Andrea knew very well that most of the people who could come to the hall at this moment were professionals with extraordinary strength, and even the slightest movement could be heard by them.

So even though she was very worried about her father's situation, she didn't ask anything.

"Okay, please follow me."

Concisely speaking, the captain of the guards turned around and led the way, and Andrea followed closely behind.

As soon as he stepped out of the hall, the discussion behind him became more intense.

Arguing, arguing... Some people were thinking about the next king, after all, Theseus actually had more than one prince, Mophon.

Others were talking about how to stabilize the relationship with the surrounding areas after the new king ascended the throne.

After all, when Theseus was there, Athens was so unscrupulous, so when he was gone, there would be so much backlash.

Eleusis was just the beginning, and many people knew that Athens had been secretly preparing for war in recent years.

They knew who their enemies were, nothing more than those human kingdoms with a long history in the West.

Before today, although there were oppositions and fears, since Theseus was determined to do it, everyone had to obey.

But what will be chosen after today, I'm afraid no one knows.

...

Clang...

Bone-rolling——

—— Snap!

The wine glass fell over and shattered to the ground, turning into fragments.

Theseus in front of the throne withdrew his hand and was a little speechless for a while.

The cup fell to the ground, but it was not just the cup that broke. Theseus shook his head slightly, not knowing what to say.

Although the gods' siege was unsuccessful, he finally returned to Athens. But they also succeeded, because the dagger that pierced his back is still there.

Generally speaking, for a powerful demigod like him, piercing the vitals does not mean death, and even some powerful divine arts can revive people who have just died, allowing their souls to return to their places and their bodies to regain vitality.

But Theseus knew very well that none of this would be of any use to him.

Because the dagger had long been filled with the power of evil things, and as the previous battle gradually got out of control, it began to flow to his whole body.

Even if he used all his strength to delay this process, it would only delay the final result.

Perhaps asking the gods for help could barely maintain his life with the help of divine power, but from then on, he would never have the opportunity to take the sword again.

This ending was not what he wanted.

Tap tap...

Tap tap tap——

"——Father!"

At the door of the gate, hurried footsteps came from far away, and Andrea rushed into the hall in a hurry.

She saw Theseus, who was pale in front of the throne, and smelled the blood in the air.

"How could you--"

She took a few steps forward, and the light immediately lit up in Andrea's hand, and the divine art of healing fell on Theseus.

However, the next moment, Andrea felt a chill from head to toe.

The power she released seemed to flow into a bottomless black hole. Not only was it useless, but it also made people feel a sense of fear from the heart.

"Okay, don't waste your time. This is not something you can heal. Even the gods are very afraid of it, and the divine art... has no use for it."

He shook his head slightly, and until this moment, looking at his daughter who hurried over, Theseus finally showed a smile on his face.

She was still very young and immature in doing things, but she was no longer a child after all... Maybe she was not her original choice, but now it seems that there is nothing wrong with it.

Although there is no queen in traditional human countries except places like Amazon, Theseus has never been a law-abiding person.

Moreover, when thinking of Amazon, Theseus could not help but think of Hippolyta.

She once brought the belt of the goddess of beauty to seduce him, but not only did she fail, but she was also impressed by his character and ability.

In the past, Theseus never took this matter to heart until the incident tonight.

"Father, you are..."

After returning to her senses from the chill just now, Andrea felt even more depressed.

She didn't know what this feeling was, but it undoubtedly proved that Theseus's injury was not optimistic.

However, the king just waved his hand slightly to his daughter's doubts.

"... Andrea."

"I know what you want to ask,... but if nothing unexpected happens, I will die."

"What?! But-"

"Listen to me."

Interrupting softly, Theseus looked at his somewhat panicked daughter.

At this moment, he considered many things, but in the end, he made a choice.

"I will tell you everything in a while, but I want to tell you now."

"After I die, you will be the next king of Athens."

Kacha--

Theseus' voice was not loud, but it was accompanied by thunder.

The power stirred by the incarnations of the gods before finally affected the atmosphere, and Athens, which was already on the sea, ushered in a heavy rain.

Thunder and lightning streaked across the sky, causing bursts of loud noises. The rainstorm is about to fall, washing away the dust inside and outside Athens.

However, at this moment, Andrea's heart has no joy of inheriting the throne, only endless sadness and helplessness.

...

"Father, I remember..."

In the hall, Andrea was stunned for a while, a little confused.

She wanted to say that Demophon was the heir, but then she remembered her father who returned alone.

Maybe he has been killed, but even so, Theseus has more than one son...

"Demophon chose the gods and is the source of everything today; although Hippolytus is rumored to have a grudge against the goddess of beauty, I don't have time to verify the truth now."

The voice was calm, and Theseus looked at Andrea. No one could easily accept the sudden knowledge that his brother was the traitor.

But he didn't have much time to digest it, so Theseus continued, "Now that I think about it, this is not surprising."

"Demophon has always been afraid of the gods, but this fear looks like respect... In fact, you are a believer of the goddess, and I didn't want to choose you at first, but Andrea, do you know when I changed my mind?"

Her eyes widened slightly, and although Andrea was a little overwhelmed by the continuous news, she was shocked again.

Because she is a believer of the goddess, she doesn't want to choose her... Is it true that in her father's eyes, the goddess is not trustworthy?

"That's not the case. I have no disrespect for the goddess."

As if he had seen through his daughter's thoughts, Theseus said calmly: "But gods are gods, and humans are humans."

"You have to understand that gods have their own interests, and humans have their own. In the eyes of gods, humans are property, interests, and tools for them to increase their power and gain status, but they are not the same kind."

"I don't think there is anything wrong with Her Majesty Athena, and I believe she cares about Athens's 'property'. But since it is an interest, it can naturally be given up for greater interests. This is the difference between gods and humans."

"The king of Athens does not need to oppose all gods, but he should not believe in a certain god devoutly, and then really regard himself and the entire Athens as the other party's private property. So I like your speech at the debate, Andrea, since you are a human, you must have 'human justice'."

There was something in her heart. Although she still felt sad and helpless, Andrea was still a little embarrassed.

She knew very well how she conducted the so-called debate.

"So... did you change your mind from that time?"

"Half of the reason."

Nodding slightly, Theseus smiled: "The other half of the reason is that I unexpectedly discovered that you are actually related to hell."

"!"

Andrea was stunned again with a panic.

Seeing his daughter's reaction, Theseus smiled again: "It's surprising, isn't it? But since I found you, I will naturally investigate your whereabouts when you disappeared."

"The Museum of Knowledge in Thuringia, the caravans you met along the way, the sacrificial ceremony discovered by the paladin who went to investigate, and your experience in the Acropolis."

"It's easy to lock on to your companions, but just like the demons I have encountered before, once you are gone, he is also very capable of hiding his tracks."

"I don't agree with you dealing with demons, Andrea, but you can maintain this contact after gradually guessing the other party's identity, which proves that you don't blindly trust the gods, which really makes me happy."

"And as far as my personal experience is concerned, I am actually more willing to deal with demons than gods. Even if they have only met a few times, they still left a deep impression on me."

Lightly tapping the table, Theseus remembered his adventures before he inherited the throne.

At that time, he also experienced a lot of things, and he had been opponents and deals with those demons who sneaked into the human world.

"There's a saying they have that I really like: Those who make rules for people other than themselves to follow are the gods. Those who make rules for gods other than themselves to follow are the kings of gods. But those who make rules and strictly follow them as long as they don't leave loopholes in advance are the devil. So really, I don't mind dealing with them, as long as you don't get cheated."

"It is precisely because of these two things that I have occasionally let you sit in on my handling of state affairs in recent years. Of course, if there had not been today's incident, I might not have made up my mind to let you replace Demophon."

"Ahem..."

Theseus was a little out of breath after saying too much.

He stopped Andrea from coming forward. At this time, it would be better not to contact him.

"Okay, these are all trivial matters. Now I want to tell you what you are going to do after I die."

"Whether it is gods or demons, they can believe in them, but they cannot believe them completely. You must remember that only power belongs to you, and only interests are what they want."

Looking into his daughter's eyes, Theseus' voice gradually recovered a little.

"It's true that Hermes is my friend. His origin is mysterious, but just like the friend from hell you know, he may not be trustworthy after I die, but he will definitely not stand with the gods."

"You can seek his help to fight against the gods, but you must also treat his requests with caution."

"You should have known the ministers of Athens over the years, who is the war party and who hopes for peace. Who is related to the church of which god, and who is dissatisfied with my taking back the power. I didn't kill them all before, I wanted to do it slowly, but now that I am dying, you kill them!"

"Only by killing can more people obey you and make Athens united in your hands."

"Father, I..."

Subconsciously wanted to refuse, but looking at Theseus' pale face, I thought of the count who was knocked down by me.

Andrea was silent for a moment, and finally nodded.

But looking at her own hands, can she really do the same thing as her father with her own strength?

"Of course you can, Andrea. I will leave you everything you need."

The power of the clergy comes from the gods, which is why Theseus did not intend to let Andrea succeed to the throne.

Because once the gods have a mind, she will become a mortal. But since Theseus has made a decision, he naturally has a solution.

Among the incarnations of the gods that were hunted down before, only the incarnation of the god of war really fell, and he also took away the remaining parts of the other party.

And his own sword, this friend who has been with him for nearly a hundred years.

"I will give you everything you need, but Andrea... you have to remember."

"Only humans care about human affairs."

"Depending on others... you can die at any time."

"Whether it is the flattery or fear of others, those relationships, interests, and human feelings, all of these are based on your own abilities."

"Your wisdom, your force, and everything you have mastered are the cornerstones of all this."

"Dignity has always been only on the edge of the sword, and the truth is always within the reach of your power."

"Let those gods fear you as much as they fear me, hold this sword."

"From today on, you are the king of Athens."

Swish--

In an instant, blood-red flames burned from Theseus' body, and the remaining metal and divine power of the incarnation of the god of war were also ignited.

They gathered on the sword and became part of it.

At this moment, in the dark, Theseus felt as if he had touched another realm.

He saw the world in motion, and between breaths, the laws of all things circulated and gave rise to new power.

This power comes from all things and returns to all things. If there is no external force, perhaps the world is through this internal cycle, constantly accumulating and strengthening its own power, so that everything in the world thrives.

Slightly regretful, intuition tells Theseus that there may be some essential mystery in the cycle within this world.

However, he no longer has time to comprehend, his life is approaching the end, and vaguely, Theseus feels that he wants to contact this cycle, as if there is still a lack of a medium.

"This is what future generations will care about, and my story ends here."

The soul and flesh are ignited by his own divinity, and Theseus does not intend to have the so-called next life.

Whether reincarnation exists or not, if he loses his memory, what does it have to do with him.

If he kneels in front of the gods to pray in the next life, that is the greatest denial of him.

So everything belongs to his sword, Theseus' figure gradually disappears, and only the weapon is reborn in the fire.

…

Clang——

Clang——

After a long time, the dagger and the long sword fell to the ground one after another, making a crisp sound.

In the empty hall, only Andrea's thin figure was left.