I Am Hades, Lord of the Underworld!

Baal frowned slightly and asked, "Aether, what about this catalyst? Unlike the Star Realm, the Heavenly Realm is guarded by Zeus himself. At this time, obtaining the catalyst won't be easy!"

Baal's words were accurate.

Is a place with a ruler the same as one without? 

No! 

They're vastly different!

To put it another way, after the Titanomachy, why did Hades only act on the Star Realm, seizing 365 stars, including the sun and moon, but left the Heavenly Realm, the Earthly Realm, and the Sea Realm untouched?

The reason is simple! 

The Star Realm had no ruler, so it could be plundered at will. Even so, only 365 stars were taken. Continuing to plunder could have caused problems, which would have been troublesome.

But the situation is entirely different for Heaven, Earth, and Sea. These realms have rulers. Trying to plunder their essence is simply unrealistic!

This is why Baal found it puzzling. Acting against the Heavenly Realm? That's almost impossible!

Not only was Baal puzzled, but the twin gods and other underworld deities also found it strange. This catalyst requires essence, and if obtaining essence were that easy, then after the Titanomachy, during the pillaging of the Heavenly and Sea realms, no mercy would have been shown!

Does Aether have a solution?

"..."

Aether observed the atmosphere, which had turned silent. Everyone was quietly watching him. He smiled calmly and said, "Miss Hestia, you should know what's happening in the Heavenly Realm, right?"

"The Heavenly Realm~~~"

Hestia sighed softly and said, "Hera is pregnant, Metis is pregnant, and most importantly, the curse left by Grandfather on Father is now spreading and has fallen upon Zeus."

A curse?! Pregnancy?!

Instantly, every underworld god understood what this meant. After a brief contemplation, their gazes sharpened.

"So, if that's the case…" Hypnos pondered aloud, "Among the children of Hera and Metis, one will become the fourth-generation God-King?"

Hestia shook her head. "Not 'will,' but 'definitely.' Metis' child has already manifested the power of a God-King. Ordinary gods can't detect it, but Zeus certainly can."

"Indeed."

Aether nodded at this point. "Eris has already informed Mephistopheles that the child Metis is carrying is the fourth-generation God-King. And this! This is the key."

"Hera's child."

"Metis' child."

"Sometimes…"

"Children can bring about terrifying changes, and the impact on the Heavenly Realm will be astonishing."

Aether's words made the underworld gods contemplate deeply.

It's undeniable!

If Metis' child is indeed the fourth-generation God-King—no! This is already a certainty—then many things will be drastically different.

Zeus overthrew his father's rule, although it was done in collaboration with Hades and Poseidon, the three God-Kings.

But the issue is…

Hades and Poseidon didn't even have children, let alone wives or concubines. They didn't indulge in any kind of debauchery. The two of them had no interest in these matters.

But Zeus was different. Zeus was constantly involved in such affairs, not just with Hera and Metis.

"Speaking of which…"

Hemera pondered for a moment and said softly, "Coios and Phoebe's daughter, Leto, the goddess of childbirth and nursing, seems to be pregnant as well. The last time I saw her, her child was about to be born, within a few million years at most."

"Wait!"

Charon exclaimed in surprise, "Are you saying Leto's child is also Zeus's?"

"Although…" Hemera replied calmly, "Leto hasn't said anything, but judging by the divine power, I'd say it's indeed Zeus's child."

"This…"

Everyone looked at each other, feeling utterly stunned!

No way!

Seriously, Zeus?! Knowing the curse would spread, and yet you're still having children so eagerly, as if you're afraid you won't be overthrown?

What are you trying to do here?

"..."

The atmosphere became silent again. Hestia, feeling helpless, said, "Really, compared to Lord Hades, Zeus is truly exasperating. Aether, is your plan to use this as the core for your strategy?"

"Yes!"

Seeing that Hestia had shifted the conversation, Aether nodded. After all, this was an issue concerning the three God-Kings, so it was better not to delve too deeply. Even as enemies, strong figures deserve respect.

Aether changed the subject, and everyone tacitly agreed not to discuss it further.

Baal asked, "Aether, how do you plan to handle the specifics?"

Aether replied seriously, "The core lies in the children of Hera and Metis. As far as I know, Zeus is already displeased with Metis carrying the fourth-generation God-King and with Prometheus. If handled properly…"

Aether didn't finish his sentence.

But!

The meaning was clear: it would be easy for the Heavenly Realm to face internal problems. And once there's internal turmoil, it would become much easier for the underworld.

When the fourth-generation God-King is born, especially as Zeus's son, it will bring chaos to the Heavenly Realm. If war and disorder break out, then the essence of the Heavenly Realm might start to leak.

This leakage wouldn't be much, and it might not significantly affect the Heavenly Realm itself.

But!

For the underworld, it would be enough. The underworld only needs a portion of this essence as a catalyst, and that would be sufficient. Therefore, the underworld gods didn't press further. Since Aether already had a plan, it wasn't a problem.

As for whether the conflict in the Heavenly Realm would unfold as expected?

Hehehe~~~

Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, is involved. As a second-generation Titan, she's a peer of Cronus!

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