Greece: I am Zeus!

Chapter 299 I grant you eternal stay in the mortal realm (Seeking monthly votes at the beginning of the month~~~)

Even so, the gods would not necessarily take their anger out on innocent mortals.

However, it is absolutely impossible for humanity to receive the protection and blessings of the gods as easily as before.

Humans on earth cannot comprehend the turbulent undercurrents in the clouds, but the disappearance of auspicious clouds and the deafening roar of thunder are enough to make them tremble in fear.

All the eyes of the gods were now fixed on Zeus and Prometheus.

His Majesty the God-King is usually not angry, because almost no living being dares to make Him angry.

His Majesty the God-King is not one to hold grudges, because he settles any scores on the spot.

His Majesty the God-King rarely loses his temper, but if He does ever do...

That was a terrifying thing that no god dared to imagine.

You can fool a ghost.

But if you want to fool the God King...

That would be pure suicide.

Their fate was even worse than death.

The wrath of the God-King is the most unspeakable and ultimate terror in the universe.

none of them.

Clymene was filled with cold despair. Her beautiful, icy blue eyes looked pitifully at Zeus, wanting to speak up for her son, but she swallowed her words and dared not utter another one.

She knew very well that if she uttered even one more word, the punishment would be even more severe.

The air seemed to have been compressed to the point of near solidification by the invisible pressure of the God-King.

The gods were silent, and all sounds were still.

The entire sky held its breath, awaiting the final verdict.

Zeus simply watched Prometheus silently.

He said nothing and did nothing, but the invisible, overwhelming pressure, as heavy as the universe, had already pressed Prometheus's back so low that he could no longer straighten up.

His pure and powerful divine body was now covered in sweat.

An indescribable terror enveloped His entire divinity.

An unprecedented fear completely enveloped Him.

This was the first time Prometheus truly faced the boundless terror of the divine king's majesty.

But in this oppressive silence, just as the gods thought they were about to witness the wrath of thunder...

Zeus, however, suddenly chuckled softly.

He spoke softly: "Prometheus, son of Iapetus, my loyal subject, my dear... old comrade-in-arms."

"I truly don't know what I've done to deserve such injustice from you, to me, and to the gods."

The God-King's lips curled slightly, his smile filled with undisguised sarcasm: "How clever you are, and how cunning you are."

"Look at you, how courageous you are! Even I have to admire your courage."

“Your violent brother Atlas, your arrogant and reckless brother Menotius, their ‘courage’ is, in my opinion, far inferior to yours.”

At this point, Zeus suddenly burst into laughter, then abruptly stopped.

At the same time, on the sacrificial ground in the lower realm, the sacred flames piled on the ash tree branches suddenly burst into flames!

The raging flames, as if transformed into a living stream of fire, instantly surged towards the pile of oily, glistening offerings.

The grease melted rapidly in the flames, seeping into the dry bones below, which then crackled and shattered in the fire.

A wisp of smoke, symbolizing "sacrifice," rose gently on the wind and slowly drifted between heaven and earth.

In the lower realm, those humans who were initially bewildered and filled with inexplicable fear due to the strange phenomena of sudden changes in the weather and the dissipation of auspicious clouds were now filled with peace and joy after seeing the offerings being ignited and burned by the sacred fire, knowing nothing about what had happened.

In their naive understanding: 'With the gods present, with the supreme ruler of the universe, with our benevolent creator and teacher, what could possibly go wrong?'

'Look, haven't the offerings already been consumed by the gods?'

'The gods have accepted the offerings, so the ceremony is now complete! Shouldn't the gods bestow their blessings now?'

They were completely unaware of everything that was happening in the sky.

In the heavens, Zeus chuckled softly, "I accept the sacrifices of mortals."

"From this day forward, all offerings to the gods shall be burned with sacred flames, so that their pure essence may be sent into the bosom of the gods."

The God-King thus established the final decree regarding the sacrificial rites.

If one prays sincerely, God will not hesitate to give everything back after the sacrifice, and even more.

But now, God's share will no longer belong to mortals.

Then, His calm, golden eyes turned to Prometheus.

He spoke slowly, in a tone so calm it could terrify even the gods:
"Today's ceremony has now concluded successfully."

“Prometheus, you have done very well, very well indeed.”

“I have not yet truly rewarded you for your creation of humankind.”

"Furthermore, you have put in a lot of effort today to bring this 'divine-mortal pact' to a successful conclusion, which is another great achievement."

"It's time to bestow honors upon you. Otherwise, wouldn't the gods of the universe think I've been unjust in ruling?"

The King of Gods showed no sign of coldness; His tone was even gentler than before. However, His next words were enough to plunge Prometheus into the abyss of despair in an instant.

He chuckled and said, "Let us bestow them together today."

"Since you love humankind so much, then I will grant you—to remain in the mortal realm forever."

"That way, you can always stay with the humans you love. This must be what you want most."

"Oh, and another thing. Since you love humans so much, how could you bear to let them use their already scarce and meager food to sacrifice to you?"

"Then I will grant you this further—from this day forward, no living being in the universe shall offer sacrifices to you."

"You shall not build any temple in the mortal world; you shall not erect any statue of a god; you shall not use your divine power to protect any living being."

"No living being shall have faith in you, nor shall you accept any faith from you."

As the God-King finished speaking, the blazing sacrificial fires on the earth suddenly rose up!

All the flames seemed to be drawn together by an invisible hand, converging in the air to form a giant, leaping fire dragon!

But that's not all.

It's not just the sacrificial fire at the altar!

At this moment, across the entire land, in every cave, every patch of forest, every campfire, every flame cherished by mortals and upon which they depend for survival…

Regardless of their origin...

At the same instant, they all trembled and rose violently, responding to the God King's call and soaring into the sky, all merging into the roaring fire dragon and transforming into a sea of ​​fire!
This endless flame, a vast sea of ​​fire that almost spanned the heavens and the earth, soared into the highest heavens to the astonishment of mortals.

With a gentle wave of his hand, Hestia, the Lord of Fire, reclaimed the endless flames from his palm.

In the beginning of humankind, there was a sacred flame bestowed by Hestia, the warm fire, and Zeus, the king of the gods—a flame capable of dispelling cold, warding off evil, dispelling darkness, eliminating poison, creating, healing, purifying, and performing sacrifices…

That warm, burning, bright, and extraordinary divine fire, a sacred fire unlike any other mortal fire, the flame that symbolizes the holiness and light of Zeus, the king of the gods…

From then on, it would never favor humankind again.

Not to mention this sacred, divinely bestowed flame, now, there is not a single trace of flame left on the entire earth.

The mortal realm suddenly grew cold.

Yes, the covenant between God and mortal has been established.

The rituals for the sacrifice have also been determined.

However, the "fire source" necessary for offering sacrifices has also been completely cut off.

People can no longer offer sacrifices to the gods.

Then, they would no longer be able to receive the protection of the gods.

This is not because the gods failed to keep their promise.

Rather, it was humanity (as its representatives) who first tainted this contract with deception and arrogance.

Humans cannot offer sacrifices, so it's no wonder that the gods do not bestow blessings and protection.

The God-King has not breached the contract, nor will he ever breach it.

However, the covenant between gods and mortals has become a mere formality.

Prometheus stared blankly at all of this, his divine body suddenly swaying, and darkness and collapse enveloped his divinity.

Only then did He truly realize what a terrible, foolish, and enormous mistake He had made!

"His Majesty--!"

He was about to speak, wanting to use a thousand words to beg, to make amends, to admit his mistakes, to plead for mercy...

Before the words were finished, a thunderbolt containing boundless majesty swept across the sky with lightning speed, carrying an irresistible force of order, and directly struck Him down to the mortal world!

Under this invincible thunder, He was like a falling meteor, crashing to the earth.

The God-King's words are law.

Since it has been said that He can only "remain in the mortal world forever," then He can no longer set foot in the heavens.

From this day forward, the gates of Heaven will be closed to Him forever; the paths of God's Kingdom will be forever shut to Him!

Even the netherworld will forever refuse His entry!

The divine net of the heavenly order will forbid His use; the sacred atmosphere will no longer allow Him to breathe!

He will be forever trapped in the mortal realm, forever bound to the earth.

His body will never be able to leave this earth!

Clymene had silently fainted in Metis's arms.

At this moment, she truly could no longer bear this heavy blow.

Divinity has fallen into a dizzying slumber.

At this moment, for her, this is actually a kind of happiness.

Her life was always full of such dramatic ups and downs...

She had finally begun to experience a little happiness and sweetness, but her good-for-nothing son kept bringing her devastating harm and blows.

She even started to seriously doubt whether there was something wrong with her. Why was her child always like this?

(End of this chapter)