Danmaku, my skills refresh weekly.

But the God of Thunder would not allow this to happen; He was furious and attempted to stop the god who had stolen the flames…

But it was too late. The "Primordial Fire" slipped from the hands of the two gods and fell to the mortal realm.

after that……

An ordinary boy obtained the power of "Heavenly Fire" and was given a holy sword to wield "Heavenly Fire" by this wise and cautious god.

Thus... the first hero in human history was born.

"Ebimetheus, an 'unknown hero' even before the 'first hero,' Argo. He wielded the 'Heavenly Fire' to protect humanity for three thousand years… and this divine capital, Olympia, is the eternal sanctuary where the Heavenly Fire resides."

In the vast ocean, far from Orario,

On a peninsula, on the coast, a young girl with brown skin and long, dark purple hair reaching her waist holds up a religious text and reads aloud untold tales of heroes to the children around her.

"Ah... that's enough, Sister Ilya. We've heard this story so many times already. We want to hear stories about other heroes!"

"Yes, yes, we're tired of hearing it."

"Wow, you're so picky. I've only heard this one story, so I can't tell you any others..." The brown-skinned girl named Ilya pouted.

"Ugh, that's lame. Sister Rabbit can tell so many interesting stories," a demi-human boy teased.

"Ugh... Craney! That woman!!"

At Ilya's roar, the children scattered noisily, playing and frolicking.

At that moment, the melodious sound of a ship's horn rang out, and Ilya turned to gaze at the boundless sea.

Her face turned serious, and her demeanor became noble.

This is the divine capital, Olympia.

It is an "ancient land" that has been preserved since ancient times.

It is the fourth major secret realm in the world, after the three major secret realms: Dragon Valley, Great Tree Sea, and Dungeon!

It stands on the sea and is shrouded in the barrier of "Heavenly Fire" all year round, which obscures its existence. Without the protection of "Holy Fire", no one can enter, so few outsiders visit.

They have been quietly cultivating for over a thousand years.

Today, however, we have received some unusual guests.

Ilya glanced at the cruise ship docking at the shore, then disappeared into the shadows of the narrow street...

Russian qing.

A corner of the peninsula that no one has ever seen.

"Ah... how did you get in?" Ilya stood with his hands on his hips, staring at the great god in front of him, whose face was obscured by a black cloak, with a troubled expression.

"I remember, without the protection of 'flame' and without using 'divine power,' it's impossible to break through the barrier."

"Ha~~, of course I used divine power to impersonate 'Prometheus' to get in." A middle-aged man's voice, rambling and unrefined, came from beneath the cloak:

"Thanks to Lord Prometheus, who never shows himself but issues divine pronouncements through stone tablets! You agree, don't you, priestess of the sacred fire?"

After a pause, the black-robed man changed the subject: "Or perhaps, Prometheus?"

Ilya, a faint divine aura emanating from him, rolled his dead fish eyes: "What is your purpose... you old codger? It's been nine years since your last visit. And this time, in what avatar are you using? Father? Or Zeus?"

"Both," Zeus's face twitched beneath his black robe, and he muttered in a voice only he could hear, "It's more about temporarily hiding from a certain old woman."

"How is the fire of the heavens?" Zeus asked.

"This is not good... Ever since your failure nine years ago, that hero has been actively activating that flame, and the corruption is progressing at an accelerated pace. In just a few years, the world will be engulfed in flames."

Ilya's mind flashed to the hero he had created, and his eyes were filled with pity and atonement.

The heavenly fire, symbolizing divine power, was ineffective against the black dragon, but the "Hellfire," tainted by the filth of the lower realms, could. After the annihilation of Zeus and Hera's kin, Epimetheus came to this realization.

Even if it means destroying the world, I will kill "The End" and become the final hero.

Even if humanity is destroyed, the gods will witness his great deeds.

He intends to use this to shatter the concept of "hero" and complete his revenge on the world.

Prometheus, who single-handedly created this terrible outcome, was unable to stop Epimetheus's world-destroying atrocities.

Based on these...

"Is that so... We gods, as the culprits, have no right to interfere." Zeus smiled helplessly. "Well, things will work themselves out. There will always be a way."

"Aren't we also waiting for that 'miracle'?"

A subtle expression appeared on Ilya's face: "That woman, Crani?"

Zeus laughed heartily: "After all, this concerns the [Vortex of Chaos], something even we gods cannot touch or explore—the unknown of the lower realms! A 'miracle' that transcends time and history, overturning the truth—I very much want to witness this day with my own eyes."

"If it were the person who created this 'phenomenon,' they would probably find a way to deal with something as trivial as a filthy fire."

Ilya's face darkened further: "I just want to get her away as soon as possible... I don't want to live under that witch's control for even a second longer."

Zeus laughed loudly: "Hahaha, if you two are this close, I'm starting to suspect you're deliberately trying to please the child. Truly a god of prophecy..."

"Who's on good terms with her?!"

Zeus ignored Ilya's roar and left on his own.

"Hey, where are you going?"

“Look at the fire in the sky… and then, visit that child.”

……

At the summit of Mount Olympia, the capital of Greece, stands a colossal temple in the Greek style.

Zeus, clad in black robes, using his divine power, stood alone at the edge of a massive altar under the name "Prometheus."

The purple "Flame of Impurity" is sealed inside the central altar.

They churned gently like ocean waves, absorbing the emotions of the lower realms and slowly becoming tainted.

Jealousy, hatred, despair, destruction...

Various negative emotions polluted the pure and flawless celestial fire. The polluted celestial fire grew darker and darker, gradually turning from purple to purplish-black. An ominous light shone into Zeus's black robe, which resembled chaos.

This was the consequence of his and Prometheus's evil deeds, and he made a decision: if things were beyond saving, in the worst-case scenario, he would sacrifice his own life to completely eliminate the fire of heaven.

He escaped by faking his death, and this was one of his reasons.

After all, they had already made up their minds.

"Ah, it's been a long time, old man. Has Lady Hera not found you yet?" A clear voice rang out behind Zeus.

Turning around, Zeus saw the girl leaning against the pillar, her hair swaying like the first snowflakes. Her blue eyes, shining with hope like pearls underwater, had left the various tales of heroes and were now squinting, smiling at the old man.

"Did this time bring me any new heroic tales?"

“Of course, Metluth…”

Naturally, the girl exists here.

The girl, who should have died, was able to survive only within the "Heavenly Fire" domain, which possesses superhuman intelligence and defies common sense.

She coughed heavily a few times, and blood stained her handkerchief, but her smile did not diminish.

"How have you been lately?" Zeus asked, unusually concerned.

"The same as always... only it's gotten a little more serious."

"Hmph, a sickly beauty imprisoned in the temple, not bad, hehe." Zeus chuckled wickedly.

"Hey, I'm already 25 years old."

"I'm still a mother of an 8-year-old," Metluja thought to herself, then asked, "How's Bell? Has he become like his father?"

"Hmm... at least in terms of escaping, he's exactly the same as that kid."

"That's good. Being able to escape when in danger is better than anything else." Metluja smiled happily.

Immediately afterwards, she coughed up a mouthful of blood, but didn't seem to care at all.

"Judging by the time, it should be soon."

"What?" Zeus was somewhat confused. Although he had temporarily stabilized Metluth's condition by using the protection of "Heavenly Fire," it was not a long-term solution.

These next few years should be the limit.

“We’ll be seeing Bell soon.” Metluja shook her head, her blue eyes, shining like pearls at the bottom of a lake, gazing out at the boundless sea beyond the temple.

My thoughts unconsciously drifted back to 8 years ago.

It was a wondrous journey; during her usual period of serious illness and bedridden state, she dreamt of the future…

The people and faces I met in my dreams have long since become blurry, and I can no longer remember what I experienced.

But the fact that I, who should have died of illness, am here, in this divine capital, barely clinging to life, is proof of that.

In her dream, she received news from the capital city, learned that the sacred fire and the barrier could sustain a person for three thousand years without death, and also received a promise.

"In the distant future, when we exchange names again, I will return, and I will surely find you again and cure your illness."

Metluja seemed to hear the voice of hope again, and a smile rose in her heart.

"It will be soon... Everything is the choice of the vortex of chaos, and I will also complete my new journey and forge the future." Metluth said words that Zeus could not understand.

“I don’t remember you being this kind of person, Metluth.” Zeus looked at the white-haired girl who seemed to be having a fit of chuunibyou, his face under the hood showing astonishment.

"Because I am right here. Even the gods cannot change the past, but I, who determined the past and experienced the future, can determine the future."

"It's coming soon. The day when we meet again and ask each other's names will soon arrive..."

Metluja looked at her palm, where a black and white mask pattern was drawn.

She seemed to see the bell being rung in the "War Game" again.

"Alfia, could it be you? And, Jester... a female Bell is also quite nice."

Everything was predetermined by history.

"This is the choice of the 'Vortex of Chaos'." The white-haired girl retracted her middle and ring fingers, struck a Sailor Moon pose, and winked at Zeus.

Regarding this…

"as long as you are happy."

Zeus's expression flickered.