Simulate the universe, starting with speedrunning Greek.

'Those who possess wisdom but lack power, and are powerless to save anything, can at best be considered merely clever in a superficial way.'

'Does possessing both strength and wisdom automatically make someone a true strongman? No, that's not enough—magnanimity is also proof of strength.'

After demonstrating sufficient domineering power, Night made his choice.

The epic describes it thus: The hero opened his mouth and roared:

'Grant me your power, Tartarus! For that, name your price. I need greater power! I am still too weak, far from strong enough!' In mythology, there is no detailed record of this scene, but people have tried their best to imagine and reconstruct that scene.

Even with his life threatened, Griffith did not beg to be spared.

Anyone facing such a terrifying lineup, even a god, would probably be so terrified that they would be weeping and begging for mercy.

What he seeks is power, an equal exchange.

Having defeated powerful enemies, what if they face even stronger ones? Even after defeating the Hundred-Armed Giants, will they next confront the second-generation god-king Cronus, Tartarus himself, the primordial god of hell and the abyss?

The hero, realizing the insignificance of his own power, felt an overwhelming longing welling up within him.

His reaction successfully satisfied the god of the abyss.

Even if Griffiths demonstrates a great deal of value, that value is meaningless if it cannot be used for one's own benefit.

Although it wasn't the kind of groveling and begging, Tartarus was actually more pleased with this demeanor. If someone's first thought when facing a powerful enemy is to prostrate themselves in surrender, then that person could never defeat Zeus and threaten the rule of that god-king.

"Can--!"

A muffled sound echoed from the abyss.

The next moment, a massive amount of terrifying divine power poured into Griffith's soul.

He would use his divine power to aid the hero's growth, while also imprinting his own power upon him. As long as Griffith lived and continued to wield his power, he would never be able to threaten the hero himself.

He would never do something as foolish as letting the knife turn on its master after he has taken it.

however--

They've taken the bait!

I felt as if endless divine power was about to pour down from the sky.

Night severed the connection with Ryuk and returned the Ocean Goddess to the poplar tree.

Ryuk's anxious yet moved voice cried out, "Wait, Griffith!!"

She thought Griffith was using this method to avoid being targeted by Tartarus, and that he was giving her the chance to live while she had to endure the pain of being branded by Tartarus's power.

Without the protection of her divine power, how could Griffith, a mere mortal, withstand the onslaught of Tartarus's great will?

Even if it could grant immense power.

But even a fool would shudder at the thought of making a deal with the abyss, knowing it would never end well. For a great hero with a bright future, this must have been an incredibly painful thing!

It's obvious that the other side is making this decision at this time; who are they buying time for?!

Chapter 262 It Feels Like My Stomach Is Dropping Down; The Demon King Born from Greek Mythology

Night: Yes, I am in 'pain'!

The pain was so intense that I could barely suppress the tears welling up in my eyes.

Why aren't you leaving? What are you standing here for that makes you so moved?

It's a simulated universe, so whether you're a hero or a demon king, you can do whatever you want—you can create multiple possible timelines.

For him, who seems to be in dire straits, this is actually a good opportunity.

He now desperately needs greater strength to deal with the potential crises that may arise.

Zeus is still watching from the outside world, and if he finds out that Zeus is not dead, he will definitely not give up so easily.

Hades, the god of the underworld, whom they could have won over, inadvertently stole away the woman he loved most. It's unclear what Hades' attitude is now.

Now that Tartarus has recognized his strength and potential, it's not actually the worst thing for Ye.

Even the so-called threat of branding.

For someone like me who's willing to just die and start over, there's no worry at all.

Others, in order to survive and retain this power, might be coerced by Tartarus.

But for Ye, whose power truly grows and benefits from racking up achievements and legends, the power gained from the simulated universe, no matter how strong, is ultimately meaningless.

Even if it's just this life, if it's used at a crucial moment, he wouldn't mind ending the simulation to bring this trip to a perfect conclusion.

Giving up his life was not a difficult choice for him.

Just like when an arrow is fired on the battlefield to establish a border line for peace between two countries.

Tartarus thought that Tartarus would have to obey him in order to survive and gain more power.

Night could easily deliver a devastating blow.

For Night, this power, which should have been called a "curse" by the hero of glory, was the perfect tool to clear the level.

Tartarus has also earned the title of "tool player".

Perhaps other heroes would be concerned about their image and hesitate to transform into the likeness of the Abyss's agent. But for Night—

'Isn't this just turning evil?'

Whitewashing weakens you by three points, but turning evil makes you many times stronger!

What truly makes a person memorable is not the brilliance of their power, but the deeds they performed, whether they moved or touched people deeply, or whether they left a lasting impression of destruction and devastation.

The extremes of black and white are enough to be deeply remembered by people.

Fear and emotion are not contradictory. Who says you can't be a hero after turning to the dark side?

Black—can also represent justice!

"Go—!~!" Night forcibly drove Ryuk's consciousness out through military force.

His armor vanished instantly, and without its protection, he was left in a tattered state, seemingly on the verge of death. He hung on by a thread, silently gazing at the sky, as if awaiting the moment of judgment.

This 'desperate' scene greatly pleased the primordial god of the abyss, and he paid no heed to the fact that the little ocean goddess had disappeared right under his nose.

Although it was interesting, he didn't pay attention to it.

On the other hand, the last scene that Ryuk saw after successfully self-destructing was that of a lonely hero facing a massive amount of will that resembled the evil of the world.

'If it weren't to buy me time to escape—he would surely have fought to the death.'

'It's all my fault, it's all because of me...'

'Ugh, ugh, this feeling makes me want to vomit. Damn weakness and powerlessness. If only I could have more strength!'

That fleeting moment caused the goddess's pupils to contract, and she felt as if her stomach was falling down.

Looking at the blood-stained face of the soldier, she gradually lost the ability to recall his handsome and beautiful appearance when she first met him.

This sense of loss did not make him fickle, because once a man's face is gone, he is no longer attractive.

On the contrary, compared to the love at first sight I once had, I have gained a more real understanding of what it means to be a man and what it means to be a hero.

A hero is someone who, in a critical moment, sacrifices himself to protect others.

Courageous, thoughtful, and even physically disabled at this moment, he possesses the most lethal and charismatic presence in the world, a truly captivating and infectious physique.

Although he wasn't as eternally radiant and beautiful as the hero she had initially imagined, he brutally and aggressively left a deep imprint on her mind.

In the blink of an eye, as the scene shifted, the Ocean Goddess found herself transformed back into the Poplar Goddess and returned to her original form.

But my memory is still stuck in the previous moment.

It was the face of a man whose dim, emotionless eyes stared at the sky like a ghost, silently awaiting the moment when despair would descend.

“…! I want to save you…!” Although the reason they got together was very hasty, and although they had probably known each other for less than three days.

More like casual flings than lovers or spouses.

But if she were to abandon that man like this, she would probably regret it for the rest of her life and feel uneasy. Liu Ke's face had unknowingly lost all smiles.

It was precisely because of the immense fear she felt when facing Tartarus that she felt ashamed that she actually felt at ease when she returned to a place of peace. This intense guilt must have tormented her so much that she couldn't eat or sleep.

Meanwhile, on the other side, here in the night...

When Tartarus's power flowed into his body, he felt not pain, but rather an indescribable comfort.

His flesh and blood rapidly recovered, and a set of jet-black armor began to appear on his body. His face was obscured by endless shadows within the armor, making it impossible to see his features. A bright red cloak appeared behind him.

Its body began to emit a green flame that resembled the radiance of a soul.

At the same time, the Titans, who should have continued to fight the Night, suddenly knelt down and bowed their heads in the direction of the Night.

At this moment, the night seemed to become the demon king of hell.

"The hundred-armed giants will aid you in battle... rampage across the land, and wherever Zeus is displeased, I will be pleased, and I will grant you even greater power. You will no longer be as weak as you are today. If you can end the myth of Zeus...—"

Tartarus's voice finally disappeared.

But clearly, if Zeus could be eliminated and the mythology built around him could be overthrown, this god of the abyss would have the opportunity to reign supreme and establish a new mythological system.

He will then bestow an unexpected surprise upon Griffith, the hero who accomplished this great feat.

Ye, however, remained remarkably calm in the face of this surprise.

There's no such thing as a free lunch; everything has its price tag already set in secret.

If there truly is a moment when Zeus is overthrown, his power will inevitably be intolerable to this god of the abyss. It will likely be a day when the cunning rabbit dies and the slingshot is put away, or the bridge is discarded after the river is crossed.

What a surprise? More like a shock.

And isn't the task Tartarus gave him exactly the same as that of Typhon, the ancestor of monsters?

How could he be transformed from a hero into a monster ravaging the land?

No—in his human form, he should be the Demon King.

This is a world of heroism in Greece, but it is completely different from the worldview of traditional Japanese RPG games like Hero vs. Demon King, where the concept of a Demon King does not exist.

This might be an unprecedented conceptual invasion.

'The Demon King?'

Chapter 263 Upon exiting, one immediately sees Zeus's enormous son, the Light of Zeus, the Dionysian Festival.

He sat on a throne forged from bones.