Having traversed countless realms, can you possibly be as clever as me?

1025>>>>

Just when it seemed Hera was in a predicament among the Olympian gods, with no one to help her, Poseidon suddenly volunteered.

“Don’t worry, Hera, I think Aphrodite and I will solve the Golden Fleece problem.”

Poseidon looked at the goddess of beauty, who had remained silent from the beginning, and revealed a smile that showed all eight of his teeth.

"You agree, Aphrodite? If you use your divine power, that princess of Colchis will fall in love with the hero chosen by the Queen of Heaven and help him obtain the Golden Fleece."

“Why do you think I would do such a thing? I don’t like this human child named Jason,” Aphrodite said, frowning.

"Ah, I think I can do it even if you don't help me."

Poseidon was unfazed by Aphrodite's rejection and instead produced a dazzling white pearl.

"this is--"

“That’s right, a treasure made from the beautiful voice of a Siren. I had to persuade my good nephew Hephaestus to forge it for me after much persuasion.” Poseidon toyed with the dazzling pearl, a playful expression on his face.

"It cannot make one fall in love with another, but it can bewitch and control one through song. When Hercules arrives, it perfectly paves the way for our queen's victory."

"You mean—make his sister the one to betray him?" Athena's face turned cold, and she rebuked her without any politeness.

"How despicable! This is not something a god should do!"

"So, all I suggested was that it might be given to our esteemed Queen of Heaven." Poseidon casually tossed the beads onto the table, his expression mocking, as if he were enjoying a good show.

"The choice is entirely yours, Hera."

The seventh day, which was also the agreed-upon last day.

This is also Tsurugi's twentieth birthday.

He clearly remembered the three curses and three blessings Hecate had bestowed upon him.

His face will be hidden in the shadow of the sun, and only the radiance of Helios can dispel it.

His bloodline will be hidden in deception, and only Hera's power can reveal his true identity.

—His existence is concealed beneath Hecate's reality, and only on the day he turns twenty and comes of age will he face the scythe of judgment from the three sisters of fate.

In other words, theoretically speaking, today is also the day of Dongjiang's 'death'.

However, it's clearly impossible to eliminate Tsugumi in the same simple and hasty manner as last time.

His power this time is far beyond what he could have achieved in his previous life. Even the gods cannot kill him!

His death had to be worthy of a grand finale—at least the character who helped him exit the stage would not be a nobody.

"Oh, then come on, damn fate, what grand finale will you write for me?"

Tsugumi said this with a hint of anticipation, and then he walked towards the Ares Plains outside the city.

Here, the Argonauts, defeated yesterday, have gathered once again.

But this time, the heroes had a true leader, a tall and mighty man wearing a lion's skin, taciturn yet exuding unparalleled confidence.

“Hercules.” Tsugumi looked at her friend and happily opened her arms.

Why have you come here? Have your twelve trials ended? Or are they no longer necessary?

“...Karl, you helped me kill Eurystheus and ended my enslavement.”

Hercules gripped his oak club tightly and said in a deep voice...

“But at the same time, I have also ended your immortality,” Tsugumi continued with Heracles, smiling as she spoke.

"So, you've come for revenge? Or have the gods seen me as your new trial?"

For Heracles, submitting to Eurystheus and accepting his command was undoubtedly a humiliation and a form of enslavement. But at the same time—it was also a reward.

After completing twelve trials, the Olympian gods will promise him immortality, allowing him to ascend to the sky and become an immortal being like the Olympian gods.

It is both an insult and a test.

By killing Eurystheus, Tsurugi interrupted Heracles's trial, which in turn deprived him of the future of becoming Hercules and achieving eternal immortality.

This is enough to constitute the entirety of a person's reason for extreme hatred towards another person.

"...Yes, Hera promised me that defeating you and taking the Golden Fleece would be my final trial."

Hercules gazed at the thrush and said, word by word...

“Defeat you and I will gain my freedom. The gods will forgive my sins, my soul will find peace, and I... will become a god.”

Tsurugi remained silent, simply smiling as he awaited Hercules' final answer.

bump!!!

He threw his oak club to the ground, took a deep breath, and looked up at the sky, at Olympus!

"But I will not do that; I refuse to fight this man!!!"

Hercules pointed to the sky, or rather, to Hera, who was surely watching them, and roared...

1025>>>>>>

"After slavery comes only deeper slavery, and after work comes only endless work!"

"And now, you actually want me to turn against the only friend who brought me freedom!"

He took a deep breath and cursed.

“I will never do that! If the gods require me to do so, then I will abandon you, abandon eternity, and choose the destiny of falling into the abyss!”

On Mount Olympus, Hera was nearly driven mad by Heracles's words.

But this was not the end, for Jason also stepped forward, holding the pearl that Poseidon had taken from Theseus, and threw him violently to the ground.

He did not go to Medea last night.

Even though the great Hera told him that with this pearl he could bring Medea under her control, and make the beautiful princess of Colchis a sharp, cold blade piercing the back of the invincible Titan, the Thrush.

"Me too, I stand with Hercules, I reject the destiny of being his enemy!"

He loudly proclaimed the passion of youth; he was no longer the destitute figure who had returned to his hometown only to suffer setbacks. At least for now, he still possessed that precious and irreplaceable youthful spirit.

"My uncle seized the throne that was not his and is using this task to get rid of me! But it is a great adventure, destined to become an epic that will be remembered forever!"

"I know I didn't get the Golden Fleece in the end, my story is unfinished! But even a tragedy that ultimately fails to achieve its goal is better than a despicable victory!"

Jason said this after a long conversation with Heracles, who had arrived at the scene, and ultimately chose to refuse the temptations offered by the gods.

He finally understood what Tsurugi had done for him—perhaps he couldn’t call him his benefactor, but at least he wouldn’t tarnish his adventure story with despicable behavior!

Jason's speech resonated with and cheered many heroes! They joined the adventure because of the oracle, but the voyage at sea had already made them as close as brothers. This adventure was indeed an epic they had created together.

Humans are destined to die, but stories are not. Even ancient gods will fade with time, but the epic tales of mortal heroes will be sung forever.

As for offending the gods? Would Greek heroes be afraid of that?

If you don't do anything reckless out of fear of offending the gods, then you've truly lost your will to fight!

"Hahahaha, Hera, my sister, it seems you didn't succeed!"

"How dare you!!!"

Accompanied by Poseidon's mocking voice, Hera finally couldn't hold back any longer. The queen of the gods' rage instantly covered the entire sky with dark clouds, and endless thunderclouds gathered to form Hera's furious appearance.

"Mortal! I built a stage for you, making you a hero! And your reward is an insult to me?"

"And you, son of Alcmene! You sinner whom I loathe, I wish you were dead, and do you think you can escape me?"

If Jason's betrayal was an offense that enraged Hera, then Hercules's direct insult was an intolerable provocation for Hera.

Her status as a goddess is a tragic figure in itself—as the guardian of families, she can protect the families of other humans and gods, and punish men and women who are unfaithful in their marriages, but she is powerless to punish her own husband.

The shame of being unable to fulfill her duties and the pain of having her authority violated caused her to transfer all of this onto Zeus's illegitimate children and lovers!

If you can't punish the cheating bastard, then just kill the mistress!

While this may seem like a cowardly act of taking her anger out on others, as a goddess, she has the right to be capricious!

"Ahhhh!!!"

Hercules suddenly clutched his head and let out a furious and mad roar, like that of a wild beast.

“You cannot escape me, son of Alcmene,” Hera uttered the vicious curse in a cold voice.

“Your mother changed your name, deceived me, and even made me breastfeed you. This earned you my recognition, and thus you possess power surpassing that of a demigod, the same as that of a god.”

"The three Fates have woven your destiny to become an 'Olympian,' but until you reach that destiny, everything about you is under my control!"

A normally born Hercules would not possess such power, or rather, the child named Alcides should have been just one of the demigods.

But it was fate's guidance and his mother's scheme that led Hera to breastfeed him at birth. This act earned Heracles the approval of the queen of the gods, who ruled half of Olympus, as his mother.

Thus, he was no longer merely a demigod; the blood of Zeus flowing through his veins became exceptionally powerful, granting him godlike strength!

1025>>>>>>>>

Whether fate guided this outcome or the outcome shaped fate's choice is unknown. Hercules was thus chosen, granted power, received the best education, and embarked on the path chosen for him by destiny—the path from mortal to god.

This was undoubtedly the most serious provocation against Hera's power and authority, but it was also because of this that Hera gained the power to control Hercules.

When Hercules recognized Hera as his mother and drank her milk, Hera was able to easily control everything about Hercules.

She could drive Hercules to madness and kill his own children, or cause him to fall seriously ill and gradually become weak, forcing him to accept his fate of enslavement!

The completion of the Twelve Trials is not the end; Hercules' tragic fate has only just begun.

He will kill his best friend Iphitus in a fit of madness, and then become a sinner. He will then fall seriously ill and become weak, and in order to be freed, he will have to be a slave for three years in exchange for forgiveness.

This madness and crime drove Hercules to the brink of insanity, leading him down a path of revenge. Ultimately, he was betrayed by his wife, forced to wear clothes smeared with Hydra venom, and in the agonizing pain of being unable to die, he burned himself to ashes, which then ascended to Olympus.

In the end, Hercules had no choice but to reconcile with the goddess who had tormented him his entire life.

Now, Hera uses this power to drive Hercules mad once more.

"Kill me! I'll kill you!!!"

Completely enraged, Hercules brandished his oak club and roared as he hurled it at Jason beside him.

Just before his club was about to smash Jason's head, Tsurugi pounced like a red arrow, embracing Hercules and instantly disappearing into the endless sea.

The cold ocean waters instantly brought Heralex back to his senses, but his fiery madness still surged up in an instant.

"Karl, free me!"