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

The omnipotent Zeus, with the majesty of the king of the gods, issued this command; whether it was punishment or reward remains unknown.

"Apollo, from now on you are the new sun god! This is the end of everything. Gods, return to your rightful places!"

The thunderous roar subsided, and the gods returned to their seats in agreement, while the mortals on earth remained unaware of what had transpired above.

They only saw the golden figure carrying their hopes rush towards the sun, and then the sun, which had been expanding infinitely and causing the earth to boil, calmed down.

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Two lines of clear tears streamed down Medea's face, but what was written on her delicate and beautiful face was not sorrow, but... obsession.

"I will find you, brother."

She spoke softly, then slowly drew a strange dagger from her waist. The dagger had an inverted hourglass in its hollowed-out center, from which fine golden sand flowed as she moved.

The story of the Child of Hope is thus etched into the heavens.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

P.S.: Before diving into the third story, I want to write a short, heavily modified Fate/Apocrypha Holy Grail storyline, which should take about three or four days to complete. The main purpose is to first go back to the moon to see how the legend surrounding Tsugumi is projected as a Servant, and also to fill in some plot holes. Then I'll come back to write about the third reincarnation, and the various identities after the third reincarnation. I want to stay in Godkiller (I'm currently catching up on the setting for this; I watched the anime a long time ago, and the original manga's seventeen volumes gave me a headache, mainly because there's a new world view in the sequel, and the setting and length are giving me a headache. To be honest, I'm afraid of getting flamed for writing this, and even if I were to write it, it would probably have to wait a while...).

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752. The Second Life's Summary, The Strange Underworld

"And so, the Son of the Sun, who carried the hopes of all mankind, met his end."

"Mortals were unaware of Hera's betrayal and how he defeated Hera, severely damaging the dignity of Olympus, but this story was eventually passed down through the world."

"Long ago, in the birthplace of ancient Greece, there was a hero named Calair, who was incredibly strong and passionate."

He possesses a power called hope, a power that the wise Athena placed in Pandora's Box, intending to save humanity.

That was not divine power, so no divine blood flowed through his veins. But the power of hope was enough to rival the majesty of the gods.

He used this power to walk the land of Greece, rescuing countless people in need. He didn't discriminate based on nationality, gender, or age; he would reach out to anyone he saw who hoped to be saved.

He also used this power to kill many kings, whether cruel or cunning, and to rescue those who had suffered greatly.

He doesn't act for princesses or power, nor does he care about power or nobility. He is a hero to the kind-hearted poor and a nightmare to the rich and heartless.

However, he was also an unreasonable warmonger. In the eyes of the Greek heroes, he was a guy with the power of Hercules, but far more unreasonable than Hercules, who would find any excuse to start a war with them.

After saving countless lives, the hero finally returned to Colchis and became its king after Aeetes' death. However, his actions angered the high sun god Helios, who then unleashed his fury with thunderbolts.

They fought a great battle. Helios's radiance was so dazzling. He was the head of the stars, the great Titan, and the source of all light and heat in the world!

But even such a great man was ultimately defeated by Calel, because Calel possessed power comparable to Hercules, and the enraged sun god decided to bring down the sun to destroy the earth.

The Child of Hope stopped the sun god's tyranny, but also caused the sun god's chariot to crash, and the sun eventually became uncontrollable, turning into a huge fireball hanging in the sky and scorching the world.

The sea is drying up, the forests are burning, and it has become so difficult for people on the land to survive. The seawater has swallowed them up, the green leaves have withered, and the people working in the fields are suffering even more!

Therefore, the Son of Hope chose to sacrifice himself.

He transformed into a radiant giant, plunged into the burning sun, and used himself as fuel to restore it to its original state. The earth was restored to its former glory, the sea became cool again, the olive leaves remained green, and the farmers began to cultivate the land once more.

Moved by this great sacrifice, the all-powerful Zeus entrusted the sun to the great Apollo, and thus a new sun god was born.

He married the beautiful Selene to the son of hope and allowed them to meet and merge on a single day each year.

When they merge, even during the day the earth becomes dark and devoid of light, and this is the origin of a solar eclipse...

"Damn it, how come the unofficial history popped up right after I died?"

As Dongjiang painstakingly crawled out of the blood-red River Styx, the first thing he heard when he heard the storyteller in his ear was the voice of someone cursing.

Damn it, now you don't even hide your anecdotes anymore, huh? I just died and you're already spreading rumors about me!

When did I get involved with Selene? I've never even met this Moon Goddess!

And what about Hera? Where's the Hera I beat up? What about the charged punch I owe her?

“You have to consider the impact. You can’t make up a story in front of the temple’s believers about the Queen’s despicable betrayal and subsequent beating.”

The old voice telling the story retorted fiercely.

"The truth about you being visited by temple followers isn't you; I'm just a blind storyteller!"

"FA♂Q!" Tsugumi responded by raising her middle finger in disdain.

But overall, is he satisfied with this chapter of his life?

Hmm? I'd give it around 70 points.

After all, it's bound to be more satisfying than the last one, right? Compared to dying young at the age of thirteen, as a symbol of humanity's hope, he faced the sun and died, sacrificing himself to save humanity. Is there anything more heroic than that?

That's just too heroic!

Tsurugi has already sensed the many creative stories projected across the heavens surrounding his myth!

Ignoring the pairings of herself and Selene, and ignoring the unofficial histories—what surprised Tsurugi the most was one thing.

"Ha, I guess I've finally become a Superman Origin!" Tsugumi laughed heartily.

His name is Karl, his ability is to absorb sunlight, he has a red cape, he can fly, he can shoot laser eyes, and he can freeze everything with his breath.

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Ha, who can tell the difference between Superman and me now?

Of course, the parts of myths and legends that have been passed down are not this detailed at all. In fact, in the myths, he is a hero with a similar role to Hercules.

It simply has the ability to fly, and an element closely related to the sun—as well as this name.

The result of this reversal of cause and effect is that, in some parts of the world, he truly became the origin of Superman.

This almost obvious character design has led to many worlds 'creating' him in a way that leans towards the Superman image, to the point that some DC universes have actually seen the existence of 'Greek Superman variants'.

How can I describe how Tsurue feels right now?

The fact that my actions have caused such a significant impact and branching developments in the heavens feels...

Hehe, he can't wait to go and see a certain DC universe!

"Okay, okay, let's calm down for a bit."

Dongjiang patted his face, suppressing his near-hysterical laughter, then walked through the vast fields of withered poisonous flowers and entered the daffodil plain.

In this wilderness filled with scorching lava and wandering dark spirits, Tsugumi sensed that something was amiss.

...The underworld seems unusually quiet today?

The dark spirits and underground monsters that used to roam the Daffodil Plains seemed to have vanished without a trace.

Dongjiang frowned slightly, stepped onto a ship floating on endless lava, and propelled himself upwards along a tributary of the River Styx.

As he left the scorching Narcissus Plains and reached the Mourning Fields, the lava receded and transformed back into a tributary of the River Styx. Looking at the golden waters, Tsurugi blinked.

What happened? Who threw something into the River Styx?

Of course—that's not how it works. Tsugumi could obviously tell what those golden liquids were.

This is an almost inexhaustible supply of liquid gold, a treasure of the underworld.

Hades, the ruler of the underworld, is not only the king of this realm of the dead, but also the owner of all the treasures buried underground. Therefore, almost all the gold in the world rightfully belongs to him.

And it is said that this gold was a byproduct of the ancient golden age of mankind, which was ruled by the Titans... Anyway, don't worry about these settings.

Having waded through this seemingly solidified liquid gold, Tsurugi arrived at a crossroads. He jumped off the boat, but Hecate was not there.

Dongjiang's heart sank slightly, and a feeling that made him increasingly uneasy spread through his mind. He walked to the Shadow Cauldron, looked at the dried-up bottom of the cauldron and the potion ingredients scattered all around, and frowned.

What happened? Where did Hecate go? Who attacked?

The Fates? Hades? It can't be Olympus, can it?

And—how long has it been since I was brought back to life this time?

Tsugumi's doubts grew stronger, and just then, the Moro Flower in front of her suddenly made a rustling sound. Tsugumi immediately became alert—

"...It's been a long time, brother."

The next moment, a voice familiar to Tsugumi rang out softly. Then, a tall, mature, and beautiful witch removed her black hood, looking at Tsugumi with a mixture of nostalgia and expectation.

"Medea?" Tsuruge raised an eyebrow; he never expected to see his stepsister from his previous life here.

"How did you get here? Wait, how much time has passed, and what happened to you?"

"I thought you no longer cared about me and my brother, brother," Medea said waddling over to Tsurugi, her voice filled with resentment.

"Ten years. Ten years have passed since you died!"

—So you're saying I've been adrift in the River Styx for ten years?

This was something that should never have happened, but given that Hecate's whereabouts are unknown and no one is trying to rescue him, it is indeed quite possible.

Tsurugi didn't think too much about it. He casually pulled over a rock, sat down, and then looked at Medea curiously.

"You seem to know a lot, so I should interrogate you thoroughly to find out what happened. But—tell me about your experience first?"

"If you still consider me your older brother," Tsugumi said, spreading her hands.

Regarding Medea's providing Tsugumi with a real-life account, Tsugumi stated that she remained emotionally stable.

Even if we catch him red-handed, what can we do? At worst, he can just run away. Anyway, he's already made enough money on this trip, and he's had his fun.

Moreover, he was generally very satisfied with his little sister—at least she hadn't done anything stupid or backstabbing, which made him very happy.

"...Even if you have a new body and a different name, what I acknowledge is your soul."

Medea walked over, her slender, pale fingers gently tracing his cheek, and murmured dreamily.

"You will always be my most respected and admired elder brother..."

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Then, Medea recounted what had happened to her.

After the death of the Thrush, the Colchis people, in order to commemorate his existence, chose to worship the Thrush as a god, and Medea took over the throne, preparing to hand over the power to rule the country to her younger brother when he came of age.

The heroes of Argonauts returned with the Golden Fleece, for the oath was broken after Tsurugi's death, and Medea was happy to exchange the Golden Fleece for the promises of the Argonauts.

Five years passed in this way. After Absyltus grew into a fifteen-year-old young man, Medea returned the power of the king to her brother and chose to go to sea alone.

She first visited the island of Circe, where she spent six months with her aunt, before setting off to Athens, Sparta, Thebes, and Mars, passing through Iolcas and Mycenae along the way.

Jason returned to his kingdom and became king, fully understanding his uncle's true intentions. He warmly welcomed Medea, but she was unwilling to stay.