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

Wine is the blood of Jesus; he could conjure milk and bread out of thin air; he wore a crown of plants; as the son of the King of God, his mission was to preach from the East; he was murdered but rose again.

These were all things Dionysus did before ascending to Olympus.

Unlike the other chief gods on Mount Olympus, Dionysus's mother was a real mortal woman named Semele, who gave birth to Dionysus after conceiving the god-king. However, his mother died from the god-king's thunderbolt under the influence of Hera. Dionysus, who was premature, was thus sewn into his father's leg until he was fully pregnant and removed.

After that, the newborn Dionysus wandered around in a mad and erratic manner, but along the way he taught farmers how to make wine and grow crops, bringing them joyful preaching, and thus he became the most beloved god of the ancient Greek farmers.

He preached in this way all the way, from Greece to Asia Minor, and as far as India and Ethiopia. Wherever he went, music, song, and revelry followed. His attendants were known as the apostles of Dionysus, and were also famous for their boisterous and disorderly behavior. They laughed wildly without restraint, and drank, danced, and sang carelessly.

This aligns subtly with the path of Jesus in many ways, yet is entirely opposite in purpose.

What they have in common is that they are both gods who die and rise from the dead.

In this regard, some scholars, represented by "The Mystery of Jesus," believe that the story of Jesus is an adaptation of the ancient myth of the "god who died and rose again." Nietzsche, on the other hand, regards the two as opposing cultural symbols, using Dionysus to represent the affirmation of life instinct, while Jesus represents a kind of morality of the "weak."

Of course, in Tsugumi's view, they could absolutely not be the same person! Or rather, they were complete opposites!

The Dionysian cult is known for its mystical rituals of revelry, debauchery, and eating raw meat; some sects even claim to be the prototypes for a certain dark prince from the neighborhood.

Christianity, on the other hand, emphasizes temperance, love, selflessness, and moral reform, and is completely opposed to all Dionysian practices.

Their attitudes toward revenge are also diametrically opposed—the story of Dionysus culminates in a brutal revenge against his enemies, while the story of Jesus centers on the selfless love of sacrificing himself for his enemies.

The 2nd-century Greek philosopher Caesus used this as a basis to attack Christianity, arguing that a god who allowed himself to be humiliated was absurd.

And without a doubt, Dionysus, being so popular, became one of the many candidates in mythology to replace Zeus as the next king of the gods.

Moreover, Dionysus was extremely special, even the only one whose candidacy was not removed by Zeus through any means.

why?

Because if we follow the esoteric Buddhist system, Zeus would become an omnipotent Zeus after that, but if we follow the historical timeline...

Rome: Greece? It's over!!!

At this moment, Tsurugi learned from this Dionysus who had the same face as Teacher Daye that there was indeed a certain connection between the two.

In a sense, you can indeed see Dionysus as the other side of Jesus.

The two are independent entities, yet they are related—simply put, Jesus could reflect one aspect of himself onto Dionysus, while Dionysus also incorporated some elements into Jesus.

“I would often add new flavors to his boring wines.”

Dionysus raised a cup of divine blood, looking at Tsurugi with a wicked grin.

"And this time, he also made me aware of your existence, or rather, he asked me to watch over you and write your new story."

"So... you actually already knew the direction this mythological world was headed." Tsugumi raised an eyebrow, asking curiously.

“Cronus has already told you, the world is a cyclical process,” Dionysus said, swirling his crimson wine, his voice slurred with drunkenness.

"Simply put, our mythology begins with Chaos's creation and ends after the Trojan War. After that, our world will be rebuilt from scratch by my omnipotent father."

“Our will can break away from here and merge into our omnipotent father, or it can lead us to other worlds that have been created because of us, or start a new chapter. But—we will not know these things until the story ends.”

1036 >>

"So what's his relationship with that old man over there?"

Dionysus chuckled maliciously.

"Relationship? They used to be rivals, but now the two old men often quarrel for no reason, and often, the information from their existence collides and gives birth to worlds that are incompatible with the source."

"Therefore, you often see unreliable Gods or strange figures like Zeus who loves his family—this is the result of their collisions."

Although Greek mythology has been abandoned for eight hundred years, the existence of mythology itself does not require such faith; what it seeks is to be remembered.

It is clear that Greek mythology holds an undisputed position worldwide. In fact, if we consider only its narrative quality and adaptations, it contains even more stories than the relatively obscure Bible.

“I was born at the end of the world cycle, so I know everything, and therefore I indulge in drinking and revelry.”

Dionysus downed his drink in one gulp, hastily wiped away the drops from his lips, and grinned.

"But you—my brother, you were sent here by him. Your existence has brought a brand new 'sequel' to this world of origin mythology!"

"You changed destiny, brother, you changed the greatest destiny in the world!"

"You've led this origin myth down a path that no one can predict!!!"

The change brought about by Tsugumi was that the originally resolved war of giants was upgraded to a war of titans, and—for reasons unknown, he caused Cronus to acquire time power that did not belong to the source mythology, thus becoming the Time Titan.

But he was puzzled.

"What did I do? How did I end up being unfairly blamed for something like this?"

Tsugumi stared at Dionysus with a black line on her forehead.

He admitted that because he removed the lightning, Zeus in this origin myth faced a crisis where he could not kill Typhon in one fell swoop, but what did Cronus's sudden transformation into the Titan of Time have to do with him?

"Just because you haven't done it now doesn't mean you haven't done it in the past, or rather, whether you've done it or not is unimportant," Dionysus said sarcastically.

"When the element of 'time,' which shouldn't be there, appears in the original Greek mythology, how do the stories you know unfold?"

"For example—the world of the Spartan Ghost?"

"Going back in time, altering fate, conforming to fate, and thus almost wiping out Kratos of Olympus?"

"For example, in the world of Percy Jackson, the story of the gods was extended to the distant modern era due to the prophecy of time."

"Or—well, in any case, when a 'time' that shouldn't have appeared in our world appears, certain elements will inevitably develop."

"Did you really do anything? Maybe not, but when you introduce the power of time and elevate yourself above fate, the original course of events collapses. Do you really think the Three Fates are the weavers of all destiny?"

"No, they simply followed the predetermined course of fate, untangled the right threads, and then straightened and trimmed them. They were merely the writers of destiny, not its creators."

"When you rise above fate, time will appear. The result of following the sidelines that should not exist is that fate goes completely off the rails, giving birth to developments that no one could have predicted."

"...Just leave it alone!"

Tsugumi tried hard to understand the long string of riddles Dionysus had given him, and then he discovered—

Screw it, I can't be bothered to understand anymore!

"Just tell me directly, what do I need to do next?" Tsugumi said bluntly.

"Oh, brother, no one will force you to do anything; you can only do what you want to do."

Dionysus patted him on the shoulder and smiled with relief.

"If you want, you can stay here and rot until you die, it's not a problem!"

"I do not want it."

Dongjiang gave the guy a disgusted look. This guy who was gay and had Teacher Da Ye's face was unacceptable to him in every sense.

"So, are you planning to start a new game?" Dionysus swirled his wine glass, a playful expression on his face.

"Hecate is gone, so you can no longer reshape your body as you wish. But the good news is that, by the will of time and fate, your new identity is destined to offer a grander and more fascinating experience!"

"Besides—you still have one last dungeon you haven't finished experiencing, right?"

Dongjiang naturally knew what Dionysus referred to.

Trojan War

A truly undisputed gem and the largest heroic tale in Greek mythology—if the story of Hercules is the Greeks' Journey to the West, then the Trojan War is the Greeks' Romance of the Three Kingdoms or Investiture of the Gods.

The war, which lasted for ten years, drew in the Olympian gods to fight for both sides, resulting in the rise and fall of countless heroes.

1036>>>>

The story even extended into the Odyssey, and later Romans even claimed to be descendants of the Trojans.

This is a game that Tsugumi absolutely cannot miss, but—

“Oh, you needn’t worry, my friend, he won’t escape.” Dionysus raised his cup and laughed merrily.

"With your intervention, this war is no longer a war between mortals and a game between gods. Of course, seeing it for yourself would be more convincing than me telling you."

As Dionysus spoke, suddenly, a powerful tremor arose with the dust that fell from above. Tsurugi looked up and sensed a colossal creature approaching.

"Ah, it seems they've already attacked." Dionysus took another swig of wine and sighed.

Looks like I'll have to reunite with my party friends again.

His finger gently tapped the stone basin in front of him, and as the water spread, a picture appeared in it.

And this scene is exactly what it looks like outside of Mount Olympus at this moment!

A pitch-black storm, accompanied by a terrifying roar, enveloped a colossal, chilling creature.

Typhon, the ancestor of all demons, is attacking Olympus!

But the situation was not as terrifying and irreversible as the remnants of time that Cronus showed Tsurugi; rather, it was a situation where both sides had their victories and defeats.

The city of Troy has now been completely destroyed, and scattered Greek forces are resisting a tidal wave of monsters.

On the sea, Poseidon's army, along with Oceanus's and Phorcys's armies, were locked in a stalemate, but Apollo in the sky had gained the upper hand and suppressed the primordial sun.

Typhon approached Olympus, and with a rising dark cloud, the King of Gods finally made his move.

Without a doubt, even after being strengthened, the progenitor of all demons is no match for Zeus as he is now, but—

At this moment, gathered at the foot of Mount Olympus were many Titans and giants, and even Cyclopes and Hundred-Handed Giants.

Then, an ancient voice from the depths of the earth began to command them.

"Destroy Olympus, at all costs!!!"

1037

The author, a life-drainer, personally recommends: I hope you enjoy the story of "Traveling Through the Heavens, Can You Still Be Smarter Than Me?" on the book club forum.

757. Zagreus, the God of Rebirth

Olympus trembled and shook.

The rumbling earth relentlessly destroyed the mountain's foundation, while the Titans climbing within it wreaked havoc with unbridled abandon.

Hephaestus and his Bronze Talos giants, which he had created, stood at the foot of the mountain as the first line of defense. Their enemies were the legions of the former Golden Age, and they were commanded by a large group of enormous giants with human bodies and dragon lower bodies.

They were the Guigantes giants, or simply the giants!

They possess the same power and origin as the Titans, but unlike the Titans, who are essentially gods, they only have enormous bodies and savage power, without the divine authority and power to control the world.

But—power alone is enough.

They pushed three mountains, only slightly shorter than Olympus, into fortresses—Mount Thessaly, Mount Pyrion, and Mount Osa. With the bounty of the earth, the mountains were transformed into war fortresses by the Cyclopes and Hecatoncheires, and were directed to march toward Olympus!