Chapter 156: The Division
Inside the temple, the fair hand of the divine power sphere gently pulled. Athena, in her white robe with a purple ribbon, was completely drawn into the sphere of divine power. The sphere pulsed, expanded, and quickly shrank, entering Athena’s body.
Athena’s sky-blue hair scattered over her shoulders. She was bathed in sacred light. Her clothes were incinerated in the holy light, and the residual divine power then formed a new white robe with a purple ribbon, enveloping her.
She walked out barefoot. Tedus looked at his daughter in shock and reverence, respectfully saying: “Are you the Ancestor Goddess now, or Athena?”
Athena looked back at Tedus, saying playfully: “I am of course your daughter, Athena!”
She then radiated holy light. Her eyes transformed from ruby-red to gold. She spoke solemnly:
“But the Ancestor Goddess is also within me. Her projection cannot remain in the Inner Plane of the world indefinitely. I am the most suitable vessel. The will of the Ancestor Goddess permits the independence of the Cimali region and its unification with His Excellency Pontos, the Son of the Sea. They shall lead an expedition to the Northern March to purify the projection of the Abyssal Archon Dorkabach!”
Tedus Rona listened and bowed solemnly: “Your will is our command!”
He thought with agony: Medimus City-State was once the largest city-state in all of Salia, possessing three major settlements. Now, the entire Northern March region was converted into an Abyssal Projection. With the secession of the Cimali region, the city-state was reduced to a single city, becoming a true city-state once again.
Tedus spent decades as the Crown Prince, developing the city-state into a great nation with three major settlements, occupying one-third of the Salia Peninsula. Now, only a few years into his reign as King, the city-state was returned to the size it was at its founding. Sorrow welled up in his heart.
Athena did not notice Her father’s subtle psychological shift. She was now sharing Her body with the Goddess’s projection. Her entire soul was being subtly influenced. It was fortunate that She was already a Great Hero and could withstand the divine power of the projection.
In fact, if Her soul could endure it, the trial of divine power was a massive gift, which would greatly enhance Her bloodline potential.
Athena walked barefoot onto the solid marble floor. She walked step by step out of the temple, looking at the people in the square. She radiated boundless divine majesty, compelling the city-state’s populace to involuntarily bow down.
The sound of crashing waves approached from the distance. A boundless sea of water descended from the heavens, suspended above the Royal City. A massive sea giant emerged from the waves.
“Respected Medea, Goddess of Elegance, Pontos has come to formally establish the pact with you!”
Hearing the voice, Athena’s eyes shone with golden light. Elegant music played. Countless spirits of elegance were born from the void. She stepped onto the void with Her bare, snow-white feet, slowly walking toward the sky. Her posture was so elegant and graceful. Every glance, every movement, embodied the rhythm of elegance.
With every step She took, the hearts of the populace calmed a little more. Every time Her bare foot touched the void, the domain of elegance expanded a little more. By the time She reached the massive sea giant, the entire city-state was enveloped by the domain of elegance.
“I, Medea, Goddess of Elegance, swear an oath with Pontos, the Son of the Sea, to the River Styx! Effective immediately, the Cimali region is independent, and the Guard Authority and Worship Allegiance belong to Pontos, the Son of the Sea.”
“In return, Pontos, the Son of the Sea, shall serve as the main force, uniting with My projection to eliminate the Abyssal Archon Dorkabach and ensure the peaceful coexistence of both protected city-states for 50 years.”
She was bathed in the holy light of elegance, speaking softly. Her gaze was level with the sea giant. A pair of fair, elegant hands extended from the holy light.
The sea giant looked intently at the holy light and extended his massive hand, touching Athena’s fair hand.
With the touch of the two Deities, the power of fundamental rules emerged. The invisible River Styx materialized. Their oath was heard by the River Styx and witnessed by the Ruler of the Underworld!
Above the city, in the realm invisible to the naked eye, a colossal lion materialized. It looked majestic, yet it was completely bathed in black blood. A gray-dark serpentine shadow chased it.
Surrounding the colossal lion were countless flashes of blood-red light, carrying malice and resentment. Looking closely, they seemed to be the residents of the Northern March. They surrounded the colossal lion with their blood-red forms, seemingly blaming the lion for its failure to guard them.
The colossal lion roared, fighting desperately with the gray-dark serpentine shadow.
Athena looked at the colossal lion with a hint of sorrow. She extended Her hand, which glowed intensely. The inherent Authority of the city-state’s patron poured into the colossal lion’s body.
Tedus, as a Great Hero, possessed superhuman abilities. He saw the colossal lion and knew it represented the Authority of the city-state, a formalized construct of rules born from the system of its populace.
As the King of the city-state, Tedus was intimately linked to the colossal lion. The two shared fortune and misfortune. Aside from the Authority power that sustains the patron Deity, the rest nourishes him.
Now the colossal lion was in pain, and he, too, felt the pain.
When the power of the oath surged into the colossal lion’s body, the Mana pulse caused a violent disturbance. An invisible force, representing the region of Cimali, tore at the colossal lion.
The colossal lion writhed violently in the sky, evading the pursuit of the gray-dark serpentine shadow. It leaped fiercely, opened its mouth wide, and surprisingly spat out a soaking wet killer whale!
The killer whale immediately engaged the gray-dark serpentine shadow, viciously biting it. The colossal lion, breathing weakly, then joined the killer whale in fighting the gray-dark serpentine shadow.
Tedus weakly clutched his chest. He could feel that he had lost half of his Authority boost.
The King is merely the shepherd of the Deity, overseeing the populace of the city-state on behalf of the patron Deity. Although the King can share a portion of the Authority power, the vast majority is reserved for the Deity and cannot belong to the King.
The colossal lion represented the Authority of the system formed by 300,000 common people and nearly 1,000,000 slaves. If this systemic power belonged solely to Tedus, he could, in a short time, become a Sub-Human King, wielding the power of a top-tier Eternal Epic Hero in the Inner Plane of the world.
If he could unify the entire Salia Continent, achieving the status of a true King of Salia, the Authority boost could grant him power no less than that of a Demigod, though his lifespan would not rival a Demigod’s.
Unfortunately, he was not the Human King, the true ruler of humanity. He was merely the designated shepherd of the patron Deity, and thus, had no true Authority power of his own.
The domain power is the source of a Deity’s strength. Authority is merely a supplement for Deities with insufficient domain power. This supplement is much safer than relying on worship and is therefore widely used by the new Deities.
This is why Rona, the God of Frost, was unconcerned with the annihilation of Rona City-State. He had already solidified His domain power, relying on frost as His source of strength.
He had made a deal with the Goddess of Love and Desire, sacrificing His final Authority power to the Goddess of Elegance, who had not yet achieved godhood, to ensure Her safe, seamless ascension.
In the sky above, Pontos handed a conch shell to Athena, the Goddess’s human vessel.
“When you detect the Abyssal Archon Dorkabach, blow this conch horn. I will appear immediately!”
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