Chapter 230

The Goddess of Life tightly gripped Zeus’ crown, from which unceasing lightning bolts wildly surged out in every direction.

It was as if the crown itself was trying to return to its former master, Zeus, or perhaps was attempting to escape the grasp of the Beautiful Goddess. Razor-sharp streaks of lightning fiercely lashed about.

However, the Goddess of Life seemed completely unfazed. In fact, she even wore a small smile, as if silently encouraging it to do its worst.

As a little time passed, the lightning spurting from Zeus’ crown gradually began to diminish.

Much like a wild horse that had been tamed and worn out by its rider, the golden crown fell silent, seemingly devoid of any remaining strength to unleash more lightning.

“Hmph. What a pointless decoration. No matter how much you suppress your power to control it, at this rate, you can’t even release one-tenth of your original output. Tch. Guess I’ll have to crush this shell.”

With that, the Goddess of Life firmly clenched the hand gripping Zeus’ crown. The once-mighty golden crown crumpled like paper.

The gold crown bent and cracked, revealing the hidden form beneath.

And then, from under the golden shell emerged the pure lightning laurel crown, restored to its true form.

This was the symbol of authority belonging to the King of the Gods, the embodiment of divine power.

“Now that’s more like it.”

The Goddess of Life smiled contentedly at the sight of the lightning laurel crown.

“Alright then…”

Instead of placing it on her head, she casually stored the crown in a box that appeared out of nowhere and tucked it away in her embrace, as if she had no intention of using it herself.

“What should I do with you fools who tried to forcibly make someone a god against their will and sacrificed your fellow believers?”

The Goddess of Life glanced around at the surrounding gods with a smirk and lightly snapped her fingers. As if their frozen mouths had been freed, various gods began speaking up.

“S-spare us, Great Goddess of Life!”

“I-I… surely my head was shattered? When did I regenerate…?”

“G-grk… It was Zeus! Zeus insisted! He forced us with his authority! We didn’t want to!”

Each god started barking excuses, trying desperately to avoid the impending crisis. Among them was Poseidon, whose shattered head had instantly regenerated, leaving him confused about what was happening.

Looking at them now, there was nothing left of the formerly mighty gods – just pitiful beings begging for their lives.

“Show us mercy, Great Goddess of Life! Are you not the most merciful of all deities?”

“Merciful? Me?”

At one god’s plea, the Goddess of Life chuckled softly.

“Wherever did you hear such nonsense about me being merciful?”

“The compassion of the Goddess of Life is known to all living beings! Even now, countless beings pray to you, and you respond by healing their illnesses and pains, do you not?”

“That’s just me extending a helping hand to poor children crying in pain. It’s not because I’m merciful or anything like that.”

While the world might call such acts mercy, the Goddess of Life viewed them as simply doing what was natural.

“And if I were truly merciful… I would have eliminated war and suffering from this world long ago. By allowing such things to continue because they’re ‘necessary,’ I am far from merciful.”

Speaking thus, the Goddess of Life wore a slightly bitter expression.

“And if I were truly merciful… I would have wiped out all of you half-baked gods before you could cause trouble. Or maybe letting you exist is an act of mercy? But if helping some causes others to suffer, is that really mercy?”

She tilted her head thoughtfully, questioning the very concept of mercy.

“Well, let’s put off exploring the meaning of mercy for now. Just because I extend a helping hand to other forms of life doesn’t mean I’ll offer you the same. Though I did try, but you lot rejected it.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Sky God Baal. The arrogant ruler you refused. The heaven’s deity I appointed to manage you unruly gods. If you had accepted his rule and recognized his authority…”

“But…!”

“But? You defied his rule, which was defying my will. Is showing mercy to such beings really wise?”

The gods couldn’t think of a suitable response.

After all, they had indeed rejected Baal’s governance and rebelled against his authority. That defiance led to Baal shattering into fragments, his disconnected spirit pieces becoming independent gods who established Olympus.

And now, their leader…

“Grghhh…”

Was rapidly weakening without his crown of power and authority.

His shining golden hair was turning into dull white strands, and his muscular physique began shrinking.

Like rewinding time, Zeus was aging rapidly.

“Hmm? So it seems your body was maintained through Baal’s power. What a wasteful use. How amusing.”

The Goddess of Life mocked the rapidly aging Zeus.

Zeus wanted to say something but could only produce weak groans, now reduced to a frail old god.

“So, how shall we deal with you? A quick death? Or perhaps eternal despair suits you better, Zeus? What would you prefer?”

“Grgh… Ugh… Give it back…”

“Oh? What was that?”

“My… Return to me my crown! My power! My authority!”

Zeus struggled to speak with great effort.

“Hah! Since when was that ever yours? Didn’t you steal it from Baal? Truly greedy, aren’t you?”

The Goddess of Life sneered at Zeus.

“Of course, that’s why you could so easily steal and use Baal’s power. Such a despicable creature!”

“Grgh…”

Seeing Zeus’ pitiful state, the Goddess of Life continued.

“Killing you would be too easy. The pain would be fleeting. Though I could torment your soul after death, memories eventually wash away, making reincarnation questionable. Hmm… No.”

The Goddess of Life grabbed Zeus’ aged head and lifted it up.

“Zeus, do you know what happened to Odin?”

“Odin?”

“Yes. His end during Ragnarok, as reported by Hermes.”

At the mention of this, Zeus’ golden iris began to tremble, knowing full well his fate.

“Since you know, this will be easier. But merely becoming human would be too merciful.”

The Goddess of Life grabbed Zeus’ neck, causing him to start gasping for air.

“You’re not even worthy of being human. A maggot would suit you better.”

“A maggot…?”

“Indeed. And I’ve already thought of a fitting name for you.”

As she spoke, Zeus’ body began to transform.

His wrinkled skin began cracking like brittle tree bark, scattering like broken pebbles. Piece by piece, Zeus’ physical form disintegrated until only his head and neck remained in the Goddess of Life’s grip.

“You will no longer be a god. No one will worship you. You will become the most insignificant existence imaginable. Yet still, you won’t be able to restrain your greed.”

Hearing this verdict, Zeus’ face contorted in rage. With his last ounce of strength, he screamed:

“O Goddess of Life! You shall be cursed! Cursed forever! The world of life you cherish so much – you will never set foot there again! Never approach your beloved lives! Goddess of Life! Be cursed!”

As Zeus delivered his final curse, fine cracks began appearing across his remaining head and neck.

“Tch. Such a pathetic curse. Not even amusing.”

With that, the Goddess of Life tightened her grip, causing Zeus’ form to shatter into pieces.

“To the fragment of Baal, I bestow a new name… Baalsebul. Though calling you that feels disrespectful to Baal himself, so I’ll modify it slightly. Your new name shall be Belzebub. King of flies who can only feast on rotting corpses and filth.”

When all that remained was a single fly the size of a child’s fist in the Goddess of Life’s hand, it was clear that all Zeus’ divinity had been stripped away, leaving behind only pure greed.

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