Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Chapter 630 - 209: Draw the Sword

Hell and the outside world are different; women are a rare existence within the Nine Hells, for the Silver Generation had no women.

The women that exist today are mostly demons born later, and although some are powerful, most do not have the ability to be active in the mortal realm.

In this case, a female from hell who could also partake in feasts of gods, while satisfying these three conditions, simply could not be anyone else.

Keto, a sea monster who had once drank the Blood of Heavenly Father, was deceived by the Great Devil Mephisto into becoming his accomplice and later became the True God of false beauty.

Only she met these conditions, and the Golden Apple was significant only for her. "To the most beautiful goddess," which restricted the competition for it to those recognized by all gods.

And now, the Golden Apple that attracted the gods’ attention was before Keto, within reach should she extend her hand.

"What is this situation?"

"When did she arrive, and why wasn’t I notified?"

In a low exclamation, seated conspicuously near the Divine King, Pontus’s eldest son, the Gentle God of the Sea, Nereus, was momentarily at a loss.

His remark didn’t really make sense, especially since Keto was among the few who could come and go from the palace of the Primordial Sea God without notifying anyone beforehand or facing any obstruction. Moreover, unlike other deities, Nereus was aware of Keto’s existence.

Or rather, in the mortal realm, Keto had been actively and openly present for thousands of years, and if her name wasn’t more prominent, it was only because she chose to keep a low profile.

As a True God who had sided with the Nine Hells, Keto’s situation was different from that of Mephisto and Crius.

The former was a black sheep, always had been. A quasi-god appearing suddenly attracted considerable attention and could easily draw the Divine Court’s scrutiny. Thus, though he often traveled to the mortal realm, the Great Devil was always cautious.

As for the latter, the original Crius was indeed a recognized god, but having been reborn, he faced a situation similar to Mephisto’s.

He was a black sheep now, especially after being reborn with a body that bore regional characteristics following the first war of the Abyss. Moreover, even disregarding his rebirth, he was a prisoner exiled by the Divine Court; if possible, Zephyrus and Poseidon, who took over his meteorological authority, would likely seize any opportunity to attack him.

But Keto was different; she had left Olympus’s divine feast voluntarily earlier when she first met Mephisto. Her departure from Mount of the Gods was solely because of Aphrodite.

She was not wanted by the Divine Court, nor had she offended any contemporary gods or committed any crimes, so she didn’t need to conceal her existence. The greatest fear Keto had previously—the real Goddess of Beauty exposing the authority she held under her facade of false beauty—no longer existed.

As Mephisto had once promised, although it was difficult to change a deity’s true form, being the inherent appearance they were born with, exceptions did occur.

Thus now, even through the veil of authority Keto wielded, what was displayed before all gods was no longer her twisted half-snake, half-fish form, but a physique robust and full of allure.

Her slender tail swayed behind her, and a pair of delicate sharp horns grew on her head, with the darkness and fire of Purgatory swirling and burning within them.

Though this still differed from most deities, just like some gods had wings, Keto’s new form wasn’t repelled by the gods like the Titans were; instead, it was seen as a distinguishing feature.

Even in the eyes of some deities, this was regarded as a special bonus.

— With a snap —

It seemed like a long time had passed, but it was only a moment. Following a sharp snap, in the deathly silent great hall, Aphrodite’s armrest broke in response.

However, at this moment, the Goddess of Beauty seemed unaware of what she had done, merely glaring at Keto as if looking at an enemy.

For a moment, the gods, initially startled by Andrea, regained their composure. Regardless, the Golden Apple seemed to have found its owner, but who was this unfamiliar deity, and why didn’t they remember her?

However, while the others might be puzzled, Aphrodite was not. Although she did not recognize Keto, this did not stop her from acting hostile.

— With a tear —

"What are you, and from where do you, a wild god, dare to come here to partake in the Divine King’s feast, contesting the ownership of the Golden Apple!"

Her swift movement tore her garment, and Aphrodite’s voice was even somewhat shrill, unsure why she felt so furious, but she was indeed angry.

Reborn once, Keto’s appearance had already changed, and thus the false image she crafted with her authority had altered too, save for the gods with the same lineage from the Primordial Sea God, hardly any deity would equate her with the original goddess.

But while her body could change, her authority would not be replaced.

Almost immediately upon seeing this goddess she had never met before, a vast void and malice rose from within Aphrodite.

She wanted to kill her—although gods are undying, for some reason, Aphrodite wanted to kill her!

Perhaps she could not tolerate the title "Most Beautiful Goddess" falling to someone other than herself... Regardless, at this moment, Aphrodite seemed to have forgotten her surroundings.

Strength surged within her, and she stepped forward, rushing towards the deity whose power was clearly less than her own.

And for reasons unknown, the gods present did not intervene. Even Zeus, who was most bound to maintain order, recalling the almost familiar sense, did nothing.

He wanted to see why Keto felt familiar to him and what was special about her—then, the next moment, the situation drastically surpassed what the gods had anticipated.

— With a swoosh —

With a side step, Keto deftly dodged Aphrodite’s aimless charge.

She promptly grabbed the other’s garment, and then pressed down hard.

Following a muffled sound, the Goddess of Beauty immediately fell to the ground, and at this moment, Keto even took the Golden Apple leisurely and looked down at the being she once feared profoundly.

"Aphrodite, right?"

On her journey to the Mortal Realm, Keto had received two commands successively. One from the Monarch of the Central Court, who foresaw the birth of the conflict over the Golden Apple, and ordered her to return to Hell with it as soon as possible. The other was from the Lord of the Nine Hells, whose request was exactly the opposite. Asmodeus commanded her to stir up conflicts among the gods, and to ignite wars in the mortal realm, just avoiding Silver Moon City.

However, the deity of Silver Moon City did not even attend this banquet, so that requirement was practically nonexistent... Feeling the surge of power within, Keto smiled indulgently.

"I am the daughter of the Primordial Sea God, the symbol of the peril of the sea, Keto. Part of this palace belongs to me as well, why shouldn’t I be here?"

"As for you... true to the weakest of the Principal Gods of Olympus, compared to your face, your combat power is indeed a joke."

Aphrodite was still struggling, but even far across the sea, above the sleeping trenches of Pontus, the Law’s suppression on deities still existed significantly.

When the advantage in Divine Power was leveled, the conflict between the two Goddesses of Beauty became a one-sided slaughter. Holding the Golden Apple, an intriguing thought crossed Keto’s mind at that moment.

She raised her hand and wrote two characters on the Golden Apple, then with a gentle tug, three pieces of the peel fell to the ground. While the bystanders had yet to react, Keto took a step back. She released her hold over the Goddess of Beauty and, with a backhand slap, stuck the three pieces of peel onto Aphrodite’s face.

Smack—

Rooting into the flesh, even just a piece of the peel of the Golden Apple, which contained a strong Life Force, had an indestructible property. In the next instant, Aphrodite’s cheeks were exposed before all gods.

"You wanted the Golden Apple, but I think you only deserve a peel; you wanted to be ’the most beautiful goddess,’ but I think this suits you much better."

Laughing loudly, Keto said disdainfully:

"Aphrodite, aren’t you going to thank me for the gift I gave you?"

Three pieces of peel, three lines of writing, only the middle piece stuck to her forehead was written by Keto. On the Golden Apple, only the character ’beauty’ remained.

As for Aphrodite’s face... from left to right, only [To the most-useless-goddess].

…

"Ahhhhhhh...!"

"Keto! Ares, you kill her for me!"

Initially dazed, Aphrodite hadn’t even realized what had happened.

But the next moment, she saw her current disarray in the eyes of the other deities.

The flames of shame and anger almost consumed her, she frantically rubbed her cheeks, but the marks caused by the Golden Apple were clearly not so easily erased.

In fact, as a supplement, Aphrodite actually didn’t need to do anything; once she fully absorbed the power contained in the Golden Apple, the line of text would naturally disappear, and it could even beautify her. But for the Goddess of Beauty at that moment, even a minute or a second was unbearable.

With her hands covering her face, her sharp screams echoed above The Temple, and finally, upon his wife’s screaming, the War God realized what had occurred. He immediately drew his sword, ready to reclaim honor on Keto.

In terms of Divine Power, Ares wasn’t even as strong as the Goddess of Beauty. However, in terms of combat power, if not for the Law suppressing Divine Power, he could even take on two Aphrodites.

The suppression by the Law was more pronounced in strictly regulated areas, like now, where he could easily defeat ten Goddesses of Beauty over the sea.

However, Ares clearly forgot that this was the palace of the Ancient Sea God, and all gods were gathered here at this moment.

"Enough!"

A stern shout erupted, and a vast presence surged from Zeus’s being.

In a flash, the situation in the arena changed abruptly.

He could no longer afford to explore the familiar feeling on Keto, as the Divine King looked around expressionlessly, causing several other eager gods to quickly abandon their intentions.

"Your Majesty, please take her down quickly, send her into the Abyss!"

As if seeing a savior, Aphrodite shouted out immediately; however, Keto remained calm and composed.

"How is it, attacking me in my own Temple, a very sensible thing to do?"

"I implore the just Divine King to administer punishment—remember, I responded with kindness, not only did I not strike her harshly, but I even gave her a gift, preserving her remaining beauty!"

Sometimes rules can be disregarded, but sometimes they cannot.

Since Zeus had gathered all gods in heaven and earth, Keto truly didn’t believe he would act irrationally just for Aphrodite.