Before Mount Olympus, Mother Earth advanced in anger. With Zeus by her side, her first strike might not have been able to shatter the Mount of the Gods, but as long as she tried enough times, she would eventually succeed. After all, strictly speaking, there was still a gap in their powers, even if it wasn't as evident with Gaia leading the offensive.
However, at this moment, standing opposite Mother Earth, Zeus, perplexed as he was, felt an urge to laugh.
Although he was inexplicably blamed for a great deal, it did indeed enrage the Divine King. Gaia's recent proclamation had put him on high alert, for after all, Mother Earth was one of the first Primordial Gods, and no one knew what other means she might have. Should she resolve to injure both sides, Zeus feared it really wouldn't end well for him.
Previously, Zeus had anticipated that it would never come to this... When Gaia realized she could not defeat him, and the Divine King provided her a way out, everything would end smoothly. He would have successfully established his authority, and Mother Earth would have lost face, but it wasn't anything too serious, considering it wasn't her first time.
Afterwards, both would 'make up as before,' which was the limit of what he could achieve now—after all, while Gaia might indeed be unable to defeat others on the earth, conversely, it was also difficult for anyone to defeat her.
However, all of that came to an end in the face of Mother Earth's sudden 'battle wisdom.' When Gaia approached Mount Olympus, Zeus entirely saw the possibility of subduing her on the spot.
On the whole, Gaia was still stronger than him at this moment, and as for the battle itself, Mother Earth's response was actually just right. As the embodiment of the earth, she should be favored on every part of the continent—except for Mount Olympus, since it was the Mountain God's divine body realized, a territory beyond her authority.
Thus, the existence of this divine mountain affected the balance between them, diminishing her advantage, while Zeus's Divine Authority remained intact. If he could destroy it, it would undoubtedly change the fragile balance between them at this moment.
Yet, immersed in her 'epiphany,' Mother Earth had clearly forgotten one issue: Why had she slept for hundreds of years, why was the display of Divine Power forbidden in the present world, and in the end, why was the earth the most strictly bound by the prohibition of Divine Power, followed by the sea, then The Sky, and why was it not so evident in the Underworld?
That was naturally because, in the eyes of the present world, all the changes at the turn of the eras placed the shift of the Sun at the very end; the East Sea occupied the runner-up spot, after all, it brought the ceaseless flow of sea vents. The collapse of the sky pillar and the sinking of the earth were what the Laws truly couldn't tolerate.
So at this moment, Zeus could clearly feel that the pressure of the Laws that lingered around because of the recent clash with Mother Earth had dissipated almost instantly. It even urged the Divine King to maintain Order. On Gaia, however, the pressure increased geometrically in an attempt to stop the mad Primordial God.
Sensing all of this, a subtle smile appeared on Zeus's lips. He channeled his transformative power into the Arrows of Thunder, sending the powerful Divine Artifact flying out to collide with the advancing Mother Earth. But, by coincidence or not, the Divine King couldn't stop all of Gaia's power. Instead, a minuscule portion leaked by accident, heading towards the rear, specifically at Mount Olympus.
What was minimal for the great beings was still enough to shake the land, and even such a rare divine mountain could not escape unscathed. Accompanied by a massive rumble, Mount Olympus shook twice, and the sky to The East swayed along with it, making it seem as if it would collapse the next moment.
However, fortunately, as a mountain range transformed from the Mountain God Ourea's divine body, Mount Olympus was extremely sturdy. And Gaia's wrathful strike was mostly blocked by the Thunder, failing to genuinely pour onto the divine mountain. Thus, under the horrified gazes of the gods, the majestic mountain shook several times but ultimately did not collapse. It still stood tall in the East.
However, what followed was the rolling of falling rocks into the earth, palaces and towers turning into rubble, and the few lives still in the mountains that hadn't had the chance to leave became dust in the face of the overwhelming force.
Yet, at the same time, because this scene was very similar to the epochal transition, the Laws of the present world increased the magnitude of the chains binding Mother Earth even more.
"Gaia... although you once helped me, I still haven't figured out what your vacillating stance at the time was all about,"
"You always had the ability to turn a situation that I envied into what it is now, then helplessly resent fate's injustice,"
Zeus murmured softly. Without sufficient Faith, without a complete set of twelve pillars, he couldn't have done anything to the Mother Goddess. But as he casually summoned back the Divine Artifact and looked at Gaia before him, the Divine King suddenly was in no mood to explain anything about the Golden Apple.
He would fight first, seize this rare opportunity to trample this old grandmother underfoot. When his authority was founded on the defeat of a Primordial God, and as the victor, he would then ask her what gave her the courage to dare to slander the King of All Gods!
Outside the Mount of the Gods, the great battle raged on. At this juncture, even the servants who once served the deities fled in all directions, with those remaining perishing under the recent strike, leaving the skies above Olympus deserted.