Crete Island, the place where Zeus was born and raised, saw the Divine King grant his bloodline to a mortal once again.
However, this time, perhaps because the much stronger Zeus had prepared in advance, or possibly because he left his [Thunder] on Mount of the Gods as a diversion, the Heavenly Empress was completely unaware of the anomaly here.
Meanwhile, three rafts from the beaches of the Phoenician kingdom made their way into the sea. Without sails, helpers, or even sea charts, the brave princes embarked on a journey to find their sister. Full of confidence, they agreed to meet again in ten years, then, wielding heavy oars, they set off in directions toward where Europa had vanished.
It was just an ordinary day, nothing more than an amorous pursuit by the Divine King. Yet even Zeus himself did not realize that as the King of All Gods, increasingly bound by the laws of this world, his every action actually brought consequences, big or small.
So, when the three princes left the kingdom, and when one of them finally crossed the vast sea to touch land, deep within the earth, a change that could have occurred long ago finally took its last step.
To an Outsider looking to blend into a realm that rejects its existence, the best way is to wear a layer of the native's skin. And for Chaos, the most useful 'skin' in the world was undoubtedly Its own deeply scarred 'fate.'
In the vast cavern, a light red liquid continuously dropped from above, splattering on the ground.
Dense patterns spread among the rocks, naturally formed, yet seemingly like meridians and blood vessels. It looked as if they would subtly pulsate whenever you turned your gaze away.
In the grand cavity, no sound but the water droplets could be heard, no living creatures could be seen. The only exception was a woman standing on a rock to the east.
That was Gaia, and at this moment, she was looking up toward the sky.
Although her vision was filled only with stone, it did not prevent Gaia from seeing through the earth to the clouds, the flora, dewdrops, the rising Sun, and Olympus in the east... She had been here for many years as if everything outside was of no concern to her.
For all those years, no one else had visited this place, and her encounter with Helios was just a singular event. In fact, even though Gaia had given the Sun God a part of the Mother Tree's power, she was not very clear about his current fate.
Of course, Gaia didn't really care much about it either. After all, although the power of the Mother Tree was strong, there wasn't much that She could release. Even with Helios accepting this power, he would not have gained the strength to rival Zeus in the world.
In contrast, Gaia and her offspring were significantly different. One held the stature of a Primordial Deity capable of bypassing the world's seal to receive as much power as possible, while the other was directly nurtured by the Mother Tree itself, inherently tied to that Outer God in an indelible way.
Thus, in Gaia's eyes, Helios was merely the result of her whims. At best, he was a pawn that could prove to be somewhat useful, not the key that could determine the outcome. The god-demon about to be born was her real reliance.
It would do what she wanted to do on her behalf and become the sharpest sword in her hand... Yes, having learned from her past mistake, Gaia was no longer planning to take action herself.
She might be a bit emotional at times, but she wasn't truly foolish. She just hadn't adjusted her attitude correctly.
When Uranus was still around, Gaia was known to be patient and scheming in the shadows. But after the first Divine King's eternal slumber, his successors were always seen as juniors by her, especially Zeus.
This disparity in perception caused Gaia to face her opponent incorrectly, and compounded by repeated losses, ultimately led to her mad attempt to break through Mount of the Gods.
But now she had calmed down and recognized reality once again. Thus, facing Zeus once more, Gaia chose another approach.
"Just like with the Silver Humanity back then,"
"At that time, Erebus provided the power, assisting me in troubling Laine. When everything was revealed, it was he and Laine who clashed, and from beginning to end, it had little to do with me."
In silent contemplation, Gaia, still unaware of the reasons behind the Golden Apple Tree changing hands, made such a judgment and felt it was time to face Zeus, the third generation Divine King, properly.
She didn't need to take action herself, which would further incur sanctions from the world against her. Better let that monster deal with Zeus.
Once, Erebus lacked the ability to create life, so she substituted for him; now, the Flesh-Mother Tree couldn't send too much power through the seal, so it needed her to foster it, a scene so very similar.
She just needed to replicate what she had already done. If it succeeded, then it would be perfect. If it failed, she would just let Zeus and that terrible creature battle it out. In her heart, even though Gaia now worked with the Mother Tree as an associate, she had never trusted that life form, perfect enough to send a chill down her spine.