In the heart of the eastern lands stood the towering Mount of the Gods, rising high above the Mortal Realm.
The magnificent and sacred Mount Olympus remained as perfect as ever, with palaces of the gods shimmering in divine light of various colors.
Exotic flowers and rare herbs adorned the mountain paths; the morning sun shone on the jewel-encrusted halls, casting waves of golden light. Everything was so harmonious—if you only looked at the surroundings.
However, unlike the peaceful scenery, the creatures on the mountain were already in complete chaos. Panic and dismay were poorly concealed beneath the gods' forced composure, and the servants around them were even more ashen-faced. Although none among them could see the actual process or outcome of the battle between Zeus and Typhon, some things were quite obvious.
For instance, the thunder and storm that had torn through the sky earlier, the abrupt disappearance of the Divine King's presence, and the dark clouds suddenly rolling toward Olympus.
The divine bodies of the innate deities were notoriously difficult to annihilate. Unless there was an absolute disparity, even with a considerable gap in strength, it was unlikely for one to be defeated in an instant, let alone to be effortlessly suppressed without the chance to fight back.
Witnessing this scene, the Olympian Gods who had never encountered an Outer God nearly lost their nerve; the terrifying sight was akin to Tartarus suddenly gaining Wisdom and then coming to the Mortal Realm to punish the gods.
"...This must be fake, maybe it's an illusion, or something else."
Atop the mountain, the Goddess of Beauty, Aphrodite, forced a smile. By her side cowered a young goddess hiding there—Harmonia, her daughter, the goddess in charge of "Harmony."
This newly born deity was her and Ares' eldest daughter—at least that's what they said she was. After all, "Harmony" seemed like a child born from both "Love and Beauty" and the brutal "War," albeit slightly more influenced by her mother. Moreover, since no other deity claimed the child, she was naturally assigned under the War God's name.
"It doesn't seem like an illusion... Even if it were, it still proves that this demon likely possesses a power greater than the Divine King's. After all, deceiving onlookers with illusions while engaged in battle doesn't seem like something a losing party could pull off."
The Goddess of Wisdom, clad in battle armor, spoke calmly. Unlike the other gods, Athena didn't seem as surprised or fearful of this development—of course, to others, this was merely the unflappable composure of a great commander.
Standing to one side, Aphrodite made no response to Athena's assessment. Not only because they weren't on good terms, but also because she understood that Zeus' current state was likely far from wonderful.
Yet she remained on Mount Olympus, as did the other gods, not so much out of loyalty to Zeus but because they were all waiting for someone to make the first move.
While the Divine King seemed to have been defeated, they hadn't sensed any signs of a changing era or a shift in the divine throne. Furthermore, this spectacle was indeed beyond the gods' usual understanding, somewhat like two great nations in a standoff, only for an extraterrestrial mechanical deity to suddenly appear.
In any case, it wasn't clear how things would settle, and hence the gods were reluctant to be the first to flee—of course, this was also due to a bit of wishful thinking.
After all, Typhon was still tormenting the immortal Divine King with various means and had yet to turn its gaze upon Mount Olympus. The gods couldn't help but hesitate; if possible, they didn't want to flee like homeless dogs.
So for a moment, silence fell. No one suggested running away, nor did anyone propose checking on the Divine King's condition. A peculiar atmosphere persisted on Mount Olympus as if they were hoping for a turn of events.
This lasted until a certain moment when the hundred-headed dragon finally realized Zeus was not easily harmed and briefly shifted its attention, casting its gaze onto the distant Mount of the Gods.
Even from afar, the majesty of the Primordial Beast felt ominously close. The next moment, accompanied by a roar, the black storm moved towards the mountain.
In almost an instant, mountains were leveled, rivers turned to flatlands, and cities reduced to ruins along Typhon's path; countless creatures died, and innumerable souls plunged into the Underworld.
Many Mountain Gods and River Gods that had survived numerous wars finally met a silent end as Typhon passed. And when the gods of Mount Olympus witnessed this, the forced calm they had maintained finally shattered.
There would be no more surprises. As the black storm approached Mount Olympus with a speed beyond the gods' reach, panic erupted. Elevated servants and the Nymphs, disregarding any semblance of divine dignity, began to flee in all directions. Soon, even the gods could no longer maintain their dignified facade.
With Typhon's advance, its ferocious visage unfolded before the gods, but most crucially, all deities saw Zeus, held in the demon's grasp.
Barely alive with his limbs severed, the Divine King was impaled from top to bottom by a bone. His once splendid garb had been eroded by venom, and his robust body was covered in bite marks as though he had been tortured.
Seeing this, Aphrodite could no longer contain her terror; she screamed and fled first. Her action lit the fuse, and in an instant, the gods scattered in a frenzied escape.