Having said too much, Theseus was a bit out of breath.
He stopped Andrea, who wanted to move forward; at this moment, it was better not to make contact with him.
"Enough, all these are trivial matters. Now, I have to tell you what you must do after I die."
"Whether deity or demon, they can be trusted, but not completely. Remember, only strength truly belongs to you, and only their interests are what they desire."
Gazing into his daughter's eyes, Theseus's voice slowly regained some firmness.
"Hermes is my friend, indeed, and his background is mysterious. But just like that friend from Hell you know, after my death, he may not necessarily be trustworthy, but he will definitely not side with All Gods."
"You can seek his aid against All Gods, but you must also be cautious about his requests."
"You should have understood the ministers of Athens by now, who are for war, and who wish for peace. Who has ties with the church of which deity, and who is dissatisfied with me taking control. I haven't killed them all before, not wanting to be too oppressive, but now that I am going to die, it's up to you to kill!"
Subconsciously wanting to refuse but looking at Theseus's pale complexion and remembering the Earl she had brought down, Andrea fell silent for a moment before finally nodding.
But she looked at her own hands, doubting whether she really possessed the strength to do as her father had done.
The strength of a Godhood Practitioner comes from the deities, which was also why Theseus had not planned for Andrea to succeed the throne.
Should a deity wish it, she would become a mortal. But now that Theseus had made up his mind, naturally, he had a way to solve this.
Among the avatars of deities he had pursued, only the avatar of the War God truly fell, and he took with him a part of the latter's remains.
There was also his own sword, which had accompanied him for nearly a century.
"Andrea...you must remember."
"The affairs of Humans, only Humans will truly care for them."
"Living under others' breaths, existence can be extinguished at any moment."
"Whether it is others' flattery or fear, those relationships, interests, favours, everything is built upon your own ability."
"Your wisdom, your martial strength, everything you possess, it is the cornerstone of it all."
"Dignity has always been at the edge of a sword, and the truth - always within reach of your strength."
"So, grasp this sword, from today onwards, you are the Queen of Athens."
In an instant, blood-red flames rose from Theseus's body, even the remains of the metal and Divine Power of the War God's avatar were ignited.
They converged upon the sword, becoming part of it.
At this moment, it felt, deep within, as if Theseus touched another Domain.
He saw the world spinning, and between each inhalation and exhalation, the rules of Life interwove, sprouting new strength.
This power originated from everything but also returned to everything. Without external forces, perhaps the world would accumulate and grow through this internal cycle, making everything thrive and prosper.
With a flicker of regret, intuition told Theseus that this internal cycle of the world might contain some kind of essential mystery.
But he no longer had time to understand, his life nearing its end, and vaguely, Theseus felt that to touch this cycle, he seemed still to lack some medium.
"That will be for future generations to concern themselves with; as for my story, it shall end here."
His soul and flesh ignited by his own Divinity, Theseus did not seek what some call an afterlife.
Whether Samsara existed or not, if one lost their memories, what relation would it have to him?
If the him of the next life knelt before All Gods in prayer, that would be the ultimate denial of who he was.
Thus, everything went into his own sword, Theseus's figure gradually fading away, leaving only the weapon to be reborn in the flames.
After a while, the dagger and the sword fell to the ground, one after the other, emitting a crisp sound.
Within the expansive hall, only Andrea's slender figure remained.