Greek Mythology: The Spiritual Dominator.

Chapter 662: Destined Journey

Half a day later, night fell.

He carefully searched everything around the cabin and repeatedly read the message that had entered his mind.

When the moon was high in the sky, Hercules, carrying the discarded puppet in one hand and the key in the other, came to a clearing in the woods.

In the center of the open space, there was a small mound of earth, the soil of which looked very fresh.

At a glance, you can tell that it is fresh soil that was dug up in recent years.

Leaning against a low mound of earth, the great hero gazed at the clouds and moonlight above.

A gentle breeze blew by, bringing a touch of dampness to the stream.

"call……"

After a long silence, Hercules slowly spoke.

Beside him, only the tattered wooden puppets listened quietly.

"...Ander, you've actually been here all this time, haven't you?"

"……Yes."

Each word was spoken slowly and deliberately, and the sound of wood rubbing together was clearly audible.

Unlike before, this time, the abandoned puppet finally spoke.

"Hercules, just as you think, I've always been here."

"But in this matter, no one can help you, and I am no exception."

Instead of continuing to pretend to be an inanimate object, Ender took control of this temporary body.

In fact, the reason this puppet appeared here was not because of his preparations.

Even the reason it appeared here is because it was a 'toy' made by the great hero himself after he was knocked down to earth.

A demigod who walks alongside the gods, who personally created creations within the realm of the gods, and who calls upon his name in his heart—this alone is enough to attract the other's attention, and Hercules thought so too.

However, for various reasons, Ander ultimately did not respond to him.

It simply stayed here quietly, observing the outside world from the perspective of this puppet that was discovered by Hebe and thrown into the pile of junk, until this day.

"As you can see, Zeus is indeed not in good condition."

"But no matter how bad he is, he is still the king of the gods of Olympus."

“I can’t be sure if it can find me… Of course, that’s not the only reason I’ve chosen to remain silent.”

"This is more because I have no way to help you. Faced with Zeus's seal, no one can break it without killing you, except for his own power."

Its mouth opened and closed, and dust fell from the puppet's body.

Without anyone noticing, Ender's appearance was changing at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye.

"But things are different now; you've found a way to solve it yourself."

"Hera left her authority here, so you can use it to break Zeus's shackles... Of course, she also took the goddess of youth with her, keeping her away from this scheme of the king of the gods."

"..."

Heracles remained silent, sitting beside the mound of earth, listening to Ander's story. He was not too surprised.

Even if the other party didn't tell him, the great hero himself had similar guesses.

With a casual toss, Hercules threw the winged silver key onto the puppet and calmly asked for its thoughts.

"The way to break the blockade...you mean this, right?"

"So, Ander, do you know the conditions for its use?"

"I can probably guess."

The puppet nodded stiffly and slowly said:
"You'll probably have to go somewhere where the power of the god-king's authority can't reach you... After all, only in such a place can the sound of you breaking the seal possibly go unnoticed by Zeus."

"Only by getting out of his sensing range can you avoid being suppressed again by the God-King once he realizes what's happening, thus turning her scheme into a joke."

"From Hera's perspective, although there are many such places, the one she might lead you to is certainly not the land of eternal night, or the end of the sea, the eternal land of mist, or the ancient spirit world—because these places are all beyond her control and beyond the extent to which she wants to 'teach Zeus a lesson'."

So, in the end, there was only one answer that could satisfy her request… after all, only there was a Zeus’s ‘enemy,’ and that opponent hadn’t displayed any power that the King of the Gods couldn’t contend with.”

Tartarus, the bottomless abyss.

Although He is a primordial god, He cannot make rational judgments.

Moreover, in Hera's eyes, Zeus had nothing to do with that place. Their greatest connection was nothing more than the great divine power that had once caused the King of the Gods a minor setback, but whose strength was still insufficient to match it.

If she could successfully get Hercules there, her plan would not only succeed, but would even bring some unexpected surprises.

After all, although Hera had long lost faith in Ares, he was still her offspring.

If Hercules were to teach Zeus a lesson someday, with the support of some great being of the abyss... then in terms of how to turn the tide, the king of the gods might have to rely on the god of war's help again.

"To be honest, Hera's plan is actually quite feasible."

"If you have no other choice, you can only continue in this direction."

"But she clearly doesn't know that you have other options."

With a series of clattering sounds, the discarded puppet began to resemble more and more the one that the great hero had once carried along the way.

With his head rotated 270°, Andre looked in the direction of Hercules.

"And you wouldn't want to be her pawn, would you?"

"……maybe."

He slowly rose, placed his hand under the grave mound, and spoke calmly.

"Changing the path is just changing the player in the game; what difference does it make?"

For some people, yes.

Even being a pawn in the hands of a skilled player makes one feel more at ease.

But for some, it is not possible, because from birth they yearn for a freedom that is out of reach.

He shook his head slightly, offering no comment.

Ander understood Hercules's thoughts. After all, he had gradually realized that Hercules might have been walking on a path planned for him by others since birth, and this path had shaped him into a heart that was unwilling to be bound.

The clash between reality and the mind is a constant occurrence, and this contradiction may be the reason why the great hero has lingered here for so long.

Hebe and the artifacts she possessed were merely the triggers; the real cause was the flaw within his own heart.

"But then again, who in this world is truly free?"

At least in Ander's eyes, he couldn't find anyone like that.

Even though the primordial gods and god-kings were a hundred times more powerful than him, the world's plans for their destinies were no less significant.

The next day.

He took the bronze rod out of the mound of earth again and bid farewell to the room where he had lived for so long.

Perhaps subconsciously foresaw this day, the great hero quickly made preparations.

Similarly, it did not take long for Hercules to retrieve all his demonic relics one by one in the surrounding thousands of miles.

They had been scattered during his fall to earth, but now they had all returned to his hands.

"Zeus must have done this on purpose. In his eyes, these things were merely icing on the cake, and might even have brought about bad consequences."

"You should know that, as far as I know, the power of the King of All Demons is also biased—the demonic part is more in line with its rationality and will, while the evil part only contains pure power and chaos... So in Zeus's eyes, they may be troublesome."

Back in his pocket, Ander pointed out the locations of the relics one by one.

Since he couldn't use them himself, the God-King clearly had no intention of taking these wondrous items away. Instead, he left them there, intending to hand them over to the rebellious son after he had completely subdued him.

The only thing about Hercules that deserves Zeus's attention is probably that bronze rod that once held up the sky.

Unfortunately, while he might be able to lift it with his strength, he couldn't actually use it.

"In your hands, it can be wielded with little effort. But for others, using it requires more effort than it brings."

"From this perspective, Hercules, you are indeed born extraordinary."

With a slight sigh, Ander's tone was sincere.

This level of talent is no different from that of a god; it all stems directly from the recognition of the world or destiny.

In other words, there are no mortals in this world who can become gods without relying on external things; otherwise, Hercules would definitely have a place in that category.

"Alright, there's no need to say more about these things... Ander, do you remember the way we came from?"

He interrupted in a low voice, not taking these matters to heart.

Gazing at the towering peaks of Mount Odils in the distance, the great hero asked a question.

"Of course I remember, I can give you directions."

"However, you will have to walk this path by yourself... Otherwise, it would be a small matter if Hera discovers my existence, but it would be troublesome if it attracts Zeus's attention."

With a slight nod, the puppet then transmitted a route map into Hercules' mind.

At the end of this map lies the former residence of the Goddess of the Net, and also the dried-up pond they once visited.

Logically speaking, a great hero should know the way.

Last time, however, they arrived in a starship that traversed the continent.

This time, he could only reach it on foot.

"That's right there, our original destination."

"After all the twists and turns, your premonition has been confirmed..."

With a casual smile, and urged on by Ander, Hercules strode forward.

They didn't know if Hera would change her mind halfway through, so they naturally couldn't waste any time.

……

We traveled westward, crossing mountains and ridges.

These 'rubble' fell from the sacred mountain thousands of years ago.

However, with the passage of time, they have long since lost all trace of their former glory.

On this day, after countless days and nights, standing on a small hill, Hercules could vaguely see traces of architecture.

"It's a relic of the Golden Age; we've been here before."

"Last time, we also unearthed several inscriptions with hieroglyphic characters here!"

The sound shifted slightly, and a hint of joy inevitably flashed across his face.

Taking a step forward, the great hero expended far more effort to return to this place compared to his previous smooth visit.

Obstacles that were once ignored now need to be faced seriously. A roaming beast could delay him for days... Fortunately, so much time has passed, and he has finally found this place.

If he continues along this path, it won't be long before he finds the dried-up pool.

Then, using the aura of the [Mirror of Spree] on his body, he opened the gate to the spirit world.

"and many more--"

Feeling elated, Hercules prepared to continue his journey.

But at almost the same moment, Ander's voice rang in his ears.

"Don't go there yet, there seems to be other people there."

"Ok?"

Startled by these words, the great hero's expression turned solemn.

If it were anywhere else, it wouldn't matter, but in a place that might not be visited for hundreds of years, who would appear here at this time?
"Friend or foe?"

"It's hard to say...after all, they probably didn't come for us."

Trying to sense the atmosphere ahead, Ander felt a strange sense of familiarity.

He must have seen them there... At one moment, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he remembered the origin of this feeling.

The most recent instance was in the East Sea, when Hercules took the bronze pillar.

The furthest he remembered was from the depths of his memory, the very beginning of the birth of bronze humans…

“It is him… Prometheus’ brother, the fool who realized his mistake, Epimetheus, and the first woman, the woman created by the gods, Pandora.”

"I thought she was dead, or imprisoned by some god. I never expected her to appear here..."

Softly, Ander recounted his discovery.

But he wasn't entirely clear about the other party's purpose.

This is the remains of Mount Odile, the site of a divine war that even the gods were unwilling to visit.

In such a place, what are this couple, who are rumored to have unleashed disaster and brought about the destruction of the Bronze Humans, doing here?
"Ignore them and try to avoid them."

After a moment's thought, without hesitation, Ander offered his suggestion.

"Given your current situation, it's best not to interact with other deities."

"Whatever they're here for is none of our business."

(End of this chapter)