Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"Go ahead and do it. This is my mission, and it is also your purpose."

Prometheus looked on with encouragement, beckoning the stage to a more outstanding creator.

To have children?

Samael took a deep breath to calm himself, then led the three goddesses forward to divide the tasks.

Medusa, the Mother Earth, shaped humankind's form through her experience of creation.

However, the Gorgon sisters' innate clumsiness meant that Medusa was not satisfied with her attempts several times.

“Aaaa!”

At this moment, Tina, who was bored, saw this and, whether it was because she was aroused by the desire to create or because she remembered her handicraft class, she enthusiastically went to the middle and taught Medusa how to create a human and sculpt a face.

Getting carried away with the fun, Tina couldn't help but create things on her own, speeding up her work.

The goddess of wisdom, Athena, fulfilled her former role in mythology by endowing humankind with soul and intellect.

The two goddesses went from being awkward at first to gradually becoming more adept and working together seamlessly.

Soon, thousands of clay figurines shed their muddy color, opened their pure eyes, and curiously surveyed the world.

Prometheus, standing nearby, imparted various skills to them, patiently teaching these newborns how to live in this world.

However, seeing these humans who, after completing their studies, simply stood there idly, a strange sense of unease lingered in the ancient serpent's mind.

Samael pondered for a moment, then slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing the truth.

Humans who dig graves for the gods should never be such meek lambs!

He knew what these humans lacked.

The ancient serpent raised its hand, its fingers tracing patterns on the fragments of fate mud that had surfaced, and then, facing these bewildered newborns, it raised the corners of its lips.

"I give to mankind the original sin."

Upon hearing this, the gods turned around in astonishment.

Samael remained unmoved, and solemnly pondered as he opened his lips.

"But this is by no means a curse, but rather another kind of blessing!"

"You will use this as an excuse to be arrogant and disregard authority!"

"You will learn to compete through jealousy!"

"You will rely on rage, and be fearless!"

"You will try convenience because of laziness!"

"You will demand from above because of your greed!"

"You will endure gluttony and grow strong!"

"You will accept love and desire, and procreate!"

On the clay tablet of fate, sins peeled away into dark golden stardust, scattering above the heads of newborn humans and disappearing into them. Their eyes, which were originally as pure as white paper, gained a more lively and fiery color.

"Snapped!"

A bright yellow apple appeared in the palm of the ancient serpent, its rich vitality instantly attracting the attention of all the newborn humans.

The urge generated in their bodies made them unconsciously move their throats, their eyes filled with longing.

"Want it?"

The ancient snake walked past the humans, and the newborns, who were originally without desires, hesitated briefly before nodding one after another.

Several of them, their mouths watering, couldn't resist breaking through Prometheus's formation, moving forward in hopes of getting a better whiff of the sweet scent and experiencing the wonderful sensation.

"If you want it, it's there. You can get it yourself when you're able."

Samael tossed the golden apple back into the magic map, then pointed slyly at Mount Olympus, which stretched between heaven and earth, with a knowing smile.

Olympus…

The newborn humans memorized the name and nodded earnestly to their creators.

I've never seen anyone as wicked as you!

The gods present couldn't help but roll their eyes and mutter complaints to themselves.

But after being indoctrinated with evil, the effect was immediate. Newborn humans, filled with all sorts of desires, eagerly began to explore the world.

Samael silently gave that God a thumbs-up, a playful smile on his face.

Is there original sin that humans are born with?

Yes, I come from Mesopotamia, I come from the Garden of Eden.

Humans have already been driven out by the gods; they should have been seduced by the serpent long ago.

Thanks to this reminder, I have allowed the lamb in your mouth to successfully grow claws and teeth, and is about to toll the death knell for the gods!

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Grave for You

On the island of Crete, three goddesses worked together: Medusa and Tina were responsible for shaping pairs of men and women, Athena was responsible for inspiring them with wisdom, and Samael was responsible for ultimately instilling them with sin.

After seven days and seven nights of creation, the human population has grown to nearly ten thousand.

Led by the prophet Prometheus, the newborns carried stones and built a simple altar.

When the last stone was polished and fitted into place, under the excited and eager gaze of the newborn humans, the three goddesses stopped creating and walked over with approving eyes.

"You guys are very good..."

The newborn humans, hearing the praise, proudly puffed out their chests and looked up at their Mother Goddess, their Creator, with burning eyes, like an army being reviewed.

Then, Medusa was on the left, Athena on the right, and Tina was quietly pulled away by Samael, keeping her merits hidden.

Led by the pioneer Prometheus, the humans offered sacrifices such as fruit, prey, pure water, and gems to the altar, and knelt in worship.

When everything was ready, a jeweled crown representing the power of the earth appeared on Medusa's head, and the scythe of time she summoned in her hand gently slammed onto the ground, causing a mysterious and obscure tremor to spread outwards through the earth's strata.

Moments later, a harmonious rhythm resonated across the earth, and the runes and magic arrays surrounding the altar began to activate.

The vast humanoid figure, formed by the greenery of the vegetation, the yellow and black of the soil, and the interplay of light and shadow from the organisms, emerged from the pillar of light on the altar. It looked down at its surroundings with a sense of satisfaction, nodded in acceptance of the human sacrifice, and, with the divine authority of the earth, acknowledged their existence.

Then, Gaia gently raised her hand to the newly born human species, and specks of light and dust rose from the ground, drifting and entering their limbs and bones, freeing them from disease, granting them longevity and strength, and blessing them with the earth.

At the same time, the light patterns emanating from the altar crossed the Aegean Sea and spread across the main landmass of Greece.

Under the influence of the power of the earth and the spread of human concepts, the "skeleton" of Mother Earth—stones standing on riverbanks or in the mountains—gradually softened and were reshaped, given form and life.

Creating humans couldn't possibly be done by sculpting them one by one like figurines, relying entirely on the hands of Medusa, Athena, and Tina.

Now, this new species has received the recognition and blessing of Mother Earth Gaia and has been registered.

Next, the existence of humankind will naturally spread to all parts of the earth in a conceptual form, forming settlements and civilizations.

After the Origin God completed the registration and blessing for humanity, the runes on the altar gradually faded, and Gaia's figure disappeared, continuing to slumber among the mountains.

Seeing that the most crucial step had been successfully completed, Samael breathed a sigh of relief. The gods present then exchanged glances and nodded to each other.

The four gods of Samael quietly disappeared, and humanity, under the command of Prometheus, was reorganized for the next round of sacrifices.

The divine authority of the earth resonated and pulsed in response, and humanity on earth simultaneously received this call.

Scattered throughout the world, they built altars on the spot, offered fruits and prey, lit bonfires, and put spices into them.

As countless humans work together on this, the ether of the world converges and flows through the bodies of these newborns.

The power of the sacrifice resonated, faith overflowed in the hearts of mankind, flowing into the core of the Olympian gods, further increasing their divine power.

In this process, humanity's desires and demands for tools, marriage, knowledge, and so on, also gave rise to the new powers and divine duties of the gods.

This sudden turn of events caused the Olympian gods to turn their gaze to the earth in surprise, taking in the newborn human species.

The increase in their divine power and divinity made them quite pleased with human sacrifices, and they readily agreed to accept the worship and offerings of these newborn creations.

However, at the same time, Zeus, the king of the gods, in his bedchamber, suddenly jumped up from his bed with his pupils contracting sharply, his expression filled with shock and anger.

"Damn it! Prometheus, look what you've done!"

This majestic and murderous roar, like hundreds of lions raising their heads and howling, resounded throughout the sky above Olympus.

In an instant, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and sharp lightning bolts exploded one after another, forming tree-branch-shaped arcs of light that covered the clouds.

Under this terrifying pressure, the gods dwelling on the holy mountain couldn't help but tremble instinctively.

“My king, why be angry? This is just an ordinary creation.”

Just as Zeus was enraged, from within the gauze curtain, a delicate arm, as white as a lily, emerged and rested on the chest of the god-king, gently circling and caressing it.

The voluptuous, with bright and alluring azure eyes, and a head of beautiful golden curls flowing from her jeweled crown, the white-armed goddess Hera, with her majestic and elegant demeanor, lay on her side on the bed, chuckling softly.

Zeus's forehead veins bulged, and he reprimanded Zeus with a sinister gaze.

"What do you know!"

This species called humankind is frantically depleting the world's ether through the growth of its population and the power of its sacrificial beliefs.

The benefits the gods derive from absorbing the power of faith from humanity are merely mortgaging their future, which will inevitably hasten the decline of mystery!

And haven't you bunch of idiots thought about this?

Humans appear to be pleasing and worshipping the gods through sacrifice, thereby enhancing your divine power.

However, once you've tasted the benefits, you'll want to gain more faith, which will indirectly serve humanity.

Once you take the shortcut, how could you easily give up the convenience of improving your strength through faith?

But when did the duties of the gods need to be assigned by humans?

Do the greatness of the gods need to be acknowledged by humankind?

Is the essence of ether meant to be redistributed by humanity in this way?

The god-king, possessing the wisdom of Metis, was exceptionally clear-headed and had long seen through Prometheus's sinister intention to use humanity to control the gods and undermine their authority.

What a son of Iapetus! What a prophetic god!

Zeus's eyes blazed with fury, wishing he could capture his cousin and bring him back to Olympus to punish him.

In addition, this unstable factor of blasphemy among humans also needs to be eliminated!

Seeing that the Olympian king's expression was becoming increasingly gloomy and cold, the white-armed goddess Hera leaned close to her husband's ear and gently smiled as she spoke a reminder.

"Your Majesty, it seems that the existence of humankind has already been recognized and blessed by the Mother Goddess Gaia."

"Moreover, it was you who issued the divine decree ordering Prometheus to go to Earth and create things."

Zeus's expression shifted, and the storm brewing on his face instantly dissipated, replaced by a carefree smile.

"Fine, since this is a new life permitted by the world, I will forgive this blasphemy."

Having said that, the God-King seemed somewhat weary and got up to walk out of his bedchamber.

The moment he stepped outside, Zeus's face turned ashen, and his teeth chattered.

Are the gods truly unaware of the potential threats facing humanity?

Not necessarily!

He almost forgot that the power of faith offered by humankind was also a shortcut for the gods to break through their inherent limitations.

As long as they can capture the majority of the faith, the current order may be broken, and it is not impossible for them to even challenge the monarchy!

Therefore, even if the idea of ​​destroying humanity and punishing Prometheus were proposed, his brothers, sisters, and even his sons and daughters would probably unite to obstruct it, both openly and secretly.

From then on, with the appearance of humankind, the absolute authority he had painstakingly established was shaken, and the gods began to divide, each waging war for their own faith.

Prometheus, you deserve to die!

Zeus, who had suffered a great loss in secret, gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with a chilling coldness.

We must find a way to both silence the gods and solve the problems caused by humanity!

Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Vampires of Olympus

Crete.

Humans who set out in the early morning would not return from the forest until evening, arriving in small groups, exhausted and listless.