Chapter 1290

Chapter 1290

Many people know about Greco-Roman mythology. In this mythology, Zeus was known as the greatest and omnipotent god. Nonetheless, his fame as a womanizer rivaled his fame as the greatest god.

Zeus coveted many people and sired many demigod children. The prime example of this was Herakel. Zeus, who had abandoned all of his responsibilities as a father, tried to show his fatherly love for Herakel at the last moment when the man chose to leave completely.

But Minhyuk had denied Zeus of expressing his fatherly love to Herakel. Why? Because he had many demigod children already. Besides, if he genuinely held any fatherly love for Herakel, he would have stopped Hera from persecuting and suppressing Herakel. In the end, gods were just the same as human beings. They weren’t necessarily better or more talented.

Minhyuk had quickly grasped the current situation after he had read through dozens of whispers that had been sent to him. Then, he rushed to kill the crazy maniac Ares. The climax was when he stabbed his sword straight through Ares’s heart and twisted it. Of course, if Zeus did not stop Minhyuk, a colossal disaster would befall their continent. Regardless, Minhyuk’s action remained confident and sure.

[Stop! What do you want?!]

Zeus’s booming voice from the sky above them was proof of this. This was the only way to restrain Minhyuk, who did not stop despite the rain of lightning that fell upon him.

Ares was the child born to Hera, Zeus’ rightful wife. He was also a god strong enough to become their source of pride and not tarnish their reputation.

‘Although he’s a piece of trash.’

Minhyuk was confident that Zeus would not allow Ares to die. He gently released his hold on his sword. Then, he shoved Ares, about to take his final breath, and knocked him down on the ground. After that, he turned to look at his vassals.

“Heal the vassals and compensate the dead.”

“...?!”

“...?!”

They were the ones who touched Ebeia's Bull, a being that Ares cherished dearly. He cherished it enough to cause a war. Besides, no one had ever heard of someone who demanded that their enemy heal all his allies and let them live while they were in the middle of a war.

[Emperor of a mere human empire, I cannot understand what you’re saying. I have never heard of an enemy who wants others to compensate them for their dead during war.]

Just like they expected, Zeus’ voice sounded incredulous.

[Besides, this is against the rules. I believe I don’t have to listen to you or your demands. I’ll pay you ten million platinum for Ares.]

It seemed like Zeus had attempted to talk to him to get Ares back with a ransom. And it might look just like that. After all, Zeus was Ares’ father. Nonetheless, Minhyuk had already seen through Zeus’s facade.

“The Twelve Gods of Olympus had never involved themselves in the affairs of the people of our continent as they explored the Gaia Continent. This has been the case so far.”

There was something strange.

“What’s the reason for that? I believe most of the Twelve Gods of Olympus hold hatred for us, just like Ares. Because you wanted to wipe us all out in the beginning.”

Was it because it was hard to kill them? Was it because they were afraid to clash with the Absolute Gods? No. Those weren’t the reasons.

“Because you needed us. Because we mutually benefit each other. Gods need believers who will respect and serve them, but that’s impossible with the situation of the Gaia continent. The gods do not listen to the people’s pleas, while the monsters of the Gaia Continent are extremely high-level. Because of this, the human population has declined rapidly. As a result, the humans who had to protect nature and manage the livestock are disappearing.”

That was right. This was the bottom line.

“The Gaia Continent needs humans. Meanwhile, our continent needs your excellent civilization and development.”

What backed up the mutual benefits of this relationship?

“Zeus. You definitely entered an agreement with Athenae.”

The players had entered this place through the update: Gaia Continent Open! Athenae was just a single world. This meant that countless stories and characters were waiting to be revealed and were still being updated.

“She should have made it so the Twelve Gods of Olympus will never be allowed to involve themselves directly.”

And to drive the wedge in...

“And Ares tried to slaughter my people by using the bull as a pretext. Ares must have made a close violation of the rules that you have set with just that. The real problem here is... Ares initiated this and was directly involved with us.”

“The reason Ares had said that he would not participate in this war as much as possible was not because he was showing tolerance, but because he did not want to break the rules. Ultimately, he decided to participate in the war and went entirely out of line.”

“You’re trying to cover the sky with your palms. But you will not be able to cover everything. Of course, I won’t try to kill Ares anymore.”

Why would Minhyuk stop?

“After all, the Twelve Gods of Olympus must already be planning how to dispose of him, no?”

“...!”

Ares, who was slowly recovering, finally realized the reality of the situation. He immediately knelt on the ground and groveled to Zeus. He said, “Father! Please be magnanimous and show me some mercy! Please, Father! I beg you!”

Of course, there was a reason why Minhyuk had to say all of this. This was all done so that he could get answers to his speculations. And now, he had gotten his answers. Ares’ reaction was proof that Minhyuk’s speculations were true. He had been leading the situation with terrifying accuracy and rationality.

“Shut your trap.”

“...”

Ares’ expression grew ugly at that. Minhyuk was currently Party A in this negotiation. He was the one with the upper hand. Of course, the fact that

he

had to be kept alive could change the relationship between Party A and Party B at any given moment. But what can they do about it?

Zeus remained silent for a very long time.

[I will heal all your vassals. I will also make the burden that the dead foreigners have to bear disappear.]

Zeus was talking about the burden that they had to suffer. Zeus’ words meant that the penalties that the Beyond the Heavens Empire players would receive would disappear.

[I will also compensate you for all of the soldiers that you have lost.]

“WAAAAAAAH!”

“Long live Emperor Minhyuk!”

“Long live Emperor Minhyuk!”

Loud cheers erupted from the Beyond the Heavens Empire’s camp. It was not possible to revive the soldiers who had already died. However, the fact that Minhyuk could get compensation for the dead was enough for him to receive cheers and applause.

His expression grew worse when Sword of the God Alec heard their cheers. His breathing grew faint as he held onto Duke Laghman and Duke Vakkaman, who were on the brink of death.

“Damn it...”

Duke Vakkaman, Duke Laghman, and many of the Swords of the Gods were all on the brink of death. Alec was not sad because their empire would become weaker. He was unhappy because they would let those who had been staying with them for so long go without being able to do anything.

The reaction between the Luvien Empire’s and Beyond the Heavens Empire’s camps was utterly different. Just when Alec began to sob...

“...I don’t think you understand what I’m saying,” Minhyuk said firmly. “I am telling you to compensate

everyone

affected by this war.”

“...”

The people of the Luvien Empire looked at Minhyuk in shock.

[That’s not going to be easy. There are quite a lot of people on the brink of death. Furthermore...]

Zeus sounded as if he could not understand what he was saying.

[They aren’t from your empire. Weren’t you anxious because you cannot devour them?]

The others thought this might upset Zeus and turn everything Minhyuk had done so far into smoke.

“Indeed. And I still hate them.” Minhyuk spoke honestly.

Indeed. He still hated the Luvien Empire. A joint military operation? That was only possible because their new emperor was Brod. Minhyuk loved and cared for Emperor Brod. As for the rest of the Luvien Empire’s pillars? He hated them to his core.

Many wanted to continue plundering and trampling on others. Many also wanted to oppose Brod and the reforms that he suggested. He found these people, the same people who raised their shoulders to show how proud they were that they were people of the Luvien Empire, completely abhorrent.

Regardless, there was one clear thing.

“We fought here together. On this battlefield, we had each other’s backs.”

At the very least, they were comrades and allies in this war.

“We fight together and we will get through things together.”

The soldiers of the Luvien Empire felt their hearts thumping wildly. Minhyuk was doing things that they could not do, things that they could not even dare to do. He was not foolish. His eyes were just dyed with a different kind of greed that none of the people of the Luvien Empire could see. Why did the people of the Luvien Empire fail to see this greed?

“That’s why we’re not the only ones who should survive. And I will not back down from this.”

At this moment, their respect for Minhyuk had almost reached the sky. Also, they had been misled by their emperor’s dazzling displays and actions.

When Zeus heard the firm determination in Minhyuk’s voice, he realized that the man would never compromise on this. This left Zeus silent for quite a long time. After a long silence, Zeus finally opened his mouth and spoke.

[Alright. I will heal and compensate everyone. However, I cannot wholly cure those who are already on the brink of death. Their recovery will take a lot of time.]

Minhyuk nodded. However, he was not satisfied yet. He said, “And finally...”

He wanted one crucial thing from Zeus, which could only be obtained on the Gaia Continent.

***

Philip sat alone atop the fortress, standing in his world. His world was devoid of sound. There wasn’t even the sound of birds chirping or the bugs crying, ringing in this world. He sat in a daze in this silent place. He looked as if he did not know how much time or how many years had passed. The expression,

‘can’t keep track of time,’

perfectly describes Philip’s current state.

“It feels a lot more bitter than before.”

He had no regrets about reuniting with his family one last time. He felt pleased, as if the massive lump in his heart had been removed.

But now that he had done what he wanted, Philip felt even emptier. He did not belong with the living nor the dead. And he could not do anything about that.

‘I want to be with them.’

He desperately wanted to cross the River of Reincarnation, meet with his family, and become his children’s father and wife’s husband again. Alas, that was impossible for Philip. He had to pay a terrifying price for the crime that he had committed.

The worst part was that he was not even allowed to obtain any exact information from outside. He could not peek, look down on the world, or talk to someone. He was so lonely in his world that his title as the Absolute Martial God and The Creator no longer mattered to him.

Philip’s heart ached. The silence left after Minhyuk returned amplified his feelings of loneliness. However, he could only cry silently and stifle his cries. After all, he was afraid that his family in heaven would see him and be sad, too.

At that moment, the space in front of him was torn apart.

Philip had given Minhyuk the power to cross through space and enter his world once. Minhyuk stepped out of the torn space and looked at the flustered Philip. Philip coughed loudly to try to hide his embarrassment.

“Did you do everything that you wanted and needed to do?” Philip asked as he tried to divert Minhyuk’s attention.

Minhyuk just stared at Philip without saying anything.

“Why are you looking at me like that, bratty grandchild?”

At that moment, Minhyuk took out an apple hidden in his bosom. It looked very unusual. Unlike ordinary apples, it was white and gave off a mysterious feeling.

“Philip,” Minhyuk called out, his voice solemn. Then, he slowly approached him and handed the apple over. “I thought that maybe this might be of help to you.”

Philip looked at Minhyuk in confusion as he checked the apple he had been handed. What he saw left him speechless. The apple, which carried the name Apple of Conception, had a very special effect: It could revive the dead.

Philip found it unbelievable. How could such a thing exist in the world? At the same time, he could not understand why Minhyuk gave it to him. So, he asked, “Why are you giving me something this precious...”

“This item... will release all the restrictions that have been suppressing you.”

“...!”

Philip did not know it, but a quest had been created for Minhyuk. The name of the quest was... Freeing Philip." According to the quest, if he could save Philip, who was neither alive nor dead, all of the restrictions that were placed upon him would be released. As for the rewards, he would receive a huge boost in his favor with Philip.

Philip’s hands trembled as he slowly raised the apple to his mouth. The fresh and sweet flavor of the apple immediately spread in his mouth the moment he took a bite. The fruit’s juices that burst in his mouth left him in awe as he ate the apple.

[You have eaten the Apple of Conception.]

[You have already died. However, someone’s power has seeped into you and is trying to awaken you.]

[You are being revived.]

Ring!

[You have been given a normal human body once again.]

[You have been released from the restrictions of death that have been placed upon you.]

[However, that does not change the fact that you must pay for your sins.]

[Nevertheless, now that you are free from death, many of the restrictions placed upon you will be released.]

[You can now go out and roam the world.]

[You can now listen to people’s stories.]

[You can now go anywhere you want.]

[You have the lifespan of an ordinary human being]

Philip was in disbelief.

Rumble!

At that moment, the world where he had lived for hundreds of millions of years started to crumble. He no longer has to stay in this world.

In this collapsing world, the boy whom he had acknowledged as his grandchild said, “Humans will die one day.”

Tears started to fall from Philip’s eyes.

“Your family looked very sad because they knew that you could not die.”

They knew what Philip had already known long ago. They felt bitter and sorry for him.

“But things are different now. Please go and roam the world.”

“...”

Minhyuk smiled faintly as he continued, “You can now eat all the delicious things you come across, be righteous, save someone, or even do bad things. Go and look at the world. And when you die, go back into their arms.”

Philip fell on the ground. He felt so happy that he was at a loss.

“When you go back to their arms, tell them all of the things that you have experienced and the things that you have felt when you traveled the world alone.” Minhyuk patted him on the shoulder. “You’re free now.”