Chapter 566: Qualification Test (7)

No one on the battlefield could hide their shock. Before Theia could speak, massive portals formed along the battlefield, and large armies began to appear. Whoosh! Their numbers were nearly equal to the forces already present on the battlefield.

As soon as she saw them, Theia's face hardened. The army was led by Rhea. Among the major parties of Olympus, Rhea's was the largest, and she essentially kept the balance among all the forces. Both Theia and Oceanus had tried unsuccessfully to get Rhea on their side, but Rhea rejected them, declaring her neutrality. To think she would join Kronos now!

Rhea was not only leading her soldiers but also the army of Uranus, which hadn't made any moves since the start of the war. This was the army that pledged their allegiance only to the one on the throne. One had to prove one's qualifications to receive their support. It was clear where Uranus, who had remained silent until now, stood.

Clang! Just then, Oceanus had suddenly dropped his weapon. Everyone turned to see the bright smile that suddenly replaced the frown that had been on his face ever since Theia had rebelled. It was as if he had been waiting for this moment.

"What are you doing? Hurry and greet the new king!" Oceanus quickly got down on one knee as his voice rang throughout the battlefield. All his subordinates frantically bowed to Yeon-woo.

"Theia." Hyperion and the others instinctively turned to Theia, silently asking what she would do. Their fighting spirit was wavering.

WithTheia's surrender, everyone on the battlefield bowed to Olympus' new king.

"Greetings to the new king."

[You have discovered a 'very small spring'.]

[You have discovered a 'small spring'.]

...

[The synchronization percentage has drastically increased!]

[15% → 25%]

* * *

In a great hall, muses lined up next to a long carpet as they played their instruments. Yeon-woo walked down the carpet and slowly ascended to the throne, wearing a crown on his head. It was the coronation ceremony.

After ending the civil war, Olympus had found a new king with the blessing of Uranus. Throughout the ceremony, Oceanus' face was filled with pride even though he had technically lost the throne to his youngest sibling. Theia, Iapetos, and the other siblings continued to look displeased. However, no one objected. None of them forgot Yeon-woo's divine abilities.

Stopping time and controlling death—these were powers beyond the laws of nature. It was impossible to pull off with ordinary divine abilities. No one wanted to get on his bad side. Most importantly, they were afraid of the way Yeon-woo sat emotionlessly on the throne—a position that other divine beings could only dream of. The past scoundrel who acted so impulsively and emotionally was gone, leaving behind a ruler who gazed down at the world. Everyone in the hall naturally bowed to his aura. It was the coming of a new Uranus.

Meanwhile, the person in question was actually trying to hide his frustration. 'How long do I have to keep up this pretense?' Yeon-woo thought everything would be over as soon as he sat on the throne, but it seemed like he'd have to continue with the legends for a while. He couldn't help feeling frustrated at the thought of how much time was passing back in reality. While he was trapped in here, Athena and the others might be in danger again. 'Do I have to stay here until the synchronization percentage reaches 100 percent?'

He felt chills running down his spine at the thought. The more his percentage increased, the more springs he would find. However, it also meant risking becoming one with Kronos and being lost in the legends. Even now, there were times when he couldn't separate Kronos' emotions from his. He would have to stay on guard, but that was easier said than done.

Flinch!

"Here comes Her Majesty!"

A faraway door to the hall opened, and Rhea appeared in fancy clothes. The throne next to Yeon-woo's was empty.

[You have discovered a 'very small spring'.]

[The synchronization percentage is continuing to increase.]

[27% → 32%]

* * *

As he had promised her when they became allies, Yeon-woo and Rhea began to rule together. To facilitate this, they became a couple formally. However, it was obvious that the gods of Olympus feared Yeon-woo, not Rhea. Under Yeon-woo's iron fist, all the problems in Olympus were resolved, and his authority as king grew greater.

"It's a mystery that a foolish guy like you would do well... My only regret is that I'm leaving without being able to watch." After some time passed, what remained of Uranus' holy power was extinguished, and his time came.

Yeon-woo had found out too late that Uranus had lost much of his divinity after Mother Earth invaded his mind when he was uniting Olympus. As a result, he had lost his immortality as a god. Even in that situation, he had given his remaining holy power to save Kronos. Yeon-woo couldn't help his complicated feelings.

At this point, Yeon-woo considered Uranus family. Uranus' fatherly love still felt unfamiliar, so it was difficult for Yeon-woo to say "Father". Besides, he knew Uranus' love was for Kronos, not him. However, the increased synchronization percentage helped Yeon-woo realize what love between a father and son was.

"Where are you leaving? You should just stay. Just last night you beat my head with your cane."

"Haha! You still talk the same way. What a smart mouth." Uranus' wrinkled lips smiled gently. "But I like that impudence of yours. Even though you're the youngest, you've always talked back to your brothers and sisters fearlessly. Since you're all mature now, don't fight any longer. Peace... fully...!"

"Father? Father! Enough joking around and get up, Father!" Tears dripped down Yeon-woo's face as he watched Uranus scatter into light. He felt as if something were squeezing his heart. A thought occurred to him. What if he could put his "father" into his shadow? Wouldn't he be able to prevent his passing?

With that in mind, he extended his hand to Uranus, but another hand covered his before he could do anything. "Rhea."

"Don't do anything unnecessary. Do you think Father would want this?"

"But...!"

"This would be an insult to him." At Rhea's firm tone, Yeon-woo dropped his head.

Ding!

[You have discovered a 'large spring'.]

[The synchronization percentage has drastically increased.]

[45% → 52%]

* * *

After Uranus' dissolution, Yeon-woo lived with a single purpose. Now that he succeeded Uranus to the throne, he wanted to fulfill what Uranus couldn't finish. He came to the conclusion that he needed to expand Olympus.

Olympus had just begun its climb up the godly hierarchy, and he wanted to lead it to the most powerful position so that it would eventually become a society that led all others. He still needed to handle the discontented people in Olympus and create feelings of solidarity. Although he didn't notice, for some time now, Yeon-woo had been considering himself as "Kronos" more than "Cha Yeon-woo."

With Yeon-woo's mission of uniting the godly societies, Olympus began a full-fledged war of conquest. Battlefields, where death was abundant, were like an endless source of power for him. The longer the war went on, the more renowned Olympus became among the godly societies. Above all, the contributions of Uranus' adopted children shone the most brightly. Other divine beings began to call them "Titans".

How much time passed? A thousand years? Ten thousand? As incalculable time flowed, Yeon-woo's ego was slowly buried.

[You have discovered a 'large spring'.]

[The synchronization percentage is continuing to increase.]

[55% → 61%]

...

[64% → 70%]

[71% → 76%]

...

[The 'springs' you already possess are being wound faster.]

[The legends are being played at twice the speed.]

* * *

[Warning! Your ego is experiencing extreme confusion. It is growing difficult to maintain your ego as ###.]

[You are falling into deep hibernation.]

...

How much? How much time had passed?

[An unexpected variable has occurred.]

[Your reason is being maintained with the 'Cold-blooded' trait.

[Your dormant state has been released.]

[You have newfound resistance against dormancy.]

'What?' Yeon-woo regained consciousness, feeling an excruciating pain from the noise in his head. He realized that he didn't possess Kronos anymore, and instead he was in Kronos' conscious mind. Below him, a being that was either him or Kronos led a large army against Mother Earth, who seemed to cover the entire universe. No, it wasn't him. It was Kronos. His own identity was buried under the legends of the gigantic being.

『This time, I'm going to rip at least one wing off you so that we're even, Gaia! 』

『You...are cursed...like your father...with death...at the hands...of your child...!』

Whoosh! Kronos was immeasurably stronger compared to when Yeon-woo first sat on the throne. It was like he had almost reached the "emperor" level. After stopping the flow of the universe with his left hand to bind Mother Earth, he manifested death as a scythe in his right hand and swung it towards her.

Even as she fell, Mother Earth used the last of her strength to curse Kronos. Then, she dispersed into small particles, her existence erased. However, all the divine beings present knew Mother Earth hadn't been destroyed and that she had only entered hibernation. A conceptual god couldn't be completely destroyed. If that were possible, the laws creating the universe would also collapse, and all universes and space itself would be crushed. All the divine beings could do was temporarily eliminate her.

However, her fall surprised the gods of Olympus and other divine beings. Who else in the universe could defeat Mother Earth, whose existence was a threat to all? Since he was sleeping deeply somewhere and the Heavenly Demon was probably busy subjugating gods and demons in another location, it seemed that no one else could stand against Kronos in this age, not even the gods of the other societies.

Kronos arrogantly accepted their gazes. Only Yeon-woo, who was watching from above, realized what was happening to him. 'The curse of Mother Earth has started to invade Kronos, just as it did with Uranus...'

Yeon-woo thought he now understood why his ego was separated from Kronos again. 'Did the curse cause confusion in Kronos' mind and allow me to leave?' Yeon-woo was surprised. With his strength, he thought that he wouldn't have to worry about his ego disappearing no matter how much time passed. But as he hid his ego as Yeon-woo, put on Kronos' appearance, lived as Kronos, and thought as Kronos, he had completely synchronized with Kronos.

[The synchronization percentage is continuing to increase.]

[91% → 94%]

'The synchronization percentage is already over ninety percent.' He was behind on a lot of messages, and he realized that he had a lot of springs. Yeon-woo gritted his teeth. At this rate, his ego would get swept away again. The quest didn't seem to be ending any time soon. He needed to find a way, but that wouldn't be easy. He felt a strange energy from Kronos' compromised mind. 'Demonism...!'

The Demonism, who had been contained by Uranus' holy power began to leak out, infecting Kronos' mind. Chhhh. Madness filled Kronos' eyes.