Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Chapter 630 - 209: Draw the Sword

Hell and the outside world are different; women are a rare existence within the Nine Hells, for the Silver Generation had no women.

The women that exist today are mostly demons born later, and although some are powerful, most do not have the ability to be active in the mortal realm.

In this case, a female from hell who could also partake in feasts of gods, while satisfying these three conditions, simply could not be anyone else.

Keto, a sea monster who had once drank the Blood of Heavenly Father, was deceived by the Great Devil Mephisto into becoming his accomplice and later became the True God of false beauty.

Only she met these conditions, and the Golden Apple was significant only for her. "To the most beautiful goddess," which restricted the competition for it to those recognized by all gods.

And now, the Golden Apple that attracted the gods’ attention was before Keto, within reach should she extend her hand.

"What is this situation?"

"When did she arrive, and why wasn’t I notified?"

In a low exclamation, seated conspicuously near the Divine King, Pontus’s eldest son, the Gentle God of the Sea, Nereus, was momentarily at a loss.

His remark didn’t really make sense, especially since Keto was among the few who could come and go from the palace of the Primordial Sea God without notifying anyone beforehand or facing any obstruction. Moreover, unlike other deities, Nereus was aware of Keto’s existence.

Or rather, in the mortal realm, Keto had been actively and openly present for thousands of years, and if her name wasn’t more prominent, it was only because she chose to keep a low profile.

As a True God who had sided with the Nine Hells, Keto’s situation was different from that of Mephisto and Crius.

The former was a black sheep, always had been. A quasi-god appearing suddenly attracted considerable attention and could easily draw the Divine Court’s scrutiny. Thus, though he often traveled to the mortal realm, the Great Devil was always cautious.

As for the latter, the original Crius was indeed a recognized god, but having been reborn, he faced a situation similar to Mephisto’s.

He was a black sheep now, especially after being reborn with a body that bore regional characteristics following the first war of the Abyss. Moreover, even disregarding his rebirth, he was a prisoner exiled by the Divine Court; if possible, Zephyrus and Poseidon, who took over his meteorological authority, would likely seize any opportunity to attack him.

But Keto was different; she had left Olympus’s divine feast voluntarily earlier when she first met Mephisto. Her departure from Mount of the Gods was solely because of Aphrodite.

She was not wanted by the Divine Court, nor had she offended any contemporary gods or committed any crimes, so she didn’t need to conceal her existence. The greatest fear Keto had previously—the real Goddess of Beauty exposing the authority she held under her facade of false beauty—no longer existed.

As Mephisto had once promised, although it was difficult to change a deity’s true form, being the inherent appearance they were born with, exceptions did occur.@@@@

Thus now, even through the veil of authority Keto wielded, what was displayed before all gods was no longer her twisted half-snake, half-fish form, but a physique robust and full of allure.

Her slender tail swayed behind her, and a pair of delicate sharp horns grew on her head, with the darkness and fire of Purgatory swirling and burning within them.

Though this still differed from most deities, just like some gods had wings, Keto’s new form wasn’t repelled by the gods like the Titans were; instead, it was seen as a distinguishing feature.

Even in the eyes of some deities, this was regarded as a special bonus.

— With a snap —

It seemed like a long time had passed, but it was only a moment. Following a sharp snap, in the deathly silent great hall, Aphrodite’s armrest broke in response.

However, at this moment, the Goddess of Beauty seemed unaware of what she had done, merely glaring at Keto as if looking at an enemy.

For a moment, the gods, initially startled by Andrea, regained their composure. Regardless, the Golden Apple seemed to have found its owner, but who was this unfamiliar deity, and why didn’t they remember her?

"You wanted the Golden Apple, but I think you only deserve a peel; you wanted to be ’the most beautiful goddess,’ but I think this suits you much better."

Laughing loudly, Keto said disdainfully:

"Aphrodite, aren’t you going to thank me for the gift I gave you?"

Three pieces of peel, three lines of writing, only the middle piece stuck to her forehead was written by Keto. On the Golden Apple, only the character ’beauty’ remained.

As for Aphrodite’s face... from left to right, only [To the most-useless-goddess].

...

"Ahhhhhhh...!"

"Keto! Ares, you kill her for me!"

Initially dazed, Aphrodite hadn’t even realized what had happened.

But the next moment, she saw her current disarray in the eyes of the other deities.

The flames of shame and anger almost consumed her, she frantically rubbed her cheeks, but the marks caused by the Golden Apple were clearly not so easily erased.

In fact, as a supplement, Aphrodite actually didn’t need to do anything; once she fully absorbed the power contained in the Golden Apple, the line of text would naturally disappear, and it could even beautify her. But for the Goddess of Beauty at that moment, even a minute or a second was unbearable.

With her hands covering her face, her sharp screams echoed above The Temple, and finally, upon his wife’s screaming, the War God realized what had occurred. He immediately drew his sword, ready to reclaim honor on Keto.

In terms of Divine Power, Ares wasn’t even as strong as the Goddess of Beauty. However, in terms of combat power, if not for the Law suppressing Divine Power, he could even take on two Aphrodites.

The suppression by the Law was more pronounced in strictly regulated areas, like now, where he could easily defeat ten Goddesses of Beauty over the sea.

However, Ares clearly forgot that this was the palace of the Ancient Sea God, and all gods were gathered here at this moment.

"Enough!"

A stern shout erupted, and a vast presence surged from Zeus’s being.

In a flash, the situation in the arena changed abruptly.

He could no longer afford to explore the familiar feeling on Keto, as the Divine King looked around expressionlessly, causing several other eager gods to quickly abandon their intentions.

"Your Majesty, please take her down quickly, send her into the Abyss!"

As if seeing a savior, Aphrodite shouted out immediately; however, Keto remained calm and composed.

"How is it, attacking me in my own Temple, a very sensible thing to do?"

"I implore the just Divine King to administer punishment—remember, I responded with kindness, not only did I not strike her harshly, but I even gave her a gift, preserving her remaining beauty!"

Sometimes rules can be disregarded, but sometimes they cannot.

Since Zeus had gathered all gods in heaven and earth, Keto truly didn’t believe he would act irrationally just for Aphrodite.