Chapter 81 - 58: Seal
Stepping out of the tunnel, Cronus surveyed the situation at hand.
Liquid like water sprayed from the Sun, scattering across the starry sky, the ocean, and the land. The Sun of Chaos wasn’t made of ‘fire,’ it was more a special existence between solid and liquid states.
Just like the stars of Chaos, they were not distant suns but luminous bodies with star cores inside, many of which did not have their own God of Stars.
As parts of the Sun fell to the ground, zones with distorted environments appeared. The Divine King also noticed some seeping into fissures in the earth, partly becoming magma and partly flowing into deeper realms, the whereabouts of the Underworld.
They formed a lake of lava, situated at the gates of the Underworld like the Styx River, becoming one of the barriers separating the two worlds.
Watching all this, Cronus sighed deeply. Although his goal had been achieved, and those core stars of the Sun’s lineage had been ‘sent away’ by Hyperion himself, he was left with the mess to clean up.
“Theia, my sister, I hope you understand that I never wanted to reach this point.”
Putting aside the matter of the Sun for a moment, standing in the cosmos, the Divine King explained to the Goddess of Light.
The deed had been done, and the consequences could not be undone. Although it was all an act under Hyperion’s pride, the other Ancient Titan Gods might not see it that way.
A Principal God destroying his Divine Body, shaking the symbol of his Godhood—if Cronus were to force Theia to retreat into the cosmos, he wasn’t sure what other consequences might arise.
Perhaps there would be, perhaps there wouldn’t be, but since he had now won, he wasn’t planning on creating more issues. Besides, compared to the God of Sun who had coveted the throne of the Divine King when they were locked in Mother Earth’s womb, Theia had always been unconcerned with such matters.
As a Goddess, she was not as ambitious as her husband, and had she not taken a stand against him, the Divine King would actually prefer the cosmos to be governed by a Deity like her.
“Stop posturing, Cronus. You’ve won, so what do you plan to do with me? Cast me into the Abyss?”
The voice was cold, and although Theia knew Cronus was sincere, she was unimpressed.
“…You worry too much.”
Shaking his head, the Divine King knew the other was merely speaking out of spite. In truth, she also knew that he wouldn’t harm her.
Glancing at the Goddesses of the Moon Selene and the Goddess of Dawn Eos who hid to the side, the Divine King made up his mind.
“With things as they are, the regions around the Sun have been devastated, but the starry domains along the Moon’s orbit still belong to you and your children,” he said.
“However, I hope, Theia, that you won’t oppose me again like Hyperion did.”
“Heh, you worry about me when you should be thinking about your unborn children. I have no interest in your throne, but they might not feel the same way,” she retorted.
Leaving behind a cold statement, the Mother of Light departed with her daughters toward the direction of the Moon.
As for her eldest son Helios, she knew that the Divine King still needed to work with him to resolve the Sun’s issues. Moreover, since she had allowed her husband to imprison him, he might not wish to leave with her.
“…Helios, how do you feel?”
Watching the Goddess of Light leave, Cronus wasn’t particularly angry but simply turned to ask the other God of Sun.
If it had been earlier, the Divine King might have been anxious, but knowing that his first-born would be a Goddess had eased his mind considerably.
“Your Majesty, my father is still within influencing the Sun, and I cannot determine whether I can control it,” Helios replied after a brief sensation.
“I understand.”
Nodding to the young deity beside him, Cronus turned his attention back to the Sun.
To quell the fury of the Sun, the key was to first deal with the Sun God within. Weaken his influence on the Sun, and let Helios replace his presence.
Of course, if the new God of Sun developed different intentions in the future, he could always release Hyperion and then watch the ensuing conflict unfold.
However, the Divine King now needed to seal him away first.
“Hyperion, even until now, you continue to defy Order. As such, as the Divine King who rules the present age, I hereby declare your crimes,”
The authority of the Divine King resonated with the Codex of Creation, as Order, law, and royal power were inherently aligned. At that moment, Cronus felt his power wildly surge, solely in terms of strength, he had almost entirely stepped into the domain of Great Divine Power.
This was the domain once reached by the Heavenly Father solely by virtue of the Divine King’s position, although Uranus had The Sky, whereas Cronus did not possess such matching power.
But it was already enough.
“For imprisoning Titan deities on your own accord, preventing them from performing their godly duties, this is your first crime.”
“As the supreme being of light, yet causing the stars to fall and the greater Sun to tremble, this is your second crime.”
“For indecent words and actions, insulting the Divine King, this is your third crime.”
Vaguely, Cronus seemed to peer through the Sun and see the figure within, as he indifferently delivered the final judgment:
“In the name of the Divine King, I imprison you here, effective immediately, for an eternal sentence.”
The next moment, endless chains of Order emerged from the void, directly plunging into the great Sun, locking down the figure inside. Simultaneously, Cronus’s aura also decreased sharply, no longer as terrifying as before.
Sealing a deity was not something that could be done lightly, as a True God can continuously draw power from their godhood, so to seal a god, a continual investment of power was required. From that moment onward, approximately one-third of Hyperion’s power at his peak was stripped from the Divine King, dedicated to maintaining this perpetual seal.
This was why the Titans were locked away in the Abyss, rather than simply sealed off somewhere else. For those deities imprisoned there, Tartarus would manage them, without the need for any additional expenditure.
“It is done, Helios, your father has paid the price for his actions.”
Turning to look at Helios, the young God of Sun quickly bowed to express his loyalty to the Divine King.
The burst of power from Cronus just a moment ago was truly formidable, for a second-generation Titan who had never seen the Heavenly Father, it was beyond their imagination.
“From today onward, the Sun will rise and set by the will of the Divine King, Your Majesty. However, I sensed it once more just now, and the results are not splendid.”
Facing Cronus’s gaze, Helios said helplessly, “After the Father God’s previous provocation, the Sun has become even more tumultuous. Although the Father God has now been sealed, my power alone is still insufficient to control it.”
“I need your help to fulfill the duties of the God of Sun, otherwise, although I can set the Sun in motion, I cannot ensure it stays on its proper course.”
“…I understand.”
Feeling somewhat headache-ridden and dissatisfied with Helios’s incapacity, Cronus nevertheless had to resolve the matter.
If he couldn’t calm the somewhat restless stars caused by the lapse of the God of Stars, and return the Sun’s movements to their proper course, the starry realm he had acquired would be unable to enhance the power of the Divine King.
Regarding this issue, though, it was not without solution—it just meant that he would have to share some of the newly acquired The Sky again.
After all, if all else fails, just borrow the Codex of Creation for a little longer. With the aid of this Order Divine Artifact, Helios should be able to barely manage the Sun.
Moreover, with Hyperion’s suppression gone, the new God of Sun would be able to rapidly accumulate Divine Power. Once he achieves Intermediate Divine Power, he should be able to fulfill his godly duties more comfortably.
‘But…’
‘The Sun, it’s better if it remains weaker.’
Casting a sidelong glance at the young deity, who looked valiant but somewhat restrained due to years of imprisonment, Cronus was indifferent to his displayed obedience.
The thoughts of a god can change with the power they command, and no one knows whether Helios will remain the same as he is now when his Divine Power peaks.
Perhaps he will, perhaps not, but the Divine King does not need ‘perhaps.’