Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Unlike other places, for thousands of years, there had been peace and tranquility here, without any disturbance from outsiders.

As the most fertile land in the Eastern Region, under the unconscious influence of Mother Earth and the Golden Apple Tree, no harm could approach this place, nor could anything bad happen here.

The humans of the Golden Age had once spent a blissful life here. From birth to death, they had no worries; apart from worshipping the deities, nothing in life could trouble them.

But with the passing of the Golden Humanity, their successors did not enjoy the same treatment.

Silver Humanity, born of Mother Earth’s resentment towards the Divine King and of the Lord of Darkness’s covetousness towards the Spirit Realm. They were born with a host of negative emotions, and even the gods could not earn their respect and devotion.

Thus, these inherently evil humans were only briefly noticed when they were first created, then swiftly despised by all deities.

In the hearts of the gods, their existence was even less significant than that of life forms without Wisdom—various beasts taken by many deities spread across the continent, slowly multiplying and thriving, while Silver Humanity was left behind.

No god was interested in these humans who emitted negative auras; Mother Earth had swept them out the door the day they were created. Even Prometheus, who felt pity, abandoned them after spending some time with them.

It was laughable that the gods who had imparted knowledge to them, even the precursors, were infamous among humans. Perhaps this was another facet of human nature: greed, ingratitude, and the unwillingness to rebuke the powerful, accusing those who showed kindness instead.

In any case, Silver Humanity was driven out of Delphi. More than once, they looked from afar at their birthplace, reminiscing about the beauty there, and then fought each other for the slightest benefit.

Lies, deceit, intrigue, killing—in this process, Silver Humanity gradually developed a unique hierarchical system. The higher-ups had absolute dominion over their subordinates, yet insurrections were all too common.

However, as the war between gods erupted, even for the sake of survival, humans were forced to set aside their struggles. They cooperated, reducing the time individuals spent outside and praying for no calamity to befall from The Sky.

Of course, the strife did not subside; it merely took on another form.

“These… damned Deities!”

Thousands of miles away from Delphi, at the foot of a Mountain, Asmode watched in terror as streaks of light crossed The Sky.

Over the years, the gods had clashed on the earth. At first, they showed restraint, but in recent years, even the vicinity of Mother Earth’s abode gradually became a battleground.

They dared not step into the great plains but had no scruples about fighting fiercely in the surrounding areas. Nearly half of Silver Humanity had died as a consequence, and even so, when Asmode saw the deities, he only dared to utter those disrespectful words in his heart.

This was not exceptional among Silver Humanity but because Asmode himself had witnessed how his superior had been crushed to dust.

Of course, his rise to power largely depended on this as well.

Fearful of might yet untouched by gratitude, Silver Humanity exemplified this to the fullest. Henceforth, at least the martial might of the deities taught Asmode to hold his tongue.

“I wonder if those who went out to search for food can return safely this time.”

“If they can’t, I’ll have to figure out how to scrounge some from someone else.”

In silent thought, as one of the ‘leaders’ among this batch of Silver Humanity, although his position could be overturned at any moment, Asmode could temporarily avoid the hardship of searching for food and working.

Unlike Golden Humanity, for Silver Humanity, labor was one of the last things they wanted to do; if possible, they only wished to reap the rewards without effort.

Of course, if that was not possible, obtaining things through deceit and plundering was also an option.

“It’s been eight years already, Asmode. I don’t know when it will end. Can’t these gods ever quiet down?”

Without a hint of respect, another Silver Human not far from Asmode was also somewhat irritated.

“I wish they would, but unfortunately, they don’t listen to me.”

With a snide laugh, Asmode mocked, “Why don’t you try? Mephisto, perhaps you could ‘convince’ a few deities to work for you.”

“Let’s forget it. Although I’m quite confident in my persuasive skills, it requires them to give me a chance to speak.”

Shrugging, the man known as Mephisto spoke indifferently. While it was a refusal, from his words, if given a chance to converse, he truly wanted to attempt to convince a god or two.

I wonder if this stems from confidence or arrogance.

Or perhaps, success is confidence, failure is arrogance.

“Speaking of which, even though I don’t know what these gods are called, or where they come from, they seem to be divided into two factions.”

“At first, the gods near the West had the advantage. But now, it seems those from the East have the upper hand.”

“Maybe once one side completely wins, we will no longer need to worry about calamities from the heavens.”

Gazing in the direction where the radiance had vanished, Mephisto speculated.

Sometimes, he could even overhear the conversations between the deities. From their words, he learned that both sides were battling for the position of ‘Divine King.’

One faction was the original Divine King, while the other was known as Olympus.

“Perhaps, but it could also be a worse outcome.”

Unlike Mephisto, Asmode viewed this with a pessimistic attitude.

“Maybe once one side wins, they will turn their attention to us and simply kill us outright, considering we don’t meet their standards at all.”

“Damn it, I also wish to at least appear as a devout believer, but for some reason, I just can’t manage to do so.”

Annoyed, Asmode felt that something in his spirit was always affecting him. Evil doesn’t equate to stupidity; he knew to remain humble before the powerful. Unfortunately, under the influence of this unknown force, he found it difficult to control his emotions.

“I gave up on trying long ago. Heh, created by the gods, yet cast aside. I guess, we must have some other purpose, different from Golden Humanity.”

Shaking his head, Mephisto understood the other’s sentiment; he too knew the feeling of being influenced by such emotions, but he believed it probably stemmed from the influence of the deities.

Once, Prometheus had told them the story of Golden Humanity. The deities had hoped it would make Silver Humanity reconsider, but Mephisto discerned another meaning.

Human nature can be shaped. If Golden Humanity had been molded, then there was no reason they hadn’t been as well.

Furthermore, if the gods possessed the power to shape personalities, but they, Silver Humanity, were still as they are, then there must be some reason for it.

Being valuable means not being easily killed; this was the conclusion Mephisto had deduced while backstabbing superiors on his way up. So for the moment, he was not concerned about Humans being slaughtered by the deities.

At the very least, he could discover the purpose for which he had been created, and then see if there was any chance for rebellion.

Clang—

A clear chime instantly interrupted their conversation. Without communicating, almost instinctively, the two ‘leaders’ among Silver Humanity dropped to the ground.

The next moment, the earth began to shake. A wave of force came from a distance, sweeping through half of the camp and then slamming into a nearby mountain, causing a rain of stones and dust to fall.

Fortunately, the mountain didn’t collapse.

“Cough cough—”

Amidst the dust, Asmode coughed twice, then quickly stifled it. He rolled on the spot, pressing his hand to his waist.

The next moment, where he had just been standing, a stone knife was embedded in the ground.

“Quick reflexes.”

Mephisto casually praised as if nothing had happened. He walked forward, picked up the stone knife, and looked towards the disordered camp.

“Cough cough, of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have survived until today.”

Coughing lightly again, Asmode got up from the ground, also acting as if nothing had happened.

“Maybe the earth is not suitable for us; maybe Silver Humanity simply cannot coexist with the life forms above the ground.”

“No need to coexist.”

Shaking his head, Mephisto spread his arms, as if embracing the world.

“How wonderful, such a beautiful world—why would one want to share it with others?”

“Let us all die, or let them all obey us—that would be enough, wouldn’t it.”