The Rune Rune, in Scandinavian mythology, is a mystical text obtained by the god-king Odin who hangs himself upside down from a tree and sacrifices himself to himself.

Self-sacrifice sounds illogical, but now as a god, Ryan has a deeper understanding of it.

The one who offered the sacrifice was 'Odin,' but the one who received the sacrifice was the 'God-King.' The present self sacrificed to the future self, and Odin, as a god, sacrificed to the world, and finally obtained the Rune script, which contains the mystery of the world's roots.

Although the Rune may not be effective in Kaos as a text describing the laws of another world, what Ryan really values is the principle of its existence.

If he can obtain and parse it, then Ryan will be able to reconstruct the original spirit text, create his own 'Rune Rune', and use this rune to describe the rules of the spirit world more clearly and in detail. And all the achievements built on this kind of rune are adding to the spiritual world itself.

In addition to the runes, the World Tree Yctrasil is needless to say. As one of the nine kingdoms that single-handedly sustain a mythical world, the withering of the sacred tree means the arrival of Ragnarok, all of which proves that this is a plant that is much more terrifying than the golden apple tree.

While it's not its trunk, only one of its three main roots, and Ryan isn't sure if the World Tree still has any life left, that doesn't detract from its importance.

Whether it's used to forge artifacts or try to use it as a template to cultivate new Divine Trees, its value is undeniable.

As for the Fountain of Ould, there are very few records of it in later generations, and the only thing that can be said for sure is that it is a spring that contains the power of purification and vitality.

It has healed Odin's injuries and has been used to water the World Tree all year round, and the three goddesses of Asgard who symbolize fate are always around, but for it, Ryan has a dispensable mentality.

After all, he already has the [Well of Reincarnation], and even if he gets this spring water, it is just one more thing to nourish plants and brew drinks, and it is difficult to say that it is of any great use.

As for the final 'legacy of Odin', Ryan is not quite sure if it exists.

After all, the Ragnarok recorded in later mythology is not what it is now, and it is all living beings, including the gods, who greet the end, not the world itself. Even after that so-called twilight, Badr, the god of light, and the blind god who killed him returned from the land of the dead and rebuilt Asgard with the remaining gods.

But right now, no matter how you look at it, this world is already dead and can't die anymore.

"Still be careful, who knows how this world was destroyed."

"Moreover, in the world of mythology, 'phenomena' often have powers, and can even give birth to unique lives. What will the 'death' of a world bring?"

Here, Ryan's connection with the spirit world has become minimal, and even this broken interface is instinctively suppressing outsiders, but he still sees his target at a glance.

At the center of the interface, a huge system of withered roots, even if they were not far apart, still loomed.

"I hope something happens."

With a movement of his body, Ryan flew towards the huge black shadow that connected the sky and the earth.

In a very different world from Kaos, the gods can be killed and even age, just like Hercules in later mythology.

What exactly is the principle of this, and it is still worth exploring.

······

The world of Kaos, on Mount Olympus.

Although Ryan left the world due to an unexpected premonition, the world itself did not stand still.

When humanity fell into chaos due to the sudden loss of divine gifts, the giant beasts near the settlement also found that the aura that had always made them jealous disappeared, and began to tentatively move closer to the direction of the human tribe. Panic and fear are spreading among humanity, and turmoil is about to happen.

Meanwhile, in the Sun Temple, holding a fennel twig in his hand, Prometheus stretched it out to the magnificent golden chariot.

He knew that his seemingly 'hidden' behavior was actually expected by more than one god, such as Helios, the sun god who had made a pact with him, and the master of Mount Olympus, the god-king who ruled over the gods.

They didn't really 'see' what he did, but they all knew what the Seer was doing. But even though Prometheus knew this, they were all waiting for themselves to commit their crimes, and then step on his 'corpse' to achieve their goals, but he still did not hesitate to light the fire.

When the fennel branch is ignited, a kind of 'power' is transferred.

From this moment on, the branch gained immortality, as it carried the qualifications granted by the Lord of the Spirit Realm to use fire.

The branch is only a carrier, it is eternal as long as the concept of fire in the spirit world exists, and as long as Prometheus does not want to, then it cannot be taken away by any god.

Ryan gave this 'right' to the Sun Car, and the owner of the Sun Car voluntarily gave up it, so now, its ownership has been transferred to the New Gods, and of course, this will also be the source of the New Gods' suffering.

Zeus would have asked him to get this right back, and Prometheus would not have agreed.

"This is the 'fire' of humanity."

"From this day forward, the 'fire' of mankind is no longer a gift from God, including me."

After a moment of silence, Prometheus turned and flew towards the world. From now on, he is a 'fire stealer' who disobeys the decree of the God-King.

On Mount Olympus, sensing the transfer of this special 'right' on his artifact, Helios smiled with satisfaction.

He is ready to proclaim his 'good deeds' among the humans of the future, and then become a sun god as powerful as his father. However, another bystander, the god-king Zeus, was a little annoyed.

When he noticed that the hot and warm breath was going all the way away from the Sun God Palace, although all this was what he wanted to see, Prometheus really ignored his existence and directly disobeyed the orders of the God King, which still made Zeus a little annoyed.

But this is the last time, and the God-King has secretly resolved that he will teach the Titan deity a lesson that he will never forget, and use his presence to warn the gods, especially the Sun God.

Zeus did not know about the conversation between the sun god and Prometheus, and his divine authority did not have the ability to do so. You don't have to think about it to guess that although it is indeed possible that Helios was 'careless' to let Prometheus steal the divine fire, this is too much of a coincidence.

And the god-king, does not believe in coincidence.

At the same time, when the God King and the Sun God reacted differently to the actions of the Seer, in a hidden dream realm of the third level of the Spirit Realm, a young god in a gray robe was also watching this scene happen.

However, what he looked at was not Prometheus, but the burning 'fire' in his hand.

A paranoid and weak deity, Hypnos didn't pay attention to it, and what really caught his attention was the 'right' to use fire.

By the time the solar car was built, the god of sleep had already been born, so he knew exactly where the flames were coming from.

That guy who is theoretically his Father God is also the true master of this seven-layer spirit realm.

"Sure enough, he's not here now, at least not for the time being."

Observing every detail of Prometheus' theft of fire, in the end, Hypnos confirmed his guess.

This 'right' to use fire was temporarily out of control, or rather, its owner was temporarily unavailable to pay attention to these things for some reason, so he allowed his second authority to give it away, and then allowed himself to be brought into the world.

And this is very much in line with what Hypnos saw in the dream of sea life, his powerful Father, who has now left the spirit world for some reason and is heading to the east of the East Sea, the edge of the world.

Now, without a doubt, is the perfect opportunity.

"In that case, it's time for me to meet him, and I don't know what he wants to say to me."

His expression moved slightly, such an opportunity was rare, so Hypnos gently shook the wings behind him, and then disappeared among the gray shadows.

······

On the shores of the East China Sea, an unnamed valley.

The void fluctuated, and the figure of Hypnos emerged.

"Whew-"

Breathing a long sigh of relief and secretly leaving the spirit realm was still a very difficult thing for the young gods.

This is really thanks to the improvement of the dream spirit world, so that the goddess of the dark moon no longer pays attention to him, otherwise the god of sleep feels that even if Ryan is not there, it will be difficult for him to leave the spirit world quietly.

And in this valley, in addition to Hypnos, there is also a black-robed figure waiting here.

"Good moon, Your Highness Hypnos, it seems that you have finally made up your mind."

The corners of his mouth hooked into a smile, and Mephistopheles, who had just 'ascended to the sky' a few days ago, was standing here intact.

In the past few days, everything that has happened in the human race has been expected by the devil lord. Even the informer, his envy and jealousy of the gods, was thanks to the secret influence of the goddess of jealousy, Mechala.

Don't pray to God for eternal life, Mephistopheles had given another human high priest a parting warning, and now that he was in the hands of his colleagues, he thought he would make the 'right' choice.

And now, the last link in his plan is about to be completed.

Mephistopheles was incomprehensible at first that a powerful but ignorant spirit god would dare to betray his creator. But then he came to understand that the 'noble highness' probably had some kind of misunderstanding.

Also, after all, as a devil, if Mephistopheles hadn't completed his reincarnation when the interface had just opened, it would be difficult for him to say what he thought of the Lord of the Nine Prisons.

"Don't be foolish, tell me, what do you mean by 'opportunity'?"

His brows furrowed slightly, looking at the devil in front of him, Hypnos did not like each other.

Maybe it's the same sex rejection, he doesn't have a good impression of this god-like existence that is as different as himself, but the other party's 'inadvertently' leaked news through the dream of mortal things makes it difficult for the god of sleep to let go. So eventually, he came.

"Please forgive me for not revealing specific things."

With an unchanged smile, looking at the gray feathers falling in the void, Mephistopheles easily dodged it.

In a land where he couldn't use his divine powers, he wasn't too afraid of the sleeping god who had grown up.

"But what I can guarantee is that I will do a great thing in the mortal world, enough to make many beings in the spirit world angry and come to hunt me down."

"At that time, perhaps there will be an extra emptiness in the spirit world, and no matter what your Highness wants to do, it will be the perfect opportunity."

In his heart, he felt ridiculous about the delusion of the god in front of him, as a god of the spirit world, he dared to rebel against the lord of the spirit world, which was as unbelievable as the devil rebelling against the lord of the nine hells.

However, for Mephistopheles, it doesn't matter whether the other party can succeed or not, as long as the other party really takes action, there is a high probability that those spirit gods will be attracted back again.

As for what will happen to this 'Venerable Highness', it has nothing to do with the Devil Lord.

"Sounds good, but what guarantee do you have that what you say is true?"

The gray-clad young deity knew nothing about the devil's thoughts, but Mephistopheles' words did attract him.

Just as he once dreamed of Zeus at his peak, Kaos's sleep and death are reversed, the former is extremely powerful, and the latter is weak.

Therefore, Hypnos is very confident in the authority of his [sleep], as long as he is given a chance to sneak attack, he thinks that he will not be attacked by any existence, but only if his opponent is only one person.

And those pious spiritual angels are the biggest stumbling block in front of him.

"How's the Styx Oath?"

As he had sworn to Keto and Mochaela, Mephistopheles intended to fool him again, but this time, his little trick was spotted by the other party.

"As far as I know, only the true gods are qualified to swear an oath to the River Styx, and be answered."

The smile did not have the slightest warmth, and the young god said slowly:

Thus Stix is also called the River of Hatred, which is a very different river for beings other than the True God. Although he has the power of a god, he is probably not a true god with immortal essence and authority. ”

It was somewhat surprising because at this time the gods rarely dealt with non-god beings, and beings like Keto did not know the secrets of the River of Oaths, but I didn't expect the god in front of him to know much about it.

While Mephistopheles knew that the great Lord of the Nine was already trying to create an oath medium that could be used by any being, it did not exist yet.

But this is not a problem, just as it was not himself who tried to deceive the other party just now, Mephistopheles spoke:

"But we don't need a guarantee between us, and no one can make a guarantee, do we? You don't dare to make me swear to the spirit world, and you can't swear to the nine prisons behind me, since that's the case, then don't make a promise. ”

"When that day comes, when you see the gods of the spirit world going to this world, you will naturally know that what I said is true."

After a moment of contemplation, the god of sleep finally nodded. As the other party said, as the late striker, he can completely adapt to the situation. If the situation doesn't fit, then he'll just wait for the next opportunity.

If it weren't for the fact that faith had made him fear that his father would gain more power, Hypnos could have waited any longer.

"Then it's a word, respected Your Highness, I won't stay longer."

The goal has been achieved, and Mephistopheles has taken his leave.

As his body exploded into a cloud of black mist, then vanished into nothingness, the valley was soon left alone in Hypnos.

Standing here, the god of sleep felt the other side of the world, the vast spiritual world, and couldn't help but strengthen his thoughts again.

"The spirit world, it's great—"

With a long sigh, as the builder of the third layer of the spirit realm, the young god couldn't be more clear about the strength of the spirit realm.

He didn't dare to go against the great ancient spirit world itself, but having witnessed the power of Nyx and Gaia, the god of sleep felt that the relationship between his father and the spirit world was probably not as inseparable as that between the primordial gods and their essence.

Because Ryan gave him the feeling that he was more of a very high personality blessed by the spirit world, and lacked the same powerful divine power, this made the sleeping god can't help but speculate that maybe Ryan is to the spirit world and more similar to the god king to the present world.

It's just that the spirit realm is more generous, and He allows His agent to wield more power, rather than being restricted and receiving little like the god-king of the present world.

"I heard that you once participated in the replacement of the first god king, I remember that in the legend, the Heavenly Father seems to be also the 'heavenly-given' god king."

With a gentle smile and a cold smile, Hypnos remembered the secrets he had gained from his dreams.

"'Kingship has no eternity, how you get it, you lose it'.

Evil gods who are naturally indifferent will not be grateful, they will only fear power. And as long as they can see the opportunity, they will never be relentless.

In one step, the young deity returned to his realm in the dream spirit realm. Hypnos believed that everything today, except for the two people involved, could only be perceived by the laws of the present world and the spirit world itself.

"It won't be long before I will become the new master of the spirit realm, just like the second generation of God King Kronos."

With some anticipation, the god of sleep was once again immersed in his authority, watching the world and creating some terrible dreams for fun.

In the past, this was one of the few pastimes he found interesting.

······

Out of the world, the ruins of Asgard.

One thing the god of sleep guessed correctly, right now, Ryan's energy really wasn't focused on the spirit world.

He was busy exploring the world that had been destroyed, and everything else had to wait for him to get back.

After a period of flying, the roots of the World Tree have become clearer and clearer. The debris of buildings on the ground followed, but Ryan didn't find any signs of life along the way.

Not even a corpse, he didn't see a single one.

As the heart of Asgard, it is also known as the Idavar Plains. Ryan picked up some of the unique minerals and fairly intact buildings during the flight, but most of them weren't a major catch.

There are only two cores here, the palace where the gods gathered, the Golden Palace and Vangelf, as well as the root system of Ryne's previous goal, the Fountain of Ould and the World Tree.

Therefore, after a few more moments, looking at the tall palace in front of him, which seemed to be well preserved, Ryan knew that he had found a place.

Although he had originally intended to go to the root system of Yggdrasil first, since he had found another target first, it would not hurt to change the order.

(End of chapter)