Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Although she had not yet been born, the moment Metis disappeared, her aura became even more powerful, and even the shield beside her ceased to be ordinary.

Perhaps it was because of the decisive action he had taken with Metis, or maybe it was due to some change spawned from being offered to the world, but Zeus felt that the shield, once made from nothing more than common sheepskin, now possessed special powers.

Against other types of harm, it might have been just a divine artifact of considerable might, but facing him, it could even block the attacks of the Arrows of Thunder.

"...You would be better off not remembering any events from before you were born; it's for the best for both of us."

"You will become my capable right hand, should you truly understand the reverence of power."

After a moment of silence, Zeus ultimately refrained from taking any action. Although the child had not yet entered the world, she was already growing, and at an accelerated pace at that. Having fully separated from her mother, she was already half-born, with her divine power slowly on the rise.

Without any surprises, when she would be born, she would descend into the world in the form of a maiden rather than an infant.

Withdrawing his thoughts, Zeus refocused his energy back on himself. Given the new gains from the ritual, he found his own power deserving of more attention than a child yet to be born.

Reflecting upon his gains, Zeus also gained a rough understanding of the direction his next tasks would take.

The essence of a ritual can vary, some imitating, others harnessing power, or something else entirely, and the Sovereignty Grand Ritual belonging to Zeus combined these aspects.

It started as an 'imitation' of the original Heavenly Father, the Divine King, expanding to new heights on this foundation, and in theory, could include all rituals, as it shaped 'sovereignty,' a symbol unique to the Divine King. And since it was about authority, naturally, there was no limit to speak of.

Theoretically, as vast as the world is, so too could the ritual's scope be extended; every entity in this world could give birth to a deity, and all deities could be ruled, hence the scope of 'sovereignty' could be boundless, and the power infinitely strong. However, theory is just that, and in practice, Zeus was well aware of the difficulties involved.

Not to mention possessing the supreme might to suppress the Primordial Gods, even to construct the most basic parts and uphold the thinnest 'symbol' of sovereignty, Zeus would first need two 'cores' and twelve 'pillars.'

"Heavenly Father and Mother Earth, ever so distant from each other, thus the two extremes that the ritual initially requires, the Divine King and Queen of Gods, should, in some sense, be equal and inherently connected. On this note, it seems I've already accomplished that."

Reflecting on the past, Zeus suddenly realized that his scheme for acquiring the Fertility dominion in order to influence his progeny had, inadvertently, resolved a problem for him. He and Hera exchanged their divine authorities, which indeed made them equals in a sense. Sharing a blood connection, they also fulfilled the inherent link required.

Even the Fertility dominion, initially originating from Mother Earth, made Hera a perfectly suitable counterpart for the Grand Ritual.

"Beyond that, it is about harnessing power. Sovereignty lies in ruling; my own authority on the world's stage is insignificant, but combined with that of the Pantheon gods, it is far from trifling.

However, a mere accumulation is only piling up quantity; only a structure fitting the ritual can achieve qualitative Sublimation, so I must emulate the former Heavenly Father, using a perfect number of 'pillars' as the ritual's framework."

Uranus fathered twelve Titans and established an era's Divine Court; hence the number 'twelve' has since symbolized completeness in Chaos. Laine's subsequent division of Chronology and regulation of Moon and hours reinforced this concept, and thus Zeus too needed twelve different divine authorities to serve as the 'pillars' of his Divine Court to support his own symbol.

However, after some contemplation, Zeus found the selection of 'pillars' to be far from straightforward. They needed to have a profound connection with him and possess substantial Divine Power. And after reconsideration, the Divine King, regrettably, realized that the current Divine Court lacked so many suitable deities.

Two sisters, two brothers, and then there was no fifth. The external Goddess of Beauty and his bond were not as close as imagined, and his Aunt Themis was similarly distant.

If they were to become part of the ritual, they would need to form a deeper connection with him personally rather than with the Divine Court.

"And then there's strength. Even if I construct the most basic Grand Ritual, it would only outline the symbol's framework with the deities' authorities. I still need an equal strength to fill it, or it will be but an empty form with scant Divine Power... And the best filler, that would be Faith.

Alone, faith cannot touch greatness, but if it is just to provide 'quantity,' then it is indeed the perfect candidate."

In silent contemplation, not just to fill his own ritual, but even the twelve strong Divine Powers required by the ritual could be potentially addressed through the power of Faith. In this moment, Zeus once again recognized the importance of this mortal derived power, and his own need for it was virtually limitless.

"Incomplete as it may be, once my daughter is born, I'll find a way to make Aphrodite 'one of us,' and then at least I will be able to establish half a ritual. With that, I would also be ready to face the current Mother Earth."

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