89 [89] The Revelation
"I hope Aatrox could bring Medea back..."
Supposedly after being freed from the restrictions of the contract with him, Aatrox should be able to continue to recover his strength through the devouring nature of civilization, and be able to reconnect with his ark and contact his partner on the moon.
In truth, Kratos was well aware that it was him that restaint Aatrox.
So, my friend.
Now, you need not worry about anything.
Bid farewell to your cage.
Vergil and Dante reunited.
With their talents, they would surely find a way to rescue their father and Myrrine.
Caenis, Atalanta... they haven't walked down the aisle yet, so they shouldn't miss me too much.
Although, being Kratos was never easy.
But, living as Kratos...
Truly exhausting.
The chaotic thoughts, the suppressed anger, the seemingly endless battles and pains.
Every day, his mind had to be squeezed into a pulp-like contemplation.
Godslayer... dying on the path of godslayer, might also be a kind of liberation.
Kratos really wanted to take a break for a while.
In the endless darkness, he closed his eyes.
"Settle the account."
[Not settling.]
?
[You're not dead yet, do you understand the value of EX luck?]
"..."
His dim and obscure vision slowly opened.
Before him appeared the purple witch, Medea, with her delicate, slightly overly close face.
No, it wasn't overly close.
It was... tightly pressed together.
Her soft lips, like a shallow drink, pressed against the young man's lips.
Cool, refreshing, mint-like magic flowed into Kratos' throat through her lips.
"Mana transfer."
She was using this direct exchange of bodily fluids, the most efficient way, to transfer her savings to Kratos.
Curving her fingers slightly.
Kratos vaguely felt that his right hand and right leg, seemed to have been repaired.
Looking down at the black-haired youth beneath her who slowly opened his eyes.
Medea, with tears in her eyes, rushed over like a puppy seeing its owner returning home, rubbing her soft cheeks against Kratos'.
"Your HighnessF!"
Kratos gently stroked her hair.
Embracing Medea as she rubbed against him.
He slowly sat up on the wide bed covered in gauze.
In the elegantly decorated palace, the towering dome seemed to weave through the deep night, while within it, shimmering moons and bright stars dotted the night sky.
Shelves stacked with books surrounded them on all sides.
On the obsidian floor, various mysterious stone slabs, rough papyrus scrolls, and rolled-up parchment volumes were scattered around...
Kratos even saw several books he had written himself.
"Where is this..."
"Hecate." Medea, with excited tears, gently kissed him, "My teacher, Hecate's palace."
"That... the goddess of the dark moon?"
Kratos' expression was somewhat stunned, his chaotic brain still struggling to understand the current situation.
"I remember, we were thrown into hell, and in the end, we encountered the Darkness Devil, did Aatrox defeated it... but, if that's the case, why am I still awake?"
"Of course, it's because..."
"I am the dakness devil."
A soft, clear, seemingly weak voice drifted from the door of the palace.
Draped in thin black gauze, with a skirt as deep as the night, the young girl with black hair, softer and younger than Medea, dragged her feet like the night, slowly entering her palace.
Her lazy and delicate face still carried heavy dark circles under her eyes, her sleepy eyes looking like she hadn't slept enough, the straps of her lace underwear hanging loosely on one side, revealing her shoulder.
A well-behaved little dog with three heads followed at her feet, rubbing her delicate ankles with its soft fur.
Sitting on the bed.
Kratos stared blankly at the coming, tender... black-haired girl?
"Hecate?"
"Yeah."
The black-haired girl nodded, her voice echoing softly, then raised her tender chin.
"Call me goddess, you little guy who doesn't know the difference!"
No difference- no... looking at her, she looks even younger than herself, doesn't she?!
As if understanding Kratos' subtle gaze.
The black-haired girl grinned, showing her tiger teeth, grinning.
"What's wrong with being small? This youthful appearance saves energy! Do you know how difficult it is to manage energy in the depths of hell? All the ether is absorbed by the River Styx! Killing devils is also damn annoying!"
"Um..."
Despite not quite understanding the situation.
Kratos immediately clasped his hands together and pressed them against his forehead,
"Thank you for your help, honorable goddess Hecate!"
He paused, emphasizing respectfully.
"Your glory in the dark moon not only shakes the underworld, but your benevolent reputation will also shine throughout Sparta!"
"Hehe... hehehe..."
Hecate covered her face and laughed with pleasure, nodding approvingly like a proud teacher.
"Not bad, not bad, it's been a long time since I've heard such pleasing words from a boy."
Looking at the young, tender black-haired figure before her.
Feeling the immense power contained within his evenly proportioned body.
The strong urge to devour him completely surged into Hecate's mind, causing the corners of the black-haired girl's mouth to unconsciously drip a hint of glistening saliva.
"Hiss..."
She raised her hand, discreetly wiping away her drool, and flipped through the Spartan recipe book in her hand.
"I quite like you, little guy. Your writing is impressive, full of potential.
"For now, you can stay in my palace to recuperate. If you need anything, just tell Medea, she'll communicate with me through magic."
"We'd better see each other as little as possible, or even not at all... I mean, not face to face."
After giving these simple instructions.
The black-haired girl turned around, about to leave the palace.
The clear voice of the black-haired young man suddenly came from behind her.
"Noble goddess Hecate, please wait a moment."
"You said you are... the Darkness Devil, what exactly is going on?"
Recalling the fourteen years as Kratos.
Recalling Ares' grim laughter and words.
In Kratos' heart, there was already a faint suspicion, but he still wanted a definitive answer.
The goddess of the dark moon, Hecate, was right before him.
This opportunity must not be missed.
"Ares, the reason she turned into a woman is because... she is the War Devil, right?
"No, I should say... she merged with the War Devil?"
As the young man's words fell silent.
Hecate's steps suddenly stopped.
Her figure began to rise and elevate, suddenly transforming into a voluptuous and mature woman.
Hecate turned her head, her amber eyes stacked with circular rings, a seductive mole beneath her eyes, contrasting with her already charming face, as if emanating a captivating charm.
Beside the goddess of the dark moon.
The once obedient and adorable three-headed little dog suddenly expanded in size, becoming as muscular as a little bull, its fierce canine teeth gnashing and intersecting, barking wildly at Kratos with three heads, exuding a fierce and hysterical howl.
Stroking Cerberus' head.
Hecate raised her hand and slowly put on the menacing skull mask, the thin black gauze covering her body, completely encasing her voluptuous figure, enveloping it in a deep shadow.
One of the root fears ingrained in human genetic instinct.
Darkness.
Accompanied by the heart-pounding shadows, drifting and wandering in the corners of the palace.
The atmosphere inside the palace seemed to freeze in an instant.
In this deathly silence.
The Darkness Devil strolled over slowly, the menacing skull mask approaching the young black-haired man's face, emitting a hoarse and muffled hum.
"...Aren't you afraid of death, Kratos?"
"If you wanted to kill me, you should have done it earlier."
Holding the slightly stunned purple witch, he pressed her head against his chest.
The shadows didn't make Kratos afraid at all, instead, they made him feel familiar.
Or rather, as the side of himself named Alvin, he was the embodiment of shadows.
Looking at the Darkness Devil before him, the young black-haired man asked expressionlessly, with an indifferent tone.
"Have the Greek gods been corrupted by Hell?"
"Huh..."
"You're really interesting, Kratos."
Blood dripped from the corners of the Darkness Devil's mouth as she slowly grinned, emitting a hoarse laughter.
Hecate raised her hand, took off her skull mask, and revealed the voluptuous and mature woman, her face charming and seductive.
In this captivating state, every move she made seemed to emanate a bewitching charm.
"However, corrupted by Hell...?"
The goddess of the dark moon laughed with a deep and mocking laughter, as if hearing a great joke.
In the slowly solemnizing expression of Kratos.
With a mocking tone, Hecate looked at him and said slowly, word by word.
"Yes, corrupted by humans..."
As her words faded away.
The echoes vanished into silence.
The words spoken by Hecate caused Kratos' mind to feel as if it had been struck heavily, holding Medea in his arms, he also showed an extremely shocked expression.
Yes, they all realized...
Realized the extremely cruel truth.
"Ever since Kronos initiated the self-destruct program, summoning Chaos, tearing open the void, countless bizarre creatures from other worlds have flooded out."
"The gods of Olympus originally thought that invading was just devils."
"Later, they finally realized that what truly invaded this land was a kind of rule."
As the image continued to play out.
The goddess's low and faint voice echoed in the palace.
"However... when the gods of Olympus understood this situation, it was already too late, Kratos... while battling with the vanguard of the wandering star, they exhausted their last reserves of salvation."
"Faith is a powerful thing, Kratos. As the god of courage, revered by Sparta, you should understand this better than anyone, right?"
"The mind conquers all... transcending the mundane. If the people of this world widely, strongly, and universally believe in something, then it will truly be endowed with corresponding power."
"Even the gods of Olympus, as extraterrestrial beings, have their divinity shaped by humans."
"Where there is light, there is shadow... not just positive emotions can empower."
"Human negative emotions are often much stronger and more enduring than positive ones. However, due to the interference of the Ring of Deterrence, most of those negative intentions are filtered out by the Root. Unless specifically collected, malicious intent tends not to manifest widely and tangibly."
"However..."
"Chaos tore open the void, connecting the otherworldly rules to here. Since then, humanity evil has been able to manifest and reciprocate in this world."
In front of Kratos' eyes.
The voluptuous figure of the goddess of the dark moon, Hecate, smiled subtly and playfully.
"Kratos, I don't need to tell you this..."
"In this age of gods, what is most feared, most hated, and most subject to the ugliest, most vile thoughts and intentions of people? What is it?"
Kratos, silently and stagnantly, looked at Hecate.
Causing virtuous to fall, tarnishing the pure.
One of humanity's favorite things to do is to elevate something or someone onto that divine pedestal, thinking of them as the embodiment of their souls. Yet, at the slightest inconvenience, they curse, insult, and denounce, pulling them down from that ethereal realm.
More beautiful than Mona Lisa is the burning Mona Lisa.
The answer was already apparent.
The most feared, most loathed, and most malevolent object of people's affection.
Of course... it's the most revered, least understood, and most elevated of all, those non-human entities.
"It's... gods..."
Hecate said with a smile.
Smiling in melancholy.
Her tone, however, seemed to lament.
"People's faith surrounds the gods."
"People's malice corrupts the gods.
"So-called divinities and devils."
"Are all just wishful thinking of humans, all are indescribable entities."
"Displeased, then pray to the gods."
"Not satisfied, then complain to the gods."
"Encounter enemies, then demand divine retribution."
"Encounter suffering, then beg for divine love and mercy."
"The gods of Olympus, rather than being corrupted by Hell."
"It's more accurate to say... they're being corrupted by your humanity evil, Kratos."
The goddess of the dark moon sighed with a smile.
Her amber eyes, rippling with waves, so sorrowful, so compassionate, so lamenting.
"Their divinity is constantly declining, contaminated by humanity evil, and they're barely maintaining their fragile sanity at their terminal machine."
"Pity, bless, observe..."
"Not because they don't want to, but because they can't."
"Their blessings now only return malice to the praying humans in the most twisted ways."
"So, from now on, the gods can no longer love humans as they did before."
"The true hell is not here, Kratos."
"But at the summit of Mount Olympus."
Sighing softly.
Hecate shook her head gently, turned around, and stroked her three-headed dog's cub, slowly walking towards the dark palace outside.
Medea, staring at her teacher's back in a daze, then raised her head, gazing at the face of the young king with some respect.
"...Your Highness."
Silence.
In the deathly silence.
A faint, ethereal voice began to ring out from the young black-haired man.
"Noble goddess Hecate."
Kratos spoke softly...
"Your wisdom and knowledge are as deep as the abyss and as vast as the sea. There must be a solution to this pollution, right? Otherwise, the persistence of the gods would be meaningless."
"Since you can be the Darkness Devil and still maintain your clarity of mind, surely, the gods have found a corresponding solution, haven't they?"
Facing this way, Hecate paused her steps.
"Of course, you're very clever."
"What is it? Can you tell me? I will express my deepest respect to you and praise your name in Sparta."
The goddess of the dark moon smiled slightly, raised her hand, and wiped away the drool from her mouth.
In Kratos' stunned expression, she whispered softly.
"Just kill all humans."
Shadows wandered.
The brilliant starlight in the palace seemed to dim for a moment.
As the last words fell, in that instant.
In this shining hell, the goddess Hecate, seemed truly terrifying, like the very embodiment of that heart-throbbing and spine-chilling...
The Darkness Devil.
Feeling Kratos' silence.
The voluptuous Hecate enveloped herself in shadows, donning the menacing skull mask once again.
"So, keep your distance from me, Kratos."
She said hoarsely.
"I'm afraid I might not be able to resist eating you."
The corners of the devil's mouth dripped with thick, blood-like saliva.
"After all..."
"You're really... quite delicious."
In the midst of the hysterical barking of the cerberus, Hecate's gaze, slightly glazed, locked onto Kratos.
The black-haired youth approached step by step, taking hold of the goddess's emaciated, devil-like arm. With both hands, he respectfully lifted her hand and placed it on his forehead.
"Thank you."
He spoke softly.
"You saved my life. If you were to kill me, then I wouldn't have any complaints, I will not hold it against you."
The devil form of Hecate trembled violently.
Suddenly, starting from her voluptuous devil form, she began to shrink, transforming into a curvaceous, mature woman, then further shrinking into a girl with black veil draped over her, similar in age to Medea.
The hellhound on the side, now with its teeth bared and mouth wide open, let out a sob and shrank back into a fluffy little dog with three heads.
Poke!
"!?"
Poke! Poke! Poke!
"!?!"
With each forceful poke to the forehead by the goddess, Hecate took a step forward, and Kratos retreated one step. The sturdy physique of the young man was marked with red imprints by the black-haired girl.
Advancing, retreating.
Finally, Kratos fell back onto the bed.
"You idiot, I really can't resist eating you!"
Hecate put her hand on her hip, her delicate, tear-mole adorned face looking angrily.
"I'm not joking, Kratos! devils are born from human fear and malice, so hunger is our special attack against humans. I can barely suppress it when I'm awake, but the more I see you, the more I interact with you, the harder it becomes for me to resist! Do you understand?"
She yelled like this.
Not forgetting to wipe away the glistening drool from the corners of her mouth.
"You have nowhere else to go now, because all the gods' dark sides want to deal with you, use you, and get rid of you! And you're not in good shape right now. Here in the depths of hell, I can barely conceal your presence..."
Saying this, Hecate roared.
"Medea!"
"Hey! Hey hey hey! Teacher, I'm here!"
The purple-haired girl on the bed quickly knelt.
"Watch over Kratos. Let's try not to meet directly!"
The black-haired girl raised her hand again, pointing to her own face.
"Keep an eye on me too at all times. If something seems wrong, run away quickly and wait for me to calm down!"
Saying this, Hecate ran away with the bare feet of the girl, climbing onto a pile of books.
"Even face to face, you have to maintain this distance, at least ten meters away! Do you remember?"
"I remember!"
The purple witch, Medea, finally understood. When she followed Hecate to learn magic, why the powerful witch never let herself get too close. She even thought... she was being hated.
Was the teacher, at that time... already tainted?
"I really can't... resist it. I'm not joking, Kratos, originally, I lived alone here in the deepest part of hell, just to avoid people."
"But... now, I have no choice. I have to take care of you."
Sitting on the pile of books, the black-haired girl swung her fair, bare feet, pressing her chest, suppressing the overwhelming bloodthirst, and sighed deeply.
She raised her hands and made a big thumbs up.
"Getting too close is prohibited!"
"Physical contact is prohibited!"
"Have you... understood?"
The black-haired youth blinked his deep crimson eyes and locked eyes with the purple witch.
"I've offended you."
Kratos clasped his hands together.
"Respected Goddess Hecate, I assure you that this will only happen once, and I will never deliberately touch you again."
"Good."
Hecate nodded in satisfaction.
"Take care of yourself and replenish your magic... kill the devils by yourself."
"Across the river of the underworld, Hades is in a bad state now. I know you want to find your father, but don't rush. Let me draw you a map first."
"Normally, don't stay too far away from me, otherwise, I won't be able to conceal your presence, and don't stay too close to me, otherwise, I'll have to resist the urge to eat you."
"That's about it. And your friend is in the laboratory's blood pool. He activated the emergency program, trying to connect to the moon's mainframe, but fortunately, he didn't succeed, or his consciousness would have been assimilated by the mainframe.
"Oh, if you hungry you can cook for yourself. I got some seasoning from the mortal world, but... only devils can eat here in hell."
The black-haired girl stroked her chin, nodding vigorously.
"That's about it."
Hecate jumped off the pile of books, hugged her cute three-headed puppy, and prepared to leave.
Once again, the annoying voice of the boy sounded from behind her.
"I have no relationship with you, and we haven't even met... why are you helping me like this?"
"Why do you have so many questions?"
Kratos shook his head wryly.
"Sigh..."
Hecate sighed softly, as if her personality was constantly changing with her three transformations, and now her thoughts leaned more towards the style of the girl, lively, active, averse to trouble, and unable to stand others' requests.
"Do you think I care about you?"
Hecate didn't want to let him know the excessively cruel answer, so she found a passable reason.
"If it weren't for Medea..."
"If it's just because of Medea..." Kratos said, "Why do you take care of me like this?"
"Are you not her husband?" Hecate said unkindly, "I can't care for my disciples?"
"Ah! Teacher!"
The little witch blushed.
"Tsk, for your magical energy, Medea kissed you for a whole day and night, Kratos. She didn't hesitate at all. She said you're just lovers, who would believe that? Her love curse has been lifted by you."
"Teacher! Please stop..."
The purple witch waved her hands frantically, then buried her head in the young man's chest, blushing.
"That's not the real reason."
Stroking the purple witch's hair, Kratos shook his head gently.
"Hades summoned that hand just to send me and Ares over here... you couldn't have predicted that Medea would come too, right?"
"Tsk, being too smart isn't a good thing. You're really annoying, kid."
"I'm not a kid anymore."
"It seems to me that you're all children, and you're even the most pitiful kind..."
The black-haired girl sighed softly.
"That's right, it's not a coincidence. I knew you would be thrown into hell... I was entrusted to come and rescue you."
"...Zeus?"
Hecate let out a sigh, neither denying nor further elaborating on the matter.
Kratos understood. She was tacitly acknowledging it.
"Why... would Zeus help me like this?"
The black-haired youth asked, his expression somewhat stiff.
The goddess of the dark moon, Hecate, spoke softly.
"Because... He loves you."
Silence.
The black-haired youth lowered his deep crimson eyes.
Hecate's voice continued to drift faintly.
"No... to be precise, Zeus loves humanity."
"His program dictates that to preserve his own race, all he needs to do is exterminate all humans."
"However, upon realizing his contamination, he immediately separated his divine form from his human form, uploading the command to guard you, to guard humanity, onto his ship, while his human form struggled to suppress his devil side."
Hecate shook her head, a hint of pity welling up in her amber-colored eyes.
"...just buying time."
"Is the process of devil transformation... irreversible?"
"Irreversible. Because the void opened by Chaos is allowing the rules of the otherworld to permeate this world. And affter forging the Sword of Promised Victory, the Counter Force fell into slumber, rendering it powerless... unless Chaos is put to sleep."
Staring at the black-haired youth, Hecate fell silent for a moment before speaking softly.
"There is a very simple and effective way to put sleep Chaos.."
"...that is by destroying all the Olympian gods."
Kratos paused.
Hecate let out a sigh of relief.
With a melancholic expression, the goddess of the dark moon spoke softly.
"The gods who love humanity have initiated a self-destruct sequence."
"The Olympian gods unanimously approved of this proposal."
"However... they are no longer capable of carrying it out."
Hecate said sorrowfully.
"Don't blame them, Kratos, even though I don't share your perspective, I can say this much."
"But, I'm sorry, I still want to tell you... that was not the intention of the gods. The contaminated terminal resisted their commands."
"The principle of survival."
"It is both humanity love and humanity evil."
"The gods, tainted by humanity evil, have developed a desire to survive..."
"Given such malice, the Olympian gods will do everything in their power to pursue the survival of their race."
"In fact... they have the easiest way to achieve it."
"But, they're resisting it with all their might."
"...To exterminate all humans and halt the contamination."
"The gods who love humanity resist this rational outcome."
"Struggling against their devil transformation, gradually blending with the concept of devils, yet not forgetting the love for humanity in their hearts."
"So they gradually became... the distorted monsters chasing after survival."
"Athena wants to control everything, to eliminate humanity's fear..."
"Ares wants to gain the strongest power to defeat Chaos..."
"Apollo wants to gather the energy of the Earth's core to restart Olympus' interstellar journey..."
"Poseidon wants to genetically modify humanity into another form of life..."
"Aphrodite wants to spiritualize human wills, incorporating them into digital life..."
"Hades wants to put all humans into hibernation pods until the gods have passed through this contamination period, then awaken them all again."
"The gods are searching for their own methods, seeking an outcome where both they and humanity can survive, even if it means continuing to exist in a twisted manner."
"...Only Zeus."
Hecate softly uttered that name.
Causing Kratos's heart to suddenly tighten.
"As clever as you are, you must have guessed why I didn't want to tell you..."
"...You wouldn't bear it if you didn't know."
The purple witch, Medea, raised her hand and gently stroked the youth's cheek.
The black-haired youth looked at his palm, trembling.
Trembling, he closed his eyes.
"Zeus... has decided to destroy Olympus."
"Mm."
Hecate admitted softly.
"The most lucid Zeus realized that these plans were only temporary solutions... only Chaos is the root cause."
"But Zeus cannot shut down Chaos, and in his current state, he cannot destroy Olympus either."
"And... the most ridiculous thing is..."
Hecate laughed sadly.
"Zeus, with all his might, could indeed destroy the entire Olympus, but he would undoubtedly become deeply contaminated in the process... by that time, who will destroy him, who will destroy the fallen king of gods?"
"So, he placed a dwindling hope on humanity, on... his children."
Kratos listened quietly, expressionless.
Staring at the night sky above.
Hecate remained silent for a long time.
The goddess of the dark moon, finally lowered her gaze, speaking softly.
"Kratos..."
"...Zeus hopes that you can go and kill him."
"..."
Everything seemed silent.
Silence.
Silence was the mood of the dark moon at this moment.
Kratos lowered his eyelids.
Under the setting sun.
The figure of the stooped, grave-digging old man, with its murky and complex gaze, appeared in the black-haired youth's mind.
"People like olive branches, Your Highness Kratos..."
"Shall I offer you a bouquet of olives?"
"I don't like olives."
So that's it.
Kratos finally understood why he wasn't angry.
Zeus, hoping for this answer... the grave-digger.
He dug out the sorrowful tomb for Olympus.
"Forgive me... Zeus, this child you placed high hopes on, sooner or later he will know, I just hope... it won't be the moment of your destruction."
Even though he knew, speaking here, Zeus couldn't hear.
Facing the sky of hell.
Hecate continued to mutter to herself.
After a long sigh.
The goddess of the dark moon, representing the slumber of all things, gently shook her head and said softly.
"...Rest well, Kratos."
Her figure, about to melt into the darkness.
Heard the last question uttered by the youth.
"May I ask you, respected Goddess Hecate..." Kratos said softly, "What do I need to do... to return to the mortal world?"
"As Ares mentioned... you cannot return now."
Hecate shook her head.
"This is the deepest layer of hell, the deepest part of the Greek."
"Other than the extremely rare hell rifts that occasionally tear open, only Hades holds the authority to pass through..."
"And he has imprisoned the most terrifying devils around the periphery of the underworld."
"That... is what you will have to do next..."
"Kratos."
"Hades can't hold on much longer."
"...He hopes you will go and kill him."
