Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

And so, a black storm swept across the sky, but the vast expanse of stars was void of any presence; the Gods of Stars had long since hidden themselves. Impatient, Typhon headed for the sea, but apart from some unintelligent ocean creatures, he could not find a single Sea God.

Now, he had come once more to the desolate Northern Lands. The penetrating black wind was destroying everything in its path as Typhon wantonly unleashed his rage. It was not until he reached a towering mountain peak that he finally spotted an old and terrifying deity.

"Who are you, what deity do you preside over?"

The black storm gradually dissipated outside Mount Nysa, as dragon heads peered out one after another. The monstrous figure with the body of a snake, the torso of a man, and the head of a dragon looked at the old woman; his massive voice echoed between the mountains.

"I am Atropos, the deity who governs fate—or rather, its messenger."

"Fate?"

The dragon heads shook as if contemplating what that was, but Typhon's eyes soon shone with light again.

This was no exaggeration, as the King of All Monsters' eyes truly ignited with a black flame capable of destroying everything, instantly burning a large hole into Mount Nysa.

"I have heard of fate, this power that can threaten the Divine King! So tell me, Fate, how can I kill the Divine King!"

"I thought you would be a bit more polite, Typhon, at least towards fate—"

Boom—

With a sweep of his paw, Atropos's words were cut off in her throat. Typhon grasped the Fate in his hand and watched her skeleton creak and groan.

"Tell me how to kill Zeus, and I will kill you last, that is my courtesy to you!"

Thud—

He tossed her aside carelessly, and Atropos crashed against the rugged mountainside of Mount Nysa, scattering stones in all directions.

Clearly, the Fate had not anticipated such treatment; she even thought she might have misunderstood Typhon's intent.

"Cough cough...what are you saying, kill me last?"

"So you mean to say, if I really can tell you how to kill a deity, you are going to kill all the deities including me, just killing me last?"

"Correct, this world does not need the undying," Typhon declared, his dragon head booming with no hint of awareness of how ludicrous and chaotic his threats were, "So now, tell me how to kill Zeus, and I will grant you a swift end last!"

"..."

Somewhat speechless, threatening an immortal deity and trying to obtain the method to kill gods, in exchange for being the last one to be killed...Atropos didn't know what to say. If she hadn't come for this very reason from the start, Typhon probably would never get an answer from anyone.

But it didn't matter anymore; it was easier to deceive a fool, and she didn't even need to look for a reason. Shaking her head slightly, she struggled to stand up from the ruins and showed an ugly smile.

"To kill the Divine King, you've found the right person. As the Fate, I indeed have a way to help you kill him."

"But I wonder if you can bear the cost?"

"What cost?" At first, he asked a question, but then Typhon's hundred heads danced wildly: "There is no cost I cannot bear, stop the nonsense, tell me, how should the Divine King die!"

The chaotic clamor of the hundred heads made it impossible to discern what he wanted to say, only evoking irritation and vexation. Atropos paid no heed, simply fumbling with trembling arms in her robe for a while before extracting something.

"Fate... only fate can decide the life and death of the Divine King, you know that..." She held out the object to Typhon: "I cannot help you, but you can help yourself."

Typhon took from Atropos's hand what was a fruit.

That was a rotting fruit—half as pristine as new, half black and brown as if chewed and decayed by worms. Disgusting pus dripped from its surface, as if it were corrosive in nature.

However, its scent was not as one might expect, for under Typhon's keen sense of smell, it actually exuded an enticing fragrance.

It reached the soul, irreplaceable.

"This is 'Fruit of One Day,' the fruit of destiny... It is also the personification of your connection with Zeus. It can determine your fate, decide your life or death."

"We?"

Even Typhon, creature of Chaos, sensed the absurdity. Could a bizarre fruit determine its fate?

"Yes, it will determine your fate." Atropos smiled, then pointed to herself: "Typhon, you've seen more than one deity, haven't you? Have you seen what they look like? Is there any among them who possesses such an old and ugly face as mine?" Find your next adventure on empire

Typhon did not respond; indeed, it had seen none, and the Fate before it seemed an exception. And as Typhon watched, Atropos continued, "This is backlash, Typhon!"

"The fate of the world was interfered, and the backlash fell upon me, resulting in such a reaction; this is the world's reproach—and there's also a share from the Divine King. He devoured his own wife Metis, trying to prevent the birth of a True God, and he actually succeeded. The destiny of Pallas was killed—you don't understand this, but it doesn't matter.

In short, he must pay the price for this, and the punishment given by destiny is this fruit."

"It is 'Fruit of One Day,' anyone who eats it will possess the power to completely defeat the Divine King within one day, even the laws of the current world will not interfere with you, but you have only one day."

"If you can't do it within a day... then you will pay an equivalent price. From then on, you will never be his match again."

"Hehehe hahaha... Good!"

Over a hundred dragon heads emitted a strange laugh, and without hesitation, Typhon swallowed the tempting fruit in one gulp.

But the next moment, black flames flickered again in its two hundred eyes as it glared at Atropos, as if looking at a dead person.

"This is your and Zeus's destiny, your battle with the Divine King, and even after consuming it, you cannot kill me."

Watching the dangerous gaze of the Hundred-Headed Dragons and Serpents, Atropos could surely guess what lay in the other's thoughts. Yet, she merely shook her head and offered an explanation.

Then the next moment, several dragon heads surged forward, tearing at the body of the Fate. But just as Typhon had once done to every other god, no matter how much force it applied, Atropos simply would not die, continuing to calmly watch it instead.

"It's no use, Typhon. Go do what you must, you have only one day... Actually, I thought you would have waited to eat the Fruit of One Day after meeting Zeus."

"—No need, old thing, who do you think I am?

"One day is enough, I am The King of All Monsters, Ty! Phon!"

Boom—!

After throwing Atropos back onto Mount Nysa, Typhon's dragon wings vibrated, lifting its vast body into the sky.

It temporarily gave up dealing with this Fate, though it felt she might have other Fruits of One Day for the other gods. But it decided to settle things with Zeus first.

The Divine King was the only one who posed even a slight threat to it, and this would also be a test of the Fruit of One Day's power. If it could succeed, there would be time to return later.

The black storm promptly disappeared in the direction of what once was the Corycian mountain range, leaving only Atropos, bleeding and lying in the ruins. After a long time, she finally climbed out of the pit.

"Such a madman..."

"...dies deservedly."