[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 233: Oath Seizure (1)

Tens of thousands of clones.

Compared to wandering through the vast universe, exploring Mars—which is smaller than Earth—was a piece of cake.

“This is the place it pointed to.”

One of my clones, scouring the entire surface of Mars, had soon found a specific location.

“That was fast.”

When I was surveying the solar system, I had checked out Mars too...

But there’s a big difference between searching with a clue and doing it blindly.

Holding the soul stones of the Olympus gods, I headed to Mars.

“So this is it.”

An unremarkable terrain.

Not Olympus Mons, the tallest mountain on Mars, but just a flat, red wasteland.

If the administrator system hadn’t marked this spot, I would’ve passed it by without a second thought.

“Astrape.”

As soon as I summoned Astrape, I could feel it—something was different.

From deep underground, I sensed SP.

Normally, Mars shouldn’t have any SP at all.

Yet, faint traces of it were seeping out of the ground.

“Scatter and erect a barrier. Use a Soul Barrier to make it completely airtight.”

“Understood.”

I ordered my clones to cast a wide Soul Barrier over the area and dove into the ground alone.

Following the trail of SP, I soon came upon a massive cavern.

Zzzzt.

The entrance to the cavern was laced with a white electric net, like a spider web of lightning.

I could break through it by force, but there was no need to...

“Astrape.”

When I brought Zeus’s lightning near, the electric net vanished with ease.

Like I had used a key to unlock it.

I walked into the opened cavern, and before me stood a coffin bound in chains.

“Hephaestus. This coffin and those chains—your handiwork, I presume?”

[Ugh... How did you get here...]

“The key to that coffin must be Astrape as well, right?”

Zzzzt.

When I unleashed Zeus’s lightning...

Clack. Clack.

Thud.

The chains unlatched on their own and fell away smoothly.

Ahem.

Now, to match Zeus’s voice as best I can...

I invoked divine speech—words that transcended language.

“Awaken. Hera.”

Rrrrumble.

The coffin began to open.

Step. Step.

What emerged from the coffin was Hera—the same one I’d seen in a past video.

Her entire body wrapped tightly in bandages, leaving not an inch of skin exposed.

Even her eyes were covered, with only her nose and mouth visible.

“To think the seal has finally been broken... Zeus. Did we win?”

If she’s truly a deity, mere bandages wouldn’t stop her from seeing.

Could they be made from special material?

She didn’t recognize me—Hera looked right at me but didn’t see through my disguise.

Good.

At least she came out willingly.

“Soul Barrier.”

I reinforced the Soul Barrier that my clones had cast from outside with my own.

This should be strong enough that even a god-level being couldn’t escape.

“Soul Barrier?”

[Oh... Mother. You’re alive.]

“This voice... Ares?”

Hera’s expression brightened at Ares’s voice.

Now that the Soul Barrier is in place, there’s no need to keep pretending to be Zeus.

I fired Astrape at her bandages.

Whooosh.

In an instant, the white flames engulfed the wrappings.

I had aimed at her eyes, but the flames consumed all the bandages around her body.

Nice figure.

Now that her eyes were visible, along with her perfect features, the full beauty of the goddess was revealed.

“You... Who are you? Where’s Zeus?”

Her joyful expression stiffened the moment she looked at me.

“I am the Soul God. Zeus’s enemy.”

“Soul God...?”

“You don’t know me?”

“The Soul God has returned... Are you from Earth?”

Huh.

Seems she really doesn’t know me.

I vaguely remember Hera interfering with a reward back when I was a low-rank awakened being.

Maybe that Hera wasn’t the real one?

When Cthulhu told me about the false souls, I asked whether gods could also become false souls.

He said he couldn’t answer.

Seems that had something to do with her.

“Hera. Zeus abandoned Olympus.”

“……”

“Hermes is dead. Many gods were fused by Zeus. He should’ve paid the penalty for that—but he didn’t.”

“What are you trying to say?”

“I heard you made a pact with Zeus on behalf of the remaining gods of Olympus. Is that oath still active?”

“...Of course it is.”

She answered without hesitation.

She was good at keeping a straight face.

I threw the sealing stones of Hephaestus and Ares in front of her.

Thud. Thud.

“They're your sons. The sealing stones of Hephaestus and Ares.”

“……”

“Zeus abandoned them. Hephaestus was devoured long ago, and Ares was nothing more than a pawn.”

[Mother... Don’t listen to this man.]

Hephaestus said, his voice tinged with anger.

Well, considering the torture he endured, it’s no wonder.

On the other hand, Ares remained silent.

“Many other gods have been sealed too.”

[Lady Hera! Please! Zeus intends to destroy us all.]

[He no longer values Olympus. He wants to wipe everything away and begin a new creation.]

Aphrodite and Demeter tried to persuade Hera.

Athena, in contrast, remained quiet.

The gods of war were silent indeed.

“God of Souls. What’s your purpose?”

“Activate the oath. Properly.”

“The oath is already activated.”

Hera said without so much as a twitch of her brow.

In the past, I might’ve doubted her…

But now, it’s different.

“Hera. You haven’t been awake long, so your SP is low. 193,471, huh.”

“...What!?”

“You’ve got a lot of interesting skills. For a goddess of family, you sure have a ton of seduction skills. And... True Kamasutra? Night of Extremes? What kind of skill is that? Teach me sometime.”

“Y-You... What are you looking at?!”

“Your status window, Goddess Hera. Hmm... so many skills for seducing men? I guess it makes sense Zeus made you his consort — you've got the face and body for it… Was this your way of trying to keep him faithful?”

As I scanned her, Hera quickly conjured clothes and covered her chest with her arms.

Well now... that was quite a reaction.

She’s making me look like the pervert here.

She’s my type, sure, but I’m not interested in married women.

“What... what are you trying to do?!”

“Hephaestus. How did soul transformation feel?”

[Tch... You wouldn’t dare try that on my mother!]

“I was thinking it might be fun to replace the imprint of Zeus in her soul with myself. Don’t you think?”

[You bastard...!]

Whoosh!

Hera’s soul form turned to light.

She flew upward, trying to escape.

Oh?

So she's bailing completely?

No intention to cooperate at all, huh.

In that case...

Whiiirrr.

I deliberately poked a needle-sized hole in the Soul Barrier.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Just a tiny dot in size.

Far too small for Hera’s full soul form to pass through.

But just enough for a thread of light to escape.

Boom!

Hera's divine form slammed into the Soul Barrier and fell helplessly.

In the explosion, a faint thread of light slipped through the hole.

—Release that light.

I ordered my clone outside, then casually approached Hera.

She lay on the ground, looking distressed.

“Ugh…”

“No SP left. Don’t overdo it, lady.”

“Who are you calling lady…!”

“You’ve given birth to multiple sons. Of course you’re a lady. And if you invoked the oath, shouldn’t you follow through? Why keep it sealed?”

“...Sealed?!”

Maybe it was because the sealed stones of the Olympian gods were nearby.

She immediately began denying it.

But her status window was already fully visible to me.

Right.

Thanks to the Administrator System.

—Are you asking me to locate the goddess Hera?

“Yes.”

—Here she is.

Hera’s status window dropped in front of me.

—Why would you bother with such a petty goddess?

Guess in the Administrator Space, even goddesses seem insignificant.

“If I find her, I might figure out a way to screw Zeus over.”

—Is that so? Zeus is merely a passing obstacle for someone like you.

“He’s annoying right now though, blocking my path. If you’re gonna talk like that, how about giving me admin rights for free?”

—That’s beyond my authority.

So much talk for someone who won’t even help.

The system tossed Hera’s status window to me.

[Goddess Hera]

[Sealed]

Her state was oddly marked as “Sealed.”

“Hera is sealed, huh. Can you find her location?”

—That is within my authority.

“Finally, something useful. Where is she?”

—On Mars.

Mars, huh.

I examined her abilities and skills, still curious about her sealed state.

True to her role as goddess of the household, Hera didn’t have many combat-oriented skills.

“Why does she have so many skills for the bedroom though…”

From S-rank to F-rank.

Regardless of rank, half of her skill window was filled with bedroom arts.

She must either really enjoy her marital relationship—or perhaps, it's not all that harmonious.

As I scrolled through the endless list of nighttime skills, I finally found what I was looking for.

[Oath of Olympus]

[Sealed]

[An oath made by the chief god Zeus with all the gods of Olympus. It states that the gods of Olympus will assist in the ascension of Zeus as a Creator, and Zeus, in return, will grant the gods complete immortality.]

“Can’t I see the details of this oath?”

[Administrator authority required to view.]

“What, I need to use administrator authority for something so trivial?”

I should save that for checking up on Zeus.

Wasting it on Hera seems like a waste.

Then, the administrator system added an explanation.

[With administrator authority, you can modify all stats of the 'trivial' goddess.]

“Hm… is that so?”

That changes things.

If Hera is a key piece in keeping Zeus in check…

It might be worth it.

Time to experiment…

“Hera. If you’d fulfilled the oath properly, the gods of Olympus wouldn’t be in this state.”

[Mother, don’t listen to him!]

[Lady Hera… did you deceive us? Hermes has been completely annihilated…!]

Hera bit her lip at the mention of Hermes’ annihilation.

Soon after, she returned to her calm demeanor.

“Sealed or not, the Oath of Olympus is currently being fulfilled.”

[Lady Hera…!]

Ignoring Aphrodite’s desperate plea, Hera stood firm.

So she's going to stick to the claim that the oath is being fulfilled.

“I’ll give you 10 trillion SP for fulfilling the oath.”

“10… trillion?”

“Yeah. And I’ll give you another 10 trillion every year. I’ll even allow the construction of a new Olympus. You’ll be its chief god.”

“……”

“I don’t know why you’re so loyal to Zeus, but he’s already abandoned Olympus. You think he wouldn’t abandon his wife?”

“…The oath is being fulfilled.”

She wavered for a moment at the 10 trillion SP offer, but quickly returned to her usual self.

She’s got some backbone.

No more use trying to persuade her with words…

“Well, then. No choice. Let’s start with soul modification.”

[S-Soul God… don’t do this. Do it to me instead of my mother!]

“Geez, kid. If your mom didn’t fulfill the oath, that means she abandoned you. You still want to defend her?”

[Ugh…! I don’t care…! Just do it to me!]

“You’re not even worth it.”

Brushing off Hephaestus’s plea, I prepared for the soul modification.

Hera had already closed her eyes, as if she were ready for it.

I really do feel like the villain here.

Though, she is a collaborator with Zeus, who’s already massacred twenty million people.

[Soul---God.]

Just as I was about to attempt soul modification—

A thunderous, rage-filled voice echoed across the entirety of Mars.

It was Zeus.

BOOOOM.

Black lightning rained down across the Martian terrain.

“Grrgh…!”

The soul barrier created by my clone was torn apart instantly.

My clones were scattered like leaves in the wind.

They couldn’t withstand Zeus’s furious black lightning.

I understood his power better now, and I was stronger too.

And yet, the soul barrier couldn’t hold.

That means Zeus is exerting far more power than usual.

A sign that he’s becoming desperate.

[How dare you touch Hera…! I’ll erase you completely right here!]

His rage-filled voice was terrifyingly intense.

At the sound of it, Hera opened her eyes and raised her chin at me.

She looked quite proud.

“So the Soul God isn’t much after all.”

“Guh. How did you do it!?”

Playing along with a frustrated tone.

Ah.

A vocal flub.

That gave it away.

But despite that—despite how obviously fake my reaction was…

Hera was already gleefully laughing.

“Hohoho. You thought you had me completely blocked earlier, didn’t you? But there was a gap. In that fancy barrier of yours.”

“Guh… I see!”

“Why don’t you run away while you still can? Might be the only way to save your life.”

She continued, clearly enjoying herself.

I nodded lightly at her.

“Yeah. That was the plan.”

“At least you’ve got some sense.”

“And I’ll be taking your oath with me.”

For Zeus to show up this fast…

Hera, you’ve just proven your immense value.

“Administrator authority. Execute.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]