On the peak of the Caucasus Mountains, the light and ideas formed from the disintegration of Prometheus's body did not disperse. Instead, they became more concentrated, transforming into an invisible yet omnipresent vast presence—Alaya Noah.
His voice was no longer a single tone, but resembled the resonance of hundreds of millions of hearts, sounding directly in the minds of all spiritually aware beings. It carried a certain relaxed detachment and a faint hint of mockery.
"After such a long period of planning, I am finally free. I was worried about how to completely shed this old divine body," the ethereal voice seemed to smile.
"After all, in this world, there are few weapons truly capable of utterly killing an ancient god."
His 'gaze' seemed to glide over the Wrath of Earth in Cratos's hands and the dark crimson Spear of Retribution before Alexander.
"My original plan was to await the sacrifice of the 'Son of Man', to pass on my divinity to the beings I love, and to complete this final ascension. The process might have been long, but it would have been gentler."
The light flowed slightly, as if focusing on Hermes and Alexander:
"However, thank you, lost children, especially you, the perceptive Messenger. Your 'assistance' has saved me countless labours and waiting. The final shackles have been removed in the most thorough way."
This 'thank you' sounded sincere, yet it sent an inexplicable chill down the spines of all present who had participated in this deicide. It seemed they... unknowingly, had become pawns in someone else's plan?
Alaya Noah's invisible 'gaze' then turned to Zeus, whose face had darkened considerably.
"Now, King of Gods, according to our ancient agreement..." His voice grew serious and ethereal.
Zeus frowned, but did not interrupt, listening intently.
An invisible stream of information crossed the space and flowed directly into the depths of Zeus's consciousness. Hermes, Alexander, and the others could only watch Zeus's expression shift from doubt to solemnity, to a flicker of disbelief, and finally to a complex contemplation.
They heard nothing specific.
"...It's that simple?"
Zeus was silent for a long moment, then, with a hint of incredulity, asked quietly, as if verifying the authenticity of the information.
"The path to the 'One' is never complicated, but it is filled with thorns and mist." Alaya Noah's voice carried the serenity of one who comprehends all.
"I have only this one answer. Whether to believe it or not is for the King of Gods to decide."
Zeus stared intently at the all-pervading light, then glanced past Alexander and the others, who stood at the ready. An expression of compromise flickered in his eyes.
In the end, he made no further moves, not even bothering to acknowledge the scene further. He simply gave a cold snort, and with a flash of thunder enveloping his body, transformed into a lightning bolt that streaked across the sky and vanished, completely leaving Alexander and the others aside.
This sudden turn of events made everyone breathe a sigh of relief, yet left them even more perplexed.
But in the next moment, after Zeus had departed, a thought that only Hermes could 'hear' sounded directly in his mind:
"Your cunning is remarkable, wily Messenger."
The voice continued, as if peeling away layers of disguise: "To kill the divine eagle, used as both an eye and a torture tool, precisely to provoke the King of Gods' arrival and bring the situation to the brink of battle. I suspected long ago, when we first met on this mountain peak, that your perceptive eyes had already seen through my hidden purpose—not to suffer, but to seek transcendence. Do not bother to argue—now, in the face of the 'truth', lies are meaningless."
Hermes subconsciously lowered the brim of his hat to hide the shift in his eyes.
He quickly scanned his surroundings. Alexander was examining the Spear of Retribution, Cratos was wiping blood from the Wrath of Earth, Thalia was curiously sensing the lingering emotional fluctuations in the air, and Odysseus and Heracles stood vigilant guard...
Everyone acted as if they had heard nothing unusual.
This conversation was his alone.
Alaya Noah's thoughts flooded his mind like a tide:
"You already anticipated this outcome, didn't you? You knew the Avenger's madness and power, and you knew the characteristics of those two god-slaying weapons. You lured them here, forced the King of Gods to clash with Alexander, created chaos, and finally enabled Cratos to 'kill' me, helping me complete this final transformation—from an individual god to a concept of civilisation."
He hurled one final, essential question:
"To go to all this trouble... Hermes, why?"
In the shadow beneath his hat's brim, the corner of Hermes's mouth twitched slightly, but he made no sound, offered no contemplative answer.
Silence is sometimes an answer in itself.
Alaya Noah seemed not to need his answer, and his consciousness smiled clearly:
"Yes... to navigate countless possibilities, eliminate numerous variables, and finally lead to a result beneficial to both you and me... That is all you wanted."
The next moment, before Hermes could react, the will of Alaya Noah that permeated the air suddenly condensed into an invisible, intangible beam of 'hope' and struck the Spear of Divine Retribution hovering before Alexander.
The dark crimson spear blazed with a blinding light and trembled violently.
The resentment, discontent, and despair within it clashed fiercely, rejecting this new power of 'hope'!
Alexander's face changed drastically. He tried to control it, but felt the Spear of Divine Retribution slipping beyond his grasp!
After mere seconds of stalemate—
The Spear of Divine Retribution, that murderous weapon condensed from hundreds of millions of grudges, capable of slaying a major god, suddenly exploded from within!
Dark crimson shards scattered like withered petals, and the terrifying energy contained within them burst forth instantly!
Right in the midst of this explosive flash, Hermes moved!
As if he had already predicted it all, he transformed into a streak of light so fast even the explosion's glare couldn't fully obscure it. He pierced through the energy turbulence with pinpoint accuracy and reached out his hand!
A source of divine power, bearing a familiar aura, as if pulled by an invisible hand, tore free from the core of the exploding Spear of Divine Retribution, instantly submerged into his palm, and was firmly grasped and absorbed by him.
It was the divine power he had previously lost, absorbed into this spear—the power belonging to 'Hermes'!
After all this, Hermes's figure solidified once more, still standing in his original position, as if he had never moved. But the corner of his mouth beneath his hat brim curved into a barely perceptible arc.
The ephemeral thought of Alaya Noah sounded in his head one last time, with the detachment of a concluded transaction:
"Thus, neither side owes the other anything."