"How… how is that possible?!" Eris was so stunned she could barely speak.
"Even with the Golden Apple in your hands giving you most of Athena's divine power, you're still just a Third‑tier God at best." Meruem tossed the Golden Apple lightly up and down in his palm as he spoke.
"Give it back!" Eris lunged, trying to snatch the dazzling apple from Meruem's hand, but he simply bounced her away.
Compared with Meruem, Eris without the Golden Apple was less threatening than a top‑tier Saint.
After all, Saints were warriors. A so‑called Third‑tier Goddess like Eris, even with divine power, was hardly a fearsome deity.
"This is what you were relying on to come crashing into the Sanctuary?" Meruem stopped juggling the apple and slowly closed his hand around it.
A crisp crack rang out. A clearly visible fissure appeared on the Golden Apple.
"No, don't—!" For once, raw fear appeared on Eris's face as she let out a pained scream.
"Even if you're also one of Zeus's daughters, your divine power is worlds apart from Athena's." In Greek myth, Eris was Ares's sister and the daughter of Hera and Zeus, but she was not one of the Twelve Olympians.
"It seems your strength also comes from this Golden Apple, doesn't it?" Meruem squeezed again, and the cracks on the apple deepened.
At the same time, Eris howled even louder, writhing on the floor.
This Golden Apple had clearly been modified. The reason Eris could steal Athena's divine power without even seeing her likely had much to do with that alteration.
"Meruem… give her a quick end." Saori looked at Eris with a trace of pity. On paper, at least, Eris was still one of Athena's sisters.
As the cracks spread across the Golden Apple, Athena's divine power gradually flowed back into Saori's body. She was no longer the drained, fragile girl from moments before.
"Tell me, who sent you?" Meruem had no intention of letting Eris off so easily. Her timing—coming to the Sanctuary right now—was far too convenient.
"Protect the goddess!" Before Eris could answer, the dead Saints guarding her lost their patience and charged at Meruem.
"Fools. Don't get in my way." With a casual sweep of Eris's trident, Meruem struck them. The undead Saints, strong as they were, turned to ash once more and returned to the Underworld. "Saints who have betrayed their faith deserve no sympathy."
"Eris, this is the last of my patience."
"I told you… I don't know who he really is. I only know he wore a black tuxedo…" Eris gasped.
"Yamar… it really is you," Meruem muttered.
The Golden Apple burst in his hand, turning into a cloud of golden dust.
"Ah!" With the Apple destroyed, Eris collapsed, barely clinging to life.
Yet Meruem had no intention of sparing her. A goddess's body and soul—no matter that she wielded only the power of a Third‑tier God—were still those of a goddess.
"Meruem…" Athena had never seen this expression on his face and couldn't help worrying.
"It's fine, Saori. All right, everyone, come with me to the council chamber. We need to discuss the Celestial Palace's declaration of war against the Sanctuary."
While Saori's attention was elsewhere, Meruem signaled covertly to his personal guards, who quietly carried Eris away.
"The Celestial Palace's actions are nothing less than a provocation against the Sanctuary. I propose we deploy the Gold Saints and wipe them out," Aiolia said, slamming his fist on the oval table.
The Twelve Round‑Table Council had been Meruem's idea: a system where the twelve Gold Saints who guarded the Sanctuary jointly discussed and set battle strategy.
The Pope and Athena could both offer their own proposals and objections. The Pope held three votes, while Athena had a veto.
"Aiolia, the Celestial Palace is not as simple as it looks. That is the domain once ruled by the ancient god Odin. The God Warriors in the North fight with Odin's divine blessing; they won't be easy to handle." No sooner had Aiolia finished than Mu voiced his opposition.
"Mu, the Celestial Palace has already declared war on the Sanctuary. You think we can just sit on our hands? As for the God Warriors' strength, I disagree with you there. You all saw the two God Warriors that Scum‑Saga captured. One of them was supposedly the fourth‑strongest in the Celestial Palace. Their power was at best on par with our stronger Silver Saints. Even with Odin's blessing, I don't see them as particularly formidable. In my opinion, two Gold Saints are enough to wipe out the Celestial Palace," Milo said, sticking to the same stance he had in the original story.
Of course, if there were no Loki, no World Tree, no Odin, or any similar wild cards involved, two or three Gold Saints might indeed have been enough.
The other Gold Saints were just as divided. That excluded Dohko, who remained at the Five Old Peaks guarding the seal; Saga, whose position was too awkward to sit at this table; Shaka, who cared nothing for worldly matters; and Aiolos and Shion, who had been out of touch with the world for over a decade.
"Gentlemen, the situation is not that simple." Seeing the mounting argument, Meruem finally spoke.
"The North has always stayed out of worldly conflicts. Why do you think they suddenly decided to declare war on the Sanctuary? Doesn't that strike you as strange? Take a look at the seas around the North—they're Poseidon's domain. I also have intel that the sea realm has been anything but peaceful of late. It's said that the Greek shipping magnate Sorrento family has a highly skilled attendant at their side, rumored to have been seen wearing a gleaming brass‑gold armor…"
Images formed from Cosmo flickered into view before the Gold Saints' eyes.
"Lord Meruem, are you saying…?" Aldebaran hesitated.
"It's not just the sea realm. Don't forget that the Norse pantheon has another god…"
"…the evil god Loki."
"If that's the case, this won't be easy," Mu murmured, falling deep into thought after hearing all this valuable intel.
"Oh, and one more thing. I almost forgot. The current mistress of the Norse Celestial Palace, Hilda, has declared that if Athena doesn't arrive within one week, she will melt the northern glaciers. If the glaciers melt and a great flood comes, the North will be wiped out too."
"In that case… it has to be Poseidon!"
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