Chapter 66 The Curse of the God King
"You're lying to me; you've been lying to me all along!"
Cronus's angry roar echoed throughout the world; as the King of the Gods, he had never lost his composure like this.
But he couldn't be blamed. Anyone who discovered that the mysterious being they had treated with utmost caution for tens of thousands of years was actually just a bluffer would probably find it unacceptable.
In the eyes of Cronus and the Titans, Taren was ancient and powerful. Even when he only displayed weak divine power, he could contend with the mighty Sky God.
Later, he repeatedly entered and exited the cage set by Cronus at will and could not be confined to Tartarus. All of this proved Taren's power.
Under such circumstances, who would dare believe that his true strength was only what he showed on the surface?
The reason Cronus was so wary of Taren was that he believed he was powerful enough to threaten his position. If he had known earlier that he wasn't that strong, why would he have cared so much?
If he hadn't cared so much, how would he have ended up on Taren's opposing side?
Initially, Taren supported him. He even defeated The former God King Uranus with Taren's help.
Cronus even recalled Taren's words to him when he helped him defeat Uranus; he said that when he was brave and fearless, fate was on his side.
The subtext of this sentence was that when he made a series of precautionary moves out of fear and panic, he lost these good qualities, and fate, of course, no longer favored him.
He was wrong. He shouldn't have devoured his children out of fear, nor should he have targeted Taren out of fear. He was wrong from the very beginning!
The things he feared were, at first, not enough to threaten him at all!
He could have been bolder, directly acting to permanently imprison Taren. If he failed once, he could try a second and third time. With the power Taren displayed at the time, it would have been impossible for him to steal much of the world's support!
But he was too cautious at the time. Because he wasn't confident and didn't know the other party's true depth, he chose to give up! He actually chose to give up!
If only he had known earlier, if only he had known—
At this moment, Cronus finally understood everything, but he understood too late, far too late.
If The former God King Uranus lost due to his arrogance, then Cronuslost due to his excessive caution.
"I advised you a long time ago," Taren said calmly. "I also told you not to delve into the curse."
"That was the only time you could have changed your fate, but you refused me, and from that moment on, everything about you was already destined."
Cronus stared blankly at the young man in front of him, at the face that had once filled him with fear, and felt that this world was so absurd.
"No, impossible—the Goddess of Fate clearly said I wouldn't be defeated. How could I lose?!" Cronus muttered, as if grasping at a last straw.
"Of course, you won't be defeated. You are the Great King of the Gods. You will never be defeated. You just lost, and you lost to yourself."
Taren narrated calmly, as if speaking of a trivial matter.
Cronus slowly raised his head. He looked at the young man before him, and an indescribable anger suddenly surged in his heart.
It was all because of him, all because of him!
If it weren't for Taren, he wouldn't have come to this day!
Even if he lost, he should make this blustering liar pay the price!
He rushed at Taren like a madman, but before he could act, he was firmly grabbed by a hundred arms of a Hecatoncheires.
He turned his head and realized that all his allies had been captured. The Hecatoncheires, with their terrifying strength, restrained all the Titan Gods who were still struggling in vain.
And his hateful rebellious son, Zeus, also came before him, holding his lightning staff high.
All the gods had heard the conversation between Cronus and Taren just now. Although they didn't know what Cronus meant by "steal."
It was clear that Taren had been bluffing and wasn't actually that powerful.
When Zeus heard this, he immediately began to think, and many things that had seemed strange before now made sense.
He had always been puzzled: if Taren was truly as powerful as the Titan Gods claimed, capable of confronting the King of the Gods' creative power, or even more powerful than the King of the Gods, then why would he humble himself in the void?
Why would he choose to help him defeat the King of the Gods instead of doing it himself? And why did he never make a move during the ten years of fighting?
There were strange inconsistencies everywhere.
The Twelve Titans were so deeply impressed by their previous experiences that they overlooked these oddities, and their admiration and trust in Taren had even reached a blind level.
But Zeus was a Third Generation God. He hadn't experienced the Uranus era and hadn't witnessed Taren's actions, so he naturally hadn't felt the shock that the Twelve Titans had felt at the time. Thus, he always felt something was strange in his heart.
But now, everything made sense.
So—he was just bluffing.
Zeus's heart instantly settled, and his wariness and fear of Taren largely dissipated.
However, he also learned from Cronus's lesson and was unwilling to give Taren, who had just forcibly withstood the combined attacks of seven Titan Gods, any more opportunities to shine at this moment.
He immediately stepped forward, came before Cronus, and, under the gaze of all the gods, in the posture of a victor, spoke with an incredibly mocking tone: "Great God King, devourer of children, do you still refuse to admit your defeat?"
"Your greed and foolishness have brought about your downfall. Everything that happens today is your just deserts. In the name of the new King of the Gods, I will imprison you forever. That will be your final resting place."
In this way, Zeus forcibly brought everyone's attention back to himself, including Cronus, who hated Taren so much.
Taren knew Zeus's thoughts, but he not only didn't stop him but was happy to see it happen, even deliberately lowering his sense of presence.
He watched as Cronus's hatred for him shifted to Zeus.
"Zeus, don't be complacent! When I break free from these hundred arms, I will whip you severely! Don't forget, you can neither harm nor kill me!"
Zeus, hearing this, laughed. He said with an incredibly contemptuous tone: "You're right, but I can imprison you forever."
"Listen, the deep abyss Tartarus is roaring lowly. He is already eager to savor you, the King of the Gods, as a delicacy."
After speaking, he no longer paid attention to Cronus, as if he were merely a defeated opponent not worth bothering with, and instead looked at the gods: "Victory belongs to us!"
The gods, hearing this, instantly shouted excitedly. In the incredibly festive atmosphere, Zeus came before Taren and said with a smile: "Great Lord Taren, thank you for your righteous help."
"Now it's time to celebrate the victory. I know you never like such lively occasions, so I won't keep you."
He adopted a somewhat forceful stance, completely abandoning his previous respect and politeness, and made no mention of the conditions he had promised Taren.
Taren smiled, seemingly indifferent to this. "It is my honor to be able to help you."
"I indeed dislike crowds, so I will take my leave now."
With that, Taren turned and left without hesitation, so decisively that Zeus was somewhat surprised.
He had thought that Lord Taren would use this merit to propose some conditions or ask for some benefits, but he actually left so readily?
However, at such a crucial moment, Zeus didn't have time to think much. He still had to deal with the aftermath for Cronus and the other gods.
Moreover, a bluffing, weak god was completely unworthy of attention.
To make his presence felt among the gods, he even personally imprisoned the six defeated Titans, throwing them into the abyss of Tartarus. The gods let out unwilling and angry wails, making the entire earth tremble.
Finally, when it was Cronus's turn, the former King of the Gods stared at him intently and said with a voice full of resentment: "Zeus, don't be complacent. I curse you; you will surely be replaced by your strongest offspring!"
At the last moment, Cronus still chose to curse Zeus, even though not long ago, he hated Taren more.
But there was nothing he could do. No god could accept being constantly mocked after their defeat. Zeus indeed stole Taren's thunder and successfully snatched Cronus's hatred.
Almost before Cronus's words had finished, in the endless abyss, Iapetus, the Titan of Death and Souls, also said with an incredibly angry voice: "Zeus, I also curse you; you will surely have your rights as a god usurped by your offspring!"
When they finished these curses full of resentment, the abyss of Tartarus finally closed completely.
And Zeus, hearing these two curses, stood frozen in place.
At this moment, he clearly felt fate's response. It was the aura of destiny, a power that all gods of chaos found difficult to resist.
This sensation told him that this curse would inevitably be realized; this was the power of an oath.
Even as powerful as Zeus, at this moment, he only felt a chill in his heart. He remembered that Cronus had also been cursed in this way, only it was interrupted at the time.
He instinctively wanted to find Taren and ask him to also interrupt this curse, but when he turned, he didn't see the white figure.
Zeus then remembered that he had actually driven Taren away just now! He had actually driven Taren away!!
Annoyance, regret, fear—all sorts of emotions instantly filled Zeus's heart. Without hesitation, he chased in the direction Taren had left.
Then he arrived at that void, blocked by the barrier Cronus had once erected.
Zeus forcibly suppressed the panic in his heart and said with an incredibly respectful voice: "Lord Taren, I have thought long and hard, and at such a moment of celebrating victory, it feels as if something is missing without you. After all, you are the irreplaceable hero of this battle."
"Therefore, I humbly request your presence at the celebratory feast."
Zeus knew that his previous attitude was probably not friendly, so he quickly tried to make amends.
But he did not see the familiar white figure appear. Only, from within the barrier, in the endless void, a faint voice sounded: "No need. As you said, I do not like crowds."
7
Zeus: "6"
"9"
I was careless, I changed my expression too soon