Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

"Hecate, give it to me, this is not something to joke about!"

Frowning upon seeing the flame extinguished, Hestia couldn't help but step forward.

The Golden Apple was hard to destroy, but not indestructible, the simplest solution being to have a being consume it.

Although not likely any of the present gods were willing to eat the Golden Apple at this time, there was someone who could, like Zeus.

However, the Divine King just watched quietly, and in front of him, Hecate showed no signs of backing down. A blue figure emerged from her and solidified into another 'Hecate,' standing in front of Hestia, blocking the Goddess of Hearthfire completely.

'What is this? Do the gods possess an ability to double one's strength through an incarnation?'

Her expression slightly changed, Hestia had initially thought this was some special secret technique, but upon closer contact, she felt it was not the case.

The opponent's strength was not inferior to her own, it was even stronger... In the gap where the two figures confronted each other, the red-dressed girl seemed oblivious to the increasingly tense atmosphere in the hall. She slowly stepped forward, picked up the Golden Apple, and then carefully examined it.

She had always been curious; the Golden Apple is also a fruit, and as a fruit, it should be capable of being planted. However, from ancient times to the present, no one has actually used it for planting; they only saw it as an expendable item.

"What a pity, I can't take it away to plant it."

Shaking her head somewhat regrettably, Hecate held the Golden Apple in her hand.

"Hestia, I can't give this to you, after all, this is the treasure 'offered to the most beautiful goddess'... Are you the most beautiful goddess? If you are, I could give it to you~"

"She is not, are you then?"

Suddenly, a voice emerged among the momentarily silent gods.

Hecate looked in the direction of the voice, then unexpectedly saw a familiar yet strange figure.

The wife of Coeus, one of the original twelve Titans, the Goddess of Luminous from the Lightless Celestial Body.

Having received an invitation from the Divine King, these two long-reclusive Ancient Gods had briefly debated who should attend, ultimately Phoebe came in their stead.

After all, the Goddess of Nursery Leto was their daughter, Apollo their grandson, so her participation in the wedding wasn't too unexpected.

However, this was only the case for others, for Hecate, the other also had another identity—she was, nominally, her grandmother.

Also the one most eager to send her into eternal sleep in the old days.

"Heh."

Laughing without a hint of amusement, for Hecate, whether it was the title or the faith from humans brought by 'the most beautiful goddess,' even the symbol of beauty, none of it was of much use to her. Perhaps that was why no one had previously stepped forward to stop her actions.

But Phoebe suddenly spoke such words... could it be that she also wanted to be 'the most beautiful goddess'?

"Do you want it?"

A hint of scorn flashed in her eyes as Hecate looked at the woman trying hard to conceal her desire.

Perhaps being away from the world for too long, she even forgot how to act; it wasn't so overt.

"Since you want it, I'll give it to you then."

"Wait—"

As Hecate's voice fell, Hestia's expression changed immediately.

The Goddess of the Magic Net most likely wasn't interested in the Golden Apple, she knew that, so when it fell into Hecate's hands, the Goddess of Hearthfire wasn't so anxious, but Phoebe was different.

However, the red-dressed girl didn't care what she said, she just gave a cold smile, then threw the Golden Apple towards Phoebe.

The golden silhouette cut through the sky, attracting the attention of all the gods present, and the Goddess of Luminous unconsciously stepped forward, ready to catch this unexpected gift.

She hadn't anticipated that she'd actually receive this treasure just from asking a question. Perhaps Hecate was trying to mend their relationship, unexpectedly she was so obedient...

Whoosh—

As the Golden Apple flew mid-air, it suddenly halted. Phoebe's expression turned anxious, she reached out and felt another force pulling it.

She looked up, next to the Divine King's Golden Throne, Hera's pale arm also stretched out, reaching towards the apple inscribed with words.

"Princess Phoebe, this is a wedding I am presiding over, it isn't very appropriate for you to snatch gifts offered by guests here."

"Hera, you are just the host of the wedding, the goddess's gift isn't meant for you. Besides, where do you see me 'snatching'? Could it be that you are the one who is snatching?"

Phoebe retorted without reservation.

In today's assembly, apart from the Divine King, whom she somewhat regarded, no one could intimidate the Goddess of Luminous. Besides, her daughter and grandson were also here, whether Zeus would openly favor his Heavenly Empress was still an unknown!
Read latest stories on My Virtual Library Empire

"I am the Heavenly Empress, the wife of the Divine King, there is nothing in this world that doesn't belong to the Divine King, and as one who shares his sovereignty, can taking my own things be considered 'snatching'?"

Her expression was calm, invisible majesty rising around her, thunder and lightning swirling around her body.

Facing this scene, Phoebe's expression turned unsightly, not because of the other's words, but because of the other's strength.

At least level 18 of Divine Power was necessary, and the specific sense of it couldn't truly be felt without engaging in actual combat... The opponent was nearing the end of the domain of profound Divine Power. Even if it was all due to Faith, the strength was genuinely formidable.

The trajectory of the Golden Apple began to shift towards Hera, little by little, inch by inch, yet resolutely.

Then the next moment, another force overlaid on top of it, and the movement of the Golden Apple suddenly stopped.

"Aphrodite, what do you mean by this?"

With a slight turn of her eyes, Hera looked towards the Goddess of Beauty, who met her gaze without any concern.

With just one look, both understood that neither would easily let go.

"Is there even a need to ask, Hera? As a daughter of Heavenly Father Uranus, the mistress of love and beauty in the world, what else could possibly deserve the title of 'most beautiful' other than 'beauty' itself?"

Aphrodite stepped forward, her golden belt shimmering brightly.

This was her Divine Artifact. In the legends of later generations, it briefly bewitched the Divine King and was also a treasure that Heracles needed to obtain in his trials; it greatly enhanced the charm of the wearer, complementing the Goddess of Beauty perfectly.

At that moment, all gods were captivated by Aphrodite's beauty, even Zeus couldn't help but take a few more glances.

If not for her special identity, he wouldn't care that she was Ares' wife... What a pity.

The Divine King remained silent, and as Aphrodite's words concluded, the scene momentarily reached a deadlock. However, Hera was the Heavenly Empress after all; over the years, even when outnumbered, she gradually gained the upper hand.

As the position of the Golden Apple began to move again, unexpectedly, two more forces overlaid on top of it.

One weak, one strong.

By the Moon Goddess Selene's side, amid Phoebe's furious gaze, a goddess with a crescent crown and carrying a bow and arrow reached out her hand.

Artemis smiled, not caring about the title of the most beautiful goddess, but just like she followed Hecate here, her sole purpose was to cause some trouble for the Divine King.

Of course, causing trouble for Phoebe was just as good. In their disdain for their grandmother's family, the attitude of the cousins was strikingly consistent.

But hers was the potent aura, the weak one was interesting... At Poseidon's side, the Sea Empress Amphitrite also reached out her hand.

"Huh, what are you joining in for... Oh, I get it, just making an appearance, right?"

The tone was blunt, and the red-dressed girl in the middle feigned realization.

"This way, you too have competed for the title of 'most beautiful' among powerful goddesses... And what if you actually won, right?"

"You!"

Secretly grinding her teeth, Amphitrite dared not say anything.

Hecate's usual domain also included the Ocean, and Amphitrite had often found herself on the losing end in their encounters.

As they spoke, five invisible Divine Powers crisscrossed, and with Amphitrite's participation, more goddesses' eyes flickered with light.

Indeed, whether they could win might not be the most important part, but joining in itself was already a good thing.

Over the years, the gods had discovered that creating major incidents in the history of human civilization or spreading epic tales could also bring about stable and consistent Faith.

Thus, the next moment, several more auras flew into the scene.

The wife of the Wind God, one of the Graces, reached out her hand; at the Mother Goddess's indication, the Goddess of Youth also extended a hand, standing on Hera's side; not to be outdone, Aphrodite, named the Goddess of Harmony, also joined in, and watching the gods taking part, the Goddess of Agriculture Demeter hesitated for a moment, then joined as well.

In an instant, various Divine Powers interlaced in the scene, and the converging strength grew stronger. Especially when a clear-eyed girl who had been watching for a long time also stood up and reached for the Golden Apple, the power in the scene seemed to breach a limit.

The strength that could still be suppressed seemed about to erupt, with nearly a dozen potent Divine Powers overlapping, capable of blasting the entire Pontus Euxinus into the sky, and none of the participating gods would end well. However, none of the deities present worried about this, because the next moment, the Divine King, who had been silent from the beginning, finally stood up.

The order of sovereignty descended within this palace, the supreme power suppressing the entangled Divine Powers on the Golden Apple.

The entanglement of power among the goddesses instantly severed, yet the atmosphere between them inside the palace eased not in the slightest.

"I knew it..."

Sighing, Hestia beside him felt somewhat helpless, understanding the reason for Zeus' prolonged non-response.

This kind of dispute over 'beauty' among the goddesses was not easy to intervene in, especially since those involved were either his wife, daughter, sister, or daughter-in-law. He must be having a hard time too... With this thought, Hestia glared at Hecate.

Then the red-dressed girl ignored this, continuing to watch the drama unfold with a happy expression.

"Alright, goddesses, I know you all want this apple, but this is not a reason for you to fight at a wedding feast."

On the Golden Throne, the Divine King, having halted the conflict, looked around, seemingly at a loss on how to handle the situation.

As he spoke, Hera immediately looked towards Zeus.

"Is that so? Then, my Divine King, why not you decide the rightful owner of the apple?"

With spirited eyes, Hera watched her husband, curious to see what response he would give.