"The Goddess of Discord? I see."
Lorne suddenly understood and looked at the famous goddess of calamity before him with amusement.
The Goddess of Discord Eris, in the Iliad she is the sister of the war god
Ares, the daughter of Zeus and Hera.
She spreads pain and hatred between opposing sides and once single-handedly orchestrated the [Golden Apple Incident] that caused the Trojan War, dragging countless heroes and gods into that conflict to kill one another.
And the reason she had appeared in Thebes and bewitched King Pentheus into seeking death, Lorne roughly understood as well.
It was simple.
The founder of this city-state was the dragon-slayer Cadmus and his wife, the Goddess of Harmony, Harmonia.
As the goddess representing harmony and coordination in Greek mythology, Harmonia and Eris were natural enemies.
Now, the retired Cadmus and his wife, Harmonia, had both turned into giant dragons and vanished because of the gods' curse.
Thebes, having lost their protection, was simply a delicious cake emitting a wonderful aroma to Eris.
Tormenting the descendants of her old rival Harmonia on Harmonia's own territory and stirring up strife in the sanctuary of harmony, this was simply an irresistible pleasure for the petty-minded Eris.
Unfortunately, the stubborn and self-willed Pentheus became the first person to be bewitched.
That was why he had wantonly arrested the followers of the Dionysus cult, not even sparing his own mother and sisters, personally stirring up chaos on his own land.
Moreover, when you counted it, Lorne himself was also of the bloodline of the Goddess of Harmony, Harmonia.
In a certain sense, he and this Goddess of Discord Eris were also enemies.
Seeing that this line of questioning had pulled out quite a lot of useful information, the young man smiled slightly and shook his head with feigned modesty to politely refuse.
"Thank you for your favor, but I'm sorry. I already have someone I need to serve, the Hearth Goddess Lady Hestia."
"So what?"
The red-haired goddess of calamity was unmoved and spoke proudly.
"As long as you agree, I can make Father God nod in approval!"
She could persuade Zeus?
Lorne narrowed his eyes, his heart tightening and he immediately overturned his previous guess.
If she were merely the sister of the war god Ares and the daughter of Zeus and Hera, according to the records in the Iliad, she would absolutely not have this confidence and ability.
After all, even Zeus himself had to show some courtesy to Hestia.
For a mere daughter to try to turn the heavens upside down and make Zeus offend Hestia for her sake would be a bit too delusional.
At this moment, thoughts raced through Lorne's mind.
Suddenly, he recalled another record from the Theogony and Works and Days.
Eris was also called Enyo.
She was born from the death and bloodshed of Nyx...
At the same time, a passage he had browsed in the Memory Temple also surfaced in his mind.
"Enyo takes pleasure in war.
She even refused to support either side in the war between Zeus and the monster Typhon, so that the war would drag on endlessly.
Enyo delighted in the continuous casualties produced by the war.
In the struggle, the Goddess of Discord Eris (Enyo) escorted Typhon, while the Goddess of Victory Nike led Zeus.
In the rain of thunder and lightning falling from the sky, the impartial Enyo maintained the balance of power between Zeus and Typhon..."
Here, both the names Eris and Enyo appeared at the same time, which meant the two were originally the same.
Moreover, this Goddess of Discord indeed possessed an authority that made even Zeus wary.
It was no wonder that in the [Golden Apple Incident], a certain god-king directly abstained and did not dare to judge the question of "who is the fairest."
Now Eris's identity was clear.
Like the three Fates of [Necessity] and Hecate of [Chance], who had also differentiated from Nyx, she too was an extension of the will of that Goddess of Night.
After the war with Typhon, she had stood on the side of Olympus.
However, compared to the previous two, although Eris held a revered position, the authorities she had inherited were far fewer.
Combined with the fact that she called Zeus "Father God," it was very likely that after the war with Typhon, the troublemaking Eris had suffered heavy losses.
She was then taken in by Zeus and, with the help of Hera's womb, completed her rebirth.
Having gone through multiple versions of severe nerfs, she had now fallen to the point where she spent her days bickering with the Goddess of Harmony, Harmonia from the fourth generation of gods.
Well...there's no rush. First, play with her for a while.
Lorne looked quietly at this mysterious goddess of calamity, put on a curious expression, and asked cautiously.
"I have a question. I hope you can answer it."
"Speak."
"With your status, why are you so intent on making trouble for Thebes? Without the protection of that dragon-slayer and the Goddess of Harmony, they are at most some unworthy descendants."
While asking, Lorne looked down at the city of Thebes with pity.
In ancient Greek mythological stories, Thebes was on par with Athens and Sparta.
Its culture, history, and qualifications were even greater than those of Troy.
Yet for some reason, this city-state always carried a tragic aura.
Semele was struck dead by lightning, Oedipus "killed his father and married his mother,"
Heracles destroyed his own entire family, Antigone buried her brother, and so on; all these tragedies happened in this city-state.
The shadow called "misfortune" had always hung over this city-state.
Eris had even personally appeared and taken part in the tragic war of the "Seven Against Thebes."
Lorne really could not understand what deep grudge or hatred made this mysterious Goddess of Discord go to such lengths to torment the small city-state of Thebes.
Eris did not answer directly.
Instead, she playfully threw out a question.
"Kid, do you know what is the oldest and strongest emotion of humanity?"
"Fear!"
Lorne answered without thinking and lowered his head into deep thought.
Hearing the answer, Eris nodded in satisfaction, a look of approval on her face.
"Correct. Fear is not only the strongest emotion of humanity, but it is also the beginning of the gods!"
As she spoke, the red-haired goddess murmured leisurely.
"The vast sky god Uranus hated all his children.
He said these sprouts grew desperately toward evil,
and one day, they would suffer retribution for it.
Thus, the sky father gave his children the nickname [Titans],
meaning [the fearful ones].
They were born bearing fear..."
Lorne listened quietly, the doubt in his eyes gradually fading a little.
The fearful ones, the Titans born bearing fear?
So this was the origin of the Titan gods.
Then Eris pointed to the earth as a trace of mockery flashed in her scarlet eyes.
"Similarly, when the world became stable, and the gods could no longer obtain enough authority from devouring, human fear became especially important.
Fear of thunder gave birth to the indestructible 'thunderbolt';
fear of war sharpened the war god's great sword, the golden bow and arrows, the victory spear;
The fear of death made even sleep terrifying for living beings;
and finally, reverence for the divine order brought prosperity to Olympus..."
Lorne nodded thoughtfully.
The principle was simple.
The birth of faith basically came from two sources.
Growing madly from [fear], and brewing in [blessing].
Compared to the latter, the former was easier and more convenient to obtain.
Moreover, the effect was immediate.
Most ancient gods were born from humanity's fear of nature.
The Titan gods, born bearing "fear," were even more so.
They needed human fear as the foundation to solidify their divine authority.
For this reason, they constantly sent down disasters, stirred up strife, and warned mortals to maintain reverence, continuously offering sacrifices with their humble bodies and prostrating themselves before the lord gods in the sky.
Therefore, [discord] was the normal state and served their interests. [Harmony] was like poison to them.
But now the Goddess of Harmony had turned into a giant dragon and left this land.
Why was she still repeatedly tormenting these people of Thebes?
At this moment, Eris seemed to see Lorne's confusion and spoke lightly.
"Because this land has given birth to a [seed] completely different from [fear]. It seems capable of shaking the glory of the gods. I dislike it very much."
A light sentence, yet when it fell into Lorne's ears, it was like a thunderclap.
Because the [seed] Eris spoke of was very likely himself!
Among the twelve Olympians, the only god of the mortal world!
Among all the Titan bloodlines, the only anomaly who built his steps with joy rather than perfecting his divine work with fear!
It seemed Eris's actions had very likely been carried out with Zeus's tacit approval.
Lorne suppressed the surging emotions in his heart and kept his face calm.
"Then have you found it?"
"No, because it was already uprooted long ago."
Good...
Lorne secretly breathed a sigh of relief and continued to ask with feigned confusion.
"Then why are you still treating the people of Thebes so harshly?"
"The soil that grew the [seed] must, of course, be thoroughly turned over and the pests removed!"
Eris looked down at the city of Thebes with contempt.
At the same time, a cruel excitement flashed in her scarlet eyes.
"Besides, I like it!"
Hearing this answer, Lorne was left speechless.
True enough.
If the Goddess of Discord did not cause trouble and stir up conflict to create fear for the gods and increase faith, was she supposed to do charity every day?
"Hey, after talking so much, have you considered it?"
After a simple exchange, Eris asked again.
At the same time, she thrust out her proud chest and revealed a charming smile.
"If you satisfy me, I can grant you one request, any request at all..."
Seeing that he had gotten almost all the information he wanted, Lorne simply tore off the disguise and directly shook his head in refusal.
"No thanks. My tastes are light lately. I prefer vegetarian food."
Eris followed his gaze and subconsciously glanced down at her own full chest.
She immediately understood the teasing meaning and flew into a rage, raising her hand with a wave.
"You don't know what's good for you!"
In an instant, blood aura surged in the space around Lorne.
Blood seeds that had been scattered nearby at some point drew in the surrounding blood aura, condensing into scarlet, sharp swords that shot toward the central target from all directions.
At the same time, Lorne raised his right hand and grabbed forward.
In an instant, countless light patterns floated in the space ahead.
Hermes script, linear divine patterns, Titan holy words, and primordial letters formed a dazzling magic array that gathered toward the center.
In a splendid aurora, the two gods stared at each other and, at the same time, cursed furiously.
"You really didn't have good intentions!"
"You are the same!"
Clearly, neither of them was a good person.
Both had secretly prepared the battlefield while "peacefully" exchanging words.
The moment they turned hostile, each was ready to launch a thunderous strike.
Only, the two cunning gods had calculated against each other, and their advantages canceled out.
For now, they could only follow the old rules of the Greek divine generations and fight it out with real weapons.
Whoever won would have the final say.
Eris swung her blood-colored twin swords to hack at the pre-set magic arrays around her.
While launching the first attack, she also delivered a moral critique.
"Pah, you shameless scoundrel!"
"The great goddess of calamity only knows how to bully mortals and even resorts to sneak attacks from behind. You have the nerve to say that about me!"
Lorne retorted without mercy.
He immediately manifested the [Warrior] avatar, gripped the greatly transformed [Spear of Nation Founding], shattered countless blood-colored swords, and thrust forward.
The strong will of destruction and the battle techniques honed through countless temperings made Eris, who took the blow head-on, change color drastically.
"What the hell is that thing?"
"Wait until you lie down to talk!"
Seeing that Eris had developed fear toward this [Spear of Nation Founding], Lorne felt greatly reassured.
Status did not equal strength.
The old man of the sea, Nereus, who had been served in turns, was the perfect example.
Just as Eris could ignore Hestia's face by relying on Zeus's wariness toward her.
He likewise did not need to care about Zeus's opinion and could properly teach this goddess of calamity, who had run into his gun barrel, a lesson.
At the same time, Eris clearly realized that this Wine God, who belonged to the hearth system, actually possessed explosive combat power.
Her expression turned grave, but then surprise flashed in her eyes as she stared straight behind Lorne and shouted loudly.
"Father God, he is bullying me!"
Lorne's heart jumped and he subconsciously looked behind him.
However, what met his eyes was only the pitch-black night sky.
Almost at the same moment, the sound of whistling wind came from the front.
Not good!
In an instant, Lorne's mind spun rapidly.
He immediately turned back forward. The [Spear of Nation Founding] in his hand, borrowing the power of his arm and waist, swept horizontally with ferocious speed.
"Clang clang clang clang!"
In a flash, dozens of blood-colored swords were shattered one after another.
The two scarlet long swords that followed immediately after smashed heavily onto the spear tip.
Accompanied by the golden and red intertwined etheric tides exploding in the night sky, the two figures were each sent flying backward.
Lorne 200 meters, Eris 100 meters.
But when the Goddess of Discord lowered her head and saw the shallow bloody scratch under her ribs and the unscathed figure opposite her, the somewhat triumphant smile on her face froze.
She was bleeding.
The other side was not.
Even with a surprise attack, it was only a draw.
This guy was not easy to deal with!
Sensing the sinister aura rapidly gathering in the opponent's eyes, Eris's heart jumped and a strong premonition of danger rose in her mind.
The next second, she unhesitatingly chose to trust her instincts.
A pair of pitch-black wings spread behind her.
Then the two huge wings flapped fiercely, carrying her in a rapid escape.
She ran?
Lorne watched Eris, who had fled directly after just a few exchanges, hesitated for a moment, then the [Warrior] behind him immediately turned into a [Goat] as he activated the authority of extreme speed and chased after her.
'I even dealt with Ares. You think I can't deal with you?'
(End of this chapter)