Besides Eros, Ares was also causing Catia no end of trouble.
If Eros's problems were her widespread pranks, then Ares brought an even more direct and brutal chaos.
This god, born from Hades's negative emotions and the essence of Hell, was made for war and destruction.
During the time Hades was focused on Northern Europe, Ares was like a wild horse let loose upon the earth.
He was no longer content with minor conflicts; he took the initiative to incite hatred between city-states, provoke feuds among heroes, and even personally incarnate as mortal warriors to participate in massacres, reveling in the pleasure of blood and wailing.
Wherever he passed, smoke rose everywhere, and bodies were scattered all over.
This directly led to extremely serious consequences: the workload in Hades skyrocketed.
Thanatos, the god of death, having just recovered from the horror of being pursued by his brother, now had to face an endless mission of extradition. His scythe was about to overheat from overuse, and the air pressure around his body was so low it could freeze a soul.
The dossiers in the Judgment Court piled up like a mountain, and the spirits of the Underworld were so busy they couldn't touch the ground.
As the princess who actually managed the Underworld, Catia frowned at the rapidly increasing official duties and the complaints of her subordinates.
However, what would further worsen her state was yet to come.
Ares's unrestrained acts of war to satisfy his own selfish desires finally angered the prophets who had appeared from Hades's tears: Prometheus, Epimetheus, and their guardian giant god, Atlas.
Prometheus, the 'foreseer' who cared about humanity, witnessed the senseless death and regression of civilization caused by Ares. His wisdom and compassion would not allow him to stand idly by.
He began to use his influence to secretly guide human city-states to form alliances, spread the idea of restraint and rationality, and try to extinguish the war ignited by Ares.
Epimetheus, the 'afterthinker', although reacting half a beat slower, also felt the immense suffering caused by Ares when he looked back.
With his unique understanding of the consequences of events, he helped humanity fortify city defenses and improve medical methods to reduce the damage inflicted by war.
And the most direct counterattack came from Atlas.
This giant god, transformed from Hades's finger, whose duty was to 'guard' Prometheus and Epimetheus, could not tolerate Ares destroying the ideals and efforts of his charges.
Conflict was inevitable.
When Ares tried to destroy a peaceful city-state established under Prometheus's guidance, Atlas stood in his way like a mountain.
"Get out of the way, stone-head!" Ares wielded his flaming two-handed sword, his battle spirit boiling, and his scarlet eyes craving only destruction.
Atlas was silent, simply looking at Ares with eyes as calm as the earth.
When Ares roared and charged, the blade of his sword, containing the power of destruction, ready to strike, Atlas moved.
No fancy techniques, no energy explosions. He simply raised his enormous fist, like the base of a mountain, and then swung it forward.
Boom!!
A loud sound, muffled to the extreme.
Ares's charging figure flew back faster than he had come, and the great sword in his hand flew out of his grip, spinning in the air and crashing into the ground far away.
He himself was like a kite with a broken string, tumbling over several hills and finally barely stopping in a cloud of dust, embarrassed, with blood streaming from the corner of his mouth.
One blow.
With one blow, Ares, who possessed formidable war power, was knocked down by Atlas without any pretense.
This scene made Prometheus and Epimetheus, watching from afar, breathe a sigh of relief, and also made Catia, who was worried about this, feel a little helpless.
Atlas's power originated from a part of Hades's essence and the power of 'guardianship', its roots deeply surpassing the divine power of Ares, which was inclined towards chaos and destruction.
Everything had developed to this point; although Ares was embarrassed, it was still under control. Catia even thought it might be good to let Ares suffer a little, so he could rest in peace for a while.
However, the next event completely exceeded everyone's expectations, including Catia's.
Ares rose from the rubble without the expected rage, unwillingness, or fear.
He wiped the divine blood from the corner of his mouth and, instead of launching a new attack, stared intently at Atlas, who stood with clenched fists and an expressionless face, with extremely strange eyes.
In his eyes was no longer battle spirit, but a mixture of shock, adoration, and an almost fanatical... infatuation?
"You... Your power..." Ares's voice was a little hoarse, but with a strange tremor.
"That's... pure! This is... powerful! This is true power! The fantasy of destroying everything is meaningless in the face of absolute power!"
He instantly forgot the shame of defeat, and in his eyes, there was only Atlas's majestic body and that blow of infinite power.
"Atlas!" Ares shouted loudly, with a piercing excitement in his voice.
"I acknowledge your strength! You... you are the goal I must strive for!"
Catia was stunned by this, and the scroll in her hand nearly fell to the floor.
This... what kind of situation was this?! Was Ares stunned? Or...
A thought that immediately frightened her: could this be another prank by Eros?!
She immediately used the authority of the Underworld to locate Eros's breath and movements.
However, the feedback showed that Eros was reluctantly carrying out her duties as Eros in a corner of the earth, very far from the scene, and her golden bow and silver arrows had just been confiscated; she had no tools to commit the crime.
Without Eros's interference, Catia faced an even more confusing and disturbing reality:
Ares's sudden and twisted 'crush' on Atlas seemed... spontaneous?
Was it because the overwhelming absolute power displayed by Atlas accidentally touched some unknown preference in the heart of this brutal war god?
Or did Ares's divinity, composed of negative emotions and the source of war, develop some kind of deformed dependence or worship when faced with unshakable absolute power?
Either way, the result was this: the war god, after being instantly defeated by the guardian giant god, had hopelessly and unilaterally 'fallen in love' with the opposite party.
It could be foreseen that Ares would probably continue to 'pursue' Atlas—in his own war-like style.
And Atlas, the silent guardian, would likely face more complex 'troubles' than guarding the brothers Prometheus and Epimetheus.
Catia pressed her forehead and felt a deep sense of powerlessness. She had to face not only the influx of shades caused by the war started by Ares, but now also defend against the 'unreasonable thoughts' of the war god... towards her own giant god.
"Father God, Mother God..." she sighed softly in her heart.
"When you come back... Hades is going to be a real mess..."