"I can hear you. The communication is stable, and the basic functions are decent." Riku's voice crossed the universe and reached Alice's ears.
Alice's voice came through again, sounding incredibly excited. "Darling, this universe is so interesting! It's completely gone off the rails. It looks like they tried to force human evolution, but it backfired, and now everyone has turned into something like 'zombies.'"
"And so?" Riku did not bother guessing. They were like an 'old married couple' now, and there was no point in playing games with Alice. If he was not careful, he might just end up encouraging her antics.
"Hmph!" Alice huffed twice before she began to recount her 'super bold' plan.
As Riku listened, he felt his eyebrows twitching.
"Darling, what do you think?" Alice finished her long-winded explanation.
Riku replied naturally, "You can play however you like. Just stay safe."
"I knew Darling was the best! Mwah~" Alice cut the connection.
Riku shook his head with a smile, muttering, "Alice and that personality of hers... Oh well, let her play if she wants to. She won't let things get out of hand."
As for whether that 'zombie' universe was based on some movie or anime he knew, or if it was just an unknown world, Riku did not pay much attention. Alice would handle it.
Even though Alice was always bouncing around, the type of high-energy person who would take their daughter out to go fish-blasting, she was perfectly reliable when it came to serious business. The results would definitely be fine. As for the process? Best not to ask.
Just as the call ended, the door to the nursery was pushed open. A group of maids, surrounding her like stars around the moon, carried in a delicate, beautiful infant. After confirming the baby was asleep, they left the room.
They needed to stand guard outside and keep an eye on one another. During this entire process, no one noticed Riku. He sat there with his legs crossed, one hand supporting his chin, watching everything with a smile.
Under the cover of night, everything seemed to settle into silence.
The corners of Riku's lips curled up. He did not stand up, but simply looked at the crib in front of him and suddenly spoke, "Don't you want to talk? Normally, if I leak even a sliver of my aura, you should be able to sense it. Athena? Or, if you don't like that name, I could also call you Saori Kido."
Silence and stillness followed.
After only a moment, a faint golden light began to emerge from the infant girl. A tall, mature beauty with purple hair manifested.
In Riku's memory, Saori Kido was somewhat more youthful, but this phantom appeared more mature and statuesque, and that sense of frailty had vanished without a trace.
She was the Goddess of War, Victory, and Wisdom. Surely no one actually believed she was the type who got captured every day and could only cry for help? In the Age of Myth, she was the one who used her fists to beat Ares, the God of War, until he wailed.
"Who are you?" the phantom, or rather Athena, Saori Kido, asked in a low voice.
There was no interrogation, no fluctuation in her tone. It was as if Riku's appearance was merely a matter of curiosity to her, carrying no other significance.
"Someone who wants to cooperate with you. Or perhaps a 'God'? That title works too," Riku said casually after a moment's thought.
Human? God? To be honest, for Riku, it was more appropriate to classify himself as an 'Innate Divine' being. Simply calling himself a human or a god could not truly define his race.
"Cooperate?" Saori Kido's brow furrowed slightly. She said directly, "I don't understand what you're talking about, nor am I interested."
Riku did not mind her rejection. Instead, he smiled even more warmly. "Zeus handed the throne of the God King to Apollo and vanished from the universe..."
"What exactly are you trying to say?" Saori Kido interrupted.
Riku ignored the interruption and continued, "However, I discovered Zeus in the universe. He seems to be preparing something. Furthermore, I sensed a peculiar divine aura within his mind, one very similar to yours."
"Impossible!" Saori Kido's tone shifted, becoming exceptionally sharp.
"The fact is, she did not die. That first-generation Goddess of Wisdom, your mother, your Mother Goddess: Metis." Riku shifted his crossed legs, his smile deepening.
"What is your cooperation?" Saori Kido asked each word slowly, her beautiful eyes burning as if trying to see through Riku.
Riku did not answer. Instead, he stood up and walked step by step to the window, gazing outside. The nursery fell into a heavy silence. No one broke it.
After a long time, framed by the moonlight, Riku turned his head and smiled. "When you have taken control of the Sanctuary, our cooperation will begin."
As his voice fell, Riku's phantom vanished like a dream.
The nursery became silent once more. Only a small speck of light remained, transforming into a Crystal Ball that floated beside Saori Kido's crib.
Saori Kido naturally knew what this meant.
"Chi Xiao, what do you think?" Saori Kido asked suddenly after a long silence.
A phantom emerged, another tall beauty. She parted her red lips and said, "Lady Athena, his identity is not important. What matters is whether the news he brought regarding Lady Metis is true, and whether he is capable of achieving it."
Was the news true? Was he capable? Saori Kido could not be certain of either.
Why had she allowed herself to be drawn into the whirlpool of the Holy War? To manage the Earth? Was it truly a desire for the throne of the God King?
Undeniably, as a Major Deity of the fourth generation of gods who was eligible to inherit the throne, she had considered it. But mostly, it was for a single hope in her heart.
Her Mother Goddess! Saori Kido hoped that her sealed mother could be released, but she was no longer sure if her mother was even alive. One Holy War after another had gradually turned her into something of a walking corpse, simply existing as the long ages wore her down.
Now, this man had brought news that her mother was still alive and presented a possibility. Should she seize it?
"Chi Xiao, go." After a brief silence, Saori Kido's eyes held only determination as she issued an order to her subordinate goddess.
"As you command, Lady Athena!" Chi Xiao bowed as a phantom and then vanished.
She would reincarnate once more to guard Lady Athena's side.