The Twelve Olympians (2)
Greek and Roman mythology.
The tale of the gods set in ancient Greece before the Common Era — quite possibly the most famous mythology in the entire world.
And the ones setting foot in the Constellation Realm for the very first time today were none other than the stars of that mythology: the Twelve Olympians.
"Greek and Roman mythology, huh... I remember enjoying that back in the day."
"You did, didn't you? It's a different dimension, of course, but Earth's history must have followed a similar course — so Greek and Roman mythology existed in your world as well, Arche-nim?"
"Yeah. Among kids my age it was practically required reading."
Since it was such a famous mythology, memories of reading it as comic books in my childhood came flooding back one after another.
Memories that, thanks to the mental barrier's enhanced retention, remained vivid even after all these long years.
"My knowledge won't match theirs perfectly, but at least I have a rough idea of what kind of gods these are."
Naturally, I didn't assume everything I knew about Greek and Roman mythology was accurate.
For good reason — what I'd read was, after all, just comics.
There could easily have been fabrications mixed in, and plenty of content would have been toned down or cut out entirely for a young audience, so I had no intention of relying on it too heavily.
Still, I could at least get a general sense of what abilities the Twelve Olympians possessed, so I took a moment to dig through my old memories.
"Let's see, the Twelve Olympians... Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Athena, Ares, Apollo, Artemis, Hephaestus, Hermes, Aphrodite... that's all I can remember. Who were the other two again?"
"Hmm, let me check the order of those currently on standby... The remaining two would be Demeter and Hestia."
"Ah-ha. Hearing the names jogs my memory."
I clapped my hands and nodded at Eve's words.
Those two must not have had much screen time back then, since they didn't come to mind easily — but the moment I heard their names, they clicked into place.
After running through what each of the gods presided over one more time, I let out a low groan.
"Hmm... If it does come down to a fight, I'd have to take on all twelve at once, wouldn't I?"
"They do seem the type to care about appearances, so I doubt they'll rush in all together — but in the end, you'll have to face all twelve of them."
"Ugh... This is my first time fighting other gods, and I'm nervous."
For the past four thousand years, the only opponent I'd ever faced was Eve, the one who taught me how to use divine power.
And even that had merely been sparring against puppets Eve created, since she herself had no real combat ability.
No other opponent had ever existed, so it was safe to say my actual combat experience amounted to nothing.
And now, suddenly, I was told I'd be fighting twelve gods at once.
Had they been ordinary deities, maybe I wouldn't have cared — but these were the Twelve Olympians, the very protagonists of Greek and Roman mythology, so I couldn't help the wave of worry washing over me.
Just as I was clutching my head over these concerns, however, Eve suddenly spoke up with the grin of a mischievous imp.
"Fufufut. What a pointless thing to worry about, Arche-nim."
"A pointless worry?"
"Yes, truly pointless. You, Arche-nim, are the Supreme God of the Constellation Realm — the one I invited here with my own hands and personally raised. Could someone like you ever possibly lose to mere gods of the Lower World, of Earth? Of course not."
"That's some impressive confidence... but is that genuine conviction, not a single lie in it?"
The confidence seemed so grandiose that I wondered if it was all bluster, but in response Eve wagged her finger side to side.
"Every Constellation that enters the Constellation Realm passes through me. Which means I know exactly how strong the Constellations entering this realm are. Or to put it a little more precisely — I have access to their information."
"So you're saying that compared against that information, my odds of winning are more than enough?"
"More than enough? They're overflowing. In fact, you're stronger than even you yourself believe, Arche-nim."
"...You do seem to mean it."
Looking straight into my eyes as she spoke, Eve showed not a trace of teasing or pretense.
In other words, her words were truly born of genuine conviction.
And faced with such unshakable certainty from her, I felt the worry that had filled me only moments ago drain away, confidence steadily pouring in to take its place.
Emotions are said to be contagious, after all.
Moreover, this was an assurance from Eve, my guide all this time — all the more reason to believe in myself.
"Alright, then let's give it a shot. Either way, we have to meet them eventually."
"Ahaha, that's the spirit. Now that's the Arche-nim I know."
"And what's the me you know like, exactly?"
"Well, obviously — foul-mouthed, needlessly overconfident, and someone who acts before speaking."
Eve answered without blinking, as if she'd rehearsed the script in advance.
And at the sight of it, before I even realized what I was doing, my fist swung out.
THWACK───!
With a satisfying crack, Eve's head snapped downward.
"Gwahk?!"
"Ah... my hand moved on its own."
It had been a purely reflexive swing, so I was startled myself — though a beat too late.
Which meant I'd just proven, with my own two hands, exactly what she'd said about me.
But honestly, she wasn't wrong about anything, so was there really any need to correct the record?
Besides, after living like this for several thousand years, a single smack hardly warranted an apology between us.
So, shamelessly crossing my arms, I spoke to Eve as she rose while rubbing her head.
"Anyway, everything's ready now, so open the gate. We need to greet the first Constellations ever to arrive."
"Grr... Fine. Honestly, how can one person be this violent..."
Grumbling at my words, Eve nevertheless sprang into action without delay.
As she waved her hand and drew up her power, the space before my eyes slowly began to warp.
And once the warping gave way, I watched as the air split open into a fissure, slowly steadying my breath.
"Hoo... haaah..."
How long had I been quietly watching the crack spread?
After perhaps ten seconds or so, the hairline fracture swelled into something massive, and a hole began to open in the very fabric of space.
KRRRRK─SHAAAK───!!
A gaping maw wide enough for two or three people to walk through abreast.
At last, the gateway of the Constellation Realm — the entrance that would welcome the Constellations — had opened.
How did Constellations come to enter the Constellation Realm?
In other words, how did Eve go about inviting them into her world? The answer was simple.
The moment it was confirmed that someone marked as a Constellation Candidate had completed their tale in full, she would approach that candidate and offer them the chance to become a Constellation.
If the candidate accepted, they were made a Constellation on the spot and added to the entry queue for the Constellation Realm. If they refused, she would simply keep making the offer until they did — and should they never accept, she would steal their soul after death and turn them into a Constellation by force. Such was Eve's method of gathering Constellations.
'And that is how I've created roughly twenty thousand Constellations so far.'
Certainly, some might look upon this and ask whether it wasn't sheer tyranny.
Understandable enough — Eve's actions amounted to turning Constellation Candidates into Constellations regardless of their own will.
Yet Eve did not act this way out of mere selfish greed. Hers was an act born of grander purpose — one for the sake of the Lower World itself.
Constellation Candidates were precious individuals who emerged from among only one or two in every several hundred thousand, even millions of souls.
For everything the Constellation Realm intended to accomplish going forward, Constellations were needed in tremendous numbers, and letting even one of these rare candidates simply slip back into the Cycle of Reincarnation would be a loss for the realm and the Lower World alike.
Without the Constellation Realm, the Lower World could not exist — and without the Lower World, the Constellation Realm could not exist.
To maintain that delicate balance, the realm needed as many Constellations as it could hold, even one more.
And besides — what if the ones Eve had forced into godhood ever decided to rebel?
'Even if Constellations from the Lower World rise up, they'd get nowhere with me — not with Arche-nim at my side.'
In a situation where even a single Constellation was a precious commodity, Eve had no intention of letting any of them go. And above all, she had the Supreme God of the Constellation Realm on her side — Arche, whom she had personally raised and trained over the past four thousand years.
And so, without missing a single candidate, Eve had transformed every last one of them into Constellations.
And as she'd told Arche, the first Constellations she would invite today were to be the Twelve Olympians.
Why them? Because those invited first were destined to become Eve and Arche's very first subordinates — the ones who would guide and attend to the Constellations yet to come.
In Eve's judgment, what the Constellation Realm needed most right now, with not a single Constellation having yet arrived, was allies to support her and Arche.
Allies who combined intellect, martial prowess, and social finesse — versatile capabilities across every field — were needed above all else.
'The two of us alone simply won't be enough.'
Indeed, considering how many Constellations would flood into the realm hereafter, Eve and Arche alone were bound to be shorthanded.
If they admitted new arrivals in a mere trickle, there'd be no problem — but at that rate, bringing in every Constellation would take an eternity.
Allies were an absolute necessity.
Of course, since the plan was to eventually bring all the Constellations over to their side, the ranks of allies would keep growing — but to build toward that, the very first cornerstone of an ally was of paramount importance.
'And in that respect, no one is better suited than the Twelve Olympians.'
And that was the reason Eve chose the Twelve Olympians as her first invited Constellations.
For one, they had already been bound together as a single faction, sparing her the tedious task of forging their unity. Moreover, each possessed entirely distinct talents, making them capable allies across a dozen different fronts.
Granted, turning them into allies would require a detailed explanation of the Constellation Realm and a show of force to subdue them...
'I'll handle the explanation, and Arche-nim can handle the force. Simple as that.'
The division of labor had already been settled, so there was nothing to worry about there.
Eve would explain the nature of the Constellation Realm, and Arche would crush any resistance by force and establish the hierarchy.
Naturally, since they'd be subduing them militarily, the Olympians might well refuse to follow willingly — but even that posed no concern.
'All they'll need to know is who stands above them — and we have a carrot that will make them fall in line. A carrot so tempting they'll have no choice but to obey.'
Eve hadn't spent Arche's four thousand years of furnishing the Constellation Realm and training to become a flawless Supreme God simply lounging around, either.
Arche might have assumed as much, but all the while, Eve had been diligently crafting Constellations in her own way, establishing the Laws of the Constellation Realm, and preparing the carrots with which to handle them.
And now, at long last, the day had arrived — and every preparation was complete.
Eve smiled as she gazed upon the gate she had opened into the Constellation Realm.
Thud───
"So this is the Constellation Realm."
Beyond the ragged, jagged tear in space, twelve gods revealed themselves.