On the edge of the abyss of 'Tartarus', now reduced to ruins and storms.
The figure of Alexander (Zeus) appeared here.
He ignored the chaotic energy and raging spatial tears, his gaze sweeping sharply across the ravaged, filthy ground left by the rampaging 'Zeus'.
His eyes finally stopped on an inconspicuous corner.
"Just as I thought. It's here." He murmured to himself.
He walked slowly, bent down, and reached out to brush away the debris and ash.
His fingers touched an object radiating an ominous aura.
He picked it up and held it in his hand.
It was a scythe with a curved blade.
Alexander (Zeus) gently stroked the cold handle, feeling the terrifying power within it, sufficient to cut through primordial laws.
His eyes were complex.
"The god-slaying scythe... in my hands once more." He muttered, as if greeting an old acquaintance.
He swung it twice. The scythe cut through the air, leaving barely visible black trails in the space.
"It's not the one I know, but..." He weighed it in his hand, a sharp light flashing in his eyes.
"It's almost over."
He looked up and pointed towards the chaotic zone in the distance—where 'Zeus' had swung the Wrath of Earth at 'Gaia', and the scene of the world's collapse was spreading at an accelerating pace.
The next moment, just as Alexander (Zeus) gripped the god-slaying scythe and prepared to sneak towards the chaotic battlefield—
The artifact in his hand, which he had just firmly grasped, suddenly turned into a handful of dull grey, flying ash, slipping through his fingers.
Alexander (Zeus) was stunned.
He clenched his hand, stared at his now-empty palm, and at the ash on his hand and the ground. His expression froze completely.
"What..." He opened his mouth, forcing half a syllable from his throat. His mind was, for a moment, completely blank.
This was not part of the plan!
This god-slaying scythe was a crucial part of his plan, the insurance that would guarantee he could completely finish off that mad 'other self' and safely seize his origin.
Neither Hades nor Metis, nor his own deductions, had ever mentioned that this scythe would crumble on its own!
But now it was gone. Completely vanished.
What to do without this key weapon?
The thunderbolt he had wrested from that 'Zeus' had also turned to ash.
Was he supposed to fight this madman with his bare hands now?
How was that any different from walking to his death?
Zeus took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
He glanced at the chaotic battlefield in the distance. The roar of 'Zeus' was clearly audible, and the speed of the world's collapse was accelerating.
No time to hesitate, no time to waver.
He had to accept it!
He cast one last look at the ash on the ground, gritted his teeth, and the lightning around his body flared again. No longer concealing his form, he transformed into a streak of golden lightning, racing towards the chaotic core that would decide everything, as fast as he could!
---
The battlefield of Chaos.
The scene at this moment was different from just moments ago.
Hades had finally shed all pretense.
He no longer hid his strength. He was no longer merely the Lord of the Underworld at the 'peak of major divine power'.
When he truly exerted himself, he revealed a power of a completely different order.
His opponent, 'Zeus', was in uncontrollably bad shape.
The violent repulsion and conflict of divine power caused by forcibly absorbing Gaia's origin had turned his already chaotic divine body into a churning mass of chaotic energy, on the verge of exploding at any moment.
Within him, the heroic will of Heracles and the support of Alaya were causing massive waves in his ocean of consciousness, desperately fighting for dominance.
Beset by troubles from within and without, 'Zeus's' consciousness had become blurred. His attacks were disorganized, his defenses full of holes.
Hades seized this opportunity and thoroughly suppressed 'Zeus' in their fight.
His goal was very clear: to create continuous, immense external pressure, forcing 'Zeus' to contract his consciousness, and to 'survive', he would have to accelerate the process of 'merging' with the 'foreign bodies' within himself.
It was like forging a piece of hot iron containing impurities. The blows of the external hammer would force the impurities to integrate faster into the main body. Though the process was painful, it could lead to the 'homogenization' of the material.
Hades was paving the way for the final 'usurpation' or 'qualitative change'.
---
A golden light pierced through the chaotic energy flow, and Zeus's figure appeared at the edge of the battlefield.
He looked a bit disheveled, his breathing slightly rapid—clearly, he had exhausted himself rushing here at full speed. More importantly, his hands were empty. He did not have the pulsating god-slaying scythe as expected.
Out of the corner of his eye, Hades caught sight of him. His own attacks did not cease. Another strike, containing the dual powers of [Corruption] and [Purification], slammed into 'Zeus's' bloated body, causing a burst of annihilating divine power and an even more miserable howl.
At the same time, without turning his head, Hades's voice was cold and direct, piercing through the roar of the battlefield and clearly reaching Zeus's ears:
"Give me the scythe."
When Zeus (Alexander) heard this, he was momentarily stunned, then a wave of anger at being 'set up' flooded his mind.
The frustration of a disrupted plan, the exhaustion of a long journey, and the extreme displeasure at Hades, who seemed to control everything—all of it erupted.
"You have a truly black heart!" Zeus almost ground his teeth as he roared, golden lightning crackling uncontrollably around him.
"You knew I was going after it, and you waited for this moment! Even its disappearance—was that in your calculations too?! Just to make me run around for nothing, to watch me make a fool of myself?!"
Facing Zeus's emotional accusations, Hades didn't even raise an eyebrow.
He easily dodged a blind attack from 'Zeus' and struck 'Zeus' in the back with a blast of Underworld power, eliciting another howl.
Then he slightly turned his head and glanced at Zeus, his tone remaining flat, with a hint of impatience:
"The scythe."
Stop talking nonsense and hurry up and hand it over. Can't you see there's a lot going on here?
Zeus was almost laughable.
He spread his arms in a gesture of utter helplessness and frustration: "There is none!"
Hades frowned and finally ceased his relentless pounding on 'Zeus'. He turned and looked directly at Zeus, face to face.
His eyes were fixed on Zeus's face, carefully studying his expression, his eyes, even the slightest fluctuation of his divine power.
"This is not the time for your 'quiz games' or 'bargaining'," Hades's voice was slightly colder, carrying the undeniable authority of the Lord of the Underworld.
"Hand it over. Now. The world's collapse is accelerating. That madman's condition won't hold much longer. There's no time to waste."
"I'm not playing games!" Zeus was also burning with frustration, pointing at the chaos in the distance.
"There really isn't any! That damned scythe—I just picked it up, and before I could even warm it in my hand, it... it turned to ash on its own! Just now! Right before my eyes! Do you think I'd come running to fight this madman, who's about to explode, with my bare hands for fun?!"
With Hades's knowledge and insight, this was clearly not a lie.
Hades was silent.
His gaze shifted from Zeus's face and turned to the 'Zeus' before him, radiating chaotic energy.
Then, as if suddenly understanding something, he spat out a single word: "Gaia..."
At the same time, Metis, not far from him, also let out a soft, frustrated exclamation: "Damn it! A calculation error!"
Hades looked at Metis. Their eyes met, and they instantly understood each other's thoughts.
The god-slaying scythe was inextricably linked to 'Gaia'!
Just as the Wrath of Earth was forged from Gaia's fang, its power and 'origin' shared the same root as Gaia, this forbidden weapon, capable of cutting primordial law, was deeply connected to the 'material foundation of the world' represented by Gaia.
When 'Gaia' died, her origin absorbed, her concept began to dissipate, the 'god-slaying scythe', which was anchored to her, naturally lost the basis for its existence in this world and turned to flying ash!
This was a blind spot they had previously ignored, but it had occurred at the most critical moment!