After all the heroes arrived in Troy, they were imdiately treated to fine wine and at by the King of Troy.
In the past, it might have led to one big celebratory feast after another. The Greek heroes were all quite open in this regard. Many heroes in the past would wake up not only feeling weak but also with sore...
But this ti, they had no such thoughts. They spent any spare ti honing and improving their martial skills, taking advantage of the gathering in Troy to elevate their abilities, for what awaited them was a grand endeavor beyond comparison.
So-called desires they chased before seed trivial in comparison!
When they thought about accomplishing this historic feat, who wouldn’t be thrilled to raise their flags? In the face of a higher ideal, forr desires seed like dirt.
It was also because they had the perfect hero, Xediles!
With all their wounds perfectly healed, the heroes felt no ntal burden, no matter how fierce the sparring and duels.
Of course, so heroes noticed that Xue Dili’s physical problems were worsening, once resembling a normal person, but now like an old man on his last legs, utterly exhausted.
Tonight, the heroes gathered again for a banquet in the palace, each recounting their past achievents and adventures, filling the air with spirits and heroism that seed to engulf all of Troy.
Odysseus, once the most brilliant protagonist of late Greece, was quietly eating, uninterested even in the wine.
"Do we, this ragtag group, genuinely have a chance of accomplishing that feat?" he pondered relentlessly.
It’s not that he was overthinking it, as his goals were completely different from the other heroes aspiring for prestige and honor. From the beginning, Odysseus only wanted warmth for his wife and children.
His eldest son had just been born when he foresaw Ragnarok and the world-ending flood. He spent a whole night deciding to co to Troy, not for fa and fortune but simply to see Zeus dead.
"You seem troubled, King Odysseus of Ithaca," Hector approached, clinking his cup with Odysseus’s.
These two historical arch-enemies, at this mont, appeared like old friends at the banquet, contemplating the future together.
"Hector, the great hero of Troy, the hero with the Divine Martial Arts and Indestructible Spear..." Compared to the now-renowned Hector, Odysseus appeared quite obscure.
Why had so many heroes gathered in Troy without causing any trouble? Knowing these heroes were incredible and defiant individuals not inclined to respect others, it was solely because of Hector, who almost single-handedly routed the entire Greek alliance.
Even in this era devoid of the Trojan War, Hector’s martial prowess, reaching divine realms, allowed him to best nearly all Greek heroes, earning respect from every hero.
Tomorrow would mark the day this group of heroes set off for Olympus, with subtle suggestions planted in their minds over the past half month by Athena’s Divine Revelation, ensuring their true intentions remained undetected.
Only they knew their mission was to "kill a god," while anyone else or any god investigating would only hear them utter "great deeds."
Thus, they deceived nurous gods paying attention, like Zeus’s informant Hers and War God Ares’s spies.
Yet, as the departure drew near, the heroes grew apprehensive, harboring mysterious thoughts...
Could they win?
Even the bravest hero would instinctively flinch at knowing Zeus was their opponent.
It was not fear but a natural reaction, leading to this final banquet, also a farewell feast.
Faced with Odysseus’s doubts, Hector, subtly erging as the leader of Greek heroes, remained silent.
The words "We will win" could not escape his lips.
After all, their opponent was the Divine King!
At this mont, all eyes turned to the palace entrance.
Xue Dili, concealed under a white robe, appeared.
If the heroes admired Hector, they revered and adored Xue Dili.
What hero wouldn’t be moved by his willingness to endure all hardships alone?
Even though they were heroes sung across Greece, they felt they could never reach such a level, thus respecting, admiring, and willingly joining the Celestial Thunder, becoming part of those storming Olympus.
On Xue Dili’s shoulder, a pure white owl landed, and the next mont, the whole palace was enveloped, bound by Divine Power.
This was the divine power of Goddess Athena, a ans to isolate all fate and prying.
All heroes sat upright; the real arrangents were beginning.
"Ladies and gentlen, I am the incarnation of Athena." The pure white owl spoke human words, and all heroes present saluted the owl.
"I know many of you have doubts on why to go to Olympus in such a ’theatrical’ manner." The owl looked at all the heroes; they were either fervent, thoughtful, or curious.
"As long as ’under the sky,’ Zeus remains an absolutely immortal Divine King, his immortality surpasses Greece as a concept. No attack, curse, or injury can kill Zeus; this is the might of the Divine King."
When Athena spoke these words, every hero felt that sense of helplessness.
Was their enemy such a horrifying Divine King?
Yes, even Typhon, the so-called "Dark Destruction God," was controlled and sealed by Zeus. Could this ragtag group of Greek heroes genuinely contend with Zeus?
"But, we have a chance to truly kill Zeus, we only need to trick Zeus into the Netherworld, drawing him to the Abyss’s gate, and then there’s a chance to kill him with a curse, which we have already prepared."
Athena’s words instilled confidence, though imdiately a hero inquired, "Wise Goddess, how can we lure Zeus to the Abyss?"
This was the crux. They had no idea when Zeus would go to the Netherworld, and were unsure if it would be his true self or just an incarnation.
So what strategy could ensure Zeus’s true self reaches the Abyss?
The situation seed deadlocked until Xue Dili, who had remained silent, spoke: "I have a plan."
All the heroes turned to Xue Dili as he raised his wine cup, stating: "I will take thorns upon myself to plead for forgiveness on Mount Olympus. Concealed in these thorns will be a dagger coated in the Hydra’s venom."
"In a feigned gesture of loyalty to Zeus, I will kiss his hand and draw the dagger from the thorns to strike at the Father’s loins, destroying his symbol of ’procreation’!"
"The Father cannot forsake the procreation’s symbol, so he would need my head, my death. Only with in the Netherworld would he be forced to go to retrieve the symbol."
"Therefore, everyone, your task is to kill after my act, cut off my head to present to Zeus, show loyalty to him, and bring him to the Netherworld."
"Our final battle will take place in the Netherworld."
Even as Xue Dili appeared extrely frail, barely able to hold his wine cup steady with trembling hands, his gaze moved every hero present.
"This plan only has two possible outcos: victory or death." He suddenly downed his wine, throwing the cup to the ground and turning to leave, "If I fail, toss my head into the Aegean Sea."
The owl flew to Xue Dili’s shoulder. He raised his right fist one last ti, shouting: "Victory!"
"Victory!" All the heroes drained their strong drink in unison, smashing their cups to the ground.
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