The System Awakens: Rise of the Champion-Chapter 286: A Prayer Answered

Unlike what Damian did to the Norse pantheon, he didn’t kill most of the gods and goddesses.

Most of the core gods and goddesses of the Greek pantheon were spared, as many of them were genuinely good deities who fulfilled their duties properly. They themselves despised the way Zeus and his confidants had ruled.

The surviving Greek gods and goddesses watched in solemn silence as Damian devoured those who had submitted to him, gods and goddesses he chose to consume without mercy.

"Ease up. It’s over. I won’t kill any more of you," Damian said with a small chuckle, looking at the remaining gods and goddesses, whose fearful expressions varied in intensity.

Damian approached his wives and gave each of them a small peck on the forehead, making them smile. Big Eden hugged her father tightly, resting her head against his chest.

With a wave of his hand, a massive golden throne manifested, facing the Greek gods. In the next instant, several large chairs appeared, arranged neatly in rows and columns. Damian took his seat on the throne as Eden released his arm and stood beside him, displeasure etched clearly across her beautiful face.

Understanding his gesture, the Greek gods and goddesses each took a seat.

"As I said before, I’m making the entirety of the Greek pantheon part of my Empire of Ouroboros," Damian said calmly.

"Your Highness, what will happen to us, the ones who submitted to you?" Helios, the god of the Sun, Light, Vision, Revelation, and Clarity, asked with a grim expression. "Will you turn us into slaves? Will you punish or imprison us for spoils?"

"No. Why would you think that?" Damian shook his head. "Didn’t I mention before that I would treat you well?"

He looked around at the assembled gods as he continued. "I’m simply making you all part of my pantheon, my Empire of Ouroboros, just as I did with the Norse pantheon and the Biblical pantheon. The Biblical pantheon only ever had the Heavenly Father, so he became one of my pantheon gods."

A smile formed on Damian’s face as he went on. "Did you think of me as a ruthless tyrant or something? Well, I am, but not a mindless one. I know you did nothing wrong. In fact, most of you are victims of Zeus and others like him."

"You may keep the influence you held within the Greek pantheon, or you may expand it to further refine your divine concepts, so long as you refrain from destructive behavior," he said coolly. "That includes acts like Zeus’s habitual abuse and assault of women. Do I make myself clear?"

Damian narrowed his eyes, his expression cold as his gaze swept over the surviving male gods. They clearly understood this was not a suggestion, but a warning.

Then Damian’s eyes landed on Aphrodite, and his expression softened into a warm smile.

"Aphrodite, my beloved Greek goddess of love," Damian said as he slowly spread his arms, inviting her into an embrace.

Without hesitation, Aphrodite vanished and reappeared instantly in his arms. She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck and kissed him. Within moments, the gentle kiss deepened into a passionate, lingering one.

"Chu~ Chu~"

As Aphrodite continued to kiss him, her figure unknowingly began to release a thick pink aura as her divine concept of love started acting up uncontrollably. It felt as though it was being bottled up and was on the verge of exploding. Just as it seemed like it would, Damian suddenly stopped kissing her, pulling his tongue from her mouth.

The Goddess of Beauty and Love tried to hold on to his tongue but failed, causing her to pout as she looked at her true love.

Damian licked his lips, cleaning her saliva from them, and gently rubbed her chin.

"We’re in the middle of a conversation. We can have our time after I deal with this, then I’m all yours."

"Ugh, alright." Aphrodite nodded with a flushed face and simply snuggled into his chest.

Damian patted her head with a small smile before turning his attention back to the Greek gods.

His gaze settled on one of the mother goddesses, the Goddess of Marriage, Family, Queenship, Women, and Childbirth, Hera, who kept her head lowered, her expression blank, as if she felt nothing at all.

"All Mother, root of all realms and bearer of the endless sky, I kneel not as a god but as a frightened child of creation. I have watched eras bleed into one another as Zeus and those loyal to him twist power into indulgence, turning Olympus into a court of fear and the mortal realms into fields of despair."

Damian suddenly spoke in a calm, almost bleeding voice. The moment he did, the goddess Hera, who had been wearing a despairing expression, immediately raised her head to look at him, her eyes filled with surprise, awe, and shock, as Damian continued.

"If there remains even a single leaf of mercy upon your infinite branches, then I beg you, show me a path beyond this ruin or take me into your keeping. Strip me of my crown if you must, for I am done holding the world together with vows only I remember, done mistaking endurance for virtue. If you will not end this pantheon, then end me, for I cannot carry this despair into another age."

A small, warm, and reassuring smile formed on his face as he looked at the goddess Hera.

"I didn’t come here with the goal of conquering the Greeks. I came because your prayers have been heard, and I am the herald sent to deliver your answer."

"H-How...?" Her voice broke apart mid-word. The prayer she had whispered to a higher power was something no one knew about, not even her daughters or sisters. Then how could the emperor know?

"You prayed to my mother, the Universal Tree, for a way out, so she sent me, her heavenly son."

Damian’s figure flickered and suddenly appeared before the mother goddess. He gently lifted her, subconsciously making her stand upright, so close that their chins nearly touched and their eyes met.

"My mother sent me to be judge, jury, and executioner. I deemed the unworthy to be devoured. As for you..." He softly rubbed her chin, his eyes glowing with a strange pink energy. "I want you and some of your fellow sisters to be my queen, my wives for all eternity. I will shower you with love and pleasure until you beg me to stop, overwhelmed by happiness you cannot control."

Damian did not wait for her to speak. She was far too stunned to react. He pressed his lips against the mother goddess’s, forcing his tongue past her lips. After a moment of resistance, Hera began to respond, eagerly meeting him.

The kiss lasted only a few seconds before Damian pulled away, leaving Hera’s face flushed red.

"I will take that as a yes," Damian said softly, gently brushing his thumb across her lips.

The goddess nodded quickly.

It was as if all the worry and despair she had carried before Damian’s arrival at the Greek Pantheon had vanished without a trace, replaced by genuine happiness.

She truly felt no despair anymore.

As gods and goddesses, they did not need years to develop love. Sometimes a single moment was enough, and Hera had just experienced that moment with the emperor.

Desire gleamed more clearly in Damian’s eyes as he glanced toward the other goddesses. He raised his hand, and in the next second, all the destruction caused by his battle with the Greek gods was undone, restoring the land to its once beautiful forest scenery.

His gaze turned toward Freya and the others.

"You should all go back and rest."

That was all they needed to hear. They immediately understood what Damian was planning. He intended to take the Greek goddesses somewhere time itself was dilated.

"I will see you all in a couple of days." Damian gave each of them a final kiss before they stepped through a gate, leaving the Greek Pantheon behind.

Damian snapped his fingers. In the next instant, a soft hissing sound echoed as several goddesses vanished from the spot, leaving the remaining gods sitting in their chairs with bewildered expressions.

"Um, what are we supposed to do now?" Hephaestus, the god of fire, metalworking, and craftsmanship, asked, utterly confused.

"Go home, I think," Pan, god of the wild, shepherds, and flocks, said while scratching his head. "I wonder where the heavenly don took the goddesses."

"You really are innocent, despite living in our perverted pantheon," Hermes, the god of speed, thieves, travel, trickery, and communication, chuckled while shaking his head. "He took the most beautiful goddesses of the pantheon, the single ones. Where do you think he took them? Obviously, he is adding them to his harem."

"That many goddesses?" Pan asked in shock.

"He is the heavenly son," Hermes shrugged. "He could probably do it with all the women in existence and still have energy left. It is not surprising."

"Anyway, I am going home." Hermes waved casually, his figure blurring as he vanished like a flash.