Chapter 176: Ouranos's Conspiracy Exposed, the Start of the War Game!
"Ouranos wants to start a Familia War with me?"
Upon hearing this astonishing news from Hephaestus's mouth, everyone present—whether it was Shirou, Astraea, or Ryuu and the others—all showed looks of surprise.
Everyone had thought that this confusion concerning the execution was about to end, but they never expected that the Heavenly God Ouranos had no intention of letting things proceed this way, suddenly intervening to disrupt everything.
Shirou was particularly concerned about Hestia being captured by Ouranos and demanded that Thanatos and the other gods immediately explain the specific circumstances.
"The matter is as follows."
Thanatos finally seemed to have organized his words and began to recount everything that had transpired earlier.
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Just moments before.
Thanatos, Hestia, Hephaestus, and Ishtar, the four gods, had infiltrated Rudra Familia, but were discovered by the god Rudra.
However, Rudra had no intention of reporting them. Instead, he acted with them, even proactively leading them to the underground laboratory.
Naturally, the four gods were wary of Rudra's actions, but because they were all gods, no one could push the others to the extreme. Thus, the few gods could only act together while mutually cautious.
But Rudra genuinely did not do anything suspicious during the process, quite openly leading Thanatos and the other gods underground and finding the Juggernaut's laboratory.
In that laboratory, Thanatos successfully found the Juggernauts being used as test subjects and identified the parts that had been fused with Astraea Familia members. Using his authority over controlling souls, he reversed the souls on the Juggernauts, peeling off the souls of Astraea Familia.
However, just when everything was completed smoothly, an unexpected event suddenly occurred.
In front of Thanatos and the other gods, the Heavenly God Ouranos actually revealed himself!
Because the Heavenly God Ouranos had been in the guild headquarters' basement for a millennium, praying to the Dungeon daily to suppress its fury, the other gods had long become accustomed to the fact that Ouranos would not leave the guild headquarters.
Therefore, the moment they saw Ouranos appear, the few gods all felt a shiver of dread.
Ouranos, though, had no intention of attacking all the gods. Instead, he looked at Hestia and quietly spoke: "Come over to me, Hestia, if you don't want to return to Tenkai right now."
Faced with Ouranos's threat, Hestia naturally wouldn't easily agree. She cried out: "Ouranos, what exactly are you thinking?! Why are you conducting such bizarre experiments, and why did you force Astraea to target Shirou! To you, is everything in Genkai just a tool for your use?!"
"That's strange, didn't you hear what I just said?" Ouranos seemed to completely disregard Hestia's questioning, "Didn't I say, come over to me? If you don't want to return to Tenkai right now, and don't want these other few gods next to you to return to Tenkai either......"
"Ouranos......."
Facing Ouranos's calm, fear-inducing attitude, Hestia momentarily showed a confused expression.
And Ouranos silently took a step forward.
Just this simple action made all the gods, including Thanatos, involuntarily take a step back.
The only one present who looked smiling was the god Rudra. Not only did he not move away from the Heavenly God Ouranos, but he even proactively walked towards him.
"Rudra, was it really a trap set by you, you bastard?"
Thanatos questioned Rudra, who was once a member of Evilus.
Rudra smiled in response: "That's right, from the very beginning, Ouranos anticipated that you would come here, so he had me lure you here in advance."
"Have you been Ouranos's dark accomplice since before?"
"Something like that." Rudra nodded silently to Thanatos's words, "For me, the more chaotic this world is, the more interesting it is. Like most evil gods, I yearn for the occurrence of chaos.
However, compared to most evil gods who hope to stir up chaos with their own hands, I prefer to be a bystander, occasionally just adding fuel to the fire. That's why I joined Evilus back then, and just existed as a marginal entity, appreciating Evilus's performance.
However, I quickly realized that those utterly foolish evil gods couldn't accomplish anything. Let alone the time when Zeus and Hera were still around, even after the destruction of those two major Familia, Evilus still couldn't shake Orario at all, and was even entirely annihilated by Astraea alone.
But, while I was in Evilus, I sensed the essence of this city. I realized that unlike the childish Dark Familia, the true source of chaos and madness was, yes, Ouranos!
This guy has secretly laid out a millennium-long plan, it's truly fascinating! I joined his faction without hesitation and helped him eliminate Astraea Familia..."
Rudra quietly explained why he became the Heavenly God Ouranos's lackey, describing his yearning for madness and chaos.
Even after understanding all this, Thanatos and the other gods could not change anything.
They could only look at Ouranos, their expressions tense, looking at this old Heavenly God who had created Orario.
But Ouranos didn't even glance at them. He just looked at Hestia with a serious expression and slowly spoke: "Come over to me, Hestia, this is your only option."
"I... I refuse!"
Although Hestia was filled with fear and panic, feeling an extreme unfamiliarity with this Heavenly God whom she once thought she knew intimately, she ultimately wouldn't just casually obey his command.
Ouranos nodded silently to this: "I see, you are indeed as stubborn as expected, Hestia. If that's the case, I can only resort to some stronger measures."
"Stronger measures?" Hestia and the many gods looked confused, "Ouranos, you should be unable to freely use divine power in Genkai, just like most gods! Only an extremely special authority like Astraea's 'Sword Authority' can use divine power in Genkai!"
"That's right, it was like that before."
Ouranos nodded.
"Before?"
"Yes, it was before."
Facing Hestia's confusion, Ouranos spoke frankly, "However, after a millennium of research, after one failure and accumulation after another, and even nearly giving up, I finally succeeded in finding the path to the truth."
"The path to the truth......."
"Yes, and it was all thanks to Astraea Familia. By fusing these unique mortals with the Juggernauts, I was able to create an almost truly perfect creation."
Ouranos clapped his hands as he spoke.
In the dim underground, a violent tremor suddenly sounded. The massive earthquake was as if the whole world was about to shatter and collapse.
In the midst of the extreme chaos, Hestia and the other gods had no time to react before they saw a giant monster walking step by step from the black ground.
The monster had the appearance of a scorpion and a gigantic body. Its immense form and appearance were like a mythical monster, one of the three Great Calamities that destroy the world.
And most importantly, on the body of that monster, Hestia and the other gods actually felt a distinct fluctuation of divine power!
The ripple of divine power was so clear it was almost as if a true god was right before their eyes!
"This... What exactly is going on? How can that monster have divine power?!"
Hestia's eyes widened.
She stared at the scorpion monster in disbelief, and then suddenly saw a clear crystal in the monster's center, and within the crystal lay a figure that Hestia was extremely familiar with.
It was the Moon Goddess Artemis, who was once called the 'Virgin Goddess' alongside Hestia in Tenkai. She was sleeping in the crystal, like a resting child. The divine power of the giant monster was clearly surging forth from Artemis's body!
"H-how can this be? Artemis, she......"
"Do you understand now?"
Ouranos frankly met Hestia's gaze, "A millennium of research, plus the creation of the Juggernaut—I finally reached the endpoint of the experiment, the only way for a god to use divine power in Genkai. This is the ultimate creation, named the Scorpion 'Antares.' Its principle is similar to the Juggernaut, except, what I fused was not just a mortal soul, but directly fused it with a god!"
"How could this be? How could this be?" Hestia was incredulous, "Several years ago, Artemis was ordered by the Guild to explore the ruins of the deserted Dungeon's Great Tree Sea. Was that incident a lie?!"
"Yes, I deceived her," Ouranos said silently, "At that time, I had grasped the method to create a divine-powered monster, but I lacked a suitable experimental subject.
After some selection, I chose Artemis, because she was one of the very few gods who, despite having low standing, possessed a top-tier authority. Purely in terms of the power of authority, her strength was even comparable to Astraea with her 'Sword Authority.'"
"...Ouranos, you're crazy!"
"I'm not crazy, Hestia. Mortals are always unwilling to face concepts they cannot understand. As a god, you shouldn't commit such a foolish mistake."
"..."
Facing the confusion of Hestia and the other gods, Ouranos merely slowly gave a command: "Antares, take Hestia away."
"Bang!"
The moment Ouranos's command was issued, an astonishing divine power erupted from the scorpion's body. Its vast power was impossible to resist, and in the blink of an eye, it forcibly constrained Hestia.
Faced with all this, Thanatos and the other gods attempted to stop it.
But Ouranos blocked their way.
"If you don't want to return to Tenkai, it's best not to struggle. That'll be better for both of us," Ouranos said coldly, "After all, I don't want to waste the hard-won Antares on returning boring gods to Tenkai. You should know that creating such a monster again requires immense resources."
"Ouranos!" Thanatos's eyes widened, "Was everything your plan? But why did you seal my ladder? Why did you make it impossible for me to return to Tenkai!"
Thanatos asked the question he cared about most.
"Are you very concerned about that?" Ouranos showed a cold attitude toward this, "Then I'll tell you. The reason is actually very simple: because you are still useful. Both your own authority and your duties in Tenkai are necessary for me."
"Hmph..."
"I'm very grateful to you, Thanatos. Without your research back then, my wish might not have been realized so smoothly. Allowing you to remain in Genkai is also my way of showing gratitude... After all, ordinary gods return to Tenkai after they die, but you can continue to enjoy life in Genkai. Isn't that very pleasant?"
"Ouranos!!!"
Ouranos's mocking words made Thanatos almost lose control of himself.
But his most pathetic point was that he didn't even have the means to threaten the other party by self-destructing to return to Tenkai.
As for Ouranos, after capturing Hestia, he spoke indifferently to the gods before him: "Well, what needed to be done has been completed. You just help me pass one last message to that man, Emiya Shirou. Tell him that if he wants to save Hestia, he must agree to a War Game with me. I will be waiting for his arrival at Babel."
Having said this, the old Heavenly God turned and left with Rudra.
The Scorpion Antares also followed Ouranos's command, carrying Hestia away.
Only a few panicking gods remained, looking at each other, and immediately went to inform Shirou of everything that had happened.
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Learning everything that happened from Thanatos's mouth, Shirou, Astraea, and even Ryuu and the others all showed looks of disbelief.
Whether it was Ouranos's conspiracy, Hestia's kidnapping, or even the Moon Goddess Artemis being captured and experimented on, turned into a divine-powered monster... all of it was simply too shocking not to be astonished by.
At the same time, what was most concerning was the War Game that Ouranos ultimately proposed.
Ouranos actually proactively proposed a War Game with Shirou. This matter simply couldn't help but cause confusion and suspicion.
"There must be a conspiracy!" Ryuu took a deep breath and immediately spoke, "That Heavenly God secretly plotted for such a long time, even creating something like the divine-powered monster Antares. It's impossible for him to simply want to have a War Game with Emiya. There must be a deeper purpose!"
Ryuu's words were acknowledged by everyone.
Most people present, whether gods or mortals, agreed with her idea.
"But what about our Goddess?" Bell raised his hand from the side, "Our Goddess is captured by him now. We can't just not go to rescue her, right?"
"..."
At Bell's words, everyone fell silent.
After all, most people indeed could not disregard Hestia's safety.
In the confusion, everyone could only look at Shirou, waiting for Shirou to make the judgment and the final choice.
"I'm wondering about one thing," Shirou pondered for a long time and slowly spoke, "Why did Ouranos capture Hestia? There were so many gods present at the time, why did he only take Hestia? Does Hestia have some important significance to him?"
"..."
Shirou's words made everyone show hesitant expressions.
Most people clearly couldn't figure out the reason why Ouranos only captured Hestia.
Shirou himself couldn't figure it all out. He had too little information, making it impossible to consider Ouranos's motive from a higher perspective.
Therefore, the only judgment he could make now was whether or not to accept Ouranos's condition and proceed with this War Game.
After a brief thought, he made a decision and silently spoke: "It seems we have no choice. Since Ouranos wants to confront me head-on, then I'll accept his challenge! No matter what his purpose is, I will absolutely save Hestia! Absolutely!"
"..."
Facing Shirou's determination, everyone present, whether gods or mortals, showed expressions of surprise.
They hadn't expected him to appear so relaxed, even when facing the Heavenly God Ouranos—it wasn't like facing the magnificent Heavenly God at all, but more like going for a stroll.
"If that's the case, allow me to help you, Emiya." Astraea slowly got up from the ground, despite her injuries, "Since the souls of my Familia members have been saved, I no longer need to obey Ouranos's demands. Let me also become your strength, become your sword!"
"Thank you!"
Facing the joining of the magnificent Goddess of Justice, Shirou immediately showed a relieved expression.
After all, the other party's authority could be said to be the strongest authority in Genkai. Even if it couldn't be used directly, it would be extremely advantageous as a trump card when necessary.
In addition to Astraea, the other gods and people present also showed determined expressions, willing to lend their strength to Shirou and confront the Heavenly God.
And the news that Ouranos and Shirou were going to have a War Game quickly spread outwards, even reaching Babel, and transforming into an unprecedented internal war in Orario.
Because, putting Shirou aside for a moment, Astraea's prestige was beyond imagination. Her standing with Shirou attracted a large number of supporters, even if she did nothing. Many gods and mortals were extreme fans of Astraea, and they wouldn't hesitate to fight the Heavenly God for her sake.
Furthermore, Loki naturally also stood on Shirou's side. After learning that she could fight the Heavenly God Ouranos alongside Astraea and Shirou, she became so excited that she was practically intoxicated, gesticulating wildly.
However, the situation did not unilaterally develop in Shirou's favor. Soon, an extremely bad piece of news came:
The final decision of the Beauty Goddess Freya was to stand on the side of the Heavenly God Ouranos.
This news surprised many people, but Shirou was the only one who didn't find it surprising.
He had actually vaguely realized a long time ago that Freya had always maintained a connection with Orario's darkness.
Only in the past, Shirou mistakenly thought that Orario's darkness was Evilus, but now it seemed that Orario's true darkness was Orario's creator, the Heavenly God Ouranos himself.
Therefore, Freya had actually been in close contact with the Heavenly God Ouranos all along—she was even fundamentally a part of Orario's darkness!
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