The sky split open with cracks of crimson lightning.
Storms brewed where stars once shimmered.
Mount Olympus, the celestial pillar of divinity, now pulsed with the heartbeat of impending war.
In the Grand Throne Hall, Zeus stood silent.
Around him, Olympus burned.
The once-loyal gods—Poseidon, Hades, Demeter, Artemis, Apollo, Hermes, Dionysus, Hephaestus—now gathered at the foot of the mountain, weapons drawn, legions of divine and monstrous beings behind them.
Zeus clenched his fist.
"This is treason."
A voice echoed softly behind him—Jin Shang, standing like a shadow in twilight.
"It's not treason when the King no longer commands faith… only fear."
[Flashback – One Night Before]
They stood atop the Sky Citadel, overlooking the constellations.
"Why have you called me, mortal god?" Zeus said with narrowed eyes.
Jin's expression was unreadable. Calm. Focused.
"I came to offer you the only thing you've always wanted, but never truly had."
Zeus scoffed. "And what is that?"
"Control."
Jin turned slowly.
"You've ruled Olympus for eons, but it's been slipping. Your children grow arrogant. Your queen betrayed you. The realm is fracturing."
Zeus remained still.
"I can unite it again," Jin whispered. "Through you—or through your ashes."
The thunder god laughed bitterly. "You dare threaten—"
"No. I dare offer you salvation.
Let them wage war, Zeus. Let Olympus burn. And in the ashes… you'll rise again as a true god-king. Ruthless. Feared.
Let them fear you one last time."
Zeus's silence was answer enough.
[Present – The War Begins]
Poseidon unleashed a tidal onslaught, his trident channeling the rage of oceans. Entire cities crumbled as tsunamis devoured the lower divine domains.
Demeter, bathed in sorrow, summoned vines of death from beneath the earth. She howled Persephone's name as roots tore through temples.
Hades unleashed his dead.
The gates of the Underworld opened, and from it surged phantoms, warriors, titans—forgotten shades bearing weapons of soulsteel.
Zeus descended with lightning in both hands.
His aegis shield radiated blinding light as he roared:
"Let Olympus be cleansed!"
He clashed with Poseidon, their divine energies exploding into a cosmic storm that ruptured the skies. Stars blinked out from the shock.
Hades took the upper cliffs, facing Zeus's legions. His voice echoed across the battlefield:
"I gave you silence. Now I bring you judgment."
Demeter found Hera, and in a devastating moment of fury and grief, declared:
"You took my daughter. I will take your divinity."
They clashed with divine fury, shaking the pillars of fate.
Jin stood alone amidst the chaos, hands behind his back. Watching.
The gods fought like titans, their wars echoing across realms. And yet, Jin's war was not of the body—it was of the soul.
Suddenly, Zeus appeared before him, eyes wild with storm.
"You said I would rise. That I would rule again."
Jin nodded.
"And you will. But only if you survive what comes next."
Zeus looked around—the gods turning against him, his kingdom crumbling.
"Why… why did they betray me? I gave them order!"
Jin looked him dead in the eye.
"You gave them chains, Zeus. Not order.
You wore the crown but never earned it.
And now—your own blood has turned on you."
Zeus looked broken for a moment. The all-powerful god now resembled a man standing on the last plank of his legacy.
"Then what should I do?"
Jin stepped forward.
"Fight. Bleed.
But when it ends, you will not be a god.
You will be the idea of Olympus—fear made flesh.
You will die as Zeus, and rise as the storm incarnate."
Zeus whispered, almost trembling with rage
"…And you?"
Jin smirked.
"I will be the one who brings balance after the storm."
Thunder surged from his fingertips. "You lied to me."
Jin Shang walked slowly down the marble steps, unbothered by the trembling air or the king's fury.
"I never lied," Jin said coldly. "I told you you'd rise again. I just never said as what."
Zeus's eyes burned. "You manipulated them all. Poseidon. Hades. Even Hera. You're the reason Olympus is falling."
"No. You are," Jin said sharply.
"You ruled through fear, through tyranny. I simply reminded them of the chains you forged."
Zeus hurled a bolt of lightning—but it passed through Jin.
An illusion.
"You don't even see it, do you?" Jin's voice echoed from every wall.
"This war was never about thrones. It's about unmasking what the gods have become—beasts in divine skin."
Zeus howled as the real Jin appeared behind him and whispered—
"You are the storm. But storms pass.
Now… you can either die as the tyrant you are
Or disappear and let Olympus burn without you."
Zeus charged toward him in blinding fury—
But Jin had already vanished.
Outside of the Olympus Jin knelt before the temple ruins, Athena's soul sealed in a crystal orb, glowing faintly.
He placed it on an altar of white marble and spoke softly.
"You saw the end. You knew what I was doing…
and you still stayed."
He clenched his jaw.
"I couldn't protect you. But I swear… when the last throne falls,
I will build a world where wisdom is no longer ignored."
He closed his eyes.
"Rest now, Athena. The war you feared has begun.
But it will end as it should.
With me—reshaping the divine."