Surprisingly, Metis smiled upon seeing the "terrifying" contract.
After all, if she didn't pledge such a contract, why would the other party save her?
Without hesitation, she picked up a green leaf and noticed the divine symbol upon it-" Wisdom."
"Wisdom, huh? Then Athena will have to choose Victory in the future."
This thought flickered through Bolos's mind. Right now, Athena hadn't matured; it wasn't yet the right time to bring her under his command.
"I, Metis, in the name of Wisdom, acknowledge the Tree of Life as the Supreme Tree.
Its master, the Tree of Life's Lord, is the Ultimate Sovereign, the Eternal Creator."
"You are the One and the Many, the beginning of the Primordial, and the end of all."
"My everything—be it life or soul, Divine Power or destiny—I offer unto You, as Your most loyal servant!"
The contract had three parts. After reciting it fully, Metis smiled through tears and swallowed the green leaf.
When she completed the incantation and consumed the leaf, Bolos smiled as well, pouring more than half of his meager Divine Power into her.
Having assumed the identity of Bolos, he now possessed only the Divine Power of a newborn god.
Without having formally started the path of cultivation via the Tree of Life, he still needed to rely on this limited Divine Power to survive in this mythic world.
"I really need to find a way out of here soon. I can't wait until Athena is born."
His face turned pale from the drain.
Meanwhile, Metis transformed into a beam of light, rushing into the Tree of Life in his hand before he could even react.
"Mother!"
Athena panicked and reached toward where Metis had vanished, but there was nothing to grasp.
At that moment, the Tree of Life trembled, and the remaining nine green leaves on the ground returned to the tree's core.
Athena could clearly see that in one of the ten spheres on this strange tree, no leaf had returned.
Inside that sphere stood a miniature version of her mother, Metis, her eyes closed, her entire form glowing faintly.
"When will I be able to see her again?"
Born extraordinarily intelligent, Athena sensed that her mother truly had a chance at survival.
Now, she just wanted to know when she would see Metis again.
"When you manage to get out of here," Bolos replied.
The aspect of Wisdom had fused with Metis. She would only be released once Polo advanced to the level where he could begin absorbing her Divine Power.
At present, Bolos had only the Divine Power of this world, along with the seed of Kingdom's Divine Power.
To reach the stage of Wisdom, he still had to progress through seven stages: Foundation, Glory, Victory, Beauty, Severity, Mercy, and Understanding.
In other words, he would need to recruit seven more Divine Beings and acquire their laws of Divine Power before it would be Metis's turn.
"Can we… even get out of here?"
Athena fell silent upon hearing Bolos's words.
Before, she and her mother had been trapped here together. Now, only she remained.
As for this mysterious "brother" Bolos, she had a feeling that with his unusual powers, he wouldn't stay here with her for long.
Bolos glanced at the quiet Athena and suddenly reached out to gently touch her golden hair. "Don't worry. Once you're strong enough to keep striking upward, Zeus will release you."
"Zeus only wants to kill Metis and Bolos. He has no reason to harm you."
No matter what her future status or achievements might be, right now, she was just a helpless little girl.
He thought to himself: if he hoped to have Athena willingly enter the contract someday, he'd better start earning some goodwill now.
Athena felt awkward as Bolos touched her hair. Just as she was about to move away, something astonishing happened.
The boy, who had stood taller than her, suddenly seemed to deflate like a balloon, shrinking into the form of a one- or two-year-old baby who could barely stand.
Even the Tree of Life in his hand shrank to the size of a baby toy.
"You…"
Athena looked stunned, her delicate lips parting. She couldn't understand what had just happened.
"To save your mother, I used up almost all of my Divine Power and had to revert to my original form."
Bolos sounded a bit helpless. His teenage appearance had been a manifestation of Divine Power-
After all, what adult would willingly become a baby?
But the act of absorbing Metis into the Tree of Life had completely drained him.
"So cute!"
Athena, bold as ever, immediately picked him up, kissed his cheek, and even reached out to pinch him.
That's when Bolos spoke again:
"Athena, you don't want your mother to suffer under me, do you?"
Athena froze.
She had just remembered—her mother Metis had already signed that contract and was now this baby's servant.
"No matter what… she's still your 'mother,'" Athena said, wrinkling her pretty nose.
Bolos chuckled.
"The first King of the Gods, Uranus, was the son of Mother Earth Gaia, wasn't he?"
Athena was left speechless.
Uranus and Gaia were not only mother and son, but also husband and wife.
And it had been Gaia who schemed to dethrone Uranus—
Even handing Cronus the sickle that severed Uranus's lower half.
Metis had once told Athena all these old myths.
"I'm tired. Let me rest in your arms for a while."
After Bolos closed his eyes, Athena held him close to her chest, just like how she used to be held by Metis as a child.
"Little brother…"
That word surfaced in her heart, and she sighed inwardly.
"If only you were truly my brother."
But Bolos did not sleep.
Nestled against Athena's chest, he used what little Divine Power remained to inspect the reward granted by the Tree of Life for making Metis one of his ten foundational Divine Beings.
In an instant, his Divine Power was drawn toward the "Wisdom" sphere on the Tree of Life.
Suddenly, he felt as though he were peering into a mysterious space.
Inside, Metis stood still, eyes closed.
Bolos couldn't enter the space—but he could see behind Metis a towering, illusory structure.
A colossal tower, each of its levels built from massive tomes.
Each had a brass-colored eye on its cover.
The higher the level, the darker it became—filled with madness, destruction, misfortune, and doom.
The tower extended into the heavens, as though engulfing the entire world within it.
"The Tower…"
This word echoed inexplicably in Bolos's mind.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。