Entering Apocalypse in Easy-Mode
Chapter 388: Vulnerability

Chapter 388: Vulnerability

Hermes returned to his domain with shoulders slumped and face pale with exhaustion. Each step felt heavier than the last as divine fatigue sank deep into his bones.

The winds here that once lively now drifted with a sluggish stillness, as if reflecting the weariness of their master. His once-pristine robes were singed and tattered at the edges, trailing lightly across the cracked marble floor of his entryway.

The domain itself wasn’t faring much better. Cracks ran along the golden pillars, vines once vibrant now wilted along the arches, and the very light that filled the place seemed dimmer, more faded.

The damage wasn’t physical alone, it was spiritual, a reflection of a god stretched too thin across too many realms.

Hermes let out a long and tired sigh as he made his way toward the entrance of his residence. Just as he was about to vanish into the threshold, three figures descended behind him, landing with the sound of rushing air.

Sonya stepped forward first, flanked by two other of Hermes’ loyal followers.

She opened her mouth to speak, but then stopped, exchanging a glance with the two others. Seeing the exhaustion carved into Hermes’s face, the heaviness in his stride, they hesitated.

But Hermes didn’t miss it.

Without turning, he spoke."What is it? Don’t hold back. If you’ve come all this way, say what you need to say."

Sonya stepped forward cautiously, her tone respectful.

"We just received a message... from Archangel Gabriel," Sonya said.

Hermes slowly turned to face her, brows drawing together in a subtle frown. "Gabriel?"

Sonya nodded. "He’s requesting a meeting with the Celestials. He’s already extended an invitation to Zeus."

Hermes blinked, caught off guard. That wasn’t what he’d expected. His plan had been to approach the Archangels after he was finished with the gods. To his surprise, they were already moving toward the same idea.

So, Gabriel was thinking ahead too about an alliance between Angels and the Celestials.

Hermes stood silent for a long moment, digesting the implications. The exhaustion in his face didn’t fade but something sparked in his eyes. Perhaps it was relief, or just the realization that they wasn’t the only one who realized about the need of an alliance.

"This is good," he said softly, nodding to himself. His voice held a tired but genuine approval. "This is very good."

He turned his gaze upward, as though looking through the ceiling, through the clouds, into the great unknown that loomed over all their heads. "Maybe we have a real chance after all."

Hermes turned his gaze back to Sonya and the two others, the fire in his eyes dimming once more beneath the weight of exhaustion.

"I’ll need to rest now," he said, his voice quieter than usual, more worn. "The traveling to all those realms is drained more out of me than I thought."

Sonya gave a firm nod, her expression softening. "Of course. Rest well, Lord Hermes. You’ve done more than enough."

"Yeah," added one of the others with a small, respectful bow. "You deserve it."

Hermes smiled faintly, a tired but warm expression.

"While I rest, I need you all to keep your ears open. Listen for anything. Any shift, sign, or whispers. If something important happens, I want to know about it immediately."

"You can count on us," Sonya said. The two others echoed her with silent nods.

Without another word, Hermes turned and stepped through the grand archway leading into his residence. The heavy door closed behind him with a muted thud, the marble walls swallowing the sound like a breath held in silence.

Outside, the three followers stood quietly for a few moments before they turned and began walking away from the residence.

"I never thought I’d hear that," one of them said under his breath. "An alliance between the realms. Celestials and Angels working together?"

"It sounds impossible," the other replied, glancing toward the sky. "They’ve always kept their distance with their own separate goals and separate battles."

"But now the threat is bigger than all of them," Sonya murmured. "If the Celestials and Archangel are moving toward unity, then maybe things really are about to change."

They walked in silence for a time, each deep in thought. The air around them still carried that lingering sense of something massive drawing closer, a storm not yet visible on the horizon but undeniably coming. They still don’t know what will happen after all of this corruption.

"Let’s just hope it’s not too late," Sonya said softly, more to herself than anyone else.

And with that, the three figures vanished into the their parts of the domain.

---

In a high and thunder-laced corner of the Celestial expanse, deep within the heart of Zeus’s domain, the air shimmered with the faint pulse of power.

The skies above churned with quiet, unspent storms, and lightning whispered across clouds that had not yet begun to roar.

Gabriel emerged from a portal, his expression stern and controlled. The Archangel scanned his surroundings with sharp eyes, taking in the vast place.

Zeus’s domain was no less grand than he expected, but even here there was a stillness in the air and an anticipation.

Not far ahead, past a long stretch of polished stone and starlight-patterned floor, stood a gazebo-like structure open to the wind. Marble pillars supported a domed roof wreathed in soft bolts of contained lightning.

Within it stood Zeus cloaked in regal white and storm-dark blues. Hands clasped behind his back, he stared out toward the horizon toward the unseen world beyond his realm where he knows that corruption spread like wildfire.

Gabriel approached without a word. His wings were hidden, his armor dulled to ceremonial simplicity, but the weight of presence still clung to him like a second skin.

Zeus turned slightly as he sensed the Archangel’s arrival, his stern face carved in shadows and stormlight.

"Come," Zeus said. "Sit down, please."

Gabriel nodded and entered the shelter. He lowering himself into a seat across from the god of thunder. Zeus sat a heartbeat later.

They both knew that this was not a meeting for pleasantries. This was the beginning of something that had never happened before. Unity, Against an enemy that defied the rules of existence.

For a long moment, neither Zeus nor Gabriel spoke. Then, finally, it was the Archangel who broke the silence.

"This... Strange corruption has spread wider than we expected," Gabriel said, voice steady but heavy. "Even Eden is not untouched."

Zeus’s eyes narrowed slightly, a subtle shift, but he said nothing yet.

Gabriel continued. "It’s not just a breach in security. It’s a rot. A spiritual sickness that grows faster the more we try to suppress it."

He paused, letting the weight of those words settle.

Sharing this was no small act. The Archangel knew the risk—revealing Eden’s weakness could have once invited opportunists gods who hungry for retribution. But now? Now was different.

Gabriel met Zeus’s gaze directly. "I tell you this not as a warning, but as a trust. We’re exposed. Vulnerable. And the Archangels... we’ve all agreed. There’s no time left for isolation or pride. We can’t handle this alone. None of us can."

The God of Thunder stared at him for a moment longer, reading the intent behind those ancient eyes.

Then, slowly, Zeus let out a long breath. It came with quiet resignation.

"You’re not the only one."

He turned his gaze to the horizon, where clouds churned and the skies whispered with tension.

"My realm feels the same sickness," Zeus said. "The storms no longer answer as they once did. The gods are weary, and I... I feel it too. As if something ancient is unraveling everything we built."

He looked back at Gabriel. "There was a time I would’ve seen your weakness as an opportunity. But those days are dead. If Eden falls, Olympus follows. And so do all the rest."

A moment of silence passed between them, thick with mutual understanding.

The lines that had divided them and separated gods from angels now seemed faint in the face of a common, unstoppable threat.

Gabriel gave a slow nod. "Then we move forward together."

Zeus leaned forward slightly. "No more secrets. No more illusions of dominance. If this alliance is to hold, it has to be real. Equal. We share information, resources, defenses. Agreed?"

"Agreed," Gabriel said firmly. "The sooner we begin, the better chance we have of containing what’s coming."

Zeus stood, and Gabriel followed.

Zeus extended a hand. Gabriel took it without hesitation.

And in that gesture, a new Chapter began— forged by the shared understanding of doom... and the fragile hope of unity.

"Let’s hope that we’re not too late," Zeus murmured.

Gabriel simply nodded. "Yes. Let’s hope we can still do something about this."

With that, both figures stepped back into their realms, carrying the weight of their worlds and the fragile flame of an alliance that just might be the last stand against the darkness.

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