Dark clouds piled up like ink-black mountains on the horizon, and the roar of thunder rolled from the depths of the clouds. Thor, clutching Mjölnir (Thor's Hammer), descended, shattering a bolt of lightning as he landed. Golden electric arcs coiled around the hammer, scorching the surrounding air with crackling sounds. His scarlet cloak fluttered violently in the howling wind, and his gaze—sharp as polar frost—locked onto the figure ahead.
Ares, clad in bronze scale armor, wore a bloodstained War Sword at his waist. The faint snarls of countless undead warriors echoed from the phantom behind him. He tossed his scabbard to the ground; the thunderous crash of metal against earth split the ground into spiderweb-like cracks.
"Barbarian of the Norse, do you even dare call yourself a god?" Ares' laughter reeked of blood. Before his words faded, he charged forward with sword in hand. As the blade sliced through the air, it ignited with dark crimson flames, hurtling straight toward Thor's face. Thor twisted his body to dodge, and Mjölnir—imbued with the force of a thousand weights—smashed toward Ares' shoulder. But Ares parried with his sword; the moment gold and iron clashed, blinding sparks burst forth, and the shockwave sent surrounding rocks flying dozens of feet away.
Seizing the opportunity, Ares closed in. The blade of his sword brushed past Thor's cloak, leaving a white scratch on his arm. Thor wiped the scratch with his hand, and it vanished instantly. He chuckled lightly, "Is that all the great God of War Ares can do? Your boasts are far mightier than your blows."
With that, Thor let out a roar and hurled Mjölnir into the sky. Dozens of violet-golden thunderbolts crashed down from the clouds, coiling around the hammer like giant pythons as it plummeted. Seeing this, Ares swung his sword, slicing out an arc of flame to block the thunder. But the moment Mjölnir pierced the fire wall, the thunder suddenly surged, blowing the wall into a shower of sparks. Thor caught the hammer as it flew back, leaped into the air, and the lightning condensed on the hammer poured down like a waterfall. Yet Ares neither dodged nor evaded—instead, a shield woven from bones and battle flags materialized around him, absorbing the blow head-on.
As the shield shattered, Ares' sword stabbed toward Thor's chest. When the tip of the sword was merely an inch from Thor's heart, Mjölnir suddenly moved to block it. Sword and hammer clashed once more; the collision of their divine powers shook heaven and earth, and a corner of the distant mountain range collapsed in a rumble.
Just as the two gods prepared to resume their fight, the world suddenly froze—as if someone had hit the pause button. Even the colors drained away, leaving everything in shades of gray. A figure appeared in the sky.
"Thor, stop wasting time," the figure said. "We did not come here to fool around."
Before the words ended, the figure reached out to grab Ares. From Ares' perspective, that hand slowly blotted out his entire field of vision. A suffocating pressure washed over him, as if he would be crushed to dust in the next instant. In that moment, Ares felt anger at his battle being interrupted, disdain for the figure's interference—but not a trace of fear of death. For gods of their caliber, their faith had long taken root in the hearts of their followers in their respective domains. As long as that faith endured, they would never truly die. Even if their divine bodies were destroyed, it would merely take time to reform—nothing more than a few months of recuperation.
Just as the giant hand was about to close around Ares, a loud laugh boomed from the distance: "Hahaha! Odin, let the young ones settle their own quarrels. Whether they fight or make peace, us old ones should stay out of it."
As the voice faded, color returned to the world, and Ares broke free from the 束缚.
Seeing this, Odin ceased his entanglement. He grabbed Thor and flew toward the divine palace in the sky; soon after, Ares also took flight toward the palace.
Inside the grand hall, divine representatives from across the world filled the space:
Anu, the Sky God, and Ki, the Earth Mother, from the Middle East;
Olorun, the Supreme God, and Shango, the God of Thunder, from Africa;
Amon, the Chief God, and Ra, the Sun God, from Egypt;
Coyote and Michabo from North America;
Kukulkan and Ixtab from Central America;
Pachacamac and Inti from South America;
And countless other divine envoys.
"Silence!" Osiris, an Egyptian god, stepped onto the platform and spoke. "I am honored to have earned the trust of all Supreme Gods. I shall preside over this Divine Assembly. Except for the Eastern Divine Realm—who cannot attend due to certain reasons—representatives from most divine realms across the world are present today."
"Hermes, Your Excellency," he continued, "please relay the contents of this assembly to the divine realms that failed to attend after we conclude. If they voice any objections, we shall erase them with the combined might of all divine realms present here. Of course, there is no need to reach out to the Eastern Divine Realm—that place is far too complex, and a decision shall await the judgment of all Supreme Gods."
Hermes replied, "I am willing to serve you all."
Murmurs of admiration for such ruthless methods rippled through the crowd of gods. Yet the absent realms were all minor ones—none would dare to oppose.
Osiris went on, "Faith is the source of our divine power, and humans are the greatest providers of faith. For this reason, conflicts often arise: gods seize humans, spread their faith in other divine realms, and commit such despicable acts. These disputes have sparked countless divine wars. As the saying goes, 'When gods fight, mortals suffer.' The battles between us gods always end with humans bearing the brunt of the casualties—wiping out our strength invisibly. Furthermore, all Supreme Gods have foreseen a catastrophe that will threaten every divine realm in the world within a millennium. Thus, we have gathered here today to form a Divine Alliance, united to confront Ragnarök."
Osiris' words triggered an uproar among the gods below.
"What? A catastrophe that threatens us all—within a millennium?"
"Form an alliance? If there is no conflict, how can we boost our strength quickly?"
Osiris addressed their concerns: "The Supreme Gods have anticipated your worries. Thus, the alliance will not impose an absolute ban on conflicts. Instead, each god shall choose a champion in the mortal world, bestow divine miracles upon them, and let these champions fight on behalf of their gods to compete for territories. Note that these champions need not be humans—animals may also be chosen. Additionally, the number of gods each divine realm may send to represent it, the number of champions each god may select, and the restrictions on the divine miracles to be bestowed—all shall be determined based on the strength of each divine realm. Below are the allocation standards; please listen carefully. After each divine realm selects its representative gods, the list shall be submitted to the Alliance Council for review."
A god spoke up, "Where will the battlefield be? When will the fights begin? Will the champions' powers cause destruction? And with a great catastrophe looming in a millennium, will there be enough time for these champion wars?"
Osiris replied, "Everyone, look—what is this?"
He held up a mirror. Forged entirely from divine gold, it was inlaid with divine jade and precious gems. Carved on its back were all living things in the world: plants, beasts, and humans. Its surface was like a dark abyss, capable of ensnaring even gods. Most strangely of all was the aura it emitted—a power that made every god gasp: the power of time.
Osiris explained, "This mirror is a divine treasure forged by the combined efforts of all Supreme Gods. Its interior replicates the palaces of every divine realm in a 1:1 ratio, providing a resting place for all gods during the champion wars. Moreover, it possesses a trace of the Great Power of Time, allowing you to send your chosen champions back to the past to battle. The outcomes of these battles will determine the distribution of real-world interests—and this also eliminates the possibility of gods cheating."
The past is gone; the future is uncertain. Time is the greatest magic in this world. To think the Supreme Gods had already attained such power—all the gods present were filled with awe, and their last remaining doubts vanished. Yet a new trace of worry emerged in their hearts.
Sensing their anxiety, Osiris said, "You need not worry. Time is not so easily controlled. For now, this mirror can only send champions with no divine power back to the past—and the period of history they can return to is limited, roughly three to four hundred years."
At these words, the hall erupted into lively discussion. Gods who had old grievances glared at each other, but none dared to attack. After all, they had just been told that divine battles were forbidden—and no god wished to test the wrath of the Supreme Gods. Instead, they exchanged only harsh words.
Osiris announced, "Now, let us proclaim the standards..."
Council Members: Osiris (Egypt), Shamash (Babylon), Utu (Sumerian mythology), Quetzalcoatl (Aztec mythology)—all gods who preside over justice in their respective mythologies.
Allocation Standards: ...
Osiris concluded, "The Champion Wars shall begin in ten years. This assembly is now adjourned."
On his way back, Thor mused: As expected, stronger divine realms receive more slots for representative gods, and their champions can be bestowed with more powerful divine miracles. This 注定 (doomed) the smaller divine realms to be annexed in this war, reduced to nourishment for other realms—to accumulate strength for the coming millennium-long catastrophe. But this had nothing to do with the Norse Divine Realm. Our realm is destined to be victorious, he thought. With that, Thor quickened his pace back to the divine realm. As the Norse God of Thunder, he was fated to represent his realm in battle. He needed to prepare—and he, Thor, would defend the glory of the Norse gods.