Chapter 611 Artifact and God
Thousands of miles away, he was surrounded by four 'metal hills'.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his chest heaved violently.
At this point, no matter how much he thought with his muscles, Arescould understand that he had been tricked again.
Of course, this wasn't the first time for the God of War.
He still remembered how Ares's temper had been irritable for a whole year when he was first tricked by humans.
But when it happened a second, third, and fourth time, he gradually became less angry, but this time was different.
Because this time, he also carried the God King's death order.
Succeed or die—although gods don't die, Ares didn't think there was any difference between that and death.
To leave the mortal realm, leave his servants, leave Aphrodite, and be cast alone into the abyss.
He wondered if Aphrodite would still think of him every day when that time came?
"Ah—"
Roaring to the Sky, Ares's fingers, like divine iron, dug into the Titan Golem's shell.
Under the stimulation of intense emotion, he lifted the mountain-like golem and hurled it forcefully at another golem.
Rumble—
Like a meteor striking the earth, countless dust instantly swept in all directions with the impact.
However, bathed in the dust, Ares despairingly discovered that, just like every time before, the Titan Golem had not suffered any fatal damage.
Even though his efforts during this period had consumed more than 30% of the Styx River's power flowing between the metals, and the defense had also decreased, it was still not something he could penetrate in a short time.
But during the time he was held back, he didn't know how many of the troops he had brought from afar had died or been wounded.
Ares, of course, didn't care about the casualties of mortals, but he knew that these human Lives now equaled his power, and his power equaled his chance of completing Zeus's mission.
Before today, he had always thought that Silvermoon City's Mystery Lock was his only obstacle, and he even felt vaguely inspired after hearing about the Great Wizards' act of sacrificing a city with blood.
If he really couldn't break the Mystery Lock with his own power, then he could try other methods; after all, the Great Wizards would take the blame for him.
But now, all of this seemed to be moving away from him.
He couldn't even pass the first obstacle, let alone the cities beyond.
"No... I still have a chance..."
In the rolling dust, Ares reached into his embrace.
The divine artifact Thunderbolt Arrow... and a more powerful Thunderbolt Arrow than before.
Although the God of War didn't know why a divine artifact forged later would give him such a clear sense of becoming stronger, that was indeed the case.
If, when attacking Achilles, the Thunderbolt Arrow had only given Aresa feeling of sharpness and apprehension.
Then now, it made the God of War feel unapproachable.
It was as if Zeus had not forged it with a part of his Divinity, but with all of himself.
And vaguely, Ares had another feeling—the current Thunderbolt was no longer complete.
Because it had found its destined other half, another divine artifact that could complement it and shine together.
Although this premonition was even more absurd than the previous one, Ares, relying on the God of War's intuition for weapons, guaranteed that it was very likely not false.
Of course, no matter whether this was true or false, it had nothing to do with him now...
"Hoo... puff..."
His muscles bulging, breathing heavily, the God of War struggled in his heart.
Should he act?
If he did, could he still maintain the power of Great Divine Power?
But if he didn't, was what Zeus said earlier just an angry remark, or his final ultimatum?
His thoughts were chaotic, and the surrounding dust gradually settled.
Vaguely, four tall metal giants once again fearlessly surrounded him.
At the same time, as if afraid he would run, a voice came from afar.
"Prince Ares, are you running away already?"
"The God of War of a hundred defeats, truly lives up to his name."
His black robe flapped in the wind, and the Great Wizard looked at Aresstanding on the earth, and although he knew that 'a shamed blade is hard to sheathe,' he still said something he had wanted to say for a long time.
"A naturally born god... how did it fall to you?"
"But it doesn't matter, come, I'll teach you a trick."
"A thousand years from now, when your child asks you about this past, you can tell him:
'Child, although my blood may not flow in your veins, and although I don't know who your father is, none of that matters.'
'Because under my guidance, although you cannot achieve victory, as long as you absorb the lessons I pass on to you, you will certainly be able to avoid all defeats in this world.'"
... ...
Clang—
In the Sky, this time, the black-robed Great Wizard received no response.
Between Heaven and Earth, there was silence.
A moment later, on the dusty ground, he only saw a sudden burst of purple lightning.
... ...
Spirit Realm, Fourth Layer, Myriad Spirit Realm.
Four moons hung in the Sky, countless souls gathered.
The twin-colored swirling 'sea' cycled endlessly; with every breath, tens of millions of souls flowed out, and countless soul bodies flowed into it.
The three goddesses who govern Spring, Summer, and Autumn judged the merits of all souls' past lives day and night, setting the beginning for their next lives.
It's just that for thousands of years, the entire Myriad Spirit Realmseemed to exist independently outside the Spirit Realm system.
Because since a long time ago, in the Bronze Age, it had cut off its connection with other planes.
Outsiders could not enter, and those inside would not leave.
So, quietly guarding here, Eros gently flapped the small wings on her back, and couldn't help but yawn.
She and Voros had agreed that if needed, they would take turns guarding here, while the other would go out and play.
As for how to decide who stayed and who left, they had their own solution.
That was to weaken their power, create fake 'gold arrows' and 'lead arrows,' and then find a pair of lovers or enemies to bet.
Bet on how many arrows it would take to make a pair of once-sworn lovers part ways, or make mortal enemies fall in love.
The winner left, the loser stayed.
And apparently, today Eros was the loser.
... ...Yawn... ...
Covering her mouth, Eros shook her head, trying to keep herself as awake as possible.
Although their actions sounded a bit excessive, as if the love and desire of mortals were mere playthings in their hands, the twins didn't feel that way.
Because for them, such actions themselves could not be called 'good' or 'evil'.
They were simply making a bet, and they had never even gained any pleasure from this act of playing with love and hatred.
Just as people don't feel guilty or happy about eating or walking, they don't experience any emotional changes for something as common as breathing.
Time slowly flowed, and the Spirit Moon waxed and waned.
At a certain moment, beside Eros, who had long fallen asleep, a pale purple moon shadow flickered.
Her beautiful skirt trailed on the ground as Liana stepped onto the land of the Myriad Spirit Realm.
Her brows furrowed slightly, then relaxed.
Without waking Eros, who was immersed in a beautiful dream, she exchanged glances with the white dragon wandering in the dream.
Only after Ysera guiltily averted her gaze did Liana take a step forward, appearing directly in the center of the Myriad Spirit Realm.
... ...Princess Liana, why have you come?
Subconsciously on guard, when she saw who it was, Eirene, the goddess of autumn, bowed slightly and sent a message to her sisters that this was not an enemy.
"I need your help."
Speaking slowly, Liana's gaze swept over Eirene and the two goddesses who had arrived while she was speaking.
The latter paused at her words, and they briefly exchanged glances.
Then the eldest of the three sisters, Eunomia, the goddess of spring and new Life, nodded solemnly.
... ...It is our honor, Princess.
Please command us, what do you need us to do?
Very simple.
Nodding slightly, her fair fingers then drew a rift in the void.
Through the spatial rift, Eunomia could vaguely see the scenery behind it.
Towering mountains, magnificent sights piercing through the clouds, a sacred place unreachable by all beings.
To the surprise of the three sisters, that was not the place where a large number of human casualties had just occurred, nor was it the only kingdom in the mortal realm that worshipped the Lord, but rather the exact opposite.
That was the home of the gods, the God King's territory, Olympus.
That's the place... or to be precise, Queen Hera's bedchamber.
Speaking faintly, Liana did not explain the reason.
The three goddesses looked at each other again, then nodded in unison.
Where to attack didn't matter.
Since Liana was the designated Spirit Realm guardian by the Lord's will before his departure, they would do as she requested.
Attacking the God King's lair sounded terrifying, but so what?
No matter how powerful Zeus was, he couldn't break into the Spirit Realm.
With their minds set, the next moment, under the collective will of the three goddesses, the Well of Reincarnation glowed faintly.
This ancient divine artifact, which had never truly been used against an enemy since its birth, also seemed to be awakening from its slumber, and the symbol of 'circulation' gathered here.
With a solemn expression, watching this scene, Liana also raised her hand and bestowed all the Spirit Realm Authority she could mobilize upon this creation divine artifact.
If it had been before, when Hermenu had not yet been destroyed, the Spirit Realm would not have had extra power for her to mobilize; if she had undertaken it herself, with Liana's current ability, she would not have been able to mobilize Great Divine Power-level power outside the Spirit Realm.
But the Well of Reincarnation was different... this was a divine artifact.
Liana didn't need to mobilize Great Divine Power-level power; she just provided continuous support to this creation divine artifact, and it would naturally display supreme divine power.
Her gaze shifted, returning to the scene across the spatial rift.
Looking at the palace belonging to the Queen, Liana finally instructed:
Remember, you don't need to do anything to Hera; you just need to smash open that palace.
As for the rest... I will handle it myself.
Her voice was calm. At this moment, Liana couldn't help but recall the prayers of the mortal believers.
Hmm... good rhetoric.
Although it was false, since it was for the Lord's glory, she would treat it as true.
Smiling slightly, although she knew that Ryan wouldn't care about his image in the eyes of mortals, Liana still didn't want the crimes committed by those Great Wizards to stain him.
Fortunately, those believers' minds were still very sharp... she silently made a promise in her heart.
Liana decided that after those few mortals died, she would reward them extra, allowing them to live forever as Holy Spirits in the Lord's kingdom.
... ...
Mortal Realm, in the abandoned market.
Gazing into the distance, Zeus watched as lightning streaked across the Sky, splitting a black-robed figure in two.
He saw a white-haired Old Woman attempt to flee, but she turned to ashes under the earth-shattering lightning.
He saw the fellow who created those metal giants also torn apart by the lightning's aftermath, the remaining power streaking across the Skyand crashing towards Silvermoon City at the ends of the earth.
Under the undisguised power of Great Divine Power, and with the blessing of a powerful divine artifact that had implicitly reached the peak of high-level divine artifacts, even Ocean God, standing on the sea, would not dare to say he could remain unscathed.
Of course, Zeus knew that this wasn't because Ares had suddenly become more capable, but because the divine artifact he had reinforced with the essence of an exotic god had become stronger.
Indeed, if its other half were added, the current Thunderbolt Arrowmight even be qualified to contend for the position of Chaos's number one offensive divine artifact—after all, looking at the entire world, there were few divine artifacts truly focused on destructive power.
The Sun Sword was one, the Mother Goddess's scimitar was one, and there was Themis's Evil-Slaying Sword, Athena's vokhtor's spear, and were there others? Zeus had no impression.
But no matter what, such a strike was indeed quite effective, even successfully shaking the Mystery Lock's defense.
With a slight thought, Zeus temporarily influenced the punishment of the current world's rules with his God King's Authority.
He wasn't trying to 'knowingly break the law'; on the contrary, he wanted Ares to be 'guilty of an even greater crime.'
Since he had no intention of shielding him, it couldn't be considered a violation of the order he had established.
"Continue, Ares."
"I've blocked the laws of the current world for you. You have two more chances. Don't disappoint me."
Speaking faintly, letting his voice resonate in the God of War's ear, the God King smiled with satisfaction.
That's right, trash belongs in the trash can.
And before being thrown in, shine as brightly as possible, as atonement for your previous stupidity...
"Hmm?"
"Interesting, a Lord of the Spirit Realm's believer?"
His expression shifted slightly, and Zeus turned to look at a corner of the market.
There, an Old Woman was slowly walking towards him.
... ...How did you find me? Logically, mortals shouldn't be able to detect my aura, and even few gods below Great Divine Power can do so.
He asked politely, Zeus mobilizing his Authority to ensure their conversation had ample time.
"That's probably because you only focused on extraordinary means and forgot that mortals also have their own means."
Speaking faintly, the Old Woman's expression was calm, as if she wasn't facing the God King of Olympus.
Coming here today, she had no intention of returning alive.
After all, no matter what, as the last Archbishop of the church, the Lord's glory would protect her soul.