Continental Unification

High above the training grounds, Alsop flew toward the designated location.

"Adkins wants to fight me? Is it really all right for me to go all out?"

Alsop sped forward, his divine sense spreading as he pondered.

Although Lord Huosi had ordered him to give it his all, Alsop truly didn't dare.

If he accidentally beat Adkins to death, the consequences would be disastrous.

Based on everything he knew, a Lowgod fighting a Saint Realm expert was an absolute one-sided massacre. There was no other possibility.

But Lord Huosi was so confident. Could there be something special...

"I've been waiting for you, Alsop!"

Just as Alsop's thoughts began to wander, Adkins's voice interrupted him.

"Hmm?"

Alsop stopped and narrowed his eyes at Adkins.

He didn't mind Adkins calling him by his name. After all, he was now one of Lord Huosi's subordinates.

Adkins, on the other hand, had followed Lord Huosi for years and was one of his trusted confidants. Alsop naturally couldn't compare.

But based on what he knew of Adkins, he wouldn't be so casual with someone stronger than him—unless he didn't consider Alsop stronger in the first place.

At that thought, Alsop narrowed his eyes and carefully examined the figure before him.

Adkins's body had been outfitted in a peculiar way. More precisely, he was encased in a strange suit of armor.

There also seemed to be a set of wings for flight installed on his back, and two...cannon barrels mounted on his arms?

Alsop had never seen such a bizarre getup before, and for a moment, he didn't know what to make of it.

Of course, what drew the most attention was the fighter jet hovering steadily beneath Adkins's feet.

"Interesting outfit. Those divine artifacts you're wearing must be quite something."

Alsop spoke, making no mention of Adkins calling him by his name.

Even without knowing exactly what they did, Alsop could tell that the divine artifacts Adkins wore were extraordinary.

"Divine artifacts? No, no. The weapons Lord Huosi has developed are far more powerful than anything you know as a divine artifact."

Adkins flashed a wicked grin, his tone brimming with anticipation.

Ever since Lord Huosi had made him this complete suit of armor, he'd never gone all out in a fight. After all, the only person in the entire Federation who could spar with him was Lord Huosi himself.

But Lord Huosi could suppress him with a single move, while everyone else was too weak. Even Grandpa Bernas couldn't last more than a few moves against him. It had been years since he'd enjoyed a proper fight.

Adkins wasn't especially obsessed with fighting, but he still couldn't help looking forward to this battle.

"Make the first move. Let me see what your weapon can do."

Alsop took out his spear and regarded Adkins seriously, spreading his Divine Domain over the area.

As expected, Adkins was unaffected, and the Divine Domain had no effect on him.

Even so, Alsop didn't attack first.

First, as a god facing a Saint Realm expert, he still had a little pride. He wasn't about to strike first.

Second, even though the divine artifacts looked impressive, Alsop wouldn't believe in their power without seeing it for himself.

He no longer thought he could kill Adkins, but it was still best to be cautious.

"Is that so? Then I won't hold back, senior."

Adkins gave him a wicked grin and didn't refuse.

After all, challenging a god as a Saint Realm expert, it still didn't seem right to make his opponent attack first.

As soon as Adkins finished speaking, the wings on his back lit up, and his body abruptly turned into a blur.

"What incredible speed!"

Alsop was startled. He hurriedly raised his spear and just barely blocked the attack.

"I have to admit, his speed is astonishing!"

Alsop's thoughts raced. Even without the Divine Domain, a god's speed, bolstered by divine power and insights, should far surpass that of a Saint Realm expert.

Yet Adkins was actually a little faster than he was. That made him a tough opponent.

"An impressive divine artifact, but speed alone won't beat me!"

Alsop swung his spear, and a fiery dragon spread outward in every direction.

"A wide-area attack? I can't dodge that just by relying on speed. But what does it matter if I don't dodge?"

Adkins narrowed his eyes.

"Vrrrrm!"

The instant the flames reached him, the golden armor covering Adkins's body roared to life. The flames couldn't break through at all.

"Now it's my turn to attack!"

Adkins wasn't going to limit himself to defense. He charged straight at Alsop.

A powerful energy gathered rapidly inside the cannon barrels on Adkins's arms, then shot toward him at a speed that made it impossible to dodge.

"Damn it!"

Knowing he couldn't evade, Alsop could only raise his spear to block. He felt a tingling numbness in his arm and cursed under his breath.

Meanwhile, inside the observation room of the laboratory tower.

A series of large screens showed the battle from multiple angles. The golden figure and the fiery red figure traded blows back and forth, neither gaining a clear advantage.

"This is truly astonishing."

Airlock stared fixedly at the screen, not daring to blink.

No matter how much Lord Huosi had said before, they'd only half believed him.

But now, everyone could see it with their own eyes. All their doubts vanished in an instant.

"From what we've seen so far, the defensive divine artifacts Adkins is wearing give him the confidence to withstand attacks. And that thing on his back that looks like wings can increase his speed."

Salanna watched the screen intently, then spoke after a moment's thought.

"Exactly. Whether you're a Saint Realm expert or a god, combat boils down to attack, defense, and speed. At most, you can add recovery, endurance, and domains."

Huosi nodded and said gravely:

"Once the domain is countered, and the defense made impenetrable while speed is increased, a Saint Realm expert can actually gain the ability to fight a god."

"Of course, countering the domain is only the first step. The gap between Saint Realm experts and gods goes beyond that."

"Once?" Airlock's mouth twitched, and he let out a helpless sigh.

Hearing Lord Huosi say "once" left him utterly speechless.

It sounded simple, but no one had ever managed it. Otherwise, the gap between Lowgods and Saint Realm experts wouldn't have remained an ironclad rule for countless years.

While they were talking, Adkins and Alsop had already separated and were staring at each other from a distance.

"Not bad, Adkins. But if that's all you've got, the best you can hope for today is a draw."

Alsop wiped the blood he'd just spat from the corner of his mouth.

"As expected of a god. Even after all this preparation, I still can't beat you. Looks like I'll have to resort to my last option."

Adkins sighed, seeming a little dissatisfied.

"You're still not satisfied? And what's this last option?"

Alsop felt like he was about to cough up blood, then immediately retreated a thousand miles and watched Adkins warily.

Lord Huosi had given him some idea of what to expect before he came, but he didn't want to lose to a Saint Realm expert. That would be too humiliating.

Adkins ignored him. He simply adjusted his invisible glasses and focused on the display that had appeared before him.

[The targeting system has locked onto Alsop. Launching shortly.]

"Fire!" Adkins roared.

In the next instant, two missiles shot out from the fighter jet beneath his feet.

"What are those things? They don't look very powerful."

Alsop wondered, but his body moved without hesitation. He turned into a streak of light and fled from the two iron-arrow-like objects.

Even if he didn't know what they were, and they didn't look powerful, he wasn't foolish enough to stand still and take the hit.

But then he realized the objects seemed to have a tracking system, and they were incredibly fast. He couldn't shake them.

"Damn it. In that case, I have no choice but to defend."

Alsop gave up on escaping. Gritting his teeth, he summoned all his divine power and formed a massive ring-shaped barrier around himself.

"Dongfeng Express—delivery guaranteed!"

Adkins struck a dashing pose for the camera.

"Boom!"

A tremendous explosion erupted. Two powerful waves of energy tore through Alsop's carefully prepared defenses, leaving only half his body.

Everything below his waist had vanished, along with both his legs.

"It's over!"

Adkins rushed over. A moment later, his cannon barrel was aimed at Alsop's head.

At that moment, all he had to do was fire, and Alsop's divine spark would probably drop right out.

"I concede!"

Alsop looked at his body, reduced to little more than a head and shoulders, and spoke bitterly.

He knew the times had changed. As the first god ever defeated by a Saint Realm expert, he had mixed feelings.

But the next moment, his eyes lit up. Could he get his hands on such excellent weapons too?

If he did his job well, perhaps Lord Huosi would give him a set as well. Then he might even be able to fight a Midgod as a Lowgod.

With the battle over, the gods had no doubts left. They were genuinely convinced.

In the 102nd year of the Federation, under the leadership of the founding Speaker and supreme leader of the Federation, Huosi, the Qingya Continent was unified.

The God-Level Council was established, led by Lord Huosi. The gods of the three former Empires, the Dark Pope, and the divine beast Dragon God formed a standing council of six.

Huosi served as the chief councilor, while the other five became permanent members of the God-Level Council.

In its day-to-day operations, the God-Level Council delegated authority to the Federal Council to govern the entire continent. It also decreed that gods and Saint Realm experts could not attack ordinary people without cause. However, whenever the God-Level Council reached a decision, the Federal Council was required to enforce it.

Although many of the continent's believers, nobles, and other factions objected, the combined pressure of the continent's gods ultimately brought about unification in a relatively stable manner.