Gideon Becomes a God

Ice spears, fireballs, falling rocks... basic spells whistled through the air one after another. The Sanctuary-level experts at the front displayed their various abilities, forcefully blocking these scattered attacks.

But this was merely the beginning.

More and more spells, requiring longer incantations and possessing terrifying power, gathered toward the orchard like dark clouds. Everyone understood clearly: if even a single spell landed within the orchard, let alone those hundred-plus fruits, the entire resource point spanning a hundred meters would be razed to the ground.

"Guardian of Holy Light!"

As a light-element Holy Magus on the defensive side chanted loudly, a seven-colored light screen instantly enveloped the orchard. Its brilliant luster resembled a fragile bubble, yet it was exceptionally tough—several eighth-level spells cast by Sanctuary experts struck it, only to cause ripples before dissipating entirely.

This was a light-element Forbidden Curse!

But the next second, lightning flashed violently overhead. Countless thick bolts of thunder, like ferocious whips, lashed down upon the seven-colored screen. A deafening "crackling" roar shook the air; the screen trembled violently, cracks spreading like spiderwebs as it teetered on the brink of collapse.

Forbidden Curse—Heavenly Thunder World Destruction!

Just as the seven-colored screen was about to shatter, another cold, clear voice rang out: "Water Curtain Firmament!"

Ice-blue light swept across the entire field in an instant. A thick water-element barrier formed rapidly before the light screen could break, steadily catching the tail end of the Heavenly Thunder World Destruction. The violent collision of energy caused the barrier's light to flicker, but it held firm against the onslaught.

However, the crisis was not yet resolved.

A blinding cyan light flickered abruptly, appearing before the defensive Sanctuary experts like a ghost. A slender light blade, containing the power to destroy heaven and earth, slowly condensed into shape—Dimension Blade!

Wherever the light blade passed, space was like a fragile piece of fabric, forcefully torn open into a long, narrow rift. Terrifying spatial fluctuations swept across the entire field.

Seeing this Dimension Blade, the defensive Sanctuary experts gasped in unison, their faces filled with despair—the strongest single-target Forbidden Curse; below the God-level, no one could block it! Even a defensive Forbidden Curse could not withstand this strike!

Everyone watched helplessly as the Dimension Blade cut through the sky, easily tearing a massive hole in the water-element Forbidden Curse, Water Curtain Firmament, before charging straight toward the orchard with unstoppable momentum.

At this critical juncture, the Earth Violent Bear Gideon shuddered, as if he had suddenly realized something. His massive body lunged forward, and the earth-yellow Earth Pulse surrounding him suddenly became active, its light surging and dazzling.

"Pulse Guard!"

Gideon's bear roar shook the entire field. Without complex incantations or long magical preparation, a small pulse defense with a diameter of only ten meters formed out of thin air, steadily blocking the path of the Dimension Blade.

"It's useless! No matter how strong a pulse defense is, it can't stop a Dimension Blade!" The surrounding Sanctuary experts shook their heads. They could see that Gideon had achieved a breakthrough in his profound mysteries, but they still did not believe that a Sanctuary expert who had just experienced an epiphany could block the strongest killing move below the God-level.

However, the next second, everyone froze in place, their faces filled with horror.

The terrifying Dimension Blade slammed into the unremarkable little pulse defense surrounding Gideon. There was no expected tearing or explosion; instead, it was eerily blocked!

A massive surge of energy erupted, sweeping in all directions like a tsunami. The Sanctuary experts behind scrambled to cast defensive spells to resist the shockwave, and many of the weaker ones were sent flying by the impact.

When the smoke and dust cleared, the Dimension Blade had vanished without a trace. Gideon's figure remained upright; although the pulse defense around him had dimmed, it shimmered with flowing light and instantly returned to normal.

"Hum—!"

A vast and majestic Law of Heaven and Earth descended suddenly, enveloping Gideon's body.

The knowledgeable Sanctuary experts gasped in disbelief, their voices trembling: "He has broken through to the God-level!"

Barn, Julia, and the others snapped out of their shock, immediately abandoning their defense against the enemy and rushing to surround Gideon. Their expressions were full of both joy and vigilance—the moment of becoming a god was the most vulnerable time; they could not let the enemy launch a sneak attack.

Under the complex gazes of all the surrounding Sanctuary experts, a godhead radiating rich earth-yellow divine power slowly condensed above Gideon's head. It shone with immense brilliance, and the fluctuations of divine power grew increasingly vast.

Gideon was initially overjoyed, feeling the divine power surging within him, but then his brows furrowed tightly. He had long since learned the complete process of becoming a god from Fukaloss. Becoming a god outside the body was fast, but also exceptionally dangerous, and the current situation clearly did not give him time to stabilize his realm in peace.

"Don't be distracted. Just focus on completing your external god-body transformation; we will protect you!" Julia stepped forward, holding her longbow, her eyes scanning the surroundings sharply as she spoke in a low, firm voice.

Then, this female Dragonkin turned to look at the Sanctuary experts from the other two squads, her voice clear and powerful, carrying unquestionable authority: "Everyone, I am Julia, daughter of the vice-commander of the Heavenly River Legion in the Royal City, and Gideon is my friend. I implore you all to help us survive this final hurdle. There will be a generous reward afterward!"

Julia's words caused the Sanctuary experts from the other two squads to look at each other, their expressions hesitant. The temptation of a godhead was enough to drive any Sanctuary expert mad, but they also knew that offending the daughter of a major figure from the Royal City for the sake of a godhead was not worth the loss—especially the down-and-out noble squad from the Royal City, who already knew Julia and dared not act rashly.

But the hostile Sanctuary experts in the distance did not care about any of this.

A godhead! That was a godhead that could allow them to escape the torment of Gobada and ascend to the heavens in a single step! Even if there were a mountain of blades and a sea of fire ahead, even if they had to face someone who had just broken through to the God-level, they would not hesitate!

"Charge! Seize the godhead! Kill them, and the godhead is ours!"

A crazed roar rang out. The remaining thirty-plus hostile Sanctuary experts, like starving beasts, charged toward Gideon's location with desperate madness. Spells and arrows flew together, their momentum fierce and threatening.

At this moment, Barn stepped forward, slamming his long spear into the ground, his voice steady and powerful: "Water Curtain Firmament!"

The ice-blue light surged instantly. A water-element barrier, thicker and more condensed than before, covered the entire orchard area once again. Barn was a water-element Holy Magus, and with the formidable spiritual power brought by his soul mutation, it was not impossible for him to quickly complete a Forbidden Curse, even at the cost of a backlash.

The attacks from the hostile Sanctuary experts slammed into the water curtain like a tide, splashing ripples and emitting loud "bangs," but they could not break through the barrier. Perhaps this hastily cast defensive Forbidden Curse would be destroyed in a moment, but everyone knew that Gideon's process of becoming a god would not take that long.

"Roar—!"

A bear roar that shook the heavens and earth rang out. Gideon no longer hesitated. His soul slowly flew out from the magic core within his body, splitting into two halves in mid-air. One half returned to his physical body, while the other slowly merged with the earth-yellow godhead above his head.

Under the blessing of the Laws of Heaven and Earth, a massive amount of divine power poured out from the godhead, nourishing his soul and body like sweet dew. A sturdy human figure rapidly took shape under the molding of the divine power—clad in heavy earth-yellow metal armor, with a resolute face and sharp eyes. His body was surrounded by rich Earth divine power; one could still faintly see the simple honesty of the Earth Violent Bear, but it was now overshadowed by the majesty of the God-level.

When the human-shaped Gideon slowly opened his eyes, a flash of brilliance crossed his pupils. He waved his hand, and his massive Earth Violent Bear original body was gently drawn into his body, turning into a stream of light that merged into his soul space.

"Whoosh—!"

At this moment, the Water Curtain Firmament that Barn had hastily cast finally collapsed under the pressure, shattering with a boom. The fanatical hostile Sanctuary experts rushed in instantly, their eyes gleaming with greed as they lunged toward Gideon.

But the next second, the greed on their faces was instantly replaced by terror. Their bodies stiffened, unable to move—an invisible domain force suddenly enveloped the entire field, heavy and majestic, suppressing everyone like a mountain.

Even the domain cast by the lowest-tier God-level expert who had just broken through was something no Sanctuary expert could resist. Although Gideon had just broken through, he was far more formidable than the dark-element God-level expert who had been frozen by Fukaloss, soul and all.

Barn threw a punch, and a Pulse Impact infused with Earth divine power spread outward.

The thirty-plus hostile Sanctuary experts at the front did not even have time to scream before their souls were instantly extinguished by this Pulse Impact. Their bodies collapsed limply to the ground, completely devoid of life.

The remaining defensive Sanctuary experts in the vicinity gasped in unison. The looks they cast toward Gideon and Barn were now filled with awe, devoid of any lingering greed.