Chapter 534
"They've sped up; they'll be there in an hour."
"What? One hour?"
"What are we going to do? Damn it, if He goes mad, He might even chase us into the Abyss Grade."
"Should we announce the news of the Chaos Furnace Flame to the gods? Why should they believe us?"
The seabed became chaotic, and everyone was afraid.
The Sea Demon and dragons have nowhere to run, and the Fox Demon have no point in fleeing. If the news leaks out, Abyss Fortress will definitely be purged. At that point, the existence of the Chaos Furnace Flame will be meaningless.
With his Yuki definitively confirmed the relationship between Morgas and the Sky God. With the former's demise, this chief god didn't even bother to gather a larger army and instead accelerated his journey to the Sky God's location.
He was in a panic; his seemingly perfect plan had repeatedly gone wrong, and he had lost his composure.
Calm down, calm down. At least I'm still hiding behind the scenes. The God of the Sky doesn't know I'm plotting against Him.
Yuki took a deep breath, raised his hand, and miraculously calmed the chaos, silencing the entire seabed.
Gradually, this trust continued to grow. If anyone could turn the tide, it would undoubtedly be this outsider who colluded with several races to slaughter demons Godslaying.
"All personnel, heed my command! The Fox Demon flees, the Sea Demon retreats into the Abyss Grade, and the Dragon Clan and Abyss Fortress give chase!"
"Didn't you want evidence?"
"I'll show it to you right now!"
Chapter Twenty-Three: Acquisition of the Knife
The sky suddenly cracked open, and a golden light poured down from the heavens. The sea of clouds surged like boiling water, and lightning patterns wove a net of purple lightning in the void.
A colossal gate appeared in the air, beneath which stood tens of thousands of demon Demon-Hunting Army. Their silver armor emitted shards of sunlight, their boots struck the void with a clanging sound like metal clashing against stone, and their spears pointed to the sky like a dense forest. The battle formation blotted out the sun, and from a distance, they looked like a group of clones, so orderly that they even surpassed the military parade of a certain country.
The rectangular formation is a straight line whether viewed horizontally or vertically. Shiratori fly in from afar, passing through row after row of horizontal formations. Ahead lies the giant gate. The group of people riding flying beasts is far less orderly than the Demon-Hunting Army, but the oppressive aura they exude seems capable of shattering the heavens.
All the gods emerged, and the 66 remaining deities, though differing in appearance and attire, each represented a power, strong or weak, and each was an elite force accumulated over millennia.
Their expressions were serene. The densely packed Demon-Hunting Army provided them with boundless confidence. No matter how strange this battle was, no matter how spectacularly the demons fought, in this world, no one could withstand this magnificent military might.
Even Mebius, a pure god, was not qualified to join the army. Instead, he served as a mid-level officer leading various formations, just like the heroes of the city-states. The reason is simple.
This is the most sacred place in the world. Protected by the gods, there is a golden chariot in the center, and a golden-armored figure over three meters tall stands on the chariot. The armor, covered with dense reliefs, is airtight, and not a single inch of skin is exposed.
This is normal, of course. Only the ritual of becoming a god allows one to look directly at the supreme god. As the ruler of the world, He is supreme. Even so, not a single member of the Demon-Hunting Army dares to look at Him.
With Him present, the army's morale remains Abyss Grade; even if there's an abyss ahead, the phalanx will cross it without hesitation. But if Yuki were here, a problem would arise:
The remaining gods are all present, but apart from the Sky Pantheon, the other five pantheons are in ruins. Upon closer inspection, the losses of the five pantheons are quite evenly distributed.
"Such a big show of force, I'd like to see how you handle it. Sigh, I'm tempted to defect to the enemy."
Mebius led his troops behind the square formation, and now they dared not broadcast live anymore, so they could only bite the bullet and send out all the details they saw in text.
There were simply too many Demon-Hunting Army, and no one cared about this outsider who had distinguished herself in battle, because Sorion had summoned her several times, and most people had been very polite to her.
Despite the complaints, the work still had to be done. They saw the giant white bird fly into the center of the army formation and be stopped by a chubby god. Although they were far apart, they could still see the joy on the god's face.
"Your Majesty, a great victory!" The portly God of Wine exclaimed dramatically, his belly jiggling. "War General Dias has sent word that the dragons have awakened and are fighting alongside Abyss Fortress, driving the Sea Demon back into the Abyss Grade. Our army is pursuing them relentlessly and will surely annihilate all the rebellious demon gods."
"What a great victory!"
"Commander Dias lives up to his reputation, a renowned and capable general!"
"Hey, if that's the case, then we've just made a wasted trip?"
The gods were overjoyed. They were all terrified of death and could not possibly be war freaks. If a god fell, his authority would be taken away, and even if it were taken back by the various chief gods, they could not resurrect him.
Let's avoid fighting if possible; peace is the most important thing.
This is troublesome. To think I'd stumbled into this Abyss Grade —was it a coincidence? No worries, I have a backup plan.
The same message, but completely opposite thoughts; the God of the Sky waved his hand gently.
"No, continue the advance."
Ah?
This was something Dionysus couldn't understand; holding the report of victory, his eyes darted around.
"Your Majesty, are you worried that you won't be able to eradicate evil completely? The Abyss Grade is indeed bottomless, but the deeper you go, the greater the erosion becomes. As long as the Abyss Fortress army continues to apply pressure, those traitors will be as good as dead."
The Abyss Grade is not an absolutely safe place. As long as one is willing to pay the price, even Sea Demon can be wiped out. At that moment, a refined and cultured god stepped forward.
"If we chase them into the Abyss Grade and don't get out in time, we'll also be corrupted. I didn't expect the dragons and the Abyss Fortress to be so loyal. Since they're paying the price, we..."
"Are you teaching me how to do things?" The sky god looked over, leaving the deity speechless and causing the other advisors to retreat.
Perhaps His Majesty is uneasy and wants to see for himself.
The march continued, and soon they crossed the Abyss Fortress, which was almost in ruins. A god who wanted to offer condolences was rejected. Further on, countless floating corpses appeared on the azure sea, and the marine miracles still remained, forming a shallow trench.
This is no longer an act; a fierce battle was clearly visible, and the God of the Sky raised his right hand.
Boom!
The army of tens of thousands halted simultaneously, the sound of iron boots hitting the air creating a huge shockwave. The God of the Sky finally rose and looked down.
Morgas didn't die on the battlefield, nor could he possibly die; if he wanted to leave, no one could stop him.
This was the first judgment, and then his expression turned strange.
How did he perish?
The last message was sent back when the Dragon King was being silenced, which is strange, since they were so well prepared, it shouldn't have gone wrong.
Divide the Sea.
With palms pressed together, the light pierced the sky and shone on the sea, as if a giant hand were dividing the ocean. Instantly, songs of praise and hymns came from all directions.
God doesn't need to pray; His intervention is always a miracle.
Sorion ignored the praise. As the sea parted, revealing the seabed thousands of meters deep, the enormous Eye of the Abyss was fully exposed to everyone.
This strait is far stronger than the one created by the Abyss Fortress. The sunlight forms a barrier, creating a void of tens of square kilometers, with seawater churning around it, making it look extremely spectacular.
The gods had no time to praise the greatness of the miracle; they all craned their necks to look down and immediately saw the empty ruins of Dragon City.
This Sky City, having been submerged in the deep sea for millennia, is now utterly decayed. Golden-armored warriors and dragons patrol among the ruins, but no massive army can be seen. Only the enormous crack sways gently, as if a colossal battle is raging within.
Abyss Fortress Keep did a good job, the dragons' merits and demerits can be balanced. They really did drive the Sea Demon back to the Abyss Grade, and even ignored the corruption and pursued it relentlessly, which is quite normal.
The Abyss Fortress harbors a deep-seated grudge for the destruction of its city, and the dragons fear retribution. Naturally, a fight to the death is inevitable between the two. But the problem is—
They did a fantastic job!
The God of the Sky clenched his fist silently, feeling powerless. His plan was flawless, yet it was still completely ruined.
Everything made sense, yet everything was hindering His progress. I couldn't help but feel fortunate that I arrived in time; otherwise, who knows what kind of trouble would have ensued.
"All troops, listen to my command and prepare for the decisive battle!"
He suddenly gave the order, but there was no response. The gods, who had been beaming with joy, looked bewildered, as if they hadn't understood what he meant.
"Your Majesty, this... this is unnecessary. Even if Abyss Fortress and the Dragon Clan need support, we should wait for them to request it themselves."
"Yes, if we just stay here and hold the line, won't we be guaranteed to win the war?"
"How about... we have those soldiers on guard come over and give us a report first?"
The gods couldn't understand it, Yuki had already planned it out. Knowing that the gods valued their lives, let alone chasing them into such a dangerous place as the Abyss Grade, he simply went in on his own. Since the gods refused to chase him, a fight naturally didn't break out.
Call--
The God of the Sky remained silent, which was indeed inexplicable, and it was even more impossible to persuade the other gods. Some of them were already looking at him with blasphemous eyes, as if he were a madman.
Fortunately, the preliminary preparations were almost complete, otherwise we really wouldn't have been able to take the final step.
If it can't be explained, then there's no need to explain. Fortunately, the foreshadowing was already laid ten thousand years ago when they devoured the Demon King.
To avoid repeating the mistakes of the Demon King, the rules were divided into six, precisely to prevent anyone from gaining absolute power. These six rules were then distributed among the six pantheons, and through the Great Hunt that led to the fall of the gods of the five pantheons, Sorion is secretly gathering this power.
He silently spread his palms out, as if embracing the sky. The gods were puzzled when they heard a 'crackling' sound.
The Supreme Gate, which had accompanied the army, opened a crack, and a stern, emotionless voice emanated from the gap, echoing throughout the world.
"The divine Strife Oracle: the pantheon shall pursue evil into the Abyss Grade and eradicate it completely!"
"Ocean Oracle, sweep away all evil from the world with your waves!"
"The Civilization Oracle of civilization: eradicate the demons, and forge the era of gods with their blood!"
"The Earth Oracle..."
"Underworld Oracle..."
The supreme beings issued the highest decree, disregarding logic and fearing no cost; they only cared about the result. The so-called ritual of becoming a god was simply drawing a portion of the power from their respective main gods.
Nothing besides God can live forever.
[All pantheons must obey the reasonable commands of their respective rulers.]
The reward is immortality, but the price is obedience. Therefore, no player has ever become a god, no matter how high the reward, they could never accept the conditions.
"Sky Oracle: Sweep away the Abyss Grade, eradicate this cancer from the world! All who stand in our way shall be killed without mercy!"
Sorion was resolute; the chief gods demanded absolute obedience, and he was already the spokesperson for the six chief gods.
A lightning-shaped halberd suddenly appeared in his palm, pointing towards the Abyss Grade.
"Kill!"
The Kamui was overwhelming, and the space between the sky and the sea was deathly silent, while the expressions of the gods changed.
They were puzzled and they struggled against it, but rules are rules, and if you want to gain eternal life, you must abide by the rules.
"Yes, sir!"
Tens of thousands of the Demon-Hunting Army the Roar and took the lead in obeying the order. They came to make a name for themselves and hoped that as many gods as possible would fall.
One person, one job; if the old man doesn't die, how will the next person take over?
The battle intent coalesced, shattering the gods' psychological defenses like a thunderclap.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
The rules of the Oracle guide them, and isn't the goal simply to flatten the Abyss Grade? This fighting power is unstoppable, so they shall obey the orders.
First, sweep away the Abyss Grade, then hunt down the survivors, and establish a pure era of gods, in which the gods will be the unshakeable rulers and absolute overlords.
The hidden dangers from ten thousand years ago should be put to rest. Even the dragon race can be wiped out, ensuring the stability of the realm for countless years to come.
The frenzy ignited the sky, leaving only Mebius, an outsider, remaining calm. She couldn't understand it; she felt the cold gaze of the sky god and had no choice but to steel herself and urge the thousand-man formation to move forward.
"Today is the day to make a name for yourself! Follow me and kill!"
Not daring to pass on even the slightest message, Mebius even found it somewhat amusing that he, a scientist, could act like a reckless fool, but in his heart he was cursing Yuki to the Yuki.
"That jinx was right!"
Damn it, I guessed right.
In the Abyss Grade, it is like an Eternal Night, a pitch-black world where nothing exists and even light cannot penetrate. The chaotic aura erodes reason every moment, and even epic-level life forms cannot stay there for long.
Even if ordinary soldiers stayed in the shallows of the Abyss Grade for several hours, they would still be unable to dispel the divine magic. Dias and the dragons daring to come in was a huge gamble, and they won, but it would have been better to lose than to win.
Yuki kept looking around, trying to find any trace of the 'flame', but found nothing.
In this pitch-black place, only the light of the dispelling magic appeared intermittently. By the flickering light, he saw blank faces.
At this point, there was no need for Mebius to inform them; Isaac and the Goddess of the Hunt had both received the Oracle, their faces flushed red, both eager and doubtful of the divine will.
"Has Sorion seen through our act, or has he gone completely mad? He's actually launched a full-scale attack!"
The war commander was the Roar, forgetting to use honorifics.
This is illogical and unnecessary. The cost of chasing them into the Abyss Grade is too high. Otherwise, why would the dragons be left to guard the Sea Demon for ten thousand years? Even if they win, they will still suffer greatly.
The Sea Demon looked at each other in bewilderment. They were used to being corrupted, so why did these high and mighty gods rush to this filthy land, seal the Ocean Key, and return everything to its original state?
"He is neither mad nor stupid; he simply seeks things beyond common sense, things that normal people cannot understand."
Yuki spoke up silently, and this time no one objected. Didn't this just confirm his 'story'? If the God of the Sky never intended to achieve victory with minimal cost, what else could he be pursuing?
The Chaos Furnace Flame —only this thing can explain it.