The Machine God's Love

Compared to the earth-shattering spectacle in Britain, all humans and non-humans alike focused their gazes more intently upon the continent, specifically on the battle between the Machine God and the Lion King of Britain.

Everyone understood that while the conflict in Britain was grand in scale, it was ultimately a minor skirmish that could only decide the fate of a local region; it was neither pivotal to the overall strategic outcome nor entirely inconsequential.

What would truly determine the future landscape of the Europa Continent was this epoch-making clash between the god and the Lion King.

This was the very eye of the storm.

One was an avatar of the great god Zeus, painstakingly assembled by the continent's mages. Though merely a remnant of a Machine God, it was a facet of the Greek pantheon's supreme deity, possessing a status nearly equal to the original, wielding divine authority, and commanding power approaching that of a great god.

Especially in this era of declining mystery, the mystery of a great god was inevitably at the highest level on the surface of the world, resisting all things—truly invincible among mortals.

The other was the Lord of Britain, who had risen rapidly over the past two years, wielding the Holy Sword and the Holy Spear, keeping top-tier dragons, subduing Fairies and Incubi, and defeating the hegemon of the European continent.

He had suppressed the mystery of the island with his own hands, accelerated the end of the Age of Gods' echoes, ensured the total extinction of the last True Ether in the world, slaughtered the island's mages, and possessed courage unmatched by ten thousand men. In a short time, he had achieved feats unimaginable to ordinary people, representing the pinnacle of humanity.

Now, the result of this battle between the god of the long-ended past and the greatest primate of the prosperous future would determine the developmental trajectory of the human race.

It was as if fated: past and future.

God and human.

Old and new.

Every being capable of understanding the true significance of this great war could not help but speculate in their hearts: who would be the final victor?

If the god won, the Lion King would die, and the changes on the island of Britain would be confined to one place, failing to affect the overall trajectory of human development; the fate of humanity would likely return to its original state, no longer subject to such violent upheavals.

Afterward, the god would also slowly sink into silence in this era of declining mystery.

If the Lion King won, he would completely occupy the European continent, forcibly steering humanity onto the path he had meticulously planned, completing his vision for the transformation of mankind.

The series of actions taken by the Lion King on the island of Britain and the implications behind them could not be hidden from those with keen eyes. In their view, the Lion King had not even attempted to conceal his intentions; his cards were already on the table, clearly displaying his stance.

"Who do you think will win?"

"It will absolutely be the great god Zeus! That is a great god, the pinnacle of a pantheon! Even if it is only a facet, it is by no means an opponent a human can face!"

"Exactly. It is not just the power of the great god as an individual, but the combined efforts of all the mages on the entire continent. I recall the last time mages united was under the leadership of the Marshal of Magic..."

"Where did this Zeus come from? That is my Rome's great god Jupiter! With the divine might of the great god Jupiter, combined with the secret weapons the teacher borrowed from those alchemists, no one can withstand such great power!"

"But I still feel the Lion King will win... Don't forget he holds the Holy Spear and the Holy Sword, and he possesses extraordinary, innate valor, as if his fate is favored by the gods..."

"You have a point there. The Holy Spear and the Holy Sword carry great significance and would never be handed to the Lion King for nothing; he must have his merits... Besides, the Jeweled One also thinks highly of the Lion King."

Humans, Dead Apostles, mages, and clergy—all beings capable of observing the great war used their own methods to secretly watch the conflict. Although they could not see the figures of the god and the Lion King, nor the fierce battle between them, they could indirectly observe the trend of the war through environmental changes.

Some, like a certain Dead Apostle, found the chaos entertaining and used their power to connect various entities, instantly creating a simple chat group, allowing many humans and non-humans to freely discuss their views on the battle.

"What is your take, Jeweled One?"

Inside a room as dazzling as a kaleidoscope.

The white-bearded old man sat casually on a chair, his upright posture exuding a sense of overwhelming pressure. His aged face was full of majesty; as he stroked his beard, his brows furrowed slightly, and his blood-colored eyes revealed deep contemplation.

"Even if the opponent is the great god Zeus, I still believe the Lion of Britain will win, and quite easily at that."

On the other side of the chair, a horn-like object stood on a simple table. Its wide opening vibrated, and a voice emerged from within: "You think so highly of the Lion King?"

"It is not so much thinking highly of him, but a conclusion drawn from my own personal experiences and observations—the advice of an old man." The expression on the old man's face was somewhat inscrutable, as if he were reminiscing about the past or deep in thought. "The new and old eras are not opposites; the future is inherently the result of the past's extension."

"That is quite philosophical."

"There is no philosophy in it; it is merely something even children know." The old man remained expressionless; the other's praise did not stir the slightest emotional fluctuation in him.

"In your view, what of that False God? What is its stance?"

"False God?" The old man raised an eyebrow, his words tinged with a smile. "Although it is an artificially assembled mechanical god, its divine core and thought circuits indeed originate from the great god Zeus. Holding the authority of a great god, it is not an exaggeration to call it a god of the present age."

"Although I have become a Dead Apostle, I am ultimately a believer. To me, it is undoubtedly a False God." The owner behind the horn continued to ask, "It serves as a point of comparison. I am very curious about its view of humanity and the world—is it love or malice?"

"What else could a god's stance be?"

Hearing this question, the old man raised his brows; he was very interested in this topic. He spoke in a calm tone, narrating his own views.

"Although it is led by the body of the great god Zeus, it is not the great god Zeus himself. It is an Artificial God created based on the thought circuits of the great god's 'love' aspect—it is the embodiment of the great god's love for humanity. It is precisely for this reason that I assert the Lion King of Britain will win."

Having obtained the perspective he wanted from the Jeweled One, the owner of the horn stopped prying and immediately changed the subject: "Your opinion can influence the views of many. The mages and Dead Apostles outside were originally more confident in the great god's victory, but after learning of your view, they have begun to look forward to the Lion King."

"What could they possibly understand? They are nothing but followers."

The old man did not think highly of the mages and Dead Apostles outside; his words were full of arrogance, yet he wore a serious expression. As he spoke, it was as if he were stating a simple fact.

His eyes shifted to the simple table, a hint of curiosity and doubt appearing in his blood-colored pupils.

"What is this thing of yours, anyway? Why not come and see me in person?"

"This is a spell I recently developed. Even ordinary people can communicate from thousands of miles away, closing the distance between people. Quite interesting, isn't it?" The horn seemed to shake in a human-like manner; it was clear the owner on the other end was quite proud.

The old man nodded slightly: "It is somewhat interesting, but also quite useless."

"You really are harsh, Great Senior."

The other side seemed to want to continue the idle chatter, but suddenly their tone shifted, as if they had seen something rare and extraordinary, their voice unable to suppress their shock.

"No way! The peak of the White Mountains has been cut off!"

"Hmm?"

On a battlefield invisible to the eyes of most humans and non-humans alike.

Sunlight was eclipsed by the massive frame of the Machine God, leaving only a vast shadow in its wake.

Leon held his sword in one hand and his spear in the other, his colossal weapons spanning his sides. He looked up at the towering Machine God blocking his path, his brow relaxed in a wild, unrestrained expression, his eyes burning with the fervor of battle.

Truly worthy of being a divine avatar.

Leon could sense it: this was the greatest enemy he had ever faced in his life!

In the short decade or so since he had come into this world, he had never encountered such a formidable opponent. Neither Lucius nor Scathach had brought him the same sense of mortal peril as this Machine God.

Its cold, ruthless way of thinking, its flawless combat logic, its authority over thunder, and its sheer physical power—every aspect of it surpassed Leon.

Yet, the more this was true, the more excited Leon became.

Perhaps it was the joy of finding a worthy match, or perhaps it was an innate instinct for combat; the life-or-death tension of the fight thrilled him, igniting a roaring battle intent within his heart that felt as if it would burn his very being to ash.

Gazing at the majestic enemy standing before him, an image unfolded in Leon's mind: a human knight in armor, riding a horse to challenge a god descending from the heavens.

His surging battle intent finally coalesced into a war cry.

"Kill!"

Leon roared, launching himself into a charge toward the massive deity.

The god stood suspended in mid-air, watching the tiny enemy who dared to approach with nothing but a spear and a sword.

For one who dared to face the majesty of a Great God and still challenge it—even if this Descender was not the human it cherished—the Machine God did not begrudge its praise, nor would it hold back in the slightest.

"Descender, you shall neither fear nor tremble, but fall to the ground, as powerless as straw!"

Entering Annihilation Mode, until the target is completely silenced.

Anti-Space Defense Barrier, activated.

Anti-Time Defense Barrier, activated.

The Machine God gripped the thunder, its thought circuits—belonging to the Great God Zeus—spinning rapidly as the magic power from its core energy source flowed into its various armaments.

[Anti-Dimension Attack; Gigantomachia!]

[Anti-Galaxy Attack; Titanomachy!]

Initiating, Anti-Lifeform Annihilation Mechanism.

Rumble!

Within the pitch-black clouds, near-infinite thunder roared from the heavens, striking down toward the sprinting Leon.

At first, he managed to dodge by predicting the general landing points of the lightning, but as the strikes grew denser, they eventually sealed off his path entirely, leaving him nowhere to hide.

The lightning flashed incessantly before him, turning Leon's vision into a blinding white void that left him nearly sightless. Following close behind was a roar so deafening it threatened to shatter his eardrums; his ears buzzed, drowning out all other sounds, and the sheer volume left his brain reeling.

If I can't dodge it, then I won't!

Leon steeled his heart, determined to endure it. He trusted in the defensive counter-attacks of Avalon and the Holy Sword, and he trusted even more in the resilience of his own body; he would not lose to the Machine God's thunder.

As he braced himself and charged through the barrage, the electrical current and intense heat failed to inflict the slightest harm. Before they could touch his skin, they were deflected away to the distance; the defense of Avalon formed a spherical barrier around him, perfectly repelling every attack.

Leon emerged unscathed from the lightning net, the massive form of the Machine God now looming directly before him.

The Machine God, looking down, saw clearly. The moment Leon appeared, it brought its scepter down with a strike carrying the weight of thunder. In his haste, Leon thrust his Holy Spear upward to meet it.

Bang!

The moment the weapons collided, Leon felt a tremendous force surge through them. Veins bulged on his forehead as he immediately leveraged that massive strength to deflect the scepter to the side.

He seized the opening to leap up, sword raised to cleave at the Machine God's head. The god reacted instantly, keeping its legs planted while rotating its upper torso, its other pitch-black hand reaching out to grab Leon.

Leon watched closely; there was a hollow cavity in the center of that black palm. He remembered Merlin telling him that the black gun barrel was housed there. If he were caught by that hand and took a blast point-blank, he would be dead or crippled.

He twisted his body mid-air, swinging the Holy Sword toward the crook of the giant hand. Just as the blade was about to strike, a thick barrier wrapped around the machine's body, blocking the blow entirely.

Seeing he couldn't break through, Leon shifted his momentum, using the force of the Machine God's palm to propel himself toward the ground.

Boom!

The ground shattered into a deep crater. Leon pulled his feet from the earth and looked up at the encroaching giant, his heart racing with excitement, yet feeling deeply troubled.

He hadn't been wrong: the Machine God's base strength was indeed superior to his own.

The enemies he had faced before, no matter how large, had never matched him in raw power.

But this Machine God was not only massive, it was stronger than him, and with its mechanical frame, it could attack from angles far more flexible than any human. His profound martial arts were nearly useless here.

Add to that the god's authority, barriers, and skills—it had no weaknesses, a near-perfect hexagonal warrior!

How troublesome!

Leon could dodge the Machine God's attacks, and he could rely on the Holy Sword and its scabbard for defensive counters... but if the fight continued like this for an entire day, he wouldn't see the tide of battle turning in his favor.

He had to find a way to land a direct hit.

Leon believed that with the Holy Sword, he could shatter the Machine God's defenses, but his opponent wasn't blind. The charge time required to unleash the Holy Sword was too long; he needed to find the perfect moment.

The brief probing ended, and the Machine God's assault resumed, giving Leon no room to breathe. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and continue the fight.

The Machine God's onslaught was relentless, its range vast and its destructive power immense. Leon relied on his smaller frame and superior speed to dodge as much as he could, and when the attacks were too saturated to evade, he relied on Avalon and the sheer durability of his body to tank the hits.

Leon had considered taking the opportunity to launch a sneak attack on the Machine God, but its sensory capabilities were formidable; it would either shift its mechanical frame to evade or strike to interrupt Leon's movements, the flexibility of its mechanical construct fully manifested in that moment.

Both sides went all out from the start, the battle scene exceptionally intense, every strike aimed at the other's death. The mere shockwaves were enough to shear off mountain peaks and disrupt the earth's ley lines; ordinary people, let alone approaching, would feel the pressure of the combat from far away, their hearts trembling in terror.

Though the intensity of this battle was fierce, as time passed, a sense of helplessness gradually grew in the hearts of both parties.

There was no other reason; just as Leon had anticipated, the situation had reached a complete stalemate.

After the initial probing, both sides had their own estimated outcomes for the ensuing battle.

Once the fighting truly began, although it was even more intense than expected, the situation unfolded as they had foreseen, sinking into an evenly matched deadlock.

For a time, neither could do anything to the other.

Seeing the situation stagnate, the Machine God decisively disengaged from the combat, hovering in mid-air, looking down upon the enemy before it from on high.

"Descender, why do you refuse your fated death?"

Its voice was vast, drowning out the ceaseless roar of thunder, deafening and majestic like the might of heaven.

Yet, in this questioning, Leon could detect the Machine God's sense of difficulty regarding him, a powerlessness hidden behind its words.

He sneered, wondering where this machine god found its confidence: "Are you not also an outsider who descended from beyond the heavens? What right do you have to lecture me?"

"It is because of My love for humanity!"

The Machine God's roar echoed in every direction.