"Therefore, strength is the foundation of everything. As long as I am strong enough, all games are within my control."
The Shadow King leaned his shoulder against the wall.
"That's exactly what's going on between you and me."
He spoke casually, and the hint of wistfulness in his tone made it sound like he was laughing at himself.
"You're stronger than me, so I have to obey you obediently. I don't obey out of resentment, but because I know the consequences of disobeying."
Russell did not reply.
He raised his hand and waved it casually.
The movement was so light it was almost like brushing away a flying insect.
The result was that the golden Temple that stood tall on the streets of Manhattan began to collapse, starting from its dome.
Or it could be described as nihilization.
The dome first became ethereal, then the pillars followed suit, and the strands of light on the steps broke off one by one in mid-air, until finally even the statue on the base seemed to have been erased from a painting.
Only an ordinary street remained, and the wind blew through the gaps between the buildings, lifting up a newspaper with Russell's portrait printed on it.
Because the Gods created the Temple out of thin air, the procession that devoutly prayed to the Gods was still there, but at this moment the people in the procession were stunned.
An old man whose leg had just been healed stood on the open ground, leaning on his cane. His knee no longer hurt, but the three stone tables, the three servants in plain robes, and the glowing statue in front of him were all gone.
He turned his head to look around, and the piety that had just appeared on his face suddenly hung in mid-air, without any foothold.
"My Temple!"
An angry roar crashed down from the clouds, shaking the car windows on the street like thunder.
"How dare you... destroy my Temple!"
Russell put his hands back in his pockets, his expression unchanged.
"Excuse me, your Temple is blocking the way."
His tone was very flat.
"Your Temple, lacking any documentation, is an illegal structure. It has no building permit, no approval, no property rights, and it even obstructs municipal pipelines. In other cities, the urban management officers would have demolished it long ago."
"I was being lenient by resorting to violence; at least I didn't make you pay a fine."
The angry divinity within the clouds surged suddenly, but upon hearing these words, it stopped halfway through its rise.
A single sentence stuck in my throat.
It is a gift that mortals live in God's land.
For a god to erect a temple in their city is an honor, a favor, and a testament to the good deeds of their ancestors.
It has been saying this in the Asgard for thousands of years, speaking it with confidence and without any hesitation.
But now that the words were on the tip of its tongue, it suddenly found itself unable to say them.
Because the person before it had protected this Planet, shielded it from external disasters, and helped the Planet's civilization advance.
The people queuing up in this city at its feet—those with knee pain, blindness, or children with fevers—are all cared for by this person.
To tell someone who is even stronger than you, "You mortals are nothing but ants," is not arrogance, but rather asking for trouble.
The Gods will within the clouds slowly receded.
They didn't leave a single word.
The street was quiet for a few seconds.
Russell glanced at Gods Faith, then spoke to the old man with a cane at the front of the line, his voice low but clear to everyone:
"Once your leg is healed, you can go home. If you need to see a doctor in the future, just go to the Plasma Spark Tower."
The old man opened his mouth, then finally said "Oh," tucked his cane under his arm, took two steps, and looked back at the open space, as if he hadn't figured out what he had just prayed for.
The Shadow King watched this scene from the side and chuckled softly.
"You ruined someone's livelihood and then gave them a lesson in municipal administration."
"I'm not the one who's ruining their livelihood," Russell said casually. "They brought their own food to the street and set up stalls, which are blocking the driveway."
"Who said this city... this entire Planet is your territory, and you call the shots?"
Deep within the Dimension rifts of Earth.
The Earth's gods, who had gained no advantage from simply attacking Russell, gathered here.
This council was much larger than the last council of gods convened because of the Ancient One.
Not just the five factions, but basically all the major pantheons that have returned to Earth have arrived.
Zeus, the Greek thunder Zeus, sat at the highest point, his beard as white as falling snow, his scepter resting horizontally on his lap, the lightning bolts on the scepter's head kept extremely low.
The Egypt Sun God sat opposite him, his golden crown heavy, the gilding on his face half faded.
Amaterasu of the island nation sat to one side, with a row of deities behind her, each with their heads bowed.
Thunder and Fire of Africa sat silently in the corner, dark red lines rolling beneath his skin.
Further on, there are mountains, rivers, harvests, hunting, war, and love, with dozens of gods, large and small, crammed into the halo, like a room full of old clan elders having a meeting.
The meeting was chaired by Vishnu, the foremost of the three Egyptian gods.
It has no seat; it stands at the very center of the council of gods.
"Today we will not discuss the past grievances between the major pantheons," its voice echoed through the gods. "We will only discuss one thing: how to swallow the humiliation we suffered at Russell's hands, and how to reclaim the lost Faith."
Zeus, the Thunder Zeus, spoke first, his voice low like thunder rolling across a stone slab. "My men didn't make a move just now. You haven't even figured out Russell's background yet, so it would be unwise to act rashly."
"Neither your men nor my men have made a move." The Egypt Sun God adjusted his golden crown.
"We've been watching from the Dimension rifts for centuries, observing how others fight. Today, five gods went up, and although five returned, none of them came out unscathed."
"You make it sound so easy," the Amethyst God said, his voice filled with resentment. "Five gods were beaten in front of Russell, while dozens of other gods watched from the shadows. Did you find it satisfying?"
"It's not about how pleasing it looks," Amaterasu analyzed clearly. "It's a matter of calculation; every additional person who goes up means another bite for that dark thing. But we're not afraid of him; we're afraid of the one next to him."
This statement caused a moment of silence in the council of gods.
"That thing feeds on emotions," Thunder and Fire finally spoke, his voice choked with urgency. "If we have any noticeable emotional fluctuations today, especially if we feel fear towards Russell, let it devour us."
That's why I didn't go up.
"If I go up there, I certainly won't be able to remain calm in front of Russell. If I feel fear, I'll only be helping him."
Thunder tapped his fingers on the scepter twice, very slowly. "This is where the trouble begins."
"Moreover, besides his own strength, Russell had more than one helper."
"This is what we need to discuss," Vishnu's voice drowned out both sides.
The Sun God raised his eyes. "To tell you the truth first... we miscalculated before. Now it seems that even if all the gods who have returned to Earth attack together, they cannot defeat Russell."
This statement was dry and blunt, but no one refuted it.
"When the Ancient One was alive, she seemed to have Kamar-Taj backing her up, but in reality, she was the only one who could actually fight. Russell, on the other hand, had a bunch of powerful figures behind him, like Phoenix, Magneto, Apocalypse... I've heard Thanos is also working with Russell."
Then someone brought up another matter.
"The one from Northern Europe didn't come; he seems to be in Russell's group too."
The atmosphere has become quiet again now that this topic has been brought up.
Thunder's finger stopped. "Odin didn't come."
"Of course he won't come." The voice of the Egypt Sun God was laced with sarcasm. "He's already on their side; after all, he even said things like 'Make Russell the Lord of the Nine Realms.'"
"He is a traitor among the gods," a Gods exclaimed angrily.