A One-Man Siege

The news that Hestia had accepted the War Game spread throughout Orario that very afternoon.

The guild convened the gods of both sides, who were then responsible for deciding the format of the competition, reviewing the bets, and witnessing the outcome.

The final format was determined to be a siege battle.

The Apollo Familia is responsible for guarding an old fortress outside Orario Castle. The Hestia Familia must breach the fortress within a set time and capture the Sun Banner atop the main tower. Neither side may invite members of other Familia as reinforcements.

The Apollo Familia had over a hundred members defending the city, while the Hestia Familia only had Lin Yuan. As soon as the rules were announced, almost all the gods believed that the outcome was already decided.

Apollo agreed to the rules on the spot.

Hestia then placed the pre-prepared bet on the table.

Apollo's victory led to Lin Yuan rescinding Hestia's Falna and joining Apollo Familia.

Hestia wins, the Apollo Familia is immediately disbanded, all of its property belongs to Hestia, and Apollo is forbidden from ever setting foot in Orario again.

"Yes." Apollo didn't even bother to examine the document closely. "Once Lin Yuan becomes my child, everything I possess will be open to him as well."

The gods of both sides left their marks on the wager.

The War Game is scheduled for three days from now.

The Apollo Familia recalled all its members and purchased shields, bows and arrows, explosive magic stones, and magic swords. Hyakinthos rearranged the defensive line between the city walls and the main tower based on the abilities Lin Yuan had demonstrated.

Lin Yuan is also making preparations.

After leaving the Council of Gods, he entered the Dungeon alone, following the spatial traces he had left behind to reach the seventeenth level.

Goliath had only recently been defeated, and it would be some time before it was reborn. The spacious main room was free of other adventurers, and there were no buildings or farmlands to avoid.

Lin Yuan stood in the center of the cave and chanted the [Heavenfall] mantra for the first time in its entirety.

A black and silver dome unfolded above the cave, and space pressed down with his palm. With just a small amount of magic, the ground sank with a heavy rumble, and the rocks within the affected area shattered simultaneously.

Lin Yuan did not increase the power further.

What he needed to confirm was not how much damage the [Heavenfall] could cause, but how to stop the force of the impact at a level sufficient to incapacitate people without killing a large number of opponents.

Over the next two days, he tried several more times on the seventeenth floor, gradually mastering the relationship between coverage area and pressure intensity.

On the day of the War Game, almost every tavern in Orario was packed with people.

A giant mirror, created by the gods, floats above the plaza and streets, reflecting the battlefield outside the city into the city. Adventurers, merchants, and ordinary residents can all witness this siege battle where the odds are heavily outnumbered.

A total of 117 members of Apollo Familia participated in the battle.

Heavy infantrymen guarded the city gates and the main tower, archers occupied the city walls, and mages were scattered across the various arrow towers. Hyakinthos, holding a longsword, stood in front of the main tower where the sun flag was displayed.

Outside the city walls, Lin Yuan was all alone.

Hestia stood in the guild's prepared viewing room, her hands resting on the edge of the mirror. Apollo sat in another room, a celebratory drink already laid out before him.

The Ganesha Familia member in charge of the arbitration confirmed that both sides were in position and fired a red signal flare into the sky to symbolize the start.

The archers on the city wall fired their arrows simultaneously.

A dense rain of arrows swept over the city walls, and the incantations of the mages behind him were nearing completion. Lin Yuan did not rush towards the city gate, but instead raised his right hand, unfolding a spatial barrier in front of him.

Once the arrow entered the barrier, its flight distance was infinitely extended. Although it was still moving forward, it could no longer get close to Lin Yuan.

The True Magic that followed also stopped in the same space.

Lin Yuan looked up at the entire fortress protected by the city walls.

He didn't need to break down the city gates, nor did he need to defeat the 117 defenders one by one.

The magic that had been contained within his body was completely unleashed.

A black and silver light shot into the sky from beneath Lin Yuan's feet, and the air over the wasteland groaned under its weight. The pebbles were first swept into the air by the magic, and then crushed into powder by the invisible pressure. The grass and trees in the distance simultaneously bowed to the ground, and the flocks of birds flying away from the fortress seemed to have encountered a natural enemy, fleeing frantically to even more distant places.

Inside the city walls, the weapons in the hands of the defenders began to vibrate. The mages responsible for chanting felt a tightness in their chests, and their voices repeatedly broke down. The heavily armored adventurers at the forefront, before even being attacked, were already seeing their knees sinking.

"The distant sky, the severed boundary."

A thin black and silver line appeared in the sky above the fortress.

"With my hands I fold the heavens, with my will I crush all things."

Thin lines tore the sky apart on both sides, instantly covering the city walls, arrow towers, and main tower. The black and silver sky swallowed the sunlight, and daytime suddenly turned into night. The thick city walls had not yet been hit head-on, but dust was already bursting out from the gaps between the bricks under pressure.

All the mirrors in Orario fell silent.

The gods who had been sitting and watching the battle stood up one after another. Loki's smile vanished completely. At the top of the Tower of Babel, Freya rose from her seat for the first time. What she saw in her eyes was not darkness, but the sudden radiance of Lin Yuan's soul as he unleashed his magic.

"Distance vanishes into nothingness, and all enemies bow their heads to the ground."

Hyakinthos looked up, his confidence replaced by terror. All 117 garrison soldiers in the fortress saw the entire sky pressing down on them.

Lin Yuan slowly lowered his outstretched five fingers.

"Fall down—[the Heavenfall]."