The Approaching Nightmare, Waltz

We're out of time.

Seated on a throne woven from branches and vines, the Elf Goddess wore a solemn expression.

"Luoxia will definitely seal off the Prime Material Plane. If we can't do something before then, we'll truly be abandoned."

"We understand that, of course, and we are making preparations."

The God of Light was clearly much more relaxed, perhaps because she had suddenly gained a group of powerful and loyal henchmen, which put her in a rather good mood. It's important to understand that while Gabriel used her power of light to draw out the justice and kindness deep within her heart, the other angels didn't possess the same unwavering faith and determination as the Archangel. Although they also yearned for goodness, light was what they needed most. Moreover, what pleased the God of Light most was that these angels weren't newly created, dogmatic creatures; each of them was an elite who had survived a life-or-death struggle against demons in Hell. Li Lin had done her such a great favor, and the God of Light would naturally reciprocate.

"However, the problem lies in how we should proceed. If we use our divine realm to crash into Mount Celestia, while it would indeed slow down the God of Justice, we would also be taking considerable risks."

The Goddess of Dawn clearly had a different opinion. Perhaps it was because she was jealous that Li Lin hadn't handed over the angels to her.

"Judging from the current situation, we don't have much time left. We haven't received any news from the Arcane Mage... We must obtain the Great Book of Law as quickly as possible, otherwise everything we've done all this time will be in vain."

"I knew you'd say that."

Suddenly, the Goddess of Theft appeared out from the side. No one saw how she appeared, but the gods seemed indifferent to it.

"Where have you been, Goddess of Theft? If the Lady of Secrets hadn't told us you had important business to attend to, we would have thought you'd been devoured by the God of Justice."

"He thinks he can catch me?"

The Goddess of Theft curled his lip in response to the Goddess of Dawn's statement.

"I've brought some guests with me; I think they might be able to help."

"Guest?"

The Goddess of Light frowned slightly, and then she felt the chilling aura spreading in the air.

A masked man quietly emerged from behind the Goddess of Theft. He raised his head, his empty, dark eyes gazing upon the gods before him. There was no light within them, only profound darkness and equality—an eye of equality that transcended everything, one that nothing could contend with.

"Raven."

Upon noticing the man's appearance, the gods were clearly uneasy. Even the Goddess of Theft, who had acted as the introducer, maintained a considerable distance from him with unusual caution.

We thought you wouldn't be interested in this.

"I do not wish for my city to be destroyed; all things must follow their own laws."

A flat, unwavering voice, devoid of any emotion or inflection, came from behind the mask. Yet, it was unexpectedly clear.

"The actions of the God of Justice have threatened the balance of all things, and I will naturally not stand idly by."

Those were messengers from a place beyond the reach of justice and kindness, a place where only death matters.

"I was just sleeping, and then the little girl woke me up."

Accompanied by this elegant and noble voice, a noblewoman adorned with gold and silver, and wearing an extremely luxurious dress made of platinum and jewels, emerged gracefully from the woods. She glanced at the smiling Goddess of Theft standing beside her and made a very unsettling gesture. Then, she turned her gaze to the other gods, her expression filled with melancholy and solemnity.

"I don't want my sleep to be ruined like this, and playing games with those tasteless things like demons and devils isn't my hobby, so... I'll help too."

"I don't know what you little brats are thinking." and -books

Just then, a sinister and violent voice appeared, carrying an unknown chill that made even the listener tremble.

"I don't care about these boring things, but that little brat, since he absorbed the evil divine authority, isn't doing his job properly. He insists on doing... what's it called again? He's clearly a prostitute, but he insists on shouting in bed that he's still a virgin! It's utterly disgusting. I don't care what you think, and I'm too lazy to pay attention to your actions. Luoxia that little... never mind, that kid has been so absolute, there's only one thing you need to do now! I'll go first, and whoever wants to follow can come along!"

The ancient voice, tinged with a chilling undertone, had barely faded when the gods immediately felt a tremor emanating from the depths of the multiverse. They exchanged helpless glances and then sighed.

"So it seems the vanguard problem has been solved."

The God of Light gazed into the distance with a complex expression—where the once beautiful, fiery clouds had now turned into dark, cold clouds, shrouding the sky and the earth.

"I think you all should have made your decisions by now, shouldn't you?"

Darkness churned.

A piercing scream, a mournful cry, echoed through the multiverse. It seemed to contain the most terrifying existence, the cruelest punishment, the most horrific experience in the world, condensing the innate and irreplaceable negative emotions of all animals. The intangible became tangible, and a divine realm broke through the sky, crashing straight into the slowly sinking Mount Celestia with the desolation of a dying person!

There was no sound.

The collision between divine realms exceeded the limits of what any human could perceive. The powerful impact spread silently throughout the multiverse. Even Mount Celestia could not ignore this level of collision; its speed slowed considerably, and it even began to slightly deviate from its original trajectory. Just then, that eerie, sinister, and terrifying voice rang out again.

"You little bastard, come out and face your death!!"

With that shout, thick black clouds began to churn and sweep over Mount Celestia. Wherever they passed, all the beautiful wild beasts scattered in fear, the clear and beautiful sky turned dark and dull, and even the ocean's luster became murky. One by one, those fragile lives that could not endure the cold died, and the blooming flowers closed up again, shivering in the extreme cold.

That is one of the most terrifying threats that neither gods, humans, nor demons can ignore.

Although Mount Celestia suffered considerable damage, the dark divine realm was not much better off. A holy white light appeared deep within the dark divine realm, its presence unyielding even to the deepest darkness and fear. However, even so, the dark divine realm did not cease its actions; it merely stretched out, covered, and polluted the kind and pure Mount Celestia as if it were a thick ink stain, desperately trying to taint this pristine canvas.

"Damn bastard!"

Sensing the opponent's actions, the God of Justice could not suppress his rage. While fully focused on manipulating Mount Celestia, he noticed the attack, but the immense pressure of controlling the plane left him no time to react, catching him completely off guard. Now, with his power greatly diminished, he was naturally unable to defend against such an attack, suffering considerable damage. Although the God of Justice himself was immune to all divine power, this did not mean that Mount Celestia was also immune. The divine realm, after all, was a tangible entity created by divine power, and such an attack would inevitably have repercussions and problems.

However, this was not an unacceptable loss for the God of Justice, who clearly and keenly sensed the rich divine power within.

"No matter who you are, you'll never leave here!!"

With the shout of the God of Justice, holy light began to churn across Mount Celestia, condensing into white clouds that barely withstood the invasion of the dark mist. Then, it began to swirl and revolve, "devouring" the black fog. Faced with this pure white mist, the dark, chilling power could no longer resist; it was easily swallowed like pieces of bread. As this irreversible process unfolded, the divine realm shrouded in black mist gradually thinned. The powerful divine energy was thus absorbed by the God of Justice, transformed into his own power. With this process, the holy white light grew even stronger, desperately devouring to replenish its depleted strength and attempting to find and grasp the invaders' ultimate, unique, and innate essence.

Just as the light was about to reach the very center, a dense darkness suddenly broke free from the divine realm and quickly disappeared into the boundary of the multiverse.

"You little bastard, don't think this is the end of it!!"

With that sound, the shadowy figure vanished completely, turning into nothingness before the eyes of the gods.

"..."

"..."

"I think... this is a good idea."

Finally, the God of Light spoke with a wry smile.

They knew perfectly well how their opponent had managed to do this: sacrificing his divine realm to escape unscathed. Although his divine power would be weakened, his godhood itself would not disappear. While losing his divine realm would naturally greatly diminish his power, considering that everything would return to normal after Li Lin obtained the Great Book of Law, this level of loss was acceptable. The only question was whether the gods were willing to do this.

Evil gods are fine, but other gods are different. You see, the divine realm isn't just a garden for the gods; it's also the destination for the souls of their followers after death. If that's the case...

"I think we have no other choice."

The Elf Goddess sighed and made her final decision.