Chapter 574: Slaying the Gods

At the same time, in the command center of Saint Rock Fortress, the Magic Goddess Diana, with an exceptionally complex expression, retracted the 'Eye of Truth' manifested between her brows and let out a sigh.

The low divine authority 'Shatter', the medium divine authority 'Inevitable Severance', the high divine authority 'Edge', the high divine authority 'Death', the low divine authority 'Armor Pierce', the low divine authority 'Destruction'—the strike Li Mochen had just delivered contained at least six conceptual divine authorities!

Though impure, that youth had perfectly blended them with his own source power, elevating their lethality to another level!

He was truly an unfathomable being! His current power was no less than that of the heroes of ancient Greek mythology!

Just as Diana was lost in thought, a clear, cold voice suddenly sounded in her ear.

'It seems these three so-called supreme families have gotten themselves into big trouble. This fellow named Andrei could fight on equal terms—fifty-fifty—even against the invincible hero Achilles of the Trojan War or Heracles in his mortal days. Indeed, the age of myth is returning—'

Diana frowned slightly and looked to her side. She saw a woman as pure as the moon, clad in an ancient Greek white silk robe, holding a hunting bow, and riding a sika deer.

It was Artemis—the ancient goddess of the hunt and the moon, now also the goddess of nature. At this moment, she too was gazing at the battlefield ahead, her eyes shimmering with divine power.

Yet astonishingly, no one else in the command room sensed the presence of this nature goddess or heard her voice.

'I can see you're now a little regretful that you didn't heed Bessel Einstein's advice earlier, aren't you?'

'Artemis, this has nothing to do with you!'

Diana replied, her face ashen and her tone cold and rigid.

Her relationship with Artemis was complicated. Diana's predecessor, Hecate, had once been Artemis's ally, but in the Roman era, they had merged. Hecate, on the verge of falling in a war with the Norse pantheon, was devoured by Artemis, and together they became the moon goddess Diana.

Though it was not Artemis's own will and there were unavoidable circumstances, as the successor of the Magic Goddess Hecate, Diana could not help but be wary of this nature goddess.

For now, however, the two were not yet enemies.

But instead of turning her gaze back toward Li Mochen, Diana looked eastward across the sky toward the several magic towers. Over there, the battles among the magisters had already begun.

'Diana, would you mind telling me? Before Andrei deals with those two deities, who does he intend to handle Yvonne Mattiola, the Supreme Edict, and his magic tower, the Supreme Codex?'

Artemis asked curiously. 'Among the eight surviving magisters in America, he knows the fewest forbidden spells. Yet his verbal edicts have already touched the threshold of fate.'

'Hazel Willtonstein!'

Diana's eyes glimmered as she looked at the girl who had appeared in the sky.

The battle between Hazel and Yvonne Mattiola was, aside from Andrei's god-slaying fight, the one she most anticipated.

'Hazel Willtonstein? Who is that?'

Artemis looked puzzled. 'A member of the Willtonstein family?'

Then, following Diana's gaze, she saw the girl, who appeared only sixteen, transform her body into a massive black dragon a hundred meters long, spanning the sky.

This made her eyes flicker. 'An imposing aura, powerful divine authority.'

'Disaster, misfortune, curse, and flame! Though her true age is probably not yet twelve, she is a girl who has inherited the power of Philip I and the Flame Calamity Dragon Lady Adrianna.'

Diana smiled bitterly. 'Today, she will astonish everyone! She is the fourth divine domain of the Willtonstein family—'

...

Meanwhile, behind the highway battlefield, inside the armored command vehicle on Highway 41, the atmosphere had not improved with the start of the divine-domain battles; it remained low, oppressive, and cold as ice.

'Andrei's magical energy response is still rising rapidly. Unbelievable! Unbelievable! It doesn't match his source power intensity at all.'

'It seems Londe Onassis is at a disadvantage in the divine authority confrontation—what a formidable power!'

'Commander-in-Chief, as your magical advisor, I suggest you abandon the plan to seize the Sky Scepter. The strength he has displayed is enough to contend with two deities. If he holds the Sky Scepter, he can remain undefeated, at least able to keep Garcia Ferren and Londe Onassis occupied, preventing them from focusing elsewhere.'

'We may have underestimated him. That's more than three conceptual divine authorities, all of considerable quality. This heir of the Willtonstein family does not rely on mythical armaments.'

In fact, Salas Onassis had already turned his attention elsewhere, now focusing on Yvonne Mattiola's eighteen-story magic tower, the Supreme Codex.

'You plan to use Lord Supreme Edict to break the deadlock?'

John Adams, seeing his intention, said with understanding, 'Then we must mobilize as many demigods as possible to assist!'

Yvonne Mattiola, the Supreme Edict, was undoubtedly powerful, but his forbidden spell 'Natural Edict' lacked a bit in lethality.

Yvonne Mattiola could use 'Natural Edict' to unleash destructive power at the divine level, creating powerful lightning capable of killing enemies of the same rank, or divine-level flames, making him comprehensively strong in single combat.

But if he expanded the spell's range to cover the entire battlefield, tens of kilometers in diameter, 'Natural Edict' would reveal some flaws. After all, it commanded nature through verbal edicts, requiring an intermediary force, so it needed time to brew. It was also easily interrupted by external forces.

'For now, this is the only way. The situation has turned out differently than we expected. The Willtonstein family's strength is immense. If this continues, the outcome may be mutual destruction. We must inflict heavy casualties on them as quickly as possible, then leave with the gains we've secured.'

Salas Onassis was surveying the entire battlefield. 'From the current situation, we can only spare at most five demigods.'

The key was the 'Blood-Eyed Angel' Robert Yvonne, whose power was growing rapidly. In perhaps less than five minutes, she could gain the strength to contend head-on with a magister!

This meant that even if the two deities he had brought at great cost arrived, they could not overwhelm the enemy in overall strength.

'Five? That should be barely enough. I doubt the Willtonstein family has much strength left either.'

John Adams said thoughtfully, "Or we could transfer two demigods from the Second Control Base. That Lamberton Torreador is overrated and unlikely to go all out for his new master. I think at most four demigods can hold him back. If that fails, the First Control Base and the Second Control Base are less than twenty-seven kilometers apart. Their Highnesses Garcia Ferren and Lund Onassis are capable of attending to that side—"

But his voice cut off there. He looked up at the image on a screen before him, a look of astonishment in his eyes: "What is that?"

In the image captured by the high-definition satellite, a hundred-meter-long black dragon was flying through the air at an astonishing speed. Its target could be discerned—it was heading straight for Yvonne Mathiola's magic tower.

"A black dragon? Who is it? There's no such demigod in our database—"

"Who's closest? Latacia? Send her to intercept."

Saras Onassis hesitated slightly, then frowned and added, "Focus on probing and harassment! Tell her to be extremely careful."

At this moment, a vague premonition of doom had already arisen in his heart. Although that black dragon was only the size of an adult dragon, the aura it emitted made his heart palpitate.

And the female demigod warrior named Latacia Calles soon appeared in front of the black dragon. But the latter merely flapped a wing, and black flames ignited all around Latacia.

At the same time, it exhaled scorching dragon breath from its nostrils, spraying casually in Latacia Calles's direction. The latter clearly intended to dodge, but for some reason, when she moved in the high altitude, accidents kept occurring. Then, in the next instant, Latacia Calles turned into a torch amid a piercing scream and fell from the sky.

Her attempt at obstruction did not slow the adult black dragon in the slightest. The behemoth, like a meteor, crashed into the outer layer of the 'Supreme Codex' magic tower. Then came a thunderous boom, and the majestic magic tower trembled violently, while countless black calamity flames spread, covering every corner of the tower's outer layer!

"Ready to pay the price, Yvonne Mathiola?"

—It was the voice of a young girl, still with childish innocence, crisp and pleasant, like a clear spring, yet brimming with killing intent: "I swore that whoever dares to be an enemy to my brother Andre, I, Hazel Wiltonstein, will grant them death!"

Just one second later, another huge cloud of dust and fire shot into the sky. It was because Hazel's immense power had shattered the gate of the 'Supreme Codex' magic tower.

The many legendary creatures that Yvonne Mathiola had nurtured in the demiplane were utterly powerless to harm the massive black dragon. Under the scorching of the black calamity flames, they couldn't even approach her body.

Even when, under the enhancement of Yvonne Mathiola's decree magic, individual fifth-level legendary creatures gained the strength of a demigod, Hazel smashed them with a single swipe of her dragon claw.

She treated all these obstacles as nothing, directly squeezed into the gate of the 'Supreme Codex', and then, enduring the crashing lightning, wind blades, and firelight, climbed upward.

Layer after layer of magical energy defense arrays, layer after layer of solid walls, she smashed through them all with irresistible force. In less than twenty seconds, she had already broken into the tenth floor of the 'Supreme Codex'!

At this moment, everyone on this armored command vehicle had faces as pale as sheets. Especially the chief commander, Saras Onassis, and his deputy, John Adams—their faces were like white paper, their eyes ashen!

"Hazel Wiltonstein? Where did she come from?"

"Calamity flames! It's calamity flames!"

"No, besides flames, there's the power of disaster and misfortune, and also the power of curses. She might have a mid-tier mythical armament."

"God-level, another god-level combat power! Damn it!"

"His Excellency 'Supreme Decree' seems to be suppressed—"

"That's not surprising. Yvonne Mathiola only touches fate through the power of spoken law, but disaster and misfortune are themselves part of fate. There are too many accidents that can cause His Excellency's forbidden spells to fail. This Hazel, her abilities are very counter to spoken magic."

"We've found Hazel's information. Shit! She's not even twelve years old. Besides that Andre, does the Wiltonstein family have another genius girl like this?"

"No!! I understand, I understand now. This girl must have stolen the power of the Calamity Fire Dragon Lady Adrianna. The Dragon Witch Cult had intelligence long ago that the Calamity Fire Dragon Lady, who had wreaked havoc for centuries, had fallen!"

"What's shocking is the girl's combat talent! I don't suppose she could have inherited Adrianna's memories and knowledge as well? But now, she can contend with Yvonne Mathiola on all fronts. Her dragon language magic is very fast, and she can even single-handedly counter the magical energy defense array on the tenth floor of the 'Supreme Codex'."

While the staff officers were panicking, Saras Onassis stood frozen like a wooden figure, long without reaction.

It wasn't until a minute later, when Hazel Wiltonstein, with an irresistible momentum, broke into the eleventh floor of the 'Supreme Codex', that his eyes regained clarity.

"Transmit my order: all units prepare to disengage, and make it quick! Then each of our three supreme families will contribute two elite armored divisions to cover the retreat. Our Onassis family will use the Ninth and Eleventh Divisions to block the enemy."

Saras Onassis then pressed a button on the console and personally connected to a channel: "First Control Base, prepare to administer the berserk blood serum to all beast-blood warriors. We need their sacrifice to buy time for the withdrawal of all units—"

But his hand was then slapped away by John Adams: "Have you gone mad, Saras? We haven't lost yet. Their Highnesses are on their way."

"John, I think you should accept reality. We've already lost!"

Saras Onassis looked at John Adams with a cold expression, then pointed ahead: "Look over there! Within a minute at most, the Vanderlick and Vanpeter families will definitely join the battle. They know how to choose! Even if the Wiltonstein family loses, they don't have the strength to oppose this supreme family in Atlanta, do they? If you were them, what would you choose? Tell me, John Adams!"

John Adams felt as if struck by lightning, completely stunned.

In his heart, there was the wisest, most pragmatic answer—since you can't defeat them, join them!

"Look at the other directions, John!"

Saras Onassis's gaze was somber: "Our hope of victory is already very slim."

The direction he focused on was the east side of the map. While Hazel Wiltonstein was pressing the magician 'Supreme Decree' Yvonne Mathiola into a tight spot, the battles among the other magicians had also begun one after another.

Among them, the confrontation between Conshuri Wiltonstein and 'World Shaker' Jody Chandler was simple yet dangerous.

The powers these two wielded were diametrically opposed. Jody Chandler's divine authority was 'Shock', and he also possessed a powerful forbidden spell like 'Shake Heaven and Earth'. Conshuri's divine authority 'Silence' and the forbidden spell 'Absolute Zero' were precisely capable of calming those waves of deadly vibrations, suppressing and extinguishing the force that could annihilate tens of thousands of Wiltonstein's troops in one blow.

But beyond that, neither could do much more. The thick ice layer sealing the outer part of the 'Shock Nucleus' magic tower was constantly cracking and shattering. Conshuri could only pour in magical power as best he could, striving to confine the shock force within an area of about one kilometer.

And his other forbidden spell, 'Star Annihilation', was also blocked by Jody Chandler's divine authority 'Solidity', failing to harm the latter in the slightest—a magician who wields the divine authority of shock and a powerful forbidden spell like 'Shake Heaven and Earth' must himself be solid enough, with strong endurance. Otherwise, before he could cast that forbidden spell, he would be torn apart by the recoil force.

After the exchange of divine authority and forbidden spells proved fruitless, the two magic towers entered a mode of mutual bombardment. The 'Shock Nucleus' magic tower used magical energy annihilation cannons, while Conshuri's 'Silent Crown' countered with six 'Eyes of Freeze'.

The former was undoubtedly much more powerful in terms of destructive force, but the six 'Eyes of Freeze', amplified by Conshuri's ice divine authority and mythical armament, were not to be underestimated. He could reinforce the freezing on the outer layer of the 'Shock Nucleus' magic tower, and also bring the magical energy circulation inside the 'Shock Nucleus' close to zero.

Thus, after just three shots, those magical annihilation cannons could barely fire properly. By then, the two magisters had already appeared outside the mage tower. As their figures drew close, they clashed against each other, their collisions filling the entire sky with deafening roars.

—The exchange of source force between these two mages actually created a spectacle no less impressive than that of the two deities from the National Progressive Association!

The battle between Ron Edmund and Lafayette de Robespierre, however, was a one-sided massacre. The mage tower was destroyed, and the severely wounded 'Energy Monarch' was utterly unable to contend with the 'World Breaker.'

The latter stormed into Ron Edmund's newly built mage tower with overwhelming force, destroying and annihilating everything in his path along the way.

For some reason, after Robespierre had breached the eighth floor of that mage tower, he was unable to truly corner the Energy Monarch for over a minute.

Yet everyone could see that the magister 'World Breaker' still had strength to spare; his fighting style was more about containment and disruption.

On the side of 'Mind Master' Eddie Adams, things were even simpler. He and 'Night Void Lord' Delfina Adric were locked in a tug-of-war across the spatial barrier between the material plane and the astral plane.

The sixteen-story mage tower 'Mind Gate' had already been forcibly banished by Delfina into the astral void. Eddie Adams struggled desperately to return, trying to force his mage tower back into this world, while Delfina resolutely blocked him.

—Her void abilities, bolstered by Andre Lee Wiltonstein's Sky Scepter, had grown so powerful that even a magister could not resist!

Salas Onassis had little confidence in Eddie Adams. Even the Energy Monarch Ron Edmund, who had once built his mage tower to eighteen stories, had been banished by her into the astral plane for hours, unable to return—let alone this Mind Master, who had become a lich and suffered a great decline in power.

"We really don't have much time, my friend!"

Salas Onassis murmured: "There's hardly any time left now! The family placed their trust in us, gave us resources beyond the imagination of outsiders, hoping we would bring new glory to the family! We cannot let our personal desires and lust for power plunge our family into disaster. We must accept reality—the National Progressive Association and our grand plans are all over!"

He pressed the button to connect to the second liaison base again, and this time, John Adams, who had been like a walking corpse, did not stop him.

…

Meanwhile, inside the sixteen-story mage tower located outside the battlefield, the others felt the changes on the battlefield more directly. Their magical observations could see into Atlanta city without interference.

"The Van Bitter family has directly mobilized three divisions, their twelve legends, and they've also invited two demigods. I think if there had been more than just a few minutes, they could have mobilized even more forces."

"Van Drick is no slouch either. Truly worthy of once being on par with the Wiltonstein family, ranking among the top thirty-five in all of America. Five demigod-level powers, plus six armored divisions. It doesn't look like they're trying to stab the Wiltonstein family in the back—"

"This isn't a difficult choice, is it? Since you can't knock him down, join him. Even the Wiltonstein family, severely wounded by the National Progressive Association, can still mobilize eleven god-level beings. Young Wiltonstein could destroy them with a single spit. And now is their only chance to show goodwill and seek shelter under this supreme family."

"Look! Lamberton Torreador is working even harder. He doesn't seem as incompetent as the rumors say. He's already single-handedly suppressing seven demigods, and he still seems to have room to spare."

"So—this war can already be declared over, can't it? The National Progressive Association is finished, everyone. The three supreme families can no longer support this alliance."

Lieutenant General Daniel Boone held a cigar in his hand, blowing smoke rings, laughing freely and easily.

—Since becoming Secretary of Defense, he had never dared to do this before.

He knew his position was now truly secure. Even the President, or even the bigwigs of the Skull and Bones and the Freemasons, could no longer shake his standing.

His position was as solid as a rock, deeply rooted!

General of the Army Clyde Brown was the first to be poisoned by the secondhand smoke he blew out. He glanced sideways at Lieutenant General Daniel Boone and let out a cold snort filled with dissatisfaction and helplessness.

He saw that this usually composed comrade-in-arms was now raising his tail behind him, flaunting it proudly.

But Clyde Brown didn't intend to admonish him, nor did he think it necessary. He knew that since becoming Secretary of Defense, Daniel Boone had been enduring and suppressing himself. This little bit of indulgence was only natural and hardly worth mentioning.

"Indeed, the situation can be settled now!"

Director of National Intelligence Wade Steider also paid no heed to the Secretary of Defense's unrestrained behavior. He nodded in agreement: "But I guess right now, Mr. President will have a headache over the new members of the White House and the Cabinet. I suggest we have a drink. After today, we may not have another chance to gather like this."

His words made the CIA Director of Intelligence, Crissy Lewis, who was sitting behind him, turn pale and then red.

He knew Wade Steider was mocking him. This nominal superior of his had never been broad-minded.

"If possible, pour me one."

National Security Advisor Jaxon Richard looked relaxed: "Fortunately, it seems the Atlanta Massacre that happened over a month ago won't happen a second time."

This meant that the costly emergency plans they had already prepared did not need to be activated.

He also felt a bit ashamed; the decision he had made this time was too conservative.

His Excellency the President's choice should not incur the ill will of the Wiltonstein family, nor would it elicit any gratitude from them.

This would further complicate the current situation in America. The emergence of a force capable of replacing the National Association for the Advancement of Progress would be an immensely heavy weight pressing down on the White House, also affecting the balance of political power across the nation.

"Now? Isn't it too early? Although there is no doubt about the overall war situation, I think the most exciting part is yet to come."

This was FBI Director Adam Gowen: "The outcome between Lucky Andrew and those two gods, whether Hazel Wiltonstein can capture the 'Supreme Decree' magic tower, and what Robespierre intends to do—these are all suspenseful points that concern us and will determine the future of America—"

However, when the magic servant of the mage Torre de Oro handed him the red wine, he did not refuse.

"Can we observe more closely? The battle between Andrew and the gods of navigation and strategy is not very clear in the magical projection."

But Torre de Oro shook his head slightly: "I'm sorry, Director. The power Andrew wields prevents my magic from getting close. It must be a talent spell involving time—"

Just then, the mage suddenly trembled slightly. With a start, he exchanged glances with Ms. Christie Blythe, who was present, and another national mage, Rajia Barclay, then said gravely: "Gentlemen, I have news from Manhattan. Anthony Braden orchestrated the killing of Thomas Milan, the god of alchemy, machinery, and craftsmanship, and seized his divine essence! At the same time, Lady Time, Mithra, seems to have been severely wounded, causing massive temporal turbulence. She is trapped in a time rift she created herself, fighting against that sharpshooter of the Wiltonstein family. It is estimated that the probability of her fall exceeds 98%."

Ms. Christie Blythe added: "Just recently! The Church of the God of Knowledge has elevated the Wiltonstein family to the fifth highest family in the world. Meanwhile, the 'Wiltonstein-Light Magic Alliance' has been marked as the seventh largest secular power worldwide, on par with many churches."

Her tone was cheerful; having such an ally would put anyone in a good mood.

While everyone present was either shocked or horrified, far away in Manhattan, within that time rift, Li Mochen was looking at Lady Time across from him with a bewildered and pitying gaze.

He could not perceive what was happening outside the time rift, but he took advantage of the moment when Lady Time was distracted to thrust his blade into her abdomen.

This was strange; something must have happened outside that shook Lady Mithra's mind to its core!

Also affected were a mythical artifact and two quasi-mythical items on her person—before this, these three implements had clearly been enhanced by some power. But just now, the time power Mithra wielded had suddenly weakened.

"Let me guess what happened outside?"

A strange light flickered in Li Mochen's eyes: "Is it Thomas Milan, the god of alchemy, machinery, and craftsmanship, who has fallen? His blessing to you, Mithra, no longer exists?"

This was truly an unexpected turn of events for Li Mochen, meaning that this battle, which he had thought would take at least a full day to resolve, could now be ended.

"Who knows? My knowledge of the outside is also very limited."

Mithra took a deep breath, struggling to regulate her breathing and heal her wounds, but the death divine power of the man opposite her was rapidly draining her remaining vitality.

She could now foresee her own end!

"You intend to kill me, don't you, young Mr. Wiltonstein? Knowing that I am connected to Lady Nyx, you still plan to kill me?"

"I only know that if you had the chance to kill me just now, you would not have held back. I don't know what Nyx's plan is, but you made the first mistake."

Li Mochen shook his head, showing no sign of wavering.

At this moment, he had smeared some of Mithra's blood onto his Scarlet Dragon Armor. This caused the power of the 'Blue Swamp Demon Vine,' which had been plundered by the Gladiator Divine Authority, to gradually dissipate—there were only two ways to change the three slots of the Gladiator Divine Authority: the first was to raise the level of this divine authority to a higher rank, and the other was what he was doing now, smearing the entire Scarlet Dragon Armor with the blood of a god. Each subsequent replacement would require blood from a higher-ranked god, up to the rank of a major deity.

This replacement, though it would cause his secondary body to lose part of its life and death authority, reducing it to a lower level, was acceptable compared to the time authority possessed by his opponent. The life and death authority was not something he could not give up.

Moreover, he could now easily create mythical artifacts like 'Burial Spirit' and easily find suitable materials.

Correspondingly, there were very few beings in this world who wielded time authority. And the one he could kill, from whom he could seize power and even divine essence, was none other than the one before him!

So even if he would be directly attacked by Nyx afterward, Li Mochen would not let this opportunity slip.

The time divine authority—even Tao Ran had not possessed it. In the Primordial Dome Realm, although he had elevated the time domain to the ultimate level, he had never been able to condense divine authority.

The fragments of Chronos's divine essence were not something just anyone could access. He believed he could gain more from this.

"In any case, please accept death quietly, Lady Mithra—"

His figure flickered, then forcibly broke through layers of time barriers, neutralizing all temporal anomalies along the way, while a blade light swept across three hundred zhang of void ahead! The source power strike, imbued with powerful sword intent, directly severed Mithra's head!