Chapter 627: The World

"Something like this? Is it serious?"

Robespierre was the only one present who had not yet become a god. Due to his recent intensified study of forbidden spells and teaching Jennifer, he was also the most ill-informed. He looked up in surprise at the others.

"Sort of. Over the past few months, my priests and church have barely recruited any believers, and some priests have even left the church. Those religious speculators don't have much faith in me."

Angela spread her hands in resignation: "Indeed, many are using this method to intimidate my followers. Currently, in major media and on the electronic network, doomsday prophecies are rampant. Though there are various versions, they are essentially the same, all believing that the upcoming great earthquake sweeping the world is just the beginning of human extinction. Their purpose is also the same: to蛊惑 people into thinking that only by converting to a certain god can they be saved from this catastrophe. The network priesthood I control can no longer stop them."

Fortunately, she was a Law God and did not rely on the faith of sentient beings. Otherwise, her situation would be extremely dire.

"Robespierre, do you know why Odin backed down in the Coral Sea War? It's because they believed that the pantheon established by Andre would hardly survive this impact."

Consigli sneered as he took over Angela's words: "Indeed, some of the gods who aligned with Andre did so because they saw hope in him, but the vast majority did it to survive, like Morgan and Rockefeller. On one hand, they need Andre's庇护; on the other, after the disaster, the only ones who can provide them with divine power support to avoid perishing are Andre and the Goddess of Liberty. But everyone knows the Goddess of Liberty is stingy, and the chances of them getting help from Eris are slim. Otherwise, why would those supreme families side with Andre?"

He had already passed the excitement of Li Mochen's commanding a multitude and successfully building a pantheon, seeing through the reality behind it.

"My side is also slowly declining, losing over three million compared to the peak five months ago."

Li Mochen said lightly, as if unconcerned.

But the situation was far more serious than he let on. The reason the high-level officials of Australia and America were still taking a wait-and-see attitude toward him, unwilling to move closer, was precisely because of the upcoming great earthquake.

As an ancient god and Law God with 1.9 billion believers, Li Mochen would surely survive, but his subordinate gods might not. This would certainly deal a heavy blow to the Fate Pantheon, and its future direction remained uncertain.

As time passed, this trend became more evident. The Goddess of Liberty was using the promise of safety to regain the hearts of the American people.

Thus, many regretted joining the Fate Church after doing so. The reason they hadn't withdrawn yet was the deterrent effect of the Coral Sea Battle, which gave ordinary believers some confidence in him.

But as the second largest faith in the world after the Lord of Radiance, and as a god whose church organization was still incomplete, Li Mochen's believers inevitably became a target for other gods.

Now, the three major pantheons from the outer realms were exhausting all means to snatch believers from him.

The doomsday prophecy was one of the most effective methods. Once the prophecy came true, the consequences for his faith could be imagined. It would be like a toppled domino, as fragile as a city built of sand.

Fortunately, he had foreseen this a year ago and made ample preparations.

Moreover, the Lord of Radiance was in the same boat, facing an even worse situation. With 11.2 billion believers, it was hard for him to attend to every detail.

"So, even for our own sake, we must do our best to mitigate this disaster. In the coming days, you must go all out to help me complete this forbidden-level 'Supreme Dharma'!"

Li Mochen's expression was solemn, his gaze sharp: "Every step we take now determines our future success or failure, and this step is especially crucial."

...

While Li Mochen and the others discussed how to mitigate the disaster, Ares, who had just experienced a war, returned to Mount Olympus suspended in the astral realm.

He was now far stronger than five months ago during the Coral Sea Battle. The ever-expanding war had caused the world's war source power to surge wave after wave, boosting Ares's divine power to the peak of Divine Rank 18, dangerously close to the threshold of Pseudo-Truth.

This was a realm he had failed to reach even after helping Zeus conquer several worlds, none of which could support ranks above Major God. Only the world of his birth offered him the possibility of ascension.

Recently, Ares had been thinking that if his mortal followers had not been lost, if they had not been taken by Li Mochen, he might have already reached Divine Rank 19, the rank of Vice-Pantheon Lord.

The loss of two legions at Coral Sea also pained him deeply. Although the fourteen worlds they controlled in the outer realms were continuously replenishing his forces, restoring the War God Temple's elite warrior corps to twenty-one legions, the vast majority of these could not exert their full strength in the Bright World.

Their pantheon had originally fled the Bright World under the pincer attacks of the Norse Pantheon, the Celtic Pantheon, the Slavic Pantheon, and the Radiant Church.

They had already suffered heavy casualties then, bringing out few elite warriors native to this world. Now, the accumulation of his church over thousands of years had been nearly squandered in one fell swoop.

Andre Li Willenstein!

Whenever he thought of this name, Ares couldn't help but gnash his teeth in frustration. But as he stepped into Zeus's Supreme Temple, his eyes flashed with ferocity, and he glared sharply at a woman off to the side, his mind no longer troubled by the Fate Lord.

"Athena!"

Ares's voice carried both hatred and wariness.

The young woman in a toga (Greek attire) smiled back: "Long time no see, brother Ares."

"How dare you show your face? You betrayed the Olympian Pantheon—"

Ares's face turned livid, but before he could finish, Zeus interrupted from his throne: "You cannot speak of your sister that way, Ares. Athena stayed in this world on my orders, and it was also Gaia's will; she needed Athena's help. Now, for the sake of the Titan cause, Athena's power is indispensable."

"Father!"

Ares snorted angrily but then restrained himself: "I don't like her! I might even say I hate her. But if it is your will, Father, I can turn a blind eye to her. However, if Athena is to return to the pantheon, she must make contributions that convince everyone. Your command may be unopposed, but it will not win the trust of the gods who have remained by your side."

Though Ares was naturally irritable and prone to anger, he had been striving to overcome his character flaws since the Trojan War.

During the Spartan and Roman eras, he had taken in many subordinate gods with great mortal achievements, acquiring a wise advisory team ready to offer counsel at any time.

Now, Ares had grasped the key point of Zeus's words: the last sentence—Athena's power is indispensable.

Clearly, the year-long war had made his father uneasy. The Norse Aesir Pantheon, the Radiant Church, Ahura Mazda, and even that Fate Lord's pantheon had all brought them immense pressure.

And as a Vice-Pantheon Lord who had accumulated vast power in the main material plane, Athena's return would indeed be a great boon to the Olympian Pantheon.

"Of course, Athena is already providing us with a great help now, and she and Prometheus have also promised to fight alongside us again."

Zeus smiled and turned his gaze back to Athena: "So Cynthia (the nature goddess Artemis), is she still unwilling to return?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Athena shook her head: "But you need not be angry. I suspect the power of this world prevents her from doing so. The nature priesthood is more susceptible to the influence of the World Will."

"I have contacted her, Your Majesty."

Apollo beside her looked somewhat helpless. He was Artemis's brother, so he could not escape involvement in this matter.

"She told me that what we did thousands of years ago and what we are doing now has angered nature, placing great constraints on her. Yet she loves you and is your most favored daughter. I think if the Olympian pantheon needs her, she will appear by your side. Even under the influence of the World Will, she will find ways to alleviate our burden as much as possible."

"That is enough. I understand her difficulties."

Zeus was already satisfied. He turned his gaze back to the present, ten meters below his throne, where a vast map of the Bright World lay.

"Ares, you probably don't know yet what good news your sister has brought us? After the collision of the Beast World, a hundred Chosen Legions from the outer realms will be recognized by this world."

"A hundred Chosen Legions?"

Ares's expression tightened. The legion organization of Olympus was similar to that of the Aesir, equivalent to two and a half Storm Companies of the former Rising Sun Group.

A hundred Chosen Warrior Legions would be close to the strength of five Angelic Legions.

His staff team quickly analyzed the reason for him.

"It's Gaia, isn't it?"

At this moment, Ares could not help but feel admiration for his father again.

This must be a compromise Gaia was forced to make under pressure from the Lord of Light and other parties, indicating that Zeus's strategy toward Gaia had worked.

Since returning to this world, his father had been indifferent to the wars with various factions. He even seemed unconcerned about Ares's defeat in the mortal realm, and deliberately or unintentionally depleted his forces in the material plane.

Ares had once been deeply worried. The Aesir and the Church of Light were both extremely powerful forces. And the collision of the Beast World with the Bright World would also shift the balance of power between the two sides.

During the merging of the two worlds, Odin, as the supreme god of the Beast World, might gain some authority over the world's roots. His warriors, originating from the Beast World, would eventually be recognized by this world.

That would be an overwhelming force, one that only the Lord of Light, who had cultivated this world for thousands of years, could match.

Yet now, Zeus had easily obtained what he wanted.

Ares even suspected that their 'retreat' thousands of years ago might have been part of Zeus's scheme. Otherwise, Zeus could only watch as Gaia became the supreme god.

Ares knew that his father, who originated from the outer realms, had indeed relied on Gaia to establish himself in the Bright World thousands of years ago. But he would never let Gaia seize the opportunity to become the 'supreme god.'

"Exactly! Taking advantage of the world's upheaval and the instability of the roots, she will help our warriors gain recognition."

Zeus laughed: "But can't we have a few more? Athena, you need to talk to Mother Goddess. To repel Odin and Horus's coveting of the roots, these warriors are not enough. Currently, I have two hundred Chosen Legions under my command. Also, Horus is also waiting for this day. Over the past millennium, he has made great achievements in the outer realms. With the help of Isis, he has conquered five worlds. He can field at least six Angelic Legions in the outer realms. He and Isis can also influence the roots. In just five days, he can bring his legions into the material plane."

"Perhaps? But the Lord of Light's power over the roots is far inferior to Gaia's. Two Angelic Legions are the limit he can achieve."

Athena replied with a smile: "Father, a hundred Chosen Legions is already the maximum. This is no longer thousands of years ago. Gaia now controls only a small portion of the root authority. Besides, she is not without other options. Ahura? Or the Lord of Fate?"

"Are you serious? Can she trust Ahura? As for the Lord of Fate, are you sure he has enough strength to help her? Forget it. If Mother Goddess insists, let it be for now. But please tell her that I cannot guarantee one hundred percent fulfillment of her commission."

At this moment, Zeus's expression shifted slightly: "Speaking of the Lord of Fate, how is the mortal world? Any movement from him? Hermes?"

The divine messenger Hermes, son of Zeus and Maia, daughter of Atlas, was known as Mercury in Roman mythology.

He was also a powerful deity—Hermes was Zeus's herald, conveying the king of gods' will. Besides that, he was also the god of commerce, travel, theft, deceit, shadows, eloquence, animal husbandry, sports, athletics, and guidance to the underworld, as well as the patron of magic.

In the Roman era, all merchants, thieves, and assassins worshipped him. In modern times, he was still revered by many magical shadow practitioners.

"He is striving to cope with the impact in a few days, taking many measures."

Hermes knew what Zeus wanted to ask: "He has prepared many ships, engraved with complex magical arrays, but I can't quite understand them."

Although he was the patron of magic, his understanding of magic was limited, and the modern magical system was completely different from that of the Greek era.

"Besides that, this Lord of Fate has also distributed a large number of amulets to his followers and ordered them to leave their homes and camp at designated places—"

"Sounds quite organized and plausible. So, do you think he can withstand this impact, Hermes?"

It was the sun god Apollo who asked this question, his face full of sunny smiles: "His actions make me a bit worried."

Hermes shrugged: "I can't be sure, Apollo. He might have prepared other things? I can't probe further. After all, he is the Lord of Fate. Even I find it difficult to glimpse his true situation. Besides, he now has a subordinate named Reinhard Heydrich, who possesses strong intelligence capabilities, even surpassing me in some aspects. But personally, I am not optimistic. A world collision of this scale, even Rhea or Gaia at their peak, could not stop or calm it. And it won't just be earthquakes and tsunamis; there will also be numerous meteor falls—debris shaken off from the outer worlds. Moreover, the Dark World will intersect with this one, creating large cracks in the originally solid spatial barriers. These can tear people apart or release countless dark creatures. I doubt he has the ability to watch over his lambs. What do you think, Athena? I believe no one here knows him better than you?"

"Me?"

Athena hesitated briefly, then spoke under the expectant gazes of Zeus and the others: "According to my calculations, this will be a magnitude 14 earthquake impact, equivalent to 1.6 to 1.8 billion megatons of TNT."

When she noticed the bewildered expressions on Hermes and the others, Athena shook her head again and wisely abandoned the idea of further explanation: "You can think of it as an attack at the level of a supreme god, capable of destroying a small world in one blow. As for this level of impact, I think even you, Father, would be unable to withstand it, I'm afraid? If the Lord of Light and the Goddess of Freedom do not intervene, I estimate at least one-third of the population will die, with only the continents in the northern hemisphere—the Old and New Worlds and the East—where most people could survive. However, everyone, since this world entered the modern era, too many novel things have appeared: various new magics, disciplines analyzing the essence of the world. I cannot be one hundred percent certain that he absolutely has no way."

"Cannot be one hundred percent certain, meaning you also think his chances of success are slim, right?"

Apollo caught her implication, and his expression relaxed slightly: "Then I can look forward to it now. Afterward, I should be able to seize some followers from him and the Lord of Light."

"But I suggest you, Father, take action to help the Light World through this crisis."

Athena spoke with utmost sincerity in her exhortation: "This will help you further integrate into this world, and also allow my siblings to gain recognition from this world."

"Recognition from this world?" Zeus raised an eyebrow slightly, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Yes, recognition from this world. The Light World today is different from thousands of years ago, Father. Back then, the Source was the world's will. It didn't even have a will; it simply naturally excluded anything detrimental to this world. But now, humanity's collective subconscious has gained power almost equal to the Source's will. I suspect you've felt it too, Father? This is probably what the East calls the difference between the Way of Heaven and the Way of Man."

Athena looked at Zeus: "If we can gain the recognition of humanity's collective subconscious, then even if the Source continues to reject us, we need not worry too much. But if we are rejected by it, then even Gaia's help to you will be limited."

The war god Ares sneered: "According to your reasoning, Athena, wouldn't that mean we have to submit to humanity? There's no need for such trouble! If humanity has a collective will, then shatter it, or weaken it until it can't affect us, isn't that enough? I think this is the best opportunity."

"How can it be called submission? And—"

Athena frowned in displeasure, but just as she was about to explain, Zeus waved his hand dismissively: "Ares is right. The Source is the foundation, and humans are just weeds growing on this world. We cannot abandon the foundation to care about the thoughts of those weeds."

"For once, I agree with you and Ares, my brother."

At that moment, another sonorous voice came from outside the hall. It was Poseidon, the sea god, entering from beyond. He looked at Athena with a cold, contemptuous gaze: "I think if humanity's collective subconscious truly exists in this world, it should favor the Lord of Radiance and the Goddess of Freedom, shouldn't it? Their followers make up half of this world's population."

Seeing Athena fall silent, Poseidon shook his head: "Do you still see yourself as humanity's protector, Athena? They have long forgotten you."

Zeus looked at him with confusion: "Why are you here, Poseidon? Watching over Nyx and Eris is what you should be doing."

"Of course, I am watching them. But from what I've learned, it's unlikely they will step in to stop this world's impact. At this moment, everyone is afraid of getting hurt. And now, they have little interest left in Australia. I think our only obstacles now are the Lord of Radiance and the Master of Fate."

Poseidon said coldly: "Thetis and her sisters, along with her uncles and aunts, have stirred. She has even summoned many giants on the southern sea. I suspect she wants to help her divine lord."

Zeus's expression turned serious. Before he could give orders, Hermes, the messenger god standing before the throne, spread his divine power, displaying an image before them: hundreds of ten-thousand-ton transport ships arranged in a pentagram formation.

At that moment, the people on the ships were pouring large amounts of black oil into the sea.

And beside them, three giant ships were also dumping black oil into the sea.

"Is this so-called petroleum? What are they doing?"

Ares looked puzzled: "They're not planning to set themselves on fire, are they?"

The gods present also looked bewildered. Only Athena's eyes flickered with a strange light.

She recognized the oil as so-called 'damping oil,' also known as resistance oil or seismic oil. And it was of very high quality, likely from Light Demon Industry's own brand and factory.

But recalling the attitude of Ares and the others earlier, she suppressed without hesitation the urge to explain to them.

"Whatever he's planning, we must stop him. Can we burn this oil?" Hermes frowned.

"It would be very difficult."

Then Hephaestus, the god of fire, forging, and craftsmanship, said coldly: "They have already extracted the concept of burning within this range. Hecate (the magic goddess Diana) and the winter goddess Hela are helping him."