Chapter 658: Sudden Change

Just as the Heavenly Kingdom of Fate was holding a banquet to celebrate victory, the atmosphere on Mount Olympus was somewhat stiff and cold. Especially when Heracles, summoned by Zeus to the main temple, found many people there with grim faces and displeased expressions.

Heracles was somewhat puzzled but did not inquire further. For certain reasons, he regarded everything happening on Olympus with indifference and lack of interest.

Not long after, Zeus led a young man in and loudly proclaimed to the assembled gods: "From today onward, this young man named Wima Medici shall become a member of the Twelve Olympians, presiding over victory, wisdom, courts, order, and miracles in our pantheon! Furthermore, he shall marry my daughter Eileithyia—"

Eileithyia was the Olympian goddess of childbirth and child protection, the second daughter of Zeus and Hera.

But before Zeus's words had finished echoing through the hall, all the gods gathered there erupted into a great uproar.

Some loudly congratulated, but more voiced discontented boos.

Heracles sensed that the vast majority present were very dissatisfied. He could roughly guess the reason: most of these gods were fourth- and fifth-generation Olympians.

After all, even his two nominal sons, 'Ares the Unconquered' and 'Aniketos the Invincible,' held only the insignificant divine offices of unconquered and invincible.

And even the three daughters of Zeus and Hera held negligible positions in the pantheon.

Yet this young man named Wima Medici, a being with very thin Titan blood, upon just joining the pantheon, could gain powerful offices governing victory, wisdom, courts, order, and miracles, almost completely replacing the goddess Athena.

Even Heracles, who cared for nothing, felt a stir of curiosity. He glanced sideways at the young man in red robes and found his expression remarkably calm. Even though he was being disliked or even criticized by most present, his face showed no emotion.

This must be a very deep and cunning fellow, and also very powerful.

Heracles saw the rhythm of truth on him—though not yet at the pseudo-truth level, for some reason this man, as a seraph, mastered at least five ultimate divine powers.

"All of you, shut up!"

Hearing the noise filling the hall, Zeus's face turned furious, his eyes wide with anger. Massive currents of electricity spread out, covering every corner of the hall: "This is the decision of me and all the major gods. Do you oppose it? If you have such intentions, then step before me—"

"There's no need for that, Father."

Wima Medici stopped Zeus, smiling slightly: "Though I believe I have sufficient merits, I am new here, and misunderstandings are inevitable. How about this: three months from now, after my injuries heal, everyone here can follow our ancient Olympian tradition and challenge me. If anyone can defeat me in a fair fight, I will gladly yield the divine offices you have granted me."

"A challenge? Wima, are you serious?"

Zeus seemed quite confident in the miracle angel's strength. After receiving confirmation from Wima Medici, he did not try to dissuade him.

"I agree to your plan, but challenges must not affect our operations. We are under considerable pressure lately."

With that, he cast a cold glare over the assembled gods: "A bunch of worthless things. If you spent even half the time you waste on pleasure training or on the battlefield, Mount Olympus would not have gone a thousand years without producing a new major god!"

Heracles knew this was heartfelt. Due to the severance from the Earth Mother Gaia and the departure of Athena and Prometheus, the Olympian pantheon faced great pressure on all fronts.

Although Odin had temporarily set aside his grudges and chosen to ally with Zeus, the Aesir pantheon, from Odin down, remained restless. They insisted that Apollo had schemed against their god of light, Baldr, and regarded all of Olympus as enemies. Thus, war between the two pantheons could erupt again at any time.

Besides, the Olympian pantheon was also striving to restore their faith in the Old Continent, Australia, and America. This meant they would inevitably clash with the Radiant Court and the Church of Fate in the near future.

Especially the Radiant Court—with the arrival of Wima Medici, the intensity of conflict between the two sides would further escalate.

And among the Olympian pantheon, from the fourth generation onward, no particularly outstanding figures had emerged in thousands of years. These beings, sheltered under their fathers' glory, mostly indulged in pleasure, with few dedicating their energy to increasing their power.

This was also related to their physical constitution. These fourth- and fifth-generation Titan gods, though born with divine bodies, were equally limited in their power growth.

Unlike their fathers, who had received gifts from the world's roots, after leaving the Mythic Age—a period of abundant magical energy—these Titan gods could only, like the dragons and the phoenix race, rely almost entirely on the passage of time to purify and strengthen their bloodlines and enhance their power.

Others were mortal heroes who had ascended to Mount Olympus. Most of them had divine bloodlines but, like Heracles, had lost their physical bodies, making their hopes of rising even slimmer.

So now, it was instead some mortals with traces of Titan blood who rose in the bright world, achieving remarkable accomplishments—such as the Lord of Fate, Andre Lee Wieldenstein!

The council of gods soon concluded. The pressure from the Heavenly Kingdom of Fate and the Lord of Radiance was evidently heavy. After declaring Wima Medici's status as a major god and his specific duties on the mountain, Zeus left hastily.

Heracles also mingled with the gathered gods and left the main temple.

Just as he descended the stone steps, he heard someone nearby complain in a low voice: "Does our lord think he is fair? In terms of merit or strength, is there really no one on Mount Olympus who can match that so-called miracle angel?"

"Isn't Heracles one? I feel sorry for him. Our great hero has achieved so much for Olympus, yet he still only holds the office of 'Strength.' He isn't even a lesser god now—"

"Think about how our lord treats Heracles, and then about Wima Medici. It's so unfair. Though I heard the queen prevented our lord, that shouldn't be a reason for our great hero to go unrewarded."

"But isn't this a good opportunity? If Lord Heracles defeats that so-called miracle angel, he could immediately become one of the twelve major gods. He can do it; Heracles' strength is immense."

These words were barely disguised, and Heracles heard them almost word for word. His heart stirred, but he suppressed those vain thoughts, expressionlessly tore through the void, and returned to his temple.

Located on the southern side of Mount Olympus, it was one of the many third-class temples built there, in a mediocre position. Next to it were the temples of his children with the goddess of youth, Hebe: Alexiares and Aniketos.

Heracles heard laughter coming from the two temples—both his children's and female voices. He glanced sideways, then walked unconcernedly into his own temple.

The number of guards and chosen warriors on duty here far exceeded usual. As Heracles entered, he noticed these people were all watching him, deliberately or not.

This had started two days ago, after their final defeat by the Heavenly Kingdom of Fate.

Because of Achilles' contact with him and their conversation, Zeus had tightened surveillance on him immediately after his return.

Heracles did not care. He did not think the situation now was any different from before. He was still trapped in a cage; the only difference was that the cage's net was denser, and the iron chain and collar around his neck remained as strong as ever.

As Heracles entered the temple, his subordinate god and steward, the warrior-servant god Omedon, approached him.

"My lord, the mistress has gone to the War Temple to attend a banquet. She asked me to tell you she won't be back for half a month."

Heracles noticed that though Omedon's expression was respectful, his eyes clearly held sympathy and resentment.

But Heracles was no longer like when he first became a god, enraged by his wife's unchaste behavior.

"I told you, Omedon, let her do whatever she wants. There's no need to tell me specifically. Also, I need to be alone for ten days or half a month. If Zeus sends for me, you can say I'm injured and need rest."

"Yes, my lord."

Omedon replied helplessly: "By the way, my lord, you have a guest—your nephew Iolaus."

"Iolaus? Where is he? In the reception hall?"

Heracles' spirits lifted slightly. Iolaus was the son of his half-brother Iphicles. Additionally, Iolaus was his lifelong 'lover' and companion. Iolaus had always followed him, fought alongside him, and they supported each other.

Such was the tradition in Greece and Rome: almost every powerful warrior had his male lover. And Iolaus was the one Heracles loved most deeply.

It was the same after apotheosis. If there was anyone on Mount Olympus worthy of Heracles' complete trust, it was Iolaus.

But when Heracles arrived at the reception hall, he was momentarily stunned. The guest waiting there was not Iolaus but a woman who should not have appeared here—the wisdom goddess Athena, who had been expelled from Mount Olympus by Zeus.

"Iolaus is still in his temple."

Athena stood up with a smile: "I temporarily borrowed Iolaus' identity. As you know, my father wouldn't like me appearing on Mount Olympus now, especially here at your place."

Heracles' eyes narrowed: "Lady Athena! This is very bad and very unsafe—a dangerous move for both you and Iolaus."

"I know! But I had to come."

Athena sighed: "Don't worry, I won't stay long. I'm just here to say a few words on someone's behalf. Even if something goes wrong, I promise I won't implicate Iolaus."

"I hope you keep your word."

Heracles said with a hint of sarcasm: "Speak, then. What do you want to tell me? And on whose behalf?"

He knew he couldn't refuse Athena, nor did he intend to betray the wisdom goddess. So the best response now was to let Athena speak quickly and leave.

"First, do not challenge Wima Medici."

Athena looked at Heracles: "That man is far more important to Zeus than you imagine. Though you are strong, far stronger than that miracle angel, if you do decide to challenge him, you will ultimately lose."

She noticed the great god frown, his eyes puzzled. Clearly, he had indeed entertained the idea.

"I am even seventy percent sure this is a trap set for you, Heracles. Zeus wants to use you as a stepping stone to establish Wima Medici's prestige and undermine your standing on Mount Olympus."

"I know he values that miracle angel highly, but why?"

Heracles asked in confusion. During the earlier meeting, though he hadn't listened intently to the later content, he had noticed that this new god of wisdom and miracles had been assigned by Zeus to directly oversee all military affairs on the continent of Antolia.

—This could be said to grant him authority over a region, placing him on par with Ares, Apollo, and others.

But why was Zeus so invested in Wima Medici? Was it because this man was the executor of Zeus's scheme against the Lord of Radiance?

Athena explained with a smile: "First, you should know that this man did not join the Olympian pantheon alone. He brought at least a small part of an angel legion from the Heavenly Kingdom, along with two seraphs from the Medici family. These are forces the Medici family has accumulated over thousands of years. For the Olympian pantheon, which lacks troops, this is undoubtedly a shot in the arm."

The angels led by Wima Medici were not all members of the angel legion, but they possessed strength and combat power equal to the angel legion and on par with the Olympian chosen warriors.

"Second, the Medici family also wields great power in the mortal world. On the Apennine Peninsula, in Greece, and in the dark world there, they have seventy-two divisions of private troops, twelve fortresses, and can influence parts of the armies of three neighboring countries. This helps the Olympian pantheon restore faith in Apennine and Greece."

This force could even rival a nation, far surpassing the Radiant Church. It was precisely the capital that the four families of Italy used to rebel against the Pope after being declared traitors and degenerates, directly confronting the Church and the Lord of Radiance.

They had such confidence. The Colonna family had once been excommunicated by Pope Boniface VIII and declared blasphemers of the Lord. Yet in a decade-long struggle, the Church could never wipe them out. Though the Colonna family failed in their rebellion against the Church, their power did not diminish in the least afterward.

"Third, Wima Medici is likely a key for Zeus in his quest to become the God of Gods. He has reasons to support this miracle angel."

"Finally!"

Athena looked at Heracles with a peculiar expression: "Compared to you, who are full of resentment, and Jason, Odysseus, isn't a newcomer like Wima Medici more worthy of his trust and reliance? That miracle angel is talented, but he won't be able to replace Zeus in the future. I think there will be more such examples until the twelve major god positions are filled again."

Heracles remained silent for a long time. After three minutes, he replied expressionlessly: "Besides these warnings, what else do you want to say?"

"I want to ask you: what exactly keeps you trapped on Mount Olympus? And is there any feasible way to resolve it?"

Athena got straight to the point: "This is not like the character of our unparalleled great hero. Before your apotheosis, if you had faced such a situation, you would have charged straight to Zeus's throne."

Heracles' eyes flickered: "Is it the Lord of Fate? Did he send you? Haven't you decided to follow Gaia?"

"One must always leave some leeway. That Lord of Fate is worth my doing so."

Athena explained with a smile: "Tell me, Heracles. He wants to help you out of your current predicament. From what I understand, he indeed has unparalleled sincerity. In terms of magnanimity alone, this mortal-born god king far surpasses Zeus."

※※※※

While Athena was meeting privately with Heracles, Zeus came to the rear mountain of Olympus. This place was behind his main temple and above the temples of the twelve major gods.

As Zeus stepped into one of the halls, he saw his 'father' Cronus looking at him with a gaze full of mockery.

"I heard you've been in a bad situation lately? Just two days ago, even after joining forces with Odin, you were defeated by a descendant of Hyperion from who knows how many generations?"

"If you insist on seeing it that way, it could be considered a defeat, since we didn't achieve our intended goal and instead suffered considerable losses."

Zeus responded calmly: "Must you be so sarcastic? My dear father, do you have to provoke and anger me with such foolish methods?"

"Dear father?"

Kronos replied in the same mocking tone: "To have a son like you is truly my honor."

"Is that so? Regardless, my body indeed flows with your blood and that of Mother Rhea. I think I've done better than you, Father. I neither cut off my father by ambush nor devoured all my children."

Zeus smiled as he walked over and sat before Kronos: "I even released you from imprisonment. That's quite magnanimous, isn't it?"

"But your son Poros can never be born."

Kronos continued with a cold laugh: "As for release, you freed me and Ouranos from imprisonment only because you needed us and to appease our followers. Besides, what difference is there between my current state and being imprisoned? Only a slightly better environment."

But when he saw the calm, unruffled expression on Zeus's face, he lost all interest in continuing.

After all, the same conversation had been repeated more than five times, and his 'son' had maintained the same indifferent attitude throughout.

This made him feel frustrated and rather bored. Kronos had long realized that no matter what he said now, it was just the howling of a defeated dog in Zeus's ears.

"Bring it out. You came to see me at this time, so you've obtained that thing, right?"

"Just as you expected!"

Zeus took out an object and placed it before Kronos: "Wilhelm Medici, my god of wisdom and miracles, brought this back for me from the Celestial Kingdom."

Kronos looked at the object in Zeus's hand with a complex expression: "It seems your scheme has succeeded, and everything is ready. But Zeus, this may not guarantee your ultimate victory. Given your credibility, I cannot fully trust you."

"But the oath I swore to you is the most binding and stringent in all the heavens. You have no reason not to trust me, Kronos!"

A glint shone in Zeus's eyes: "As for whether I succeed, that's my concern. Even if I fail this time, I still have the ability to fulfill my promise to you, don't I? I must mention that Ouranos has already temporarily merged into my body as agreed. Having come this far, I hope you won't break our pact, Kronos."

Kronos fell silent, his eyes wavering uncertainly. After a long while, he sighed: "Now, I truly hope you succeed."

Zeus grinned at that moment, then opened his mouth and swallowed his father Kronos whole into his stomach.

Right after that, a pair of enormous pure black wings spread from behind Zeus, and a powerful force caused the surrounding temporal void to twist violently and fall into complete disorder.

※※※※

On the second day of the banquet in the Fate Divine Kingdom, Li Mochen's main and secondary bodies simultaneously returned to the top floor of the Magic Tower and entered a state of closed-eye meditation.

At this time, the news of his confrontation with the Aesir and Olympian pantheons and his eventual victory had begun to ferment worldwide, with a frenzy sweeping through every corner of the Bright World.

The impact of the rebellion of the four supreme families of the Radiant Church on the overall situation was only just beginning to emerge.

Yet Li Mochen set aside all miscellaneous affairs and eagerly entered seclusion.

This was because the battle with the two god-kings had granted Li Mochen too many insights and growth he himself found hard to believe. He urgently needed time to stabilize, delve deeper, and understand.

Especially the combat-related divine domains, such as war, battle, swordsmanship, swordplay, vitality, youth, and so on.

The many wondrous applications of their own power and authority by Zeus and Odin left him in awe and deep admiration.

Some of these techniques and mysteries Li Mochen grasped immediately and applied in the battle; others he could not yet understand but memorized completely.

Even in terms of time and fate, Li Mochen had gained immensely.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, within a year at most, he could truly break through 'Fate' to pseudo-truth and elevate his own divine rank to nineteen, pushing it to the level of a god-king.

At that time, in terms of divine power nature and purity, there would be no essential difference between him and Zeus, Odin, and others.

Even after leaving the 'Divine Firmament Purple Gold Pagoda of Fortune', Li Mochen would still be a powerful sub-god-king. He could even be called a true king of gods, because his time and fate were both truly supreme divine authorities, allowing him to challenge higher ranks.

Additionally, the mythical artifact 'Shield of Thebes' required further refinement and purification.

In the previous battle, Li Mochen had used it only with great difficulty, managing to unleash less than seventy percent of its power. Worse, during the process, the residual evil aura within the artifact nearly contaminated his primordial spirit.

Thus, purifying the 'Shield of Thebes' was of utmost importance—if he could have fully utilized its power, the two opponents might have only been able to inflict one or two severe wounds on him in a day.

Three months later, Li Mochen paused his cultivation temporarily and deployed both his main and secondary bodies to a biological laboratory in Atlanta.

This was because the 'gene enhancement potion' under Abraham's charge and the 'gene editing technology' under Gu Hong's charge had both made tremendous progress. Both technologies worked on genes, but the former used drugs, even mythical treasures, to improve and optimize specific gene sequences, while the latter used instruments to edit physical genes, adding excellent genes not present in the human body.

This meant that the physical bodies of his wives Angela and Robertte now had hope for further breakthroughs.

That day, Li Mochen personally oversaw and performed the gene enhancement and refinement surgeries for Angela and Robertte.

His 'Biology' and 'Gene' divine authorities had reached high levels, not to mention 'Life' and 'Vitality', and with various auxiliary abilities including extreme micro-manipulation and pseudo-truth-level Fate authority, he achieved maximum gene optimization.

Just three days after the gene surgeries, the ancient god divine ranks of Angela and Robertte both entered the ninth rank.

Their physical bodies had been nurtured by various drugs and mythical treasures for two years, reaching the ancient god stage, but until now they had only reached the second rank, with a huge gap between their physical bodies and their faith and law divine domains, unable to fully bear their souls.

However, the gene technology of Xuri Biopharmaceutical Company allowed the two women's physical divine ranks to leap forward, reaching the high god rank in one go.

Subsequent gene optimization surgeries were performed on Hael, Consueli, and other human gods who still possessed physical bodies. Li Mochen's main and secondary bodies spent seventy-two days completing a total of 147 surgeries, greatly benefiting almost all gods in the entire Fate Divine System who retained human forms.

However, the greatest beneficiaries were the 'Chosen Knights' under Li Mochen. These powerful demigods, who relied on cybernetic suits and power armor to possess mid-level god combat power, all achieved breakthroughs after the surgeries.

Also, the various mages and demigod mages, though not adept at physical training and close combat, still benefited greatly from Li Mochen's gene enhancement technology.

Even Li Mochen himself made some minor gene adjustments, but this was of little significance to him.

Li Mochen's physical divine rank had already reached the fourteenth rank through years of tempering, steadily approaching the main god level.

He faced no obstacles in physical strengthening and training; he only lacked time.

This event once again caused a sensation worldwide, leading a large number of human strongmen to flock to the 'Church of Fate'.

They already held favorable views of the 'Fate Divine System', which was primarily composed of human gods. Moreover, the 'gene enhancement potion' and 'gene editing technology' developed by Xuri Biopharmaceutical held unparalleled appeal for all strongmen aspiring to the ancient god rank.

Furthermore, the Lord of Fate himself possessed powerful life authority, even capable of 'resurrecting' top-tier strongmen.

For instance, 'Ancient Shadow Dragon' Yvette, 'Ancient Giant' Bartram, and the mage 'First Principle' Paracelsus all received new life under this god-king.

The first two have both entered the 'Archetype' rank, equivalent to high gods, while 'First Principle' Paracelsus recently achieved physical deification, governing 'Elements' and 'Chemistry', and is now a powerful god of rank fifteen.

The dragons and mages who had contracted with the Fate Township Magic Tower, enjoying the constant effects of 'Life Permanence' and 'Death Prohibition' spells, were even more envied.

They were bound to the Lord of Fate, possessing nearly eternal life, with bodies and souls immortal and indestructible. It was said that almost all contractors in the tower had achieved rank promotions in recent years.

Now, countless high-ranking dragons and mythical beings were closely watching the 'Fate Township', waiting for the expansion of the magic tower.

In summary, the number of mages and demigod mages under Li Mochen increased further, while the number of 'Chosen Knights' also rose rather than fell.

About six months later, Li Mochen finally completely expelled the last trace of evil aura from the 'Shield of Thebes'.

This time, he did not rely on any external force, nor could he. The 'Avalon Life Spring', 'Amphitrite's Tears', and 'Blood of the Earth' consumed earlier for purification accounted for nearly seventy percent of Li Mochen's treasures. He could not possibly use the remainder on this artifact.

After all, his Chosen Knights and Chosen Knights also required large amounts of drugs and treasures for cultivation.

Thus, over the past five months, Li Mochen had used his own vast divine power to wear down the evil aura, extracting it bit by bit from the shield like unraveling silk.

By this time, Li Mochen had also elevated the 'War' divine authority to the pseudo-truth level.

This greatly aided him personally and also benefited all his subordinates. Under the coverage of pseudo-truth-level War authority, both his Divine Will Legion and his mortal forces received maximum enhancement.

Previously, the Aesir and the Beast Empire's armies held a stable advantage in this regard. If not for the fact that many of the Fate Divine System's war domains were related to firearms and modern warfare, they would have been almost completely overwhelmed on the battlefield.

Li Mochen finally diverted some attention to the changing situation in the Bright World.

This was not to say he had completely ignored external affairs in the previous months; he simply had not focused enough. Li Mochen always had an avatar outside, monitoring the Bright World and the divine kingdoms, ready to awaken his main body at the first sign of an emergency requiring his personal attention.

Li Mochen had merely temporarily refrained from making specific decisions, delegating this authority to Bismarck and Prometheus.

The two did not disappoint him. By the time Li Mochen completed the purification of the 'Shield of Thebes', the number of gods in their Fate Divine System had increased to 276.

In terms of quantity, there was no great increase, but overall strength had doubled. This was due to efficient internal integration and 'removing the dross and retaining the essence'.

Those who were unwilling to contribute, half-hearted, or even inclined to defect during the previous war, as well as gods harmful to the pantheon, were forcibly expelled by the two.

Newly joined gods mostly signed relatively strict agreements.

This greatly enhanced the mobilization capacity of the Fate Divine System. Their 'Divine Will Legions' had increased to nine, with two fully organized reserve legions.

Additionally, they formed four 'Sea Beast Legions', two 'Titan Legions', two 'Underworld Legions', two 'Dragon Legions', and one 'Phoenix Legion', doubling the overall military strength of the Fate Divine System in a very short time!

It is worth noting that the number of believers in the Church of Fate had increased to 6.3 billion.

This was partly due to Li Mochen's direct confrontation with the two god-kings half a year ago, which gave many national elites confidence in him and his pantheon, prompting them to draw closer.

For example, the Dell family, one of the supreme families long entrenched in Mexico, whose current leader, Yvonne Dell, known as the telecommunications and finance magnate, was vigorously using family and company resources to promote and spread the faith of the Lord of Fate in Mexico.

In South America, many ancient powers similar to the Dell family were also striving to cling to the Fate Divine System.

Another part stemmed from Bismarck's diplomatic skills and effective integration of divine influence. Since Li Mochen entered seclusion, the Fate Divine System had briefly entered a dormant state. The Iron Chancellor used his outstanding diplomatic abilities to keep the Fate Divine System out of most conflicts in the world.

However, according to him, weak nations have no diplomacy. If not for the Fate Divine System and Li Mochen having demonstrated awe-inspiring strength in previous wars, his diplomatic skills would have been useless.

Li Mochen agreed with this view, which was why he had resolutely accepted the battle half a year ago. Even to be a fence-sitter required strength; concessions and compromises would not win the respect of those god-kings, only invite more covetousness.

In summary, Chancellor Bismarck skillfully exploited the wariness of all parties toward the Fate Divine System and their internal contradictions, along with schemes to divert trouble elsewhere, keeping the areas under the Fate Divine System's influence largely stable.

This further expanded the faith base of the Fate Divine System, at the cost of increased chaos in the northern United States and Canada, with signs of unrest looming.

The final part of the faith increase came from the turmoil in the Old World.

"It's already this chaotic?"

Li Mochen browsed the intelligence sent by Heydrich with surprise, while organizing the information collected by his avatar over the past six months in his divine mind.

Six months later, the Apennine Peninsula was fully engulfed in war. The Radiant Church in Vatican City had even been forced to relocate to Avignon in France.

The rebellion of the four families seemed to be intensifying on the Apennine Peninsula.

Their initial goal might have been to pressure the Radiant Church, even the Lord of Light, to return to the church, force Pope John Honorius to abdicate and retract his decisions. But after a series of relentless suppressions and an uncompromising stance from the latter, these supreme sequence members finally abandoned wishful thinking, mobilized all family resources, and used every means to resist the church and the Lord of Light, even joining forces to strike at the Lord of Light's faith in Italy and Greece at any cost.

Now, the Apennine and Balkan Peninsulas were engulfed in war. Government forces supported by the Radiant Church and rebel forces led by the four families and various gods clashed fiercely across five main battlefields, with front lines interlocking.

The overall war situation on that side was actually in a state of stalemate, with the forces of the Radiant Church unable to gain a clear advantage.

Li Mochen was not surprised. Although in terms of high-end military power, even the combined strength of the four great families led by Medici could not withstand a single finger of the Radiant Lord, behind them stood the unsparing support of the various pantheons.

In terms of secular power, however, the four great families led by Medici far surpassed the Church. Over the past millennium, they had nearly drained the foundation and strength of the Radiant Church.