Chapter 672: Divine Power

Zeus had no need to ponder whether Heracles, the God of Strength, would turn against him.

At this moment, Heracles had already ceased his battle with Menoetius, the Rash Angel, and walked alone toward the front of the fleet. No one attempted to stop him; the warships and magic towers did not open fire on him.

Instead, Ares and Apollo of Olympus showed signs of agitation and anger. They roared at Heracles in fury, even hurling their war spears at the God of Strength in an attempt to kill the traitor. But it was all in vain; Heracles walked safely to the front of the fleet and knelt on one knee.

An avatar projected from Li Mochen's secondary body descended before him, holding the 'Order Sword'.

"Are you ready, Heracles?"

"Yes, my Lord."

Heracles looked up at the young man before him, who, though young, exuded the bearing of a sovereign.

"Heracles is ready to become your angel, your arm, your blade!"

Li Mochen smiled and placed his Order Sword on Heracles' shoulder.

"From now on, you are the tenth Angel King under my command, with the title of Angel of Divine Power!"

At that moment, his vast divine power poured into Heracles' body through the Order Sword, causing pairs of divine power wings to unfurl behind the 'Angel of Divine Power'. A sacred and immense golden light obscured half the clouds, drawing the attention of all the gods present.

Li Mochen then casually waved his hand, summoning a cultivation tank to his side.

"Come, Heracles, this is the body I have prepared for you. Use it to fight for me!"

Heracles' eyes widened slightly; he felt that this flesh was intimately connected to his own soul, and its appearance was similar to that of his living self.

Though the compatibility was far from that of his original body, and the physical strength barely crossed the threshold of an ancient god.

Yet Heracles knew that with diligent refinement, using his divine power, soul, and divinity to polish it, he would one day return to his former state, like his friend 'Guardian Angel' Achilles.

So this was the so-called cloning technology? Modern science could achieve this level?

This stirred waves in Heracles' heart. He did not know how much effort and material the Lord of Fate had expended on this body, but the respect and honor shown moved him deeply.

"But I have no use for it yet, my Lord!"

Heracles stood tall, spreading his three pairs of purple-gold wings, and reached into the void, pulling out a giant war sword—the weapon he had used in life, the most ancient sword that had slain many mythical monsters, the King of Swords—'Crom Cruach' (Cpom Caea, Irish for 'Battle Fury' and 'Command')!

Since his apotheosis, Heracles had not taken up this weapon until today.

"Allow me to first earn sufficient merit before accepting the reward you bestow. Please watch me; I will become the sharpest sword and spear in your hand, sending your enemies into the abyss of hell. I will strive to repay all you have done for me! Moreover, I wish that you would call me Hercules."

Heracles originally meant 'Glory of Hera', which for him carried a sense of humiliation. It was a name given by Athena to lessen Hera's murderous intent, allowing him to survive under the blows of Hera and her son.

Yet even so, he was driven mad by Hera after reaching adulthood and ultimately died of poison.

Only after losing his body was he seen as non-threatening and tolerable in the eyes of Hera and Zeus.

In Greece, due to his experiences, the name Heracles was later interpreted as 'one who achieved glory through Hera's persecution'.

Therefore, he preferred his Roman name, 'Hercules'.

"Then, Lord Hercules, I look forward to seeing you recreate the legend you forged as a mortal."

Indeed, a gleam of expectation shone in Li Mochen's eyes.

To win over this God of Strength, he had paid a considerable price, even bestowing the precious Freedom Scepter upon the nearly abandoned Delphinia—though Delphinia's own abilities were the main factor. But without the matter of Hercules, he would not have so readily granted the Freedom Scepter.

Thus, Li Mochen was eager to see Hercules' value.

In fact, he had already seen it; his spiritual sense detected the truth-rhyme gradually emanating from Hercules' radiant wings—the truth of power! And it was truth-level power!

It seemed there was more; besides power, Hercules possessed another truth-level authority.

Had this God of Strength of Olympus been hiding his strength all along in their battles?

This thought flashed through Li Mochen's mind, and then his eyes showed understanding and relief.

Indeed! Even in such harsh conditions, Achilles had elevated many of his divine authorities to the ultimate level. How could Hercules, with a better situation and greater talent, have accomplished nothing in these millennia?

This made Li Mochen even more expectant. He wanted to see what brilliance his 'Angel of Divine Power' would display in this divine war on Granden Island.

Hercules' first opponent was Ares. He transformed into a rainbow light and charged before Ares' chariot. With a single sword stroke, he severed the heads of Ares' horses, Aithon (meaning 'Burning') and Konabos (meaning 'Uproar').

His second stroke sent Ares' chariot plummeting into the ocean. Phlogios (meaning 'Flame') and Phobos (meaning 'Terror') were also cut in two, their blood dyeing the entire sea red!

Hercules' sword style was simple and unadorned, yet honed to perfection. Even the War God Ares was utterly powerless. The source power called 'Battle' now favored Hercules, abandoning the War God and surging wildly into the latter's body.

Anyone could see that Hercules' battle authority was infinitely close to the truth level, making the mighty War God Ares seem like a novice who had not yet learned to fight.

"That's it, Heracles!"

Achilles laughed heartily, not angered that his opponent had been taken. Witnessing Hercules' divine might, he felt immense joy.

"It should have been this way, my friend! Zeus made us dance with chains on our feet, fighting for him like grazing beasts, but we will not submit! Show your brilliance, Heracles, let this honored son of Hera feel your wrath—"

Boom!

It was the sound of Hercules' 'Crom Cruach' striking Ares' shoulder. The armor forged by his brother, the Smith God Hephaestus, could not withstand Hercules' source power slash. One of Ares' arms was directly annihilated by the sword force penetrating the armor, even affecting his chest and abdomen, pulverizing most of his internal organs, and causing him to let out a miserable roar like a wounded beast.

This scene also shocked the assembled gods. Hercules had no physical body; even with truth-level divine authority, he could not exert its full power. Yet, relying solely on his soul and the divine power from Li Mochen, he had brought Ares, who had stepped into the pseudo-god-king level, to the brink of death in less than half a minute!

"Stop, Heracles."

The one who intervened was Apollo. He and his chariot transformed into a stream of light, appearing before Hercules to intercept the 'Crom Cruach'.

His relationship with Ares was extremely hostile, often at odds and even hostile. This stemmed not only from Hera's persecution of their mother and him but also from conflicts between their divine offices and faiths.

Yet they belonged to the same pantheon and shared common interests. Now, Apollo could not stand by and watch Ares die.

But as he approached in light, he was startled. Hercules' sword slanted upward, a sharp source power slash spanning ten thousand meters.

It was a pseudo-truth-level 'Hit', a power derived from causality that could ignore any objective conditions and natural laws! And a pseudo-truth-level 'Weakness Insight', though not a superior divine authority, was still terrifying.

The sword light nearly split him and his sun chariot in two. Apollo barely avoided that fate, but he and his chariot uncontrollably fell toward the sea.

Hercules' pure killing intent remained fixed on Ares. After repelling Apollo, a force of void tried to pull Ares away. He unhesitatingly swung his sword again, not only shattering Ares' mostly restored body but also causing the Queen of Heaven, Hera, who was fiercely battling the 'War Angel' Robert, to let out a pained shriek.

"Heracles! You bastard, how dare you! I should have killed you long ago, you ungrateful wretch, an untamed wolf cub. Zeus!"

A huge wound had been cut into her chest, and a large amount of divine blood uncontrollably spilled out.

Hercules' gaze remained cold and merciless. His 'Crom Cruach' had gathered maximum power; the next stroke could slay Ares on the spot!

At the same time, a bolt of lightning flashed from afar, but Hercules ignored it and continued to swing his sword. The unadorned sword momentum split the entire sea before him.

This stroke could not only shatter Ares' body and soul but also split the entire Granden Island in two. The unparalleled sharp sword light could divide the smallest particle level, producing a vast force akin to nuclear fission.

"Boom!"

The giant sword clashed with the lightning. Zeus ultimately blocked Hercules' sword light, but his vast divine power could not fully withstand the force of this stroke. Large amounts of lightning scattered from his thunder-fire spear, and his thunder chariot was forced back nearly a hundred meters.

"He is your brother, Heracles!"

"I do not acknowledge it."

Hercules continued to swing his sword, exchanging ten blows with Zeus in an instant, sending sparks flying and thunder and fire rolling across the sky. He was no match for Zeus, but Lucifer, who had also arrived, was already restraining most of Zeus' power. Standing a hundred meters away, Lucifer wore a faint smile, but his dual blades and the dangerous aura he exuded were unmistakable.

After the brief exchange, a tiny sword scar appeared on Zeus' chest.

This made Zeus' gaze extremely cold: "Will you betray me in the end, Heracles? Raise your blade against your father?"

"You should indeed regret! If I had known I would suffer such experiences after adulthood, I would rather have died before being born."

Hercules' sword momentum remained concise, fierce, and deadly, with no sign of weakness.

"And you should call me Hercules! The Angel of Divine Power of the Lord of Fate!"

Another boom erupted as a pale source power slash swept across the sky, forcing even Zeus to avoid it head-on, letting it sweep across the clouds.

At this moment, Zeus' eyes were dark with deep regret.

His child, the God of Strength Heracles, could now contend with a god-king. His disadvantage lay in insufficient divine rank and the 'Crom Cruach' not being strong enough, at least not reaching the pseudo-truth level.

Yet even so, he was now a powerhouse comparable to Thor, Michael, and Prometheus!

He should not have indulged Hera so much; that woman was utterly foolish. The stupidest was Ares, a rutting dog who dared to provoke anyone.

"What a splendid scene!"

Lucifer in the distance clapped lightly, his smile broadening: "An abused illegitimate son raising a sword of revenge against an irresponsible father. You brought this upon yourself, Zeus!"

Lucifer was thoroughly pleased with the drama Li Mochen had orchestrated.

At that moment, a loud 'bang' echoed across the cloudy sky as Ares' partially restored remnant body exploded.

It was a sniper bullet from the 'Divine Will' rifle atop the Fate Domain magic tower, which blew apart Ares' body and soul in one shot.

Li Mochen's secondary body had been stationed on the fortieth floor of the Fate Domain magic tower, controlling the entire magical array while remaining hidden.

The key was that no suitable opportunity had arisen; all hostile gods present were on guard, and the two omnipresent Lords of Light could appear anywhere to intercept his bullets. They would never allow it—in a joint siege, letting the Lord of Fate spare strength to kill a god on their side would be a great disgrace.

In fact, the 'Divine Will' rifle served more to distract the two Lords of Light, forcing them to devote at least twenty percent of their attention to guarding against Li Mochen's secondary body.

But at this moment, Li Mochen's secondary body finally found its chance. He fired without hesitation, and the Lord of Light and Ahura did not hold back either. As Li Mochen fired, they began to intervene, shaking off the delays and interference from Li Mochen's main body in an extremely short time.

Yet they were ultimately a hundred-thousandth of an instant too late. Neither Zeus nor Ares could react; they could not delay even a millionth of a second. The annihilation force contained in the bullet directly destroyed and annihilated every part of Ares' body.

Even Ares' soul could not escape. Li Mochen's divine authority was causing his death, even beginning to trace back, affecting the part of Ares' soul preserved on Mount Olympus, cutting off all his life force.

At this critical moment, Zeus' lightning struck, cutting off and sweeping away the power Li Mochen had sent.

"Ares!"

At that moment, Hera was nearly berserk.

She knew Ares was not dead, but such severe injuries could not be healed quickly. No matter how powerful the mythical treasures, they could not restore him rapidly.

And if the healing was improper, Ares would suffer eternal aftereffects.

"Andre Li Wiltenstein!"

Zeus, too, bristled with rage. He almost ground out Li Mochen's mortal name. The狂暴 lightning multiplied into millions of strands, densely covering the sky, striking toward Li Mochen's main body.

But then a sword light flashed across the sky, cutting apart and sweeping away all the lightning.

Hercules, holding the 'Crom Cruach', broke into a rare smile: "I will not let you pass, Zeus! If I allow you to disturb my Lord's battle, that would be my dereliction of duty."

※※※※

"By Chaos above, truth-level power and truth-level slaying, two pseudo-truth-level causal abilities, and combat skills no less than Zeus'. Heracles, this child, his talent is so outstanding?"

In the former Pantheon, Gaia leaned back slightly, looking at this scene with surprise: "What has Zeus been doing? His child, such a powerful god, should have been the strongest wall of the Olympian pantheon. What did he do to make Heracles turn to his opponent, filled with hatred for him and Hera? How could he be so foolish?"

She spoke in a tone of incredulous amazement, but the emotion in her eyes was more of schadenfreude.

Beside her, Rhea had no answer. She knew that Heracles' betrayal was largely due to Zeus' unfairness, but the main reason was Hera.

That was indeed Zeus's illegitimate son, whose birth challenged Hera's authority and threatened their mother-and-son status. But after Heracles died, she should have set aside her hostility and treated the child well. After all, Zeus had countless illegitimate children, and he held no special favor for Heracles.

Hera's child had clearly realized this. She had already married her daughter off to him, so why did she allow Ares to do such a thing?

But Hera was her favorite daughter, and also her spokesperson in the Olympian pantheon.

So to some extent, this was also the result of Rhea's indulgence.

However, this Heracles, with such immense power, had remained obscure on Mount Olympus for thousands of years, enduring until now. The resentment in his heart must be extraordinary.

“Mother, aren't you afraid? Heracles' joining will make him even stronger, even more invincible.”

Rhea frowned deeply, her eyes filled with worry: “At this rate, sooner or later we won't be a match for him even if we join forces.”

“So what?”

Gaia complacently popped a grape into her mouth: “What does that have to do with me? If I join in, can I gain control of the core? If they feel afraid, they can come beg me, and under the witness of the stars, obediently return what they took from me. I will graciously forgive their transgressions.”

Rhea looked helpless, and just as she was about to continue, Gaia sneered: “Do you think I can't see Zeus's current state? Rhea, or has he even fooled you? And that Odin, he's also an extremely cunning fellow. Even that little one under siege is holding back. They are all far from being at the end of their rope. And can you really kill him? That guy has already mastered truth-level time; his life state is constant. As long as his divine power is sufficient, he can step out of the river of time without limit. How many times can you kill him? Haven't you noticed? Odin has pierced him with Gungnir many times, but he's completely fine.”

Rhea was left speechless, but it was precisely this ability that made her uneasy.

“Mother, this ability to stabilize life with time cannot be without limits. And divine power—I admit he has many sources of divine power now, but that doesn't mean he can digest it all.”

“Nine billion believers, seventy billion of which are his, including a large number of fanatics. In terms of the quality of faith alone, he is already not inferior to Horus.”

Gaia shook her head: “I think instead of hoping to kill him, you'd be better off competing for the world's core before he grows invincible. Given the current state of the core, any one of you, as long as you can grasp a sixty-five percent share, can become a God above Gods. What do you think, Athena?”

Athena was at that moment watching the scenes in the magical projection, her eyes filled with shock.

She hadn't expected Heracles to be so powerful, almost not far from a true God-King.

But on Olympus, Zeus only granted Heracles the divine power of the fifteenth rank and did not allow him to have independent faith.

Now, just the divine power bestowed by Li Mochen had brought about such a transformative change.

“He prefers to be called Hercules, I mean this guy.”

Athena pointed at the figure struggling against Zeus on the sea.

“I think Mother Gaia's idea is too naive. They all have ulterior motives. For instance, Ahura, currently the weakest among them, why must he settle the outcome in such a short time? He could continue to grow stronger, swallowing the Truth Church of the Lord of Light. Another example is you, Mother. If we must determine the qualification for God above Gods in the short term, then you, Mother, will be the first to be eliminated, I guarantee it.”

Gaia, instead of being angered, laughed: “You make a good point, Athena. So let's keep watching. I think perhaps soon, the turning point I'm waiting for will come.”

Rhea sighed inwardly. She dared not express dissatisfaction to Gaia, so she could only glare fiercely at Athena.

The latter pretended not to see and continued watching the screen projection. Her interests were not aligned with Rhea's; in fact, they conflicted.

Without Rhea's support, how could Zeus have devoured her mother back then?

Of course, the prophecies made by Gaia and Uranus were also the main cause. The means they used to threaten and restrain Zeus brought deep disaster to her mother and brother.

※※※※

“Wow, Hercules feels pleasure—is it because of Ares?”

Above Granden Island, Lucifer continued to drive words like knives into Zeus's heart: “How much must he hate you, King Zeus? He is your son, who should be fighting bravely for you—”

Lucifer's words abruptly stopped, because Li Mochen's voice sounded in his ear: “Have you seen enough, Lord Lucifer? If you have time, spare some power to help Jörmungandr.”

At this moment, Odin had already severely wounded him twenty-seven times with his replicated Gungnir, most often piercing straight through his lungs.

But now Li Mochen no longer needed to rely on the power of merit and the Divine Fortune Purple Gold Pagoda. He had fixed his body and soul in a past time segment, and as long as he had enough divine power, he could recover.

However, if this continued, theoretically, Odin could pierce him with Gungnir at least ten thousand three hundred and forty-four times within three days.

Li Mochen had not yet fully mastered pseudo-truth-level 'Eternity,' and he might not be able to sustain such consumption.

Fortunately, the power Hercules had displayed was enough to rank among the top sub-God-Kings, greatly sharing his pressure, allowing Lucifer to divert some attention.

Meanwhile, the 'Free Angel' Delfinia Edric, who had returned from Mount Olympus, had rejoined his battle formation.

“I had the chance to bring out Phorcys, the Wrath of the Sea, and several others sealed by Zeus, but I ultimately gave up.”

On the fortieth floor of the Destiny Magic Tower, Delfinia's image was projected, respectfully reporting to Li Mochen: “I think the Hearth Goddess Hestia wasn't really trying her best to stop me earlier; she seemed to be going through the motions. But if I tried to go further, she would have gotten serious.”

Li Mochen nodded slightly: “You're right. Hestia's strength is more than that. As for Phorcys, the Wrath of the Sea, it's good that you didn't bring him out.”

Although this one was a member of the twelve Olympian main gods, he had always maintained a friendly attitude toward his side.

Earlier, he had helped Diana construct the magic network, and Hestia was the first to respond when he forced the gods to sign the agreement in Australia.

Thus, among the Olympian gods, only Hestia's temples and faith had not been banned by the American and Australian governments; they remained legal.

This time, the Hearth Goddess also did not appear on the front lines, and she indeed had the ability to say no to Zeus.

As for Phorcys, the Wrath of the Sea—although the enemy of my enemy is my friend, if he were to show up now, how would the Sea Goddess Thetis handle herself?

The reason this goddess could unify the descendants of the primordial sea beast Pontus and control the Titan giants and sea monsters of Phorcys's lineage was that the previous generation's elders were, for various reasons, not in the bright world.

If the Wrath of the Sea came out, would he be willing to submit to Thetis? If that led to internal conflict in the ocean domain, the gain would not outweigh the loss.

Even if he were to be rescued, it should be at Thetis's own request.

“Besides that, I also rescued several Greek heroes and the centaur Chiron.”

Delfinia continued explaining: “He said he wants to see you.”

In fact, the seven heroes Delfinia rescued this time were all very powerful souls with main god-level potential.

But what she valued most was the centaur Chiron.

He was the son of the second-generation God-King Cronus and the water nymph Philyra, the latter being the daughter of the Titan Oceanus and Tethys. The second-generation God-King Cronus turned Philyra into a mare and mated with her, giving birth to Chiron, so Chiron was born in the form of a centaur.

However, unlike the other centaurs born from Ixion's union with a cloud, who were savage and brutal, he was kind and gentle. Besides, he had extraordinary talents, being proficient in both civil and martial arts, and was the teacher of many Greek heroes.

Until one day, he was accidentally wounded by an arrow smeared with the Hydra's venom shot by Heracles. Chiron felt unbearable pain, the kind that made him willing to give up immortality. At that time, his close friend Prometheus was suffering punishment on Mount Caucasus for stealing fire for humans. So Chiron conspired with Heracles to replace Prometheus, releasing the latter from Mount Caucasus, and himself finding release from divine punishment.

This naturally severely offended Zeus's authority. Afterward, although Chiron's soul was elevated to Mount Olympus, he was imprisoned by Zeus until now.

Only because his fate was somewhat connected to the constellation Sagittarius in the starry sky, and he was suspected of being the projection of some great star god, was he not killed by Zeus.

“Chiron?”

Li Mochen was somewhat surprised and also full of anticipation.

With the precedents of the 'Divine Angel' Hercules and the 'Guardian Angel' Achilles, Li Mochen couldn't help but be interested in their teacher Chiron.

But if this one was truly the projection of some great god, the possibility of taking him under his wing was minimal.

“I will receive him after the battle. And what about those heroes?”

“All are so-called blasphemers, like Orestes and Aeneas. They have resilient and powerful souls. If they weren't strong enough, they would have died over these millennia in the harsh prison overseen by Ares's four sons.”

Delfinia sighed: “But the injuries to their souls are severe; it will take a long time for them to recover.”

Ares had four sons, Deimos and Phobos, who presided over the divine powers of terror, fear, panic, and dread, similar to the divine offices of his four warhorses.

They inherited Ares's brutal nature and enjoyed torturing others.

“Aeneas?”

Li Mochen understood just by hearing the name. He was originally a general under Prince Hector of Troy. After the fall of Troy, he led the remaining Trojan citizens to the region of Latium and founded the city of Rome.

He was considered the ancestor of the Romans, honored as 'Jupiter,' meaning 'founder of the race'—which naturally offended the gods, touching the very foundation of the Olympian pantheon.

Unfortunately, Hector was not among them. He was one of the most powerful heroes in Greek mythology, able to rival Achilles.

“Bring them back to the divine kingdom, provide the best medicine for their injuries, and have our god of medicine personally oversee it. Tell them I will meet them in person after the battle.”

Since they had been rescued, Li Mochen naturally wouldn't turn them away, and main god-level talent was worthy of his courtesy.

At this moment, the Fate Divine System had indeed expanded to its limit. Apart from the Sun God, Dark God, Thunder God, etc., almost every important position and various divine offices had been assigned, but Li Mochen's vision was not limited to this world.

Talents like Hercules were welcome; he would never tire of them, nor would he think they would challenge his authority and status in the future.

“You did very well on this mission. Entrusting the Scepter of Freedom to you was the right choice. You have never betrayed my trust, Del.”

This was true. Although for a time Delfinia was bent on cutting ties and distancing herself, she had indeed completed all tasks Li Mochen assigned without fail.

“But you need to keep up the effort. Such achievements alone are not worthy of the Scepter of Freedom.”

Delfinia bowed again, spreading her three pairs of wings behind her: “Yes, Your Majesty. I will proceed according to the plan and do my best to safely withdraw our troops.”

The planned strategy was withdrawal. Li Mochen had no intention of fighting to the death with the major pantheons here. Having severely wounded Ares and gained Hercules, with one side rising and the other falling, it was time to quit while ahead. After all, he couldn't defeat the combined forces of these God-Kings.

Li Mochen certainly couldn't abandon his landing forces, so he had formulated a withdrawal plan before the battle began. Delfinia would have to act, 'banishing' their warriors to Lucifer's hell, from where they would return to the American mainland.

Unfortunately, Delfinia's divine power had not yet reached the truth level; otherwise, it wouldn't be so troublesome. She could send them directly to the American mainland without a detour, and she could even banish her opponents to another world.

“Hurry up. I'll give you ten minutes.”

Li Mochen looked at the distant battlefield: “Christine told me she's encountered a small problem.”

In this operation, the ones responsible for guarding the Fate Divine Kingdom were the Moon Rabbit and Hela. The former focused on the Fate Divine Kingdom, while the latter watched over both the American mainland and the underworld.

And as Li Mochen had predicted, while he was scheming for Hercules, his enemies were also plotting against him.