Chapter 677: The Seal

"Just three hours ago, the 12th and 13th sub-legions of the Divine Wing Knights under the Church of Fate have entered Santa Maria City."

In Asgard, within the temple belonging to Odin, the gods of the Aesir were also anxious and restless over the war in South America.

Loki, the God of Fire and Deceit, sat on his throne, calmly sharing his newly acquired intelligence: "Furthermore, in the direction of Encarnación, they likely have hidden an armored mechanized corps of over 300,000 men, currently under further confirmation. I suspect it is the new National Defense Force established by the Brazilian government with American funding. Clearly, they have seen through our evacuation plan."

He noticed Odin's expression grow colder, which pleased Loki, and he slightly raised the corners of his mouth as he spoke.

"Then do you think they will launch a full-scale offensive? Lord Loki?"

The question came from Frigg, the Queen of the Aesir. He knew she had no loyalty to the Aesir pantheon, but bound by contract, her words spoken before Odin and the assembly were still somewhat credible.

"That depends on our choice. Two months ago, we called a ceasefire on the front lines for three days. Then their navy attacked the port of Cattorondi in Antolia, sinking all 1,400 transport ships gathered there, then forcibly broke through and captured the vital hub of Formosa. I think their attitude is the same now. If we intend to stop this war in South America, the Alliance of Destiny will not hesitate to launch a decisive battle, driving us into the sea or even annihilating us on land."

Loki smiled with a hint of mockery: "I know you don't want to admit it, but to some extent, the 32 million warriors of the Beast Empire in South America have indeed become hostages."

Loki knew that all this was the aftermath of the Battle of Granden Sea. After losing the advantage in the divine realm and suffering a blow to naval supremacy, the Aesir's situation in South America was inevitably deteriorating.

Initially, the Aesir gods were deceived by appearances, confident they could hold Argentina and even counterattack into Brazil after reinforcements. But now, everyone sensed the cold malice hidden behind the front lines by the Lord of Fate.

In Loki's view, Odin and Tyr themselves bore much responsibility; both war gods could not tolerate defeat. And the frontline commanders of the Beast Empire, even when facing major obstacles, dared not convey their concerns to the gods, leading all Aesir deities to misjudge and fail to accurately recognize the changing situation on the front.

"Arrogance!"

Sif, the Goddess of Harvest and Fertility, snorted coldly: "That's an army of 32 million, the elite warriors of the Beast Empire! Do they have such an appetite?"

"The problem is, not only is the Lord of Fate across from us very confident, but most of you here probably think so too. Remember, half a year ago, their army broke through our defenses head-on. Am I right, Lord Tyr?"

Seeing the slight change in expression among several gods, including Sif, who still didn't understand the situation, Loki shifted his tone: "There's even worse news. The Lord of Fate recently met with Isis, and they reportedly reached some agreement, the contents of which are unknown to outsiders. I suggest Your Majesty write to inquire and seek an explanation."

At this point, Odin interjected expressionlessly: "I have already asked. Lady Isis said 'no comment.'"

"Wow, a secret with no comment."

Loki laughed: "I guess it's related to the abnormal state of the Lord of Light. His divine aspect likely has issues again, requiring the Lord of Fate's help. But that's just my speculation; we have no way of knowing the specifics."

This remark caused a buzz among the many gods present, almost all whispering with varied expressions.

"The Lord of Light remains our steadfast ally, that is beyond doubt, and you need not worry."

Odin struck the sword he held on the ground, suppressing all discordant sounds in the hall with his unmatched authority.

"I have gathered you here for the situation in South America. We need a strategy to resolve the current crisis, not to question our allies based on hearsay. Do you have anything to say, Tyr?"

"We have only two choices, Your Majesty!"

Tyr replied with a pale face: "One is to withdraw our warriors at any cost, but this will inevitably result in heavy casualties. Our command estimates that bringing back 10 million would be very fortunate. The other is to send another 15 million troops to stabilize our current front lines. But this will put immense pressure on our logistics; Argentina's resources alone cannot sustain nearly 50 million warriors fighting on that continent. This will be a bottomless pit. Once we lose control of the seas, those Beast Empire warriors will never return."

"Tyr, withdrawal is not an option, but is reinforcement also impossible?"

Tyr looked toward the source of the voice, which was Thor.

"Lord Thor, if we withdraw, they will not stand idly by. But if we choose to reinforce, they will certainly welcome it."

"Both are very foolish."

Höðr, the God of Darkness, frowned deeply: "Can South America only support 35 million troops?"

"By further squeezing resources and taxes, 42 million is possible under extreme conditions. But this will also accelerate their goal of increasing faith. Moreover, the Church of Light has expressed dissatisfaction with us many times, which could lead to a complete rupture of the alliance."

Loki replied with a smile: "Our enemy is formidable. Think about it: when the full-scale war began, why did they counterattack at all costs to retake the Brazilian Triangle industrial zone centered on Rio de Janeiro?"

"Shouldn't that be your responsibility, Loki!"

Thor glared at the God of Deceit with anger: "It was your intelligence that led us to make wrong decisions."

"Sharp accusation!" Loki said nonchalantly: "But I cannot know everything about America's internal affairs, and Lord Lode couldn't either, could he? Ultimately, we misjudged the support of that Eastern ancient kingdom for the Pantheon of Destiny, and the quelling of riots in America was too swift; their industrial capacity erupted with particular strength. This makes me deeply doubt the sincerity and capability of the Church of Light and the Olympian Pantheon; they were supposed to contain America."

"The most critical misjudgment stems from the divine level: we failed to destroy their mining and magical material cultivation bases as planned, nor could we exert enough pressure on them on the front lines. Also, five months ago, I warned everyone that the intelligence we gathered might greatly differ from reality, that we could be bogged down in South America, and that temporarily abandoning it was the best strategic choice. Did you heed that, Lord Thor? I recall you said then: 'Retreat? Odin's honor must not be tarnished!'"

Thor's breath caught, clearly silenced by Loki's words. He could only turn aside: "What about the 'asymmetric warfare'? I heard several special operations regiments we smuggled into America proper achieved good results?"

The so-called asymmetric warfare, also known as 'unrestricted warfare,' refers to combat or war that transcends 'boundaries (and limits),' forms of war beyond the battlefield, including 'ecological warfare,' 'trade warfare,' 'financial warfare,' 'terror warfare,' etc., using unscrupulous means to strike at the enemy's war confidence and potential.

"Unfortunately, we are currently at a disadvantage in asymmetric warfare. Lord Thor, you must know how many resistance forces are in our occupied areas, don't you?"

Loki sighed, appearing deeply distressed: "We have indeed dealt heavy blows to America's interior, but their heavy and materials industries remain unaffected. Then many newspapers and TV stations have portrayed the Aesir as terrorists and demons, making their faith even stronger and more steadfast. I suspect the Pantheon of Destiny now has at least 4 billion devout followers in America. The power of their daily prayers is like a pillar of heaven!"

"I heard we have a stockpile of 3,000 nuclear warheads of various types? Can that help on the front?"

Höðr, the God of Darkness, asked thoughtfully: "If the goal is mutual destruction—"

"You must be joking, Höðr? We have 3,000 nukes, but the enemy has more than ten times that. According to my investigation, the number is between 50,000 and 70,000. We could severely damage their frontline forces, but they could annihilate all our warriors."

Loki shook his head before Höðr finished, projecting a map in the hall.

"Do you know what a 'particle beam defense system' is, Lord Höðr? Particle beam cannons can be understood as a technological enhancement of the 'shock ray' magic. At the Battle of Granden Island, you must have seen the particle beam cannon arrays on those ships? Now, the particle beam weapon technology of that Eastern ancient kingdom is very mature. They can produce particle beam weapons that are more powerful, smaller, and cheaper without needing magical energy arrays or expensive magical materials."

"And Light Magic Industries purchased their technology and embedded particle beam defense matrices into all city magic tower arrays under their control worldwide. You might find it hard to imagine that in Sydney alone, they have deployed 17 particle beam defense matrices, totaling 3,400 particle beam cannons. These can not only defend against missiles within a range of 13,000 kilometers but also effectively kill gods within 3,000 kilometers."

"Moreover, all their latest models of magical armor, tanks, and vehicles have enhanced radiation resistance. As long as it's not the epicenter of a nuclear explosion, all their soldiers wearing magical armor have a certain survival capability. This greatly increases their ability to handle nuclear war—believe me, once we open Pandora's box of nuclear war, we will be the ones to regret it. That is my advice to you!"

Höðr's face darkened. At the Battle of Granden Island, they had tried to use tactical nuclear missiles to destroy the allied fleet, but all were intercepted without exception.

In the end, it was their side that suffered many sea beasts killed or wounded by enemy missiles—in terms of nuclear warfare capability alone, the Alliance of Destiny was indeed far superior to them.

"Höðr, though you are not a war god, you should still take the time to understand the enemy's latest weapons and equipment!"

Odin rubbed his forehead in great distress: "So in this state, we are simply powerless to resolve it?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, unless—"

Tyr's eyes flickered: "Unless we can exert pressure on the Alliance of Destiny from another direction, or fight another divine battle—a war that allows us to regain the advantage. If we can deal a heavy blow to the Pantheon of Destiny, all our current problems can be solved."

Odin gave a light snort, a bloody glow spilling from his eyes: "But Tyr, haven't we been seeking a decisive battle all this half-year?"

Tyr fell silent again. Within half a month after the Battle of Granden Island, the four pantheons had been seeking a second divine war. They had never found the right opportunity—one that would force the gods of Destiny out of their turtle-shell-like defense system and into direct confrontation.

But now, it was more likely that they would be forced into another decisive battle with the Pantheon of Destiny in South America.

There, the enemy's front lines boasted up to 2,000 magic towers, with magical energy arrays constantly advancing. Those permanent fortresses could provide effective support to the gods of the Pantheon of Destiny within a radius of 3,000 kilometers. They had also built many special artillery pieces—magical energy weapons with small calibers but astonishing rates of fire, capable of posing a real threat to gods.

Even using the back of his heel, Tyr could imagine the outcome of such a battle—it would be no better than Granden Island.

"Suspend the evacuation plan for now. First, send the Axe Legion and the 342nd Legion under Duke Cobb to South America to stabilize the Lord of Fate. But the defense in the direction of 'Montevideo' must be strengthened! The current front line is too close. If we need to evacuate, the port capacity of this Uruguayan capital is crucial."

This was Lode, the God of Temptation, who had clearly thought it through: "Your Majesty, I believe it is time for you to talk with them. If we suffer another disastrous defeat there, it could shake the entire world situation. Moreover, I feel time is running out."

Odin knew that 'them' referred to the Aesir's allies.

"You are right, Lode. The pressure from the Alliance of Destiny cannot be borne by us alone. The Lord of Fate is growing stronger; we can no longer hope for a battlefield absolutely favorable to us—"

At that moment, Odin's expression tightened, his gaze fixed on a certain direction, and his face grew even darker. An extremely violent aura emanated from Odin, causing many gods present to fall silent in fear.

※※※※

Some time earlier, above the Arctic ice cap.

"Didn't I say it? What have you gained by allying with Odin and Zeus? The faith of Light is fading in the New World, and Olympus is encroaching on your power from Greece in the Old World."

"In their occupied territories, you urge your followers to be patient. But what do they do? The oppression of Light's followers grows day by day. You probably don't know how many followers I have now—officially 11 billion, but the real number has long exceeded 15 billion. If we exclude the Church of Truth, the world's largest faith has changed hands twice. Is this what you get from the alliance?"

"And Ahura, since the alliance, his usurpation of the Truth faith has become more blatant. Has he worked for this alliance? Maybe, but now he is more focused on stealing your faith. Perhaps in another year or two, his foundation in the Church of Truth will be truly solid. And you have to bow and scrape, unable to do anything."

"You two should trust my credibility. If you are willing to help me, then if a second God of Gods can appear in this world in the future, it will surely be Lord Horus. You have already placed that World Core in my hands. Do you have any other choice but to cooperate with me?"

Beside Isis, Li Mochen was tirelessly trying to persuade Isis and the 'Sun' beside her with his silver tongue.

The Holy Mother of Light and the Lord of Light remained unmoved, but Gaia, Zeus, and Rhea nearby all had cold expressions.

Li Mochen made no attempt to conceal his words; they could hear what he was saying. But the strange relationship between the two sides now inevitably bred suspicion.

The key was that what he said was exactly what they feared most. If these two major forces joined hands, the contest for the God of Gods might be settled.

Isis was full of helplessness. She could probably guess Li Mochen's intent but was powerless. Needing something from Li Mochen meant she could not forcefully drive him away, nor could she reveal the Lord of Light's condition to more people.

And even knowing he was sowing discord, Isis could not help but feel a trace of resentment. The harm this alliance had done to the interests of the Church of Light was indeed too great for her to ignore. This made thoughts of simply cooperating with Li Mochen pop into her mind from time to time, beyond her control.

"Don't be swayed by his provocations, Horus."

Isis's face was cold, without any expression fluctuation as she communicated with the Lord of Radiance through divine thought.

"This Lord of Fate is our greatest enemy; he is not to be trusted!"

"But it is you, my mother, who has been swayed by his provocations."

Horus's voice was not as scorching and狂暴 as the image he favored, but rather cold as ice: "And you have to admit, everything he said is true. I never had high hopes for this alliance, which has caused my followers to suffer hardships they should not have endured."

Isis sighed inwardly: "Even if we must cooperate with him, we have to wait until your problem is resolved. Before that, Horus, we must by all means hold him back."

"If we want to restrain him, we shouldn't have given him that World Core; it will only make his advantage more pronounced."

Horus disagreed: "In this battle of minds, I may not necessarily lose to him, to that Shadowmoon Gray Wolf."

"Of course I believe in you, Horus."

Isis's eyes flickered: "But we have safer, more guaranteed methods—why not use them?"

Li Mochen was completely unaware of the conversation between mother and son; he continued to speak eloquently: "Do you know, Isis? I even foresee where our next war will break out—not far from here, in the Federation's Alaska, right?"

At these words, Isis's body trembled slightly as she coldly stared at Li Mochen.

"If you hadn't sought my help this time, I would have had to temporarily avoid battle. But now, I actually have the idea of fighting you again. So guess the outcome? Your Highness Isis, who do you think will win between us?"

Just as they were talking, the centaur Chiron rose from within the ice cap: "It's ready, everyone. Now you just need to pour in your divine power."

The seven god-kings present—Lord of Radiance, Isis, Lord of Fate, Ishtar, Gaia, Zeus, and Rhea—exchanged glances, then each descended to the array hubs prepared by Chiron.

Zeus, at the easternmost side, asked with flickering eyes: "I want to know, how long can this seal him, Lord Chiron?"

"Thirty to fifty years. It depends on your will and whether the final divine seal is firm. It's too late; the opportunity to seal him permanently passed seven months ago."

Chiron replied with a bitter smile: "Now, even delaying his awakening by one more day gives us and this world an extra day of respite."

"So the key lies in whether our will is firm and our divine power is coordinated?"

Li Mochen was already pouring divine power into the sealing array arranged by Chiron, causing beams of light to shoot up from the surrounding ice cap.

"I urge everyone to go all out. The variable Chaos is not good for any of us. Especially you, Your Majesty Zeus!"

Li Mochen didn't quite understand why Gaia had to bring this King of Olympus along; originally, he was not on Li Mochen's invitation list.

To temporarily seal Chaos, the six god-kings present would have been sufficient.

And Zeus was the one Li Mochen was most uneasy about. When Gaia and her three children were hunting down Chaos's descendants across the world, Zeus had not yet entered this world.

After becoming a god-king, he used Nyx's power to counterbalance Gaia with Chaos's offspring. He had sheltered quite a few of Chaos's descendants, making them loyal pillars of the Olympian divine court.

Zeus did not reply, only smiled coldly. Gaia responded with a somber face: "I said I can vouch for him! His power can help us, and I can guarantee he will not harm our actions or this sealing array. Ahura and Odin can also testify."

She meant that until this moment, those two god-kings had sensed nothing.

"I hope so!"

Li Mochen's lips twitched, and his eyes still held doubt. But in the end, he shut his mouth and silently continued pouring divine power into the sealing array.

He didn't really care much about their intentions.

If this seal could last more than three years, Li Mochen would have gotten his wish and be satisfied. As for the situation that followed, no matter how it developed, he was confident he could handle it.

About thirty minutes later, the entire ice cap centered on the sealing array began to tremble violently. The surface ice kept cracking, emitting continuous 'crack' sounds. The surrounding ice mist also oscillated slightly, particles shattering into a state that made one's scalp tingle.

If not for the suppression of the seven god-kings' power, the explosion caused by nuclear fission would have affected the entire Arctic ice cap.

Stimulated by the sealing array, Chaos's consciousness was rapidly awakening, and his power leaked out. On one hand, the endless chaos devoured their power; on the other, it continuously emitted oscillations outward.

Li Mochen's expression gradually turned solemn. Although this 'Chaos' lord had slept for several thousand years, his strength was not weak at all.

Truth-level 'Chaos' and truth-level 'Oscillation'? He didn't know if the other had other authorities, but just these two were enough to secure a position among top-tier god-kings, on par with them. 'Chaos' and 'Oscillation', one offensive and one defensive, complemented each other perfectly!

As time passed, the resistance grew fiercer, and Chaos's third powerful truth-level divine authority emerged—'Fissure'!

Including Li Mochen and Chiron, all eight developed cracks of varying degrees within their bodies. They had to suppress the fissures inside themselves while ensuring that the surrounding matter did not undergo particle-level 'fission'.

If nuclear explosions occurred one after another, Chiron's sealing array would fail. Not only would they fail to seal Chaos, but they would also cause him to awaken prematurely.

However, the power of the seven mighty god-kings on site prevented this possibility. Li Mochen's ultimate 'Unity', 'Law', and 'Harmony' all played a role, but his fate divine authority was the main force against the fissures.

At the same time, Li Mochen sensed several gazes from the void focusing on this place.

There was the Night Goddess Nyx, the Nordic God-King Odin, and the current Lord of Truth, Ahura—but none of the three intended to intervene for now.

Outside the sealing array, Chiron had also used his storages from the mythological age to set up a grand defensive array to guard against external interference. At this moment, all seven god-kings present had spare capacity.

About half an hour later, the cracks and oscillations on the ice cap began to ease, and Chaos's resistance gradually weakened under the suppression of the sealing array.

At the same time, a black mist rose from the deep sea beneath the ice cap,冲出 the ice and appeared before them. The black mist quickly condensed into a three-inch-tall figure.

It was a being resembling a succubus, perfectly combining beauty, temptation, and ferocity. Despite its small size, it exuded overwhelming divine might and aura, causing the seven god-kings present to instinctively retract their divine thoughts and gather them within their bodies to resist the powerful mental pressure and the chilling 'contamination'.

Li Mochen felt extreme pleasure, an addictive sensation similar to drugs but billions of times more powerful than those流行的 in the bright world. A slight接触 was enough to make someone with Li Mochen's mental fortitude succumb.

That 'pleasure' was pervasive; the creative-level law force made even normal bodily fluid movement or simple thinking feel like supreme bliss.

And the极致 delight gave rise to an uncontrollable desire for more of this pleasure.

"This is?"

Ishtar's eyes showed suspicion, but she soon recognized the identity and further strengthened her mental defenses.

She knew that among those present, she, as the other identity of the Lord of Hell, was more susceptible to the other's corruption.

"Interesting. Who is preventing my consort in this world?"

The succubus-like girl scanned the crowd with a half-smile, then her gaze finally settled on Li Mochen: "It should be you, right? I see a multitude of causal threads on you. I know you—the Lord of Fate of this world, a powerful deity who rose in just thirty years. Are you trying to stop me, Lord of Fate of this world?"

Li Mochen's gaze凝然. The ancient god-king 'Phanes', son of Chaos, was an androgynous god.

And the one before him, 'Slaanesh' among the five Chaos gods, was also an androgynous deity, born from the power of pleasure, indulgence, joy, and even love. These four emotions, originating from all life, were also his source of power.

Moreover, in Greek mythology, 'Eros', the wife of Chaos, was also the earliest love goddess; she was born from chaos and participated in the creation of the world.

Among the immortals, she was the most beautiful, the basic动力 of creation at the world's beginning, the incarnation of the original动力 and natural creative force that gave birth to new life in the universe, the symbol of all love and lust.

—How similar was this to 'Slaanesh' among the five Chaos gods?

Speaking of which, in hell and the abyss, there were also a dozen demon kings and great lords with similar powers. But before this one, their power was as weak as ants.

"The spread of chaos is the enemy of all intelligent races."

Li Mochen showed no fear or retreat; he looked directly at this 'Lord of Slaanesh', the Chaos demon god.

"From the moment I became a god of this world, we were destined to be enemies!"

"There is another possibility: serve me!"

Slaanesh smiled at him: "I like you very much. You can receive my greatest favor and the most gifts from me. You are competing for the chance to become the God Above Gods, right? I can grant your wish right now and let your fame cover all heavens and worlds."

Li Mochen's face showed no emotion, seemingly unmoved. But within his divine thoughts, he was resisting the waves of pleasure and the endless desires that came, making him forever unsatisfied, giving him a profound craving.

The image of Slaanesh before him also began to overlap with Angela, becoming even more beautiful and alluring.

Fortunately, Chiron's sealing array was nearly complete. In at most three minutes, he could break free from the influence of this Chaos demon god's power.

"Tough will! You've piqued my interest and are qualified to play a game with me. But before that, you still have to deal with your two big troubles."

Slaanesh laughed gloatingly: "Those two lords of the previous era will never let you off easily. You've also angered Khorne, causing the toy it released to suffer heavy losses. Now, let me add a little seasoning to your exciting life. I hope it satisfies you."

At that moment, her body turned back into black mist, split into seven parts, and headed toward the seven god-kings present. Li Mochen instinctively resisted with his magic, but it was futile. The black mist still钻了进来, forming a strange, flame-like mark on his right arm.

Li Mochen's heart tightened slightly, but he soon had no time to care about it. Because Gaia, Rhea, and Zeus opposite him almost simultaneously changed. They thrust three deep green, spear-like mythical magical artifacts into the sealing array deep in the sea. Their power also deviated from the established cycle, distorting the array's magic patterns and forming a unique magic pattern structure inside.

At the same time, the tips of the three spears extended countless roots deep into the earth.

"Spears of Nature's Gift?"

Li Mochen identified them, then coldly stared at Gaia: "Is this your guarantee, Mother Gaia?"

Those were artifacts born with Gaia, among the most powerful mythical armaments in this primordial mother goddess's hands.

Isis's face also turned cold: "Gaia, you have betrayed our agreement."

For this sealing, Li Mochen had convinced her, and it was Isis who had invited Gaia. This made anger surge within her, feeling betrayed and mocked.

"I promised to help you seal him with all my strength, and I did, didn't I?"

Gaia smiled: "This sealing array hasn't been damaged; we just left a little backdoor. Not only has the seal not weakened, it's stronger. We paid more than you think."

"But your actions will make it easier for Chaos's power to seep into the outside world."

Chiron had already identified the changes inside the sealing array and realized what they had done. It did help reinforce the seal, but their purpose was to use the array to draw power from Chaos.

That was one of the abilities of the 'Spears of Nature's Gift'—to draw and purify power from any living being.

Moreover, this would be the greatest隐患 of the sealing array. In the future, with just a thought from Gaia, she could release 'Chaos' from the seal at any time.

"I know what you're worried about, but unless absolutely necessary, the possibility of me releasing it is almost zero."

Gaia was clearly impatient to linger with them. She waved her hand casually: "That's it. The seal is complete, and we should leave."