Chapter 620: The God King

Watching the more than twenty dragon-headed warships in the distant clouds turn around and leave under the cover of Odin's divine power, Anthony in the Fate's Domain magic tower felt a slight relief: "It seems the trap you set ultimately failed. You're not thinking of pursuing them, are you, Amo?"

"Do I look that foolish, Anthony?"

Li Mochen glanced at Anthony, thinking he would have to be mad to actively seek out Odin and invite a beating.

This one was different from Ares. Li Mochen could defeat Ares one-on-one, or even kill him by mutual destruction with his main body under siege. But against Odin, even with all his strength, Li Mochen could at most inflict an indelible wound.

This Norse God King would never sit idly by while his subordinates were slaughtered and retreat alone.

The Greek War God was indeed outwardly strong but inwardly weak, yet Li Mochen himself was also fierce of mien but faint of heart.

The ultimate goal of this battle was to force Ares to retreat.

If that failed, he would use the destruction of his main body and the Fate's Domain magic tower as a cost to severely wound or kill Ares.

But that was far from what Li Mochen wanted. He did have the power to severely wound or kill Ares, but it would inevitably expose the power he had gained from Typhon and Skadi.

Currently, Li Mochen did not want a direct conflict with Nyx, the Night Goddess. He had killed several of her divine avatars in the American underworld, but if she descended to the material world in person at any cost, Li Mochen's fate would be no better than if he had openly challenged Odin.

In short, this was a tactic of 'bluffing,' 'showing strength when weak.' Forcing both Ares and Odin to retreat was a perfect outcome.

"So what now?"

Robespierre asked, "Do we disband?"

He had an experiment unfinished, and the many mages gathered here also stirred uneasily, fearing the war might reignite, with Odin and Ares possibly regrouping legions and dozens of ships to recoup their losses.

"No! We're going to Australia for an armed demonstration."

Li Mochen glanced sideways at his 'brother-in-law': "Of course, the rewards this time will be generous. I won't treat you all poorly."

He knew that at this moment, he could not show weakness. The more unwilling to fight, the more he had to project a tough stance.

Moreover, the next phase would be 'harvest.' If before he was 'bluffing' and 'fierce of mien but faint of heart,' after this 'armed demonstration,' he would gain true power to contend with the mighty pantheons of Olympus and Asgard.

As Li Mochen expected, when he sailed into Sydney Harbor with forty-nine magic towers and two combined fleets in grand style,

the first to arrive at the Fate's Domain magic tower seeking an audience and requesting to become Li Mochen's subordinate god was 'the God of Valor and Warriors,' Ludwig. Famous worldwide during the First and Second World Wars, he had created many legendary feats on the battlefield as a warrior and was deified, a high god with a divine rank of 11, worshipped by many warriors and magic energy professionals.

Both the Aesir and Olympian pantheons had tried to recruit him, and Ahura Mazda had also attempted to make him an angel under his command. But he had refused all. However, after Li Mochen forced back Odin and Ares and swept through the temples of both pantheons with his 'Storm Troops,' Ludwig immediately rushed to Australia and performed the vassal's rite at the top of the Fate's Domain magic tower.

"That bitch Eris is utterly unworthy to lead us against Odin and Zeus!"

Ludwig openly expressed his contempt and disdain for the Goddess of Liberty: "What can she do besides schemes and incitement? Four thousand years ago, she was just a little maid before Zeus. Expecting her to resist her former master—isn't that a joke?"

Next came 'the God of Artillery, Tanks, Armor, War Machines, and Blitzkrieg,' Guderian: "Only a great existence like you has the power to command us in resisting foreign aggression!"

Then 'the God of Diplomacy, Power, and Protector of the Teutons,' Bismarck: "Your Majesty Wiltonstein, you were born to be the King of Gods!"

After these three came 'the God of Finance and Commerce' of the New World, Isolde Morgan, a sovereign god with a divine rank of 17 and founder of America's supreme family, the Morgans.

He had originally become a god through faith, worshipped by many financial professionals, but by now he had established his foundation on 'laws.' However, due to his divine office, his combat power was mediocre. Though a sovereign god, he was even weaker than Ludwig.

Notably, he had originally been a supporter of the Goddess of Liberty, but after this storm ended, he did not hesitate to come before Li Mochen and express submission.

"My lord! You have shown me hope. You will ultimately hold up the sky for the living beings of this land, protecting them from the incursions of foreign gods. I can do little, but my church and the Morgan family will provide you with all the financial support within our power."

The fifth was 'the God of Wealth, Mining, Management, Charity, and Protector of Universities,' Davidson Rockefeller, a powerful god with a divine rank of 13, whose overall strength was not much inferior to Morgan's.

Li Mochen placed his seat above Isolde Morgan's to honor Rockefeller's merits and friendship.

Next came 'the God of Travel, Adventure, Exploration, and Mercenaries,' Field. Due to the existence of the 'Dark World' and 'Mist Continent,' Field's power was very strong.

He was not only a sovereign god, worshipped by many magic energy professionals and mercenaries, but also possessed the ability to fight any deity.

Then 'the God of Modern Agriculture, Mechanical Farming, Fertilizers, Hybridization, Genetic Modification, and Harvest,' Rainbird Onassis, also a sovereign god and founder of the supreme Onassis family. However, though he had abundant divine power sources, like Isolde Morgan, he lacked a divine office for strong combat and mostly relied on his own honed powerful source energy to fight.

Yet the Olympian and Aesir pantheons generally had ancient god bodies, putting them at a natural disadvantage in conflicts.

But the next few gods were very powerful. Storm God Wood, once a hero who helped people withstand wind disasters four hundred years ago, was deified after death. Over these four centuries, he diligently helped Americans calm wind disasters, earning widespread respect as a powerful sovereign god.

He greatly admired Li Mochen's feat of confronting Ares and Odin head-on and also expressed submission.

"If you continue to fight these foreign gods, I, Twyck Wood, will forever be your servant."

Also 'the God of Roads, Railways, Highways, Power, Automobiles, and Transportation,' Alec Norfolk, a former Archmage who created the magic energy automobile. His Norfolk family, though not receiving any protection from this god, had long prospered in America.

The Magic Goddess Diana was also the goddess of roads and beacons, but she was completely defeated in competition with Alec Norfolk, showing the latter's strength.

And 'the God of Gases and Electromagnetism,' Faraday, also a powerful deity who became a god as an Archmage.

Then 'the God of Surgery, Medicine, Modern Medicine, and Healthcare,' Patrick, a powerful law god with a divine rank of 18, not only outstanding in strength but also indispensable for a complete pantheon.

Also 'the Goddess of Nursing, Life Maintenance, and Childbirth,' Ms. Nightingale, the mother of nurses widely respected in modern times, an ally of Patrick, and a powerful goddess with a divine rank of 17.

And their eternal enemy and friend, 'the God of Microorganisms, Viruses, Bacteria, and Vaccines,' Carlson, also appeared before Li Mochen.

"Those guys have already made a mess of this world. They want to disrupt the order of this world, make the Lord of Radiance overwhelmed, and collapse his faith. But we also suffer collateral damage, don't we? I feel many of my followers crying and wailing."

Then 'the God of Firearms, Shooting, and Rapid Shooting,' Ansonwood, a cowboy from six hundred years ago, famous in America for his astonishing shooting speed and skill, a powerful god.

Also 'the Earth Dragon God,' Magnus, the favorite offspring of the Supreme Dragon God, a powerful eternal dragon. His arrival represented the attitude of the Supreme Dragon God.

"Your Majesty Wiltonstein, my father Io sends His respects to you. He says that if you are determined to fight the foreign gods, He is willing to follow the will of the Source and join your command at an appropriate time."

The current leader of the Phoenix clan, Anfield Phoenix, came in person, his demeanor far more humble than the dragons: "Your Highness, my Phoenix clan seeks your protection and wishes to guard your presence."

He was an eternal phoenix. Due to their power and attributes, they had offended the Lord of Radiance and several sun gods in history, suffering heavy blows over millennia, even being labeled demons by the Church.

And Anfield Phoenix was already the strongest among all surviving phoenixes.

There were stronger ones among them, but they were currently in a state of nirvana, unknown when they would awaken.

Besides these, there were the God of Classical Music, the God of Song and Dance, the God of Athletics, the God of Culinary Arts, and many other new gods that had emerged since the Light Church's military unification of the Old World. They all gathered at the Fate's Domain magic tower, astonishing the many mages there.

Consulius, squeezed into a corner, was so excited his cheeks flushed. He felt no sense of grievance; the scene before him only brought him supreme glory.

Who would have thought, a dozen years ago, that his descendant, the child of Li Chunchu and Elena Wiltonstein, would sit high on the divine throne, receiving the homage of the gods?

"This is because our lord has not only raised his banner here but also shown sufficient strength!"

Schroeder, the subordinate god 'God of Precision Industry and Metallurgy' sitting behind Anthony, revealed the reason.

"In this regard, Eris cannot compete with him. Since history began, the leader of a pantheon has always been a war god, a thunder god, a sun god, a light god, or a creator god. Freedom and strife cannot reassure the gods or make them submit, even if she has mastered 'pseudo-truth' level divine authority and entered the god-king rank. So, as long as the Lord of Fate dares to step forward and has the strength to do so, they know what to do."

"Although his main divine office is not war, the power of fate is clearly stronger. In the past, Ananke, the Night Goddess with only a medium divine rank, could make the sky god king Uranus and his son helpless."

Mallet, 'the God of Processing and Modification,' mused: "The gods here have no retreat. The Lord of Radiance attributes all glory and authority to himself and will not allow them to exist as gods. One of the purposes of the returning pantheons is to seize their authority. Besides resisting, they have no other choice."

"So our Lord of Fate is the only choice."

Schroeder laughed with a hint of sarcasm: "Even if he ultimately fails against the foreign gods, they can leave this fallen banner and find their own way, can't they?"

"At least it makes us look strong and formidable!"

Anthony laughed: "And among them, there are those who sincerely follow Andre in battle, like Ludwig and Targaryen."

So when the Fate's Domain magic tower, where the gods gathered, and the majestic magic tower array arrived over Sydney,

almost everyone in the city knelt in fear, half-prostrating to the Lord of Fate in the sky and the many gods, showing reverence.

"Before I fall, I will not allow divine battles on this land or in this country. If you agree, swear to the Source and the stars. If you refuse, then in one day, I will raze and destroy your temples here. No god, no force, no individual will be exempt."

Li Mochen's decree was directly delivered to the many churches, shrines, and temples in Sydney.

At that moment, the more than ninety gods in the Fate's Domain magic tower superimposed their divine power on Li Mochen's words, giving them supreme majesty, shaking all of Australia and most of the world.

Initially, all gods were silent. But twenty-two hours after the magic tower array appeared over Sydney, first the Nature Goddess Artemis responded to his call, then the Goddess of Hearth and Flame Hestia, the Goddess of Wisdom and Knowledge Athena, and then like dominoes falling, the many gods with missionary sites in the city sent their oaths to the Fate's Domain magic tower.

The Lord of Radiance did not swear, but the Pope-elect, the Guardian Angel Isolde Alank, personally came to the Fate's Domain magic tower.

"My lord's will: as long as the foreign gods do not provoke first, the Light Church will not initiate conflict throughout Australia."

For the Lord of Radiance, this was no different from taking an oath.

Then Zeus, the God King of Olympus, also sent an olive branch through Apollo's divine avatar.

The olive branch symbolized 'Zeus' and 'peace.' In the ancient Olympic Games, it was used to make crowns for winners.

During the Olympic Games, the entire Greek peninsula would cease war and conflict. Even hostile city-states at war would send participants to Olympia for this pan-Hellenic event.

"Should I now address you as Your Majesty?"

When Apollo met Li Mochen, his face was full of smiles—sunny, warm, natural—as if he had not taken to heart the seven sun temples, twenty-two shrines, two Sun Temple Chosen Legions, and seventeen cloud warships destroyed by Li Mochen.

"My father says that as long as Your Majesty's radiance still shines on this world, he and his gods will not initiate conflict in Australia."

He added with deep emotion: "To be honest, when I first met Your Majesty Wiltonstein, I never imagined you would accomplish such a feat."

There was still a slight flicker in Apollo's eyes.

When the gods, under the coercion of the Titan Mother Goddess Gaia and the Radiant Mother Isis, who represented the will of the Source, signed the 'Treaty of Separate Rule of Humans and Gods' at the Pantheon, they never expected that a mortal world would rise such a powerful deity—deified less than a year ago, yet able to suppress a powerful war god in the material world.

And neither his father nor Odin could do anything about this man given the current situation.

"How could I have imagined it then? It can only be the guidance of the great forces of time and fate."

Li Mochen signaled Jennifer Wiltonstein, standing by his side, to take the olive branch Apollo offered: "Please also convey to His Majesty Zeus my infinite gratitude for his concession."

"You possess the power that commands his respect."

Apollo smiled slightly: "Then, regarding the armored knights under your command—"

"They will stop immediately."

Li Mochen replied in a firm tone. In fact, for those Greek gods who had already sworn, he had already ordered his forces to cease attacks.

"I hope this peace agreement can last longer this time."

Apollo's expression turned somewhat awkward. As one who had violated the original treaty, he had nothing to say.

Finally, arriving at the last moment were the God of Desire and Temptation, Lord, and the God of Deception and Fire, Loki.

After the latter arrived, he looked at Li Mochen with great interest. Lord's expression was proud and cold, his voice stern and icy: "Within half a year, my lord grants Australia peace! But if Prince Wiltonstein oversteps and seeks war with us, the Aesir, then we will certainly oblige."

Li Mochen chuckled, then replied coldly: "Then go back and start the war, Lord. I swear I will sweep your forces out of the material plane."

"I think we don't need to be so tense, nor is it necessary to go to war."

Loki, the God of Fire and Deception, smiled slightly, mediating between them: "Prince Wiltonstein, whether you admit it or not, the world's格局 will change drastically in half a year. So what meaning does a treaty now have? Our lord values his word, hence this half-year term."

Li Mochen replied calmly: "Lord Loki, this country is already devastated. Almost every city has large swaths of ruins, and casualties may reach seven million. The outskirts are infested with dark creatures, destroying nearly all agriculture. So I will not allow this land under my protection to become a battlefield; it must recuperate."

Loki caught the subtext. His expression thoughtful, as if communicating with someone, he then asked with a smile: "Then two years? Within two years, we will not stir any conflict on this continent."

"Three years, and the Aesir must provide ten billion gold shields or equivalent compensation, to be distributed by the Church of Fate to aid the victims."

Seeing no objection from the two before him, Li Mochen's expression softened slightly: "Then please tell your lord that I, too, only grant your temples peace on this continent for three years."

The only one who did not respond to Li Mochen was Ahura Mazda and his angels.

Zoroastrianism had already perished in the Middle East at the hands of the Truth Church, which also worshipped the 'Lord of Light,' leaving no faith remnants in this world. Hence, this deity dismissed Li Mochen's threat.

Li Mochen also cared little about his thoughts; the collapse of his faith meant Ahura Mazda could invest only limited power.

And with most gods now aligned with order, he and his angels could stir little trouble in Australia.

After everything was settled, Jennifer, standing beside Li Mochen holding an olive branch, was in a daze.

So her brother, the one she once envied and despaired of, was now something like a 'King of Gods'?

Schroeder, the God of Precision Industry and Metallurgy, continued his commentary: "The timing couldn't be more perfect. The gods are all going with the flow. The war in Australia has affected their faith, weakening their power. The war persisted only because of the insistence of a few god-kings and war gods."

"But even they cannot defy the will of the gods. When our Lord of Fate stepped forward, the tide was already turning."

Mallet, the God of Processing and Modification, sighed: "Especially Zeus. Olympus's faith is also vast in this world; their losses are second only to the Lord of Light."

Meanwhile, across Australia, nearly all believers of the Lord of Fate were in tears, hands clasped, praying westward. They knew their lord had saved this turbulent country.

Among them were Rebecca and her mother, Correna, who had converted to the Lord of Fate. In a dim, cramped living room, they prostrated deeply, even though the Lord of Fate's doctrine did not accept kneeling.

"Merciful Lord, it is Your radiance that has saved our family from hell."

At this time, their original home had been destroyed by the war of the gods, and Correna's husband was on the verge of unemployment. Melbourne's situation continued to deteriorate; they could not afford to keep many civil servants.

Even Rebecca's sister, Meli, knelt beside them.

Rebecca was deeply surprised: "You're not a believer of my lord, so why join in?"

"I am now!"

Meli glanced sideways at her sister: "You were right. The Lord of Fate is a merciful and powerful god. I like him more now—"

Crucially, he was very handsome. She had liked posters of the Lord of Fate from his mortal days. She just disliked sharing the same hobby as her sister, so she chose to believe in Venus. But now she thought that Venus couldn't even compare to a single hair of the Lord of Fate; she was too weak. She didn't want to miss her true faith over a petty squabble with her sister.

Meanwhile, in the magic tower of Fate's Domain, several gods sighed in unison.

The war between the gods and the Lord of Light had kept Australia in turmoil. But in the end, it was the Lord of Fate who reaped the benefits.

From now on, the faith of the Lord of Fate would surely become mainstream in Australia. Those who had suffered from the divine conflicts would offer unparalleled 'piety' to the god who saved them, hoping he would continue to protect Australia.

And this country would soon be dominated by this 'King of Gods' from America.

Li Mochen's attention, however, was on the 'Divine Sky Spirit Fortune Purple Gold Pagoda.' At the moment the divine pact was made, a vast amount of merit energy gathered on the pagoda, totaling nearly sixty million strands, pushing the total of multicolored spiritual light to over one hundred forty million.

Then ninety million strands coalesced into one, forming a strand of purple merit energy.

Li Mochen's spirit stirred, and he unhesitatingly drew that purple energy into his body. Then excitement gleamed in his eyes.

This strand of purple merit energy was several times more effective than the previous two combined! It could strengthen his physical body to rival Skadi's.

Li Mochen had fought Skadi and knew what a primordial god of the main god rank was like. Now his physical quality was only slightly inferior to that goddess with a divine rank of 17.

Then Li Mochen extracted three strands of purple merit energy from his body and applied them to his divine authority.

The excitement in his eyes turned to ecstasy. Although he was still slightly lacking in Fate, his 'Time Sequence' and 'War' had reached the level of 'Pseudo-Truth,' boosted by his divine rank, artifacts, and purple merit energy.

Li Mochen also had a premonition that once he solidified the foundation of his 'Fate,' that divine authority could also reach 'Pseudo-Truth.'

Even without the boost from divine rank, it could reach the 'Ultimate' level.

—This meant all his divine offices could continue to rise, reaching the 'Main God' level of divine rank 17.

And a 'Main God'-level Lord of Fate—who could say he couldn't contend with a god-king? The only things he lacked were physical accumulation and artifacts.

His 'Longinus Holy Spear,' 'Scarlet Dragon Armor,' and 'Destiny Sword' were indeed powerful, but they were not yet enough to contend with Zeus's 'Thunderfire Spear' and 'Aegis Shield,' or Odin's 'Gungnir' and 'Draupnir.'

Li Mochen also discovered with delight that the 'Divine Sky Spirit Fortune Purple Gold Pagoda' had turned entirely purple-gold. This was likely due to his being acclaimed as 'King of Gods' today. The submission of nearly a hundred gods had directly brought the pagoda to its peak state.

This meant the pagoda's ability to grant 'wishes' was stronger, with less consumption of 'merit' energy. Its power to suppress fortune would also become greater.

Moreover—with a thought from Li Mochen, his entire body was covered in a layer of multicolored spiritual light invisible to others.

Li Mochen was momentarily stunned, wondering what this was. A merit golden body? A merit holy shield? He would need time to adapt and understand its effects.

With many gods present, Li Mochen did not continue to explore. He withdrew the multicolored light and then looked at the gods assembled.

"All matters are settled. To celebrate Australia's peace and the covenant we have made today, I intend to hold a banquet here—let us revel!"

...

The victory feast was something Li Mochen had prepared long ago. He had procured the finest wines, the best ingredients, and of course, the best chefs. But the arriving God of Cookery disdainfully took over the food preparation, sending out numerous delicacies from the kitchen of Fate's Domain.

The divine feast lasted an entire night. Although most attended as avatars, the gods still sang and drank freely, enjoying themselves to the fullest.

In seven hundred years, no one in the Bright World had been able to host such a grand divine feast. Eris could not command the gods' respect, and the Lord of Light wanted to kill all heretics.

Only the current Lord of Fate had gathered nearly seventy percent of the world's native deities. And the power he displayed gave a glimmer of hope for their otherwise dark future.

The subsequent arrival of the Magic Goddess Diana, the Norse Queen of the Underworld 'Hela,' and the Sea Goddess 'Thetis' pushed the atmosphere to its peak.

These were three extremely powerful deities. Diana was already among the ranks of Law God-Kings, while 'Hela' and 'Thetis' were not far from that realm.

Although the Magic Goddess did not explicitly pledge allegiance to Li Mochen, she expressed her willingness to fully assist him in stabilizing the mortal order.

The next day, as the gods dispersed, Li Mochen alone retained Bismarck, the 'Protector God of Diplomacy, Power, and the Teutons.' In his mortal life, he had been a chancellor of a kingdom, unifying the divided Teutons and bringing the nation to a level unmatched except by Britain. After death, Bismarck ascended to godhood through the reverence of his people.

Thus, although his divine power was weak, only at the intermediate god level, Li Mochen valued him above most of the gods from the previous day.

He needed an assistant in the divine realm, someone to help him govern and coordinate the gods. Among the deities, none was more suitable than Bismarck, who had served as a chancellor in his mortal life. If Bismarck met his expectations, Li Mochen would not hesitate to grant him a powerful divine office.

The latter did not hesitate; he accepted Li Mochen's invitation directly. Then, at Li Mochen's request, he offered his advice.

"Your Majesty! First, we must do our utmost to eliminate all influence of the Goddess of Liberty in Australia and the southern coast of America."

Before Li Mochen, Bismarck spoke without reservation: "The former is no concern. Australia's current prime minister and high officials are pragmatic people. Even for future votes, they will actively align with you in the coming years. We must use this time to seize control of Australia's military. For the southern coast of America, you will need to put in some effort. But it's not difficult. Your power in America is now unstoppable. I suggest you firmly control fifteen states, including California."

"Only the southern coast of America?"

Li Mochen raised an eyebrow. He had actually planned to have Nanette run for president. That would not be difficult for him now.

"If you do that, the Goddess of Liberty's resistance will be fierce. There's no need to expend strength on that. I have also studied the military and weapon systems of Rising Sun-Light Demon. From a war preparation perspective, the resources of fifteen states are sufficient for your needs in the coming year."

Bismarck's words were almost冷酷: "Without comparison, there is no harm. In half a year, the Beast World will arrive. If the people of America do not realize they need Your Majesty's protection, how can you truly control your own country? People are ungrateful, Your Majesty! Even on this continent, when the disaster of the divine war subsides in a few years, they will forget your salvation. The same goes for the Goddess of Liberty. When the American elite realize she cannot provide them protection, they will unhesitatingly throw her into the trash. What do you think, Your Majesty?"