Chapter 680: Ambush

While the South American theater was at a stalemate, signs of conflict also began to emerge in Alaska.

On January 5, 4003 of the Bright Calendar, shortly after the New Year, the Beast Empire used their transport ships to land two army groups, totaling 1.2 million men, on Alaskan territory.

The entire operation took seven days, with numerous gods descending to the mortal world to escort the transport fleet, giving the 'Alliance of Destiny' no chance to intervene.

Of course, the 'Alliance of Destiny' was not entirely helpless; upon discerning the enemy's strategic plan, they had already assembled a fleet in that direction. However, after repeated discussions and deliberations, Li Mochen's advisory team ultimately abandoned the idea of a naval battle.

At this time, although the number of large fleets in America had increased by two within the past six months, and they had tamed and recruited more sea beasts and giants, due to the persistent commerce raiding by the 'Alliance of Gods', they could not assemble a fleet of the scale seen in the Battle of Granden Island in a short time.

Under such circumstances, engaging the 'Alliance of Gods' in a decisive naval battle would be playing right into their hands, wouldn't it?

The key point was that Li Mochen did not believe the situation in Alaska had deteriorated to the point where a decisive battle was necessary. Although he had made up his mind not to avoid battle this time, the later this divine war occurred, the better.

After landing, the Beast Empire's army did not rush to attack Alaskan cities; instead, they first constructed fortifications at various strategic locations in Alaska.

Surprisingly, they brought almost no food during the landing; these soldiers, relying on their proficient hunting skills, easily supplied food for a million people.

Subsequent supply ships either delivered ammunition or transported manpower—they brought large numbers of people from India and South Africa to Alaska.

Although most of them were not adapted to the cold environment, the cold-weather clothing allowed the majority to survive. And those who survived could provide labor.

"Heidrich guessed right."

At a subsequent operational meeting, Rommel shook his head: "We really cannot cut off their supplies."

Rommel looked solemnly at the map, at the outlines of fortresses marked on it, and the three military ports located in different positions.

"I can't think of any way to stop them now."

The 'Alliance of Gods' was making rapid progress, thanks to the large amount of engineering machinery they had transported and the coercion and exploitation of those slaves.

Their side was not idle either; since the Beast Empire's army landed, they had been continuously striking and harassing with long-range artillery, missiles, and aircraft.

There was some effect, but the Beast Empire used slaves for construction; when people died, they continued to transport more from India and South Africa. So now, they could only delay the enemy's construction schedule.

The 'Alliance of Gods' also showed an attitude of not hesitating to fight to the death, with numerous gods stationed there around the clock. This intimidated even the goddesses Thetis and Hel, who had to admire the enemy's willingness to sustain losses.

This was supposed to be a place where Thetis and Hel could display their might, but the 'Holy Fire Angel' Uriel burned holy fire near the construction site day and night, while the sun god Apollo and the 'Light Angel' Mithras desperately shone sunlight on the site. At sea, the two sea kings of Norse and Olympian pantheons did their utmost to suppress every drop of seawater, keeping the surface calm.

But doing so consumed a tremendous amount of divine power every day.

So after Rommel, Ishtar also commented gravely: "I feel this time it's really dangerous. Since ancient times, I've never seen them fight so hard. The cooperation among several pantheons is also remarkably selfless. I can feel that they are extremely, desperately eager to kill you."

Li Mochen was very calm: "Let's wait and see. If the timing isn't right, I won't act rashly."

It depended on how things were going with Eastandin. The plan he had laid years ago was about to come to fruition, but if the net didn't close as expected, he would have to give up this opportunity.

"However, the border defenses of Maple Leaf Country must be strengthened as much as possible."

If they ultimately could not engage, the 'Alliance of Gods' could not only use Alaska to strike their Arctic shipping routes but also further invade Maple Leaf Country's territory.

The headache was that Maple Leaf Country and Alaska shared a long border, most of which was uninhabited wilderness.

These areas were almost forbidden for modern armies; even if they entered, maintaining logistics would be difficult. But this was no obstacle for the warriors of the Beast Empire, who could cross mountains and rivers on foot.

"Strengthening the defenses is no problem."

Garcia Feren sighed: "But in doing so, they will use these 1.2 million men to pin down at least 400 of our elite divisions."

※※※※

By mid-February, the 'Alliance of Gods' bases and fortresses in Alaska were completed one after another. During this period, they also stored large amounts of food, a significant portion of which came from the sea—the meat of giant sea creatures and large fish, after processing, could be preserved in cold storage for a long time.

During this time, another 900,000 troops landed in Alaska. They all came from the Old World, with 600,000 being armed forces of the Church of Light and the remaining 300,000 being the divine army of Olympus.

At the same time, the 'Alliance of Destiny' shipping route across the Bering Strait was completely cut off. Relying on their Alaskan ports, the 'Alliance of Gods' submarines greatly expanded their range, covering the entire coasts of Japan and northeastern China.

This not only affected the Arctic military shipping route but also dealt a heavy blow to the ocean shipping of China, Japan, and America.

Fortunately, by this time, the gods of the 'Alliance of Gods' could no longer maintain the high-consumption, high-intensity mode. They probably planned to rest for a while relying on fixed fortifications before launching the next offensive.

But the counterattack of the 'Alliance of Destiny' began from then on. The eleven 'Angel Kings' under Li Mochen, along with numerous gods, began to strike in turns, fiercely attacking the enemy's fortresses, ports, hunting teams, fleets, submarines, and other targets, achieving substantial results.

In just twelve days, they destroyed four temporary fortresses, two ports, twenty-four high-speed destroyers, and seven submarines, killing at least 73,000 soldiers of the 'Alliance of Gods', turning more than half of the enemy's month-long efforts into nothing.

At the same time, several large fortresses and particle beam heavy artillery bases they built in Alaska were also completed. A total of 124 particle beam heavy cannons named 'Dragon's Roar' were ready for action.

However, due to range limitations, they could only cover several major cities in the southeastern part of Alaska, having negligible lethality against the fortresses built by the 'Alliance of Gods'.

Otherwise, with just these 124 'Dragon's Roar' cannons, they could drive the 'Alliance of Gods' army back into the sea.

Also in mid-February, Li Mochen performed his second temporal reversal. This time, he gained little, only bringing back a small mass of metal source matter to strengthen his Tianming Sword, and a mythical artifact named 'Claude's Nail Clipper'.

This was the name given to the artifact by a dragon named 'Claude'. If Li Mochen had named it, it might have been 'Ice-Fire Divine Shears' or 'World Cutter'.

Ultimately, its owner, Hazel Wiltonstein, renamed it 'Calamity Dragon Shears'.

This was a pair of double swords with long blades, exaggerated in length and weight, driven by ice and fire powers, possessing pseudo-truth-level 'sharpness'. When combined into a scissor shape, they also had pseudo-truth-level 'cutting'.

Due to their oversized form, Hazel had to enlarge her body to use them, hence the name 'Dragon Shears'—a weapon only usable by giant creatures like dragons.

This was the mythical artifact Li Mochen had chosen for Hazel. He meticulously prepared, seizing the 'Claude's Nail Clipper' before it entered the ancient dragon city. Then he closely followed its owner, preventing any changes caused by the loss of the artifact until the dragon died, severing all causal and fate lines.

During this time, Li Mochen also felt the terror of the butterfly effect. Afterward, the entire river of time began to change. But even a minor disturbance nearly tore his entire being apart.

Li Mochen finally used 500 million merits to make a wish, stabilizing his form and suppressing the changes in the river of time.

This temporal journey left Li Mochen with lingering fear, realizing he had underestimated the power of time, fate, and causality. They were not something he could manipulate at will. It was best not to alter established historical trajectories anymore.

He could still do such things in the future, but he must ensure absolute certainty, with more than tenfold confidence. Besides, he needed to accumulate a large amount of merit to guard against unforeseen changes.

Therefore, in the next two temporal journeys, Li Mochen no longer sought any mythical artifacts or source matter.

During the two reversals, he focused on reinforcing the 'Bright World' in the late Middle Ages. The goal was to make the internal core structure of the 'Bright World' more stable, its core network of laws tighter and flawless, and to attempt to repair deep-seated wounds in the world.

He first observed, identified parts without causal entanglements, then acted with extreme caution, working on the edges bit by bit, ensuring not to disturb the river of time.

This time period was deliberately chosen by Li Mochen. At the end of the Middle Ages, Gaia, entrenched in the roots, was suppressed by the Lord of Light and barely had time to look outward. She was completely unaware of Li Mochen's existence, and the powerful gods of the Bright World had also left one after another, creating a rare window of opportunity.

These two temporal journeys netted Li Mochen a total of nearly 3.5 billion merits.

The gains did not stop there. Li Mochen also received an additional 2.2 billion merits as a 'refund' from the 'Divine Fortune Purple Gold Tower' itself, due to changes in history.

After returning, Li Mochen clearly felt the closeness and favor of nature, the earth, and the world's will. If before he was only considered the 'Child of Heaven's Favor' by others, now this title was truly well-deserved.

It was precisely because of this 'Heaven's Favor' that the cost of making wishes with the 'Divine Fortune Purple Gold Tower' in past history was reduced by at least 30%. Li Mochen deliberately used his time interference to defer these merits to be returned in the current time period; otherwise, history would still change.

At the same time, Li Mochen finally awaited the opportunity to ambush the night goddess Nyx. Without hesitation, he summoned Ishtar, Prometheus, Heracles, Fenrir, and the Supreme Dragon God Ao to his Destiny Manor magic tower that very day.

Ao was the last to arrive, but as soon as he stepped into the 28th floor of the Destiny Manor magic tower, he drew everyone's attention.

A strange light also flashed in Li Mochen's eyes. His truth-level 'Perception' immediately captured the aura of truth on Ao.

"Congratulations, Lord Ao. Your breakthrough gives me more confidence."

This Supreme Dragon God was born almost at the dawn of the world, from the union of the Primordial Dragon God Alduin and the first rainbow in heaven and earth, appearing less than 20,000 years after the primordial gods like Chaos and Gaia, almost contemporary with Nyx.

As Alduin's youngest son, Ao's nature was completely different from his arrogant, reckless, and unruly kin. He was low-key, humble, and exceptionally wise. Though he also liked to collect treasures, Ao knew to give back and nurture while obtaining resources from nature, unlike his brothers who only plundered.

Thus, in the catastrophe that nearly wiped out the entire dragon race, only Ao, his mate, and his many offspring survived.

After this catastrophe, Ao's style became even more reserved and unassuming. Over the subsequent tens of thousands of years, this Supreme Dragon God unknowingly accumulated a vast amount of merit, even surpassing Prometheus, which became a further boost on his path to divine authority.

During the past year and a half, most of the wishes Ao made were related to studying lightning.

"Thanks to Your Majesty, I have entered that realm, but I need some time to stabilize."

Ao's face was also full of joy: "Has Your Majesty summoned us here today for another operation? Is it about Alaska?"

Previously, his reasons for serving Li Mochen included having no other choice, similar values, aligned interests, blood affinity, and a vague premonition.

But now there were two more reasons: infinite prospects and the gift of truth!

This made Ao even more willing to serve Li Mochen, even if the upcoming Alaska war carried greater risks than the Battle of Granden Island.

Moreover, at this moment, Ao did not believe that the gods of Destiny would lose to those major pantheons on Alaskan soil.

"You want to ambush and kill that bitch Nyx? That's exciting, isn't it?"

Seeing the obvious shock on Ao's face, Ishtar smiled and then narrowed her eyes: "I'm not opposed, Andrew. Indeed, we need to reduce our enemies as much as possible, and we have enough strength. But the problem is, we might not find the right opportunity. That bitch won't give you a chance, and the other pantheons won't sit idly by. The result could be that we put in effort and gain nothing, or even pay a huge price only to be exploited by others."

Of course, she wanted to kill Nyx, especially since Ishtar's current dark divine office directly competed with Nyx's. But Ishtar still had reason and knew the possibility was close to zero.

"I know! But what if the time to kill Nyx was two days ago?"

"Two days ago?"

Prometheus pondered: "Relying on Your Majesty's temporal divine authority? But that might cause violent upheaval in the river of time. Your Majesty's power is not yet enough to create a separate timeline for the myriad worlds. The final result could be your death from backlash, unless you have prepared in advance—"

Prometheus understood Li Mochen's intention: to send them all back two days to ambush Nyx.

This was undoubtedly a brilliant idea, but still impossible to realize. A war among several god-kings could not avoid disturbing the surroundings and affecting past history.

Creating a separate timeline was a capability beyond even creation-level temporal authority. It would be like creating another parallel universe outside this world. And beings with such power would likely be unable to remain in this world.

Moreover, going back in time only evaded the current pantheons. But the numerous gods of the Bright World two days ago would not stand idly by while they ambushed Nyx.

However, Prometheus knew his lord would not have failed to consider this beforehand.

"Of course, I have prepared."

Li Mochen smiled, a glint in his eyes: "This battle will take place in the outer realms. Even if it fails, the impact on the timeline will be minimal."

He gazed into the distant void: "It can be confirmed that during these two days, our Lady of the Night was in the outer realms, not in contact with anyone or anything."

Those present were visibly moved, exchanging glances. They saw a hint of eagerness in each other's eyes.

Especially Ishtar, whose aura instantly became sharp.

※※※※

Two days ago, Nyx stepped cautiously into a small world called 'Xuanhuang'.

In the boundless starry domain, there are billions of small worlds. And worlds named 'Xuanhuang' number at least ten thousand, with similar ones like Yanhuang, Pangu, Shenxiao, etc. Worlds with such names are all without exception inheritors of Pangu civilization, sharing the same lineage as the Eastern Huaxia nation in the Bright World, realms influenced by the Pangu gods.

After Nyx entered this world, what she saw was also a scene identical to ancient Huaxia. Before her eyes stretched fields crisscrossed with paths, scattered with sparse villages and cities. Whether the thatched cottages and manors in the countryside or the mansions and towers in the cities, all were built of brick and wood, brimming with a strong Eastern flavor.

But when her divine consciousness swept back and forth across this world, she couldn't help but be stunned. This was completely different from what she had sensed outside the Xuanhuang small world. Everything should have been normal here: farmers tilling the fields, vendors hawking in the cities, schoolboys reading in academies, the wealthy feasting in brothels.

Yet when Nyx actually set foot in it, she discovered that this small world no longer had any living beings. Whether in the cities or the countryside, there was not a single human figure. Even in the desolate mountains, old forests, canyons, and swamps, there were no living creatures. Not only were common animals like tigers, leopards, pigs, and rabbits gone, but there wasn't even a single insect.

Nyx realized at once that she had stepped into a trap set for her.

The reason she had come here was that she had recently obtained a clue. An ancient text left by an Eastern cultivator mentioned that while traveling through the myriad worlds, he had discovered a cave dwelling left by an ancient immortal in this small world called 'Xuanhuang'. Unfortunately, due to the powerful forbidden formations left here, he could not enter to investigate.

However, based solely on the clues obtained by this ancient cultivator, this immortal tomb likely contained a certain amount of dark source matter and metallic source matter.

Nyx had no doubts. This ancient text, titled 'The Record of Star Exploration', was written seven hundred years ago by a famous Eastern spiritual immortal. About three hundred years ago, when that Eastern ancient nation was forced to open its doors, it was plundered by Western adventurers to America, becoming one of the collections of the prestigious American Vidicci family.

Only recently, when the Vidicci family fell due to siding with the Goddess of Liberty, did this 'Record of Star Exploration' see the light of day again, appearing at an underground auction in Manhattan, where it was bought by one of her red priests and offered as a sacrifice.

When Nyx obtained this book, she traced the history of the 'Record of Star Exploration' and found that everything had a clear thread, with no trace of human interference.

Afterward, she searched the heavens and spent a full two months before finding this small world called 'Xuanhuang'. This was because the starry domains of the heavens are not fixed; they move over time, following certain trajectories either slowly or quickly.

After locking onto the target, Nyx dispelled her last shred of doubt. There was indeed a cave dwelling here. This small world was similar to the Yuanqiong world. In ancient times, due to excessive consumption of spiritual energy and resources, coupled with thousands of years of war among cultivators, the realm eventually shattered. In terms of its original scale, it even surpassed the Yuanqiong realm at its peak.

It was entirely possible that a cave dwelling of an ancient Golden Immortal contained some source matter. The 'Record of Star Exploration' recorded that this Golden Immortal, in order to defeat his opponent, set up a forbidden formation before the realm shattered, attempting to forcibly extract the power of the world's core. This resulted in a massive catastrophe that affected the entire world, and he himself died from backlash. However, the forbidden formation should have worked; the world source matter it extracted likely remains ownerless to this day.

This was her opportunity, a chance to further enhance her 'Hand of Eternal Night'. If the 'dark source matter' here was sufficient, she would possess two pseudo-truth-level mythic armaments, wielding three portions of truth-level darkness in battle.

This opportunity, she could have obtained from the Lord of Fate, but due to lingering unwillingness and undying ambition, Nyx ultimately gave it up.

Yet now, when Nyx stepped into this 'Xuanhuang' small world with full expectations, she found that the cave dwelling indeed existed, but the entire world was filled with an eerie and ominous aura.

Without any hesitation, Nyx once again broke through the space barrier, preparing to cross realms and leave. But at that instant, the space around her was twisted, thwarting her attempt to return to the outer domain.

Nyx noticed a dense forbidden formation appearing on all sides of the sky, its scale so vast that it nearly covered the entire 'Xuanhuang' minor world.

Within the forbidden formation, both the runes and their arrangement were completely different from Western magic patterns and array studies, yet they contained the most profound and authentic principles of the myriad worlds. It transformed this entire minor world into a cage, making it impossible for any living being to enter or leave the realm.

At the same time, Nyx saw a figure appear before her that, though unfamiliar, she had long heard of by reputation.

Nyx's pupils instantly contracted slightly: "Emperor Zhuanxu?"

"That's me, a mere tribal alliance leader, unworthy of the title of emperor."

Zhuanxu stepped in from the outer realm, looking at Nyx with pity: "I've heard that the Night Goddess of the West is usually cautious and supremely wise. Why were you so careless and reckless this time?"

Nyx's expression was cold: "Do you think this can trap me? Zhuanxu?"

At this moment, the space around her was already twisting at a distance, giving rise to countless bubbles.

"The Divine Scepter of Freedom, is it?"

Zhuanxu glanced at these bubbles and then dismissed them: "Don't waste your strength, Lady Nyx. With this immortal formation, combined with my own power, I believe that even the true Goddess of Freedom, without her scepter of freedom, would find it difficult to break through and escape from here, let alone you, who only possesses seventy percent of her power!"

At this moment, Nyx also discovered that the power trapping her was not just the immortal formation itself, but beyond it, there was also a truth-level 'suppression' and a truth-level 'confusion'.

The legendary Emperor Zhuanxu of the East clearly did not possess such power. The one who ambushed her here was not just the one before her.

Nyx's gaze turned even colder: "Has your Pangu pantheon begun to directly interfere in the struggle for the throne of the Light World? If that Emperor learns of this, he will certainly not sit idly by."

"Under normal circumstances, this would indeed cross the line. But when it involves the Five Gods of Chaos, it becomes perfectly reasonable and justified."

Zhuanxu smiled faintly, yet his words were utterly devoid of warmth: "The Lord of Fate of your world sought my help. To prevent the seal of Chaos from being broken and to stop Chaos from further invading the Light World, he deemed it necessary to seal or kill you. As the origin of Huaxia's immortal path, I have an unshirkable duty."

"Chaos? That's a convenient excuse."

Nyx's expression relaxed, and at the same time, the 'bubbles' around her began to form more rapidly.

"I have to admit, the trap you've set is perfect. It seems I won't be able to escape anytime soon. But Emperor Zhuanxu, you must have exhausted all your strength, haven't you? So I'm very curious: what method do you plan to use to kill me? Relying on your fellow disciples? Or that Lord of Fate?"

A hint of cold mockery appeared in her eyes, but more than that, there was inquiry: "But as far as I know, the Pangu pantheon is facing considerable trouble of its own. The star domains you occupy are unimaginably far from the Light World. As for that Lord of Fate, thanks to his rapid rise in recent years, the gods' wariness of him surpasses even their fear of Chaos. How can he, without the gods noticing, bring his followers here in full force?"

"Everything you said is correct."

Zhuanxu's reaction remained indifferent: 'But the Fate Lord's plan is extremely imaginative. Theoretically, as long as I have enough power to trap you, Lady Nyx, here in the Xuanhuang Small World for two days, there will be no problem. Neither the cause and effect nor the fate of the next two days can touch the long river of time that separates the present from the past and future.'

Nyx was first puzzled, then felt a chill run through her body: 'Timeline?'

'Exactly the timeline!'

It was Li Mochen who answered Nyx's question. He walked side by side with Ishtar, his demeanor relaxed as they entered from the outer realm. Behind them followed Prometheus, Heracles, Fenrir, and the Sloth Demon King Belial, a group of powerful beings at the sub-god-king or pseudo-god-king level.

What startled Nyx even more was that behind Fenrir, she saw the figure of Apollo, the sun god of the Olympian pantheon.

'Surprised, aren't you?'

Ishtar's eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation, her battle intent surging: 'We've come to correct the timeline, Nyx. The ancient goddess of night should fall at this time!'

'Is that so?'

Nyx's face had already turned extremely grim: 'If you can do it, then go ahead and try.'

She had noticed that Li Mochen and his group were all surrounded by intense temporal fluctuations. This should be the pulling force exerted on them by the time period they originally belonged to—distorting time to this dimension could not be without some effect.

Her enemies were currently facing a time flow rate at least twenty percent faster than hers, which might be her opportunity.

But the next moment, Zhuanxu's action shattered her hopes. He raised his hand: 'Decree! For ten hours, this place will be isolated from all heavens and myriad realms!'

'Word Spirit' and 'Decree'—these immensely powerful truth abilities instantly severed all connections between the Xuanhuang Small World and the outer realms, and temporarily smoothed the temporal fluctuations around Li Mochen and the others.

'Be slothful, Lady Nyx.'

The Sloth Demon King Belial said weakly: 'Since you're doomed anyway, why bother struggling? You know your fate, don't you?'

Nyx instantly felt her spirit grow lazy, her whole body lacking energy.

Truth-level 'Sloth'—this was Belial's most terrifying ability, causing one to die in sloth and indolence.

'When I incarnate the sun, the darkness of this world can only hide in the shadows where light cannot reach.'

Apollo had already deified into the blazing sun, hanging himself high in the sky of the Xuanhuang Small World. He drove away most of the darkness and void influenced by Nyx's power, just as he said—Nyx's power could only retreat to corners where sunlight could not directly shine.

This was pseudo-truth-level 'Sun' and truth-level 'Light'!

Nyx's pupils dilated: 'So it was you who killed Baldr!'

Apollo alone could not have done it, but with Li Mochen and his Fate Pantheon as support, it was quite possible to kill Baldr, the sun god of the Aesir, silently and without a trace.

'But how could Lord Apollo infiltrate Asgard? That's just your conjecture.'

This was Prometheus, the god of foresight. He waved his hand at Nyx: 'But it doesn't matter. I prophesy that all your actions, Lady Nyx, will be perceived by our gods.'

Then he waved his left hand holding the fire flint: 'Fire!'

A single word, yet it set the entire realm ablaze with flames, almost omnipresent, filling every corner of this world. Unlike the sun and light of this world, they were not obstructed by obstacles.

The Supreme Dragon God Io also let out a dragon roar almost simultaneously, the dragon word meaning 'Thunder'!

Thus, tens of thousands of lightning bolts spread and swept across this world, also filling all the void within the realm. The combined power of thunder and fire left Nyx's darkness with nowhere to hide.

These sub-god-king and pseudo-god-king level beings were no match for Nyx individually. But when they joined forces, their truth-level divine powers were extremely troublesome, leaving Nyx utterly unable to resist.

Following closely, Ishtar also declared loudly: 'The darkness and void here will be replaced by me!'

Her war with Nyx had already begun, in every corner of the darkness, in every void that fire, thunder, and sunlight could not reach.

At the same time, Li Mochen announced his decree, also his 'wish': 'In the name of the Fate Lord, the night goddess Nyx shall—'

At that moment, he felt a sudden sensation in his heart. After a slight frown, he immediately changed the content of his wish.

'The night goddess Nyx, located in the Xuanhuang World, shall die here!'

Zhuanxu was momentarily startled, then a look of understanding appeared in his eyes.

Ahead of them, the 'Divine Power Angel' Heracles had already charged into a mass of darkness that the truth light and flames could not dispel, carrying his sword of execution decree.

His power could hardly affect darkness and void, but aside from that, this 'Divine Power Angel' possessed truth-level execution.

It was a derivative of the causal divine power, meaning that no matter what existed in this world, Heracles could kill it!

Fenrir followed closely behind; his truth toxin had already spread with the darkness. But besides that, this demon wolf's physical combat prowess was only slightly inferior to Heracles, equally ferocious.