Chapter 683: Exchange

"There's no need to worry too much, brother."

Thor also glanced at the Alaskan mountains: "This time, unlike the Battle of Grand Island, we have enough leeway to deal with these heavy cannons."

Even Thor felt wary of those two hundred 'Roaring Flame Dragons'. Their light-speed bombardment and unparalleled penetration made these particle beam heavy cannons a weapon truly capable of threatening gods like them.

Even Thor dared not face the concentrated fire of this artillery group directly.

What was infuriating was that the enemy's artillery positions had also been reinforced; the entire mountain had been strengthened to ensure those artillery positions would not collapse even under a magnitude 9 earthquake. The fortress clusters at the mountainside and foot could guarantee they would hold out for a long time even if surrounded by millions of troops.

Thor had always believed that while the most terrifying aspect of the Destiny Alliance was the Destiny Dominator, next came its astonishing financial, human, and industrial strength.

"Thor is right!"

This was Vidar, the god of forest and nature, his eyes full of hatred: "In the Battle of Grand Island, they were always hiding in their turtle shells. Now, though they still wear a shell, they're just turtles—we can crack them open!"

"But we'll have to pay a huge price, won't we?"

Forseti, the god of truth, spoke with a somber look: "Not only did they allow Gaia to preach within our sphere of influence, but His Majesty also promised not to contend for the Wishing Tower. Those Titans got all the benefits. I can't understand—what do we gain from this war, after sacrificing tens of millions of lives and countless wealth?"

Thor and Tyr frowned simultaneously and exchanged glances, seeing a hint of dissatisfaction in each other's eyes.

"Enough! Forseti, this is Odin's concern, not ours."

Tyr gazed coldly into the distance: "If we cannot defeat the enemy before us, we won't get any benefits from the Destiny Alliance. He already has the ability to reverse time. Compared to the benefits Father promised Gaia, I'm more worried that he might silently kill me in the past or trap me in a death trap he wove in the past without my knowledge."

The earthquake in the Rocky Mountains lasted until the fourth day. Only then did the Great Wall-like defensive works before them begin to collapse on a large scale.

After four days, 'Earth Angel' Christine and the many mages opposite finally could no longer sustain their defense, shrinking their defensive perimeter back inside the two fortresses.

The two former Earth Mother Goddesses also had no intention of pressing further and soon withdrew their divine power from the land.

It was evident that their divine power consumption was immense—at least a hundred times that of the enemy. They had to shake the entire mountain range and tear the land apart, while the Earth Angel and her mages only needed to ensure the fortresses, defenses, and their foundations remained intact, so their consumption was much smaller.

At this point, even with their truth-level authority over the earth, allowing them to draw endless divine power from the ground, the two Earth Mother Goddesses could not maintain full divine power.

Tyr even sensed that, as the tremors continued, the world's will began to slightly reject the two Earth Mother Goddesses.

Though the rejection was minor and might dissipate after a while, it was enough to warrant their vigilance.

"Look, the turtle shell has been cracked."

Vidar, the god of forest and nature, sneered: "Begin, brother Tyr! Now is the time to force them onto the battlefield."

The collapse of the defensive works opposite not only cleared the obstacle for their three armies' advance but also broke the Destiny Alliance's defense system.

—With the loss of connection between defensive works, these permanent fortresses would fight independently, unable to coordinate.

"I can hardly wait!"

Vidar stroked his left arm, his eyes cold. A year ago, during the Battle of Grand Island, this arm had been wounded by 'Field', the god of travel, adventure, exploration, and mercenaries' protection of the Destiny Pantheon—a great humiliation in his eyes.

That Field was merely a faith main god!

Tyr unhesitatingly raised his 'War Horn' to his lips. The next moment, a vast, desolate wave of sound swept across the land.

At that instant, every soldier of the Beast Empire swelled in body, their skin hardened, and a hint of bloodlust appeared in their eyes.

He too looked forward to this divine war, thirsting for the enemy's blood and a satisfying revenge.

※※※※

Unlike the Battle of Grand Island, the divine war in Alaska did not escalate into a white-hot state from the start. Both sides probed cautiously, committing forces step by step.

First, the allied forces of the American Federation and Maple Country, using their superior mobility, spread out widely along the border and quickly built numerous temporary fortifications, once again blocking the enemy's advance.

Though these allied soldiers were far inferior in combat effectiveness to the enemy's all-outlaw-level troops, they had ample artillery support and seemingly endless ammunition. The use of various stimulants significantly boosted their combat power.

At this time, the Destiny gods also applied their divine authority and domains on the battlefield, effectively slowing the enemy's advance and inflicting heavy casualties.

But as the gods of the Divine Alliance intervened, this situation was soon reversed.

At the same time, a total of twenty-four angelic legions, seven Truth legions, three Titan legions, two hundred regiments of Olympian Chosen warriors, and an equal number of Einherjar began to descend into the mortal world.

This created a magnificent, splendid spectacle at the northern end of the Rocky Mountains.

Dark clouds and thunder filled the sky; space was torn open piece by piece, stirring up millions of spirit tides. Tens of thousands of divine light pillars shot into the sky, their holy radiance illuminating the mountains beneath the clouds into a world of white.

The Destiny Alliance was not to be outdone. Twelve Divine Will legions, three Hades legions, six Eternal Night legions, two Dragon legions, three Giant legions, one Phoenix legion, fifteen sub-legions of the Divine Wing Knights, four mercenary legions from the East, and two Samurai legions were deployed by the Destiny Pantheon to counter the enemy on every front, holding their ground tenaciously.

On this day, twenty million human soldiers, along with even larger numbers—over forty million—of Einherjar and angels, began to furiously open fire and fight desperately along the edge of the ten-thousand-kilometer-wide mountain range.

Vast spirit tides surged for tens of thousands of kilometers; powerful divine power and source energy crisscrossed the battlefield; countless magical interweavings created colorful glows that nearly dispersed the dark clouds above.

"Something's not right!"

As the intensity of the battle gradually increased, 'Soul Angel' Sariel was the first to detect an anomaly.

"Some souls that believed in my Lord have been taken."

He noticed that the souls of some fallen angels and members of the Temple Knights did not return to the Heavenly Kingdom.

The Archangel present was startled and began to focus his senses, then his expression changed slightly.

"It should be the enemy's underworld."

Gabriel looked toward the Twilight Dragon City in the direction of Pittsburgh: "The Queen of the Destiny Pantheon is forcibly absorbing our souls."

But even though He had discerned the truth, He was powerless.

This was Alaska, the territory of the Destiny Underworld. And their Heavenly Kingdom, since the faith in the Lord of Light had greatly weakened in North America, could hardly reach here.

But 'War King' Michael was unconcerned; he kept frowning, looking toward the northernmost direction.

"The Queen's underworld is not the immediate concern; the real trouble is in the north."

'Flame Angel' Uriel, second only to Michael and Gabriel in the angelic legions, also possessed considerable military strategy and powerful war authority. He too saw the crisis: "The Truth legions are suffering heavy losses."

Gabriel raised an eyebrow, then realized the gravity of the situation.

Undoubtedly, the armed forces of the Destiny Alliance were outmatched in both quantity and quality. They could only rely on various modern equipment and defensive advantages to maintain a balance.

But in the north, the army of 'Truth Dominator' was suffering severe casualties.

Led by the Ninth Divine Will Legion, the Destiny Pantheon concentrated its most elite troops and a large number of artillery to create a local superiority on the northern front. They were doing everything possible to kill Ahura's Truth Angels and the 400,000 'Guardian Army'.

As Gabriel predicted, just half an hour later, Ahura's 'Guardian Army' and 'Truth Angels' quietly reduced their offensive intensity. Their troops almost stalled in place, even actively retreating to break contact with the enemy.

This phenomenon soon spread across the entire front. The next to do so were the Olympian Chosen warriors and Titan legions.

Gabriel was not surprised. The overall military strength of the Olympian Pantheon was slightly stronger than Ahura's, but in terms of staying power, Ahura, who had usurped the Lord of Light's fifty billion truth believers, far surpassed them.

After the offensive of Olympian and Truth Dominator weakened, the Aesir's attack intensity also dropped significantly. This situation then spread to the Lord of Light's army.

Michael knew this was what the enemy wanted, but he had no choice but to order the leaders of each legion to 'assess the situation' when attacking.

When their allies chose to reduce their offensive, Michael could not bear the horrific casualties of their Temple Knights and Heavenly Army being focused by the enemy.

And those troubled by this were far more than just the Vice-Lord of Heaven. On a cloud warship about three thousand kilometers from the battlefield, the many god-kings seated there were also solemn and grim, making the atmosphere heavy and oppressive.

Odin glared darkly at Ahura, lightning seeming to flicker in the corners of his eyes: "Your Majesty Ahura, your actions now are hardly those of a sincere ally."

"Your Majesty Odin's accusation truly fills me with trepidation."

Ahura said coldly: "But in my view, if the losses of this war must be borne by my house alone, then there is no point in continuing. Rather, I think of His Majesty Zeus beside me. For this divine war, your Titan clan took my share of the Source, reserved the Wishing Tower as a mythical artifact, and gained the right to preach. Shouldn't you bear more responsibility and pay more of the price?"

Zeus remained impassive, acting as if he hadn't heard. It was Gaia who took those things, not Zeus. To persuade that Source Mother Goddess, he had paid no less a price than anyone present.

Ahura did not press further: "After all, the main reason this war has reached such a stalemate is that our enemy truly has the strength to confront all of us on the battlefield, isn't it?"

The gods present fell silent. The power displayed by the Destiny Dominator, Andrew Lee Wiltonstein, in this divine war was indeed alarming.

"Arguments are meaningless and only create rifts among us."

The Lord of Light scanned the attendees coldly: "This is surely what the Destiny Dominator hopes to see. Ahura is right; our enemy can maintain a balance on the battlefield because they possess such power. At this point, I believe it's time for the next step."

He harbored deep hatred for Ahura's usurpation of truth faith, even more than for the Destiny Dominator opposite, but that did not affect his reason.

Ahura's gaze toward him showed no gratitude, only surprise and gravity.

He knew how terrifying the Lord of Light could be when free of corruption and in a calm state.

"The next step?"

Zeus looked into the distance, displeased.

This deviated from their initial plan. The original strategy devised by the gods was to use superior forces to force the Destiny gods to descend onto the battlefield first, giving them maximum initiative.

Then they could choose which direction to attack and deploy troops according to the enemy gods' abilities.

But now, as the Eastern saying goes, the Destiny Dominator still hid his gods 'nine layers underground, as unknowable as the dark.'

Zeus shook his head slightly, knowing that dwelling on this was pointless. The enemy could sustain a war of attrition, but among the gods, only the Lord of Light had sufficient war potential.

Fortunately, they had an absolute advantage at the main god level, so early commitment would have little impact.

"Then let's begin. I will have my gods attack. As agreed, Your Majesty the Lord of Light must support my seven Archangels."

That is, seven main god-level beings—at the thought, Zeus's eyes narrowed slightly.

In his view, the greatest loser in this years-long war with the Destiny Dominator was neither the Lord of Light nor the Aesir, but Olympian.

The goddess of love and beauty, Venus; the god of war, Ares; the goddess of victory and wisdom; the goddess of nature, Artemis; the great hero Heracles; the titan Atlas; the god of rashness, violence, and anger, Menoetius—these powerful Olympian gods were either severely wounded in the war or had abandoned him one by one.

As a result, Olympian now lacked talent, reduced to a skeleton.

"Support is no problem, but I think it's unnecessary to commit all our forces at once."

Isis said meaningfully: "Let's take it step by step. Those two hundred particle beam heavy cannons have yet to fire. Besides, the Destiny Dominator may have other tricks up his sleeve. I think it's wise to keep some reserves for now."

"Agreed!"

Odin had also calmed his anger: "He is an extremely cunning enemy; we must remain cautious in this war."

※※※※

The first to receive the formal order to attack were the war god Tyr and the forest and nature god Vidar. Their target was 'Height 3402' in front of the Third Army Group, the highest peak and commanding height before them.

The Destiny Alliance had deployed numerous mountain guns and heavy weapons there, posing a great threat to them—a thorn that had to be removed.

"Brother, you must be careful!"

Thor warned: "The wolf Fenrir, He has been watching you."

"Understood!"

Tyr raised his war blade 'Tyr's Hand': "I will hold back. The ancient prophecy of the Norns has long lost its possibility of fulfillment."

The endless wars in this world had benefited not only Odin and Li Mochen but also him, the god of war and justice.

But when Tyr arrived in the high altitude above 'Height 3402', he was momentarily stunned.

"It's you?"

His opponent was none of those he had anticipated, but 'Wick Wood', the god of storms and floods.

He was a main god, a pillar of the Destiny Pantheon, but a faith god and law god who had never impressed Tyr.

"Did you think the angels before His Majesty's throne, or Prometheus, Eo, would face you? Don't delude yourself, Tyr!"

In the wind, Wick Wood looked down at Tyr with a cold sneer: "If you can't even defeat me, the Archangels before His Majesty's throne won't spare you a second glance."

Behind him, twelve pairs of metal wings spread—a mythical artifact crafted by Anthony. Each 'feather' was a deadly high-pressure wind cannon, now spraying lethal high-pressure wind blades across the entire airspace before them.

Although this was merely a high-grade mythical armament, its ingenious design allowed it to unleash divine might far exceeding its own rank.

Tyr's heart began to sink. This was 'Pseudo-Truth'—this Wick Wood had already acquired a 'Storm' divine authority at the Pseudo-Truth level!

Divinity rank nineteen—this Storm God was now a genuine Pseudo-God King!

What Tyr found hard to believe was that this deity had also obtained a physical body—though it was merely a Divinity rank three vessel, it had already freed Wick Wood from many of the limitations of a faith god.

"Boom!"

A massive thunderbolt suddenly struck above Tyr's head. The divine authority 'Storm' encompassed not only wind but also thunder. Though Wick Wood could only control lightning indirectly, its power was no different.

Tyr dodged with a cold expression. He possessed combat, evasion, and warfare all at the Pseudo-Truth level.

Though his destructive power might currently be slightly inferior, it was very difficult for his opponent to land a hit. And as the God of War, his presence on the battlefield alone provided the greatest possible support to the vast army behind him.

But then Wick Wood sneered, "His Majesty has countless powerful warriors under his command. Do you know why I was chosen to face you?"

In an instant, the storm under his control expanded a hundredfold, sweeping up a great number of angels and countless soldiers ahead. With wind speeds exceeding nine hundred meters per second, the particles and dust in this airspace gained immense lethality, while violent lightning spread and scattered among the enemy ranks.

Before Tyr could react, Wick Wood slapped the ground again: "Rise!"

Torrents of floodwater surged from lakes, seas, and rivers; mountain springs pouring down from the peaks suddenly swelled a thousandfold, their momentum wild and seemingly capable of swallowing everything. The entire battlefield, already shrouded in storm, was now transformed into a watery expanse.

This directly affected the Forest and Nature God, Veda, who was fighting below. His opponent was the God of Microorganisms, Viruses, Bacteria, and Vaccines, Carlson.

Their battle was utterly tedious. No matter how many treants, giant trees, or vines Veda summoned, they all fell in the shortest time, becoming nutrients for spores and mycelium.

Those plants also grew inside Carlson's body, but they could hardly thrive; the various microorganisms under Carlson's control robbed them of their vitality in no time.

Instead, it was the Forest and Nature God, Veda, whose expression grew extremely grim. He could sense the increasingly severe plague spreading within his own body. This Carlson was more powerful than any plague god he had ever known.

He was completely on the losing side in their fight, not because his divine power, divinity, or divine authority were inferior to his opponent's, but because of the nature of their respective authorities—Veda felt utterly suppressed.

What was more troubling was that the plague had already begun to spread among the armies of the Divine Alliance.

"Despicable!"

In midair, Tyr glared at Wick Wood. He could no longer stand by and could only do his utmost to close in on the Storm God, intending to interrupt the storm divine authority ravaging the battlefield through close combat.

Wick Wood sneered, his words dripping with sarcasm: "Despicable? Are you talking about yourself, Lord Tyr? As the guarantor of contracts, the guardian of oaths, the embodiment of heroic glory and courage—how did you deceive Lord Fenrir? This is retribution. That is why your 'Oath,' 'Contract,' 'Glory,' and 'Courage'—these mighty divine authorities—have not advanced over the past millennia but have instead regressed. You have lost them."

Tyr did not reply. He was now very close to Wick Wood, but the latter dissolved into the wind, making it difficult for Tyr to pinpoint his true form.

At that moment, all soldiers of the Divine Alliance in this area were enveloped in a divine barrier.

Tyr's spirits lifted, knowing this was the power of the Guardian God, Heimdall. Clearly, seeing the unfavorable battle situation, the rear had sent Heimdall to assist.

But the enemy reacted swiftly. What appeared on the battlefield next was a thirty-two-story magic tower, along with Paracelsus, the 'First Principle.'

The instant he appeared, every soldier and angel of the Divine Alliance showed expressions of agony, a hundred times more painful than when the plague had spread.

It was Paracelsus's forbidden spell, 'Unknown Substance,' creating within everyone's body a substance that aggravated the illness and was more suitable for bacterial and viral growth.

This forced Heimdall, upon arriving on the battlefield, to divert almost all his power to shield their own warriors and angels, preventing them from being eroded and killed by the abilities of Paracelsus and the God of Microorganisms, Viruses, Bacteria, and Vaccines, Carlson.

Tyr's situation grew even worse.

He did not know what means the mage titled 'First Principle' had employed to make the storm under Wick Wood's control even fiercer and more violent.

※※※※

"Another main god-level being. Can a mortal mage already contend with a powerful main god like Heimdall?"

Aboard the cloud warship, the atmosphere among the several God Kings had not improved; on the contrary, it had worsened.

All the main gods they had deployed across the three battlefronts were at a disadvantage. This included even Tyr, whose actual combat power had reached the Pseudo-God King level.

Isis's expression was especially grave. The situation for Tyr and Heimdall on the northern front was still manageable. The real trouble was on the southern front, which they were responsible for. The five Angel Kings under the Lord of Radiance had taken the field, led by Uriel. Isis had been confident of victory, but the enemy had only deployed the 'Earth Angel Christine,' along with two powerful gods—the God of Life, Self-Healing, Immortality, Regeneration, and Space, Thomson Beaux, and the God of Anger, Giant Strength, Infinity, and Trolls, Todd—to suppress five main gods and one Pseudo-God King.

The God of Anger and Trolls, Todd, had made a stunning debut today. His power, which grew stronger with anger and seemed nearly inexhaustible, had almost beaten his two opponents to a pulp.

The 'Enemy of Death,' Thomson Beaux, with his formidable regenerative ability and 'immortality,' was also hair-raising. He possessed ultimate combat skills and an immensely powerful battle instinct. Using his spatial abilities, he could appear anywhere and cut his enemies down to death with his twin long blades.

—This was, of course, because these Angel Kings had only been promoted from former 'Popes' and 'Saints' in recent years, far inferior in quality to the original seven Throne Angels.

They were able to stand out among the millions of clergy in the Middle Ages and modern times, or be canonized as mortals, which in itself meant they possessed extraordinary talent.

But the power and talent of those two new gods could inspire jealousy and envy in almost everyone.

As for 'Earth Angel Kristin,' her pseudo-truth 'Earth' and her divine authority over earth and defense gave her an attribute advantage over Uriel. Crucially, beyond this, Kristin also possessed the pseudo-truth-level 'Absorption' and the ultimate-level 'Tear,' enabling her to confront Uriel, who wielded the pseudo-truth 'Flame' and pseudo-truth-level 'Light,' head-on.

She even had spare strength to suppress another Angel King.

At this moment, the true pillars of the Heavenly Fate Pantheon, aside from Kristin who had already suffered considerable attrition in her confrontation with the two Earth Mother Goddesses, had yet to appear on the battlefield.

Figures like Heracles, Fenrir, Prometheus, Hela, and others remained hidden deep beneath the earth, biding their time to strike.

This was precisely why the various god-kings present wore such grave expressions.

The power displayed by the Heavenly Fate Pantheon had already made Isis feel a chill in her heart.

That man—he was now capable of standing against all of them on every level.

If this time they failed to cut short his surging, rainbow-piercing momentum, Isis truly did not know if they could hold out until Horus completely resolved his own issues.

"I find this unbelievable."

Among the gods, even Ahura, who maintained the most indifferent demeanor, was shaken by the current situation.

"During the Battle of Granden Island, he was not this powerful."

The Heavenly Fate Alliance he led was holding its own on all fronts without falling behind.

"Continue!"

As if bored, Zeus took out a chessboard and placed it before him, playing against himself.

At this moment, Zeus was moving his 'rook' forward: "To be honest, I'm not at all surprised now. That man's growth rate has never been measured by common sense. I even think that if this battle cannot defeat or kill him, then the contest for God Above Gods can be settled right now. At the very least, that one can secure an absolute advantage in the world of light."

"That is a wise judgment."

Odin's expression was as hard as iron, and he cast a meaningful glance at Horus: "I don't entirely agree with his opinion, but in this war, I will commit all my strength."

He then turned his gaze to the battlefield, projecting his will through the flashing thunder: "Go, Vali, Forseti, Freyr, and Hermod! Join in and crush your enemies!"

'Hermod' was his messenger god, possessing abilities similar to Zeus's messenger 'Hermes'; Freyr was the 'God of Fertility and Prosperity,' and after the death of the sun god Baldr, he took over Baldr's duties.

Originally the sun god of the Vanir, after the merger of the two pantheons, Freyr ceded the divine office of sun and light, yet he still retained powerful authority over sun and light.

As for Vali, he was the powerful 'God of Shooting, Archery, and Vengeance.' In the ancient prophecies of the Norns, he and 'Vidarr, God of Forest and Nature' were the only two gods of the Aesir to survive, and the Aesir would be rebuilt through them.

When these three were deployed to the battlefield, the vines and tree-men under the control of 'Vidarr, God of Forest and Nature' immediately grew more robust.

But this situation lasted only a moment. Li Mochen sent no more gods; only one appeared on the battlefield—Artemis, the goddess of the Silver Moon, Hunting, and Nature.

As the dark clouds over the battlefield parted, the silver-white moonlight shone down alongside Freyr's sunlight. The grass, vines, and trees in the area instantly grew wildly, but most of their control had already been seized by Artemis.

And as a part of nature, the various microorganisms, viruses, and bacteria controlled by Karlsen grew even more frantically.

Artemis herself engaged Vali in archery; their skills were nearly equal, but Artemis had integrated modern weapons and shooting techniques into her archery. Her weapon had been replaced by a modern automatic rifle, no longer the bow of her era as the moon goddess. Thus, both her rate of fire and projectile speed could overwhelm Vali. However, Vali's 'Vengeance' was a divine authority identical to 'Vengeful Eye,' causing every shot from Artemis to rebound. So she relied more on trapping her opponent with vines and having her companions infect Vali's body with diseases, rather than simply suppressing him with rifle fire.

In this regard, 'First Source' Paracelsus could provide her with great assistance. The 'unknown substances' he created could greatly enhance all of Artemis's vines and tree-men, overwhelming the enemy in terms of strength, toughness, and power.

At this moment, the gods on both sides were not fighting independently but were coordinating and enhancing each other, working in tandem.

Meanwhile, Constantine's thirty-two-story magic tower, 'Supreme Truth,' also appeared on the battlefield.

When this powerful magic tower crashed in from the outer realm, 'Forseti, God of Truth and Justice' did not hesitate. He directly attacked the demiplane beneath the magic tower and, in less than ten minutes, broke into the tower's interior. His momentum was fierce, leaving no reserve. The exploding magical energy and divine power tides nearly flattened the surrounding mountains.

No one on the battlefield was surprised. As the 'God of Truth and Justice,' Forseti's hatred for Constantine, a mage who bore the title 'Lord of Truth,' was etched into his bones. Their war had begun two hundred years ago. If not for the protection of the Magic Goddess Diana, Constantine, the most outstanding mage of the thirty-sixth century, would have long since died by Forseti's sword or been killed by the Truth Church.

At this moment, even the Lord of Radiance and Ahura showed a hint of killing intent in their eyes.

As the two successive 'Lords of Truth,' Constantine's magical title was undoubtedly an affront to them. His wisdom and talent were also deeply feared by them—a threat sufficient to endanger their positions.

Odin's eyes even showed a hint of appreciation; it was the first time he had seen Forseti display such extraordinary courage.

At least in terms of divine authority, this child of Baldr yielded not an inch, showing no cowardice.

Zeus's gaze, however, grew even more obscure.

His mood was already bad, and after Artemis single-handedly suppressed Vali, Freyr, and Hermod—three powerful gods—it became even more gloomy.