Chapter 688: Temptation

"I never thought you would trigger Ragnarok. Who among the Aesir is your man? Loki? Or Lóðurr? They wouldn't want to see the entire Aesir completely destroyed, would they?"

Zeus, propping himself up with one hand on the Aegis Shield, felt as if his left hand was about to be shattered by the opponent's force. His other hand, gripping the Thunderfire Spear, was no better; the flesh and blood on his arm were peeling away from his body.

The key issue was that after being pinned here, he was completely unable to move, let alone dodge. He could only face the Lord of Fate's overwhelming tide of sword strikes head-on.

Zeus had to find a way to shake the opponent's resolve with words: "Odin isn't so easy to kill. Aren't you afraid he'll return as a king?"

Li Mochen chuckled upon hearing this: "Destiny has already begun, Your Majesty Zeus!"

"Destiny is not immutable. I know Odin's own power is insufficient, but what if my people join him? Hades is on his way; he will help Odin escape."

A gleam flickered in Zeus's eyes: "Of course, there's also Ahura's evil essence, the Dark Destroyer Angra Mainyu! Once freed from the underworld, your wife won't be able to suppress them."

"What you say makes sense, but what I want is to become the God Above Gods, the root of the world."

Li Mochen let out a sigh, his eyes filled with deep emotion: "So now, Zeus, you are the most important."

He believed that Fenrir would not let his enemy escape, and even if Odin did escape, what then? He was already out of the game for the 'God Above Gods' and could no longer pose a threat to the Destiny Pantheon.

If it weren't for considering the feelings of Fenrir and his siblings, he might have even shown leniency to the Aesir, allowing them to leave the world of light to avoid a situation where both sides would be destroyed.

After all, in the prophecy of Ragnarok, Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Loki would all die in this battle, with only Hel surviving.

If that was the price for wiping out the Aesir, he would rather not pay it.

Li Mochen didn't even want to see the deaths of Thor, Freyr, and others, to avoid the inertia of fate. Thus, he had always diverted a significant portion of his power to that side, constantly correcting the fates of Fenrir and the others.

And even though Loki, the 'God King,' had been freed from the blood oath, Li Mochen did not recall the Moon Goddess Rabbit and the others but left them in place to prevent Ragnarok from dragging Fenrir and the others into it.

"You cannot kill me."

Zeus's face was pale: "They know that my death means the end of this game."

But before he could finish his sentence, a figure approached from beyond the domain. This person pointed from afar, causing Zeus's thunder and fire to become somewhat sluggish.

It was the God of Truth and Justice, Forseti, returned from Asgard—also known as the 'Lord of Truth,' Eistanden.

"Are you sure?"

Li Mochen smiled, then raised his hand and blasted a bloody hole in Zeus's chest. The Dutian Thunderfire Star Core Sword Qi continuously tore and destroyed the God King's body.

"I believe time is on my side. What do you think, Your Majesty Zeus? Speaking of which, I also bear part of the destiny to kill you."

This part of destiny came from the Titan Typhon, the price he paid for fully integrating into this world.

Zeus's face turned ashen, but he saw Gaia, enduring the two hundred 'Dragon's Roar' cannons, steadily approaching him.

This greatly lifted Zeus's spirits, and he fortified his inner and outer defenses even more tightly.

"Indeed, your subordinate gods will increase. But time is also on my side. Let's see who—"

His voice caught abruptly, for at that moment, a goddess in a pale gold skirt armor arrived near them.

Zeus's pupils contracted sharply, and a sense of foreboding arose in his mind: "Athena! You too want to betray us, betray your bloodline, betray Olympus?"

Li Mochen sighed inwardly. Mother Goddess Gaia had ultimately been unable to resist drawing power from Chaos. This undoubtedly laid a dark foundation for the world, but for now, it wouldn't affect the battle; it might even bring him another general capable of holding his own.

While continuing to fight Zeus and the others, he asked the goddess: "Are you ready, Your Highness Athena?"

"Of course!"

Athena's face was as pale as paper. She bowed to Li Mochen: "Great Lord of Fate, I have no attachments left. Now I need the Scepter of Freedom."

Delphinia Adric noticed Li Mochen glance at her. After a brief hesitation, she handed the Scepter of Freedom to Athena.

The latter sensed it for a moment and then wielded it with ease.

"Destiny grants people freedom. From this day forth, no unequal contract can be my shackle."

Instantly, her entire body was covered with chains formed from Olympian divine script, which shattered one by one under the power of the Scepter of Freedom.

She actually held the authority of freedom, even reaching the ultimate level, high enough to make Delphinia feel wary.

Then Athena pointed at Zeus from afar: "Destiny grants people freedom. Come forth, my mother Metis, and my brother Porus! My father, you can no longer bind them."

Zeus's head throbbed with pain, and he was consumed by rage, but he could do nothing. Although Gaia was全力援护, the 'Divine Power Angel' Heracles was still confronting her head-on, his extraordinary strength making every step forward difficult for Gaia. The divine power that this Primordial Mother Goddess had extracted from Chaos was not enough to allow her to overpower Heracles in terms of strength.

Meanwhile, Li Mochen's sword intent continuously pressed down on him like a mountain, surging like wild waves, endless and inexhaustible.

This made Ahura and the Lord of Light increasingly anxious. They knew that once Zeus died here, the struggle for the God Above Gods would be settled, and from then on, even if they all joined forces, they could not contend with Li Mochen.

But they could not stop Athena. Metis's figure had already begun to separate from behind Zeus. She was a goddess with a face similar to Athena's, but with a more dignified and wise demeanor. In her arms, she held an infant—that should be Porus, the god of opportunity and creation, who according to Greek prophecy would inevitably replace Zeus. Metis wrapped her arms around him, using her own body as a shield to protect Porus from the thunder and fire. Only when she and Porus had completely separated from Zeus's body did a smile appear on her face—one of surprise, relief, and a hint of unease.

Anyone facing an unknown destiny and a powerful being like Li Mochen, who could single-handedly contend with several God Kings, would feel uneasy. But Metis's unease also largely stemmed from Porus.

However, just as Metis was observing the situation with a measuring gaze, a tremendous explosive shock came from Zeus's side. Everyone focused their attention and found that only the Gungnir Holy Spear remained, still pinned in the four dimensions.

Zeus had vanished, leaving only two old men in his place.

Metis glanced at them and raised an eyebrow without much surprise, recognizing them as the two former God Kings of Olympus—Uranus and Cronus.

Both ancient God Kings were in poor condition, their auras weak, their flesh and blood mangled—one could even say they were at death's door.

Zeus's tactic of cutting off the tail like a gecko was executed decisively, and he sold out these two without hesitation. After Metis, Zeus had been using them to withstand Li Mochen's sword qi until his own body escaped.

If the Lord of Fate hadn't shown mercy at the last moment, Uranus, who bore the brunt, would likely have already fallen.

Metis's heart also relaxed a little. Since the Lord of Fate had shown mercy, it meant that this powerful God King was not of a vicious nature.

She also trusted Athena's judgment, believing they would not fall into the tiger's mouth after escaping Zeus.

"What a pity!"

Li Mochen was deeply regretful. At the same time, he reached out and grabbed, forcibly seizing the Gungnir Holy Spear, which was about to fly away. This 'Eternal Spear' with the truth of 'hit' was something he had to obtain by any means.

"Leaving just like that, Your Majesty Zeus? There are still hundreds of thousands of your troops and so many subordinate gods here."

The far-off Zeus gave no response at all. He could naturally take all the Olympian gods with him. As for the 'Olympian Warrior Legion,' under the current circumstances, they could only be sacrificed.

Odin had abandoned two million elite troops of the empire on the battlefield for the survival of the Aesir; how could Zeus lack such resolve?

After Zeus departed, the Lord of Light and Ahura also withdrew one after another. The latter's situation was similar to Odin's, forced to abandon all his 'Divine Guard' in Alaska.

Only the Lord of Light, using 'Noah's Ark,' took away a portion of the Temple Knights and sent the remaining part into the 824th Abyss, still under Satan's control.

But in the end, not many were transferred out; Lucifer had been doing his utmost to interfere. It was only through the combined efforts of Isis, Michael, and Satan that 230,000 of the 600,000 Temple Knights managed to escape the battlefield.

Then Li Mochen's gaze also turned toward Odin's direction.

The battle there had also entered its final stage; the Twilight of the Gods was nearing its end. Odin no longer had the strength to resist Fenrir; the Aesir's All-Father was in his death throes.

But Fenrir's situation was also dire. Previously, he had been blessed by Fate, allowing him to recover quickly from any wound, no matter how severe. Now, as the power of 'Fate' waned, the divine authority Odin had planted within Fenrir began to wreak havoc.

This, too, was part of Fate; destiny decreed Fenrir's death—if not for Li Mochen, the Lord of Fate, he would have died from exhaustion, slain by the vengeance god Vali.

Aside from the named figures in the Twilight of the Gods, the vast majority of the Aesir also managed to withdraw. Freyr timely summoned his treasure ship 'Skíðblaðnir' from Asgard, carrying the Aesir gods to escape pursuit and enter the Dark World.

This was an artifact similar to Noah's Ark, which had previously sailed between Sindhu and South America, providing logistical support for the ninety-two million troops of the Beast Empire across two continents.

It was not until the Battle of Granden that this artifact, slightly inferior to Noah's Ark in defensive capability, was damaged by concentrated fire from numerous battleships under the Fate Pantheon, forcing 'Skíðblaðnir' to temporarily withdraw from the war and remain in Asgard for repairs.

But at this moment, this divine ship became the lifeline for the Aesir gods. 'Skíðblaðnir' could not only travel at light speed but also traverse time and space; it was this ship that allowed them to shake off the pursuit of the Fate gods.

"Indeed, there has never been a decisive battle you couldn't win."

Ishtar, who had finished her fight, returned to Li Mochen's side. She was in excellent spirits, her eyes gleaming with excitement.

But when Ishtar followed Li Mochen's gaze toward 'Skíðblaðnir,' a hint of confusion appeared in her eyes: "From the looks of it, they're planning to hide in the Sin Sea of the Dark World. Isn't that walking into a death trap?"

"They have a chance at survival."

Athena interjected from the side: "Thor—only Thor among them has left. If I'm not mistaken, his target is the deepest part of the Sin Sea."

At this moment, Odin, Heimdall, Tyr, Freyr, and the others were either already dead nine thousand kilometers out at sea or exhausted from blocking the pursuit.

Only Thor had left, entangled with Jörmungandr all the way, and had now arrived outside the Sin Sea of the Dark World.

"The Sin Sea?"

Ishtar's body trembled slightly as she guessed Thor's intention: "So they plan to fully submit to those two great powers of the previous era? Then I must admit, this Thunder God's decisiveness is indeed extraordinary."

—It was indeed a path to survival, though the Aesir would pay a heavy price for it.

"This was probably Odin's instruction. So the situation we face next won't fundamentally improve."

After saying this, Athena lifted her Scepter of Liberty and knelt on one knee: "Your Majesty, according to our agreement, I am willing to become an angel under your command."

Li Mochen was momentarily stunned; previously, his promise to Athena had been for the 'Goddess of Wisdom and Victory.'

He quickly regained his composure: "Are you sure, Lady Athena? You should know that there is a significant difference between an angel and a subordinate god."

The most crucial point was not the god-king's control over the angel, but the one-sided bond of life and death.

"Of course I know."

Athena's expression was calm and resolute: "Please trust me, Your Majesty. This is the result of my careful deliberation."

"Since you insist—"

Li Mochen hesitated no longer. He first pointed into the distance, sending the Scepter of Liberty back to Delphinia, then placed the Sword of Fate on Athena's shoulder: "Then from today, you shall govern wisdom, victory, civilization, and art for me."

Li Mochen then looked behind Athena, at the former wisdom goddess Metis.

"Lady Metis, I still lack a protector of children, one who will be the guardian of all children. You—"

Before he could finish, Metis also knelt on one knee: "Great Lord of Fate, I am willing to serve you; it is my honor."

Though this protector of children was not as prestigious as her previous wisdom and ocean domains, she knew that in this era, the population was thousands of times greater than in ancient times.

If Zeus and Odin had foreseen the explosive population growth in the Bright World after entering modern times, they would certainly not have left so easily and would have returned earlier.

Metis understood that this divine position was actually Li Mochen's repayment to Athena, as compensation for her voluntary decision to become an angel.

"Very well."

Finally, Li Mochen focused his gaze on Poros, who was in Metis's arms. The latter still had the appearance of an infant, but his eyes were clear and wise, mixed with curiosity and wariness.

After all, he had spent several thousand years inside Zeus's body; though he had never interacted with outsiders, he could not be regarded as an ordinary child.

Metis's mind tightened again. According to the prophecy of the Greek Moirai, Poros would be the god of opportunity and creation in ancient Greek mythology, and the future fourth-generation king of Olympus.

Athena, however, was very calm. Since Li Mochen could accept Achilles, there was no reason he could not tolerate her brother Poros. Poros's circumstances were far from challenging fate.

"Your Majesty, if possible, please also let my brother Poros become your angel!"

"Let him choose for himself when he comes of age."

Li Mochen refused with a smile: "He can first serve as my divine attendant, governing opportunity and creation. I myself am quite looking forward to seeing him fulfill his destiny."

He knew that this was the one who could truly kill Zeus; neither Typhon nor Achilles could do it.

Though Li Mochen would not stoop to fearing a child, he could not afford to ignore him entirely. Poros's talent surpassed that of Achilles and Heracles.

Next came the returning fire and trickster god Loki, who bowed slightly with a hint of apology: "I must apologize to you, Your Majesty."

He had had the chance to stop Thor, the Thunder God, but in the end, he had not acted.

"No need."

Li Mochen magnanimously reached out and helped Loki up: "As per our agreement, you shall be my god of fire, illusion, and trickery."

Thor and the Aesir gods who had entered the Dark Sin Sea would indeed be a great trouble, but precisely because of that, Loki, who possessed the combat power of a god-king, was all the more important.

Besides, Thor's escape was the result of his deliberate connivance.

Just then, Li Mochen noticed a slight change in his left arm. The black mist coiled around his arm dissipated by at least seventy percent at that moment.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, once again looking toward the Dark World. At the same time, he thought, how fast—when he and Lucifer had joined forces to enter the depths of the Sin Sea, it had taken them a full seven days.

But this time, Thor had only just entered the Sea of Calamity when Li Mochen's karmic debts to those two had already been mostly cleared. It seemed that the Aesir had some connection with those two great beings from the previous era, and they too were familiar with the Sea of Calamity.

"Your magnanimity fills me with shame—"

Loki's face was calm, but a flicker of emotion stirred in his eyes. He still felt a certain awe for this Lord of Fate, who had risen in just a few decades to become the most powerful deity in this world and had swept through all the ancient pantheons.

And Li Mochen's display of tolerance and generosity touched him slightly. He thought that in this new pantheon, perhaps a different fruit might eventually be borne.

But before Loki could finish, Lucifer sneered: "You know shame? We don't mind, anyway. It's you and your children who will suffer. I bet Thor and the others hate you and Fenrir's brood the most now, not Andre."

Hela, who had killed Tyr and returned with Loki, also glared at her father. She fully agreed with Lucifer's words, seeing no offense to them or lack of respect for Loki.

In Hela's view, her father was the source of her siblings' suffering.

Loki admitted his fault calmly: "So five minutes ago, I regretted it. Your Majesty! Allow me to personally correct this mistake."

Just then, everyone sensed an abnormal, unsettling surge of divine power. It was the Aesir's All-Father Odin, finally swallowed whole by Fenrir.

But this 'food' was clearly not something Fenrir's stomach could digest. The injuries accumulated in his body also erupted fully as Odin's divine soul perished, plunging the wolf into a state hanging by a thread.

At this moment, any god on the battlefield—even a minor one—could kill Fenrir.

However, Li Mochen's power of fate and time had already shielded his 'Venomous Angel'. The 'Supreme Dragon God' Io and the 'Guardian Angel' Achilles had also arrived in advance to ensure Fenrir's life would not be taken by destiny.

At this time, the gods around Li Mochen showed varied expressions—some sighed, some were excited, and some felt pity. After all, an ancient king of gods had fallen, and those who had lived through that mythological era could not help but be moved.

Li Mochen focused only on Fenrir: "How do you feel? If you can't bear it, better spit it out. Odin's flesh and blood are more poisonous to you than venom."

He had sensed long ago that Odin had imbued his divinity, hatred, and curses into his flesh and blood. The powerful divine authority he possessed was not something Fenrir, whose destiny had dissipated, could withstand.

"I know, but I'm happy! Let his flesh stay in my belly for a while, preferably until I can shit it out."

Fenrir first sneered, then said solemnly: "Your Majesty! I, Fenrir, will forever be your Venomous Angel."

Li Mochen laughed: "So you mean you won't challenge me again?"

His previous agreement with Fenrir was that if Fenrir could one day defeat him in a fair fight, he would allow Fenrir to leave the Fate Pantheon and no longer obey his commands.

"I'll still challenge you, but I doubt I can win."

Fenrir lay down, looking listless: "Even if I could beat you, I wouldn't leave your pantheon. I like it this way now. My hatred and destiny are over; I don't know what to do next."

Li Mochen understood the creature's mood—wishes fulfilled, revenge achieved, millennia of hatred dissipated in an instant. Anyone would feel lost, even lose their drive.

"Alright! I'll give you half a year off to recover properly."

Li Mochen could have used a wish spell to heal Fenrir directly, but he didn't. Resisting Odin's divinity and divine authority would benefit Fenrir greatly.

He then turned his attention to Surtur. The fire giant raised his Sword of Doom high and hurled it forcefully into the Asgardian domain.

In less than a minute, the massive divine realm suspended in the outer void was split apart, erupting with radiance a hundred times brighter than the sun. It even reflected into the interior of the Light World, creating a giant sun in the sky.

With Odin and the other gods gone, the Asgardian domain was already on the verge of collapse, slowly disintegrating. The 'Sword of Doom' was the trigger, shattering the already riddled web of laws and detonating it completely.

This marked the end of Ragnarok and the war in Asgard—though Li Mochen's eyes gleamed with excitement and joy, a hint of gravity also passed through their depths.

The current situation had both joys and concerns. The joy was that the Fate Pantheon, as Prometheus had said, had established hegemony in the Light World. The concern was that the enemies they faced were still powerful—besides old foes like the Lord of Radiance and Zeus, there were new ones.

Li Mochen had noticed countless cracks silently appearing in the Arctic ice cap, and he clearly sensed a cold, hate-filled gaze fixed on him from the Sea of Calamity in the Dark World.

※※※※

In the Sea of Calamity of the Dark World, Thor was not only watching Li Mochen but also Asgard facing its doom. His eyes, now turned ashen gray, were cold and merciless, yet two black tears trickled from the corners.

"We will avenge this in time, Thor. Even Odin can be resurrected. You have gained unparalleled power now, Thor. As long as you fully master it, everything will be fine."

Standing beside Thor was Loder, the god of desire and temptation, who looked at his nephew, the new king of the Aesir, with complex eyes.

The latter's condition was shocking. Thor was now covered in black armor, with twelve pairs of tentacle-like wings on his back. The pressure of his divinity and divine authority made Loder, a false king of gods, tremble.

But most terrifying were the twelve enormous 'divine aberrations' surrounding Thor, each with a divine rank of at least nineteen. The former Lord of Fate had used only two of them to kill the Goddess of Liberty.

"What nonsense are you talking? The most important thing now is the resurrection of the two Lords."

Thor glanced at Loder, his face showing undisguised disgust.

During the retreat from the material plane, all the second- and third-generation gods of the Aesir had fought desperately to cover the rear. Only Odin's two brothers, Loder and Vili, had seen the situation turn bad and fled early into the outer void.

In the past, Thor would have struck Loder with the thunder of punishment without hesitation.

In the Aesir, desertion was a great crime and disgrace. Even executing both uncles on the spot would have been legal and accepted by all Aesir.

But now, his master considered them still useful. Thor himself agreed; to resurrect the two Lords, they had to use every available force.

"I must now sleep for a time to merge with the Lords' power. Before I wake, you must hold the Empire of Ten Thousand Beasts for the two Lords. Can you do it?"

Loder frowned in thought: "That depends on how much power you give me. With these twelve aberrations, everything would be fine. I could even hold the current front line."

In the Dark Sea of Calamity, these twelve aberrations were immensely powerful, on par with a king of gods. But outside the Sea of Calamity, their combat power would be greatly weakened.

Otherwise, Loder was confident he could sweep the current Fate Pantheon.

"Impossible!"

Thor refused decisively: "You may only borrow their power to a certain extent in the material plane."

"Then our armies in Sindhu and South America will be annihilated."

Loder said helplessly: "I can only withdraw some elites and try to hold the 'Asgard Continent.'"

"That will do."

Thor was very calm, but his eyes held warning and murder as he looked at Loder: "It's not 'try,' you must do it. The Empire of Ten Thousand Beasts is our fulcrum for future interference in the material plane; it must not fall. If you fail, Loder, I will grant you death as atonement to the Aesir. Of course, if you complete the task, I will not be stingy with rewards."

After this, countless black threads surged and wrapped around Thor's body, forming a huge cocoon in a very short time.

Loder watched the process quietly, then looked at the source of the black threads—two colossal corpses deep in the Sea of Calamity, each as massive as the Alps.

His eyes showed shock, hesitation, awe, unease, and also strong desire and hope.

He and Vili could have left the Light World and fled far away. But what Thor had promised him in mental communication was irresistible.

※※※※

When Gaia and Rhea retreated together to the Pantheon, Zeus had already fled there ahead of them. The Olympian king of gods was in no better state than Uranus and Cronus.

He had used those two former kings to escape the Lord of Fate, but at a great cost.

"Look, our king of gods has fallen into such a sorry state."

Gaia sneered: "Don't you dare return to Mount Olympus?"

A trace of anger flickered across Zeus's face, but he soon calmed: "Two mother goddesses, I have come to seek your shelter and help."

Zeus indeed dared not return to Mount Olympus. Not only might his enemy, the Lord of Fate, attack his divine kingdom, but his subordinate gods and many second- and third-generation Titans, including 'Hyperion the Transcender' and 'Hestia the Hearth Goddess,' were also unreliable.

He believed they would not hesitate if they saw an opportunity.

"Shelter?"

Gaia laughed mockingly: "And how do you plan to repay me? Like Uranus and Cronus?"

"I am ashamed, but I had no choice."

Zeus remained expressionless: "The God Above Gods is no longer my concern, Mother Goddess. I only seek to recover now, and you are my only hope. If you cannot help me, I will have to leave the Light World as soon as possible, though it is risky. But I believe you would not want that?"

Gaia did not respond; she stared intently at Zeus. His divinity and divine rank had suffered great damage, making even leaving the Light World extremely dangerous.

"But in your current state, you can't help me."

At this moment, any major god could kill Zeus. And for him to fully recover would normally take centuries.

"I know you have a way, Mother Goddess."

Zeus's eyes glimmered: "Even if I can't fully recover, I can help you contend with a king of gods. Trust me, Mother Goddess, I swear by the stars that I will do my utmost to help you achieve victory."

Gaia sneered: "Given the current situation, do we have a chance? I estimate that within three to five years, I will lose all my authority in the Source."

"Of course we do!"

Zeus raised his head: "Thor's allegiance to those two is the biggest variable. And you, Mother Goddess, can also borrow power from the one behind Chaos."

"The one behind Chaos? The Lord of Slaanesh?"

Gaia looked at her hand, where a pink mist had condensed, tightly entangled with her divine power.

That was the power of Slaanesh, originating from Chaos.

In the previous battle, Gaia had ultimately been unable to resist drawing on Chaos's power. But she found she had overestimated her ability to refine and purify; though she could now concentrate Slaanesh's power, she could not expel it completely.

"I don't think that's a good idea."

Rhea opposed, her expression cold and disgusted: "That is Chaos! Mother Goddess, doing so would indirectly help Chaos, and you cannot coexist with him."

"If you only stay at the level of borrowing Chaos's power, Mother Goddess, the outcome will surely be bad. But why not skip him and directly seek help from the Lord of Slaanesh?"

Zeus's eyes shone: "I know this Chaos Lord's style. If you can show greater value than Chaos, she will not be stingy with help. And under Slaanesh's banner, there are already many Gods Above Gods who have received her aid."

He looked up, his voice persuasive: "Though it means being controlled, Mother Goddess, being a God Above Gods implies infinite future and opportunity. In ages past, some gods have escaped Slaanesh's control. I believe you have the ability and sufficient foundation to do so."