Chapter 268: The God of Nature Enters, The God of Nature Departs
Under the watchful eyes of the gods, the Azurevine Empire was transforming Conqueror’s Canyon. Henceforth, it would be known as God-Slaying Fortress, a monument to the empire’s first victory against the divine pantheon. To the gods, this was an overt act of defiance, a blasphemy simply by its naming.
The God of Nature could not contain herself. She unleashed her Incarnation, leading a million-strong army of Holy Spirits, and charged. This was the renowned “Wrath of Nature” legion, known throughout the Multiverse, composed entirely of pure-blooded elves with unblemished faith and unwavering loyalty to their deity, honed by tens of thousands of years of trials. In past wars waged by the Seven Gods against other deities, the Wrath of Nature legion had earned countless merits, reaching the depths of hell and the abyss. In recent years, as the Seven Gods swept across the Material Planes, the Wrath of Nature had remained dormant, relying solely on their main church to handle most matters, conserving their strength. The deployment of this elite legion signaled the God of Nature’s true fury; she intended to tear down the fortress built upon the War Goddess’s legacy.
“We cannot stand idly by,” the other gods declared. They offered various blessings to the Wrath of Nature legion, arming them to the teeth. This was divine-level enhancement; even a pig thus armed could contend with a legendary warrior, let alone a legion already immensely powerful and experienced.
“Emnecher!” her roar echoed through the cosmos, fueling the fervent devotion of her followers. It was time to offer their loyalty to their Lord!
What greeted them was artillery fire denser than any downpour. To safeguard the construction of God-Slaying Fortress, all fleets and strategic fortresses, save for the Eternal Night returning to the City of Mysteries, were stationed outside. Though still a construction site, the presence of the faith virus had transformed the area. It was no longer a divine stronghold but a place that repelled gods, inflicting negative buffs and empowering mortals to resist them. This was the final wish of the dead and the living believers. The “virus” for the gods was, perhaps, the will of their ancestors for mortals, a war to inherit their wishes and defy the gods who oppressed them.
The God of Nature, transformed into a treant spirits hundreds of meters tall, brandished a shield woven from black vines, placing herself at the forefront of the Wrath of Nature legion. This was her most powerful Incarnation, a testament to countless Faith Power. Yet, before they could even approach the edge of God-Slaying Fortress, her attempt to cover the charging army was shattered by enemy ranged attacks. Their arrows and magic seemed to curve? The God of Nature struggled to comprehend what was happening on the battlefield, disbelieving that her most elite, hard-earned legion had fallen before even touching the enemy, on the verge of reaching their objective.
In her rage, she viewed mortals as equals, treating them with the same caliber as gods. Yet, she failed to truly confront the enemy, to gather intelligence, and to analyze the Azurevine Empire’s capabilities. While the Wrath of Nature legion might not have the power to dismantle God-Slaying Fortress, her covering fire meant they could at least damage the construction and delay the empire’s progress. This was the minimum objective she believed achievable. However, the God of Nature had not considered that the enemy was now heavily employing guided weapons; even their magic incorporated small runes for steering and auto-targeting to increase accuracy. The God of Nature, operating under the old assumptions of intercepting arrows and catapults, attempted to block the Azurevine Empire’s ranged attacks with Divine Power, treating them as linear or parabolic trajectories. Her efficiency was abysmal.
Each missile could maneuver flexibly, evading and repositioning based on her interceptions. Various cloaking methods were used to obscure her senses. Furthermore, God-Slaying Fortress, once the War Goddess’s divine realm, now covered the surrounding area, bolstering the empire’s fleet and supplying ample energy. It was worth noting that from the Eternal Night World to Conqueror’s Canyon, until the War Goddess’s demise, the empire’s fleet had fired barely a few shots, relying solely on the Empress of Eternal Night and the Twelve Twilights of the Gods to subdue Taibera. Their ammunition reserves were now abundant. Consequently, the God of Nature’s outdated experience was precisely targeted by the empire’s current weaponry.
The Wrath of Nature, though formidable, with nearly all its members possessing legendary combat experience and bolstered by equipment and divine blessings, was an invincible force in any Material World. However, the enemy refused to engage in close combat. From beyond their visual range, they annihilated this super-legion, arrayed in a dense formation, eager for a “bayonet charge.” Due to the relentless and rapid volleys, the God of Nature only had time to realize something was amiss before her followers, charging behind her with fervent fervor, vanished. The solitary, hundreds-of-meters-tall treant became a comical witness illuminated by the brilliant flashes, more dazzling than fireworks.
“It seems that without our true bodies present, a true divine realm war is no longer sufficient to defeat these mortals,” stated the Goddess of Music, Sylvie, her melodious voice sounding like the final echoes of a tragic epic. It was filled with so much emotion, so much weariness. Unbeknownst to them, mortals, once mere mobile faith harvesters, like lambs in a fold, could now challenge them and halt their advance on the battlefield.
The God of Nature did not charge again. The terrifying light and heat of the empire’s attack forced her to calm down. A mere Incarnation attempting to assault a divine realm would be a waste of Faith Power. She retreated to the side of the other five gods, her already clumsy retorts now even more inadequate. Despite her impulsiveness, she knew she couldn’t truly fight these mortals to the death, becoming another Taibera. To put it plainly, gods were a group of outwardly arrogant and proud parasites, inwardly more fearful of death than mortals. No matter how boldly they acted, their true bodies remained safely within their divine realms, praying for eternal existence. The God of Nature’s impulsive charge into the divine realm stemmed from her belief that she could easily crush these ants. However, she discovered their shell was too hard, and it was also laced with poison. A rash advance could easily injure her, so she abandoned the charge. They would plan for the long term. Knowing her weakness in strategizing, she became obedient and awaited the return of the God of Knowledge from the Source Sea for new tactics.
God-Slaying Fortress did not pursue, but watched the God of Nature depart. Merely destroying a single divine Incarnation held no meaning. The empire had not finalized its strategy for the next phase. Therefore, conserving energy to construct God-Slaying Fortress, honing it into the sharpest blade to pierce the Six Gods’ eyes, was the immediate priority. Thus, after a fleeting probe that evaporated a million troops, both sides returned to a standoff, as if nothing had happened. Only the God of Nature suffered heavy losses, her core legion, meticulously cultivated for tens of thousands of years, destroyed in a single night.
The Sea God suggested, “Execute the boss’s order and seal off this area to prevent further destruction by mortals.”
The God of Hope nodded, “Indeed. If we confine these mortals here, we can outlast them with our accumulated resources.”
The Five Gods nodded in unison. Mortals had indeed played a few unexpected tricks, wielding weapons that could threaten them. However, they had only just begun their journey across the countless planes. Perhaps the Azurevine Empire possessed specific tactics against the gods in localized engagements, but this level of war was not about immediate gains or losses. It was ultimately about resource attrition; whoever ran out first would perish. They had a tens-of-thousands-of-years head start and controlled over eighty percent of the Multiverse’s resources, giving them an overwhelmingly dominant advantage. Once the God of Knowledge gave the order for a Faith Power bombardment, facing these insects crawling out of the sewers, how could they possibly lose?
A blockade was established around God-Slaying Fortress. Simultaneously, these five gods also reinforced their divine realm defenses and made them more concealed to prevent another Taibera tragedy. Even the God of Nature, who was midway through relocating her divine realm, re-concealed her traces using various methods and entered stealth mode. Well, perhaps the rapid demise of the Wrath of Nature legion was a good thing after all, as it averted the possibility of her divine realm being targeted by the Azurevine Empire.
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At the same time, Target Plane B, Tianming Army Headquarters.
The gods understood that the key to this war lay in resources. The Azurevine Empire had studied the gods thoroughly; would they not grasp this point? The empire remained cautious, maintaining its challenger stance, not daring to relax despite temporary victories. Roger was not at God-Slaying Fortress but at the Tianming Army headquarters, engaged in urgent talks with Shana. Compared to the previous suppression and forbearance, the fall of the War Goddess had brought the conflict between the Azurevine Empire and the Six Gods out into the open. The Tianming Army’s mission to liberate believers no longer needed to be suppressed or restrained. The Azurevine Empire would also no longer leave Shana to bear the burden alone, providing full support in terms of personnel, materials, strategy, and intelligence. The Tianming Army’s successful experiences would be integrated with the Sons of Systems, and more technologies would be opened to all mortals, aiming for the fastest possible development and maximum utilization of available resources.
It was true that the Six Gods controlled eighty percent of the Multiverse’s World. Even a two-for-one attrition war would be enough to decimate the Azurevine Empire. However, warfare was not merely a comparison of theoretical strength; otherwise, what would be the point of war? They could simply exchange numbers, and the lower side would surrender. Furthermore, the gods controlling eighty percent of the planes did not mean they had no opportunity to reclaim them. Through the groundwork laid by the Tianming Army, secretly liberating believers with anti-god sentiments across countless planes and during countless church persecutions, the flame of Hope had been kindled in this darkness.
“We have discussed the specific action plans countless times. The next step is to arm these unarmed believers as much as possible, so they learn to fight for themselves rather than relying on our protection,” Roger summarized the key point of this stage’s combat. “We previously restricted many technologies, fearing that they could not control their emotions and prematurely reveal the empire’s strategic intentions and threat, thus jeopardizing our operations. I hope you can understand.”
Shana had been busy with the Tianming Army’s affairs for years and was unaware of the empire’s technological advancements. Roger’s revelation left her with a sense of helplessness and anger. Many pieces of equipment, such as the rapid basic armament Virtual Divine Law Base Vehicle and the most fundamental Three Elements Summoner Card Decks, if they had been available earlier, could have saved the Tianming Army many lives.
However, after her anger subsided, she could also understand the empire’s predicament. If they had truly caused continuous conflict in the divine districts and even gained the upper hand, who could guarantee that these believers would not, out of hatred, take further actions against the Six Gods? Human hearts could be a weapon for them to win over believers abandoning their faith to join the Tianming Army, but they could also become a venomous snake that backfired on their strategies. If mortals exhibited too much threat, and a vigilant god or angel uncovered the Azurevine Empire’s full capabilities, then the current success of directly eliminating Taibera might not have been possible.
“Harming ten fingers is not as effective as severing one. I understand the empire’s difficulties and am pleased with their victories. I accept your current assistance and will cooperate with the next steps,” Shana said with a slight smile. “After all, ultimately, I have nowhere else to go, and I originate from the empire. Everything the Tianming Army possesses is built upon the empire’s foundation; we will not forget our roots.”
“You have worked hard,” Roger saluted Shana with an imperial salute.
“It was inevitable,” Shana responded with the Tianming Army’s customary gesture.
Some matters truly cannot be scrutinized too deeply. Every force and faction has its own bottom line. Even when jointly opposing the gods, the empire and the Tianming Army, due to their differing core constituencies, would inevitably disagree on whose sacrifice was necessary on the path to overthrowing the gods. Although Shana had grown up in the Azurevine Empire, she now interacted daily with the believers the Tianming Army had sheltered and trained. They were also sentient beings with emotions. Therefore, as the leader of the Tianming Army, Shana’s primary consideration was her own people. If possible, she would certainly prefer the empire to take the lead. Of course, the empire was doing just that. After eliminating Taibera, the Azurevine Empire’s threat was fully exposed and would undoubtedly attract the Six Gods’ primary attention. However, the Tianming Army had begun establishing resistance organizations in the divine districts and was indiscriminately confronting all gods. The methods used to deal with Taibera could no longer be hidden, and they too would attract considerable attention.
At that point, whether the Six Gods would prioritize revenge against the Azurevine Empire or stabilizing their faith power base in the rear would be their decision. Thus, the risk factor for the Tianming Army and the empire was similar. If Shana were ruthless, she could wait for the war between the empire and the Six Gods to escalate further before initiating her actions. However, she ultimately made a choice that would be more beneficial to the overall situation: immediately launching the “Spark Plan” and igniting all the embers they had previously laid. Even if a single order might result in the deaths of tens of millions, even billions.
“But compared to a life slowly fading away in poverty, they prefer to ignite a lamp that illuminates the path forward,” Shana signed the order, and the Tianming Army’s “Spark Plan” commenced.
