Chapter 271: The Five Gods’ First Counterattack
It was not surprising that the Five Gods reacted this way. They found it hard to imagine that the God King, who had been dormant for an unknown period, would express an intention to intervene in the upcoming war for the sake of mere mortals.
In the eyes of the gods, this was their failure.
After all, they had no understanding of worlds beyond their own universe. They were unaware that despite controlling the vast majority of this world’s resources, there existed enemies whose power surpassed the world’s limitations, requiring their full might.
However, the news announced by the God of Knowledge was enough to make any god who harbored lingering dissatisfaction adjust their attitude and set aside personal grievances.
They might have varying opinions about the God of Knowledge, but every deity present had been created by the God King. They harbored genuine love and respect for their Father God.
If it was his will, they would execute it with unwavering resolve, without any complaints!
Let’s just put on a good show and let Father God see how powerful we are now!
The God of Knowledge also knew that such pronouncements were merely limited boosts of morale, insufficient to endlessly deceive these deities who were no longer young or hot-blooded.
Fortunately, he was not deceiving them. The God King had already made the decision, and he proceeded to announce a series of resources and corresponding divine arts that would be accessible to all present.
Even gods had varying strengths, and among the God King’s faction, there were many forbidden arts that, for one reason or another, could not typically be used.
But this time, as they listened to the God of Knowledge describe the grand war plan, purportedly devised by the Father God himself, and the resources being invested without regard for cost, their reaction was not excitement, but a sense of unease.
“To my knowledge, this should be the last Plane the Father God reserved. If he does this… where will the Faith Power come from in the future?”
The Sea God silently calculated the God King’s investment and discovered a startling detail.
The God of Knowledge’s heart faltered, but his expression remained unperturbed. He replied with an air of inevitability:
“The Father God’s realm is beyond our comprehension. Faith Power is no longer a necessity for him now.”
“So powerful!”
The other deities marveled. The Sea God remained silent, her head bowed in thought.
From her perspective, the God of Knowledge was not lying, but her intuition told her that he was withholding much information.
Yet, these signals, the unprecedented investment from the gods, all indicated that this war would indeed be different.
When they cast aside their arrogance and schemes, and committed themselves fully to preparation, it was not a good sign. It could only signify the immense power of their enemy – not a typical opponent whom they could eventually overcome by expending enough time and resources, as in the past.
Many aspects of the overall plan remained unclear. The Five Gods were only responsible for execution; the true objectives were known only to the God of Knowledge and the God King.
But then, a sense of dread washed over them.
Were a group of mortals truly worthy of them adopting such a stance, of treating this as a decisive battle?
No matter how troublesome those individuals were, or how surprising their achievements, they were still mortals!
At that moment, a powerful yet ethereal consciousness descended upon the Nexus of All Forms:
“You are afraid, and because of your fear, you refuse to believe something, my children.”
“Greetings, Father God!”
Instantly, the Six Gods present rose and bowed in reverence.
The consciousness did not reprimand them excessively. Instead, a gentle breeze seemed to pass over their heads before it spoke ethereally:
“You have all grown through countless wars. Do not forget our growth. Gods pursue eternity, but should not fear their fall. Hesitation is the truest path to self-destruction.”
“We understand, Father God.”
The Six Gods lowered their heads, responding with guilt.
The principle the God King pointed out was sound. It was not that the world had become more complicated, but that after such a long time, they had forgotten the inherent dangers that always existed.
Even gods should not be so bound by the pursuit of eternity that they feared taking bold action, thus giving their enemies opportunities.
“I believe you are all good children.”
The God King’s voice seemed to smile as his consciousness gradually receded.
The gods felt reluctance, yet their fighting spirit soared, their resolve rekindled.
With Father God watching them, none of them wished to be disgraced in this battle, nor did they want to forever be the sole recipient of the God of Knowledge’s acclaim.
A different aura now emanated from the Six Gods. Their approach to warfare became ruthless, disregarding costs and benefits.
This naturally led to an immeasurable increase in the pressure faced by the Azurevine Empire.
…
…
The Godslayer Fortress had now become Roger’s permanent residence.
Although a certain Empress had met him once and held his hand, she was clearly unwilling to see him again.
It was evident that the barrier in her heart had not yet been overcome, and it was uncertain if it ever would be.
While his skin had toughened considerably, he understood that approaching her at this moment would likely be counterproductive.
Coincidentally, the Godslayer Fortress required someone of sufficient stature to oversee its operations, to withstand the increasingly frenzied assaults from the Six Gods, and to manage the various fleet marshals. Thus, he decided to establish his permanent base there.
Construction continued to prioritize defense, with a large number of fleets stationed there. They absorbed talents and powerhouses from various Planes, expanding outwards from the Conqueror’s Canyon. Warships and newly constructed static fortresses intertwined, forming an incredibly complex three-dimensional defense line.
Even if the gods themselves were to appear, they could not breach the fortress complex in a short time to attack the protected Planes behind it.
Furthermore, as the Azurevine Empire shed its hidden facade, its connections with the worlds of the “System’s Children” became public knowledge. Coupled with the outstanding achievements of the Tianming Army in various Planes, the Godslayer Fortress increasingly resembled an international space station.
It was a gathering of the elite from worlds that possessed autonomous capabilities and no longer wished to accept the worship of gods. Countless powerhouses worked there, and immense resources flowed towards it.
Rejecting the old dominators had become the most steadfast ideal harbored by these beings.
With technical support from the Azurevine Empire, and the deeper analysis of the Multiverse’s rules by Galilei, Newton, and others, the travel routes and restrictions between Planes were adjusted.
Originally, the entire Multiverse was a complex, interlocking Rubik’s Cube with convoluted internal pathways. Teleportation involved rapid movement through subspace channels between various Planes.
The God of Knowledge’s Nexus of All Forms was a transportation hub created by permanently solidifying subspace, which explained its uniqueness in the divine realm.
Although subspace was not a one-to-one correspondence with the real universe, it possessed a complex three-dimensional network of routes, offering numerous options for teleportation.
A more advanced understanding of space allowed for the optimization of teleportation routes, finding shortcuts. These might not necessarily increase speed but could reduce fuel consumption to reach the target world.
The Sky Sea Tower had always been the pinnacle of the Azurevine Empire’s magical space theory. As the empire’s national strength grew, and with the influx of talent, numerous mages who had traveled across worlds and possessed a profound understanding of space and Planes emerged.
They were already adept at inter-spatial travel and had long-standing connections with Galilei and his peers, though none were willing to concede superiority.
It wasn’t until the Sky Sea Tower benefited from the empire’s rapid development, with equipment and facilities craved by theoretical enthusiasts being manufactured without cost, that the attraction for these magic fanatics increased exponentially.
It wasn’t that other mages were poor, but that many things required not only resources but also immense manpower and production capacity, built up through countless labor hours.
In traditional magical civilizations, such high-level magical artifacts were refined through legendary spells, one by one.
This method was suitable for crafting divine equipment for personal use. However, for research that delved deeper into magic, requiring the entire nation’s might to complete, it was beyond the capabilities of one or two Magic Towers or a single academic school.
Only the Azurevine Empire, by industrializing magic, cultivating a sufficient number of highly skilled workers, and possessing a sound, socially integrated production system – a super-nation capable of concentrating its efforts on major undertakings – could realize many magical designs needed to verify cutting-edge concepts.
It was precisely this advantage that made the Sky Sea Tower a holy land for mages researching spatial theories within the Multiverse.
The concentration of talent and resources led to the collision of ideas, birthing numerous achievements.
A significant development, stemming from the exploration of spatial mysteries, was the Azurevine Empire’s ability to now seal the subspace of a specific target, leaving only a single entry channel.
This was similar to Spatial Anchors or Dimensional Locks, but it was a more profound and precise form of sealing, evolving from sealing into a control of space, akin to how a firewall controls traffic, allowing for precise management.
This technology was named the Galilei Dam, reminiscent of later computer network firewalls, artificially intervening to control spatial teleportation.
The principle was simple, but its actual operation required an extremely thorough understanding of space, detailed information about the target Plane, extensive calculations, and then the deployment of the seal. It was a super-engineering project demanding immense technological expertise, manpower, and material resources.
The Galilei Dam became a supplement to the Plane Wandering Plan and was well-developed. After its successful implementation in the Eternal Night World, it began to be promoted to other Planes.
The prerequisite was that the world must have at least half of its territory under the control of mortal factions who were not believers, and they must be able to resist counterattacks from the church for a period, allowing for a stable development phase.
Once the Galilei Dam was completed, the victory of mortals could be declared. For a period, the world would not be easily invaded by gods. Without external replenishment, the church would eventually collapse from internal uprisings, under the siege of the Tianming Army.
With each completed Galilei Dam, establishing mortal-controlled worlds, a system called the “God Burial Labyrinth” emerged. Connected by individual Planes, it became the formidable, man-made barrier that the Azurevine Empire championed for the gods.
The Galilei Dam restricted divine teleportation and power projection. Teleportation between a series of Planes could only occur through fixed routes designed by the Sky Sea Tower.
This was akin to how terrain features limited the offensive routes if the gods wished to breach these Planes.
Previously, the Six Gods also attacked Plane by Plane, but those offensive routes were designated by the God of Knowledge. Now, the mortals posed the challenge, restricting the gods’ mobility.
As more Planes were equipped with Galilei Dams, the resulting labyrinth grew larger and more complex.
By concentrating and allocating forces and resources, relocating the producing population to the rear, and establishing fortified worlds on the front lines, they would undoubtedly make the gods fight until they bled.
The entrance to the entire God Burial Labyrinth was the Godslayer Fortress. The gods had to breach it to truly access the mortal Planes protected by the God Burial Labyrinth system.
Under such a three-dimensional defense system, even if they couldn’t achieve “an inch of territory for an inch of blood,” they could significantly delay the gods’ offensive, buying them valuable time.
This defensive system was initially developing smoothly. The Tianming Army’s operations were successful, and the “System’s Children” fighting against the gods had achieved a glorious counterattack. The God Burial Labyrinth was expanding rapidly, and their confidence in defending against divine forces grew with each passing day.
Then, the Six Gods changed their tactics. It was as if a slumbering ancient dragon had finally awakened, baring its fangs. They were no longer passively dismantling the challenges thrown by the Azurevine Empire, and they presented the Tianming Army with a new dilemma:
Scorched earth, and super-large-scale sacrifices!
“Our Spark Plan can no longer proceed. We can declare it a failure,” Shana stated grimly. “The enemy’s actions were too decisive. Many of our elite warriors perished during their infiltration before they could retreat. My reaction was too slow.”
“It’s not your fault. After all, Naliner also hasn’t witnessed anything like this. The Six Gods’ sudden ruthlessness was indeed beyond our expectations, yet it is also within reason – without such methods, they wouldn’t have been the victors of this universe previously.”
Roger looked at the shocking casualty figures and felt deeply shaken, yet he strove to maintain his composure, stabilizing the oppressive atmosphere in the conference room.
Driven to the brink by the Tianming Army’s harassment, and facing continuous uprisings and independent battles, the Six Gods felt that this was beyond their ability to handle. The cost of distinguishing ordinary mortal believers from Tianming Army infiltrators was too high. They decisively implemented a brutal policy:
Slaughter.
You play at infiltration and follower betrayal?
Very well, we’ll slaughter all these believers, directly extracting their Faith Power. Let’s see if your Tianming Army’s most potent methods still work!
And so, a horrific slaughter began. Worlds already controlled by the gods, or partially controlled and capable of projecting power, were destroyed and subjected to terrifying sacrificial massacres.
Not only did civilians and believers suffer heavy casualties, but the Tianming Army warriors who had infiltrated those worlds for the Spark Plan also failed to retreat, with death tolls exceeding a million.
Those who could serve as infiltrators for the Spark Plan were undoubtedly elites, possessing both intelligence when it came to strategy and mental fortitude. They were talents that could not be easily replaced in the short term.
This move by the gods completely disrupted the plans of all the demigods of the Azurevine Empire.
“If they no longer have believers, how will they address the consumption of Faith Power?”
Naliner expressed her confusion until she saw the latest intelligence reports.
