Chapter 676
The God of Prophecy's Decision: The Covenant is Moved Forward!
"What's going on? Why did Speaker Madora suddenly convene the Council of the Supreme Gods?"
"Darkness and light have just clashed, and Ares and Sirova's attitudes have always been delicate. Why hold a meeting now?"
"More importantly, isn't the war in the Divine Realm currently at a critical juncture?"
The god of space, Losanda, and the god of protection, Heim, are still struggling on the front lines, resisting the fierce attack of the seventy-two demon gods on the seal.
Instead of immediately returning to the divine realm to provide support, the council is holding an emergency meeting here?
"Could something even more serious than the void's erosion or the threat of demons have occurred?"
"Is it related to that Cohen Corleone? Or... is it related to the 'King Solomon's mount' that the God of Darkness mentioned earlier?"
The gods communicated rapidly, their thoughts filled with speculation and unease.
The emergency convening of the Council of the Supreme God is no small matter.
Especially in this turbulent time, after witnessing the shock of a mortal "killing a god," any slight disturbance is enough to stir the sensitive nerves of all the gods.
The six main gods summoned to the special spacetime realm of Madora had just as many doubts as the onlookers outside.
This space, temporarily created by Madora's divine power, has a different flow of time than the outside world. It is vast and illusory, like being in a constantly flowing silver galaxy.
The radiance of the six main gods is condensed here into clear projections of their respective incarnations.
The darkness of Erebus, the god of darkness, is more solid than the outside world, yet it cannot conceal the weakness and restlessness within. He is silent, like the eye of a storm that may erupt at any moment.
Ares, the god of war, was surrounded by surging blood energy, displaying an undisguised thirst for battle and interest in the upcoming topic.
Thunder rumbled within the indigo light of Sirova, the god of the sky and storms, revealing the turmoil in his heart.
The flames of Fjorn, the god of fire, flickered erratically, revealing his usual irritability and the curiosity that was forcibly suppressed at this moment.
The ice element goddess Daphne is like a perfect iceberg, radiating a chilling aura that keeps strangers at bay. We await the next chapter.
As for Aetherel, the goddess of light, her holy light remained warm and steadfast here, but when faced with Madora's sudden summons, a clear question appeared on her beautiful face.
Having just experienced the tension of protecting Cohen, she was extra vigilant about anything that might cause further trouble.
Ares's voice rang out first, like the clash of swords, with a metallic quality:
"Your Majesty the Prophet, we are urgently summoned. There must be something more important than rushing back to crush those demonic scum who are scratching an itch outside the seal!"
The provocation from the first Demon King, Belial, had greatly angered this God of War.
Sirova's thunderclap exploded once amidst the light, as if to second her opinion.
Fjørn's anger flared up, revealing his impatience.
Erebus remained silent, but the surrounding darkness grew even colder.
Daphne remained silent, while Aetherel watched Madora, shrouded in the mists of time, awaiting his explanation.
Madora the Prophet paused, and the mists of time rippled slightly:
"The appearance of King Solomon's mount is not simply a matter of an ancient demon's henchman escaping."
This is an extremely dangerous sign.
He surveyed the gods, his gaze, hidden behind the mist, becoming incredibly sharp:
"We have always focused the vast majority of our energy on resisting the unknown creatures from the endless void outside the divine realm."
However, if those void creatures that keep assaulting the glorious barrier of the divine realm are not accidental?
It is neither a natural phenomenon nor a disordered, void-like biological instinct.
King Solomon, the king of the gods of the previous era, was well-versed in countless forbidden knowledge and possessed terrifying power that even we ourselves may not fully comprehend.
He has been hiding for so long. With his abilities and methods, could he really have just been sleeping all these years?
Are they truly completely ignorant and inactive about everything that is happening in the divine realm and the main plane?
I do not believe!
It's all reasonable, even... inevitable, that he has any hidden plans we don't know about, or any schemes we can't comprehend.
The elemental gods fell into deep thought.
Sirova, the god of the sky and storms, asked in a deep voice:
"Speaker, do you mean that those void creatures outside the Divine Realm that keep attacking the Glorious Barrier and forcing us to abandon our homeland may not have arisen naturally?"
Or... was King Solomon behind it all?
Madora nodded slowly:
"It's not impossible; in fact, it's quite possible."
"If Cohen hadn't been so incredibly powerful today, forcing out Belial's avatar projection, we'd probably still be lost in the fog."
He paused, then looked at each of the main gods present, his gaze serious:
"If my guess is correct, then the situation we face is far more severe than we previously anticipated."
We must not only resist the erosion of the void from the outside, but also guard against the possible counterattack of the demon gods.
In fact, these two things may be two sides of the same coin, different parts of King Solomon's plan.
so……"
Madora's voice was firm and resolute, carrying an unquestionable determination:
"The covenant of the gods cannot be delayed any longer."
We must immediately push for the final establishment and publication of the alliance.
Let the mortal races and major powers of the main plane determine the final victor as soon as possible, under the rules we have set.
To determine the chosen nations that are qualified to bear the coming of our divine kingdom, to gather faith, and to resist the final calamity.
Then, we will bring our divine kingdom to the chosen location in the prime plane as quickly as possible.
Gather faith, unite strength, and prepare for the decisive battle in advance.
Whether it's dealing with the potentially escalating Void Erosion or guarding against a possible all-out attack by King Solomon and his demon army.
We all need a solid foundation of faith and strength.
Time may be more pressing than any of us realize.
We can no longer wait, we can no longer stand by and watch, we can no longer let the war of mortals drag on endlessly.
We must take the initiative to intervene and accelerate the process!
Otherwise, when King Solomon and his seventy-two demons, who have been sealed away for countless years and have accumulated endless resentment, are truly ready to launch their attack simultaneously.
By then, we probably won't have enough time to take any effective countermeasures.
Madora's words stirred up a great deal of ripples.
The divine power surging around the six main gods clearly reflected the turbulent thoughts in their hearts.
The deep darkness surrounding Erebus, the god of darkness, surged even more obscurely at this moment.
The humiliation and weakness from the loss in the bet and the backlash from the artifact had not yet subsided when Madora's speculation that the Void Erosion might be hiding a conspiracy by King Solomon made him even more depressed.
He remained silent, and no one knew what this dark god, known for his coldness and profundity, was thinking at that moment.
The blood energy and fighting spirit surging around Ares, the god of war and battle, suddenly became even more intense after a brief pause.
Premature announcement, accelerating the war?
This struck a chord with the God of War; only by causing chaos on the continent sooner could he absorb more divine power.
The god of the sky and storms, Sirova, was also deeply contemplating the immense variables that would result from prematurely intervening in the mortal war and accelerating the "destiny" choice.
Lightning flashed in his eyes, and finally, it turned into a muffled roar, which could be considered as preliminary approval.
Fjorn, the god of fire and magma, detested complicated schemes and long waits.
If Madora's guess was true, it meant the enemy had already made their move, and a treacherous one at that. This infuriated him even more than the direct onslaught of the void waves.
Rather than waiting for the enemy to prepare everything, it would be better to take the initiative and he quickly agreed.
The ice element and the goddess of ice and snow, Daphne, and the goddess of light, Aetheril, exchanged a glance, and a thoughtful expression appeared on their two faces, which were different in style but equally beautiful.
Announcing the alliance in advance and accelerating the war on the continent will inevitably lead to more ordinary people being drawn into the flames of war, resulting in widespread suffering and death.
But Madora's guess... if King Solomon really was manipulating everything behind the scenes, then every moment of delay would increase the danger.
Moreover, announcing the alliance now is undoubtedly a good thing for Cohen, who has just become the focus of attention on the mainland. It allows him to get away from everyone's attention, which is a good suggestion.
Seeing that the main gods, though their expressions varied, ultimately agreed (or at least did not strongly object), Madora relaxed considerably and continued:
"Very good. Now that we have reached a preliminary consensus, let's not delay."
His gaze seemed to pierce through this temporary space, landing on the many deities outside who were still waiting and speculating.
"Now, representatives of all forces, kings, emperors, and leaders of human nations have all witnessed what just happened."
This is a rare opportunity, a chance to announce our decision to the entire continent and to all intelligent races.
We, the main deities, will first set the tone here. Then, I will inform the attending councilors.
Obtain their consent, or at least, prevent them from objecting.
The Council of the Main Gods, in addition to the eight Main Gods who are in charge of the core elements and concepts, also includes some attending members.
These councilors are not the chief gods, but they represent other large, important pantheons in the divine realm with a broad base of faith.
For example, there's the Dragon God pantheon, symbolizing the pinnacle of bloodlines; the Ocean Pantheon, which controls the endless ocean and whose influence covers all coastal and island civilizations; the Elf Pantheon, powerful and steadfast in its faith; and the Nature Pantheon, representing forests, wilderness, and the balance of nature, deeply revered by druids and some humans. Their attitudes are equally crucial, enough to influence the smooth implementation of the covenant and subsequent faith integration.
The main gods exchanged glances, their eyes communicating quickly, silently conveying their opinions.
In the end, whether out of trust in Madora's judgment, concern about potential threats, or their own different calculations, they all slowly nodded.
Seeing that the gods had no objections, Madora did not hesitate any longer, and her divine power surged.
The next moment, several divine thought fluctuations with special rhythms emanated from this temporary space of the Council of Gods, precisely projecting towards the radiant areas in the high sky that represented the vast pantheons.
The first to respond was that ancient, dragon-like radiance—the light of wealth, protection, and the king of dragons, the dragon god Bahamut Goldwil.
His towering figure swayed slightly and appeared outside the space of the Council of Gods, then stepped inside.
The golden dragon's eyes swept over the main gods present, lingering for a moment on Madora with scrutiny and inquiry.
Next, Elon Wisdom, representing wisdom, history, and knowledge, entered as a stream of light.
The ancient elven sage frowned slightly, seemingly pondering the purpose of Madora's emergency summons.
Another vast, profound blue divine light, imbued with the aura of ocean tides and the abyss, also appeared—Octavia, the sea god and representative of the ocean pantheon.
These representatives of the pantheon were urgently summoned by the Council of the Main Gods, and they too were filled with doubts.
But when Madora used the simplest language to tell them about the speculation that King Solomon might be manipulating the void to erode the world and collude with them from within, and the decision that the covenant of the gods must be announced immediately to accelerate the progress of the continent, the atmosphere in this temporary space instantly became extremely heavy.
The representatives of the various pantheons were thinking rapidly. This decision was far too significant, as it meant that the gods would intervene directly in the prime plane with unprecedented force, that the continent's格局 (geju, a term referring to the overall situation or landscape) would undergo a dramatic change, and that their respective pantheons must immediately adjust their strategies and engage in this ultimate competition that would determine the future landscape of faith.
After a moment, the dragon god Bahamut broke the silence first:
"If the threat is as Speaker Madora says, then sticking to the old rules and waiting for disaster to strike is not the way of a wise person."
The Dragon God pantheon agrees to accelerate the alliance process.
Elon Ruiyu nodded slowly:
"Wisdom tells us that hesitation leads to chaos. The Elven pantheon... seconded that."
But it is essential to ensure the fairness of the alliance and the rules of competition, so that they do not become an excuse for certain ambitious individuals to trample on lives.
Octavian Abyss said in a deep voice:
"The sea abhors filth, whether it be from the void or from the demons."
The Ocean Goddess agrees. May the waves wash away all conspiracies.
The representatives of the various pantheons ultimately voted in favor.
“Very good.” Madora’s voice was unreadable. “Then, only the last step remains, which requires the consent of the most crucial executor.”
After saying this, he fell silent and instead focused his divine sense on something even more refined.
This divine thought was not directed at any of the gods present, but rather, like an invisible arrow, it traversed an immeasurable distance, piercing through the numerous barriers between the divine realm and the main plane.
It was thrown towards Losanda Space, the God of Space, who was in the abyss of the underworld, leading countless warriors of the divine realm alongside Heim, the God of Protection, to resist the seventy-two demon gods' frenzied attack on the ancient seal!
Before long, a faint yet incredibly stable silvery-white light shone within the space of the Council of Gods and quickly coalesced.
It was an incarnation projected from a wisp of the will of Losanda, the God of Space, on the front lines of the fierce battle.
Without a word, Madora relayed their decision to the projection in Losanda as quickly as possible.
Losanda glanced at Madora, then at the other chief gods and representatives of the pantheon present, his gaze lingering for a moment on the darkness of Erebus.
Finally, Losanda nodded slightly, and a voice carrying a spatial tremor resounded directly within the consciousness of the gods:
"I agree with the Speaker's judgment and I will cooperate!"
Madora's figure, shrouded in the mists of time, seemed to have completely relaxed.
He turned to all the chief gods and representatives of the pantheons present, his voice calm, yet carrying a weighty weight as if deciding a destiny:
"Alright, let's begin!"
Losanda took a deep breath, and his divine power erupted instantly.
The next instant, above the Florence plains, under the gaze of all the divine avatars and all the powerful mortals, amidst the bewildered stares of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians—
hum! ! !
A strange vibration, seemingly originating from the very rules of the world, reverberated throughout the entire main plane.
Above the square of the magnificent imperial city of the human empire;
Beside the eternal Tree of Life deep within the Elf Forest;
At the top of the furnace hall, hidden deep underground in the dwarf kingdom;
Beside the altar of the orc tribe, where the ancestral totems stand;
In the heart of countless duchies, kingdoms, city-states, and even some powerful independent forces...
Whether the sky is clear or overcast, whether it is day or night, under the shocked, bewildered, and even terrified gaze of all intelligent beings.
One after another, spatial teleportation portals emitting a soft, silvery-white glow appeared out of thin air and hovered stably in mid-air!
The portal was enormous, over a hundred meters high, and inside it was a swirling, silvery-white vortex, the destination of which was unclear.
But it quietly appeared in the core area of almost all the important forces on the continent.
miracle!
This is the true manifestation of the will of a god that covers the entire continent!
The silver-white spatial portal that covered the entire continent and hung high in the core of various forces, after its brief appearance and the shock and commotion it caused throughout the continent, did not give mortals much time to speculate or catch their breath.
Immediately afterwards, a voice pierced through the barriers of space, disregarding the vast distance, passing through every portal of light, echoing in the skies above every square, every palace, and every sacred land where the portals stood, and resonating in the ears and hearts of every living being on the continent:
"I, the Prophet Madora, in the name of the Council of the Supreme Gods, in the name of the gods who witness the passage of time and safeguard the continuation of order—"
Summon the leaders and representatives of all intelligent beings in the entire material plane.
The covenant of the gods will be officially announced to you soon.
Time limit – one tick of time (approximately equal to one hour as perceived by ordinary people).
All qualified leaders of the forces who have received the summons, please immediately pass through the gates of light before you to come before us, hear the covenant, and witness destiny.
Those who fail to arrive by the appointed time will be deemed to have automatically forfeited their right to participate in the covenant and will be excluded from the future order witnessed by the gods and chosen by fate.
The timer starts now!
The sound disappeared.
The ethereal and majestic voice instantly triggered a far more intense and profound shock and horror across the entire continent than when the portal appeared.
The Covenant of the Gods!
This term has been no secret for the past few years.
It hangs like an ominous cloud over the mind of every far-sighted ruler, every learned sage, and every powerful force.
Rumors, speculations, and theories about the alliance have never ceased.
It is known that this covenant will come when the gods deem the time ripe, when they believe that the conflicts in the mortal world need to be guided and accelerated in response to a looming and immense threat.
Knowing that it would come sooner or later is completely different from it actually crashing down on everyone in such a direct and undeniable way.
"It's true...it's been announced..."
"One hour, just one hour!"
"It's over... war is coming, a really big war is coming..."
"Are the gods... going to intervene personally?"
From the northernmost frigid winter city-states where the wind howls, to the southernmost rainforest tribes where the heat swelters; from the industrial metropolises of the west with their roaring machinery, to the ancient imperial cities of the east where dragons seem to soar...
Fear, confusion, excitement, fervor, despair, ambition... all sorts of emotions erupted like volcanoes in every corner.
Commoners knelt in prayer, soldiers gripped their weapons, nobles were pale or flushed, and strategists and scholars frantically calculated and deduced, only to feel a chilling despair.
Everyone knew that once the details of this covenant, endorsed and enforced by the gods, were published, regardless of its specific content, it would mean one thing—
The existing fragile balance on the mainland will be completely shattered.
Peace, a word already riddled with holes from countless border clashes, proxy wars, assassinations, and conspiracies, will become nothing more than dust in the history books.
From this day forward, the entire prime plane will be governed by only one theme—war!
An unprecedented war was waged to seize the so-called chosen kingdom and to survive in the new order established by the gods.
A total war that engulfs all races, all nations, and all faiths!
From this moment on, the boundless war and turmoil will officially begin, with no room for maneuver.
In the Central Empire, in the imposing palace square of King Tandin, a portal of light floats silently.
Empress Denise Klein, draped in a purple-gold imperial robe and wearing an imperial crown, gazed up at the massive portal of light, surrounded by a group of solemn-faced ministers and elite guards.
Without the slightest hesitation, she gave a few instructions to the ministers and then strode forward alone, walking step by step towards the gate of light that radiated a mysterious silver glow, under the complex gazes of countless subjects.
The Eastern Empire, Dragon City, atop the Dragon Roar Mountains.
Eberron Tang waved his hand to stop the Grand Councilors who were about to say something, and stepped into the portal.
In the Western Empire, outside the Golden Temple in Zero; in the Northern Empire, before the Frozen Throne in the Winter Court.
Whirlpool Fortress of the Southern Empire, Starsea Holy City of the Starry Empire, Arcane Ancient City of the Arcane Empire, and even the slightly less powerful but equally formidable Quesaon of the Kingdom of Ceylon and Toringard of the Kingdom of Windbreak...
On the majestic holy mountain of the Church of Light, atop the astrological tower of the Church of Prophecy, covered with star charts, before the secret meeting place of the Night Watch Order hidden in shadows and mist...
Even in the orc tribes, considered the periphery of civilization, beside the altars built of massive animal bones and rocks, where ancestral and war god totems were enshrined…
One after another, enormous silver-white gates of light, like the cold gazes cast by the gods, floated silently, awaiting their arrival. (End of Chapter)