Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Wrapped in streams of dazzling Ether light, several extravagant aircraft, shaped like enormous golden-green birds and made entirely of gold and emeralds, thundered forward. Along the outer edges of their wings, Magecraft arrays focused and hummed like cannon muzzles, gathering Mana into beams that blasted straight ahead.
The Valkyries in their path sensed the surging Mana, their hair standing on end. They instinctively raised their shields, only to be smashed aside as the surrounding air was swept clean.
What the hell are those things?!
Inside Hot Springs Pass, Skadi stood before the sand table and saw the Valkyrie Legion taking damage through the Magecraft array. Her expression changed sharply.
"The Ship of Light, Vimana!"
Just as suspicion rose among the group, Samael, leaning back against his throne, gave a light cough and spoke in a low voice, explaining things to the heroes standing by.
According to certain ancient Sanskrit records from India, this mythical flying vessel possessed a sturdy body like a giant bird, built mostly from gold and precious gems.
A person could sit atop it and soar through the sky. It could rise vertically, land vertically, move forward, backward, and diagonally. Even mortals could use it to travel freely through the skies where Divine Spirits roamed and across the boundless seas.
In addition, certain stone tablets and texts described these flying vessels as carrying powerful weapons and being used in war. The two great ancient Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, both recorded their functions in detail.
The Vimana was equipped with functions such as zigzag flight, wing deployment for high-speed movement, emergency evasion to avoid collisions with other Vimanas, optical camouflage, invisibility, and communication interception.
On top of that, the thing was powered by solar crystals using mercury as fuel, generating solar energy for propulsion. It could ignore physical laws and fly at extreme speeds, easily surpassing modern jets.
Legend even said they were equipped with laser beams, ancient machine guns, ancient nuclear warheads, biological weapons, and similar armaments.
Tch. Uruk had Dingir autonomous turrets and the Fangs of Napishtim flood control project. Atlantis had the Deep Sea Fleet, the Twelve Machine Gods, Giant God Soldiers, and powered armor. Scandinavia had the Velber replicas, namely the Valkyrie Legion. Persia had the Behemoth war beasts, the Leviathan Serpent, and the Ifrit Legion, which were basically biological weapons...
And now there were ancient India's Ships of Light, the Vimana, not to mention the magical tanks, Stellar Great Wall, and fleets of starships said to have been created by Great Qin after ten thousand years of development...
Damn it, why is the Age of Gods full of high-tech products? Are you kidding me? This isn't theological enough!
So, is theology what lies at the end of science?
Having experienced different mythological systems, Samael could only twitch his mouth and make that complaint.
Assuming he was right, these ancient Indian high-tech products had likely come from Rama.
And the reason the Indian trio had been able to cross the Sea of Chaos, reach Hot Springs Pass, and make contact with the Persians was probably because they had used this method of transportation.
At that moment, the three Ships of Light opened fire at full power and advanced toward Hot Springs Pass with unstoppable momentum. The gathered Valkyries and Battle Nymphs tried several times to intercept them, only to be scattered each time.
Because what they faced was not merely the Vimana, but the Persian heroes riding aboard the three aircraft.
Fortunately, this Persian strike force had no intention of getting bogged down against Greece's aerial forces, so the casualties among the Valkyries and Battle Nymphs remained limited.
Going all in, are they?
Samael propped his chin up with his left hand, leaned back in his chair, and looked down over the battle. His opening and closing snake eyes glanced toward one of the figures standing atop a Vimana. Then he raised his right hand, ordered the Valkyries and Battle Nymphs to clear the way, and curled his lips.
"Hey, red-haired boy. We didn't settle things last time, so let's pick another place and continue!"
Unable to restrain her battlelust, the Quetzalcoatl was the first to rush onto the walls of Hot Springs Pass. She cracked her knuckles, a fierce grin spreading across her lips, and leaped from the high wall.
"Roar, the Jaguar makes her dazzling entrance! Time to take down the enemy, meow!"
The equally restless Jaguar Warrior crooked a finger at her old opponent, the Asura King Vritra, with a cocky grin. With a cheer, she followed Kukulkan and jumped from the wall.
As the two Maya Divine Spirits fell freely, two Quetzalcoatlus burst howling out of Magecraft arrays forming in midair. They caught their respective masters and sped toward the Sea of Chaos.
Rama and Vritra, who had been called out by name, naturally needed no further words. Ether surged around them as they transformed into streams of light and went to meet their challengers.
Immediately afterward, following the strategy they had discussed earlier, the remaining heroes and even the Divine Spirits set out one after another, each moving to face their designated opponent.
Because the Greek heroes had already been fully briefed on Persia's high-end combat forces, every fighter they sent out was chosen to counter the enemy Heroic Spirit entering the field, forcing the Persians into a bitter struggle.
Seeing that the Persians had played all their cards and were now at the end of their rope, pairs of burning eyes slowly turned toward Samael. If they waited any longer, there might not even be scraps left.
"Go. I'm starting to look forward to having breakfast in Tanbei Canyon."
Samael's lips curved upward. The Greek heroes immediately understood, grinning savagely as they gave in to the restless blood in their veins and charged into the battlefield.
With hardly any proper opponents left, the heroes eager for battle settled for the next best thing. They chased down Persia's high-tier units, including the Behemoth beasts, the Calamity Eagle Sila, and the Fire Elemental Ifrits, and beat them down without mercy.
With the fresh forces joining the battle, the Persian army, already being battered from all sides, lost nearly half its strength in just half an hour. The surviving troops, caught between attacks from two fronts, retreated into the final hollow of Tanbei Gorge. There, they became cornered beasts, fighting their last desperate struggle.
At that moment, the great hall in Hot Springs Pass was the complete opposite of the raging battlefield ahead. With the heroes gone to war and the main army advancing, it seemed vast and silent.
Samael, who had no need to take the field or personally command the battle, paced around the sand table and watched the whole situation unfold. His brow slowly tightened, and his steps grew unsteady.
Suddenly, as the Ancient Serpent turned the corner and saw the Greek army crossing the Persians' final line of defense, his brow eased. His body froze, and he raised a hand to cover his mouth as he coughed violently. When he drew his hand away, a glaring smear of crimson stained his palm.
At last… it's over…
"Woo!"
Just then, a grim, chilling horn sounded, and a distant, sacred chant echoed through the sky above Hot Springs Pass.
"At the hour of doom, the seven deadly sins shall defile the holy hearts of the faithful. Our Lord is above, and glory, majesty, power, and authority all belong to Him!"
"Break the seven seals, sound the seven trumpets, and reveal the Mandate of Heaven for this world. The kingdoms of the earth have become the kingdom of our Lord and of the Lord Jehovah, and He shall reign forever and ever!"
In an instant, a luminous gate adorned with twelve kinds of gemstones slowly opened in midair. Pure white feathers drifted down, and beyond the gate, the phantom of the First Temple projected itself over Hot Springs Pass.
Hum!
A fortress of light, like the halo of a divine kingdom, rose from the ground and sealed Hot Springs Pass completely.
At the same time, the air inside the great hall suddenly burned white-hot. Amid a sharp whistle tearing through the air, a dazzling streak of crimson shot through the hall like a falling red comet, hurtling straight toward the figure before the sand table in the central courtyard!
Chapter 195: Just Because I'm Weaker Doesn't Mean You're Stronger
Inside the great hall, the serpent's vertical pupils contracted sharply in the shifting light and shadow. Instinctively, he stretched his arms forward, and the Shield of Medusa materialized from a Magecraft array, blocking the way before him.
Clang!
The cross-shaped greatsword wrapped in blazing crimson flames slammed into the shield. A piercing metallic shriek exploded through the hall, and the intricate miniature sand table shattered.
Dust scattered through the air. Samael, who had taken the brunt of the blow, slid backward dozens of meters before staggering and collapsing onto the throne. His face turned pale, then flushed. Amid violent coughing, a thread of blood slipped from the corner of his mouth.
"You really are badly wounded…"
With that low murmur, a tall, elegant figure stepped into the great hall. He casually pulled down his hood, revealing bright golden hair and a handsome face. Behind him, six blazing white wings slowly beat, while the crimson cross-sword in his hand pierced the floor, sending fiery feathers drifting down.
The cross-shaped stars in Samael's eyes opened and closed. He pressed his lips together and stared at the newcomer.
"Mithra, God of Light? Where's your master, Ahura Mazda? Or should I call him Jehovah?"
"To speak the Lord's name directly is blasphemy! A sin punishable by death!"
The handsome golden-haired youth looked furious. His jewel-like eyes seemed to burn, and the halo behind him blazed like a scorching sun, stirring up a fierce Ether storm inside the great hall.
"Born of fire, its source flame, its might light. Issued from divine will, one made in the likeness of God…"
Samael looked coldly at the radiant figure below the dais and murmured in a low voice.
"[Child of Light], [Right Hand of God], [Vice-Lord of Heaven]. With so many titles, what should I call you? Michael?"
The handsome youth below stiffened slightly, but his eyes immediately sharpened, and a murderous sneer curved his lips.
"Stop wasting your effort trying to buy time. This is the gate of heaven. This is the kingdom of God!"
Michael exposed the man's intentions without hesitation. With a cold laugh, he clenched his left hand, pulled the crimson cross-sword from the molten, surging floor, and lunged toward the figure on the throne amid a chain of sonic booms.
"Sinner, you are already a captive. Within half an hour, no one outside can break through the Lord's fortress. Accept the judgment of the Last Day!"
"Judgment, is it?"
On the throne, the man suddenly raised his head, the cross-shaped stars in his eyes opening and closing.
Yet the air around him trembled strangely. The burning blade froze three inches from the foreign king's brow, unable to advance even a fraction further. Michael himself seemed trapped in a swamp, forcibly halted in midair like a frozen painting.
"I may be weaker now, but that doesn't mean you're stronger than me!"
In that cold whisper, Samael's lips twisted into a savage smile. Divine might pulsed around him as streams of red-black Mana, like coiling serpents, wrapped around the crimson cross-sword and wound toward Michael's limbs and neck.
How can this be?!
The Child of Light's pupils contracted sharply, disbelief filling his face. He clenched his teeth and desperately resisted the suppression and corrosion of the [Enemy of the Lord]'s divine might, while chaotic images flashed through his mind.
"Can't understand it?"
The Ancient Serpent continued driving his divine might forward, corroding the halo around Michael, while he leaned back against the throne and propped up his chin with arrogance. His tone was playful as he deliberately scraped at his opponent's nerves.
"What made you think you still had even a sliver of a chance? Hm?"
As a certain figure surfaced in his memory, Michael suddenly understood. He roared in suppressed fury.
"Martha! Traitor!"
"No, no. You've misunderstood. Her Highness the Holy Maiden is still devout. Everything she told you was the truth. It's just that…"
Samael's lips curved slightly as he calmly revealed the answer.
"It was the truth I allowed her to see."
Was he merciful? Perhaps.
But in a war between two armies, he was not so generous as to allow an opponent who understood Greece's military situation to return to the enemy camp.
Unless that opponent had another use.
"People always believe what they want to believe. Through Martha's mouth, I gave you the answer you wanted."
Samael narrowed his serpent eyes. His tone was slow and heavy, and a hint of mockery surfaced in his dark gaze, like a black venomous python studying a white mouse that had fallen into its cage.
"Thanks to her, I was able to draw you out and make you stake everything on this assassination. Otherwise, if all your heroes had held their positions, Greece wouldn't have been able to dismantle the Persian army and capture Tanbei Gorge so easily. In this game, I am the hunter!"
"Shut up!"
Humiliation boiled in Michael's chest. His face twisted as he roared, golden flames igniting around him. He forced out every bit of his hidden potential, struggling desperately to break through this divine Purgatory and prove his own perfection.
Amid the swirling black and white radiance, an ancient parchment scroll emerged from a golden-red Magecraft array and hovered before the Archangel's chest, its pages flipping with a rustle.
At the same time, a milky-white pillar of light fell from the First Temple opened in the sky and landed inside the hall, bathing Michael in its glow. His vast divine might rose layer by layer.
Feathers of light scattered from heaven to earth. Within the open gates of heaven, countless angels in white robes could be faintly seen singing hymns of praise.
"O king of the Lord's messengers:
Excellent herald.
Vice-ruler of Heaven.
You are one of the seven angels before the throne of God, the forerunner who sounds the trumpet and breaks the seven seals, the brave and fearless challenger.
Your holy voice echoes beneath the vault of heaven: 'Who is like God!'"
Under layer after layer of blessings, the noble one who resembled God lit up with seven halos above his head. His three pairs of wings beat as his body rose into the air. With the fingers of his left hand, he traced divine runes across the ancient parchment scroll, declaring the inevitable fate of the Lord's enemy.
"Ancient Serpent, evil dragon who sowed original sin, how you have fallen from heaven!"
As divine might pulsed and solemn resonance spread, the dark-red cross-shaped greatsword in his right hand erupted with towering light. A terrifying stream of Ether surged into the sky, scattering the clouds in every direction like a pillar of apocalyptic fire ready to burn all things.
"You who struck down the nations, how you have been cut down to the earth…"
Hiss!
Just as the destiny-wielding divine words were about to take shape, a black gleam suddenly slashed in from the side.
"Guh!"
With the dull sound of cloth and flesh tearing, golden-red blood sprayed wildly, and a severed arm flew into the air.
A burst of terrible pain struck him. Michael clutched the stump of his left arm and screamed as he was slammed into the ground.
At the same time, red-black sludge like burning magma surged across the floor. Pale arms reached out from within it, climbing over the Child of Light's body and trying to drag him down into the mud. Endless resentment and curses battered his mind.
"Get off! Get off!"
"Blasphemy! Death penalty!"
Michael roared and struggled. Surging Ether gathered into blazing white swords of light, firing in every direction at the pale arms.
Yet even after those pale arms were cut apart, they regenerated in the blink of an eye, as though they were endless.
"Hehe. Delicious~~"
At that moment, a silver-haired, red-eyed witch came walking through the filthy mud on bare, fair feet, holding a red-black scythe blade patterned with serpent scales. Her cherry lips sucked the golden-red blood from her pale fingers, and a bewitching smile bloomed across her flawless face.
The ominous aura around this woman, and the curse that seemed to seep from every drop of blood and every pore of her body, made Michael understand in an instant. His bloodshot eyes stared across the distance at the figure walking down from the throne.
The curse on that man has been absorbed!