Chapter 371: Bluffing, and Then Bluffing Some More

Over the Sea of Oceanus.

BOOM!

Violent aetheric tides sent wave after wave of colossal swells soaring thousands of meters into the air.

Ladon had yet to even reach the heart of the typhoon, yet the terrifying divine pressure was already enough to make it’s bones crack audibly. Threads of golden-red blood seeped from beneath it’s dimming scales, forming a thin mist of blood around it’s body.

Upon the dragon’s back, Lorne swept his spear through the air, tearing apart the towering waves and clearing a path for Ladon.

"The heavens stand above all creation. Your might lies below, while my power lies above..."

At the same time, he chanted the sacred words.

The golden wheel manifested behind him slowly rotated until it reached the twelfth segment.

—The Twelfth Avatar, symbolizing the heavens and thunder: the Eagle.

Back during the battle against Typhon, the Demon Progenitor had suffered a crushing defeat beneath the thunderbolts of the God-King Zeus.

As everyone knew, in the Mythological Age, having the right counter mattered more than overwhelming strength. And when it came to special traits, nothing beat an anti-god advantage.

"—Thunder, descend!"

The moment the command was issued, dark clouds gathered across the heavens as thunder and lightning erupted.

Arcs of light, twisting like dragons and serpents, converged into a single bolt before winding downward.

It pierced through layer upon layer of waves and the raging typhoon, carrying devastating divine might as it crashed directly into Typhon’s main body.

The Demon Progenitor let out a shriek.

Lightning danced across his body as dozens of horrifying holes were blasted through his flesh, leaving him convulsing violently.

The authority of Zeus?

That familiar sensation surged through him.

Humiliation flooded Typhon’s vertical pupils.

Enraged, he immediately raised both arms. The savage winds and raging seawater around him condensed into an enormous Storm Hammer, carrying the terrifying divine essence of calamity as it smashed toward the powerful enemy before him.

"I am the Father of Terror, the Source of Disaster! Here I shall play the song of despair and proclaim the end of the world! Storm Hammer, grant eternal calamity unto all things!"

The roar of his hundred heads was grotesquely varied.

At times it sounded like human speech; at others, the bellow of a bull, the roar of a lion, or the bark of a hound.

The thunderous cacophony echoed across the four corners of the world.

Wherever the storm and raging waves passed, even the world itself began to twist and fracture, showing signs of reverting to primordial chaos.

"Die, you little bastard!"

Seeing the trapped prey before him, surrounded by space that was constantly being annihilated and laws that were continuously breaking apart, Typhon revealed a bloodthirsty grin.

His Storm Hammer had been forged by the Cyclopes at the command of the Earth Mother Gaia, using the First Light.

Its might was in no way inferior to Zeus’s prized Thunderbolt.

It was a terrifying creation infused with the divine essences of the Abyss and the Earth, possessing the power to break Heaven and Earth back down into primordial chaos.

A mere Olympian main god, even if some special circumstance had allowed him to escape the restrictions of the Covenant of Fate and possess greater divine power than the likes of the God-Kings, still couldn’t possibly compare with them in terms of fundamental authority.

’You really think this king is afraid of you?’

Fool.

Lorne paid no attention to the mockery in Typhon’s eyes.

Instead, he lowered his head and kissed the Spear in his hand before throwing it forward.

Wherever its tip passed, Heaven and Earth suddenly brightened.

The raging typhoon and enormous waves encountered an invisible coastal forest and were unable to advance even an inch.

Then the withered-branch-like spear plunged into the sea.

Countless black, thorn-like patterns seemed to come alive beneath the surface, writhing and spreading at terrifying speed until they covered nearly the entire region of chaos.

A towering tree rose from the sea, its branches piercing the clouds as blazing flames erupted from its body. It transformed into a colossal pillar supporting the world itself.

Lorne slowly raised his hand as a ball of brilliant white flame appeared in his palm.

Countless lives from the mortal world seemed to be reflected within it, all praying and chanting together.

One person’s voice.

Millions of voices.

The flock cried out for the shepherd’s salvation.

The world itself prayed for its continued existence.

"The hour of dusk has arrived.

I command you to restore the light. The destruction of the branches, the rebirth of the world!"

As the god softly chanted the sacred words, the flame descended onto the withered-branch spear.

Blazing radiance erupted in every direction.

With the twelve-segment golden wheel shining above his head, Lorne looked like a king wearing a divine crown as he descended upon the world.

"—Radiance, descend!"

The moment he raised his hand and spoke the sacred words, the Spear of World-Building burst into flames and became a torch illuminating that chaotic world.

Scorching waves of flame rolled outward in every direction.

The terrifying heat generated by them twisted the surrounding space violently, forcibly scattering even the supposedly unstoppable typhoon and raging waves.

Beneath the light, the sea burned.

The sky burned.

The world burned.

And with every inch of light and heat produced by the burning of all things, the gigantic palm-like tree created by the Spear grew thicker and stronger, anchoring and breaking apart more of the chaotic fragments floating across the sea.

The withered branches of the great palm tree had once nurtured the seed of a miniature divine-age world.

The primordial flame stolen from the heavens by Prometheus had been the beginning of human civilization.

The two forces overlapped and depended upon one another, forming an eternal source of light and heat.

The only way to extinguish it would be to destroy every living thing in the world, sever the continuation of life, and deprive the flame of all nourishment.

Only then would it lose its support within a world reduced to silence and desolation.

And Typhon, whose authority was restricted by the Covenant of Fate, clearly lacked the ability to accomplish such a thing.

"Don’t think you can defeat me, you little bastard!"

Seeing his attack blocked yet again, the Demon Progenitor flew into a rage. He swung the Storm Hammer toward the burning giant palm tree rising from the sea.

Since this tree was what prevented his typhoon and waves from reaching the shore, he would destroy it first!

Almost at the same moment,

Lorne raised his empty right hand.

Countless streams of light and heat converged toward his palm, transforming into a blazing sword of flame.

He swung it down toward the furious Demon Progenitor Typhon.

BOOM!

Fierce flames erupted.

Explosive thunder shook the heavens.

Scattered streams of fire fell like burning meteors from the sky, successively annihilating dozens of nearby islands.

Under the terrifying heat, the soil melted into blazing magma that flowed in all directions while the surrounding sea boiled violently.

Thousands upon thousands of sea beasts and monsters died on the spot, their cooked corpses floating in groups across the ocean.

The once-vibrant sea had been transformed into a hellscape of molten rock and billowing smoke.

The shockwaves from the battle soon swept across the ocean and rushed toward the shore.

The moment they arrived, the numerous magical barriers Lorne had established along the coastline began to tremble violently before bursting one after another like soap bubbles under the slightest touch.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

In an instant, the remaining force of the attacks brutally tore through the walls engraved with countless magical inscriptions, continuing to ravage its way deep into the Peloponnese Peninsula.

Explosions roared deafeningly.

Blazing flames spread in every direction.

Molten chunks of rock became scorching liquid that boiled and flowed across the land.

Wherever one looked, the earth was covered in ravines.

Forests burned fiercely.

Rivers evaporated and dried up.

Mountains collapsed with thunderous crashes.

The countless screams and cries of agony were almost insignificant amid this apocalyptic catastrophe, quickly drowned out by the overwhelming roar of destruction.

The gods gathered in the rear, working on countermeasures, couldn’t help but suck in a collective breath when they witnessed the terrifying aftermath of the battle.

Their expressions gradually became grim.

They had already known that the Covenant of Fate placed far fewer restrictions on the Old Gods.

But seeing the situation unfold before them, they couldn’t help but realize just how disadvantageous this was for the New Gods.

And this was only Demon Progenitor Typhon who had made his move...

.

.

.

Meanwhile, upon the Sea of Oceanus.

The aftermath finally dissipated.

Vast quantities of water vapor rose into the sky.

The Demon Progenitor, ruler of countless monsters, staggered backward across the surface of the sea.

Several of his heads had disappeared completely, leaving behind only charred black marks where the flames had burned through them.

He was clearly badly injured.

Lorne, meanwhile, had also paid a price during their clash.

His palm had split open from the impact, and there were several scratches across his face.

Compared to Typhon, who had lost several heads, however, his injuries were almost laughable.

"So what if you defeated me? You still can’t kill me!"

The Demon Progenitor’s mouth was apparently the hardest part of his entire body.

He snorted angrily, desperately trying to save face.

Lorne didn’t bother responding and simply raised his right hand once again.

The golden wheel behind him rotated in synchronization, firing dazzling ribbons of light into the heavens and illuminating one star after another.

The eighty-eight constellations lit up one after another, resonating with each other as an enormous stellar ring composed of countless intricate patterns expanded above Lorne’s head.

Brilliant starlight poured down like a reversed Milky Way, bathing the giant palm tree upon the sea and making its light and heat burn even more fiercely.

—The power of Sanctuary.

Athena could use it. So could he.

As Typhon sensed the divine essence and destructive power of the strange tree rapidly increasing, his heart began pounding wildly.

He couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

RUMBLE!

At that moment, a deep tremor came from the depths of the Peloponnese Peninsula.

The suddenly timid Typhon’s face immediately lit up with delight.

A triumphant, sinister laugh erupted from his mouth.

"Fool! You’ve fallen into my trap!"

Lorne turned his head and looked toward the smoke-filled Thessaly.

One after another, towering figures were climbing out from beneath the earth.

After pondering for a moment, he nodded.

"The Gigantes? Looks like they still haven’t given up on Thessaly."

"Of course they haven’t! That’s the ancient battlefield of the Titan War. The earth beneath it is saturated with dense Titan divinity. It is the perfect location for establishing an altar to the Old Gods. If they want to reclaim their lost authority, taking Thessaly is an unavoidable step!"

"Mm. Thanks for telling me something so important."

"?"

Typhon stared blankly at him.

"Thank me? Do you even know that Cronus is leading the Gigantes this time, along with the nine Titan main gods he awakened?!"

Lorne nodded, then casually asked,

"And?"

"..."

Seeing his opponent’s utterly indifferent reaction, Typhon nearly lost his mind.

He had been waiting to see his enemy panic.

Instead, the bastard looked as though he’d merely been informed that it might rain tomorrow.

"The Peloponnese is under attack from both sides! Thessaly is about to fall! Aren’t you worried at all?!"

"Worried?"

Lorne smiled.

Then, word by word, he replied,

"Do you really think that after seeing only you show yourself, I wouldn’t take precautions against that Titan God-King?"

"...!"

Typhon’s heart skipped a beat.

But he immediately shook his head repeatedly.

"Impossible! You couldn’t possibly have another ally capable of holding back the Gigantes!"

Then, as though suddenly thinking of something, the Demon Progenitor’s expression changed.

His vicious vertical pupils widened as he sneered at Lorne.

"You’re trying to deceive me into retreating so that you can return to Thessaly and reinforce them! Dream on! As long as I keep you occupied here, both Thessaly and the glory and divine authority we lost will be ours for the taking!"

"I’ll give you a piece of advice."

Lorne looked at the newly invigorated Typhon and smiled faintly.

"Don’t always assume you’re the smartest person in the room. And don’t put your faith in people who don’t deserve it..."

His voice became meaningful.

"Take a guess. How do you think

I knew about your attack plan?"

Typhon continued to regard him with a suspicious sneer, treating his words as nothing more than an attempt at intimidation.

Then—

The sky above the Peloponnese suddenly erupted with a vast expanse of pale silver lightning.

A familiar divine presence descended upon the walls of Thessaly.

In that instant, Typhon’s expression changed completely.

And in the brief moment when his mind wavered, the enormous sword formed from converging starlight and blazing flames descended from the heavens at lightning speed and came crashing down toward the Demon Progenitor’s head.

(End of the Chapter)