Chapter 846

【 THE BATTLE OF THE DIVINE KINGDOMS 】

This was a vast and desolate world, with the ground covered in endless piles of white bones stretching as far as the eye could see.

Some of the bones had been buried beneath the gray earth, while others lay exposed upon the surface, forming an endless sea of death. There was no vegetation, no signs of life, and not even the faintest trace of wind. Only an oppressive aura of death permeated the entire world.

Looking up, the sky was hazy black, yet countless brilliant stars could still be seen scattered across it.

A magnificent mountain stood in the distance, shrouded in a profound radiance. Its towering peak seemed to pierce the dark heavens, while its divine light illuminated the surrounding land.

Beneath it, an endless army of skeletons surged forward like a tide, launching a fierce assault on the mountain.

Countless skeleton soldiers also stood atop the mountain.

Clad in metal armor and wielding various weapons, they engaged in battle with the enemies charging up the mountain. The clash between the two armies was brutal and chaotic, with bones shattering and armor being torn apart beneath the relentless attacks.

Deafening cries of slaughter echoed throughout the heavens and earth, while the radiance of divine spells erupted beneath the mountain.

Blades of light tore through the darkness, while waves of deathly and shadowy power collided with one another, illuminating the battlefield with dazzling flashes.

Farther away, an army of gray-black shadows had already formed an orderly battle formation. Accompanied by terrifying shadow monsters, they advanced steadily toward the mountain.

Beneath the mountain’s radiance, the Goddess of Death’s Divine Envoys, all clad in hooded cloaks, were engaged in battle with similarly dressed Divine Envoys of the Lord of Darkness.

Whilst bathed in the radiance of divine power, every clash between the two opposing forces erupted with terrifying fluctuations of divine power. The resulting shockwaves swept across the battlefield, scattering countless weaker undead underneath.

From a distance, it was clear that the side loyal to the Goddess of Death was already at a disadvantage, while the barrier surrounding the mountain was also on the verge of collapse.

The brilliant divine radiance protecting the mountain flickered continuously under the relentless bombardment, as though it could shatter at any moment.

However, the battle between the Divine Envoys was not the most intense confrontation.

The most astonishing confrontation was the standoff between several Mythical beings in the sky.

Hodur, the Lord of Darkness and Shadow, stood in midair clad in black robes, his expression calm and composed. Behind him stood two other gods whose auras were somewhat weaker.

They were the True Gods of the Netherworld who followed him, Xius, the God of Eternal Slumber, and Ina, the Lady of Silence. Both possessed Weaker Divine Power.

Opposite them stood two other True Gods.

They were the Divine Envoys who served Hela, the Goddess of Death: Tika, the Goddess of Misfortune, and Prios, the Reaper of Calamity.

The former possessed Low Divine Power, while the latter possessed Weaker Divine Power.

The two sides confronted one another, their tremendous divine powers colliding and transforming into mysterious, surging scenes across the skies.

At their level, even a casual exchange of power could shake the surrounding space. The laws they controlled constantly collided, causing strange visions to appear throughout the heavens.

However, just like the battle on the ground, the Mythical beings loyal to Hela were clearly at a disadvantage.

If not for the profound divine radiance emanating from the mountain, their power might have already been completely overwhelmed by Hodur’s side.

The Goddess of Misfortune, Tika, was a somewhat aloof-looking woman dressed in black-and-white celestial robes. Her long hair fluttered gently in the divine winds, and her normally composed expression was now filled with anger as she glared furiously at Hodur.

“Hodur! How dare you violate the treaty of the Netherworld and betray Her Majesty Hela!”

“The Kingdom of the Dead is the realm responsible for sheltering the souls of the dead throughout the Universe. Have you ever considered what kind of consequences your actions will bring upon the world?!”

However, compared to the furious Goddess of Misfortune, Hodur’s expression remained remarkably calm.

He quietly gazed at the two True Gods whose power was steadily weakening before suddenly smiling.

“Your Majesty Tika, why continue guarding the Netherworld’s gates for Hela? Once I reclaim the Divinity of Death and become the rightful True God of Death, I will naturally rebuild the Kingdom of the Dead anew.”

“Your Majesty Tika, I know that Hela has fallen into slumber. Currently, she can no longer control her own power, and the fact that I have seized control of the Netherworld is proof enough.”

“Thus, I will give you and Your Majesty Prios one opportunity. Submit to me, and once I become the true God of Death, you two will still be able to retain control over your respective Divinities.”

Hodur spoke earnestly, his expression sincere.

There was no hint of mockery in his voice, as though he truly believed that he was offering them a generous opportunity rather than demanding their submission.

However, upon hearing his words, the two immediately flew into a rage.

“You shameless traitor! Her Majesty Hela is the successor chosen by His Majesty Yaeger! If you wish to break through the Kingdom of the Dead, then you must step over our cold corpses first!”

Hearing their words, the smile on Hodur’s face gradually faded.

“I see… Then you leave me with no other choice.”

He let out a soft sigh, and his expression suddenly became solemn.

The next instant, surging divine power erupted from his body!

The full power of a peak Intermediate Divine Power erupted completely from Hodur as boundless darkness descended upon the earth.

At this moment, the Lord of Darkness and Shadows fully unfurled his Domain!

Behind him, a realm shrouded in shadows slowly materialized. Within that vast and indistinct world, countless dark laws intertwined, forming an oppressive presence that caused even the surrounding space to tremble.

Even more tremendous power surged forth from that Domain, and the entire world seemed to sink into darkness and shadow.

That was Hodur’s Divine Kingdom, the Kingdom of Darkness and Shadow.

Seeing this scene, the Goddess of Misfortune Tika and the Reaper Prios both changed expressions dramatically.

“A full Divine Kingdom manifestation?! Hodur, have you gone mad?!”

Fully manifesting one’s Divine Kingdom was the final desperate measure employed by the Gods of Faith when engaging in battle.

Its effect was to fully summon one’s own Divine Kingdom and collide it with the Divine Kingdom of an opposing True God.

When the two Divine Kingdoms overlapped and merged into one, the two sides’ followers and Divine Envoys would engage in an all-out war, fighting until one side completely defeated the other and devoured its Divine Kingdom.

Once the Divine Kingdom was successfully devoured, the True God on the defeated side would perish, and their Divine Authority would be acquired by the victor.

This was a Holy War in which everything was placed on the line.

There was no room for retreat once the battle reached this stage. What mattered was which side possessed greater divine power and which side had the stronger forces.

Of course, this method could only be chosen by Gods of Faith whose Laws were closely related.

So if one attempted to devour a Divinity that had nothing to do with oneself through this method, even if one ultimately emerged victorious, it could very well affect one’s soul.

In the most serious cases, it could even drive the victor insane.

For this reason, Holy Wars between Gods of Faith rarely employed such a method.

More often, they would use the traditional approach of surrounding and attacking the enemy’s Divine Kingdom until it was shattered, destroying the True God’s true body hidden within and directly seizing the loser’s Divinity.

This was a strategy that allowed both offense and retreat.

Even if the assault failed, the attacking True God could still withdraw without risking the complete destruction of their own Divine Kingdom.

It could be said that by choosing this method, the Lord of Darkness and Shadows had already left himself no way out.

Of course, Hodur was essentially an Ancient God.

So even if he failed, he would not easily perish, and at most, his strength would only suffer a severe decline.

High in the sky, the Domain of shadows drew closer and closer, resembling a gigantic fortress moving through the heavens as it crashed toward the mountain.

The darkness spread outward as it advanced, swallowing the surrounding radiance and casting a vast shadow across the battlefield.

Under the furious and shocked gazes of Tika and Prios, the Kingdom of Darkness and Shadow finally collided with the mountain.

Boom!

A tremendous roar erupted.

At that instant, nearly every being present, including Mythical-rank existences, was almost deafened.

The collision produced a terrifying shockwave that swept across the entire battlefield. Countless undead were blown away, while even the surrounding space seemed to buckle beneath the immense pressure.

Profound radiance erupted across the mountain, and the entire Netherworld seemed to tremble slightly.

Immediately afterward, countless cracks began spreading across the mountain.

The divine barrier flickered violently, its once-stable radiance rapidly becoming dimmer as the cracks continued to spread.

Finally, accompanied by a sharp cracking sound, the entire barrier shattered with a thunderous explosion.

A gigantic breach appeared in the mountain range.

Behind the opening, brilliant light flickered, revealing a profound world hidden within.

That was Hela’s Divine Kingdom, the Kingdom of the Dead.

The moment its true form was exposed, an ancient and majestic aura of death spread outward on the surroundings.

Upon seeing this Divine Kingdom, a trace of delight finally appeared in Hodur’s eyes.

Without the slightest hesitation, he unleashed his divine power and issued an order to all his envoys and followers to attack Hela’s Divine Kingdom.

“Advance!”

His voice echoed across the battlefield.

The Kingdom of Darkness and Shadow forced its way into the Kingdom of the Dead, while an overwhelming tide of undead and shadow monsters surged into the Goddess of Death’s Divine Kingdom.

The two Divine Kingdoms began to overlap.

At that moment, the battle was no longer merely a confrontation between their forces in the Netherworld.

It had become a true Holy War.

The expressions of Tika and Prios became extremely grim.

Yet in the face of this overwhelming force, even as True Gods, they were powerless to stop it.

“Restrain Tika and Prios first!”

Hodur ordered the Divine Envoys who followed him.

Tika and Prios were both Ancient Gods, so defeating them would not be easy in a short period of time.

However, after breaking through the Kingdom of the Dead, it was still possible to seal them.

Once the two Ancient Gods were restrained, the remaining forces of the Goddess of Death would be unable to resist the advancing army for long.

However, just as Xius, the God of Eternal Slumber, and Ina, the Lady of Silence, who followed Hodur, were preparing to act, waves of spatial fluctuations suddenly emerged from the depths of the Kingdom of the Dead.

The surrounding space began to ripple.

Brilliant light erupted, and a golden Triumphal Gate appeared behind the Goddess of Misfortune and the Reaper of Calamity.

The sacred radiance emanating from the gate illuminated the surrounding darkness, cutting through the oppressive atmosphere of the battlefield.

Upon seeing the familiar spatial gate radiating a sacred light, Hodur’s expression instantly darkened.

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