Chapter 348: This Is the Temple of God, This Is the Gate of Heaven(2.5k words)

Outside the city, dust and smoke filled the air.

Driven by the giants behind them, hordes of monster beasts surged toward the gap where the city wall had collapsed.

Facing this sudden turn of events, the Thessalian soldiers on the remaining wall were thrown into panic, their faces turning the color of dirt.

Just as the massive wave of monster beasts leading the charge was about to rush into the city, a crisp, youthful voice echoed in front of the breach:

"Principles of cause and theory, the world’s logic encompasses all phenomena as the blueprint of the soul! By the line of my life, I command you to restore, revert, and trace back!"

Accompanying the high-speed chant of divine words, a delicate figure forcefully stabbed the Hecate Scepter in her hand into the ground, as dense patterns of light spread outward like surging tides.

The fallen city wall automatically reverted, reconstructed, and restored itself as if time were reversing.

Caught completely off guard, hundreds of monster beasts slammed straight into the newly rebuilt wall.

As the patterns of light flashed, bursts of blood erupted from their heads as their neck bones snapped and their brains burst open, killing them instantly.

Not only was this newly constructed wall built without any shortcuts, but it was also reinforced with several layers of defensive spells, rendering it virtually indestructible.

"Die!"

At the same time, a roar sounding like thunder echoed outside the city, shaking the earth as a hairy giant hand picked up a bulging rock, flexed its muscles, and hurled it forward.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Amid the deafening explosions, the magical formation diagram protecting the city wall flickered between bright and dim, spreading and distributing the unvented force across its surroundings.

Crack...

As mountain-sized rocks smashed onto the light barrier one after another, spiderweb-like cracks birthed from the impacts spread everywhere, quickly pushing the magical barrier to its absolute limit.

Yet in the end, this glowing barrier stubbornly endured the volley of giant boulders from outside the city, slowly beginning to repair itself.

Hidden behind the glowing barrier, the Thessalian defenders breathed a long sigh of relief, as their racing hearts finally settled back into place.

Facing the Titan giants outside the city who were towering like mountains and nearly obscuring the sky, the Thessalian soldiers directly confronting these monsters cursed incessantly in secret.

Didn’t these guys use to hide around in secret?

Why did they suddenly launch an attack today on this city protected by the great God Zeus?

Furthermore, the hordes of monster beasts running out from the mountains were already troublesome enough, yet these Gigantes giants crawling out from the depths of the earth were even more ridiculous.

They were basically siege engines magnified thousands of times, possessing power and defense so terrifying it drove people to despair.

If that young magician girl hadn’t arrived in time to repair the collapsed wall and reconstruct the defensive spell, Thessaly’s first line of defense would have collapsed the moment it made contact with the enemy.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

However, before the Thessalian defenders could catch their breath from the previous wave of attack, the earth trembled violently, causing the pebbles beneath their feet that transmitted the vibrations to bounce several inches into the air.

They’re coming, they’re coming, they’re coming!

"Defense! Defense!"

The commander on the front lines felt his heart contract as his face turned pale.

Amid the earth-shaking chaos, he issued a warning in a voice that was nearly out of tune.

Within the dense dust rising dozens of meters high, a Titan giant charging up to the city wall casually swung two claws with sharp nails, crudely crushing the mountain rocks blocking his way like crushing through paper.

His majestic body snapped off protruding rock formations without slowing down in the slightest.

"Roar!"

In the blink of an eye, the Titan giant that had closed the distance to a hundred meters bent his knees and leaped.

Then, like a maddened giant beast, he swung his massive palm, which was several meters long and slammed it toward the magic barrier that was on the brink of shattering.

We’re finished...

Looking at that terrifying, sky-propping giant palm falling heavily, the dozens of defenders on the front line felt their bodies tremble uncontrollably amid the roars of the Titans.

That was the reverence and fear of lower-tier species toward higher beings, engraved deep within their bloodlines.

Buzz!

At the critical moment, a fierce tide of ether madly gathered and surged, pouring into the tottering magical barrier like a thousand rivers returning to the sea.

Boom!

Amid a dull boom that nearly pierced ears, halos of blue, red, yellow, and white swirled, forcefully withstanding a heavy strike from the Titan giant.

Under the intense recoil, the Titan giant beast stumbled back a few steps, wobbling as he crashed into a rocky cliff and collapsed half of it.

Taking advantage of this golden opportunity, the ether scattered in the air gathered frantically, forming blue, red, yellow, and white whirlpools at the dust-filled opening.

Instantly, fireballs, ice spikes, earth spears, and light streams poured down like a dense rain of shooting stars, raining straight upon the dizzy Titan giant’s head.

Various vibrant hues and continuous explosions persisted for nearly ten breaths.

During this time, what descended from the four-colored whirlpools was no longer just single-attribute attacks; combinations of fire and frost with red on the outside and blue on the inside, falling rocks ignited like meteorites, and large swamps formed by mixing water and earth to restrict movement... these varied compound spells unfolded before everyone’s eyes, leaving several temple priests and military magicians utterly dumbfounded.

Within the city walls, the surrounding ether converged toward a single spot as if reversing direction in a frenzy.

Following the surge of magic power, the few survivors looked at the culprit recklessly draining the surrounding magic power, their eyes bulging so wide they nearly fell out of their sockets.

Because the small, whirlpool-like ether tide had actually aggregated mid-air into a gorgeous, dazzling crown, flashing alternately in vibrant blue, red, yellow, and white, hovering above the head of a certain delicate witch.

The Elemental Crown!

This was a unique phenomenon that only formed around spellcasters with an elemental affinity nearing the absolute extreme, and it existed almost exclusively in legends.

Even in the Age of Gods where demigods walked everywhere, owners of this phenomenon could be counted on one’s fingers; they were either world-renowned heroes, era-defining grand sages, or rare creatures like witches and Gods.

Typical representatives among them included Hecate the Goddess of the Underworld Moon, Circe the Witch of the Moon, and Athena the Goddess of Magic.

Whose divine descendant was this little girl, to actually possess such jaw-dropping talent for magic?

"Blocked... it was blocked..."

Medea wiped the sweat from her forehead, letting out a long sigh of relief as if relieved of a heavy burden.

"Not bad. It seems your magic attainments have already surpassed that silly bird Circe."

Hearing the praise behind her,

Medea turned back to look at her senior brother, who held approval in his eyes, as a shy smile appeared on her face.

Hearing this evaluation from Lorne, a teacher at the Athens Academy, several god-blooded heroes who had graduated from the academy immediately recalled a certain legend within the school and hurriedly bowed with hands pressed against their chests to express their respect to the harmless young girl, before gathering with companions who had rushed over to support, whispering among themselves.

There was a saying in Peloponnese that nearly half of Greece’s magicians came from Athens, and two-thirds of the elites among them came from the Athens Academy.

There was no doubt about how deep the foundation of the Athens Academy was regarding magic instruction and talent cultivation.

Among the younger generation of the Athens Academy, the most famous magical genius was the legendary grand-disciple of Hecate, the Goddess of the Underworld Moon, and the direct disciple of Circe, the Witch of the Moon—Medea.

Legend had it that she was a princess of Colchis who was adopted and meticulously taught by the great witch Circe from a young age.

Later, she followed Circe to study at War God Mountain, receiving guidance from the Goddess of Memory and the Goddess of Wisdom.

Her magic had long reached a perfection that practically rivaled that of the Gods.

In fact, given her level of magic, she could have graduated from the Athens Academy long ago, but War God Mountain seemed to intend to raise her as faculty reserve, keeping her at school to study.

She was reportedly in charge of managing the library of forbidden books on magic and witchcraft at the academy, earning this senior sister the title of "Queen of Witchcraft" among students.

Just as everyone cast astonished and respectful gazes toward Medea, the sky turned a blinding crimson red.

Boom!

In an instant, a ball of eerie crimson flame fell from the horizon. After piercing through the magic barrier, it struck the city wall without losing momentum, unleashing a terrifying ether storm as bricks engraved with defensive runes shattered and flew in all directions.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Instantly, flying rocks filled the air. Aside from a few god-blooded warriors with quick reflexes, most of the soldiers and magicians remaining on the spot didn’t even have time to scream before their bodies were torn apart, reduced to flesh paste.

Subsequently, the spilled blood and scattered limbs were burned, melted, and evaporated under the fierce divine light before they even hit the ground.

Hiss...

Relying on their vigilance, those who luckily survived the ordeal cleared away the rubble and dust on their bodies, peeking out tentatively from behind the cover they had found, gasping as they looked at the scorched patches covering the ground.

The field they had been defending earlier had turned into a conical crater dozens of meters deep, as the surrounding rocks spewed wisps of green smoke, with traces of high-temperature crystallization even appearing along the edges.

As for those who had fallen at the scene, not even their bones remained.

The tragic severity of the scene made cold sweat break out, striking terror into everyone’s hearts.

"Charge! Kill the soft-shelled weaklings hiding in their armor!"

Almost simultaneously, a deep, sinister roar echoed over the battlefield.

Under the sudden, rolling heatwave, the air distorted visibly to the naked eye.

Nearly half of the trees and grass on the ground rapidly withered and caught fire, while the water in the moat even began to boil.

Merely being caught in the fallout, the terrifying heat was already unbearable for ordinary people.

Had a reactive Medea not frantically gathered surrounding water elements to construct ice walls and apply protection to everyone, they would have been roasted and spontaneously combusted in the blink of an eye.

Right at this moment, a meteorite several kilometers in diameter—burning with roaring flames, was summoned from a massive magical formation diagram covering the sky, crashing toward the ground with thunderous speed.

Rumble!

Under the intense tremors, the people defending the fortress lost their footing one after another.

Once the residual shockwaves settled slightly, they were shocked to see that the Thessalian city wall, which had kept out foreign enemies, had once again collapsed with a roar, opening a breach that stretched for hundreds of meters.

This scar completely exposed the city’s softest hinterland, along with the defenders cowering inside the barrier, right before the monster beasts and giants.

Dozens of hideous-looking giants turned in unison to look at a companion among them who possessed rock-dark skin and ocean-deep blue eyes, letting out a collective cheer:

"Great job, Antaeus!"

"Tear off their limbs to set up an altar! Twist off their heads as sacrifices, and let these crawling insects know who the true masters of this land should be!"

The giant named Antaeus listened proudly to his companions’ flattery, then reached out a thick arm, grabbed a three-meter-long giant lion from the herd of monster beasts, tore it in half with his bare hands, and stuffed it into his mouth to chew.

The sound of bones crushing echoed continuously from his mouth as dark red blood trickled down from the corners of his lips, presenting a gory feeding scene that was chilling to the bone.

Looking at the trembling soldiers on the city wall and the pale residents in the city, Antaeus licked his crimson tongue, building up speed as he charged forward.

"This is the temple of God, this is the gate of Heaven!"

Accompanying the low chant, crimson wine poured onto the ground, as divine patterns transformed into golden characters embedded into the base.

An aura of natural grandeur poured into it, and everyone vaguely saw the phantom of a towering temple gradually solidify, bouncing the giant named Antaeus into the air.

Lorne stepped forward, catching the swaying form of Medea before she could collapse.

Beyond the city walls, a tide of monstrous beasts and Gigantes pressed forward, as he dipped his finger into the crimson wine, tracing glowing glyphs of Hermes across the stone while chanting the sacred words. "Earth and stone are my body, water my blood, timber my fortress!

By the mysteries passed down from antiquity, I summon ancient wisdom to awaken from its slumber—descend, Earth Guardian!"

As he completed the final stroke, the blood-red circle blazed with light, spreading outward like a web of living veins.

The earth outside the walls groaned and split.

From the cavernous fissure rose a titan of solid rock, standing nearly fifty feet tall.

Greenery sprouted across its scalp and heavy stone joints.

Towering above its summoner, the construct reached out, condensing raw stone into a thirty-foot blade, and swept the massive weapon through the surging enemy ranks.

Having studied summoning magic, Lorne was capable of animating such earth-and-stone guardians alongside his Dragon Tooth Warriors.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

In a single blow, the vanguard of beasts was hurled into the air, their bones shattered, landing as crushed pools of flesh.

Seeing no way to dodge, the Gigantes bared their teeth and struck fiercely at the stone giant’s joints.

Yet the Guardian remained unyielding. Raising its massive foot, it kicked and trampled forward, plowing a bloody swath through the horde.

"Damn it, we can’t break through!"

"Curse him! How has his power not run dry?!"

"Fall back! The thing cannot sustain itself forever!"

Surrounded by pools of dark blood and the mangled remains of a third of their war-beasts, the Gigantes wavered.

Panic surged into a clamor of guttural shouts as they turned and scrambled backward to open up distance.

Their instincts served them well.

Tethered by finite sorcery, the Earth Guardian was strictly bound to a radius of a hundred paces, powerless to give chase beyond its ward.

Exploiting the boundary, the Gigantes rallied. Just past the hundred-pace mark, they hoisted colossal boulders overhead and unleashed a devastating barrage.

Driven by divine wrath, the stones ignited as they fell, hurtling from the heavens like blazing red meteorites.

Infused with a tyrannical celestial power, the rocks struck the stone sentinels with the shattering force of explosive ordnance.

Concussive cracks tore through the firelight.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Spiderweb fractures burst across the stationary Earth Guardians.

One by one, the mighty constructs caved under the onslaught, disintegrating into heaps of loose rubble across the scorched earth.

(End of the Chapter)