Chapter 1657: Collapse of the First Realm
At the World Tree, everything was collapsing.
Since the four gods’ Divine Idols had been shattered, the first world drawn in by the Cult of Four finally reached its breaking point under everyone’s combined efforts.
The entire realm was tearing apart in a way that defied the laws of reality.
Buildings melted like candle wax, burning and scattering, only to freeze mid-air into fragmented, prismatic crystals that faded into nothingness. Bottomless fissures tore through the earth, the surrounding ground collapsing into the abyss. Mountains twisted, folded and kneaded by unseen hands, before crumbling into gravel and dissolving into invisible dust.
To Orion, everything was falling, shattering, and drifting, swept into oblivion by a devastating force.
No one spoke. They watched a world fall to ruin. The lingering sorrow of its destruction infected them all.
"How can there be new life without destruction?" the Lifeless Dreadgod murmured. In that moment, he sounded like a philosopher, justifying his morality and rationalizing his actions. "Everything is bound by The Weave of Fate. How many lives did the four gods take, and how many minor worlds did they devour to strengthen their own realm? Now, they are simply paying their debts."
Orion stared at the Lifeless Dreadgod, struck by an absurd thought. Is this guy really a Dark Deity? Since when do Dark Deities need to justify themselves?
The Lifeless Dreadgod noticed Orion’s gaze. He glanced over, his tone cryptic. "I know what you’re thinking. Is your understanding of good and evil truly that shallow? The four gods, a Dark Deity, abyssal demon lords, or those despised insect gods—what difference is there really? Only the living—men and gods alike—get to define anything. That is what you call righteousness and morality."
With that, the Lifeless Dreadgod ignored the rest and stepped into the next approaching world.
The group exchanged silent looks and followed.
Coincidentally, the moment Orion and the others entered the second world, it reacted as if sensing their presence. At the center of the land, a bizarre, mountain-sized structure rapidly thrust up from the depths.
When it revealed its true form, everyone’s souls, including Orion’s, trembled.
"What is that? Why does it feel familiar?" Archbishop Kysar asked, gripped by fear yet recognizing the sight.
"It’s a structure... like an altar!" said Maximilien, another Archbishop of the Cult of Four. Standing behind Kysar, he stared at the bizarre edifice with a similarly conflicted expression.
"That thing... I’ve seen it before... where..." Archbishop Kendry muttered, deep in thought. Suddenly, his eyes widened. "Run! It’s the God-Slaying Ballista!"
He turned and bolted.
This second world was originally under Kendry’s jurisdiction. When he fled, Kysar, Maximilien, and Eryx didn’t hesitate. They ran.
Orion, the Lifeless Dreadgod, and Moriphara weren’t fools either. They immediately retreated from the world.
However, the terrifying scene that followed would be etched into their memories forever.
The structure at the center of the earth came alive. Boundless divine power and faith coalesced within it. The very instant Archbishop Kendry turned away, the God-Slaying Ballista locked onto him and fired.
"No... it wasn’t supposed to be like this..."
Boom!
Archbishop Kendry’s phantom will was instantly annihilated, leaving nothing behind.
But it wasn’t over.
The massive bolt slipped seamlessly into the void and vanished. The moment Orion finally relaxed, an apocalyptic explosion detonated out in the unknown void. It expanded and consumed everything in its path like splitting cosmic particles.
"He’s dead," the Lifeless Dreadgod said grimly.
It wasn’t a taunt; he was stating a terrifying fact. The Lifeless Dreadgod knew exactly what had just fired. It was a Demigod Artifact. A Demigod Artifact left behind by the four gods.
"If you don’t explain exactly why the God-Slaying Ballista is here, I have no problem joining these two to obliterate you and purge you from the Titanion Realm." The Lifeless Dreadgod glared at Archbishop Kysar.
Right then, he was convinced this entire situation was a trap.
It all started when the Cult of Four exposed the coordinates of the Titanion Realm. Then, they secretly manipulated the realm’s fusion. Next, they feigned pulling in the three major worlds under the guise of betraying the four gods, all to lure Orion, the Lifeless Dreadgod, and Moriphara into a trap to kill them with the ballista.
The events played out in his mind, linking together into a perfect, deadly conspiracy.
"That’s it, isn’t it?" the Lifeless Dreadgod spat. "You didn’t just want to betray the four gods; you wanted to wipe us out, too. Four branches of the World Tree appear in the Titanion Realm, and your Cult of Four just happens to have four Archbishops. You son of a bitch, Kysar, I knew you were up to no good."
The Lifeless Dreadgod’s fury grew as the expressions on Kysar, Maximilien, and Eryx darkened. Their silence and lack of reaction were the best proof.
According to the original plan, the ballista should have targeted the three outsiders: Orion, the Lifeless Dreadgod, and Moriphara. The weapon could lock onto a divine soul. A hit wouldn’t just kill an avatar; it would destroy the main body and even annihilate any splintered demigod will.
But Archbishop Kysar and the others never expected that the moment the ballista appeared, its first victim would be Archbishop Kendry, the very man who governed that world.
So, the shock these scheming bastards from the Cult of Four showed earlier was all an act? They played us? Orion thought. Damn, what a performance. I just brushed shoulders with death.
A cold sweat broke out on Orion’s back. This was his first time facing the God-Slaying Ballista. He didn’t know the full extent of its power, nor did he know if a lethal strike could track his divine soul through the chaos and into the Divine Kingdom to obliterate him completely.
"I have a feeling that the divine heart in the first world was also bait they threw out, even if they didn’t know exactly what it was," Orion said. His eyes narrowed, his expression turning hostile.
The Lifeless Dreadgod and Moriphara shared the sentiment. Right now, they had to stand with Orion as allies.
Behind Archbishop Kysar stood Maximilien and Eryx. It was three against three, and the Cult of Four wasn’t backing down.
