Only God

Laiendos's voice shook all the divines at the banquet, a multitude of eyes trembling, not long ago, they believed victory was well within their grasp, not only was the Royal City of Kaelonde to burn, but the entire Kingdom was to be engulfed in the flames of war.

But the sudden vision brutally severed the spine of victory.

Storm God Utus and Laren, have they betrayed us?

The divines perked up their ears, dumbfounded as they watched the inferno gradually subside.

Storm God Utus is the sole Fifth Rank Divine in the Celestial Kingdom, his Divine Power far surpassing that of all other gods present, he represents the pinnacle of divinity, his defection would be a considerable loss for this faction of divines.

And Dream God Laren's case is even more severe; he is the keystone of this faction of divines, the staunchest opponent of the Path of Divine Production. Most of the current plans have been carried out under Laren's leadership. If Storm God Utus could be seen as their strong limbs, then Laren would be their heart and brain. With both heart and brain turning against them, what purpose was left for their faction to exist?

Wine God Sibos quickly came to his senses, he hastily spoke to calm the other divines:

"There must be another explanation.

If we were to speak of Utus, there might be a faint possibility he'd defect, but Laren, how could he betray us?

Do you all forget that it was mortals who mastered the Path of Divine Production that killed the progeny of the Dream God?"

Hearing Sibos's words, the divines also shook off their amazement, continuously nodding, whispering to each other in subdued voices, discussing—and rightly so. If Utus's betrayal was plausible—it was always apparent he hardly approved of their deeds—Laren's betrayal would be utterly preposterous, knowing his lineage was engulfed in a blood feud over his offspring's murder.

The chaos at the banquet gradually settled; some divines poured new wine, chanted poems, and comforted each other's souls. However, most remained deeply worried, for the reason behind Laren and Utus's efforts to extinguish the blaze still remained unclear.

Nobody believed that the Dream God and the Storm God would betray them.

At this time, Wine God Sibos was disconcerted, without any inclination to appreciate the wine, he raised his hand, instructing the maid to change him into his traveling attire and to bring his Divine Artifact.

God of Victory Laiendos hurriedly picked up the Sword of Victory, for some reason, even though Sibos's explanation was reasonable, he still couldn't convince Laiendos. God of Victory had a ridiculous premonition—that all three divines had now become True Believers.

Laiendos knew how laughable this premonition was—to think of divines becoming True Believers, worshipping like mortals under the faith of the Father, would sound absurd to anyone.

But for some reason, even as he denied it vigorously in his mind, he couldn't shake off this ludicrous premonition.

"Sibos, let us, too, go."

Some uneasy divines volunteered.

Wine God Sibos hesitated for a moment but nodded upon seeing Laiendos wielding the Sword of Victory.

Mortals often say that whichever side Laiendos, with the Sword of Victory in hand, stands on will see the dawn of victory. This is not without reason. Even in the Celestial Kingdom, the Magic Power of the Sword of Victory is a renowned Divine Artifact. During the descent of Heaven, it was because Dragon God Endora seized the Sword of Victory on the battlefield that he managed to decisively defeat the divines under Prophetic God Kagawus, nearly securing victory in the war.

Whichever side the Sword of Victory stands, that side is victorious. Now that Laiendos stands with them armed with the Sword of Victory, even if Laren and Utus truly defected, how could they possibly face defeat?

More and more rain fell to the ground, the city no longer burned, and after the fire retreated, nothing was left but chaos—looting, stealing, violence, and other vices all stopped as if by mutual agreement, before the divine spectacle, those with evil intentions dared not commit misdeeds, fearful they might attract the attention of the divines.

The city was plunged into shock, countless people flocked to the Craftsmen Temple, which despite losing a corner of its roof to the fire, remained mostly intact, seen by many as intentionally protected by Hiris. Meanwhile, more people scurried onto rooftops, or mounds of earth, climbing as high as they could to gaze upon the mountain and the Craftsmen God in the sky.

Wails, praises, and prayers, by the thousands, swept through the streets, a storm of faith engulfing the city, as the populace cried out Hiris's name, etching the image of the God bearing the mountain and the forge on his shoulders deep into their hearts.

A myriad of voices stirred ripples in the heart of Hiris, who was accustomed to cheers, praises, and prayers, yet in this moment, he felt profoundly content.

But soon, this contentment was disrupted.

Suddenly, a gust of air stirred in the sky, and due to the heavy rain, the space seemed dull and dim. The divines, led by Sibos and Laiendos, emerged from the dense clouds to appear before Hiris.

Upon seeing the familiar divines, Utus raised an eyebrow, a storm brewing in the palm of his hand.

The haughty Storm God had long found distaste in the scheming and plotting cloaked by the laughter and chit-chat of those endless banquets, and at this moment, he yearned for a grand confrontation.

While Dream God Laren, witnessing the arrival of the other divines, felt even more disgraced; not because of his betrayal, but because he'd led them in committing such wicked deeds.