Chapter 209: Chapter209-The Final Chapter
"I never thought that our first meeting in a hundred years would be like this," Hades said.
On the mountain of the gods, Hades finally met his brother, who had been sitting on the throne of the god-king for tens of thousands of years. However, the tense situation John had imagined did not occur. Instead, Hades and Zeus were talking and laughing, making John momentarily believe it was all an illusion, that Hades had never intended to rebel and had simply tricked everyone.
But John had misunderstood.
The reason for the apparent calm was that the conflict between the two sides had escalated to a point of no return, where they could no longer agree or understand each other. This realization brought a sense of release.
They both knew that attempting to persuade each other was impossible, so they didn't waste their breath.
While Hades and Zeus reminisced about the past, Seraphina stepped forward. Ignoring the chatting brothers, she walked straight into the depths of the mountain of the gods. She had no time to listen to their idle talk; she needed to reclaim her lost Authority.
In terms of combat power, if Seraphina returned to her peak, she would be as strong as Hades. Furthermore, before her divine status was shattered, she had been highly respected on the mountain of the gods. So, almost no one dared to stop her as she advanced.
Finally, when Seraphina and John reached the peak of the mountain of the gods, where the last part of her Authority was sealed, they encountered their first battle of the day.
"Seraphina, you're already dead. Why struggle?"
"Enough talk. Either step aside or fight me," Seraphina said, conjuring a long sword that pointed straight at Ares's brow.
At this point, she had no patience for words. It was either battle or move aside; there was no third option.
But would Ares back down? Certainly not.
Thus, the first battle broke out completely!
John and Seraphina teamed up against Ares! John alone was clearly not a match for a god renowned for his formidable combat prowess. However, John's advantage lay in Seraphina's almost insanely powerful techniques.
Once again, John was amazed at the true strength of alchemy. The battle between the three lasted for three whole days, ending with Ares exhausted and defeated. At this point, Seraphina regained all of her lost Authority.
Zeus could clearly sense this. Despite his desire to stop it, Hades was not about to give him the chance. So, Zeus asked Hades the final question he had.
"Must this divine war be initiated? You know very well that internal conflict in the divine realm will only benefit other realms."
Hades's response was thunder in his hand!
"Using my own gods against me, brother, you are too arrogant!"
"Arrogant? No, no, I just wanted to return this to you. Otherwise, this battle would be too boring."
With a casual wave, Hades lifted the entire underworld into his grasp! Indeed, Hades's domain was also his artifact!
The battle erupted in full. Gods clashed with gods, Divine Emissaries besieged Divine Emissaries. Truthfully, Qing and the others fought with great difficulty. There were only five of them in total, facing dozens of Demigod-tier Divine Emissaries, experiencing even more pressure than John.
Fortunately, after Qing ascended to Demigod tier, his energy surged. Even using his talent skill to summon an entire army was manageable, barely allowing them to hold their ground against the Divine Emissaries.
The once sacred Mount Olympus now resembled hell. Divine Emissaries fell in battle, gods perished, and even John faced the constant risk of falling.
This was a battle among gods. Even Demigod-tier Divine Emissaries could only be spectators. Just approaching slightly would see them easily torn apart by the ripples of divine power.
But inevitably, Zeus's side fell into a disadvantage.
Zeus was indeed strong, but with Hades countering him, the two were evenly matched, and neither could overpower the other. However, no one could single-handedly stand against Seraphina; it required two, or even more gods working together to barely hold their ground against her.
Then, an unexpected twist occurred.
Towering waves rose from the Silent Sea, surging toward the mountain of the gods! Within the waves, countless hideous monsters could be vaguely seen!
Yes, Poseidon had joined the battle.
As a god, he could certainly sense everything happening on the mountain of the gods. Over ten gods had already fallen, and this was just the beginning. Even if he didn't want to be involved in this conflict, he couldn't stay out of it.
The outcome, however, deeply disappointed Hades. His favorite brother had betrayed him, standing on Zeus's side, holding the trident of the sea god, and blocking Seraphina's path.
Seraphina recognized him, of course. Before her death, Poseidon had been an immature young god, but now he had grown into a powerful deity capable of rivaling her.
"Brother, stop this. We can't let more gods fall. I have no intention of being your enemy."
"But you already have. Zeus, let me introduce someone familiar to you. I'm sure you'll be delighted to see her."
With a thought, Hades summoned a figure from the underworld. It was Zeus's former consort, Hades's sister, and the mother of the gods, Lyra!
"Zeus, look at you now. Where is your majesty as the king of gods? You've brought shame to Olympus!"
Lyra's sudden arrival further complicated an already chaotic situation. Now, with the most powerful gods—Hades, Poseidon, Zeus, Seraphina, and Lyra—their battle would directly determine the fate of the mountain of the gods. The three-on-two advantage naturally favored Hades's side.
The divine war reached its most intense phase. At this point, the loss of any combatant on either side would be a catastrophic blow.
The monsters brought by Poseidon were nearly indestructible. Even with fatal injuries, they could heal in a very short time, making them incredibly troublesome.
Seeing the scales of victory tipping towards Zeus's side, John finally decided not to hold back and played his trump card. He sacrificed Leviathan's body to cast another summoning spell.
This time, the one who answered John's call was a black dragon symbolizing death and despair—Nidhogg!
As a divine creature, Nidhogg's strength was undeniable. Even when facing Hades, it could hold its own. Its inclusion became a significant factor in the fight for victory.
Ultimately, Poseidon could not bear to see his subjects continue to suffer and be devoured by the dragon of despair. He was the first to withdraw, returning to the Silent Sea.
With this, Zeus's hope for victory vanished. The battle had reached a point where continuing was pointless. Defeat was inevitable, and the gods on Zeus's side began to defect, choosing to join Hades's faction and cease their resistance.
However, there was one exception: John did not accept the surrender of the god of time, Cronus. John had promised Deception that if given the chance, he would kill Cronus, seize his Authority, and give Exiled Immortal a chance to start over.
John was ready to fulfill his promise, but Seraphina intervened. Her reasoning was simple: if the god of time were to die, it would affect the entire mountain of the gods, making the situation uncontrollable. Reluctantly, John had to give up. However, in return, he obtained a promise from Cronus that he would help Exiled Immortal.
Thus, the battle ended in a decisive victory.
Hades, Seraphina, and Lyra joined forces to banish Zeus from the mountain of the gods, never to set foot there again.
When everyone expected Hades to ascend the throne, he surprised them by shattering the throne with a slap and leaving the mountain, returning to the underworld.
The divine war was over.
John, as a newly ascended god, demonstrated his formidable combat abilities and earned everyone's recognition. The divine essences of the fallen gods were inherited by Qing and others. Given enough time, they too could ascend to godhood.
John had prevented humanity's apocalypse. The doomed Olympus came to an abrupt end, and the world returned to the way it was before the seven-day calamity, as if nothing had ever happened.
John and his companions then set their sights on another world, one on the brink of death.