Magic Industrial Age.

Chapter 613-611: The Divine Catastrophe

In the legends of the multiverse, the gods were not actually like they are now a long time ago.

They were naturally powerful at that time, and therefore even more unscrupulous.

At that time, they were not entirely tied to faith, and the constraints of their priesthood were less.

At that time, even in a state of rage and anger, they would actively destroy the prime material plane, just to taste the sweetness of the origin after destruction.

Most of the layers of the abyss were accumulated during that period.

Ancient evil artifacts were also products of that period.

As for the beings within that plane?

Those were nothing but dust, not even worth their attention.

Undoubtedly, this near-unrestrained destruction has caused immense damage to the multiverse, so much so that it is accelerating the decline of the entire multiverse.

Even the supreme god Aio couldn't sit still any longer.

Using the theft of the Tablet of Destiny as a pretext, He used supreme means to demote all the gods to their respective prime material planes and sever their connection with the divine kingdom.

From this point on, all the gods had to walk in the mortal world as saints, which sparked a chaotic war that affected the entire multiverse.

The saints remain incredibly powerful, standing at the pinnacle of the multiverse; however, they have lost their immortal essence.

In other words, they can be killed!

As a result, the conflict between the saints completely erupted, and the accumulated grudges led them to engage in a battle to the death.

Of course, even saints will kill mortals who offend them.
Ordinary heroes, when gathered together, will also attempt to accomplish the feat of slaying a god.

This period was known as the 'Year of Turmoil,' and the war was called the War of the Saints.
Also known as: Divine Catastrophe!
Why is it described as a 'catastrophe'?

That's because there really were gods who perished completely in this upheaval.

For example, Bane, the god of tyranny, a powerful deity, died at the hands of Tom, the god of justice, a power he would never have given a second glance to before.

The two engaged in a life-or-death battle of saints, ultimately perishing together.

The difference is that Tom is a person of impeccable character, has a group of friends among the Lawful Gods, and was successfully resurrected after the War of the Saints.

As for Bane, the god of tyranny, he is dead and that's it. No one will miss this cruel god, not even his followers.

For example, Baal, the god of murder, was killed by the mortal hero Cyric with the Godslayer sword.

It was this same person who offered the Fate Stone to Aio, thus ending the turbulent year.

He himself accomplished the feat of ascending from mortal to god, even gathering the divine offices of Bane, the god of tyranny, Baal, the god of murder, and Melkor, the god of the dead, becoming the ruler of the underworld and an incomparably powerful god of death.

Later, Baal attempted to be resurrected and have his offspring kill each other to gather divinity, but unfortunately, he failed.

As for Melkor, the god of the dead, he also suffered a tragic fate, his remaining divine power sealed within the artifact, the Crown of Horns.

In addition, there was the goddess of darkness, Shar, who took advantage of the chaos to devour Ebrando, the god of the underworld, and the thief prince, Musk.

Lolth, the Spider Queen, murdered the drow demigod Sinzerena in order to solidify her faith.

Mystra, the controller of the magic network, perished due to a magical rampage that damaged the magic network.

When she was deified again and the second-generation goddess of magic came to power, she was still called 'Mystra', but it is said that she was no longer the same one as before.

There was also the mortal mage Midnight, who successfully completed the consecration ceremony and became the mage god Azus.

The above is the recorded, hidden history of the Nesseril civilization.

Beyond Netheril, countless gods from various prime planes perished during the turbulent years!
A turbulent year, also a watershed moment in the history of the gods!
Since then, the ironclad rule of the immortality of gods has been broken, and mortals ascending to godhood and killing gods have occurred in various prime material planes.

It's difficult, but not impossible!

From that time onward, deities were subject to the constraints of believers, and the strength of a deity was determined by the amount of faith it had.

Thus, the gods and the prime material plane were bound together, becoming a remedy for the loopholes in the rules and a major boost to the development of the multiverse.

The Netheril civilization has now reached the stage of the Astral Expedition, so the gods are their primary subject of study.

Drawing inspiration from history is something every archmage must do.

The ultimate arcane art, [Cataclysm of the Gods], is the culmination of the wisdom of generations of archmages in Netheril, and is an imitation of the actions of the supreme god, Eo.

Using the immense magical energy of the Nesser Core as a fulcrum, they activated the fragments of the Tablet of Fate, causing turmoil in the plane's origin, thus creating a temporary elemental disturbance and lockdown.

Although the methods used by God Aio are certainly different in principle, the effects are similar.

As a result, the divine kingdom was closed, forcing the gods to descend to earth in their true forms and walk among mortals.

You might ask, what is the use of this ultimate arcane art?

But we can't just kill the gods directly?
Absolutely not!

However, when the gods lose their immortality, their eternal nature, and their authority to create multiple entities to wage war...

They too feel fear!

……

On the floating continent, the war between gods and demons has ended.

To be precise, whether it's the native god Herka, the remnants of the Seven Gods, or the Abyss King, the Demon Lord...

They were all avatars, and they vanished completely under the impact of the ultimate arcane spell, [Divine Cataclysm].

Eighteen stars fell and landed in various parts of the Herka plane; they were the true gods in saint form.

They almost unanimously chose to hide and disappear from everyone's sight.

In such a situation, even the most devout believers would not dare to believe it.

Because without the discernment of faith, they also fear the schemes and plots of ambitious people.

After all, killing a god is the most convenient way to become a god.

In the astral chaos beyond the prime plane, a demon lord revealed himself.

His face was filled with resentment, anger, and bitterness, yet he still set up the summoning circle with the utmost speed.
Then, the burning fires of hell set Him ablaze, and the pain from His soul and body caused Him to let out a piercing scream.

Until it was completely burned away, the void opened its doors, and Balzefen, one of the eight demon generals of hell and the demon of the deep hell, stepped out.

The shockwaves of the [Divine Catastrophe] spread outwards like ripples, almost hitting His face.

His expression twisted for a moment, then he quickly retreated, creating a safe distance.

However, when He looked down at the vast plane so close before Him, His expression was incredibly strange.

That was clearly fear, yet also boundless greed!
The Abyss Kings and Demon Lords treat the Prime Material Plane as a series of dungeons to be cleared.

Resources, people, souls—these are all things they need.

In the past, with the protection of the indigenous gods, they could not do anything big. But if they acted too aggressively, the indigenous gods would fight them to the death.

But now, the demon Balzefin from the deep prison has spotted an opportunity.

When the power of the ultimate arcane art [Divine Cataclysm] dissipates, and the gods of Helka have not yet returned to their places, the protective power of the plane will be weakened, which is when Helka is at its most vulnerable.
That's the best opportunity.

To this end, He was even willing to sacrifice the life of a demon lord to descend once again as quickly as possible.

However, He knew clearly that He had only gained an advantage, and that other great beings would surely descend upon Him later.

Sure enough, not long after, a crystal of divine power exploded in the void, turning into a torrent of magma that crashed into the void.

In the melting space, a giant magma blade slashed through, tearing open a spatial rift, and the Balrog King Kadum barely managed to crawl out.

When He saw the demon Balzefin from the deep hell, He was visibly surprised, but He did not attack. The two exchanged a glance and reached a tacit understanding, each taking a side and waiting silently.

The benefits of a prime material plane are great enough that they don't need to fight over it.

This is the second great being to arrive, but clearly, it will not be the last.

On the floating continent, all the gods and demons have dispersed, but that does not mean the war is over.

The demigods, legendary spirits, and the army of supplicants brought by the native gods of Herka still exist.

However, with the divine kingdom closed, the sacred bonfire no longer serves its teleportation function, and they cannot return to the Reincarnation Pool.

At this moment, to die in battle means to truly die!

Most importantly, they could no longer contact their God, and no matter how fervently they prayed, they received no response.

This filled them with dread!

Fortunately, this is a floating continent, Netheril's territory, surrounded by enemies, and the battle never stops.

The immense external pressure kept them united, and coupled with a complete command system, they were able to barely maintain their position.

What they are doing now is to establish a position at the site of the sacred bonfire, then consolidate their forces and adopt a defensive posture.

As for the Arcane Council, although they were also organizing an attack, they were not faring well themselves!
Although they turned the tide with an ultimate arcane spell, they faced numerous problems.

For example, the immense magical energy consumed by the ultimate arcane spells put the Nesser Core into a period of rest, and it will take time to recover.

For example, this war between gods and demons was so intense that the floating city had to bear all the damage and aftershocks.

Although the core was not damaged, it is no exaggeration to say that it resembles an apocalyptic ruin.

As a result, tens of thousands of arcane mages died in battle, and even more construct knights and armored warriors perished.

As for ordinary Nesserians, the exact number is impossible to determine, but it is at least in the millions.

The mess left behind had to be cleaned up by the Arcane Council, and several archmages skilled in handling complex matters were practically pulling their hair out.

What's even more infuriating is that, not only do they have to contend with the native gods' war legions, but they also have to face the legions of demons and devils.

These demons and devils came with the Abyss King and the Lord of Hell, and originally fought to help Netheril.

But when the Abyss King and the Lord of Hell left, they were no longer restrained and went on a rampage, burning, killing, and looting everywhere.

Their behavior was even more insane and unrestrained than that of the God War Legion.

The archmages had to direct their limited forces at these demons and devils, which infuriated them!
It is worth mentioning that demons and devils exhibit two different kinds of chaos.

Without the king's control, the demon army erupted into chaos, like a defeated army running amok.

They implemented a policy of burning everything, killing everyone, and looting everything. If they encountered a strong enemy, they would scatter and split into even smaller groups.

They caused great damage, but the risk level was not high.

But the Devil Legion is different.

They established strongholds, conquered cities and territories, occupied arcane towers and cities, captured Netherilians, corrupted them with hellish power, and developed a following of demons.

They ruled with oppressive power, forcing their people to work for them, and built enormous altars in an attempt to communicate with the Lord of Hell.

At present, they are still concentrated in local areas and the damage they have caused is not significant, but if they are allowed to develop, it will definitely be a situation that the Arcane Council does not want to face.

These are the issues the Arcane Council faces, and they are by no means favorable.

As a result, although battles are still breaking out across the entire floating continent, with a high intensity and frequency, it is clear that they have entered a relatively stable period of rest.

But everyone knows that this period of rest can never last long.

……

at this time,

Flower Collar, Lion Manor, Second Floor
Luo Yi flipped through the documents in her hand and, with the help of Deep Blue's 'deduction module,' reviewed the events dozens or even hundreds of times.

However, the more he reviewed the situation, the more complicated his expression became.

He had relatively comprehensive information, including observations from the Magic Eye Network and information shared with the Church of the Sun God, which basically pieced together the entire course of the God War.

Then he discovered that neither side had made any mistakes in the battle.

The sun god's performance was absolutely decisive and ruthless.

He decisively united all the native gods, decisively launched a decisive battle, and decisively charged forward when he was about to be driven to the brink of defeat, taking the enemy with him by self-destruction.

Most importantly, He sent down a second incarnation, demonstrating His unwavering determination to achieve His goal.

Even if Loy were in His position, he couldn't have done better than Him.

Meanwhile, on the Arcane Council's side, despite being at a significant disadvantage, they summoned the seven divine avatars, the Abyss Lord, and the Lord of Hell...

They mobilized all available resources and, at the last moment, turned the tide with an ultimate arcane spell.

They also mastered micro-management to the extreme, demonstrating the strength of a peak magical civilization, showing no fear even when facing gods and demons.

But it was precisely because they were all right that such a grand battle of gods was presented to Loy.

Even the information gleaned from just words and pictures left Luo Yi with a suffocating sense of shock.

At that moment, the hideous head of the ancient red dragon Virgil appeared.

He stared at Luo Yi and asked, "You've seen this so many times, can you still find something new in it?"

Luo Yi finally looked away, closed her eyes slightly, and rubbed her temples wearily: "I can't find any fault with them, so if I were either of them, the outcome wouldn't be any better."

This conclusion left me somewhat disheartened.

"Reviewing the situation is fine, but there's no need to dwell on it too much."

You are neither the gods of Herka nor the archmage of Netheril... you are simply you!
You are Loy Raymond, the Holy Dragon Knight, the master of Flower Territory, the wielder of the Iron Torrent.

"If you join the war, you have to fight in your own way. Just take a look at their war tactics and don't worry about them too much."

Luo Yi nodded slowly, then shook her head, and chuckled as she said, "I understand the reasoning, but I'm a little hesitant. Ultimately, this battle is of extraordinary significance, determining the safety of our homeland."

"So what are your plans? Or rather, are you going to intervene in this war? And when do you plan to intervene?"

"As I said before, protecting our home is everyone's responsibility."

But the time isn't right yet. Let's wait, wait a little longer. My Abyss strategy isn't finished yet; there are still five Demon Territories remaining.

Luo Yi let out a long sigh: "No matter what, I must first become the Abyss King!"

……

Luo Yi ultimately wanted to buy herself more time.

Because with each additional day, Flower Territory can produce more bullets, one more tank, one more fighter jet, and one more missile!
He can also accumulate more strength.

But fate, in the end, does not follow his will.

Not long after, in the Papal States, an elderly paladin slowly walked toward the most magnificent temple.

The moment He made up His mind, He radiated a brilliant light, like the rising sun.

At that moment, all of Herka's believers knew that their god was walking among men.

With the Sun God's proactive appearance, the war in the floating city has once again entered its countdown.

(End of this chapter)