"Why?" The one asking wasn't Ares — it was Anxius, who had finished dealing with the believers and slipped back in disguise. He was filled with worry about the current atmosphere, oppressive and dangerous, as though a storm was about to unleash its fury. Even though the great God Ares had awakened his self-awareness, their enemy was no longer the relatively weak Moon God Axin.
Facing the High Priest of the War God, Nina, along with eight deities including the Moon God, the Lord of the Underworld, the Sun God, and their most powerful priests — this terrifying opposing faction — Anxius simply didn't believe the God Ares he worshipped had the ability to counter them. Even the pre-defeat "God of Flame and Destruction," Amando, couldn't have managed it. There was even a risk that the War God himself might fall.
Lucian and
After hearing the simultaneous denial from Lucian and Francis, Ares remained as deep and unfathomable as the Erdo Sea, showing not a trace of surprise. He spoke slowly and firmly: "State your reasons?"
Lucian quietly gritted his teeth. Regardless of whether Ares's "condition" had worsened, at least now He was more god-like than before, His aura far more imposing. After all, a demeanor of absolute composure in the face of a collapsing mountain peak was obviously far more convincing than being irritable, anxious, and easily startled.
He exchanged a glance with Francis and saw him smiling with his mouth shut, showing no intention of speaking. Lucian understood — Francis was waiting for him to take the lead, using this to gauge his grasp of the situation and search for anything unusual.
Truly cautious, Lucian thought to himself. Even now, he hasn't let his guard down. Then, weighing his words carefully, he said: "Because this is an opportunity — an excellent one."
"An opportunity? An opportunity to die completely and enter the Underworld?" The moment Anxius thought about enemies whose numbers and strength had surged more than eightfold, his head ached and his courage evaporated. He silently resentment Lucian and Francis for revealing the true identity of the great God Ares in order to win the theological debate, thereby drawing the War God's wariness and suspicion — he suspected it was Ares Himself who had revealed His true identity to Francis and Leviathan so that the plan could proceed smoothly, so amid the resentment there was also a faint twinge of jealousy. He had believed in and devoted himself to the God of Flame and Destruction for over twenty years, yet he was still outranked by two juniors who had only recently joined the Secret Prayer Society.
Lucian spoke with a solemn expression: "Why did the War God's High Priest order the Moon God and the Lord of the Underworld to act tonight? And why did she also drive the deities and priests of the other six denominations?"
Ares nodded with unfathomable depth, as though he had already fully understood what Lucian intended to say. His gaze shifted toward Francis, signaling him to elaborate for Anxius.
"Because the War God has grown fearful. He fears the greatness of God Ares, fears that under the boundless radiance of your divinity he will fall and perish. So before he has determined the true extent of God Ares's power, he dare not act rashly — and his priests dare not move impulsively either. If you have truly fully awakened and restored your supreme divinity, such an attack would be a dangerous move inviting the tragedy of his own downfall."
Francis delivered a lengthy string of flattery and praise, but the actual meaning was simple: he and Lucian had blown things so far out of proportion that they had spooked the War God. He was now wary of the divine majesty of the "God of Resurrection, Fertility, and Salvation," which was why he had ordered and driven the other eight deities and their priests to act first. If anything abnormal turned up, he could always pin it on a private conflict between the gods over worship resources and the right to evangelize in the river valley.
During the theological debate, Francis and Lucian had deliberately portrayed the "God of Resurrection, Fertility, and Salvation" as a lawful good deity. For such a god, as long as the reasoning was appropriate, He would not pursue the matter further. And based on their资料 regarding the War God and the other deities, Francis and Lucian judged that he — or rather, all the gods of the Angenoma pantheon and the Babur pantheon — would subconsciously refuse to believe in an omniscient, omnipotent existence, because gods who had been killed or deceived through scheming were far too common.
"So that's how it is…" Anxius thought it over carefully. Nina hadn't struck on the spot, nor had she launched a direct assault — there was indeed a whiff of that reasoning in her behavior. Ares gave a barely perceptible nod, a faint smile touching the corner of his lips before he suppressed it.
"But we're still facing eight deities and their High Priests," Anxius said, still wracked with worry. "This is still beyond what our current strength can counter. Perhaps we should withdraw in time. The great God Ares has awakened His self-awareness, and with the passage of time He will only grow stronger. When the time comes, He can crush them all with raw power. There's no need to risk so much for a temporary advantage."
Lucian felt the urge to sweat again, worried that if he stayed around them long enough, he'd start losing his own mind. He gave a light cough: "According to Mr. Francis's description, my Lord can only slowly recover His power and ascend back to supremacy by defeating other gods and stripping away their divinity. If we flee this time, the War God and the other false gods will see our weakness and lose all reason for restraint. Being hunted down is never a pleasant prospect."
Seeing Anxius about to speak again, Lucian cut in: "Anxius, think about it for a moment. Setting aside the Moon God Axin and the Lord of the Underworld, only one of the other six denominations can obtain the river valley evangelization rights we leave behind. That ratio is exceedingly low. Don't you think they might harbor other thoughts? For instance, accidentally killing the Moon God during the siege? Or setting a trap to claim the greatest credit? Or perhaps genuinely cooperating with us to turn against and eliminate the other gods?"
"They certainly would," Anxius said without any doubt. By now, Ares had returned to his state of deep tranquility. "This is indeed our opportunity. However, Leviathan, Francis — how do you determine which denomination is sincerely cooperating and which one is planning to betray us for profit?"
Francis laughed heartily. "Why bother determining that?"
Ares couldn't help letting out a questioning sound.
"Their positions are far too complex, and they'll shift as the situation changes. With our current intelligence and information, accurately judging who is an ally is simply impossible. When the matter concerns one's own potential downfall, every god's past credibility and track record of cooperation are worthless." Francis delivered his answer with complete negation.
Anxius looked at Francis in bewilderment. Then what should they do?
Lucian took up the thread: "Since their positions are so volatile — perhaps their thought one moment is to cooperate and the next is to betray, making them nearly impossible to judge — then why should we even try to identify allies? We should shift our approach entirely. Instead of trying to discern who is who, we use our own actions to make their positions solidify — turn them all into allies!"
"The War God fears and dreads the great God Ares — are the Sun God, the Earth Mother, and the others not afraid? Are they not speculating and worrying about your strength? As long as we project power, project confidence, and project an attitude of complete fearlessness toward the War God, will they choose the slim one-in-six chance of competing on their own, or will they cooperate with us to drive out the War God's priests so that everyone can share the river valley?"