The storm arrived unannounced—a single bolt of crimson lightning splitting the sky, followed by the scent of burning ozone and betrayal.
Luo Feng barely had time to raise his claw-marked arm before the Thunder God materialized before him, crackling with barely contained fury. Varkus' usual smirk was gone, replaced by something darker—something wounded.
"They lied to me," he growled, his voice rolling like distant thunder. "Three centuries of service, and the Pantheon lied."
The Fox Spirit's claw-mark on Luo Feng's arm pulsed in recognition, sending golden veins spiderwebbing up to his shoulder.
[System Alert: Divine Ally Detected]
[Mission: Uncover the Pantheon's Secret]
[Reward: Thunder God's Loyalty]
[Failure Penalty: Being Struck By Divine Lightning (Again)]
Luo Feng kept his stance loose, ready to dodge. "What lie?"
Varkus' eyes flickered to the claw-mark. "You weren't the threat. She was."
The Revelation: A Fox-Shaped Scapegoat
With a snarl, the Thunder God ripped open the sky, revealing a memory:
The Pantheon's Council, centuries ago. The original Storm Lord (Luo Feng's past self) arguing with the Void Emperor.
The Nine-Tails Fox, chained and bleeding, her tails nailed to the earth.
The Lie: "The Fox is the infection. The Storm Lord is merely her vessel."
But the memory shifted, showing the truth:
The Nine-Tails had been trying to warn them.
The real infection was the First Horror—the thing even gods feared.
The Pantheon silenced her. They drove the nails in.
Varkus' fists clenched, lightning arcing between his fingers. "They made me help. They made me think you were the monster."
The claw-mark burned, the Nine-Tails' voice whispering through Luo Feng's bones:
"Now you see."
The Defection: A God's Wrath
Varkus wasn't asking permission.
He slammed his fist into the ground, sending a shockwave of lightning through the earth. The bolt carved a sigil into the soil—the ancient mark of defiance.
"I renounce the Pantheon."
The sky screamed in response. Dark clouds boiled, and the distant sound of celestial horns echoed—the Pantheon's enforcers, coming to punish a traitor.
Varkus grinned, all teeth. "Oh, I hope they send the War God first."
[Alliance Formed: Thunder God Joins Rebellion]
[New Ability: Storm Surge (Shared Lightning VE)]
The claw-mark on Luo Feng's arm shifted, absorbing a spark of Varkus' power. The golden veins now crackled with blue-white energy.
[Claw-Mark Evolution: 65%]
[Warning: Nine-Tails' Grip Tightening]
The Cost: A Price in Lightning
But the Thunder God's defiance came at a cost.
As the first Pantheon enforcers descended—angelic figures wielding spears of pure judgment—Varkus convulsed, his divine form flickering like a dying lamp.
"The oath… it burns—"
He'd sworn loyalty to the Pantheon. Now breaking that vow was unraveling him from the inside.
Luo Feng didn't hesitate. He grabbed Varkus' wrist, letting the claw-mark sear into the god's skin.
"Then let her remake you."
The Nine-Tails' power surged—not to corrupt, but to cut.
The celestial oath shattered.
Varkus gasped, his eyes wide as the Pantheon's bindings fell away.
"…Well. That's new."
Check-In Complete (Divine Rebellion Grows)
[Reward: Thunder God's Loyalty (Unshakable)]
[Penalty: Pantheon's Wrath Incoming]
As the enforcers attacked, Varkus laughed, calling down a storm that turned the earth to glass.
The Fox Spirit's voice purred in Luo Feng's mind:
"One god down. The rest will follow."
END OF THE CHAPTER37