Vic Stewart sighed regretfully. "What a pity... If it weren't for that so-called Okhema, we could have remained hidden much longer, and the Alliance could have endured longer too..."
As he spoke, an invisible wave radiated outward from him in all directions. This was an Eighth-Level Divine Magic spell, Eternal Dream, capable of trapping targets in a near-indistinguishable, hyper-realistic dream. Once ensnared, escape became virtually impossible.
Even if the victim's physical body outside the dream were attacked or killed, the dream would persist. The trapped soul would remain unaware of its demise, continuing to dream. With their soul and consciousness imprisoned, the victim could no longer undergo normal reincarnation. This was an exceptionally potent control-type Divine Magic spell.
Starting with an Eighth-Level spell, Perseus's sole remaining Gold-tier Warrior guard paled. "Damn it! A Legendary-grade Priest... no... even beyond Legendary!"
Even within the Alliance, Legendary-grade powerhouses were exceedingly rare. This was evident from the fact that Senior Councilor Perseus was guarded by only four Gold-tier warriors. As for those Beyond Legendary, there was currently only one such individual in the entire Alliance—well, now perhaps two.
As a battle-hardened warrior, his willpower was formidable, but against Divine Magic of this caliber, only a Paladin could likely withstand it head-on. Yet even if his resistance proved futile, the warrior stood firm before Perseus. He took a deep breath, raised his shield, and braced for the onslaught of Divine Magic.
Vic maintained his regretful yet arrogant expression, calmly observing the group, as if waiting for them to fall into slumber. The warrior glared back intently, and the two locked eyes for a tense moment. A second passed, then two, yet nothing happened.
Vic: "?"
Warrior: "?"
Vic frowned deeply. This can't be right. I'm sure I successfully cast the spell. Why is it having no effect?
The warrior was equally bewildered. What's going on? Has my willpower somehow become comparable to a Paladin's, completely nullifying this powerful Eighth-Level Divine Magic?
Only then did the Warrior notice that the doorway before him was now crisscrossed with a dense network of golden threads. They didn't completely seal the entrance, leaving numerous gaps, but he quickly realized their purpose: to isolate the effects of the Divine Magic.
But how is that possible? he wondered. This is an Eighth-Level Divine Magic spell! How could a few flimsy threads accomplish such a feat?
Vic, being the stronger of the two, naturally noticed the golden threads moments after the Warrior. His heightened Perception allowed him to sense the terrifying energy radiating from these delicate strands.
"Divine power?!" Vic stared at Aglaea in shock. Everyone knew that only gods or Demigods could wield divine power. How could a Demigod possibly be here? he thought. That's far too convenient!
Vic swiftly raised his right hand, the pendant hanging from it gleaming, and began chanting loudly, "Beautiful Silver Moon! Origin of the night, great mother of flesh and blood—"
Swoosh—
Before Vic could finish his incantation, his entire right hand was cleanly severed, soaring into the air.
This was the classic line Artemis Priests recited when unleashing their ultimate move. Aglaea had heard it countless times. Unlike characters in some movies who foolishly wait for the villain to finish their transformation speech and reach full power before fighting them fairly, she knew better.
In the real world, transformations offered no invulnerability frames, so she struck immediately.
But Vic remained unfazed, completing his final line, "Please gaze upon me!"
In the next instant, the clear, cloudless sky turned pitch black! As if time had leaped from day to night in the blink of an eye, a colossal crimson moon hung conspicuously in the "night sky."
An overwhelming divine presence descended upon the area. Only then did Aglaea notice the blue heart-shaped pendant dangling from Vic's severed arm—the Priest's Divine Artifact!
This meant Vic's ultimate move was unlike those used by other Artemis Priests. He was actually channeling the Artifact's power—a Divine Descent?!
Vic roared with laughter, "It's futile! He has already arrived! The gaze of a True God has descended upon this place! You cannot contend with a True God!"
This was Vic's greatest trump card: "We can remain hidden for much longer, and the Alliance can endure for much longer too." His words implied that if the Artemis Believers were to rise up collectively, the Alliance would crumble from within.
While the Artemis Believers hadn't infiltrated the Alliance to that extent, Vic held a devastating trump card. After the Divine Descent, everyone in the city would be corrupted in the blink of an eye. Once more than half of the Senior Councilors were corrupted into Evil God Believers, the Alliance would truly be finished!
Meanwhile, Priests of Love stood at the four corners of the city, contemplating how to deal with the massive Flesh Sphere before them. In the next moment, they simultaneously looked up at the sky, their expressions turning grave. "This is...?!"
Immediately, all the Priests of Love in the city decisively clasped their hands together and began to pray. In the city's central cathedral, a golden-haired maiden with tresses reaching her calves—the Archbishop of the Church of the Goddess of Love—raced to the church's statue of the goddess. She knelt before it on one knee, pleading, "Gentle Goddess of Love, please hear my plea..."
The perspective shifted back to Aglaea. Listening to Vic's words, she tilted her head slightly, took a step forward, and said in a calm voice, "A Divine Descent? How convenient. I suppose I could be considered a god myself. Perhaps I can put up a bit of resistance against the 'True God' you speak of."
As she spoke, she spread her hands, golden threads coiling around the fingertips of each finger. These golden threads rapidly spread outward, soon covering every corner of the city.
Hearing Aglaea's words, Vic, who had been so arrogant just moments before, looked as if a fly had just flown into his mouth. His eyes widened in disbelief as he stammered, "A... a True God!?"
Perseus gazed upward at the dense network of golden threads crisscrossing the sky, suddenly recalling the video Grey had shown him on her phone. A similar phenomenon had occurred in Silver Moon City. Remembering Grey's explanation at the time, he murmured, "Okhema... the God of Romance!?"