Chapter 12 A beating will make them behave.
The Council of Gods made a decision. Faced with the threat of the Abyss, they displayed unprecedented unity and determination. An expeditionary force composed of many primordial gods prepared to personally venture into the Abyss.
The leader was the goddess Suren, whose holy light was enough to purify the deepest darkness.
Accompanying her were the goddess of magic, Misri; the elven god Corilon, leading the elite archers of the elven pantheon; and the dwarven god Moradin, with the bravest warriors of the dwarven pantheon.
The orcish god Gruul'sh also joined the expedition, his fighting spirit soaring, eager to clash with powerful enemies. Mother Earth, Shantia, remained on the Prime Material Plane to maintain world stability.
The gods joined forces to create a passage leading directly to the abyss. As they stepped into the first level of the abyss, a dense aura of evil assaulted them, but they had no choice but to retreat before the divine might of the gods.
The environment here is terrifying and distorted: corrosive acid lakes, toxic clouds of smoke hanging in the sky, and sharp rock spikes everywhere.
Demons howled and ran through this desolate land, but scattered and fled under the oppressive power of the descending gods.
"An unpleasant sight." Corellon frowned, his divine bow already gleaming as it dispelled the abyssal aura.
Suren unleashed his domain of light, and the surrounding evil aura melted away like snow under the blazing sun. "Proceed, we must find the core of the Abyss's will."
The expedition steadily advanced deeper into the realms. The power of the gods was unstoppable; wherever they went, demons crumbled. Even as the resistance grew fiercer the deeper they went, it could not truly halt the gods' advance.
On the tenth floor, they encountered their first abyss lord—the ice demon Koschitch.
"Dare a god trespass into my domain?" Koschitchard roared, and the entire layer of ice and snow responded to its call.
Moradin laughed and stepped forward: "Let me teach this ice block a lesson!"
The dwarven god and the ice demon engaged in a fierce battle. With each swing of Moradin's warhammer, large swathes of ice armor shattered, divine fire surrounded him, and his icy breath made it impossible for the demon to get close.
After only a few rounds, Moradin shattered Koschitch's ice core with a powerful blow, and the Abyss Lord vanished with a scream. Moradin shook the ice off his warhammer, unharmed.
"Pathetic," the dwarf god scoffed.
On the twentieth floor, the succubus lord Mechanshute attempted to sow discord among the gods through temptation and deception.
"Why go through all this trouble, dear gods?" Mechanshute's voice was as sweet as honey. "Join the Abyss, and I can give you anything you desire."
The gods exchanged smiles, and Gewush was the first to burst into laughter: "Your tricks are too clumsy, demon!" With that, he swung his battle axe.
Mechanost hurriedly dodged, but the combined attack of the gods was overwhelming, defeating her in moments. The allure of the abyss had no effect on the unwavering will of the gods.
On the fiftieth floor, the gods encountered the demon prince Demogorgon.
"Two heads! Double the fun!" Demogorgon's two heads roared simultaneously.
The battle was extremely fierce. Demogorgon was able to mobilize the power of multiple layers of the abyss, and the will of the abyss sensed the intrusion and strengthened the two-headed baboon.
However, the gods cooperated seamlessly: Suren's light suppressed the demon's darkness, Misriel's magic dismantled its defenses, Corellon's divine arrows struck its vitals precisely, and Gruush's battle axe cleaved its carapace.
The aftershocks of the battle reverberated throughout the entire plane, but the gods maintained the upper hand. In the end, Demogorgon was severely wounded and repelled. Although the gods had expended considerable divine power, their morale remained high.
At that moment, the will of the abyss began to communicate.
"Welcome to the Abyss, gods. Why change me? Chaos and order are both necessary parts of the universe."
Suren solemnly replied, "But your chaos is consuming everything. We need balance."
The will of the abyss did not respond. It resurrected many demon lords to fight against the gods. Although the gods were powerful, as long as the will of the abyss remained, the demons could be resurrected an infinite number of times.
Just then, reinforcements from Heaven Mountain arrived. A beam of pure holy light descended upon the abyss, led by a twelve-winged ancestral angel, followed by legions of angels of various ranks.
The Langle Celestials held silver lamps, the Swordwing Celestials raised shields and swords, the Griffin Celestials circled in the air, the Bladewing Celestials' wings of light slashed demons, the Horn Celestials' holy sounds inspired morale, the Throne Celestials released the light of law, and the Ruler Celestials commanded the entire army.
Most notably, there are five ten-winged archangels, representing the exceptional combat power of Heaven Mountain.
"Heavenly Mountain is with the gods!" Michael shouted, his flaming sword slicing through the darkness.
Suren nodded to the ancestral angel: "Welcome to the team. Your arrival is perfectly timed."
The ancestral angel's voice was solemn: "Order and light are one, and we are honored to fight alongside the gods."
With the addition of the angelic legions, the allied forces were greatly strengthened. Under the joint command of the ancestral angels and the gods, the allied forces advanced with unstoppable momentum, breaking through multiple abyssal layers in succession.
At the climax of the battle, the Ancestral Angels and the gods joined forces to fight against the will of the Abyss.
With twelve wings unfolded, each wing representing a fundamental law of the universe, complementing the divine power of the gods to jointly combat the chaotic will of the entire abyss.
It was an astonishing collision of order and chaos, the energy of which reverberated across dozens of abyssal planes.
Ling Hao was enjoying this epic battle. It was more exciting than any war he had ever played in any game or seen in any movie.
Ultimately, the will of the abyss realized that it could not withstand the combined power of the gods and angels.
The will of the abyss has become docile and has expressed its desire for peace.
The gods then stopped fighting, but they knew it was only a temporary truce.
Suren solemnly declared: "Remember your promise, Abyss. Otherwise we will return, and next time it won't be so simple."
The will of the abyss did not answer, but the gods could sense its retreat. At least for now, the abyss dared not easily invade other planes again.
The allied forces retreated with composure. The gods and angels cooperated seamlessly, and the losses were far less than expected.
During the retreat, Ling Hao paid special attention to the five ten-winged archangels. He knew that in the game's history, these angels would have different fates in the future.
Michael was steadfast and loyal, Gabriel was gentle and wise, Raphael was kind and benevolent, and Uriel was serious and just.
As for Lucifer... Ling Hao noticed an unusual glint in Lucifer's eyes.
As Lucifer gazed into the darkness of the abyss, alarm bells rang in Ling Hao's mind. He knew that in the game's lore, Lucifer would eventually fall. Had the seed of that fall already been sown?
The allied forces successfully withdrew to the Prime Material Plane. The gods and angels parted ways in the skies above Faerûn.
"Thank you for the timely support from Paradise Mountain," Suren said to the Archangel. "Your participation makes the victory even more complete."
The Archangel nodded slightly: "It is our honor to fight alongside the gods. But please remember, the abyss has only retreated temporarily; it will eventually return."
The gods returned to their respective realms, and the angels went back to Mount Paradise. Peace returned to the continent of Faerûn.
Ling Hao observed the changes after the battle. The Abyss had indeed restrained itself considerably, no longer launching large-scale invasions of other planes. However, small-scale demonic infiltrations still occurred from time to time, like a stubborn disease that could not be completely eradicated.
The gods also became closer together as a result of this joint action. They established a more robust communication mechanism and pledged to support each other in the face of major threats.
But Ling Hao noticed some subtle changes. Gruush seemed to have developed some interest in the Abyss, frequently sending orc followers to monitor the Abyss passages.
Shar, on the other hand, operates more covertly in the shadows, and her Shadow Church appears to be researching how to utilize the power of the Abyss.
Ling Hao also discovered that some humans had begun to secretly worship the Abyss. These fallen beings believed that the Abyss represented true freedom, unbound by the rules of the gods.
In the deepest recesses of the abyss, its wounded will is slowly recovering. It has not forgotten this defeat, but is secretly gathering strength, waiting for the opportunity for revenge.