Chapter: 212
War. War never truly ends… Hmm, perhaps this isn’t the time for that. Saying that brings to mind a world destroyed by nuclear warfare.
Well, whether it’s a war among humans or among gods, the major factions don’t really change, so… maybe that line still fits today.
I was overlooking the plains of the Divine Hall, where a fierce battle was raging together with the children.
The war between Ennead and Olympus. The first and last war among the gods.
Was this what a fight between super beings looked like, like in games or movies? From an observer’s standpoint, it was quite an exhilarating spectacle.
“The overall situation seems to favor Ennead.”
“Well, of course. They’ve been my finest warriors, trained by constantly charging at me. The hot desert heat didn’t manage to slow them down. There’s no way the clumsy ones from Olympus could defeat them.”
Ifrit praised Ennead, with whom he was familiar.
After all, the gods of Ennead originated near the desert where Ifrit resided. It made perfect sense.
“Indeed, Ennead’s individual strength is superior.”
The gods of Ennead charged forth, summoning sandstorms with their faith. Leading the charge was Amun, the head of Ennead.
I couldn’t help but wonder if Baal would look like that when he grew up, as Amun bore a striking resemblance to Baal. He charged towards the gods of Olympus without hesitation.
Wielding a uniquely curved sword in an S-shape, swinging dual blades, he indiscriminately slashed at the gods of Olympus like a rampaging warrior rather than a leader of a faction.
Despite Olympus concentrating their powers to stop Amun, most gods couldn’t withstand even one strike from his swords and fell like leaves.
He was like a wolf rampaging among a flock of sheep.
“We can’t afford to let Amun rampage like that. Only someone like Athena or Ares could momentarily halt him…”
Sylphid said worriedly as she surveyed the battlefield. Clearly, to stop such a rampaging figure, ordinary gods wouldn’t suffice.
Unless you’re one of the top gods from Olympus.
“Oh, Athena is stepping up.”
Sylphid pointed at Athena, who was charging on a chariot.
Pulled by two pure white horses created by divine power, Athena advanced, repelling the gods of Ennead as she rushed towards Amun.
The long spear in her hand was aimed at Amun.
The strength of that attack could have smashed an ordinary god in one go. Yet Amun crossed his swords to deflect the spear.
However, it seemed he couldn’t fully block it, as he staggered back slightly.
“Wow. Amun is being pushed back. I hear there are two war gods in Olympus, and she’s one of them.”
Ifrit marveled at Athena’s capabilities.
“Amun is certainly withstanding Athena’s charge like that. He’s worthy of being called the king of Ennead.”
An odd situation where spectators praised each other. Neither was even involved in the fight.
Well, you could view it as a feeling of cheering on friends to some extent.
In any case, Amun and Athena began to swing their weapons at each other.
Amun relentlessly attacked Athena with his dual blades, while Athena wielded her spear from the chariot, blocking attacks with her shield on her arm.
At first glance, it appeared evenly matched, but the momentum gradually tilted towards Amun.
“Although the horses were created by divine power, they’re still no great threat to a true god.”
Sylphid provided a cold assessment. When facing other gods, the chariot could sweep them aside, but against Amun, it wasn’t providing much help.
In fact, Athena spent her stamina defending the horses from Amun’s attacks.
It might have been better if other gods, like Zeus, faced Amun while Athena went wild on the battlefield.
“If only Ares were here… He excels especially in such chaotic battles…”
Ares. He was the one who caused a ruckus in the deep forest, saying he’d take the sage with him.
Unfortunately, he had been subdued by me and lost his faith, rendered incapable of maintaining his own existence.
“Olympus had dominance over other factions not only due to Zeus’s power but also thanks to the destructive force from Athena and Ares… And now one of them has been rendered combat ineffective by my mother…”
“But he couldn’t just let it go, could he? After all, he came making a racket, threatening to burn down the forest if the sage didn’t come out.”
If he’d just met casually, I might have just seen him as a brute and used him in some way. But since burning the forest was not an option, it became a hassle.
“Thanks to that, the tides of this war have been swinging in favor of Ennead.”
While Zeus unleashed lightning from a distance and many gods used their powers to take down others, the gods of Ennead were no easy challengers either.
At this rate, it seemed the war would end with the defeat of Olympus.
But then…
“Hmm? What’s that…?”
From one corner of the battlefield, I spotted a group of gods charging.
Not gods from either Ennead or Olympus. Their individual strength seemed weaker compared to the big factions, yet a considerable number of gods charged at Ennead’s gods.
“Hmm? Who are those gods?”
“I suspect they might be allies of Olympus.”
Since the gods of the Divine Hall couldn’t exist independently, it was natural for them to interact with other gods.
Thus, among the gods, some would get along well, while others wouldn’t.
Hence it was only to be expected that gods with their own circumstances would join the struggle in the war between Olympus and Ennead.
Some gods would join to help friends, others to avoid losing trading partners, and some would join for their own benefit.
Effectively, gods that didn’t belong to major factions were also getting swept into the war.
The silver lining was that it was a war that wouldn’t affect humans.
Well, given how much I had protested, that was probably a given.
“In that case… can we not ascertain the situation?”
“No, reinforcements aren’t solely from Olympus.”
Ifrit looked towards a corner of the battlefield where another group of gods was rushing in.
They were diving into battle against the gods of Olympus.
“Reinforcements are coming…!”
“This number seems to be more than half of the gods of the Divine Hall!”
A mix of more-than-a-few notable gods and relatively lesser-known ones.
Excluding those like mountain gods, river gods, and earth gods, who couldn’t attend since the gap between the Divine Hall and the human world kept them away… Hmm. It seems neither the Aesir nor the Lokapala are here either.
Given those exceptions, nearly all gods had surged into battle, wielding their weapons.
“I’d be glad if only some gods survive from this.”
“That’s not likely, is it? Well, if that happens, my mother wouldn’t even need to step in directly.”
At Shamash’s words, I forced a smile.
With the intrusion of so many gods, the battlefield fell back into chaos, but the situation hadn’t fundamentally changed.
Even with the reinforcements from Olympus and Ennead, the scale tipped and couldn’t return to its original position.
Hmm. Could this one war god’s absence be so significant? Will the war truly end with Olympus’s defeat?
Amun and Athena’s battle was leading towards Athena’s defeat. Having lost her voice, she rolled off her chariot and was resisting with her spear and shield, but defeat was only a matter of time.
From a distance, Zeus was throwing lightning, taking down many gods, but it wasn’t enough to change the tide.
Was it because he proclaimed himself the king of the gods? Or perhaps it’s due to the authority of Baal, the king of gods?
Is he delaying his involvement in fear of tarnishing his authority by engaging directly in the battlefield? Doesn’t he understand that a passive wielding of authority holds no value?
Leading in the most critical moments is also a means of preserving authority. Doesn’t that foolish god understand this?
One by one, gods from Olympus fell. Athena’s shield shattered, cut by Amun’s dual blades.
Poseidon’s trident broke, and Hestia’s flames, once fierce, flickered out.
Hermes lost a swift leg, while Aphrodite was smeared in potent poison, ruining her face.
Little by little, Olympus crumbled.
In such dire circumstances, Zeus appeared to resolve himself, beginning to discharge lightning from his entire body.
Did he think this was the time to act? Or did he believe it wasn’t too late?
Zeus, enveloped in lightning, soared into the fray among the gods of Ennead.
But his timing was too late.
At the very least, he should have fought instead of Athena before she engaged Amun. Had he done so, the situation wouldn’t have deteriorated to this extent.
Athena on her chariot wouldn’t have been able to stop Amun if he were as strong as her. If that had been the case, the battlefield atmosphere would have shifted.
Zeus faced defeat because he didn’t intervene directly in order to preserve his authority.
As Zeus plunged into the throng of many gods of Ennead, lightning flashing as he rampaged,
“What’s that…?”
Another group of gods revealed themselves on the battlefield.
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