"A bunch of useless beings! We placed some expectations on you, yet this is the result? No matter how much time passes, humans remain weak! In the end, we have to take matters into our own hands!"
The gods looked down with contemptuous eyes as if gazing at ants, their gaze sweeping over all the adventurers present.
Anger flickered across the adventurers' faces, but the gods' overwhelming presence weighed on them like a mountain, rendering them speechless.
Unleashing their divine power, and transcending the boundaries between gods and mortals, the gods finally removed their masks, revealing the ferocious faces hidden beneath.
A blond male god, exuding a frivolous aura, with long flowing hair and dressed in a gentleman's suit, separated from the group of gods. He floated in the air as if the ground itself would dirty his shoes.
"Get out of the way, you're blocking the path!"
With a scornful shout, a sudden gust of wind appeared, blowing away all the adventurers and guild soldiers in his path.
Many lower-level adventurers and those with weaker constitutions were thrown into the surrounding buildings by the wind, seriously injured and unable to get up.
However, the actions of this wind god did not provoke any discontent among the other gods, not even from the patron deities of the injured adventurers.
They viewed mortals as nothing more than pigs and dogs.
This was the gods' truest attitude towards humans!
"Hmph! A magical barrier trying to block the path of us gods? Disperse!"
The wind god waved his hand, and a massive storm suddenly arose, instantly engulfing the entire hotel.
The storm formed a gigantic tornado, sucking the purple poisonous mist into the sky.
In just a few seconds, the thick mist, which had been so dense that nothing inside could be seen, thinned out visibly.
Amidst the astonished gazes of the mortals, the wind god nonchalantly brushed his golden hair.
"Just as I was saying..."
A red beam of light, like a laser, shot straight through, instantly piercing his heart and stopping the rest of his words in his throat.
He tried to shout but was horrified to find that his life was rapidly slipping away.
A god's body is far beyond that of a human; even if vital parts like the head or heart are pierced, they can recover as long as they have divine power.
However, this red beam seemed to carry a power akin to a natural enemy of the gods.
This power instantly sealed his divine energy while continuously draining his life force, making him as fragile as a mortal.
Soon, he silently fell dead.
The once-arrogant gods were suddenly struck with unparalleled shock.
Wasn't this supposed to be an easy victory? Finish the battle and split the spoils? Why is it not going as planned!?
In an instant, fear and a desire to preserve their lives resurfaced among the gods.
Some gods immediately surrounded a heroic goddess dressed in dazzling golden armor.
"Athena, what is going on here?!"
"Didn't you say that mortal only killed Ishtar using despicable means?!"
"Now even our lives are at risk, how are you going to take responsibility for this?"
Faced with the gods' accusations, Athena showed no panic, instead smirking.
"Responsibility? You don't want to take any risks but only want to divide the spoils. Where in the world is there such a good deal?"
"Athena! You! Do you want to become the enemy of all the gods?!" one god, furious, pointed at Athena.
"Enemy? That's quite a big accusation."
Athena waved her hand.
The Olympian gods were the first to stand behind her, followed by a portion of the Asgardian gods led by Loki.
But the most surprising scene was that the Takamagahara gods also stood behind Athena.
Even the leader of Takamagahara, Amaterasu, hugged Athena's waist affectionately, like a little bird clinging to a person.
The Olympian gods were already a powerful force, and with the rise of Loki and Freya, the Asgardian gods were not to be underestimated. Adding the moderately sized Takamagahara gods, the number of gods behind Athena had now exceeded one-third.
The gods who had just been indignant immediately fell silent.
After all, they were only looking for an excuse to get a bigger share of the spoils.
But now, with so many gods supporting Athena, those who had their schemes had to abandon them.
If the infighting continued, and Athena left with more than a third of the gods, the battle would be unwinnable.
The opponent had a means to instantly kill gods in a single strike, which was no trivial matter. Without Athena and her allies' help, the gods had no confidence now.
Most importantly, having more people to share the risk was crucial.
The scene of that blonde wind god being instantly killed was too terrifying for the gods, who were now all afraid of becoming the next target.
Athena continued to smirk inwardly. Seeing that the time was ripe, she spoke up directly.
"Ladies and gentlemen, now that we have attacked the Gudako Hotel, we have become mortal enemies with our opponents. If we don't seize this opportunity to annihilate them, are we simply going to wait for them to pick us off one by one?
Or," Athena paused, letting her words hang in the air, "after witnessing that strike just now, does anyone here have the confidence to stand against it and survive?"
Athena's words left the gods exchanging uneasy glances.
At this point, the gods were like arrows on a drawn bow—they had no choice but to release.
If they retreated now, what would become of their dignity as gods?
Even if they didn't care about their pride, how would they defend themselves when their enemies came knocking one by one?
Should they retreat to the heavens and hide like cowards?
They had finally been given a chance to take their power, which had long since plateaued, to the next level—perhaps even to ascend directly to the pinnacle. How could they possibly give up now?
Seeing that the gods were already wavering, Athena inwardly scorned them while outwardly maintaining a facade of righteous resolve.
"We have no way out! We must push forward bravely! Charge into..."
Athena raised her golden scepter high with her left hand, loudly rallying the gods, when suddenly the deadly red beam reappeared, shooting straight towards her.
The gods were immediately shocked, and some who were displeased with Athena's prominence even felt a secret joy.
For a moment, the gods' gazes—some jealous, some pleased, some mocking—all turned to the golden-armored goddess of war.
But the gods' dark hopes were destined to be dashed.
Several Olympian gods quickly intervened, unleashing flames, arrows, and beams of light towards the red beam.
Even Amaterasu, who stood beside Athena with an adoring expression, like a starstruck fan, pulled out a folding fan and fiercely fanned it towards the red beam.
A black, eerie flame shot from the fan, flying straight at the red beam.
Meanwhile, Athena calmly raised her large golden shield with her right hand, firmly protecting herself behind it.
What happened next shocked the gods once again.
The red beam seemed to come to life, dodging left and right like a nimble snake, avoiding most of the attacks launched by the gods.
Even though it was hit by a few scattered attacks, the red beam only dimmed slightly.
Finally, under the watchful eyes of all, and to Athena's horrified gaze, the red beam curved at an impossible angle, bypassing the giant shield in her hand and piercing her chest, right at the heart!
Sizzle!
The red beam clashed violently with Athena's golden armor.
Only then did the gods see clearly—this red beam was just a branch!?
A plain, ordinary branch that could be found anywhere!
And yet, this very branch had easily taken the life of a god who had lived for millions of years. And now, it was about to take the life of another.
Though the armor Athena wore was crafted by her irresponsible parents, surpassing ordinary divine artifacts, under the drilling force of the red beam, it was quickly punctured, millimeter by millimeter.
Knowing she couldn't sit back and do nothing, Athena immediately discarded her shield and spear, her golden divine power surging as she grabbed the tail end of the red beam with both hands and began to pull it out with all her strength.
Thanks to Athena's desperate efforts, the red beam's speed finally began to slow down.
Eventually, the beam penetrated Athena's armor, leaving a bloody mark on her chest before it stopped.
A drop of cold sweat slid down Athena's forehead.
...
Inside the Gudako Hotel.
Ishtar Rin placed her hand on her forehead as she observed the scene, then spoke with a tone of regret.
"Oh my~ just missed it by a bit~"
"It's fine; she'll make a good opponent. Killing her like this would be a real waste," Scáthach said as she dropped the branch. With a flick of her slender hand, a crimson magic spear appeared in her grasp.
"Well then, I'll leave the main battlefield to you."
Ryou sighed deeply.
Only now did he realize that his power was still far from sufficient.
Although his growth had been remarkable compared to the beginning, even rivaling some of the Servants, in the eyes of the gods, no matter how strong an ant is, it remains an ant.
The wind god who was just killed by Scathach in an instant could have unleashed a casual attack with the force equivalent to a full-powered Anti-Army Noble Phantasm.
And there were many more gods like him on the opposing side.
To recklessly step onto such a battlefield would be to court death without even knowing how to write the word.
For now, he could only rely on his two strongest contracted Servants.
This sense of powerlessness was frustrating.
He couldn't help but clench his fists.
Lost in his deep frustration, he didn't notice that Scathach's gaze had suddenly shifted towards him.
Frustrated, are you? Then become stronger, stronger than anyone! I, Scathach, look forward to that day. When it comes, you'll be able to…
Sensing something, Ryou looked over at her, but she had already turned her gaze back to the front.
There, nearly five hundred enemies barely capable of fighting awaited.
"Come, Gods show me, your strength. If not... you'll die, and it will be a meaningless death!"
A surge of fierce battle spirit erupted from Scathach, like a bloodthirsty magic spear, craving the enemy's blood to satisfy its hunger.
Ishtar Rin, however, seemed like the complete opposite of Scáthach.
She lazily leaned against the side of the heavenly boat, casually playing with a shiny gemstone in her hand.
"I'll leave the main battlefield to you, Queen of the Land of Shadows. I'll cover you, how about that?"
"Just as I wished."
Scathach had no objection, even welcoming Ishtar Rin's proposal to take a backseat.
If she couldn't find a worthy opponent, she might as well make up for it with sheer numbers.
On the other side, Athena, barely escaping death, discovered that the wound on her chest wouldn't heal, no matter how much divine power she poured into it.
It was as if she had been cursed like a mortal.
Damn it! You harm my noble body! Once I find out who you are, I'll tear you to pieces!
Athena knew now wasn't the time to be dwelling on it.
She raised the branch high in her hand and snapped it in half.
"The enemy is not invincible! Charge!!"
Inspired by Athena, the gods launched a charge toward the Gudako Hotel.
Even though there were only about five hundred enemies, their momentum surpassed that of millions of troops.
This was an unprecedented coalition of gods!
Just then, a purple figure shot out from the thick mist, leaving a trail of afterimages behind, as if teleporting, before plunging into the front ranks of the gods.
Swish!
The spear struck like rain, and in an instant, a scarlet curtain of light, ten meters in diameter, formed around the figure.
Then, as the light curtain retracted, dozens of gods within its reach suddenly developed countless holes piercing through their bodies, dying instantly.
In less than a second, dozens of immensely powerful gods had been slain.
The Queen of the Land of Shadows—her power surpassed the gods' wildest imaginations.
Seeing this, even Athena couldn't help but secretly swallow nervously. As she subtly shifted her steps to blend in among the other gods, she loudly encouraged them.
"No matter how powerful the opponent is, they can't exceed their limits, or they would be banished. Keep your distance and attack from afar!"
The gods, catching on to her strategy, immediately launched a ranged assault.
For the gods, there was no such thing as a specific profession; the only distinction was in what they were proficient at. In an instant, they unleashed a barrage of attacks: intensely hot white flames capable of turning everything to sand, hurricanes that could easily petrify anything, hail that could freeze even the air, and various other strange and powerful assaults, all aimed at Scathach in the center of the battlefield.
The sheer force of the attacks flattened everything within a radius of several square kilometers around the hoel. Yet, these attacks posed no threat to Scathach.
Her magic spear cut through the sand, precisely striking and shattering each incoming attack.
Athena's objective was achieved—Scáthach was pinned in place. However, Athena's plan, though perfect in theory, failed to account for one crucial factor: Scáthach was not alone.
At that moment, countless golden beams of light rained down from the sky, instantly turning many gods into pincushions. This was the long-awaited attack from Ishtar Rin, who had been biding her time.
While Ishtar Rin's attack lacked the god-slaying properties needed to counteract the divine beings, her power lay in its sheer force. Each golden beam appeared to be just light, but in reality, it was a part of the liquid substance from the stars.
With a temperature rivaling that of the sun's surface, combined with the strong adhesive nature of the liquid and the concentrated power of the stars within it, the gods that were pierced didn't die instantly. Instead, they were caught in a vicious cycle of using their divine power to heal, only to be continuously burned, leading to their eventual death by the searing liquid Starfire.
As the battlefield filled with agonizing screams, many gods were burned alive by the liquid from the stars.
Witnessing the scene before her, Athena bit her lip in frustration.
Despite their overwhelming advantage, how had they ended up in such a dire situation?
How could humans command two super-powerful beings, each comparable to the king gods of various pantheons at their peak?
It was utterly incomprehensible!
At that moment, the sky suddenly darkened with thick clouds, followed by a lightning bolt that split the heavens, striking the center of the battlefield with immense force.