From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 156: Even if it Means Making an Enemy of the Gods?

"It's freezing over?" Hearing these words, the tourists quickly looked up, wanting to see if it was actually true.

"How is that possible? Even though this is Northern Europe, it's already early summer. There's no way it could..." Someone expressed their disbelief and craned their neck to look, only to be completely stunned by the sight before them!

"Oh my god! It's real!"

Upon seeing the solid ice, their gasps and exclamations rose and fell in continuous waves!

There was no way around it. A scene like this left no room for doubt, because the ice was right in front of their eyes. The ocean itself was freezing solid right before them.

Behind Freya, the crowd of believers followed closely, marching step by step toward the ocean!

As they advanced, an ice-blue radiance sustained the freezing of the seawater, gradually solidifying a long, icy pathway right in front of everyone.

These people simply walked upon the surface of the sea. With every step they took, ice automatically formed ahead of them, carrying them further out.

A few emboldened onlookers tried to join them, but the moment they stepped onto the ice, it shattered beneath their feet. They plunged headfirst into the seawater, sparking a roar of laughter from the crowd.

The arcane could not be lightly shared, and miracles could not be forced. This was the truest reflection of the world!This grand and magnificent opening to the ritual instantly captured the attention of everyone in the area, naturally including the intelligence agents stationed in Europe.

These operatives had barely pulled their heads out of the Vatican's voluminous archives before being swept up in this mythological revival in Northern Europe. It could not be helped; the annihilation of that gang three days ago had simply been far too dramatic and terrifying.

The average citizens of Sweden might not have noticed anything amiss, but the true global superpowers were fully aware of what was happening.

After receiving the intelligence and launching their investigations, a cold chill ran down their spines.

At the headquarters of that wiped-out gang, they found absolutely nothing!

There were no corpses of the deceased, no records of entry or exit, and no physical evidence at the scene. Aside from the knowledge that everyone in the gang had died, there was nothing else.

This was entirely too abnormal. The various national agents, already driven into a frenzy by previous Transcendent events, relied on their sharp instincts to lock their sights onto the Aesir Religion.

Yet, they never expected that right after arriving to observe the gathering, they would witness the religion performing an almost unhidden, blatant public manifestation of divine power!

"Quick, report this to the White House, Downing Street, the Kremlin, and the Elysee Palace..." This group of agents immediately sprang into action, spreading the news of the Transcendent's worldly manifestation across the globe.

This was also a necessary process. It meant that the spread of this Transcendent event had reached its absolute peak, and pure, authentic Wish Force had already begun converging toward them!

About ten percent of it flowed into the hands of Luowa and Freya. The remainder, naturally, went to Bai Yang, becoming the power he needed to continue maintaining the existence of this world.

Compared to the intelligence agents who could still maintain a semblance of calm, the expressions of the surrounding ordinary people were completely fanatical!

The world-renowned tourist destination of Ribersborg Beach was packed with visitors from all over the globe. Moments ago, they had merely been watching this peculiar group of cultists for the sake of entertainment, but now, they were bearing witness to a divine miracle!

This was an actual divine miracle! The open manifestation of the Gods was vastly more spectacular than those specious conspiracy theories floating around on the internet!

"On the beaches of Miami, we saw the phantom of a descending angel bringing the Lord's salvation!" a man live-streaming the event shouted excitedly. "So, in this land belonging to the Vikings, isn't it entirely reasonable for a group of Aesir believers to summon the arrival of Odin?"

On his screen, digital gifts were scrolling by so fast that the chat text was practically illegible. This was the scene of divine manifestation being witnessed by people from every corner of the world.

And this was far from the end of the ritual. In fact, it had only just begun!

Freya and the believers behind her ascended the staircase of solid ice, arriving atop a massive boulder resting in the sea.

This was a giant boulder that Luowa had procured from the depths of the Norwegian Sea. It resembled a giant skull, possessing sharply defined edges and a distinct luster.

"Saint!" Percival and the crowd bowed their heads before Luowa, speaking softly to demonstrate their supreme reverence for the divine Saint.

Freya did not need to bow. As an equal, the Witch simply said in a soft voice, "We have arrived. Let the sacrifice begin!"

Luowa nodded. The white pelt draped across his shoulders seemed to come alive, lifting its head like a genuine polar bear to release a deafening roar: "Roar!"

Words from an ancient divine pantheon, accompanied by a mystical ballad that seemed to drift down from the very heavens, echoed through the space. A staff appearing to be entirely forged of solid ice materialized in his hand. Following his movements, he rapped it heavily against the giant boulder beneath his feet:

"In the epoch when the whale-road freezes, the nine-fold roots decay in the venomous drool of Niflheim!

O spring of Hvergelmir, wash away the frost obscuring Mimir's severed head—

The festering sores of all realms!

I use the golden branch as a key to pierce the long night of Fimbulwinter!"

Simultaneously, Freya guided the believers behind her, initiating their own rhythmic chanting upon the giant boulder:

"O one-eyed traveler, you who traded your right eye for Mimir's spring of wisdom!

Lord of the Gallows, suspended for nine nights upon the branches of Yggdrasil, pierced by the spear, finding life through death! Master of the storm's eye, whose eight-legged steed Sleipnir shatters the frost and thunder of the Rainbow Bridge—

Ravens Huginn and Muninn, please bring forth the prophecies from beyond the mist!"

At this moment, the seawater grew perfectly calm. The frost and snow frozen in the bitter chill began to fracture, yet the ocean surface remained devoid of a single ripple.

As the two distinct voices propagated through the area, the crowds watching closely from the bridge naturally witnessed this spectacular scene.

They could not hear the prayers from afar, nor could they clearly make out the figures standing atop the rock. All they could see was the path of frost extending all the way to the beach, and the suddenly silent, tranquil sea surface that resembled a perfect mirror of glass following the prayer!

"Is that... a tree?" someone murmured.

Everyone craned their necks to look. Beneath the condensed, mirror-like surface of the ocean, a colossal divine tree hung upside down, radiating a blinding, incandescent glow!

"Yggdrasil, the World Tree..." someone muttered. The entire crowd turned their heads in awe!

...

"What in the world is this?" Even Hannah, a seasoned member of the national parliament, was thoroughly shocked by the events unfolding before her.

This sect was already under police surveillance, so she was fully capable of monitoring their activities. Watching the spectacle before she left the office was a perfectly harmless distraction.

Hannah, who had initially treated this church as a complete joke, could no longer find a single reason to laugh.

She had assumed that this so-called Aesir Religion was, at best, a peculiar cult manufactured with the backing of foreign powers, designed to carve out a slice of regional profits.

Because of this, she had prepared a highly standard combination of police, municipal, and parliamentary maneuvers to dismantle the sect from a legal and administrative standpoint.

But looking at it now, they were absolutely not some corporate extension attempting to make a quick buck. They were a genuine group of believers capable of communicating with the Gods!

In the face of mythological convergence and world-altering events, what did human laws even matter?

If the Gods truly existed—deities who were infinitely brutal and war-loving in the ancient myths—they would not care about worldly status or legal jurisdictions. The Gods only respected power, wisdom, and life.

'I was actually planning to eradicate this church?' A bone-deep chill shot through Hannah's heart. 'Thank god the plan hasn't been implemented yet. There is still room to turn this around...'

Just then, the door in front of her was excitedly shoved open by Don Nottingham. This City Councilor, exceptionally eager to advance his own career, practically beamed. "Honorable Hannah, I have completed the arrangements regarding the Aesir Religion! The police are already on their way to conduct a fire safety inspection on their premises!"

"What did you just say?" Hannah Norrie felt her mind violently buzz, plunging her entirely into a terrifying silence and shock. "You moved that fast?"

"Of course! After all, you were the one who told me that we had to act swiftly if we wanted to teach them a lesson!" Don said with a look of sheer excitement. "You said that protecting our interests was paramount. Isn't this exactly what you wanted?"

'I definitely don't want it now...' Hannah felt her vision darkening.

Before, she had believed them to be a minor faction, so she had spouted ruthless threats with practiced ease. But now, she desperately wished she could travel back in time a few hours and slap herself violently across the face!

'Why did I have to run my mouth without proper consideration and investigation?'

Now that this idiot underling of hers had turned offending the cult into an established fact, what was she supposed to do?

Panic flashed through Hannah's eyes, leaving her utterly at a loss for a moment.

'What do you do when you suddenly realize you've offended the Gods? Waiting online for an answer, it's urgent!'

"Are you truly willing to act for the sake of our interests, even if it means making an enemy of the Gods?" Hannah said abruptly.

Don Nottingham—City Councilor and loyal supporter of Parliament Member Hannah—puffed out his chest and loudly declared, "Even if it means making an enemy of the Gods, I will absolutely stand by your side!"

Hannah nodded. "Excellent. Then I am leaving the subsequent work entirely in your hands!"

She slapped the documents in her hands firmly against the councilor's chest and hurried toward the exit. "I need to take a trip to Stockholm..."

"Honorable Parliament Member Hannah, you forgot your cell phone!" Don's voice echoed from behind, but he only saw the female politician rushing further away. "I don't need it! I don't need any of it!"

"What could be in such a rush?" Don shook his head slightly and sat down in her seat. "Whatever. I'll just help this woman get the job done first. My future promotions still depend on her..."

His eyes settled on the computer screen, and then his entire body went completely rigid. The blue light reflecting from the monitor illuminated a face that had gone deathly pale.

Well, now he knew exactly why Hannah had worn such an expression moments ago. Because the person wearing that exact same expression now was him.