From God of Lies to Lord of All Worlds

Chapter 158: I, Sweden, Can Also Stand Up!

From ancient times to the present, divine authority and royal authority, or rather, state power, had always been in opposition.

Otherwise, the Holy Roman Empire would never have dominated Europe, nor would the recurring historical spectacles of monarchs suppressing the Pope have ever occurred.

This was because both sides were actually fighting over one very specific resource: people.

A nation needed citizens, and a church needed believers. If one side gained more people, the other side inherently lost them. It was an irreconcilable conflict.

In theory, however, if a nation was governed well enough, even the presence of a god competing for Faith might not succeed. After all, if people were already living perfectly fine lives, why would they feel the need to join a religion?

But this rarely happened in reality. After all, not everyone was a Roosevelt—a man who could tie an entire nation and its people to a carriage and whip them forward.

The vast majority of people were selfish. As a result, the church would often become a tool for the state to fool the masses, and the state would become a mechanism for the church to accumulate wealth. Both sides were equally rotten, and the people simply had no choice!

But now, they did!

Bai Yang did not want money, status, or to keep the masses ignorant. What he needed was living, breathing people and the Wish Power they provided. Because of this, he could treat everyone with absolute fairness. Regardless of beauty, ugliness, good, or evil, the Wish Power provided by every individual was exactly the same!

So, what was the simplest way to gain trust and Wish Power?Naturally, it was to "uphold justice!"

Although his method of "upholding justice" appeared incredibly brutal, leaving countless people absolutely dumbfounded!

The people standing on the ground looked up at the towering tidal wave, feeling a deep sense of dread wash over them.

'Come on, man! Someone harmed your people, so you take revenge on the culprits! But you come right out of the gate threatening to Destroy a Nation? Aren't there plenty of your own people in this country? Huh?'

Many were utterly bewildered. Were these the Norse Gods? Completely unreasonable? Killing everyone together meant no one could harm their people anymore, sure, but then they wouldn't have any people left either!

'Who does things like this? Are gods really this impulsive?'

In reality, the Norse Gods truly were that impulsive. Who else had ever seen a Chief God gouge out his own eye? Who else had ever seen a Divine Queen bless her son, only to deliberately leave behind a fatal weakness?

However, Freya and Luowa exchanged a quick glance, immediately understanding the hidden message in each other's eyes.

This was no genuine threat to Destroy a Nation. This was clearly a declaration from the Norse Pantheon to the rest of the world, a loud warning to all the surrounding deities that they had returned!

The display of such Powerful Divine Power perfectly matched the straightforward nature of the Norse Gods. Yet, it was also a subtle hint to them: now was the perfect time to gather Faith!

Who said the Norse Gods were all reckless brutes? Wasn't this incredibly clever? Projecting a massive phantom, gathering an immense amount of Wish Power, and broadcasting the message of the gods' revival!

Luowa immediately nodded at Percival beside him. "The sacrifice continues!"

Percival instantly raised his Battle Axe and tore off his shirt, allowing the raw power of a Viking berserker to fully manifest across his chest:

"The whale-road paved with the bones of the gods!

If this broken body is worthy to fill the cracks of Valhalla's golden walls—

Then let Fenrir's fangs chew my scorched soul to pieces!

Until the dawn splatters from the wolf's throat to become the new lifeblood of the Nine Realms!"

Without a single moment of hesitation, the edge of his axe sliced across his own throat. Crimson blood sprayed from his veins, drawing fresh gasps of horror and astonishment from the onlookers!

Was this sacrifice really so barbaric? Did it require a person to commit suicide?

But then, they realized that despite the torrential flow of blood, the bare-chested berserker was not dead!

His slashed throat was rapidly healing, and his physique was growing even more robust. The spilled blood coalesced into a long crimson ribbon that soared high into the sky!

"With the blood of the Vikings, we offer this sacrifice to the gods of Asgard!"

The blood shot into the heavens and landed directly into the massive palm of the giant god Niolde. As his fingers closed around the offering, the terrifying deity finally seemed to ease his wrath.

Luowa's voice echoed toward the sky. "Crown, this is exactly what we intend to do. You may rest assured that the guilty will be punished, and the blasphemers will be bound to the prow of a ship, offered to the sea as sacrifices!"

"We beseech you to temper your fury and await our sacrifice!" Naturally, these words carried clearly into the ears of everyone present.

"If that is the case, I shall grant you time!"

With those words, Niolde waved his hand. The colossal tidal wave no longer hung suspended in the air. Instead, it crashed down violently, slamming into the adjacent coastline.

It struck a barren mountain, which roared and crumbled under the punishing force of the waves. The entire mountain collapsed directly into the sea, emitting an earth-shattering boom!

The deafening rumble exploded between heaven and earth, echoing violently within everyone's hearts, making them tremble involuntarily.

That had not been an illusory threat, but absolute, tangible destruction!

If that colossal wave had landed on the city, not even one in ten people would have survived!

Then, the colossal deity vanished abruptly. Only the gigantic chair made of seawater remained. Losing its divine support, it crashed back down to the earth, triggering another thunderous roar while kicking up a massive plume of water vapor and blinding dust!

Awe and terror swirled within the hearts of every onlooker. It sparked breathless lamentations, slowly taking root and sprouting deeply within their very lives...

The memory of the Norse Gods manifesting in the mortal realm was seared into everyone's minds! They all knew full well that the deity had not truly left; he had merely granted a reprieve. If the final outcome failed to satisfy him, he could Destroy a Nation in an instant!

...

This peculiar sacrificial ritual rapidly broadcasted across the globe on a scale that none of the Swedish officials could have ever anticipated. Yet, they were completely Powerless to stop it. Their only recourse was to dial NATO Command, desperately hoping to invoke the mutual defense protocol.

However, the response they received was: "This is not a foreign invasion. The defense treaty cannot be activated."

The higher-ups at NATO were no fools. This ritual was clearly aimed at summoning a god. If they mobilized their forces, wouldn't they just be mimicking America next door by sending a mortal army to fight a divine entity?

They had no intention of doing something so idiotic. In truth, they hardly even considered Sweden as an equal partner. Even if it had been a genuine foreign invasion, they likely wouldn't have lifted a finger to help.

'It was just a verbal agreement, did you actually take it seriously? Then how about you pay your military dues first.'

As a result, the high-ranking Swedish officials could only huddle together in the parliament hall, staring blankly at the worshippers, utterly speechless and choking on their own despair.

Prime Minister Luis Fred stared at the diverse crowd on the screens, violently massaging his temples in a desperate bid to keep himself clear-headed. "Have we contacted Crown Pope yet? Can the Vatican offer us sanctuary?"

The shockwaves brought about by the sacrificial ritual were all-encompassing. As the man dressed as a Viking completed his war dance on the screen, and as this bizarre trial officially began, these Politicians realized with mounting panic that they were all seemingly on the list to be "purged."

Therefore, they desperately sought shelter, praying that the Vatican, which had already experienced a Divine Miracle, would grant them some face and step in to help.

His subordinate shook his head regretfully. "Crown Pope has stated that The Catholic Church cannot provide us with sanctuary. After all... we do not share the same system of Faith!"

There was absolutely nothing subtle about that statement. He might as well have pointed right at their noses and sneered: "Heretics, do you think you're worthy?"

This plunged the numerous parliament members into a heavy silence. Of course, there was nothing wrong with the other party's decision; after all, they were Lutherans, not followers of the Catholic Church.

You couldn't wait until the heathens were knocking at your door to suddenly claim you supported The Church. The Catholic Church wasn't a charity filled with gullible fools, and the current Pope, Mario, certainly wasn't one either.

It was a well-known fact that heretics were often far more detestable than heathens. Previously, The Church lacked true power, so they had no choice but to peacefully coexist with these factions. But now, they were clearly unwilling to continue playing nice.

Hearing this, a young parliament member suddenly shot up from his seat. "Why do we need their sanctuary? Why do we need their support? Is our strength really that pathetic?"

At his outburst, the others turned to look at him, let out heavy sighs, and then turned back away.

They truly were just a small country with pathetic strength. Otherwise, they wouldn't have to spend their days groveling and living off the whims of larger nations.

A female parliament member spoke up directly, "Should we reach out to America? They are a major power, after all, and they've had Transcendent events occur on their soil. They might have a solution!"

Hearing this, the young member couldn't hold back any longer and sneered. "Reach out to them? Or do you just want to continue selling out our country to those shameless Anglo-Saxon businessmen, all to add a little more money to your second citizenship accounts?"

Seeing him launch an indiscriminate attack on everyone present, a few could no longer tolerate it and snapped back loudly. "So you're saying you have a better idea, Congressman Eric?"

"Of course I do!" Eric declared, his face radiating absolute confidence. "Since The Church refuses to accept us, we shall abandon The Church!"

"We will seek out our ancient Faith, uncover our forgotten history, and worship our myths of old!"

"Even the mixed-blood Indigenous Americans of South America managed to win the backing of the Mayan Gods. We are the pureblooded descendants of the Vikings; why can't we throw ourselves into the embrace of the Aesir?"

This right-wing Politician had clearly come prepared, and his preparations ran incredibly deep. He was thoroughly informed about the recent events unfolding in North America. "Those Indigenous Americans, relying on their gods, are now capable of wrestling for power against America. So why can't we rely on the Aesir to do the same?"

"By God King Odin above, the Vikings have been lost for far, far too long! It is time for us to pick up the traditions of the Viking Age and make the European nations experience the true terror of the Vikings once again!"

"I, Sweden, can also stand up!"

Looking at the fanatical gleam in the man's eyes, everyone's minds began to race, their thoughts spinning in entirely new directions...

'It seems... this might actually work?'