Chapter 8: The God of War

Phoenix gazed at the two Heretic Gods before her, the urge to act overwhelming.

To ordinary people, they were irresistible natural disasters. But to Phoenix, they were nothing of the sort. Even gods were merely prey for the Immortal Phoenix, not objects of fear.

"Phoenix-nee, are you going?" Higokumaru suddenly grabbed Phoenix's arm, having noticed her movement.

"Of course. I came here for them," Phoenix replied without the slightest hint of concealment, her words as natural as breathing.

"But their strength isn't weak at all. Why not wait until they've both weakened each other before intervening?" Higokumaru looked at Phoenix, not understanding why she would rush into battle when both Heretic Gods still retained most of their power.

"Impossible. If one of the Heretic Gods dies at the other's hand, it would be a loss for me," Phoenix replied without hesitation.

If one were to be killed, she would lose a divine authority.

It wasn't that Phoenix particularly valued these gods' powers, but the idea of letting a divine authority vanish before her very eyes was something she couldn't accept.

No matter how insignificant, it should belong to her.

After all, Phoenix possessed both the confidence and absolute strength to hunt them down herself.

"Very well! Do you need my help?" Seeing Phoenix's determination, Higokumaru refrained from further protest but offered her assistance.

"No need. You can simply observe from the sidelines." Phoenix stopped Higokumaru; two mere Heretic Gods required no outside assistance.

"Then... then I'll cheer for Phoenix-nee from the side." Higokumaru raised both hands toward Phoenix.

"Agreed!"

The battle between Beelzebub and Michael had reached its climax. Though a fallen god king, Beelzebub was still a deity who had once stood equal to God himself!

At this moment, Beelzebub was pressing down on the Archangel Michael, the Great Monarch of Light.

As the God of gods, controlling war, agriculture, thunder, rain, and the sun, Beelzebub now bore no resemblance to the fly king described in the Bible.

The giant-like god king wielded thunder in one hand and a miniature sun in the other, hurling them wildly at Michael.

Michael countered with his Flame Cross Sword, each swing unleashing apocalyptic flames. His fiery wings on his back granted him extreme agility and speed, allowing him to evade or resist Beelzebub's attacks.

Though seemingly outmatched and on the defensive, Michael had sustained no injuries whatsoever.

Fully aware he was no match for this heretical god, Michael still refused to retreat.

As the two gods fought fiercely, a peculiar flame suddenly appeared between the two Heretic Gods. At this moment, both Heretic Gods nearly simultaneously ceased their combat and stared at the flame in the middle.

As the flame dissipated with the wind, a beautiful Eastern woman materialized between the two Heretic Gods.

"Human?"

"Son of Man?"

The woman's sudden appearance left both Beelzebub and Michael momentarily stunned, disbelief written across their faces.

In the presence of Heretic Gods, humans often appeared utterly fragile. Upon encountering a Heretic God's descent, most would desperately flee, wishing they had extra legs to run faster.

Yet this human before them hadn't merely failed to flee during their divine battle - she'd actually intervened.

This alone wasn't the most troubling aspect. If she were a Campione, it might have been understandable.

But... the woman before them carried no familiar power.

She... wasn't a Campione.

A human who wasn't a Campione had dared enter the battlefield between two powerful gods, disrupting their divine conflict.

This was not only unwise, but unprecedented.

Even the strongest human was utterly powerless against gods.

"O Son of man! Do you not know what you're doing? To disrupt the battle of two gods—let me tell you... how utterly foolish your actions are!"

Beelzebub, the God of Gods, observed the suddenly appeared human with mixed emotions. He couldn't help but sigh. This might be the first time he'd encountered a human who wasn't a Campione yet dared to interfere in a divine battle!

He didn't know whether to laugh at her stupidity or not.

However... he also knew that humans all fantasized about becoming Demon Lords who slaughtered gods, becoming beings above all others.

But such people usually met destruction in the end.

"Human, the battlefield of gods is not one you can interfere in," Michael said, holding his blazing sword. He too sighed at the human's irrationality before them.

Even if she possessed considerable strength, and even if she herself didn't know it, this wasn't enough to give her confidence to challenge gods.

"You... come at me together!"

Unfazed by the contempt of the two Heretic Gods, Phoenix raised her right hand and spoke with a calm yet certain tone.

To the two proud deities, this was undoubtedly the greatest insult.

"Ridiculous! A mortal dares to challenge two gods like us! I am the God of Gods, the supreme Rain God, Storm God, Sun God, Harvest God, Thunder God, War God, and Lord Hadad!"

"Then let me grant you destruction!"

In response to Phoenix's contemptuous words, Archangel Michael, perhaps more temperate by nature, had yet to react.

But Beelzebub could endure no longer.

As a God King, since when had a mortal ever dared to scorn him?

Moreover, for Heretic Gods, their existence was a matter of supreme arrogance. They were irresistible miracles.

As they spoke, dark clouds pressed downward once more, as if the very heavens might collapse. Simultaneously, across several surrounding cities, fist-sized hail began falling from the skies in eerie synchrony.

This was the harbinger of a God King's wrath.

Within the storm, lightning coalesced into thunderclouds, resembling divine tribulation itself. Bolts of lightning swiftly struck toward Phoenix.

Not only did lightning descend, but a tempest beyond mortal resistance also tore at Phoenix. Even the residual energy from these attacks whipped up catastrophic winds across the cities and sea, causing massive destruction.

Yet Phoenix faced the storm and lightning with utter composure.

As the lightning bolts closed in, Phoenix calmly raised her left hand.

Upon her hand rested the black gold gauntlets - the Dominion Key, also known as the divine key: Grips of Tai Xuan.