The passing months were still ongoing.
The siege against the Divine Order continued, and nothing else really changed.
The Vega Clan started paying more attention to the conflict as their information network was able to uncover more about what was actually happening.
Meanwhile, the Dragon Clan was silent.
They were notorious for their uninterest in worldly matters, so it wasn't a surprise. The Western Region was a gathering place for all dragons. It was a place where they could be surrounded by their own kind and live without concern for other races.
As such, the Dragon Clan's borders were almost always closed off to the outside world.
When the Holy Empire's forces made their way through Dragon Clan territory, they were forced to gain permission from the Dragon God himself, and even then, they were only allowed to move through a specific route that didn't allow them to interact with the inhabitants of the Western Region.
The Dragon Clan was a huge object of interest for a lot of people, but in the current state of the world, their attractiveness had died down.
All eyes were on the ongoing war.
And as the war raged on, the foregone conclusion became obvious for everyone.
The Divine Order would no longer exist after this.
Even those within the order realized this.
Yulia Veritas herself was leading their army, and while the Holy Emperor didn't appear, he sent six Archangels, a force with impossible strength.
7 of the 12 Gods in the council were killed in battle.
It wasn't just them either. The majority of the high level members of the order were gone. Some died in battle, others were assassinated, another group died while trying to flee, and some even ended their own lives.
The main headquarters of the order was already surrounded by all three armies.
It was hard for them to maintain hope. It didn't look like defectors and those willing to surrender would be spared.
Nobody knew whether to admire or condemn those who chose to die.
They were too busy considering something else to even think about it.
In this situation, what could the Divine Order even accomplish?
Was there a way out?
There had never been a situation where the great clans formed an alliance to deal with one of their own. Nobody had ever seen the strength of multiple great clans at once before.
But it was here in the world now.
And it was absolutely terrifying.
With all eyes focused on them, the five remaining Gods who represented the order had to cement themselves in the path they chose.
They didn't really have names. The five of them were unknown in the world.
They were Gods in their own right, sure, and they definitely had their places in the council, but they were never the real decision-makers.
They were the ones who stayed in the back and went along with the majority, quietly maintaining their status and luxury.
The reason they survived wasn't because they were strong.
It was because they were willing to do whatever it took to survive, even if that meant betraying any and everyone.
This time, they were planning to do just as they always did.
To secure their own escape, they would risk everything.
The current situation wasn't complex.
Void Palace was to the south, Veritas was to the east, and the Holy Empire was to the north.
The west was open…open water. It wasn't much of an escape route, but it could still be used.
However, it was easy for Gods to chase Gods if it just came to flying.
For the five of them to get out of this mess, they needed to provide a distraction that would force the other side to let them go.
What could they use?
What could possibly force all three of these great clans to allow them to pass?
That wasn't even a question.
While they may have lost control over the public in terms of brainwashing, they hadn't lost their ability to use the general public against their enemies.
When it came to dealing with the righteous, hostages were always the right option.
And if the number of hostages was in the quadrillions…
Not even the most indifferent of people could ignore them, right?
Dominic and Yiren sat in their tent on their side of the line.
Yulia and two Archangels were with them, while the other four Archangels were watching the line on the Veritas and Holy Empire side.
They were currently trying to figure out what the best method to siege the headquarters was.
Or at least, that was what they'd been attempting to do until a moment ago.
But at this time, something surprising happened.
A man appeared in the air above the headquarters. He wasn't someone anyone recognized, and from his aura, he most certainly wasn't one of the remaining Gods.
"I-I am speaking for the Great Order!"
His voice was filled with terror. Every word shook, but against his will, every word was projected across the lands to anyone willing to listen.
"Void Palace, Veritas, Holy Empire…!" He yelled.
"Your people wish for the destruction of mine, however, I cannot allow it!"
The man paused for a second.
His body began to shake uncontrollably.
He looked in a certain direction, unwilling to say any more.
But he was not allowed that luxury.
Bang!
His foot exploded into a shower of blood.
"AAAAHHHH!"
He roared in pain.
Tears streamed out of his eyes, which soon widened.
"I-if any of you t-try to block our escape…!"
He immediately continued his speech, clearly in fear for his life.
"I-if any of you t-try to block our escape…we will…k-kill a…ll… of the citizens… of this region…!"
"..."
His words were met with silence.
Dominic and the rest had exited the tent and watched the entire event as it happened, and rather than eyes that took him as a joke, theirs were stern.
"It's not an empty threat."
Dominic spoke first.
The rest silently agreed.
Since it was the Divine Order, since they'd decided to torture this man in front of them to force them to believe it, they knew.
But that wasn't enough for those five Gods.
No, the example they were planning to make was far, far bigger.
They arrived on the horizon as one.
At the same time, the man who made the speech was blown to bits, turned into a deep red firework.
The five Gods stood there in the sky, their backs turned to the ocean behind them.
And they smiled, as if provoking someone, anyone, to try and fight them.
It was an open threat. Not a single person was excluded from it.
And while those with more common sense stayed their ground…
It was impossible for there to be not even a single person in the vicinity who wasn't reckless.
Nobody knew where it came from.
Maybe it didn't even come from the armies. Maybe it was organized by the Five Gods.
Regardless of its origin, it existed.
An attack. A firebolt that didn't seem like it could be fired by someone stronger than 4th class.
It didn't even reach the five Gods before it dissipated.
But that was the answer they'd been waiting for.
Someone decided to attack.
Which meant, only a few seconds later…
RUMBLE!
It didn't happen nearby, but everyone knew what that rumbling was.
For it to have been something capable of creating a shockwave that could arrive here…
if that truly was in a city somewhere…
…at least a few million people had died.
Just like that.
