Chapter 492
by fanqienovelChapter 492: The Fall of First New Themis
"Ha ha! Our territory!"
"Total destruction! Complete ruin!"
"No—!"
"Get out!"
"This is our territory!"
"All of you, leave!"
"This branch is irreplaceable for my clan!"
…
At the Holy Tree Themis, a group of beings clad in sturdy armor and covered with thorns shook their mountain-like bodies, confronting slender deities.
Some slender deities stood on lower "Holy Tree branches," roaring at the armored foes, while others swam through the Ether Sea, stirring massive tsunamis.
The three warring factions were the Vast Dragon Clan from the Primal Wilderness, the native Ether Dragons of the Chaos Swamp Realm, and the Dreaming Shore Dragons from the Endless Ether Islands.
These dragon clans clashed as titans around the Holy Tree Themis.
Their goals differed entirely.
The Ether Dragons were protecting their "symbionts’" breeding grounds. If this place got destroyed, they’d have to travel far to buy "immune symbionts" and "damage control symbionts" from the Giant God.
Those bellowing indiscriminate destruction were the Vast Dragon Gods. Barbatos had opened the border, letting them rampage freely and revel in destruction.
As for the Dreaming Shore Dragons…
They’d tried stealing this nest before and still harbored ill intentions, aiming to claim the Holy Tree Themis.
"Ridiculous! Nothing can stop us!"
"Roar——!"
A burly Vast Dragon God roared, charging violently. Its colossal frame flipped the Ether Dragon guarding the Giant God, then crashed hard against the Themis Holy Tree!
"Boom——!"
The massive crashing sound echoed through the void and ether as the Holy Tree trembled.
"Howling!"
The Ether Dragon retaliated fiercely, whipping its tail to send the Vast Dragon God reeling sideways with a "boom."
A Dreaming Shore Dragon leaped from the Holy Tree branches onto the Vast Dragon God’s back, biting down savagely—but its fairly good teeth couldn’t pierce the armored scales.
Thus the battle raged on.
Yet none of the sides…
seemed to pay little attention to Themis’s inhabitants.
"Boom——!"
"Bang——!"
The titans’ combat and roars shook heaven and earth. For mortals dwelling in Themis, it was nothing short of disaster.
"Ah——!"
"Hurry! Help me!"
"I’m trapped under the bookshelf!"
Although the attacks and fights were limited to the outer areas, their constant fighting and bashing caused big earthquakes again and again in many parts of Themis.
Even though most human buildings were built to the highest standards, no structure could hold up against the huge earthquakes from the titans’ battles.
Only key buildings carved straight into the "Holy Tree Walls" could stand such strong shaking.
Luckily, the First Living Saint had been getting ready for this.
"Everyone, listen! Go to the net path refuge along the planned route!"
"If the paths are cut off, follow the backup plan: find nearby shelters and wait for the Chosen Ones warriors to save you!"
"Repeating…"
…
In the Soul Network, the calls from the announcement team kept repeating.
Of course, there were also some scared replies.
For example…
"Mmm…"
"What should I do?!"
"Bad guy! Why aren’t you back yet?!"
…
If Trilobite had time to check the System, he would see the young lady client, like a country girl next door, hiding under a tree, trembling like a quail, her hands over her head.
Her eyes were full of tears, her delicate body shaking a little.
She made muffled whimpering sounds.
But this time, she controlled herself well and didn’t spread too much panic to the Themis people; of course, the Themis people had learned to block those "panic notes" that popped into their minds for no reason.
So, most civilians retreated in good order; the Chosen Ones warriors rushed bravely to their tasks to rescue those trapped.
This was a backup plan made long ago.
But neither the civilians nor the Chosen Ones warriors from different war organizations knew that Sulya’s plans didn’t stop here!
"Really!?"
"First Living Saint Sulya!?"
"Do you mean it!?"
Sulya didn’t live on top of the Holy Tree Themis; instead, she stayed on her avatar body—the Giant God’s Radiance.
The Giant God’s Radiance floated or dived in the Sea of Ether, part of Themis.
At the bottom of that sea was the Sacred Ground for all Themis people and even all Giant God followers—the City of Dimensions, first dug out by the Giant God.
Also, it was the entrance to the net path.
She was now on the "Giant God’s Radiance," which lingered near the ocean floor holy city and the entrance of the net path, as if saying goodbye or making a difficult choice.
The atmosphere inside the ship felt strange.
Sulya held a meeting with all the high-ranking officials of Themis.
The attendees included the leaders of various war organizations—the "Presidents," "Grand Masters," "Grand Marshals"—the "Chief Purity Officer" from the Purification Agency, the "Senior Shepherd" from the Giant God Church, and ministers from Themis’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and Legal Affairs.
Normally, as the Giant God’s earliest "Devoted One," the one who received the god’s first embrace, the closest mortal to the Giant God, and the ultimate node of the Soul Network, the First Living Saint had unquestionable authority.
But today, that authority faltered.
Many high-ranking officials of Themis were shocked by Sulya’s proposal and even strongly opposed it.
Because Sulya’s plan was shocking and bold—she wanted most Themis people to abandon their homeland and move to Valaharl or other places.
"Not everyone must migrate; some must stay as necessary personnel."
"But not too many. I will pick a team of elite versatile fighters from the Chosen Warriors to form a ‘Guardian war organization.’"
"The rest, no matter age or gender, must be moved away completely."
Such a daring plan, which seemed almost blasphemous, naturally caused a huge uproar and many questions.
If the speaker were not the "First Living Saint," the "Chief Purity Officer" might have called guards to arrest and question her.
"This place… was where the Giant God first appeared before us and saved us; it was in Themis."
"Isn’t it a bit…
"Too hasty, maybe?"
"In past crises, we never left; instead, Themis grew strong."
"If we survive this crisis, we can…"
…
Facing everyone’s talk, Sulya only smiled helplessly.
"This time, I fear we might not survive."
"Because…"
"Look…"
Just as Sulya spoke…
"Boom——!"
The Holy Tree Themis erupted with a massive crashing sound.
The tall, dense "Holy Tree Forest" roared loudly.
Strong shakes rocked the whole "Holy Tree Realm Themis," leaving nearly every Themis person with buzzing ears.
But this was just the start…
"Bang——!"
Almost at the moment of impact, the whole "Holy Tree Forest" burst apart!
Pieces of the Holy Tree flew wildly; some hit the inner Sea of Ether, making huge waves; others slammed into the ground, carving out big craters.
Many fragments swept across the city built on the ground and reduced entire houses to ruins.
Along with these fragments, a massive Divine Body burst out!
It was the Dreaming Shore Dragon!
"Buzz——!"
The mountain-like Divine Body glided through the air; after tracing a low arc…
"Boom—Boom—Boom—!"
It slammed hard into the Ether Sea, and the massive Divine Body sank straight to the ocean floor.
The whole Ether Sea boiled over like a pot.
A tsunami thousands of meters high rushed toward the coast!
It flooded all the man-made towns and facilities along the Ether coast.
Even areas closer to the inland were hit by the Ether tsunami, and no one escaped!
The "Giant God’s Radiance" rocked up and down in this world-ending chaos.
Her voice, filled with despair and helplessness, echoed in the agile network.
Her clear words struck every stunned high-ranking official.
"Remember this scene."
"Perhaps we have achieved some successes and can even negotiate with deities."
"Maybe we can even take part in the Great Plan of the Giant God."
"But please remember, all our achievements come from the Giant God’s protection."
"And remember, we are mortals."
"Mortals cannot stand against a True Deity on their own!"
Right then…
"Boom—Boom—Boom—!"
The whole Themis shook rhythmically once more.
At the opening…
A strange mountain peak moved slowly, stepping into this world wrapped in the "Holy Tree Grove."
That huge foot left a chain of lake-sized prints on the sandy ground of Themis.