Under the crisis brought by the End Emptiness, Su Mo, who was previously a threat, had instead become the Billions of Gods's only lifeline.
The first to realize this was Indra. This martial god, with his deep understanding of human nature, was the one among the Billions of Gods who could see the truth of the situation most clearly. That was why he had resolutely cast aside his pride, willing to be scorned by the other gods to find a new path for them all.
The World-Honored One realized this around the same time as Indra, which was why he tacitly allowed Indra's faction-building. However, due to his sense of responsibility, past experiences, and the results once predicted by Laplace, he couldn't fully grasp the current situation until he finally lost his divinity and attained enlightenment.
The Two Goddesses were a step behind in this regard. Wielding the Sun's Sovereignty, they had always believed they had an escape route. It was only when they learned that Su Mo had used some unknown method to bypass them and rewrite the Akashic Records that they realized the situation had long since spiraled out of control.
At the very least, it had long since escaped their control.
Now, although they had come to it at different times, the leaders of the Billions of Gods had finally reached a consensus, expressing their unreserved submission to Su Mo.
Just as Canary had said, and just as the Two Goddesses had finally realized, they currently had no right to bargain, nor the means to do so.
If Indra's unreserved submission was based on his experience with human nature and his astonishing intuition...
...then the World-Honored One and the Two Goddesses only discovered this was the only path after completely accepting reality.
It was only at this moment that the billions of gods truly understood that Canary's words had not been empty threats.
It was not Su Mo who needed the gods, but the gods who needed Su Mo.
It was not Su Mo who needed to offer assurances before he could command all the gods, but the gods who needed to offer everything first, to gamble on the possibility that Su Mo could defeat the End Emptiness.
This reversal of sequence represented a complete reversal of their respective positions.
Before Su Mo, the gods held no status or leverage.
Realizing this, the billions of gods trembled.
Realizing they might have no value, or could even be a liability, they no longer dared to think about their status in mythological history or things like bargaining.
Now, they worried about only one thing: would Su Mo truly be willing to accept them? Would he accept their submission?
Recalling the completely unrestrained and transcendent demeanor Su Mo had displayed since arriving in the Little Garden—a demeanor that surpassed even a Human Final Trial—the hearts of the gods sank to the edge of a cliff.
At this moment, all the deities stared at Su Mo with wide eyes, praying that he would accept the Two Goddesses' counsel.
Under the watchful gaze of the Billions of Gods, Su Mo smiled.
"No, you are not my shield, and I have no need for one."
As soon as these words were spoken, the hearts of the gods plummeted into an abyss, turning completely cold.
It's over!
This was an unmistakable rejection, meaning Su Mo truly intended to wipe out mythological history.
In other words, of the two poles in the Little Garden now—the End Emptiness and Su Mo—neither had a place for the Billions of Gods.
Realizing this, the vast majority of the gods felt a profound sense of sorrow.
Whether it was the apocalypse or a new beginning, both seemed to deny the existence of mythological history. Had the Billions of God's struggles up to this point truly been completely wrong, without a single merit to their name?
Otherwise, why would they face such a fate?
At this moment, the billions of gods all felt an emotion called despair.
However, in the next instant...
"But, you might have the qualifications to become my sword."
With a sudden turn of events, Su Mo paused—perhaps intentionally—before changing his tone and speaking.
"The power of a Cosmology is, in the end, merely the result of humanity's understanding of cosmic laws, framed for the Little Garden. The complexity of a mythological Cosmology is sufficient to dominate a multiverse, but it can only dominate, not continuously evolve. Thus, it cannot cope with the apocalypse represented by the End Emptiness."
"To think that a mere mythological Cosmology can overcome all apocalypses is pure fantasy. To think that mythological history can dominate human history is like a servant bullying their master—a completely inverted dream... However, I admit that myths still have their value."
As he spoke, Su Mo opened his right hand, materializing a longsword that shone with a golden radiance.
"The Sword of Bahram?"
Indra and the other gods immediately recognized the sword's design. In several of Su Mo's classic battles, this sword, much like the Right Hand of Light from Christianity, had become his signature weapon.
But very quickly, they noticed something different.
"No! That's not right! This isn't just the Zoroastrian Cosmology, but also the Christian Cosmology! And even the Taoist pantheon's Cosmology..."
Three or more mythological Cosmologies shone simultaneously within the golden radiance, each revealing a different luster.
Just as they were wondering what Su Mo intended to do, they saw a flash of golden light as Su Mo swung the sword directly at the Billions of Gods—starting with Indra's group.
"Wait! Lord Su Mo, I'm on your side!"
Indra cried out in alarm, not knowing what Su Mo was doing.
Nearby, the Greek pantheon, including the All-Father Zeus, also wore expressions of astonishment, not understanding why Su Mo would strike his allies.
"!"
The Sword of Wisdom flashed with a brilliant starlight, and all the gods of the "pro-peace faction" represented by Indra were drawn into the light.
Zeus and the wine god Dionysus instantly burst forth at the Sixth Cosmic Velocity, escaping the sword light's range ahead of time. But soon, the two deities seemed to realize something. They hesitated for just a moment and were then drawn into the starlight.
With a single, gentle swing of his sword, Su Mo swept through a million gods.
Then, he continued to swing his sword at the remaining billions of gods.
The starlight, moving at the Sixth Cosmic Velocity, was intense and carried an attraction that the gods were utterly powerless to resist. In just a few dozen seconds, more than half of the billions of gods in the sky had vanished.
Not even a laser reaping wheat could be this fast!
"Lord Su Mo, what in the world are you trying to do?!"
The Two Goddesses were both shocked and terrified, having no idea what Su Mo's true intentions were.
The billions of gods were about to disappear in the blink of an eye. Su Mo's speed in dealing with the Billions of Gods was even faster than the Dystopian Demon Lord at his feet.
Seeing the Sword of Wisdom about to sweep toward them, the Two Goddesses finally buckled under the pressure and tried to escape using their Sun's Sovereignty.
Just then, the Enlightened One, who stood nearby having already lost his divinity and was now a mere mortal, suddenly spoke.
"Your Graces need not panic. Look closely at the sword light. His Majesty Su Mo is not killing them!"
Hearing this, the Two Goddesses paused.
Looking closely, they saw that as the billions of gods were reaped down like wheat, row by row, the radiance of the longsword in Su Mo's hand grew increasingly complex.
At first, it was pure gold, then the pure white of Christianity and the starlight of Taoism were added.
By now, the meandering starlight of the longsword had solidified like an orbital track into an intricate scroll, as complex as an ukiyo-e painting, mysterious and magnificent.
Upon closer inspection, one could discern a very familiar essence within this scroll—it was clearly the Cosmologies of the various Billions of Gods.
Different Cosmologies intersected and merged, with some nodes occasionally overlapping.
Observing even more deeply, one would discover that the starlight forming these nodes was, in fact, the complete divinity of each and every god.
Including Indra, Athena, and Zeus, the life forces of the gods had not been extinguished by the sword light. Instead, they were active in an unprecedented form within the phantasmal image projected by the scroll.