Chapter 40
Luka's voice echoed across the ruined plaza before the temple.
The lightning patterns on Zeus's gilded robe suddenly lit up, and the divine aura around him surged, instantly making the already heavy air feel oppressive and suffocating.
Zeus, who had remained calm until now, finally showed an additional emotional reaction, as if Luka's request had disrupted some of his arrangements.
"No."
Zeus's gaze swept toward Diana by the pillar.
"Diana is your mentor. There is a bond and a sense of protection between you. The core of the ritual is the ultimate trial and an honest confrontation. Mixing in concessions due to the teacher-student relationship would only render the entire process invalid."
Luka looked up. If Zeus had remained so composed, he might have had to activate the second plan using the ring in his palm. But now, it seemed Batman's Plan B would suffice.
Just as Luka was about to speak again, Diana's voice suddenly rang out, clear and unwaveringly resolute.
"I swear by the name of Zeus, King of Olympus, that I will fight this battle with all my strength, holding nothing back. Should I break this oath, I willingly relinquish my divine status and condemn myself to the deepest abyss of the underworld for eternity."
A pale golden divine light rose from Diana's body, transforming into intricate patterns that coiled around her wrists and neck.
It was the mark of a divine oath taking effect. Although sworn in Zeus's name, even the King of Gods himself could not interfere with the fully established oath magic.
The lightning around Zeus suddenly halted, and his divine aura receded significantly.
Gazing into Diana's unyielding, resolute eyes, the depth of his gaze lost some of its divine authority, replaced by a touch of helplessness.
He slowly shook his head, his voice tinged with weariness.
"Do you still resent me?"
Diana's hands tightened at her sides, but she avoided his gaze.
"The oath stands. You have no grounds to stop me from becoming the fourth challenger."
Seeing her silence, Zeus understood. He waved his hand lightly.
The divine restraints binding Diana were lifted.
"Very well. You've always been this way, never someone I could forcibly control."
His voice had grown much quieter. He watched his daughter, who was now loosening her muscles as she paced steadily toward Luka.
Then he spoke again, his voice no longer commanding, but laced with a certain melancholy.
"This act of mine is not merely greed for his physique. The glory of Olympus's gods has long since faded. The old order is collapsing. I am leading all the gods of Olympus in seeking a thread of change."
This time, Diana's steps faltered.
Though the relationship between the divine realm and the mortal world was not what it once had been, they were still, in a sense, intimately connected. If the divine realm faced a crisis, Earth would likely share its peril.
She slowly turned around, her eyes filled with doubt.
"Do you already know about the crisis that might befall the divine realm?"
Zeus looked up at the clouds beyond the temple dome, his expression returning to calm silence.
"All I know is that the old gods will eventually be rendered obsolete by the tide of time. This is an irreversible fate."
But when the dying Eris brought back news of Luka, Zeus discovered this was a singular being who existed neither in the predetermined past nor the uncertain future.
His gaze shifted to Diana, his voice tinged with a hint of pleading.
"In the name of all the gods, I implore you, my daughter, to complete this hero's ritual. Grant your student divine status and divine power. It may not be a bad thing for him."
Diana seemed stunned by Zeus's unprecedented act of pleading. Her face paled slightly in shock.
Her eyes fell on Luka, who stood nearby, covered in blood but still composed. Her eyes showed a hint of confusion.
During that brief time Luka had carried the stone pillar while flying, he had only given her a rough outline of his plan.
Diana never imagined Zeus would adopt such a humble posture. Compared with the king of the gods' authority over countless years, this was already an enormous and painful concession.
On one side stood her father, bound to her by blood, and the divine legacy she had guarded for so long.
On the other side was her student, to whom she had taught everything she could, the very linchpin of this absurd ritual.
Wonder Woman found herself in an unprecedented dilemma.
Luka suddenly raised his hand and waved it at Diana.
"Ms. Prince, just follow your heart. You're only the fourth stage of the hero ritual. We still have contingencies in place."
His voice rang with absolute confidence.
As Diana gazed into Luka's calm, trusting eyes, her inner turmoil gradually subsided.
She gritted her teeth, lifted her chin, and faced Zeus, her voice now resolute.
"In the name of the divine oath sworn to the King of Gods, I demand the immediate return of my Sword of Hephaestus and divine shield. Only fully armed can I be considered truly giving my all."
Meanwhile, inside the Batplane parked on the grassland, the Godkiller Sword, quietly resting on its alloy stand, suddenly began to tremble violently. The blade emitted a dazzling golden light in the dim cabin, and the sword's hum reverberated throughout the aircraft.
Batman's eyes narrowed. His fingers quickly tapped on the control panel, and the aircraft's hatch instantly opened. A biting cold wind, carrying a divine aura, rushed into the cabin.
"Let it go."
He said calmly to Cyborg beside him.
The Sword of Hephaestus seemed to gain a will of its own. It broke free from the stand, transformed into a golden lightning bolt, and shot out of the aircraft, heading straight for the peak of Mount Olympus in northern Greece.
As it flew, the sword's power continuously surged, tearing through the air and leaving a faint golden trail in its wake.
High above the peak of Mount Olympus, Shazam rubbed his arm as he floated side-by-side with Superman, both poised to reopen the spatial portal.
Only a few seconds remained before the five-minute deadline set by Batman.
"What's that?!" Shazam suddenly exclaimed, his eyes widening as he pointed at the rapidly approaching golden light in the distance, his face filled with shock.
Superman's blue eyes narrowed slightly as he instantly identified the true nature of the light.
It was Diana's sword.
In the blink of an eye, the sword reached the summit. Its blade erupted with blinding golden light, forcefully tearing through the spatial barrier erected by Zeus. A narrow but stable spatial rift slowly began to open.
"Now!"
Superman let out a low growl, his figure instantly transforming into a blue blur as he thrust both hands into the fleeting spatial rift.
The immense power of the god among men erupted from his body, clashing fiercely with Zeus's divine might on the other side of the rift.
Torn between these two colossal forces, the spatial rift not only failed to close but gradually widened.
Shazam stared in disbelief, his mind struggling to process the scene before him.
Superman was actually daring to confront Zeus's divine power head-on?
This was a scenario he had never even imagined.
Wait, if that's the case, how far behind Superman am I really?
Shazam felt a surge of absurdity. Zeus's blessing constituted one-sixth of his power, and merely possessing the blessing clearly couldn't compare to the true God-King.
At that moment, Batman's voice crackled through the earpiece, low and precise, the intense pressure instantly snapping Shazam out of his daze.
"Five seconds remaining until the first five-minute deadline."
Shazam clenched his fists, the divine power within him surging wildly.
Batman's instructions were always infallible.
"Shazam!!!"
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