Chapter 29: The Descent of the God of War!

Blood-red light surged into the sky, and a tall, imposing figure slowly emerged.

The man was handsome and burly, wearing armor adorned with feathers. He wore leather bracers on his arms and gripped a bronze spear, his muscular frame radiating immense power. His long, reddish-brown hair flowed in the wind; a hawk circled above his shoulders, and a hound rested at his feet.

A Divine Descent!

Even if it was merely an avatar, he still represented the pinnacle of the Magic Tide Continent, the very apex of the transcendent sequence.

Almost everyone bowed slightly, showing respect to a supreme deity. Only Cohen stood tall, his sword pointed toward the heavens. A sense of absurd unreality rose simultaneously in everyone's hearts—the god at the absolute top of the continent's transcendent order had been summoned by a youth who had only just stepped into the first rank. Who would believe it if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes?

The blood-red light permeated the entire area, causing everyone to go blind for several seconds. When their vision cleared, they saw a blood-colored dome enveloping the God of War and Cohen. The two stood face to face, seemingly engaged in conversation. The mysterious red light completely isolated their voices and auras. This was undoubtedly the most inconceivable scene in the tens of thousands of years of the Magic Tide Continent—a deity communicating as an equal with a first-rank transcendent!

Witnessing this shocking sight, everyone present lost their composure.

Isabella’s eyes flickered with a strange light, her beautiful face slightly flushed. Although she had always maintained the persona of an icy, untouchable goddess to the outside world, that was merely a result of her status. The true Isabella was filled with passion and madness deep inside, brimming with arrogance and disdain for all! A sudden impulse rose within her—an urge that even the gods could not extinguish. She would possess this man at any cost; she would make him crawl at her feet; she would make him surrender his body and soul to her completely; she would crown herself empress while riding upon him!

...

Sandro Gaunt, the second son of the Grand Duke of the Southern Territory, felt a trace of fear. He could not help but regret his decision to hire "Black Tomb" assassins to deal with this mysterious man. Would assassinating someone capable of "summoning a god" bring an unpredictable catastrophe upon his own family?

...

Mr. Andre, the teacher of the Third Prince of the Ceylon Kingdom, who was always calm and composed, now wore a grave expression. Looking at the God of War and Cohen, shrouded in blood-red light not far away, he was filled with bewilderment. A first-rank transcendent actually capable of summoning a god? Why did it feel like coming to Florence had suddenly turned the world into something he could no longer understand?

He murmured softly: "My Lord, perhaps your prophecy is coming true. This continent is not far from a time of total chaos!"

My Lord! Even when facing the Third Prince of Ceylon, he only addressed him as "Your Highness."

Andre's expression gradually grew firm. The age of chaos was approaching, and his master had long since made plans, laying his schemes across the world. Grand Dukes, princes, even the imperial heirs sitting high in the Imperial Court—they were all merely chess pieces in his hand.

...

Haug Corleone, a man who had stifled his emotions even when his master and royal brother, the most important person in his life, had fallen, found his body trembling imperceptibly. He was the only one present who knew Cohen’s true identity. He was his King, the King of Efein!

Prince Haug pressed his lips together, struggling to suppress the surging emotions in his heart. He bowed slightly toward Cohen and placed his right hand over his chest. This legendary-tier Paladin, who lived by the "Oath of the Ancient Sages," formally swore his allegiance to a sixteen-year-old King!

...

Raymond glanced at Chloe, who had completely lost all color, and Bogus, who stared with a vacant expression. He was weighing whether killing them both right now would make Lord Ares feel better. That was the God of War! The spiritual totem and faith of their Transcendent Arena! Because of his own actions, the God of War had descended; he could only pray that Cohen wouldn't speak too ill of him!

Cohen, shrouded in the blood-red light, had no time to notice the commotion. He felt his entire body burning; the aura of a deity, even a mere sliver, was more than he could bear. Soon, the heat dissipated, and a deafening voice rang in his ears: "Mortal, is it you who calls me?"

Before a god, no transcendent was worthy of the name. Cohen faced him calmly: "As the Knight Commander of the arena, to expel a participant who yearns for battle without cause—this betrayal of the teachings of the God of War deserves punishment."

A bloody light flashed in the eyes of Ares, the God of War. Having learned of the previous events from the memories of those around, his booming voice echoed: "Mortal, I shall visit divine punishment upon them. But for such a trivial matter to summon my avatar, are you certain you are prepared to pay the price?"

Cohen chuckled: "I am about to make a deal with you, Lord of War!"

A look of astonishment appeared on the resolute face of Ares: "You want to make a deal with me? An ant of the first rank? What could you possibly possess that would sway a supreme being..."

*Huh?*

Ares suddenly let out a cry of surprise: "Kid, why do you have a scent on you that I find so unpleasant... Damn it, I know whose aura that is. Kid, why do you have the scent of that icicle woman on you?"

Icicle woman? Cohen was confused; could he be talking about Adelle?

Ares took a few steps back, his voice sounding somewhat uncomfortable: "Fine, kid. Speak. What kind of deal do you want to make?"

Cohen pushed aside his scattered thoughts and replied: "One of your divine domains is War, is it not?"

"Indeed. Could it be that your deal concerns my domain of War?"

Cohen nodded slowly: "In the foreseeable future, I will ignite countless massive wars, capable of providing you with a constant, inexhaustible supply of divine power!"

The strength of the gods was tied to their domains. Why had Ares established the "Transcendent Arena" outside of the Church? It was to incite more combat and draw more divine power from it. And as a primary domain, the divine power gained from war was even greater. However, in the last few hundred years, the political landscape of the continent had remained largely stable. The five great empires held the lead, the seven kingdoms followed, and the remaining small duchies were either dependencies or allies. Large-scale wars were rare.

Cohen’s words piqued the interest of the God of War. After all, coming from someone who could "summon a god," it held a certain credibility. Ares fixed his gaze on Cohen, blood-red light flashing in his eyes, and countless images reflected within them—he was divining Cohen’s future:

Smoke filled the air, fire spread across the plains, black torrents of soldiers clashed on lands soaked in blood and fire, and the endless sounds of tragedy and defiance roared in his ears.

War, countless wars, wars that swept across the entire Magic Tide Continent:

Silver light stained the earth—this was the extinction of Silver-rank transcendents!

Golden blood reflected in the sky—this was the fall of Golden-rank transcendents!

Legends faded, the sun and moon vanished from the sky, and despairing whispers reached everyone's ears—this was the fall of legends!

A blood-red sun appeared in the heavens, the earth split, the stars dimmed, and the temples collapsed—this was the lamentation of the saints!

...

The images stopped abruptly! Perhaps this was the end, or perhaps it was merely the beginning!