Chapter 1395: Chapter 1365: The Beginning of the Divine War_2 Chapter 1395: Chapter 1365: The Beginning of the Divine War_2 A massacre had just occurred, a unilateral slaughter, with the monsters that roamed the wilderness in the dark night as its victims. The team that had been selected as their target had effortlessly turned them into ingredients roasting on a campfire.

“A bunch of blind toys, not even realizing who we are? Daring to attack us!”

Next to the fragrant campfire, an armored beefy man scoffed disdainfully. However, in stark contrast to the arrogance on his face, he carried a faint scent of medicine—he was a wounded man.

“Just a bunch of ignorant monsters, what’s the point of fussing over them? We didn’t bring much food with us, and they’ve conveniently delivered themselves. We should actually be thanking them.”

Another man with a similar medicinal scent responded. His face was somewhat pale, and his breath was a bit unsteady, but none of that affected the sharp gleam in his eyes.

“How can you be so relaxed, chatting about such meaningless things? Have you not thought about how we’re going to explain this to the Great Bishop when we get back?” Another person joined in the discussion, but his words plunged everyone around the campfire into a long silence, seemingly unwilling to confront the topic.

“Explain what?” After a long silence, someone finally picked up the conversation, “We did our best this time. It’s not that we were incompetent; it’s that the Red Dragon Sect is too shameless. They even deployed a Dragon Palace Holy Knight. All of us combined are not a match for that Holy Knight.”

“Such an answer won’t satisfy the bishops.”

“Whether those sitting in the halls are satisfied is their business, what does it have to do with us? Do they expect us to die in battle over a small city with no more than a hundred thousand people?”

“Dying in battle is impossible. Everyone knows about the agreement between the Great Churches. No matter how fierce the conflict, there must be no casualties, and that is the reason we can sit here and discuss this now.”

“Let the punishment come. It doesn’t matter. No matter how bad the outcome, it would be just that. With the protection of the deities, we won’t starve. Speaking of which, I’ve always been puzzled by the inexplicable agreement between the Great Churches. Although it reduces casualties, isn’t it strange?”

“What’s so strange about it? Such rules have existed since the gods appeared and the church was established. You actually think about such mundane questions; it seems you have too much free time.”

“No, my point is, doesn’t the existence of such rules mean that all the Great Churches are essentially on the same side?”

“So what if they are? What does it matter if they aren’t?”

“If they are, then the wounds we suffer are completely meaningless. We’re fighting our own people, competing for the right to proselytize. This really shouldn’t be happening!”

“What’s wrong with that? Existence proves the reason. As you said, no serious casualties are allowed in battle. This rule shows that the Great Churches are essentially one. We’re all fighting our own people.

But the very fact that battles occur shows that there’s a necessity for them. The popes, or rather, the great lords, need us warriors.”

“Need us? Do you mean to say, one day we’ll step onto the battlefield and engage in real warfare with the believers of other deities? A fight to the death with no mercy shown?”

“I didn’t say that. You’ve guessed it yourself, and it has nothing to do with me.”

“It sounds reasonable, but where are such heretics? I’ve never heard of them.”

“That’s exactly right. It means you haven’t reached the level of the Pope yet. When you do, you’ll naturally know.”

By the time the team, which had failed to compete with the Red Dragon Sect for the right to proselytize, wearily made their way back to the directly administered diocese of the deity they believed in, it was already midday with the sun hanging high.

Before the team had much time to rest, orders from the church hierarchy had already been issued—they were to be granted an audience with the Pope himself.

Such commands left the team in a state of confusion; despite racking their brains, they could not fathom what virtue or ability they possessed that merited an audience with the Pope, who was said to be closest to God.

Their strength was not particularly formidable, and there were no warriors of the sacred knight level among them, let alone that they had already failed their mission. They saw no eligibility in themselves to step into the Main Temple.

But when the team saw the Pope in the Main Temple, they were utterly reassured. The Pope, whose face bore scales and who had vertically slit pupils like those of Dragon Snakes, was not there to meet with their team alone.

All teams from the church that had participated in the struggle for religious authority had gathered here—a congregation of nearly ten thousand battle-ready and fervently devout warriors assembled in the Main Temple, quietly listening to the Pope proclaim God’s will.

And as the Pope spoke softly, all the warriors gathered there understood the reason why they had been summoned—holy war! A divine battle soon to commence for the Deities they worshipped.

They had been gathered as the church’s most battle-skilled believers, to be the first army to set foot on the battlefield in the near future, to spread the grace of God.

And with the Pope’s questioning, the emotions of the warriors gathered in the Main Temple gradually intensified; without any prompting, they began chanting the revered names of the Deities they believed in and reciting words of praise.

“An army well-trained and well-equipped, if it has a casualty rate exceeding 30% with adequate backup support, will face a rout.

But an army with faith, even if lacking in weapons and severely deprived of supplies, can face enemies stronger than themselves and fight to the last man without succumbing to defeat.”

In a space beyond the Material World, resplendent Divine Light filled the air as fifty-seven Deities converged, sharing with each other the scenes from their Main Temples.

Putting aside differences in the races of believers, the numbers, or the size of the temples, the scenes shared by the gods were largely similar. All warriors of devout faith had been summoned, then informed that the true battle of gods was about to begin.

Although these fifty-seven had ascended to godhood in a short time, given the long lifespan of a Deity, it would not be incorrect to say that these fifty-seven had ascended simultaneously.

However, the believers these Deities could summon varied greatly—some a mere ten thousand, while others could summon legions of a million, with disparities reaching a staggering hundredfold.

This gap was due to factors beyond the Deities’ management skills, like the races that worshipped them and the regions where faith was spread, among other favorable conditions.

“I have been waiting for fifty years; I thought it would take even longer. I didn’t expect Lord Mureya to decide to wage war finally. I’m not quite prepared yet,” lamented a Deity. When It received the divine command, It was somewhat taken aback because there had been no forewarning.

“Ready or not, we must fight. The will of God Almighty cannot be defied, and besides, some of our companions are almost mad with waiting.”

“Indeed, as much as we also desire to start a war, we have completed our ascension, and enduring a little longer isn’t much of a concern. However, for those companions it’s different.”

“I can understand and empathize with their feelings because I’ve been through it too.”

“No need for them to rush now; the war is about to begin. In the near future, more Domains will be incorporated under the rule of God Almighty, the half-completed Hundred Gods Plan can proceed, and all companions can become True Gods!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read