The vast plains stretched towards the horizon, dotted with dense woods and grassy patches, interspersed with lakes shimmering with a sapphire-like beauty, resembling blue diamonds amidst a green curtain.
At the center of the plains stood a towering ancient tree, its branches and leaves spreading wide, forming a canopy that shaded a thousand-meter radius beneath it.
Countless handsome men and women dressed in white robes wandered, conversed, played, and rested under the ancient tree, the atmosphere peaceful and serene.
Atop the tree's crown, a beautiful woman stood quietly, gazing up at the night sky.
She was exceptionally tall, nearly three meters by human standards, undoubtedly a giant, yet she did not appear heavy or cumbersome; instead, she exuded a delicate and slender aura.
Draped over her was a form-fitting silver battle armor that accentuated her graceful curves.
Her long, shimmering silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall, reaching her ankles, the silver glow swirling and flickering, enveloping her in a faint light.
Behind her, a man clad in a robe adorned with stars stood three to four meters away, calmly gazing at the sky.
Though it was clearly daytime, the moon in the sky was distinctly visible, even brighter and clearer than at night.
At that moment, a sudden cold wind swept in from afar, mixed with yellowish sand and gravel.
Though it was a great distance away, the howling sound was as clear as if it were right beside them.
Simultaneously, a scarlet glow emerged from the horizon, surging towards the ancient tree like a tide, but was quickly blocked by the bright moonlight, its speed drastically slowing.
The sudden phenomenon caused a stir among the crowd beneath the tree, many of whom hastily grabbed their weapons and peered into the distance.
Only the woman atop the crown and the Wizard remained calm.
"She's coming," the Wizard spoke slowly.
His tone seemed calm, but a careful listener could detect a hint of deep apprehension.
The woman furrowed her brow, sighed, and turned to the Wizard, whispering, "How do you know she intends to strike at me?"
The Wizard replied calmly, "Your Crescent Moon Divine Authority and the Spider Queen's Divine Authority are highly compatible. If she devours your Divine Authority, her power will undoubtedly rise to a new level, which is why she has been eyeing you covetously. This is something many people are aware of."
The woman, known as Crescent Moon Goddess Illyria, could not deny a smile.
She understood that this was merely the Wizard's excuse; the real reason was undoubtedly something else.
But she had no intention of pressing further.
The Star Spirit Clock Tower was renowned for its deep research into deities, without exception.
They always had channels to obtain some secret information related to the gods, so knowing the Spider Queen's movements was not surprising.
The fact that they had come specifically to warn her was not out of goodwill—Star Spirit Clock Tower was famously averse to deities—but rather to watch her and the Spider Queen fight to the death, then reap the benefits.
Of course, the greater possibility was that she would be killed by the Spider Queen.
After all, the Spider Queen's power far surpassed hers! Just in the brief moment of their conversation, the sky underwent new changes.
Under the seemingly endless tide of blood, the bright moonlight gradually dimmed, retreating slowly.
The eerie blood color resembled a massive beast, slowly devouring the green of the plains.
The lush grass and beautiful flowers quickly withered and faded, trees decayed, lakes dried up, and all vibrant colors vanished, leaving only the ancient tree unchanged.
Soon, the entire sky was engulfed in blood, and the moon that once hung high above seemed to vanish as if the space had collapsed, turning into a bottomless black hole.
This was the Spider Queen's divine realm invading the Crescent Moon Divine Kingdom.
This was a battle style unique to deities.
In battles between gods, the first move often involves manipulating one's divine realm to invade the opponent's, thereby neutralizing the enhancement provided by the opponent's divine realm, allowing them to fight purely based on their strengths.
However, invading a divine realm was not easy.
As long as one side resisted with all their might, the other deity would find it difficult to fully invade, making it hard to kill the opponent under the protection of their divine realm.
This is also why deities rarely die outside the True Spirit Realm.
Even among deities, it is generally difficult to kill another deity, let alone a Wizard.
But there are exceptions.
If the Divine Authorities of both sides overlap and are of similar nature, the stronger party can manipulate a similarly natured divine realm to quickly erode the weaker party's divine realm, thus killing the opponent.
Just like what was happening now! For thousands of years, Illyria had been drifting in the endless void to avoid the Spider Queen.
She never expected to be found by her.
She did not know if there were people from the Star Spirit Clock Tower or other Wizard factions involved behind this, but at this moment, she could not afford to investigate further.
An unprecedented crisis loomed before her since her birth.
If she could not overcome it, today would likely be her day of downfall! After a brief commotion, the Petitioners resting beneath the tree silently stood up, each holding their respective weapons.
Despite the unusual situation, there was not a trace of fear or panic on their faces; they stood calmly and silently in front of the ancient tree, as if in a brief silence before a storm.
Seeing this scene, Illyria sighed softly, her deep blue eyes filled with sorrow.
Behind her, the Wizard from the Star Spirit Clock Tower had vanished without a trace.
In the distance, a dark shadow suddenly appeared on the horizon.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be thousands of spiders.
They varied in size and shape, waving their eight long limbs, surging towards them like waves, as if to engulf the ancient tree.
The Spider Queen's attack had begun!
The moment the spiders stepped onto the plains, the ground beneath them suddenly cracked open, countless vines bursting forth from the earth, growing rapidly, tearing through the air with a flowing, flickering light, striking the spiders like whips.
Instantly, the sound of explosions filled the air as the first wave of attacking spiders burst apart, scattering into pieces.
But more spiders surged forward, an endless tide.
Some spiders began to transform mid-run, morphing into grotesque demonic forms—Glabrezu, Balor, Succubus, Vrock, and various other bizarre demons.
They wielded massive swords to slash at the vines, breathed fire to burn them, or spread their wings to fly over, rushing forward at high speed.
Before long, these demons charged into the area covered by the ancient tree.
The Petitioners, who had long been poised for action, expressionless, surged forward to meet the demons in battle.
They wore no armor, only thin robes, yet moonlight generated from thin air enveloped them, shielding them from the demons' attacks.
In addition, their swordsmanship was exceptionally sharp.
Though they were vastly outnumbered by the invaders, the Petitioners did not fall behind at all.
Illyria paid no attention to the battle below, her gaze heavy as she focused on the distance.
Among the vast attacking army, a single spider floated upward, as if climbing an invisible thread. When it was almost touching the sky, violet demonic flames suddenly appeared, swirling around it, fluttering like a phoenix.
When the flames extinguished, the spider had transformed into a stunning woman, her body wrapped in a gown and cloak woven from transparent spider silk, a green Spider Dagger playfully shifting from hand to hand, suddenly vanishing from sight.
It was the Spider Queen Rose, the infamous Abyssal Demonweb Queen of the Multiverse! She tilted her head back, looking at Illyria atop the ancient tree, her full lips curling into a slightly mocking smile, though her violet eyes remained expressionless.
"Long time no see, Illyria."
Illyria pressed her lips tightly together, remaining silent, drawing the Crescent Moon Blade from behind her, the sword tip vibrating in the air, producing a crisp sound.
She raised the moon blade, pointing it at the Spider Queen.
In a flash, the two goddesses locked eyes for a moment, then simultaneously moved forward, rushing towards each other.
Illyria's moon blade vibrated rapidly, a bright full moon rising behind her, illuminating the night sky and slightly driving back the heavy blood color, before she lunged forward to stab Rose in the chest.
Rose floated backward, and Illyria pursued closely, the two goddesses engaging in a deadly duel in the air.
Illyria's movements were light and graceful, each gesture infused with exquisite elegance, as if she were performing a sword dance even in the midst of life and death.
In contrast, Rose appeared much more sinister.
She resembled a spider hanging on a thread, the entire air filled with her webs, advancing and retreating directly, moving like the wind, seemingly stiff and without deviation, yet every movement was calculated for maximum efficiency, with no unnecessary flourishes.
Though it was a direct confrontation, each of her attacks felt like an ambush, embodying the style of a standard assassin.
Clang! The Crescent Moon Blade and the Spider Dagger clashed, erupting in brilliant light, a mix of crisp and muffled sounds echoing.
The two combatants seemed oblivious, but the invisible shockwaves rippled outward, tearing apart the surrounding void, everything dissolving into dust, only to reassemble in an instant, repeating endlessly.
The scarlet blood surged like dark clouds, an overwhelming pressure emanating from it, nearly overwhelming consciousness. Only when Illyria swung her moon blade, reflecting the bright full moon behind her, did a few glimmers of light scatter in all directions, slightly pushing back the darkness.
"This is the power of a deity."
A Wizard from the Star Spirit Clock Tower, hidden in the distance, watched this scene with admiration on his face.
The use of spells has countless techniques and tricks, but in the face of deities, all of that is meaningless; even powerful seventh or eighth-circle spells struggle to harm a deity.
Only the highest-level ninth-circle spells can pose some threat to deities.
But even then, it is only a slight threat.
True Spirit Wizards, when dealing with deities, generally do not expend the considerable resources required for ninth-circle spells; they rely more on Law Power, which is on par with Divine Power and Divine Authority.
Only Law Power can truly threaten deities! Whether it's deities against deities or deities against True Spirit Wizards, their battles essentially revolve around the clash of Law Power.
It's a contest of who has a stronger grasp of the laws and a deeper understanding and control over them.
The battle in the distance continued.
Illyria steadily fended off Rose's repeated assaults, but each of her counterattacks was also skillfully evaded or blocked.
The disparity in power was evident; had it not been for the suppressive effect of the Crescent Moon Blade in Illyria's hands against Rose, she would have likely fallen to Rose's Spider Dagger by now.
However, the Wizards knew this was merely a temporary stalemate.
In the face of such a significant power gap, the final outcome would not change.
It was precisely for this reason that they had informed Illyria of the situation, hoping she would prepare adequately and not suffer too devastating a defeat, at least inflicting enough damage on Rose.
This way, their subsequent plans could continue! As the two deities clashed, the blood-red clouds and the bright moonlight filled the sky, intertwining and mixing, surging like waves in a storm.
Gradually, the forms of the two deities became indistinguishable, only two swirling masses of blood-red and silver light could be faintly seen colliding!
Uncertain how much time passed, a thunderous roar suddenly echoed in the high sky.
Then, a massive hole tore open between the mixed blood-red and silver clouds.
The figures of the two deities re-emerged.
Illyria retreated like an arrow, her weapon flying from her hand, shattering into dozens of fragments in mid-air, scattering everywhere.
"Goodbye, Illyria."
Rose declared with a cold smile, a vast web descending from above, wrapping Illyria within, tightly entangling her like a cocoon, pulling her into the black hole above, disappearing from sight.
"Ah!"
The Petitioners on the ground let out a piercing roar, desperate to save their faith, but with Illyria's defeat, the moonlight surrounding them also dissipated, quickly being overwhelmed by the endless spiders and demons.
Watching this scene, Rose let out a low laugh, wiped the blood from the corner of her lips, and cast a distant, haunting glance towards the direction of the Wizards before stepping forward, her figure suddenly vanishing into the void.
"Discovered?"
In the distance, a Wizard frowned slightly but quickly regained his composure.
Being discovered was of no consequence.
The Spider Queen had long coveted the Crescent Moon Goddess's Divine Authority; with such a tempting bait before her, even knowing it was a poisoned lure, she would surely take the bait.
This was an open and aboveboard scheme! The current developments were in line with their plans; the bait had already been swallowed, and even if the Spider Queen sensed their involvement, it was already too late.
The war on the plains had ended; without the protection of the Crescent Moon Goddess, the Petitioners had been completely annihilated.
Endless spiders scattered, rejoicing and screeching.
The scarlet blood spread in all directions, its hue growing ever more intense.
The Abyssal Demonweb was rapidly consuming this divine kingdom.
Before long, this place would also become part of the Spider Queen's divine realm.
The Wizard withdrew his gaze, tearing open a rift in the Plane, stepping into it and disappearing from sight.
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