Ostara's floral crown fell, her lustrous long hair shimmering. Petals scattered from the lush hydrangeas in the garden, dancing in the wind. The goddess raised her hands, and the vortex of petals dispersed the overcast sky.
Sunlight bathed Ostara's golden hair, eliciting a sigh of contentment from the goddess. The death of the gaunt specter had brought her replenished strength, a sensation she hadn't felt in a long time.
Odin brushed aside the shadow and called out loudly, "Ostara! Goddess of Spring! Show them what you can do!"
Flowers of various colors bloomed on Ostara's face, the power of spring invigorating the already vibrant garden. She bypassed the three old gods who eyed her menacingly and strode forward, unleashing the divine power of spring.
The goddess extended her hands to embrace the land. Under her command, petals rained down, forming a massive storm that swept across the realm. Life rapidly vanished from the land as Ostara reclaimed the spring.
Odin laughed heartily, cheering for Ostara. "Tell the believers that we have taken the spring. If they wish to reclaim it, they must follow the ancient rituals and pray to the gods once more!"
The media goddess stared in disbelief at the desolate land. She had never imagined that Ostara, who had always endured in silence, possessed such power!
The new gods pleased their believers with various inventions to gain faith, while the old gods, born at the dawn of civilization, demanded offerings through threats. Pestilence, war, and famine—the gods of the barbaric era used these means to extract sacrifices from their followers.
Ostara's miracle made the hitherto faithless Shadow believe in the existence of gods. It also alerted Sweeney and Laura, who had been hiding in the room as instructed, to the unfolding events.
Sweeney instinctively wanted to join the fray. Even though Odin had toyed with and abandoned him more than once, he wished for a glorious death and was ready to face the challenge without resentment towards Odin.
Laura, however, noticed her husband at first glance. Fearing exposure, Odin conjured lightning and launched a fierce assault on the three new gods.
Ostara, already aware of Vulcan the Forge God's cause of death, watched with cold indifference, even stepping back to signal her non-involvement.
Before Odin could react in astonishment, Mr. World's counterattack was imminent.
Sweeney leaped from the window to provide support. This former king of the gods, stripped of his faith and glory, could only be beaten by the god of technology. Odin, without time to ponder, seized the opportunity while Sweeney held the god of technology at bay and used all his might to subdue Mr. World.
Mr. World's body dissolved and reformed like a mosaic, dodging a bolt of lightning thrown by Odin. Unexpectedly, the lightning curved and shot directly towards the media goddess hiding behind.
Odin knew that Ostara's inaction had altered the original plan. He couldn't defeat his old rival, Mr. World, in a short time, and the weakened Sweeney wouldn't be able to hold back the god of technology for long. Thus, he employed a feint to kill the media goddess, who had never directly participated in the battle.
The fear on the media goddess's face froze. In a flash, Mr. World appeared before her, blocking the attack.
Mr. World's face began to pixelate uncontrollably. He had clearly sustained significant damage from Odin's full-force blow.
Glancing at the indifferent Ostara not far away, the media goddess, feeling a pang of empathy, immediately turned to leave. Ostara, with a blank expression, felt a stir within her and her eyes flickered towards the curtains in the villa behind her, which were moving as if in a breeze.
The staggering Mr. World, disregarding his injuries, intercepted Odin's pursuit. Odin, undeterred, wielded his lightning, forcing the god of technology to retreat.
The furious lightning power inflicted severe damage on the god of technology. The young god's helmet sparked with blue electricity from the blow. Stumbling back a few steps, he was tackled to the ground by Sweeney, who lunged forward.
Seeing this, Odin's swings of thunder became even more ferocious. Mr. World, unable to parry, dodged and retreated in disarray.
Despite the plan's deviation, the outcome favored their side. The battle-hardened Odin naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity, pressing his advantage to kill his old rival.
Meanwhile, the fleeing media goddess encountered an opponent. A thick fog suddenly enveloped the forest, causing her perception of space and time to vanish within the mist. An alarm blared in the media goddess's mind. Several attempts to change direction failed to escape the fog. Resigned, she stood still, awaiting the attacker's appearance.
"Hello there, an egg delivered to my doorstep... no, the media goddess," Lin Xiang emerged from the mist with a smile.
When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman benefits. Lin Xiang willingly accepted Odin's task of ambushing the media goddess. Although this gift required her to unwrap it personally, she decided to forgive Odin, considering he would take the blame.
"Oh dear! Your skirt is all dewy." The increasingly dense fog spread, and an invisible net silently climbed onto the media goddess along the threads of Zhaodi's faith.
Lin Xiang stopped a short distance from the media goddess and began to pace around her.
The media goddess's hat had somehow ended up on a tree branch. Cold sweat broke out on her forehead. "Goddess from the East, I have no intention of being your enemy."
Lin Xiang stopped, tilted her head, and studied the nervous media goddess with a smile. "I don't believe you."
"Even the covenant of faith between mortals and gods cannot bind you. Pale promises are less than a gentle breeze to you."
Lin Xiang suddenly had a mischievous idea. "Let's play a game."
With a sinister smile, Lin Xiang said to the media goddess, "Let your followers decide your fate. If more than half of your believers deem you a qualified deity, I will let you go. Otherwise, you will end yourself, saving me the effort."
"What do you say? Isn't this game fun?"
The media goddess finally displayed anger. "Are you so certain I am no match for you?"
"Isn't that obvious?" Lin Xiang retorted, flicking her finger. Invisible threads of causality instantly bound the media goddess tightly.
The media goddess then realized that the fog was filled with spiderweb-like nets. The faith obtained through deception had embedded itself like hooks into her divinity, leading to her swift defeat.
The power of faith was tainted with filth. Purple-black sores rapidly erupted on the media goddess's body. These impurities, transformed from malice, writhed and spread, causing the goddess excruciating pain.
"Faith is the bait cast by believers to deities. While swallowing faith, be wary of the malicious hooks it carries."
Lin Xiang listened to the media goddess's wails and said coldly, "If you cannot meet their demands, the faith that brings you power will become an incurable poison. It will change you in the direction your followers perceive, because power and obligation are always reciprocal."