Explosions echoed nonstop outside the ancient temple. The golden steeple that shielded it was already veined with dozens of hairline cracks.
With every strike from Zeus and Hera, the fractures deepened. In less than half an hour, the entire structure was reduced to splinters from top to bottom.
“Break it down!”
With a thunderous cry, Zeus and Hera unleashed everything they had and struck the steeple in perfect sync.
The impact shook the ground. The golden steeple, which had stood strong all night, finally shattered. Countless shards of divine light rained down like broken glass.
In the backyard of the ancient temple, Grace staggered as she coughed up blood.
“Your Highness!”
Several female guards rushed to catch her. Forming a wall in front of her, they braced for what was coming. They knew if they couldn’t convince Grace to leave, they would have to fight tooth and nail to protect her.
Outside, Zeus burst out laughing. “It’s cracked! We finally did it!”
He was exhausted, but the thrill outweighed the cost. A royal god’s might had to be taken seriously. If he couldn’t even destroy a small steeple, how could he face anyone later?
“That was exhausting,” Hera muttered, exhaling a long breath.
They’d broken through at last, but the effort left a sour taste in her mouth. It took an entire night and the combined efforts of two royal gods to bring it down. However she looked at it, there was nothing glorious about it.
Instead, one question lingered in her mind. Who owned that steeple?
Whoever it was had managed to hold off both her and Zeus for hours. That alone made them worth paying attention to.
“Listen up, everyone! Form ranks!”
As the steeple came crashing down, the monks stationed at the temple gates wasted no time. They rushed forward and quickly surrounded Zeus and Hera.
They knew this was their only chance.
After spending the entire night destroying the steeple, Zeus and Hera had to be near their limit. If they waited, the window would close, and there’d be no stopping them once they recovered.
Zeus swept his eyes across the monks and sneered.
“You really think this will work? A bunch of nobodies like you trying to take us down? Dream on.”
He didn’t even need to summon his internal energy. His physical strength alone was enough to crush them.
“Take him down!” the middle-aged monk commanded without hesitation. As soon as the formation locked into place, he shouted the signal to strike.
“Charge!”
Dozens of monks attacked in unison. Using the Adamantine Luminary Formation as their base, they surrounded Zeus and Hera in separate rings.
Right after that, their staff struck together in a loud clatter. Countless strikes swept in from every direction with overwhelming force. It was so dense that not even light could slip through.
Zeus didn’t flinch. He stood there, motionless, as the hail of attacks crashed down on him.
The sharp cracks echoed nonstop. Every staff that struck him either bent out of shape or snapped in half. Not a single blow even scratched him.
On the other hand, Hera vanished the moment the strikes closed in, and every blow missed its mark.
“What?”
The monks stared in disbelief at their warped and splintered staff. They had attacked with everything they had. 1
However, Zeus neither dodged nor used any energy to defend. He just stood there and let their blows land. Even so, none of their attacks could penetrate his defense.
That was a devastating blow to them. They had hoped to find an opening while Zeus was weak, but it turned out to be nothing more than a joke.
Zeus’s body was as strong as the legendary Golden Sentinel.
“That’s it? Is that really all you’ve got?”
Zeus sneered with contempt. Feeling amused, he was willing to toy with these insignificant fighters.
“Don’t get ahead of yourself!”
Two grandmaster-level monks exchanged a glance and swung their steel staffs together. One staff aimed at Zeus’s head while the other targeted his legs.
Zeus didn’t move but raised a hand to block.
With two loud bangs, their steel staff bent sharply but caused no damage.
The two monks were stunned. If even a full – power strike from both of them had no effect, then this fight was already lost.
“You done? Now, it’s my turn.”
Zeus laughed coldly and struck both monks in the chest and abdomen with lightning speed.
The two monks were thrown backward over a hundred feet away and crashed through three walls before stopping. They coughed up blood and were badly injured.
With a single move and no use of energy, Zeus severely wounded two grandmasters. The difference in their strength was like a deep chasm.
At that moment, everyone understood just how terrifying Zeus truly was. He was an enemy they had no hope of defeating.
