As soon as Hephaestus heard the words, his easygoing expression shattered. The warmth that once burned in his molten eyes dimmed, replaced by a dreadful storm that churned beneath his immortal gaze.

For a fleeting instant, the forge-god looked less like a divine smith and more like a grieving father who had just received the worst news imaginable.

Dread filled his eyes, heavy and raw, before his massive figure suddenly vanished into thin air, leaving Alex stunned.

Alex blinked, trying to process what just happened. His mind raced—one second the god was there, steady as a mountain, and the next he had disappeared as though swallowed by the void itself. Alex turned sharply toward Lina.

Her face was pale, her body trembling as she rose unsteadily to her feet. Her golden eyes, normally sharp and unwavering, flickered with raw panic.

Alex stepped forward and grabbed her wrist. His grip was firm, but his voice came out rough. "What the hell is going on?"

Lina's breath hitched. For a heartbeat, her lips trembled, and then the words tore themselves from her throat. "They are attacking again."

The urgency in her tone pierced Alex to the bone. He narrowed his eyes. "Who's attacking?"

Her jaw clenched, and fire flared briefly in her eyes, masking the fear with fury. "Fallen angels," she spat, her voice laced with both rage and disgust.

Alex froze. For a moment his thoughts stalled, struggling to process the gravity behind those two words. Fallen angels—beings powerful enough to terrify even gods.

He forced himself to speak. "Calm down. Are they attacking here?"

Lina shook her head, her entire body quivering as if she carried the weight of countless lives on her shoulders. "No. Not here. But…" Her voice faltered for the first time Alex had ever heard. "But in the last world that still believes in Hephaestus—where his worshippers still call upon his name, his forge, his protection."

Alex's stomach twisted. He slowly released her hand, his mind running a mile a minute. "How do you even keep an eye on those people if you're trapped here?"

Lina didn't bother explaining. Her eyes hardened like molten gold solidifying into steel. "Come with me."

She didn't wait for his agreement. Her strides were swift, purposeful, carrying her deeper into the realm. Alex followed, heart hammering, unease gnawing at him like acid.

---

They entered the massive forge at the center of the realm.

Calling it a forge was almost insulting. It wasn't just an anvil and fire—it was a sprawling sanctum, a kingdom of creation itself.

Enormous furnaces towered like living titans, their bellies roaring with divine flames that shifted between colors no mortal eyes had names for. Rivers of molten metal coursed through transparent crystalline channels, glowing like lava veins beneath the floor. Weapon racks stretched endlessly, row upon row, filled with blades, spears, axes, bows, and constructs whose very shapes bent Alex's mind.

Some weapons burned with eternal fire, their hilts radiating unbearable heat. Others hummed with lightning, crackling arcs sparking between their edges. A few pulsed with eerie void-like energy that seemed to swallow the light around them, making Alex instinctively shiver.

"This place…" Alex whispered, awe bleeding through his tone.

But Lina didn't slow down. She led him into a chamber at the forge's heart—a place that looked less like a smith's workshop and more like a divine war room.

The chamber pulsed with cold light. Dozens of holographic screens floated midair, forming a circle around them, their surfaces flickering with live images from distant realms. The glow cast strange shadows across Alex's face, making him feel as if he'd stepped into a realm of science fiction twisted together with divine power.

Alex's eyes widened. 'What the hell…'

On the screens, madness unfolded.

Black-winged figures descended upon helpless mortals like wolves upon lambs. Their wings spread wide, blotting out the sun as they dove with predatory grace. Some villages still held under fragile divine barriers, glowing faintly like bubbles of glass. But where those barriers had shattered, chaos reigned.

Alex's breath caught.

Men and children were cut down mercilessly. Screams echoed even through the screens as fallen blades split flesh and bone without hesitation.

Women were dragged down, Raped under the mocking laughter of the black winged monstrocities.

Alex's fists clenched so tight his knuckles turned white. His chest heaved, the sight etching itself into his mind with painful clarity.

The weak flickering barriers trembled. When one collapsed, the mortals inside were slaughtered instantly. Blood ran like rivers, smoke and ash rising as homes burned, families torn apart in seconds.

Yet in scattered places, sparks of divine flame reignited, summoning new barriers that resisted for a time. Within them, the terrified survivors huddled together, their prayers desperate.

The fallen angels reveled in it all. Their laughter was cruel, a symphony of sadism that made Alex's stomach churn.

Among the swarm, three figures stood apart. Leaders. Their wings stretched broader, their weapons keener, their presence crushing.

One raised his blackened blade high and bellowed. "We warned you countless times! Still you pray to that forgotten smith! He is dead—gone—dust scattered in the winds of history!"

Another sneered, his voice booming like thunder. "Abandon Hephaestus! Worship our lord—the one who will rise as the true god! Bow, or burn!"

The third threw back his head and laughed, a sound like poisoned honey. "Most of Hephaestus's pitiful flock already left him behind. Only you insects remain. Choose wisely, or his last scraps of divinity won't shield you for long."

Inside the shimmering barriers, the mortals trembled. Yet even through their fear, their voices rose in prayer.

"Hephaestus… protect us…"

"Lord of the forge, save us…"

"Please, don't abandon us…"

---

Back in the control chamber, the atmosphere thickened until the air itself felt heavy. The divine pressure rolled in waves.

Even Alex felt it. His chest grew tight, as though he were suffocating beneath a mountain. He glanced at Lina and saw her trembling, golden tears streaking silently down her cheeks as her people were massacred before her eyes.

The scenes grew worse. Fallen angels clawed at another barrier. When their hands touched it, divine fire surged outward, incinerating them instantly. Ash rained down.

The leaders scowled. One snarled. "Leave it. Hephaestus's divinity weakens with every passing day. Sooner or later, the barrier will wither—and then they will all die screaming."

And then, like thunder rolling across the battlefield, their chant shook the air.

"ALL HAIL HIS MAJESTY BELIAL!"

Their voices roared in unison, wild and frenzied, echoing through every screen. It was a chorus of blasphemy, a declaration of conquest.

When at last the fallen departed, silence fell in the chamber.

Hephaestus reappeared. His massive frame radiated not warmth, but a cold, murderous rage. His face was carved from stone, his molten eyes burning with fury barely restrained.

No one spoke.

Then Lina broke. She rushed forward, kneeling at his feet, her voice desperate. "My lord, send me there! Please—as long as you are trapped here , weakened and bound, the barriers will fail. Your last followers will die!" Her voice cracked as she pressed her forehead to the floor. "All the soul warriors you've sent before have perished. Please, let me go this time!"

Hephaestus's gaze fell upon her, unreadable. His voice was deep, each word striking like an anvil. "Enough. Even if you are strong, you cannot stand alone against them."

Lina trembled, lowering her head further. Yet Alex saw the grief in her golden eyes, mirrored by the grief hidden behind Hephaestus's fury.

Silence stretched, heavy and suffocating.

Finally, Alex stepped forward. His voice broke the tension like a hammer striking glass.

"Alright," he snapped, glaring at both god and warrior. "Can someone tell me what the hell is going on? Because what I just saw on those screens…"

His throat tightened for a moment, the memory flashing too vividly in his mind. He forced himself to steady his tone. "…is going to haunt me in my sleep for at least a month. So I think I've earned the right to know."

------

A/N:

So how was the chapter? Tell me in the comments!

Thanks for the golden tickets:

@C_balt, @capnmoonfire,

@Juliana_Araujo_4659, @BluuuuTea,

@Fa342, @LaggingPenguin,

@Brandon_Weeks_5518, @iTz_ZeRo,

@Pop_Pop_0735,

I really appreciate the support, guys.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.