Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize-Chapter 719: New Invasion on the Horizon

A moment passes, and there's no part of Zeus's body left unscathed. Gashes and slash wounds cover him from head to toe, blood dripping from every injury as if he's bathing in it. It's clear now that Tian Xingyun doesn't just want to kill Zeus—she wants to humiliate him.

"You!" Zeus grits his teeth, glaring at Tian Xingyun with pure hatred.

"I'm bored, Zeus… If you have no new tricks up your sleeve, I'm going to kill you now," Tian Xingyun says dismissively. She had prepared extensively for this moment after hearing from Envy that Zeus was the leader of the Greek Pantheon. She even brought out her treasured sword and wore the battle armor Daniel had crafted for her before his disappearance.

But it turned out to be overkill. Zeus barely had a chance to resist her. While Tian Xingyun didn't plan to underestimate him, her pride as the Empress of the Immortal Realm often resurfaces. And this time was no exception.

"Xingyun… don't play around. Just kill him already. Otherwise, I'll tell Daniel if you mess up our entire plan when he comes back," Envy's stern voice warns through the earpiece in Tian Xingyun's ear.

Hearing this, Tian Xingyun moves swiftly—faster than before. In an instant, she appears behind Zeus, her blade in her right hand and Zeus's head in her left. With a single flash, she decapitates him before he can even react.

"Fine! I've killed the bastard, alright? Stop threatening to snitch on me!" Tian Xingyun replies in annoyance before flying off toward Elpis.

At the Elpis Command Center, the mana signature of the last Olympian god to emerge from their secret realm vanishes. Envy lets out a long sigh and orders the officers and crew to continue monitoring the world for any disturbances before closing her eyes to rest.

This operation was a success, half thanks to the various contingencies Daniel had prepared before his disappearance. For example, the three God Slayer Cannons, the battle armor worn by Heracles and Tian Xingyun, and other strategic measures. Envy also improvised parts of the plan, such as involving Koyuki to eliminate Poseidon.

The other half of the success belongs to Gua Jia, who meticulously planned ahead and read the gods' personalities like an open book. For instance, Gua Jia predicted that Poseidon would follow and punish any mortal who dared challenge him.

To ensure the plan worked, Gua Jia set the portal to the Japanese sea—a place Poseidon would follow, believing he could still able to command the waters. However, he didn't anticipate Koyuki, waitin gon the itherside, wielding the power of Yamata no Orochi, using her home advantage to suppress his power. Without this, dealing with Poseidon would have been far more troublesome.

But most importantly, this plan would never have succeeded if one of the Olympian gods hadn't betrayed the entire Pantheon. They had struck a deal, and now that the deal was done, the other side should have received their reward. Envy hopes they can maintain the peace; otherwise, she'll have no choice but to make the Olympian gods extinct.

— Olympus Secret Realm —

Within the audience hall of Olympus's secret realm, Hephaestus walks in to find various minor gods—those who are irrelevant and lack significant power—debating over who should inherit the realm.

It's important to note that inheriting the Pantheon also grants the inheritor additional power and strength tied to the realm. This makes the throne a highly coveted prize, one that no minor god is willing to share. By nature, the leadership of the Pantheon cannot be divided.

"All of you seem very eager to sit on that throne," Hephaestus says slowly, his gaze sweeping over the minor gods as if they were nothing more than trash.

"Shut up, cripple! Who asked—" Before the minor god can finish his sentence, Hephaestus pulls out a gun and shoots him dead on the spot.

"Anyone else have opinions about my leg?" Hephaestus asks coldly.

The gun in his hand was originally developed by Nexus Prime. However, after making a deal with the Order of Ember, Hephaestus borrowed the concept and created a new type of bullet far deadlier than Nexus Prime's original design.

Nexus Prime, aiming for mass production for his army and the Order of Ember, didn't bother crafting bullets capable of killing a god in one shot like Hephaestus did. This was a practical approach, given Nexus Prime's vast manpower to throw at any godly invasion.

Hephaestus, on the other hand, used his divine power as the god of the forge to create bullet tips from the fire of his divinity, akin to forging mythical blades used by gods and heroes. Each bullet is a masterpiece, costing a fortune to produce—something Nexus Prime could never replicate. In all seriousness, only Hephaestus can create such bullets.

After witnessing Hephaestus's demonstration and seeing the fate of the minor god who dared to speak out, the remaining minor gods fall silent. None dare to utter a word as Hephaestus walks toward the throne of Olympus.

"What do you think you're doing, Hephaestus?" one of the braver minor gods asks, his tone threatening. But when Hephaestus turns to look at him, especially with the gun still in hand—even without pointing it—the minor god's bravery quickly gives way to rationality.

"What do you think? This throne belongs to me by birthright. Even if my father never acknowledged it, I, Hephaestus, am still his son, born from his first wife, Hera," Hephaestus declares before sitting on the throne, much to the dread of the minor gods.

As soon as Hephaestus sits on the throne, the power of Olympus revitalizes him. Although his leg, sacrificed to gain the knowledge of the forge, will never recover, the rest of his body—and most importantly, his godly power—is intensified. While he is clearly weaker than Zeus at his peak, Hephaestus is now several times stronger than any of the minor gods.

With the surge of power flowing through him, Hephaestus looks down at the minor gods. "Accept me as your lord, and I'll protect you from those powerful humans and foreign Pantheons," he coerces them.

The minor gods exchange hesitant glances, unsure about submitting to Hephaestus. They never considered him a candidate to inherit Olympus after Zeus's demise.

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In fact, Heracles seemed more likely to take the throne. Yet here Hephaestus sits, unchallenged, as none of them have the power to threaten him—especially after he made an example of one of their own.

The minor gods have no choice but to comply. Though they suspect Hephaestus may have had a hand in the demise of the major gods, their power is insufficient to voice such accusations.

As Hephaestus declares himself the leader of the Greek Pantheon, another pair of eyes watches from afar. It's Hermes, whom Envy tasked with keeping an eye on Hephaestus to ensure he doesn't go back on his word and start a war with humanity to reclaim divine dominance over the mortal world.

After witnessing this scene, Hermes nods. Hephaestus has only claimed to protect, not to reclaim. For now, Hermes will leave him alone but will set up means to monitor Hephaestus and check on him periodically.

—

With the gods' invasion quelled, Envy's gaze shifts to the far horizon, toward the darkness of space amidst the stars. Right now, an extraterrestrial invasion is advancing through space, heading straight for Earth. It will be several years before they arrive, but Envy knows she must prepare for the inevitable.

Despite the looming extraterrestrial threat, she finds herself grateful for it. The invasion serves as an anchor, binding many of Daniel's subordinates… the ones that are a little bit selfish and free-spirited—to the cause of the Order of Ember. Individuals like Albert and Cao Cao, who often pursue their own agendas, are forced to aligned with the Order's goals.

Without this looming threat, her headaches would be far worse. For example, there was a time when Albert sent someone to steal secrets from the Vatican and then framed Cao Cao, who was overseeing the Ming Federation and the mainland. This caused strained relations between Ming and the Vatican.

Fortunately, Envy intervened and didn't hesitate to reveal the truth, which earned her Albert's resentment. Since then, he has caused her minor troubles from time to time, such as delaying the delivery of key information.

These delays led to the failure of several missions due to time constraints, though none were critical—most were missions aimed at increasing wealth or gaining allies for her faction within the Order of Ember.

There were even instances where Envy caught Albert selling information to factions competing with her for the position of President of the Order of Ember!

Of course, Envy has taken note of all this. She's biding her time, waiting for Daniel to return so he can discipline that prick himself.

— The Shop —

After walking through the portal and entering the turbulent time stream, Daniel finds himself completely safe, unlike his trip to the Camelot era. However, the boredom of waiting for the time stream to reach the designated era remains. To pass the time, he decides to wait in the shop.

After greeting the Keeper, Daniel chooses to actualize Mordred immediately, noticing that the Mordred card in his mindscape has become active. He realizes that he can now bring her into existence.

"So… this actually means I need to meet Mordred first, and I have a role in her life. Is this one of those so-called 'Bootstrap Paradoxes?'" Daniel muses aloud, reflecting on his role as Merlin in the past.