CHAPTER 336: CHAPTER336-FACING A GOD

Kogmaw’s expression had turned grim. He pivoted toward Daniel, his massive body tense, and his voice carried a weight of accusation.

"Daniel... this isn’t what we agreed upon. You told me we were going to destroy a sun. But you never mentioned that the sun in question was Apollo—the one at Level 800."

He had assumed Daniel meant one of the weaker suns that lingered over lesser continents. Such tasks, though difficult, would not have been beyond his confidence. But Apollo, the sun of the Myriad Races Continent, was an entirely different matter.

Even for someone like Kogmaw, who trusted in his own overwhelming power, the thought of facing Apollo directly was daunting. Level 800 was not just a number. It was an abyssal gulf, a level that even he did not dare claim he could surpass.

For the first time, Kogmaw felt as though he had been deceived.

Daniel, meanwhile, had already summoned all of his avatars. His duplications shimmered into existence around him, each ready to join in the assault at a moment’s notice. His stance was steady, prepared, and his eyes never left the descending sun. Yet he did not strike. Nor did he answer Kogmaw’s complaint.

Instead, Daniel waited.

On the far side of the Miracle Gate, no reply came. No sign of Aurelia, no divine presence pushing through.

Daniel’s preparations were complete. If things continued in silence, if no reaction came from Aurelia herself, then he would have no choice but to employ Time Stream once again, rewinding the moment to attempt another path.

Because if Aurelia refused to intervene, then dealing with Apollo alone would be a nightmare.

Above, Apollo continued to plummet, the tainted sun streaking toward the continent. The air was thick with the scent of burning, of corruption, of dread.

And then, a shift.

A pale silver moonlight spilled across the world, bathing the continent in a cool, luminous glow. At the same time, endless carpets of clover sprouted and spread across the land, blanketing the earth in green.

The moment Milla saw this, the severity on her face melted into relief. Her lips curved in recognition.

It was the work of the Luck Goddess. She had succeeded in connecting to the Miracle Gate.

A breeze swept across the world. With it, the raging violet flames that had been devouring life moments ago flickered, wavered, and then vanished entirely. The inferno was extinguished as though it had never existed.

Even Apollo himself was affected. The freefall slowed. His vast form seemed to be pulled upward by an invisible hand, halting his descent. Cracks splintered across his blazing surface, spreading wider with every second.

The Filth of God boiled across him, writhing uncontrollably, multiplying with unnatural speed. It was plain to see: Apollo was unraveling.

The sun god’s state had already been dire. Now, under the weight of old wounds reopening and the relentless spread of corruption, his condition worsened sharply.

[Current State: Lost, Weakened...]

Within a matter of breaths, Apollo’s vitality plummeted. His HP dropped rapidly, shrinking to less than twenty percent. At this pace, he would not last long. His death seemed inevitable.

Daniel realized he might not even need to attack. Apollo would collapse under his own weight, destroyed by his corruption.

The terrifying truth stood clear: the power of a god was absolute. Even Apollo, a being at Level 800, was fragile in the presence of a true god’s will. Before Aurelia or the Luck Goddess, his existence was reduced to a flickering ember.

And then, without warning, everything changed.

The Miracle Gate flared with a sudden burst of dazzling white light. In the blink of an eye, the gentle moonlight that had spread across the land vanished.

The white radiance caused no harm, no explosion, no immediate destruction. Yet Daniel recognized it instantly.

The aura was familiar.

The Goddess of Gold & Silver, Aurelia, had finally moved.

Not out of impulse, not out of loss of control, but out of necessity. The Luck Goddess had forced her hand. Without intervention, Apollo would not have survived.

The sun’s descent slowed further. His crumbling state stabilized, his form no longer unraveling.

Aurelia did not strike again. Her hand had been forced once, but she offered nothing more.

By design, the Miracle Gate should have connected solely to Aurelia. Yet the Luck Goddess, by some unknown artifice, had hijacked the transmission briefly, inserting her influence. A brazen move, one Aurelia could not ignore.

Then, from the depths of the gate, a clear, melodic voice rang out.

"Apologies, Aurelia. I must have accidentally connected to your Miracle Gate. I trust you don’t mind too much?"

The words were gentle, but they carried a teasing edge.

A low, cold snort followed, dripping with displeasure.

It was Aurelia. Her tone was sharp, her irritation clear."So you hinder me. And what of it? Do you think it matters?"

"You walk a path destined for failure. I wonder, when you stand before your Inner God, will fortune still smile upon you then?"

"To me, you’re nothing more than one who has ceased to advance. Stagnant. Unchanging."

Her voice was cutting, dismissive.

Even as she spoke, a surge of mind power spread from the gate, washing over the realm. The overwhelming force seized everything.

Daniel immediately noticed it. Space itself locked down. Time froze in place. Milla, Kogmaw, everything around him fell motionless, as though turned to stone.

The entire world stood still.

Only Daniel remained free.

Then, before him, a brilliance began to coalesce. Golden and silver lights intertwined, swirling together, compressing until a radiant human form stood in the air.

A mocking voice echoed from the glow.

"Daniel, did you really think I had not noticed the shifts in time? Did you truly believe your petty manipulations escaped my gaze?"

"What you thought were your victories... were nothing but my design. Do not delude yourself. Some things were written long before you existed. And what I intend to accomplish cannot be altered by you."

Daniel’s heart thundered. His breath caught.

This was her.

This radiant apparition... it could only be Aurelia, Goddess of Gold & Silver.

His instincts screamed. In a heartbeat, Daniel assumed a combat stance, bracing himself. Reflexively, he reached for Time Stream. He would reset, rewind, retreat if necessary.

But nothing happened.

The skill would not activate.

The reality crashed down on him: Aurelia had sealed even time.

The golden-silver figure stepped closer, her radiance unwavering. Then she did something wholly unexpected. She leaned lightly against his shoulder, her presence pressing against him, intimate yet suffocating.

Her voice, soft yet inexorable, whispered near his ear."I know you want to move. But understand this: this moment belongs to me."

"You wield formidable God Rank Skills, yes. But even they require time to invoke. And in this instant... time is mine."

Daniel’s mind raced. Confusion churned within him like a storm. Yet beneath the panic, he held fast to one truth: he must not falter.

Desperately, he reached for Psychic Perception, hoping to peer into her thoughts. But his mind returned only emptiness—blank, impenetrable void. Her heart was beyond his grasp.

His arsenal of God Rank Skills was sealed, rendered useless. Only the Eye of Insight remained functional, providing fragments of perception.

[Moment of the Goddess of Gold & Silver, Aurelia][You are now synchronized with Aurelia.]

The Eye’s reading was simple and chilling.

Aurelia had meant her words literally. This instant, this fragment of time, belonged solely to her.

And in that frozen stillness, her voice—smooth, lazy, almost playful—brushed against him again.

"All that you’ve done... it changes nothing for me."

"The Luck Goddess and I... our contest is far from decided."