Viktor's words echoed across the ruined pza of the divine temple.

  The lightning patterns on Zeus' golden robe suddenly lit up, and his divine power surged, making the once still air become suffocatingly tense.

  Zeus, who had remained calm, finally showed an emotional reaction. Viktor's request clearly disrupted some of his pns.

  "No."

  Zeus's gaze swept to Diana at the stone column.

  "Diana is your teacher. There is a bond and protection between you two. The purpose of the ritual is meant to be the ultimate trial and an honest confrontation. A teacher-student retionship would affect the fairness of the process and make it invalid.

  Viktor lifted his eyes.

  If Zeus remained as calm as before, he might have had to resort to activating the second pn with the ring in his hand.

  However, it seemed that using Batman's Pn B would be enough.

  Just as Viktor was about to say something else, Diana's voice suddenly rang out, clear yet determined.

  "In the name of Zeus, King of the Olympian Gods, I swear to fight with every ounce of my strength, without reservation or restraint. Should I break this oath, I willingly forfeit my divinity and descend forever into the depths of the Underworld."

  A pale golden divine light rose from Diana's body and wove itself into fine patterns that wound around her wrists and throat.

  That was the mark of the divine oath, and although it was made in Zeus' name, not even the King of the Gods could interfere with the oath that had been fully established.

  The lightning surrounding Zeus suddenly stalled, and his divine power was weakened by half in an instant.

  He looked at the unwavering resolve in Diana's eyes, and in his deep gaze, repced by a trace of helplessness.

  He slowly shook his head, and exhaustion entered his voice.

  "Do you still resent me?"

  Diana's hands at her sides tightened almost gradually, but she avoided looking into Zeus' eyes.

  "The oath has been made. You have no reason to stop me from becoming the fourth challenger."

  Seeing her silence, Zeus understood and waved his hand.

  The divine command that had bound Diana was lifted.

  "So be it. You have always been this way. You were never mine to command by force."

  Zeus' voice became much softer as he watched Diana, stretching her limbs as she slowly walked toward Viktor.

  He suddenly spoke again, his voice no longer full of authority but filled with a hint of sadness.

  "What I have done here was not merely greed for his body. The gods of Olympus have long lost their former glory, and the old order is colpsing. I am trying to find, on behalf of all the gods of Olympus, some thread of change."

  Diana's steps stopped despite herself.

  Even though the retionship between the divine realm and the human world was not what it used to be, they were still closely connected in a certain sense.

  If the gods faced a crisis, Earth would likely suffer too. She slowly turned around, her eyes filled with doubt.

  "Do you already know about the potential crisis that may befall the divine realm in the future?"

  Zeus looked up at the misty clouds outside the temple's dome, his expression returning to a calm and silent demeanor.

  "I only know that the old gods will eventually be eliminated by time. This is an irreversible fate."

  However, when Eris brought back information about Viktor, Zeus found that he was a peculiar individual who did not belong to the established past or the uncertain future.

  A person who didn't fit into any pattern he knew.

  Zeus's gaze shifted to Diana, and something crept into his tone that almost sounded like a plea.

  "I ask you in the name of all the gods, my daughter, to continue with this Hero's Rite. We hope your student receives divinity and divine power. For him, it may not be such a bad thing."

  She seemed to be witnessing Zeus, the King of Gods, humbling himself for the first time, and her face slightly paled in shock.

  Diana's gaze fell on Viktor, still calm despite being covered in blood, not far away, her eyes filled with uncertainty.

  When he was flying with the stone column through the air, Viktor only shared a rough pn with her.

  Diana never expected Zeus to humble himself to such a position.

  Compared to the countless years of authority Zeus had as the King of the Gods, this was a huge and difficult decision.

  On one side was her father, with whom she shared blood, and the divine legacy of the realm she had protected for many years.

  On the other side was her student, whom she had given everything she knew, and the center of this whole absurd rite.

  Wonder Woman found herself caught in a dilemma for the first time.

  Viktor suddenly raised his hand and waved at Diana.

  "Ms. Prince, just follow your heart. You are only the fourth part of the Hero's Rite. We still have a backup."

  Viktor's voice was full of confidence.

  Diana looked at the calm and trust in Viktor's eyes, and the struggle in her heart slowly faded.

  With a sharp clench of her teeth, Diana lifted her head to look at Zeus, and her voice became firm.

  "By the terms of my divine oath sworn in the name of the King of the Gods, I demand the immediate return of my God Killer sword and my divine shield, and only when fully armed can I be said to be truly fighting without restraint."

  ...

  Batwing

  God Killer, which had been quietly pced on the alloy stand, suddenly began to tremble violently.

  The sword's bde emitted a dazzling golden light in the dark cockpit, and the sound of the sword ringing filled the entire aircraft.

  Batman's gaze sharpened, and his fingers quickly tapped the console.

  The cockpit door opened instantly, and a chilling gust of wind, carrying the divine aura, rushed into the cabin.

  "Let it go."

  He said in a low voice to Cyborg beside him.

  The God Killer seemed to have a will of its own.

  It broke free from the stand, transforming into a golden lightning bolt, shooting out of the aircraft, and heading straight for the mountain of Mount Olympus in northern Greece.

  ...

  The mountain of Mount Olympus.

  Shazam was rubbing his sore arm while floating alongside Superman.

  They were both prepared to open the rift again.

  "What is that?"

  Shazam suddenly widened his eyes, pointing at the golden light rapidly approaching from a distance, and his face filled with astonishment.

  Superman's blue eyes narrowed slightly, instantly locking onto the source of the light.

  It was none other than Diana's God Killer Sword. In the blink of an eye, the God Killer Sword reached the mountain.

  The sword burst with an intense golden light, ripping apart the space barrier Zeus had set, and a narrow but stable crack in space slowly began to open.

  "Now!"

  Superman growled as he thrust his hands into the space crack that was supposed to vanish in an instant.

  Surprisingly, it not only failed to close but also began to gradually widen.

  Shazam stared in disbelief at the scene, his brain struggling to process what was happening in front of him.

  'Superman was actually daring to go head-to-head with Zeus' divine power?'

  This was a scene he had never imagined.

  "Wait, if that's the case, how far am I really from Superman?"

  Shazam felt a bit ridiculous.

  Zeus' blessing made up one-sixth of his power, but just having the blessing surely couldn't compare to the King of the Gods.

  Suddenly, Batman's voice came through the earpiece with an overwhelming pressure that instantly snapped Shazam back to his senses.

  "You have five seconds left."

  Shazam clenched his fist, and the divine power inside him surged wildly.

  Batman's instructions are never wrong.

  "SHAZAM!!!"

  ...

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