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Divine Judgement

For a hell lord like Zatanos, the punishment halo's lethality was inconsequential, causing at most mild discomfort.

But Forseti hadn't anticipated the punishment halo having any effect on Zatanos. He activated the halo solely to rouse the remaining Ghost Riders.

Based on prior attempts, he believed the power that freed the Ghost Riders from Zatanos's control stemmed from the punitive force of holy light.

While the exact reason remained unclear, the Evil Spirit Legion represented the strongest combat force in this realm and even throughout Hell. Forseti needed to bring them into his fold; otherwise, the constant use of Divine Shield would spell his demise.

With the punishment halo active, beams of holy light streamed down from above. The hundreds of Evil Spirit Knights below halted their movements; their flaming bodies trembled, and some even bellowed in agony, as if suffering unbearable torment.

Witnessing this, Zatanos's expression shifted drastically. "What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Forseti exerted all his strength to extend the punishment halo.

Although the halo covered a vast area, its power was finite. Thus, the Evil Spirit Legion didn't immediately break free from Zatanos's control but instead writhed, howling, and trembling—a scene of ghostly anguish.

"God! Why have you forsaken us? Why abandon your avenging spirits?" Stirred by the punishment halo, some Ghost Riders spiraled into madness.

"What is justice? What is truth?"

"Are you deaf, Jehovah? We called out to you in Hell, and we called out to you in the world, yet you left us to rot in Hell!" They opened their pallid jaws and screamed into the sky, their hoarse voices booming like thunder ripping through the heavens.

"Eternal God, Omniscient God, answer your vengeful spirits!"

Confronted with the restless Evil Spirit army, Zatanos swiftly commanded, "Evil Knights, slay this Asgardian!"

Most of the Ghost Riders appeared oblivious to his orders, continuing to howl and tremble frantically, resembling crazed men being burned at the stake.

Nevertheless, about a hundred complied, launching another assault on Forseti with flaming chains.

Forseti's radiant wings fluttered as he swiftly dodged to the side, the chains twisting through the air in pursuit.

While most chains lagged behind the wrathful Ghost Riders in speed,

to maintain the punishment halo, Forseti couldn't stray too far. Hence, he had to circle within a certain range, occasionally being caught by the chains.

Spotting several chains hurtling toward him, Forseti promptly conjured a shield of holy light to withstand the onslaught.

*Boom!* Several chains bombarded the holy light shield, causing it to crack and flicker.

Seizing the opportunity, Zatanos unleashed a massive fireball conjured from the smoldering hellfire, hurtling toward Forseti like a meteorite descending from the heavens.

Having just deflected several chain attacks, Forseti was struck unprepared by the infernal fireball.

The immense hellfire, saturated with dark power, detonated upon impact, instantly tearing through the weakened holy light shield and engulfing Forseti.

Forseti's flame power had awakened once more, yet it paled before Zatanos's infernal hellfire. Under the searing onslaught of potent demonic flames, his skin reddened within moments.

Worse yet, the hellfire clung to him like leeches to flesh, resisting all attempts to shake them off.

"Don't waste your efforts; my hellfire isn't so easily extinguished," Zatanos sneered. Simultaneously, another large cluster of hellfire surged before him, its infernal flames billowing skyward.

As the hellfire continued to scorch, Forseti's hair ignited, his skin ablaze. While a considerable amount of hellfire energy was dissipated, the next barrage loomed imminent.

Moreover, preoccupied with battling the infernal blaze, Forseti suddenly found himself besieged by a markedly increased number of chains. Dozens of fiery chains came hurtling toward him.

In an instant, dozens of chains and another volley of hellfire from Zatanos converged on Forseti.

Holy Shield!

In the nick of time, Forseti invoked the Holy Shield technique once more, a rune-etched halo enveloping his entire form.

*Boom!* Before the overwhelming might of the Holy Light, the menacing chains and hellfire were like moths battering a lantern, utterly unable to breach the shield or even ripple its surface.

In this critical moment, Forseti experienced a sudden revelation, recalling his initial confrontation with Zatanos in Vanaheim.

He had been weak then, relying on Divine Shield to protect him from Zatanos's lethal powers. Something extraordinary had occurred, leaving a profound impression.

Under the protection of Divine Shield, he could absorb Zatanos's flames.

Testing his recollection, Forseti absorbed the hellfire enveloping him. The demonic flames seemed to recoil upon contact with him, imploding in reverse.

The pure flame energy seamlessly integrated into his body while the discordant demonic energy was repelled by the Holy Shield, dissipating into wisps of black mist that dispersed into the air.

*Boom!* Thanks to the punitive halo's influence, the demonic energies detonated upon manifestation, their assault thwarted by the still-active Holy Shield, rupturing the chains of the Evil Knights.

Capitalizing on the opportunity, Forseti made his escape, transforming into a streak of golden light and arcing swiftly downward.

Observing his escape from dire circumstances once more and tracing his elegant trajectory, Zatanos couldn't help but wonder, "Why?"

Moments earlier, when Forseti emerged unscathed from the combined onslaught of hundreds of Ghost Riders, Zatanos had already contemplated this question.

Now, faced with a repeat of the same spectacle, he found himself on the verge of suspicion.

Could this individual be Odin in disguise?

Yet wasn't Odin dying of old age?