The battlefield froze when Varkus' lightning struck behind Luo Feng's forces instead of in front of them.
For one terrible, suspended moment, everything was silent—even the Death Queen's usual stream of murderous commentary cut off mid-sentence. Then the Thunder God himself descended in a crackle of ozone and betrayal, his stormcloak billowing with unnatural stillness.
"Sorry, kid," he rumbled, not sounding sorry at all as he leveled his spear at Luo Feng's throat. "Orders are orders."
The Death Queen's daggers were already spinning. Li Qing's frost crept forward in jagged spikes. The Fox Spirit's tails flickered with barely-contained fire.
And Luo Feng—
Luo Feng noticed the frost clinging to Varkus' earlobe.
A nearly imperceptible crystal, humming with familiar energy. Li Qing's signature. Her version of a comms device.
The Thunder God winked.
What followed was the most dramatic fake betrayal in celestial history.
Varkus' "attack" missed Luo Feng by a theatrical margin, his lightning instead frying the Pantheon's backup divine Wi-Fi router. His "taunts" were delivered just loudly enough for nearby gods to overhear—and just vaguely enough to sow maximum confusion.
"You never deserved the Eclipse Core!" (Translation: The Sky Father keeps his secret hoard of ambrosia under his throne cushion.)
"I should have crushed you when I had the chance!" (The Goddess of Wisdom's private library has no lock on the third window.)
"This ends now!" (Meet me at the west barracks at midnight for snacks and sabotage.)
The Death Queen, who had caught on immediately, played her part with terrifying enthusiasm—lunging at Varkus with a dagger that just happened to slice through the War God's belt, sending his armored skirt clattering to the ground.
Li Qing, for her part, maintained perfect icy composure—if you ignored how her frost kept "accidentally" redirecting enemy attacks into each other.
And the Fox Spirit?
She was having far too much fun.
"OH NO!" she wailed, clutching her chest as Varkus' lightning grazed her shoulder. "I AM MORTALLY WOUNDED BY THIS BETRAYAL!" She collapsed onto a conveniently placed pile of enemy shields, kicking her legs dramatically. "TELL MY STORY!"
Varkus looked pained. "You're overdoing it."
"Never enough," she shot back, then rolled off the shields to set a nearby banner on fire.
By the time the Pantheon's forces retreated—thoroughly demoralized and missing several key pieces of armor—the "traitor" Thunder God had:
"Stolen" Luo Feng's belt pouch (now full of explosive runes)
"Destroyed" their supplies (mostly expired rations no one wanted anyway)
Left behind a very obvious trail leading straight to the Sky Father's private wine cellar
As he vanished in a final, showy thunderclap, his voice echoed behind him:
"THIS ISN'T OVER!"
("Midnight," whispered the frost crystal, just before it melted. "Bring snacks.")
The Death Queen dusted off her hands. "Well. That was fun."
Li Qing nodded approvingly. "Acceptable deception."
The Fox Spirit was already rummaging through the "looted" supplies. "Ooooh, are these divine raisins?"
Luo Feng sighed.
Somewhere in the distance, a plush demon was sewing tiny "Team Varkus" armbands. Just in case.
END OF CHAPTER 83