Sterl's contestant number was relatively low. He quickly followed the instructions and entered the arena. His figure slowly emerged; although the arena appeared small from the outside, it was actually the size of a city, ample enough for demigod-level powerhouses to showcase their skills.
Across from him stood a young man with dreadlocks, resembling a member of the human race, exuding an aura that suggested he was a perfect-level demigod.
"Alright, let me stretch my muscles a bit."
"It's been a while since I've bullied a kid like this."
Sterl smiled, and the next moment—
"Is that the one from the Twilight Guild??"
"I concede!" the young man shouted decisively, vanishing in a flash of light, allowing Sterl to advance automatically.
"...Am I that famous?"
Sterl was momentarily stunned by his opponent's quick decision.
...
Sterl overlooked the reputation he had built from his previous exploits; the infamous strength of the Twilight Guild was known far and wide! He had previously slaughtered peers at the demigod level! Fighting him was just asking for trouble, wasn't it?
For several consecutive days, every time he entered the arena, his opponents would surrender immediately. Sterl was content with the ease of it all, continuing to organize his earlier gains.
He decided to allocate points to the one-third Iridescent-Level ability he had exchanged from the Hell faction. After four allocations and one extreme evolution, he completed the transformation into a full Iridescent-Level ability:
[Blade of the Undead]
[Tier: Iridescent-Level]
[Description: You will command endless undead, walking in the realm of the living, destroying everything, and bringing an end to all.]
[Effect: All units you kill can be resurrected, retaining 60% of their original combat power, to serve as undead under your command. You can store up to 1,000 undead.]
[Note: The strength of the undead cannot exceed the upper divine authority/Respectable Position.]
This skill was easy to understand; any being Sterl could kill could be transformed into an undead warrior. The limitation of upper divine authority was irrelevant for Sterl, as he currently could not deal with such formidable foes.
The Blade of the Undead could theoretically allow Sterl to amass six entities with sixty percent of their strength. It was important to note the vast difference in power between divine-level beings and those below them.
With a thousand divine units at his command, Sterl could single-handedly obliterate the Hall of Valor!
"This time, I've really hit the jackpot with my point allocation," Sterl couldn't help but marvel. When he realized that this skill could both undergo extreme evolution and advancement, he had a premonition—
Blade of the Undead would be immensely powerful.
And indeed, it was!
Next up was the enhancement of Destructive Light. He allocated points three times, simply increasing its power, transforming it into a mid-to-upper tier Iridescent-Level ability.
It seemed this ability could unlock the power of the Demon of Terror and Cruelty, requiring a cheat for the next enhancement to break through.
The Blood God Resurrection Technique was similar; at that time, one of Sterl's Fate Tokens was locked. When the "soul" of the Will of Hell shattered, that token vanished, granting him this skill.
He also allocated points to this three times, resulting in:
[Blood God Resurrection Technique]
Sterl remained calm.
When he arrived at the arena, he noticed that the audience attendance was even higher than before. Despite the soundproofing, cheers and applause erupted from demigod-level beings supporting the powerful competitors below.
"Go for it! Victory is ours!!"
"Show the spirit of our Spirit Kill guild!"
"For the glory of the Sun Goddess, offer your hearts!"
The chants echoed continuously.
In the arena, countless Divine Powers danced in the air, creating a tapestry of strange colors. Brilliant light rain fell, accompanied by gods wielding blessings and healing divine authority. Anyone seated in the arena could bask in the showers.
[You are affected by the Rain of Blessing; your skill Celestial Stars' proficiency is increasing randomly.]
[You are receiving the Rain of Blessing...]
Sterl was in good spirits, quietly enjoying the raindrops.
During the breaks between matches, many gods came forward to perform.
For instance, a god of Wealth and Trade descended with numerous sparkling loot spheres. Sterl casually grabbed a few and was delighted to find a few purple coins alongside a [Trade Token], an item composed of Trade's Divine Power.
It was said to act like a talisman, making it difficult to be deceived during transactions, but the real highlight was that Trade Tokens could also be allocated into Fate Tokens!
Sterl straightened up in his seat.
"Wait, does this mean I don't have to hunt gods to replenish Fate Tokens?"
He was thrilled.
While Trade Tokens were rare, during this Valor Combatants tournament "cash giveaway," many participants likely acquired some, making it easy for him to buy a batch.
Next, a god who controlled music divine authority presented a dance, while another god, skilled in culinary divine authority, cooked a demigod-level beast in mid-air for the numerous player NPCs to share.
The Valor Combatants tournament felt like a grand celebration for the Hall of Valor!
Countless people were exhilarated!
And Sterl officially faced his first opponent in the finals.
As a faint white light enveloped him, he found himself teleported to a cliff, surrounded by howling winds and a chilling frost that felt very uncomfortable.
In the distance, a naked figure with long hair, seated cross-legged and appearing almost primal, slowly lifted his head.
Just this simple action caused the world to tremble.
Hurricanes abruptly ceased.
Countless snowflakes began to rise from the ground toward the sky!
Sterl felt a prickling sensation all over his body; the Supreme across from him exuded a tremendous threat.
Aside from Lovic, none of the Supremes he had slain could compare to this individual!
...