Diana trembled uncontrollably, her gaze fixed on the lower body of the God of Curse and Flame. Her mind was a whirlwind of repulsion and resistance.
But right now, she had no strength left to fight back. Faced with the God's grasp, there was nowhere she could escape.
Was she really going to be publicly humiliated like this? Was she truly about to become a tool for these mortals to vent their desires, forced to endure their filthy acts day after day?
"No... it can't be. Who can save me..."
Her thoughts began to drift involuntarily, imagining a divine figure descending from the heavens, standing on clouds, rescuing her, and annihilating all the fallen gods—just like the fantasies she once had when she was still a little girl and had yet to ascend to divinity.
Unfortunately, fantasies were just that—fantasies. They were merely an escape from reality. Her fate seemed to be sealed. With that thought, her spirit began to falter, and she despondently closed her eyes.
But at that moment—
A terrifying aura suddenly surged!
Before she could even open her eyes, the surrounding space seemed to fall into a vortex, freezing the world around her in an instant.
For a brief moment, the five gods' movements came to a halt, and the soldiers below were as if sealed in wax, their faces frozen in evil, twisted grins of excitement.
"Just in time... I almost missed it," came a calm voice.
In the next instant, a figure appeared in front of Diana. The man exuded a vast and powerful aura, his appearance dignified and solemn, his presence overwhelming and fierce. In his hand, he wielded a brilliant sword that shimmered with endless starlight, his gaze steady as he stared at the five gods, now trapped in Spacetime Freeze.
It was Sterl, the hero who had arrived just in time!
He had deliberately delayed his arrival, waiting for the other three gods of Orichalcum to be slain, and for Diana to be on the brink of despair before stepping in to intervene.
Of course, there was another small motivation. How could such a stunning goddess be humiliated by these fallen gods? In a moment of crisis, a hero saving a damsel could even win the loyalty of a goddess.
To be honest, even he had found himself stirred by the previous scene. Watching the goddess being violated, no one could remain unmoved by such a compelling sight.
However, Sterl had strong spiritual principles. Having already set his sights on this goddess, he wasn't about to let himself wear the shame of a man who had allowed such disgrace to befall her.
"So small, and yet you still have the nerve to expose it?"
With a disdainful glance at the lower body of the God of Curse and Flame, Sterl sneered. Compared to his own, it looked like a weak, limp earthworm. How dare it try to humiliate a goddess?
He slowly raised his hand, and in his Ascend to Godhood state, all of his enhancements were activated, unleashing his full power!
Then, with a flick of his wrist, he swung the blade formed from condensed Star Power, simultaneously activating Shattered Void—One Sword Opens the Sky!
In an instant, a blinding light enveloped the five gods. Space Shatter tore through the air, transforming into countless blade-like shards carrying the Power of Space, swiftly slicing through their bodies.
[You have earned 10,000 Orichalcum Kingdom Contribution Points.]
[Your reputation in the Orichalcum Kingdom has increased by 10,000 points.]
[Current Contribution Points: 20,000]
[Current Reputation: (Respect 20,000/50,000)]
[As you are in the process of writing a legendary story, the hidden mission rewards will be compounded and settled once the story is completed.]
"Did I just trigger a hidden mission?" Sterl said with delight. It seemed that taking on tasks against Ashen didn't require him to seek out anyone; he could trigger faction-related hidden quests at any time and from anywhere.
It made sense, though. With the power he had demonstrated, he had already earned the respect of the Orichalcum Kingdom, and didn't need to go looking for gods to accept missions.
"Only 10,000 Contribution Points and 10,000 Reputation? That's a bit too little, don't you think?" Sterl muttered to himself. He remembered that when he had completed the Divine Mountain Empire task and slain the Emperor of the Divine Mountain Empire, the legendary Octavius, he had earned a full 100,000 Reputation.
But after giving it some thought, Sterl realized that the Reputation he had earned before was in relation to the Divine Mountain Empire, whereas now it was tied to the entire Orichalcum Kingdom, a powerful divine faction. Clearly, they weren't comparable.
In terms of value, even a single Contribution Point in the Orichalcum Kingdom was likely more precious than one hundred or even one thousand points in the Divine Mountain Empire!
Just as he was about to open the Contribution Mall to see what items he could exchange with these points, the system notified him that Orichalcum Kingdom Contribution Points could only be exchanged in the royal treasury in the capital.
"Gods already possess powers that are beyond the control of Transcendence, and as a divine-level faction, it makes sense that Transcendence cannot directly manifest items for exchange," Sterl mused.
He didn't think much of it and decided to wait until he reached the capital to make his exchanges.
His attention shifted back to Diana, and he saw that she was still in a dazed, almost trance-like state. A wicked smile crept onto his face, but he quickly masked it, adopting a cold and domineering expression. He extended his hand, forcefully pulling the goddess—whose clothing was in tatters, leaving only the most private parts of her divine body exposed—into his embrace.
Her soft and smooth form felt exquisite in his arms. Her delicate waist, so slender that it could easily be grasped in one hand, stirred an impulsive desire within him to lift her effortlessly and take her right there.
Diana, sensing something, began to react, but before she could struggle, Sterl reached into the fabric of space and retrieved a thin veil, gently draping it over her body. He then gazed down at her, their eyes locking. The moment was like a beautiful painting, and for the first time in centuries, Diana's heart stirred, ripples of emotion surfacing. Her eyes became unfocused, almost glazed.
Such a brilliant and powerful god, if she could be cherished and dominated by him... perhaps, it wasn't so unbearable after all.
As her humanity began to resurface, this thought surged uncontrollably in her mind. Staring at Sterl's handsome face, she even felt an impulse to kiss him.
"Don't worry, I'm here. It's all right now."
With those words, Sterl gently helped her to her feet, before glancing at the army below, all frozen in place with blank expressions. He snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, several massive meteors, imbued with immense power, rained down from the sky. Their target: the army below!
This time, the meteors didn't only strike Ashen's forces. The Orichalcum army was also within the impact zone!