As Boris's massive fist was about to smash Hades into the ground, Morette couldn't help but cry out.
How could the man who seemed like an invincible deity possibly lose?
This was the same Hades who had effortlessly slain five Ashen gods, leaving them no chance to resist. So why now, against Boris, did he appear so weak?
Had Morette misjudged him?
Was it possible that Hades had relied on some rare artifact to kill the Ashen gods? Or worse, had the entire spectacle been a ruse—a carefully staged performance meant to deceive them all?
It wasn't just Morette. The other gods whom Sterl had saved wore the same expressions of doubt and disbelief.
Many of the other gods glanced at them with pity.
Hades was their chosen savior, the one they had brought back with them, and just moments ago, they had even gone along with him to deceive the high-ranking god. Even if they hadn't known, they wouldn't escape punishment entirely.
The sight of Diana's distraught and horrified expression brought a wave of schadenfreude to the watching gods.
Wasn't she just fervently supporting her so-called "god of choice"?
Now, her beloved "god" was about to be crushed before everyone's eyes, forced to kneel and beg for mercy!
The thought of this scene sent a thrill of anticipation through many gods' hearts. Their gazes locked onto the unfolding battle in the Temple Space, eagerly awaiting the moment when Hades's face would twist with panic and terror.
However, to their surprise, Hades remained expressionless, calmly observing Boris, whose overwhelming aura of violence swept across the battlefield.
It was as if he saw Boris as nothing more than air.
"He's really good at keeping up appearances," someone muttered, sneering. "Still pretending even at death's door."
"Hahaha, you don't get it, do you? He knows he's doomed. This is just his attempt to preserve a shred of dignity before the end."
"I honestly don't understand him. Why not just surrender quietly?"
"So arrogant. I've hated him from the start. Too bad Boris beat me to it."
The mocking jeers in the temple grew louder, their scorn directed at Hades, while Diana and the others grew increasingly pale.
"You'd better watch closely! The only trash here is YOU!"
Seeing Hades's unchanged demeanor, Boris let out an enraged roar. His massive sand-formed fist, brimming with divine energy, slammed down with unrelenting force.
The space trembled violently. The sheer power behind the blow seemed capable of punching through the very earth itself. Even the residual pressure radiating outward caused some of the weaker gods in the temple to feel a sense of suffocation.
This was no ordinary attack—this punch could overpower two or three gods simultaneously without effort.
BOOM!
Under the watchful eyes of dozens of gods, Boris's devastating punch completely engulfed Sterl. The combined force of his three Divine Authorities erupted simultaneously at that moment.
If this attack had taken place in the mortal world, it would have reduced an entire kingdom's capital to ruins.
This was the power of a god—enough to overturn the heavens and rend the earth, a walking catastrophe in humanoid form.
"This is the price for underestimating me."
Boris's body emanated an unstoppable divine aura as he stood with his hands clasped behind his back, not even sparing a glance at Hades, whom he assumed was half-dead. He exuded the demeanor of an invincible champion.
Then, with a casual sweep of his gaze, Boris looked toward the temple's projection of the battle.
However, that was contingent on the attack actually landing.
In that brief moment, Sterl had activated Stardust at maximum capacity to amplify his Shadow Stealth ability. This, combined with his Divine Power, neutralized the spatial constraints of Boris's divine authority, allowing him to enter the shadow world.
Then, he activated Eternal Reincarnation, a nearly invincible ability that reduced incoming damage by 99%. Paired with the Star Power recovery ability and various passive buffs, Sterl didn't even need to use the invincibility power from the golden code he possessed.
Though the process carried its risks, the result had been extraordinarily effective.
Sterl glanced at the gods in the temple, their faces filled with stunned disbelief. He couldn't help but smirk internally. This was exactly his goal—not only to secure a bargaining chip with the high-ranking deity through his display of strength but also to utterly dominate the perceptions of these gods.
As for Boris? From beginning to end, he was nothing more than a pawn who had willingly stepped onto the board.
"The gap between you and me is far beyond what you can comprehend. I've taken one of your attacks. Now... it's your turn."
With that, Sterl raised his hand slowly. Careful not to reveal too many of his trump cards, he casually unleashed a sliver of his Temporal-Spatial Law, freezing Boris in place.
To the onlookers, it appeared as though Boris, still reeling from shock, simply hadn't recovered enough to react.
Then, the Iridescent-Level ability, Destructive Light, was unleashed!
In an instant, a terrifyingly brilliant beam of light surged from Sterl's hand, appearing before Boris with blinding speed. Boris immediately realized the danger, his face twisting in horror as he desperately tried to mobilize his Divine Power to resist.
But his body, frozen in place by the Temporal-Spatial Law, couldn't move an inch.
With no time to react, Boris was completely engulfed by the devastating force of the Destructive Light.
BOOM!
The ground trembled violently as a massive, scorched trench carved its way through the landscape, extending far into the horizon.
At the center of the destruction lay Boris, collapsed and broken, his body sprawled pitifully within the trench.
His once-pristine garments were shredded, his entire body covered in wounds, his aura weak and flickering. Gone was the proud and confident demeanor he had shown just moments ago.
Even now, Boris's mind was reeling in confusion.
How had Hades managed to avoid his full-powered attack? Or worse—was it possible that his best effort had been so insignificant in Hades's eyes that it had been brushed aside like a mere gust of wind?
He couldn't comprehend how a fellow god, also classified as a weak Divine Power, could possess such overwhelming and destructive strength—enough to leave him half-dead with a single strike.
Before he could piece together an answer, Hades's figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
The abruptness of it sent a jolt through Boris's body, like a bolt of lightning striking him awake. Instinctively, he tried to retreat, but his path was blocked by the glass-like, solidified earth behind him.
Hades raised his hand slowly, pointing it directly at Boris's head.
"Now, do you understand?"
The calm yet chilling voice reverberated in Boris's ears, wrapping him in an oppressive killing intent.
It felt as though, at any moment, Hades would unleash another Destructive Light, utterly annihilating him without mercy.
The crushing weight of his defeat, coupled with the overwhelming fear flooding his heart, shattered what remained of Boris's fighting spirit.
His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground, kneeling before Hades. His head bowed low, trembling as he stammered out his plea.
"I... I surrender. Please, Lord Hades... spare my life. Don't kill me."
...