The chilling sound of Boris's plea echoed through the Temple Space, reverberating into the temple itself.
For a moment, there was absolute silence.
Every god in the temple stood frozen, eyes wide in shock, staring at the scene unfolding before them.
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The dramatic reversal hit them like a thunderous hammer, shaking their very cores. The sheer disbelief left their minds spinning, unable to process what had just occurred.
Boris... lost? No, worse than that—he knelt. Boris knelt.
This was Boris, the god of the three Divine Authorities, arguably the strongest in the Orichalcum Nation after Eterna. And yet, against Hades, he hadn't lasted a single move!
"Hahaha! Lord Hades is truly unstoppable! I told you—at this level, no one can defeat him! No god stands a chance!"
"Incredible. If it had been me, my fate would've been even worse than Boris's."
"Tsk, tsk. To challenge Lord Hades's authority, even after all the warnings? This is what they mean by, 'You can't save someone who doesn't want to be saved.'"
The gods who had been saved by Sterl—and had supported him all along—couldn't contain their excitement. Their eyes gleamed as they glanced mockingly at the other gods, many of whom still stood dumbfounded, unable to accept the outcome.
Though their words carried an air of ridicule, no one dared respond.
Firstly, the gods were still reeling from the sheer devastation of the battle they had just witnessed. Secondly—and perhaps more importantly—they were afraid.
The implications were clear. With strength like this, the high-ranking deities of Orichalcum would undoubtedly seize the opportunity to bring Hades fully into their fold. He would become the key figure in their war against the Ashen and other forces, possibly even granted full command of the campaign.
And if that happened? Hades would have the power to deal with them however he pleased. None of them wanted to risk being on the receiving end of his wrath.
Inside the Temple Space, Boris, after uttering his plea, seemed to collapse in on himself. His body fell limp, his strength drained, his eyes hollow and unfocused.
He had always believed that, when faced with a desperate situation, he would never bow like a mortal, never beg for his life. He had thought himself unyielding, even in the face of death.
But he had been wrong.
When he felt the overwhelming presence of death bearing down on him, his pride, his dignity—everything he thought he stood for—shattered in an instant.
Every cell in his body screamed for survival, pleaded for mercy, and he had followed the most primal instinct of all: to kneel.
The suffocating sense of imminent doom finally began to dissipate. He... had survived.
Boris's mind was a chaotic mess. He was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions, teetering on the verge of breaking down into tears.
The faint divine nature that had once coursed through him seemed to fade even faster, eroded by the humiliation and despair of his defeat.
He felt it slipping away entirely.
"Don't forget to offer all your resources and wealth," Sterl said flatly. His tone was calm, devoid of any emotion.
With that, he withdrew his oppressive aura and deactivated his ascend to godhood state. Instantly, his presence diminished to something entirely unremarkable, almost as if he were an ordinary mortal. Yet, despite this subdued appearance, every god present knew the truth: he could re-enter his godhood state at any moment, unleashing his overwhelming power.
With his array of invincibility abilities, resurrection skills, and powerful artifacts, Sterl was entirely unafraid of any ambushes or sneak attacks.
Even now, though his aura was restrained, not a single god dared to underestimate him. Boris's humiliating defeat was a stark reminder of what happened to those foolish enough to do so.
Sterl glanced at Boris, still collapsed on the ground. If it weren't for the fact that Boris was part of the Orichalcum Nation—and that a high-ranking deity was watching—Sterl wouldn't have hesitated to end this insolent fool.
After all, the royal city was equivalent in strength to a powerful Divine Power-tier god. Suppressing the energy of a high-ranking deity was a simple task. Though the city hadn't yet fully merged with the world, its location within the temple allowed it to exercise considerable influence.
"What's going on? Why did that deity suddenly attack?"
"Didn't Hades already win? What could that high-ranking god be thinking?"
"Is this the price of returning to the Orichalcum Nation?"
"Oh no... please, nothing must happen to Lord Hades!"
Every god was wide-eyed, utterly bewildered. The attack had come so suddenly, with no warning or explanation.
Had Hades not reacted quickly enough, he might have been obliterated on the spot. The onlookers silently acknowledged that if they had been in his position, there was no way they could have responded in time.
Boris, too, stood frozen, his mind blank as he watched the clash unfold.
Feeling the power radiating from Hades's Destructive Light, a bitter realization struck him.
Hades hadn't used his full strength during their battle.
He, Boris, had never even qualified to be taken seriously.
The thought was laughable—tragically, pathetically laughable.
Two powerful forces directly concealed the location of Hades and the high-ranking deity, making it undetectable even to the gods. Under the wide-eyed and fearful gazes of everyone, these dazzling lights slowly faded, revealing two towering figures—it was none other than the high-ranking deity and Hades!
"Thank heavens, Mr. Hades is unharmed!"
Morette immediately sighed in relief, and Diana, who had been anxiously awaiting the outcome, also relaxed. Just moments ago, her mind had gone blank, and she had thought Hades was about to be struck down by the high-ranking deity. At that moment, her heart felt as if a part of it was missing, leaving a hollow emptiness.
Fortunately, Hades had once again performed a miracle, surviving the attack from the high-ranking deity.
"He's actually... completely fine?"
"Did the high-ranking deity hold back? How could there be a faint Divine Power strong enough to resist the authority of a high-ranking god? This is simply unbelievable!"
"The gap between gods is far greater than the one between legends and faint Divine Power. Isn't this equivalent to a legend withstanding a god's strike?"
Without a doubt, Sterl's display of power had once again shattered their worldview.
If these gods knew that Sterl was neither a god nor even a legend, would their entire worldview collapse?
"What do you mean by that?"
Sterl took a deep breath, feeling a tightness in his chest, as if he had just been struck by a powerful blow. The force of the Law was too rough and overwhelming. Despite using every ounce of his strength, except for Time Law, he still couldn't fully block it.
Fortunately, this divine light wasn't of Radiant level, so Eternal Reincarnation was able to endure it.
He then fixed a steely gaze on the high-ranking deity, his dissatisfaction glaring in his eyes.
Earlier, he had thoroughly checked himself, and there was absolutely no way his presence could have been exposed—if even the royal palace couldn't detect him, how could this high-ranking deity have possibly found him?
If he didn't get a satisfactory explanation, he wouldn't hesitate to activate his invincible power along with Time Law, creating a huge disturbance here and then descending further.
As for the legendary story, even if his previous plans didn't succeed, he had ways of slowly wearing down the strength of Orichalcum and Ashen forces. With his cheat, he was growing stronger every day and didn't have to worry; it would just take a bit longer!
...