According to his own request, Sterl only asked for a team of ten people, including Diana and Morette. Most of these ten were individuals he had saved, and they were deeply grateful, obedient, and even idolized him. The others, though they might have some dissatisfaction in their hearts, were still compelled by their strength and the principle of the majority, so they also followed his orders without question.
In addition, the remaining twenty or so gods were all led by Eterna. At first, Eterna didn't fully understand the reasoning behind this arrangement, but since it was Sterl's own request, she didn't dare oppose it.
Moreover, for Sterl, this was actually a good thing. The more people leading the team, the less likely they would encounter danger. He still had some concerns about the Shielding Power of forces like Ashen's, even though he wielded two
Sword of Doomsday Judgment
. No one could be sure if the enemy had some hidden trump card.
"We can begin..."
At that moment, Boris from Sterl's team suddenly broke away and sped off into the distance.
"Huh? Boris is leaving!"
"What is he doing? How dare he disobey Lord Hades' orders and act alone?"
"Such audacity! This is a battle that will determine the fate of our Orichalcum nation!"
Watching Boris vanish into the distance, Morette and the others were filled with both surprise and anger. As for the possibility of Boris betraying them, that was out of the question. The bond between the gods of Orichalcum and the royal city was far too strong. If the city were destroyed, they would suffer greatly, even fall from grace.
Moreover, betrayal was meaningless at the divine level. Very few factions would truly accept a traitor, unless that individual was bent on destruction without a care for anything else.
Although Boris had been publicly defeated by Sterl, which had hurt his pride, as a god, his mental resilience was usually strong enough not to be swayed by such a minor incident. No one had considered the idea of betrayal, so no one thought along those lines.
"Don't worry about it. He's just carrying out a solo mission I assigned to him," Sterl said calmly.
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned, staring at him in disbelief.
They had always placed Hades on a pedestal in their minds, but now it seemed they had underestimated him. The hatred Boris harbored for Hades was no secret, yet Hades had managed to persuade him to act on his behalf. This was no longer just a matter of strength—Hades' tactics and decisiveness were equally impressive.
No wonder they had been confused earlier about why Boris had willingly followed their team. It turned out he had already fallen under Hades' overwhelming influence.
At this moment, the gods allied with Ashen, empowered by their Shielding Power, were heading toward the Royal City of Orichalcum. The gap between the two factions was still quite large, and at this rate, Ashen's forces would end up misaligning perfectly with Eterna and her group, creating an opportunity for mutual ambushes.
However, Sterl would not allow such a situation to unfold. He sent a message to Boris, who was under the control of the followers' mark, and utterly loyal to him. Although Boris had initially strayed off course, he immediately corrected his path and flew straight toward Ashen's forces. His speed was far faster than Eterna's cautious approach.
Before long, Boris had arrived at the battlefield, positioning himself atop a mountain near Ashen's side. He waited in silence. If one looked closely, they would see a strange calm in his eyes, an eerie stillness, like a pool of stagnant water. If he stood still, he would appear... like a lifeless statue.
Everything around him was eerily quiet. The sky was vast and empty, not a single figure in sight, as if Boris were the only being in the world.
However, despite this solitude, Boris, aided by the powers and senses of his three divine authorities, began to feel that something was amiss. It seemed that something was slowly approaching him, closing in, and gradually encircling him. It was as if he were prey being stalked by a spider. By the time he fully sensed it, it would be too late.
Still, Boris did not panic. Instead, he smiled faintly. "Friends of Ashen, surely it's not customary to draw your ice blades the moment we meet. That's not very polite, don't you think? After all... I come here with sincerity."
At his words, the growing sense of danger paused abruptly. The next moment, a sharp flash of cold light appeared right in front of Boris, like the edge of a razor-sharp blade, grazing his neck.
In the next instant, a rugged and even somewhat grotesque-looking god appeared. It was none other than a member of Ashen's forces—the God of Werewolves!
This respected deity could be considered the most powerful being of the werewolf clan. His divine authority determined the speed, strength, and potential of his werewolf transformations, as well as other attributes. Furthermore, he possessed the power to control the moon, making him the ruler under the full moon, a formidable force indeed.
However, at this moment, he was staring at Boris in front of him with a grave and serious expression, his eyes filled with wariness and shock.
Because this person had actually discovered their Shielding Power, and it seemed as though he had already known their movements and position. He was waiting for them to arrive!
"Curses, Desert, and Battle... you are Boris of the Orichalcum Kingdom!"
Among gods of the same tier, there was no need for any special detection. As long as the person did not deliberately conceal their information, basic details about their identity would automatically appear.
The three-year-long tug-of-war might not have been long by divine standards, but it had been intense and compressed. They had become very familiar with their enemies. Within the Orichalcum Kingdom, only one god possessed all three divine authorities—Desert, Curses, and Battle—and that god was none other than Boris. He was one of the most powerful gods in the Orichalcum Kingdom, and one of the strongest even among those who resided in the upper realms.
But now, this very Boris had come alone to wait for them. What was going on here? The moment they discovered Boris, several gods from Ashen's side spread out to investigate the situation. But aside from Boris, no anomalies were detected.
In other words, if they wished, they could immediately concentrate their forces and, with lightning speed, erase this critical asset of the Orichalcum Kingdom in an instant.
This realization left the leader of Ashen's forces stunned. Cautiously, he ordered the God of Werewolves to drop the Shielding Power and approach Boris to engage in conversation, to find out what was truly happening.