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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.

Still, for all of Boris\'s weakness, he had served a purpose, providing Sterl the perfect opportunity to showcase his strength.

Without giving Boris another thought, Sterl stepped out of the Temple Space, his form reappearing in the temple.

The moment he emerged, dozens of eyes turned to him.

Every god stared at Sterl without blinking, their gazes filled with a mix of shock, awe, disbelief, envy, and even fear.

This was the reward for power—a respect that came with dignity, admiration, status, and authority.

Boris, on the other hand, also exited the Temple Space, but he stood off to the side in a daze. His posture was unsteady, his mind still struggling to process what had happened.

None of the other gods paid him any attention.

The few glances he did receive carried traces of pity, regret, and even mocking disdain.

He hadn\'t wanted it to end like this. Boris had thought he could crush Hades, or at the very least, fight him to a stalemate. What he hadn\'t anticipated was that Hades\'s strength would far surpass even the terrifying reputation Morette and the others had described.

This kind of power—it could easily belong to a high-ranking divine authority.

But then, a sudden sense of danger flooded Sterl\'s mind, sharp and overwhelming.

Without hesitation, he immediately reactivated his ascend to godhood state, spinning around in time to see the high-ranking deity raising a hand toward him.

A beam of power, infused with the terrifying might of a high-ranking Divine Power, tore through the air toward him.

The beam was imbued with only a single Law—the Law of Strength.

Despite its simplicity, the sheer power it contained was overwhelming. At that moment, it felt as though the entire world was collapsing inward, bearing down on him.

That single beam of divine light wasn\'t just an attack; it was like an unimaginably vast and oppressive world, descending to crush him entirely.

Sterl\'s heart skipped a beat. What was happening? Why would the high-ranking deity suddenly attack him? Could it be that his true identity had been exposed?

Countless questions surged through his mind, but there was no time to dwell on them.

The power from this high-ranking deity carried enough terrifying Divine Power to erase him instantly.

He acted instinctively.

Blood of the Holy Spirit activated.

Eternal Reincarnation engaged.

Then came Stardust, amplified to its highest multiplier.

Simultaneously, he unleashed a series of devastating abilities: Destructive Light, Silent Domain, Shattered Void, and Fission Law.

In an instant, these disparate abilities fused together in his hands. With the amplification provided by Blood of the Holy Spirit, the Destructive Light rose to radiant-level. Surrounding the light were the combined effects of Shattered Void and Fission Law, boosting its destructive and auxiliary properties to new heights.

At the same time, his Invincibility Power was kept on standby. Eternal Reincarnation could not fully withstand radiant-tier abilities, and he wasn\'t certain whether the high-ranking deity wielded such power. He had to prepare for the worst.

Even though the core ability remained Destructive Light, the version he unleashed now was leagues beyond the one he had used during his battle with Boris.

Under the shocked, anxious, and disbelieving gazes of the gods, the two divine beams collided in an instant.

The sheer impact unleashed terrifying shockwaves that rippled outward, prompting all the gods to hastily raise their own Divine Power barriers in defense.

Even the temple itself reacted, emanating a powerful aura that suppressed the expanding energy waves before they could spread further.

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!

…