NOVEL NEXT Chapter 630: Mistaken as the Incarnation of the Will of Hell?
Perhaps the sudden turn of events had happened so swiftly that even the mother body had no time to react. As a result, the strange creatures failed to put up any meaningful resistance until now.
The two most powerful silver-white Earth Wolves were annihilated early on, leaving the swarm of Silver Spiders completely defenseless. Under the assault of twelve gods, dozens of demigods, and tens of thousands of legendary warriors, the spiders were swiftly reduced to countless puddles of silver secretion.
From the moment Sterl and his allies arrived to the time the last Silver Spider was slain, it took less than half an hour.
"Master, the mission has been completed. All enemies have been eradicated!" Boris and the others reported promptly, standing before Sterl after wiping out the entire Silver Spider swarm.
"Hmm, well done," Sterl responded with a faint nod. With a wave of his hand, he gathered up the nutrients extracted from the hundreds of millions of Silver Spiders, condensed it into a single mass, and stored it within his pocket dimension.
Sterl's approach was straightforward: nothing went to waste. Whether it was useful or not, he took everything first and dealt with it later.
At this moment, the gods of the Dark Gnome and Evil Wasp clans finally began to recover from their shock. They had been fully prepared to die, imagining themselves falling victim to these mysterious invaders.
But to their astonishment, divine reinforcements had arrived—and not just one or two. An entire group of ten gods had come to their aid.
Now, watching these powerful gods bowing respectfully to Sterl, their faces filled with fervent devotion and reverence, the two gods were utterly dumbfounded.
These were gods—actual gods!
For gods to call someone "Master" and display such humility, as if they were nothing more than loyal servants, was an incomprehensible sight.
A being of higher divine authority? No! That was absolutely impossible. Even a high divine authority wouldn't command this level of subservience.
As for an even greater existence? They dared not speculate recklessly, for such concepts were already beyond their comprehension.
The two gods stared at this scene in disbelief.
But one thing was certain: this mysterious figure before them, whether in terms of power or status, was an entity they could only look up to in awe.
"I am Val, a god of the Dark Gnome clan and wielder of the Puppeteer divine authority. On behalf of the Thorn Cage Hell, I express my deepest gratitude for your assistance," one of them cautiously greeted Sterl.
"I am Goda, a god of the Evil Wasp clan and master of the Speed and Venom divine authorities," the other added nervously.
Both gods greeted Sterl with utmost care, their tones filled with respect and deference.
As gods dwelling in Hell, Val and Goda were acutely aware of their positions and held a certain understanding of the broader cosmos.
Judging by the overwhelming power displayed by Boris and the others, it was highly likely that these gods hailed from the Prime World.
The Prime World and Hell had always been natural enemies, standing on opposing sides. This enmity left no room for negligence. A single misstep could easily lead to their demise, and in Hell, death meant no chance to even voice grievances.
Sterl cast a glance at the two. After ascending to godhood, deities could transform their divine forms into human-like appearances. However, the God of Puppets, Val, was grotesque in appearance, resembling a dwarfish old man. Meanwhile, the God of Evil Wasps, Goda, was unmistakably female, her form bearing numerous traits of her race. Her upper body had a humanoid shape, but her lower half was a segmented wasp's abdomen, complete with an elongated stinger at the tip.
As Sterl observed them, Boris and the other gods immediately locked their sights on the two, their gazes sharp and probing.
In an instant, a suffocating pressure descended upon Val and Goda. The weight of the gods' collective aura pressed against them, making it hard to even draw breath.
"Hmph! Mere infernal demigods—how dare you not kneel when greeting our Master!" Boris snorted coldly. The combined force of his three divine authorities, further enhanced by his soul power, made his reprimand resound like a thunderclap. The sheer force of his words left Val and Goda momentarily stunned, their minds reeling before they finally managed to recover.
Yet, as gods, their dignity made it impossible for them to bow. To kneel before another in the presence of countless subjects who looked up to them was a humiliation they couldn't bear.
The pressure in their hearts doubled, their faces grew pale, and inner turmoil raged as they struggled with the situation.
Sterl, observing their plight, chuckled lightly. He didn't speak but instead released the aura of The Authority of Hell.
The moment the aura spread, the gods of the Dark Gnome and Evil Wasp clans froze.
The aura of The Authority of Hell was, in a way, indistinguishable from the presence of the Will of Hell itself.
To every creature born of Hell, the Will of Hell was akin to the Creator or the Primordial God—a being that ruled Hell as its sole, supreme master.
The realization that Sterl carried the aura of the Will of Hell sent shivers down their spines. They fixed their gazes on him, bodies trembling uncontrollably.
Yet, they were certain that this man before them could not truly be the incarnation of the Will of Hell. If he were, these gods from the Prime World would not dare show him such reverence. But how could he possess The Authority of Hell?
Their minds went blank, confusion clouding their thoughts. But the instinctual reverence engraved into their very beings quickly took over. Both gods fell to their knees midair, bowing deeply before Sterl.
"Hail the Great Ruler!" they exclaimed.
Given the overwhelming strength of Boris and the others, combined with the unmistakable aura of the Will of Hell, they were left with no other choice. In their hearts, this kneeling act was also a way to save face, granting them a way to reconcile their pride with the undeniable reality. Without hesitation, they submitted to Sterl's authority.
Meanwhile, the surrounding demigods and countless infernal beings below also felt the aura emanating from Sterl—an aura akin to that of a Creator. One by one, they knelt respectfully on the ground.
"Hail the Great Ruler!"
"The Ruler has descended! These damned invaders will be annihilated!"
"Hahaha! The power of the Ruler is invincible! Kill them all! Destroy everything!"
The infernal beings below were ecstatic. Their inherently violent nature became even more pronounced as they took Sterl for the incarnation of the Will of Hell, unleashing their fervor without restraint.
Watching this scene unfold, a faint smile tugged at the corners of Sterl's lips.
"This Authority of Hell is proving to be quite handy," he mused.
He had initially suspected that such an authority might be something any strongest entity of a layer of Hell could potentially obtain. But now it was clear—the Authority of Hell held a status akin to that of a king in mortal kingdoms: a symbol of ultimate sovereignty. No matter how powerful one became, they couldn't simply seize it.
Sterl surmised that the Will of Hell had bestowed this authority upon him out of sheer necessity. It likely had no other treasure compelling enough to make someone take such a risk on its behalf.
Sterl's gaze fell on the kneeling God of Puppets and the deity of the Evil Wasp clan, Goda. A glimmer of light flashed in his eyes.
Without hesitation, he activated his Soul Absorption ability. However, under his deliberate control, the absorption rate was reduced to its slowest setting, allowing him to envelop the two gods before him, as well as the nearby demigods.
Moments later, the Blood of the Ancient One activated, its power swiftly planting followers' marks within the bodies of those present.
This was the power of the Blood of the Ancient One: every time Sterl used it, there was a chance of planting a followers' mark on the target. Once the mark was successfully implanted, the target would become his most loyal servant.
Through repeated use, Sterl had discovered that the weaker the target was relative to him, the easier it was to plant the mark. For beings below godhood, success was nearly guaranteed—a single attempt would suffice.
The God of Puppets and the God of Evil Wasps didn't last long. By the time Soul Absorption caused its fiftieth instance of minor damage, the followers' marks had been successfully implanted in both.
"It's done," Sterl murmured with a faint smile.
The implantation of the followers' marks was a complete success. Val and Goda, however, remained entirely unaware.
Experience new stories with empire
Soul Absorption was not an inherently damaging ability. It caused no harm to the soul itself; it simply extracted the memories contained within and the abilities born from their essence. The process left no trace of its effects.
Under Sterl's control, only the insignificant, fragmented memories that they had forgotten were drawn out.
Once the marks were successfully planted, Sterl immediately activated the followers' marks.
He had already tested this before: the followers' marks were extremely subtle. Even the mightiest Divine Power couldn't detect them, and because the marks did not harm or affect the beings they were planted on, not even the Will of the World could sense them.
This was precisely why Sterl dared to plant the marks under the watch of the Will of Hell.
Once the marks were activated, both gods and all the surrounding demigods froze for a moment. Their gazes towards Sterl shifted drastically. What had previously been a mixture of respect and awe for his identity and power was now replaced with something far more profound. In their subconscious, Sterl had transformed into the incarnation of the Will of Hell, the true Ruler of Hell—their Creator.
"Rise," Sterl spoke.
At his command, Goda, Val, and all the surrounding demigods stood up, respectfully positioning themselves around him, instinctively forming a protective circle.
Seeing this, Boris and the others exchanged glances. Their scrutiny shifted from cautious assessment to a more benevolent gaze. They knew that yet another group of misguided beings had been touched by the Master's radiance and had become his loyal servants.
Since they were now part of the same fold, there was no need for tension.
"Tell me about the situation in the Thorn Cage Hell," Sterl instructed.
Upon hearing his words, the God of Puppets and the God of Evil Wasps quickly moved closer, recounting the entire story of the invasion.
Much like what had happened in Venomous Swamp Hell, they had only learned of the invasion of Thorn Cage Hell after receiving orders from the Will of Hell.
Afterward, they had mobilized the entire infernal army, disregarding past grudges, forming the Legion of Hell to confront the invaders.
At first, these invaders were not very strong. The two gods had wondered why the Will of Hell had reacted so strongly to such a small force. But as time passed, the number of those strange Silver Spiders increased exponentially. During one assault, at least several million soldiers were devoured and wiped out.
Afterward, they stopped the various demigods from resisting, stabilizing the situation. They had planned to directly charge towards the invaders' stronghold, but never expected to be intercepted halfway. Had it not been for Sterl and his forces arriving, they would have been slowly worn down and destroyed!