Tower of Truth, 82nd Floor, Dragon Territory.
The Dragon Elder stood respectfully by Ares’ side as the Supreme Being casually inquired, “I heard you guys got yourselves a potential Supreme Being?”
“Kicked him out already!” Drakon stated gravely. “That gold-digging, four-legged snake of Greed has nothing to do with our Dragon Clan anymore!”
Ignoring this, Ares shifted the conversation. “Heard he tumbled down from the Heavenly Realm?”
Drakon paused, then nodded. “Indeed.”
Ares pressed on. “Anything interesting happening up in the Heavenly Realm?”
“Well…” Drakon stammered, looking a bit embarrassed. “The kid’s a bit of a softie, terrible memory. Didn’t remember a darn thing when he came down…”
After a moment’s thought, he added, laying it on thick, “He’s still young, you know, just a bit of a rascal. With proper guidance, he could be a real asset to humanity someday.”
At the end of the day, the kid was a potential Supreme Being of the Dragon Clan. Might as well throw him a bone.
The Dragons had dealt with Ares three times before and had a decent grasp of his personality.
He was a softie himself, easily persuaded with kindness. Play along with Ares, and he’d be reasonable.
Ares shook his head slightly. “Not my problem.” frёeweɓηovel.coɱ
What kind of inhumane treatment the Dragon Clan’s potential Supreme Being received at Thor’s hands was of no concern to him.
Ares spoke again. “Where’s the Golden Dragon’s body?”
“Already packaged and ready to go! Which floor should we send it to?” Drakon eagerly gestured to a large golden mass in the corner. The Golden Dragon’s corpse wasn’t even cold yet, and they’d already wrapped it up for easy transport. Talk about efficient!
“No need to send it anywhere,” Ares waved his hand dismissively. “Keep it safe. My Fourth Bro will come get it himself.”
*Fourth Bro*? Drakon was momentarily confused. But a Supreme Being’s word was law, so the Dragons would naturally comply.
In truth, the Golden Divine Dragon of Greed was currently in a state of neither life nor death. His soul was sealed within the Force of Nature, but his body remained. If his soul could return to his body one day, he could live again.
Just… not sure he’ll last that long. Drakon sighed inwardly, shaking his head. *Of all the people to mess with, you picked Ares!*
“Alright, business here is done. Time for the real deal.” Ares stopped, looked forward again, and casually said, “Snoozefest, open the door.”
A calm, ethereal voice echoed from above the Dragon Territory. “You should return to the Abyss.”
The mere sound of the voice forced countless elders to their knees, unable to even stand. “Finally got out for a bit,” Ares shook his head, rejecting Apollo’s suggestion. “Send me to the bottom floor. I’ve got some new sword moves I’m itching to try out.”
The bottom floor sealed a formidable foe, someone Ares had battled once before. Now, he wanted a rematch.
This enemy also went by another name-Supreme Demon God.
Thor had gathered these sword energies for Ares, intending for him to take them back to the Abyss. Now, it seemed, Ares had other plans.
*Rumble*-
The clouds above began to shift, darkening and oppressive. The Dragon Territory was like a lone boat in a stormy sea, caught in the maelstrom with no power to resist. Behind the clouds, the phantom of a butterfly flickered.
Apollo repeated, “You should return to the Abyss.”
The opinions of two Supreme Beings could sometimes differ. Like now, for instance. “Snoozefest,” the swordsman began, “I met Shadow Nine when his talent was already fading. By the time I became a Supreme Being, he couldn’t use it at all. So, I’m curious about something.”
Even without Ares voicing the question, Apollo knew what he wanted to ask. Ares wanted to know, at their peak, whose weapon was stronger: Ares’ sword or Shadow Nine’s blade?
The butterfly flapped its wings, giving its answer. “Your sword is stronger.”
The corner of Ares’ mouth twitched upwards. *Good.*
Before a smile could form, the butterfly spoke again. “But I created a stronger weapon.”
*Not so good.*
The scene froze, the atmosphere thick with tension. The Dragon elders within the territory were at their breaking point, reverting to their original forms and huddling together, trembling.
A confrontation between two Supreme Beings… Whether Ares or Apollo won, they’d likely be fine. The Dragon Clan, however, would suffer immense losses!
Normally, in this situation, Ares would simply draw his sword. The hot-headed bro never wasted words.
A terrifying sword energy appeared at Ares’ fingertip. Even a nine-star Lord would find it
blinding.
Supreme Being Ares versus Supreme Being Apollo, who was stronger? Perhaps today would provide an answer.
But the butterfly spoke first. “No fighting.”
“Huh?” Ares sounded surprised. In his experience, if he wanted to spar, Apollo would at most say it was boring and then leave. In fact, that had happened more than once.
Today, Apollo seemed… different.
A smile returned to Ares’ face. *Interesting. Probably has something to do with that Thor
kid.*
The point of contention between the two Supreme Beings was whether Ares’ projection should visit the Supreme Demon God or return to the Abyss to replenish its strength.
The former harmed the enemy, the latter nurtured the self. Different choices, neither right
nor wrong.
The butterfly spoke again. “Let’s make a bet.”
Ever since the last bet with Maxen, Apollo had found that betting had a pretty high win rate. So, to persuade Ares, using this high-win-rate method… seemed appropriate. “Fine.” Ares nodded, thought for a moment, and proposed a reasonable wager. “Let’s bet on… whether Thor dares to take one of my sword strikes.”
The butterfly flapped its wings in agreement. This bet was doable. Apollo felt he would win. Ares also felt he would win. He had witnessed Thor’s performance in the Abyss. Would Thor have the courage to face Ares’ sword? When faced with a life-or-death situation, Thor never disappointed!
The swordsman and the butterfly answered almost simultaneously, “He dares.”
…
Tower of Truth, 33rd Floor.
Mike was ecstatic, looking at the Lord-tier monsters covering the floor! He’d just conjured a Thunderclap Strike with his left hand and immediately followed up with a Meteor Fire Rain with his right.
Mike tore through the enemy ranks, unstoppable. Demon creatures fell left and right.
Before reaching level 500, Thor had faced numerous demon gods, the Supreme Demon God’s minions, and even soloed the Progenitor of Ghosts. On paper, among the first four potential Supreme Beings, Thor’s performance was undoubtedly the most outstanding.
However, this impressive record hid a significant risk.
When Morpheus entered the Abyss, he didn’t attract much attention from the demon gods. Even the second demon god, the leader of the Primordial Demon Gods, had the leisure to
sleep.
By Ares’ time, the situation seemed dire, but the Abyss was far from showing its hand. Although the Abyss had invaded Earth, it was still disunited. The Primordial Demon Gods and the Exiled Demon Gods frequently clashed, even engaging in civil war. After Apollo’s birth, all the demon gods fell silent. Silence didn’t mean submission.
After maintaining a century-long balance, the emergence of humanity’s new potential Supreme Being, Thor, put immense pressure on the demon gods.
Under this pressure, the seventh and eighth demon gods completely sided with the Supreme Demon God, leading to the previous upheaval. These demon gods acted out of desperation, sensing a mortal threat. Of course, this also gave Mike the opportunity to kill the eighth
demon god!
In terms of absolute strength, humanity was undoubtedly growing stronger. The miracles performed by the potential Supreme Being Thor created a false sense of security, as if the Abyss was weak and on the verge of collapse.
Arrogance, pride… these had been the downfall of countless powerful beings.
While humanity’s strength surged, the enemy in the Abyss… was starting to get serious!
The Supreme Demon God’s minions brazenly invaded the Tower of Truth, making small moves with unclear intentions.
During the rise of the first three potential Supreme Beings, the Supreme Demon God
remained quiet. Now, things were different.
Mike understood all of this. He knew that if humanity’s situation was truly rosy, Shadow Nine wouldn’t have risked his life with Calderon in the Supreme Abyssal.
Ares wouldn’t be trapped in the Abyss, unable to leave. And Morpheus wouldn’t be avoiding
him.
Humanity’s peace was bought by the sacrifices of countless strong individuals. And all the
pressure came from one enemy-the Supreme Demon God.
Mike was now level 499.
After his class change, fourth talent awakening, another class change, and then his fifth talent
awakening…
After nine awakenings, the Supreme Demon God would be nothing to fear!
Mike had a clear plan for his future growth.
Apollo had told him that Shadow Nine would return in three months. That meant Mike only
had three months left. Shadow Nine’s return from the Supreme Abyssal meant Apollo would battle the Supreme Demon God… Mike had been confident in Apollo’s survival. But now, Apollo himself seemed to have problems.
He had to increase his own strength, help Ares recover, provide psychological counseling to Apollo, and guard against Shadow Nine stealing the Supreme Mark upon his return…
The challenges facing Mike were piling up, each more daunting than the last. Time was
running out!
“Reach Lord tier within three months, at least!” Looking at the endless stream of monsters
behind him, Mike charged back into the fray. This time, he deliberately suppressed his power, adding more limitations.
No stacking Charge Up, no ultimate moves for now.
This battlefield was an excellent training ground, and the countless Lord-tier monsters were
the perfect opponents! Most importantly: no matter what he did, there was no risk to his life!
Mike hadn’t fought so freely in a long time. Hammer, staff, shield… He cycled through various weapons, even considering trying a blade.
He had sparred with Calderon many times, testing various weapons under equal stats.
Calderon was humanity’s top expert in conventional melee weapons. According to Calderon, besides the hammer, Mike’s most proficient weapon was the blade!
Mike wasn’t rushing to practice with the blade. He planned to wait until he was stronger.
…
Even while suppressing his power, Mike’s killing efficiency was terrifying! In less than two hours, he was the only one left standing on the battlefield. 33rd floor, cleared!
As he wiped the sweat from his brow, preparing to claim his rewards, something unexpected
happened. Sensing the spatial distortion, Mike pulled Vladimir and Gabriel from his private space,
grabbing his Thunderclap Hammer in his left hand and Dracula’s Shield in his right. Fate’s Reversal, ready!
Mike was on high alert, unsure what tricks the Supreme Demon God had up his sleeve. As long
as it wasn’t a level 1000 enemy, Mike was confident he could escape, or even counterattack!
But caution was paramount!
After the spatial distortion, a butterfly and a swordsman emerged.
Mike: ???
*So it’s our guys. False alarm.*
Mike was about to wave his hand, signaling his subordinates to stand down, when he noticed
Vladimir had turned into a pig, Gabriel’s wings were folded, looking less like a heroic entrance and more like a hasty retreat. And the most ridiculous of all was Dracula. The bat symbol on
the shield had morphed into something resembling Peppa Pig. Anyone who didn’t know better would think Mike was holding a child’s toy…
*”Look at you bunch of scaredy-cats!”* Mike cursed inwardly.
Ares, oblivious to Thor’s expression, asked, “Thor, my brothers and I need a small favor.”
Mike puffed out his chest. “No problem, I’ve got you covered!” If his Second Bro asked, how could his Fourth Bro refuse?
Ares materialized a sword and held it level. “Don’t move.” He said seriously, “Let me hit you with it. Just once.”