Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener - Chapter 346

Chapter 346: Chapter 346: Making a Name, the Recruitment of a Divine-Level Demon
“Is this army forcefully recruiting? They’ve set their sights on me, and it’s not even a backlash from Fortune?”

Sterl observed keenly. The uniqueness of this army seemed to lie in their armor; once donned, it would control the wearer, leaving them without free will.

However, the flaw of this armor was likely that it could only be fitted onto humanoid units.

Sterl was the perfect candidate.

At this moment, he seemed to recall the exploits of the Armor of the Undead army. Previously, on the frontlines, they had stormed the walls of the Blood Red Fortress, only to be decimated by a single gesture from a deity of the main world.

Sterl watched from a distance, realizing that he couldn’t adopt the same reckless killing strategy as before.

Damn… Joining them is just a one-way ticket to death, right? The Armor of the Undead is likely to storm the Blood Red Fortress again, which would greatly increase the chances of attracting the deity’s intervention.

No wonder they were so desperate to recruit people; even if a demigod joined this army, they would merely be fodder.

At the same time, Sterl noticed that he was being surrounded by the aide and several soldiers of the Armor of the Undead. A series of marks were directly placed on Sterl.

[You have been marked by the call of war.]

[In this layer of hell, every time you engage in battle or are near the Blood Red Fortress or the Ancient Camp, your coordinates will be exposed.]

Sterl felt utterly helpless.

“Well, this is a predicament; there’s no escaping now.”

Sterl mumbled to himself.

“Forget it, no more pretending!”

He resolutely made a decision. Initially, he had planned to portray Mephistopheles as just an ordinary Swallowing Heaven player, whose strength was not remarkable.

But now…

Sterl decided he needed to show some of his power!

Unlike [Transcendence], where being low-key could yield rewards, in Swallowing Heaven, one would constantly be undermined by others within the same faction, who would come to step on your head and drain your resources.

He had nearly been overwhelmed by the aura of the Supreme, but at this moment, he slowly straightened up and coldly looked at the members of the Armor of the Undead army.

At that moment…

Countless “people” brightened at the sight.

The watching Swallowing Heaven players and demons were all filled with excitement.

“Let’s fight! Let’s fight!”

“What’s going on? Did the Armor of the Undead provoke someone with hidden strength?”

“I want to see rivers of blood!!”

…

They were all incredibly stirred up.

Wasn’t this just a spectacle for everyone to watch? Unfortunately, the previous show lacked weight; it was just a bunch of unfortunate souls writhing in pain, and after a while, it became tiresome!

But now, conflict was about to break out!

Good! It was worth their while to stand around for half a day.

At that moment, Sterl even spotted a familiar figure—the troll who had rescued him earlier on the battlefield.

The troll opened his mouth wide and shouted,

“Come! Come! Come!”

“Place your bets! Place your bets!”

“Let’s make a bet on who will win! I bet on the Armor of the Undead side, with odds of 1.1 to 1!”

“This mysterious newcomer is at 2 to 1!”

“Hurry up and buy! Once the fighting starts, no more bets!”

…

With the troll’s shouts, many demons and hell players eagerly opened their wallets.

Those who believed Sterl’s side would win were in the minority.

But there were still gamblers: “I’m betting 500 purple coins!”

“I’m betting 1,000 purple coins!”

They were all staring at Sterl, hoping to double their stakes.

However, most didn’t have high hopes for this hidden powerhouse because, in hell, strength was revered, and hiding one’s abilities offered little advantage.

Most likely, this Mephistopheles lacked confidence!

But gamblers thought differently.

The very fact that Mephistopheles dared to reveal his cards in the face of a Supreme meant he at least possessed strength comparable to a Supreme; this gamble was still worth taking!

“Go for it, kid!”

“You can take down this Armor of the Undead! I believe in you!”

“We all believe in you! If you lose, I’ll have to extract your soul and interrogate you!”

Sterl’s expression twitched slightly.

He had faced conflicts in the main world too, but…

Generally, the onlookers weren’t this enthusiastic!

They even threatened to not let him off the hook if he died, vowing to entertain his soul!

As Sterl’s aura began to rise, the Supreme looked on with a hint of confusion, “Huh?”

“Everyone, attack together!”

He showed no demeanor of a true powerhouse and directly commanded his demigod army to charge!

Sterl suddenly found himself surrounded. Those demigods controlled by the armor had lost their minds, yet their fighting instincts remained. In an instant, countless Platinum Skills locked onto Sterl, their energy swirling as various skills began to brew.

Many nearby demons and hell players activated their protective skills, fearing they might get caught in the crossfire.

Then…

Pfft!

It was like a balloon bursting, the faint sound of air rushing out.

Since using abilities in the Swallowing Heaven system required disk consumption, which automatically concealed them, Sterl didn’t need to hide anything.

Except for the previous Fission, which was inconvenient to use.

After all, even if concealed, that terrifying power and widespread lethality still objectively existed, making it easy to connect back to Cirilo.

Amidst the wave of hundreds of demigods, Sterl slowly gathered the Flowing Water Blade, creating a flurry of shimmering blade flowers, as the surrounding space rapidly solidified.

The skills unleashed by the demigods also seemed to freeze for a moment.

In an instant, Sterl swung his blade!

The sound that had earlier resembled a bursting balloon was due to the rupture of space!

The chaotic energy storm surged into the maelstrom, vanishing without a trace beneath the fractured space.

Then—

Countless flashes of blade light and sword shadows swept through.

They transformed into a hurricane, rushing from in front of Sterl, then spreading outwards to both sides!

In a flash of thought, Sterl altered his strategy; he could afford to be less low-key, especially with his offline strategy as a safeguard.

Even if divine-level demons from hell pursued him in unison, there was no need to panic.

Why hide?

The purpose of having an alternate account was to acquire more resources. In the predatory world of Swallowing Heaven, danger and opportunity did not coexist; rather, one was constantly in peril. Without the ability to overcome it, death was inevitable!

Only by relentlessly enhancing his strength could he find a glimmer of hope!

Sterl intended to make his power clear, to become the strongest beneath the gods.

The countless onlookers had yet to react—

Even if this hidden powerhouse, Mephistopheles, was indeed formidable, possessing strength akin to that of a Supreme, facing hundreds of demigods would still require effort.

The battle had just begun…

However…

At that moment…

Bang! Bang! Bang!

A series of crisp sounds echoed.

Then, the entire space shattered.

Everything dimmed, and it broke apart like glass, which ultimately turned to dust.

In that instant, hundreds of demigods were annihilated.

They didn’t even have time to unleash their skills before they vanished, largely due to their minds being controlled; they could fight, but didn’t know how to evade, resulting in not even having a single escape item to use.

With a whoosh,

The hell players and demons who had been eagerly betting and discussing moments ago were now met with shattered corpses and blood splatters, some even getting drenched.

Then…

In a daze and shock, they began to cheer and wave their flags in excitement.

“Haha! Awesome! I’m going to make a fortune this time!”

“Impressive! Lord Mephistopheles! Invincible!!”

“You’ve made us rich; you’re our boss now!!”

The gamblers were, of course, ecstatic.

On the other side, those who had lost were clapping like mad.

“Good! The Armor of the Undead is gone again!”

“Haha! That idiot put in so much effort, but what’s the point of rebuilding an army? It just got wiped out instantly.”

“I’m dying of laughter! Though I lost a bit of money, witnessing this scene made it all worth it.”

…

Madness and chaos engulfed the scene.

This was the style of the Swallowing Heaven players; they didn’t care if their interests were harmed, as long as they could witness a better show.

The commander in charge of the Armor of the Undead was even more furious: “How dare you!”

If not for the helmet he wore, his eyes would likely be blood-red with rage at that moment.

Hundreds of demigod soldiers! And all in humanoid form; it wouldn’t be easy to gather them again.

Moreover, it seemed he had a personal vendetta against this Mephistopheles!

In the game of Swallowing Heaven, personal vendettas were easily established: if you hurt me, I will hunt you down relentlessly; if I kill your men, to eliminate the threat, I will go all out against you…

The commander’s expression shifted as he realized that the previous attack had confirmed his suspicion: Mephistopheles’s strength might surpass his own!

Suddenly, a flash of determination lit up the commander’s eyes, and he patted the massive dark beast beneath him, stepping into empty air and entering a peculiar passageway. Outside the passage, dark lotus flowers spun rapidly.

At this moment, Sterl also slightly adjusted his grip on the blade, the nearly shattered Flowing Water Blade gathering once more, preparing for the second round of battle.

However…

The black lotus flowers continued to spin for several seconds before slowly withering and falling to the ground, revealing corrosive patterns. Yet, the Supreme commander never reappeared.

Oh, right.

Sterl recalled a characteristic of Swallowing Heaven players: they had no sense of shame.

If they got scared, they would just run.

In the end, only the previously arrogant lieutenant, who had pointed at Sterl and insisted on forcibly conscripting him, remained, trembling in place.

“Sir, spare my life!”

The lieutenant was quite candid, pleading for mercy without a hint of hesitation.

Before his words had even finished, Sterl swiftly beheaded him with a single strike.

At this point, it seemed the incident had come to an end.

However, at the betting stall started by the troll, a crowd began to stir as those who had bet on Sterl’s victory were now demanding their winnings with wild excitement.

Meanwhile, those who had wagered on the Armor of the Undead expressed their grievances, saying,

“That Supreme has already retreated, so we didn’t lose!”

“The outcome hasn’t been decided; just return our money now!”

In an instant, chaos erupted.