Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener - Chapter 520

Chapter 520: Chapter 520: Brain-Dead Ashen? Are They Trying to Tank the Divine Sword?
“Urgh!”

Eterna spat out a mouthful of blood, his body drenched in crimson. Even though he had narrowly escaped death, he felt as though he were falling apart, his condition weaker than ever before.

There was no time to rest. Hastily pulling out a few restorative artifacts, he managed to regain a semblance of stability. However, his injuries were so severe that unless he used some of the rare treasures from the royal capital’s vault, it would take him years to fully recover.

It was unavoidable—both the Pillar of Divine Light and the Sword of Doomsday Judgment had unleashed powers far beyond what his body could withstand. Naturally, he had suffered grave internal damage.

At this moment, the clash at the core had also reached its conclusion. In the end, the strength of a high-ranking divine authority prevailed. Even though the Sword of Doomsday Judgment had been activated hastily, leaving much of its power untapped, it still far surpassed the combined force of gods wielding only weak Divine Power.

A devastating blade of destruction obliterated the Pillar of Divine Light, scattering its energy completely. The residual power surged forward, roaring in the direction from which the Pillar of Divine Light had originated. Wherever it passed, space shattered, the earth crumbled, and an entire mountain range in its path was reduced to dust under the terrifying light of the divine blade, disappearing entirely.

The sword’s energy persisted until it finally dissipated at the horizon, its power entirely spent.

However, the gods on Ashen’s side seemed to have anticipated this outcome. As if they had coordinated their retreat beforehand, they had already moved far away from their previous position, scattering in both directions. Apart from a few who had been injured by the earlier shockwaves, the attack had caused no significant casualties.

“Ahahaha! Orichalcum Nation, you hideous invaders—today marks your doom!”

“The so-called Sword of Doomsday Judgment? Impressive power, sure, but what good is it if it can’t hit anyone? All that effort for nothing.”

“It’s over—everything is over. Orichalcum Nation’s resources will be ours!”

“And to think we owe it all to their own people. If not for that Boris providing us with their coordinates, we’d never have had the chance to witness such a spectacular scene.”

“By now, the battle on the other side must be finished. Once we’re done with this lot, we can march on the royal capital and claim it in one fell swoop!”

As the residual shockwaves dissipated, the world returned to an eerie silence. Yet, the lingering traces of chaotic Divine Power in the air and the fragile state of the surrounding space served as haunting reminders of the horrifying battle that had just unfolded.

Hearing those words, Eterna froze, his pupils dilating rapidly as the taunting voices of the Ashen gods echoed in his ears.

Boris… had betrayed their plans and revealed their whereabouts? And Hades’ side—had they also been ambushed!?

In that instant, everything became painfully clear. No wonder there had been no response to his messages. The connection had been severed by Shielding Power, and Hades’ group had likely already suffered an attack or worse.

Victory had been within reach—so close he could almost grasp it. Yet now, it was slipping away, all because of Boris, a traitor who should never have existed among them. The entire plan had collapsed.

“This… this can’t be happening…”

Eterna stood in stunned disbelief. He understood Boris’ resentment toward both him and Hades, but as a god, as a divine being, how could Boris allow such petty emotions to consume him? Betraying Orichalcum Nation brought him no benefit whatsoever!

Setting aside the divine contracts that bound the gods of Orichalcum, Boris was still an outsider. Once Ashen crushed Orichalcum completely, did he honestly believe they would treat him as a hero?

Eterna had foreseen countless possibilities, but he had never anticipated Boris would play such a treacherous role. Even so… it wasn’t over. Not yet. He hadn’t lost everything. He still had one Sword of Doomsday Judgment in his possession. If he used it wisely…

A glint of determination flashed in his eyes. He also held onto a sliver of hope that Hades, who wielded another Sword of Doomsday Judgment and was even stronger than him, might still be alive. Despite the earlier ambush, Hades’ strength made his demise far from certain.

So…

Eterna took a deep breath, suppressing the searing pain wracking his body. Slowly, he rose to his feet.

“Orichalcum Nation will never fall!”

He raised his arm high, his voice resounding like a thunderclap. The rallying cry shook the gods around him, snapping them out of the dazed state brought on by the sudden ambush. One by one, they gathered around Eterna with renewed focus.

In no time, the remaining gods of Orichalcum—around twenty in total—convened. They exchanged glances, and in each other’s eyes, they saw a shared sense of grim determination and sorrow.

The ambush had been devastating. Six gods had fallen on the spot, wiped out without leaving a trace. The lingering shockwaves had inflicted injuries on many others. Two or three gods who had been close to Eterna’s position were now in a condition similar to his—grievously wounded, their divine vitality severely depleted. Only seven or eight gods had emerged unscathed.

On the other hand, Ashen’s forces stood strong, twenty-six gods nearly all in pristine condition. The outcome of the battle seemed inevitable.

But at this point, retreat was no longer an option. Even surrender wasn’t possible. Ashen would never accept defectors from the opposing camp, let alone multiple gods. To allow such a thing would invite rebellion down the line, a risk Ashen would never take.

The gods of Orichalcum were left with no choice but to fight to the bitter end.

As for Boris, the gods of Orichalcum had already cursed him countless times in their minds. Victory had been within their grasp, the situation firmly under control, only for Boris to ruin it all and hand their advantage to the enemy. If Boris were to appear now, they would gladly pay any price to beat him to death.

Of course, the only reason the gods of Orichalcum hadn’t completely collapsed yet was exactly as Eterna had thought—they still had a trump card. They still possessed a Sword of Doomsday Judgment, and if used properly, there was still a chance to turn the tide of battle.

“Desperate struggles.”

Terran’s calm gaze carried a hint of excitement as he looked at the battered and nearly broken gods before him. Despite his dismissive words, he wasn’t careless, and neither were the others. The Ashen gods formed a tight encirclement, trapping the Orichalcum gods within. They hurled taunts, but none dared to make the first move.

Thanks to Boris’ information, everyone on Ashen’s side knew that Eterna still held two Swords of Doomsday Judgment. They had witnessed firsthand the devastating power of the first strike. The God Shields bestowed by the Upper Realms could block one blow if used skillfully, but the second strike? That required a different solution altogether.

From the beginning, Ashen’s plan had been to kill Eterna in one decisive strike. However, they hadn’t anticipated his sharp senses. He had detected a trace of the impending threat and dodged preemptively—an action that saved his life.

Of course, Eterna was unaware of these thoughts. He had no idea that in the eyes of his enemies, he was believed to possess two trump cards, which created a strange stalemate. One side dared not act rashly for fear of a counterstrike, while the other, already at a disadvantage, was even less willing to make the first move.

“Eterna, why not abandon the darkness and join the light?”

Terran finally broke the tense silence, offering an olive branch. “Join us, Ashen, and I will personally forge a divine contract with you. I swear on my soul that you will come to no harm, now or in the future. Not only that, but you will enjoy a status equal to mine. What do you say?”

The offer was clear: if Eterna could be neutralized, either by death or by neutralizing the threat of his remaining trump cards, the remaining Orichalcum gods would be of no consequence.

However, in the next moment, a terrifying sense of danger surged through Terran’s heart. His eyes locked onto Eterna, whose hand now held a divine sword radiating an overwhelming aura of destruction—the Sword of Doomsday Judgment!

“Damn it!”

Terran cursed loudly, his expression twisting in shock. This was completely outside his expectations. He hurriedly prepared to raise his God Shield in defense but immediately realized the problem. If Eterna activated the second sword simultaneously, no shield would hold. The combined power of two strikes would be enough to annihilate them all!

So, they had to find another way to block this strike. If they could withstand it, victory would be theirs!

Without hesitation, Terran immediately activated all the equipment and artifacts at his disposal. The other gods followed suit, unleashing their own treasures and channeling every ounce of Divine Power and Law Power within them, bracing themselves for what was to come.

Eterna hesitated briefly upon seeing this. Could it be that they truly had no artifact capable of withstanding the Sword of Doomsday Judgment?

From his perspective, the methods of these gods were limited to the level of weak Divine Power. Without the power of a high-ranking divine authority, nothing could possibly withstand the full force of a perfectly unleashed Sword of Doomsday Judgment.

With this doubt lingering in his mind, Eterna slowly raised the divine sword, its terrifying power surging to life. The overwhelming energy, forged from the combined might of several high-ranking divine authorities, radiated an aura so oppressive that even the mere presence of it caused many gods to tremble.

Terran and the other Ashen gods gulped nervously, cold sweat dripping from their faces. They were terrified but knew they couldn’t retreat. This wasn’t a force one could escape by running. Attempting to flee would only expose fatal gaps in their defenses.

“All of you! Transfer your Divine Power to me!” Terran roared, taking out a massive formation artifact. This artifact had the power to consolidate the energy of all gods within its range, creating a nearly impenetrable Transcendence Barrier.

Seeing his decisive move, the other gods abandoned all hesitation and brought out their most prized treasures, artifacts they had long kept in reserve.

Eterna watched this scene with a mixture of confusion and realization. So, they truly didn’t possess any relics from the Upper Realms capable of countering the Sword of Doomsday Judgment. That explained why he had been their primary target from the start—they had no means to confront such a weapon directly!

As for their barriers and formations, they were nothing but fleeting illusions before the might of the Sword of Doomsday Judgment.

Initially, Eterna had planned to rely on the distraction of the other Orichalcum gods, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. But now, the Ashen gods had conveniently gathered in one place, refusing to scatter. This unexpected cooperation rekindled hope in the eyes of the other Orichalcum gods, as though they could finally see a sliver of salvation.

“Doomsday descends! Judgment upon all!”

With a guttural roar, Eterna poured every ounce of his Divine Power into the blade, and the terrifying divine sword slashed downward with devastating force.