Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener - Chapter 526

Chapter 526: Chapter 526: Eterna’s Inner Doubts, Main Quest Complete!
After all, if Sterl had not appeared at the crucial moment, descending from the heavens and using the Sword of Doomsday Judgment to wipe out all of Ashen’s forces, not only would the gods under his command have been completely annihilated, but even he himself would not have escaped, falling at the hands of Terran.

Moreover, that single sword strike had completely reversed Orichalcum’s earlier losses, bringing back all the strength they had lost in battle. What should have been a disadvantageous situation was now completely turned around. Now, it was they who held the absolute advantage!

The other surviving gods, too, looked at Sterl with expressions of profound gratitude, their hearts filled with immense relief. They were glad that Hades and Ashen had their own vendetta, and even more fortunate that he was willing to join their side.

Before, they had felt some dissatisfaction with Hades’ pride, his arrogance, and his seemingly disdainful attitude towards the high-tier divine authority. But now, all of that seemed like a distant memory. In retrospect, if it hadn’t been for Hades, they would have likely been reduced to nothing but corpses at the hands of these natives. The royal capital might have even fallen, and the entire Orichalcum Empire would have seen no hope, no way out.

So now, all they felt for Hades was nothing but gratitude, reverence, and a sense of fortunate relief.

However, Eterna couldn’t shake off a trace of doubt in his heart. Every time Hades had intervened, it had been at the perfect moment, right on the critical threshold. One second later, and it might not have worked. It was as if everything had been meticulously planned in advance, as if it were all part of some orchestrated strategy.

This thought immediately brought to his mind the shadowy figure he had vaguely suspected to be behind everything—the mysterious force pushing Orichalcum and the native factions into conflict. But upon further reflection, he discarded this notion. There could be no other forces in this world, and it was impossible for a hidden hand to be controlling things.

Moreover, if Hades really were an agent of some outside faction, he wouldn’t have gone through all these complicated steps. He could have simply led his forces directly; as long as the higher-tier divine authority stayed out of it, he possessed enough power to sweep everything before him—unstoppable, invincible!

Shaking his head, he dismissed the immature thought from his mind. He then turned to Sterl, his face sincere, and spoke with gratitude.

“Thank you. If it weren’t for you, the Orichalcum Empire would have been doomed to eternal ruin. As long as I, Eterna, live, you will forever be the most respected guest in our royal city, and… the gates of the royal city will always be open to you.”

Eterna spoke each word slowly and with certainty, his voice filled with conviction. The others shared the same sentiment. In their hearts, Hades had become like a second father to them. Anyone who dared to oppose Hades would face the wrath of the entire kingdom!

Diana was beaming with pride, her face full of satisfaction as she watched Eterna and the other high-ranking gods show their utmost respect to her man. Her heart swelled with happiness, and she nearly wished she could shed her clothes and press Hades into her embrace right there and then.

Sterl, too, felt a quiet satisfaction. The genuine respect from so many gods deeply fulfilled his inner desires. This was the benefit of power. As long as you were strong enough, even gods would show you the respect, even awe and worship. Especially now, with the ongoing fusion of worlds, the divine essence of gods was gradually being replaced by human qualities, bringing about a change in their perception.

He casually waved his hand, dismissing the praise. “Since I’ve already reached an agreement with the Orichalcum Empire, I’ll naturally give it my all. Besides, I’ve already received my due rewards.”

His expression remained calm, but his heart was filled with anticipation. This should be considered a hidden mission within the Orichalcum faction. What intrigued him was how substantial the rewards for saving the war and annihilating nearly twenty Ashen gods would be.

“Thank you for your generosity,” Eterna replied. “Since all the main forces of these natives have been eliminated by Mr. Hades, we should strike while the iron is hot and completely capture Ashen’s main base!”

However, before he could finish his sentence, Eterna suddenly coughed violently. It was clear that his weakened body could not bear the emotional strain.

The others had been thinking along similar lines, but upon feeling their own physical state, they immediately fell silent.

“It seems this is not the best time,” Sterl said lightly. As things stood, aside from the gods branded with the followers mark, there were only about a dozen or so gods left guarding the Ashen camp.

This massive loss would undoubtedly alert Ashen’s upper realm forces. If Sterl agreed to attack without the various powers granted by the upper realm or any higher-tier divine authority following him, he would be courting death. It would be no different than committing suicide.

Besides, the living forces on both sides had already been reduced to a satisfactory degree for Sterl. Moving forward, the two sides would either fall into a period of silence or plunge into even more brutal warfare.

Losing dozens of gods was significant. By this point, both sides were locked in a death struggle. Ashen would do everything it could to disrupt the royal city and the fusion of worlds, while Orichalcum would strive to destroy the remnants of Ashen’s forces.

Sterl had no desire to involve himself further. Not only would it expose him to risk and danger, but he wouldn’t gain much from it either. For now, he decided to secure the rewards he was due and assess the situation later.

“The battle here can’t stay hidden for much longer; they’ll find out soon enough. When that happens, the powerful beings from the upper realms might not be able to resist forcefully descending to the lower realms. So, for now, it’s best to head back and regroup. First, you need to recover your strength, and second, we need to discuss our plans.”

Sterl spoke without mercy, but no one objected or showed any displeasure, because his words were the plain truth.

When they had set out, there had been more than twenty gods, yet now only six of them remained alive. The fall of so many gods had shaken even their spirits. Facing such a battle again, they were unlikely to have the same death-before-dishonor fighting spirit as before. They all silently resolved to prepare more life-saving items and tools once they returned.

Before, they hadn’t felt the urgency. After all, they were gods, and even if they were attacked by two of the same tier, they believed they could escape if they really wanted to. What’s more, killing a god wasn’t an easy task—history had shown that gods rarely fell. It was this mindset that led them to underestimate the situation. But now, the truth had hit them hard. In a battle between gods, even gods were just flesh and blood in a grinder. One wrong move, and the godly status they had fought for centuries to achieve could be shattered, their souls destroyed, their bodies lost.

“By the way, about Boris’s betrayal, I need an answer from you. I’ve used up a precious trump card in the process,” Sterl continued, his gaze steady as he looked at Eterna.

Eterna’s heart sank. His face immediately turned serious. It was true then—Boris had indeed betrayed them. If Hades hadn’t been prepared in advance, he might already have died in the deadly ambush.

Morette and the others also agreed with Sterl’s words, and their agreement was genuine. Sterl hadn’t activated their followers marks, for they had witnessed, firsthand, the ambush that the ten Ashen gods had launched under Boris’s leadership.

At that moment, they had truly believed that Hades had perished. But to their surprise, he had some life-saving item—how exactly he had used it to avoid the fatal strike, they didn’t know, but it was clear that Hades had been well-prepared.

The betrayal from their own side had nearly caused a disaster for their allies. Failing to provide an explanation for this was simply unacceptable. What if this angered Hades, and in a fit of rage, he decided to sever ties with Orichalcum and even defect to Ashen? The consequences would be unimaginable. Moreover, Ashen would certainly not care that Hades had slain nearly twenty of their gods with a single strike. Instead, they would likely welcome him with open arms, offering massive rewards—this was the value that the power to make such decisions brought.

“Hades, rest assured. I will report this to the royal city. Orichalcum will definitely offer you satisfactory compensation,” Eterna said, struggling to keep his weak body upright, but his voice was firm. This was a matter of utmost importance, and Hades’s status was only rising with each passing moment.

“Very well, then. Let’s return to the royal city for now. This is Ashen’s territory. Once they realize what has happened, they might resort to a swarm tactic and forcefully strike back,” Sterl said, his tone calm but filled with a hint of warning.

In some ways, gods and divine beings were not afraid of such tactics, but here, “swarm tactics” referred to ordinary, second-class soldiers.

For a force of divine beings, even their lowest-tier soldiers were at least third-class in strength. Their legions were made up of legends in abundance—not the ordinary, low-level ones, but mid-tier and even high-tier legends. These were the true backbone of the army.

As for third-class soldiers, in many ways, they were considered just cannon fodder. Positions that could be likened to officers were often filled by Ascendants—beings who were below demigod level, but who had reached at least level 300. Only by becoming a demigod could one truly rise to the upper echelons of the army, though even then, they were still part of the military structure. They were not independent like gods, who could fight solo.

However, when a godly force consolidated its entire army, with the added effects of military formations and various other buffs, the resulting power wasn’t just some simple swarm tactic—it was the true, brutal force of a god-slaying battle.

Some military formations even used gods as their core, capable of wiping out multiple gods with ease. This was one of the reasons why divine factions also focused on building armies—because legions composed of legends were truly terrifying in power.

Even Sterl, as strong as he was, didn’t want to find himself caught in the middle of a military formation commanded by gods.