Awakening：The Infinite Evolution of My Talent as a Low-Level Awakener - Chapter 546

Chapter 546: Chapter 546: The Army Approaches the City – The True War of Divine Forces!
Moreover, he knew that Hades had even visited the royal city’s treasury, using up all the opportunities and contribution points in his possession.

Even with the worst luck, he would have at least obtained one or two powerful items or pieces of equipment, which would definitely boost his combat power. This would certainly benefit the country of Orichalcum.

Glancing at the building, which was noticeably tilting, he couldn’t help but feel some surprise. What kind of monster was this Hades? Even the goddess couldn’t satisfy him? He couldn’t imagine how much “combat power” would be needed to toy with a deity in such a manner.

Afterward, Sterl activated the authority of his private space, taking Eterna with him as they left and reappeared in the temple.

Immediately, under Eterna’s guidance, they hurriedly made their way to the winter-facing city walls of the royal city, the very direction where Ashen’s vast army was pressing toward.

“Hades! Hades is here!”

“Wonderful! With Hades here, we can wipe out all these trash!”

“Hmph, this time, we’ll make sure these despicable natives never return!”

Upon seeing Hades, all the gods hidden in the shadows or stationed on the city walls cheered with excitement. The heavy mood that had lingered before lightened considerably.

It couldn’t be helped. Although the country of Orichalcum still had some divine-level combat strength, when they saw the massive, endless army, they were still shaken. Most gods had their own followers and had experienced major battles. They knew all too well the potential and limits of a “human wave” tactic.

Millions of second-class and third-class soldiers! At least 100,000 legendary troops! When such a force gathered together, even ordinary, weak Divine Power gods would be shocked. Even an upper-tier god, facing these vast numbers of mortal ants, would be ripped from their divine pedestal!

As the saying goes, “Enough ants can take down an elephant”—even if the gap between gods and mortals were as great as the one between an elephant and ants, the gods would still be gnawed to death.

“Hades, the War God? Is he the one who defeated Ashen and saved our Orichalcum from disaster?”

“He is the hero of our Orichalcum nation!”

“The power of the War God, Hades, is incredibly strong. No one even knows how many levels of divine authority he possesses. It is said that his power is so great, even The Hot Spring Vision and the Hunter God would be ashamed in comparison!”

“With the War God’s help, we will surely win!”

At this moment, outside the royal city, many soldiers from the Orichalcum army were also stirred by Sterl’s appearance. One by one, they turned their heads, gazing at him with fervent admiration and worship, their hearts filled with boundless respect. Their fighting spirit surged, and they noticed that Eterna, the overseer of the royal city, had voluntarily chosen to follow behind Hades. The significance of this was obvious.

It was important to note that Sterl’s reputation in the country of Orichalcum was at the second-highest level of adoration. Furthermore, his deeds were well-known to all. With him present, to the eyes of the army, he was an invincible banner!

Seeing this, Eterna breathed a sigh of relief. Due to time constraints and the issues of defending their home territory, the Orichalcum army’s numbers were barely more than a tenth of Ashen’s forces. This vast difference had caused the morale of the Orichalcum soldiers to falter. The fact that there had been no signs of soldiers fleeing the battlefield could be attributed to the great efforts of the royal city. Now, at least their morale was stabilized.

“Ashen plans to use these cannon fodder to attack the royal city?”

Sterl, clad in shining silver armor and with a long, majestic cape billowing behind him, looked every bit like an invincible war god. Even though the natural luster and special effects of the Starry Battle Armor were mostly obscured, its exquisite structure was still clearly visible, enough to show its exceptional quality. With Sterl’s muscular and towering figure, he looked like a deity who could gaze down upon the world with disdain.

Eterna paused for a moment, staring in awe before quickly speaking up. “Mr. Hades, please don’t underestimate them. While individually these soldiers may seem like insignificant mortals, when gathered together and bolstered by their formations, they possess power that can rival even higher gods. We must not underestimate them!”

What truly worried Eterna, however, was not Ashen’s gods or hidden trump cards, but this vast, overwhelming army. These forces were clearly meant to serve as cannon fodder, but if a few of Orichalcum’s gods were replaced or their army shattered and destroyed, the balance of the battlefield would be broken, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

But Hades shook his head. “Have you ever seen an egg?”

“What?”

Eterna’s expression froze for a moment, his train of thought clearly interrupted.

Sterl said nothing further. Instead, he took an ordinary egg from his small world. “Even if this were multiplied by a million, a billion, or a trillion, could it shatter the armor on my body?”

With a sharp crack, the egg shattered, spilling its scrambled contents, and the broken egg fell from Sterl’s hand. “So, no matter how much garbage you pile up, it will always just be garbage. Even if you stack a world’s worth of eggs, they cannot shake my armor.”

Listening to Sterl’s words, Eterna’s expression froze for a moment. It seemed like there was some truth to it? But then, he quickly realized something was wrong! This was completely misleading! This wasn’t a metaphor for eggs—those troops weren’t eggs at all. They were soldiers, each one at least second-class at the peak of their strength. Individually, they might seem insignificant, but when gathered together, their combined power could trigger an energy tide, causing a terrifying transformation. The resulting force could be so overwhelming that even gods would feel despair.

However, Eterna quickly regained his composure. Although the gods understood the truth behind the matter, Sterl’s words seemed to have strengthened the fighting spirit of the troops below. Now he understood that this was exactly what Sterl had intended all along. It was…

Eterna glanced at Hades, unsure of what to say. In his heart, however, he couldn’t help but deeply respect the man. This Hades was truly a blessing to the nation of Orichalcum. If he were willing to join the royal city, he might very well become the cornerstone of the kingdom’s future, leading the city toward the great revival they had once dreamed of!

Suddenly, a long, ancient roar echoed across the battlefield, shattering the previously tense and silent atmosphere. The next moment, a terrifying giant elephant, over 300 meters in size, emerged slowly from the rear of Ashen’s army, appearing like a small mountain.

Some second-class and third-class cannon fodder, unable to avoid it in time, were trampled into nothing more than meat patties by the elephant’s massive hooves, their deaths brutal and unrecognizable.

The giant elephant swung its trunk, and its enormous eyes seemed to pierce through a distance of hundreds of miles, locking onto the army at the foot of the royal city of Orichalcum. It appeared to want to crush them into dust.

Additionally, the elephant’s body was etched with countless formation runes and various tools and items. There was a faint sense of a special connection lingering between the elephant and the army behind it.

“This is Ashen’s Colossal War Beast. Its strength is comparable to a demigod, but its vitality and defense are so high that even a god would find it difficult to kill. It also possesses extreme resistance. Furthermore, this Colossal War Beast seems to be the core of the army’s formation. In other words, to destroy the army, one must kill this Colossal War Beast. However, this beast has absorbed the power of the entire army’s formation, which means its strength will likely be incredibly terrifying.”

Eterna’s expression darkened slightly. He was clearly very familiar with the Colossal War Beast, and it was obvious he had been aware of Ashen’s card all along.

Sterl, too, was shaken. While he had clearly referred to the army as nothing more than cannon fodder, that was a tactical dismissal. Strategically, he took them very seriously. Seeing this immense and unending army with his own eyes had a far greater impact than what he’d observed from the god’s-eye view of the map module.

A Colossal War Beast, already at the level of a demigod, was used as the core of an army formation comprising millions of soldiers. While this approach would drastically shorten the Colossal War Beast’s lifespan, potentially limiting it to only a few days, its power would continue to grow without limit. The key advantage here was that, unlike those gods from the upper realms, it wouldn’t be subject to the suppression of the world’s laws.

Sterl glanced at Eterna beside him. Despite the heavy situation, the latter did not seem panicked or overly worried. It was clear that Eterna had a countermeasure up his sleeve, which opened Sterl’s eyes to the depth and complexity of divine-level warfare. The conflicts between gods and divine forces were indeed far more intricate and exciting than he had imagined.

As expected, Eterna spoke up, addressing the Colossal War Beast directly. “Mr. Hades, there’s no need to worry. While this Colossal War Beast is powerful, we have already retrieved the Godslayer Crossbow from the royal treasury. It can channel part of the royal city’s power and, combined with the army’s will, it is more than enough to severely wound this Colossal War Beast—or even destroy it outright! Although the Godslayer Crossbow can only be used once, that will be sufficient.”

Sterl nodded silently, outwardly calm, but inwardly, he was shaken. He hadn’t expected such a powerful weapon to be available. It was a true revelation to him—real divine-level warfare was never as simple as mere hand-to-hand combat.

The various assets and war weapons, each with their own countermeasures and tactics, all played a crucial role. Beyond these, there were decisions, strategies, and careful planning. Only when both sides were evenly matched, with their trump cards exhausted, would the battle escalate into a chaotic free-for-all.

However, if one side could outlast the other’s resources and weapons, what awaited them would be a brutal slaughter.

Thus, in divine warfare, intelligence and resources were of utmost importance. Personal combat strength, unless at a very high level, would rarely be decisive in the grand scheme of things.

Sterl absorbed these insights and lessons. This was his first true exposure to the battle tactics of divine forces, and it was a momentous experience for him.