Chapter 633: The Hellish Gods’ Bitter Sacrifice?
As long as the creatures of this layer of Hell were not entirely annihilated, or their souls not completely devoured, reaching the current level of recovery was just a matter of time.
For the Will of Hell, which was not a living being but a pure consciousness conglomerate, time was the most meaningless concept. As long as Hell existed, it would exist forever. Time could leave countless marks on living beings, but it couldn't harm it in the slightest.
In its eyes, the creatures of Hell were like weeds on the earth. As long as the roots weren't entirely uprooted, they would eventually grow back, generation after generation.
It would never risk angering Sterl, a powerful being who could save Hell from the flames of disaster, just for the sake of these insignificant creatures.
As for whether Sterl's actions were overly cruel or evil, the Will of Hell didn't care at all.
From the moment it entered Transcendence, it understood that there was no such thing as right or wrong in this world—only the strength of power.
The strong write history and gain everything, while the weak ultimately become the resources and slaves of the strong, to be used as they see fit.
Moreover, in Sterl's eyes, his actions were not evil at all. On the contrary, he was saving Hell, saving their future!
And in this process, some sacrifices were inevitable. If he didn't have enough soul power to grow stronger, how could he face the ever-stronger enemies and pull Hell out of its impending crisis?
So, this was unavoidable. Moreover, after being refined and absorbed by him, these souls didn't truly vanish but were integrated into Sterl's soul, becoming a part of him—a foundation for a future where he would become the King of Gods, the strongest existence!
At the very least, Sterl would always remember them.
And even without Sterl, these beings would have been devoured by the invaders anyway.
But with Sterl, at least the sacrifice of some could ensure the survival of others.
From a long-term perspective, this was a form of redemption! A rebirth!
"No! Don't kill me, I don't want to die here!"
"Roar!! I'll fight you, you damn insects!"
"Master above, please save us!"
"Hell shall never be enslaved!"
A few minutes later, the Hell Legion was on the brink of collapse. The swarming Silver Spiders on the ground, along with those bizarre, fused flying creatures in the sky, created a force that acted like a soul-harvesting machine!
Wherever they passed, these Hellish creatures were shredded and devoured.
In an instant, the battlefield was filled with the sounds of wailing, roaring, pleading... all mixed together in a chaotic symphony. The vast battlefield descended into total disorder.
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In contrast, the invading creatures moved like emotionless killing machines, pushing forward, erasing, and finally devouring everything in their path.
Soon, on the ground, aside from the four strongest races in The Thorn Cage Hell, all other races were nearly annihilated. Even some powerful legendary-level beings, caught in this unstoppable torrent, were no more than slightly larger ants.
The millions of soldiers from the four major races continued to resist desperately. They were the true elite of this layer of Hell, with their average power at the third class level.
Yet, no matter how hard they fought, their resistance only delayed the inevitable—just a brief prolonging of death.
But even that small delay gave them no time to reflect on anything. It only extended their terror and despair.
It wasn't long before the Dark Gnome clan, masters of controlling and manipulating puppets, became the first to be targeted.
Countless powerful puppets were pierced through by the Silver Spiders' attacks, and even the remnants that fell were devoured completely by these creatures. As for the Dark Gnomes within the puppets, there was no escape—only death awaited them.
Many Dark Gnomes, who had lost the protection of their puppets, found that their personal strength was inferior to that of even the weakest races. A mere brush with the torrent was enough to seal their doom.
In less than a few minutes, the remaining members of the Dark Gnome clan were few, and they were on the verge of total annihilation.
"No! You damn insects, this is my race!"
Val roared in fury, desperately channeling his divine authority and Law. Immediately, a humanoid puppet that had been battling the Earth Wolves enveloped him, wrapping around him like a suit of pitch-black armor.
Ignoring the threat posed by the Earth Wolves, he plunged toward the battlefield below.
"Fool."
Sterl spoke expressionlessly, a glint of coldness flashing in his eyes.
He couldn't even tolerate this small matter? What a useless fool. Sterl had no habit of babysitting weaklings!
Had he not seen any potential use in the Dark Gnome's control over puppets, he would have slapped him down in an instant.
But even without intervening, Val's fate wouldn't be much better.
Seeing that Val had ignored him, the Silver Earth Wolf seized the opportunity. With a quick teleport, it appeared behind him, its paw—laden with the eerie gray mist—slamming violently into the back of the puppet!
In an instant, the Divine Power barrier contained within shattered with a deafening crash. Even more terrifying than the defense of the Colossal War Beast, it was violently torn open, creating a horrific gaping hole. A massive amount of gray mist relentlessly corroded the surrounding materials, and the once indestructible puppet slowly began to melt away.
Val grunted in pain. After merging with the puppet, this puppet essentially became his body.
However, he disregarded the situation and pushed forward, rushing toward the remaining members of his clan, attacking the surrounding Silver Spiders in a frenzy.
The power of a God struck these Silver Spiders—a single blow could wipe out thousands.
But the fusion monsters in the air had locked onto him. By the time Val reacted, hundreds of thousands of these creatures simultaneously unleashed their sharp tail spikes.
At this point, Val had no chance to dodge. Behind him were the last of his clan, and if he attempted to evade, they would certainly be slaughtered to the last. But if he didn't evade, the million-strong tail spikes would rip him apart, leaving countless holes in his body.
"I'll fight you to the death!"
A surge of madness overwhelmed him. Val roared in fury, controlling the puppet to form a thick shield in front of him.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Countless tail spikes hammered into the shield. The mysterious gray energy pierced it, creating small holes, and some of the tail spikes even managed to penetrate the shield's defense, embedding themselves into Val's body.
Fortunately, most of the tail spikes were absorbed by the puppet, but by the time the torrential barrage of spikes ceased, Val's puppet body had been badly damaged. His own form was also affected by the mysterious gray energy, leaving him grievously injured.
"Now… comes the real test…"
He sighed deeply, a look of survival evident on his face.
Among the survivors below, there was his only remaining grandson. Thankfully, he had withstood the onslaught.
Then he looked down, but this glance made his entire body shudder, freezing him in place.
What he saw below sent his heart into a sudden panic. Hundreds of Dark Gnome lay scattered, resembling broken ragdolls, their bodies riddled with countless tiny holes—almost no part of them remained intact.
Upon seeing this, Val froze, his mind blank as if struck by lightning.
"I… I already blocked everything, didn't I? How could this happen? Why is this happening?!"
After a moment of stunned silence, a twisted, agonized wail escaped his lips. His body trembled uncontrollably, his spirit shattered.
At all costs, he had sought to save his only bloodline, but looking at the shattered bodies below, it felt as though the entire world had darkened.
It was known that divine offspring were rare. Most gods had children before ascending to godhood. But this—this was the only blood relative he had ever fathered after becoming a god.
At that moment, the Silver Spiders rapidly spread across the battlefield. In the dazed look of Val, they instantly devoured the bodies of his bloodline and kin, leaving nothing behind.
"I… I…"
Val's eyes widened with rage. The extreme hatred spread through his heart. Yet, in the next moment, Earth Wolf suddenly appeared behind him. Its tail lashed out with brutal force, sending him flying. His waist was torn open by the strike, and he fell to the earth, his life or death uncertain.
"Master, do you need me to intervene?"
From behind, Boris, glancing carefully at Sterl, who was watching the scene with interest, asked cautiously.
"Heh, why interfere with such an interesting scene?"
A cold smile flickered across Sterl's face. He had never expected that a dignified god—one of the hell gods, no less—would perform such a foolish act. It was utterly ridiculous.
A group of evil hellish creatures pretending to be full of deep, heartfelt emotions—how repulsive.
As for this god's follower, he had no interest in saving him. After all, he was just a follower. If he died, so be it—there was no real loss.
On the contrary, the pathetic and foolish act of seeking death for oneself was almost laughable.
If Val truly died and his soul was directly refined, he would be of no use whatsoever. If, by some miracle, he survived, then he might as well turn himself into a puppet. It would be the height of disgrace.
After a quick glance, Sterl turned his attention back to the battlefield. So far, the Hell side's army was down to roughly three to four million strong. But with the unchecked onslaught of the silver tide, they had completely lost their will to fight, and were being wiped out at a rate of tens of millions per minute.
On the God and Demigod side, apart from the ill-fated Val, there had been no casualties.
However, the actions of the God of Evil Wasps caught Sterl by surprise and even piqued his admiration.
She had rallied a group of legendary Evil Wasps, drawing them together to form a physical shield around him, defending against the Hell Silver Earth Wolf's attack.
It seemed that, in her eyes, these so-called "kin" were simply tools to be used—a stark contrast to Val, whose futile efforts to protect his kin now appeared laughably misguided.