Chapter 654: The Calamity of Deification (End)

The appearance of the two demon lords caused great tension among the powerful beings in Hell. As the King of Hell, Astimos certainly did not intend to allow the three demon lords to meet, to prevent further destruction. Thus, endless flames rose into the air, and a formidable pressure descended, forcing both combatants to pause. Fearing being affected by such a high-level battle, the powerful demons from the Abyss also retreated to watch from afar. This left the battlefield empty.

Within the flames, a giant demon deity, nearly fifty feet tall, appeared on the battlefield. With a mere raise of his hand, a blast of demonic flames was sent toward the opposing demon lord. Faced with such a powerful attack, although the two demon lords, Zareel and Baltzu, were capable of withstanding it, they neither wanted to waste energy here nor engage directly, so they dodged aside.

“Praise you, great King of Hell!”
“Great Astimos is invincible…”

Seeing their leader repel the demon lord with overwhelming power, the powerful beings of Hell cheered loudly. The demons praised the King of Hell’s greatness at the top of their voices.

“You truly are the lord of Hell—your strength is indeed extraordinary!”

Baltzu’s narrowed eyes gleamed with cunning. With a sway of his hefty body, he vanished in a flash of light and appeared in front of Astimos. He skillfully used a noble dagger as a weapon, his agility enough to make even the strongest legendary assassins of the main world feel ashamed.

Zareel, who had a militaristic demeanor and resembled a stern strongwoman, emitted a powerful blasphemous light from afar, clearly more skilled in magic. Astimos did not underestimate these two demon lords’ unconventional abilities. To become a lord in the chaotic Abyss, aside from a few lucky ones, who didn’t have their own strengths?

He waved his hand to conjure a divine shield in front of him, blocking the blasphemous light. Then, with another gesture, a giant demon-slaying sword appeared in his hand. A blood-red sword aura was released, stopping Baltzu from approaching.

Using brute force to counter agility was often the best way to deal with such swift assassins. The power of a mid-tier god, combined with the might of the demon-slaying sword, made Baltzu’s hair stand on end, filling him with a sense of extreme danger. He quickly stepped back to gain some distance.

“Interesting, but not yet my match. Submit! Bring your subordinates to me, and I might spare your lives. I’ll reserve a place for you in hell!” Astimos said, lifting the tip of his sword.

The faces of the two demon lords changed slightly, as if tempted. But soon they launched another joint attack on Astimos. The King of Hell effortlessly deflected their attacks and then said grimly, “If that’s the case, you may die!”

After becoming the King of Hell, his powerful hellish domain was unleashed, enveloping the two demon lords instantly. Within this black domain filled with the flames of purgatory, two lights stood apart, resisting the invasion of the domain. Yet due to the disparity in strength, though Baltuz and Zareel’s domains were as powerful and refined as those of ordinary true gods, they couldn’t escape for now.

Astimos also couldn’t quickly defeat his opponents, as both were at the level of true gods. He had just risen to the rank of mid-tier god, while his opponents had honed their skills for countless years as lower gods. To defeat them outright required absolute power, which Astimos lacked.

Even his newly acquired divine powers weren’t strong enough yet, as time had been too short to develop formidable supernatural strength. Thus, the battle remained stale.

Just as the strongest fighters clashed, something suddenly changed on the side of hell. The Elven archer, who was undergoing transformation through the laws and igniting his divine fire, had advanced rapidly due to his extensive experience. Having consumed a Fruit of Laws earlier, he hadn’t reached the level of a demi-god, but he had gained some essence of law transformation. So, this process wasn’t difficult for Xuefras—he completed the transformation of his divine body in about one-tenth of the usual time, leaving only the final step: soul transformation, followed by the formation of his divine fire.

Yet this was also the most critical step in becoming a god. Most demi-gods failed at this stage due to their own shortcomings.

After retreating from the battlefield, Elven Elder Rudi stayed by Xuefras’s side, closely monitoring his progress with anxiety.

Donald’s avatar stepped forward with a smile and said, “Elder Rudy needn’t be too anxious. In my opinion, Elder Xueflas has accumulated enough strength to overcome this challenge with high certainty. If nothing goes wrong, another demi-god will emerge from the elves! And unlike those who gained demi-god powers through their bloodline, this will be an elf demi-god who truly ignited the divine flame through his own efforts! His potential is vast, and I believe another elf god will soon join the Pantheon!”
Reassured by Donald’s words, Rudy felt much calmer and was filled with joy.
What kind of being was Donald? Knowing many insider details, Rudy understood the strength of this Natural Guardian—not only in terms of power but also in his extraordinary wisdom. If he said so, even if not completely certain, it was almost certainly true!
Just then, the fluctuations of the laws surrounding Xueflas suddenly intensified. Even the King of Hell, who was fighting against the Demon Lord, couldn’t help but pay attention.
Those who had experienced deification or witnessed powerful beings become gods knew that this was a sign that deification was about to succeed. Once this step was completed, one would truly become an immortal demi-god.
But before Xueflas could finalize the formation of the divine flame, a dark gray divine light suddenly appeared on the abyss side, coalescing into a giant hand thousands of feet long that immediately reached toward the Hell faction, targeting none other than Xueflas, the legendary elf archer on his path to immortality.
“Dareful!”
Donald snarled immediately and took action.
Clearly, the owner of this giant hand had more than just the intention of disrupting Xueflas’ deification process. Another goal was to hope that Astimos, the King of Hell, would intervene to rescue him, thereby giving the two demon lords, Baltzu and Zareel, a chance to escape. Having witnessed Astimos’ formidable strength as a mid-tier god among the kings of Hell, the owner of the giant hand believed he wasn’t a match for him. But if he could ally with the other two demon lords, he might still have a chance to fight.
Unbeknownst to them, Xueflas was protected by Donald’s avatar. There was nothing that could reassure the king of Hell and god of demons, Astimos, more than that.