Chapter 613 - Rootless in the Netherworld (14)
Chapter 613 of "MMORPG: War God, You are Invincible Again" begins with: Chapter 613: Chapter 101: Rootless in the Netherworld (14)"A few days ago, eight Heavenly Gods... See the full story!
Chapter 613: Chapter 101: Rootless in the Netherworld (14)"A few days ago, eight Heavenly Gods from your Star Domain attacked me in the Netherworld, and now you send another one? What for, to see if Iām dead yet?!" The Netherworld God was particularly disdainful of spineless men, his words unintentionally imbued with Divine Power.
His remarks, filled with Divine Power, caused the envoy of the Star Domain to be unable to suppress the destructive force. Blood poured from his seven orifices as he collapsed to the ground.
"Trash!" With a single wave of his mighty hand, the Netherworld saved the envoy from the brink of death.
"T-thank you, Your Majesty," the envoy from the Star Domain said with a tremble.
"Enough with the nonsense."
"Y-yes." It was clear that the envoy from the Star Domain was treated much worse than Eferot.
Through the quivering speech of the envoy, the Netherworld God grasped the intended message. Simply put, the Heavenly Gods of the Star Domain realized they couldnāt defeat the Netherworld God, so like the powers of the Star Sea, they chose to submit to him.
"I do not accept your surrender," the Netherworld God sneered. "Since youāve laid hands on me, you must be prepared to take a beating. You all will pay for what youāve done. Get out of my sight and wait for my retribution. My legions will flatten your Star Domain, and I will cleanse the entire place with blood to compensate for the affronts against me!"
The words of the Netherworld God terrified the envoy from the Star Domain to the point of death.
Seeing the envoy in such a state, the Netherworld God waved his hand dismissively, signaling the palace guards to drag him away.
The talk of cleansing an entire realm deeply shocked Eferot, who was standing nearby. He had heard little about the Star Domain, but being a place that nurtured Heavenly Gods, it surely couldnāt be much smaller than the Star Sea. If it were to be cleansed, how great a sin would be committed, and how many innocent lives would be needlessly lost?
"Your Majesty," Eferot could not keep silent and attempted to plead for mercy on behalf of the Star Domain.
The Netherworld God turned to look at Eferot, "Silence! If you dare ask for mercy for them, beware, I might slaughter your Star Sea altogether!"
Well, at that point, Eferot dared not say another word, and he retreated.
As the Netherworld God left, the governing officials took charge of the discussion for the submission oath ceremony.
"Star Sea forces, Beastman Empire, Holy Divine Empire, Snowy Region, Eagle Alliance, did I get that right?"
"Yes, sir, you are correct."
"Good," the officials nodded. "I must admit, the four of you know how to read the room, willing to surrender proactively."
"We stand no chance against the might of the Netherworld, and we ask for your continued favor in the days to come," Eferot said, bowing to the officials.
With the Netherworld Gods in retreat, the four most powerful rulers under the Netherworld God took control.
"Donāt rush; to earn the Netherworld Godās acknowledgment, your four forceās leaders must bring their state officials to the divine palace, swear fealty to the Netherworld God, and be willing to curse themselves so that even their kin for generations will acknowledge the Netherworld God as their liege."
Upon hearing the officialās demands, Eferotās expression turned unnatural. If they complied, the Star Sea forces would have no chance of ever rising again; they would have to follow their oath and become loyal dogs under the Netherworld God.
"What, not willing?" The official was not surprised by Eferotās reaction and chuckled, "Thereās no hurry; youāre just a messenger. Go back and convey my demands to them. I hope our next meeting is at the ceremony where you pledge your allegiance to the Netherworld God."
The official patted Eferot on the shoulder and then turned to leave the hall.
Mo Lun, ritual officiant, leaned against the doorway, speaking to the departing official, "Are you making this hard on them?"
"Isnāt this the minimum requirement for submitting to the Netherworld God?" The official raised an eyebrow in response.
Mo Lun did not argue. The matter was entrusted to the officials by the Netherworld God, who didnāt care about the outcome. Whatever demands were made, the Netherworld God would not intervene. However, if the Star Sea refused the officialās demands, the Netherworld God would unleash his wrath.
"You know if itās true or not," Mo Lun advised kindly, "Donāt push this to the extreme. The Star Domain may lack a Heavenly God, but it has survived until now for a reason. Excessive force could provoke divine punishment."
"Haha, if there were such a thing as divine punishment, I wouldnāt be the first to be struck down." The official laughed and did not take Bodoās words to heart.
As the official left, Mo Lun stopped Eferot, who was also leaving.
"Lord Mo Lun," Eferot bowed respectfully, a gesture of reverence.
Mo Lun nodded, "Follow me."
With those words, he led Eferot out of the Divine Palace and to his residence.
Upon entering Mo Lunās study, Eferot remained silent, sitting upright and waiting for Bodo to speak.
Mo Lun didnāt play coy with Eferot and straightforwardly said, "What do you think of the demands proposed by the Assembly of Ashes?"
"Well... itās alright, I guess!" Eferot, uncertain of Bodoās position, replied very tactfully.
"The Assembly of Ashes doesnāt wish for the Star Sea to surrender to the Netherworld God," Mo Lun clarified bluntly, "but now isnāt a good time for you to turn against the Netherworld God."
"You?" Eferot looked at Bodo with surprise, wondering if he had misheard.
Such words from a high-ranking official of the Underworld could be considered a betrayal of the Netherworld Godāif the Netherworld God found out, it would mean certain death for him.
Mo Lun raised his hand to stop Eferot from speaking and continued, "I will find a way to buy you some time, but it wonāt be for long. You must come up with a way to oppose the Netherworld God within a year; if not, youāll have no choice but to accept your fate."
"Do you understand?"
Seeing Mo Lunās indifferent gaze, Eferot felt puzzled, but Bodo did not give him a chance to ask questions and promptly had someone send him away.
Soon after, Eferot recounted the entire experience of his journey to the Underworld to the leaders of the four major powers.
"One year?" Konstantin frowned deeply, "Is this ritual priest truly helping us, or is he intentionally luring us to delay, essentially aligning with the Assembly of Ashesā plan to provoke the Netherworld Godās ire?"
"I donāt believe thatās the case," Duke Nuoshan countered, "Initially, when the forces of the Underworld invaded the Star Sea, the ritual priest did not participate, which likely indicates goodwill towards the Star Sea. This one year must be the opportunity he could garner for us."
"But what can be done in a year? Within a year, can the Star Sea produce a batch of top-tier Heavenly Gods capable of challenging the Netherworld God?"
Bu Shengās comment stunned the crowd, who then simultaneously turned their gaze towards Taiāe.
Taiāe furrowed his brows slightly, "Looking at me is useless. Thereās a long way between a Demigod and a True GodāI simply canāt make it in such a short time."
"But what if I were to open the Abyss of Extreme Demons to you?" Konstantin said solemnly, "With its help, could you possibly make another breakthrough?"
Taiāe looked at Konstantin seriously and replied, "I cannot promise anything, but if you truly open the Abyss of Extreme Demons to me, I am willing to try."
"Then itās settled!" Konstantin was decisive. Regardless of the fierce war they had fought with the Beastman Empire for that place, now, in the crisis of survival, any grudge was negligible.
"Alright!" agreed Taiāe, "Tomorrow, Iāll set out for the Abyss of Extreme Demons."
"You..." Since the Abyss of Extreme Demons was to be opened to Taiāe, Konstantin might as well be more generous, and through gritted teeth, he said, "You may select a group of strong individuals hopeful of breaking through to Demigod status to accompany you."
Indeed, at this juncture, the Beastman Empire was the most likely to increase their strength within a year. Konstantinās decision was very rational and commendable.
Taiāe also felt moved by Konstantinās sincerity and declared, "I, Taiāe, swear that should we safely overcome this crisis from the Underworld, I shall never again instigate war in this lifetime!"
"Words are of no use now. Our hope is in your handsāitās all up to you!" Bu Sheng dismissed Taiāeās commitment; while the Abyss of Extreme Demons might offer a shred of hope for Taiāe to break into the True God Realm, it did not necessarily mean he could confront the Netherworld God. After all, the Netherworld God possessed the power to battle against 14 opponents at once.
Duke Xinlei tapped on the table, "My lords, should we not also consider another possible outcome?"
"Indeed," Duke Chen Hui picked up the thread, "If Taiāe fails to break through to the True God Realm within a year, what then shall we do?"
"The Snowy Region can never be eternal thralls to the Underworld!" declared Bu Sheng, revealing his determination, "The Snow tribe would rather die standing than live kneeling!"
If one generation becomes enslaved, they could perhaps endure, with hopes that their descendants might someday rise again.
However, the terms proposed by the Assembly of Ashes were incredibly harsh and no one could accept them.
Who among the races would willingly submit to eternal servitude?