Chapter 358: Chapter 358: The Genius Emerging from the Endless Layers of Hell
Sterl knew that the Succubus Queen's divine sense had been watching the camp closely. He felt that soul energy was an extremely important ability. According to the information he had gathered earlier, even gods found it difficult to enhance their soul power...
When faced with treasures that could strengthen the soul, gods would undoubtedly take action to seize them!
The Fire of Ten Thousand Souls had to be kept hidden!
Sterl pondered, "It seems I'll have to secretly absorb the Fire of Ten Thousand Souls during the clash of techniques. But if I do that, I absolutely cannot let the Demon of Terror and Cruelty escape. While others may not notice, he will definitely realize that I used a rare item to repair my soul."
"If he reports this to his Lord of Evil Spirits, I would be in big trouble."
Sterl contemplated…
For a moment, both sides were locked in a cold standoff, but the combatants had fallen into silence.
As for the onlookers…
Actually, they had stopped watching altogether.
However, when the first hell player caught sight of Mephistopheles standing unharmed in place out of the corner of his eye, a chain reaction akin to a line of dominoes began.
Countless players, including those Supreme beings present, froze in place!
They were dumbfounded!
They were utterly shocked!
"Mephistopheles, are you okay??"
Flanda, on her side, was the most excited and overjoyed, nearly jumping up.
"It's impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"He's still alive! I had to use my revival item against him; how can he still be standing?"
"Is this a joke??"
The distinction between the Lord of Evil Spirits faction and the Succubus Queen faction vanished. All the players wore expressions of disbelief and even some resentment.
Mephistopheles had not lost his life, but they had lost a precious item!
How could that not be a death sentence?
However, it didn't take long for someone to notice…
Not only was Mephistopheles alive, but the words spoken by the Demon of Terror and Cruelty, who had been utterly serious just moments ago, were also confirmed by the strongest player under the Lord of Evil Spirits.
Mephistopheles was incredibly powerful, not below him at all!
In fact, this humanoid creature seemed to be quite young, not even a hundred years old, yet he already matched the thousand years of accumulation of a top-tier race like the Demon of Terror and Cruelty!
What kind of genius could this be??
In that moment, a chill rose in the hearts of countless "people" present.
"This must be a figure so rare that even the countless layers of hell have difficulty producing someone like him…"
"We are fortunate to witness such a talent…"
"Mephistopheles is destined to ascend to godhood…"
The numerous Supremes exclaimed in astonishment.
Meanwhile, the demons and hell players around them had subtle changes in their expressions. They felt that Mephistopheles was no longer just a thin humanoid figure, but rather someone who was gradually displaying an invincible presence…
A future respected deity!
If such a figure couldn't ascend to godhood, then who could?
...
Many demons couldn't help but feel a sense of reverence and worship. Under the immense pressure and shock, the sound of gulping could be heard echoing through the air.
In that moment, the onlookers who had originally gathered to watch Mephistopheles's demise now resembled pilgrims, bowing slightly in awe.
Then…
As a few Supremes concluded their earlier statements, they shared their thoughts.
"This must be a figure so rare that even the countless layers of hell have difficulty producing someone like him. If I could witness his death, it would truly be my honor!"
"We are fortunate to witness such a talent. If this person is not eliminated, when can we ever rest easy?"
"Mephistopheles is destined to ascend to godhood. If he doesn't die today, we will never find peace!"
...
The many Supremes shouted, voicing not just their own sentiments but echoing the feelings of all those present!
A fierce killing intent surged forth!
It was precisely because of Mephistopheles's extraordinary talent that the Supremes and demigods from both factions felt an overwhelming sense of panic!
Not long ago, they had been hurling insults and curses at him. Surely this genius had heard their words; would he not seek revenge?
Putting oneself in another's shoes, the players from hell and the demons felt that it was only natural for someone to retaliate if they had been insulted. Even if they hadn't been directly offended, it would be reasonable to lash out when feeling irritable.
Every "person" has moments when they struggle to control their emotions.
Especially in the case of harboring grudges!
If Mephistopheles could survive, they might not live to see another day!
Everyone was shouting loudly.
"Lord Lovic, go for it!"
"Kill him! We must eradicate him completely!"
"Remove him, or our lord's authority may be challenged!"
"Lord Lovic, I will assist you!"
...
The players under the Lord of Evil Spirits roared in anger. Some Supreme players even directly cast spells to summon various enhancement skills to strike at the Demon of Terror and Cruelty.
They activated their Faction mode.
Demon of Terror and Cruelty, Lovic, stood calmly in place, unbothered by the threat of sneak attacks, and allowed these buffs to accumulate around him.
This demon, standing several meters tall, now bore multiple colored auras.
His momentum increased by at least twenty percent!
His combat power swelled once again.
On the other side, among the Succubus Queen faction, many players also began to take action. Some remained silent while others approached actively, saying, "Mephistopheles, we were in the wrong earlier; please show mercy… one, two!"
As they uttered the last two words, their expressions turned extremely sinister, and a series of debuff skills were unleashed upon Sterl.
Fortunately, Sterl's talisman summoned an avatar that appeared prominently and activated Protection Power, shielding him from everything.
Strange streams of light struck against the azure shield, emitting various nauseating and corrosive auras, or forming puddles of muck and toxic water.
At this moment, Sterl's previously stable mindset finally began to crack. He felt a surge of anger…
"Come on, guys? Isn't this a bit too much?? After all, I helped draw their attention! Otherwise, you all would have been wiped out by the Lord of Evil Spirits faction by now, and this is how you repay me?"
Sterl had tried his best to understand this group of "people." After Mephistopheles had helped them fend off the Demon of Terror and Cruelty, he figured that the hell players and demons would think this way—
"Since you've already taken the hit for us and we're safe now, you have no more value to us. With no value, aren't we just free to stab you in the back? Why should we keep you around?"
...
While he had understood the logic, he still struggled to keep his composure. Sterl had thought his mental fortitude was strong enough to remain indifferent to some annoying individuals in his main world. Just a little wear and tear, that was all.
Now, he realized he hadn't encountered true annoyance until now!
These demons and hell players unilaterally believed that Sterl's moral standards were the same as theirs, so a few insults turned into deep-seated hatred! This led them to unleash their full strength against him!
At this moment, as if noticing Sterl's confusion caused by these frenzied demons and players, the Demon of Terror and Cruelty struck again!
He did not change his tactics, still employing the Four-in-One Platinum Skill.
The Demon of Terror and Cruelty's strategy was brutally straightforward, aiming to exhaust Mephistopheles's energy!
Sterl, without hesitation, gathered his strength once more to form the Flowing Water Blade…
Then, another collision occurred!
Bang!!
With a violent energy reaction, the camp, which had already been reduced to ruins and pits, expanded further!
However, this time, the other players and demons present had taken precautions, retreating to a safe distance. With the keen eyesight of demigod-level beings, even from afar, they could clearly see the battle unfolding.
"This guy is bound to die sooner or later!"
"End this quickly, Lord Lovic!"
"Can we take him out in one hit? This time, there are several layers of buffs!"
...
From a distance, the demons and players watched with eager anticipation.
Only Flanda struggled to rise. She flipped her palm and took out a purple-golden energy orb from her inventory, wanting to rush to Mephistopheles's side. However, the terrifying energy made her rationally hesitate to move.
She sensed that if she forced a rescue, she might end up losing her life as well. So, Flanda could only watch the core of the energy collision with anticipation. She felt… Mephistopheles would not be so easily annihilated.
...
The light gradually dimmed.
In an instant, the expressions of countless demons shifted. Even with the various enhancement abilities they had added, the Demon of Terror and Cruelty's Four-in-One ultimate move still failed to achieve victory.
Once again, two figures stood without a clear winner. The Demon of Terror and Cruelty barely managed to match the power of Shattered Void thanks to multiple buffs, but ultimately, Sterl still outperformed him! This was the might of a top-tier platinum skill, enhanced to an unbeatable level!
In fact, because the Demon of Terror and Cruelty hadn't used [Sun Devourer] (which was unleashed when attacking the Succubus Queen faction's Supreme) during their first clash, and since the energy from [Sun Devourer] had not yet been depleted, it formed a protective barrier.
After the second wave of collision, as the light faded away, people realized that although Mephistopheles appeared to be in a poor state, his mana was completely drained, he was unharmed, merely lightly rubbing his forehead with a slightly pained expression.
On the contrary, the Demon of Terror and Cruelty now bore several wounds.
The outcome was clear!
Faced with this scene, the demons and hell players only shouted even more fervently.
"Kill Mephistopheles! Finish him off!"
"He must die here today!"
...
Seeing that Mephistopheles was still alive, their eyes turned red with fury.
Since other players and demons had retreated to a safe distance, they no longer needed to worry about Mephistopheles's counterattack, and thus…
They began to unleash a barrage of skills!
From Sterl's perspective, he had just cast his ultimate move and was waiting for his energy to recover while crushing bottle after bottle of potions in his mouth.
However…
Countless platinum skill abilities rained down upon him!
Although individually these abilities posed no significant threat, the sheer number, when accumulated to a certain extent, became overwhelming for Sterl to handle…
He attempted to activate [Dark King] to slip into the shadow world.
But the Demon of Terror and Cruelty had already sealed the space!