Strike First

"Not seeing him!" A deep voice came from within the castle, like a steel needle piercing the God of Death's heart.

At that moment, the God of Death's heart pounded violently. He clenched his teeth and fists, then knocked on the gates again.

"Lord Destruction, the God of Death requests an audience. I humbly seek your guidance."

"Lord Destruction, the God of Death requests an audience. I humbly seek your gu..."

Before he could finish shouting for the third time, the gates opened on their own. The first thing that entered the God of Death's sight was a small-framed deity.

His eyes glowed with an eerie green light, and his tongue was long enough to lick his forehead. Standing at the entrance, he made a gesture of invitation.

"Thank you for your trouble, God of Gluttony." The God of Death nodded slightly and entered the Castle of Destruction with him.

Inside the castle, the hall was dimly lit. A crimson carpet stretched from the entrance all the way to the innermost end.

Lightning flashed outside the windows, briefly bringing a little more light into the hall. Seated in the main seat at the far end was none other than the God of Destruction.

His eyes were half-closed as he sat cross-legged in midair, refining the Destruction Intent in his palm. Beside the magnificent purple-gold throne, a masterless dark-gold godhead floated silently.

Having delivered him, the God of Gluttony gave the God of Destruction a deep bow and left the hall.

"What is it that you do not understand? Why did you not ask him instead of coming to me?" The God of Destruction did not even raise his eyelids as he continued refining the Destruction Intent in his hand.

The God of Death took a deep breath and slowly said, "Lord Destruction... do you believe Divine Law has feelings?"

Hearing this, the God of Destruction's refinement of the Destruction Intent paused, yet he still did not open his eyes. "Did he not teach you these things?"

"Lord Destruction..." The God of Death gave a bitter smile. "I feel... that I am doing something that goes against my heart and conscience."

"Is that so? Then what did you discover?"

"Sea God Poseidon."

Those few words successfully halted the God of Destruction's movements. His eyelids twitched slightly. "...What else?"

"I have repaid my debt of gratitude. Now, I want to become an upright future God Realm Enforcer." The God of Death took a deep breath, his expression solemn. "I want to correct Asura!"

Then, the God of Death told the God of Destruction everything that had happened when he encountered the Asura God during his investigation. With a flip of his wrist, a feather drenched in blood floated before the God of Destruction. Its original white had been completely dyed red...

Rumble!!

The lightning outside the castle suddenly grew several times more violent, and wild winds howled. The Enforcement God's eyes snapped open as he rose from his throne, an immense pressure instantly sweeping through the entire castle.

"Asura... you forced my hand!"

The God of Destruction's voice suddenly turned chilling. Rings of divine light erupted behind him, nine rings contained within them, while an overpowering aura of destruction flickered in and out of existence.

Good. He had thought Asura was acting alone, but it turned out that bastard had accomplices!

His dark crimson gaze turned toward the distance, light shifting in his eyes as though he were pondering something. After a long while, the God of Destruction's gaze returned to the God of Death, seemingly evaluating him.

"God of Death, how do you think a deity who knowingly breaks the law and remains utterly indifferent even after being judged should be dealt with?"

"...Severely punished."

The God of Destruction suddenly smiled. His aura withdrew as he picked up the half of the Blood Mask in his hand and played with it. "Since he wants to play, then I shall play with him..."

"Lord Destruction, you..."

"There is a saying in the mortal world: repay a man in his own coin."

The gods of the God Realm were immortal and indestructible, their sense of time faint to the extreme. Before they knew it, nearly a year had passed, and only six days remained before the Asura God's confinement ended.

Within the Castle of Destruction, the God of Death was carefully selecting suitable souls from the information gathered from the lower realm.

"Asura's confinement is about to end. Have you still not found a suitable one?" There was a trace of impatience in the God of Destruction's tone.

"Sigh, there are practically none that meet your requirements."

The God of Death was helpless. Every month, he would make time to come to the Castle of Destruction and select suitable souls under the God of Destruction's cover. Yet in the lower realm over the past three hundred years, not a single one had met the God of Destruction's requirements.

"Hm?" At that moment, an extremely young soul caught the God of Death's attention. More precisely, it was the soul's powerful obsession that drew him in.

"Let me see." The God of Death gently extended his divine senses. Information about everything that had happened in the life of that deeply obsessed soul quickly flooded into his mind.

"Damn it! Dog Three, you bastard! Babaru cosplaying Jumi Jie'e—no matter how you look at it, you're not human!!"

"My Xue'er, my Angel... Why! Why was Heaven so unfair to her? I could only watch helplessly. I couldn't do anything..."

"Damn it, you bunch of idiot fans! Just wait, I'll be at your doorstep soon!!"

"Here is our next report. It is reported that last night, a certain well-known author was attacked. The attacker's actions were extremely frenzied. Just as the well-known author was about to escape, the attacker threw the weapon in his hand, striking the author's vital point. Rescue efforts ultimately failed, and the author died. After the attacker was arrested and heard the news, he laughed before biting off his tongue and killing himself. His identity is still under further investigation..."

After swiftly reviewing all the recent information from this soul's life, the God of Death could only exclaim, "Good heavens!"

The drawing of a blade had been solely for the sake of protecting the person he loved most through his own actions, even though that person did not exist in his reality.

Yet this courage, resolve, and obsession left even the God of Death in awe.

"Lord Destruction, let it be this child!"

The God of Death placed the soul into a state of deep sleep, then showed it to the God of Destruction.

"Mm... not bad. Let it be him." After examining it, the God of Destruction nodded in satisfaction as well. A purple light and a golden light gathered in his hands, slowly beginning to fuse together.

"Lord Destruction, now? Besides, will Angel Divine Power and your Destruction Divine Power truly not conflict?" The God of Death was slightly stunned.

"Strike first."

As he spoke, the two divine powers completed their fusion. With a light tap from the God of Destruction, they slowly entered the soul. Flesh and blood began to grow, and moments later, it became a newborn infant.

After sensing it briefly, a trace of awkwardness flashed across the God of Destruction's face. "This fusion did indeed produce a slight side effect, but it should not be much of a problem for this child."

"What exactly is it?" the God of Death asked.

"Well... I do not know either. It should be related to the person in his obsession. Enough, send him to the lower realm."

The God of Death had no choice but to do as he was told.

Watching the infant gradually disappear into the spatial vortex, the God of Destruction muttered, "Little one, do not disappoint me. As long as you can piss Asura off without dying, keep pissing him off! Cough... Just be careful of the side effects of the two martial souls bestowed upon you."

(Properly removed in Chapter 68)

(It's starting, it's starting! Our protagonist has successfully descended!)