Follower Ritual

"Rumble~!"

Hermes's Soul Ocean boiled like a world-ending disaster, scorching with terrifying flames.

His spiritual sea trembled incessantly.

"Crack, crack, crack~!"

The Silver Moon shielded his soul, standing firm amid the raging flames.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~!"

Just then, Basim's Soul Seed arrived, fueled by every last bit of his Soul Energy—even energy he had drained from his own soul.

The moment the Soul Energy entered Hermes's spiritual sea, it transformed into black flames and shot toward the silver canopy at the center of the Soul Ocean.

"Crack, crack, crack~!"

Unlike the energy barrier formed by a Soul Defense Divine Artifact or a Soul Defense Sovereign Artifact, the silver canopy's defense was active and physical.

If Hermes hadn't been subjected to two soul attacks at once, he might never have learned that the Silver Moon had such an ability.

In the Soul Ocean, the silver canopy actively shook its countless silver particles, each one like a nanobot.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft, pfft~!"

With every tremor, countless black flames perished, turning directly into pure Soul Energy.

It flowed into Hermes's spiritual sea.

"Ahhh~!"

If he weren't afraid of embarrassing himself, Hermes would have let out a loud yell.

The increase in Soul Energy

was just like that final shudder men felt at a crucial moment—only this one could keep happening over and over.

It didn't hurt his body or mind. Hermes felt more and more invigorated.

"As expected, the canopy formed by the Silver Moon really didn't disappoint me."

When Salif's flame-infused soul attack came, Hermes had already anticipated this outcome.

But he hadn't expected

that the Black-robed Person's Soul Control could be repelled so easily, too.

"Rumble~!"

A flash of golden light dazzled Basim's dark eyes in an instant.

The Golden Fist Shadow carried a strike infused with the full extent of Hermes's comprehension of the Mysteries.

Heavy and unstoppable!

"Thud~!"

The black robe shattered, blood sprayed everywhere, and most of Basim's body was pulverized by the punch.

"Pfft, pfft, pfft!"

The punch had been far too powerful!

And it had been aimed at the Divine Spark.

Basim's soul, hidden within his Divine Spark, instantly disintegrated. The Divine Spark shot out like a bullet, punching through more than a dozen sand-and-stone walls in Blocking Castle.

At last, it lodged in a stone wall.

"Hahaha!"

"I got you good, didn't I?!"

Hermes laughed heartily after punching Basim to death. He looked nothing like someone whose body had gone rigid from a soul attack.

"Rumble~!"

The moment Basim died, the enormous Blocking Castle, as large as a small city, crumbled.

Sand and stones cascaded from the sky, all converging in one direction.

"Gurgle~!"

A yellow-brown bead rolled right to Hermes's feet.

"What's this?"

"What happened to Blocking Castle?"

Hermes picked up the bead along with Basim's corpse. He wasn't about to pass up the chance to loot a body.

That kind of satisfaction

could only be found in his past life, when he played games and cleared dungeons solo.

Since his rebirth, he'd rarely had such a pleasant experience.

"Rumble~!"

Terrifying pressure swept over him from the pitch-black underground, leaving Hermes no time to adjust.

"Where the hell are we?"

"This should be beneath the desert. I'll take you all out."

Salif's voice suddenly rang out through the endless darkness.

"Thud~!"

Before Hermes could react,

surging crimson divine power enveloped him and the other thirty surviving Demon Assessment candidates.

They sped toward the desert's surface. By then, Hermes had finally regained his sense of direction.

He released his Spiritual Sense, on guard for any dangers that might emerge from the darkness.

In midair, a large Metal Life bearing the Demon Castle insignia hovered.

"They're here, they're here!"

Brittany excitedly reported the news to the white-haired middle-aged man, who sat motionless.

"Open the hatch and prepare to welcome the returning heroes!"

The white-haired man smiled.

This Demon Assessment had taken especially long, and even he was getting impatient.

The boundless desert, Purple Moon, and sun had alternated in the sky. Even if the desert's scenery was beautiful, it grew tiresome after a while.

"What happened? Why have only a few people returned?" The white-haired man hadn't said a word, but Brittany was the first to lose her patience and ask.

Normally,

the Demon Assessment pass rate was only a few dozen per thousand, but several dozen candidates still survived.

That brought the total to nearly a hundred.

But now?

Not only had just thirty-one of the more than a thousand candidates survived, but every Star Demon had died except Salif.

"What happened to you?"

Seeing Salif's bitter expression, the white-haired man finally reacted. He grabbed Salif and questioned him.

"Something's wrong with Zhelan Fort. The guy who called himself its guardian cultivates the Laws of Death, and his strength is at least that of a Five-star Demon."

Salif said no more.

He said nothing about how his brothers had been killed after trusting Saba, or about how he himself had been subjected to Soul Control.

"So your Five-Star Mission failed this time?"

The white-haired man wasn't just the examiner for this Demon Assessment; he also reviewed Five-Star and Three-Star Fiend missions.

"No. We succeeded!"

Salif hesitated.

"Can I tell him?" In the end, he could only ask Hermes through Spiritual Sense.

"Go ahead. I don't mind!"

To the white-haired man's utter astonishment, Hermes simply waved Salif on.

"Of course!"

Since Hermes had the strength to kill a Five-star Demon, revealing his power was nothing to fear.

Then,

a scene unfolded that would remain etched in the minds of the dozens aboard the Metal Life for the rest of their lives.

This included the thirty Demon Assessment candidates, several staff members,

and the white-haired man.

"Thank you for saving my life, my lord. Salif is willing to follow you to the death!"

Salif dropped to one knee before Hermes, drew the long blade from his hand, and held it out to him with both hands.

"Huh?"

Hermes was the one left at a loss for words.

In both his past and present lives, he'd personally killed quite a few High Gods, but he'd never had a single follower.

"Huh?"

The white-haired man froze.

"You're a Five-star Demon, and you want to follow a Middle God? What kind of joke is this?"

"Have you lost your mind?"

The white-haired man was also as powerful as a Five-star Demon. He couldn't help tugging at the hem of Salif's battle armor.

"Huh?"

Brittany's pretty little mouth opened into a perfect circle.

"What am I looking at?"

"The Follower Ritual! I can't believe I'm lucky enough to witness a sacred Follower Ritual in my lifetime!"

Hell was one of the planes created by the Four Overgods.

Although it was a world where the strong ruled and killing and conflict never ceased, it was also a world that valued ritual.

After all, it had the foundation for carrying out sacred rites: the Supreme God Oath.

The Follower Ritual was one of the highest-ranking and most sacred ceremonies since Hell's creation.

The follower had to make a request to the one they wished to follow. Once permission was granted, the follower swore the Supreme God Oath.

And with that, the ritual was complete!

This sacred bond between follower and leader was protected by the Supreme God of Destiny.

With the Supreme God of Destiny watching over it,

who would dare break the oath?

Although the ritual had gradually faded into history, people still remembered it as a custom that predated the Age of the Sovereigns.

Since strong individuals needed to band together for safety, and they couldn't sign contracts like magical beasts, this arrangement had evolved into a mutually beneficial alliance.

Following someone wasn't the same as being enslaved. It was often an investment in a powerful individual with great potential.

Salif had a hunch that the Middle God before him was a king worth following, though he couldn't explain why.

It was just a hunch.