"Impossible! Bayer? When did he reach Paragon?"
Augusta cried out, his smug expression giving way to utter shock. His eyes were filled with disbelief.
Just as the Twelve-Winged Angels' formation had begun steadily advancing, a sudden change occurred. A figure in a green robe abruptly appeared on the Water Elemental Plane's side.
The newcomer had white brows and hair, fair skin, and no beard. His pale hands looked somewhat delicate, but his eyes were filled with a blood-cold killing intent.
He was the Wind-Blood Fiend who had once roamed Hell, Bayer, the second envoy of Hope, the Water Sovereign.
None of the Sovereigns were unfamiliar with Bayer. After all, roughly a hundred million years ago, Hope had taken him on as a Sovereign Envoy. At the time, Bayer had only been as strong as a Seven-Star Fiend.
The Water Sovereign had eight slots for Sovereign Envoys, but over the years, he had never taken on an envoy besides Palhouse. So news of his new envoy quickly spread through the Sovereign circle.
Still, no one had expected Bayer to become a Paragon. For a moment, the Sovereigns were all stunned.
Bayer had appeared too quickly for anyone on the Plane Battlefield to see him clearly. But to the Sovereigns, everything was plain: Bayer had obviously used his Willpower to rush to the center of the Star River Passage.
"Hope, this is your second Paragon envoy, isn't it? How did you manage it? First Palhouse, and now Bayer. Don't tell me you have some way to help people become Paragons?"
The Sovereign of Death's mouth hung slightly open. She was momentarily dazed. She had naturally wondered what kind of trump card Hope might have prepared, but she had never imagined it would be another Paragon High-God.
There were fewer than ten Paragon High-Gods across all the Divine Realms, yet Hope had taken on two Paragon envoys in a row. How could that not be astonishing?
Back then, Hope's Sovereign Envoy, Palhouse, had become a Paragon and defeated the Twelve-Winged Angels on the Plane Battlefield, costing Oufu an opportunity to gain Willpower. At the time, many Sovereigns had grown wary of Hope.
It was then that the Sovereign Covenant had been amended to restrict Paragons. Palhouse could no longer fight. But times had changed, and now Hope had a new Paragon High-God, Bayer.
"Hope, how did he do it?"
Augusta's forehead veins throbbed as if he might lose control at any moment. He clenched his fists without thinking.
Augusta also had a Paragon Sovereign envoy, Clementine, the Light Paragon, but he hadn't sent him into battle this time. Augusta couldn't bear to use up Clementine's chance to fight, planning to save it until after the Celestial Realm had won nine consecutive battles. Besides, Augusta had thought the Twelve-Winged Angels would be enough to stop Hope. He hadn't expected Bayer to break through their ranks.
Augusta couldn't understand how Hope had found a High-God with the potential to become a Paragon. Over the years, Augusta had changed Sovereign Envoys many times, but none had become a Paragon. His only Paragon envoy, Clementine, had already become a Paragon before Augusta met him.
Clementine had become Augusta's envoy purely because Augusta had been lucky. After Clementine clashed with the son of a Lightning Sovereign, that Sovereign had used the incident as an excuse to try to force Clementine into serving him. Augusta had discovered what was happening and intervened, thereby gaining Clementine as an envoy.
By contrast, Hope seemed to be able to predict the future. He had discovered Palhouse when he was still a Mid-God, and taken him on as a Sovereign Envoy when he became a Seven-Star Fiend. Hope had once saved Palhouse's life, so Palhouse had already sworn absolute loyalty to him. Even after becoming a Paragon, he remained just as loyal, willing to help Hope even at the risk of death.
Hope hadn't let Palhouse down, either. Afterward, he had given him the Water Intermediate Sovereign Spark. Even Paragon High-Gods had started out weak and cultivated step by step. Drawing on his memories of Blue Star, Hope could meet a Paragon when he was still weak and get to know him early.
Paragon High-Gods had also reached the peak only after countless battles, facing mortal danger more than once. Hope only had to lend a small hand to earn a Paragon's loyalty. That was true of Palhouse, and it was true of Bayer as well.
"Hope, you really do have an eye for talent. If I recall, Bayer had only just become a Seven-Star Fiend when you took him on as a Sovereign Envoy."
Even Oufu's usually gentle face showed a hint of surprise. He turned to Hope, his voice tinged with envy.
"To deal with the Twelve-Winged Angels, it never hurts to have a few extra trump cards."
Hope replied calmly, paying no heed to Augusta's increasingly dark expression.
As the Sovereigns chatted, the situation on the Plane Battlefield had already been completely turned around.
"Wind Dimension Slash!"
Bayer let out a resounding shout. Sovereign's Might poured into the slender, wing-shaped sword in his hand, and a powerful pressure emanated from him. A huge, hundred-meter-long blade of green light shot into the sky.
"Whoosh!"
The green blade of light surged upward like a blue dragon, then exploded, scattering into tens of thousands of tiny, pale-green blades that swept toward the Radiant Divine Realm's formation from every direction.
"Boom!!!"
Explosions and the sounds of wind blades striking flesh rang out without pause. The Radiant Divine Realm's forces fell into chaos, while the Water Elemental Plane's troops surged with morale and charged forward one after another.
"It's over!"
At the center of the Sovereigns, Utrade spoke in a hoarse voice. A hint of surprise crept into his tone, and he looked at Bayer with an inscrutable expression.
As the Sovereign of Destruction spoke, the seven-colored light vanished once again. The battle in the Star River Passage was over. The Water Elemental Plane had won.
"Rumble~~"
At that moment, the heavens and earth changed color. A terrifying pressure that made every Sovereign's heart quail suddenly descended, and four indistinct phantoms emerged from the Spatial Turbulence.
[The Water Elemental Plane has won ten consecutive Plane Wars. All Water Sovereigns are rewarded with one portion of Willpower]
The Overgod's voice entered the minds of all the Sovereigns. At that moment, a powerful aura surged from every Water Sovereign.
"Hahaha! Congratulations, Hope."
Oufu was the first to react, and he was the first to congratulate Hope. There was no jealousy in his voice, only sincere congratulations. He seemed every bit the gentle old man.
"I still have a long way to go to catch up with you, Oufu."
Hope wasn't surprised by Oufu's congratulations. Oufu seemed incapable of jealousy. He was usually kind and avoided conflict with others. Even though Hope had known for a long time about Oufu's relationship with Augusta, being around Oufu still felt as pleasant as basking in a spring breeze.
"Oufu, your good friend isn't in the best mood right now. Aren't you worried he'll get angry if you congratulate Hope like that?"
The Sovereign of Death wore an amused smile. She glanced at Augusta nearby and spoke to Oufu.
"Hmph!"
Augusta looked furious. He said nothing in response to the Sovereign of Death, only glaring deeply at Hope before giving a cold snort.
"Come now, Augusta. Plane Wars have always been decided by each side's own ability. It was the same for me back then, and it's the same for Hope now."
Oufu looked at Augusta, his tone still gentle. He sounded like an old friend trying to comfort someone dear to him.
Augusta gave no response to Oufu's reassurance. He merely turned away coldly and said nothing more.
Seeing this, Oufu shook his head helplessly and fell silent.
"A Paragon High-God envoy?"
A thoughtful look passed through Utrade's shadowed eyes.
"Everyone, I'll be leaving first!"
After the Water Elemental Plane's victory, Hope said nothing more. He gave the others a slight nod, then flew toward the Water Elemental Plane. The five Water Sovereigns, led by Palhouse, followed close behind.
"Big sister, I'll be heading back too."
The Sovereign of Life said goodbye to the Sovereign of Death, then led the many Sovereigns under her command toward the Life Divine Realm.
As the Sovereigns gradually departed, the Spatial Turbulence slowly returned to calm. But no one noticed a gray sheet of paper drifting out of the Plane Battlefield and floating through the Spatial Turbulence.
Written on the paper were the words:
[The Wutie Black Sword, Soul Essence, and Five-Colored Blood Crystal can be fused into the Sword of Destruction. It can summon the Supreme God of Destruction, who will grant one request]