Great Perfection Highgod

Dalayer nodded. She felt a bit of post-battle fatigue, but she was uninjured. She did not know why Desterie wanted to accumulate military merit in the Plane War, but she never asked why; for her, his company was enough.

Her true form was a special substance born in the Terrestrial God Plane, existing somewhere between metal and flowing water. Like Hermes, she was considered a special lifeform. Although she lacked innate divine abilities like "Soul Prison" or "God Devourer," her own innate talents were extremely powerful.

Hermes had poured all his talent into attack power, capable of tearing through the space of the Terrestrial God Plane even when he was a Lowgod. Dalayer, on the other hand, could merge herself into the earth, rocks, and soil, completely masking her aura. That was why, when Desterie went to Xuanjin Mountain to find her years ago, he only knew she was there but could not sense where she was within the strange "gravity" zone. Furthermore, due to the fluid nature of her true form, Dalayer's physical defense was exceptionally strong.

At this moment, both of them were wearing white soldier badges, having just returned from the territory of the Heavenly Realm.

"Alright, let's rest for a moment, then we'll head back to the Netherworld base camp!" Desterie said with a smile.

Just then, an indifferent voice rang out, "Interesting. Two soldiers wearing Heavenly Realm badges actually killed a commander from my side. Are you going to explain to me why that is?"

Desterie's expression changed drastically. The person was so close, yet he hadn't sensed them at all!

Dalayer also grew tense; she hadn't detected the newcomer either!

"No need to look around. If you could have detected me, I wouldn't be worthy of being called a Paragon!" that indifferent voice sounded once more.

Desterie's pupils contracted sharply, and he hurriedly pulled Dalayer behind him. Not long after entering the Plane Battlefield, he had heard that the Heavenly Realm had invited a Paragon—a Paragon who had never appeared in the original records: the Destruction-type Paragon Highgod, Iluka.

A few days ago, he had snuck into the Heavenly Realm's territory and met Croken, confirming from him that Iluka had indeed arrived.

Yet, he had never imagined he would encounter him at this moment!

"Sir, I am a commander from the Netherworld. I disguised myself to visit the Heavenly Realm's territory. As a renowned Paragon who hasn't been deliberately collecting badges since this Plane War began, and considering I possess both a Sovereign artifact for physical defense and one for soul defense, why not let me go?"

Desterie had learned from Croken that Iluka had no interest in the badges.

As his voice fell, a figure arrived in front of Desterie with speed too fast to track—it was a handsome youth with a cruel smile hanging at the corners of his mouth.

"Even if I can't kill you, I can still banish you into the spatial turbulence and then kill your female companion!" the youth said.

Desterie clenched his fists. He could accept neither being banished nor Dalayer's death. This Plane War was tied to a Sovereign Spark; if he were banished and had to beg the Chief Sovereign of Death to rescue his divine clone, he would likely miss the golden opportunity to seize a Sovereign Spark.

But when facing a Paragon, how could one harbor any delusions? Even if it seemed impossible, he had to try everything!

Thus, Desterie immersed his consciousness into his soul space, where a piece of white jade suffused with starlight was slowly rotating, ready to trigger "Great Luck" at any moment!

In this state, if he were lucky enough to escape, he would simply hide for the next few hundred years until the final decisive battle!

But just then, Dalayer suddenly spoke, "I think I have met you before, Mr. Iluka."

Both Desterie and Iluka looked at Dalayer in surprise. Iluka, in particular, did not remember ever seeing this woman, nor was her soul aura familiar.

"I have indeed met you!" Dalayer spoke again, this time with certainty. As she spoke, she took an ancient-looking token from her interspatial ring and held it out before Iluka—it was a Sovereign token, though its texture and design were far more archaic than the one in Desterie's hand.

Iluka looked at the token, fell silent for a moment, then let out a dry laugh. "I didn't expect that after he had been dead for so long, his Sovereign Envoy would still be alive. Fate is truly annoying!"

Listening to Iluka's muttering, Desterie finally understood. This Paragon Highgod actually had a connection with the long-dead Sovereign Komodo, whom Dalayer had once served, and it seemed their relationship was not ordinary!

Iluka manipulated his divine power to take the token into his hand. After rubbing it for a moment, he drifted away without saying another word.

Seeing the Paragon leave, Desterie breathed a sigh of relief. Today's events were truly perilous. If not for the coincidence of this "old acquaintance" connection, he wouldn't have known how it would have ended—the gap between a top-tier Asura and a Paragon was too vast, and Desterie had no confidence in how much "Great Luck" could actually do.

After all, Great Luck only turned events with a tiny probability into a high probability; it could not make an impossible event happen.

After switching back to their Netherworld badges, Desterie and Dalayer rushed back, determined not to leave again until the final battle.

On the way back, Desterie asked Dalayer about her past involving the Paragon Highgod, Iluka.

Dalayer recalled, "It was once when I went to the Sovereign's palace to pay my respects. I saw that Iluka, the one from just now, sitting side-by-side with the Sovereign, interacting as equals. Because I later learned from the Sovereign that Iluka was not a Sovereign himself, it left a deep impression on me."

So their relationship was extremely close! Desterie thought to himself. It was true that Sovereigns showed respect to Paragons, but they certainly didn't treat them as equals.

As for Iluka, after flying back a distance, he chuckled inexplicably and touched the Sovereign token hanging at his waist. "I never intended to attack them anyway, but I didn't expect to receive one of Komodo's relics. Back then, if that incident hadn't occurred, why would I have lived in seclusion, and why would he have fallen! Hmph, those who should pay the price—not a single one will be spared!"

"This kid, what is he thinking, bringing Komodo's envoy into such a dangerous Plane War? It seems I must create some momentum for him so that these experts will interfere with him less. During the final battle, they should also be three parts wary of him. If they are wary of him, that envoy will also have more security."

"Heh, the 'strongest under the Paragon' as personally designated by a Destruction-rule Paragon, capable of protecting himself and his friend under the hands of a Paragon—that title sounds quite good!"

Thus, while Desterie was deep in seclusion at the Netherworld base camp, and without his knowledge, thanks to the deliberate promotion by a Paragon, the title of "the number one person under the Paragons" was born!

In the blink of an eye, over four hundred years passed by once more...