Conflict

Iluka opened his eyes in alarm, only to see a familiar face—the young man he had deliberately helped by "spreading rumors," who had been with Komodo's Sovereign Emissary.

He actually managed to save me from a Sovereign?!

But he also saw the man's grave expression as he stared into the distance.

Just then, a voice rang out of nowhere. "Desterie, how dare you help Iluka oppose Lord Orloff! Don't think that being called an Overlord means you can stand as an equal to Lord Orloff!"

Desterie was bitter inside. How could he have known that "Good Old Orloff" would personally step in to kill Iluka? Wasn't he even curious about Iluka's motives?

He had originally thought that even if a Fate Sovereign intervened, it certainly wouldn't be Orloff. So, using the aura left behind on Dalayer's Sovereign Token, he had snatched Iluka away in an instant.

He said, "Lord Orloff, I meant no such thing. It's just that Iluka once did me a favor, and I couldn't stand by and watch him die. I never expected to get in your way."

"Indeed, how could Iluka die right under my nose!" Sovereign of Death Lilith stood beside Desterie, her expression cold as she spoke.

At the same time, she used Soul Transmission to tell Desterie, "Good thing you acted quickly. Otherwise, Iluka really wouldn't have survived!"

They had arrived together, but Desterie had barely managed to save Iluka by relying on the peculiar nature of the Fate Rule.

"Lilith," Orloff said. The smile and peaceful look he usually wore were gone, replaced by a grave expression. "I can trade for him. Name your price."

Lilith looked at Orloff solemnly. In her memory, he had never been so murderous.

"Orloff, Iluka just helped us win the Plane War in the Netherworld. If I simply hand him over to you, wouldn't that make us Netherworld Sovereigns look incompetent?" Though she could see Orloff's attitude, Lilith was not afraid.

To her, Orloff was a Paragon, while she was a Super Divine Beast. Orloff had the reward for a Ten-Win Streak, but only a Soul-Defense Supreme Artifact, while she wielded an Offensive Supreme Artifact. If they truly fought, the outcome was hard to predict!

Hearing this, Orloff looked past Lilith and fixed his gaze on Desterie. Another Fate Sovereign behind him spoke up. "Desterie, are you really determined to oppose an Overlord and side with the Netherworld?"

Desterie looked at her. The Sovereign had long, golden-blond waves falling over her shoulders, and a face truly worthy of the word "Celestial"—impossible to forget once seen.

"She's Karin, another Fate Intermediate Sovereign. Ignore her," Lilith's voice came through in a Soul Transmission.

Desterie quickly weighed the pros and cons. He had no wish to go against his conscience, and besides, the power of Strong Luck still existed. This wasn't a dead end; there was always a way out. So he said, "Lord Orloff, I'm willing to question Iluka and find out what happened. You've lost a portion of your Willpower for no apparent reason, so I imagine you wouldn't want to let the matter rest without understanding it. Once I've questioned him..."

"Hah, a newly ascended Sovereign like you thinks you can—" Karin sneered, but before she could finish, a green figure quietly arrived and stopped beside Sovereign of Death.

Her beauty was beyond compare. It was none other than Sovereign of Life Vivian. She stood beside Lilith, the two of them forming a stunning sight.

Unfortunately, no one was admiring the view now.

"Eldest Sister, I thought it over and worried you might clash with Orloff to protect Iluka, so I came to check. I didn't expect my guess to be right," Vivian's voice came through to Lilith with a faint smile.

Lilith suddenly smiled. "Orloff, on the surface, this Plane War is a conflict between the Heavenly Realm and the Netherworld. In truth, it's a struggle between the Heavenly Realm and all the other planes. I won't be the only one protecting Iluka. No matter what, he cannot die!"

Orloff raised his hand, then lowered it again. His gaze shifted between Iluka, Lilith, and Vivian, before finally settling on Desterie.

He suddenly smiled. "Desterie, though you haven't reached Paragon in the Fate Rule, you used it very well just now when you saved Iluka. I look forward to the day you become a Paragon.

"Judging by the situation, I can't kill this hypocritical Paragon today. But I'm not the only one who wants him dead.

"Since you were repaying a favor, I won't blame you. Once you've settled things here, come to the Heavenly Realm. The Fate Sovereigns can't afford to be one short."

With that, Orloff left with the other Fate Sovereigns.

The Fate Sovereigns could not afford to be one short. Otherwise, the Heavenly Realm would be the only one of the Four Supreme Planes with fewer Sovereigns of its own faction.

It would be a serious embarrassment.

Feeling Orloff and the others leave the Netherworld, Lilith took Vivian by the wrist and turned to Desterie. "Vivian and I have things to discuss. Go take care of your business first. You've only just become a Sovereign, so I imagine you have plenty to do!

"Come find me when you're done.

"As for Iluka, it seems you two have some history, so I'll leave him to you."

Then the two graceful figures, one red and one green, drifted away.

Watching the two female Overlords return, Desterie turned to Iluka. Iluka sighed. "I never thought you'd become a Sovereign. Fate really does play tricks on us!"

His voice carried a faint sadness. "But you've offended Orloff. I'm afraid you won't get far from here."

Desterie heard him but showed no reaction. He turned to look at Yangu Mountain, where one after another, Asuras and Seven-Star Fiends were emerging. The moment they came out, they were astonished to see the guards lying dead everywhere. Who would dare kill so many soldiers? And who would count their battle achievements and guide them now?

Among the bewildered crowd was Dalayer.

Seeing this, Desterie stirred his thoughts. Within Yangu Mountain, a vast amount of Fate Sovereign Power gathered, forming a projected giant Sovereign face.

"A Sovereign!"

"It's a Sovereign!"

"Greetings, Sovereign!"

"Could it be that a Sovereign is personally going to count our battle achievements?"

The Highgod who said this was immediately kicked away by someone beside him. "If you want to die, don't drag us down with you!"

Of all the Highgods who knelt, one was an exception—Dalayer.

Though Desterie's projected face was extremely blurry, she recognized him at a glance and stared in disbelief.

"You really became a Sovereign?"

Quite a few people had told her that Desterie had probably become a Sovereign in the Spatial Turbulence, but she hadn't dared believe it.

Everyone knew how difficult it was to obtain a Sovereign Spark!

But as more and more people said it, she had gradually begun to waver—until she saw this.