Uthred watched the battle in the Plane Battlefield intently. Augusta had actually sent out a Twelve-Winged God Angel again—a rare move. There was no need to ask how determined he was to end Hell's eight-win streak.
"Is it really worth sending out a Twelve-Winged God Angel just to secure eight consecutive wins?" Uthred asked, his expression unreadable.
"Lord Uthred, Lord Orloff's ten-win streak in the Heavenly Realm was just ended, while my ten-win streak in the Radiant Divine Plane is still nowhere in sight. So Lord Orloff told me to use all my strength in this war and not waste the power of the Twelve-Winged God Angels. After all, in a few dozen or a few hundred trillion years, I'll be able to build up another batch." Augusta invoked Orloff's name with practiced ease.
Sending out Twelve-Winged God Angels in the Radiant Divine Plane's match was perfectly aboveboard. And since he was on "excellent terms" with Orloff, he wasn't worried that Uthred would make a move against him.
At the mention of Divine Angels, Desterie turned to Black, the Darkness Overgod. According to Sovereign of Death Lilith, Black had always been of one mind with her. Unfortunately, the Twelve-Winged Fallen Angel Rebirth Pool had been completely destroyed before Black became the Darkness Overgod, leaving Lilith unable to draw on the power of the Twelve-Winged Fallen Angels.
The Dark High-level Sovereign Spark was one of the few High-level Sovereign Sparks to have changed hands. And it was Lilith, the Sovereign of Death, who had killed the previous Darkness Overgod.
At the time, Lilith hadn't been a Paragon Sovereign, so the other Sovereigns didn't respect her. The previous Darkness Overgod had been the worst of them all, and he paid for it with his life, securing Lilith's position among the Four Overgods.
Orloff cut into the conversation at just the right moment. "Everyone, there's something else I'd like to clarify today. You all know that in the previous Plane War, the Heavenly Realm was on the verge of victory until Iruka, a Paragon High-God, changed sides at the last moment. Recently, Iruka paid me enough to make amends. I won't pursue his offense any further, and I won't object to Desterie protecting him.
"At the same time, I hope the Fate Sovereigns won't seek revenge on Iruka over this."
His words struck like thunder, leaving everyone stunned. Even Uthred stopped watching the battle, his attention fixed entirely on Orloff.
Seeing the Sovereigns' expressions, Desterie thought, I don't understand what Orloff is thinking, either. You have even less chance of figuring it out!
Karin was furious. "My lord, doesn't this make it look as though we're afraid of that Paragon? What will the other Sovereigns, Paragons, and commanders think of us Heavenly Realm Sovereigns?"
With an Intermediate Sovereign leading the way, the Lower Fate Sovereigns all voiced their opinions in turn.
Orloff stroked his beard and smiled. "I said I hope you'll refrain; I didn't say you have to. If you're confident you can get past Desterie and defeat the Paragon in a Material Plane, then you can go after Iruka.
"Iruka paid a price I couldn't refuse. For that, I can forgive his transgression."
"Desterie, you!" Karin glared at him in a fury, her lake-blue eyes burning. The other Lower Sovereigns looked hostile as well.
"Karin, Iruka did me a favor. I won't stand by and let you kill him!" Desterie said with a smile. "If you're unhappy about it, I'll be waiting for you in the Mulan Material Plane!
"And if you're worried you can't enter a Material Plane, there's no need. I'm creating a Divine Plane in the Spatial Turbulence!"
Desterie had no reason to back down now. If Karin really lost her temper and came after him, he could always retreat into the Material Plane where he'd been born.
Without a Paragon on their side, and with the unexpected appearance of the Twelve-Winged God Angels, Hell's side had been brought to an end at eight consecutive wins, just as expected. If they wanted the Willpower reward for ten consecutive wins, they'd have to start over.
It was a result that satisfied everyone except the Destruction Sovereign, much like the previous loss by the Heavenly Realm side had pleased everyone except the Fate Sovereigns.
On the way back, Desterie didn't follow Orloff. Instead, he returned to the Netherworld with Lilith.
Atop Nether Mountain, beneath the sphere of lightning, Lilith and Desterie sat facing each other. Lilith smiled. "I knew you had a Life Divine Clone, but I'd never seen you bring it out before. Today's the first time."
Desterie smiled too. "I have little talent for the Life Law. After tens of millions of years, I've only reached the level of a Five-Star Demon. I usually don't travel alone. But now that I've refined a Sovereign Spark and gained Willpower, I have nothing to fear."
"You wouldn't need to be afraid even without Willpower. A Sovereign's Divine Clone, equipped with three Sovereign Artifacts and supplied with unlimited Sovereign's Might—who could kill you?" Lilith smiled, then immediately asked with interest, "I hear you finally took on a Sovereign Emissary, only for him to be killed after just a few hundred years. Your judgment isn't very good, is it?"
A Sovereign's Divine Clone... Linley after his Soul Mutation could definitely kill one. Desterie grumbled to himself, but quickly replied, "You're very well-informed, my lady. It's true. A few hundred years ago, I took Edric of the Life God Realm as my Sovereign Emissary. I never expected his luck to be so bad. He was killed by Bolin of the Heavenly Realm not long afterward. Later, I thought I might as well take Bolin as my Sovereign Emissary to fill the vacancy Edric left."
Bolin was indeed stronger than Desterie, but not so strong that he could easily kill an Asura. The two belonged to different planes, so it was difficult to compare their strength. Even though Desterie had favored Bolin in this matter, no one could tell—or find anything to criticize.
"Bolin... I remember him. He's quite powerful. He's taken part in several Plane Wars, and I think he once earned a Sovereign Artifact through his service."
Desterie nodded. "That's right. Bolin earned an Offensive Sovereign Artifact on the Plane Battlefield. After he became my Sovereign Emissary, I gave him a Material Defense Sovereign Artifact as well. He's also extremely skilled with the soul, so there aren't many people who can threaten him now."
Lilith listened quietly until Desterie finished, then suddenly smiled. "But I heard that Bolin and Edric were on good terms at first. It was only after Vivian came to see you that Bolin suddenly killed Edric."
Desterie immediately understood the reason for this conversation. Since Lilith had brought it up so directly, he answered frankly with a smile. "I did promise Lady Vivian that I wouldn't kill Edric. But although the task I gave him wasn't particularly important, I told him to keep it strictly confidential. I didn't expect him to fail even at that. I only happened to mention to Bolin that Edric hadn't handled things neatly or properly, and that I wasn't satisfied with him. Everything else was Bolin's own guesswork and decision."
Lilith gazed at Desterie. "Don't do things like that again. Whether Edric lives or dies isn't important, but what you did will make Vivian very unhappy."
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