"Those two actually showed up here?" Ren looked at the two figures beside the Nether Fruit Tree in surprise, his thoughts churning.
Although this was Ren's first time seeing them, it wasn't hard to guess who they were: the companion Snake Spirits of the Nether Overgod and the Sovereign of Death, Jin and Yinwina.
One golden and one silver, the two giant snakes were closely tied to the two Overgods of Nether Mountain. In a sense, they were the Overgods' pets, and their strength was around the Commander level.
But according to what he knew, their daughter was supposed to appear in the Gray Mist Zone. These two didn't take part in the contest for the Nether Fruit—unless an Overgod had given them an order.
Could the Sovereign of Death have sent them to stop me? Ren wondered, unable to resist grumbling about her. But he soon put the thought aside and looked toward the Nether Fruit in the treetop.
Although the Nether Fruit probably wouldn't help Ren improve his strength at this point, he was still curious about what it actually did. Even with his memories of Blue Star, Ren didn't know much about it.
Rumor had it that whoever obtained a Nether Fruit could increase their strength and become a Sovereign Envoy. Bolelei, from Ren's memories of Blue Star, had already been a Seven-Star Fiend before obtaining one. The fruit had raised his strength by a considerable amount, giving him the power of an ordinary Sovereign Envoy. But Ren had no idea how, exactly, it had done so.
"If you want the Nether Fruit, you'd better be prepared to die!" Asers had been sitting still for a long time, but now he strode forward and stood before everyone. His hawk-like gaze swept over the crowd. A silver scimitar appeared in his hand, radiating a terrifying aura.
"A Sovereign Artifact?" someone in the crowd cried out, their voice full of shock.
"Are you kidding me? We need a Sovereign Envoy to stop us from fighting over a Nether Fruit?" a red-haired, burly man cursed.
"If you want the Nether Fruit, you must be prepared to die!" Asers paid no heed to the crowd's comments. He simply looked lazy, as if waiting for someone else to make the first move.
"Everyone, attack together! No matter how strong they are, they can't stop us all at once!"
Someone in the crowd shouted. In an instant, dozens of colorful streaks of light appeared, and all sorts of strange attacks shot toward Asers.
"How boring."
Asers swung his right hand. His silver saber traced a perfect arc, and a transparent blade sprang from the ground. In the blink of an eye, it pierced through the colorful energy attacks and surged on toward the crowd.
In an instant, several people in front who hadn't reacted in time were blown apart. Their Godheads fell to the ground, and they hadn't had the slightest chance to fight back.
Ren glanced at the oncoming blade and gave a quiet snort. A layer of green airflow appeared around him, then abruptly blossomed into a halo and condensed into a sword blade that met the attack head-on, instantly canceling out the full force of the blow, which had been infused with the power of a Sovereign Artifact.
"Hmm? That attack power..."
Asers narrowed his eyes, his expression turning far more serious. Wind Law attacks were powerful, but withstanding an attack made with a Sovereign Artifact was no easy feat. Clearly, his opponent was no ordinary fighter.
"You're pretty strong, kid. Looks like you're the one in this crowd most likely to get the Nether Fruit. But we don't want you to have it!"
The Golden Great Snake slithered over to Asers, its pupils glowing purple as it watched Ren with interest.
"Looks like things are about to get more interesting." The Gold and Silver Great Snake followed behind, its nine heads swaying back and forth. A hint of wariness flashed in its dark eyes.
At some point, everyone else had gathered behind Ren, as if they'd decided to make him their leader. Even Bolelei, the strongest among them, had held back. He'd already realized that this time, the Nether Fruit's appearance was unlike anything before, and he had no plans to act just yet.
"You're very strong. If I let you compete for the fruit alongside everyone else, no one would stand a chance against you. But this time, I'm your opponent!"
Asers looked at Ren, ignoring everyone else. His body flickered for a moment before turning into a streak of silver light and shooting forward.
"Oh?" Ren murmured. He didn't use his Willpower. Instead, intense currents of air burst from his body and formed a ribbon a hundred meters away. It wrapped around Asers, forming a giant sphere. Then Ren paid him no further attention and turned toward the Nether Fruit.
"What?" Asers was taken aback, but he didn't hesitate. His silver saber flashed with sharp light as he hacked at the green ribbon again and again. No matter what he tried, however, he remained bound, unable to escape the sphere.
"You...?"
The moment Asers was stopped, the Golden Great Snake jolted in surprise. But before it could react, Ren's figure flickered, and he had already arrived less than twenty meters from the treetop. He was only moments away from taking the Nether Fruit.
"Not good! Go!"
The Golden Great Snake let out a shout. The Nether Fruit Tree seemed to sense something, and the Nether Fruit it had been holding suddenly flew out toward the crowd.
"The Nether Fruit! It's mine!" In an instant, everyone went wild. All kinds of energy erupted as they rushed toward the fruit.
"Now!"
Bolelei was the first to react. An ocher wave spread out from beneath his feet, and a massive pulse of energy surged from the ground, knocking everyone else back for a moment. Then Bolelei reached out with his right hand and caught the Nether Fruit.
"Hahaha!"
Bolelei couldn't help laughing. He opened his mouth and brought the Nether Fruit toward it. Now, all he had to do was eat it, and he could fulfill his lifelong wish and become a Sovereign Envoy.
"Whoosh!"
At that very moment, a terrifying aura suddenly erupted. Bolelei felt an irresistible force bind him. Before he could even react, the Nether Fruit vanished from his hand, leaving him standing there with his mouth hanging open.
Willpower—Binding!
"Hmm? This is... Willpower?" The Sovereign of Death, who had been seated on her throne, abruptly stood up, staring at the scene in astonishment.
"All right, the battle's over!" Ren held the crystal-clear fruit and released the binding. He also dispelled the sphere around Asers, then put the Nether Fruit into his Spatial Ring while Asers looked utterly dumbfounded.
Now that the Nether Fruit was in his hands, no one else could take it. The others didn't move. They could only stare at Ren in shock, their faces filled with disbelief.
"Boom!"
Streams of water suddenly appeared in the sky, transforming into a giant elemental face. An overwhelming pressure instantly bore down on everyone.
"Overgod!"
Asers was the first to drop to his knees. Jin and Iwina also immediately prostrated themselves, speaking with reverence.
The people in the crowd quickly fell to their knees in droves, their faces filled with fear.
"Overgod!"
Ren bowed slightly, a gesture acknowledging the Overgod's presence. Not having to kneel before an Overgod was a privilege reserved for the Overgod's children and Paragon High-Gods.
Seeing Ren merely bow instead of kneeling, Asers and the Gold and Silver Great Snake instantly changed expressions. The two giant snakes' pupils widened considerably, making them look rather comical. Asers, in particular, felt a chill of fear as he cursed inwardly:
Did I just attack a Paragon? Overgod, why would you tell me to fight a Paragon?
Before you continue