Force Dragon Clauvidius withdrew from the battlefield, several mechanical dragon nests followed closely behind. The massive Dragon Clan army was pulled into the nests in swathes by beams of light and quickly disappeared into the dark Void.
The Dragon-Hunting Spider did not pursue, and both sides tacitly agreed to stop.
Gustavo unleashed a devouring Black Hole, scavenging the battlefield and leaving no usable resources behind, demonstrating the ultimate in thrift and frugality.
The commander of the Dragon-Hunting Spider Clan's forces stared at the exceptionally clean Void battlefield that Gustavo had swept up, and his lips twitched. Although he had heard rumors of this clan's genius from his colleagues, he couldn't help but be astonished when he actually saw it.
Gustavo, of course, didn't care about what others thought; the prestige of being a strong person couldn't put food on the table.
After confirming that he hadn't missed anything, Gustavo greeted the unit commander, manipulated gravity to warp a spatial channel, and teleported away. After traveling a distance, he returned to the Treacherous Destruction Continent through a large military teleportation portal.
Three months ago, Gustavo fulfilled his promise to Rayquaza Weimis, accumulating 100 million merit points, securing a spot in the Fate Supremacy War, and receiving a 70% reduction in subsequent fees for the Eye of the Void.
This efficiency greatly satisfied Rayquaza Weimis, and what surprised the latter even more was that Gustavo was actually able to fight Clauvidius to a standstill.
It should be noted that before this, Clauvidius was an insurmountable mountain for the Peak Demigod of the Dragon-Hunting Spider Clan. Hundreds of Demigod Dragon-Hunting Spider had fallen under his dragon claws, suffering heavy casualties.
To avoid unnecessary casualties, the clan's higher-ups even issued a notice that Demigod- level Dragon-Hunting Spider should avoid battle if they encounter Clauvidius and not recklessly charge in to their deaths.
This announcement was undoubtedly quite humiliating, but there was nothing that could be done. After all, the Dragon-Hunting Spider Clan hadn't produced a single Peak Demigod capable of going toe-to-toe with Clauvidius.
Therefore, when Gustavo suddenly appeared and quickly went from being on the defensive to being evenly matched with Clauvidius, the original humiliation and shame of the Dragon-Hunting Spider Clan were completely washed away. Gustavo was thus crowned as the strongest Demigod on the Treacherous Destruction Continent and was worshipped by many Demigod Dragon-Hunting Spider, and his fame soared.
Upon returning to the Fallen Star Nest, Gustavo received a message from Narnia, instructing him to log into the Northern Spirit Spacetime. The higher-ups had something to announce regarding the Fate Supremacy War.
Gustavo did as instructed, logging his consciousness into the Northern Spirit Spacetime and entering the virtual world. After some maneuvering, he arrived at a small but ornately decorated hall.
At this moment, many figures had already taken their seats in the magnificent hall. Upon seeing Gustavo, they all stood up, their eyes filled with respect.
"Gustavo, I heard you repelled Clauvidius again?" A graceful, light female voice reached my ears; the speaker was clearly a female Dragon-Hunting Spider.
Gustavo's gaze shifted to a Dragon-Hunting Spider that had retained its original form, possessing an elegant physique and displaying both red and black plumage. He said, "Strictly speaking, Clauvidius and I only fought to a draw. I couldn't defeat him, and similarly, he couldn't defeat me. I estimate that the real battle to determine a winner between us will most likely take place in the Fate Supremacy War."
The female Dragon-Hunting Spider Saiyilin, gleamed with bright green eyes as she spoke in a tone of adoring admiration, "I believe in you. You can definitely defeat Clauvidius. Anyone can see that your progress is far faster than Clauvidius's. If it weren't for the True God Barrier preventing you from further increasing your combat power, you would have already killed Clauvidius!"
"Uh... what you said makes some sense." Gustavo chuckled.
At this moment, the other Dragon-Hunting Spider interjected, "Lord Gustavo, are you saying that Clauvidius, a pure-blooded Force Dragon, will also participate in this Fate Supremacy War?"
"Yes, that's right." Gustavo nodded. "He told me this himself. Given his arrogant personality, he would never have said anything unless he was certain he would participate."
After years of fierce competition, Gustavo had thoroughly understood Clauvidius's character. In short, he was an extremely proud, determined, and confident formidable opponent, and words spoken by such a powerful figure were highly credible.
Upon seeing Gustavo nod in confirmation, the dozens of Dragon-Hunting Spider in the hall erupted in chaos. Some of the weaker ones, or those who had been brutally beaten by Clauvidius and left with psychological trauma, were filled with fear in their eyes.
The fact that the Dragon-Hunting Spider, who consider themselves Void Predator, could display such an expression can only mean that the shadow cast by Clauvidius was truly terrifying, to the point that it had formed a kind of extremely intimidating mental imprint.
Therefore, these Dragon-Hunting Spider reacted this way upon hearing that they might encounter Clauvidius in the Fate Supremacy War.
"Hmph, look at your cowardly appearance. So what if Clauvidius participates in the Fate Supremacy War? Don't we have Gustavo too? With him around, what are we afraid of Clauvidius!" The female Dragon-Hunting Spider, Saiyilin, turned around, her eyes sweeping contemptuously over her kin behind her.
Because Saiyilin's strength was second only to Gustavo among the group of Dragon-Hunting Spider, and she had a fiery temper, none of the Dragon-Hunting Spider dared to meet her gaze; they all lowered their heads or looked away.
Only the other male Dragon-Hunting Spider, Kasaimela, whose strength was roughly equal to Saiyilin's, dared to speak up against Saiyilin's words. He said helplessly, "According to the partial information released by the Temple of Fate, this Fate Supremacy War will take place within a vast plane. In that case, we may be separated from Gustavo and lose his protection. If we encounter Clauvidius, it will be troublesome."
Before Saiyilin could object, Gustavo chimed in, laughing, "Isn't that perfect? An entire plane, whether it's Starry Sky universe or a continent, must be incredibly vast. There are a whopping 330,000 powerful individuals participating in the Fate Supremacy War, while our Mitrola Clan only has fifty slots. The chances of encountering Clauvidius are really slim. Even if you do, don't be reckless; just avoid him."
"Gustavo is right. If you can't win, just avoid it. We, the Mitrola Clan, possess not only courage, but also wisdom. Weakness is weakness. In situations where life and death are not at stake, when facing beasts more ferocious than ourselves, adopting a roundabout strategy is more advantageous."
A deep voice echoed through the hall, and suddenly Dragon-Hunting Spider appeared on the main throne, its body bearing obvious mechanical structures, but at the same time, it was surrounded by a vast Magical Energy as boundless as the Void.
None of the elite Dragon-Hunting Spider, including Gustavo, noticed anything amiss, as if the Dragon-Hunting Spider had appeared out of thin air.
"Greetings, Lord of Demonic Machinery!"
Gustavo reacted the fastest, immediately prostrating himself on the ground and lowering his head. Although he was currently the strongest being below the True God on the Treacherous Destruction Continent, it was not excessive for him to be extremely respectful in front of a Main God.
The other Dragon-Hunting Spider followed Gustavo and knelt down in a flurry.
"Rise," said the Lord of Demonic Machinery. As his words fell, countless rules throughout the hall seemed to respond, and the world seemed to pay homage to this great being.
Gustavo and the Dragon-Hunting Spider simultaneously felt a force descend from nowhere, pulling them up.
"Is this the power gained after mastering the rules? The might of the Main God!" Gustavo's eyes burned with fervor. After the incident with the King of the Demonic Sea, his pursuit of power became even more ardent.
In the Astral Realm, where powerful beings abound, only those at the level of Main God can be considered at the top and barely control their own Fate.
Below the Main God, even True God, though a great figure in a certain region, is merely a large pawn on the Astral Realm scale.
On a civilizational scale, the destructive power of Main God is one of the thresholds for an advanced Astral Realm civilization. The Aslant Civilization was once a civilization of this level, with formidable strength enough to dominate a cosmic domain, and its influence could even extend to several surrounding cosmic domains.
The Prado Universe System, where the Elven Plane resides, is utterly insignificant compared to a civilization like this.
Just as an ordinary True God is utterly powerless before Main God.
The King of the Demonic Sea, who had caused headaches for many True God Dragon Clan including the Star-Forging Dragon King, was unsurprisingly frozen when facing the Lord of Ice Dragons and could not break free. If it weren't for its bizarre nature, it would have been almost impossible to destroy. If it were a Upper God, it would have been instantly killed.
This also reveals the vast gap between the True God and the Main God.
The Dragon-Hunting Spider present, who had secured fifty spots to participate in the Fate Supremacy War, were not even True God. Naturally, they had to be extremely respectful to the Main God and dared not act rashly in the slightest.
After all, this was a super-powerful figure who could decide their future Fate with a single word.
The Lord of Demonic Machinery' gaze swept over the Dragon-Hunting Spider who had stood up, finally settling on Gustavo. A hint of nostalgia flashed in his eyes as he chuckled, "Little fellow from the Devouring Faction, my Mitrola Clan has always revered the strong. Among the clansmen participating in this Fate Supremacy War, you are the strongest. Therefore, the leadership of this team should rightfully belong to you. Do you accept?"
I accept!
Gustavo certainly wouldn't refuse, especially not from a Main God.
The Lord of Demonic Machinery was satisfied with his statement, saying, "Very good. This year's Fate Supremacy War is one of the most competitive in history. Not only is the Force Dragon Clauvidius participating, but the Divine Realm is also teeming with talent. There are more than ten beings with combat strength comparable to yours, as well as representatives from the Northern Spirit Empire, the Adrian Federation, Hell... and even the Demons of the Abyss are participating this year. It's an unprecedented spectacle. If you can bring honor to my Mitrola Clan in this grand event, the clan will certainly not treat you unfairly."
After speaking of Gustavo, the Lord of Demonic Machinery turned his gaze to Saiyilin and the others, encouraging them, "Don't be discouraged. In every Fate Supremacy War, a dark horse emerges out of nowhere. While Fate is Destiny and difficult to change, Fortune is highly variable. Perhaps you can find your own great opportunity among them."
The personal encouragement from the Main God instantly energized Saiyilin and the Dragon-Hunting Spider, who shouted slogans of serving their clan, and their morale soared.
Seeing that the time was right, the Lord of Demonic Machinery summoned a projection, which appeared before the group of Dragon-Hunting Spider.
On the projection, information about various precious resources scrolled like a waterfall at an extremely fast speed, almost forming a continuous stream. However, the Dragon-Hunting Spider present were all Peak Demigod, and their dynamic vision was beyond question, making it easy for them to capture this information.
"Molten Core Crystals, Eternal Frozen Cores, and Stardust Fragments—so many Rare resources of six-star Immortal quality."
"Not only that, there are Demigod, potions, scrolls... all of them are of six-star Immortal quality. Could it be that these are for us?"
The Dragon-Hunting Spider chattered excitedly, their eerie green eyes seeming to burn with flames, their passion ignited.
It started with an inspirational speech, followed by the lure of benefits. The Lord of Demonic Machinery, as expected of one of the five most powerful figures on the Treacherous Destruction Continent, easily fooled these young people from various races.
Only Gustavo, who possessed multiple artifacts and abundant resources, could maintain a basic level of composure, though his pupils trembled slightly, clearly astonished by the terrifying amount of resources displayed on the projection before him.
The Lord of Demonic Machinery remained silent for a full minute before continuing, "Each of you can freely choose nine items from the resource list. Whether to use them in the Fate Supremacy War is your own decision. However, I must remind you that, according to the information currently available to the clan, you are only allowed to bring three items to this Fate Supremacy War, including weapons."
"We can only bring three items, but the tribe is letting us choose nine for free. Is this one of the perks of participating in the Fate Supremacy War? It seems that this Fate War is more important than I expected." Gustavo pondered to himself before beginning his selection.
Because of his superior knowledge, his goal was clear: to select the most disposable weapons or spell scrolls as quickly as possible.
After all, for someone at his level, ordinary Immortal Demigod are no longer of much use; only Miracle Demigod Artifact or divine artifacts can boost combat power to a higher level.
However, Gustavo only possesses the divine artifact, but he cannot bring it to the Fate Supremacy War, otherwise the Fate War would be meaningless and become a contest of the strength of various forces.
In that case, Gustavo might as well choose all one-time use items, which would at least increase his attack frequency and perhaps allow him to win in one strike.
Soon, all the Dragon-Hunting Spider participating in the Fate Supremacy War had been selected. After offering a few words of encouragement, the Lord of Demonic Machinery withdrew without further ado.
That's normal. To be honest, for the beings of the Main God, the Fate Supremacy War is just a large-scale game that is held every once in a while. Winning or losing isn't really important, as it doesn't involve their core interests, so they naturally don't care too much about it.
Only Main God like the Goddess of Luck and the Goddess of Misfortune, whose interests are directly at stake, would place such great importance on the Fate Supremacy War.
This is the key point in their power struggle, a manifestation of their mutual crushing of forces, and a necessary stepping stone to the throne of Fate. It is a place of life and death, and cannot be ignored.