If one isn't prepared to face death head-on, how can they talk about breaking free from the bonds of fate? Hades was resolute. With no time for hesitation, he began his preparations.
Mephistopheles, ever the loyal subordinate, refrained from further protest. His duty was to caution his master, but beyond that, it was unnecessary. The risks were obvious to anyone who could perceive them.
"Creak, creak..."
With an eerie, familiar laughter, a cluster of demonic stars began to materialize, transforming into floating skulls orbiting Hades. However, he did not summon all of them at once.
Unleashing all the demonic stars wouldn't have served much purpose. Although they possessed the power to traverse the Chaotic Sea, originating as they did from its very depths, the stars themselves lacked offensive capabilities. In essence, without a controller, their vast divine power remained untapped.
Given this limitation, the optimal strategy was clear: leverage the demonic stars that had already forged Nether Armor.
The Underworld Fighters!
Unlike the Celestial Fighters, who were angels, and the Sea Fighters, who were prodigies, the identity of the Underworld Fighters didn't matter. They didn't even have to be human. The true power lay in the Nether Armor. With a suitable vessel, the power of the demonic stars could be channeled through the armor.
The Tian Kui Star, Tian Xiong Star, Tian Shou Star, Tian Chou Star, Tian Sun Star, Tian Yi Star, Di Bao Star, and Di Yin Star were all demonic stars that had been used to craft Nether Armor. This was fortuitous for Hades. Without hesitation, he focused on these eight stars, using them as the foundation, encircling the World Seed to begin the first step.
Hades's plan was straightforward: forge a divine kingdom. For a god, there are three paths to power: the mastery of laws, the accumulation of faith, and the construction of a divine kingdom.
For Hades, the paths of laws and faith were unfeasible for rapid advancement, regardless of his efforts. Even with a pantheon of worshipers, these would yield little benefit in the short term.
However, with the World Seed in hand, Hades conceived a bold idea.
What is essential for the hatching of a World Seed?
What is crucial for its growth?
The force of the world itself!
Indeed!
The critical component is the immense and boundless world force, an exceedingly rare commodity, even for Ancient Gods. Acquiring such a resource was next to impossible.
Thus, the World Seed couldn't be nurtured under normal circumstances. Despite its immense value, obtaining a World Seed wasn't a significant challenge for Kronos, the Titan King. The true challenge lay in nurturing the seed into a World Tree, a task too arduous even for him.
Unable to procure world force, Hades opted for a desperate gamble. If acquiring world force within the Mythic World was impossible, he would seek it beyond, in the Chaotic Sea.
In the Chaotic Sea, besides the myriad worlds created by Absolute Gods, countless worlds—from tiny to medium, to grandiose—naturally formed within it.
These worlds are abundant, perhaps infinite. It's impossible to gauge how many worlds emerge or perish in the Chaotic Sea at any given moment.
What if he could absorb the world force from these worlds? Wouldn't that be the ideal way to nurture the World Seed?
This was Hades's daring idea: deceptively simple, yet fraught with extreme peril, akin to repeatedly jumping into an abyss where even the slightest misstep meant certain death.
Nevertheless, this was Hades's only chance. With no time to deliberate and no room for multiple attempts, success demanded taking this ultimate risk.
Hades's plan wasn't just about risking everything; he had a feasible chance for success. Using the demonic stars as the core—each possessing the ability to traverse the Chaotic Sea—he could enter each world, selecting Underworld Fighters through the Nether Armor as the first step.
The second step involved using the nine laws of the Dark Crest to create a protective shield for the World Seed during its journey through the Chaotic Sea. However, Hades found an even better solution.
The Crest of the Seven Deadly Sins!
"Roar!"
With a beastly growl, Hades activated the Crest of the Seven Deadly Sins. An ethereal crown formed above him, followed by the manifestation of a seven-headed, ten-horned great red dragon.
Of course, this wasn't the true seven-headed, ten-horned dragon but a construct embodying the power and laws of the Seven Deadly Sins. As a destroyer of worlds, this dragon could similarly traverse the Chaotic Sea.
"Rooted in demonic stars."
"Guarded by the seven-headed, ten-horned dragon formed by the Seven Deadly Sins."
"..."
Mephistopheles watched his master's actions, calculating the potential outcomes. He was amazed to realize that if no unforeseen dangers emerged, Hades's chance of success was remarkably high!
This revelation made Mephistopheles's eyes gleam with a newfound hope. If this plan succeeded, his master would have laid the perfect foundation for one of the three divine paths to power!
Hades, unaware of his subordinate's thoughts, and true to his character, would not have cared even if he knew.
He placed the World Seed within the protection of the seven-headed, ten-horned dragon formed by the Seven Deadly Sins. The demonic stars swirled around it as he began the traversal through the Crystal Wall System.
Immediately, Hades felt an inexorable drain on his divine power, nearly to the point of being depleted entirely, consuming his divine soul and essence.
In a swift reaction, he directed the other demonic stars to inject their power into the process, barely maintaining equilibrium. This balance was precarious, but it allowed him to proceed to the next critical step.
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