Fick stood in place, squinting, waiting patiently. In his mind, Crowl was as good as dead. Already crippled, and with the overwhelming number of fighters and mages sent by the Marcello family, there was no escape for him.
"It seems..." Fick's lips curled into a sinister smile as he muttered to himself, "All that's left is to wait for my reward. With the Marcello family's bounty, I'll break through to the ninth tier. Then..."
Fick dreamed of a bright future: marrying a noble lady, having children, and elevating his status to become a true nobleman.
"Fick, your dreams end here."
"Who's there?"
Fick spun around, sweat beading on his forehead, his expression growing grim. He wasn't joking; as an eighth-tier fighter, for someone to catch him completely off guard was almost unthinkable.
Turning, Fick was stunned to see Crowl, now garbed in dark purple Nether Armor, floating in the air, his body radiating an immense and ominous purple 'qi.'
"How is this possible?" Fick's eyes widened in disbelief.
But Crowl didn't waste words. His voice was icy, "Fick, any questions you have, you can ask in hell! Oh, I forgot, you won't even make it to hell. Your soul will be shredded under the Garuda's talons!"
"Garuda's Wing Slash!"
The power of the cosmos surged, not just any cosmos, but an endless divine force. The dark purple energy transformed into the soaring figure of the Garuda. Not only did Fick disappear in an instant, but the entire mountain was leveled in a flash.
Crowl, his gaze sharp, surveyed the scene briefly before taking off. His vengeance had only just begun. Next, he intended to inflict unimaginable pain on the Marcello family and, eventually, the entire world.
It's worth noting!
Can an Underworld Fighter harness the power of the cosmos? And how potent can their cosmos be? Sixth sense? Seventh sense? Eighth sense? No, no!
To be precise, these one-time Underworld Fighters, after being transformed by the demonic stars, could wield power surpassing that of Third-tier Gods and nearing Second-tier Gods. In some cases, if the vessel was exceptionally talented, they could rival the power of a First-tier God.
This was the complete potential of the demonic stars. When fully realized, they didn't just create mere Underworld Fighters but genuine deities. This represented the true might of the Underworld Fighters.
As for the original tale? Best not to mention it, really! It's hardly worth the comparison.
For reference:
Although the cosmos pales in comparison to the divine, this doesn't mean the cosmos itself is weak. A cosmos at the sixth sense level can destroy stars; at the seventh sense, it spans universes, tossing planets like pebbles.
Once the eighth sense is attained, the cosmos transcends life and death. A fighter who grasps the eighth sense essentially becomes a demigod. As for higher levels?
There's no need to elaborate further. Moreover, the cosmos wielded by humans is far more complex than a simple description. In sum, even those Underworld Fighters from the original story, merely mastering the sixth or seventh sense, could easily obliterate a small world.
However!
Hades wasn't seeking the destruction of this small world. His aim was to guide it towards ruin in a way that maximized the absorption of world force.
As Crowl completed his vengeance, his next task was to steer the entire world towards annihilation.
The eight Underworld Fighters, each in different corners of this world of magic and qi, set out on their missions. Each represented a distinct race—humans, elves, giants, orcs, dragons...
These eight Underworld Fighters seized control of their respective races' thrones and, with overwhelming power, swiftly established dominance. Soon, a cataclysmic war engulfed the world.
Within just seventy years, the world was shattered by relentless warfare. Though some recognized the looming catastrophe, their resistance was futile against the sheer might of the Underworld Fighters.
After seventy years, as the world neared total destruction, the world's consciousness—though mostly dormant and instinctual—began to sense the impending doom.
Golden light threads started to spread across the war-torn lands, coalescing into the spectral figure of a woman. This was the apparition of the world's consciousness.
"Roar!"
However, as soon as the world's consciousness emerged, a seven-headed, ten-horned great red dragon, composed of spectral energy, appeared and devoured it whole.
In the next moment, the world began to collapse. With the world's consciousness consumed, vast amounts of world force began to scatter. The eight Underworld Fighters were also consumed by their Nether Armor.
The lives, souls, essences, consciousnesses, and all the combat experiences of the eight Underworld Fighters—everything—was absorbed by the Nether Armor. Over time, with each new Underworld Fighter chosen, the armor's power would accumulate, enhancing the demonic stars' essence and feeding back into Hades.
The eight demonic stars devoured the dispersed world force, rapidly channeling it into the World Seed. For the first time, the previously dormant World Seed began to stir, emitting rays of creative divine power.
Of course, the force from just one small world wasn't nearly enough. But successfully absorbing from the first small world meant the crucial first step had been taken. This signified the most vital milestone towards success had been achieved.
Next, it was a matter of following the plan, moving step by step according to the established rhythm.
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